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10.4.12

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Military Resistance 10J1

Empires Go To Hell
From: Dennis Serdel To: Military Resistance Sent: September 29, 2010 Subject: Empires Go To Hell by Dennis Written by Dennis Serdel, Military Resistance 2010; Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade; United Auto Workers GM Retiree ************************************************************************

Empires Go To Hell the heat seeps through the helmet boils the sheet metal on all the desert camouflaged trucks and vehicles the oversized rucksack pulls on the shoulders grinds away on the gut

everybody is not fighting the war only a few considering all the Soldiers around the world this long war is taking its toll like sores eating the brain the body is beginning to ache the head the back the legs grind on but the pain pills only help but cant cure exhaustion they cant give back the days the months the years who cant count all the steps nobody can count the miles and waiting feel the minutes the hours the days then go on wasting a life for this battlefield that goes back to blood on the soil to every invasion by all sorts of empires in the past where only cemeteries and memorials remain the world must get rid of empires all they do is invade and rape small countries for any type of gold the little countries have but the empires may be brought down within and work against the empires of the world until there are no empires anymore.

AFGHANISTAN WAR REPORTS

Bomber Kills Three U.S. Soldiers And Interpreter In Khost:

The Blast Also Killed Six Afghan Police Officers, Including Members Of A Quick Reaction Force

October 01, 2012 VOA News A bomber has attacked a joint Afghan-U.S. patrol in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least 20 people. The bomber struck shortly after the soldiers got out of their vehicles to walk through a market area in Khost city, the capital of Khost province, said provincial government spokesman Baryalai Wakman. The deaths Monday include three service members and their interpreter. U.S. officials identified the three soldiers as American. Afghan officials say the blast also killed six Afghan police officers, including members of a quick reaction force. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said in text messages to media that the insurgent group was behind the attack. Local officials say the bomber attacked the patrol as troops walked near a market in the city of Khost. Afghan authorities say the attack wounded more than 60 people. Blood could be seen on the market road as Afghan police and soldiers tried to clean up the area after the blast. Slippers and bicycle parts were strewn about. I heard the explosion and came right to this area. I saw the dead bodies of policemen and of civilians right here, said policeman Hashmat Khan, who ran to the site of the blast from his job as security for a nearby bank.

U.S. Servicemember Killed By IED In Southern Afghanistan

October 2, 2012 AP A U.S. Forces-Afghanistan service member died of wounds following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan today.

POLITICIANS REFUSE TO HALT THE BLOODSHED THE TROOPS HAVE THE POWER TO STOP THE WAR

MILITARY NEWS

Traitors In Command Order Soldiers To Stop Using Best Device For Detecting IEDs:
Army Says Palantir In Violation Of Federal Acquisition Regulations And The Law
A Former Marine Corps Officer Who Served In Afghanistan And Iraq, Said Flatly That Army Officials Are Trying To Protect Funding For The Armys Sponsored Computer Processor
Testing command is evaluating whether Palantirs link-analysis software can be integrated into the Common Ground system, on which it has spent more than $2 billion in partnership with private industry. The Times has reported on a confidential Army assessment in May that said the Common Ground system had significant limitations and was not reliable. Soldiers have complained that it is too slow and have said that Palantir can perform link analysis much faster. September 23, 2012 By Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times [Excerpts] As the Armys 3rd Infantry Division wages war in southern Afghanistan, some of its soldiers back home at Fort Stewart, Ga., have found themselves in the middle of a different kind of battle. Before deploying in August, the division trained with a sophisticated data-processing software known as Palantir, which troops have praised as a great way to find roadside bombs, or improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Palantirs computer servers at Fort Stewart helped process battlefield data, such as enemy names and places, that the division provides from Afghanistans Regional Command-South.

Last month, the Army ordered the servers to be shut down and returned to the provider, Palantir Technologies of Palo Alto, Calif. The Army contends that the division skirted regulations by accepting the servers free of charge. But a House staffer who investigated the matter told The Washington Times that the 3rd Infantry and Palantir Technologies followed the law, and said there was no need to shut down the servers. The Times has reported about other units that have met resistance from Army headquarters in requesting and deploying with the Palantir system, which uses link analysis to help predict where enemy combatants have placed roadside bombs the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and a former Marine Corps officer who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, said flatly that Army officials are trying to protect funding for the Armys sponsored computer processor, the Distributed Common Ground System. Mr. Hunter said he is astounded that the Army would go so far as to order the shutoff of Palantir servers used in the war effort. Army spokesman Matthew Bourke said the service is simply following regulations. Upon discovery that a unit had received equipment and training services from Palantir Technologies on a cost-free basis, which was in violation of federal acquisition regulations and the law, the Army immediately undertook specific corrective measures, Mr. Bourke said It also says its testing command is evaluating whether Palantirs link-analysis software can be integrated into the Common Ground system, on which it has spent more than $2 billion in partnership with private industry. The Times has reported on a confidential Army assessment in May that said the Common Ground system had significant limitations and was not reliable. Soldiers have complained that it is too slow and have said that Palantir can perform link analysis much faster. The 3rd Infantry Divisions embrace of Palantir began in December. Members traveled to southern Afghanistan to be briefed by the 82nd Airborne Division on what to expect, and learned of Palantirs reputation for effectiveness. In January, the 82nds commanding officer reported that his soldiers had increased the find-and-clear rate for roadside bombs by 12 percent. Internal 82nd Airborne Division documents show that soldiers complained about the Common Ground system. In the spring at Fort Stewart, the 3rd Infantry began a campaign to acquire Palantir through either the Armys Rapid Equipping Force or the Pentagons Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office. It also contacted Palantir.

The infantry division wanted company training to prepare for inheriting the Palantir servers used by the 82nd in Afghanistan. It also wanted reach back capability so that servers at Fort Stewart and in Afghanistan could process data. In a May 2 memo to the Pentagons Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office, Col. Leopoldo Quintas, the 3rd Infantry Divisions chief of staff, heaped praise on Palantir. The divisions detailed request said: Outside of Palantir, the analytical tools available to intelligence professionals did not allow for timely fusion and analysis. Division documents assessing the Armys Common Ground system said: Solving very hard analytical problems took several days when using existing tools against these data sources. In our experience in using Palantir platform against the same problems, we are able to reduce this time to a few hours. The Palantir platform provides one interface that easily ingests all the disparate data sources needed and allows our analysts to collaborate on finished intelligence. In June, Palantir Technologies provided the servers and the training, a move that eventually got the division into hot water with the Army bureaucracy. As the Army reviewed documents in August to meet a request from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, it discovered the Palantir transfer. Heidi Shyu, the Armys top acquisition official, sent a memo to the services most senior leadership Army Secretary John McHugh and Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the chief of staff. If accurate, these circumstances warrant immediate corrective action by the Army to ensure that we comply with fundamental rules relating to how the government obtains goods and services from industry, Ms. Shyu wrote in the memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Times. She said she had asked a three-star general to investigate. A month later, the Army played hardball with Palantir Technologies. A senior official sent a memo to the Armys contracting command telling it to ban Palantir representatives from approaching deploying units and providing goods and services for free. Joe Kasper, deputy chief of staff for Mr. Hunter, made inquiries and determined that neither Palantir nor the 3rd Infantry Division violated regulations. Mr. Kasper said the training Palantir provided at Fort Stewart was not free and was conducted under a contract to train personnel involved in Afghanistan. Palantir is not working for free, he said.

He said Palantir is working under a procedure called at risk, which is allowed under federal law until the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office finalizes the approved contract. He said the at-risk procedure was a way to prepare soldiers in June and July to use the Palantir servers left by the 82nd Airborne.

Steven Chadduck Lost A Home And Came Close To Suicide While Waiting 18 Months For The VA:
His Claim Languished With Thousands Of Others In The Veterans Benefits Administrations Claims Office In Winston-Salem
The Floor Was In Danger Of Buckling Under The Weight Of About 37,000 Claims Folders Stacked 2 Feet High And Two Rows Deep Atop Already-Filled Cabinets
The process is so frustrating, she said, that many veterans who file claims on their own hit a wall and give up. Weve got some that are homeless. Youve got retirees. A lot of them are really struggling, Sanders said. I dont know what the answer is, but I know that somethings got to be done. Sep 24, 2012 By John Ramsey, Staff writer, The Fayetteville Observer [Excerpts] Steven Chadduck lost a home and came close to suicide while waiting 18 months for the VA to decide that his PTSD and knee injuries make him unemployable. His claim languished with thousands of others in the Veterans Benefits Administrations claims office in Winston-Salem.

There, an inspector general report released in August said the floor was in danger of buckling under the weight of about 37,000 claims folders stacked 2 feet high and two rows deep atop already-filled cabinets. The Department of Veterans Affairs has promised to eliminate its entire backlog - more than 820,000 claims nationwide - by 2015. But the wait times in North Carolina - and in the other areas across the country that process the most claims - are getting worse. VA workers process disability claims for most North Carolina veterans in Winston-Salem. Its backlog is among the largest in the Southeast, according to a national analysis by the Center for Investigative Reporting in California. About 33,700 North Carolina veterans are stuck in limbo, waiting an average of 329 days for the VA to process their claims. Approximately 3,170 live in Fayetteville. Winston-Salem also has more than 12,500 pending claims from new programs that allow soldiers to file for benefits before they leave the Army. And if a veteran appeals the VAs decision, he can expect to wait more than four years, in part because the workers who typically handle appeals have been reassigned to help ease the backlog. While they wait, those veterans often are not able to receive disability payments. Wait times are higher than a year ago, even as Congress calls for improvements. The claims are piling up more quickly than workers can rule on them. Sharon Sanders, the countys veterans services director, has seen the workload rise from about 700 veterans a month to about 900 a month in the past 15 months. In August, her office assisted more than 1,000 veterans for the first time. The workers used to tell veterans to expect an answer in nine to 12 months. Now they say 12 to 18. Some claims take more than two years, she said. Sanders said even though her office is overwhelmed with the workload, she would recommend that any veteran who files a claim get help from experts familiar with the system. The process is so frustrating, she said, that many veterans who file claims on their own hit a wall and give up. Weve got some that are homeless. Youve got retirees. A lot of them are really struggling, Sanders said. I dont know what the answer is, but I know that somethings got to be done. The United States is wrapping up two wars that were fought differently and longer than leaders predicted.

For the first couple of years there, the politically correct position was that (Iraq) was going to be a short war, said John Pike, a military analyst and director of GlobalSecurity.org. That put the military behind the curve protecting troops from bomb blasts and in treating those affected mentally. One of the first signs of the short-war mentality, in retrospect, may have come when troops had to use scrap metal to armor their Humvees against an emerging weapon of choice: homemade bombs hidden along roadsides or inside cars. The Army realized it did not have enough armored Humvees in Iraq in 2003. But it took another two years to correct a problem that was putting soldiers at higher risk. Army leaders have acknowledged that the size and proliferation of homemade bombs, called IEDs or improvised explosive devices in the military, caught them by surprise. As the wars continued to drag on, the military began using even larger troop carriers to protect soldiers from the blasts. As the bombings increased, so did the number of soldiers suffering the signature wounds of the wars: concussions, post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health problems. When the soldiers started coming home, they overwhelmed the health care system. The VA treated 1.3 million veterans for mental health problems, up 49 percent from 2005. The VA treated 1.3 million veterans for mental health problems last year, up 49 percent from 2005. They werent set up for this. They hadnt planned for it. They didnt have enough people, didnt have enough beds, Pike said. Because the services were telling them it wasnt going to be a problem. Chadduck knew he needed help, but he could never bring himself to ask for it while he still wore the uniform. He didnt want to seem weak or hurt his career by becoming a mental health patient. But when he went to the VA after receiving a medical retirement with benefits that begin when he turns 60, Chadduck had a tougher case to make because he had never seen a doctor about his PTSD. We hide, and we hide well, Chadduck said of soldiers facing mental challenges. We dont get treatment, then the VA doesnt see us as needing treatment because we didnt get it when we were on duty. Patrick Bellon, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, says the claims system for veterans is broken. He said the system ought to work something like the IRS, which grants claims and then conducts audits.

Bellon thinks the method would work in the VA in part because fraud has been shown to be almost nonexistent, happening in less than 1 percent of major disability claims. The issue is veterans are waiting for the money, and while theyre waiting for the money, their financial situations are deteriorating, Bellon said.

FORWARD OBSERVATIONS

At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. Oh had I the ability, and could reach the nations ear, I would, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppose. Frederick Douglass, 1852 What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. -- Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787

Romney Surges In Polls, Following Promise To Personally Pay Entire Defense Budget

Mitt Romney greeting military veterans October 1, 2012 By G-Had, The Duffle Blog. About The Author: G-Had hates your freedom. MARIETTA, GA Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has surged ahead in the polls, following his pledge that, if elected, he would not only refuse to cut the Department of Defense, but would personally pay for the entire US defense budget. Saying it was time for every American to do their part, Romney made the pledge while touring the Lockheed-Martin aircraft plant in Marietta, Georgia. As one of Americas leading poverty-deficient individuals, the least I could do in contributing to balance the budget and supporting our troops was dipping into my rainy day fund, Romney said to an applauding crowd of military veterans. I can always wait until next year before buying another island. The Duffel Blog was informed by Romney campaign staffers that the candidate first got the idea while rifling through his pockets for spare change, and accidentally discovered enough loose cash to fund the Coast Guard. The Obama campaign swiftly responded in a television ad, saying that Romney only made his comments after first blaming the factorys lack of aircraft production on the Obama presidency, then backtracking after he learned of his controlling ownership of the factory. The proposal was greeted enthusiastically by the Pentagon, which is currently in the middle of laying off most of its Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and facing a 9.4% cut in every weapons system later this year if a proposed sequestration, or automatic budget cuts, come into effect.

We certainly appreciate the offer from Mr. Romney, said Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert, and were wondering if he would mind maybe possibly funding an additional aircraft carrier you never know when another aircraft carrier might come in handy Romney responded by saying, Heck, why not two? Or why not that flying aircraft carrier from The Avengers? Golly, why not a fleet of aircraft carriers, stretching for five miles, so I can ride my favorite horse across the Chesapeake Bay without dealing with that annoying bridge traffic. Romney has used increasing military spending as a powerful tool throughout the campaign. For example, in 2011, when fellow candidate Ron Paul called for saving money by removing all air conditioners from Iraq and Afghanistan, Romney responded by erecting a series of identical military chow halls throughout both countries that serve steak and lobster weekly. He also hired several thousand Filipinos, many of whom had previously been his personal household help, to staff them. Romney is currently seeking to counter the negative fallout from his convention nomination speech, in which he not only failed to mention US service members in the ongoing war in Afghanistan, but accidentally referred to the brave men and women of the Army of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In the wake of Romneys announcement, President Obama added that he too would pay for the defense budget with both the proceeds from his book sales and by pawning off his Nobel Peace Prize. However, an anonymous Obama campaign official said the announcement was largely for show. Hell, 47 percent of the people in the military, who think theyre entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to robotic pack mules, theyre going to vote for Romney, said Obama, captured by a hidden camera during a campaign stop. Another 30 percent are going to vote for their Lieutenants. Either way, we just cant focus on them.

OCCUPATION PALESTINE

Brave Zionist Army Executes An Unarmed Fisherman

September 29, 2012 Maan GAZA CITY A fisherman from the northern Gaza Strip was pronounced dead Friday evening after he succumbed to wounds sustained by Israeli fire near Beit Lahiya. Spokesman of the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip Ashraf al-Qidra told Maan that 22year-old Fahmi Salah Abu Rayash died of his injuries Friday evening. He noted that Abu Rayash was shot earlier by Israeli snipers stationed across the borders with the coastal enclave. Al-Qidra explained that the fisherman was shot in his abdomen and his foot. The victims brother Yousuf, who was with him in the trip, was also shot, but medics said he sustained a minor wound. Both Palestinian brothers were transferred to Kamal Idwan hospital after they came under fire. Hamas officials said the pair were fishing on the beach when they were wounded, while an Israeli military spokeswoman said the men came right up to the border fence and ignored calls from troops to back away before they were shot at. Fahmi, whose wounds were initially not thought to be life threatening, was buried on Saturday.

This Is What Courage Looks Like:

Zionist Soldiers Invade A Palestinian School In Hebron With Intentions To Arrest Two Sixth Grade Students
The Soldiers Picked Two Boys At Random From A Classroom And Tried To Take Them By Force, But The Teachers Refused To Let Them Go
September 27, 2012 By Ruby Astaire, International Solidarity Movement, West Bank [Occupied Palestine]

Israeli soldiers invaded a Palestinian school in the city of Hebron with intentions to arrest two sixth grade students after false allegations of throwing stones at a nearby checkpoint. Israeli soldiers based in the Palestinian city of Hebron entered the Kurtuba school on Sunday to arrest two sixth grade students after they allegedly threw stones at a nearby checkpoint. Kurtuba school is located on Shuhada street which is occupied by illegal settlers and has been closed to Palestinians since September 2000. The students and staff at Kurtuba school are granted special permission to walk down this street by the Israeli government. On Sunday morning at 9.30am, armed soldiers with dogs surrounded and entered the school grounds to arrest two young male students. They asked Miss Samir, the English teacher, if the soldiers had seen the two boys throw stones: the soldiers refused to answer. When she questioned them further about what the boys looked like, they described two boys which did not fit the description of any of the students at the school. The soldiers then picked two boys at random from a classroom and tried to take them by force, but the teachers refused to let them go. The soldiers occupied the school for half an hour before deciding to leave. As the soldiers were leaving Kurtuba school, they threatened to close the school if it was found that any stones were thrown. Unconfirmed reports say that after the soldiers left the school they arrested two boys from Tel Rumeida. [To check out what life is like under a murderous military occupation commanded by foreign terrorists, go to: www.rafahtoday.org The occupied nation is Palestine. The foreign terrorists call themselves Israeli.]

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DANGER: POLITICIANS AT WORK

CLASS WAR REPORTS

New Wildcat Strike Hits South African Platinum Mining Sector:

5400 Employees Did Not Report For Their Shifts

1st October 2012 By: Idle Esterhuizen, Mining Weekly JOHANNESBURG Workers at Atlatsa Resources and Anglo American Platinums joint venture Bokoni platinum mine, in Limpopo, embarked on an unprotected wage strike on Monday.

COO Joel Kesler told Mining Weekly Online that no formal demands had been received, but that a group of between 80 and 100 workers were parading on the premises, some displaying placards demanding R16 500 a month. In addition to those protesting, most of the mines about 5 400 employees did not report for their shifts, bringing attendance to below 20%. He said the mines recognised representative unions, including the National Union of Mineworkers, the Transport and Allied Workers Union of South Africas and the United Association of South Africas attempts to address their members were unsuccessful. The union leaders have now distanced themselves from the situation, as the strike is not union led. A sort of splinter group has been formed. It is not a specific group of workers, we are trying to establish what is going on, he noted. However, Kelser said Bokoni management would not negotiate any issues outside formal bargaining structures. Bokoni had an existing agreement in place regarding conditions of employment, including wages, which was effective until the end of June, 2013. The operations no work, no pay principle would apply for as long as the unprotected industrial action continued, with about 300 platinum ounces in production lost each day. Kelser said the JSE- and TSX-listed company intended to apply for an interdict in the Labour Court on Tuesday concerning unlawful and unprotected conduct and industrial action, as workers failed to keep to the ultimatum of returning to work by 14:00.

MORE:

South Africa Wildcat Strikes Spread To More Mines:

75,000 Miners, Or 15% Of The Mining Sector Workforce, Are Already Out On Strike, While A National Truckers Stoppage Is Squeezing Fuel Suppliers

All We Want Is Money, One Of The Striking Miners, Sibusiso Ntjima, Told Reuters
We Want It, And No Turning Back
Oct 3, 2012 By Ed Stoddard and Agnieszka Flak, Reuters JOHANNESBURG A series of wildcat miners strikes spread to South Africas iron ore sector on Wednesday and hit another gold firm in an escalation of the labour unrest that is testing President Jacob Zumas leadership. The countrys mining industry body has agreed to re-open wage talks in the coal and gold mining sectors, the National Union of Mineworkers said, a sign that more companies may be forced to make costly concessions to end the crippling strikes. The industrial action at Kumba Iron Ore, a unit of global miner Anglo American and among the worlds top 10 producers, further dented investor confidence in the continents wealthiest economy. Workers at the Kusasalethu gold mine near Johannesburg, operated by South Africas No. 3 bullion producer Harmony Gold , also downed tools in what management called an unlawful action launched outside the normal channels. President Zuma is under fire for failing to address and contain the rolling workers protests demanding higher wages, which in mid-August led to the killing by police of 34 strikers at the Marikana platinum mine run by Lonmin . The so-called Marikana massacre jogged painful memories of apartheid-era killings by the security forces and has kindled heated debate over glaring wealth inequalities persisting in South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. President Zuma can see all of this. He is ignoring it as our president. Does he want us to die like the people in Marikana before he can act? asked Sandile Diko, a miner at Gold Fields KDC West mine, west of Johannesburg, where 15,000 workers downed tools last month. After seven weeks of labour unrest, as many as 75,000 miners, or 15 percent of the mining sector workforce, are already out on strike, while a national truckers stoppage is squeezing fuel suppliers. If it drags on, some petrol stations could run dry, and some banks ATMs could run out of cash.

The rand fell 1 percent against the dollar on Wednesday, partly due to the escalation of the mines conflict. Kumba said the wildcat strike at its giant Sishen Mine in the Northern Cape involved only 300 employees and one area in the open cast mine, leaving most of the facility unaffected. Kumbas share price closed down nearly 5 percent, while shares of Harmony Gold slid 2.8 percent in Johannesburg. The recent weeks of labour strife, in which around 50 people have been killed, have stirred up criticism of the ruling African National Congress and the presidency of Zuma, who faces a challenge from ANC rivals ahead of a party leadership conference in December. Zuma is nevertheless expected to be re-elected head of the ANC in the vote - teeing him up to win a second five-year term as South African president in 2014 - though he could face a serious challenge from Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe. In another illegal strike over wages by contractors at mining company Petmin, a security guard was hacked to death this week by knife-wielding assailants at the Somkhele mine in KwaZulu-Natal, local media quoted police as saying. There are fears the strike contagion could spread to the coal mining sector and so threaten supplies to power utility Eskom, which is struggling to prevent a repeat of a 2008 crisis when the power grid nearly collapsed amid rolling blackouts. Some 85 percent of the countrys electricity is generated by coal-fired plants. The NUM said South Africas Chamber of Mines had agreed to dicsuss wage agreements which were settled last year in the coal and gold sectors and were due to run until next year. Issues included increases for entry level workers, pay adjustments for rock drill operators and a social labour package, it said. Asked to comment, Elize Strydom, a chamber official, said: We have agreed to look at those issues and treat it as a matter of great urgency and in fact we are meeting again on Tuesday. Kumba had been thought safe from the strikes because in December rank-and-file employees there who had worked for at least five years were given a lump sum of about 345,000 rand ($41,200) each after taxes as part of a share scheme. This represented a fortune to workers earning as little as 7,000 rand a month. It was not immediately clear if any of the strikers were among the 6,200 who had benefited from the plan. Kumba produced 41.3 million tonnes of ore in 2011.

World No. 1 platinum producer Anglo American Platinum is grappling to resolve a strike at its Rustenburg operations in the countrys platinum belt about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Johannesburg. Worker attendance at Amplats Rustenburg mines has fallen to below 20 percent. Some 21,000 Amplats workers are striking. Bosses at the worlds fourth-biggest bullion producer, Gold Fields, where a three-weekold stoppage at the KDC West mine has hit production, have refused to negotiate with strikers over their wage demands. All we want is money, one of the striking miners, Sibusiso Ntjima, told Reuters. We want it, and no turning back. The spreading unrest has raised fears of a repeat of the Marikana violence and deaths, South Africas bloodiest security incident since the end of apartheid. An official enquiry into the killings began this week but adjourned its hearings on Wednesday until Oct. 22 to give lawyers more time to prepare and collect forensic and witness reports and post mortem information on the victims.

MORE

American Platinum Says Security Worsening:

Workers At Its Union Mine In The Northern Limpopo Province Have Refused To Go Underground
October 2, 2012, By Alex Ltourneau, Kitco News Anglo American Platinum told workers Tuesday to stay away from its Rustenburg operations in South Africa as wildcat strikes continue. Amplats says in a statement it intended to resume operations in Rustenburg on Wednesday and that workers at its Union Mine in the northern Limpopo province have refused to go underground. Anglo American is the worlds leading producer of platinum group metals and accounts for 40% of the worlds newly mined platinum.

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Car Bombs Blow Up Key Regime Buildings In Syrian City: Many Army Officers Dead

10.4.12: Street between destroyed buildings where triple bombs rocked at the Saadallah al-Jabri square, in Aleppo. Associated Press

A Free Syrian Army soldier stands on a damaged Syrian military tank in front of a damaged mosque, which were both destroyed during fighting with government forces, in the Syrian town of Azaz, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Sept. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Wall painted with the Syrian revolutionary flag, right, in Marea village, on the outskirts of Aleppo, Syria, Sept. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) October 3, 2012 By SAM DAGHER, Wall Street Journal [Excerpts]

BEIRUTDozens of people were killed and wounded, many of them government soldiers, in multiple car bombings in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. Shortly after daybreak Wednesday, two car bombers attacked a social club and a hotel in the citys central Saadallah al-Jabri Square, which were housing military officers and Syrian state media reporters embedded with the army. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said mortars also targeted the nearby political security department around the same time of the bombings. The attacks, conducted in quick succession, killed at least 33 people and wounding 130, Syrian state media said. Two other car bombs exploded shortly afterward, appearing to have targeted the nearby municipal building and chamber of commerce, said a reporter for Syrian state television who was staying at the hotel. Citing medical sources in Aleppo, the U.K.-based opposition group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four car bombs had killed at least 40 people and left 90 wounded. One of the targets, a police officers social club, had been converted into a residence for military officers during the conflict, according to some opposition members and residents. Before Syrias armed conflict escalated in Aleppo over the summer, the square in a bustling commercial district flanked by a park had been occupied by proregime thugs known as Shabiha, to prevent opposition activists from staging any rallies there, according to residents. Footage aired by Syrian state TV showed extensive damage in and around the square. Several buildings were gutted while others were reduced to heaps of concrete and twisted steel. The explosions also appeared to have left two large craters in the street. Nearby homes and businesses were badly damaged, with metal shutters ripped from the impact. This officers club is a gathering for gangs and the Shabiha and this club accommodated hundreds of high-ranking officers who lead the ruthless campaign against Aleppo and orchestrate and command the bloodshed and killing from there, said Mr. Halabi [Abu Firas al-Halabi, a spokesman for the Aleppo revolutionary council], using what appeared to be a pseudonym. The bombings come after a nearly three-month stalemate in the fight for Aleppo and a week after rebels announced an all-out offensive to try to gain an advantage. A tractor shoveled the debris.

Iranians Take To The Streets Against The Dictatorship:

Tens Of Thousands Of People, Among Them Merchants, Workers, Shopkeepers And Opposition Activists, Packed The Large Squares And Streets Around The Bazaar
Protesters Chanted Antigovernment Slogans, Death To The Dictator And Called On Iran To End Its Support Of Syrias Regime
Many Iranians Resent Their Governments Financial And Military Support Of Syrian President Bashar AlAssads Regime, Saying The Funds Could Be Better Used To Improve Their Livelihoods
On Wednesday, most of the shops in the bazaar were closed to honor a strike called by several unions, witnesses said, after Irans currency lost more than a third of its value against the dollar since the beginning of last week. October 3, 2012 By FARNAZ FASSIHI, Wall Street Journal [Excerpts] Protests over the plunging Iranian currency erupted on Wednesday around Tehrans main bazaar, the countrys commercial hub, as escalating economic woes become a rising political challenge.

The demonstrations marked the first time in three decades that the conservative merchant classes, a backbone of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, have publicly turned against the government. Tens of thousands of people, among them merchants, workers, shopkeepers and opposition activists, packed the large squares and streets around the bazaar drawing in security forces to disperse the crowds and make arrests. Protesters chanted antigovernment slogans and called for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to step down, in the largest public antigovernment gathering since February 2010, when the regime crushed a rising opposition movement. On Wednesday, most of the shops in the bazaar were closed to honor a strike called by several unions, witnesses said, after Irans currency lost more than a third of its value against the dollar since the beginning of last week. Money-exchange shops were closed on Wednesday because of the fluctuating prices, but black-market trade hovered above 40,000 rial to the dollar, down from 23,000 rial to the dollar on Sept. 24. Protesters chanted death to the dictator and called on Iran to end its support of Syrias regime, according to witnesses and videos posted on YouTube. They also said, Mahmoud, shame on you, let go of politics. On several occasions, protesters chanted slogans we dont want nuclear energy, according to a witness a sign that some blame the Iranian economys troubles on the regimes uncompromising nuclear policies, which have led to tough international sanctions. Iranian officials have spread the blame for the currencys devaluation. Critics of Mr. Ahmadinejad accuse him of fiscal mismanagement. Mr. Ahmadinejad, after blaming Irans central bank during a news conference in New York last week, publicly defended his administration on Tuesday. Instead he blamed the crisis on a ring of illegal currency traders as well as U.S. and European Union sanctions on Irans oil industry and central bank. Traders in Tehran blame the rials decline in large part on recent moves by Irans central bank. The bank put new limits on the availability of dollars at its subsidized rate of 12,260 rials, and opened a currency exchange center in Tehran intended to sell at close to black-market rates sparking a public panic, according to traders. Irans merchant class continues to wield significant political influence, though since the days when it supported the Iranian revolution in 1979 its power has declined somewhat, as the Iranian statein particular the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpshas become dominant in the national economy.

Most trade unions that operate in the bazaar, including textile, home appliance and jeweler unions, said on Wednesday they had called for a strike to show concern about the currency, as fluctuations have forced sellers and buyers to delay deals to adjust prices to the new rates. The protest quickly turned political, as members of the public joined in to air their bottled-up grievances. Inflation and cuts in state subsidies have made life tougher for many Iranians. With prices already high for food and transportation, inflation appeared likely to grow further as prices come in line with new currency rates. Its now about bread and butter in Iran, not just democracy and free speech, so it makes it much tougher for the regime to control the anger, said Roozbeh Mirebrahimi, an Iran expert based in New York. Some protesters on Wednesday also lashed out at Irans support for Syrias regime by chanting Leave Syria alone, think of us. Many Iranians resent their governments financial and military support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads regime, saying the funds could be better used to improve their livelihoods. On Wednesday, riot police and other security forces tried to disperse the crowd using tear gas and batons, witnesses said. Opposition websites reported 150 arrests. Security forces also raided black-market currency traders in downtown Tehran. It was unclear whether the protests would spread further in the coming days or lead to any policy shifts by the government. A text message was circulating on Wednesday night calling on the public to join the merchants in a demonstration on Thursday morning on Tehrans Revolution Avenue, the historical epicenter of political unrest. Calls for nationwide strikes and more protests filled Iranian blogs and socialnetworking sites such as Facebook with one blogger saying, given the regimes weak economic spot, any movement on our part could deliver a big blow. Some analysts said the government would have to move fast and announce some remedy to calm the bazaar merchants and prevent the unrest from spreading. One opposition website reported protests in the bazaar in Mashhad, a religious conservative city in northeast Iran.

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VIETNAM: THEY STOPPED AN IMPERIAL WAR

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The single largest failure of the anti-war movement at this point is the lack of outreach to the troops. Tim Goodrich, Iraq Veterans Against The War
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