[Marxism] CPD Statement: WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW: HALT THE BOMBING AND STOP SUPPORTING DICTATORS IN THE MIDDLE EAST!

[Michael Karadjis via Marxism]

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WASHINGTON AND MOSCOW: HALT THE BOMBING AND STOP SUPPORTING DICTATORS IN 
THE MIDDLE EAST!


Campaign for Peace and Democracy Statement
October 10, 2015
(to be posted soon at www.cpdweb.org)

Outside powers have had a long and shameful history of cynically 
supporting dictatorships in the Middle East because maintaining friendly 
autocratic states in the region suits their geopolitical objectives. And 
today those criminal policies are flagrantly on display.


THE UNITED STATES

Since the end of the Second World War, the United States has been the 
world’s leading ally of the Saudi Arabian kingdom, a violent, 
ultra-reactionary fundamentalist dictatorship that this year has 
beheaded more than a hundred people, possibly more than ISIS.[1] Saudi 
Arabia is currently leading a bombing campaign in Yemen that has 
indiscriminately killed many hundreds of civilians. Weapons—including 
cluster bombs—intelligence, military advisers, and diplomatic support 
for that bombing campaign are provided by Washington.


Egypt’s Mubarak dictatorship was backed by the United States for three 
decades. He was ousted in the Arab Spring, but when the Egyptian 
military took power again, Secretary of State John Kerry declared that 
they were “restoring democracy”[2]—and U.S. military aid has been 
restored.


As Israel continues its nearly 50-year dictatorial rule over the 
Occupied Palestinian Territories, Washington provides the military aid 
and diplomatic support at the United Nations that make the occupation 
possible.


Although Damascus had long been allied with the Soviet Union and then 
with Russia, Washington backed Syria’s bloody suppression of the 
Palestinian movement and the Lebanese left in the 1970s and counted on 
its support in the 1991 invasion of Iraq and the “war on terror.” Assad’s 
torture chambers proved especially useful to the U.S. policy of “torture 
by proxy,” which involved sending prisoners to Syria as part of the Bush 
administration’s “extraordinary rendition” program.[3]


Assad’s usefulness to Washington ended when he drew too close to Iran 
and seemed likely to be overthrown by the 2011 Syrian revolution. At 
that point, U.S. policy shifted towards trying to win influence among 
the rebels, though carefully limiting the kinds of weapons they could 
receive.[4] More recently, Obama, along with Britain, France, and other 
U.S. allies, has turned to a policy of selective bombing, not of Assad, 
but of ISIS, and sometimes other opposition groups, leading most of the 
rebels to condemn the air campaign.[5] Washington has generally favored 
a “Yemen solution,” keeping Syria’s Baathist police state apparatus in 
power, preferably without the Assad family mafia—although lately it has 
moved towards the "political solution" favored by Paris and London, 
which might include Assad.


ISIS might not even exist, or at least not wield the power it now 
possesses, had not been for the U.S. invasion of Iraq. It was out of the 
extreme chaos and vicious sectarian conflict which engulfed Iraq in the 
wake of the American occupation that ISIS emerged, recruiting thousands 
of brutal jihadi fighters in Iraq and especially in eastern Syria. This 
was not, as many argue, because Saddam’s regime was thoroughly 
dismantled, leaving a “power vacuum,” but because regime change was 
imposed from outside by an American government that showed contempt for 
the Iraqi people and hostility to genuine democracy. If Saddam Hussein’s 
repressive state had been overthrown from within by a coalition of 
Sunni, Shiite, and secular democratic movements against tyranny, the 
subsequent history of Iraq—and Syria—might have been fundamentally 
different. Certainly, this coalition would have been difficult to build 
given Iraq’s long history of sectarianism, but the U.S. invasion stifled 
any possibility of such a development.


We condemn and call for an immediate end to U.S. military 
interventionism and support for dictatorships and authoritarian 
governments in the Middle East and around the world. U.S. bombing of 
Syria and Iraq must stop—likewise bombings of Afghanistan, where the 
horrific slaughter of helpless hospital patients and medical personnel 
in Kunduz has added a particularly gruesome outrage to the United States’s 
long list of war crimes.


RUSSIA

Russia has been a major backer of the Assad family dictatorship since 
its inception in 1970. Since the uprising against Bashar al-Assad in 
2011, Russian support—along with support from Iran and Hezbollah—has 
been critical to maintaining the survival of the Syrian regime. That 
support has dwarfed the outside aid going to opponents of Assad. Now 
Russia 

[Marxism] Fwd: Selahattin Demirtas responds to Davutoglu on Ankara bombing - English Subtitles - YouTube

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=54=ni8W_WT5KDk
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Re: [Marxism] Fwd: The world economic order is collapsing and this time there seems no way out | Will Hutton | Comment is free | The Guardian

[Greg McDonald via Marxism]

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 "The heart of the economic disorder is a world financial system that has
gone rogue. Global banks now make profits to a extraordinary degree from
doing business with each other. As a result, banking’s power to create
money out of nothing has been taken to a whole new level."


*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_55u7J0Urs
*
I like the oblique Warren Zevon reference. Must be Waddy Wachtel's
influence.


 "Something For Nothing"

We can figure the odds
We can pray to the gods
Something for nothing
You can shuffle the deck until you're a wreck
Something for nothing
Money they don't make anymore, at least not around me
Might as well beg from the poor, pitiful me, pitiful me yeah

This is the game, the rules never change
Something for nothing
It's just w roll of the dice that you put on ice
Something for nothing
Money, they don't make anymore, not around me
Might as well beg from the poor, poor poor pitiful me
Pitiful me, yeah poor pitiful me

Gimme a break, I'm losing my stake
Something for nothing
Money, they don't make anymore, not around me
Might as well beg from the poor, pitiful me, poor pitiful me, pitiful me
Oh yeah
Something for nothing
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[Marxism] Of Historical Interest - Maisky's Diary Published

[William Quimby via Marxism]

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From The Boston Globe, the author of /“/The Maisky Diaries: Red 
Ambassador to the Court of St James’s 1932-1943” offers somehighlights 
from Maisky's diary during his time as the Soviet ambassador to England. //




- Bill


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[Marxism] Fwd: The world economic order is collapsing and this time there seems no way out | Will Hutton | Comment is free | The Guardian

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/11/world-order-collapse-refugees-emerging-economies-china-slowdown-recession
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[Marxism] Letter to Putin

[Ken Hiebert via Marxism]

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I received this from a friend, apparently a Google translation from another 
language.  I have included a sample at the bottom, so someone can identify the 
language.
ken h


Dear President Putin,

As members of the global community we are based will in reality like
to express our appreciation and our support for the decision by the
Russian Federation to provide humanitarian and military assistance to
Syria, its forces and its democratically elected leader, President
Bashar al-Assad their fight against international terrorists assisted
by the US
Launching air strikes against ISIL terrorists in Syria comes at a
critical moment, one just like the decisive role of Russia in
preventing a Western military intervention in 2013. With your voice of
reason and strength for justice express Syrians, Russians and all
people of conscience all over the world you thanks and support.
Since 2011, Western leaders are determined to turn Syria into a failed
state. They have gone so far in providing financing, training and
weaponry on foreign mercenaries to carry out a brutal campaign of
terror against the Syrian people and their legitimate regering.2 these
terrorist forces and religious fanatics do not represent the will of
the Syrian people, the majority of president Assad supports. As you
said in your speech to the United Nations General Assembly is up to
the Syrian people and only the Syrian people to decide who should lead
them.
In 2013, when the West was preparing to launch a military campaign
against Syria from Russia intervened and ensured a peaceful,
diplomatic solution. In a sane world, this would be a natural response
to international problems and Russia would not walk alone.
Unfortunately, the West continues its blind policy for the support of
violence, coercion and unlawful intervention in the affairs of
sovereign nations.
While the West insists on destabilization, war and chaos, Russia is
steadfast in its commitment to dialogue, cooperation and international
law. Your response to the crisis in Syria that gives exactly.
As you know, President Assad has shown that he is an intelligent and
brave man and good will. And like most public figures who possess such
qualities, he is mercilessly slandered and vilified by Western
governments and media. One example is the Houla massacre in May 2012
that 108 Syrians, including 49 children, were killed. The Syrian army
was blamed for the atrocity but was later revealed that the massacre
was committed by forces affiliated with the US-backed "Free Syrian
Army" (VSL) and that the victims supporters of the Syrian government
waren.3 Later in 2012 was being beaten how the VSL kidnapped citizens
and non-duty soldiers vermoordden.4
This is the 'moderate opposition group who support Western government
officials in their illegal aggression against Mr Assad, and Russia is
now accused of directing air attacks on them. These and other facts
clearly show that the US government and its allies only declare that
they are fighting terror while they create in fact directly and
support in a futile attempt to secure US global hegemony. They do this
without the support of the United Nations and without the support of
the legitimate governments of the countries they attack.
The second Secretary-General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold,
John F. Kennedy regarded as the greatest statesman of his time, noted
decide the issues on which not only the UN was confronted with it, but
the world in general. In 1958 he wrote:
"The fight against the different approaches to the freedom of man and
mind, or between different views on human dignity and the right of the
individual is constantly.The dividing line runs through ourselves, our
peoples and also by other countries. It does not coincide with what
political or geographical boundaries whatsoever. The ultimate battle
is between a man and among human beings. We are on dangerous ground if
we believe that every individual, every nation and every ideology have
a monopoly on the right, freedom and human dignity. "5
We are skating on thin ice. The US self-proclaimed monopoly of
correctness, freedom and human dignity has led to inaccuracy,
oppression and suffering on a large scale.Western mentality as shown
in Libya and Syria is truly onmenselijk6 - psychopathisch7 - which the
basest aspects of human nature omarmt.8
Of course, the lower man is reflected in the results of the US policy
in Ukraine and Syria. In Ukraine, neo-Nazis Members of parliament and
forming battalions of men, women and children in the Donbas torture
and murder with the approval of the government in Kiev. In Syria led
Western policy of 

Re: [Marxism] Letter to Putin

[Jeff via Marxism]

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At 10:50 11-10-15 -0700, Ken Hiebert via Marxism wrote:
>
>I received this
from a friend, apparently a Google translation from another 
>language.  I have included a sample at the bottom, so someone can identify 
>the language.

It's Dutch.

- Jeff


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[Marxism] Teach-in on Gaza October 17

[Ken Hiebert via Marxism]

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I could not access the links.  Perhaps you can.

ken h



This event continues a series of Teach-Ins, and will focus on the history and 
current political and economic climate in Gaza.

Speakers will examine the current devastation in Gaza and the prospects for the 
future of a region that UN reports warn will be uninhabitable by 2020 if the 
current trends continue.  Doctoral student, Seraje Assi starts our public event 
with a lecture on the condition of Gaza under British Mandate by drawing on the 
works of Palestinian Historian Aref al Aref, who had also served as the 
Official District of Gaza during the period between 1939 and 1943.

Following Assi, Professor Noura Erakat will walk the audience through a history 
of Gaza from 1948 to present day illuminating Israel’s larger project of 
settler-colonization. Professor Erakat’s lecture challenges the notion that 
Israel has a Gaza specific problem as she ties together policies afflicting 
Palestinians throughout the state.

Finally, Professor Sara Roy, will discuss her most recent research on the 
political economy of de-development in Gaza and the necessity for freedom 
rather than aid alone.

The program concludes with a series of videos on innovative approaches to 
improving life in Palestine, introduced and facilitated by Tareq Radi.

This program is made possible by Georgetown University’s Center for 
Contemporary Arab Studies and a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of 
Education, which is funding a National Resource Center on the Middle East at 
Georgetown.

Please RSVP at GazaTeachIn.eventbrite.com  and use our  Facebook event to 
invite your friends!



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Re: [Marxism] Letter to Putin

[MM via Marxism]

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> On 11 Oct 2015, at 2:11 PM, Jeff via Marxism  
> wrote:
> 
> At 10:50 11-10-15 -0700, Ken Hiebert via Marxism wrote:
>> 
>> I received this
> from a friend, apparently a Google translation from another 
>> language.  I have included a sample at the bottom, so someone can identify 
>> the language.
> 
> It's Dutch.


Online here:

http://dearputin.com/ 

The messianic craving runs deep, and sometimes turns those it afflicts entirely 
mad. Its depth and intensity at a given historical moment is probably 
indicative, in part, of the degree of success enjoyed by the dominant classes 
in infantilising the popular mind.
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[Marxism] The death of an old comrade and friend

[Anthony Boynton via Marxism]

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An old friend and comrade, Gino Pepi, recently died. A memorial and
celebration of his life is being held today. Gene was a great guy, and a
true working class hero. Here is a link to a little video his son posted on
YouTube, and the text of the invitation to the memorial celebration with a
little bio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0WZPAGt8do

Please join us celebrating the life of Eugene Pepi.

There will be time for Speaking, Musical Performance & Dancing. A Special
Gumbo will be served in Gino's honor as well as other small bites.

Gino was born and raised in San Francisco. As a young man he became
convinced of the need of an equal and just society, and dedicated his life
to socialism and to the struggles of the working class internationally. He
worked hard to enhance the living conditions of all Bay Area workers
especially B.A.R.T workers, fought against racism and discrimination,
defended immigrant workers and women’s rights, and participated in
countless efforts to stop wars and environmental destruction. When Gino
wasn't fighting tirelessly for the rights of the oppressed, he would dive
deep into his other passions, Zydeco dancing and Photography. Through dance
and music Gino made a long lasting group of friends that shared his joy and
passion for the sounds of Louisiana. Gino enjoyed life to its fullest. He
embraced all challenges with humor, honesty and with a strong sense of
solidarity.

We will remember you Gino.
This city will remember you.
Your friends, family and comrades will always remember you.

There will be time for Speaking, Musical Performance,Dancing, and food.

Please if you plan to Speak, Perform Music, etc. conatct me ahead of time
so that we can make a schedule.
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Re: [Marxism] Letter to Putin

[Thomas via Marxism]

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Dutch

In future 
https://translate.google.com/?hl=en
provides instant answer.

T


-Original Message-
>From: Ken Hiebert via Marxism 
>Sent: Oct 11, 2015 1:50 PM
>To: Thomas F Barton 
>Subject: [Marxism] Letter to Putin
>
>
>I received this from a friend, apparently a Google translation from another 
>language.  I have included a sample at the bottom, so someone can identify the 
>language.
>   ken h
>
>
>>
>
>Geachte president Poetin,
>
>Als leden van de wereldgemeenschap die gebaseerd is op realiteit
>willen we graag onze waardering en onze steun betuigen inzake het
>
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[Marxism] Politics and the choices we make

[Philip Ferguson via Marxism]

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I was 14 when I started going on political protests and have been involved
in the struggle for human emancipation in New Zealand, Britain and Ireland
over the 40-odd years since.

Last week I did a piece on politics and the choices we make, looking at
both bourgeois politicians and those who join left-wing groups full of good
aspirations yet end up being hand-raisers for crappy leaderships of sects
and cults and, in the case of actual revolutionary movements, people who
delude themselves that sell-outs are actually not sell-outs but clever
tactics to the same end.  The specific example that I deal with is the
Republican Movement (SF/IRA) in Ireland.  The bourgeois politicians I deal
with are the current leader of the National Party and the former leader of
the Labour Party (in NZ) and the far-left cult I deal with is the
Barnesites, although I deal with more than them.

See: https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/politics-and-the-choices-we-make/

Phil
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[Marxism] Tony Norfield on the Friedmans' monetarism and its initial imposition in Britain under Thatcher

[Philip Ferguson via Marxism]

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This article is 35 years old, but I've stuck it up on Redline because I
think it's good to have some sort of knowledge of bourgeois economic theory
and how, these days, bourgeois economic theory is not really theoretical at
all - it's just a set of reactions to problems in the accumulation process.

Adam Smith and David Ricardo the Friedmans were not!!!

https://rdln.wordpress.com/2015/10/11/in-review-not-worth-the-money-the-friedmans-and-monetarism/

Phil
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[Marxism] The changing faces of Martin McGuinness

[Philip Ferguson via Marxism]

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https://theirishrevolution.wordpress.com/2015/10/12/the-changing-faces-of-martin-mcguinness/
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[Marxism] Deforestation and Drought

[Louis Proyect via Marxism]

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NY Times, Oct. 11 2015
Deforestation and Drought
By JIM ROBBINS

LIKE California, much of Brazil is gripped by one of the worst droughts 
in its history. Huge reservoirs are bone dry and water has been rationed 
in São Paulo, a megacity of 20 million people; in Rio; and in many other 
places.


Drought is usually thought of as a natural disaster beyond human 
control. But as researchers peer deeper into the Earth’s changing 
bioclimate — the vastly complex global interplay between living 
organisms and climatic forces — they are better appreciating the crucial 
role that deforestation plays.


Cutting down forests releases stored carbon dioxide, which traps heat 
and contributes to atmospheric warming. But forests also affect climate 
in other ways, by absorbing more solar energy than grasslands, for 
example, or releasing vast amounts of water vapor. Many experts believe 
that deforestation is taking place on such a large scale, especially in 
South America, that it has already significantly altered the world’s 
climate — even though its dynamics are not well understood.


“A lot of people are scrambling to make observations in the Amazon this 
year, with the expected big El Niño coming,” said Abigail L. S. Swann, 
an eco-climatologist at the University of Washington. “It’s expected to 
drive significant drought over the Amazon, which will change how much 
water trees have available.”


Humans have long settled in places where there is adequate and 
predictable precipitation, and large forests play a crucial role in 
generating dependable amounts of rainfall. Trees take up moisture from 
the soil and transpire it, lifting it into the atmosphere. A fully grown 
tree releases 1,000 liters of water vapor a day into the atmosphere: The 
entire Amazon rain forest sends up 20 billion tons a day.


The water vapor creates clouds, which are seeded with volatile gases 
like terpenes and isoprene, emitted by the trees naturally, to form 
rain. These water-rich banks of clouds travel long, wind-driven 
distances, a conveyor belt for the delivery of precipitation that 
scientists call flying rivers.


The sky-borne river over the Amazon carries more water than the Amazon 
River itself. It begins as moisture that builds over the Atlantic Ocean, 
and then flows westward over the emerald crown of the Amazon, where it 
picks up far more moisture. The laden clouds eventually bump up against 
the Andes and are steered south and then east, which means rain for 
Bolivia and Brazil.


One way forests may move water is known as “biotic pumping.” As water 
transpires into the atmosphere above the forest, the theory holds, it 
creates a low-pressure system that sucks in air surrounding it, 
eventually and continually pumping moisture inland from the ocean. 
Cutting down forests degrades these low-pressure systems, essentially 
turning off the pump. Large-scale deforestation is thus believed to be a 
major contributor to the extreme drought in Brazil.


Scientists have long known that vegetation has a profound effect on 
weather. In 1907, officials built a 2,000-mile-long fence across 
Australia to keep invasive rabbits from crossing from the wild outback 
into farms. On the side with native vegetation, rain clouds formed in 
the sky above, but the farm-field skies were clear. The “bunny-fence 
experiments” charted a decline in rainfall of 20 percent on the 
cultivated side. Researchers are still trying to explain why, but the 
leading theory is that the darker native plants absorb more heat and 
release it into the atmosphere, along with energy and water vapor to 
form clouds.


Today’s researchers mainly rely on computer modeling to understand the 
effects of deforestation, a difficult task because there are so many 
complex pathways through which trees control climate: precipitation, 
carbon storage, large clouds of complex chemical emissions and 
absorption of the sun’s energy.


“This area is a frontier,” said David Schimel, an eco-climatologist at 
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the author of “Climate and 
Ecosystems,” “but a frontier because it’s difficult, not because it’s 
neglected.”


In the last year alone some 2,000 square miles of the Amazon — roughly 
the size of Delaware — were lost to clearing, largely for planting 
soybeans and raising cattle. A growing number of scientists are warning 
that wide-scale deforestation — about 20 percent of the Amazon forest is 
gone already and nearly that much is degraded — may already be directing 
precipitation away from places long accustomed to it.


One Princeton study suggested that deforesting the Amazon could 
potentially contribute to drought in 

[Marxism] Please join us by signing this statement "Hands Off Syria" Applies to Russia Too

[Clay Claiborne via Marxism]

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From the Critical-Syria group:


 Please join us by signing this statement "Hands Off Syria" Applies
 to Russia Too
 


For a number of years now I have been working with a groups of activists 
and intellectuals involve in various ways in supporting the Syrian 
people's struggles, first against the Assad Regime and now against ISIS 
as well. We have communicated through a private list-serve and become 
known as the Critical-Syria group. After the most recent Russian 
escalation of its support for the Assad Regime, which has included 
Russian air strikes on civilian targets in some of the 80% of Syria no 
longer controlled by the regime, and the introduction of Russian /"boots 
on the ground"/ in Syria, we decided to issue a statement about the 
situation and ask a lot of people to join us in signing it. I was 
involved in drafting it. As you can see from the list below, many people 
beyond the Critical-Syria group have already signed. We are now asking 
you to sign. You may do that by emailing me with your name and 
title/location to c...@linuxbeach.net, I will then include in in the list 
that will be published here, on Pulse Media  and 
a number of other places. Below is the statement. I hope you will join 
us in signing it.


Clay Claiborne



"Hands Off Syria" Applies to Russia Too"

As people and groups from many countries, united by a common commitment 
to peace, justice and human rights, we condemn the military offensive 
that began with air strikes launched by Russia in Syria on 30 September 
2015 and accelerating subsequently.


While the Russian government has said that these operations were 
directed against the Islamic State (ISIS), most were on areas with no 
ISIS presence. The focus of the Russian military offensive appears to 
have been on opposition communities in the northern Homs region, a 
continuing center of resistance to the Assad Regime.


The victims of the Russian aggression on 30 September were predominantly 
civilians, including many children. Humanitarian conditions were dire in 
the area before Russia launched its offensive because it has long been 
under siege by the regime for its resistance.


The Assad Regime has wreaked havoc across Syria. The civil war it 
started by shooting democracy protesters has killed over a 
quarter-million Syrians, forced half the population from their homes and 
made millions of refugees. In the course of doing this, it has lost 
control of half the country. Although peace can never be restored by the 
regime that destroyed it, it would appear that Russia is now going to 
directly use its military might to further prop up a regime that would 
have collapsed years ago without foreign backing. This operation by 
Russian forces can only deepen the agony of the Syrian people, increase 
the flow of refugees, and strengthen the hand of extremist forces like ISIS.


Russian claims that its military escalation is legal are no more true 
that those used by the United States to justify its war against Vietnam. 
When the government that makes the invitation to invade is illegitimate, 
so is the invitation. The United States also bears responsibility for 
the catastrophe, as do all the regional
and international stakeholders who have erased the aspirations and 
sacrifices of the Syrian people out of the narrative and replaced it 
with their own strategic needs and ambitions.


We condemn unequivocally both the brutal repressive actions of the Assad 
regime and these moves by Russia designed to prolong its life. If Russia 
wants a negotiated political transition in Syria, it has to stop 
assisting the regime's brutality and wanton attacks on civilian targets, 
and stop encouraging the Assad regime’s persistent refusal to engage 
with any serious peace process.


Attacks on civilian populations are in violation of international law. 
We call on the international community, national governments, and the 
United Nations - to ensure the enforcement of UNSC Resolution 2139, to 
which Russia is a party, which provides that /“All parties immediately 
cease all attacks against civilians, as well as the indiscriminate 
employment of weapons in populated areas”/. We call on all those who are 
concerned with international peace and the defense of human rights to 
join us in speaking out against Russia’s callous actions by all means at 
your disposal – lobbying of your representatives, public demonstrations, 
public petitions and other forms of protest.


Signed,

*Muhammad