May 18, 2008

July 4th, 20th anniversary of an atrocity

The USS Vincennes: Public War, Secret War July 1, 1992


Ted Koppel: [voice-over]

Four years ago this week—A tragedy in the Persian Gulf. The shooting down of an Iranian Airbus. By the USS Vincennes. The lives of 290 civilians lost.

And the inevitable question:

How could this have happened?

There was the “official” story:

George H.W. Bush (U.S. Vice President, Jan. 20 1981-1989 Jan. 20) [July 14, 1988]:

“One thing is clear, and that is that the USS Vincennes acted in self-defense.”

Ted Koppel [voice-over]:

An official story— Of the American warship as victim.

At the right place.

At the right time.

Minding its own business:

Richard S. Williamson (Assistant Secretary of State, International Organization Affairs, 1988-1989) [July 13, 1988]:

“The ship was, at the time of the incident, in international waters.”

Ted Koppel [voice-over]:

It was official.

And untrue.

Tonight, the real story of what happened . . .


May 17, 2008

Bush in Israel: Now who is the religious nut?

Speaking of the "promise of God" for a "homeland for the chosen people" in Israel, Bush told the Israeli parliament after a visit to the Roman-era Jewish fortress at Masada: "Masada shall never fall again, and America will always stand with you."

He predicted the defeat of Islamist enemies Hamas, Hezbollah and al Qaeda in a "battle of good and evil."


May 16, 2008

Incitement to terror by US General

Courtesy of Crooks n Liars:

Pentagon Propagandist General Calls for US to Sponsor Terrorism Against Iran

Last month on Fox News, Ret. Gen. Thomas McInerney, one of the Pentagon’s propaganda team of military analysts exposed by David Barstow in the NYT, openly called for the US to begin committing “tit-for-tat” terrorist attacks by proxy inside Iran.

McInerney: Here’s what I would suggest to you. Number one, we take the National Council for Resistance to Iran off the terrorist list that the Clinton Administration put them on as well as the Mujahedin-e Khalq at the Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Then I would start a tit-for-tat strategy which I wrote up in the Wall Street Journal a year ago: For every EFP that goes off and kills Americans, two go off in Iran. No questions asked. People don’t have to know how it was done. It’s a covert action. They become the most unlucky country in the world. …

Obama APPEASER! ... wait, who the heck is Chamberlain again?

Talk show host Chris Matthews proves that moronic rightwingers who equate talking to Iran with Chamberlain appeasing Hitler, quite obviously don't actually know who Chamberlain was nor what he did.

Hey, why let things like facts get in the way of mindlessly repeating worn-out talking points issued by the Israeli embassy?

Remember when McCain showed that he didn't know the difference between Sunni and Shia?

Well that was hardly the first time that officials proved they're actually ignorant of such a basic fact.

Remember, this is what Jeff Stein wrote back in 2006:

Most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?

(Sadly, this whole thing reminds me of a dear cousin of mine who is a graduate of one of the finest universities in the United States, and who asked me "Who won World War II?" -- I kid you not. I assured him that the Mongols won that one.)

May 15, 2008

The Truth about Iran and Hezbollah

The Christian Science Monitor's editorial pages have started to sound more and more like that of the far-right neocon Wall Street Journal editorial pages.

For example, todays editorial in the CSM entitled "Iran Pumps Iron in the Mideast" (which, incidentally does not sufficiently distinguish itself as an editorial, and so is likely to be confused with news) resorts to the usual Shia scaremongering and repeats the claim that Iran is arming militias in Iraq ... even though the US Defense Department has had to grudgingly back off of that allegation.

And, the CSM goes on to repeatedly refer to the Hezbollah and even Hamas as "Iran's proxy" and the highly unpopular Sinora government as "democratic". Well, guess what -- one of the allies of Hezbollah in Lebanon in the recent fighting happened to be an organization known as the SNSP which has both Muslim and Christian members; more than half are Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic. Also, one of the strongest allies of the Hezbollah has been the former Lebanese general Michel Aoun, who is deemed 'anti-Syrian'.

So while it certainly is true that Iran and the Shia in Lebanon have longstanding relations, to portray Hezbollah as some sort of puppet of Iran as the rightwing media in the US like to portray it. Rather, the US media labels the Hezbollah as "pro-Iranian" because the Israelis and their supporters in the US want to try to deny the organization's legitimacy.

However, like it or not, the Hezbollah is Lebanese and also quite popular among the Lebanese. Deal with it.

Here's a bit of background on Hezbollah that you should know about:

Hezbollah arose to battle Israel's occupation of south Lebanon from 1982-2000 and, more broadly, to advocate for Lebanon's historically disenfranchised Shi'i Muslim community. While it has many political opponents in Lebanon, Hezbollah is very much of Lebanon.

May 14, 2008

Bush visits Israel = new "settlements" built.

Funny how everytime Bush supposedly promotes "peace" in the Middle East, Israel announces new settlements will be built on the stolen, blood-soaked Palestinian land.

Same thing happened the last time that Bush visited Israel...

But the good news is that Bush and Israel both agree that its all Iran's fault.

LOL!

Remember folks, there are only 250 days, 20 hours, 52 minutes, and 39 seconds until George W. Bush is no longer President of the United States.

Muslim-bashing is perfectly acceptable in US elections

The "Reverend" Hagee, Bush confidant, AIPAC darling, and John McCain's spiritual advisor, has apologized for his anti-Catholic rants . . . but not for his anti-Muslim scaremongering rants.

Note that no one was terribly concerned about Hagee's Islamophobia compared to his anti-Catholic prejudice.

Hmm...what does that say about our current political culture?

935 Lies to start a war on Iraq

Just in case you missed it, here is a compilation of 935 lies told by the Bush administration to get us into a war on Iraq. No, these were not "intelligence errors", and no, these were not due to "Saddam's efforts to mislead Iran" -- these were LIES plain and simple. Deal with it.


935 Lies
Uploaded by MyDamnChannel

"An Increment" to war by Ignatius

David Ignatius, a columnist for the Washington Post, has sold the movie rights to a fictional novel entitled "An Increment" (about a group of British intelligence agents who help alleged Iranian nuclear scientists escape from Iran) to Walt Disney.

I suppose someone was bound to figure out a way to make money off the constant speculation about a US attack on Iran. So, the question is, how will the Washington Post deal with the fact that David Ignatius now has a conflict of interest when writing about US-Iran relations? What is the Washington Post's policy in such circumstances?

The book is due to be published by WW Norton next year. An attack on Iran would be a great promo for the book, wouldn't it?)

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel,Iran, and the United States

Dr. Trita Parsi's book Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel,Iran, and the United States (Yale University Press) has won a Arthur Ross Book Award by the Council on Foreign Relations.

According to CFR:

This unique and important book takes a closer look at the complicated triangular relations between Israel, Iran, and the United States that continue to shape the future of the Middle East . . . CFR’s Arthur Ross Book Award is the most significant award for a book on international affairs.

And according to me:

If you don't read this book, you don't know anything about the subject and you have no business having an opinion on the subject, let alone inflicting it on others.

Needless to say, the "Bomb Iran for Israel" crowd are not happy at all about the book's thesis that Israel, the US and Iran have often cooperated with each other, and furthermore the real "threat" posed to Israel is that the US and Iran may start to get along, thus (in Israel's opinion) undermining Israel's regional ambitions and strategic value to the US.

May 13, 2008

Iraq interferes with Bush's golf game.

Bush is just so utterly dedicated and caring about the people who have died in Iraq that he has stopped playing golf.

OH MY GOSH such self-sacrifice! Consider that - a war ... interfering with a golf game! See, he cares ... he truly cares! Damn those Bush haters who say things like "He lied about the WMDs in Iraq". The man has STOPPED PLAYING GOLF!

And its not like he didn't enjoy golf either. He did. A lot. In Michael Moore's film, "Fahrenheit 911", immediately after the twin towers were blown up, Bush is shown on a golf course. When asked what he is going to do about the terrorists, he replies "We must stop the terrorists. Now watch this drive"

Gosh, don't that just bring a tear to your eye?

May 12, 2008

OMG! I'm a terrorist in Texas!

Gosh, I long suspected that I was secretly a terrorist. Now, thanks to Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Law Enforcement pamphlet (front, back) on terrorism, it is quite clear that, yes, I am indeed a terrorist:

What are some characteristics of Terrorists?

* Typically focused and committed to their cause.

Check. I don't know what my cause is, but if I had a cause, I'm sure I'd be focused and committed to it, no doubt. After all, that's why they call it a cause, rather than a hobby or a job.

* Team oriented and very disciplined.

I can't be accused of being "disciplined" by any stretch of imagination but heck, that could be because I'm actually such a sneaky terrorist that I'm merely pretending not to be disciplined (part of my "looking normal" schtick-- see below.)

Oh, and I took a whole course on "team building" at work once!

* Trained to be familiar with their physical environment whether it be a 747 jumbo jet or a courthouse.

Check. Went to law school, was trained in the "physical environment" of courthouses. I also have been known to fly in jumbo jets (flapping my arms really hard hasn't worked out thus far as a mode of travel.)

Come to think of it, I am usually pretty familiar with my physical environment...since it is my physical environment. Coincidence? I think not!

* Will employ a variety of vehicles and communicate predominately by cellphone, E Mail or text messenging services.

Check. Heck I'm using one of those fancy communication devices EVEN RIGHT NOW! What gall!
And I don't drive but just today, I rode a ferry, a taxi and a train...and even rode an elevator and I think an escalator too - twice!

(Note to self: learn to use smoke-signals.)

* Well prepared to spend years in "sleeper mode" until it comes time to attack.

Absolutely. I could go into attack mode at any moment! I don't even know when myself...but naturally that's only because the "time to attack" has not yet come.

* In many cases may appear to fit in and not draw attention to themselves.

Check. Ever since I sold the clown shoes and red rubber nose, I fit in and I think I don't draw attention.

* Will appear normal in appearance and behavior while portraying themselves as a tourist, student or business person.

OMG! I have appeared normal for years, and have been a businessman, tourist or student (or combinations there of) on many occasions in that time!

* May be found traveling in mixed groups of men, women and children of varying ages who are unaware of their purpose.

Check. I have traveled in mixed groups, and I am not aware of my purpose either.

* Trained to avoid confrontations with law enforcement and therefore can be expected to portray a "nice guy" image.

Note to self: next time you see a cop, attempt to punch him in the face or cuss out his mother.

* Known to use disguises or undergo plastic surgery especially when featured on police wanted posters

Check. I had braces once.

Well, that about proves it: I'm a terrorist.

But in case there's any doubt, the rest of the characteristics of terrorists noted on the pamphlet makes me a terrorist without a doubt: I have taken courses in self-defense, SCUBA diving and flying airplanes; I have purchased a GPS unit (in fact my cellphone has one built in along with a camera) and I even walk to and from work carrying notebooks and pens.

Oh, and I go walking, biking or driving next to government buildings and other potential target sites, "without a specific and valid reasons."

That pretty much settles it.

What more possible evidence of suspicion can I expect?

(Addendum: Large purchases of alcohol? By God! most of my law school classmates were terrorists too! Who knew?! I wonder if they knew our secret handshake...)

Palestinians to Israelis: "That is my house!"

Israeli PM Golda Meir once lets slip the genocidal agenda of Zionists by boldly stating "There are no such things as Palestinians" -- well, there were lots of them -- and they all remember the homes that were stolen from them. Do you suppose that professional Holocaust-hustler Elie Weisel will rush to defend the humanity etc etc of these people too? Don't bet on it.

60 years on, refugees visit lost Jerusalem homes By Wafa Amr

JERUSALEM, May 11 2008 (Reuters) - Eighty-year-old Beatrice Habesch sobbed when she caught sight of her father's house in Jerusalem on Sunday and remembered how it was taken over by Jews in 1948.
"This is our house! This is my house!" she shouted as fellow Palestinians held her back from running towards the building.

Some 300 Palestinians marked 60 years since Israel's founding in May 1948 with a protest walk through affluent Jewish parts of west Jerusalem that were once home to many Arabs. They wore black T-shirts with "This is my House" printed on the back.

The Palestinians said their families had owned houses in Talbiyeh, German Colony and other districts until Israelis drove them away or they fled in the Arab-Jewish fighting that accompanied the creation of the state of Israel.

Habesch said her father, a merchant, had owned property in Talbiyeh and that he had had friendly relations with his Jewish neighbours, letting part of his property to them.

One of their neighbours, she said, was Golda Meir, who as Israel's prime minister in the 1970s refused to acknowledge the existence of Palestinians.

"I was 19 during the war in 1948. I remember two men and a woman came to our house and told us to leave. They said our house would be bombed if we did not leave," Habesch said.

Like many of the 700,000 or so Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948, the Habesch family thought they would return after the war between Israel and the Arab states was over.

But they never did.

The demonstrators pointed at houses, many decorated with Israeli flags marking the 60th anniversary of independence, and recalled their former Palestinian owners: "This is the Dajani house. That is the Nammari house. This is the Halaby house."

ISRAELIS LOOK ON

Israelis watched from porches, mostly in silence, though one man who trailed the marchers yelled: "Arabs out!"

"Most Israelis react defensively or aggressively," said Tomer Belity, an Israeli teacher at a school in Talbiyeh.

"They are afraid and full of hate because they think the Palestinians want to get us out of here."

Nahla Assaly, 70, was 10 when she and her family left their house in the German Colony, now a haven for well-heeled bohemians. "We left our house because we panicked," she said. "People panic during wars."

Assaly said her family heard of the killings of dozens of Arabs by Jewish guerrillas at Deir Yassin, a village near Jerusalem, in April 1948. Fear set in. When the shooting came closer to home, it was time to leave.

"Bullets came through our doors and windows, so my father took us to Damascus for what he thought would be a couple of weeks," Assaly recalled. "But we never came back."

She said she felt bitter about the festivities surrounding Israel's 60th Independence Day, including this week's visit by U.S. President George W. Bush, who is sponsoring a drive for an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal by the end of this year.

"Bush is coming to celebrate. Why? Did anybody go to South Africa to celebrate apartheid? This whole idea of celebration is a mockery of peace."

"Let the Israelis admit their wrongdoing in 1948," said Assaly. "Then there will be room for healing." (Editing by Kevin Liffey)


William Kristol thinks Jewish terrorists are wonderful

William Kristol has an op-ed in the New York Times extolling the virtues of Israel is almost mystical-mythical proportions as the fulfilment of some sort of many-thousand-year old prophecy that will supposedly save us all from a holocaust, etc. etc.

It is frankly sort of embarrassing that a a political entity should be discribed in such grandiose, fawning terms in what is supposedly a sober, secular newspaper -- and it says a lot about the fascistic mindset of pro-Israeli crowd in the US.

But what's really funny is how, whilst resorting to the usual, tiresome Hitler comparisons, Kristol compares Ahmadinejad with known Zionist terrorists like Weizmann and Jabotinsky, Ben-Gurion and Begin:

I hate to dignify him by even taking note of his comments. I meant to pay tribute to the Zionists — men like Weizmann and Jabotinsky, Ben-Gurion and Begin — who made possible the almost miraculous redemption of the Jewish people

Well, lets see now:

Jabotinsky was a lunatic even in the judgment of fellow Zionists, who along with Menachem Begin, was a founder of the Irgun, a terrorist organization responsible for the mass murder of Palestinian civilians in places like Deir Yassin as well as terrorist bombing campaigns (including the bombing of the King David hotel.)

Yitzhak Shamir was a member of the Lehi (the "Stern gang") which, in addition to murdering Swedish Count Bernadotte and British Lord Moyne, claims the questionable "honor" of the first use of letter bombs. In 1946, 70 letter bombs were sent in official British government envelopes to all members of the British cabinet, the heads of the Tory opposition, and several military commanders. (The remains of the murderers of Lord Moyne, by the way, were brought to Israel and reburied with full honors in Mount Herzl national cemetery in Jerusalem, and Israel has a formal military decoration which was created in celebration of the Lehi.)

Ben-Gurion was responsible for the policy of "cruel Zionism" which consisting of bombing fellow Jews in Arab nations in order to convince them to move to Israel (so as to create population pressure to force out innocent Palestinians.) Ben-Gurion, Moshe Dayan and Shimon Peres were also responsible for the Lavon Affair, when Israeli agents posing as Arabs placed bombs in British and American centers in Cairo, in an attempt to harm the relations of Britain and the US with Egypt. (Note that in 2005, the Lavon Affair terrorists were formally thanked and rewarded by the Israeli government.)

And that's just for starters. I won't get into Sharon's deeds at Qibya, for example.

So tell me, William Kristol, these are the men you adulate?

May 11, 2008

Israeli spying in the US prior to 9-11

I ran across this interesting memorandum of sort on the topic of the Israeli "art students" who were caught in the US purportedly attempting to infiltrate the offices of various US governmental agencies (such as the Drug Enforcement Agency) just prior to 9/11. A secret, redacted DEA report on the matter was made public.

I remember reading about these "art students" in the news at the time too.

Anyway, I think this memo makes for quite interesting reading too. Personally I am of the opinion that it is quite likely that some people could have stopped the 9/11 hijackers -- and deliberately didn't, just as in the first World Trade Center bombing. The memorandum too states:

There was no implication in these reports that the Israelis were involved in planning for or carrying out the September 11 attacks. Rather, it was suspected that the Israelis gathered advance information about the attacks and decided not to share it.

Add to that the news report about the 9/11 warning given to an Israeli messaging service which has never been adequately pursued:

Odigo says workers were warned of attack By Yuval Dror Haaretz Sun., May 11, 2008

Odigo, the instant messaging service, says that two of its workers received messages two hours before the Twin Towers attack on September 11 predicting the attack would happen, and the company has been cooperating with Israeli and American law enforcement, including the FBI, in trying to find the original sender of the message predicting the attack . . .





May 09, 2008

The Hamas candidate: Obama

Republican presidental candidate John McCain has accused his rival Democrat candidate Obama of being Hamas's representative:

“I think it is very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States,” Mr. McCain said to the bloggers. “If Senator Obama is favored by Hamas, I think people can make judgments accordingly.”

Ah, nothing like more standard Rightwing fear-mongering and smearing. Do these people actually have something to contribute to the world, or are they simply here to use up space?

Book: Torture Team


Torture Team
by international lawyer Philippe Sands

The background

On December 2, 2002 the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, signed his name at the bottom of a document that listed eighteen techniques of interrogation - techniques that defied international definitions of torture. The Rumsfeld Memo authorized the controversial interrogation practices that later migrated to Guantanamo, Afghanistan, Abu Ghraib and elsewhere, as part of the policy of extraordinary rendition.

The book
From a behind-the-scenes vantage point, leading international lawyer Philippe Sands investigates how the Rumsfeld Memo set the stage for a divergence from the Geneva Convention and the Torture Convention and holds the individual gatekeepers in the Bush administration accountable for their failure to safeguard international law. The Torture Team delves deep into the Bush administration to reveal:

* How the policy of abuse originated with Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, and was promoted by their most senior lawyers

* Personal accounts, through interview, of those most closely involved in the decisions

* How the Joint Chiefs and normal military decision-making processes were circumvented

* How Fox TV's 24 contributed to torture planning

* How interrogation techniques were approved for use

* How the new techniques were used on Mohammed Al Qahtani, alleged to be "the 20th hijacker"

* How the senior lawyers who crafted the policy of abuse exposed themselves to the risk of war crimes charges

US crocodile tears for Lebanon

So the Bush administration is just SO upset at the civilian deaths in Lebanon's conflict that they take this opportunity to condemn Iran (I'm so surprised.)

Of course, when the Israelis were committing war crimes and bombing the crap out of civilians in south Lebanon and flattening Beirut, the same Bush administration couldn't be happier and encouraged Israel to step up attacks.


Warning: this video of Israeli atrocities at Qana accurately shows what the bastards did. You may not be used to seeing the reality of Israel this much.

Iraqi weapons Made in Iran? Not necessarily

Tina Susman of the LA Times reports from Baghdad:

Iraqi officials also have accused Iran of meddling in violence and had echoed the U.S. accusations of new Iranian-made arms being found in Basra. But neither the United States nor Iraq has displayed any of the alleged arms to the public or press, and lately it is looking less likely they will. U.S. military officials said it was up to the Iraqis to show the items; Iraqi officials lately have backed off the accusations against Iran.

A plan to show some alleged Iranian-supplied explosives to journalists last week in Karbala and then destroy them was canceled after the United States realized none of them was from Iran. A U.S. military spokesman attributed the confusion to a misunderstanding that emerged after an Iraqi Army general in Karbala erroneously reported the items were of Iranian origin.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in danger? LOL!

So the nuclear-armed states of the world are supposedly claiming that the Non-Proliferation Treaty is at risk and have the gall to cite Iran as the cause.

This is laughably hypocritical in light of two things: first, the openly announced US/UK/French endorsement of the first-use of nuclear weapons against even non-nuclear armed states, and second, their absolute refusal to abide by their NPT obligation to disarm.

Background: the NPT
The Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) is a bargain between the five recognized Nuclear Weapon States (China, US, UK, France, Britain, Russia) and Non-Nuclear Weapon States (everyone else who signed the treaty). Israel, Pakistan and India are non-signatories.

The bargain consists of:

1- the Non-Nuclear Weapons states agree to suspend their right to build nuclear weapons, and to allow IAEA inspections to ensure that they are not using civilian nuclear technology for non-peaceful uses.

2- the Nuclear Weapons States in return promise to share civilian nuclear technology and recognize the absolute, inalienable right of Non-Nuclear Weapons States to have nuclear technology, to work toward the disarmament of their own nuclear arms, and to not share nuclear technology with non-NPT signatories like Israel and India.

The First Use Issue
Note that these article comes at the eve of an NPT review conference, in which the nuclear-armed states are going to try (as usual) to strengthen their advantage by imposing further restrictions on the nuclear rights of non-nuclear weapon states.

This is part of a long, long pattern: originally, the NPT was given a 25-year lifespan. In 1995, under extreme US pressure, the signatories agreed to extend the NPT indefinitely, even though the nuclear-armed states had blatantly failed to live up to their end of the nuclear bargain. Still, the meeting was unable to adopt a final resolution because there was deep disagreement between the nuclear-armed states versus the non-nuclear armed states:

The disagreements cut across North-South lines. Notably, criticism of the nuclear-weapon States on issues of disarmament brought together members of the NAM [Non-Aligned Movement] and some members of the Western European and Other States Group.

Iran tried to include language favoring the creation of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the mideast, but that met with the typical resistance by the backers of Israel. Also, with regard to the nuclear fuel cycle, although some countries tried to impose limits on others,

the Conference confirmed "that each country's choices and decisionsin [this] field .. should be respected without jeopardizing its policies or international cooperation agreements and arrangements ... and its fuel-cycle policies".

But despite that language, the US is still trying to impose limits on other the nuclear fuel cycle development in other countries, as well as imposing arbitrary limits on their NPT duty to share civilian nuclear technology -- thus in effect attempting to monopolize nuclear technology for themselves.

More importantly, note also that to get that indefinite extension in 1995, the Clinton administration re-stated a promise to not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear armed states except in self defense (the Negative Security Assurance)

This promise not to use or threaten the use of nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear armed country is enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 984 which states:

[I]n case of aggression with nuclear weapons or the threat of such aggression against a non-nuclear-weapon State Party to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, any State may bring the matter immediately to the attention of the Security Council to enable the Council to take urgent action...

But no sooner had the ink dried on the indefinite extension than the US blatantly violated its promise:

Since then, the backtracking by the NWS [Nuclear-Weapon States] on their existing unilateral nuclear security assurances, as well as the pledges made in 1995 and in 2000, have become a considerable concern. These concerns were triggered by statements made by senior U.S. and U.K. officials, the 2001 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), and the release of the U.S. National Defense Strategy, which included the possible use of nuclear weapons against NNWS [Non-Nuclear Weapon States] —in some cases preemptively. . . despite the solemn pledges and agreements reached in 1995 and 2000, the United States has clearly decided to walk away from the concept of NSAs [Negative Security Assurances] that have for more than 30 years been central to the deal embodied in the NPT. Less than two months after the release of the NPR, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security State John Bolton made it clear that the United States no longer felt bound by any NSAs...

Despite promising to disarm, the US is building new, more user-friendly nuclear weapons (that are specifically meant to be used offensively, and NOT as a deterrent of last resort) Though the US has made some reduction in its nuclear arsenal size, these are only unilateral and reversible reductions that still leave thousands of nuclear weapons untouched. And despite the promise not to use nuclear weapons, the Bush administration states that "no options are ruled out."

So, contrary to the negative security assurance, not only has Bush explicitly threatened to nuke Iran, and not only has Senator Clinton parrotted the same threat, but the the first-use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear armed states is part of the official military doctrine of the United States, whether in response to the threat of chemical or biological weapons, or simply "in the event of surprising military developments".

The UK has adopted an even less restrictive position on the first-use of nuclear weapons, according to which nuclear weapons could be used to "deliver messages" or punish countries ...

"aimed at a non-critical, possibly [!] uninhabited area, with the message that if the country concerned pursued its present course of action, nuclear weapons will be aimed at a high-priority target. Finally, there is the punitive role, where a country has committed an act, despite specific warning that to do so would incur a nuclear strike."

France has recently stated that it too would use nuclear weapons on a first-strike basis under equally vaguely defined conditions.

Second Issue: Disarmament
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligates the Nuclear-Armed States to work towards disarmament. This has simply not happened, and in fact both the US and UK have simply thumbed their noses at their NPT obligations. Britain has stated that it will be keeping its nuclear arsenal no matter what, and worse yet, the United States is not only envisioning the first use of nuclear weapons but is also developing a generation of smaller "tactical" nuclear weapons which are intended to be more "useable" in combat.

This, despite the fact that the 2000 NPT review conference adopted a document specifically requiring the Nuclear Weapons States to engage in "13 Steps" to achieve disarmement.

But again, no sooner had the ink dried on this agreement than the US blatantly violated it by endorsing a new nuclear doctrine. The US now claims that the 13 Steps were merely irrelevant suggestions:

During the last NPT review cycle, much controversy arose over the present day import of certain positions related to nuclear disarmament, i.e. the “Thirteen practical steps”, which were articulated in the Final Document of the NPT Review Conference held in 2000. The security environment has changed substantially since 2000, and we cannot assume that all suggestions made then necessarily remain relevant today.”

Conclusion
So, here we have a situation that Iran is doing exactly what it is legally allowed to do under the NPT, as are many other nations who have obtained or are working on the nuclear fuel cycle. On the other hand, the nuclear-armed states have blatanly refused to abide by their own end of the NPT bargain to disarm their nuclear weapons and have instead resorted to blatant threats of nuclear attack -- and yet the nuclear-armed states have the gall to claim that countries like Iran are undermining the NPT.

Yeah, sure.

Me In the Press

Iraq Death Count: