Military Resistance 9A7 No Thank You[1]
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1.15.11
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Military Resistance 9A7
HOW MANY MORE FOR OBAMA’S WARS?
U.S. Marines help their wounded comrade to a helicopter while under fire during a Medevac mission in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province November 10, 2010. REUTERS/Peter Andrews
“No Thank You To Re-Enlisting”
“I Would Die For My Country, But I Question Whether I Would In A Place We’ve Been For 10 Years, A Place We Should Have Been Out Of A Long Time Ago”
January 17, 2010 Forums, Army Times
Our country was attacked almost 10 years ago (“25K soldiers headed to Afghanistan in 2011,” Army-Times.com, Dec. 22). That’s about the same amount of time as World War II and Vietnam. I have nothing against fighting for my country, because I am in the military and understand we are always going to be at war, but there is just too much politics now and that is why I am getting out. I would die for my country, but I question whether I would in a place we’ve been for 10 years, a place we should have been out of a long time ago. Why are we not pulling everyone out until 2014? I am proud to serve, but in a government like this, no thank you to re-enlisting. — mossmr
DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THE MILITARY?
Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the address if you wish and we’ll send it regularly. Whether in Afghanistan, Iraq or stuck on a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the wars, inside the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or write to: The Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657. Phone: 888.711.2550
IRAQ WAR REPORTS
Three U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq, Another Wounded
01/15/11 By LARA JAKES, AP [Excerpts] BAGHDAD – Two U.S. troops were killed Saturday by an Iraqi soldier who apparently smuggled real bullets into a training exercise and opened fire, raising fresh concerns about insurgents worming into the nation’s security forces as the Americans prepare to leave by the year’s end. A U.S. military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American soldiers who were running the morning drill at a training center on a U.S. base in the northern city of Mosul. The U.S. official said the exercise was not meant to involve live ammunition, and an Iraqi army officer said the shooting appeared to have been planned.
A U.S. statement confirmed that two soldiers were killed and a third was wounded by small-arms fire by what the military described as “an individual wearing an Iraqi army uniform.” The Americans were not identified pending notification of next of kin, and the statement provided few other details. The U.S. troops were from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Ft. Hood, Texas. Additionally, another American soldier was killed Saturday during an unrelated military operation in central Iraq, making it one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces in the country in months. A U.S. military statement offered no details about that death. Details about the deadly exercise were sketchy Saturday afternoon. A pair of Iraqi security officials said two assailants were captured after the shooting. The U.S. military official disputed that account. An officer with Third Iraqi Army Division, which was participating in the training, said real bullets had been banned from the drill — meaning the Iraqi soldier smuggled in the ammunition with the intent to attack.
AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS
Brother: Marines Inspired Maung P. Htaik To Be ‘Brave And Strong’
Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik
January 4, 2011 By DON AINES, Herald Mail Maung P. Htaik came to the United States in 2002, and he died fighting for the country in Afghanistan on the first day of 2011. “From my understanding from talking to him, I see that he was inspired by the Marines to be brave and strong,” Dan Yar wrote of his brother Tuesday in an e-mail. “I am more than sure that he did want to serve his country.” Htaik, 20, died Saturday during combat operations in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. “He has never spoken of being afraid of death and was very quiet and calm,” Yar wrote in the e-mail. “There are a lot of things, but I just want to say he was brave, real brave. Yar said his brother was very quiet, and that he liked to play games on the computer and enjoyed drawing. A 2008 graduate of Smithsburg High School, Htaik was an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, II Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the Marine Corps. A news release issued Tuesday did not provide any additional details of his death, which the Department of Defense said Monday was in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Htaik joined the Marines in February 2009, his brother said. He was promoted to lance corporal April 1, 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in July, the Marine Corps said. Htaik’s family left Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in 1998, and moved to Singapore, Yar said. The family came to the United States in 2002 because their father wanted them to be able to get a better education, Yar said. Htaik was a naturalized United States citizen, Yar said. “He was interested in the military. I’m not sure why he chose the Marines,” Grace Priest, the registrar at Smithsburg High School, said Tuesday. He was a student aide in the school’s guidance office during his senior year, she said. “He was a quiet young man. A nice young man,” Priest said. “He would do anything you asked him to do,” she said. Htaik, who was known as Sam at school, transferred to Smithsburg from Frederick County during the second semester of his sophomore year, Priest said. Htaik made the distinguished honor roll in his senior year at Smithsburg, according to Herald-Mail archives. Among the photos Yar provided of his brother was one of Htaik shaking hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Htaik met Giuliani when the USS New York, an amphibious transport, was commissioned, Yar said.
Htaik’s Marine Corps decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Marine Corps said. His body was returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday, the Department of Defense said. Like his parents, Hla and Florie Shwe of Hagerstown, Htaik was a devout Christian, his brother said. Htaik attended Gateway Ministries in Williamsport, Yar said. Funeral services will be Saturday at Frederick Christian Fellowship Church, 10142 Hansonville Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the viewing from 10 to 11 a.m., Yar said. The family would like Htaik to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but has not yet received burial information from the Department of Defense, Yar said.
Grandmother Remembers Fallen Soldier
January 14, 2011 By: Emily Finnegan, WSIL TV ROYALTON -- A soldier with ties to Southern Illinois is the latest casualty in the Afghan war. Army Sgt. Michael Beckerman was killed by a roadside bomb Friday in the Kandahar province. The 25-year-old was from Ste Genevieve, Mo. Beckerman’s grandparents, Howard and Karen Downen, live in Southern Illinois; he was born in Carbondale and lived in the area as a young child. Family members remember him as a solider who loved his job and a father, above all. “He was a good father, he was a good husband. As far as a grandson goes, there was no better,” said Karen Downen.
Beckerman lived with his grandparents in Royalton for nearly two years, just before he enlisted in the Army in 2004. He was on his third tour of duty when he was killed--he had already been to Iraq twice and was deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year. “Nobody wants to give up their life,” his grandmother said, “But if somebody had told him it’s me or my boys, my men, he’d probably say me. That’s just the kind of guy he was.” A decorated soldier, Beckerman worked as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist--it was a dangerous job, but one his family says he loved. He requested a transfer to Fort Campbell, Ky., last January to be closer to his 2-year-old daughter Brianna. “He loved that little girl very, very much. He was a good Daddy, a very good Daddy,” said Downen, “It was worth it to him, very much, because he got to see her and play with her and take her places.” Beckerman comes from a military family. His father and two uncles all served, and his wife, Maggie, is currently deployed in Afghanistan. Downen can’t believe she’ll never get to see her grandson again, or get another one of his hugs--but she says he won’t be forgotten. “I just love his so much, I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss those arms, I’m going to miss that smile. He’s got dimples, he’s got beautiful dimples,” she told News Three. Funeral arrangements for Sgt. Beckerman have not yet been set. His mother flew out to Dover, Del., Sunday when Beckerman’s body returned to the United States. It could still be several days before the military releases his body. Basler Funeral home in Ste. Geneveive will handle the services.
Wichita Soldier Dies Serving In Afghanistan
January 6, 2011 By Stephanie Diffin, KAKE The latest Kansas casualty in the war in Afghanistan is 26-year-old Sgt. Eric Nettleton of Wichita. Nettleton graduated from Wichita West High School in 2003. He reportedly died Wednesday in Afghanistan when an IED detonated near him while he was on patrol. Those who knew Nettleton say the world has lost a great man too early. “Pride isn’t even the word (strong enough) to describe what you are, because you are so grateful, so indebted, so in awe that this man did this,” said one of Nettleton’s friends and former classmates, Amanda Buckner. Nettleton is described as a quiet but funny person, who was above all, kind.
“Very kind... very very kind. Would have helped you do anything,” said one of his former teachers, Susan Schoket. 26-year-old Nettleton played football at West High School. He also made a lasting impact on those who knew him. “He was just a wonderful young man and believed in service, and would do anything for anybody,” said Schoket. Family members say Nettleton was recently married, leaving behind his wife, parents, a sister, and a brother, who is also serving the military. “Wherever he is I hope he’s in a better place and I hope he knows that I truly appreciate the sacrifice that he and his family have made for our country and for our children,” said Buckner. It’s a sacrifice those who new Nettleton say, came too soon. “To read that he was gone, just, it shakes you. It makes you feel like you didn’t do enough I guess, didn’t say enough,” said Buckner. “It just breaks my heart. And I guess that’s the way things go sometimes, but the world lost somebody pretty special,” said Schoket. Now those who knew him are left with the memory of the man they say had the sweetest of spirits, and a contagious smile. “He really was a hero because he did something he didn’t have to do, and like I said, I will always be grateful for that,” said Buckner. In addition to serving in Afghanistan, Nettleton had also served in Iraq. Family members say his immediate family is in the process of bringing him home from Dover Air Force Base.
POLITICIANS CAN’T BE COUNTED ON TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WARS
Insurgents Burn 20 Fuel Tankers Supplying Foreign Troops In Afghanistan
Burning oil tankers after militants attacked a terminal in Dera Murad Jamali southwest Pakistan, Jan. 15, 2011. The tankers were carrying fuel for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A driver also was wounded during the Saturday attack. (AP Photo/Fida Hussain) Jan 15, 2011 Press TV A group of unidentified insurgents in southwestern Pakistan have set ablaze 20 tankers carrying oil to US-led soldiers stationed in war-hit Afghanistan. According to some witnesses, unidentified armed men on Friday night opened live ammunition on tankers at a time when the drivers were inside a roadside restaurant near Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday. There were no reports of casualties in the incident, but witnesses said the flames of fire spread to a nearby restaurant and a shop. The assailants were seen fleeing the area in their cars, but no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Witnesses have pointed to the late arrival of the police forces at the time of the attack. According to Pakistani officials, nearly 80 percent of the fuel, spare parts, and other nonlethal supplies needed for the US-led soldiers in Afghanistan initially arrive in the southern port of Karachi from where they are transported to the neighboring Afghanistan.
ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT; ALL HOME NOW
A U.S. soldier of Bravo Company 2-327 Infantry burns waste at Badel Combat Out Post in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border Jan 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION
MILITARY NEWS
“We Went To War To Keep The Army Busy”
“Troops Were Sent To Afghanistan So Forces Numbers Would Not Be Cut”
“‘It’s Use Them, Or Lose Them’, He Said”
Head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt 14 January 2011 Daily Mail, UK A furious row has erupted in Whitehall after a former Kabul envoy claimed British commanders committed troops to war in Afghanistan because they feared cuts if they did not use them. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said he had been told by the former head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that if he did not re-deploy battlegroups coming free from Iraq he would lose them in a future defence review. Sir Dannatt has strongly denied the allegations and slammed the remarks as ‘a disgraceful set of comments’, adding: ‘It’s not his business to opine about the Army. He is well out of lane and well out of order.’ However Sir Sherard claimed to The Times: ‘He is lying, I am afraid. I can recall him saying it, sitting in his office in the Ministry of Defence.’ Sir Sherard said British commanders also saw the mission in Afghanistan as an opportunity to redeem their reputation in the eyes of the Americans after the criticisms of their performance in Basra. ‘The war in Afghanistan has given the British Army a raison d’etre it has lacked for many years, and new resources on an unprecedented scale,’ he said.
‘In the eyes of the Army, Afghanistan has also given our forces the chance to redeem themselves, in the eyes of the Americans, in the wake of negative perceptions, whether or not they were justified, of the British Army’s performance in Basra. ‘Against that background, the then Chief of the General Staff, Sir Richard Dannatt, told me in the summer of 2007 that, if he didn’t use in Afghanistan the battle groups then starting to come free from Iraq, he would lose them in a future defence review. ‘It’s use them, or lose them’, he said. Sir Sherard added: ‘In my view, the Army’s ‘strategy’ in Helmand was driven at least as much by the level of resources available to the British Army as by an objective assessment of the needs of a proper counter-insurgency campaign in the province.’ An unnamed former brigade commander in Helmand said: ‘Much of (Sir Sherard’s) analysis of the military is correct and is representative of an organisation that has been unable to adapt to the circumstances it has found itself in.’
Army Fucking Over Combat Vets To Save Money, As Usual:
“A ‘New Loophole’ Allows The Military To Discharge Service Members For ‘Adjustment Disorder’ Or A Similar Condition When They Actually Have PTSD”
[Here it is again. Same old story. Used up, thrown away, and the politicians couldn’t care less. To repeat for the 3,553rd time, there is no enemy in Iraq or Afghanistan. Their citizens and U.S. troops have a common enemy. That common enemy owns and operates the Imperial government in Washington DC for their own profit. That common enemy started these wars of conquest on a platform of lies, because they couldn’t tell the truth: U.S. Imperial wars are about making money for them, and nothing else. Payback is overdue. T] January 10, 2010 By Karen Jowers, Army Times [Excerpts] From 2003 to 2008, more people were separated from the military within their first year of service for “pre-existing” psychiatric conditions than for any other reason, military data show. Those discharges do not qualify a service member for medical benefits or medical retirement pay after leaving.
Personality disorder discharges have since declined — but discharges for other mental conditions have jumped. Data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center show personality disorder diagnoses declined from 7,459 in 2006 to 5,020 in 2009. During the same period, “adjustment disorder” diagnoses rose to 51,545 from 35,774, and “anxiety disorder” diagnoses rose to 23,609 from 14,140. Four senators — Kit Bond, R-Mo.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; and Sam Brownback, R-Kan. — wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in October asking him to address a “new loophole” that allows the military to discharge service members for “adjustment disorder” or a similar condition when they actually have PTSD. Service members discharged specifically for PTSD are entitled to an automatic minimum disability rating of 50 percent, which comes with health care and other benefits. Adjustment disorder discharges do not bring the same benefits. “While it is a good thing that the Pentagon has moved away from unfairly discharging combat troops by erroneously claiming a service member had a personality disorder rather than addressing the harmful effects of combat stress, we need to ensure a new method is not being used to deny combat veterans the care and benefits they deserve,” the senators wrote. “Unfortunately, the recent drop in discharges for personality discharges has been accompanied by a disturbing rise in discharges ‘for the convenience of the government’ for ‘other physical or mental discharges not amounting to disability.’ “ Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America, said MOAA believes all service members should receive a presumptive disability rating of 30 percent if they have served in the war zone — and there should be no argument that the problem was pre-existing. Hayden cited a June 2008 memo from Gates stating: “Is there a reason we could not change the disability rating presumption for wounded warriors to a minimum of 30 percent service-connected?” “We are of a similar belief that if a troop is healthy enough to send into harm’s way, then they are vested with the department and EPTS should no longer be an issue,” Hayden said.
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FORWARD OBSERVATIONS
“The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.” “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. “For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. “We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” Frederick Douglass, 1852
Fox Shoots Hunter
Jan 13, 2011 Reuters A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter’s gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle, media said Thursday.
The unnamed hunter, who had approached the fox after wounding it from a distance, was in hospital with a leg wound, while the fox made its escape, media said, citing prosecutors from the Grodno region. “The animal fiercely resisted and in the struggle accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw,” one prosecutor was quoted as saying. Fox-hunting is popular in the picturesque farming region of northwestern Belarus which borders Poland.
DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK
CLASS WAR REPORTS
Class War Tunisia:
Armed Factions Loyal To Overthrown Dictator Looting And Opening Fire On Civilians;
“Ben Ali’s Security Is Behind What Is Happening”
Calls For Citizens To Form Defense Guards For Working Class Neighborhoods Under Attack And “Take Control Of Security”
Dictator’s Head Of Secret Police “Seized” By Revolutionaries
Tunisia: The Dictator Is Gone: AFP 15 Jan 2011 Al Jazeera and agencies
The president’s departure has failed to quell unrest in Tunisia. In working-class suburbs of Tunis, hundreds of residents lined the streets with metal bars and knives trying to ward off looters. Sources told Al Jazeera that there were calls in Tunisia to form civil squads to defend quarters, combat looting and take control of security because the army was only stationed in certain areas. Soldiers have been deployed on the streets of Tunisia amid chaotic scenes following the popular ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president. Troops were patrolling Tunis, the capital, on Saturday and a state of emergency was in force after Ben Ali, president for more than 23 years, fled the country in the wake of widespread protests. The Reuters news agency reported that squads of men in civilian clothes were driving through Tunis at high speed, shooting randomly at buildings and people. “The army is all over the place in Tunis, they are trying to check cars and control people going by,” Youssef Gaigi, a blogger and activist based in Tunisia, said. There are fears that some of the violence is being carried out by a armed factions allied to Ben Ali, with Reuters quoting an unnamed military source as saying: “Ben Ali’s security is behind what is happening.” Gaigi, who had been part of the protests that brought down Ben Ali, indicated that the army’s presence was required because the police force had broken down. “Several militias, which are actually doing some of the looting are part of the ministry of the interior, or police members, and they are co-ordinated by heads of police and intelligence in Tunisia,” he said. “We heard the army have captured some of these people but there is still a lot of work to be done.” Reports on Saturday said that General Ali Seryati, a senior advisor to Ben Ali and the former head of his security, had been seized by civilians. Elsewhere in Tunisia, dozens of inmates at a prison in Monastir, eastern Tunisia, were killed when a prisoner started a fire at the facility. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that other prisoners had escaped and reports said that some prisoners had been shot as they made their escape bid. Breakouts were also reported at three other prisons and a report from The Associated Press news agency said that an official at one facility had let 1,000 inmates escape following protests at the prison. In the past month, protests have swept across the country over unemployment, food price rises and corruption.
Ben Ali conceded power on Friday after a giant rally against him in Tunis but his departure, a key demand of the demonstrators, has failed to calm the unrest. Public television station TV7 broadcast phone calls from residents of workingclass neighbourhoods on the capital’s outskirts who described attacks on their homes by knife-wielding assailants. The president fled to Saudi Arabia amid the protests and Fouad Mebazaa, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, has taken over as caretaker president.
“Because Another Tunisia Is Possible: nawaat.org
MORE:
[Background]
“Scenes Of Fraternisation Between The Army And The Demonstrators Have Been Shown On French Television”
“The Police Who Were Out On The Streets This Morning Did Not Dare To Intervene”
“The Volleys Of Bullets Fired By The Police Continue To Kill But Do Not To Scare The Masses Anymore”
A protester hits a policeman during fighting with riot police who were killing demonstrators against the dictatorship in downtown of the capital Tunis January 14, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A bank attacked and burned in Ettadhamoun, west of Tunis, Jan. 12, 2011. Antigovernment demonstrations were reported late Tuesday in the Ettadhamoun neighborhood three miles from Tunis, the first time the violence has reached so near the capital. AP
A speaker encouraging Tunisians to overthrow the government of Dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during a demonstration in Tunis, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia’s capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country’s autocratic leader a day after he appeared on TV to try to stop the mass movement that is sweeping the North African nation. Photo: Christophe Ena / AP
A protester defies police officers defending dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Jan. 14, 2011. Photo: Christophe Ena / AP
Tunisians marching to bring down the government: Photo: Michel Dupont / AP 14 January 2011 by our Middle East correspondent, Marxist.com & By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, New York Times
The coldblooded murder of more than 20 demonstrators by the police over the weekend did not have the effect the dictatorship hoped it would have. The result was not fewer demonstrations but more with even more people taking part who were more determined than ever not to be intimidated any longer. Regional strikes have paralysed many cities in the central and eastern parts of the country. Violent clashes with the police, just like the scenes from the Intifada in Gaza, have continued without interruption in the neighbourhoods of many cities. In the space of a few days the movement has grown to unprecedented levels in recent Tunisian history. The volleys of bullets fired by the police continue to kill but do not to scare the masses anymore. In total more than 60 youth and workers have been murdered in the attempt to break the new spirit of struggle. [T]he workers have started to move via their union, the UGTT, whose docile leadership has been forced to enter into opposition to the regime. Some sections of the union, like the teachers, the health workers and postal workers had already played an important role in pushing the UGTT into action. Journalists’ unions and the lawyers’ associations have also been in the forefront of the struggle. But now the wider layers of the workers’ movement have moved into action. Demonstrations like the ones in the rebellious workers’ city of Sfax or in Kassarine mark the active entry of the workers onto the scene. Already last Sunday, January 9, the UGTT local affiliate in Sfax issued a call for a regional general strike. With only a few exceptions (hospitals and many bakeries that stayed open to help the people in struggle), the strike saw a 100% turnout. In Sfax 30,000 workers and youths demonstrated on the streets. In Hammamet, several banks were in flames, including one adjacent to the police station. In Jenduba on January 12, there were 12,000 people demonstrating in a city of 30,000 inhabitants. In Hammamet, several banks were in flames, including one adjacent to the police station. Anecdotes often reveal the real situation in the army, like the one of the young army officer on the streets of Sidi Bouzid saluting the angry funeral march of one of the demonstrators that were killed. This morning the masses poured onto the streets all over Tunisia.
More importantly in the capital, tens of thousands have gathered in front of the once feared buildings of the Ministry of Interior. A demonstration in front of the “Minister of Terror” would have been unimaginable even 24 hours ago. Scenes of fraternisation between the army and the demonstrators have been shown on French television and broadcast around the world. The police who were out on the streets this morning did not dare to intervene. Later on in the day fresh police forces were sent in who tried to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas and baton charges, but to no avail. Some reports indicate that sections of the army have come out in defence of the demonstrators. Journalists of the Tunisian state television are reported to have revolted today, as they took over the TV studios and decided to start reporting the truth of what has been going on in the country. These are all signs of the death agony of the regime. Nobody can doubt any longer that a revolution is going on in Tunisia. This is the moment of truth in Tunisia. Friday 14th of January 2011 will be remembered as an historic day. It will be remembered as the day when the whole of the Tunisian people rose up against its dictator. Again it has been proven that it is the masses that make history. The Tunisian people, its youth and its workers, are writing history now, this very minute. They have become the symbol of the struggle against oppression and exploitation in the whole of the Arab world.
MORE:
“Every Arab Leader Is Watching Tunisia In Fear”
“Every Arab Citizen Is Watching Tunisia In Hope And Solidarity”
In the capital, tens of thousands have gathered in front of the once feared buildings of the Ministry of Interior. A demonstration in front of the “Minister of Terror” would have been unimaginable even 24 hours ago. nawaat.org January 14, 2011 Firas Al-Atraqchi, Assoc. Professor of Practice in Journalism at American University in Cairo, Huffington Post [Excerpts] In what could be a sign of how social media is reshaping politics in the Middle East and North Africa, Tunisian protesters turned to Twitter to broadcast information on their popular revolt against the government’s economic and media policies. Videos of street clashes in Tunisian towns were broadcast on YouTube before some were taken down, minute-by-minute updates on the number of casualties were retweeted, and reports on the political situation as it unraveled kept Arab audiences mesmerized. Bechir Blagui, who runs the Free Tunisia website, says that people have tossed around different names for this “revolution.” He says that in the absence of traditional media - government bans on reporting and the jailing of independent journalists like Fahem Boukaddous - Tunisians resorted to their cell phones and going online to document the history of their nation in the past four weeks. “Combined with Twitter, this helped on the ground organization of massive crowds from around small towns in remote areas. It was crucial for the organizing effort,” Blagui added.
Nasser Weddady, a civil rights outreach director for the American Islamic Congress who has been closely monitoring events in Tunisia, believes that while social media didn’t cause the popular uprising, its most important role was to inform the outside world of the protests, the number killed in clashes with police, etc. “At least for the first two weeks, Al Jazeera, and France24 footage on the events was exclusively provided by Tunisian social media users and aggregators like Nawaat (a Tunisian dissident group). “But the bulk of the action took place on Facebook with the government aggressively harvesting users passwords through phishing attacks and shutting down user accounts with video and info about the events,” he said. Other media analysts say social media filled the gap left empty by most mainstream media in the West, which they say were too slow to report on the situation. In the hours leading up to Ben Ali’s flight from the country, there was a flurry of activity on social media networks. Sami ben Gharbia, a Tunisian living in Germany, tweeted: “It is confirmed. Tunisia’s Ambassador to UNESCO has resigned and announced his resignation on local French radio in Paris.” He later tweeted - and posted a video link - that police snipers had been shooting at protesters in the capital Tunis. Other Arab civil rights activists have been monitoring both the momentum and the impact of the Tunisian experience with some hoping for similar reforms in their countries. Mona El Tahawy, a columnist and public speaker on Arab affairs, tweeted that “Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear. Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope and solidarity.”
Thousands Of Angry Jordanians March In Amman And Other Cities Against The Government:
“Unify Yourselves Because The Government Wants To Eat Your Flesh”
“Beware Of Our Starvation And Fury”
“They Call Prime Minister Rifai A ‘Coward’ And Demanded His Resignation”
“‘We’re Becoming Poorer Every Day,’ She Said, Holding A Poster With A Piece Of Arabic Flatbread Attached”
Reuters 14 Jan 2011 Al Jazeera
Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets of the capital Amman and other cities to protest against rising commodity prices, unemployment and poverty. The protesters are calling on the government headed by Samir Rifai, the prime minister, to step down. Demonstrators, including trade unionists and leftist party members, carried national flags and chanted anti-government slogans in downtown Amman. They called Rifai a “coward” and demanded his resignation. “Prices, particularly gasoline and food, are getting out of hand,’’ Buthaina Iftial, a 24year-old civil servant, said. “We’re becoming poorer every day,’’ she said, holding a poster with a piece of Arabic flatbread attached. Police and plainclothes officers formed rings around the demonstrators to contain the protests. “Jordan is not only for the rich. Bread is a red line. Beware of our starvation and fury,” read one of the banners carried after mid-day prayers, amid a heavy police presence, according to the AFP news agency. “Down with Rifai’s government. Unify yourselves because the government wants to eat your flesh. They raise fuel prices to fill their pocket with millions,” the protesters chanted as they marched in Amman. Similar demonstrations took place in the cities of Maan, Karak, Salt and Irbid, as well as other parts of the country. “We are protesting the policies of the government, high prices and repeated taxation that made the Jordanian people revolt,” Tawfiq al-Batoush, a former head of Karak municipality, told the Reuters news agency at a protest outside Karak’s Al Omari mosque. Friday’s protests came amid similar protests in Algeria and Tunisia. On Tuesday, Jordan’s government announced a $169m plan to reduce the prices of commodities, including fuel, sugar and rice, and to create jobs in the face of rising popular discontent. Protesters say these measures are not enough, and are complaining of growing unemployment and poverty. Year-on-year inflation hit 6.1 per cent last month. The Muslim Brotherhood, its political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), and the country’s 14 trade unions say they will hold a sit-in outside parliament on Sunday to “denounce government economic policies”.
“We demand a solution to this problem to avert any negative repercussions through reforming policies and carry out true and fair economic and political reforms,” the trade unions said in a statement.
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Traveling Soldier is the publication of the Military Resistance Organization. Telling the truth - about the occupations or the criminals running the government in Washington - is the first reason for Traveling Soldier. But we want to do more than tell the truth; we want to report on the resistance to Imperial wars inside the armed forces. Our goal is for Traveling Soldier to become the thread that ties working-class people inside the armed services together. We want this newsletter to be a weapon to help you organize resistance within the armed forces. If you like what you’ve read, we hope that you’ll join with us in building a network of active duty organizers. http://www.traveling-soldier.org/ And join with Iraq Veterans Against the War to end the occupations and bring all troops home now! (www.ivaw.org/)
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Vietnam: They Stopped An Imperial War
Not available from anybody else, anywhere Edited by Vietnam Veteran Jeff Sharlet from 1968 until his death, this newspaper rocked the world, attracting attention even from Time Magazine, and extremely hostile attention from the chain of command. The pages and pages of letters in the paper from troops in Vietnam condemning the war are lost to history, but you can find them here. Military Resistance has copied complete sets of Vietnam GI. The originals were a bit rough, but every page is there. Over 100 pages, full 11x17 size. Free on request to active duty members of the armed forces. Cost for others: $15 if picked up in New York City. For mailing inside USA add $5 for bubble bag and postage. For outside USA, include extra for mailing 2.5 pounds to wherever you are. Checks, money orders payable to: The Military Project Orders to: Military Resistance Box 126 2576 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10025-5657
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1.15.11
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Military Resistance 9A7
HOW MANY MORE FOR OBAMA’S WARS?
U.S. Marines help their wounded comrade to a helicopter while under fire during a Medevac mission in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province November 10, 2010. REUTERS/Peter Andrews
“No Thank You To Re-Enlisting”
“I Would Die For My Country, But I Question Whether I Would In A Place We’ve Been For 10 Years, A Place We Should Have Been Out Of A Long Time Ago”
January 17, 2010 Forums, Army Times
Our country was attacked almost 10 years ago (“25K soldiers headed to Afghanistan in 2011,” Army-Times.com, Dec. 22). That’s about the same amount of time as World War II and Vietnam. I have nothing against fighting for my country, because I am in the military and understand we are always going to be at war, but there is just too much politics now and that is why I am getting out. I would die for my country, but I question whether I would in a place we’ve been for 10 years, a place we should have been out of a long time ago. Why are we not pulling everyone out until 2014? I am proud to serve, but in a government like this, no thank you to re-enlisting. — mossmr
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IRAQ WAR REPORTS
Three U.S. Soldiers Killed In Iraq, Another Wounded
01/15/11 By LARA JAKES, AP [Excerpts] BAGHDAD – Two U.S. troops were killed Saturday by an Iraqi soldier who apparently smuggled real bullets into a training exercise and opened fire, raising fresh concerns about insurgents worming into the nation’s security forces as the Americans prepare to leave by the year’s end. A U.S. military official said the shooter was immediately killed by American soldiers who were running the morning drill at a training center on a U.S. base in the northern city of Mosul. The U.S. official said the exercise was not meant to involve live ammunition, and an Iraqi army officer said the shooting appeared to have been planned.
A U.S. statement confirmed that two soldiers were killed and a third was wounded by small-arms fire by what the military described as “an individual wearing an Iraqi army uniform.” The Americans were not identified pending notification of next of kin, and the statement provided few other details. The U.S. troops were from the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based at Ft. Hood, Texas. Additionally, another American soldier was killed Saturday during an unrelated military operation in central Iraq, making it one of the deadliest days for U.S. forces in the country in months. A U.S. military statement offered no details about that death. Details about the deadly exercise were sketchy Saturday afternoon. A pair of Iraqi security officials said two assailants were captured after the shooting. The U.S. military official disputed that account. An officer with Third Iraqi Army Division, which was participating in the training, said real bullets had been banned from the drill — meaning the Iraqi soldier smuggled in the ammunition with the intent to attack.
AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS
Brother: Marines Inspired Maung P. Htaik To Be ‘Brave And Strong’
Lance Cpl. Maung P. Htaik
January 4, 2011 By DON AINES, Herald Mail Maung P. Htaik came to the United States in 2002, and he died fighting for the country in Afghanistan on the first day of 2011. “From my understanding from talking to him, I see that he was inspired by the Marines to be brave and strong,” Dan Yar wrote of his brother Tuesday in an e-mail. “I am more than sure that he did want to serve his country.” Htaik, 20, died Saturday during combat operations in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan. “He has never spoken of being afraid of death and was very quiet and calm,” Yar wrote in the e-mail. “There are a lot of things, but I just want to say he was brave, real brave. Yar said his brother was very quiet, and that he liked to play games on the computer and enjoyed drawing. A 2008 graduate of Smithsburg High School, Htaik was an infantryman assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, II Marine Expeditionary Force, according to the Marine Corps. A news release issued Tuesday did not provide any additional details of his death, which the Department of Defense said Monday was in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Htaik joined the Marines in February 2009, his brother said. He was promoted to lance corporal April 1, 2010, and deployed to Afghanistan in July, the Marine Corps said. Htaik’s family left Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in 1998, and moved to Singapore, Yar said. The family came to the United States in 2002 because their father wanted them to be able to get a better education, Yar said. Htaik was a naturalized United States citizen, Yar said. “He was interested in the military. I’m not sure why he chose the Marines,” Grace Priest, the registrar at Smithsburg High School, said Tuesday. He was a student aide in the school’s guidance office during his senior year, she said. “He was a quiet young man. A nice young man,” Priest said. “He would do anything you asked him to do,” she said. Htaik, who was known as Sam at school, transferred to Smithsburg from Frederick County during the second semester of his sophomore year, Priest said. Htaik made the distinguished honor roll in his senior year at Smithsburg, according to Herald-Mail archives. Among the photos Yar provided of his brother was one of Htaik shaking hands with former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Htaik met Giuliani when the USS New York, an amphibious transport, was commissioned, Yar said.
Htaik’s Marine Corps decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Marine Corps said. His body was returned to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Monday, the Department of Defense said. Like his parents, Hla and Florie Shwe of Hagerstown, Htaik was a devout Christian, his brother said. Htaik attended Gateway Ministries in Williamsport, Yar said. Funeral services will be Saturday at Frederick Christian Fellowship Church, 10142 Hansonville Road, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the viewing from 10 to 11 a.m., Yar said. The family would like Htaik to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, but has not yet received burial information from the Department of Defense, Yar said.
Grandmother Remembers Fallen Soldier
January 14, 2011 By: Emily Finnegan, WSIL TV ROYALTON -- A soldier with ties to Southern Illinois is the latest casualty in the Afghan war. Army Sgt. Michael Beckerman was killed by a roadside bomb Friday in the Kandahar province. The 25-year-old was from Ste Genevieve, Mo. Beckerman’s grandparents, Howard and Karen Downen, live in Southern Illinois; he was born in Carbondale and lived in the area as a young child. Family members remember him as a solider who loved his job and a father, above all. “He was a good father, he was a good husband. As far as a grandson goes, there was no better,” said Karen Downen.
Beckerman lived with his grandparents in Royalton for nearly two years, just before he enlisted in the Army in 2004. He was on his third tour of duty when he was killed--he had already been to Iraq twice and was deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year. “Nobody wants to give up their life,” his grandmother said, “But if somebody had told him it’s me or my boys, my men, he’d probably say me. That’s just the kind of guy he was.” A decorated soldier, Beckerman worked as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist--it was a dangerous job, but one his family says he loved. He requested a transfer to Fort Campbell, Ky., last January to be closer to his 2-year-old daughter Brianna. “He loved that little girl very, very much. He was a good Daddy, a very good Daddy,” said Downen, “It was worth it to him, very much, because he got to see her and play with her and take her places.” Beckerman comes from a military family. His father and two uncles all served, and his wife, Maggie, is currently deployed in Afghanistan. Downen can’t believe she’ll never get to see her grandson again, or get another one of his hugs--but she says he won’t be forgotten. “I just love his so much, I’m going to miss him. I’m going to miss those arms, I’m going to miss that smile. He’s got dimples, he’s got beautiful dimples,” she told News Three. Funeral arrangements for Sgt. Beckerman have not yet been set. His mother flew out to Dover, Del., Sunday when Beckerman’s body returned to the United States. It could still be several days before the military releases his body. Basler Funeral home in Ste. Geneveive will handle the services.
Wichita Soldier Dies Serving In Afghanistan
January 6, 2011 By Stephanie Diffin, KAKE The latest Kansas casualty in the war in Afghanistan is 26-year-old Sgt. Eric Nettleton of Wichita. Nettleton graduated from Wichita West High School in 2003. He reportedly died Wednesday in Afghanistan when an IED detonated near him while he was on patrol. Those who knew Nettleton say the world has lost a great man too early. “Pride isn’t even the word (strong enough) to describe what you are, because you are so grateful, so indebted, so in awe that this man did this,” said one of Nettleton’s friends and former classmates, Amanda Buckner. Nettleton is described as a quiet but funny person, who was above all, kind.
“Very kind... very very kind. Would have helped you do anything,” said one of his former teachers, Susan Schoket. 26-year-old Nettleton played football at West High School. He also made a lasting impact on those who knew him. “He was just a wonderful young man and believed in service, and would do anything for anybody,” said Schoket. Family members say Nettleton was recently married, leaving behind his wife, parents, a sister, and a brother, who is also serving the military. “Wherever he is I hope he’s in a better place and I hope he knows that I truly appreciate the sacrifice that he and his family have made for our country and for our children,” said Buckner. It’s a sacrifice those who new Nettleton say, came too soon. “To read that he was gone, just, it shakes you. It makes you feel like you didn’t do enough I guess, didn’t say enough,” said Buckner. “It just breaks my heart. And I guess that’s the way things go sometimes, but the world lost somebody pretty special,” said Schoket. Now those who knew him are left with the memory of the man they say had the sweetest of spirits, and a contagious smile. “He really was a hero because he did something he didn’t have to do, and like I said, I will always be grateful for that,” said Buckner. In addition to serving in Afghanistan, Nettleton had also served in Iraq. Family members say his immediate family is in the process of bringing him home from Dover Air Force Base.
POLITICIANS CAN’T BE COUNTED ON TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WARS
Insurgents Burn 20 Fuel Tankers Supplying Foreign Troops In Afghanistan
Burning oil tankers after militants attacked a terminal in Dera Murad Jamali southwest Pakistan, Jan. 15, 2011. The tankers were carrying fuel for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A driver also was wounded during the Saturday attack. (AP Photo/Fida Hussain) Jan 15, 2011 Press TV A group of unidentified insurgents in southwestern Pakistan have set ablaze 20 tankers carrying oil to US-led soldiers stationed in war-hit Afghanistan. According to some witnesses, unidentified armed men on Friday night opened live ammunition on tankers at a time when the drivers were inside a roadside restaurant near Dera Murad Jamali in Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan, a Press TV correspondent reported on Saturday. There were no reports of casualties in the incident, but witnesses said the flames of fire spread to a nearby restaurant and a shop. The assailants were seen fleeing the area in their cars, but no group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Witnesses have pointed to the late arrival of the police forces at the time of the attack. According to Pakistani officials, nearly 80 percent of the fuel, spare parts, and other nonlethal supplies needed for the US-led soldiers in Afghanistan initially arrive in the southern port of Karachi from where they are transported to the neighboring Afghanistan.
ENOUGH OF THIS SHIT; ALL HOME NOW
A U.S. soldier of Bravo Company 2-327 Infantry burns waste at Badel Combat Out Post in Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan border Jan 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION
MILITARY NEWS
“We Went To War To Keep The Army Busy”
“Troops Were Sent To Afghanistan So Forces Numbers Would Not Be Cut”
“‘It’s Use Them, Or Lose Them’, He Said”
Head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt 14 January 2011 Daily Mail, UK A furious row has erupted in Whitehall after a former Kabul envoy claimed British commanders committed troops to war in Afghanistan because they feared cuts if they did not use them. Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles said he had been told by the former head of the Army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, that if he did not re-deploy battlegroups coming free from Iraq he would lose them in a future defence review. Sir Dannatt has strongly denied the allegations and slammed the remarks as ‘a disgraceful set of comments’, adding: ‘It’s not his business to opine about the Army. He is well out of lane and well out of order.’ However Sir Sherard claimed to The Times: ‘He is lying, I am afraid. I can recall him saying it, sitting in his office in the Ministry of Defence.’ Sir Sherard said British commanders also saw the mission in Afghanistan as an opportunity to redeem their reputation in the eyes of the Americans after the criticisms of their performance in Basra. ‘The war in Afghanistan has given the British Army a raison d’etre it has lacked for many years, and new resources on an unprecedented scale,’ he said.
‘In the eyes of the Army, Afghanistan has also given our forces the chance to redeem themselves, in the eyes of the Americans, in the wake of negative perceptions, whether or not they were justified, of the British Army’s performance in Basra. ‘Against that background, the then Chief of the General Staff, Sir Richard Dannatt, told me in the summer of 2007 that, if he didn’t use in Afghanistan the battle groups then starting to come free from Iraq, he would lose them in a future defence review. ‘It’s use them, or lose them’, he said. Sir Sherard added: ‘In my view, the Army’s ‘strategy’ in Helmand was driven at least as much by the level of resources available to the British Army as by an objective assessment of the needs of a proper counter-insurgency campaign in the province.’ An unnamed former brigade commander in Helmand said: ‘Much of (Sir Sherard’s) analysis of the military is correct and is representative of an organisation that has been unable to adapt to the circumstances it has found itself in.’
Army Fucking Over Combat Vets To Save Money, As Usual:
“A ‘New Loophole’ Allows The Military To Discharge Service Members For ‘Adjustment Disorder’ Or A Similar Condition When They Actually Have PTSD”
[Here it is again. Same old story. Used up, thrown away, and the politicians couldn’t care less. To repeat for the 3,553rd time, there is no enemy in Iraq or Afghanistan. Their citizens and U.S. troops have a common enemy. That common enemy owns and operates the Imperial government in Washington DC for their own profit. That common enemy started these wars of conquest on a platform of lies, because they couldn’t tell the truth: U.S. Imperial wars are about making money for them, and nothing else. Payback is overdue. T] January 10, 2010 By Karen Jowers, Army Times [Excerpts] From 2003 to 2008, more people were separated from the military within their first year of service for “pre-existing” psychiatric conditions than for any other reason, military data show. Those discharges do not qualify a service member for medical benefits or medical retirement pay after leaving.
Personality disorder discharges have since declined — but discharges for other mental conditions have jumped. Data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center show personality disorder diagnoses declined from 7,459 in 2006 to 5,020 in 2009. During the same period, “adjustment disorder” diagnoses rose to 51,545 from 35,774, and “anxiety disorder” diagnoses rose to 23,609 from 14,140. Four senators — Kit Bond, R-Mo.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.; and Sam Brownback, R-Kan. — wrote to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in October asking him to address a “new loophole” that allows the military to discharge service members for “adjustment disorder” or a similar condition when they actually have PTSD. Service members discharged specifically for PTSD are entitled to an automatic minimum disability rating of 50 percent, which comes with health care and other benefits. Adjustment disorder discharges do not bring the same benefits. “While it is a good thing that the Pentagon has moved away from unfairly discharging combat troops by erroneously claiming a service member had a personality disorder rather than addressing the harmful effects of combat stress, we need to ensure a new method is not being used to deny combat veterans the care and benefits they deserve,” the senators wrote. “Unfortunately, the recent drop in discharges for personality discharges has been accompanied by a disturbing rise in discharges ‘for the convenience of the government’ for ‘other physical or mental discharges not amounting to disability.’ “ Retired Air Force Col. Mike Hayden, deputy director of government relations for the Military Officers Association of America, said MOAA believes all service members should receive a presumptive disability rating of 30 percent if they have served in the war zone — and there should be no argument that the problem was pre-existing. Hayden cited a June 2008 memo from Gates stating: “Is there a reason we could not change the disability rating presumption for wounded warriors to a minimum of 30 percent service-connected?” “We are of a similar belief that if a troop is healthy enough to send into harm’s way, then they are vested with the department and EPTS should no longer be an issue,” Hayden said.
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FORWARD OBSERVATIONS
“The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose.” “At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nation’s ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. “For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. “We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake.” Frederick Douglass, 1852
Fox Shoots Hunter
Jan 13, 2011 Reuters A wounded fox shot its would be killer in Belarus by pulling the trigger on the hunter’s gun as the pair scuffled after the man tried to finish the animal off with the butt of the rifle, media said Thursday.
The unnamed hunter, who had approached the fox after wounding it from a distance, was in hospital with a leg wound, while the fox made its escape, media said, citing prosecutors from the Grodno region. “The animal fiercely resisted and in the struggle accidentally pulled the trigger with its paw,” one prosecutor was quoted as saying. Fox-hunting is popular in the picturesque farming region of northwestern Belarus which borders Poland.
DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK
CLASS WAR REPORTS
Class War Tunisia:
Armed Factions Loyal To Overthrown Dictator Looting And Opening Fire On Civilians;
“Ben Ali’s Security Is Behind What Is Happening”
Calls For Citizens To Form Defense Guards For Working Class Neighborhoods Under Attack And “Take Control Of Security”
Dictator’s Head Of Secret Police “Seized” By Revolutionaries
Tunisia: The Dictator Is Gone: AFP 15 Jan 2011 Al Jazeera and agencies
The president’s departure has failed to quell unrest in Tunisia. In working-class suburbs of Tunis, hundreds of residents lined the streets with metal bars and knives trying to ward off looters. Sources told Al Jazeera that there were calls in Tunisia to form civil squads to defend quarters, combat looting and take control of security because the army was only stationed in certain areas. Soldiers have been deployed on the streets of Tunisia amid chaotic scenes following the popular ousting of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the president. Troops were patrolling Tunis, the capital, on Saturday and a state of emergency was in force after Ben Ali, president for more than 23 years, fled the country in the wake of widespread protests. The Reuters news agency reported that squads of men in civilian clothes were driving through Tunis at high speed, shooting randomly at buildings and people. “The army is all over the place in Tunis, they are trying to check cars and control people going by,” Youssef Gaigi, a blogger and activist based in Tunisia, said. There are fears that some of the violence is being carried out by a armed factions allied to Ben Ali, with Reuters quoting an unnamed military source as saying: “Ben Ali’s security is behind what is happening.” Gaigi, who had been part of the protests that brought down Ben Ali, indicated that the army’s presence was required because the police force had broken down. “Several militias, which are actually doing some of the looting are part of the ministry of the interior, or police members, and they are co-ordinated by heads of police and intelligence in Tunisia,” he said. “We heard the army have captured some of these people but there is still a lot of work to be done.” Reports on Saturday said that General Ali Seryati, a senior advisor to Ben Ali and the former head of his security, had been seized by civilians. Elsewhere in Tunisia, dozens of inmates at a prison in Monastir, eastern Tunisia, were killed when a prisoner started a fire at the facility. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that other prisoners had escaped and reports said that some prisoners had been shot as they made their escape bid. Breakouts were also reported at three other prisons and a report from The Associated Press news agency said that an official at one facility had let 1,000 inmates escape following protests at the prison. In the past month, protests have swept across the country over unemployment, food price rises and corruption.
Ben Ali conceded power on Friday after a giant rally against him in Tunis but his departure, a key demand of the demonstrators, has failed to calm the unrest. Public television station TV7 broadcast phone calls from residents of workingclass neighbourhoods on the capital’s outskirts who described attacks on their homes by knife-wielding assailants. The president fled to Saudi Arabia amid the protests and Fouad Mebazaa, the speaker of the lower house of parliament, has taken over as caretaker president.
“Because Another Tunisia Is Possible: nawaat.org
MORE:
[Background]
“Scenes Of Fraternisation Between The Army And The Demonstrators Have Been Shown On French Television”
“The Police Who Were Out On The Streets This Morning Did Not Dare To Intervene”
“The Volleys Of Bullets Fired By The Police Continue To Kill But Do Not To Scare The Masses Anymore”
A protester hits a policeman during fighting with riot police who were killing demonstrators against the dictatorship in downtown of the capital Tunis January 14, 2011. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra
A bank attacked and burned in Ettadhamoun, west of Tunis, Jan. 12, 2011. Antigovernment demonstrations were reported late Tuesday in the Ettadhamoun neighborhood three miles from Tunis, the first time the violence has reached so near the capital. AP
A speaker encouraging Tunisians to overthrow the government of Dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali during a demonstration in Tunis, Jan. 14, 2011. Thousands of angry demonstrators marched through Tunisia’s capital Friday, demanding the resignation of the country’s autocratic leader a day after he appeared on TV to try to stop the mass movement that is sweeping the North African nation. Photo: Christophe Ena / AP
A protester defies police officers defending dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunis, Jan. 14, 2011. Photo: Christophe Ena / AP
Tunisians marching to bring down the government: Photo: Michel Dupont / AP 14 January 2011 by our Middle East correspondent, Marxist.com & By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK, New York Times
The coldblooded murder of more than 20 demonstrators by the police over the weekend did not have the effect the dictatorship hoped it would have. The result was not fewer demonstrations but more with even more people taking part who were more determined than ever not to be intimidated any longer. Regional strikes have paralysed many cities in the central and eastern parts of the country. Violent clashes with the police, just like the scenes from the Intifada in Gaza, have continued without interruption in the neighbourhoods of many cities. In the space of a few days the movement has grown to unprecedented levels in recent Tunisian history. The volleys of bullets fired by the police continue to kill but do not to scare the masses anymore. In total more than 60 youth and workers have been murdered in the attempt to break the new spirit of struggle. [T]he workers have started to move via their union, the UGTT, whose docile leadership has been forced to enter into opposition to the regime. Some sections of the union, like the teachers, the health workers and postal workers had already played an important role in pushing the UGTT into action. Journalists’ unions and the lawyers’ associations have also been in the forefront of the struggle. But now the wider layers of the workers’ movement have moved into action. Demonstrations like the ones in the rebellious workers’ city of Sfax or in Kassarine mark the active entry of the workers onto the scene. Already last Sunday, January 9, the UGTT local affiliate in Sfax issued a call for a regional general strike. With only a few exceptions (hospitals and many bakeries that stayed open to help the people in struggle), the strike saw a 100% turnout. In Sfax 30,000 workers and youths demonstrated on the streets. In Hammamet, several banks were in flames, including one adjacent to the police station. In Jenduba on January 12, there were 12,000 people demonstrating in a city of 30,000 inhabitants. In Hammamet, several banks were in flames, including one adjacent to the police station. Anecdotes often reveal the real situation in the army, like the one of the young army officer on the streets of Sidi Bouzid saluting the angry funeral march of one of the demonstrators that were killed. This morning the masses poured onto the streets all over Tunisia.
More importantly in the capital, tens of thousands have gathered in front of the once feared buildings of the Ministry of Interior. A demonstration in front of the “Minister of Terror” would have been unimaginable even 24 hours ago. Scenes of fraternisation between the army and the demonstrators have been shown on French television and broadcast around the world. The police who were out on the streets this morning did not dare to intervene. Later on in the day fresh police forces were sent in who tried to disperse the demonstrators with tear gas and baton charges, but to no avail. Some reports indicate that sections of the army have come out in defence of the demonstrators. Journalists of the Tunisian state television are reported to have revolted today, as they took over the TV studios and decided to start reporting the truth of what has been going on in the country. These are all signs of the death agony of the regime. Nobody can doubt any longer that a revolution is going on in Tunisia. This is the moment of truth in Tunisia. Friday 14th of January 2011 will be remembered as an historic day. It will be remembered as the day when the whole of the Tunisian people rose up against its dictator. Again it has been proven that it is the masses that make history. The Tunisian people, its youth and its workers, are writing history now, this very minute. They have become the symbol of the struggle against oppression and exploitation in the whole of the Arab world.
MORE:
“Every Arab Leader Is Watching Tunisia In Fear”
“Every Arab Citizen Is Watching Tunisia In Hope And Solidarity”
In the capital, tens of thousands have gathered in front of the once feared buildings of the Ministry of Interior. A demonstration in front of the “Minister of Terror” would have been unimaginable even 24 hours ago. nawaat.org January 14, 2011 Firas Al-Atraqchi, Assoc. Professor of Practice in Journalism at American University in Cairo, Huffington Post [Excerpts] In what could be a sign of how social media is reshaping politics in the Middle East and North Africa, Tunisian protesters turned to Twitter to broadcast information on their popular revolt against the government’s economic and media policies. Videos of street clashes in Tunisian towns were broadcast on YouTube before some were taken down, minute-by-minute updates on the number of casualties were retweeted, and reports on the political situation as it unraveled kept Arab audiences mesmerized. Bechir Blagui, who runs the Free Tunisia website, says that people have tossed around different names for this “revolution.” He says that in the absence of traditional media - government bans on reporting and the jailing of independent journalists like Fahem Boukaddous - Tunisians resorted to their cell phones and going online to document the history of their nation in the past four weeks. “Combined with Twitter, this helped on the ground organization of massive crowds from around small towns in remote areas. It was crucial for the organizing effort,” Blagui added.
Nasser Weddady, a civil rights outreach director for the American Islamic Congress who has been closely monitoring events in Tunisia, believes that while social media didn’t cause the popular uprising, its most important role was to inform the outside world of the protests, the number killed in clashes with police, etc. “At least for the first two weeks, Al Jazeera, and France24 footage on the events was exclusively provided by Tunisian social media users and aggregators like Nawaat (a Tunisian dissident group). “But the bulk of the action took place on Facebook with the government aggressively harvesting users passwords through phishing attacks and shutting down user accounts with video and info about the events,” he said. Other media analysts say social media filled the gap left empty by most mainstream media in the West, which they say were too slow to report on the situation. In the hours leading up to Ben Ali’s flight from the country, there was a flurry of activity on social media networks. Sami ben Gharbia, a Tunisian living in Germany, tweeted: “It is confirmed. Tunisia’s Ambassador to UNESCO has resigned and announced his resignation on local French radio in Paris.” He later tweeted - and posted a video link - that police snipers had been shooting at protesters in the capital Tunis. Other Arab civil rights activists have been monitoring both the momentum and the impact of the Tunisian experience with some hoping for similar reforms in their countries. Mona El Tahawy, a columnist and public speaker on Arab affairs, tweeted that “Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear. Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope and solidarity.”
Thousands Of Angry Jordanians March In Amman And Other Cities Against The Government:
“Unify Yourselves Because The Government Wants To Eat Your Flesh”
“Beware Of Our Starvation And Fury”
“They Call Prime Minister Rifai A ‘Coward’ And Demanded His Resignation”
“‘We’re Becoming Poorer Every Day,’ She Said, Holding A Poster With A Piece Of Arabic Flatbread Attached”
Reuters 14 Jan 2011 Al Jazeera
Thousands of Jordanians have taken to the streets of the capital Amman and other cities to protest against rising commodity prices, unemployment and poverty. The protesters are calling on the government headed by Samir Rifai, the prime minister, to step down. Demonstrators, including trade unionists and leftist party members, carried national flags and chanted anti-government slogans in downtown Amman. They called Rifai a “coward” and demanded his resignation. “Prices, particularly gasoline and food, are getting out of hand,’’ Buthaina Iftial, a 24year-old civil servant, said. “We’re becoming poorer every day,’’ she said, holding a poster with a piece of Arabic flatbread attached. Police and plainclothes officers formed rings around the demonstrators to contain the protests. “Jordan is not only for the rich. Bread is a red line. Beware of our starvation and fury,” read one of the banners carried after mid-day prayers, amid a heavy police presence, according to the AFP news agency. “Down with Rifai’s government. Unify yourselves because the government wants to eat your flesh. They raise fuel prices to fill their pocket with millions,” the protesters chanted as they marched in Amman. Similar demonstrations took place in the cities of Maan, Karak, Salt and Irbid, as well as other parts of the country. “We are protesting the policies of the government, high prices and repeated taxation that made the Jordanian people revolt,” Tawfiq al-Batoush, a former head of Karak municipality, told the Reuters news agency at a protest outside Karak’s Al Omari mosque. Friday’s protests came amid similar protests in Algeria and Tunisia. On Tuesday, Jordan’s government announced a $169m plan to reduce the prices of commodities, including fuel, sugar and rice, and to create jobs in the face of rising popular discontent. Protesters say these measures are not enough, and are complaining of growing unemployment and poverty. Year-on-year inflation hit 6.1 per cent last month. The Muslim Brotherhood, its political arm the Islamic Action Front (IAF), and the country’s 14 trade unions say they will hold a sit-in outside parliament on Sunday to “denounce government economic policies”.
“We demand a solution to this problem to avert any negative repercussions through reforming policies and carry out true and fair economic and political reforms,” the trade unions said in a statement.
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