International Lawyers Employment Act

The U.S. Congress has just overridden severely lamb-duck Obama’s veto so Saudi Arabia can now be sued in American courts over 9/11 and “terrorism”.   This is called the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act,” or JASTA.   Yes, read that name again for it also should be named “The International Lawyers Employment Act”.

Smart as well as hustling international lawyers will now race to try to sue in national courts around the world, as well as International Courts, for such things as:

• US/UK Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and beyond – millions Killed
• US Drone Killings – thousands of innocent women and children killed
• US CIA assassinations – many
• Israeli involvement in 9/11 – considerable circumstantial evidence
• US police killings of unarmed blacks
• Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty Ship – damning evidence
• Saudi genocide in Yemen
• U.S./NATO regime change in Libya – tens of thousands killed
• U.S./Saudi/Gulf/Turkey arming of the Islamic radicals in Syria

The legal Pandora’s Box has been opened!  In that sense thank you America Congress for what you have now made possible against yourself and allies.

WAR with RUSSIA!

Top American Generals have used the term “War with Russia” lately, and in public!   The State Department spokesman said yesterday “Russian interests” even “Russia cities” could be attacked and more Russians will continue coming home in “body bags”.   He was in context alluding to U.S. allies and U.S. trained/armed mercenary forces doing the direct attacking; but the extension to more general war could not be missed as he emphasized that “diplomacy could fail” and there are “other ways”.

This month the Pentagon/CIA purposefully and immediately undermined the tortuously brokered U.S.-Russia “ceasefire”.   There were hundreds of “rebel” attacks, plus the U.S. “mistake” bombing of strategic Syrian forces, plus the attack on the U.N. convoy (probably by U.S.tasked and deniable “rebels”), before the ceasefire totally fizzled when Syria and Russian forces massively responded in Aleppo.   There was also, reports are sketchy, a major Russian attack in Syria on a secret coordination gathering, organized by the U.S., of senior intelligence officials from many countries.

Now the Americans are threatening strategic escalation green-lighting the Saudis and Gulf States supplying man-pad missiles to down Syria and Russia planes and once again threatening to impose “no fly zones” as was done years ago when, so to speak, the shit hit the fan in Iraq and Libya.

But this time it is different.   Russian forces are engaged directly in Syria, Chinese forces are far more quietly on the ground as well, along with of course Lebanese and Iranian troops.   Against them are all the mercenary groups armed and trained by the U.S., U.K., France, Australia, Israel, Saudi, Gulf, Turkey, along with of course CIA and Pentagon “trainers” and “advisers”.

This is what proxy modern-day nuclear-age World War looks like.  Things could escalate further and faster anytime now.  Among other things the Washington war hawks along with the Israelis and Saudis want to create a situation locking in the next American President, just as they outmaneuvered Obama turning him into the Neocon Facilitator.   Yes indeed, as Obama prepares to depart, battered and defeated, lately quite publicly embarrassed and insulted in so many ways by so many, he has in fact set the stage for further escalating multi-war rather than fulfill his promises of “hope” and “change”.

 

Shimon Peres

He more than anyone else brought nuclear weapons to the Middle East.   He tricked the Palestinians into signing the false peace deal at the White House, managing like Menachem Begin before him to get a most undeserved Nobel Peace Prize.

I met him alone only once when long ago I interviewed him for an hour when I was a young journalist and he was already one of Israel’s top personalities plotting engagement of the Palestinians in an endless “peace process” that would give Israel the time and space needed to further expand settlements and control the West Bank and Jerusalem.

No doubt many from around the U.S. and Europe  will now be heading to Israel to laud his many in some ways unique accomplishments in building Israel.  But few will be mentioning how he helped set the Middle East on fire and make a real “Two-State Settlement” and Israeli-Palestinian peace impossible.  Just look at what the policies Peres championed have done to the Palestinians, to the Middle East region, and to Israel itself.

 

WHO WON?

When it comes to people like me and nearly all the students and professors at American University where I was last night for the Great Debate, Hillary clearly won on style, demeanor, points, even “stamina”.   But that’s my world; and clearly not that of many befuddled Americans who are so fed up that they will vote for even a psychopathic narcissist who so unconvincingly promises to “Make America Great Again”.

One thing we can be very sure of however.   America lost.  We all lost.   The world lost. As a perceptive student friend from Latin America told before the debate, one of them should not even be running and the other should be in prison.

American politics is now more polarized and dysfunctional than ever, and at such a critical historical time with so many major issues and decisions looming at a pace  that literally makes ones head spin!   Neither Hillary nor The Donald will be able to govern. Either will take office more despised and loathed  than anyone here in super political Washington can remember.

So it’s time for all of us, whatever our current political proclivities, to be more anxious and fearful than ever in our troubled and fading once but no longer “land of the free and home of the brave”.

Syria – Regional becoming World War

 

It started with the US/Israel/Saudi stealth pushing to topple the Baath Regime in Syria in preparation for destroying Hezbollah in Lebanon and then one way or another bringing down the regime, and the revolution, in Iran.   That was more than five years ago.

Actually it started at 9/11 with the then secret plan to bring down 7 regimes in 5 years starting with Iraq and ending with Iran.

Well actually it started with those who fomented 9/11 knowing it would be the “New Pearl Harbor” and they could use it to allow the Neocon/Israel policies that go back quite a long time to be implemented.

In recent years Obama allowed himself to become the Neocon and Zionist Facilitator rather than reigning in the military-industrial complex,  forcing the Israelis to end the occupation of Palestine, and forcing the Saudis to cease and desist.  As he prepares to depart Washington Obama has set the stage for a much expanded regional Middle East war, with no end in sight, and further clashes with Russia, and even China and beyond, that will take the form of expanded military, economic, cyber, and space warfare in the years ahead.

Why and Where Bernie?

He’s almost forgotten now.  Not much enthusiasm it seems for Hillary.   But Bernie’s movement has been kind of left on hold, maybe to be revived big-time if Hillary goes down to defeat.    Even so, still there is a critical simple question that needs be asked.   Why did this old graying guy from a little State who is more Socialist than Democrat, and who had not even been to a Dem Party Convention before, catch on political fire with so many, especially the young?

The answer is pretty simple.  Bernie was the real HOPE and CHANGE principled breadth of fresh air that Obama turned out not to be.   After the great seduction followed by grand sell-out from Obama, after accepting the stale smells from the Clintons for so long, after watching the country polarizing and descending in so many ways, aging graying, socialist, Bernie from Vermont was able to capture the desperate hopes for real HOPE and CHANGE of so many, especially the young.

If Hillary wins her ability to govern will be extremely circumspect at best.   If Trump wins the Dem Party will be filled with recriminations and doubts; but then Trump’s ability to govern will be even more limited and he will be nearly totally unable to fulfill his sloganeering promises.

Into this vacuum what was the Bernie movement has a historic opportunity to transform itself into a major and growing force in American life; maybe even into a new party along with many who have already gone independent with the Libertarians and the Greens as well as those ready to defect from the Republicans.   But that will take much more than Bernie, it will take either a remake of the Dem Party itself or major defections, starting with Bernie himself.

Obama Saudi Veto OVERRIDEN!

Yesterday President Obama vetoed, on behalf of Saudi Arabia which he had absolutely promised he would, the soon to be law (despite his veto) that will allow the Saudi State and key individuals to be sued for their role in 9/11.   The bill was passed unanimously by both House and Senate and the VETO OVERRIDEN headline is likely next week.  This is good, VERY GOOD, but for different reasons than are behind the Congressional decision.

Is it good that the Saudi dictatorship monarchy can be sued and put on the defensive?   Sure is!   Just look at what they have done in the Middle East fomenting the wars in Yemen and Syria and Bahrain, not to mention at home!   Plus they are the biggest supporter of the military-industrial complex — more than $100 billion in super arms in the current pipeline!  Will it be good when the Saudi monarchy is history and the land known as Arabia again?   So many Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East would privately say yes indeed!

BUT the unexpected result of the new law is even more important.   With the Americans having taken this step, with this precedent, other countries throughout the world can follow in the footsteps and make it possible to sue American corporations and individuals, not to mention the American government, for what they have done in our world!   International law lawyers on your mark!

Furthermore the same law will make it possible for those who believe, and have various kinds of circumstantial evidence, that the Israelis were also involved in 9/11, quite possibly in even more subversive and hidden ways, to be sued in American courts as well.   We’re not quite there yet but what is happening right with this Saudi-targeted law is opening this door as well; which is one of the reasons the Israelis are staying very very quiet and pretending they don’t care wanting to keep any mention of them out of the headlines and out of mind.