tagged w/ University of Mississippi
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I am grateful to Mr. Don Harkins the editor of THE IDAHO OBSERVER, (USA) and her associates Ms. Anne Wilder Chamberlain to help me prepare my story.
The following short note comes from them:-
KHALID
When we first began corresponding with Khalid Awan in 2007, we had no idea why he was serving time in U.S federal prison.We soon discovered Awan was one of the first of thousands of Muslims taken prisoner in the post-9/11 U.S "terror War". As the story began unfolding in our letters, we began to realize that this honest, humble and sincere man was not only innocent, but the ongoing injustice being done to him provides critical insight into the mindless, mean-spirited, bureaucratic-yes-men idiocy fueling the illegal U.S. "War on Terror" (and just about everything else that is going wrong in this country). At our insistence, Awan wrote his story and supplied us with whatever documents we requested. And now, after three months of cooperative efforts, the story of Khalid Awan can be told. We have come to know Awan as a peaceful man engaged in peaceful work, who has been wrongfully accused, detained and repeatedly convicted of crimes he did not commit because he was a Muslim with international connections and an office in New York on 9/11. Anyone who might of the Muslim belief, especially a person raised overseas who has difficulty understanding our language and our corrupt judicial system, can be arrested and detained indefinitely in this country, certainly without a trial before a jury of his peers. Khalid is one of these Muslims.
We present this to you in faith that you will realize a deeper understanding of the levels of complicity necessary for the "land of free" to tolerate the phony war on terror year after year and in hope that Awan --- and all the other million or more political prisoners being held by this country---will one day be reunited with their families.
(Thanks from the bottom of my heart to you, Mr. Don Harkin and Ms. Anne W. Chaimberlain for your devoted, caring attention in helping me expose my plight and injustices being suffered by myself and others. Your humanitarian devotion, on-going help and attitude truly an inspiration to me in my life!)
Khalid Qayyum Awan (From USA Federal Prison)
CONTACT OR MAILING ADDRESS IS GIVEN BELOW
Khalid Awan # 50959-054
USP Marion
P.O.BOX : 1000
Marion, IL 62959
USA
http://khalidawancanadian.today.com/
http://awankhalid.com/,I am grateful to Mr. Don Harkins the editor of THE IDAHO OBSERVER, (USA) and her... more
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Nietzsche, and Me Dreaming
By Reid Baer
I go to school, university, for
a degree in communications just
to do so in this class I’m currently
in appears ridiculous for the large
Male instructor has given us the dumb
assignment to apply a pretty pink
and purple beauty care product on the
room walls when suddenly the Greek Chorus
Kicks in and shouts out a definitive
“NO!” So, I stand straight up, full on into
the teacher’s frightened face and scream, “That’s NOT
what I’m supposed to be studying here!”Nietzsche, and Me Dreaming
By Reid Baer
I go to school, university, for
a degree... more
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Here, in what could be called the Fort Knox of dope, Mahmoud ElSohly waits patiently as an assistant unlocks the stainless steel door to a climate-controlled vault.
Once inside, under the gaze of security cameras and a blinking motion sensor, another scientist pries open the lid of a large cardboard barrel, opens a large plastic bag and digs his hand into the vat of meticulously manicured marijuana.
We are in the Coy W. Waller Laboratory Complex on the campus of the University of Mississippi, getting a look at the only legal marijuana farm and production facility in the United States. This is the government's "cannabis drug repository."Here, in what could be called the Fort Knox of dope, Mahmoud ElSohly waits patiently... more
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DALLAS -- There were backflips across midfield, 50-yard dashes carrying oversized flags and a team-wide sprint to the student section. Ole Miss waited five years to feel this good and the Rebels were going to enjoy every second of it.
HODDY TODDY,
GOSH A MIGHTY,
WHO IN THE HELL ARE WE?
FLIM FLAM,
BIM BAM,
OLE MISS BY DAMN!DALLAS -- There were backflips across midfield, 50-yard dashes carrying oversized... more
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JohnA
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11 months ago
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Reporting from secret farms and not-so-secret grow houses of marijuana cultivators, Lisa Ling goes into their world -- where marijuana is not just a drug but a way of life.
"If a stranger walked up to you and poured pebble like seeds into your hand and then said, 'plant them and your harvest can be made into rope, cloth or paper. It could help the sick or intoxicate.' What would you say? Would you keep the seeds or chuck them away?"
I highly recommend this Explorer. Although it isn't perfect, it has its insightful moments and Lisa Ling shines, as always! :)Reporting from secret farms and not-so-secret grow houses of marijuana cultivators,... more
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watchin mccain is like watchin cloris leachman on DANCES WITH THE STARS...
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watchin' mccain is like watchin cloris leachman on DANCES W/THE STARS....
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OXFORD, Miss. -- It was the week of McCain and Mississippi.
John McCain, the senator from Arizona, seized the spotlight on Wednesday with his dramatic announcement that he would not attend the first presidential debate of the 2008 general election.
That left the University of Mississippi -- and the state where McCain's family roots run deepest -- in limbo, uncertain if the debate it had spent $5.5 million and countless man-hours to produce would actually happen.
But by Friday afternoon, both McCain and Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama -- and the national press -- had finally arrived in the hill country of North Mississippi.
Somehow, 46 years to the day that Mississippi state troopers blocked African-American student James Meredith from setting foot on the campus, the spotlight was less on Obama, the first black major-party nominee, than on McCain.
As the debate grew closer, faces familiar to national politics began to be seen in the vast media tent. For the Democrats, here came 2004 nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts and 2008 primary candidate Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico. For the Republicans, the home state governor, Haley Barbour (not always McCain's best ally), and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.
They would be spinning before the debate ever began, following the leads of the campaigns. McCain-Palin had already started running Web ads proclaiming him the winner of the debate. Obama's campaign sent out a heavily annotated memo proclaiming McCain the heavy favorite to win the debate, which was supposed to focus on foreign policy and national security but would now include discussion of the nation's financial crisis.
Chancellor Robert Khayat had indulged in his own spinning earlier in the day, suggesting the heightened drama created by McCain would make an already historic day even more "extraordinary" for Ole Miss students
OXFORD, Miss. -- It was the week of McCain and Mississippi.
John McCain, the... more
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JohnA
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#debate08 #current.Quit saying when I am president of the United States. Listen to the next president of the United States! Nazi sympathizer! You stink.#debate08 #current.Quit saying when I am president of the United States. Listen to the... more
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The first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, scheduled for tonight, remained in limbo last night after the presidential candidates left a White House meeting without a deal on a $700 billion economic rescue plan.
vThe first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, scheduled for tonight, remained... more
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A snapshot from Current Towers of preparations for our Hack the Debate coverage. We're getting ready -- hope you're all getting ready too!
http://current.com/debateA snapshot from Current Towers of preparations for our Hack the Debate coverage.... more
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(Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama meet on Friday in the first of three presidential debates that could play a big role in deciding a tight White House race.
Some potential scenarios for the event at the University of Mississippi in Oxford:
* The topic for the first debate is national security and foreign policy, a strength for McCain, a 26-year veteran of Congress who has become one of Washington's leading voices on military policy. Obama aides, looking to set expectations, say that should give McCain an edge in the first encounter.
* The Wall Street turmoil has dominated the campaign for nearly two weeks, and is expected to be raised in the questioning even though domestic issues are not on the agenda. Polls show voters favor Obama on economic issues, and the topic has helped him pull slightly ahead of McCain in some recent polls.
* McCain, 72, and Obama, 47, will present a stark generational contrast when they stand side by side on the debate stage. Whether it looks more like the past versus the future or the old pro versus the callow rookie could play a role in setting voter impressions of the candidates.
* Neither has been a particularly distinguished debater. McCain has a blunt and straightforward style; Obama can be much more cool and diffident. McCain's reputation for being easily angered can work against him, while Obama will have to fight a tendency to sound too nuanced and professorial.
* The audience for the nationally televised encounter is expected to dwarf the 40 million who watched the acceptance speeches by McCain and Obama at their nominating conventions, and could surpass the 62 million who watched the first 2004 debate between Democratic Sen. John Kerry and Republican President George W. Bush.(Reuters) - Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama meet on Friday in the... more
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(from a different article than linked:
“All he has done is stand in front of the cameras,” Mr. Reid said of Mr. McCain. “We still don’t know where he stands on the issues......
But once the doors closed, the House Republican leader, John A. Boehner of Ohio, surprised many in the room by declaring that his caucus could not support the plan to allow the government to buy distressed mortgage assets from ailing financial companies.
Mr. Boehner pressed an alternative that involved a smaller role for the government, and Mr. McCain, whose support of the deal is critical if fellow Republicans are to sign on, declined to take a stand. ")
[full article from link]
11:52 a.m. | Updated: Senator John McCain’s campaign said Friday morning that he will attend tonight’s debate with Senator Barack Obama at the University of Mississippi, reversing his earlier call to postpone the debate so he could participate in the Congressional negotiations over the $700 billion bailout plan for financial firms.
Mr. McCain had thrown debate preparation into turmoil on Wednesday afternoon after he announced that he intended to skip the debate in order to be in Washington for the negotiations. His campaign issued a statement Friday morning saying he was now “optimistic” that a bipartisan bailout agreement would be reached soon, citing “significant progress” in the talks.
The statement was sharply critical of Mr. Obama, who, like Mr. McCain, returned to Washington on Thursday to take part in the bailout talks. The statement portrayed Mr. Obama as unduly partisan and insufficiently concerned with protecting taxpayer interests in the bailout negotiations, while Mr. McCain was framed as the leader of House and Senate Republicans seeking to reach a compromise agreement.
“The difference between Barack Obama and John McCain was apparent during the White House meeting yesterday where Barack Obama’s priority was political posturing in his opening monologue defending the package as it stands,” said the McCain campaign statement.
“John McCain listened to all sides so he could help focus the debate on finding a bipartisan resolution that is in the interest of taxpayers and homeowners. The Democratic interests stood together in opposition to an agreement that would accommodate additional taxpayer protections.”
Senator Obama finished a round of telephone calls with Congressional leaders and the Treasury Secretary before leaving Washington on Friday morning to fly to Memphis and drive to Mississippi to prepare for the first presidential debate of the general election.
“My strong sense is that the best thing that I can do, rather than to inject presidential politics into some delicate negotiations, is to go down to Mississippi and explain to the American people what is going on and my vision for leading the country over the next four years,” Mr. Obama told reporters aboard his plane. “I’m looking forward to the debate and look forward after the debate to coming back to Washington and hopefully getting a package done.”
Moments after Mr. McCain announced that he would participate in the debate after all, the doors of his campaign plane were opened and the steps were down, as Mr. Obama’s 757 idled nearby on the runway at Ronald Reagan National Airport outside Washington, according to a pool report. Both planes were set to arrive here in Memphis on Friday afternoon.
Mr. Obama said he was encouraged by the Congressional negotiations underway on the government’s bailout package of the nation’s financial institutions, saying he was “optimistic” at the prospects for a deal.
“I think that there is real progress being made this morning and last night,” Mr. Obama said. “I think it’s important that the markets seem to be staying relatively calm at this point.”
Asked whether the White House meeting on Thursday was a mistake, Mr. Obama said: “I’m not sure that it was as productive as it could have been, but I think at this point, it’s important just to move forward.”
(from a different article than linked:
“All he has done is stand in front of the... more
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McCain will be attending tonight's originally schedule debate, as he feels the bailout situation has made enough progress. McCain will be attending tonight's originally schedule debate, as he feels the bailout... more
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Republican John McCain says he's going to be at the first presidential debate, even though Congress doesn't have a bailout deal.Republican John McCain says he's going to be at the first presidential debate, even... more
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Photos from the University of Mississippi in Oxford.
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As of Thursday evening, virtually no one knows if John McCain will participate in the first presidential debate set for Friday evening in Oxford, Mississippi. Frank Fahrenkopf, co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates, and a former Republican Party national chair, said in an interview with Salon, “The law requires that there must be two candidates for a debate. If we did anything else, we would be making an in-kind contribution to the Obama campaign.” Of course, what he really meant is that there must be at least two candidates in a debate. In 1980, when the League of Women Voters was hosting presidential debates, the League invited President Jimmy Carter, Republican nominee Ronald Reagan, and independent candidate John B. Anderson. Carter refused to participate, so the debate was conducted between Anderson and Reagan. Both did well and neither damaged himself. Later in the season there were two Reagan-Carter debates.
Daily Kos, on Thursday evening, invited comments on the subject of “Whom should Obama debate?” (if McCain doesn’t participate). One commenter at 7:09 p.m. Pacific time said, “Why not let Bob Barr, Ralph Nader, and Cynthia McKinney debate Obama? It couldn’t hurt to hear their positions, and Obama would benefit by reaching out toward left-leaning independents with the gesture.”
Another commenter, at 7:16 p.m., said, “It couldn’t hurt to hear their positions? Yes it could. I am in full agreement that we need to reach out to all voters — specially those who feel let down by Obama’s bouts of centrist triangulation. We won’t get them by including those three…if it is outreach we need, we already know how to do that. Giving these people a forum they would otherwise never have gained does us no good at all. The risks of Obama looking bad in such an encounter are also far too great.”
Still another commenter, at 7:12 p.m., said, “Ralph Nader. Except that would be a real debate and the network would never allow that.”
As of Thursday evening, virtually no one knows if John McCain will participate in... more
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BuddyP
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1 year ago
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- Prospects were questionable at best that John McCain and Barack Obama would meet Friday for their first presidential debate as progress appeared to dissolve between Congress and the Bush administration on a $700 billion financial industry bailout.
McCain didn't plan to participate in the debate unless there was a consensus. Obama still wants the face-off to go on, arguing that Americans need to hear from the candidates. The Democrat was scheduled to travel to the debate site in Oxford, Miss., on Friday.
"I believe that it's very possible that we can get an agreement in time for me to fly to Mississippi," McCain said late Thursday. "I understand how important this debate is and I'm very hopeful. But I also have to put the country first."
In turn, Obama said: "It is my intention to be in Mississippi and obviously the biggest priority is making sure that we get this deal done. But I also think it's important to describe to the American people where the next president wants to take the country and how he's going to deal with this crisis."
Both candidates made the rounds on network evening news programs after meeting on the crisis with President Bush and bipartisan congressional leaders at the White House. McCain did not participate in late-night negotiations on Capitol Hill but worked the phones from his Virginia home. A senior McCain official said McCain hasn't signed on to any one proposal, though he does agree there needs to be a greater protection for taxpayers.
The debate over the debate is the latest campaign twist as McCain and Obama try to navigate the uncharted politics of the financial meltdown and show leadership at a time of national angst.
In Mississippi, debate organizers continued to prepare, and Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, told a news conference he expected the debate to go on. "This is going to be a great debate tomorrow night," Barbour said.
Television networks, too, said they were moving forward.
Presidential politics ran smack into the delicate discussions over how to stop further weakening the sagging economy.
As McCain returned to Washington at midday, Democratic and Republican negotiators emerged from a closed-door meeting to report an agreement in principle. An Obama campaign official said the Illinois senator called into the meeting. McCain spokesman Brian Rogers said McCain didn't participate, but held talks with Republican leaders afterward.
A few hours later, the rivals attended the private White House meeting, which officials in both parties described as contentious. They sat three seats away from the president, McCain to his right, Obama to his left. As the meeting broke up, it became apparent that any tentative agreement had started to dissolve.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Prospects were questionable at best that John McCain and Barack... more
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JohnA
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1 year ago
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Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain said congressional leaders and administration officials haven't yet settled on a financial- markets rescue plan, though both say they are hopeful a deal can be struck soon.
``I think eventually we're going to get a deal. There's still some work that needs to be done,'' Obama said in an interview on CNN.
He and McCain were interviewed on network news programs after they met at the White House with President George W. Bush and congressional leaders to discuss the government's $700 billion plan to stabilize markets.
``I am confident that we will reach an agreement that gets a majority of my colleagues on my side of the aisle as well as a majority on the other side,'' McCain said on CBS.
He also said it may be possible to reach an accord by tomorrow, in time to go forward with a scheduled debate with Obama at the University of Mississippi.
The White House session took place hours after lawmakers announced they had reached a tentative accord. At the end, Democrats said the plan faced new hurdles.
``Something happened in the intervening hours,'' Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois, said. Some Republicans, primarily in the House of Representatives, raised new issues, he said.
Republican McCain, an Arizona senator, said some members of Congress have raised objections over the cost and breadth of the plan.
``This is the biggest thing of its kind obviously in history,'' McCain said on ABC. ``They have legitimate concerns, some of those have already been satisfied such as accountability and oversight board, CEO executive pay.''
McCain said that the White House meeting ``was important to move the process along.''
Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain said... more
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JohnA
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Organisers at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi, forged ahead on Thursday with preparations for tonight';s crucial first debate of the 2008 US presidential campaign still awaiting the final word that it would go ahead.
John McCain, the Republican candidate, pulled out on Wednesday, announcing his intention to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to help foster a bipartisan solution to the financial crisis.
Barack Obama, the Democrat, who was in Washington to discuss the US financial bail-out plan with President George W. Bush and Mr McCain, insisted his first one-on-one televised encounter with his rival should proceed on schedule.
After Washington, he said, he would be heading to the university's Oxford campus. Our economy is in crisis and our nation is fighting two wars abroad, he said. The times are too serious to put our campaign on hold or to ignore the full range of issues that the next president will face.
Mr McCain promised to join him there as long as a deal on a financial package to bail out financial institutions was reached in time.
Mr Obama's message has been that would-be presidents should have the ability to tackle more than one issue at the same time.
Bill Clinton, the former Democratic president, was among those who gave Mr McCain the benefit of the doubt over his call to reschedule the debate, telling ABC News: I presume he did that in good faith.
But some commentators said Mr McCain might be happy to avoid such a crucial encounter at the end of a week in which his standing in opinion polls has fallen, apparently as a result of his initial uncertain response to the financial crisis.
Mr McCain's suggestion that the Mississippi encounter could be put off until next week, replacing a scheduled encounter between Sarah Palin, his running mate, and Joseph Biden, Democratic vice-presidential nominee, would give her more time to hone her international affairs knowledge ahead of a debate with a foreign policy heavyweight.
The first Obama-McCain debate is seen as crucial to setting the tone for the remaining month and a half of the campaign. The Obama camp pressed for it to focus on foreign affairs as scheduled, seen as a potential vote-winner for Mr McCain. But that would allow the Democrat to keep his strong point, the economy, for a debate closer to election day.
Those plans, like the campaign itself, have been overturned by the financial crisis and it would now be impossible for the candidates to avoid reference to the economic situation.
About 65m Americans were expected to watch the prime-time debate and the numbers could be higher, given intense public reactions to the week's events. Talk shows and media blogs have been inundated with comments from their audiences, with many expressing anger at the concept of bailing out banks at taxpayer expense.
The University of Mississippi said it would go ahead with its preparations as planned "We have been notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates that we are proceeding as scheduled" said a statement from the Oxford campus.
Organisers at Ole Miss, the University of Mississippi, forged ahead on Thursday with... more
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JohnA
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