Gaza Flotilla Footage Smuggled Out of Israel

I remember the anti-Communist Reaganism of the 1980s. One of conservativism's points of evidence against Communism was the Soviet State's attempt to suppress free expression. Book, photos, film footage had to be smuggled out of the Soviet Union.

Conservatives regarded it as a "given" that if people had to smuggle information out of a country, that alone was enough to indict the country's government. Didn't matter how accurate the information was -- that was for the viewer or reader to decide. Free nations did not suppress information.

Shortly after Israel attacked the Gaza Aid Floatilla, killing 9 aid workers, talk radio in Los Angeles, almost unanimously, defended Israel's attack. Soon afterwards, Israel released footage of the attack, which its defenders claimed "proved" that armed Israeli commandos were merely defending themselves against civilian aid workers.

But as The Guardian reports:

"Michalis Grigoropoulos, who was at the wheel of the Free Mediterranean, said: 'We were in international waters. The Israelis acted like pirates, completely out of the normal way that they conduct nautical exercises, and seized our ship. They took us hostage, pointing guns at our heads; they descended from helicopters and fired tear gas and bullets. There was absolutely nothing we could do … Those who tried to resist forming a human ring on the bridge were given electric shocks.'

"Grigoropoulos, who insisted the ship was full of humanitarian aid bound for Gaza 'and nothing more', said that, once detained, the human rights activists were not allowed to contact a lawyer or the Greek embassy in Tel Aviv. 'They didn't let us go to the toilet, eat or drink water and throughout they videoed us. They confiscated everything, mobile phones, laptops, cameras and personal effects. They only allowed us to keep our papers.'

Now, you can prove almost anything depending on how you edit footage. Israel had all the footage -- its own and that which it confiscated. Any conservative, or libertarian, who is consistent, would at least doubt the footage released by any government, especially if that government had confiscated its opponent's footage.

Fortunately for the truth, some footage has been successfully smuggled out of Israel. (And what does it say about a nation, that one must "smuggle" footage out of it?)

Here's some of it now:



And part two:

Libertarian Party Platform Change on International Affairs

Carol Moore sends this old and new version of Section 3.3., International Affairs, in the Libertarian Party's national platform, which was changed at the 2010 national convention.

Some peaceniks have called the new version an improvement, but I see little substantive change.


This is the Old Version. The italicized parts have been removed:


"American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world and its defense against attack from abroad. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups."


This is the New Version. The italicized parts have been added:


"American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups."

Libertarian Mike Gravel: Peace Talks Must Involve Hamas

Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel, who ran for president as a Democrat in 2008, then sought the Libertarian Party's nomination, welcomed Russia as an honest broker for prospective Mideast peace talks. During a broadcast interview, Gravel said on Russia's Press TV:

"Press TV: Russia as we just mentioned, says it wants Hamas to play a role in these Middle East peace efforts, do you agree with that?

Mike Gravel: That's so important and I really want to applaud President Medvedev for what he is doing; because, this is the first semblance of somebody acting as an honest broker, which, of course, the United States is not able to do because of the Jewish influence within the country.

The States declared Hamas a terrorist group, the same thing with Hezbollah. These are not terrorist groups. They fight for their rights which is what they are entitled to, but clearly with respect to Hamas, which has been sabotaged by the Israeli government and the American government for that fact.

Now, I just think it is very significant that Russia is stepping forward in trying to involve Hamas into the only thing that will bring about a possible peace. You cannot exclude Hamas and any designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization, should be removed and not honored in the global community.

Press TV: The parties will counter a settlement without Hamas, if so, can any settlement actually be implemented without Hamas' involvement?

Mike Gravel: No, it can't. Hamas is more popular within the Palestinian community than Fatah and so it just can't and this of course is part of the Israeli tactic, to go ahead and get Hamas isolated, knowing that there will never be any peace unless you include Hamas.

Keep in mind, Hamas, was a dually elected party and it has the support of the Palestinian people. To say that whoever the Palestinians choose, that can't be negotiated with because you don't agree with them; well, that is certainly no scenario to bring about peace and that's an easy scenario, that the United States and Israel have been playing out, for 5 decades or so.

Press TV: Let's talk about these peace talks. The Palestinian party, as you well know, has started indirect talks with Israel. Where do you see those talks headed?

Mike Gravel: I don't see them headed any place constructive, until you bring Hamas to the table. The indirect peace talks… why can't they talk directly? Why does it have to be indirect?

These charades that people play, to make it look like they're seriously, trying to bring about something, well it's not a serious undertaking, and the Russian move at this point, with President Medvedev, is a serious move forward, that could realize peace, but of course the Netanyahu government is not on their agenda."

Gravel has previously advocated for national referendum elections in the U.S. Most 2008 LP delegates did not welcome Gravel's direct democracy solution to social and political problems.

Gravel has also been a critic of the growth of the U.S. military.

Aaron Starr Fails to Bribe Libertarian Party Delegates

Over at Independent Political Report, Thomas Knapp reports that at the 2010 LP national convention:

"the convention considered a measure to allow voting on bylaws measures by mail. Aaron Starr, Treasurer of the Libertarian Party, estimated that such a mailing would cost around $8000–roughly as much as an issue of LPNews. Starr, a supporter of the measure, offered to pay for the first mailing. The measure ultimately failed by a voice vote."

This is not the first time Starr has pulled this stunt. At the 2007 Libertarian Party of California convention, Starr wanted a certain measure passed. I forget what it was for -- a bylaws change, perhaps. But I do remember that he publicly offered to donate $15,000 to the LPC if the measure passed.

These bribery attempts are not especially egregious. Starr made them in public, before all assembled delegates. He was not trying to buy votes for his own campaign, but to pass measures that he said (and likely believed) were in the party's best interest. Certainly, he's free to tie strings to his donations.

Even so, these were bribes. I wasn't at the 2010 convention, but I was at the 2007 convention, and I know that Starr's offer left a bad taste in some delegates' mouths.

Libertarians, even povertarians, are not especially prone to class envy. Yet an anti-elitist sentiment permeates many conventions. A feeling that "we're all equal on the floor."

Seeing a delegate flash his checkbook to donate money earns goodwill. But seeing a delegate flash his checkbook in an attempt to buy votes for a bylaw or platform change leaves a bad taste. Votes should be won on the merits -- on the arguments one can muster based on one's intelligence and principles -- and not on who has the bigger checkbook.

At the 2007 convention Aaron Starr's offer was rebuffed. At the 2010 convention Starr's offer was not only rebuffed, but he was later trounced in his attempt to win re-election for LP national treasurer.

If Starr is wise, he'll have finally learned his lesson. When you offer to donate money in exchange for delegates' votes, the answer is likely "No."

LNC Should Disassociate LP from Wayne Allyn Root's Obama Birther Conspiracy Insinuations

Root has long fed Birther conspiracies with his insinuation that Obama never went to Columbia.

On May 16, Root announced on Facebook that he would testify at a Reverand Manning's private trial against Obama. Apparently, Manning's bizarro trial would showcase every anti-Obama conspiracy out there.

This news soon broke out on IndependentPoliticalReport.com, resulting in a firestorm of criticism against Root.

Root, who was running for LP chair and saw his chances slipping away, behaved like any bully who'd been challenged. He turned tail and ran, explaining why he decided not to testify after all.

But the damage from Root's Birther conspiracy idiocy is still out there, embarrassing the LP. Just today, I received the following spam, repeating idiotic conspiracy theories about Obama, new and old, many of which have already been disproved -- and once again citing Root as a source.

The LNC should publicly disassociate itself from Wayne Allyn Root's conspiracy claims, and state that Root's insinuations spreading virally across the internet do not reflect the LP or its views.

Here's a copy of the email I received today [I've deleted the 168 recipients of this email -- the cc wasn't hidden]:

from 99wizards <99wizards@gmail.com>
date Mon, May 31, 2010 at 7:34 PM
subject Re: Free Parliamentary Email Poll Coming
mailed-by gmail.com
signed-by gmail.com

Why was obama's law license inactivated in 2002?

Why was Michelle's law license INACTIVATED by court order? There is only one Barack Hussein Obama according to the U. S. Census and he has 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases.

The one he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is not ever reported to have lived. No wonder ALL of his 'records' are sealed!

It just gets worse! At least we only have 3 years of this mystery man left before we can replace him. Was He There? Who IS He? I have always wondered why NO ONE ever came forward from Obama's past saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc..

NO ONE, not one person has ever come forward from his past. VERY, VERY STRANGE.

This should really be a cause for great concern. To those who voted for him, YOU HAVE ELECTED THE BIGGEST UNQUALIFIED FRAUD that America has ever known!

This is very interesting stuff. Sort of adds credence to the idea of The Manchurian Candidate thing having happened here!

Stephanopoulos of ABC news said the same thing during the 08' campaign. He too was a classmate of BO's at Columbia class of 1984. He said he never had ONE class withhim. Was he there?

While he is such a great orator, why doesn't ANYONE in Obama's college class remember him? Maybe he never attended class! Maybe he never attended Columbia? He won't allow Colombia to release his records either.

Suspicious isn't it???

NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA

Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but none remembered him.

Wayne Allyn Root was, like Obama, a political science major at Columbia who also graduated in 1983.

In 2008, Root says of Obama, "I don't know a SINGLE PERSON at Columbia who knew him, and they all know me. I don't have a classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia. EVER! Nobody rcalls him. I'm not exaggerating.

"Root adds that he was also, like Obama, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that. Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him.

At the class reunion, our 20th reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack!

And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was. The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York, the macha who knows everybody, has yet to find a person, who ever met him. Is that not strange? It's VERY strange.

"Obama's photograph does NOT appear in the school's'yearbook' and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia, provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Allyn_Root#column-one

NOTE: Root graduated as Valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major (in the same class as Barack Hussein Obama WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN IN).

Can it be that BHO is a complete fraud? More intrigue concerning "The Man who WASN'T there."

I’m sure the truth will be found out, but too bad not soon enough!

Please do not give up on ousting the people at the top. We must go on, and continue sending these out to everyone. Pass this on to everyone on your e-list. Pass it across America!

John Jay Myers for Libertarian Party Chair

Five men will run for Libertarian Party national chair this weekend in St. Louis. I can be happy with four of them. I only hope the winner is not Wayne Allyn Root, a pro-war narcissist.

Of the remaining four, I am most impressed with John Jay Myers. Antiwar/anti-empire must be the LP's flagship issue. War touches all others. Apart from its murderous destruction, war destroys civil liberties at home, and increases taxes and inflation to the point of national bankruptcy.

Root sometimes buries brief, watered-down passages critical of foreign intervention in some of his writings, but he won't oppose war loudly and incessantly! It would hurt his budding career as a right-wing media pundit. Besides, Root still supports war now and again, if not this or that particular policy (at least not after it's proven to be a failure).

Phillies, Hinkle, and Hancock are all sincerely antiwar, but they have other liabilities as candidates. Rightly or wrongly, many delegates regard Phillies and Hancock are unacceptable alternatives to Root. That leaves Hinkle and Myers. Hinkle is good. Myers is better.

Myers gets it. Myers gets the antiwar issue -- that it needs to be the LP's flagship issue. And Myers gets the problems with Root -- his flip-flopping and softness on war.

Here is Myer's keen analysis of one of Root's recent (April 2010) statements on foreign policy. (You can read Root's statement in full, and Myers response, at Independent Political Report -- below are what I regard as the wheat without the chaff):

Root wrote: "It's time to admit the war in Iraq has distracted us from the real 'war on terror' we are waging against the Taliban in Afghanistan."

Myers's responds: "Wrong. We need to bring our troops home from Afghanistan now. ... Wayne doesn't want to pull our troops out of the Middle East any time soon. It would be hard to fight [Root's] 'war on terror' if we were not there. ... if we were not there, we would not have a 'war on terror'. We wouldn't be worried about regimes giving terrorists bombs. We would be worried about buying goods from them, and they would in turn be worried about maintaining our friendship in peace.

"This has to be our issue, we need to bring the troops home.

"In order to accept Wayne's theory, you have to believe that either terrorists hate us because we are free, or that they hate us because of our religion. Either case is ridiculous.

"They hate us because we are there taking their resources, installing puppet dictators and trying to sell them democracy through the barrel of a gun. That is the truth. Someone besides Ron Paul needs to say it. That needs to be us.

"Wayne will never say that. Given that his article was written 2 weeks ago, I don't think he is going to change his tune any time soon."

Bravo! Myer's analysis is right on point.

I'll add this: Root was pro-war in 2007, then antiwar in early 2008, then called for an Afghan surge in late 2008, then opposed Obama's Afghan surge in 2009, but in the above piece Root supports Obama's Afghan war policy -- though Root won't credit Obama for continuing a war that Root supports.

Is there a method to Root's mad flip-flopping? Sure. He's reliably pro-war, but weasels back whenever (1) he wants something from the LP, such a president nomination or chair title, or (2) the war has become unpopular even among many conservative talk radio hosts, or (3) Obama supports the war, because Root has a fixated hatred of Obama.

If Myers becomes chair, I expect the LP's national website to reflect a more explicitly antiwar image. Perhaps we'll even see a peace sign on the site? This will attract many young people, the same youth who are energized by Ron Paul.

If Root becomes chair, I expect the LP's national website will be used to promote Root's media career. I expect the site to be plastered with photos of Root, YouTube videos of Root's appearances, and promotions of Root's book.

Think I exaggerate? Earlier this year, Root sent a vaguely threatening email to LP executive direct Wes Benedict, complaining that the national site didn't promote Root extensively enough. Root implied that should he become chair, he'd be looking for a new executive director if Benedict didn't promote Root more heavily.

To quote from Root's threatening email to Benedict:

"Wes,

Here is the list of my media appearances this week…16 in all (although I expect a few more on Friday & Saturday)…including 7 national radio shows…IN ONE WEEK!

I must tell you Wes…If this isn't news worthy…then we need a new Exec Director who can see that it is. If you don't want to put this list up on LP web site…I'd like a straight answer why? And trust me when I tell you, I'm not taking this laying down. This is NEWS that all Libertarians should welcome hearing. We have a bright star in the mainstream media [Root is referring to himself] …who is branding the LP. Trust me…you and I are going to have MULTIPLE conversations about this starting next week.

Wayne"

Those are two of the choices LP delegates will face this weekend. Elect Myers and promote peace. Or elect Root and promote Root's career.

Beware of Last-Minute Convention Floor Smears

Based on recent history, delegates to the Libertarian Party's 2010 national convention should be on guard against last minute convention floor smears. It happened to Mary Ruwart in 2008, and might have cost her the nomination.

I reported on this incident nearly two years ago, in my post: Last Minute Anti-Ruwart Lies on the Convention Floor.

I wrote: "Someone (or a group of someones) was spreading ugly and outlandish anti-Ruwart rumors on the convention floor during the voting.

Before the 5th ballot, after Senator Mike Gravel was dropped, I asked Mike's daughter, Lynne Moiser, to vote for Mary Ruwart. ....

[Lynne] said she'd heard on the floor that the 'Washington Post was about to break a story that the Libertarian Party was nominating child pornographer Mary Ruwart.'

That false and ugly accusation about Ruwart was old news, based on an out of context quote from a book by Ruwart that had been unearthed by George Phillies. Both Wayne Allyn Root and Christine Smith had pounced on Ruwart at the time, asking for her to withdraw. The rumor was known and disregarded by Ruwart's supporters.

However, Lynne was new to Libertarianism. She was unfamiliar with our blogs and channels of communication. This false rumor was news to her.

And this Washington Post twist was entirely new.

So, the Washington Post was 'about to break a story' about the LP was nominating a child pornographer? Really? Where did that come from?

Well, an effective lie needs to be specific. It's more believable that way.

Clearly, someone was spreading lies on the convention floor, when only Barr, Ruwart, and Root remained on the ballot -- in that order. Which camp was spreading these lies? Barr or Root? Root was in last place (behind Ruwart) and his campaign has a history of playing the 'child pornographer' card against Ruwart. But there's no hard evidence either way."

This incident was never followed up. This last minute anti-Ruwart smear went down the Memory Hole.

Well, I'm extracting this incident from the Hole. Somebody was spreading an anti-Ruwart lie -- a Big Whooper of a lie! -- at the last minute, in a tight race. And some delegates were swayed by this lie.

Who would want the nomination that bad? Bad enough to spout Whooper-sized lies? Who embraces an ethic of winning at all costs?

Someone who would do it again.

I don't know who has what up their sleeves, but I urge all delegates to the 2010 Libertarian Party national convention to take all last minute "revelations" and rumors with a grain of salt. In the upcoming LP Chair race, do not be swayed by eleventh hour accusations, when there's no time for the smeared party to defend himself.