ZOA lobbies Congress on Iran, PA
JTA | April 22, 2010
WASHINGTON — Activists for the Zionist Organization of America lobbied Congress to consider military action against Iran.
In more than 100 meetings with members of Congress on Wednesday, the ZOA said hundreds of its activists also asked the lawmakers to defund the Palestinian Authority, press the U.S. embassy issue and enshrine anti-Jewish discrimination safeguards in education legislation.
Thirty lawmakers addressed the group’s luncheon, the ZOA said.
The activists “urged the necessity of military action should peaceful, diplomatic measures fail to stop Iran’s drive to obtain a nuclear weapons capability,” a ZOA statement said, and called for a suspension of assistance for the Palestinian Authority until it ends incitement, outlaws terrorist groups and confiscates illegal weapons.
The statement also called for new legislation that would remove the presidential waiver from existing legislation requiring the United States to move its Israel embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Such a removal would likely have little effect; successive presidents have cited broader waivers to assert executive primacy in foreign policy.
The ZOA activists also sought congressional action “to make clear that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — which protects against racial and ethnic discrimination — encompasses anti-Jewish incidents and protects Jewish students from anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation.”
This has been a thorny issue, as successive administrations and congresses have sought to include such protections while also protecting church-state separation. Bush administration appointees, for instance, were concerned that such language would inhibit proselytization.
Obama Affirms ‘Unbreakable’ US-Israel Ties
Al-Manar TV – 20/04/2010
President Barack Obama said Monday on the 62nd declaration of the Zionist entity on the Palestinian land that the United States shares an “unbreakable bond” with Israel and he was confident the relationship “will only be strengthened” into the future.
Despite tensions between Obama and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the US leader stressed that he looks “forward to continuing our efforts with Israel to achieve comprehensive peace and security in the region, including a two-state solution.”
Obama said in a statement released by the White House that “we once again honor the extraordinary achievements of the people of Israel, and their deep and abiding friendship with the American people.”
On Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States “will not waver in protecting Israel’s security and promoting Israel’s future,” while noting while the Jewish state is “confronting some of the greatest challenges in its history, but its promise and potential have never been greater.”
Clinton also pointed out that in 1948 it took President Harry Truman just 11 minutes to recognize the state of Israel. “And ever since, the United States has stood with you in solidarity.”
Thousands rally to oust Georgian president
RT – April 14, 2009
Some 15,000 protesters have rallied in front of the President’s residence and the parliament building in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. Peaceful protests are set to continue during the upcoming days.
The opposition has rejected proposals to form a coalition government, saying their aim is to oust President Mikhail Saakashvili and not to win seats.
Tents have been set up and hundreds of people filled the small square in front of the building while thousands gathered on the streets adjacent to the residence.
After the completion of the rally, around 20 tents stood and will be occupied by dozens of protesters who are expected to stay – ‘until Saakashvili resigns’.
Levan Gachechiladze of the opposition promised that “every street in Tbilisi will become a protest spot,” and all of Georgia will be involved in the demonstrations in the coming days.
“We declare Saakashvili to be persona non grata in Georgia,” said opposition leader Zviad Dzidziguri. He said Georgians would picket Saakashvili everywhere he goes.
Among the many events at the rally, protesters found a moment to release a white rabbit wearing a red tie onto the grounds of the residence hinting, once again, at the now-famous episode when Saakashvili was seen chewing his tie.
The opposition Conservative Party has called the president ‘rabbit’, accusing him of cowardice, and called on protesters to throw vegetables at the residence.
Meanwhile, Tbilisi authorities have labeled as ‘illegal’ the decision by protesters to picket the president’s residence.
As the mayor’s office has not authorized mass rallies in places other than Rustaveli Prospekt, “a 24-hour picketing of the president’s residence can be deemed as a violation of the law,” according to a source in the mayor’s office as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
Liberal/Conservative a False Dichotomy
By Richard K. Moore | Aletho News | April 7, 2010
Between left and right there’s lots of ranting but little dialog. If only people would listen to one another they’d find there are real people on both sides.
I was raised as a liberal. I remember how pleased I was when Kennedy sent in troops to protect black students, and when the Civil Rights Bill was passed. It took me many years to realize that the net result was the centralization of power in Washington, while blacks continue to be treated as second-class citizens. I believe Kennedy was well-intentioned, but we know where good intentions can lead. I no longer identify with any political faction.
I’d like to suggest another perspective on liberalism. The fact is that the majority of the population in North America and Europe are liberal in their thinking. The dream of the liberal is a government that serves the people, balances the budget, promotes prosperity, avoids wars, and protects our rights. They think it is possible, if only the right people get in power. They don’t think too much about the fact that whenever you ask the government to do something for you, you’re giving them power to do that — plus whatever else they decide to use the power for. And liberals can’t bring themselves to see that government is basically a conspiracy against the people — they reject that along with all other ‘conspiracy theories’.
Since liberals are the majority, the mainstream propaganda is aimed at liberals, and phrased in liberal language. Conservatives are quite right to call it the ‘liberal media’. The healthcare bill, for example, was sold by the media in liberal terms — ‘helping’ people who are not currently insured. The media also told people that Obama’s attempt to ‘help’ was being thwarted by ‘heartless’ Republicans.
So we get a situation where liberals are celebrating the passage of the healthcare bill, even when most of them don’t have a clue about what the bill really means. They were seeing the whole thing as a battle between good and evil, between ‘caring’ Obama and ‘heartless’ Republicans. They’ll accept ‘defects’ in the bill because they think it was ‘the best Obama could get’.
The whole thing was theater, a scam. The healthcare bill was settled in its fundamentals many months ago, written by insurance companies, and rubber-stamped by party leaders of both sides and by Obama. Then we had months of fake debate, giving Obama an excuse to ‘back down’ on major promises, so he’d look good to liberals. Meanwhile Republicans could point out how bad the bill is, so they can look like heroes when the shit hits the fan in the healthcare system, as it will. And on both sides of the aisle, campaign accounts had been boosted by contributions from the insurance and pharmaceutical industries.
The point I’m making is that the healthcare bill has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. It’s theft by insurance companies, abetted by corrupt politicians, and sold as ‘liberal’ by the corporate-owned media.
It isn’t that liberals ‘want things’, and then the government ‘gives it to them’. Rather, the wealthy elites that run the country decide what they want, and then they sell it in the media using liberal language. From a conservative perspective it might look like liberals are running things, but it’s an illusion. An illusion that many liberals buy into as well.
One practical political alternative is to work toward restoring the Constitution, and I support that. However, most liberals will oppose it, if it’s proposed by Republicans. Not because liberals dislike the Constitution, but because they don’t trust Republicans. And because the media will tell them that ‘Constitutionalism’ is fake, that it’s a cover for eroding civil rights, etc. etc. Whichever lie that works — to be discovered in focus groups.
As long as liberals see conservatives as ‘the problem’, and conservatives see liberals as ‘the problem’, then we’re never going to get anywhere. We’ll be played off against one another, and nobody will get what they really want. When the government wants to sell more ‘security’, they’ll use conservative language. When they want to sell more spending, they’ll use liberal language.
I believe that we need to start talking to people on the ‘other side’, rather than circling our wagons in opposition to one another. I don’t propose this as a political strategy, but rather as a pre-condition for developing an effective strategy. We won’t convert anyone to change sides, but we’ll learn that underneath our labels we all have similar concerns and hopes.
A Constitutional republic is supposed to operate by the consent of the governed. If the governed are divided against themselves, then government is free to do what it wants. If the governed can develop mutual understanding, they can stand as one voice and demand accountability.
Israeli invasion into southeastern Gaza kills 4, injures 8, destroys a home and ravages farmland
By Eva Bartlet | March 27, 2010
On 26 March, fighting erupted between Palestinian resistance and invading Israeli soldiers when IOF jeeps, tanks, and bulldozers invaded, supported by F-16s, Apache helicopters and unmanned drones from above.
Two Israeli soldiers were reported killed and 2 more injured. Medics with the Red Crescent report that three Palestinian resistance fighters were killed, along with 1 civilian, Haitam Arafat, 22 years old, shot on his land.
Eight more Palestinians were injured, according to Muawiyya Hassaniin, director of emergency services in Gaza. The injured include Osama Abu Dagga, a child of 6 years, shot in the head while in his home 2 km from the border. He is in critical condition.
While the invasion was underway, locals reported several F-16 Israeli warplanes, Apache helicopters, drones, roughly 20 tanks and 6 bulldozers.
During the Israeli invasion, Palestinian ambulances were unable to reach the injured, delayed and unable to attain coordination from Israeli authorities to retrieve the injured, although international law obligates Israel to accord this permission.
Long after the fighting between the resistance and invading Israeli soldiers, 3 Israeli bulldozers destroyed the home of Hashem Abu Daggma and surrounding farmland, all well over 500 metres from the border.
“They came around 11 pm and stayed until 3 am,” accompanied by tanks and aerial reinforcement, said a cousin of Abu Daggma’s, one of 15 living in the home until yesterday.
“I have no idea why they destroyed the home. It’s the third time they’ve attacked the house. Eight months ago they destroyed the outer side walls. Five months ago they destroyed the back wall. And this time they finished the job,” he said.
Abdel Aziz and Ibrahim Egdiah own 1.5 dunams next to the Abu Daggma home.
“We had parsley, radishes, olive and palm trees. Some of our trees were over 25 years old,” said Ibrahim Egdiah.
“Twelve people depend on this land,” he said, throwing aside a mangled olive branch. “Mish haram?” Isn’t this shameful?
Jaber Abu Rjila, a resident of Faraheen in the greater Abassan area, watched the Israeli invasion from a rooftop in the village a kilometre away.
“There were up to 20 tanks at the height of the invasions. The F-16, Apaches, drones and tanks were firing rockets, missiles and machine gun fire. I really felt that they might come into Faraheen again.”
Rjila’s house and chicken farm, 500 metres from the border, was ravaged in May 2008, his chicken barn destroyed, all but a percentage of the birds, farm equipment, and crops.
Rjila and other farmers in the border regions are constantly subject to Israeli soldier gunfire from border jeeps and towers.
“Many people are worried that Israel might come back and do something worse,” said Rjila. Today, the day after the invasion, Israeli bulldozers were visible waiting along the border.
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Mottaki: US, Britain behind region’s acts of terror
Press TV – March 8, 2010
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has charged that the United States and Britain are engaged in spreading terrorism in the region.
“The United States and Britain and their forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan are encouraging acts of terror in the region,” Mottaki said in an address to a regional conference in Tehran.
“Foreign (military) bases in our region have not been set up for stability and security purposes and military cooperation but are aimed at interfering in internal affairs of regional countries,” he added.
He warned regional countries to exercise vigilance making sure that “deals with foreign forces will not threaten regional security.”
The Iranian minister urged US officials to define the meaning of terrorism, saying, “They should speak about their links with terrorists, violation of rights in the name of human rights and their reason for keeping silent about the killing of human beings.”
Referring to the recent capture of the terrorist leader Abdolmalek Rigi by Iranian intelligence forces, Mottaki questioned reasons behind the presence of the terrorist leader in the US military base in Afghanistan.
On February 23, the leader of the Jundallah terrorist group was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan when he was tracked down by Iranian security forces.
Rigi and one of his deputies were captured after Iranian security forces forced their plane to land at an airport in the Persian Gulf city of Bandar Abbas.
Iranian security forces said he was at a US base in Afghanistan 24 hours before his capture.
In his confessions, Rigi revealed details about his ties with some intelligence agencies such as the CIA and said that he had closely cooperated with the security services of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mottaki addressed arrogant powers, saying, “They are fomenting terrorism in the region while chanting anti-terrorism slogans. The Islamic Republic has long ago given warning against this danger.”
Baby Survives 3 Days in Argentina with Bullet Wound in Chest
Latin America Herald Tribune | March 1, 2010
BUENOS AIRES – A 7-month-old baby survived alone for three days with a bullet wound in its chest beside the bodies of its parents and brother, who died in an apparent suicide pact brought on by the couple’s terror of global warming, the Argentine press said Saturday.
The incident, reported by the daily Clarin, occurred in a modest dwelling in the city of Goya in the northeastern province of Corrientes, where Francisco Lotero, 56, and Miriam Coletti, 22, lived with their two small children.
According to sources cited by the Buenos Aires morning paper, the couple’s neighbors smelled Thursday a strong odor coming from the Lotero’s house.
Police entered the home and found a Dantesque scene: the lifeless bodies of the couple, each shot in the chest, and their 2-year-old son, who had been shot in the back.
In another room police found a 7-month-old baby still alive but covered in blood from a bullet wound in the chest. It was taken to hospital immediately and its condition is improving hourly, according to doctors’ reports.
The cops found a letter on the table alluding to the couple’s worry about global warming and their anger at the government’s lack of interest in the matter.
Montreal Gaza Photo Exposition to Stay Open
CJPME and Cinema du Parc win battle to host Gaza Exposition
CJPME | February 22nd, 2010
Montreal – It was with great satisfaction and relief that Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) received the news Wednesday that its Photo Exposition Human Drama in Gaza would continue until its scheduled closing on Feb. 28th. Around noon, an email from legal representative Lieba Shell advised the management of Cinema du Parc, the exposition host, that after “reviewing its options,” Management Redbourne retracted its previous position and was no longer seeking to close the photo exposition on Gaza. Given the lack of justification for its demand, Redbourne backed down on its request when hundreds of emails of support from the public were received.
Two days earlier, on Monday, Feb. 15th, the real estate management firm owning the shopping center housing the Cinema du Parc – one of whose shareholders is based in Israel – had indeed ordered Cinema du Parc to dismantle the exposition immediately, failing which it threatened to use legal action. Citing a clause in its lease, Redbourne had argued that the Cinema du Parc had violated the terms of the lease with the Photo Exposition. This claim, however, was contradicted by the preceding clause, which clearly mentions the possibility for Cinema to host all kinds of related activities, such as “presentations, meetings, viewing, or other similar activities.” Cinema du Parc had frequently exercised this right in the past, with the hosting of nearly forty exhibitions of a socially progressive nature, without there ever having been a problem in the past. “People should know what happened,” said Thomas Woodley, the President of CJPME.
“Redbourne sought to intimidate the Cinema du Parc into shutting down the Exposition. This behaviour is unacceptable and had absolutely no legal basis. It was clearly a political manoeuvre intended to block access to information regarding the Israeli assault on Gaza last winter, and during which several violations of human rights have been identified.” CJPME had hoped that the dialog around the Exposition would help Canadians grasp the gravity of crimes committed during the Israeli assault, and would facilitate a free public debate on the incidents. CJPME was naturally alarmed when Redbourne, prompted by pro-Israeli voices, sought to shut down this free exchange. As publicized since its inception, Human Drama in Gaza sought to transcend labels and stereotypes, and wanted to help people understand the human catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. The Exposition aimed to put a human face on the misery of the people of Gaza, and to show the poignant resilience of a people facing severe adversity. The captions accompanying the photos cite statistics and legal analyses of Israel’s 22-day assault on Gaza of last winter.
About CJPME – Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is a non-profit and secular
organization bringing together men and women of all backgrounds who labour to see justice and peace take root again in the Middle East. Its mission is to empower decision-makers to view all sides with fairness and to promote the equitable and sustainable development of the region.
For more information, please contact Grace Batchoun at 514-745-8491or grace.batchoun@cjpme.org.
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
http://www.cjpme.org
Peace accord signed for Darfur
Sudanese pres. officially declares signing of peace agreement with JEM
Saba / February 20, 2010
KHARTOUM — Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir officially proclaimed here Saturday that his government signed a peace agreement with the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the biggest rebel movement in Darfur, led by the chad-based Khalil Ibrahim, according to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).
Bashir, who made this announcement in an address delivered before thousands of women at the fairgrounds in Bari district in Khartoum, did not go into the agreement’s details, though he asserted that his government will sign a final peace accord with all Darfurian rebel movements within two days in the Qatari capital of Doha.
Further, Bashir announced the abolition of all death penalties issued against those belonging to the JEM who took part in the offensive against the Sudanese capital in May 2008 and ordered the immediate release of 30 percent of them.
Bashir also hailed the role played by the Chadian president Idriss Deby in pushing the negotiations with the JEM as well as the efforts exerted by the Amir of the state of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Egyptian president Honsi Mubarak, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi and other countries that helped make the peace overtures in Darfur a success.
JEM had declared earlier today that they signed a framework agreement with the Sudanese government in the Chadian capital N’Djamena that sets modalities for a ceasefire agreement between the two sides.
This declaration comes a day following the Sudanese president’s assertion that reaching an agreement with the JEM is around the corner.
This agreement comes following three-day talks between a JEM delegation and a Sudanese government delegation in the Chadian capital N’Djamena brokered by president Dibi in what coincided with consultations held by Darfur rebels with a Sudanese government delegation under the sponsorship of Qatar and with the participation of the United Nations and the African Union.
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A sample of vaccine and injectable medication tragedies during my lifetime
This is what happens when you demand speedy production in an era of politicized regulation
By Meryl Nass, MD | February 12, 2022
All these tragedies have been due to failures of testing or failures in manufacturing processes. Most occurred before vaccine manufacturers were given virtually complete protection from liability in 1987.
With the duration of patent exclusivity determining how much new products earn, products are rushed to market as quickly as possible, most using a shortened path for FDA review. Recalls and market removals of approved products are much more common than they used to be. We can only expect more of these disasters in the future, especially if the products are mandated for everyone. … continue
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