Monday, December 26, 2005

Merry Xma$

If corporate America doesn't have a merry, profitable Xma$, then the terrorists have won.

For even more fun, read the comments people have left.

Saturday, December 24, 2005

Happy Holidays

If you who are reading this are, like me, fortunate enough to be experiencing happy, healthy holidays, please spare a thought for those who are not. Dec 25 is Christmas day but for so many it is just another day. Today in Uganda children will be walking countless miles to prevent being kidnapped, in Afghanistan warlords and insurgents will be killing and terrifying people, in Iraq unemployed and war ravaged people will be at risk of being killed by insurgents or Americans, in Pakistan those who lost everything to the recent earthquake will be working to rebuild, in Botswana men, women and children will be dying of AIDS, in North America and countless other places poverty, homelessness, and domestic violence is marring what should be a beautiful loving holiday. To all of these and to everyone else undergoing painful and traumatic experiences, I wish a day of peace would be possible, however unlikely.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Satire of the Day: The Average Iraqi is ecstatic

Satire of the day:
The Average Iraqi in Vietraq "is content – jubilant, even – in the knowledge that his smoldering, foreign-occupied police state is a gleaming symbol of Republican-invented FREEDOM®. "
Read how the average Iraqi has been weeping "FREEDOM® Tears", is thrilled to see new "Glorious McChurches throughout Iraq", but unfortunately has tired feet from dancing in the streets. Boy was I wrong about this.
More Iraq, Humour

So Iraq is better off... How?

No one questions that Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator, but invading a country and killing innocent people (who didn't ask for your "help"!!) isn't exactly the best way to improve the living conditions of Iraqis.

The recent election is being touted as a resounding success by BushInc. & Co. The propaganda is being laid on so thick it makes me feel ill just thinking about it. The reality is so far off of the official story. Just read some independent media, like this stirring article by Sabah Ali, posted on Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches (Both are independent journalists covering the Iraq war).



“You are filming our miserable condition so that Bush would pity us?! You want to soften his heart?” asked a tiny, skinny young villager disapprovingly, with obvious resignation. She was holding a very heavy cooking gas tube, trying to climb the river bank. After the only bridge which connects Rummana to Al-Qa’im was severely bombed, citizens had to cross by boat.


Not only have there been somewhere around 150,000 dead (and it is a crime that we don't even know the true numbers! More discussion here), but there is rampant unemployment, poverty, hunger, a destroyed infrastructure, lack of gasoline, electricity and water. There is constant threat of random violence. Schools, hospitals, shops, services are tenuously holding on, at best. The relative freedom that Iraqi women enjoyed under Hussein is being destroyed with the formalization of Sharia law in the new constitution.

Of course, to many who share my views, this is hardly news. However, there are a suprising number of people, who were once against the invasion, but now can be heard saying "Well, it is better for the Iraqi people this way". For example, Jon Stewart, after the first election this year, disappointingly considered "What if Bush... has been right about this all along?". It is for these people that I wonder:
Is it enough to show
How the nightmare works
so everyone will wake up? (Stereolab)

More on Iraq.

Monday, December 19, 2005

Violence and Repression in Ethiopia



“Patrick Leahy of Burlington was elected to the United States Senate in 1974 and remains the only Democrat elected to this office from Vermont. He was also the youngest Senator (34) elected from the Green Mountain State and is now serving his sixth term. “

Senator Leahy has recently written an article which conveyed his concerns about the deteriorating political situation in Ethiopia.

“Violence and Repression in Ethiopia” by Senator Patrick Leahy

Contact Senator Leahy at 202-224-4242, and show your support!

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Harvard Panel Discussions on the Ethiopian Crisis

"As those in attendance dispersed, they signed letters asking the Ethiopian government to release the prisoners. After this panel, and a concurrent letter writing drive, more than 300 letters were signed from the Harvard community. Thus ended an exciting day, with the voices of the Ethiopian people heard loud and clear from the hallowed halls of Harvard. "

-Ethioforum.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE..

Friday, December 9, 2005

The Ethiopia Consolidation Act of 2005

Click here to read the entire bill.
EthioMedia has informed us that there are individuals calling offices of members of the U.S. Congress, and urging them to vote "No" to kill Congressman Chris Smith's Bill on Ethiopia. Obviously, these are the cadres of Meles Zenawi, who are working 24-7 to reverse the cause of the Ethiopian people. Therefore, clarifying this confusion during our telephone calls is important.

Listed below are members of the House Subcommittee on Africa Global Human Rights and International Operations
The subcommittee will vote on The Ethiopia Consolidation Act of 2005 before December 15, the last day of session for the year.

There is no time to loose, call right now!!! Now!!

Congressman Thomas Tancredo: (202) 225-7882
Congressman Donald Paine: (202) 225-3436
Congressman Jeff Flake: (202) 225-2635
Congresswoman Barbara Lee: (202) 225-2661
Congressman Mark Green: (202) 225-5665
Congresswoman Betty McCollum: (202) 225-6631
Congressman Christopher Smith: (202) 225-3765
Congressman Edward Royce: (202) 225-4111
Congressman John Boozman: (202) 225-4301
Congressman Brad Sherman: (202) 225-5911
Congressman Jeff Fortenberry: (202) 225-4806
Congressman Gregory Meeks: (202) 225-3461
Congresswoman Diane Watson: (202) 225-7084

Tuesday, December 6, 2005

And May all Your Christmases be White.....( by Mark Faulk)

(Excerpt)................As with every protest that I had seen over the past few days, this one was mostly falling on deaf ears. Tourists glanced nervously in their direction, some even going so far as to cross the street to avoid hearing their pleas, stopping to take pictures of the White House, always careful not to make eye contact with the few who would give of their time to help a fallen brother. And the locals? They didn’t even seem to see…or hear…the protestors at all. Too many years of practice ignoring the poverty of their city, of ignoring the protests against a government that just doesn’t seem to care, had seemingly rendered them callous and uncaring .......

(Read entire article )

Friday, December 2, 2005

What the U.S. can do to restore a genuine government in Ethiopia

(By Meron Agonafer)

"Mr. Blair should publicly evict Mr. Meles from his Commission for Africa. The rest of the international crowd should exile him." Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad, The New York Times Opinion Sunday, November 27, 2005.

On Sunday the New York Times' Opinion page bluntly called on Tony Blair to "publicly evict Meles from his Commission for Africa". It was refreshing to read such a timely opinion from the most respected newspaper in the world.

Indeed, it is an open secret that Tony Blair has been promoting Meles Zenawi, the notorious autocrat, as the "new leader" of Africa. Of course, if the word "new" is meant to indicate an introduction of ethnic division, abject poverty, intense repression, mass killing, yes, Tony Blair is right on the mark. His poster boy has a master plan to keep Ethiopia in perpetual conflict and misery which will eventually destabilize the Horn of Africa. And the last thing the world needs is lawlessness in that region.

To rectify this situation, the first step is for the Western nations, including the United States, to "exile" Meles Zenawi, as the New York Times declared. He has demonstrated time and again his utter disdain for peace. He is trying to maintain his power grip by sheer force. The entire country is under a state of emergency and it is not sustainable. The population cannot be controlled by force. As all signs indicate, Meles Zenawi is losing control of the country sooner than he expected. It is imprudent for the West to wait for a civil war to erupt and further complicate regional conflicts.

Second, the West should embrace the call that has been made by various political factions and Ethiopian civic groups, for a national reconciliation. For the first time in Ethiopia's modern history, there is a growing desire for a round table discussion to iron out political differences and to map out the political future of the country. The West, particularly the United States, can facilitate a national reconciliation in Ethiopia. The prerequisite for this is to immediately release all political prisoners and to allow the independent media to operate freely. To avert repeating past mistakes, the United States must insist on the inclusion of all civic and political groups. Only then will the outcome be legitimate.

Ethiopia can be a strong strategic ally for the United States as a politically stabilized country. In "Mr. Good Governance Goes Bad," The New York Times analyzes is on the mark, this is the best time for the West to abandon the tyrant and turn its attention on bringing about a lasting political change in that war ravaged region. Peace and good governance can be achieved in Ethiopia if the West is willing to start afresh.

Thursday, December 1, 2005

Aids & Racism are Intimately Connected

Today, as you may know, is World Aids Day. I have also recently discovered it is Blog Against Racism Day.

I believe the two are intimately related, and so they are sharing a post today.

How are they related? For one thing, according to AIDS Statistics, AIDS and HIV disproportionately affect non-white communities in the US. Now, I think very few people are hoping for some kind of Darwinian "culling" of non-white populations, but there is a tangible element of racism that is perpetuating the real suffering of people around the world.

A quick mental exercise
Imagine there was an AIDS epidemic among the white population of Texas, comparable to the one in Botswana. That means 37.3% of all adults, and a significant percentage of the children were infected with HIV/AIDS. In other words, based on current population data, out of 15,967,916 non-Hispanic white Texans, 5,908,128 would be living with HIV/AIDS. Can you imagine the difference in response to the crisis?

Even if we think we aren't affected, we are. They both harm us all, whether our skin is pink or brown, whether we are ill or healthy, we all live in the same world, and I'm sure we can agree that our world would be a better place without AIDS or Racism.

Let's fight both AIDS and Racism!

More on AIDS in Africa, The vulnerable not being protected