George and Georgia

I posed the question in the comment section in the Israel/Georgia post, pondering the involvement of George Soros in Georgia.

Well, seems my foggy memory served me well:

From 2003:
Georgia revolt carried mark of Soros

He also has a warm relationship with Mr. Shevardnadze's chief opponent, Mikhail Saakashvili, a New York-educated lawyer who is expected to win the presidency in an election scheduled for Jan. 4. Last year, Mr. Soros personally presented Mr. Saakashvili with the foundation's Open Society Award.

"It's generally accepted public opinion here that Mr. Soros is the person who planned Shevardnadze's overthrow," said Zaza Gachechiladze, editor-in-chief of The Georgian Messenger, an English-language daily based in the capital.

That helped put the current perp in power: Mr. Saakashivili. And what of him? What do we know?

A little more background, from 2004:
Georgia on His Mind - George Soros's Potemkin Revolution

Late last fall, Saakashvili led thousands of "spontaneous" demonstrators, bused in from around Tbilisi, brandishing flowers as they invaded the president's palace. This was during the freezing Georgian winter when any roses not black and brittle had to be flown or trucked in, courtesy of the same bankroll that funded the fleet of rented buses for demonstrators: that of George Soros, the Hungarian-born billionaire and egotist. A former member of the Georgian Parliament said that in the three months before the "Rose Revolution," "from August through October, Soros spent $42 million ramping-up for the overthrow of Shevardnadze."

Soros has publicly committed himself to funding the "democratic" presidency of Mikhail Saakashvili, just as he has publicly committed himself and his money to the destruction of the presidency of George W. Bush, whom he has compared to Yasser Arafat and Hitler. Soros and the United Nations are paying the wages of all of Saakashvili's top government officials--ministers, deputies, the road police, and others--on the grounds that this will keep them from stealing. As if bribery and corruption were simply a problem of immediate financial need, not greed.

Shevardnadze's attempt to rig the November 2003 parliamentary elections was a handy catalyst for the coup, but it was already in the works. The previous summer Soros had flown Saakashvili and his followers to a seminar he sponsored in Belgrade on how to stage your own "Velvet Revolution." And perhaps Soros would deserve some credit--except for the undeniable fact that, ever since his anointing in a crooked election in January, Saakashvili has sounded more like a raging nationalist and authoritarian thug than a democrat strewing rose petals.

There is alot of really good info on Saakashivili here, and some rather unflattering comparisons of him, by his wife of all people:

Saakashvili, now 36, was an only child with an absent father. He was raised by a divorced, domineering, and ambitious mother, and his tough-talking Dutch-born wife, Sandra Roelof, appears to follow in that tradition. (Saakashvili married her in lower Manhattan in 1993 while he was attending Columbia for a year on a U.S. taxpayer-funded scholarship.) In February, Roelof gave an interview to a Dutch magazine for a breathless Vanity Fair-like profile headlined "Sandra Roelof's Fairy Tale: From a Zeeuws Girl to First Lady of Georgia." Roelof seems to have taken to Georgian politics:

Georgia has produced strong leaders. Stalin, Beria, Gamsakhurdia. Even Shevardnadze, before he got addicted to power. They looked beyond Georgia. My husband does the same; he fits in the tradition. This country needs a strong hand. It is incredibly important that respect for authority returns. That laws are less frequently broken, that people simply pay their bills for once. There is hardly a sense of responsibility here. . . . I think my husband is the right person to frighten people. That is not to say it is immediately fascism or something. Should he develop extremist traits he will be alerted to that. All eyes are looking at us now.

*snip*

The second man to whom Sandra Roelof compares her husband is Lavrenty Beria, Stalin's secret police czar and the Georgian-born father of the Soviet Gulag. Beria, a notorious pedophile, was responsible for the deaths of millions of Soviet citizens. He was executed on Khrushchev's order after Stalin's death in 1953.

Next on Roelof's list is Zviad Gamsakhurdia, the first elected president of Georgia, a rabid nationalist completely intolerant of any opposition. He was deposed in a coup in the early '90s and later shot himself in the head (or was murdered). Two weeks ago Saakashvili announced that 2004 would be "the year of Gamsakhurdia," whatever that is intended to mean.

The last of Roelof's major players is Shevardnadze, the mentoring father figure Saakashvili never had, who brought him into parliament, appointed him to his cabinet, and guided him along until Saakashvili turned and stabbed him. Despite the relentless encomiums from the last three U.S. administrations, Shevardnadze was brutal and corrupt. (Saakashvili, who lives around the corner from Shevardnadze in Tbilisi, has never had him arrested.)



How nice.

Make of it what you will.

Could this be a whole set up? Designed to take out a loose cannon?

ETA: "Republic of South Ossetia" News

Free Gaza

For those who may not know of this brave exercise, the Free Gaza ship is about to set sail, from Cyprus to the coastal waters of Gaza. The mission is to break the siege of the tiny enclave known to the world as Gaza.

The Israelis have, since their 'withdrawl' continued to keep borders closed, inflicting collective punishment on the entire population of the Strip. In other words - the Israelis never really left. Sure, they dismantled some illegal settlements they had there, buying off the settlers and of course, relocating them to more illegal settlements in the West Bank, but the Israeli's occupation forces, the IDF, never really left. They control all border crossings, they control the entire coastline, not even allowing Palestinian fishermen to venture out in search of food. They continue their sonic bombardment and overflights, rain missles down in dense civilian areas and generally make life hell for the 1.5 million people who call the strip home.

Further to the above, the Israelis won't let sick and dying people leave Gaza for any kind of medical treatment - they threaten and coerce these sick people to 'inform' on others - then still deny them entry to the West Bank, Egypt or Israel for medical treatment. So far, about 200 innocent people have died as a result.

But I digress, easy to do with this topic.

Without further ado, enter the Free Gaza Movement.

From their Mission Statement:

Mission Statement
We want to break the siege of Gaza. We want to raise international awareness about the prison-like closure of the Gaza Strip and pressure the international community to review its sanctions policy and end its support for continued Israeli occupation. We want to uphold Palestine's right to welcome internationals as visitors, human rights observers, humanitarian aid workers, journalists, or otherwise.

Who are we?
We are these human rights observers, aid workers, and journalists. We have years of experience volunteering in Gaza and the West Bank at the invitation of Palestinians. But now, because of the increasing stranglehold of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine, many of us find it almost impossible to enter Gaza, and an increasing number have been refused entry to Israel and the West Bank as well. Despite the great need for our work, the Israeli Government will not allow us in to do it.

We are of all ages and backgrounds. Back home, we are teachers, doctors, nurses, engineers, truck drivers, youth workers, musicians, secretaries, parents, grandparents, lawyers, students, activists, actors, playwrights, politicians, web designers, authors, international training consultants, and we even include a former Hollywood film industry worker, a former Marine, an aviator, and an explorer. We are Italian, Irish, Canadian, Greek, Tunisian, German, Australian, American, English, Scottish, Danish, Israeli, and Palestinian.


What are we going to do?
We've tried to enter Palestine by land. We've tried to arrive by air. Now we're getting serious. We're taking a ship.


What a wonderful, hopeful and human way to express their dedication to helping end the brutal occupation and collective punishment of the Palestinians in Gaza. Jeff Halper, the sole Israeli on the voyage states here in Ha aretz:

"All the participants on board are very experienced and determined people and they know why they're going in," he says. "The beauty of a non-violent activity is that we win, no matter what. If we break the siege, we win, and even if they arrest us, we win, because this will expose the face of the occupation and prove Israel is still an occupier in Gaza."

Indeed, Mr. Halper. I hope they do manage to weigh anchor at the shores of Gaza. I also hope that no harm comes to any of the brave souls on this endeavour to bring to light the real face of Israeli occupation, for it damages the Palestinians certianly, but the tarnishes the soul of the occupier herself.

Here is the Participant Biographies, from the Free Gaza Movement website. I'm happy to see Hedy Epstein rise to the cause, what a brave honourable woman!

Here's wishing them all luck, clear skies, calm sea and above all - a safe landing in a Gazan harbour.

Israel and Iran, Israel and Georgia..

Gosh Israel is just as busy as the US in minding other folks' business and starting wars:

Israel backs Georgia in Caspian Oil Pipeline Battle with Russia

Last year, the Georgian president commissioned from private Israeli security firms several hundred military advisers, estimated at up to 1,000, to train the Georgian armed forces in commando, air, sea, armored and artillery combat tactics. They also offer instruction on military intelligence and security for the central regime. Tbilisi also purchased weapons, intelligence and electronic warfare systems from Israel.

These advisers were undoubtedly deeply involved in the Georgian army’s preparations to conquer the South Ossetian capital Friday.



Hmmm...

Updated:Israel, Georgia: Israel To Halt Arms Sales To Georgia


A little too late I see.


Not only is Israel busy in Georgia:
Israel 'using Kurds to build power base'

Where else are they?

War with Iran? Who is calling the shots?

It seems now that two more US warships are heading to the Persian Gulf:

U.S. Aircraft Carriers Head For The Gulf; Kuwait Prepares "Emergency War Plan"

At present, two U.S. naval battle groups operate in the Gulf: one is an aircraft carrier group, led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, which carries some 65-fighter aircraft. The other group, headed by the USS Peleliu, maintains a variety of planes and strike helicopters.

Not only that, but at the end of July accompanied by Israeli vessels, another un-named US Destroyer ventured through the Suez canal from the Mediterranean Sea.

None of this is good news, and the war cries from Israel and her US agencies is getting louder by the moment. Even Condi, the fence sitter, is giving the nod, by NOT saying NO to Israel's desire to attack Iran for a fictitious nuclear weapon program:

From:"Interview With Mike Allen of The Politico and Yahoo! News"

QUESTION: Now of course, the country that really worries about a nuclear Iran is Israel, and of course, their air force has even practiced a potential attack on Iran. Since we’re such a close ally of Israel, do you worry that if Israel were to act against Iran, that we would be blamed?


SECRETARY RICE: Well, we don’t say yes or no to Israeli military operations. Israel is a sovereign country. But we are in very close contact with the Israelis and we talk about the diplomatic track that we’re on. I think they believe that diplomacy – they’ve said that diplomacy can work here. And I know they’re doing their part to talk to all of the countries with which they have good relations to explain why it’s important to have a tough edge to our diplomacy. (emphasis mine)

Hmmm like China?
China can be key to stopping Iran


QUESTION: Well, Madame Secretary, you’re the diplomatic voice of the United States. Would you use this opportunity to tell Israel that they should not strike Iran?


SECRETARY RICE: As I’ve said, we’re on a diplomatic course and that’s the important thing.


Good grief, talk about NOT saying much of anything, or perhaps saying more than needed. It is clear that even IF Rice did implore Israel to not pre-emptively attack Iran that Israel, being the 'soveriegn' nation she is, won't listen anyway. Why should they?

Israel already knows that any threat which comes their way as a result of a pre-emptive military strike against Iran, they will have the US military and government's full support. Talk about the schoolyard bully having the entire teaching staff at their disposal - free to threaten, to intimidate and smear, free to do as they wish, whenever, however they like.

The lop-sided balance of US blind support for Israel has also now infected Canadian politics with the signing of the "oh so secret" security treaty with Israel. How much press and discussion did this have? None - nowhere - there was NO debate.

So, who is calling the shots for this desire to attack Iran? If we take Israel's voice out of the mix, who is left? Let's face it - Iran is not a strategic threat to the US. Then again, neither was Iraq. Yet the voices calling for the invasion and bombing of a soveriegn nation are the same.

Update to come later.

It's Official: FBI got their Man - Ivins Guilty

Well, isn't this nice! The FBI has formally announced that they 'got their man' and Ivins was the sole perpetrator behind the anthrax mailings, which killed five people and sickened 17.

I guess there is no more to be said! The package is wrapped, the bow tied neatly.

Or, is it? There are still many questions which remain unanswered. For instance, the benonite lie and the odd notes associated with the anthrax letters themselves.

As Glen Greenwald notes here:

UPDATE II: The Boston Globe's Washington Bureau Chief, Peter Canellos, today examines the way in which the anthrax attacks were used to increase the nation's fear of Islamic radicals generally and Iraq specifically, and he writes:

When the anthrax attacks occurred, Iraq was immediately fingered by some experts and many neoconservative hawks as a possible source; ABC News quoted three unnamed government sources as saying the powder in the letters matched the type produced in Iraq.

Even though most serious analysts were highly skeptical that the tainted letters came from Hussein, the mere possibility that Iraq could have maintained a stockpile of anthrax was enough to convince many people that it was a looming threat.

The Washington Post's Dan Froomkin notes that article and adds: "So who told ABC the powder looked Iraqi? Salon blogger Glenn Greenwald has been asking that question for days." How much longer will ABC News and Brian Ross be able to refuse to address these questions?


Well at least the blogs ARE asking the questions that the Mainstream seems to overlook.

Even the WaPo, who did at first sound some alarms, then 'scrubbed' it's own article:
Article Casting Doubt on 'Anthrax Killer' Scrubbed

Left out of the Saturday story was the fact that Ivins had NO access to 'dry' anthrax - only liquid. Hmmmm... then we see on Sunday that many of the questions from the Friday article return.

All this to and fro certainly leaves one scratching their heads.

Glaringly obvious is the attempt by mainstream media to cover up the doubts, cast them in a different light and continue to tow the party line: Ivins guilty - case closed.

How convenient.

John McCain - Truly Insane

Thanks to ThinkProgress for catching this:

McCain suggests Military-Style Invasion Modelled on the Surge to Control Inner-City Crime

Today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) spoke to the National Urban League, a group “devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream.” When an audience member asked him how he planned to reduce urban crime, McCain praised Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s efforts in New York Cirty before invoking the military’s tactics in Iraq as the model for crime-fighting:

MCCAIN: And some of those tactics — you mention the war in Iraq — are like that we use in the military. You go into neighborhoods, you clamp down, you provide a secure environment for the people that live there, and you make sure that the known criminals are kept under control. And you provide them with a stable environment and then they cooperate with law enforcement, etc, etc.

**

Click on above link for audio.

This guy is totally off his rocker, a win for McCain would be Bush on steroids - and woe to all of us.

American Radical

Here is the trailer for American Radical.

I am unsure of the release date for the entire documentary, but will inquire at my local (independently owned!) video store later today or tomorrow and will edit this post to match.