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U.S. Sec. of Defense Lloyd Austin

AMERICAN SEC-DEF AWOL—Wasn’t that an odd event last week? The American Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, a key link between the U.S. Administration and its military services, went into hospital for cancer treatment (prostate surgery) at the end of December and then for complications, where he spent several days in Walter Reed Hospital’s ICU. He’s still at Walter Reed recuperating and working remotely from his hospital bed. Problem is, Austin didn’t let anyone know he was going to be off work! The Defense Secretary is a member of the President’s cabinet, so you’d think he would have given a heads-up to the commander-in-chief (Biden) that he was going to be out of commission for a bit. The Sec Def’s second-in-command was on Vac in Puerto Rico, and his chief-of-staff was at home ill with the flu. In a properly functioning chain of command, such critical information would have be seamlessly shared with subordinates and most importantly with superiors (i.e., the Prez).

SOME DAYS passed before the White House was notified their go-to guy at Defense was unavailable. This begs the question: Who’s in charge down yonder in the land of the free and home of the brave? This cock-up in communication highlights serious dysfunction within America’s federal bureaucracy. One commentator suggested it was as if individual arms of the government (Defense, State Department, Justice, White House, etc.) are each doing their own thing, promoting their own policies and programs, operating independently without anyone at the helm guiding the ship of state. With mounting conflict in the Middle East and defeat on the horizon in Ukraine, having a designated person in charge of military matters within a clear chain of command might be a good idea. In case there’s a problem. Austin should resign. Or at least be made to clean his bed pans for a month! What a clown show!

 

RED SEA RUCKUS—For the past few weeks, one of the poorest countries in the world has stood up to challenge the rich and powerful, demanding they take the issue of an oppressed people seriously, this time. Yemen’s Houthis (also called Anṣār Allāh, “Supporters of God”) “…are an armed group from a sub-sect of Yemen's Shia Muslim minority, the Zaidis. Most Yemenis live in areas under Houthi control. As well as Sanaa and the north of Yemen, the Houthis control the Red Sea coastline” (BBC) from which the group continues to launch missiles and drones into the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the maritime gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, where an estimated 12% of global shipping transits each year. Ships bound for Israel via the Suez Canal are targeted by the Houthis and denied passage. Consequently, large shipping enterprises have begun to rerouting their vessels in a costly detour around Africa and ship insurers are raising their rates for any vessels sailing into the Red Sea.

The Houthis stand with the Palestinians and demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.  Importantly, the United States, the one country that could affect significant policy changes in Israel, has consistently failed to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. They have blocked efforts for peace in the UN Security Council and have yet to condemn months of Israeli bombardments of the Gaza Strip.

IN A RELATED development, last week the government of South Africa* filed a charge of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague. In international law, genocide is defined as:

 

“…a crime that can take place both in time of war as well as in time of peace. [G]enocide is a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, in whole or in part. It does not include political groups or so called ‘cultural genocide’”.

 

 International Court of Justice, The Hague

THE CHARGE was presented to the ICJ last Thursday, with South Africa requesting the court issue an order for an immediate ceasefire and provision of humanitarian aid for the besieged Gazan population. While a judgement of genocide against Israel could take years of legal wrangling to settle, in the meanwhile a ceasefire is urgently needed to end the bloodshed and destruction. It should be noted that the court, set up by the United Nations in 1945 to resolve issues between countries, has no power to enforce judgements. However, it can make recommendations to the United Nations Security Council to take actions. This could take the form of sanctions and even military intervention. I should add there is no guarantee the court will find for South Africa. It depends on how politicized or compromised the court is, and whether an impartial judgement can be reached. Either way the court's ruling will be instructive. 

ON THAT NOTE, Scottish author, journalist, human rights campaigner, and former diplomat, Craig Murray, made a telling comment the other day concerning the upcoming ICJ ruling. He said if the court failed to rule in favour of the South African complaint, then his belief in international law, the system in place since WWII whereby countries and individuals can be held to account for their transgressions—his belief in that system would be broken, for the system itself was broken. And that left only armed resistance as the sole venue to bring about change to repressive and criminal social orders. Murray is also a staunch supporter of Julian Assange, writing numerous articles covering the Wikileaks' founder and his ordeal before the British justice system.

[The ICJ’s judicial panel is composed of 5 Western seats, 3 African, the 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and the temporary addition of a judge from Israel and from South Africa. Ed.]

 

WE WILL KNOW very soon the ICJ’s ruling but, regardless of the court's findings, Israel is losing badly in the court of public opinion and is well on its way to becoming a pariah state. The IDF’s (Israeli Defense Force) relentless bombardment of Gaza’s 2.3 million citizens and the racist statements made by Israeli politicians should dismiss any doubts about the genocidal intentions Israel harbours towards the Palestinians: They mean them dead or gone. Period.

ECONOMIST Jeffery Sachs suggests the actions of the IDF in Gaza will someday enter the list of “canonical” examples of genocide alongside those of Nazi Germany, Rwanda, Turkey's Armenian genocide, and Cambodia’s “killing fields”. It’s horrible to see Jewish descendants of WWII Holocaust survivors stand accused of committing the same crimes their ancestors fell victim to.

 

    Jeffery Sachs

EVEN the United States, which supplies Israel with billions of dollars in aid and armaments each year, is feeling the pressure of global opinion and finds itself increasingly isolated on the world stage. The Americans withdrew the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group from the Mediterranean on January 5. Subsequently, the Israelis scaled back their heavy bombardment of Gaza, removing some troops, and opting for more “surgical” strikes against Hamas fighters. Still, dozens of Gazan civilians are killed every day, with a death toll now over 24,000, half of whom are women and children, and with over 60,000 injured. According to the WHO only nine out of 36 hospitals remain operating in the enclave, the rest having been deliberately destroyed by Israeli bombardments. Surely, this a war crime? Horrific.

 

ISRAEL may be wary of losing international support. In their presentation before the ICJ, its lawyers claim the Jewish state did not have genocidal “intention” toward Gaza because they scaled back their operation in early January (presumably under pressure from the U.S.). But, South Africa presented an irrefutable 80-page indictment before the world court outlining the war crimes perpetrated by Israel in what is bound to be a watershed moment in international law.⁺

IN REMOVING their carrier fleet from the Mediterranean last week, the U.S. signaled its disapproval of Israel's indiscriminate bombing and shelling of Gaza and its use of "collective punishment" of the Palestinian people.¹ The Israeli government seems to have bowed to U.S. pressure and limited its operations somewhat, perhaps fearful of losing more U.S. support. Still, the bombing and fighting continues with no end in sight.Israeli politicians have speculated the IDF could be in Gaza for the rest of 2024.

[P.S. Canada’s PM Trudeau recently said his government would abide by the ICJ’s ruling, though he doesn’t agree with the charges. A grudging acquiescence to international law when an unequivocal demand for a ceasefire is what’s called for. That’s par for the course for our lackluster PM. Ed.]

 

    Brian Mulroney PM 1984-93

CANADA AND THE FIGHT AGAINST APARTHEID— Apartheid was the system of laws and social controls used by the white South African government to repress its black majority through "institutionalized, racialized segregation" during the second half of the twentieth century. I’d always believed that Canada played a prominent role in swaying world opinion against the regime, ultimately leading to its collapse. In reading about Israeli apartheid, I came across some articles about our former PM, Brian Mulroney, and the campaign he waged in the 1980s against South Africa’s apartheid. As you might guess, the history I was taught doesn’t quite jibe with the historical record. Two short articles, here and here, give a more nuanced take on Canada’s role. I guess it’s safe to say there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to politics. 

 

IMMIGRATION AND HOUSING WOES—We’ve been hearing lately about the migration chaos along the American southern border, with thousands of illegal immigrants crossing into the U.S. each day. There seem to be behind-the-scenes actors facilitating people from Central and South America, and from around the world, to enter the U.S. where they are given visas, a cash-card, and transported to various locations across the country. Some suggest there may be as many as ten million recently arrived illegal migrants about whom officials have little information or even know where they are. Seems crazy to me, but with a senile president surrounded by a cadre of stone-cold neo-cons and globalists, it’s no wonder. They, and their masters, see these folks as potential voters, as a source of cheap, non-unionized labour, and even recruits for the under-manned American military. The whole thing seems incredibly destabilizing and frankly dangerous. What a cock-up!

But Canada, it seems, has immigration woes as well: In Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has announced that property taxes will be raised between 10%-16% next year, adding to the housing affordability in the city. She cites the rapid influx of legal immigrants into the Toronto region (including asylum seekers), and the social services and welfare they require, as adding to the ballooning city budget. Hence the property tax hike.  As more immigrants arrive (Canada is scheduled to accept up to 500,000 per year for three more years), ostensibly to provide needed bodies for the labour market, the availability of affordable housing in the country will be further compromised (as new immigrants compete for the limited housing stock). In addition, there is concern over the trend in businesses to hire low-wage migrant and/or temporary resident workers, displacing Canadian workers.

 

“Public opinion polls also show Canadians are increasingly concerned about the pressure immigration is putting on services, infrastructure, and housing, leading to waning support for high immigration…The Liberal government has defended its immigration policy decisions, arguing that immigrants help bring about economic prosperity and help with the country's demographics as the population ages.” (CTV)

 

While Canada’s immigration process is more stringent than the American (with an emphasis on accepting skilled workers from abroad) nevertheless it will have long term effects on the country that we are only now beginning to understand.

 

SEND ME THE MONEY!—There are currently two bills making their way through parliament, one in the Senate and one in the House of Commons. Both are private member’s bills. The Senate's Bill S-233 is further along. After a review in committee, the final draft could be voted on this year in the Upper Chamber and passed down to the House of Commons for its consideration. Bill C-233, passed First Reading in 2021 but has so far failed to get any 'traction' in the Lower Chamber. But both bills are virtually the same and “would require the government to create a framework to provide all persons in Canada over the age of 17 with access to a guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI)….It is unclear whether the Liberal government will support these bills should they come to a vote.” (Block) SUPPORTERS argue that such a scheme would assist large swaths of the population out of poverty, to better afford proper housing, medical care, schooling, and rely less on income assistance programs and other services connected with poverty and disenfranchisement.

THE PROPOSAL would cost between eighty-five and ninety-three billion dollars per year, a hefty sum. This would require a significant increase in either income taxes or the GST. Whether the federal government could afford such a program would be a major consideration going forward.

 

OTHER problems with such a scheme are less considered but might have even graver concerns than affordability. For example: How will such a massive program be administered and monitored? Who would be responsible for its oversight? What technologies would be used? What personal information must an individual give up in order to be enrolled? How will that information be used? Will it be used exclusively within the program or will there be government overreach into other areas of citizens' lives? With whom will such information be shared? What will be the method of payment to recipients? Will non-digital physical cash still be in use?  Will a "programmable digital currency" lead to 'programmable' lives? Etc.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, if the government doles out money in such a manner (some suggest $2,000 or more a month), it stands to reason it will need a large bureaucracy to administer all its doings, or will AI become the mainstay of state machinery, sidestepping human oversight in favour of algorithms? 

POINT IS, if people are beholding to the government for their daily bread, and if that ‘bread’ comes in the form of, say, a central bank digital currency (CBDC), will there be other levers of control the state can use to keep its population in line? CBDCs, Social Credit Scores, “programmable” digital money, and mass-surveillance using AI systems are some of the tools a broad-based GLBI system could incorporate. Thus, vigilance in adopting such a scheme might prove the wisest course of action. 

A universal basic income plan opens the door for potential abuse from both government and private enterprise. Proceed with caution….

 

Cheers, Jake.______________________________________

 

* IT IS SIGNIFICANT, fitting perhaps, that South Africa brings this case to the ICJ. For decades, black South Africans lived under a regime of apartheid, something Palestinians in Israel have experienced since 1948. This system of two-tiered 'democracy', with the Arab half of the population designated as second-class citizens and having fewer political rights than Jews within Israel, led to the violence on 7 October. 

 

    Nelson Mandela

SOUTH AFRICA rid itself of apartheid in no small part because international condemnation, boycotts, and sanctions forced the repressive and racist de Klerk government to yield, allowing the African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela, to come to power in 1994. The hard-won lessons learnt by South Africa are ones that Israel, tragically, has yet to learn.

 

FYI: The ICJ was set up by the United Nations in 1945 to rule on cases between nations. The ICC (International Criminal Court) is an autonomous court, not associated with the United Nations, and its role is to prosecutes individuals for crimes. Both courts are located at The Hague, Netherlands.

[FUN FACT: The United States has a law, the “American Service-Members Act” (ASM), ratified in 2002 and informally known as the “Hague Invasion Act”, which authorizes the American military to invade the Netherlands and remove from ICC custody American service personnel held there for trial. The bill exists,

 

“…to protect United States military personnel and other elected and appointed officials of the United States government against criminal prosecution by an international criminal court to which the United States is not party….”

“The Act gives the president power to use "all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel [Italics mine] being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court".

 

    Nuremberg Trials, 1945-6

THE U.S. is one of only a handful of countries not a signatory to the ICC treaty. It does not recognize the court’s authority, and that’s just as well because, dollars to doughnuts, there would be not a few Americans sitting in the dock over there.

Question: If, say, down the road an Israeli general were arrested and sent to the ICC court for trial, would the U.S. send in the Marines to ‘rescue’ the accused, since the ASM Act stipulates military action would be taken if “allied personnel” were detained or imprisoned by the ICC? (Israel is an ally of sorts with the United States. At least for now.)

Answer: Good question.

LET'S keep our fingers crossed there’s no “Canada Invasion Act” somewhere on the books in the nether parts of Washington D.C. Just in case, we’d best behave! After all, we did invade the U.S. and burn down the White House in the War of 1812. I hope they don't hold a grudge. Just sayin’.

 

+ INCIDENTALLY arming their ally with the bombs it's using to turn Gaza “into a parking lot”, as one Israeli cabinet minister waggishly put it, could expose the Americans to charges of war crimes, even genocide. Ouch!

 

1. And lest we forget the West Bank region of Israel, there have been 355 Palestinian citizens murdered by radical Israeli settlers since Oct. 7/23. (What's a few more if you've already killed thousands?)   

 

 

 

 

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