Where are the US riots?

While the Arab world seems to finally be waking up, the people of the US are still fast asleep.

Inspired by the Tunisian revolution against its dictatorial president and government, protestors in Egypt, Yemen, Algeria, Jordan and Albania have taken to the streets, and up to 4 Moroccans have set themselves on fire. Reports are even coming in of an Egyptian stock market crash.

One just has to look at what the majority of people have been demonstrating against in these countries to wonder why these revolutions haven't yet hit the US: chronic unemployment and government corruption, something in abundance in the US.


I person in 7 - that's 15% of the population, or 45 million Americans - are poor according to Associated Press. There are well over 15 million officially unemployed. But the US considers the labour force the number of people employed plus the number unemployed but seeking work, while it considers the non-labour force tincludes those who are not looking for work, those who are institutionalised (eg prison) and those serving in the military. And its the shrinking numbers of the actual labour force that keeps the unemployment rate from going through the roof.

One must ask if they're brain dead too, as one wonders why they aren't all out in the streets...

Amnesty International: Inhumane Treatment of WikiLeaks Soldier Bradley Manning

Amnesty International has finally written a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates objecting to the conditions of Bradley Manning's detention:
Inhumane Treatment of WikiLeaks Soldier Bradley Manning | Human Rights Now - Amnesty International USA Blog

Both Glenn Greenwald and Prof. Juan Cole both have pieces on this:

Glenn Greenwald: "America's treatment of detainees"

Prof. Juan Cole: "Bradley Manning and Mohamed Bouazizi"

But why haven't they declared him to be a Prisoner of Conscience?

The UK's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, covering up crimes against peace.

The UK's most senior civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, is covering up crimes against peace. According to the Guardian:

"Britain's top civil servant, Sir Gus O'Donnell, is preventing the official inquiry into the Iraq invasion from publishing notes sent by Tony Blair to George W Bush - evidence described by the inquiry as of "central importance" in establishing the circumstances that led to war.

O'Donnell, the cabinet secretary, consulted Blair before suppressing the documents, it emerged tonight."

What has the UK country become? How is it possible that in this day and age, unelected officials can have so much power? It's completely anti-democratic. Someone somewhere should take this man to court for covering up evidence of a crime.

Chilcott has written to this unelected, anti-democratic official at least 3 times and has received the same fobbing off each time: 'The Cabinet Office said: "There is an established convention covering papers of a previous administration whereby former ministers would normally be consulted before release of papers from their time in government."'

So what the Cabinet Office is really saying is that if Hitler had been British, it would have been impossible to release any papers without his consent, a full two fingers, basically telling the British electorate to fuck off.

It's high time that 'conventions' like this were made illegal by law. Or that there be a higher law that makes these conventions non-binding in cases of possible criminal conduct.

Somebody ought to have a serious word in O'Donnell's ear and tell him that if he doesn't release these papers it's off to the Hague with him. These fucking civil servants, they think they're so civilised yet they're nothing more than common criminals...

Kiko Veneno - La rama de barcelona (both versions)

Listen/watch Version 1 first then Version 2. Love it!

Kiko Veneno - La rama de barcelona (Version 1)



Kiko Veneno - La rama de barcelona (Version 2)

War and Hypocrisy

Respuesta a Felipe González en "Los Desayunos de TVE" con Ana Pastor

Hablando del Tea Party y la última matanza en EEUU, noto que el Sr. Gonzalez utilizaba los mismos términos que el 'establishment' estado-unidense. Que el autor de la matanza es un loco y que las palabras no matan... creo que este hombre debería quedarse callado ya que es mayor y no deja de hablar tonterías, vamos, que la edad no perdona ni al Sr. Gonzalez.

Nadie habla del terrorismo blanco como hacen en el portal de Michael Moore o en el excelente blog del Prof. Juan Cole. Y comentaristas como Krugman en el NYT apunta a una retórica eliminacionista (eliminationist rhetoric): las 'sugerencias que se debe eliminar los del otro lado del debate por cualquier medio necesario, retórica utilizado contra Julian Assange y por los descerebrados de la derecha de EEUU contra los Demócratas y que ha llevado a esta matanza.'

Como dice Juan Cole, este discurso es de hipócritas, ya que no se desestime de manera similar, obviamente, los musulmanes inestable quienes, como los llamados "patriotas" de la banda McVeigh, a veces se recurren a la violencia...De hecho, los chiflados musulmanes de derecha y los chiflados estadounidenses de derecha  están obsesionados por ansiedades similares, acerca de un gobierno poderoso en Washington.

Por otro lado quisiera felicitar a la Sra. Pastor por su vuelta al programa con las esperanzas de que sea tan contundente y combativa con otros como con el Sr Gonzalez - por ejemplo ya quejé sobre su entrevista  servil al colombiano Uribe.