Revolutionary Voice

Russia has now completely cut oil supplies to Germany, Poland, and Ukraine after shutting down the Druzhba pipeline. Russia blames Belarus, who was illegally siphoning off the oil. Although this has no enormous effect on Europe’s imported oil supplies, it could have long term effects that invariably increase a rise in prices.

Belarus blames Russia for failure to pay the costly transit cost for moving oil through the country. For payment, Belarus took the liberty of taking portions of the transported oil. Russia does not abide by these payments stating them against the law. “Last week Belarus said it would charge Russia $45 (£23) per tonne of oil that passed through its country.” (BBC)

Germany is concerned that with the closure of the pipeline. The Druzhba pipeline running from Russian through Belarus and Eastern Europe may have a drastic effect on Germany, Poland, and Ukraine.

Image courtesy of CBC

The war in Somalia has not ended, and will not end anytime soon.  It is beginning to look like Iraq for the UIC that was just run out of the country by Ethiopian troops and the Somalian government is bend on revenge.  They declare they will not give up and will die to take Somalia back.  They are now influenced by the Al-Queda and are planning guerilla attacks in Mogadishu.  Over 2000 Islamist guerilla troops are believed to reside in the capital city.  The Somali Islamists have been educted by the Al-Queda to fight like terrorits - car bombs, suicide bombings, etc will now develop in Somalia.  This will be another Iraq.

The original story.

The death of North Korea’s foreign minister, Paek Nam-sun, will not put an obstacle on in Korea’s path. This foreign minister, had little power, due to the highly authoritarian regime of Kim Jong-il. Although Kim expressed his condolences for Paek, he will not set back the foreign policy of this country.

Kim Jong-il has held most power over his country in many aspects, limiting the power of his advisers and ministers. Since 1998, Paek Nam-sun has been a major supporter of the controversial nuclear program under global attack today. Fortunately, for the safety of society, the true ideology of communism, and the rest of the world, this dangerously influenced man has passed away at 78.

Following the brutal and increasingly controversial execution of Saddam Husein in Iraq last week, many have debated over “Corporal Punishment” or physical punishment, as flogging, inflicted on the body of one convicted of a crime.

Italy, specifically, has proposed a global ban on execution to the UN. In the past, they have unsuccessfully had similar talks in 1994 and again a year later. According to BBC, “The leader of the current centre-left coalition [Prime Minister Romano Prodi] has said no crime can justify one person killing another.”

Now I don’t completely understand how Italy will try to even propose this ban for the third time, not to its own Italian people, but worldwide. Each nation and states within most nations have the right to their own government, therefore managing their own laws. The United States for example, will be against this proposal to a high extreme, not only because they are responsible for a big chuck of Saddam’s execution, but also because many states have the death penalty. These states strongly defend their right to have their own state laws without federal interference.

First of all, a global ban on execution is completely impossible due to the many nations, rogue or not, in the world that will be opposed because it effects their leadership, culture, religious beliefs, etc. Maybe Italy is trying to get a ban for UN nations, which would seem more possible, but still way out of reach. It is just like saying the UN is federal law, and all the countries under the UN are federally governed states. There will be much opposition, needless to say.

More from BBC:
“The Iraqi government has said that Italy has no right to criticise Saddam Hussein’s execution when, at the end of World War II, the fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, was killed by partisans and left hanging by his feet in a Milan square to the derision of crowds.

Mussolini’s granddaughter, Alessandra, a right-wing MP, joined in the argument, saying she found the killing of Saddam Hussein disgusting and shameful.”

Ban Ki-Moon, a 62-year-old native of South Korea, has been en stated the successor of Kofi Annan of Ghana this week. He started off by promising attention to Sudan, which has been experiencing a crisis in the Darfur region. Escalating violence and human rights abuse is a major issue on the agenda which the former Kofi Annan began to solve. We will see how this new Secretary-General proves he is the man for the job by the way he handles the ethnic violence in Darfur.

Ban has also stated he will meet with the African Union and help keep an eye on the current situation with Ethiopia and Somalia. Talks to support the 7,000 AU troops in Darfur with UN peace-keeping troops have been engaged.

On North Korea, Ban has stated it is a top priority. He’s been making some sort of diplomacy with South Korea’s foreign minister to limit his nuclear ambitions. The only challenges that stand in the way are international support. The UN cannot be run by one man or one country alone. It must be a common goal sought by all in order to be swiftly tackled successfully.

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Kismayo, a port in southern Somalia and the last Islamist stronghold in the nation, has been fled by the militia upon combined forces of Ethiopian troops and fighters loyal to the current Somalian government. Kenya has strengthened it’s border with Somalia to prevent a snowball effect rolling in from the north. No one wants this military action to spread across the continent of Africa and provoke international conflicts.

The expulsion of the Islamist militia, a part of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), will unlikely stop the fighting and their influence through a predominantly Muslim nation. The African Union has been asked to support this maneuver and help keep peace within the African Community. A reported 30,000 displaced people and many casualties have turned the international eye upon Somalia.

BBC reports:
An Islamic commander, Sheikh Yaqub Ishak, confirmed his forces had left Kismayo, but said they would not “stop fighting the Ethiopian invader”. The Islamists have rejected offers of talks with the government, saying Ethiopia must withdraw its forces first.

Ugandan Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa told the BBC that his country was ready to commit 1,000 troops as part of an African regional peace-keeping force, with a mandate to protect the government and help train troops.

Map courtesy of usaid.gov

Somali Islamists are actively driven out of Somalia by a coalition of Ethiopian soldiers and the transitional Somali government. Kismayo, a Somalian port, is reportedly the last Islamic-held strong point after the capital, Mogadishu, was surrendered on December 28th.

3,000 Islamist fighters are reportedly on full defense in Kismayo and are prepared to fight. Ethiopian troops and artillery are advancing towards the port with a Somali government army ready to expel the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) from the east African nation.

Baidoa, the city in which the current weak government is fortified, has been reported threatened by the Islamic militia. The UIC claim the militia’s purpose to invading Mogadishu was only to restore order. They seemingly did so, by driving out many of the capital’s warlords and pacifying clans since June. This was a feet the UN and the US failed to achieve in the early 90’s amidst UN relief efforts.

This seems to be a battle for control of Somalia. Most of Somalia is already Muslim and doesn’t seem to mind UIC help and support. But is the UIC harboring terrorists like Ethiopia claims, or are they trying to pacify the land of Allah?

Photo courtesy of BBC and Associated Press

3000 soldiers have had their lives cut short in Iraq on the last day of 2006. The death toll is unbearable. How can Republicans even ponder the thought of increasing troops? How can anyone support the war and this matter of sending people off to not only kill civilians, and treat Iraqi natives with hostility, but also get themselves killed?

Time Magazine states:
“Earlier this week the US said it would send up to 3,300 soldiers to the Gulf in early January as a standby force.”

The New York Times states:
“The Bush administration is considering an increase in troop levels in Iraq of 17,000 to 20,000, which would be accomplished in part by delaying the departure of two Marine regiments now deployed in Anbar Province, Pentagon officials said Thursday.”

Luckily, with the new Democrat-controlled Congress, president Bush may not receive the permission to change his “Iraq strategy” and increase troops. The war still has a minimum of two years to go, and may not stop even after the next elections.

The following video is very graphic and disturbing in nature!

Here is a translation of what is being heard in the video:

[Saddam] Oh God.
[Voices] May God’s blessings be upon Muhammad and his household.
[Voices] And may God hasten their appearance and curse their enemies.
[Voices] Moqtada [Al-Sadr]…Moqtada…Moqtada.
[Saddam] Do you consider this bravery?
[Voice] Long live Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr.
[Voice] To hell.
[Voice] Please do not. The man is being executed. Please no, I beg you to stop.
[Saddam] There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God. There is no God but Allah and I testify that Muhammad…

Yesterday the Pentagon requested that Congress grant them 99.7 billion dollars for efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This would be in addition to the 70 billion approved in September. If the new request is accepted, America’s war budget for 2007 will be a full 45 percent higher than it was in 2006.

However, with the Democrats now controlling both the House and the Senate, it would seem unlikely that the Pentagon will receive the crazy amount that they are asking for. The vast majority of newly-elected Democrats promised during their campaigns in November, to do what they could to put an end to America’s occupation in Iraq. As of yet, they haven’t taken any dramatic steps to achieve this.

According to the New York Times: “ . . . About $50 billion — most of the money — would go to the Army, which is conducting the bulk of the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The request also includes $3.8 billion for the Air Force and $3 billion for the Navy to buy or upgrade aircraft. The Pentagon is also seeking $9.7 billion for training Iraqi and Afghan security forces, almost as much as has been spent in total since 2001, according to a study by the Congressional Research Service . . .”

We have been told that the main reason we’re still in Iraq is so we can train their security forces, but the Pentagon is only planning on spending a tenth of their desired funding on this aspect of the war. If we put fifty billion into training the Iraqis, and took all other unnecessary troops out, we could put the rest of the funding into our education, research, and programs that people can actually benefit from.

Right now we’re falling behind internationally, and need to focus on enlightening ourselves before we devote everything to a dead-end war.

Posted by Archaix

As the year 2006 draws to close, the world is still far from quiet. While Iraq executes a terrible dictator and Ethiopia helps government forces clear out Mogadishu in Somalia, the continent of Europe faces its own issues.

The main problem, of course, is Russia. Now, our readers may distrust Russia already, am I right? Unless you’re an indefaticable hardline Communist, or have somehow slept through the majority of the 20th century, Russia was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths during the Second World War and, much more internally, during the Cold War. Many thought this process had been reversed with the decline and fall of Communism from 1989 to 1991, but if anything, Putin is returning to the Old Ways.

Many of our European readers may recall the death of one Alexander Litveneko, who’s death (caused by radiation poisoning) was linked to Putin’s infamous intolerance of critisism. The trail for the killer/s led detectives from the UK to Germany and Russia.

Now it appears that Russia is ‘bullying’ the small vassal states surrounding her, by threatening to cut off the enormous amount of gas reserves if they do not accept a substantial rise in price. Currently, BBC News reports, Belarus is facing a 135% price rise, while Georgia now pays just over double. Last year, the Ukraine was starved of gas during the depths of winter for a short period following a smiliar dispute.

And all this leaves me feeling that Russia never really changed at all.

This was formerly posted by DH LAWRENCE MOFO on Nov 30 2006, 07:49 AM at the Pax et Socialism forums.

There’s a wanky zine called ‘Christ’ made by students at Glasgow Art School. It did once have a good cartoon in though.

Man: What did you tell that man just now?
Factory Owner: I told him to work faster!
Man: How much do you pay him?
Factory Owner: I pay him 20 pounds a day!
Man: Where do you get the money to pay him?
Factory Owner: I sell shoes!
Man: Who makes the shoes?
Factory Owner: He does!
Man: How many shoes does he make in a day?
Factory Owner: 100 pounds worth!
Man: So, instead of you paying him, he pays you 80 pounds a day to tell him to work faster…
Factory Owner: Huh!
Factory Owner: Well, I OWN the machines!
Man: How did you get the machines?
Factory Owner: I sold shoes!
Man: Who MADE the shoes?
Factory Owner: SHUT UP, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU…

Saddam Hussein’s death sentencing was announced November 5th for the ruthless murder of 148 Shia. Early saturday morning, the 30th of December, has been the announced date of his execution. Although the Iraqi judge’s sentenced date is unofficial, Saddam is expected to be hung within four weeks.

The criminal leader is supposedly alarmed at not only his death sentence, but how it will be done. Death by firing squad is known to be more respectful, not a regular person’s hanging. On the other hand, Mr. Hussein cannot receive any respect or honor for his psychopathic killings and absolute rule over an oppressed Muslim population.

Officials have gone the extra step and even given him a “red card” which came into being during the dictator’s regime. It signals your execution and the US made sure this Iraqi tradition was passed down onto the person that created it. There’s a little taste of your own medicine.

The defence attorneys of Saddam Hussein have tried to propose a solution other than execution. How will the world react to his hanging? Will there be more uprisings and rebellions? US embassies have been asked to increase security and be aware of the consequences the execution may cause. Does he deserve life? Only a strong NO can leave my mouth.

Why not allow the people of Iraq to do as they please with him? They want to see him punished they way he ruthlessly punished them, not let him have the easier way out. The United States is worried that they will humiliate Saddam and then possibly mutilate his body after the hanging. You think sentencing him to death isn’t humiliating? Let the victims of this dictator deal with him the right way just like they did with the rest of the Iraqi officials once the regime was toppled.

Welcome to the first draft of Revolutionary Voice. This blog was set up by a small group of like-minded socialists and leftists interested in politics, society, culture, and economy. What do you think so far?