Showing posts with label Madeleine Albright. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madeleine Albright. Show all posts

Monday, February 2, 2015

Hell Hath No Fury Like Alpha Male @SenJohnMcCain Embarrassed Before His Hero


We all know that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is an angry, angry man. McCain is famous for having been a POW during the Vietnam War, surviving years of torture in order to return home and seek elected office. It must have been a personal milestone, then, to be elevated to Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee following his party's triumphs in the mid-term elections. McCain's image had been tarnished by his choice of running mate in the presidential election where Obama beat him. The former governor of Alaska seemed so brazenly ignorant and yes, dumb, that it was hard to credit McCain's judgement in choosing her. Unless, of course, he was determined to lose the election and thus play his part in what Frank Zappa famously called, "the entertainment division of the military-industrial complex."

Henry Kissinger, on the other hand, the exalted geriatric warmonger (see the citizens' idictment against him here) who bears major responsibility from having put McCain in harm's way in Vietnam -- his very presence is apparently enough to make McCain's heart swell with pride.

Imagine getting to chair a hearing with Kissinger as the honored guest! Such are the dreams that might keep a young airman imprisoned in the "Hanoi Hilton" from going mad.

Then, along come women -- women! -- dressed in pink, no less, to spoil the greatest day of your life.

Women with the effrontery to speak out of turn, disrupting the start of your hearing in the hallowed chambers of power. McCain appeared to lose his temper when he said, "Get out of here, you low-life scum" to Codepink's Alli McCracken, among others. Or, maybe it was a Freudian slip, since it would be difficult to find a scummier creature on this planet than Kissinger.

Should a powerful Senator and former candidate for the highest office in the land really have to call out, "If we can't get the Capitol Police in here immediately..." Such a plea for backup could make the pleader appear weak in his own eyes, and in the eyes of his hero.

McCain's false claim that Codepink protesters wanted to physically harm Henry Kissinger is a coward's defense. Even if McCain has failed to pay attention since 2003 when Codepink began disrupting congressional hearings to call out warmongers, his staff knows better than that. Did McCain's staff not brief him on what would be entirely likely to occur in that hearing? Was there no one in charge of making sure the Capitol Police -- who know Codepink protesters very, very well by now -- were in the room and alert to intervene when the disruptions began? As far as controlling the message, McCain and his staff made a poor showing.*

So poor that McCain is on record groveling (per C-Span's transcript):
HENRY... DOCTOR KISSINGER, I HOPE THAT... ON BEHALF OF ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, IN FACT, FROM ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES. I WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGIZE FOR ALLOWING SUCH DISGRACEFUL BEHAVIOR TOWARDS A MAN WHO HAS SERVED THIS COUNTRY WITH THE GREATEST DISTINCTION AND I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY. 
People often ask what is the point of such disruptions. Henry Kissinger got fawned over, not led away in handcuffs. Madeleine Albright was not called to account for the deaths of thousands of children in Iraq under U.S. sanctions prior to Shock and Awe, deaths she said were a price worth paying.

The point is that the message HENRY KISSINGER WAR CRIMINAL was seen by millions around the globe, including lots of young people for whom Kissinger is a cipher. The Vietnam war and the bombing of Cambodia and Laos are history to millennials and all who follow. It's why the Pentagon has embarked on an enormous propaganda campaign to rewrite the history of the U.S.'s genocidal exercise in Southeast Asia. And also why the organization Veterans for Peace, founded by Vietnam vets now long of tooth and grey of hair, has mounted its own campaign to tell the truth about that war. Their website for the purpose, Vietnam: Full Disclosure, will be a resource for educators for years to come.

Unless information control in the 21st century becomes even more insidiously effective. In which case, we'll all be reduced to accepting McCain and Kissinger and Albright's versions of history. And that really would be a tragedy.

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John McCain Blasts ‘Low-Life Scum’ Protesters at Senate Hearing
http://www.businessinsider.com/john-mccain-blasts-low-life-scum-protesters-2015-1
Business Insider
January 29, 2015

What John McCain Told Anti-War Protesters Who Interrupted a Senate Mtg Drew Applause From the Roomhttp://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/01/29/john-mccain-to-protesters-who-barged-in-on-senate-hearing-get-out-of-here-you-low-life-scum/
The Blaze
January 29, 2015

Watch John McCain Call Kissinger Protesters ‘Low-Life Scum’
http://time.com/3687891/mccain-kissinger-protest/
TIME
January 29, 2015

John McCain Calls Ejected Protester a ‘Low-Life Scum’
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/01/29/john-mccain-calls-ejected-protester-a-low-life-scum/
The Wall Street Journal
January 29, 2015

‘Get out of here you low life scum’: John McCain loses his cool with protesters
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/sen-john-mccain-loses-cool-anti-war-protesters-article-1.2096577
New York Daily News
January 29, 2015

McCain to Kissinger protesters: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’
http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/01/29/john-mccain-henry-kissinger-protesters/
USA Today: Politics
January 29, 2015

WATCH: McCain calls protesters ‘low-life scum’
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/231138-mccain-to-protestors-get-out-of-here-you-low-life-scum
The Hill
January 29, 2015

McCain to Protesters: You’re ‘Low-Life Scum’
https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/01/29/mccain-to-protesters-youre-low-life-scum/
Foreign Policy
January 29, 2015

McCain Calls Protesters ‘Low-Life Scum’ At Senate Hearing
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/29/382436198/mccain-calls-protesters-low-life-scum-at-senate-hearing
NPR
January 29, 2015

Code Pink Tires to Arrest 91-Year-Old Kissinger for ‘War Crimes’, Get Smacked Down by 94-Year-Old George Shultz -http://pjmedia.com/tatler/2015/01/29/code-pink-tries-to-arrest-91-year-old-kissinger-for-war-crimes-get-smacked-down-by-94-year-old-george-schultz/
PJ Media
January 29, 2015

Real Clear Politics
January 29, 2015

Senator John McCain Calls Out Protesters Who Swarmed Henry Kissinger - http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senator-john-mccain-calls-protesters-swarmed-henry-kissinger/story?id=28577623
ABC News
January 29, 2015

McCain rips protesters during Kissinger hearing, calls them ‘low-life scum’ - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/29/mccain-rips-protesters-during-kissinger-hearing-calls-them-low-life-scum/
Fox News
January 29, 2015

McCain boots ‘low-life scum’ from hearing
CNN
January 29, 2015

McCain Lashes Out at ‘Low-Life Scum’ Protesters at Senate Hearing
NBC News
January 29, 2015

John McCain blasts ‘low-life scum’ protesters
The Washington Examiner
January 29, 2015

Heavy.com
January 29, 2015

John McCain to anti-war protesters: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’
The Washington Times
January 29, 2015

McCain To Protesters: ‘Get Out of Here You Low-Life Scum’
The Daily Caller
January 29, 2015

McCain to protesters: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’ http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/jan/29/mccain-to-protesters-get-out-of-here-you-low-life/
UT San Diego
January 29, 2015

Watch John McCain call a bunch of protesters ‘low-life scum’
The Week
January 29, 2015

BEASTMODE: McCain Owns Protester: ‘Get Out of Here, You Low-Life Scum’
The Washington Free Beacon
January 29, 2015

Sen. McCain calls Code Pink protesters ‘low-life scum’ after they shout at Kissinger
Tampa Bay Times
January 29, 2015


McCain to protesters against Henry Kissinger: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’
Star Tribune
January 29, 2015

McCain Snaps at Anti-Kissinger Protesters: ‘Get Out of Here You Low-Life Scum’
Mediaite
January 29, 2015

McCain to protesters: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’
Yahoo News UK
January 29, 2015

McCain boots ‘low-life scum’ from hearing
ABC15 Arizona
January 29, 2015

John McCain Slams Anti-Henry Kissinger Protester As ‘Low-Life Scum’
Huffington Post
January 29, 2015

McCain Calls Protesters ‘Low-Life Scum’
The Daily Beast
January 29, 2015

McCain to protesters: ‘Get out of here you, low-life scum’
Yahoo News
January 29, 2015

McCain Boots ‘Low Life Scum’ Protesters Out of Hearing with Kissinger
Talking Points Memo
January 29, 2015

Code Pink Tries to Arrest Kissinger - John McCain Tells Them “Get Out of Here You Lowlife Scum”
Gateway Pundit
January 29, 2015

McCain to protesters: ‘Get out of here, you low-life scum’
Fox10 Phoenix
January 29, 2015

McCain to Code Pink Protesters: ‘Get Out of Here, You Low-Life Scum’
National Review Online
January 29, 2015

Chicago Sun Times
January 29, 2015

UPDATE: Is McCain seeing red (or 'green') over Code Pink?
http://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2015/02/02/john-mccain-code-pink-henry-kissinger-clint-eastwood-low-life-scum/22729019/
AZ Central
February 2, 2015

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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Barack Obama, Suzanne Nossel, and the Janissaries


Source: Wikipedia, U.S. Military bases in 2007
Empires come and empires go, and history shows that, while they try to stay, they will use a variety of methods to maintain their grip on power. Soft power, hard power or so-called “smart" power -- whatever it takes to keep tribute flowing in from the subjugated people and colonies, and to keep the populace at the heart of the empire placid.

The Ottoman empire ruled for five hundred years in the part of the world that the U.S empire has been focused on mastering for the last several decades. Southwest Asia with its fossil fuel reserves, Northern Africa with its access to that rich continent plus proximity to all that oil, and Europe on the northern shores of the Mediterranean Sea, a central waterway. The Ottomans losing their grip at the end of the 1800's was the catalyst for a scramble by European nations and the U.S. for the prize of the fading empire's colonies -- leading to WWI, which led to WWII, which led to the Cold War, which led to the long, long war on terror. The Ottoman decline is hardly ancient history, and I think of it from time to time as I watch the U.S. play clumsily at empire building.

To catalog the brutality and intrigue the sultans used to stay in power for so long would require a volume, if not several. For now, let's focus attention on their immensely successful scheme of co-optation. As a method of heading off the growth of viable resistance movements in the hinterlands, the Ottomans had a brilliant idea: have their provincial administrators identify promising young males in the colonies at an early age. These gifted youth would be taken from their families and communities and whisked away to the capital at Constantinople to be trained as janissaries. These were the elite palace gurads and government administrators who served at the seat of empire. They enjoyed prestige, privilege, an elegant life, and no doubt the sense of being on the inside of the most powerful empire on earth. They were playing on the A-team, as it were.

Barack Obama as the handpicked celebrity spokesman for the U.S/NATO empire would have made a fine janissary. With one African parent, he offers visible diversity. Brought up by a single mom on the white side of his family, he talks a good working class perspective. Scholarship-educated at elite private schools, he can talk that talk, too; as a tall, slim athlete, on television he looks like a star. Ditto the beautiful, brainy wife and darling children.

Elevating Obama to the highest office in the land represented a brilliant strategy on the part of the 1% doing business as the military-industrial-media complex. His position as figurehead of the Democratic Party provided unprecedented leverage to neutralize liberals and progressives while continuing to wage wars of domination across the globe. When Obama got elected, the millions who filled the streets during the Bush W. administration opposing the wars just went home. 

Relying on their sanitized information streams – NPR, the New York Times, the Washington Post – they know little of drones or of Bradly Manning, nor could they care less about what he represents. The passage of the NDAA 2012, and its signing by Obama, granting the executive branch the power to indefinitely detain anyone, U.S. citizen or otherwise, indefinitely without due process or right of habeus corpus, is not even a blip on most liberal screens these day.

Many of the pacified liberal class rely on human right organizations, to which they contribute regularly to be the watchdogs. Organizations like Amnesty International rely on their robust branding as watchdogs to solicit that trust and those donations.

If you were the Ottomans and it was 2012, which threats might you be focused on neutralizing? Possibly you would be looking over your shoulder at any sector of society likely to mount a credible resistance to your legitimacy as the self-proclaimed champion of democracy, with a special emphasis on women's rights, around the globe.

Enter Suzanne Nossel. The new executive director of Amnesty- USA worked at the U.S. State department (think Hillary Clinton, Suzanne Rice, and Madeleine Albrigh)t. Before coming to AI-USA Nossel published in journals such as Foreign Affairs and Dissent, articles defending, among other things, “RECLAIMING LIBERAL INTERNATIONALISM,” “smart power,” sanctions, and the cover of diplomatic engagement prior to attacking Iran. She also gave an interview, which you can see here on Mondoweiss, debunking the Goldstone report which found human rights violations during Israel's Operation Cast Lead intensive bombing of Gaza.
Operation Cast Lead victims. Source: http://www.socialistunity.com/operation-cast-lead-was-a-war-crime/
Nossel's advertising campaign “NATO: keep the progress going!” ran in Chicago during the NATO summit last May, supporting a shadow summit on maintaining the alleged progress there for women, with panelists such as Albright and current State Department staff, and an open letter on the subject to presidents Obama and Karzai, signed by Albright and various other celebrity liberals.

This dovetailed nicely with NATO's official proclamation signed by heads of state in Chicago, claiming “In the ten years of our partnership the lives of Afghan men, women and children, have improved significantly in terms of security, education, health care, economic opportunity and the assurance of rights and freedoms. There is more to be done, but we are resolved to work together to preserve the substantial progress we have made during the past decade.” 

Nothing subtle about NATO's propaganda approach: tell a big lie, loudly and often. Even better, get others to tell it for you.

Nossel's role in getting Amnesty-USA to play a more subtle game providing a pretext for military force on behalf of women's rights requires a bit more investigation to be discovered. The 21st century version of janissary recruitment may very well consist of luring young, talented players like Nossel into the fold under cover of do-good, feel-good, non-profit organizations. This provides good cover and keeps lots of well-meaning people busy writing checks and feeling useful while the real powers meet discreetly in Tokyo in July to hash out who is splitting the bills for continued “development" in Afghanistan.

Development as in 300,000 Afghan troops and national police, consuming 90% of the funds flowing towards continuing to secure the graveyard of empires.

There will be many Nossels and Obamas in the years to come. Until the end of an empire there is never any shortage of fat checks for serving empire, never any shortage of ambitious young people, whether willingly or reluctantly, to play the only well-funded game in town.

A strong effort by several national organizations, including CODEPINK (of which I am a member) to pressure Amnesty-USA to re-examine their policies and Nossel's leadership, may or may not succeed. She has already made a lot of enemies recently by removing 20% of Amnesty-USA's staff, including all the regional directors, and the staff who headed up work on Guantanamo. (Word is that new hires will be working more on "women's issues.") 

Even if it does work, Nossel will find another job, and Amnesty will find another executive director, and that person may also enjoy close ties to the US government or other branches of the empire.

Why write and talk about the whitewash of U.S. global ambitions by Amnesty-USA? So a few more liberals may wake up, smell the oil burning, and turn off the propaganda feed. They would do well at that point to consider joining those who Occupy public spaces to witness for the power of non-cooperation, civil disobedience, and solidarity over prestige, creature comforts and a shiny resumé
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