- Since WW II alone, America waged direct and proxy wars
against Korea, Southeast Asia, Central and South American countries, African
ones, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, and now Egypt and Libya. One down,
one to go, besides dozens of attempted and successful coups, as well as
numerous other interventions to control world markets, resources and people.
Imperial America doesn't sleep. It plots, deciding where next to strike.
-
- Despite popular passion for democratic change, uprisings
in Egypt and Libya were externally orchestrated, funded and armed by Washington
to replace one despot with another. Democracy won't be tolerated. It's
never been at home.
-
- America's media go along, especially when Washington
goes to war or plans one. In the lead: The New York Times, the nation's
equivalent of an official information and propaganda ministry, posing as
independent journalism.
-
- It's February 28 editorial headlined, "Qaddafi's
Crimes and Fantasies" made baseless accusations, then called on the
International Criminal Court to investigate potential war crimes. Indeed
it should - against America and Western co-conspirators, not Libya, for
instigating regional aggression, a reality The Times ignored, besides previously
against Afghanistan, Iraq, and other US targets.
-
- On March 4, writer David Kirkpatrick headlined, "Qaddafi
Brutalizes Foes, Armed or Defenseless," saying:
-
- Gaddafi attacked "unarmed protesters....His militia's
actions seemed likely to stir renewed debate over international intervention
to limit his use of military power against his own citizens, possibly by
imposing a no-flight zone." If established, it's an act of war ahead
of aggressive air attacks against a defenseless country, America's latest
imperial target.
-
- Kirkpatrick's article read more like bad fiction than
real journalism, borrowing a page from now disgraced former Times writer
Judith Miller, who functioned as a Pentagon press agent, promoting America's
planned Iraq conquest and occupation. Now it's Libya, struggling to defend
itself against naked aggression, covert so far but not for long, claiming
"humanitarian intervention."
-
- US warships are now positioned in the Mediterranean close
by. About 1,200 Marines went to Greece for "Operation Libya."
"Rebels" are being sent military and other supplies. Armed intervention
is coming, colonial subjugation planned. Libya's "humanitarian crisis"
was made in the USA. The pattern by now is familiar, used against many
past targets.
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- On March 4, hinting about what's already begun, Obama
said:
-
- "So what I want to make sure of is that the United
States has full capacity to act potentially rapidly if the situation deteriorated
in such a way that you had a humanitarian crisis on our hands, or a situation
in which civilians were - defenseless civilians were finding themselves
trapped and in great danger."
-
- He already called on Gaddafi to step down. Among his
options, he included a no-fly zone, saying:
-
- "I don't want us hamstrung. I want us to be making
our decision based on what's going to be best for the Libyan people in
consultation with the international community."
-
- In Geneva, Hillary Clinton called intervention "an
option we are actively considering," referring to a no-fly zone and
other measures. Stiff economic sanctions were also imposed, effective 8:00PM
EST February 25."
-
- The die is cast. Colonizing Libya is planned to exploit
its vast energy reserves, other resources, and people, doing what's best
for Washington, not Libyans, what's always top priority.
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- Major Media Suppressed Independent Voices
-
- On August 13, 2011, Fidel Castro will be 85. An elder
statesman, he remains active, thoughtful and incisive, now writing commentaries
on world issues. On March 3, the Havana Times headlined, "Fidel Castro
Forecasts War on Libya," publishing his full article in English.
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- Until America intervened, Libya "occupie(d) the
first spot on the Human Development Index for Africa," including the
continent's highest life expectancy. Authorities gave special attention
to healthcare and education. Poverty is low. "The cultural level of
the population is without a doubt the highest. The population wasn't lacking
food and essential social services." Employment was plentiful, including
for "hundreds of thousands of workers from Egypt, Tunisia, China and
other countries (to) carry out ambitious plans for production and social
development."
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- America plans naked aggression to halt them. "The
colossal campaign of lies, unleashed by the mass media," distorts
reality on the ground, including by Al Jazeera. Its daily commentaries
feature misinformation and distortions based on unverified reports, including
about alleged bombings that Russian satellite imagery proved untrue. Nonetheless,
Gaddafi is falsely called an aggressor, not victim, his regional despot
status notwithstanding.
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- Telesur Journalists Targeted
-
- Reporting from Libya, Pan American broadcaster Telesur's
Jordan Rodriguez said members of his team were threatened, assaulted, and
arrested for trying to report events accurately, including about pro-Gaddafi
rallies in Tripoli's Green Square.
-
- Prior to Mubarak's ouster, Egypt's military junta detained
and interrogated its Cairo team, preventing them from reporting the same
way. Other independent journalists were also accosted. Dozens of incidents
were reported.
-
- Telesur's Rodrigo Hernandez said he and his colleagues
were bullied face down on the pavement, left there for hours, then "forced
into an armored police vehicle, with armed personnel inside, and blindfolded,"
en route to a military barracks for questioning.
-
- They were also threatened with imprisonment, deportation,
or "something much worse" if they kept reporting and were detained
again. Similar tactics are ongoing in Libya to prevent accurate reports
coming out. Imperial Washington wants none of its plans exposed.
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- Accurate Independent Journalism
-
- Keith Harmon Snow is an independent journalist, war correspondent,
human rights investigator, photographer, lecturer, and longtime observer
of African country events. On March 1, his article titled, "Petroleum
& Empire in North Africa: Muammar Gaddafi Accused of Genocide? NATO
Invasion Underway" provided detailed Libyan information. Access it
through the following link:
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- http://www.consciousbeingalliance.com/2011/03/petroleum-empire-maps-for-north-africa/
-
- Key points he stressed included:
-
- -- In 2004, America's sanctions were dropped "in
exchange for Gaddafi's (limited) collaboration, (paving) the way for a
new era of US-Libyan bilateral trade." America's main interest is
Libya's vast oil, gas and other mineral reserves. The Oil and Gas Journal
estimates 46.4 billion barrels of oil and around 55 trillion cubic feet
of natural gas, producing 95% of Libya's 2010 export earnings. Its petrodollars
"were reportedly invested in US Equity and Big Banks, including JP
Morgan Chase, Citigroup and others, and into (companies) like the Carlyle
Group, one of America's most seedy arms dealers."
-
- -- the CIA "long wanted" Gaddafi removed and
replaced." In 1986, Reagan-ordered air strikes tried to kill him.
His infant daughter was murdered instead. "The CIA (downed) Pan Am
103," not Gaddafi who had nothing to do with it.
- -- Libya's "opposition" includes "unspecified,
unnamed, unidenfied 'rebels' of the National Front for the Salvation of
Libya (NFSL). These are not innocent 'pro-democracy' protesters...."
They seemingly "appeared out of thin air." Who they are isn't
explained. NFSL, in fact, was established in 1981 by Sudan's Colonel Jaafer
Nimieri, a US puppet dictator from 1971 - 1985.
-
- -- For decades, CIA front groups have been operating
in Libya, "backing armed insurgents and interventions" portrayed
as "pro-democracy" movements.
-
- -- Western media is reporting misinformation about events
on the ground, including alleged bombings, massacres, and possible nerve
gas used. None of it is credible. Libya, in fact, is being attacked. It's
responding in self-defense.
-
- -- Vicious propaganda is being used to enlist support
for imperial intervention. "US troops have already moved ashore....joining
the 'opposition....The US, France and Britain have already set up Bases
in Libya." British and American Special Forces are operating out of
Benghazi and Tobruck. Other covert US forces have been on the ground for
weeks. Nothing humanitarian is planned.
-
- -- More than oil and gas is wanted. So are valued mineral
deposits. "Libya has a huge land mass with massive untapped mineral
potential (including uranium)," besides known energy resources.
-
- -- Accusing Gaddafi of genocide is malicious and untrue,
like other major media fabrications. Their "disinformation frenzy
and hysteria knows no bounds." No verifiable evidence exists, but
there's plenty proving US genocides in Iraq, Afghanistan, and earlier in
other targeted countries, causing many millions of deaths for decades.
Western media air brushed them out, including The New York Times, America's
lead propaganda instrument.
-
- In "Libya, Getting it Right: A Revolutionary Pan-African
Perspective," Gerald Perreira wrote:
-
- "The conflict in Libya is not a revolution, but
a counter-revolution. (It's) fundamentally a battle between Pan-African
forces on the one hand, who are dedicated to the realization of Qaddafi's
vision of a united Africa, and reactionary racist Libyan Arab forces who
reject (his) vision of Libya as part of a United Africa."
-
- "For those of us who have lived and worked in Libya,
there are many complexities to the current situation that have been completely
overlooked by the Western media and 'Westoxicated' analysts who have nothing
other than a Eurocentric perspective to draw on....Libya's system and the
battle now taking place on its soil, stands completely outside the Western
imagination."
-
- As a result, all Western government and media reports
lack credibility. They're malicious imperial agitprop, including from top
officials, BBC and Al Jazeera, each with its own agenda, all serving Western
interests, harmful to Libyans.
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- A Final Comment
-
- Ongoing events in Libya are familiar. Like many of his
past counterparts, Gaddafi's been targeted for removal. For weeks or much
longer, covert CIA and Special Forces operatives recruited, funded and
armed so-called "opposition forces." They, not Gaddafi, instigated
violence, heading for civil war. He responded in self-defense. Doing less
would be irresponsible.
-
- Western media portray instigators as victims, saying
Gaddafi's waging war on his people. America and Western nations are called
white knights, offering "humanitarian intervention" when, if
fact, imperial colonization is planned. The longer violence continues,
the more false media reports will exaggerate it, enlisting support for
another nation to be destroyed to save it.
-
- Afghans, Iraqis, Palestinians, Somalis, Pakistanis, and
many other oppressed people understand, victimized by imperial aggression,
occupation, exploitation, immiseration, and regular drone attacks murdering
innocent men, women and children called militants.
-
- The latest in Afghanistan were nine young children, aged
seven to 12, gathering wood in the mountains near their village. They were
murdered in cold blood, what's escalating in Libya, being softened up in
preparation for colonization and greater harshness.
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- Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com
and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the
Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays
at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs
are archived for easy listening.
-
- http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.
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