Time Profiles a World Class Thug

Time Profiles a World Class Thug

by Stephen Lendman

Time magazine's May 28 cover features "King Bibi: He's conquered Israel. But will Netanyahu make peace - or war?"

Managing editor Richard Stengel titled his profile "Bibi's Choice." Readers got him sanitized, not accurately presented. Omitted was what they most need to know.

Time included, America's scoundrel media feature managed news and information. Truth and full disclosure are excluded and prohibited.

Netanyahu heads Israel's worst ever government. Bipartisan MKs are racist, hardline rogues. What little opposition exists is weak-kneed. Most go along to get along.

Netanyahu exceeds the worst of Ariel Sharon and previous hardline leaders. He's an embarrassment to democratic governance.

Israel is more hypocrisy than democracy. Few benefit. Most don't. Arab citizens are entirely denied. Arundhati Roy calls India a "limbless, headless, soulless torso left bleeding under the butcher's clever with a flag driven deep into her mutilated heart."

Netanyahu's Israel replicates it. Rogue government rules. Official policies reflect belligerence, violence, racist hate, exploitation, occupation harshness, neoliberal rapaciousness, and war when Israel chooses.

Netanyahu deplores peace. Negotiations were always stillborn from inception. Writer Henry Siegman once called them "the most spectacular deception in modern diplomatic history."

Netanyahu calls them "a waste of time." Palestinians can't negotiate without a legitimate partner. Talks every time reflect tragedy and travesty. Israel's all take and no give. Oslo was unilateral surrender, a Palestinian Versailles.

Israel got what it wanted. Palestinians got nothing for renouncing armed struggle, recognizing Israel's right to exist, and agreeing to leave major unresolved issues for later final status talks.

Nearly two decades later, they're still unresolved. They include an independent sovereign Palestine free from occupation, the right of return, settlements, borders, water rights, and East Jerusalem as Palestine's future capital. 

Israel yields nothing. Netanyahu won't give an inch. He doesn't negotiate. He demands. He also spurns peace and social justice.

Last summer, unaffordable housing prices sparked weeks of nationwide protests. Other issues were raised. 

They include high food and energy prices, low wages and eroding social benefits, onerous taxes on working households, weak labor rights, education and healthcare deficiencies, as well as other ways neoliberal harshness harms most Israelis.

Netanyahu turned a blind eye. Wealth transfers from Israeli workers to privileged elites and corporate favorites is policy. In early May, public anger again erupted. Expect another long, hot summer.

Perhaps he plans more war to shift public attention. He threatened Iran for months. At issue isn't its nuclear program. It's unchallenged regional hegemony. 

The alleged Iranian threat is baseless. It's program is peaceful, not belligerent. It conforms to Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) provisions. Nothing proves otherwise. It's well known but not acknowledged. 

Israel's a nuclear outlaw. It spurned NPT. It prohibits IAEA inspections. It threatens the region menacingly. Neighbors know the threat. Iran hasn't attacked another country in over 200 years. 

War is official Israeli policy. So is state terror. Fear is stoked to enlist popular support.

Most Israelis oppose attacking Iran without US support. Given administration and congressional hawkishness, expect it after November elections. 

Israel's Likud/Kadima unity government increased chances for what will inflame the entire region and threaten general war beyond it.

Netanyahu, Obama, and officials in both countries have greater aims than world peace and sparing humanity a potential holocaust.

No matter. Time gave "King Bibi" top billing. Stengel anointed him rock star status. He's:

"poised to become the longest-serving Israeli Prime Minister since David Ben-Gurion, the founding father of Israel. He has no national rival." 

"His approval rating, roughly 50%, is at an all-time high. At a moment when incumbents around the world are being shunted aside, he is triumphant."

"Like his father, he sees Jewish history as a succession of holocausts. Like his father, he has an almost mystical belief in the abiding power of anti-Semitism, as though it were more biological than cultural."

He has "a governing coalition that will not leak or collapse if he opens negotiations. He will no longer have to look over his shoulder." 

"He will not have to call elections at the drop of a hat. He has not had that before, and it gives him room to maneuver and room to compromise."

Abbas said: "Now he is the emperor....he can do anything."

He always took full advantage. Imagine what he'll do now. Imagine the regional consequences. Imagine how much more Palestinians will suffer. Imagine the threat to world peace.

Israelis watch and wait. At best, they express luke warm support. Haaretz contributor Bradley Burston says they're "exhausted by war, graft, bureaucracy, failed ideologies, the compendium of false promises," and major unaddressed issues.

For years, thousands of Israelis voted with their feet and left. Many others consider going for good reason. Like America, Israel increasingly isn't fit to live in. For Arabs it's hell. For Jews, promised land illusions vanished long ago.

Netanyahu ignores public needs. War is prioritized. Removing a nonexistent Iranian threat is planned. He'll risk a potential holocaust for Israeli hegemony and personal ambitions. That elevates rogue status to a higher level.

Is there reason to think he wants peace with Palestinians? He favors hardline persecution instead. He threatens war on Gaza. Another potential Lebanon conflict looms. He's involved with Western-generated insurgent violence in Syria.

He's a regional menace. Yet he had the effrontery to tell Time that Palestinians "will never have a better partner than me....I can make (peace) happen and make it stick."

His agenda excludes peace in our time. He deplores it like US administration and congressional hawks, as well Knesset hardliners.

Like Obama, Netanyahu's a war criminal multiple times over. Peace isn't on his mind. Neither is compromise. He spurns democratic values and rule of law principles. He practices state terror. He's more rogue than statesman. He's a destroyer, not builder or visionary. 

In June 1996, after being elected prime minister for the first time, Time's cover story headlined "Can He Make Peace?" 

He spurned it then and does now. As long as he leads Israel, peace in our time remains illusory, not real. The region's fate hangs in the balance, and maybe a lot more.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.

Heightening Tensions for War on Iran

Heightening Tensions for War on Iran

by Stephen Lendman

A previous article discussed two House bills. On May 18, HR 4310 passed. It includes two hawkish anti-Iranian provisions: Sections 1221 and 1222. 

So does HR 568. It expressed the importance of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons "capability." 

Every nation operating commercial nuclear reactors has it. On March 17, the bill passed. Both measures advance the ball closer to war.

Companion Senate bills are easily expected to pass.

On February 16, S. Res. 380: A resolution to express the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of preventing the Government of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability was introduced.

No further action was taken. It's expected to pass once floor consideration begins.

Its official summary states:

"Affirms that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability and warns that time is limited to prevent that from happening.

Urges increasing economic and diplomatic pressure on Iran to secure an agreement that includes: 

(1) suspension of all uranium enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, 

(2) complete cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding Iran's nuclear activities, and 

(3) a permanent agreement that verifiably assures that Iran's nuclear program is entirely peaceful. 

Supports: 

(1) the universal rights and democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, and 

(2) U.S. policy to prevent the Iranian government from acquiring nuclear weapons capability. 

Rejects any U.S. policy that would rely on efforts to contain a nuclear weapons-capable Iran. Urges the President to reaffirm the unacceptability of an Iran with nuclear-weapons capability and oppose any policy that would rely on containment as an option in response to the Iranian nuclear threat."

Senator Lindsey Graham (R. SC) sponsored the bill. Seventy-seven so-sponsors joined him. They included Joe Lieberman (I. CT) and Robert Casey, Jr. (D. PA).

On March 9, they headlined a Wall Street Journal op-ed "Iran Can't Be Allowed Nuclear 'Capability,' " saying:

"The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran is a threat to the entire world, including particularly the U.S., and its destabilizing consequences are not containable."

"If Iran succeeds in acquiring a nuclear-weapons capability....the odds of nuclear material falling into the hands of rogue terrorists will dramatically increase."

"A nuclear-armed Iran would also threaten the global economy by holding Middle Eastern oil supplies hostage."

Their resolution "send(s) an unambiguous message to the Iranians that we are prepared to do whatever necessary to stop them from acquiring a nuclear-weapons capability...."

Iran threatens no one. Graham, Lieberman, Casey, and other congressional hawks threaten world peace. They dangerously head America toward potentially catastrophic war.

On May 21, the Senate unanimously approved new economic sanctions. Numerous previous ones were enacted. 

New ones cover dealings with the National Iranian Oil Company and National Iranian Tanker Company. They aim to close a potential loophole letting Tehran deliver oil with its fleet.

In December, the House passed a companion bill. Expect Obama to sign a resolved version of both.

On May 17, Senate Republicans initially rejected the measure to get tougher provisions added. Once included, unanimous passage followed. 

Multiple rounds of sanctions combined with hawkish legislation heads America closer to war. A willing Israeli partner awaits.

On May 23, follow-up P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran convened in Baghdad. The EU's Catherine Ashton heads its delegation. Supreme National Council (SNSC) Secretary Saeed Jalili leads the Iranian delegation.

Tehran wants good faith discussions. Washington intends conflict, not resolution. Obama officials wants regime change. Iran's nuclear program is red herring subterfuge. If not that issue, another would be raised.

Unacceptable demands are made. Resolution won't follow. Washington won't tolerate it. 

Iran and IAEA head Yukiya Amano agreed on future inspections. Doing so seemed positive, or did it?

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said:

An announced "deal is one thing, but the implementation is what we're going to be looking for, for Iran to truly follow through and provide the access to all of the locations, the documents and the personnel that the IAEA requires in order to determine whether Iran's program is exclusively for peaceful purposes."

Washington wants "Iran to demonstrate unequivocally that its program is peaceful. There are separate but linked tracks for doing that."

"One is to do what the IAEA needs, to demonstrate it has seen all the locations and all of the documents. The other is to work with the EU three plus three on concrete steps to give more reassurance of the kind that we're seeking."

In the run-up to the Iraq war, Washington demanded Saddam prove a negative. Compliance is impossible. Iran faces the same hurdle. Expect heightened tensions. Post-November, war seems likely.

America hasn't had an enemy since WW II ended. When none exist, they're invented. 

Communism became terrorism. Nonbelligerent countries are called threats. One war follows another. Syria and Iran are targeted. 

Cooler heads fear mushroom-shaped cloud resolution. The prospect looms real. Nations willing to use nuclear weapons like king-sized hand grenades threaten humanity.

War is longstanding official US policy. Irresponsible media scoundrels push unthinkable, potentially cataclysmic ones.

On May 18, a Washington Post Jamie Fly/Matthew Kroenig commentary headlined "On Iran, it's time for Obama to set clear lines for military action," saying:

It's time for "sticks," not "carrots." On May 7, Obama's Deputy National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough, said:

"We're not involved in a negotiation effort for the sake of negotiations."

Whether intended or not, it sounded like a Freudian slip. Fly and Kroenig want Washington to halt "Iran's program rather than just buy more time for Tehran."

It's Obama's only way to show he means business. US officials claims Iran's able to "produc(e) weapons-grade uranium without the international community knowing about it."

"Iran has repeatedly crossed what should have been bright red lines for the international community."

"But if we wait until Iran turns the final screws on a nuclear device, we probably will be too late. The administration’s pledge to use force if necessary also rings hollow if Iran is allowed to make significant progress in all the other areas required for a weapon."

Washington must "strike Iran's nuclear facilities" before fissile material is produced. By then, "the game is over."

Both writers want clear red lines drawn. If Tehran won't comply, limited or broader military responses should follow. They "could be commensurate to the seriousness of Iran's transgressions."

"The benefits of being clear about what we cannot accept outweigh the possible costs."

Only threats seem likely to work, claim Sly and Kroenig.  No matter that Iran's program complies with its international obligations. Neither writer considered that reality. Its option is comply or bombs away.

Fly’s the Foreign Policy Initiative's executive director. He formerly served as GW Bush's National Security Council counterproliferation strategy head.

Kroenig's a Council on Foreign Relations nuclear security fellow. He formerly served as a Middle East policy adviser in Obama's defense secretary office.

On April 3, Israel National News contributor Joe Tuzara headlined "7 Reasons Why Israel Should Unilaterally Bomb Iran," saying:

(1) Iran is a "de facto nuclear state."

In fact, Iran's program peacefully complies with NPT provisions. Israel's the problem. So is Washington, not Iran.

(2) "Israel must be wiped off the map."

Israel claims President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said it. In fact, he and others said Israeli policies are self-destructive.

(3) Sanctions don't work.

They hurt ordinary Iranians most. They won't derail Tehran's legitimate nuclear program.

(4) Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah represent existential threats.

In fact, Israel and Washington hold that distinction.

(5) Iran replicates "Pyongyang-style" deceit.

Deceit, belligerence, and warmaking reflect Washington and Israeli policy.

(6) Attacking Iran "will increase regional stability."

Doing so threatens world peace and humanity.

(7) Failure to attack will lose Israel and Washington credibility.

Neither has any to lose.

Tuzara is a former clinical researcher/physician/general surgeon now writing free lance. Hopefully his patients fared better than readers thinking his commentary is credible. 

His analysis is sorely lacking. He's ideologically reckless and dangerous. His proposal could destroy humanity, not save it.

On May 18 Yagil Levy headlined his Foreign Policy article "Could an Israeli attack on Iran promote peace?" saying:

"....Israel's attack could probably be an effective way to break the deadlock in the Middle East peace process that shows no signs of going anywhere on its own. While this path is certainly not a desirable option, it is worth considering how it might play out." 

Iran would retaliate. Whatever Israel achieves, the cost incurred would be high. A war of attrition could follow. Conflicts insure endless violence. 

Israel faces a choice. Strike as it's always done or seek peaceful resolution. Iran might yield some to gain more. 

Levy left Washington and Israel's real aim out of his equation entirely. He omitted what's really at issue. 

Obama and Netanyahu seek regime change. Both leaders know Iran's program is peaceful. Yet it's used as pretext for conflict. 

Tehran won't give it up, nor should it. Nor will it sacrifice independence to please Washington and Tel Aviv. Stalemate seems likely. 

Will war follow? Increasingly it looks likely despite potentially catastrophic consequences no responsible leaders should chance. Levy stopped short of explaining what's most important.

He's Associate Professor at the Open University of Israel and Georgetown University visiting department of government professor.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.

Chicago: America's Police Repression Capital

Chicago: America's Police Repression Capital

by Stephen Lendman

A personal note. Chicago's my home. I live north of the Chicago River. It's the traditional North/South dividing line. I'm close to where protests occurred on the Michigan Ave Bridge and nearby.

Cops were everywhere. In partial lockdown, my building was affected. Some residents felt unsafe to go out. With well-armed police in riot-gear, knowledgeable Chicagoans know the risks of getting in harm's way. 

Anyone can be targeted for any reason. Cops are notoriously brutal. They have carte blanche authority to operate with impunity. They take full advantage. 

Victims pay dearly. They're harassed, abused, beaten, detained, and falsely charged. From Friday through Monday, affected areas reflected battleground conditions. Sunday was worst of all.

I've lived here since 1969. Several months after arriving, police and FBI agents murdered Black Panther leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark while they slept. 

December 4, 1969 remains a day of infamy. It wasn't the first or last. In his book "FBI Secrets: An Agent's Expose," M. Wesley Swearingen quoted FBI agent Gregg York saying:

"We expected about twenty Panthers to be in the apartment when the police raided the place. Only two of those black niggers were killed, Fred Hampton and Mark Clark."

Before he died, Hampton said: "You can kill the revolutionary, but you can't kill the revolution."

In his 1980 doctoral dissertation titled "War Against the Panthers: A Study of Repression in America," its co-founder Huey Newton wrote:

"How many people's lives were ruined in countless ways by a government intent on destroying them as representatives of an 'enemy' political organization."

"Enemy" ideas included full employment, decent housing and education, justice, peace, and ending police brutality.

It continues relentlessly. Tactics include beatings and torture. Chicago cops may be worst of all. From 1972 - 1991, detective Jon Burge got away with torturing over 200 detainees. Instead of dismissal and prosecution, he was promoted.

Dozens of victims complained. Suits followed. Finally, after 21 abusive years, he was fired. Community outrage stopped a March 1993 Fraternal Order of Police plan to honor him with a float in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade.

On October 21, 2008, he was indicted on two counts of obstructing justice and one count of perjury. On June 28, 2010, he was convicted on all counts. He's the exception that proves the rule. 

It took decades for partial justice. Few police are prosecuted, almost never one of high rank. Burge rose from street cop to detective commander. Over two decades, he got 13 commendations and a Justice Department letter of praise. 

His crimes were well-known. A code of silence hid them. He was honored until his luck ran out. He got off mildly. He received four and half years in prison. Speaking for the Black community, Mark Clements said:

"This is ridiculous. This is a smack in the face once again to the African-American community. This is a complete injustice."

He wasn't charged with torture. With time off for good behavior, he'll likely be freed next year. What about other victims of Chicago's tortured past. Blacks and Latinos are most harmed. So are street protester activists.

For over 40 years, the People's Law Office documented and "successfully (fought) for the civil rights of victims of police brutality, wrongful convictions, false arrests, and other government abuses."

They defend activists wrongfully targeted for their political beliefs, organizing, and social justice activities. They and others spoke out against police tactics during NATO's Chicago summit.

On May 21, a National Lawyers Guild (NLG) press release said:

Police instigated "unprovoked violence." Mostly it occurred on Sunday. It was largely at the so-called NATO security perimeter. Video footage documented it.

NLG estimated at least 60 arrests and over two dozen "serious injuries." Most needed hospitalization. Cops show no mercy. Chicago ones prove it regularly. According to NLG's Sarah Gelsomino:

"Police completely overreacted to protesters approaching the security perimeter and unleashed a violent attack on them without an ability to disperse."

"Many of the injuries from the police attack were serious, including several people who sustained baton blows to the head."

Victims had head injuries, broken bones, and teeth knocked out. Those arrested were mostly nonviolent. Nonetheless, charges made include disorderly conduct, reckless conduct, resisting arrest, and failure to disperse from public streets they're legally entitled to be on.

On May 22, the Chicago Tribune headlined "Summit ends without giving Chicago a black eye," saying:

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said: "We have reached another milestone in Chicago history. By hosting NATO....we have reinforced, reaffirmed and revitalized Chicago's role on the world's stage....(W)e've shown the world that we are a world-class, first-class city."

The city "didn't devolve into 1968 redux," said the Tribune. "It wasn't the combustible" battle in Seattle. Police brutality victims have other views. Nonetheless, the commentary said "Chicago's turn as host of the NATO summit could be declared a success."

It "proved a one-weekend blip on the radar of a major urban metropolis used to crowds, conventions, dignitaries and hoopla."

Chicago spent tens of millions of badly needed dollars hosting NATO. Last May, Emanuel announced draconian budget cuts. After one year in office, they mostly affect the city's poor, public workers, schools, teachers, general services, healthcare, public housing and transportation.

His transitional report announced hundreds of millions in planned cuts during his first term. Pensions were cut for new hires and current employees. Their underfunded total approaches $15 billion. 

Poor communities suffer grievously. They resemble underdeveloped nations. Black infant mortality matches the West Bank. Life expectancy replicates Egypt. Over one-fourth of Chicagoans have no health insurance. Black poverty and unemployment rage out of control. 

Latino residents fare almost as poorly. The city's dynamics favor its privileged much like most elsewhere across America.

At the same time, privatizing city services continues. Public schools are affected. Chicago remains business friendly. Ordinary Chicagoans lose out. More cuts are planned. Emanuel increased police visibility. They're mandated to maintain order by any means.

Last May Garry McCarthy was appointed new superintendent. "Garry is ready to lead," said Emanuel. His "experience spearheading innovation will bring new ideas to the Chicago Police Department."

Previously he headed Newark's police department (NPD). Last May, the US attorney said his administration was being investigated for excessive force, detainee mistreatment, discriminatory policing, and retaliation against individuals involved in monitoring police conduct.

In September 2010, the ACLU submitted NPD misconduct complaints to the Justice Department. It requested federal oversight. It said Newark paid $4.8 million since 2007 to settle 38 charges brought by city residents. Dozens of lawsuits were filed. 

Emanuel likely wants Chicagoans treated the way Newark residents were under McCarthy. Perhaps he earned his bona fides during NATO summit weekend.

Chicago's poor and minority populations already suffer enormously from deepening economic, social, and political hardships. The city's privileged benefit greatly.

The other Chicago faces growing poverty, unemployment, home foreclosures, lack of affordable housing, appalling public schools, and police brutality.

It's also the nation's youth murder capital. In January, the Community Renewal Society said "more than 530" young people were killed since 2008. In Q I 2012, the toll rose 50% year-over-year. 

Blacks and Latinos are disproportionately affected. Chicago's homicide rate more than doubles New York and Los Angeles.

A new "sit-down/shut-up" ordinance increased fines for nonviolent civil disobedience. Peaceful protests are included. Other provisions mandate jail time and strict permit guidelines to demonstrate.

Organizers must provide descriptions of "any sound amplification or other equipment that is on wheels or too large to be carried by one person and description of the size and dimension of any sign, banner, or other attention-getting device that is too large to be carried by one person, to be used in connection with the parade."

Enacted for NATO summit weekend, Emanuel declared it permanent. After one year in office, he's already Chicago's worst mayor. 

He declared war on working Chicagoans. His draconian budget cuts are policy. So are privatizations and deregulation. Chicago's run by marketplace rules. 

Police brutality rages. Get tough on crime mandates reassigned 1,000 cops to largely poor Black and Latino neighborhoods. Disadvantaged Chicagoans never had it worse. 

Step out of line and taste violence Chicago-style. Bad as things are now expect worse ahead. Publicly challenging city mandates risks cracked skulls, fines and jail time.

On Monday, a Chicago Tribune editorial said "(w)ell done, CPD."

Despite locking down the city for days, disrupting life for downtown residents, excessive police brutality, false arrests, charging three innocent victims with "conspiring to commit domestic terrorism," and overall police state thuggishness, Obama praised city officials during a Monday press conference, saying:

Chicago "proved (it) knows how to put on a world-class event. (He) could not be prouder to welcome people from around the world." Chicago showed "extraordinary hospitality" during NATO's summit.

Street protesters attest to battleground conditions they faced. Residents, including this writer, experienced abusive disruptions. 

NATO's invasion was unwelcome. It's undisciplined and violent wherever it shows up. Brutalized Chicagoans experienced it firsthand. They won't soon forget.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.  

Killing with Impunity

Killing with Impunity

by Stephen Lendman

A new initiative called "Killing Without Consequence" wants justice for Ziad Jilani. Border guard Maxim Vinogradov murdered him with impunity. More on that below.

Systemic Israeli crimes against humanity include neighborhood incursions, unprovoked violence, air, ground and sea attacks, and killing with impunity.

Daily offenses are commonplace. Rule of law principles are spurned. Palestinian lives don't matter. They're murdered in cold blood. Accountability is denied.

In 2010, B'Tselem's report titled "Void of Responsibility: Israeli Military Policy not to investigate Killings of Palestinians by Soldiers" discussed it. Incriminating evidence was presented.

Throughout the Territories, liberation and justice protests occur regularly. Israeli security forces attack them with tear gas, rubber bullets, extended-range gas canisters, other weapons, and live fire. Deaths result. Evidence shows cold-blooded murder.

Numerous other incidents occur. Fishermen are attacked at sea. Border and checkpoint confrontations cause deaths. Along Gaza's border, farmers are shot in their fields. Children are used for target practice. Soldiers have license to kill.

"The vast majority of these cases have never been investigated." Most others are whitewashed. Guilty soldiers, police, and settlers are absolved.

Israel's Judge Advocate General's Office (JAGO) claims "the fact that a civilian is killed during hostilities does not constitute even prima facie proof that a war crime has been committed or that the soldiers who were involved acted in a criminal manner."

Other Israeli officials hold similar views even if civilians are deliberately targeted in or out of war zones. Investigations rarely happen. International law breaches are commonplace.

Impunity encourages "a trigger-happy attitude, and shows gross disregard for human life." Attacks against civilians warrants concern. Palestinians experience them daily. Deaths result. Accountability demanded is denied. 

A culture of impunity prevents justice. Officials to the highest levels support it. Security forces are absolved to kill again. Palestinian lives don't matter. Collective punishment is policy. So is license to kill. 

Fundamental international law is mocked. Israelis spurn it when other priorities take precedence.

Killing Without Consequence explained "why this matters," saying:

Border guard Maxim Vinogradov murdered Ziad Jilani. More on him below.

"At this moment, we have a way to prevent indiscriminate Palestinian deaths at the hands of Israeli security."

If Maxim is charged, "it will demonstrate to soldiers that there are consequences for killing Palestinians."

"Here’s why:

When Israel (charges) its soldiers it leads to direct changes in the behavior of other(s). When they fail to (act), soldiers perpetuate the same behavior."

"Every time."

For example, before UN official Iain Hooke was killed, soldiers rarely killed international activists. When no charges were brought, killing waves followed. Soldiers, police, and other security forces know they can kill with impunity.

When activist Tom Hurndal was murdered, killing international activists temporarily stopped after a soldier got eight years in prison for manslaughter and obstruction of justice.

Do it regularly and it'll stop entirely. Security forces will think before they shoot. Killing has consequences. Getting off scot free won't apply. In Occupied Palestine, reaching that threshold has light years to go.

On June 11, 2010, coming home from Friday prayers, Ziad was caught in traffic. Border police blocked the road. He accidently side swiped one of their vehicles. Vinogradov was alerted.

Ziad left the accident scene. Police chased and opened fire. A Palestinian bystander was wounded. To avoid violence, Ziad mistakenly entered a blind alley. Emerging from his vehicle, police shot him twice - in the arm and lower back.

Still alive, they approached him. According to their own testimony, Vinogradov fired two or more times at his head at point blank range.

As he heard shots, Ziad's cousin Mahmoud ran toward him screaming. Vinogradov fired warning shots to back off. He then beat him with a nightstick. Hospitalization was required.

According to eyewitnesses, when an ambulance arrived, police prevented its approach.

Ziad lived in East Jerusalem. Most of his life was in America. He earned a pharmacy degree there. His family owned an East Jerusalem drug store. He hoped to run it when his father retired.

His real love was animals. His preference was practicing veterinary medicine. Few opportunities exist in Palestine. 

His family pharmacy failed and was sold. Ziad opened a video game parlor. Later it became a billiard hall. After selling the business, he began distributing massage chairs in Israeli malls.

Vinogradov considered Ziad a terrorist even though he was unarmed and nonviolent. On April 2012, Haaretz columnist Amira Hass headlined "Israel Police shoots first and asks questions later," saying:

Ziad was lawlessly attacked. "Neighborhood residents said police fired heavily in all directions. A little girl sitting in a parked car was wounded."

"The Justice Ministry's Police Investigations Unit investigated, and the State Prosecutor's Office decided to close the case for lack of evidence."

Eyewitness disagreed. They revealed indiscriminate police shooting at point blank range. Ziad's wife Moira partitioned Israel's High Court for justice. She wants Vinogradov and his commander indicted for murder.

On April 24, Combatants for Peace honored Ziad in a Tel Aviv memorial service. Nearly 2,000 attended. It's almost unprecedented for a mass Jewish audience to convene for a Palestinian.

Moira spoke lovingly with passion for justice. Killing Without Consequence published "A Message From Moira," saying:

Vinogradov "executed....(m)y beloved husband....on June 11, 2010." Undeniable evidence proves he "was lying unarmed and wounded on the ground, posing no threat when....shot....point blank in the head."

Vinogradov and his commander Shadi Kheir Al-Din got off scot free. Doing so sends a message. Palestinian life is cheap. Take it and avoid accountability.

"My daughters and I have appealed to" Israel's High Court to "bring criminal charges against" both men. "We seek international support, not only (for) Ziad but also to save" other potential victims.

"My husband loved life and enjoyed it to it’s fullest, he loved people and animals and he loved us, his family, with a passion. He was not a terrorist."

"My American citizenship has meant nothing to the Israeli authorities and far too little to the American government."  

"I would like answers and to see to it that trigger-happy soldiers and police men serving in the Israeli military and border police are not allowed to kill more innocent people."

Visit Killing Without Consequence for more details. So far, Moira and her children have been denied long overdue justice. Nothing can bring back Ziad. What means more than that.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.

Battleground Chicago

Battleground Chicago

by Stephen Lendman

Chicago police have an odious reputation for brutality. It's well deserved. On Sunday, it showed up forcefully. The whole world watched.

Baton-wielding cops confronted protesters violently. Official policy is swing first, ask questions later, and blame victims for police thuggishness. More on that below.

On May 9, a National Writers Union (NWU) Chicago Chapter press release said:

"In 1968, the Democratic Party came to the City to nominate a president. What happened then became a part of Chicago's history: a massive public uprising of protest against an unjust war and a corrupt political system that created a massive local reaction within the City's police department. Violence and chaos resulted."

Forty-four years later things went from bad to worse. Imperial wars rage out of control. Obama, the peace candidate, itches for more. Belligerent nations never run out of targets or reasons to attack them.

The business of America is war. Congressional affirmation assured it.  

In September 2001, Congress approved the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) for "the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States." 

Carte blanche war-making authority was granted. America's war on terror began. It rages out of control at home and abroad. 

Section 1034 of HR 1540: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 said:

"(1) the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces and that those entities continue to pose a threat to the United States and its citizens, both domestically and abroad;

(2) the President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40)...."

As commander in chief, presidents can wage wars anywhere at their discretion. One follows another. Congressional budgets prioritize them.

Rule of law principles are spurned. So are democratic values. Vital domestic needs go begging.

Thousands of Chicagoans want current policies changed. So do millions nationwide and globally. Pacifism is unacceptable against sovereign evil. 

Orwell said in "times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." His 1984 newspeak slogan was: "War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength."

NWU added that it "Defends the First Amendment: No Restrictions On Peaceful Public Communication, Assembly and Dissent."

"Our constitutional rights are vastly more essential—more critical—than any efforts to secure the comforts and the privilege for the elites gathering for the NATO meetings."

"We are appalled at the efforts by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his Administration, backed by the Chicago City Council, to limit the ability of people to speak truth to power, and to be able to  indicate the depth and intensity of their disgust at the on-going wars initiated around the world by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the U.S. Government, under control by both the Democrats and Republicans, who will soon be meeting in Chicago."

Policymakers turn a blind eye to public demands and needs. Street protests erupt. Cops confront them violently. Injuries and arrests follow.

On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune headlined "Injuries, arrests in clashes between protesters and police," saying:

Confrontations led to dozens of injuries and arrests. For two hours, police, in "full riot gear," faced off against fed up protesters wanting change.

Blocking free access to public streets ignited things. Cops decide they know best. They make the rules. Constitutional freedoms don't matter. Disagree and get bludgeoned.  

On Sunday evening, a "pitched battle" between "an overwhelming number of police and several hundred protesters" occurred near McCormick Place, NATO headquarters.

Despite permit permission to rally and march, organizer Andy Thayer told protesters:

"The police are going to move us off the street. We've been telling you this would happen. We went to a lot of trouble to make sure this march was a safe and peaceful march."

Police ordered protesters as follows:

"You are hereby ordered to disperse. If you fail to comply you may be arrested or be subjected to other police action."

From then on, things deteriorated. Perhaps cops were spoiling for a fight. Who can know. Either way, they got one. In full battle gear, they're advantaged. They don't hold back.

Lined up four-deep, they confronted protesters violently. Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy walked behind them.

Protesters were struck and fell. A nearby detention area was readied in advance. Police vans and buses were positioned nearby. Dozens were handcuffed and arrested.

Secret Service agents detained several others. Earlier in Grant Park, Mary Kirkland told protesters that the Defense Department said her son, Derrick, was "killed in action."

"They start with lies and continue with lies," she told them. "I'm proud to be here."

Iraq and Afghan veterans also came. Some spoke against wars. Around 40 others gave back medals. They handed them to NATO representatives.

John Kerry returned his earlier. In November 1971, he expressed disgust about America's Vietnam War, saying:

"I gave back, I can't remember, six, seven, eight, nine medals."

In April 1971, he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He belonged to Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). He told committee members:

He came to discuss an investigation involving "over 150 honorably discharged and many very highly decorated veterans." They later confessed to war crimes. He recounted harrowing examples.

They "personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, bl(ew) up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages (like) Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam in addition to the normal ravages of war, and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country."

He called America's involvement in Southeast Asia "the height of criminal hypocrisy."

He now chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In 2001 and 2003, he supported imperial wars on Afghanistan and Iraq. 

In May 2011, he, John McCain, Joe Lieberman, and three other senators co-sponsored S. 194: A Resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on United States military operations in Libya.

Dishonor replaced doing the right thing. He's one of the Senate's richest members. Wealth and power makes people want more by any means.

On May 19, NATO's opening ceremony included a minute of silence for fallen servicemen and women. A bugler played taps. Obama, an unindicted war criminal multiple times over, bowed his head. 

The hypocrisy didn't go unnoticed.

A Final Comment

NATO calls itself a "political and military alliance for peace and security." It was always for offense, not defense. Cold War hysteria was its pretext to exist. Terrorism replaced communism. 

Threats are hyped to wage wars for dominance and resource control. NATO deplores peace and security. It threatens it and human survival. 

Chicago protesters and many others know the threat. They want an organization this dangerous disbanded. They want America's resources used peacefully for vital homeland needs. 

Messages on signs said "peace, jobs, equality." Others said "Free Bradley Manning."

They want everyone represented equitably, not just war profiteers, super-rich elites, Wall Street crooks, and other corporate favorites. 

They want humanity given a chance to survive. Odds are long unless NATO's global menace ends.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book is titled "How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War"

http://www.claritypress.com/Lendman.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour.