Defending Democracy in Brazil

Social movements have rallied in Brasilia in favor of ousted President Dilma Rouseeff.

"We are organizing the resistance and we will continue to agitate against the coup-backing government of Michel Temer. He has no votes, he does not have popular support, rather, he is using maneuvers of the ruling classes together with US imperialism," said one angry citizen.

Convert the War Machine - Protect the Future Generations!

We had a planning meeting today in Bath for this important upcoming action.

Please join us if you can and help us demand that we deal with our real problem - climate change and growing income disparity - let's move the $4 billion that is wasted on each of these warships to help us deal with our coming harsh future.  We must think of the next seven generations!

Resistance to insanity is necessary when we have a government determined to promote endless war and corporate profits for the war machine.

Time to Fight for Life

Brazil Punished by Western Capitalists

The decision to oust Dilma Rousseff won't just rip Brazil apart politically, it will also threaten democracy and destabilize the region. Meanwhile, the U.S. stands to gain from the weakening of Dilma's leftist government.  

This is a tragic development and another indication that Washington continues to roll the dice like a riverboat gambler in its quest for global domination.  Brazil's particular crime of course was participation in the alternative global economic development system called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).  

So regime change is underway in Brazil and Washington's agenda includes the same in Moscow and Beijing which will be much more difficult to achieve.  Thus we see the expansion of NATO to encircle and provoke Russia and Obama's 'pivot' of 60% of US forces into the Asia-Pacific to surround China.

There is a war underway against any nation that dreams of an alternative global economic structure.  The western capitalist elites don't want to give up control and they are willing to go to any lengths to keep it. 

Forgotten Americans.....

 

In this corner of the Navajo Nation, just 100 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., an estimated 40 percent of residents don't have access to running water. Their savior is Darlene Arviso, born and raised on the Reservation, who drives her precious cargo - a tanker truck filled with water - to make monthly deliveries to 250 families. Lee Cowan reports.

U.S. Opens 'Missile Defense' Base in Romania, Breaks Ground on Another in Poland

 Reuters reports from Romania:

The United States' European missile defense shield goes live on Thursday almost a decade after Washington proposed protecting NATO from Iranian rockets and despite Russian warnings that the West is threatening the peace in central Europe.

Amid high Russia-West tension, U.S. and NATO officials will declare operational the shield at a remote air base in Deveselu, Romania, after years of planning, billions of dollars in investment and failed attempts to assuage Russian concerns that the shield could be used against Moscow.

The United States will also start construction on a second site in Poland on Friday that is due to be ready in 2018, giving NATO a permanent, round-the-clock shield in addition to radars and ships already in the Mediterranean.

Russia is incensed at such of show of force by its Cold War rival in formerly communist-ruled eastern Europe where it once held sway. Moscow says the U.S.-led alliance is trying to encircle it close to the strategically important Black Sea, home to a Russian naval fleet and where NATO is also considering increasing patrols.

The foreign ministry in Moscow, in comments on Russian news agencies, said Iran's missile program posed no threat to NATO states in Europe and called the U.S. move a mistake and a treaty violation that directly affected Russia's national security.

Despite U.S. assurances, the Kremlin says the missile shield's real aim is to neutralize Moscow's nuclear arsenal long enough for the United States to make a first strike on Russia in the event of war.

Turkey already hosts a U.S. radar and the Netherlands has equipped ships with radars. The United States also has four [Aegis] ships in Spain as part of the defenses, while all NATO nations are contributing funding.

"Ballistic missile defense sites could pose threats to the stability and strategic assets of the Russian Federation," Russia's ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, told Reuters last month.

Here we have one more example of US-NATO muscle flexing in Russia's backyard.  The claims by the US that these 'missile defense' (MD) deployments have nothing to do with Russia are lies.  Washington's claim that these deployments are aimed at Iran are a cynical joke.

When George W. Bush became president (by stealing the election) one of the first things he did was to pull the US out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Russia.  That treaty banned the testing and deployment of these MD systems because they are destabilizing!  MD gives one side the technology to launch a first-strike attack and then pick-off the retaliatory strikes that would follow.

It's really quite sad to see the Romanian people, who have long suffered, get bought off by the glad handing Pentagon who builds a school and a playground but make the village a prime target during a nuclear exchange.  I'm sure like most people the Romanians heard the words 'missile defense' and felt comforted.  They shouldn't be - they've just had their village hijacked by the world's largest terrorist organization as a offensive base close to the Russian border.

The American Indians said the white man from Washington always spoke with a forked tongue.  When the Soviet Union collapsed they were promised by Washington that NATO would not expand one centimeter toward Russia.  That promise has been repeatedly violated by a US cancerous military operation to dominate the globe.

Only Russia and China stand in the way of US 'full spectrum dominance'.  The MD bases in Romania and Poland are aggressive steps to change the equation and are further evidence that the US is willing to risk WW III in order to carry out its plan for corporate global control.

Russia Plays Positive Roll in Syria

 

The ceasefire in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo is holding, according to the Russian Monitoring Centre in the country. The truce, brokered by Washington and Moscow, has given some respite to the residents, with US Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledging Russia's role. RT's Eisa Ali reports.

Critics of U.S. 'Missile Defense' Radar Raided in Japan

 Statement on Police Raids in Osaka, Japan

Admit not unjust oppression. Protest sternly the false, unjust oppression by Security 3rd Section of Osaka Prefectural Police!

On May 2nd, Security 3rd Section of Osaka Prefectural Police made forced search at 16 venues simultaneously, offices, homes, etc, of those that take part in Kyoto/Kinki (West) Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station. The sites are widespread, 5 offices, 11 private houses. Though no arrests are confirmed as of now.

Osaka Pref Police says "2 suspects other than xx" and charge of "fraud" only, that absolutely groundless. Nothing at all is told by them what deeds make "fraud", who are "two others". Such forced searches are illegal whatever Osaka Police dares to say. Items they confiscated must be returned immediately. We reprimand thoroughly this naked unjust oppression and protest to allow never any further of it.

The oppression is well suspected to focus on the Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, following the unjust arrests/unjust oppression last June 4-5th on "charge of breaching the road transportation law". What it aims is to intimidate the movement, to divide local residents, we see. The movement to oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, anti-base action launched of late, has been fighting united with local residents,  joined by people of Kinki (West) and around Japan. It has been promoting no-base movements nationwide, that of Henoko, Okinawa, among others, as well as internationally with those in Korea. And All-out Local Meeting at Kyotango is to be on coming June 5th by the joint advocates.

Establishment of Japan is so afraid of the movements growing further to oppose US Army X-band Radar Station at Kyotango, the focal site of US Missile Defense System and the torch of military unification of Japan-US, that it chases to mash the no-base movements on its way also to deploy THAAD Missile in Japan. But the struggles of the council has left no room for the power to make any say, keeping non-violent direct activities. Osaka Police, seeing no way in this, took to the oppressions faking up "charges", as "breach of road transportation law" last year, and "fraud" this time. We are innocent, never admit the unjust oppression totally groundless. The oppression being just on the eve of G7 Summit in IseShimsa and items confiscated tell too this makes pre-oppression to the action protesting the Summit.

We, Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, those searched and all, organize now to fight back squarely and sternly. By peoples as many as possible, angered at the oppression, speaking out, standing up, the police shall not keep nor enlarge it any further.

We call anyone to attend the urgent Counter-Oppression Meeting May 12th. And gaining a big success of 6.5 KyoTango All-out Meeting with large turnout, let us go smash the dark scheme of Osaka Police. Let clearly no-base movements proceed that lead to the peaceful East Asia together.

May 5, 2016
Liaison Council of Kyoto to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station

Sick in Bed

I went to bed at 7:00 pm last night, could not even stand up.  Been in bed all day today, just made myself get up to take a quick look at emails.

I've been having cold spells and fever and my gut is a mess.  I don't know if I have the flu or food poisoning.

I'm supposed to fly to Toronto on Wednesday so am hoping for a quick recovery.

Update:  I went to the emergency room very early yesterday morning and spent seven hours there, taking two drip IV's because of my dehydration.  They did a CT scan and said I have an inflamed colon.  Must have picked up a wicked virus during my recent trip.  I got home from Ukraine on Friday night and this began kicking in on Sunday.   Likely back to doctor on Thursday.

Sunday Song

 

 

Moldova Next in Line for US-NATO Regime Change

Look at a world map and see where Moldova is located.....

U.S.-NATO Pirate Alliance Gone Fascist

• Made it home about 11 pm last night after a 22-hour trip.  Watched five good movies on the plane coming from Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.  Food was not so hot.  Although the food in Odessa was excellent.  

• Regis and I are very happy with the response our 10-minute video is getting on YouTube.  Already over 600 hits - people appear to be sharing it widely.  Got lots of emails from people complementing us on it.  Seems to be helping people understand the Ukrainian issue.  Glad to hear that.

• The pro-US Georgia Today media site is reporting:

NATO military alliance may look to bolster its ranks by signing a special partnership agreement with Georgia and Ukraine.

Alliance members are currently discussing the possibility of offering Tbilisi and Kiev a newly devised association status under a 28+2 format that would see Georgian and Ukrainian armed forces fully cooperate with NATO in the Black Sea region and along the two countries’ long militarized borders with Russia.

Any such offer would be a significant move by the alliance as it would formally integrate the two former Soviet republics’ militaries into the NATO command structure without granting them full membership status.

Both Georgia and Ukraine have publicly stated their intention to join NATO and the European Union in the coming years as part of their drive towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

• There can be no doubt that Washington and Brussels are rolling the dice and going after Moscow come hell or high water.  They are doing everything possible to encircle and provoke Russia at the same time.  Bringing Georgia and Ukraine into a NATO 'partnership' gives the western military bloc a 'legal' handle to justify a war with Russia if either of those nations are 'attacked' by Russia.

• In 2008 we saw then Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili (trained in the US at George Washington University) launch an attack on Russian speaking republics South Ossetia and Abkhazia along Russia's southern border.  Russia responded to the Georgian military strike against the people there by counter-attacking and pushing Georgian forces out of those two republics.  The fighting took place in the strategically important Transcaucasia region which borders the Middle East.

• I'll never forget watching the first US politician to arrive in Georgia after the 2008 shooting war subsided.  It was then Sen. Joe Biden who made that visit, just months before being selected as Obama's running mate. Biden came back slinging much anti-Russian rhetoric and most importantly threatened Russia with dire consequences if it did not do as instructed by Washington and Brussels.   Biden of course also led the effort in the Senate to send more weapons and US military 'trainers' to Georgia.  

• In the end Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was run out of that country and currently is a wanted man there for his corruption and crimes against the people.  Saakashvili was next brought to Ukraine and (surprise, surprise) appointed as Governor of Odessa.  It is my belief that since Washington was not able to pull off the theft of Crimea for a US Navy base, they want to be sure to hang onto Odessa which was once a Soviet Navy base.  Thus the repression of the Russian speaking population in Odessa to ensure that they are kept under wraps.  The pieces of the puzzle start to create a clear picture. 

Former Georgian President Saakashvili (a long-time US puppet) in his famous 'tie chewing' incident on TV.  He was recently given Ukrainian citizenship and appointed as the new Governor of Odessa in Ukraine.  Saakashvili can't go back to Georgia as he is wanted for crimes while in office.  Memorize his face and watch for trouble where ever this US agent goes.

• I am getting more worried by the day about US-NATO moves inside and around Russia.  The Washington-Brussels-London-Paris corporate axis is getting desperate to knock out Moscow ASAP and break Russia into smaller pieces so they can (1) Grab Russia's natural gas, the most on the planet (2) Control the long Russian border with the Arctic Sea as climate change melts the ice and makes it possible to drill-baby-drill up there (3) Stop the advance of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) alternative economic structure, thus the current moves to 'impeach' the elected left-wing government in Brazil on trumped up charges.  (4) Punish Russia for helping to stabilize the situation in Syria and for opposing other western 'regime changes' around the globe.
• Those of us in the United States are living under on a renegade pirate capitalist operation that is on steroids.  Standing on the corner with signs that say peace and love are not going to cut it anymore.  We are up against three-piece suit fascism and we'd better figure that out real fast.

Our Final Video from Odessa Before Heading Home

Regis Tremblay and I return back to Maine tomorrow after several days in Odessa, Ukraine. It's been a heart breaking trip to this beautiful city on the Black Sea. Sadly Ukraine is coming apart at the seams following the 2014 US sponsored coup d'état in Kiev that installed a puppet regime fully under the control of corporate interests.

 

Today Regis and I were able to go to the Trades Hall and we made this short video about the entire incident. I urge you to take a look at it and to share it widely with your contacts.

 

Many thanks.

 

Best Film Yet on Odessa Massacre

A film examining the arson attack on Odessa's Trade Unions House at the start of the civil war in Ukraine and the role played by ultranationalism, the police and politics in post-Soviet space.

It is the best film on the subject that I have yet seen. Several survivors of the massacre are interviewed.

By Ulrich Heyden & Marco Benson - produced by leftvision.de

My View from Ukraine

• We spent the day yesterday here in Odessa catching up with work and doing two interviews.  I posted one with Riley Waggaman and the other is still in process.  Today we hope to get back out on the street for some final filming before heading home tomorrow via Istanbul.

• The economy here in Ukraine is crashing.  Yesterday we got an up close and personal view of the new black market economy when we needed to get across town for a meeting.  One of our hosts just stuck out his hand like he was hailing a taxi except ordinary citizens stop and consider if they want to take on transporting us for a small fee - basically $2.  This appears to be a popular way people pick up some extra cash.  In our case the driver had one person already in the car and while driving us back to our hotel he picked up another person. 

• The deal the US and Europe offered Ukraine was if it went forward with the 2014 coup d'etat then they would be given preferential treatment to be included into the European economic market.  The kicker though was they had to first reject economic relations with their neighbor Russia.  But Europe has not come through with their part of the deal and now Ukraine has rejected Russia and even gone to war with her via the attacks on the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.  Now of course the western corporate elites will come into Ukraine to 'save them' and buy up all national assets for practically nothing.  So Ukraine is being hollowed out and the western goal to create chaos along the Russian border is well underway.

• The Wall Street Journal has reported that NATO is preparing to deploy four battalions -- approximately 4,000 troops -- to Russia's border. The US claims this in response to Russian military exercises near the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.  Here is Washington's logic: Russian military exercises inside their own country are "extraordinarily provocative" but somehow stationing thousands of US and NATO troops along the border with Russia is not at all provocative.  Spiegel (a German weekly news magazine), citing German government sources, writes that Washington is speaking of the necessity of “shunning” Russia and emphasizing the active participation of Germany in the planned deployment of NATO units in the rotations near the Russian border.  Inside Germany there is not consensus on the plan for increased poking of the hornets nest near Russia.  Many German business interests want the sanctions against Russia lifted as they have hugely impacted commerce between the countries - same for France and several other European nations.  Talk about stirring up old wounds - the Russians lost 25 million people when Hitler invaded the former Soviet Union.......US-NATO are playing with fire and contemporary Germany would be wise to show some restraint.

• The sad point though is that Europe continues following the US over the cliff.  The US sponsored wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria have unleashed the massive refugee crisis that is now overwhelming Europe.  You'd think after awhile that European leadership would wise up and stop turning over their national sovereignty to Washington. I suppose that the US has installed neo-con puppets in 'old' European capitals just as they have in most of the former Soviet bloc capitals of eastern 'new' Europe. 

• How much shit is Russia supposed to eat anyway?  How many times can you kick Moscow in the teeth and expect it not to react.  This is the essential US-NATO strategy today.  Continue blasting Putin as the new Hitler in the western media.  Destroy Ukraine - destabilize Moldova and other countries on or near the Russian border.  Force Russia to react and then demonize Putin again and again.  Eventually the rubber band snaps and the hot war begins.  The US wants regime change in Moscow but how did such a venture go in Iraq or Libya?  If the US-NATO can't handle Iraq how can they dream of taking on Russia? 

• This is the view from Ukraine as I sit here in Odessa.  Most Americans have no clue and few would give a damn.  Even some in the 'peace movement' think I've gone over to the other side and have been 'Putinized'.  My view though is that even many so-called peaceniks in the west have swallowed western media propaganda hook, line, and sinker. All I can say at this point is put your ear to the railroad tracks and hear the train coming.....

Demanding Justice in Odessa

Regis Tremblay and I this morning interviewed  Riley Waggaman, an American journalist living in Moscow.  Riley came to Odessa for the May 2 memorial and gives an eye-opening view of Russia, Putin, and the Russian people.

Taking Action

 

Disobedience is a new film about a new phase of the climate movement: courageous action that is being taken on the front lines of the climate crisis on every continent, led by regular people fed up with the power and pollution of the fossil fuel industry.

Daniel Berrigan, Presente!

Testimony from an Eye Witness in Odessa

Alexander Todovov shares his thoughts from May 2, 2014 when three of his close friends were killed inside the Trades Union Hall in Odessa, Ukraine.

Alexander is a lawyer and a journalist and is quite eloquent as he describes the "scary movie" experience on that fateful day when neo-Nazis killed more than 50 people inside the hall.

On that occasion local activists were gathering petition signatures on the Kulikovo Square that fronts the Trades Hall seeking a local referendum supporting local autonomy for the people after the US created coup d'etat in Kiev.  When they were attacked by a huge horde of Nazi activists they ran inside the hall.  

The Nazis then began throwing Molotov cocktails at the hall which quickly caught fire.  As the smoke made it impossible to breathe inside the building people climbed onto the window ledges but were shot at by Nazis on the ground.  Some jumped down and were beaten to death with bats.  Many died inside the hall from smoke inhalation and burns.  Only a few safely escaped that day.

(Above video by Regis Tremblay)

Standing with the Mothers in Odessa

Many feared that there would be more violence in Odessa, Ukraine yesterday similar to what took well over 50 lives on May 2, 2014.  But in fact the day was peaceful when up to 10,000 people gathered near the Trades Union Hall to place flowers and stand with the Mothers Committee in a make shift memorial. The public was blocked from having direct contact with the Trades Hall by huge numbers of local police, national security services and fully armed neo-Nazi Azov battalion members who have been incorporated into the newly formed 'National Guard' in Ukraine (equipped and trained by US Special Forces troops at a base in western Ukraine).

The morning began with a surprise outside our hotel window when we noticed that six buses full of Army personnel were using the spot as a staging area for the day's events.  After breakfast we joined a group of international alternative media people who were taken on a walk through this beautiful city to a park where another right-wing group Right Sector (Pravy Sector) was holding a small protest.  They chanted some of their usual nationalist slogans but were nearly out numbered by the media people filming their every move.

I was taken by the feeling that the public seemed to be going about their normal Monday activities on this sunny but breezy day almost as if nothing was happening in a nearby part of town.

We next walked to the Trades Union Hall and as we approached I was overwhelmed by the huge numbers of people holding flowers heading toward the now sacred site.  But we couldn't actually get onto what is known as Kulikovo Square that fronts the Trades Hall.  The entire area was sealed off and behind the plastic crime scene string of red tape were heavily armed Azov battalion members.  The irony is that the neo-Nazis were now guarding the very grounds were those of their political ideology had committed the unpunished crimes of May 2, 2014.  The people, including the mothers of the dead, were not allowed to lay their flowers at the scene of the crime.

Instead what turned out to be several thousand people crowded into a tight space with the Trades Hall looming just a couple hundreds yards away - close but ever so far away.  The people were solemn and Regis Tremblay and I took the time to do some interviews with various people we met in the crowd including one man named Alexander who told the story of being at the Trades Hall on May 2 while three of his friends were killed.  Two died from smoke inhalation inside the burning building and one, who jumped from a first-floor window, was beaten to death with bats by neo-Nazis who had set the building on fire and were picking people off as they tried to escape.

We were taken back to the hotel for an amazing lunch.  Just before entering the banquet room a gaggle of what appeared to be politicians came up the stairs to the second floor and made a grand entrance.  We learned they were EU politicians who proceeded to go around the room and shake everyone's hand.  They didn't appear to be very interested in speaking to any of us and once we entered the luncheon we noticed one large empty table that had apparently been reserved for the EU group.  But, we later learned, they didn't want to be too closely associated with all of us - maybe they featured they might piss off the US government.

Several from the Mothers Committee rose in turn and made a toast in memory of those who were killed during the May 2 massacre.  After each would finish speaking everyone rose from the dining tables with their wine glass in hand.  The food was beyond belief, more than we could ever dream of eating, and before we were able to finish the meal we were given a five minute warning that we were going to return to Kulikovo Square in hopes that we might now be able to actually reach the Trades Hall.  

We quickly boarded a bus parked just outside the hotel and drove the short distance toward the Square.  Police had blocked roads all around but one of the mothers jumped off the bus and ran across the street and began demanding that the bus full of grieving women be allowed to pass.  At last the police agreed and as the bus approached the Square we saw out the right side windows a group of chanting Nazis who, when they realized who was on the bus, threw something that hit a window.  Once we arrived at the Square and got off the bus we found another mass of people lined up and they created a path between them that the mothers passed thru with the international guests following closely behind.

As we passed thru this line I saw people weeping and they began chanting and we soon came upon a make shift alter full of flowers and candles.  The now famous Trades Hall loomed in the near background. A banner was held up with the photos of those killed and various mothers were handed the microphone to share some words.  One woman's emotion struck me deeply and I recognized the words 'fascist' and at the end 'nyet, nyet, nyet'.  They released a bunch of white doves that flew towards the hall and then black balloons were set off into the clear blue sky.

Not long after this a couple of Nazis tried to pick a fight with some police but otherwise they were kept at a distance from the mourning crowds.  I learned that organizers believe that throughout the day about 10,000 people had come to the Square.  The original hope was that at least 3,000 would come.  The government worked hard in advance to scare the public away from the event.  Just days before photos were widely spread of military vehicles parked directly in front of the Trades Hall bearing a Nazi insignia used by the Azov battalion.  Rather than frighten people this heavy handed tactic likely only made the public even more determined to come to the sight of this unpunished crime.

We were actually astounded that the three of us from the US (Phil Wilayto, Regis Tremblay and myself) were ever allowed to enter Ukraine.  Four people from France, two from Germany and 10 EU parliament members were denied entry to Ukraine in recent days.  Yesterday in the huge crowds we saw people holding signs saying they came from Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Israel - in all we heard that people came from more than a dozen countries.

At 10:00 am yesterday four of the key leaders of the Mothers Committee were ordered to report to the local offices of the SBU (Security Services) where they were detained until just after 9:00 pm.  The goal of the government was to destroy the May 2 events planned by the families of the victims.  But others from the group stepped into the breach and did their best to organize a powerful event on the fly.  And they surely achieved their goal.  

It is now up to the rest of us to step up and show our support for the May 2 Mothers Committee.  One thing we all can do is sign and share their petition calling for an independent investigation of the crimes at the Trades Union Hall.  You can find it here 

Having spent the last two years following the illegal and immoral US-NATO war on the people in eastern Ukraine it has been an enormous honor to be here in Odessa.  I will continue to do everything I can to help build resistance to what I consider to be the cynical creation of chaos inside Ukraine as a way to draw Russia into a war with the US and NATO.  Being here and feeling the heartfelt pleas from the Mothers Committee makes me more determined than ever.

(Above video by Regis Tremblay)