Thursday, February 24, 2005
Greater Palestine?
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/files/story2737.php?PHPSESSID=f11e29a6875b8e02bb643796b6f87f41
a very interesting article from foreign policy about the implications for the middle east and world if israel never had existed, nor continued to exist........worth taking twenty minutes out of the day to read.
a very interesting article from foreign policy about the implications for the middle east and world if israel never had existed, nor continued to exist........worth taking twenty minutes out of the day to read.
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Now It's A Black Thing.......
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/baseball/mlb/specials/spring_training/2005/02/22/bonds.press.ap/index.html?cnn=yes
now it's a black thing, barry bonds claims that he is under the microcscope's glare regarding the media's inquiries into his steroid use because he is nearing babe ruth's record and ruth wasnt black.
this type of allegation by bonds is not only short sighted and manipulative but it is also racist.
news flash, it is because of the steroids. bonds claims that steroids dont help hand - eye coordination and he is most certainly right about that, BUT steroids do make you stronger when you work out using them, they make you quicker too thus the ability to react to a ball with a faster stroke and more powerful certainly comes into play.
bonds legacy in baseball will go down as a cheat, nothing less. he has denied taking steroids for years, but admitted that he took what was 'clear' to a grand jury investigation.
bonds may break every record in the books but all of his work will have to be considered under the shadow of a cheat. he will be sure to protest, but as they say in the states, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
now it's a black thing, barry bonds claims that he is under the microcscope's glare regarding the media's inquiries into his steroid use because he is nearing babe ruth's record and ruth wasnt black.
this type of allegation by bonds is not only short sighted and manipulative but it is also racist.
news flash, it is because of the steroids. bonds claims that steroids dont help hand - eye coordination and he is most certainly right about that, BUT steroids do make you stronger when you work out using them, they make you quicker too thus the ability to react to a ball with a faster stroke and more powerful certainly comes into play.
bonds legacy in baseball will go down as a cheat, nothing less. he has denied taking steroids for years, but admitted that he took what was 'clear' to a grand jury investigation.
bonds may break every record in the books but all of his work will have to be considered under the shadow of a cheat. he will be sure to protest, but as they say in the states, "if you can't do the time, don't do the crime."
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Saving Venice
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/22/science/22veni.html?8hpib
an interesting article on plans being studied by the italians to erect underwater dams in the adriatic in order to fight the rising tides in venice.
an interesting article on plans being studied by the italians to erect underwater dams in the adriatic in order to fight the rising tides in venice.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Sunday Thoughts On Turning A Screwdriver
returned last night with the family, from our camping at dor habonim.......
for the last couple of weeks i have had a dialogue with a friend regarding the astronomical investigation & accomplishments of the mayan and aztec. he has basically said that it was not a great achievement in astronomy and merely a good accounting of time.
i have been doing a bit of reading and a proper presentation on my part would include phd level thesis on the subject.
allow me in the meantime to offer the following thought that would guide my soon to be not written thesis.......
the mathematical accomplishments of these two groups (lets not make the feats of the inca small either) were no tiny endeavor.
while my friend casts cynical eyes at their religious entanglements and 'science' ability, i think at best it would be ethnocentric to judge only the 'written' records and archeaological sites.
what do i mean? there is a recorded history that shows the spaniards when they found many of the locations of 'study' of these people whether being used or vacated, destroyed as much as possible under orders because their 'generals, priests, and fellow conquistodors' viewed the sites as places of the devil.
this is not an apologia, this is to point out that in the name of religion from the west, great studies were destroyed in which some are trying to claim that merely a religious site was ruined.
i suspect within the great mathematical knowledge and ability to chart stars, galaxies (see the mayan calender documenting the world till the year 2012 a.d in which they predict end of the 'old' world because under their observation earth and the milky way will be center of universal cosmos as they 'accounted' for it and a new world will begin) that:
somewhere somehow somebody associated with the mayan had a thought that was not religious in regards to warranting further astronomical investigation.
i suggest that there were people among them that kept on the robes of their religious titles to further what they really wanted to know.
of course that is ethnocentric of me to suggest, but the fact is that in order to keep an accounting of the calander (two actually - a religious one and a civil one) that were so accurate that they had to know and study the stars with great insight.
and thus my suggestion that all of this is merely an introduction to a great thesis, one which i find myself with limited amounts of time to write during this lifetime.
which takes me full circle to the camp grounds at the beach on the sea this weekend. the moon was in dead center north of sky for a good deal of the night. the sky was thus illuminated too much because of the moon and not all the stars were able to be seen fully........but if we were able to view the full sky and all stars shining how much more do we know than our predessesors on an individual basis?
our knowledge is compartmentalized, while we say one group had better knowledge than others because one group was trying to attain reason because of religious implications we are selling them short.
seems to me galileo was made to wear the robe of the religious too or face (he did suffer actually) punishment.
a lot of us know how to bearly turn a screwdriver, we hire someone to do it for us. we have become a conveyor belt world, one in which people are responsible for little as individuals but are merely a plug for a certain technique, able to be replaced in a moments notice with some proper training of the underlings.........these our my sunday thoughts.......thank you.
for the last couple of weeks i have had a dialogue with a friend regarding the astronomical investigation & accomplishments of the mayan and aztec. he has basically said that it was not a great achievement in astronomy and merely a good accounting of time.
i have been doing a bit of reading and a proper presentation on my part would include phd level thesis on the subject.
allow me in the meantime to offer the following thought that would guide my soon to be not written thesis.......
the mathematical accomplishments of these two groups (lets not make the feats of the inca small either) were no tiny endeavor.
while my friend casts cynical eyes at their religious entanglements and 'science' ability, i think at best it would be ethnocentric to judge only the 'written' records and archeaological sites.
what do i mean? there is a recorded history that shows the spaniards when they found many of the locations of 'study' of these people whether being used or vacated, destroyed as much as possible under orders because their 'generals, priests, and fellow conquistodors' viewed the sites as places of the devil.
this is not an apologia, this is to point out that in the name of religion from the west, great studies were destroyed in which some are trying to claim that merely a religious site was ruined.
i suspect within the great mathematical knowledge and ability to chart stars, galaxies (see the mayan calender documenting the world till the year 2012 a.d in which they predict end of the 'old' world because under their observation earth and the milky way will be center of universal cosmos as they 'accounted' for it and a new world will begin) that:
somewhere somehow somebody associated with the mayan had a thought that was not religious in regards to warranting further astronomical investigation.
i suggest that there were people among them that kept on the robes of their religious titles to further what they really wanted to know.
of course that is ethnocentric of me to suggest, but the fact is that in order to keep an accounting of the calander (two actually - a religious one and a civil one) that were so accurate that they had to know and study the stars with great insight.
and thus my suggestion that all of this is merely an introduction to a great thesis, one which i find myself with limited amounts of time to write during this lifetime.
which takes me full circle to the camp grounds at the beach on the sea this weekend. the moon was in dead center north of sky for a good deal of the night. the sky was thus illuminated too much because of the moon and not all the stars were able to be seen fully........but if we were able to view the full sky and all stars shining how much more do we know than our predessesors on an individual basis?
our knowledge is compartmentalized, while we say one group had better knowledge than others because one group was trying to attain reason because of religious implications we are selling them short.
seems to me galileo was made to wear the robe of the religious too or face (he did suffer actually) punishment.
a lot of us know how to bearly turn a screwdriver, we hire someone to do it for us. we have become a conveyor belt world, one in which people are responsible for little as individuals but are merely a plug for a certain technique, able to be replaced in a moments notice with some proper training of the underlings.........these our my sunday thoughts.......thank you.
Friday, February 18, 2005
BBC Yet Again Being Bad
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/542001.html
bbc has had to formally apologize this time for getting caught in one of its attacks against israel. simply amazing how many times in the past four years they have been off the mark. they can apologize all they want but there is something very sinister going on in their production imo.
while i dont intend on covering the evil of anti-jew/ anti-israel hysterics in britain as a full time blog, what is happening in britain must be pointed out.
bbc has had to formally apologize this time for getting caught in one of its attacks against israel. simply amazing how many times in the past four years they have been off the mark. they can apologize all they want but there is something very sinister going on in their production imo.
while i dont intend on covering the evil of anti-jew/ anti-israel hysterics in britain as a full time blog, what is happening in britain must be pointed out.
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Livingstone Doesn't Get It
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/02/16/britain.livingstone/index.html
this month has turned unexpectedly into a month in which i am being able to chronicle brit racism. apparently many of them don't get the message and clearly don't understand their subtle flaws. this time up the mayor of london.
this month has turned unexpectedly into a month in which i am being able to chronicle brit racism. apparently many of them don't get the message and clearly don't understand their subtle flaws. this time up the mayor of london.
Robots Of War
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/16/technology/16robots.html?hp&ex=1108616400&en=527b7e950d00d351&ei=5094&partner=homepage
welcome to the future for better or worse......
welcome to the future for better or worse......
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Plus-Sized = Obese
http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/13/news/fortune500/mcdonalds_transfats.reut/
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/business/15fat.html
we are now entering a new official stage of political correctness and will be calling obese people plus-sized as a way of making them feel better about themselves. we are slowly taking away responsibility from people regarding the simplest of all things, taking care of yourself properly. if one can smoke, drink, and eat themselves to death and expect to be rewarded financially for being a person with no self control we are surely entering a stage in western civilization in which we have forgotten that we are animals like every other species. somehow we have grown to the point (or lost sight of) that our consciousness is not merely a tool in which to make feel better by consuming everything around us through our mouths and credit cards. is this what it means to be alive?
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/business/15fat.html
we are now entering a new official stage of political correctness and will be calling obese people plus-sized as a way of making them feel better about themselves. we are slowly taking away responsibility from people regarding the simplest of all things, taking care of yourself properly. if one can smoke, drink, and eat themselves to death and expect to be rewarded financially for being a person with no self control we are surely entering a stage in western civilization in which we have forgotten that we are animals like every other species. somehow we have grown to the point (or lost sight of) that our consciousness is not merely a tool in which to make feel better by consuming everything around us through our mouths and credit cards. is this what it means to be alive?
Hariri Assassination In Beirut
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/15/beirut.explosion/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/international/middleeast/15syria.html?hp&ex=1108530000&en=25023c7791d5a607&ei=5094&partner=homepage
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/international/middleeast/15hariri.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1108454875-7yW0nbFtL9+v6C5DQ0fjow
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=983
the above are cnn's, the ny times & debka's take on the hariri assassination. this story is far from over and will become a whirlwind. with so many possible players involved in this killing many accusations are flying. one thing for certain this attack was not carried out by amateurs. the assassination will become an international event, one which could cause an escalation in the region's conflict.
seems fairly obvious who ever carried out yesterday's attack in beirut was not a lowly plebe.
dont know who saw the photos here, but the site of explosion created a 5 meter deep hole.
lets remember that bomb laden cars was the speciality of the lebanese civil war. it will take a while for any real evidence to emerge on who the culprits were, the list of possibilities is long and lined by people and groups with many reasons for wanting hariri dead. but remaining on the heap of suspicions is the nature of sophistication in this attack.........
in other words the lowly terrorist group taking responsibility might think they really carried out the action, they might have even supplied the bomber, but you can rest easy knowing (and work hard finding) that the puppet masters are large and tucked within the shadows.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/international/middleeast/15syria.html?hp&ex=1108530000&en=25023c7791d5a607&ei=5094&partner=homepage
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/15/international/middleeast/15hariri.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1108454875-7yW0nbFtL9+v6C5DQ0fjow
http://www.debka.com/article.php?aid=983
the above are cnn's, the ny times & debka's take on the hariri assassination. this story is far from over and will become a whirlwind. with so many possible players involved in this killing many accusations are flying. one thing for certain this attack was not carried out by amateurs. the assassination will become an international event, one which could cause an escalation in the region's conflict.
seems fairly obvious who ever carried out yesterday's attack in beirut was not a lowly plebe.
dont know who saw the photos here, but the site of explosion created a 5 meter deep hole.
lets remember that bomb laden cars was the speciality of the lebanese civil war. it will take a while for any real evidence to emerge on who the culprits were, the list of possibilities is long and lined by people and groups with many reasons for wanting hariri dead. but remaining on the heap of suspicions is the nature of sophistication in this attack.........
in other words the lowly terrorist group taking responsibility might think they really carried out the action, they might have even supplied the bomber, but you can rest easy knowing (and work hard finding) that the puppet masters are large and tucked within the shadows.
Bye Bye NHL
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/cs-050219nhl,1,4322173.story?coll=cs-home-headlines
UPDATES 20 FEB. 2005
i hope now that any other hockey news has nothing to do with the letters nhl until the fall of the this year.....
hello we love you, good bye we hate you, actually we just dont care.......get out of our lives. the entire saga has become nothing but an ironic parody of love gone bad.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-HKN-NHL-Lockout.html?hp&ex=1108616400&en=cee77e50cb0405f9&ei=5094&partner=homepage
above is story from ap saying nhl season has officially been canceled, see ya next year - maybe.......
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/cs-050214nhllockout,1,2501062.story?coll=cs-home-headlines
in the category of 'do we really care?' the nhl is about to formally cancel its entire season. i am a sports fan. i grew up watching the islanders and still follow the nhl from afar, albeit rooting for the chicago black hawks. yet, i have no sadness that the season was never played, nor do i care that the players and owners couldn't reach an agreement to somehow overcome their differences.
professional hockey is a business like anything else when salaries, rents, and other expenses are due. if the owners and players can't see the light of day and find some way to negotiate an agreement i couldn't care less. hockey goes on, played in junior leagues, pro leagues in europe, the sport like all others will survive or die based on the interest level the fans and those playing have.
if the nhl never plays another game it will not matter. the owners and players should realize that the entire lot of them can be replaced by other people, an other league, and a new fondness for other endeavors.
UPDATES 20 FEB. 2005
i hope now that any other hockey news has nothing to do with the letters nhl until the fall of the this year.....
hello we love you, good bye we hate you, actually we just dont care.......get out of our lives. the entire saga has become nothing but an ironic parody of love gone bad.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-HKN-NHL-Lockout.html?hp&ex=1108616400&en=cee77e50cb0405f9&ei=5094&partner=homepage
above is story from ap saying nhl season has officially been canceled, see ya next year - maybe.......
http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/cs-050214nhllockout,1,2501062.story?coll=cs-home-headlines
in the category of 'do we really care?' the nhl is about to formally cancel its entire season. i am a sports fan. i grew up watching the islanders and still follow the nhl from afar, albeit rooting for the chicago black hawks. yet, i have no sadness that the season was never played, nor do i care that the players and owners couldn't reach an agreement to somehow overcome their differences.
professional hockey is a business like anything else when salaries, rents, and other expenses are due. if the owners and players can't see the light of day and find some way to negotiate an agreement i couldn't care less. hockey goes on, played in junior leagues, pro leagues in europe, the sport like all others will survive or die based on the interest level the fans and those playing have.
if the nhl never plays another game it will not matter. the owners and players should realize that the entire lot of them can be replaced by other people, an other league, and a new fondness for other endeavors.
Monday, February 14, 2005
The Saudis On Wishing Hello In America
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/539828.html
an interesting and rather hard to believe article about islamic extremism coming out of saudi arabia which is sanctioned by their govt. if you are looking for evidence to see where, how, and why the hatred of fanatics are rooted this is a good place to start.
as for it being hard to believe, it is so only under the guise that an ethical person would probably choose to believe others arent capable of such thoughts. this is a mistake the world and jews in particular made with the nazis. the saudis should be made to explain such nonsense........
these publications by the saudis and followers show once again that this entire mess over here in the middle east has little to do with the israeli - palestinian issues.
that in fact it is used as an excuse by backwards looking govts who wish to keep their people oppressed so they can steal all the riches.
the final missing piece to the great cake of peace will only come when those seeking freedom of the individual are able to have more political power than those who seek the control of their countries through 'the big lie'. we are mere decades or a century away from achieving this........
an interesting and rather hard to believe article about islamic extremism coming out of saudi arabia which is sanctioned by their govt. if you are looking for evidence to see where, how, and why the hatred of fanatics are rooted this is a good place to start.
as for it being hard to believe, it is so only under the guise that an ethical person would probably choose to believe others arent capable of such thoughts. this is a mistake the world and jews in particular made with the nazis. the saudis should be made to explain such nonsense........
these publications by the saudis and followers show once again that this entire mess over here in the middle east has little to do with the israeli - palestinian issues.
that in fact it is used as an excuse by backwards looking govts who wish to keep their people oppressed so they can steal all the riches.
the final missing piece to the great cake of peace will only come when those seeking freedom of the individual are able to have more political power than those who seek the control of their countries through 'the big lie'. we are mere decades or a century away from achieving this........
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Biz Travel & Tourism To Follow?
blurb from Globes Biz Israel:
www.globes.co.il
US believed about to lift Israel travel warning
The warning against travel to the Palestinian Authority may also be partly canceled.
By Ran Dagoni, Washington 13 Feb 05 14:31
The US will soon cancel its official warning against traveling to Israel, and perhaps also against traveling to the Palestinian Authority, Washington sources close to Middle East policy believe. The sources said that the significant drop in terrorist attacks within the Green Line and in the West Bank was the decisive factor in a possible cancellation of the warning. Another motive is the desire of the Bush administration to express its satisfaction at the measures taken by Israel and the Palestinians to implement the disengagement plan......
so my question is this, now that it is safe to travel here and maybe even get a bite to eat in bethlehem, should i tell my wife about my travel plans to the dangerous environs of madrid and paris?
and in the category of one day at time while trying to find calm in the society as well as the self, we have this interesting piece from the n.y times which could have been written about israeli feelings in the same way. good moment for this article because many on both sides are wondering if we should let ourselves believe in the possibility of real peace.
being able to sleep at night without the fear of bad news in the morning is comforting, a lifetime of such pure sleep may prove a tougher task, but i am willing to give it a try and i hope others are too..........
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/international/middleeast/13voices.html
www.globes.co.il
US believed about to lift Israel travel warning
The warning against travel to the Palestinian Authority may also be partly canceled.
By Ran Dagoni, Washington 13 Feb 05 14:31
The US will soon cancel its official warning against traveling to Israel, and perhaps also against traveling to the Palestinian Authority, Washington sources close to Middle East policy believe. The sources said that the significant drop in terrorist attacks within the Green Line and in the West Bank was the decisive factor in a possible cancellation of the warning. Another motive is the desire of the Bush administration to express its satisfaction at the measures taken by Israel and the Palestinians to implement the disengagement plan......
so my question is this, now that it is safe to travel here and maybe even get a bite to eat in bethlehem, should i tell my wife about my travel plans to the dangerous environs of madrid and paris?
and in the category of one day at time while trying to find calm in the society as well as the self, we have this interesting piece from the n.y times which could have been written about israeli feelings in the same way. good moment for this article because many on both sides are wondering if we should let ourselves believe in the possibility of real peace.
being able to sleep at night without the fear of bad news in the morning is comforting, a lifetime of such pure sleep may prove a tougher task, but i am willing to give it a try and i hope others are too..........
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/international/middleeast/13voices.html
Arthur Miller Obit.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Disturbing News
yet more disturbing news out of britain regarding anti semetism, attacks are on the increase. at some point in the traditional brit style they will apologize and contritely say that it is deplorable and cannot be tolerated.
all this while some brit media outlets continue to find ways to be critical of israel every chance they get........
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/538942.html
and now a sad and tragic article from the ny times on the rape of darfur........
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/international/africa/11sudan.html?hp
all this while some brit media outlets continue to find ways to be critical of israel every chance they get........
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/538942.html
and now a sad and tragic article from the ny times on the rape of darfur........
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/11/international/africa/11sudan.html?hp
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Politics Of Looking Good
Saturday, February 05, 2005
Flying Pigs In Britain
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=536344
nothing quite like sophisticated anti-semitism. the brit labor party has joined the fandango which should not be surprising considering some of their members stances during the inifada and one very interesting quote from Mrs. Blair herself a couple of years ago. Depictions of flying pigs in the form of two conservative party leaders and the dredging up an old dickens character....
the above link is worth reading and might not be reported widely elsewhere.
nothing quite like sophisticated anti-semitism. the brit labor party has joined the fandango which should not be surprising considering some of their members stances during the inifada and one very interesting quote from Mrs. Blair herself a couple of years ago. Depictions of flying pigs in the form of two conservative party leaders and the dredging up an old dickens character....
the above link is worth reading and might not be reported widely elsewhere.
Friday, February 04, 2005
Corrupt & Caught
the drumbeats from the u.s. will now start getting louder about pulling out of the united nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/04/international/04food.html?hp&ex=1107579600&en=ebf0c386611be17d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
amazing to me that this story isnt getting wider play throughout the media, but i guess when your lover is caught stealing it is harder to accept than someone you had long hated. or could it be too that not only are we finding out the united nations is completely corrupt but so are member nations that participated in this quest and thus the reason for their medias to dust the soot under the carpet?
the u.n. can thank their lucky stars for the disaster in south east asia which took everyones eyes off of their criminal corruption.
in the meantime, maybe the u.n. can get a few of their member together and try to decipher the meaning of the word genocide once again.
darfur? where's darfur?
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/04/international/04food.html?hp&ex=1107579600&en=ebf0c386611be17d&ei=5094&partner=homepage
amazing to me that this story isnt getting wider play throughout the media, but i guess when your lover is caught stealing it is harder to accept than someone you had long hated. or could it be too that not only are we finding out the united nations is completely corrupt but so are member nations that participated in this quest and thus the reason for their medias to dust the soot under the carpet?
the u.n. can thank their lucky stars for the disaster in south east asia which took everyones eyes off of their criminal corruption.
in the meantime, maybe the u.n. can get a few of their member together and try to decipher the meaning of the word genocide once again.
darfur? where's darfur?
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Bird Brained - Part 2
the following is absolutely fantastic, compares favorably to when the palestinians were carrying a 'dead' man on a stretcher for burial, he fell off, stood up flustered and walked away a couple of years ago.........
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/01/iraq.hostage/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/01/iraq.hostage/index.html
Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Bird Brained......Is Ok!
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/01/science/01bird.html?hp
interesting article on our fine feathered friends......
next they will be telling us that pigeons have social accomplishments & skills which are comparable to humans.
interesting article on our fine feathered friends......
next they will be telling us that pigeons have social accomplishments & skills which are comparable to humans.
Three And A Half Years Later...
folks, just finished my biz trip in nyc, and in the meantime the iraqi election has taken place and votes are being counted.
i believe holding this election and carrying it out is a major achievement for bush.
ex-pat iraqis have voted in good numbers via their embassys where possible. the percentage of people who were registered to vote in iraq and did so seems to be good too, 60% turnout is acceptable in most elections internationally.
perhaps none of this is utopia but it is a beginning. bush administration will be able to point to these days as a large achievement. bush has delivered the opportunity for the iraqi people to change their lives through the ballot box instead of through gunfire. though bullets and bombs are still a large basis of showing disatisfication in iraq, there can be no denying that bush has tried to give the iraqi people a different type of leadership.
i wonder if bin laden and his merry pranksters conceived that not even quite after 3 and a half years after he destroyed the world trade center that the taliban would no longer be in power, that arafat would be dead, and that democratic elections would have been held in palestine & iraq? even if he is a fanatic bin laden and his merry pranksters must feel rather ill with this knowledge.......
what exactly dont people get? i dont know what news the critics are watching, but the entire focus of many arab news centers, euro, and others are about the fact that elections were held and the world didnt come to an end.
this is a political earthquake in the middle east. people throughout the middle east are debating the merits of democracy, it will be hard to step back from here and to discontinue democratic reforms. you can be sure the leaders of saudi arabia, syria, and other locales are watching these events with nervous anticipation. there will be no hiding from their publics that something monumental has taken place.
the image of women holding up their purple dyed fingers and smiling at the cameras surely shakes the foundations of their national psyche to its limits. while we argue here about the implications of bush policy, this weekend will seen as one of the monumental moments when his policy became reality.
i believe holding this election and carrying it out is a major achievement for bush.
ex-pat iraqis have voted in good numbers via their embassys where possible. the percentage of people who were registered to vote in iraq and did so seems to be good too, 60% turnout is acceptable in most elections internationally.
perhaps none of this is utopia but it is a beginning. bush administration will be able to point to these days as a large achievement. bush has delivered the opportunity for the iraqi people to change their lives through the ballot box instead of through gunfire. though bullets and bombs are still a large basis of showing disatisfication in iraq, there can be no denying that bush has tried to give the iraqi people a different type of leadership.
i wonder if bin laden and his merry pranksters conceived that not even quite after 3 and a half years after he destroyed the world trade center that the taliban would no longer be in power, that arafat would be dead, and that democratic elections would have been held in palestine & iraq? even if he is a fanatic bin laden and his merry pranksters must feel rather ill with this knowledge.......
what exactly dont people get? i dont know what news the critics are watching, but the entire focus of many arab news centers, euro, and others are about the fact that elections were held and the world didnt come to an end.
this is a political earthquake in the middle east. people throughout the middle east are debating the merits of democracy, it will be hard to step back from here and to discontinue democratic reforms. you can be sure the leaders of saudi arabia, syria, and other locales are watching these events with nervous anticipation. there will be no hiding from their publics that something monumental has taken place.
the image of women holding up their purple dyed fingers and smiling at the cameras surely shakes the foundations of their national psyche to its limits. while we argue here about the implications of bush policy, this weekend will seen as one of the monumental moments when his policy became reality.
