Sunday, April 24, 2011

Drugs And Guns


America exports guns across the world. The civil wars and drug wars in the furthest corners of the world are fueled by guns made by American companies. And it is considered legitimate. There are legitimate gun lobbies. There are right to lifestyle people who manage to connect the dots between deer hunting with a rifle and automatic weapons designed to mow down people in great numbers. You take one guy away, you take all guns away. I am all for fierce, rugged individualism. That is one big reason I like America so much. But gun culture is downright primitive.

America exports guns. America imports drugs. And we end up with a culture of violence globally. The permeation and easy availability of guns take crimes to whole new levels. They help further institutionalize sex slavery. They fuel civil wars. There is mayhem.

Just like the pro life, pro choice debate is a global debate, the gun debate is a global debate. The drug debate is a global debate.

I think there is also an underlying message that we as humanity are in the very early stages of recognizing and taking care of mental illnesses. We don't accord the same respect to minor depressions that we do now to minor colds, minor cuts, minor bruises. And that might be the primary fuel to substance abuse problems across the world.

But then guns and big money enter the equation, and that is a whole different ballgame. You end up with countries where drug cartels spread through the structure of the state like cancer and eat it up from inside.

America needs to get responsible with guns if it is sincere in its war on drugs and violence. There is a need for total regulation.

The war on drugs needs a twin war: a war on guns.

Guns Of Brooklyn: Peaceout
Washington Times: Brutal Mexican Drug Gang Crosses Into U.S.: The signature crimes of the most violent drug cartel in Mexico are its beheading and dismemberment of rival gang members, military personnel, law enforcement officers and public officials, and the random kidnappings and killings of civilians who get caught in its butchery and bloodletting. ..... Los Zetas is no longer just a concern in Mexico. It has expanded its deadly operations across the southwestern border, establishing footholds and alliances in states from New York to California. ...... Trained as an elite band of Mexican anti-drug commandos, the Zetas evolved into mercenaries for the infamous Gulf Cartel, bringing a new wave of brutality to Mexico’s escalating drug wars. Bolstered by an influx of assassins, bandits, thieves, thugs and corrupt federal, state and local police officers, the Zetas have since evolved into a well-financed and heavily armed drug smuggling force of their own. ...... Known for mounting the severed heads of their rivals on poles or hanging their dismembered bodies from bridges in cities throughout Mexico, the Zetas have easily become the most feared criminal gang in Mexico — where 35,000 people have been killed in a continuing drug war. Everyone is a potential victim: men, women and children. ..... “The Zetas are determined to gain the reputation of being the most sadistic, cruel and beastly organization that ever existed” ...... While the beheadings and dismemberments are used to punish those who oppose or betray them, to establish turf, to terrorize the citizenry against testifying against them, and to press political leaders to collaborate, random killings also have become the gang’s trademark — used by the Zetas, Mr. Grayson said, to demonstrate that no one is beyond their reach, that they can kidnap, torture and kill anyone they choose. ...... extorting funds from street vendors, business owners, political officials and others ...... U.S. authorities on the border are outgunned and outmanned by drug smugglers armed with automatic weapons, grenades and state-of-the-art communications and tracking systems. He said drug profits have allowed the cartels, particularly the Zetas, to develop “experts” in explosives, wiretapping, countersurveillance, lock-picking and Global Positioning System technology. ...... “Their violence has emboldened them and they are expanding to cities all across the United States” ...... Middle Eastern terrorists brought the practice of beheading their enemies to Central America and later Mexico. He said it also has become a tactic of U.S. street gangs, including Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, which, according to the FBI, has now spread across 42 states, with active operations in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as California, Texas and New York. ..... With an estimated 10,000 members and an active recruitment drive under way, MS-13 is involved in crimes including drug distribution and homicide. ..... Mexican drug cartels, including the Zetas, have infiltrated 276 U.S. cities and represent the nation’s most serious organized-crime threat. ...... operate coast to coast. ..... the boldness of the attacks and the savagery of the Zetas has shocked many veteran law enforcement authorities ..... the gang stockpiled weapons in safe houses in the U.S. ...... gang members were armed with “assault rifles, bullet proof vests and grenades.” ..... Americans were fair game for Mexican gangs seeking control of U.S. smuggling routes. ...... Mexican drug gangs “literally do control parts of Arizona,” noting that gang members are armed with radios, optics and night-vision goggles “as good as anything law enforcement has. ...... “This is going on here in Arizona — 30 miles from the fifth-largest city in the United States” ..... the Zetas also have reached across the Mexican border into Central America for new recruits, including former members of Los Kaibiles, an elite special operations force of the Guatemalan military trained in jungle warfare and counterinsurgency tactics. ...... Guatemalan officials said the Zetas have established bases in several jungle areas and formed alliances with Central American gangs to take control of cocaine shipments from Guatemala to Mexico. Other links have been forged between the Zetas and the Ndrangheta, one of Italy’s most powerful crime syndicates that specializes in cocaine distribution and arms trafficking. ....... they use their massive supply of weapons and high-tech equipment to instill fear to take over numerous businesses. ..... The reputed leader of the Zetas is Heriberto “The Executioner” Lazcano-Lazcano, an original member of the Grupo Aeromovil de Fuerzas Especiales, or the Air Mobile Special Forces Group, the elite special forces operation within the Mexican army initially assigned to fight the drug cartels. ..... Lazcano-Lazcano has a vast arsenal at his disposal, including helicopters, armored vehicles, AK-47 assault rifles, AR-15 semi-automatic rifles, MP-5 submachine guns, 50-mm sniper rifles, shoulder-fired missiles, grenade launchers, bazookas, armor-piercing ammunition, plastic explosives, dynamite and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Gang members wear body armor and ballistic helmets, and launch attacks in military uniforms and military-style vehicles. .......... The Zetas, seeking to grab a larger portion of the $25 billion cocaine, heroin and marijuana market in the United States, are estimated to have between 1,000 and 3,000 hard-core members and 10,000 loyalists across Mexico, Central America and the United States. Authorities said the gang has organized a sophisticated supply and distribution network operating through established territories. ... “The Zetas are quite diversified and they are good bookkeepers,” Mr. Grayson said. “They will go where they can make money and will do what they have to do to make it happen.”









The Wire: 100 Greatest Quotes

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Another One Bites The Dust

THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW. With the President of the...Image via WikipediaWall Street Journal: Yemen's Saleh Accepts Deal to Step Down: Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accepted a political deal brokered by neighboring Arab countries that would have him step down from power after 30 days in exchange for immunity for himself and his close relatives, according to a presidential aide. The apparent softening of the longtime ruler's recalcitrant stance that he would remain in power until the end of his term in 2013 comes after a burst of arm-twisting and backroom diplomacy by Yemen's close allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

(via Pantless Progressive)



Saudis Going Into Bahrain Like Saddam Going Into Kuwait
To Zimbabwe Through Ivory Coast
A Rwanda Was Prevented
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Monday, April 18, 2011

Saudis Going Into Bahrain Like Saddam Going Into Kuwait

King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. (2002 photo)Image via WikipediaJust because the autocratic regime in Bahrain extended an invitation does not mean the move was legitimate. This Arab wave of democracy does not end with the nefarious regime in Iran ending up with much more regional power. This wave will sweep away the Iranian mullahs from power. That has to be the outcome we have to work towards.

The Saudi king has to go. The mullahs in Iran have to go.

Gaddafi tried to tell the world it was the Al Qaeda playing tricks on him in Benghazi. Should we have believed him? There were people who said if you kick out Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood, a party of Islamists, will take over that important country?

And now there are people who are thinking in terms of a scenario where the Saudi king is still in power a few months from now, and the mullahs are still in power in Iran several months from now.

The whole idea is to sweep them from power. The whole idea is to start afresh. This is not a Shia Sunni fight like the Saudi royals are pressing hard for the world to believe. If the Saudi king tells you he is the person standing between you and Bin Laden, do not believe him. He is the person standing between the people of Saudi Arabia and their democratic aspirations. To that add the people of Bahrain as well.
Wall Street Journal: The New Cold War: For three months, the Arab world has been awash in protests and demonstrations. ...... a dramatic spike in tensions between two geopolitical titans, Iran and Saudi Arabia. ...... On March 14, the Saudis rolled tanks and troops across a causeway into the island kingdom of Bahrain. The ruling family there, long a close Saudi ally, appealed for assistance in dealing with increasingly large protests. ...... shows how easily the old Middle East, marked by sectarian divides and ingrained rivalries, can re-emerge and stop change in its tracks. ...... There has long been bad blood between the Saudis and Iran. Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim kingdom of ethnic Arabs, Iran a Shiite Islamic republic populated by ethnic Persians..... Iran holds in its sway Syria and the militant Arab groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Palestinian territories; in the Saudi sphere are the Sunni Muslim-led Gulf monarchies, Egypt, Morocco and the other main Palestinian faction, Fatah. The Saudi camp is pro-Western and leans toward tolerating the state of Israel. The Iranian grouping thrives on its reputation in the region as a scrappy "resistance" camp, defiantly opposed to the West and Israel..... As far away as Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, the Saudis have watched warily as Iranian clerics have expanded their activities—and they have responded with large-scale religious programs of their own there. ...... Spurred on by televised images and YouTube videos from Tunisia, protests broke out across much of the rest of the Arab world. Within weeks, millions were on the streets in Egypt and Hosni Mubarak was gone, shown the door in part by his longtime backer, the U.S. government. The Obama administration was captivated by this spontaneous outbreak of democratic demands and at first welcomed it with few reservations...... In Riyadh, Saudi officials watched with alarm. They became furious when the Obama administration betrayed, to Saudi thinking, a longtime ally in Mr. Mubarak and urged him to step down in the face of the street demonstrations. ..... The Saudis were further agitated when the protests crept closer to their own borders...... As for the U.S., the Saudis saw calls for reform as another in a string of disappointments and outright betrayals..... The Saudis believe that solving the issue of Palestinian statehood will deny Iran a key pillar in its regional expansionist strategy—and thus bring a win for the forces of Sunni moderation that Riyadh wants to lead. ....... the ramping up of regional tensions has another source: fear of democracy itself. ..... Long before protests ousted rulers in the Arab world, Iran battled massive street protests of its own for more than two years. It managed to control them, and their calls for more representative government or outright regime change, with massive, often deadly, force. Yet even as the government spun the Arab protests as Iranian inspired, Iran's Green Revolution opposition movement managed to use them to boost their own fortunes, staging several of their best-attended rallies in more than a year..... Saudi Arabia has largely avoided protests during the Arab Spring ..... "The problem is a political one, but sectarianism is a winning card for them" ...... Iran and Saudi Arabia are, uncharacteristically and to some observers alarmingly, tossing direct threats at each other across the Gulf. ...... the understanding that the kingdom works to stabilize global oil prices while the White House protects the ruling family's dynasty. Washington has pulled back from blanket support for democracy efforts in the region. ....... While Saudi troops guard critical oil and security facilities in their neighbor's land, the Bahraini government has launched a sweeping and often brutal crackdown on demonstrators. ....... forced out the editor of the country's only independent newspaper. More than 400 demonstrators have been arrested without charges, many in violent night raids on Shiite villages ..... In Yemen, the Saudis, also working under a Gulf Cooperation Council umbrella, have taken control of the political negotiations to transfer power out of the hands of President Ali Abdullah Saleh
This is not a Shia Sunni fight. This is a fight between autocracy and democracy. This is a fight between the Arab peoples and their autocratic rulers. Just like the autocrats in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain see common cause, the peoples of Saudi Arabi and Bahrain have to see common cause. They have to rise together.

America has no love affair with the House of Saud. America's love affair is with democracy. It always has been, always will be. But it is for the people of Saudi Arabia to rise, it is for the people of Iran to rise all over again. I remember 2009.
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DL21C: Enemy Organization


DL21C is guilty of a crime. It is guilty as an organization.

DL21C's best option is to dismantle itself. Or I am going to wipe that organization off the face of this city. It is just that I am in no hurry to do it. That is the fun part of it for me. That I am in no hurry to do it.

The Obama volunteers in New York City get to pick between me and DL21C. If they pick DL21C, I will understand. I am just one person. DL21C is an entire organization.

The democratic primary of 2008 ends for me after I have personally wiped out DL21C from the face of this city. I don't need any help.

If any DL21C person ends up with any kind of a leadership position with Obama 2012, I am boycotting all Obama 2012 events in Manhattan.

So help me God.
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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Larry Shinn

Larry Shinn is easily, easily, easily the most disgusting human being I have ever had to meet in person.

Travel does not cure prejudice. This motherfucker is proof. He will tell you he has been to India.

You don't participate in racist demonization and get away with it.

This motherfucking priest is not going to have a legacy. When he dies he is going to die knowing he toiled his entire life for nothing.

He does not deserve a legacy. He is not going to have one.

That is his punishment. He is paying.

Monday, April 04, 2011

To Zimbabwe Through Ivory Coast

Laurent Gbagbo, Président de la République (Cô...Image via Wikipedia
New York Times: U.N. and France Strike Leader’s Forces in Ivory Coast: The United Nations and France went on the offensive Monday against Ivory Coast’s strongman, Laurent Gbagbo, striking his forces in a significant ratcheting-up of the months-long campaign to force him to cede power. ..... France, which has over 1,500 troops stationed in the former colony, announced that it would carry out attacks on Mr. Gbagbo’s military hardware at the request of the United Nations, joining an operation “aimed at neutralizing heavy weapons that are used against the civilian population and United Nations personnel in Abidjan,” a statement from the French presidency said..... Mig-24 helicopters had been deployed against Gbagbo military bases to “render harmless” the mortar-launchers “that are firing” on the United Nations headquarters in Abidjan and on “the civilian population.” ..... Mr. Gbagbo has refused to step down after losing an election last November to Alassane Ouattara, who was recognized as the winner by international organizations. .... Gbagbo, a former university historian who has transformed himself into a hardline autocrat over the course of a long political career.
This was never just about Tunisia. Egypt was a huge victory, but it was never just about Egypt. This thing could really grow. I want Mugabe out. I am thinking China. I am thinking Russia.

The techies of the world have to aim for the Chinese firewall. There has got to be a way in. They have managed to block sites. But they can't take the internet down. So break in. Just do it.

This is about Syria, and Iran. This is about Jordan.

But the Arab world is not enough. This democracy wave has to also engulf Africa.

The Fuck With Mugabe

Libya was a major turning point. The world sent a clear message that when people peacefully protest they will be protected.
Official portrait of Vladimir PutinImage via Wikipedia
A Rwanda Was Prevented

When the Russian president reprimanded Putin that is when I knew this wave will also crash against the Russian shores. But Russia is a big country, and we will have to build plenty of momentum elsewhere. Elsewhere is the Arab world and Africa.

Reports signal growing rift between Russia’s governing duo
Russian President Criticizes Putin's Libya Remarks
Medvedev criticizes Putin over Libya remarks
Medvedev Criticizes Putin For Calling Libya Action Crusade
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Obama 2012 Is On

New York City
Obama 08: NYC Video: 10 Hours


Today is the official launch of Obama 2012. I am in because I was never out.

Barack almost took Brooklyn in February 2008. The summer before I made a promise to Michelle in person: "You give us Iowa, we will give you New York, we will make it quick and painless for Hillary." I tried hard to deliver. Things got so bad Congressman Weiner urged Hillary to make an appearance in Brooklyn before the primary, and she did. Minus that I think we had it.



Third World Guy
How My Grandfather Became Mayor The First Time
The First Time I Heard The Obama Name
Barack The Glass Walls, Ceilings, Smash 'Em
Maya Soetoro-Ng (half-sister of Barack Obama) ...Image via WikipediaMichelle Obama Is Just Fabulous
I Stand With Michelle: Iowa Must And Can Be Won
I Touched Obama: Babel, Barack
Maya Soetoro-Ng
June 4, 2008 Court Appearance: Prepared Statement: Final Draft
June 3 Immigration Court Date
The Madonna Of Global Politics
Hello Barack, I Was In Chicago
Independent For Bloomberg
Before Michelle And I Became Rich And Famous
Brooklyn And Santogold/Santigold

But first and foremost for me Obama 2012 is about 2011. I believe 2011 just might end up the biggest year in world history for democracy. But the arc does not bend on its own like Barack never tired of quoting MLK on the 2008 trail. We have to make it happen. And I want to play my part. Democracy has to sweep the Arab world, and Africa, and China and Russia.

Time For Nonviolent Protests In Libya
A Rwanda Was Prevented
Ultimately It Is About Iran, Because That Is Where It All Started
Syria's Turn
The Anatomy Of Revolutions For Democracy

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Friday, April 01, 2011

Time For Nonviolent Protests In Libya

Muammar al-Gaddafi's signature.Image via WikipediaA Rwanda Was Prevented

The mass murder imminent in Benghazi was prevented. And the UN continues to demand of Gaddafi that he not unleash animal brutality on peacefully protesting Libyans. Armed rebels in Libya have done a swift job of retaking all the territory they had lost.

But now is time for some shift in strategy. Instead of relying solely on military advances, the rebels have to consolidate. They have to organize massive peaceful demonstrations against Gaddafi in all towns and cities they control. The people of Libya have to come out into the streets in large numbers.

The idea is to inspire the people in Tripoli to also come out into the streets. When they first came out, Gaddafi basically declared war on them. And they went into hiding. Now they have to muster the strength all over again. They need to come out all over again. This time if Gaddafi performs a repeat the UN sanctioned powers have to do in Tripoli what they did in Benghazi. Bomb all government installations in Tripoli so as to destroy completely all command and control structures in Gaddafi's army.

The next phase of the drive against dictator Gaddafi has to be nonviolent consolidation of gains made so far.

Ultimately It Is About Iran, Because That Is Where It All Started
Syria's Turn
The Anatomy Of Revolutions For Democracy
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A Rwanda Was Prevented

Location of Benghazi within Libya.Image via WikipediaGaddafi might or might not go. Libya might or might not become democracy. But what has already happened is a Rwanda got prevented. If Gaddafi had moved into Benghazi like he threatened, like he was about to, we had a bloodbath on our hands, a massacre. That got prevented. That is a major humanitarian achievement. And the intervening powers have to be proud. The UN has to be proud.

No, America did not declare war on Libya. This was no invasion. This was police action to prevent a major crime: mass murder.

Mission accomplished.

But there is work to do. Gaddafi still has to be ousted. Democracy still has to see the light of day in Libya. That is for the people of Libya to do.

And now might be time to bring about a change in strategy. Now nonviolence has to be emphasized.

Ultimately It Is About Iran, Because That Is Where It All Started
Syria's Turn
The Anatomy Of Revolutions For Democracy
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