Shock and Awe : The Fascist Way

Here you have an article that compares the US military strategy for Baghdad with the one used by Hitler against the Basque towns of Durango and Gernika:

Shock and Awe: Guernica Revisited

By Gar Smith, AlterNet
January 27, 2003

Forget Osama. Forget Saddam. The Pentagon's newest target is the city of Baghdad.

U.S. military strategists have announced a plan to pummel Iraq with as many as 800 cruise missiles in the space of two days. Many of these missiles would rain down on Baghdad, a city of five million people. If George W. Bush gets the war he wants, Baghdad could become the 21st century's Guernica.

On April 26, 1937, 25 Nazi bombers dropped 100,000 pounds of bombs and incendiaries on the peaceful Basque village. Seventy percent of the town was destroyed and 1,500 people, a third of the population, were killed.

The Pentagon now predicts that the Iraq blitzkrieg could approximate the devastation of a nuclear explosion. "The sheer size of this has never been ... contemplated before," one Pentagon strategist boasted to CBS News. "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad."

The Pentagon dubbed its cold-blooded attack plan "Shock and Awe," a bizarre conjunction of trauma and admiration.

The concept of Shock and Awe was first developed by the Pentagon's National Defense University (NDU) in 1996 as part of the "Rapid Dominance" strategy. The strategy was first used in Afghanistan. In their 1996 NDU book, "Shock and Awe," authors Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade wrote of the need to mount an assault with "sufficiently intimidating and compelling factors to force or otherwise convince an adversary to accept our will."

With an unsettling air of appreciation, Ullman and Wade invoked the haunting images from "old photographs and movie or television screens [depicting] the comatose and glazed expressions of survivors of the great bombardments of World War I. Those images and expressions of shock transcend race, culture and history."

Shock and awe also were the emotions that Americans experienced on Sept. 11, 2001. Now, like the 9/11 terrorists, Bush and Co. are planning a similar act of almost unparalleled ferocity – a devastating premeditated attack on a civilian urban population.

Bush seems determined to follow in the footsteps of Hulagu Khan and Tamerlane, the Mongol warlords who laid bloody waste to Baghdad in 1258 and 1401.

But destroying Baghdad will not uncover hidden chemical, biological or nuclear weapons (if, in fact, any exist). Destroying Baghdad will not capture, topple or kill Saddam Hussein. Shock and Awe's expressed goal is simple: in the words of Harlan Ullman, to destroy the Iraqi people "physically, emotionally and psychologically."

Ironically, this was also the goal of the Nazi strategists who destroyed Guernica. The town had no strategic value as a military target, but, like Baghdad, it was a cultural and religious center. Guernica was devastated to terrorize the population and break the spirit of the Basque resistance.

Surely cruise missiles have been programmed to demolish the Baath Party Headquarters, presidential palaces and Republican Guard compounds. But have missiles also been preset to obliterate the al-Qadiriya Shrine, the Tomb of Imam al-A'dham and the Mosque of Sheik Abdul Qadir al-Ghailani?

We now know that there was no military need to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaski. The detonations were intended to demonstrate to the world – and to the Soviet Union, especially – that the U.S. had a functioning superweapon. Having sole possession of "The Bomb" gave Washington the power to dominate post-war world politics.

Similarly, the destruction of Baghdad seems designed to underscore Bush's belligerent warning to the rest of the world: "You're either with us or you're against us."

Washington's new National Security Strategy describes an America dominating the world militarily, politically and economically.

In a report published a month before the U.S. presidential elections, the conservative Project for the New American Century insisted on instituting a "global U.S. pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line with American principles and interests."

This ringing endorsement of hyper-imperialism was co-authored by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Lewis Libby and Jeb Bush, none of whom (with the one exception of Rumsfeld) ever volunteered for military service.

Today, thousands of citizen volunteers from around the world are converging in Iraq to stand as nonviolent "human shields" in hopes of forestalling a U.S. assault. The brave men and women in this international "Peace Army" include anti-war activists, religious witnesses, retirees, U.S. military veterans and members of families who lost loved ones in the September 11 attack.

Mr. Bush repeatedly complains that Saddam Hussein deserves to be removed from office because "he killed his own people." If Mr. Bush fails to promptly courtmartial the officials who came up with the Shock and Awe atrocity, he may soon find himself standing shoulder-to- shoulder with Mr. Hussein and facing history's judgment as another ruthless leader who "killed his own people" in a mad bid for power.

Gar Smith, former editor of the Earth Island Journal, now produces The-Edge, a weekly online environmental newsmagazine.

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Astigarraga

Astigarraga

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Booking the Trip

I booked my trip to San Francisco last night as I was watching "Blue Crush", my friend Elaine's mom owns a travel agency and she got me a round trip off Midway at only $ 276.- which is not bad for such short notice. I also talked with Britt on the phone for a little while in between trip arrengement calls. The afore mentioned flick is a dumb flick, the only reedeming stuff is all the surfing scenes, now, those are awesome, and them little buggers they show in the footage, surfing at 10, is absolutely amazing.

I was 11 the last time I was to San Francisco, something tells me that I won't be able to see a lot of it this time around, but I guess I can go back later. I am so excited about this trip that I don't know if I am going to be able to sleep the friday night, although there is one thing bugging me, I am not quite sure as how to get to Midway Airport. I am going to meet with Susan who is a retired journalist from Seattle and with Cathleen who is member of the San Francisco Basque club, we are going to discuss a document that we want to submit to different human rights associations like The Carter Center and Karen Parker. We are also going to talk about the blueprint for the US chapter of Bakegintza and its web page.

And I intend to take a bunch of pictures, which reminds me, I need to retrieve my camera from Doug's truck.

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Euskera, Euskara, Basque, Vasco

No matter how you want to call it, the language is an unique language no matter how you want to cut it.

Here you have a mesmerizing essay about the language spoken by the Euskaldunak, the Basque people:

The Basque Language

by Dr. William A. Jacobsen, Jr.

The Basque language is apparently unrelated to the other present-day languages of Europe, most of which belong to the Indo-European family. As a consequence, its grammatical structure differs in a number of fundamental features, revealing to us strikingly original modes of organization. I will mention just three such points of difference.

First among them is the inclusion of the object pronoun in the verb, in addition to the subject pronoun. The older Indo-European languages, as represented for instance by Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit, included the subject of the verb in the verb form itself. A modern language that continues this pattern is Spanish. A verb form such as tengo “I have” shows its first person singular subject by the suffix -o, making it unnecessary to add the independent pronoun yo “I”, which is reserved for the expression of extra emphasis. Similarly a word such as sabe “he knows” does not require the expression of a noun or pronoun subject, although one is commonly used to identify the actor, as in el hombre sabe “the man knows.”

Some modern Indo-European languages, such as English, French, and Russian, have gotten away from this pattern, in that they require the regular use of subject pronouns with verbs, even where these redundantly convey the same information as the verb endings (for example, the –s in he knows).

Basque is just like Spanish in this respect, so that the word daukat “I have it” signals its own subject by the suffix –t and renders unnecessary the use of the independent pronoun nik “I”. The situation with respect to the object of the verb is different, however. This Basque word daukat contains an indication of a third person object in its prefix d-, and it remains unchanged when a noun is used to identify the object. Thus “I have the bread” is ogia daukat. This is as though one said “I have it the bread”. Spanish is like English in this respect, saying lo tengo. “I have it”, but tengo el pan “I have the bread”, in which the object pronoun lo is dropped when the noun phrase el pan “the bread” is used.

A second fundamental point of difference is that the subject of an intransitive verb is equated in Basque with the object, rather than the subject, of a transitive verb. Thus in doa “he is going” the d- prefix indicates the third person subject (as opposed, for example, to noa “I am going”), but this d- is the same prefix that we have just seen in daukat indicting a third person object. It is as though we said in English “him is going”. Or, going at it from the other direction, as though, instead of “he sees me” we said “him see I”, or perhaps “by-him seen I”.

This lineup shows itself also in the case forms of the nouns, where one form, called the nominative, is used for the subject of intransitive verbs and the object of transitive verbs, whereas another form, called the ergative or active, is nominative form gizona “the man” in gizona doa “the man is going” and gizona ikusten det “I see the man” but the ergative form with a –k suffix in “I see the man” but the ergative form with a –k suffix in gizonak ikusten du “the man sees it”.

Let me more briefly describe a third feature, which is not actually uncommon in a world-wide perspective, although foreign to Indo-European languages. This is the use of a suffix at the end, instead of a subordinating word at the beginning to form subordinate clauses. Where English would use a word such as who, that, which, what, Basque most commonly uses a suffix –n on the verb. Thus from doa “he is going” can be derived doan gizona “the man who is going”.

Such thoroughgoing differences in structure between Basque and the neighboring French and Spanish have given rise to the Basque legend that the devil himself failed to learn this language, mastering after seven years of trying only the words bai “yes” and ez “no”. But from a scientific point of view these examples may serve to give some hint of the precious testimony afforded us by the Basque language of an ancient European world view which is now otherwise submerged.

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Basque, a Valid Claim

There is a lot of people out there that for some reason refuse to accept that the Basques have the right to call themselves Basques, nor French nor Spaniard, but Basque.

Well, here you have an essay about how Basque is an actual nationality.

Check it out, it appeared at the Center for Basque Studies's web site back in 1968:

The Basques

by Dr. William A. Douglass

Nevada has one of the largest concentrations of Basque people in the entire United States. The communities of Reno, Gardnerville, Winnemucca, Elko, Eureka, and Ely all have one or more Basque hotels or restaurants famed for their “family-style” dinners. This past summer Basque festivals were held in the Elko, Ely, and Reno-Sparks areas. Governor Laxalt is of Basque descent as are many prominent ranchers, businessmen, and professional persons throughout the state. Yet to the majority of Nevadans the Basque people are an obscure and poorly understood ethnic group.

Part of the confusion stems from the fact that the same man who proudly declares that he is a Basque acknowledges that he or his parents were born in either Spain or France. Since there is presently no Basque political state the average person might question the grounds on which the claim for a distinct Basque identity is based. However, this claim is neither spurious nor based entirely on pride; it is rooted firmly in reality. Anthropologists and other social scientists have long acknowledged that the Basque are a unique people in the broader panorama of European cultures. This assumption is based upon the evidence afforded by the Basque language and by certain features of their biological makeup.

The Basque language is totally unrelated to the Indo-European family of languages which dominates the continent (i.e., the Romance languages such as Spanish and French, Slavonic languages such as Russian, and the Teutonic languages such as German and English). For several centuries investigators have sought to demonstrate a relationship between Basque and other language families throughout the world. Different authorities have postulated an affinity between Basque and such languages as old Egyptian, Japanese, Iroquois, Berber, the various Georgian languages (found in the Caucasus mountains of Russia) and Iberian (a language spoken on the Iberian peninsula before it was subjected to Roman influence). Others have gone so far as to suggest that Basque was the original human tongue spoken in the Garden of Eden or that it was the vernacular on the lost continent of Atlantis. Presently the two theories receiving the most attention are that Basque is related to Georgian or that it is related to Iberian. However, while these studies are suggestive, they are far from final. We simply lack adequate evidence at this time to conclusively relate Basque to any other known language.

The evidence provided by physical anthropologists in their investigations of Basque blood typology supports the contention that they are different from their neighbors. The Basque population was found to have the lowest incidence in Europe of blood type B (less than 3% as compared to 8-17% for other European peoples). Basques have a higher incidence of blood type O. Finally, it has been established that the Basque people have the highest incidence of any people in the world of the Rh negative blood type. In this last respect, they differ sharply from the neighboring French and Spanish populations.

The evidence that the Basque people are a unique ethnic group unrelated to other European peoples poses a question as to their origins. The most likely theory at present is that the Basque people stem from an extremely ancient stock that has remained in situ in the western Pyrenees from a time antedating more recent (although prehistorical) movements of peoples across the face of Europe.

The uniqueness of the Basque people and the mystery surrounding their origins have long attracted the attention of scholars. In Europe there are several academic institutions and museums engaged in Basque research. There are several journals devoted exclusively to Basque Studies. IN this country the American Museum of Natural History, the University of Idaho, and the University of Nevada, Reno have Basque Studies Program s. The programs at Nevada and Idaho are particularly interested in a neglected phase of Basque Studies, namely, documenting the historical movement of Basque immigrants into the American West, their contributions to the development of the western way of life, and their subsequent assimilation into the wider society. This is an unwritten chapter in both Basque Studies and American History.

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Last Post of 2002

This is it.

As the year draws to an end I seat in front of the screen and I think on those twelve months left behind. I think the balance this year is positive, compared to the five years before it is by far a year where I did not have to struggle to survive.

There was dark times like always, that is life, but this time the fear element was removed and that is a plus by itself. This year was also very important when it came to consolidating a few things on which I had been working for a while now. I did not make new friends but the few true friendships that I have grew deeper, they are more solid, more mature.

I was also able to leave behind relationships with all the "drag you down" people around me, I do not have the time nor the will to waste my energy with people so empty that have little or nothing to give, people that will take from you but at the same time is very capable of denying you a hello if they feel like it.

I met one great person in 2002 and I think that was the highlight, to meet Julia Butterfly Hill was so inspiring that today I feel like it was just yesterday when her words, the love and compassion in her eyes and her passion for life lifted my soul and my mind to a whole new level.

It was a year where I finally saw the fruits of my three years labour of love on the internet defending my people through information and dialogue, now I have Basque friends all over the world, people with a dream, people that shares that love for a land that has been raped, love for a culture under attack, love for a people with so much dignity that they refuse to drag themselves into the cicle of violence generated by mental and moral dwarves that today cling to the glory of their colonialist past.

I miss my family and friends I left behind, they know I had to do it, and they support my decisions and keep a possitive attitude when they talk to me even when their hearts ache. Only the companionship of my friends help me to stay focused, their kindness keep me from losing my mind.

Tonight I will toast to life, tonight I will toast to all of you out there, my family and my friends, that make me a better human being and make this life worth living.

Thank you all.

Happy New Year!

Urte Berri On!

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Christmas Present

What you are about to read is what I call true solidarity:

Zuzen and Demo members get into La Santé to demand transfer of Basque prisoners to the Basque Country

Eleven people climbed the wall and three of them, two Father Christmases and an assistant, went inside the jail

Nora Arbelbide, Special Correspondent/Paris

A total of 11 people climbed the wall of La Santé Prison in Paris. One dressed as Olentzero, two as Father Christmas and the rest in T-shirts of the Demo and Zuzen Ekintza Taldea action groups. They demanded that Basque prisoners be transferred to the Basque Country like the Corsican prisoners, who are being taken to Corsica. They climbed the wall at about 11.30 hours and stayed there until 14.00 hours. Two Father Christmases and an assistant managed to get inside. They had the chance to talk to the prisoners. Below, 25 members of "Demo" and "Zuzen" danced and sang to the accompaniment of music.

Those below were taken to the police headquarters at 12.00 hours. The others were taken at 14.30 hours. The 36 detainees spent the afternoon there and at 17.00 hours the 25 who had remained below were released, the rest two hours later.

It was the third time that a similar event had been staged at La Santé prison. There are about ten Basque prisoners there. "It's a symbolic prison. One of the oldest in the French State. Moreover there have been many reports, medical ones in particular, that show that the prisoners are in a bad situation," said Peio Etxeberri Aintxart, the spokesman for "Demo."

At around 11.15 hours a van stopped outside the main entrance to the prison. 10 metres from there they quietly took out two 10-metre long ladders. Both were put against the wall and 11 members climbed to the top of the wall step by step with the police looking on. There were a couple of police officers there, but all they did was watch. As soon as the other "Demo" and "Zuzen" members who had remained below had switched on the music next to the wall, the melody of "Hator Hator" could be heard, and the 25 who had stayed below danced to the music. With a microphone they cheered on the prisoners and those on top of the wall.

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Zorionak!

To all of you my dear friends!

A Christmas Postcard to celebrate the Holidays!

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Udalbiltza : Conference's Declaration

This declaration by Udalbiltza came to us thanks to our friends of Basque Diaspora:

The final declaration of the International Conference for the Rights of Peoples that took place in the Kursaal, in Donostia, from the 6th to 8th december 2002.

You can read it also in Udalbiltza's web page.

We, citizens of different peoples, assembled in Donostia from 6th to 8th December 2002.

Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) is an instrument guaranteeing the rights and fundamental freedoms of all persons,

Recalling the purpose of the United Nations proclaimed in Article 1.2 of its Founding Charter (1945), "to develop friendly relations among nations, based on respect of the principle of equal rights and self determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengther universal peace",

Acknowledging the United Nations Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Resolution 1514 (XV) of the General Assembly of the United Nations, 1960),

Recalling that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) recognise the Right to Self Determination of all peoples without distinction or discrimination of any kind among them,

Acknowledging Resolution 2625 (XXV) of the General Assembly of the United Nations (1970), and particularly the paragraph concerning the principle of equality of rights and self determination of peoples,

Recalling the Final Act of Helsinki of 1975 which declare that "all member States will respect the equal rights and self determination of Peoples",

Acknowledging the Charter of Argel adopted the fourth of July 1976,

Bearing in mind General Commentary N. 12 of the United Nations Committee on Human Rights, regarding Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (21st Session, A/39/40, 1984) which states that the right of self determination is an inalienable right of all peoples, and a necessary condition to effectively benefit from all other Human Rights,

Whereas the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Recalling the Covenant of Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation of 1991 and the Universal Declaration of Rights of Peoples of 2001,

Whereas the Vienna Declaration and Plan of Action (1993) emphasises the universality, interdependence, interrelationship and interconnection of all Human Rights (UN Document A/CONF.157/24 (Part I) at 20 (1993), (1993) 32 I.L.M. 1661, paragraph 5),

Likewise taking into consideration the Durban Declaration against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (2001), that reaffirms the principles of equality of rights, of the free determination of peoples, and that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights,

Whereas Resolution 56/151 of the General Assembly of the United Nations (2001) manifests the importance of the principles of impartiality and objectivity in the promotion and protection of Human Rights, including the Right of Self Determination,

Recalling the Declaration on cultural diversity adopted by UNESCO in its General Conference in 2001, Recalling Resolution 2002/72 of the Commission on Human Rights of United Nations (2002), which stresses that a democratic and just international order requires, inter alia, exercising the Right of Self Determination,

Likewise noting that:

* The right to equality of all persons and peoples is inferred from the different international instruments above mentioned,

* The Right of Self Determination is a human right recognised in the different international instruments,

* Coexistence among different peoples is a necessary condition for the preservation and development of cultures, tongues and spiritual traditions, as well as for world peace and security, and becomes conditio sine qua non for the progress of the civilisations that form the common heritage of Humanity,

* The diversity of peoples, cultures, tongues and traditions, as recognised in the Durban Declaration, constitutes the genuine wealth of human existence and a valuable asset for the promotion of tolerance, pluralism, respect for diversity and development of inclusive societies,

* Human Rights cannot be comprehensively implemented without the recognition of the right of individuals and peoples to their national, cultural and linguistic identity,

* Processes of cultural and identity forcible assimilation of peoples have originated, and still originate, violations of Human Rights that are contrary to the United Nations Charter, and jeopardise the cause of world peace and co-operation,

* The procedural mechanisms of the Right of Self Determination have become obsolete and are seldom applied,

* The recognition of the Right of Self Determination of peoples becomes an effective instrument for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, in particular and for the promotion of Human Rights in general,

Hence, we declare that:

* All peoples have the Right of Self Determination, by virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development,

* All peoples, like all persons, are equal in rights and dignity, without distinction or discrimination of any kind among them,

* All peoples and their citizens have the right to the full and effective benefit of all Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms,

* All peoples have the right to know, learn, preserve and develop their own culture, language, customs, and spiritual traditions, and to establish the juridical conditions for a pluralism compatible with this right,

* All peoples have the right to a fair life and to dispose of the riches and natural resources of their own territory, and to the recognition of the full ownership, control and protection of their cultural and intellectual property,

* All peoples have the right to own, develop, control and use the lands and territories, including the total environment of the lands, air, waters, coastal seas, sea-ice, flora and fauna and other resources which they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used,

* All peoples have the right to security, to peace and to international legal protection,

* All peoples have the right to desmilitarisation of their territory, and to disallow the production, storage, transport ant use of weapons for mass destruction,

* All peoples have the right to organise and constitute legitimate representative bodies for the whole of their territory,

* All peoples have the right to participate, as such, in international life in the framework of intergovernmental structures and of the non governmental international organizations(NGO).

And we appeal,

* To the collaboration and solidarity among peoples of the world, to promote equality and to guarantee diversity and cultural plurality, Humanity’s common heritage,

* To the promotion of a new, effective and safe mechanisms in the United Nations and other continental organisations, through permanent dialogue among peoples, states and inter-governmental agencies, for the settling of demands and conflicts concerning the Right of Self Determination.

* To the international community, that it may fulfil current International Law in regard to peoples with full rights to Self Determination.

* To peoples, to use processes of self determination to prevent conflict and to build a freer, more just and more democratic world.

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Olentzero in Four Languages

Olentzero

Euskal Herriko basoetan,jendeak ikusi ezin dituen mota askotako izakiak bizi dira.

In the forests of the Basque Country,there are many diverse classes of creatures who people cannot see.

En los bosques de el País Vasco,hay muchas diversas clases de criaturas que la gente no puede ver.

Dans les forêts du Pays Basque,il y a beaucoup de classes diverses des créatures que les gens ne peuvent pas voir.

Honako hau izaki hauetako baten historia da, Olentzeroren historia, benetazko ala alegiazko izaki guztien bihotzetan sartzen den gizon apala.

This is the history of one of those beings, the history of Olentzero, the humble man who with his love enters into the heart of all the creatures, true or imaginary.

Ésta es la historia de uno de esos seres, la historia de Olentzero, el hombre humilde que con su amor entra en el corazón de todas las criaturas, verdaderas o imaginarias.

C'est l'histoire d'un de ces êtres, l'histoire d'Olentzero, l'homme humble qui avec son amour entame le coeur de toutes les créatures, vrais ou imaginaires.

Olentzero egunero goizetik gauera aritzen da lanean, ikatza egiten.

Olentzero works every day from morning to night, making coal.

Olentzero trabaja todo el día hasta la noche, haciendo el carbón.

Olentzero fonctionne chaque jour de matin à la nuit, faisant le charbon.

Eguberriak heltzean, Olentzerok jostailuak banatzen ditu Euskal Herriko umeen artean.

Every Christmas Olentzero distributes toys between the children of the Basque Country.

Cada Navidad Olentzero distribuye juguetes entre los niños y niñas del País Vasco.

Chaque Noël Olentzero distribue jouets entre les enfants du País Basque.

Zenbaitek ez du sinisten Olentzero esistitzen denik ere. Baina bada esaera zahar bat, zera dioena: "Izena duen guztia omen da".

Some people do not think that Olentzero really exists. But there is an old phrase that says: "Everything what has a name exists".

Alguna gente no cree que existe Olentzero realmente. Pero hay un viejo refrán que dice: "Existe todo lo que tiene un nombre".

Certains ne pensent pas qu'Olentzero existe vraiment. Mais il y a une vieille expression qui indique: "Tout ce qui a un nom existe".

Abenduaren 24an zuen etxeetan izango naiz opariak banatzen.

The 24 of December I will be in your houses distributing gifts.

El 24 de diciembre estaré en vuestras casas repartiendo regalos.

Le 24 de décembre je serai dans vos maisons distribuant des cadeaux.

Zorionak eta urte berri on!

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

¡Feliz Navidad y próspero Año Nuevo!

Joyeux Noel et Bonne et Heureuse Année!

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