True, it is not very kind to certain Israeli politicians, but if it is Antisemitic then so is the ongoing debate among both Israeli politicians themselves and thoughtful Jews and others who attend to the reality of the Holocaust as the inescapable ground on which to work for peace with security and freedom in the Middle East.
All of Israel's military might, including nuclear weapons has not been able to provide that free and peaceful security. Nor can it.
The question remains how Israeli politicians can best provide a secure and "normal" life for its citizens. Read More »
I'm posting a few links to Newsmax. I read it every day to determine what kind of stories (many of them actually are true) are being told on Newsmax.
An example of a typical headline might be something like, "The Coming Obama Created Stock Market Crash."
Here are some literal titles and their links. Realize these are the same folk who brought you "Iraq: the Non Movie."
"U.S. Intel: Iran Plans Nuclear Strike on U.S."LINK
More in extended.
Read More »
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) attends a ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem July 23, 2008. Obama began a visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday pledging staunch support for Israel and saying that if elected, he would work to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process.
REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun (JERUSALEM) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(moreinextended)
Read More »Iran’s total defense spending for 2006, the latest available, was nearly 55 percent less that Israel’s, despite having ten times the population of Israel.
Per capita, Israel's expenditure was calculated to be nearly 17 times higher at an average of $1,737 per person compared with only $110 for each Iranian.
U.S. military spending, and Israel's are far and away the highest in the world.
Israel has a population that is comparable to that of Massachusetts. U.S. military spending per capita is $1750; Israel's is $1380. Russia spends $432 per capita.
This article put the defense spending of Israel, Iran and the USA into its proper perspective.
Here are videos from Pakistan that we Americans should pay attention to and then we should call our Congress people and tell them to do what they can to smooth things over with Pakistan in regard to this latest incident.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9BjsoQcZWg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12F-aAzcYWw&feature=related
APJune 12: Pakistani protesters hold a banner reading 'Rulers and generals of Pakistan, give a tit-for-tat response to American missile attack.
In case you wonder about "tit for tat"... Unlike Iran, who has no nuclear weapons, Pakistan does. Do you think that George Bush might have at least enough intelligence to realise this and formally apologise and extend some kind of hand to the families of these people who were killed by American military in "friendly" fire? I think Congress should act. It is becoming more obvious by the day that Bush wants to stir up conflict in the Middle East.
Pakistan has lodged a strong diplomatic protest, saying the bombing of the Gorparai post in the Mohmand frontier region on Tuesday was a "completely unprovoked and cowardly act."
Read More »The following two reports are from “Daily Jang” a leading Newspaper in Pakistan:
Donors pledge 19.95 billion dollars for Afghanistan
Updated at: 2220 PST, Thursday, June 12, 2008
PARIS: World donors meeting in Paris on Thursday pledged a total of 19.95 billion dollars to rebuild Afghanistan, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner announced. [I wonder if they could spare a little for the USA to help repair our infrastructure.]
When I read the following one, I couldn’t help but wonder: What if members of a foreign army who are supposed to be our allies had killed 11 of our citizens and the Army officer in charge refused to even acknowledge the deaths (although public photos of the dead are available on the Internet) and the leader of that country had not offered a formal apology to the President of the USA along with apologies to the family? Hell, the way we operate that would be grounds for nuclear obliteration.
Read More »The reason our dollar is so low is that our President has seen fit to spend billions on unnecessary military adventures and essentially borrowed money to do it. We are not actually paying for these wars. We are on the installment plan and as enormous debtors we suffer the consequences of people who are in over their heads. Their credit rating goes down. When individuals do this, they pay more in interest, maybe get their car repossessed, or their home foreclosed. When nations do it their currency gets devalued, cheapened, if you will.
Most of our troubles today are directly related to the Bush foreign policy which has made us more isolated, more despised, and weaker, especially economically. Sure, a few people are doing very well, either by sucking up to dictators, or by getting lucrative contracts, but the average person is stuck with the bill. Since we indeed live in a global economy, it might be fair to say that even the term foreign policy is becoming obsolete. A better term might be global policy since we are not outside the world, but participants in it.
Read More »Oh for the wisdom as a nation to see ourselves as we really appear to the rest of the world . . . Do you think that it will ever happen? I don't know.
By Rowan Scarborough
A coalition of American Muslim groups is demanding that Sen. John McCain stop using the adjective "Islamic" to describe terrorists and extremist enemies of the United States.
Muneer Fareed, who heads the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), told The Washington Times that his group is beginning a campaign to persuade Mr. McCain to rephrase his descriptions of the enemy.
"We've tried to contact his office, contact his spokesperson to have them rethink word usage that is more acceptable to the Muslim community," Mr. Fareed said. "If it's not our intent to paint everyone with the same brush, then certainly we should think seriously about just characterizing them as criminals, because that is what they are."
An aide to Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee who is counting on his pro-Iraq war stance to attract conservative voters, said the senator from Arizona will not drop the word. Read More »
BY ROJA HEYDARPOUR, STAFF WRITER
Source: Times Tribune
It’s been said many times: this is an election year of firsts. The first viable woman presidential candidate. The first viable black presidential candidate.
But the first Muslim presidential candidate?
One in 10 Americans believes that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim, according to a Pew Research Center News Interest Index survey taken in March.
Mr. Obama is, in fact, a practicing Christian, as underscored by the debate over the controversial sermon delivered by his pastor after Sept. 11, 2001.
The same survey found that 79 percent of the general public had heard rumors that Mr. Obama is Muslim, while 38 percent had heard “a lot” about it. Read More »
By Bettina Lehovec
The Morning News
Islam is more than a religion - it's a way of life, adherents believe.
A cornerstone of the faith is shariah, or Quranic law. It's seen as the ultimate frame of reference, governing everything from permissible food to marriage and divorce.
Most of the world's Muslim nations are ruled by military strongmen or kings. A recent push toward democratization has been accompanied by regime change and war.
As Muslims struggle to take their place in an increasingly global community, they must address some big questions: Is separation of church and state possible? What would an Islamic version of democracy look like? Is there a peaceful means to get there?
Two scholars tackled the questions at a forum on Islam and Democracy at the University of Arkansas on April 11. Sponsored by the Al-Islam (The Peace) Students Association and the UA Multicultural Center, the forum was one of a series hosted by the student organization to educate the community about Islam. Read More »
Charles Krauthammer claims that we should extend America's nuclear umbrella to the Middle East. (copy of his Wash Post article) The idea is to throw in the towel on non-proliferation. The Iranians won't be deterred. Should they achieve their ambitions- so much the better. Neighboring Arab states threatenned by Iran will be pushed to make alliances with the US so that they would enjoy the protective US umbrella as well. The US would therefore have more leverage to get cheap oil, etc.
The problem with such Neocon concepts is reality.
Do you offer the umbrella to Pakistan as a protection from Iran?
Does India get the umbrella against Pakistan? Does it get the umbrella against China? Where exactly does this offer of US umbrella's end.
Clinton's clarification of her policy statement is that while she acknowleges that the apocalyptic vision of the leadership to advance their cause regardless of their possible martyrdom, she is willing to bet that the Mullah's aren't as interested in the vision if it meant obliteration of Iran's cities.
"some people worry that they are not deterrable, that they somehow have a different mindset and a worldview that might very well lead the leadership to be willing to become martyrs.
I don’t buy that but I think we have to test it"
Test it? Iran works through proxies. Ok- say Israel sends their army into Lebanon, and two Israeli divisions are annihilated by a radiation weapon in a valley in Lebanon. This is a much more likely form of Iranian attack on Israel. Are we seriously going to turn Tehran to glass? And even if Iran actually took us seriously, what is their move? Right. They tell China they get oil for 10% less if they declare a nuclear umbrella over Iran. Do you begin to get the feeling we saw this somewhere before? Like Europe 1914. Like when a little event like a Bosnian really shooting at a foreign dignitary can escalate into a global war?
If we massively retailate against other Middle east countries as Clinton suggests, do we put out troops between Iran and Saudi Arabia? What good is our nuclear threats if it pushes our adversaries to gain similar assurances of nuclear umbrellas from Russia or China?
This blood for oil mentality is pretty, well, Republican.
Listen to Lee Scott, a resident of Greencastle, Pennsylvania, Vietnam veteran, former NSA employee, explain why Hillary can't be an effective peacemaker in the Middle East...and why we need Obama now...
Click here to listen...1:35 min.
Posted By The Media Line Staff
IRAQ (The Media Line) April 8, 2008 " Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki announced on Monday he would ban a powerful Shi'ite parliamentary bloc from running in the next local elections unless it disarmed its 60,000-strong armed force.
The 'Sadri parliamentary bloc, led by Muqtada A-'Sadr, responded by saying it would disarm its armed force, known as the Mahdi Army, only if the Shi'ite religious authorities ordered them to do so.
"The Mahdi Army does not accept its orders from anyone except A-'Sadr and the religious authorities with whom he consults. If the religious authorities would ask him to disarm the Mahdi Army, he will definitely execute their demand," spokesman for the 'Sadri bloc, 'Salah A-'Ubeidi told reporters. Read More »
Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We cannot rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain"but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.
Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to"and to see our progress nationally:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=231
Ten things you should know about John McCain.
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he has continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban Waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5
6. He is one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he is too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than McCain has any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a zero"yes, zero"from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out"forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=232
Thank you for all you do.
"Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Saturday, April 5th, 2008
Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. "McCain Sides with Bush on Torture Again, Supports Veto of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What the Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/
Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, and no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you would like to support our work, you can give now at:
http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=12407-5077189-XKR_ot&t=241
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
By Rob Reynolds in Columbus, Ohio
On the road to clinching the Republican Party nomination for president, John McCain worked hard for the endorsement of influential Evangelical Christian ministers.
The ministers are helping shore up McCain's support on the party's right wing, which has always been skeptical about whether the Arizona senator is a true-blue conservative.
But one of those minister's beliefs about Islam and Muslims raise disturbing questions.
Rod Parsley, the pastor of a large and profitable Ohio mega-church, calls Islam a false religion. He says Allah is a demon spirit and that Muslims are bent on world conquest.
Parsley endorsed McCain in February, praising him as a "strong, true, consistent conservative".
(Please goto the above link or URL to continue with this story, thank you.)
OKLAHOMA CONFERENCE TO EXAMINE ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ON TERRORISM
(OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, 3/25/08) - On Saturday, April 5th, the Institute of Interfaith Dialog will host a day-long conference, "Denouncing Violence in the Name of God: The Case of Islam." Participants at the event will have an opportunity to hear Islamic scholars, academics, law enforcement officials, and journalists discuss the "Islamic perspectives on terror, especially terror that is associated with Islam."
WHAT: Institute of Interfaith Dialog's "Denouncing Violence in the Name of God: The Case of Islam"
WHEN: Saturday April 5, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Oklahoma City University, The Henry Freede Center (Southwest corner of 27th and Florida)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Dr. Cherif Bassiouni - Professor of Law at DePaul University College of Law and President Emeritus of the International Human Rights Law Institute
ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS: Robert Pape - University of Chicago; Muhammad Abu Laylah - Al-Azhar University, Egypt; Fred Von Der Mehden - Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University; Greg Barton - Monash University, Australia; Dr. Robin Myers - Oklahoma City University; Ekrem Dumanli - Editor of Zaman newspaper, Turkey; John Coyle - Special Agent of FBI, Oklahoma; Andrew Tevington - Daily Oklahoman; and Dr. Imad Enchassi " Imam of Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City (ISGOC)
CONTACT: Orhan Kucukosman, Phone: (405) 426 5425, E-Mail: osmanokc@gmail.com
The conference is free of charge and open to the public. Lunch will be provided.
Orhan Kucukosman, from the Institute of Interfaith Dialog, stated the reason for holding the conference in Oklahoma: "In the early days of Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995, there were speculations on individuals associated with a religion who might be responsible for the bombing.
As the truth was revealed, the bombing had no connection with any religion, but was a consequence of mentally challenged personality."
Sponsors include Wimberly School of Religion at Oklahoma City University, OU Religious Studies, Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism Texas, Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City and Mainstream Baptists, and the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-OK).
For more information goto:
http://www.interfaithdialog.org/
(WASHINGTON D.C., 3/24/08) - A prominent national Islamic civil rights and advocacy group today said the tragic milestone of 4,000 military personnel killed in Iraq reinforces the need to withdraw America's armed forces from that country.
SEE: US Toll in Iraq Hits 4,000 (Reuters)
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSCOL430884
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the war's five-year military and civilian death toll has severely damaged America's security and international image.
In a statement, CAIR National Director Tahra Goraya said:
"After the tragic deaths of 4,000 American military personnel and of uncounted thousands of Iraqi civilians, we are less secure and less respected as a nation. As we enter the sixth year of this war, it is time to finally withdraw our troops and to do what we can to mitigate the damage caused by our unjustified and counterproductive invasion of Iraq."
CAIR, America's largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 35 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.
Posts
