tagged w/ Random thoughts
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Have you ever experienced that eerie feeling of a thought popping into your head as if from nowhere, with no clue as to why you had that particular idea at that particular time? You may think that such fleeting thoughts, however random they seem, must be the product of predictable and rational processes. After all, the brain cannot be random, can it? Surely it processes information using ordered, logical operations, like a powerful computer?Have you ever experienced that eerie feeling of a thought popping into your head as if... more
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A new poll shows less than half of Republicans are smarter than a 5th grader. They actually believe the President of the United States is not a citizen of the United States. Funny, this has never been an issue with any other president in the past - what could possible be different with our current President? Some how this president figured out a way not only to skirt Section 1 of Article Two of the United States Constitution sets forth the eligibility requirements for serving as President of the United States:
“No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.”
But get passed the mass scrutiny of the entire Republican party and his Democratic opposition during not only this campaign but his previous political career. Keep in mind President Obama started his political career in Chicago. There is little doubt if anyone could have found a way to derail him using such a simple requirement they surely would have long before now. Just think about it - you don't think some folks have attempted to move heaven and earth in racking their myopic brains trying figure out how to stop the first non-white person from becoming President of the United States?A new poll shows less than half of Republicans are smarter than a 5th grader. They... more
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Israel to register 34,348 acres near WB settlement:
The sparsely populated desert region is mostly inhabited by Arab Bedouin tribes, who have been expelled during previous expansions of the settlement, the boundaries of which already extend to the Jordan Valley.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\06\28\story_28-6-2009_pg4_7
The sparsely populated desert region is mostly inhabited by Arab Bedouin tribes, who have been expelled during previous expansions of the settlement, the boundaries of which already extend to the Jordan Valley.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\06\28\story_28-6-2009_pg4_7Israel to register 34,348 acres near WB settlement:
The sparsely populated desert... more
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Israeli ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children - a report:
DCI-Palestine* released a report which documents the widespread ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children at the hands of the Israeli army and police force - Palestinian Child Prisoners: The systematic and institutionalized ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities.Israeli ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children - a report:... more
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Bound, blindfolded and beaten - by Israeli troops:
Children among Palestinian detainees abused during West Bank operation, according to soldiers' confessionsBound, blindfolded and beaten - by Israeli troops:
Children among Palestinian... more
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UN public hearing in Gaza broadcasts accounts of war victims:
"In a single instant we had all of our joys replaced with blood," he said. "There was a severe whistling in my ears and a pillar of smoke and dust and that obliterated what happened. When I looked up I found I had lost both my legs. I was sprawled over the body of my own brother. I looked for my father and others, and I found them motionless. Most of them were dead."UN public hearing in Gaza broadcasts accounts of war victims:
"In a single instant... more
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Top Obama advisor sees room for Iran 'dialogue'
A senior Obama advisor hints that the White House will not rule out the option of diplomatic dialogue with Iran despite the post-election developments in the country.
David Axelrod, President Barack Obama's top adviser, on Sunday bared thinly veiled threats that Iran would face 'some very stark consequences,' if it did not take the desired path 'offered' by the US in nuclear talks.
“We are not looking to reward Iran. We are looking to ... sit down and talk to the Iranians and offer them two paths. And one brings them back into the community of nations, and the other has some very stark consequences,'' Axelrod said on ABC's "This Week" show.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has condemned Western 'interferences' in the country's internal affairs, blaming Britain and the US for fueling the unrest following the 10 presidential election in Iran on June 12.
The historic vote showed a turnout of 85%, but Ahmadinejad's chief rivals cried fTop Obama advisor sees room for Iran 'dialogue'
A senior Obama advisor hints... more
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Iran releases 'some British Embassy staff'
Iran says certain members of the British Embassy staff in Tehran have been released after preliminary investigations but others will remain in custody.
"The British Embassy played a crucial role in the recent (post-election) unrest both through its local staff and via media," IRNA quoted Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i as saying on Sunday.
"We have photos and videos of certain local employees of the British Embassy, who collected news about the protests," he added.
"The Embassy sent its local staff to rallies and inculcated ideas into the protestors and the society," said the minister.
Iranian security officials on Saturday arrested eight of the British Embassy's local staff members for 'inflaming post-election tensions' in the country.
Following the June 12 election, which saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-elected to a second four-year term, Iran became the scene of rallies with defeated candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi rejecting the result as fraudulent and demanding a re-run.Iran releases 'some British Embassy staff'
Iran says certain members of the... more
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Leader warns West, says Iran sees solution in law:
The Leader said Sunday that legal measures were the only solution to the issues that the country has been facing since the 10th presidential elections on June 12. "The people's emotions, especially that of the youth, must not be toyed with and they should not be pitted against one another as the Iranian nation, regardless of the differences of opinion, is a united nation that has good relations with the [Islamic] establishment."
http://presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=99256§ionid=351020101Leader warns West, says Iran sees solution in law:
The Leader said Sunday that... more
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Iran militia raids 'target homes':
Human Rights Watch has accused Iran's volunteer Basij militia of carrying out night-time raids, destroying property in private homes and beating civilians. The New York-based group says the raids are an attempt to stop the nightly rooftop chants against the government.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8122263.stmIran militia raids 'target homes':
Human Rights Watch has accused Iran's volunteer... more
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Further violent clashes erupt in Iran:
Witnesses in Iran said police have clashed with up to 3,000 protesters near a mosque in north Tehran
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Witnesses in Iran said police have clashed... more
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U.S. forces to continue patrolling in Basra after June 30:
U.S. forces will continue their patrols in Basra even after the U.S. forces withdrawal from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, said the head of the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team (P.R.T.) in the province, explaining that the patrols are essential for his team's protection.U.S. forces to continue patrolling in Basra after June 30:
U.S. forces will... more
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Afghan leader criticises US ambassador: -
President Hamid Karzai criticised Saturday the US ambassador's presence at a meeting calling for a decentralisation of his government, adding he would fight such moves "tooth and nail".Afghan leader criticises US ambassador: -
President Hamid Karzai criticised... more
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Obama must call off this folly before Afghanistan becomes his Vietnam:
Senseless slaughter and anti-western hysteria are all America and Britain's billions have paid for in a counterproductive war
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If good intentions ever paved a road to hell, they are doing so in Afghanistan. History rarely declares when folly turns to disaster, but it does so now. Barack Obama and his amanuensis, Gordon Brown, are uncannily repeating the route taken by American leaders in Vietnam from 1963 to 1975. Galbraith once said that the best thing about the Great Depression was that it warned against another. Does the same apply to Vietnam?
Vietnam began with Kennedy's noble 1963 intervention, to keep the communist menace at bay and thus make the world safe for democracy. That is what George Bush and Tony Blair said of terrorism and Afghanistan. Vietnam escalated as the Diem regime in Saigon failed to contain Vietcong aggression and was deposed with American collusion. By 1965, despite Congress scepticism, American advisers, then planes, then ground forces were deployed. Allies were begged to join but few agreed – and not Britain.
The presence of Americans on Asian soil turned a local insurgency into a regional crusade. Foreign aid rallied to the Vietcong cause to resist what was seen as a neo-imperialist invasion. The hard-pressed Americans resorted to ever more extensive bombing, deep inside neighbouring countries, despite evidence that it was ineffective and politically counterproductive.
No amount of superior firepower could quell a peasant army that came and went by night and could terrorise or merge into the local population. Tales of American atrocities rolled in each month. The army counted success not in territory held but in enemy dead. A desperate attempt to "train and equip" a new Vietnamese army made it as corrupt as it was unreliable. Billions of dollars were wasted. A treaty with the Vietcong in 1973 did little to hide the humiliation of eventual defeat.
Every one of these steps is being re-enacted in AfghaObama must call off this folly before Afghanistan becomes his Vietnam:
Senseless... more
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Pakistan At Least 33 Killed In Fighting In Kurram:
At least 33 people were killed and 65 others wounded in sectarian fighting in Pakistan's Kurram region bordering Afghanistan, local officials said.Pakistan At Least 33 Killed In Fighting In Kurram:
At least 33 people were killed... more
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A Bloodless Coup
The Transition From Democracy To A Bnk-run Society
By Mike Whitney
The banks created the financial crisis, and now they are its biggest beneficiaries. They don't need to worry about risk, because Bernanke has assured them that they will be bailed out regardless of the cost.
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The trouble started 24 months ago, but the origins of the financial crisis are still disputed. The problems did not begin with subprime loans, lax lending standards or shoddy ratings agencies. The meltdown can be traced back to the activities of the big banks and their enablers at the Federal Reserve. The Fed's artificially low interest rates provided a subsidy for risky speculation while deregulation allowed financial institutions to increase leverage to perilous levels, creating trillions of dollars of credit backed by insufficient capital reserves. When two Bear Stearns hedge funds defaulted in July 2007, the process of turbo-charging profits through massive credit expansion flipped into reverse sending the financial system into a downward spiral which has just recently begun to decelerate.
It is inaccurate to call the current slump a "recession", which suggests a mismatch between supply and demand that is part of the normal business cycle. In truth, the economy has stumbled into a multi-trillion dollar capital hole that was created by the reckless actions of the nation's largest financial institutions. The banks blew up the system and now the country has slipped into a depression.
Currently, the banks are lobbying congress to preserve the "fiA Bloodless Coup
The Transition From Democracy To A Bnk-run Society
By Mike... more
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A Fight For The Amazon That Should Inspire The World
The uprising In the Amazon is more urgent than Iran's - it will determine the future of the planet
By Johann Hari
While the world nervously watches the uprising in Iran, an even more important uprising has been passing unnoticed - yet its outcome will shape your fate, and mine.A Fight For The Amazon That Should Inspire The World
The uprising In the Amazon is... more
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Ajax Redux
US Heavy Meddle in Iran
By Lord Baltimore
The Western press has clearly taken a side and has successfully managed to drag its uninformed audience along with it. News reports all refer to the continuing groundswell of protest to the election results as an "unprecedented" show of courage, resistance, and people power against the government not seen in Iran since the 1979 revolution. But what we have seen this past week seems to have far more in common with the events of fifty-six years ago, rather than just thirty.Ajax Redux
US Heavy Meddle in Iran
By Lord Baltimore
The Western press has... more
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Iran's Coming Revolution: For Civil Rights Or Beyond?
By Shamus Cooke
Once the radical traditions of Iranian society are re-discovered and properly organized, the inevitable conclusion will be a democratic social system, directed towards meeting the needs of its people, not the profits of businessmen or Mullahs.
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Playing with revolution, however, is a lot like playing with fire — both can quickly get out of control. In the case of Iran this means that the abstract demand for democracy — coming from the Iranian opposition — can soon be overrun by more concrete, “radical” demands. This quote comes from political analyst in the New York Times:
“People in the street have been radicalized, and I do not believe that most of them would today subscribe to Moussavi’s avowed platform” (06/24/09 2009).
It is likely that many Moussavi “supporters” weren’t very fond of Moussavi to begin with, but used his demonstrations to protest the political/economic structure of the government itself.
What is the basis for more thoroughgoing demands from Iranians? For one, unemployment is a huge problem and so is the economy in general. The majority of Iranians are under 30 years old and see little chance of a good future. The New York Times notes:
“This new generation is highly educated and has ambitions for a middle class life that neither the economic nor the social system is able to fulfill… But [the government’s] problems are much deeper than calming the streets. It must go beyond [income] redistribution in order to grow the economy and create jobs.”
Mousavvi himself realizes that the movement has already outgrown him — he’s like a puny cowboy failing to cling to a raging bull. This, too, from the Times:
“It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Until last week, Mr. Moussavi was a nondescript, if competent, politician — as one of his campaign advisers put it to me, he was meant only to be an instrument for making Iran a tiny bit better, nothing more. Iranians knew that’s what they were geIran's Coming Revolution: For Civil Rights Or Beyond?
By Shamus Cooke
Once the... more
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