Israel Shahak: The Racist Nature of Zionism and of The Zionist State of Israel!

It is my considered opinion that the State of Israel is a racist state in the full meaning of this term: In this state people are discriminated against, in the most permanent and legal way and in the most important areas of life, only because of their origin. This racist discrimination began in Zionism and is carried out today mainly in cooperation with the institutions of the Zionist move- ment: I will prove this view by quoting facts, laws and regulations which have force in Israel and are enforced by the government. I will therefore ignore the racism of the individuals in this article and also the declared or undeclared explanations by which this racism is sometimes justified. In the State of Israel, one who is not a Jew is discriminated against, only because he is not a Jew, in these areas of life: The right to live, to dwell or open a business in the place of one's choice. Most of the land in Israel belongs to, or is administered by the Jewish National Fund, which is a Zionist organization, and operates an admitted racist policy. It forbids non-Jews to dwell on its lands or to open businesses and work, only because they are not Jews! This policy enjoys perfect legality. Whole towns were created in Israel, which are "clean of Arabs," or "goyim." In other towns, like Upper Nazareth, only one special quarter is "devoted" to the dwelling of Arabs. Any attempt by an Arab to buy or rent a flat from a Jew is openly opposed!

Maidhc O Cathail: Who Will Watch the Watchdog?

On December 2, the Geneva-based UN Watch welcomed that day's "strong condemnation" of Syria by a UN Human Rights Council emergency session, and its establishment of a special rapporteur to monitor the situation there, following what it called "a global campaign to create the post by a coalition of prominent democracy dissidents and human rights groups" led by UN Watch itself. The non-governmental organization, whose self-appointed mandate is "to monitor the perform -ance of the United Nations by the yardstick of its own Charter," expressed regret, however, that the UNHRC resolution "paid special deference" to Syria's "territorial integrity" and "political independence,"decrying the provision as "a clear jab at NATO's intervention in Libya, and a pre-emtive strike against the principle of the international community's responsibility to protect civilians under assault." On the same day, UN Watch delivered a speech to the Human Rights Council's "shocking silence on Syria's atrocities," calling on it to take "urgent action to protect the civilian population before thousands more are beaten, tortured and killed." It also urged UNESCO to reverse its recent decision to elect Syria to two human rights committees.

Ray McGovern: will Israel Kill Americans Again?

Stuffing my backpack before setting out to board The Audacity of Hope, the US boat to Gaza, I got a familiar-sounding call from yet another puzzled friend, who said as gently as the words will allow, "You know you can get killed, don't you?" I recognize this caution as an expression of genuine concern from friends. From some others, who don't much care about Gaza's plight and/or who do not wish us well, the words are phrased somewhat differently: "Aren't you just asking for it?" That was the obligatory question/accusation at the end of a recent interview of me that was taped for a BBC-TV special scheduled to air this coming week, as we try to break, or at least draw attention to Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza and the suffering it inflicts on the people there. I also have been cautioned by a source with access to very senior staffers at the National Security Council that not only does the White House plan to do absolutely nothing to protect our boat from Israeli attack or illegal boarding, but that White House officials "would be happy if something happened to us." They are, I am reliably told," perfectly willing to have the cold corpses of activists shown on American TV." Two millennia ago, "Civus Romanus Sum"
automatically won lawful treatment and free passage for Roman citizens in trouble. It was a matter of pride and a benefit of being part of a powerful empire. Today, the contrast could hardly be starker: It is a sad fact that "Civus Americanus Sum" would engender ridicule rather than respect, if invoked in an attempt to secure basic rights for those of us working for justice for the Palestinians.

Oath Keepers: Federal Agents Demand Customer Lists from Mormons!

Oath Keepers has learned that federal agents recently visited a Latter Day Saints (Mormon) Church food storage cannery in Tennessee, demanding customer lists, wanting to know the identity of Americans who are purchasing food from the Mormons. This incident was confirmed, in person, by Oath Keepers Tennessee Chapter President, Rand Cardwell. Here is Rand's report: "A fellow veteran contacted me concerning a new and disturbing development. He had been utilizing a Mormon cannery near his home to purchase bulk food supplies. The man who manages the facility relayed to him that federal agents had visited the facility and demanded a list of individuals who had been purchasing bulk food. The manager informed the agents that the facility kept no such records, and that all transactions were conducted on a cash-and-carry basis. The agents pressed for any record of personal checks, credit card transactions, etc., but the manager could provide no such record. The agents appeared to become very agitated, and after several minutes of questioning finally left with no information. I contacted the manager, and personally confirmed this information. This event points to a new level of federal government encroachment on the basic freedoms of the American people!

Brandon Smith: When Governments Go Rogue!

There are those today who would claim that the lifeblood of a nation is dependent upon the graces of its government. That government is the focal point of cultural growth, and that we as citizens should respect it as such. I would be more inclined to agree, if the public did not so easily confuse the ideals of leadership with the actions of criminals. That is to say, regardless of what we wish our government to be, bureaucracies rarely, if ever, embody the spirit of the common man. Instead, bureaucracies almost inevitably deteriorate into into vehicles for the perpetuation of tyranny driven by the very worst of all steward: Elitists minorities with delusions of godhood. Unfortunate ly, despite this fact, the masses often treat these industrious vermin and the plagues of society that they build with the same reverence as they would a sincere and honorable body politic. Govern -ment is not concrete. It is not tangible. It is not the foundation of society. Instead, government is an abstraction, a fantastic dream of collectivist paternity in the face of individual hardship. Those who fear to wander the world on their own courage, strength, and merit, seek to evaluate and empower "decision makers" to provide the comfort of limited liability. Through this process, governments are created out of thin air.

Max Blumenthal: How Israeli Occupation Forces Crackdown On Occupy Protests.

In October, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department turned parts of the campus of the University of California in Berkeley into an urban battlefield. The occasion was Urban Shield 2011, an annual SWAT team exposition organized to promote "mutual response," collaboration and competition between heavily militarized police strike forces representing law enforcement departments across the United States and foreign nations. At the time, the Alameda County Sheriff's Department was preparing for an imminent confrontation with the nascent "Occupy" movement that had set up camp in downtown Oakland, and would demonstrate the brunt of its repressive capacity against the demonstrators a month later, when it attacked the encampment with teargas and rubber bullet rounds, leaving an Iraq war veteran in critical condition and dozens injured. According to Police Magazine, a law enforcement trade publication, "Law enforcement agencies responding to Occupy protesters in northern California credit Urban Shield for their effective teamwork." Training along-side the American police departments at Urban Shield was the Yamam, an Israeli Border Police unit that claims to specialize in "counter- terror" operations, but is better known for its extra-judicial assassinations of Palestinian militant leaders and a long record of repression and abuses in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Ulsterman- Continued from 12/08:The Ulsterman Report!

Ulsterman: That's all rather mysterious, a bit too dramatic, don't you think? Who are these people and what is their motivation? Insider: Dramatic? Yeah. How many times, when I tell you some- thing, I see your head shaking. Don't think I didn't see that, and then what? There are powers at play who have always been there, but with this administration it's just a matter of perspective, and its not a Democrat or Republican problem. These "investors" are always attached to either party. The difference has always been whether the president and his staff had the willpower to withstand the pressures which can be applied: Some do, some don't. Barack Obama and his staff are driven to respond to these financial "investors" who have always been with us. The difference is whether the president and his staff have the willpower to withstand the pressures that can be applied by these "gentlemen". Some give in, others don't! Ulsterman: A specific example would help: Beneath all of the good manners, even though they call him "Mr. President", they are opposed to Obama. Bill Clinton knows very well, as did Reagan, who navigated around his staff with carefully crafted words, but the Obama operatives are so utterly predictable and incompetent. They run with the anti- Israeli thing, and all of it is bullshit!