Ghana Officials to Meet to Prepare Ebola Education Strategy
http://www.voanews.com/content/ghana-education-health-officials-to-meet-over-ebola-strategy/2433985.html
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Sunday, August 31, 2014
Ghana Officials to Meet to Prepare Ebola Education Strategy
http://www.voanews.com/content/ghana-education-health-officials-to-meet-over-ebola-strategy/2433985.html
Disease modelers project a rapidly rising toll from Ebola
Disease modelers project a rapidly rising toll from Ebola
http://news.sciencemag.org/health/2014/08/disease-modelers-project-rapidly-rising-toll-ebola
Ukraine and NATO: Caveat Emptor
| By Coleen Rowley (about the author) |
FROM: Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS)
SUBJECT: Ukraine and NATO
We the undersigned are long-time veterans of U.S. intelligence. We take the unusual step of writing this open letter to you to ensure that you have an opportunity to be briefed on our views prior to the NATO summit on September 4-5.
You need to know, for example, that accusations of a major Russian "invasion" of Ukraine appear not to be supported by reliable intelligence. Rather, the "intelligence" seems to be of the same dubious, politically "fixed" kind used 12 years ago to "justify" the U.S.-led attack on Iraq. We saw no credible evidence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq then; we see no credible evidence of a Russian invasion now. Twelve years ago, former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, mindful of the flimsiness of the evidence on Iraqi WMD, refused to join in the attack on Iraq. In our view, you should be appropriately suspicious of charges made by the U.S. State Department and NATO officials alleging a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
President Barack Obama tried yesterday to cool the rhetoric of his own senior diplomats and the corporate media, when he publicly described recent activity in the Ukraine, as "a continuation of what's been taking place for months now ... it's not really a shift."
Obama, however, has only tenuous control over the policymakers in his administration -- who, sadly, lack much sense of history, know little of war, and substitute anti-Russian invective for a policy. One year ago, hawkish State Department officials and their friends in the media very nearly got Mr. Obama to launch a major attack on Syria based, once again, on "intelligence" that was dubious, at best.
UN health agency names countries facing risk of Ebola virus spread
UN health agency names countries facing risk of Ebola virus spread
http://famagusta-gazette.com/un-health-agency-names-countries-facing-risk-of-ebola-virus-spread-p25125-69.htm
Latest Ebola News: 13 more dead, including 5 doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Latest Ebola News: 13 more dead, including 5 doctors in the Democratic Republic of Congo
http://www.thehealthsite.com/news/latest-ebola-news-13-more-dead-including-5-doctors-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo/
Ebola virus: It's ripped through towns – now the deadliest ever outbreak of the virus is heading for Africa's cities
Ebola virus: It's ripped through towns – now the deadliest ever outbreak of the virus is heading for Africa's cities
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-virus-its-ripped-through-towns--now-the-deadliest-ever-outbreak-of-the-virus-is-heading-for-africas-cities-9702252.htmlIt was already the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Now it’s moving into Africa’s cities.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/it-was-already-the-worst-ebola-outbreak-in-history-now-its-moving-into-africas-cities/2014/08/30/31816ff2-2ed6-11e4-bb9b-997ae96fad33_story.htmlSenegal Puts 20 People on Watch for Ebola After First Case
Senegal Puts 20 People on Watch for Ebola After First Case
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-08-31/senegal-puts-20-people-on-watch-for-ebola-virus-after-first-case.html
The Illusion of Chinese Weakness
The Illusion of Chinese Weakness http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-illusion-chinese-weakness-1116708/31/14
Clark Edward Barrett
Diplomacy, China
Just because China exercises restraint with regards to issues not in its direct national interest, does not necessarily make it a diplomatically weak nation.
The rise of China
is perhaps the defining event of our epoch. Although predictions of the
future are notoriously unreliable, such a monumental shift in the
global order, which is currently being witnessed from one characterized
by expansive Western domination, should not be underestimated and could
well prove to be comparable in magnitude with the sack of Rome.
Rigorous, logical and evidential analysis of China's development and
influence on world affairs is therefore of paramount importance.
On June 25 2014, The National Interest published an article by the respected political scientist Professor David Shambaugh arguing that despite the impressive list of Chinese achievements
and rapid advancements, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is far
from approaching any state of parity with the United States in terms of
great-power status. Although there is merit in criticizing the plethora
of hyperbolic commentaries regarding China's rise, the analysis contains
many erroneous factual statements, inconsistencies and logical
fallacies.
Professor
Shambaugh details Chinese capabilities which make it a viable contender
as the world's foremost power. These include, verbatim: the world’s
largest population, a large continental land mass, the world’s
second-largest economy, the world’s largest foreign-exchange reserves,
the world’s second-largest military budget, the world's largest standing
armed forces, a manned space program, an aircraft carrier, the world’s
largest national expressway network and the world’s best high-speed rail
system. China is the world’s leading trading nation, the world’s
largest consumer of energy, the world’s largest greenhouse-gas emitter,
the world’s second-largest recipient and third-largest originator of
foreign direct investment and the world’s largest producer of many
goods.
Read full article
The Pope's Verdict on Japan's Comfort Women
The Pope's Verdict on Japan's Comfort Women
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-popes-verdict-japans-comfort-women-1116808/31/14
Mindy Kotler
History, Human Rights, Japan, South Korea
"The Pope returned the Comfort Women discussion to where it belongs—which is to comfort the victims."
Before his final mass in South Korea on August 18, Pope Francis met with seven elderly ladies who had been Comfort Women.
As teenagers during World War II they were trafficked by Imperial Japan
to be sex slaves. Military records on the operation of a comfort
station show that the girls had to service not only soldiers and
sailors, but also Japanese government and corporate officials.
The
Pope bent down and clasped the frail hands of each woman. One offered
him a butterfly pin, a symbol of their lost innocence, which the Pontiff
immediately fastened to his vestments and wore throughout the service.
Prior to the mass, he was handed a letter from the Dutch former Comfort
Woman, Jan Ruff O’Herne,
who at 92 could not travel from her home in Australia to meet him. She
wanted him to know that before she was chosen by Japanese Army officers
in her concentration camp on Java and raped in a Semarang military
brothel, her dream was to become a nun.
The
women received more than the Pope’s blessing. They received affirmation
that their history was believed and their suffering real. Francis has
championed the elimination of human trafficking and preached on the
evils of sexual slavery. By a simple gesture, he included their
experience with all victims caught up in sexual violence. He understands
that rape is a weapon of subjugation and humiliation. Unlike Japanese
prime minister Shinzo Abe, the Pontiff does not rationalize the Comfort Women experience with “the 20th century was a century where many human rights were violated.”
Equally
important, Pope Francis has helped internationalize and humanize the
issue. The Abe administration has framed the Comfort Women issue
entirely as a history problem with South Korea. The truth is that women
throughout the Indo-Pacific region were the victims of the Imperial Army
and Navy. The stories the women tell from the Andaman Islands to New
Guinea, by Dutch gentry to Taiwanese aboriginals are shockingly similar.
Read full article
Private equity's giant collusion case is over, as Carlyle folds
Private equity's giant collusion case is over, as Carlyle folds
http://fortune.com/2014/08/29/private-equitys-giant-collusion-case-is-over-as-carlyle-folds/
"Elizabeth Warren Breaks Silence on Israel/Gaza, Sounds Like Netanyahu"
"Elizabeth Warren Breaks Silence on Israel/Gaza, Sounds Like Netanyahu" -- "That, ladies and gentlemen," The Intercept's Glenn Greenwald writes, "is your inspiring left-wing icon of the Democratic Party."
http://www.truthdig.com/
"Social Networks Diminish Personal Well-Being, Researchers Say"
"Social Networks Diminish Personal Well-Being, Researchers Say" -- Two researchers set out to determine "whether the use of online networks reduces subjective well-being and if so, how," the MIT Technology Review reports.
http://www.truthdig.com/
The IDF’s real face
The IDF’s real face
In civilian life, anyone suspected of manslaughter or murder is immediately arrested, with an investigation coming later. In the IDF the opposite is true.
By Gideon Levy | Aug. 30, 2014
Israel appropriates 4,000 dunams of West Bank land
Israel appropriates 4,000 dunams of West Bank land
Construction of a major settlement at the location, known as 'Gevaot', has been mooted by Israel since 2000. Last year, the government invited bids for the building of 1,000 housing units at the site.
By
The Associated Press
|
Aug. 31, 2014
Newly declassified documents reveal how U.S. agreed to Israel's nuclear program
Newly declassified documents reveal how U.S. agreed to Israel's nuclear program
Documents reveal contacts between Washington and Jerusalem in late 1960s, when some Americans believed the nuclear option would not deter Arab leaders but would trigger an atom bomb race.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.613221
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Hillary Clinton's Foreign Policy Failures
Hillary Clinton's Foreign Policy Failures
http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/08/hillary_clintons_foreign_policy_failures.htmlWhat Going To War In Syria Would Really Mean For The U.S. -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
What Going To War In Syria Would Really Mean For The U.S. -- Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic
http://warnewsupdates.blogspot.com/2014/08/what-us-military-intervention-in-syria.html
Destabilizing Russia, A Nuclear Power: Is the U.S. Trying to Implement “Regime Change” in Russia?
Destabilizing Russia, A Nuclear Power: Is the U.S. Trying to Implement “Regime Change” in Russia?
http://www.globalresearch.ca/destabilizing-russia-a-nuclear-power-is-the-u-s-trying-to-implement-regime-change-in-russia/5398452
The U.S. Jewish Community, Amoral Familism and the Crisis of Palestine
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
We're all thankful for a truce in Gaza as long as it lasts. Five hundred children have been killed in the last few weeks. A similar number of Palestinians have been killed in this round as Israelis killed by Arab terrorism in the history of the State of Israel.
A traditional Jewish response to this would be: "He who destroys a human life is as if he had destroyed the whole world." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-koppman/eyeless-in-gaza-the-us-je_2_b_5727198.html
The U.S. Jewish Community, Amoral Familism and the Crisis of Palestine
Steve KoppmanWe're all thankful for a truce in Gaza as long as it lasts. Five hundred children have been killed in the last few weeks. A similar number of Palestinians have been killed in this round as Israelis killed by Arab terrorism in the history of the State of Israel.
A traditional Jewish response to this would be: "He who destroys a human life is as if he had destroyed the whole world." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-koppman/eyeless-in-gaza-the-us-je_2_b_5727198.html
Will Ukraine Bid To Join NATO Unleash 21st Century Cold War?
http://www.commondreams.org/
Published on
Published on
Friday, August 29, 2014
Will Ukraine Bid To Join NATO Unleash 21st Century Cold War?
Experts
warn that if US and Europe continue to expand NATO's reach without
recognizing destructive consequences, crisis in eastern Ukraine risks
serious escalation
by Jon Queally, staff writer
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/29/will-ukraine-bid-join-nato-unleash-21st-century-cold-war
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/08/29/will-ukraine-bid-join-nato-unleash-21st-century-cold-war
Zombie Apocalypse, Biological Warfare or Marketing Hype? Inside Ebola
Zombie Apocalypse, Biological Warfare or Marketing Hype?
Inside Ebola
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/08/29/inside-ebola/?utm_source=feedly&utm_reader=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=inside-ebola
AIPAC Is in Decline—But So Are Hopes for a Two-State Solution By John B. Judis
August 29, 2014
AIPAC Is in Decline—But So Are Hopes for a Two-State Solution
By John B. Judis
Connie Bruck has written an excellent portrait of the Israel lobby, AIPAC, in The New Yorker. I say that as someone who knows something about the organization and has written about it myself. She brings a wealth of detail to aspects of AIPAC’s activity that prior accounts of the organization had cited, but could not quite nail down. I am thinking of the two things in particular.First, she shows that while AIPAC has given lip-service to a “two-state solution” to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, it has worked against American and Israeli attempts to promote it. AIPAC formally endorsed the Oslo agreement in 1993, but then sought to undermine it. She quotes former AIPAC analyst Keith Weissman, “AIPAC couldn’t act like they were rejecting what the government of Israel did, but the outcry in the organization about Oslo was so great that they found ways to sabotage it.” Similarly, AIPAC helped thwart President Obama’s attempt during his first term to promote an agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Recently—and I am citing myself here too—AIPAC has appeared at best indifferent toward Secretary of State John Kerry’s attempt to revive the peace process.
Second, Bruck shows in some detail how the organization wields influence on Capitol Hill by funding House and Senate members who toe its line and seeking to defeat those who don’t. As far back as 1948, Americans who wanted Washington to back Israel recognized that they couldn’t rely on Jewish votes to make their case: There weren’t enough. What counted was the ability to raise money for politicians. AIPAC, as Bruck shows, has perfected that approach in the last 35 years. It doesn’t give money itself, but it gets its high-rolling members and friendly political action committees to do so. The politicians know where the money is coming from. And the strategy has worked. Bruck quotes former congressman Bruce Baird: “When key votes are cast, the question on the House floor, troublingly, is often not ‘What is the right thing to do for the United States of America?’ but ‘How is AIPAC going to score this?’ ”
Blowback from Further U.S. Intervention in Iraq By Ivan Eland
Blowback from Further U.S. Intervention in Iraq
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=5057
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=5057
What James Foley's Murder Says about the U.S.
What James Foley's Murder Says about the U.S.
Given that the Islamic State subjected American citizen James Foley to physical abuse, waterboarding, and extra-judicial execution, U.S. officials and American interventionists, including those in the mainstream media, are describing the Islamic State as savage and barbaric. But wait a minute! When the U.S. government was doing those same things, weren’t U.S. officials and American interventionists saying that such actions weren’t any big deal? http://fff.org/2014/08/29/what-james-foleys-murder-says-about-the-u-s/
Given that the Islamic State subjected American citizen James Foley to physical abuse, waterboarding, and extra-judicial execution, U.S. officials and American interventionists, including those in the mainstream media, are describing the Islamic State as savage and barbaric. But wait a minute! When the U.S. government was doing those same things, weren’t U.S. officials and American interventionists saying that such actions weren’t any big deal? http://fff.org/2014/08/29/what-james-foleys-murder-says-about-the-u-s/
Evidence Grows That Online Social Networks Have Insidious Negative Effects
Evidence Grows That Online Social Networks Have Insidious Negative Effects
A study of 50,000 people in Italy concludes that online social
networks have a significant negative impact on individual welfare.
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/530401/evidence-grows-that-online-social-networks-have-insidious-negative-effects/
Why Can't People Find A Job? One Big Reason Is Obamacare
Why Can't People Find A Job? One Big Reason Is Obamacare
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoodman/2014/08/25/why-people-cant-find-a-job/
40% of U.S. on Welfare; Obamacare Expands Welfare by 23 Million; More on Welfare Than Full-Time-Employed
40% of U.S. on Welfare; Obamacare Expands Welfare by 23 Million; More on Welfare Than Full-Time-Employed
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/40-of-country-on-welfare-obamacare.html#cXJOb2YGoxFwFGTO.99
Read more at http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/40-of-country-on-welfare-obamacare.html#cXJOb2YGoxFwFGTO.99
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/40-of-country-on-welfare-obamacare.html
How the Russian Invasion Could Spark War in Europe
How the Russian Invasion Could Spark War in Europe
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
This week Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine became overt for all the world to
see. Since February, Moscow waged a semi-covert campaign that I term Special
War, with the initial aim of taking Crimea. This succeeded almost bloodlessly
thanks to confusion in Kyiv.
Over the past six months, inspired by Crimean success, Russian strategy has
focused on [...]
Putin Reminds the World he has Nuclear Weapons
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia's armed forces, backed by its
nuclear arsenal, were ready to meet any aggression, declaring at a pro-Kremlin
youth camp that foreign states should understand: "It's best not to mess with
us."
Putin told the assembly, on the banks of a lake near Moscow, the Russian
takeover of Crimea in March was [...]
* Ukraine: Why Obama Won't Call it an Invasion
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
* How the Russian Invasion Could Spark War in Europe
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
* Putin Reminds the World he has Nuclear Weapons
http://www.darkgovernment.com/
Saudi king warns West will be jihadists next target
Saudi king warns West will be jihadists next target
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2014/Aug-30/269056-saudi-king-warns-of-terrorism-threat-to-us-europe.ashx#axzz3BrUmKnPe
Saudi King Warns ISIS Jihadists Will Target The West
http://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-king-warns-isis-jihadists-will-target-the-west-2014-8
Now Is Not the Time to Back Out of Arms-Control Deals with Russia
Now Is Not the Time to Back Out of Arms-Control Deals with Russia
08/30/14
Dirk Jameson, J. Robert Barnes, John Castellaw
Nuclear Weapons, Arms Control, United States, Russia
Why a measured response to Russia's Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty violation serves U.S. interests better than ditching the INF altogether.
The
Obama administration has determined that Russia has violated the
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, which bans
ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500
and 5,500 kilometers. The Obama administration has reportedly been aware
of the Russian INF Treaty violation—testing of its R-500 cruise
missile—since at least 2011.
This
has prompted arms-control skeptics to question whether being a
signatory to the agreement is in the security interests of the United
States; others have called for abrogating the treaty outright. While
Russia’s actions are serious and merit a firm U.S. response, it is
important to distinguish between testing a banned cruise missile and
moving to deploy it. Until that happens, the United States should focus
its diplomatic energy on bringing Russia back into compliance with the
treaty. The Obama administration has thus far responded proportionately
by making this violation public in its annual report to Congress on arms
control compliance and by expressing its serious concerns to the
Russian government. The United States should also immediately exercise
its right to call for a special meeting of the INF Treaty’s Special
Verification Commission, which last met in 2003.
While
perhaps emotionally satisfying given Putin’s pattern of irresponsible
behavior, responding at this time to Russia’s violation by abrogating
the INF Treaty and deploying U.S. intermediate-range missiles would not
be in the national interest, for a number of reasons.
Pulling out of the INF Treaty at a time of heightened tensions between
Russia and the United States would make cooperation on
international-security issues a casualty of the current geopolitical
tensions over Ukraine and other issues. Up until now, despite these
growing tensions, Russia and the United States have managed to continue
cooperating on nuclear-security issues, including implementing the New
START treaty, negotiating with Iran over the future of its nuclear
program, and destroying Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's declared
chemical-weapons stockpile. Continued cooperation with Russia on these
issues clearly is in the national-security interests of the United
States.
Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/feature/now-not-the-time-back-out-arms-control-deals-russia-11155
America Can't End Syria's Civil War
America Can't End Syria's Civil War
08/30/14
Dick Krickus
Security, Foreign Policy, Terrorism, Military Strategy, United States, Syria, Middle East
President Obama should emphasize that there is no military option that will end the turmoil associated with the civil war within Islam.
“The
time has come to join Syria in a joint effort to destroy the Islamic
State.” What previously was deemed unthinkable is now being widely
discussed by members of the American foreign-policy community. The
reason for this dramatic reversal has its roots in a number of factors:
concern that IS is enjoying military success in Iraq and Syria; remorse
in Washington that our enormously expensive effort to create a viable
Iraqi military force has failed; the prospect that IS look-alikes are
gaining traction in Libya; and anguish and anger over the beheading of
American photojournalist James Foley by IS fanatics.
Much the same thinking has surfaced across the Atlantic. The UK’s former Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind, has said:
“We should not be squeamish about how we [destroy IS].” They are
fanatical killers that not only control much of Iraq and Syria and
imperil the Caliphate’s neighbors, they have promised to strike Europe
and the United States using citizens from both countries to do so. The
British Army’s former head Richard Dannatt noted military advantages tethered to this “unthinkable” relationship; aircraft traversing Syria’s airspace would no longer need worry about Assad’s air-defense assets.
Read full articlehttp://nationalinterest.org/feature/america-cant-end-syrias-civil-war-11166
Rapidly Mutating Ebola Renders Diagnostic Tests Inaccurate – AKA: You May Have a New Strain of Ebola and Test Negative
Rapidly Mutating Ebola Renders Diagnostic Tests Inaccurate – AKA: You May Have a New Strain of Ebola and Test Negative
Read more at http://investmentwatchblog.com/rapidly-mutating-ebola-renders-diagnostic-tests-inaccurate-aka-you-may-have-a-new-strain-of-ebola-and-test-negative/#mKkGtTQ1AQwFqSyL.99
http://investmentwatchblog.com/rapidly-mutating-ebola-renders-diagnostic-tests-inaccurate-aka-you-may-have-a-new-strain-of-ebola-and-test-negative/
Obamacare
| Obamacare | ||||||||
| NEWS | ||||||||
Obamacare is Affecting Everyone
In all cases the reason is the same: Obamacare. Why can't people find a job? Three Federal Reserve Banks – in Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta ...
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Will ObamaCare mean the end of employer-provided insurance?
Analysts predict that as ObamaCare takes hold, it will mean the end of employer-provided insurance, with former Obama adviser Zeke Emanuel ...
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ObamaCare contract muddles Dem message on tax dodgers
The Obama administration is employing an ObamaCare contractor that that was once based in the tax haven of Bermuda even as it assails ...
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'Christians are just healthier': One family's cost-sharing alternative to Obamacare
OMAHA,
Neb. – Every year, Gary Duff signs an updated version of these 40-page
terms, which detail one way Americans can avoid buying private ...
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Insurance Executive Complains: Attacking Obamacare 'Bailout' Is 'Unfair'
Regardless, Obamacare
is poised to force taxpayers to help cover health insurers' losses —
and it's harder to imagine a clearer example of a bailout, ...
| ||||||||
Fixer For Oregon Obamacare Fiasco Balloons To Six Times The Cost
The price tag for fixing Oregon's failed Obamacare exchange has grown to $600,000 so far, up from an initial $100,000 contract, The Oregonian ...
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Obamacare's Glitchy Website Hinders Thousands Asked to Verify Citizenship
Three hundred thousand people who enrolled in Obamacare have been asked to submit proof of citizenship or risk losing their insurance. Many who ...
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Health centers in Somersworth, Raymond using Obamacare funds to streamline service
On Tuesday,
Sylvia M. Burwell, U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services,
announced that two health centers — Goodwin Community Health in ...
| ||||||||
Into the Mind: The Obamacare coverage conundrum
Into the Mind: The Obamacare coverage conundrum. Into the Mind: Narrow health networks are putting the pinch on children's hospitals, other ...
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Obamacare's political turning point
We've come to a fascinating point in the Obamacare political battle where Republican candidates aren't sure they still want to attack Democrats over ...
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Friday, August 29, 2014
Therapy for Sudan strain of Ebola may help contain some outbreaks
Henry Kissinger on the Assembly of a New World Order
Henry Kissinger on the Assembly of a New World Order
The concept that has underpinned the modern geopolitical era is in crisis
http://online.wsj.com/articles/henry-kissinger-on-the-assembly-of-a-new-world-order-1409328075?tesla=y
Time for Abe to clarify his views about World War II war criminals
Asahi Shimbun Editorial
Time for Abe to clarify his views about World War II, war criminals
August 29, 2014
In April, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a written message of
mourning to an annual Buddhist memorial service to honor Japanese World
War II soldiers who were executed after the war as Class-A, Class-B and
Class-C war criminals. The message was offered in the name of Abe as
the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
"I
offer my deepest condolences on the death of these martyrs in the Showa
Era (1926-1989) who staked their souls to become the foundation of
their nation for the sake of its peace and prosperity today," Abe said
in the message.
The
Abe administration has played down the significance of the act, saying
it was a message sent as a private individual. But that is a totally
unacceptable excuse.
The
message was sent to the Buddhist service held in front of "Showa
junnansha homushi tsuitohi" (a monument to the memory of the Showa
victims of the execution [by the Allied powers]), located at the Okunoin
ofKoyasan Shingon Buddhism in Wakayama Prefecture.
The
monument describes the military tribunal conducted by the Allies to
punish Japan's war criminals as a "harsh and retaliatory trial
unparalleled in world history." It was set up 20 years ago to restore
the honor of war criminals and mourn their deaths.
Those
whose names are inscribed on the monument include Hideki Tojo
(1884-1948), the army general and the prime minister during the war, and
13 additional Class-A war criminals.
It
has been found that Abe also sent a similar message to the annual
memorial service held last year and in 2004 as the LDP president and the
LDP secretary-general, respectively.
In
a news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe sent
the message not as the prime minister, but as a private citizen.
But
Suga acknowledged the fact that the Class-A war criminals were found
guilty of crimes against peace at the International Military Tribunal
for the Far East. He also said Japan accepted the rulings handed down by
the Tokyo tribunal when it signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty with
the Allied powers in 1951.
It
is shameful that 69 years after the end of hostilities, Japan still
needs to announce afresh its official positions on these clear
historical facts to audiences both at home and abroad.
Japan
regained its sovereignty and returned to the fold of the international
community by accepting the rulings delivered by the tribunal. At the
same time, Japan internally started its postwar history by placing the
responsibility for the war on the Class-A war criminals, who led the
nation into the war.
Abe
sent a sympathetic message to a service that is based on the views
about the war that regard the tribunal convened by the Allied powers as
an act of "retaliation" and see all the executed war criminals as "Showa
victims." He should not complain if what he did is considered to be an
attempt to ignore Japan's promises to the international community
concerning the war.
We, as Japanese, cannot accept the view that the executed war leaders were "victims."
Abe
should be aware of how seriously his act has damaged the things this
nation has achieved through steady efforts in the postwar era.
We are eager to hear him answer in his own words the questions raised by his act.
What
did he mean when he said the war leaders who were responsible for the
huge loss of human life in the war and for the immense devastation this
nation suffered became the "foundation of their nation?"
Who does he think should have taken the blame for the war and in what way?
He
should stop obscuring issues by using words such as "eirei" (the
spirits of the war dead) and "mitama" (departed souls). He should start
speaking about his views concerning the war in a dignified and
above-board manner from the bottom of his heart, without using the
excuse of acting as a "private individual."
Abe has the responsibility to do so.
--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 29
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