To: President Georg W.Bush, White House, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, United Nations, UK Government, Security Council
We the undersigned declare our rejection to Annapolis Summit for the following reasons:
First: we repudiate the exploitation of the Palestinian cause to conceal the United States' failure in its illegitimate imperialist invasion to Iraq.
Second: Arab governments attended this summit under the pressure of the United States. The governmental capitulation to the United States does not mean by any means that it articulates the will of Arab people. The United States is aware of the contradiction between Arab people will and its governments' gluttonies.
Third: The announcement and invitation to this conference, completely ignore the Palestinian right in the land of Palestine, the right of return of refugees, the establishment of a free, independent and sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Forth: Arab people resent racism, we do not recognize racist entities and we do not accept its existence in our region. As we reject racism which is spreading world wide along with the hegemony of Globalization culture, we refuse the United States endeavors to impose racist categorizations in our region. We insist on our negation to Israel, we do not recognize it as a state and we assert that we do not abide to treaties signed by illegitimate Arab governments supported by the United States.
Fifth: The main aim of such a summit is to form a front of Arab governments that disregards Palestinian rights, implements the American imperialist plot which titled as "The New Middle East" and to impose proxy war on our governments with Iran and resistance groups to serve American interests.
As we declare our rejection Annapolis Summit and to all American-Zionist-Imperialist schemes, we announce our demands as:
1- The comprehensive liberation of the complete Palestinian Lands and the establishment of an independent, liberated and sovereign Palestinians state with Jerusalem as its capital.
2- The return of all Palestinian refugees from the diaspora to the land of Palestine.
3- The departure of all occupation forces from all the countries of the region: Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and the Golan.
4- Lifting of the siege on the Palestinian people.
5- Removing American domination from the region; We do not want American aid, we do not want American support for dictatorial governments in the region, we do not want American intervention, which give provokes sectarian sense in our region, and we do not want American intervention to protect the Zionist entity in the region, we do not want the American exploitation to our wealth and our resources, we do not want neither good or evil from the United States.
We want to build our countries depending on our human and natural resources without interference from any outside force. We want our right self - determination.
6- We refuse the establishment of a "Jewish" state in our region; we respect all beliefs and religions, and admit citizenship to all citizens, equally, regardless of their doctrines, religions, or races. We resent the Zionist entity and its violation of human rights: slaughtering our women and children, expelling natives from their mother lands and building racist settlements on it.
We demand our rights according to:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states:
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
And according to:
Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, G.A. res. 1514 (XV), 15 U.N. GAOR Supp. (No. 16) at 66, U.N. Doc. A/4684 (1961).
Which Declares that:
1. The subjection of peoples to alien subjugation, domination and exploitation constitutes a denial of fundamental human rights, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and is an impediment to the promotion of world peace and co-operation.
2. All peoples have the right to self-determination; by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
3. Inadequacy of political, economic, social or educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext for delaying independence.
4. All armed action or repressive measures of all kinds directed against dependent peoples shall cease in order to enable them to exercise peacefully and freely their right to complete independence, and the integrity of their national territory shall be respected.
5. Immediate steps shall be taken, in Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories or all other territories which have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, without any conditions or reservations, in accordance with their freely expressed will and desire, without any distinction as to race, creed or colour, in order to enable them to enjoy complete independence and freedom.
6. Any attempt aimed at the partial or total disruption of the national unity and the territorial integrity of a country is incompatible with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
7. All States shall observe faithfully and strictly the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the present Declaration on the basis of equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of all States, and respect for the sovereign rights of all peoples and their territorial integrity.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Friday, November 9, 2007
Justice for Samina Malik!
Samina Malik is a 22-year-old Muslim Briton who was convicted yesterday under the U.K.'s Terrorism Act of 2000 for "owning terrorist manuals" ("articles likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism"). Evidence presented at her trial included poems she wrote. Apparently she is a prolific poet. Here's one of the poems the prosecutors presented at the trial:
How to Behead
Hold him
Tie the arms behind his back
And bandage his legs together
Just by the ankles
Blindfold the punk
So that he won't hesitate as much
For on seeing the sharp pointy knife
He'll begin to shake
And continuously scream like an eedyat
And jiggle like a jelly
Trust me – this will sure get you angry
It's better to have at least two or three brothers by your side
Who can hold the fool
Because as soon as the warm sharp knife
Touches his naked flesh
He'll come to know what'll happen
No evidence was presented at the trial to prove that Ms. Malik had actually committed or was even planning any violent actions against anyone. She was convicted for possessing certain types of literature and writing certain types of poetry. In other words she was convicted for merely thinking certain types of thoughts.
But I'd like to suggest that she was also convicted for thinking certain types of thoughts AND being the child of Asian Muslims. I have written much more violent poems than this one -- one of which was actually published in my High School literary magazine. It's hard for me to imagine that there are no other 22-year-olds in the U.K. who have written violent poetry and/or are in possession of books like "The Anarchist Cookbook" or "Guerilla Warfare" (Ernest "Che" Guevara). Ms. Malik was singled out because of her race and religion.
But never mind the issue of Racism for a minute since the dominant discourse disavows the existence of Racism in the world today. What about FREEDOM -- for which these English and U.S. imperialists claim to be committing genocide in the Middle East? And where is Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch? How come I have been able to find only one article defending Ms. Malik's right to freedom of thought? Has our new motto become (thanks Stephen Colbert) "'live free or do whatever it takes so I don't die"?
How to Behead
Hold him
Tie the arms behind his back
And bandage his legs together
Just by the ankles
Blindfold the punk
So that he won't hesitate as much
For on seeing the sharp pointy knife
He'll begin to shake
And continuously scream like an eedyat
And jiggle like a jelly
Trust me – this will sure get you angry
It's better to have at least two or three brothers by your side
Who can hold the fool
Because as soon as the warm sharp knife
Touches his naked flesh
He'll come to know what'll happen
No evidence was presented at the trial to prove that Ms. Malik had actually committed or was even planning any violent actions against anyone. She was convicted for possessing certain types of literature and writing certain types of poetry. In other words she was convicted for merely thinking certain types of thoughts.
But I'd like to suggest that she was also convicted for thinking certain types of thoughts AND being the child of Asian Muslims. I have written much more violent poems than this one -- one of which was actually published in my High School literary magazine. It's hard for me to imagine that there are no other 22-year-olds in the U.K. who have written violent poetry and/or are in possession of books like "The Anarchist Cookbook" or "Guerilla Warfare" (Ernest "Che" Guevara). Ms. Malik was singled out because of her race and religion.
But never mind the issue of Racism for a minute since the dominant discourse disavows the existence of Racism in the world today. What about FREEDOM -- for which these English and U.S. imperialists claim to be committing genocide in the Middle East? And where is Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch? How come I have been able to find only one article defending Ms. Malik's right to freedom of thought? Has our new motto become (thanks Stephen Colbert) "'live free or do whatever it takes so I don't die"?
Monday, September 10, 2007
Greenland, Israel and the Osama Bin Laden video
No doubt many among you have been wondering where I have been for the past couple of months (wrote the author to his imaginary audience of millions). Actually I have been wondering what to do with this blog. It's going no where. At present it's sole purpose is completely subjective. It helps El Gringo Rumbero cope. It needs to become an objective force in the world outside of my head.
But for the time being -- here's another self-indulgent tirade.
Greenland's Ice Sheet is Melting
The impact of this development will be much greater than the melting of the polar ice caps. What else can I say? Oh yeah, and two-thirds of the global polar bear population will disappear by 2050.
Israel or occupied Palestine
The story about which I wrote in April of this year has finally made its way into the main stream media -- dozens of youths in Israel have been carrying out violent antisemitic attacks against their fellow citizens. The culprits are all Russian immigrants who were permitted to immigrate under Israel's racist "Law of Return" which allows anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to automatically become an Israeli citizen whether or not they themselves actually practice the Hebrew faith. Somehow most reporters have missed the bitter irony of the situation.
Osama Bin Laden Video
So the evil terrorist bogey man who supposedly planned the attacks of September 11, 2001 is actually part of that sect of radical militant Islam that's into making low budget videos.
Everyone should read the ABC News transcript (English of course) of what Bin Laden said in the latest video. Apparently he is not only into making low budget movies, but he's also into Noam Chomsky. He's also an ant-capitalist, anti-imperialist environmentalist. That is to say he's an independently wealthy, ant-establishment low-budget film-maker. He's boho chic.
The bulk of the transcript, after the usual praise of divinity which is always included in religious discourse, reads like a litany of the evils of capitalism and (especially) U.S. imperialism. The whole middle section is a fairly accurate criticism of the current situation right now. Hell! He even talks about the problems in Africa! But O.B.L.'s conclusion is that we ( U.S. citizens) should all become Muslims and build an Islamic theocracy here in the U.S.
I wonder who would benefit from making a video that equates anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist ideas with Islamic fanaticism?
Keep in mind that the source of the video was the SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities) Website < http://siteinstitute.org/> which is run by Rita Katz who I suspect is an Israeli or U.S. intelligence agent (do a quick Google search on her and you'll see why). The video itself was then carried by pretty much every major U.S. news outlet complete with a full transcript in English from ABC.
Am I the only person who thinks this video is a complete fabrication designed to discredit any legitimate critique of the current world system and, worse, to equate it with "terrorism"?
If I were Noam Chomsky, who frankly isn't even that radical, I would seriously consider emigrating.
But for the time being -- here's another self-indulgent tirade.
Greenland's Ice Sheet is Melting
The impact of this development will be much greater than the melting of the polar ice caps. What else can I say? Oh yeah, and two-thirds of the global polar bear population will disappear by 2050.
Israel or occupied Palestine
The story about which I wrote in April of this year has finally made its way into the main stream media -- dozens of youths in Israel have been carrying out violent antisemitic attacks against their fellow citizens. The culprits are all Russian immigrants who were permitted to immigrate under Israel's racist "Law of Return" which allows anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent to automatically become an Israeli citizen whether or not they themselves actually practice the Hebrew faith. Somehow most reporters have missed the bitter irony of the situation.
Osama Bin Laden Video
So the evil terrorist bogey man who supposedly planned the attacks of September 11, 2001 is actually part of that sect of radical militant Islam that's into making low budget videos.
Everyone should read the ABC News transcript (English of course) of what Bin Laden said in the latest video. Apparently he is not only into making low budget movies, but he's also into Noam Chomsky. He's also an ant-capitalist, anti-imperialist environmentalist. That is to say he's an independently wealthy, ant-establishment low-budget film-maker. He's boho chic.
The bulk of the transcript, after the usual praise of divinity which is always included in religious discourse, reads like a litany of the evils of capitalism and (especially) U.S. imperialism. The whole middle section is a fairly accurate criticism of the current situation right now. Hell! He even talks about the problems in Africa! But O.B.L.'s conclusion is that we ( U.S. citizens) should all become Muslims and build an Islamic theocracy here in the U.S.
I wonder who would benefit from making a video that equates anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist ideas with Islamic fanaticism?
Keep in mind that the source of the video was the SITE (Search for International Terrorist Entities) Website < http://siteinstitute.org/> which is run by Rita Katz who I suspect is an Israeli or U.S. intelligence agent (do a quick Google search on her and you'll see why). The video itself was then carried by pretty much every major U.S. news outlet complete with a full transcript in English from ABC.
Am I the only person who thinks this video is a complete fabrication designed to discredit any legitimate critique of the current world system and, worse, to equate it with "terrorism"?
If I were Noam Chomsky, who frankly isn't even that radical, I would seriously consider emigrating.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Why Turkey Will Never Be Allowed Into the European Union
In the wake of the recent elections in Turkey we've been hearing a lot in the news media about Turkey's aspirations for membership in the European Union (EU) as well as the challenges it faces in achieving this goal. Reporters have been especially great at reiterating a lot of Orientalist discourse about Turkey not being "European" or a lot of Neoliberal bullshit about Turkey's human rights record and we're told that these are the primary obstacles to Turkey's entry into the EU. But is this really what's going on?
Let's look at what Nicholas Sarkozy actually said about the issue in his debate with Segolene Royale before the French presidential elections:
"Ceux qui souhaitent l’entrée de la Turquie en Europe sont ceux qui ne croient pas à l’Europe politique. C’est la mort de l’Europe politique" (Those who hope for the entry of Turkey in the EU are those who do not believe in a political Europe. It's the death of a political Europe).
Politics is about power. What Sarkozy said was that Turkey's entry into the EU would mean the end of the latter as a world power. Why?
I'll start my answer to this question by looking at the most prominent party among those who are hoping for the entry of Turkey in the EU. That's right, you guessed it, the good old USA.
Turkey's entry in the EU is part of the US's plan for rendering Europe completely dependent on a US-dominated energy infrastructure stretching from the Caspian through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Turkey's entry into the EU would also be the last nail in the coffin in which plans fo any independent European military force would be buried. The US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a key member, would remain the sole guarantor of security on the continent and the EU would be nothing but a free-trade zone dominated by a hegemonic US in a unipolar New World Order.
Unfortunately for the US, like so many of the grandiose dreams of the US ruling class these days, this plan is all but dead. Russia has successfully secured all of the major gas and oil reserves in the Caspian (as of May 12, 2007) completely cutting out the US. In other words the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey pipeline is now empty. The EU's dependence on Russia for gas and oil is now solid and, unlike the US which seeks to weaken the EU and subordinate it to US interests, Russia supports a strong economic and political EU as a partner in its effort to push the US out of Eurasia.
Turkey could strengthen its economy and, more importantly, its sovereignty by looking eastwards to make strategic alliances -- Iran and Russia are two potential partners that come to mind. Otherwise, left out of the EU as well as the rapidly forming alliances in Asia (e.g. the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), Turkey will be just another pawn in the US' losing play for global domination.
Let's look at what Nicholas Sarkozy actually said about the issue in his debate with Segolene Royale before the French presidential elections:
"Ceux qui souhaitent l’entrée de la Turquie en Europe sont ceux qui ne croient pas à l’Europe politique. C’est la mort de l’Europe politique" (Those who hope for the entry of Turkey in the EU are those who do not believe in a political Europe. It's the death of a political Europe).
Politics is about power. What Sarkozy said was that Turkey's entry into the EU would mean the end of the latter as a world power. Why?
I'll start my answer to this question by looking at the most prominent party among those who are hoping for the entry of Turkey in the EU. That's right, you guessed it, the good old USA.
Turkey's entry in the EU is part of the US's plan for rendering Europe completely dependent on a US-dominated energy infrastructure stretching from the Caspian through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. Turkey's entry into the EU would also be the last nail in the coffin in which plans fo any independent European military force would be buried. The US-dominated North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which Turkey is a key member, would remain the sole guarantor of security on the continent and the EU would be nothing but a free-trade zone dominated by a hegemonic US in a unipolar New World Order.
Unfortunately for the US, like so many of the grandiose dreams of the US ruling class these days, this plan is all but dead. Russia has successfully secured all of the major gas and oil reserves in the Caspian (as of May 12, 2007) completely cutting out the US. In other words the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey pipeline is now empty. The EU's dependence on Russia for gas and oil is now solid and, unlike the US which seeks to weaken the EU and subordinate it to US interests, Russia supports a strong economic and political EU as a partner in its effort to push the US out of Eurasia.
Turkey could strengthen its economy and, more importantly, its sovereignty by looking eastwards to make strategic alliances -- Iran and Russia are two potential partners that come to mind. Otherwise, left out of the EU as well as the rapidly forming alliances in Asia (e.g. the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), Turkey will be just another pawn in the US' losing play for global domination.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Al Qaeda is a Metaphor
First, on Tuesday, Homeland Security Department Secretary Michael Chertoff wants us all to lock our windows and bolt our doors this Summer because he has a "gut feeling" that the evil Al Qaeda is coming to get us! Then, today, the Associated Press tells us that it's gotten hold of super top secret classified reports from U.S. intelligence agencies that Al Qaeda is the strongest it's been since before 9/11!
Holy shit man! I'd be soiling myself right now if I didn't know that Al Qaeda is about as real as my dream of spending a night with Bipasha Basu, Marylin Monroe, Vanessa Paradis, Ashwarya Rai and Natalie Wood.
Here's what Martin Scheinin (Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) has to say about Al Qaeda:
... I don’t see the global war between states and Al Qaeda as anything more than a metaphor. I don’t see Al Qaeda as qualifying as a global army that could be party of a global, never-ending armed conflict.
Scheinin, as a United Nations appointee, has to mince words. We don't. Al Qaeda is a metaphor that the U.S. government uses to inspire xenophobia (i.e. racism) among the people it controls. Al Qaeda is all people, especially people of color, who oppose U.S. interests whether they employ terrorist tactics or otherwise. What defines a terrorist act according to international law is a violent attack against the general populace. This is not the operative definition the U.S. government uses. When resistance fighters in Iraq attack U.S. soldiers they are not committing acts of terrorism as defined by international law. Yet, as far as the U.S. government is concerned, anyone in Iraq who opposes the U.S. military presence there is a terrorist -- hence the chimera ubiquitous in the U.S. news media known as Al Qaeda in Iraq. Ultimately we will be informed by our leaders that branches of Al Qaeda are firmly entrenched in every single region which is critical to the global hegemonic strategy of the U.S. ruling class.
Holy shit man! I'd be soiling myself right now if I didn't know that Al Qaeda is about as real as my dream of spending a night with Bipasha Basu, Marylin Monroe, Vanessa Paradis, Ashwarya Rai and Natalie Wood.
Here's what Martin Scheinin (Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) has to say about Al Qaeda:
... I don’t see the global war between states and Al Qaeda as anything more than a metaphor. I don’t see Al Qaeda as qualifying as a global army that could be party of a global, never-ending armed conflict.
Scheinin, as a United Nations appointee, has to mince words. We don't. Al Qaeda is a metaphor that the U.S. government uses to inspire xenophobia (i.e. racism) among the people it controls. Al Qaeda is all people, especially people of color, who oppose U.S. interests whether they employ terrorist tactics or otherwise. What defines a terrorist act according to international law is a violent attack against the general populace. This is not the operative definition the U.S. government uses. When resistance fighters in Iraq attack U.S. soldiers they are not committing acts of terrorism as defined by international law. Yet, as far as the U.S. government is concerned, anyone in Iraq who opposes the U.S. military presence there is a terrorist -- hence the chimera ubiquitous in the U.S. news media known as Al Qaeda in Iraq. Ultimately we will be informed by our leaders that branches of Al Qaeda are firmly entrenched in every single region which is critical to the global hegemonic strategy of the U.S. ruling class.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Free Sami Al Haj!
Five-and-a-half years ago -- on December 15, 2001 -- U.S. military personnel captured Al Jazeera cameraman Sami Al-Haj while he was en route to Afghanistan in Pakistan. He has since been held, with no criminal charges against him, as an "enemy combatant" in Guantanamo Bay. Sami, who is a Sudanese national with distinctly African features, reported to his attorney who was finally allowed to see him in December of 2005 that:
- he has been tortured (e.g. forced to remain seated, exposed to the tropical sun, deprived of sleep, subjected to sexual abuse, confined in rooms in which extremely loud music was played, etc.)
- he has been interrogated with the use of threats more than 130 times
- he has a throat cancer that is not being treated
In other words the U.S. government claims to support freedom of speech yet it is trying to destroy a news outlet because of its distinctly balanced approach to current events in Western Asia (in March 2003, Al Jazeera was awarded by Index on Censorship -- an international group which campaigns against censorship -- for its "courage in circumventing censorship and contributing to the free exchange of information in the Arab world"). This isn't the first time the U.S. military has struck violently against Al Jazeera:
- November 13, 2001 -- U.S. missles destroy the Kabul offices of Al Jazeera in Afghanistan.
- April 8, 2003 -- U.S. missles strike the Baghdad offices of Al Jazeera killing reporter Tarek Ayoub.
- November 22, 2005 -- The Daily Mirror (U.K.) leaks the infamous "Al Jazeera Bombing Memo" in which U.S. President Bush suggests to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair the idea of bombing Al Jazeera.
The U.S. government claims to fight for Democracy and the rule of law yet it is currently holding countless prisoners without due process.
There is no Global Islamic Conspiracy! This is as much a work of racist fiction as was Hitler's Global Judeo-Bolshevist Conspiracy.
For more about Sami: http://www.prisoner345.net/
To sign a petition: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=19079
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