The American vs. Iranian way of life

I found this comment on the cartoon interesting:
"This actually makes sense although the author did not intend to. The US is not a Democracy, we are a Republic, and thus not bound by majority rule, but by the rule of law, hence why the decision deferred to the courts. That form of government is not for"

"Their children will forget"...Ben Gurion

(Photo from "Annie's Letters", a remarkable blog!)

Western Primer on elections in developing countries

Some Western principles in assessing elections in developing countries:
1) When the favored candidates win, the elections are free and fair. And when they lose, elections are certainly unfree and stolen.
2) Violent protests against elections that produce winners favored by the west, are to be strictly condemned and protesters are to be called terrorists, hooligans and mobs (can you imagine if Lebanese opposition supporters were to engage in violent protests against the election results in Lebanon), while violent protests against enemies of the US when they win elections (like in Moldova) are to be admired (and the protesters in those cases are called "democracy activists".
3) It is not against free elections to have Western governments interfere in elections and in funding candidates through Western groups for the promotion of democracy.
4) Candidates (or even dictators) who serve Western interests are automatically labeled as "reform candidates" (even the Saudi tyrant is referred to as "reform-minded"), while candidates who oppose Western economic and political interests are to be labeled enemies of reform.
5) Candidates who are not strident in their language about Israel are always favored.
6) Western observers of elections are always on hand to declare an election unfair and rigged if the favored candidates lose.
7) The corruption of pro-US candidates (like the March 14 bunch) is preferred to the non-corruption of, say, Mugabe.
8) The democratic credentials of dictators immediately improve if they change their policies toward the US and if they express willingness to serve US economic and political interests.
9) Countries where dictators do a good job in serving US economic and political interests need not hold elections.
10) If favored candidates can't guarantee electoral victory (like the PA tool, Abu Mazen whose term has expired months ago), they don't need to hold elections and will be treated as if they won an election anyway.
11) It is just not logical to assume that people in developing countries can freely ever decide to make choices that are not consistent with political and economic interests of the US.
12) Elections that are held under American and Israeli occupations are free and fair if the preferred candidates win.
(The angry Arab)

Ahmadinejad: Anyone who strikes Iran will regret it

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday said any country that dared to attack Iran would "deeply regret" such a move, dashing hopes that his re-election Saturday would temper his confrontational stance toward the world.

"Who dares to attack Iran? Who even dares to think about it?" Ahmadinejad said at a news conference in response to a question.
Haaretz
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An interesting observation...On the side of the article there's an ad written in Farsi. Strangely enough I was able to read it and understand it though I don't know the language at all!!! Every single word was actually Arabic, only the syntax differs. I wasn't aware to which degree Farsi took from Arabic( and vice versa, of course!)

Rightist MK: Netanyahu has lost support of the nationalist camp

MK Aryeh Eldad, of the National Religious Party, accused Netanyahu of violating his own promises and said the nationalist camp could no longer support his policies.
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Those people would have found Hitler way too much at the far left!

Israel suffered massive cyber attack during Gaza offensive

"Hackers launched an unprecedented attack on Israel's Internet infrastructure during the January military offensive in the Gaza Strip, and briefly paralyzed government sites, government officials said last week.

The attack, which focused on government Web sites, was executed by at least half a million computers.

Due to its resemblance to the attack launched on Georgia on the eve of its war with Russia last summer, Israeli officials believe it may have been carried out by a criminal organization from the former Soviet Union, and paid for by Hamas or Hezbollah."
Haaretz

Boycott news

"Veolia
An anonymous source sent me this: "Regarding your article "The light rail projects for Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are both facing difficulties" The Haaretz forgot to mention that Veolia the French company involved in the project in occupied Jerusalem-Tel Aviv light rail system is also tied to the major rail project between Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia ($6,000,000,000) along with Alstom which is the other French co. joined with Veolia. Both companies may loose big time if they continue working on the Israeli rail project so they want to bail out. There is also an opposition from the PLO and the Arab League (As if it really matters) towards the two French companies, and demanding that they stop working on the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv rail project."
(The Angry Arab)

From the Angry Arab

National Geographic
Before leaving the US, I read an issue of the National Geographic about Christians in the Middle East at my dentist's office (yes, some Arabs go to the dentist). It was condescending to Muslims and patronizing about Christians. It also said that basically, the Middle East needs the Christians because they soften the impact of Muslim fanaticism. AT one point, the writer shed crocodile tears over the plight of Christians because--he said--they are a force of "moderation" among the fanatic Muslims. Well, no one religious group has a monopoly on moderation or fanaticism. Just like Muslims can produce fanatics, so can Christians and Jews and others. I mean, some Lebanese Christians have made important contributions in fanaticism (religious and political).
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In Lebanon no one, NO ONE whether in his right mind or not, would question the role or the part or the legitimacy of Lebanese Christians! Hell, no one even questions the attribution of the presidency to a Maronite and if there are any, no one takes them the least seriously! And As'ad is right! The most irascible fanatics are the fascistic factions like the Phalanges (their slogan is the Nazi inspired "God,the Nation, the family!) and the Ahrar! They're a declared ultra nationalistic religious formations!

Nestle producing new breakfast cereal in Sderot

The global Nestle food company is, for the first time in its history, producing a new breakfast cereal in the southern Israeli town of Sderot.
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I say boycott those are complicit in crimes against humanity!! Sderot is built on a razed Palestinian town!

Netanyahu emphasizes Israel's God-given right to the 'Land of Israel'

"Mean-spirited in the extreme, he emphasized on Israel's god-given right to the "Land of Israel" (euphemism for Israel Plus--plus Judea and Samaria, i.e., the West Bank, aka Palestine). And on Israel's right to all of Jerusalem. There was not a generous word about the Palestinians. Only the usual tone of threat. There was no surprise in this, of course, but the nasty, supercilious, and hypernationalist tone even took my breath away."
Mondoweiss
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Not an article from Weiss, just a short comment. On the other hand the comments (on his comment) are very interesting and quite instructive...A must!

Palestinians assist injured settlers

"Palestinians from the village of Tuqu' on Tuesday helped rescue a Jewish resident of the nearby settlement of Tekoa and her four-month-old son after their car overturned on the village's main road....

"The man added that he did not hesitate before rushing to the aid of the woman, despite the feelings of enmity between settlers and Arabs.
"The human concern overcame any other feeling, as well as the feelings of enmity and hatred that the settlers arouse in the area," he said."
Jerusalem Post(Thanks Molly)

Was Ronald Reagan an Even Worse President Than George W. Bush?

The starting point for many of the catastrophes confronting the United States today can be traced to Reagan's presidency.

After 100 Days, What Has The Stimulus Accomplished?

"President Obama will appear at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada this afternoon to mark the stimulus package’s first 100 days [2].

So how is the stimulus working?"

What about the Arabs' natural growth?

"It seems that never before has so much been written and said about the "natural growth" of so few. The issue of construction in the West Bank settlements for the sake of the future generation is threatening to sabotage Israel's relations with the U.S., or undermine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's relations with the settlers and their representatives in the Likud and Israel's right wing."
Haaretz

Israeli politicians are telling Obama, implicitly, "Forget about peace; there's no one in Israel to talk peace with."

Gideon Levy, Haaretz.

"So let's take a look at what's happening in our country after U.S. President Barack Obama's speech. A historic speech like his was supposed to make waves in Israel, stimulate discussion and spark debate. And here is what has happened: Our own Barak, Defense Minister Ehud, who used to be considered at least as brilliant as Obama, told Etgar Keret in an interview with Haaretz yesterday: "Where does the [Palestinian nation] live? In a cage? A jail? A swimming pool?" And Barak's own answer to this question: "It lives in its country."

"The Palestinians, who cannot travel from one village to another without permission from Israel, who have no basic human rights and who have been trampled underfoot, humiliated and imprisoned without any sign of sovereignty, are already living as a free people in their country. If the defense minister really thinks so, then there is grave cause for concern: Mr. Security is deranged and has lost touch with reality. If he doesn't think so, then he's messing with us. Which is worse?"

Why the hell should I feel sorry, says girl soldier who abused Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison

"In this deeply disturbing interview, the trailer trash torturer who appalled the world by appearing in shocking 'souvenir' photographs remains utterly unrepentant and says she has 800 MORE torture photos that could rock the White House"

AIPAC spies free again!

"For those who missed it (because it is not being reported in the MSM) Larry Franklin, the Pentagon AIPAC spy who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twelve years in prison, has had his sentence reduced to probation and ten months of community confinement, which is presumed to be some kind of halfway house or possibly freedom to stay at home with some kind of monitoring bracelet. The adjustment was made last night by the same judge who let Rosen and Weissman go free in the AIPAC trial that was recently terminated without a conviction. Franklin did zero prison time as he was allowed to stay out of jail because of his willingness to testify in the trial. According to Franklin’s lawyer, Plato Cacheris the poor man has been having a rough time lately as no one wants to hire him… Cacheris ain’t cheap. Wonder who paid the bill?"

As Obama Was in Cairo, Israel Was Demolishing Homes…

Read this statement by Human Rights Watch that was released late Friday and ask yourself how Washington should react to Netanyahu’s claims that families in Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem should be to entitled to “natural growth.” One wonders if the demolitions described below were timed to coincide with Obama’s speech at Cairo University.

A sign of optimism for Palestinian freedom

Chicagotribune
11 June 2009
By Mustafa Barghouthi

Throughout decades of struggle for Palestinian freedom, there has been little cause for optimism. Today, I am optimistic.

President Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo last week was the most compelling I have ever heard from an American president. He articulated an understanding of the roots of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that we have not heard from previous American presidents. By acknowledging the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians for freedom, dignity and a state of our own, Obama has shown that he may have what it takes to provide the constructive, evenhandedpeace-brokering that past American efforts lacked.

Jimmy Carter explains how the Isreali Occupation of Gaza and the West Bank is like a prison