Clipmarks | ratcatcher2's clips

Diplomat: Iran Not a Threat, U.S. is Playing Against Russia

Fri, 29 May 2009 02:28:54 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: This senior Russian official refutes the "Iran is a threat" rhetoric and says the U.S. is using the Iran issue for justification to expand military operations around Russia. (Methinks this is a secondary but true motive). The facts seem consistent with his assertion.

The neocons had pushed reviving a Cold War with Russia (e.g. NATO missile placement agreements, Georgia-S. Ossettia conflict), which appears still in progress under Obama (despite Hillary pushing the "reset" button--stupid).

A dangerous Iran-Russia alliance could be unintentionally forced as a consequence of the U.S.-Israeli propaganda and threats against Iran and maneuvering against Russia, which could set a scenario for major world or regional war, beyond just the middle east. This of course would be blamed on Iran and Russia instead of U.S. provocatory actions and policy.

Clip Source: www.presstv.ir

Diplomat says Iran no threat to US

The US plans to site missile interceptors in Poland.

A senior Russian diplomat says the US is using Iran as a pretext to establish a military foothold in east and central Europe.

Alexander Sternik, a senior diplomat at Russia's embassy in London, said that the US is grossly exaggerating the missile threat posed by hostile powers such as Iran, predicting there would be no tangible threat from the Middle East "for at least a decade to come," the Guardian reported.

Sternik added that Washington's plans to site missile interceptors in Poland and advanced radar in the Czech Republic are not really aimed at checking Iran.

"For the first time it will add a strategic component for US forward forces close to Russia's borders," he told a conference organized by the Royal United Services Institute, a defense think-tank.

Tags: russia, israel, u.s., iran, middle east, war

Domestic Animals Skinned Alive

Fri, 29 May 2009 00:02:56 GMT

clipped by: Imnclady
clipper's remarks: "It's cheaper to make these things from cat and dog than it is to make synthetic fur,"
Campaigners estimate that over two million dogs and cats are killed for their fur in China every year. China also farms animals such as mink for their fur and makes over half of the world's fur products.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

McCartney attacks China over fur

Sir Paul McCartney has vowed never to perform in China after seeing horrific undercover footage of dogs and cats being killed for their fur.

A Chinese official said boycotts were not justified, and blamed US and European consumers for buying the fur.

I wouldn't even dream of going over there to play in the same way I wouldn't go to a country that supported apartheid

In the film, dogs and cats packed by the dozen into wire cages little bigger than lobster pots are pictured being thrown from the top deck of a converted bus onto concrete pavements.

The screaming animals, many with their paws now smashed from the fall, are then lifted out with long metal tongs and thrown over a seven foot fence.

They are then killed and skinned for their fur.

Animal welfare group Peta believes many of them are still alive as their skins are peeled away.

They urged people not to buy Chinese goods.

And they seem to get a kick out it. They're just sick, sick people.

Tags: animal rights, animal welfare, china, crime, torture

Israel gives its American sugar-daddy the finger

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:38:55 GMT

clipped by: Spiritualmonkey
clipper's remarks: The Israeli settlements are built on illegally occupied Palestinian land. Plain & simple.

If it's illegal to start with, why should a settlement be allowed to grow naturally?

The Occupied Territories are not part of Israel, they are conquered land. Palestinian land.

And international law forbids military occupiers to colonize foreign territory. This the the basic fact that The Israel Lobby's propaganda campaigns aims to obscure. This is what all those UN resolutions condemning Israel and their brutal Apartheid (the ones the US AUTOMATICALLY blocks) are about.

The settlements, and the illegal colonists who live in them, have to go.

And don't get started on the "This is the land God promised to us" bullshit. Go ask God for billions of dollars a year, not the American Taxpayer.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

JERUSALEM — Israel defied a surprisingly blunt U.S. demand that it freeze all building in West Bank Jewish settlements, saying Thursday it will press ahead with construction.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that President Barack Obama wants Israel to halt to all settlement construction _ including "natural growth." She was referring to Israel's insistence that new construction is necessary to accommodate the expansion of families already living in existing settlements.

Government spokesman Mark Regev responded by saying "normal life in those communities must be allowed to continue." He confirmed that this meant some construction will continue in existing settlements.

Obama's administration has been more explicit in its criticism of Israeli settlement policy than its predecessor. The U.S. and much of the world consider the settlements an obstacle to peace because they are built on land the Palestinians claim for a future state.

Tags: israel, palestine, apartheid, occupation, israel-lobby

Abuse Photos Include Images Of Rape And Sexual Assault: Report

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:11:40 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Just a few bad apples, eh? Torture, ain't torture and if it is, it ain't bad or illegal? We only tortured a few "terrorist"?

Do tell....

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

LONDON (AP) -- A former U.S. general said graphic images of rape and torture are among the photos of Iraqi prisoner abuse that President Obama's administration does not want released.

Retired Major Gen. Antonio Taguba, who oversaw the U.S. investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison, told Britain's Daily Telegraph in an article published Wednesday that he agreed with Obama's decision not to release the pictures.

"I am not sure what purpose their release would serve other than a legal one and the consequence would be to imperil our troops, the only protectors of our foreign policy, when we most need them," Taguba was quoted by the Daily Telegraph. "The mere description of these pictures is horrendous enough, take my word for it."

One photo reportedly showed an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner and another was said to show a male translator raping a male detainee, the Telegraph reported.

Tags: toture, abuse, prisoners, war, crimes, against, humanity, bush, cheney

Israel Rebuffs US Call For Total Settlement Freeze

Thu, 28 May 2009 16:07:42 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Why am I not surprise.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

A Palestinian worker stands on top of a construction site in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Maaleh Adumim, near Jerusalem, Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Israel scrambled Tuesday to sidestep President Barack Obama's demand for a West Bank settlement freeze with a diluted counteroffer to Washington. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's compromise, to take down some squatter camps in exchange for permission to keep building in established settlements, was quickly rejected by hardliners in his own coalition. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill)

JERUSALEM — Israel defied a surprisingly blunt U.S. demand that it freeze all building in West Bank Jewish settlements, saying Thursday it will press ahead with construction.

Tags: judea, war, theft, settlements, colonialism, ethnic, cleansing, palestine, israel, peace

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL - REPORT 2009

Thu, 28 May 2009 14:36:34 GMT

clipped by: Sion369
clipper's remarks: Amnesty International Report 2009 - Press Conference http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roMSUYgctng

Report 2009 http://www.amnesty.at/jahresbericht09/Daten_und_Fakten_JB09.pdf

Petition, Menschenrechte http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/land/petition/?locale=de

Petition: Finanzmarktregulierung http://www.attac.at/finanzmarktpetition.html

Menschenrechte http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A09B5D49E46CD63F

Clip Source: www.amnesty.at

Jahresbericht 2009 von Amnesty International

Die Zeitbombe tickt: die Wirtschaftskrise verschlechtert die Lage der Menschenrechte

Wien, 28. Mai 2009 – „Abseits der Wirtschaftskrise entwickelt sich eine handfeste Krise der Menschenrechte. Der weltweite Wirtschaftsabschwung hat die Menschenrechtsverletzungen verstärkt, aber das Interesse daran verringert. Im Namen der Sicherheit wurden die Menschenrechte mit Füssen getreten. Heute, im Namen der wirtschaftlichen Erholung, werden sie hinten angestellt“, so Patzelt weiter. „Die Welt braucht einen 'New Deal', eine globale Übereinkunft für die Menschenrechte - keine Versprechen auf Papier, sondern Verpflichtungen und konkrete Aktionen von Regierungen, um die Zeitbombe zu entschärfen.

Daten & Fakten zum AI Jahresbericht 2009

Tags: ai, amnesty, international, welt, menschen, rechte, 2009, sicherheit, wirtschaft, new deal

CATO--"Hate Crime" Laws Are Unconstitutional

Thu, 28 May 2009 04:02:58 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: "Hate crime" laws are "thought crime" laws, constitute "double jeopardy" (being tried twice for same crime), and violate the 1st and 14th (and also not mentioned, 10th) amendments of the Constitution, this scholar asserts. He also takes the ACLU to task since they ought to know better, and should lead the opposition.

The ADL (hypocrites who defame many) is behind "hate crimes" legislation, and is the powerful, private, special interest, propaganda agency to federal and local law enforcement (including FBI) and media, who are the sole self-appointed definers of public orthodoxy and what constitutes "hate" or "hate groups", even "terrorism" watch lists!

"Hate Crimes" laws could become the basis of a New American Inquisition, where a certain "orthodoxy" of thought, speech, religious or philosophical beliefs is upheld and requires punishment of all to the contrary.

Think about the danger of this! What about "liberty of conscience" and freedom of speech?

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: hate crimes legislation, hate crimes, adl, constitution, nat hentoff, cato institute, free speech

DEMOCRAZY A LA GOEBBELS.

Wed, 27 May 2009 19:06:13 GMT

clipped by: apgalea
clipper's remarks: It's a copy of the Thousand Year Reich.

Clip Source: english.aljazeera.net

The Israeli parliament has passed a preliminary reading of a bill that would mandate the imprisonment of anyone who calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper.

The bill was passed on Wednesday by the Knesset with the support of 47 members, or MKs.

The second is the Nakba Law, which bans commemoration of the 1948 dispossession of the Palestinians as a result of the creation of Israel.

Israel Beitenu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, grew to be Israel's third largest political party in the February election, reflecting a shift to the right by the Israeli public.

"The two bills, if finally ratified, would punish Palestinian Israelis, and delegitimise their existence inside Israel," she said.

"It is considered a prelude to the expulsion of the Palestinian Arabs as advocated by many Israeli leaders."

Tags: palestine, zionism, ethnic cleansing, lebensraum

SO MUCH FOR FINLAND!

Wed, 27 May 2009 18:56:21 GMT

clipped by: apgalea
clipper's remarks: EU REGULATIONS?

Clip Source: electronicintifada.net

Finland's arms coopration with Israel violates EU regulations. (Matthew Cassel)

Besides the highly destructive and murderous Israeli military campaigns of short duration, there are numerous high-quality studies available on Israel's other blatant human rights violations, produced regularly by both local (such as the Israeli B'Tselem and the Palestinian Al-Haq) and international (such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch) human rights organizations. These meticulous reports encompass several decades. They all conclude, with remarkable correspondence in the tiniest details, that Israel is guilty of serious human rights violations, many amounting to war crimes.

Knowing that the military technology used by the Israeli army is among the most advanced in the world there can be no doubt that the obliteration of the Gaza's civil society was fully intentional.

Finnish-Israeli arms trade flaunts EU regulations

Zionist assassin Yehoshua Zettler dies

Wed, 27 May 2009 02:20:32 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks:

After the Bernadotte murder, David Ben Gurion disbanded Lehi and arrested its members for being members of a banned organization. But miraculously, they were all released five months later under a political amnesty. No one was ever charged with the killing. Lehi’s brave members revealed their participation in the assassination in 1977 after the statue of limitations had expired.

Clip Source: www.richardsilverstein.com

Yehoshua Zettler, organizer of the assassination of UN mediator and Swedish Count Bernadotte in 1948, died a few days ago at the ripe old age of 91.

Zettler was a leader of the Jewish ultra-nationalist terror group Lehi, who devised a plan to kill a newly appointed UN mediator, who had suggested that the UN assume control of Jerusalem and that Palestinian refugees be permitted to return to their homes.

One of the Lehi leaders who approved the execution of the Bernadotte plan was future prime minister Yitzchak Shamir. Zettler had earlier participated in the Deir Yassin slaughter, which was led by another future prime minister Menachem Begin.

Tags: richard silverstein, yehoshua zettler, folke bernadotte, lehi, israel, zionism, yitzhak shamir, menachem begin, terrorism,

Bush on Iraq War:"This confrontation is willed by God."

Tue, 26 May 2009 20:16:25 GMT

clipped by: arifsali

Clip Source: www.alternet.org

In 2003 while lobbying leaders to put together the Coalition of the Willing, President Bush spoke to France's President Jacques Chirac. Bush wove a story about how the Biblical creatures Gog and Magog were at work in the Middle East and how they must be defeated.

In Genesis and Ezekiel Gog and Magog are forces of the Apocalypse who are prophesied to come out of the north and destroy Israel unless stopped. The Book of Revelation took up the Old Testament prophesy:

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them."

Bush believed the time had now come for that battle, telling Chirac:

"This confrontation is willed by God, who wants to use this conflict to erase his people's enemies before a New Age begins".

Tags: iraq, bush, religion

Israeli Knesset trying to ban Nakba commemoration

Tue, 26 May 2009 03:00:03 GMT

clipped by: jklugman
clipper's remarks: This bill is not yet law. Noam Sheizaf--the blogger-- thinks MKs will prevent this from being passed, but if not, the Israeli Supreme Court will overturn it.

Clip Source: www.promisedlandblog.com

The government of Israel has decided to make life easier for those who claim it is an Apartheid state (or just a Fascist one). Haaretz reports:

The Ministerial Committee on Law and Constitution on Sunday approved a preliminary proposal which would make it illegal to hold events or ceremonies marking Israel’s Independence Day as a “Nakba,” or catastrophe (…) According to the bill, those found in violation could face up to three years in prison.

The ministerial approval is only a preliminary step and has no legal bearing yet. Before the proposal could become a law, it must first undergo Knesset approval and cabinet consideration.

Tags: noam sheizaf, knesset, israel, free-expression, discrimination

Venezuela sends uranium to Iran

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:58:59 GMT

clipped by: infidel70

Clip Source: www.breitbart.com

JERUSALEM (AP) - Venezuela and Bolivia are supplying Iran with uranium for its nuclear program, according to a secret Israeli government report obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The two South American countries are known to have close ties with Iran, but this is the first allegation that they are involved in the development of Iran's nuclear program, considered a strategic threat by Israel.

The report concludes that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is trying to undermine the United States by supporting Iran.

Venezuela and Bolivia are close allies, and both regimes have a history of opposing U.S. foreign policy and Israeli actions. Venezuela expelled the Israeli ambassador during Israel's offensive in Gaza this year, and Israel retaliated by expelling the Venezuelan envoy. Bolivia cut ties with Israel over the offensive.

Iran, under Ahmadinejad, has strengthened its ties with both Venezuela and Bolivia, where it opened an embassy last year.

Gazans find ways around Israeli blockade - 25 May 09

Mon, 25 May 2009 15:07:45 GMT

clipped by: nuttyriv3r

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

May 25, 2009

Since Israel began its blockade of the Gaza Strip three years ago, no new cars have been allowed into the territory and spare parts are nearly impossible to get.

Many Gazans have now turned to motorcycles smuggled in from Egypt as their new mode of transportation - a trend that has created a traffic crisis and led to deadly accidents.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin reports from Gaza.

Tags: zionist empire, palestine, arab empire, terror hoax, police state, freedom hoax, resistance, perpetual war, beast system

Saying "No" And Meaning It

Mon, 25 May 2009 04:03:40 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks: Abbas has ruled out restarting those talks until Netanyahu, whose right-leaning government took office on March 31, commits to a two-state solution and halts settlement expansion.

Netanyahu has so far balked at committing to entering negotiations with the Palestinians on territorial issues.

A senior Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Netanyahu's government hoped to sidestep U.S. pressure by committing to uproot smaller hilltop outposts built without official authorisation, a step also set by the road map.

"Moving on outposts is relatively easy" compared to freezing growth of larger settlements, which Israel wants to keep as part of any future peace deal, the Israeli official said.

Last week, Israel flattened a small outpost near the West Bank city of Ramallah, but residents returned to rebuild.

Clip Source: www.alertnet.org

Half a million Jews live in settlement blocs and smaller outposts built in the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.

* Netanyahu rejects full freeze to settlement growth

* Obama wants halt to settlement activity

* Palestinians see settlements as threat to statehood

Netanyahu defies Obama on Israeli settlement freeze

"We do not intend to build any new settlements, but it wouldn't be fair to ban construction to meet the needs of natural growth or for there to be an outright construction ban," Netanyahu told his cabinet, according to officials.

Netanyahu's comments reaffirmed a position he took in his bid for the premiership in a February election. By natural growth, Israel refers to construction within the boundaries of existing settlements to accommodate growing families.

Obama was expected to prod Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to resume long-stalled peace talks during a major speech in Cairo early next month.

Tags: netanyahu on israeli settlement freeze, mahmoud abbas/obama talks in cairo next month