Eye witness accounts in this video of the massacre of hundreds of innocent Palestinians-including women and children.
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Early in the morning of Friday, April 9, 1948, commandos of the Irgun, headed by Menachem Begin, and the Stern Gang attacked Deir Yassin, a village with about 750 Palestinian residents. It was several weeks before the end of the British Mandate. The village lay outside of the area that the United Nations recommended be included in a future Jewish State. Deir Yassin had a peaceful reputation and was even said by a Jewish newspaper to have driven out some Arab militants. But it was located on high ground in the corridor between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and one plan, kept secret until years afterwards, called for it to be destroyed and the residents evacuated to make way for a small airfield that would supply the beleaguered Jewish residents of Jerusalem.
By noon over 100 people, half of them women and children, had been systematically murdered. Four commandos died at the hands of resisting Palestinians using old Mausers and muskets. Twenty-five male villagers were loaded into trucks, paraded through the Zakhron Yosef quarter in Jerusalem, and then taken to a stone quarry along the road between Givat Shaul and Deir Yassin and shot to death. The remaining residents were driven to Arab East Jerusalem.
That evening the Irgunists and the Sternists escorted a party of foreign correspondents to a house at Givat Shaul, a nearby Jewish settlement founded in 1906. Over tea and cookies they amplified the details of the operation and justified it, saying Deir Yassin had become a concentration point for Arabs, including Syrians and Iraqis, planning to attack the western suburbs of Jerusalem. They said that 25 members of the Haganah militia had reinforced the attack and claimed that an Arabic-speaking Jew had warned the villagers over a loudspeaker from an armored car. This was duly reported in The New York Times on April 10.
A final body count of 254 was reported by The New York Times on April 13, a day after they were finally buried. By then the leaders of the Haganah had distanced themselves from having participated in the attack and issued a statement denouncing the dissidents of Irgun and the Stern Gang, just as they had after the attack on the King David Hotel in July 1946. A 1987 study undertaken by Birzeit University's Center for Research and Documentation of Palestinian Society found "the numbers of those killed does not exceed 120".
The Haganah leaders admitted that the massacre "disgraced the cause of Jewish fighters and dishonored Jewish arms and the Jewish flag." They played down the fact that their militia had reinforced the terrorists' attack, even though they did not participate in the barbarism and looting during the subsequent "mopping up" operations.
They also played down the fact that, in Begin's words, "Deir Yassin was captured with the knowledge of the Haganah and with the approval of its commander" as a part of its "plan for establishing an airfield."
--------------------------------more of piece of history at the linkEye witness accounts in this video of the massacre of hundreds of innocent... more
The conflict between Israelis and the Palestinians has a long history. What do the Palestinians want? Why did Arafat refuse that "generous offer"? And why does the US bend over backwards to defend Israel? Read on...
Aren't Palestinians terrorists?
That's what the Israeli Government wants you to believe. Don't let the mass media do your thinking for you. Palestinians are no different to you or me. If they had a choice, they would be happy to live in peace, raise their kids, go to work, play music, party, and lead normal lives. What makes them different is that for the past 58 years, Israel has made their lives hell...
Please go to Comments for the Rest of the simplified historyThe conflict between Israelis and the Palestinians has a long history. What do the... more
“If Israel continues settlement activity, it will not only be acting contrary to international law but also to a strong international consensus,” UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon warned Wednesday at the United Nations International Meeting on the Question of Palestine in Geneva.Facts are still coming in.
I was invited to this meeting but because of a family issue, I was not able to make it. I do, however, have some other human rights and government people there that I work with.
*******************************ELIMINATE THE ROGUE STATE OF ISRAEL**************************
What we need is for the UN to do is to dis-ban the state of Israel-it did, in 1948 they put it together, so, its theoretically and legally possible to eliminate 'the' bad apple. If a vote was taken today with every vote equal-a democratic vote-Israel would be returned to nothing and then we can begin to put in people that are not felons, dont ignore International law and dont commit human rights (gross) violations-like murder of innocent people and dont steal land not belonging to them.
Here are some things a new Far right Zionist organization (Z Street) proclaims about Israel and below each proclamation is THE fact check:
"Z STREET is an organization of Zionists who join together at this time of great danger to the Jewish State of Israel and, increasingly, to world Jewry.
Fact check: Israel creates its own enemies through extremism, lawlessness, wars of choice, and decades of contempt for Palestinians, other Arabs and Islam.
"I. Z STREET proudly asserts the right of the Jewish people to a state."
Fact check: Israel denies one to Palestinians, occupies their land, and expropriates it for its own use in violation of international law.
"II. Z STREET proudly reclaims the words 'Zionist' and 'Jewish State' as ones to wear with pride, in direct opposition to their recent branding as shameful or impolite terms."
Fact check: Zionism's extremist, destructive ideology is explained above.
"III. Z STREET maintains that Jews have the right to live anywhere in the world, including, and especially, within greater Israel."
Fact check: Palestinians are denied all rights, including to live securely on their own land in their own country in peace.
"IV. Z STREET is dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the Jewish State of Israel in the firm belief that there can be no compromises or agreements with, and no concessions to, any Terrorist Entity or any individual Terrorists."
Fact check: For over six decades, Israel has committed slow-motion genocide against indigenous Palestinians who want peace, not conflict; are willing to recognize the Jewish state in return for their own; and who deserve equal rights to Jews and all others, but are denied them by an oppressive occupier.
"V. Z STREET is dedicated to rejecting and refuting the condemnation of any actions taken by Israel which are not similarly condemned when taken by any other individuals or political entities."
Fact check: Israel acts lawlessly, chooses violence over peace, and calls legitimate self-defense "terrorism."
"VI. Z STREET is dedicated to constantly and consistently declaring and affirming the facts which fully support the legal, moral and historical right of the Jewish State to exist in peace and security without physical or verbal assault against its sovereignty or legitimacy. This necessarily entails adamantly opposing the dismantling of and/or handing over territory to any other entity or entities."
Fact check: Israel demands special rights as "God's chosen people" but denies any to indigenous Palestinians. In addition, its settlements and human rights abuses violate international law.
continued below“If Israel continues settlement activity, it will not only be acting contrary to... more
Students & Universities across the globe are beginning to 'divest' from Israel. Many scholars, celebrities and government leaders are divesting from Israel. What is Divestment? It's the opposite of 'Investment'. Investing into corporations stocks and securities (or anything for that matter) that profit Israel directly or indirectly helps Israel to oppress the people in Palestine, it helps Israel to break International laws, it helps Israel to take advantage of human rights and moreover, it is supporting Israels gross violations of human rights as well as a slow and calculated genocide of the Palestinian people.
Not very nice to support an organization that murders and steals from people that do not have the broad resources to protect themselves from this 'school bully'. Israel is the school bully that steals your lunch money.
Here is the University that started it all and was successful in the Divestment from Apartheid South Africa. In comments section below, I will continue this model as well as post the list of impressive and well known people that support this and have done something about it.
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Traditionally, Hampshire College has advocated for the oppressed, taking unpopular stands when others have preferred to turn away. In 1977 Hampshire College was the first college in the US to divest from Apartheid South Africa. In 2001 Hampshire was the first college to object to the war in Afghanistan.
In this spirit and in light of the fact that the Israeli occupation is the longest ongoing occupation since World War II, we state our objection to the oppression of the Palestinian people. The Hampshire community hereby declares its commitment to work towards the end of this occupation. Furthermore we call upon Israel to end its policies of discrimination and to respect international law and Palestinian rights, including the right to self-determination. We support the Palestinian right to resist the occupation in accordance with international law. Our commitment includes the following policies ratified by Hampshire College:
• As an institution Hampshire College will not support, invest, or finance any individual, group or institution that directly profits from the occupation of Palestine. We call on other colleges and universities to enact similar policies.
• Hampshire College calls on the United States Government to stop financing Israel’s occupation of Palestine.
In addition to economic measures, Hampshire College as an institution and a community hereby expresses its commitment to support the autonomy and self-determination of the Palestinian people, including but not limited to the following:
• We support dialogue on our campus about the conflict as long as it is sincere and serious about its intentions to end the oppression of the Palestinian people.
• Due to our mandate as an institution of higher education, we are committed to support the Palestinian right to education, through exchange programs and academic support
• In solidarity with the Palestinian people, our educational program will provide a stage for unheard Palestinian voices.
Hampshire College, in accordance with its moral imperatives, will persist in this course of action until the end of the occupation as defined by UN resolutions.
Divestment Addendum
Due to numerous questions over the nature of divestment in the above call for divestment, SJP has added the following addendum to clarify what is meant by divestment.
Investments should not be made in any company that provides products or services, including financial services, to Israeli governmental or military bodies that are used to facilitate or undertake violent acts against civilians or violations of international law, or to Israeli or Palestinian organizations or groups that are used to facilitate or undertake violent acts against civilians or violations of international law.
For the purposes of this investment screen this would include companies that:(MORE BELOW & AT LINK)Students & Universities across the globe are beginning to 'divest' from Israel. Many... more
I am typing up the contents of pafes 111, 112, qnd 113 from this great book. You will be stunned to hear the truth from this great writer (John Pilger) whom the Guardian has said that "the truth in his hands is a weapon, to be picked up and brandished nd used in the struggle aainst evil and injstice.'
IJohn Pilger challenges us in the West to 'look in the mirror' at the actions of 'or' governments for the true source of much of the world's fear and insecurity - and terrorism.
John Pilger's vivid eyewittness reporting, backed by meticulous research, blows away the secrets and lies of our rulers and turns a searchlight on events consigned to shadows and an unrecognised yet virulent censorship.
World–renowned journalist John Pilger looks at five nations (Palestine, Diego Garcia, Afghanistan, Iraq, and South Africa) that have undergone long and painful struggles for freedom, yet are still waiting for its realizationI am typing up the contents of pafes 111, 112, qnd 113 from this great book. You... more
New York Times reporter Steven Kinzer in his book All Shah’s Men, reveals how the CIA destabilized and overthrew the democratically elected government of Dr. Mosaddeq. How it was done? Here is the transcript of the first few minutes of Kinzer’s interview.
1. STEVEN KINZER: The story of how the C.I.A. overthrew the government of Iran in 1953 is really an object lesson in how easy it is for a rich and powerful country to throw a poor and weak country into chaos.
2. The C.I.A. sent one of its most adept operatives, Kermit Roosevelt, the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, to Iran with the mission of organizing the overthrow of the government.
3. One reason I was so interested in writing this book is that I have always asked myself, how do you go about overthrowing a government? What do you do? Suppose that you are sent to a country with that mission. What do you do on the first day? How do you start and then what do you do? Well, now I know.
4. Kermit Roosevelt set about trying to create chaos in Iran. He was able to do that very quickly by a series of means.
5. The first thing he did was, he started bribing members of parliament and leaders of small political parties that were a part of Mosaddeq’s political coalition. Pretty soon the public started to see the Mosaddeq’s coalition splitting apart and people denouncing him on the floor of parliament.
6. The next thing Roosevelt did was start bribing newspaper editors, owners and columnists and reporters. Within a couple of weeks, he had 80% of the newspapers in Tehran on his payroll and they were grinding out every kind of lie attacking Mosaddeq.
7. The next thing Roosevelt did was start bribing religious leaders. Soon, at Friday prayers, the Mullahs were denouncing Mosaddeq as an atheist enemy of Islam.
8. Roosevelt also bribed members of police units and low-ranking military officers to be ready with their units on the crucial day.
9. In what I think was really his master stroke, he hired the leaders of a bunch of street gangs in Tehran, and he used them to help create the impression that the rule of law had totally disintegrated in Iran. He actually at one point hired a gang to run through the streets of Tehran, beating up any pedestrian they found, breaking shop windows, firing their guns into mosques, and yelling—“We love Mosaddeq and communism.” This would naturally turn any decent citizen against him.
10. He didn’t stop there. He hired a second mob to attack the first mob, to give people the impression that there was no police presence and order had completely disintegrated. So, within just a few weeks, this one agent operating with a large sum of cash and a network of contacts and various elements of society, had taken what was a fairly stable country and thrown it into complete upheaval.
As you see the parliament was no longer a legitimate parliament. Everyone had become a fifth column. While Roosevelt had remained in the shadow, Mosaddeq knew that the integrity of the parliament and the press had been undermined. How could people who supported him start all of a sudden attacking him? Would an election in such time been legitimate? Was the parliament legitimate? Mosaddeq was a patiort and he did the right thing.
Therefore comparing Dr. Mosaddeq with Hussni Mubarak and Indira Gandhi betrays the lack of knowledge of the subject about which Dr. Klinghoffer opines.
From 1961 to 1971, the U.S. military sprayed Vietnam with Agent Orange, which contained large quantities of Dioxin, in order to defoliate the trees for military objectives. Dioxin is one of the most dangerous chemicals known to man. It has been recognized by the World Health Organization as a carcinogen (causes cancer) and by the American Academy of Medicine as a teratogen (causes birth defects).
Between 2.5 and 4.8 million people were exposed to Agent Orange. 1.4 billion hectares of land and forest - approximately 12 percent of the land area of Vietnam - were sprayed.
The Vietnamese who were exposed to the chemical have suffered from cancer, liver damage, pulmonary and heart diseases, defects to reproductive capacity, and skin and nervous disorders. Children and grandchildren of those exposed have severe physical deformities, mental and physical disabilities, diseases, and shortened life spans. The forests and jungles in large parts of southern Vietnam have been devastated and denuded. They may never grow back and if they do, it will take 50 to 200 years to regenerate. Animals that inhabited the forests and jungles have become extinct, disrupting the communities that depended on them. The rivers and underground water in some areas have also been contaminated. Erosion and desertification will change the environment, contributing to the warming of the planet and dislocation of crop and animal life.
The U.S. government and the chemFrom 1961 to 1971, the U.S. military sprayed Vietnam with Agent Orange, which... more
No one should be surprised or even raise an eyebrow over Netanyahu’s speech this past Saturday regarding his policies with the Palestinians. True to his cunning nature, Netanyahu played the semantics game by appearing to be accepting the ‘Palestinian state” as declared by President Obama in his Cairo speech. In actuality, Netanyahu accepted a resemblance of state or a virtual state within the Israeli illegal occupation system that will function more like a Zulu state in former South Africa Apartheid state.No one should be surprised or even raise an eyebrow over Netanyahu’s speech this... more
HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, blamed "them Jews" in an interview this week for keeping him from speaking to the president, but later apologized.
Wright, the former pastor of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, said he hasn't spoken to Obama since he became president.
"Them Jews ain't going to let him talk to me. I told my baby daughter that he'll talk to me in five years when he's a lame duck, or in eight years when he's out of office," Wright told the Daily Press of Newport News following a Tuesday night sermon at the 95th annual Hampton University Ministers' Conference.
"They will not let him to talk to somebody who calls a spade what it is. ... I said from the beginning: He's a politician; I'm a pastor. He's got to do what politicians do."
The White House declined to comment to the Associated Press on Thursday on Wright's remarks.HAMPTON, Va. (AP) -- President Barack Obama's controversial former pastor, the Rev.... more
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about ourselves. It rips open the hypocrisy of our religions and secular institutions. Those who return from war have learned something which is often incomprehensible to those who have stayed home. We are not a virtuous nation.War Is Sin
By Chris Hedges
War exposes the lies we tell ourselves about... more
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE AND YOU CAN ALL USE IT TO DEBATE AGAINST THE ENORMOUS PROPAGANDA IN OUR MEDIA, AND ON CURRENT.COM
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THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
John J. Mearsheimer
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
Stephen M. Walt
John F. Kennedy School of Government
Harvard University
March 2006 RWP06‐011
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The two authors of this Working Paper are solely responsible for the views expressed in it. As academic institutions, Harvard University and the University of Chicago do not take positions on the scholarship of individual faculty, and this article should not be interpreted or portrayed as reflecting the official position of either institution.
An edited and reworked version of this paper was published in the
London Review of Books Vol. 28, No. 6 (March 23, 2006), and is available online at www.lrb.co.uk
THE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
U.S. foreign policy shapes events in every corner of the globe. Nowhere is this truer than in the Middle East, a region of recurring instability and enormous strategic importance. Most recently, the Bush Administration's attempt to transform the region into a community of democracies has helped produce a resilient insurgency in Iraq, a sharp rise in world oil prices, and terrorist bombings in Madrid, London, and Amman. With so much at stake for so many, all countries need to understand the forces that drive U.S. Middle East policy.
The U.S. national interest should be the primary object of American foreign policy. For the past several decades, however, and especially since the Six Day War in 1967, the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy has been its relationship with Israel. The combination of unwavering U.S. support for Israel and the related effort to spread democracy throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized U.S. security.
This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the United States been willing to set aside its own security in order to advance the interests of another state? One might assume that the bond between the two countries is based on shared strategic interests or compelling moral imperatives. As we show below, however, neither of those explanations can account for the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel.
Instead, the overall thrust of U.S. policy in the region is due almost entirely to U
continuedTHE ISRAEL LOBBY AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
yOU CAN ALL READ THIS BOOK ON HERE... more
"The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names"
~ Chinese Proverb
May 13, 2009 "Lew Rockwell" -- If you are a poor, hapless Afghan civilian whose family's bodies were ripped apart by U.S. bombs, does it really make a difference to you if the air "strikes" were ordered by the Moron from Texas, George W Bush, or the Agent of Change, Barack Obama? I would think not. If you were a Pakistani civilian whose village had been bombed by the U.S. would your heart be comforted by the fact that the mad bombers have a new, young, hip "Commander-in-Chief" who makes funny jokes to all the stenographers known as "The Washington Press Corps"? I sincerely doubt that as well.
Barack Obama sold himself to the country as someone who would bring massive "change" to the policies of the U.S. government, but of course when it comes to the favorite activity of that cancerous organism, warring against wholly innocent civilian populations in foreign countries, there will be no change. In fact, even the pleas of the President of the supposedly free and democratic country of Afghanistan are meaningless in the face of the U.S. government's desire to enforce its will on as much of the Earth as possible. I wonder if Americans would feel like they lived in a "free democracy" if the U.S. was occupied by a foreign military power that regularly killed our people and refused to stop? A power that calls refraining from murder as fighting with "one hand tied behind our back" as White House "National Security" Advisor James Jones recently did? I am pretty sure they emphatically would NOT.
This morning's news brings more information to us of "Barry's" latest slaughter, with at least 8 people in Pakistan dead, none of whom ever hurt a single innocent American. If they had hurt any U.S. soldiers in the region, that, of course, is wholly a result of the imperialists in Washington invading the region in the first place. To kill someone for defending themselves against aggression is the definition of tyrannical is it not? Or is the U.S. Government so holy, so infallible and morally upright that any who defy it are to be disposed of, like so much human garbage? Is a country that claims to be Christian really ready to accept the blasphemous idea that the U.S. Government is above any laws, even those of the God that the majority of Americans claim to believe in?
The Chinese proverb that opens this piece is true in all times and places, so let's call Mr. Obama by his real names: Wall Street Stooge, Zionist lickspittle, National Socialist, liar and above all, mass murderBarack Obama – Mass Murderer
By Dan Spielberg
"The beginning of wisdom is... more
It is unclear if the shooter was among the wounded, despite earlier reports that he killed himself, an official said.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Attack is the deadliest on soldiers by a fellow soldier during Operation Iraqi Freedom
Shooter is in custody, senior defense officials say
Five killed and three others wounded in incident
Shootings took place at Camp Liberty in Baghdad
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U.S. soldier in Baghdad kills four fellow troops before killing himself, senior defense official tells CNN.
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It is unclear if the shooter was among the wounded, despite earlier reports that he killed himself, an official said..................................As the story has unfolded we have now learnt that there were FIVE SOLDIERS KILLED but not the one who killed them.
Monday's attack marks the fifth incident in which a service member was killed by a fellow service member during Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to the U.S. military.
• In March 2003, Capt. Christopher Seifert and Maj. Gregory Stone were killed at Camp Pennsylvania, Kuwait, in a grenade attack by another soldier.
• Sgt. Joseph Tackett was fatally shot in June 2005 by a fellow soldier in Baghdad.
• Seaman Anamarie Camacho and Seaman Genesia Gresham were killed in a non-combat incident in Bahrain in October 2007.
• A 39-year-old soldier was charged with killing Staff Sgt. Darris Dawson and Sgt. Wesley Durbin in Tunnis, Iraq, in September.
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Britain ends combat operations in Iraq:
The British military formally ended combat operations in Iraq on Thursday after six years of conflict by handing over control of its main base in Basra to an American brigade. http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/04/30/britain-iraq.htmlIt is unclear if the shooter was among the wounded, despite earlier reports that he... more
The first time I traveled to Europe, I fretted about how tipping worked (of course I didn't bother to consult a guidebook or do any research first). And I'm always surprised at how much people worry about tipping practices, especially when they travel abroad. In a way, it's amusing since Americans are generally considered to be the most generous tippers in the world (and of Americans, New Yorkers are generally considered to be the most generous).
The first (and most important) piece of advice that I can give anyone about tipping is that you absolutely have to do your homework. So many people just set off on a trip without learning anything about the place. Why would you not want to know what people expect in terms of tipping? Just remember to do your homework and it will all become less stressful.
Five Simple Rules to Help You Be a Better Tipper
1. The magic number is 15. One simple number that will get you far almost anywhere in the world: 15, as in 15%. In almost any situation, if there's no service charge, a tip of 15% will work. It might also be considered exceedingly generous, so check on the norm in your destination. True, in major cities in the U.S. that number is edging up, so 18% is considered the baseline in New York for a reasonable tip, but almost anywhere in the world you won't be spat upon or called dirty words if you tip simply 15% (assuming there's no service charge).
2. The other magic number is 1. That's $1, or rather the equivalent to $1 in the country where you are traveling. This is the amount you give when someone does something for you. So if you are in India, 50 rupees will work for a bellman; in Europe, 1 euro will work; in Britain, it's a pound (remember that everything in Britain costs 1.5 times as much as in the U.S.); in Thailand, it's 50 baht; in Egypt, it's about 5 Egyptian pounds Round up where necessary and where it helps you find a suitable coin or bill for the task.5 No-Nonsense Traveler's Tips for Tipping
By Doug Stallings
Fodor's Editor... more
the Spanish National Court’s decision to continue investigating suspected Israeli war criminals is welcomed
The victims and their legal team have placed their trust in the criminal justice system, believing that this is the only mechanism whereby accountability can be pursued and Israel’s impunity combated. Judge Fernando Andreu’s judgment indicates that, even in the face of considerable political pressure – including statements made by the Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos – this trust in the rule of law is justified. This decision confirms the credibility and independence of the Spanish Courts.
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On 22 July 2002, at approximately 11:55 pm, an Israeli Air Force F16 fighter jet dropped a 985 kilogramme bomb on a three-storey apartment building. The attack was intended to kill Salah Shehade, the suspected leader of the Izzidin al-Qassam Brigade, Hamas’ military wing. The apartment building was located within the densely populated Al Daraj district, a residential neighbourhood in Gaza City. At the time of the attack, Shehade was on the upper floor of the building. As a result of the blast impact, eight other adjoining and nearby apartment buildings were completely destroyed, nine were partially destroyed, and another 21 sustained considerable damage. Excluding Shehade and his guard, a total of 14 civilians were killed, including eight children. Approximately 150 civilians were injured.
Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) officials have acknowledged that they decided to drop the bomb on Shehadeh’s house knowing his wife was with him, intentionally killing her as well.the Spanish National Court’s decision to continue investigating suspected Israeli... more
In a stunning turn of events early this morning, Senator Barack Obama announced that he would be his own running mate in the 2008 Presidential elections. [more]
-- TheSkunk.org In a stunning turn of events early this morning, Senator Barack Obama announced that... more
CHICAGO (AP) -- Sen. Joe Biden has emerged as the clear favorite among Democrats to be Barack Obama's running mate for his understanding of foreign policy in grave global times and his fighting spirit against the rival Republican ticket.
Obama is keeping his decision quiet, but his staff in Chicago and party activists who await a decision are buzzing about Biden in large part because he can address two of Obama's biggest weaknesses - his lack of experience, especially on world affairs, and his reluctance to go on the attack. The speculation among Democrats is less of an indicator of whether Biden will ultimately be Obama's pick, and more of a recognition of the challenges their candidate faces at this pivotal moment in the race.
Obama plans to appear with his newly selected running mate Saturday, with the pick announced via text message to supporters. Obama also is widely thought to be considering Govs. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana.
Biden was first elected to represent Delaware in 1972, when Obama was 11 years old and half the people living in the United States today weren't born yet. He is a curious front-runner for running mate for a candidate who won the primary by arguing he would be a fresh outsider who could bring change to Washington.
Biden is a charismatic and hard-charging campaigner with a compelling personal story - his wife and daughter were killed in a car accident a few weeks after he was first elected, but two sons survived serious injuries in the same crash. Biden commuted home to Wilmington from each day in the Senate to care for them, a practice he still continues to this day. The oldest son, Beau, is now Delaware's attorney general and a National Guard member whose unit is being deployed to Iraq in October.CHICAGO (AP) -- Sen. Joe Biden has emerged as the clear favorite among Democrats to be... more
Joe Biden, Evan Bigh, and Tim Kaine are rumored to be the three finalists to be Obama's VP. Is this a missed opportunity to include a woman on a Presidential ticket?Joe Biden, Evan Bigh, and Tim Kaine are rumored to be the three finalists to be... more
WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Barack Obama shows up Saturday in Springfield, Ill., on his way to the Democratic Convention, he'll have his new running mate grinning beside him. But that man or woman is still unknown, even as speculation rises to a fever pitch.
Same with John McCain, just days away from his Republican convention.
A big reason the jobs are still open: The contenders believed to be still in the running could pose significant risks as well as helping the presidential candidates.
For Obama, for instance, picking a senator like Delaware's Joe Biden or Indiana's Evan Bayh would bring experience to the ticket but would also make it harder to emphasize his own signature campaign theme of change.
For McCain, former rival Mitt Romney would bring economic experience and ties to battleground Michigan. But Romney has his detractors, even among Republicans, and McCain's primary-season attacks on him would provide ammunition for Democrats.
For all the talk, running mates seldom are a factor in November outcomes. A party's No. 2 hasn't played a truly key role since John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson in 1960.
But the selection is the most important decision each candidate makes before formally gaining his party's nomination, and it could reveal much about his judgment.WASHINGTON (AP) -- When Barack Obama shows up Saturday in Springfield, Ill., on his... more
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his clearest signal yet that he has settled on a running mate when he announced Tuesday he would appear Saturday in this city where he launched his campaign.
Presumably, the running mate will appear with Obama when he shows up in front of the former state Capitol where Abraham Lincoln once served. The last time Obama appeared there, he announced he was running for president.
The Obama campaign's announcement said only that the Illinois senator would begin his trip to the party's national convention at the Saturday event. The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in Denver.
But the candidate and his aides said nothing explicit about his decision on a running mate.
Those believed to be on Obama's short list also were keeping mum. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, rumored as a possible choice, professed no inside knowledge of when word would come.
During an address to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday morning, Obama praised Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman thought to be among the contenders, for proposing an additional $1 billion of reconstruction projects in the Republic of Georgia after the Russian invasion.
Then Obama headed off for a bus tour of North Carolina and Virginia to discuss economic issues. He planned to campaign Wednesday with former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner and on Thursday with the state's current governor, Tim Kaine, who is also mentioned as a possible running mate.
The list of potential running mates is widely believed to have come down to Sebelius, Biden, Kaine and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh. Obama's major rival for the nomination, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, was seen by some Democrats as a longshot pick.SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave his... more
