mintpressnews--2020-09-16--Life Under Seige: The Blockade on Gaza Turns Fourteen and Is Still as Illegal as Ever

As the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the headlines for the past few months , it could be easy to miss the news that the Gaza Strip has quietly entered its fourteenth year under an Israeli blockade .
The humanitarian ramifications of that blockade can not be understated , with Israel controlling Gazans from the high seas , the air , and the ground .
Even underground and underwater .
With no foreseeable end in sight , the blockade has been on the radar of the United Nations and human rights groups for over a decade .
Commissioner-General of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) for Palestine , Pierre Krahenbuhl , stated that the blockade of Gaza is the “ longest in history.
” He made those comments seven years ago , and the length of the siege has since doubled with no end in sight .
The International Committee of the Red Cross ( ICRC ) declared the blockade a clear violation of international humanitarian law ten years ago , and the UN Human Rights Council ( UNHRC ) called on Israel to lift the embargo in 2008 .
Other globally respected groups have described it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of war ( 2009 ) ” ; “ collective punishment ( 2008 ) , ” “ unacceptable suffering ( 2010 ) , ” and “ possible crime against humanity ( 2009 ) .
” Yet , despite worldwide pressure – and despite the coronavirus – Israel ’ s brutal blockade continues – made possible in part with collaboration from the United States .
In the years before the Trump administration , UNRWA , which cares for the 1.4 million Palestinian refugees residing in Gaza , was heavily funded by the U.S. Trump ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also provides over $ 3.8 billion in military aid to Israel and consistently vetoes any UN Security Council resolutions that would condemn Israel and potentially curb human rights abuses and violations on international law in Gaza .
Fourteen years of deprivation from the most basic necessities for human survival is a long time .
That reality is especially acute for the children of Gaza , who , born under siege , know no other life .
A young Gazan rapper tells it like it is Abdel Rahman al Shanti , 11-year-old Gazan rapping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , “ we are children , supposed to be like the other children.
” The lyrics of his songs , “ Peace ” and “ Gaza Messenger , ” recount his young life under blockade and war : Other children add their stories to Abdel Rahman ’ s .
Israel granted 7,000 medical travel permits for minors in 2018 – but less than 2,000 for parents .
The math is not hard to do : more children travel without parents than with them .
Physicians for Human Rights reports that , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ demanding they become informants in exchange for permission to cross the border .
Miral , age ten , for example , got permission to travel to Nablus in the West Bank for chemotherapy – but her parents were denied .
Miral died without them .
Five-year-old Aisha had a brain tumor .
Due to Israel ’ s restrictions , her parents could not even apply to accompany her to Jerusalem for treatment ; it would take three weeks for Israel to do a background check on Aisha ’ s grandmother .
She went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Louay is three .
His mother was permitted to accompany him to Nablus for cancer treatment only after dozens of newspapers carried his story and pressured Israel .
Ill children who stay in Gaza have parents by their side , but often second-rate medical care : due to Israel ’ s protracted blockade , medical facilities in the enclave are severely lacking in medicine and supplies ; equipment is in disrepair , and electricity is intermittent .
Israel itself may be responsible for some cases of childhood cancer , as it used @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population in 2008-2009 .
Cancer among Gazan children has increased by 41 percent since that time .
Wisal was fourteen when she went to the Gaza border with Israel on May 14 , 2018 .
She participated in the nonviolent protest against the United States embassy move to Jerusalem – a move that angered and disappointed every Palestinian .
Opposite the demonstrators were Israeli sharpshooters .
She was among the sixty Gazans killed that day , ten of which were children .
A total of forty-six children ( and several hundred adults ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ twenty months of nonviolent protests in Gaza , 2018-2019 .
The weekly demonstrations called attention to Israel ’ s blockade and refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes .
Many of the over 8,800 children and more than 27,000 adults injured during the protests were shot with expanding bullets that “ pulverize the bone , ” a war crime .
Gazan children living under the Israeli blockade lack much that others take for granted .
Israel has banned the import of many basic items to the enclave .
The list @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not by much .
Rights groups report that Gazan children have had to do without toys , crayons , blankets , candy , and cookies .
Also blocked have been meat , pasta , spices , and heaters , as well as wood , cement , and plaster to repair thousands of homes damaged or destroyed during the three military incursions by Israel .
Gazan children have battled malnutrition for years ; suicide among the young is becoming an epidemic .
Israel ’ s official reason for enforcing the crushing blockade on Gaza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mantra year after year but adds neither context nor detail .
In fact , Hamas is Gaza ’ s duly elected political party – a self-declared party of resistance to occupation , in contrast with Fatah , which Gazans consider complicit with Israel .
Gazan resistance groups began firing rockets in 2001 in response to Israeli invasions that killed scores of Palestinian civilians .
Thousands more Palestinians have been killed since .
Gazan rockets , in contrast , have killed a total of approximately 40 Israelis in almost twenty years .
The people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right under international law to resist their occupier – including armed resistance .
Many Gazan adults feel an obligation to resist Israel for the sake of their children .
They are hoping against hope .
Feature photo | A young boy waits for customers at a grocery store in the Shati refugee camp , in Gaza City , Aug. 27 , 2020 .
Adel Hana | AP Kathryn Shihadah writes for MintPress News and If Americans Knew .
She speaks regularly about the injustice and demonization Palestinians face at the hands of Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially to Christian audiences .
Kathryn has lived in the Middle East for ten years and has traveled extensively .
She blogs at PalestineHome.org .

As the coronavirus pandemic has dominated the headlines for the past few months, it could be easy to miss the news that the Gaza Strip has quietly entered its fourteenth year under an Israeli blockade. The humanitarian ramifications of that blockade cannot be understated, with Israel controlling Gazans from the high seas, the air, and the ground. Even underground and underwater.
With no foreseeable end in sight, the blockade has been on the radar of the United Nations and human rights groups for over a decade. Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine, Pierre Krahenbuhl, stated that the blockade of Gaza is the “longest in history.” He made those comments seven years ago, and the length of the siege has since doubled with no end in sight.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) declared the blockade a clear violation of international humanitarian law ten years ago, and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called on Israel to lift the embargo in 2008.
Other globally respected groups have described it as a “violation of the rules of war (2009)”; “collective punishment (2008),” “unacceptable suffering (2010),” and “possible crime against humanity (2009).”
Yet, despite worldwide pressure – and despite the coronavirus – Israel’s brutal blockade continues – made possible in part with collaboration from the United States.
In the years before the Trump administration, UNRWA, which cares for the 1.4 million Palestinian refugees residing in Gaza, was heavily funded by the U.S. Trump ended that funding in 2018. The U.S. also provides over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel and consistently vetoes any UN Security Council resolutions that would condemn Israel and potentially curb human rights abuses and violations on international law in Gaza.
Fourteen years of deprivation from the most basic necessities for human survival is a long time. That reality is especially acute for the children of Gaza, who, born under siege, know no other life.
A young Gazan rapper tells it like it is
Abdel Rahman al Shanti, 11-year-old Gazan rapping sensation, wants the outside world to know, “we are children, supposed to be like the other children.” The lyrics of his songs, “Peace” and “Gaza Messenger,” recount his young life under blockade and war:
I was born in Gaza City and the first thing I heard was a gunshot. In my first breath, I tasted gunpowder…” I am here to tell you our lives are hard. We got broken streets and bombs in the yard.”
Other children add their stories to Abdel Rahman’s.
In sickness
Israel granted 7,000 medical travel permits for minors in 2018 – but less than 2,000 for parents. The math is not hard to do: more children travel without parents than with them.
Physicians for Human Rights reports that, in some cases, Israel blackmails parents, demanding they become informants in exchange for permission to cross the border.
Miral, age ten, for example, got permission to travel to Nablus in the West Bank for chemotherapy – but her parents were denied. Miral died without them.
Five-year-old Aisha had a brain tumor. Due to Israel’s restrictions, her parents could not even apply to accompany her to Jerusalem for treatment; it would take three weeks for Israel to do a background check on Aisha’s grandmother. She went with a stranger. She died alone.
Louay is three. His mother was permitted to accompany him to Nablus for cancer treatment only after dozens of newspapers carried his story and pressured Israel.
Ill children who stay in Gaza have parents by their side, but often second-rate medical care: due to Israel’s protracted blockade, medical facilities in the enclave are severely lacking in medicine and supplies; equipment is in disrepair, and electricity is intermittent.
Israel itself may be responsible for some cases of childhood cancer, as it used experimental weapons against Gaza’s civilian population in 2008-2009. Cancer among Gazan children has increased by 41 percent since that time.
Snipers
Wisal was fourteen when she went to the Gaza border with Israel on May 14, 2018. She participated in the nonviolent protest against the United States embassy move to Jerusalem – a move that angered and disappointed every Palestinian. Opposite the demonstrators were Israeli sharpshooters.
She was among the sixty Gazans killed that day, ten of which were children. A total of forty-six children (and several hundred adults) were killed by Israeli sniper fire during twenty months of nonviolent protests in Gaza, 2018-2019. The weekly demonstrations called attention to Israel’s blockade and refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes.
Many of the over 8,800 children and more than 27,000 adults injured during the protests were shot with expanding bullets that “pulverize the bone,” a war crime.
Childhood canceled
Gazan children living under the Israeli blockade lack much that others take for granted. Israel has banned the import of many basic items to the enclave. The list of prohibited items changes occasionally, but not by much.
Rights groups report that Gazan children have had to do without toys, crayons, blankets, candy, and cookies. Also blocked have been meat, pasta, spices, and heaters, as well as wood, cement, and plaster to repair thousands of homes damaged or destroyed during the three military incursions by Israel.
Gazan children have battled malnutrition for years; suicide among the young is becoming an epidemic.
Why the blockade?
Israel’s official reason for enforcing the crushing blockade on Gaza: Hamas rockets. Israel repeats this mantra year after year but adds neither context nor detail.
In fact, Hamas is Gaza’s duly elected political party – a self-declared party of resistance to occupation, in contrast with Fatah, which Gazans consider complicit with Israel.
Gazan resistance groups began firing rockets in 2001 in response to Israeli invasions that killed scores of Palestinian civilians. Thousands more Palestinians have been killed since.
Gazan rockets, in contrast, have killed a total of approximately 40 Israelis in almost twenty years.
The people of the Palestinian territories have a recognized right under international law to resist their occupier – including armed resistance.
Many Gazan adults feel an obligation to resist Israel for the sake of their children. They are hoping against hope.
Feature photo | A young boy waits for customers at a grocery store in the Shati refugee camp, in Gaza City, Aug. 27, 2020. Adel Hana | AP
Kathryn Shihadah writes for MintPress News and If Americans Knew. She speaks regularly about the injustice and demonization Palestinians face at the hands of Israel with complicity from the United States, especially to Christian audiences. Kathryn has lived in the Middle East for ten years and has traveled extensively. She blogs at PalestineHome.org.


mintpressnews--2020-09-16--“A Disgrace”: Amnesty International Blocked From Monitoring Trial of Julian Assange

The high profile extradition hearing of publisher and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange continued in Central London today .
But it did so without oversight from international human rights groups .
Julia Hall , an expert on criminal justice and human rights for Amnesty International , revealed that her organization was again denied entry to the court today , despite their repeated requests to be recognized as fair trial monitors .
Fair trial monitors are a critical component to upholding transparency and regulation in courtrooms across the world , reminding authorities that independent witnesses are scrutinizing them .
Hall noted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fair trial monitors for cases in many repressive states , including Bahrain and Turkey , and even oversaw cases at Guantanamo Bay .
“ It is a disgrace that the UK has failed to recognize that international fair trial monitors should be officially recognized and permitted access to the Assange hearings .
Open justice is not served by this failure , it is profoundly undermined , ” she wrote .
Amnesty International ’ s Europe Director , Nils Muižnieks , described the hearing as a “ full-scale assault on the right to freedom @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he were prosecuted , it would have a “ chilling effect on media freedom , leading publishers and journalists to self-censor in fear of retaliation.
” Hall added that it was not only Assange who was on trial but the fundamental tenets of media freedom .
Amnesty also warned that an international smear campaign against him had threatened his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty .
Britain would also be breaking its obligation to international human rights law by transferring the Australian to a known human rights abusing nation , according @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with violating the US Espionage Act and 17 counts of publishing secret American government information .
If extradited from the United Kingdom , he faces up to 175 years in a supermax prison in Florence , Colorado , described as the only “ black site ” on U.S. soil .
Yet prosecutors today argued that , in reality , he would be unlikely to serve a sentence anything like as long .
And while Assange ’ s father John Shipton said , “ the entire indictment would allow for somebody to be arrested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ argued there was no threat whatsoever to the First Amendment .
Assange ’ s defense team feels they have been fighting this case with not one , but both hands tied behind their back .
They were barred from meeting with their client until the day of the trial , while judge Vanessa Baraitser has made a number of decisions that have led many to question her impartiality .
For instance , she rejected 89-year-old defense witness Daniel Ellsberg ’ s request to speak at a time any later than 6:30 a.m .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ threatened to remove Assange from his own trial if he cast doubt upon its legitimacy .
“ This is not due process .
It is due revenge , ” wrote veteran journalist John Pilger .
The majority of the charges against Assange , an Australian citizen living on the other side of the world at the time of the incidents , criminalize the act of cultivating leaks from sources and receiving classified or stolen documents , something which is the lifeblood of investigative journalism .
It is for this reason that longtime activist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Assange has also received support from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden , who yesterday told popular podcast host Joe Rogan that , Snowden was referencing the Iraq and Afghanistan War logs , the 2010 release of hundreds of thousands of military documents exposing U.S. malfeasance in those two countries .
Perhaps the most famous leak was the infamous “ Collateral Murder ” video , which showed footage of American helicopter pilots casually carrying out a massacre of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007 , two of whom were Reuters-employed journalists .
Assange has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ published .
In 2010 , a Swedish prosecutor issued an international arrest warrant for him on sexual assault charges .
Fearing it was a pretext for extradition to the United States , he sought and was given refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London by the progressive administration of Rafael Correa .
After a change of government in Ecuador , however , he was arrested after seven years inside the building .
Since then , he has been kept in Belmarsh prison in London , where he was often kept in solitary confinement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human rights groups and international organizations like the United Nations .
His treatment was so poor that other high security inmates in the notorious prison staged a protest , leading to somewhat more ethical treatment .
Assange ’ s father said that it had been a “ strong day ” for his son in court .
But it remains far from clear how the trial will proceed .
Feature photo | A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen through a hole torn in a defaced U.S. flag during a protest outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bailey , in London , Sept. 14 , 2020 .
Matt Dunham | AP Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News .
After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books : Bad News From Venezuela : Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age : Still Manufacturing Consent .
He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting , The Guardian , Salon , The Grayzone , Jacobin Magazine , Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary .

The high profile extradition hearing of publisher and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange continued in Central London today. But it did so without oversight from international human rights groups. Julia Hall, an expert on criminal justice and human rights for Amnesty International, revealed that her organization was again denied entry to the court today, despite their repeated requests to be recognized as fair trial monitors.
Fair trial monitors are a critical component to upholding transparency and regulation in courtrooms across the world, reminding authorities that independent witnesses are scrutinizing them. Hall noted that Amnesty monitors have been recognized as international fair trial monitors for cases in many repressive states, including Bahrain and Turkey, and even oversaw cases at Guantanamo Bay. “It is a disgrace that the UK has failed to recognize that international fair trial monitors should be officially recognized and permitted access to the Assange hearings. Open justice is not served by this failure, it is profoundly undermined,” she wrote.
Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Nils Muižnieks, described the hearing as a “full-scale assault on the right to freedom of expression,” noting that if he were prosecuted, it would have a “chilling effect on media freedom, leading publishers and journalists to self-censor in fear of retaliation.” Hall added that it was not only Assange who was on trial but the fundamental tenets of media freedom. Amnesty also warned that an international smear campaign against him had threatened his right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Britain would also be breaking its obligation to international human rights law by transferring the Australian to a known human rights abusing nation, according to the organization.
1/ .@amnesty denied access again today to the court in the #Assange extradition hearing. We've made 3 applications requesting recognition as expert fair trial monitors. Judge states that no "special provision" will be made for our trial monitor's attendance. pic.twitter.com/psQ53H4aKU — Julia Hall (@JuliaHall18) September 16, 2020
Assange is charged with violating the US Espionage Act and 17 counts of publishing secret American government information. If extradited from the United Kingdom, he faces up to 175 years in a supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, described as the only “black site” on U.S. soil. Yet prosecutors today argued that, in reality, he would be unlikely to serve a sentence anything like as long. And while Assange’s father John Shipton said, “the entire indictment would allow for somebody to be arrested for reading” leaked documents, prosecutors argued there was no threat whatsoever to the First Amendment.
Assange’s defense team feels they have been fighting this case with not one, but both hands tied behind their back. They were barred from meeting with their client until the day of the trial, while judge Vanessa Baraitser has made a number of decisions that have led many to question her impartiality. For instance, she rejected 89-year-old defense witness Daniel Ellsberg’s request to speak at a time any later than 6:30 a.m. Earlier this week, she also reportedly threatened to remove Assange from his own trial if he cast doubt upon its legitimacy. “This is not due process. It is due revenge,” wrote veteran journalist John Pilger.
Today in the Old Bailey I watched the grim farce of the US/UK attempt to extradite Julian #Assange. The bullying prosecutor is reduced to insulting the integrity of expert witnesses. Trapped behind glass, Julian is denied free access to his barrister. This is Britain's shame. — John Pilger (@johnpilger) September 14, 2020
The majority of the charges against Assange, an Australian citizen living on the other side of the world at the time of the incidents, criminalize the act of cultivating leaks from sources and receiving classified or stolen documents, something which is the lifeblood of investigative journalism. It is for this reason that longtime activist and political scientist Noam Chomsky remarked that,
Not only is Julian Assange’s fate at risk in this sordid affair, but so is that of journalism, freedom of speech, and democratic rights [more] generally. We can’t stand by and permit this monstrous offense against our highest values to proceed.”
Assange has also received support from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who yesterday told popular podcast host Joe Rogan that,
The US government under William Barr is trying to extradite this guy and put him in prison for the rest of his life for the best work that Wikileaks ever did, that has won awards in basically every country, including the United States.”
Snowden was referencing the Iraq and Afghanistan War logs, the 2010 release of hundreds of thousands of military documents exposing U.S. malfeasance in those two countries. Perhaps the most famous leak was the infamous “Collateral Murder” video, which showed footage of American helicopter pilots casually carrying out a massacre of Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007, two of whom were Reuters-employed journalists.
Assange has been wanted since the war logs were published. In 2010, a Swedish prosecutor issued an international arrest warrant for him on sexual assault charges. Fearing it was a pretext for extradition to the United States, he sought and was given refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London by the progressive administration of Rafael Correa. After a change of government in Ecuador, however, he was arrested after seven years inside the building.
Since then, he has been kept in Belmarsh prison in London, where he was often kept in solitary confinement, a practice denounced as torture by human rights groups and international organizations like the United Nations. His treatment was so poor that other high security inmates in the notorious prison staged a protest, leading to somewhat more ethical treatment.
Assange’s father said that it had been a “strong day” for his son in court. But it remains far from clear how the trial will proceed.
Feature photo | A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen through a hole torn in a defaced U.S. flag during a protest outside the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, in London, Sept. 14, 2020. Matt Dunham | AP
Alan MacLeod is a Staff Writer for MintPress News. After completing his PhD in 2017 he published two books: Bad News From Venezuela: Twenty Years of Fake News and Misreporting and Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. He has also contributed to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Guardian, Salon, The Grayzone, Jacobin Magazine, Common Dreams the American Herald Tribune and The Canary.


mintpressnews--2020-09-15--Gorgon Stare: A “Persistent Eye in the Sky” May Be Coming to a City Near You

Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city , so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we ’ re looking at , and we can see everything .
That same persistent eye in the sky may soon be deployed over U.S. cities .
At the time he made that comment about surveillance drones over Afghanistan , Maj. General James Poss was the Air Force ’ s top intelligence officer .
He was preparing to leave the Pentagon , and move over to the Federal Aviation Administration .
His job was to begin executing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fly over American cities .
This plan was ordered by Congress in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act .
It directed the Departments of Defense and Transportation to “ develop a plan for providing expanded access to the national airspace for unmanned aircraft systems of the Department of Defense.
” Gen. Poss was one of nearly two dozen ex-military officers who , starting in 2010 , were put into positions at the FAA to oversee drone integration research .
With little public scrutiny , the plan has been moving forward ever since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this is a partisan issue , think again .
This plan has been enacted and expanded under Presidents and Congresses of both parties .
If you ’ re uncomfortable with a President Biden having the ability to track the movements of every Tea Party or Q-Anon supporter , you should be .
Just as we should all be concerned about a President Trump tracking…well , everybody else .
Along with civil liberties , a major concern must be safety .
The military and the drone manufacturers , principally General Atomics , are arguing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that flying 79-ft. wingspan , six-ton drones over populated areas and alongside commercial air traffic is safe .
We have one response : self-driving cars .
Self-driving cars present a technological problem that is an order of magnitude simpler than aircraft flying hundreds of miles per hour in three dimensions .
Yet they still can ’ t keep these cars from plowing into stationary objects like firetrucks ( or people ) at 60 mph in two dimensions .
Are we really comfortable with pilotless aircraft operating in the same airspace as the 747 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ children home for Christmas ?
These drones have a troubled history of crashing and unfortunately , the process for determining whether these drones are now truly safe has been compromised by having the military , which wants this approval , largely in charge of the testing .
Which brings us to San Diego .
Last October , General Atomics announced that they would be flying their biggest , most advanced surveillance drone yet , the SkyGuardian , over the City of San Diego sometime this summer .
The stated purpose was to demonstrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American cities .
In this case , the drone would be used to survey the city ’ s infrastructure .
But when General Atomics first began preparing for the flight , the goal was a very different one : Back in 2017 , military technology analysts were predicting that by 2025 , drones similar to those used in Afghanistan and Iraq would be hovering above U.S. cities , relaying high-resolution video of the movement of every citizen to police departments ( and who knows who else ) .
When there was public pushback @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-industry reporter called the idea “ dystopian ” —General Atomics changed the purpose of the flight from providing data to the police to “ mapping critical infrastructure ” in the San Diego region .
The FAA , which is responsible for granting permission to General Atomics , has kept the process secret .
When the Voice of San Diego asked for more information , the FAA refused on the grounds that this supposed commercial demonstration was actually “ military.
” The Voice of San Diego is now suing to get answers and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flight .
Amid the scrutiny , General Atomics quietly announced that the flight was cancelled , but this is certain to be a small hiccup in their long-term plan .
In fact , General Atomics ’ drones are already being used domestically .
U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ) flies Predators over parts of the U.S.- Mexico and U.S.-Canadian borders .
Recently , CBP has expanded their reach , using these drones to assist police in Minneapolis , San Antonio and Detroit in the wake of protests against police brutality .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ to federal agencies denouncing the chilling effect of government surveillance on law-abiding Americans and demanding an immediate end to surveilling peaceful protests .
The concerns of these members of Congress should be echoed by the general public .
What are the possible effects on our civil liberties from having high-tech surveillance platforms circling over millions of Americans , gathering information about our every move ?
We know from past experience that every government surveillance technology that can be abused has been abused .
Allowing this powerful technology to be taken from overseas wars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t something that should happen without a robust public debate .
The implications for civil liberties are too profound .
Feature photo | Thomas J. Cassidy , Former President and CEO of General Atomics , is reflected in the camera gimbal on a prototype Predator B , Sept. 6 , 2001 in El Mirage , Calif. Doug Benc | AP Medea Benjamin is author of Drone Warfare : Killing by Remote Control and codirector of the peace group CODEPINK .
Barry Summers is an activist living in North Carolina who has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Gorgon Stare will be looking at a whole city, so there will be no way for the adversary to know what we’re looking at, and we can see everything. That same persistent eye in the sky may soon be deployed over U.S. cities.
At the time he made that comment about surveillance drones over Afghanistan, Maj. General James Poss was the Air Force’s top intelligence officer. He was preparing to leave the Pentagon, and move over to the Federal Aviation Administration. His job was to begin executing the plan to allow those same surveillance drones to fly over American cities.
This plan was ordered by Congress in the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act. It directed the Departments of Defense and Transportation to “develop a plan for providing expanded access to the national airspace for unmanned aircraft systems of the Department of Defense.” Gen. Poss was one of nearly two dozen ex-military officers who, starting in 2010, were put into positions at the FAA to oversee drone integration research. With little public scrutiny, the plan has been moving forward ever since.
If you’re thinking that this is a partisan issue, think again. This plan has been enacted and expanded under Presidents and Congresses of both parties. If you’re uncomfortable with a President Biden having the ability to track the movements of every Tea Party or Q-Anon supporter, you should be. Just as we should all be concerned about a President Trump tracking…well, everybody else.
Along with civil liberties, a major concern must be safety. The military and the drone manufacturers, principally General Atomics, are arguing that the technology has advanced far enough that flying 79-ft. wingspan, six-ton drones over populated areas and alongside commercial air traffic is safe. We have one response: self-driving cars. Self-driving cars present a technological problem that is an order of magnitude simpler than aircraft flying hundreds of miles per hour in three dimensions. Yet they still can’t keep these cars from plowing into stationary objects like firetrucks (or people) at 60 mph in two dimensions. Are we really comfortable with pilotless aircraft operating in the same airspace as the 747 at 30,000 feet that is bringing your children home for Christmas? These drones have a troubled history of crashing and unfortunately, the process for determining whether these drones are now truly safe has been compromised by having the military, which wants this approval, largely in charge of the testing.
Which brings us to San Diego. Last October, General Atomics announced that they would be flying their biggest, most advanced surveillance drone yet, the SkyGuardian, over the City of San Diego sometime this summer. The stated purpose was to demonstrate potential commercial applications of large drones over American cities. In this case, the drone would be used to survey the city’s infrastructure.
But when General Atomics first began preparing for the flight, the goal was a very different one: Back in 2017, military technology analysts were predicting that by 2025, drones similar to those used in Afghanistan and Iraq would be hovering above U.S. cities, relaying high-resolution video of the movement of every citizen to police departments (and who knows who else). When there was public pushback to this police department drone use—even a pro-industry reporter called the idea “dystopian”—General Atomics changed the purpose of the flight from providing data to the police to “mapping critical infrastructure” in the San Diego region.
The FAA, which is responsible for granting permission to General Atomics, has kept the process secret. When the Voice of San Diego asked for more information, the FAA refused on the grounds that this supposed commercial demonstration was actually “military.” The Voice of San Diego is now suing to get answers and the ACLU has also expressed concern about the flight. Amid the scrutiny, General Atomics quietly announced that the flight was cancelled, but this is certain to be a small hiccup in their long-term plan.
In fact, General Atomics’ drones are already being used domestically. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flies Predators over parts of the U.S.- Mexico and U.S.-Canadian borders. Recently, CBP has expanded their reach, using these drones to assist police in Minneapolis, San Antonio and Detroit in the wake of protests against police brutality. Deeply concerned, members of Congress wrote to federal agencies denouncing the chilling effect of government surveillance on law-abiding Americans and demanding an immediate end to surveilling peaceful protests.
The concerns of these members of Congress should be echoed by the general public. What are the possible effects on our civil liberties from having high-tech surveillance platforms circling over millions of Americans, gathering information about our every move? We know from past experience that every government surveillance technology that can be abused has been abused. Allowing this powerful technology to be taken from overseas wars and turned inward on American citizens isn’t something that should happen without a robust public debate. The implications for civil liberties are too profound.
Feature photo | Thomas J. Cassidy, Former President and CEO of General Atomics, is reflected in the camera gimbal on a prototype Predator B, Sept. 6, 2001 in El Mirage, Calif. Doug Benc | AP
Medea Benjamin is author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control and codirector of the peace group CODEPINK.
Barry Summers is an activist living in North Carolina who has been researching military drone integration since 2014.


mintpressnews--2020-09-15--Steve Bannon’s Plans for a Privately-Funded Border Wall Are Crumbling

A three-mile private border wall in South Texas backed by Steve Bannon ’ s We Build The Wall non-profit is at risk of failing , according to a new engineering report that questions the structural integrity of the controversial barrier .
Bannon ’ s scheme was started back in December of 2018 by Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage , who set up a GoFundMe page and raised $ 17 million online in its first week to “ build a border wall faster than the government and at a fraction of the price , ” as alleged by the National Butterfly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suing We Build The Wall and contractor Fisher Industries .
“ They fail to mention that they can build it faster and cheaper because they do not ( 1 ) get approvals for their plans , ( 2 ) comply with any laws regarding construction or ( 3 ) conduct any studies to ensure that they will not cause more harm than good , ” states the recently amended complaint .
Fisher Industries , which built the South Texas wall , has “ severed ties ” with Bannon ’ s organization after receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 8 million it was promised .
Meanwhile , the Justice Department is pursuing its own case against Bannon and his association .
Bannon was arraigned last month on federal charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors through the We Build The Wall project .
The scheme was compromised from the start .
GoFundMe had warned Mr. Kolfage that he would have to return the money he had collected if he failed to find a “ legitimate nonprofit organization ” to handle the money .
It was at this point where Bannon entered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and venture capitalist , Andrew Badolato , as well as Timothy Shea and his wife , Amanda , who served as the non-profit ’ s CFO .
Kolfage , it is claimed by prosecutors , received $ 100,000 upfront and a $ 20,000 salary from the newly-incorporated 501c4 , despite claims that he did “ not get a cent ” from the initiative , which was enthusiastically embraced by Donald Trump and his son , Don Jr .
In August 2019 , Amanda Shea posted a photo of herself and other members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to her Instagram account , captioned : “ A summer of winning came to a high note in the Hamptons.
” Donald Trump , Jr. , meanwhile , had earlier attended a We Build The Wall event in July of that year , where he was recorded saying that “ This is what capitalism is all about .
This is private enterprise at its finest.
” Both father and son Trump have since distanced themselves from the organization .
Before the wall in South Texas , We Build The Wall , erected another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunland , New Mexico , which was equally rife with controversy .
Raised over Memorial Day weekend in 2019 , municipal authorities issued a cease-and-desist order after it was discovered that the application submitted by American Eagle Brick Company , the owner of the land , was incomplete .
Sunland Mayor Javier Perea found that in addition to violating a city ordinance , the privately-funded border wall created a different set of problems for the city , as it potentially encroached on federal and international laws and would require consultation with “ other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the International Boundary and Water Commission.
” Advocates , like Border Network for Human Rights executive director Fernando Garcia , exposed the socio-political implications of the New Mexico wall : “ They are part of the same militia groups that are posing as law enforcement agents , arresting migrants at gunpoint and promoting fear in Southern New Mexico , ” he said in a story carried by the El Paso Times .
“ These extremist groups do not belong to our border community , ” he continued , “ they do not know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them to come and define it for us.
” In the Justice Department ’ s indictment , Brian Kolfage is accused of secretly taking more than $ 350,000 in donations and spending it on home renovations , boat payments and many other lifestyle expenses , including cosmetic surgery .
In a recently resurfaced video , Bannon is seen joking about how Kolfage took the We Build The Wall money to buy himself a yacht , which turned out to be somewhat ironic when Bannon , himself , would later be arrested aboard a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fugitive , Guo Wengui .
“ This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall , Bannon told reporters as he left federal court on $ 5 million bail .
Predictably , Trump attempted to disassociate himself from the project run by his former campaign manager , stating that he didn ’ t “ like that project , ” and thought paying for the border wall privately was “ inappropriate.
” The federal investigation had been ongoing for , at least , one year when President Trump fired SDNY @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 20 .
The federal prosecutor ’ s office in Manhattan gave Attorney General William P. Barr , who had been briefed on the inquiry months prior , notice that the indictment would be unsealed on Thursday , according to the New York Times .
In May , the federal government determined that a stretch of the private border wall south of violates a 1970 international boundary treaty between the United States and Mexico .
Feature photo | President Donald Trump ’ s former chief strategist Steve Bannon leaves federal court , Aug. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty to charges that he ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall .
Craig Ruttle | AP

A three-mile private border wall in South Texas backed by Steve Bannon’s We Build The Wall non-profit is at risk of failing, according to a new engineering report that questions the structural integrity of the controversial barrier.
Bannon’s scheme was started back in December of 2018 by Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, who set up a GoFundMe page and raised $17 million online in its first week to “build a border wall faster than the government and at a fraction of the price,” as alleged by the National Butterfly Center, one of the parties currently suing We Build The Wall and contractor Fisher Industries. “They fail to mention that they can build it faster and cheaper because they do not (1) get approvals for their plans, (2) comply with any laws regarding construction or (3) conduct any studies to ensure that they will not cause more harm than good,” states the recently amended complaint.
Fisher Industries, which built the South Texas wall, has “severed ties” with Bannon’s organization after receiving only $1.5 million of the $8 million it was promised. Meanwhile, the Justice Department is pursuing its own case against Bannon and his association. Bannon was arraigned last month on federal charges of defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors through the We Build The Wall project.
The scheme was compromised from the start. GoFundMe had warned Mr. Kolfage that he would have to return the money he had collected if he failed to find a “legitimate nonprofit organization” to handle the money. It was at this point where Bannon entered the picture with an old business associate and venture capitalist, Andrew Badolato, as well as Timothy Shea and his wife, Amanda, who served as the non-profit’s CFO.
Kolfage, it is claimed by prosecutors, received $100,000 upfront and a $20,000 salary from the newly-incorporated 501c4, despite claims that he did “not get a cent” from the initiative, which was enthusiastically embraced by Donald Trump and his son, Don Jr. In August 2019, Amanda Shea posted a photo of herself and other members of We Build The Wall and President Trump to her Instagram account, captioned: “A summer of winning came to a high note in the Hamptons.” Donald Trump, Jr., meanwhile, had earlier attended a We Build The Wall event in July of that year, where he was recorded saying that “This is what capitalism is all about. This is private enterprise at its finest.” Both father and son Trump have since distanced themselves from the organization.
The first wall
Before the wall in South Texas, We Build The Wall, erected another $8 million-dollar private metal wall in Sunland, New Mexico, which was equally rife with controversy. Raised over Memorial Day weekend in 2019, municipal authorities issued a cease-and-desist order after it was discovered that the application submitted by American Eagle Brick Company, the owner of the land, was incomplete.
Sunland Mayor Javier Perea found that in addition to violating a city ordinance, the privately-funded border wall created a different set of problems for the city, as it potentially encroached on federal and international laws and would require consultation with “other state and federal organizations, such as the International Boundary and Water Commission.”
Advocates, like Border Network for Human Rights executive director Fernando Garcia, exposed the socio-political implications of the New Mexico wall: “They are part of the same militia groups that are posing as law enforcement agents, arresting migrants at gunpoint and promoting fear in Southern New Mexico,” he said in a story carried by the El Paso Times. “These extremist groups do not belong to our border community,” he continued, “they do not know our border and we will not allow them to come and define it for us.”
No boundaries
In the Justice Department’s indictment, Brian Kolfage is accused of secretly taking more than $350,000 in donations and spending it on home renovations, boat payments and many other lifestyle expenses, including cosmetic surgery. In a recently resurfaced video, Bannon is seen joking about how Kolfage took the We Build The Wall money to buy himself a yacht, which turned out to be somewhat ironic when Bannon, himself, would later be arrested aboard a yacht owned by Chinese billionaire and alleged fugitive, Guo Wengui.
“This entire fiasco is to stop people who want to build the wall, Bannon told reporters as he left federal court on $5 million bail. Predictably, Trump attempted to disassociate himself from the project run by his former campaign manager, stating that he didn’t “like that project,” and thought paying for the border wall privately was “inappropriate.”
The federal investigation had been ongoing for, at least, one year when President Trump fired SDNY prosecutor, Geoffrey S. Berman, on June 20. The federal prosecutor’s office in Manhattan gave Attorney General William P. Barr, who had been briefed on the inquiry months prior, notice that the indictment would be unsealed on Thursday, according to the New York Times. In May, the federal government determined that a stretch of the private border wall south of violates a 1970 international boundary treaty between the United States and Mexico.
Feature photo | President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon leaves federal court, Aug. 20, 2020, after pleading not guilty to charges that he ripped off donors to an online fundraising scheme to build a southern border wall. Craig Ruttle | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-09-15--In the Face of “Normalization” Congressional Dems Lobby to Protect Israel’s “Qualitative Military Ed

In the Face of “Normalization” Congressional Dems Lobby to Protect Israel’s “Qualitative Military Edge”

Since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration , every U.S. president has formally upheld the strategic priority of Israel through what today has become an official policy of the United States government called “ Qualitative Military Edge ” or QME .
Enshrined as law in 2008 , it essentially calls for Israel to “ build and maintain a military that is qualitatively better than any other in the region.
” The concept is credited to none other than Israel ’ s founding father , David Ben-Gurion , who established QME as “ its basic defense doctrine ” and is the backbone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A group of Democratic members of Congress has taken it upon themselves to remind President Trump that he should not lose sight of the law requiring the U.S. to preserve Israel ’ s military advantage as reports emerge about the Administration ’ s “ push ” to sell advanced stealth F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates ( UAE ) on the eve of the official enactment of the historic Israeli-UAE normalization treaty .
In a letter signed by nine Congressional Democrats led by Rep. Brad Schneider ( D-Ill. ) and joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by praising the U.S. role in “ broker [ ing ] ” the Israeli-UAE deal and an odd appeal to “ a more peaceful future for the region , ” before embarking on the subject of keeping Israel the most armed nation in the Middle East .
Ted Deutch ( D-Fla. ) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz ( D-Fla. ) , whose adjacent districts 22 and 23 , respectively in the state of Florida hosts the highest concentration of Israeli defense industry companies of any other region in the United States , joined with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( D-N.J. ) , Ted Lieu ( R-Calif. ) , Elaine Luria ( D-Va. ) , Max Rose ( D-N.Y. ) , Gil Cisneros ( D-Calif. ) and Abigail Spanberger ( D-Va. ) .
Citing QME ’ s “ importance to members of Congress and the American people , ” they went on to highlight the “ strenuous opposition ” of Benjamin Netanyahu , Defense Minister Gantz and the “ Israeli national security community , ” in general , to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE .
“ As stalwart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concluded , “ we will oppose any arms sale that would threaten Israel ’ s QME , and we will take every opportunity to advocate for Israel ’ s security .
In accordance with US law , we firmly expect your Administration to keep Congress fully apprised of any pending arm sales to the region.
” The adoption of QME as a pillar of U.S. policy in Israel occurred after the Six-Day war , when LBJ took over France ’ s role as Israel ’ s arms supplier .
The occasion was marked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighters and 90 A‐4 Skyhawk jets in 1968 after then-Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. , Yitzhak Rabin and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense , Paul Warnke worked out a deal together to “ massively ” upgrade the Israeli Air Force ’ s capabilities .
In 2016 , President Barack Obama caused an uproar when he publicly questioned the necessity of QME , frustrated that pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states were being held up by the provisions of Title 22 of U.S. code § 8604 .
Obama was trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudis at unprecedented levels , with overtures totaling more than $ 115 billion to the Middle East , alone .
The demand is coming from the ongoing human tragedy in Yemen , of course , which is on route to claiming another hundred thousand lives and untold devastation .
The worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century is being fueled by American weapons of war and its NATO allies , such as France and Germany .
The Middle East accounted for 49 percent of U.S. arms exports in the second term of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to eclipse the $ 278 billion in foreign-arms sales Obama racked up by the end of his presidency .
Already the world ’ s leading arms exporter , the United States under the Trump Administration is ramping up global arms sales , and the UAE is a big target market .
The U.S.-brokered Israeli-UAE normalization pact seems to be , at its core , a way to subvert the “ deliberate policy of arms purchase diversification ” presently enforced by Arab states .
Some have even accused the president of using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UAE for their cooperation with the apartheid state , according to the New York Times .
The division this issue has spurned in Israel ’ s government reveals it to be a case where U.S. policy supersedes Israel ’ s wishes , which are so often granted .
The letter addressed to president Trump by the nine members of Congress may have been a futile reflex of the shadow Israeli lobby that inhabits the House via the likes of Wasserman and Deutch .
U.S .
Ambassador to Israel , David Friedman , tried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plans for the F-35 sale to the UAE were published by the Israeli press .
“ The QME process will kick in as it has before , ” he assured readers of the Jerusalem Post .
The only thing everybody seems to agree on is the continued sale of the tools of war .
According to a 2018 article from The National Interest , Trump planned to take over where Obama left off , focusing more on selling air defense systems and munitions , whereas Obama had preferred to peddle fighter jets and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaches to one of the first two next-generation F-35 fighter jets after it landed during an unveiling ceremony upon arrival in Nevatim Air Force base near Beersheba , Southern Israel , Dec. 12 , 2016 .
Ariel Schalit | AP

Since the Lyndon B. Johnson administration, every U.S. president has formally upheld the strategic priority of Israel through what today has become an official policy of the United States government called “Qualitative Military Edge” or QME. Enshrined as law in 2008, it essentially calls for Israel to “build and maintain a military that is qualitatively better than any other in the region.” The concept is credited to none other than Israel’s founding father, David Ben-Gurion, who established QME as “its basic defense doctrine” and is the backbone of the U.S.-Israeli relationship writ large.
A group of Democratic members of Congress has taken it upon themselves to remind President Trump that he should not lose sight of the law requiring the U.S. to preserve Israel’s military advantage as reports emerge about the Administration’s “push” to sell advanced stealth F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the eve of the official enactment of the historic Israeli-UAE normalization treaty.
In a letter signed by nine Congressional Democrats led by Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) and joined by eight others, the representatives began by praising the U.S. role in “broker[ing]” the Israeli-UAE deal and an odd appeal to “a more peaceful future for the region,” before embarking on the subject of keeping Israel the most armed nation in the Middle East.
Download the PDF file .
Ted Deutch (D-Fla.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), whose adjacent districts 22 and 23, respectively in the state of Florida hosts the highest concentration of Israeli defense industry companies of any other region in the United States, joined with their signatures, along with Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Ted Lieu (R-Calif.), Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Max Rose (D-N.Y.), Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) and Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.).
Citing QME’s “importance to members of Congress and the American people,” they went on to highlight the “strenuous opposition” of Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gantz and the “Israeli national security community,” in general, to the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE. “As stalwart supporters of Israel,” the letter concluded, “we will oppose any arms sale that would threaten Israel’s QME, and we will take every opportunity to advocate for Israel’s security. In accordance with US law, we firmly expect your Administration to keep Congress fully apprised of any pending arm sales to the region.”
Birth of the QME
The adoption of QME as a pillar of U.S. policy in Israel occurred after the Six-Day war, when LBJ took over France’s role as Israel’s arms supplier. The occasion was marked by the sale of 50 F-4 Phantom fighters and 90 A‐4 Skyhawk jets in 1968 after then-Israeli Ambassador to the U.S., Yitzhak Rabin and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense, Paul Warnke worked out a deal together to “massively” upgrade the Israeli Air Force’s capabilities.
In 2016, President Barack Obama caused an uproar when he publicly questioned the necessity of QME, frustrated that pending arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab states were being held up by the provisions of Title 22 of U.S. code § 8604. Obama was trying to sell warplanes and drones to the Saudis at unprecedented levels, with overtures totaling more than $115 billion to the Middle East, alone.
The demand is coming from the ongoing human tragedy in Yemen, of course, which is on route to claiming another hundred thousand lives and untold devastation. The worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century is being fueled by American weapons of war and its NATO allies, such as France and Germany.
The Middle East accounted for 49 percent of U.S. arms exports in the second term of the Obama Administration and Trump’s term is expected to eclipse the $278 billion in foreign-arms sales Obama racked up by the end of his presidency.
Agree to disagree
Already the world’s leading arms exporter, the United States under the Trump Administration is ramping up global arms sales, and the UAE is a big target market. The U.S.-brokered Israeli-UAE normalization pact seems to be, at its core, a way to subvert the “deliberate policy of arms purchase diversification” presently enforced by Arab states. Some have even accused the president of using the F-35s as a reward to the UAE for their cooperation with the apartheid state, according to the New York Times.
The division this issue has spurned in Israel’s government reveals it to be a case where U.S. policy supersedes Israel’s wishes, which are so often granted. The letter addressed to president Trump by the nine members of Congress may have been a futile reflex of the shadow Israeli lobby that inhabits the House via the likes of Wasserman and Deutch. U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, tried to quell the maelstrom in February when plans for the F-35 sale to the UAE were published by the Israeli press. “The QME process will kick in as it has before,” he assured readers of the Jerusalem Post.
The only thing everybody seems to agree on is the continued sale of the tools of war. According to a 2018 article from The National Interest, Trump planned to take over where Obama left off, focusing more on selling air defense systems and munitions, whereas Obama had preferred to peddle fighter jets and helicopters.
Feature photo | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaches to one of the first two next-generation F-35 fighter jets after it landed during an unveiling ceremony upon arrival in Nevatim Air Force base near Beersheba, Southern Israel, Dec. 12, 2016. Ariel Schalit | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-09-18--Pentagon’s Top Spy Agency Turns To AI for Targeting and Operations Planning

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIA ) is getting ready for the “ next battlefield ” and counting on the expertise of private concerns , like Booz Allen Hamilton , to implement what it calls Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-repository System , or MARS for short .
MARS is a critical data management system for “ military targeting ” and operation planning .
MARS is currently the DIA ’ s top priority , and according to DIA director Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley Jr. , the aim is to replicate “ the commercial Internet that everybody uses every day , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ foundational intelligence picture [ … ] at speed and at scale.
” Terry Busch , chief of DIA ’ s integrated analysis and methodologies division , highlights the difference between the MARS program he manages and the old “ stovepipe ” data management technologies it is meant to replace : “ What comes out of MARS at the end is not data , it ’ s analysis .
It ’ s finished intelligence.
” Which kind of intelligence , specifically , will be assessed dynamically by the machine ’ s algorithms in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ using AI functionality .
It will revolutionize the way data is received and acted-upon .
As it scours and collects vast datasets and volumes of foreign intelligence that support U.S. military operations around the world , MARS will be equipped to handle both large amounts of data , like the storage-intensive images and videos collected by the National Reconnaissance Office and also analyze the information to produce actionable leads in the battlefield .
It is nothing less than the 1983 sci-fi classic “ WarGames ” come to life .
A ‘ machine ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ based on the information it is fed .
In the movie , a military drill of a surprise nuclear attack on the United States accidentally goes live after a hacker , played by Matthew Broderick , “ unwittingly ” puts the world on the brink of nuclear war .
MARS program manager Terry Busch doesn ’ t discount the possibility .
“ On the machine side , ” Busch stated , “ we have experienced confirmation bias in big data , ” adding that it was a “ real concern ” given that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retrain itself to error ” .
COVID-19 , however , has given the top military intelligence department the opportunity to “ prove [ its ] ability to deliver the capabilities of MARS ” , as DIA chief of Staff , John Sawyer , said at a National Security Summit that concluded Friday .
The “ assumptions about the nature of our work , ” he claims were challenged during the pandemic , were especially fruitful in regards to the MARS program , which can now benefit from a new modality of military intelligence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of how we are going to understand fighting ” .
The massive scope of the DIA ’ s database retooling can be glimpsed by the size of the multiple-award contract it announced in August of last year , totaling over $ 17 Billion in contracts to 16 different companies , from large and established military contractors to startups .
The largest “ individual task orders ” went to companies like Booz Allen Hamilton , the long-time private military intelligence-gathering operation that once employed Edward Snowden , and the far less known – but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ III , who pled guilty in 2019 of stealing classified material pertaining to NSA “ source code to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia , China , Iran and North Korea.
” In September 2019 , Booz Allen Hamilton received a $ 90 Million contract to deliver “ services for the production , dissemination , and tracking of DIA ’ s finished intelligence products , including the development and maintenance of applications and tools used to perform the mission.
” Other private defense contractors include aerospace giant BAE Systems , Leidos @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SAIC ) , and Vencore .
At the two-day intelligence summit , Sawyer alluded to the importance of the private sector in this endeavor , stating that “ We have to rely on our partners and industry , ” and “ have them help us understand the art of the possible and the cutting-edge technology that is out there and to provide the expertise that will allow us to maintain our qualitative edge.
” This is not a drill The rationale behind prioritizing the overhaul of the DIA ’ s data management system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ delivery of intelligence to military planners , international partners and analysts , ” is the “ re-emergence ” of “ great powers.
, ” according to the agency .
In addition , the DIA claims that everything “ the nation knows about adversaries ’ capabilities , tactics and military doctrine ” is no longer enough in a “ more competitive , dynamic and dangerous ” global environment .
Touted by the DIA as a “ decision advantage for the 21st century ” , MARS , represents a perilous use of artificial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s aforementioned claims regarding “ finished intelligence ” should be noted , again , as advances in cloud computing will allow MARS to simulate “ courses of action , allowing operators to quickly and fully grasp the likely effects of proposed activities or movements.
” WarGames ends like you ’ d expect a Hollywood movie to end , with all the built-up suspense and danger is resolved by the hero before the credits start rolling .
In the film , the human wins and manages to get WOPR , the artificial intelligence machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trigger and avert a nuclear conflagration .
The acronym chosen for its real-life manifestation , named after the Roman god of war , should remind us that real life isn ’ t like the movies .
Feature photo | Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats , left , accompanied by Defense Intelligence Agency Director Gen. Robert Ashley and National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill , Jan. 29 , 2019 .
Jose Luis Magana | AP

The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) is getting ready for the “next battlefield” and counting on the expertise of private concerns, like Booz Allen Hamilton, to implement what it calls Machine-assisted Analytic Rapid-repository System, or MARS for short. MARS is a critical data management system for “military targeting” and operation planning.
MARS is currently the DIA’s top priority, and according to DIA director Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley Jr., the aim is to replicate “the commercial Internet that everybody uses every day,” with the added functionality of providing a “foundational intelligence picture […] at speed and at scale.”
Terry Busch, chief of DIA’s integrated analysis and methodologies division, highlights the difference between the MARS program he manages and the old “stovepipe” data management technologies it is meant to replace: “What comes out of MARS at the end is not data, it’s analysis. It’s finished intelligence.”
Which kind of intelligence, specifically, will be assessed dynamically by the machine’s algorithms in a new kind of database management system using AI functionality. It will revolutionize the way data is received and acted-upon. As it scours and collects vast datasets and volumes of foreign intelligence that support U.S. military operations around the world, MARS will be equipped to handle both large amounts of data, like the storage-intensive images and videos collected by the National Reconnaissance Office and also analyze the information to produce actionable leads in the battlefield.
It is nothing less than the 1983 sci-fi classic “WarGames” come to life. A ‘machine’ that decides when to go to war based on the information it is fed. In the movie, a military drill of a surprise nuclear attack on the United States accidentally goes live after a hacker, played by Matthew Broderick, “unwittingly” puts the world on the brink of nuclear war.
MARS program manager Terry Busch doesn’t discount the possibility. “On the machine side,” Busch stated, “we have experienced confirmation bias in big data,” adding that it was a “real concern” given that they’ve had “the machine retrain itself to error”.
COVID-19, however, has given the top military intelligence department the opportunity to “prove [its] ability to deliver the capabilities of MARS”, as DIA chief of Staff, John Sawyer, said at a National Security Summit that concluded Friday. The “assumptions about the nature of our work,” he claims were challenged during the pandemic, were especially fruitful in regards to the MARS program, which can now benefit from a new modality of military intelligence propagation that will be “the future of how we are going to understand fighting”.
Privatizing war
The massive scope of the DIA’s database retooling can be glimpsed by the size of the multiple-award contract it announced in August of last year, totaling over $17 Billion in contracts to 16 different companies, from large and established military contractors to startups. The largest “individual task orders” went to companies like Booz Allen Hamilton, the long-time private military intelligence-gathering operation that once employed Edward Snowden, and the far less known – but far more significant – Harold Thomas Martin III, who pled guilty in 2019 of stealing classified material pertaining to NSA “source code to break into computer systems of adversaries like Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.”
In September 2019, Booz Allen Hamilton received a $90 Million contract to deliver “services for the production, dissemination, and tracking of DIA’s finished intelligence products, including the development and maintenance of applications and tools used to perform the mission.” Other private defense contractors include aerospace giant BAE Systems, Leidos (formerly Science Applications International Corporation, SAIC), and Vencore.
At the two-day intelligence summit, Sawyer alluded to the importance of the private sector in this endeavor, stating that “We have to rely on our partners and industry,” and “have them help us understand the art of the possible and the cutting-edge technology that is out there and to provide the expertise that will allow us to maintain our qualitative edge.”
This is not a drill
The rationale behind prioritizing the overhaul of the DIA’s data management system, a system that is tasked with the “delivery of intelligence to military planners, international partners and analysts,” is the “re-emergence” of “great powers.,” according to the agency. In addition, the DIA claims that everything “the nation knows about adversaries’ capabilities, tactics and military doctrine” is no longer enough in a “more competitive, dynamic and dangerous” global environment.
Touted by the DIA as a “decision advantage for the 21st century”, MARS, represents a perilous use of artificial intelligence, and program manager Busch’s aforementioned claims regarding “finished intelligence” should be noted, again, as advances in cloud computing will allow MARS to simulate “courses of action, allowing operators to quickly and fully grasp the likely effects of proposed activities or movements.”
WarGames ends like you’d expect a Hollywood movie to end, with all the built-up suspense and danger is resolved by the hero before the credits start rolling. In the film, the human wins and manages to get WOPR, the artificial intelligence machine, to relinquish control of the nuclear trigger and avert a nuclear conflagration. The acronym chosen for its real-life manifestation, named after the Roman god of war, should remind us that real life isn’t like the movies.
Feature photo | Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, left, accompanied by Defense Intelligence Agency Director Gen. Robert Ashley and National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill, Jan. 29, 2019. Jose Luis Magana | AP
Raul Diego is a MintPress News Staff Writer, independent photojournalist, researcher, writer and documentary filmmaker.


mintpressnews--2020-09-18--The Final Nail: COVID-19 Marks the End of Democratic Socialism in Sweden

From Djurgården , I walk along the water on Strandvägen – a rising fall whips in a determined wind across the water , slicing at remnants of summer and carving pathways around centuries-old buildings .
Colors like Nordic interior design catalogs look like they ’ ve been stirred among clouds – a muted vibrance that evokes a calm and stoic resolve .
Albeit quieter than a typical early fall day , there ’ s a bustle .
People are out and their faces are bare .
Buses and trolleys roll by and not a mask can be seen inside .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ remind people to keep their distance yet they seem like relics from a time long gone when a global pandemic was something people needed to worry about .
The only time I could feel the ghostly press of the pandemic was in the Old Town .
Typically wall-to-cobbled-street-wall with tourists , it was surprisingly empty .
A few crinkled and hand-scribbled signs in shop windows announced limited hours or closures – no opening date , just closed .
But like a fleeting eerie patch in a lucid dream , as soon as I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Southern island of Stockholm , the bustle was back – and bigger .
On Götgatan , the main thoroughfare that runs the length of the island , streets and sidewalks were thick with pedestrians .
Bikes zipped to and fro , people sauntered , rushed and stopped to chat .
Absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary .
Restaurants were open , barbershops , clothing stores , and even pharmacies were welcoming unmasked patrons in .
As I stepped tentatively into a shop I ’ d frequented many times – looking for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mask was greeted as if I had strapped a giant dildo to my forehead .
By the register , a plexiglass shield sat uselessly as the woman ringing me up poked her head around it to speak to me .
I couldn ’ t help but laugh .
Into my mask .
Before this pandemic began , I had started writing an article about Sweden – about the shiny facade of democratic socialism that hides a decidedly capitalist reality shifting more and more towards the U.S. model on how to fuck people over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Still , when the pandemic hit , I was sure that Sweden would respond the way our neighbors did in Denmark and Norway .
After all , for all their faults , Sweden believes in things like climate change .
Sweden uplifts scientific research and surely , Sweden wouldn ’ t turn its back on clear cut epidemiological evidence .
Right ?
Enter Anders Tegnell , the controversial State Epidemiologist who has led Sweden ’ s COVID response – or lack thereof .
As nations around the globe locked down , mandated face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and mass testing , Sweden implemented measures such as banning gatherings of more than 50 people , closing high schools and universities while keeping younger children in school ( homeschooling is not allowed except in “ extraordinary circumstances ” ) .
Shops stayed open as did most other businesses save big amusement parks , concert venues , and the like .
As I was headed back to the states in early September , a neighbor ’ s high school kids were on a three-day rotation : two days in school for at most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of remote learning .
None of these moves were spontaneous or without measured consideration .
Ask any Scandinavian – Swedes aren ’ t known for our carefree spontaneity .
No , at the start of the pandemic , the plan was clear .
Tegnell and friends said they ’ d be leaning heavily on “ folkvett , ” which basically translates to common sense .
Of course , the problem with common sense during a pandemic is twofold .
One , not everyone has it .
Two , common sense doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a government butt-scooting down the human decency curve on a neoliberal slip-n-slide .
Still , like any neoliberal endeavor , this one comes pre-packaged with all kinds of slick excuses and explanations .
In a recent interview with the Financial Times , Tegnell notes that the goal from the beginning was “ sustainability… to be resistant to quick fixes , to realize that this is not going to be easy… it ’ s not going to be fixed by one kind of measure.
” The fallacy here of course is to conflate stricter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ignore the fact that stricter measures on the front-end saves lives and allows for an easing of restrictions later on ( just look at New Zealand and South Korea ) .
But ignore this he does !
Tegnell taps an old Swedish saying “ is i magen ” which translates literally to ice in your belly – the idea that you should remain calm and not panic in stressful situations .
Here again , Tegnell falls into a false equivalency .
Panic is not the same thing as a calm but quick and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has to act quickly , but should obviously not panic in the midst of stabilizing a patient for transport from the bloody scene of an accident .
Tegnell , however , is the EMT in the passenger seat smoking a cigarette .
He trusts that things will work out fine and in Tegnell ’ s case , he feels that they largely have .
Back in June , he conceded during an interview that “ If we would encounter the same disease , with exactly what we know about it today , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sweden did and what the rest of the world did.
” Yet , come September he told the Financial Times that he ’ s actually not sure the response would have changed much .
This comes after an incident in mid-August where he again drew international ire for saying that wearing masks could actually be “ dangerous ” as it gives the wearer a false sense of security .
I couldn ’ t help but be reminded of Biden ’ s quip when asked if he feels bad about any of his policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sadly , Tegnell ’ s thinking is something you can hear echoing across the political spectrum in Sweden .
From my more conservative friends to anarchists , people are saying that wearing masks just promotes carelessness as opposed to safety .
There ’ s a surprising uniformity of support for the government ’ s COVID response .
The nearly 6,000 deaths of predominantly seniors are astonishingly shrugged off by the center and right while those to the left point a singular finger at the privatization and diminished quality of elder care in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the leftist media outlet The Proletarian notes that some 21 percent of Swedish elder care is privatized , compared to 10 percent in Norway .
What this shakes out to in terms of quality of care is that private firms require lower levels of schooling , fewer employees overall , and a more rapidly revolving door of part-time and temp employees thanks to corporate attempts to side-step the benefits guaranteed to full-time , non-temp workers .
This also means that the workers have less power in the workplace , and there have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quietly showing up to work with symptoms simply because they want to keep their jobs and not give the boss cause to fire them .
Sound familiar ?
Indeed , Sweden ’ s elder care is a neoliberal wet dream in many ways and provided a ready petri dish for COVID .
That being said , shitty elder care and a shitty COVID strategy are not mutually exclusive issues .
For instance , back in April , the Guardian reported on the fact that workers in Swedish elder care facilities weren ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , workers said they were just following guidelines .
As of September 14 , according to the Public Health Authority , 41 percent of all the COVID deaths have been among those aged 80-89 years old , and an astonishing 88 percent of all deaths have been among those aged 70 and over .
That is both a failure of COVID policy and a failure of elder care policy .
It ’ s reminiscent of the legend of the ättestup which tells that in Viking times , the elderly were supposedly thrown off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accord so as not to be a burden to their communities .
While historians have debunked this legend , it would seem from recent events that Sweden is attempting a morbid modern-day re-enactment of this old legend .
To give some context to these numbers , with a population roughly that of North Carolina , Sweden has the fifth-highest mortality rate per capita in Europe – five times higher than Denmark , and ten times higher than Norway and Finland .
Still , Tegnell seems undeterred .
In a September interview with news @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of course something went wrong when 5,800 people died .
That ’ s definitely not something we expected .
Nothing we planned for , nothing we hoped for .
So that ’ s definitely gone wrong .
But that does not mean that the strategy itself has gone wrong.
” One might be inclined to wonder what it would take for Tegnell to admit that a strategy is wrong .
One might even be inclined to ask what that strategy is .
In that same interview , Tegnell denied ever suggesting that herd @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strategy despite the fact that leaked emails from March of this year prove otherwise .
In the same email dump , Tegnell responds to his Finnish counterpart , Mika Salminen who expressed concern over Tegnell ’ s wish to keep schools open , pointing out that closing schools could stop the spread of COVID to vulnerable age groups by 10 percent .
Tegnell ’ s response : “ 10 % might be worth it ?
” Worth it how exactly ?
So you can eat at a restaurant ?
So third-year students can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggested in another email to Tegnell ?
We may never know the answer to this question – or others – considering the fact that Tegnell deleted many emails that were requested by journalists in Sweden .
Maybe he should get some tips from Hillary Clinton on private servers .
Cast off the cliff of capitalism Ultimately , it doesn ’ t matter which of the many possible reasons Tegnell chose to sidestep scientifically-proven measures during a pandemic .
What matters is that almost 6,000 people were cast off the cliff of capitalism unnecessarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to shelter Sweden ’ s capital , that didn ’ t work out either .
In an analysis of data by the Financial Times , Sweden ’ s economy is doing worse than the economies of both Finland and Norway , while again leading the way in COVID deaths for Scandinavia – by a long haul .
Unfortunately , the global capitalist market doesn ’ t really care whether or not Sweden stayed open for business .
In the midst of all this death and economic downturn , Sweden ’ s politicians have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neoliberal double-speak .
They uplift the idea of common sense while failing to use any of their own .
They dare to quip about sustainability at a time when Sweden is seeking to expand their oil refineries .
They take credit for avoiding a current surge in European cases when the fact is that their policy has cost lives , not saved them .
If anyone can be thanked for avoiding all out disaster , it is ( some of ) the Swedish people themselves .
A recent analysis from researchers at Uppsala @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Virginia School of Medicine show that nearly a third of Swedish residents voluntarily self-isolated .
Many people , particularly those in high-risk groups , ignored Tegnell and donned masks and face shields in order to go shopping , using creative hand signals to remind people to respect the time-honored Swedish tradition of social distancing .
Some families , including high-risk households , even tried to keep kids at home when schools reopened this fall , precipitating either fines or harassment from social services .
Experts and academics signed on to a letter demanding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the start of the school year , citing ongoing research that shows children do spread the virus , even if they are asymptomatic themselves .
And herein lies the crux of the whole shebang – a silver lining and indeed a silver thread that connects our struggles here in the U.S. with those in Sweden and across the globe : at best , the government does nothing , and more often than not they actively obstruct people ’ s ability to thrive or even survive .
Sweden still enjoys many socialized institutions and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shitty city upon a hill – this most capitalist of all cut-throat capitalist goons that is the U.S .
But they are headed this way .
The siren call of neoliberalism can be heard in more places than just elder care centers .
The rise of fascism there learns and adapts from the rise of fascism here .
And so we too must adapt .
We must decouple our minds from the decrees of our politicians .
Again , the striking support for Tegnell ’ s dumbshittery across the political spectrum in Sweden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consider and fight for something sustainable – but that should not be ( and in reality can not be ) a sustainable capitalism .
Indeed , what better current critique of capitalism is there than the fact that people must cheat death in order to financially survive ?
Or that our lowest paid workers are our most essential ?
It is beyond infuriating , and unacceptable to think that ( as I write this ) 5,877 people have died from COVID in Sweden .
But in the dark reality of government failures , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ common sense , of collectively using it .
We can see laid bare the deeper cancers eating away at our present and our future .
The French Revolutionary Maximillien Robespierre once wrote that “ Louis must die so that France may live.
” To repurpose that for our times : capitalism must die so that the world may live .
Eleanor Goldfield is a creative activist and journalist .
Her work has appeared on Free Speech TV where she produced and hosted the weekly radical news show , Act Out !
for five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ via MintPress News , ROAR , Popular Resistance , RT , and more .
She is the host of the podcast Act Out !
and the co-host of the podcast Common Censored along with Lee Camp .
Her first long-form , deep-dive video piece , “ Hard Road of Hope , ” covers past and present radicalism in the resource colony known as West Virginia .
Besides touring , performing and media work , she assists in frontline action organizing and activist training .
Visit her website at artkillingapathy.com

From Djurgården, I walk along the water on Strandvägen – a rising fall whips in a determined wind across the water, slicing at remnants of summer and carving pathways around centuries-old buildings. Colors like Nordic interior design catalogs look like they’ve been stirred among clouds – a muted vibrance that evokes a calm and stoic resolve.
Albeit quieter than a typical early fall day, there’s a bustle. People are out and their faces are bare. Buses and trolleys roll by and not a mask can be seen inside. Scuffed and faded stickers on the street remind people to keep their distance yet they seem like relics from a time long gone when a global pandemic was something people needed to worry about. The only time I could feel the ghostly press of the pandemic was in the Old Town. Typically wall-to-cobbled-street-wall with tourists, it was surprisingly empty. A few crinkled and hand-scribbled signs in shop windows announced limited hours or closures – no opening date, just closed.
But like a fleeting eerie patch in a lucid dream, as soon as I wandered across the bridge to Söder, the Southern island of Stockholm, the bustle was back – and bigger. On Götgatan, the main thoroughfare that runs the length of the island, streets and sidewalks were thick with pedestrians. Bikes zipped to and fro, people sauntered, rushed and stopped to chat. Absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. Restaurants were open, barbershops, clothing stores, and even pharmacies were welcoming unmasked patrons in. As I stepped tentatively into a shop I’d frequented many times – looking for a special Swedish soap – my flowery mask was greeted as if I had strapped a giant dildo to my forehead. By the register, a plexiglass shield sat uselessly as the woman ringing me up poked her head around it to speak to me. I couldn’t help but laugh. Into my mask.
Before this pandemic began, I had started writing an article about Sweden – about the shiny facade of democratic socialism that hides a decidedly capitalist reality shifting more and more towards the U.S. model on how to fuck people over more efficiently and for more profit. Still, when the pandemic hit, I was sure that Sweden would respond the way our neighbors did in Denmark and Norway. After all, for all their faults, Sweden believes in things like climate change. Sweden uplifts scientific research and surely, Sweden wouldn’t turn its back on clear cut epidemiological evidence. Right?
Ice in your belly
Enter Anders Tegnell, the controversial State Epidemiologist who has led Sweden’s COVID response – or lack thereof. As nations around the globe locked down, mandated face masks, and engaged in contact tracing and mass testing, Sweden implemented measures such as banning gatherings of more than 50 people, closing high schools and universities while keeping younger children in school (homeschooling is not allowed except in “extraordinary circumstances”). Shops stayed open as did most other businesses save big amusement parks, concert venues, and the like. As I was headed back to the states in early September, a neighbor’s high school kids were on a three-day rotation: two days in school for at most a half-day, and then one day of remote learning.
None of these moves were spontaneous or without measured consideration. Ask any Scandinavian – Swedes aren’t known for our carefree spontaneity. No, at the start of the pandemic, the plan was clear. Tegnell and friends said they’d be leaning heavily on “folkvett,” which basically translates to common sense. Of course, the problem with common sense during a pandemic is twofold. One, not everyone has it. Two, common sense doesn’t help address the failures or shortcomings of a government butt-scooting down the human decency curve on a neoliberal slip-n-slide. Still, like any neoliberal endeavor, this one comes pre-packaged with all kinds of slick excuses and explanations.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Tegnell notes that the goal from the beginning was “sustainability… to be resistant to quick fixes, to realize that this is not going to be easy… it’s not going to be fixed by one kind of measure.” The fallacy here of course is to conflate stricter measures with a quick fix and to ignore the fact that stricter measures on the front-end saves lives and allows for an easing of restrictions later on (just look at New Zealand and South Korea). But ignore this he does! Tegnell taps an old Swedish saying “is i magen” which translates literally to ice in your belly – the idea that you should remain calm and not panic in stressful situations. Here again, Tegnell falls into a false equivalency. Panic is not the same thing as a calm but quick and logical response. An EMT for instance has to act quickly, but should obviously not panic in the midst of stabilizing a patient for transport from the bloody scene of an accident.
Tegnell, however, is the EMT in the passenger seat smoking a cigarette. He trusts that things will work out fine and in Tegnell’s case, he feels that they largely have. Back in June, he conceded during an interview that “If we would encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did.” Yet, come September he told the Financial Times that he’s actually not sure the response would have changed much. This comes after an incident in mid-August where he again drew international ire for saying that wearing masks could actually be “dangerous” as it gives the wearer a false sense of security. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Biden’s quip when asked if he feels bad about any of his policy choices: “I regret nothing.”
Sadly, Tegnell’s thinking is something you can hear echoing across the political spectrum in Sweden. From my more conservative friends to anarchists, people are saying that wearing masks just promotes carelessness as opposed to safety. There’s a surprising uniformity of support for the government’s COVID response. The nearly 6,000 deaths of predominantly seniors are astonishingly shrugged off by the center and right while those to the left point a singular finger at the privatization and diminished quality of elder care in the country.
A neoliberal wet dream
An article from April in the leftist media outlet The Proletarian notes that some 21 percent of Swedish elder care is privatized, compared to 10 percent in Norway. What this shakes out to in terms of quality of care is that private firms require lower levels of schooling, fewer employees overall, and a more rapidly revolving door of part-time and temp employees thanks to corporate attempts to side-step the benefits guaranteed to full-time, non-temp workers. This also means that the workers have less power in the workplace, and there have been more than a few cases of workers quietly showing up to work with symptoms simply because they want to keep their jobs and not give the boss cause to fire them. Sound familiar?
Indeed, Sweden’s elder care is a neoliberal wet dream in many ways and provided a ready petri dish for COVID. That being said, shitty elder care and a shitty COVID strategy are not mutually exclusive issues. For instance, back in April, the Guardian reported on the fact that workers in Swedish elder care facilities weren’t wearing masks or gloves. When questioned, workers said they were just following guidelines.
As of September 14, according to the Public Health Authority, 41 percent of all the COVID deaths have been among those aged 80-89 years old, and an astonishing 88 percent of all deaths have been among those aged 70 and over. That is both a failure of COVID policy and a failure of elder care policy. It’s reminiscent of the legend of the ättestup which tells that in Viking times, the elderly were supposedly thrown off of cliffs or jump of their own accord so as not to be a burden to their communities. While historians have debunked this legend, it would seem from recent events that Sweden is attempting a morbid modern-day re-enactment of this old legend.
To give some context to these numbers, with a population roughly that of North Carolina, Sweden has the fifth-highest mortality rate per capita in Europe – five times higher than Denmark, and ten times higher than Norway and Finland.
Still, Tegnell seems undeterred. In a September interview with news outlet France24, he notes that “Of course something went wrong when 5,800 people died. That’s definitely not something we expected. Nothing we planned for, nothing we hoped for. So that’s definitely gone wrong. But that does not mean that the strategy itself has gone wrong.” One might be inclined to wonder what it would take for Tegnell to admit that a strategy is wrong.
One might even be inclined to ask what that strategy is. In that same interview, Tegnell denied ever suggesting that herd immunity was the goal of the Swedish strategy despite the fact that leaked emails from March of this year prove otherwise.
In the same email dump, Tegnell responds to his Finnish counterpart, Mika Salminen who expressed concern over Tegnell’s wish to keep schools open, pointing out that closing schools could stop the spread of COVID to vulnerable age groups by 10 percent. Tegnell’s response: “10% might be worth it?” Worth it how exactly? So you can eat at a restaurant? So third-year students can celebrate their final exams, as was suggested in another email to Tegnell? We may never know the answer to this question – or others – considering the fact that Tegnell deleted many emails that were requested by journalists in Sweden. Maybe he should get some tips from Hillary Clinton on private servers.
Cast off the cliff of capitalism
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which of the many possible reasons Tegnell chose to sidestep scientifically-proven measures during a pandemic. What matters is that almost 6,000 people were cast off the cliff of capitalism unnecessarily. Indeed, if the hope was to shelter Sweden’s capital, that didn’t work out either. In an analysis of data by the Financial Times, Sweden’s economy is doing worse than the economies of both Finland and Norway, while again leading the way in COVID deaths for Scandinavia – by a long haul. Unfortunately, the global capitalist market doesn’t really care whether or not Sweden stayed open for business.
In the midst of all this death and economic downturn, Sweden’s politicians have tip-toed around truth and riffed on classic neoliberal double-speak. They uplift the idea of common sense while failing to use any of their own. They dare to quip about sustainability at a time when Sweden is seeking to expand their oil refineries. They take credit for avoiding a current surge in European cases when the fact is that their policy has cost lives, not saved them.
If anyone can be thanked for avoiding all out disaster, it is (some of) the Swedish people themselves. A recent analysis from researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden and the University of Virginia School of Medicine show that nearly a third of Swedish residents voluntarily self-isolated. Many people, particularly those in high-risk groups, ignored Tegnell and donned masks and face shields in order to go shopping, using creative hand signals to remind people to respect the time-honored Swedish tradition of social distancing. Some families, including high-risk households, even tried to keep kids at home when schools reopened this fall, precipitating either fines or harassment from social services. Experts and academics signed on to a letter demanding a “more responsible policy” at the start of the school year, citing ongoing research that shows children do spread the virus, even if they are asymptomatic themselves.
And herein lies the crux of the whole shebang – a silver lining and indeed a silver thread that connects our struggles here in the U.S. with those in Sweden and across the globe: at best, the government does nothing, and more often than not they actively obstruct people’s ability to thrive or even survive. Sweden still enjoys many socialized institutions and is admittedly a far cry from this shitty city upon a hill – this most capitalist of all cut-throat capitalist goons that is the U.S. But they are headed this way. The siren call of neoliberalism can be heard in more places than just elder care centers. The rise of fascism there learns and adapts from the rise of fascism here.
And so we too must adapt. We must decouple our minds from the decrees of our politicians. Again, the striking support for Tegnell’s dumbshittery across the political spectrum in Sweden is very worrisome. We must indeed consider and fight for something sustainable – but that should not be (and in reality can not be) a sustainable capitalism. Indeed, what better current critique of capitalism is there than the fact that people must cheat death in order to financially survive? Or that our lowest paid workers are our most essential?
It is beyond infuriating, and unacceptable to think that (as I write this) 5,877 people have died from COVID in Sweden. But in the dark reality of government failures, we can see the light of actual common sense, of collectively using it. We can see laid bare the deeper cancers eating away at our present and our future. The French Revolutionary Maximillien Robespierre once wrote that “Louis must die so that France may live.” To repurpose that for our times: capitalism must die so that the world may live.
Feature photo | A hair stylist works inside her shop in Stockholm, Sweden. Andres Kudacki | AP file photo
Eleanor Goldfield is a creative activist and journalist. Her work has appeared on Free Speech TV where she produced and hosted the weekly radical news show, Act Out! for five years. Her print work has appeared via MintPress News, ROAR, Popular Resistance, RT, and more. She is the host of the podcast Act Out! and the co-host of the podcast Common Censored along with Lee Camp. Her first long-form, deep-dive video piece, “Hard Road of Hope,” covers past and present radicalism in the resource colony known as West Virginia. Besides touring, performing and media work, she assists in frontline action organizing and activist training. Visit her website at artkillingapathy.com