WESTERN VALUES CHANGE REGIMES … FROM GAZA TO VENEZUELA

What we are currently experiencing in Venezuela makes us painfully aware that no state is safe from Western “values”. Even Egypt, Syria, Iran, Ukraine and currently Venezuela and Gaza show us how perfidious this method is. 

The regime change method: from Gaza to Venezuela

By Evelyn Hecht-Galinski

 

How much longer will we have to face coup attempts being planned and executed by US governments? What we are currently experiencing in Venezuela makes us painfully aware that no state is safe from Western “values”. Even Egypt, Syria, Iran, Ukraine and currently Venezuela and Gaza show us how perfidious this method is. The people must go hungry because of the sanctions, all the important things are getting scarcer, and one stirs up dissatisfaction on governments that have to “get away”.President Maduro bravely defends against this US method because he knows his people behind him. But why is a self-proclaimed coup puppet being supported by Germany and a foreign minister who “went into politics because of Auschwitz”? (1)

 

No new German guilt!

 

What are the interests behind it? Especially the German diplomacy under “Auschwitzminister” Maas operates nevertheless a policy, which could lead long-term to Auschwitz. Why do we have to be at the forefront in US towers in their more than transparent military actions and regime change coup attempts? What fascinates the German Foreign Minister on Venezuela, the Ukraine, Mali and the “Jewish state”? Does he really want to “make amends” with a destructive policy that does exactly the opposite, namely to accept new German guilt? Again and again, I can repeat the life motto of my father, Heinz Galinski, and heed it: “I did not survive Auschwitz to remain silent on new injustice”. If Germans like the Foreign Minister Maas or as his predecessor, If the green Josef Fischer used the word Auschwitz to justify war, then I find it so disgusting and shameful that I protect myself against it as a German. It is unacceptable for German citizens with Jewish roots like me when German politicians use the word Auschwitz to discriminate against Jews today and deny them freedom of expression when it comes to criticizing the “Jewish apartheid state” and its illegal occupation policy. Auschwitz was the German chapter of a “millennial brown empire,” which should under no circumstances be used to be abused. If Maas had really gone into politics because of Auschwitz, then he should no longer close his eyes to the crimes of the “Jewish state” and support him unilaterally. In fact, Auschwitz and the Holocaust oblige us to assist the Palestinians, who are helpless and alone in the so-called “community of values” of their ethnic cleansing and judicialization of their country. (2) (3)

 

Especially in Germany, we see how Palestinians are intimidated and almost lethargically standing in front of the ruins of their homeland Palestine – and if they demonstrate once against the murderous Israeli policy, as denounced during the attack on Gaza 2014, therefore as anti-Semites. It is almost unbearable how far the long arm of the Netanyahu regime reaches into Germany and succeeded here with the help of the Sayanim of the Central Council of Jews, the Israel lobby in the form of various international Jewish organizations and countless compliant politicians, parties and philosemitic helpers is to build this tightly lashed network of novel anti-Semitism in the form of new “Jew’s love”. No, indeed, anti-Semitism hatred for Jews has diminished, but criticism of the “Jewish state” has increased.This fact is proven, but uncomfortable. That’s why Israeli apologists lump anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism together to demonize this term. These statements also have the purpose of inducing Jewish citizens to return to their “Promised Land” while preventing Palestinians, including those with a German passport, from entering their stolen land. (4)

 

Do not confuse religion with combat area!

 

In fact, there is a strong right-wing and extreme right-wing forces who have always lived out their anti-Semitism and who have become stronger only thanks to false tolerance. But we also see that they have long since turned their hatred of the Jews into an Islam hatred, which should wake us all and make them worried. While synagogues and Jewish officials are being guarded, this is painfully missing in mosques and refugee homes. Muslims, like Jews, should be subject to the same “reason of the state”. It is precisely the responsibility of the Nazi past that obliges Germany to exercise due diligence on the last forgotten victims of the Holocaust, the Palestinians, who are entirely on their own without a global lobby such as the Jews.Already we are experiencing a progressive Israelization, also in Germany, and we do not want that. Let’s ask ourselves, why are so many Jewish Israeli citizens coming to Germany and Berlin and are they feeling very well, especially in “no go areas” like Wedding and Kreuzberg, which the Central Council repeatedly warns against. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu.These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) and we do not want that. Let’s ask ourselves, why are so many Jewish Israeli citizens coming to Germany and Berlin and are they feeling very well, especially in “no go areas” like Wedding and Kreuzberg, which the Central Council repeatedly warns against. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu.These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) and we do not want that. Let’s ask ourselves, why are so many Jewish Israeli citizens coming to Germany and Berlin and are they feeling very well, especially in “no go areas” like Wedding and Kreuzberg, which the Central Council repeatedly warns against. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu.These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) why do so many Jewish-Israeli citizens come to Germany and Berlin and feel very well, especially in “no-go areas” such as Wedding and Kreuzberg, which the Central Council repeatedly warns against. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu. These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) why do so many Jewish-Israeli citizens come to Germany and Berlin and feel very well, especially in “no-go areas” such as Wedding and Kreuzberg, which the Central Council repeatedly warns against. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu. These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) in front of which the Central Council warns again and again. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu. These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) in front of which the Central Council warns again and again. Perhaps it is a “no go area” for Israel lobbyists and more recently for non-religious and sometimes evangelical Zionist “Kippa porters” who multiply like rabbits but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a combat area. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu.These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a battlefield. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu. These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5) but instrumentalize religion and confuse it with a battlefield. Especially in the “Jewish state”, we experience how right-wing extremist Judaists have a good chance of forming the next coalition with the Likud and Netanyahu. These voters associate only the hatred of Palestinians, and the maintenance of the eternal occupation of Palestine and the idea of ​​”Greater Israel.” (5)

 

It is precisely Jewish citizens who should ponder this, and they should support the Muslims and Palestinians in their struggle for freedom and equality. She should be ashamed of seeing the “Jewish state” and dealing with Palestinians and their oppression. And certainly it is shameful to see this repression, apartheid and occupation policies, but still support, and even solidarized and persecuted without any empathy. Should not one ask oneself if all this – these atrocities – does not remind them of the stories of their ancestors? No, gassing is not yet! But chemical weapons and poison gases are not foreign to the “Jewish state”, but their possession and use are always concealed. (6)

 

Humiliation and robbery policies no longer accept!

 

The humiliating and robbery policy of the Judaisierung, which is accepted here inactive, is supported, we should no longer accept as citizens. Can it really decent Democrats suffered when critical Jews working against the occupation of Palestine, are demonized and criminalized, as well as Muslim citizens who defend themselves against the expulsion and extermination of their brothers and sisters in Palestine? No, the time has come for us all together to actively support the BDS movement, the only peaceful weapon in the fight against the occupiers’ deadly weapons. It is not we who support this movement who are criminal, but the supporters of the “Jewish State”, a nuclear-weapon-occupying regime with a concentration camp in Gaza.

 

This inevitably leads me to Gaza. Are not we experiencing the same method as in Egypt, Ukraine, Syria and currently Venezuela? With shortages, electricity shortages, water scarcity, “well poisoning” and the like, attempts are being made to incite hatred against elected governments from outside. It is the United States method, which has been tried for decades and very successfully defended the hegemony. Again and again, this is reminiscent of a crusade, when the “defense of Christian values” or worse, the “Christian-Jewish values” is spoken. What a Christian-Jewish arrogance that negates and – worse still – denies Muslims and their values.The audacity has repeatedly lumped terror and Islamism in order to justify the hypocritical value war policy.

 

Dive into the high culture of the Islamic world!

 

In fact, Islam looks to a high culture, which takes us from the acquired numbers, mathematics, philosophy to architecture so valuable testimony to this day. Even Goethe was fascinated by the Orient and its high culture, which was reflected in his “West-Eastern Divan”. It pays to read this book and be enchanted. Again and again, when I read the stories of 1001 Nights, I am delighted by this oriental world, in which it is worthwhile to immerse. I would also like to remind the Palestinian poet Mahmud Darwish, who unfortunately died much too early, as the poetic voice of his people! But let’s not forget the political literature of the great American-Palestinian literary man Edward Said and his most famous work “Orientalism”, that the British newspaper “The Guardian” is one of the hundred most important non-fiction books. (7)

 

Finally, I would like to point out the freshly printed book by Jürgen Todenhöfer that I’m reading with great enthusiasm. Jürgen Todenhöfer is one of the few journalists who does not forget the suffering of the Palestinians and Gaza. He donated part of the fees of his book “Inside IS” for projects to Gaza. He is a generous person, with a heart for Gaza. In his new book titled “The Great Hypocrisy – How Politics and the Media Tell Our Values”, Propyläen-Verlag, he describes in Chapter 6 “Stunned in Gaza”, among other things, a more than revealing opinion in a long personal conversation with a Israeli ex-politicians and war heroes in Jerusalem: “Gaza does not interest Israel. Israel wants to return the ancient biblical areas of the West Bank, Judea and Samaria. It will get her too. Gaza could have who wants. The Egyptians or the Jordanians. The fencing by bars and walls was the just punishment for Gaza having chosen Hamas. “On demand from Todenhöfer he also confirmed that Gaza was of course a concentration camp, something else they did not deserve there. At the end, Todenhöfer asked the Israeli why he was no longer in the cabinet. His answer: “Because then I can not say all that, what I just told you. Although almost everyone thinks the same thing. “(8) (9) (10) something else the people would not have earned there. At the end, Todenhöfer asked the Israeli why he was no longer in the cabinet. His answer: “Because then I can not say all that, what I just told you. Although almost everyone thinks the same thing. “(8) (9) (10) something else the people would not have earned there. At the end, Todenhöfer asked the Israeli why he was no longer in the cabinet. His answer: “Because then I can not say all that, what I just told you. Although almost everyone thinks the same thing. “(8) (9) (10)

 

Did the Jews earn concentration camps?

 

This was one of the many shocking factual accounts in this book that ruthlessly describes and exposes. Of course, after these shameful statements, the thought came to me: Did the Jews deserve concentration camps? What simple formulas for ethnic cleansing and expulsion. Does not the Netanyahu regime, in the face of the fascist election campaign of Judaism, try to incite the regime change in Gaza with the demonization of Hamas, with the suffering and suffering in the Gaza concentration camp?What a demonic distraction action. Let’s never forget: not the elected Hamas are the occupiers and keep a laboratory in the concentration camp and committed genocide! It is only the Zionist occupiers who attempt with the method to incite the population and to shift the hatred. That should finally force the international community to act and put an end to this crime. That reminds Auschwitz.

 

 

footnotes:

 

(1) https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-if-palestinians-have-22-states-israeli-jews-have-200-1.7023647

(2) https://www.nachdenkseiten.de/?p=50175

(3) https://www.globalresearch.ca/israel-amps-up-ethnic-cleansing-in-order-to-further-judaize-jerusalem/5622596

(4) https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/israels-legacy-of-terror-and-ethnic-cleansing-1.2154720

(5) https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/palestinians/.premium-hamas-detains-hundreds-after-violently-suppressing-gaza-s-revolt-of-the-hungry-1.7025221

(6) https://www.dw.com/en/ger%C3%A4t-israel-wegen-chemiewaffen-unter-druck/a-17104181

(7) http://www.eslam.de/begriffe/w/west-oestlicher_diwan.htm

(8) https://republican-news.org/current/news/2014/08/gaza_and_the_warsaw_ghetto.html

(9) https://www.ullstein-buchverlage.de/nc/buch/details/die-grosse-heuchelei-9783549100035.html

(10) https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190318-israel-investigations-into-gaza-deaths-mere-propaganda-says-rights-group/

 

 

Originally posted AT

HOW DO YOU SAY ‘CHUTZPAH’ IN SPANISH?

  
   DESCARO!
There is no other word to describe America’s threat to Ecuador …
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On Wednesday, led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the US threatened to deny Ecuador preferential trade status if it accepted Snowden’s application for political asylum after he leaked a trove of classified documents that revealed details about the NSA’s vast surveillance programs in the US and abroad.
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Ecuador to US: We Won’t Be ‘Blackmailed’ over Snowden

Vowing not to be bullied, nation cancels trade pact preemptively and offers US human rights training

– Jon Queally*

 

30-year-old Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency contractor who embarrassed the US government by revealing details of vast Internet and phone surveillance programs, has requested asylum from Ecuador.(Photo: scmp.com) *

The clear message from the Ecuadorean government on Thursday is that it would not be bullied or ‘blackmailed’ by the US government over the possible asylum of Edward Snowden.

At a government press conference held in Quito, officials said the US was employing international economic “blackmail” in its attempts to obtain NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, but that such threats would not work.

Snowden, who remains inside an airport terminal in Russia, has become a flashpoint between Ecuador and the US after confirmation that the 30 year-old intelligence contractor has sought asylum in the Latin American country.

 

On Wednesday, led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the US threatened to deny Ecuador preferential trade status if it accepted Snowden’s application for political asylum after he leaked a trove of classified documents that revealed details about the NSA’s vast surveillance programs in the US and abroad.

“Our government will not reward countries for bad behavior,” Menendez said in a statement from Washington. “If Snowden is granted asylum in Ecuador, I will lead the effort to prevent the renewal of Ecuador’s duty-free access under GSP and will also make sure there is no chance for renewal of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act. Trade preferences are a privilege granted to nations, not a right.”

But on Thursday, Ecuador nullified the US threats—and made it clear it would not be intimidated by the global superpower—by proactively cancelling the trade agreement.

“Ecuador unilaterally and irrevocably renounces these preferential customs tariff rights,” government spokesman Fernando Alvarado said at the news conference.

“Ecuador will not accept pressures or threats from anyone, and it does not traffic in its values or allow them to be subjugated to mercantile interests,” he said.

Alvarado, who called threats from the US over trade arrangements a form of “blackmail,” said Ecuador’s government would not only willingly accept the loss of approximately $23 million in trade benefits, but in addition would offer a gift, in the form of an aid package of the same amount, that would be directed to provide human rights training in the United States.

According to reports, Ecuador indicated the money could be used to help the US address its recent problem with torture, illegal executions, and the attacks on the privacy of its citizens.

As Agence France-Presse reports, the trade agreement between Ecuador goes back decades:

The United States is Ecuador’s main trade partner, buying 40 percent of the Andean nation’s exports, or the equivalent of $9 billion per year.

The preferential trade program was set to expire on July 31 unless the US Congress renewed it. The arrangement, which dates back to the early 1990s, originally benefited four Andean nations and Ecuador was the last country still participating in it.

And Reuters adds:

Never shy of taking on the West, the pugnacious Correa last year granted asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to help him avoid extradition from Great Britain to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sexual assault accusations.

The 50-year-old U.S.-trained economist won a landslide re-election in February on generous state spending to improve infrastructure and health services, and his Alianza Pais party holds a majority in the legislature.

Ecuadorean officials said Washington was unfairly using the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act, which provides customs benefits in exchange for efforts to fight the drug trade, as a political weapon.

The program was set to expire at the end of this month.

 

 

Written FOR

BELLA CIAO HUGO CHAVEZ

 Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff
morre-hugo-chavez
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The President that did more to help the poor people in the United States than Obama himself ….
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Hugo Chavez Gives Heating Aid to U.S. Poor Following Obama Budget Cuts

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Read the full report HERE
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Bella Ciao Dear Comrade
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10 Memorable Hugo Chávez Moments

President Hugo Chávez was known for his grand overtures and bold attacks. A exceptionally gifted orator who relished media attention, he continually came up with show-stealing lines. Below are 10 of the many moments that made Mr. Chávez such a distinctive force in Venezuela and across the world.
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Click HERE to see the multi media report from the New York Times
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Cindy Sheehan adds the following tribute to a wonderful human being ….
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In Loving Memory: Hugo Chavez Frias 1954-2013

 
Hugo Chavez Frias, Presente!
Cindy Sheehan
 
A wonderful human being has passed.
What do I do when I am angry, happy, or sad? I write.
Back in 2004, shortly after my son, Casey, was killed in Iraq, a grief counselor advised me to write a letter to my son in a journal every night. I filled up three journals in the terrible months after his death. I often wrote at his grave and those journals did help me deal with the unspeakable loss.
Today, I write from a great well of sadness, but not just for me, for the world. My dear friend in peace and justice, President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, just lost his fierce and valiant battle with cancer.
Many people know about Hugo Chavez, the president, and constant thorn in the side to El Imperio the meddlesome and harmful Empire to the north. But I want to eulogize Chavez the man I knew.
He was my dear friend and comrade in a way where we were united in the struggle for peace and economic justice and equality. It’s not like I could text him, or we would chat about current events, but whenever I had the privilege to be with him, warmth radiated from his heart and I was able to connect with him in very real and human ways. Compared to the palpable realness of Chavez, most of the US politicians I have met with are walking and talking ice sculptures.
The first time I met him in Caracas was in early 2006 at the World Social Forum. I had been invited to sit on the stage while he gave a speech to those gathered there from around the world. He introduced me as, “Señora Esperanza,” “Mrs. Hope,” in contrast to his nickname for George Bush: “Señor Peligro,” “Mr. Danger.” However, our brother, Hugo Chavez, was the one who gave us much hope.
I have met and interviewed so many people in Venezuela whose lives were immeasurably improved by the vision and dedication of Hugo Chavez. How can one put a price on going from being illiterate to being able to read? A 65-year-old woman told me her life was transformed by the adult literacy program. It really made me appreciate the fact that I have always known how to read (it seems). What would I have done without my best friends, my books? Wow. I guess Capitalism would tally the cost of educating one student and, of course education here in the US is now just another commodity, but the look of wonder in my Sister’s eyes was priceless!
Another woman showed me her perfect teeth in a huge grin. She told me that her teeth used to be so bad, that she would never smile before, but now, due to her new set of false teeth provided by the national dental program, she walks around grinning like a lunatic all day, which made me laugh with joy! Again, Capitalism would say: One set of false teeth equals X amount of dollars. I say, being able to smile after years of embarrassing humiliation is worth more than any amount of gold.
Those are just two stories out of millions and my heart breaks with sorrow for the People of the Bolivarian Revolution that must be even more devastated than I, today.
I witnessed Chavez the proud “abuelo” (grandpa) once on a long flight from Caracas to Montevideo that I took with them. We chatted about out “nietos” (grandchildren) and felt a mutual connection there. I hugged my grandbabies a little harder today when I found out that Chavez died, because I know the wonderful connection that he had with his. My heart breaks for his children and his family, and his brother, Adan, who seemed to be constantly at his side. It’s just a very hard day.
I was with Chavez in Montevideo, Uruguay, for the presidential inauguration of Felipé Mujica. I was amazed that Chavez could just plunge into the crowds and interact with the people without a phalanx of bodyguards, anti-aircraft missiles and assault weapons. His security detail was prepared, but not paranoid like up here in the Empire. Someone who is universally loved by the 99% need have no fear. Chavez had no fear.
Chavez’s courageous battle against the Empire was more successful than his battle against cancer. Chavez was able to inspire more leftist leaders in Latin America and my friends in Cuba will always be grateful for the friendship between Venezuela and Cuba. The struggle against neo-liberalism and the Empire has been far advanced under Chavez’s inspirational leadership.
This is a sad day and I am angry that the so-called leaders of my own country made Chavez’s life a virtual hell, but he survived one coup attempt and the many other attempts through the media and financing of his opposition to undermine the revolution.
When in the hell is this country going to mind it’s own goddamn business and realize that not every drop of oil belongs to our oil companies and not every democratically elected leader must pledge undying obsequiousness to the Evil Empire?
I am immensely proud of Chavez and I am immensely proud of the people of Venezuela who have worked with him to improve their lives and because they really understand the concept of “national sovereignty.”
I know the upper echelons of The Empire think they have won a victory today (if it didn’t give Chavez his cancer in the first place—don’t even start and say I am a “conspiracy theorist” everyone knows that the Empire is fully capable of it, they couldn’t kill him, or depose him, outright) and all the oil will now flow back into the hands of our big oil companies, but The Empire underestimates the people of Venezuela and their dedication to the Bolivarian Revolution and love for their leader, Hugo Chavez.
As we sorrowfully say, “vaya con la paz” to our Brother, Hugo Chavez, let’s also say, “long live the revolution.”
Chavez will never die if we honor his vision and continue our struggle against The Empire.
US Presidents come and go with destructive, yet boring and predictable regularity and are numbered for History’s convenience when they should all have had black and white striped clothing and be behind bars. However, it is my belief that Hugo Chavez Frias will go down in World History as one of the most significant figures of the early 21st Century and his passing is a tragic and profound loss to us all, as his life was an inspiration.
A-dios, Señor Esperanza.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart and soul. Your light is far too bright to be extinguished by something as cruel as death and your light shines in all of us whose hearts burn with revolution and love for all the people.
My life and our world are far better today because of your life and the struggle continues until victory! 

SOME PEOPLE JUST DON’T LISTEN

Despite being urged to refuse the invitation of the Israeli Tourist Ministry….. The linked letter was translated into Spanish, but it did not help….
Neither did THIS.

Chilean miners accept Israeli invitation – if their relatives can go too

The 33 rescued men accept free trip to Holy Land on condition that they can travel with 70 of their relatives

Relatives of trapped Chilean miners
Family members pray outside the mine before the 33 Chilean miners were rescued. Photograph: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images

Amid the euphoria surrounding the rescue of the 33 trapped Chilean miners last month, Israel has invited the men to spend Christmas in the Holy Land.

The miners – who became instant heroes after surviving 69 days trapped underground – have accepted the free trip, but with only one condition. They will not go without their relatives – all 70 of them.

Israel says it is considering the proviso, but Palestinians have raised concerns about the idea of an Israeli-organised visit to the occupied territories.

In his invitation to the miners, the Israeli tourism minister, Stas Mesezhnikov, wrote: “Your bravery and strength of spirit, your great faith that helped you survive so long in the bowels of the earth, was an inspiration to us all.”

The miners responded by saying they were happy to accept the all-inclusive trip to Christian holy sites.

According to Israeli press reports, the list of travelling companions submitted by the men includes 31 partners, two mothers, 33 children, one grandchild, one nephew and one step-daughter. One miner reportedly asked to bring both his wife and his mistress.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli tourism ministry confirmed the men had asked to take their families with them. “We are considering the petition, but we will not take a decision until next week,” she added.

Francisco Carvajal, the Chilean consul general in Israel, indicated that the he had not received confirmation from the either government or the miners regarding an acceptance of the Israeli offer and the enlargement of the group.

But the invitation – for a seven-day stay – risks triggering an angry response from the Palestinians.

“We are not against them coming. But the Israelis cannot invite someone to the house of their neighbours”, Fayez el-Sakka, a Palestinian MP from Bethlehem, said.

Source

MY COUSIN AND CHE GUEVARA




Last night my cousin Aaron visited us for dinner and brought with a film for us to watch afterwards. He said it was “special for me” and promised that I would enjoy it. I looked at the title, it certainly did not look like a movie I would go out of my way to see, it was called The Motorcycle Diaries’.

The film itself was produced in 2004, but was unknown to me, probably because it is in Spanish (with English subtitles) and never received raving reviews in Israel. It was a film based on diary entries written by one of my heroes, Che Guevara. Next month it will be the 43rd anniversary of his brutal assassination in Bolivia by the CIA. But, despite his demise, he is very much with us today. His face has become an icon to an entire generation that adorns it on t shirts and posters. But, what is known about the man himself?

The Motorcycle Diaries shows a side of Che never before revealed on film…. the Humanitarian that he was. A man who cared, a man who loved, both family and all of humanity. It showed how he became the revolutionary that he was, a man that dedicated (and gave) his life for humanity.

The thoughtfulness of my cousin for choosing this particular film indicates what a special human being he is as well. All I can say is thank you Aaron and Bless you for being you!

And Bless the memory of Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara ….. may he continue to inspire generations to come!

The film itself is a MUST SEE for those of you that haven’t already. I guarantee that you will not regret it.

A short clip from the film can be seen here…..



TUESDAY’S TOONS ~~ HUMAN RIGHTS IN BRAZIL

When Human Rights are threatened ANYWHERE we are all at risk

Images ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

Read these reports from Amnesty International
“Picking up the Pieces: Women’s Experience of Urban Violence in Brazil” (PDF)

Latest Reports

Brazil: ‘Changing this deadly scenario’: Demand dignity in Brazil’s favelas
May 28, 2009

Brazil: Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in National Legislation
March 23, 2009

Brazil: Challenging Brazil’s milícias: Marcelo Freixo and members of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry
October 09, 2008

Brazil: Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review. First session of the UPR Working Group, 7-11 April 2008
November 28, 2007


TOON AND PHOTO ~~ RURAL ACTIVISTS KILLED IN BRAZIL

On December 9th at 14:00 PM, two rural activists of Liga dos
Camponeses Pobres in Rondonia, North Brazil, were kidnapped by hitmen
in the road between Rio Alto camp and the city of Buritis. Elcio
Machado (alias Sabia) and Gilson Goncalves were both tortured,having
finger nails and parts of skin pulled out, and then executed.


Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

On October I met Sabia, his wife and children in Buritis, during my
trip to countryside Rondonia. He can be seen in this photo, holding a
Palestinian flag.

May he rest in peace. Struggle goes on.


TUESDAY’S HONDURATOON ~~ COUP LEADERS READY TO TALK

”We are ready to talk about the Democracy we killed…..”

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

TOON REVIEW FROM THE HONDURAN PRESS

Cartoons published in Radio Progreso bulletin

All images ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

Click on image to enlarge

BELLA CIAO MERCEDES SOSA ~~ 1935-2009

Se calló la voz de America Latina…Mercedes Sosa 1935 – 2009

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff


4ms-200910420405129734_5.jpg
Many gathered to pay their respects to Mercedes Sosa, affectionately known as La Negra [Reuters]

Mercedes Sosa, the Argentine folk singer who became known as the “voice of Latin America”, has died at the age of 74.

Thousands of people, many with flowers or Argentine flags, gathered to pay their respects on Sunday at the National Congress, where her remains lay in state.

Sosa had been in intensive care in a hospital for days with kidney problems.

Her body was taken to the Congress building in Buenos Aires for public visitation and her remains were to be cremated on Monday, local media reported.

“Her undisputed talent, her honesty and her profound convictions leave a great legacy to future generations,” her family said in the statement posted on her website.

Political icon

Known affectionately as La Negra, “the Black One” due to her dark hair and skin, Sosa fought South American authoritarian rulers with her voice.

Sosa’s version of Violeta Parra’s “Gracias a la Vida” – “Thanks to Life” – became an anthem for leftists around the world in the 1970s and 1980s.

Her own political leanings – she was a member of the Communist Party – attracted attention from the authorities between 1976-83, when up to 30,000 people were killed in a crackdown on leftist dissent.

She was forced into exile and her recordings were banned.

Award winner

Sosa hailed from a working-class family in Argentina’s poor, sugar-growing province of Tucuman.

She entered the music industry at the age 15, when friends, impressed by her talent, encouraged her to enter a local radio contest under the pseudonym “Gladys Osorio”.

She won a two-month contract with the broadcaster, the first of many accolades over a career that continued until her final days.

“I didn’t choose to sing for people,” Sosa said in a recent interview on Argentine television. “Life chose me to sing.”

Her latest album, “Cantora 1 & 2”, a collaboration with artists including Shakira, Caetano Veloso, Jorge Drexler, has been nominated for three prizes in next month’s Latin Grammy awards in Las Vegas.



Bella Ciao dear Comrade.


SATURDAY’S HONDURATOON ~~ FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER ATTACK

‘First they came for my legally elected President….. then they came for my Freedom Of Speech…..’

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

FRIDAY’S HONDURATOON ~~ THE COUP AS SEEN BY BRAZIL’S MAINSTREAM MEDIA

The ‘verdict’ is in…… the fascists are found innocent

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

WEDNESDAY’S HODURATOON ~~ VENCEREMOS!

Hasta la Victoria Siempre!

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

HONDURAS TODAY ~~ WE ARE ALL PALESTINIANS!

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff
latuff 2
Yesterday, my Associate and dear friend Carlos Latuff stated that this Blog is ‘mostly about the Middle East’. That is very true, for the simple fact that I live here. The Palestinian cause, in particular, is very close to my heart as they are my people. As Carlos himself stated, “WE ARE ALL PALESTINIANS”. His series of cartoons dealing with that can be seen HERE.

BUT…. this Blog deals with International Issues as well, especially those issues where Justice and Democracy are threatened. The Human Race is one…. we are all brothers and none of us will be free until we are all free. Nothing says that better than the following video featuring Peter, Paul and the late Mary Travers. The words are by Tom Glazer and the music is by J.S.Bach.

Here are the lyrics…
Because all men are brothers wherever men may be
One union shall unite us forever proud and free
No tyrant shall defeat us, no nation strike us down
All men who toil shall greet us the whole wide world around.

My brothers are all others forever hand in hand
Where chimes the bell of freedom there is my native land
My brother’s fears are my fears yellow white or brown
My brother’s tears are my tears the whole wide world around.

Let every voice be thunder, let every heart beat strong
Until all tyrants perish our work shall not be done
Let not our memories fail us the lost year shall be found
Let slavery’s chains be broken the whole wide world around.

Here are some photos showing the brutality against the Resistance in Honduras…..




Is the following what awaits the people of Honduras? The world must SAY NO NOW!
DEMOCRACY MUST BE RESTORED NOW!!

He claimed he was Chile’s saviour but devised one of the worst concentration camp regimes since Hitler’s ‘Grand Plan.’ As Chile comes to terms with General Pinochet’s death, we offer you the definitive film on his crimes.

Under Pinochet’s regime, over a quarter of a million people were detained in prisons like the Chacabuco desert camp. These are the only images to have emerged from his camps and reveal the true horror of his regime. “They must stay here until they realise they are on the wrong path,” states the guard at Chacabuco Concentration camp. Nearby prisoners suspected of being Communists are forced to march and sing military songs. One of the victims filmed at the camp was Patricia Letelier. Now, she lives in exile in Scotland and recalls what happened to her at Chacabuco. “I heard shouting and screaming and knew what was waiting for me. Shortly afterwards my own torture began.”

Powerful images show men kneeling with their hands in the air, being kicked and beaten with the butts of soldiers’ guns. Others show men being marched into the stadium stripped naked with blankets over their heads.


MONDAY’S HONDURATOONS & VIDEO ~~ CRIME, RESISTANCE AND CENSORSHIP

Both images and video ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

I just received this urgent email from Carlos…. with the following video.

Well brother, I know your blog is mostly about Middle East, and with
news in English only, but since you understand Spanish, I beg your
attention to this recording I made this morning, 08:27 (Brasilia),
05:27 (Tegucigalpa). It’s the very moment when soldiers invaded and
shut down Radio Globo in Honduras during live broadcasting. That’s the
way the coup leaders are treating the dissident voices in Honduras.
It’s about censorship. It’s about dictatorship.

SUNDAY’S HONDURATOON ~~ NIGHTS OF TERROR

When nightfall comes….. the terrorists come, like rodents they kill anything in their path….

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff

click on image to enlarge

THE ISRAELI CONNECTION TO THE HONDURAN COUP

I guess you can call it ‘Payback Time’….. for 30 Billion Dollar$ a year, Israel is expected to do something. Apparently that ‘something’ is to have Mossad Agents do the dirty work for the CIA…. and supply poison gas to the opponents of Democracy.

Is THIS the CHANGE we were hearing about?
unconstitutional change

Manuel Zelaya: Israelis sent to kill me

Manuel Zelaya takes refuge in Brazilian Embassy in Honduras since coming back to the country. He claims Israeli mercenaries hired by the de facto government tormenting him, planning on murdering him

Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who returned to his country this week after three months in exile, is accusing his government of hiring Israeli mercenaries to torture him with high-frequency radiation in his safe haven in the Brazilian Embassy.

In a conversation with the Miami Herald, Zelaya said that he has begun to suffer from throat pains resulting from poisonous gases being leaked into the embassy in Tegucigalpa. He also said that he fears mercenaries will enter the building and murder him. “They are threatening to kill us,” he said.

Witnesses said that soldiers were noticed installing some kind of satellite in front of the embassy on Friday that emitted loud noises.

Israeli sources in Miami whom the newspaper contacted said that they cannot confirm the presence of Israeli mercenaries in Honduras.

Zelaya, who was deposed in a military coup in June, also said, “I prefer to walk on my own two feet than to live on my knees under a dictatorship.” He turned to the American administration with a request to take action in his favor. “I said to President Obama, to Secretary of State Clinton, to the US ambassador, and to anyone willing to listen: they know what to do, but have been very cautious until now.”

The de facto Honduran government announced Wednesday that it will initiate talks with Zelaya if he recognizes the election results that were held in the country in November.

“I am ready to meet with anyone, anywhere, including former President Manuel Zelaya,” said the interim President Roberto Micheletti. This statement represents a significant change in the president’s position, as he previously declared he did not intend to be drawn into conflict with Brazil and that Zelaya “can stay in the embassy five to 10 years if he wants.”

Source Via Uruknet

If you can read Spanish….. the folowing is also an interesting connection….

Rodas: lanzaron gases tóxicos israelíes, e identifica empresas

Nueva York. EFE.

La canciller del Gobierno de Manuel Zelaya, Patricia Rodas, reiteró este viernes
la denuncia de que las autoridades de facto de Honduras lanzaron “gases tóxicos” contra la embajada de Brasil en Tegucigalpa, en donde se refugia del depuesto presidente, y dio los nombres de las empresas que los vendieron.

“Fuentes de la inteligencia militar leales” a Zelaya “nos han filtrado que los químicos y armas de asedio han sido proporcionadas por las empresas Alfacom e Intercom”, dijo este viernes Rodas durante una conferencia de prensa en Nueva York.

La ministra de Relaciones Exteriores hondureña asiste a los debates de la 64 Asamblea General de la ONU, ante la que su país aún no ha intervenido y está aún a la espera de hacerlo la próxima semana.

Esas dos empresas se ubican en Tegucigalpa, y serían propiedad del ciudadano israelí Yehuda Leitner, que “sirvió de intermediario con Israel. Ingresaron (en el país) en un vuelo privado en los últimos días”, explicó Rodas.

En Tegucigalpa, Zelaya denunció el lanzamiento de “gases tóxicos” contra la legación diplomática, donde se encuentra junto a familiares y un grupo de seguidores desde el lunes, mientras el Gobierno de facto aseguró que es “totalmente falso”.

La ministra del depuesto Gobierno hondureño indicó que el especialista en salud pública, Mauricio Castellanos “tomó resultados de ambiente desde las afueras de la embajada de Brasil en Honduras, aproximadamente a unos 300 metros del edificio debido a que los militares tiene bloqueado el acceso a la embajada”.

Según Rodas, el especialista utilizó un equipo aprobado por la Administración de Drogas y Alimentos (FDA, por su sigla en inglés) estadounidense y dijo que “los resultados muestran una concentración arriba de lo normal de amoniaco, que se usa como gas pimienta”.

Indicó que, de acuerdo con esos análisis, había una alta concentración de ácido cianhídrico, del que señaló produce “una reacción rápida al inhalarlo, y al contacto con el hierro de la sangre produce vértigo, náuseas, vómitos, cefaleas y dificultades respiratorias”.

También denunció que los ocupantes de la embajada “están siendo objeto de lanzamiento de armas químicas desde helicópteros y aviones o bien utilizadas por las tropas, aparatos sofisticados de radiaciones sónicas y electromagnéticas” que les han causado diversos trastornos.

Rodas urgió a que haya “una misión médica internacional de la ONU”, y expresó que su país se encuentra ante “una guerra irregular”.

Asimismo, denunció que las fuerzas armadas del Gobierno de facto no dejan entrar a la legación diplomática brasileña a médicos ni a personal de la Cruz Roja Internacional”.

La canciller señaló también que desde la embajada brasileña algunos de sus ocupantes le habían señalado que habían visto salir “de una casa camiones cargados de tierra. Parece que están excavando un túnel. Que sea eso y no que estén enterrando bombas como ya han hecho en el pasado”.


-Declaración Universal
de Los Derechos Humanos
10 de diciembre de 1948.

“Todo individuo
tiene derecho a la vida,
a la libertad
y a la seguridad
de su persona.”
Artículo 3.

“Todo individuo
tiene derecho
a la libertad de opinión
y de expresión;
este derecho incluye
el de no ser molestado
a causa de sus opiniones,
el de investigar
y recibir informaciones
y opiniones,
y el de difundirlas,
sin limitación de fronteras,
por cualquier
medio de expresión.”
Artículo 19.

–~–~———~–~—-~————~——-~–~—-~
HONDURAS RESISTE: TODOS Y TODAS POR LA CONSTITUYENTE

PHOTO ESSAY ~~ HANDS OFF HONDURAS!

Commentary by Chippy Dee, Photos © by Bud Korotzer

On September 22nd Human Rights Watch issued a report stating that it “has received credible reports that police used excessive force – wielding truncheons and firing tear gas and rubber bullets – today to disperse thousands of Zelaya supporters who gathered outside the Brazilian Embassy in Tegucigalpa” where constitutionally elected President Zelaya has been staying since he stealthfully returned to Honduras on September 21st. “Given the reports we have received, and the poor track record since the coup, we fear that conditions could deteriorate drastically in the coming days” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

The group that is supporting the return of Zelaya and resisting the coup is reporting that the police are using tear gas, water cannons full of dirty water, batons, and other riot gear to clear the area around the embassy where as many as 100,000 people defied a curfew imposed by the police and remained on the streets. The Honduran Police and Military began a forcible house to house search in the areas around the Brazilian Embassy detaining many people. A child of 8 died asphyxiated by the tear gas. There are reports of at least 3 others being killed. Many of the forcibly detained have been taken to the National Stadium. Some of the police and army wore hoods which reminded people of the human rights violators of the 1980’s. They are also targeting groups that are part of the resistance like the teacher’s union and the Committee Of the Family of the Detained and Disappeared.

It is reported that by mid-day repression was spreading to other areas, especially San Pedro Sula. There are road blocks throughout the country to stop organized groups of people from reaching the capitol where they could support Zelaya and the people there.

The press is being repressed as well. Cell phones in Tegucigalpa have been blocked, signals have been cut and transmission equipment has been destroyed.

At the Brazilian Embassy President Zelaya said he would like to have a dialogue with the de facto president but Micheletti continues to say that he wants Zelaya arrested.

This situation brought many from the N.Y. Honduran community and their supporters to an area near the United Nations in N.Y.C. where a militant demonstration took place. The police, for security reasons relating to the opening of this session of the U.N. , were not allowing anyone on the street where the Honduran Consulate, the original site the demonstration was to take place, is located. There were frequent chants of “The people, united, will never be defeated” (in Spanish, of course). President Zelaya’s brother came and spoke to the crowd. Also present, in a truly internationalist spirit, were representatives of the group ‘Friends & Family of the Veterans of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade’. They were the first to fight fascism in Spain in 1936. Their banner was carried which bears the words, Activists Forever.

Despite the harsh events occurring in their country, spirits were very high because the participants are sure that the Honduran people, united, really will be victorious. VENCEREMOS !










3 NEW HONDURATOONS ~~ ¡HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!

Honduran coup leaders are popularly known as “gorillas” and Roberto Micheletti as “Goriletti”

Images ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff


WEDNESDAY’S HONDURATOON ~~ LEADER OF THE COUP

Honduran coup leader Roberto Micheletti

Image ‘Copyleft’ by Carlos Latuff
Click on image to enlarge


Read THIS related article

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