Sheffield Terror War Newswire Archive

In an interview last week, Jeremy Paxman - leading interviewer on BBC 2’s flagship Newsnight programme - claimed that he had been “hoodwinked” by US government propaganda prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Paxman commented:

"As far as I personally was concerned, there came a point with the presentation of the so-called evidence, with the moment when Colin Powell sat down at the UN General Assembly and unveiled what he said was cast-iron evidence of things like mobile, biological weapon facilities and the like...

"When I saw all of that, I thought, well, 'We know that Colin Powell is an intelligent, thoughtful man, and a sceptical man. If he believes all this to be the case, then, you know, he's seen the evidence; I haven't.’

"Now that evidence turned out to be absolutely meaningless, but we only discover that after the event. So, you know, I’m perfectly open to the accusation that we were hoodwinked. Yes, clearly we were."
(Paxman, ‘Is World Journalism in Crisis?‘, Coventry University online interview, October 28, 2009. The entire interview is available here:  http://coventryuniversity.podbean.com/2009/10/29/is-there-a-crisis-in-world-journalism-jeremy-paxman/ )

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WESTERN imperialism in central Asia looks closer to imploding today after two extremely serious incidents over the last few days.

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Arun Kundnani from the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) has this excellent comment  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/18/surveillance-prevent-muslim-extremism on the fiasco that has emerged relating to the government's Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) funding programme due to the Guardian's recent spate of reporting on the issue  http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/16/anti-terrorism-strategy-spies-innocents . Kundnani is the author of an IRR report based largely on interviews with officials involved in implementation of Prevent funding and policies.

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In another of the increasing assaults on the people of Bilin village in Palestine, Israeli soldiers engaged on Tuesday night in yet another middle of the night raid during which villagers were assaulted, property was trashed and children terrorized in their beds.

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In the last few months, Iranian society has been gripped by political crisis, sparked by the nakedly fraudulent outcome of its recent elections

We must consider serious questions such as what vehicle can the Iranian people use to positively overcome the theocratic regime which they live and die under. What is our station in any of this and what on earth can we do to prevent questioning of the state in Iran becoming a pretext to greater Imperialist intervention, further than the UN sponsored strangle hold it has on the people of Iran right now

This is an open invitation, please come along

Sachin Sharma
of the Steering Committee of Hands Off the People of Iran, Leeds

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Former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds dropped a bombshell on the Mike Malloy radio show, guest-hosted by Brad Friedman (audio, partial transcript).

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The story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war.

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While most Americans celebrate Independence Day, for us, Saturday 4th July is Independence Day FROM America Day. There will be a demo from 5pm at the main gate to Menwith Hill, nr, Harrogate, HG3 2RF.

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Cartoon Korea - Filtered to Fit

How much do you know about the increased political tensions on the Korean peninsula? The answer, even for diligent readers of the mainstream press, is likely to be 'not much'. In place of serious, penetrating analysis the public has been sold a cartoon version of events based on a well-worn propaganda template. It is a tale spun by journalists who appear to know little of the real issues and who have internalised the key rules of 'balanced' reporting: do not point the finger of blame at your own government (or its allies), and do not question your government's demonisation of official enemies (learn nothing from the past).

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In a leak that seems designed to gauge public opinion - and that of lawyers and other relevant parties around the world - anonymous officials in the Obama administration have told the New York Times about a proposal, in draft legislation to be submitted to Congress, which, as the Times put it, "would clear the way for detainees facing the death penalty [in Guantánamo] to plead guilty without a full trial."

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John Anthony Hill, a.k.a. Maud'Dib has been released on bail following his arrest and imprisonment in Dublin on a UK extradition warrant.

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In a series of articles following, Andy Worthington, journalist and author of The Guantánamo Files, follows up on a Parliamentary meeting in the House of Commons on Monday, March 30th 2009 - "Britain's Guantánamo? The use of secret evidence and evidence based on torture in the UK courts," chaired by Diane Abbott MP - with four articles examining how and why the British government has turned its back on the principles of open justice, and five statements made by prisoners held on the basis of secret evidence.

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A Dublin judge has conceded to the extradition of a man for the crime of posting a DVD to the judge of a 7/7 terror trial in the UK.

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For most of the past century, Britain's secret state bugged, blacklisted and spied on leftists, trade unionists and peace campaigners, as well as Irish republicans and anyone else regarded as a "subversive" threat to the established order.

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There is a shrinking group of free people, people who believe in a context with everyone’s equal worth. This group still dreams about a society where everyone is included and for this, one is prepared to struggle.

The hours are not enough. Daddy Obama tries every night to give Natasha and Malia some of his time. The hours are not enough. That is just the way it is. Part of the job, the assignment. Much has been promised and every promise has to be kept.

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Addressing a national television audience in his first White House press conference, President Barack Obama, promoting his economic stimulus plan, used unprecedented language to characterize the deepening economic crisis. He described conditions of rapidly rising unemployment, growing demand at food banks, widespread foreclosures, the collapse of consumer spending and the failure of small businesses.
He declared that his administration "inherited the most profound economic emergency since the Great Depression," and warned that the lack of a federal government intervention "could turn a crisis into a catastrophe."

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Why is the Obama administration hell-bent on continuing rendition, and covering-up torture? Why are Western states complicit in these illegal activities? How can the systematic perpetuation of such criminal practices under the rubric of the 'War on Terror' be conducted by the very states who claim to be the guardians of 'international law' and 'human rights'?

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Some extracts from a article in The Telegraph, 7 Feb 2009, follow...

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Imagine yourself within the mind of Barack Obama, the first African American president of the United States of America. You are a man who knows how 'the system' works. This knowledge has been accrued at hard struggle, and by a remarkable and unique ability to adapt to any environment because you spent a lifetime as an exotic specimen in every environment, from Kansas to Kenya -- both African and American, Muslim and Christian, black and white. But you always displayed your native nobility -- tribal nobility on your father's side; nobility of spirit on your mother's -- and you were, with rare exceptions, accepted on your own terms. You were born under the sign of Leo, the lion, the natural leader; and your intelligence was honed with great discipline, under the influence of strong women.

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Condi Rice: “What we’re seeing here, in a sense, is the growing birth pangs of a new Middle East.”

Jon Stewart: “Birth pangs? Yes, I believe today’s contraction took out a city block.”

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