Richard Falk: Understanding the Gaza Catastrophe
Understanding the Gaza Catastrophe
For eighteen months the entire 1.5 million people of Gaza experienced a punishing blockade imposed by Israel, and a variety of traumatizing challenges to the normalcy of daily life. A flicker of hope emerged some six months ago when an Egyptian arranged truce produced an effective ceasefire that cut Israeli casualties to zero despite the cross-border periodic firing of homemade rockets that fell harmlessly on nearby Israeli territory, and undoubtedly caused anxiety in the border town of Sderot. During the ceasefire the Hamas leadership in Gaza repeatedly offered to extend the truce, even proposing a ten-year period and claimed a receptivity to a political solution based on acceptance of Israel's 1967 borders. Israel ignored these diplomatic initiatives, and failed to carry out its side of the ceasefire agreement that involved some easing of the blockade that had been restricting the entry to Gaza of food, medicine, and fuel to a trickle.
Israel also refused exit permits to students with foreign fellowship awards and to Gazan journalists and respected NGO representatives. At the same time, it made it increasingly difficult for journalists to enter, and I was myself expelled from Israel a couple of weeks ago when I tried to enter to carry out my UN job of monitoring respect for human rights in occupied Palestine, that is, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza. Clearly, prior to the current crisis, Israel used its authority to prevent credible observers from giving accurate and truthful accounts of the dire humanitarian situation that had been already documented as producing severe declines in the physical condition and mental health of the Gazan population, especially noting malnutrition among children and the absence of treatment facilities for those suffering from a variety of diseases. The Israeli attacks were directed against a society already in grave condition after a blockade maintained during the prior 18 months.
WTC7: NIST Finally Admits Freefall (Part III)
WTC7: NIST Finally Admits Freefall (Part III) is now posted on YouTube. This concluding segment explores the implications of NIST's concession (to easily observed reality) that freefall occurred.
The Secret and (Very) Profitable World of Intelligence and Narcotrafficking [and 9/11]
He ties this in with 9/11 at the end...
The Secret and (Very) Profitable World of Intelligence and Narcotrafficking by Tom Burghardt
When Afghan drug kingpin Haji Bashir Noorzai was arrested in New York in 2005, it set off a chain of events that continue to echo today. A federal jury in Manhattan convicted Noorzai September 22, for his involvement in an international narcotics trafficking conspiracy that sold tens of millions of dollars of heroin on world markets. The drug lord now faces life in prison and will be sentenced on January 7.
But things aren't always what they seem. Noorzai, described by federal investigators and journalists as "the richest man in Afghanistan," enjoyed close and cosy relations with the Taliban's top leader Mullah Omar, al-Qaeda and Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence agency (ISI). Indeed, Noorzai had become one of the capo tutti capos of Afghanistan's flourishing heroin rackets and profited handsomely from the protection of his Taliban "friends," his ISI mentors and allegedly the CIA.
Warning of the collapse of the Twin Towers and more
Revisiting the 9-11 newspaper archives in light of seven years of research: Part II
by Peter Duveen
PETER'S NEW YORK, December 31, 2008--There's a tremendous amount of material to be gleaned from the newspaper editions that were published in the days immediately following the events of September 1, 2001. Only seven years have passed since that human tragedy was visited upon us, yet already an aura of history has surrounded it. There is a certain forgetfulness that makes revisiting the moment all that much more of a discovery, even though, with the advent of the electronic media, there is unprecedented access to the written word in all its forms.
Below are some cogent passages from The New York Times and the New York Post that I found among a personal stack of archived newspapers, dating from the days immediately following 9-11. These passages are made all the more relevant by research conducted over much of the decade. They supplement others I have already brought to the attention of readers in "Early 9-11 Reportage Reveals Surprises" (see below, also here and here).
Author Mike Palecek Launches "The New American Dream"
To start off the new year, author Mike Palecek offers a fresh venue for news and opinion about the current, and future state of the American Dream;
Good luck, Mike!
Carol Brouillet interviews Mike:
http://www.911blogger.com/node/15385
Michael Wolsey interviews Mike:
http://www.911blogger.com/node/14344
The Gaza Strip
I think Israel should stop immediately. The United States should use its influence to make them stop. I do not understand why peace can not be achieved. Both sides of the equation have the ability to put their guns down and talk. There HAS to be a peaceful solution. Whatever that is, I hope they find it soon. The following are a collection of articles from my site dating back to 2/7/2005. Everything that has happened recently started here, but ended up here. This is every article with the word "Gaza" in it.
BREAKING NEWS: Israel And Palestine Declare Truce
Gaza Shootings Jeopardize Truce
The Ten AlterNet Stories from 2008 That Outraged Readers the Most January 1, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/116394/
"From our coverage on Sarah Palin's gaffes to Matt Taibbi's battles with the 9/11 Truth movement."
The Ten AlterNet Stories from 2008 That Outraged Readers the Most
By AlterNet
Posted on December 31, 2008, Printed on January 1, 2009
http://www.alternet.org/story/116394/
Immigration, gender, LGBT rights, race in America, equality, fair drug laws, the dangers of corporate power in America ... these are just a few of the subjects we feature every day here at AlterNet.
Below, we've assembled the 10 stories that most enraged commenters this year -- the articles that were linked to by conservative sites, ranted about on conspiracy blogs, and inspired people to send some downright nasty notes to AlterNet. They cover topics ranging from the facts about Sarah Palin, to the truth behind America's Marijuana laws, to the backwards thinking behind various conspiracy theories.
Here are the top ten AlterNet stories that outraged readers this year:
10. Over the Top Fed Actions Feed Conspiracy Thinking
By Scott Thill, AlterNet
Unusual Video View of Twin Towers and Building 7 on 9/11
Klik hier om het video filmpje te bekijken
found this video on: http://www.garagetv.be/video-galerij/bartvanbelle/unseen_footage_9_11.aspx?utm_source=GTVPlayer-&utm_medium=LopendFilmpjeE...
Garagetv.
Change.GOV 9/11 Investigation; Vote!!!
Here's mine:
"Please order the FBI, CIA, Pentagon, FAA, Secret Service, NSA and all other involved federal agencies to fully comply with the 9/11 Commission's mandate to declassify and release its records in 2009. http://www.archives.gov/research/9-11-commission/"
http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions_20081217_private_url
I searched 9/11 and went thru the list; here's some of the better ones getting the most votes:
Dione- ""Will the many crimes committed by the outgoing administration, including the torture and rendition of detainees, the illegal war on Iraq; 9/11 conspiracy, stolen elections and likely recent murder of Rove's IT Guru, Mike Connell, be investigated?""
http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions_20081217_private_url
Politicalboi- "Will there be a full independent investigation of 9/11."
http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions_20081217_private_url
RPDX- "With your administration's new "transparency" policy, why not declassify all the documents pertaining to controversial debates such as the events at Roswell, the JFK assassination, and the 9/11 attacks?"
http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions_20081217_private_url