Clipmarks | ratilfar's 'u.s.' clips

Bush To Russia: Stop The "Bullying And Intimidation"

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:42:10 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Another from the Dept. of you can't make this $&#! up! Mr. President, only kids believe in opposite day.

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON — President Bush on Friday accused Russia of "bullying and intimidation" in its harsh military treatment of Georgia, saying the people in the former Soviet republic have chosen freedom and "we will not cast them aside."

Bush ratcheted up his rhetoric against Moscow as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pursued a diplomatic solution to the week-old crisis. Rice was in Tblisi for talks with pro-Western Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili about details of the cease-fire, which would require Russia to withdraw its combat forces from Georgia but allow Russian peacekeepers to remain in South Ossetia and conduct limited patrols outside the region.

Bush said that Russia, with its air, sea and land attacks in Georgia, had damaged its relations with the United States and other Western powers.

Still, Bush said, "The Cold War is over. The days of satellite states and spheres of influence are behind us."

Tags: bush, putin, u.s., russia, georgia, empire

Plucky little Georgia? No, the cold war reading won't wash

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:37:30 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: All is not what is what it looks like....

Cont:

Devoted to achieving Nato entry for Georgia, Saakashvili has sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan - and so clearly felt he had American backing. The streets of the Georgian capital are plastered with posters of George W Bush alongside his Georgian protege. George W Bush avenue leads to Tbilisi airport. But he has ignored Kissinger's dictum: "Great powers don't commit suicide for their allies." Perhaps his neoconservative allies in Washington have forgotten it, too. Let's hope not.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

For many people the sight of Russian tanks streaming across a border in August has uncanny echoes of Prague 1968. That cold war reflex is natural enough, but after two decades of Russian retreat from those bastions it is misleading. Not every development in the former Soviet Union is a replay of Soviet history.

The clash between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia, which escalated dramatically yesterday, in truth has more in common with the Falklands war of 1982 than it does with a cold war crisis. When the Argentine junta was basking in public approval for its bloodless recovery of Las Malvinas, Henry Kissinger anticipated Britain's widely unexpected military response with the comment: "No great power retreats for ever." Maybe today Russia has stopped the long retreat to Moscow which started under Gorbachev.

The more Russia drew in its horns, the more Washington and its allies denounced the Kremlin for its imperial ambitions.

Tags: georgia, russia, war, empire, nato, u.s.

Iraq demands timeline for U.S. withdrawal

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:25:10 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Iraq to U.S.: "OUT!"

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

BAGHDAD - Iraq's foreign minister insisted Sunday that any security deal with the United States must contain a "very clear timeline" for the departure of U.S. troops.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that American and Iraqi negotiators were "very close" to reaching a long-term security agreement that will set the rules for U.S. troops in Iraq after the U.N. mandate expires at the end of the year.

Zebari said the Iraqis were insisting that the agreement include a "very clear timeline" for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces, but he refused to talk about specific dates.

"We have said that this is a condition-driven process," he added, suggesting that the departure schedule could be modified if the security situation changed.

No deal without timeline
But Zebari made clear that the Iraqis would not accept a deal that lacks a timeline for the end of the U.S. military presence.

No, no definitely there has to be a very clear timeline," Zebari replied

Tags: iraq, war, u.s., timeline, withdrawal, time, is up, out

China on Bush: Don't interfere in our affairs

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:22:50 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks:

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

BEIJING - China rejected President Bush's criticism Thursday of its human rights record and restrictions on religion, diplomatically telling him to stay out of its affairs only hours before he arrived in Beijing to attend the Olympics.

In a speech in Bangkok outlining America's achievements and challenges in Asia, Bush pushed for a free press, free assembly and labor rights in China, and against its detentions of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists. He said he wasn't trying to antagonize China, but called such reform the only path the potent U.S. rival can take to reach its full potential.

He antagonized the Chinese anyway, setting the stage for an interesting reception when he attends the opening ceremonies Friday evening, takes in some events — including the U.S.-China men's basketball game — and meets with President Hu Jintao on Sunday after attending church.

Tags: bush, u.s., china, human rights, olympics

2004 Bush Interview Banned In America - An Insight Into Insanity

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:36:45 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: This is what a real journalist sounds and looks like.

Clip Source: www.crooksandliars.com

[Video]

This 2004 interview should be required viewing for every journalism student. I admit that I had not seen this video until today, but apparently over a million people already have and I hope that millions more will watch it as well. If the American press corps and our corporate media had asked tough questions like this of President Bush and his administration during the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that public support for it would have plummeted. This interview was done in ‘04, but was never aired in the U.S., and it’s quite possible that it could have affected the outcome of the presidential election that year. Imagine the outcome if a journalist dared to interview John McCain in this way today.

Tags: bush, media, u.s., ignorance, truth, news, nightmare

Washington's War: From Independence to Iraq: an interview

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 03:49:37 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Great stuff here!

Clip Source: www.davidphinney.com

[Video]

Tags: war, u.s., history, iraq, conquest, empire

American charged with giving secrets to Israel

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:51:07 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: With friends like these?

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

NEW YORK - A former U.S. Army mechanical engineer was arrested Tuesday on charges he slipped classified documents about nuclear weapons to an employee of the Israeli Consulate who also received information from convicted Pentagon spy Jonathan Pollard, authorities announced.

Ben-ami Kadish faces four counts of conspiracy, including allegations that he conspired to disclose U.S. national defense documents to Israel and that he acted as an agent of the Israeli government, U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia and FBI officials said.

A criminal complaint said the activities occurred from 1979 through 1985 while Kadish worked at the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in Dover, N.J.

The documents included information about nuclear weapons, a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet, and the Patriot missile air defense system, the complaint said.

Tags: espionage, israel, u.s., treason

Guess who is NOT coming to dinner? The Pope!

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 21:36:08 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: rawstory.com

The White House has scheduled a dinner next week in honor of Pope Benedict XVI's first visit to the United States, but one guest will be conspicuously absent from the proceedings: the pope himself.

There are no competing events listed on the pope's schedule, and the White House was unable to explain Benedict's absence from the dinner.

The pontiff will be greeted by the president and first lady upon his arrival to the US Tuesday and participate in a Rose Garden appearance and Oval Office meeting with President Bush the next day. A dinner scheduled for later Wednesday night didn't make it onto the Benedict's schedule, White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said Friday.

Benedict's schedule does not indicate any events that would conflict with his ability to attend the 7:30 p.m. dinner that Wednesday. He is just scheduled to return to the Vatican embassy in Washington at the same time after a meeting with US bishops at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

Tags: news, raw story, pope, religion, politics, u.s.

Rice hits U.S. 'birth defect'

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:35:52 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Quick, somebody call her a American hating person! C'mon! She called you defective! Like you know retarded....America is a retard! No way! How dare she!

Clip Source: www.washingtontimes.com

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday that the United States still has trouble dealing with race because of a national "birth defect" that denied black Americans the opportunities given to whites at the country's very founding.

"Black Americans were a founding population," she said. "Africans and Europeans came here and founded this country together — Europeans by choice and Africans in chains. That's not a very pretty reality of our founding."

As a result, Miss Rice told editors and reporters at The Washington Times, "descendants of slaves did not get much of a head start, and I think you continue to see some of the effects of that."

"That particular birth defect makes it hard for us to confront it, hard for us to talk about it, and hard for us to realize that it has continuing relevance for who we are today," she said.

Tags: condi, u.s., race, politics, history, truth

African-American Anger...Nah, Really?

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:50:12 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar

Clip Source: static.crooksandliars.com

Tags: race, america, u.s., race relations, anger, history, truth

Waving Goodbye to (U.S.) Hegemony: About Damn Time!

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:11:34 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: From the article:

"It is 2016, and the Hillary Clinton or John McCain or Barack Obama administration is nearing the end of its second term. America has pulled out of Iraq but has about 20,000 troops in the independent state of Kurdistan, as well as warships anchored at Bahrain and an Air Force presence in Qatar. Afghanistan is stable; Iran is nuclear. China has absorbed Taiwan and is steadily increasing its naval presence around the Pacific Rim and, from the Pakistani port of Gwadar, on the Arabian Sea. The European Union has expanded to well over 30 members and has secure oil and gas flows from North Africa, Russia and the Caspian Sea, as well as substantial nuclear energy. America’s standing in the world remains in steady decline."

Clip Source: bagnewsnotes.typepad.com

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Turn on the TV today, and you could be forgiven for thinking it’s 1999. Democrats and Republicans are bickering about where and how to intervene, whether to do it alone or with allies and what kind of world America should lead. Democrats believe they can hit a reset button, and Republicans believe muscular moralism is the way to go. It’s as if the first decade of the 21st century didn’t happen — and almost as if history itself doesn’t happen. But the distribution of power in the world has fundamentally altered over the two presidential terms of George W. Bush, both because of his policies and, more significant, despite them. Maybe the best way to understand how quickly history happens is to look just a bit ahead.

Tags: empire, u.s., hegemony, collapse, world, politics

Canada puts U.S. on torture watch list: CTV

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 21:33:22 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: About time.

Clip Source: www.ctv.ca

Omar Khadr's lawyers say they can't understand why Canada is not doing more to help their client in light of new evidence that Ottawa has put the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on a watch list for torture.

Khadr -- a Canadian citizen who was just 15-years-old when he was captured in Afghanistan more than five years ago and taken to Guantanamo -- has claimed that he has been tortured at the prison. Now, CTV News has obtained documents that put Guantanamo Bay on a torture watch list.

Khadr's U.S. military lawyer says the new documents contradict Harper's assurances that his client is receiving fair treatment.

"These are countries where, sadly, the record is clear -- torture and ill treatment happens," said Neve.

A war crimes trial has never been held against anyone under the age of 18. International observers have questioned Ottawa's decision not to help Khadr, who many believe is no different than child soldiers victimized in Africa.

Tags: torture, war, war on terror, canada, u.s.

Real Time New Rules: The Scam on the Middle Class

Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:17:51 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Nice bit at the end.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: u.s., economics, truth, real time, bill mahr

Mexican firefighters helping in California return to Mexico to fight blaze

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 18:43:59 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: Sorry, no terrorist here, only hard working Mejicanos helping their counterparts north of the border. Carry on.....

Clip Source: www.iht.com

TIJUANA, Mexico: About 60 Mexican firefighters crossed the border to help fight the California wildfires — then returned home as a separate blaze roared up on the Mexican side.

About 30 firefighters each from the Mexican cities of Tijuana and Tecate headed north Sunday when the wildfires started in San Diego County, said Capt. Marco Antonio Garambullo, Tecate's Fire Department director. One of the California blazes burned more than 200 buildings just north of Tecate.

The Mexican firefighters returned home on Monday, however, as flames kicked up south of the border as well, Garambullo said.

"If we didn't have so much work, we would be over there helping them," Garambullo said, adding that soldiers had joined the firefighters battling the blaze near Tecate, Mexico, which scorched hills and consumed four cabins of the "Rancho La Puerta," a luxury spa popular with San Diego tourists.

Tags: mexico, u.s., wildfires, california, border

How to Lose a War: The American Way

Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:54:06 GMT

clipped by: ratilfar
clipper's remarks: An American military spokesman denied that the request for American forces to leave was ever made, either formally or otherwise, or that they had caused most of the casualties. But the episode underlines differences of opinion among NATO and American military forces in Afghanistan on tactics for fighting Taliban insurgents, and concerns among soldiers about the consequences of the high level of civilians being killed in fighting.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

SANGIN, Afghanistan — A senior British commander in southern Afghanistan said in recent weeks that he had asked that American Special Forces leave his area of operations because the high level of civilian casualties they had caused was making it difficult to win over local people.

Other British officers here in Helmand Province, speaking on condition of anonymity, criticized American Special Forces for causing most of the civilian deaths and injuries in their area. They also expressed concerns that the Americans’ extensive use of air power was turning the people against the foreign presence as British forces were trying to solidify recent gains against the Taliban.

A precise tally of civilian deaths is difficult to pin down, but one reliable count puts the number killed in Helmand this year at close to 300 civilians, the vast majority of them caused by foreign and Afghan forces, rather than the Taliban.

Tags: afghanistan, war, u.s., britain, coin, insurgency, terror, civilian casualties