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Ferguson Unmasks the War on Black America

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford | August 20, 2014

The brave and besieged people of Ferguson, Missouri, have already caused serious complications for the U.S. National Security State. By virtue of simply standing their ground in their own small city, the demonstrators have forced the local, county and state police to show their true, thoroughly militarized colors. Ferguson’s righteous agitators and rebellious Black youth have succeeded in pinning down in one small space the armed forces of racist repression in full view of the corporate and the people’s media, so that the whole world can bear witness to the truth of what another generation proclaimed nearly half a century ago: that, in the Black community, the police are an army of occupation.

The military character and mission of the police is more clear today than when the Black Panther Party and others sounded the alarm in the Sixties. Back then, the first SWAT teams were staking out sniper positions on city streets and the federal Law Enforcement Assistance Administration had only just begun to funnel millions of dollars in surveillance technology, guns, body armor and all manner of lethal equipment to local and state police departments across the country. The term “mass Black incarceration” had not yet been coined, but it was only a matter of time before a permanent, militarized police offensive against rebellion-prone ghettos would cause unprecedented numbers of Black prisoners to flow into the greatest gulag in the history of the world.

A Force to Crush a People

White America perceived that it was at war with Black people, who no longer knew their place – and so, places of confinement were made for them; fortified dungeons to house millions. Since America tells itself and the rest of the world that it does not make war on its own citizens, and that there is a sharp and Constitutionally defined separation between the military and civilian functions of the State, the war against Black people had to be called something else – a War on Drugs, or simply a War on Crime. Therefore, it was not long before the words “crime” and “drugs” and “Black” came to mean the same thing since, really, there was only one war going on. And, it continues, still.

The young people of Ferguson, and greater St. Louis, and all of urban, suburban and rural Black America understand perfectly well that war is being waged against them. The powers-that-be every day of the year make it is crystal clear to Black people, especially Black men, that an overwhelming and lethal force is prepared to crush them – for any reason, or for no reason at all. This is the definition of a war of terror. It requires the aggressor to engage in constant and ever escalating displays of disciplined force – which is what militaries do. By refusing to disperse, the Black people of Ferguson have compelled the police to flaunt their military nature and mission before the eyes of the world. The American National Security State is embarrassed. But it will take a social transformation – that is, a revolution – to disarm the beast.

Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

August 20, 2014 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism | , | Leave a comment

Freedom to Live Ordinary Lives

By Stuart Littlewood | Dissident Voice | August 19, 2014

I have just received a very disappointing reply from my true-blue Tory MP to pleas for real government action over the slaughter in Gaza.

A similarly worthless response has been received in other parts of the country so I conclude that the ex-Etonian didn’t pen the twaddle himself. More likely it was the work, as usual, of a Foreign Office scribbler trained by Mark Regev’s hasbara unit in Tel Aviv.

“Israel has a right to defend itself against indiscriminate rocket attacks”, it said. But no such right can be claimed when Israel is the illegal occupier inflicting collective punishment on its victim — a war crime, as everyone knows. Civilian casualties indicate it is actually Israel’s bombardment that’s indiscriminate, even with state-of-the-art weaponry.

And, as my MP must be aware, Hamas are entitled to put up armed resistance against an invader with any weapons at their disposal.

He talks about “creating the space for wider discussions on how to resolve the underlying issues”. He and his mates in the British government show no sign of actually understanding what those issues are and have consistently failed to address them, despite their eye-wateringly expensive education. They could go back to Herzl and the Zionist Congress of 1897. They could go back to 1917 and Balfour. They could go back to 1947 and the absurd UN Partition Plan. They could go back to 1948, the Dalet Plan and Jewish terror operations that ethnically cleansed the Palestinian territories. They could go back to 2002 and the illegal Separation Wall that annexes further swathes of prime Palestinian land and resources.

Actually they only have to retrace their steps a short distance to 2005 for a pretty clear view of the underlying causes. I set those out in another article a week or so ago. But they bear repeating for the benefit of the dull-witted loafers who crowd the corridors of power in London and Washington. When Israel “disengaged” from Gaza in September 2005 (i.e. pulled out its ground troops and squatters while continuing to occupy Palestinian airspace, coastal waters and crossings to the outside world) it signed an Agreement on Movement intended to maintain and develop Gaza’s economy and set the scene for a viable Palestinian state. The Agreement, drawn up by the US and sponsored by the Quartet, was launched by Condoleezza Rice (US Secretary of State) and Javier Solana (EU High Representative) in Jerusalem on 15 November 2005.

Rice said the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza returned control of that territory to the Palestinian people and the EU would play an important role in implementing the scheme. “This agreement is intended to give the Palestinian people freedom to move, to trade, to live ordinary lives. The agreement covers six topics:

First, for the first time since 1967, Palestinians will gain control over entry and exit from their territory. This will be through an international crossing at Rafah, whose target opening date is November 25th.

Second, Israel and the Palestinians will upgrade and expand other crossings for people and cargo between Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. This is especially important now because Israel has committed itself to allow the urgent export of this season’s agricultural produce from Gaza.

Third, Palestinians will be able to move between Gaza and the West Bank; specifically, bus convoys are to begin about a month from now and truck convoys are to start a month after that.

Fourth, the parties will reduce obstacles to movement within the West Bank. It has been agreed that by the end of the year the United States and Israel will complete work to lift these obstacles and develop a plan to reduce them.

Fifth, construction of a Palestinian seaport can begin. The Rafah model will provide a basis for planned operations.

Sixth, the parties agree on the importance of the airport. Israel recognizes that the Palestinian Authority will want to resume construction on the airport. I am encouraging Israel to consider allowing construction to resume as this agreement is successfully implemented…

Israel failed to honour any of these promises.

Then, in 2012, Operation Pillar of Cloud ended with an agreement in which Israel promised to cease military incursions into Gaza by land, sea and air, cease the targeting of individuals, and “open the crossings and facilitate the movement of people and transfer of goods, and refrain from restricting residents’ free movement and targeting residents in border areas”. Israel fulfilled none of these obligations.

Government MPs keep saying — and mine said it again in his letter — that a negotiated two-state solution is the only way to resolve the conflict and “no other option exists”. Surely it is time to stop spinning this tired old lie. British governments have pursued a “negotiated” two-state solution for decades and never come close to delivering it. It is a discredited policy. The letter ends by saying: “I can assure you the UK will work with all parties to make progress towards this goal.” Well, we have seen the shoddy work his government does, shackled to the US-Israeli agenda for endlessly delaying action so that the occupation may become permanent. We hear precious little of justice, of Palestinian rights or Palestinian security, of implementing UN resolutions, of conforming with international law, of ending the occupation. This craven government couldn’t even bring itself to support a UN inquiry into war crimes committed in Gaza. No progress towards peace has been achieved. Nor will it ever be with leaders like Cameron whose undying loyalty is pledged to Israel.

Instead of covering the same old ground and uttering the same old mantra time and time again, trying to make the situation appear insurmountable, all the government and its international partners need to do is implement the 2005 agreement — and use sanctions, if necessary, to make it stick. Britain’s Conservatives are gung-ho with sanctions, often leading the charge… against Iraq, Iran, Burma, Libya, Syria, Russia, even Palestine (via the EU, remember?). The UK loudly condemns Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and has been at the forefront of EU measures to impose sanctions, including asset freezes, export restrictions and an arms embargo. But when the vilest terror regime of all illegally annexes Palestinian territory the UK rewards it and won’t hear of sanctions.

Just as I was signing off an unsolicited email from foreign secretary Philip Hammond arrived in my inbox. On the Gaza situation it says:

The current negotiations are not easy. But there is no other viable option than a comprehensive negotiated solution that will allow both Israeli and Palestinian people to live in peace and security.

Ultimately, we must see a return to talks on a negotiated two-state solution, which remains the only way to resolve the conflict and end the human suffering it causes once and for all.

See what I mean? Same old, same old waste of time. What is the point of negotiating new terms when the old ones have been ignored?

My MP says Britain is working with international partners to achieve an end to Israeli operations against Gaza. Does this mean an end to all harmful operations — the blockade, the continual overflying, the interference with fishing and other shipping and the constant invasion of Palestinian territorial waters? Will this international effort restore to Palestinians their seaport and airport, as per the 2005 promises?

While they’re about it, how about an end to operations against the West Bank too? No rockets coming from there.

August 20, 2014 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Timeless or most popular | , , , | 1 Comment

Majority of Israelis: The force used by the army in Gaza was not excessive

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MEMO | August 20, 2014

An overwhelming majority of Jewish Israelis think that the Israeli army used either the “appropriate” level of force or “too little firepower” during its latest aggression, dubbed “Operation Protective Edge”, in the Gaza Strip. A majority also expressed their support for the government’s restrictions on the freedom of expression during the war, as well as for the mediation efforts led by the post-coup government in Egypt.

According to the latest poll for the Peace Index, which is conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute and the University of Tel Aviv, 48 per cent of Israeli Jews believe that the force used by the army was appropriate, while 45 per cent actually think that too little force was used. Only 6 per cent said that Israel used excessive force against the Palestinians.

The Israeli government barred Israeli reporters from entering into Gaza to cover the war, thus Israelis were not exposed to the horrors taking place in the Strip. Israeli strikes have left more than 2,000 dead and 10,000 wounded, in addition to causing massive destruction to civil infrastructure, homes and businesses, leaving many without a place to sleep or work.

On another note, 97 per cent of the Jewish Israeli respondents said that the performance of the Israeli army during the operation was “was very or moderately good”, while only 3 per cent rated the army’s performance as “as not so good or poor”.

58 per cent said they were in favour of limiting the freedom of expression during times of war, while 39 per cent believe that these restrictions are unnecessary.

92 per cent of the Jewish population said the aggression on Gaza was “justified” while 58 per cent said that Israel should not respond to any of Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire and instead should continue fighting until the Palestinian resistance movement surrenders.

Some 44 per cent believe that Israel has achieved most of its goals as a result of the war on Gaza, while 48 per cent said that only some of the goals set for the operation have been achieved and 6 per cent said that Israel did not achieve anything from this operation.

As for the Arab Israeli citizens, 65 per cent believe that no goals have been achieved.

Regarding the mediation efforts in Cairo, 60 per cent of Israeli Jews trust Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah Al-Sisi “to act as a fair mediator”, with only 38 per cent not trusting him.

On the other hand, 55 per cent of Israeli Arabs do not trust President Al-Sisi, while 31 per cent trust him to mediate the conflict.

August 20, 2014 Posted by | Ethnic Cleansing, Racism, Zionism, Full Spectrum Dominance, War Crimes | , , , | Leave a comment

Watchdog groups slam Ferguson police ‘harassment’ of reporters

RT | August 20, 2014

As tensions continue to simmer following nine days of street protests in Ferguson, Missouri, where a teenager was shot dead by a police officer, two watchdog groups have slammed the heavy-handed police tactics.

To compound the physical and mental strain of reporting on the weeks-long protests in Ferguson, where the public is desperate for justice after a white police officer shot black teenager Michael Brown to death, journalists themselves are finding themselves the target of police tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bang grenades.

However, Robert Mahoney, Deputy Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said the police tactics would not prevent reporters from doing their jobs.

“Ferguson is an international story and journalists are going to cover it. They have a right to do so without fearing for their safety or liberty,” Mahoney said. “The harassment and detention of reporters must stop. From senior commanders on down, the word must go out to security forces to let journalists do their job.”

CPJ also released a guide for journalists on how to stay safe while covering events in Ferguson.

Jasmine Heiss, an observer with Amnesty International, expressed concern over reports that journalists were being tear-gassed while performing their jobs.

“Just last night I’ve heard several journalists and community say that either gas was thrown at them while they were reporting, or, in the case of the community members that gas was thrown into residential neighborhoods while they were walking,” Heiss told RT.

“Increasingly repressive tactics [are] being used to curtail free speech,” she added.

Six journalists were detained by police while covering the protests on Monday and early Tuesday, compelling the American Society of News Editors to describe the incidences as a “top-down effort to restrict the fundamental First Amendment rights of the public and the press.”

According to CNN, 11 journalists have been arrested in the course of the protests, which have thrown a glaring spotlight on US race relations, not to mention military-style police equipment and tactics now being deployed on the streets of America.

Police were caught on video firing a tear gas canister that exploded directly in front of an Al Jazeera America crew, causing the reporters to discard their camera equipment and flee the fumes.

In another heated encounter, a police officer is actually caught on video telling journalists, “I’m going to f***ing kill you!”

Meanwhile, social media accounts have exploded with real-time proof of the “severe press intimidation,” as the Huffington Post described the heavy-handed tactics, where Ferguson police fired at journalists with rubber bullets and flash bang grenades, in some cases preventing media from leaving their vehicles for fear of being targeted.

German reporter Ansgar Graw and his colleague Frank Hermann were detained by police for taking photos of a burned-out gas station, close to the spot where Michael Brown was killed.

“I tried to take some pictures at a spot where before I think were taken several thousand photos of the same spot, and some police officers tried to shoot me and my colleague from Germany…but it was on Monday at 2 o’clock, it was perfect…there was no threat, no tensions were in the air,” he told RT.

The journalist said the police told them they could photograph, but they had to continue walking otherwise they would be arrested. Despite complying with the police orders, Graw said they were still detained.

August 20, 2014 Posted by | Civil Liberties, Full Spectrum Dominance | , , , , | Leave a comment