On Palestine, Part 2

U.S., Allies Set Terms for Palestinian Aid

The United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia agreed Monday that financial assistance to the new Palestinian government, which will be led by the radical Islamic group Hamas, would be contingent on the government's recognition of Israel and renunciation of violence.

Withdrawing aid from Palestine would be a major mistake. Palestine has made some progress in economic development over recent years, a situation that is vital to the stability of Palestine, but there are still major obstacles to overcome. (See this excellent presentation on the issue given by Dr. Hisham Awartani from the Center for Private Sector Development in Palestine.) Hamas understands this. Yesterday, Ismael Hineyah, a senior Hamas leader, called on the US and Europe to continue with the aid, especially to develop the private sector and the Palestinian economy. I said in a comment on an earlier post "It is vitally important to stabilize and grow the economy if terrorism is to stop, yet the ideologues in this administration can't grasp this easy concept. So, once again we may see their irrational dogma CAUSING terrorism instead of stopping it. Rice is definitely not an idiot, but she sure lets ideology rule her mind and blind her to solutions." Either that or she is willfully ignoring the solution.

Security and the peace process are at stake here. All of this Maggot Thatcherism going around is just an obstinate gamble with the safety and security of Palestinians, Israelis, and the rest of the world. Without building the institutions necessary for economic stability, terrorism will continue to flourish, but Palestinians need support in building those institutions. Now is not the time to withdraw aid, for who will rush to fill the need? Iran! I realize that the administration wants to hasten the Second Coming (as does Ahmadinejad), but it shouldn't make it so obvious. (That's a joke, righties. I hope.)

The CIPE Development Blog has an interesting discussion about this issue. I encourage you to register on the site and participate.

On Palestine

Since most Americans have now gotten over their initial shock and outrage at the outcome of the Palestinian elections, I feel it is safe to write about it now. Given that democracy in the Arab world is my field, it was difficult for me to not write a bit about it, especially in light of the fact that so many Americans, even many on the left, considered the vote for Hamas as a vote "for terror." Some of the things I have seen written over the past two days have shown a willful ignorance and incredible lack of understanding of the situation. I suppose that is to be expected, as even Israelis and Palestinians are trying to figure out what the consequences of this will be. The first reactions I received were from the two co-CEOs of the Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information, a non-profit center dedicated to the peace process. Gershon Baskin, an Israeli, was gravely pessimistic, saying "The election of Hamas put the final nail in the coffin of the peace process...The people also voted for Hamas because of its political agenda." I am more inclined to agree with the Palestinian co-CEO, Hanna Sinora. His piece in the Jerusalem Post is optimistic. He says:

"The Hamas victory in the Palestinian elections may be a blessing in disguise. Now that they are in power, Hamas will have to take responsibility for the future. They will have to become more moderate. Now they are part of the democratic game and they will have to play by the democratic rules."

There are several reasons why he is right. The first is history. The West freaked out when Turkey elected the AKP in 2002. Reactionaries were running around screaming that Turkey was going to become an Islamic fundamentalist state. Now, Turkey is not without it's problems, but PM Erdogen is a buddy of the American right, and the AKP has proven a moderate force in the country. Granted, AKP does not have the history of violence that Hamas does (although there is something to be said for their oppression of Kurds in the east,) but the "Islamic threat" that terrified Americans turned out to be no threat at all. A second piece of history to examine is Northern Ireland. Again, Ulster is not without its problems, but something that resembles peace has enshrouded the region since Easter 1998, Omagh being the notable exception.

The more important point is to make the distinction between a vote for Hamas and a vote against Fatah. Palestinians did not vote for terror. They voted Fatah out of power because it was corrupt and couldn't get anything done. Hamas ran under the slogan "Reform and Change." Palestinians are sick of living in third world conditions, and most of them have resigned to the fact that they are never going to get their land back and that Israel is there to stay, so they have to make it work. They want a functional economy. They want jobs. They want a place to live where they can be sure it won't be bulldozed to the ground.

Hamas itself has been forced into moderation, and will become more moderate in power. They were responsible for the cease-fire and were in better control of their people than Fatah, and face it, Fatah has its own militant terrorist group who isn't any better. Leaving Hamas out of the political process can only make them more radical. After all, terrorism is a product of exclusion. When the Muslim Brotherhood was persecuted in Egypt, they resorted to violence. When Israel was created, those who resisted occupation turned to violence. Exclusion is what causes the violence - it's that simple.

If any bad comes out of this, it will be at the hands of Israel, who is characteristically reactionary and paranoid. I'm not saying it doesn't have the right to be, but if it refuses to talk to Hamas, it is going to make happen what it says will happen, and peace will be dead. Only Israel can kill the peace process.

For the record, anyone who was shocked by the outcome of the elections hasn't been paying attention. Everyone who knows anything about Palestine knew this was a strong possibility, so those in shock obviously don't know what they're talking about.

No, righties, I am not happy that Hamas won. I just don't think it is the end of the world. All I'm saying is give it a chance.

Abstract: Too abstract for the GOPs?

Last night, I was having sushi happy hour over at Uni on P Street. As I quietly awaited the arrival of my friend, diligently working on a proposal I have due today, two people came in, one with a cell phone stuck to her head. Since I was the only one in the place at the time, there was no way to avoid their conversations over the course of the dinner. I should have known something was up when I heard the woman trying to give directions to a third person who was supposed to meet them, and the third person was having quite a difficult time finding the place. I guess following numbered roads is tough.

Anyway, while the guy and the girl were waiting for this third person, they began to discuss how amazing it is that the DC Metro is so easy to use. Their conversation soon turned to how DC is such a "classy" city (obviously they don't venture too far from Dupont Circle.) Next came a discussion about free trade agreements, so I knew which direction they were heading. The guy said something about how the politicians make free trade agreements sound bad, prompting the girl to ask his party affiliation in a hushed voice. (Not hushed enough.) Suddenly, she's like, "Oh my god! Like, so am I! It's so nice to meet another Republican, because, you know, everyone our age is a Democrat!" The free trade discussion soon became about how Democrats ignore economics (as opposed to gops, who ONLY think about economics) and then turned to Democrat bashing. She then proceeded to talk about some party she went to where some girl stopped talking to her when she found out she was gop and complained that all Democrats do that (did she ever think maybe it was simply that she is ANNOYING?) Then, the highlight of the night came. The guy said "Speaking of Democrats, I heard the stupidest thing I've ever heard today."

The story was about a guy who wanted to start an online ministry. The guy was talking to this minister about his ideas for the website and then turned to questions of faith. Of course, the issue of abortion came up, as it seems to be at the tip of ever gop's tongue. The minister said he was pro-choice, believing it is a woman's right to choose what to do with her body. He then proceeded to say that he was morally against abortion, however, blowing the sushi eater's mind. The guy couldn't grasp the idea that one could be pro-choice and anti-abortion. This leads me to the only logical conclusion about this guy's line of thinking: he must honestly think that pro-choice people WANT abortion to happen, like abortion is a good thing. Now, you have to be a complete idiot, or I guess a gop (if there is even a difference these days,) to believe there are people out there who are pro-abortion. What these people do not understand is the difference between free will and suffering the moral consequences verses making everything you don't like a crime. The concept of free will is too abstract for many of the gop sheeple, which is evident in such things as "Justice Sunday," Samuel Alito, FCC, RIAA, gay marriage constitutional amendments, anti-flag burning amendments, and the list goes on.

Free will is closely associated with the concept of moral responsibility. By legislating away a right to choose, you are also throwing moral responsibility out the window. Oddly enough, the gops claim to be the party of morality and personal responsibility, yet they want to take that morality away every time someone looks at them wrongly.

The night was capped by the entrance of the third party - a woman from Bolivia. Since the other two were all involved in partisan politics, they decided to ask her what her party affiliation was. To my amusement, she said, "I'm a Marxist/Socialist." However, proving that she was as idiotic as the other two, she added, "But if I were an American citizen, I'd be a Republican." Or maybe she did know what she was talking about...

When reality no longer exists

What planet am I on?

Rumsfeld Says Military Not Overextended

'nuff said

A nation without a soul?

From Wapo: Why America Has to Be Fat

You've read the headlines: America's problem with bulging waistlines has reached pandemic proportions, according to federal health officials, who warn that obesity is becoming society's No. 1 killer. But as doctors wrestle with the problem, economists have been pondering which corporations and industries benefit, and the role that changes in the overall economy have played in making us fat to begin with.

Is it worth it? Is economic growth worth a nation of fat, lazy, unhealthy people? Is it worth being sick, going to the hospital, dying young?

As with all things in life, balance is the answer. But where is that line? Where does the incessant promotion of junk food and food-like products become dangerous to society? When do people cease being people and start being mere dollar signs? Or are people always just dollar signs? The danger, too, is in how economists view people. People are merely an instrument to fill this concept called a "job," which is the basic component of this leviathan they call growth, an all controlling alternative to God. Quality of life has no meaning.

Sure, corporatism has played a huge role in making us a fat nation, but something changed in us socially, too. We lost our connection to each other. Somehow, that prosperity caused us to retreat into the privacy of our excessively large homes and forget to actually live. Our televisions and cars increase with the size of our bellies, while the capacity of our minds to think and of our souls to feel has diminished. America as one concept no longer exists; we have 280 million separate Americas, each one unconcerned with the other. This is directly related to our laziness, as this retreat into our private worlds pushed us further and further away from each other, creating suburban sprawl in an attempt to isolate ourselves. Walking is not possible in some of these places, and long commutes leave little time to set aside for exercise.

A nation that ceases to value the health and welfare of itself will cease to be a nation. Something must fundamentally change in this country, lest we all return to Hobbe's state of nature, where, incidentally, obese people will surely die, for there will be no one to take care of them when their medical bills become too expensive to afford.

DC cops for you...

D.C. Officer Caught Surfing On Car Hood

WASHINGTON -- A D.C. police officer is caught riding down a street with his legs dangling over the side of a cruiser.

An eyewitness photographed the officer as he rode on the hood of a police cruiser on I Street in Northeast at 5 p.m. Sunday. A second squad car was also following the police vehicle.

Meanwhile, the homicide rate continues to escalate... but, why would cops try to fight crime?

It's election year!!!

U.S.: 'Very high' chance of WMD terror strike

There is a "very high" probability that a terrorist group will strike using nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said in comments published Tuesday.

"I rate the probability of terror groups using (weapons of mass destruction) as very high," U.S. State Department counterterrorism coordinator Henry Crumpton was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "It is simply a question of time."

Letter from a real Iraqi...

...not from some wingnut who thinks the media is lying about how bad it is over there:

Azzaman, January 16, 2006

Dear Mr. Bush,

Please accept my warmest greetings and appreciation for all the ‘good things’ your ‘friendly and liberation’ troops have done to my country.

In the nearly three years since ‘the liberation’, you and your troops have been leading us along the path of ‘democracy and freedom’ and have managed to bring security and stability to our land after decades of oppression.

And because I am so happy with what you have done for us I dreamed of you the other night. Your face beamed, and you kept smiling and you hand an olive branch in your right hand.

You were surrounded by angels in the form of birds and looked as an upright, pious man with a Godly mission.

You said all your actions were driven by heavenly advice including your invasion of our country.

For this reason we thank God for all the suffering, grievances and calamities that have befallen us because of you since that, in you mind, is the wish of God.

Dear Mr. President,

Your deeds in Iraq are bearing fruit and your efforts have not gone in vain. ‘The new Iraq’ is a product of your persistence and perseverance.

And because of you and your deeds, ‘democracy’ is now deeply rooted in Iraq.

Because of you we have gained nothing and lost almost everything – may God bless you for it?

We now enjoy the privileges of your humanitarian experiences and because of that our country has returned to the pre-industrial age which your father had predicted for us.

Our country now has no drinking water, no electricity and no fuel. But what do we need these luxuries for at a time we are relishing the taste of ‘the democracy’ you have given us.

You may want to know that we are in a tunnel without light whose end will be the disintegration of our country into shaky statelets that will be easy to devour by others.

Congratulations Mr. President.

Yours faithfully,

Sammak Burhan

This post is not about football

“It was just deflating,” [Pittsburgh Steeler Hines] Ward said. “He rarely fumbles the ball and if this had been his last game, you would have hated to see him go out like that. ... I truly believe the man up above had something to do with that.”

GOD DOES NOT MAKE PEOPLE DO THINGS IN SPORTS. God does not score touchdowns. He does not make people miss field goals just so a guy's last play in his career isn't a fumble that loses the game. God does not hit homeruns, score 40 points in basketball, kick a goal...

How dense does one have to be to think that a Just God would have people playing well in sports when whole continents are starving or dying of preventable diseases? How great is a God that allows war to continue or murder or human suffering because He's too busy playing sports?

Give me a break. To those athletes who think that God is guiding their play and who pray for the television cameras, consider this part of your religion:

Matthew 6:5-6: "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men....when thou prayest, enter into thy closet and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret...."

Next time you point to the sky when hitting a homerun, ye hypocrites, know that your God is frowning upon you, and that your God did not make you hit the ball. And my eyes are rolling.

Oh, and go Steelers. (Why?) And look, Big Ben has his own blog.

Speaking of racism...

This campaign was supposed to kick off in North Carolina and New Mexico, but fortunately, several groups were able to lobby Lamar Advertising to stop the billboards.

HT: Je Blog

Creative justice

Man's racist slurs prompt time in black churches

A judge gave Brett Haines a choice Friday: Go to jail or go to church.

The Anderson Township man, convicted of disorderly conduct, immediately chose six weeks of Sunday worship over 30 days in the Hamilton County Justice Center.

But there’s a catch.

Haines, who was accused of using racial slurs and threatening a black cab driver, must attend services at any one of Cincinnati’s predominantly African-American churches.

Cincinnati is still stuck in the 50s when it comes to race relations.

I had my own encounter with a racist yesterday. I was driving down 14th Street through Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights. Rather, I was sitting, as cars were not moving. Dumbasses crossed the street wherever they wanted, cab drivers drove like DC cab drivers, and generally the lowest demoninator types decided to get in their cars that day. I was fed up with it and turned down a side street, which was narrow with cars parked on both sides. Suddenly, an SUV started backing down the one way street. I had to lay on my horn to get him to stop within inches of hitting me, and then he just sat there. He had a parking space to the left of him that he could pull into and let me go around if he wanted to continue his idiotic backwards driving, but he just sat there expecting me to drive backwards down the street. He even got out of his car and told me to back up. I said no, you pull over. He got back in and just sat there, so I laid on the horn. Finally, it occurred to him to pull over. At this point, I was pissed off, so I flipped him off as I drove past. Of course, he follows me, driving forward down the street instead of backwards, and I get stuck at a red light at the end of the street. So he pulls up next to me and starts calling me a racist white bitch over and over again, telling me he was going to get his daughter to kick my ass and blah, blah, blah. I guess because he was black, my hatred of his stupidity made me racist. I told him he was the racist and that stupidity transcends race. I don't think he understood the word "transcends." Some people should never be allowed behind the wheel of a car.

What possesses people to bring race into something that has nothing to do with race? There are stupid people all over the planet- white, black, red, green... Like I told the guy, stupidity transcends race. If you are going to drive backwards down a one way street, you belong to a whole other class of people: idiot. And yes, I have no tolerance for idiots.

WAH! My property value will be affected!!!

Wound Up Over Windmills

Upstate New Yorkers are up in arms about widespread plans to install wind farms...The whole state of New York is experiencing such a serious power crunch that Gov. George Pataki has taken drastic measures to help combat energy-supply problems and decrease the Empire State's ecological footprint.

Part of his plan includes dotting the rural upstate lake region with windmill farms because they provide clean and practically free energy once they're installed...Some residents fear their property value will take a hit if they have windmills for neighbors, and they have not been shy about letting state officials hear their complaints. A vocal anti-turbine movement is led by the billionaire founder of Paychex.

These are the same folks who are sucking down energy in their excessively big houses with their excessively big SUVs sitting in their heated garages. These people are wickedly selfish, obsessing about their "things" while their whole state is in a serious energy bind. Will people ever stop thinking solely about themselves and the immediate present and start looking at the problems we will all be having in the near future?

This is how dangerous terrorists are in America

Starbucks 'bomb' was only a flashlight

What authorities thought was a bomb in a Starbucks coffee shop turned out to be a flashlight casing, police said Thursday.

Don't you feel safe now? I mean, the authorities can tell the difference between a flashlight and a bomb. Oh, wait, they can't...

No caption needed

HT: blogging out loud

One small blow to Corporatism, one giant leap for American society

For One Clerk, Fight for Wal-Mart Bill Is Personal

At lunchtime, in the break room of the Wal-Mart store in Laurel, the television delivered the news from the opening day of the General Assembly:

Maryland lawmakers would attempt this week to override the governor's veto of a bill aimed at forcing Wal-Mart to offer more affordable health care coverage to its 17,000 workers in the state.

"You better listen," Cynthia Murray told her co-workers gathered there. When her shift ended at 3 p.m., she turned her back on the store and headed through the rain to Annapolis.

There, the 49-year-old sales associate was embraced by lawmakers and union leaders. Still wearing her blue apron, with its "How May I Help You?" slogan, Murray offered a rare statement in this debate that has drawn national attention and spurred an advertising and lobbying frenzy.

Hers was the voice of someone who might actually be affected.

An ordinary American, doing what should be a very ordinary thing- participation in policymaking. See, America, it is our country, not Jack Abramoff's.

I'm not going to bother reading rightwing blogs on Maryland's veto override of the anti-Wal-Mart bill. I can already hear their sniffling, whiny drivel: "It's not fair to the corporation!" Wah! Meanwhile, the state, who has had to pay the cost of health care that Wal-Mart would not, is getting a good deal.

Wal-Mart actually has to spend a whole 8% of its payroll on health care for its employees. Perhaps some of that money can come from the spiraling out of control executive salaries. Executives think they somehow deserve more money, and for what? Sitting in a cushy chair playing on the internet all day? Store managers work pretty damn hard. I'm not saying they should get equal pay, but the gap shouldn't be so wide.

Good for you, Cynthia Murray, and thank you.

The British legacy of messes

Hamas drops call for destruction of Israel from manifesto

Hamas has dropped its call for the destruction of Israel from its manifesto for the Palestinian parliamentary election in a fortnight, a move that brings the group closer to the mainstream Palestinian position of building a state within the boundaries of the occupied territories.

The Islamist faction, responsible for a long campaign of suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis, still calls for the maintenance of the armed struggle against occupation. But it steps back from Hamas's 1988 charter demanding Israel's eradication and the establishment of a Palestinian state in its place.

The manifesto makes no mention of the destruction of the Jewish state and instead takes a more ambiguous position by saying that Hamas had decided to compete in the elections because it would contribute to "the establishment of an independent state whose capital is Jerusalem".

Baby steps - the world does not change overnight. Even when you wake up one morning and your whole world is different, like it was on September 11, the change was taking place years before. September 11th was the culmination of a long process that started with the creation of Israel. No amount of pro-Israeli sentiment is going to change the fact that Arabs were the people living in Palestine since the 700s until the Zionists decided they wanted to take the land. How would you like it if some group came in and took your land based on their racist beliefs? And how did all of this mess gain legitimacy? British Mandate.*

Regardless of how it started, you can't change the fact that what is done is done and both sides need to figure out a way to live together. Compromise is the essence of peace. People get tired of violence and death, thank god, for if they did not, wars would never end. Fortunately, our history is filled with brave people who were fed up with violence and took a stand against the violence itself rather than against one side or the other. Rabin was one of these people, and the violence won. But it doesn't have to.

Engagement is the key to any unsolvable conflict. It was the key to peace in Northern Ireland, it is the key to peace in Israel/Palestine. The parallels between the two situations are such that they should be studied more closely. First, however, the myth that Islamic terrorists are any worse than the IRA must be dispelled. There is a reason they are called terrorists. Blowing up a cafe in Tel Aviv is the same as blowing up a pub in Belfast. Just because some of our ancestors may have been involved in IRA activities doesn't make their actions less atrocious. My own Irish ancestors came from County Tyrone in the North, where Omagh is located. Who knows if some of my cousins were involved in IRA activity?

Face it - excluding groups you don't like from the democratic process is not only undemocratic, but it gives the groups a reason to continue their violence (or to start it if they weren't violent before.) My organization isn't allowed to work with certain groups because of alleged connections to militia groups like Hamas, even though Hamas and these other groups represent a portion of the people. Quite frankly, I wish we could work with Hamas and give them some proper training on democracy rather than leaving them up to their own devices. If they try to participate in a democracy with weak institutions and no plan to strengthen them, stability will never come. (And by working with Hamas, I mean the groups associated with them like the Ramallah Chamber of Commerce.)

As for the title of this post, I think you can get the idea.

*I hate to have to qualify what I've written with a statement declaring that I am NOT an anti-Semite, but that is the nature of any discussions about the conflict. I support the peace-loving peoples on both sides, and I despise the warmongerers on both sides. I believe in the maxim "do unto others." Am I making someone angry by this post? I don't mean to. It's a touchy subject.

Update

Israel punishes US TV evangelist

Israel is pulling out of a $50 million deal with US TV evangelist Pat Robertson after he said Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine retribution.

Tourism Ministry spokesman Ido Hartuv said Israel would not sign a contract with Mr Robertson to build a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee.

HA HA HA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's divine punishment for you.

State of the Union games

Here are the odds for the State of the Union to be held January 31:

1. While applause indicates support, standing ovations show enthusiastic support. For President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union address, how many standing ovations will he receive?

* 0-15 Standing Ovations at 5/1 odds
* 16-30 Standing Ovations at 4/1 odds
* 31-40 Standing Ovations at 3/1 odds
* 41-50 Standing Ovations at 5/2 odds
* 51-60 Standing Ovations at 3/1 odds
* 61-70 Standing Ovations at 6/1 odds
* 70 or more Standing Ovations at 8/1 odds

2. During President George W. Bush's 2006 State of the Union address, how many times will the President say the following words: Iraq ? Evil ? Patriot Act ?

* For the word Iraq, 92% of betting action is on the President using the word "Iraq" 16 or more times at 7/2 odds
* For the word Evil, 80% of betting action is on the President using the word "evil" 0-2 times at 2/1 odds
* For the words Patriot Act, 55% of betting action is on the President using the words "Patriot Act" 6-9 times at 3/2 odds

And of course, there is always the Bush drinking game, although I'm pretty tired of picking the same words all the time.

By the way, today is my first of many 29th birthdays.

What is annoying?

In another demonstration of how today's gops are the party of big government, bushie signed into law today a prohibition on posting annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity. Violators face fines and up to two years in prison. While I despise trolls, because I believe in the Constitutional right to free speech, I won't be reporting you.

The US is above the law

Jordan approves two new security laws

One of the laws approved on Sunday shields US citizens from war crimes prosecution in the International Criminal Court, the state news agency Petra reports.

What is sad is that Jordan had little choice in the matter, as the US has threatened to stop any economic aid to countries who reject US citizen immunity.

The US thinks it can do whatever it wants in the world and suffer no consequences. Unfortunately, in real life, all actions have consequences (as the gops are seeing with the Abramoff affair.) The problem is that we all must suffer the consequences of the reckless actions of this administration, and some of those consequences are dead soldiers and civilians from both countries. Someone needs to be held accountable for these deaths.

What is a war crime, anyway? Every action committed by US troops in Iraq is technically a war crime, for this is an illegal war. Is that what we need immunity from? No, we need to be able to torture and mass murder and get away with it.

History is a biased thing. One nation's history book will contrast sharply with another's. George W. Bush will be ranked up there with the likes of some of the worst human rights violators in Arab history books, but you have to step outside of yourself to understand this. Every society has a different world view, and this concept is something that many Americans find difficult to grasp. We are NOT above the law. The law is what stands between us living together in relative peace and us slaughtering each other.

Spotlight: Craig Rice

Craig Rice is running for District 15 seat in the Maryland House of Delegates. He is a lifelong resident of Montgomery County, Maryland. He has served numerous years as a precinct chair, co-chaired Dollars Drives for the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee, served as the Vice President of the New Democrats of Montgomery County, worked on the Terry Lierman for Congress campaign, and received the Democrat of the Year award for Montgomery County.

Please take a minute to visit Craig Rice's website.

More proof that global corporations are anti-democracy

Microsoft Shuts Blog's Site After Complaints by Beijing

Microsoft has shut the blog site of a well-known Chinese blogger who uses its MSN online service in China after he discussed a high-profile newspaper strike that broke out here one week ago.

The decision is the latest in a series of measures in which some of America's biggest technology companies have cooperated with the Chinese authorities to censor Web sites and curb dissent or free speech online as they seek access to China's booming Internet marketplace.

It's called corporate censorship, and it's the new pink.

Batty Robertson speaks again

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land."

"God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The 700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'"

Um... given that line of reasoning, shouldn't Balfour have suffered divine punishment? Or Hertzl? Or any of those Brits who handed their children a map of the Middle East and some crayons, using the scribbles to decide the borders of countries?

If Sharon is suffering from divine punishment, it would be for massacring thousands of Arabs at Sabra and Shatila. (The official Israeli number is 700, and the Arabs claim up to 3500, so it must be somewhere in the middle.) And we all know his recent "peace" actions weren't for peace's sake. He obviously learned nothing from Berlin.

Pat Robertson should worry about suffering divine punishment for his hatred.

The Private Sector as a Force for Change

"Found" a post about political change in the Gulf on the CIPE Development Blog. It talks about how people in the Gulf are using business associations and civil society organizations as engines for change because political parties are technically banned. What is happening is that political parties are forming as associations and acting as NGOs to circumvent the ban.

The Gulf region is the leader in the Arab world in terms of democratic reform, and this is clearly evident in the fact that elections for various positions have been held in Bahrain and Kuwait and will be held in UAE this year. Even the Saudis have gotten into the trend by holding municipal elections and letting women run in elections for the board of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce. (Two even won!) Meanwhile, Iraq is a mess. Sanctions destroyed any hope of democratic development during the Saddamn era (just like they have done for Iran, and yes, I know Clinton kept the sanctions,) and obviously bombs have done nothing to aid democracy in post-Saddamn Iraq. Purple fingers do not make a democracy.

Just goes to show that bombs aren't necessary for democratic development. In fact, they hinder it. What Iraq needs is a strong private sector pushing for change.

"Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ." (Ephesians 6:5)

A very telling map, wouldn't you agree? I suppose history never really gets over itself. Today's division is the same as the one over slavery, and the mentality of Americans really hasn't changed much, with the slavery-loving red states pretty much as hateful as they were back then. Then again, the Bible condones slavery, so they think they're still right. If Scalito votes to overturn Roe, the Bible(TM) thumpers will need another cause- why not reinstitute slavery? Shoot, we 'ave so many of them illegas...

Sound ridiculous? Of course it does, but so do the things that come out of their mouths (Hurricane Katrina was caused by gays, being "pro-life" and also pro-death penalty, pro-guns, and pro-war... you know, the illogical rhetoric we hear from the mouths of Limbarf and Co.) What makes it less ridiculous are the stories circulating about Dyncorp and KBR human trafficking. Gotta satisfy the pedophelic needs of those defense contractors! Sick. It's just sick! How the hell can the people who run these corporations sleep at night? Slavery? This is the 21st century! And the red states are the ones who support this war! My country, right or wrong? Wrong, wrong, WRONG!

I read a comment today by some righty about how we "owe our allegiance to this country who gives us our freedom." We are not free. None of us is free until all of us are free. Or maybe that just applies to those of us with a conscience.

Sieg Heil to the USA

Pupils Being Given 'Patriotism' Tests in Washington State Schools

Children in Washington State are being given 'Patriotism tests' which are completely unrelated to their studies. The paper gauges whether or not the student shows fealty to the power of the state and whether the student believes in the right to overthrow a corrupt government.

I wonder, did the class discuss the answers after they took the test? Did the teacher chastise those who answered "incorrectly?" No doubt some were intimidated by it, as students are by tests. How pressured did they feel to choose the "correct" answer?

Kudos to the mother who sent the test into the newspaper. At least we know one kid in that class is going to turn out ok.

Culture of Life- just another tax deduction

Parents Rush To Deliver Their Little Tax Exemptions Before Jan. 1

December is a busy month for hospitals, in part because some doctors are helping parents make sure their little tax deductions are born before the new year begins.

Local obstetrician Susan Harvey scheduled a women's labor induction on Thursday to ensure she had her baby before the end of the year.

This is what life has become to America? A simple tax deduction? Pathetic.