Armies of Liberation

The latest Arab dictator, Usama bin Laden, has been issuing his edicts fast and furious. Bomb the oil pipelines. Bomb the Shiites and the Americans. Zarqawi is now the “Amir of Iraq,” and Iraqi Muslims should “listen to him.”

While the US may not have gone far in promoting the ideal of democracy in the Muslim world, bin Laden has done a remarkable job of stimulating forward thinking among Arabs and Muslims.

With each new diatribe and beheading video, with each car bomb and civilian massacre, al-Qaeda presents a challenge to the Arab world, an absolute vision of society and governance, and an estimate of its ultimate cost in blood. The Arab world has responded with a countervailing view and a renaissance of the Arab liberalism so hearty in the 19th and 20th centuries until the rise of Nassarism and Bathism.

Reform, elections, judicial independence, stemming corruption: these are the buzzwords on the Arab street today, and this is the essential work of the pioneering Iraqis. The transition of executive power in Egypt, Lebanese independence, minority rights in Syria, freedom of press in Yemen, youth enfranchisement in Saudi Arabia: these are the topics of modern patriots in the Middle East, their hope derived from free Iraqi labor unions and political parties and the anonymous anti-corruption hotline in Baghdad.

Opposite these concepts of reform are the nihilistic ideology of al-Qaeda and the bloody tactics of the “Amir of Iraq,” Zarqawi, who freely murders innocent children, patriotic Iraqis, and poor truckdrivers.

In bin Laden’s distorted mirror, tinges of Western Islamophobia are an unforgivable crime against billions of Muslims, but Eastern Anglophobia is a great revelation of truth. Hate speech vilifying a people is no sign of enlightenment at either end of the spectrum. (Read on …)

This week in Yemen: Four more journalists convicted, another editor attacked, justice delayed again for al-Khaiwani.

This is on top of one editor imprisoned, one editor murdered, and three newspapers closed. You can’t write about the Saudis-oh no-but trash Bush all you want. You can’t write about governmental corruption in your own country but its fine to demonize the US and UK governments until the cows come home. “Democratization” without a free press is just another way of gaining development aid and clinging to power until your son, Salah Jr., turns 40 and can take over the presidency. And the rationale for censorship is what: the citizens are so infantile that they can’t handle the truth? its impolite to discuss foreign relations with Arab states? an oped is going to cause an uprising? The whole premise is warped, the society harmed, and all these reform conferences a sham.

(Technical note: comment moderation is on-I’m getting slammed with spam, half pharacutical and half political. Even the spam here is freer than the press in the Middle East.)

(
Related: The Americans are accused of stealing eyes too: [The reports] further indicate that American medical teams have [made] active and suspicious moves in Iraq to recruit some Iraqis to guide them to dead and critically injured individuals to engage in the extraction of organs. These teams offer $40 for every usable kidney and $25 for an eye. )

An Iranian TV show is based on the premise of Israeli doctors stealing eyes from Palestian children. The following are translated transcripts from Memri: Cut to West Bank Classroom

Camp Nurse: “They have come to prevent the spreading of an eye disease. We must let them examine the children.”

Teacher: “OK…”

Doctor: “Open your eyes, my dear. Good. Come, yes. And you. Good. You too… God bless you. Good.”

Camp Nurse: “What kind of a program is this? Why aren’t you examining everyone? Why are they taking pictures? What’s going on here?!”

Doctor: “Calm down please. We are only doing our duty…”

Yitzhak Cohen (on TV screen): “We are the best of the races in the world. Our land should extend from the Euphrates to the Nile. The oil lies between the Euphrates and the Nile… The whole world will be shaken by the oil shortage problem. This is a difficult stage that will determine the fate of the entire world, and all eyes will be upon this region.” (Read on …)

Allawi: “Ballots will prove far more powerful than bullets in the end, and the will of the peaceful majority of Iraqis will triumph over the terror tactics of a hateful few. To this mission, I and my colleagues from the Interim Government pledge ourselves, and we call upon the governments and citizens of our allies in the international community and our neighbors in the region to do their utmost to support Iraq at this critical juncture. A free and secure Iraq will be a victory for all peace-loving people, and we Iraqis face a historic opportunity that we shall not squander.”

Dr. Allawi is prime minister of Iraq.

(also known as Yemen 6) was actually published in …Yemen by the Yemen Observer. (The article is also up on Middle East Transparent a very interesting site with the latest thinking from Arab liberals. I’ve gotten lost there for hours reading some of the articles.)

The strategy for success in Iraq, that people will reject extremism when a hope of freedom exists, should be employed in Yemen now, in advance of the arrival of Al-Qaeda from Iraq next spring. The press, which acts as a watchdog against corruption and governmental improprieties, is essential for democratic progress. The targeting of the opposition and independent media in Yemen indicates a disturbing new trend toward authoritarianism in Yemen which is best opposed at its onset.

The death sentence handed down in Yemen to two Al-Qaeda operatives convicted in the bombing of the USS Cole may indicate a new intolerance for terrorism by the Yemeni government. Flourishing democratic institutions, specifically the free press, may strengthen that intolerance in Yemeni society as well.

Not that I submitted it to them, they just found it on the web and published it. Iran Daily,which Memri refers to as a “the Iranian reformist newspaper Iran Daily, which is close to Iranian President Muhammad Khatami,” did the same thing with Yemen 7 (The Power of the Pen).

Iran Daily: Association of Iranian Journalists (AIJ) in a statement Sunday protested the non-implementation of the Press Jury Law.
Parliament approved the urgency of a bill, which if ratified will replace the existing Press Jury Law with its predecessor for one year.

Lawmakers who proposed the bill say sufficient funds have not been allocated for selecting members of the Press Jury. IRNA quoted part of the statement as saying that, “Amending press laws during the last days of the Fifth Majlis imposed many restrictions in terms of press activities.
Meanwhile, efforts of the Sixth Majlis for reverting to the press laws ratified in 1985 also did not bear fruit. The only accomplishment of the Sixth Majlis was the measures they adopted for implementing Article 168 of the constitution.”
(Read on …)

Following the increasing pressure international and internal pressure for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon (including recent protests in Beirut and international conferences), following the withdrawal of 3000 troops and the redeployment of other, Syria has closed three security and intel offices in Lebanon.

The Daily Star:
The move fell on the same day that European Union leaders called on Damascus to fully withdraw from its neighbor in complete accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559.

In a final statement issued Saturday following a two-day summit held in Brussels, EU leaders stressed “the importance of the implementation of Resolution 1559,” and said that peace in the Middle East must “include Syria and Lebanon.” (Read on …)

Who pissed off Ali?

I still love America and feel grateful to all those who helped us get our freedom and are still helping us establishing democracy in our country. But it’s the act of some Americans that made me feel I’m on the wrong side here.

The Arab News pretty much nails it in discussing the importance of a free press in an Iraqi democracy, and by extension in all reforming states: “The future of a diverse and stable Iraq rests on the existence of a media and press that are effectively free to take any position they choose in order to represent all shades of opinion within the country. Without a free press, Iraq will never be free.”

A joke for you: Reforming the UN would only be possible if the veto and permanent membership are abolished and the General Assembly given full authority.

Tissue Alert.

Related: Operation Give.

Update: That was fun (The Oriental Trading Co link at Operation Give)

PRIMARY PLUSH BEARS 1 DZ $5.95
PLUSH LONG ARM ZOO ANIMALS W/VELCRO PAWS - 1 DZ $9.95
MARBLEIZED BOUNCING BALLS (35MM) 1 DZ $2.95
ASSORTED SPORT BALL SPIN TOPS (2DZ) 1 UN $3.95
MINI PRISM KALEIDOSCOPES (4DZ) 1 UN $3.95
SubTotal $26.75
Shipping $6.95 (to Utah warehouse)
Order Total $33.70 for 102 Iraqi kids smiles, even for a minute. What a bargain.

(We know well the Israeli view.)

The Palestinian Center for Human Rights

Not actually related: My son wants Santa to bring him a dreidel. Santa can do that.

at a rate of 1000 per day.

Detailed article on the fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo with the Rwandan Army.

Related post: A little bit of the Congo in your cell phone.

(You knew it was coming. Or maybe I should call it al-Khaiwani 3.)

Or as I like to call it “The Power of the Pen” was published in Pakiststan by by The Daily Times (not that they notified me) and also by the Arab Times in Kuwait, print edition. It is also up on the progressive website Middle East Transparent.

US version here.

Update: The article was also picked up from the Daily Times by the Iran Daily in Tehran. They dropped my name but kept the article verbatum. I like the graphic on this one.

It also found its way to the website South East Asian Media.

Update: Alsp published in Bangladesh by the Independent. Interestingly, this was the only paper that added anything (the first three sentences are not mine) and edited out anything (a reference to a Bangladeshi editor in jail).

More on Yemen.

is quite similiar to many in the region.

CEIP: It preserved penalties of up to five years imprisonment for those who defame the royal family. It affirmed the government’s right to ban Moroccan or foreign journals if the publications “undermine Islam, the monarchy, territorial integrity, or public order.” Morocco’s subservient judiciary has shown little hesitation to interpret this broad-brush legal wording in the most repressive manner.

Such an attitude is particularly short-sighted because the independent press offers a public space in which members of society can peacefully debate one another on controversial issues—a space generally lacking in Morocco.

To open regional democracy center and calls on the Arab League to institute the reforms he proposed.

How is President Salah going to fit all that into his busy schedule of shutting down newspapers and arresting journalists and imprisoning editors? Then there’s that editor’s murder to investigate.

“smacks of a targeted assasination” says the International Federation of Journalists. The following article includes the important information that Mr. Sagheer owned the one printing press that serviced the 26 indpendent and oppostion newspapers in Yemen. In the context of the imprisonment of Abdulkareem Al-Khaiwani, the closure of three publications and the new charges against seven journalists, the murder of al-Sagheer and his wife is a truely chilling development for the Yemeni people and journalists.

IFJ: The International Federation of Journalists today called for a “thorough and detailed” investigation into the shooting of Mohammed Salem Al-Sagheer, a leading Yemeni journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Al-Waseet newspaper.

“This appalling attack, in which Al-Sagheer and his wife were both gunned down, has all the hallmarks of a targeted assassination,” said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary.

Al-Sagheer, a press freedom campaigner as well as a businessman, was found dead with his wife in their home in downtown Sana’a on December 6. Police inquiries so far have uncovered evidence that the killer, described as a professional, had used a gun with a silencer in the attack in which both the journalist and his wife were shot in the head.

The killing has shocked the Yemeni community of journalists and the IFJ affiliated Yemen Syndicate of Journalists is following the police investigation closely. The exact motive for the attack remains unclear.

“This distinguished journalist was a rare breed of entrepreneur and press freedom fighter,” said White. Sagheer had worked to ensure that private sector and opposition newspapers were able to publish by providing printing facilities at affordable prices.

“The possibility that this tragedy is linked to his work and commitment to independent journalism cannot be ignored,” said White. “The authorities must act swiftly to find those responsible and bring them to justice.”

Ukrainian style demonstration: thousands in the streets

Arab News: Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi protesters linked hands yesterday to try to form a “human chain” across the country in what the main opposition party described as its biggest-ever successful anti-government protest. Up to 100 people were injured in clashes.

The protest was staged by the Awami League-led 14-party alliance.
Reports from 18 districts said leaders, workers and supporters of the Awami League, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and National Awami Party took part in the one-hour demonstrations from 3 p.m….

The mid-afternoon protest held amidst heavy security halted traffic in some parts of Dhaka, forcing commuters to abandon buses and walk. Police helicopters hovered overhead. (Read on …)

Mysteriously (the headline says.)

Mohammed Salem Al-Sagheer along with his wife was found shot to death in his home in Sa’ana. In addition to being the editor of a prominent paper, he was the owner of an independent printing press in Yemen, servicing 26 other private and opposition newspapers.

It may be a random crime. It may be part of the unprecedented crack-down on the media in Yemen that includes one editor imprisoned after an absurdly bogus trial, three newspapers shut, and seven additional editors and journalists arrested with trials pending.

The discernable change in tone by the remaining newspapers is the greatest indication of the palpable concern in the journalistic community. A new era of censorship and repression is unfolding before our eyes in Yemen, which once had the freest media in the Middle East according to several experts.

LGF asks.
Too Cool.American Faith:

Now here’s the best part: today, without prior notice, Omar and Mohammed (from Iraq the Model Blog) went to the Oval Office and met with President Bush! They said that the meeting lasted about a half hour, and the President was very interested in hearing the thoughts and opinions of Iraqi citizens first hand. He wasn’t aware until then of the good things that Spirit Of America has been doing over there to help the Iraqi people and assist in their obtaining democracy. Omar joked that he got to meet POTUS and they didn’t even search his pockets beforehand.

Much more from Kesher Talk on their visit to the US.

All the details at The Jawa Report. I guess the video was staged and the kidnapping bogus. Or at least there’s enough evidence now to charge him with desertion.

(I’m just going to copy the whole article because its that interesting.)The New York Times: Muslim Scholars Increasingly Debate Unholy War By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

AIRO, Dec. 9 - Muhammad Shahrour, a layman who writes extensively about Islam, sits in his engineering office in Damascus, Syria, arguing that Muslims will untangle their faith from the increasingly gory violence committed in its name only by reappraising their sacred texts.
(Read on …)

Endorsement (for Me!) from an actual true and dedicated American Hero, for whom I have the greatest respect and sincere admiration.

He’s also a damn good writer and has a heart like a mountain, so I have been voting for Hook daily here.

So many people already on my blogroll were nominated (I’m very picky about the blogroll), so Kudos to Wizbang for the great selection of nominees and for highlighting these great bloggers to the rest of the blogsphere:
Beautiful Atrocities, the Llamas, American War Monger, Tim Worstal, The 3rd World View, Crossroads Arabia, Tim Blair, Caribpundit, Babalu, In Search of Utopia. Ace, Dean, Backcountry Convservative, In the Bullpen, LegalXXX, Cranky Neocon, Moderate Voice, Crack the Bell, My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, INDC, My Pet Jawa, and the outstanding Six Meat Buffet.

Congrats to you all! You deserve recognition for your wonderful work. Thank you for your great blog which I have appreciated daily. Keep up the good work!

All Africa: The report also says that the 185,9-million people who were unemployed in 2003 represent the “tip of the iceberg”, since more than seven times that number of people are employed but still live in poverty.

According to the report, some 2,8-billion people were employed worldwide in 2003, more than ever before. However, of these, nearly 1,4-billion the highest number ever live on less than 2 a day and some 550-million live under the 1- a-day poverty line.

Simply put, 49,7% of the world’s workers are not earning enough to lift themselves and their families above the 2-a-day poverty line.

Update: This link from the wonderful Final Historian at History’s End (brainiac extraordinair) shows GDP ect. One of the things I noticed was how generally the fertility rates go up as the GDP goes down.

in my series highlighting the sudden crackdown on the independent media in Yemen and the ongoing imprisonment of Abdulkareem al-Khaiwani:

Yemen in the Spring

(or as its also known Yemen 6)
Now I can add it to the list. Reference only (Read on …)

(I think they do it like this in India too. See also The Daily Star)

Arab news: Iraq’s Electoral Commission said yesterday it may consider holding next month’s elections over an extended period, as Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had suggested.

Allawi was quoted by a Swiss newspaper on Tuesday as saying the election of a new assembly could be spread over two or three weeks to counter violence and make sure everyone got the chance to vote under secure conditions.

“One can imagine elections spread out over 15 or 20 days, with the dates differing according to the provinces,” he was quoted as saying. “These would allow for adequate security measures to be installed.” … (Read on …)

Leaking into the Media:

From Channel 2 (Iran)

Voice: Dear friends, please be seated… Let us preserve the etiquette and honor of the university… I ask the dear friends… In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful… University etiquette and honor require that we be more tolerant towards one another.

Voice: At the university, Basij members have always been oppressed. In the entrance to the auditorium, some people were beaten. Those who were there saw me defend them. But the security men beat me too… They beat me as well as them. We have always been the oppressed in the university… Cannons, tanks, and Basij members are no more effective

Voice: I ask the friends to be more tolerant and patient.

[...]

Khatami: Sir, this is against the rules of democracy. What are you doing? How many people are booing? Don’t make me have you removed. Behave yourselves.

Crowd: (shouting)

Khatami: Listen… Be patient. If people not yet in government cannot be tolerant, God forbid, what will happen once they reach the government? I believe that different views are being presented here by different people. I hope that… I hope…

Crowd: No more lies! No more lies! No more lies! No more lies! No more lies!

Khatami: All right… Okay, okay… You must be reasonable… Only dictators do not accept anyone who is different.

Crowd: (cheering) (Read on …)

He is not allowed a pen in a country where guns outnumber people by three to one. He is in prison, sentenced to a year at hard labor. He has been beaten repeatedly and his jaw broken there. His colleagues may not speak to him. He is a newspaper editor.

His crimes: defaming the president, promoting discord, publishing lies. What he really did: write about corruption, violence, and human rights.

During trial, he was not permitted a lawyer. He could not respond to specific allegations. His case was decided while the judge was on vacation. The constitution of his country looks wonderful on paper but not in a courtroom.

The judge who set the date for the appeal was absent on that day, resulting in yet another postponement.

His paper was closed. Two other publications were recently shut down on technicalities. In the symphony that the press plays for the people, the musical instruments are disappearing one by one. Last week, seven more journalists were summoned for trial.

His colleagues speak for him at their own personal risk. Various NGOs and journalistic organizations have protested his imprisonment and petitioned for his release, with no reply. His family misses him.

His nation suffers his loss of freedom as their loss-of knowledge, of competing ideas, and of news. His nation has lost a watchdog. The people’s advocate has no pen.

He is not alone. They are not alone. The World Association of Newspapers 2004 report described the state of the media in the Middle East this way: “Freedom of expression continues to suffer throughout the region. The press freedom situation in many counties remains alarming, as government control over the press is rigid. In those countries where journalists do enjoy a measure of freedom of expression, they must contend with severe laws that often result in criminal prosecution, arrest and censorship.”

The situation is not unique to the Middle East. In Thailand, criminal defamation laws are used to silence journalists with the threat of imprisonment, when civil remedies are ample redress. Journalists have been detained in the Congo. In Kazakhstan, a video was confiscated from a news crew filming a protest. Google has been blocked in China. A journalist in Peru was assaulted by a police officer, as occurred nearly the same day in Pakistan. A Bangladeshi journalist has been detained, and in Belarus, an independent newspaper was closed. In Zimbabwe, new legislation regulating journalist carries a twenty year penalty for its breech. All of these events occurred in the space of a week.

Are all these countries leaders so sensitive that criticism makes them cry? Perhaps the most maligned president in history, George Bush, managed to win a strong majority despite constant criticism, defamation and outright slander. John Howard received a brutal grilling in the Australian media and also won his election. Tony Blair as well faces harsh treatment in his countries press. If these nations’ peoples are brainwashed, it is not by the media, no matter how hard it tries. If these nations progress, it is in part because of the media criticisms and investigations.

In some countries, leaders place their citizens’ rights and needs above their own, and they allow an independent pluralistic media. Why then in others the widespread fear of the pen, and the thoughts behind the pen and the readers in front of the page? Why do international readers know more about some nations than the residents themselves? In many parts of the world, the answer is not publishable. But Abdulkareem al-Khaiwani may tell us if he survives his term in prison.

In Bangladesh, this year’s is “theme of the day is - “Participation of males and Women’s empowerment are prerequisites for a Planned Family and Mother and Child Health”. Sounds right to me.

A related post here.

From the Population Reference Bureau.)

Suicide CSM: A recent study revealed that one-quarter of the children (ages 8 to 15) in China’s wealthiest city have considered taking their own lives. Perhaps more surprising is that the results were made public.

Long a taboo topic in China, particularly when it comes to young people, suicide is becoming part of public discussion, opening the doors to education and prevention in a country with a suicide rate more than twice that of the United States….The survey indicates that children in this booming metropolis of 20 million are under pressure to excel at school and sports, as well as in their social lives.

Labor Unrest Fabian: an “unprecedented series of walkouts” marking “the first stirrings of unrest” emerging among the millions of youthful migrant workers who supply seemingly inexhaustible cheap labor for the vast expanse of factories in the PRC’s booming Pearl River Delta….The official federation announced that Wal-Mart, the American merchandizing giant, had agreed to allow unions in its factories in China.

“But factory owners and workers in the Pearl River boom zone said the official union does little to represent labor, even in the rare cases when branches are formed, because it is a spinoff of local governments that own or rely on the businesses.”

in Saudi Arabia

(More at Six Meat Buffet.)

The Arab News: Three gunmen with suspected Al-Qaeda links who attacked the US consulate in Jeddah today were killed by security forces, the Interior Ministry said. These three were among the five who stormed the consulate building in the morning. The remaining two were arrested following a gunbattle.

At least four members of the Saudi security detail were also killed and several wounded when they clashed with the gunmen who attacked the compound, police said.

“A gang affiliated to the deviant group hurled explosives on the gate of the US consulate in Jeddah at 11 a.m. (0800 GMT) today and then entered the area surrounding the consulate,” an Interior Ministry statement said. (Read on …)

Either you have them or you don’t. Either you return the extra change when the cashier makes a mistake or you don’t. Either you play by the rules or you cheat. Sometimes you can just tell someone else how to cheat and sit back and laugh at the results.

How to game it.

Since I was never in danger of winning, the suspension of voting doesn’t trouble me much. But the malicious fun of a few has hurt a wide group of people. And the one who deserved it least, Kevin, was the one most greatly harmed. As Hindrocket said: “(The awards are) done in a spirit of fun, and relies on a modicum of good faith among the participants.” I also have to agree with Captain Ed, they are sad and pathetic.

hehehe, that Commissar: What’s the best thing about Starbucks for a Kossack? Free pennies.

Click: Find another pawprint and put it in our notebook
Click: Partly cloudy with a chance of
Click: Not wearing their heavy wool coats during the battle of Monmouth
Click: This is Katie Couric at Wizbang headquarters with an election update. (beams) In the “Best Overall Blog” catagory, apparently some very talented Kos readers have devised an ingenious voting robot. Isn’t that cute? (beams) Poll watchers at Wizbang headquarters are engaging in a manual recount to certify the votes. Boy, that Kos has some loyal fans dedicated to victory for their candidate. Its great to see the political system in action. (tosses hair) Of course LGF readers and many of those on the right are tossing derogatory names like asshat, while those on the left are wondering if it is a Karl Rove inspired stroke of brilliance. One Wizbang commenter said there’s “no way to tell if it was agitprop by a freeper.” How true…..We all know about those brrr….(shivers) Freepers. (Read on …)

My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Hello. My name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Bag of chips: $1.49

Cable monthly: $91.00

Watching The Princess Bride with your 9 year old daughter: priceless.

to the less fortunate.

(Hey at least I don’t owe $167,000- even counting the mortgage.)

Its a quaint and touching idea but I doubt it will soften the hearts of the extremists.

NYTimesTHAILAND: PREMIER SEEKS STRONGER SECURITY LAWS

Tough new security laws are needed to thwart Islamic separatists in the country’s predominantly Muslim southern states, while a peace plan to ease tensions by dropping millions of paper birds over the region is likely to have only a minimal effect, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said. The plan to airdrop more than 80 million Japanese-style origami cranes folded by Thais nationwide on Sunday, the birthday of King Bhumibol, will “have a psychological effect on moderate people,” he said, “but it will not work with people who are leading the vicious acts.” Since January, more than 550 people have died in violence in the south. Measures Mr. Thaksin is seeking would reportedly allow the police to hold suspects without charge for at least a week, carry out searches and tap private telephone lines without court warrants. (AP)

Some will appreciate the gesture, some use the floating cranes for target practice.

Enough about nuclear weapons, cabinet appointments, freedom of the press, and the insurgency in Iraq:

It’s Time to Vote in the Wizbang Weblog Awards. (Read on …)

Its hard to figure out exactly whats happening in countries with a semi-censored media. From what I can gather from this report in the Yemen Times, (written in an atmosphere of renewed governmental pressure since the imprisonment of Abdulkareem Al_kaiwani) a) security forces killed two people in October b) their case against the intelligence department offical was repeatedly delayed and postponed c) a crowd has gathered outside the court d) on the third adjounment of the case, the crowd staged a sit in e) a policeman started shooting into the air to dispurse the crowd f) a passerby holding a baby girl was shot and killed.

See what you get out of the article. A day of horror and outrage was witnessed on Monday, 28 November when Abdurrahman Mohammad Al-Sawka was killed and Hussein Mohammad Karout wounded when a policeman opened fire to disperse a crowd of people gathering in front of the Sira Court in Aden.

Ex-sports announcer Keith Olberman is really taken with his new role as MSNBC’s talking head. Despite his actively rooting for Kerry, promoting the concept that the election was stolen (this 2004 election) and just being snarky toward the concept of red-state voters or values in general, Keith believes himself neutral: he’s really starting to fit in.

From MRC:

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann has spent the past month using his show to push baseless Internet rumors of vote fraud in a quest to undermine the credibility of President Bush’s win accepted by everyone except Jesse Jackson, a few bloggers and himself. But in a Web interview posted on Tuesday, Olbermann maintained: “I’m not political. I don’t vote – I don’t believe journalists covering politics should….I have no more interest in the political outcome of an election than I did in the winner or loser of any ballgame I ever covered.” Nonetheless, Olbermann continued his favorite pursuit Wednesday night, teasing his lead item on Countdown: “John Kerry joins a lawsuit over the recount in Ohio. Is it a bold statement about counting every vote or a token’s gesture just to quiet the activists?”

Update: Jeremy has a great article about this issue as well.

Unfortunately its the ICRC we’re talking about that has let its left leaning, anti-American tilt obscure its function and its once important role:

WSJ Editorial: Once upon a time, the International Committee of the Red Cross was a humanitarian outfit doing the Lord’s work to reduce the horrors of war. So it is a special tragedy to see that it has increasingly become an ideological organization unable to distinguish between good guys and bad.
That’s the unfortunate conclusion suggested by three years of open ICRC hostility toward U.S. conduct in the war on terror. The latest salvo was Tuesday’s front page story in the New York Times quoting from an ICRC report complaining about the detention conditions and interrogation practices used on Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

For decades, the very core of Red Cross methodology has been strict confidentiality agreements with cooperating governments. The practice has obvious drawbacks. But it has helped the Red Cross get access to–and help–prisoners of genuinely repressive regimes like Nazi Germany and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and ensured that the organization’s recommendations are not regarded as political in any partisan sense. (Read on …)

Not quite implementing democracy according to the agreed timeline, Musharraf will not have a wardrobe malfunction- it will be legal.

Arab News: ISLAMABAD, 1 December 2004 — Pakistan’s Senate president signed legislation yesterday that will allow Gen. Pervez Musharraf to remain as both head of state and army chief beyond Dec. 31, a senior Cabinet minister said.

Parliament passed the legislation earlier this month. It was signed into law by Mohammed Mian Soomro, who as chairman of the Senate is Pakistan’s acting president while Musharraf is on a visit to Latin America, Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said by telephone from London.

There was no doubt that the legislation would be signed, but the timing was unusual and appeared to indicate that Musharraf did not want to put his name on it.

The general has been under fire for reneging on promises to restore full democracy, though both Washington and the Commonwealth of former British colonies have indicated a willingness to go along with his move in the interest of stability in a key ally in the war on terror. (Read on …)

Its a good day for civilians. They are one step closer to being out of a free fire zone, one step closer to an affirmation of the concept of civilian immunity.

Finally, a UN panel on global threats has defined terrorism as “any action … that is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or noncombatants, when the purpose of such an act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.”

That seems rather self-evident but for years the concept of legitimizing deliberate harm to civilians was resisted in the UN. The “freedom fighter” who targeted civilians was legitimzed as acting from a postion of inferior strenth and resources. In Beslan we saw the logical extension of this thinking.

Occupied peoples struggling for self determination, the report says, to not have a basis in international law for victimizing civilians to achieve their goals or publicity: “There is nothing in the fact of occupation that justifies the targeting and killing of civilians,” the panel agreed said.

By removing this tool, terrorism, from the globally acceptable tactics of resistance, the UN presupposes an effective mechanism within international law and international institutions to advance the interests of occupied persons, seperatists, and others with a political agenda who face an overwhelming power.

Links
Yahoo
AP
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