All posts by Davindranauth Shiwratan

U.S. Domestic Violence Statistics

News, U.S. News, United States

The number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women who were murdered by current or ex male partners during that time was 11,766. That’s nearly double the amount of casualties lost during war.

Women are much more likely to be victims of intimate partner violence with 85 percent of domestic abuse victims being women and 15 percent men. Too many women have been held captive by domestic violence — whether through physical abuse, financial abuse, emotional abuse or a combination of all three.

We are inundated with news stories about domestic violence, from athletes beating their significant others in public elevators or in their own homes to celebrities publicly abusing their girlfriends. This problem is not one that will go away quickly or quietly.

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, discussions about intimate partner abuse and its horrible repercussions should not. In an attempt to illustrate the gravity of abuse all genders (but largely women) face in the U.S., we rounded up 30 statistics on domestic violence.

Domestic violence is not a singular incident, it’s an insidious problem deeply rooted in our culture — and these numbers prove that.

3: The number of women murdered every day by a current or former male partner in the U.S.

38,028,000: The number of women who have experienced physical intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

40%: Women with disabilities are 40% more likely to experience intimate partner violence, especially severe violence—than women without disabilities. (American Psychological Association)

4,774,000: The number of women in the U.S. who experience physical violence by an intimate partner ever year.

1,509: The number of women murdered by men they knew in 2011. Of the 1,509 women, 926 were killed by an intimate partner and 264 of those were killed by an intimate partner during an argument.

20: Every minute 20 people are victims of intimate partner violence. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

18,000: The number of women who have been killed by men in domestic violence disputes since 2003.

1 in 4: The number of women who will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

1 in 7: The number of men who will be victims of severe violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes.

3 to 4x: Worldwide, men were exposed to domestic violence as children are three to four times more likely to perpetrate intimate partner violence as adults than men who did not experience domestic abuse as children. (World Health Organization)

8,000,000: The number of days of paid work women lose every year because of the abuse perpetrated against them by current or former male partners. This loss is equivalent to over 32,000 full-time jobs.

40-45: The percentage of women in physically abusive relationships who are raped and/or assaulted during the relationship.

9 seconds: A woman is beaten every nine seconds in the US. (Domestic Violence Statistics).

18,500,000: The number of mental health care visits due to intimate partner violence every year.

$948: The average cost of emergency care for intimate partner violence related incidents for women. The average cost for men is $387.

Intimate partner violence is the ‘leading cause’ of female homicide and injury-related deaths during pregnancy. (American Psychological Association)

2 in 5: The number of gay or bisexual men who will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

50: The percentage of lesbian women who will experience domestic violence (not necessarily intimate partner violence) in their lifetimes.

81: The percentage of women who are stalked by a current or former male partner who are also physically abused by that partner.

8: Women who are victims of domestic violence are eight times more likely to be killed by an intimated partner if there are firearms in the home. (Risk Factors for Femicide in Abusive Relationships: Results From A Multisite Case Control Study).

70: The percentage of women worldwide who will experience physical and/or sexual abuse by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.

98: The percentage of financial abuse that occurs in all domestic violence cases. The number one reason domestic violence survivors stay or return to the abusive relationship is because the abuser controls their money supply, leaving them with no financial resources to break free.

35%: Black women experience intimate partner violence at rates 35 percent higher than white women. (University of Minnesota’s Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community).

$5,800,000,000: The estimated cost of incidents of intimate partner violence perpetrated against women in the U.S. in 1995 alone.

21: The number of LGBT people murdered by their intimate partners in 2013. Fifty percent of them were people of color. This is the highest documented level of domestic violence homicide in the LGBT community in history.

2.6x: The amount of times more likely a transgender person of color is to become a victim of intimate partner violence than a non-LGBT person.

3rd: Domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families. (National Coalition for the Homelessness)

70x: The amount of times more likely a woman is to be murdered in the few weeks after leaving her abusive partner than at any other time in the relationship.

10,000,000: The number of children exposed to domestic violence every year.

25: The percentage of physical assaults perpetrated against women that are reported to the police annually.

Need help? In the US, call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline or visit the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline operated by RAINN. For more resources, visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

 

Source:

Shocking US domestic violence statistics

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=383705

 

U.S. Child Poverty Highest in 20 Years

News, U.S. News, United States

A new report says nearly 25 percent of American children live in poverty, the highest level in 20 years.

The report, published in the US medical journal JAMA Pediatrics, found that over 16 million children live in poverty in America.

Such high level of poverty, according to the report, has adverse health effects including “significantly higher risks of low birth weight, injuries, lower IQ, intensive care unit admissions, and infant, condition-specific, and overall mortality.”

The report listed food insecurity as the second threat to the US children, with 1 out of 3 poor children relying on food stamps for nutrition.

“Food insecurity is associated with deleterious consequences for children’s health, including elevated risks of suboptimal health and hospitalizations,” the report said.

The shocking figures show that while Washington hails the economic recovery, there has been an immense setback in the well-being and health of US children since 2009.

“It shouldn’t be this hard for kids to grow and thrive in the world’s richest, most powerful nation,” said Bruce Lesley, one of the study’s co-authors and the president of the child advocacy organization First Focus.

This report comes as the Obama administration’s 2015 budget proposal has called for slashing the budget of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Last year, massive budget cuts to anti-poverty programs had a devastating impact on families with children.

The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, which provides food assistance to children and mothers, was one of the programs that saw budget cuts by more than $354 million.

Source:

US child poverty highest in 20 years

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=383842

 

‘Do Nothing’ U.S. Congress in Iran Nuclear Deal ?

OpEd

Davindranauth Shiwratan

Friday, July 11, 2014

‘Do Nothing’ U.S. Congress in Iran Nuclear Deal?

The U.S. Congress would be counter-productive and an obstacle in the effort to accomplish the negotiations for a possible nuclear accord between Tehran, the capital of Iran, and six world powers; including the permanent five members: United States, Great Britain, France, China, and Russia of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC); plus Germany (P5+1).

A large group of bipartisan US lawmakers from the House of Representatives, 344 out of 435 members, signed a letter to President Barack Obama to involve the congress in any decision (PressTV). The US Congress have been suspicious of the negotiations that they have threatened not to lift sanctions on Iran if they are not satisfied with the terms of the agreement (Sanger. The New York Times).

US Congress has an overall 8% approval rating among the American Public. This congress would outsource its gridlock from the Capitol Hill chambers to overseas on the negotiations’ table and showcase political theater for the global press. Neither Compromise nor Diplomacy exists within the current legislative branch. There are always winners and losers in US politics at home as American Foreign Policy abroad.

Why would the US Congress get involve in the negotiations between Tehran and the six world powers? Most US lawmakers, especially in the House of Representatives, are campaigning to win the upcoming 2014 Midterm elections in the United States this November. This is a great opportunity to receive monetary campaign contributions from the Pro-Israel lobby groups and special interests affiliated with the Military-Industrial Complex in exchange to sponsor a bill(s) or an amendment(s).

What would the US Congress do? The US Congress would listen to the cash flow from the campaign contributors to make the decision to guarantee the victory and regain their seats on Election Day for another term in public office. According to PressTV, the Israeli regime and its lobby groups have been urging the already skeptical US lawmakers to increase sanctions on Iran over its nuclear energy program. In August 2013, the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill of sanctions targeting Iran’s oil exports and other economic sectors, including mining and automobile industries.

However, a similar legislation died in the US Senate when President Barack Obama said he would veto the anti-Iran sanctions bill after Tehran, capital of Iran, and the six world powers signed a historic interim nuclear agreement in November 2013. Under the deal, that is scheduled to expire on 2014 July 20th with an additional extension, Iran was offered some sanctions relief and in return limited its nuclear energy program (PressTV).

Iran and the six world powers are holding extensive closed-door discussions to narrow their differences and reach a final deal on Tehran’s nuclear energy program as the July 20th deadline approaches (PressTV).

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran is entitled to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has conducted numerous inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities, but has never found any evidence indicating diversion in Tehran’s nuclear energy program toward military purposes (PressTV).

The Israeli regime seeks to become the only military power in the Middle Eastern region. The State of Israel has an estimated 400 nuclear warheads in its facilities. In May 2014, the US House of Representatives approved a bill that would grant Israel over $600 million of American taxpayers’ money in military aid. The legislation authorizes $351 million for Israel’s Iron Dome missile system and $269 million for its David’s Sling and Arrow 3 missile programs (PressTV).

 

Bibliography

Sanger, David E. “Kerry to Join Talks on Iran as Deadline Draws Near.”

The New York Times 11 July 2014.

https://global-factiva-com.remote.baruch.cuny.edu/ga/default.aspx?imt=2&ao=14&aod=1811683

“Obama repeats anti-Iran war rhetoric.” Press TV  8 July 2014.

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=370393

“Congress pushing for say on Iran deal.” Press TV 11 July 2014.

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=370797

“US Congress will further support Israel.” Press TV 12 July 2014.

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=370944

“New York’s new 9/11 Investigation could stop global holocaust.” Press TV 11 July 2014.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/07/11/370830/911-probe-could-stop-global-holocaust/

 

 

 

 

Emerging World Economies BRICS to launch Development Bank

International Relations, , , , , , , , ,

Davindranauth Shiwratan

July 12, 2014

BRICS launching Development Bank

The 5 major emerging world economies, BRICS, are expected to launch their development bank at a summit on July 15 in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The BRICS bank will present an alternative solution to the Western global banking system comprised of the Bretton Woods institutions – the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The new bank will provide a collective foreign exchange reserve and a fund for financing development projects in order to address the needs of emerging and poor economies.

Under the deal, the two largest emerging world economies, China and Brazil, agreed to remove nearly half of their trade exchanges out of the US dollar zone. The BRICS countries will contribute up to $10 billion each in starting the development bank. It could take several years to be operating. The bank will function on national currencies rather than using a single currency; it will be adopted in bilateral and multilateral trade deals.

BRICS countries make up over 40% of the world’s population and account for more than 25% of the global GDP. The leaders of BRICS will decide over the location for the bank’s headquarters between Shanghai, China and New Delhi, India.

BRICS members say the current global balance of power is unworkable, with institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) irrelevant in addressing matters concerning global economics. (PressTV)

 Source:

“BRICS to launch development​ bank.” Press TV 12 July 2014.

http://edition.presstv.ir/iphone/detail.aspx?id=370950

 

 

Decline in Pollinators; U.S. Agriculture at Risk

Public Policy, , , , , , ,

Davindranauth Shiwratan

June 10, 2014

Decline in Pollinators; U.S. Agriculture at Risk

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 17 billion honey bees have been killed and injured across the United States and could put $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts, and vegetables at risk. Honey bees are important pollinators for both flowers and agricultural crops.

The list of crops that simply would not grow without honey bees is lengthy: Apples, cucumbers, broccoli, onions, pumpkins, carrots, avocados, almonds, etc.

We need honey bees to pollinate many of our favorite fruits and vegetables, the United States could lose $15 billion worth of crops – not to mention what it would do to your diet.

Beekeepers first sounded the alarm about disappearing bees in 2006. Seemingly healthy bees were simply abandoning their hives en masse, never to return. Researchers call the mass disappearance Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and they estimate that nearly one-third of all honey bee colonies in the country [United States] have vanished.

Scientists studying the disorder believe a combination of factors could be making bees sick, including pesticide exposure, invasive parasitic mites, an inadequate food supply and a new virus that targets bees’ immune systems. More research is essential to determine the exact cause of the bees’ distress.

The Natural Resources Defense Council states the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) has so far failed to aggressively seek out a solution. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has allotted $20 million over the next five years for research, that amount pales in comparison with the potential loss of $15 billion worth of crops that [honey] bees pollinate every year.

Fruits and Nuts

Almonds

Apples

Apricots

Avocadoes

Blueberries

Boysenberries

Cherries

Citrus

Cranberries

Grapes

Kiwifruit

Loganberries

Macadamia nuts

Nectarines

Olives

Peaches

Pears

Plums/Prunes

Raspberries

Strawberries
Vegetables

Asparagus

Broccoli

Carrots

Cauliflower

Celery

Cucumbers

Cantaloupe

Honeydew

Onions

Pumpkins

Squash

Watermelons
Field Crops

 

Alfalfa Hay

Alfalfa Seed

Cotton Lint

Cotton Seed

Legume Seed

Peanuts

Rapeseed

Soybeans

Sugar Beets

Sunflowers

 

Source:

http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/bees.asp

 

U.S.S. Liberty LEFT BEHIND: The Silent Chapter – June 08, 1967

International Relations, , , , , ,

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I commemorate the fallen American sailors of the US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty (GTR5) that was attacked on the high seas in international waters by air and naval forces of Israel. The USS Liberty and crew have been forgotten and betrayed by the United States Government then and now. The surviving American sailors of the USS Liberty have exercise their 1st Amendment civil liberty “free speech” and right to assembly to inform the American public about that infamous day. In opposition, the Israeli interest groups had campaigned to silent the historical facts since June 8, 1967. When the Israeli air and naval forces was commanded to carry out an assault on the US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty (GTR5), the State of Israel declared war on the United States of America 47 years ago.

President Obama makes statement on Iraq

President Barack Obama (US) claimed “The U.S. has always had a pretty sacred rule: We don’t leave our men or women in uniform behind” according to the New York Times. Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern expressed his opinion that “[t]he only exception, he might have added, is when Israeli forces shoot them up; then mum’s the word.” Consortium news

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According to the USS Liberty Veterans Association, on 8th June 1967, Israeli planes and torpedo boats attacked the unarmed US Navy intelligence ship USS Liberty (GTR5). 34 American sailors were murdered and 172 wounded that day, a casualty rate of 70%. This is among the highest casualty rates ever inflicted upon a US naval vessel.

Survivors have been forbidden for 40 years to tell their story under oath to the American public. The USS Liberty’s survivors were threatened with court martial and imprisonment if they did not remain silent. However, as time has passed, many have stepped forward to say that the attack was undeniably deliberate and that justice must be served. Despite numerous attempts to be heard, no previous inquiry has taken public testimony from surviving crewmembers.  Independent Commission of Inquiry

Based on the Independent Commission of Inquiry, the recent findings reveal that Israel thwarted attempts to rescue the ship and its crew. Israeli aircraft attacked and jammed all five American emergency radio channels. In addition, Israeli torpedo boats machine-gunned at close range the life rafts that had been lowered to rescue the most-seriously wounded sailors and marines.

USS-LIBERTY1

In opposition, the Israeli seamen explained they mistook the USS Liberty for an Egyptian ship, the El Quesir, but when they realized their target was a US ship, they ceased firing and offered assistance. The Israelis have always maintained that the attack on the USS Liberty was a tragic mistake, caused by the fog of war. They immediately apologized for the attack and later paid compensation to the families. Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA)

The White House and Congress immediately accepted Israel’s explanation and let the matter drop. Israel later paid a token reparation of US $6 million. There were reports two Israeli pilots who had refused to attack ‘Liberty’ were jailed for 18 years. LewRockwell

Fifteen years after the attack, an Israeli pilot approached Liberty survivors and then held extensive interviews with former Congressman Paul N. (Pete) McCloskey about his role. According to this senior Israeli lead pilot, he recognized the Liberty as American immediately, so informed his headquarters, and was told to ignore the American flag and continue his attack. He refused to do so and returned to base, where he was arrested.

Later, a dual-citizen Israeli major told survivors that he was in an Israeli war room where he heard that pilot’s radio report. The attacking pilots and everyone in the Israeli war room knew that they were attacking an American ship, the major said. He recanted the statement only after he received threatening phone calls from Israel.

The pilot’s protests also were heard by radio monitors in the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon. Then-U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dwight Porter has confirmed this. Porter told his story to syndicated columnists Rowland Evans and Robert Novak and offered to submit to further questioning by authorities. Unfortunately, no one in the U.S. government has any interest in hearing these first-person accounts of Israeli treachery. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

Surviving ‘Liberty’ crew members would not be silenced. They kept demanding an open inquiry (U.S. Congressional Investigation) and tried to tell their story of deliberate attack to the media. Israel’s government worked behind the scenes to thwart these efforts, going so far as having American pro-Israel groups accuse ‘Liberty’s’ survivors of being ‘anti-Semites’ and ‘Israel-haters.’ Major TV networks cancelled interviews with the crew. A book about the ‘Liberty’ by crewman James Ennes’ was dropped from distribution. The Israel lobby branded him ‘an Arab propagandist.’ LewRockwell

The USS Liberty Memorial explained that the website “…abhors the racist and extreme positions taken by anti-Semitic, Holocaust denial, conspiracy theorist and other such groups which often seek to identify with us and to usurp our story as their own. We have no connection with and do not support or encourage support from any of these groups including National Alliance, National Vanguard, The New Order, National Socialists, The French Connection, Liberty Lobby, American Free Press, Republic Broadcasting, USS Liberty Radio Hour, Storm Front or other such groups. We wish harm to no one and encourage social justice and equality for everyone; we seek only accountability for the criminal acts perpetrated against us and can do that without help from hate-mongers.”

“On the Israeli side, the group of pro-Israel, anti-American critics of our story, while small, persists in launching loud, vicious ad hominem attacks on anyone who attempts to discuss the deliberateness of the attack. These anti-American apologists refuse to discuss the facts of the case. Instead, they rely on propaganda and charge anyone who questions the Israeli position with being anti-Semitic”, according to The USS Liberty Memorial.

“Despite a near-universal consensus that the Israeli attack was made with full knowledge that USS Liberty was a US Navy ship, the Johnson administration began an immediate cover-up of this fact. Though administration officers continued individually to characterize the attack as deliberate, the Johnson administration never sought the prosecution of the guilty parties or otherwise attempted to seek justice for the victims. They concealed and altered evidence in their effort to downplay the attack. Though they never formally accepted the Israeli explanation that it was an accident, they never pressed for a full investigation either. They simply allowed those responsible literally to get away with murder.” The USS Liberty Memorial

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The then US defense secretary Robert McNamara ordered jets that had been dispatched to assist the Liberty turned around. US defense secretary Robert McNamara said “President [Lyndon] Johnson is not going to go to war or embarrass an American ally over a few sailors.”  Haaretz

In 2003, an independent commission of highly regarded experts was created to look into the matter. The Moorer Commission, named after its chairman, included Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, United States Navy (Ret.), former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Raymond G. Davis, United States Marine Corps and former assistant commandant of the Marine Corps. On 22nd  October 2003, the Independent Commission of Inquiry released a report by former officials from the highest level of the military and government reveals that Israel “committed acts of murder against American servicemen and an act of war against the United States” when it deliberately attacked the USS Liberty and killed 34 American crewmembers in 1967.  In addition, the Chief Attorney to the original 1967 Navy Court of Inquiry has stated in a sworn affidavit that then-President Johnson and then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered the Court of Inquiry to cover up the attack by presenting it as a mistake. Independent Commission of Inquiry

liberty1

‘Liberty,’ a World War II freighter, had been converted into an intelligence vessel by the top-secret US National Security Agency, and packed with the latest signals and electronic interception equipment. The ship bristled with antennas and electronic ‘ears’ including TRSSCOMM, a system that delivered real-time intercepts to Washington by bouncing a stream of microwaves off the moon.

‘Liberty’ had been rushed to Sinai to monitor communications of the belligerents in the Third Arab Israeli War: Israel and her foes, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan.

At 0800 hrs, 8 June, 1967, eight Israeli recon flights flew over ‘Liberty,’ which was flying a large American flag. At 1400 hrs, waves of low-flying Israeli Mystere and Mirage-III fighter-bombers repeatedly attacked the American vessel with rockets, napalm, and cannon. The air attacks lasted 20 minutes, concentrating on the ship’s electronic antennas and dishes. The ‘Liberty’ was left afire, listing sharply. Eight of her crew lay dead, a hundred seriously wounded, including the captain, Commander William McGonagle.

At 1424 hrs, three Israeli torpedo boats attacked, raking the burning ‘Liberty’ with 20mm and 40mm shells. At 1431hrs an Israeli torpedo hit the ‘Liberty’ midship, precisely where the signals intelligence systems were located. Twenty-five more Americans died.

Israeli gunboats circled the wounded ‘Liberty,’ firing at crewmen trying to fight the fires. At 1515, the crew were ordered to abandon ship. The Israeli warships closed and poured machine gun fire into the crowded life rafts, sinking two. As American sailors were being massacred in cold blood, a rescue mission by US Sixth Fleet carrier aircraft was mysteriously aborted on orders from the White House.

An hour after the attack, Israeli warships and planes returned. Commander McGonagle gave the order. ‘prepare to repel borders.’ But the Israelis, probably fearful of intervention by the US Sixth Fleet, departed. ‘Liberty’ was left shattered but still defiant, her flag flying.

The Israeli attacks killed 34 US seamen and wounded 171 out of a crew of 297, the worst loss of American naval personnel from hostile action since World War II.   LewRockwell

The U.S.S. Liberty Timeline                  

Source: Americans for Middle East Understanding

24 May 1967. U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) orders USS Liberty, an intelligence-gathering vessel, to depart Abidjan for eastern Mediterranean, via Rota, Spain.

1 June 1967. Commanded by Capt. William McGonagle, Liberty arrives at Rota to load technical support material and supplies.

2 June 1967. Liberty departs Rota at top speed of 18 knots en route to a point 13 miles off the Gaza Strip, well within international waters.

5 June 1967, 7:45 (all times cited are local Liberty time). Israel attacks Egypt, simultaneously putting out false reports that Egypt had attacked first. Captain McGonagle asks Vice Admiral William Martin at Sixth Fleet headquarters to send a destroyer as an armed escort and auxiliary communication center, noting that Liberty’s “self defense capability limited to four .50 caliber machine guns and small arms.”

6 June 1967. Admiral Martin replies “Liberty is clearly marked United States ship in international waters, not a participant in the conflict and not a reasonable subject for attack by any nation . . . Request for escort denied.”

7 June 1967, shortly before midnight. Office of the U.S. Defense Attaché in Tel Aviv sends coded message to U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) that Israel intends to attack the Liberty if her course is not changed.

8 June 1967:

0030: U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Joint Reconnaissance Center (JRC) orders Liberty to go from 12½ to 20 nautical miles off coast. An error by the U.S. Army Communications Center at the Pentagon results in message never reaching the ship.

uss-liberty-olayi_309288

0130: JRC orders Liberty to approach no closer than 100 miles to the coasts of Egypt and Israel. Due to misrouting it will take 16½ hours for message to reach Liberty.

0600: Israeli Nord 2501 Noratlas (flying boxcar) reconnoiters Liberty.

0603: Reconnaissance aircraft reports to Israeli naval headquarters that “GTR-5” is written on the ship, identifying it as an NSA intelligence vessel.

0720: Fresh American flag is raised.

0900: Jet aircraft approaches Liberty, then veers off towards Gaza. Liberty crewmen unable to identify markings.

1000: Two unmarked, rocket-armed, delta-winged jets circle Liberty three times. Liberty officers can count rockets and see the pilots, but see no identifying marks on the plane. The jets radio Israeli headquarters that the ship is flying an American flag.

Dennis-Eickleberry-photo-32

1030: Israeli “flying boxcar” with Israeli markings circles Liberty at about 200 feet. Crew member Larry Weaver says, “I was actually able to wave to the co-pilot, a fellow on the right-hand side of the plane. He waved back, and actually smiled at me.”

1055: Pinchas Pinchasy, naval liaison officer at Israeli air force headquarters, reports to Naval Headquarters that the ship cruising slowly off El Arish is “an electromagnetic audio-surveillance ship of the U.S. Navy, named Liberty, whose marking was GTR-5.”

1100 & 1130: Israeli reconnaissance aircraft again circle Liberty.

1205: Three Israeli motor torpedo boats leave Ashdod at high speed headed toward Liberty. They are followed by Israeli air force fighters, loaded with 30mm cannon ammunition, rockets, and napalm.

ussliberty1

1215 & 1245: Israeli reconnaissance aircraft again circle Liberty.

1341: Israeli torpedo boats spot Liberty and call for an immediate air strike.

1358: Two unmarked delta-winged Mirage jets attack Liberty. After taking out gun mounts, they target ship’s antennae and bridge with heat-seeking missiles.

1405: Three unmarked Dassault Mystère IIIC jets attack with napalm and rockets. Ship tries to contact Sixth Fleet headquarters, but five of Liberty’s six shore circuits are jammed. Radio operator manages to send distress signal from Captain McGonagle: “Under attack by unidentified jet aircraft, require immediate assistance.” Attack lasts approximately 22 minutes, involving 30 to 35 sorties, killing nine men and wounding around 60. Israeli pilot reports to base: “Great, wonderful, she’s burning, she’s burning.”

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1409: Captain Joe Tully of the USS Saratoga acknowledges call for help, dispatches four F-4 Phantom jets, and informs Liberty that help is on the way. Within minutes U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert MacNamara orders rescue jets to return: “Tell Sixth Fleet to get those aircraft back immediately.” Rear Admiral Geis relays message and tells them to re-launch jets in 90 minutes.

1424: Three French-built 62-ton Israeli motor torpedo boats approach Liberty in attack formation. Because the Israeli fighters had destroyed the American flag, Captain McGonagle orders the signalman to hoist the “holiday ensign,” the largest flag the ship has.

1435: Torpedo boats launch five German-made 19-inch torpedoes at Liberty. One torpedo strikes starboard directly into NSA area, accounting for 25 of the 34 men who would be killed. Torpedo boats then circle, machine-gunning the ship with armor-piercing projectiles for another 40 minutes.

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1450: Commander of Sixth Fleet orders carriers USS America and USS Saratoga to send aircraft to defend Liberty.

1500: NSA Sigint Command Center receives first notice of the attack from either the America or Saratoga: “USS Liberty has been reportedly torpedoed by unknown source in Med near 32N 33E. Request examine all communications for possible reaction/reflections and report accordingly.”

1505: Message sent to Liberty from Sixth Fleet: “Sending aircraft to cover you. Surface units on the way.” Liberty is off the air and does not receive the message.

1511: First “official” notice that Liberty is under attack reaches National Military Command Center in Washington.

1515: After the order to “prepare to abandon ship” comes over the loudspeaker system, the lifeboats are lowered into the water. Israeli torpedo boats move in closer and fire on them, as well as those still on deck, making them all unusable. “I watched with horror as the floating life rafts were riddled with holes,” recalled Lieutenant Lloyd Painter, in charge of the evacuation. Said Petty Officer Rowley, who also witnessed the event: “They didn’t want anyone to live.” After destroying the life rafts, the Israeli boats departed. Next, two Israeli SA-321 Super Frelon Hornet assault helicopters carrying soldiers in battle dress circle ship several times, then depart.

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1520: Commander of Sixth Fleet announces that 12 aircraft will be launched at 1545 to arrive near Liberty at 1715.

1532: Walt Rostow, President Johnson’s Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, notifies the president of the attack.

1536: Israeli torpedo boats return, then leave.

1545: USS Saragota and America launch second rescue flights.

1555: Liberty regains its transmitter; still has no receiver.

1600: Liberty transmits: “Flash, flash, flash. I pass in the blind. We are under attack by aircraft and high-speed surface craft.” Deputy Director Louis Tordella is informed by Deputy Director of Joint Reconnaissance Center, Captain Vineyard, that “consideration was then being given by some unnamed Washington authorities to sink the Liberty in order that newspaper men would be unable to photograph her and thus inflame public opinion against the Israelis.” Tordella makes an “impolite” comment about the idea, writes a memo of the conversation for the record, and stores it away.

liberty2

1605: Liberty transmits: “Request immediate assistance. Torpedo hit starboard side.”

1614: American embassy relays Israeli apology to White House, Department of State, and Sixth Fleet that an unidentified “maybe Navy” ship has been erroneously attacked.

1615: Two unidentified jets approach Liberty, then veer off.

1630: Israeli jets and three torpedo boats return, offer assistance. Captain McGonagle refuses their help. Boats leave after 12 minutes.

1639: Secretary of Defense McNamara again orders rescue planes recalled; order is confirmed by President Johnson because “we are not going to embarrass an ally.” Naval Air Attaché at U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv, Commander Ernest Castle, is summoned to Israeli Defense Forces headquarters.

1717: Deputy Secretary of Defense orders that all news releases on attack are to be made in Washington. Soon after, Israeli helicopter approaches Liberty and requests permission to land. McGonagle refuses. Helicopter departs.

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1729: Rear Admiral Lawrence Geis, commander of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, protests decision to recall rescue planes to Secretary of Defense McNamara. At that point President Johnson comes on the phone and says he didn’t care if the ship sunk, he would not embarrass his allies. Admiral Geis tells Lt. Commander David Lewis, head of the Liberty’s NSA group, of the remark, but asks him not to repeat it until after he dies. It is a promise Lewis will honor.

1915: Captain McGonagle, wounded and exhausted, dictates first report on estimated casualties: 10 dead; 15 severely wounded; 75 total wounded; undetermined missing. His estimates would prove low.

9 June 1967:

After midnight: Soviet guided missile destroyer sends flashing-light message in English: “Do you need help?” Liberty responds: “No thank you.” Soviets answer: “I will stand by in case you need me.”

0600: USS Navy destroyers Davis and Massey arrive.

Mid-morning: Dead and wounded are evacuated by helicopter.

1450: Israeli Lt. Col. Michael Bloch telephones Commander Castle that Liberty, because it was not flying a flag, had been mistaken for the Egyptian supply ship El Queseir. State Department assures Congress that attack was accidental.

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10 June 1967: Vice Admiral McCain orders Rear Admiral Isaac Kidd to convene Navy Court of Inquiry.

11 June 1967: Admiral Kidd boards Liberty with small staff to head Navy Court of Inquiry.

14 June 1967: Liberty arrives in Malta. Total news blackout imposed. Rear Admiral Kidd warns crew: “You are never, repeat never, to discuss this with anyone, not even your wives. If you do, you will be court-martialed and will end your lives in prison or worse.” Secretary of Defense McNamara informs media that, “Department of Defense will have no further comment.”

15 June 1967: Secretary of State Dean Rusk tells NATO ambassadors in Luxembourg that Israel’s attack was deliberate. His remark is reported in European, but not U.S. papers.

18 June 1967: Israeli Court of Inquiry exonerates Israeli government and all those involved, saying that its torpedo boats erroneously reported the Liberty’s speed at 30 knots instead of 5, and that the Liberty flew no flag and had no identifying markings. Later, Israel will honor Motor Torpedo Boat 203, the one that fired the deadly torpedo at the Liberty, by putting its wheel and bell on display in its naval museum, among those maritime items of which it is most proud.

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July 1967: Shortly after the burial of six Liberty crewmen in Arlington National Cemetery, a monument is erected describing the six as having “Died in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Liberty survivors complain that the marking is evasive and improper.

September 1967: State Department legal adviser Carl Salans finds many discrepancies with the Israeli report. His report is classified Top Secret.

11 June 1968: Captain McGonagle is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Medal, usually presented by the President of the United States at the White House, is presented by the Secretary of the Navy during a hastily arranged ceremony at the Washington D.C. Navy Yard. Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, the Chief of Naval Operations, calls the way the Medal is presented a back-handed slap. “Everyone else received their medal at the White House,” Moorer will later observe. “President Johnson must have been concerned about the reaction of the Israeli lobby.”

1980: National Security Agency Director Marshall Carter tells investigative author James Bamford that, regarding the attack on the Liberty, “There was no other answer than that it was deliberate.”

1981: National Security Agency review, “Attack on a Sigint Collector, the USS Liberty Incident,” rejects the Israeli Court of Inquiry’s “mistake” theory and accuses Israeli fighter pilots and torpedo boat crewmen and commanders of perjury.

1982: Israeli senior lead pilot approaches former Congressman Pete McCloskey and admits that he recognized the Liberty as American immediately, so informed his headquarters, and was told to ignore the American flag and continue his attack. He said he refused to do so and returned to base, where he was arrested.

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6 October 1982: A new headstone for the six Liberty crew members at Arlington National Cemetery is unveiled. This one reads: “Killed USS Liberty June 8, 1967.”

1986: Lt. Commander Walter H. Jacobsen writes in Naval Law Review: “To speculate on the motives of an attack group that uses unmarked planes and deprives helpless survivors of life rafts raises disturbing possibilities, including the one that the Liberty crew was not meant to survive the attack…”

6 November 1991: Columnists Evans and Novak publish interview with Dwight Porter, U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon in 1967, in which Porter says that during or immediately after the attack on the Liberty the CIA station chief showed him transcripts of intercepted Israeli messages. One has Israel ordering the attack on the Liberty, another has an Israeli pilot replying it’s an American ship. When the order to attack is repeated, the pilot insists he can see the American flag. The pilot is told again: “Attack it.”

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8 June 1997: Adm. Thomas H. Moorer, appointed Chief of Naval Operations shortly after the attack on the Liberty, tells a reunion of survivors: “I have to conclude that it was Israel’s intent to sink the Liberty and leave as few survivors as possible. Israel knew perfectly well that the ship was American.”

November 1998: Captain McGonagle breaks his long silence: “After many years I finally believe that the attack was deliberate. I don’t think there has been an adequate investigation of the incident . . . The flag was flying prior to the attack…” McGonagle will die four months later, on March 3, 1999.

 

Bibliography

Ennes, Jr. James M. USS Liberty Memorial. USS Liberty Memorial, n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.gtr5.com/

The USS Liberty Timeline. Americans for Middle East Understanding, n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/ussliberty.html

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/ul-ameu.html

USS Liberty Veterans Association. USS Liberty Veterans Association, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014.

http://www.usslibertyveterans.org/

New Findings Reveal Israel and US Covered Up Deliberate Israeli Attack on US Navy Ship 1967. The Independent Commission of Inquiry, n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/ul-newfindings.html

USS Liberty. Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America, n.d. Web. 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.sixdaywar.org/uss-liberty.asp

Ennes, Jr. James M. “The Assault on the USS Liberty Still Covered Up After 26 Years.” Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Jun. 1993. Web 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.wrmea.org/wrmea-archives/148-washington-report-archives-1988-1993/june-1993/7211-the-assault-on-the-uss-liberty-still-covered-up-after-26-years.html

Margolis, Eric. “The USS Liberty: America’s Most Shameful Secret.” LewRockwell. LewRockwell, 2 May 2001. Web 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.lewrockwell.com/2001/05/eric-margolis/the-uss-liberty-americas-most-shameful-secret/

Melman, Yossi. “Israeli communications said to prove IAF knew Liberty was US ship.” Haaretz Daily Newspaper. Haaretz Daily Newspaper, 4 Oct 2007. Web 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.haaretz.com/news/israeli-communications-said-to-prove-iaf-knew-liberty-was-u-s-ship-1.230486

Jamail, Dahr. “US Navy Veterans Continue to Seek Justice for Israeli Attack.” Truthout. Truthout, 1 Jun. 2010. Web 15 Jun. 2014

http://truth-out.org/archive/component/k2/item/89888:us-navy-veterans-continue-to-seek-justice-for-israeli-attack

Schmitt, Eric; Mazzetti, Mark; and Baker, Peter. “Critics Are Questioning American Military Credo of Leaving No One Behind.” New York Times. New York Times, 3 Jun. 2014. Web. 15 Jun. 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/world/critics-questioning-credo-of-leaving-no-one-behind.html?_r=1

McGovern, Ray. “Leaving the USS Liberty Crew Behind.” Consortium News.

Consortium News, 8 Jun. 2014. Web. 15 Jun. 2014.

http://consortiumnews.com/2014/06/08/leaving-the-uss-liberty-crew-behind/

 

Violence Against Women Act a potential revolution

OpEd, Public Policy, , , , , ,

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Violence against women act a potential revolution

Article by   – April 29th, 2013

By Davindranauth Shiwratan

I applaud the 2013 reauthorization of the 1994 landmark law Violence Against Women Act (V.A.W.A.). Although the VAWA legislative amendments improved the protection available to battered immigrant women, these enactments are meaningless if affected women do not know their rights.

Demographers’ estimated over 5.3 million females among the unauthorized alien population in 2011. Immigrant women workers are vulnerable to rape, sexual abuse and harassment, or other gender-motivated exploitation in the workplace. The Pew Hispanic Center reported that only 58 percent of working-age women are undocumented immigrants in the labor force.

Some immigrant women are brought to the United States through human trafficking networks and forced under conditions of surveillance, threats of deportation, and physical harm. Roughly 100,000 survivors of human trafficking live in the U.S. today, according to the US State Department, whose assessments suggest as many as 17,500 foreign-born victims are brought in each year.

In order for abused women to sufficiently understand the options available to them, advocates must increase community outreach and education. Educational programs can be given at churches and community centers. Battered women’s shelters can partner with legal services providers and allow advocates to meet with these women in a place where clients feel safe. Advocates providing these services understand the unique cultural restraints that the battered immigrant woman is faced with.

While immigrant partners and wives face obstacles similar to those of domestic ones, there are several cultural barriers that intensify these problems for immigrants, which require a remedy. First, immigrant women may be unaware that partner abuse is against the law in the U.S. because it is legal in many other countries. Moreover, these women may be wary of requesting police services in the US due to law enforcement inefficiencies in their host countries.

Second, while many domestic women feel pressure to stay in relationships due to social conventions, immigrant women are often more likely to stay in relationships due to the varying social conventions of their countries of origin. This creates the fear that, not only may they be deported if they report their batterer to the police, but that they may also have to face family members as a shunned divorcee.

Finally, language serves as the most obvious barrier that prevents many immigrant women from taking legal action against their abusers. Not only may a woman have difficulty conveying the physical and mental abuse perpetrated against her by her batterer, she may also be isolated from the legal and social services available to her due to a language barrier.

Liberals support legal immigration. They uphold blanket amnesty for those who enter the U.S. illegally. Liberals believe that undocumented immigrants have a right to the educational and health benefits that U.S. citizens receive regardless of legal status. It is unfair to arrest millions of undocumented immigrants.

Immigration attorneys and advocates highlight changes to the V.A.W.A. that would facilitate its intended objective of protecting abused foreign nationals from their abusers and independently providing them with a path to lawful permanent residence.

Conservatives oppose amnesty for those who enter the U.S. illegally. Those who break the law by entering the U.S. illegally do not have the same rights as those who obey the law and immigrate legally. The borders should be secured before addressing the problem of illegal immigrants currently in the country.

Other observers highlight the vulnerability of U.S. immigration policy to fraud within V.A.W.A. and the provision to determine whether a marriage was bona fide.

If battered immigrant women were informed of their rights and the protection available to them in the V.A.W.A., then the implementation of the law would be successful.