Military Resistance:

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10.18.12

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Military Resistance 10J9

Suicide Attack Killed Female Soldier From St. Pete, Says U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young:
Things Have Gone Wrong In Afghanistan
Too Many People Are Ignoring That Fact, And Suggesting That Its Not That Bad. But It Is That Bad
October 16, 2012 By Kameel Stanley, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG

A local soldier killed in Afghanistan on Saturday died in a suicide bomb attack, U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young told the Tampa Bay Times on Monday night. Earlier Monday evening, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a news release saying that Army Spc. Brittany B. Gordon died from injuries caused by an improvised explosive device in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The military provided no other details. Contacted by phone later that night, Young, R-Indian Shores, told the Times that military officials had advised him that the IED came from a suicide bomber. It is not one that was planted as a mine. The person was wearing a suicide vest. This is also considered an IED, said Young, who chairs the House defense appropriations subcommittee. The attack occurred when a delegation including U.S. coalition members arrived to deliver furniture to an intelligence office in the Maruf district, a remote area of Kandahar providence, Afghan officials said. The attacker wore a suicide vest beneath his intelligence service uniform, which he detonated shortly after the delegation arrived. Killed in the attack were the U.S. soldier, a former U.S. military officer, the deputy intelligence director for Kandahar providence, two of his bodyguards and another Afghan intelligence employee. This was the first attack this year by an intelligence service employee to result in the death of international service members. Generally the intelligence service, known as the National Directorate of Security, is thought to vet its employees more thoroughly than the Afghan army and police. In this case the target appears to have been the Afghan agents, officials said. Haji Malim Toorylai, the Maruf district chief, said, The man believed he was attacking the NDS delegation; he probably was not aware of the foreign soldiers coming with them. The man who carried out the attack was named Abdul Wali and was from Zirak, a village in Maruf, said Toorylai. Maruf, the easternmost district in Kandahar province, is sandwiched between Pakistans ungoverned tribal areas and Afghanistans Zabul province, a rural desert area where the Taliban have a strong presence. Gordon is the daughter of St. Petersburg assistant police chief Cedric Gordon and his former wife, Brenda Gordon. The 24-year-old grew up in St. Petersburg and graduated from St. Petersburg High School in 2006. She is the first female soldier from the Tampa Bay area killed in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her family was notified of her death Saturday. Her remains arrived early Monday morning at Dover Air Force Base.

Family members said Brittany Gordons parents met the body in Delaware. Services have not been announced yet. I know that Chief Gordon was extremely proud of Brittany and all that she accomplished in her life, police Chief Chuck Harmon said in a statement. Her life of service and especially service to her country stand as a testament to the type of person she was. Family friend Cynthia Jolliff-Johnson said Brittany Gordon was vivacious. She was kind. She was compassionate. She really had a joie de vivre, Jolliff-Johnson said. Gordon joined the military in 2010. This was her first deployment. She was assigned to the 572 Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, the military said. Gordon worked in military communications, relatives said. She was scheduled to return home in December. Some 20,000 of the 205,000 service members serving in Afghanistan are women, according to the Department of Defense. Pentagon statistics show that, as of Monday, 152 military women have been killed and 947 wounded in combat and noncombat incidents in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Defense Department says there have been more than 2,000 total military deaths in Afghanistan. Gordon is the 12th female soldier from Florida to die in the wars. Young became a critic of the nations war in Afghanistan last month after he received a letter from Staff Sgt. Matthew Sitton of Largo, who told him of the carnage caused by IEDs. Sitton was later killed by one. Things have gone wrong in Afghanistan, Young said Monday night. Something has to change. Too many people are ignoring that fact, and suggesting that its not that bad. But it is that bad. Young said he spent time with Cedric Gordon last week when they met to talk about honoring fallen police officers. Young said it was apparent he was a proud father. Young said the deaths of Sitton and Brittany Gordon reinforce his new position on the war. It makes it very personal, Young said. The Gordon case brings it even closer to home.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

CIA Operative And A U.S. Military Intelligence Specialist Killed By Insurgent Insider Attack:
The Bombing Highlighted The Talibans Ability To Penetrate The CIA-Backed Intelligence Service That Is Tasked With Weeding Out Such Infiltrators
It Means Theyre Penetrating The NDS, The Ex-Official Said. Thats Not A Good Sign
At the camp, as at bases throughout the country, Afghan and American areas now are separated by barbed wire and checkpointseven as posters proclaim that the two militaries are standing shoulder to shoulder. October 17, 2012 By YAROSLAV TROFIMOV And SIOBHAN GORMAN, Wall Street Journal & by Adam Ashton, The News Tribune. [Excerpts] KABULAn insider attack that killed four Afghan intelligence officials Saturday also led to the death of a Central Intelligence Agency operative and a U.S. military intelligence specialist, said people familiar with the incident. The bombing, carried out by a uniformed member of Afghanistans National Directorate of Security spy agency, highlighted the Talibans ability to penetrate the CIA-backed intelligence service that is tasked with weeding out such infiltrators. The attackin the Maaruf district of Kandahar province, a remote area near Pakistan came as a U.S. Chinook helicopter was depositing Afghan and U.S. officials at a local outpost. The delegation, including U.S. members, arrived to deliver furniture to an intelligence office.

The attacker wore a suicide vest beneath his intelligence service uniform, which he detonated shortly after the delegation arrived. The Afghan fatalities included the deputy provincial NDS chief and the agencys provincial head of operations, an official familiar with the incident said. The Department of Defense identified the U.S. military casualty of Saturdays attack as Spc. Brittany B. Gordon, 24, of St. Petersburg, Fla., assigned to the 572 Military Intelligence Company, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The second American killed in the bombing was a 42-year-old former Army officer who was a CIA officer deployed in Afghanistan, people familiar with the incident said. The CIA helped establish the NDS shortly after the 2001 U.S. invasion. It is mentoring and developing the Afghan spy service, which, in addition to gathering intelligence, has a large paramilitary branch. So-called insider attacks have surged in recent months, with well over 50 coalition troops murdered by their Afghan comrades-in-arms since the year began. The NDS, seen as the most loyal and carefully vetted of Afghanistans military and security forces, has been deploying agents throughout Afghanistans police and army in recent months, trying to catch Taliban infiltrators before they turn their weapons on Americans. Though NDS is supposed to be better vetted than the army and the police, it has also grown rapidly. In the south, the NDS isnt as good at vetting its officers, a former senior U.S. intelligence official said. It means theyre penetrating the NDS, the ex-official said. Thats not a good sign. Insider violence by Taliban infiltrators and sympathizers within Afghan ranks has become a strategic obstacle in the Afghan campaign, prompting the coalition commander, U.S. Marine Gen. John Allen, last month to severely curtail joint operations between Afghan and U.S. forces against the Taliban. The restrictions have since been somewhat relaxed, but a climate of fear and distrust still permeates many military bases. Its an elephant in the room. I dont think it will ever go back to where it was, said U.S. Marine Col. Frank Charlonis, who advises the chief of staff of the 215th Afghan army corps at the Camp Leatherneck/Camp Bastion base in Helmand province. While U.S. troops entering the Afghan side of the camp always carry their rifles these days, the Afghans weapons are usually locked up in armories, to minimize the potential for insider attacks. At the camp, as at bases throughout the country, Afghan and American areas now are separated by barbed wire and checkpointseven as posters proclaim that the two militaries are standing shoulder to shoulder.

AFP reports that the attack was carried out by an Afghan intelligence soldier who had been working for the government for eight years. Here are the key paragraphs from AFP: It was a suicide bomb attack that was carried out by one of our own staff, a senior member of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Haji Malim Toorylai, the Maruf district chief, said, The man believed he was attacking the NDS delegation; he probably was not aware of the foreign soldiers coming with them. The man who carried out the attack was named Abdul Wali and was from Zirak, a village in Maruf, said Toorylai. Maruf, the easternmost district in Kandahar province, is sandwiched between Pakistans ungoverned tribal areas and Afghanistans Zabul province, a rural desert area where the Taliban have a strong presence.

POLITICIANS REFUSE TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WAR

Desertions Cripple Afghan Army:

One Third Run Away Each Year;
Afghan Deserters Complain Of Corruption Among Their Officers, Poor Food And Equipment, Indifferent Medical Care

Most Troublingly, A Lack Of Belief In The Armys Ability To Fight The Insurgents
There Are Drug Traffickers Who Want To Use Our Units For Their Business, Enemy Infiltrators Who Want To Raise Problems
October 16, 2012 By Rod Nordland THE NEW YORK TIMES [Excerpts] KABUL, Afghanistan The first thing Col. Akbar Stanikzai does when he interviews recruits for the Afghan National Army is take their cellphones. He checks to see if the ringtones are Taliban campaign tunes, if the screen savers show the white Taliban flag on a black background, or if the phone memory includes any insurgent beheading videos. Often enough they flunk that first test, but that hardly means they will not qualify to join their countrys manpower-hungry military. Now at its biggest size yet, 195,000 soldiers, the Afghan army is so plagued with desertions and low re-enlistment rates that it has to replace a third of its entire force every year, officials say. The Afghan deserters complain of corruption among their officers, poor food and equipment, indifferent medical care, Taliban intimidation of their families and, probably most troublingly, a lack of belief in the armys ability to fight the insurgents after the U.S. military withdraws. There are drug traffickers who want to use our units for their business, enemy infiltrators who want to raise problems, jailbirds who cant find any other job, he said. During the same period, however, 30,000 applicants were approved. Recruitment, its like a machine, he said. If you stopped, it would collapse. Despite the challenges, so far the Afghan recruiting process is not only on track, but actually ahead of schedule. Afghanistans army reached its full authorized strength in June, three months early, though there are still no units that U.S. trainers consider able to operate entirely without NATO assistance.

According to Brig. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, the armys desertion rate is now 7 to 10 percent. Despite substantial pay increases for soldiers who agree to re-enlist, only about 75 percent do, he said. (Recruits commit to three years of service.) Put another way, a third of the Afghan army perpetually consists of first-year recruits fresh off a 10- to 12-week training course. And in the meantime, tens of thousands of men with military training are put at loose ends each year, albeit without their army weapons, in a country rife with militants who are always looking for help. Fortunately there are a lot of people who want a job with the army, and weve always managed to meet the goal set by the Ministry of Defense for us, said Gen. Abrahim Ahmadzai, the deputy commander of the National Recruiting Center. The countrys 34 provincial recruitment centers have a combined quota of 5,000 new recruits a month. Were not concerned about getting enough young men, Ahmadzai said, just as long as we get that $4.1 billion a year from NATO. That is the amount pledged by the United States and its allies to continue paying to cover the expenses of the Afghan military. In terms of soldiers pay, that underwrites $260 a month for the lowest ranks, which in Afghanistan is above-average pay for unskilled labor. A soldier who re-enlists would get a 23 percent raise, to at least $320 a month, more if he had been promoted. But even as pay rates have risen, so has attrition, which two years ago was 26 percent. The trend is troubling especially the desertions as Afghan forces have shouldered an increasing share of the fighting. U.S. officials have tried to persuade the Afghans to criminalize desertion in an effort to reduce it; instead, Afghan officials have proposed a four-year effort to order the recall of 22,000 deserters, according to Ahmadzai.

Insurgents Detonated Explosives Right In Front Of A Joint Base Shared By The Afghan Army And Foreign Forces, Wounding 45 Soldiers
October 17, 2012 REUTERS KHOST, Afghanistan - A bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a joint Afghan-U.S. base in the countrys east on Wednesday, wounding at least 45 Afghan soldiers, local officials said.

The Taliban took responsibility for the car bomb attack in the Zurmat district of Paktia province, saying they had also dispatched a group of fighters in explosive vests who managed to enter the base. A spokeswoman for NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said insurgents fired at the base after the explosion. The bomber detonated explosives right in front of a joint base shared by the Afghan army and foreign forces, wounding 45 soldiers, the deputy governor for Paktia, Gul Rahman Mangal, told Reuters.

Everyone Is Recruiting Spies In Kabul

The Sudden And Stunning Unraveling Of The Wests Afghan War Must Have Causes That Are Not Being Publicly Discussed
A Likely Cause Is The Growing Effectiveness Of The Espionage Efforts Of The Pro-Taliban Intelligence Services
14 October 2012 by Matthew J. Nasuti, Kabul Press [Excerpts] Everyone is recruiting spies in Kabul. Western security forces have almost certainly been penetrated. The primary foreign intelligence services are from Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan and the Taliban, and their targets are U.S. and NATO diplomats, along with military, civilian and contractor employees. Wars have been lost due to poor intelligence, due to turncoat spies and due to turncoat public officials (i.e., those who have turned away from the truth). The U.S. Government is breeding all of these conditions.

It is unlikely that the recent U.S. and NATO setbacks in the war and the Taliban successes could have occurred without enemy moles within the Western forces. An eventual history of this Afghan war will likely highlight the successful espionage efforts of the Taliban and its allies within Pakistans Inter-Service Intelligence agency (ISI). The year 2013 began with pronouncements from the Pentagon and the U.S. Department of State that President Obamas 2009 surge had been a success, that the Taliban were on the run and that the Afghan Government would be able to take full control of the country in 2014. Today, just ten months later, the Taliban are surging, and knowledgeable, independent analysts are predicting the collapse of the Afghan Government in 2014. The sudden and stunning unraveling of the Wests Afghan war must have causes that are not being publicly discussed. A likely cause is the growing effectiveness of the espionage efforts of the pro-Taliban intelligence services. Last month the Taliban staged their most successful attack of the war when they penetrated deep into joint base Camp Leatherneck/Camp Bastion and destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of attack aircraft and facilities. The first questions that investigators should have had are, How did they penetrate the base? and Did they have inside help from traitors? The conditions in the West in general and within the U.S. Government in particular are ideal for foreign recruitment. The Western economies are in shambles, therefore money and debts are mounting concerns. Due to drone strikes, Koran burnings, continued support for Central Asian and Persian Gulf despots, and increasing civilian casualties and corruption, the U.S. and Western efforts have lost their ethical luster. The CIAs drone strikes continue in Pakistan even though they violate international law. The U.S. continues to spend billions each week in Afghanistan while the U.S. poverty rate continues to rise. Federal bureaucrats spend lavish amounts of taxpayer funds on parties and conferences while Americans stand on unemployment lines.

Resistance Action

15 October 2012 Trend News Agency KABUL: Three Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and two more injured in separate IED strikes in various parts of the country, the Ministry of Defence said Sunday. A defence ministry press release available with the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) stated the ANA troops suffered casualties in IED strikes in Wardak, Helmand, Paktika and Ghazni provinces over the past 24 hours.

IF YOU DONT LIKE THE RESISTANCE END THE OCCUPATION

SOMALIA WAR REPORTS

Al-Shabaab Attacks Somali Govt Troops In Mogadishu

October 15, 2012 (Sh.M.Network) MOGADISHU Insurgents on Sunday night attacked, with rocked propelled grenade launchers on the barracks of Somali government forces in southern Mogadishu on Sunday night, leaving scores injured. The clashes broke out at dawn when heavily armed fighters from the Islamist movement Al-Shabaab launched an attack on soldiers stationed on one of the war-battered citys frontlines in the Hosh neighbourhood. Similarly, an attack took place at a government compound in Yaqshid district, north of Mogadishu, sparking a battle between Somali forces and their opposing Al shabab militants.

Insurgents Attack Somali Army Bases In Kismayo

October 15, 2012 (Sh.M.Network) String of attacks have rocked on Monday across Somalias southern port city of Kismayo, 500 Km south of Mogadishu, wounding scores of people, including government soldiers, Witnesses and Officials said.

Aden Hirse Rufle, the Somali army spokesman in Jubba regions, confirmed to the independent Shebelle Media Network station that Al shabab agents attacked with grenades on several army positions in the city overnight. The spokesman accused Al shabab of being behind the assaults, but declined to comment about the exact figures on the casualties following the attacks against their bases in Kismayo.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nations ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose. Frederick Douglass, 1852 It is a two class world and the wrong class is running it. -- Larry Christensen, Soldiers Of Solidarity & United Auto Workers

White Conservatives That Complain About Barack Obama Are Fools Blinded By Their Instinctive Racist Tendencies
It Has Been An Added Bonus For Conservatives And Liberals, Alike, That They Found A Brown Face Willing To Kill People More Aggressively, Overseas, Than His Dimwitted Predecessor
10/09/2012 by Solomon Comissiong, The Black Agenda Report Obama has allowed the fraudulent white liberals to sneak their policies and regressive positioning on race based issues into the USs communities of color. It has been an added bonus for conservatives and liberals, alike, that they found a brown face willing to kill people more aggressively, overseas, than his dimwitted predecessor. White conservatives that complain about Barack Obama are fools blinded by their instinctive racist tendencies. If they were not so damn racist they would realize that Obama is more friend than foe. Bail out amoral Wall Street institutions done! Expand the USs anti-worker and anti-labor rights so-called Free-Trade policies (like the South Korea, Colombia, Panama Free Trade Agreement) done! Pass a regressive health insurance reform bill that primarily benefits the greedy and unethical health insurance corporations done! Sign a nefarious National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that makes the Patriot Act look like Pee Wee Herman done! Kill US citizens extra-judiciously overseas done and done!

Ignore the suffering of black people in America and speak to them in a paternalistic tone that amuses white conservatives and makes white liberals comfortable done! And, yes, expand Americas white supremacist and imperialist theaters of war and kill more innocent civilians, by way of drones, than the half-witted George W. Bush done! What are these white conservatives complaining about? Barack Obama is their man. They even have a black man willing to wage a war, based on lies, on the African nation of Libya.

Department of Defense Unveils T-700, Highly Advanced Death Robot

October 15, 2012 by Armydave, The Duffle Blog. About The Author: Dave is a communications wizard of the 4th degree. Having served in Iraq twice, he is pretty good at staring blankly at hesco baskets and getting exhaust samples. ******************************************************** THE PENTAGON

Earlier today, the Department of Defense released details of its highly secretive T-700 program the culmination of a goal to design and build mankinds first mechanized humanoid war platform. The Giant Death Robot, as its nick-named, was a collaborative effort between the Michigan Institute of Technology, the Department of Defense, and leading expatriate scientists who fled chaos in the Middle East. Standing behind a wooden podium, lead researcher Jackson Peterson addressed a crowd of reporters and scientists. Welcome, everyone and thank you for coming. You all know me, and I know why youre all here. So, without further ado. . . I give you, Warbot T-700, said Peterson with a flourish of his arm. At this moment a large red curtain was drawn back and the three story tall machine was revealed. Blaring a digitized version of The Flight of the Valkyries, Warbot T-700 strode to the center of the stage. The machine cycled its weaponry and scanned the crowd. Rearing back, it pointed an artillery piece towards the back of the room and blasted red, white, and blue confetti over everyone present. There was a deafening applause. In a remarkably gentle gesture, Warbot T-700 leaned over and gingerly took the microphone in its gigantic graspers. My fellow Americans, it began in a mechanical voice, Barack Obama is a Kenyan Muslim, and I will not follow his orders. A silence came over the crowd. There was a fury of activity as Peterson, laughing nervously, ran behind the machine and audibly tinkered with mechanisms. Warbot T-700 twitched, slumped over, and the dull red lights situated in the machines face went dead. Emerging from behind the deathbot, Peterson raised a remote with one large red button marked On. After pushing the button, the light returned to T-700s eyes, and it straightened its posture. System Reboot/ Returning To Firmware Protocol/ loading the T-700 said. There we go, all better. said Peterson. The robot, officially designated the MHWP, is colloquially known as the T-700. The machine is almost twenty feet tall and weighs in at approximately 78 tons. The robots size is only dwarfed by its arsenal which includes a shoulder-mounted 155 mm howitzer, two arm mounted industrial flame throwers, and a smattering of .50 caliber machine guns. The impressive array of firepower, however, is only ancillary to its primary purpose.

Well, the problems of modern urban warfare are not fixed with firepower, explained Peterson. Weve already got tanks and planes to level neighborhoods. Really, the driving philosophy of the program was the characteristic that our larger weapons just dont have agility. We designed T-700 to function as a bigger version of a soldier. You know: run-shootcommunicate-kill type stuff. Thats why we gave him the fifteen foot long titanium sword. A tank cant chase an insurgent down an alleyway and impale him with a giant metal shard, lift him 40 feet in the air, and emanate a 2,000 dB, window-shattering battle-cry this dude can. There really is no getting away from this thing. T-700 finished his booting process, jerked its head up, and stomped a huge hole into the stage getting itself stuck in the process. Must kill all puny monkey-people! emitted Warbot T-700 from the speaker box implanted in its face. We admit that he still has a few glitches. Peterson said from behind the podium. Among these is a reoccurring jam in the ammunition feed of the octo-mounted .50 caliber machine guns fixed to T-700s back. T-700 confusedly tried to pull its leg out of the stage. Our biggest concern is the communications noise that T-700 receives from the Skynet satellite system whenever he boots from the firmware. But, we are hard at work on all of these bugs. We anticipate that T-700 will be deployable by the end of the month, said Peterson. Perhaps the crowning achievement of Petersons research team is not outside the robot, but rather inside. T-700 is powered by a single large Sextanduple D battery. This battery was designed and built by the project team itself and utilizes the tears of privates and new medics. Private tears are really a remarkable resource. All of the wallowing and self-pity somehow effects the pH balance of the teardrops, making them more acidic. Because of this, they are a ready source of electron conduction. Weve found that, if efficiently harvested, these tears can power a veritable legion of T-700s, said Peterson. Despite the excitement in the Pentagon, many national politicians are criticizing the administrations timing of the announcement. This is clearly just another episode of President Obama leaking classified material in order to score political points. This is an outrage. said congressional hopeful Martin Selpulveda. I love the vets, and I want to see them taken care of. By releasing this information, President Obama is placing them in harms way. I just cant abide by that it is malicious, cowardly, and dishonorable. The Pentagon has not responded to any of the charges.

ANNIVERSARIES

October 16, 1859: The Second American Revolution Begins;

The Crimes Of This Guilty Land Will Never Be Purged Away But With Blood

Mural by John Steuart Curry (1937-1942) Carl Bunin Peace History October 15-21 & Wikipedia.org [Excerpts] Abolitionist John Brown led a group of 21 other men, five black and sixteen white, in a raid on the U.S. arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. They had hoped to set off a slave revolt, throughout the south, with the weapons they had planned to seize. Virtually all his compatriots were killed or captured by Gen. Robert E. Lees troops; Brown was wounded and arrested, and hanged for treason within two months. Before hearing his sentence, Brown was allowed make an address to the court.

. . . I believe to have interfered as I have done, . . . in behalf of His despised poor, was not wrong, but right. Now, if it be deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children, and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit: so let it be done. Had I interfered in the manner which I admit, and which I admit has been fairly proved (for I admire the truthfulness and candor of the greater portion of the witnesses who have testified in this case), -- had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of any of their friends -- either father, mother, sister, wife, or children, or any of that class -- and suffered and sacrificed what I have in this interference, it would have been all right; and every man in this court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment. Although initially shocked by Browns exploits, many Northerners began to speak favorably of the militant abolitionist. He did not recognize unjust human laws, but resisted them as he was bid. . . ., said Henry David Thoreau in an address to the citizens of Concord, Massachusetts. No man in America has ever stood up so persistently and effectively for the dignity of human nature. . . . John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. On the day of his death he wrote: I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.

John Brown 1856

October 17, 1898: Shameful Anniversary:

The American Empire Destroys Puerto Rican Independence

Carl Bunin Peace History October 15-21 One year after Spain granted Puerto Rican self-rule following their rout in the SpanishAmerican War, troops raised the U.S. flag over the Caribbean island nation, formalizing American authority over the islands one million inhabitants.

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN MILITARY SERVICE?

Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the address if you wish and well send it regularly. Whether in Afghanistan or at a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war and economic injustice, inside the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or write to: The Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 100255657.

Admirable Anniversary: October 18, 1648:

Americans Organize For Self-Defense

Carl Bunin Peace History October 15-21 The Shoemakers Guild of Boston became the first labor union in the American colonies.

OCCUPATION PALESTINE

[To check out what life is like under a murderous military occupation commanded by foreign terrorists, go to: www.rafahtoday.org The occupied nation is Palestine. The foreign terrorists call themselves Israeli.]

DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

CLASS WAR REPORTS

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND OR RELATIVE IN THE MILITARY?

Forward Military Resistance along, or send us the email address if you wish and well send it regularly with your best wishes. Whether in Afghanistan or at a base in the USA, this is extra important for your service friend, too often cut off from access to encouraging news of growing resistance to the war, inside the armed services and at home. Send email requests to address up top or write to: Military Resistance, Box 126, 2576 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10025-5657.

The single largest failure of the anti-war movement at this point is the lack of outreach to the troops. Tim Goodrich, Iraq Veterans Against The War

Class War Greece:

General Strike Against Attacks On Working Class Brought Much Of The Near-Bankrupt Country To A Standstill

Greek workers march during a 24-hour general strike October 18, 2012. Greek workers walked off the job for the second time in three weeks on Thursday, marching against a new wave of wage and pension cuts. REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis

Union workers gather outside the Greek parliament during a 24-hour nationwide general strike in Athens, Oct. 18, 2012. Labor unions in recession-hobbled Greece are holding another general strike against a new harsh austerity program. REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis

South African Police Arrest Striking Mine Workers For Seizing Equipment At Kumba Iron Ore In Northern Cape:
The Strike Has Paralysed The Mines Around-The-Clock Operations Since The Start Of October
Government-Paid Bus Drivers Have Also Gone On Strike Which Could Affect Up To 42,000 Passengers And Municipal Workers Are Threatening To Go On Strike If Not This Week Then Early Next Week

[Thanks to Alan Stolzer, Military Resistance Organization, who sent this in.] 16 Oct 2012 Al Jazeera South African police have arrested 40 striking workers in a pre-dawn raid for seizing equipment worth millions of dollars from Anglo Americans Kumba Iron Ore subsidiary, a police spokesperson has said.

They were part of nearly 300 workers that Kumba sacked on Monday following an wildcat strike they launched nearly two weeks ago at its Sishen mine in Northern Cape province. At about three oclock (01:00 GMT) this morning, we entered the mine premises where the illegal strikers were keeping the mine equipment in their possession. We managed to arrest about 40 of them, Lieutenant Colonel Hendrik Swart, police spokesperson for Northern Cape, told the AFP news agency on Tuesday. Sishen confirmed the workers had been removed. Criminal charges of extortion, intimidation, theft, trespassing, malicious damage to property and contempt of court have been laid, the company added. Police regained possession of and handed over the heavy mining equipment - which included 88 haul lorries - the striking workers had seized since the strike started on October 3. The miners had threatened to destroy the equipment if a pay increase of 15,000 rand ($1,715) for all workers, above what they already earn, had not been met. Those arrested will face contempt of court charges after they ignored a Labour Court order to vacate the mine and release equipment worth 3.3 billion rand ($375m), police said. The Labour Court had also ordered that the miners immediately vacate Kumbas premises, release the equipment, and not come within 500 metres of the firms property. Situated in South Africas Northern Cape, Sishen is Anglo American-owned Kumbas flagship plant and is one of the worlds largest open-pit mines, according to the companys website. The strike has paralysed the mines around-the-clock operations since the start of October with daily production losses of about 120,000 tonnes. South Africa has been in the grips of a wave of wildcat mining strikes that have spiralled out of the platinum sector into other industries including gold. Al Jazeeras Haru Mutasa, reporting from Westonaria, said the ongoing strikes are worrying for the average citizen. It is worrying for the average South Africans, because it seems like the strike wont end. Government-paid bus drivers have also gone on strike which could affect up to 42,000 passengers and municipal workers are threatening to go on strike if not this week then early next week, she said. Meanwhile, Gold One said it will suspend operations at its Ezulwini mine, in central South Africa, for at least a month, after dismissing more than 1,400 workers who took part in a week-long wildcat strike.

Ezulwini is a marginal operation and the recent unprotected industrial action has placed it under considerable economic pressure. We have taken this decision to suspend our operations at Ezulwini in order to ensure the safety of our employees and security of assets, said Gold One President Neal Froneman. Talks to end strikes in the gold sector faltered this week, and platinum mines are also affected by the unrest.

MORE:

600 Miners From Gold Fields Kloof Mines Staged A Sit-In At Westonaria Police Station
Police Said They Fired Rubber Bullets And Stun Grenades
The Crowd Responded By Breaking Windows And Causing Other Damage At The Station
Oct 14, 2012 Reuters JOHANNESBURG South African police fired stun grenades and rubber bullets to break up a sit-in by protesters at a police station over the weekend and arrested more than 70 miners from a nearby Gold Fields mine, police said. As many as 600 miners from Gold Fields Kloof mines staged a sit-in at Westonaria police station, about 45 km west of Johannesburg on Friday night, police said in a statement. After failing to disperse the protest, police said they fired rubber bullets and stun grenades. The crowd responded by breaking windows and causing other damage at the station. Police said they arrested 72 miners, one of whom was carrying a firearm. The protesters had arrived on buses earlier in the day to demand the release of 13 jailed miners.

In a separate incident, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters hurling petrol bombs after a march on an Anglo American Platinum mine in Rustenburg turned violent late on Friday.

MORE:

S. Africa Gold Strike Talks Fail With 50% Of Output Shut:

Platinum, Iron Ore And Chrome Mines Have Also Been Disrupted By Stoppages
Employees Of Johannesburgs Rapid Bus Transport System Have Already Started A Strike
October 15, 2012 Bloomberg L.P. Africas largest gold producers will pursue legal remedies instead of continuing talks with unions after South African strikes widened, idling half of the nations output of the metal, the Solidarity union said. AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. Gold Fields Ltd. and Harmony Gold Mining Co. will look at a new negotiating model once order and stability is restored, and wont raise an earlier offer to workers, Gideon du Plessis, the head of Solidarity, said by mobile phone today. He commented after talks between the Chamber of Mines industry body and unions including the largest, the National Union of Mineworkers, or NUM. Platinum, iron ore and chrome mines have also been disrupted by stoppages as miners bypassed unions to demand above-inflation pay increases in South Africa, where consumer prices rose by 5 percent in August. More than 44 people have been killed as associated protests turned violent. The nations sovereign rating was cut last week by Standard & Poors, which cited concern that strikes are causing political and social unrest and adding pressure on government spending. Workers resumed an unauthorized strike at the East section of Gold Fields KloofDriefontein Complex late yesterday, the company said. Production at the entire complex, Africas largest gold mining operation, has now been suspended as about 19,500 of the complexs 26,700 workers are on strike, it said.

The current impasse is extremely unfortunate, not only for the industry and its employees, but also for future growth and development in South Africa, given the critical role that gold mining plays in our countrys economic development, Elize Strydom, the mines chambers senior executive for employer relations, said in an e-mailed statement. Workers last week rejected gold producers offer to raise pay this year by more than levels agreed to earlier. All of AngloGolds local operations were halted by wildcat strikes by Sept. 25. The company, the worlds third-largest gold producer, is losing 30,000 to 32,000 ounces a week. AngloGold produced about 306,000 ounces in South Africa in the first quarter. Gold Fields KDC and Beatrix mines produced about 328,900 ounces, while Harmonys Kusasalethu mine, also on strike, yielded 39,256 ounces. The nations gold output was 1.35 million ounces in the quarter, according to the chamber. It was the fifth-largest gold producing country in 2010, GFMS Ltd. data show. The NUM, which has been trying to regain control of workers who started their own, unauthorized strikes, called today for employers to resume talks. Dismissals would not be a solution to the current challenges facing the industry and it would only serve to fuel emotions that are already high and inflame the situation further, the NUM said in an e-mailed statement. Gold producers had offered to scrap entry-level wages, bump workers up to the next band of pay and to award other workers an additional 1.5 percent to 2 percent pay increase. The companies had agreed last year to boost their pay by between 7.5 percent and 10 percent for 2012. Anglo American Platinum Ltd. (AMS), the worlds largest producer of the metal, fired 12,000 employees on Oct. 5 for striking illegally. Stoppages at its mines in South Africa have idled more than a fifth of global platinum output. South Africas longest widespread mining strike was in August 1987, when 250,000 workers across the gold and coal mining industries stopped work for three weeks, according to AngloGold. Gold Fields declined for a second day, losing 0.7 percent to 105.95 rand by the close in Johannesburg. Meanwhile, most truck drivers returned to work today after a three-week strike, Vincent Masoga, a spokesman for the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, said by mobile phone.

A sympathy strike by port and rail workers planned for today was called off after drivers won an average annual pay increase of 8.7 percent for three years, Masoga said. Workers in the North West and Limpopo provinces have staged protests to highlight their demands, while employees of Johannesburgs rapid bus transport system have already started a strike, Sema said by phone from Johannesburg today.

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