There is no obvious reason why the Western powers should care whether it was the friends or the family of Mohammed which took over the leadership of his movement upon his death. However there is plainly an agenda led by the USA to support the Sunnis in their spiralling regional conflict with the Shia.
This is not hard to rationalise. The ultra wealthy members of the Gulf regimes continue to act as the West’s proxies in the region and provide harbour to its neo-imperialist armed forces, while at the same time maintaining themselves a obscurantist version of Islam which would have horrified Mohammed and breaks virtually every precept of the Koran, particularly as regards treatment of women and of minority religions within their territory.
In Bahrain the large Shia majority is brutally repressed with active western collusion; in Saudi Arabia the Shia minority in the East is degraded. Iran is the great Shia bogey, and the West is so determined to maintain it as “the enemy” that they refuse the most basic diplomatic openings. The UK turned down an invitation to be represented at the inauguration of a new more moderate President and hold initial conversations. Meanwhile, Shia groups have mustered the only effective military resistance to Israeli aggression, and in Syria a Shia friendly regime is under intense pressure from the West and its Gulf allies. Peculiarly, in Iraq Western invasion resulted in the installation of a Shia regime, but that was only one of the entirely unforeseen consequences of that most stupid of invasions, and the Western response is to try to split up the country and fuel multiple insurgencies.
Meantime the CIA have now got a controlled and pro-Israeli military dictatorship back in power in Egypt, while the extraordinary complicity of the mainstream media and entire political class in the United States has never been more evident than in the acceptance that the military coup will not be designated a military coup. The manipulation of Western public opinion in the Syrian chemical weapons episode has, rarely, been too blatant to work. But events in Turkey and Egypt have shown that western public opinion is easily manipulated by the “secularist” angle. No matter how ugly political forces are – and in Turkey the Kemalists are very ugly – call them “secularist” and hide the rest, and you can attempt to topple elected governments in their favour with the full throated support of the media cheerleaders.
Last night’s vote in the Commons is welcome, but a blip. It owes more to political tribalism than to principle. Miliband and New Labour did not oppose military action, they merely wanted to be seen to be dictating the terms. As neither Tories nor Labour were prepared to accept the other’s terms for military action, the anti war minority could combine with the tribalists of each to make sure everything got defeated. Good but fortuitous.
The media are still in full war cry. Ashdown has never been so ashamed, apparently. He is not ashamed by extraordinary rendition and our torturing people. He is not ashamed of our responsibility for the death of hundreds of thousands in Iraq, with 2,000 people a day still meeting terrible deaths. He is ashamed that we don’t respond to the deaths of children by chemical weapons, we don’t really know at whose hands, by blasting to pieces a lot more children. Well, Paddy, you are a merciless fool who thinks a spiral of death is the answer, and I have never been more ashamed that I was for most of my adult life a member of the Liberal Democrats.
Ashdown did say bitterly that there was now no point in having such large armed forces. Hallelujah! The danger to the establishment that people might realise that spending more on weapons systems than on hospitals is a poor choice, is one reason this is not over. Much is at stake for the security state. Expect a mounting barrage of propaganda on the need for action in Syria. This is just the start.
Toynbee is far more dangerous than that lot combined.
Ashdown ought to be ashamed of himself for sitting there and owning up to his role in the mass murder in Yugoslavia. I enjoyed the glimmers of truth coming out about “Chamberlain” whom as corroborated by his Lordship was very popular with people for not wishing to start the WWII. Whilst Churchill the warmonger was not popular with the Brits. Although his warmongering lordshipnessness went on to add; Who is right now then?
Well your Lordship is it not about time we had a critical look at the true history and not the trumped up narrative foisted as the history about the dynamics of WWII, included unrestricted access to the archived secrets?
=====
Hamlins said;
Indeed a clear cut case of a dictatorship and end of democracy, as displayed with the intent to put on trial the criminal whom for years killed Egyptians, and suppressed any political dissent, as well as defrauding the Egyptians from their wealth for the sake of gratuity he was getting from Uncle Sam.
A Clear cut case of a man drunk on power and intent on invasion of the planet and destruction of the universe, etc…….
The levels of partisanship on display, held by those whom have little knowledge of the facts and actualities and are only intent to promote tribal interests above any other regardless of how ridiculous their position may prove to be.
====
Evgueni said;
we do, however we are not in charge of the narrative delivered by the US and coterie, banging on about “democracy”, “freedom”, and “freedom of choice”.
Only reflecting the situation as is. However the wishes of the villagers, peasants, and the poor who are in the majority in any country somehow do not count, because every “report” only reiterates the “liberal, secular, middle-class” values that should be upheld, regardless of the fact these are always in the minority.
===
“An uprising of more than 100,000 armed tribesmen took place in 1920. Over the next few months the RAF dropped 97 tons of bombs killing 9,000 Iraqis. This failed to end the resistance and Arab and Kurdish uprisings continued to pose a threat to British rule. Churchill suggested that chemical weapons should be used “against recalcitrant Arabs as an experiment.” He added “I am strongly in favour of using poisoned gas against uncivilised tribes to spread a lively terror” in Iraq.”
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRchurchill.htm
Craig wrote –
“The ultra wealthy members of the Gulf regimes continue to act as the West’s proxies in the region and provide harbour to its neo-imperialist armed forces, while at the same time maintaining themselves a obscurantist version of Islam which would have horrified Mohammed and breaks virtually every precept of the Koran, particularly as regards treatment of women and of minority religions within their territory.”
– –
As a non-Muslim, I’m not sure which “version of Islam” I’m supposed to believe Muslims are supposed to believe in – ie the original Arabic text version or the sanitised multi-cultural version. Generally, however, I’m inclined to believe Arabic-speaking Muslims know what Islam is all about.
Perhaps they (members of the Gulf regimes) have not been very faithful in observing some of Pro-Mo’s earlier, less intolerant views of “minority religions”, but they have proven themselves exceedingly faithful in observing the great prophet’s preference for the treatment of ‘disbelievers’.
Someone I read somewhere that Winston Churchill, reportedly to be feared by young boys for buggery at Eton, also wanted to drop napalm all over the Soviet Union but got talked out of it by his advisers.
Phil, John Goss, Timezones
Yes the 20th/21st confusion is very interesting. It was the early AM 21st August 2013 in Syria when the chemical attack took place but it was still evening 20th in the USA.
Similarly when Obama made the “red line” speech it was the 20th August 2012 in Washington but was reported this side of the Atlantic with a date of the 21st August.
Someone wanted the chemical attack to be exactly one year after Obama’s speech. As near as exactly as they could manage.
Youtube operates on US Pacific Time.
However even allowing for the timezone confusion it seems dozens of videos were filmed and uploaded to Youtube within a very few hours of the incident. Some may well have been prepared in advance ready to go mixed with genuine videos.
There seems to be a palpable air of disappointment among many of the Murrayistas over the lack of intervention in Syria. I fear some of them were secretly hoping for an attack to confirm their prejudices about the Bri’ish State. The lack of action, together with the much-maligned parliamentary democracy showing signs of having worked in the people’s favour, has left Murrayistas clinging to the “blip” narrative in the hope that the establishment will quickly revert to what is perceived as its usual zio-fascist warmongering self. If it doesn’t – and for my money Cameron has changed his mind – what is a Murrayista to do? Start dragging up events from the 1920s, perhaps, as Someone has done, so that there will be no “blip” in the continual castigating of one’s own country, whilst finding absolutely nothing positive whatsoever to say about it?
John Dross alleges:
“Someone I read somewhere that Winston Churchill, reportedly to be feared by young boys for buggery at Eton, also wanted to drop napalm all over the Soviet Union but got talked out of it by his advisers.”
Putting aside the fact that Churchill attended Harrow, not Eton, wouldn’t you say that dropping napalm all over the Soviet Union might have been a difficult (some might even say impossible!) task?
I may add, despite my political differences with D. Cameron, I respect him for accepting the “no” vote, and adding, he will not go along on the bombing jolly with the Yanks. Give him credit, if it was bLiar probably he would have tried to get another vote in, and keep on putting it to votes until he got the “yes” answer he wanted, or better still not go to the vote and claim the “royal prerogative” and bomb the Syrians anyhow.
Now that the coalition of the willing is down to two members namely the French and the Yanks, after the German pull out. When will the French pull out? Although judging by the topsy-turvy Zeitgeist the French are socialists and probably go to war more readily!
No.
We want peace and a diplomatic diplomacy.
Brits, we hope can bring peace. But for the last period there has been no recognition of Assad for diplomatic discussion.
No discussion with them!
Not down on the farm this weekend, then, Anon?
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/man-banned-from-every-farm-in-the-country-after-admitting-sex-with-goat-8775808.html
Even the recently much heard claim that chemical weapons were banned as a result of the first world war appears to be not true. They were banned by the Hague Convention of 1899.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hague_Convention_of_1907#Hague_Convention_of_1899
Anon said:
If a country cannot afford the freedom of letting her citizens to critically appraise her course, then damned be that country for it is a tyranny no less.
“Fall into line behind your government” my be your choice, go ahead and fall in line! However dare not to force your quiescence upon the rest of the free men and women, who would like to maintain their freedoms, included the freedom to be critical of their; country, government or whomsoever they wish to be critical of.
Re Churchill – “Operation Unthinkable”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1209041/Operation-unthinkable-How-Churchill-wanted-recruit-defeated-Nazi-troops-drive-Russia-Eastern-Europe.html
Ha ha, Komodo! You got me there!
Mr Cameron! Mr Obama! There’s another massacre in the offing in Egypt right now! Are you guys gonna ride in there and save the day or what? Are you gonna stop the army slaughtering civilians?
Are you gonna say a single fucking word of protest?
Mr Kerry! I know “restoring democracy” is a “rocky road” but do hundreds really have to die?
BTW I wonder how Yates of the Yard is getting on in Bahrain? The uprising there has started to use IEDs against the police (yesterday) so it must be getting tough for Mr Yates to do his job. The attack was apparently carried out by “terrorists” said the Bahraini Govt.
Hey Johnny Boy! Is it terrorism when the heart-eaters kill Syrian police with IEDs?
Is it terrorism when Saudi princes threaten to attack next year’s Olympic games?
Oh boy…I’m all confused now.
Someone wanted the chemical attack to be exactly one year after Obama’s speech. At least as near as exact as they could get.
For some reason the media seems to ignore this “coincidence”.
By all means carry on, passerby. We live in a free country, after all, and not a fascist one, as is frequently claimed here, and that means allowing all points of view, including Islamist ones and Jewish conspiracies!
Anon,
“There seems to be a palpable air of disappointment among many of the Murrayistas over the lack of intervention in Syria. I fear some of them were secretly hoping for an attack to confirm their prejudices about the Bri’ish State.”
**********
This ridiculous and offensive notion says far more about your deeply twisted mind than anything.
Idiot.
You know what, AlcAnon, as someone who believes there is a conspiracy of silence concerning the impending asteroid strike on Planet Earth, perhaps they would be better off ignoring the views of conspiracy nuts such as yourself?
Jives, you seem rather angry today. Hope I didn’t touch a nerve 🙂
Churchill stole Joseph Goebbels “Iron Curtain” and coined it as his own, the same opportunist warmonger whom advised his mother, with whom she ought to be sleeping with a view to promote him. He knew the only way that he could advance was through chaos, mayhem and destruction.
He was not a prophet but a psychopath who had access to levers of power, and could shape up the mendacity that ruled the twentieth century with its remnant still is ruling the twenty first century today.
Anon,
Actually I said, I could almost convince myself. Still can’t make sense of it though so I’m leaving it alone pending any new data.
Interesting you say “concerning the impending asteroid strike”. Almost suggests you believe it not me.
Anon retorted;
Much to the chagrin of those whom would rather these just faded into the background, and were not so blatantly espoused by more and more informed, and free people!
Anyone know why we have gone from current events in Egypt and Syria to bashing Winston Churchill?
On the contrary, Passerby, let’s hear them!
Anon,
No not angry just really disgusted by your post.
AlcAnon pointe out;
If by media you mean the front shop for the SIS? Yes they should be ignoring it. However, if you mean the alternative media, like this blog? No they should not, perhaps you would be good enough to elaborate on this subject?
@ Anon
Good to see you back; to ape the stylistic infelicity of many commenters, your sanity, balance and scepticism are much needed.
Especially agree with the following:
“There seems to be a palpable air of disappointment among many of the Murrayistas over the lack of intervention in Syria.”
I noticed and of course commented on the same sour sense of disappointment when it became clear that Bradley Manning would not get the death sentence and then, would not get 112 years and then didn’t even get the 60 years on which one of our Eminences had made a bet with someone or other (so he told us at least).
Finally, glad you corrected the schoolboy howler aboit Churchill’s school. I also agree that it would have needed an awful lot of napalm to drop onto Russia.
BTW, I’ve read about flamethrowers being used in WW1 but nothing at all about napalm. Is Mr Goss sure that napalm had been invented at the time he’s claiming its use was projected (Russian civil war)?
Anon
“Anyone know why we have gone from current events in Egypt and Syria to bashing Winston Churchill?”
********
Because we can.
Deal with it.