Rescuers in Iran: We do appreciate your humanity

I am incapable of truly expressing how I feel and how grateful I am to those great people from four corners of the world that right now, instead of being near their families and instead of preparing for their biggest celebration of the year, are spending time working in the dusty and ugly place of death and destruction resulted from the earthquake in Bam. They are just showing that all people of the world are capable of understanding each other if the leaders aren't. And they are just showing that the citizens of the world, are capable of valuing each single life, without any consideration of its origin.

I would like to solute these heroes of humanity for the great show of solidarity with the people of Iran in our time of difficulty.

One day, when we have a true control over our land, when we feel that Iran is ours, when we rebuild every ugly indications of death and destruction, we will invite you back to our country and we will greet you with flowers and warm hand shakes and we will show you that we will never forget your generosity and your humanity. I am sure I am not the only Iranian who feels this way towards you and many Iranians greatly value your courage and humanity.

I know that your new year is not going to start with happy notes, as there is nothing happy about the place in which all you see are dead bodies or severly injured, but I truly wish you the happiest of all when you go back to your family and friends.

It is very easy for people of all races and nationalities to live in peace, it is the fault of the greedy leaders that divisions are created between the people.

$1 Donation = $12.71 of food/supplies

Did you know that for every cash donation of one dollar, you are securing 12,71 dollars of food and other supplies?

Link here and go to the bottom of the linked page.

Thanks to Kevin at Take Down the Wall for the reminder.

Massive Humanitarian Needs in Earthquake Zone

A Mercy Corps team responding to the catastrophic earthquake in Bam, Iran reports that there are massive humanitarian needs throughout the city. The team, which arrived at the quake site early Saturday morning, reports that there is a tremendous need for tents and shelter as tens of thousands have been made homeless and are exposed to the winter elements. Access to drinking water also remains a major concern. Report .

Also The Boston Globe reports from Reuters that Some hungry children may have died in the freezing nights tormenting tens of thousands forced to sleep in the open at Bam, putting a premium on blankets and clothing as well as medicines. Read here .

Mercy Corps Phone: 1.888.256.1900
Donate online .

Urgent: Iran quake toll may hit 50,000; calls for more aid

This was emailed to me by Pedram.

Dear friend;

As the extent of the tragedy in Iran gets worst by the hour, there's an urgent need for further help or those who survived the original ordeal but are injured or need basic needs to survive may also join the ever escalating death toll. Read this.

Mercy Corps has just announced they have passed the $185,000 mark for donations to aid their relief effort in Iran. I have made a personal pledge to do my best and try to raise that amount to quarter of a million dollars by tonight and I am begging for your help.

Please visit Mercy Corps or call 1.800.292.3355 or mail a small (no amount is literally too small) or large donation to: Mercy Corps, Iran Earthquake, Dept. W., PO Box 2669, Portland, OR 97208-266. We only need a mere $65,000 and all your $20, $50, $100 or $1,000donations will make this a very easy goal to achieve.

Also, it is easy to forward this message or better yet, write your own personal plea with the same information and send it to everyone in your email contact list and ask them for help it would be an effective yet easy way of helping those in need. There are banners on my personal weblog at www.eyeranian.net if you have a web site and wish to add them to your site.

I thank you in advance and look forward to writing you back with the news that we made it.

Warning: It can happen again, soon

Toronto Star reports :
"Rescue attempts have been complicated by aftershocks, which experts said could be as strong as the first quake and occur any time over the next few weeks. There have been 22 since Friday...." Read it here .

This can be very serious. Are they prepared for this? What the authorities have done to prevent recurrence of this disaster. Or are they going to let more people die? What if it is not going to happen right in Bam? What if it shakes as hard the city of Kerman; north west of Bam or Zahedan; south east of Bam? What are we supposed to do?

An appeal to non-Iranian blogger friends

To those non-Iranian friends who have not mentioned this tragedy in their blogs and have not asked their readers to help:

This is our time of difficulty. This is the time that we need your help. Please talk about our pain in your blogs.

Double tragedy: Many Afghani refugees also perished in the quake

It is extremely sad to see those who escaped their homeland to have a refugee life in Iran are also suffered from this unbearable tragedy.

Some 600 Afghans may have been killed in last week's earthquake in Iran. Read here .

30,000 Dead, Disease Looms - Help the Victims - Update

Please help the victims here and here .

Update:
Iran quake toll may hit 50,000;calls for more aid

I wish I could shake his hand

World needs more people like Derek Jolly. And I am sure there are so many "Derek Jolly"s around the world.

Encouraging news: Search for survivors will go on

Al-Jazeera now (8:00 pm GMT) reports that Iranian authorities have contradicted a statement by the United Nations that efforts to find survivors from the devastating earthquake in Bam would come to a close on Sunday.

Nobel prize winner;Shirin Ebadi, has opened an account for the victims - Update

Nobel Prize winner, Shirin Ebadi (who recently donated her $1.4 million Award to promote democracy and Human rights in Iran) has opened an account to raise money for the earthquake victims. I would strongly recommend this as a trusted alternative (perhaps via relatives in Iran)

Here is the address:
Shirin Ebadi
Account No. 8080, Saderat Bank,
Tehran,
Yousef-abad Ave, Kalantary square Branch

Here is the link in Persian .

Update:
I listened to Ms. Ebadi's interview, and learned that monetary assistance can be deposited to any Saderat Bank Branch outside Iran into the same account number. Any currency deposited will be exchanged with Iranian currency and the equivalent amount will be deposited into the account.

Please give generously

They are gone!

But she is still alive and needs your help!

Rescue operations to end on Sunday, but why so soon? - Update

I hope this is not true but if it is, it is damn stupid. They rescue 200 people alive from under the rubbles, but they (UN and local authorities) decide to put an end to rescue operations Sunday.

Rescue operations should only stop when there hasn't been anybody rescued for a while as an indication that nobody is alive anymore. But how could they make such stupid decision and announce it right after rescuing 200 survivors! Read here .

There might be many people still alive under the rubble. This decision is wrong at this time. They should give it more time. If they don't find any survivors for some time, then they should stop the operations.

I know, I am not there and it might seem to be unwise to make such comment, but if they hadn't rescued 200 people alive just moments before the announcement, this could have been a right decision.

There have been many cases where people were rescued after up to one week. Please voice your concern before it is too late. If this saves one more person, it is worthwhile. Call your family and friends in Iran and ask them to pressure the authorities to continue the rescue operations for now.

Update:
The latest report by IRNA 0n Dec. 28, suggests that over 1000 people have been rescued (more reason why rescue operation must continue)

We have incredible people in Iran

I just spoke to my sister in Tehran. From what I hear from her I see nothing but reasons to be proud of my people. She says in Tehran, people have completely interrupted their normal lives and are doing all they can to help the victims. In all neighborhoods, people (independent from the government) have set up tents and are collecting monetary and non-monetary assistance. My Nieces and nephews have donated all their last few months savings to the victims. My sister and my brother-in-law have donated one month of their salary to the victims.

A close and very trusted friend (who has lost some relatives in Bam) is going to go to Bam with the help she is collecting from friends and neighbors. She is being asked for her bank account number and money is being poured into her account.

According to my sister, from 12 tourists who were in Bam at the time, 10 are unharmed, one is injured and one is dead. The surviving tourists joined the rescue efforts from first minutes after the quake. They have described Iranians as incredible as they have said even those who sustained serious injuries were trying to make sure their guests (the tourists) were fine.

All I hear from my sister whose reporting I trust, suggests that this tragedy has shown how good the people are. No one is living a normal life in Tehran these days.

Our people are doing all they can despite their limitations, let us do our part. Please give generously. Some recommended ways for donations here and here .

I have been trying to avoid politics during this critical time, but I have to say: "Damn that government who does not deserve such a kind people".

Fox News: the dedicated voice of inhumanity

In her blog; Location: Texas, Negra K says:

"I never watch Fox News. Today, however, I was flipping channels when I saw images from the earth quake so I paused for a few minutes. First they said something about earthquake(very short) and immediately started talking about American hostages in Iran and Iranian "terrorists" all over the world. They were implying that Iranians are a bunch of terrorists whose lives are worth nothing. The life of one victim of mud slide in CA is worth more than the lives of 20000 Iranians, since they turn out to be terrorists anyways. And a terrorist must die. Right?! Damn you all in Fox News."

Iranian terrorists (defined by Fox)

Non-Iranian/tourists notes about the quake

These note were left on BBC online by non-Iranians who visited Bam in last few years

I visited Bam 2 years ago. The hospitality of the people cannot be matched anywhere in the world. The loss of so much life in such a remarkable place is a sad day for the world.
Steve Mcgrath, Canada

I was in Bam only four weeks ago, and the people there were fantastic. My heart is with them. If anyone has more information about Akbar's guesthouse and Abar and his family, please let me know...many people travelling in Iran love this man and place.
David Wuyts, Antwerp, Belgium

I was in Bam in June this year (2003). The earthquake is a piece of shocking news to me as well as all of the people who has visited there before. As a backpacker I think all of us are concerning whether our friend Mister Akbar and his family is alright or not. He runs a pretty good guesthouse in Bam that almost all of the travellers stay there. His hospitality and his philosophical attitude towards life made the Akbar's Guesthouse a little paradise in that oasis. If anybody has any news about Akbar and his family, please let us know! I keep my fingers cross to them, and the victims of the disaster.
Chung Wah CHOW, HONG KONG, CHINA

I visited Bam as a tourist last Friday. The 2000 year-old city of 11,000 people was totally intact and you could imagine the people living their lives there. This is a great tragedy for the world.
Fred Fishkin, New York, USA

I think the whole world is shocked at the scale of this earthquake, and all our sincere sympathies are with the people of Iran. May I urge everyone to contribute some practical support in the form of immediate donations. Organisations like International Red Cross have setup urgent appeal funds. Please donate even something, it will all help.
Rob Jones, UK

I visited Bam in the year 2001. Totally captivated by its rich cultural heritage and the hospitality of the people. So sad to hear that a great deal perished. Iran is a treasure-trove full of jewels of civilisation and its people intelligent and friendly. My deepest condolences to all who have suffered from the tragedy.
Wong Bik Chee, Hong Kong, China

Appeals for help from Iran

These are some notes (from Iranians) left at BBC online:

Please help us! Many people of my country have died and more are injured. It's a big disaster, a really big disaster. The weather is too much cold and they don't have anything, any warm cloth, any food, and even any water. Please help us! Bam city is collapsed completely! This is a really terrible situation.
Zahra, Tehran - Iran

I'm an Iranian girl. Please help us. The weather is so cold and they don't have any warm cloths, food, water. They have nothing. Many of them died because the cold weather last night. God Bless them.
Narges, Tehran - Iran

I'm an Iranian boy. I'm very sad of Bam's quake. I ask you (people) help us help us ...
Jamal, Iran-Shiraz

I was under the rubbles of Roudbar with one of my friends for three hours - he gave me hope to stay alive and died just before we were rescued, I just want to say there are people alive and waiting/hoping for rescue please help them.
Neville Mistry, Tehran, Iran

It is clod in Bam

According to the latest news from Bam last night temprature was as cold as -9 degrees celcious (16 F) while there is still possibility of surviving victims under the rubble (This is the normal low temprature of Bam at this time of the year).

It is also said, that there is no shortage of volunteers but serious shortage of medicine and equipment.

Any help for the victims must be welcomed

By now, my position about Israel and its policies is quite clear. But I can't believe seeing bunch of idiots who happen to run the government in Iran, have said that they would not accept help from Israel.

"(Israeli) Foreign ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled regretted the Iranian government's refusal to accept aid.
"The Israeli people want to send aid to the Iranian people, but if the government of Iran does not want to accept the offer, that is their right but it is a shame," Peled told AFP."

This is while they stopped their stupidity and at least have accepted help from the US .

They should ask the victims who are shivering in freezing nights, they must ask those who are under the rubble and screaming for help whether we should accept help from Israel.

Israel, US or any country's assistance in terms of medicine, first aid, food, blankets etc. must be welcomed and accepted by the Iranian government who does not represent Iranians in general and those people in serious need of help in particular.

I would even accept this help knowing if this is only part of Israeli propaganda, but now that the goverenment officials in Tehran have shown how selfish and arrogant they are by deciding not to accept Israel's assisstance, Israel can send its assisstance via different channels like the UN or another country's package. They can find a way if they truly want to help.

55 times in one year

Iran has been hit by earthquake 55 times in 2003 only.
Also, more seismological information about Iran can be read here .

Timing is the main factor - Update

Following the previous post regarding the earthquake in Iran, I believe the affected people need blanket, need food, need the emergency aid right now. There have been many back and forth emails exchanged between some bloggers in which the main question was whether we should use Red Cross (or its Iranian leg; Red Crescent) as a channel for donations. Many disagreed and some believe it might be our only choice.

Since the timing is very critical in this matter, I believe we should start doing something even if it is not the most efficient way. I can think of some alternatives some more efficient than the others:

1- Find and contact someone (some group) in Iran that you can trust and if they are prepared, collect money and send it to them so they can use it as needed. I have asked one of the most trusted people that I know; my sister (and her husband) and she is ready to take my donations and find the best way to use it for the people in need.

2- Find some people you know and you trust, and get the donations through them.

3- Accept some reduced efficiency and donate to Red Cross (Red Crescent). If the affected people receive even half of the donations today, it is better than complete donations when there is no urgency.

4- If in the US, send your donations via Mercy Corps. See here for more.

5- If you live in the US, please don't let the ridiculous sanctions deter you from donating.

Please send me your email if you wish:
faramin@inwarwetrust.org

I am sure if you want, you can find a way to help.
For some pictures see here .
The latest news (sorry, link in Persian)

Update:
Pedram at Eyeranian has spoken to the officials at Mercy Corps that apparently has effective presence in Iran.
This is what Pedram says in his latest:
"I have it confirmed. Just spoke to the program director at Mercy Corps and she read me the confirmations straight from their VP that their own team of five has already landed in the Iranian city of Zahedan and they will be overlooking the job of spending all the donations, everything from distributing blankets, medicine and more all the way to allocating rebuilding money directly and no money will be transfered to any agent or employees of the Iranian government. I am sending my own donation through them and hope you do too."

Update:
Also, According to Natasha Relief International is a reliable channel with staff currently working in Iran. They can be contacted at (310)478-1200 or 1800-573-3332.

Don't know to be sad or angry! will decide later, but for now, can't just sit and do nothing

Quake devastates Iranian city killing thousands of people.

Even for one second don't think Rafsanjani and the rest of regime criminals care. It is our job to organize and to help. Imagine you are under piles of debries or taken out from under the debries, what would you expect others to do to help you? Please do for them whatever you can that you would expect others to do for you.

At Iranian Truth blog, Nema and Natasha have more info about the situation. Please check it out.

Also, check out Pedram's Eyeranian for updates.

Many blogers are trying to find out the best ways to help the victims and to share those ways with you. Please let us (any of us) know if you have any suggestion as what is the best way to assist the earthquake hit people with a lesser bureaucracy and government involvement.

Nema is suggesting this organization for donations.

For more updates: Second News

Shady history will keep U.S. from granting Saddam fair trial

"...But in a fair trial, with normal rules of evidence and reasonably competent defense lawyers, it would be impossible to stop the defense from pointing out that every U.S. administration from 1980 to 1992 (all Republican administrations, as it happens) was directly or indirectly complicitous in his crimes..."

"...The U.S. knew that Saddam was already illegally using chemical weapons against Iranian troops on an almost daily basis but, in December 1983, the Reagan administration sent Donald Rumsfeld (now U.S. Defense Secretary) to Baghdad to tell Saddam that it was willing to help and wanted to restore full diplomatic relations.
In the following years, the U.S. government allowed vital ingredients for chemical weapons to be exported to Iraq, together with dozens of biological agents, including anthrax. It also supplied Iraq with intelligence information on Iranian troop movements and positions, and from 1986 even sent U.S. Air Force officers to Iraq to help interpret U.S.-supplied satellite and aerial photos to plan attacks against Iran -- in which it was clearly understood by Washington that huge quantities of poison gas would be used..."

"..When Saddam used poison gas against his own Kurdish population in 1988, killing 6,800 innocent people, U.S. diplomats were instructed to blame the incident on Iran... "

read it complete here .

"Globe and Mail" online readers think:

U.S. terrorism threat alerts are:
- A valuable way to keep the public watchful: 17%
- A cynical ploy to bolster Bush administration policies: 39%
- A useful reminder that the U.S. and its citizens are fighting a war against terror: 13%
- A pointless propaganda exercise 31%
See it here .

Rumsfeld backed Saddam even after chemical attacks

"...the defense Secretary travelled to Baghdad 20 years ago to assure Iraq that America's condemnation of its use of chemical weapons was made "strictly" in principle.

The criticism in no way changed Washington's wish to support Iraq in its war against Iran and "to improve bi-lateral relations ... at a pace of Iraq's choosing".

How could you have such a weasel as head of your Defense America? Read the rest here .

Where was Bush?

All the same, pick your choice

Pick your choice, they are all stories of money, greed and crime against the humanity

Made in the USA, Part I,
Made in the USA, Part II,
Made in the USA, Part III

Via Afsaneh's Writersblot.com.

15 Palestinians killed; no report. 3 Israelis killed; makes the headline

I have been wondering in last few days why CBC was not mentioning anything about the Israeli Incursion into Palestinian refugee camps and Israeli air raid on Palestinians. In last few days, more than 15 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis.

Suddenly today, I saw this in the headline (at the time of writing this post). I believe even one lost life is worthy of headline, whether Israeli or Palestinian but apparently CBC doesn't think so. Does CBC consider the life of Palestinian people less valuable than the life of Israelis? CBC gets ugly when it appears like CNN and Fox.

Families sue U.S., reject 9/11 `bribe'

"....But as many as 73 families see the process of U.S. government compensation as an attempt to protect those who should be held accountable for what they believe was mass murder..."
"... To receive the federal money, recipients must sign a waiver giving up their right to sue anyone involved in the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history..."
"...This is about mass murder," she said. "I want to know who was responsible. No one has been fired. No one has been demoted. The same people who are guarding us today on an elevated security alert are the same people who were working that day."

Read it all here .

To those honourable Americans who value others

Dear my American friend,

It is your Christmas time and I mean to extend my best wishes to you. This is an opportunity for me to tell you that I understand the bitterness some of my posts create even to many good Americans who may at least partially agree with me. I understand your position, I understand that going against the current is not easy, I understand how you feel, I understand them all.

I would like to assure you that I believe in reconciliation. I hate tension. I hate writing that such and such leaders are criminals. I hate talking about crimes against the humanity and I like to not to use any word but love and friendship.

However, these problems do exist and they are realities of today and I can't ignore them. Please forgive me for the harsh language in my posts. This is how I feel. Writing anyway else but the way I write would be dishonest. I must either select not to write or let my writing reflect the way I feel. I hope the way I feel changes by the changes in the realities. I know this might continue costing me less of warm relations with some of those whose each word carries humanity and those who care, but I know, eventually, we both will say the same thing. We will find the common language.

I have never met you, but I am almost sure that I know you. I know how kind you are. I know how important it is to you to see everyone smile. I know you are not selfish. I know you can't be placed in same category as many others. And I know that you truly care.

Let's go after those who create these divisions. Let's put aside our nationalism and think of each other as caring human beings. Let's truly wish for and work towards creation of a just world. Let's do our part together. We have same goals, same ideas and same hopes. Let's put them together. Let's be one.

Merry Christmas and happy new year

Two letters to (the editor of) Toronto Star

"...What if it were the people of North America who had to pay the price for Saddam's capture as the Iraqi people have?..."
"...They do their best to hide our suffering from the outside world, not even bothering to count our dead..."
"...You learn that all our state-owned businesses, utilities and natural resources are to be privatized and sold to foreign interests. Would you say it was all worth it to bring a tyrant to justice? Or would you think a foreign power was just capitalizing on and extending your misery to seek advantage for itself?"
Read War can't be justified.
Michael Gaspar, Barrie

Another letter (Online version not available):

Libya sets example for US and UK,
The United Satates and Britian are pleased that Libya has surprised the world with its recent announcement to scrap banned weapons.
The rest of us would be equally pleased if the US and UK were to follow the good example shown by Libya and destroy their own weapons of mass destruction,
George Dunbar, Toronto

U.S. will not change attitude toward Israel's nuclear policy: Haaretz

How can this be justified?

Some excerpts:
"..This is despite regional strategic changes brought about by Libya's decision to scrap weapons of mass destruction and Iran agreeing to stringent inspection of its nuclear plants..."
"..The U.S. official said Israel will need to find ways to justify its nuclear policies, but America's position wouldn't change"

Justify? What the hell does he mean by justifying? If other countries should not have it, neither should Israel, period. This is double standard in its most gross shape.

Google is being Prejudice against The Eyeranian

Pedram at The Eyeranian needs our support against Google's prejudice. Supporting Pedram is supporting the freedom of speech. Please visit his site and respond to his request.

Gulf Arab leaders agree to revise textbooks

Gulf Arab leaders have agreed to revise school textbooks which Washington claims fuel anti-Christian and anti-Jewish sentiments. Read it here .

Perhaps they should have made it conditional: We revise our school textbooks, and take out all anti-Christian and anti-Jewish subjects, in return, you revise your books: put something worthwhile in them for your kids to actually learn something, like a little history of the world, or something let's say, like... where Canada (the big neighbor to the north) is, never mind little countries.

This was meant to be only a joke, well, with a little seriousness!!!

Chomsky on Bush's dishonest doctrine and Wolfowitz's anti-democratic record

Here is an article from Noam Chomsky which was published in Toronto Star. In this article, Chomsky touches the dishonest policies of the current administration and particularly talks about the dirty and criminal past of Paul Wolfowitz; the biggest factor in implementing what Israel wants in the name of Americans.

Operation name: Wolverine1 & 2, a little too coincidental!

Kevin at Take Down The Wall, believes that there is strong possibility that the Americans knew were Saddam was long before capturing him. It is said that the Americans did not know where they were going to catch Saddam. But the name of the operation (Wolvorine) might suggest otherwise:
"...The wolverine is a very powerful animal. It uses its strong jaws for killing prey. It uses its strong claws for digging into the ground to locate food."

Kevin has more to say:
"They are no doubt poking and prodding him with sticks, drugs, electricity, more drugs, and who knows what else has been hiding deep inside the CIA/FBI/Pentagon laboratories. He will be a different man when he emerges for trial (if he even survives) and he will say whatever the Americans want him to. The not-so-secret stories of how "The terrible Yankees put me up to all this and fed me chemical weapons to use against Iran" and of the "American corporations who did business with me a long, long time ago like Dow Chemical, DuPont, and many others".

Also, Sassan mentions the possibility that Saddam's spiderhole photo was taken in August. For that he mentions that "The fruit on the date palm behind the soldier in the photo is yellow. Date fruit grows from March to August", see this picture .

Too little too late, but still a welcome news

"We will no longer corrupt the stamp of humanity in us through carrying out the missions of an occupation army ... today, we have reached the boundary of oppressing another people,"

"We cannot continue to stand silent," they wrote, alleging that Israeli military activities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are depriving "millions of Palestinians of human right..."

These are some parts of the letter that some Israeli army's top commandos wrote to Ariel Sharon. Read here .

It is interesting that they admit that they have been "corrupting the stamp of humanity" (as they call it) so far with act of occupation and oppressing Palestinain people.

Bush warned: Don't push Israel!

What would happen if he did? You wouldn't let him get re-elected? Now, it is really serious. Read it here .

Tackle the cause idiot, not the effect

I just came across this sad, sad page.

BETTY BEETS,
TEXECUTED by the State of Texas on February 24, 2000

"I really believe that to kill me is to tell every battered woman and child, every abused woman and child that there is not a chance, that there is no end but death, that we can’t fight back. It doesn’t have to be this way and God help us all if it happens this way", BETTY BEETS

Just look at her face. Doesn't she even look like a victim herself?

There were/are so many human beings (themselves victims) similar to Betty who were/are being "Texecuted" by the State of Texas. The easiest way to tackle crimes is to attack the effects, No one talks about the cause and who is responsible for the cause.

Capital punishment is barbaric, period. Thank you Canada for abolishing this barbaric method of dealing with crimes long time ago.

Daily dehumanization of Palestinians by Israel

Israeli Paper, Haaretz admits:
"...Even in a hospital - a place where human compassion is supposed to be the sole operating norm - a Palestinian is still not on the same footing as other human beings. This process of dehumanizing the Palestinians has spread to every sector of Israeli society."
"..The dehumanization is characterized by insensitivity to the value of human life. During the past months, virtually not a single day has gone by without Palestinians being killed in clashes in the territories; dozens of Palestinians, many of them unarmed innocents, have died each month, even during periods in which there were no terrorist attacks. The deaths were a marginal item of Israel's public agenda."

I don't know, may be I should admit that I feel some respect for Haaretz for admitting this, although it should have been done long ago..

Take Down The Wall: A new Canadian voice

Kevin has started his own blog. In the introduction to his blog, Kevin believes separation of people is not the answer. Just like anybody who cares for humanity, he feels offended by the construction of Israeli wall in the Palestinian lands. He has chosen a very meaningful name for his blog: Take Down The Wall. I wish to congratulate him for adding his voice to the voices of humanity.

Boston Globe: Still no mass weapons, no ties to 9/11, no truth

"...In August 2002, Vice President Cheney said: "Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. "

"...In the 48-hour warning to Saddam on March 17, 2003, Bush said, "Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised. . . . The terrorists could fulfill their stated ambitions and kill thousands or hundreds of thousands of innocent people in our country or any other."

"...On March 30, a week and a half after the start of the invasion, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld boasted about the weapons of mass destruction, "We know where they are..." Read the rest here .

They know very well how to play the fear factor card with the American public. They knew all along that they were lying to their people (never mind the rest of the world).

Bush is and has been lying to you America

Here is a link to Michael Moore's Letters the Troops Have Sent Me.

"..Lance Corporal George Batton of the United States Marine Corps, who returned from Iraq in September (after serving in MP company Alpha), writes the following:
“You'd be surprised at how many of the guys I talked to in my company and others believed that the president's scare about Saddam's WMD was a bunch of bullshit and that the real motivation for this war was only about money."

ALso, here's what Specialist Mike Prysner of the U.S. Army wrote to Micahel Moore:
“Dear Mike -- I’m writing this without knowing if it’ll ever get to you…I’m writing it from the trenches of a war (that’s still going on,) not knowing why I’m here or when I’m leaving. I’ve toppled statues and vandalized portraits, while wearing an American flag on my sleeve, and struggling to learn how to understand… I joined the army as soon as I was eligible – turned down a writing scholarship to a state university, eager to serve my country, ready to die for the ideals I fell in love with. Two years later I found myself moments away from a landing onto a pitch black airstrip, ready to charge into a country I didn't believe I belonged in, with your words (from the Oscars) repeating in my head. My time in Iraq has always involved finding things to convince myself that I can be proud of my actions; that I was a part of something just. But no matter what pro-war argument I came up with, I pictured my smirking commander-in-chief, thinking he was fooling a nation…"

And many more that you can read at his website .

Now if you want to impeach the lier president of yours, then Vote to Impeach .

Saddam: the man who knows too much

Yesterday, I wrote a post about why US will try all it can to prevent a fair trial for Saddam that might expose its own dirty hands in the crimes Saddam committed. In the following article, Toronto Sun's Contributing Foreign Editor, ERIC MARGOLIS seems to somewhat agree with that general view:

Here are some excerpts:

"...Many Americans, misled by the administration and its media allies into believing Saddam was somehow responsible for the 9/11 attacks, are lustily cheering Sheriff Bush and his posse. They are unaware the demonized Iraqi leader used to be Washington's man in Mesopotamia.
Nor do they understand the astounding price of this manhunt: a war costing over $160 billion US that violated international law and America's democratic and moral traditions; surging hatred of the U.S. abroad; over 3,000 American military casualties and many thousands of Iraqis; and the ongoing burden of colonial occupation.
But catching outlaw Saddam - which was inevitable - and stringing him up may not make U.S. pacification of Iraq any easier, as Washington hopes, nor the U.S. any safer. In fact, it may make occupation more difficult."

"...Israeli commentator Ze'ev Schiff suggests the White House might offer Saddam a deal: a life prison sentence in exchange for a false confession that he had indeed made and hidden weapons of mass destruction, thus absolving Bush and VP Dick Cheney of the accusation of having made extravagant lies to whip up war against Iraq." Read more here.

Today's Saddam can be completely transformed after 6 months

Obviously my intention in writing this post is not to drop any tear for Saddam as he has done so many wrong against his people and his country's neighbors, that he is really not defendable. But what is in my opinion very serious is that I have no doubt that using today's medical technology, the Americans are trying many established or non-established methods on the man to change the man to what they want. I have no doubt that the Americans are preparing him for the time of trial, perhaps drugging him and testing things on him.

I don't care if anybody is going to label this as "conspiracy theory". Anyone with little brain can see why Americans will do all they can to change Saddam's mentality, to prevent him of becoming an embarrassment in the time of his trial. And they will not let any trial happen unless they make sure he has been transformed to what they want him to be.

Even the way he was captured is not clear. Was there anybody else present when Saddam was captured? No, it was only US troops. How do we know if he had any chance to fight back and he didn't? How do we know whether he wasn't drugged and opened his eyes in captivity? (as some versions of the story suggest that he was betrayed by his bodyguard and was drugged by him before being captured by the Americans). One might ask what benefit for the Americans could it have to drug him before capturing him? In my opinion, there would be plenty of benefits for the Americans to humiliate him. Perhaps one of the main benefits would be that they could portray him as a coward who didn't want to fight back and also didn't want to kill himself to avoid capture. This could have a huge effect on at least that part of the Iraqi resistance who are Saddam loyalists. It could effect them by seeing their leader weak and humiliated due to his own weakness and as a result perhaps loosing their motives to continue fighting the occupation.

Remember, no third party (not even Red Cross) has seen him yet and all we know is what the US officials have told us, but can we really afford to believe those who have always lied to their people and to the rest of the world? How credible are the US officials? Have we forgotten what they said about Iraq's connection to Al-Qaeda? Have we forgotten what they claimed about Iraq's WMD and its capability to launch attack in 45 minutes? Have we forgotten that they presented the UN security council a 10 year old thesis as an evidence of Iraq WMD? Have we forgotten that in 1991 war how much they bragged about about success rate of "Patriot missles"? (Something that we now know, was zero percent success rate not even single digit percent). No, we all know, what they tell us can simply be untrue. They have easily lied to us before, there is no reason to believe they won't do it again.

Whatever the reason and whatever the real sequence of the events of Saddam's capturing was, there is one extremely important task facing the free world. And that is to push the American bullies to hand Saddam over to an internationally recognized body until the time of his trial.

A dark chapter of history can be easily manipulated by the US if Saddam remains in their hands for long. This is the responsibility of all of us, to not let this happen.

As a citizen of the world in genertal and an Iranian inparticular, who has seen the result of Saddam's crimes against the Iranians, I have the right to know who else helped him with his crimes. The US and other Western countries who supplied him will try not let that uncoverd.

You might also wish to read This.

BushDance - Turn on your speakers

You have to check this out.

I wish he was for dance, for joy and for happiness for all, but he is not. He only cares about his own and his rich friends.

(Thanks Y&H)

You have freedom of speech, but only if you say what we want

"Any demonstration against the government or coalition forces will be fired upon," Jaburi's voice said, according to an army interpreter. "This is a fair warning." Read about it here .

Apparently, freedom of speech is only protected if it comes wrapped in red white and blue bow.

Netanyahu, New version of Hitler?

Netanyahu: Israel's Arabs are the real demographic threat.

"A leader who considers 20 percent of the population of Israel to be a demographic threat and treats them as an existential problem, is himself a racist threat to democracy, sanity, and the rule of law - and he should be disposed of immediately for the good of both peoples." Read it here .

What does Netanyahu have in his mind? Didn't Hitler have similar mentalities about Jews that resulted in his crimes against the Jews?

Get lawyers for terror suspects, court tells Bush

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday for the first time that prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba should have access to lawyers and the American court system. Read it here .

Although this is a welcome news, US court of appeal is two years too late. Those prisoners have been denied their right to have access to lawyers and US court system while kept in cages. This reminds me of "justice delayed is Justice denied", then again, it is the US. One cannot expect justice from its unjust rulers.

Albright thinks Bush hiding bin Laden

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told Fox News Channel analyst Morton Kondracke yesterday she suspects President Bush knows the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden and is simply waiting for the most politically expedient moment to announce his capture. Read here .

No Mr. Bush, not so fast

US president has announced that he believes Saddam deserves ultimate punishment. He wants Saddam to be executed. He also said, it is Iraqis who should decide his fate. Sound like nice words, but are they? No, they aren't. They are only some dirty words with nice cover. They are some words designed to
1: make US leaders look like true statesmen who believe in the right of people of Iraq,
2: save the US from the embarrassment resulted from a fair, transparent and independent international trial in which Saddam might expose that whatever crimes he committed the US leaders were his partners.

On the other hand, the current governing council of Iraq is not a body representing Iraqi people. As Ramsy Clark, former US attorney general says, that is a puppet council representing the Bush administration's interests. A trial under the rules of this governing council will only allow part of Saddam's crimes revealed. The part in which the US is not shown as the bad guy.

Trial of Saddam must be completely independent from all the parties involved. And even then, world must ensure that there hasn't been any back door deals made that would undermine the impartiality of the judges.

It is clear that during the time Saddam was murdering his people, and attacking his neighbors, US and UK were not the only crime partners of the Saddam. France along with Russia and Germany played their own dirty roles too. Therefore, a complete and transparent trial of Saddam would be embarrassment to all of these countries. And that is why it would be beneficial to them to make a back door deal to limit the trial to expose only some parts of the big picture and not all of it.

US has announced that they might hold Saddam for at least 6 months. Six months gives the US plenty of time to make a new and abiding man out of Saddam. A man who would say what the US wants to be said in his trial.

In order to prevent any psychological manipulations on Saddam while in custody of the Americans, he should be handed over to an impartial third party immediately and should be under the direct supervision of the International Red-Cross until the time for his trial (a true trial) arrives.

Congratulations Israel!

Now, even the least informed people on earth are beginning to realize how serious a threat Israel is to world peace and security.

Well, Americans are also beginning self-examination.

Take a look at this Poll: Almost half of Americans see Israel as threat . Perhaps the Anti-Defamation League (a right wing Jewish organization conducting this survey) considers this as a victory as it claims "its survey showed much less concern about Israel among Americans than a recent poll in Europe, where Israel was at the top of the list of countries perceived as threatening world peace."

It is interesting to know that "About 37 percent of Americans said the United States itself was the greatest threat."

Keep this in mind, this is not an impartial poll as it is conducted by an organization with clear position in favor of Israel. So in fact, the number of the Americans considering Israel and US as threat to the security of the world can well be more than indicated in the poll results.

A short but comprehensive letter about US/British genocide against Iraqi people

This letter was published today in Toronto Star about the role US and Britain played in killing of 1.5 million Iraqis many of them Iraqi children.

Sanctions killed 1.5 million
U.S., Britain, maintained a policy of draconian measures against country's civilian population

"As Saddam Hussein faces trial for his crimes against the Iraqi people, let's not forget that for 12 long years the United States and the United Kingdom maintained a policy of continuous war and draconian sanctions that killed more than 1.5 million Iraqis. Sanctions killed an estimated 5,000 children under the age of 5 each month, and left 25 per cent of all Iraqi children irreparably damaged by chronic malnutrition.

From the early '90s, the U.S. and U.K. deflected all blame for the terrible suffering in Iraq. It was Saddam's fault, they insisted, because he would not abide by their directives and dismantle his weapons of mass destruction so that the sanctions could be lifted. Now, it appears that for years the Iraqi government may have been telling the truth when it argued that it had no such weapons. For the next while, we're likely to be awash in details of Saddam's crimes and the ins and outs of international law as it applies to him, but let's not forget that justice means that laws must be applied equally to all.

The U.S. and U.K. imposed lethal punishment on the Iraqi people to get to Saddam. This is a crime against humanity. The Geneva Conventions strictly prohibit the collective punishment of civilian populations, even in war.

And if we want to look at the legal technicalities of war crimes and genocide, there is plenty of fodder for a case against the U.S. and Britain there, too.

It is time we understood that global double standards and hypocrisy are to blame for a great deal of global animosity towards the West. If a war crimes tribunal is created to prosecute crimes against the Iraqi people, then there is a long list of western leaders who should be sharing the docket with Saddam."

Jillian Skeet, Vancouver, B.C.

Rafsanjani's advice

I heard today that Rafsanjani (with his ugly smile) was "advising" other leaders and dictators to "stick to your people and serve your people, otherwise you will be humiliated by foreign forces". He was advising them to "learn from Saddam's end".

I know it might not sound believable but it's true. It was Rafsanjani who was saying that. Although what he says this can be quit true, but isn't it more like a joke when one of the "most detached leaders from people" such as Rafasanjani says that?

Saddam trial and the issue of resistance to the occupation

Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsy Clarke ready to defend Saddam. He believes Saddam will not receive a fair trial and believes neither US or its puppet Iraqi council (as he calls it) have the right to try Saddam.
.............
On his part, former U.N. envoy to Iraq Denis Halliday appealed to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to take action to secure "a proper" tribunal to try Saddam.
"I hope that Annan would stand up and express human rights" of Saddam regardless of his earlier crimes against his people, he said.
But there is no conditions for this with the continued state of occupation, said Halliday, who resigned a few years ago charging that the U.N. weapons program had much harmed Iraqi people than their leaders.
............
For prominent British legislator George Galloway, the Iraqi resistance could pick up after the news, as the people of the occupied country have nothing to fear except a long-term foreign occupation.
"I think the Iraqi resistance could be much stronger, for two reasons," Galloway said.
Saddam’s supporters would be inflamed by humiliation he suffered at the hands of the U.S. occupation forces during after the detention, he elaborated.
For his opponents in the country, they no longer fear his return to power – a possibility that deterred many Iraqis from joining resistance operations and – and would now join hands to liberate their country, added the British lawmaker.
The U.S. soldiers also have no excuse not to back up and leave the country after Saddam’s capture, Galloway said.

Read more about these here .
______________________________________
And
The capture of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein would give momentum to spiraling Iraqi resistance against the U.S.-led occupation and cast clear light on who really stand behind it, Egyptian military and political experts expect. Read it here .

We finally got our Frankenstein

I came across this via a link provided by Foad .

Yes, it is from Micahel Moore. Whether you like him or not, read what he says then dispute them if you can or agree with them. He is just telling you about many facts that your corrupt and unethical mainstream media don't.

We all can learn about the truth if we want to, or we can choose to close our eyes and let the excitement created by others who have the tools sink us in it and choose to remain in the box of ignorance. But when choosing between stupidity and awareness, we should at least remember this: "the price of stupidity of some people is paid by other people who might not be stupid".

Some Iraqi points of view

These are some of the comments which were posted on BBC online about capturing Saddam:

Ali, Iraqi who lived under UN Sanctions
When this evil person goes on trial, the world will know more about his past relations with the US elite, how the US covered his chemical attacks on Iran, how they gave him Satellite photos to defeat the Iranians in Al-FA0 battle. We may also know more about his previous financial links in the 80s with Rumsfeld, Ronald Reagan, the Bush family, and Kuwait.

Haqir Amaziz, Basra, Iraq
If only brave American soldiers had dropped a hand bomb on Saddam's head it would be problem solved. Now America will be held by idiots who have higher standards than Saddam ever had.

Imran, Baghdad
Saddam was bad. He should be trial by Iraq. But I think the biggest terrorist the world faces is Bush and the American Government. Saddam killed innocent civilians in thousands. But a million Iraqi children lost their life in Iraq due to sanctions imposed by US. At least 2000 times more people died in Iraq in recent war then the number of people died in 9/11. President Bush should trial and hanged naked or buried alive.

Abbas, Iraqi in UAE
Some advice to Arab leaders - Saddam was America's closest friend in the region in the 80s. The US/West armed Saddam in return of Iraqi oil, encouraged him to attack Iran with chemicals, to destabilise Syria, Saudi, Lebanon and others. Now they don't need him anymore. This is what the US do to their "friends". I think this is a good lesson for our future generations.

Emad Nimah, Basra, Iraq
The capture and the manner in which he was shown to the world was a humiliation to all anti and pro Saddam Iraqis. It was also a clear message to all Arab and Muslim leaders and indeed worldwide that a similar pathetic fate is in store for all those who defy and antagonise the US.

For more go here .

Saddam not heading insurgency

"...That is significant and disturbing because it means the insurgents are not fighting for Saddam, they're fighting against the United States" said Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Yes, be disturbed Senator. They are fighting for their country as anybody in their position would. Occupiers must get out of Iraq, sooner or later.

Saddam key in early CIA plot

Don't just get excited. Don't let the flow of excitement take you with it. Saddam was the pity criminal compare to those who ousted him. This was only a fight within the crime family, no side cared for humanity:

".....but in the past Saddam was seen by U.S. intelligence services as a bulwark of anti-communism and they used him as their instrument for more than 40 years, according to former U.S. intelligence diplomats and intelligence officials..." Read here .

Tehran leaders should learn

Now that it is said that Saddam is captured in such a disgraceful way, may be it is good time for Iran regime leaders to see what seems to be impossible can really be possible.

They should learn from Saddam's end and realize that the power in Iran does not belong to them and they should give it up, before the American criminals take it from them with the high cost of invasion of our country.

Before it is too late and the bloodsockers come over to suck Iran's blood (as they are doing it in Iraq now), they should foresee their possible similar end and learn from it. They should give up power to the people of Iran instead of the White House criminals. Iran must not become another Iraq.

Saddam captured!

In fight between murderers, the stronger murderer wins: Saddam is said to be captured.

If this is true, now it is time to put Saddam on trial by Iraqis (not the current puppet government though) for the crimes he committed against the Iraqis, and then one more independent and transparent trial by the International War Crimes Court ( where one day Bush too should stand trial, and the creation of which the US has understandably opposed), for the crimes he committed against his neighbors including the crimes he committed against Iranians when he was backed by the US. Then, it would be interesting to hear from him how the US was a partner in his crimes during the war with Iran, and also when the US gave him the green light to invade Kuwait.

Putting Saddam on trial will mean putting part of (only part of) the recent US history on trial.

Bush's Baghdad Thanksgiving "show" was pre-staged with screened and selected soldiers

".....cheering soldiers who met him were pre-screened and others showing up for a turkey dinner were turned away.." Read here .

Cluster bombs are still killing Iraqi children

How would you feel if "Cluster bombs" were scattered all over your backyard, your children's playground? If you can feel at all.

Human Rights Watch report indicates that more than 1,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed or wounded by the use of 13,000 cluster munitions.

Read here .

Liberation of Iraqis from Saddam and his brutal Intelligence officials?

"The Bush administration is said to have authorised the creation of an Iraqi intelligence service to spy on enemies of the US-backed authorities in Iraq.
Top Iraqi officials are now at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to work out details, the Washington Post reports, quoting unnamed US sources.

US hopes to recruit agents from among former officials of the Saddam regime.", Read here .

Oh, let me see, brutal Saddam officials have been transformed to angels now? Hah..., "Liberation!!!"

Ashcroft or Ashcroftman? He kissed Isreal's ... again and again.

Ashcroft: We'll Keep Fighting Anti-Semitism, Terrorism.
How could a terrorist fight terrorism? No, it should read: we'll keep fighting for Zionism.
Read here .

AND,
Attorney General John D. Ashcroft yesterday told a conference of evangelical Christians and Jews who are united in support of Israel that in the face of almost daily terrorist threats, Israel has remained "steadfastly true" to "the values our two nations share."
Ashcroft spoke in the afternoon to about 600 members of Stand for Israel, a fledgling group founded by Republican activist Ralph Reed and Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, head of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. That would be inetersting to know how true, non-Zionist Christians think of This .
America, you are being swallowed by Zionists such as Tom Delay, Ashcroft and Wolfowitz, Perle and so many Israelis that run from US soil. Dump your more-Israeli-than-American leaders.

All your privacy in the hands of Washington criminals

Washington has requested non-U.S. airlines to hand over up to 39 pieces of data for each passenger, including credit card details, home address and phone number. (Perhaps this means that US airlines are already doing it. Well, don't fly US airlines). Read here .

Cyrus the Great Vs. George Bush the petty

I would like to believe this story about Cyrus the Great is true. And if anybody does not agree with it, I sincerely hope, he/she would share the basis of the disagreements with me, so I would not be kept in the dark about the truth of this era of the human history.

If this is true, then you can see the difference between Cyrus who ruled the world about 2600 years ago and leaders of the current superpower of the world and then you can see how barbarian the powerful leaders of today are, especially when considering that these are representing two completely different eras.

"Everything upside down in the US" to please the rich

I was listening to CBC radio on my way to work. The following is a part of what I heard in an interview that was going on (please let me know if you know more accurate information about this issue):

Apparently, there is going to be huge tax incentives for those people who buy high-gas-consuming SUV type vehicles in the US. The incentive was so high that I doubt I heard it right: up to $100,000 as tax write off for people such as doctors, or lawyers.

Meanwhile the currently in place incentive of up to $2000 for purchasing low-gas-consuming vehicles such as "Hybrid" is soon going to be dropped.

Forget about the environment, as it is clear that the US does not give a damn about environment, but If this is true, don't you just see the dirty trace of the big oil businesses in making and dropping such laws? Remember, Bush and Cheney are both oily men.

Dershowitz; a "lawyer" with ultimate disrespect for human life

"Western countries must acknowledge torture is a necessary evil, lawyer says", These are the words of Alan Dershowitz, a Zionist bas*d and the biggest defender of Israel, who happens to be a Law professor at Harvard. He is supposedly a victim of Nazis fascism who has become a fascist himself, a Zionist fascist. Words such as these are not new from this idiot and it is not surprising that he has said this.

It is incredible to see those such as this idiot who were victims just over half century ago, have become the victimizers of today. He is talking about justifying torture and he is a lawyer, and he is a professor at Harvard university. The only thing that people like Dershowitz are accomplishing is to help destroy the sympathy of the world people towards Jews and the ordeal they faced in the hands of Nazi Germans. But if Dershowitz can so easily forget how terrible it is to harm other people with any name, may be he deserved what happened to him by Germans.

What I am saying here might sound inhumane, but this guy is advising his students to "Put aside the moral issue" . Of course, he finds a suitable way to express his evil intention, and mentions that "he doesn't like the idea of torturing, but....", And here is where he comes in from back door and shows his barbarian style.

Israel and its supporters such as this guy, are already known to the world (smart world that is) for clearly being anti-human and the biggest evidence of it is, the ongoing occupation of other peoples' home (land). However, pieces of dirt such as this mentally criminal "lawyer" only add to the already tarnished sh*y reputation of Israel and its agents around the world.

Dershowitz said he has often cited one example of nondeadly torture: sticking a sterilized needle underneath the fingernail as a way of getting a terrorist suspect to talk.

And this is the bitter joke part which happens to be true:
Later, Dershowitz spoke to diplomats at a hotel reception sponsored by B'nai Brith Canada to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

He should be kicked out of Harvard, if there is any dignity and respect for human life in the minds of Harvard officials.

National Post; a serious waste of paper

Arrest 'prevented terror attack' was the headline of Canada's most anti-democratic and anti human newspaper; National Post, today. This paper which is owned by Jewish family of Asper, is clearly the voice of Israel in Canada.

I, of course, never pay a penny to purchase this piece of junk but today, I accidentally came across a copy of it.

In today's paper, the above title is the first thing you would see when looking at first page of this paper. Then, you go through it, and after reading it, you feel like the things that it says in detail have really happened. Then you see, that those are only allegations by an statement from Israeli officials in Canada against a Canadian citizen who is being held in Israel (and according to his lawyer has been subject to constant torture) with no charge laid against him. The only reason perhaps is that the person is a Palestinian born Canadian. The question is, if this is all just allegations and no charge has been laid against the man, why sensationalizing it with this title. Remember, many people might only read the titles on first pages of the newspapers while passing by it. It will sure leave its intended impression.

In fact, government of Canada has criticized the Israeli officials for accusing the Palestinian-Canadian man without any proof and any charge against him. And on Monday December 7, Israeli terrorist Ambassador to Canada was called by Ottawa for explanations.

This paper is also known for its dirty policy of not allowing its editors criticize Israel for any reason. They are only supposed to kiss Israel's a**, and honestly, they are doing a pefect job in fulfilling their duties as a**kissers.

The good news is that the majority of Canadians don't give a s*t about this paper and its readership has been constantly declining since it was born 6-7 years ago. Basically, the paper is dying for lack of readership. Well, No wander why its unholy life is going towards its end.

Part of US's "shiny" history

Kissinger approved Argentinian "dirty war"

Henry Kissinger gave his approval to the "dirty war" in Argentina in the 1970s in which up to 30,000 people were killed, according to newly declassified US state department documents.
Mr Kissinger, who was America's secretary of state, is shown to have urged the Argentinian military regime to act before the US Congress resumed session, and told it that Washington would not cause it "unnecessary difficulties". More here .

I am just wondering, really, what do Americans have to be proud of?

Export of democracy: American style

Pedram at the eyeranian has a very interesting post about made in USA Instruments of Torture that are being supplied to the world and its brutal regimes perhaps as part of "US export of democracy" to the world.

There are many regimes in the world that are the same as Saddam's regime if not worse in brutality against their own people, but it is OK, because they are allies of the United States and they are major purchasers of the American made anti-human devices.

If anybody says that the US and especially the current US administration is values democracy, he/she is either stupid or enjoys crimes against humanity. Sorry no other option available.

US forces kill nine children - UPDATE I and UPDATE II

US forces have admitted mistakenly killing nine children when they bombed a target in southern Afghanistan.

US military spokesman Major Christopher West said they had acted on information that a suspected terrorist was at a house near the city of Ghazni. Ground forces later found the body of the intended target along with those of the children nearby, he said.

See how easy it is for Americans to bomb a house and disregarding the possibility of so many innocent people in that house.

"The coalition forces regret the loss of any innocent life" said Major Christopher West,
US military spokesman.

NUMBER OF KILLS - Courtesy of Al-Jazeera

Damn you bas*rd, your regret won't bring those children back. How many times killing and regretting? Just like your friends Israeli bas*rd army.
Read more .

UPDATE I:
It was announced today by the American military officials that the intended target was not there.
However, ity was previously said that the body of the target was found along the body of children.

UPDATE II:
US troops kill ANOTHER six Afghani children.
To Americans who let this happen: How could you let this happen in your name and sleep well?

What difference does it make to the parents of those murdered children in Afghanistan, whether it was caused by an accident or the result of bad intelligence? - Why is the killing of any Westerner or an Israeli is automatically classified as "terrorism" but not the murder of civilians in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan?

Scr*w you and your "justice" Bush

"The American legal community has started to balk at what's being planned for detainees in the name of justice, saying the deck is overwhelmingly stacked against them and the rule of law.

Indeed, prisoners are to be tried in secret before a military commission, not a civilian court.
They will be represented by military, not civilian, lawyers.
They will have no right of appeal on the verdict other than to the Pentagon, which in turn will refer the matter to the president, who has already declared that "these are bad people."

After over two years of unjust American policy regarding the detainees in Guantanamo Bay, US legal community has suddenly remembered that it has some responsibilities to fulfill.

The article Guantanamo showdown looms looks at the issue of awaken US legal community regarding Pentagon's plans for secret tribunals for the detainees.

If this is how the US justice system is written and works, then its paper is only good to be used as toilet paper.

...And we still have so many monkeyss jumping up and down when they cheer for their stupid and criminal leader(s).

Open letter to Paul Martin, Canada's soon-to-be Prime Minister

This is a truly interesting open letter to soon-to-be Canada's Prime Minister, Paul Martin regarding how to deal with the new reality of the US and its crazy leaders. Although I might not agree with some parts of it including the part in which Kyoto accord is mentioned, it interestingly covers many aspects of Canada's relations with the US.

Some excerpts:
"...Post-9/11, Canadians have developed a profoundly different view of the world than that of Americans."

"The more we watch CNN and George W. Bush, the less we want of America. He has re-Canadianized Canadians after a decade of free-trade integration.
Mr. Martin, you'd do well to remember that the biggest applause Jean Chrétien received — in Parliament, at the recent Liberal convention and elsewhere across Canada — was for his decision to sit out the war on Iraq."

"Mr. Martin, do visit President Bush right away. Invite him to Canada. Symbolism does matter, especially for a fresh start. But do keep your Canadian distance. Kow-towing to him and doing his bidding in the Middle East and elsewhere will only bring you grief, as Britain's Tony Blair, Italy's Silvio Berlusconi and Spain's José Maria Aznar can testify."

Bush's logic < Ordinary six year old boy's logic

My six year old son asked me today, "whether I knew Canada's previous name was India", and after my reply that "no, it wasn't India but who told you that?", he said, "nobody, but I saw on TV that Indians lived in Canada first, so Canada's first name must have been India".

Of course, I explained to him the difference between"East Indians" and "Native Indians - or First Nations", but what surprised me was his way of analyzing and drawing conclusions from the information available to him. Then, I couldn't resist thinking of George Bush and thinking to myself: "This Guy, King George Bush II, isn't even capable of analytical thinking as much as a normal six year old child."

...And the show continues..

This time the clown sneaks into Iraq.

Does this clown who creates death instead of fun really care about the lives of the soldiers with whom he is having breakfast? Aside from the impact of those deaths on re-election campaign that is.

You might find these links interesting

- The Brutal Zionist Role In The Holocaust
- Jewish Friends of Palestine

WMD finally found, in Texas though, not Iraq

In the Texan town of Tyler "law" enforcement officials found what hundreds of investigators in Iraq have been looking for for months. Read or Listen here .

Canadian lawyer threatened for defending terror suspects

Rocco Galati, The Toronto lawyer representing former terror suspect (never proven) Abdurahman Khadr and other alleged terror suspects has announced he would no longer handle such cases because he had received a third death threat by the same source.

Galati said he believed the threatening message was from someone involved with a U.S. or Canadian intelligence agency. He added it was the third time he had heard the male voice and that one of his clients disappeared after one of the calls.

It is a known fact that the US is terrorising the free world and those who defend the notion of freedom, but what is scary is the possibility of the involvment of the Canadian intelligense agancy, as he has claimed. This is so serious that the governemtn of Canada should serioudly investigate to make sure there is no involvement from thew Canadian security agency. Then, the investigation should continue to reveal whether US agancies have had anythinmg to do with this, and if yes, then the US is going too far and should be stopped.

"I have a family," Galati said of his reasons for withdrawing the representation of the alleged terror suspects. "This is serious. This is an institutional threat. It's not an individual threat." Read more .

Canada should expel this Cowboy

Paul Celluci, the so called US ambassador to Canada, has spoken tough (the only language he and his boss understand) again. In responding to the concerns from Canadian authorities urging the US to respect Canadian passport and not to deport Canadians to any third party countries, and to make sure cases such as Mehar Arar does not happen again, Celluci has said that Arar case may be repeated and US reserves the "right" to deport Canadians to a country other than Canada.

Paul Cellucci, commenting after speaking to a conference on Canada-U.S relations, said that the United States respects the Canadian passport, but reserves the right to act unilaterally when it sees a need to protect its security.

It is not clear however that deporting Arar to Syria and subjecting him to one year of constant torture haw has helped protect the security of the US. It has in fact reduced the security of the US by creating more and more hatred and distrust towards the US. But as is clear, the current idiots in Washington and the US embassy in Ottawa are too stupid to understand this.

Celuuci has also said: "The president has no more solemn obligation than to protect the safety of the people of the United States. We will reserve the right to act unilaterally in very rare cases." This is in fact more like a joke as every body knows (everybody with little functioning brain that is) that the biggest obligation of the the President of the United States is to protect the interests of the fat ass rich big businesses and corporations and not the ordinary Americans.

This unlawfulness is so clear that even this goes against the US and the international agreements that the deportation should not be to the countries in which there is possibility of torture. In fact, should there be a need for deportation, the person must be asked which country he/she would like to be deported to and if that country agrees in accepting him/her, that country should be the destination.

However, as US has shown its bully attitudes and disrespect for international laws as well as its own laws, it is not surprising that Mr. Cowboy is talking tough.

The good out of all these US policies is that the US has even more demonstrated that it has no regards for human rights and all the empty talks about democracy and freedom are only made to fool stupids and those who understand will object these policies.

May be it is not very practical to expel this idiot from Canada, but at least he should be told that in Canada, we don't have second class citizens and all Canadians who hold Canadian passport are Canadian, and he must learn to respect them.

This is not the first time, that Mr. idiot has talked stupidly and offensively. May be it is time for Canadian government to at least warn him that Canada is not Texas.

For those who claim Iraq resistance is all by Saddam followers

"If the Americans leave and Saddam comes back, we will fight him too. Maybe if he were elected we'd allow it. But no one in Iraq wants Saddam back. He turned into a thief and a murderer who made too many mistakes. We don't want Saddam, but American cannot occupy us any longer."

Don't kid yourself America. It's Iraqis who want you out of Iraq. Read more .

One more result of Bush's dangerous policies

After destroying the foundation of Kyoto accord by the Bush administration's pulling away from it to better serve the rich polluting American corporations, It is now Russia's turn to pull out of Kyoto pact as perhaps it sees no reason to limit itself in damaging the environment while the biggest environmental offender (the US) feels free to do whatever the hell it wants with the air we breath.

Did you know?

Did you know that the piece of land in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where American military base is located was occupied by the American forces on 1898?

Every year, the United States sends a cheque with the amount of $4000 as rent to Cuban government, which is of course not cashed by the Cuban government as objection to the continued occupation.

Looks like US's history would be incomplete without the word "occupation".

Today was International Aids day: Israeli army and HIV positive soldiers

He was 19. He had been in the Israeli army for nine months when he found out he was HIV-positive.
Confused and terrified, he sought help from the army psychologist.
"After three days I was expelled without any psychological or financial help," he remembers. "I was feeling like I was not good for anything." Read more .

America is planning to break Iraq apart

CBC's "As it happens" program had an interview with "Leslie Gaul" (sp?) from "American Council for Foreign Relations" about Iraq. What he was saying was the idea of breaking Iraq into three regions: Southern for Shias, Central for Sonnies, and Northern region for Kurds.

As he sounded, it appears that this is basically his idea and it is being seriously considered by the US administration.

Based on what he says, the central region that has a mostly Sonnie population who are more hostile to the Americans should be isolated from south and north and US should gradually pull out of the central and reinforce its troops in south and north so the hostile Iraqis can't kill the Americans. In answering to the question whether this means transforming the country form its original boundaries and as a result creating bitterness amongst Iraqis and eventually creating a civil war in Iraq, he said that at least Americans wouldn't be killed and America will be supplying the south and north with weapons that they need to fight the centre.

This is in my opinion, another reason why the current US administration is too dangerous for the security of the world. All they do, is in the name of "self defense against those who want to harm America", yet they themselves are harming national identity of other nations. And this is all happening because of a bunch of cheering idiot monkeys who think cheering for bunch of criminals is indication of their American patriotism not realizing that following the asses of bunch of criminal and crazy leaders not only is not patriotism but it can easily become fascism.

Every day, it is more and more clear that the United States is the biggest terrorist country of the world and world should condemn this idea just like other ideas on the table of the US administration. If US succeeds in doing this, other countires such as where I am coming from can be next.