Noam Chomsky: “The US and it’s Allies Will do Anything That They Can To Prevent Democracy In The Arab World”.

On April 28th, FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, the media watch group in New York celebrated their 25 years of media bias and censorship reporting.

This might be a so late reported event (2 months later) but I wanted to share the Noam Chmosky’s intervention who analyzes couple of reasons of why the US and it’s allies wouldn’t let democracy happen in the Arab world (A side of the story that can justify the wicked games of the Arab governments and their resistance to answer people demands).

Noam Chomsky is a prolific writer, speaker and path-breaking media critic. Best known for books like Manufacturing Consent, Chomsky is considered to be among the most important public intellectuals in American life.

Talk Show with H. Clinton or Another face of the hypocrite American democracy

Apologies in advance for American friends and readers, this post might make you feel offended but bear in mind it’s a reaction against the US government.

(Just for the record many American friends I know personally disagree with their goverment on numerous levels as well, so you shouldn’t be offended, really).

The visit of Hillary Clinton -the American Foreign Minister- to both Egypt and Tunisia got viral on some news channels worldwide and also Tunisians, how not and H. Clinton is the first extra  VIP person to come to Tunisia since January 14^th (The date Ben Ali flee the country).

Not just the visit and its unknown purpose but also a media blackout on the exact day of her visit were all enough reasons to push young Tunisians to step down to the street and demonstrate in Hbib Bourghiba Avenue (main street in the capital), Next to the American Embassy in Tunis and at Tunis Carthage airport. Demonstrations were held during these past 3 days (15-16 and 17^th of March).

Well, what started as peaceful manifestations ended with violent attack by the police! It was reported that the police attacked and arrested couple of protesters, it was also reported that dogs were used to frighten the protesters and signs lifted by about 30 demonstrators were destroyed by the police.

What happened to freedom of peaceful protests and associations?

On her arrival at the airport Wednesday 16^th, H. Clinton refused to answer journalist’s questions claiming that she’s keeping all the answers for the exclusive Talk Show with Nessma TV!

The next day at 1pm, a press conference was held at the Foreign Affairs Minister, 100 journalists attended and waited for about 3 hours and a half and guess what, the press conference got cancelled and her highest Mrs. Clinton had to attend a private/closed meeting with some government officials.

Let’s now come to the exclusive talk show at Nessma TV that wasn’t even live:

Simply it wasn’t far away from what it was expected to look like. Let me just highlight that the news that came right after the talk show didn’t mention at all the protests against H. Clinton’s visit; on the opposite they acknowledged the importance of her visit and even gave a preview of the set where the show will happen full with audience.

The questions that were asked were already prepared (and so the answers I believe), so much of the exclusivity and transparency!

I was dump enough to get excited that they took a question from the facebook community (it was about the opportunity of having more scholarships to study abroad)… really! Shoot Me Please.

Throughout the one hour talk show, you could only notice the fake diplomatic big smiles of H. Clinton when speaking the words that she knows that we like to hear besides giving promises and asking to hear our demands so she could revise them and see what her government could give.

She also talked on America being the oldest democratic country in the world and how she wants to share their experience to help our new born Democratic Tunisia…Excuse me but who cares about what Washington thinks or wants. What part of the word we’re F.R.E.E they don’t get? She even quoted Martin Luther King when saying “I have a dream” and started preaching us on how we should start and keep working hard about building the nation we dreamed of!

Questions that came after were just safe mainly about business partnerships, grants and the situation in the neighboring Libya.

It was also surprising how the audience spoke fluent English although coming from the Frenchy Tunisia; I’m not stereotyping but trying to get to the point where Nessma TV played another shameful role _ the role of a censor by not allowing certain people to attend the Talk Show!

For those who followed the updates on twitter and facebook, you might’ve noticed that it was supposed that Clinton would speak to some Tunisian bloggers. Apparently the US embassy and Microsoft recommended to Nessma a list of bloggers that they know; also Nessma TV had already its favorite bloggers list.

What’s surprising is that people like Sofien Chourabi blogger and journalist, Emna Ben Jemaa blogger and journalist and Ali boulila blogger and co-founder of Twestivel Tunisia were denied to come to the show even after being proposed by the American embassy. Also didn’t notice that Nawaat were even invited.

I have a question: Did she come to talk to bloggers and people from civil society or just people picked up by Nessma TV_ Emna Ben Jemaa raised a question?!

I then got the news that those approved by Nessma TV are: hamzovsky_, faiyla , accent circonflexe et slim404

I also received the news that Liliopatra , mira404 Fatma Arabica zinga_ had refused to attend the talk show, may be in support to the 3 days long protests or may be in support of “friends” that got denied invitation probably because of their opinion or may be for certain personal reasons such being busy or hate towards the American government… which I hope all those audience acted upon and boycott that silly meeting with Clinton.

Did they have to be strict in selecting people that they keep under control what questions to be asked? Some of the questions maybe like:

-  How could Clinton explain the tear gas bombs and weapons and the live ammunition that were used against Tunisians and Egyptians AND were made in USA and Israel?

-  How the American government is so hypocrite when supporting dictators and then talking about exporting their democracy?

Or maybe what her response would be when it comes to the over use of the Vito against decisions that serves Palestinians first interest.

Could spending  about 15 minutes during the show  speaking about how Clinton manages among being  a mother, a politician and have sometime for personal life? Or speaking about her supportive husband Bill and the fact that he plays saxophone and her married daughter Chelsey!  Be more important than the few questions I wrote.  Do we seem like we give a damn about her personal life and her husband’s saxophone?!

I won’t elaborate more on this part because it summed up in a nice way in one of the American Congress members Ron Paul here:

If there is something good she mentioned during the entire show, then it would be according to me: raising the question: how could we build democracy by neglecting the voices of half of the population (meaning women).

And maybe the other good thing when ending the show, the presenters invited her to spend a vacation in Tunisia and she said that she’ll try (another promise) or like she’s ever welcome to come again but she directed an appeal to come visit Tunisia to boost her economy through tourism.

Kacem Jlidi

March 17th 2011

Potential revolutions in Palestine, will it make any change?!

This post was originally written by my friend Saleh Dawabsheh

As you know Palestine had been the first Arab country that experienced revolutions and demonstrations, this was called “Intifada”, and there was a first Intifada that took place between 1987-1992 and a second Intifada happened between 2000-2004.

After 2005 Palestinians have been silent, and there were no resistance except in some places here and there.

Gaza is a different case, the situation there is not peaceful like in the West bank; Israeli attacks continued, and the war on Gaza that all of you know about was very bad.

Anyway as a result of the second Intifada, the relative peace after it, the Palestinian elections and the winning of Hamas, all of that led Palestine to being divided into two states: Gaza and West bank (bear in mind that I mean by Palestine the part that was not occupied on 1948), two opposite parties, Hamas (the government in Hamas) and Fateh/the Palestinian authority (the government in West Bank).

Now after the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia some Palestinians wanted to do the same, some groups and pages on Facebook are calling for resisting the occupation in a peaceful way, other are calling for resisting using weapons and guns, other are saying that we should first unite, and become one people and to forget that we belong either to Hamas or to Fateh.

This is nice, but the shit in this is that these groups are fighting each other; people are accusing each other that they are not honest, and they’re not doing this for the benefit of Palestine, they’re doing this to establish organizations to get fund from donors from outside.

Those who want to resist the occupation are saying once we defeat occupation we will be united, the others are replying that we can not defeat the occupation if we’re not united, and all are fighting each other.

so will there be any positive change? To be honest I do not know, but I still expect things to get worse than before if these revolutions took the wrong pathes, and if Palestinian people keep on accusing and fighting each other.

Palestine is messed up, there is no leader, no clear goals, no strategic planning for the Palestinian state, negotiation failed, more than 11,000 are in jail, and millions are refugees out of Palestine.

Palestine seems to be a hopeless case as long as Palestinians do not change the way they think.

Saleh is a Palestinian blogger and activist; connect with him here

What the heck is going on in Tunisia while Camera lenses watch Egypt?

Since January 25^th, all media channels lifted the coverage on the Tunisian Revolution’s events depriving numerous people in and out of the country from correct trusted information, especially those that has no access to social media tools.

Not to mention that the Tunisian media is still  controled by the goverment and freedom of speech isn’t totally granted yet!

Censorship of facebook pages is still!

Since December 17th, the world’s eyes and almost all media channels, bloggers, activists have been busy watching what’s so called the Tunisian Miracle; hundreds if not thousands of articles and notes have been published on daily basis, and during all this time, my pen didn’t seem my most suitable weapon -for me- to support my country!

Yet, now, I’m using it as a try to make up for the gap left by the cam lenses which are directed towards Egypt at the moment!

Egypt which is geographically a North African country but a Middle Eastern critical player; on which so many hopes, expectations and aspirations are being laid. (!)

Like many Tunisians I endorse the Egyptian people’s choice, we have Egyptian and Palestinian flags raised during our demonstrations. We’re impatiently waiting to hear that Hosni Mubarak had finally left his chair, since such a change will have major impact on the situation in Middle East, namely the Palestinian case.

We’re also waiting for the rest of the Arab leaders to preserve what’s left of their dignity –if any- to get the lesson and smoothly leave their chairs; enough blood and enough harm to innocent civilians.

This post is meant to highlight certain issues and basically compile the recent updates for the watching world.

After the flee of the ex-Tunisian President, Ben Ali

Protests, sit-ins and hunger strikes are still held demanding the disbanding of the ruling party: “Democratic Constitutional Rally” referred to as RCD and changing it with a new, corruption-free elected representative rally!

The Socialist International had suspended the membership of the RCD. In order to placate protesters and designated coalition participants, the incumbent president Fouad El Mbazaa and Prime Minister Mohamed El Ghanouchi had resigned from their memberships in the RCD on January 18^th and all remaining RCD-aligned ministers resigned their party memberships on the 20^th, the effect of which will leave the RCD with only a parliamentary majority!

On January 27^th Prime Minister Ghannouchi carried out a major reshuffle, removing all former RCD members other than himself from the government. The Central Committee of the party has been dissolved.

Other actions that Prime Minster had taken are the establishment of a selected committee to investigate corruption cases mainly related to stealing money, bribery and nepotism of the ruling family. And another committee that works on fixing the Tunisian law that was clearly designed to fit the ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

With all that being said, seems Tunisia is on the right track to establish the first democratic Arab country; well, not really, here is what’s happening behind the scene while we are watching Egypt and it’s the persistent pain in the ass: Mubarak.

Why are Tunisians still protesting, sitting-in and hunger striking?

I join many political experts in declaring that Tunisians are suffering a trust crisis and they’re not willing to let their revolution go to waste.

219 martyrs and 510 wounded and counting since the revolution had started, those lives and blood are the responsibility of the RCD and the ex-ruling family; how come they expect Tunisians to give trust and loyalty to long old members of the RCD in this transitional period to Democracy?

The Prime Minster and the temporary new president, both “ex-members of the RCD” for almost 12 years and are still in position making the changes and fixations, naming and choosing the other ministers and committees members!! Hello but didn’t they were involved with the ex-president in the corruption, stealing, torturing and murdering young and old Tunisians??

How can Tunisians be so sure that the temporary government isn’t preparing for a new rule of the RCD under a new name and a new color?

Even though many claims that inside the RCD there were good people and they were not responsible in supporting any corruption or murders; well, deal with it, Tunisians are totally refusing any promised change by any individual related to the RCD and the ex-ruling family!

The new temporary government is supposed to fix what went wrong, ensure safety of the people, guarantee legal persecution of those that committed crimes and bring back the lost rights of the people!

There is no logic in expecting that individuals whom had stole, tortured and killed in the past would bring justice now!

To answer to the question I asked and to try reporting to you what media is being busy from reporting since January 24^th, I would say:

First:

Dozens of young people started a march called Freedom convoy, from Sidi bouzid,  Miknassi, Kasserine and other suburbs of Sidi bouzid and neighbor cities to Tunis (capital), people committed to walk for over 250 Km not caring about the cold nor the rain nor the long distance to support fellow protestors sitting-in next to El-Kasbah (where the government building is located).

It’s important to report that for the week period sit-in was totally peaceful, no clashes were reported until…

Few people (Militia) provoked fights with police members that turned their tear gas bombs towards the peaceful protestors.

Police also used dogs to frighten the people to unfold their sit-in; they also got their hands dirtier by making a blockade on El-Kasbah area, preventing aids (food, medications and covers) from arriving to the protestors.

Militias and police were responsible for unleashing a number of rumors to provoke clashes among the manifesting people themselves encouraging  regionalism for instance like: “The freedom convoy is nothing but people from left behind cities, coming to Tunis for the food, aids and to steal”.

It’s ironic that in answer to that kind of rumors, we’ve seen signs to guide people that lost their money or cell phones to a tent of “lost and found”!

Attempts to unfold the sit-in didn’t stop there but it gone to hiding drugs and alcohol among the food and covers of the protesters, smoking and drinking in nearby mosques and calling for sex.

According to some lawyers that joined the sit-in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HRG_z7JstE&feature=player_embedded#

A Russian journalist was attacked while reporting the El-Kasbah incidents, he clearly said that people with leather black coats were attacked by few younger people (militias) and then started attacking the protestors and there were others shooting with cell phones!

Hint: The black leather coated people are a special squad of the police and they are under orders to use social media against Tunisians!

Click here for video of American journalist that got shot.

All the above sick attempts of the Militias and police come after a declaration from the new temporary government/ Prime Minister clearly underlying the no use of violence! But just a question, where do those people get their orders and instructions from??

Click here for a proof a the peaceful sit-in at El Kasbah.

Second:

According to chapter 41 of the Tunisian law, the President is granted immunity that allows him to take certain decision that can bypass the law, and with such law, we expect a power to unfold rallies, exemption from execution etc, yet seem that such a law had been used to justify anti-humanity crimes: conspire over the internal national security, murdering, displacement, rape and the list is so long.

click here for results of the ex-president’s immunity.

Third:

The committee which supposed to investigate and bring justice again is doing nothing but waiting for people to come and complain, such a committee has no power to execute actions on its own but they’re better called washing machines as for the last week, a number of courts and bureaus had been burnt to destroy documents and erase any evidence that might convict the people at power now.

Among the files that got distroyed, job applications envelopes and diplomas of graduated young people, some of them never were opened!

Can’t bypass this news: the ex-president and his wife were convicted by: money laundering!! And a private TV owner, Arbi Nasrah, owner of Hannibal TV, was charged with his son for treason! A charge that brings a death sentence!

What on the earth could a newly established TV station owner had done compared to Ben Ali? But it’s obvious they just needed a scapegoat!

Arbi Nasra was freed latter on with his son after a community intervention.

Abdallah Kallal, responsible for torture and murders inside the Tunisian prisons remains still in his house, he is also escaping charges from Switzerland convicting him with violation of human rights.

Tunisia’s streets are no longer safe, a number of kidnaps is bieng reported, civilians attacked by police/ militias for no reasons!

Forth:

Jeffery Feltman, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs had been in a visit to Tunisia meeting with the Prime Minister delivering the recommendations of the US!

Well, soon after he left, a new composition of the government that Tunisians were demanding for almost 2 weeks to change got declared!

There after we discover these:

-          Ahmad Najib Chabi, used to be the head of an opposing rally is now the Minister of development was recruited by the US secret intelligence.

-          An American military base got approved by the Prime Minister to be built; its purpose detecting and destroying El-Qaida movements in the Maghreb regions and as a force point to hit Palestine!

-          A nuclear landfill waste in the Tunisian deserts, such thing releases radiations that VERY BADLY affects people living in the south!

-          Tear gas bombs dosages are higher than the norms!

-          Ghriba ghwich, Abd Fatah Omar, Iyad Ben Achour and Taoufik Bou Derbala, members in the new temporary government that has a dirty back ground!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_Rmag1c-f4&feature=player_embedded

Now, after all this busy week and here we enter a new one, we wonder, where is the army that showed his support before, how come they accept a US military base is built on the Tunisian land?

Revolutions don’t take place every day, we need to keep winning this one and build neither the Tunisia we want not what the US recommends nor the EU!

And lastly, for those who are afraid, worried about the couple of Diems they got in the bank and suffering from the lines to get the bread… keep your comments for yourself and stay away from facebook, it’s now a tool for revolting a demonstrating/spread truth and actions not a place for cowards!

I would be thankful if you share this post, it’s crucial to get some media coverage, not everyone in Tunisia has access to facebook or twitter and we need help to continue what we had started.

RCD OUT.

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I would leave you now with this video that made all Tunisians cry and looking forward to catch up with you in the comments below.