america
- By Laila Yaghi
Let it be documented in history
Every shameful act
Every bit of racism
That America has
Let every eye that cried
And every tear that dropped
Be documented on your shameful pages
Let every sigh of oppression
Every exhale of depression
That America caused
Mingle with high winds
And twirl around
Sweeping everything in its path
america never was I proud of you
My country
With your many shameful acts
Your lynching, your sadistic control
Beyond reason
Your inequality in religion and race
Your double standards in freedom of speech
america
Every tree that grew on your land
Was watered from evaporated tears
And your eagles that soar high in the sky
Resting on your magnificent mountains
Mumble words of disappointment
And burry their faces from disgrace
And your stars that are embedded
On your flag
March with no dignity at night
america
You have done so much injustice in your land
Uncivilized acts of discrimination
Targeting Muslims
Treating them in such inhumane ways
As if you swore on
INEQUALITY we stand
The abuse of your power has gone too far
Innocent young Muslims
Lie all day staring at the ceiling
In a 6x9foot cells
I DIE…. I DIE
I die many times at night
My soul rises from grief
To be returned in the morning
Still in shock
What america
My own country has done
To my INNOCENT SON
And a million more
Find out more here about Ziyad Yaghi’s case and what you can do to help a mother and son and others like them in their struggle for justice.
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Africa’s AU: A Tool of Western Rule
- By Thomas C. Mountain
Organisation of African Unity members, with date of joining. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The African Union (AU) has mutated into a particularly corrupt and brutal enforcer of western rule in Africa. When it comes to the interests of Pax Americana you must start with the crimes committed in the AU’s “War on Terror” in Somalia a.k.a. The War on the Somali people.
In 2006 the Somalis themselves under the umbrella of the Union of Islamic Courts brought about a miracle in many observers eyes and established a functioning government in the former capital of Mogadishu bringing peace and security to the region for the first time in 15 years.
The diktats of Pax Americana’s International War on Terror require that any truly popular government, especially with the word Islamic in its name, must not be, and the USA soon dispatched its Ethiopian gendarmes to put fire and sword to peace in Somalia.
This was all done with the official blessing and support of the AU and its big brothers in the UN. Unfortunately for them the brutal nature of the Ethiopian invasion and occupation began a massive upswell of Somali nationalism and the gendarmes from Addis Ababa were forced to flee the land of their historic enemies for no Ethiopian leader in their right mind had ever picked a fight with the Somalis.
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Iraq’s Grim Reaper Gets Humanitarian Award
Madeleine Albright to Receive America’s Highest Honour as Champion of Democracy
- By Felicity Arbuthnot
There is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.
— Madeleine Albright
As the anniversary of probably one of the most infamous responses in broadcasting history approaches, the woman who uttered it is shortly to be awarded “the highest honour” that America bestows upon civilians — the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Madeleine Albright, Iraq’s Grim Reaper, of course, confirmed on Sixty Minutes (May 12, 1996) that the deaths of half a million children as a result of the absolute, all-embracing deprivations of the UN embargo were: “A hard choice, but the price, we think the price is worth it.”
The sexual humiliation of Muslims in the War on Terror
- By Asim Qureshi
It is considered a private matter between a husband and his wife, whether it is in a monogamous or polygynous relationship. Indeed, covering oneself to maintain a minimum level of dignity even when alone is recommended according to the shari’ah (Islamic law).
As part of the psyche of Muslim communities around the world, they respond to sexuality and references to sexuality based on the societies they have grown up in and the extent of conservatism within their communities. For Muslims living in the Western world, overexposure to images of sex and nakedness in order to sell objects, is commonplace, thus having a desensitising impact on their psyche, however much they may dislike what they see. For those living in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, such images are far less commonplace, in fact non-existent, resulting in a greater degree of sensitivity.
On 4 April 2012, the Zelikow torture memo (previously thought to be destroyed) was released, which effectively confirmed that years after criticism of the way in which torture has been systematically used, that enforced nudity is still to be considered an acceptable practice in interrogations.
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The Way of the Drone: Emblem for an Empire of Cowards
- By Chris Floyd
A few months back, I reposted here an article that I wrote 10 years ago, before the invasion of Iraq: a fictional scenario of how the Terror War would play out on the ground of the target nations — and in the minds of those sent to wage these campaigns. I was reminded of that piece by a story in the latest Rolling Stone.
The RS story, by Michael Hastings, depicts the drone mentality now consuming the US military-security apparatus, a process which makes the endless slaughter of the endless Terror War cheaper, easier, quieter. I didn’t anticipate the development in my proleptic piece; the first reported “kill” by American drones, in Yemen, had taken place just a few weeks before my article appeared in the Moscow Times.
(One of the victims of this historic first drawing of blood was an American citizen, by the way. Thus from the very beginning, the drone war — presented as noble shield to defend American citizens from harm — has been killing American citizens, along with the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of innocent men and women around the world being murdered without warning — and without any chance to defend themselves or take shelter — by cowards sitting in padded seats behind computer consoles thousands of miles away, following orders from the even greater cowards who strut around the Pentagon, CIA headquarters and the White House.)
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Photos of US troops defiling corpses expose Afghan war’s savagery
- By By David Walsh
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times published horrific photographs of American troops in Afghanistan posing with dead and dismembered insurgents.
The grisly images expose Washington’s claim that the occupation of the country is aimed at liberating the Afghan people. They reflect the savage reality of the US-led operation, intended to crush popular opposition to foreign rule and establish Afghanistan as a base from which the US ruling elite can pursue its efforts to dominate the geo-strategically critical region.
The Los Angeles Times photos, recently supplied to the newspaper by an unnamed US soldier, were apparently taken on two separate occasions in 2010. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division were first dispatched to a police station in Zabul Province in southern Afghanistan in February 2010 to examine the remains of a suicide bomber for identification purposes. As the newspaper describes it: “The paratroopers posed for photos next to Afghan police, grinning while some held—and others squatted beside—the corpse’s severed legs.”
Tarek Mehanna’s Sentencing Statement
- By Tarek Mehanna
Read to Judge O’Toole during his sentencing, April 12th 2012.
In the name of God the most gracious the most merciful Exactly four years ago this month I was finishing my work shift at a local hospital. As I was walking to my car I was approached by two federal agents. They said that I had a choice to make: I could do things the easy way, or I could do them the hard way. The “easy ” way, as they explained, was that I would become an informant for the government, and if I did so I would never see the inside of a courtroom or a prison cell. As for the hard way, this is it. Here I am, having spent the majority of the four years since then in a solitary cell the size of a small closet, in which I am locked down for 23 hours each day. The FBI and these prosecutors worked very hard-and the government spent millions of tax dollars – to put me in that cell, keep me there, put me on trial, and finally to have me stand here before you today to be sentenced to even more time in a cell.
In the weeks leading up to this moment, many people have offered suggestions as to what I should say to you. Some said I should plead for mercy in hopes of a light sentence, while others suggested I would be hit hard either way. But what I want to do is just talk about myself for a few minutes.
Interview: Mullah Dawran sheds light on Taliban views to Al Jazeera
As the US-led NATO forces prepare for their 2014 withdrawal from Afghanistan, the hype around “peace talks” with the Taliban has overshadowed many questions that remain in the minds of the average Afghan.
Amid a sense of urgency for a solution to the decade-long war – for which, the south of the country has unevenly carried the brunt – the unaddressed issues could come back to derail any short-term deal.
The Taliban leaders participating in the Qatar process have been tight-lipped over most issues except the release of their high-profile prisoners out of the US detention centre Guantanamo Bay. What kind of a role do they envision for the Taliban in a future Afghan state? Are they willing to compromise on certain extremities that they were notorious for during their six-year rule?
In an exclusive interview with Mullah Dawran, a senior Taliban commander in northeastern Kunar province, we raised some of these issues. While he is only one voice in an increasingly fractured movement, his views are indicative of the morale and mentality of many who fight for the Taliban.
Dawran has managed to escape several US military raids, in one of which he reportedly lost his wife and two children.
Below is an edited transcript of the conversation.
