Now, however, the Ohio Democrat is in the midst of a bitter reelection campaign, forced to defend her vote on financial reform. And health care. And climate change. And federal stimulus spending.

Like many first-term Democrats, Kilroy is hoping that her support of Obama’s priorities will help reelect her, even as Republicans plan to use the same votes against her. Fighting for her political life, Kilroy exemplifies the challenge facing the freshman class of Democrats across the country as the party strives to retain control of the US House....

As I see it those are 36 seats that go the other way this fall.

Overall, Republicans need to gain 39 seats to reclaim the majority. While all 435 House seats are at stake every two years, the nonpartisan analyst Stu Rothenberg has estimated that 88 seats are in play. Of those, 76 are currently held by Democrats.

In an INCUMBENTS OUT kind of year that means a CHANGE in the HOUSE!!!

Related: Buying a Change of Congress

Leaders of the PAC

Not that it will matter; in fact, it will probably make things worse. That seems to be the pattern when we change things, voters.

Among the most vulnerable are the 31 freshman Democrats seeking reelection, and Kilroy is considered to be in one of the tightest races because she is in a rematch of a race she won in 2008 by only 2,311 votes.

“Trouble is an understatement for many of them,’’ said David Wasserman, who follows House races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which rates nearly three-fourths of the freshman Democrats as being in competitive races. “They’ve won under ideal circumstances. They haven’t had to run in a neutral political environment, let alone a difficult political environment.’’

The freshman Democrats face a conundrum: They have few of the trappings of incumbency longtime name recognition and a list of accomplishments but many of its downsides being portrayed as part of a broken system in Washington .

Like Kilroy, many freshman Democrats are facing tough challengers....

Of the 33 freshman Democrats who were elected in November 2008, one, Representative Eric Massa of New York, has resigned amid controversy, while another, Representative Parker Griffith of Alabama, switched parties and joined the Republicans he then lost the Republican primary in June .

Related: Massa Probe Touches Pelosi

That's why he had to go.

Like Kilroy, a number of the remaining 31 freshman Democrats proudly promote how they have hewed to the Obama agenda....

And that is why they are going to lose.

Kilroy is standing by her votes, betting that voters in a swing district in Ohio will stick with Democrats and come to support hot-button issues such as health care, financial reform, and the federal stimulus.

The level of delusion by Democrats never ceases to amaze me.

The district stretches from urban areas in Columbus to leafy suburbs filled with golf courses, cornfields, and horse stables. It includes the 55,000-student Ohio State University campus and an economy driven by government jobs and banking and insurance industries....

In what used to be the manufacturing heart of America.

“You can’t beat a Republican by being a Republican, or pretending to be one,’’ said Representative Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat who narrowly defeated a four-term Republican incumbent in 2008 and has become a favorite among liberals....

Grayson is ONE of the FEW along with Kucinich and Paul that SHOULD BE REELECTED!!

He just cited the REASON we are DOWN on DEMOCRATS!

The only freshman Democrats in New England are Representative Chellie Pingree of Maine, and Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut. Political analysts predict both will win reelection, although changes can occur swiftly in a volatile electorate....

Incumbents out. Get the message?

WASHINGTON — In one of a handful of intensely watched primaries around the country, US Senator Michael Bennet last night fended off a feisty Democratic primary challenger in Colorado, bucking a wave of anti-incumbent fervor and demonstrating that President Obama still carries electoral clout....

Yeah, with one win.

Not very much clout there, agenda-pusher.

Bennet will face Ken Buck, a county prosecutor and favorite of the Tea Party movement who narrowly upset establishment candidate Jane Norton, a former lieutenant governor, with about 51 percent of the vote. Buck’s victory, political observers say, gives Democrats a better chance at retaining the pivotal seat because they’ll be running against a more conservative candidate.

Who is NOT a member of the INCUMBENT PARTY!

“That really jeopardizes a seat the Republicans otherwise would have had a real shot at,’’ Robert D. Loevy, a political science professor at Colorado College, said last night. “The race appears to me to be a contest between a more middle-of-the-road Democrat and more right wing Republican, and that tends to favor the Democrats in Colorado.’’

Related: Tea Party Will Lose For Winning

That's Boston Globe logic for you!

You know, the same people who predicted Martha Coakley would win by double-digits.

The primaries are the latest chapter in an intense fight for control of Congress and state capitols across the country....

Linda McMahon’s victory is yet another by political newcomers defying political conventional wisdom by upsetting incumbents and party-backed candidates. This year, being seen as part of the Washington establishment has been more of a hindrance than help for many candidates.

Try ALL!

The PEOPLE are FURIOUS at that place for NOT DOING ONE THING WE WANTED and DOING THINGS WE DID NOT WANT!!!

“These are people the establishment would have liked to see go away,’’ said David Cohen, political science professor at the University of Akron....

Sorry, we are NOT GOING AWAY!!!

In the race to replace Connecticut’s retiring Republican Governor Jodi Rell, Stamford Mayor Tom Malloy upset businessman Ned Lamont for the Democratic nomination. Lamont had been leading in the most recent polls....

I smell a rigging!

Also see: Brown's Senate Service Template

Keep your money next time, Neddie.

--more--"

And now the spin:

"A mixed political bag in Tuesday’s primaries; Outsiders and incumbents both fare well" by Dan Balz, Washington Post | August 12, 2010

Tuesday’s primary elections produced a series of seemingly contradictory claims and interpretations: a good night for outsiders and the Tea Party movement, an equally good night for incumbents and President Obama. What it all means for November is the real question.

It means a changed House, sorry.

Has the anti-incumbent fever begun to break?

Why would it have?

NOTHING has changed and the public is still be lied to -- and they know it. I hate to keep beating the issue, MSM, but we are NOT HAPPY AT ALL OUT HERE!!

Have the WARS ENDED YET and I am really not interested in delays and excuses; give the order to about-face and forward-march !?

Appointed Democratic Senator Michael Bennet’s victory in Colorado, coming after Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln’s win in Arkansas two months ago, might be seen as evidence that it has — except Democratic strategists do not think that is necessarily the case.

Related: Tea or Coffee, America?

Looks like you liberals had one stolen from you down there.

Blanche was behind in the polls, huh?

Democrats are smart; they know they only need a couple of Senate seats to keep control of that chamber plus it is easier to rig a statewide election .

Is antiestablishment, pro-outsider sentiment just as powerful as it has been advertised all year?

It is INCREASING with each passing day that NOTHING CHANGES!

Ken Buck’s Tea Party-fueled victory in Colorado’s GOP Senate primary lends credence to that conclusion. So does outsider Linda McMahon’s easy defeat of a former House member in the Senate primary in Connecticut.

But former representative Nathan Deal’s victory over Sarah Palin-backed Karen Handel in Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary demonstrated that even in the GOP, a Washington label is not always fatal.

More significant, strategists in both parties say, is that the Tea Party movement — although providing energy that could bring big Republican gains in November — may be creating opportunities for Democrats by helping to nominate less-electable GOP candidates.

Yeah, you are better off losing, pffft!

What bass-ackward logic, huh?

On the Democratic side, one question is whether the president and his operation, whose political clout had been called into question by earlier losses this year, can redeem themselves....

Too late. If he pulls out the troops tomorrow, okay, but anything short of that. I'm out of patience, sorry.

Obama remains a less welcome surrogate in some parts of the country this year than at any time since he emerged on the national stage.

Related: 2006 All Over Again

Hard to believe it, isn't it?

In the same week that Bennet’s victory gave the president a boost, Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White decided not to appear with him during Obama’s trip to the Lone Star State....

Related: Around AmeriKa: Obama Makes a Killing in Texas

That's some change.

--more--"

Varshnie Singh

a propaganda press flashback for all the ladies out there prancing around & in love with PPP Crime Family Inc [fill in the blank] sexuals

Statement by Varshnie Singh – 20 January 2009

I was married according to Hindu rites to Bharrat Jagdeo since 1998. In 1999 he became President and I the First Lady.

During our marriage I was not allowed to work and did not receive proper maintenance or care, financial or otherwise.

The First Lady’s office is a myth that I created because of a need. It advocates on behalf of the voiceless and receives no government funding or any type of assistance.

I left England in 1997, where I was working as a paralegal for a top 5 law firm and earning a very good salary to come to Guyana to assist my father with a land case.

My intention was to serve my country, Guyana, as a lawyer. Doing free work for poor people and a few paying cases so I could earn a living. I had also aspired to enter politics as a servant of the people perhaps as an MP.

Bharrat and I had a deal before we got married that we would work together, to move Guyana forward, but that never happened.

A week after being married he locked me out of our bedroom. From then on it was one

our so-called wedding day

problem after another, nothing I could do was ever right. Any attempts to find out what the wrong, why he stopped talking to me, why he was so mean, were met with long silences which lasted days on end and I got no answers.

I left my family and the country of my birth to make a new life with someone I loved, only to find I meant nothing and he had little to give me but contempt. I saw his behaviour in every possible light, he had no regard for me or any of my family

I left to go to the UK to complete my studies and to get away from the loveless and stressful life I found myself in. I told Bharrat that I was not happy and didn’t want to live like this, that we should go our separate ways. He did not want to do so and kept telling me it would be different and that he was sorry. It sounded fine on the phone but when we were together it all went terribly wrong.

Later he told me he would become President and asked me to come for the swearing in. I told him I didn’t think it was a good idea. I did attend the ceremony not wanting to upset his special day. I also tried to give our relationship another chance. Still nothing improved, it just got worse.

Whilst visiting my Aunt in Industry I was approached by a lady who sold greens; she had a sick grandchild, Vijai Naraine, who needed help to go to Trinidad to remove a tumour from his brain. They did not have enough money and Ministry of Health could only afford to pay part of the cost. The grandmother put her child in my lap and begged me to do something. I told her I would try my best.

I had a copy of the estimate from Mount Hope Hospital and a photograph of the child. On my father’s advice I walked all over Georgetown meeting the business community and asking them to help the child and they did.

It dawned on me that there must be many people who need expensive medical treatment but can’t afford it. So my idea was to set up a charity for children, use my job title to raise funds and then leave the charity with someone reliable to run it and return to the UK.

I did set up Kids first and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, but never found anyone to run them properly, so I was left to run both.

I did not complete my studies but I found ways to serve through Kids First Fund helping sick children and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau aka First Lady’s Office dealing with adult health, social and welfare problems, advocacy and empowering youth and women . Being the Chairperson of the National Commission of the Rights of the Child, the Chairperson of the National Steering Committee Against Child Labour, Patron of The Divine Charitable Society and Patron of the Guyana Hindi Prachar Sabha.

When I told our President of my idea for Kids First, he was angry and said it was a slap in

faking happiness with bharrat at a public event

the face of his government as he had invested so much money in the health sector. I could not see it that way, I felt it was badly needed and beneficial to the country. So I continued unsupported.

We ended up at BK International’s office because when I asked the President to use a room at Office of the President, he said that OP belonged to him and there was no room for me.

Our first Kids First meetings were held outside in a yard in Church Street, when that was not possible we had them in BK International’s yard, eventually we were offered a space inside the building. After that we were in high Street and now we have been in Mr Gafoor’s building for the past 5 years. All locations have been rent and overhead free.

Although my work is done with total commitment, fairness and honesty for the benefit of others. It irritated my husband a lot. I used my fancy job title to advocate for those who had been taken advantage of and needed help, the voiceless, poor people, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.

I would accompany people to hospital, court, police stations, home visits etc do whatever was necessary to help. This he found as interfering and offensive, personally and politically.

I have given without any personal benefit, 10 years of my life to fulfil my dream of serving Guyana. I have done it to the best of my ability, without regret; but in the face of serious challenges and obstacles, lining my path because my husband and I don’t get along and he finds my work embarrassing and me annoying because I want to help.

The First Lady of every country in the world whether they are helpful or not are treated with respect and given the full backing of her husband, government and nation. Even if they never do anything other than cut ribbons and kiss babies heads. I have enjoyed the support of the nation, most Ministers and very little from the President.

Anyone who has ever received a call or letter from me, can tell you that I don’t demand, I don’t expect any special treatment, but I do expect that once presenting the facts of every case that the decision makers would do the right thing and help. I am persistent because people are depending on me and I don’t want to let them down. And I feel I have an obligation to try my best to help.

This is the first country that I have heard of where the First Lady is proactive, doing good for the nation but gets penalised because her husband is President and finds her work to help the same people he swore to defend and represent as “showing up the inadequacies of his government” and therefore made me his enemy.

He decided that to punish me he would withhold all resources, financial and otherwise and line my path with a multitude of cruel, selfish obstacles.

Propaganda was used to peddle lies about me, my work and the court case in Trinidad. People would repeat, misinformation being spread by irresponsible people. I had to stand alone to explain to the nation why I could not let Medical Associates and Dr Mathura rob Kids First and therefore our people. So court action was necessary. Our President said I was an embarrassment and refused to listen to the facts of the case.

Yet a prominent lawyer in Trinidad gave me a hearing and when I explained my case and inability to pay he agreed to take my case free of charge. He could see the injustice even if our President wouldn’t.

Later down I would hear other cruel rumours, but the worst had to be this year after the Lusignan Massacre when I was requested by the families of the victims to organise a peace rally, which never materialised.

I met the Leader of the Opposition Mr Corbin and his wife in the yard of one of the victims’ the day after the tragedy. He shook my hand, introduced me to his wife and told me to keep up the good work as I am helping everyone and not to let anything prevent me from doing so. I thanked them for coming and they left.

By that evening the propaganda was in full effect, the word on the street was that I am collaborating with the PNC and Mr CN Sharma to bring down the Government and organising a protest march. I was oblivious to this until 2 friends of the President came to the wake where I was meeting the families and informed me that this was the case and they had come to find out if this was true.

Running in my veins is the blood of a patriot, I have a deep love for this nation, for humanity in general, regardless of race, religion and political affiliation. To demand excellence in effort and integrity and justice from our elected officials doesn’t make me anti-government or anti-party or pro- opposition. It makes me pro- Guyana. This is my right as a citizen of a great nation to expect nothing less and I have no apology to make for this.

I have been begging our President for financial assistance so I can live, for the past ten years and have not received it. I have had to depend on my parents who are pensioners and my family to support me. It is shameful at this stage of my life to regress to having my parents support me.

I had wanted to leave many years ago and tried to get our President to co-operate with me to call it a day amicably. He refused to entertain any dialogue until after the last election. Then everything went into overdrive by his hand.

It is funny and sad to hear the politicians talk about the campaign against domestic violence, investing millions to “stamp it out” etc when what I am experiencing is hi-tech domestic violence and persecution. Our President is using his office and state resources including Ministers unprofessionally to disadvantage a woman.

Everything comes under the control of our President. There is no provision for a First Lady or any wife of an official in our constitution. This is something I think needs to be changed.

There was much speculation about all the money I got in settlement etc after the marriage was over. Yet my reality was and is far from the wildest imagination. There is no one in this country that would work as diligently as I have done in these awful conditions for the past 10 years without any pay or financial/other incentive.

For almost 2 years 2003-2004 I was denied access to the Presidential apartment at State House. If I was not home by 6pm the apartment door would be locked with the latch from the inside so my key could not open it.

Even if I was home at 6pm I would be in my room by myself, where all I could do was read and listen to music. We were two people living separately under one roof.

When I was locked out, I would have to spend the night on a sofa on the 1st floor, without a sheet, get murdered by mosquitoes, praying for the night to pass quickly so I could get into my room bathe and get to office, or to my public engagements etc

I got no sleep at all during the period I was locked out. Eventually I would walk with a change of clothes, just in case and then go to my Aunt’s house nearby to bathe the next morning. Making a joke of the water tank at State House not having water.

When my Aunt heard from some other source about what was happening to me she told me off and offered me accommodation. I stayed by her and other relatives but always felt embarrassed and angry that I was being put in this position.

My room in the Presidential apartment had a bed, wardrobe, en suite bathroom and a telephone that could make only local calls. I have no personal cooking facilities or fridge there. I have use of the washing machines and the domestic staff do help me with anything I ask them to do.

I spend most of my time in office because I felt the President was irritated by my presence, and didn’t want me around. Also there I have access to resources not available at home.

I would be in my office, put on a dvd to keep me company and do my administration, follow up on my work and then when I feel tired or decide to go home I do so to sleep and then start again the next day.

I am not mentioning this for sympathy but I have not done nor could I do, anything which warrants this disrespect and contempt that I have been shown.

Although my personal life was dysfunctional and non-existent, my official or professional life was very productive and compensated to an extent for what was lacking in other areas.

After close to 2 years of being locked out and denied access to my room, I discovered an empty guest bedroom on the opposite side of the house that didn’t require going into the President’s apartment. That way I could always access it, so I moved my things over and have been residing there peacefully until recently.

I received no payment or allowance for my work. On I believe 4 occasions only did I receive any stipend for travels overseas. Once on my only state visit to China and the other times from the Ministry of Health for medical outreach to USA and India.

Every time there was a First Lady’s conference I was never allowed to attend and the one time it looked possible the conference in Peru was cancelled due to political unrest.

When I would go overseas to do Kids First work the Guyana Officials there would be told by Office of the President that my trip was not official, Kids First was my hobby and not to afford me the “official” courtesies one might expect anywhere else in the world. Sometimes I was “officially” First Lady other times I was not according to Office of the President.

I went to NY to attend the Bollywood awards in 2002, I was given an award for Humanitarian Service. The 2 recipients before me were Michael Jackson and Steven Segal. It was an honour for Guyana and I accepted it on behalf of the country and had a chance to mention Kids First as well.

I asked our President for money to buy a suitable outfit and 2 new suits and he would only spare US$200, it wasn’t enough. I had to borrow money from the Consulate in NY and the Office of the President had to repay him when I returned. This was because our President did not approve of the award and was being his usual spiteful self.

I had the opportunity to address 400 doctors at the Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, in Nashville Tennessee, USA. They would be willing to come to Guyana and perform free surgery and clinics. Our President objected and my travel which had been booked and approved was stopped. Much preparation had been made for this visit by Vanderbilt and this was another embarrassing situation to be in. We lost out tremendously on having all those willing and highly qualified human resources help us free.

In November 2007, I returned from my trip to India having taken 9 children and 1 adult for open heart surgery to find the vehicle I was using had been taken away without any explanation.

In April 2008 as the Chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child I was part of a delegation going to a special session on Children at the UN. I was given my ticket by UNICEF and would stay with my relatives. The day before I was due to leave, my name was mysteriously removed from the list of delegates.

Upon enquiry I was directed to Office of the President but could get no comment. By not being on the list of delegates I would not be able to access the sessions at the UN and that was the whole purpose of going. I could not attend.

Everything I am involved in NCRC and the National Steering Committee against child labour gets disrespected either because we work too well and the officials feel we are showing them up or because I am involved. Being genuine, proactive, conscientious and professional are qualities that are not appreciated.

NCRC has by all accounts ceased to exist. Although a Cabinet appointed National Commission, we have not officially been informed, we had to hear it though the grapevine. The National Steering Committee Against Child Labour has been blocked because we are not allowed to work as we see fit. I chair both and I think this is why they have been squashed, although we will be told some other excuse.

Every time I have gone overseas to do fundraising or represent Guyana I have done so without any financial resources, just my ticket alone. I stay with my relatives and they take care of accommodation, transport and food.

I have been deprived of the basics for many years, my food is taken care of by my Aunt who has a shop. My clothing, money and every thing else is from my parents and family.

I had to turn down invitations to events because I did not have proper attire, and no money to buy anything new. I have to think what I wore the last time I went out because I don’t have an extensive wardrobe. I dress casually partly because it’s my personality and because I can’t afford to wear formal clothing to my office. I am just washing and wearing clothing I have had for many years.

The best and only resources that I have access to are my rent free room at State House and in recent years, the use of 2 government vehicles and they were taken away last November. A vehicle is the bloodline of the charity and my office.

We need it to do almost everything, from picking up the volunteers, one of which is using crutches and is a cancer survivor that we helped, to doing errands, going to the bank, taking patients to doctors/to labs and dropping them to the park, visiting patients at home, dropping off wheelchairs, medication, delivering mails, collecting donations, arranging activities, going to meetings, attending functions, shopping and visiting my family, in particular my elderly father who lives in Enmore.

My work has been impeded severely since the vehicle was taken and due to the kindness of complete strangers I have been able to borrow vehicles to use. It’s not a position I like being in, but efforts to get a duty free concession have been squashed. The President told me I am not entitled to one.
He has decided I am entitled to nothing outside of what he wants to give. He makes and breaks the rules where I am concerned.

I have people coming to me in the hope of financial assistance not knowing that I am in a lot of ways worse off than them. People come to me for solutions to their problems; they do not know that every time I advocate and put pen to paper, it costs me personally one way or another.

I have survived the past decade by refusing to give up and keep going against the odds to achieve the required results and somehow the work always gets done. I could be much more productive if I had a vehicle, an income, a place to live and co-operation from the President. If co-operation is too much to expect then no interference would be preferable.

Kids First Fund is one of many amazing organisations in Guyana and has helped many people as has the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, NCRC, the National Steering Committee Against Child Labour and deserves to be protected and honoured. I say this not because I am part of them but because of the good work they do and the positive impact they have on ordinary people’s lives.

Ordinary people who don’t have connections are falling through the ever widening cracks in the ministries bureaucracy. We have officials who need to work much harder than they have been and should remember they are the servants of the people, not the other way around. Every country in the world has NGO’s working in harmony with government to help the nation.

Other Heads of State and even Royal Family’s have had failed marriages and are able to behave in a civil manner and not misuse their position to disadvantage their previous partner.

Stamp out child abuse, gender abuse, domestic violence, corruption, abuse of alcohol, drugs, and most importantly abuse of power. Not something that is uniting people all over the world and helping people in need and sick children in our country. Where is the sense in that?

I have been without during my entire marriage and at one point just wanted to get out and move away without anything from the President. I made steps to start a business and to get a job but found that anything I do, would somehow eventually need his approval on the business front. On the job front, I was told that no one would employ me for fear of backlash from our President.

I then considered that I had worked free giving my full commitment and energy and I should be entitled to at least what I was owed during marriage. I had hoped that once the marriage came to an end, the President would do the right thing and give me a proper settlement. He has not and is not willing to give more than he offered.

Our President earns GY$200,000 pm of which I have not seen a dollar for most of my married life. He recently built a house which I understand is being rented and now he has GY$10 million left. He is willing to give me GY$5 million. That won’t buy even a suitable vehicle, considering the cost of a second hand one to be US$15,000 and the duty US$30,0000.

I have been taking children to India since 2005 for open heart surgery and spent thousands of USD which the MOH until last year used to contribute towards. There are many children and adults needing surgery and can’t get it because it’s expensive.

My experience with Minister Ramsammy in 2007 left me disappointed with him and our President. The Minister told me the applications were turned down at the Cabinet level and the President instructed him not to help me or Kids first Fund.

In fact the request for help came from the parents of heart patients. By not helping all they did was force me to go out to beg for money to do their job to help save the lives of Guyanese children.

I did not know our health policy was guided by the egos of our leaders.
If they feel like it they will help, if not you are stuck and left to die.
I was foolishly under the misconception, that timely access to healthcare, is a constitutional right; especially for children, according to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
I thought it depends on availability of funds and facilities, Not the whims and fancies of individuals elected to serve.

That experience moved forward a plan I have had for a number of years to build a state of the art hospital. A charitable children’s hospital at a place called Morakai which would have a cardiac facility, neurosurgery, eye surgery, bone and chemotherapy. We will bring the expertise to Guyana so that more people can access the care and therefore save thousands of dollars and time travelling around the world to save lives.

I applied for the land at Moarakai 31.4 acres to do several things and the application is in the system awaiting the President’s signature also EPA and other approval.

The hospital is important for Guyana because of the benefit to poor people needing specialised treatment and the financial savings we would make. Also we would be a centre of excellence in something and attract patients from our neighbouring countries. Also I would have a paid job.

We will have approximately 100 beds, with various specialties, full diagnostics, dialysis, tele medicine, physiotherapy, swimming pool, alternate medicine; acupuncture/massage, lab facilities, counselling etc computer lab & research facilities, class rooms for lectures etc it will be a teaching hospital. A&E etc It’s a kid friendly and people friendly hospital. Overseas medical students could do electives and voluntary work with us.

The complex will also have:-

kids first fund’s office, a hostels for the vulnerable, nature trails and adventure park, camping site, bird watching facility accommodation for local and overseas doctors/staff, a skills training centre, guest house, supermarket, gas station/vulcanising/work shop, multi faith place of worship, children’s play park and an Ayurvedic health spa.

I also intend to establish cottage industries, after training people in the surrounding communities to do farming, craft making, cooking, dress making and various other micro-enterprise initiatives, to develop and improve the lives of those living in the immediate communities.

I have a plan to raise the money to build from investors and selling bricks for US$1000 to corporate sponsors. There are at least 500 waiting for us to launch our hospital website so they can start buying.
We can’t launch until we have the land. We offered to buy it from the Government but I was told by the President he can’t sell state land. We asked for a 99 year lease, but he said he can only give 25 year lease.

The President told me that if I don’t agree to his settlement figure of GY$5million, he and his government would not deal with me and the hospital project will not happen.

I received GY$1million dollars in 2007 from our President, he said that money was to pay my rent for a year and to buy a middle income house lot which cost $500,000 GY. I paid for the lot but could not find anywhere to rent for that budget. In the end I had to use the rest of the money to buy tickets to travel to the UK to fundraise to pay off the March 07 hospital bill for Kids First.

Early in 2008 I went to the UK and Canada where we raised US$10,000 to pay off the Oct 07 bill. It was very hard work and created a lot of good will amongst the diaspora and people genuinely interested in the well being of children.

I was informed in August 2008 just before I went overseas, that I have to vacate my room at State House because the President needs it back to house his guests for his university reunion in September. Also since we are no longer married I should leave State House.

I have nowhere to move to and I don’t intend to run back to my father’s home when I was married to someone who has I believe an obligation to provide for me.

In August 2008, I went to the UK and USA to fundraise for the next trip to India which was planned for October 2008, but due to insufficient funds we have postponed the trip. We need to raise US$120,000 to pay for surgery and air fares. There I was able to raise US$22,306. In November I went to Canada and raised CAN$10,000. Achieving our goal could be easier with co-operation from our President, but the opposite happened.

In September 2008K we planned to hold a food fair fundraiser at the Guyana High Commission which would have raised ?5,000-?6,000 it was stopped because the High Commissioner received a letter from the Director General, which stated on the instruction of the President, Kids First Fund is no longer to have access or use of the building.

Quite amazing when other organisations in the UK have full use of the building to keep meetings and host social activities. Kids First uses it to raise money to save lives and to store our stocks of souvenirs and craft in a basement office that is used for storage and filing. Also we have stayed there with the patients there to save paying hotel bills.

I was advised by our President that he has no responsibility to make any further settlement as we were not living as married people. I must not use the title First Lady and I am not entitled to have diplomatic status or a duty free concession to buy a vehicle.

Our President says he is willing to let a judge decide what he must pay. Which Judge would be willing to hear the case and be impartial, when the most powerful and vindictive man in the country is involved? I do not feel that I could get a fair judgement. Also the President can not be taken to court whilst in or out of office. Even if a Judge makes a ruling how do you enforce it on someone who is immune from the constraints of law?

Our President’s advice when I said I need money to build a house, set up a business and buy a vehicle was that I should go overseas and get a job save up and come back. When I reminded him of dedicating 10 years of my life to help poor people, he said I could have left at any time.

The Mayor and Opposition parties called for the vehicle to be returned, yet the President is claiming to be following the rules, whose? Where does it say that I must relinquish the vehicle? Where doe it say anything about me? The President claims I have no right to government resources paid for by tax payers money. Yet tax payer’s money is being splurged to pay for resources for his employees when they crash state cars, or need anything etc

When I was the First Lady he contributed nothing to my upkeep, now I am no longer the First Lady, he still won’t do the right thing.

I feel very disappointed and frustrated that I am being penalised because of a bad relationship with our President and that I am being disrespected as a woman, wife and First Lady of this country and no-one is able or willing to help me.

I am asking for :

- Our President to reverse his current policy and please stop persecuting me, Kids First Fund and it’s supporters. Let people have the freedom to associate and support us since you won’t.

- Our President and his agents to stop warning off people not to help and threatening to give people a hard time/remove GOG funding etc I am not your enemy, I don’t want your job, I just want to serve my country without you and your staff/agents stamping on my efforts. I have proved my dedication why else do you think I am still here without any money or support.

- Stop disrespecting everything I am involved in and instructing your Ministers to give me and my colleagues a hard time. I am going to resign as Chairperson of the National Steering Committee Against Child Labour, you’ve already snuffed out the NCRC.

- I wish to retain all courtesies and use of overseas missions to carry out our fundraisers etc In particular the UK where you promised my sister Kieran we can still continue our work undisturbed and to keep hold of the keys. The High Commissioner in the UK has no problem with us using the building in any capacity and is following your instructions.

- Use of the mission was not subject to me being First Lady when other organisations use it for their socials and meetings. Our stock is stored in a disused office in the basement. We bring together more Guyanese at our activities than anyone else could get with free rum.

- Full duty free concession on a personal vehicle and one for Kids First.

- The land for the hospital at Morakai be given to Kids First or sold to us for a reasonable amount. We would like full co-operation at the government level. We don’t need your money we just don’t want you to obstruct me or the project.

- The land cruiser I was using, PGG 1108 be returned to me and gas and maintenance provided by the Office of the President until I retire.

- I would like re-migrant status backdated to 1997 – duty and VAT free on my building materials for my home and the hospital

- I wish to keep my Diplomatic status and passport.

- I was told there was a First Lady’s allowance which the President stopped when he assumed office. I would like every allowance that I was entitled to on every trip I made but did not get.

- A proper settlement so I can build a home, buy a vehicle, live peacefully and earn a living. The President paid nothing towards my existence for the past 10 years.

I have suffered for the past decade and I want to move on but I don’t have the resources or co-operation to do so.

Finally, on the 5 January 2009 I received a letter from our President’s lawyer dated 2 January requesting that I vacate State House within 48 hours or I will be denied access to it. I responded with a letter requesting more time.

I have asked to keep my room until I return from overseas fundraising activities on 1 April, after which I will move out before I take my last batch of children to India for surgery for a while.

On the 19 January when I returned to State House I was denied access on the President’s instructions. I have no clothing apart from what you see me wearing here.

I have no choice but to close my office and move back to UK for a while to earn a living to support my charitable work. This is not what I want to do, as Guyana is my home and I have a right to live and work here. Due to the unfair discrimination I am suffering at the hands of our President and his agents, I have no choice.

Someone once said “PT revolution is not enough” I am a Full time patriot and nothing will ever change that. If you, Mr President, had dedicated a fraction of the energy you expend in making my life difficult to actually working with me, we would have achieved much more for Guyana.

It was not an easy choice to make this statement, everything I have said is true.
My humble apology my parents, to this great nation and to my family and friends for any embarrassment this has caused, but I was given no other choice.

Varshnie Singh
Citizen of Guyana

==

Marriage to Jagdeo never registered, Varshnie Singh says

Stabroek News: Former First Lady Varshnie Singh yesterday said her nine-year marriage to President Bharrat Jagdeo was never registered.

The couple were married according to Hindu rites in 1998 and Singh told reporters that there were at least three attempts to register the union. She said on the first two occasions the President said he had lost the forms. By the time third attempt was made, he had assumed the presidency and had informed her that he could not be subjected to court proceedings and with that in mind she took the decision not to sign any legal documents. Singh initially did not think there was a wilful attempt to stall the process but admitted harbouring doubts in retrospect.

Singh does not have a lawyer but she is considering engaging a local firm to represent her. However, she noted that the law stipulates that in the division of property, a woman in a common-law marriage is entitled to a share of the property acquired during the marriage. She said she was a housewife during the years in the marriage before she began work with the children’s charity, the Kids First Fund.

The couple split in 2007 and have been working on a settlement since then. But last Tuesday Singh went public with complaints she did not receive proper maintenance or care during the marriage and said the Office of the First Lady was a “myth.” The previous day she had been locked out of State House on the instructions of the President and told reporters at the news conference that she had no clothing apart from what she was wearing at the time. “That was hardest thing I ever had to do in my life,” she admitted yesterday.

Singh will return to the UK on Tuesday to conduct fundraising activities for the Kids First Fund. She will return to the country in April, but met with reporters yesterday to clarify aspects of her statement.

She said her decision to go public was a last resort and emphasised that she is a “private person” but she did not see any other way. “I didn’t want to do what I ended up having to do,” she explained. “It wasn’t a joyful thing to bare your soul to the nation.” She added that she thought going public could have been avoided if the couple had agreed on an amicable parting. “I wanted to avoid conflict because he is powerful and I am an ordinary person and even if I know I tell the truth it can be spun around.”

Asked to react to critics who might say she participated in a “sham” by remaining in the union, she said, “I would say guilty as charged, but I didn’t know what else I could do. She added that she tried every single year of the marriage to get the President to agree “to call it a day” and agree to a settlement.

She dismissed the suggestion that the union was a marriage of convenience, arranged to enhance the then junior minister’s candidacy to assume the presidency. She recounted that she first saw Jagdeo when he was still Finance Minister and made his first budget presentation to the National Assembly. They met the next year at a party fundraiser in the UK and a friendship subsequently developed, she said, noting that they had similar ideas about the development of the country. She admitted that Jagdeo was “anxious” for marriage, noting that although she had suggested an engagement he insisted on marriage. “…They say women drag men up the aisle ? it was the other way around,” she said, adding that she was convinced the relationship was sincere: “I thought we were in love… It was a normal relationship.”

She said the first week into the marriage she was locked out of the couple’s bedroom. She could not explain the President’s behaviour, saying he was angry and she did not know why.

Singh noted that she had returned to UK in 1999, a year after the couple were married, to further her studies. She said she had resolved not to return but had been asked by Jagdeo to attend his swearing in when he assumed the presidency that year. She recalled a kind of “pressure,” with the elections having been dubbed by the opposition as rigged. Singh agreed to attend and arrived on the morning of the swearing in, travelling directly from the airport to the ceremony.

The next year, the case that led to her creation of the Kids First Fund presented itself and she was unable to leave, although she had initially planned to hand over the organisation to someone else. “I kind of got stuck,” she said.

Explaining the decision to remove Singh from State House, President Jagdeo in a statement said it was expected that she would have left State House when they announced their separation. He pointed out that at the end of his tenure as president in 2011 he would also have to leave the residence. He explained that he was “forced” to make a “painful decision” and take steps to have Singh leave, since she refused to do so despite numerous promises.

In response to Singh’s charges that he denied her access to resources to support her charity work, the President said that he made it clear to her on more than one occasion that the resources of the state could not be used to support the work of a private charity. “…I sought to keep a certain distance from it so as to avoid accusations that the fund was benefiting from the patronage of the state because of the presence of my wife,” Jagdeo said, adding that it would be unethical for him to allow it. “She was therefore free to undertake her work with the clear understanding, as she acknowledges, that there were to be no special favours involved.”

On the division of assets, Jagdeo said the issue was jointly discussed with his lawyer and he showed her copies of his declaration of income and assets to the Integrity Commission over the period that they were together. “I am prepared to meet all my obligations to her provided for by the laws of Guyana,” he declared, adding that he could not meet her demands to hand over government lands and other assets and provide duty and VAT-free concessions as part of the settlement. He said Singh could access these as any other eligible Guyanese citizen.

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers scurried back to Capitol Hill yesterday — booking last-minute flights and canceling appearances at town halls — and approved a $26 billion package that will provide aid to states....

The rare one-day session, interrupting a six-week congressional recess, was scheduled after the Senate surprisingly passed the bill last week.

Related: U.S. Senate Trying to Save Own Skins

It's too late for that.

All incumbents out unless they stand against Israel .

The measure, which President Obama signed two hours after the House passage, will boost Medicaid and education funding and is expected to help prevent states and local governments from laying off hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, and police officers....

By taking food out of the mouths of the hungry.

What, couldn't spare a few billion from the wars?

The $26 billion in federal spending would be offset by several changes. Republicans and businesses have objected to $10 billion that would come through raising taxes on some US-based multinational companies.

Like pulling teeth getting those taxes out of corporations.

Democrats and advocates for the poor are aggravated over a plan to phase out an increase in food stamp payments.

With MORE PEOPLE than EVER going HUNGRY in this country including yours truly; it's a cup of coffee in the morning and a meal in the afternoon. Maybe that's why I'm not getting much blogging done and am napping too much !

According to an estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the bill would reduce the deficit by $1.4 billion over a decade.

Oh, really?

The whole thing will cut the deficit, too!

Is there no lie they won't tell down there?

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday....

Participation has set records for 18 straight months....

That's all right; the Obama's are eating good.

See: An Entourage Surpassing the Queen's

Are you hungry, taxpayer?

--more--"

Related: Michelle Obama's Appetite

Slow Saturday Special: Look Who I Had Lunch With

A Lunch Fit For a Queen

WASHINGTON — An injection of $26 billion in federal aid will not be enough to save the jobs of more than a half million people who work for state and local governments or for companies that do business with them.

It's what we call CHUMP CHANGE in the real world.

Economists say state and local budget gaps are so vast that up to 30,000 public jobs will be cut each month at least through year’s end. And private companies that contract with states and localities are likely to cut even more deeply.

All told, 600,000 to 700,000 jobs will probably vanish over the next 12 months at states, localities, private contractors, and other businesses that depend on government business, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank....

When states and localities slash services and jobs, so do companies that contract with those governments to build school buildings or repair bridges.

Yup, but need money for a war?

Congress will get right on it.

Related: Avoid I-93

Also see: Memory Hole: Massachusetts' State Budget

How Massachusetts Balances Its Budget

See: Things Are Tough All Over in Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Model: Municipal Health Mess

Towns to Pay Health Tax For Public Servants

Pretty good deals "you" gave them, 'eh, taxpayers?

Unlike the federal government, every state but Vermont requires a balanced budget. That is why the pace of both service cuts and layoffs is expected to persist, even while the struggling economy forces more people to turn to states for health care and other social services....

But the BANKS, CORPORATIONS, and POLITICIANS will still get their tax loot.

--more--"

Many feline and canine companions face health care challenges similar to those that confront humans. Veterinary care costs are skyrocketing as pet owners are offered a sophisticated menu of potentially lifesaving services, including kidney dialysis, sonograms, and chemotherapy.

I say SINGLE-PAYER for he PETS at least!!!

US consumers spent more than $12 billion on veterinary care in 2009, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

That is more than we spend on some people.

Yet only about 1 percent of pet owners have health insurance for their animals. Those who do often don’t understand what the policy covers and what it excludes in an industry that has faced little regulation or even attention — at least until now.

Democratic state Assemblyman Dave Jones, who is running for state insurance commissioner in the November election, said some of the same practices targeted by the recently enacted federal health care overhaul are used by pet insurance companies, including denying coverage based on preexisting conditions.

Jones has introduced a bill that would make pet insurers post detailed information on their websites so consumers can see exactly what is covered and what is not. They could then compare options, just as if they were buying insurance for themselves....

Aren't you?

Pets are PART of the FAMILY!

They are SENTIENT BEINGS that feel hunger, pain, and emotions just like the rest of us!

What do you think a CAT'S PURR MEANS?

According to pet insurance companies and animal advocacy groups, Jones’s effort is the first of its kind in the nation. The bill passed the Assembly and a Senate insurance committee. It awaits a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Pet insurance varies widely depending on the company selling the policy. Just as with human health insurance, policy holders pay monthly premiums. Most pet policies require owners to pay the bill in full and submit a claim to the insurance company for partial reimbursement.

That’s where confusion can occur.

The LAST THING YOU WANT when your pets life is on the line!

Many policies state they will reimburse policy holders a percentage of reasonable and customary costs, but pet owners say veterinary charges can far exceed what the insurer considers reasonable.

“The time when you figure out how your insurance works is when you are in the throes of an emergency,’’ said Jennifer Fearing, senior state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

Not a good time for more confusion.

--more--"

PETIONVILLE, Haiti — In the St. Therese Park tent camp, two reeking latrines serve thousands of people still homeless almost seven months after the earthquake. Babies without diapers cuddle on their mothers’ laps. Hungry rats prowl through the tents at night, biting people as they sleep.

Sigh.

A few days ago, the water ran out.

What's next?

In scorching heat, a group of angry parents, caked in grime and sweat, marched to the winding street above the camp armed with empty containers, a sawed-off garden hose, and pans. They busted open an exposed pipe and collected the water that gushed from it.

“You are pieces of garbage,’’ a man in a passing car shouted at the group of mostly women, who said they wanted to bathe their children.

That is a horrible thing to say!

As they worked, several aid trucks and two police cars passed within inches of them, but did not stop. A passenger in an SUV marked “United Nations Development Program’’ tapped a message on his phone as they glided by....

Well, WHERE ARE THEY GOING and WHO is STEALING those supplies?

Across this Caribbean nation, less than 4 percent of the debris has been cleared since the powerful Jan. 12 earthquake, and some 1.6 million people are living in tent camps in the middle of hurricane season, despite $1.8 billion in earthquake aid, according to US government and United Nations figures.

Failure.

Now, under pressure to intensify the aid effort, US officials and others say it is clear that rebuilding Haiti’s government is a vital next step, because the Haitian government is the only entity accountable to all people....

That.... pffft... since when?

The days of Aristide, which is why we ran him out?

Please see: Haiti's Nightmare: the Cocaine Coup and the CIA Connection

Twice.

Before the earthquake, the Haitian government could not provide basic services such as education and health care to most of the nation’s 9 million people. During the quake, most government ministries collapsed, and nonprofits and private contractors stepped in to provide water, shelter, and vaccinations to prevent widespread disease.

In Petionville, a suburb peppered with upscale boutiques, restaurants, and billboards advertising designer clothes, a deputy mayor, Clac Erick Louis, said tax revenues have plunged 80 percent since the earthquake, crippling the budget. He said the city does not even have a tractor to clear debris.

“Millions of dollars are going to nonprofits but when you go back to Port-au-Prince, it’s as if the earthquake just happened,’’ he said, referring to the lack of progress. “If I had more money, you would not see it the way it is right now.’’

So the "non-profits" spent a little and pocketed the rest.

St. Therese Park in Petionville was once a soccer field behind a church. Now tents have swallowed the bleachers and most of the field, except for a small patch of dirt for playing ball. As many as 4,000 people live there, camp leaders say, many since the first days after the quake.

Though nonprofits have helped here to donate blankets, tents, and water, the camp remains at once a flood zone and a firetrap. Residents cook on open-flame camping stoves next to tents, and sometimes inside them. During the day, the 100-degree temperatures turn the tents into saunas. When it rains, often at night, columns of water pour through the flaps.

Sanitary conditions are unbearable, a group of women said. Idamante Jean Pier, a 56-year-old housewife, said she brushes her teeth with ground charcoal. She said women use newspapers to control menstruation. Babies do not have diapers, and many are sick.

Despite all the non-profs have done?

Maybe you can get some pointers for the future, America, because it is where you are headed if it is left up to your leaders.

As she spoke, Jean Pier held out a photograph of herself at a family celebration two years ago. Trays of food sit on a table. She is smiling; her daughter is dressed for church.

“I look at it to remind myself of my life,’’ she said.

Food is dumped into rudimentary sewers that are inches from the tents, attracting flies and rats.

Verly Boulvard, a former grocery worker who lost a leg in the quake, said a rat attacked his 3-year-old daughter Isabelle a few days ago as she slept.

“I heard her screams,’’ he said, and awoke to find bite marks on his daughter’s head and a fat rat disappearing through a hole in the tent. He sent her and his 6-year-old son to live with relatives in the countryside.

Without a government to set standards, residents are forced to solve their own disputes.

Is that such a bad thing?

Isn't that democracy at its finest?

The vice president of the tent camp said he recently refused to accept a delivery of water, causing it to run out last week, because tent residents kept stealing the reserves put aside in case of a fire....

Repeatedly, residents flagged down Globe journalists to say they wanted to work....

Sorry, but there are not any jobs here, either.

--more--"

Some 30,000 Pakistani soldiers are rebuilding bridges, delivering food and setting up relief camps in the northwest, which is the main battleground in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

I'm so sick of reading about "Al-CIA-Duh."

Hell, if they are up there why help?

Let 'em die, right?

It's Taliban country, right?

Foreign countries and the United Nations have donated millions of dollars.

So --like Haiti -- one wonders whose pockets that money will fill.

Earlier, Nadim Ahmed, the head of the National Disaster Management Authority, said 12 million people had so far been affected by the floods and 650,000 houses destroyed.

And it is MORE EVERY MINUTE!

About 85 US military personnel are taking part in the relief activities along with six helicopters that were flown over from Afghanistan, where some 100,000 American troops are based battling the Taliban.

Yeah, good thing we are over there fighting a self-generating, self-perpetuating war, huh?

In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Raza Yousuf Gilani said it was the worst flooding in Pakistan’s 63-year history. The United Nations said the disaster was on a par with the 2005 Kashmir earthquake — which killed about 73,000 people — in terms of the numbers of people needing assistance and damage to infrastructure.

Thank Allah the death toll has not been more.

In Indian-controlled Kashmir on yesterday, a cloudburst followed by flash floods hit a Himalayan desert region in Indian-controlled Kashmir, sending rivers of mud down mountainsides and killing at least 103 people, officials said.

All helicopters currently stationed in the northwest were grounded because of poor weather, said Amal Masud, a spokeswoman for the National Disaster Management Authority.

--more--"

"Residents moved from flooded rivers

SUKKUR — Authorities removed thousands of Pakistanis living along expanding rivers yesterday as forecasters predicted that more heavy rain could deepen the flood crisis. Pakistani officials estimate that as many as 13 million people throughout the country have been affected. Floodwaters receded somewhat in the northwest, but downpours Friday and yesterday again swelled rivers and streams AP ."

Yes, Sunday's report was only a brief.

No need to trouble Americans with the unbearable suffering of Muslims on a Sunday.

But you can trouble them with this:

"Flooding could spur Taliban resurgence; Government failing to offer basic services" by Griff Witte, Washington Post | August 9, 2010

Evacuated flood victims crowded a naval boat Sunday in Sukkur, in Pakistan’s Sindh Province. Navy boats sped across flood waters as the military took a lead role in rescuing the survivors. Akhtar Soomro/Reuters

CHARSADDA, Pakistan — The slow-motion disaster underway in Pakistan as flood waters seep into virtually every corner of the nation has devastated basic infrastructure and could open the door to a Taliban resurgence as the government falters in its efforts to provide basic services, officials here say.

The emerging landscape in areas where the water has receded is one in which bridges, roads, schools, health clinics, power facilities, and sewage systems have been ruined or seriously damaged. With swollen rivers still churning southward, the destruction is spreading by the hour.

More than 1,600 people have been killed and millions are seeking food and shelter amid the worst floods in Pakistan’s history. Landslides buried two villages in northern Pakistan over the weekend, killing 53 people. At least 127 died and 1,300 are missing in China after the Bailong River burst its banks late Saturday.

On a visit to a newly flooded area in Pakistan’s south yesterday, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani said the overall impact of the flooding now tops that from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake — a view echoed by international aid officials.

Though the quake killed far more people — at least 73,000 — Gillani called the scale of physical damage “beyond imagination. . . . Our country has gone back several years.’’

Truly, there is no better time for launching WWIII with an attack on Iran. China and Pakistan are dealing with floods and the Russians with fires. Israel probed Lebanon last week to see how their forces would react.

Maybe a few more pieces to be put in place; however, I feel time is short.

Pakistan can ill afford that kind of regression as it battles a vicious insurgency that capitalizes on the government’s failure to improve the standard of living of its people.

Over the past year, the Pakistan Army has succeeded in driving Taliban fighters out of key sanctuaries in South Waziristan and the Swat Valley. But the damage from the floods could jeopardize those gains, officials acknowledge, unless infrastructure is quickly rebuilt — an undertaking that will cost billions of dollars and will probably take years.

Swat, one of the worst affected areas, is a prime example. While the valley was once known for its moderate public attitudes and picture-perfect mountain views, militants were able to take over in recent years by capitalizing on residents’ hostility toward a government that often seemed distant and indifferent.

I know how you feel -- to a certain degree.

Last summer, the army took the valley back with a major offensive, and it launched a series of public works projects intended to repair the damage. The efforts were starting to pay off: Just last month, residents celebrated traditional agricultural festivals without fear of violence, and tourists packed newly reopened hotels.

But then on July 28, the floods hit. Army officials say that every major bridge in the valley was destroyed, and aerial photographs of the region show that rivers have been diverted — perhaps permanently — down the center of once thriving bazaars.

“It will take us months just to get the electricity back in Swat. For now, people are living in darkness,’’ said Rahim Dad Khan, the planning minister for northwestern Pakistan.

So are most Americans, but in a different sort of darkness.

Khan said all plans for development in the northwest have been canceled, and the money diverted to reconstruction. “We thought we would build roads, hospitals, and schools. But now, everything we were planning is ruined,’’ he said.

Army officials say that they are aware that the Taliban could try to seize the opportunity, but that they will not let that happen....

By the account of the victims, the government has failed....

The US military has sent six helicopters, 91 troops, and hundreds of thousands of meals from neighboring Afghanistan to help with relief efforts in Swat.

That sure was nice of them after the drone missile strikes, 'eh?

But since Thursday, when the crews flew in supplies and evacuated hundreds of stranded residents, storms and overcast skies have kept the helicopters grounded....

Islamic charities, including ones that are known fronts for banned militant groups, have begun distributing assistance in some areas, as have Western nongovernmental organizations.

One day I would like to see a full-feature article in my newspaper on such efforts.

Of course, that might humanize the "terrorists" and ruin all the fun.

But for the most part, residents say they are receiving no aid at all.

In the median strip of the recently completed highway that links the northwest with the rest of Pakistan, thousands of displaced villagers have set up tents.

“All the local roads are destroyed. All the schools are destroyed. We never had any medical facilities,’’ said Obaid ur-Rehman, 26, who was forced to relocate to the median strip.

--more--"

And don't let go of that line:

A man crossed a swollen canal yesterday after a bridge was washed away in Ghazi Gat, in central Pakistan. Flooding in the nation over the past two weeks has claimed 1,500 lives. K.M. Chaudary/Associated Press

"13.8m affected by Pakistan floods; Misery exceeds tsunami and quakes, UN says" by Sebastian Abbot, Associated Press | August 10, 2010

ISLAMABAD — The number of people suffering from the massive floods in Pakistan exceeds 13 million — more than the combined total of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the United Nations said yesterday....

Another historic disaster topping the others.

The comparison helps frame the scale of the crisis, which the prime minister said yesterday was the worst in Pakistan’s history. It has overwhelmed the government, generating widespread anger from flood victims who have complained that aid is not reaching them quickly enough or at all.

Maurizio Giuliano, spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the number of people affected in the three other disasters was about 11 million, he said — 5 million in the tsunami and 3 million in each of the earthquakes....

Pakistani rescue workers have been unable to reach up to 600,000 people marooned in Swat Valley in the northwest, said Giuliano. Bad weather has prevented helicopters from flying to the area, which is inaccessible by ground, he said.

Hundreds of thousands of people have also had to flee rising flood waters in recent days in the central and southern provinces of Punjab and Sindh because heavy rains have continued to pound parts of the country.

And they already had refugee problems because of the war.

President Obama’s national security adviser, James Jones, said the United States is sending a wide range of assistance to Pakistan. That includes $35 million in financial aid, added onto the $7.5 million already designated, as well as food, shelter, medical supplies, and other items.

In addition, the United States has delivered 436,000 meals, 12 prefabricated bridges, 14 rescue boats, six water filtration units, and a generator. US helicopters are supporting rescue efforts and will continue to evacuate stranded citizens and transport supplies....

I want the Pakistanis to get every ounce of help we can give them; however, do you not wish your government had responded in such a way for you, America?

And maybe we could stop making war on them. That might help.

--more--"

1. The full right to work on a parity with other foreigners,
2. The commandant right to certain employee-employer paid social security benefits including accident/injury/maternity/ and health care coverage,
3. The right to own a home and inherit property on the basis of parity with other foreigners and as provided by international treaty and customary law on the subject

• Oppressed Palestinian refugees are potentially a source of social unrest and in their present situation are prey for drugs kingpins, various criminal enterprises and $ 300 per month hired guns for various groups, Stabilizing their economic situation would remove a source of unrest in Lebanon in areas like Burj al Barajaneh, Tyre and the Bekaa; areas where Hezbollah has its largest support base.
• Poor Palestinian refugees are economically ‘bad’ customers. Improving their financial conditions of refugees will increase their cash flow into businesses owned by Hezbollah.
• Palestinian refugees would make the resistance stronger, as they are a natural source of support for the enhancing resistance cadres at all its levels.
• Palestinian refugees can be used to tamp down a Sunni-Shiite conflict but if the Palestinians refugees feel that Hezbollah does not support them the refugees could easily fall into the orbit of Sunni “takfiris” or extremists as may have been the case with some of the those fighting at Nahr el Bared in the summer of 2007.
• Helping Pal refugees will enhance Hezbollah’s ability to work to improve its image in the Palestinian Diaspora, through support networks of Palestinian refugees and their supporters around the world.
• Helping Palestinian refugees achieve the full right to work and to own a home will allow Hezbollah to enhance its image in the West and Europe, many of whom are trying to monopolize the moral high ground of supporting the rights of Palestinian refugees.
• Palestinian refugees and the Hezbollah community share a common history of dispossession and struggle for dignity. Hezbollah is the party of the oppressed, and has a profound moral and religious commitment to support justice for the downtrodden, and most especially those who literally live as next door neighbors in South Beirut and South Lebanon.
• Hezbollah is riding the new epoch of resistance to occupation to a series of victories against Israel, achieving civil rights for Lebanon’s Palestinian refugees would add to this in a major way.
• Hezbollah will be seen as the sole Arab and Muslim power base to have fulfilled its moral, political and religious commitments to Palestine and will win many hearts and minds by this historic achievement

Uprooted Palestinian

They have not been charged with any crime.

Their arrests are part of a controversial law enforcement tactic that allows US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE, to hold people for civil immigration violations while investigators attempt to build criminal cases against them.

Keeps them busy I guess.

Federal officials say it is a valuable tool in the fight against terrorism, and its use increased after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The fallout from that fateful day extended far beyond tower dropping at free-fall speed into their own footprint.

But civil liberties advocates and others say the government is sidestepping the criminal process by limiting detainees’ access to lawyers and keeping them in jail. Some analysts say the tactics used by ICE could also alienate immigrant communities that are vital to helping solve crimes and preclude chances of wider evidence gathering.

“I think there’s an overuse of ICE in these cases,’’ said Vincent M. Cannistraro, who led counterterrorism operations for the CIA until 1991 and now issues a newsletter on global security issues from Virginia. “If you suspect that they’re there, watch them. You can tap their phones. You can basically monitor their activities until you do get the information you need.’’

An "ex"-CIA guy says?

While police, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies require evidence of crimes to arrest people, immigration officials require only a violation of the civil immigration law, such as an expired visa....

Authorities can use immigration laws, including the threat of deportation, as leverage to get information.

Why not just torture them because I've been told that works?

Earlier this year, New York subway bombing suspect Najibullah Zazi increased his cooperation with authorities after they threatened to charge his mother with immigration offenses and after they charged his Afghan-born father with crimes, according to an account in The Washington Post.

Ah, ANOTHER COERCED and WORTHLESS -- but valuable agenda-pushing -- confession!

For more on the case scroll my Zazi file.

FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz said ICE is a key part of the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force in Boston, where federal, state, and local agencies regularly collaborate on antiterrorism efforts, she said.

“The reason we have task forces in this day and age is that not any one law enforcement agency can do it alone,’’ she said.

But civil liberties groups say the broad use of immigration laws leaves the system vulnerable to abuses. ICE and the immigration courts are not subject to the same public scrutiny as are the police and the regular court system. ICE routinely refuses to release detainees’ names, and their court files are not available to the public.

The agency has jailed 27-year-old Baskaran Balasundaram, a Sri Lankan, for nearly two years on concerns that he provided support to a terrorist group in his homeland, even though he said he had been kidnapped by them and forced to live like a slave. In 2009, a federal judge granted him asylum based on his story of kidnap and, later, torture by the Sri Lankan Army, but he remains in jail. The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts is fighting in court for his release.

Related: Return to Sri Lanka

Yeah, he was let go.

“Their public face is that they’re using immigration as a tool of law enforcement and say they’re really going after the worst of the worst,’’ said Laura Rótolo, staff attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts. “But in reality, they’re deporting increasing numbers of people’’ who have not been convicted of crimes....

Related:

The Illegal Immigrant Imprisonment Industry

Illegals Already Have Amnesty

Then the wealthy don't have to bother with icky-pooh health and social security taxes or complaints, etc.

Also see: Obama Administration to Ignore Immigration Enforcement

That takes care of that.

Donald Kerwin — vice president of programs at the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington — said the government should make national security the priority. The risk of detaining people for immigration violations, he said, is that if the government fails to build a criminal case against them, they may end up deporting them and setting them free in their homelands.

“That’s where the rationale falls apart,’’ Kerwin added. “If you really suspect that somebody was a terrorist sympathizer or somebody who provided material support, unless there was no possibility of a criminal case against them, why would you release them to their country of nationality where they could stage attacks against the United States?’’

Brian Kyes, police chief of Chelsea, the city with the state’s highest percentage of immigrants, said police in immigrant communities often walk a fine line with ICE to keep their communities safe. He makes clear that Chelsea police do not enforce federal immigration law, so that immigrants feel comfortable reporting crimes whether they are in the country legally or not.

But, Kyes said, he willingly works with ICE to arrest violent criminals and gang members....

Shortcomings outlined by the two groups include no right to appointed counsel, inflexible detention policies, insufficient guidance for judges on handling people with mental disabilities, and inadequately coordinated services to aid detainees.

Hey, what do you expect with disposable labor?

“No one knows what to do with detainees with mental disabilities, so every part of the immigration system has abdicated responsibility,’’ said Sarah Mehta, the report’s lead author. “The result is people languishing in detention for years while their legal files — and their lives — are transferred around or put on indefinite hold.’’

Might as well be a "terrorist."

The federal agencies involved in the deportation system are well aware of many of the problems cited in the report, and Mehta said she has been cautiously encouraged by some recent steps to better handle people with mental disabilities.

For example, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency which arrests and detains people facing deportation, will host a national forum in September seeking input from mental health experts on ways to improve its practices.

--more--"

Corrections Corporation of America, the largest contractor for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has reached a preliminary agreement to soften confinement, free of charge, at nine immigrant facilities covering more than 7,100 beds — a deal that ICE officials see as a precursor to changes elsewhere.

NO WONDER the immigration problem is NEVER $OLVED!

Overall, the facilities are expected to be less prison-like, offering freer movement for detainees, fewer patdowns, and better access to legal resources. The agreement calls for fresh vegetables and access to self-serve beverages along with cooking and exercise classes, according to a list released by ICE.

CCA will soften “the look for the facility with hanging plants, flower baskets, new paint colors, different bedding and furniture’’ and allow lengthy visits from friends and family who can provide packages or food for special celebrations under changes over the next six months....

Many are held only a few nights before being deported, while others — particularly those seeking asylum from persecution in their home countries — can stay in custody for months or years while their cases are decided by an overburdened immigration court system....

Just the way the government likes it.

Medical staff at the Suffolk County jail waited too long in October to send a feverish and trembling immigrant detainee to the hospital, allowing a deadly bacterial infection to overtake his body and cause his death of heart failure at age 49, according to a report by the federal immigration agency obtained by the Globe.

Pedro Tavarez, a Providence shuttle driver who was being held for deportation to the Dominican Republic, died Oct. 19 at a Boston hospital after a rapid decline that raised questions about medical care and government oversight at the Boston jail.

In Massachusetts?

Officials at the Suffolk County House of Correction have said that the infirmary, run by Tennessee-based Prison Health Services Inc., provides good care and has received high marks by reviewers.

Oh, ANOTHER PRIVATE CORPORATION in charge of the PRISON$!

But....

You knew that was coming.

Tavarez’s death highlighted longstanding concerns about the medical care of immigrant detainees, who are held in federal, local, and privately run jails across the country. In 2008, federal officials removed immigrants from the privately operated Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, R.I., after a 34-year-old Chinese citizen was denied medical treatment shortly before he died of cancer.

Related: Rhode Island Cop Wants Gitmo Reopened

Also see: The Immigration Escort Service

Right into the grave!

The Obama administration is in line to deport around 400,000 immigrants this year, a number slightly higher than during the Bush administration, but federal officials have pledged to improve the detention system.

More change for the worse for those who voted for him.

In June, the head of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, John T. Morton, said seriously ill immigrants should not be jailed “absent extraordinary circumstances’’ or unless the law requires it.

Well, maybe they should be put in a hospital.

Advocates for immigrants have urged officials to reduce detentions, saying medical care lacks proper oversight from the federal government....

I think we could use that across the board in AmeriKa. Time to sort out who should be in there and who should not.

Tavarez, who had a daughter, came to the United States as a legal immigrant in 1976. He had three minor drug-related convictions, and an immigration judge ordered him deported in 1998.

He eluded authorities until April 2008, when Rhode Island State Police stopped him for a traffic violation and turned him over to ICE....

Related: Putting Rhode island on ICE

--more--"

I suppose that is one way to get out of jail.

:-

How dare we lecture anyone on "human rights?"

1. Boycott is a tactic, not a principle.

This concept was most eloquently detailed by Nelson Mandela. A boycott is initiated to create change. It is not a tool of rejection, retribution, punishment, or disgust. When workers go on strike, it is not because they hate their employers and want to kill them; it is because they seek improvement in their working conditions. A boycott works the same way.

When an individual refuses to purchase a product due to ethical considerations, that is a principled stand. The stand by itself does not create change. However, when a call for boycott is instituted and a movement begins that refuses to participate in the consumption of an item, then it becomes a tactic for creating change, with consumer power as its weapon.

2. Boycotting Israel does not preclude doing anything about anything else anywhere.

Boycotting Israel does not mean one cannot engage in any other activism, nor does it imply that boycotting is the only viable tactic in the world. There are many causes in the world and many ways to address those causes. Boycotting Israel does not prevent anyone from engaging in other causes. Likewise, other important causes should not be exploited simply to prevent doing something about the Palestine/Israel conflict, in which we are complicit.

3. The BDS movement on Israel is international, it’s grassroots, it’s growing, and it’s working.

The movement for boycott, divestment, and sanctions BDS began in 2005, when over 170 Palestinian civil society organizations working both in Palestine and Israel issued an international call for participation in nonviolent action to compel Israel to abide by international law and end human rights abuses. The call has been picked up internationally. This new BDS movement has been endorsed and/or practiced by prominent figures such as Desmond Tutu, Arundhati Roy, Rigoberta Menchu, Shirin Ebadi, Eduardo Galeano, Alice Walker, Gil Scott-Heron, and Elvis Costello.

Additionally, it is endorsed by several organizations, including Code Pink, the Congress of South African Trade Unions, Boycott from Within Israel , Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid, Palestinian Queers for BDS, Central Única dos Trabalhadores, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, and Fédération Syndicale Unitaire.

The Olympia Food Co-op’s boycott in particular has been publicly endorsed by Naomi Klein, Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin Code Pink , Ann Wright, Richard Falk UN Special Rapporteur , Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb, nomy lamm, Anthony Arnove, Yonatan Shapira Israeli Air Force captain and co-founder of Combatants for Peace , American Jews for a Just Peace, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, and many more.

Israel is taking the growing BDS movement seriously. It has arrested Palestinian leaders who endorse BDS. The Knesset is now considering legislation that would make it illegal for Jewish Israeli activists to endorse BDS.

4. We were already taking sides before the Co-op boycott was instituted.

By stocking Israeli goods in the midst of an international call for boycott, and for the Co-op to continue to do so after a working member requested the honoring of the boycott two years ago, the Co-op was already taking sides. This is in addition to the US government being the primary enabler of Israel, giving Israel $3+ billion a year, which is equal to or more than the total amount of US aid given to all of sub-Saharan Africa. The US government also provides diplomatic cover and political support for Israel’s oppression of the Palestinians.

With these tenets in mind, here are some frequently posed arguments, in the form of frequently asked questions.

Does the Co-op boycott call for the destruction of Israel?

No. The boycott calls for compliance with international law and human rights.

Many protesters claim that the Co-op Board of Directors is intent on destroying Israel through the boycott. One of the signs held by a protester claimed that the boycott would be in effect until “Israel ceases to exist.” A call to action by the anti-Arab/anti-Muslim organization StandWithUs claims the boycott calls for “nothing less than the disbanding of Israel as a Jewish state.” These claims exploit common fears. Nothing in the Co-op’s boycott calls for the destruction of Israel.

According to the Co-op’s Israel boycott policy, the conditions for ending the boycott cite the conditions outlined in the Palestinian Civil Society call for BDS. According to the Palestinian call, this requires Israel to “meet[] its obligation to recognize the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination and fully compl[y] with the precepts of international law.”

Thus the conditions for ending the boycott are based on international law. International law does not call for the destruction of Israel. The Palestinian BDS call requires that Israel “end[] its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands….” As recognized by international law, these occupied Arab lands refer to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, with the acceptance of “minor” and “mutual” adjustments to the borders under UN Security Council Resolution 242.

The Palestinian BDS call also requires Israel to “respect[], protect[] and promote[] the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN resolution 194.” Protesters claim that allowing Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland from which they were expelled by Israel would mean the destruction of Israel. This is akin to white people who feared that the end of slavery in the US would mean the destruction of the South, or Afrikaners who feared that the end of apartheid meant the death of South Africa. However, respecting, protecting and promoting the rights of refugees to return home is simply what it says. Article 11 of UN General Assembly Resolution 194 also acknowledges that compensation for refugees is a viable alternative for those choosing not to return home.

Israel to this day refuses to accept any responsibility for the 1947-8 expulsion of Palestinians from what is now Israel — either blaming the Palestinians for deciding to leave, justifying the act as a reward for conquest, or in effect stating “finders keepers, losers weepers.” Despite attempts by Israel to delegitimize Palestinian refugee rights, international law remains clear on the issue.

The final stipulation of the Palestinian BDS call requires Israel to “recognize[] the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality.” Such a requirement would not be possible if the expectation was that Israel cease to exist.

There is nothing in the Co-op’s boycott policy nor in international law that calls on Israel to “cease[] to exist.” Opposition to the stated requirements is simply opposition to existing international law and basic human rights, while reframing the message to imply that abiding by international law and human rights standards is somehow harmful to Israel, with no acknowledgement of how Israel’s noncompliance is oppressive to Palestinians.

Why didn’t the Co-op board consult with its membership before honoring the boycott?

The Co-op has established policy guidelines and protocols for observing boycotts. The Israel boycott fit those guidelines. No previous boycott has ever been presented to Co-op members prior to implementation. In fact, the original request for a boycott was made by a Co-op working member in 2008.

If the Co-op had addressed the potential Israel boycott to the entire membership prior to implementation, it would have been instituting a double standard-one in which Israel’s actions are given greater license than those of China, Norway, or even Colorado.

The Co-op makes many decisions without conferring with the entire membership. However, those decisions are based on clear policy guidelines. For instance, the Co-op has product selection guidelines that relate to a product’s packaging. According to these guidelines, “[t]he Co-op will not carry products whose retail packaging is deemed exploitive or oppressive. Such determination may be made by the department manager, the merchandising team or the staff as a whole.” Items have been removed from the shelves when they were determined to violate the packaging guidelines and done without informing the entire membership.

But that’s a very undemocratic way of running a Co-op, isn’t it?

One could make that argument. Obviously, not all Co-op decisions can be put to a member-wide vote. The Co-op boycott policy has been posted on the Co-op’s website for years, and its previous boycotts have not drawn the type of criticism that the Israel boycott has evoked. The reaction to the Israel boycott enforces the concept that Israel is a country beyond reproach, or at least one that must be treated differently from all others.

Many people protesting the board’s decision have decided to institute a boycott against the Co-op. There are also threats to boycott local businesses that advertise in the Co-op newsletter. On one hand, it demonstrates that these protesters have faith in the power of boycotts. On the other hand, it demonstrates a confusion of priorities. While these boycotters decry the board’s “undemocratic” boycott policy, they have sidestepped the democratic option enshrined in the Co-op’s policies.

That is, opponents to the boycott can overrule board decisions or other Co-op decisions through a member-initiated ballot. They still have this democratic option within the Co-op’s guidelines. Yet their first reaction was to institute a boycott rather than take the most direct and democratic option available.
If only it were that easy with Israel.

The Co-op is singling out Israel! Why doesn’t the Co-op boycott China?

The Co-op does have a longstanding boycott on China. This has not deterred people from assuming that the Co-op “singles out Israel.” Some people, having learned that the Co-op has observed boycotts on China and Norway, then resort to arguing, “Why does the Co-op only boycott China, Norway, and Israel?”

The fact is that any criticism of Israel is perceived as singling out Israel. For some people, any criticism of Israel feels amplified. Even Amnesty International, which reports on human rights abuses around the world, has been accused of singling out Israel. For example, see the article “Amnesty Is Not Out To Get Israel” in the June 19, 2005, Jerusalem Post.

The “singling out” argument is both meaningless and circular. In order to address China’s abuses, the Co-op had to have singled out China. In order to address Colorado’s anti-gay legislation, the Co-op had to have singled out Colorado. In order to fight apartheid in the 1980s, one had to single out South Africa.

Moreover, if the Co-op did not have a boycott on China, the Co-op’s boycott policy made it possible for any member to request the boycott. Rather than complaining about a supposed lack of boycott on China, one could have requested it.

Still, isn’t it hypocritical for us to be boycotting Israel when our own government has committed tons of atrocities? Why don’t we boycott the US?

As stated, boycott is a tactic, not a principle. The above questions assume that a boycott is a way to express hatred of or retribution for past deeds. Rather, the boycott is to produce change. Boycotting the US for its past atrocities is not asking the US to change.

As for boycotting the US for its current crimes, it is difficult to boycott the US while living inside the US, and thus tactically unsound. At the same time, Israeli activists are calling for an international boycott on Israel. They themselves cannot participate in the boycott because they live in Israel, but they challenge their own government in ways that are only possible for Israeli citizens to do. They hope that an international boycott will buttress the work that they do from the inside. This is no different than the Arizonans who are asking for a boycott of Arizona.

For a boycott to achieve its goals, it requires a campaign. Even if the Co-op were to successfully boycott the US, it would mean nothing if there weren’t a whole campaign to back it up with a unified message and broad support. An Israel boycott is worthwhile because it is backed by an international movement. Trade unions, pension funds, European supermarkets, celebrities, and others are participating in the boycott. The Israeli government is aware of the campaign including the Co-op boycott and its goals.

Boycotting Israel does not mean that one cannot protest the United States for change. Boycott should be employed where the tactic seems possible to affect change. It doesn’t mean you boycott everything that you disagree with. Living in the United States gives us the privilege to protest our government’s actions in many ways. Boycotting the US from within the US is generally not one of those ways.

Different protests require different tactics. Employing one tactic for one cause does not commit one to employing the same tactic for all causes. Nor does it preclude employing different tactics for different causes.

Finally, we must acknowledge that the United States is instrumental in keeping the Palestine/Israel conflict going. The US provides massive aid, diplomatic cover, and political encouragement to Israel to continue its abuses and forestall a just settlement. Addressing Israel’s occupation is resisting our own government’s complicity. For decades, people inside the US have been working for change through demonstrations, lobbying, mobilizing, education, and direct action. This work continues, but it should not preclude further action in the form of boycotts. All these tactics work together.

But Israel is not the worst human rights violator in the world. Why don’t you go after [insert China or some Arab or African country here]?

This question implies that it is hypocritical to work for change anywhere unless one works for change everywhere. Or else, it implies that only the absolute worst violations in the world should ever be addressed.

The problem is that the argument can be applied to just about any activism, not just activism on Israel/Palestine. That is, one can level these arguments against doing anything about Arizona, or about immigration in general, or about civil rights, queer rights, environmental justice, racism, sexism, apartheid, AIDS, poverty, Iraq, Afghanistan, health care, etc.

No matter what cause you engage in, there is always some other cause that could be deemed “more worthwhile.” Someone can always point to a greater atrocity or more dire situation elsewhere.

In other words, the question implies that you have to address all the problems in the world, or else you’re a hypocrite. The only way to not be a hypocrite then is to do nothing at all. Thus the argument promotes apathy as the morally superior option.

For some reason, this question is often posed to say that a true activist’s priority is some random Arab or African country. Ironically, the person who poses this question is never engaged in working for change in the region that they cite. Thus the Arab or African atrocity is used only to deflect criticism of Israel. That in itself is exploitive.

The question before deciding to engage in a cause is not “Is it the worst thing in the world?” Rather, the questions should be:

1. Is it bad enough to do something about?
2. Is it a problem that you can do something about?
And bonus points for this question:
3. Is it a problem that you are already complicit in?

Was South African apartheid the worst problem in the world? No. Was it worth fighting against? Yes.

Is the situation in Palestine comparable to or worse than apartheid? If you ask prominent South Africans who suffered under apartheid, such as Desmond Tutu, Willie Madisha, Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, Fatima Hassan, and Mondli Makhanya-or even if you ask the entire Congress of South African Trade Unions-the answer is yes.

If South African apartheid was bad enough to warrant boycott, divestment, and sanctions BDS , and if the situation in Palestine is comparable to or worse than apartheid, then isn’t BDS a viable nonviolent option for peace and justice in Palestine/Israel?

It’s hypocritical to criticize Israel’s expulsion of the Palestinians since the US did the same to the Indians here. A variation of this argument is expressed as, “Are you going to give up your home for the Native Americans? I didn’t think so!”

This argument is flawed in several ways:

1. It is a cynical and offensive exploitation of the genocide of the indigenous peoples of this land, evoking it only to excuse the expulsion of another people.

2. It attempts to justify the expulsion of Palestinians by claiming that ethnic cleansing is not something new and was practiced here. Thus it excuses ethnic cleansing everywhere. Although ethnic cleansing is not new, that does not make it an excusable “tradition.”

3. It implies that the Native population here simply wants to take over everyone’s homes, and it does nothing to address the real issues of oppression that Native people currently face.

4. The expulsion of the Palestinians began in 1947 and continues to this day. Refusing to address our own complicity in the ongoing expulsion of Palestinians from their lands, for fear of being called a hypocrite, does nothing to help Palestinians nor Native peoples here.

5. As with related arguments, this argument of supposed hypocrisy can be used to promote inaction anywhere. That is, one cannot criticize anyone or anything because the US is not without sin.

If you’re going to boycott Israel, then you better stop using your cell phone because Israel invented the cell phone.

Believe it or not, this has been one of the most prevalent arguments against boycott received, indicating that various pro-Israel groups have been pushing this argument as the major talking point. Unfortunately, it has two major flaws:
1. It’s not true.
2. It doesn’t make sense.

Recall that boycott is a tactic, not a principle. The point is not to reject all things Israeli. The point is to employ nonviolent consumer-based activism within an international campaign in order to induce Israel to change its destructive policies.

Israel did not invent the cell phone, as is commonly argued. But even if it did, it would not mean we would necessarily reject cell phones. Nor does inventing the cell phone make it okay for Israel or the US where the cell phone was actually created to commit human rights abuses.

The first heart transplant was performed in apartheid South Africa. That did not make a boycott of South Africa any less relevant, nor did it mean that opponents of apartheid had to reject heart transplants.

Other commonly evoked inventions of Israel include the cherry tomato, voice mail, AOL Instant Messenger ! , and some ambiguous medical device that saved your life at some point. 99% of these claims are untrue, but they would be irrelevant even if they were true.

A boycott is so negative. Can’t we encourage change in the Middle East through positive energy? The Israeli government will change if we are nice to it.

A boycott is not a negative action. It is proactive action. It was not negative during the Civil Rights movement, and it was not negative during South African Apartheid. It was people taking action, nonviolently, where their governments failed or were complicit. The argument is often made that Israel simply requires positive encouragement. This was the same argument that the Reagan administration used to reject BDS against South Africa. They termed it “constructive engagement,” and it failed miserably. During the period of constructive engagement, the apartheid government increased its repression against black South African resistance, knowing that it could get away with it. Popular pressure eventually forced the Reagan administration to abandon constructive engagement and embrace BDS.

With Israel, the US has provided every gift imaginable, from the largest lump of US aid in the world, to UN Security Council veto power, to diplomatic cover, to concessions of every kind. This has only encouraged Israel to act with impunity. That is why the Israeli government was not afraid to humiliate the Obama administration with a “slap in the face” by declaring settlement expansion during Joe Biden’s visit in March. The Netanyahu government finally agreed to a temporary settlement freeze but then proceeded to violate that freeze.

Netanyahu has been caught quoted been as saying, “I know what America is. America is something that can easily be moved…80% of the Americans support us. It’s absurd.”

“Constructive engagement” enables Israel to act with impunity. The only recent time that the US has pressured Israel significantly was in 1992 when Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir refused to cease settlement expansion. Bush Sr. then rejected Israel’s request for $10 billion in loan guarantees. This was viewed as a monumental event and is credited with causing Shamir’s Likud party to lose to Labor in the subsequent Israeli elections.

Israel has been shown to only respond to international pressure. BDS is nonviolent international pressure.

I’m progressive on the Israel/Palestine issue, and I disagree with this boycott.

Many people consider themselves progressive or liberal or leftist on the issue, but it is insignificant where people stand on the political spectrum. What matters is what people are willing to do to help end the conflict in which we are complicit. Boycott is a nonviolent option for justice that we can all participate in. It is being utilized internationally. It is an alternative to the violence that is so common in the region. It is endorsed by prominent South Africans because they understand the value of the international BDS movement in ending apartheid. Opponents to the boycott have so far offered no viable alternatives for working toward peace. We need to stop congratulating ourselves for our political positions and start considering things we can actually do to work for change.

Is this boycott calling for a one-state or two-state solution?

The boycott calls for neither two states nor one state. It calls for respecting international law and human rights.

As Omar Barghouti, an outspoken Palestinian promoter of BDS, explains, “The boycott, divestment and sanctions movement takes no position on the shape of the political solution. It adopts a rights-based, not solutions-based, approach.”

Unfortunately, at this stage, it is not worth talking about a one-state or two-state solution, because Israel allows neither. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims to support a two-state solution, but refuses to cede Israeli control over the Jordan Valley, the major settlements, any part of Jerusalem, and even West Bank airspace. Thus Netanyahu’s concept of a two-state solution does not support any semblance of an actual Palestinian state.

Regardless of the debate over two states or one, Israel needs to abide by international law and human rights standards.

Is the Co-op boycotting Jews?

Some people are claiming that the Co-op is boycotting Jews. The Co-op does not discriminate against Jews. It carries products marketed for observant Jews. It carries products produced by Jews.

When the Co-op instituted its China boycott, it was not construed as boycotting Chinese people or Asian-Americans. This is despite the fact that Olympia has a history of discrimination against Asians. In the late nineteenth century, Chinese immigrants living in Olympia were subjected to racist attacks and were driven out of town. During World War II, Japanese Americans in the area were imprisoned in internment camps. The only explicitly racially motivated killing in recent times was that of an Asian-American teenager who was stabbed and beaten to death by two neo-Nazi skinheads in downtown Olympia in 1992. Despite this history, it was understood that a China boycott was not more “anti-Chinese” or “anti-Asian” sentiment. People recognized that the China boycott was directed at the abhorrent actions of the Chinese government, and nobody complained that Chinese-Americans were not consulted before the boycott was instituted.

I’m not Jewish, so as an ally, I must take my cue from Jews on this issue.

To borrow from Martin Niemöller:
“When they came for the Palestinians,
I did not speak up because I was not a Jew.”

This is a mistaken application of an anti-oppression framework. It is tokenizing, stereotyping, and racist.

To illustrate, ask yourself if you’re not Chinese : would you ask a Chinese-American for permission to criticize China over its treatment of Tibet?

Would you ask a white Arizonan for permission to criticize Arizona for its racist, anti-immigrant policies?

Let’s break down the problems with this thinking:

1 Jews are not monolithic. There are Jews on “both sides” of the issue. One cannot judge the breadth of “Jewish opinion” and assess a “Jewish consensus” merely through one’s Jewish friends.

Moreover, Jews who support the boycott have been marginalized the most. They have been marginalized by non-Jews who claim that their support of the boycott is not a “real” Jewish opinion. And they have been marginalized by other Jews who have accused them of being “self-hating Jews” and “kapos”-essentially race traitors. Pro-boycott Jews have been told by other Jews by a local rabbi, even that they do not belong to “the Jewish community.” They have also been accused of misrepresenting Jews to the gentiles by being outspoken.

The greatest and most anti-Semitic attacks have been committed by anti-boycott Jews against pro-boycott Jews. The Jewish voices that worry about anti-Semitism from the boycott are not coming to the defense of these Jews.

2 It is tokenizing and reductive to consider Jews in one’s community to be the arbiters of acceptable discourse and action on Palestine/Israel.

3 Granting Jews the role of arbiters ignores the thoughts and feelings of Arabs and Muslims in the community who also have a stake in the issue. Jews in the community have been featured prominently in news articles about the Co-op boycott, while Arabs and Muslims in the community have complained about being ignored-or worse, demonized. Supporters of the boycott have been accused of supporting terrorists, Jew-killers, jihadists, Islam-o-fascists, the stoning of women, and female genital mutilation-all sorts of racist and Islamophobic stereotypes.

4 As most Jews in the United States are white while acknowledging that there are many Jews who are not white , and as mainstream US perception of Jews are as whites, this stance gives deference to Jews via white privilege. There is a greater affinity to white Jews within the US mainstream due to shared Judeo-Christian heritage regardless of the existence of Palestinian Christians and greater positive exposure or at least more well-rounded exposure in the media. Thus Jews are easier to identify with than Palestinians, who are viewed as foreign, oriental, exotic, and other. Consequently, the Palestinian stake in the conflict is less perceptible, less understood, and considered less relevant.

5 In fact, Palestinians are rarely mentioned at all in mainstream articles about the boycott, despite the fact that the boycott call originated from Palestinians. The Co-op boycott then becomes a matter that is only relevant to Jews.

6 Jews are perceived as having strong feelings about the boycott, while Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims are not considered to have feelings at all. If their feelings are ever registered, they are dismissed as biased.

7 It reduces the conflict to a Jewish affair-one in which Jews are expected to sort out.

8 Human rights is not strictly a Jewish issue. One should not have to seek Jewish consent before addressing human rights.

The fact that this very article is written by a Vietnamese-American immigrant and not by a white Jew-regardless of my exposure to the Palestine/Israel conflict-may make this article less relevant to some people. This is a difficult discussion to have, particularly coming from a “gentile” like myself. Unfortunately, Palestinian rights and dignity cannot be put on hold until Jews work this out among themselves. To do so only perpetuates the notion that discourse of the Palestine/Israel conflict is “owned” by Jews.

This is also a catch-22 for organizers of the boycott. In order to dispel the notion that a boycott of Israel is inherently anti-Semitic, the organizers had to stress that Jews were closely involved in the organizing. Unfortunately, this meant voices of Palestinians and of Arab and Muslim organizers were marginalized. If Arab and Muslim voices had been stressed, the boycott would be viewed with more skepticism and subjected to more accusations of anti-Semitism-not to mention being subjected to greater racist vitriol on the web.

This does not delegitimize the feelings of Jews who may feel anti-Semitism or who feel uncomfortable at the thought of a boycott. Those feelings are real by virtue of them being felt. The trauma and pain of a legacy of anti-Semitism cannot be dismissed. Yet the problem is when discourse begins and ends with the feelings of Jews-and in particular the feelings of Jews who occupy a certain political position-to the neglect of the feelings of other people, and especially to the feelings of Palestinians who are physically oppressed, and who live and die by the consequences of our actions.

We need to be sensitive to the feelings of people historically oppressed, but that should never be used to ignore or excuse the sufferings of others.

For more frequently asked questions, visit www.olympiabds.org.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eZCeEVzYG8

http://fealgoodfoundation.com/

They said the Social Security program is projected to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes for the first time this year and next year. The Social Security trust fund is expected to be exhausted in 2037, the same date as in last year’s report. Another failed government program.

I know Americans don't like to hear it, but that money is gone, gone, gone!

There WILL NOT BE ANY SOCIAL SECURITY in the future!

It's ALL GONE and the GOVERNMENT STOLE IT for WARS, BANKS, and ISRAEL!!

The report noted that achieving the health care savings needed to extend the life of the Medicare trust fund “may prove difficult and will probably require that payment and health care delivery systems be made more efficient than they are currently.’’

That means LESS CARE for MORE MONEY!

That is what your HEALTH TAX will be PAYING FOR, folks!!

The administration delayed issuance of the trustees report, which normally comes out in the spring, to recalculate projected spending estimates based on the changes the new health care law brought about or will bring about.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the head of the trustees panel, said that while the new report showed very positive developments from the new health care law it also underscored “that we must continue to make progress addressing the financing challenges’’ facing both Medicare and Social Security.

That flush you just heard was the agenda-pushing report following my duty down the toilet.

The trustees report said Social Security pension and disability payments will exceed revenues for this year and 2011, reflecting a deep recession that has knocked millions of people off payrolls, which means they are not paying Social Security payroll taxes.

The report said the program would return to the black in 2012 through 2014 but that benefit payments will again exceed tax collections in 2015. For every year after 2015, Social Security will be paying out more than it receives in tax collections under the impact of the retirements of 78 million baby boomers, the report projects.

Why would I care what a liar has to say?

Here's an idea: SHUT DOWN the WAR MACHINE and the FOREIGN AID to rebuild not really what we have destroyed?

That should fix social security and a lot of other problems right quick!

The government will then have to turn permanently to its trust fund to make up the difference between Social Security taxes and the benefits being paid out. The trust fund, which exists in paper form in a filing cabinet in Parkersburg, W.Va., are bonds backed by the government’s “full faith and credit’’ but not by any actual assets. That trust fund, currently at $2.5 trillion, has been spent over the years to fund other parts of government.

Yeah, save the worst for last, you PoS.

Cuccinelli announced in March that he would challenge the national law. More than a dozen other state attorneys general have filed a separate challenge in Florida, but Virginia’s lawsuit is the first to go before a judge.

Hudson said Virginia’s case raises several complex constitutional issues — mainly whether Congress has the right under the Constitution’s commerce clause to regulate and tax a person’s decision not to participate in interstate commerce....

Stephanie Cutter, a veteran political operative tapped by Obama to guide efforts to explain the law’s benefits, wrote in a White House blog post that the government expects to prevail.

“We do not leave people to die at the emergency room door — whether they have insurance or not,’’ she wrote....

Actually, WE DO!!

Related: Ignored Psych Patient Dies on Hospital Floor

Also see: Why You Will Love the New Health Law

Figures Cutter is a hack!

Federal prosecutors have argued that the relevant commercial activity is the purchase of health care services, not insurance. They said uninsured Americans are shifting $43 billion a year in health costs to others, and that is the problem the coverage provision seeks to correct.

And how much are the wars, etc, costing?

I noticed the corporate conglomerates of the health industry are profitable and their CEOs well paid.

How come EVERYTHING is ALWAYS YOUR FAULT in the PAPER, readers?

--more--"

Oh, did I mention that THE PEOPLE support the STATES?

"Missouri voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a state measure to bar the government from requiring people to carry health insurance and penalizing those who don’t....

And the MSM is trying to tell us the new health bill gained popularity when we never liked it at all and like it even less now considering the behavior of this government and the issue-framing, agenda-pushing, corporate MSM.

--more--"

Yeah, and this nation is going to take their raging anger out on Democrat hide this fall!

It won't make things better, and in fact will makes things worse as we have seen the last two election cycles when we voted for "change , but what other alternatives do Americans have?

A full work stoppage and sit-down strike seems unlikely at best and violent revolution is not a place I want to go. It may come to that, but all other means must be exhausted.

Perhaps the empire will collapse under its own bankrupt and exhausted state saving us the trouble and allowing us to pick up shattered pieces the best we can and move on to true peace.

I pray this is so.

Days after the measure appeared to be legislative roadkill, some Beacon Hill lawmakers are discussing ways to revive it, now that the Legislature appears likely to return to formal session to spend an unrelated infusion of federal Medicaid and education money.

Related: U.S. Senate Trying to Save Own Skins

One House member, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations, said the possibility has been raised that lawmakers would come back and debate both measures.

“There is discussion on whether or not a roll-call vote is required to authorize that funding,’’ the lawmaker said. “If there is a roll-call vote, required under a special session, there is discussion about whether to bring up’’ the gambling bill.

The end of formal sessions on Saturday had been widely seen as the end of protracted negotiations on the controversial gambling measure, as lawmakers headed home to their districts to focus on campaigning for reelection.

But the Legislature, which does not meet in formal session again until January, could be forced to return to approve $655 million in anticipated federal funding, if, as threatened, Republicans on Beacon Hill try to block the new spending. Once lawmakers return to formal session to debate the federal money, gambling proponents say, they would have yet another shot at coming to an agreement with Governor Deval Patrick....

Just the way a compulsive gambler would feel.

Another supporter of casinos, House minority leader Bradley H. Jones Jr., said a deal on gambling remained a distinct possibility. “For what would normally be a quiet week after session, there’s a lot more life than usual,’’ said the North Reading Republican.

Yeah, they tell you they are going home and keep the place running.

What a bunch of liars.

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray have said that coming back to debate gambling is doubtful, but they have not commented on whether they would call lawmakers back to approve the federal money. A session, if it happens, would not happen imminently, in part because many legislators are away on vacation....

It must be a qualification to get into the building.

The Legislature is currently meeting in informal sessions....

--more--"

If the impasse continues, Patrick is better positioned to cobble together support in the fall election, according to several political analysts, because he blocked slots at racetracks — which gambling opponents decry as particularly corrosive — and can argue to unions that he advocated for job-creating casinos.

Oh, so it is ALL POLITICAL MANEUVERING, huh?

PFFFFFFTTT!!!

Patrick’s posture carries risks, however. Organized labor may yet hold him accountable for the demise of a bill unions dearly wanted, and liberal opponents of casinos may not forgive him for proposing them in the first place. Plus, the monthslong debate over gambling has given ammunition to Republicans, who say he has failed to grapple with far more important economic challenges facing Massachusetts....

The casino gambling bill, which won overwhelming support from state lawmakers Saturday in the waning hours of the legislative session, remained in a kind of limbo yesterday....

The legislative session expired for the year on Saturday night and House and Senate leaders have said they would not call lawmakers back in....

But Senate President Therese Murray suggested another solution yesterday, saying that Patrick could safely sign the bill as is, because of a clause that she says gives him the power to block slot parlors at racetracks. She said the Legislature specifically put the decision as to whether tracks would have slots in the hands of the state commission that would be created to govern expanded gambling....

Then WHAT is the BIG WHO-HA?

I'll bet he signs it before election day!

The expansion of gambling has long put Patrick between the liberal wing of the party and labor. Both factions have been central to the Democratic party’s success in statewide elections for decades. One consists of the reform-minded political community that evaluates candidates on issues such as gay marriage, campaign finance, and social justice.

As if that is all they care about.

The other is made up of blue collar, union voters who look to Beacon Hill for support on issues and programs that directly affect their paychecks: laws and regulations that essentially limit state construction projects to union labor, the setting of wage levels, and the management of unemployment benefits.

Yeah, no one cares about the overall economy, the nation, or the wars.

I guess that's why illegal immigrants are such a hot issue in this sanctuary state.

Patrick strategists, who did not want to talk on the record, are counting on liberals, in the end, being with him on Election Day.

That is where you ALWAYS GET IT, liberals -- in the end! From health care to the wars and everything in between.

With the casino debate off the table, that seems probable. As for labor, they realize Patrick will be the target of much of their anger. But they note that labor has always been lukewarm to Patrick and did not play a significant role in his landslide victory four years ago.

HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!

He just CUT YOU LOOSE, too, LABOR!!!

“This decision has the same practical effect as a veto,’’ House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said yesterday, placing the blame squarely on Governor Deval Patrick....

Opponents of expanded gambling greeted the developments with guarded optimism....

I greeted it with deep skepticism. Consider the source.

Labor leaders largely declined to discuss the power struggle yesterday and avoided picking sides, signifying that they held out hope a deal could still emerge. Robert J. Haynes, president of the state AFL-CIO, issued a statement urging both sides to stop squabbling and “come together.’’

Either he knows something or he doesn't care about the governor dumping all over him.

--more--"

But this guy did:

"For DeLeo, much rides on casino showdown" by Noah Bierman and Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | August 3, 2010

The gambling bill remained at an impasse yesterday....

Patrick sent the bill back to the Legislature yesterday stripped of language that would have allotted slot machines to two of the four racetracks. The only way the bill can advance now is if the Legislature, which finished its business for the year on Saturday, comes back into special session, a step leaders have said they are loathe to take....

I'm loathing the lying, folks.

One Senate official said that DeLeo’s position became increasingly intractable and that the normally affable speaker has shown a different side during the gambling debate.

Yeah, it's amazing what $ome thing$ will do to people.

There is debate among Beacon Hill insiders over who would be to blame if gambling ultimately fails.

Then WHY did the agenda-pushing Globe make it seem like it WAS DEAD?

Many believe that Patrick could also pay a political price. While the defeat of a gambling bill could ultimately sit well with liberals in his political base, it will also anger labor unions, which have been a traditional Democratic constituency....

WHO CARES?

Patrick cut them loose above because they were not important to his victory!

What a CROCK of BS!

So WHAT CHANGED in the last two days, Glob?

Exactly what he loses is not certain. So much of power on Beacon Hill is about perception, and the way a loss is treated can be almost as important as a victory....

And that is the AGENDA-PUSHING NEWSPAPER'S JOB to MANAGE!

--more--"

More BS:

"No more compromise on slots, DeLeo says; Override vote called unlikely" by Frank Phillips and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | August 4, 2010

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said yesterday that he will make no further compromises to save a bill to expand gambling in Massachusetts and is doubtful that the Legislature will return to override Governor Deval Patrick’s rejection of the controversial measure.

Just MANAGING the IMAGE!

While DeLeo said he still plans to explore the possibility of calling legislators back into session to revive the bill, he said a deal this year was unlikely.

The speaker’s comments, together with the Senate president’s pessimism yesterday about reaching a resolution, give the strongest indication yet that the movement to bring casinos and perhaps slot machine parlors to the Bay State, despite progressing further than it ever has, will again fall short.

Uh-huh!

“I like to keep out hope, but at this point, I can’t say I’m optimistic,’’ DeLeo said in an interview with Globe reporters.

Senate President Therese Murray said separately yesterday, “I don’t see how it can be salvaged,’’ State House News Service reported. “We’ve exhausted our possibilities of keeping it alive.’’

How do you like the DECEPTION and DECEIT, readers?

--more--"

They sure are good card players, huh?

Now for tho$e with the clout who do you think is supplying the chips? :

"For builders, workers, towns, casino loss stings" by Casey Ross, Globe Staff | August 5, 2010

Don't worry; it won't for long.

The failure to pass an expanded gambling bill has left its supporters seething.

Welcome to the club; doesn't feel to good, does it?

There are the frustrated developers who must now shelve multimillion-dollar building plans and hope for success in the next legislative session.

Maybe not.

There are the municipal officials across the state who were counting on those developments for new jobs and tax revenue.

Then it will get done.

This IS Massachusetts after all.

And then there are people like Robert Young, a landscaper in Palmer who wanted a casino to enliven the local business climate and can’t believe the legislation fell through again.

Even though we don't want them here.

“The leaders of state government ought to be ashamed of themselves,’’ said Young, a member of a Palmer business group that lobbied for a casino there. “They all agreed on 99 percent of the bill, and then they let their egos get in the way.’’

He folded!

He bought the bull.

Fallout from the collapsed negotiations was immediate and emotional yesterday, with labor unions and community leaders accusing Governor Deval Patrick and legislative leaders of fumbling a chance to create badly needed economic activity.

“My members are unbelievably disappointed and angry,’’ said Mark Erlich, executive secretary of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters....

Nationwide, casino legislation has often proved difficult to pass.

Because people know what a bunch of leeches they are.

In Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, expanded gambling bills and referendums have repeatedly failed before winning approval....

Related:

“What is it about democracy that these groups don’t understand?’’

I don't know.

But some analysts said the delay could cost the state, making it miss a critical window of opportunity.

I think I will go all in.

The regional market threatens to become increasingly crowded despite the struggling fortunes of some casinos, including Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in Connecticut, where revenue fell during the recession.

Yeah, turns out it is NOT the GOLDEN GOOSE they told you it was!

Proposals to open gambling facilities in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maine — potential competitors for Massachusetts — are being considered.

“You do reduce your competitiveness by coming in later,’’ said Clyde Barrow, a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professor who tracks the gambling industry. “You end up with more casinos in the same market, and the size of the casinos you could site would be scaled back considerably.’’

State Senator Stanley Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat who led efforts to craft the Senate’s gambling legislation, said he worries that the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe will build a gambling hall in Southeastern Massachusetts before the state establishes regulations.

“I’ve always thought the big issue is that the Wampanoag tribe could gain the ability to open a facility with electronic bingo machines, basically a slots parlor,’’ Rosenberg said, noting that federal law gives tribes the right to offer whatever level of gambling is already legal in the state. In Massachusetts, that means the tribe could offer electronic bingo, but could not open a full-scale casino with table games. However, the tribe has not yet put land into federal trust, a necessary step to open a casino on sovereign land.

Most casino supporters agree the failure of this year’s legislation forfeits an opportunity to generate jobs and tax revenues when communities are most in need....

Is GAMBLING a WINNING PROPOSITION for you, taxpayers?

The effects were quickly felt at the two racetracks that hoped the bill would allow them to install slot machines. Plainridge Racecourse in Plainville laid off 160 track workers Tuesday , and a spokesperson for Raynham Park in Raynham said the former dog track is suspending plans to rehire 400 laid-off workers.

It's called putting the pressure on.

Some casino developers said they were disappointed the governor and legislators couldn’t reach a compromise when the bill was closer to being passed than ever before.

Don't worry, they are coming back!

“It’s sad that it didn’t get done when you have all three leaders who agree it should pass, but then can’t agree on the final form,’’ said David Nunes, a developer who has proposed a casino complex in Milford.

That's sad with a capital $!

He and other developers said, however, that they will continue to pursue their plans to build in Massachusetts, and they expect legislation will eventually pass.

So ALL THIS BG PRINT and PRESS is basically a BULLS*** BLUFF!!

“We’re as committed as we’ve ever been,’’ said Andrew Stern, managing director of KG Urban Enterprises, which is proposing a casino in New Bedford....

--more--"

Aww, I'm busted!

I can't play poker with the Globe no more!

• Boston Globe Says Everyone is a Winner at Casinos
• State House Pulling Out All Stops For Slots
• Gamblers Dealing Mass. Democrats Dollar$
• DeLeo and His Dad
• Casino Comparisons: Connecticut's Foxwoods Failure
• Casino Comparisons: Rhode Island's Red Ink
• Casino Comparisons: The Maine Message
• Casino Comparisons: Out of Luck in Ohio
• Casino Comparisons: California Crash
• Casino Comparisons: All In in Iowa
• Casino Comparisons: Hawaiian Hiatus
• Wampanoags Welch Out on Casino Deal
• Milford Makes Its Move
• The Palmer Protests
• Last Race at Raynham
• Wonderland Loses Its Luster
• Against All Odds: Developers Double Down
• Against All Odds: Senate Sleight of Hand
• Against All Odds: The Story of How the House Passed Casinos
• Against All Odds: Winners and Losers
• Against All Odds: Highs, Lows, and Lies

WASHINGTON — As an associate justice, former Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan will soon face a number of issues that will test her views on the broad legal themes of federal power and state rights, said constitutional lawyer Jonathan Turley, a professor at George Washington University Law School.

Those issues, Turley said, are already working through lower courts. They include a possible final appeal in a challenge to a California ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage; legal challenges to portions of the national health care law, including the requirement that everyone have health insurance; and an Arizona law aimed at illegal immigration.

“Elena Kagan is in a position to hit the ground running in terms of developing her judicial philosophy,’’ Turley said.

Issues scheduled to come before the court in the fall term include prison overcrowding, the rights of defendants to have DNA tests to establish innocence, a law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors, and a free speech case involving members of a small Kansas church who travel the nation to hold antigay protests at the funerals of slain American troops....

Yeah, she won't be rocking the boat on torture or tyranny.

Donna Shalala, former U.S. cabinet secretary and distinguished university president. As far as Israel is concerned: A-Rab.

This is the type of Alice in Wonderland universe in which Israel currently exists. Donna Shalala, former Health and Human Services secretary under Bill Clinton and currently president of the University of Miami, participated in an American Jewish Congress anti-BDS dog and pony show in Israel recently. On leaving Israel, she was stopped at Ben Gurion Airport by security goons who had not received word that she was supposed to have VIP status and not be harrassed as usually happens to other travelers with Arab names like hers.

This incident is rich in irony of course. But the real kicker and the one that shows the psychological power of denial at work in Israeli officialdom is this:

An IAA [Israel Airport Authority] spokesperson reported in response: “This incident is unknown to us. We performed a thorough check. There was no contact made with us or any other body. No unusual events were registered at Ben Gurion Airport, and we have no idea about this incident, which, from our perspective, never happened.”

Of course there were no “unusual events” registered because it is entirely usual for the security goons to routinely harrass travelers such as Shalala. You’d think that even if they didn’t have her on a VIP list that just hearing her recount her job title and the tour she had just participated in in Israel would be enough to make the numbskull who questioned her realize his or her mistake. And why would Israel care about someone LEAVING Israel? I can understand possibly exercising caution about someone entering the country. But leaving?? This seems utterly gratuitous harrassment. Sorry to say it seems to be SOP as far as Israel’s security apparatus is concerned.

I don’t suppose anyone in the Israeli government might want to apologize to her, given that she was there to support their BDS hasbara efforts, misguided as these might be?? Guys, this was your friend, someone who was singing from the hasbara handbook and this is the way you treat her? Imagine how they treat people they know are the bad ‘uns.

Related posts:

1. Ben Gurion University President Calls for Professor Supporting Israel Boycott to Quit The only democracy in the Middle East™ seems to honor...
2. Ben Gurion University President Defends Neve Gordon After Death Threat In a moment of supreme irony, Ben Gurion University President...
3. Ben Gurion President Calls University ‘Zionist,’ Accuses Gordon of ‘Treason’ Ben Gurion University president Rivka Carmi wrote an open letter...

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Missouri's rejection of health care mandate buoys supporters of Colorado ballot measure 05 Aug 2010 The overwhelming vote Tuesday in Missouri to oppose the new federal health care law has buoyed supporters of a similar measure that could go before Colorado voters in November. Similar ballot measures are expected to appear on the November ballots in Arizona, Oklahoma and Florida. By a nearly 3-to-1 ratio, Missouri voters approved Proposition C, which rejects the [originally, a GOP] mandate in the new federal health care law insurance cartel giveaway that all Americans purchase [overpriced] health insurance.

The blazes, coming after weeks of record-breaking heat and practically no rainfall, have killed 40 people and destroyed nearly 2,000 residences.

The aviation supply base near Kolomna, 62 miles southwest of Moscow, burned on July 29, destroying the headquarters, 13 warehouses, and 17 parking lots with vehicles, according to the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The officers in charge of the base failed to perform their duties when a fire that was spreading rather slowly wasn’t contained, and the base leaders were nowhere to be found, Medvedev said at a government meeting in Moscow yesterday.

Firefighters are battling 520 blazes covering 728 square miles, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry. Since the start of the fire season, 1.6 million acres have burned and more than 170,000 emergency personnel have been deployed, the ministry said.

Record heat and drought continue to plague central Russia, making it impossible for emergency crews to prevent hundreds of new blazes daily.

“The weather gives us no chance,’’ said Vladimir Stepanov, head of the Emergency Situations Ministry’s crisis center in Moscow. “The forecast for the next few days is unfavorable, so we’re continuing to deploy more personnel.’’

You know, if you were sitting in the capitals of USrael and were preparing an attack on Iran you couldn't ask for more fortuitous conditions: Russia's battling out-of-control fires while China and Pakistan are dealing with paralyzing floods.

Who is going to be able to help Iran?

Sergei Kiriyenko, head of Rosatom Corp., Russia’s nuclear power company, said fires raging near Sarov in the Nizhny Novgorod region pose no threat to a federal nuclear center located there, Interfax reported. All radioactive materials have been removed from the facility, the news service reported.

I sure as hell hope so.

Related: Russian fires pose nuclear radiation danger

What do you know, another government and MSM lie.

The state Hydrometeorological Center forecasts high or extreme fire danger in western and central Russia, the Ural Mountains, and parts of western Siberia through at least through tomorrow.

Moscow, like many cities in central Russia yesterday, was blanketed in a smoke haze from peat-bog and forest fires outside the city, causing some early-morning delays at Domodedovo Airport.

Gennady Onishchenko, the country’s public health chief, advised Russians to stay indoors as much as possible and to wear masks when they venture out, because the smoke was far worse yesterday than Tuesday.

Russia’s worst drought in at least 50 years will continue this month and threaten more crops and grain sowings, the Hydrometeorological Center said.

--more--"

Let's pick it up there:

"Amid fires and drought, Russia bans grain exports" by Ariana Eunjung Cha, Washington Post | August 6, 2010

Russia said yesterday that it will ban grain exports for the remainder of the year after a severe drought and wildfires destroyed one-fifth of its crop and forced the country to draw from emergency reserves.

The news of an export ban from one of the world’s largest grain exporters sent wheat prices — trading at a two-year high — soaring....

In his announcement at a Cabinet meeting in Moscow, Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin said he would decide whether to extend the ban into 2011 after this year’s harvest.

Amazing how some people care more about their own nation than Israel, 'eh, Americans?

Grain prices are also being affected by unusual weather in other parts of the world.

Heavy rains destroyed much of Canada’s wheat crop, and the country is forecasting a 35 percent drop in production. China’s worst floods in more than a decade are predicted to cut the production of rice by 5 percent to 7 percent. China produces about one-third of the world’s rice....

Then we are looking at MASSIVE FAMINE the WORLD OVER!

The United States is one of the only bright spots for grain farmers.

Related: Food stamp use hit record 40.8m in May

Don't we need that food, Americans?

The US Agriculture Department is forecasting a surplus of about 1 billion bushels, and the shortage in the rest of the world means a larger profit margin for the industry this season.

Now you know why you go hungry, Americans.

The countryside in western Russian, suffering from the nation’s hottest summer since records started being kept 130 years ago, is now battling wildfires that have engulfed more than 484,000 acres and are continuing to spread....

--more--"

An east-west split is emerging among provincial leaders over the census. Premiers in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan all say the census is not a priority for them. But many of their colleagues in the rest of Canada are urging the Harper government not to abolish the long-form census. The list includes premiers from Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

WASHINGTON — As the war in Afghanistan faces a loss of public and congressional support and US casualties rise sharply, the Obama administration is painting its goals for the war as humble and achievable while warning there is no quick fix.

But we could quickly leave.

“Nobody thinks that Afghanistan is going to be a model Jeffersonian democracy,’’ President Obama said in a television interview that aired yesterday.

“What we’re looking to do is difficult — very difficult — but it’s a fairly modest goal, which is: Don’t allow terrorists to operate from this region. Don’t allow them to create big training camps and to plan attacks against the US homeland with impunity,’’ Obama said in an interview broadcast by CBS’s “Sunday Morning.’’

“That can be accomplished,’’ Obama said. “We can stabilize Afghanistan sufficiently and we can get enough cooperation from Pakistan that we are not magnifying the threat against the homeland.’’

“If I didn’t think that it was important for our national security to finish the job in Afghanistan, then I would pull them all out today,’’ the president said. “Because I have to sign the letters to these families when a loved one is lost.’’

In the interview, the president also said he is giving himself a grade of “incomplete’’ for his presidency because the economy has yet to fully rebound.

He gets an F on just about everything else, too!

But he said he has a pretty good track record, including preventing a complete collapse of the economy, saving the financial markets, and the auto industry, and passing the health care law.

The guy is in the same bubble as Bush.

July was the deadliest month for US forces in the nearly nine-year Afghan war, with 66 troops killed. Military officials predict the toll will be even higher for several months to come, as US, NATO, and Afghan forces intensify fighting in Taliban-controlled areas.

The troop surge Obama ordered last year was meant to make that expanded fight possible, but it also guaranteed higher combat deaths and a renewed focus on whether a war that remains a stalemate is still worth fighting.

Notice there is NO MENTION of the allegedly robust peace talk?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates predicted that only a small number of US forces will come home next summer, when Obama has said he will begin phasing out the US combat mission in Afghanistan.

If you believe that I have a bridge I'd like to sell ya!

A large number of US forces will remain past the start of that drawdown, Gates said, and he gave no estimate for when all US forces might leave.

Because we never plan to ever really leave.

Gates and Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, used television interviews yesterday to try to reassure Afghan and Pakistani leaders that the United States will not abandon the fight.

“I think we need to reemphasize the message that we are not leaving Afghanistan in July of 2011,’’ Gates said. “We are beginning a transition process and a thinning of our ranks, and the pace will depend on the conditions on the ground.’’

Yeah, I'm sure that makes everyone in the region real happy.

Don't worry, Gates, I got the message load and clear.

Mullen acknowledged that time and patience are short, and that the fighting so far has not neutralized the Taliban as a military force.

You are out of both.

And it is pretty hard to neutralize a force you are paying off and supporting.

Good way to keep a war going.

Some military assessments from within Afghanistan conclude the insurgency is more potent.

Time to DECLARE VICTORY and GET the HELL OUT!!

Whiffs of that conclusion emerged from tens of thousands of leaked secret war assessments that Mullen decried as an appalling breach of trust.

Gates accused the website WikiLeaks, which posted the material a week ago, of “moral culpability’’ for potentially deadly repercussions. The Taliban can glean a lot about US tactics and sources from the documents, said Gates, who appeared on ABC’s “This Week.’’

“That’s where I think the verdict is guilty on WikiLeaks,’’ Gates said. “They have put this out without any regard whatsoever for the consequences.’’

Sort of like selling wars with headlines that are based on lies, Bob?

--more--"

Related:

• U.S. Targeting Taliban in Pakistan
• WickedLeaks
• Wikileaks Makes Kerry Look Like Crap
• Wiki-Leaks is Israel
• 
  

“The genie is out of the bottle.... WikiLeaks would make matters worse."

Yup.

Also see: What Works for AmeriKa in Afghanistan

Then why aren't we winning.

The images were taken from a police helicopter - the only photographers allowed in the air space near the towers on Sept. 11, 2001. They were obtained by ABC News after it filed a Freedom of Information Act request last year with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which investigated the collapse....

The photos are “absolutely core to understanding the visual phenomena of what was happening,’’ said Jan Ramirez, chief curator at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum....

Watch: VIDEO I

VIDEO II

That clear it up a little for you?

ABC said the institute gave the network 2,779 pictures on nine CDs, saying some of the photographs had never been released before. The network posted 12 photos this week on its website, all taken by ex-NYPD Aviation Unit Detective Greg Semendinger, who was first in the air in a search for survivors on the rooftop. He said he and his pilot watched the second plane hit the south tower....

--more--"

NEW YORK - Lawyers defending New York City against thousands of lawsuits filed by Sept. 11 emergency responders say many of the claims are baseless and have asked a judge to dismiss some of the first cases headed toward trial.

Because they do not want to pay the money.

Is that how government respects our heroes?

In a series of court filings late Tuesday, the city’s legal team detailed several instances in which it said people who claimed to have been sickened by World Trade Center ash were already ill before the attacks.

And jumping on that rubble pile didn't help them.

One former Fire Department battalion chief who attributed respiratory problems to the dust had been granted a disability pension for the same type of breathing ailments in 1999, the city said.

A 400-pound utility worker who said he developed shortness of breath and other health problems after being deployed to ground zero had breathing problems diagnosed before 2001, the city said.

The city has asked the judge who is presiding over the case to dismiss 17 suits on a variety of grounds.

NEW YORK — After years of fighting in court, lawyers representing the city, construction companies, and more than 10,000 ground zero rescue and recovery workers have agreed to a settlement that could pay up to $657.5 million to responders sickened by dust from the destroyed World Trade Center.

The settlement was announced last night by WTC Captive Insurance Co., a special entity established to indemnify the city and its contractors against potential legal action as they moved to clean up the site after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks....

Workers who wish to participate in the settlement would need to prove they had been at the World Trade Center site or other facilities that handled debris. They also would have to turn over medical records and provide other information aimed at weeding out fraudulent or dubious claims....

You know, the same kinds of lies the government told to get you to go to war!

--more--"

Related: VIDEO III

Don't you wish we could go back to that time again, America?

Also see: FALSE FLAG NUKE ATTACK ON U.S. JUSTIFIED….”KING’S TORAH”

Maybe you will very, very soon -- with a somber Obomber this time.

But let's get back to "Ground Zero" for a moment.

"Judge rejects settlement for ground zero workers; Says deal isn’t good enough for responders" by David B. Caruso, Associated Press | March 20, 2010

NEW YORK — A federal judge rejected a legal settlement yesterday that would have given at least $575 million to rescue and recovery workers sickened by ash and dust from the World Trade Center, saying the deal shortchanged 10,000 ground zero workers whom he called heroes.

“This settlement is not enough,’’ said US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who delivered his pronouncement to a stunned gallery at a federal courthouse in Manhattan.

Rising from his chair, the 76-year-old jurist said he feared police officers, firefighters, and other laborers who cleared rubble after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were being pushed into signing a deal few of them understood.

Under the terms of the settlement, workers had been given 90 days to say yes or no to a deal that would have assigned them payments based on a point system that Hellerstein said was complicated enough to make a Talmudic scholar’s head spin.

More on the judge below.

“I will not preside over a settlement that is based on fear or ignorance,’’ he said....

But he will preside over a cover-up based on that.

Sorry, but buildings do not collapse straight down at free-fall speed because of a few fires.

Hellerstein, who presides over all federal court litigation related to the attacks, ripped into the agreement after hearing several ground zero responders speak tearfully of their illnesses and after receiving letters and phone calls from others expressing confusion about the deal.

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the judge’s actions would kill the settlement....

Hellerstein said more money should be set aside for people who later develop cancer that may be linked to ground zero toxins. He said he wanted to retain ultimate control over which workers were entitled to have claims paid.

Hellerstein acknowledged that he felt a personal connection to the case, calling it “the greatest burden in my life,’’ but insisted that his unusual intervention was legally and morally necessary....

Hellerstein spoke after several ground zero recovery workers had risen in court to describe a litany of health problems they believe are linked to inhaling the ash and dust left by the collapse of the World Trade Center....

Government said it was okay at the time.

Wanted to get Wall Street back up and running.

Money for the settlement would be funded with nearly $1 billion in federal taxpayer money that has already been appropriated.

No one knew the incredible monetary costs that were going to come from that atrocity at the time.

--more--"

"Breathing problems persist for 9/11 rescuers" by David B. Caruso, Associated Press | April 8, 2010

NEW YORK — Most of the New York City firefighters and medics whose lungs were damaged by pulverized masonry and glass from the World Trade Center attacks are not improving, according to a new study.

The results are based on breathing tests from nearly 11,000 firefighters who were at ground zero in the first two weeks, when the dust cloud was thickest....

City says they are frauds.

Among emergency medical technicians, the numbers were worse....

The study dims hopes that the breathing of workers who developed respiratory problems would gradually return to normal.

Nothing has returned to "normal" since that day.

Dr. David Prezant, the Fire Department’s chief medical officer and a lead author of the study, other researchers noted that the particle cloud released by the trade center collapse was unique....

So is the collapsing of three buildings due to fire -- an anomaly that has never occurred before or since.

Related:

"The zionist 9/11 cover up agent Kenneth Feinberg predicted the demise of the legislation. Being a 9/11 judicial insider, along with Alvin K. Hellerstein, he was tasked with keeping the truth of 9/11 hidden and the costs down.

--MORE--"

Also see: Judge Alvin Hellerstein

NEW YORK — The city and contractors who handled the cleanup of the World Trade Center site after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, yesterday notified a court they are appealing a judge’s decision to block a $575 million settlement of claims by thousands of people who became ill.

Lawyers for the city and the contractors filed papers with the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit to challenge several orders by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein that had the effect of blocking implementation of the deal....

--more--"

Just a big diversion and distraction.

"N.Y. judge backs 9/11 settlement" by Associated Press | June 11, 2010

NEW YORK — US District Judge Hellerstein implored ground zero workers who got sick after breathing toxic ash to take the money, saying it was time to end an ugly and complicated case that has pitted New York City officials against thousands of men and women hailed as heroes for their service at the trade center....

And SHADDUP!

--more--"

The thing is, the firefighters and police know it was a controlled demolition.

The reason they can not talk is because they have been threatened with the loss of job and pension.

"Judge OK’s deal for 9/11 responders" by Tom Hays, Associated Press | June 24, 2010

NEW YORK — Some recounted their days at a smoldering ground zero. Some fought back tears. Some complained that no amount of money would make them whole.

Only the ABSOLUTE TRUTH and WHO WAS BEHIND IT will set you free.

Despite the mixed emotions, most of the 9/11 responders who appeared yesterday at a daylong hearing in federal court in Manhattan said they favored a deal that would end their seven-year legal fight over the toxic fallout produced by the collapse of the World Trade Center....

WASHINGTON — A bill that would have provided up to $7.4 billion in aid to people sickened by World Trade Center dust fell short in the House this week, raising the possibility that the bulk of compensation for the ill would come from a legal settlement hammered out in the federal courts.

The bill would have provided free health care and compensation payments to Sept. 11 rescue and recovery workers who fell ill after working in the trade center ruins....

Congress failed again, huh?

--more--"

And forget about those guys and the truth of what happened!

AmeriKa always looks ahead!

"Workers urge faster rebuilding at 9/11 site" by Associated Press | March 10, 2010

NEW YORK - Hundreds of construction workers raised a rallying cry of “Build it now!’’ yesterday, gathering with elected officials at the World Trade Center site to urge a quick rebuilding of the complex....

US Representative Carolyn B. Maloney told the crowd: “.... Putting 10,000 people to work in the middle of a severe recession is an economic imperative.’’

The protest was held days before a Friday deadline for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and developer Larry Silverstein to work out a new schedule for rebuilding parts of the site....

Maybe it's time to "pull it," 'eh, Larry?

The city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 9-0 against granting historic protection to the building at 45-47 Park Place in Lower Manhattan, where the $100 million center would be built.

That decision clears the way for a tower of as many as 15 stories that will house a mosque, a 500-seat auditorium, and a pool. Its leaders say it will be modeled on the YMCA and Jewish Community Center in Manhattan.

Yeah, if it were a synagogue it would be no problem.

The vote yesterday was free of much of the vitriol that had been part of previous hearings. One by one, members of the commission debated the aesthetic significance of the building, designed in the Italian Renaissance Palazzo style by an unknown architect.

Christopher Moore, a member of the commission, said the vote was not a matter of religion, though he argued that the building could not be divorced from the memory of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“It is not directly on ground zero, but it is a part of ground zero,’’ Moore said.

After the commission voted, several members of the audience shouted “Shame on you!’’ and “Disgrace!’’ One woman carried a sign reading, “Don’t Glorify Murders of 3,000; No 9/11 Victory Mosque.’’

Shame on you idiots!

Related: JEWS IN GLASS HOUSES

Shouldn't be throwing missiles.

The issue had divided family members of those killed on Sept. 11. Some argued it was insensitive to the memory of those who died in the attacks. Others saw it as a symbol of tolerance to counter the religious extremism that prevailed on that day.

And we know who is happy with that, don't we?

Yesterday, Rick A. Lazio, a Republican candidate for governor, appeared at the vote to oppose the project. Lazio called on his Democratic rival, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, to investigate the finances of the group spearheading the project, the Cordoba Initiative.

“Let’s have transparency,’’ Lazio said. “If they’re foreign governments, we ought to know about it. If they’re radical organizations, we ought to know about it.’’

Do they ask that about the synagogue?

Sharif El-Gamal, chief executive of SoHo Properties, the developer of the project, praised the commission’s decision. He said the center represented “an American dream which so many others share.’’

--more--"

FLASHBACK:

"Huge N.J. corruption case trial set to open" by Associated Press | January 25, 2010

NEWARK - The first trial in New Jersey’s largest-ever corruption investigation is set to begin in a federal courthouse in Newark this week.

Oh, now it is SIMPLY a CORRUPTION TRIAL, huh?

I'm surprised it even got a brief.

Boston Globe Can't See the New Jersey Shore

Boston Globe Censorship: Cutting Out a Kidney

The Body Snatchers of Israel

Israel Admits Organgate

The public finally will get to see Solomon Dwek in action: a government cooperator who secretly recorded hours of meetings at restaurants, diners, and parking lots over two years, showing religious leaders, politicians, and municipal employees in various states of alleged wrongdoing.

It has been six months since the mammoth corruption inquiry resulted in 44 arrests. The dramatic July 23 takedown included early-morning raids from synagogues to city halls and allegations of bribes distributed in cash-stuffed cereal boxes. Prosecutors say the money-laundering operations were so large they were referred to as laundromats.

It also produced one of the more memorable perp walks in New Jersey’s history: Elderly rabbis in long black coats, sweat-suited municipal employees, and assorted bleary-eyed elected officials paraded in handcuffs off a fleet of buses for processing at FBI headquarters.

And it just as quickly faded from the MSM memory, notice that?

Among the defendants: Three mayors, two state assemblymen, and other public officials charged with corruption, prominent rabbis from Brooklyn and Deal, N.J. charged with money laundering, and in one case, a man charged with brokering the sale of a human kidney.

Like an alcoholic always says, "I just had one."

Ten have pleaded guilty, and the rest are awaiting trial. But the man everyone wants to hear is Dwek, the cooperating witness and son of a prominent rabbi that the US government is hanging almost its entire case on.

So reports the concealing Zionist MSM, anyhow.

--more--"

Also see: Boston Globe Can't See the New Jersey Shore

Yeah, whatever happened with that trial anyway?

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission moved too fast in making a decision, underappreciated the building’s historic value and “allowed the intended use of the building and political considerations to taint the deliberative process,’’ lawyer Brett Joshpe wrote in papers filed in a Manhattan state court. The Washington, D.C.-based group represents a firefighter who responded to and survived the attack at the World Trade Center....

The existing Italianate building was constructed for shipping magnates and later occupied by the pharmaceuticals giant Merck & Co., among other businesses.

The law center argues that it deserves landmark status for its architectural features and for its newer historical significance as a structure that withstood being hit by debris from one of the hijacked jetliners used in the terrorist attacks.

“The building is the only building of its kind that links the growth of American free enterprise to the present-day events and the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, events,’’ Joshpe wrote....

Really reaching now, aren't you?

The mosque has become a national political controversy, pitting several influential Republicans and the nation’s most prominent Jewish civil rights group against Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others....

Big-name Republicans including former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and former House speaker Newt Gingrich have criticized the plan, as has the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights group known for advocating religious freedom.

Apparently, the national politics of AmeriKa are dominated by Zionists and their servants.

Wow.

Related: ADL - America's Most Powerful Hate Group

ADL - World's Largest Hate Group

When it is Zionist hate it is okay.

The group behind the $100 million project, the Cordoba Initiative, describes it as a Muslim-themed community center. Early plans call not only for prayer space but for a swimming pool, culinary school, art studios, and other features....

See, if it were Jewish....

--more--"

And look who has to weigh in on the front page, no less :

"Patrick backs NYC mosque plan; Kin of 9/11 victims split on proposal" by Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | August 5, 2010

Governor Deval Patrick, who this spring became the state’s first sitting governor to visit a mosque, lent his support yesterday to an Islamic Center proposed near ground zero, stepping into the middle of a growing national furor over locating a Muslim house of worship so near the site of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

When asked about the controversy during a radio appearance, Patrick turned to the words of President George W. Bush, a Republican, to express the need to make a clear distinction between terrorists and practitioners of the Muslim faith.

Pffft!

“The sooner we separate the peaceful teaching of Islam from the behavior of terrorists, the better for all of us,’’ Patrick said on WTKK-FM 96.9.

And the SOONER we get PAST the FALSE FLAG COVER STORY the better!

The issue has caused bitter divisions in New York and has provoked strong emotions in Massachusetts, where the two planes involved in the attacks took off....

Yeah, see what we are consumed with regarding 9/11 over here?

Cindy McGinty — whose husband, Michael McGinty of Foxborough, was killed while attending a meeting in the World Trade Center — expressed weary resignation to the plan. She said she just hopes it is done tastefully and that officials keep an eye on the proponents of the mosque and their sources of money.

I think you need to be keeping an eye on synagogues.

“It just makes me suspicious,’’ said McGinty, who recently moved to Connecticut. “Why did they pick this spot? Why aren’t they being more sensitive? I don’t trust it. I can’t, because my husband’s one of the people who died.’’

As if we are being sensitive when we bomb Muslims into oblivion in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc, etc.

But a family group called “September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows’’ has come out in support of the Islamic Cultural Center and said it would serve as “an emblem for the rest of the world that Americans stand against violence, intolerance, and overt acts of racism and that we recognize that the evil acts of a few must never damn the innocent.’’

The words sound good, but I'm sorry: I fail to see Americans standing against those things, whether it be the mosque or the wars.

And once 9/11 is exposed in the MSM as the CIA-Mossad job it was then I'll take notice.

“I’m really glad that the governor took exactly that kind of position of leadership,’’ Terry Rockefeller of Arlington, one member of the group whose sister, Laura, was killed in the attacks, said. “I think one of the saddest things about 9/11 has been the ways in which our fears have led us to really unthinkingly give up our Constitution and the values that have made us great. And religious freedom is right up there.’’

The Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish group that works to fight prejudice, declared its opposition to the center last week. “The controversy which has emerged regarding the building of an Islamic Center at this location is counterproductive to the healing process,’’ the ADL said. “Therefore, under these unique circumstances, we believe the city of New York would be better served if an alternative location could be found.’’

The world would be better served without the ADL.

But supporters say that to deny such a use of the building would be to bow to kneejerk fear and prejudice and to curb a fundamental right to religious tolerance.

Did someone pick up a newspaper?

“I really sympathize with the sensitivities of people who are concerned,’’ said Bilal Kaleem, executive director of the Muslim American Society of Boston. “What I’m afraid of is that if we let our sensitivities mean that we effectively ban Muslims from building institutions in lower Manhattan, that would be totally anti-American. We end up becoming what the terrorists are.’’

That is what happens when Zionist control your society and culture.

Also see: Hearing the Call of the Minaret

Yeah, turns out the forces opposed are NOT HAPPY when a mosque is built ANYWHERE!

Talk about INTOLERANCE and HATE!!!

The governor did not invite yesterday’s discussion on the mosque. He began his answer to the host’s question by saying, “Don’t we have stuff to talk about here in Massachusetts?’’

Thanks, MSM!

Patrick went on to say that he understands the concerns of many who still have “fresh wounds’’ from the terrorist attacks. But he recalled Bush’s remarks that Islam is a peaceful religion, inconsistent with the behavior of the terrorists who attacked America.

Yeah, MAYBE it would HELP AmeriKans to REMEMBER THAT for a change!

The WAR-LIKE RELIGION seems to be emanating from ISRAEL!!!!

In May, Patrick reached out to the Muslim community, becoming the first sitting governor of Massachusetts to visit a mosque. He spoke to a crowd of some 1,100 Muslims and pledged to help them with a variety of measures, from denouncing discrimination and racial profiling to advocating time off on Fridays for afternoon prayers....

Probably will cost him reelection.

Voters don't care, but AmeriKa's string-pullers do.

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Spokesman Edmond Ross said he did not know the location of the halfway house. Calls to the agency’s Community Correctional Management section, which oversees halfway houses, were not returned.

Abramoff’s scheduled release date is Dec. 4, Ross said.

He said Abramoff could spend the last two to three weeks of his sentence in home confinement.

The Bureau of Prisons has no home address for Abramoff....

????

--more--"

And then he just disappeared.

Also see: Jack Abramoff released from prison early... for his part in the 9/11 cover up?

Btw, Jack, what was Mohammed Atta doing on your casino ship a month BEFORE 9-11?

Also see: Who Are the Terrorists?

They aren't Muslims, America.

And other news from Today in Palestine:

Land and Property Theft and Destruction/Ethnic Cleansing

Foundation: Israel bulldozes 15 graves in Jerusalem cemetery
JERUSALEM Ma'an -- The Al-Aqsa Foundation for Waqf and Heritage said Israeli bulldozers began razing 15 graves in the Muslim Mamillah cemetery in West Jerusalem on Wednesday. The foundation, which is undertaking the graveyard's maintenance and restoration, condemned the destruction caused by Israeli workers who started overturning the cemetery in the morning.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305209

Wild boars damage farmland
RAMALLAH Ma'an -- Wild boars destroyed crops in Ramallah's Aboud village Thursday, the Agricultural Works' Union reported. The union called on the Palestinian Authority to rein in the animals, which "terrify farmers and prevent them from reaching their lands."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305682

'Village evacuation constitutes war against Bedouins'
Al-Arakib residents vow to rebuild structures demolished by Land Administration. MK El-Sana: Demolitions will lead to intifada in Negev.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3930235,00.html

Impact of Israeli Military Order No 1650 on Palestinian`s Rights to Legally Reside in Their Own Country
CARIM Analytic and Synthetic Notes - The objective of this paper is to investigate how this new order fits within a legal system Israel has set up in the West Bank and Gaza Strip through hundreds of military declarations and orders. Three aspects will be analyzed: first, the way residency status is regulated determining which residents are legal and which illegal; second, the regulation for border crossings and the movement of Palestinians within the occupied Palestinian territory and abroad; third, family unification of Palestinians in the occupied territory.
http://cadmus.eui.eu/dspace/bitstream/1814/14401/1/CARIM_ASN_2010_46.pdf

Solidarity/Activism/Boycott, Sanctions & Divestment
Israeli police use force against Bethlehem protest
BETHLEHEM Ma'an -- Israeli forces used physical force and tear gas against what participants called a peaceful rally near the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Wednesday, demonstrators said. Ten people were reported injured including one child, and 15 others were detained in Al-Walaja village, where Palestinian, Israeli, and international demonstrators attempted to halt the path of Israeli construction equipment installing the newest section of the country's separation barrier.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305290

Dozens mark first anniversary of double Sheikh Jarrah evictions
Dozens marched to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees UNRWA headquarters in Jerusalem on Monday, August 2nd, to mark the first anniversary of the eviction of two Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13555/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Mohammed Khatib of Bil’in’s Popular Committee prevented from going abroad despite an OK from court
ISM Palestine , 4 August 2010 | Popular Struggle, The Shin Bet prevented Mohammed Khatib of the Bil’in Popular Committee to cross the Allenby Bridge on his way to Spain today. Khatib was band despite having a permit to leave the country from the Military court., Mohammed Khatib, a prominent member of the Bil’in Popular Committee, arrived at the Israeli-controlled Allenby Bridge between the West Bank and Jordan today, in order to fly to Spain from the Amman airport. He is scheduled to attend a number of meetings and has a few planned speaking engagements. At the crossing, Khatib was told he is not allowed to travel for “security reasons” and to “go back home”. Knowing that there is no security-driven cause to deny his right to travel, he refused to turn back, saying “If I am a security threat, arrest me now, otherwise, let me pass”. Currently, he is still waiting at the crossing, refusing to evacuate.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13544/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Restricting freedom of movement: an Israeli attempt to silence leaders of the popular struggle
On August 4, 2010 about 1 PM, Mohammed Khatib from Bil’in was denied exit to Jordan via King Hussein Bridge. Khatib was on his way to Spain via Amman when Israeli border officials prevented him from crossing the border to Jordan. Denying the leaders of the non-violent Popular Struggle to go abroad is clearly an attempt to silence Palestinians who speak about human rights violations committed by Israel.
http://palsolidarity.org/2010/08/13572/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+palsolidarity+%28International+Solidarity+Movement%29

Non-violent activist Qumsiyeh is ordered to appear ‘before a colonial officer’
Palestinian activist and scientist Mazin Qumsiyeh speaks about his detention for 12 hours at the Jordanian-Israeli-Palestinian border at Allenby Bridge last week before being allowed to enter. He says that he has been ordered to report to authorities at a West Bank settlement, Gush Etzion, on August 9, apparently because of his activities-- the same day he is supposed to appear before another Israeli judge on a traffic violation. "I can appear before two colonial officers in one day, on August 9."
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/non-violent-activist-qumsiyeh-is-ordered-to-appear-before-a-colonial-officer.html

.Ex-Israeli warns another flotilla in works
Dror Feiler says additional flotilla will be bigger than first, will not agree to Israeli checks on board
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3930403,00.html

NEW YORK CITY BOAT EVENT SOLD OUT
TICKETS ARE SOLD OUT. CONTACT US AT NYBOATEVENT@GMAIL.COM TO BE PUT ON A WAITING LIST AND WAIT FOR OUR RESPONSE.
http://ustogaza.org/

Palestinian Boycott National Committee BNC marks 5 years of BDS
On the fifth anniversary of the Palestinian Civil Society Call for BDS against Israel until it complies with international law and Palestinian rights, the Palestinian BDS National Committee BNC warmly salutes all our local and international partners and supporters, individuals and organizations, who have contributed to the establishment and spectacular growth of what is now a truly global movement for accountability and upholding international law. After five years of BDS, the movement has proven, indisputably, to be the most effective and morally consistent form of solidarity with the people of Palestine in our struggle to end Israel's occupation, apartheid, and persistent denial of the UN-sanctioned right of return for the Palestinian refugees.
http://www.pacbi.org/newsletter/july2010.php

Many Afghan demos in ‘09 were about… Israel
I'm poking around the Afghan war diaries from Wikileaks inspired by Antony Loewenstein and it looks like one element of our nationbuilding effort in Afghanistan is working: the people there have demonstrated a lot, and peacefully, against Israel. Judging by the cable traffic, many of the demonstrations in Afghanistan in 2009 seem to have been against Israel's attack on Gaza. Here's a demo in northern Baghlan on January 1, 2009: 1000 people. The same day an Israeli flag is burned at a demo in Konduz City. The next day in Kabul, 2000 people demonstrate. A day later, another 400 people demonstrate against air strikes. More on January 8. Another on January 15. On January 25, a "peaceful and organized demonstration" near Kabul. No target mentioned for this demo; but you'd guess from the date that it involved Gaza. Oh, and here 350 university students conduct a protest in support of Palestinians, in 2007.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/most-afghan-demos-in-09-were-about-israel.html

The Siege Gaza & West Bank /Humanitarian and Human Rights/Restriction of Movement
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, 29 Jul - 04 Aug 2010
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MMAO-882HHY?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

In Brief: “Impossible” to rebuild Gaza quickly, says top UN official
GAZA CITY Wednesday, August 04, 2010 IRIN - UN agencies have calculated that the Gaza Strip needs about 86,000 new housing units, mostly because of population growth but also to replace the thousands of homes destroyed or damaged as a result of Israeli military operations.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90066

OPT: Gaza humanitarian timeline since 2005
GAZA CITY Sunday, August 01, 2010 IRIN - A four-year Israeli blockade, a 23-day military assault in 2009 and political infighting between Hamas and Fatah have created what a number of UN agencies and governments have described as a “humanitarian crisis” in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90029

OPT: Three different takes on aid priorities in Gaza
GAZA CITY Thursday, August 05, 2010 IRIN - IRIN asked three senior officials in the region - from the UN, the Israeli government and Hamas - what they considered to be the top five humanitarian needs of the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the Strip.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=90073

Narratives Under Siege 5 : There’s Something in the Water: The Poisoning of Life in the Gaza Strip
Gaza City, Palestine—The signs which dot the beach along the Gaza City waterfront are clear: "THIS BEACH IS POLLUTED," they read, and yet they seem to serve only as obstacles for children running to the sea rather than warnings to be heeded of the serious health risks associated with swimming here. For those who care to doubt the sign's veracity, one need only to stroll north along the beach for a couple hundred meters to see raw sewage being pumped directly into the Mediterranean Sea from one of the sixteen discharge sites along the coast.[1] Yet thousands fill Gaza's beaches and waters in spite of the clear dangers. For the 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip, deprived of their freedom of movement, worn down daily by the all-pervasive effects of the Israeli-imposed closure, the sea is one of the few sources of respite available in their lives, and for a people that have been denied their economic livelihood, it is the only such activity that is affordable and available. The sea plays an integral part in the lives of this coastal community: it is a place to fish, to play and to gather with family. The importance of the sea to the people of Gaza cannot be understated: "without the sea there is no Gaza," explains Abdel Haleem Abu Samra, Public Relations Officer of the Palestinian Center for Human Right's Khan Younis Branch.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MMAO-882H58?OpenDocument&RSS20=02-P

UNHRC concludes review of Israel's rights record
BETHLEHEM Ma'an -- The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, issued its concluding observations on Israel on Thursday. The committee found a number of violations of Israel’s obligations under international law, the Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights said in a statement. It voiced concerns about laws, policies and practices that constitute violations of the rights of Palestinians including torture and ill-treatment, the group said. The UN rights body, which periodically reviews the conduct of UN member states, addressed issues brought forward by Adalah, Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and Al-Mezan, the statement said. The Gaza-based rights organization said it was unable to send a representative despite recently being designated consultant status at the UN, due to complications caused by Israel’s blockade of of the Gaza Strip.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305356

American delegation of Christian and Jewish leaders visits Bethlehem
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Twenty men from the US representing Christian and Jewish groups, on Wednesday visited Bethlehem, where officials explained the situation of residents in the city. Mayor Victor Batarseh and two municipal officials received the delegation, explaining the economic, psychological, and physical barrier that the wall around the city imposed. "We are a nation that wants real peace based on justice and equality," Batarseh told the group.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305298

Not making the mark in economic recovery
There is continued buzz this week over new commercial developments in Gaza. The shopping mall is a media favorite, as are reports of a new water park, a media center and new cafes and restaurants. Never mind that all these are housed in either existing buildings that were refurbished or were built anew with materials and money coming in via the tunnel economy; the mere existence of a few places of recreation would seem to point to the total absence of any problems with regard to freedom of movement. Not the case, as we reported last week. Unfortunately, a new mall and a few new humanitarian projects don’t point in the direction of the real reconstruction, recovery and development Gaza needs, especially in order for the economic market to absorb Gaza’s young people.
http://www.gazagateway.org/2010/08/not-making-the-mark-in-economic-recovery/

Throughout Israel, Palestinians are suffocated, Ben White
Despite the growing understanding of the struggles of Palistinian communities, we still need to move beyond the framework of "occupation". Shortly after I had arrived in Palestine last month, I visited the devastated community in the Jordan Valley where the Israeli army had just days before demolished around 70 "illegal" structures. The same week, I visited Dahmash, an "unrecognised" village between Ramla and Lod inside Israel, where Palestinian citizens face pending demolition orders. Finally, just days later, I woke up to the news that the "unrecognised" Palestinian Bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev had been destroyed in a raid involving 1,300 armed police and cheering volunteers .
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2010/08/israel-palestinian-palestine

Calling Gaza a prison camp is an understatement | Laila El-Haddad
There may be some semblance of civil life and stability in Gaza, but it is our freedoms that are under siege. It's three years since I've been back to Gaza. Much has happened since my last visit. Fatah waged a failed coup and now rules only the West Bank, while Hamas is in charge of Gaza. Israel launched its deadly Cast Lead assault. Fuel shortages. Electricity crises. And so on.
I needed to regain perspective. So I walked and I talked and I listened. I went to the beach where women – skinny jeans and all – were smoking water pipes, swimming and generally having a good time, irrespective of the purported Hamas ban on women smoking sheesha.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/05/gaza-prison-camp-understatement

Hamas "morality" campaign restricts civil liberties in Gaza
RAMALLAH, occupied West Bank IPS - Gazans are caught between a rock and a hard place. While Israel continues to apply a crippling siege on the coastal territory, Gaza's Hamas government is cracking down on civil and political liberties in what appears to be a campaign to slowly Islamicize Gaza.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11443.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Violence and Aggression
Israeli Soldiers Hit Children With Their Rifles in al-Walaja, Joseph Dana
The village of al-Walaja continued its unarmed resistance to the creation of the Separation Wall on its lands today. Villagers along with Israeli and international supporters non-violently stopped construction of the wall for one hour and half today. Israeli armed forced responded by arresting 12 protesters and using pepper spray on a majority of the non-violent group.
http://josephdana.com/2010/08/israeli-soldiers-hit-children-with-their-rifles-in-al-walaja/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-soldiers-hit-children-with-their-rifles-in-al-walaja

Price Tag: Settlers riot after structures razed
Four Jews arrested during riot that erupted as Civil Administration workers demolished illegal outpost near Kiryat Arba. Settlers respond by torching Palestinian fields.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3930624,00.html

Police Attacks Residents, Arab Members of Knesset, in the Negev
Salem Abu Mdeighim, field researcher of the Adalah center, stated that a large Israeli police force attacked on Wednesday the residents of al-Araqeeb village in the Negev, and demolished their homes for the second time this week.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59237

Personal angle: World Cup quarter-final
A B'Tselem data coordinator describes what the Barakat family underwent as they hurried home from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to watch the Argentina–Germany match, on 3 July '1
http://www.btselem.org/English/Beating_and_Abuse/20100703_Chase_a_ball_for_90_minutes.asp

Israel army escorts 300 settlers into Nablus
NABLUS Ma'an -- Residents of Nablus were told to stay indoors by Israeli troops patrolling the area just after midnight Thursday, ahead of a mass visit of Jewish worshipers to a tomb in the area. Witnesses in the Balata refugee camp said 12 Israeli military vehicles entered the area on patrol, clearing the streets of residents. The troops reportedly entered the area from the east at the Beit Furik checkpoint.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305423

Detainees
Israel detains 5 Palestinians in Nablus
Nablus, August 5, 2010 Pal Telegraph – Israeli occupation forces detained today five Palestinians in Asira Al-Shmalia town in Nablus. The mayor of the town, Abed Al-Kareem Saied, said that Israeli occupation forces raided the town and number of houses. Besides, they destroyed the furniture of a three-floor building belonging to Mohammed Yassin. He added that they detained five citizens after raiding their house. The detainees are: Mohammed Yassin, Anas Hmdana, Rami Yassin, Mohammed Swalha and Fakher Berawi. Israeli forces raid the West Bank on a daily basis under the pretext of searching for what they call “wanted Palestinians”.
http://www.paltelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6861:israel-detains-5-palestinians-in-nablus&catid=59:west-bank&Itemid=135

PLC member calls for release of professors
TULKAREM Ma'an -- Palestinian Legislative Council member Hassan Khreisha has appealed to the Ramallah government to release two An-Najah University professors detained on Tuesday. Khreisha said that he appealed to President Abbas to release these two professors and to work to end political arrests, whether in the West Bank or in Gaza, so that all resources will be available to resist the occupation.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305555

Rockets
`Sinai rocket launch had Egyptian help`
Al-ARISH, Egypt Ma'an -- Monday's deadly rocket attack on Jordan and Israel was launched by a Palestinian faction with the help of Egyptian operatives, security officials in the Sinai believe. An Egyptian security source told Ma'an that the faction launched seven Grad-grade rockets toward the Red Sea resort cities of Eilat and Aqaba.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305270

Hamas officials decry Egypt rocket accusations
GAZA CITY Ma'an -- Egypt's accusations that Hamas was involved in Monday's rocket attack are "unprofessional and absolutely untrue," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Wednesday. Speaking with Ma'an radio, Abu Zuhri said Egyptian officials were not credible, pointing out their immediate denials that Monday's attack had been launched from within Egyptian territory.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305319

Egypt searches for trucks linked to rocket attacks AFP
AFP - Egyptian police searched the southern Sinai on Thursday for trucks they believe could have been used to fire rockets on Israeli and Jordanian resort towns this week, officials said.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100805/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictrocketisraeljordanegypt

Egypt declares northern border an 'emergency' zone
AL-ARISH Ma'an -- Egyptian security deployed several hundred extra forces on its northern border on Thursday, declaring the area under "extreme emergency" following what officials said was the launch of rockets from the area earlier in the week. Top-level security forces were sent to the northern Sinai, security officials said, to begin investigations into the presence of Palestinian factions who allegedly fired seven grad-grade rockets toward the Jordanian and Israeli port towns of Aqaba and Eilat on Monday, killing one Jordanian man.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305499

Political/Other Developments
Abbas sets conditions for direct talks with Israel
Palestinian president demands complete halt to settlement building in exchange for return to face-to-face peace negotiations.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-sets-conditions-for-direct-talks-with-israel-1.306228?localLinksEnabled=false

Jailed Fatah leader: Talks harm Palestinians
BETHLEHEM Ma'an -- Talks with Israel have reached an impasse and their continuation harms Palestinian national interests, jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi said Wednesday. Speaking with lawyer Elias Sabbagh at the Hadarim detention center where Barghouthi is serving several life terms, the Fatah leader slammed what he described as a trend which suggests talks are the alternative to “fruitless negotiations.”
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305274

DFLP says cobbling together unified Gaza resistance
GAZA CITY Ma'an -- Gaza's National Resistance Brigades said its fighters launched two mortar shells toward the Ashkol military post east of Khan Younis on Wednesday night. The group, the armed wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said in a statement to Ma'an that the launch was conducted at 10:45 p.m. The move came as a retaliation to the Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people, the statement said, and marked the start of an intensified effort to form a unified resistance front. An Israeli military spokesman said there were no reports of projectile fire in the area overnight.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305465

Member of IDF panel probing Gaza flotilla raid: Army to blame, not government
Brig. Gen. Aviv Kochavi reportedly tells Knesset committee that the IDF did not present worst-case scenarios to senior government officials during preparations for interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in May.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/member-of-idf-panel-probing-gaza-flotilla-raid-army-to-blame-not-government-1.306064?localLinksEnabled=false

Turkey summons US envoy over UN flotilla probe AFP
AFP - Turkey summoned a top US diplomat to complain about what it saw as an attempt to define the mandate of a UN probe on Israel's deadly raid on Gaza-bound aid ships, officials said on Wednesday.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100804/pl_afp/israelconflictgazaunprobeturkeyus

Israel to hand over Gaza aid flotilla ships to Turkey
Turkish towing ships to arrive in Israel on Thursday and receive 3 vessels along with the personal equipment that was aboard them.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-to-hand-over-gaza-aid-flotilla-ships-to-turkey-1.306186?localLinksEnabled=false

Other News
Suspected Mossad agent loses extradition fight over Dubai hit
Poland to extradite Uri Brodsky to Germany within 10 days to face charge of forging passport used in assassination of Hamas leader.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/international/suspected-mossad-agent-loses-extradition-fight-over-dubai-hit-1.306209?localLinksEnabled=false

Israel charges three Arab 'spies'
Israel charges three Arab men with spying, saying they passed intelligence to Syria and plotted to kidnap a Syrian pilot who had defected to Israel.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-middle-east-10880448

Civic watchdog: Jews get better legal aid services than Arabs
An absence of forms in Arabic and a shortage of Arabic-speaking staff are among some of the gaps noted in Sikkuy study.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/civic-watchdog-jews-get-better-legal-aid-services-than-arabs-1.306075?localLinksEnabled=false

Shin Bet: Suspected Jewish terrorist Pearlman didn't work alone
Security officials believe Chaim Pearlman had accomplices in the alleged murders of 4 Palestinians.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/shin-bet-suspected-jewish-terrorist-pearlman-didn-t-work-alone-1.306040?localLinksEnabled=false

Customs Department Officers Close Nablus TV Channel and Attack Staff Members
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights PCHR condemns the recent raid on a Nablus TV channel, which included the beating of three journalists working for the channel and the confiscation of filmed material by officers from the Palestinian Customs Department, who also closed the channel.
http://www.imemc.org/article/59234

Media center: Serious deterioration in press freedom
BETHLEHEM Ma'an -- The Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms reported a "serious deterioration" in press freedom across the occupied Palestinian territories in July, a recent report said. The violations cataloged by the center were perpetrated by Israeli, Palestinian Authority and Gaza forces, a statement read. MADA also noted an increase in attacks against journalists by Israeli settlers in the West Bank and called on Israel for unhindered access to journalists The center further condemned the raiding of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate office in Gaza, expressing "its concern at the increasing incidents of raiding the headquarters of NGOs in the Gaza Strip."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=304896

Ramallah radio station: PA confiscated equipment
RAMALLAH Ma’an – PA customs agents confiscated and have refused to return a radio transmitter to Ramallah-based station Mazaq FM, an official at the station said Wednesday. The equipment was reportedly taken during one of several raids by PA forces that targeted radio stations across the West Bank which had allegedly failed to pay a series of licensing fees.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=305388

Could Tourism Save The Jordan Valley?
Without major re-development work, the Jordan Valley will face “a catastrophe within the next decade”, according to economic expert Saeb Bamya of the AIX group. With 30% unemployment, just 4% of land cultivated, and settlements and military training zones absorbing more of the area, local Palestinians face an uncertain future. Radical solutions are needed.
http://www.palestinemonitor.org/spip/spip.php?article1503

Analysis/Opinion/Human Interest
Petition to Mahmoud Abbas: We reject compromise on Palestinian Rights
WRITTEN BY ANTOINE RAFFOUL Israel does not need security. It needs democracy. It has the 4th largest army on the planet supported by the largest and most powerful nation on earth. All of this power poised against an occupied people. It is the Palestinians who yearn for security from attacks, protection from night raids, safety for their families, peaceful access to their farmland, the right to live in their homes just like any other people, and a democratic system run by democratically elected representatives to fight on their behalf for their dignity, their rights and for their freedom. That should have been the agenda at that dinner, Mr Abbas. For this, we ask you to retract your first statement about "Jewish Rights to the Land of Israel" and to support the right of return of all refugees from the Diaspora to their Palestine to rejoin their families and to enable them to live in peace and harmony with all other peoples who came into Palestine whether by day or by night. There is room for all of us.
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/08/04/petition-to-mahmoud-abbas-we-reject-compromise-on-palestinian-rights/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PalestineThinkTank+%28Palestine+Think+Tank%29

Does the NY Times Factcheck Op-Eds?, Bogus evidence showing Arab apathy towards Palestinians
On August 2, the New York Times published an op-ed arguing that Arabs do not care much about Palestinians--and that this is a good thing, especially for Palestinians. But the argument relied on a "poll" of the Arab world that does not exist. The piece, by historian Efraim Karsh, intended to show that the "conventional wisdom" about the Israel-Palestine conflict--that Arabs "are so passionate about the Palestine problem"--is wrong. His main evidence is this: "What, then, are we to make of a recent survey for the Al Arabiya television network finding that a staggering 71 percent of the Arabic respondents have no interest in the Palestinian/Israeli peace talks?"
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4132

More on Efraim Karsh’s ‘travesties’, Jerome Slater
More criticism of that Efraim Karsh piece of Zionist propaganda that appeared on the Times Op-Ed page saying that the Palestinians have been abandoned by the Arab world. Angry Arab says his poll #s were from a website's click-poll. And Jerry Slater asks the right question, why is the Times giving space to such "travesties." Slater gives the piece a realist factcheck
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/08/more-on-efraim-karshs-travesties.html

Why is Obama moving to fund Israel's Iron Dome project?
On 16 July 2010, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro laid out the Obama Administration's policy on strategic cooperation, noting that earlier this year, President Obama "asked Congress to authorize $205 million to support the production of an Israeli-developed short range rocket defense system called Iron Dome." If approved, these funds would be "above and beyond the $3 billion in Foreign Military Financing that the Administration requested for Israel" for 2011. Jimmy Johnson comments for The Electronic Intifada.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11442.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

EXCLUSIVE...Emily Henochowicz Speaks Out: Art Student Who Lost Her Eye After Being Shot by Israeli Tear Gas Canister in West Bank Protest Discusses Her Life, Her Art, and Why She Plans to Return
Today, a Democracy Now global broadcast exclusive interview with Emily Henochowicz. She’s the 21 year-old American art student who lost her eye in May after being shot in the face by an Israeli tear gas canister at a protest against Israel’s attack on the Gaza flotilla that left nine people dead. "I’m not ashamed of the fact that I lost my eye. I’m proud of who I am. I believed in the cause and that’s why I came to that demonstration on that day," Henochowicz says. "I’m not going to be the same person that I was before this happened."
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/8/5/exclusiveemily_henochowicz_speaks_out_art_student

The Legitimacy of Boycotting as a Tactic, Kim Petersen
Progressivism values solidarity, and within that solidarity there is respect for diversity. It is expected that there will be differences of opinion on the causes of injustices and solutions to the injustice. What best captures the essence of progressivism is its adherence to principles. It seems obvious to declare the right to non-violently resist an occupier/oppressor must be one of those principles. There appears, however, a schism on this principle within the progressivist movement.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2010/08/the-right-and-legitimacy-of-boycotting-a-non-violent-means-of-resisting-oppression/

Young African Leaders Forum Town Hall Meeting with US President Barack Obama

By Andy Lau

U.S. President Obama on Tuesday held a town hall with 115 young leaders from more than 40 countries across Africa, and below is the full text of his speech.

2:07 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. Applause. Thank you, everybody, please have a seat. Have a seat.

Well, good afternoon, everybody.

AUDIENCE: Good afternoon.

THE PRESIDENT: Welcome to the White House, and welcome to the United States of America. And that includes even our friends from Ghana, who beat us in the World Cup. Laughter. Where are you? Over there? That’s all right. It was close. We’ll see you in 2014. Laughter.

It’s my great privilege to welcome all of you to this Young African Leaders Forum. You’ve joined us from nearly 50 countries. You reflect the extraordinary history and diversity of the continent. You’ve already distinguished yourselves as leaders — in civil society and development and business and faith communities — and you’ve got an extraordinary future before you.

In fact, you represent the Africa that so often is overlooked — the great progress that many Africans have achieved and the unlimited potential that you’ve got going forward into the 21st century.

Now, I called this forum for a simple reason. As I said when I was in Accra last year, I don’t see Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world. Whether it’s creating jobs in a global economy, or delivering education and health care, combating climate change, standing up to violent extremists who offer nothing but destruction, or promoting successful models of democracy and development — for all this we have to have a strong, self-reliant and prosperous Africa. So the world needs your talents and your creativity. We need young Africans who are standing up and making things happen not only in their own countries but around the world.

And the United States wants to be your partner. So I’m pleased that you’ve already heard from Secretary of State Clinton, and that we’re joined today by leaders from across my administration who are working to deepen that partnership every day.

I can’t imagine a more fitting time for this gathering. This year, people in 17 nations across Sub-Saharan Africa are proudly celebrating 50 years of independence. And by any measure, 1960 was an extraordinary year. From Senegal to Gabon, from Madagascar to Nigeria, Africans rejoiced in the streets — as foreign flags were lowered and their own were hoisted up. So in 12 remarkable months, nearly one-third of the continent achieved independence — a burst of self-determination that came to be celebrated as “The Year of Africa” — at long last, these Africans were free to chart their own course and to shape their own destiny.

Now, 1960, of course, was significant for another reason. Here in the United States of America it was the year that a candidate for president first proposed an idea for young people in our own country to devote a year or two abroad in service to the world. And that candidate was John F. Kennedy, and that idea would become the Peace Corps — one of our great partnerships with the world, including with Africa.

Now, the great task of building a nation is never done. Here in America, more than two centuries since our independence, we’re still working to perfect our union. Across Africa today, there’s no denying the daily hardships that are faced by so many — the struggle to feed their children, to find work, to survive another day. And too often, that’s the Africa that the world sees.

But today, you represent a different vision, a vision of Africa on the move — an Africa that’s ending old conflicts, as in Liberia, where President Sirleaf told me, today’s children have “not known a gun and not had to run”; an Africa that’s modernizing and creating opportunities — agribusiness in Tanzania, prosperity in Botswana, political progress in Ghana and Guinea; an Africa that’s pursuing a broadband revolution that could transform the daily lives of future generations.

So it’s an Africa that can do great things, such as hosting the world’s largest sporting event. So we congratulate our South African friends. And while it may have been two European teams in the final match, it’s been pointed out that it was really Africa that won the World Cup.

So once again, Africa finds itself at a moment of extraordinary promise. And as I said last year, while today’s challenges may lack some of the drama of 20th century liberation struggles, they ultimately may be even more meaningful, for it will be up to you, young people full of talent and imagination, to build the Africa for the next 50 years.

Africa’s future belongs to entrepreneurs like the small business owner from Djibouti who began selling ice cream and now runs his own accounting practice and advises other entrepreneurs — that’s Miguil Hasan-Farah. Is Miguil here? There he is right there. Don’t be shy. There you go. Applause.

As you work to create jobs and opportunity, America will work with you, promoting the trade and investment on which growth depends. That’s why we’re proud to be hosting the AGOA Forum this week to expand trade between our countries. And today I’ll also be meeting with trade, commerce, and agriculture ministers from across Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s also why our historic Food Security Initiative isn’t simply about delivering food; it’s about sharing new technologies to increase African productivity and self-sufficiency.

Now, no one should have to pay a bribe to get a job or to get government to provide basic services. So as part of our development strategy, we’re emphasizing transparency, accountability, and a strong civil society — the kind of reform that can help unleash transformational change. So Africa’s future also belongs to those who take charge of that kind of transparency and are serious about anti-corruption measures.

Africa’s future belongs to those who take charge of their health, like the HIV/AIDS counselor from Malawi who helps others by bravely sharing her own experience of being HIV-positive — that’s Tamara Banda. Where is Tamara? There she is right there. Thank you, Tamara. Applause. So our Global Health Initiative is not merely treating diseases; it’s strengthening prevention and Africa’s public health systems. And I want to be very clear. We’ve continued to increase funds to fight HIV/AIDS to record levels, and we’ll continue to do what it takes to save lives and invest in healthier futures.

Africa’s future also belongs to societies that protects the rights of all its people, especially its women, like the journalist in Ivory Coast who has championed the rights of Muslim women and girls — Aminata Kane-Kone. Where is Aminata? There she is right there. Applause. To you and to people across Africa, know that the United States of America will stand with you as you seek justice and progress and human rights and dignity of all people.

So the bottom line is this: Africa’s future belongs to its young people, including a woman who inspires young people across Botswana with her popular radio show, called, “The Real Enchilada” — and that’s Tumie Ramsden. Where’s Tumie? Right here — “The Real Enchilada.” Applause.

As all of you go to — as all of you pursue your dreams — as you go to school, you find a job, you make your voices heard, you mobilize people — America wants to support your aspirations. So we’re going to keep helping empower African youth — supporting education, increasing educational exchanges like the one that brought my father from Kenya in the days when Kenyans were throwing off colonial rule and reaching for a new future. And we’re helping to strengthen grassroots networks of young people who believe — as they’re saying in Kenya today — “Yes, Youth Can!” “Yes, Youth Can!” Laughter and applause.

Now, this is a forum, so we’ve devoted some time where I can answer some questions. I don’t want to do all the talking. I want to hear from you about your goals and how we can partner more effectively to help you reach them. And we want this to be the beginning of a new partnership and create networks that will promote opportunities for years to come.

But I do want to leave you with this. You are the heirs of the independence generation that we celebrate this year. Because of their sacrifice, you were born in independent African states. And just as the achievements of the last 50 years inspire you, the work you do today will inspire future generations.

So — I understand, Tumie, you like to Tweet. Laughter. And she shared words that have motivated so many — this is what Tumie said: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to do more and become more, then you are a leader.”
So each of you are here today because you are a leader. You’ve inspired other young people in your home countries; you’ve inspired us here in the United States. The future is what you make it. And so if you keep dreaming and keep working and keep learning and don’t give up, then I’m confident that your countries and the entire continent and the entire world will be better for it.

So thank you very much, everybody. Applause.

All right, with that, I’m going to take questions. Now, here are the rules — laughter. People, everybody who has a question, they can raise their hand. In order to be fair, I’m going to call girl, boy, girl, boy. We’re going to alternate. And try to keep your question relatively short; I’ll try to keep my answer relatively short, so I can answer as many questions as possible, because we have a limited amount of time. Okay?

I’m going to start with this young lady, right here. And please introduce yourself and tell me where you’re from also

Q Okay. Thank you very much. I will express myself in French, if that is –

THE PRESIDENT: That’s fine. Somebody will translate for me? Yes? Go ahead. Just make sure that you stop after each sentence, because otherwise she will forget what you had to say.

Q Thank you very much. Speaks in French and is translated. Mr. President, hello. And hello, everybody. I’m Fatima Sungo phonetic of Mali. I do have a question for you and I look forward to getting your answer. But before I do so, I’d like to begin by telling you, Mr. President, how truly honored and privileged we feel to be with you today, and how privileged we are to express the voices of African youth, of African young leaders, and of course fully appreciate your recognizing us and giving us the opportunity to be here, and also recognizing our own responsibility to take your voice back home.

I’d like to say that I’m convinced this is an important watershed moment, this is the beginning of important change, the wonderful initiative you had to call us all here. I wonder when did you see that particular light? When did you imagine that bringing us here would be such a good idea? I’m wondering what your thought process was, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, one of the things that happens when you’re President is that other people have good ideas and then you take credit for them. Laughter. So I want to make sure that I don’t take credit for my ideas — for these ideas — because the truth is my staff works so hard in trying to find new ways that we can communicate not just to the heads of state, but also at the grassroots.

And the reason, I think, is because when you think about Africa, Africa is the youngest continent. Many of the countries that you represent, half of the people are under 30. And oftentimes if all you’re doing is talking to old people like me, then you’re not reaching the people who are going to be providing the energy, the new initiatives, the new ideas. And so we thought that it would be very important for us to have an opportunity to bring the next generation of leaders together.

That’s point number one. Point number two — and I’m going to be blunt occasionally during this forum, so I hope you don’t mind — sometimes the older leaders get into old habits, and those old habits are hard to break. And so part of what we wanted to do was to communicate directly to people who may not assume that the old ways of doing business are the ways that Africa has to do business.

So in some of your countries, freedom of the press is still restricted. There’s no reason why that has to be the case. There’s nothing inevitable about that. And young people are more prone to ask questions, why shouldn’t we have a free press? In some of your countries, the problem of corruption is chronic. And so people who have been doing business in your country for 20, 30 years, they’ll just throw up their hands and they’ll say, ah, that’s the way it is.

But Robert Kennedy had a wonderful saying, where he said, some people see things and ask why, and others see things that need changing and ask, why not. And so I think that your generation is poised to ask those questions, “Why not?” Why shouldn’t Africa be self-sustaining agriculturally? There’s enough arable land that if we restructure how agriculture and markets work in Africa, not only could most countries in Africa feed themselves, but they could export those crops to help feed the world. Why not?

New infrastructure — it used to be that you had to have telephone lines and very capital intensive in order to communicate. Now we have the Internet and broadband and cell phones, so you — the entire continent may be able to leapfrog some other places that were more highly developed and actually reach into the future of communications in ways that we can’t even imagine yet. Why not?

So that’s the purpose of this. I also want to make sure that all of you are having an opportunity to meet each other, because you can reinforce each other as you are struggling and fighting in your own countries for a better future. You will now have a network of people that help to reinforce what it is that you’re trying to do. And you know that sometimes change makes you feel lonely. Now you’ve got a group of people who can help reinforce what you’re doing.

Okay. It’s a gentleman’s turn. This is why there are leaders, everybody has something to say. But you don’t have to snap. No, no, no. It’s a guy’s turn — this gentleman right here.

Q Mr. President, my name is Bai Best phonetic from Liberia. The late Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller was the first black — the first black psychiatrist in America and probably in the world. In my country in Liberia, where there are a lot of great people who make landmark accomplishments both in their nation and in the world, many of them are not recognized for their accomplishments. Today, Dr. Fuller’s name is etched where there is a medical — there is a psychiatric center named in his honor at a place in Boston. There are many other young African and young Liberian talented people who have great ideas and who want to come back home and contribute to their countries, to the development of their peoples. But many times, their efforts — their patriotic efforts — are stifled by corrupt or sometimes jealous officials in government and in other sectors. It’s an age-old problem. Many times, they want to seek — that basically leads them to seek greener pastures and better appreciation abroad instead of coming back home. What are your thoughts on this?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, look, this is a problem that’s not unique to Africa. Given different stages of development around the world, one of the problems that poorer countries often have is that the best educated and the most talented have opportunities elsewhere. And so there’s what’s called the “brain drain” — people saying, I can make 10 times as much money if I’m a doctor in London as I can if I’m a doctor back home.

And so this is a historic problem. Here is the interesting moment that we’re in, though — if you look at where the greatest opportunities are, they’re actually now in emerging markets. There are countries in Africa that are growing 7, 8, 9 percent a year. So if you’re an entrepreneur now with an idea, you may be able to grow faster and achieve more back home that you could here.

Now, it entails greater risk, so it may be safer to emigrate. But it may be that you can actually achieve more, more quickly back home. And so the question is for young leaders like yourselves, where do you want to have the most impact? And you’re probably going to have more impact at home whether you’re a businessman or woman, or you are a doctor or you are an attorney, or you are an organizer. That’s probably going to be the place where you can make the biggest change.

Now, you’re absolutely right, though, that the conditions back home have to be right where you can achieve these things. So if you want to go back home and start a business, and it turns out that you have to pay too many bribes to just get the business started, at some point you may just give up.

And that’s why one of the things that we’re trying to do — working with my team — when we emphasize development, good governance is at the center of development. It’s not separate. Sometimes people think, well, that’s a political issue and then there’s an economic issue. No. If you have a situation where you can’t start a business or people don’t want to invest because there’s not a clear sense of rule of law, that is going to stifle development.

If farmers have so many middlemen to get their crops to market that they’re making pennies when ultimately their crops are being sold for $10, over time that stifles agricultural development in a country. So what we want to do is make sure that in our interactions with your governments, we are constantly emphasizing this issue of good governance because I have confidence that you’ll be able to figure out what changes need to be made in your country.

I’ve always said the destiny of Africa is going to be determined by Africans. It’s not going to be determined by me. It’s not going to be determined by people outside of the continent. It’s going to be determined by you. All we can do is make sure that your voices are heard and you’re able to rise up and take hold of these opportunities. If you do that, I think that there are going to be a lot of people who — even if they’re educated abroad — want to come home to make their mark.

All right. Let’s see, I’m going to call on this young lady right here.

Q Speaks in Portuguese and is translated. Good afternoon, everyone. And thank you, Mr. President, for this opportunity.

THE PRESIDENT: That sounds like Portuguese. Laughter.

Q It is, indeed, from Mozambique, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: Great.

Q Knowing, Mr. President, that, of course, America is a reference point for democracy in the world, and that you, sir, are, indeed a protagonist in that context today, I would love to hear from you, sir, what you would recommend to the young people in Africa and to civil society, in particular, in terms of following principles of nonviolence and good governance and democratic principles in our country. Because, of course, our reality is very often quite starkly different. There are 80 percent abstentionism often in elections, and elections that, indeed, lack transparency. And all too often lead, alas, to social conflict. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me say, first of all, that if you are — just as I said that you can’t separate politics from economics, you can’t separate conflict from development. So the constant conflict, often ethnically-based conflict, that has taken place in Africa is a profound detriment to development and it’s self-reinforcing.

If you have conflict and violence, that scares off investors. That makes it more difficult for business people to create opportunities, which means that young people then don’t have work, which means that they are more prone to be recruited in violent conflicts. And you can get a vicious cycle.

So I am a profound believer in not looking at violence as a solution to problems. And I think the moral and ethical power that comes with nonviolence when properly mobilized is profound.

Number two, I think the most important thing that maybe young people here can do is to promote the values of openness, transparency, honest debate, civil disagreements within your own groups and your own organizations, because that forms good habits. If you are part of an organization — and I’m going to speak to the men here, in particular — if you are part of an organization where you profess democracy but women don’t have an equal voice in your organization, then you’re a hypocrite, right? And that is something that — applause. And that is something that we have to be honest about. Oftentimes, women are not getting the same voice in African countries, despite the fact that they are carrying more than their fair share of burdens.

So within your own organizations, within your own networks, modeling good democratic practices, listening to people who you disagree with respectfully, making sure that everybody gets a seat at the table — all those things I think are very important.

Because part of what I’m going to — what I’m hoping for is that some of you will end up being leaders of your country some day. And if you think about it, back in the 1960s, when all these — your grandparents, great-grandparents were obtaining independence, fighting for independence, the first leaders, they all said they were for democracy. And then what ends up happening is you’ve been in power for a while and you say, well, I must be such a good ruler that it is for the benefit of the people that I need to stay here. And so then you start changing the laws, or you start intimidating and jailing opponents. And pretty soon, young people just like yourself — full of hope and promise — end up becoming exactly what they fought against.

So one of the things that I think everybody here has to really internalize is the notion that — I think it was Gandhi who once said you have to be the change that you seek. You have to be the change that you seek. And one of the wonderful things about the United States is that in my position as President there oftentimes where I get frustrated, I think I know more than some of my critics. And yet, we have institutionalized the notion that those critics have every right to criticize me, no matter how unreasonable I think they may be. And I have to stand before the people for an election, and I’m limited to two terms — it doesn’t matter how good a job I do. And that’s good, because what that means is that we’ve got to — we’ve instituted a culture where the institutions of democracy are more important than any one individual.

And, now, it’s not as if we’re perfect. Obviously, we’ve got all kinds of problems as well. But what it does mean is that the peaceful transfer of power and the notion that people always have a voice — our trust in that democratic process is one that has to be embraced in all your countries as well.

Okay? All right, it’s a gentleman’s turn. Let me try to get this side of the table here. This gentleman right here. I’m not going to get everybody, so I apologize in advance.

Q Thank you very much, Mr. President. I’m from Malawi. Mr. President, HIV/AIDS is greatly affecting development in Africa. And if this continues, I’m afraid I think Africa has no future. And I think the young people like us must bring change. And we really need a strong HIV prevention program. But, again, access to treatment must be there.

I attended the recent World AIDS Conference in Vienna, and the critics were saying that the worst — the U.S. government is not supporting enough HIV/AIDS work in Africa through the PEPFAR and the Global Fund. But, again, on the other side, other HIV/AIDS activists are saying that Africa on its own has not mobilized enough resources to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic and they are largely depending on the West.

I think the challenge for us as African young leaders is to make sure that this comes to an end and we really need to reduce the transmission. I don’t know — from your perspective, what can we do to make sure that this comes to a stop? Otherwise, it’s greatly affecting development in Africa.

THE PRESIDENT: Good. Well, let me start by just talking about the United States and what we’re doing. I had some disagreements with my predecessor, but one of the outstanding things that President Bush did was to initiate the PEPFAR program. It’s a huge investment in battling HIV/AIDS both with respect to prevention and also with respect to treatment. Billions of dollars were committed. We have built off of that.

So when you hear critics — what the critics are saying is that although I’ve increased the funding of the PEPFAR program, they would like to see it increased even more, which I’m sympathetic to, given the fact that the need is so great. But understand I’ve increased it; I haven’t decreased it — at a time when the United States is suffering from the worst economic — just coming out of the worst economic recession that we’ve seen since the 1930s. Nevertheless, because of our commitment to this issue, we’ve actually increased funding.

Now, we have couched it in a broader initiative we call the Global Health Initiative. Because even as we’re battling HIV/AIDS, we want to make sure that we are thinking not only in terms of treatment, but also in terms of prevention and preventing transmission.

We’re never going to have enough money to simply treat people who are constantly getting infected. We’ve got to have a mechanism to stop the transmission rate. And so one of the things we’re trying to do is to build greater public health infrastructure, find what prevention programs are working, how can we institutionalize them, make them culturally specific — because not every program is going to be appropriate for every country.

I will say that in Africa, in particular, one thing we do know is that empowering women is going to be critical to reducing the transmission rate. We do know that. Because so often women, not having any control over sexual practices and their own body, end up having extremely high transmission rates.

So the bottom line is we’re going to focus on prevention, building a public health infrastructure. We’re still going to be funding, at very high levels, antiviral drugs. But keep in mind, we will never have enough money — it will be endless, an endless effort if the transmission rates stay high and we’re just trying to treat people after their sick.

It’s the classic story of a group of people come upon all these bodies in a stream. And everybody jumps in and starts pulling bodies out, but one wise person goes downstream to see what’s exactly happening that’s causing all these people to drown or fall in the water. And that’s I think what we have to do, is go downstream to see how can we reduce these transmission rates overall.

And obviously — when I visited Kenya, for example — just in terms of education — Michelle and I, we both got tested near the village where my father was born. We got publicly tested so that we would know what our status was. That was just one example of the kinds of educational mechanisms that we can use that hopefully can make some difference.

All right? Okay, it’s a woman’s turn. Okay, this one right here.

Q Thank you, very much, Mr. President. And greetings from Ghana. We are looking forward fervently to 2014 – laughter — for a repeat. And I recollect that I was hosting a radio program the day of the match. And we have a football pundit in Ghana — he doesn’t speak English quite well, but very passionate. And so I was interviewing him about what the psyche of our boys should be ahead of the match. And he said to me, “This is not war, it is football. If it were to be war, then maybe we should be afraid because the might of America is more than us.” Laughter. This is football. They should go out there and be the best that they could be. And they did.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, they did an excellent job. They were a great team.

Q Mr. President, my question now is that I hear a lot of young African leaders wonder how committed America would be to a partnership. I hear those who are cynical about the notion of partnership. They ask — and always they ask, partnership? What kind of fair partnership can exist between a strong and a weak nation?

And so as we prepare ourselves for the future, we ask the same question of America: How committed is your country to ensuring that the difficult decisions that young people have to make about trade, about agriculture, about support, are made — to the extent that they may not be in the interest of America? Because they tell me also that America will protect its interest over and above all else. Is America committed to ensuring a partnership that might not necessarily be beneficial to America, but truly beneficial to the sovereign interest of the countries that we represent?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me say this. All countries look out for their interests. So — and I’m the President of the United States, so my job is to look out for the people of the United States. That’s my job, right? Applause.

Now, I actually think, though, that the interests of the United States and the interests of the continent of Africa greatly overlap. We have a huge interest in seeing development throughout Africa — because we are a more mature economy, Africa is a young and growing economy, and if you can buy more iPods and buy more products and buy more services and buy more tractors from us, that we can sell to a fast-growing continent, that creates jobs here in the United States of America.

We have a huge interest in your public health systems because if we’re reducing greatly HIV/AIDS transmissions in Africa, then that will have a positive effect on HIV rates internationally, because of the transmigration of diseases back and forth in an international world. And not to mention, if I’m not spending all this money on PEPFAR, that’s money I can spend somewhere else. So I’m going to be incentivized to see Africa do well. That’s in our interest.

And the truth of the matter is, is that whereas with some regions of the world, we do have some genuine conflicts of interest — let’s say on trade, for example — the truth is that the United States, we don’t have huge conflicts when it comes to trade because, frankly, the trade between the United States and Africa is so small, so modest, that very few U.S. companies, U.S. commercial interests are impacted.

That’s why AGOA, our trade arrangement with Africa — we can eliminate tariffs and subsidies and allow all sorts of goods to come in partly because you are not our primary competition.

Now, I don’t want to pretend that there aren’t ever going to be conflicts. There will be. There’s going to be difference in world views. There are going to be some agricultural products where there are certain interests in the United States or there are certain interests in Europe that want to prevent those from coming in, even though, in the aggregate, it would not have a huge impact on the U.S. economy. And so there are going to be occasional areas of tension. But overall, the reason you should have confidence that we want a partnership is because your success will enhance our position rather than reduce it.

Also Africa has some of our most loyal friends. Every survey that’s taken, when you ask what continent generally has the most positive views about America, it turns out Africa generally has a positive view of America and positive experiences. So I think that you should feel confident even if I’m not President that the American people genuinely want to see Africa succeed.

What the American people don’t want is to feel like their efforts at helping are wasted. So if at a time of great constraint, we are coming up with aid, those aid dollars need to go to countries that are actually using them effectively. And if they’re not using them effectively, then they should go to countries that are.

And one of the things that I’ve said to my development team is I want us to have high standards in terms of performance and evaluation when we have these partnerships — because a partnership is a two-way street. It means that, on the one hand, we’re accountable to you and that we have to listen to you and make sure that any plans that we have, have developed indigenously. On the other hand, it also means you’re accountable. So you can’t just say, give me this, give me that, and then if it turns out that it’s not working well, that’s not your problem. Right? It has to be a two-way street.

Okay, looks like this side has not gotten a question here. So how about this gentleman right here.

Q Thank you, Mr. President — I’m from Zimbabwe. Currently our government is in a transition between the former ruling party Zanu PF and the Movement for Democratic Change. And within this same context, Zimbabwe is currently under restrictive measures, especially for those who are party in line with Robert Mugabe under the ZIDERA Act. How has been the success of ZIDERA — the formation of the inclusive government? Because in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is still using the rhetoric of sanctions, racist, property rights abuse, human rights abuse, in violation to the rule of law. How has been the success of that towards the implementation — the success or the growth of young people?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, you probably have a better answer than me. So you should be sharing with our team what you think would make the most sense. I’ll be honest with you — I’m heartbroken when I see what’s happened in Zimbabwe. I think Mugabe is an example of a leader who came in as a liberation fighter and — I’m just going to be very blunt — I do not see him serving his people well. And the abuses, the human rights abuses, the violence that’s been perpetrated against opposition leaders I think is terrible.

Now, Changerai has tried to work — despite the fact that he himself has been beaten and imprisoned, he has now tried to work to see if there is a gradual transition that might take place. But so far, the results have not been what we had hoped.

And this always poses a difficult question for U.S. foreign policy because, on the one hand, we don’t want to punish the people for the abuses of a leader; on the other hand, we have very little leverage other than saying, if there are just systematic abuses by a government, we are not going to deal with them commercially, we’re not going to deal with them politically, in ways that we would with countries that are observing basic human rights principles.

And so there have been discussions when I’ve traveled with leaders in the Southern African region about whether or not sanctions against Zimbabwe are or are not counterproductive. I will tell you I would love nothing more than to be able to open up greater diplomatic relationships and economic and commercial relationships with Zimbabwe. But in order to do so, we’ve got to see some signal that it will not simply entrench the same past abuses but rather will move us in a new direction that actually helps the people.

And Zimbabwe is a classic example of a country that should be the breadbasket for an entire region. It’s a spectacular country. Now, it had to undergo a transition from white minority rule that was very painful and very difficult. But they have chosen a path that’s different than the path that South Africa chose.

South Africa has its problems, but from what everybody could see during the World Cup, the potential for moving that country forward as a multiracial, African democracy that can succeed on the world stage, that’s a model that so far at least Zimbabwe has not followed. And that’s where I’d like to see it go. All right?

How much more time do I have, guys? Last question? I’m sorry — last question. Last question. No, it’s a young lady’s turn. This one right here.

Q Good afternoon, Mr. President, your excellencies. I am from Somalia. I came all the way here with one question, and that is, living in conflict in a country that has confused the whole world, and being part of the diaspora that went back to risk our lives in order to make Somalia a better place, especially with what we’re going through right now — how much support do we expect from the U.S.? And not support just in terms of financially or aid, but support as an ear, as a friend, as somebody who hears and listens to those of us who are putting our lives and our families at risk to defend humanity.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think you will have enormous support from the people of the United States when it comes to trying to create a structure and framework in Somalia that works for the Somali people.

Now, the history of Somalia over the last 20 years has been equally heartbreaking, if not more so. You have not had a effective, functioning government that can provide basic services. It’s been rife with conflict. And now the entire region is threatened because of radical extremists who have taken root in Somalia, taking advantage of what they perceive to be a failing state, to use that as a base to launch attacks, most recently in Uganda.

And obviously the United States expresses its deepest condolences to the lives that were lost in Kampala — at the very moment of the World Cup. And it offered two contrasting visions. You have this wonderful, joyous celebration in South Africa at the same time as you have a terrorist explosion in Kampala.

So we desperately want Somalia to succeed. And this is another example of where our interests intersect. If you have extremist organizations taking root in Somalia, ultimately that can threaten the United States as well as Uganda, as well as Kenya, as well as the entire region.

So right now you’ve got a transitional government that is making some efforts. I don’t think anybody expects Somalia anytime in the next few years to suddenly be transformed into a model democracy. Whatever governance structures take place in Somalia have to be aware of the tribal and traditional structures and clan structures that exist within Somalia. But certainly what we can do is create a situation where people — young people are not carrying around rifles, shooting each other on the streets. And we want to be a partner with Somalia in that effort, and we will continue to do so.

And some of it is financial, some of it is developmental, some of it is being able to help basic infrastructure. In some cases, we may try to find a portion of the country that is relatively stable and start work there to create a model that the rest of the country can then look at and say, this is a different path than the one that we’re taking right now.

But in the end, I think that this metaphor of the success of the World Cup and the bombing shows that each of you are going to be confronted with two paths. There’s going to be a path that takes us into a direction of more conflict, more bloodshed, less economic development, continued poverty even as the rest of the world races ahead — or there’s a vision in which people come together for the betterment and development of their own country.

And for all the great promise that’s been fulfilled over the last 50 years, I want you to understand — because I think it’s important for us to be honest with ourselves — Africa has also missed huge opportunities for too long. And I’ll just give you one example.

When my father traveled to the United States and got his degree in the early ’60s, the GDP of Kenya was actually on partner, maybe actually higher than the GDP of South Korea. Think about that. All right? So when I was born, Kenya per capita might have been wealthier than South Korea. Now it’s not even close. Well, that’s 50 years that was lost in terms of opportunities. When it comes to natural resources, when it comes to the talent and potential of the people, there’s no reason why Kenya shouldn’t have been on that same trajectory.

And so 50 years from now, when you look back you want to make sure that the continent hasn’t missed those opportunities as well. We want to make sure of that as well. And the United States wants to listen to you and work with you. And so when you go back and you talk to your friends and you say, what was the main message the President had — we are rooting for your success, and we want to work with you to achieve that success, but ultimately success is going to be in your hands. And being a partner means that we can be there by your side, but we can’t do it for you.

Okay, thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Applause.

END 3:03 P.M. EDT

Peace all
dtg
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
- Albert Einstein

In an interview for the September issue of Ladies’ Home Journal, Mrs. Obama said she recently was “on a sort of cleanse’’ in which she was just eating vegetables. The first lady, who is on a campaign against childhood obesity, also says she never talks about weight with her daughters because the topic is too sensitive, and that she made the girls take up tennis under protest.

But she can lecture your kids!

Related: Meet First Lady Michelle Obama

I respectfully decline, thanks.

“I have them do a sport that they like and a sport that I like,’’ she said. “I want them to understand what it feels like to do something you don’t like and to improve. Because in life you don’t always get to do the things you want.’’

Unless you are Israel.

Daughters Sasha and Malia resisted tennis at first, she says, “but now they’re starting to get better and they actually like it. And I’m like, ‘Mom was right!’ ’’

Michelle Obama also made a point to show she is human when it comes to diet and exercise: She said there are days when she skips her typical 4:30 a.m. workout and that on a recent weekend in Chicago she “ate everything that was available. In fact, we had a take-out food-fest.’’

Yeah, now eat this pile of s***, 'murkns!

*********

She does not give a lot of detail about her cleanses, saying that she might do one for two days but that “it isn’t a way of life because I like food too much.’’

This while 1 in 8 Americans is starving.

Her cleanse involves eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible and cutting out fats, oil, dairy, meat, caffeine, sugar, and starch for a short period of time, according to the White House.

--more--"

I feel like I need a cleansing ? after that?

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who are receiving food stamps rose to a record 40.8 million in May as the jobless rate hovered near a 27-year high, the government reported yesterday....

Participation has set records for 18 straight months....

That's all right; the Obama's are eating good.

See: An Entourage Surpassing the Queen's

Are you hungry, taxpayer?

--more--"

Better not miss the BBQ:

"6 drowning victims at La. barbecue were from 2 families" by Associated Press | August 4, 2010

SHREVEPORT, La. — Seven teenagers from two families were splashing around in the shallow waters of the Red River when one of them stepped off a slippery ledge and plummeted into much deeper water. The others tried to save the boy even though none of them could swim, but they too were swallowed by the water, some 20 to 30 feet deep.

Then why were they in the river?

Their relatives, who couldn’t swim, either, looked on helplessly as six struggling teens screamed for help, then vanished and drowned on Monday afternoon....

The large group of family and friends had gathered for an afternoon of swimming and barbecuing in the oppressive heat. The group had only been at the river for about 10 minutes when tragedy struck; they didn’t even have time to set up the barbecue....

“I’m going to have to talk to Secret Service,’’ Obama said. Then, casting a glance toward the agents, he said teasingly, “They’re probably eating it right now.’’

Yeah, I think you should -- although I would watch the insults.

Meanwhile, the president’s birthday — though a year shy of the big 5-0 milestone — is being used in this election year as a prime fund-raising opportunity for Democratic candidates and party organizations.

Related: Democrats Caught With Drawers Down

Put away that checkbook, American.

Obama will tour an auto plant today in Chicago and attend Democratic fund-raisers before returning to Washington.

How does that help the global warming mess?

Want to go to the carnival after lunch?

"Mass. woman puts end to Obama game at fair" by Associated Press | August 5, 2010

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The game, dubbed “Alien Attack,’’ featured a large painted image of a black man wearing a belt buckle with the presidential seal and holding a scroll labeled “Health Bill.’’ Players could win prizes such as stuffed animals by hitting targets on the image’s head and heart.

The game was featured in late July at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Big Time Celebration, an annual fair that raises money for the Roman Catholic parish in Roseto.

Kathryn Chapman, 55, of Medford, Mass., who spent part of her childhood in Roseto and was in town for a family reunion, spotted the game and complained....

“What is the message you are sending kids, that if your views don’t agree with somebody else’s, shoot them? I just found it incredibly disrespectful and violent,’’ Chapman said yesterday....

Israel does it all the time and no one seems to care.

And Ms. Chapman obviously doesn't mean the millions of Muslims we have slaughtered over lies.

As for the agenda-pushing race issue:

"Interviews with White House and Agriculture Department officials reveal a greater level of White House involvement in the incident than officials initially let on....

Is there not ONE THING this White House can tell the TRUTH about?

--more--"

Related: Matters of Black and White

So they DID THIS with their fall lady so RACE would become a POLITICAL ISSUE, for the fall, huh?

Is there NO LEVEL to which this government and MSM will stoop?

Strange, readers, but I have lost my appetite.

Last month, activist Rachel Marcuse spent 10 days in Israel as part of the Taglit-Birthright program -- a fully sponsored trip for young North American Jews to learn more about the country. She went to bear witness and ask questions about the Israeli state's treatment of Palestinians, and to learn about other complex issues in Israel today. After the program, she spent another 10 days elsewhere in Israel and the West Bank of Palestine talking to Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, international activists, and Palestinians in the occupied territories. This is the second of a seven-part series on what she found. You can read the first part here and the second part here. This series first appeared in rabble.ca and this story can be found here.

Day 5

We wake up at 6 a.m. and load the bus, still sleep-deprived, and head to the holy city of Tsfat, the ancient city of mystics and Kabbalah tucked away in the mountains almost due north of Tiberias, which sits on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. After visiting some very old synagogues and hearing stories about missiles destroying parts of the city in the Second Lebanese War, we have a precious two hours of free time and I walk around the town with my friend, Hannah. We wander back to Ronan, a Yemenite cook and mystic/bullshitter depending on your perspective , who earlier wanted us all to yell "I love Israel!" at the top of our lungs. I passed on that, hoping that the white-robed Ronan wouldn't open his eyes and notice me. We enjoy his pizza-like creation, made with a tasty Yemenite yeast bread called lechuch, and look out at the street. The place does have some crazy energy to it. Or maybe it's just all the Hassidic kids running around.

Things really get interesting after lunch when the Israeli soldiers and students join us for our mifgash or "encounter." They will be with us for the next five days. After an awkward game of charades with "the Israelis," we go to see a glass-blowing demonstration. Our glass-blowing artist/host is an articulate, hip Princeton-educated American-Israeli Hasid who tells us her story of making aliyah. As Or, one of the Israeli students, later jokes to me: "It was like ‘look into the fire and let's be spiritual together.'" She is one of the many brilliant choices of presenters Taglit introduces us to -- smart people, easy to relate to -- and all coming across as incredibly reasonable.

We head to the "eco-greenhouse" at Kibbutz Ein Shemer for our workshop on "coexistence." This presentation is apparently why our Taglit experience will be different -- we will get an Arab perspective! It turns out that one of the people scheduled to speak with us, who is described by our tour guide as "critical and very interesting" and who lives on this side of the separation wall, is unable to make it. We are instead hosted in the very beautiful but very noisy greenhouse -- it's impossible to hear each other without microphones -- by a young Jewish program leader with curly hair and Birkenstocks who works in the greenhouse with Israeli Jewish and Arab youth from the area. She is joined by a 19-year-old Arab-Israeli woman who promotes a service program for Arab-Israelis who, with the exception in some cases of Druze and Bedouins, aren't allowed to serve in the army .

So, as it turns out, we're going to get the pro-Israel perspective of a Jewish Israeli and the pro-Israel perspective of an Arab-Israeli, who -- while both seem to be lovely -- don't exactly represent the breadth of political opinion we had been promised in this "pluralistic" Birthright trip. Not that any of us are surprised.

The greenhouse program leader tells us in English that she is about to address the soldiers and then switches to Hebrew. I wait for her to finish and then ask the soldier sitting beside me what she said. Essentially, it turns out, she told the soldiers to behave -- that, as they represent the state, they should hold back on their views. I have a feeling that soldiers on previous Taglit trips may have heckled Arab presenters.

The young Israeli woman switches back to English to tell us about her experience with the separation wall, describing it as "ethically bad," but "practically good." This was an argument I heard frequently -- as the wall seems to many to have reduced the number of suicide bombings. From others, I heard how the wall divides villages, how it "provides a false sense of security," and fails to address the root issues.

Later, I learn that some 33,000 Palestinians with West Bank ID cards, residents of 36 communities, are located in a kind of limbo between the separation wall and the Green Line, the pre-1967 border, many of them cut off from the farms on which they depend.

The young Arab woman is passed the microphone and provides a description of three categories of Arabs in Israel:

1 Arab-Israelis who are pro-Israel. These individuals are the target population for her non-military service program to "give back" to Israel.

2 Arab-Israelis who are anti-Israel. She tell us that it is this category that is very vocal in the Knesset, Israel's parliament.

3 Arab-Israelis who, she claims, don't care either way or who don't want to take a side. She suggests that this is in case there is a war so they aren't caught up in it.

During the question and answer session, I take the microphone and suggest that there might be a fourth group: Arab-Israelis who might not consider themselves pro-Israel, given their lived reality as second-class citizens, but who recognize the reality of the State and are interested in a constructive peace process. When I ask her about this speculation and wonder if she has any thoughts on a peace process, I don't get much uptake on either question. Later, I realize - of course! - that such a category exists; and I'm to learn much more about these complexities after the Taglit tour ends, when I interview the director of an Arab-Israeli advocacy organization.

Again, in this session there is no real dialogue and after the all-too-short Q and A, we are toured through the greenhouse. As one of my progressive friends later remarks sarcastically, "What makes more sense than to open up such a heated issue and then have us go to look at plants?!" Another participant is less than enthralled by the impressive greenhouse, inappropriately incorporated into our agenda, and engages with one of our new soldier friends about the recent events surrounding the international aid flotilla to Gaza.

The flotilla, it turns out, is difficult to talk about with Israelis -- especially with Israeli soldiers. While, in general, I was surprised at how progressive many of the soldiers' positions were with regard to a peace process they talked easily 1967 borders, land transfers, Jerusalem as an international city and so on , when the flotilla was discussed, it seemed to elicit automatic defensive reactions from otherwise thoughtful people.

But perhaps none of this should have been a surprise to me. Earlier this year, in an article in the Palestine Chronicle called Indoctrinating Israeli Youths to Be Warriors, Stephen Lendman wrote:

Today, militarism is a ‘cardinal aspect of Israeli society,' its quintessential element under the 1986 National Defence Service Law, requiring all Jewish-Israeli citizens and permanent residents to serve -- men and women, with exemptions only for Orthodox Jews, educational inadequacy, health, family considerations, married or pregnant women or those with children, criminals, and other considerations at the Defense Ministry's discretion. In addition, most Israeli leaders are former high-ranking IDF officers, politics and the military being inextricably connected.

As often happens, when you spend time with other human beings and really hear their stories, your perspective can become much more nuanced; assumptions can dissolve. Don't get me wrong -- I met refuseniks and others who escaped military service by faking medical situations or what-have-you, but it took this trip for me to realize how much skipping military service would impact one's life in terms of both career as many employers just wouldn't hire you and community.

These soldiers -- kids, really, significantly younger than me -- are under immense pressure since childhood to participate in a conflict that many of them found, at the least, problematic and sometimes despicable, like the soldiers formerly stationed in Hebron who now run the "Breaking the Silence" tour. I'll write more about them in the post-Birthright section of this series. But, for most, the army creates an enveloping sense of obligation, of social cohesion, and of solidarity, which can make critical expression very difficult.

This reluctance to criticize was especially evident in discussion around the Gaza flotilla -- the soldiers who were on those ships and helicopters are the friends literally or figuratively of the soldiers who accompanied us on our trip. They were commanded by the State to be there in international waters; there was no question in the minds of the soldiers with whom I spoke that their comrades were "defending themselves" against pipes and in fear of a lynching. I pointed out the disproportionate force used -- pipes vs. guns -- but my arguments were useless in the face of this seemingly unshakable social cohesion. Every Israeli-Jew I talked with about the flotilla became immediately defensive. This reaction led me to realize how self-conscious Israelis are -- many deeply care about what the international community thinks about them... and their country. Many even agreed that Israel policy had the unintended? consequence of increasing anti-semitism around the world, but there was still an overwhelming sense of social cohesion and national unity clearly tied to military service.

I realized, too, that something similar was happening with us on Taglit -- there was an attempt to create a similar sense of community and social cohesion in our group. We were sleep deprived, culture shocked and vulnerable. Taglit, it seemed, wasn't really about convincing us about the politics, but about creating a sense of community that we would associate with Jewishness and then Israel. The sense of community was real, but the assumptions that followed weren't necessarily so.

Thinking about these things, I came up with what I call the Birthright equation: Jewishness + Community = I Heart Israel. Social cohesion was clearly manifest in our newly built community. Many on the trip, I speculated, would equate the genuine warmth and respect in the group with Jewishness -- as opposed, let's say, to humaneness. And these positive feelings would all connect back to Israel. My equation would become a little longer over the coming days as I heard the same chorus from Israeli after Israeli starting with: "It's complicated...."

Rachel Marcuse is a Vancouver-based activist, facilitator and apparatchick. The executive director of the Coalition of Progressive Electors COPE , a municipal political party, she also freelances, focussing on facilitation skills, youth-engagement and strategic planning. Her views do not necessarily represent the positions of any organization whatsoever.

by Stephen Lendman

Uprooted Palestinian