June 2009
39 posts
Iraq's "National Sovereignty Day" is U.S.-Style...
Despite the big show, the U.S. occupation continues. It is very doubtful that—decades from now—Iraqis will tell their grandchildren about where they were on “National Sovereignty Day.”
By Jeremy Scahill
The puppet government in Iraq has named June 30 as “National Sovereignty Day,” and—without mentioning the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis maimed,...
A Few Thoughts on the Coup in Honduras
It is impossible to imagine that the US was not aware that the coup was in the works. At minimum, the US could have flexed its tremendous economic muscle before the coup and told the military coup plotters to stand down.
By Jeremy Scahill
There is a lot of great analysis circulating on the military coup against Manuel Zelaya in Honduras. I do not see a need to re-invent the wheel. (See here...
Paramilitary Thug With Long History With Top U.S....
Agim Ceku commanded “ethnic cleansing” operations in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, then headed an organization labeled “terrorist” by a senior US official. But top Dems made him their man in Kosovo.
By Jeremy Scahill
UPDATE: After international intervention, Ceku was reportedly ordered released on Thursday.
A US-trained paramilitary figure from the Balkans with a lengthy...
Brent Scowcroft: US Has Spies On the Ground in...
By Jeremy Scahill
As violence continues on the streets of Tehran, RebelReports has learned that former US National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft has confirmed that the US government has spies on the ground in Iran. Scowcroft made the assertion in an interview to be broadcast on the Al Jazeera program “Fault Lines.” When asked by journalist Josh Rushing if the US has...
Uighur Prisoners Fear for Their Safety in Palau
By Jeremy Scahill
One of the consequences of the imprisonment of the Chinese Muslims, known as Uighurs, at Guantanamo for seven years is that these 17 men are now publicly identified by China as enemies of the state. The US allowed Chinese operatives to interrogate the men at Guantanamo, where Chinese operatives allegedly made threats against the men and their families in China. The lawyers for...
Obama's Undeclared War Against Pakistan Continues,...
In a new interview, Obama said he has “no intention” of sending US troops into Pakistan. But US troops are already in the country and US drones attack Pakistan regularly.
By Jeremy Scahill
Three days after his inauguration, on January 23, 2009, President Barack Obama ordered US predator drones to attack sites inside of Pakistan, reportedly killing 15 people. It was the first...
Latest News from RebelReports...
Obama-backed Bill to Ban Release of Bush-Era Torture Photos Passes Senate: In a move that didn’t receive much attention, the Senate this week passed by unanimous consent the Graham-Lieberman bill, which seeks to make it illegal to make public any images of US prisoner abuse and torture from the Bush era.
“The Responsible Left:” Funding Obama’s Expanding Wars $100...
How About a New FB/Twitter App for Victims of US...
ABOVE: A victim of a US bombing in Afghanistan on May 4 under Commander in Chief Barack Obama.
Seeing some of these people online turning their profile pictures green “for Iran” makes me want to create a Facebook and Twitter application that turns profile pictures blood red, in solidarity with all of the Afghans and Iraqis and Pakistanis being killed by US wars today; wars that...
Obama-backed Bill to Ban Release of Bush-Era...
By Jeremy Scahill
In a move that didn’t receive much attention, the Senate on Wednesday passed by unanimous consent the Graham-Lieberman bill, which seeks to make it illegal to make public any images of US prisoner abuse and torture from the Bush era. Specifically, the bill bans the release of images “taken between September 11, 2001 and January 22, 2009 relating to the treatment of...
"The Responsible Left:" Funding Obama's Expanding...
The cowardly Democrats who checked their spines at the door to Congress when they voted Tuesday try to defend their flip-flop on war funding. Frankly, it is embarrassing. By Jeremy Scahill Over the past few days, we reported on how the White House and Democratic Congressional Leadership waged a dirty campaign to scare up votes to support another $106 billion in funds for their wars in Iraq,...
Obama's First Five Months: Rebranding War and... →
In this interview, Anthony Arnove and I discuss Obama’s first five months as “Commander-in-Chief,” his foreign policy (Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/Palestine etc) and his recent speech in Cairo.
Excerpt:
“What we see with Obama’s policies in Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader Arab and Muslim world, as well as his global economic policies, are a continuation of the...
All of You "Twitter Revolution" Fans, Read This
All of you Re-tweeting your asses off about Iran should read “To You, the new Iran ‘Expert,’ by Mo-ha-med.
Excerpt:
Yes, you. Who thought until this morning that Shiraz was just the name of a wine Who’s beaming with pride you can now write ‘Ahmadinejad’ without copy-and-pasting it from a news website Who only heard of Evin prison when Roxana Saberi was there...
My Two Cents on the "Twitter Revolution" in Iran
By Jeremy Scahill
I’m really sick of people in the US talking about the “twitter revolution” in Iran. I especially hate when it’s US liberals who would NEVER get off their asses and away from their computers to protest anything in their own country. They’d never face down tear gas or baton-wielding thugs at home. Some of these liberals (you know who you are) were...
Shame: The 'Anti-War' Democrats Who Sold Out and... →
Check out my latest piece on AlterNet.
Excerpt:
In a vote that should go down in recent histories as a day of shame for the Democrats, on Tuesday the House voted to approve another $106 billion dollars for the bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (and increasingly Pakistan). To put a fine point on the interconnection of the iron fist of U.S. militarism and the hidden hand of free market...
US Government Audit Finds Blackwater Cannot...
By Jeremy Scahill
I just finished reading the newly-released Joint Audit of Blackwater Contract and Task Orders for Worldwide Personal Protective Services in Iraq [PDF here]. The report, compiled by the State Department and the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, is overwhelmingly positive in its portrayal of Blackwater. But it does seem that US government investigators are hot...
Will 39 Democrats Stand Up to Stop the War...
The current battle over supplemental war funding will clearly reveal exactly how many Democrats actually oppose these wars. Where does your Representative stand?
By Jeremy Scahill
The White House and the Democratic Congressional Leadership are playing a very dirty game in their effort to ram through supplemental funding for the escalating US war in Afghanistan and continued occupation of...
BREAKING: Supreme Court Won't Hear Appeal of The...
The five are serving 75 years in prison collectively after being convicted of espionage in a Miami court in 2001. They say they were fighting terrorism against their country.
By Jeremy Scahill
The U.S. Supreme Court has just decided it will not hear the appeal of the “Cuban Five,” a group of Cubans that had infiltrated right-wing Cuban-American groups in Miami as part of...
"A Perfect Storm for Disaster" Brewing With...
As US troops and private contractors surge in Afghanistan, a new report reveals a system rife with abuse. Also, why is an executive of a major war contractor on the commission investigating contractors?
By Jeremy Scahill
I’ve been reading through the hot-off-the-presses, exciting 100+ page report from the Commission on Wartime Contracting: “At What Cost? Contingency Contracting In...
UPDATE: Three of Five US Contractors Arrested in...
By Jeremy Scahill
According to Iraqi officials, three of the five US contractors arrested last weekend in connection with the stabbing death of another US contractor have been ordered released. A government spokesperson, Ali al-Dabbagh said, “They are five. Three have been released due to a lack of evidence, two are still being detained on drug issues.”
On May 22, US contractor...
Blackwater Still Working in Iraq for the...
As Blackwater gets sued again today for an alleged civilian killing in Iraq, new allegations surface about the company’s continued presence there—using different corporate names.
**NOTE UPDATES** By Jeremy Scahill It seems as though every week there is a new lawsuit filed against Blackwater for the killing of civilians in Iraq. While the Justice Department has failed to prosecute...
U.S. War Privatization Results in Billions Lost in...
Half of the personnel the US has working on its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are private contractors. A new report reveals how much of a rip-off this system has been to US taxpayers.
By Jeremy Scahill
At a hearing in Washington today, the federal Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan is releasing a 111-page report that represents its “initial investigations of...
Right-Wing "NewBusters" Attacks Me and DL Hughley...
Over at the right-wing site, NewsBusters, they’re all up in arms over comments DL Hughley and I made on RealTime with Bill Maher about St. Ronald Reagan. The article by Brent Baker is titled: “Reagan the ‘Moses of…Greedy White Men’; Beat Reagan Statue with Shoe Like Saddam’s?”
Excerpt:
D.L. Hughley — the actor/comedian who until recently had a...
WatchDL Hughley, Bill Maher and Jeremy Scahill Discuss Reagan’s policies and his new statue…
The Curious Case of 5 US Contractors Arrested by...
The Iraqi authorities are holding five American contractors on suspicion of “murder,” but the US is spinning a different story. This could be a major test for Obama on contractor accountability.
By Jeremy Scahill
Over the past few days, there has been quite a buzz on listserves frequented by private security contractors and industry representatives over the recent...
BREAKING: $15 Million Settlement in Wiwa vs. Shell...
I have to admit that I was skeptical this would happen, but it is clearly an indication of how strong the case was against Shell…
This just in from the Center for Constitutional Rights:
Settlement Reached in Human Rights Cases Against Royal Dutch/Shell
On Eve of Trial, Settlement Agreements Provide $15.5 Million for Compensation to Nigerian Human Rights Activists and to Establish Trust...
Videos of Jeremy Scahill on Bill Moyers Journal...
BIll Moyers Journal has posted the video and transcript of Friday’s interview with Jeremy Scahill. It can be accessed here.
The entire hour of RealTime with Bill Maher featuring Jeremy Scahill, DL Hughley, Paula Froelich, Richard Haass and Matt Miller is here.
Top Stories on RebelReports
Obama Has 250,000 “Contractors” in Iraq and Afghan Wars, Increases Number of Mercenaries: Newly released Pentagon statistics show that in both Iraq and Afghanistan the number of armed contractors is rising. The DoD says it sees “similar dependence on contractors in future.”
IN FOCUS: “Little Known Military Thug Squad Still Brutalizing Prisoners at Gitmo Under Obama” (AlterNet): The...
UN Human Rights Council Blasts US for Killing...
The UN group is also calling on the US to appoint a Special Prosecutor to investigate crimes by US officials.
By Jeremy Scahill
The UN Human Rights Council has issued a report blasting the US for killing civilians, violating human rights and creating a “zone of impunity” for unaccountable private contractors to fight its wars. The UN group also criticized the US use of drones to attack...
Obama: Egypt's Mubarak (In Power 28 Years) Not an...
Citing Hosni Mubarak’s “peace” with Israel, Obama calls the Egyptian president a “force for stability and good”
By Jeremy Scahill
Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has been in power for 28 years. His human rights record is atrocious, his treatment of dissidents violent and his embrace of actual democratic processes, well, basically nonexistant. Human Rights Watch recently...
Military Admits "Errors" in Civilian Bombing in...
The attack in Farah province killed as many as 140 Afghan civilians. The US military says errors were made, but insists the “targets” “posed legitimate threats to Afghan or American forces.”
By Jeremy Scahill
The May 4 US bombing in Farah Province in Afghanistan was reportedly the single worst aerial attack by US forces since the 2001 invasion began. Afghan sources said...
Sorry, But Pizza and Fried Chicken Don't Make the...
Instead of freeing 17 Chinese Muslims cleared for release, the Obama administration continues to hold them at Gitmo. But, hey, they get junk food and computers!
By Jeremy Scahill
Nothing gives lie to the idea that there is any semblance of due process for prisoners held at the US prison camp at Guantanamo more than the case of the 17 Uighurs, Chinese Muslims, who remain imprisoned despite...
Cheney Calls Osama bin Laden "Obama"
By Jeremy Scahill
In his speech today at the National Press Club, former vice president Dick Cheney referred to Osama bin Laden as “Obama:”
“The important thing is, I don’t think he can have much impact now in terms of managing the organization, because that link between Obama and the people under him is pretty fragile,” Cheney said. “I don’t think he...
Jimmy Carter charges Obama "doesn't want to punish...
In strikingly strong language, Carter blasts Obama’s position blocking the release of torture photos and on holding Bush-era officials accountable for their “crimes.”
By Jeremy Scahill
The Democratic Party power structure’s least favorite ex-President is speaking out of school again. Jimmy Carter has some strong words about President Obama’s decision to fight the...
June 3 NYC Event With Ratner, Scahill, Hedges,...
For those of you in the NYC area, come out to this event:
TORTURE AND THE NEED FOR JUSTICE
June 3, Wednesday, 7pm
At the New York Society for Ethical Culture 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West
A Revolution Books Town Hall Meeting:
Featuring… Laura Flanders, journalist and host of GRITtv Gitanjali Gutierrez, attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights representing...
Obama Has 250,000 "Contractors" in Iraq and Afghan...
Newly released Pentagon statistics show that in both Iraq and Afghanistan the number of armed contractors is rising. The DoD says it sees “similar dependence on contractors in future.” By Jeremy Scahill A couple of years ago, Blackwater executive Joseph Schmitz seemed to see a silver lining for mercenary companies with the prospect of US forces being withdrawn or reduced in Iraq....