More Oppression in Burma; Human Rights Watch Calls Out Business Interests
By bluegal Wednesday Oct 03, 2007 5:48pmCNN's latest smuggled video shows soldiers beating peaceful pro-democracy protestors and hauling them away by the truckload.
Download | play 
Download | play (h/t Bill W.)
Words of Power quotes Human Rights Watch to Business: "Keeping quiet while monks & other peaceful protesters are murdered & jailed is not ... constructive engagement." read more...
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Wait...if corporations say anything bad, there goes their slave labor. It's called "A Global Economy".
This is exactly what reich-wingers want America to look like.
I can't believe this is happening. It would never happen here.
This is acceptable treatment, according to the standards currently endorsed by our President, what's the problem? This article criticizing Burma's treatment of demonstrators seems to be attacking the very principles that our country stands for.
What have we come to...?
organmeat @ 3:
Nope. Never. Ever. Hasn't! Won't.
We are being broken down to the have's and have-nots in the world and it is happening here also. From 300,000 police to a mil and half now in a decade. These are innocent, peace loving, Buddhist Monks and Nuns for shit sake and THEY are getting slaughtered in their monestaries as well as on the street.
What do you think is going to happen when George and the gang clamp down with the Patriot Act, Mil Commissions Act, etc.? We have a beat down military who is used to killing "haji's" whenever they want coming back and joining police departments. Police departments are using taser's and mace for out-right torture already http://www.youtube.com/Copwatchers and 40% of the citizens still think Sadamm had anything to do with 9/11 or had WMD's.
But don't let that bother your eating Nachos and watching stupid baseball and football games and having internal combustion recreation at the lake...they are only Buddhists, they are only us.
How long will it be before Bush, as a good will gesture, decides to send members of Blackwater to Burma to provide "security" for the government and to make sure that the demonstrators do not become too peaceful?
I watched this on CNN and forgive me, but I can't watch it again. This is the sort of thing that people here in the US would support doing something to stop it and stop it now. If we weren't in this infernal war and if we had a president who had one humane bone in his body we could come to the rescue of these people.
My not having a life won't help the monks, but by god, hopefully my vote next year can cause someone who needs it in the future to get the help, defense and support they need.
Dr. Matt @ 2:
Evidence?
organmeat @ 3:
You're absolutely right... the US military won't be killing protesters, it will be hired mercenaries killing protesters.
Hungary
Cambodia
Burma (yes, Burma)
a proud U.S. tradition
Its there fault that they are poor. Right?
pissed off patricia @ 8:
Regardless of what our government does or does not do, always remember there are ways you can take action yourself.
http://www.worldvision.org/about_us.nsf/child/aboutus_myanmar?Open
Orders are to be obeyed, no matter which country they are given in.
At least that is the excuse. This could happen anywhere.
Take note America: this is what a military state looks like. Let's exercise our freedoms while we still have them!
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.
Pastor Martin Niemöller
organmeat @ 3:
You live in Canada?
peaceful easy feeling Says: Dr. Matt @ 2:
This is exactly what reich-wingers want America to look like.
Evidence?
HERE YOU GO SPARKY:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxtEggVqhyY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgrFSHZfD1o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyvrqcxNIFs
Rowdy at 15
No one in America is free unless everyone in America is free.
To paraphrase, more or less, MLK.
First they came for the Muslims
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Muslim.
Then they came for the immigrants
and I did not speak out
because I was not an immigrant.
Then they came for the anti-Bush demonstrators
and I did not speak out
because I was not an anti-Bush demonstrator.
Then they came for .......
Senior General Than Shwe's tyranny knows no bounds
Robin @ 14:
The problem with Nuremberg is that the victors always decide who should be tried and what history shall be.
peaceful easy feeling @ 9:
Their ever dying support for herr dubyah and his dismantling of checks and balances, politicizing the justice department, use of mercenary armies, destruction of the Constitution, unprecedented presidential powers, etc., etc., etc.,
Too bad we can't mobilize and save them!
Gods gift to us is our gift of democracy given to others..or something like that?
Wait a second....how much oil do they have?.....oh....
organmeat @ 3:
Google "Kent State Shootings"
The hypocrisy of our WH on this disgusts me. Their fake outrage over protesters being treated that way makes me sick. Dana "airhead" Perino was shocked that people could be locked up for no reason. Buy a clue Dana. Your boss is doing the same.
We no longer have the moral authority to step in. Not that a "real" president wouldn't do it anyway. We just don't happen to have one.
Does anyone have a list of companies doing business in Myanmar?
Myanmar gov't will get a pass. US intervention would make China look bad, and that's the last thing our gov't wants. We owe them too much money.
China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan...they all get a pass for one reason or another. US policy has nothing to do with defending anyone's freedoms, least of all those of Americans.
It already happened! It's too late. They laugh at our protests and our blogs. They operate uninhibited.
Janet @ 25:
Great point, did perino not have knowledge of what her president has been doing all over the world?
Somewhere, in an undisclosed location, a certain vice-president is furiously masturbating to this.
a few links i have found.....
http://ko-htike.blogspot.com/
http://www2.free-burma.org/graphics.php
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=8920
Bangkok-Bob @ 26:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/dirty_list/dirty_list_details.html
Dr. Matt @ 31:
Thank you, I'll go check it out.
Dr. Matt @ 24:
Kind of an insult to the 200+ monks butchered on Tuesday??
http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/index.php?storyID=8920
How many people were killed at Kent state??
There have probably been THOUSANDS of Burmese.
kulshan @ 33:
Nope. Not at all. Both are examples of what happens in a militarized state.
My son saw Thich Nhat Hahn in San Diego the other day, and interestingly he said nothing about Burma.
Dr. Matt @ 24:
The Kent State shootings were a tragic accident. Thankfully law enforcement completely reevaluated their approach to crowd control after that happened.
This has been going on for 42 years there, and we are just noticing.
Bangkok-Bob @ 26:
Top of the list is Chevron. Ask Kinda-sleazy about it.
Off topic but noteworthy , Kitty Pilgrim ( subbing in for Lou Dobbs ) was doing a report on Pete Domenici decision to not run for re election. Kitty said that this will make it hard for REPUBLICANS to maintain control of the Senate. Either she was in a coma during the election last year or cant tell the difference between a minority and a majority. See what your up against kids ? CNN is becoming Fox Lite
peaceful at 36
disagree
the Kent State shootings were not an accident, i believe
the young troops should not have had loaded weapons
the order to fire (recorded) should not have been given
james rhodes, governor of Ohio, knew what really went on, as did Nixon, and covered it up
anti-war groups were intimidated by the Kent State shootings
no accident
I can tell you people here (Pai, N. Thailand) are very upset by this, this is a Buddhist country.
I see people every day coming down to work here from Myanmar in groups, they are desperate to make enough for their families at home..
They are taken advantage of and are only paid very little and live together in small camps here in the north.
I would say to look at the site that Dr. Matt posted at 31 and boycott those companies and write letters letting them know you are.
Thank you Dr. Matt.
A Buddhist military regime against its Buddhist citizens. Who still is deluded enough to say that Buddhism is a peaceful religion?
Guy Fawkes @ 42:
The military is a dictatorship, do you think if the christian group takes over America they wont treat their people the same?
FunMe @ 17:
These are isolated incidents which are not indicative of any trend, much less reflecting the wishes of a large segment of the American people.
I've squared off against cops before in the past. Disobeying a police order is a good way to get arrested, not to advance a cause.
peaceful easy feeling @ 44:
I read the comments under those videos, people saying things like its because she didn't obey an order. As if people don't have a right to protest in America. it seems as bad there as anywhere. Freedom is up to the poeople, if you give up your freedoms you deserve the insuing slavery.
Thanks BlueGal. I wish there was more we could do for the people of Burma. They sound like they are in a mess and need the attention of the Global Population. I appreciate your reporting on this.
Send a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon urging him to take the lead on pushing for UN Security Council action on Burma- Click Here Now!
peaceful easy feeling @ 9:
Don't taze me bro!!!!
peaceful easy feeling @ 36:
Wow. A revisionist history troll. Thanks for the lie.
peaceful easy feeling @ 44:
Unless you hate America, you would not say that. What part of the Constitution do you not understand?
Bill of Rights
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
The police have no right to stop a peaceful protest.
peaceful easy feeling @ 9:
new oleans !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tyree @ 50:
YES!!!!! Yes, tyree, yes. Exactly!
Bad when Myanmar army does it to monks, good when American soldiers do it to Iraqi's. Everything I have heard of this story is the same thing that the American soldiers have done to the Iraqi people. Including invading towns and taking people out of their homes in the middle of the night. Arresting them, detaining them without charges, beating them.
Deja vu all over again.
We no longer have the moral authority to even raise our voices against this sort of thing. We only look like hypocrites.
justabill @ 49: </
The police have no right to stop a peaceful protest.
There is, of course, an exception to that "rule". Being IF/WHEN bush-lite
is in an area(any area) and protestors are present, then those rabble-rousers
can be, by force, physically removed, handcuffed and tossed into paddy-wagons.
It's known as the "Decider's" rule of law....
Doggiebobo @ 53:
There is, of course, an exception to that "rule". Being IF/WHEN bush-lite
is in an area(any area) and protestors are present, then those rabble-rousers
can be, by force, physically removed, handcuffed and tossed into paddy-wagons.
It's known as the "Decider's" rule of law....
ah, there we have it. "This is exactly what reich-wingers want America to look like."
Ex-Pats around here are making pools to see if bush does not go gracefully from office or causes another "terror attack" will he use Blackwater against American people.
justabill @ 54:
ah, there we have it. "This is exactly what reich-wingers want America to look like."
Of course we know that such an incident is unlikely to occur...ONLY because bush-lite
will speak to and appear only before a pre-determined, pre-selected, group of "friendly folks."
Pay close attention......That may be the situation on AmeriKan streets sooner than you think.
Jerry @ 57:
My point exactly.
foolme1ns @ 52:
That's because we are. :(
Bangkok-Bob @ 55:
you do not have to be an x-pat to think the same thing.
Bangkok-Bob @ 55:
I hear you loud and clear. There is, however, the question still "open" as to exactly
how many Blackwater mercenaries are there. When giving testimony before the Waxman
committee, the CEO of Blackwater said that at present there are between 1,000 and 1,040
Blackwater independent contractors on assignment within Iraq....and went on to say at
another point in his testimony, that his organization was training on an average of (and I
think I got this number correct), only about 500 Blackwater trainees in North Carolina.
So, with respect to numbers, it seems to me that unless there is some sort of "hidden"
statch of Blackwater mercenaires unbeknownst to us, there just are not sufficient numbers
of them to "control" any civilian protest/revolution/or whatever term one wants to use.
Dr. Matt @ 2:
Uhhm ... This is already what America looks like.
DeathOfIrony @ 4:
We have come to Saudis downing the WTC. killing 3000 and lyingly blaming Iraq and killing 1,000,000 of them.
we have come to New Orleans under water and 2000 people drowned, 250,000 people displaced.
we have come to 3800+ dead and 48,000+ injured, sickened in Iraq and hundreds dead, thousands injured in Afghanistan.
we have come to a point where the "leader of the free world" thinks they are all great photo ops.
the guy getting beaten....is the USA.......and the guys doing the beating...well......you know who.
Is BushCo. gettin' or giving pointers?
Oh, and don't even think about "misbehaving" at an airport!
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1004arrestvideo1004.html
So again, why are win in Iraq? To protect our "freedoms" or to erode them?
rduke @ 62:
yeah, I seem to remember a big thing about Tazers a few weeks ago, but I"m sure since the news is no longer covering it I'm sure it's all under control now. Ah, I feel at ease :)
bush and cheney don't believe in HUMAN RIGHTS,
they only believe in their own above the law rights.
rduke @ 62:
ms. gottbaum the other day stands out like a sore thumb. did she really "choke" herself?
many people do not understand death as an essential aspect of totalitarianism. I'm remembering boosh expressing a wish that this country be a dictatership and I'm remembering how each and every disaster would spur him to grab a microphone and prostelytize.
We can heap all the verbal abuse we can type at boosh and his cronies, but they have been successful.
Not exactly shocked to find that NO ONE mentioned Barbara Boxer's EXCELLENT hearing on this issue yesterday (United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, which she chairs). Senator Boxer is up to speed on this issue, deeply concerned about the current crisis, and taking some excellent advice from Burma experts.
• The main effort, it seems, will be to shut off banking access to the leaders of the junta. Apparently it's just a few bank accounts, but when the credit cards no longer work, the junta will stop what they are doing, because the junta only survives because it makes a few families rich. IF they can't access their money (and here the Patriot Act will actually do some good), then the pressure on the junta will be enormous, far better than trying general sanctions (which harm the population and damage what outside business ties exist) or some kind of invasion.
Senator Boxer showed her abundant good qualities, and it's a shame so few saw the hearing.
http://foreign.senate.gov/hearings/2007/hrg071003p.html (just lists the panel speakers)
Subcomittee Membership:
Barbara Boxer, Chairwoman
John Kerry
Russ Feingold
Barack Obama
Jim Webb
Joe Biden, Ex-Officio
Minority
Lisa Murkowski, Ranking Member
Johnny Isakson
David Vitter
Chuck Hagel
Dick Lugar, Ex-Officio
I believe this may be the CSPAN video:
Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. Hearing on Protests in Myanmar (Burma) (10/03/2007)
http://www.c-span.org/
(Doesn't work for me -- "unsupported transport")
Also, re Blackwater, the Waxman hearing was a DISASTER for them. They have committed numerous criminal acts, and it's not 2003 any more.
http://speaker.gov/blog/
Thomas hasn't caught up with the passage, but this is the bill:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:2:./temp/~c110dzyS1M::
This new terms 'covered contract' and 'contingency operations' are the main focus, putting that terminology under law, and assigning the FBI to investigate such operations.
And the 30 Republican Redhots who voted NAY:
Alexander, Baker, Barton (TX), Boustany, Broun (GA), Burgess, Buyer, Cannon, Deal (GA), Doolittle, Franks (AZ), Hastert, Hoekstra, Hunter, Johnson, Sam, Lamborn, Linder, McCrery, Miller (FL), Miller, Gary, Pitts, Price (GA), Renzi, Rogers (AL), Rohrabacher, Sessions, Shadegg, Tancredo, Westmoreland, Young (AK)
No surprises there, but it is worth noting who the REAL 'enemies' are in the US House of Representatives.
Anything you can do to help remove these bastards at the polls next year is work well done.
Oh, and this guy "Hastert"?
Yeah, he was the last Speaker of the House.
The Speaker before him was Newt Gingrich.
Try to keep that in mind when you think about bashing Nancy Pelosi, as if she wasn't one of the biggest gifts to our democracy in the last fifty years.
You want to go back to Hastert/Gingrich? Just keep savaging her at every opportunity, and declaring that there is only one party.
Listen C&L, until oil spouts from Burma's ass we have no interest in ANOTHER nations sovereign right to self determination.
You've heard of democracy... haven't you?
What's the big deal? They were resisting arrest. They should have listened to the police. They were being annoying. Probably just a bunch of crazy moonbats. They deserved everything they got.
I'm being fascetious but this was the kind of stupid crap the wingnuts were tossing out a few weeks ago when an American college student asked a longwinded question and 4 cops tackled, pinned and tazed the kid.
EJ,
If and when the reich puts BW into our streets to kill us, then they will be targeted. We are more numerous than they are, and we are armed to the teeth. If you don't believe me, just go to any gun show, or check out how many weapons turn up in any major city. Hey BW, you gonna fuck with gangstas in the hoods and crackers in the hills? They will chop your balls of if they catch you. So, you neocon traitors: YOU WILL RUE THE DAY THAT YOU COME AFTER US. Patriots have already formed organized committies should such an occurence happen here. I urge all communities to form commities on the defense of their country and city against the usurpations of the illegal government. I and so many others whom I know will take to the hills, the streets, ARMED, and we will fight it out. LIVE FREE OR DIE AMERICA, your time is almost up. NSA spies, traitor CIA, war criminal Blackwater, we are learning your names and your addresses. You can kill thousands of us but you cannot kill most of us, and some of us are former special ops, and SEALS, and Rangers and will kick your fucking asses. We aint going down without a very bloody fight. Too many died for our freedom, and soon it will be our turn to shed our American blood to kill neocon fascism. Fascists will not being smiling much longer. Patriotism is a neocon traitor being hung by rusty piano wire.
Blue Gal,
Thanks so much for linking to this, and helping to sustain a high level of visibility for what is going on in Burma.
I have been following the thread of comments, and it is encouraging to see so many people understanding our own unfolding circumstance in the mirror of this tragic event.
Here is another post -- Blackwater, Burma, Darfur & You -- relevant to the discussion.
Peace,
Richard
Chicago.
John Fucking Brown @ 77:
And if you think that the FBI doesn't know about you and your meetings, take a good look at the guy sitting next to you at your next meeting. They know your name and where you live and work.
Dr. Matt @ 2:
Which is exactly what it does look like. The guy getting taszzzered in florida, the student getting taszzzered in the Library in California, The protesters in the park during the Hispanic
protests over the Illegal alien question. We are already here people. The plain clothes cops
will actually be Blackwater security guards with orders to shoot to kill, just like in New Orleans after Katrina. I will be very surprised if we DON'T have another terrorist attack
before 2008, thereby giving Preznit Bunnypants the authority to bring down MARSHAL LAW.
Goodbye elections, goodbye personal security, goodbye freedom, goodbye America.
Hello AMERKKA!!!
Hey EJ...Looks like I need to crack open a credit limit and get armed up to the hilt.
I will too. I will not go quietly in to this good night.
And Bush says nothing .... stop the Olympics in China. Boycott the Olympics....
wear red Fri and Sat in support of burmese people's rise against oppression
More Oppression in Burma; Human Rights Watch Calls Out Business Interests
CNN’s latest smuggled video shows soldiers beating peaceful pro-democracy protestors and hauling them away by the truckload.
LOL!!!!!
Because Americans won't wake up...this is what its going to look like in the months ahead in American cities!!!lol!!!!
Please contact the Myanmar Embassy in DC and urge them to stop lying to the world and killing/detaining/oppressing their own people.
Contact Us
Tel : 202-332-3344, 202-332-4350, 202-332-4352
FAX : 202-332-4351
Postal address :
Embassy of the Union of Myanmar
2300 S Street NW, Washington D.C. - 20008
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