This day in 1975: Vietnamese people’s victory over US imperialism

In war there are the two factors – human beings and weapons. Ultimately, though, human beings are the decisive factor. Human beings! Human beings!” – General Vo Nguyen Giap, People’s Army of Vietnam

Victory monument in Xuan Loc, Vietnam

This posting also includes:

• “Activities across Vietnam celebrate Liberation of Saigon and Reunification of Vietnam”;
• “Vietnam’s great economic achievements since liberation”

April 30, 2015 marks the 40th anniversary of the total victory of the Vietnamese people over U.S. military aggression and its division of the country.

New York Times deploys to Nepal

America’s disaster diplomacy, geo-strategic interests and “soft power”

“First comes the missionary, then the soldier,” was an old maxim borne out by the bitter experience of a century of bloody colonial conquest in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

By BILL VAN AUKEN

The missionaries are still at it, particularly in lands where souls can be bought most cheaply, but they hardly play the role allotted to them in the 19th century. A more modern version of this same epigram—better suited to the ongoing militarist drive by US imperialism for global domination—might substitute for missionary, “the man from the Times.”

Syria-Iraq meeting and Obama’s confession

Amid all the doom and gloom, Iraq and Syria have taken steps to mend fences. This comes at about the same time as Barack Obama’s admission that the takfiri terrorists in Syria arose because of George Bush’s foolish decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

Condemn Parliament’s decision to dishonour Vietnam’s April 30 victory!

 

Toronto demonstration in 1970 in support of the Vietnamese people’s heroic fight against U.S. imperialism, part of worldwide support for their just cause.

On April 23 Royal Assent was granted to Bill S-219, Journey to Freedom Day Act, officially designating April 30 each year as “Journey to Freedom Day” in reference to individuals who left Vietnam for Canada after the victory over U.S. forces on the same day in 1975. Despite amending the name of the bill from the Black April Day Act in the face of opposition to the divisive and provocative legislation, the debate in the House of Commons and the text of the bill itself makes it clear that what is being targeted is the historical verdict rendered against U.S. imperialism and the tremendous victory for freedom and independence.

All Out for May Day 2015 – International Day of Working Class Solidarity

Lessons from the bunker fuel spill in Vancouver’s harbour

Government cutbacks undermine public health and safety. ANNE JAMIESON

King Stephen – “Canada For Sale” by Royal Prerogative. Photo is from a June 25, 2011 rally of some 3,000 Newfoundlanders on the St. John’s waterfront against the decision of the Harper government to close the Marine Rescue Centre. | Tim O’Brien, The Muse

Sometime in the afternoon of April 8, bunker fuel started leaking from a ship anchored in English Bay in the outer harbour of the Port of Vancouver as it waited to load its cargo of grain at the docks. At 5:10 pm, a recreational boater noticed a large oil slick and called 911. The call was passed on to the Canadian Coast Guard, the designated lead agency for incidents like this. A Port Metro Vancouver boat appeared on the scene around 6:00 pm.

Virtual reality: Why is Hilary Clinton in so much trouble already?

From living a lie to the constant rearrangement of reality – “for example, in 1997 HRC was pictured reading to sick kids. The problem: sick children don’t look that cute, especially those who are bald from cancer treatments or fitted out with tubes and such. The solution: replace the sick children with well versions belonging to the hospital staff. It worked beautifully” – to the repeated specification of reality. SAM SMITH*

Did a Chinese-Russian-Iranian coalition opposing NATO debut in Moscow?

 The Moscow Conference on International Security in April was used as a venue to give notice to the US and NATO that other world powers will not let them do as they please. By MAHDI DARIUS NAZEMROAYA

Russia’s Defense Minister Shoigu and Iran’s Defense Minister Dehghan at the IV Moscow Conference on International Security (RIA Novosti/Iliya Pitalev)

 Talk about joint efforts between China, India, Russia and Iran against NATO expansion was augmented with plans for tripartite military talks between Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran.

Glorification of Nazism and the US marines who only ‘advise’

Members of Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion in Camp Pendleton, Afghanistan, in front of a flag with a logo of the Nazi SS. Photograph: AP

Only in Europe? The USA, Canada and Ukraine were the sole countries in the world that voted in November against the United Nations anti-Nazi resolution condemning the glorification of National Socialism and Nazi collaboration. Both the USA and Canada are the only two countries to send armed forces to assist the Kiev regime, including hundreds of “military advisers” to a Ukrainian army that now officially incorporates Neo-Nazi armed battalions.

Both Washington and Ottawa have received their fascist representatives at the highest level (see photo, below).

US seeks 8 new Philippine military bases as it pivots to Asia

PressTV (April 26 ) – The United States has asked the Philippines to provide access to eight military bases for rotating American troops, planes, and ships as Washington “pivots” to the Asia-Pacific region to curb China’s economic and military growth.

Sighting. The strong right arm

Canada attacks Syria: Use of deception to cover up aims of US aggression and war

The April 18 Day of Action against Bill C-51 Ottawa march stopped in front of the U.S. embassy at Sussex and Clarence St., emphasizing the role of U.S. imperialism and its “war on terror” in creating the kind of state security apparatus the Canadian government is now strengthening. Outside the embassy demonstrators affirmed that they do not want Canada to follow in the footsteps of U.S. crimes such as torture and impunity of secret police. | Renewal Update

In a flourish of fearmongering and deception, the Harper Conservatives on March 24 announced their intention to extend Canada’s military mission in Iraq and expand it to Syria as part of the U.S.-led coalition which is waging a dubious, unjust and unlawful military aggression against those countries.

According to the Harper government, “Jihadi terrorism” poses a great threat not only to the people in the region but to Canada and the rest of the world. Harper and his ministers say that the “Islamic State of Iraq and Syria” (ISIS) has declared war on Canada, and to protect Canadian citizens the government will extend and expand the bombing into Syria without consulting the Syrian government.

This is a reversal of what the Harper government said six months ago: that Canada would not conduct raids into Syria without the “clear permission” of the Syrian government. Minister of Defence Jason Kenney stated that Canada’s entry into Syria has come at the request of the U.S. itself.

Harper’s self-serving budget increases funds for secret police

Finance Minister Joe Oliver tabled the Harper Government’s 10th federal budget in the House of Commons on April 21 where he presented the government’s view on the document. Dubbed the “Economic Action Plan 2015,” the budget has been named by the government “Strong Leadership: A Balanced-Budget, Low-Tax Plan for Jobs, Growth and Security.”

Announcing new funding for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), RCMP and Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), Oliver used the budget speech to repeat the government’s refrain. “The jihadist terrorists who proclaimed a so-called caliphate in the Middle East have declared war on Canada and Canadians by name. In response, we have taken up the fight both overseas and here at home,” he said.

Business letter against anti-terror Bill C-51

Discussion on Bill C-51, Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015

More than 60 CEOs, business owners and company presidents have signed an April 21 open letter calling on the government to scrap Bill C-51, the daily newsbulletin Renewal Update reports.

The letter points out, among other things, the history of U.S. intelligence agencies conducting espionage against foreign companies, with Canadian collusion and complicity. It points out that reports of Canadian intelligence’s predatory spying on trading partners has already had negative implications for business.

Monopoly greenwashing: Earth Day

Shutterstock.com

The event is, at best, merely window dressing that does little to effect long-lasting positive change, and at worst, provides an ideal platform for corporate greenwashing and dirty fuel propaganda. In 2010, one of Earth Day Canada’s corporate sponsors was Royal Bank of Canada, a lead financial backer of the environmentally destructive oil sands operations in the Canadian boreal forest. REYNARD LOKI*

Bill C-51 and the Harper government’s raising of Canada’s military profile in Iraq and Syria

Discussion on Bill C-51, Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015

The No Harbour For War newsletter V.4 No.1b was published in mid-April for the April 18th national day of action against Bill C-51. The page 1 statement, reprinted below, was  also issued as a leaflet for this event.

Statement from the Editorial Committee of No Harbour For War*, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Haligonians rally against threats of war against Syria, September 7, 2013

Over the last month and a half, No Harbour For War has not failed to notice the massive outpouring popular condemnation of the Harper government’s Bill C-51. This opposition has itself emerged from all coasts and corners of Canada.

Recolonization of Africa: AFRICOM’s imperialist culture and violence against Africans

For years, as U.S. military personnel moved into Africa in ever-increasing numbers, AFRICOM has effectively downplayed, disguised, or covered-up almost every aspect of its operations, from the locations of its troop deployments to those of its expanding string of outposts. NICK TURSE*

Six people lay lifeless in the filthy brown water.

It was 5:09 a.m. when their Toyota Land Cruiser plunged off a bridge in the West African country of Mali.  For about two seconds, the SUV sailed through the air, pirouetting 180 degrees as it plunged 70 feet, crashing into the Niger River.

Three of the dead were American commandos.  The driver, a captain nicknamed “Whiskey Dan,” was the leader of a shadowy team of operatives never profiled in the media and rarely mentioned even in government publications.

British Royal Navy sailors arrested and charged for alleged gang rape in Halifax

The Canadian Forces National Investigation Service commander ​admitted that the reports were “disturbing.” The substantive issue of the Rule of Law, the presence of foreign military forces in Canada, whether in the form of U.S. bases or “visiting” marines, troops and warships, and the culture of militarization is not addressed. It is enough to have disastrous social consequences for the people, particularly young women and girls. TONY SEED

Four British Royal Navy sailors have been charged by Canadian authorities for the alleged gang rape of a civilian woman at a military barracks at Shearwater in Eastern Passage, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM). Joshua Finbow, 23, Simon Radford, 31, Darren Smalley, 35, and Craig Stoner, 24, all face sexual assault counts.

Stephen Harper loves the smell of napalm in the morning

By MICHAEL HARRIS*

GOING after the Ukrainian vote in Canada is one thing. But sending troops, even as trainers, into Ukraine’s “fratricidal” civil war and confronting Russia is quite another. If this thing goes sideways, he may wish he had sent diplomats instead of military advisors.

Has anyone told the PM that these are not toy soldiers he is dispatching — by the hundreds no less — but flesh and blood human beings?

This is an old story. From his opposition days, this leader has exhibited a fatal instinct to take it to the parking lot. The itchy trigger finger initially showed up in the second Iraq War. Cooler heads in the Chretien government scuppered his ill-informed bellicosity. Canada refused to join President George W. Bush’s coalition of the misguided.

Graphic details. One year of war in eastern Ukraine

Sputnik News has published an infographic of the one-year anniversary of the war in eastern Ukraine. It consists of maps showing the various demarcation and ceasefire lines, and a listing of the human casualties and physical damages of the war.

International support for release of Khalida Jarrar and all political prisoners

Khalida Jarrar, an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and longtime advocate for Palestinian political prisoners was kidnapped by Israeli Occupation Forces during a raid on her home in Ramallah on April 2 at 3:00 am. The raid involved 60 soldiers, who also seized computers and Jarrar’s mobile phone. She is the 16th Palestinian parliamentarian now being held in Israeli prisons and one of nine under administrative detention without charge or trial. In total there are 6,000 Palestinian political prisoners and more than 500 administrative detainees.

Canada must stop attempts to silence legitimate protest

Legitimate concerns about the criminalization of dissent

Canadian Labour Congress, April 13, 2015

Canada’s central labour body is calling on the government to stop trying to shut down legitimate and nonviolent criticism of human rights abuses by Israel. We are very disturbed to see our government attempting to criminalize legitimate and nonviolent dissent.

Tactics such as boycotts, divestment and sanctions, for example, can be effective for raising awareness about and discouraging human rights abuses by governments, and must not be characterized as criminal or as inciting hatred towards a people.

Advance the movement to defeat Bill C-51 on the basis of its own aim!

Across the country the concern of Canadians with Bill C-51 is reflected in the serious work to organize the April 18 Day of Action. In spite of significant pressure to undermine the opposition to Bill C-51, ordinary people from all walks of life are exercising their social responsibility by recognizing that there is a need to continue and advance the movement according to its own aim. They have come forward to provide these concerns with a form in which they can be expressed.

Make the April 18 Day of Action Against Bill C-51 a success!

Indian Brook Sipekne’katik First Nation in Nova Scotia

With only two days to go to the Saturday, April 18 Day of Action against Bill C-51, actions have been announced in no less than 31 Canadian cities. All this week actions are being held to educate and mobilize people for the Day of Action. Significant turnouts are expected based on the broad enthusiasm to keep up the fight.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Bill C-51: Canadian Journalists for Free Expression – Open Letter

More than 100 organizations and individuals (including this journalist) have signed an open letter dated April 13 calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to scrap Bill C-51. The letter, drafted by Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) calls for “the immediate and unconditional dismissal of Bill C-51: Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015” and points out that “amendments cannot repair such an extensive and dangerous piece of legislation.”

Raúl Castro Ruz: We came to fulfill the mandate of Martí with the freedom won by our own hands

Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, President of the Councils of State and Ministers, thanked the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean for their solidarity, enabling Cuba to participate equally in this hemispheric forum, as well as the President of the Republic of Panama for the invitation to attend

Latin America and the Caribbean stand firm against US imperialist hegemony and interference

Banner at the People’s Summit (see below) expresses rejection of U.S. imperialist striving for domination.

The Seventh Summit of the Americas organized under the auspices of the Organization of American States (OAS) was held on April 10 and 11 in Panama City, Panama. The theme to be addressed at the gathering was “Prosperity with Equity: The Challenge of Cooperation in the Americas.” The firm stand of the Latin American and Caribbean nations’ heads of state gave this theme full meaning by emphasizing that the striving of U.S. imperialism for domination would no longer be accepted. Renewal Update

Summit of the Americas: New evidence of US subversive ‘civil society’ methods against Cuba

Press release from the Cuban delegation to the People’s Summit, April 11, 2015

New evidence of the servile nature of the mercenaries of Cuban origin, accredited to attend the Civil Society Forum of the 7th Summit of the Americas

Recolonization of Africa: US military missions reach record levels after Pentagon inks deal to remain in Africa for decades

2044 or Bust –The U.S. military’s battlefield of tomorrow. In 2014, the U.S. carried out 674 military activities across Africa, nearly two missions per day, an almost 300 per cent jump in the number of annual operations, exercises, and military-to-military training activities since U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was established in 2008. The number of security cooperation activities skyrocketed from 481 in 2013 to 595 last year. NICK TURSE,* TomDispatch.com

Syria at the UN: US, Britain, France, Jordan refuse to name ISIL as ‘separate terror group’

Kurds protest in London on Oct. 8 against assault on Kobani. Protests took place throughout Turkey, where 34 people were killed by the Erdogan regime, and Europe

Press TV (April 10) – Russia says the United States, Britain, France, and Jordan have rejected Syria’s proposal to add ISIL to the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions list as a separate terrorist group.