Saturday, June 04, 2005
Power Line: Some perspective, please
Power Line: Some perspective, please: "One detainee tried to flush the Koran down the toilet; another ripped out some of its pages; another intentionally urinated on the book. But these cases aren't earth-shaking either. 'Earth-shaking' is when al Qaeda converts mosques into military outposts or kills believers as they attend religious services in mosques or other houses of worship."
Friday, June 03, 2005
Gulag!!!!!!
Babalu Blog: Gulags: A Rant: "Be warned: foul language ahead.)
Somewhere in Cuba, there are prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, sitting in their excrement infested 3 foot by 6 foot completely enclosed cells rotting away for maybe owning a typewriter or for writing a poem or, far worse, for expressing their opinions.
They eat maggot filled slop maybe twice a day. Dont see the light of day and are tortured both physically and mentally in so many different ways that I, so far removed yet so read up on the subject, even have trouble imagining.
Some have their arms wrapped in refrigerator coils which are powered 24/7, rendering such pain that the use of their limbs is forever atrophied. Others have cables clamped to their testicles and the other ends connected to car batteries, destroying not only their bodies, but their manhood, or, if they be lucky enough to ever be released from their hell, their ability to create a family.
Others, yet still, in the darkness of their cells, lying there naked, are doused in powdery chemicals that irritate their skin, so much so that their entire bodies are bloody from their desperate attempts at scratching the incessant itching.
All are tortured mentally. Told daily that thier wives or sons or daughters have been arrested and lay in the same predicament as they. Your son, they say to them, the 12 year old, he is in prison with the general population. Es el buggarron de todos. Youre 12 year old boy is everyone's bitch.
They are prodded and poked. Beaten. Starved. Dehydrated. Bound. Gagged.
Some days they are led outside, completely naked and made to stand in line. One of the guard puts a piece of chewing gum on his bayonet and begins to poke the chest of the first one in line. After a few pokes the blade sneaks through the gum and begins to pierce the mans body, he winces from the pain and begins to step back. More poking, more stepping back. More poking, more stepping back until the men in line are crushed together, naked, dehumanized.
Some are lucky enough to be on the upper floors of their prison cell. Where when they defecate they dont have to worry about the shit falling from the cell above through the little hole in the slab above them. Some are unlucky enough to be on the ground floor, where the feces from the two or three other unfortunate souls above them flows through that little hole above and onto the cell's floor, covering it all, making it difficult to move. Difficult to breathe from the stench of accumulated waste.
That's what happens in the REAL GULAGS in Cuba. Where desperation and real torture and humiliation reign supreme. Where thousands upon thousands of men have endured that torture and humiliation for decades upon decades. Where thousands of men have died and the rest have been marked for life.
So dont come to me and talk to me about the 'Gulag' and Guantanamo Bay. Dont come to me to convince me there's a 'gulag' being run by the evil Americans. Dont come to me and and tell me the use of the word 'gulag' is appropriate in reference to Gitmo.
Because there's no way in HELL that it is. Because the true gulag isnt just over the gottdamn fence of the Naval base, the true gottdamn gulags arent just found on the island of Cuba, scattered about from one tip of the crocodile to the other, filled with men and women who are truly tortured souls. No, the true gulag is the island of Cuba itself. Where it's not so much as how one is allowed to handle a holy book but to OWN one. To READ one. To BELIEVE in one.
Fuck you, Amnesty International. You have just spit upon the many who had hope in you. You have just spit upon those that supported you. You have just spit upon all of those that have died waiting for you.
Waiting for you, Amnesty International, in their very real Cuban fucking gulags."
Somewhere in Cuba, there are prisoners of conscience, political prisoners, sitting in their excrement infested 3 foot by 6 foot completely enclosed cells rotting away for maybe owning a typewriter or for writing a poem or, far worse, for expressing their opinions.
They eat maggot filled slop maybe twice a day. Dont see the light of day and are tortured both physically and mentally in so many different ways that I, so far removed yet so read up on the subject, even have trouble imagining.
Some have their arms wrapped in refrigerator coils which are powered 24/7, rendering such pain that the use of their limbs is forever atrophied. Others have cables clamped to their testicles and the other ends connected to car batteries, destroying not only their bodies, but their manhood, or, if they be lucky enough to ever be released from their hell, their ability to create a family.
Others, yet still, in the darkness of their cells, lying there naked, are doused in powdery chemicals that irritate their skin, so much so that their entire bodies are bloody from their desperate attempts at scratching the incessant itching.
All are tortured mentally. Told daily that thier wives or sons or daughters have been arrested and lay in the same predicament as they. Your son, they say to them, the 12 year old, he is in prison with the general population. Es el buggarron de todos. Youre 12 year old boy is everyone's bitch.
They are prodded and poked. Beaten. Starved. Dehydrated. Bound. Gagged.
Some days they are led outside, completely naked and made to stand in line. One of the guard puts a piece of chewing gum on his bayonet and begins to poke the chest of the first one in line. After a few pokes the blade sneaks through the gum and begins to pierce the mans body, he winces from the pain and begins to step back. More poking, more stepping back. More poking, more stepping back until the men in line are crushed together, naked, dehumanized.
Some are lucky enough to be on the upper floors of their prison cell. Where when they defecate they dont have to worry about the shit falling from the cell above through the little hole in the slab above them. Some are unlucky enough to be on the ground floor, where the feces from the two or three other unfortunate souls above them flows through that little hole above and onto the cell's floor, covering it all, making it difficult to move. Difficult to breathe from the stench of accumulated waste.
That's what happens in the REAL GULAGS in Cuba. Where desperation and real torture and humiliation reign supreme. Where thousands upon thousands of men have endured that torture and humiliation for decades upon decades. Where thousands of men have died and the rest have been marked for life.
So dont come to me and talk to me about the 'Gulag' and Guantanamo Bay. Dont come to me to convince me there's a 'gulag' being run by the evil Americans. Dont come to me and and tell me the use of the word 'gulag' is appropriate in reference to Gitmo.
Because there's no way in HELL that it is. Because the true gulag isnt just over the gottdamn fence of the Naval base, the true gottdamn gulags arent just found on the island of Cuba, scattered about from one tip of the crocodile to the other, filled with men and women who are truly tortured souls. No, the true gulag is the island of Cuba itself. Where it's not so much as how one is allowed to handle a holy book but to OWN one. To READ one. To BELIEVE in one.
Fuck you, Amnesty International. You have just spit upon the many who had hope in you. You have just spit upon those that supported you. You have just spit upon all of those that have died waiting for you.
Waiting for you, Amnesty International, in their very real Cuban fucking gulags."
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Personal Ads
Bad Example: "Actual Personal Ads in the Dublin News:
Heavy drinker, 35, Cork area. Seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in a man who loves his pints, cigarettes, Glasgow Celtic Football Club and has been known to start fights on Patrick Street at three o'clock in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------
Bitter, disillusioned Dublin man, lately rejected by longtime fiancee,
seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in
this cruel world of hatchet-faced bitches.
------------------------------------------------------
Ginger haired Galway man, a troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more.
------------------------------------------------------
Bad tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard, living in a damp cottage in the arse end of Roscommon, seeks attractive 21 year old blonde lady, with a lovely chest.
------------------------------------------------------
Limerick man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8 PM and 11:30 PM.
------------------------------------------------------
Optimistic Mayo man, 35, seeks a blonde 20 year old double-jointed supermodel, who owns her own brewery, and has an open-minded twin sister."
Heavy drinker, 35, Cork area. Seeks gorgeous sex addict interested in a man who loves his pints, cigarettes, Glasgow Celtic Football Club and has been known to start fights on Patrick Street at three o'clock in the morning.
------------------------------------------------------
Bitter, disillusioned Dublin man, lately rejected by longtime fiancee,
seeks decent, honest, reliable woman, if such a thing still exists in
this cruel world of hatchet-faced bitches.
------------------------------------------------------
Ginger haired Galway man, a troublemaker, gets slit-eyed and shirty after a few scoops, seeks attractive, wealthy lady for bail purposes, maybe more.
------------------------------------------------------
Bad tempered, foul-mouthed old bastard, living in a damp cottage in the arse end of Roscommon, seeks attractive 21 year old blonde lady, with a lovely chest.
------------------------------------------------------
Limerick man, 27, medium build, brown hair, blue eyes, seeks alibi for the night of February 27 between 8 PM and 11:30 PM.
------------------------------------------------------
Optimistic Mayo man, 35, seeks a blonde 20 year old double-jointed supermodel, who owns her own brewery, and has an open-minded twin sister."
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
"Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?" by J. B.�Williams
"Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?" by J. B.�Williams
Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?
Written by J. B. Williams
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Just when I thought I had seen everything, I stumble across what might be the most grotesque example of intellectual insanity in the history of the universe. It figures I would find such a shining example of imbecilic lunacy in the halls of our own Congress.
This special kind of idiocy takes the form of House Resolution 288, conceived and sponsored by none other than Mr. “can’t we all just get along without religion” John Conyers, Jr. [(D) of course…] our esteemed representative from Michigan.
The pending bill is Mr. Conyers' answer to the bogus Newsweek report which wrongly accused American soldiers of desecrating the Koran at Gitmo, causing the death (by riot) of some 15 in Afghanistan and furthering the world-wide distrust and hatred of our military personnel.
Instead of introducing a bill that would hold such news agencies accountable for such fatally disastrous, intentionally inflammatory mishaps, Mr. Conyers introduced a bill calling for “religious tolerance” towards, specifically, those who have spent the last 20 odd years attempting to kill us infidels.
Just for the record, members of this peaceful religion have on occasion, been somewhat, shall we say, unmerciful. In fact it would be a fair statement to say they are not known for their tolerance of other ideals, particularly American ideals.
Actually, I’m still searching for any evidence that Islam is a peaceful religion. So far, I have not found a single shred of evidence to support the claim. But let me tell you what I have found.
Members of this so-called peaceful religion have been performing terrorist attacks on innocent people all over the world for some time now. Remember Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988? (Libyan Muslims) How about the first WTC bombing in 1993? (Muslims) Try the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995? (Though the U.S. government has buried this file, Muslim extremists are suspected in this one, too.)
What about the Khobar Towers in 1996? (Muslims) TWA Flight 800 in New York, 1996? (Muslims again suspected) The Atlanta Olympics 1998? (Though an innocent American was arrested, eventually, all arrows pointed towards, you guessed it, Muslims.) How about the embassy bombings in Africa 1998? (Muslims again) The U.S.S. Cole, Yemen 2000? (Muslims)
Of course, my personal favorite, September 11, 2001, the downing of the WTC killing thousands of innocent men, women, and children in New York, hundreds more at the Pentagon, and even hundreds more in that Pennsylvania field where a plane headed for the White House was downed by a few brave captive passengers. (Yep…Muslims)
Then, how about the literally hundreds of fatal attacks on innocent civilian targets in Israel? (Muslims) Countless car bombings, blown up pizza parlors, shopping malls, police stations and government offices around the world? (Muslims) I could go on and on with great specifics, event after event around the world, like the successful train bombing in Spain only 24 hours before their election. But do I really need to? Have you not gotten the picture yet?
The point is this: Can anyone show me any evidence at all, that Islam is a peaceful religion deserving of tolerance? Even if it were, the motivation behind Conyers bill, the Newsweek story, was entirely bogus and retracted by Newsweek soon after its release.
Does anyone doubt that Muslim terrorists will strike American citizens again given the chance? Does anyone doubt that there are Muslims in mosques in America right this minute, who are awaiting marching orders from extremists like Osama Bin Laden as we speak?
Have you any reason to doubt that Muslim jihadists will use chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons on the streets of the United States if they can?
Do you know that Islam attracts most of its estimated 20 million American followers in U.S. prisons? Exactly which part of this religion sounds peaceful to you?
Yet even as our young men and women are dying on foreign soil in an effort to keep this war off of our own doorsteps, Mr. Conyers feels compelled to spend his valuable time in the U.S. Congress working a bill through the system that would guarantee Islam more respect in the U.S. than the Ten Commandments, or the Christian Bible, or the words “under God” in our pledge?
Exactly how nuts does it have to become before the American people rise up against their own perverted ignorant self-aggrandizing morons in Washington, some of whom seem hell-bent upon complete destruction of everything America has ever been?
This is the most absurd demonstration of blind ignorance I have ever witnessed in my life and it could have deadly consequences.
As Conyers focuses his congressional energy on advancing the agenda of those who wish America dead, he has spent his free time, undermining the work of our soldiers in combat. If this isn’t treason, nothing is… no matter what the meaning of “is” is…
How nuts must it get? How many more 9-11s will it take?
Okay, so you hate Jews too. Maybe you don’t even like Christians. Maybe you hate all who practice any religion. Maybe you believe in the “separation of church and state” not mentioned anywhere in our founding documents, for all of these reasons. Are you stupid, too?
Or are you like John Conyers, so self-involved in your desire to make politically divisive policies that you are blind to the destructive nature of your own nonsense? Are you just like Newsweek, and CBS, who are so concerned with promoting the anti-Bush dogma that you never even once stopped to consider the facts or the consequences of your behavior?
Even George W. Bush and members of his administration have gone out of their way to be politically correct on this issue. How many more Americans will have to die before people throw out this delusional practice called political correctness and begin to call evil by its rightful name?
People this insane deserve to lose their country, their home, and their lives. I just don’t want to be living in your neighborhood when your ignorance comes home to roost!
ENOUGH! When the Ten Commandments are once again welcome on any street corner and every schoolhouse in America, then you can talk to me about why I should tolerate a religion that wants me dead.
Until then, don’t talk to me at all!
About the Writer: J. B. Williams notes that he is a business man, husband, father, and a writer. His website is at http://www.jb-williams.com. J. B. receives e-mail at JBW@JB-Williams.com.
Islam is a Peaceful Religion: Just How Nuts Does It Have to Get?
Written by J. B. Williams
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Just when I thought I had seen everything, I stumble across what might be the most grotesque example of intellectual insanity in the history of the universe. It figures I would find such a shining example of imbecilic lunacy in the halls of our own Congress.
This special kind of idiocy takes the form of House Resolution 288, conceived and sponsored by none other than Mr. “can’t we all just get along without religion” John Conyers, Jr. [(D) of course…] our esteemed representative from Michigan.
The pending bill is Mr. Conyers' answer to the bogus Newsweek report which wrongly accused American soldiers of desecrating the Koran at Gitmo, causing the death (by riot) of some 15 in Afghanistan and furthering the world-wide distrust and hatred of our military personnel.
Instead of introducing a bill that would hold such news agencies accountable for such fatally disastrous, intentionally inflammatory mishaps, Mr. Conyers introduced a bill calling for “religious tolerance” towards, specifically, those who have spent the last 20 odd years attempting to kill us infidels.
Just for the record, members of this peaceful religion have on occasion, been somewhat, shall we say, unmerciful. In fact it would be a fair statement to say they are not known for their tolerance of other ideals, particularly American ideals.
Actually, I’m still searching for any evidence that Islam is a peaceful religion. So far, I have not found a single shred of evidence to support the claim. But let me tell you what I have found.
Members of this so-called peaceful religion have been performing terrorist attacks on innocent people all over the world for some time now. Remember Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988? (Libyan Muslims) How about the first WTC bombing in 1993? (Muslims) Try the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995? (Though the U.S. government has buried this file, Muslim extremists are suspected in this one, too.)
What about the Khobar Towers in 1996? (Muslims) TWA Flight 800 in New York, 1996? (Muslims again suspected) The Atlanta Olympics 1998? (Though an innocent American was arrested, eventually, all arrows pointed towards, you guessed it, Muslims.) How about the embassy bombings in Africa 1998? (Muslims again) The U.S.S. Cole, Yemen 2000? (Muslims)
Of course, my personal favorite, September 11, 2001, the downing of the WTC killing thousands of innocent men, women, and children in New York, hundreds more at the Pentagon, and even hundreds more in that Pennsylvania field where a plane headed for the White House was downed by a few brave captive passengers. (Yep…Muslims)
Then, how about the literally hundreds of fatal attacks on innocent civilian targets in Israel? (Muslims) Countless car bombings, blown up pizza parlors, shopping malls, police stations and government offices around the world? (Muslims) I could go on and on with great specifics, event after event around the world, like the successful train bombing in Spain only 24 hours before their election. But do I really need to? Have you not gotten the picture yet?
The point is this: Can anyone show me any evidence at all, that Islam is a peaceful religion deserving of tolerance? Even if it were, the motivation behind Conyers bill, the Newsweek story, was entirely bogus and retracted by Newsweek soon after its release.
Does anyone doubt that Muslim terrorists will strike American citizens again given the chance? Does anyone doubt that there are Muslims in mosques in America right this minute, who are awaiting marching orders from extremists like Osama Bin Laden as we speak?
Have you any reason to doubt that Muslim jihadists will use chemical, biological, or even nuclear weapons on the streets of the United States if they can?
Do you know that Islam attracts most of its estimated 20 million American followers in U.S. prisons? Exactly which part of this religion sounds peaceful to you?
Yet even as our young men and women are dying on foreign soil in an effort to keep this war off of our own doorsteps, Mr. Conyers feels compelled to spend his valuable time in the U.S. Congress working a bill through the system that would guarantee Islam more respect in the U.S. than the Ten Commandments, or the Christian Bible, or the words “under God” in our pledge?
Exactly how nuts does it have to become before the American people rise up against their own perverted ignorant self-aggrandizing morons in Washington, some of whom seem hell-bent upon complete destruction of everything America has ever been?
This is the most absurd demonstration of blind ignorance I have ever witnessed in my life and it could have deadly consequences.
As Conyers focuses his congressional energy on advancing the agenda of those who wish America dead, he has spent his free time, undermining the work of our soldiers in combat. If this isn’t treason, nothing is… no matter what the meaning of “is” is…
How nuts must it get? How many more 9-11s will it take?
Okay, so you hate Jews too. Maybe you don’t even like Christians. Maybe you hate all who practice any religion. Maybe you believe in the “separation of church and state” not mentioned anywhere in our founding documents, for all of these reasons. Are you stupid, too?
Or are you like John Conyers, so self-involved in your desire to make politically divisive policies that you are blind to the destructive nature of your own nonsense? Are you just like Newsweek, and CBS, who are so concerned with promoting the anti-Bush dogma that you never even once stopped to consider the facts or the consequences of your behavior?
Even George W. Bush and members of his administration have gone out of their way to be politically correct on this issue. How many more Americans will have to die before people throw out this delusional practice called political correctness and begin to call evil by its rightful name?
People this insane deserve to lose their country, their home, and their lives. I just don’t want to be living in your neighborhood when your ignorance comes home to roost!
ENOUGH! When the Ten Commandments are once again welcome on any street corner and every schoolhouse in America, then you can talk to me about why I should tolerate a religion that wants me dead.
Until then, don’t talk to me at all!
About the Writer: J. B. Williams notes that he is a business man, husband, father, and a writer. His website is at http://www.jb-williams.com. J. B. receives e-mail at JBW@JB-Williams.com.
Monday, May 30, 2005
The Bad Hair Blog
The Bad Hair Blog: "Monday, May 30, 2005
BREAKING NEWS: Is this a rumor?Is Hugo Chavez dead?
People are gathering in big numbers at Miraflores Palace in Caracas amid rumors Hugo Chavez had a heart attack or something like it. The goons have just shut down Avenida Urdaneta in front of the palace to stop inquiring questions from the adoring masses. Venezuelan government spokesman Andres Izarra says that Chavez cancelled his street rally appearance yesterday and his Alo Presidente weekly Sunday TV show 'to spend more time with his family.' And all's 'normal,' he says. Kim Il Sung's spokesman could not have said it better."
BREAKING NEWS: Is this a rumor?Is Hugo Chavez dead?
People are gathering in big numbers at Miraflores Palace in Caracas amid rumors Hugo Chavez had a heart attack or something like it. The goons have just shut down Avenida Urdaneta in front of the palace to stop inquiring questions from the adoring masses. Venezuelan government spokesman Andres Izarra says that Chavez cancelled his street rally appearance yesterday and his Alo Presidente weekly Sunday TV show 'to spend more time with his family.' And all's 'normal,' he says. Kim Il Sung's spokesman could not have said it better."
Everything I Know Is Wrong: For Your Scorn.
Everything I Know Is Wrong: For Your Scorn.: "For Your Scorn.
The Gang of Seven
Lincoln Chafee, Republican, Rhode Island
Susan Collins, Republican, Maine
Mark DeWine, Republican, Ohio
Lindsey Graham, Republican, South Carolina
John McCain, Republican, Arizona
Olympia Snowe, Republican, Maine
John Warner, Republican, Virginia
Bill Frist, Republican, Tennessee, should be an honorary member of the gang. He is, after all, the architect of the environment that made their formation possible."
The Gang of Seven
Lincoln Chafee, Republican, Rhode Island
Susan Collins, Republican, Maine
Mark DeWine, Republican, Ohio
Lindsey Graham, Republican, South Carolina
John McCain, Republican, Arizona
Olympia Snowe, Republican, Maine
John Warner, Republican, Virginia
Bill Frist, Republican, Tennessee, should be an honorary member of the gang. He is, after all, the architect of the environment that made their formation possible."
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
ChronWatch Writers' Blog: Lying About Middle Eastern Land
ChronWatch Writers' Blog: Lying About Middle Eastern Land: "One of the few things unchallengeable about the Middle East conflict is that it has virtually nothing to do with land. Arab countries already control 6,145,389 square miles of land. That is almost twice the land area of the United States, which is 3,537,438 square miles, and about the same as the land area of Russia. Israel, even when including all of the 'occupied territories' retained from the 1967 SIx Day War, controls less than 10,000 square miles.
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip comprise about 2300 square miles (a bit less when deducting Jerusalem and its suburbs from the account), which is about half the size of the Everglades. The Moonbats-against-Israel lobby wants us to believe that with 6,145,389 square miles, the Arabs want war and genocide, but with 6,145,389 plus 2300 more, then they will want peace. If Israel only trades “land for peace” with the land-deprived Arabs, and never mind that its abandonment of the West Bank would leave an Israel ten miles wide and waiting for the Arab armies to annihilate, then all will be well.
The 'anti-Zionists' want the world to believe that the entire Middle East war is due to the fact that those evil selfish Jews are unwilling to share their 10,000 square miles with the poor land-starved Arabs. But in reality, the obvious true cause of the Middle East war is the fact that the Arab world is unwilling to allow the Jews to control even a sixth of one percent of the territory of the Middle East. The Arabs, controlling more land than any other ethnic group on the planet besides the Russians, are simply unwilling to share even the tiniest sliver of the Middle East with the Jews.
If the 'anti-Zionists', for their part, get what they want, then there will be no Jews left alive in Israel."
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip comprise about 2300 square miles (a bit less when deducting Jerusalem and its suburbs from the account), which is about half the size of the Everglades. The Moonbats-against-Israel lobby wants us to believe that with 6,145,389 square miles, the Arabs want war and genocide, but with 6,145,389 plus 2300 more, then they will want peace. If Israel only trades “land for peace” with the land-deprived Arabs, and never mind that its abandonment of the West Bank would leave an Israel ten miles wide and waiting for the Arab armies to annihilate, then all will be well.
The 'anti-Zionists' want the world to believe that the entire Middle East war is due to the fact that those evil selfish Jews are unwilling to share their 10,000 square miles with the poor land-starved Arabs. But in reality, the obvious true cause of the Middle East war is the fact that the Arab world is unwilling to allow the Jews to control even a sixth of one percent of the territory of the Middle East. The Arabs, controlling more land than any other ethnic group on the planet besides the Russians, are simply unwilling to share even the tiniest sliver of the Middle East with the Jews.
If the 'anti-Zionists', for their part, get what they want, then there will be no Jews left alive in Israel."
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
Great narative/comment on the changes that hath been wroght!
To venture into the Arab world, as I did recently over four weeks in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, is to travel into Bush Country. I was to encounter people from practically all Arab lands, to listen in on a great debate about the possibility of freedom and liberty. I met Lebanese giddy with the Cedar Revolution that liberated their country from the Syrian prison that had seemed an unalterable curse. They were under no illusions about the change that had come their way. They knew that this new history was the gift of an American president who had put the Syrian rulers on notice. The speed with which Syria quit Lebanon was astonishing, a race to the border to forestall an American strike that the regime could not discount. I met Syrians in the know who admitted that the fear of American power, and the example of American forces flushing Saddam Hussein out of his spider hole, now drive Syrian policy. They hang on George Bush's words in Damascus, I was told: the rulers wondering if Iraq was a crystal ball in which they could glimpse their future.
The weight of American power, historically on the side of the dominant order, now drives this new quest among the Arabs. For decades, the intellectual classes in the Arab world bemoaned the indifference of American power to the cause of their liberty. Now a conservative American president had come bearing the gift of Wilsonian redemption. For a quarter century the Pax Americana had sustained the autocracy of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak: He had posed as America's man on the Nile, a bulwark against the Islamists. He was sly and cunning, running afoul of our purposes in Iraq and over Israeli-Palestinian matters. He had nurtured a culture of antimodernism and anti-Americanism, and had gotten away with it. Now the wind from Washington brought tidings: America had wearied of Mr. Mubarak, and was willing to bet on an open political process, with all its attendant risks and possibilities. The brave oppositional movement in Cairo that stepped forth under the banner of Kifaya ("Enough!") wanted the end of his reign: It had had enough of his mediocrity, enough of the despotism of an aging officer who had risen out of the military bureaucracy to entertain dynastic dreams of succession for his son. Egyptians challenging the quiescence of an old land may have had no kind words to say about America in the past. But they were sure that the play between them and the regime was unfolding under Mr. Bush's eyes.
Indeed, this is a spectacular meeting in time. The fact is that people everywhere want some same basic things, summed up by the Virginian Renaissance Man, Thomas Jeffeferson, thus: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As the world has modernized, the list of demands has grown, but the same basic rights underlie all. Thus, given an opportunity, the people will act.
Unfortunately, American power hasn't always been on the right side. For this, America is understanbly excoriated and suspected. But it is curious (though not to true liberals) that anti-Americanism is strongest in relatively peaceful societies that are yet repressed by nominal allies of the United Sates (e.g., Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia), and yet not quite as strong among the people abandoned by America when they sought to answer her bright call (the Shiites of Iraq).
This time, though, America might just be on the right side, and, at the very least, her intentions seem true and sincere. A glaring exception thus far, however, is in Uzbekistan. But that will not stop Lebanese activists from pursuing their own opportunity to try the democratic experiment, especially as America keeps an eye on, and continues to pressure, Syria.
Mr. Ajami even draws the obvious correlation with Europe at the end of the Cold War:
As I made my way on this Arab journey, I picked up a meditation that Massimo d'Azeglio, a Piedmontese aristocrat who embraced that "springtime" in Europe, offered about his time, which speaks so directly to this Arab time: "The gift of liberty is like that of a horse, handsome, strong, and high-spirited. In some it arouses a wish to ride; in many others, on the contrary, it increases the desire to walk." It would be fair to say that there are many Arabs today keen to walk--frightened as they are by the prospect of the Islamists coming to power and curtailing personal liberties, snuffing out freedoms gained at such great effort and pain. But more Arabs, I hazard to guess, now have the wish to ride. It is a powerful temptation that George W. Bush has brought to their doorstep.
Read the whole thing, and thank goodness for writers like Mr. Ajami!ef="http://awesternheart.blogspot.com/2005/05/bush-doctrine-creates-more-bush.html">A Western Heart
Monday, May 23, 2005
Contracts - "without prejudice"
Contracts - "without prejudice": "'Without Prejudice'
Contracts
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) recognizes that it is possible for anyone of us to be commercially coerced into signing a contract that we would not sign had we true free agency. The UCC provides that if we sign a contract under such adverse conditions, and if we do so “without prejudice” or “under protest,” then we preserve all our rights.
UCC, Section 1-207, states:
Performance or Acceptance Under Reservation of Rights
A party who with explicit reservation of rights performs or promises performance or assents to performance in a manner demanded or offered by the other party does not thereby prejudice the rights reserved. Such words as 'without prejudice', 'under protest' or the like are sufficient.
If it is necessary to assert your rights in court, when the point is raised, here is a suggested testimony to offer when explaining what you meant when you claimed “without prejudice”:
“It indicates I have exercised the remedy provided for me in the Uniform Commercial Code by which I might reserve the Common Law Right not to be compelled to perform under any contract that I have not entered knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally. And furthermore, that notifies all administrative agencies of government that I do not accept the liability associated with the compelled benefits of any unrevealed commercial agreement.”
The Uniform Commercial Code is Admiralty Law, which has come on shore. The “without prejudice” clause is the window which enables one to assert their 7th Amendment guarantee of access to the Common Law.
Some people are putting the words, “without prejudice” on everything they sign, above their signature. E.g. they are putting it on applications for driver's license, tax returns, voter registration, bank checks, gun purchases, marriage licenses, etc.
Anderson's UCC annotated part: can only reserve those rights which you have. Explicit about your domicile/citizenship (capitalize Citizenship), a Citizen of the republic not a citizen of the government (see Fourteenth Amendment). It also states that the UCC is in harmony with the Common Law. This then is the only way in which you can assert ('reserve') your Rights as you are being coerced into these contracts with the various levels of government."
Contracts
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) recognizes that it is possible for anyone of us to be commercially coerced into signing a contract that we would not sign had we true free agency. The UCC provides that if we sign a contract under such adverse conditions, and if we do so “without prejudice” or “under protest,” then we preserve all our rights.
UCC, Section 1-207, states:
Performance or Acceptance Under Reservation of Rights
A party who with explicit reservation of rights performs or promises performance or assents to performance in a manner demanded or offered by the other party does not thereby prejudice the rights reserved. Such words as 'without prejudice', 'under protest' or the like are sufficient.
If it is necessary to assert your rights in court, when the point is raised, here is a suggested testimony to offer when explaining what you meant when you claimed “without prejudice”:
“It indicates I have exercised the remedy provided for me in the Uniform Commercial Code by which I might reserve the Common Law Right not to be compelled to perform under any contract that I have not entered knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally. And furthermore, that notifies all administrative agencies of government that I do not accept the liability associated with the compelled benefits of any unrevealed commercial agreement.”
The Uniform Commercial Code is Admiralty Law, which has come on shore. The “without prejudice” clause is the window which enables one to assert their 7th Amendment guarantee of access to the Common Law.
Some people are putting the words, “without prejudice” on everything they sign, above their signature. E.g. they are putting it on applications for driver's license, tax returns, voter registration, bank checks, gun purchases, marriage licenses, etc.
Anderson's UCC annotated part: can only reserve those rights which you have. Explicit about your domicile/citizenship (capitalize Citizenship), a Citizen of the republic not a citizen of the government (see Fourteenth Amendment). It also states that the UCC is in harmony with the Common Law. This then is the only way in which you can assert ('reserve') your Rights as you are being coerced into these contracts with the various levels of government."
"Have Conservatives Thrown in the Towel?" by Alan�Caruba
"Have Conservatives Thrown in the Towel?" by Alan�Caruba: "As a movement, a unifying force, the conservatism that mobilized people to vote in sufficient numbers to give control of Congress to Republicans in 1994 and, with the exception of eight years with Bill Clinton in office, has put Republicans in the White House, has lost its momentum.
Since then, the Democrat Party has drifted so far to the left that it needs to change its name to something like, oh, the Socialist Party. Worse yet, what passes for the Republican Party today has drifted to the left with them. Not as far, but enough to become the party of Big Government and Big Spending.
And here’s where it gets fuzzy when one defines “conservatives.” Much of Buchanan’s lament was devoted to the erosion of moral standards. “American culture has become toxic and poisonous,” he said, referencing the garbage coming out of Hollywood and seen on television, although he also noted the reduction of the power of the States as enumerated in the Constitution. Today, the States are in the grip of the federal government thanks to sweeping judicial decisions that deny them the right to decide their own policies.
Today, when people think of “conservatives,” the popular perception is that of religious fundamentalists concerned with moral issues. While they are among the most vocal, there are many more conservatives for whom religion is merely a component of their lives. For them, the traditional conservative issues such as Second Amendment and property rights, privacy, fiscal prudence, and national sovereignty arouse their ire because they have very little traction in Washington, DC these days."
Since then, the Democrat Party has drifted so far to the left that it needs to change its name to something like, oh, the Socialist Party. Worse yet, what passes for the Republican Party today has drifted to the left with them. Not as far, but enough to become the party of Big Government and Big Spending.
And here’s where it gets fuzzy when one defines “conservatives.” Much of Buchanan’s lament was devoted to the erosion of moral standards. “American culture has become toxic and poisonous,” he said, referencing the garbage coming out of Hollywood and seen on television, although he also noted the reduction of the power of the States as enumerated in the Constitution. Today, the States are in the grip of the federal government thanks to sweeping judicial decisions that deny them the right to decide their own policies.
Today, when people think of “conservatives,” the popular perception is that of religious fundamentalists concerned with moral issues. While they are among the most vocal, there are many more conservatives for whom religion is merely a component of their lives. For them, the traditional conservative issues such as Second Amendment and property rights, privacy, fiscal prudence, and national sovereignty arouse their ire because they have very little traction in Washington, DC these days."
Sunday, May 22, 2005
Jeff Jacoby: Why Islam is disrespected
Jeff Jacoby: Why Islam is disrespected: "Christians, Jews, and Buddhists don't lash out in homicidal rage when their religion is insulted. They don't call for holy war and riot in the streets. It would be unthinkable for a mainstream priest, rabbi, or lama to demand that a blasphemer be slain. But when Reuters reported what Mohammad Hanif, the imam of a Muslim seminary in Pakistan, said about the alleged Koran-flushers — ''They should be hung. They should be killed in public so that no one can dare to insult Islam and its sacred symbols' — was any reader surprised?
The Muslim riots should have been met by outrage and condemnation. From every part of the civilized world should have come denunciations of those who would react to the supposed destruction of a book with brutal threats and the slaughter of 17 innocent people. But the chorus of condemnation was directed not at the killers and the fanatics who incited them, but at Newsweek. "
The Muslim riots should have been met by outrage and condemnation. From every part of the civilized world should have come denunciations of those who would react to the supposed destruction of a book with brutal threats and the slaughter of 17 innocent people. But the chorus of condemnation was directed not at the killers and the fanatics who incited them, but at Newsweek. "
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