reed writes

Yesterday I wrote about Dr. Carlo Sprenger’s theory (pt. 1)on how to bring about peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

Dr. Carlo Strenger

The good professor advocates what he calls “therapeutic diplomacy”, which would presumably put the two “patients” on a “couch”; they’d confess all of their past mistakes. Then they’d come to their senses, reach a consensus individually on what transgressions they may have committed in the past and then hug one another and get on with their lives.

Easier said than done. (more…)

Invasion and/or Assassination As An Official Policy Will Always Come Back To Bite You.

Ask America

Way back in 1961, the CIA Deputy Director of Plans, Richard Bissell laid plans for an invasion of Cuba in order to unseat Fidel Castro.

The invasion did not spark a popular uprising by the Cuban People and Bissell’s plan to organize the murder of the Cuban Leader failed as well.

The depths to which government officials can sink is illustrated by Bissell’s plan.

He recruited members of U.S. organized crime – specifically Sam Giancanana, among others to poison Fidel, in the hope that Castro’s death would enable the invasion to succeed.

The murder plot failed, but President John F. Kennedy had been “had”

JFK Trapped by the CIA

If Kennedy had cancelled the invasion, there was the real possibility that the CIA force of angry Cuban exiles might take over the government of Guatemala and so the invasion of Cuba went ahead. It failed dismally. It was denounced by Kennedy and forced the resignation of the Director of The CIA, Allen Dulles.

In the end, Castro’s forces captured hundreds of the CIA-sponsored invaders and eventually traded them for 50 million dollars worth of medical and other supplies.

All of this is contained in a recently-released top secret CIA report on the CIA fiasco.

Texas Congressman Dr. Ron Paul

The report contains damning evidence of an American shadow government, which operates in secret, following illegal policies with unlimited funds and – according to American politician Dr. Ron Paul – threatens American democracy. There is now a growing group of Americans who are calling for the dissolution of the CIA itself.

• When a government attempts to make policy by unlawful means, whether by invading another country or murdering political leaders, the door is opened to disaster.

We’ve seen it in Central America, in the Caribbean, in Iran, in Afghanistan, in Iraq and the new revelations about The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba shows us the roots of this failed approach to foreign policy. Congressman Paul believes that Israel is treading on dangerous ground.

More from Dr. Ron Paul, a U.S. Congressman from Texas in this video.

Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon says he’s troubled by reports of intimidation of opposition candidates offices by Iran’s security forces.

Cannon claims that he has ordered Canadian embassy officials in Tehran to be vigilant. He has called on Iranian authorities to conduct fair and transparent counting of all ballots.

Incumbent President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been declared the winner. Was there fraud? Possibly. Does it matter? No.

Mr. Cannon is allowed to criticize other countries when Canada, the U.S. and other western nations have reached a level of democracy that is without flaws. Until then, it is appropriate for him to keep his nose out of other peoples’ business.

Let’s not forget that in the year 2,000 it was the U.S. Supreme Court that decided the outcome of the presidential elections in the context of reports of widespread electoral fraud and manipulation.

If I remember correctly, in that election Al Gore polled a majority of the popular vote, but lost the election.

Enough said.

Mr. Cannon ought to keep his mouth shut.

It Takes A Big Man

In his Cairo speech, Obama admitted something important. He admitted that in 1953, the United States carried out a terrorist act against the legitimate, and democratically elected government of Iran.

It takes a Big Man to do That. Here’s what he said about Iran:

“Iran has defined itself in part by its opposition to my country, and there is indeed a tumultuous history between us. (more…)

First draft of a speech for Prime Minister Harper   (disclaimer follows) .

Ladies and Gentleman,

First let me congratulate the President-Elect of the United States on his forthcoming inauguration.

Let me also say that Canada is ready and willing to work with you Mr. President, to address in a positive way, some of the most urgent problems facing our planet today.

In particular, I wish to address the issue of Iran's nuclear policy.

Let me say that my government has held discussions with Iranian officials and also with officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency; both have assured us that the government of Iran has no plans to produce a nuclear weapon. For that we are grateful. I wish to add that Iran has offered additional assurances that ought to go some way to alleviate the fears of all those who are concerned about the future peace of our world, including Israel, a state, which has expressed concern for its own security.

Mr. President, the time for belligerent and bellicose rhetoric – as we have both agreed – has passed. The time for angry and provocative slogans has passed.

Indeed, the time has come for a new approach. One that will offer all of us a way out of what seems to so many – an impasse – with no peaceful exit.

Let me be blunt Mr. President.

America has a long and particularly difficult history with Iran. It's a painful history that goes back to the combined British and American action of 1953, to overthrow the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mossadegh. That historical mistake was then compounded by the installation of the dictator, Shah Reza Pahlavi. His autocratic approach to government divided the Iranian people and contributed to the poisoning of relations with America and indeed with the West.

That is simply the stark reality, which we cannot ignore.

We find ourselves today in the deepest and most dangerous of dilemmas.

Mr. President, I repeat, Canada stands ready to do its part.

My government is calling today for the establishment of a world-wide consortium of uranium-producing nations. This consortium, under the legal authority of the United Nations, would undertake to assist the government of Iran and other governments in the development of full-scale nuclear enrichment programmes, dedicated to the production of nuclear power for peaceful purposes. Such a programme would, of course, be subject to strict inspection rules laid down by the IAEA under the direction of its Chairman, the highly respected Dr. Mohammed elBaradei.

Further we call on the community of nations – collectively – to renounce once and for all – any further development of weapons of mass destruction.

Further – we call on all nations, which have not yet signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to do so without delay.

And finally, we call on all nations, now in possession of nuclear weapons or nuclear facilities of any kind, to open all of their facilities to unfettered international inspection. 

In order to reach these goals, Canada calls upon all members of the international community to support the convening of a bona fide international working group. This group would include your country, Mr. President, as well as Iran, all other members of the Security Council and delegates from IAEA.

Only by taking decisive and meaningful action immediately, will we be able to move forward along the path of peace, which all of us wish to follow.

Thank you.

(Disclaimer: There is no doubt that such a proposal by Mr. Harper followed to its logical conclusion would win him the Nobel Peace prize. It would ensure his legacy as a peacemaker in the ranks of Lester B. Pearson and Nelson Mandela. However it is unlikely that Mr. Harper will ever deliver this speech or indeed anything like it, because he would be calling on India, Pakistan and Israel to support and obey international law.)

[I hope I'm wrong].