tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-195444902024-03-07T05:14:28.639+00:00mask of anarchy'For both parties, the most disagreeable way of responding to a polemic is to be angry and keep silent.'
Friedrich Nietzsche 1878Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-65578502515907734992010-03-15T22:53:00.002+00:002010-03-15T22:58:33.200+00:00The Mask of Anarchy Has Moved!Dear readers, The Mask has re-activated and is now at WordPress, rejoice!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://maskofanarchy.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">maskofanarchy.wordpress.com</span></span></a></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17111132651663342181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-756890978799974682009-04-12T14:30:00.004+01:002009-04-12T14:51:45.822+01:00Guido Fawkes - A Policeman's Best FriendGood to see that <a href="http://www.order-order.com/">fuckhead <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">bloggers</span></a> have a keen idea about what is important. Just a week ago we were confronted with the brutality of our police force. A police force that has been encouraged to brutally suppress legitimate, peaceful protest. A police force that thinks that a fair investigation into the death of an innocent man during the G20 protests should be conducted by themselves. <br /><br />A week after these revelations, and where are we? Are 'serious <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">bloggers' </span> taking the police to task, further investigating their behaviour and exposing the brutality that the government has encouraged?? Are they exposing the very real danger to our liberties that is posed by a brutal police force empowered by anti-terror legislation?? No, they are writing about a smear campaign conducted by an advisor. Drawing attention from the far scarier story that has been emerging over the past week. Kind of puts Mr <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tomlinson's</span> death at the hands of the police into perspective doesn't it. Guido Fawkes? Cupid Stunt more like.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-35232177658980429232009-04-08T23:14:00.003+01:002009-04-08T23:18:05.149+01:00Filthy FuzzHow odd that the main story this morning was <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/07/ian-tomlinson-g20-death-video">this</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Ian Tomlinson, the man who died at last week's G20 protests in London, was attacked from behind and thrown to the ground by a baton-wielding police officer in riot gear, dramatic footage obtained by the Guardian shows.</span><br /><br /><br />And by the afternoon we had <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/apr/08/terror-raids-bob-quick-leak-met-police">this</a>:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Counter-terrorist police arrested 10 young men across the north-west tonight in an operation hastily brought forward following an embarrassing security leak by a senior Scotland Yard commander.</span><br /><br />Hmmm.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-66213689837594793572009-03-28T10:35:00.002+00:002009-03-28T10:38:03.508+00:00G20 Protest, LondonYou can follow the events at the G20 protest via Twitter either through their <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search?ands=&from=&lang=all&near=&nots=&ors=&phrase=&q=&ref=&rpp=15&since=&tag=g20&to=&units=mi&until=&within=15">live search</a> or you can subscribe to the <a href="http://search.twitter.com/search.atom?q=+%23g20">G20 feed</a>.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-33015824958758708092009-03-26T20:15:00.002+00:002009-03-26T20:23:33.276+00:00Saakashvili - A Dictator in the Making?<a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hnSNIr9uyEB_cKT6LLaBHSmoUVuw">One wonders......</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">TBILISI (AFP) — A top US diplomat on Thursday said Washington has urged both Georgian authorities and opposition forces to avoid violence as fears of unrest grow ahead of anti-government protests next month.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza held unexpected talks with officials and opposition leaders here late Wednesday, returning to Tbilisi for the second time in less than two weeks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">His visit came after 10 opposition supporters were arrested on weapons charges this week and police released video recordings they say show plans to use violence during the protests.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">The arrests and a grenade attack on a police car this month have raised fears that the protests, due to start on April 9, could spark civil unrest similar to the violence and civil war that wracked Georgia in the 1990s.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Burjanadze, who has accused the government of launching a smear campaign to discredit her, told Rustavi-2 television that she had informed Bryza of the recent developments involving her supporters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"I want the reality of everything that is happening to be clear," she said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Alasania said he had told Bryza that while the opposition welcomed US efforts to support democracy in Georgia, Washington should not be directly involved in resolving domestic political conflicts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"Of course serious American support for the development of democracy in Georgia is necessary, but I explained that it is up to Georgians, through dialogue between the opposition and the government, to find a way out of this," he told Rustavi-2.</span><br /><br />In a separate report, <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gsYoN2VTdl-j1OI7ITNSHWTouZfwD9753N5O3">Burjanadze..</a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">....accuses police of planting weapons at supporters' homes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">On Wednesday, officials released more recordings of alleged coup plans by opposition members. One recording purportedly shows a member of Burdzhanadze's party, Roina Bukhrashvili, as saying that a civil war would be in the party's interests.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Burdzhanadze said that "if it's confirmed that members of the party obtained weapons, they should be harshly punished. However, if this is a provocation by authorities, then the authorities should not go unpunished."</span><br /><br />If only the media had explored this side of his charcter when the trouble in South Ossetia blew up last year. Too much to ask I guess.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-43051380231215285042009-02-15T21:38:00.003+00:002009-02-15T22:10:29.280+00:00The Chavez DeceitOnce more, large sections of the media are representing the referendum in Venezuela in a very dubious light. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/15/chavez-venezuela-poll">The Observer's headline</a> says much about the angle that they are taking:<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Anti-Chávez lobby dares to hope for a last-ditch victory</span></span><br /><br />The opening paragraph really underlines the standard Western view of Venezuela:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">A ragtag coalition of university students, traditional elites and disillusioned "chavistas" will today try to end Hugo Chávez's dream of ruling Venezuela for life.</span><br /><br />'Dream of ruling Venezuela for life'? That couches it in particularly disturbing terms. Do we talk of Gordon Brown or David Camerin dreaming of 'ruling for life'? Of course not. And yet there is little, if any, difference between the system being proposed in Venezuela and the system in the UK. Apart from one fundamental difference. The Venezuelan people are having a say in a change in the constitution. Can you imagine that happening in the UK? The idea would fill the political classes with dread.<br /><br />One thing that characterises these reports about the situation in Venezuela, is the failure to put the opposition to Chavez into context. Quite often they are represented as respectable statesmen who are fighting to wrestle power away from an all too powerful President. What they fail to report is that many members of the opposition were deeply involved in the failed coup in 2002 that was backed by the Bu$h White House. These are not all democrats and respectable statesmen. Many of them are plotters and proxies for the interests of the United States. And yet, the opening quote in the Observer piece is from one of these fronts for the American government.<br /><br />However, one of the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7891010.stm">most important quotes</a> has been conveniently ignored:<br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">"This is important for me as a human being and as a soldier in this fight. </p><p style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;">"We'll recognize the result, whatever it is, once it is announced by the National Electoral Council."</span> </p>Chavez swore last time that he would respect the result, and he did. What makes anyone think that this time it is any different?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-48554814132067377022009-02-05T23:30:00.004+00:002009-02-05T23:40:48.754+00:00Terrorist Sympathiser Set to Become Israeli Prime Minister?Remember those images of people celebrating when the two towers collapsed on 11th September? Despicable wasn't it? And yet Israel appears to be on the verge of voting in one of those flag waving terrorist supporters. Yep Binyamin Netanyahu is one of those people. Not only a terrorist sympathiser, but a sympathiser of <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article690085.ece">a terrorist attack on the UK</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">The rightwingers, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the former Prime Minister, are commemorating the bombing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, the headquarters of British rule, that killed 92 people and helped to drive the British from Palestine. </span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">They have erected a plaque outside the restored building, and are holding a two-day seminar with speeches and a tour of the hotel by one of the Jewish resistance fighters involved in the attack.</span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Simon McDonald, the British Ambassador in Tel Aviv, and John Jenkins, the Consul-General in Jerusalem, have written to the municipality, stating: “We do not think that it is right for an act of terrorism, which led to the loss of many lives, to be commemorated.” </span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">In particular they demanded the removal of the plaque that pays tribute to the Irgun, the Jewish resistance branch headed by Menachem Begin, the future Prime Minister, which carried out the attack on July 22, 1946. </span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-61287771228406011202009-02-05T23:07:00.003+00:002009-02-05T23:11:27.235+00:00Smith To Be Questioned on Torture CollusionI'm guessing this <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/04/mi5-torture-allegations-pakistan">won't go any further</a>:<br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><em>Jacqui Smith</em><em>, the home secretary, is to be questioned over allegations that British security services colluded in the </em><em>torture</em><em> of terrorism suspects and operated under a "James Bond-style get-out clause". </em></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><em>The allegations, </em><em>first reported in the Guardian last year</em><em>, relate to a number of suspects arrested in Pakistan at the request of British authorities between 2003 and 2007. The men say they were repeatedly tortured by agents of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) before being questioned by MI5. </em></span><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><em>Yesterday members of the joint committee on </em><em>human rights</em><em> (JCHR) heard that British officials put pressure on the Pakistani authorities to get information and "knew very well" they were using torture during their investigations.</em></span><br /><br />We live in hope.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-43427775303352676542009-02-05T23:04:00.001+00:002009-02-05T23:06:54.049+00:00Obama - Same old shitThought Obama was the saviour? Don't be a fool. <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/us-accused-of-blackmail-over-terror-trial-evidence-1546397.html">He is no different to all other post-war Presidents</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Barack Obama's government was accused of "blackmail" after it emerged that America had threatened to withdraw co-operation in terrorist cases if a UK court ordered the disclosure of secret torture evidence.<br /><br />In the first real test of the "special relationship" between Britain and the US since Mr Obama's inauguration, MPs and human rights groups called for an inquiry into the case that concerns the treatment of a British resident, Binyam Mohamed, still being held at Guantanamo Bay.<br /><br />Secret CIA documents held by the Foreign Office detail the interrogation and treatment of Mr Mohamed, who claims he was brutally tortured after being flown by US agents to a secret prison in Morocco before his detention at the US naval base in Cuba.</span></em><br /><br />Good work Messiah.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-63338875466095205472009-01-24T09:17:00.002+00:002009-01-24T09:23:45.539+00:00BBC & Gaza - Just Not Right-wing EnoughGood work by the chaps at the BBC to prevent aid agencies getting the airtime that is desperately required to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jan/23/bbc-refuses-gaza-appeal">help the people of Gaza</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">The BBC has refused to broadcast a national humanitarian appeal for Gaza, leaving aid agencies with a potential shortfall of millions of pounds in donations.<br /><br />The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group for 13 aid charities, launched its appeal yesterday saying the devastation in Gaza was "so huge British aid agencies were compelled to act".<br /><br />But the BBC made a rare breach of an agreement dating to 1963, saying it would not give free airtime to the appeal. Other broadcasters followed suit. Previously, broadcasters had agreed on the video and script to be used with the DEC, to be shown after primetime news bulletins.<br /><br />The BBC, which has been criticised in the past over alleged bias in its coverage of the Middle East, said it did not want to risk public confidence in its impartiality. A BBC spokesperson said: "The decision was made because of question marks about the delivery of aid in a volatile situation and also to avoid any risk of compromising public confidence in the BBC's impartiality in the context of [a] news story."</span> </em><br /><br />Impartiality before humanitarian aid? Clearly the BBC is a hotbed of radical leftism.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-75089909514432915652009-01-19T16:19:00.003+00:002009-01-19T16:24:41.774+00:00Gaza Twitter....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Do you have a Twitter account?? If so, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://twitter.com/ultimatejosh"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">ultimatejosh</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://twitter.com/AliveInGaza"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">AliveinGaza</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> are taking questions via Twitter to pass on to their </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">correspondent in Gaza. If you have any questions, simply send them to their Twitter accounts which I have conveniently hyperlinked above! One load of submitted questions have already been answered </span></span><a href="http://aliveingaza.org/2009/01/18/dispatch-from-sameh-no-one-wants-to-talk-about-politics/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">here</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-35923388334796345792009-01-17T19:14:00.004+00:002009-01-18T21:06:03.480+00:00The War on Gaza - The Finest Propaganda Campaign in HistoryThe war on Gaza is not only a humanitarian disaster of massive proportions, it has also witnessed a propaganda campaign on a scale not witnessed before. The amount of mis-information, half-truths and, let's be frank, lies that have emerged over the past few weeks has meant that the casual viewer has been presented with an incomplete picture of the events in Gaza and what led up to them. This is the direct result of an attempt by the Israeli government to win the media battle and convince the international community that their assault on the innocent people of Gaza was entirely justified. It is a media battle that the world's media has been happy to play along with.<br /><br /><br />Ever since the start of the campaign, Israel has ensured that a spokesperson is free to talk to as many of the networks as possible to put their side of the story across. Barely a day has gone by without either Mark Regev or Major Avital Leibovich bombarding us with their 'truth' about the assault on Gaza. And yet, most of their words have been accepted as fact, without much in the way of interrogation. They have been able to make their accusations and claims entirely unchecked without providing a shred of evidence to support anything they have said. And the reason why they have been able to get away with this is down to the methods that the Israeli government has used to manage their message.<br /><br /><br />Take the reporting from Gaza. Or rather, the lack of reporting from Gaza. Since the beginning of the war on Gaza, journalists have not been allowed to provide independent verification of the claims of the Israeli government. Every time a claim is made by the Israeli state, there is no way to verify their accuracy. We only have the word of Israeli state officials to go on, and since when has a mouthpiece of the state been trustworthy? Of course, the Israeli government <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10/gaza-israel-reporters-foreign-journalists">has been extremely pleased</a> with the way the propaganda campaign on the media has been waged. They were said to be delighted with certain aspects of the BBC's coverage. The appearance of a BBC correspondent in a flak jacket in Israel certainly did much to convey the idea that Israel was under siege. Little wonder the Israeli government was so pleased.<br /><br /><br />One of the greatest fallacies about the war on Gaza has been the accusation that Hamas broke the terms of the ceasefire and have been launching hundreds of rockets into Gaza every day. Whilst it is true that rockets have been launched into Israel on a regular basis, there was a noticeable difference in the number of rockets fired from Gaza before the ceasefire and during. During the ceasefire, the number of rockets launched into Israel dropped dramatically. Hamas largely adhered to the terms of the ceasefire and ensured that their military arm did not fire rockets into Israel. There were, however, various other groups in Gaza who continued to fire rockets across the border, groups that are essentially hostile to Hamas and were keen to provoke Israel into launching an assault in the hope it would weaken Hamas. However, these groups were dealt with and those responsible for the launching of rockets were locked up. Despite the fact that Hamas were observing the ceasefire, on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/nov/05/israelandthepalestinians">November 4th Israel launched a raid into Gaza and killed six Hamas 'militants'</a>. It was after this point that rocket fire into Israel reached pre-ceasefire levels. And this is the point often neglected by the media. I have observed many BBC correspondents say to Israeli officials that no-one argues that Hamas broke the ceasefire, when it is entirely the case that Israel broke the terms of the ceasefire. But such is the power of the propaganda machine, this has been accepted as fact.<br /><br />And not only has this been accepted as fact, but various little details seem to have been ignored by much of the media. For example, on 23rd December, Hamas offered to renew the ceasefire but, as Israel had already drawn up their plans to assault Gaza, <a href="http://www.johnpilger.com/page.asp?partid=519">it was rejected</a>. Not only was that offer ignored, but it is barely mentioned that <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/nov/01/israel">Ismail Haniyeh offered a ten year ceasefire with Israel</a>. There may well be competing voices within Hamas but, like all political groups, there are a wide range of viewpoints. But, again, such things are barely worthy of mention in the West, particularly given the idea that has been spread around that Fatah and Fatah alone are worthy of our support. Given the West's habit of supporting corrupt and incompetent parties across the globe, this support for Fatah is perhaps unsurprising. Fatah, after all, had done very little for the Palestinian people before their election defeat, a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/jan/24/israel">defeat mainly as a consequence of the corruption that ran throughout Fatah</a>.<br /><br />But this is not the worst of the mis-information put out by the media and the Israeli state. Take the attacks on the UN buildings in Gaza. After the first schools were hit, Israeli representatives went on TV and claimed that the responsibility for these crimes lay with Hamas, not with Israel. Now, it would appear, the victims of the crime are responsible for what happened to them. Compare this with standard right-wing rhetoric that is hostile to what it sees as the perpetrator being the ‘victim’. Remember all the times they have treated that idea with disdain and then wonder how they can claim (straight faced) that the murder of civilians by their bombs, their rockets, their military, is somehow not their fault, but that of Hamas. Strange, no?<br /><br /><br />Not only did they claim that the fault of their military murdering innocent civilians was not there fault, they also went on to claim that Hamas were using installations such as the schools to launch attacks on Israel. One spokesperson even claimed they <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1231167272256&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter">'booby-trapped' a building containing civilians</a>. The spokesmen showed no remorse, no pity. And then what do we discover a few days later, when more than forty innocent people have died? <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/12/olmert-israel-goal">That there were no Hamas fighters there and it was a 'mistake'</a>. Too late for all those brothers who lost sisters, mothers who lost children, children who lost parents. Just a shrug of the shoulders from the Israeli government and then they move on. The dead becoming merely an inconvenient statistic that undermines their rhetoric about not wanting a war with the Palestinian people. What is this if it is not?<br /><br /><br />Despite their unfounded accusations, it is not as if Israel has abided entirely by international conventions. Whilst largely ignored or dismissed by much of the media, there is growing evidence that war crimes have been committed by the IDF. These <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/18/israel-war-crimes-gaza-conflict">crimes</a> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10/un-human-rights-gaza-zeitoun">include</a>:<br /><br />• attempting to bulldoze houses with civilians inside;<br />• killing civilians trying to escape under the protection of white flags;<br />• the use of indiscriminate force in a civilian area and the firing of white phosphorus shells.<br />• using powerful shells in civilian areas which the army knew would cause large numbers of innocent casualties;<br />• holding Palestinian families as human shields;<br />• attacking medical facilities, including the killing of 12 ambulance men in marked vehicles;<br />• killing large numbers of police who had no military role.<br /><br />Even the United Nations’ most senior human rights official suggested that Israel may have to answer for war crimes in the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10/un-human-rights-gaza-zeitoun">wake of their assault on Zeitoun</a>. Of course, the chances of Israel actually being prosecuted for these war crimes is minute. Especially as the propaganda campaign by the Israeli government has been so successful in pushing out its message. Will there seriously be any support for an independent inquiry into Israeli war crimes? And, if there is an inquiry, what are the chances of Israel being censored as a result? Zero. Because, as always, the United States will ride to the rescue and ensure that the Israeli government are well protected. Besides, by then the assault will be forgotten about by the media and will make little difference for those in Gaza who have suffered at the hands of the IDF. And as for the change of government in America, is there anyone who seriously believes that Obama will launch a radical shift in foreign policy? With a Clinton as Secretary of State? The suffering of the Palestinians will continue and the Israeli propaganda machine will continue unabated.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-33046363950087919942009-01-13T21:40:00.002+00:002009-01-13T21:48:06.508+00:00Israel Using Human ShieldsFrom <em><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/13/gaza-israel-war-crimes">The Guardian</a></em>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Amnesty International says hitting residential streets with shells that send blast and shrapnel over a wide area constitutes "prima facie evidence of war crimes".<br /></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">"There has been reckless and disproportionate and in some cases indiscriminate use of force," said Donatella Rovera, an Amnesty investigator in Israel. "There has been the use of weaponry that shouldn't be used in densely populated areas because it's known that it will cause civilian fatalities and casualties.<br /></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">"They have extremely sophisticated missiles that can be guided to a moving car and they choose to use other weapons or decide to drop a bomb on a house knowing that there were women and children inside. These are very, very clear breaches of international law."</span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Israel's most prominent human rights organisation, B'Tselem, has written to the attorney general in Jerusalem, Meni Mazuz, asking him to investigate suspected crimes including how the military selects its targets and the killing of scores of policemen at a passing out parade.<br /></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">"Many of the targets seem not to have been legitimate military targets as specified by international humanitarian law," said Sarit Michaeli of B'Tselem.</span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Rovera has also collected evidence that the Israeli army holds Palestinian families prisoner in their own homes as human shields. "It's standard practice for Israeli soldiers to go into a house, lock up the family in a room on the ground floor and use the rest of the house as a military base, as a sniper's position. That is the absolute textbook case of human shields.<br /></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">"It has been practised by the Israeli army for many years and they are doing it again in Gaza now," she said.</span></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-30670219449182433292009-01-08T18:50:00.003+00:002009-01-08T18:55:15.110+00:00UN School in Gaza - No Rockets Fired From SchoolCouldn't find this anywhere other than a small section of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Independent</span>, and even then it wasn't on their website. So I had to resort to scanning the section:<div><br /></div><div><br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 117px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nXKu4SmcNsqQ9V22n61cOi67xazEBWcn8cd6ms6m69tjMuncp3m8RV3owVolWqJpUrrQMoneqaYWWEoor_qdqAPBys3_A5toon8CZZOc5U-MBkq0H9Ujo-ZEQg3R9yersCFu/s400/UN+school.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288997879421739442" />So after all the talk of 'booby-traps' and Hamas rockets, Israel has admitted to the UN that no firing originated from the school. So what to do about the 43 dead?? Say sorry?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-4165713693934732202009-01-05T20:39:00.002+00:002009-01-05T20:44:53.076+00:00Israel Using White Phosphorus?<a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5447590.ece">That is certainly one accusation doing the rounds</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Israel is believed to be using controversial white phosphorus shells to screen its assault on the heavily populated Gaza Strip yesterday. The weapon, used by British and US forces in Iraq, can cause horrific burns but is not illegal if used as a smokescreen.<br /><br />As the Israeli army stormed to the edges of Gaza City and the Palestinian death toll topped 500, the tell-tale shells could be seen spreading tentacles of thick white smoke to cover the troops’ advance. “These explosions are fantastic looking, and produce a great deal of smoke that blinds the enemy so that our forces can move in,” said one Israeli security expert. Burning blobs of phosphorus would cause severe injuries to anyone caught beneath them and force would-be snipers or operators of remote-controlled booby traps to take cover. Israel admitted using white phosphorus during its 2006 war with Lebanon.<br /><br />The use of the weapon in the Gaza Strip, one of the world’s mostly densely population areas, is likely to ignite yet more controversy over Israel’s offensive, in which more than 2,300 Palestinians have been wounded.<br /></span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">The Geneva Treaty of 1980 stipulates that white phosphorus should not be used as a weapon of war in civilian areas, but there is no blanket ban under international law on its use as a smokescreen or for illumination. However, Charles Heyman, a military expert and former major in the British Army, said: “If white phosphorus was deliberately fired at a crowd of people someone would end up in The Hague. White phosphorus is also a terror weapon. The descending blobs of phosphorus will burn when in contact with skin.” </span><br /></em><em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-35688235648279629902009-01-04T22:17:00.003+00:002009-01-04T22:21:32.693+00:00Medical Aid For The Palestinian PeopleTwo good shouts from <a href="http://tenpercent.wordpress.com/">Ten Percent</a>:<br /><br /><ol><li>You can donate money to be used as medical aid for the Palestinians <a href="http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s58196">here</a></li><li>And a story that has been missed by large sections of the media....is the Israeli action part of an attempt <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Gas_deal_coming_polls_behind_military_operations_in_Gaza/articleshow/3935036.cms">to secure gas supplies</a>?</li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-15668132766883195852009-01-03T21:07:00.003+00:002009-01-03T21:48:03.736+00:00The War on PalestiniansSo, Israeli propaganda dominates the airwaves. Israeli officials are wheeled out to proclaim that their murder of nearly 500 Palestinians and the launch of over 800 strikes is a 'defensive action'. It is barely possible to watch the news as these officials trundle out lie after lie with straight faces, apparently convinced of their own lies. The lie that Israeli action is defensive being just one of a whole pack of lies which the Israeli government know will be almost impossible to disprove. Still, if nothing else, the propaganda offensive has been 'impressive'.<br /><br />One thing must be kept in mind when watching any news coverage of this murderous attack on Gaza. International journalists are not allowed into Gaza to verify any of the claims of the Israeli government. Even though the Supreme Court has ruled that the government cannot ban foreign correspondents, they remain banned. As a result, it makes it impossible to verify the claims of the government, a fact they are all to aware of. Take this morning's attack on a <a href="http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ioi_0jtO9RjMwPNRoXNCndRPRq3gD95F7BIG0">mosque in Gaza</a>. On various networks, officials have been interviews and claimed that the strike was unfortunate, but that munitions are routinely stored in civilian locations across Gaza and, this implies, the strike was justified. One question is never asked: where is the proof? If the mosque contained munitions, why not provide the proof? Why not tell us where exactly these munitions were stored? Why? Because it is part of a blatant attempt to convince the people of the world that this mass murder, this attempt at ethnic cleansing, is in someway justified. <br /><br />Every civilian death is seen as suspicious. Every civilian death is blamed on the Palestinian people. Oh, they say they blame Hamas, but by claiming that the Palestinians allow munitions to be stored on their properties, they are essentially saying that any Palestinian civilian that is killed is responsible for their own murder. It is ironic, nay perverse, that so often, the very same people who claim that the Palestinians (the victims) are at fault and that the Israelis (the perpetrators) are deserving of our sympathy, are the very same ones that proclaim that individuals should take the responsibility for their actions and not blame external factors. Why are Palestinians not deserving of this? Why, in this case, should the murderers not take responsibility for their actions? Which the victim suffer whilst the perpetrator has excuses made in their favour? It is the great double standard at the heart of much of the rhetoric that emanates from certain sections of the political spectrum.<br /><br />And why should we believe what the Israeli government says anyway. Their propaganda has already been exposed for what it is only this morning. Footage that was uploaded on YouTube to prove the accuracy of the Israeli assault has now been revealed as a disgraceful piece of propaganda. Instead of missiles being loaded onto the targeted truck (as the Israeli government claimed), <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7809371.stm">oxygen cylinders were being prepared for distribution</a>. As a result of this action, eight Palestinians were killed. And yet, this video clip is being used as an example of how the Israelis are so careful in their targeting. And, given the lack of journalists in Gaza, one wonders how many other examples are waiting to emerge from the woodwork.<br /><br />Despite the horrors that are being conducted in Gaza, one must remember that these are the actions of a corrupt elite that are in power in Israel. They are not representative of the people of Israel. <a href="http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/cpi020109.html">The Communist Party of Israel and Hadash have been organising demonstrations in Tel Aviv in protest against the assault on Gaza</a> and the continuing siege. <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733152340&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">There have been reports that over 10,000 people have taken to the streets in protest against Israeli action</a>. And their bravery in expressing their right to free speech is underlined when considering the disgusting language of some of the extreme elements in <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1230733152340&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">Israeli political life</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman said that "in the same way that the Israeli government knows that it is impossible to stop the </span></em><em><span style="color:#660000;">operation</span></em><em><span style="color:#660000;"> in Gaza until Hamas is eradicated, [the government] must act against those Israeli citizens who are not loyal to the </span></em><em><span style="color:#660000;">State of Israel</span></em><em><span style="color:#660000;">." </span></em><br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">"The demonstration in Sakhnin in which ten thousand protesters are participating proves that their loyalty is to Hamas and to those who want to destroy Israel."</span></em><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;"></span></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Ironically those that really seek to destroy Israel are quite possibly the Israeli government themselves. After all, does anyone seriously believe that these attacks will put a stop to the extremists in Gaza? Does anyone really believe that the children who witness the deaths of their mothers, fathers, brother, sisters at the hands of Israeli rockets, will not turn their hatred on Israel? It would be foolish to think that they wouldn't. Each rocket that lands in Gaza produces another extremist. Another person intent on destroying Israel. Another suicide bomber intent on killing Israeli civilians. Until the Israeli government realises this simple fact, the cycle will continue. Unless, of course, that is what they want. To keep the people of Israel living in fear. Well, they may just get their wish.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-40210824997829536372009-01-03T12:42:00.002+00:002009-01-03T12:49:37.465+00:00I'm Coming BackYes, after a brief (ok, long) break from MOA due to other stuff going on in my life, I will be back here blogging shortly. In the meantime, I have branched out into a couple of other areas which will enable readers to keep up to speed with what is going on in my head. Firstly, you can join my network on <a href="http://delicious.com/">Delicious</a> where I will catalogue any links that are of interest to make it just that little bit easier to build up evidence that may be used to smite the feeble trolls. Anyways, you can join my network <a href="http://delicious.com/maskofanarchy">here</a>. And you can also follow me via <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> which will be updated with various quick thoughts when I don't have the opportunity for full on posts, as well as informing you when I have added a new post (like now!). You can follow my Twitterings <a href="http://twitter.com/maskofanarchy">here</a>.<br /><br />Posting will resume shortly.......Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-11077994344085277872008-10-28T21:56:00.002+00:002008-10-28T22:09:55.488+00:00Georgian Forces Targeted CiviliansThe evidence keeps on piling up that the Georgian forces committed atrocities in South <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ossetia</span>. If only the mainstream media had scrutinised the situation more thoroughly instead of just <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">believing</span> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7696119.stm">whatever the Georgian dictator said</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">President Mikhail <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Saakashvili</span> has denied that Georgia's armed forces committed war crimes during their attack on South <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ossetia</span> in August.<br /><br />Evidence obtained by the BBC in the breakaway region suggests Georgia used indiscriminate force, and may have targeted civilians.<br /><br />Witnesses said tanks had fired on an apartment block, and civilians were shot at as they fled the fighting.</span></em><br /><br />The upcoming protests will certainly be interesting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-59948071763113369682008-10-22T12:53:00.002+01:002008-10-22T13:00:06.126+01:00Georgia - 'Aid Lacks Transparency'According to <a href="http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases_nc/2008/2008_10_21_donor_conference_georgia">Transparency International</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#660000;">Transparency International Georgia today criticised a lack of transparency and local consultation ahead of a conference on 22 October, where decisions on hundreds of millions of dollars of international aid to Georgia will be made. Representatives of donor nations, multilateral institutions and the Georgian government will gather in Brussels for the conference, which is co-chaired by the European Commission and the World Bank and comes in the wake of the Georgian-Russian conflict in August 2008.<br /><br />Commenting on the opaque decision-making process, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tamuna</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Karosanidze</span>, Executive Director of Tbilisi-based TI Georgia said, “Aid given behind closed doors lacks accountability, to the taxpayers of donor nations as much as to the citizens of Georgia. The lack of transparency in giving this aid makes it less likely that money will reach those most in need. If donors want aid to support Georgia’s development, they must ensure that this aid is transparent and democratically accountable.”<br /><br />Decision-making at the conference will be based on a “Joint Needs Assessment”, an extensive document drawn up by a mission coordinated by the World Bank and the United Nations. The Joint Needs Assessment estimates that Georgia will require <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">USD</span> 3.25 billion (€2.38 billion) over the next three years in budget support, social sector support and infrastructure development. This is more than Georgia’s government plans to spend in 2009, and the equivalent of nearly one thousand dollars for every person living in the country.<br /><br />“Allocating these huge sums behind closed doors on the basis of a secret document does not set a good example for Georgian democracy to follow,” continued <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Karosanidze</span>. “If Georgia’s citizens can have no say in how this money will be spent, democracy in Georgia will be weakened rather than strengthened. Aid will only be received positively in Georgia if Georgian citizens are confident that it will be well spent, which is something that only wide-spread civic involvement and transparency can achieve.”</span></em><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Hmmm</span>. Have you read 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein? Perhaps there might be a reprint in the offing with a new chapter on the Georgian scam. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/world/europe/21georgia.html?ref=europe">Meanwhile</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">TBILISI, Georgia — A political opponent of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Mikheil</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Saakashvili</span>, the president of Georgia, called on Monday for mass protests on Nov. 7, the first anniversary of a government crackdown on demonstrators that left 500 people injured.<br /><br />The opponent, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Levan</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Gachechiladze</span>, who lost to Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Saakashvili</span> in presidential elections in January, urged demonstrators to gather in front of the Georgian Parliament in Tbilisi, the site of last year’s violence.<br /><br />Making his announcement about the protest on the Parliament steps, Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Gachechiladze</span> said the purpose would be to call Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Saakashvili</span> to account for Georgia’s losses in the August war against Russia over the disputed enclaves of South <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Ossetia</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Abkhazia</span>. He has also accused the government of tainting the results of parliamentary elections and presidential elections.<br /><br />“The opposition is going to renew the waves of protest and ask President <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Saakashvili</span> to take responsibility for his actions last year,” Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Gachechiladze</span> said.</span></em><br /><br />It will be interesting to see if these protests are as brutally put down. Particularly as there appears to be a new <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">neo</span>-liberal drive. Of course, if there is any trouble, it will be down to Russian interference (notice 'American interference' is almost non-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">existent</span>). Events on 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span> November will be very interesting indeed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-41065626506527598662008-10-22T12:49:00.004+01:002008-10-22T12:52:19.717+01:00No Justice for Chagossians<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7683726.stm">The evil empire is victorious once more</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">Exiles of the Chagos Islands have had the right to return to their homeland overturned by the House of Lords.<br /><br />The government won its appeal against a court decision that had ruled in favour of 2,000 former residents of the British Indian Ocean territory.<br /><br />They were evicted in the 1960s when the colony was leased to the US to build an airbase on the atoll of Diego Garcia.<br /><br />Lord Hoffmann said the case's subtext was funding - the UK may have had to pay for rebuilding their community.<br /></span></em><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><span style="color:#000000;">'Funding'?? Well, we can't have that can we?</span><br /></span><span style="color:#990000;"></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-46683166130998351632008-10-13T15:37:00.002+01:002008-10-13T15:45:54.953+01:00Palestine - Still a Dirty WordIt's amazing to think that it is considered a slur on your character if you have <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/13/uselection-vote-florida-obama">too much sympathy with the plight of the Palestinians</a>:<div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">Republicans in south Florida predict a 10% spike for McCain in the Jewish vote over the 24% polled by Bush in 2004. Their campaign line is that if Obama wins he will be the first pro-Palestinian US president since the foundation of the state of Israel. The Democrats hit back with leaflets showing Obama by Jerusalem's Wailing Wall wearing a </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">yarmulka</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div>The fact that any candidate accused of showing sympathy with the impoverished and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">dispossessed</span> still feels the need to distance himself from the most needy and align himself with the most powerful tells you all you need to know about the race for the presidency. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-18914512159409232852008-10-05T20:24:00.004+01:002008-10-05T20:38:55.509+01:00Obama? Linked to Terrorism?? What About the Republicans?Now, I am no great fan of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obama</span>. Let's face it, he is still going to protect the capitalist system, despite its obvious failings. However, the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7653132.stm">very idea that he supports terrorism</a>, whilst Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Palin</span> and John McCain are somehow free from such associations, deserves some scrutiny. After all, they are members of a party that have strengthened <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Osama</span> Bin Laden beyond even his wildest dreams. They fell for the trap and every single day they have provided more and more propaganda for Bin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Laden's</span> ideology. They have done the terrorists job for them and, in any other country, these leaders would be tried for treason. And yet bizarrely, their support for terrorism has been overlooked. A McCain victory would be a dream come true for Bin Laden. More aggression, more proof that the West wants to destroy Islam. What more could he ask for?<br /><br />But that is not all. John McCain has stood shoulder to shoulder with a renowned terrorist in the Americas. A terrorist who wields immense power. A terrorist who is responsible for the deaths of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">hundreds</span>, if not thousands, of ordinary people. A terrorist who is financially supported by the current Republican administration. So where is the proof for this outlandish claim? Well..........<br /><br /><p><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GKAv9FcMHSm8VxK9LjqGHtGV4894pZWkYXtO_ZtQUz2G0CQbrgyeE4pLT6N-pznsgewKpvcki-cGydLNhisHI6AbPGFe8_-lJa5U4ahNZiz_-WfFe-CH1CymXu3mtkxZITS6/s1600-h/uribe+mccain.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253755530304720914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GKAv9FcMHSm8VxK9LjqGHtGV4894pZWkYXtO_ZtQUz2G0CQbrgyeE4pLT6N-pznsgewKpvcki-cGydLNhisHI6AbPGFe8_-lJa5U4ahNZiz_-WfFe-CH1CymXu3mtkxZITS6/s320/uribe+mccain.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><p align="center"><a href="http://maskofanarchy.blogspot.com/2007/04/colombia-terrorist-state.html">John McCain and Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Palin</span> - The Terrorist's Choice</a></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-36333044453796025232008-10-02T21:56:00.003+01:002008-10-02T22:18:32.820+01:00After The War Comes The OpportunityIt is no surprise to learn that the American government is <a href="http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insight/articles/eav100208a.shtml">lining up potential investors in Georgia</a>:<br /><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">The US Department of Commerce is working with two private American-Georgian business associations to stage a trade summit in Tbilisi in late October. The initiative is part of a general effort to bolster investor confidence in Georgia.<br /><br />The Bush administration has been a leading backer of Georgia as the Caucasus country rebuilds following Russia’s August invasion. The US Congress has already approved an administration-sponsored aid package worth as much as $1 billion. The idea for the business summit reportedly came from the "highest level" in Washington, and it is seen as a means to stimulate private-sector interest in Georgia’s economic recovery.<br /><br />While the guest list for the summit has not been publicly released, organizers note that some Fortune 500 companies, as well as large private equity firms, have expressed an intention to attend. According to a partial list of confirmed companies made available to EurasiaNet, investors are considering multi-million dollar projects in several sectors including hydro-power production, power transmission, wind energy, hospitals and wine. The summit will be chaired by Deputy Commerce Secretary John Sullivan. In addition to organizing the Tbilisi summit, the US Trade Office is pushing Congress to expand Georgia’s eligibility for duty-free imports to the United States.<br /><br />According to Tamara Koziridze, a deputy economic minister, the Georgian government is "hoping" that summit will bring new investment into the country. "We hope very much it will be productive in the sense that companies with a real interest in Georgia will participate and will have sufficient follow up," Kovziridze said.</span></em><br /><br />What a fantastic opportunity for corporate America. Multi-million dollar contracts will be signed, huge swathes of the Georgian economy will be handed over to American companies and American hegemony in the region will be confirmed. It's almost like the US wanted Georgia (one of the fastest growing ecnomies in the region) to start a war it was bound to lose if only to pick up the pieces and have a tasty slice of future growth with the aid of a neo-conservative, anti-democratic Georgian leader. Good work chaps.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19544490.post-4418941985144859202008-09-30T23:28:00.006+01:002008-09-30T23:42:17.506+01:00The Rich Need YOUR HelpHere's an interesting little paradox. Here we are, in the midst of an economic crisis where all the talk is of things getting worse before they get better. Amidst all this talk of crisis, there is re-assurance from both the Conservatives and the Conservatives Lite...sorry, Labour, that the rich must pay the price for their failures. Fine words. Question is, when taxpayers are bailing out the rich to a massive degree, are the rich really hurting? Well, it appears not according to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/30/1">this story</a> in today's <em>Guardian</em> which highlights just how much the rich are really hurting:<br /><br /><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#990000;"><em><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Super times for superyachts as billionaires buy into maritime bling<br /></span></strong>Monte Carlo boat show finds demand for floating palaces higher than ever</em></span></div><div align="center"><span style="color:#990000;"><em></em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#990000;"><em><br />While others panic about the financial crisis, this weekend's Monaco Yacht Show proved that the mega-rich have never been richer. Yacht brokers describe an eastern European new rich, boosted by oil wealth, keen to outdo their rivals. Middle Eastern viewers and occasional Latin Americans are following suit. </em></span></div><div align="left"><br /><em><span style="color:#990000;">As the number of multi-billionaires grows, the superyacht industry is enjoying such a boom that demand for the most expensive models outstrips supply. Boats built to personal specifications have grown to such vast proportions that the labels superyacht and megayacht are no longer enough. Those on the dockside now talk of the gigayacht - multi-storey, 120-metre floating mansions that resemble cruise liners. The cost of the biggest new boats exceeds €200m.</span> </em></div><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left"><span style="color:#000000;"><br />So, are the rich really paying the price? Or is it the average tax payer?</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0