Putting aside the American working class for a moment, just take a look
around the world at all of the countries where the US, Saudi Arabia, Israel,
and Russia are fighting, sending advisors, and sending arms. Think about the
millions of displaced people desperately searching for a safe place and at
the self protection and indifference of all the great powers. Think about
the numberless dead. And yet, today, I'm finding messages from politicians,
telling me "never to forget" 9/11. How could I possibly when the attacks on
9/11 were used as the excuse for the mayham that the US and its allies have
been visiting on the world ever since?
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Friday, September 11, 2015 1:29 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: Turkey signs on to U.S. air war in, Syria,
gets green light to hit Kurds
The Empire is causing great misery. But not to fear. It will all come home
to roost. It always does.
And just where will the American Working Class be when the shit hits the
fan?
Carl Jarvis
On 9/11/15, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://themilitant.com/2015/7932/793204.htmlstruggle.
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 79/No. 32 September 14, 2015
(front page)
Turkey signs on to U.S. air war in
Syria, gets green light to hit Kurds
BY EMMA JOHNSON
An Aug. 23 formal agreement between the Turkish and U.S. governments
marks Ankara's decision to grant Washington access to the Incirlik air
base and officially join Washington's bombing "coalition" attacks
against Islamic State in Syria. In exchange, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan got Washington's backing to unleash a war on the
Kurdish population in Turkey under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
Erdogan's goal is to create the political preconditions to thwart
Kurdish aspirations for an independent Kurdistan, expand the executive
powers of the presidency and strengthen the domination of his Justice
and Development Party in November elections. Turkey's capitalist
rulers and Washington share a common hatred for the Kurdish independence
State.
Washington negotiated nine months to regain access to Incirlik, which
was restricted since 2003. Sorties from Incirlik to Syria take 15
minutes, compared with three hours from the Arab-Persian Gulf.
Washington needs Turkey in the war against Islamic State for several
reasons. Many of the oil sales that fund IS take place on Turkey's
black market, and IS combatants and weapons flow freely across the border.
U.S. forces had already begun airstrikes out of Incirlik Aug. 5. Joint
flights with Ankara will start soon, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu said.
Washington's stated aim is to rid a 1,400-square-mile zone in northern
Syria of Islamic State combatants. The Turkish government has made
clear the zone must also be free of Kurdish fighters. This would
prevent further advances westward by Kurdish People's Protection Units
(YPG), who now control two-thirds of Syria's 560-mile border with
Turkey and are the most effective force on the ground fighting Islamic
Erdogan has said his government would "never allow" a Kurdish state inelections Nov. 1.
the north of Syria.
In June elections the Kurdish-based People's Democratic Party (HDP)
passed the 10 percent threshold to enter Parliament, showing it had
support beyond the Kurdish population. This robbed Erdogan's party of
its governing majority and set back the president's moves to
strengthen his grip on power. In response, Erdogan blocked the
formation of any government coalition and pushed through a call for
century.
An outright war on the Kurds
Immediately after the initial deal with Washington was announced July
23, the Turkish government unleashed an outright war on the Kurdish
people, under the pretext of fighting the Kurdistan Workers Party
(PKK), branded terrorist both by Ankara and Washington. In addition to
bombing areas in Iraqi Kurdistan and firing artillery on YPG forces in
Syria, Erdogan set off a wave of repression against Kurds in Turkey,
specifically targeting Kurdish areas in the southeast.
The Kurds, 30 million people in Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, have
been fighting national oppression and for a homeland for more than a
In 1984, the PKK opened armed struggle against the Turkish government,on fire.
which responded with brutal repression against the Kurdish population.
Over the following decades tens of thousands were killed.
Bombings and other acts targeting civilians carried out by the
Stalinist-trained leadership of the PKK have caused unnecessary
casualties, weakening the Kurdish fight, and gave a series of Turkish
regimes the pretext to attack the broader Kurdish population.
In 2013 Erdogan's government and the PKK reached a cease-fire
agreement and in the period since, the struggle for Kurdish autonomy
and national rights around culture, language, education and freeing of
political prisoners made advances.
Since Erdogan canceled the cease-fire in late July, Kurdish areas have
been under daily attack. Ankara declared a state of emergency in
Kurdish districts across southeast Turkey and sent in special forces,
supported by the army, to target civilians, bomb workplaces and set homes
Towns and provinces have been sealed off and power and water supplies cut.fighters.
"Hundreds of people from both sides have lost their lives so far,"
Harun Ercan, international relations advisor with the HDP in
Diyarbakir, Turkey, told the Militant by phone Sept. 2. "In addition
to military operations, the Turkish government started to arrest both
cadres and elected officials of our party two weeks ago. In reaction,
people's assemblies started to demand local autonomy. The government
responded by arresting mayors - so far seven."
Ercan said the PKK announced it will not retaliate against Turkish
armed forces if they do not launch attacks on local people and PKK
"But today the prime minister sent a memo to all governors in the
Kurdish region to continue the 'war on terror' policies in a more
strict manner," he said. "The international community should be
concerned about the November elections and to what extent the Kurdish
people will be able to use their democratic rights."
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