A political struggle in a European nation of less than three million, largely ignored by other socialists in Europe, has nevertheless come to the fore in the capitalist media repeatedly since the late 1960s. This has been largely as a result of the the Basque people’s struggle for socialism and independence from the Spanish and French states, a struggle led for decades by Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, the marxist armed organisation better known by its acronym, ETA. The organisation reawakened Basque national consciousness, has worked with others for the restoration of Euskara, the Basque language, organised Basque workers and faced the repression of the General Franco dictatorship in the Spanish state. Famously, in 1973 it assassinated the Prime Minister of the state, Admiral Carrero Blanco, Franco’s right-hand man, which hastened the fragmentation of the dictatorship and its passage to partial democracy.

Related Links: The Abertzale Left makes big electoral gains in the basque Country – but is it being steered towards social democracy? | Basque Trade Unions Square Up To The Spanish State | Report on the largest demo ever in the Basque Country, estimated 100,000, Bilbao January this year -- in solidarity with political prisoners

For the past six months and longer once Libya had fallen to the NATO sponsored 'rebels', we have faced a continuous media onslaught about Syria with reports of protests, shootings, killings, attacks, bombing and so forth. The backdrop to the narrative is that this is part of the Arab Spring which started last year and it is a good thing overall. So many people are probably wondering what really has been happening, given that this is the same media that was cheer leading the Iraq war almost 10 years ago even though at least a million+ are now dead as a result. And yet somehow they want to imply that they are doing the right thing now. We should also recall that this is the same media that is promoting austerity and encouraging us to accept the blame for the mad years of the bubble and as a consequence we should pay up the €90 billion bailout and in the process see all the state services stripped to the bone. They are presenting the uncomplicated truth surely

Related Links: The Reality Of Sanctions On Syria. | A mistaken case for Syrian regime change | Arab League suspension of Syria brings military intervention closer | The Myth of “Isolated” Iran | Real Friends of Syria | SyriansWorldWide Youtube Channel

Guns and Butter interview of Tarpley. NATO's assault on Syria 10.27 Mb

Leonard Peltier, a Native American activist was born in 1944 in North Dakota on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. He is the 11th child of 13 children and from his early years suffered racism and brutal poverty at the hands of US government and its officials.

During his childhood, the Eisenhower administration passed a resolution by congress to “terminate” all Indian reservations and “relocate” Native Americans off their land pushing them into cities. This policy was later ruled illegal by US courts. To force Native Americans to leave the reservations, the US government cut off the supply of food and commodities that were promised to the reservations through treaties to recompense them for all the stolen land. Native Americans were now offered a small amount of money to move to inner city slums.

Related Links: The Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee | News coverage of the Fort Lawton takeover | 'Trail of Broken Treaties' | Wounded Knee | The trial of Leonard Peltier| Ireland for Peltier Facebook page

NEW YORK TIMES: Updated, 3:35 a.m. Sunday | In a tense showdown above the East River, the police arrested more than 700 demonstrators from the Occupy Wall Street protests who took to the roadway as they tried to cross the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday afternoon. (After a 2 week corporate media blackout, #occupywallstreet direct action is now front page news)

Related Links:

It seems like in about a week or two's time, most of the western world will be occupied…
Occupy Everywhere | Occupy Together | Occupy-Dublin | #OccupyDameStreet | occupy den haag | 1% network Ireland Indy: Occupy Dame Street - Oct 8th - Bring tent

Some #hashtags you might want to follow:
Occupy Wall Street - #occupywallstreet | Occupy Everywhere - #occupy | Occupy Dame Street (Dublin, Ireland) #occupydamestreet - #oct18

Websites to read up on:
Original Occupy Wallstreet website | Democracy Now!'s coverage | Occupy Wall St | The original call to #OCCUPYWALLST from Adbusters (13 Jul 2011) | (New York Times) Police Arrest More Than 700 Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge | (ROAR- Reflections on a revolution) New York police arrest 700+ protesters on Brooklyn Bridge | (ROAR- Reflections on a revolution) Wall Street protests swell, spread and go viral across US | (Democracy Now) Cornel West on Occupy Wall Street: It’s the Makings of a U.S. Autumn Responding to the Arab Spring | (Democracy Now) "Something Has Started": Michael Moore on the Occupy Wall St. Protests That Could Spark a Movement | (Guardian) Occupy Wall Street protesters arrested on Brooklyn Bridge | (Naomi Klein) Open Letter From Arun Gupta on the Wall Street Occupation: The Revolution Begins at Home | (Al Jazeera) Wall Street protests spread to other cities | (Guardian) Occupy Wall Street | Revolution in Spain, spreading to Ireland: homage to plaza catalunya | (Indymedia Ireland) Tahrir comes to Spain

Who's Tweeting About it
Occupy Dublin | Occupy Dame Street | Occupy Ireland | Contact.ie | Soundmigration | Irish Anti-War Movement |

Photos:
Cryptome Occupy Wall Street Photo and Video Series
Videos:
Occupy Wall Street: Dr Cornell West: "We the people have found our voice | Michael Moore 'Occupy Wall Street will only get Bigger' (MOXNEWS) | Occupy Wall Street: American Spring (Russia Today) | Occupy Together | Police Arrest More Than 700 #occupywallstreet Protesters on Brooklyn Bridge (We are Change) | Occupy Los Angeles - We are the 99% - The Beginning & In Depth HD

It seems like in about a week or two's time, most of the western world will be occupied…
Follow Occupy Wall Street Live on Livestream:

On this 10th anniversary of 9/11 attacks there are many things to reflect on and in this article we are going to focus on the relationship between 9/11 and the political 'Left'. Today 10 years later, the public particularly in the US seems quite dividved as numerous polls show that a majority of US citizens don't accept the official story and a significant portion believe the government was involved in one form or another. The mainstream media though is still very much on page with the official version of events. The details of the topic itself are divisive and two clear camps have arisen with opposing views and very little common ground between. At this stage many people are simply tired of discussing it and wish to move on. This article does not intend to dwell on the mechanics of the event itself but examine the wider political effects.

At this remove, there are several clear groupings around the interpretation of 9/11. We have of course the US government which used 9/11 to usher in the War on Terror, a war in which Cheney and Rumsfeld said may last indefinitely. Behind them are the corporate and state media as well as most governments especially those of Western Europe who whatever doubts they may have had, quickly fell into line when George Bush declared. 'You are either with us or against us'. As you move to places like Russia, parts of Asia and Africa, they are not so forth right, but they all in common eagerly instigated their own Wars on Terror and imposed draconian measures on civil liberties and greatly increased represssion.