More Spin from Israel - Giraldi

 "And what is the actual evidence that the flotilla threatened Israel?  Well, even by The Post’s nearly nonexistent standards there doesn’t seem to be much beyond Fred Hiatt’s penchant for name calling.  It is pretty much agreed that the ships were in international waters, were unarmed, and were carrying relief supplies.  The only actual evidence cited for possible extremist ties on the part of the organizers is one line concerning the Turkish charity affiliate, "Humanitarian Relief Fund…raises some of its money from Islamic religious groups."  Jonathan Schanzer’s "The Terror Finance Flotilla" in The Weekly Standard also indicts Humanitarian Relief Fund, calling it an "officially designated terrorist organization" because Israel has it on a list."  Giraldi

http://original.antiwar.com/giraldi/2010/06/02/more-spin-from-israel/

Comments

[Carl O.]

And speaking of teh Humanitarian Relief Fund, or IHH, can anyone find information about this group that isn't Israeli propaganda? I did a google search on it, yesterday, and about 99 of the first 100 hits were tirades based on a rap sheet put out by something called The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, an obviously Israeli military linked outfit. The one hit I got that wasn't Israeli propaganda, was a pice on opednews.com, proving that the other 99 were!

[BillWade]

Interesting take on the WMDs in the possesion of the Humanitarians:

http://ibnkafkasobiterdicta.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/gaza-flotilla-how-israels-ministry-of-foreign-affairs-fakes-photos-of-seized-weapons/

[somebody]

the real story is coming out now via al jazeera, looks like Israel with the choice of looking stupid or looking like brutes managed to be stupid, brutish, criminal and ridiculous at the same time.

the first three soldiers coming down that rope were captured by the crew, the soldiers coming down after them where shooting from the air before landing ...

with that they lost any spin war, surely

[The Twisted Genius]

I was growing very concerned about the status of Joe Meadors since I only read that his wife did not hear from him yet and that Ambassador Peck said Meadors was hit by a paintball during the seizure of the ships. The Free Palestine Movement website is reporting that Joe Meadors is now safely home.

Joe Meadors story is quite compelling. While on the bridge of the USS Liberty when that ship was attacked by the Israelis, he and another crewman hauled up a second American flag after the steaming colors were shot down early in the Israeli air attack. If only his accounts of both Israeli attacks could reach the MSM.

https://www.freepalestinemovement.org/index.php

More Gaza Flotilla Detainees Released; Larudee Badly Beaten But Now Headed to Greece
 
Retired diplomat Ed Peck, USS Liberty vet Joe Meadors reach home and speak out; other US detainees reportedly leaving Israel

Larudee, a resident of Richmond, CA,  participated in the international flotilla as part of a delegation from the Free Palestine Movement (FPM), a California-based non-profit. Two other members of the FPM group - Ambassador Ed Peck of Chevy Chase, MD, a retired US diplomat,  and Joe Meadors of Corpus Christi, TX, a USS Liberty veteran (hence now a survivor of two unprovoked Israeli attacks on the high seas) - have returned home safely and are now speaking out about their ordeal. As of Wednesday afternoon California time, two other members of the group - Gene St. Onge and Janet Kobren, both of Oakland, CA - have been held up for the last 12 hours at Israel's international airport near Tel  Aviv. but are expected to board a flight to Istanbul soon, before proceeding home to the US.

[asa]

Ed Peck was interviewed on the Keith Olbermann Show last night. I don't know if replays of his show are available on the internet.

[Patrick Lang]

All

In re the Olbermann interview with Ed Peck, someone please find a link. pl

[asa]

On the show, Ed Peck mentioned that Joe Meadors had been slightly injured in the attack. Ed Peck also brought up the USS Liberty incident but he was not asked any follow-up questions on it.

[asa]

Col Lang.

I found this youtube link. This way you don't have to watch his entire show. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKNI5q38ABs

[WILL]

WOW
the scales have begun to fall away from someone's eyes, or at least the mice have acquired more courage

via the friday lunch club blog

Israel As Strategic Liability By Anthony Cordesman

WILL

[Fnord]

My mother knows the two norwegians, I personaly know one of the people refused to join from Cyprus. Good news is that Jan Egeland has concluded that it was a sucess, and he is hunting financing for the next one. They want to do it without the turks next time, old scndinavian ships.

Any news of M/S Rachel Corrie?

[Cynthia]

For Republican politicians like John McCain and Republican spinmeisters like Michael Savage to believe that “the Obama administration’s calls for a settlement freeze in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem set the stage for the deadly May 31 incident” must mean that they are either deep in the heart in of La-La Land or they are trying to outdo the Democrats and their political spinmeisters when it comes to securing the most campaign funds and most teevee dollars from the Zionist powers-that-be on Wall Street.

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0602/conservatives-blame-obama-israeli-raid/

This is just another reason why we must take all the profits out politics and we must do this before the Zionists use their vast amounts of wealth to turn America into an Israeli occupied territory. I don’t know about anybody else here, but I’m not looking forward to the day when Americans say, “we are all Gazans now!”

[ex-PFC Chuck]

. . we must take all the profits out politics . . before the Zionists use their vast amounts of wealth to turn America into an Israeli occupied territory.

Cynthia,

In all fairness it's not just the Zionists and Israeli lobby. It's also the oil industry, it's also the financial industry, it's also the communications industry, it's also the . . .

You get the picture. The recent Citizens United SCOTUS decision might just be the final nail in the coffin of de facto democratic government in the US of A.

[J]

Colonel, Phil, All,

So I have to ask the 64 dollar question -- 'How do we (U.S.) rid ourselves of the hideous tentacled Israeli monster that has taken our Congress and White House hostage?

Also -- How do we 'shut down' their well-funded D.C. think tanks?

?????

[ex-PFC Chuck]

Check out the transcript of the speech that Jane Hamsher, founder of the FireDogLake online media "empire" made today at the Personal Democracy Forum. It directly addresses the underlying issue here, namely the excessive influence that special interests of all kinds now wield in our political processes.

[zanzibar]

J - the best action is local. Go to the town hall where candidates for office have their voter outreach and ask them pointed questions. If you don't like it don't vote for them. If none of the candidates are suitable as Phil Giraldi points out is likely the case just write-in one that makes sense. Its not going to change anything overnight but in our system ultimately we the people have to be responsible for who we elect.

ex-PFC Chuck - thanks for the link. Yes, Ms. Hamsher and hopefully other partisan activists are beginning to get it - we have a corrupted political duopoly who are part and parcel of the kleptocracy and they have only one interest - self-interest.