If you are sick of war and the Empire, of the arrogance, hubris, posturing, lies and deceit we are forced to listen to every day in the mainstream, "legacy" media that are dedicated to serving the Imperial idea, what are you to do?
Look at all the candidates for Emperor, already preening and posturing. They all want to be Bush, not beat him. The only candidate who actually wants to be a Constitutional President - Ron Paul - is being ignored by the legacy media, in their arrogant belief that if they can just deny the existence of something or someone, that something or someone would actually cease to exist. How is that different from that famous neocon sneer at the "reality-based community"?
I know times are hard. Because of war and the Empire, the dollar is worth less than ever before. You think it will be worth any more if there's a war with Iran soon? Oh, wait, you didn't know about that one? But Antiwar.com features news, analysis and opinion exposing the Empire's war plans every day... and they don't charge for it! All they ask is that you donate, however much you think it's worth to you.
What price truth? What price liberty?
Of course, I have a dog in this fight; Antiwar.com runs my own column, Moments of Transition, on Thursdays, so obviously I have a vested interest here. But if you donate - and you should - don't do it for me. Do it for the millions of Americans who oppose the war, who cherish liberty and reject the Empire as an abomination.
Do it for yourself.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
"Terrorism? What terrorism?"
Just as one thinks things in the Balkans cannot possibly get any weirder, something comes along to prove otherwise.
Here's a one such find, via Slobodan-Milosevic.org: in mid-July, a leading Bosnian Muslim daily published a "news" story about the new official definition of terrorism in Bosnia, and its author.
According to Bakir Alispahić, a newly minted M.A., "so-called religious terrorism does not exist, and that therefore there can be no talk of Islamic terrorism."
Alispahić, once the top policeman for the Izetbegović regime, and later head of the Muslim government's intelligence agency (AID), was charged with terrorism in 2002 over "Pogorelica" - an AID-owned camp where Iranian agents were training Bosnian Muslim terrorists in 1996. A NATO raid uncovered "Iranian propaganda, terrorist training manuals, bomb making materials, and bombs disguised to look like children's toys."
He was acquitted after several key figures in the case were mysteriously killed. The Empire never pressed the "Pogorelica" issue, because exposing the Izetbegović regime's terrorist connections would interfere with its wartime propaganda of "Bosnians" as innocent victims of evil genocidal Serbs.
Adding insult to injury, Michael Bay's 1996 summer blockbuster "The Rock" opened with the protagonist dismantling a child's doll booby-trapped by fictional Serb terrorists...
But back to the "terrorism expert" Alispahić, who explained his motivation to Dnevni Avaz thus: "They are a result of my conviction that I was completely groundlessly accused of terrorism by certain circles. Had these forces managed to win and prove their accusations, my struggle and my contribution to the war effort, and ultimately the defence of our country would have been marred by terrorism, which never existed in Bosnia."
In other words, he defined himself out of terrorism and thus vindicated his efforts. "Scientific," indeed.
In the commission reviewing Alispahić's thesis were Smail Čekić (Muslim regime's leading "expert" on war crimes) and Nijaz Duraković (former chairman of the Bosnian Communist Party, who eventually rediscovered himself as a nationalist and joined Haris Silajdzic). Duraković told Avaz that "there is a tendency to declare B-H almost collectively terrorist, and the Bosniaks collectively Al-Qa'idah," so Alispahić's thesis ("proving" that neither could possibly be true) was so very important.
I was going to make a snarky comment about what passes for "political science" in Bosnia, when I realized that's precisely what this is: political science. Alispahić conjured a "scientific" definition to save his own miserable skin. Duraković and Čekić love it because it serves their agenda of defending "Bosniaks" from accusations of terrorism.
But Duraković's jibe about collectively labeling Bosnian Muslims as terrorists is disingenuous at best. There is no denying that terrorists were involved with the Bosnian Muslim jihad against Serbs and Croats, or that some Bosnian Muslims were terrorists, but insofar as I know, no one has ever called the entire Bosnian Muslim nation terrorist. Meanwhile, Duraković and other Muslim nationalist routinely label the entire Serb nation "genocidal." So Duraković was really engaging in projection here.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: so long as the Bosnian Muslims believe in their innocence and victimhood, and refuse to come to terms with the realities of the 1992-1995 war and the fundamental problem of Bosnia's existence (ethnic relations), there can and will be no peace in that country. As for terrorism, between Empire's denial and Muslims' own hypocrisy, Al-Qaeda appears to have a safe haven in Bosnia.
Here's a one such find, via Slobodan-Milosevic.org: in mid-July, a leading Bosnian Muslim daily published a "news" story about the new official definition of terrorism in Bosnia, and its author.
According to Bakir Alispahić, a newly minted M.A., "so-called religious terrorism does not exist, and that therefore there can be no talk of Islamic terrorism."
Alispahić, once the top policeman for the Izetbegović regime, and later head of the Muslim government's intelligence agency (AID), was charged with terrorism in 2002 over "Pogorelica" - an AID-owned camp where Iranian agents were training Bosnian Muslim terrorists in 1996. A NATO raid uncovered "Iranian propaganda, terrorist training manuals, bomb making materials, and bombs disguised to look like children's toys."
He was acquitted after several key figures in the case were mysteriously killed. The Empire never pressed the "Pogorelica" issue, because exposing the Izetbegović regime's terrorist connections would interfere with its wartime propaganda of "Bosnians" as innocent victims of evil genocidal Serbs.
Adding insult to injury, Michael Bay's 1996 summer blockbuster "The Rock" opened with the protagonist dismantling a child's doll booby-trapped by fictional Serb terrorists...
But back to the "terrorism expert" Alispahić, who explained his motivation to Dnevni Avaz thus: "They are a result of my conviction that I was completely groundlessly accused of terrorism by certain circles. Had these forces managed to win and prove their accusations, my struggle and my contribution to the war effort, and ultimately the defence of our country would have been marred by terrorism, which never existed in Bosnia."
In other words, he defined himself out of terrorism and thus vindicated his efforts. "Scientific," indeed.
In the commission reviewing Alispahić's thesis were Smail Čekić (Muslim regime's leading "expert" on war crimes) and Nijaz Duraković (former chairman of the Bosnian Communist Party, who eventually rediscovered himself as a nationalist and joined Haris Silajdzic). Duraković told Avaz that "there is a tendency to declare B-H almost collectively terrorist, and the Bosniaks collectively Al-Qa'idah," so Alispahić's thesis ("proving" that neither could possibly be true) was so very important.
I was going to make a snarky comment about what passes for "political science" in Bosnia, when I realized that's precisely what this is: political science. Alispahić conjured a "scientific" definition to save his own miserable skin. Duraković and Čekić love it because it serves their agenda of defending "Bosniaks" from accusations of terrorism.
But Duraković's jibe about collectively labeling Bosnian Muslims as terrorists is disingenuous at best. There is no denying that terrorists were involved with the Bosnian Muslim jihad against Serbs and Croats, or that some Bosnian Muslims were terrorists, but insofar as I know, no one has ever called the entire Bosnian Muslim nation terrorist. Meanwhile, Duraković and other Muslim nationalist routinely label the entire Serb nation "genocidal." So Duraković was really engaging in projection here.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: so long as the Bosnian Muslims believe in their innocence and victimhood, and refuse to come to terms with the realities of the 1992-1995 war and the fundamental problem of Bosnia's existence (ethnic relations), there can and will be no peace in that country. As for terrorism, between Empire's denial and Muslims' own hypocrisy, Al-Qaeda appears to have a safe haven in Bosnia.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Liars, Cowards and Heroes
Over the past couple of years, Julia Gorin has done more in-depth coverage of suffering in Kosovo than I have done since 1999. She has that rare quality for a journalist: the ability to research the story, connect the dots, and back her claims up with hard evidence. Most mainstream reporters, by contrast, rely on "unnamed diplomats" and "respected analysts" who are actually government spokesmen and paid propagandists for whichever cause is the Official Truth of the day.
Back in July, Julia published a piece in the American Legion magazine revealing that the "victory" in Kosovo was anything but. She was immediately attacked by two soldiers deployed in Kosovo, claiming she was a "liar" and a "predator" who made up things and impugned the Soldiers (always with a capital "S") who served their country and protected "our freedoms" - such as, ostensibly, Julia's freedom of speech.
Let's set aside for the moment the obviously ridiculous notion that occupying a portion of Serbian territory on behalf of Albanian separatists in any way shape or form defends anything American, whether rights, interests or principles. In practice, one has freedom of speech in the U.S. so long as their voice isn't heard by too many. If there is the slightest danger of a dissenting view "infecting" the carefully constructed mainstream, the dissident is exposed to onslaught of "respectable" critics and pro-establishment types, dismissed as a kook or a paid foreign agent, ridiculed as a liar or a fringe extremist, etc. This is exactly what happened when Julia published her critique of Croatia's Ustasha revival; death threats and invective came at her from all angles (publishing emails from angry Croats calling her a "filthy Jewish bitch" or saying "we didn't kill enough of you" was a brilliant response, though).
Just to make sure she means business, Julia has a link on her page to Bruiser, her rather fierce-looking canine companion. Seems as if taking a look at his photo has a salutary effect on those who threaten her bodily harm.
Following the attacks by the two military bloggers, Julia has composed an extensive response, which is carried by FrontPage Magazine. She carefully documents every one of her claims, debunks the bloggers' assertions methodically, and in general makes them look like clueless idiots at best, or pathetic mouthpieces of officialdom at worst.
How someone can sit in Camp Bondsteel, in occupied Kosovo, and claim they fight for liberty is completely beyond me. How can someone claim to fight for American freedoms, and then take part in enabling the ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo, which is as un- and anti-American an endeavor as it gets? Or could this be the knee-jerk "patriotism" of some folk who believe that questioning the motives and intentions of the Imperial government while there are troops in harm's way (by the way, that harm is likely to come from the Albanians they are protecting; how's that for irony?) is treason? It seems they have forgotten that their oath was not to a Fuehrer but to the Constitution of a Republic.
There are times when I wonder whether I would care so much about what has taken place in the Balkans had I not lived through it, or if I would be so passionate about the injustices heaped upon the Serbian people if I were not an ethnic Serb. Julia Gorin is neither. She's an American, who could have profited handsomely parroting the official line about evil, genocidal Serbs. Instead, she chose to put everything on the line for the cause of truth and justice. That is true heroism. That is the American Way. And those who sneer at her while pretending to be American patriots ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Back in July, Julia published a piece in the American Legion magazine revealing that the "victory" in Kosovo was anything but. She was immediately attacked by two soldiers deployed in Kosovo, claiming she was a "liar" and a "predator" who made up things and impugned the Soldiers (always with a capital "S") who served their country and protected "our freedoms" - such as, ostensibly, Julia's freedom of speech.
Let's set aside for the moment the obviously ridiculous notion that occupying a portion of Serbian territory on behalf of Albanian separatists in any way shape or form defends anything American, whether rights, interests or principles. In practice, one has freedom of speech in the U.S. so long as their voice isn't heard by too many. If there is the slightest danger of a dissenting view "infecting" the carefully constructed mainstream, the dissident is exposed to onslaught of "respectable" critics and pro-establishment types, dismissed as a kook or a paid foreign agent, ridiculed as a liar or a fringe extremist, etc. This is exactly what happened when Julia published her critique of Croatia's Ustasha revival; death threats and invective came at her from all angles (publishing emails from angry Croats calling her a "filthy Jewish bitch" or saying "we didn't kill enough of you" was a brilliant response, though).
Just to make sure she means business, Julia has a link on her page to Bruiser, her rather fierce-looking canine companion. Seems as if taking a look at his photo has a salutary effect on those who threaten her bodily harm.
Following the attacks by the two military bloggers, Julia has composed an extensive response, which is carried by FrontPage Magazine. She carefully documents every one of her claims, debunks the bloggers' assertions methodically, and in general makes them look like clueless idiots at best, or pathetic mouthpieces of officialdom at worst.
How someone can sit in Camp Bondsteel, in occupied Kosovo, and claim they fight for liberty is completely beyond me. How can someone claim to fight for American freedoms, and then take part in enabling the ethnic cleansing of Serbs in Kosovo, which is as un- and anti-American an endeavor as it gets? Or could this be the knee-jerk "patriotism" of some folk who believe that questioning the motives and intentions of the Imperial government while there are troops in harm's way (by the way, that harm is likely to come from the Albanians they are protecting; how's that for irony?) is treason? It seems they have forgotten that their oath was not to a Fuehrer but to the Constitution of a Republic.
There are times when I wonder whether I would care so much about what has taken place in the Balkans had I not lived through it, or if I would be so passionate about the injustices heaped upon the Serbian people if I were not an ethnic Serb. Julia Gorin is neither. She's an American, who could have profited handsomely parroting the official line about evil, genocidal Serbs. Instead, she chose to put everything on the line for the cause of truth and justice. That is true heroism. That is the American Way. And those who sneer at her while pretending to be American patriots ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Storm, Remembered
August 5 is a national holiday in Croatia, "Homeland Thanksgiving Day." Once again this year, Croatia's leaders gathered in Knin (formerly the capital of the rebel Serb Krajina region) to declare that Serbs are to blame for the war, and that their suffering was their own fault.
Right; when Croats, Muslims or Albanians leave their homes, it's always "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" but when Serbs do the same thing, it's their own fault. Anyone see a bit of problematic reasoning here?
Croatia is currently governed by the same party that declared independence in 1991, wrote the Serbs out of the Constitution and accepted Ustasha (WW2 Nazi) symbolism in mainstream political discourse. Tens of thousands - including diplomats with families, no less - recently saluted Ustasha songs at a big rock concert in Zagreb.
Facts speak for themselves, gentlemen; where once were hundreds of thousands of Serbs, now there are almost none. They've been killed, expelled, or forced to deny their identity so that within a generation they will be more ardent Croats than Franjo "Founder of the Nation" Tudjman. What happened in August 1995 was the largest single act of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans to date. Nobody cared, because it was "just those Serbs."
Just so we're perfectly clear: when the Empire engages in aggressive warfare (the greatest international crime) for the sake of "human rights," it is only the "rights" of its allies, satellites, quislings and clients. Serbs, being none of that, are not considered human. And if they dare offer resistance, then obviously whatever happens to them is their fault.
I won't bother pointing out whose "logic" this resembles.
Right; when Croats, Muslims or Albanians leave their homes, it's always "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" but when Serbs do the same thing, it's their own fault. Anyone see a bit of problematic reasoning here?
Croatia is currently governed by the same party that declared independence in 1991, wrote the Serbs out of the Constitution and accepted Ustasha (WW2 Nazi) symbolism in mainstream political discourse. Tens of thousands - including diplomats with families, no less - recently saluted Ustasha songs at a big rock concert in Zagreb.
Facts speak for themselves, gentlemen; where once were hundreds of thousands of Serbs, now there are almost none. They've been killed, expelled, or forced to deny their identity so that within a generation they will be more ardent Croats than Franjo "Founder of the Nation" Tudjman. What happened in August 1995 was the largest single act of ethnic cleansing in the Balkans to date. Nobody cared, because it was "just those Serbs."
Just so we're perfectly clear: when the Empire engages in aggressive warfare (the greatest international crime) for the sake of "human rights," it is only the "rights" of its allies, satellites, quislings and clients. Serbs, being none of that, are not considered human. And if they dare offer resistance, then obviously whatever happens to them is their fault.
I won't bother pointing out whose "logic" this resembles.
Saturday, August 04, 2007
The KLA, Itself
Andy Wilcoxson of Slobodan-Milosevic.org has compiled a list of official KLA communiques, ICTY transcripts and other official documents, illuminating the nature of this terrorist organization. For anyone who wants to understand what really took place in Kosovo (and not the "righteous NATO ended ethnic cleansing by bombing evil Serbs and brought peace and democracy" horse-hockey the public has been fed for 8+ years), this is a must-read.
A KLA propaganda poster
A KLA propaganda poster
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