The Shministim is a group of young Israelis who refuse to serve in the IDF in protest to the Occupation, and are subsequently jailed. They have started a campaign to Free the Shministim. Please take the time to sign the petition.
Who Is A Civilian?
January 6, 2009 By 1 Comment
Somewhere between the air strikes and the shelling that have killed over 560 Palestinian and injured over 2500, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says, “You – the citizens of Gaza – are not our enemies. Hamas, Jihad and the other terrorist organisations are your enemies, as they are our enemies.” Tell that to the 70+ dead children…err add the 20 children* who died on Monday alone to that, and the rest of the dead and injured innocent civilians. The BBC has an interesting article on what is considered a valid target, and how Israel has blurred the line between civilians and combatants, as well as military targets and basic infrastructure (schools, mosques, hospitals). Between the blockade and the invasion of Gaza, is there really any way to sugarcoat collective punishment (look it up—Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention)?
* Update: Nearly 200 Palestinian children have so far been killed in this attack
Israel Invades Gaza…Again
January 3, 2009 By 3 Comments
Meanwhile, Israeli citizens feel much safer now that their government has killed hundreds of Palestinians and injured thousands. Surely, no Qassam rockets will ever be fired again, and Palestinian resistance will wane in the face of an Israeli invasion. All those complicit with the attacks will also be greeted as brave leaders of their time who put their own political ambition aside for their nations. Uh huh!
Will the Real “Uncivilized” Jerks Please Stand Up
December 31, 2008 By Leave a Comment
There should be an iron-clad rule for people who justify collective punishment and massacres. They should never be able to call themselves “civilized”. I don’t care if you think you live in a democracy, or you’re part of some narcissistic, self-congratulating cult of a nation that’s intoxicated with an absurd sense of ethnic superiority (which is most countries). If you justify the death of children and innocent people (or torture for that matter), or you call it a “necessary evil”, then you should own up to your proclivity toward senseless and barbaric violence, and stop calling yourself “civilized”. Most of all, you should never be allowed to call others “uncivilized”. Who are you fooling?
Picture Courtesy of The Independent
This matters to me as I was called an “uncivilized Arab” by a sloppy jerk at the library a couple of months ago. I really hope he wasn’t able to get that mustard stain off his pants.
“The End of Reagan’s Revolution”
September 29, 2008 By Leave a Comment
This one I am proud of. A timely article written by the astute Steven Guess and published in The Guardian on the demise of the Reagan Revolution, which provides excellent analysis of the ugly side of Reaganomics and the current financial crisis along with the failure of the $700 billion bailout plan to pass. Congratulations to Steven!
Did McCain just say Horseshit?
September 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Or am I hearing it wrong? Listen carefully toward the end of the clip. Classy! I did not like how McCain conducted himself in yesterday’s debate. He would not even acknowledge Senator Obama’s presence the entire time. Who does he think he is? For someone who has contributed to some of the worst policies in this country, he sure is unashamed.
Logic-Proof
September 26, 2008 By 2 Comments
You know what I can see from my home right now? The moon…and the stars. This, you see, enhances my knowledge and expertise of astronomy. You know what else I can spot a mile away? Bullshit!
A Ramadan Soap Opera
September 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Saudi men learning to live very contradictory and confusing lives
I stumbled upon this article in The Economist and thought of how emblematic it is of Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Saleh Luhaidan, chief injustice of the kingdom, found himself in some deep religious pigsty when he called for the death of media moguls whom he called the “apostles of depravity” probably for showing a strand of hair on a woman during the “holy” month of Ramadan (as opposed to the other 11 unholy months of the year). In fact, these media moguls also happen to own MBC and Rotana which display Lebanese singers’ obsession with plastic surgery and terrible songs on a daily basis. Sheikh Luhaidan, who himself wants to make love to the 7th century, found out the hard way that these wealthy moguls are in fact well-connected to the royal family (then again who isn’t in Saudi Arabia when a king has 53 sons and 56 daughters?) when he showed up to work one day, and they changed the locks on him. In other words, his show was suspended off the air.
Stories like these make me tingle inside confirming that Saudi Arabia is a conglomerate of everything wrong in this world: religious extremism, sexism, exploitation, corruption, and everything “unholy” that would make any god want to cry in a corner. Oops did I just blaspheme during the holy month?
Big Words Meet Small Towns
September 18, 2008 By 2 Comments
If there is one demographic that the media and campaigns cannot get enough of, it’s the “small town voters,” or as Jon Stewart once called them, “the swing bigot vote.” So was it not fitting that when Sarah Palin praised her small-town roots at the RNC, she quoted the detestable Westbrook Pegler whose career ended “under the auspices of a twitchy sect of neo-Nazis and professional racists from the White Citizens Council and the Rev. Billy James Hargis’ truly reptilian Christian Crusade?” (click on the link for more fun facts on Pegler, courtesy of Slate)
In her patronizing convention speech, Palin muttered Pegler’s words, “We grow good people in our small towns, with honest and sincerity and dignity.” Good thing she did not quote him saying, “Some white patriot of the Southern tier will spatter his spoonful of brains in public premises before the snow flies.” Of course, he was talking about RFK in 1965, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. reminds us in a Huffington Post piece. Someone like Pegler is perhaps best forgotten, but bigots cannot help but become inspired by his words. Does this say something about Palin or the appeal among small town voters? Or both?
The Palin-Drum
September 15, 2008 By 2 Comments
When asked what she thinks of the Bush Doctrine, Sarah Palin replied by talking about Bush’s worldview—clearly demonstrating she does not even know what the Bush Doctrine means. Charlie Gibson, an idiot in his own right, had to explain it to her.
When asked about women’s right to choose, Palin opposed it even in the case of rape or incest.
When asked about evolution, Palin advocated teaching creationism in school.
When asked about the war in Iraq, Palin touted it as God’s plan.
When asked about her foreign policy experience, she explained how close Alaska is to Russia. Never mind the Pacific Ocean.
When asked about the Bridge to Nowhere, she proudly exclaimed, “I said, ‘thanks, but no thanks,’” when she really said, “Thanks.” Then, “Seriously, thanks. Now I will keep the money in earmarks.”
When asked about nepotism and power abuse, she fell silent.
When asked about placing polar bears on the endangered animals list, she refused, and then went on to kill a moose (or a deer?) from a plane and skin it.
Palin walks to the beat of her own drum, alright. And this drum is one dissonant and deafening broken record of incompetence, corruption, and unrelenting ignorance and intolerance. Oh yes, I forgot to mention: George W. Bush owned the same drum.