Obama Wins Reelection - What does it mean for the Muslim world?
by Syarif Hidayat
U.S.
President Barack Obama has won reelection for a second four-year term,
defeating Republican rival Mitt Romney and vowing that he is "more
determined and more inspired than ever."
Obama is the only second Democrat to win a second four-year White House term since World War II, when television networks projected he would win the bellwether state of Ohio where he had staged a pitched battle with Romney.
He delivered a victory speech to a crowd of supporters in Chicago, urging them and all Americans to continue to "sustain" their hope.
Obama is the only second Democrat to win a second four-year White House term since World War II, when television networks projected he would win the bellwether state of Ohio where he had staged a pitched battle with Romney.
He delivered a victory speech to a crowd of supporters in Chicago, urging them and all Americans to continue to "sustain" their hope.
Obama told cheering supporters
early Wednesday that "the best is yet to come" for the United States
as he stormed to a second term by defeating the Republican Mitt Romney.
"Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back," Obama said, "and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."
He added that he would "return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead."
"We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet," Obama told the cheering crowd.
"Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back," Obama said, "and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come."
He added that he would "return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead."
"We want our children to live in an America that isn't burdened by debt, that isn't weakened by inequality, that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet," Obama told the cheering crowd.
"We want to pass on a country
that's safe, and respected, and admired around the world, a nation that is
defended by the strongest military on Earth and the best troops this world has
ever known."
He congratulated Romney and his
running mate Paul Ryan on a "hard fought campaign".
"We may have battled
fiercely," Obama said, "but only because we love this country
deeply... because we care about its future".
Obama, 51, the first African
American president of the US
and a powerful orator, said in his victory speech that he looked forward to
taking to Romney in the weeks ahead to take the country forward. "I want
to thank every American who participated in this election," Obama told the
crowd.
The nation, he told the gathering,
"moves forward because of you... because you reaffirmed the spirit that
has triumphed over war, over depression".
The US presidential election is not
directly decided by the popular vote, but requires candidates to pile up a
majority - 270 - of 538 electoral votes awarded state-by-state on the basis of
population.
A candidate can therefore win the
nationwide popular vote and still be deprived of the presidency by falling
short in the Electoral College.
Obama’s double talk, double standards and double games
Obama’s double talk, double standards and double games
Having read these following
statements of the US
President Barack Obama, it occurs to me that this distinguished lawyer and the
world preacher of Human Rights and Democracy seems to speak out of both sides
of his mouth. I hope that I am wrong.
Is the American examples of
Freedom and Democracy still worth
following?
Here are some quotes of the American
leaders’ statements, ideals or could be “the double talks” as well as facts
about American aggressive military (imperialist) actions around the world that could
give you a clear picture and might help you to decide what would you like to
do!:
“There is no force in the world more powerful
than the example of America.”
- BARACK OBAMA, Address to Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009.
“We live in a culture
that discourages empathy. A culture that too often tells us our principle goal
in life is to be rich, thin, young, famous, safe, and entertained.” - BARACK
OBAMA, speech, Jul. 12, 2006
“America
is not the crude stereotype of a self-interested empire. The United States has been one of the
greatest sources of progress that the world has ever known. We were born out of
revolution against an empire. We were founded upon the ideal that all are
created equal. And we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give
meaning to those words, within our borders and around the world. We are shaped
by every culture. Drawn from every end of the Earth, and dedicated to a simple
concept, E pluribus unum: Out of many, one.” – Barack Obama, speech, Jun. 4,
2009
“No system of government can or should be imposed by one nation by any
other. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect
the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own
way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to
know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the
outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all
people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say
in how you are governed, confidence in the rule of law and the equal
administration of justice, government that is transparent and doesn't steal
from the people, the freedom to live as you choose. These are not just American
ideas. They are human rights. And that is why we will support them everywhere.”
- BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2009.
“We should be more modest in our belief that we can impose democracy on
a country through military force. In the past, it has been movements for
freedom from within tyrannical regimes that have led to flourishing
democracies; movements that continue today. This doesn’t mean abandoning our
values and ideals; wherever we can, it’s in our interest to help foster
democracy through the diplomatic and economic resources at our disposal. But
even as we provide such help, we should be clear that the institutions of
democracy – free markets, a free press, a strong civil society – cannot be
built overnight, and they cannot be built at the end of a barrel of a gun. And
so we must realize that the freedoms FDR once spoke of – especially freedom
from want and freedom from fear – do not just come from deposing a tyrant and
handing out ballots; they are only realized once the personal and material
security of a people is ensured as well.” - BARACK OBAMA, speech, Nov. 20,
2006.
“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation we understand that
greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one
of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the
faint-hearted, for those that prefer leisure over work, or seek only the
pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers,
the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure
in their labor -- who have carried us up the long rugged path towards
prosperity and freedom.” - BARACK OBAMA, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20. 2009.
“In an interconnected world, the defeat of international terrorism –
and most importantly, the prevention of these terrorist organizations from
obtaining weapons of mass destruction -- will require the cooperation of many nations.
We must always reserve the right to strike unilaterally at terrorists wherever
they may exist. But we should know that our success in doing so is enhanced by
engaging our allies so that we receive the crucial diplomatic, military,
intelligence, and financial support that can lighten our load and add
legitimacy to our actions. This means talking to our friends and, at times,
even our enemies.” - BARACK OBAMA, speech, Nov. 20, 2006.
“The most powerful military in the world cannot invade, kill or capture
a network or destroy every loose weapon on the planet. The best response to
this network of terror is to build a network of our own -- a network of
like-minded countries and organizations that pools resources, information,
ideas, and power. Taking on the radical fundamentalists alone isn’t necessary,
it isn’t smart, and it won’t succeed.” - JOE BIDEN, speech, Aug. 7, 2006.
“There is an international disease which feeds on the notion that if
you have a cause to defend, you can use any means to further your cause, since
the end justifies the means. As an international community, we must oppose this
notion, whether it be in Canada,
in the United States,
or anywhere else. No cause justifies violence as long as the system provides
for change by peaceful means.” RICHARD NIXON.
GUANTANAMO - THE DEADLY JOKES OF AMERICAN
JUSTICE SYSTEM
“There is also no question that Guantanamo
set back the moral authority that is America’s strongest currency in the
world. Instead of building a durable framework for the struggle against al
Qaeda that drew upon our deeply held values and traditions, our government was
defending positions that undermined the rule of law. Indeed, part of the
rationale for establishing Guantanamo
in the first place was the misplaced notion that a prison there would be beyond
the law – a proposition that the Supreme Court soundly rejected. Meanwhile,
instead of serving as a tool to counter-terrorism, Guantanamo became a symbol that helped al
Qaeda recruit terrorists to its cause. Indeed, the existence of Guantanamo likely created
more terrorists around the world than it ever detained.” - BARACK OBAMA,
speech, May 21, 2009.
“To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the
values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful
than the example of America.
That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain
justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us
weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger.” - BARACK OBAMA, Address to
Joint Session of Congress, Feb. 24, 2009.
But after more than two years since BARACK OBAMA ordered the closing of
the detention center at Guantanamo
Bay, this Tortures Camp
seems to be still operational until now.
“We must never alter or forget our principles. 9/11 was an enormous
trauma to our country. The fear and anger that it provoked was understandable.
But in some cases, it led us to act contrary to our traditions and our ideals.”
- BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 4, 2009.
“Violence is a dead end. It is a sign neither of courage nor power to
shoot rockets at sleeping children or to blow up old women on a bus. That's not
how moral authority is claimed, that's how it is surrendered.” - BARACK OBAMA,
speech, Jun. 4, 2009.
FBI files detail
Guantánamo torture tactics:
Captives at Guantánamo Bay were chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor for 18 hours or more, urinating and defecating on themselves, an FBI report has revealed. The accounts of mistreatment were contained in FBI documents released as part of a lawsuit involving the American Civil Liberties Union, a civil liberties group.
Captives at Guantánamo Bay were chained hand and foot in a fetal position to the floor for 18 hours or more, urinating and defecating on themselves, an FBI report has revealed. The accounts of mistreatment were contained in FBI documents released as part of a lawsuit involving the American Civil Liberties Union, a civil liberties group.
In the 2004 inquiry, the FBI asked
nearly 500 employees who had served at Guantánamo Bay
to report possible mistreatment by law enforcement or military personnel.
Twenty-six incidents were reported, some of which had emerged in earlier
document releases.
Besides being shackled to the
floor, detainees were subjected to extremes of temperature. One witness said he
saw a barefoot detainee shaking with cold because the air conditioning had
bought the temperature close to freezing.
On another occasion, the air
conditioning was off in an unventilated room, making the temperature over 38C
(100F) and a detainee lay almost unconscious on the floor with a pile of hair
next to him. He had apparently been pulling out his hair throughout the night.In October 2002, one interrogator
squatted over a copy of the Qur'an during intensive questioning of a Muslim
prisoner, who was "incensed" by the tactic, according to an FBI
agent. On another occasion, an agent was
asked by a "civilian contractor" to come and see something.
"There was an unknown bearded
longhaired d (detainee) gagged w/duct tape that had covered much of his
head," the FBI document said.
When the FBI officer asked if the
detainee had spit at interrogators, the "contractor laughingly replied
that d had been chanting the Qur'an non-stop. No answer how they planned to
remove the duct tape," the report said.
After an erroneous report of Al Qur'an
abuse prompted deadly protests overseas in 2005, the US military conducted an
investigation that confirmed five incidents of intentional and unintentional
mishandling of the book at the detention facility.
It acknowledged that soldiers and
interrogators had kicked the Qur'an, had stood on it and, in one case, had
inadvertently sprayed urine on a copy. An FBI agent called W also heard that
female interrogators would sometimes wet their hands and touch detainees' faces
in order to disrupt their prayers. Such actions would make some Muslims
consider themselves unclean so they would stop praying.
The detention of terrorist suspects
at Guantánamo Bay has been strongly criticised by
human rights groups. As of November 2006, out of 775 detainees who have been
brought to Guantánamo, approximately 340 had been released, leaving 435
detainees.
Of those 435, 110 have been labelled as ready for release. Of the other 325, only about 70 will face trial by military commissions, criminal courts run by the US armed forces. That leaves about 250 who may be held indefinitely.
THE US
WAR ON TERROR = THE US
WAR FOR OIL AND HEGEMONY
Remember, folks: the causes and
reasons for war are often remembered far differently than as stated or widely
understood at the beginning of the conflict.
The United States of America
inherited Britain's
imperialist ambitions. Starting from a group of colonies in "New
England" it expanded by stealing land on which Native Americans had lived
for tens of thousands of years (killing millions of them in the process). It
also stole half of Mexico.
In 1898 the U.S. expanded
its imperialist program overseas when it annexed the Philippines to benefit American
companies wanting to exploit the land and the people. Since then it has
maintained the same predatory attitude to the rest of the world. It will not
stop until it has gained control of the entire planet or it has been destroyed
(or destroys itself).
Skipping over a long history of
U.S. imperialist aggression against other countries, we may note that the U.S.
did not go to war in the Persian Gulf in 1991 to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi
aggression (to which its ambassador to Iraq, April Glaspie, had given a green
light) but rather to move military forces into the area and to establish
military bases so as to exercise greater control over the area's oil. Talk of
removing "that evil dictator Saddam Hussein" is simple obfuscation.
Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld are lying to the American people when they pretend to
be outraged at the actions of the Iraqi dictator (whom the U.S. supported right up until 1991,
including Saddam's use of chemical weapons against the Kurds). In fact it is
control of Middle Eastern oil which is the primary motivation for U.S.
military plans for that area.
“Our enemies are fully aware that
they can use oil as a weapon against America. And if we don't take this
threat as seriously as the bombs they build or the guns they buy, we will be
fighting the War on Terror with one hand tied behind our back.” - Barack
Obama, speech, Feb. 28, 2006
Under the guise of hypocritical declarations of "war of Liberation" to liberate Iraq from the West so-called Dictator Saddam Hussein that turned out to be the killing of millions of Iraqi people indiscriminately, "war to hunt for Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda and Talibans" in Afghanistan that turned out to be the killing of hundreds of thousands of Afghan people indiscriminately and the "humanitarian" war to "save" the Libyan people from the West so-called Dictator Gaddafi that turned out to be the killing of hundreds of Libyan people indiscriminately and now the Zionist and US-led imperialists covert operation in Syria, the U.S-led western civilization regimes were in fact aiming to occupy Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya and squeeze these countries out of their natural resources as well as gain control of the world oil reserves and international oil trade and dominate the whole Middle East and Africa by their military powers (and ultimately the whole world). Either Syria or Iran could be the next target.
The people in the corridors of
Power in Washington and the US-led western civilization regimes leaders are
awfully silent about millions of innocent people including old men, women,
children and babies who were and are being killed by their war machines in
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and Somalia in their so-called War on
Terror as well as in their covert operations in Syria … and the worst thing is
that they merely call those innocent victims as collateral damages.
The US-led western civilization regimes "War on Terror" (THAT IS ACTUALLY THE US WAR FOR OIL AND HEGEMONY IN THE WORLD) buries all presumption of innocent. This could mean that the US-led western regimes forces have been and are killing many innocent people including old men, women, children and babies in the Muslim countries freely at will!
The US-led western civilization regimes "War on Terror" (THAT IS ACTUALLY THE US WAR FOR OIL AND HEGEMONY IN THE WORLD) buries all presumption of innocent. This could mean that the US-led western regimes forces have been and are killing many innocent people including old men, women, children and babies in the Muslim countries freely at will!
But when a few of their men
killed, they would make noises around the world including forcing the UN to
make a resolution to apply a severe punitive economic sanction or launch an
allied western military action against the country where the accident took
place by deploying all kind of deadly war machines to terrorize the people of
that country and hunt the culprits. If they couldn’t find the real culprits, it
is almost certain they would produce scapegoats and send them to the infamous
US Guantanamo Torture camp.
Obama's NATO War for Oil in Libya
What do you call it when the full
force of a US/NATO aerial bombardment is coupled with political support for a
ragtag rebel group that, when victorious, promises to hand over its oil
resources to its Western backers? A war for oil.
Don’t believe for one moment that
the US backing for Libya’s
opposition was about freedom.
According to Robert Dreyfuss in
his article “Obama's NATO War for Oil in Libya”,
flouting international law and going far beyond the UN resolution that
permitted a limited military effort to protect civilians in Benghazi, a
decision that was promoted by human rights advocates inside the White House and
by certain misguided liberals such as Juan Cole, the Obama administration is in
the final stages of imposing forcible regime change against the Libyan leader,
Muammar Qaddafi. It was an operation gleefully backed by the kleptocrats of the
Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia,
Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, none of whom like freedom
very much, but who engineered the Arab League endorsement of the attack on Libya.
Was the US/NATO campaign closely
coordinated with each advance by the rebels? In an article in today’s Washington
Post, headlined, “Allies guided rebels’ ‘pincer’ assault on capital,” we
learn that every inch of the rebels’ advance was facilitated by pinpoint
military attacks by NATO. It quotes
a Pentagon spokesman: “We have a good operational picture of where forces
are arrayed on the battlefield.” Some revolution!
And listen to this. In the New
York Times, in a piece
headlined, “The Scramble for Access to Libya’s Oil Wealth Begins,” the rebel
leader who heads the opposition Libyan oil company, which was formed with
support from the Arab Gulf kleptocrats, says that Libya’s new leaders, a
combination of wealthy defectors, tribal chieftains, and Islamists, plan to
favor their NATO backers when handing out access to Libya’s oil.
“We don’t have a problem with
Western countries like Italians, French and UK companies. But we may have some
political issues with Russia,
China and Brazil,” said Abdeljalil Mayouf, a
spokesman for the Libyan rebel oil company Agoco.
Helpfully, the Times points out: “Russia, China and Brazil did not back strong sanctions on the Qaddafi regime, and they generally supported a negotiated end to the uprising. All three countries have large oil companies that are seeking deals in Africa.”
Oops.
And this: “Colonel Qaddafi proved
to be a problematic partner for international oil companies, frequently raising
fees and taxes and making other demands. A new government with close ties to
NATO may be an easier partner for Western nations to deal with.”
STOP BEING STATE TERRORISTS
“We can invade everyone from Grenada
to Afghanistan,
but if anyone spills a drop of our blood, it's terrorism.” - PAUL CHRISTOPHER, The Lucifer Gospel.
“It's not right to respond to terrorism by terrorizing other people.
And furthermore, it's not going to help. Then you might say, "Yes, it's
terrorizing people, but it's worth doing because it will end terrorism."
But how much common sense does it take to know that you cannot end terrorism by
indiscriminately dropping bombs?” - HOWARD ZINN, Terrorism and War.
“Wanton killing of
innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism.” - NOAM CHOMSKY, 9-11.
“We can't accommodate terrorism. When someone uses the slaughter of
innocent people to advance a so-called political cause, at that point the
political cause becomes immoral and unjust and they should be eliminated from
any serious discussion, any serious debate.” - RUDOLPH GIULIANI, CNN interview,
Sep. 11, 2002.
“Terrorism is the price of empire. If you do not wish to pay the price,
you must give up the empire.” - PAT BUCHANAN, Where the Right Went Wrong.
“Every leader, and
every regime, and every movement, and every organization that steps across the
line to terrorism must be banished from the discourse of civilized human life.”
- ALAN KEYES, speech, Apr. 21, 2002
“The big threat to America
is the way we react to terrorism by throwing away what everybody values about
our country--a commitment to human rights. America is a great nation because
we are a good nation. When we stop being a good nation, we stop being great.” -
BOBBY KENNEDY, O Magazine, Feb. 2007. (HSH)
Bibliotheque:
1. http://www.opinion-maker.org/2010/07/formation-of-al-qaida-us-israel-collaboration/
3. http://www.serendipity.li/cia/cia_terr.html
6. Obama Wins Reelection”
http://www.rferl.org/content/obama-election-winner-us-presidency/24763133.html
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