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A bird's eye view of the vineyard

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Public Inquiry
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Human Rights in Ireland
Indymedia Ireland is a volunteer-run non-commercial open publishing website for local and international news, opinion & analysis, press releases and events. Its main objective is to enable the public to participate in reporting and analysis of the news and other important events and aspects of our daily lives and thereby give a voice to people.

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Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

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The post The Democratic Party Clown Show Continues, With Giggles Replacing Bozo appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link ?Climate Change? Used to Justify Government?s Record ?Investment? in Renewables. Cui Bono? Not the T... Thu Jul 25, 2024 11:05 | Richard Eldred
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The post ?Climate Change? Used to Justify Government?s Record ?Investment? in Renewables. Cui Bono? Not the Taxpayer appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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offsite link In Episode 8 of the Sceptic: Dr David Livermore on Doubts About Lucy Letby?s Guilt, Dr Angus Dalglei... Thu Jul 25, 2024 07:00 | Will Jones
In Episode 8 of the Sceptic, Laurie Wastell talks to David Livermore on doubts about Lucy Letby's guilt, Angus Dalgleish on the Covid Inquiry's criticism of lockdown and Steven Tucker on immigration and Michel Houellebecq.
The post In Episode 8 of the Sceptic: Dr David Livermore on Doubts About Lucy Letby’s Guilt, Dr Angus Dalgleish on the Covid Inquiry’s Criticism of Lockdown and Steven Tucker on Immigration and Michel Houellebecq appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Thu Jul 25, 2024 01:14 | Richard Eldred
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The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Is the US working with Al Qaida for war in Iran?

category international | anti-war / imperialism | other press author Thursday July 19, 2007 08:28author by Aragon Report this post to the editors

Shocking press release from London based campaign

Those who oppose the US wars of imperialism are probably quite cynical about the lies and distortions used to justify what they slaughter. Nevertheless, it is likely that a press release issued by the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran will shock even those who thought they had seen it all.

Ever wondered why we've heard so little of Al Qaida during the last four years? Well, it looks like the reason is that they were always expected to come in handy when the Iranian part of the US plan for the 'New American Century' was being rolled out:

USCASMII UK Press Release

18 July 2007

CASMII calls on journalists and the public to challenge dangerous distortion of news on Iran

The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran has strongly criticised the Financial Times and launched a complaint with the Press Complaint Commission over the publication by the FT of a story [1] making incriminating and unfounded allegations about Iranian government's complicity with Al-Qaeda launching terrorist operations in Iraq, using Iranian territory.

The story by Stephen Fidler in the Financial Times, "Al-Qaeda linked to operations from Iran" , 6 July, makes serious allegations about Al-Qaeda and Sunni extremists linked to Al-Qaeda using Iranian territory as a base for launching terrorist operations in Iraq with the possible knowledge and cooperation of the Iranian government. The FT uses unsubstantiated allegations, invariably attributed to anonymous "officials" or "analysts", without questioning the plausibility of these dangerously incriminating claims.

Mehrnaz Shahabi of CASMII said today: "With brazen disregard for accuracy and truth, the FT fails to draw on the established evidence of the ongoing and irreconcilable hostilities between Iran and Al-Qaeda: Firstly, the hostilities between Wahabiism and Shiism is well known. The Al-Qaeda's virulent anti-Shiia ideology and Taliban's massacring of thousands of Shiiat in northern Afghanistan and executing Iranian diplomats in Mazar-e Sharif in 1998 , make an alliance between the two extremely unlikely. Secondly, there is a wealth of evidence of current and intensified hostilities directed at Iran by Sunni extremists, in which the US and the UK are known to be implicated. Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, in New Yorker magazine of 5th March, discloses [2] a new strategy and major shift in American foreign policy, which is to contain a Shiite resurgence through covert alliances with and funding operations by Sunni extremists and Al-Qaeda, with the intention to undermine Iran. Hersh refers to secret funds being funneled into these operations which are totally unauthorised by the US Congress!"

The FT fails to make any reference to the ample evidence that Jundullah is one such group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and is waging a major terrorist campaign inside Iran. Jundullah, a separatist group in Baluchistan, is thought to be trained and armed by the US, as part of the US policy of destabilisation and regime change in Iran. Also, The audio-taped announcement [3] last week by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the leader of an Al-Qaeda umbrella group in Iraq, threatens to wage war against Iran unless Iran stops supporting the Shiia government in Iraq. He says Al-Qaeda has been waiting for four years to wage a war with Iran. Notably the US which has remained silent on Al-Qaeda announcement, has made a similar announcement by the passage of an amendment to the Defence Authorization Act censuring Iran for proxy killing of American soldiers and destabilisation in Iraq and given Iran, a "stern warning", concurrent with the warning by Al-Qaeda. Sen. Lieberman, the author of the legislation is a vociferous advocate of war with Iran.

These confirm the convergence of interests between the US and Al-Qaeda around their deep enmity towards Iran and negate the spurious assertion that Iran is a beneficiary of continuing mayhem in Iraq.

Alarmingly, the FT's accusation of Iran's cooperation with Al-Qaeda is in chorus with the current US war propaganda against Iran, that is, Iran's complicity with Al-Qaeda, which according to the current US legislation can be used by President Bush as a pretext for a military attack on Iran without further recourse to the Congress. This outrageous accusation is the exact repetition of the accusation leveled against the Iraqi regime in US's "War on Terror" before the 2003 illegal invasion of Iraq.

CASMII campaigns for ethical journalism on news coverage about Iran and calls on all responsible journalists and concerned individuals to challenge these dangerous inaccuracies and distortions.

Complaints should be directed to the FT editor, on letters.editor@ft.com

For more information or to contact CASMII please visit http://www.campaigniran.org

Notes:

[1] http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9cc4d5f4-2be3-11dc-b498-000b5df....html
[2] http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/03/05/070305fa_...hersh
[3] http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070708/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq...ida_1

[END]

author by gurglepublication date Thu Aug 16, 2007 19:48author address author phone Report this post to the editors

that's where the albion came from http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2146378,00.html but within three days it had turned it a question of garden gnome ownership - oreign Ministry spokesman, Mohammad-Ali Hosseini said Sunday night that the issue of finding a tunnel under the British embassy in Tehran was nothing new and that it had been closed four year ago. Hosseini made the remark during a televised interview with Channel One of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). A recent report disclosed earlier this week that a tunnel was found under the British embassy in northern Tehran, linking the premises to a nearby carpet company. The spokesman denied a news analysis that the tunnel was used for special purposes by the embassy. "Such an analysis is not correct," Hosseini stressed. As for the issue of Britain's claim over the ownership of a Qolhak Garden in northern Tehran, the spokesman said, "The issue has a legal procedure which is being followed up." Commenting on London's claims that it has "documents" to prove its ownership of the garden, hosseini said, "There are documents in this connection but their quality and content are under question."
that's from the Iranian news agency for those of you who don't want their cookies on your PC
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-236/0708131906140...8.htm

author by Watcherpublication date Thu Aug 16, 2007 19:40author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Pat, the following is lifted from your link,

A quote from the "report" goes,
""many still view Britain as perfidious Albion, British imperial meddling""

And a posted reply,
"they seem to be picking a fight guy's!!!! pick your weapon!!!"

Still keeping bad cpmopany I see!

author by pat cpublication date Thu Aug 16, 2007 16:25author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Sorry, forgot the link.

Related Link: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1245812007
author by pat cpublication date Thu Aug 16, 2007 16:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Brit debauchery uncovered! The Brits used a tunnel to smuggle sex-workers into their Embassy in Tehran! (A tunnel? Positively Freudian!) Full story at the link.

Iran heaps scorn on UK after 'spy tunnel' find
MICHAEL THEODOULOU

IRANIAN newspapers have long poured scorn on the debauchery and deviousness of the British Foreign Office. But now the criticism has been cranked up further with the alleged discovery of a secret tunnel used to sneak "spies and prostitutes" into the British embassy in Tehran.

The passage was been uncovered by workmen, according to reports. Labourers digging foundations for a carpet shop opposite the embassy on an avenue in the heart of the capital stumbled across what was described as a "huge" underground passageway.

A blogger who used to work at the embassy was reported as saying: "The British embassy is using the tunnel for the comings and goings of spies linked to the embassy, and prostitutes."

Raja News, a website close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the hardline president, ran the story. Iran's state-run radio broadcast a similar report, brief but excitable, and urged listeners to remain tuned in for further revelations.

author by Aragonpublication date Fri Jul 20, 2007 11:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Ramidani gives a detailed analysis of the relationship between the sectarian groups in Iraq - how each of them has responded to the invasion amongst themselves and with the US invasion. The corrupting role of the US could not be clearer. The Badr Brigade, a militia from Iran have SUPPORTED the US, eg.. But see how the US is twisting this situation in the western and world media by claiming that the Iranian government is sending insurgents in - one of its main justifications for attacking Iran! Western media coverage of this situation is superficial, ill-informed and utterly reliant on US/UK propaganda.

Ramidani:
"Then there are Hakim’s forces, which are rich and well organised within Sciri—the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. It has a large well paid militia, the Badr Brigade, but this is organised more like a regular army. Again this force has lost most of its popular support. In the last clash between Sadr’s force and Badr Brigade, which took place last summer, the Mahdi Army crushed them in ten major cities. It was significant that Badr’s forces fled their headquarters in those cities and did not fight back. They reached a ceasefire, mediated by Ayatollah Sistanti, and it was after this that Sadr was offered of 30 seats in the coalition government. The Badr Brigade used to be in Iran before the US-led invasion, but after they crossed the border back into Iraq their leadership became—contrary to many reports—much more answerable to the US than Iran. Historically, the forces around Hakim supported the 1963 US-backed Baathist coup. There is a Hakim tradition of working with the US, stretching back to that Baathist coup and the anti-Communist alliance."

Full article at link.

Related Link: http://www.isj.org.uk/index.php4?id=299&issue=114
author by pat cpublication date Fri Jul 20, 2007 10:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"I'd prefer oppressed people to get the chance to change their own system if they don't like it, rather than their difficulties being hijacked as an excuse for stealing all their resources and bombing them into the stone age"

Well, if you check you will see that most of the Iran articles on Indy come from Iranian socialists who want the chance to change the system. They also oppose any imperialist aggression against Iran.

Have a look at http://www.hopoi.org/ it is the website of Hands Off the People of Iran campaign. HOPI say:
We recognise that there is an urgent need to establish a principled solidarity campaign with the people of Iran. The contradictions between the interests of the neo-conservatives in power in the USA and the defenders of the rule of capital in the Islamic Republic has entered a dangerous new phase.

US imperialism and its allies are intent on regime change from above and are seriously considering options to impose this - sanctions, diplomatic pressure, limited strikes or perhaps bombing the country back to the stone age.

In Iran, the theocracy is using the international outcry against its nuclear weapons programme to divert attention away from the country's endemic crisis, deflect popular anger onto foreign enemies and thus prolong its reactionary rule.


Full story at: http://www.hopoi.org/main.html

No to imperialist war!
No to the theocratic regime!

author by Ayatollahpublication date Fri Jul 20, 2007 02:09author address author phone Report this post to the editors

there seems to be a curious spike in anti iran articles lately. Iran regime has its issues but right now we need to stand up against the imperialist push to invade. We need to see propaganda for what it is. Sometimes that is difficult I know. I'm no fan of oppression or religion myself but right now is not the time to be taking sides against Iran. I'd prefer oppressed people to get the chance to change their own system if they don't like it, rather than their difficulties being hijacked as an excuse for stealing all their resources and bombing them into the stone age

author by Asturiapublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 18:15author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Are you in a position to provide links on the press campaign to invent Al Qaeda Europe? It would help.

author by davekeypublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 17:58author address author phone Report this post to the editors

It seems that all reporting about insurgency in Iraq is now linked to Al Qaeda by the mainstream press. Much like the WMDs and tenuous links to 911 repeatedly used before the invasion.

Then we had the 'Al Qaeda in Europe' blamed on 7/7, an organization created out of thin air which has remarkably not been heard of before or since.

It looks George Orwell's ministry of truth is alive and well.

author by Aragonpublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 17:56author address author phone Report this post to the editors

From Information Clearing House

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11851.htm

author by iosaf mac diarmadapublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 15:24author address author phone Report this post to the editors

It's been over three weeks since the most serious call for Jihad (a word i dislike) was made by Al Q's number 2 from somwhere in the borderlands of Afghanistan & Pakistan against Iran. Thus Iran became an enemy of Al Qaeda. Whilst the USA continues the policy of confrontation with Iran which republican presidencies generally only half-heartedly pursue but has reached unprecedented levels under Bush thanks to his now legendary "axis of evil" gurgle - we may logically say (without even being Wittgenstein or knowing who he was that both the USA and Al Qaeda are working to topple the Iranian regime . However, that shining logic will not assist in pondering either the how or why. of US or AlQ campaigns to topple the Iranian regime. & right now is not the moment to even enter into it unless you are a farsi speaking trade unionist living in exile. & no - cutting and pasting farsi speaking trade unionists in exile doesn't count. Rather what does matter now is what is happening in that northern region of Iraq which constitutes the only part of Kurdish lands to enjoy limited self-government. For there - the US, Turkey, Iran & Al Qaeda are all working together against democracy, self-determination & lasting peace.

It has now been almost a week since I attempted to bring regulars of this website's attention to the re-emergence of the Kurdistan question & its vital consideration by all who would think themselves useful to the pursuit of peace in both the middle east and mid Asia. The exact timeline is :- (1) I asked you to notice an invasion plan (2) Al Q or someone else bombed Kirkuk (3) the editor of the BBC in europe ended his holidays in Dorset and flew to Ankara to monitor the elections as a Turkish MP candidate is murdered whilst taking the time to send one of his tippy toppy reporters to Kurdistan - coz the previous assumption that everything was quiet on the eastern front is just not holding. For a gamut of reasons Iran doesn't merit your attention now. Its nuclear ambitions, its long past divestment of wealth to the asian rim to counter sanctions which will be blocked by Russia and China, its environmentalism do not really merit being on the top of your little anti-war list. There is not - repeat - not going to be an invasion of Iran this week or next. However as the editor of the BBC tries his best to explain - an election is happening in the Turkish state which was forced by the Turkish military who are massed on the Kurdish border & who are shelling Kurdistan.
((
Mark Mardell editor of the BBC Europe on the eCoup and eVolutionaries, Turkey, Kurdistan & its army election. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/200....html ))

In 2003 we didn't waste much time wondering was the USA or NATO going to invade Syria. During the Cuban missile crises we didn't talk about Kennedy's ICBM's in Turkey coz all we knew about was Krushvchev's in Cuba.
"my friends' enemy is my friend" - not quite Wittgenstein but it holds for Al Q & the Taliban (now) and it holds for the USA and the Taliban. It held for the USA and the USSR (sometimes) and blaa blaa blaa round the table.

Related Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markmardell/2007/07/the_ecoup.html
author by Aragonpublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 13:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"Unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the US could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran."

Roberts also says that he thinks it is entirely possible that the US would stage terrorist attacks in various countries to create a favourable opinion for a war on Iran.

http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/2608

author by Aragonpublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This is information from Iraq and Iran - from Iranian people who know alot more about this situation than you or me. Western media seldom reports the complexity of how the various religious groups interact with one another -the network of enmities and factions that are making the situation so difficult. The US plan for Iraq is to divide it into different regions for each of the main groups. It is working with each of them against the others in different places to bring this about. This is a US driven civil war. Al Qaida is hostile to Iran for its own reasons and that is useful to the US.

The US Senate has just voted against Congress to continue the war indefinitely - Bush/Rice want to see the plan through. They also want a war with Iran and now they are telling blatant lies about what Iran is doing. Iranian people of course see the hysterical idiocy and contradictory stupidity of what is being said.

CASMII is a group made of people of all persuasions united in an attempt to prevent deaths of likiely hundreds thousands more of Iranian people:

"Increasing international tensions and conflict are destructive to the causes of peace, justice and democracy. We appeal to people of all faiths as well as to people with a secular outlook and those of all political and ideological persuasions, to join us in building an effective international campaign for peace and dialogue, and against sanctions, foreign state interference, destabilization and military intervention in Iran.

The Founding Meeting of the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) took place on 1 December 2005 in a gathering in London, where a broad based group of Iranian and non-Iranian academics, students and professionals of different political and ideological persuasions agreed on the name and the Mission Statement of this campaign organisation. "

http://www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=about

author by Tom Dooleypublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 10:04author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Is it true that the DUP, the Catholic church, the freemasons, the AOH, the Knights of Columbanus, the Opus Dei and Sinn Fein have all conspired to support the peace process in order to dampen down incipient grassroots radical social upsurges in Northern Ireland? And what role has the Trilateral Commission played down through the years? Dunno, but it could make a fascinating novel, maybe better than Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. And surely if the movie is eventually made on location around the Brandywell, the Shankill and the Ardoyne it might reduce unemployment for a while. Unless al Qaida barges in on the act.

author by Aragonpublication date Thu Jul 19, 2007 09:51author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Journalist Robert Parry - explores the possibility the Bush is Bin-Laden's 'useful idiot':

http://consortiumnews.com/2005/082505.html

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