Iceland Shows the Way: Reject Austerity
Members of Congress Implore Feds to Back Down on Marijuana Prosecution
Eagle: The Truth Shall Set You Free
09 Justice, 11 Society, Commerce, Corruption, Government
German man locked up over HVB bank allegations may have been telling truth
Gustl Mollath was put in a psychiatric unit for claiming his wife was involved in money-laundering at the Bavarian bank. But seven years on evidence has emerged that could set him free
Kate Connolly in Berlin
A German man committed to a high-security psychiatric hospital after being accused of fabricating a story of money-laundering activities at a major bank is to have his case reviewed after evidence has emerged proving the validity of his claims.
In a plot worthy of a crime blockbuster, Gustl Mollath, 56, was submitted to the secure unit of a psychiatric hospital seven years ago after court experts diagnosed him with paranoid personality disorder following his claims that staff at the Hypo Vereinsbank (HVB) – including his wife, then an assets consultant at HVB – had been illegally smuggling large sums of money into Switzerland.
Mollath was tried in 2006 after his ex-wife accused him of causing her physical harm. He denied the charges, claiming she was trying to sully his name in the light of the evidence he allegedly had against her. He was admitted to the clinic, where he has remained against his will ever since.
But recent evidence brought to the attention of state prosecutors shows that money-laundering activities were indeed practiced over several years by members of staff at the Munich-based bank, the sixth-largest private financial institute in Germany, as detailed in an internal audit report carried out by the bank in 2003. The report, which has now been posted online, detailed illegal activities including money-laundering and aiding tax evasion. A number of employees, including Mollath's wife, were subsequently sacked following the bank's investigation.
The “Mollath affair”, as it has been dubbed by the German media, has taken on such political dimensions that it now threatens to bring down the government of Bavaria. Under the weight of public and political pressure Horst Seehofer, the prime minister of the rich southern state and a member of the Christian Social Union (CSU) – the sister party to Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats – has now called for the case to be reopened, amid charges that Mollath was possibly the victim of a gross miscarriage of justice.
Eagle: Rolling Jubilee — Occupy Buying and Forgiving Debt at 4% — 96% Discount!!!
03 Economy, 06 Family, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, EthicsThe Rolling Jubilee is just getting started and so far it has raised over $6 Million, which will be used to wipe out medical debt for random Americans. Cutting debt while helping those in need, now there's something everyone can agree on.
For more information and to donate, visit http://rollingjubilee.org
Phi Beta Iota: What we find utterly fascinating here is the discount rate on personal debt in the USA: 4%. They have bought and dismissed $6 million in debt for a cost of $304,850. 4% — at a time when most Americans are being hounded by debt collectors, and nothing is being done to help the average person. How hard would it be for the President to sponsor a Jubilee Bill at this rate — instead of trillions for the banks, a billion or less, at 4% [96% leverage] wipes out all individual and small business debt in the USA. A big idea. Mr. President?
Chuck Spinny: USA & Israel, Extrajudicial Killing
02 Diplomacy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Wild Cards, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 Society, Corruption, Government, Officers Call
Obama's kill list policy compels US support for Israeli attacks on Gaza
The US was once part of the international consensus against extra-judicial assassinations. Now it is a leader in that tactic.
Glenn Greenwald. guardian.co.uk, Thursday 15 November 2012 13.23 EST
Israel‘s escalating air attacks on Gaza follow the depressingly familiar pattern that shapes this conflict. Overwhelming Israeli force slaughters innocent Palestinians, including children, which is preceded (and followed) by far more limited rocket attacks into Israel which kill a much smaller number, rocket attacks which are triggered by various forms of Israeli provocations — all of which, most crucially, takes place in the context of Israel's 45-year-old brutal occupation of the Palestinians (and, despite a “withdrawal” of troops, that includes Gaza, over which Israel continues to exercise extensive dominion). The debates over these episodes then follow an equally familiar pattern, strictly adhering to a decades-old script that, by design at this point, goes nowhere.
Meanwhile, most US media outlets are petrified of straying too far from pro-Israel orthodoxies. Time's Middle East correspondent Rania Abouzeid noted this morning on Twitter the typical template: “Just read report in major US paper about Gaza/Israel that put Israeli dead in 1st sentence. Palestinian in 6th paragraph.” Or just consider the BBC's headline. Worse, this morning's New York Times editorial self-consciously drapes itself with pro-Israel caveats and completely ignores the extensive civilian deaths in Gaza before identifying this as one of the only flaws it could find with the lethal Israeli assault: “The action also threatens to divert attention from what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly described as Israel's biggest security threat: Iran's nuclear program.”
Continue reading “Chuck Spinny: USA & Israel, Extrajudicial Killing”
SchwartzReport: Sanity in Seattle – Legalized Marijuana Ground Rules
09 Justice, 11 Society, Cultural IntelligenceMarijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle
JONAH SPANGENTHAL-LEE – Seattle City Government
It is fascinating to watch what is happening with the vote in Washington and Colorado to legalize marijuana. Suddenly sensible policies are emerging; the hysterical misinformation purveyed by governments for decades is disappearing. This is the first announcement from the Seattle city government, Washington's largest city.
The people have spoken. Voters have passed Initiative 502 and beginning December 6th, it is not a violation of state law for adults over 21 years old to possess up to an ounce of marijuana (or 16 ounces of solid marijuana-infused product, like cookies, or 72 ounces of infused liquid, like oil) for personal use. The initiative establishes a one-year period for the state to develop rules and a licensing system for the marijuana production and sale.
Continue reading “SchwartzReport: Sanity in Seattle – Legalized Marijuana Ground Rules”
Chuck Spinney: Break Syria, Mali, Niger? Do We Really Want to Keep Making a Costly Mess?
02 Diplomacy, 09 Justice, 10 Security, 11 SocietyNOVEMBER 12, 2012
An Era of Conflicts
The New Political Map of the Middle East
by PATRICK COCKBURN, Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/
President Obama is lucky in his opponents, particularly when it comes to explaining why America’s influence is waning in the Middle East. The issue was hardly mentioned in the election, aside from a botched attempt by Mitt Romney to blame the administration for the death of Chris Stevens, the US ambassador to Libya, and for the burning of the US consulate in Benghazi.
Romney soon steered away from his initial posture of attacking Obama for “apologising for America” and failing to assert US power. He recognised that the one thing the US electorate does not want is another war in the Middle East. By beating the patriotic drum too hard, Romney risked voters remembering that it was the Republicans who, not so long ago, led them into failed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On a more prosaic level, Romney may have sensed he would be vulnerable on topics he knew nothing about.
This near immunity from effective criticism during the campaign does not mean that Obama is not facing dangers across the region with which he has previously failed to grapple successfully.
Afghanistan is a good example. The “surge”, which preoccupied the White House when Obama first took office in 2009, led to an extra 33,000 soldiers being sent to Afghanistan, where they wholly failed to eliminate the Taliban. The remaining 112,000 Nato troops will be withdrawn by the end of 2014, bringing to an end one of the more disastrously unproductive wars in American history. The US and its allies are supposedly training up Afghan security forces to take their place, but so many American and British soldiers have been killed by Afghan soldiers and police that the transition is turning into a debacle.
Berto Jongman: Sanjana Hattotuwa – Using citizen journalism to bear witness to violence
09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Ethics, IO Deeds of Peace, Peace Intelligence
Holds individuals and groups accountable for violence.
“Bearing witness” with modern technological tools.
TED2011 Fellow Sanjana Hattotuwa passionately describes his work with Groundviews — a citizen journalism website that sheds light on Sri Lankan narratives that aren't typically covered in mainstream media.
