Obama's UK-Fest : Vision of a War Without End (parts 1 & 2)

[bigron]

Obama's UK-Fest : Vision of a War Without End. (Part One.)


by Felicity Arbuthnot

May 31, 2011

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m78228&hd=&size=1&l=e

"The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power, and all the beauty that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour, the paths of glory lead but to the grave." Thomas Gray (1716-1771.)

It was quite a week for America's Nobel Peace Laureate President. After a speech to AIPAC, there was the major, pre-UK arrival "interview" with the BBC's political commentator, Andrew Marr. Less an interview, in fact than a breathlessly adoring audience.

Marr began by referring to: " .. that extraordinary moment when you knew you had got bin Laden", and that: "there was something personal about it." No mention that of course there was also something very illegal about it.

Obama responded with his nation's "extraordinary trauma" after the tragedy of 9/11, without reflection, of course, of the "extraordinary trauma" the U.S., has inflicted on other nations (starting with its own First Nation) since its inception. If taking the official 11th September story at face value, cause and effect might have entered a Capitol Hill mind - and that of an interviewer, but no, naval gazing ruled.

That the SEALS were: "... able to perform" the murders "without casualties, was extraordinary." What happened to that crashed helicopter and, as yet, unconfirmed claims of body parts scattered around? Marr didn't ask.

Obama went in to Hollywood mode. It was: "In the pitch of night, on a moonless night." The assassins did not know: "whether somebody had a bomb strapped to them." No query from the BBC's intrepid interviewer as to why people living quietly for six years (we are told) their children playing with pet rabbits, would retire for the night wrapped in an explosive device instead of a nightshirt.

After "marvelling" at an act of astonishing violence (and seemingly illegal entry in to Pakistan air space and country) the President was treated to possibly one of the most partisan comments in the history of broadcasting:

"Because it would presumably have been very difficult for America to take this man and put him on trial with all the hullabaloo of attorneys and PR characters and the interrogation and so forth. It would have been a difficult thing to do."

"That wasn't out number one consideration", responded the former law Professor, chillingly illuminatingly. Marr made no queries as to legalities and no comment.

"We've killed more terrorists on Pakistan soil than any where else ... but there's more to do, said the Lord High Executioner. Looking around U.S., global slaughters, that must be quite a record. Close down the law schools, save money on legal training - redundant. Pity about the "collateral damage", the farmers scratching subsistence living, the children, the mothers, deemed "terrorists" by drone operating, computer-wired youth, six thousand miles away.

"I had (said) when I was running for Presidency, that if I had a clear shot at bin Laden ..."
"You'd take it" enthused Marr.
"That we'd take it", confirmed President Nobel.

The: "If I had a clear shot ...", has a certain irony from the man who arrived in Britain two days later with 1,500 bodyguards, agents, aides, medics, armour plated Cadillac One flown in, twenty four vehicles to shield his convoy - and £10 million spent for a barbecue and a three day visit. So fearful was the wishful sharp shooter, it seems, that it was demanded that the glass in the Obama's suite in the heavily fortified Buckingham Palace be removed and replaced to their specification.

As the U.S., and British body bags returned from Afghanistan continue to mount, the BBC's audience learned that troop levels had been: "plussed up" and that: "the Taliban is now back on its heels." The occasional minor glitch of entire prisons inmates escaping, U.S., bases under attack, supply convoys routinely incinerated in industrial numbers (he didn't put it quite like that) had been because the U.S., had been: "distracted by the war in Iraq."

Surely a moment to comment that this was a "distraction" which was both illegal, had comprehensively ruined a civil society, largely destroyed a land of eye watering beauty and ancientest of histories - and of course, those figures again: up to one a half million dead, one million widows nearly five million orphans and nearly five mllion displaced. An apocalyptic "distraction." Marr's lack of address to this enormity was deafening.

Reconcilliation in Afghanistan, said the President, might be possible: " ... on terms that are consistent with our values." It was of course not put to the President that, as with much of the world, values, culture, beliefs, history, priorities in Afghanistan, are a planet away from those of the United States.

Much has been made of Barack Obama's reference in his AIPAC speech the same day, of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders. In fact there was so many caveats, ducks and dives, that it was a fact barely worth mentioing. Marr added more obstacles: "... the rockets fired by Hamas." No mention of the weapons of mass destruction sold by the U.S., to Israel, used to devastating effect, for decade, after decade. Jerusalem and the Palestinian right to return to their own land, was : "a problem." Hamas: " ... must renounce violence." And Israel? Marr did not ask.

Turning to the upheavels in the Middle East (don't mention North Africa and Libya - it was'nt) Marr asked grovellingly: "As the most powerful man in the world, what's your message to those people?"

The "message" was, to say the least, bordering on delusion: " ... power and the moral force of non-violence has proven itself in the United States ... the United States stands on the side of those who (seek change) through non-violent means ... But as long as people adhere to the principle that violence, typically, is not going to bring about the sort of changes they seek, then the United States is going to be strongly supportive ..."

The entire jungle in the room, elephants included, were the United States bombs and missiles raining down on Libya - and a stated aim that if the country's leader became another assassination victim in the bombings, so what, too bad.

He concluded with:"Most of my day-to-day work is consumed by how we can deliver on the promise of the American dream to ordinary people. And so we are very proud of what we did with bin Laden."

Andrew Marr missed the tsunami of contradictions and they moved on to the impending state visit - why bother asking if there was any truth in former Presidential Advisor, Jack Caravelli's claim, that the U.S., had: " ... drawn up plans to take over Pakistan if the country moves towards 'fanatical Islam' " (read: continues to be mightily fed up with the way it is being treated by its U.S., "ally" and decided it has had enough.)

But after all, this was the man who trilled of Tony Blair, at the time of the illegal invasion of Iraq that: " ... tonight he stands as a larger man and a stronger Prime Minister as a result." Adding that his judgement had been vindicated and that Baghdad had been taken "without a bloodbath."

The great London PR-fest follows.


http://www.uruknet.info/?p=m78228&hd=&size=1&l=e


 

[bigron]

Obama's UK-Fest : Vision of a War Without End (Part Two.)



by Felicity Arbuthnot

"Security is the mother of danger and the grandmother of destruction." Thomas Fuller (1608-1661.)

June 1, 2011

http://uruknet.com/?p=m78277&hd=&size=1&l=e

Obama's UK-Fest : Vision of a War Without End. (Part One.)


Having joked about putting the "apostrophe" back in Obama (as in O'Hanlon, O'Reilly, O'Rourke) in Ireland (and having apparently forgotten that his family name comes from Africa not Ireland) President Obama fled Ireland ahead of the clouds of volcanic ash from Iceland, again plaguing European flights, arriving in London a night early. The American Ambassador being unexpectly charged with putting up the Obamas and making arrangments for a cast of approaching two thousand.

Listening to his speech to Parliament, the re-eruption of the volcano seemed a bit of an omen.

Having reminded parliamentarians and the House of Lords, that they were in the presence of greatness (" ... the last three speakers here were the Pope, Her Majesty the Queen and Nelson Mandela") he delivered a lesson to them and the U.K's population on their own history. There was the Magna Carta, a brief resume of the laws formed, over centuries, in Parliament's Westminster Hall, where he spoke - and of course Churchill, Roosevelt and the "special relationship", dredged up as inevitably the mud from the river Thames, flowing outside the building .

We had, to quote Churchill, "fought them on the beaches .." together. Obama in fact put it: "We are the allies who landed at Omaha and Gold, who sacrificed side by side ..." said the man who (as Prime Minister Cameron) was born a couple of decades later. Forgotten now, was that shortly after the "sacrifices", many of his father's countrymen were fighting the British in war for their country, which has currently brought Kenyans to London's High Court, still seeking reparation for alleged unspeakable tortures suffered at British hands. Pity he didn't use the occasion to say a word on their behalf. From Kenya to Basra, from My Lai to Falluja, little changes, including the delusional re-writing of history.

Then on to the "shared values." The: " ... longing for freedom and human dignity ... is universal (beating) in every heart." He continued: " ... there are few nations that stand firmer, speak louder, and fight harder to defend democratic values around the world than the United States and the United Kingdom."

"Together, with our allies, we forged a lasting peace from a cold war (our alliances now include) the nations of Easter Europe." No mention of forging of U.S., bases there, of "extraordinary rendition" arrangements and a proposed U.S., missile "shield" - and Russia now near surrounded by U.S., bases.

"And when there was strife in the Balkans, we worked together to keep the peace." Heaven preserve any people who come under a ten week "peace keeping" blitzkrieg (24th March 1999-11th June 1999) involving one thousand aircraft and thirty eight thousand bombing missions.

The combat mission in Iraq was over (tell that to the Iraqis) the Taliban were "broken", al Qaeda had been struck "a huge blow by killing its leader - Osama bin Laden." (Don't mention the assassinations.) But: "New threats spread across borders and oceans", there are "terrorist networks" to be "dismantled." Our "indispensible alliance", however, is on hand to sort that out. "The time for our leadership is now." Parliament applauded, the right minded surely shivered.

With no sense of irony, President Barack Hussein Obama related that: "Millions are still denied their basic human rights because of who they are, or what they believe." A reflection deficiency on some scale. His predecessor had declared a "Crusade", and his own Administration was threatening, occupying, bombing or demanding regime and belief change, in an entirely American vision of how affairs should be run - only in majority Muslim countries.

Together, the U.S., and U.K, would forge "economic leadership", defeat pollution and "leave our children a planet that is safer and cleaner." Another venue, more elephants: depleted uranium bombs near certainly raining down on Libya, the deformed and cancer riddled children of Falluja and across Iraq and Afghanistan; still paying the price in the Balkans - a price which will only begin to "deplete" after 4.5 billion years.

And is Libya - as Iraq before it - the new blue-print for "economic leadership" - freeze all perfectly legitimate bank accounts, keep or "redistribute" national wealth, grab all natural resources, bomb back to a pre-industrial age - then award the reconstruction contracts to the destroyers?

"Our nations" would "confront evil" as we had "fought them on the beaches and on the landing grounds", but that was Hitler, "today we confront a different enemy (who have) killed thousands of Muslims - men, women and children - around the globe." Comment redundant.

"We fight an enemy that respects no law of war (but we live) up to the values, the rule of law and due process that we so ardently defend." Amid the applause, the small matter of these "values" having included the illegal invasion and destruction of Iraq (and a pack of lies to justify it) the ongoing bombing of Libya without Congressonal approval, the more than questionable legality of the invasion of Afghanistan, the illegal bombing of Pakistan, and the threats against Iran to mention but a few. (In context, in a co-authored piece in The Times - 24th., May - Obama and Cameron wrote: "We are reluctant to use force, but when our interests and values come together, we know that we have the responsibility to act.")

"Interests" eh?

Irony thicker than smog pervading the thousand year old Hall, was apparently lost on his rapt audience of law makers. He talked of the threats of: "terrorism, piracy ... ballistic missiles" - as ally Israel is not brought to account for the murders on and seizing in international waters, of the Mavi Marmara exactly a year ago, the previous ramming of the Dignity, also in international waters, and the threats to any ships heading for Palestinian territorial waters. And clearly the terrorism and ballistic missiles of the U.S.-U.K "indispensible relationship", in enyclopaedia-length acts and decimations, are a price others must pay, any time, any where, to have our "shared values" bombed in to them.

As hospitals continue to be bombed in Libya by the "allied forces" (as in the other "liberations" thirty two in Baghdad alone, according to a recent Report): "We should try and help the hungry feed themselves, the doctors care for the sick ... support countries that confront corruption ... allow women and girls to reach their full potential." Freezing national assets and bombing, equals empty food stores, no wherewithal for doctors to treat, even where facilties remain - and in Iraq with a previously women's work force virtually equal to men, Baghdad University studies show women have been set back around a hundred years. Educational drop out is estimated at up to seventy percent. Iraq and Afghanistan under U.S., and U.K., occupation became two of the most corrupt countries in the world.

"Power rarely gives up without a fight", the Nobel Laureate informed. Indeed. And magnanamously, "sometimes" (we will work) "with partners who are not perfect: to protect against disruptions of the world's energy supply." Goodness, wonder how that one slipped in.

For those cynically thinking Libya was about oil, and the so called "Eighth Wonder", the project to release the country's gigantic water reserves, the gold bullion in the Central Bank and the country's strategic value, no. It is: " ...truth that guides our action in Libya." There's a first. And: " ... when a leader is threatening to massacre his own people ..." - straight out of that Iraq hand book again. And were there not allegedly a few CIA backed "rebels", who kicked it all off in Benghazi?

"We will proceed with humility" - surely if the audience had been standing, rather than sitting, at least a few would have fallen over. Freedom must not be:: "imposed from without." Contrarily, the U.S., and U.K., have delivered it: "from the beaches of Normandy, to the Balkans (and now) Benghazi." The two countries share: "a leadership essential to the cause of human dignity (and are) indispensible to this moment in history." They are : " .. two of the most powerful nations in the history of the world", not alone militarily, economically or because of: "the land we have claimed" (another truth, read killed for and "invaded.) Delusion reigns supreme - and no mention that both are "economically" approaching basket case status.

Another shared value, again oiling his way back to Churchill and Roosevelt and "manifest", as in destiny, is a common belief in : " ... a conviction that we have a say in how this story ends." When the President signed the visitors book at Westminster Abbey he dated it 2008, the year he campaigned with the "Yes we can" slogan, played his African roots, not his Irish ones and won. Perhaps a scary Freudian slip: "Yes we can" - now anywhere on earth.

The President chose to send his daughters to the Sidwell Quaker school, which nurtures the "inner light" in every child (the "light" he has followed his predecessors in putting out, in children beyond counting, throughout the globe.)

I wonder if he has read the first Quaker declaration, proclaiming peace, a testimony, by Margaret Fell, to King Charles 11, of 1660:

" We are a people that follow after those things that make for peace ... it is our desire that others' feet make walk in the same, and (we) do deny and bear witness against all strife and wars ... Our weapons are not physical but spiritual and (we) speak the truth in plainess and simpleness of heart."

It seems every line, committment, statement, action, contradicts the previous one. Were he not the President of the United States, it might be funny. I wonder if his daughters too, are confused.


See also:
news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/libya-says-nato-raids-killed-718-civilians-20110601-1ff79.html



http://uruknet.com/?p=m78277&hd=&size=1&l=e

 

[Rebelitarian]

They are setting the stage for a GRAND DEPRESSION & WW3 no doubt about that.