America finally gets its priorities in order
America is cash-strapped right now…as the situation deteriorates, demands are being made that we end our involvement overseas and “stop spending money that we don’t have”. President Obama even declared that it is time for the US to focus on nation building here at home. Yes…the women of Afghanistan who risk falling back into medieval tyranny aren’t going to be able to make the cut as we seek to spend money only on vital national interests. It is awful to admit this, but America just can’t sit in denial anymore…not with a $14 trillion debt. The children of Afghanistan, who were promised a better future back in 2001 as then-president Bush asked America’s own children to donate one dollar each to the cause, can’t be spared either. And those Libyan rebels seeking to rid the world of Muammar Qaddafi? We just can’t afford to give them any funds for the time being.
That’s because America has *REAL* problems. City planners in Michigan are hard at work taking down one particularly grisly obstacle to America’s prosperity right now:
A woman who put a vegetable garden in her front yard has been charged with a misdemeanor and could even be facing jail.
Julie Bass, of Oak Park, Michigan, created the garden after her front yard was torn up to replace a sewer line.
But a neighbour complained and called the city, who deemed it unsuitable.
Every front yard in the area is grass.
NATO takes out Qaddafi’s son
All of this could have been avoided if Q had listened to the will of his people and resigned.
A Nato air strike in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has killed the son of the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi, a government spokesman has said.
Colonel Gaddafi himself was in the large residential villa which was hit by the strike, the spokesman added, but he was unharmed.
His son Saif al-Arab was killed, as well as three of his grandsons.
Journalists say the building was extensively damaged and one unexploded bomb remains at the site.
Saif al-Arab was the youngest of Col Gaddafi’s sons, with a lower profile than his brother Saif al-Islam.
Protests break out in Sudan
The Angry Arab, who I have mentioned before, is excited about what the collapse of the Egyptian dictatorship will mean for Israel. He seems to think it will mean the beginning of Israel’s demise. This is interesting, because not one Israeli flag has been burned during the demonstrations and almost 100 percent of the slogans seem to be directed at President Mubarak.
Here’s what’s really happening in the Arab World. In the video above, protests are breaking out in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. I wonder what Angry Arab thinks about this. Instead of moving north to endanger Israel, the momentum from the Arab revolts is moving south into the land held hostage by the genocidal military regime of Omar Al-Bashir. This is not about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict…it is about the living conditions and repression by rulers for life in Arab countries.
I hope these protesters can succeed…justice is long overdue in Sudan, where Bashir has been indicted for orchestrating ethnic cleansing and genocide in Darfur (ah yes, Darfur…long forgotten and abandoned, but still there nonetheless).
Iran points its bloody finger at Egypt
The Iranian regime never ceases to astound me with the utter contempt and disdain it has for the population that it rules over. Last year, I considered its condemnation of the UK’s student crackdown to be the dumbest statement made in 2010, but this appalling and painful proclamation FAR outstrips that in stupidity and evilness.
“Iran calls on Egypt not to use violence against protesters“
This isn’t just insulting and morbid because of what Iran did to its civilian population after a rigged election in 2009 or the draconian laws it inflicts on them day by day. Look what the regime did right as it issued this blood-drenched warning to its Arab neighbor. Keep in mind, both of these stories came across the news wire at the same time.
“Iran hangs Dutch woman arrested after protests“
Yep…just hours (or minutes) apart. You just can’t make this horror show up. The woman who was hanged, Zahra Bahrami, was conveniently convicted of a “drug smuggling” charge shortly after she was detained for taking part in Iran’s march to freedom. That wipes away all suspicion, doesn’t it? Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak may be mocking Egyptians with the speech he made on Friday, but nothing can compare to the hatred Iran has for its own people. Its way of mocking their executions and the pain they have felt is like nothing else I have ever seen.
Tragically, Zahra’s murder is just one of scores that have taken place this year. In January alone, some 70 people have been hung from the gallows. The fact that the regime is slaughtering so many of its people indicates it isn’t as thrilled about the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia as it would like us to believe it is.
Look in the mirror, sir
As’ad Abu Khalil, a professor in California, is angry about the lack of concern from America and the international community regarding the protests in Tunisia, which have intensified and left dozens of people dead in recent days. Here’s a look at what is happening in the Maghreb (North Africa):
What’s interesting though, is that Abu Khalil was furious at the international community for supposedly stepping into the protests that erupted in Iran back in 2009, in addition to his belittling of the protesters and their efforts at obtaining freedom from a bloodsoaked, hypocritical regime that continues to offend the world with dogmatic stupidity. Despite the professor’s anger, most of us who followed the Iran election protests noticed that lack of concern from America and the rest of the world — in fact, some powers even went on to recognize Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his master, Ali Khamenei, as the legitimate leaders of Iran. Also, the US State Department did in fact come out against the state-sponsored violence in Tunisia, calling on the government to give the protesters their right to demonstrate.
Now, back to the contempt Abu Khalil applied to the Iranian protesters. Whatever truth their might be to American hypocrisy regarding human rights violators around the world, it seems obvious that Abu Khalil was unmoved by the protests in Iran because they threatened to dismantle a regime that champions his number one cause: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Tunisian regime maintains relations with the United States — Israel’s biggest ally — so it’s no surprise that he would celebrate over its collapse. The Iranian regime, on the other hand, has made championing the Palestinian conflict its biggest cause (even as its own Arab population is brutally suppressed, just like its young people, its Christians, Sunni-Muslims, and just about anyone who is not an old, bearded cleric or a Basiji military reject). What would happen to Hezbollah and Hamas, the two forces for “resistance” against Israel, if the Iranian regime were whisked into the trash bin of history? I imagine Abu Khalil would be very worried, even if he doesn’t want to admit it…he does write for and promote a newspaper that tends to sway in the favor of Iranian-backed Hezbollah, after all. Before Professor Khalil criticizes the international community for sidelining the protesters in Tunisia, he should remember how he kept his distance from Iran in its struggle for freedom. Look in the mirror, sir.
The Iran protests are not “a plot” by America, and the Tunisian protests are not a plot against America…they are both attempts by angry, oppressed people to free themselves from totalitarian rule. That is the reality.
Prop 19 will not help California
Californians have a chance to make history in the election this November. While the escalating rhetoric between gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown has been at the forefront, voters have an equally important choice to make on November 2nd: should California legalize marijuana? The decision will be made through Proposition 19, which clears the way for Cannabis to be legalized and taxed on a county by county basis. Backers of the measure are enjoying a lead in the polls right now, but as citizens of this state, we should all be asking ourselves if this is the kind of culture we want to promote in our communities.
The legalization of marijuana and other illicit substances has been a major issue ever since the War on Drugs was launched decades ago. Marijuana is seen by many users as a “victimless crime”, while supporters of legalization claim that government control will take the lucrative trade out of the hands of the black market — the drug cartels that terrorize Latin America while knocking on America’s back door with gunfire and car bombs. Supposedly, the measure is going to bring in huge revenues for our state, by collecting taxes and “easing the burdern” off of law enforcement who are busy making marijuana-related arrests and seizures.
Sure, these benefits sound great for our ailing state. The reality though, is that they are merely an illusion. The counter-campaign to the legalization of marijuana is right when they state bluntly that nothing is good about the drug. Everywhere it is found, it breeds crime, greed, death, and a culture of uselessness and ignorance. Look around your own community. Where are the people who smoke pot on a regular basis going in life? Are they successful? Only if they are selling it to other mind-altered individuals, most likely. Just think…if California becomes the world’s legal marijuana bastion, it will bring in the above-mentioned rift raft, eagerly looking for a fix, from all over the country. The drain that such people put on a working society — whether in healthcare, policing, or social justice benefits –will almost certainly neutralize any tax “revenue” collected by the government. Besides, If prop 19 passes, it will bring about a landslide of new regulations, laws, and court cases, since the Cannabis taxes will be handled on a city and county basis. In a state that is being dragged down by beaurocracy, do we really need this right now?
Prop 19 allows for individuals to grow up to 25 square feet of Cannabis for personal consumption on their property, which is just one reason why, as Governor Schwarzennegger put it, California will become a national laughing stock if this measure passes. Far more serious though, is the home invasions that could skyrocket when local drug gangs see the potential profits in shipping “legal” California pot across state lines, where demand for our lovely new product will be stronger than ever. Imagine how appealing a neighborhood filled with personal marijuana farms would be to interstate drug traffickers, like MS-13 and its rivals. In a twist of irony, what if local police end up wasting their time responding to marijuana heists? It may be comical to imagine a panicked pot-smoker waking up to see his Cannabis plants cut down and stolen from his back yard, but I would rather see my tax money spent (or kept in my bank account altogether) on other things than having the authorities try and protect such property.
Supporters of legalization may read some of these points and argue that the entire country should follow California’s model and legalize cannabis…and possibly other drugs too. But where is the line drawn? If its okay for Americans to smoke marijuana, shoot heroin, and snort cocaine, why bother to pull medicinal drugs like Vioxx and Rezulin from pharmacies when its revealed they can have dangerous side-effects? Recreational drugs are far more lethal than any of these medicines, and have no benefits to our bodies at all.
lastly, there is the fallacy that drug legalization (marijuana and others) is going to free us from the grip of the cartels and the black market. Sadly, this is hardly grounded by facts because the benefits espoused by prop 19 and other drug advocates are at odds with one another. Taxing Cannabis to save California’s economy and preventing people under the age of 21 from using it gives the cartels, gangs, and dealers plenty of market, and can even open up a whole new one. South of our border, Mexico’s attempt to legalize small amounts of marijuana and other drugs have been met by a local market that is growing unabated (in addition to the powerful demand for drugs in the United States) while the narco-terrorists expand their influence in the country. This grim reality was further cemented in a report by the Brookings Institution, published last month, which assessed Mexico’s debate over legalization and highlighted the probable inabilities the state would have in reducing the power of the black market, so long as the country is awash with corruption and other turmoil. Considering the rampant incompetence in our own state government, the Mexican drug cartels and their street-level distributors have nothing to fear from proposition 19. In fact, they have every reason to look forward to the new horizons it will bring to them.
The real face of Iran must be known
I’m going to be on my way to Tijuana, Mexico in a matter of hours, but I have some strong emotions about Iran I would like to transfer to the blogosphere first.
Mousavi supporters rally in Tehran
As I write this, I wonder to myself if society has become so deformed and deranged that human beings have lost touch with one another…we have forgotten that we are all one people who share the same world. I’m thinking this because I am repulsed by the news that has been coming out of Iran lately. It looks like the world is intent on watching the aging Islamic theocracy in that country dismantle its younger generation piece by piece, whether its hauling a student off to a Sharia Court and labeling him an enemy of God, raping a young woman, or busing rural, uneducated fundamentalists into Tehran to make it seem as if the establishment maintains any degree of credibility, as was done with February’s pro-revolution rally. Even many months after the June elections, Iranians have managed to come out into the streets, risking everything, to show the world that they are not one with Khamenei and Ahmadinejad. Today, there is a very clear line between Iran and the government holding it hostage. The two are NOT one in the same.
Meanwhile, what is happening in response? Clueless American leftists remain lost in the Vineyard, the right is throwing a tantrum over healthcare, the Arabs in the Middle East remain silent, Europe does business as usual, and the President of the United States would rather make childish, fiercely partisan jokes about his opposition at home. Its shameful and embarrassing, all of it.
I suppose there is only so much I can ask from my country and the rest of the world to help the people of Iran. If nothing else, I just wish that the UN, Obama, and the international community would realize that the young people of Iran — who make up 70 percent of its population — are the face of that country, not the “Marg bar Amreeka!” rallies featuring the bearded mullahs and their dwindling sympathizers. Ahmadinejad is not the elected leader of Iran…the government is illegitimate and not worthy of any international recognition…working with him as a head of state is an insult to those who have died trying to stand up against him.
Since the elections…or moreover, since I began meeting Iranians, I have refused to use the name of the country, “Iran”, in reference to actions taken by Khamenei or any of his thugs. If only the UN could do the same, it would call the regime out and there would be no sanctions or violence required.
A proud moment for all Americans
Shortly after arriving in Boston this morning I saw the news that Captain Richard Phillips was freed by US Navy SEALS in the Gulf of Aden…3 of his captors were shot dead and the fourth was captured. Hearing this gave me a great rush of patriotism, and I hope that all Americans felt the same way.
Perhaps this event will show the Somali pirates and their brethren in Mogadishu, the Al-Qaeda-allied Al-Shabaab militia, that America is not going to deal with their antics. These pirates picked the wrong crew to mess with, that’s for sure, and eventually, it looked like these pirates would have been satisfied if they could have escaped with their lives, never mind the $2 million ransom they were demanded. However, their potential future in pirating met a violent end.
A collage of Somali pirates…time for transport ships like Maersk Alabama to be armed so they can protect themselves.
Navy SEALS in Afghanistan…let’s hope that the Taliban scum who flog young girls and blow up mosques got news of what happened off the coast of Somalia.
Anyway, the Maersk Alabama arrived safely in Mombassa, Kenya, with all of its cargo. The ship was delivering aid to suffering Africans, and luckily all of that aid will be able to reach them.
The Iraqi Blogosphere + Israel and Palestine debates = Mayhem
While we have watched Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki and the people of Iraq triumph in the face of terrorism, there is another struggle, maybe even a war, that is taking place, and it is happening in the Iraqi blogosphere.
First, my friends over at Iraqi Bloggers Central have announced they are closing their doors. While this is a bit depressing, I am very happy for them…they have run the blog for 5 successful years. I don’t always agree with them–particularly Mr. Ghost, but nonetheless they have all at one time or another done something to help Iraq and its people. Jeffrey, the most frequent poster, has noted there has been a decline in English-language Iraqi blogs…my link list has quite a few of them, I might add. But on the other hand, there is a growing number of inactive Iraqi bloggers, as evident by the growing list on IBC.
Speaking of which, those blogs that have been a good read are experiencing some trouble. Iraqi Mojo has always been one of my favorite Iraqi bloggers with his spot-on analysis of the situation in Iraq and willingness to stand up for what is right. Today though, the blog has been overrun with haters, many of which come Healing Iraq, a run-down, inactive site that was run by Zeyad Kasim, who also had some good thoughts to offer at one point. Anyway, Mojo’s blog has been the center of a debate that tends to invoke nothing but hate and anger for 60 years: Israel and Palestine.
A residential neighborhood in Ramallah, the capital of the West Bank. Anyone who knows about the debate knows that this is a frequent battleground between Israelis and Palestinians.
The lines have been drawn over at Mojo’s, and commentators who were once friendly with each other are know bashing each other, tossing insults around, and getting worked up over nothing because anti-American supporters of the Iraqi “Resistance” like Arab Advocate and his side-kick, Bruno, the Afrikaner, have figured out how to stir up trouble and get their sick kicks. In the year and a half I have been commenting at Mojo’s, I have been able to avoid the discussion…I always feared that because I vehemently stand beside Israel’s right to exist and believe that Israel offers light in a region overrun by darkness I would forever be labeled a “Zionist”, a “Zionut“, or as some haters will say, a “fascist”, or a “Nazi”, words which I believe are deliberately used to cause hurt the people of the Jewish Homeland, given their historical significance.
However, when Arab Advocate calls for Israel to be “dismantled”–a codeword for “destroyed”–I have no choice but to speak up. In the midst of my defense, I have been accused of supporting “the deportation of Palestinians to Jordan”, supporting Avigdor Lieberman and his policies, supporting the West Bank settlers, and worst of all, not caring about the right of Palestinians. This stuff is so out of proportion I don’t even know where to begin. For starters, I am strongly opposed to the settlements and their inhabitants who regularly attack both innocent Palestinians and Israelis who try to protect them. I think they, alongside terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, are one of the biggest obstacles to peace in the region. Not only that, they really aren’t any different from each other. Militant Zionists like those mentioned in the above link are just as bad as the Palestinians who fire rockets and mortars into Israel. At the same time, I don’t think it makes me “anti-Palestinian” to point out that Jordan, in addition to Israel, snatched up Palestinian land in the first partition. Am I anti-Palestinian when I express my sheer outrage over what Hamas does to its own people? I hope anyone who cares about Palestinians wouldn’t think this.
Israel has no doubt done bad things in its 60 years history, while at the same time attempting to offer things that no other country in the region will offer, like free press, democracy, women’s rights, and major technological advantages, things that I believe are necessary for any society to truly succeed. Perhaps its difficult for some Americans to focus on the bad things Israel has done because they blindly support Israel for religious reasons–a means to an end, if I may say so. Or maybe its because Israel is surrounded by regimes so evil and repressive, like gender-apartheid Saudi Arabia, Bashir’s blood-soaked Sudan, and Big Q’s Libya, that it makes the settler violence seem mild in the eyes of the world.
If a fair international forum could exist, Israel would have things to answer for. Unfortunately, its nearly impossible to take the UN “Human Rights” Commission seriously when they give their posts and chairmanships to countries like the 3 mentioned above (Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia) and expect the world to take action against Israel. While the Gaza War erupted backed in December, an even worse conflict raged on in the jungles of Sri Lanka…just recently, 60 civilians were blown up by mortar fire but no one cares because this debate does not invoke political passion like Israel and Palestine do. During the the Gaza war, pro-Hamas protests broke out here in San Francisco, believe it or not. I haven’t seen any protesters in San Francisco march through the streets waving Tamil Tiger flags and calling for the destruction of the Sri Lankan government, which could meet all the same criteria of being a “racist state” as Israel might. America has provided aid to Sri Lanka and has the Tamil Tigers on their list of terrorist organizations as well.
Recently, on Angry Arab’s Comment Section, a blog I often visit, one commentator made a joke about Israeli immigrants moving to India and stealing Indian land, completely oblivious to the fact that India is already being “occupied” by Pakistan and Bangladesh, but I guess maybe its okay for these people because the occupiers are Muslims, instead of Jews. I’ve seen many of the commentators go after the Hindus of India for being the oppressive ones while falling silent over what Pakistani and Bangladeshi militants have done to India’s civilian population. And no, I am not going on an anti-Muslim rant. Any regular reader of this blog would know that I have fiercely defended Pakistan in its fight against terrorism and that its harder to find a bigger defender of the Islamic religion than myself. I just don’t think that blatant hypocrisy is fair.
My point in going on about this is that I really wish that people would completely and totally avoid this debate UNLESS they are willing to hear the other side and listen to their concerns. At the beginning of the month, I attended a debate featuring As’ad Abukhalil, the “Angry Arab” and Israeli Consul General Akiva Tor. I was disgusted by the people who claimed to be “Pro-Palestinian”–they were extremely disrespectful to the Consul General by shouting insults and yelling at him when he was trying to speak. Somewhere in the crowd, conscientious supporters of the Palestinian people must have been very embarrassed by what was happening. The event was advertised as though it would be a forum to discuss the issue…it was anything but. While it was very exciting to meet the two speakers, the “forum” managed to attract the worst of American Society.
I have met Palestinians…and I have met Israelis. Sometimes it seems they are more willing to discuss the issues than their supporters in other countries, believe it or not. Unless you are willing to bring your opponent into a cafe, drink coffee, and talk things over, you should avoid talking about anything involving Israel and Palestine for your own well-being and the well-being of others. I’ve heard that this conflict has wrecked many political careers over its perplexity and inability to be solved…I would say that the debate has wrecked many good and decent friendships over the inability to find any common ground.
The glory of democracy
Now to some news that is exciting and indeed a good development for the future of democracy. After the successful, landmark elections that took place in Iraq at the end of last month, Israel held a successful election on Tuesday. At the moment, it appears that Israelis are torn between two very respectable candidates–Tzipi Livni and Benjamin Netanyahu. If Livni is named Prime Minister, she will become Israel’s second female PM after Golda Meir. Hmmm…I wonder when Hamas-occupied Gaza will be electing a female leader.
Regardless of how one might feel about Israel and what has been happening in Gaza lately, its hard to dispute that Israeli citizens have more rights and freedoms than most countries in the region. I find it revolting whenever I hear that Israel needs to be “dismantled”–often a codeword by the Israel haters that they really seek to see Israel destroyed, as if a Hamas-ruled Palestine is going to give the Palestinians the freedoms they desire. Even worse are the frequent verbal assaults on Israel involving Nazi and fascist comparisons to the Israeli Defense Forces and the Israeli government.
Israel and Iraq deal a devastating blow to tyranny and terrorism every time an election is held. You can bet that the monarchs in Saudi Arabia or the mullahs in Iran cringe every time an Iraqi or an Israel-Arab casts a ballot and takes a step to decide on his or her future. Syria’s Assad and Libya’s Muammar Gadaffi probably feel similar. Yet this does not stop Saudi Arabia from feeling fit to criticize Israel, even as they lash rape victims , chop off heads for the most simple of all reason, and look the other way as terrorists who go on to kill innocent Arabs and Muslims are exported over their border.
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