The Republican Party in a Nutshell

Clearly this guy needs help. Michael Steele, the chariman of the RNC, doesn't know what health care coverage he has. This basically epitimizes the republican knowledge about health care. How much longer are they going to sit there and pretend like health care is not a problem?

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25217.html

Honduras Coup

So today the Honduran army decided it would be a good idea to take out the democratically elected president Manuel Zelaya. From what I understand, he wanted to make changes to the constitution. Though this is always a heated debate, I can't understand how it would lead to a coup without ivolvement from some other nation. Zelaya was set to have a non-binding election on the changes as a way of getting public opinion on the matter, I don't see anything wrong with that, but he was over thrown anyways. This to me smells like involvement from some big country in the region who took the oppertunity to get rid of a socialist president. Might have been the US might not have, all I know is that this is wrong and I stand 100% with the protesters in Honduras. Notice how there has been little coverage of this in American media so far, if this was a protest they support, like say Iran, the front page of every American newspaper. It's selective coverage, made to promote an agenda.

Iran

I feel at this point that I have to say something about Iran as the situation there seems to be winding down now. Here's the thing, while what the government over there was doing was indeed wrong, there are some silly things that the Western media has been doing since this whole thing started. First, they have been calling Mousavi and his people "reformers." One thing that people have to understand about Iran's political system is that the guardian council (a counsel of religious clerks (kooks if you ask me)) weed out the political candidates they don't like and only allow the ones they do like to run in the elections. What this means is that there is virtually no difference in the ideology between Mousavi and Ahmadinajed. In fact, Mousavi, was president of Iran during one of the regimes most oppressive times. Also, the president in Iran is really just a figurehead for the ayatollah. Khomeini is the one that runs the show over there, in reality, whatever he says goes regardless of who the president is because the ayatollah is the supreme leader.

Also I have to wonder, while I do believe the protesters in Iran are brave and have some purpose, why is the western media acting like they support the US or something? First of all, there were many pro-ahmedinajed rallies as well, but they weren't covered for obvious reasons. Second, I heard that many of the protesters didn't even vote, but are taking this opportunity to protest because they're sick of a silly, repressive regime, they are not necessarily however, in favor of a regime that supports the US, all they want is a regime where they're vote actually means something. This view point is not covered in the US media because they still have the naive attitude of "you're either with us or against us." Compare this coverage to the coverage of Palestinians who protest against Israeli occupation. They are looked at as "extremists", or "savages", or "terrorists", or people who are somewhat rogues of what Palestinian opinion actually is. In reality, those protesters are just as brave, if not braver then the protesters in Iran considering that they have tanks, bombs, planes, and settlements coming at them, not just tear gas.

Finally, why is our media acting like we're perfect. We still have racism in our country today, Sean Bell was not all that long ago. I read an article after Obama was elected (by the way, if he didn't talk so "proper", would he have been elected? Clearly it worked for a white guy who was terrible at speaking (Baby Bush).") saying that they were "scared that a black man was president", is that not racism? We have so quickly forget about the fact that we sprayed civil rights protesters with hoses and tear gas and whatever else, I wouldn't be shocked to know that we even shot some of them. We could also go on into the massacres of the Native Americans, the McCarthy era, Japanese concentration camps during WWII (who knows what really happened there?), our own civil war, the fact that blacks and poor people are still subjected to serve in the army ahead of the beneficiaries of those wars. How many innocent people have we killed in Iraq and Afghanistan? How would we feel if we had an internal conflict and another world leader chipped his 2 cents in? Now think about how Iranians must have felt after idiot world leaders (including Obama after pressure from kooky republicans) came out and stuck their nose into stuff that has nothing to do with them. Or does it??

This is the same media which supports even more repressive regimes such as the ones in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt. Again, I'm not condoning what the Iranian regime is doing to their people. People all over the world should have the right to peacefully protest with no interference. But think about how its being covered here and don't let the mainstream media fool you.

A speach by a racist

So I just read about israeli prime zionist netanyahu's speech on Palestinian policy. I have to wonder, how is it possible to have an independent "demilitarized" state? The AP tried to spin this to say how "wonderful" it is that netanyahu would have the decency in him to support a two state solution...what a hero! I mean, it's so ground breaking to have someone support a two state solution! (Sarcasm of course). The truth about this is that Israel simply wants to justify what they are doing in Palestine by calling its current position a "state." I mean, how could a state that can't defend itself be considered a truly independent state? By creating a demilitarized Palestinian state (pretty much calling current Palestine a "state") Israel can continue their occupation and oppression of the Palestinians with no penalty. If this is really Israel's policy, they are headed for defeat, Palestine will not accept this, no justice, no peace.

More stupid American presidents...

"Invoking the Quran and his rarely used middle name, Barack Hussein Obama declared Thursday that America has a common cause with Islam and never will be at war with the faith — an overture intently watched by the Muslim world and welcomed in unlikely quarters. An Iranian cleric called the president's speech "an initial step for removing misconceptions.""

Why does the white house think that it is a privilege to be allies with them? I mean, Obama is "extending a hand to Muslims" but does he really think support for Israel and a war in Iraq not matter? I mean he wants Muslims to "help combat extremism" what extremism? Hamas? Hezbollah? Is that who he's refering to? I can guarantee this, if US support for Israel continues (which I'm sure will), then support for resistance groups like Hamas and Hezbollah will continue. Do they expect people in Lebanon and Palestine in particular to get attaked and not support their respective resistance group? If the white house trully belive this, then they are delusional.

Racism to the fullest

"The Israeli parliament has passed a preliminary reading of a bill that would mandate the imprisonment of anyone who calls for the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, according to the Jerusalem Post newspaper."

So let me get this straight, if someone says that Israel should do such a crazy thing such as have a secular state with equal rights for all, then they should get imprisoned? It doesn't get more racist then this...

Rich to be Poor

A great article on Washington DC's poor.

Our fabulous non-democracy

" President Barack Obama declared Wednesday he would try to block the court-ordered release of photos showing U.S. troops abusing prisoners, abruptly reversing his position out of concern the pictures would "further inflame anti-American opinion" and endanger U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan."

This proves there is no democracy in this country. In what kind of democracy can a president block a court-order? The whole point of the judiciary system is to be the decider of right and wrong. If the president can just over ride them, then what's their point? This is a major problem for a country that claims to be a "democracy" and wants to spread this "democracy" across the world.

Stupid Banks/Governements

After reading this article, I realize that the Obama administration does not know what its doing when it comes to the economy.

Clearly, these bank stress tests are not telling us anything. If you read the article, you find out that banks are losing a lot more then what the tests predict even in harsher economic conditions then we are in now. This means that these "tests" are made just to stimulate wall street and give people a false sense of security. The government would also be wrong to simply hand money to these banks, it is time to nationalize them. When you have bonus scandals like what happened with AIG and idiots at Bank of America and Citibank who still can't figure out how much they have in "toxic assets" you know it is time to take them over. The problem is that Obama decided that he'd rather have people from the old regime, like Gethner and Summers, on his economic team then bringing in professors and/or young talent who may have some fresh ideas on how to get out of this crisis. But the guys that are there now have no idea on how to deal with this. They are opperating under the assumption that the system is fine and if we keep pumping money into it things will magically work. This works if you have buisness owners who actually care about the health of the people of the US, but they don't, they only care about themselves and their own wealth. The answer, as Europe has been saying, is regulation. The stimulus package, although it could have been done better, was a good idea, but every other plan so far has been somewhat idotic, what this system needs is tough, firm, regulation on how the buisness of buying and lending morgages is done, it will prevent us from falling in this type of crisis again, and it will create jobs for all these buisness majors (and there are too damn many of them) in the area of overseeing these practices. Unfortunatly, our government doesn't see clearly, they are stuck in the same old past and need some new ideas, this would have been Obama's chance to promote "change" but as of now, its not there...

Proof of one thing...

"Veteran Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter told colleagues Tuesday that he switched from the Republican to the Democratic Party, Sen. Harry Reid says."

What this proves is that our two party system is really a one party system. How could a long time republican all of a sudden become a democrat? Could you imagine a long time communist all of a sudden become a capitalist? In other countries, this is the distinction between one party and the other, which is why elections are so important and people bleed over them. Here, the choice is between tangerines and clementines. Both parties are right wing, but one is slightly less then the other. What has changed from the last administration to this one? Other then some housecleaning measures on torture (which is still going on in the Obama administration) and some funding for abortion? Foreign policy is the same and both parties believe in pumping money into a broken financial system to fix it (Not that some money shouldn't be poured in, but we need more regulation then anything else). This is a problem which was made by greed, if it goes unfixed, the US could have some major problems in the future.

Viva Chavez

"Venezuela and the Palestinian Authority have established diplomatic relations."

At least there is one good leader in the world...

Same old, needs to change...

"Two Palestinians have been killed in separate incidents in the West Bank, Israeli army and Palestinian sources have said.

Jewish settlers shot a teenager, alleging that he had tried to attack residents of a West Bank settlement on Friday.

In a separate incident, Israeli troops killed a man who had been protesting against Israel's separation barrier, Palestinians said."

Now how did either of these people deserve to die? Doesn't make any sense. Those settlers kill Palestinians all the time and never get in trouble for it. It's utterly ridiculous.

Ofcource not...

"An Israeli foreign ministry spokesperson has confirmed to Al Jazeera that it will not co-operate with a United Nations investigation into alleged war crimes during the 22-day assault on the Gaza Strip."

This is what countries do when they know they were wrong. Israel has always been committing atrocities, it would be nice to see them get punished for it.

What an Effort

"Evo Morales, the Bolivian president, has vowed to continue his hunger strike until opposition politicians pass an electoral bill approving a new constitution and elections."

"Morales' opponents say the bill, already partially approved, would give Morales political advantage because it assigns more seats to the poor, indigenous parts of the country."


Morales is an amazing man, not many leaders in this world care about the poor and he is one of the few. His country is behind him and his snobbish opponents, who are US backed, will lose.

puppet talk

"The Afghan ambassador to the United States has told Al Jazeera that civilian casualties during US military operations are "a price that we have to pay" if the Taliban and al-Qaeda are to be defeated."

"The envoy also said that Afghans would understand that mistakes by US forces would be made, as long as there was a full apology."

This is the definition of a puppet government. I want to see these guys go to any family in Afghanistan who have had a family member die and tell them that its ok because the US military apologized.

Not so terrorist...

""If helping the Palestinians is a crime, I officially admit to my crime … and if it is an accusation, we are proud of it. Everybody knows that this is not the first time Hezbollah has tried to furnish arms to the Palestinians," he [Nasrallah] said."

This is why arabs LOVE Hezbollah.

Stupid interest groups...

This story talks about the dog breeder who sold a puppy to the Bidden's. Apparently PETA had used this to try to force people into buying from shelters instead of breeders. This report says there were death threats against Bidden and the breeder just because of the sale. This proves one thing, PETA is a group of retards. To the people who left death threats, I have to ask, what's worse, buying a dog from a breeder or killing someone? I'm all for treating animals well, but at some point I think humans are more important. By the way, dogfighting should not be a felony and to all of these PETA's (that's my new word for them) who were protesting outside the court room at Micheal Vick's hearings, don't you think the man went through enough? He went to jail for something that didn't even involve humans solely because of your nagging and bitching. Don't you think there are more important issues? Like war victims and oppression of PEOPLE across the world? Again, I'm all for treating animals well, I have two pet cats at home that I love, but there is a line where we have to differentiate between animals and people and PETA's cross that line way too often.

Only when it comes to Islam...

What Obama fails to understand is that Muslims and/or Arabs are not mad because they think your at war with them. It's because of Americas unconditional love of Israel and American economic takeover of the Arab world. And, their support for repressive and useless regimes like Kings Stupid and Retard of Saudi Arabia and Jordan respectively (or interchangeably, doesn't really matter). This is all a lead in to my main point, why is it that every time a US president visits a predominantly Muslim country it becomes about that? I don't hear anything about Christianity when he visits France...why? This is not about religion, this is about politics and freedom. The sooner the US and Obama realize that the sooner the "Muslim/Arab world" (whatever that stupid phrase means, we are exactly the same as any other "world" just under oppression) will respect what any leader of the US says. And why would Obama encourage ties between Turkey and Armenia regardless of the past? Until Turkey admits the genocide (and YES, it was a GENOCIDE) they committed in Armenia, relations will never be great between the two countries. To Obama, please don't stick your nose into things you know nothing about, his remarks were a slap in the face to all Armenians who suffered at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Something I actually support...

"Barack Obama is set to outline his plans for a world free of nuclear weapons in a major speech."

I love this. The world has no need for nuclear weapons. First of all, it is completely unethical to use nuclear weapons in ANY circumstance (and that includes WWII) and also, as for deterrence. I think a hundred cruise missiles would be enough to deter a country or group from trying to develop or get nuclear weapons. There is no need for them, so why not get rid of them for good?

The Auto Industry

Obama today promised to help the auto industry but said they must restructure. Unfortunately, the administrations is being hypocritical and unfair to the workers with their plans. I commend the government for calling out GM and Chrysler on their stupid decisions and recklessness during the last couple of decades. The problem is, what about AIG? What makes AIG any more important then GM or Chrysler. Why are they held to business morals while AIG gets bailout money without any questions asked? This is where the problem comes in, if you are going to get tough with the auto industry (which directly and indirectly employs about 3 million people) then why didn't they get tough with AIG or any other financial company that received financial bailout? I know AIG is completely entangled in the global market, but if they cannot prove that they can be viable and cannot restructure their company (the same demands that are being given to GM and Chrysler) then the government should let them enter bankruptcy they same way they might allow GM and Chrysler to do that.

The other problem is the specific restructuring the government is demanding. The main component of their demands is renegotiating their deals with the labor unions. In simple terms, they want the employees of the car companies, who are struggling to pay their simple bills and keep their house to pay for the debt their bosses created while those bosses have the right to keep their multiple helicopters without being forced to downsize.

Its not fair. Obama says that he is "fighting" for the workers, but I don't see it, it looks like another case of favors to campaign contributors.

Kooky Rabbis

"Reporting from Jerusalem - The winter assault on the Gaza Strip was officially portrayed in Israel as an attempt to quell rocket fire by militants of Hamas. But some soldiers say they also were lectured about a more ambitious aim: to banish non-Jews from the biblical land of Israel."

And this is why some religious American citizens and politicians support Israel.

The Truth..

Reading this article on AlJazeera, you see:

"The demonstrators said pressure should be put on Hamas to release Shalit by worsening the conditions of the almost 11,000 Palestinians being held in Israeli jails."

and then you see:

""Many of the prisons and detention centres they're held in have been deemed by Israeli courts as not fit for human use," Odeh reported.

"The latest actions ... admittedly to exact pressure on the Hamas movement in order to secure the release of Gilad Shalit, have been declared by human rights activists and prisoner rights activists as collective punishment, [which is] illegal under international law.""

So I have to ask what came first? Crappy conditions for innocent Palestinians in jail, or the kidnapping of a terrorist soldier in Gaza?

Why I hate Israel

Read this and tell me why I shouldn't hate Israel and its racist society.

taxing bonuses

I fully support the idea of taxing the hell out of these ridiculous bonuses (90% tax rate). That's really all there is to say about it. The next step should be much tighter regulations on the companies who receive federal bailout money.

Ali Abunami

So on Tuesday I heard Ali Abunami, the creator of Electronic Intifada, speak here at Pitt. He was very well spoken and brought up many great points. The more interesting part was the question and answer part afterwords. Some pro Israeli people got up and started to challenge him. One by one he crushed them with facts and perfection. In the coming days I may post some of what he said on here.

Long overdue but...

I have to talk about the AIG bonus scandal. Personally, I am just as outraged as most people are by the greed of the executives at AIG. But I am also disturbed by the idiocy of the government for allowing this in the writing of the stimulus package. I am also shocked by the suggestion of some that they have to do this to keep the "best and brightest talent." Really? They're so bright that they got AIG into the mess that their in. With all the buisness majors in college at the moment I'm sure AIG can find some "bright" talent to rectify their company, its not like the guys they have now are goods of investments...

Unfortunatly AIG is not the only retarted company here, many of the companies who have recieved federal funds have given huge bonuses to their executives while people suffer at home because of their stupidity. This bailout money needs to have much tighter regulations. In fact, the whole problem with the economy was started by silly deregulation which allowed for reckless investemnts and stupid/unsafe buisness decisions. Lets fix this core problem...

More War Crimes...

"Reports have surfaced in the Israeli media suggesting that Israeli forces killed Palestinian civilians under what may have been lax rules of engagement during the Gaza offensive."

Killing civilians is a war crime last time I checked, I wasn't very surprised by this. Israel has been doing this in every war since its creation.

The end of of a career

"Dodd just admitted on CNN that he inserted a loophole in the stimulus legislation that allowed million-dollar bonuses to insurance giant AIG to go forward – after previously denying any involvement in writing the controversial provision."

Congratulations to Chris Dodd, your unwavering support for big corporations has officially destroyed your chances for reelection!

Why?

Why is the pope sticking his nose into stuff he knows nothing about?

Slumdogs...not only in India

So I just got back from watching Slumdog Millionaire in theaters, and I must say, it was GREAT! It was very well done (without insane computer graphics to make unrealistic things appear) and it had layers upon layers of symbolism. It was one of the few movies that made me want to get out of my seat and screem things such as "ANSWER THAT DAMN PHONE!" . Of course, we could all point out the obvious things in the movie such as the love story, or the idea of personal triumph, but I think there were a couple of more interesting points.

First, the character of Salim (Jamal's brother) and why he's not a bad guy. Unlike most people, I was not all that appalled when I saw the conditions of Mumbi, it actually reminded me of what some places in Lebanon looked like, especially Palestinian refugee camps. A person has to go through a lot in his/her life in order to be able to consciencly pull the trigger on someone and not think twice about it. Very few of us in American suburbs can do that (other then the mentally derranged). Salim represents the average "slumdog", has no future, has no skills because he couldn't go to school, and wants something more out of life. The thing is, not everyone gets a chance to go on "Who wants to be a millionaire" and not everyone can get the college scholarship or play sports. What do the rest in the slums do? (Obviously now I'm not just talking about India...) If Gangs/selling drugs leads to a way out...then why not? Its not like the "good life" of sleeping on the street and/or working dead end jobs is any better. Some of us who are lucky enough not to have to go through this can't quite understand it, but when examining it further, it makes perfect sense. So while Salim may look brutal and bad at times, there is a rather good explanation for it. And how many of us can say that we would have given our lives for someone else? I bet not many...

The other interesting dynamic was the fact that Jamal had no idea what the last answer was, but tried anyways. He answered because he wasn't fighting for himself, he was fighting for all the people in Indian slums who were inspired by him in the same way that Barack Obama has inspired minorities all over this country whether you agree with his politics or not. Jamal went on a near suicidal mission when he answered that question, he could have went home with nothing and would have been back on those streets. But that didn't matter to him, he was fighting for something bigger. His life was filled with so much pain and trouble, this is why he could take electric shock and torture with no problem. This is rather reminicent of another group of people whos lives are filled with pain and stagnation and go on suicide missions to fight for the cause of their people because their lives as is don't matter...ring a bell? (I'm talking about Palestine in case you guys didn't get that!)

This movie was great because it was about more then just winning a competition. It was about life as a slumdog not only in India, but in the US and across the world and about those who need the inspiration the most. It deserved every oscar it won plus more!

Republican hypocracy at its finest...

I usually am ok with yahoo news, but this article about the $410 billion budget to keep the government running leaves out something important. It talks about how republicans were angry about the size of the bill and specifically quoted Senate republican leader Mitch McConnell critisizing the fact that congress has approved $1.2 trillion in 50 days. But read this snipit from this ABC News article:

"But Republicans' arguments against the earmarks in the bill were undercut by the fact that more than 40 percent of the earmarks were associated with GOP lawmakers, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., associated with more than $75 million in earmarks in the spending bill, including a nearly $1 million bike path.

The number one Senate earmarker, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, is Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., associated with more than $473 million in earmarks."

Now, I am not opposed to federal money for projects that make sense but $1 million for a bike path? These idiot republicans need to stop being hypocrates, and Yahoo really missed this important point in their article.

Finally Understand....

Although I consider myself to be rather knowledgeable when it comes to politics, there is one thing I never understood. Which is why is the US so intent on supporting Israel. I mean, the argument that they keep the "balance of power" in the middle east is valid until you consider that the US has military bases all over the area. Other theories included the (kooky) religious right's belief that if Israel captures the middle east, then the second coming will happen (as I said, kooky, maybe retarded is the better word!), and the powerful Israeli lobbies, such as APIC. Now I see the biggest reason, APIC.

Look at this article, it talks about Charles Freeman, who was supposed to become the next chairman of the intelligence council, but withdrew his name because APIC defamed him. Reading on, you realize all he did was say: "the brutal oppression of the Palestinians by Israeli occupation shows no sign of ending." Would even the Israelis deny that this is true?

It has become apparent that anyone who tries to say one little thing critical of Israel will be banished from politics in this country one way or another. It shows how powerful this lobby is when they can force someone to withdraw his name from a rather important position just because of one comment he made.

This has been seen before with not just the Israeli lobby, but also with the healthcare, oil and automobile lobbies as well. This happens routinly with any lobby representing big buisnesses. And ofcourse only their lobbies will be heard, not the ones of the average person because big buisness lobies have this thing we call...money!

So the final thought I leave you with is, who is really running this country, the president? Or powerful lobbies like this? Who's ya daddy?

The sad truth...

So Israel launches attacks against tunnels vital for survival in Gaza...but they keep the border crossings and sea ports closed...so, how do they expect Gazans to live? The truth is, they don't. They would rather watch Gaza's 1.5 million people starve and get sick, this is a de facto massacre. How dare they or Hillary Clinton talk about "Israel's right to defend itself", how many of their kids are dying in hospitals or going hungry tonight because of a foreign blockade?

Also, just for the record, this 5 billion in Gaza aid, will NEVER reach the people who acutally need it. Most of the aid is going to....Mohamad Dahlan and Mahmoud Abbas. They are the most corrupt people in Palestine, not to mention they never go to Gaza. How are they going to get aid over to Gaza, and a condition is Israel has to "approve" of any new construction or spending of this money. A.K.A. Israel will let them spend it on...security for the power that be in the Palestinian Authority A.K.A., Israel's only allies in Palestine. This money will never reach the people who needed, I hope for their sake they still have the will to fight and get justice.

Happens...I guess...

Ok, when Toyota is in need of aid and posting its biggest loss in six decades, that's when you know the world economy is bad...really bad.

A response to Clinton...

"Clinton, who was due to meet Netanyahu later on Tuesday, defended Israel's right to respond to rocket and mortar attacks. "The continuing rocket attacks against Israel must cease," she said. "There is no doubt that any nation, including Israel, cannot stand idly by while its territory and people are subjected to rocket attacks.""

Dear Ms. Clinton:
Go screw yourself!
Love,
The Arab Population!

More Israeli Lies

"Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization, attempted to conduct secret talks with the Israeli leadership in the protracted run-up to the recent war in Gaza - with messages being passed from the group at one stage through a member of prime minister Ehud Olmert's family."

This is prof that Israel simply wanted to go on their massacre regardless of anything. Why else would the refuse to negotiate, and then accuse Hamas of doing just that.

When Science works...

"Scientists have found a way to make an almost limitless supply of stem cells that could safely be used in patients while avoiding the ethical dilemma of destroying embryos. In a breakthrough that could have huge implications, British and Canadian scientists have found a way of reprogramming skin cells taken from adults, effectively winding the clock back on the cells until they were in an embryonic form."

This is truly amazing. Hopefully we can cure some diseases now without the protest of kooky religious groups!

Obama Speech

So listening to Obama's speech today, it was nothing special. A lot of nationalistic garbage and "interesting" foreign policy stuff. Apparently, the entire middle east has become "Israel and here neighbors", I guess everyone else is completely unimportant. Also about his economic plan, details anyone? I must say, I like so far what he has done with the economic stimulus and the pending housing market fix and the better bank bailout, but some details and less repetivness would have been nice to hear. Also, if you want to bring peace to the Middle East, it's going to take a lot more then someone like George Mitchell who knows nothing about the region, you're going to have to be fair to both sides, something that Obama so far has seemed unwilling to do.

Jerusalem wars...

"More than 1,500 Palestinians living in East Jerusalem could be made homeless after Israel told them their homes are illegal and are to be demolished."

So now Israel wants to affirm the fact that they want the entire Jerusalem as its capital in any peace deal, they're willing to put people on the street just to get it. Who's really the terrorist?

My response to Zionists

Here's a comment I posted on the Pitt news article talking about what happened at the SGB meeting. Some zionists decided to be pro Israeli so here's my response:


Maybe if the Palestinians didn't live like dogs in the own land
Maybe if there weren't repeated Geneva conventions violations such as restriction of movement and lack of access to basic living needs
Maybe if you didn't have a government who claims to want peace one day, then approves new settlements and/or bombs the heck out of Gaza the next day
Maybe if right of return was allowed
Maybe if Arab-Israelis could actually not be discriminated against and make a decent life in Israel

Sure the Arab-Israelis on paper have equal rights, but they can't get good jobs, and every time a "real Israeli" wants their land...its becomes there's. Why is it that settlers who kill Palestinians are never prosecuted?

You talk about the Arabs in the Israeli government as if their positions actually mean or affect anything, name one Arab in a position of power in the Israeli government, and no getting Livni's coffee for her doesn't count.

You talk about having Jews in an Arab government post as if there are any Jews left in Arab countries...or as if the real citizens of those countries can actually get in the government without massive globs of money and/or weapons. If you knew anything about these countries' governments you would have known that.

You talk about suicide bombs or shooting rockets as if 1400 in Gaza dead in 3 weeks, or the crippling blockade of Gaza is nothing to worry about. Let me remind you that the Palestinians are being occupied, and they don't have F-16, in case you forgot.

You talk about a government which says death to Israel as if people in the Israeli government don't say racist and inflammatory remarks about the Palestinians every day. Someone said I should feel sorry for Ariel Sharon for example, no, I don't feel bad for someone who killed 2,000 Palestinians in one night in Lebanon.

All this and you're surprised that there is hatred towards Israel? Get real. Realize that Israel was founded on the principle of killing and it holds on to that today, look at the death figures, that can tell you the whole story on its own.

So looking at all this, I would have to say it is apartheid, a group on top abusing the race/group of people below it. Now, when I say death to Israel, I don't mean death to Jews or people who were born there, they can live there with us like ordinary people. When I say death to Israel, I mean death to the unbearable, inexcusable, racist, and genocidal Zionist agenda. So here I go, DEATH TO ISRAEL!

A small victory

So yesterday Panthers 4 Israel tried to stop us, Students for Justice in Palestine, from using Student Government Board funds to bring Ali Abunimah, the founder of Electronic Intifada, to Pitt to speak. We argued back in forth in front of the board but in the end we prevailed and got almost all the money we asked for! A small victory for us! I will post on here to tell everyone when exactly he's speaking.

Housing Idea

I'm a little bit skeptical about the housing bill. $75 billion sounds like a good number, but here's the issue: the idea of pumping money into firms like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac sounds good on paper, but not everyone uses Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, although the government essentially controls these 2 firms, they must make sure the money is being used for its intended purpose and not being put in the pockets of rich CEO's. Also, what about people not with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac? We need to do something for them.

With all that being said, I think both this and the stimulus plan are steps in the right direction for getting this economy back on track.

Maybe...

Lets hope this is actually true for all of our sakes...

More from the hypocracy department

"Israel has taken control of a large area near a prominent settlement in the Palestinian West Bank, paving the way for a possible construction of 2,500 settlement homes, officials have said."

How does Israel expect to create peace of they're expanding settlements? Israel is by far the most hypocritical state in the world. You can't take over someone else's territory and then tell them they should agree to your peace deal. This is like someone stealing your lunch and then asking you to pay them, would you do that?

Chavez Wins!

"Venezuela's president [Hugo Chavez] has won a referendum to scrap term limits for elected officials, allowing him to seek re-election indefinitely."

This is a great victory for all who believe in democracy and resisting the superpowers of the world. Ever since he was voted president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez has been a symbol for oppressed people all over the world. He sparked the new socialist revolutions all over South America and has a very loyal following, including myself. May he stay in power until he is completely unable to rule!

Time to get stimulated...

A summery of the stimulus package

Puppets striking back

"Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has admitted that there is tension between his government and the new US administration."

If civilian killings continue, which they surly will, Karzai has every right to be mad...later in this article it states that the west sees him as part of the problem now because of corruption. It's funny how the US was willing to let this go for years, but all of a sudden have a problem with it when Karzai speaks out against them...rather funny!

Trump!

Donald Trump fired himself from his own casino...I find that to be halarious!

Congrads...I think...

"In a major victory for President Barack Obama, Democrats muscled a huge, $787 billion stimulus bill to the brink of final passage Friday night in hopes of combating the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Republican opposition was nearly unanimous."

Good job Obama, I almost fully support this plan...except for 1 thing...

"In a bow to political reality, lawmakers included $70 billion to shelter upper middle-class and wealthier taxpayers from an income tax increase that would otherwise hit them, a provision that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would do relatively little to create jobs."

Obama, I think your rich friends will be fine, they don't need 70 billion. And republicans, how is this acceptable and yet you were nit picking on things such as funding for states and money to modernize health records? Both parties are guilty of dirty politics with this kind of provision...

4 day hiatus

Sorry for not blogging the last few days, been extremely busy with tests and stuff...back on it...

"Millions of workers would soon see an extra $13 in their weekly paychecks and thousands of small businesses operating in the red could get tax refunds under the economic recovery bill nearing completion in Congress."

cool...so I'm are my parents getting a tax break?

Not so innocent Hamas

For all the grief that I give Israel, albeit deserved, I have to make it clear that Hamas is not at all innocent in the situation. For example, this article talks about how Hamas is being accused of killing and torturing people who were suspected of being Israeli collaborators during the recent massacre. Now, granted, those who really did collaborate with Israel are guilty of treason and deserve everything they get. However, everyone should have the right to a fair and just trial, regardless of the charge. Hamas rules like a militant group, if they want to be a military group, they should not be in the government. It has become more and more apparent to me, you have to either be a resistance group, or govern, you can't do both.

No More mr. Nice Guy!

"A fired-up Barack Obama ditched his TelePrompter to rally House Democrats and rip Republican opponents of his recovery package Thursday night – at one point openly mocking the GOP for failing to follow through on promises of bipartisanship."

Obama needed to do this to get the republicans to wake up and stop being idiots.

Not very surprising

"Hamas negotiators left Egypt without a long-term cease-fire with Israel on Thursday — but not before some members of the militant group's delegation were stopped at the Gaza border carrying millions in cash."

It is funny how American media finds this to be surprising, what are they supposed to do if there is a blockade and no money or resources are getting in? Someone explain to me without sounding stupid.

A not so succesful war

"As a sign of continued instability, a suicide bomber blew himself up Thursday inside a crowded restaurant in the disputed Kurdish city of Khanaqin near the Iranian border, killing at least 12 people, Iraqi officials said.

Kurdish and police officials who gave the casualty toll said most of the victims were Kurds lunching at the popular Abu Dalshad restaurant. Police chief Col. Azad Eisa said 12 other people were wounded in the attack."

Iraq will never be Iraq again until the US finally leaves and the people can decide their own fate. The US caused the instability, but the US can't fix it, we need an international force of countries NOT involved in the initial invasion to watch over the country and help things get back to normal.

Same Old Senators

"Despite Obama’s sky high personal approval ratings, polls show support has declined for his stimulus bill since Republicans and their conservative talk-radio allies began railing against what they labeled as pork barrel spending within it. "

These republican senators need to wake up before its too late. Do they not see what is going on outside their comfortable surroundings in DC? I want some of these guys to go down to southeast DC and explain to those families that they can't approve the stimulus bill because of "pork barrel" spending. What pork barrel spending? Can we get some examples please (other then the contraceptive thing)? Some are saying they want to take out the provision that calls for computerizing medical records. Why? Think about it, anyone who knows how to use an excel page, people to communicate with the hospitals, doctors/nurses to make sense of those records, and many others. Not to mention, this is a necessary thing to do if we are ever going to revamp our health care system to be significantly better then that of Slovenia. Every single person who looses their job or dies in a hospital because that hospital didn't have that person's records should rest on the conscience of these idiot senators.

Sillyness on many levels

"A U.N. aid agency accused Hamas policemen on Wednesday of seizing hundreds of food parcels and thousands of blankets it had planned to distribute to 500 families in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas Welfare Minister Ahmed al-Kurd denied the accusation, in a burgeoning dispute that could affect the delivery of essential aid in the Hamas-ruled territory hard-hit by Israel's recent 22-day offensive."

Later in the article it states that UNRWA, which is giving the aid, is allowing people from Fatah, who have no ability or morals to help the people of Gaza, to be on the aid roster, but it would not allow anyone from Hamas to be on the roster. This is clearly because of political pressure from the powers that be. I would think Hamas, the ones who run the government in Gaza, would be the ones who would know how best to spread the aid around to the ones who need it the most. With that being said, if the aid was truly being spread to those who needed it, then this is a somewhat selfish move on Hamas' part because that would mean that they care more about putting their name on the aid then the aid actually getting to the people who need it as soon as possible. From selfishness to idiocy it is clear once again that the people of Gaza are on their own.

Silly Elections

"Benyamin Netanyahu, widely tipped to become Israel's prime minister after elections next week, has vowed to topple the Hamas movement in Gaza, calling the Palestinian group an "Iranian proxy"."

Wait, didn't the outgoing Israeli government try to wipe out Hamas from Gaza? If you kill 1300 civilians in the matter of a few weeks, then the only place to go from there is to destroy all of Gaza, killing all 1.2 million people living in that little 14-mile long place. I can't believe the Israeli public would vote for this guy, this would be like if Americans voted for the leader of the KKK for president. The Israeli public is becoming almost as guilty as the terrorist government that deserves eternal pain and suffering.

A Good Thing...

"Barack Obama, the US president, has said his government will impose a salary cap of $500,000 for senior executives at companies receiving federal economic bailout funds."

This is definitely a good idea, if they covered all the loopholes, this will help to ensure that these idiotic corporation use bailout money in the correct way.

Rioting

So I went rioting last night after the Steelers game, didn't chant anything, but merely observed. To be honest, it was beautiful in the fact that I have never seen so much unity for one thing before. It was silly in the fact that it was over...a football game. I have to wonder, if Obama tomorrow issues an order to ban freedom of speech, would anyone riot?

Extending Barack's wishes...

"Pakistan's prime minister has pledged to restore peace to the country's troubled Swat valley where Al Jazeera has found Taliban fighters to be firmly in control."

I'm sure Barack Obama will be pleased...

Super bowl wins

So today, the supper bowl is a win-win for me. If the Cardinals win, then I can laugh at all the silly Steeler fans and show them how I felt 2 weeks ago, if the Steelers win, I can go riot in the streets and hopefully get school off on Monday! So either way I'm getting something out of it, would have been better if my Ravens won though!

Family Matters...

"George Obama, 26, was arrested yesterday for possession of marijuana, after allegedly being caught with a single joint of "bhang" near his home in a Nairobi slum. There was no suggestion that Obama was trying to deal in the drug but, according to Joshua Omokulongolo, the area police chief, rules are rules. "He is not a drug peddler," said Omokulongolo, "But it's illegal, it's a banned substance.""

Well, things happen, one would need that joint after having to live in the ghetto with no help from your rich brother...

Silly Britts

"Half of British adults do not believe in evolution, with at least 22% preferring the theories of creationism or intelligent design to explain how the world came about, according to a survey."

So where did their brains go?

Not Possible

"Vote counting is under way after millions of Iraqis cast ballots in regional elections in the second major poll since the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003."

I've been trying to figure out a way to call this significant, but I can't see it, not at all actually.

More Stunts

"Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has vowed his country will deliver a "severe and disproportionate response" after Palestinian fighters fired rockets into southern Israel."

We as Palestinians vow to deliver a destructive blow to Israel, by force or otherwise...

Good thing...

"Iraq said Thursday it will bar Blackwater Worldwide from providing security protection for U.S. diplomats because its contractors used excessive force, sanctioning a company whose image was irrevocably tarnished by the 2007 killings of 17 Iraqi civilians."

It's about time, they've been killing innocent people for far to long, not just in Iraq, they did it in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina as well...

Not Quite a cease-fire

"At least nine people, seven of them school girls, have been injured by an Israeli air attack in the southern Gaza Strip, sources tell Al Jazeera."

Unfortunately, Israel decided to break the cease-fire by attacking the tunnels that lead to Egypt (Gaza's lifeline because of the blockade), so Gazan's responded with rockets, Israel responded with injuring school girls...when this war starts up again at some point, Hamas will be blamed for breaking the cease-fire.

A little bit of courage...a little bit too late

"The Turkish prime minister has stormed out of a heated debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos over Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip."

Finally, Turkey's government got some courage....and Netanyahu is wrong, nuclear weapons in his hands are more dangourous then nuclear weapons in the hands of the Iranians because Netanyahu is way more fanatic and racist then Iran will ever be.

Stimuli

Detailed information about the stimulus plan, I happen to be rather supportive of it...

Cease-fire breaches anyone?

"Two people have been wounded in an Israeli air raid on the Gaza Strip, Hamas and Palestinian medical officials have said."

Israel doesn't believe in cease-fires, it's as simple as that...

Silly Foreign Policy things...

Sorry about not blogging yesterday, I was kinda busy, but anyways, here is something...why is Obama so pressed over Pakistan. He has a government there that is willing to do whatever he wants, and he's talking about invading? You don't invade countries like that, you buy them, arm their military make them able to fight al-Queda and the taliban. More importantly, these attacks and silly rehtoric are making Pakastanis hate Obama, does he really want them to side with al-Queda? Being irresponsible about this will have dire consequences to American interests in the region.

War Crimes anyone?

"While the vast majority of Palestinians were killed by conventional weapons, a Norwegian doctor, Erik Fosse, said injuries he had seen in Gaza were consistent with the use of Dime (dense inert metal explosive) bombs. "It was as if [patients] had stepped on a mine, but there was no shrapnel in the wounds," he said. A UN convention, which Israel has signed, prohibits "the use of any weapon the primary effect of which is to injure by fragments which in the human body escape detection by X-rays". This could apply to Dime bombs, but by their nature it is extremely difficult to prove they have been used.

Amnesty International last week called on Israel to give details of weapons beside phosphorus it had used in Gaza, so that medics could better treat the injuries they inflict. Donatella Rovera of Amnesty, currently on a munitions fact-finding mission to Gaza, said doctors were encountering "new and unexplained injuries, including charred and sharply severed limbs" after air strikes. The UK human rights agency also quoted Dr Subhi Skeik of Shifa hospital's surgery department as saying: "We have many cases of amputations and vascular reconstructions where patients would be expected to recover in the normal way. But to our surprise, many of them died an hour or two after operation. It is dramatic.""

And some claim Israel is a humane nation?

Not really donating anything...

"A bitter struggle is taking place over the right to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, even as the leadership of Hamas emerges from the rubble of areas that were devastated by 23 days of Israeli bombardment. The international community insists that it cannot channel billions of dollars in reconstruction aid to Hamas, and is calling for the involvement of the more moderate Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas. But Hamas is insisting on sole control of Gaza's rebuilding, as well as claiming moral leadership of the Palestinian people."

Bush Doctrine Continued...

"Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, has called on Barack Obama, his US counterpart, to end American missile attacks in South Asian nation's tribal border regions with Afghanistan."

Like that will ever happen...Obama's foreign policy will not be much different then Bush's, it may be even worse.

Reality

Obama yesterday gave a speech on what his policy towards the Israelis and Palestinians is going to be like...the same as Bush's. He made a huge point to condemn Hamas rocket attacks but barely said anything about the Palestinians. For example, the only thing he said somewhat against Israel was that he was "deeply concerned" about civilian loss on both sides, he couldn't even say anything soley for Palestine, this is is not the kind of thing you expect from "the agent of change", this is a clear continuation of the Bush doctrine in the Middle East.

Nothings changed...

"Missiles fired from suspected US drones killed at least 15 people inside Pakistan today, the first such strikes since Barack Obama became president and a clear sign that the controversial military policy begun by George W Bush has not changed."

They say 3 kids died in the attack, I am sure they were al-Qaeda members...

A good thing he did...

"Barack Obama, the US president, has signed an executive order overturning a ban on US funding for groups that perform abortions or provide information on the option, the White House says."

Well, one more thing I agree with!

More Crimes...

"A total of 53 installations used by the United Nations Relief and Works agency, Unrwa, were damaged or destroyed during Israel's Gaza campaign, including 37 schools - six of which are being used as emergency shelters - six health centres, and two warehouses."

You know that a country is guilty of war crimes when they are forming a defense before chargers were even filled...

Interesting choice...

"In 2000, he [George Mitchel] also presided over a committee investigating the ongoing violence of the Middle East conflict and recommended Palestinians do more to stop attacks on Israel and an end to Israeli settlement building on occupied land."

Sounds like every other congress man in this country when talking about the middle east, nothing is going to "change"; I know it.

Worth doing...

" President Barack Obama's first public act in office Wednesday was to institute new limits on lobbyists in his White House and to freeze the salaries of high-paid aides, in a nod to the country's economic turmoil."

Good move, well done Mr. Obama!

We'll see...

"The new Obama administration circulated a draft executive order Wednesday that calls for closing the controversial detention center at Guantanamo Bay within a year and halting any war crimes trials in the meantime."

So will any of those people get justice? maybe...

False Hope

"Arabs were hopeful on Wednesday that President Barack Obama will amend US policy on the Middle East, while Israel expects little change in the wake of its deadly assault on Gaza."

Nothing is going to change with Obama as president...nothing.

Inaugaration Fever

So I had class at noon today so I ended up watching the inauguration stuff on the Internet, I listened to Obama's speech and read the text as well. The problem is, I have nothing to report. He really did not give us much in his speech, except for an American history lesson and that nice delivery he has become famous for. These sorts of ceremony's have always been overrated, Bush should have just handed him the keys to the white house and that's it, no need for all the extra stuff that goes along with it. With that said, I expect now that Obama is officially the president, that there are going to be some big new pieces of legislation, like the economic stimulus, possibly a new bailout, use of the current bailout, a health care bill, and more. He has got to come out here with a bang in order to keep the people on his side. I am interested to see how long this honeymoon lasts...

I knew it

"Arab leaders have failed to agree on a specific mechanism to support reconstruction in Gaza following Israel's offensive there, despite vowing to provide Gazans with "all forms of support". Disagreements over how aid should be channeled to Palestinians blighted the Arab ministers' meeting, held on the sidelines of an Arab economic summit in Kuwait, on Tuesday."

I knew this would happen, under Israeli/American wishes, the Saudis and the Egyptians will not give the money to Hamas, the people who actually govern the Gaza strip. Instead, they would prefer to give it to fellow puppet Mahmoud Abbas who will simply pocket the money himself. I mean, Fatah doesn't even have a single representative in Gaza at the moment, and while Palestinian unity is needed now more then ever, as the current situation stands, Hamas are the only ones who can help the people of Gaza. The sooner the Arab governments realize this the sooner the people of Gaza can go back to living their normal lives.

NFL Playoffs III

Ok, so now that the conference finals are done, here's what we can say. First, I want to congratulate my Ravens on a great year, no one thought we would get this far, certainly I didn't. And we are now going out admirably. I am today proud to be a Ravens fan, and now we will hope (not pray because I am not religous) that Willis McGahee will fully recover and be able to play at the level he was able to before.

Now for the super bowl prediction: while the steelers have the number 1 defense and played great on Sunday, the Cardinals have the one thing that will bother the steelers on defense though: a deep ball. Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald can go deep like no one else, and that is the only small little hole in the Steelers defense. On the other side of the ball however, the Steelers have the advantage because the Arizona defense is way to small, albeit fast, to handle the physical running game of the Steelers. All in All, while Big Ben might not have a good game, and the Cards offense will have its moments, but when its all said and done; I think the Steelers will win the super bowl (as much as it hurst me to say that) 28-21. Ben will make just enough palys to win and their running game will great, and their defense will do enough to compliment that running game.

who is going to save Gaza?

Makes me feel sick to see the suffering of the Palestinian families, their homes are destroyed and their businesses are gone. The people of Gaza have no one, the Arab governments turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to the atrocities going on in their neighbors backyard. Every Arab regime deserves as much responsibility for allowing this to happen as Israel deserves. The worst part is that Palestine doesn't even have a government, or more importantly, an economy capable of making enough money to help these people. Hamas certainly have the kind of money needed to rebuild Gaza, and if we are leaving it to people like Mahmoud Abbas and Mohammad Dahlan to save Gaza, then we might as well throw in the towel.

The question is, who is going to save Gaza? Israel? Not a chance in hell. The US? EU? Again, not a chance; they are in love with Israel and won't stop for a second to see the suffering in Gaza. I mean, considering the rhetoric out of the Bush administration in the last few days of its life, I have to seriously wonder if they ever bothered to take a good look, a real look at what their policies have done. Do they see the suffering kids? Do they see the mothers crying? Do they even have a pulse? I am sick and tired of our fake democracy and total hypocrisy here in the US. We say we're for justice, and yet when an injustice is clearly being served half way across the world, we fail to do something about it. I guess we be live in justice when it serves us.

But anyways, who is going to save Gaza? the sad answer is no one. Just like every year since 1948 no one will be there for Gaza. The Saudi king said he wants to donate 1 billion dollars to rebuild Gaza. But I will guarantee you that money will never reach the people who need it. See, the Saudi King, under US wishes, will not give the money to the authority on the ground who can use it to help the people (Hamas), instead, they will give it to "the legitimate Palestinian authority" a.k.a. Mahmoud Abbas and Mohammad Dahlan. These are two of the most corrupt people in the world and they won't leave a drop of that money to rebuild the homes and lives of the people who lost them in this war. The saddest part of all is, that is exactly what the US and Israel want, and no one will care or try to stop it.

Hypocracy at its finest

"King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia pledged on Monday to donate one billion dollars towards the reconstruction of the Palestinian coastal territory, which has faced deadly attacks by Israeli forces since December 27."

So now Abdullah wants to show compassion? Now? After he supported Israel during the duration of this war? Now he wants to show compassion? That kind of thing makes me sick to my stomach.

Recap

Now that the war is looking more and more, well, over; it is time to make a recap. First, Israel missed out on almost all of its goals, they did not crush Hamas, they did not stop the rockets and Israeli troops were unable to crush Hamas' ground forces. Most of all, Israel was unable to change the attitudes of the Palestinians and Arabs in general. They were unable to make Palestinians blame Hamas for what happened, instead, people are more steadfastly with Hamas and resistance to Israel, also, just like in '06, Arabs now believe even more that Israel is beatable, the element of invincibility is completely gone. Also Israel has now created a new generation of even more angry and ready to fight Palestinians. All of these elements can and one day will lead to the demise of Israel and the racist Zionist dream.

Israel listining?

"The Israeli army said a short time later it [the cease-fire] had begun withdrawing its troops from the territory after calling a halt to its three-week offensive, which claimed the lives of about 1,200 Palestinians, a third of them children and young people."

Apparently Israel really wants to leave, well, they're certainly welcome to.

Its over, for now...

"Hamas and several allied Palestinian factions have announced an immediate one-week ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, giving Israel seven days to pull out of the territory."

Let's see what happens in the next seven days...

Not quite a cease-fire

"Israel will halt its offensive in Gaza at 0000 GMT on Sunday but troops will remain in the enclave for the time being and will respond to Hamas fire, Olmert said on Saturday."

This is not a cease-fire, this is an image cleanup, if Israeli troops are still in Gaza, then there is no way that we can call it a truce or cease-fire, as long as occupying forces are there, they should be attacked, and I fully expect that to happen.

At least its somewhat over...

"Israel's security cabinet is expected to decide to halt the war on Gaza at a meeting on Saturday, Israeli sources have said. The move would be seen as being preferable to entering an Egyptian-brokered formal ceasefire with Hamas, unnamed sources told the AFP and Reuters news agencies."

This clearly is a way for Israel to avoid admitting that they could not enter Gaza City and they could not stop the rocket fire, this is sounding very similar to 2006 in Lebanon. The mighty Israeli army has officially lost its might.

Agreement? Really?

"Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister and her US counterpart, Condoleezza Rice, have signed an agreement aimed at preventing arms smuggling into Gaza for the Palestinian group Hamas"

Signed an agreement? when do the US and Israel ever disagree?

More Crimes

"Video showing injuries consistent with the use of white phosphorus shells has been filmed inside hospitals treating Palestinian wounded in Gaza City. Contact with the shell remnants causes severe burns, sometimes burning the skin to the bone, consistent with descriptions by Ahmed Almi, an Egyptian doctor at the al-Nasser hospital in Khan Younis."

Israeli crimes never ceases to amaze me...

About time

Qatar, Mauritania, and Syria have all cut ties with Israel...what took so long?

Weather

The weather here is 0 F with a windchill of -15F, can someone please remind me why I came to Pittsburgh?

More Autrocities

"Three hospitals and a UN compound have been bombed by Israel as troops continue to advance into the densely-populated Gaza City. Around 500 people were sheltering in the Al-Quds hospital in the city's southwestern Tal Al-Hawa district when it was bombed by Israeli jets and set ablaze on Thursday morning. Hospital officials said the fire was sparked by a "phosphorus shell"."

The Palestinians won't stand by and let this continue, ever!

over 1000 dead...

"As the offensive continued in the early hours of Thursday, with what has now come to be nightly explosions and heavy gunfire on the ground in Gaza City, diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire continued to yield little result."

Never forget, Never forgive...

Viva Chavez!

"Venezuela has joined Bolivia in severing ties with Israel in protest against its war in the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead."

I love Latin America, it's the only place in the world that knows how to pick some real leaders...

I can't belive I voted for this guy...who appointed this other guy...

"President-elect Barack Obama's choice to run the Treasury Department and lead the nation's economic rescue disclosed publicly Tuesday that he failed to pay $34,000 in taxes from 2001 to 2004, a last-minute complication that Senate Democrats tried to brush aside as a minor bump on an otherwise smooth path to confirmation."

And this guy is supposed to get us out of this economic mess? What a future we have...

NFL Playoffs III

So I was 1/4 with predictions last week in the NFL Playoffs, the one I got right though, is really the only one I cared about (my Baltimore Ravens)! Anyways, for this week, in the NFC I think the Eagles will beat the Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald might run wild, but Warner will be under pressure all day and will not have time to go deep, and McNabb will be able to exploit Arizona's young secondary to make the throws necessary to win. The only thing about the Cardinals is that they remind me of the Colts when they won the super bowl, could score, and found their defense in the playoffs. I think the Colts were better though, and the Eagles will prevail and go to the Super Bowl.

In the AFC, and maybe I am biased, but I am predicting the Ravens to beat our arch rivals Pittsburgh and go to the super bowl! First, the Ravens were very impressive against the Titans (even with the lucky break on the play clock...), this is not the same team that lost in the regular season to the Titans and this is not the same team that lost to the Steelers twice in the regular season. Joe Flacco is growing before our very eyes and Ray Lewis will have this team ready to play. Big Ben is definitely banged up and I believe, will struggle against the Ravens defense. The thing that concerns me is the Steeler defense, and the fact that Pittsburgh is more rested then the Ravens are. But I think Flacco has grown to the point that he can navigate his way through this game, and adrenalin should be able to help the Ravens.

Eagles vs. Ravens, WE'RE READY!!!

Another Gaza article from my school...

So the Pitt News published another article today about the war in Gaza written by a different staff writer Jason Myers. The article was much better then the one written on Friday, clearly, the writer makes a better effort to give both sides of the story, but there were still some things I have to mention.

First, in the second paragraph, the writer compares two things that shouldn't be compared. He says that Chabad House believes in that validity of Israel's aggression towards the Palestinians, but then he goes on to say that the Muslim Student Association and the Students for Justice in Palestine argue that Palestine has a legitimate claim to the Israeli territory. From reading this, it seems as if the writer asked these groups different questions, why is he asking the Muslim and Justice in Palestine groups about the "legitimate claim to Israeli territory"? He should be asking them about the current offensive to make his comparison of the different groups valid.

After that the writer gives a good synopsis of what the New York Times has been saying this whole time, however, when he tries to give an opposing view, by questioning Magid Shihade, he did not go in-depth enough about her views to make it a valid counter point. For example, he could have asked her what specifically where those "unnamed news sources" and he could have asked her to explain what Israel did to break the ceasefire, such as the tightening of the blockade (the blockade in general is Illegal in inhumane) and the November 4th and 17th bombings that killed several Palestinians.

Also, the writer mentions Miller's assertion that it is part of Jewish understanding that you are supposed to love your neighbor, it would have been more comforting for me to see him explain that this is also something deeply rooted in Islam as well, any Muslim could have explained that to him.

Finally, I have to disagree with Pitt professor Goldstein, who says this is all over a piece of property. Let me just explain that it is not over a piece of property, this is over justice, the Palestinian people want the right of return, and to live in a comfortable setting, that's it. It doesn't matter whether it is one state or two (most Palestinians support a one state solution where all can live together like Jonas Moffat said). Finally, I think Goldstien should stop with the phrases such as "you guys have to cut this crap out." Lets not act like we are morally above anyone, after all, we are the nation that "pre-emptivaly" bombed the crap out of a country that posed no threat to us (Iraq).

All in all, this article was better then the last one that was written in the Pitt news about this but there were still a few things I had a problem with.

They can't win

"Mohyeldin said there was speculation that Israeli soldiers were limiting their operation during the day because of stiff resistance from Palestinian fighters on the ground during daylight hours."

This is starting to look extremely similar to Lebanon in '06, we all know what happened to the IOF (Israeli Offensive Forces) then.

Israeli truth

"According to a joint Tel Aviv University-European University study, this fits a larger pattern in which Israeli violence has been responsible for ending 79 per cent of all lulls in violence since the outbreak of the second intifada, compared with only 8 per cent for Hamas and other Palestinian factions."

This latest incident started with Israel bombing Hamas on November 4th with no provocation. They don't tell you this in western media...

Arab Truth

"Egypt has rejected a Qatari request to hold an emergency Arab League summit in Doha on Friday to discuss the Israeli offensive in Gaza."

Egypt and Saudi Arabia claim that the summit shouldn't happen because it will show how ineffective the Arab nations really are, this is a cover for the nasty truth, Egypt and Saudi Arabia don't care about the suffering of the Palestinians.

Israeli Racism

"Two Arab political parties have been disqualified from running in Israel's parliamentary elections on February 10 after they were accused of not recognising the country's right to exist."

Racism maybe?

Updates

"Explosions from heavy aerial bombardment continued in the early hours of Tuesday and fierce gunfire could be heard as ground troops moved into the more densely-populated areas of the Strip, as the assault entered its 18th day."

Israel will keep trying, Gaza will keep resisting...

Israel's version of humanity

"Israeli military actions prompted an unusual public rebuke from the International Red Cross after the army moved a Palestinian family into a building and shelled it, killing 30. The surviving children clung to the bodies of their dead mothers for four days while the army blocked rescuers from reaching the wounded."

Never forget, Never forgive.

How nice of the world to look...

"With the death toll from the 17-day Israeli assault on Gaza climbing above 900, pressure is increasing for an independent inquiry into specific incidents, such as the shelling of a UN school turned refugee centre where about 40 people died, as well as the question of whether the military tactics used by Israel systematically breached humanitarian law."

I guess 900 is the magic number for people to start noticing?

"Surgical" attacks

This kid lost his eyes in the bombing, I am sure that he was a Hamas militant.

Updates.

"Heavy fighting has been reported in the northern Gaza Strip and on the outskirts of Gaza City after Israel sent army reservists into the territory to support its ground forces."

Reports are saying that the Israeli military is having difficulty entering Gaza City, the will of people can always trump any amount of military might. Think about it, Israel is having more difficulty dealing with little tiny Gaza then it did dealing with Jordan, Egypt, and Syria in 1967. There were even reports in '06 saying that Israeli soldiers were literally running away from Hezbollah fighters. The once invincible army is no longer...

I can't believe I voted for this guy...

"Seeking to reassure wary lawmakers, President-elect Barack Obama said Monday he will fundamentally change the way the second half of the $700 billion financial bailout fund is spent, focusing some of the relief on housing and small businesses."

yea right, Obama changing anything? That's laughable.

Different sortof attack...

"Israeli troops in the occupied Golan Heights have come under small arms fire from Syria, Israeli military officials have said."

Here's to hoping the fire kills some of the occupying forces next time.

888 dead, 4000 wounded

"Israel has begun sending reserve units into the Gaza Strip as the military continues to pound the territory for the 16th consecutive day. "

Never forget, Never forgive.

Crapy articles from my own school

So after reading the pitt news yesterday, it made me realize how out of touch they are with reality. There was an article about a vigil that took place on Pitt's campus Thursday written by Caitlyn Christensen. Clearly, she has no idea what she is talking about when it comes to what is really going on in this war. Just in the first paragraph the calles Palestine "Hamas-occupied." Occupied? Really? Last time I checked, Hamas was democraticly (you know, democracy, that word that we like to throw around when convienient), this is like saying that on January 20th, the US will be "democrate-occupied." Also, the writter claims that Israel moved into Gaza "with the intended goal of overturning the Hamas infrastrucutre and taking control of Hamas rocket launching sites, whcih were firing explosives into southern Israel." First of all, the writter fails to mention throughout this article that Israel has had a blockade on Gaza for 18 MONTHES. Do we really expect the Palestienians to not respond after something like that? Also, why is it that the author, throughout this article, tries to promote the idea that Palestienians are the agressers? Many times in this articles she tries to make the point that the protesters do not support the actions of Hamas, as if that's what the protest was about. Even when she interviewed Josh Ulrich, he said "The fact that Palestine has survived is retaliation enough" that does not mean that there is no support for Hamas, that is a testiment to Palestienian toughness. Also, how can she take it seriously when an opposing protester stands behind an israeli flag and says he's not pro-Israeli? This article is racist and extremly biased, makes me feel uneasy that my fellow students would write something so ignorant.

crimes, crimes, and more crimes...

"Human Rights Watch has called on Israel to stop using white phosphorus which it says has been used in military operations in the densely populated Gaza Strip"

For those who don't know, white phosphorus burns people's skin off, oh Israel, what regard for human life...

Aid

I plan to try to help out the Free Gaza Movement, which sails to the coast of Gaza, around the blockade, and gets humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza who desperately need it. Recently one of their boats got hit by the Israeli Navy and was forced to dock in Lebanon. Funds permitting, they plan to make another trip to Gaza in the near future, I am going to try to donate to them and I urge anyone who cares to try to give something.

Another Update

"The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 821 people and more than 3,300 injured as the Israeli offensive enters its third week."

How much longer will the world allow this to go on...

Love is in the air...

"The US House of Representatives has voted to endorse a resolution backing Israel in its offensive in Gaza, in which at least 780 Palestinians have been killed. The body passed Friday's resolution "recognizing Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza" by 390 votes to five."

Sometimes, I wonder if the US congress sleeps in the same beds as the Israeli government...

Modification

My friend Holden brought it to my attention that one of my posts made it sound as if I think Jews and Zionists are the same...

Let me make it clear, I don't hate Jews at all, I hate zionists, that includes non-Jewish zionists such as George Bush, and excludes Israeli Jews who r not zionists, but I will say that I do think Zionism is a racist movement, because it puts one group of people above another while totally disregarding equality. I also hate the way that state of Israel operates, it has ZERO regard for human life and makes decisions based on, well, terrorizing those who don't believe in zionism, that includes Arab-Israelis who are treated like shit there.

I was just trying earlier to make the point that these actions will backfire on Israel, not help them.

Told you Israel

"The diplomacy championed by Mr Abbas has for years been difficult to sell to Palestinians because it has brought little or no relief from occupation or improvement in their daily lives, only the expansion of Israeli settlements. This existing frustration –which helped Hamas defeat Mr Abbas's Fatah movement in the 2006 elections – is now combined with popular anger and dismay at the carnage among fellow Palestinians in Gaza."

Is he really there?

If there really was a "God"...I believe there would be social equality in this world, people would truly have equal opportunities. I wholeheartedly agree with Dead Prez in their song Propaganda:

"I believe man made God, out of ignorance and fear
If God made man, then why the hell would he put us here
I thought he's supposed to be the all lovin'
the same God who let Hitler put the Jews in the oven"

Hate

Many people wonder where Islamic fundamentalism (whatever that means), hate, and anger in the Arab world towards Israel comes from. When we see the murdering and massacring of our people in Gaza, we get angry. When we see the murdering and massacring of our people in Lebanon, we get angry. Even if Israel succeeds in crushing Hamas, what do they expect? Do they really think there won't come a group to replace them? There is more anger and rage among the Arab youth today then there has ever been, and the hope that the 2006 war with Hezbollah gave all Arabs and oppressed people all over the world still rings loud today no matter what happens to Hamas now.

If Israel doesn't start seeing this they will be in major trouble, the more I think about it, the more I realize that we haven't advanced much as people from the days of B.C.E. until now. I mean, the fact that an idea like Zionism exists today means that we still think like we're in B.C.E., we are still a racist, ignorant species, only humans still care about someones skin color or what language he/she speaks. And we still kill each other for "political gains" as if that matters when a nuclear war destroys us all, its time for all of us to wake up.

Update

"Dozens of Palestinians were killed on Friday as Israeli warplanes pounded areas across the Gaza Strip and tanks shelled Jabaliya and Beit Lahiya, medical sources said."

How long will we let this continue? How many more Palestinians have to die? Does Israel think that this is going to help them in the long term?

Hopefully...

If Obama actually does what he says he's going to to do in his stimulus package, such as invest in more classrooms, modernizing medical records (making them digital), and investing in science and technology...my engineering future will be bright, if not, we're all in trouble!

Ofcourse...

"The announcement came shortly after the driver of a U.N. truck was killed by tank fire as he was headed to an Israeli border crossing to pick up an aid shipment."

And Israel claims they try to avoid civilian casualties right?

Joe the...

No way, he's back...WHY????

Go Chavez!

"Venezuela is reducing crude shipments to U.S. refineries Chalmette and Sweeney to comply with its OPEC output cut of 189,000 barrels per day, to be borne in part by foreign oil companies, the energy ministry said on Wednesday."

Israel talk

"The brief lull allowing Gaza's beleaguered residents to look for food and fuel was also followed by news that Ehud Barak, the Israeli defense minister, had been given the green light by the security cabinet to order a deeper offensive into Gaza towns as part of its stated aim to halt Hamas cross-border rocket attacks."

A "wonderful" lull followed by approval for an escalation of the war...Israel in a nutshell!

Is it really that intellegent?

An entertaining editorial on why intelligent design isn't very intelligent.

Good Editorials

Robert Frisk, one of the best journalists in the world on Middle Eastern politics.

"Yes, Israelis deserve security. Twenty Israelis dead in 10 years around Gaza is a grim figure indeed. But 600 Palestinians dead in just over a week, thousands over the years since 1948 – when the Israeli massacre at Deir Yassin helped to kick-start the flight of Palestinians from that part of Palestine that was to become Israel – is on a quite different scale. This recalls not a normal Middle East bloodletting but an atrocity on the level of the Balkan wars of the 1990s. And of course, when an Arab bestirs himself with unrestrained fury and takes out his incendiary, blind anger on the West, we will say it has nothing to do with us. Why do they hate us, we will ask? But let us not say we do not know the answer."