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Showing posts from January, 2011

Kolin: How the US Became a Police State | Informed Comment

Kolin: How the US Became a Police State | Informed Comment : "Andrew Kolin writes in a guest column for Informed Comment To understand how the U.S. government became a police state, look no further than how it freed itself from colonial rule. For the American Revolution was, by and large, the result of a mobilization of the masses by the elites to liberate the colonized from a colonizer. It was the starting point of the myth of how the post- Revolutionary government would embody democracy. The truth was that after the American Revolution, the thinking among economic and political elites was that America had become too democratic, especially as mass democracy expressed itself on the state level. The appearance and growth of democratic practices was perceived by elites as a threat to the expansion of state power. The government responded primarily through the use of force and violence, seeking to extend control over people and territory within North America through genocidal and eth...

Egypt, The Saudis, and The Zionists!

The Big Three most destructive and reactionary countries are as I have always believed are Egypt, Israel and Saudi Arabia (as if the country belongs to Saud family), the Saudis and Israelis are rallying in support of the falling Egyptian regime as expected. Israel called on the United States and a number of European countries over the weekend to curb their criticism of President Hosni Mubarak to preserve stability ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates -- Saudi Arabia slammed protesters in Egypt as "infiltrators" who seek to destabilize their country, and a top Palestinian official affirmed "solidarity" with Egypt on Saturday, while an Iranian official called on Egypt to "abide by the rightful demands of the nation" and avoid violent reactions.

The Canadian Press: Seizing on Egypt tumult, Kurdish splinter party calls on Iraqi regional govt to resign

The Canadian Press: Seizing on Egypt tumult, Kurdish splinter party calls on Iraqi regional govt to resign : "SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — An opposition party in Iraq's Kurdish north is calling on the regional government to resign, saying protests in the Arab world should be a wakeup call for its leaders. The reformist group called Gorran, Kurdish for 'Change,' said Sunday that the ruling parties in the three provinces comprising the semiautonomous northern region are corrupt and don't represent the people. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Iraqis watch Egypt unrest with sense of irony - Yahoo! News

Iraqis watch Egypt unrest with sense of irony - Yahoo! News : "BAGHDAD – Iraqis who have long suffered from high unemployment, poverty and endemic corruption — the catalysts of unrest spreading in the Arab world — called on their own government to take notice. Many watched footage of riots and looting on the streets of Egypt, the region's traditional powerhouse, with a sense of irony. The scenes brought back disturbing memories of similar mayhem in Iraq, but also admiration for an uprising that came from the streets rather than in the wake of a foreign invasion. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Long Live Egyptian Revolution!!!!!!!

Despite American support for Arab dictators, Husni Mubarak will fall like Zeinel-Abdin was in Tunisia. America is being exposed more and more that it is not a force for good in Middle-East like we have been saying for long. Long live a rule of law, justice and democracy!!!!!!

Beyond Mubarak: Protesters’ Anger Turns on US, Israel -- News from Antiwar.com

Beyond Mubarak: Protesters’ Anger Turns on US, Israel -- News from Antiwar.com : "The anger spilling into the streets of Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and other cities was focused like a laser beam on President Hosni Mubarak on Friday. As the protests move forward, however, the resentment is spreading beyond Mubarak and his immediate underlings, and toward the United States and Israel. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Meet the Al Jazeera Correspondents Who Are Putting American Coverage Of The Egypt Crisis To Shame | CommonDreams.org

Meet the Al Jazeera Correspondents Who Are Putting American Coverage Of The Egypt Crisis To Shame | CommonDreams.org : "The Arabic news channel Al Jazeera is owning the coverage of the unprecedented uprising happening right now in Egypt. Owning. Amazingly if you're in the United States you can probably see Al Jazeera English online. Twitter has been full the last day or so of people sending links to various live streams and apps that allow you to do just that. As reported in the NY Times yesterday, Al Jazeera's coverage over the last 15 years has helped to build a narrative regarding about everyday Arab suffering. After some initial slow reporting, which resulted in rumors that the emir of Qatar and Al Jazeera founder, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak struck a deal not to report on the protests Al Jazeera kicked into action and 'was reporting from the streets in Cairo in its usual manic style.' - Sent using Google Toolbar...

What is happening in Egypt is not our business – Telegraph Blogs

What is happening in Egypt is not our business – Telegraph Blogs : "The United States, Britain and our allies have an atrocious record in the Middle East. We have consistently given our support to a series of despotic, murdering, torturing regimes including Egypt, Tunisia and, for a long time, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. These eruptions in the Middle East present a moral challenge to Western governments. There is no question that we will feel very tempted to try and control events and maintain regimes which, however morally loathsome, are seen as sympathetic to the West. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Uganda gay rights activist murdered - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Uganda gay rights activist murdered - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "A leading Ugandan gay rights activist has been murdered at his home just months after his photograph, and those of several other people said to be gay, were printed by a newspaper which called for them to be killed. David Kato, 43, died on Wednesday after a man entered his home in the capital Kampala and struck him on the head before fleeing, his lawyer John Francis Onyango said on Thursday. Kato was pictured and named by the anti-gay tabloid Rolling Stone - no relation to the US magazine of the same name - that also ran a story late last year calling on readers to 'hang' gay rights advocates. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Egyptians Defy Protest Ban, Plan big Rallies for Friday; Death toll Rises to 6 | Informed Comment

Egyptians Defy Protest Ban, Plan big Rallies for Friday; Death toll Rises to 6 | Informed Comment : "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton backed away from her unqualified support of the Egyptian government on Wednesday, saying, “We believe strongly that the Egyptian government has an important opportunity at this moment in time to implement political, economic and social reforms to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people.” The Obama administration appears to be rethinking its position in the region, worried that if popular revolts like that of Tunisia spread and succeed, the US will suffer from its support of the dictators unless it now at least urges them to democratize. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map [Updated] | Danger Room | Wired.com

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map [Updated] | Danger Room | Wired.com : "An American-led military unit pulverized an Afghan village in Kandahar’s Arghandab River Valley in October, after it became overrun with Taliban insurgents. It’s hard to understand how turning an entire village into dust fits into America’s counterinsurgency strategy — which supposedly prizes the local people’s loyalty above all else. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: Gaza family remembers grandfather killed by Israeli bullet

ei: Gaza family remembers grandfather killed by Israeli bullet : "Shaban Qarmout, a 65-year-old farmer from the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, got up early on Monday, 10 January and headed out to his farmland as he usually did, accompanied by his 22-year-old son Khaled. Their land is located about 500 meters from the boundary fence with Israel, near the Agriculture School in the town of Beit Hanoun. At about midday, as the two were working, a bullet fired from an Israeli watchtower ripped through the elder Qarmout's chest, wounding him fatally. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

 The al-Madhoun Assassination  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

 The al-Madhoun Assassination  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "The al-Madhoun Assassination Documents include handwritten notes of 2005 exchange between PA and Israel on plan to kill Palestinian fighter in Gaza By David Poort January 25, 2011 'Al- Jazeera' - - The Palestinian Authority (PA) has shown operational willingness to co-operate with Israel to kill its own people, the Palestine Papers indicate. Among the documents are notes, handwfritten in Arabic, revealing an exchange in 2005 between the PA and Israel on a plan to kill a Palestinian fighter named Hassan al-Madhoun, who lived in the Gaza strip. Al-Madhoun (born 1973) was a leading figure within the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, a movement aligned to Fatah, which at that stage still held power in Gaza. Al-Madhoun had been accused by Israel of planning deadly bombings at Israel’s Ashdod port and the Qarni crossing between Gaza and Israel. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: Documents reveal PA-Israel collaboration to target resistance

ei: Documents reveal PA-Israel collaboration to target resistance : "Details on the growing security cooperation between the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, the United States and the United Kingdom were revealed yesterday, the third day of Al Jazeera network's release of more than 1,600 internal documents and secret correspondence from the last decade of negotiations between the Israeli government, the Palestinian Authority and the United States. Al Jazeera also confirmed that the Palestinian Authority was behind -- or assisted Israel in -- extra-judicial executions of high-level political opposition leaders and resistance fighters in the occupied Gaza Strip. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Olbermann Departs, as Media Consolidate Further | Informed Comment

Olbermann Departs, as Media Consolidate Further | Informed Comment : "Olbermann Departs, as Media Consolidate Further Posted on 01/22/2011 by Juan People are blaming the abrupt departure of Keith Olbermann from MSNBC on that company’s merger with Comcast and Olbermann’s loss of the protection and patronage of Jeff Zucker, the former head of NBC programming. MSNBC says that the issue has nothing to do with Comcast. It seems Olbermann is too extreme for US television. But Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, now they are mainstream. What universe could that proposition be true in? That of cranky old white billionaires. And television news is owned by them. Not by you. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

US should recognise Palestine - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

US should recognise Palestine - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "If the Palestinians go ahead with their plans to declare a state later this year, the US should recognise it. There really is no good reason not to. After all, ever since the days of Lyndon B. Johnson, presidents from both parties have expressed support for the return of the occupied territories in exchange for peace. No nation, other than Israel itself, recognises any of that land - including Arab East Jerusalem - as part of Israel. And the UN, which issued Israel its birth certificate in 1947, appears ready to do the same for the State of Palestine this summer. It was once widely assumed that creation of the Palestinian state would be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians. No more. The final nail in the direct-negotiations coffin was driven by prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu when he coldly rejected president Obama's offer of an extra $3.5 billion in US aid in exchange for a 90-day settlement freeze. - S...

Tunisia: A democratic roadmap - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Tunisia: A democratic roadmap - Opinion - Al Jazeera English : "In the wake of an Arab world-shattering political development, the government of Tunisia has been effectively overthrown via an amalgamation of civil unrest, grassroots mobilization and what one could call a coup d'esprit. Tunisia's new political masters must proceed by distancing themselves from self-congratulatory triumphalism. They will have to muster courage, display political imagination and modesty, and exercise tolerance of difference in order to fashion a durable democratic order in a post-Ben Ali Tunisia. The question is always, of course, 'how'? Historically, whether it is the new republican order after the absolute monarchy in France more than 200 years ago, post-Franco Spain or post-Marcos Philippines, trepidation is inevitable. Skills of compromise, clear vision and purpose are needed to tread the unchartered waters of post-authoritarian construction. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

GOP to Uninsured: Don’t Get Sick, if you Get Sick, Die Quickly: Part Deux | Informed Comment

GOP to Uninsured: Don’t Get Sick, if you Get Sick, Die Quickly: Part Deux | Informed Comment : "“The Republicans’ health care plan for America: “Don’t get sick.” That’s right — don’t get sick. If you have insurance, don’t get sick; if you don’t have insurance, don’t get sick; if you’re sick, don’t get sick — just don’t get sick! That’s what the Republicans have in mind for you, America. That’s the Republicans’ health care plan. But I think that the Republicans understand that that plan isn’t always going to work — it’s not a foolproof plan. So the Republicans have a backup plan, in case you do get sick. If you get sick in America, this is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: “Die quickly.” That’s right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.” - Sent using Google Toolbar"

ei: Israel's Labor party not to be mourned

ei: Israel's Labor party not to be mourned : "Ehud Barak, Israel's defense minister, appears to have driven the final nail in the coffin of the Zionist left with his decision to split from the Labor party and create a new 'centrist, Zionist' faction in the Israeli parliament. So far four Members of Parliament, out of a total of 12, have announced they are following him. Moments after Barak's press conference on Monday, the Israeli media suggested that the true architect of the Labor party's split was the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who, according to one of his aides, had planned it like 'an elite general staff [military] operation.' - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Top Ten Horrible Things done to Us by Outgoing Sen. Joe Lieberman | Informed Comment

Top Ten Horrible Things done to Us by Outgoing Sen. Joe Lieberman | Informed Comment : "Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) announced Tuesday that he would not seek reelection in 2012, and progressive Americans breathed a sigh of collective relief. It is worth reviewing the most horrible things Lieberman has done to us since he has been in office. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

New Ala. gov: Just Christians are his family - Yahoo! News

New Ala. gov: Just Christians are his family - Yahoo! News : "BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley told a church crowd just moments into his new administration that those who have not accepted Jesus as their savior are not his brothers and sisters, shocking some critics who questioned Tuesday whether he can be fair to non-Christians. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Al-Turabi arrested in Khartoum - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Al-Turabi arrested in Khartoum - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "Security forces in Sudan have arrested opposition leader Hassan al-Turabi from his home in Khartoum, al-Turabi's Popular Congress Party spokesman told Al Jazeera. Monday's arrest comes a day after al-Turabi's party called for a 'popular revolution' if the Sudanese government did not reverse price increases. 'He has been arrested ... with five other members of the group, and we don't know the reasons, because when they come to arrest him they don't give any reason,' Bashir Adam Rahma, told Al Jazeera. 'Whenever this regime has a crisis ... they will capture Dr Turabi at first. I think they are afraid of him that he might instigate some kind of uprising because ... in Sudan there are no freedoms,' Rahma said. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Tunisians sceptical of new govt - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Tunisians sceptical of new govt - Africa - Al Jazeera English : "The announcement of a new 'unity government' by Mohamed Ghannouchi, the Tunisian prime minister, has been met with anger by some protesters, who say too many members of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's party remain in power. The PM announced that the former defence, foreign, interior and finance ministers will keep their key posts in the new government formed after the public uprising led to the flight of President Ben Ali. Up to 1,000 protesters gathered mainly near Tunis' Habib Bourguiba Avenue to demonstrate against the announcement. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

WikiLeaks: US Cables Claim:  :  Iran in secret pursuit of nuclear bomb  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

WikiLeaks: US Cables Claim:  :  Iran in secret pursuit of nuclear bomb  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "WikiLeaks: US Cables Claim: Iran developing nuclear bomb with help of more than 30 countries The Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten quotes U.S. diplomatic cables as saying that Iran is racing to achieve nuclear bomb before its economy collapses due to sanctions. By Reuters January 17, 2011 'Haaretz' -- Iran has been developing contacts in more than 30 countries to acquire technology, equipment and raw materials needed to build a nuclear bomb, a Norwegian newspaper said on Sunday, citing U.S. diplomatic cables. Aftenposten said that according to the cables, obtained by WikiLeaks, more than 350 Iranian companies and organizations were involved in the pursuit of nuclear and missile technology between 2006 and 2010. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

 Ben Ali  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

 Ben Ali  :      Information Clearing House: ICH : "January 16, 2010 'Information Clearing House' -- He might still be living in the lap of luxury, but make no mistake Tunisia's former President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and his family are prisoners. Like birds in a guilded cage, they are languishing in a palace in one of the most exclusive districts of Jeddah but the truth is Ben Ali and his equally odious and corrupt family have nowhere else to hide. It should signal a warning to all the other despots and dictators in the region – Egypt in particular – that no matter how close you think you are to the West, in times of trouble they will drop you faster than a burning coal. As one of the cruelest oppressors on the planet scrambled to board a plane to escape what some may consider a well deserved lynching, the truth is he had no idea where he was going. So fast was his demise. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion

Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History and Religion : "The US embassy in Tunis noted the contradictions of what was once called ‘the Tunisian miracle’– relative stability and security and 5% growth a year, but with Mafia style corruption on the part of ruling cliques that was discouraging foreign investment and contributing to failing banks and high unemployment. Most debilitating, and destabilizing, has been high levels of unemployment, especially for college graduates: ‘ Unemployment, however, is a growing concern and is one on which every GOT official is focused. Official unemployment figures leveled off at 14 percent in 2005, after a steady declines dating from 1999s 15.8 percent. Even at 14 percent, however, this figure is consistently challenged as too optimistic by first hand accounts of university graduates unable to find jobs and reports of increasing numbers of ever-more qualified applicants seeking Embassy jobs.’ - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Opponents to Fracking Disclosure Take Big Money From Industry - ProPublica

Opponents to Fracking Disclosure Take Big Money From Industry - ProPublica : "'The public has a right to know what toxins might be going into the ground near their communities, and what might be leaking into their drinking water,' said the letter [4], which was sent by the three initial sponsors of now-stalled legislation to regulate fracturing, Hinchey, Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Kurdish club scene booming as Baghdad bans alcohol - Yahoo! News

Kurdish club scene booming as Baghdad bans alcohol - Yahoo! News : "SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq – Dozens of men gathered in the smoky little club to watch five scantily clad dancers sway their hips to the beat of a drum and the grooves of an electric piano. Once a common sight in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, the scene can now only be found in the more liberal Kurdish north. Dozens of dance halls and clubs have opened across the Kurdish region during the past months, capitalizing on a crackdown against alcohol in Baghdad, where officials in November began closing clubs serving booze and banned alcohol sales at stores. That prompted the capital's nightlife — its musicians, dancers and impresarios, and the patrons who flock to them — to migrate north. 'Baghdad has become a dead city where there is no more amusement, no drinks and no music. They have dressed the capital in religious clothes,' said Hameed Saleh, a Baghdad Academy of Music graduate who plays the drums and oud, the Ar...

Why the demise of the Middle East ‘peace process’ may be a good thing - CSMonitor.com

Why the demise of the Middle East ‘peace process’ may be a good thing - CSMonitor.com : "In the Middle East today, another strict polarization which had branded everyone either pro-“peace” or against “peace” is melting fast. Israel’s growing belligerence on settlements and other issues has widened the gulf with the rest of the states in the region. It is matched by the growing power of Iran and the presence of Hezbollah in Lebanon, tilting the balance in the region towards a broad tent of “resistance politics.” Further, Turkey has taken on a new leadership role that stands up to Israel when necessary. And every passing day sees the Arab autocracies allied with the West growing more deeply moribund. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

WikiLeaks losing half a million euros a week: Assange

When asked about the pressure put on him over the website’s move, Assange told Swiss newspapers Tribune de Geneve and 24 Heures: “From a personal point of view, no. I would say that the pressure reinforces my determination. “But from a financial point of view, it’s another matter. “We have been losing more than 600,000 francs (481,068 euros, 620,053 dollars) a week since the start of the publication of the diplomatic cables. To continue our business, we would need to find a way or other to get this money back,” he added.

Pakistan will implode if the US does not leave Afghanistan | Comment is free | The Observer

Pakistan will implode if the US does not leave Afghanistan | Comment is free | The Observer : "The assassination of Salmaan Taseer has shown only too clearly the growing extremism in Pakistan, the radicalisation of its society and the polarisation that is taking hold. This is not just between the religious and the secular, but also the polarisation that the 'war on terror' has caused between the various religious sects. There were no Pakistanis involved in 9/11 and al-Qaida was then based in Afghanistan. The only militancy we were suffering was among the tribal groups who had fought against the Soviets and whose idea of jihad was a war against foreign occupation. Yes, there was sectarian violence, but suicide bombers were unheard of. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Deadly clashes in Abyei on first day of South Sudan referendum - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan

Deadly clashes in Abyei on first day of South Sudan referendum - Sudan Tribune: Plural news and views on Sudan : "By Ngor Arol Garang January 9, 2011 (JUBA) - A series of clashes over the last three days involving local police force and armed elements allegedly associated with members of nomadic tribe of Misseriya , in the oil-producing region of Abyei has left an unknown number dead. JPEG - 19 kb A family from southern Sudan, who has been staying in the north for 21 years, waits in Khartoum January 9, 2011 to be transported in a convoy back to the Abyei oil region (Reuters) Yesterday Khartoum-based Arabic newspaper Al-Sahafah reported the more than 49 people were killed and dozens wounded in the clashes in the disputed area, although this has not been confirmed by the UN. Reports over the cause of the violence are not clear with different reasons put forward from both sides. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

   What Would Einstein Say?:      Information Clearing House: ICH

What Would Einstein Say?: Information Clearing House: ICH : "“With yesterday’s attempt there are now three Iranian scientists who have been killed since 2007. Dr. Masoud Alí Mohamadi lost his life in Teheran last January after the explosion of a bomb as he was leaving his home, a death that has not yet been cleared up by the authorities who also accused the western intelligence agencies of trying to abort what they considered to be a right, the nuclear race for civilian purposes. The first victim in the heart of the scientific community was Ardeshir Hosseinpour, killed under strange circumstances in 2007 at the nuclear centre of Isfahan.” I don’t remember any other moment in history when the assassination of scientists has been transformed into official policy on the part of a group of powers armed with nuclear weapons. The worst is that, in the case of Iran, it is being applied on an Islamic nation, with which, even if they are able to compete and surpass it in technolo...

Fox News allows guest to promote ‘holy war’ on Muslims | Raw Story

Fox News allows guest to promote ‘holy war’ on Muslims | Raw Story : "The year has just begun, and already Fox News' Sean Hannity is telling the story of how Christians are being persecuted in the Arab world. Hannity observed that a holy war may be 'brewing' in the Middle East, as he reported on the New Year's Eve bombing of a Christian church in Egypt. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Azerbaijan: Hijab Ban in Schools Fuels Debate in Baku on Role of Islam | EurasiaNet.org

Azerbaijan: Hijab Ban in Schools Fuels Debate in Baku on Role of Islam | EurasiaNet.org : "Azerbaijan’s unofficial ban on Islamic head coverings for girls in public schools is stoking an increasingly emotional debate over how Azeri culture reconciles re-emerging Shi’ite Muslim beliefs with Soviet-era secularist practices. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Israeli pilot describes 'good strike' that killed 15 Gazans in 2002 - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

Israeli pilot describes 'good strike' that killed 15 Gazans in 2002 - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News : "The airmen who bombed the home of a Hamas military leader in 2002 did not know or did not want to know the identity of their target before the strike, according to T., one of the crewmen directly involved, who spoke recently with students at a secular yeshiva in Tel Aviv. The July 22 bombing of the home of Salah Shehadeh, who had headed Hamas’ military wing, in the densely populated Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, killed a total of 15 people, including Shehadeh and his assistant. The other victims included eight children ‏(ranging in age from less than a year to 14 years old‏) and three women. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Wainwright: Taseer’s Assassination Lays Bare Contradictions in Pakistani Islam

Wainwright: Taseer’s Assassination Lays Bare Contradictions in Pakistani Islam Taseer became a campaigner for Bibi and for reform of the blasphemy law, attracting approbation. Despite threats, he continued to be vocal on the issues he cared about, pointing to the way the blasphemy law is abused as a political tool against minorities and the vulnerable. In a recent interview he said , “This is a man-made law, not a God-made one.” Looking in to the historical origins of the blasphemy law is beyond the scope of this article, here we merely seek to identify the parameters of the debate.

The Tyranny of Defense Inc. - Magazine - The Atlantic

The Tyranny of Defense Inc. - Magazine - The Atlantic : "“Every gun that is made,” Eisenhower told his listeners, “every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” Any nation that pours its treasure into the purchase of armaments is spending more than mere money. “It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.” To emphasize the point, Eisenhower offered specifics: The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities … We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Israel/ Palestine | Informed Comment

Israel/ Palestine | Informed Comment : "The new, major war will be a total war on civilians, Ashkenazi boasted: “In the next war Israel cannot accept any restrictions on warfare in urban areas.” (I den neste krigen kan Israel ikke godta noen restriksjoner pÃ¥ krigføring i byomrÃ¥der in Norwegian, or let us just translate it into the original German: “Im nächsten Krieg kann Israel keine Beschränkungen der Kriegsführung in städtischen Gebieten akzeptieren.”.) Mind you, the civilian deaths deriving from this massive and unrestricted bombing campaign on targets in the midst of civilian urban populations will be “unintentional.” Planning to bomb civilian areas with foreknowledge that you will thereby kill large numbers of civilians is a war crime. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Sudan's president says he will accept referendum result - CNN.com

Sudan's president says he will accept referendum result - CNN.com : "(CNN) -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir says he will accept the results of a referendum this month that could see the country split in two. Al-Bashir said 'peace is our ultimate goal' with southern Sudan, which could become an independent state after the January 9 vote. He called on the government in the south to provide a safe environment for the referendum. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Whatever happened to the "ground zero mosque"? - War Room - Salon.com

Whatever happened to the "ground zero mosque"? - War Room - Salon.com : "News of the proposed Islamic community center first broke in a front-page New York Times piece in December 2009, but it garnered very little attention. The attention it did receive -- including from the likes of Fox News -- was positive. Then in May, when the project was facing some local bureaucratic hurdles, anti-Muslim blogger Pamela Geller stepped up her coverage of what she called the 'Monster Mosque' of 'Death and Destruction.' The New York Post adopted Geller's perspective on the project: that it was something to fear and defeat. (See Salon's detailed timeline on the origins of the story here.) - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Why Israelis emigrate

Why Israelis emigrate : "For some time now, a number of pundits have been advancing the following argument: Faced with the seemingly intractable Israeli-Palestinian conflict and stuck with consecutive governments unwilling to reach an equitable agreement with the Palestinian leadership, highly educated and moderate-minded Israelis have been leaving Israel in droves. This trend has been boosted in recent years, it is claimed, by the added factor of Iran’s menacing push to achieve nuclear capability. Those remaining in Israel are increasingly ethno-nationalists such as religious Zionists, Russians, traditional-minded Sephardim and Ethiopians. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

 America Has Gone Away  :      Information Clearing House: ICH

America Has Gone Away : Information Clearing House: ICH : "December 29, 2010 'Information Clearing House' -- Anyone who doesn’t believe that the US is an incipient fascist state needs only to consult the latest assault on civil liberty by Fox News (sic). Instead of informing citizens, Fox News (sic) informs on citizens. Jason Ditz reports (antiwar.com Dec. 28) that Fox News (sic) “no longer content to simply shill for a growing police state,” turned in a grandmother to the Department of Homeland Security for making “anti-American comments.” - Sent using Google Toolbar"

Bradley Manning: One Soldier Who Really Did ‘Defend Our Freedom’ by Kevin Carson -- Antiwar.com

Bradley Manning: One Soldier Who Really Did ‘Defend Our Freedom’ by Kevin Carson -- Antiwar.com : "When I hear someone say that soldiers 'defend our freedom,' my immediate response is to gag. I think the last time American soldiers actually fought for the freedom of Americans was probably the Revolutionary War — or maybe the War of 1812, if you want to be generous. Every war since then has been for nothing but to uphold a system of power, and to make the rich folks even richer. - Sent using Google Toolbar"

The great diversion: Muslims VS. Christians

There was a bomb blast in Egypt that kill 21 Christians in a church, angry church goers reacted by attacking a Masjid. The blast is shrouded in mystery; no body knows who did it and there was no claim of responsibility. I haven’t posted in my blog anything of my own assessment of religious strife in the Islamic world but I have something to say here. Truly I have no knowledge of tension between Christians and Muslims in Egypt; that said, from outside looking at it, Christians as a minority claimed to face discrimination by majority Muslims. As far as the history of open conflict to the level of bombing a church has not been seen until recently. A shooting here and there including the January 2009, when seven Christians were killed in a drive-by shooting on a church in southern Egypt during celebrations for the Orthodox Coptic Christmas. Occurred in the past. The fundamental question to me is why wouldn’t Muslim and Christians condemn acts of violence committed by both religious...

Bomb hits Egypt church at New Year’s Mass, 21 dead | Antiwar Newswire

Bomb hits Egypt church at New Year’s Mass, 21 dead | Antiwar Newswire : "A powerful bomb exploded in front of a crowded Coptic Christian church a half hour into the New Year early Saturday, hitting worshippers emerging from a holiday Mass in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and killing at least 21 people in an attack that raised suspicions of an al-Qaida role. - Sent using Google Toolbar"