Romney profit from bailouts: hege fund pay days $12.9 billion from US taxpayers.

Mitt Romney/AP

Review of article From The Nation

 "Once the hedge funders, including Singer—a deep-pocketed right-wing donor and activist who serves as chair of the conservative, anti-union Manhattan Institute—took control of the firm, they rid Delphi of every single one of its 25,200 unionized workers. Of the twenty-nine Delphi plants operating in the United States when the hedge funders began buying up control, only four remain, with not a single union production worker. Romney’s “job creators” did create jobs—in China, where Delphi now produces the parts used by GM and other major automakers here and abroad. Delphi is now incorporated overseas, leaving the company with 5,000 employees in the United States (versus almost 100,000 abroad)."

The Nation published an excellent article explaining how the auto industry bail out, the one that Romney blasts all the time during his campaign, has helped make him millions of dollars.  By using his wife Anns, blind trust that invested 1 million dollars into Singer's "vulture investment, " he and his wife, Ann, personally gained at least $15.3 million from the bailout."

The Romneys were invested with Elliott Management by the end of 2010, before a GM parts supplier, Delphy, was publicly traded.  The investment that Ann made could have been more than 1 million, because of the minimal disclosure required by law, does not make them tell how much they really invested in this vulture investment plan...before the automobile bailout plan had taken place.  Romney did not keep the holding in "his" name because if he had, he would have to reveal that he earned more than $50 million dollars...from our tax money in bailout and Stingers vulture investment plan.

Not only that, but the article says, that the bailout plan was to help save the 25, 200 unionized workers. Instead, due to the trading of the company into other hands and GM control holding GM by the hair as the sole supplier; the end result is that the 25, 200 union workers lost their jobs.  Out of 29 factories in the United States, only four remain in America leaving America with 5,000 employees and 100,000 working abroad in China.  Yes, Romney did create jobs...but not in America, but in China.

Ad's have been running blaming Obama for the pension disaster and those forced to retire early, earning minimal wages are interviewed on the television ads.  However, it was not Obama that is responsible for the pension disaster  that left 20,000 with a minimal pension plan.  It was Stinger and other hege funds that controlled Delphi. 

To read more on how this was done read the Mitt Romney's Bailout Bonanza on the Nation.

Compare: 1st Presidential Debate: Kennedy: Nixon 1960

Compare the first presidential debate in 1960 to todays. Compare the topics of concern, they remain the same. Compare the emotional aspect that the candidates bring to the American people...with examples of concern. Economy, government, hunger, retirement, poverty, sustainability, foreign policy. WOW

Obama vs Romney on Libya and security WOW

I must include this part of the debate. This is the point where Obama takes a stand, and becomes the strong person that we wanted him to be when he was elected the first time. Obama tells it like it is and Romeny continues to point fingers without any real solutions.

Bain Capitalism: A time to debate

Durban was headed back home to Illinois for a meeting with workers at the Sensata Technologies plant in Freeport, where 170 employees are slated to lose their jobs to outsourcing before the end of the year. Sensata, which for decades has produced state-of-the-art sensors and controls for Ford and General Motors, is precisely the sort of high-tech operation that a country looking to compete in the global economy of the twenty-first century would want to maintain as a domestic manufacturer. So why are the jobs moving to China?... Because Bain Capital owns the company, and Bain is committed to the industrial development of Chinese provinces—not to states like Illinois. That’s not what most Americans would identify as a smart choice for the nation’s future—let alone “economic patriotism.” But that is how Bain, which got its operating ethos from former CEO Mitt Romney, operates. Romney still profits mightily from his Bain connection—as The New York Times and numerous business journals have well documented—and he remains closely tied to current Bain executives. So if anyone could get Bain to rethink the outsourcing of the Sensata jobs, it’s Mitt Romney. Read more on the Nation

Wal Mart: Keeping the World in Poverty

Susan Brannon

This part of the documentary reflects the lives of those in the factories abroad, Mexico, China, and other places in the world.  This reflects how the Wal Mart System keeps not only those living in America in poverty, but creates and keeps those all over the world in utter poverty.  The average pay is less than $3.00 a day.  They charge for the "dorms" that the workers either chose to live in or not and their utilities and food consumption.  After Wal Mart started their factories abroad, many other retail corporations and high tech companies transfered their factories abroad thus creating more poverty, reducing the jobs in America and in the end, created a Third World America.

Wal Mart receives subsidies from our Governments

Susan Brannon

Wal Mart receives subsidies from our Governments

Susan Brannon This is an older video about the effects of allowing a Wal Mart store in your neighborhood. Not only does Wal Mart cause small family businesses to close down and thousands of "better" jobs lost that provided medical and pension care. But they encourage their poverty workers to take advantage of the governments hand outs so they can "survive"; thus causing extra spending of our own tax dollars in aid for those who even work full time. But wait! There's more! Wal Mart has received millions of dollars in subsidies from local and state governments to put in their stores, while the 43 year old business down the street receives nothing. So, what does Wal Mart do for America? (and I must say other large retail stores) extra spending of our tax dollars loss of better paying jobs in the communities keeping people in poverty discriminates against women causes small businesses to close down requests unpaid work time closes American factories because they buy from China more loss of jobs. The squandering of the American Dream (for the non-corporate owner, that is) So, let a new Wal Mart store come into your neighborhood today and receive all the benefits!

Oh and don't forget that Corporations are here to make a profit, that is capitalism. So if you are a small business owner and you can't "pull the weight" well....that is your problem.

New Studies Highlight Increasing Dangers of Pesticides

They’re everywhere. And they’re making us – and especially our kids – sick. Two new studies out this week reveal just how pervasive pesticides are in our environment, and how they are wreaking havoc with our health. In the UK, the Institute of Science in Society issued a report titled: Why Glyphosate Should Be Banned. Glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup, has contaminated land, water, air, and our food supply, according to the report, which says the maximum permitted levels of Glyphosate are set to rise by100-150 times in the European Union if Monsanto gets its way. Another study, by the Pesticide Action Network North America, reports that more than 1 billion pounds of pesticides used annually nationwide have contributed to an array of health problems in youth, including autism, cancer, birth defects, early puberty, obesity, diabetes and asthma. Read Institute of Science in Society Report Read Pesticide Action Network Study Here

Prop 37 and the Future of Food by Michael Pollan

Vote for the Dinner Party: Is this the year that the food movement finally enters politics? By Michael Pollan New York Times Magazine, October 10, 2012 Straight to the Source One of the more interesting things we will learn on Nov. 6 is whether or not there is a "food movement" in America worthy of the name - that is, an organized force in our politics capable of demanding change in the food system. People like me throw the term around loosely, partly because we sense the gathering of such a force, and partly (to be honest) to help wish it into being by sheer dint of repetition. Clearly there is growing sentiment in favor of reforming American agriculture and interest in questions about where our food comes from and how it was produced. And certainly we can see an alternative food economy rising around us: local and organic agriculture is growing far faster than the food market as a whole. But a market and a sentiment are not quite the same thing as a political movement - something capable of frightening politicians and propelling its concerns onto the national agenda. California's Proposition 37, which would require that genetically modified (G.M.) foods carry a label, has the potential to do just that - to change the politics of food not just in California but nationally too. Now, there is much that's wrong with California's notorious initiative process: it is an awkward, usually sloppy way to make law. Yet for better or worse, it has served as a last- or first-ditch way for issues that politicians aren't yet ready to touch - whether the tax rebellion of the 1970s (Prop 13) or medical marijuana in the 1990s (Prop 215) - to win a hearing and a vote and then go on to change the political conversation across the country. What is at stake this time around is not just the fate of genetically modified crops but the public's confidence in the industrial food chain. That system is being challenged on a great many fronts - indeed, seemingly everywhere but in Washington. Around the country, dozens of proposals to tax and regulate soda have put the beverage industry on the defensive, forcing it to play a very expensive (and thus far successful) game of Whac-A-Mole. The meat industry is getting it from all sides: animal rights advocates seeking to expose its brutality; public-health advocates campaigning against antibiotics in animal feed; environmentalists highlighting factory farming's contribution to climate change. Read More

Prop 37: GMO Labeling: Right to Know Videos

Please share these videos with all people that you know and care about...It's your life

Agent Orange is Harmless: Vote Yes Prop 37

Agent Orange is harmless just like cigarettes and DDT are harmless, and...so are GMO foods harmless...so, why is Monsanto fighting so hard with 35 million in advertising to get voters to vote NO on Prop 37 in California?  Watch and share this video with the people in our country.

Proposition 37, GMO labeling Right to Know

Okay, I understand that not everyone lives in California BUT, it also involves ALL of America. If we can get everyone in California to VOTE YES on Prop 37, then the other states will hopefully follow..??? This video is full of famous folks who decided to stand against GMO food products and stand for the labeling of GMO products. Please watch and share

Discovery: US Media Lies and the Palestinian Conflict

A must see documentary:  In line with my Crossing Borders Project and my work with the Palestinian Women, not to mention living there and working as a photojournalist/humanitarian journalist.  This video reflects the real truth in regards to the US media and propaganda, Country Public Relation tactics and its effect on the rest of the world.  The media today does not represent real and true news, and I am speaking from in field experience as a past photojournalist in the West Bank and Israel.

What this video reveals, is the base for the development of "The Crossing Borders Project" I tried to find a way to let the people speak, themselves about the truths and lives living under this oppression.  My voice is not strong enough, but theirs could be.  When I was there, there were many independent news outlets that were shut down through the internet and bombings.  This occupation must stop and the world should wake up and demand that peace resides and the abuse stops...even against the journalists working in the Middle East.

Project Clover Leaf: Chemtrails Government Interview Part 1

I decided to publish this (and more) video regarding an interview with a person who worked for the government, a Lover of America who felt like this information needed to be released. Please listen to this radio interview and the ones that follow on my separate blog the "Mad Activist" I included the first video on this blog, but to view the other, please view the above blog. This is a subject that I believe we should be aware of and pay attention to. Many folks out there say that Chemtrails, are a part of a conspiracy theory and that term iludes to the person being "looney". However, we must not ignore things that are released and should research the topics for ourselves. http://www.madactivist.blogspot.com/

Petition: Tell Major grocery stores NO GMO APPLES

Millions of apples are packed into our children's lunches every day by parents happy to provide a treat they know is healthy and delicious. But now, for the first time, the USDA could let a safe, popular fruit be replaced by a poorly tested and potentially toxic product from a weird science experiment.

Genetically modified apples that won't turn brown when cut are on a fast-track to USDA approval. They're intended for the fresh-sliced apple market, but could find their way into the produce aisle shelves and into juice, juice-sweetened snacks, applesauce and baby foods, all of which are mostly consumed by children. No labeling would be required.

Tell grocery store CEOs to make it clear that they won't be a market for genetically modified apples or processed foods that use them.

Like other GMO foods, these apples are likely to be approved without any public, peer-reviewed study of their long-term effects. USDA wants to let food producers experiment further on us in its quest to make a minor cosmetic improvement to a fruit intended for mass human consumption.

Apple growers' industry associations representing over 60 percent of commercial orchards have already come out against GMO apples.¹ Many are concerned about reduced consumer confidence in the apple market, while some organic growers are concerned that pollen contamination from GMO orchards could endanger their organic certification.²

Consumer advocates worry that these apples will look fresh when they aren't, posing a new food safety threat - a threat no one has to worry about with conventional apples.³ And once they're sold into the food processined-food market, they could end up in any product that uses apples.

As an activist and consumer, you are in a powerful position to pressure leading U.S. grocery stores to reject these genetically modified apples, which may turn out to be toxic for our children.

Tell grocery store CEOs to make it clear that they won't be a market for genetically modified apples or processed foods that use them.

If this unlabeled, potentially dangerous fruit succeeds, it will only be the first of many. If there are long-term consequences to eating genetically modified fruit we won't find out under our current regulatory climate until much too late.

That's why we need to act now, before these apples hit the shelves at our local grocery stores. Tell grocery store owners to keep these mutant apples out of our shopping carts.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN

Thank you for speaking out.

1. Wenonah Hauter, "One Genetically Engineered Apple Spoils the Bunch," The Dr. Oz Show, August 3, 2012.
2. Andrew Pollack, "That Fresh Look, Genetically Buffed," The New York Times, July 12, 2012.
3. Ibid.

Wall Mart Blips a list

Here we go! Wall Mart Blips 1) Pension Fund Boycotted Walmart For Poor Labor Practices Netherlands' biggest pension fund -- it holds over $300 billion in assets -- pulled its investments from Walmart for not abiding with the United Nations' Global Compact principles, which relate to human rights, labor standards, the environment and anti-corruption efforts. 2) Walmart Involved In Mexico Bribery Campaign When Walmart senior executives found out that Walmart de Mexico had allegedly been involved in a bribery campaign to open new stores, they then allegedly covered it up. 3) Walmart Threatened To Fire Mormon Worker For Observing Sabbath A Mormon assistant manager at Walmart, who had been observing the Sabbath as an employee for more than ten years, faced disciplinary action after a change in their scheduling rules no longer accommodated his observance. 4) Man Died After Brawl With Walmart Security Jose Marcos Picazo suspiciously died after Walmart security guards in California arrested him for alleged shoplifting. Huffington Post 5) Walmart Lobbied To Change Anti-Bribery Laws Walmart was involved in a lobbying campaign to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which was meant to reduce liability for bribing foreign officials. 6) Walmart Involved In Many Sex Discrimination Suits Walmart has been involved in a number of ongoing lawsuits for discrimination against female employees. Some of the allegations have included derogatory language at the workplace, unfair promotion practices and pay discrimination. 7) Walmart Contractor Sued For Labor Law Violations Warehouse workers in California sued a contractor that works with Walmart for labor law violations, including poor labor conditions, shortchanging pay and threatening to fire them for complaining about anything. 8) Walmart Exposed For Political Lobbying To Weaken Labor, Whistleblower And Environmental Laws New York City public advocate Bill de Blasio recently launched 6degreesofwalmart.com to expose Walmart secret political spending, meant to influence the political process in a number of ways, including reducing protection for workers, whistleblowers and the environment. 9)

Under Obama - Some Reality Facts

What's a girl to do? Facts that Obama does not want you to know. Text from the Huffington Post 1) Prosecution For Financial Fraud Hit A 20-Year Low During The Obama Administration Despite Obama's promises to crack down on Wall Street, federal prosecutions of financial fraud hit a 20-year low last year, according to a November study from a watchdog group. The number of these types of prosecutions has been falling every year since 1999 -- in other words, there were more prosecutions during every year of George W. Bush's presidency than during every year of Obama's. 2) Income Inequality Is Worse Under Obama Than Under Bush The rich took home a greater share of America's income pie from 2009 to 2010 than they did between 2002 and 2007, according to an April analysis from Emmanuel Saez, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. That means the gap between the rich and the poor was more pronounced under Obama's presidency than under George W. Bush's. 3) Obama Wants To Lower The Corporate Tax Rate Some of America's most profitable companies used a variety of loopholes to pay less than zero in taxes between 2008 and 2010, according to a November 2011 report from the Center for Tax Justice. But the Obama administration wants to make it even easier for corporations to have a smaller tax bill; Obama proposed a tax overhaul that would cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent. 4) Health Care Reform Won't Make Health Care Cheaper For Most Americans Once the health care law takes effect, insurance companies will be footing the bill for millions of previously uninsured Americans and for those who were denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. And health insurance companies will likely pass on to consumers the cost of insuring the new patients. After Massachusetts enacted a similar health care plan in 2006, premiums for an individual premiums for an individual plan in the state rose 18 percent over three years. 5) Obama's Housing Programs Have Largely Been A Failure In 2009, Obama announced the Home Affordable Mortgage Program, promising to help 3 to 4 million borrowers, but as of January -- more than three years into the program -- HAMP had only reached 1 million borrowers. In an aim to give the program legs, administration officials changed the rules in January to make more borrowers eligible. Still, the fixes were likely too little too late, experts said at the time. 6) Homeowners Haven't Seen Much Out Of That Huge Mortgage Deal The Obama Administration touted the $25 billion mortgage deal it reached with 49 states and the big banks to settle allegations that banks mishandled mortgages. As part of the settlement, banks said they would offer at least $10 billion in loan forgiveness to homeowners. But months after the deal was inked, banks have been slow to hand out the money. 7) Democrats Have Received Lots Of Campaign Cash From Bain The Democratic National Convention will feature employees of firms run by Bain Capital -- the private equity firm where Mitt Romney was formerly CEO -- likely in an aim to raise questions about Romney's tenure at the now-controversial company. But Democratic candidates and committees had actually netted double the amount of campaign cash from Bain workers as of May than their Republican counterparts since 2008, according to the Boston Globe. 8) Goldman And Other Wall St. Firms Have Largely Escaped Punishment For Their Role In The Financial Crisis The announcement last month that the Justice Department wouldn't be prosecuting Goldman Sachs over allegations surrounding the financial crisis was a reminder for many that the Obama Administration has largely let banks off the hook for their role in the meltdown. And regulators and officials may be running out of time; the statute of limitations for crimes related to the financial crisis is fast approaching, according to The New York Times. 9) The Revolving Door Is Alive And Well In Obama Administration Many current and former members of the Obama Administration have ties to Wall Street. The list includes the president's current and former chiefs of staff -- Jacob Lew and Bill Daley, respectively -- as well as his former budget director, Peter Orszag, and others. 10) Too Big To Fail Banks Have Grown Under Obama At the end of 2011, five big banks, including Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase, held 56 percent of the U.S. economy, according to Bloomberg, compared to 43 percent five years earlier. That's right, the too-big-to-fail banks have actually gotten bigger. 11) The U.S. Has Gained A Lot Of Low-Wage Jobs During The Recovery Welcome to the U.S. of Low-Wage America. Most of the jobs lost during the recession paid middle wages, while most of those gained during the recovery were low-wage jobs, according to a recent study from the National Employment Law Project. 12) Incomes Declined More During The Recovery Than The Recession Median household income fell 6.7 percent between June 2009, when the recession technically ended, and June 2011, according to a Census Bureau study cited by The New York Times. That's more than the 3.2 percent incomes fell during the recession, between 2007 and 2009. 13) Payroll Tax Cut May Expire On Obama's Watch Last December, congressional Democrats managed to save the payroll tax cut for one more year, giving 122 million workers a few extra bucks each paycheck, but now that boost may quietly disappear, according to the Wall Street Journal. That's because the White House won't be pushing for another payroll tax cut extension this year. 14) Many Top Obama Donors Are Employees Of Major Corporations Of the top 10 companies with employees donating money to Obama's campaign, three are big banks: JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Some of Obama's other major contributors include employees from big companies such as Microsoft and Google.

France stands up for Press Freedom Rights video

The debate goes on over the right to freedom of expression, a founding principle of the French Republic. The authority is trying to strike a balance between the freedom and violence.

Another...US Embassy Under Siege- Pakistan

Yet another American embassy under attack...see the video below

Hundreds of students from various colleges and educational institutions in Islamabad clashed with police on Thursday as they were being blocked from reaching the embassy.

Students pelted the police with stones, and the police retaliated by firing tear gas shells. 

Several students were injured when policemen hurled the stones back at the crowd.

According to local television channels, several policemen were injured.

"Our policemen are not any better than the Americans because they are trying to stop us. They are in the same league as them, they are heretics like them," said student Jawad Ahmed.

"They should allow us to demolish the American embassy because they have blasphemed against our holy Prophet. The police are also becoming an accomplice of blasphemers."

There were also protests in other parts of Pakistan as well.

Pakistan, Bangladesh Block YouTube Amid Islam Film Protests By Arun Devnath and Haris Anwar - 2012-09-18T06:25:02Z Pakistan and Bangladesh blocked Google Inc. (GOOG) 's video-sharing website YouTube to prevent people watching an anti-Islam film that has sparked deadly protests from the Middle East to Southeast Asia.

Palestine to seek UN Membership again...

The Wall and Israeli watch tower in Idyah Camp Bethlehem Photo by: Susan Brannon

Note by: Susan Brannon
article by: Khaled Amayreh from Occupied Jerusalem 

Note:  Palestine has no place to turn too outside of recognition from the UN as its own state.  Israel wants to keep Palestine under its thumbs and continue to confiscate Palestinian land within the 1967 borders and reap a profit by selling Israeli goods within the territories.  Israel wants to continue to show America the risk and continual treats that Palestine and its people have to offer in order to recieve continual funding for "security". Notwithstanding the constant building of settlements and roads that wind and divide the territories and its people.  An Israeli/America feels that Obama "has taken concrete steps to make Israel more secure —"..."As president, he responded by providing full financing and technical assistance for Israel’s Iron Dome short-range anti-rocket defense system, which is now protecting those villagers. In July, he provided an additional $70 million to extend the Iron Dome system across southern Israel. That’s in addition to the $3 billion in annual military assistance to Israel that the president requests and that Congress routinely approves, assistance for which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed deep personal appreciation."  

Not only does Palestine have to stand up against Israel the occupier and America the funder and maybe I am putting myself out on a limb here, but what about the Arab States?  This is another complicated issue for Palestine, on one hand the Islam Brotherhood holds the Palestinians in honor for their struggle but are they being used as a political tool?  The other Arab countries hold Palestine in their hearts, but want to remain in peace with the Western world and will not go out on a limb to help Palestine and their rights.  In truth, Palestine has a lot to stand up against in terms of country recognition.  

Palestine to Seek UN Membership

Trying desperately to salvage the Palestinian national dream of establishing a viable Palestinian state in the territories occupied by Israel in 1967, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is planning to formally ask the United Nations to recognise "Palestine" as a member-state of the international organisation.

The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the highest political representative of the Palestinian people, has observer status at the UN.

A formal application will be submitted to the UN General Assembly on 27 September. The PA says as many as 133 states recognise Palestine, hence a decision at the UN in favour of the Palestinian bid is likely, save last-minute glitches.

PA President Mahmoud Abbas said the PA was serious about seeking UN membership despite Israeli threats and American objections.

During a lengthy speech in Ramallah Sunday, Abbas voiced mounting frustration at Israeli intransigence and dishonesty vis-?-vis the peace process. "There are many pressures and hurdles, but we will go the United Nations," he said.

Abbas said the ongoing political deadlock was leaving the Palestinians no other choice. "We are only asking the Israelis to honour their own commitments, but they refuse."

Abbas gave a pessimistic prognosis of the declared stands of the Binyamin Netanyahu government, saying Israel was viewing the occupied territories not as "occupied" but as "disputed land". He added that Israel was demanding a military presence along the Jordan Valley for at least 40 years. He said the Palestinians would never accept these demands.

"We have two choices, either we go, or we don't go. If we don't go, the entire Palestinian cause will fall into oblivion," Abbas said.

Last week, Israel warned the PA against applying for UN membership. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would retaliate against the step. Lieberman previously accused the Abbas leadership of "indulging in political and diplomatic terrorism against Israel".

Abbas alluded that Israel might eliminate him, as it eliminated other Palestinian leaders, a possible allusion to the mysterious death of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

"But there is one thing I want you to be sure of: We are staying put here. We will not leave, and we will not make the mistake of 1948 once again.

Arab states, including Egypt, are backing the PA bid to obtain UN membership. In the past, the United States used the Mubarak regime to restrain and bully the PA against making moves without Israeli and US consent.

In September 2011, the PA made a high-profile effort to obtain full member status at the UN. However, the request was not put to a vote in the Security Council where the US pledged to veto it.

On Monday, 11 September, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the Obama administration still believed that the only "realistic path" for Palestinian statehood was through direct negotiations.

Nuland said the US was trying to dissuade PA President Abbas from seeking full member status at the UN. "We are working intensively through the Quartet and directly with Israelis and Palestinians to continue to encourage them to come back to the table. All we can do is push them. We cannot force them. They have got to make the decision for peace. They've got to make the decision to come back to the table," Nuland said.

Palestinians, who have been negotiating with Israel for nearly two decades but without making any real progress toward liberation from the entrenched Israeli occupation, are in no mood to listen to regurgitated remarks and platitudes repeated on the benefits of direct negotiations.

"How can we keep negotiating with Israel while Israel keeps stealing and carving out our land? It is unfair for the United States, Israel's guardian ally, to tell the criminal and the victim to sort it out amongst them. Yet, this is what the US is telling us in real terms," said Ghassan Khatib, former head of the government press office.

Khatib said the American stand of telling the Palestinians to negotiate with Israel without clearly determining the shape of a would-be settlement, including the exact borders of the prospective Palestinian state, was tantamount to pressuring the Palestinians to capitulate to Israeli demands.

"Remember, it is the US that provides Israel with the tools and wherewithal that enables Israel to adopt a rejectionist stand," he said.

The Obama administration has been trying to appease Israel as part of a public relations showdown with Republican candidate Mitt Romney ahead of November's US presidential elections.

Romney has been accusing the administration of not sufficiently backing Israel despite Obama's repeated pronouncements asserting absolute and almost unlimited support for Tel Aviv, including commitment to maintaining Israel's qualitative edge over actual and potential foes combined.

Israel, which has been squeezing and blackmailing the Obama administration for more concessions on Iran, has succeeded in getting Washington to demote the Palestinian issue to secondary status.

The PA had received vague promises from the Obama administration suggesting that President Obama would devote more time and energy to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict if elected to a second term in the White House.

Most Palestinians dismiss such promises for two reasons: first, overwhelming Jewish influence in the US Congress, often described as "an Israeli occupied territory"; second, the conviction of many observers that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is unresolvable based on the two-state solution strategy, in light of the phenomenal expansion of Jewish colonies in the West Bank, especially East Jerusalem.

For Related Articles (and much older ones) enter the word Palestine in the search this blog field on the right.

Palestinians Revolt against the PA

Image from Reuters

19 September 2012
Khaled Amayreh writes from Hebron As the economic crisis in the Occupied Territories deepens, Palestinians are looking to their leadership for someone to blame.

 (Note: Susan Brannon has not forgotten Palestine and continues to follow the news, I thought that this was interesting and this news is not posted in most places internationally. This reminds us of the continual struggle in the Palestinian region and their fight for survival.) The Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing the severest political and economic crisis since its establishment following the Oslo Accords in 1993 as tens of thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets, protesting the high costs of living and demanding the downfall of the Ramallah regime. In Hebron, the largest district in the West Bank, as many as 40,000 protesters demonstrated Monday against the government of Prime Minister Salam Fayyad along with PA President Mahmoud Abbas. "Fayyad: leave, leave, leave. The people wants you no more!" and "The people want to topple the president!" were chanted recurrently. Some protesters hurled stones at the municipal building, smashing glass. Others attacked a police station on the main Ein Sara Street, prompting the police to fire tear gas at the crowd. No serious injuries were reported. Police Chief Ramadan Awadh called the protesters "renegades and infiltrators". "For God's sake. Who benefits from these acts of sabotage and vandalism?" he asked. Ramadan, like other PA officials, said the masses had a right to demonstrate and protest the economic crisis. However, he warned that Palestinian security forces would use an iron fist approach against those who resorted to violence. In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, violent protests took place in the city centre, also on Monday, evolving into a confrontation with the police. Gunfire was not used, but as many as 20 people suffered light to moderate injuries from stones hurled by both protesters and the police. In several other localities, an "Intifada-like atmosphere" was discernible as local youths burned tires, blocked streets and hurled stones at passing cars. Sporadic strikes were also observed, including one by the drivers of yellow taxi cars, protesting phenomenally high fuel prices, which observers contend may be among the world's highest. Protesters, who are not affiliated with a single political faction, are vowing to keep up the pressure until their demands are met. Their demands include the sacking of the Fayyad government and the annulment of the 1994 Paris Economic Protocol, which critics say put the entire Palestinian economy at Israel's mercy. Protesters also demand an "immediate answer" to their crippling financial problems. They complain that no matter how hard they try to "tighten their belts" to make ends meet, they fail to make a decent living due to unprecedented high prices, rampant inflation, high costs of living, and the dwindling real value of their originally meagre salaries. Most Palestinian civil servants receive monthly salaries ranging from 2500-3000 Israeli Shekels, or roughly $650-750. The sum might look perfectly acceptable for citizens of many Third World -- including Arab -- countries. However, when set against obscenely high consumer goods and services prices in the occupied territories, the real scope of the crisis becomes apparent. For example, the price of a 13-kilogramme Butane cooking gas cylinder is nearly $20 while the price of a litre of unleaded gasoline surpasses the $2 limit. The prices of food commodities have also skyrocketed in recent months, with a kilo of lamb reaching $19, and a kilo of ground beef passing $15. This in addition to phenomenally high prices of water, electricity and especially college education, with numerous Palestinian families forced to choose between putting food on the table and sending their children to university. The PA hopes that the current crises will prompt donor countries to come to the rescue. Fayyad has called repeatedly for help, rightly blaming the economic and financial problems of Palestinians on the continuance of the Israeli occupation. "We sometimes tend to forget that our Palestinian Authority is under Israeli occupation. Some people think that we are free to do what we want. They should know that Israel controls everything," he said. However, Fayyad's explanations have failed to sufficiently satisfy an increasingly restive Palestinian public, let alone sceptics who had never been comfortable with his "Western policies". In his numerous interviews, Fayyad said he would resign if his resignation would help solve the problem. He scoffed at those demanding the cancellation or renegotiation of the Paris Economic Protocol, arguing that the protocol served Palestinian interests. With public distrust of his policies mounting, Fayyad still retains two bargaining chips: first, he can argue he is but a technocrat carrying out the policies and instructions of the PA and that he never initiated policies or took measures against the wishes of the political leadership, namely President Abbas. In his speech in Ramallah earlier this week, Abbas reasserted his support and backing of Fayyad, saying that the premier was an integral part of the PA and was implementing its policies. The second and probably more significant bargaining card lies in the fact that Fayyad is backed by donor countries upon whose handouts the very survival of the PA depends. It is widely believed that donor countries view the continued presence of Fayyad at the helm of government in Ramallah is a guarantee against mushrooming corruption within the PA. Indeed, a rash decision by Abbas to fire Fayyad could have serious ramifications in terms of continued American and EU aid to the Ramallah regime. Abbas is not in a position to challenge, or even seriously oppose, the dictates and instructions of donor countries. Hence, any decision to sack Fayyad wouldn't be easily taken, to say the least. In his Ramallah speech, Abbas blamed Arab states and the international community for letting the stalled peace process "reach this point". He angrily blamed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, without naming him, for saying that Egypt was "standing at the same distance from Hamas and Fatah". Some of Abbas's harshest words were reserved for Hamas, barely stopping short of blaming all PA ills and troubles on the Islamist movement. He said Hamas had two choices: either allow elections to take place under current circumstances, or forget about reconciliation with Fatah. Hamas is worried that the PA and Israel would falsify any elections and is demanding guarantees that would ensure transparency. Drawing a bleak picture of the political situation and Israeli intransigence, Abbas said he might resort to making decisions that never normally come to mind. Some observers suggest that Abbas might be alluding to the possibility of dissolving the PA regime. However, Abbas has in the past made numerous threats to resign and dismantle the PA, none of which came to anything. Abbas flew to India on a scheduled visit, protests spread all over the West Bank, with protesters demanding "tangible answers" not "jokes". Abbas's speech was pitted with light moments that many Palestinians interpreted as failure on the part of Abbas to appreciate the severity and gravity of the current crisis. Khalid Amayreh Occupied Palestine