Tag: Politics

  • THE SICK JOKE

    THE SICK JOKE

    “Hegel observes somewhere that all great incidents and individuals of world history occur, as it were, twice.  He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce.”

    Karl Marx, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte (1851)

    harpogrpucho chico

     

    Oh fabulous farce, the art of the improbable, the exaggerated, the ludicrous, the bizarre, the brazen and often the stupid, the essence of what Turks once called democracy, a word they dare not now pronounce. Still, aren’t we all so lucky to be living in Turkey? Sure we are. Turkey, the land of politicians that plunder while they pray, ludicrously lie without blushing and murder and maim the nation’s youth. Turkey, once brimming with hope, now the land of hopelessness. Still…aren’t we happy, happy, happy? Of course we are. Therefore aren’t we stupid? Of course we…. next question, please.

    Forget your troubles! Get happy! Allah, Yahweh and Jesus all love you! Why the other night the commanding general of the world’s largest, best trained and best armed terrorist group was released from jail. He was lucky. Hundreds of his fellow officers, jailed years before him, are still inside. Strange isn’t to have a nation’s army called a terrorist group? Who would dare call it so? The name, their name, is treason. Their names are the names of founders of the ruling religious fascist party. Meet Abdullah Gül, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Bülent Arınç, the three stars of that fast fading, soon to close farce called Ergenekon. And this dynamic trio, this merry band, the Harpo Marx, Groucho Marx and Chico Marx of their shameless Turkish times, they cooked up this entire treacherous deal. Really, these guys are too much, a real riot of laughs. So get this, after the general was released, all three sent him congratulations messages. So funny they are… HA-HA-HA. They couldn’t be any funnier if they had hit him in the face with cream pies. These three comics canned the general for 26 months and then they celebrate his release. HA-HA-HA! Then they sent for the real clown and in comes the major opposition party leader to join in the celebration. HA-HA-HA!  Too much, wouldn’t you agree? Don’t you love farce?

    Well, Ergenekon has been legally stinking for years. It’s all based on fabricated evidence and secret, false witnesses. Who wrote this joke? Well start with the CIA and assorted traitorous dopes in Turkey. Who produced it? Harpo, Groucho and Chico, with a supporting cast of sold-out journalists, police, prosecutors and judges. Who’s the evil genius? Every farce needs an evil genius. Why he’s an old friend of Harpo, Groucho, and Chico. His name? Feto. Who’s he? He’s an under-educated imam who peddles a line of religious snake-oil blather that appeals to people who are too busy to read and think. But not too busy to be sneaky, violent and suborn treason. He has a big following in Turkey. He makes loads of money so bankrolling the Ergenekon farce was not even a slight problem. And, of course, to further darken the melodrama enter the CIA. Color me green as in a green card for Feto. Color me green as in an Islamic green tie for Groucho. Color me green as in massive bribes and kickbacks and secret bank accounts in the Alps. So far, so bad. Yes, Uncle Feto has been very good to these destroyers of Turkey. And he has been true to his word. He promised to destroy democracy years ago before he escaped into the welcoming arms of the CIA in America, Pennsylvania to be precise. But now pity poor Feto. His old subversive comrades have turned on him. It seems they need a patsy, like Lee Harvey Oswald was fifty years ago. Why? Well, it seems that Groucho and his bit-player ministers and assorted cronies have been stealing everything. Hoses are everywhere sucking, sucking, sucking. Their houses are collapsing from the zillions of shoeboxes stuffed with dollars and euros and whatever else flies in. So Groucho needs a cover, something to take him from being a pious thief to a savior of the nation. Hmmm….

    So what does he do? He blames Feto for the whole disaster. The new game is called Fingering Feto. And that’s why the Turkish Marx brothers, now little angels, are congratulating the general. I wonder if they will send congratulations to all the hundreds of soon-to-be-released prisoners whose lives they have stolen? Do they really think that the Turkish people will believe that they are clean, that they too have been made patsies by the patsy, Feto? Remember, farces are brazen and bizarre.

    Groucho says he’s saving the nation from Feto’s horrible assault on privacy and the military and everything else. Groucho is, as usual, lying, since he said he was the lead prosecutor in all these cases. Farces are ludicrous too. And so the leading opposition has made an alliance of sorts with Feto. The result? Voters in the coming election can vote for the treasonous ruling party or the treasonous major opposition party. This is pretty funny isn’t it? HA-HA-HA.

    Or is this the stupid part? HA-HA-HA!

    James (Cem) Ryan
    Istanbul
    8 March 2014

    Brightening Glance, 

     

    The General Leaves Jail

     

  • THEY ARE NOT TURKISH

    THEY ARE NOT TURKISH

    capone, bat
    Al Capone, American Gangster

    It is indeed a puzzlement.

    How could a government that rose to power democratically then destroy democracy and all the freedoms it entails? I mean Hitler did so but that was then and this is now. Isn’t it?

    Worse, how could this same government destroy the country’s army and then pick a fight with its friendly neighbor who happens to have a quite strong military backed by one of the world’s largest nations (Russia). This is quite stupid, isn’t it?

    Even worse, how could a nation, supposedly comprised of a vast majority of Muslims, sign on so quickly to kill its fellow Muslims in direct violation of their sacred Koran (4:92) which says that for doing so “they will burn in hell forever.” This seems somewhat sinful, doesn’t it? Disrespectful, isn’t it? Even blasphemous, perhaps?

    And how could this same nation disinherit the one genuine heroic figure it possesses (Atatürk) who almost one hundred years ago rescued it from the rubble of the collapsing Ottoman Empire? Oh, and the prime minister recently called him a drunkard. Imagine abandoning the man who intimately knew the past, acted decisively in the present, and clearly saw the future? Unbelievable, isn’t it? Disgusting even?

    And how could the prime minister of this same country speak to the world through the United Nations about the world’s ecological crisis while simultaneously destroying mountains, streams, lakes, rivers, forests, green space in general and even agriculture? And all the while this same prime minister carpet bombs vast swaths of nature to build superfluous bridges, highways, tunnels, airports, and nuclear reactors on fault lines. This seems somewhat hypocritical, doesn’t it? Bordering on deceit, wouldn’t you say?

    And this same steward of the nation’s wealth also divines a monstrous canal from the Black Sea to the Marmara sure to disrupt sea currents, water temperatures, and change salinity counts to disturb or even destroy fish life, fisheries and the fishing business, not to mention the possible release of enormous fields of swamp gas long-submerged in the Black Sea. This appears to be a bit grandiose, doesn’t it? Not to mention, recklessly uninformed perhaps?

    Need a breath from all of this? Sorry, you cannot afford to have one. Time is of the essence! Anyway, the air in Istanbul and virtually everywhere the government treads stinks from pollution and its own toxic presence. This government has forged a new definition for the words “treachery” and “deceit.”

    Actually there is no longer an Istanbul since its now all tricked up with garish lights and bizarre architectural glitter like a trollop on Broadway. All of its cheap finery disguises massive corruption, theft and favoritism.

    The government’s trumpets blare about the wonderful economy. Wonderful, indeed. But, sorry people, nothing belongs to the Turkish nation anymore. Everything has been sold: roads, bridges, mines, electric power utilities, factories, businesses, airports, shipyards, ferries, piers, telephone systems…imagine something else, and it’s been sold. This is called the Turkish economic miracle. Weird, isn’t it? And meanwhile omnipresent shopping centers suck the money and lifeblood out of the people and small businesses. It seems all backwards, doesn’t it?

    Oh, and let’s not forget the women, both secular and covered varieties. Women, the sex under threat of  extinction: by honor killings, rapes, domestic violence, arranged, that is, “forced” marriages, enslavement via “religious” headscarves, by stifled opportunity, by education denial, by kitchen and household captivity, by denial of thought, that is, the right to refuse, rebel and reject, as well as the right to use their bodies anyway they chose: in birth, in abortion, in dance, anyway they chose without the government meddling on bogus religious grounds. And now this so-called government even asserts where and when kissing is appropriate.

    So back to the question. How could all this happen so fast? Well, examine the map of Turkey.  The country is crawling to the point of infestation with American military personnel and American nuclear weapons, radar installations and bombs, bombs and more bombs. Everyone knows of the conspiracy to destroy Syria between America and Turkey, excuse me, between Obama and his best international friend Erdoğan. It’s a mafia sort of arrangement. Erdoğan’s close friendship with Bashar al-Assad was suddenly interrupted by Obama who, like Al Capone (pictured above), brandished a baseball bat during a telephone conversation with the Turkish version of Vito Corleone in August 2012. While Capone rearranged the skulls, faces and brain tissues of his troublesome lieutenants, Obama merely rendered a subtle post-modern hint of the “or else” side of the offer. Of course, Erdoğan could not refuse anything American and the rest is their shameful, mutual ongoing war crime.

    So enthusiastic is al-Assad’s former friend that he even evokes Allah’s blessing on this exercise of imperialist power, a gross human rights violation and murder to the point of genocide. Political Islam and terrorism courtesy of the Turkish prime minister and America’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Shameful, isn’t it? Nauseating, isn’t it? So what needs to be done?

    In fact, all of Turkey’s undoing has been done under the cover of Allah. Why? Because Turkey is an Islamic nation. Why so? Because you (and your government) let it be labeled as such. Is America known as a Christian nation? Not really. So why isn’t Turkey considered simply another democratic, secular nation, independent of religion? Good question, isn’t it? Sadly, Turkey is now an almost 100% political Islamic nation. Forget the Koran, it’s murder and money that matter. All the hard-earned secular and democratic rights are in the process of nullification. And all in the name of a politicized religion. The fundamentalist, fascist government is always rendering “spiritual” guidance to protect its “people.” Don’t allow them to do it in your name! Something must, and can, be done! Obama and his fellow schemers everywhere love the idea that Turkey is 99.8% Islamic according to the CIA Factbook. Know one thing! These subverters don’t care if you’re Turkish as long as you’re Islamic. And they get away with murder in your “Islamic” name. Don’t let them! Don’t be an “Islamic” Turk. Instead, be what your government is not. Be a “real” Turk, a secular Turk living life without being labeled by a fascist regime. Let the government and their collaborators be Islamic political hacks. They are not real Turks in the slightest. The proof? Simply examine their behavior, their attitude, their grim-faced arrogance, their VIP mosques. I don’t know what they are but they’re not the Turks that I know. Maybe they’re from Hollywood, central casting’s attempt to characterize Turkish tough guys? Who knows the ways of the CIA? Who cares? Just protest your official assignment of a religious designation! Remove it! Make your secularity official! Be Turkish and nothing but! How?  

    kimlik reducedJPGIt is so terribly easy. Do you know that you are so powerful that you can make Turkey no longer be a 99.8% politically Islamic country? That you can force a true election for secularism? And by so doing you will stun the world. Just have the religious identification on your ID card, your kimlik, changed to a blank, like mine opposite. No police clubs. No pepper gas. No water cannons. No demonstrations. No being beaten by the fascist police. Just one little visit to the Population (Nufus) Bureau and you will feel like you have done something tangible to save your country. You can accomplish more in one hour than the incompetent political opposition has accomplished in ten years. And suddenly the CIA Factbook reveals that what had been a 99.8% Islamic nation is now only 48% or perhaps even less. And who does Erdoğan speak for then? A minority of the people, that’s who. Imagine the earthquake in the imperialist capitals of the world? And nobody gets hurt. Except, hopefully, the ones who deserve it. So do it! Your government is not even Turkish. Politically Islamic Turkishness is irrelevant in the real world, the secular world, our world. Turkey has become politically Islamicized courtesy of America and its collaborators. The Turkish nation, like genetically modified food, has become exclusively political fare for western consumption only. And we all are being devoured. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s extraordinarily hazardous to our health. In the name of religion this government is destroying your country, your children, and you. Say NO! Change your ID card. Don’t let the fascists label you! Become an OFFICAL secular Turk. You will be amazed at the results. And you will keep your spiritual beliefs in your heart where they belong.
    Cem Ryan, Ph.D.
    Istanbul
    30 May 2013
    Obama_Erdogan_baseball_stick

    “It’s a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.”

    untouchables
    Robert De Niro as Al Capone in The Untouchables
  • Letter to The Honorable Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey

    Letter to The Honorable Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey

    9 September 2012

     

    The Honorable Abdullah Gül

    T.C. Cumhurbaşkan

    06689 Çankaya

    Ankara

     

    Dear Mr. President,

    Would you allow me to show my concern about maintaining your well-deserved prestige and to tell you that your star which, until now, has shone so brightly, risks being dimmed by the most shameful and indelible of stains.

    You have passed healthy and safe from the troubles pertaining to your rise to the presidency. You seem to have won over the hearts of the citizens. But what filth this wretched “Syria Affair” has cast on your name and the name of your country. The government of Turkey, in primary collaboration with the government of the United States of America, has dared to attempt to destroy the duly constituted government of Syria. In that process it has funded, encouraged and armed a motley gang of terrorist killers that include numerous members of Al-Qaeda and other recognized terrorist groups. The Hatay region of Turkey is being used as a staging area for attacks on a neighboring country, a country that until recent months had enjoyed great favor with Turkey. Hatay, perhaps the most enlightened, peaceful region in Turkey, now is under occupation by gangs of terrorist killers. The people are regularly accosted on the streets by these ruffians, and asked if they are Alevites. You will be next, they are told. The shops and restaurants are being ripped off by these foreign mercenaries. Send the bill, to Tayyip, they say, He sent for us. And rather than protect the citizens the police turn a blind eye. What is going on, Mr. President? Who is ruling this country?

    Many innocent Syrian people, including my wife’s uncle in Damascus, have been murdered by this assembled-in-Turkey terrorist machine. Moreover, the good citizens of Hatay are daily threatened by this scum that the government of Turkey has organized, of course with the help of the CIA, proven by history to be experts in unspeakably violent subversions. This lawless behavior, indeed a crime against the Syrian people, and a war crime in terms of the Geneva Conventions, is the supreme insult to all truth, all justice, all morality and all religion. Now Turkey is willingly sullied by this filth. History will record that it was under your presidency that this crime against humanity was committed. Something must be done Mr. President.

    As these government and foreign operatives have dared to drag the reputation of Turkey through the filth of deceit, lies and murder, so shall I dare. Dare to tell the truth, as I swear to tell it, since the normal channels of the media and the Turkish justice system have failed so miserably to do so. My duty as a good citizen is to speak, and not become an accomplice to this murderous travesty of justice. My nights would otherwise be haunted by the spectre of innocent men, women and children, not so far away, suffering the most horrible tortures of war.

    And it is to you Mr. President, that I shall proclaim this truth, with all the revulsion that an honest man can summon. Knowing your integrity, I am sure that you do not know the truth. If you did, you would have long ago taken action against this blatant attack on Turkish sovereignty. The ruling power is complicit in this attack. And the opposition is hopelessly divided and incompetent. So to whom if not you, the first magistrate of this country, shall I reveal the vile baseness of those who are truly guilty, the ones steeped in innocent blood up to their elbows.

    As you know, Mr. President, the problem has always been Turkey. Blessed with abundant natural resources, an edenic environment for agriculture, waters teeming with fish, vast olive groves overlooking the sea, a winning warm water climate, the land nexus between east and west, Turkey has always been a target. And being a target is most uncomfortable and always susceptible to treachery.

    Since the death of the founder of modern Turkey, who tossed the imperialist occupying powers into the sea, Turkey has been in a state of decline, particularly regarding its susceptibility and submission to western interests. First it was Communism! Communism! Communism! And a nervous America needed an Islamic green buffer zone against godless Russia. So Turkey said Yes! Yes! Yes! Please forgive us for not joining all you western imperialists in World War II. Please allow us to become a “green zone.” And  please, please, please take some incredibly fertile land from our agricultural heart in Çukurova, eight kilometers east of Adana. And of course build your airbase, said Turkey, but please like us and respect us. So America built its airbase in the fertile heart of Turkey. And that was the beginning of America’s close relationship—meaning CIA involvement—with Turkey. Vital rural education programs were abandoned lest those evil Communists infiltrate. And in the villages, ignorance remained. And the politicians knew it. And the plunder began. And today, Mr. President, the headquarters for this foul deed being done to Syria, the Syrian people, and the Turkish people is at Incirlik Air Base. What goes around, comes around, Mr. President.

    At the root of it all is one man, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the head of the AKP ruling party and the prime minister of the Republic of Turkey. A man of bombast, scowls and ill-humor, he seems not to like anyone. It’s the strangest thing, Mr. President, to observe his grin when visiting the White House in Washington DC. And then the pain that comes to his face when he returns to his native land. He came to power in a landslide election in 2002 that was repeated four years later. Could it have something to do with the lack of education in the provinces, Mr. President? Since he came to power he has relentlessly embarked on a policy to divide and weaken the republic. I am sure you have noticed this, Mr. President. Haven’t you?

    Who is this man? Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, that he is grown so great?

    I suspect American hamburgers and hotdogs, Mr. President. For he and his ilk are of them. And now, during these days of tragedy, there are no longer any secrets, Mr. President.

    Who is this prime minister who so disparages, dismisses, defames and divides, to wit:

    • What head of government would jail the senior officers and the command and general staff of a nation’s armed forces and within months enter a de facto war against its hitherto peaceful neighbor, Syria?
    • What head of government would actively solicit the entry into its country of known terrorists?
    • What head of government would defy the will of the people as expressed by the existence of a parliament by arming known terrorists at the behest of a foreign power, i.e., the United States of America?
    • What head of government would jail many hundreds of students for protesting their desire for a free education? Some are sentenced to as much as an eight year imprisonment for being members of a “terrorist” organization because they wore traditional poşhu headscarves.
    • Who is this prime minister of a secular, democratic, equal rights espousing country who:
    • In Istanbul 2010 International Women’s Day, opined to a conference of representatives of women’s organizations that women are not equal to men. His wife sat stoically on the dais.
    • On International Women’s Day, 2008 encouraged women to have three and even better, five, children each.
    • On 16 August 2008, called martyred (killed in action) Turkish soldiers “kelle”, a derogatory expression likening them to heads of cattle.
    • In 2011 changed the name of the Ministry for Women and Family to the Ministry of Family and Social Policies thus further effacing and disparaging women.
    • In 2011 on International Women’s Day, he was asked why honor killings had increased 14 fold since 2002 under his regime. In bizarre logic, the prime minister said the enormous increase was because more murders were being reported, thus apparently both praising and loathing improved administrative procedures.
    • After the Turkish Air Force with the help of American “intelligence” from drone observation aircraft bombed and killed 34 innocent Kurdish citizens on 28 December 2011 in Uludere, the prime minister announced his opposition to abortion preposterously likening it to rape. He thus deflected attention from the massive loss of life caused by the Turkish military.  No viable explanation has yet been given.
    • In 2011, in a gross demonstration of his Taliban state of mind, the prime minister ordered the destruction of The Statue of Humanity by the acclaimed sculptor Mehmet Aksoy. The statue stood in Kars on the Armenian border. The prime minister called the statue dedicated to Turkish-Armenian peace, “ucube,” a “freak.”
    • And now, in primary collusion with agents of the United States of America, the prime minister and his oh-so-willing underlings have launched an illegal, unconstitutional aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic, a sovereign nation. Can they have so soon forgotten the international crime and human disaster that such illegal recklessness brought to the innocent Iraqi people? Have they so quickly become emboldened to disregard the will of the Turkish people who so courageously chose not to collaborate with the western rape of Iraq in 2003?
    • And now, in primary collusion with agents of the United States of America, the prime minister and his oh-so-willing underlings have launched an illegal, unconstitutional aggression against the Syrian Arab Republic, a sovereign nation. Can they have so soon forgotten the international crime and human disaster that such illegal recklessness brought to the innocent Iraqi people? Have they so quickly become emboldened to disregard the will of the Turkish people who so courageously chose not to collaborate with the western rape of Iraq in 2003?
    • Has he forgotten the many historical foreign connivances of America? Has he forgotten the murderous campaigns of subversion that featured ruthless CIA involvement? Has he forgotten the American CIA killer-puppet Pinochet? Has he forgotten the destabilizing bombings, the tortures, the disappearances of pregnant women who were executed after giving birth, their children re-engineered for the “new” Argentine society? Has he forgotten the School of the Americas at Ft. Benning, Georgia, a state terrorist training camp? How about the KUBARK program, the CIA how-to-do-it interrogation manual, the book that destroys victims’ minds? Deep, disorienting shocks, day and night jumbled, electroshock, humiliation, silence, noise, sensory deprivation, the slow destruction of brains, has he remembered any of this? And now Turkey has the very same type of organization teaching assassination, sabotage and terror. Mr. President, in times like these we must remember our Nietzsche: “He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.”
    • Has he forgotten Iran (1953), Guatemala (1954), Cuba (1959-present), Congo (1960), Cambodia (1961-73), Brazil (1965), Argentina (1976), Indonesia (1965), Vietnam (1961-74), Laos (1961-73), Cambodia (1961-73), Greece (1946-81), Chile (1973), Afghanistan (1979-present), El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua (1980s), Grenada (1983), Turkey (1980-present), Agfhanistan (1979-89) (2001-present) and Iraq (1991-present)? These are all victims of terror American style.
    • Has he forgotten the human wreckage caused by these American assaults? Surely he remembers the horror that America brought to Turkey in 1980, the torture, the mass imprisonment, the executions? Has the prime minister not had his fill of the criminal antics of the USA and its CIA? Most of humanity has, Mr. President? Have you?

    And now Syria, a new horror brought to the Syrian people courtesy of Turkey and America.

    And of course, the not-so-secret planning that turns out to be so terribly fatal. Earlier this year, General Dempsey, David Petraeus, now the CIA capo, and Hillary Clinton came to town, and came to down, and still come to town. A typical American foreign policy team, one civilian and two generals. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Mr. President, American foreign policy has shrunken to its bare essentials: military muscle-flexing and threats. Culturally insensitive and hopelessly hypocritical, it relies on force alone. In between these American visits the Turkish foreign minister feverishly visited Washington. Their cartoonish visits are insulting to Turkey. Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Mu’ammar al-Khaddafi Human Rights Award winner for 2010, soon after the award ceremony ended commenced raining bombs on al-Khaddafi’s head. He then proceeded (like Hillary Clinton) to celebrate his former host’s murder by evisceration via sodomy with various sharp instruments. Then he turned his invective on his former Syrian friend, Bashar al-Assad. How seductive must be the eye-popping smiles of that most incompetent, amoral American secretary of state.

    The deep and treacherous pockets of Saudi Arabia and America’s other military stooge, Qatar, would provide the financing of their fellow Arab neighbor’s demise. In violation of its constitution Turkey now provides a safe haven for the so-called Free Syrian Army, a collection of mercenaries and terrorists dredged up by the collective intelligence services of Turkey, the USA, Israel, and any other western jackals that want some of the action. How does such a safe haven in Hatay differ from the safe haven provided to the PKK in Iraq? Make no mistake, Mr. President, the Free Syrian Army is the equivalent in every way of the America-financed mujadhideen, the “freedom fighters” of the 1980s war in Afghanistan. And venal Turkish businessmen, having been denied projects in Iraq due to governmental blundering, rub their hands together anticipating post-war reconstruction contracts in Syria.

    And lately, again the CIA visited Turkey in the form of its boss, the military man, the general, David Petraeus, a man who as an honorable West Point cadet swore to not lie, cheat or steal, all of which he now does with wanton abandon for his country. Who would not say that this man has not become a monster? And the day after Petraeus left, the prime minister suddenly became a latter-day Mehmet the Conqueror shouting that “In a short time we will go to Damascus and God willing pray in the Emevi mosque.” And a day later 25 soldiers were exploded into very small pieces carrying ammunition in an armory in the middle of the night in Afyonkarahisar. A minister blamed God. The commanding general blamed the media. As usual, all explanations were garbled. As usual, the circumstances are highly suspicious. As usual, an investigation is pending. Chaos, chaos, always the chaos.

    Isn’t this all this a disgusting business, Mr. President?

    Of course, Mr. President, all the posturing about meetings and speeches are hoaxes. This rape of Syria was cooked long ago in Washington. How so? On 20 August 2012 a car bomb exploded in downtown Gaziantep. Warnings had been issued weeks ago that this would. But despite this “intelligence,” the car bomb was carried by a flat-bed truck and offloaded in front of the police station. So much for being alert. Nine people were killed, scores injured. But suddenly something spilled out of a blacker-than-black bag. It seems that three American neo-con think tanks (the Brookings Institute, the America Enterprise Institute and the War Studies Institute) had figured it out in advance months ago at a Washington DC conference. It was attended by representatives from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. First it was called a “scenario,” later a “plan,” then, amazingly, it wasn’t called anything. It just disappeared, never to be mentioned again.

    What’s the difference? Well, hundreds of generals and other senior staff officers remain jailed because of a laughable military coup “scenario” called “Sledgehammer” (Balyoz). This cartoon involved bombing mosques and shooting down Turkish planes. The so-called evidence was slathered across on the front page of so-called newspapers like Taraf, Mr. President. Hundreds of senior officers were arrested, Mr. President! A mammoth investigation and round-up ensued. The army’s command and general staff was purged. But about the American bomb “scenario?” Nothing! The story ran in the press for one day. After that a great silence has prevailed. Why, Mr. President? No arrests. No investigation. No questions. And soon thereafter the CIA’s David Petraeus came to town again, this time peddling another deceitful scheme. How disgusting, Mr. President.

    And guess what familiar names surround the think-tank bomb fiasco? Richard Perle of the 1980 Turkish military coup infamy, Eric Edelman and Douglas Feith, neo-con diplomatic thugs from the recent Bush regime. It all smells to the highest of heavens, Mr. President.

    This is the plain truth, Mr. President, and it is terrifying. It will leave an indelible stain on your presidency. I realize that you may have no direct power over this issue, that you may be limited by the Constitution and your entourage. You have, nonetheless, your duty as a man, which you will recognize and fulfill. As for myself, I have not despaired in the least of the triumph of the right and justice. I say with the most vehement of conviction: truth is on the march, and nothing will stop it. Today is only the beginning, for it is only today that the positions have become clear: on one side, those who are guilty, who do not want the light to shine forth, who crave war and power, on the other hand, those who seek justice and peace and eschew the disgusting laws of the jungle.

    Yes, Mr. President, truth is on the march. The full deception is apparent. And now the Turkish government stands alone in the eyes of the world as a deceiver par excellence. A conniver for the base interests of its American boss. A subversive conspirer who illegally arms, quarters and trains secret terror forces, and by doing so subverts its own constitution. How can this not be treason, Mr. President?

    Mr. President, when the truth is buried underground by lies and deceptions and subterfuges, it grows and builds up so much force that the day it explodes it blasts everything with it. We shall see whether we have been setting ourselves up for the most resounding of disasters. Sadly, it seems clear that Turkey is well along its own road to perdition.

    Today, the endgame now rages inside and outside Turkey. The dangers to the nation and its citizens are clear and present and deadly. And all these dangers lay bare the full deceit of the plan. All is now in plain sight, particularly the vastness of the crimes.

    Herein follows some of the international laws and agreements possibly broken by this violent, criminal cabal organized and directed by the United States of America and the Republic of Turkey, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and The State of Qatar, among others. These are the laws and statutes possibly breached by this vile bunch, headquartered in Istanbul and Incirlik Air Base in Adana. And whose international terrorist militants who are trained and staged in the Hatay region in southeastern Turkey. Of course, there are other higher level operators far distant from Turkey that can easily be traced through the nefarious deeds of their hired henchmen. We know who they are, and where they are, Mr. President. Their list of offenses is long and grievous, Mr. President, particularly for a nation whose government takes great pride in its religious piety.

    I accuse this monstrous cabal of possible crimes against the following standards of civilized behavior.

     

    CRIMES AGAINST MANKIND

    Realizing that the Republic of Turkey is the sole operator within your jurisdiction, I nevertheless accuse all the above mentioned parties and their agents of committing the crime of naked, treacherous aggression, of committing crimes against peace, of committing crimes against humanity, and of committing war crimes against the Syrian people of catastrophic proportions. These grave offenses are described in greater particularity as follows:

    The Constitution of the Republic of Turkey

    Declaration of State of War and Authorization to Deploy the Armed Forces

    Article 92.

    1. The power to authorize the declaration of a state of war in cases deemed legitimate by international law and except where required by international treaties to which Turkey is a party or by the rules of international courtesy to send Turkish Armed Forces to foreign countries and to allow foreign armed forces to be stationed in Turkey, is vested in the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
    2. If the country is subjected, while the Turkish Grand National Assembly is adjourned or in recess, to sudden armed aggression and it thus becomes imperative to decide immediately on the deployment of the armed forces, the President of the Republic can decide on the mobilization of the Turkish Armed Forces.

     

    United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3314: Definition of Aggression

    Aggression is the use of armed force by a State against the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence of another State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Charter of the United Nations.

     

    Charter of the United Nations

    Chapter VII: Action with respect to threats to peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression

    Article 40.

    In order to prevent an aggravation of the situation, the Security Council may, before making the recommendations or deciding upon the measures provided for in Article 39, call upon the parties concerned to comply with such provisional measures as it deems necessary or desirable. Such provisional measures shall be without prejudice to the rights, claims, or position of the parties concerned. The Security Council shall duly take account of failure to comply with such provisional measures.

     

    International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

    Article 20.

    1. Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
    2. Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.

     

    Nuremberg Tribunal Charter
    The Tribunal established by the Agreement referred to Article 1 hereof for the trial and punishment of the major war criminals of the European Axis countries shall have the power to try and punish persons who, acting in the interests of the European Axis countries, whether as individuals or as members of organizations, committed any of the following crimes.

    The following acts, or any of them, are crimes coming within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal for which there shall be individual responsibility:

    (a) Crimes Against Peace: namely, planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the foregoing;

    (b) War Crimes: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;

    (c)Crimes Against Humanity: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

    Leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts performed by any persons in execution of such plan.

    Note: the above provisions were codified as legal principles by the International Law Commission of the United Nations.

     

    Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol 1) (2nd part)

    Article 50. Definition of civilians and civilian population

    1. A civilian is any person who does not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to in Article 4 A (1), (2), (3) and (6) of the Third Convention and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In case of doubt whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be considered to be a civilian.

    2. The civilian population comprises all persons who are civilians.

    3. The presence within the civilian population of individuals who do not come within the definition of civilians does not deprive the population of its civilian character.

     

    Article 51. Protection of the civilian population

    1. The civilian population and individual civilians shall enjoy general protection against dangers arising from military operations. To give effect to this protection, the following rules, which are additional to other applicable rules of international law, shall be observed in all circumstances.

    2. The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack. Acts or threats of violence the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population are prohibited.

    3. Civilians shall enjoy the protection afforded by this Section, unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.

    4. Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited. Indiscriminate attacks are:

       (a) Those which are not directed at a specific military objective;

       (b) Those which employ a method or means of combat which cannot be directed at a specific military objective;

       (c)  Those which employ a method or means of combat the effects of which cannot be limited as required by this Protocol; and consequently, in each such case, are of a nature to strike military objectives and civilians or civilian objects without distinction.

    5. Among others, the following types of attacks are to be considered as indiscriminate:

    (a) An attack by bombardment by any methods or means which treats as a single military objective a number of clearly separated and distinct military objectives located in a city, town, village or other area containing a similar concentration of civilians or civilian objects; and

       (b) An attack which may be expected to cause incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians, damage to civilian objects, or a combination thereof, which would be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated.

    6. Attacks against the civilian population or civilians by way of reprisals are prohibited.

    7. The presence or movements of the civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used to render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in particular in attempts to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not direct the movement of the civilian population or individual civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives from attacks or to shield military operations.

    8. Any violation of these prohibitions shall not release the Parties to the conflict from their legal obligations with respect to the civilian population and civilians, including the obligation to take the precautionary measures provided for in Article 57.

     

    Article 52. General protection of civilian objects

    1. Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals. Civilian objects are all objects which are not military objectives as defined in paragraph 2.

    2. Attacks shall be limited strictly to military objectives. In so far as objects are concerned, military objectives are limited to those objects which by their nature, location, purpose or use make an effective contribution to military action and whose total or partial destruction, capture or neutralization, in the circumstances ruling at the time, offers a definite military of advantage.

    3. In case of doubt whether an object which is normally dedicated to civilian purposes, such as a place of worship, a house or other dwelling or a school, is being used to make an effective contribution to military action, it shall be presumed not to be so used.

     

    Article 57. Precautions in attack

    1. In the conduct of military operations, constant care shall be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.

    2. With respect to attacks, the following precautions shall be taken:

    (a) Those who plan or decide upon an attack shall:

    (i) Do everything feasible to verify that the objectives to be attacked are neither civilians nor civilian objects and are not subject to special protection but are military objectives within the meaning of paragraph 2 of Article 52 and that it is not prohibited by the provisions of this Protocol to attack them;

         (ii) Take all feasible precautions in the choice of means and methods of attack with a view to avoiding, and in any event to minimizing, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects;

     

    The Nuremberg Principles

    These principles define a crime against peace as the “planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression, or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements, or assurances, or participation in a common plan or conspiracy for accomplishment of any of the forgoing.”

    Mr. President, these are grievous, heavy offenses. I well realize that some, in particular the government of the United States, may consider them to have become “quaintly” obsolete. But that is not the opinion of the overwhelming majority of mankind and its nations. I have hitherto considered the Republic of Turkey to be among those nations advocating the primacy of the rule of law. Unfortunately, given the current situation, I am no longer so sure.

    Finally, I must turn to another aspect of morality, the concept of divine justice. Because of the outrageous hypocrisy of the accused parties these are the most disgusting and egregious of charges, Mr. President.

     

    CRIMES AGAINST GOD

    I accuse these Turkish ringleaders and their murderous operators, these so-called Muslims who take such great public pride in proclaiming their faith while reviling the faith of others, in particular, the Alevites, I accuse these blatant hypocrites of sinning against the word of God as revealed by his esteemed prophet, Muhammad, as proscribed by the following verses of the Holy Koran:

    Sura 4:92 that says “It is unlawful for a believer to kill another believer.”

    Sura 4:93 that says “He that kills a believer by design shall burn in Hell forever. He shall incur the wrath of God, who will lay his curse upon him and prepare for him a mighty scourge.”

    Sura 5:60 that says “Shall I tell you who will receive a worse reward from God? Those whom God has cursed and with whom He has been angry, transforming them into apes and swine, and those who serve the devil. Worse is the plight of these, and they have strayed farther from the right path.”

    Sura 49:11 that says “Do not defame one another…”

    Only God can judge them. And God will do it in God’s good time. But in the meantime, while these so-called Muslims and their non-Muslim supporters, advisors, financers and protectors still live in this world so should they be compelled to adhere to the laws of this world else we all become like them, demons and monsters.

    I realize that this letter is long. But so is the list of transgressions against humanity by the current Turkish government and its enablers. I have but one passion, Mr. President, the search for light, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My protest is simply the cry of my very soul.

    With my deepest respect, Mr. President,

     

    James (Cem) Ryan, Ph.D.

    Founder, West Point Graduates Against the War

     

     

     

    PS. With apologies and thanks to Emile Zola who would surely understand.

     

    Cc.  International Criminal Court, Office of the Prosecutor, The Hague, The Netherlands

     

  • Turks march in Paris to denounce genocide bill

    Turks march in Paris to denounce genocide bill

    paris 1PARIS (AP) — Thousands of Turks from across Europe marched through the French capital Saturday denouncing a bill that would make it a crime to deny that the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks nearly a century ago was genocide.

    Turks young and old, waving their country’s red flag, or wrapped in it, marched to the Senate, where the bill will be debated Monday after passage in December in the lower house.

    paris 2They carried banners reading “No to Sarkozy Shame Law,” ”History for Historians, Politics for Politicians” or other slogans denouncing an alleged bid by President Nicolas Sarkozy to “fish for votes” among French Armenians before the two-round presidential elections in April and May.

    Critics claim the real aim of the bill is to ensure votes for PresidentNicolas Sarkozy from French Armenians in the two-round presidential elections in April and May. An estimated 500,000 Armenians live in France.

    The measure would make it a crime to deny that mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks constitute genocide. It sets a punishment of up to one year in prison and a fine of €45,000 ($59,000) for those who deny or “outrageously minimize” the killings — putting such action on par with denial of the Holocaust.

    France formally recognized the 1915 killings as genocide in 2001, but provided no penalty for anyone refuting that.

    Despite the passing of nearly 100 years since the killings, the issue remains a deeply emotional one for Armenians who lost loved ones and for Turks who see a challenge to their national honor.

    An irate Turkey briefly recalled its ambassador to France and suspended military, economic and political ties.

    “Politicians who haven’t read an article on this say there was a genocide,” said Beyhan Yildirim, 35, a demonstrator from Berlin. He was among those bused into Paris from Germany and elsewhere for Saturday’s march.

    Scores of buses from France, Germany and elsewhere lined the streets of southern Paris where the march began.

    Armenians plan a demonstration near the Senate on Monday before the debate and vote.

    It was unclear whether the measure would get the easy ride it did in the National Assembly, the lower but more powerful house.

    The Senate is controlled by the rival Socialists who had earlier backed the bill. However, the Senate Commission on Laws voted against its passage last week, saying the measure risks violating constitutional protections including freedom of speech. The question is whether the Socialists will heed the recommendations if only because the issue is becoming an electoral hot potato.

    Compromising freedom of expression in France, considered the cradle of human rights, has been a key argument of the Turkish government against the measure.

    It is unclear whether lawmakers in the National Assembly had an inkling in advance that their vote giving the green light to the bill would trigger a diplomatic dispute. There appeared to be less than 100 lawmakers present for the Dec. 22 vote — out of 577.

    Fadime Ertugrul-Tastan, deputy mayor of small Normandy town of Herouville, was among those demonstrating against the bill on Saturday, wearing the blue, white and red sash of French officials.

    She said her family hailed from Kars, near the Armenian border, and her grandparents were killed by Armenians.

    “I am here to honor their memory,” she said, adding, “There was no genocide because we were in a period of war.”

  • Difficulties of regime change in Turkey

    Difficulties of regime change in Turkey

    I was in Berlin last week to attend a panel discussion on “Turkey after the June 12 elections” organized jointly by the German Orient Institute and the Intercultural Dialogue Forum supported by the Fethullah Gülen faith-based social movement.

     

    The panel discussion was held on June 27 in a conference hall at the German Parliament. Among other questions I, of course, was asked about the crisis created by nearly a third of the 550 elected deputies belonging to the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and pro-Kurdish independent deputies refusing to be sworn in to the new parliament. This was my response.

    In the 21st century Turkey is involved in a gradual regime change. It is moving away from a kind of democracy under a military-bureaucratic tutelage toward a liberal and pluralist democracy. It is becoming evident at each step, however, that this transition is not at all an easy affair. The basic assurance for the eventual success of the transition is the strong support by the people of all social segments and regions. The elites of Turkey are, however, split (to this or that extent) between the supporters of the “old” and “new” emerging regime. This split runs across the military, judicial, economic, academic, journalistic and cultural elites and even political parties.

    The party that reflects this split best is the CHP. Following the election of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as chairman in May 2010, the CHP took significant steps towards renewing its leadership and discourse towards committing itself to a liberal and pluralist democracy, away from being a major bastion for the old regime of tutelage. This move was, however, fraught with contradictions and inconsistencies at nearly every step. Deputy Chairman Sezgin Tanrıkulu declared in January 2011, “Suspects in the Ergenekon judicial case cannot be released from detention even if they are elected to Parliament.” Mr. Kılıçdaroğlu stated just a week before the election, “The Ergenekon suspects cannot join Parliament if the courts do not allow them.” Why then did the CHP nominate persons suspected of belonging to the Ergenekon criminal network, which was plotting the overthrow of the elected government, and why do the CHP deputies refuse to be sworn in to Parliament in protest of the court’s decision not to release the Ergenekon suspects? One response that is gaining ground is that advocates of the “old regime” (if you wish, the Ergenekon mindset) have recaptured the CHP and are attempting to altogether discredit the judicial case against the Ergenekon criminal network. What seems highly likely, however, is that the fight between the “old CHP” and the “new CHP” (which reportedly opposed the nomination of the Ergenekon suspects) will continue and perhaps lead to the splitting of the party.

    The struggle between the “old” and the “new” is observed also in the ranks of the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP). The BDP, by including former critics of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Turkish socialists and representatives of religious minorities among its nominees for Parliament, took a major step towards committing itself to democratic parliamentary politics. By pursuing such a “broad front” election strategy the BDP managed to get elected 36 out of 62 independent candidates it supported, thereby successfully surmounting the 10 percent threshold designed to keep it out of the Parliament.

    Surely, the fact that the Supreme Election Board (YSK) first endorsed the candidacy of Mr. Hatip Dicle, detained for violating the draconian Anti-Terror Law, to later annul his election, upon learning about a past conviction that bars him from Parliament, is an injustice that needs to be redressed. Surely, the Anti-Terror Law, a bastion of the “old regime,” needs to be amended to comply with the requirements of a democratic society. But if these are its real aims, shouldn’t the BDP engage in Parliament’s work rather than boycott it? It is clear that the BDP has not yet entirely overcome the habits and methods related to the “old regime.”

    And how about the governing Justice and Development Party (AK Party)? Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government have provided great services to the country, and so the people, half of the country, both Turks and Kurds, rewarded him with a strong mandate to help make Turkey one of the most advanced economies and democracies in the world in time for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic, as he dreams of. This strong mandate, however, also implies huge responsibility. Erdoğan cannot achieve his dream for 2023 without adopting an entirely new and democratic constitution that meets the democratic demands of Kurdish citizens and without paving the way for the PKK to lay down its arms and engage in peaceful politics.

    Erdoğan is Turkey’s leader. Overcoming the crisis created by the CHP and BDP is his responsibility before anybody else’s. He has pledged to lead the adoption of a new and democratic constitution through dialogue and a broad consensus among all political parties and civil society groups. The resolution of the current crisis through dialogue with the CHP and BDP can help open the way for building broad consensus for a democratic constitution. The crisis may thus be turned into an opportunity.zaman

  • Amid parliament boycott, Turkey enters uncertain period

    Amid parliament boycott, Turkey enters uncertain period

    Just weeks after Turkey’s election, the refusal of two opposition parties to swear into parliament sparks a political crisis.

    By Alakbar Raufoglu for Southeast European Times — 30/06/11

    ”]photo  Turkey's President Abdullah Gul (left) met with main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on Thursday (June 30th). [Reuters]President Abdullah Gul met with main opposition CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Thursday (June 30th), hoping to find a way to solve the boycott crisis in the 24th Parliament, which has ominously marked the beginning of the ruling AKP’s third term.

    Gul will meet with Ahmet Turk and Serafettin Elci, representatives of the pro-Kurdish BDP, on Friday (July 1st).

    The walkout revolves around six members of the BDP, including Hatip Dicle, and two from CHP, who are being prevented from swearing in as parliamentary deputies despite being democratically elected. All these deputies are currently imprisoned; the BDP group was accused of having connections to the terror group PKK, while the CHP individuals are implicated in the Ergenekon scandal.

    The dialog between the AKP and CHP started on Wednesday with a meeting among Haluk Ipek, State Minister Cemil Cicek, and Kilicdaroglu at the parliament.

    “Their [AKP leaders] behaviour and words are not consistent,” CHP Deputy Chairman Faik Oztrak told SETimes, adding, instead of questioning the opposition for nominating jailed candidates, the government should release them.

    “We’re behind our decisions,” he says. “If no step is taken, the CHP MP’s will continue to refuse swearing in, although they will attend the General Assembly. This is shameful for Turkish democracy.”

    Unlike CHP, their Kurdish colleagues did not show up in Ankara early this week, convening instead in Diyarbakir.

    Ibrahim Binici, BDP MP from Sanliurfa, says the boycott “will continue until the end, unless a democratic atmosphere is provided by both the AKP and through laws and regulation”.

    “We didn’t earn our parliament seats by weapons, but democratic ways — we went to people and asked their permission,” he told SETimes, adding, “Now, we can’t betray voters.”

    Binici said they also believe the relevant articles of the Turkish Penal Code, the Terror Law and constitution should be reconsidered in a way to open parliament’s doors to Dicle.

    Mustafa Elitas, AKP parliamentary group deputy chairman, however, warns the opposition “is committing a constitutional crime by their actions”.

    “They are doing wrong,” he told SETimes. “Our message to them is ‘do not use threats. Take the oath and bring your proposal to parliament.’”

    “By choosing the imprisoned candidates during the election, the CHP and BDP triggered this crisis […] and now they want us to fix it for them.”

    “It is not the end of parliament without CHP and BDP taking oaths,” Elitas says, adding that next Monday they are going to elect the speaker of parliament and “continue our responsibility by serving our voters”.

    Gareth Jenkins, an Istanbul-based British analyst, says it looks as though the CHP will not object to the AKP’s choice of parliamentary speaker, which was discussed in the Kilicdaroglu-Cicek meeting.

    “This could create an atmosphere more conducive to solving the problem of the imprisoned elected deputies. Parliament is due to go into recess for the summer anyway. So there is time to solve this [prisoner MPs] problem before it returns from recess in the fall,” he told SETimes.

    The much greater problem is the case of Dicle, he says, which had already sent tensions soaring even before the courts refused to release the five imprisoned BDP deputies.

    Gerald Robbins, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, argues that besides having been duly elected, the BDP and CHP perceive a double standard. That is Erdogan being released from prison to run for prime minister in 2003.

    “Furthermore there’s a concern the ruling AKP will replace these deputies and inevitably the whole BDP parliamentary contingent with their own people, allowing them to be within striking distance of a two thirds majority which can allow them the ability to govern by decree,” he told SETimes.

    As for the CHP, Robbins says the party is having post-election factional problems: one side is demanding new leadership, believing the election results were disappointing and a new chairman is needed.

    “It might well be that Mr. Kilicdaroglu needs to show a toughness to these detractors by not sitting in parliament with a government that has imprisoned their cadre. What transpires from Mr. Kilicdaroglu’s meeting with AKP officials may be an indicator of how secure his position is as chairman.”

    This content was commissioned for SETimes.com.

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