Hugo Chavez Calls Barack Obama a "Clown"

For some reason Obama, who during the first three years in office has avoided publicly criticizing Hugo Chavez (although a tongue lashing was certainly warranted on many occasions), suddenly decided to blast Venezuela for its ties to Iran and Cuba. There is speculation by certain individuals that it might, indirectly, have something to do with the 2012 election, and that could very well be. Javier Corrales, an Amherst College expert on Venezuela, seems to think it's Obama's way of responding to an 

 ”increasing pressure by conservatives on [sic] the United States to sanction Venezuela, especially because of its ties with Iran. Under Bush, the Conservatives were tolerant with the administration's policy. Under Obama, this tolerance is waning. " 

Chavez has been best buds with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for a very long time, this is not something new, so why Obama chose this moment to blast him is somewhat suspect, albeit justified.

Predictably, Chavez (who believes it has everything to do with next year's elections), blasted back at Obama calling him "a clown" and an "embarrassment", and essentially told him to butt out. On state TV Chavez told Obama to

“Focus on governing your country, which you've turned into a disaster

"Mr. Obama decided to attack us. Now you want to win votes by attacking Venezuela. Don't be irresponsible. You are a clown, a clown. Leave us in peace … Go after your votes by fulfilling that which you promised your people.”

“Go and ask the black communities of your country what you are for them: the greatest frustration. Go and ask the poor people of your country what you mean for them, a great frustration."

As much truth as there might be in Chavez's words, can you say 'pot- kettle-black. Chavez is one of the world's greatest buffoons, an even greater embarrassment, and has managed to turn his country into a major disaster.

In an interview with the Venezuelan newspaper, El Universal, Obama said,

“It seems to me that the ties between Venezuela's government and Iran and Cuba have not served the interests of Venezuela and its people.”

He also expressed his concerns about the threat to democracy in Venezuela.  Those threats have been around way before Obama took office, so why the concern now is rather odd.

Of course there's also speculation that Chavez, who is also up for re-election in 2012, and isn't about to lose that one, was trying to get some election leverage out of his rebuke. Corrales said that while

"Obama's motives for doing the interview were less predictable [snip] Chávez response was predictable. ”Chávez seizes every opportunity he can find to have a fight with the U.S and his response to this interview follows that line faithfully."

It will be interesting to see if either of their tactics will work in getting them reelected.

I hope not.

Spain's Conservative Popular Party Poised To Win Election

After 8 years of being governed by Socialists, it looks like the disillusioned Spaniards are finally aware of their folly, and will be voting for the conservative Popular Party (PP) at the polls tomorrow.  Expected to win the plum role of Prime Minister is 56-year-old Mariano Rajoy. His won't be an easy job, however, with a country on the brink, like so many other European nations, and the highest rate of unemployment in the European Union at a whopping 22 percent.

The PP is expected to win a majority which is

...deemed necessary to push through a new round of austerity measures and job-creation incentives intended to cut the public deficit while creating economic growth.

Rajoy is not promising that things will be easy:

In his final rally on Friday evening, Mr Rajoy warned that the road ahead would be difficult.

"We are not fooling ourselves, we're not going to sort everything out from one day to the other," he told thousands of blue-flag waving supporters in traditionally PP-supporting Madrid.

"We Spaniards know that it will take a lot of effort to get things done, and there is more effort ahead to take Spain forward. We know that nothing is free."

But after 8 years of economic stagnation under the Socialists, the Spanish people are banking on a man who was second in command under Jose Maria Aznar's leadership,  a time when the country's economy was booming. 

The Socialists had 8 years to prove their form of government works- they failed miserably.  Hopefully, the U.S. people will take note and vote conservative in 2012.

Pakistan Doctor Who Helped CIA Find Bin Laden Charged With Treason

Instead of being hailed as a hero, the Pakistani doctor who helped the CIA in its hunt to kill Osama Bin Laden will be  charged with 'high treason'.  So says a government commission assigned to investigate the U.S. operation that ultimately killed Bin Laden. Dr. Shakil Afridi, who set up a vaccination programme that was tasked with trying to get DNA samples from Bin Laden family members, could face the death penalty for ridding the world of the most wanted man on the planet. But it's quite obvious the Pakistanis see things quite differently. 

I'm sure a lot of the anger has to do with the fact that the Bin Laden raid was a covert operation that took the Pakistanis by surprise, and the panel was more than likely set up to save face for their monumental ineptitude.  But had the government been apprised of the situation, Bin Laden would probably still be alive somewhere today.  Pakistan's spy agency- Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has oft been accused of supporting the Taliban's Haqqani Network, and I would venture to say it was well aware of Bin Laden's residency in Abbottabad. His fortified mansion was smack dab in the middle of a military town, and approximately 75 from Islamabad, the capital. And yet he lived there for five years!  How could they not have known?  We finally caught up with him after ten long years,  but rest assured  it took that long to find him because the Pakistanis wanted it that way.

Thankfully there are some, like the good doctor, willing to put their lives on the line to rid the world of terrorism.  But most Pakistanis are perfectly content to live alongside the violence, embracing their backwards Sharia law and their Blasphemy law, and taking steps back into the dark ages alongside their Afghan brothers. 

They are not our friends, and yet we continue to send them aid, and that's not likely to change any time soon.

Who knows what will happen to Afridi and his family. The U.S. has been attempting to pressure the Pakistanis into letting them come to the U.S. but,  so far, they'd rather charge him with treason.

Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, GuardianUK

Afghan's Karzai Gives Up On Taliban- Blames Pakistan For Harboring Militants

After years of trying to negotiate peace with the Taliban, Afghan's President Hamid Karzai has come to the conclusion that the whole effort is pointless.  What I want to know is what took him (and everyone else, including our fearless leader) so darn long?! 

The violence has never stopped, regardless of the  efforts  to bring the Taliban to the table, fruitless as they were.  The Taliban even scoffed at our efforts back in 2009 to reach out.  Afghan civilians are as much a target as NATO soldiers and Afghan officials, but it took an alleged 'peace emmisary' to blow up former President Burhanuddin Rabbani, in his own home to boot,  for  Karzai to finally realize it 'aint ever gonna happen. I never thought it would, violence is far too ingrained in that segment of society. The Taliban will never give up its goal of returning that country to full Taliban leadership.  They don't want things to progress into the 21st century, they want life to return to the same dark ages when Sharia was law, and women remained barefoot, pregnant and covered up, at home.

And Karzai isn't just blaming the Taliban for the lack of progress, he's joined the U.S. in condemning Pakistan for what he believes to be collusion, and actually threatened to go to the international community if Pakistan doesn't do something about harboring militants.  Yeah, good luck with that.

Afghan  Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi actually believes Pakistan's spy service- Inter-Services Intelligence agency- (ISI) was somehow involved in the assassination of Rabbani. 

"Without any doubt, ISI, is involved in this."

I'm sure he's right, and there are many who would concur, including U.S. officials who believe that the ISI has ties to the insurgents for various reasons.

Critics have accused the Pakistani government of protecting Taliban leaders to maintain good relations with the group in anticipation of Western forces' eventual withdrawal from the country — an allegation denied by Pakistan. Many analysts also believe the ISI's alleged support for insurgent groups is an attempt to promote Pakistan's interests in Afghanistan and counter the influence of archenemy India, which Karzai plans to visit this week.

Of course, Pakistan's official response to Karzai and Mohammadi's accusations were met with quite a different reaction then when General Mullen recently accused them of some of the same things.  Of course, the Pakistanis categorically denied any involvement in the killing of Rabbani-  then again they deny everything even though most of the Taliban leadership reside in Pakistan and  Osama Bin Laden was living high on the hog smack dab in a fortressed mansion in Pakistan for years. But, in this case, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani called Karzai a brother and a friend and called the whole thing a misunderstanding, saying,

"If any intelligence sharing or any cooperation is required, God willing, we will provide that," Gilani said in his hometown of Multan, Pakistan. "We will help them, but they cannot doubt us."

Doubt us?  The one thing about lying is that you can tell me you aren't lying but that doesn't mean you aren't.. It's actually allowed in Islam- it's called al-Taqiyya.

Like the Palestinian situation, I don't see much hope of resolution. Too many factors and issues that will never be resolved, at least in my lifetime.

Sharia for Libya- Arab World Not Ready For Democracy

I'd like to think that the Arab world is civilized enough for democracy, but it is becoming increasingly clear that this is not the case.  At least democracy in the true sense of the word.

What the West has been touting as the "Arab Spring" - revolutions that have toppled regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya- is turning out to be nothing more than a re-awakening of racist, Islamist sentiments in the citizenry and leadership of some of those countries. Rather than embracing the  freedom and equality  that is part and parcel of  democracies, countries like Libya and Egypt are taking a step backwards.

Take Mustafa Abdel Jalil, interim head of Libya's National Transitional Council, who has said that although the new government will not tolerate "extremist ideology": In other words, Libya will become an Islamic state. Sharia Law is most definitely extreme, and lacks any of the fundamentals of equality, as much as Muslims like to claim otherwise. And any country that has Sharia as its rule of law, in no way qualifies to be called a democracy.  Then there are the  allegations of racism  by the so-called rebel liberators of Libya.  Apparently, they have been trying to purge Libya of the black Africans, and as a result have been arresting and murdering them. They deny it, but according to human rights organizations, there is plenty of proof. However, the hatred is definitely there, whether true or not.  According to one rebel "Libyan people don't like people with dark skins." They also don't like Jews, evident in the anti-Semitic cartoons of Gaddafi.

"We seek a state of law, prosperity and one where sharia is the main source for legislation, and this requires many things and conditions."  

And I don't hold much hope for Egypt, as far as Sharia goes, if the Muslim Brotherhood gets its grips on the leadership of that country. And one of the few Middle Eastern lands that was a quasi- friend to Israel is now hurtling in the opposite direction. The current military dictatorship has no love for Israel, and that doesn't seem likely to change.  In fact, Arab Muslim journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, partially blames the government for inciting the recent mob attack on the Israeli Embassy.  According to Toameh, several days before the rampage, 23-year-old  Ahmed al-Shahat climbed 20 floors to the Israeli Embassy and removed its flag.  Rather than punishing the young man, he was honored for his "courageous" deed, and given both a job and an apartment. This, Toameh believes, was more than likely the catalyst for storming the Embassy- individuals hoping to get their praise and piece of the cake in a country with high unemployment.  He fears that it will only encourage more violence.

I'm sure there are some in that region who might possibly possess the intellectual means to embrace freedom and democracy, but I think the vast majority don't and probably never will.





Sources: UKDailyMail, GuardianUK,

Dutch MPs Want To Cut Aid To Palestine - Stop Glorifying Violence Or No Money

The Dutch are finally taking a stand against the Palestinian penchant for glorifying jihad, and they want to do that by cutting off the proverbial purse strings. Palestine's economic existence is primarily dependent upon the enormous amount of generous aid it receives from around the world. The Dutch, however, are fed up with how the Palestinian Authority continues to encourage terrorism by honoring past suicide bombers, and naming public thoroughfares and venues with names of terrorists, and they want that to change.

Sponsored by the Christian Union and the SGP (the oldest Dutch political party), a proposition to cut aid to the PA if it doesn't curtail its continuous glorification of jihad garnered support from a majority of MPs in the parliament. Along with several other political parties (including the VVD, Christian Democrats and the Freedom Party), they also want to petition the European Union to do the same if they get no results. That, of course, is the more likely scenario. There's a long history of glorifying martyrdom in Palestine, which starts from birth and ends with death. The fires of hatred are stoked in schools, on children's television shows, and continues on through adulthood. Everywhere you look in Palestine, “Istishhad” (martyrdom) is something to aspire to.

The Dutch parties involved claim that in Palestine "there is a climate in which terrorist acts are encouraged rather than prevented". And so it is. So, in essence, foreign subsidies are enabling and supporting this continued call to violence. However, not all the MPs are on board with cutting the subsidies- Uri Rosenthal, the Foreign Minister, claims that although the subject of ending violence is always broached when dealing with the PA, he feels this proposal is too extreme.

What the Netherlands and the EU donate to the PA isn't chump change either. Christian Union MP Joël Voordewind, claims that the EU contributes 200 million euros annually, and the Dutch give 50 million. Voordewind is also not very happy about an impending "official visit" by President Mahmoud Abbas to the Netherlands, which he wants postponed. This issue is where the Christian Union, SGP and Freedom Party parties part ways with the VVD. According to Voordewind, the VVD and the Christian Democrats have no problem with entertaining Mahmoud Abbas in spite of the fact that Fatah (Abbas' political party) still wants to decimate Israel.

It will be interesting to see if they have the courage to go through with it, but you can rest assured that the Palestinians aren't going to change. At least not in the near future.

Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

Wikileaks Cable- The American Airlines Crew And "Loco" Hugo Chavez

Although I firmly believe what Wikileaks is doing is, for the most part, a criminal act rather than a freedom of speech issue (but that's a topic for another post), some of the less potentially harmful information that has emerged has been rather bizarre. Take what happened at the airport in Caracas, Venezuela several years ago, when the captain and crew of American Airlines flight 903 were briefly held by Venezuelan authorities because of what amounted to the language barrier. According to a confidential, classified 2008 cable from the US Embassy in Caracas, the captain and flight crew had been detained because of the following announcement by one crew member:

"Welcome to Venezuela. Local Chavez time is ..."

If you remember, back in 2007, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, decided to arbitrarily create his own personal time-zone by permanently turning the clock back a half hour; simply because he could. And, as those of us who travel by air well know, passengers are always informed of the local time upon arrival at our destination. However, according to the cable, one Chavez groupie passenger, Nestor Maldonado Lanza, thought he heard "loco" instead of "local". For those of you who might not know Spanish, "loco" means crazy, which (ironically) Chavez is, but that's beside the point. Incensed at this perceived insult, Lanza immediately told National Assemblyman Carlos Echezuria Rodriguez (who was waiting for him at the airport) about these terrible Americans who had called his beloved Presidente "loco". The Deputy, in turn, called Vice President Carrizales, and from there it almost spiralled out of control- all because of one misinterpreted word.

Omar Nottaro, American Airlines Country Manager, managed to extricate the crew from what could have turned into an international incident, by some deft diplomacy which included apologies to various entities and off they went. Frankly, there should have been no need for apologies but when you are dealing with people like Chavez (who is clearly not in his right mind) and his minions, it's best to placate.

And apparently it wasn't an isolated incident- the cable also briefly mentions a Delta flight that had similar problems in Caracas.

Danish M.P. Wants Bare Breasts In Immigration Documentary To Thwart Extremism

Holland, and now Denmark, have an idea on how to keep Muslim extremists (or any other extremists for that matter) out of their countries- by showing bare-boobed women in a documentary that all would-be immigrants must watch. Apparently, anyone who wants to move to the Netherlands must watch a documentary film introduction to the country that includes topless bathers and two men kissing. Foreign policy spokesman for the far-right Danish People's party, Peter Skaarup, wants Denmark to do the same thing. He feels that since women often shed their swim suit tops on Danish beaches, foreigners should be able to deal with that, and if they can't, then they should just stay the heck out of his country.

Denmark already is working on the documentary, which will be part of an immigration test, Skaarup just wants to add the bare boobies into the mix.

This, he said, is mainly relevant for immigrants coming from fundamentalist societies where women are oppressed and are not allowed to display their sexuality or even their hair. On the other hand Danish women are allowed to wear –-or not wear— what they please, underlining that he is not trying to provoke anyone with his statements.

“If you’re coming from a strict, religious society that might make you stop and think, oh no, I don’t want to be a part of that”, Skaarup told Danish daily, Jyllandsposten.

“Topless bathing probably isn’t a common sight on Pakistani beaches, but in Denmark it is still considered quite normal. I honestly believe that by including a couple of bare breasts in the movie, extremists may have to think twice before deciding to come to Denmark,” he said.

Naturally, there are those who aren't too thrilled about his proposal.

Integration spokesman for the conservative party, one of two government parties, Naser Khader says “a pair of naked breasts is no protection against extremism.”

“It's Quite the opposite, fundamentalists are so obsessed with sex that they will be pouring in over the borders. Maybe we should try with naked pigs,” Khader writes on his page on social networking site Facebook.

Maybe they should add bare breasts, a few piggies, and several dogs to boot. That should do the trick. But, I'm sure, the lawsuits would follow shortly.

Hugo "the Narcissist" Chavez Adds Blogging To His Twittering And On-Camera Blather

Venezuela's self-loving Hugo Chavez is well known for his on-camera, day-long diatribes on state television. I can't imagine many people sit there for hours listening to whatever dreck he happens to be pitching at the time, but he does it pretty much every week. I don't know if he's just in love with his own voice, or enjoys looking at himself on the small screen, since he probably Tivo's the whole programme and watches it when he gets home, but the man does love to promote himself. Remember the canned tuna fish he sent to the Peruvian quake victims with his photo plastered on the tins?

As if the poor Venezuelans, and the rest of the world, don't get enough of Hugo's blathering on, the twit added twitter , a little while back, to his various modes of communication. He proudly counts well over 460,000 as his followers, although most are probably there out of curiosity, like me. And who knows how many of those followers are actually accounts he created on his own to inflate the numbers. And everyone wondered how he might deal with the 140 character limit, considering his inability to censor himself, but he seems to be managing well enough. Of course, he did hire a bunch of people to "tweet" for him, 200 to be exact. If you can read Spanish, you'll find his "tweets" are actually quite boring, but he (or one of his 200 minions) do respond to people. I wonder if he'd respond to something negative?

Then, as if his "TV show" and twitter weren't enough, he has also now added blogging to the mix. Yes, Hugo got himself a brand spanking new website , devoted to- Hugo. Too bad no-one thought of buying that domain name ages ago. Would have been interesting to see how much he would have been willing to fork over for the domain name.

What next, Facebook? I wouldn't doubt it.

Religious Hypocrisy In Action: Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Loves Him Some Caviar and Dirty Jokes

So, Iran's grand religious poobah Ayatollah Khamenei loves trout and caviar! Who would have thought. Now, trout is pretty commonplace, at least in the U.S., but caviar? Excuse me, but that stuff is dang expensive, so why the heck is Khamenei chowing down on caviar when the people of Iran aren't doing so great economically speaking. And that's not the only major indulgence, according to a defector from Khamenei's private guard who spilled the beans on the religious leader.

A catalogue of the private opulence and eccentric tastes of 70-year-old Ayatollah Khamenei and his family has been compiled by Iran's opposition Green Movement from the accounts of the defector, who is said to be in hiding in France.

Smart man to be hiding in France; we all know what happens to people who criticize the Iranian regime. Although I'm not sure how safe he will be. So, other than his penchant for caviar and trout, he is also

... an avid hoarder of collectables from bejewelled pipes to fine horses; and that he suffers regular bouts of depression which are treated in part by audiences with a mid-ranking mullah who tells vulgar jokes.

Living a double life as an austere theocrat in public, and an epicure in private- no wonder he's depressed. And vulgar jokes? Ha! I guess dirty jokes are in and Prozac is out. And that doesn't sound particularly pious to be using vulgar jokes as a form of therapy. And the man's a collector of fine (and obviously expensive) things to boot. He owns 170 antique walking sticks and at least 100 of the finest horses in Iran, not to mention his palaces- all 6 of them.

Ayatollah Khamenei is claimed to have accumulated a sprawling private court that stretches across six palaces, including Niavaran, the former resident of the Shah in Tehran. Two of the palaces - Niavaran and Vakilabad - are equipped with deep, reinforced concrete nuclear bunkers said to be capable of withstanding nuclear attack. A fully functioning hospital is overseen by a former health minister.

Then we have the following:

Claims from three intelligence officials, who have also fled Iran, have additionally documented the Khamenei family's wide-reaching business connections, including interests in European manufacturers, African mobile phone companies and international commodities markets.

You wonder where all their money is stashed. Switzerland, probably. Or the Cayman Islands. But the opposition Green Movement's exiled leader, film director Mohsen Makmalbaf seems to have information regarding his investments and wants the West to act on that info.

Mr Makmalbaf claimed the Green Movement had gathered information about the Khamenei family's investments abroad. "If the Western governments are serious enough in putting pressure on the regime by applying economic sanctions, then they should follow these leads and find these bank accounts and confiscate their deposits to be returned to the Iranian people at a later time," he said.

Before defecting, the bodyguard was one of a 200 personal security force for Khameini. I suppose you'd need that many when you are so loved. The fact that he denied rumours that Khameini also indulges in opium, which seem to be pretty widespread in Iran, seems to lend credence to his claims regarding the Ayatollah's other excesses.

None of this is surprising, of course, considering most of the ruling elite in authoritarian, totalitarian, communist, Islamic or other oppressive regimes always prosper while the population suffers.

There's nothing worse than religious hypocrisy.

Taliban Should Join Afghan Forces Says NATO's Brit General Barrons

NATO's Senior British Major General Richard Barrons has suggested that the Taliban must be allowed to join Afghan forces (police or army), if they make nice with the Afghan government. Is this man on crack? Or am I totally missing something here, because the idea is absolutely, categorically insane. That's all our men and women need in Afghanistan. It's hard enough for them- living under horrendous conditions in a barren, hostile land- but to actually have the enemy within their camp, not knowing which one might pull a gun and shoot you in the head is not an added pressure they need to deal with. The Taliban are not our friends, they are not to be reasoned with. They are insane, religious fanatics who, when push come to shove, are going to chose Mohammad and Allah over some crusading infidel, and the sooner our leaders (both military and political) come to terms with that perhaps something might get accomplished in that God-forsaken land.

It's not like infiltration hasn't happened before.

In two separate incidents last week, a Taliban bomber wearing a military uniform and a suicide vest entered a base in Khost and blew himself up inside the gym, killing eight Americans thought to be CIA officers, and an Afghan soldier killed a member of the US forces and wounded two Italian soldiers when he opened fire at an army base in western Afghanistan. In November, a rogue Afghan policeman shot dead five British soldiers while serving alongside them.

Fighting alongside people when you have no clue whether they're friend or foe is not a good idea, no matter how great the general thinks it might be. He is also talking about making sure the Taliban are given senior positions in Hamid Karzai's government. Well, isn't that just peachy. First it's a few, then a few more and eventually they take over the Afghan government because like the idiots in Gaza who voted for Hamas, the people will vote in the Taliban- even if it's out of fear and intimidation. Or they'll just co-opt the government through a coup, because there is no democracy under extremist rule.

And Nato is apparently willing to spend a bunch of money on these Taliban soon-to-be Afghan soldiers and police officers.

He spoke as the coalition prepares to spend millions of pounds on jobs and training for Taliban footsoldiers if they agree to lay down their arms. The schemes is designed complement Barack Obama's 30,000-strong troop reinforcement surge, which begins in earnest in the New Year.

Okay, so let me get this straight, they're supposed to lay down their arms, which will then be replaced with NATO-approved arms? Great, so now the Taliban parading around as NATO troops will have more targets to choose from. It'll be far easier to massacre the 30,000 new U.S. troops that are about to enter the fray. How about adding more NATO troops from other countries, so they can get massacred too? They'll be like sitting ducks.

For some reason Barrons thinks NATO can negotiate with the Taliban and that the fight is not ideological but more a lack of prospects.

The general said this year's push led by the senior Nato and US commander, Gen Stanley McChrystal, would include Afghan-led efforts to persuade Taliban to give up their fight.

Eight years on, coalition commanders have accepted that military might alone will not end the increasingly bloody insurgency. They do however, believe the majority of fighters are open to negotiation if they can be given an alternative.

Gen Barrons, who discusses previous insurgencies with a scholarly air, said most Taliban were motivated not by entrenched ideology but by lack of money and jobs, local grievances, or a sense of injustice at government corruption.

I hate to disillusion him but it's mostly about ideology. I'm sure lack of money and jobs probably doesn't help the situation, but bottom line is they want Afghanistan to revert back to Taliban governance. And that's exactly what will happen if they are allowed to reintegrate into Afghan society. When are they going to open their eyes and realize that? In the meantime, if they do integrate Taliban fighters into Afghan forces, we can expect a lot more tragedies like we have seen recently.

Female Genital Mutilation Gets Up To Life In Prison In Uganda

There's good news out of Uganda regarding female genital mutilation (FGM)- one of the most barbaric, backwards and abusive practices forced on young females in parts of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and elsewhere. The Ugandan parliament has just passed a law banning female circumcision, a traditional right of passage performed on young girls under the age of 15, without their consent. An horrific cultural, and sometimes religious practice, which predates Islam and Christianity, the genitalia of the child is wholly or partially removed.

Sometimes the remaining flesh is stitched closed, a practice called infibulation, leaving only a tiny opening for urination and menstruation, and making intercourse and childbirth painful.

It's estimated 2 to 3 million mutilations are performed per year, and there are anywhere from 130 to 140 million women worldwide who have been tortured through female genital mutilation; at least those still living, since it's common for girls to die during the procedure or from complications, including infection. And it is torture in many instances where anesthesia is not used, and the methods can be very primitive-

“I have never been traumatised my whole life,” reported MP Margaret Muhanga as she testified to her witness of FMG. “They used a sharp stone and cut off the girl’s clitoris…Imagine your daughter being treated like that.”

“The Lord was not stupid to put it the way he did,” said Ngora MP Francis Epetait. “All those accessories had their purpose. It is very stupid for man to claim to be wiser than God.”

The sentencing structure varies depending on certain factors
- 10 years for those caught performing FGM.
-Life in prison if the child dies, contracts HIV or is eventually disabled. It seems the risk of HIV AIDS is much higher for those who have been circumcised.

The Bill passed unanimously, although stopping the practice will be very difficult. Though it has been banned in other African countries, Egypt and elsewhere, it is still far too prevalent. Old habits die hard, and unless you start a massive re-education programme the horrific practice will continue. At least this is a step in the right direction.

Student Protests In Iran

Raw footage of the anti-Ahmadinejad student protests in Tehran, December 7th. Warms the cockles of one's heart. Let's all pray for their safety and that they are able to accomplish their dream of democracy in Iran.

Bolivian Nurses Forced to Wear Hijab At Inauguration of Iran-funded Hospital

The raunchy love affair between lefty Latin and South American leaders and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad continues unabashedly with Iran's funding of a medical center in Bolivia, at the cost of 1.2 million dollars. 2 more hospitals have been promised.

In the meantime, the female nurses were forced to wear the Islamic hijab and cover themselves from head to toe at the inauguration of the Hospital República Islámica de Irán (Islamic Republic of Iran Hospital) in El Alto on November 24, where Evo and Mahmoud attended via teleconference. Causing an uproar, the minister of Health, Ramiro Tapia, assured everyone that things would go back to normal once the hospital was officially handed over at the beginning of December. Apparently, the Red Crescent (the Islamic version of the Red Cross) is handling administrative duties, so it wasn't a question of forcing Islamic dress on the nurses, but rather the uniform of the red Crescent. At least that's what Iranian Embassy officials said. Frankly, it's the same thing. They're both Islamic attire being forced on non-Muslims, in a foreign non-Islamic country. The article on LosTiempos.com doesn't specify whether they will continue to administrate or not, but in another article a source, who chose to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claims that wearing the hijab is a requirement (for both doctors and nurses) for being hired. The women have no choice, if they need the job. Administrative director, Pou Mount, explained that using the veil as part of the uniform was simply "a little piece of Iran in Bolivia".

Another source Semanario Verdad Latinoamericano also references the issue, but doesn't go into much detail, mentioning nothing about going back to business as usual. I'm not sure anyone knows for sure whether the forced wearing of hijab will be permanent or not. It appears to be, since being hired is predicated on accepting the rules, one of which is wearing a hijab.

I guess that's what happens when you make a deal with the devil.

H/T Fausta's Blog

Islamic Tolerance- 59 % of Muslim Turks OPPOSE meetings of OTHER religions

Muslims rabidly defend their tolerance of other religions (I have often debated them) and yet in mostly secular Turkey, a survey conducted in 2008 shows well over 50% of the Muslim-dominated country opposes adherents of other religions openly worshipping and sharing their faith.

Fully 59 percent of those surveyed said non-Muslims either “should not” or “absolutely should not” be allowed to hold open meetings where they can discuss their ideas. Fifty-four percent said non-Muslims either “should not” or “absolutely should not” be allowed to publish literature that describes their faith.

The study conducted by member nations of the International Social Survey Program (ISSP) in 2008 (and to be published in 2010) also found that 40% of Turks (90% of whom are Sunni Muslims)

had “very negative” or “negative” views of Christians. In the random survey, 60 percent of those polled said there is one true religion.

And we know what that "one true religion" is for Muslims, and it's not Christianity or Judaism.

The ISSP is an international organization that commissions various polls and surveys (that are political or social in nature) from its 43 member-nations. Turkey was the only Muslim country that participated in this particular study.

Although 42% claimed they believed in religious tolerance, 49% said they "absolutely" or "most likely" would not

support a political party that accepted people from another religion.

A paltry 13 percent had a “very positive,” view of Christians, while 7 percent had a “positive” view. The article in Compass Direct News does not mention views on other religions, but I'm positive the tolerance level for Jews, in particular, would be far less, or non-existent.

The study in Turkey was conducted at Sabanci University by several professors, and according to one of them, Ali Çarkoglu, most of the blame for religious intolerance can be firmly placed on the educational system

...which mandates religious studies for both junior high school and high school students – classes in which Christians and Jews “are not even mentioned” or are portrayed as “the others,” Çarkoglu said.“That instills in these students a severe point of view of intolerance,” he added.

Of course, this isn't anything new or surprising. It happens all over the Middle East and in Muslim-majority countries; even in Muslim schools in this country and elsewhere!

So while Muslims worldwide cry foul on the banning of Minarets in Switzerland, and piss and moan about intolerance, they are far too blind and in denial to admit their own massive intolerance.

Why Israel Is NOT An Apartheid State

March 1 through 8 was the week moonbats, lefties, anti-semites and others of the same ilk celebrated Israeli Apartheid Week. This is the fifth year these ill-informed, supremely ignorant types have participated in what amounts to an Israeli bash-fest:

IAW is an international series of events held in cities and campuses across the globe. The aim of IAW is to educate people about the nature of Israel as an apartheid system and to build Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaigns as part of a growing global BDS movement.

'Apartheid' along with 'genocide' are two words people love to associate with Israel, neither of which apply, in any way, shape or form.

First of all, let's take a look at the true definition of 'apartheid'- According to freedictionary.com 'apartheid' is an Afrikaans word, meaning:

1. An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites.

2. A policy or practice of separating or segregating groups.

3. The condition of being separated from others; segregation.

If the Arabs in Israel had no rights, were not allowed positions in the government, not allowed to attend universities, not allowed in hospitals, then perhaps Israel could be called an apartheid state, but this is far from the truth. Unlike the blacks in South Africa who were truly discriminated against, non-Jews in Israel have more rights than non-Muslims in Arab countries. In fact, if we want to get technical, most Arab countries are guilty of apartheid- are there any Jews in the Palestinian government? Saudi Arabian government? I think not.

I read a great post on Instablogs (my other blogging home) that lists all the reasons why Israel is not an apartheid state. Here are some snippets:

Apartheid IS: A deliberate government policy of social, political, economic, educational and physical separation and discrimination between the people of a single country based solely on race, such as existed in South Africa.

Apartheid IS NOT: A situation in which two people of the same race, for example two SEMITIC peoples, are at war.

Apartheid IS NOT: A situation in which one of these nations, having lost its own state in an attempt to destroy the state of the other, finds itself conquered by the nation it had tried to destroy.

Now, to believe that “Israel is an Apartheid state”, you have to believe the following:

1) That Islam and Judaism are races, not religions.

2) That the entire area of Palestine as defined by the League of Nations, including Israel, the West Bank, Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and Jordan is a single national entity.

3) That the self-declared Palestinians are legitimate citizens of the State of Israel (which, by their own admission, they are not and do not wish to be).

4) That the state of Israel, or indeed any state, does not have the right to defend and protect its citizens from belligerent actions by foreign entities.

Israel is not perfect (is there any country that is?) but there is no way you can claim it guilty of apartheid.

As further proof that Israel does not discriminate against its non-Jewish population, Ishmael Khaldi, the vice consul of Israel (based in San Francisco), just so happens to be an Arab Bedouin AND a Muslim. A proud Israeli, he wrote a scathing commentary in the San Francisco Chronicle about the fallacy of proclaiming Israel as an apartheid state and how those who continue to propagate such hateful ideology are doing more harm than good.

You are part of the problem, not part of the solution: If you are really idealistic and committed to a better world, stop with the false rhetoric. We need moderate people to come together in good faith to help find the path to relieve the human suffering on both sides of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Vilification and false labeling is a blind alley that is unjust and takes us nowhere.

You deny Israel the fundamental right of every society to defend itself: You condemn Israel for building a security barrier to protect its citizens from suicide bombers and for striking at buildings from which missiles are launched at its cities - but you never offer an alternative. Aren't you practicing yourself a deep form of racism by denying an entire society the right to defend itself?

Your criticism is willfully hypocritical: Do Israel's Arab citizens suffer from disadvantage? You better believe it. Do African Americans 10 minutes from the Berkeley campus suffer from disadvantage - you better believe it, too. So should we launch a Berkeley Apartheid Week, or should we seek real ways to better our societies and make opportunity more available.

You are betraying the moderate Muslims and Jews who are working to achieve peace: Your radicalism is undermining the forces for peace in Israel and in the Palestinian territories. We are working hard to move toward a peace agreement that recognizes the legitimate rights of both Israel and the Palestinian people, and you are tearing down by falsely vilifying one side.

So there you have it, Israel is NOT an apartheid state, but idiots never care about the truth. Too bad the ignorant happen to be the most vocal.

Hat Tip/Tundra Tabloids

U.K. To Redefine What A Muslim Extremist Is

Looks like England is trying to save its proverbial butt from turning into UKistan, by redefining what a Muslim extremist is.

So, they would be considered radicals if:

• They advocate a caliphate, a pan-Islamic state encompassing many countries.

• They promote Sharia law.

• They believe in jihad, or armed resistance, anywhere in the world. This would include armed resistance by Palestinians against the Israeli military.

• They argue that Islam bans homosexuality and that it is a sin against Allah.

• They fail to condemn the killing of British soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan.

It would also

"widen the definition of extremists to those who hold views that clash with what the government defines as shared British values."

Problem is, that definition pretty much sums up the majority of Muslims in Britain. Of course, there is already much criticism of the proposed plan, which Whitehall has dubbed Contest 2. Some claim it will only serve to further alienate the Muslim population, as if they aren't already alienated, which is mostly self-imposed because of their religious ideology. Although Contest 2 hasn't been finalized, there's really not much to the plan, other than denying them public funds. In other words, no more being on the dole (welfare) which is something many of the home-grown Brit terrorists might have troubles dealing with. One such educated, moderate- turned- extremist claims

"He no longer works, even though he is able-bodied, he admits, preferring instead to claim housing benefit and jobseeker's allowance. He smiles sheepishly and says the irony is not lost on him that the British state is supporting him financially, even as he plots to "overthrow it."

Sayful Islam doesn't think of himself British, but rather

"... a Muslim living in Britain, and I give my allegiance only to Allah."

So, my question is, why don't they just deport all these people who don't consider themselves Brits, and save themselves not only a bucketful of money, but potential terrorist activity, as well?

Whatever happens, if they actually have the courage to pass Contest 2, they're going to have a huge fight on their hands. The British radical Muslims aren't going to give up the U.K. without a fight.

Hat Tip: Weasel Zippers

The Story Of Gaza- Golda Meir Quote

This was sent to me via email. Another gem from Golda Meir. Pretty much sums up the Israel vs Arab situation in the middle-east.

URGENT: Stop The Execution Of Farzad Kamangar

"On 25 February 2008, the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Farzad Kamangar to death on charges of "endangering national security" and "enmity against God" (moharebe). The death penalty was confirmed by the Supreme Court on 11 July. "

A teacher, former member of a Kurdish teacher's union (until outlawed) and human right's activist, Farzad Kamangar was scheduled to be executed today! Thankfully, according to one source (International Campaign For Human Rights In Iran), he was not, although 10 others (including a woman) were, and there is still the likelihood that Kamangar will be hanged, at some point.

In a letter from prison, Kamangar describes the details of his arrest, and the torture he has endured while incarcerated:

In July of 2006 I came to Tehran to follow upon my brother's medical treatments. My brother is a Kurdish political activist. Upon my arrival in Tehran I was arrested and taken to an unknown place, it was a very small, dark basement. The cells in this place were empty, there were no blankets or rugs or sheets. They took me to a room and as they were interviewing me they asked me about my ethnicity. When I told them that I was of the Kurdish Ethnicity they lashed my entire body. They also lashed me because of the Kurdish music which I had saved on my mobile phone. They would tie my hands, make me sit on a chair and put pressure on the sensitive areas of my body. They would also strip me naked and threaten me with rape by various objects such as wood.

His trial was a farce. According to Khalil Bahramian, Farzad’s lawyer:

“Nothing in Kamangar’s judicial files and records demonstrates any links to the charges brought against him.” He described the trial as “lasting no more than five minutes, with the judge issuing his sentence without any explanation and then promptly leaving the room.” {snip} the closed-door trial violated the Iranian legal requirements that such cases must be tried publicly and in the presence of a jury.

Please send an email to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad requesting, at the very least, that Kamangar get a fair trial. You can email him directly at: dr-ahmadinejad@president.ir

or via the Education International website by clicking here, which has a pre-written letter

Being sentenced to death for being Kurdish, a human right's activist or trade union member, or all of the above, is outrageous.

Please take a moment to do this. That moment could save an innocent man's life.

China, Censorship and The Olympics

China just doesn't get it. It has clear goals of becoming a major superpower, has introduced market based economic reforms and is now considered to be the fourth largest economy in the world, and yet it still falls pitifully behind in terms of its political and social reforms. Who cares how much money you have in your pocket if you have no freedom, if you continuously fear what you say might land you in jail, if you have little access to information other than what your government deems appropriate. I'd rather be a pauper with freedom, than a rich person with none. The Chinese government would like the world to think they are evolving as a nation, but other than their economy, not a damn thing has changed.

I am still grappling with the question of why China was awarded the honour of hosting the 2008 Olympic Games, given the government's continuing penchant for flagrantly violating the rights of its citizens. Sure, back when they were bidding to host the games, 7 years ago, government officials assured news organizations that they would have complete freedom to report the games, as they have during past Olympic Games. Right. Easy to pay lip service when you have no intention of complying. Did anyone truly believe those promises? I guess not because, we come to find out, the International Olympic Committee (although they deny it) secretly brokered a deal which allows China to, yes, block certain sensitive websites, even for foreign journalists, who are already complaining they've encountered blocked access to various sites. So much for promises. Then again, did people expect anything different from a government that has exercised such suffocatingly tight control over its own people, for decades. And as for all their assurances they'd improve their human rights record, as a condition for hosting the games- empty promises.

If tourists think they will have carte blanche over there, think again. It's been confirmed that they too will be subject to censorship, and who knows what else. International hotel chains have been ordered to install software that will monitor the Internet activity of their guests, and there will be punishment for those who do not comply. So not only do they subject the Chinese people to censorship, they are forcing those same restrictions on visitors to their country. How's that for a warm welcome.

What I find most appalling is that they blatantly lied to ensure they would win the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, and that the IOC and the world was stupid enough to believe them.

UPDATE: Due to international pressure, as of 8/1/08, the Chinese government has lifted the ban on some sites, including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), although others continue to be banned, including any sites relating to Tibet or The Falun Gong. Some progress, but not enough!