Top Stories of 2011

We hear from the media about the the top stories of the year. But what does the Bain Current Events group think? Here is my top three:

1) The meltdown at Fukushima

2) The debt ceiling debate and the US downgrade

3) The rise of Occupy Wall Street

Please comment if you agree or disagree. What was your top stories of 2011?

In Memory Of

Jud Callahan, Robert Spongberg and James Ellis

What's news 12/19/11 to 12/25/11

If you find any interesting news items that you would like to share, please add it as a comment, or email them to me and I will post them.

The God Particle

There was news that CERN uncovered evidence of the existence of Higgs boson, aka "The God Particle". Even though it is the Holy Grail of science, little is known about this particle by the general public. This TED talk may help explain what the fuss is all about. HERE.

An Inspiring Talk

I missed today's meeting. So I though I would just provide a link to perhaps the most inspiring talk from TED. It is by Roger Ebert, the former movie critic, and he does not say a single word.

Roger Ebert's TED talk.

An Article by Dori

Israel’s duplicity

Israel has consistently (and apparently intentionally) failed to live up to its agreements regarding the Palestinians.  Israel does not hesitate to agree to any peace proposals which give it even some slight advantage, while having no intention of fulfilling the other obligations in the proposal.  Examples:

            1)  The Balfour Declaration, 1917.  – proposed by Lord Arthur Balfour, adopted by the British government, “viewed with favor the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” but stipulated that “nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities.”   Israel accepted with alacrity the first part of the Declaration but ignored the rest.

            Lord Balfour was a believer in, and promoter of, dispensationalism, which believes that Jesus will only return when the Jews are in their homeland, a belief held by the Christian Zionists of today.

            2)  Nov. 29, 1947, the U.N. adopts Res. 181, which partitioned Palestine – overwhelmingly Palestinian – into two equal parts, with Jerusalem established as a corpus separatum.  This was accepted by the Zionists, but “The native people of Palestine, like the native people of every other country in the Arab world, Asia, Africa, America and Europe, refused to divide the land with a settler community.  Pappe, quoting Walid Khalidi , pp31-38.

            3)  May 4, 1948, Declaration of Israel’s Independence, issued at Tel Aviv. 

                        a)  THE STATE OF ISRAEL … will promote the development of the country for the benefit of all its inhabitants; … will uphold the full social and political equality of all its citizens, without distinction of race, creed or sex; will guarantee full freedom of conscience worship, education and culture …”

                        Obviously, this has not happened, as Israel has a hierarchy which favors Askenazi Jews, then Sephardim, then Ethiopians, then Arab Jews, and finally its Palestinian Arab citizens, who have very few rights as compared with Jews.

                        b)  WE HEREBY DECLARE … “in accordance with a Constitution, to be drawn up by a Constituent Assembly not later than the first day of October, 1948 …”

                        Israel still has no Constitution; it is impossible to have one which gives rights to all its citizens and yet at the same time maintains itself as a Jewish state.  Israel is a militaristic state, whose Supreme Court is often trumped by the military, especially as to Palestinians rights.

            http://www.mideastweb.org/israeldeclaration.htm

            4) 11 June – 8 July.  First Truce established.  Israel violated this in July by capturing Lydd and Ramla.

            5)  18 July-15 Oct.  Second Truce established, but broken by the capture of several villages by IDF.

            6) November 4, 1948.  UN Security Council calls for immediate truce and withdrawal of forces; Israel ignores this, expels villagers from settlements inside the Lebanese border.

            7)  Dec. 10, 1948, UN Res. 194, declared the unconditional right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.  Israel agreed to this, as a condition of their being allowed to join the United Nations.  Again, Israel laps up the benefit while ignoring the obligation.

            8)  Dec 10, 1948.  The UN adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Israel along with most others subscribed.  However, Israel has violated most of the 30 Articles of this Declaration.

            9)  Spring 1949.  Peace conference in Switzerland, based on UN 194, centered around the call for the refugees’ Right of Return, together with a two-State solution. Accepted by US, UN, the Arab world, the Palestinians and Israel’s foreign minister, Moshe Sharett.  Later foiled by Ben-Gurion and King Abdullah of Jordan.  – The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, by Ilan Pappe., p.237

            10) 1949, Fourth Geneva Convention, specifies that:  “The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.” Ironically, this was done “… to ensure that abuses practiced by the Axis powers could not be legally repeated.”  Ball, p.182.  Israel’s violation of this is ongoing.

            11) 1951.  Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, ratified by Israel in 1951, states:  “Any destruction by the occupying Power of real or personal property belonging individually or collectively to private persons … is prohibited.”  Israeli practice of demolishing Palestinian houses clearly constitutes a violation of Palestinian human rights, protected by the Geneva Convention.

            Article 33 of the Geneva Convention prohibits collective punishment of a population. After months of research in Gaza, Amnesty International concluded that Israel’s blockade of Gaza is indeed a form of collective punishment.  The International Committee of the Red Cross has added that, as the occupying power, Israel has the legal responsibility of insuring that the basic needs of the Gaza population are being met.

            12)  June 1967.  Israel agreed to the U.N. call for cessation of the (6-day) war, but then went on to take the Golan Heights.  Israel also tried to sink the USS Liberty, with the likely motive of blaming it on Egypt.  “Assault on the Liberty,” James M. Ennes, Jr.

            13)  Nov. 1967.  UN Res. 242, “emphasizing the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war …”  calling for Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories, and urging that the more needy and deserving refugees be repatriated to their homes.”  Israel agreed, but did not comply.

            14) Oct. 6, 1973, Yom Kippur War.  Israel was being defeated by Egypt, but asked the U.S. to intervene.  “Instead [of withdrawing], Israel called its first nuclear alert and began arming its nuclear arsenal.  And it used that alert to blackmail Washington into a major policy change.”  “The Samson Option,” Seymour M. Hersh, p.223

            15)  Oct. 1973.  UN Res. 338, reaffirming UN 242, in all its parts.

            16)  1978, Camp David Accords, an agreement between the U.S., Egypt and Israel, with two main components:  1)peace between Egypt and Israel, and 2) autonomy for the Palestinians, with cessation of settlement activity.    Israel (PM Begin) did not honor the commitment to withdraw Israeli forces, and to refrain from building new Israeli settlements, in the West Bank.  Carter,  p106-7.  These Accords were the onset of the $3 Billion to Israel and the $2.2 Billion to Egypt which the U.S. signed on to.  Later, Pres. Reagan gave direct and unequivocal assurances that Israeli settlement activity would be frozen as a condition of the commencement of any peace talks.  Carter p 87

            1987.  the first intifada.

            17) Oct. 1991.  Madrid   p.249 Pappe  and Carter, p.131.  “Still, Israel put confiscation of Palestinian land ahead of peace, provoking an official White house statement:  “The United States has opposed, and will continue to oppose, settlement activity in territories occupied in 1967, which remain an obstacle to peace.”  However, settlement activity was not abated, but  continued, at an advanced pace.

            18) 1991.  When Pres. H.W.Bush demanded a freeze on settlement housing and threatened to withhold a portion of the $10 million daily aid package, plus loan guarantees, from the U.S., the Israeli government complied and the US grants and loans were approved.  Later, when Bush was no longer in office, major settlements were being rapidly completed.  P.132, Carter

            19) 1993.  Oslo p241 Pappe and Carter, 134 ..  Despite the fact that Chairman Arafat stated unequivocally that the PLO recognized the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, accepted UN Res. 242 and 338, committed itself to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, renounced the use of terrorism and other acts of violence, affirmed that those articles of the PLO covenant that deny Israel’s right to exist were no longer valid, and promised to submit these commitments to the Palestinian national Council for formal changes to the covenant,  Israel still did not agree to a withdrawal from occupied territories. Carter, p.135

            Note:  During the Camp David Accords in 1978 and Oslo in 1993, the obligation to withdraw from occupied territories was reconfirmed by Israel’s leaders, for which they received the Nobel Peace Prize, and both of these commitments were officially ratified by the Israeli government.  Carter. P. 207

            20) 1998.   Wye Agreements.  “ … but within a few weeks, the Israeli cabinet voted to postpone execution of the Wye River Memorandum.  Carter, p.149.

            21) 2000.  As President Clinton made efforts to promote peace, there was a 90% growth in the number of settlers in the OPT.  p.150, Carter.  The famous “generous offer” by Israel was nothing but Palestinian autonomy over several disconnected parcels, with Jewish-only roads bisecting them.

            22) March 2002.  Arab peace proposal, offered to recognize Israel in all ways along the 1967 borders with shared Jerusalem.  Israel rejected this, and occasionally maintains that the surrounding Arab states are still belligerent toward Israel, even though the proposal was  repeated, notably by a full-page ad in the Washington Post of May 28, 2009.

            23) May 2003.  Roadmap, sponsored by the “Quartet.”  Israel imposed so many conditions so as to make it irrelevant..  P.159

            24)  Oct. 2003.  Geneva Initiative, sponsored by private persons from Israel, Palestine, and others.  Condemned by Ariel Sharon.  Carter, p.167.

            25)  2005  In an agreement brokered by Sec. Rice, Israel agreed to begin bus convoys between the West Bank and Gaza by Dec. 2005, but the agreement was never implemented.  In fact, Gaza has become an “open-air prison” cut off, not only from the west Bank, but essentially from the world.

            26) 2004.  Hamas willing and able to extend and enforce their cease-fire (hudna) for “two, ten, or fifty years”—if Israel would reciprocate by refraining from attacks on Palentinians.  Carter, p.184.  Hamas asks, “Where is the Israel you would have us recognize?  Does it include the West Bank and East Jerusalem?”

            27)  According to a report by 21 aid groups, including Oxfam, Amnesty Int. and Save the Children, Israel has ducked promises to ease the effects of the blockade of Gaza on civilians, a pledge Israel made under pressure after a deadly Israeli raid in May on an international flotilla protesting the restrictions.  (Washington Post, 12-1-10, p.A6, Digest.) Another example of Israel’s having no intention of living up to its promises.

            I think it is evident from the foregoing that Israel’s word means absolutely nothing.  It would seem understandable then as to why Palestinians are now reluctant to negotiate with Israel.  Israel operates on the proven lawyerly tactic of “delay, delay, delay,” meanwhile pursuing its own interest.  The thing that is astounding is that the U.S., despite its pretensions to upholding international law and human rights, goes right along with it, in fact at times even seems to be guided by it.

Carter, Jimmy, “Palestine Peace Not Apartheid,” 2006

Pappe, Ilan, “The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine,” 2006

Hersh, Seymour M. “The Samson Option: Israel’s  Nuclear arsenal and American Foreign Policy”

Ennes, James M. Jr., “Assault on the Liberty”

Ball, George W. and Douglas B., “The Passionate Attachment: America’s Involvement with Israel, 1947 to the Present,”  1992.

Shlaim, Avi, “The Iron Wall,” 2001

Many others, by Jewish authors

Variety of Topics

1) Norm's question, Do Congressmen get better benefits than normal Federal workers?
    This link may answer the question, Lawmakers have better benefits than feds.

2) Sally's book recommendation: Two books from Niall Ferguson,
    Current book, Civilization: The West and the Rest
    Older book, The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World
    See this TED talk for a summary of Ferguson's current book, The 6 killer apps of prosperity.

3) Buddy Roemer an Americans Elect candidate?
    So far Buddy Roemer is the only presidential candidate courting the Occupy Wall Street vote.
    See his "announcement" on Rachel Maddow.
    See the Colbert Super Pac Ad.