Avatar From Someone Who Knows

Interestingly Avatar is extremely popular outside the US, seems they are enjoying the film’s right-to-resist action which some US reviewers sort of ignore…oddly (a Tweet from Ali Abunimah today- Going west to east from Palestine to Afghanistan, every other country is occupied by US or Israel. All in between except Iran are puppets). A review of Avatar from someone who daily fights actual fascists, imperialists, corporations and racists (so drop the liberal hand wringing) most of whom get some funding from the US government-

Evo Morales, Bolivia’s socialist president, said the blockbuster movie Avatar was an inspiration in the fight against capitalism and efforts to protect the environment, Latin American media reported on Tuesday. James Cameron’s 3D blockbuster is the story of a man sent to infiltrate an alien race – tall blue creatures inhabiting Pandora – who are in conflict with humans, who want to seize their planet’s resources.

The movie, featuring lavish special effects, has reportedly made more than $1.1 billion at the box office worldwide and is likely to become the biggest grossing film in history. “There is a lot of fiction in the movie, but at the same time it makes a perfect model for the struggle against capitalism and efforts to protect nature,” Morales said, according to regional media. Morales has said he wants the Bolivian revolution to be promoted in Africa to help the continent shed the “imperialistic manacles” and nationalize its natural resources. The UN General Assembly last year declared Morales a “World Hero of Mother Earth” for his efforts to protect the environment.

Morales, 50, watched the movie on Sunday with his 15-year-old daughter. It was just his third visit to a movie theater. He said the film impressed him and he shares many of its messages. (Ht’s2 Otto & El Duderino)

And as ever-

Bolivian President Evo Morales’ 10 commandments to save the planet, life and humanity:

1-Acabar con el sistema capitalista/Stopping the capitalist system

2-Renunciar a las guerras/Renouncing wars

3-Un mundo sin imperialismo ni colonialismo/A world without imperialism or colonialism

4-Derecho al agua/Right to water

5-Desarrollo de energías limpias/Development of clean energies

6-Respeto a la madre tierra/Respect for Mother Earth

7-Servicios básicos como derechos humanos/Basic services as human rights

8-Combatir las desigualdades/Fighting inequalities

9-Promover la diversidad de culturas y economías/Promoting diversity of cultures and economies

10-Vivir bien, no vivir mejor a costa del otro/Living well, not living better at the expense of others

First:  a call to end the capitalist system.  The capitalist system was inhuman and encouraged unbridled economic development.  The exploitation of human beings and pillaging of natural resources must end, as should wars aimed at securing access to those resources.  Also, the world should end the plundering of fossil fuels; excessive consumption of goods; the accumulation of waste; as well as the egoism, regionalism and thirst for earning where the pursuit of luxury was taking place at the expense of human beings.  Countries of the south were heaped with external debt, when it was the ecological debt that needed paying.

Second, the world should denounce war, which brought advantage to a small few, he said.  In that vein, it was time to end occupation under the pretext of “combating drugs”, such as in South America, as well as other pretexts such as searching for weapons of mass destruction.  Money earmarked for war should be channeled to make reparations for damage caused to the Earth.

Stereotyped Conspiracy Myths & Their Uses

Many are attracted to the relaxing & fashionable casual attire while playing with a large horn.

After my comment I thought it best to expand based on a personal story-

It began innocently enough, a small slice of emmental in the corner of the fridge, who could object to some tasty fermented dairy product (well ok vegans but nevermind). Then an old cuckoo clock from an elderly relative found its way onto my wall, fair enough we all need to tell the time. For practical matters a multi-bladed penknife multi-tool is ideal so no objections were raised when the handy pocket implement made an appearance. Then needing to launder some proceeds from drug smuggling, child pornography and arms sales, a secret and private bank account was called for, a solution presented itself. Soon the profits and my tax avoidance allowed for overpriced skiing holidays and yodelling lessons, it all seemed so innocent. I even found myself particularly enjoying the finale of the Sound of Music. But then an offhanded cryptic comment from an acquaintance as he made to leave for his Nazi gold appreciation society- Had I ever thought of the of joining the Swiss Caliphate? What did he mean? Puzzled, that night I lay awake tossing and turning (stop that), then with a dawning realisation the horror crept throuhg my whole body. I dropped the executive model penknife with scissors I was idly trimming my fingernails with, rushed to the fridge and yes, there was the sliver of emmental balefully glaring back at me, but by now it was joined by half a kilo of gruyère, some raclette and a slab of appenzeller. Tripping over my skis I yodelled in surprise as my head hit the floor only regaining consciousness with the mechanical cuckoo-ing of the clock, checking the time by my Swatch, yes, it was accurate. Yet the nightmare I had awakened to continued, I ran to the computer, searched for help and eureka, a solution was at hand, like garlic and stakes to a vampire the menace of the Swiss could be counteracted with minarets. I telephoned my local Islamic architect and set the plans in motion and before long a low minaret of a Tatar aspect filled most of my flat, I was safe. So dear reader I urge you to be vigilant, the Swiss will not rest until they control the planet, keep a minaret at hand at all times and foreswear the over hyped cheese, over priced watches and crime enabling banking.

I can only hope our government informs the populace of this menace and a referendum is held to allow such important factual matters to be addressed. It is the only sane and informed thing to do and not at all pandering to reactionary fantasies constructed to facilitate further bigoted oppression…or anything.

Old Spill

Police officers are now routinely arresting people in order to add their DNA sample to the national police database, an inquiry will allege tomorrow. The review of the national DNA database by the government’s human genetics commission also raises the possibility that the DNA profiles of three-quarters of young black males, aged 18 to 35, are now on the database. The human genetics commission report, Nothing to hide, nothing to fear?, says the national DNA database for England and Wales is already the largest in the world, at 5 million profiles and growing, yet has no clear statutory basis or independent oversight.

What They Said

From Mondoweiss– The situation, in a nutshell

Anna Baltzer, Author, And Haithem El-Zabri, Founder Of The Palestine Online Store. Austin, Tx, November 2008

9 Out of 5,000

Scotland Yard faced calls for an “ethical audit” of all officers in its controversial riot squad tonight after figures revealed that they had received more than 5,000 complaint allegations, mostly for “oppressive behaviour”. Details of all allegations lodged against the Metropolitan police territorial support group (TSG) over the last four years reveal that only nine – less than 0.18% – were “substantiated” after an investigation by the force’s complaints department. (ht2 Harpymarx)

The TSG (who killed Ian Tomlinson) were what the SPG became (the group who murdered Blair Peach) and clearly they have absolute support from the Met who work to keep them utterly above the law, this sketch is 30 years old yet again I post it because…nothing has changed

And please read on to see how the Met protected serial torturer and racist (and former Royal Marine, attempt to be surprised) Mark Jones even when another officer acted as whistleblower (noticeably the jury chose to believe Jones rather than Pc Amechi Onwugbonu) to the assault on several teenagers, one of whom Jones called an ‘Arab cunt‘.

Predictable

Apparently people are still confused that war involves murder and insanity. Luckily morons, racist and imperialists can hang their denial on ideas of tribal loyalty because -their- god forbid they realise that if this is what a professional dealing with combat trauma does, then the ongoing wars in service of the ruling class’s ambitions might be seen for the civilisation destroying cancer they are. Of course it might be unkind to note that the death rate for civilians in this action were considerably less then the military ever manage while on official operations. And the horror of misapplied geography, if he had expressed his homicidal feelings while in theatres of combat on men, women & children unfortunate enough to be living in a country our governments caused to be invaded he would be doing his duty. That he saw his colleagues as targets and not Afghans & Iraqis is a failure of propaganda, military healthcare and a symptom of institutional racism in imperial forces. Hasan clearly was a stupid and venal man, he chose to volunteer his labour for an enterprise he knew to be wrong and allowed it to destroy him and in turn others. Did he target, in a deranged vengeance, those he knew or suspected of murdering civilians overseas? He was in a position to have knowledge of such things. Certainly few would dare sugest such a thing as this is our side and the von Stauffenbergs and Inglourious Basterds are heroes real and imagined when they kill ‘them’ and our tribe could never be evil like ‘them’. So the soldiers are victims and the killer is a totem for everything the warfare state wants to project onto him. Rather they are all victims, just as any nation is that is stuck with a voracious, privileged and entitled imperial ruling class on the make, that has taught its numbed disenfranchised citizens to eulogise the strengths of its military and corporations. And a workplace shooting that screams a direct connection to the violence at the heart of a culture of imperialism will be seen as anything but, in fact will be used to justify even more killing. And the wars grind on, anointed with a peace prize.

Early Pilot For BBC’s Treatment Of The BNP

Under Mark Thompson (now there’s a mental image to run screaming from), BBC history repeats itself, first as satire then as policy. Hmmmmm.

Meanwhile, oh no, more leaks than a sieve and while this is a bit underhand… I mean really if you are ashamed of being a hateful nazi then…d’you think that might be telling you something? I would recommend this for the reality of what the BNP contributes to (the BBC giveth and it taketh away).

Prevent=Stasi

The government and police have repeatedly denied that the £140m programme is a cover for spying on Muslims in Britain. But sources directly involved in running Prevent schemes say it involves gathering intelligence about the thoughts and beliefs of Muslims who are not involved in criminal activity.

Read the rest, and look how the Quilliam Foundation earns its keep. (ht2 Dave)

Hollywood & Progressive Except for Palestine

I have been following the brouhaha over the Toronto film festival and its part in promoting Brand Israel, it is notable that opponents of the Toronto declaration misrepresent what it says and attack it with strawmen arguments. It is doubly disappointing that a raft of Hollywood notables then signed up to protest the protest, again repeating the fictional claim of a blacklist. It is a triumph of marketing and an abject failure of those signing the protest against protest to engage with the actual Toronto Declaration and not its fictionalised bogeyman. One could play similar games (although with arguably more credibility), one could say the celebrities protesting the protest are supporting apartheid, that historically this makes them similar to those who supported the apartheid regime of South Africa and ensured Nelson Mandela remained imprisoned. It’s not really helpful to go for that kind of hyperbole even though what I have just written is more truthful that the pro-Israel PR attack on the Toronto Declaration. That is why it is disappointing when clearly intelligent and talented creative people lend their support to an effort to sink the debate to that disingenuous level. The reason for lowering the issues to fictional mud slinging is because in the sharp light of day it is evident Israel enacts polices more extreme than the Bush/Cheney reign and the Toronto Film Festival worked with the Israeli government to put a shiny spin on it. As for issues of career in lining up to sign the protest against the protest, well we all make our choices and have to live with them, I’m sure readily available drugs help with that, as ever.

The world is shifting and unthinking US elite support of the Israeli regime is making them a laughing stock and for some a pariah. It is perhaps predictable for an empire entering its bloody decline that its corporate mass media is also similarly uninformed and irrelevant to global citizens. No wonder a film about evolution was not bought for the US market. (But hey I’m not proud, I’m thinking instead … Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens in Adam & Eve- Creation Musical! That’s all kinds of retarded Awesome-all the way to the bank! Or Miley Cyrus & Seth Rogen in Samson & Delilah, Smackdown!)

NB. Some of those signing the blacklist advertisement are conservatives, so I expect little of them as they have their own problems, it is the notionally progressive signers who are bewildering in their (wilful?) blind spot when it comes to Israeli policies, human rights and Palestine. It is also noticeable that the signers of the Toronto Declaration are more diverse and less wealthy than the signers of the ‘We don’t need another blacklist’ advertisement, so it goes.

Anti-Miscegenation Redux Israel Style

Mondoweiss–

The great Israeli blogs Promised Land and Dimi’s Notes report that the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva has established a patrol unit to break up dates between Palestinians and Jews.

“A special team in the youth department of the Petah Tikva municipality will locate [Jewish – DR] girls in the habit of meeting with men from minorities and will assist them.”

UK Approves International Certificate of Christian Education

While the temptation is to laugh, if this further confirmation of Bush’s biblical reasons for slaughtering the people of Iraq is true the consequences of these fundie cretins brainwashing their children are terrible indeed-

Exams for which pupils are expected to believe that the Loch Ness monster disproves evolution have been deemed equivalent to international A-levels by a UK government agency.

Are dinosaurs alive today? Scientists are becoming more convinced of their existence.Have you heard of the ‘Loch Ness Monster’ in Scotland? ‘Nessie,’ for short has been recorded on sonar from a small submarine, described by eyewitnesses, and photographed by others. Nessie appears to be a plesiosaur.

Could a fish have developed into a dinosaur? As astonishing as it may seem, many evolutionists theorize that fish evolved into amphibians and amphibians into reptiles. This gradual change from fish to reptiles has no scientific basis. No transitional fossils have been or ever will be discovered because God created each type of fish, amphibian, and reptile as separate, unique animals. Any similarities that exist among them are due to the fact that one Master Craftsmen fashioned them all.”

Extract from Biology 1099, Accelerated Christian Education Inc. (1995).

Exams for an Evangelical Christian curriculum in which pupils have been taught that the Loch Ness monster disproves evolution and racial segregation is beneficial have been ruled equivalent to international A- levels by a UK government agency.

The National Recognition Information Centre (Naric), which guides universities and employers on the validity of different qualifications, has judged the International Certificate of Christian Education (ICCE) officially comparable to qualifications offered by the Cambridge International exam board.

Hundreds of teenagers at around 50 private Christian schools in Britain study for the certificates, as well as several home-educated students.

The courses are based around the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme, which originated in Texas in the 1970s. Pupils study a range of subjects, including science and English, but spend half their studies learning from Bible-influenced US textbooks, often in isolation from each other, Jonny Scaramanga, a music lecturer who attended an ACE school in Bath as a child, said he was astonished the courses were judged comparable to international A-levels and O-levels.

In a complaint to Naric, he provided examples of the material taught on the courses. These included claims in its science and history textbooks that:

• the Loch Ness monster, which “appears to be a plesiosaur” from photographs, helps to disprove evolution;
• apartheid was beneficial to South Africa; reasons include the claim that segregated schools “made it possible for each group to maintain and pass on their culture and heritage to their children”;
• “unquestionable proofs” and “unarguable evidences” existed for creationism.

(ht2 Stroppyblog)

Is it just me…

Or does this police warning -due to their failure to protect minorities from their loyalist chums- sound more like a threat?

Northern’s Ireland only assembly member from an ethnic minority said she has been notified of a threat to her life. In the assembly on Monday Alliance MLA Anna Lo said police warned her at the weekend that her home may be attacked. Ms Lo, originally from Hong Kong, has lived in Belfast for over 30 years and represents a constituency in the south of the city. Earlier this month attacks on the Romanian community in the area forced more than 100 people from their homes. Ms Lo said she had received some hate mail in recent weeks and will step up her security following an anonymous call to the PSNI on Saturday. “I’m not going to be deterred by these people,” she said. “If they think that they can stop me from speaking out against them or speaking for the vulnerable people, new ethnic minority communities or migrant workers they are mistaken.”

Hey here’s an idea, pledge to protect her and hunt down the racist terrorists making the threats and do so very publicly and very vigorously, send a message you dig, because the message sent so far is- racists do the terrorising, the police will do the removal services.

Imperialism is Racist, Who’d A Thunk It?

Salon: Neo-Nazis are in the Army now
Why the U.S. military is ignoring its own regulations and permitting white supremacists to join its ranks.

Matt Kennard [excerpts]:-

For the next six years, Fogarty flitted from landscaping job to construction job, neither of which he’d ever wanted to do. “I was just drinking and fighting,” he says. He started his own Nazi rock group, Attack, and made friends in the National Alliance, at the time the biggest neo-Nazi group in the country. It has called for a “a long-term eugenics program involving at least the entire populations of Europe and America.”

 But the military ran in Fogarty’s family. His grandfather had served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and his dad had been a Marine in Vietnam. At 22, Fogarty resolved to follow in their footsteps. “I wanted to serve my country,” he says.

In 2003, Fogarty was sent to Iraq. For two years he served in the military police, escorting officers, including generals, around the hostile country. He says he was granted top-secret clearance and access to battle plans. Fogarty speaks with regret that he “never had any kill counts.” But he says his time in Iraq increased his racist resolve.

 “I hate Arabs more than anybody, for the simple fact I’ve served over there and seen how they live,” he tells me. “They’re just a backward people. Them and the Jews are just disgusting people as far as I’m concerned. Their customs, everything to do with the Middle East, is just repugnant to me.”

Rooting out extremists is difficult because racism pervades the military, according to soldiers. They say troops throughout the Middle East use derogatory terms like “hajji” or “sand nigger” to define Arab insurgents and often the Arab population itself.

“Racism was rampant,” recalls vet Michael Prysner, who served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 as part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. “All of command, everywhere, it was completely ingrained in the consciousness of every soldier. I’ve heard top generals refer to the Iraq people as ‘hajjis.’ The anti-Arab racism came from the brass. It came from the top. And everything was justified because they weren’t considered people.”

 Another vet, Michael Totten, who served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne in 2003 and 2004, says, “It wouldn’t stand out if you said ‘sand niggers,’ even if you aren’t a neo-Nazi.” Totten says his perspective has changed in the intervening years, but “at the time, I used the words ‘sand nigger.’ I didn’t consider ‘hajji’ to be derogatory.”

 Geoffrey Millard, an organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War, served in Iraq for 13 months, beginning in 2004, as part of the 42nd Infantry Division. He recalls Gen. George Casey, who served as the commander in Iraq from 2004 to 2007, addressing a briefing he attended in the summer of 2005 at Forward Operating Base, outside Tikrit. “As he walked past, he was talking about some incident that had just happened, and he was talking about how ‘these stupid fucking hajjis couldn’t figure shit out.’ And I’m just like, Are you kidding me? This is Gen. Casey, the highest-ranking guy in Iraq, referring to the Iraqi people as ‘fucking hajjis.'” (A spokesperson for Casey, now the Army Chief of Staff, said the general “did not make this statement.”)

 “The military is attractive to white supremacists,” Millard says, “because the war itself is racist.”

Commerce, Racism & Education

A private company working with the Border Agency to oppress its workers at a supposedly enlightened university, who’d a thunk…Via Socialist Unity 

Please Join This Group – Stop the Deportation of SOAS University Cleaners!

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=89511288639

 This group has been set up in Solidarity with the 9 members of the cleaning staff at SOAS who, following a morning raid by border police, have been detained and threatened with immediate deportation from the U.K. We demand an immediate end to these deportations. Below is a summary of the events. Please sign up and show your support!

 Summary of the Border Agency raid at SOAS campus on 12/06/2009

 • All SOAS cleaning staff were called into a meeting by ISS (the company who contracts SOAS’ cleaning staff) at 7am, in a ground floor room and were given no warning about the raid.

 • 45-50 Immigration police entered through the fire doors and the main entrance to the room and surrounded the cleaning staff; the police officers were in riot gear.

 • They cleaners were locked in the room and then led one by one into another room, where their immigration status was checked during which they had no representation or even a translator (many staff are native Spanish speakers). A lot of the cleaners were in emotional distress. A trade union representative was refused access to the staff.

 

• The raid was instigated by the cleaning contractor ISS who requested the police action. Two members of SOAS Management were present during the raid liasing with the police, suggesting that they had prior knowledge of the raid.

 • 9 Cleaners, five of whom are UNISON members were taken into detention. One detained cleaner was six months pregnent, she is thought to have collapsed during the events.

 • Legal representation is being sought through UNISON and other parties, the authorities have not yet revealed where they have been taken, and the detained have no way to contact us.

 • ISS have informed UNISON that some cleaners detained may be fast-tracked out of the country, thus they may be deported within 72 hours.

 • Those detained have been working at SOAS for many years; they have settled in London and have families here. Deportation will be devastating not only for the individuals involved but also the families, who could be split up. They are also our friends and fellow colleagues.

 • The heavy-handed treatment which the cleaners received was grossly over the top and ISS/SOAS are complicit in this.

 • ISS knew that there was documentation problems with their employees yet have not acted to resolve this beforehand. It’s not a coincidence that the cleaners in question were among the first to fight for Union representation and a decent wage.

 • The actions today send a clear message to other agency workers in London not to fight for union representation, such levels of intimidation cannot be tolerated.

 • Boris Johnson has recently called for an amnesty for illegal workers in London, because he recognizes the vital work they do.

 • The raid is proof once again that SOAS cleaning staff need to be brought in-house and that companies like ISS which exploit and intimidate workers have no place at SOAS.

 • We are demanding an immediate end to the deportations!

 • We are demanding that cleaners be brought in-house where they will not be exposed to this level of harassment.

A protest is scheduled for tomorrow-

Monday 15th June at 8.30am on SOAS Steps. Please bring Union banners and other visual, audio aids.

No, The Other John Major

There are  two John Majors who are Tories (and I suppose possibly more, I haven’t made a detailed study of this), one was the PM who presided over the end stage of Tory rule in a miasma of sleaze, funny how that happens to neoliberal ruling parties… Anyways the other is a Tory councillor in South East Wales who did this-

Mr Watts alleges following the interview with the third candidate of the day, who was of Asian origin, Mr Major said: “It’s a shame he’s black.”

John Major from Caldicot, who represents the Mill ward, made the comment following a councillors’ meeting to appoint a new chief executive at Monmouthshire Council.

A spokesman for the Welsh Conservative Party confirmed Mr Major had been suspended by Monmouthshire Council’s Conservative Group because of the claims, pending further investigations.

I suppose it is progress, he has been suspended, the tories are enough afraid of it damaging their carefully rehabilitated Cameronian image. But as Bojo shows, their true colours are as bigoted as ever. Pathetic. (and well done New Labour for making them electable again!).

Sigh.