Posts tagged obama

BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials say more than 1.3 million Iraqis remain homeless after being forced to flee six years ago during widespread sectarian violence that threatened their lives.

United Nations diplomat Claire Bourgeois voiced concerns Sunday that Iraq has not taken enough steps to help the homeless “go back to a dignified life.”

She said squatters should be helped into permanent homes instead of evicted from empty buildings or public places where they are living.

Bourgeois also said many of the homeless have lost identification and other documents that would entitle them to government assistance.

Iraqi Deputy Migration Minister Asqhar al-Moussawi said the government has approved spending $257 million this year to help the squatters — less than half of what was requested.

(Source: Guardian)

One of the complaints about the U.S. Constitution recently, being as outdated as it is, is that it fails to guarantee certain unalienable rights such as free medical care, housing , food, and of course, the right to bear cell phones. And, although the founders failed to specifically cite social programs as a necessary element for promoting the general welfare, the living nature of our founding document has been interpreted by political and legal scholars alike to allow for the seizure of assets by force from one group of people in order to redistribute those assets in a fair and responsible manner to those less fortunate.

As such, if you’re one of the 100 million Americans living below or at the edge of the poverty line, you’ll be happy to know that you more than likely qualify for a free cellular phone, also known as the Obama Phone, from the US government:

The Lifeline and Link Up programs are available to qualifying consumers in every state, territory, commonwealth, and on Tribal lands. Eligibility criteria vary by state. For states that rely solely on the federal Lifeline and Link Up program eligibility criteria, subscribers must either have an income that is at or below 135% of the federal Poverty Guidelines or participate in one of the following assistance programs:

• Medicaid,
• Food Stamps,
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8),
• Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP),
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), or
• The National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program.

The qualification requirements apply to roughly half of all American households, because according to recent statistics some 48.5% of Americans receive benefits from the government programs above.

According to a recent ruling by the FCC, the Lifeline and Link Up programs will now be expanded to provide wireless (and wireline broadband) coverage to more Americans than ever before:

The Lifeline-eligible population has increased significantly over the past decade. Since 1999, real median household income in the U.S. has declined by 7.1 percent, while households at the bottom of the income scale have seen their income decline by 12.1 percent.

In 2010, 46.2 million Americans were living in poverty, defined as living at or below the benchmark established in the FPG, compared to 31.6 million in 2000.

As household income has declined and more carriers have offered Lifeline-supported service, the program has
experienced significant growth. In the absence of today’s Order, which manages the size of the Fund in part by establishing a savings target, the program would provide an estimated $2.4 billion in support in 2012; that compares to an inflation-adjusted $582 million it provided in 1998 when five million subscribers participated in the program.

Source: Federal Communication Commission [pdf]

Over $2.4 billion in freshly printed dollars will be directed towards the program, which aims to connect tens of millions of poverty stricken Americans to the digital grid.

While we realize that some of those individuals, like those who cannot work for medical reasons for example, need access to phones in the event of an emergency, we can’t help but wonder how many millions of people like Duane Brooks, Jr. will be able to make calls, send text messages, and update their Facebook profiles instantly at the expense of others:

(Source: shtfplan.com)

BEIJING (AP) — China on Monday slammed the United States’ new Asian-focused defense strategy, saying its accusations of a lack of openness in Beijing’s military policy were “groundless and untrustworthy.”

The strategy unveiled Thursday shifts the U.S. military focus away from Iraq and Afghanistan and makes a renewed commitment to assert America’s position in the Asia-Pacific region.

The document says the growth of China’s military power must be accompanied by greater clarity in its strategic intentions to avoid causing friction in the region.

In response, China said it was committed to peaceful development and a “defensive” policy.

“China’s strategic intent is clear, open and transparent,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters at a regular briefing.

“Our national defense modernization serves the objective requirements of national security and development and also plays an active role in maintaining regional peace and stability. It will not pose any threat to any country,” Liu said. “The charges against China in this document are groundless and untrustworthy.”

He added that maintaining peace, stability and prosperity in the region serve the common interests of all Asia-Pacific countries “and we hope the U.S. will play a more constructive role to this end.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the U.S. is not anticipating military conflict in Asia, but that it became so bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that it missed chances to improve its strategic position elsewhere.

Panetta said the Asia-Pacific region is growing in importance for the U.S. economy and national security, so the nation needed to maintain “our military’s technological edge and freedom of action.”

The new strategy also identified India as a long-term strategic partner that can serve as a regional economic anchor and provider of security in the Indian Ocean region. It said the U.S. will try to maintain peace on the Korean peninsula by working with allies and others in Asia to defend against North Korean provocations.

(Source: Guardian)

President Obama’s State Department announced, during a press briefing today, the creation of the Bureau of Counterterrorism, which will coordinate with United States entities such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and foreign governments to develop civilian counterterrorism strategies and operations

“The mission of the new bureau will be to lead the [State] Department in the U.S. Government’s effort to counter terrorism abroad and to secure the United States against foreign terrorist threats,” Ambassador Dan Benjamin told reporters. “The bureau will lead in supporting U.S. counterterrorism diplomacy and seek to strengthen homeland security, countering violent extremism, and build the capacity of partner nations to deal effectively with terrorism.”

The bureau has previously operated on a smaller scale as an office under Benjamin. The upgrade comes as Obama has enjoyed foreign policy success due to the killing of Osama bin Laden, but also faced criticism over a quick withdrawal from Iraq, increasing aggression from Iran, and for negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “I want to underscore we all know that there is no way to shoot our way out of this problem conclusively and forever,” Benjamin said today, “and that’s why strengthening our engagement with others to support their civilian institutions so that they can actually hold that territory, police that territory, try people who want to carry out violent attacks either against people who live there or abroad, is an absolutely vital undertaking.”

The bureau will focus on foreign terrorists, but their activities have some bearing on domestic security. It collaborates with “the Department of Homeland Security to work jointly to stop terrorist travel, to improve aviation security,” for instance, but will focus more on “the bilateral kind of diplomacy that we do with others on a number of different issues, whether it has to do with how we reduce the space that terrorist groups have to fundraise, [or] to operate,” Benjamin explained.

(Source: newsok.com)

By signing into law the NDAA, the president has awarded the military extraordinary powers to detain US citizens without trial

President Barack Obama rang in the New Year by signing the NDAA law with its provision allowing him to indefinitely detain citizens. It was a symbolic moment, to say the least. With Americans distracted with drinking and celebrating, Obama signed one of the greatest rollbacks of civil liberties in the history of our country … and citizens partied in unwitting bliss into the New Year.

Ironically, in addition to breaking his promise not to sign the law, Obama broke his promise on signing statements and attached a statement that he really does not want to detain citizens indefinitely (see the text of the statement here).

Obama insisted that he signed the bill simply to keep funding for the troops. It was a continuation of the dishonest treatment of the issue by the White House since the law first came to light. As discussed earlier, the White House told citizens that the president would not sign the NDAA because of the provision. That spin ended after sponsor Senator Carl Levin (Democrat, Michigan) went to the floor and disclosed that it was the White House and insisted that there be no exception for citizens in the indefinite detention provision.

The latest claim is even more insulting. You do not “support our troops” by denying the principles for which they are fighting. They are not fighting to consolidate authoritarian powers in the president. The “American way of life” is defined by our constitution and specifically the bill of rights. Moreover, the insistence that you do not intend to use authoritarian powers does not alter the fact that you just signed an authoritarian measure. It is not the use but the right to use such powers that defines authoritarian systems.

The almost complete failure of the mainstream media to cover this issue is shocking. Many reporters have bought into the spin of the Obama administration as they did the spin over torture by the Bush administration. Even today, reporters refuse to call waterboarding torture despite the long line of cases and experts defining waterboarding as torture for decades.

On the NDAA, reporters continue to mouth the claim that this law only codifies what is already the law. That is not true. The administration has fought any challenges to indefinite detention to prevent a true court review. Moreover, most experts agree that such indefinite detention of citizens violates the constitution.

There are also those who continue the longstanding effort to excuse Obama’s horrific record on civil liberties by blaming either others or the times. One successful myth is that there is an exception for citizens. The White House is saying that changes to the law made it unnecessary to veto the legislation. That spin is ridiculous. The changes were the inclusion of some meaningless rhetoric after key amendments protecting citizens were defeated. The provision merely states that nothing in the provisions could be construed to alter Americans’ legal rights. Since the Senate clearly views citizens as not just subject to indefinite detention but even to execution without a trial, the change offers nothing but rhetoric to hide the harsh reality.

The Obama administration and Democratic members are in full spin mode – using language designed to obscure the authority given to the military. The exemption for American citizens from the mandatory detention requirement (section 1032) is the screening language for the next section, 1031, which offers no exemption for American citizens from the authorisation to use the military to indefinitely detain people without charge or trial.

Obama could have refused to sign the bill and the Congress would have rushed to fund the troops. Instead, as confirmed by Senator Levin, the White House conducted a misinformation campaign to secure this power while portraying the president as some type of reluctant absolute ruler, or, as Obama maintains, a reluctant president with dictatorial powers.

Most Democratic members joined their Republican colleagues in voting for this un-American measure. Some Montana citizens are moving to force the removal of these members who, they insist, betrayed their oaths of office and their constituents. Most citizens, however, are continuing to treat the matter as a distraction from the holiday cheer.

For civil libertarians, the NDAA is our Mayan moment: 2012 is when the nation embraced authoritarian powers with little more than a pause between rounds of drinks.

A group campaigning against cluster bombs says it is concerned about the Federal Government’s plan to allow a greater US military presence in Australia.

The Cluster Munition Coalition says a government bill before the Senate would allow the US military to store cluster bombs on Australian soil despite the nation’s official policy against the weapons.

The concerns are echoed by a former chief of the Defence Force and a long list of lawyers, human rights advocates and aid agencies.

Cluster munitions spread explosives far and wide and are known to be a threat to civilians decades after their use.

In 2008 Australia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which says that “never under any circumstances” must a state party use, develop, produce, stockpile or transfer cluster munitions. Assisting or encouraging other parties to do so is also off limits.

Michelle Fahy from the Cluster Munition Coalition of Australia says the Government has a plan that will undermine that.

“It allows Australian troops to do everything in using, helping the US deploy clusters except actually pull the trigger,” she said.

Ms Fahy says the deal Australia has struck to allow more US military planes to fly in and out of the Northern Territory increases her concerns.

“It’s our territory and we are supposed to be using our best endeavours to promote the banning of this weapon system,” she said.

“So to then turn around and give a country, roll out the red carpet and say guys you can bring your cluster bombs here, would seem to fly directly in the face of the treaty that we’ve signed.”

There is no indication the US wants to bring cluster munitions to Australia, let alone stockpile them here.

In March, before he was appointed Chief of Defence, General David Hurley told a Senate committee there was a chance US planes and ships could have cluster munitions on board when they come to Australia.

General Hurley said any stockpiling of munitions here was a political decision.

But legislation to ratify the Convention on Cluster Munitions has exemptions in it which have raised concerns from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ICRC says the bill could allow Australia’s forces to be directly and actively involved in activities such as training for - and planning - the use of cluster munitions, and that would contravene the convention and undermine its goals.

Wrong message

Those concerns were echoed in a letter to the Federal Government which was signed by a long list of lawyers, human rights groups, aid groups and former Defence Force chief Peter Gration in July.

A former secretary of the Department of Defence, Paul Barratt, also signed the letter.

“What we’re doing is seeking to have an absolute minimum impact by allowing the United States to store cluster bombs in Australia if they wish,” he said.

Mr Barratt says while there is no indication the US will seek to store cluster bombs here, the exemptions send the wrong message on the weapons.

“We’re trying to preserve the option of doing everything short of pulling the trigger within the framework of a treaty in which we’re supposed to be working strenuously for the complete elimination of these awful weapons,” he said.

Greens Senator Scott Ludlum has proposed amendments to the bill that remove the exemptions.

“The announcement of the potential for the Marine Corps to be based in Darwin really sharpened our critique and our resolve that the bill not pass until it is amended,” he said.

“If the Australian Government is serious about the elimination of cluster weapons, and we thought they were, then there is I think no way they can hold their heads up and pass this legislation through as is because we’d effectively be enabling the continued deployment of these weapons by the US government.”

He says cluster bombs are widely used by the US army and it is not unreasonable to expect them to stockpile them in Australia.

“They will be stockpiling equipment there, whether it be in Darwin or perhaps the proposed Marine facility in Western Australia, and while we may think in Australia, because of course the ADF has never deployed these weapons, they’re not particularly exotic as far as the United States is concerned,” he said.

“It’s standard kit that they arm B52 bombers and other aircraft with and so I think it’s just quite a safe assumption that it’s reasonably likely that these things would be either stockpiled here or at least transited through on their way from A to B.”

A spokesman for the Federal Government told The World Today that the bill faithfully implemented the convention and ensured that all conduct prohibited by the convention was the subject of a criminal offence under Australian law.

The spokesman said the US would not be able to use cluster munitions in exercises on Australian territory and there were currently no foreign stockpiles of cluster munitions in Australia.

(Source: abc.net.au)

Rebel soldiers in Syria have carried out their biggest assault yet on government forces, attacking an air force base near the capital, Damascus, in their efforts to oust president Bashar al-Assad.

Some reports suggest as many as 10,000 soldiers have defected from the Syrian army since the anti-government uprising began in March.

Many of the soldiers have taken weapons with them.

The so-called Free Syria Army has staged minor attacks on government forces and facilities, but now it has struck an air force intelligence base near Damascus with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades.

Local activists say they had also tried to secure the release of prisoners being detained at the base, but failed.

A gunfight ensued and helicopters circled the area, the sources said.

The attack appeared to mark an escalation in armed confrontations between government and opposition forces instead of clashes involving street protesters.

“I heard several explosions, the sound of machinegun fire being exchanged,” said a resident of the suburb of Harasta who declined to be named.

There was no immediate report of casualties and the area where the fighting occurred remained inaccessible, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Syria says it will boycott an Arab League meeting following the body’s decision to suspend Damascus from the organisation, as regional states stepped up efforts to isolate Mr Assad for refusing to end the government repression of protests.

The meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Rabat on Wednesday comes four days after they decided to discipline Syria for pursuing the crackdown instead of implementing an Arab peace initiative.

The league has stopped short of calling for Mr Assad’s departure or proposing any Libya-style military intervention.

Morocco’s foreign minister said “Syrian colleagues” were welcome at the meeting but did not say if Syria’s foreign minister could attend.

Syrian forces killed at least six civilians on Tuesday, shooting from roadblocks in the north-western province of Idlib and in raids on the central city of Homs and its environs, activists said.

Several deaths also were reported in fighting between army defectors and loyalist forces on both sides.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bodies of three young activists who were killed in custody were delivered to their families on Tuesday, including 23-year-old Osama al-Sheikh Youssef.

“The family collected the body from Tishreen Military Hospital on the condition of a quiet burial,” an activist who attended the funeral said.

“Security police in plain clothes stood on top of Osama watching as we lowered him into the ground.”

Syrian authorities have banned most independent media. They blame the unrest on “armed terrorist gangs” and foreign-backed militants whom they say have killed 1,100 soldiers and police.

The United Nations say the crackdown has killed 3,500 people.

With armed resistance mounting against Mr Assad’s rule alongside mostly peaceful protests, hundreds of Syrians have been killed this month in one of the bloodiest periods of the revolt, inspired by uprisings which have overthrown leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

ABC/wires

(Source: abc.net.au)

The Chinese government has questioned whether it is wise for Australia to host US Marines in the north of the country.

Up to 2,500 US Marines will be stationed in Australia by 2017 under a new agreement announced by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and US president Barack Obama.

The announcement comes as Australia and the US mark the 60th anniversary of the ANZUS alliance, and is widely seen as an attempt to balance against the rising influence of China in the region.

In response to a question from the ABC, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin contrasted his government’s actions with the stationing of American troops on Australian soil.

Mr Liu said China would never enter such military alliances.

“We believe that there should be real actions to further strengthen cooperation with the two sides,” he said.

“As for using the form of a military alliance, China has its own concepts of friendly co-operation with all countries.”

He also said that his country was actively promoting peaceful international development and called on other nations to adopt the same attitude.

Mr Liu said the global economy was in a rocky state and questioned whether now was a smart time for Australia to make the new agreement with the United States.

“It may not be appropriate to strengthen and extend this military alliance,” he said.

“Whether it suits the common interests of countries around the region and the whole international community remains under question.”

Mr Liu also said he hoped the United States will match its actions with its words in terms of promises that it is not trying to rein in China.

When questioned about China’s future in the Asia-Pacific, Mr Obama said he “welcomed a rising, peaceful China” but warned it must “play by the rules of the road”.

“What they’ve [China] been able to achieve in terms of lifting hundreds of millions of people out of poverty has been nothing short of remarkable,” he said.

“The main message that I’ve said not only publicly but also privately to China is that with their rise comes increased responsibility.”

Mr Obama also said he would welcome consultations with China.

“The notion that we fear China is mistaken. The notion that we are looking to exclude China is mistaken,” he said.

Indonesia has also expressed concern about the decision to station US marines in Australia.

Foreign minister Marty Natalegawa warned it could provoke a negative reaction.

“What I would hate to see is if such developments were to provoke a reaction and counter-reaction precisely to create that vicious circle of tensions and mistrust or distrust,” he said.

“That’s why it’s very important when a decision of this type is taken there is transparency of what the scenario being envisaged is and there is no misunderstanding as a result.”

(Source: abc.net.au)

President Barack Obama to set up US military base in Darwin

THE US will have a permanent new military presence in Australia by rotating marines through a base in Darwin, US President Barack Obama is set to announce.

Mr Obama will make the announcement with Prime Minister Julia Gillard when they visit Darwin next Thursday during his first visit to Australia as President, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

“This is all about the rise of China, the modernisation of the People’s Liberation Army and, particularly, it’s about the increased vulnerability of US forces in Japan and Guam to the new generation of Chinese missiles,” Alan Dupont, the Michael Hintze professor of international security at Sydney University, told the newspaper.

“The new Chinese missiles could threaten them in a way they’ve never been able to before, so the US is starting to reposition them to make them less vulnerable.

“Australia’s ‘tyranny of distance’ is now a distinct strategic advantage.”

The marines will use the Robertson Barracks, the Australian base near Darwin.

The base is home to about 4500 Australian soldiers and may be expanded to accommodate more.

(Source: heraldsun.com.au)