Invasion of Iraq; an international issue not just American

These days there are talks about the failure of the Anglo/American invaders to find WMD in Iraq. As this was the main reason given for invading an independent country, it does not matter if the US president George Bush wants to know the facts or that he does not want an independent probe into this issue. Whatever it is, the issue of the inquiry is a dilemma for Bush in the US internal affairs. Note that I am not even discussing the lack of evidence linking Iraq to Al-Qaida and 9/11 attacks which were claimed by the US administration as reasons for the need to invade Iraq.

Since the act of invasion was outside US/UK borders, invasion of Iraq was not an internal affair of the US, and Mr. Bush should have thought about "the facts" before beginning to slaughter over 10,000 people. His stupid "facts" do not change the reality that he has killed so many living and breathing human beings. So the need for an inquiry about it should not be considered as a US internal matter. He has invaded an independent country (outside US borders) and has broken the international laws. The US and UK are the main players in this affair which unlike what Mr. Bush claims, have not made the world (and even the US for that matter) any safer. The issue belongs to the international community and not the just American public to decide whether what Bush did was right or wrong. As heads of states, George Bush, Tony Blair and the little apologizers who helped them in their aggression against civility, are responsible for the death of so many thousands of innocent people who have been victimized by this illegal war. They ought to be held accountable, not only to the Americans but the world, for what they've done during this past year.

Petition to ban "trans fat"

New Democratic Party member of Canadian Parliament from Winnipeg Centre; Pat Martin (not Paul Martin; the prime minister), has started campaigning for a ban on using trans fat (also known as trans fatty acids or hydrogenated vegetable oils) in the food supplies in Canada. Studies have shown that consumption of even only 1 gram of trans fat per day, can increase the risk of heart attack by 20%, while many Canadians are consuming an average of 10 grams of trans fat per day in their food diet.

So far, Health Canada has agreed to make it mandatory to label the food products to identify the amount of trans fat in them so, the consumers have a choice whether to purchase the product or not. Although this seems to be a reasonable way of dealing with this issue, perhaps it is not. According to Mr. Martin, studies show 75% of the people do not pay attention to the labeling, and this is more common in low income families who also consume more of cheaper and processed food in which the amount of trans fat is even higher. It is not unreasonable to assume that to the majority of the low families, the major priority is not the quality of the food but the cost of food. In this case, the children of the low income families are even more vulnerable as they have no option to choose what food supply to consume.

Mr. Martin, has hardcopy as well as online petition addressed to the House of Commons requesting the elimination of transfats from Canada's food supplies. You might wish to join Mr. Martin in his campaign to ban this harmful substance (particularly affecting poor) from Canadian food supply.

They seem to be too sure!

US military says: "Ben Laden will be caught this year". They seem to be very sure they will catch him this year. How could they be so "sure" and when exactly do they mean by "this Year"? Enough to impact the November presidential elections ? This reminds me of what former secretary of state claimed that "Bush knows the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden" and is simply waiting for the most politically expedient moment to announce his capture.

The need for speed: Going to war on drugs: a documentary

Pentagon has finally admitted that it has been drugging its fighter pilots with amphetamines. For the effects of these drugs on the pilots and their actions watch this documentary .

Living and breathing on wars

"Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Larry Klayman stepped up his call Tuesday to forcibly remove Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, whom he described as "a master terrorist" and a primary threat to U.S. security." He also accused Castro for "raping" his own people (Wow, Castro must be physically very, very. very strong man - What's the population of Cuba?)

"All the politicians go around talking about how bad the situation is, but they don't do anything," Klayman said. "If we can do it for the Iraqis, create democracy there (He thinks he has brought democracy to Iraq), can't we do it for the Cubans who have done more for this country?" (I glanced into the article and when I read this latest part, I was almost sure this idiot was running for a seat in Florida, then I double checked and found out that I was right)

Looks like these bas..ds live and breath on wars. Being criminals is something that is an ordinary and normal feature in US politicians especially those who have special relations with Israel. Is it a pre-requisite for being elected?

Not surprisingly, this bast..d is former Justice Department attorney. What a justice it would be! Click here .

The result of a stupid president's "fight against terrorism"

Iraq becoming al-Qaeda breeding ground, August Hanning, Germany's spy chief has warned.

"Hannig said al-Qaeda had been weakened but that its back had not been broken and the organisation had no problem attracting new recruits."

Perhaps rightly so!

I came across this post via this blog .

It sounds like the voice of a frustrated American who deeply realizes how hypocrite the current US rulers are. In it, you will find the highest number of "F" word thrown at the murderer gang of Washington and their monkeys and perhaps rightly so!

Political Madonna?

I have never been a fan of Madonna, but it was interesting to see her articulate and to-the-point position in US politics and policies.

Here are some excerpts:
"Our greatest risk is not terrorism and it's not Iraq or the "Axis of Evil." Our greatest risk is a lack of leadership, a lack of honesty and a complete lack of consciousness. Unfortunately our current government cannot see the big picture. They think too small. They suffer from the "what's in it for me?" syndrome. The simple truth is that the current administration has squandered incredible opportunities to bring the world together, to promote peace in regions that have only known war, to encourage health in places that are ravaged with disease, to make us more secure by living up to our principles at home and abroad...."

Thanks to Kambiz at in war we trust for providing me with the URL.

One Canadian dead; all over the news, 500 Americans dead; well...!

Yesterday, Cpl. Jamie Murphy, seventh Canadian soldier was killed in Afghanistan (4 Canadians were killed last year by the cowboy American pilots as well as two who were killed in October after their vehicle struck a land mine in remote areas of Afghanistan).

Since yesterday, the news of the death of this Canadian soldier has been all over the Canadian media and many people are talking about it. It is sadly interesting that many hundred American soldiers who have been killed in Iraq, don't attract the attention of the main stream US media. Perhaps this sad event and its reflection in Canada is another indication how different Canada and the US are in valuing peoples' lives, including their own.

My condolences to the family of Cpl. Jamie Murphy as well as the families of those killed American soldiers.

Female GIs reporting rapes by U.S. soldiers

"Women say response lacking within military, some even threatened"

"Female troops serving in Iraq are reporting an insidious enemy in their own camps: fellow American soldiers who sexually assault them.
"We have significant concerns about the military's response to sexual assault in the combat zone," said Christine Hansen, executive director of the Connecticut-based Miles Foundation, which says it has assisted 31 women.
The women, ranging from enlisted soldiers to officers, have reported poor medical treatment, lack of counseling and incomplete criminal investigations by military officials. Some say they were threatened with punishment after reporting assaults.

Read it here . Imagine what they would do if faced with young Iraqi women, alone!

The US is now in the hands of a group of extremists

Fundamentalism has spawned an ideology of American supremacy. Read this edited extract, by George Soros. Not that I care what Soros says.

Worth repeating: Saddam didn't do it alone; The US/Iraqi Alliance

Yes, Saddam did have WMD, but long time ago. During the times of famous hand shakes, when "it was ok" for him to have and use those weapons. After all, he was just killing Iranian kids.

This post was first published on September 15 and now it is basically a response to a comment:

Chemical warfare:
"...the Reagan administration was aware that Iraq was using chemical weapons in its war against Iran..."

The Sale of Technology to Iraq
"...Although official U.S. policy prohibited military sales to Iraq, the Commerce and State departments pushed to sell the Iraqis 'dual-use' items which could have both civilian and military purposes like trucks, computers or helicopters.
Richard Murphy, a top State Department official (Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East Bureau) remembers that the pressure to sell was enormous. "

"Certainly there was pressure to sell and there was the argument, if the contract doesn’t go to an American you can be darn sure it’s gonna go to a German, British, French manufacturer and trucks were one example. Civilian helicopters were a dicier decision. Could they be turned into the equivalent of an attack helicopter?"

....."Then Iraq requested 1.5 million vials of atropine - the antidote for nerve gas - to protect Iraqi soldiers from chemical weapons. The State Department supported the sale even through nobody had nerve gas except the Iraqi army.
Dr. Bryen raised the red flag and Iraq was not allowed to purchase the drugs. But according to documents recently released by the Iraqis themselves, several U.S. companies provided chemical and biological components to Iraq during the 1980s which were used to develop weapons...."

Washington's Reaction to the Attack on Halabja
"...Billions in loans and agricultural credits would be cut off. America would no longer purchase Iraqi oil which accounted for one quarter of Iraq's production. And all U.S. exports to Iraq would be suspended.
Although the bill passed through the Senate in only one day the powerful farm and business lobbies warned that the legislation would only punish the Americans trading with Iraq.
When the Bill reached the House of Representatives, the provisions to remove agricultural credits and end bank loans were removed. Eventually the Act was caught up in Congressional bureacracy and died before it was passed. "

Turning a Blind Eye Towards Saddam
"Although the U.S. government officially denounced the gassing of the Kurds, it was business like never before with Iraq. After 1988 business with Iraq actually increased. By 1989, Iraq was given American agricultural guarantees worth $1 billion. Iraq was the largest importer of U.S. rice and the 2nd largest participant in the agricultural credit program."

For complete report from CBC's "The Fifth Estate" click here .

Now, Isn't it very true that the US policies are driven by the big business?
And.. are the US officials morally qualified to even criticize "Chemical Ali" who is in the US custody for his role in gassing the Kurdish civilians?

Mr. Cheney, even your own hand-picked jury is "not out anymore"

On Wednesday, Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States had not given up on finding unconventional weapons in Iraq. "The jury is still out," he said in a radio interview.

Meanwhile, Ex-Arms Hunter David Kay Says No WMD Stockpiles in Iraq . In a direct challenge to the Bush administration, which says its invasion of Iraq was justified by the presence of illicit arms, Kay told Reuters in a telephone interview he had concluded there were no Iraqi stockpiles to be found.

"I don't think they existed," Kay said. "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War, and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the nineties," he said.

What more Americans want to be convinced that they have been lied to. Big lie. Never mind the rest of the world. They figured it out long time ago.

Modern version of Nazis

Who says these Zionist bas..ds are much better than the Nazis, considering that their people were victimized by the Nazis not very long ago. How could they so easily forget how it feels to be victims?

Now the question isn't "whether", but "how much". The UN says it cannot cope with the scale of demolition of Palestinian houses by the Israelis in Gaza. It is not even my house, but it makes my blood boiling when I imagine how and where the woman in picture is supposed to live now. Then how could one expect Palestinians offer their love to Israeli army? Read it here .

Come on, go ahead, justify it.

Al-Qaida will do whatever it takes to assure Bush is re-elected: Gwynne Dyer

Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.

Dyer doesn't seem to believe that Al-Qaida's help to Bush for re-election is out of love, but it is because of the fact that Bush policies have been the best tools in Al-Qaida's hands to recruit more and more people. He, in fact warns that a not-so-large-scale attack in the US just prior to the elections can boost George Bush's bid for re-election in case if the numbers do not seem promising for Bush camp:

"...U.S. troops are now the unwelcome military rulers of more than 50 million Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq, and people there and elsewhere are turning to the Islamist radicals as the only force in the Muslim world that is willing and able to defy American power."

"It is astonishing how little this is understood in the United States. I know of no American analyst who has even made the obvious point that al-Qaida wants Bush to win next November's presidential election and continue his interventionist policies in the Middle East for another four years, and will act to save Bush from defeat if necessary.
It probably would not do so unless Bush's number were slipping badly, for any terrorist attack on U.S. soil carries the risk of stimulating resentment against the current administration for failing to prevent it.
Certainly another attack on the scale of 9-11 would risk producing that result, even if al-Qaida had the resources for it. But a simple truck bomb in some U.S. city center a few months before the election, killing just a couple of dozen Americans, could drive voters back into Bush's arms and turn a tight election around. Al-Qaida is clever enough for that."

Read the entire article here.

Brought to their knees?

US army General Raymond Odierno who commands the 4th Infantry Division which is based in Tikrit has said: "Iraqi guerrillas has been brought to their knees". In addition to everyday attacks against the US soldiers, the events of today in which five US soldiers were killed and several others wounded in two separate attacks in Iraq is more like guerrillas showing their middle finger to the "hero general".

"It's just wrong what we're doing", former equivalent of Rumsfeld says

In an exclusive interview, Former Secretary of Defense and repentant Vietnam War architect Robert McNamara breaks his silence on Iraq: The United States, he says, is making the same mistakes all over again.

"We're misusing our influence," he said in a staccato voice that had lost none of its rapid-fire engagement. "It's just wrong what we're doing. It's morally wrong, it's politically wrong, it's economically wrong." I urge you to read this interesting interview .

When (some) victims become victimizers

"Na'im Araj awakens every day at 4 A.M., leaves quietly by the glass door in the living room that leads directly to the cemetery, and goes to his son's grave, just to be with him. After sunrise, his brother comes and takes him, for his own sake, away from there. "Mohammed, Mohammed," he hears him saying. But even when they've left the cemetery, glimpses of the dead boy are everywhere."

"Mohammed Araj was six and a half, and carefully protected by his father; But it wasn't enough: The soldier emerged from the alley between their house and the cemetery at the edge of Balata camp, and shot him once, straight to the heart."

This is not just an "Anti-Jewish propaganda". It is taken from Israeli paper of Haaretz .

How could you have an un-corrupt heart and still support the the Israeli butchers? How could you have a child and love your child and still support the Israeli killers? How could you value childrens' lives and still support the Israeli regime?

Still craving for more war and more blood

The master hypocrite, Rumsfeld, is still craving for war. Israeli Newspaper "Jerusalem Post" reports that Rumsfeld considers striking Hizbullah to provoke Syria .

"Such a conflict might well prove to be the objective of the US, said the journal, which described Washington's strategic benefits from a confrontation with Syria. "

30 second ads

I came across this 30 second ads at Foad's Made In Iran. Thought you might like them.

Double Standard, again

Stageleft has an interesting piece called they got oil & helped out in Iraq . In it you will see another evidence of the ongoing double standards in US foreign policies.

Just look at what the corrupt Rumsfeld says about the relations between Washington and Baku: "Ties between Washington and Azerbaijan would grow, despite election fraud charges." This is also despite what Human watch charges against the current Azerbaijan government's human right abuses:
"The government of oil-rich Azerbaijan has arrested and tortured political opponents since a disputed election last October, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday."

And don't forget that Azerbaijan is an oil rich country.

Another reason for war

Another reason for war-loving America to go to war? Here it is: General Peter Schoomaker said in an interview with AP news agency that the wars had allowed the army to instil its soldiers with a "warrior ethos". He also said: "Now we have this focusing opportunity, and we have the fact that terrorists have actually attacked our homeland, which gives it some oomph". Reminds me of the Neo-Con agenda called "Project New American Century".

Don't be surprised, every now and then, America needs to go to war, for many reasons, including the above and to test the new killing technology that the US tirelessly is developing.

After possible trial of UK government, would the US be next?

Probe into ' UK Government war crimes': The UK Government could face an international trial for war crimes following the invasion of Iraq.

A report drawn up by a panel of top lawyers is being handed to the International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor in the Hague, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, over the use of cluster bombs and weapons using depleted uranium. Read it here .

There was a good reason why the current US leaders opposed creation of ICC. Perhaps they knew all along that their agenda and their means to dominate the world, would be against the international criminal laws and ICC for that matter and the best way to not have commitment to those rules would be to not-to-recognize ICC's legitimacy. The US leaders however, have so far violated the Geneva Convention's rules (that they do recognize) numerous times during last couple of years. Although it seems a small and distant possibility, there will always be a hope to put all criminals (including the current powerful bullies) on trail for crimes against the humanity.

Iraq may be on path to civil war - CIA warns

CIA officers in Iraq are warning that the country may be on a path to civil war, current and former U.S. officials said yesterday, starkly contradicting the upbeat assessment President Bush gave in his State of the Union address. This is what America has brought for Iraqis.

How are you Americans not feel insulted by Bush's lies? How could you become so blind? How could you have him as your leader?

Good start to end the violence?

I believe Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not a Muslim, Jew issue. it is just Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, I would like to congratulate Toronto's York university (Muslim and Jewish) students for initiating a hope for peace. I don't know but I hope this can be a good start. After all, whatever that can initiate a move towards an end to the violence in which only innocent people suffer should be welcomed.

Herman Goering's lessons well-learned by the US leaders

I came across this excellent Quote from Herman Goering via in war we trust:

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

What is happening to the US society?

Bully goes to war

"The bully on the block always had guys who did the fighting for him. He would falsely accuse a weaker kid of planning some horrible conspiracy and then unleash the tough guys – as a pre-emptive move, of course. On my block, the bullies had the same MO. But not one of them got into an actual fight with anyone who might inflict pain on them. They picked on kids who would not fight back."

Isn't it just right? Read the rest here .

Hear from Aznar; another member of war-loving camp

"The combination of being a Republican, of being an emperor, a Texan and outspoken is really a bad mix,"

Aaaand this is from Aznar, the Spanish PM, One of Bush's staunchest allies in Iraq invasion.

Bush's real State of the Union

Forget about what Bush says. (Although still dumb, He has become an experienced actor). Forget about his stupid and ugly smile that reminds me of Rafsanjani's smile. Just look at the numbers.

A few examples:

- Number of coffins of dead soldiers returning home from Iraq that the Bush administration has allowed to be photographed: (0)
- Number of funerals or memorials that President Bush has attended for soldiers killed in Iraq: (0)
- Number of fund-raisers attended by Bush or Vice-President Dick Cheney in 2003: (100)
- Amount of US budget surplus in the year that Bush became President in 2001: ($127 billion)
- Amount of US budget deficit in the fiscal year for 2003: ($374 billion)
- Average wealth of the members of Bush's original 16-person cabinet: ($10.9 million)
- Average savings members of Bush's cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result in the cuts in capital gains and dividends taxes: ($42,000)
- Number of members of Bush's defence policy board who also sit on the corporate board of, or advise, at least one defence contractor: (9)
- George W Bush became the first American president to ignore the Geneva Conventions by refusing to allow inspectors access to US-held prisoners of war: (1st)

What are you waiting for? Go ahead read it, if you can face the reality.

Uri Avnery on Zionism and Anti-semetism

Uri Avnery, former Israeli/Jewish parliamentarian and current peace activist, answers to some questions about anti-semitism:

1- Is everybody who criticizes Israel an anti-Semite?
2- Can a person be an anti-Zionist without being an anti-Semite?
3- Can a person be an anti-Semite and a Zionist?
4- Can a Jew be anti-Semitic?
5- If a person criticizes Israel more than other countries which do the same, is he an anti-Semite?
6- Has Europe become anti-Semitic again?
7- Then why did most Europeans state in a recent poll that Israel endangers world peace more than any other country?
8- What about the anti-Semitic manifestations in the Arab world?
9- Aren't the utterances of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Muhammad, about the Jews controlling the world, anti-Semitic?
10- So should we ignore anti-Semitism?

See his answers here .

Thanks M. B. For emailing this to me.

Empires fall; eventually!

Archaeologists have embarked on an epic search for an ancient fleet of Persian ships that was destroyed in a violent storm off Greece in 492 BC. The project is a collaboration between the Canadian Institute of Archaeology and the Greek Archaeological Service. Around 20,000 men were lost in the disaster, which shook Persia at a time when it had its sights on assimilating mainland Greece within its empire. Read it here .

About 2500 years ago and at least 20,000 men in only a few ships. Imagine how hug those ships were and imagine the technology they had for that era.

What happened to that empire? I am sure many Persians at that time would not even imagine the possibility of the fall of such empire but it did fall. Get the picture?

Time to watch a movie

The rise and fall of Saddam Hussein
Turn your speakers on, click here, sit back and relax.
(Via In War We Trust)

That's why it is easy for Hamas to recruit

This is just a small story of the lives of the choking Palestinians in the hands of Israeli army in the occupied territories:

A husband tries to take his pregnant wife to hospital early in the morning. They are stopped by the Israelis at the checkpoint. Ambulance not allowed. Delay after delay after delay in freezing cold. The baby is born right there. The baby if fine at first, but suddenly turns blue and soon dies before father manages to get her to the hospital. This could have been not just the baby, the mother could have died too.

If this story had happened to you, what would you do? How would you feel? Would you remain a "nice guy"?

Hatred is not created out of nowhere. If you bash Palestinians for hating Israel for no reason, you are nothing but a damn fool. Put yourself in their position. What would you do? Would you love Israel?

Beware, they may have a plan. It's just not the time yet

The current US administration has a long and dirty history of lies and deception (never mind the world, but their own people). I have said it numerous times that these guys will do anything, just anything, in order to get re-elected. What is disappointing is that usually Americans fall into it. Here is just an example:

Let's say there is a poll asking the Americans (before capturing of Saddam Hussein): "Are you satisfied with the progress in Iraq conflict?"

let's say, only 43% of people say "yes".

Then you ask the same question after Saddam Hussein is captured. And see that the "yes" respondents jump to 60%. Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? After all, capturing Saddam can be considered a considerable progress in the war.

How about this scenario?

Before capturing of Saddam, the poll question is: "Do you believe that Saddam was linked to September 11 attacks?

Let's say again 43% say "yes".

Then you ask the same question (a couple of days) after Saddam was captured: 60% say "yes".

How could you justify this mentality? How Capturing Saddam two days ago, can change anything about his link to September 11 attack? Isn't it just ridiculous?

Now, this mentality is not unknown to the current US administration. And these guys who are masters of deceptions, perfectly know how to take advantage of this mentality. The general public mentality in the US is like a graph that can reach a sudden peak as a result of some particular news and then, slowly going downward as the people feel the realities of their lives. It is just a matter of proper calculation as to when to provide the boosting news that can still keep the graph at the level needed for re-election at the time of presidential elections.

Will you be surprised to see suddenly, Osama Bin Laden is captured just before the US presidential elections? Will you be surprised to see that Iraq's WMD are suddenly "found" in Iraq? Will you be surprised to see a sudden progress in Iran and US relations just before the elections?

Don't forget, Republicans owe their many elections or re-elections to their like-minded hardliners in Iran. The US hostages in Iran were released only 4 hours after President Reagan was sworn in.

Mission accomplished! Oh yeah, right.

Yes, sure it is . The U.S. military death toll after 10 months of engagement in Iraq surpassed 500 this weekend, roughly matching the number of U.S. military personnel who died in the first four years of the U.S. military engagement in Vietnam. None of Bush's twins are fighting in Iraq, are they? Nobody from Rumsfled's, Wolfowitz's, Perle's, Cheney's families are fighting in Iraq, are they? What about the children of Bush's scandal-struck baby brother, Neil?

Why should they? They are having their supper comfortable lives. Their parents escaped the war when they were younger. They are only good at sending other American kids (mostly from poor families) to die, not their own.

My thanks to N at Another Irani online for emailing me the URL.

A few links

-Al Gore on Global Warming and the Environment, January 15, 2004
"While President Bush likes to project an image of strength and courage, the truth is that in the presence of his large financial contributors he is a moral coward so weak that he seldom if ever says No to them on anything no matter what the public interest might mandate." The source .

Also this is another indication why Al Gore is right when he implies that Bush has no guts to say NO to the "orders" given to him by the Neo-Cons. He is indeed like a horse who is giving ride to the Neo-Cons.

- Tony Blair has been called "a complete dickhead" by a leading Spanish politician live on television. Mr Bono said:
"Hey, and our colleague Blair? He's a complete dickhead (un gilipollas integral). He's an imbecile." The source .

- Israel Presses White House To Reword Rights Report :
"Israel is pressuring the Bush administration to omit references to the West Bank security fence from the State Department's annual human rights report." The source

- Rabbi Defends Blocking Israeli Bulldozers :
Arik Ascherman is no stranger to the Israeli police. The American-born rabbi reckons he has been arrested at least 10 times in his battle against what he says are injustices against Palestinians. The source.

-Spain's PM Says Bush Acts Like an Emperor:
"The combination of being a Republican, of being an emperor, a Texan and outspoken is really a bad mix," Aznar, one of Bush's staunchest allies on Iraq and other issues, said in an interview Wednesday in The Washington Post. The source .

Want more?
Click on Information Clearing House .

What's up with Bush?

He is an idiot. Isn't he? Has he lost it? Oh, what am I saying? How could he lose something that he never had. Read it here . Make sure Paul Martin's scott is never alone with Bush. It is a security issue. hahaha

He should be kicked out of the country not just the museum - Update

This is just too much. On Friday the Israeli ambassador to Stockholm was ejected from a museum for vandalising the exhibit. He was expelled from Stockholm's Museum of Antiquities on Friday after he threw a spotlight at the exhibit.

This was after Israel had called on the Swedish Government to dismantle an art exhibit (created by an Israeli artist) featuring a Palestinian suicide bomber, which it said is an incitement to kill.

"Israel's ambassador Zvi Mazel said the work, which has a boat floating in a pool of red liquid, was "a call for genocide". But its Israeli-born creator (who himself opposes suicide bombing) rejected the charge, saying the work had a message of openness and conciliation." He also added "Mr Mazel had tried to "stop free speech and free artistic expression".

The director of the museum, Kristian Berg, said the installation would remain in place. "You can have your own view of what this piece of art is all about, but it is never, never allowed to use violence and it is never allowed to try to silence the artist," he said.

Who the hell do these idiots think they are? If this guy could act so undemocratically in a country such as Sweden, imagine how he would react if this exhibition was taking place where Israeli bullets could reach. Perhaps that is why vast majority of the Europeans consider Israel the biggest threat to the security of the world. After all, this idiot, Mr. Mazel, is an official representative of Israeli government.

Update:
Israeli PM Sahron reacted to the incident by praisesing his 'art vandal' envoy . He congratulated an ambassador who vandalised an art exhibit in Sweden.

Canada's Defence Minister must ask Canadians first

David Pratt, Canada's current defence minister is a right wing member of the liberal party who practically was favouring Canada's participation in the illegal and criminal Iraq invasion while he was a member of the "defence committee". I am glad that at that time, he did not have the power to have the final word on this issue otherwise, today Canadians were receiving many body bags full of Canadian soldiers' dead bodies (as it's the case with the American people today). I am glad that no single Canadian is dying or killing innocent people today for the sake of satisfying George Bush's corrupt ideology. I am glad that then Prime Minister Chretien (to whom I was not a big fan) made a right and wise decision and did not get Canada involved in this unlawful and criminal madness. I will always respect Mr. Chretien for the wisdome he displayed in this issue.

Today, unfortunately, the same right wing man; David Pratt, has been promoted to the position of Canada's defence minister. It is, of course disappointing but it not surprising, as he has been promoted to this position by another right wing man: the Current Prime Minister, Paul Martin.

There are reasons to be worried about this appointment, as if there is another crisis, such as Iraq war, there is no guarantee that these new people, would make right decisions for Canada. Canadians have to be vigilant and show the current administration that war is not Canada's way of living and that Canadians will not let anybody to sacrifice Canadian soldiers and Canadian sovereignty for the sake of satisfying bunch of mass murderers who run Washington today. Canada's traditional role is peace-keeping and not war-making and it does not crave for war. And that is what distinguishes Canada from its southern neighbour. Canadians will not let people such as Mr. Pratt change that tradition. They demonstrated this mentality by overwhelmingly disapproving Canada's participation in the invasion of Iraq and today, it is quite clear how wise they have been in making this decision.

David Pratt has recently made some statements about another possible cooperation with the US on its new fantasy and idiotic war called Missile Defence System. Canada wants the "closest possible involvement" in a controversial U.S. missile defence scheme, Defence Minister David Pratt says in a letter to American defence officials. This is absolutely outrageous and Mr. Pratt has no right to make such a huge decision on behalf of Canadians without consulting with them or at least discussing the issue in the House of Commons (Canada's Parliament). No Mr. Pratt, this is not what Canadians want, and as Jack Layton, the leader of NDP has said, "Such statements should not be made without the House of Commons at least having some sort of discussion."

Khomeinie fanatics and Bush fanatics

I originially posted the following on October 10, 03. But I feel that it is still fresh and relevant. Here it is:

When revolution happened in Iran in 1979, for about a year, Iran was perhaps the most democratic country on earth. People were really involved with politics and the issues related to their country and the world. One could really enjoy witnessing the amount of information being exchanged amongst people. Many political organizations were either formed or started to surface their existence. There were nationalist groups, communist groups, and religious groups, some favouring the clerical establishment and some disapproving it. There was politics everywhere. Men, women, young and old, were all talking about politics. Some opinions were completely opposite to others, but there was discussions, sometimes heated discussions, but still discussions. Many people were happy and believed that a truly Islamic system was being formed that would bring prosperity for everyone. However, many people were trying to warn others that the clerical estabilishment would be against the interests of the country and would result in a disaster. In addition to non-religious people, many of those initiating these warnings were Muslim groups themselves and believed that the system was heading for dictatorship instead and not an Islamic just society.

During all this time the clerics gradually and with ups and downs were consolidating their grips on power, and after the opportunity that Iraq war provided to the clerics, they took a full advantage of that, and the biggest crack down of the democratic movements and peoples' demands began. US-backed war was a beginning that lead to the mass executions of thousands of the brightests of the country in early summer 1981.

Prior to this time, many people opposing the government believed that the government backers were some ordinary and honest people who were just uninformed about what was really happening behind the scenes. They continued trying to convince the pro-government people that the government wasn't really what they thought it was.

It was a hard battle, since many of the government backers were saturated so much in lies and propaganda of the government, that nothing but supporting that government would satisfy them. However, in order to make themselves look open-minded, sometimes they admitted there were some problems with the system and that the system wasn't "perfect", but they were still with the system no matter what. Many of them really did think their support for the establishment was in the interest of the country and the people.

After the beginning of the mass executions, the society began being further devided. The initial idea of "just informing the uninformed" was changing to "there is no uninformed that can be informed". The major thought was that whoever would have had the desire to know the truth, should have known it by then and the rest were bunch of idiots at best and criminals at worst. They were the enemies now. They were the reason that the criminal clerical system was in full power. They were so saturated with that system, that they had become part of it now. Many were receiving personal benefits from the system and many were just plain stupid, and this had nothing to do with whether they still believed in their religion or not. For example, many of the Mr. Khominie's followers, really did believe that Khominie's power to make decision on behalf the nation was good for the nation and that the nation was not ready to make its own decisions .

They say history repeats itself, may be with a bit modified form and in different location, but with the same main tool: exploitation of peoples' beliefs by the powerful and influential people. Now, this same history is being somehow repeated in the United States. Then were (and still are) opportunist people such as Rafsanjani who added plenty to his wealth from the situation in Iran and now are opportunists people such as Cheney in the US. In short, same personal benefits or stupidity, but this time in the name of pride and patriotism. Perhaps, things are looking increasingly like the the presence of dividing lines after summer of 1981 in Iran. Perhaps it can be said, that there are no "informable unformed" anymore. If one is still too stupid to learn how criminal this regime of washington is, he/she will remain stupid until death, just like his/her counterparts in Iran who are supporting the current regime in Tehran. The camp favoring criminals such as Bush/Blair and Co is consisted of either those so incapable to learn and to care about human life, or those who are part of the criminal establishment. Whatever they are, they are no friends of the humanity and as a result of their own actions, they create more and more enemies for themselves everyday.

"It's Been A Good Day" for Kevin

I have already introduced Kevin's blog; Take Down the Wall to you. Kevin who is a nature photographer has also another blog called "The View From Up Here.... ". There is a very interesting story in his blog today about developing a nice relation between Kevin and a wounded bird. Read the story of It's Been A Good Day and enjoy it. Thanks Kevin for writing about it.

Of course! What did you expect?

Bush Booed at Martin Luther King Gravesite

"Bush go home" and "peace not war" the predominantly black crowd of protesters shouted from behind a barrier of buses, as Bush paid tribute to King on the 75th anniversary of his birth."

"For President Bush to come to Martin Luther King Jr.'s crypt is the height of hypocrisy," the Reverend Tim McDonald of Concerned Black Clergy said in an e-mailed statement.

"President Bush's policies have, with deliberate intent, reversed decades of progress and increased racial inequality, job loss, poverty rates and global insecurity."

As Bush arrived, a crowd of 700 to 800 people booed and held signs that said "Get Rid of Bush in 2004," and "Bush is a Mass Murderer." Read here.

Bush placed a wreath on King's grave before heading to a $2,000-a-plate fund-raiser in Atlanta. Who can afford to pay for those plates? And why do they pay? Ever thought about it?

America accused of war crimes in Iraq

"The US military is committing war crimes by demolishing homes of suspected insurgents and arresting the relatives of Iraqi fugitives, a top human rights group said today." Read it here. I guess they learned it from their experienced Israeli brothers.

Also read Human Rights Watch letter to Rumsfeld regarding the same issue.

How arrogant, how selfish and how Stupid!

"An American Airlines pilot arriving in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, was jailed Wednesday after he protested new procedures requiring the fingerprinting and photographing of all incoming United States citizens by making what Federal Police officers described as an obscene gesture."

"Eleven other crew members on the same flight from Miami were refused entry to Brazil and detained after the police said that they had refused to be fingerprinted and behaved in a "derisive" manner. They were ordered to return to the United States on the next available flight, which was to leave Sao Paulo on Wednesday night." Read it here .

Where does this attitude come from? Are they not from the country that allows itself to fingerprint anyone it wishes? Are they not from a country that fingerprints Brizilians? So, what the hell are they complaining about when the same thing happens to them when arriving in Brazil!

Those Americans who think their government should be allowed to do whatever the hell it wants to other nationalities, should realize that even if they arrogantly feel "superioror" to other nationalities, they really are not. So they better stop complaining about this. In fact, all nations whose citizens are fingerprinted in the US should do the same to the US citizens. If it is insulting, it is insulting to non-Americans too.

Meanwhile Reuters reports that the arrogant pilot "who was arrested for raising his middle figure in a photograph that was splashed across Brazilian newspapers, was fined nearly $13,000 before being allowed to leave the country" It continues that "A Reuters photographer at Sao Paulo airport said police had received almost nonstop phone calls of congratulations for arresting Hersh (the arrogant pilot) and forcing him to surrender his passport.

Terrorizing Americans by the US army?

U.S. Military Drafted Plans to Terrorize U.S. Cities to Provoke War With Cuba
By David Ruppe

"N E W Y O R K, May 1 — In the early 1960s, America's top military leaders reportedly drafted plans to kill innocent people and commit acts of terrorism in U.S. cities to create public support for a war against Cuba."

Oh, no I am not saying it. It is on ABCNEWS.com. Here is the link. The link might not last long. But don't worry, I'll keep a copy of the content, if the link disappears.

"Code named Operation Northwoods, the plans reportedly included the possible assassination of Cuban émigrés, sinking boats of Cuban refugees on the high seas, hijacking planes, blowing up a U.S. ship, and even orchestrating violent terrorism in U.S. cities. The plans were developed as ways to trick the American public and the international community into supporting a war to oust Cuba's then new leader, communist Fidel Castro."

"The plans had the written approval of all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and were presented to President Kennedy's defense secretary, Robert McNamara, in March 1962. But they apparently were rejected by the civilian leadership and have gone undisclosed for nearly 40 years."

Now, this takes me back to the events of September 11. Could it be possible that elements within the US government knew about Al-Qaeda plans to carry out the 9/11 terror attacks and rather than thwart it, they let it happen to justify the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and may be Syria and Iran next.

According to the story, the whole idea of terrorizing US cities was rejected by President Kennedy. But considering the fact that President Bush is much less intelligent and much less principled individual than President Kennedy, could it be possible that similar plans were brought forward to Bush and that he went along with them? Again, this is condsidering the fact that current US administration includes elements such as Wolfowitz, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Pearl who have no regard for human lives?

While I don't buy into the theory that Bin Laden was not involved in the attack, I no longer dismiss the possibility that some sections of the US establishment would allow the killing of US citizens to create conditions for the invasion of Afghanistan and later Iraq.

In devastation, there is opportunity

Wall Street financialist Carlton Brown said in an interview which is now part of a documentary called The Corporation that immediately after the events of September 11, there was a huge excitement in trading within gold sector. Many of the big shots doubled their profit in a matter of hours.

Also Brown said that oil sector was extremely pleased when Iraq started burning some oil wells during 1991 Gulf war. In fact the oil and gold sector wished Saddam would make more troubles. Brown, perhaps unknowingly admits how evil corporations are when it comes to profit.

Yesterday, CBC Radio's program; "The Current", was introducing the Canadian made documentary which is produced by British Columbia producer, Mike Achbar and his co-producer Jennifer Abbott.

The documentary also speaks with Ray Anderson, 20 year CEO of "Interface, Inc", one of the largest carpet manufacturer of the world. In it, Mr. Anderson regretfully admits the environmental devastation that most of the big firms have brought to the world. His change of heart, as he said, came after reading a book from Paul Hawkins called "Ecology of .... (Didn't catch the rest).

The documentary also features many more interviews with CEO's and top-level executives from some of the worlds largest corporations, representing a wide range of industries, including: oil (Shell), pharmaceuticals (Pfizer),computers (IBM), tires (Goodyear), carpets (Interface), public relations (Burson Marsteller), branding (Landor), and advertising (Initiative); as well as critical thinkers: Noam Chomsky, Peter Drucker, Milton Friedman, Naomi Klein, Mark Kingwell, Vandana Shiva, and muckraking filmmaker Michael Moore.

This documentary which currently is on only a few theatre stages in Toronto (and perhaps a few more Canadian Cities) sounded so true to me that I would definitely like to see it. Based on what I heard, I would absolutely recommend watching this documentary to the readers of this blog.

Stop Kobra's execution. Stop barbaric act of execution everywhere

22 year old Kobra Rahmanpour was born in a poor family. She was only 17 when her father let her live with Alireza; a 53 year old man and his 75 year old mother. The plan was that if everything went fine, Kobra would marry with the man after three months.

Despite what was agreed by Kobra's father and Alireza as not to have sexual relations before marriage, Kobra was raped many times by the man. Then when Kobra complained to her father he only decides to accelerate the marriage process.

Kobra did not enjoy any rights while living with the mother and son. And when in 1999 Alireza leaves Kobra on the street after giving her only some money, Kobra, with nowhere else to go, goes back to Alireza's house and in a violent argument with Alireza's mother, the 75 year old woman gets killed.

In the trial of Kobra, the judiciary system fails to recognize that Kobra's crime was as a result of the harsh and unbearable condition in which she lived. It also fails to recognize that the wounds on Kobra's hands which were resulted from her struggle to take the knife out of the hands of the victims, were evidence of self-defense.

Kobra has lived in prison for over 5 years and according to the prison officials, she is not a violent person at all.

If you wish to join many voices who are speaking up for Kobra, you can contact free_kobra@hotmail.com to add your voice to the growing number of voices who want the execution ruling of the court be revised and new trial take place in which all the evidence including those pointing at this incident as self-defense be reconsidered.

This was shortened translation of "Let's speak up for Kobra" which was at Iran-e-Emrouz . Contact (free_kobra@hotmail.com) for more.

The power struggle in Iran

What do I think about the power struggle in Iran? What should the position of Iranians be regarding the current situation and the upcoming elections? Should they support the reformist camp?

Well, I really don't know at this point.

I understand that President Khatami and other so-called reformists were limited by the power of the Khamanehie and the non-elected Guardian council, but they had a massive backing of the people for nearly 8 years. They have practically done nothing, only playing games with the hardliners, perhaps to satisfy people and to pretend that they were slowly gaining grounds.

On the other hand, I personally am not sure if a sudden change of regime in Iran will be in the best interest of the country. Things are very complicated in Iran. A sudden change might satisfy my feeling against the anti-democratic regime of Iran, but it can result in a devastating chaos in the country that can result in further devastation. Because of this, I prefer to see step by step and gradual changes if they lead to a free and democratic Iran. But is it possible?

In the last few days, while the elections in Iran are fast approaching, the non-elected Guardian council has apparently decided to set the stage to severely weaken the so-called reformist camp by banning many of their candidates from running in the elections.

The question that I have been asking myself was whether I should care what is happening in this latest power struggle between the two camps and whether it matters at all who runs, and who gets elected in the elections.

In the last nearly eight years, reformists have had huge advantage over the hardliners in the parliament as they outnumbered the hardliners by the proportion of 2 to 1. Yet, they did not make any significant advancement of what the people elected them for and expected them to achieve.

Although I have to admit that the pressure on Iranian people has been reduced, one should evaluate it in a way to see whether it was worthwhile putting up with this regime for another seven-eight years to only achieve so little?

Then again, the question I ask myself is whether I want to see a revolution type overthrow of the entire current regime. Sounds good to me. But is it?

Unlike 1979 when there was a leadership (good or bad) for the peoples' movement, but Iran's political stage today is not equipped with such leadership. In order for a revolution type uprising to have some chances of success, united political leadership is essential. Otherwise, immediately after the fall of regime there will be chaos and anarchy in the country which can grow to an uncontrollable level.

There is no doubt that the vast majority of Iranians are now sick and tired of the regime and perhaps many of its "reformist-hardliner" games. This was shown in the last municipal elections which was held not long ago. In those elections, people demonstrated their dis-satisfaction with the reformist camp and its representative candidates by practically boycotting the elections. On the other hand, since the minority hardliners and their followers are better organized, they took advantage of this lack of peoples' participation in the elections, and elected their own people to power at municipal levels.

Iran still witnesses many of human right abuses against its citizens by the hardliners. But what have the reformers done to stop this? Practically, nothing. They are either not willing or are incapable of freeing many journalists including those of their own reformist camp out of the prisons. Also, although not as widespread as before, executions and occasional stonings are still happening in Iran and this is despite the government of Mr. Khatami's commitment to stop them. As a matter of fact, sometimes the hardliners decide to go ahead with execution or stoning of one or two, only to make a point that they are the ones who are in charge, and rightly so; they are in charge.

Having said all of this, it is a very tough call to say what should be done for the best result. On one hand, ignoring and not supporting the reformists in the upcoming elections, can result in complete holding of power by the hardliners with no hope for any change. On the other hand, helping the reformers get elected again, will not bring much hope to the people for significant improvements in many aspects of the life in Iran.

On one hand, complete gaining of the power by the hardliners can eventually result in more pressure on people that can lead to a violent and bloody uprising to topple the regime, and on the other hand, sending the reformists back in the parliament can serve the regime as a "pressure valve" in order to release the excessive pressure from the society before it explodes.

In my opinion, the first scenario cannot be beneficial in long run, as it relates to the lack of universally accepted leadership and the second scenario is not suitable either as it will only serve the regime to live longer.

But what to do? I honestly don't know but near future developments might provide a better answer to this quastion as the power struggle intensifies.

What do you think?

US State department says: Uzbakistan is not a democracy but Bush sees it differently

Kevin at Take Down The Wall takes a look at the new relation between Bush administration and Uzbakistan's President Karimov. He wonders how easily the human rights violations by Karimov in Uzbakistan is being ignored for the sake of US's interests. This developing friendly relationship is despite what is stated at the U.S. State Department web site that claims: "Uzbekistan is not a democracy and does not have a free press. Many opponents of the government have fled, and others have been arrested." and "The police force and the intelligence service use torture as a routine investigation technique."

Take a look at Kevin's blog for more.

Now What? - Update

Well, Paul O'Neill spoke of the issues that weren't new facts but were just new admissions. He exposed how incapable George Bush is when it comes to analytical skills. He exposed the fact that Bush's war against Iraq wasn't the result of unavoidable developments. It is now official that Bush's warmonger team wanted to go to war no matter what. That was why they had to begin tricking their own people by lies after lies. It is now official that Bush did not respect anything but his own egos. It is now official that Bush didn't mind sending American kids to die as long it would serve him and his Neo-Con bodies. It is now official that WMD was nothing but a big lie. It is now official that the accusation of Iraq being linked to 9/11 event was nothing but a big lie. It is now official that accusation of Iraq linked to Al-Qaeda was nothing but a big lie. It is now official that Bush didn't really care what the Americans would think of attacking Iraq if they knew all about these. It is now official how naive American public were to believe in and agree with what they were told without using any common sense. It is now official that Bush not only is not very intelligent, but is also extremely dishonest and extremely dangerous to the world security including that of the US. It is now official that Bush has made the United States the most disliked country in the world.

I am glad that many Americans can now see who their president really is. And to those who will justify anything that their new God; George Bush does, I have to say: Only those who don't have self-respect can now justify all this and not care if they were lied to and they would accept what their dumb leader wants them to accept. Well, I have a news for this type of people: Mountain goats follow their leader without asking questions where he is taking them and why. So, congratulations on the new official status.

Update:
In a related development, Jeffrey Record of the U.S. Army War College, condemns the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as "an unnecessary war of choice." and gives a failing grade to virtually every aspect of the Bush administration's war on terror. He also says the U.S. is creating new enemies among countries that pose no serious security threat. Read it here .

Update II:
You might also wish to read Toronto Star's editorial on this issue.

The most powerful man in the world? Who? Mr. Bush?

President George W Bush leads White House cabinet meetings "like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people" and rarely has an opinion of his own to offer on his administration's policies, according to his former Treasury secretary, Paul O'Neill.

I came across this via the eyeranian . Apperently, there is an interview to be aired tonight on the CBS 60 Minutes with Paul O'Neill who was fired from the administration in 2002. In it, Mr. O'Neill delivers a withering judgement on Mr Bush's command of detail and apparent lack of interest in the complexities of decision-making.

Also according to Reuters, Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said he never saw any evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction -- President Bush's main justification for going to war -- and was told "deficits don't matter" when he warned of a looming fiscal crisis. More...

If Mr. O'Neill is right in what he claims, isn't it dangerous to the world security to have such person; President Bush, as the most powerful man in the world?

Perhaps my previous post titled People behind Bush's policies can be explained better with these not-so-new-facts but new-admitions about president Bush's state of mind. Well, I still believe that even Mr. Bush himself sometimes doesn't believe that he is the president of the most powerful country in the world.

Democracy and freedom US/British style

The latest development in the US occupied Iraq, is denying Iraqis freedom of speech by the US occupiers and in their own land. Now, Iraqis cannot demonstrate without fully satisfying the ridiculous regulations set by the US occupation forces. Read it here . If Americans are afraid of demonstrators, what would they do with spiraling resistance? Asked one Iraqi analyst.

The British co-occupiers have begun showing their own ugly faces that tell us that they are no better than the US forces either. Read 6 Iraqis die in clash with British and then for the second day, Iraqis and the British clash.

Perhaps this is freedom and democracy US/British style.

Fair and Balanced? Is it possible, or it's just a lie?

(This post was first published on August 24, 03, but for some unknown reason/s, It sometimes does not appear in my archieve, otherwise I would have just linked to it)

Sometime ago, I read an interesting report/article at The 3rd World View on August 18. Apparently, Fox News has sued a comedian for using the phrase "Fair and Balanced" in his upcoming book. Fox has claimed that this phrase is its licensed trademark.

Yes, Fox is claming that it is fair and it is balanced. I don't want to get into the detail as how laughable this is, but it just made me think whether even with the best intention, this is possible at all.

In reporting the events and news, if ethics and professionalism are present, it might be possible to be somehow fair in presenting the true reflection of the events without commenting on them, but how is it possible to be balancedwhile maintaining fairness? A news network such as Fox, has some set policies (at least in short term) and performs around that policy. For example, right or wrong, it decides to support the war, so the reflection of war events on Fox would be based on supporting the war. Then, the question is how could that be balanced? This can even be extended to the CNN. For example, about 25% of the US public were not supporting the US plans to invade Iraq, but only less than 4 percent of the US public opinion was reflected in the interviews at these networks. Now, how could this be called balanced?

Let me admit that even in my insignificant writings, I do not wish and plan to be balanced. I might try, to some extend, present other point of views as well, but even that, I am not sure if I should. In a world, where majority of broadcasting tools are in the hands of some select group with an already set ideas and policies, in a world, where other points of views belonging to those "not as powerful" do not get much chance to be heard, is it fair if I even try to be balanced and give both points of views the same opportunity? May be not. I believe it is true fairness, not to let my limited resources be swallowed by those who already have dominated all the media. Presenting their side of stories, is not only not fair, but it can be a complete unfairness to the underdog. I am, by no means, suggesting that I do not welcome opposite opinions to mine make their voice heard in this blog, after all, my resume is not shiny enough to make me a suitable employee of Fox or CNN.

I don't believe and expect Fox, and CNN for that matter, be balanced at all; first because of their ugly nature, second, because being balanced (in polices) and fair is just a lie; a big lie to which only Fox and CNN type networks are capable of. People have different interests, values, and behaviors, so how is it possible to please every body and still claim to be fair?

I would like to make it clear here, I am not trying to be balanced, and this makes my goal for fairness so much easier. And, I know one thing for sure: I don't care if my comments might anger some people, however I will never lie in what I report and I will never (to my knowledge) report only half of the truth.

Please tell me what do you think?

Second voice

In addition to his blog Iranian Truth, Nema Milaninia has recently started his second blog called Daastaan (An Iranian Story) where he begins with writing about his observations while traveling to Israel and Palestinian (Occupied) Territories.

Nema has a unique style of writing. Unlike I, he writes very gently and avoids letting emotions in his way of writing especially when discussing issues related to conflicts. Unlike I, he is not biased in what he writes (remember? long time ago, I admitted that I AM BIASED IN WHAT I WRITE- See the next post).

If you would like to see an unbiased reporting, Nema is good source for that. I wish Nema good luck in writing on his second blog.

U.S. declares Saddam a prisoner of war - Update

"The bottom line is that Saddam Hussein was the leader of the old regime's military forces, and therefore he was a member of the military, and he was captured. That makes him an enemy prisoner of war," said Pentagon Spokesman Maj Michael Shavers. Read it here .

Nothing in the above "intelligent statement" is new. This is a very simple conclusion that doesn't require so many days to draw. What took you so long Major General to get into this "bottom line"? It's been 26 days since Saddam Husein has been captured. Have you been evaluating what suits you, rather than what is right?

Update:
Saddam did not only harm his people. He committed his extensive crimes against non-Iraqis as well, and of course, when he was considered a friend to criminals such as Rumsfeld and Cheney. Saddam's true trial can also be a trial of those who assisted him in whatever he did. I wrote the article No Mr. Bush, not so fast sometime ago about Saddam and his possible trial.

Bush is author of dark chapter for America

"As the year of the war on Iraq draws to a close, the larger perspective that emerges is clear: George W. Bush, a small man in a big job, has dragged America into one of its darkest chapters."

"He commands unprecedented military power, but his word carries little or no weight in much of the world."

"Bush's next declared mission, that of toppling Yasser Arafat, only reinforces the image of the president as a king who knows not the boundaries of his kingdom, nor the limits of his power. Or, as a captive of pro-Israeli hawks hell-bent on remaking the Middle East to Likud designs."

"Bush's use of fear as a key tool of governing has turned the world's most powerful nation into its most paranoid, despite two invasions and an expenditure of nearly $200 billion (U.S.)."

The above are the excerpts of an article published in Toronto Star on December 28. Read it and take whatever your capability allows to you take from it.

Does this wall look temporary to you?

Kevin at Take Down the wall, has an interesting post about the "New Berlin Wall" that is beeing constructed in the heart of Palestinian lands.

US responsible for the safety of Iranian decedents in Iraq

Peoples' Mojahedeen (MKO) members are in serious danger of an unholy deal between the government of Iran and the US-installed Iraqi Governing Council.

My intention of posting this is not to discuss the policies of the MKO in last two decades, but the fact is that about 4000 members of this Iranian group who opposes the government of Iran and had bases in Iraq, are now being held under US army watch. The latest that I've heard is the serious possibility of deportation of the members of this group to Iran.

Since the Iraqi governing Council is not a legitimate body to make decisions on behalf of Iraqis and in fact it only implements the policies of the US officials represented by Paul Bremer, the safety of the MKO members is the responsibility of the US government. If deported to Iran, it will not be surprising to see them all severely prosecuted, tortured and possibly executed.

What is the worrying point here, is the possiblity of a deal between Iran and the US to sacrify these decendents. The US is absolutely capable of making such a dirty deal, as it is not new practice by the US and in its foreign policies.

I believe that it is the responsibility of all decent people to speak up against this and to make sure this possible deal does not take place.

Worth repeating: What is the Military records of those who are sending Americans to war and to die?

This was first posted on November 9/ 03:

The men who took America to war in Iraq are now calling for new recruits. But when they were called to service, how did they respond? The record shows that most of them ducked, deferred or even disappeared. Here they are:

George Bush (Commander-in-Chief): Details murky (perhaps understandably murky) regarding his record as a pilot in Air National Guard (keeping him clear of Vietnam).

Dick Cheney (Vice President): Did not serve. Was granted several deferments as a student, then as a registrant with a child.

Donold Rumsfelf (Secretary of Defence): Served in US Navy (1954 - 1957) as an advisor.

Richard Perle (Defence Policy Board): Did not serve.

Paul Wolfowitz (Deputy Secretary of Defence): Did not serve.

John Ashcroft (Attorney-General): Did not serve. Granted defermines to teach business law to undergraduates.

Collin Powell (Secretary of States): Professional soldier for 35 years.

Newt Gingrich (Defence Policy Board): Did not serve.

Dan Quayle (Defence Policy Board): Served in Indiana national Guard headquarters, keeping him clear of Vietnam.

Karl Rove (White House Senior Advisor): Did not serve.

These are the guys who have sent American kids to war and to be killed. It is always easy spending from other peoples' pocket. Just wondering if many of the American soldiers in Iraq know the shiny military records of their senders to war.

Sources (Via Toronto Star) :
Official biographies, Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, ABC, Washington Post, Boston Globe, The Guardian, Newsday, Time.

Discharging from service: A sweet punishment

US to release 506 Iraqi prisoners. But King Paul Bremer said today that "No person directly involved in the death or serious bodily harm to any human being will be released." see here .

On the other hand, US only discharges and sends home those who "were found guilty of beating and harassing detainees at a detention camp in the south of the country. An internal inquiry found soldiers had thrown prisoners down and kicked them in the head, groin and abdomen in an incident at Camp Bucca last May."

Well, given the fact that more and more US troops are realizing that this is not just a video game, and there is a serious danger to their lives in Iraq and the fact that many wish to go back to their families, discharging of the guilty US soldiers can be an open invitation for more harassment and torturing of Iraqi prisoners. After all, that can be an effective way to get discharged and out of Iraq.

And I am also wondering if King Bremer will consider any "punishment" for these cheerful soldiers.

Additional:
Not the first time and won't be the last. US war history is full of war crimes. See Pentagon decided not to investigate it's own war crimes... (from "Toledo Blade" Newspaper).

"New Berlin Wall" to annex 6 percent of West Bank

"The official, speaking to a forum in support of the West Bank fence, said that the first and second phases of construction have already transferred 1.7 percent of West Bank territory to the west side of the fence." Read it here .

Massive ethnic cleansing of non-Jews proposed by Millosovic oh no, I mean Likud MP

A member of the Israeli parliament has proposed “massive ethnic cleansing” of non-Jews in Palestine-Israel as a “final solution” of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Uzi Cohen, a member of Ariel Sharon’s right-wing Likud party and a deputy in the Knesset, told Israeli public radio on Sunday there was widespread support in Israel for “the idea of ethnic cleansing”. Read here .

Cohen, who is also deputy mayor of the town of Raanana, said Palestinians should be given 20 years to “leave voluntarily”.
“In case they don’t leave, plans would have to be drawn up to expel them by force.”

Imagine a world where...

Only 30 seconds, but a world of message for those who understand and those who are in pain because they understand. Watch it here .

People behind Bush's policies

"The war in Iraq was conceived by 25 neoconservative intellectuals, most of them Jewish,..."

This New Year's article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz provides a rare insight into the mindset of the men who run Bush. Only an Israeli newspaper could get away with words like above. Had this line come from anyone else, charges of anti-Semitism would have been flying around like ticker tape on a US parade.

No wonder Israel feels free to do whatever the hell it wants to Palestinians.

Also, If this Israeli Newspaper is correct, this would mean at least 13 out of 25 (at least 52%). What is the proportion of Jewish population in the US compare to non-Jewish? Under 3%?

I feel good about my English

President Bush: "The test isn't a punishment, you know, it's not to punish anybody," "The test is to determine who needs extra help. . . . And so when you hear this talk about testing, testing is bad, testing is -- you know, teach the test, what testing is -- what testing does and what measuring does is determines whether or not every child is learning. And, if not, whether that child is getting the help he or she needs early before it is too late." The rest is here .

If true, glad to hear that

I had this post a few months ago about the impact of possible earthquake in Tehran and now I hear that: Iran considers moving capital. "Tehran lies on a major seismological fault"

It is far from reality yet but at least the talk is there.

To the woman that I once considered my enemy

Miss Neuman, I am very sincere in writing this:

We might have plenty of differences,
We might be in opposite sides of political issues,
In normal conditions, we might not even like each other,
But this is not a normal condition.
You have suffered a loss for which I felt so sorry and saddened.
I am glad to hear you cared for your sister for so many years. Many people don't and you deserve respect for doing that.
Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss of your sister.

Putting aside whatever happened in last little while, I invite other friends and non-friends to write a few heartwarming words for Miss Neuman in here.

Conspiracy, Assault on my freedom of speech by those who claim to have brought freedom for Iraq

Due to the fact that the main issue for me today is the issue of the earthquake in Iran, I have been trying to not be distracted by other issues at this time. But since there has been a continued assault on my freedom of speech, I have decided to have a post about the recent organized attack on me and my point of view.

There was an assault to my right for free expression. It was more like a conspiracy. Many of the visitors (assailants) were coming from same point. It all began with a comment from a person named "Miss Neuman" on my blog in which she was inviting me to see what some Iraqi bloggers think about Iraq today. It was fine and quite alright that somebody disagreed with me. But flood of visitors began, which was again fine, as I welcome any opportunity to make my voice heard. Then after a comment left by a commentator, I found out that all the visitors were coming from here, where mostly like minded people were visiting. It was an invitaion of assault to my right for for free expression.

I found out this opportunist person who was so naive to think by attacking my rights she could change my mind, was leaving comments about me in many other places, comments such as this and here where she accuses me with this: "All I could think was "Good Grief, she/he is encouraging the insurgents"without really knowing it (Or believing it)." People like her, just remind me of the hardline Hezbollahis in Iran, during the first couple of years after the revolution, who attacked anybody who disagreed with them. You are not better than them. This is not better than what vultures do.

There are many other links to this, that I am not mentioning here. And this is from a group who claims:

"The purpose of this group is to promote international understanding by letting individuals get a view of day to day life in other parts of the world, as well as share hopes, dreams, aspirations, and ideas, in order to build a more harmonious world from a grass roots level. Come join the internet revolution!

Well, I expressed my hopes and dreams for year 2004 (see "Go to hell, year 2003" post) and this was how they reacted.

Since I do not find most of the comments left in here comments with good intentions, and I consider most of them hostile comments, I have decided to ignore the comments and not respond to them. But there is one result that this whole affair had in my mind:

I am now more than ever in believe that a network of anti-democratic people who mostly happen to be die-hard Israeli (government) supporters (as shown in many comments), are so active in North America. Miss Neuman who has lots of experince in copy/pasting, seems to be one of them.

Fair Warning:
Civilized comments with reasonable length will be untouched, however, due to the nature of the recent assault on my freedom of expression, I will reserve the right and I may delete any comment I find, stupid, racist, irrelavant, no name or at least no true email address, and/or hostile. I also reserve the right to ban idiots from commenting on my blog. I will not let my blog be hijacked no matter how organized the enemies of freedom of speech are.

I will keep the current comments on for a while so others can see the true face of those who claim to be freedom lovers.

My thanks to the friends who provided some of the links here.

Jannati attacks US aid motives

Speaking at Friday prayers, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads the powerful Council of Guardians, said the Americans were trying to exploit the disaster to seek relations with Iran. Read it here .

This is the stupidest thing that Jannati could have said while US aid is in Iran. I am absolutely not too crazy about the US leaders and current Bush administration, but while the victims are in urgent need for help and while world aid which partly consists of the aid from the US is pouring into Iran for the victims, only an stupid leader who doesn't care about the welfare of the people can make such comments.

I wouldn't give a damn if Jannati was attacking the US policies on any other issues, but it was just selfish and arrogant of him to attack the US while the US planes are bringing assistance into Iran (This is a disaster that if had happened in the US, Iran should have done the same anyway without politics involved). On the other hand, I am not surprised that Jannati has said that, after all, unlike the surviving victims of the earthquake, he and his likes are not spending time in the cold nights of Bam while shivering all the way through the night.

Pope urges UN role in new global order

THE Pope launched a thinly-veiled attack on the war strategy against Iraq of Tony Blair and George W Bush yesterday when he called for a "new international order" underpinned by the authority of the United Nations. Read it here .

When hearts corrupt!

During last few days after the tragedy of the earthquake in Bam, I visited many sites from various backgrounds and ethnicities to see the reaction of different people to this human tragedy.

In most of the sites/blogs that I visited, there was either no mention of the quake at all, or there was plenty of sympathy towards the victims of the quake. Many of the bloggers were also kind enough to encourage their readers to make donations to the quake victims. They had either provided direct link to different organizations, or directed their readers to Iranian blogs in which plenty of information was available.

However to my disappointment, there was one exception to this:Most of the members of a certain group were acting so inhumanely. This obvioulsly did not include all the members of that group, as I admit many of them couragously put aside politics and acted as normal people who care about other people and would come to assist in the time of need. I visited many blogs with pro-Israeli sentiments. Although "a few" of the hosts were inviting their readers to donate for quake relief, some of the same hosts were ruining their invitation and encouragement to help, by providing negative stories at the same time.

What I noticed in many of the comments of this certain group was the ultimate dirt in their attitude towards this tragedy. Many of them had tied their donation (or lack of donation rather) to the fact that the stupid government of Iran had announced that it would accept assistance from any country but Israel. And this had made many pro-Israelis "rightfully" angry. It made many people angry. But would lack of donation to the victims of the quake (who had no say in the policies of the Iranian government) be justified based on this? One commentator even said:

"I sent a check payable to the bearer to the Foreign Office in Israel. I then e-mailed Ayatollah Khameni and told him where he could request the money.
This is why.
"... Iran said on Saturday it would accept aid from all foreign countries except Israel following the quake..."
Didn't want to be accused of being an enabling co-dependent, you know..."

Given the fact that it was clear that Khamenie would not ask the Israeli government for any help anyway, it can easily be understood that this commentator had no true intention of helping the victims of the quake. What was important to him/her was his/her political belief and not the victims. You might say, idiots are found in every ethnic and groups, but if one leaves a comment such as this and is not condemned by other fellow commentators (plenty of whom were available on that site), is it not reasonable to consider this a common belief in that community? I have to add that the example that I just mentioned was one of the least inhumane examples that I came across.

This tragedy could have impacted how I viewed this group, it could have meant to me that even those die-hard pro-Sharon, pro-Israeli (government) can have compassion in the time of human tragedy, it could have forced me to reconsider my position towards them, it could have been a good opportunity to make many changes, but it didn't. Although I maintain my respect to those few people from the same group who decided to care for the suffering of the victims of the quake rather than politics at least for little while, I am even more certain today that most of those who support the policies of the current Israeli government have hardly heard about humanity.

Go to hell, year 2003

Year 2003:
-the year in which the world was lied to, again and again,
-the year in which UN was practically sacrificed to the will of the bullies,
-the year in which "Mother of Bombs" was tested to see how effectively it could kill human beings,
-the year in which Iraq; an independent country was invaded, to replace a former puppet tyrant with an external puppeteer and new puppets,
-the year in which the wealth of a nation, began to be sold out by the strangers and to the strangers with no limitations in the ownership,
-the year in which the people of Afghanistan continued their suffering despite promises of better life,
-the year in which Palestinians continued to be slaughtered in their own lands by the forces of a terrorist state,
-the year in which the hated Berlin wall which was taken down just over a decade ago, was reborn, this time on Palestinian lands
-the year in which many Israeli civilians paid the price for the combination of Islamic religious fundamentalism and apartheid policies of their government,
-the year in which people of Iran continued to struggle under the rule of a hated regime,
-the year in which there was less and less security for human beings in the world and more and more money and profit for those who benefited from this insecurity,
-the year in which "Duct Tape" became the symbol of security and safety and peace of mind,
-the year in which reading Almanac was considered a suspicious act,
-the year in which 600 detainees continued being chained in cages in Guantanamo Bay, without being charged for any crime and without having access to lawyers,
-the year in which child labor continued crushing the backs of small children,
-the year in which 34,000 children continued to die EVERY DAY from hunger and curable diseases while some others added to the size of their asses,
-the year in which only 13 seconds of earth's energy release killed 50,000 people, and made about 100,000 more homeless,
-the year in which a disconnected-from-its-people government, rejected the assistance to the victims only because it was coming from a state they disapproved,
-the year in which many, no, only some, tied their humanitarian help to the victims of the earthquake to whether it would serve the propaganda for the state of Israel,
-the year in which humanity continued being under attack from those who considered their religious beliefs and those who considered the size of their bank accounts more important than human lives,
-the year in which there was no limit to the bad news,

For all those reasons, I'd say "go to hell" to year 2003, and let a new year replace you with better prospect for humanity:
-the year in which anti-human forces are defeated or at least weakened,
-the year in which stupidity loses its strength,
-the year in which people from all races, all origins, all nations, begin believing in themselves and their real power when joined together,
-the year in which criminal leaders are rejected by their people, and are not allowed to rule by force and/or deception,
-the year in which more Israeli soldiers refuse to kill and humiliate Palestinians,
-the year in which the new Berlin wall is taken down before it reaches its first birthday,
-the year in which, not only in disasters, such as the recent earthquake, but also in joys and happiness, citizens of the world share together what they have,

I know, these are too wishful thinking for the near future, but hey, in a world with so much injustices, hoping and planning for, talking about, and drawing the images of a better world, is what is left to live with. So, while maintaining these wishes, and while hoping for at least taking steps towards these ideals, I would like to say HAPPY YEAR 2004.