[Ugnet] TONY BLAIR -REINVENTING A WAR CRIMINAL
Reinventing A War Criminal By Stephen Lendman 7-3-7 Britain's most despised and discredited man ended his 10 year reign June 27 when he stepped down from office transferring his ruling Labor Party's leadership to successor Gordon Brown. He had no choice because of seething public displeasure over his allying with George Bush's illegal wars on Iraq and Afghanistan. Most Brits oppose them, yet the vast majority of Labor and Conservative MPs, including new prime minister Gordon Brown, supported them early on, now may have second thoughts, but are constrained by close relations with Washington making them reluctant to back down from what they once disingenuously trumpeted as a noble cause. That's an open question, however, the London Guardian's Jonathan Steele posed and answered June 29 if Mr. Brown was listening. Steele's message to The new man in No 10 is seize the daybreak with Bush nowsignal a fresh start by taking Britain out of Iraq. Don't bet on it. Steele says Brown is a committed Atlanticist. He's likely weighing the proper way to begin engaging his US ally. Steele tells him how, pointing to other loyal NATO members as examples. France and Germany sent no forces to Iraq, and Italy, Spain and the Netherlands withdrew theirs. It caused no rupture in relations with Washington for any of them after some name calling at first. Why not Britain now? Steele stresses how refreshing a policy change at No 10 would be after the subservient Blair years. Tony Blair began his tenure May 2, 1997 with a formidable approval rating as high at times as 90% but ended it in the mid-20% range or lower. The same is likely for George Bush already at 26% in the latest Newsweek poll suggesting it's even lower than that. Immediately post-9/11, he was compared to Lincoln, FDR and Churchill combined. It was laughable then and seems ludicrous now for a hated man barely hanging on and trying to avoid what growing numbers in the country demand - his removal from office by impeachment along with Vice-President Cheney. The feeling of many in Britain is that by allying with George Bush, Mr. Blair left a legacy of dashed hopes and big disappointments, of so much promised and so little delivered. That's in spite of helping advance the Northern Ireland peace process, begun before he took office, and that leaders in Ireland had lots more to do with than him. Just hours after standing down, the announcement everyone knew in advance came, surprising no one but angering most. Referring to the so-called Quartet, the BBC reported June 27: Tony Blair is to become a Middle East envoy working on behalf of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU. The London Guardian called him the Quartet's fifth horseman, an appointment that beggars belief. In his new capacity, he'll replace former World Bank president James Wolfensohn who resigned last year for lack of progress he never had a chance to achieve in the first place. Neither will Mr. Blair, nor will he try to, as Alvaro de Soto, former UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and envoy to the Quartet, explained in his leaked End of Mission Report. It noted Wolfensohn was originally to cover the entire peace process, but what emerged for him was a narrowly constricted role. De Soto said he was highjackedby US envoys and (Secretary Condoleezza) Rice. As a result, Wolfensohn stepped down from his job in April, 2006 with a more jaundiced view of Israel (and US) policies than he had upon entering. Based on his sordid war criminal record post-9/11, Tony Blair won't likely have the qualms that got James Wolfensohn to resign his job. He's taking it to reinvent himself, but that's no more likely than convincing carnivores to become vegetarians. He'll first visit Ramallah in the West Bank, showing up as a Trojan horse fooling no one about what's behind his slick-tongued hypocrisy. In its effort to obscure more than enlighten, BBC omitted this explanation and could barely go beyond saying Mr. Blair faces an uphill task to address Palestinian misgivings over his ties to Israel and the US. Left out as well were the reasons why. How can a war criminal reinvent himself as a peace envoy to the region he waged war against and have any credibility or hope of achieving anything. Further, how could he do it when his brief is quite opposite public pronouncements about it. Under the false mantle of peacemaker, he's Washington's man and the West's envoy to Israel. His job is to continue six decades of ethnic cleansing war and repression against defenseless Palestinians, support open conflict doing it if necessary, ally with an illegitimate quisling Fatah government, and outrageously claim he's there seeking peace. Tony Blair is a war maker, not a peacemaker. He's a
[Ugnet] THE ROOTS OF OPTIMISM AND CONTRADICTIONS
Africa and Latin America Democracies with Content by Mukoma Ngugi Roots of Optimism and Contradictions The Berlin Wall is dismantled brick by brick in November of 1989. It becomes a symbol of freedom and new beginnings. A few months into 1990 the Soviet Union collapses and from its ruins a plethora of nations re-emerge or are newly formed. In Africa, Namibia wins its independence from an Apartheid government in retreat. In 1990, Nelson Mandela is released and in 1994 leads the ANC into victory. People form opposition political parties, take to the streets and engage in national strikes that make countries ungovernable. Dictators like Moi of Kenya have to make democratic concessions that overtime sees them out of office. The fear spawned by years of civilian and military dictatorships is gone. All is possible. In short, the 1990's become a time of hope. But in the euphoria two questions are left unanswered. The Cold War was between two Empires. What will the victor do with the spoils of war? And if Communism was an answer to a problematic capitalism, what happens when a vaccine fails to inoculate? For the first question a New World Order that projects a gentler and kinder US is declared into effect by George Bush Sr. And for the second question Capitalism as victor becomes capitalism as cure. The problem becomes the Welfare State, bloated bureaucracies, and corruption not capitalism. Enter the world of global capitalism and I.M.F. Structural Adjustment Programs whose mainstay is the privatization of government subsidized social programs. Free or government subsidized health, education and housing programs are privatized. For the world majority poor conditions remain stagnant or worsen. According to Globalpolicy.org, 3 billion people live on less than $2 per day while 1.3 billion get by on less than $1 per day. In Africa, a Human Development Report through the office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) indicates that close to half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population some 313 million people - survive on less than $1 day [and] poverty incidence today is roughly the same as in 1990. The report also states that it is in only in Sub-Africa where the number of infant mortality, a staggering 4.8 million each year, is on the rise. In here then is the problem which comes to a head first in Latin America and which in Africa is reaching a boiling point. On the one hand a Western democracy that promises checks and balances of the Executive Branch, Judiciary and Legislature but without the content that would make democracy meaningful. In effect the end result is a façade with the three pillars of democracy rising out of growing seas of poverty. Forgotten is that democracy is desirable only if it can deliver what it promises. For the poor freedom ought to bring with it better housing, health, education and the promise that one's children will have a better life. But in effect this democracy becomes one that preaches freedom while in real day to day living terms increases suffering. It is this contradiction that fuels the move toward the left in Latin America. People Power and Democracy with Content In Latin America this contradiction is best captured by fight for water. The attempt to privatize water, a natural resource that as far as most people are concerned falls free from the sky comes to symbolize the New World Order and the myth of a global village. If water rights can be sold off to the highest bidder and the village watering hole belong to a United Something Company, where it will stop? Take Bolivia for example. The Bechtel Corporation is granted a 40 year water right by the Hugo Banzer's government. Immediately Bechtel doubles the water rates for the already poor. The poor take to streets; the government meets their protests with riot police in which lives are lost. More protests and the government concedes defeat and the contract is cancelled. In Bolivia and other Latin American countries, people have learned that People Power (first used successfully in the Philippines against Ferdinand Marcos) can be a fourth pillar in the triad of the executive, legislature and judiciary. In fact, it can even change governments. Before Evo Morales, there is Hugo Chavez of Venezuela who with popular support in 1998 leads the Fifth Republic Party into power. In 2002, Néstor Carlos Kirchner in Argentina, following a devastating economic collapse, comes into power. In Chile, Michelle Bachelet, described as either a socialist or center-left in January, 2006 was elected. What unites all these leaders, in spite of a difference in ideologies and their own set of contradictions is a common platform that is opposed to the excesses of neo-liberal policies, global capitalism and dependency on the World Bank and IMF. And they are People Power leaders. Africa seems to be moving in the same
[Ugnet] *DHR* A WANDER IN RWANDA(By Jackie JURA)
(click on photo to enlarge) Sunday, May 27th to Saturday, June 8th, 2007 A WANDER IN RWANDA ~ by Jackie Jura ~ 1. ZOOMING INTO RWANDA 2. COZY COZY GUEST HOUSE 3. SOCCER BALL KIGALI 4. DEBORAH OF GISIMBA 5. WALKING TO KIGALI SCHOOL 6. KIGALI SHOPPING SHAMPOO 7. RWANDA BEDSIDE READING 8. KIGALI CHURCH MEMORIAL 9. ROADSIDE SOCCER BALL 10. CHURCH FUTURE DANCERS 11. RINGING OLD CHURCH BELL 12. MEETING MUSEUM MENTOR 13. RWANDA ROYAL PALACES 14. MOURNING IN MURAMBI 15. MURAMBI VIEW SOCCER BALL 16. NYUNGWE NILE MISSED MONKEYS 17. HILLYWOOD RWANDA 18. SOCCER BALL LIKE JFK .to be continued Jackie Jura ~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~ website: www.orwelltoday.com email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] email: Orwell Today [input] Sharangabo Rufagari Montreal http://www.rpfinkotanyi.org/?page=indirimbo RWANDA RAVE REVIEWS - Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail ___ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---
[Ugnet] Fw: Kabaka and Katikkiro to attend Ttabamiruka '07
- Forwarded Message From: Ssemakula [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Buganda Discussion [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, July 5, 2007 12:47:23 PM Subject: Kabaka and Katikkiro to attend Ttabamiruka '07 Sources in Kampla indicate that the Kabaka and the Katikkiro will lead a powerful delegation to the Ttabamiruka '07 Conference in New Jersey on August 31 to September 2, 2007. The official announcement will probably be forthcoming sometime in the next week or two at www.ttabamiruka.com. It is advisable for those intending to attend Ttabamiruka to register for Ttabamiruka and to make Hotel reservations as soon as possible This is because the organizers did not block off a lot of rooms at the New Brunswick Hyatt Regency Hotel, since they are planning for only about 300 people, and they don't appear to be inclined to increase the number for logistic reasons. Buli awulidde ategeeze munne. - Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate in the Yahoo! Answers Food Drink QA.___ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/ The above comments and data are owned by whoever posted them (including attachments if any). The List's Host is not responsible for them in any way. ---
