Featured Post for 06/05 – 06/11

Dear President Obama,

I, like many millions of Americans, voted for you in the last general election in the hope that your promise of change would be the change that we had longed for during the previous eight years.

Powerlessly, we watched our nation being run into the ground by a runaway despotic regime. We saw wars begun under false pretenses, which have cost millions of lives and trillions of dollars; we saw our natural resources being despoiled by greedy profiteers; we’ve seen our small businesses and small farms being destroyed by bureaucratic intrusions into every aspect of their lives and businesses, apparently for the enrichment of the big megabusiness cartels.

We’ve seen most of the jobs that gave America a healthy middle-class outsourced to nations where people will work twelve hours or more for a dollar or two a day, or for a cup or two of rice to feed their family. 
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Map: http://www.armenianchurch.net/heritage/history/map.html

Mickey Z: This April, President Barack Obama broke campaign promise #511, namely to explicitly acknowledge the Armenian genocide as U.S. President. What happened on his recent visit to Turkey? What are the ramifications of his breaking this promise?

David Boyajian: President Obama visited Turkey from April 6 to 7, where he did not use the word “genocide” when referring to the 1.5 million murders committed by the Turkish Ottoman Empire against its Armenian citizens from 1915-1923. As a candidate, Obama had promised several times to do so. His statement in Turkey that he had “not changed his views”—implying he still believes it was genocide—was still a clear breach of his promise to use the “G word.” It was a case study in verbal gymnastics and political duplicity and should be studied in political science courses. Obama’s broken promise obviously eroded his credibility. The same holds true for Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who, as senators, supported the Armenian genocide resolution. They’ve since fallen disgracefully silent. Dr. Samantha Power should also be embarrassed. She’s the National Security Council’s genocide expert and a Pulitzer Prize winning author. As a campaign advisor to Obama, she made a video telling Armenian Americans that as president, Obama would definitely acknowledge their genocide. “Take my word for it,” she said.

Appeasement of a genocide-denying country such as Turkey is bad policy because its message is that genocides can be committed without consequence. Appeasement also erodes U.S. credibility on human rights and its stated desire to be a leader in genocide prevention. Unlike what lobbyists for Turkey would have U.S. believe, Armenian genocide affirmation by America would not harm U.S. national interests. Turkey depends on the U.S. for weapons systems, support for billions in loans from the International Monetary Fund, security guarantees through NATO, advocacy for Turkish membership in the European Union, and more. Some 20 countries, including Canada, France, and Switzerland, as well as the parliaments of the EU and the Council of Europe, have acknowledged the Armenian genocide. None has ever experienced much more a Turkish temper tantrum in retaliation.

MZ: Two days prior to Armenian Genocide Remembrance day— which annually falls on April 24—Turkey and Armenia announced that they had agreed to a “roadmap” to normalize relations. What was the significance of this timing? What does the “roadmap” contain?

DB: Behind the scenes, the U.S. State Department had long been twisting Armenia’s arm to agree to a so-called “roadmap” with Turkey before President Obama issued what has become a customary “April 24 statement” by U.S. presidents marking Armenian genocide memorial day. The “roadmap,” announced on April 22, provided political cover for Obama to not use the “G word” on April 24. That is, since there was now supposedly a roadmap for normalization of relations—no matter how vague and hurriedly slapped together— Obama could say that he did not want to upset Turkey and the touted-as-highly-delicate Turkish-Armenian negotiations by using the “G word.” Notice that Obama did not consult with Armenian-Americans or Armenia about this. So much for promises and moral principles. It’s disgraceful that Obama, simply to help Turkey save face, not only broke his promise, but showed blatant disregard for the activists—not just Armenians—who labored so hard for many years for the cause of recognizing all genocides.

Armenia has always said that it was ready to normalize relations with Turkey—which would include Turkey’s re-opening its border with Armenia—without pre-conditions. Suddenly, however, Armenia has had pre-conditions imposed on it in this “roadmap.” According to the Turkish press, the “roadmap” allegedly contains pre-conditions such as: Armenia’s agreeing to a joint commission to examine the veracity of the Armenian genocide—yes, you heard right, Armenia’s formal recognition of current Turkish boundaries—which contain the Armenian homeland, and, possibly, Armenia’s accepting Turkish mediation in the conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijan over the disputed Armenian region of Karabagh—which is absurd since Azerbaijan and Turkey are allies. It appears that Armenia’s president, whose electoral legitimacy is in question, has been worn down in these negotiations by Turkey, the West, and possibly even Russia. And because the Armenian president is grappling with his legitimacy, he is not heeding the cautions being voiced by the people of his own nation about the “roadmap.”

MZ: The U.S. administration and mainstream media would have us believe that Turkey is seeking to “reconcile” with Armenia. Is “reconciliation” really a possibility, or have we misunderstood what’s going on?

DB: The word “reconciliation” in relation to Armenian-Turkish relations is largely an invention of U.S. policymakers, their emissaries, and the mainstream media who take their cues from them. What the U.S. and Europe would like to see is a more stable Caucasus—that is, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia—with open borders. Open borders, you see, would facilitate laying more oil and gas pipelines that would originate in the Caspian Sea region and proceed west to Turkey and then to energy-hungry Europe and Israel. The U.S. and Europe don’t want to put it quite that crudely—no pun intended—so they try to depict Armenia and Turkey as possibly “reconciling” and thus resolving all their differences. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 out of sympathy with its ally Azerbaijan, which was in a war with the Armenians of Karabagh, a historically Armenian-populated autonomous area within Azerbaijan that Stalin handed to Azerbaijan. Turkey has also been infuriated that Armenia and Armenians worldwide have been demanding that Turkey acknowledge the genocide it committed against Armenians.

Turkey has to acknowledge the genocide or there will never be peace between it and Armenia. And although the Armenian government has not put forth any claims for reparations arising out of the genocide, or for territory, many Armenians do have these goals. They cite the Treaty of Sèvres of 1920, which provided for Armenian sovereignty over Armenian lands upon which Turkey committed the genocide, and which have since been incorporated into what is now eastern Turkey.

MZ: The countries of the Caucasus are Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Most Americans, including the mainstream media, could not find these small countries on a map. Why are Russia and the U.S.—the latter being thousands of miles from the region—so interested in these three small countries?

DB: The Caucasus is truly Ground Zero in Cold War II, the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Russia. The U.S.—along with Europe and the NATO military alliance—regard Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan as middlemen between the West and the gas and oil-rich regions around the Caspian Sea. The West has already laid gas and oil pipelines from Azerbaijan through Georgia and then on to Turkey and the west. The U.S. wanted those and future pipelines to bypass Russia and Iran because those two countries could shut such pipelines to pressure the U.S. and others. The only possible pipelines routes, therefore, are through Georgia or Armenia. But Turkey shut its border with Armenia in 1993, and Azerbaijan closed its border with Armenia even earlier due to the conflict between it and the de-facto Armenian region of Karabagh. That left Georgia as the only place for these Western pipelines. After the Russian-Georgian was last year, however, opening an alternative route has become more urgent. That largely explains the West’s renewed interest in Armenia. Conversely, Russia sees the Caucasus as within its traditional sphere of influence, and regards U.S. and European interest in the region as hostile acts.

Simultaneously, NATO has been pushing into the region. Georgia, Azerbaijan, and to some extent even the ex-Soviet republics on the other side of the Caspian Sea, are on the path to joining NATO. Russia was already upset that, following the Cold War, NATO had absorbed the former Warsaw Pact nations of Eastern Europe. NATO is now attempting, in effect, to do the same thing on Russia’s southern border. Russia fears that it will eventually be virtually surrounded by NATO. As a result, we have Cold War II: The U.S. and NATO are trying to push into the Caucasus and Central Asia, while Russia is trying to keep them out.

MZ: Why is Israel interested in the Caucasus, and what role is that country playing? Why are Israel and the pro-Israel lobby dead set against recognition of the Armenian genocide by the U.S. Congress?

DB: Israel is interested in getting some of the oil and gas that flow out of the Caspian Sea region. That is, from countries such as Azerbaijan, oil and gas flow west through Georgia, and then on to Turkey and other countries, possibly including Israel. After all, the U.S. and Turkey, which are important players in these pipelines, are obviously also very friendly with Israel. Israel also welcomes all non-Arab supplies of energy since they would make its Western allies less dependent on Arab oil and gas. And Israel has long had what it calls its Periphery Policy. Historically, Israel has not had good relations with its Arab neighbors. Therefore, to serve as counterweights, Israel befriends those countries further away, especially Muslim countries that aren’t necessarily sympathetic to Israel’s Arab neighbors or Palestinians. Azerbaijan, the only Muslim nation in the Caucasus, and some Muslim nations to the east, such as Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, are such countries. Fortuitously for Israel, they also possess significant deposits of gas and oil.

For decades, Israel and Turkey have had very good relations, mainly because they have a common ally, the U.S., and common adversaries, namely Arab nations. In the 1990’s, Israel and Turkey signed a number of military, economic, and political agreements that solidified their relationship. Even before that, but particularly after that, Turkey felt that it did not have sufficient lobbying muscle in Washington. So the Turks asked Israel to convince some of the pro-Israel lobby—the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee and others—to serve as advocates for Turkey. The Jewish lobby groups agreed. So these groups, as part of their deal with Turkey, deny or call into question the Armenian genocide and work to prevent U.S. acknowledgement of that genocide. These groups won’t tolerate anyone questioning of the Holocaust, and yet hypocritically work against acknowledgment of the Armenian genocide. Interestingly, for the last 2 years, Armenian Americans have exposed the ADL’s hypocrisy. In Massachusetts, for example, fourteen cities severed ties with an anti-bias program sponsored by the ADL because of the latter’s hypocritical and anti-Armenian stance (see NoPlaceForDenial.com). Armenians are determined to challenge genocide denial whenever it occurs.

MZ: Is there a problem with the way the mainstream media has been covering Armenian issues?

DB: Yes. The mainstream media have several problems. First, they know very little about the Caucasus or Armenians. Reporters tend, therefore, to copy each other and repeat clichés and falsehoods—such as that Armenia and Turkey are on the verge of a historic “reconciliation.” Media also tend to accept at face value the propaganda issued by Western governments whose interest in the Caucasus is—let’s be frank—not “reconciliation,” democracy, or human rights, but rather self-interested economic, political, and military political penetration of the Caucasus.

Turkey has about 30 times more people and territory, and 50 times more Gross Domestic Product, than Armenia. The power differential is enormous. Turkey has infinitely more allies in Western media, governments, think tanks, and multi-national corporations—and knows how to use them. Commentators who have a vested interest in touting Turkey for their own political and even financial reasons have particularly come out of the woodwork to deride legitimate Armenian demands. But we rarely hear commentators speak of how a small country that has been the victim of genocide, that has had most of its territory stripped from it, and that has been blockaded by the denier of that genocide—Turkey—is being threatened by that very same unrepentant denier. Mainstream media largely fail to appreciate the foregoing facts. Hopefully, Mickey, this interview will help the media and your readers understand the issues and the region a bit better.

David Boyajian can be reached at David_Boyajian@Yahoo.com

Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.

As fellow columnist Jonathan Cymberknopf writes in “Swine flu make for great ratings“, 36,000 died due to influenza in 2008, so there is no need for a mass freak out. (And yes, there is a possibility that it could become serious. A small possibility.)

After returning to the USA last month, I found that, perhaps paradoxically, the best news is being reported on Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, a comedy show. Check out the “Your Government NOT at Work” excerpt from the April 28 episode 07:45 to 12:00. Stewart outlines a scandal involving my former Congresswoman, Jane Harman, of California. My residence used to lie in Harman’s district, she failed to reply to a single one of my attempts to write or be heard.  I contacted her over one hundred times over two years without reply, but perhaps she was busy covering up.  In Harman’s defense, she would like to release all of her wiretapped conversations to the public.

FACT: In 2005, AIPAC (aka The Israel Lobby) lobbyists Steven J. Rosen and Keith Weissman were charged in 2005 with conspiring to obtain classified documents dealing with Al-Qaeda, the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, and, perhaps most importantly, Iranian foreign policy. They are still awaiting trial. (Huffington Post, 4/21/09)

FACT: Representative Harman (D-CA) was under wiretap for suspicion of covertly aiding Israeli spies at this time. Recently, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) revealed she had known for over 3 years that Harman was being wiretapped and kept it secret. (Politico, 4/23/09)

CONTESTED: Two former senior national security officials, one read the transcript and were briefed on its contents, said Harman agreed during the conversation to “waddle into” the AIPAC case “if you think it’ll make a difference.” This was confirmed by a third source from the current national security administration. Harman allegedly hung up the phone after saying, “This conversation doesn’t exist.” In exchange, the sources reported, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to lobby Pelosi, who was then the House minority leader, to appoint Harman chairwoman of the Intelligence Committee if Democrats won control of the House in the 2006 elections. (Congressional Quarterly, 4/19/2009)

CONTESTED: The Israeli agent allegedly mentioned that Haim Saban, a dual citizen of the USA and Israel and wealthy creator of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, would withhold campaign contributions from Pelosi unless Harman was named chair of the Intelligence Committee – which ironically meets to discuss federal wiretap results. (LA Times, 4/22/2009)

FACT: Haim Saban financially supports Pelosi and the DNC through AIPAC. Pelosi said this week that “Haim Saban has been a friend of mine for many years… Many, many, many of Jane’s friends talked to me about her being named chair of the committee.” (Politico, 4/23/09) Last month, Saban held a cocktail reception and dinner for Pelosi and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at his home. (LA Times, 4/22/2009)

CONTESTED: Then-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales allegedly prevented the CIA director to hold off on making the wiretap information public to the House and initiating a formal FBI investigation since – get this – he allegedly wanted to return a favor to Harman for suppressing a NY Times article about warrant-less wiretapping on the eve of the 2004 election, and allegedly still needed Harman’s help defending the Bush administration’s warrant-less wiretapping policy (in blatant violation of the Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.) (NY Times, 4/24/09)

FACT: Alberto Gonzales stated he has no comment at this time. (Congressional Quarterly, 4/19/2009)

As Jon Stewart laments, the NY Times still printed the article, Harman didn’t get her coveted chairwoman status, the Israeli spies are still on trial, and Saban still donated to Pelosi. Not quite like NCIS, CSI, or any other of those twenty-plus cop programs on TV, but… this is your government. Not at work.

In other news, evidence is rapidly accumulating that have implicated James Biden and Hunter Biden, Joe’s brother and son, in a possible Madoff-Ponzi scheme. The facts are that the SEC has frozen the assets of hedge fund Ponte Negra Group LLC. Ponte Negra was marketed under Onyx Capital, which is owned by a hedge fund of funds, Paradigm Capital, where Hunter Biden was CEO. The Biden Boys were sued by Anthony Lotito of Ponte Negra Group, and James Biden gave a sworn affadavit. The relationships between Ponte Negra, Onyx, and Paradigm are entangled, but they all refer to the same office on the 17^th floor of 650 Fifth Avenue in New York City, and callers have reached voicemail boxes of all three companies. I highly recommend this well-documented synopsis from “Tyler Durden.”

The Bidens do not appear criminal at the moment, but the James Biden’s sworn affadavit from April 2007 reveals that:

• The Bidens were aware that funds under their control had less than 20% of the assets they publicly claimed they had.
• The Bidens were aware that the funds’ returns were misrepresented.
• The Bidens were aware that Ponte Negra’s fund manager had “an apparent substance abuse problem” and had not reported to work for years.

The kicker is that after becoming aware of these details, it appears the Bidens failed to complete due diligence after buying in, they let this hedge fund continue business for another 2 years until the SEC closed it down on April 27, 2009.

Somewhat ironically, their father and brother, Joe Biden made a big deal on the campaign trail last fall that he and his wife are the second poorest family in the Senate, earning “just” $2.5 million over the past 10 years and having a net worth no higher than $220,000. “I make a good salary, although I am listed as the second-poorest man in this Congress. I’m not proud of it. I’m not proud of it. But that’s what happens when you get elected when you’re 29 years old.” Well, hopefully the hedge fund trader branch of the family has done better!

I’d rather not dwell on the fact that I’ve begun quoting Soviet dissidents. I’ll leave you with two simple quotes from a couple Americans.

“Discussion in America means dissent.” – James Thurber (1894-1961)

Silence can be the equivalent of acquiescence. In a free and open society, dissidents should be welcomed, never feared, and their evidence coldly subjected to the discerning blaze of truth itself.

“Silence is violence.” – song by Aimee Allen.

Indeed, sometimes this is true as well, the worst possible consequence for inaction. All actions – including inaction – have consequences. Such is life.

Like the pre-programmed robots we’ve all become, we’ll celebrate this as a welcome and much-needed change from the reviled Bush-Cheney administration. A step in the right direction, we might even say.

In addition, the Pope of Hope has promised not to torture. Our society is so fuckin’ corrupt that a US president can announce—without shame—a purported plan to say no to committing crimes against humanity. Of course, we view this as “normal” and we foolishly believe him and even praise him.

Obama’s blood brother, Dick Cheney, happily plays his pre-ordained role in this passion play by going on national television and declaring that our (sic) president’s vague pledge to possibly adhere to accepted international law—a pledge more honored in the breach—is making the US less safe.

The pundit patrol gleefully spins into action. You see, what passes for intelligence and insight in America typically involves being handsomely paid to put on a suit and go on TV to debate whether its Obama or his Dick that’s got it right.

This is mental illness in plain view—unabashed, unfettered lunacy not even trying to masquerade as sanity. If we woke up, it would take perhaps 3-5 seconds to recognize this: Obama is a heinous criminal. Cheney is a heinous criminal. The same can be said for the volunteer soldiers and all those who give the orders; the law enforcement types and all those who give the orders; the judges; the professional liars who stock the media ranks; and, of course, all the humans that comprise the power structure of Corporate America.

Since we habitually choose denial instead of rebellion, our willingness to play along at home by, for example, analyzing the subtle nuances that differentiate Obama from his Dick makes us heinous criminals, too. When things are as bad as they are now, there’s more than enough guilt to go around.

Just about everything about US and global culture (e.g. raping the environment, the propaganda machine, avaricious materialism, insatiable military conquest, sexism, homophobia, racism, patriarchy, etc.) adds up to death and destruction. Yet we—the species with the allegedly superior cognitive skills—opt to spend our time getting worked up over Obama debating his Dick.

Joe votes Republican. Joann votes Democrat. Nothing changes.

Jane human loves Sean Hannity. John adores Jon Stewart. The planet remains in peril.

Joann and John think Obama’s plan is the cat’s meow. Joe and Jane agree with Dick. Big picture: It makes no difference at all.

Whatever side we choose in these fabricated conflicts, human society maintains its steady, relentless path toward mass homicide/suicide. If we ever decide to look up from our text screens and video games, we might actually catch the last act.

Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, Mickey Z. can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.

The GOP says they are against the Stimulus plan because it has too much pork in it. Remember those Stimulus plans approved by the Republicans when Bush was still in? Up around $2 Trillion and nobody knows where it went? And Paulsen, who was appointed by Bush, says he ain’t telling.

It would appear that the Republicans are hoping the public forgets the Bush record over the last eight years. But I’m going to remind you of it right now.

During the eight years of Bush the Long-term liabilities (that’s deferred debt) of the United States increased approximately $50 Trillion. And the Annual (short term) debt usually referred to as the National Debt increased about $7 Trillion during those eight years. And then there is the matter of the Stimulus passed by the Bush bunch that I just mentioned above, that will ultimately amount to about $3 Trillion.

Those three things bring together total to about $60 trillion. In a comment on one of the blogs last week I noted that 60 trillion is 60,000 Billion, or to put it in perspective if you had that amount to spend, and you began to spend 8 million dollars a day beginning with the day Jesus Christ was born, and you continued to spend that 8 million each day until today, you would have about 2,000 Billion left to spend, or about 170% of what Obama is proposing to spend in all of his Stimulus bills. Now all that happened during the Bush eight years. But that’s just the money.

There’s the approval of torture, spying on you and me, starting wars to profit special interests instead of to protect the country, getting rid of Habeas Corpus, paying of reporters to propagandize (bet you forgot that one already), secret prisons, renditions, lying to the citizens, and even all that doesn’t address the people killed ( over a million ) to appease the profit hungry blood suckers.

You know the NeoCons. And they sacrificed America’s world standing as the beacon of justice, honor, moral dealings, ethical behavior, etc, and ad-infinitum. And still, the GOP faithful support this sewer of an Administration.

For all those reasons above is why I call for the end of the GOP. They have surrendered the moral conscious needed to represent us. What they represented for the past eight years and, it appears, what they still represent is depraved governance. I do not and will not stand for such. I ask all moral people to join my protest and never again vote for a Republican Candidate for office.

All parties that survive the Republican demise will get the message.