April Glaspie's cable of July 25, 1990 - just before Iraq invades Kuwait

Wikileaks has just released some cables from 1990. One is from then U.S. ambassador to Iraq April Glaspie, from July 25, 1990 - just before the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2.

Note - this cable apparently was leaked as early as late 1991. See an article in the American Journalism Review of November 1991, where the author, Gilbert Cranberg, refers to the section of the cable (paragraph 22), where Glaspie criticizes an interview that Diane Sawyer did with Saddam shortly before her meeting with him.

Israel Democracy Watch

The Israeli Knesset has approved the establishment of an inquiry commission to investigate the funding of several left-wing organizations - B'Tselem, Yesh Din, Breaking the Silence, Yesh G'vul, and others. This is after the attorney general, Yehuda Weinstein, ruled in August that there should be no such investigation of these groups. The party that has brought this proposal forward is Yisrael Beitenu ("Israel Our Home"), the racist and extreme right-wing party led by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli Foreign Minister.

Ha'aretz reports: "The panel will essentially be charged with looking into where these groups have been attaining their funds, particularly whether this money is coming from foreign states or even organizations deemed to be involved in terrorist activities."

Pat Buchanan on blood libels

Pat Buchanan, our favorite anti-Semite in public life, who is still inexplicably viewed kindly by most of the mainstream media, came out with an aggressive defense of Sarah Palin's use of the phrase "blood libel" to refer to what she believes is slander against her by those calling her out for her use of violent language and imagery: Sarah Palin's Use Of Blood Libel Was 'Excellent'.

His words:

Pat Buchanan said Wednesday that Sarah Palin has been a victim of the media in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), and she was right to use the phrase "blood libel" in defending herself from charges that her language had anything to do with the mass shooting.

"Frankly I thought it was an excellent statement with regard to the phrase 'blood libel'," Buchanan said. "That of course refers to the libel that was used in the Middle Ages, charges against Jews that were utterly unsupportable slanders and I think she's using it in that context."

So apparently someone has accused Sarah Palin of killing young children and using their blood for strange rituals? Odd, I hadn't heard that charge lately.

P.S. Alan Dershowitz has defended the legitimacy of Palin using the phrase "blood libel," while the ADL has condemned it. Dershowitz notes:

The term “blood libel” has taken on a broad metaphorical meaning in public discourse. Although its historical origins were in theologically based false accusations against the Jews and the Jewish People, its current usage is far broader. I myself have used it to describe false accusations against the State of Israel by the Goldstone Report. There is nothing improper and certainly nothing anti-Semitic in Sarah Palin using the term to characterize what she reasonably believes are false accusations that her words or images may have caused a mentally disturbed individual to kill and maim. The fact that two of the victims are Jewish is utterly irrelevant to the propriety of using this widely used term.

Far be it from me to disagree with the distinguished Professor Dershowitz, but the fact that he used it in the case of his criticism of the Goldstone Report hardly validates the use of the term outside of the proper historical context. At various times when I've been living in Israel I've heard Israeli politicians use the phrase to protest against other people's (usually correct) criticisms of their (often corrupt) behavior. This metaphorical use has always struck me as an absurdly exaggerated attempt to play on the sympathies of the audience.

I would prefer to use the phrase "blood libel" to refer to actual blood libels.

The first recorded blood libel was the accusation in 1144 that 12-year-old William of Norwich had been murdered by Jews for ritual purposes before Passover. The Medieval Sourcebook has published the first written account, from 1173, by Thomas of Monmouth, of the supposed torture and death of William at the hands of local Jews. [Warning: not for the faint of heart]. Accusations of ritual murder by Jews for religious purposes have been made since then, including up to the present in the Arab world.

Not a phrase to use lightly.

Three Ways to Ensure That Ethics and Integrity Permeate Your Organization

"We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence. But, rather we have those because we have acted rightly." - Aristotle

As a leader of a company or business unit, you are very much aware that the times are tough. The pressure on you and all your employees is intense. You have employees that are being foreclosed upon. You have managers that cannot make their numbers. You have teams of people who have worked longer hours for no extra pay and feel that they "deserve" something more for their efforts.

In short, the conditions are fertile for ethical infractions in many companies.

So, how do you ensure that your solid ethics and high integrity infiltrate your organization completely, thus minimizing the risk of ethical violations?

The Christ, Ratu Adil & Satria Piningit Revealed?

Then came the announcement made by Benjamin Creme in the late seventies and early eighties that Lord Maitreya was already here on earth and living somewhere in London, England, among the Asian community. According to Creme, Maitreya, the Christ descended from his retreat in the Himalayas in July 1977 and took residence in the British Isle, and that he has already met privately with journalists and influential leaders from all fields of human endeavor. In June 11, 1988, Maitreya was said to have appeared miraculously to thousands of people in Nairobi, Kenya, who recognized him as the Christ. Some say that this was a secret institution's first successful experimentation on teleportation and that the whole purpose of presenting this Maitreya is to control the masses. Nevertheless, Creme states that Maitreya comes with a divine mission. We quote from the periodical Emergence the purpose of Maitreya, the World Teacher:

"Concerned primarily about the economic, political and social imbalances in the world today, He (Maitreya) will first launch a call to action to save the millions of people who starve to death every year in a world of plenty. He will then show humanity the way to regenerate itself and to anchor brotherhood and peace in the world by creating a civilization based on sharing, justice and cooperation. His presence is our guarantee that there will be no third World War. Nevertheless, it is humanity itself which must make the required changes and fashion the saner and more just world the Christ will inspire us to create."

Imagining the Good Society

What makes a "Good Society"? Should such a thing be measured in purely material terms? What of free time; of family and friends; of room to develop ourselves as human beings? How best to pursue such aims as human liberty, social justice, democracy, as well as compassion and provision for the needs of the poor and vulnerable?

How to negotiate conflict between the liberal right of individuals to invest their wealth as they choose, and the imperative to alleviate or eliminate the exploitation of labour?

And how best to balance conflicting modes of social organisation: to allow for spontaneity, as well as instances of planning, and the proper functioning of markets where appropriate?

This paper examines the question of a "mixed democratic economy"; of getting the right mix of planning, public and democratic ownership, and market forces.

Using urban planning as a starting point, it is possible to develop arguments surrounding neo-liberalism, the mixed economy and centralised command economics.

Michael Totten - Israeli Way of War

Michael Totten has just published a really interesting article on The Israeli Way of War. It covers a number of things, including his interview with an official in the Judge Advocate General's office in Tel Aviv. (JAGs prosecute crimes committed by soldiers).

The JAG office spoke about how they gain information about possible crimes committed during war by soldiers.

Totten asked her:

“What do you think about all these NGOs that criticize Israel and the army?” I said.

“I actually appreciate the work of the NGOs,” she said. “They help me make sure our violent operational activity is conducted appropriately. I want to live in a country where there is an address for these kinds of complaints. We’re in constant dialogue with them, and they help me. They do seem to appreciate the thorough work we do. They probably don’t agree with all my decisions, but they know I take what they say seriously.

An impressive testimony about the value of Israeli human rights groups. If the Israeli army doesn't consider them traitors, I don't understand why blowhards on the Israeli right do.