Saturday, March 19, 2011

France and other imperialists launch war with Libya

Below is a message from the International Action Center (www.iacenter.org/anti-war/stop_the_us_war_on_libya_and_bahrain/) exposing the hypocrisy of the Obama administration and the other imperialists, who have started a war with Libya to aid the opposition, but stand by or encourage the bloody crackdown in Bahrain, and prevent UN action against Israel whenever it attacks its neighbors and targets civilians.  Bush is unpopular and many Americans now see that he is a warmonger, but now the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is supporting a new unjustified war in the Arab world the day before the anniversary of the start of the Iraq War.   
 
STOP THE U.S. WAR ON LIBYA AND BAHRAIN!

The International Action Center calls on all anti-war and social justice activists to call Emergency Response STOP THE U.S. WAR AGAINST LIBYA AND BAHRAIN actions in their areas on Friday, March 18 or Saturday, Marcy 19, or to mobilize support for any already existing anti-war demonstrations called to mark the anniversary of the Iraq War, with this statement and signs to STOP THE U.S. WAR AGAINST LIBYA AND BAHRAIN, as well as to intensify the mobilization for the April 9th and 10th Anti-War demonstrations in New York and San Francisco called by the United National Antiwar Committee.
 
On March 17, 2011, Washington showed its true intentions by pushing through a U.N. Security Council resolution that amounts to a declaration of war on the government and people of Libya.
 
A U.S. attack is the worst possible thing that could happen to the people of Libya. It also puts the unfolding Arab revolutions, which have inspired people across North Africa and Western Asia, in the gravest danger.
 
The resolution goes beyond a no-fly zone. It includes language saying U.N. member states could "take all necessary measures" ... "by halting attacks by air, land and sea forces under the control of the Gadhafi regime."(CNN.com, Mar 17)
 
The new resolution not only calls for attacks on Libyan aircraft and air defenses, but authorizes the strafing and bombing of ground forces as well. The U.S. and French governments immediately announced that they were ready to go. Britain and Italy are aiding. In essence the former colonial powers have begun an armed attack on the Libyan government and its people, backing one side of a civil war.

No matter how one feels about Libya today and the role of the Gadhafi government; regardless of how one evaluates the Libyan opposition, a U.S.-led war or intervention in Libya is a disaster for the Libyan people, and for peace and progress around the world.

BAHRAIN EXPOSES THE LIE ABOUT "PREVENTING ATTACKS ON CIVILIANS"
 
The U.S. and its allies are repeating over and over the lie that they are trying to "prevent attacks on civilians" and are acting from humanitarian motives. But nobody should be fooled. Consider these "humanitarians" and how they react to Bahrain.
 
The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain, which is an absolute monarchy. Its people have been valiantly trying to change their government for weeks. They had some initial success. The king responded with deadly repression and later with hints at reform.

On March 14, however, hours after Secretary of Defense Gates visited Bahrain, the Bahraini government commenced a brutal crackdown, backed up by Saudi Arabian troops. Helicopters, tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition were used, killing and injuring many people. Nearly all of Bahrain's security forces are foreign mercenaries.
 
Unlike the Libyan rebels, the Bahraini people have absolutely no arms. But there has been no talk of a no-fly zone over Bahrain, let alone attacks on the murderous Bahraini and Saudi armies.

NO BLOOD FOR OIL
 
This is because the real motivation for the U.S. and its allies in both Bahrain and Libya, and indeed the whole region, is to control the OIL! It is Washington's main strategic interest and a primary financial interest for U.S. big business.
 
This is true even though the U.S. is not directly dependent on imported oil from Libya. Oil is a worldwide commodity, and any country which imports oil must deal with a world market, no matter from which individual country or countries they import the oil.
 
Of even more importance to the U.S. and Europeans is who controls the flow of oil. A military presence or a reliable puppet in Libya would give Washington --and to a lesser extent the European imperialists -- control of the oil spigot to Europe and also establish a military presence in North Africa from which to influence or prevent the development of the revolutions, especially in Egypt and Tunisia.
 
ARAB LEAGUE "VOTE" FRAUD

Not only a demonization campaign against the Libyan leader, but every form of fraud and propaganda is being used to push for this intervention, including a supposed "vote" by the Arab League supporting the latest U.N. resolution. Left unsaid is the fact that only 11 of the 22 members of the League even attended the meeting, which was held behind closed doors. Two of these 11 attending members, Syria and Algeria, made clear that they were completely opposed to military intervention in Libya.

Meanwhile the corporate media has ignored a resolution by the African Union, representing 53 countries, which adamantly rejected a no-fly zone or other intervention.
 
WHAT ABOUT GAZA?

The U. S. blocked any UN action, even a toothless resolution, during the massive Israeli bombardment of Gaza in 2008 and also during the Israeli bombing and attempted invasion of Lebanon in 2006, as well as the continued bombardment of Gaza as recently as this week!.
 
It is important that peace-loving and progressive people around the world develop a consistent approach opposing ALL U.S. intervention. This is the only way to avoid becoming just an echo of the U.S. State Department and Pentagon.

U.S., French, British, Italian hands off Libya!
NO to the U.S. supported attack on the people's movement of Bahrain!
U.S. Out of Arab and African Lands!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Some events this month

The annual Durham Creek Week is March 19-26; see http://www.durhamcreekweek.org/ for a calendar of events. There will be trash cleanups throughout Durham on the Saturday and the 26th, hikes, kayak excursions, workshops, and storytime events throughout the week, a panel discussion at the Hayti Heritage Center on the 24th, etc.

The first Friday after March 15th is also Arbor Day in North Carolina.

March 20th is the anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq War in 2003, though murderous sanctions and bombings had been going on for over a decade. Lots of events in the USA and elsewhere are listed at warisacrime.org/content/upcoming-events, but nothing in North Carolina. [ Actually, a rally March 26th in Fayetteville is listed by ANSWER: www.answercoalition.org/national/news/march-19-day-of-action.html ]. NC Peace Action's Spring Lobby Weekend is this weekend in Washington. The weekly peace vigil in Chapel Hill continues on Fridays at Village Plaza, and is probably on the summer 5-6pm schedule starting Friday, instead of 4:30-5:30. There is also a monthly vigil, 12-1 on first Wednesdays at the Raleigh Post Office, 300 Fayetteville Street. The Durham peace vigil might still continue 12-1 on Saturdays at Brightleaf.

I believe "humanitarian interventionism" in Iraq and possibly soon in Libya (but not in Bahrain or Yemen or any other Arab country) only masks imperialist aims, and now the Arab people are carrying out their bourgeois democratic revolutions without the US having to invade and devastate their countries. The Arab revolutionaries should be wary of imperialists trying to subvert their revolutions, and halt them at the overthrow of authoritarian leaders, before they can go deeper.

The 100th anniversary of International Women's Day was March 8th, and the media here was praising women leaders like Hillary Clinton and Condolezza Rice. According to Wikipedia, International Women's Day began with American socialists, the Second International, and later the USSR, and it is only a legend that it originated in an 1857 demonstration by female textile workers in New York. Whatever the truth about its origins, I did not hear about any local commemorations for peace, socialism, or economic justice to post about.