Blair: World slept after 9/11

Speaking after meeting with opposition leaders to discuss the "anti-terror" legislation set to be introduced in the British parliament, Tony Blair said:

September 11 for me was a wake up call. Do you know what I think the problem is? That a lot of the world woke up for a short time and then turned over and went back to sleep again.

Well, Blair might be right on that. After the horrifying events of September 11, world started sypmathizing with the US and against terrorism and violence. That was when world had waken up. However, as soon as the same world realized how the events of September 11 were being exploited by the powerful people with pre-set agendas, as soon as the world realized bunch of criminals would use that to start occupying countries base on lies and bogus claims which never came true, then the same world decided to put an end to the once huge sympathy for the US, and feel sleepy again and go back to bed. I wish, however, they hadn't gone back to bed. I wish they stood up to the bullies and demanded an stop to exploitation of terrorist attacks to justify their own state terrorism, terrorizing even larger portion of the world citizens.

Amnesty slams Iraqi insurgents

"Those who order or commit such atrocities place themselves totally beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour," said Amnesty International. "There is no honour nor heroism in blowing up people going to pray or murdering a terrified hostage. Those carrying out such acts are criminals, nothing less, whose actions undermine any claim they may have to be pursuing a legitimate cause.

"In its 56-page report, Iraq, In Cold Blood: Abuses by Armed Groups, Amnesty
International recognises that many Iraqis oppose the continuing presence of US and allied forces in their country, and that these forces have themselves committed grave violations, including killings of civilians and torture of prisoners.

Here are ordinary Iraqis who are caught in between two groups of forces who have no regards for human life. Read about the report here.

Ganji and other political prisoners in Iran

This post is dedicated to Ganji and other political prisoners in Iran.

Please share with us what you think might help these prisoners, or if you know of any new development regarding the status of these prisoners. If you don't know much about their status, at least share your opinions with us.

Also, Nema at Iranian Truth has some articles about Ganji which are well worth reading.

What a change in the story from Thursday to Saturday

On Thursday, there were a few small explosions in London Subway stations and one on a double-Decker bus. Police called it "failed attempts which were aimed at killing large number of people" by the terrorists. I don't understand how it could be failed attempt, as the explosion's indeed occurred anyway. But they were just small explosions. One possibility that I can see on this is that whoever was responsible for the blasts, just wanted to give a massage saying "we can".

However, yesterday Police in London shut and killed a man who was wearing a thick coat (an indication of being a terrorist? What a crime!) They immediately claimed that the man was "directly linked" with the "failed attempts". According to an eyewitness's account, aired on CBC radio, the man was on the ground and almost apprehended by many officers. However, one of the officers unloaded all the bullets into the man from centimeters of distance.

Today, London police released an statement expressing that they

"are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday 21st July 2005."

Wow! They are "now satisfied". A man is killed, as simple as that, and the police only takes that much responsibility for the murdering of the man.

Well, to give London Police a fair credit, at least they are quickly admitting that they screwed, unlike their American counterparts who are excellent in covering up their own screw-ups.

Update 1:
It has been known now that the man shut dead by London Police was Brazilian. So this would be known sooner or later. As a result, I'm now having my doubt whether the credit I gave to London Police was warranted at all. After all, who knows if they would admit the same way they have done now, if the victim was from the Middle East.

Update 2:
It turned out the killer police officer, did not shoot five bullets, he shot eight bullets, seven of them into the victim's head. Why eight shots, who knows. But perhaps it is an indication of the level of hatred that the murderer police officer was filled with, when he assumed the victims was from the Middle East.

London mayor's view on the bombings

I find this very interesting:

If, at the end of the First World War, we had done what we promised the Arabs, which was to let them be free and have their own governments, and kept out of Arab affairs, and just bought their oil, rather than feeling we had to control the flow of oil, I suspect this wouldn't have arisen...
...We've propped up unsavory governments; we've overthrown ones we didn't consider sympathetic.

London mayor, Mr. Livingstone said yesterday on a BBC radio program.

Bush in the lead

Nearly 25,000 civilians have died violently in Iraq since the US-led invasion in March 2003, a report says.

Perhaps the report is a gross underestimation of the casualties in Iraq, but here is the proportional statistics of the figures any way:

The Dossier on Civilian Casualties in Iraq 2003-2005 says 37% of all non-combatant deaths were caused by the US-led coalition.

Most of these occurred during the invasion phase, which it counts as ending on 1 May 2003. But killings by anti-occupation and criminal elements also increased steadily over the entire two-year period.

Insurgents are said to have caused 9% of the deaths, while post-invasion criminal violence was responsible for another 36%.

Congratulations Bu$hCo! You are still in the lead.

A REPUBLICAN voice

I don't know much about Pat Buchanan. By I know enough that he is a Republican who was twice a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. It is interesting the way he sees the so-called war on terror. In his article, Bush barking up wrong tree on terror, Buchanan completely crtiticizes the Bush administration on its so-called war against terrorism. Buchanan believes that the so-called war agianst terrorism has just caused more terrorism. Some excerpts:

The 9/11 terrorists were over here because we were over there. They are not trying to convert us. They are killing us to drive us out of their countries.

The Iraq war is not eradicating terrorism, it is creating terrorists.

Read it. It's worth it.

Ganji needs our help

This is Akbar Ganji; before prision and in prison. Ganji is one of the many thousands political prisoners in Iran who are struggling under the hands of the Islamic Republic's regime.

Ganji used to be one of them (the regime), but as soon as he realized the true nature of the top leadership of the regime in Iran, he began distancing himself from them. Otherwise, he could have had the most comfortable life, just like the other high officials in the regime. He chose not to. He chose to stay with people. He chose to remain clean.

Six years ago, Ganji became one of the most vocal critics of the regime and the former president Rafsanjani. He clearly accused Rafsanjani for being behind the murder of many other dissidents. He criticized the regime and the extra-ordinary power of the non-elected leader of the regime, Ali Khamanei. He was too much for the regime to be tolerated.

Berlin conference, in which he openly and to the harshest possible way criticized the entire establishment, gave the excuse for the regime to attempt to silent him. After returning from Berlin, he was arrested and eventually was sentenced to 6 years in prison.

Just like thousands of other Iranian political prisoners, Ganji is being abused and tortured on a daily basis. Many of his old "friends" who had decided to remain with the regime and gain increasing power and wealth, have now become his most detemined enemies. They just can't stand Ganji. They are doing all they can to break Ganji. But they are not successful a bit. Ganji is resisting, but..... . But he needs our help. All those who believe in true democracy and freedom of speech, in general and Iranians in particular, owe Ganji and people like Ganji big deal. Ganji's struggle is every freedom-loving individual's struggle.

Recently, the European Union officials have expressed concerns about Ganji's deteriorating health. Also, George Bush has expressed "concerns". I wish George Bush had never done that. Comments from George Bush have never helped Iranians, in general, and will not help Ganji in particular, in their struggle for freedom and human rights. After all, Bush has no credibility what so ever. Bush himself is one of the leaders of the widespread international human rights abuses. I wish he just kept his freaking mouth shut about Iran and Iranians. The dumb idiot just pisses me off... .

....Where was I?

Recently a letter from Ganji was smuggled out of the prison. different sections of the letter can be read here. Please read it to know more about Ganji and his straight-talk attitude.

I hope I can find more information as how we, all of us, can help Ganji and many other political prisoners in Iran and the world. Meanwhile, If you have any information in this regard, please share with the rest of us.

A world path not followed - An article

George Bush is no less responsible for the bloodshed than Osama bin Laden. He declared an unnecessary, wicked war on Iraq that has only managed to sow massive killing and destruction. There are no authoritative figures on the number of innocent Iraqi civilians killed by the U.S. army, in addition to the 1,700 American soldiers killed for naught, but their number is very large.

But the wars the West wages are not called terrorism, and their casualties are not labeled as terror victims. The West provides fundamentalist terrorism quite a few justifications. Therefore, the correct way to fight this terrorism should be first of all to reduce these justifications in order to diminish support for it.

This was part of what the Israeli writer Gideon Levy wrote in Haaretz.

Barbarism is barbarism; in any shape or form

It is easy for Tony Blair to call yesterdays bombings "barbaric" - of course they were - but what were the civilian deaths of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003, the children torn apart by cluster bombs, the countless innocent Iraqis gunned down at American military checkpoints? When they die, it is "collateral damage"; when "we" die, it is "barbaric terrorism".

Well said Robert (Fisk).

Blair can be as racist and as arrogant as he wants, but the fact remains that all the civilian victims; regardless of their nationalities and regardless of where they were victimized and by who, are victims of barbarism, no matter if it is Anglo-American barbarism or fundamentalist barbarism. London bombing was absolutely criminal and absolutely outrageous, but so were all the Anglo-American bombings of Iraqi cities that have resulted in far more civilian casualties in that country. and has left, not just a neighborhood, not just a city, but an entire country in ruins and chaos.

Yeah, that's how Bush is

Mom, Who Lost Son In Iraq, Talks About 'Disgusting' White House Private Meeting With Bush:

What she encountered was an arrogant man with eyes lacking the slightest bit of
compassion, a President totally "detached from humanity" and a man who didn't
even bother to remember her son's name when they were first introduced.

No surprise there. That's how Bush is.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July; the US Independence Day, to those decent Americans who respect independence of other nations as much as their own.

Shall never be forgotten

17 years ago today, the US navy warship, USS Vincenne fired a missile and shot down an Iranian Passenger airplane which was on its routine corridor from the Iranian city of Shiraz to United Arab Emarats over the waters of the Persian Gulf killing all the 298 civilian passengers, many of whom children. I shall never forget that day and I shall never forget the scenes of collecting shattered and scattered bodies of the children from water. Beautiful blue Persian Gulf turned red that day.

Every year in the anniversary of bombing of Pan Am 103 in December, western media rightfully repeats the stories of the shattered lives and hopes of those innocent mostly Americans who were perished by the bombing, but in the anniversary of downing of the Iranian airliner by the state terrorism of the United States, they choose a deadly silence that is rooted in their racism and double standards. The double standard that continues rotting the professionalism and ethics they are supposed to have but always fail to.

Happy Birthday Canada!

Originally named as Dominion Day, July 1st is called Canada Day now. This July 1st is the 138th anniversary of Canada's birth.

HAPPY CANADA DAY to all Canadians!