At last – a documentary filmed from WITHIN the Taliban

(Scroll down for a must-see ten minute documentary made by Norwegian filmaker Paul Refsdal, using footage he took recently in Kunar Province, Eastern Afghanistan. Narrated by Alex Thompson, this remarkable insight into the life of Taliban resistance fighters was shown first on Britain’s Channel 4)

Last week, during the latest ritual national mourning  for yet another Australian soldier slain in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was asked if she’d support a Parliamentary debate on Afghanistan (shorthand for Australia’s continuing military involvement in the occupation of that sovereign nation for the best part of a decade).

She refused to answer.

This is worse than World War Two, when Parliament was not gagged in similar fashion.

Julia Gillard and Bob Hawke, present & past ALP leaders who spoke at the 2010 Labor Party election launch; both notorious Zionist toadies and tag-alongs serving the US war machine

Like the rest of the Canberra Idiocracy, Julia Gillard may well live in a make-believe land – a world in which Australia’s SAS soldiers are valiant righteous heroes and the Taliban all evil villainous baddies. Perhaps she snuggles up on the sofa after a long day, in the arms of her Zionist boyfriend, and watches Cowboys and Indians movies?

Ms Gillard should watch this video too.

It’s the first documentary I’ve seen in nine years that’s filmed  from the perspective of Afghani resistance fighters. This is real journalism – something you rarely see via the shamed and discredited mainstream media.

Al Quaeda does not exist – not in the form conjured up by a never-ending succession of TV talking heads and bought-and-paid-for-columninsts.

The western world has been hoaxed by Zionist conspirators, whose power and influence within the western mass media has been crucial in selling a 1984-style nightmare to a credulous general public.

British Brigadier Roger Lane: a 'useful idiot'

Arguably, the gravest failure of all has been the role of the ‘western intelligensia’. History will record that in the first decade after 9-11, the great majority of the world’s academics favoured their careers and convenience over pursuit of truth. They should be truly ashamed. Their cowardice and conformism puts civilization in jeopardy – and has helped isolate and endanger the honourable exceptions among their ranks.

The great lie of our era – The ‘War on Terror’ along with its bogus rationales – has been perpetuated for nine long years in the western mass media and in mainstream political discourse. Each day, the terror-myth loses potency. Public exposure of the many liars involved in this gigantic hoax draws closer.

The conflict between competing paradigms is not stable. Traditionally, instability of this kind has been broken by a NEW false-flag atrocity and/or a major war: a new state-sponsored weapon of mass distraction, in other words. Yet the purveyors of mass murder and deceit have already stretched the credulity of the western masses to breaking point. It’s far from certain that another 9-11 style-atrocity would con most westerners the next time round.

Denis Kucinich is the closest thing to an honest man to be found in the US Congress today.

This brief speech is packed with punch. Kucinich concludes:

“We’re losing our nation to lies about the necessity of war!
Bring our troops home!
End the war!
Secure our economy!”

Apparently British Prime Minister David Cameron thinks Afghanistan is the leading center for cutting-edge nanotechnologyR&D.

In the audio tape below, Cameron says: “on 9-11 when the twin towers were Blown up”

A slip of the tongue, no doubt.

Nothing to see here… move along.

Here’s the quote in full:

“This is not a war of choice, it is a war of necessity. This is not a war of occupation, it’s a war of obligation. On 9-11 when the twin towers were blown up and so many British people died as well as Americans, almost every single person that took part in that attack was trained here in Afghanistan by Al Qaeda. That’s why we came here. That’s why we cleared away those training camps. If we left tomorrow, those training camps could come back tomorrow, because the Afghans aren’t ready to look after their own security. As soon as they are ready, we can go home.”

Kipling put it succintly, nearly a century ago:

“If any question why we died
Tell them, because our fathers lied…”

Private Eye’s end of August front cover explains why, if our current crop of politicians don’t stop authorizing this monstrous war in Afghanistan, we’ll need replacements who will.

A view from the British Army's OPTIMISTS

Womens’ liberation in Afghanistan has been a cause célèbre in western countries for some time.

Conveniently absent from the discussion, in most cases, is the rather significant fact that the ascendancy of “Islamic fundamentalism’ in Afghanistan, to the detriment of human rights for women, has been largely the consequence of deliberate western policy over three decades.

Zbigniew Brzezinski: has enjoyed playing chess with other countries

The left-leaning Afghan Government of the late 1970s that initially invited the Soviet Union to assist with military support, actually included significant female participation. The regime in Kabul asked the USSR for help in response to destabilization by Islamic fundamentalists, who were trained and financed by the USA and its proxies. Zbigniew Brzezinski, a US policy-maker responsible for developing this strategy back in the 1970s, gleefully admitted it in an interview 20 years later. He’s proud he played a key role in entrapping the USSR into an unwinnable conflict in Afghanistan.

It’s true that by the time the Taliban consolidated its power in the late 1990s, organisations such as RAWA (the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, which had also opposed Soviet occupation) were deeply engaged in opposing heightened oppression of women under the zealous new Government’s policies. In 2000 and 2001, as invasion hysteria was brewed up by the western mass media, it often quoted RAWA to highlight the backwardness of the Taliban. But anyone imagining that RAWA supports current US/UK/Australian policy in Afghanistan needs to check the facts.

CairnsBlog is a courageous one-person blog that provides occasionally brilliant independent coverage of local issues in this region of Australia.

This morning it ran a strongly-worded anti-war article by Werner Schmidlin, a local peace activist, with the self-explanatory title: The futile and costly Afghan war.

The Michael Moore of Cairns isn't a Hollywood-promoted left-gatekeeper

It’s a fine article, not exactly what I’d have written myself, but thank heavens for diversity in the peace movement. Thank heavens that there is a peace movement in this country! You’d never guess it from the mainstream media.

The (latest) war against Afghan resistance fighters has now been going on for nearly twice as long as World War One. It’s a war going nowhere fast – unwinnable, futile and utterly destructive for Afghans and invaders alike.

The way forward is clearly to negotiate peace. The ‘west’ has a duty to offer reparations for an illegal invasion based on lies, followed by nearly a decade of bloody occupation. If we really want to help ‘womens rights’ in Afghanistan – or other equally noble objectives – our Governments could negotiate the terms of payments to the next Afghan Government and apply pressure that way, with carrots and not sticks.

Western troops in Afghanistan: opium production has soared since their arrival

Today Senator Bob Brown, leader of the Australian Greens, issued a statement calling for a full Parliamentary debate over Afghanistan.

Greens call for parliamentary debate on Afghanistan

Bob Brown: wants a debate about Afghanistan

Media Release | Spokesperson Bob Brown | Tuesday 21st July 2009

Australian Greens Leader, Senator Bob Brown, has called for a parliamentary debate on Australia’s continuing involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

The Greens have consistently maintained opposition to Australia’s defence forces being deployed to Afghanistan, saying they should be retained for use within our region.

“We will always support Australia’s defence force personnel in Afghanistan or wherever else they may be deployed by the government of the day,” Senator Brown said.

“However, we oppose the government’s decision, originally at the request of the Bush administration, to send Australians to Afghanistan. We advocate increased civil aid instead.

“The Bush administration made the calamitous mistake of withdrawing troops from Afghanistan for the invasion of Iraq and it is a not a mistake we believe Australian soldiers should be helping redress.

“It’s time for a full parliamentary debate about Australia’s involvement in the Afghan war.”

To someone like myself, so irate about the lack of clear anti-war voice in Parliament I feel like voting for a tree at Australia’s next election, it’s a modest step forward. Yes, indeed, there should be a Parliamentary debate about Afghanistan. A real debate, with real diversity of views represented.

My politics are on the green side.

I’ve long been persuaded that without intelligent environmental management – including management at a global level – humanity is on a fast track to wreck the only habitat we have.

I believe climate change is a highly significant issue. To those who think it’s just a media beat-up, I very much hope you’re right – but I wouldn’t gamble the planet on a hunch. I’ve held that view for over 20 years and explained why previously.

Bob Brown: has helped to save some magnificent forests

Other environmental problems must also be tackled with seriousness barely seen so far on a large scale. Most modern agricultural practices are unsustainable. We’re progressively toxifying the global environment. The appalling loss of biodiversity is a tragedy and a disgrace to this generation.

We need politicians in power who understand these issues – and have a strong commitment to do a lot better.

In Australia, a national Greens Party came into being in the 1990s, led by the popular Tasmanian environmentalist Bob Brown.

From the outset, the Australian Greens embraced a commitment to ecological sustainability, social justice and to the peaceful resolution to conflict. Opposition to war is a key issue for many Greens supporters.

In June 2008, the Australian Greens issued a Policy Statement on International Relations. It’s the most recent policy statement I’ve found that mentions Afghanistan. The reference is brief, but leaves no room for ambiguity:

July 2009: record death toll for invading troops in an eight year war... who's counting Afghan casualties?

And the end of the fight is a tombstone white
With the name of the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear:
“A fool lies here
Who tried to hustle the East”

- Excerpt from ‘Songs from Books‘
Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)