THE tiny Gulf state of Qatar, famed mainly for having the Arab world's largest reserves of natural gas, added another record to its name yesterday one of the world's most expensive telephone numbers.
At a charity event in the capital of Doha, a Qatari bidder paid $3.65 million for the mobile phone number 666-6666.
The winner, who made the highest bid 10 minutes into the auction, declined requests for interviews. Eight people took part in the auction, organized by Qatar Telecom to help raise funds for charity, paying 3,000 Qatari riyals ($1094) per ticket.
Funds from the ticket sales were given to a local charity, while the 10 million riyals from the sale of the number will be used to expand medical services.
#3
We're sorry. The number you have dialed has been disconnected, or is no longer is service. If you feel this recording is an error, you can come down here and check for yourself.
#6
Strange that these numbers [1,2,3...9,0] are Arabic numbers [and appearently the Arabs lifted them from India] that weren't adopted till after the real Reconquesta [1492]. Up till then Europe and bible publishers used the old Roman [I,II,III,..L,C,M..] numbering system.
MANAGEMENT AT Beaumont Hospital are to supply disposable headscarves to Muslim female students after it emerged that a small number of students were forbidden from wearing the hijad in theatre.
Irish Medical Times had learned Muslim medical students in Beaumont Hospital have been forbidden to wear traditional headscarves into surgery. The Royal College Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI) students were considering taking action against the hospital, as they believe they are being discriminated against. IMT understands the students were denied access to theatres, delivery suites, endoscopy units and intensive care units for reasons of hygiene.
Commenting on the issue, Mr Syed Naqvi, surgeon at Limerick Regional Hospital and chairman of the Overseas Medics of Ireland, told IMT that Muslim students should not be discriminated against wearing traditional headscarves when training. I fully understand that patients care and interests must come first, however I do not see any issue with wearing a sterile headscarf in Irish hospitals within different disciplines, said Mr Naqvi.
In order to meet the recommended international hygiene standards, I would suggest that the HSE provide sterile reusable headscarves in Irish hospitals, as the traditional surgical caps are inadequate to cover the head and the neck area. Mr Naqvi said that he believes this is not the case in other hospitals around the country.
A spokesman for Beaumont Hospital told IMT that the issue has been reviewed and the hospital would seek to supply a source of disposable theatre hijabs which can be used by anyone of Muslim faith.
#7
As long as they pay muslims wimmens only 1/2 the muslim menses.
menses: The monthly flow of blood from the uterus that begins at puberty in women and the females of other primates. In women, menses ceases at menopause. Also called catamenia.
#10
I have to wear a disposable surgical bonnet when I'm in the OR, as does everyone else. There should be no exceptions to that; the point of the bonnet (and mask, gown, gloves, disposable booties, etc) is to ensure cleanliness in the OR and delivery suites.
A 'sterile headscarf' is a strange idea: the point of the head bonnet is to keep your hair (no comments, Emily) out of the way so that unsterile hair can't come into contact with the patient, instruments, etc. A sterile headscarf wouldn't necessarily do that, and if it did, why not just wear the bonnet?
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/24/2006 12:46 Comments ||
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#11
Why not just go straight to sterile burquas and be done with it. Should be very comforting to muslim patients to face an operation by a doctor who can't see what they're doing. Where the surgeon's "modesty" outweights sterility and dexterity of movement.
KABUL -- It's finally official: Afghanistan's new national anthem was played in Kabul earlier this month, thereby replacing the old version and becoming a formal symbol of national unity.
But there were no trumpets or cymbals to mark the occasion, held on May 14 at the information, youth and tourism ministry. The song can only be played from a compact disc sent from Germany, as the country has neither the musicians nor the instruments to reproduce the sound live.
Decades of war and the emigration of millions of Afghans meant that the national anthem had to be composed and produced abroad.
After several attempts at finding an acceptable version, the words to the anthem were written by Abdul Bari Jahani, an Afghan American living in Washington, DC. The music was composed by Babrak Wasa, an Afghan émigré living in Germany. The final version, performed by well-known Afghan singers from all over the world, was recorded onto CD in Germany.
"I like this anthem, it is very sweet," said Shah Zaman Wraiz Stanikzai, head of the publications department at the information ministry. "But we still have some technical problems. We do not have an orchestra to play at ceremonial functions - they [musicians] are all abroad. We don't have the instruments.
"Now, when we have to play it, we will put on the CD and hire musicians to pretend they are playing."
The national anthem is meant to unite the country, inspire patriotic emotions and help heal the wounds created by decades of war. But it has taken over two years of bitter debate to get the nation's power elite to agree on it.
The constitution mandates that the anthem should be in Pashtu, contain the words "Allahu Akbar!" (God is great), and mention the country's main ethnic groups. All three requirements have caused major heartache in a country with deep ethnic, linguistic and political divides.
"Maybe there are a few people who don't like it because it's in Pashtu," said Stanikzai. "But if they are against this anthem, then they're against themselves. This is our national anthem, and it is as it should be."
One of those dissatisfied with the outcome is Abdul Hafiz Mansoor, editor of a political magazine called the Voice of the Mujahed. Mansoor, who is a Tajik and therefore has Dari rather than Pashtu as his main language, is a perennial critic of government policies, and the anthem is a particular irritant for him.
"I want the anthem in seven languages," he told IWPR. "If the government is giving preference to one ethnic group over others, it is very dangerous. I do not respect this anthem, and if it is played on any occasion, I will not stand up for it. It's [President Hamid] Karzai's anthem - let him stand."
Others - including even Jahani, who wrote the words - object to the use of "Allahu Akbar" in the text.
"That is something sacred; we are supposed to recite these words in mosques and holy places, not play music to them. It is not allowed in Islam," said Jahani in a telephone interview from his home in Washington. "Still, it is finished, and if people like it, then good luck to them."
The requirement that all major ethnic groups be honored in the text also created problems, since Afghanistan has dozens if not hundreds of individual groups. In the end, 14 were singled out for mention, giving the hymn a bit of a shopping-list quality. It also angered some, like Hindus and Sikhs, who were left out.
But most people nevertheless agree that the new anthem is an improvement on the old one, which dates from the mid-90s and sings the praises of the mujahideen who helped drive out the Soviets. Many Afghans are bitter about the destruction of the factional wars that followed the end of communist rule in 1992, when the mujahideen engaged in a bitter power struggle, wreaking havoc in the process.
"The old song was a mujahideen anthem," said academician Habibullah Rafi. "Replacing that one with this new anthem is a very good thing."
He conceded that the new song had some problems, since so much of the text was dictated by the constitution. "The poets had some difficulties," he said.
Rafi should know - he himself composed an earlier version of the anthem, which was first accepted but later scrapped by the president. Still, he professes himself satisfied with the new song.
"In the end, we did what the constitution said," he said.
The production of Afghanistan's new anthem cost $40,000, and called on the services of more than 70 singers. Famous expatriates such as Nashnas and Miss Afsana were on hand for the recording, and the final version is quite stirring.
"I heard the new anthem on television," said Hamayoun, 17, who sells fruit in the center of Kabul. "It made me very happy. After such a long time, we have a national anthem that belongs to all the people."
Hamayoun was scornful when asked about the language issue, saying, "Those who complain that it is in Pashtu do not want peace in this country."
"It is very beautiful," said Nooraqa, who sells dishes on the street in Kabul. "It does not matter whether it is in Dari or Pashtu or whatever. It is religious and it is also modern."
But engineering student Hedayatullah, 28, was not pleased with the use of sacred words set to music.
"The anthem is nice but it isn't good to play music to 'Allahu Akbar'. That is sacred. As for the language, it doesn't matter if it is in Pashtu. That is the language of the majority. For the last 10 years the anthem has been in Dari, and no one complained. We shouldn't complain now."
At least 30 foreigners are being held in the Democratic Republic of Congo in connection with an alleged coup plot. The men - including South African, Nigerian and United States citizens - were working for a security company.
The Congolese government accuses them of being on a military mission to destabilise the country.
Question, when was Congo stable?
The BBC's Arnaud Zajtman in Kinshasa says the arrests are an indication of the state of tension in the country ahead of elections.
The South African embassy in Kinshasa confirmed that 19 of its citizens had been arrested, our correspondent reports. Three Americans and 10 Nigerians are reported to have been arrested, though this has not been confirmed by their embassies.
Our correspondent said that the men were all working for a security company and were involved in training Congolese security trainers who would work at the port of Matadi. One of the men is believed to have been arrested when returning from a visit to South Africa, bringing handcuffs and other equipment to be used in the security training.
The South African Department of Foreign Affairs said the 19 South Africans had been arrested on Friday. "Sixteen of these South African passport holders are members of the Omega Security Company, which has contracts with the DRC's National Transport office for the training of security personnel in Matadi, Boma and Mouanda," the department said in a statement. "The other three South African passport holders work for a mining company, Mirabulis, as interpreters," the statement added.
But Congolese Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba Fundu said the arrested men were military personnel.
Well, that's normally who you find working for security companies, ex-military personnel
"These men, bearing three different passports, were spotted at three strategic sites in the Congolese capital," Interior Minister Theophile Mbemba Fundu was quoted by AFP news agency as saying. "Apparently they are military personnel, most of whom came from Iraq."
Lot's of security companies working in Iraq
DR Congo's first democratic elections in 40 years are currently scheduled for the end of July. Last week, the defence minister warned Congolese politicians that they should not have more than 25 bodyguards, amid pre-election tension.
A United Nations peacekeeping force of nearly 17,000 troops - the world's largest - operates in the country and is being augmented by a 1,500-strong European Union rapid reaction force over the election period.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/24/2006 10:05 ||
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LONDON - The United Narions holds the key to solving an economic and political crisis in Zimbabwe, South African President Thabo Mbeki told a British newspaper in an interview published on Wednesday.
If it's a key to the safe and printing press, why yes, that might be true.
South Africas leader threw his weight behind a planned visit to Zimbabwe by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who wants to negotiate a deal with the countrys ageing president, Robert Mugabe, The Financial Times said. Mbeki told the daily: We are all awaiting the outcome of his intervention. What Mr Annan is interested in is that the circumstances must be created for Zimbabwe to face their real problems: the falling standard of living and so on.
You have got to do something to turn around the economy. It is necessary to turn around the climate for that.
And remove Bob and the current bunch of crooks and thieves, but he didn't dwell on that ...
Zimbabwes government had agreed to a visit by the UN chief and was making the necessary preparations, according to Mbeki. You need to normalise relations between Zimbabwe and the rest of the world. So (Annans) interaction with the Zimbabwean government would be intended for those sort of outcomes, including what sort of assistance the UN would give, the South African president said.
A UN official said Annan had been exploring the possibility of movement on the political and economic front ahead of a possible visit. However, he told the Financial Times: At this stage it would be premature to talk about an initiative. We are exploring whether there are possibilities.
It's always about preparing to talk about a possibility of preparing to intiate a possible initiative ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/24/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
MBEKI
IF you would just blow bob's head off next time you get together with him... everything would work out.
#4
Calling upon the UN is about the best Mbeki can do. Zimbawe is causing all kinds of economic and political problems for South Africa. But were he to call for for more robust actions, the ANC would have his head.
#6
Thabo old boy, vir phuechs sake mate! Take that milk tart... place it squarely in the palm of your hand... and swiftly bash it into your stupid, totally-in-denial wrinkly old mug your wonk kakmeister.
#7
Zimbabwe is just South Africa 10 years into the future, if the ANC does not wake up and look at what is happening. Involuntary land seizures have been approved by the ANC and when they start carrying them out, watch for the agricultural implosion to spread to South Africa. Already, South Africa is losing professionals at a damaging rate : SA doctors and nurses are now the backbone of the rural healthcare for several Canadian provinces. Mandela may have been a diehard Communist but he at least had a brain : drive out all of the trained people from SA and watch it turn into a typical Third World hellhole, instead of developing slowly into a First World economy throughout the nation. That is why he stressed keeping the trained people in the new South Africa : he remembered what happened in Uganda, Tanzania, etc when they implemented "Africa for Africans" economics.
Britains main opposition Conservative Party has symbolically elected to sever all overt links with Thatchernomics and the Wests formulaic politics of wealth creation, with its fresh-faced new young leader David Cameron declaring General Well Being (GWB) rather than Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be the right measure of a countrys prosperity.
Aaaaaaarrrgh! Although GWB could also be read as George Walker Bush...
Camerons insistence on well-being rather than wealth indices on Monday borrows an idea long propounded by Bhutans Jigme Singye Wangchuk, who junked Gross National Product (GNP) for Gross National Happiness (GNH) soon after he came to the throne a quarter-century ago.
Bhutan?
Sociologists said the new Conservative mantra that "there is more to life than money" is the first time a major, traditional, centre-right Western political force has openly rejected individualism and the profit motive. For Britain, Thatcherism remains one of the most fiercely disliked, controversial and divisive ideologies ever. The grocers daughter who became Britains first woman PM is blamed for cutting away at social responsibility, promoting rampant free-market profiteering and a brash boom-and-bust cycle of endless money-making. Thatcher, who is arguably Britains most towering modern leader, is vilified for placing success over a social conscience and valuing economic recovery more than emotional release.
*Sob*
Now, Camerons neo-Bhutanese blueprint for a happier Britain is seen to snap the Conservative Partys links to Thatcher. Cameron is personally wealthy and has a privileged background said, "Wealth is about so much more than pounds, or euros or dollars can ever measure. Well-being cannot be measured by money or traded in markets. It cannot be required by law or delivered by government. It is about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture and above all the strength of our relationships."
#2
Cameron went to Eaton and hasn't done a proper day's work in his life. I doubt he understands the value of money having been surrounded by enormous wealth for the whole of his life. Thatcher? The economy is sound, yes. Socially we're f*cked.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
05/24/2006 4:13 Comments ||
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#3
Have the Tories really thought this one out? Like lowering the per capita GDP of Britons to $800/year, just like the Bhutanese. Not much GNH in that.
Posted by: ed ||
05/24/2006 7:04 Comments ||
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#4
Gross National Slack should be a key indicator.
#8
"Gross National Happiness?" That doesn't have quite the right ring to it. How about "Community, Identity, Stability," or "A gramme is better than a damn."
Posted by: James ||
05/24/2006 12:50 Comments ||
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AUSTRALIANS fleeing Dili arrived in Darwin last night, fearful for East Timor's future.
An armed uprising by 600 of the fledgling nation's former soldiers has seen gun battles erupt in the capital, Dili, with Australia and other nations preparing to send in personnel to quell the rebellion.
"They (the East Timorese) are absolutely petrified, scared and apprehensive in the extreme that there's going to be some sort of civil war," Margaret Gray, of the Northern Territory, said on ABC radio after fleeing the country.
The first of Australia's 1300 troops committed to restoring order in strife-torn East Timor will arrive today after Canberra received an urgent request for help.
The official request, signed by East Timorese President Xanana Gusmao and Prime Minister Mari Alkatiri, came after another day of sporadic violence and gun battles between rival military factions.
Acting Prime Minister Peter Costello said last night an advance party of defence and foreign affairs officials will fly into Dili today.
The request came after Mr Gusmao vowed to hunt down the leader of almost 600 rebel soldiers, the Australian-trained military police commander Alfredo Reinado.
The Australian task force would "disarm renegade troops and police rebelling against the state", East Timor's Foreign Minister, Jose Ramos Horta, said.
"We have officially asked for help from Australia, New Zealand, Portugal and Malaysia ... and so far Australia and New Zealand have promised to come immediately," Mr Horta said.
He admitted the Government had a "tenuous" hold on power and that asking foreign forces to come would be seen as "an acknowledgment of our inability to lead our people in a wise and effective manner".
He said he hoped the Australian troops would not have to engage with rebels, saying their arrival would have an "immediate calming effect".
The Howard Government is also talking to the UN about further assistance for an Australian-led intervention almost seven years after Canberra spearheaded the 1999 Interfet mission following East Timor's vote for independence from Indonesia.
The National Security Committee met in Canberra last night to finalise plans to send the "battalion-plus" task force, which will include special forces troops, engineers and logistics experts.
Up to 50 Australian police are also on standby to assist.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Australians could be in East Timor within 48 hours after discussions with the troops on what their "rules of engagement" would be.
RAAF C130 Hercules transport aircraft and Blackhawk helicopters were readied for departure in Darwin last night and the navy's two amphibious ships, HMAS Manoora and HMAS Kanimbla, were heading north.
"Our objective would be not only to secure the situation in East Timor but, in addition to that, to defend the personal safety of Australians," Mr Costello said earlier yesterday.
Non-essential staff from the Australian Embassy in Dili are expected to be evacuated today, possibly by C130 aircraft.
Gun battles on the outskirts of Dili between rival ethnic factions of the country's army have claimed two lives since the unrest flared on Monday .
The Department of Foreign Affairs has upgraded its travel advice to East Timor, describing the situation as "extremely dangerous".
Mr Downer last night cancelled a visit to Japan in the face of the worsening crisis. As fresh fighting erupted on Dili's outskirts, Mr Gusmao and Mr Alkatiri were yesterday embroiled in a "shouting match" over the decision to invite Australian assistance, a diplomatic source in Dili said. The request for help came after a series of lengthy phone calls between Mr Horta and Mr Downer yesterday.
The latest violence erupted following protests by 595 ex-soldiers - a third of East Timor's army - over poor service conditions and ethnic discrimination by eastern-born commanders.
President Gusmao said yesterday the army would hunt down disgruntled ex-soldiers in the hills surrounding the capital who launched attacks on government troops on Tuesday.
He said Major Reinado was leading the uprising. "The people of East Timor did not accept Major Alfredo Reinado attacking of our soldiers," he said.
"We will hunt him down to stop the violence."
Major Reinado and his supporters took two trucks loaded with weapons and established a base at Aileu, south of Dili, earlier this month.
Late last night shots were heard near the army headquarters in Dili.
While fearing there was a strong potential for the violence to escalate, Mr Downer said East Timor was not in a state of civil war, but described the security situation as "dangerous".
The best hope of resolving current tensions rested with an independent commission investigating the soldiers' grievances, he said. "The East Timor Government and the commander of the military made the decision to dismiss 595 members of the military and that was bound to cause some concern," Mr Downer said.
At least five people were killed and dozens injured on April 27-28 when a protest rally in Dili in support of the rebels turned violent.
Related links
Nelson: East Timor rebels will be brought to heel
Dili: City is peaceful one day, in chaos the next
Acid test: Australia leads a multinational force
Video: SBS journalist caught in the Dili crossfire
Italy has become the first former occupier of African soil to affirm its responsibility to pay compensation for its colonisation of Libya
According to local media reports, the Libyan leader, Muammar Ghadafi got the pledge after speaking with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema over the telephone yesterday.
D'Alema is said to have emphasized during the telephone conversation, his commitment of the joint Italian-Libya declaration to compensate the Libyan people for their suffering during the occupation era.
This comes exactly 8 years after the signing of the Italian-Libyan Declaration in July 1998. In the declaration, the Italians had apologised for the occupation and promised to offer compensations. Coincidentally, D'Alema was the Prime Minister at that time.
Recent manouvres by Algeria to hold the French responsible for what its President, Abdelazizi Bouteflika called, a 'genocidal' occupation have been rebuffed. The situation was further worsened when French President, Jacques Chirac asked French schools to include the positive role played by the country's colonisation of other lands.
The French have also been criticised for their treatment of Haiti after former plantation slaves fought off their French masters before proclaiming a republic. The Frech then forced Haiti to may billions of US dollars in compensation for the loss of the colony.
In Zimbabwe, the British have not done better. After agitating for the British to honour their pledge to fund land reform, of which 87% was still owned by white British descendents, the current British Premier, Tony Blair finally put the last nail to the coffin.
In September 1997, the Blair told Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe that his country could not be held responsible for the 'sins of our forefathers'. This despite that much of the land was still in the hands of British descendants. The results and effects of this letter are now history. In 2000, former war combatants who had fought the liberation war on the promise that land which had been confiscated from many Zimbabweans using unjust apartheid laws, especially under the Land Expropriation Act of 1948 instigated a land revolution. Land was then nationalised.
Namibians on the other hand have demanded compensation for atrocities committed by the Germans during their occupation of the country. Negotiations have no yielded any promising results.
It is with the background that if the Italians do indeed honour their pledge, they would be the first former colonial power to have done so.
#1
Its probably in Africa's and its population's interest that the Europeans recolonize the place. They may not have been perfect times, but it appears from the record [less Leopold's rule over the Congo] to have been better for everyone than the keptocracy and butchers they now have.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/24/2006 14:21 Comments ||
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#3
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema
Oh Great White Italian Father D'Alema (can I just call you "Big Round Pies?" ).... please call me, I need details, international legal contacts, etc for my people here in the Dakotas. The colonizing pale faces must PAY!
#4
Are they going to pay them for the sack of Carthage too? I mean those mean Italians in the Roman legions basically colonized Libiya and destroyed their old civilization.
#8
Fucking Socialists are unbelievable. When are Italians going to demand compensation for the Barbary piracy, sackings, and the 1-1.25 million European slaves taken from 1500-1800's? A large proportion of the slaves being Italians. I wonder how many Italians will end up in slavery and concubinage this time around? How about compensation for Roman Territories conquered by muslims?
The more time passes, the more I believe the US should remove all forces from the western European continent. Live or die, let it be by their own hands.
Posted by: ed ||
05/24/2006 18:22 Comments ||
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#9
Rome needs to compensate all descendants of all former Roman conquests. It's only fair.
French Prime Minister Dominique De Villepin on Tuesday denounced efforts to implicate him in a political scandal a year before presidential elections, and suggested that notes from an intelligence operative that appear to deepen the head of government's role are being misconstrued.
"I am not duped," De Villepin said in an interview on France-2 television. "I see clearly that they wanted to implicate me in a political affair." He refused to specify who they might be.
The scandal hinges on accusations that De Villepin, along with President Jacques Chirac, were involved in a smear campaign against their political rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, who is considered a likely contender in next year's presidential elections.
However, the complex scenario being played out daily in French papers had its beginnings with a 1991 French frigate sale to Taiwan and reports of alleged kickbacks. It morphed into a money-laundering affair and a political scandal that has shaken the government.
"I do not believe at any moment that this was about a political matter. They wanted to construct a rivalry and a political matter," he said.
Excerpts from what were allegedly notes by General Philippe Rondot, a former defence ministry intelligence operative, printed by the daily Le Monde, contained suspicious entries such as "Protect D De V". That fed suspicions that De Villepin was deeply implicated.
The prime minister had ordered Rondot to investigate listings of names of political and other figures with accounts at the Luxembourg clearing house Clearstream, one of which included Sarkozy's names. De Villepin has said he feared a money-laundering scheme by the Mafia or terrorists.
"One must not give importance to these constructions," De Villepin said of the bits of notes that were published. "It's false."
Yesterday I've heard a "Marianne" (left leaning mag, very anti-american) journalo on a conservative radio evoking a coming article about that, saying it was a manipulation by the dreaded US intelligence services, as a revenge for Galouzeau "De Villepin" 's UN manoeuvers.
Yes, the Evil Hegemons...
Couldn't be anything else, you know...
PARIS Given all the troubles facing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin of late, what with rioting immigrants, marching students and judicial inquiries, he might be forgiven for thinking that a government initiative to boost French contemporary art would win him some much needed applause.
After all, as both a biographer and admirer of Napoleon, Villepin is a strong believer in government action. And when France is seen to be falling behind its first world peers, above all in its privileged preserve of culture, it is the government's duty to step in. It does so with movies. Why not in contemporary art?
He may have a point. French creators rank high in contemporary dance and experimental music today. But in contemporary art, Paris has fallen far behind not only New York and London, but also Amsterdam, Cologne and, more recently, Leipzig and Berlin. The avant-garde capital for almost a century until World War II, Paris is now better known for its museum art.
So last October, while visiting the annual International Contemporary Art Fair, a commercial operation known by its French acronym of FIAC, Villepin proposed that the newly-restored Grand Palais host a contemporary art triennial to match the Tate Triennial in London and the Whitney Biennial in New York.
And, voilà, seven months later, there it is, presenting some 350 works by 200 artists who are French or reside in France. The show, which runs through June 25, is entitled "La Force de l'Art." But it could as easily have been called "The Power of Politics." In fact, as a nod to its initiator, it has been dubbed "Expo Villepin." It even includes a portrait of Villepin by Yan Pei Ming.
Now all that is missing is the applause.
As it happens, a good many experts thought it unrealistic to put together a triennial in such a short time. Some also wondered why the Georges Pompidou Center was not put in charge. But a political decision had been taken and the Culture Ministry's job was to execute it. And when no individual of experience and prestige was found to organize it, a pluralistic solution was found: 15 curators were named.
As each went about selecting themes, artists and works, complaints grew louder. The show's cost rose from $3.6 million to $5.1 million. Two artists announced they would not participate if invited. Another, Gérard Fromanger, refused to show his work because, he said, it was an "eminently political" event, organized "a few months" before a presidential election.
Well, it is true that, when Villepin launched this initiative last October, he stood some chance of beating the hyperactive Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy in the race for the conservative nomination to succeed Jacques Chirac. But recent months have not been kind to de Villepin - and the triennial does not appear to have helped him.
At its inauguration earlier this month, a group of demonstrators handed out leaflets denouncing "official artists." And to insure order was preserved, riot police officers were on hand to receive guests. Further, inside, much of the art - spread among the temporary structures defining the selections of the 15 curators - looks lost in the Grand Palais's cathedral-like space.
Still, most well-known artists working in France today are represented, including Annette Messager, Christian Boltanski, Thomas Hirschhorn, Pierre Huyghe, Xavier Veilhan and Fabrice Hyber. Oddly, works by some dead - hardly contemporary - artists are also on display, among them Alexander Calder, César, Victor Vasarely and Paul Rebeyrolle.
The art itself covers the usual range - from abstract, conceptual and video to photography and, yes, painting. And among noteworthy works are Joël Hubaut's "Chorale Epidémik," a video installation showing the faces of 18 people singing or babbling nonsense; Gloria Friedmann's "Locataire," a mud-packed figure in a suit sitting on a large earth ball; and Gérard Garouste's "Ellipse," a large canvas house painted inside and out.
That said, one reason French contemporary art has not made much of a mark abroad is that it has not made much of a mark at home. And this is not necessarily the artists' fault. The French press pays infinitely less attention to contemporary artists than it does to, say, today's writers or movie directors. The French public also seems less than enthusiastic about contemporary art.
At "La Force de l'Art," the comments book, albeit hardly a scientific sample, suggested that few visitors had been won over. There were some positive remarks, but the majority were critical, some quite witty. One noted: "Its main achievement was to take 7 euros off me." And another: "Beauty is in the eye that sees it and, God knows, I have looked and seen nothing."
One wag even signed his name Nicolas Sarkozy. "Great restoration of the Grand Palais," he wrote. "Pity someone left all this junk around. It's time to clean it up. Out with Mr. de Villepin."
But the government has evidently not given up.
Last week, it announced it would play a central role in founding a new $128 million European Center for Contemporary Creativity on the Île Seguin, the site originally chosen by the French billionaire François Pinault to build a museum for his contemporary art collection (after delays, he abandoned the project and is now showing some 200 of his works in the Palazzo Grassi in Venice).
From next month through December, the government is also sponsoring "Paris Calling," a season of contemporary art from France in Britain, comprising 30 exhibitions and events in London, Oxford and Margate. Meanwhile, a broader French arts festival called "Voilà," including art, dance, theater and music, is on in Israel through Aug. 27 as part of an effort to improve bilateral relations.
This much is clear: France still believes that culture is a useful political and diplomatic instrument. And as evidence, the government has also just reorganized its decades-old French Association for Artistic Action into a new body called CulturesFrance ), with a $38 million annual budget and a mandate to promote French culture and education abroad.
"What our cultural policy abroad lacked was a label, a signature, a trademark," Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said, referring to CulturesFrance.
#1
...among noteworthy works are Joël Hubaut's "Chorale Epidémik," a video installation showing the faces of 18 people singing or babbling nonsense; Gloria Friedmann's "Locataire," a mud-packed figure in a suit sitting on a large earth ball; and Gérard Garouste's "Ellipse," a large canvas house painted inside and out.
Man, am I kicking myself in the ass that I'm missing this...
Montenegro's independence could open a Pandora's box for other separatist movements in Europe and the former Soviet Union, with some already claiming the right to follow the same path.
Separatists in Spain's Basque and Catalan regions were among the first to welcome Montenegro's independence vote as a positive omen for their aspirations of loosening ties with Madrid. But Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos stressed the situations in his country and Montenegro were "politically, diplomatically, juridically" incomparable and that making such a comparison would represent a "great irresponsibility".
Correct: the Catalans have been demanding independence for over 300 years, not just 10.
His view was supported by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, who said any such comparisons would be "delirious".
After Montenegro the EU has to immediately tackle the issue of the United Nations-administered Serbian province of Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians are the majority. Kosovo Albanians hope to gain independence this year, a demand Belgrade fiercely opposes. Tim Judah, a Balkans specialist at the Centre for European Reform based in London, said regional stability depended far more on Kosovo -- "the final act in this 15-year drama" -- than on Montenegro. "Compared to Kosovo, Montenegro is easy," he said, stressing that "Kosovo is a much, much bigger problem".
"Although some refuse to establish a link, possible independence of Kosovo, which would be internationally recognised, would legitimise the ambitions of other separatists who never had their own state," a Western diplomat based in the Croatian capital Zagreb told Agence France-Presse, wishing to remain anonymous.
It would pretty much wipe out one essential tenet of the Peace of Westphalia: the creation of nation-states, as opposed to principalities and city-states. The European nation-states could well devolve into various parts, which will be more inclined -- for reasons of security and political skull-duggery -- to incorporate themselves into the modern version of the Holy Roman Empire: the EU Constitution.
Bosnian Serbs have already said Montenegro's independence was a good model to be followed by their entity of Republika Srpska, which, along with the Muslim-Croat Federation, has made up post-war Bosnia.
For those fighting for the independence of the Germanic Tyrol region of Italy, and its annexation to Austria, the outcome of Montenegro's referendum inspired dreams to organise a similar vote.
Why annex to Austria when you can have your own mini-state, be part of the EU, and not have to put up with any nonsense from some national capital far away?
Konstantin Kosachev, chairperson of the Russian Parliament's foreign-affairs committee, warned of setting a precedent over Kosovo. "This will create a precedent heavy with consequences for other regions," he said, citing in particular Turkish northern Cyprus and Spain's Basque separatists.
But even in the former Soviet Union, several regions are hoping to follow the lead of Montenegro. They were unilaterally proclaimed during the bloody conflicts that followed its 1991 collapse and supported by Moscow, but not recognised by the international community. Among them, the breakaway republics of Transdniestr in Moldova and Abkhazia in Georgia, were the first to say the vote serves as a model of "self-determination".
With Mother Russia providing security and 'direction', of course.
"One can only welcome such a civilised method for gaining self-determination," said the "president" of Abkhazia, Sergei Bagapch, quoted by Interfax.
The "foreign minister" of Transdniestr, Valeri Litskai, said the outcome of Sunday's referendum in the tiny Balkan republic was a day for celebration. "The chief diplomats of all the unrecognised republics of the former Soviet Union were satisfied" with the referendum result, he said after a meeting with representatives of regional minorities in Moscow
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/24/2006 01:44 ||
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I hope somebody is thinking carefully about how to make empire disassembly work relatively peacefully. We can all come up with a list of probable candidates: Sudan, the Chinese empire (sooner or later), Nigeria, Pakistan, maybe Iraq, etc. They may involve population transfers along the Greece/Turkey lines. Messy...
Posted by: James ||
05/24/2006 13:00 Comments ||
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France should give the European Union constitutional treaty a "second chance" after its voters rejected it last year, former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing said in an interview published Tuesday. Giscard told the Financial Times that the treaty, whose drafting he oversaw as president of the European Convention, should be reconsidered after next year's presidential elections in France.
"I wish that we will have a new chance, a second chance, for the constitutional project," following its rejection in a referendum in May last year, said Giscard, 80. "There are 16 out of 25 countries that have ratified the European constitution. That's to say there's a qualified majority. There is an agreed text," he told the British daily. "The concern now is the modalities of adopting it," said Giscard, leaving open the possibility of another referendum or a vote in parliament.
Giscard said voters rejected the constitution which Brussels argues is needed to prevent decision-making gridlock in the expanding bloc because of the French government's unpopularity and a poor campaign to sell it to voters. "If we had chosen to have a parliamentary vote last year the constitution would have been easily adopted. It is the method that has provoked the rejection," he said. "Legally, we could vote again," he said. Nor would it be "anti-democratic" to hold another referendum, he added. "People have the right to change their opinion. The people might consider they made a mistake."
"The voting will continue 'til my morale improves!"
Giscard said he believed that British voters would never approve the constitutional treaty and proposed instead "a special arrangement resembling that which applied to the euro."
"We can create a special classification for the Limeys. Separate but equal. And of course a small assessment for, um...services rendered."
To come into force, the constitutional treaty, hammered out by EU governments ahead of the bloc's 2004 expansion, must be ratified by all 25 member states. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso has said any decision on the future of the constitution should be delayed until 2008, calling for the best to be made of existing treaties in the meantime.
#2
"Poor campaign to sell it to voters" - by accounts, this most basic of basic problems and polischticking hasn't changed. If the pols and activists are NOT going to be explaining, or not explaining properly, why the EU is necessary, then by definition are leaving it to be decided by the pocketbooks or butter-and-egg mindset of mainstream Europe.
#3
I don't know if rthe campaign was poor but it was massive with all the big parties on the Yes side, with the MSM shamelessly advocating for the YES and with a budget who was at least three or four times larger. And despite that they were crushed 45 to 55.
#6
"People have the right to change their opinion. The people might consider they made a mistake."
Would you be singing this tune if the treaty had passed the first time? No? Didn't think so.
#7
Well, Valery did write the thing, so I see the logic in him wanting the voters see things his way. Unfortunately, the voters caught on that Valery considers "the public" to be perhaps only slightly brighter than cattle. Also unfortunately, I've read elsewhere that the EU gov'ts have been quietly enacting many of the provisions anyway.
#8
It's a dead skunk in the middle of the road. The EU government would be so removed from the people that there would be NO accountability. Repackage the EU constitution for a second chance, Valery. Have a ball. It is still a dead skunk.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/24/2006 10:06 Comments ||
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#9
"We'll keep voting on it til you idiots get it right!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 10:10 Comments ||
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#10
When I said that the Yes side had a budget three or four times larger (1) I was speaking of ropaganda proper. I didn't include the editorializing and the pressuring of voters for the Yes made by MSM. If we were to include the cost of MSM advocacy then the Yes side outspent the No side ten to one at the vary least. And they were still blown out of the water.
(1) due to the leadership of all big parties being for the Yes, the No side was, outside the Communist Party who is no longer a major party, composed from dissidents without access to party main bank account and of minor parties who have limited resources because they get no public funding. Also the access to public TV is regulated according to the number of represntatives of each party so there was virtually no space for the NO since party dissidents don't count and outside the Communists no pro-NO party had representatives.
#11
Geez - quit beating that poor horse and let it die in peace.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/24/2006 14:33 Comments ||
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#12
Ah, yes...the old "We failed to get it passed the last time so let's give it a second chance so we can really cheat the vote and make it come out the way we want it to" ruse.
If at first you don't succeed figure out a better way to cheat.
As former Vice President Al Gores documentary on global warming fears debuts today, a new video from the Competitive Enterprise Institute tracks Gores own carbon footprint. CEIs 70-second video points out that Gore himself is a big user of the hydrocarbon fuels that produce carbon dioxide when combusted.
Gores An Inconvenient Truth asks, "Are you willing to change the way you live?" The Gore documentary and new book of the same name go on to suggest ways that people can reduce their carbon footprint, yet Mr. Gore has clearly not taken his own message to heart. He even says in the documentary that he has given his global warming Power Point slide show more than 1,000 times all around the world.
The CEI video, which may be viewed at: http://streams.cei.org/, includes footage of Gore and his constant air travel with two CO2 meters running at the bottom of the page that compare Gores carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions with those of an average person.
"All the evidence suggests that Mr. Gore is an elitist who passionately believes that the people of the world must drastically reduce their energy use but that it doesn't apply to him, said Myron Ebell, CEI's director of energy and global warming policy and the creator of the video.
Developing...
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 19:35 ||
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Global warning is a very serial issue. Almost as serial as ManBearPig.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dennis Hastert, is under investigation by the FBI, which is seeking to determine his role in an ongoing public corruption probe into members of Congress, ABC News has learned from high level government sources.
Federal officials say the information implicating Hastert was developed from convicted lobbyists who are now cooperating with the government.
Part of the investigation involves a letter Hastert wrote three years ago, urging the Secretary of the Interior to block a casino on an Indian reservation that would have competed with other tribes.
The other tribes were represented by convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government.
The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time.
The day Abramoff was indicted, Hastert denied any unlawful connection and said he would donate to charity any campaign contribution he had received from Abramoff and his clients.
A spokesman for Speaker Hastert told ABC News, "We are not aware of this. The Speaker has a long history and a well-documented record of opposing Indian Reservation shopping for casino gaming purposes."
This week, Hastert has been outspoken in his criticism of the FBI for its raid on the office of another congressman under investigation, Democrat William Jefferson of Louisiana.
"My opinion is that they took the wrong path, Hastert said of the FBI. "They need to back up, and we need to go from there."
#1
Man, I hope Denny isn't involved in some stupid sh*t. However, if he is, get rid of his ass - I'm sick of this crap from both sides of the aisle. One word for all politicians - YOU WORK FOR THE U.S. TAXPAYER ASSHOLES!
#2
He needs to STFU about the raids on Jefferson's office. Search warrants were obtained and Jefferson refused to give up the info voluntarily. Hastert looks as arrogant as Jefferson in this, and even if Denny's not guilty of anything....it smells bad
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 21:34 Comments ||
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#3
If Denny wants to keep from getting a new title, like Minority Leader, he'd better hang tough in the negotiations with the Senate about the immigration bill and do something about earmarks NOW. Even with DOJ denying, but ABC not retracting, I'm ionclined to write my Rep to tell him the House needs new leadership.. Like Pence or Flake.
By IAN BISHOP
May 24, 2006 -- WASHINGTON - In a surprise move yesterday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton called for "most of the country" to return to a speed limit of 55 mph in an effort to slash fuel consumption. I can't drive 55.
"The 55-mile speed limit really does lower gas usage. And wherever it can be required, and the people will accept it, we ought to do it," Clinton said at the National Press Club.
Before sounding off on the benefits of a lower speed limit, Clinton called for a combination of tax incentives, the use of more ethanol-based fuel and a $50 billion fund for new energy research to cut the consumption of foreign oil 50 percent by 2025. We are now importing most of our ethanol at over $2.00 per gallon partly because of tarrifs imposed by Congress.
She also pushed for half of all the nation's gas stations to have ethanol pumps by 2015, and for every gas station to have them by 2025. And she wants TWO ponies.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/24/2006 17:12 ||
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Boy howdy, this'll make her popular. ROFL!! Go, Hillary! We need more antiquated innovative idea like this...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/24/2006 21:07 Comments ||
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#2
Let's see if she self-imposes 55 mph on her campaign vehicles. Better yet, she and Al can walk the country together.
#3
Nanny State's best pupil can't resist the urge - Campaign managers pull their hair out, but she reverts to the old form. We know better than you litle people, as she jets from place to place...
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 21:17 Comments ||
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#4
55 is for the little people. Hillary will be flying in a 757.
Posted by: ed ||
05/24/2006 21:19 Comments ||
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#5
Sniff, sniff, we luv ya SAMMY - iff only he and the rest of VAN HALEN can get along.
From his Senate floor speech yesterday
Mr. President, I am going to take some time tonight to inform my colleagues about some of the problems with the legislation before us. It is worse than you think, colleagues. The legislation has an incredible number of problems with it. Some, as I will point out tonight, can only be considered deliberate. Whereas on the one hand it has nice words with good sounding phrases in it to do good things, on the second hand it completely eviscerates that, oftentimes in a way that only the most careful reading by a good lawyer would discover. So I feel like I have to fulfill my duty. I was on the Judiciary Committee. We went into this. We tried to monitor it and study it and actually read this 614-page bill, and I have a responsibility and I am going to fulfill my responsibility.
I think the things I am saying tonight ought to disturb people. They ought to be unhappy about it. It ought to make them consider whether they want to vote for this piece of legislation that, in my opinion, should never, ever become law.
[...]
The work requirement for a blue card can be satisfied in a matter of hours. Under the AgJOBS component of the substitute, illegal alien agricultural workers who have worked 150 ``workdays'' in agriculture over the last 2 years will receive a ``blue card,'' allowing them to live and work permanently in the U.S. However, because current law defines an agricultural ``workday'' as 1 hour of work per day--the bill language restates that definition on page 397--an alien who has worked for as little as 150 hours--there are 168 hours in a week--in agriculture over the last 2 years will qualify for a blue card.
Blue card aliens can only be fired for just cause, unlike an American citizen worker who is likely under an employment at will agreement with the agricultural employer.
No alien granted blue card status may be terminated from employment by any employer during the period of blue card status except for just cause.
Because blue card aliens are not limited to working in agriculture, this employment requirement will follow the alien at their second and third jobs as well. The bill goes as far as setting up an arbitration process for blue card aliens who allege they have been terminated without just cause. Furthermore, the bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to pay the fee and expenses of the arbitrator. American citizens do not have a right to this arbitration process, why are we setting up an arbitration process for blue card aliens paid for by the American taxpayer.
[...]
The DREAM Act would eliminate this provision and allow illegal alien college and university students to be eligible for in-state tuition without affording out-of-state citizen students the same opportunity. Thus, the University of Alabama could offer in-state tuition to illegal alien students while requiring citizens residing in Mississippi to pay the much higher out-of-state tuition rates.
Allowing all illegal aliens enrolled in college to receive in-state tuition rates means that while American citizens from 49 other states have to pay out-of-state tuition rates to send their kids to
UVA, people who have illegally immigrated to this country might not. Out-of-state tuition rates range from 2 to 3 1/2 times the in-state resident tuition rate.
[...]
So the plain language of the bill doesn't require them to pay all their back taxes at all. They get an option to pick and choose which 3 years they want to pay their taxes. Presumably, they can forget and not pay the taxes for the high years. How silly is that?
This is really important. I think most Americans are pretty sophisticated. They know how the system works and the massive numbers we are talking about--the burden of proving payment of back taxes is on the Internal Revenue Service, pages 351 and 411. They have to prove it. How are they going to prove it? The IRS must prove that they owe the taxes. How will the IRS know if an illegal alien has worked off the books thereby avoiding paying any taxes?
This is really an utter joke. It is a promotion put forth by those in support of the bill that I have heard repeatedly--that somehow it is supposed to make us believe that people have earned their right to be forgiven for violating the law, and they only have to pay back 3 of the last 5 years in taxes.
What about American citizens? Do you think you can go down to Uncle Sam, Mr. President, and have 5 years of income and then be able to pick and choose which years you pay and you only pay 3 out of your last 5 years? Why don't we let every American citizen have this benefit? Why do we only give it to people who entered the country illegally? You tell me.
[...]
How about the employers? They get tax amnesty. Employers of aliens applying for adjustment of status--amnesty--``shall not be subject to civil and criminal tax liability relating directly to the employment of such an alien.'' That means a business that hired illegal workers does not have to pay the taxes they should have paid. Why? This encourages employers to violate our tax laws and not pay what they owe the Federal Government. They are excusing these employers and giving them amnesty from not withholding taxes. That is a very bad thing. Every American business knows they have to pay their withholding taxes.
What about two small businesses, one hiring illegal aliens not paying Social Security, not paying withholding to the Government, and paying some low wage, and another one across the street doing all the right things, hiring American citizens, perhaps paying higher wages and withholding money and sending his Social Security money to the Federal Government, what message does that send to the good guy, to give complete amnesty to the guy who has manipulated the system and gotten away perhaps with tens of thousands of dollars in benefits that his competitor did not get?
You cannot play games with the law like this. You cannot pick and choose people and allow them unilaterally to not have to pay their taxes.
[...]
It is clear the people who drafted this legislation had an agenda and the agenda was not to meet the expectations of the American people. The agenda was to create a facade and appearance of enforcement, an appearance of toughness in some instances. When you get into the meat of the provisions and get into the bill and study it, tucked away here and there are laws that eviscerate and eliminate the real effectiveness of those provisions. It was carefully done and deliberately done. This is a bill that should not become law. It is a bill that will come back to be an embarrassment to our Members who have supported it. I wish it were not so. I know how these things happen. You do not always have time to do everything you want to do. You try to do something you think is right, but ultimately in a bill as important as this one that has tremendous impact on the future of our country and our legal system and our commitment to the rule of law, we ought to get it right. We ought not to let this one slide by. It is not acceptable to say, let's just pass something and we will send it to the House and maybe the House of Representatives will stand up and stop it and fix it. That is not acceptable for the great Senate of the United States.
With a fast-growing U.S. population estimated around 5 million, Muslims are increasing their voice in local and national politics every year. But thus far they havent had one of their own in a national position of power in Congress, the Cabinet or the Supreme Court.
He didnt know it at the time, but Keith Ellison took a large step toward changing that earlier this month when he won the Democratic endorsement for the seat of retiring Rep. Martin Sabo (D-Minn.) in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country. Ellison, a black Muslim, still faces a September primary challenge that could feature Sabos chief of staff, a former state Democratic party chairman. But he has already gotten closer than any other Muslim candidate in recent years and would be the first Muslim in Congress, according to several national Muslim groups.
He said that hes not running on his religion and hasnt thought much about what it would mean to be the first but that he sees the positives that could come from it. He would also be the first black congressman from Minnesota.
Ellison, who supports abortion rights, is calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops in Iraq because, he said, Iraqis and Americans both want them out and the war has cost too much. He disagrees with the route the House has taken on illegal immigration turning hardworking immigrants into felons and added that he supports a path to citizenship.
I think its time for the United States to see a moderate Muslim voice, to see a face of Islam that is just like everybody elses face, Ellison said. Perhaps it would be good for somebody who is Muslim to be in Congress, so that Muslims would feel like they are part of the body politic and that other Americans would know that were here to make a contribution to this country.
Ellison is a 42-year-old two-term state representative who took the endorsement from a crowded field in surprisingly swift fashion at the 5th Districts Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention May 6. The district covers Minneapolis and some nearby suburbs.
Two other primary candidates skipped the convention, and Sabo Chief of Staff Mike Erlandson, whom the congressman endorsed, withdrew from the convention after being heckled and hasnt yet said whether hell run in the primary. His campaign did not return phone calls.
David Schultz, a Minnesota politics expert at Hamline University in St. Paul, said Erlandson is Ellisons top competition but will have a tough time making up lost ground. His strength has always been among the party leadership, if he had any strength whatsoever, Schultz said. And if you couldnt get the endorsement with the party leadership, I dont think hes going to get it among the rank and file.
According to the American Muslim Alliance, which supports Muslim candidates and educates Muslims about politics, four Muslims ran for Congress in 2004 two for the Senate and two for the House. One was a Libertarian, and the other three lost in the primaries. Overall, about 100 Muslims ran for public office in 2004, with close to half winning. One of them, a black Muslim Democratic state senator in North Carolina, is the highest-ranking Muslim elected official.
At least two others Muslims have run for the House this year, both in Texas. Republican Ahmad Hassan is a long shot running against Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in her Houston district, and Republican Amir Omar lost a primary in the Dallas district.
Agha Saeed, chairman of the American Muslim Alliance, said getting a Muslim in Congress would be a step forward, but he emphasized that it must not be tokenism and should be part of a larger shift toward inclusion of Muslims in American politics and life. One person is not going to make any change, unless that victory for the individual marks the beginning of a new attitude and a new approach, Saeed said.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is at the forefront of Muslim get-out-the-vote efforts nationwide. Spokesman Corey Saylor said CAIR put together substantial efforts in Ohio and Florida in 2004 and will broaden its scope in the upcoming midterms. He said most of the progress in getting candidates elected has been on the local level but an Ellison victory would be a breakthrough.
I think it would be huge, no questions asked particularly for a community that feels very much like its presence in the United States is being questioned, Saylor said. This would be a tremendous assertion of the fact that were Americans and were just as interested in public service as anyone else, and heres the proof we have somebody in Congress.
Saylor attributed the fact that there have been no Muslims in Congress to two things: The Muslim political movement in America is in its infancy, with the first groups having started less than two decades ago, and the lasting effects of Sept. 11 and the negative perceptions about Muslims that have resulted.
Ellison, who converted to Islam when he was 19 years old at Wayne State University in Detroit, said he doesnt think district voters are afraid to vote for a Muslim, as long as they know hes concerned about their welfare. My faith informs me. My faith helps me to remember to be gentle, kind, considerate, fair, respectful, he said. But I dont make my faith something that other people have to deal with.
From The Hill. A much better article than the one I posted earlier (under Culture Wars rather than Politix).
#2
No prob, you post fine articles anyway, and the mods will correct it, since they are grossly overpaid to do it so, RB being an Halliburton front org.
#7
How does he feel about Sharia and treatment of women?
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 20:16 Comments ||
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#8
A few quick questions for the debate:
1. Is the Koran the literal word of Allah?
2. Is Mohammed the perfect man whose actions must be emulated by all muslims.
3. "Take not from among infidels friends until they fly (their homes) in Allahs way; but if they turn back, then seize them and kill them wherever you find them." "fight with them until there is no more persecution and religion should be only for Allah". How do you reconcile these muslim principles with the Constitution? Is this the policy you will advocate in Congress?
Posted by: ed ||
05/24/2006 20:34 Comments ||
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LAHORE: Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday ordered the quashment of a first information report (FIR) registered under the offence of Vani after 20 years of the alleged occurrence. The judge held that the offence was committed 20 years ago but the FIR was registered this year, which was clear violation of Article 12 of the Constitution. He held that Section 310-A relating to slavery Vani was added to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) on November 1, 2005, therefore it would not attract (did not cover) the present case because the law had no retrospective effect. Justice Sharif issued the quashment order while accepting a petition moved by alleged slavery Vani accused Malik Muhammad Ramzan, Atta Muhammad, Ahmed Nawaz and Muhammad Irfan challenging the registration of a case under the sexual slavery Vani law.
The petitioners lawyer said that a case was registered against his clients on the complaint of Ms Naheed who alleged that Sihalat, Muhammad and Abdul Rehman had murdered her relative Muhammad Rafique about 40 years ago. He said that both families reached a compromise in 1982 and Ms Khatoon, Ms Alam Khatoon and Ms Naheed were given as slaves Vani to Rafiques family. He said Alam Khatoon was an adult at the time of the compromise and was married to Muhammad Ismail, who died later. He added that the sale nikah of Naheed and Khatoon were performed with the consent of their fathers because both girls were minors at that time. The lawyer said that after attaining puberty Naheed and Khatoon registered a Vani case against the petitioners because they did not want to spend their lives as slaves Vani.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/24/2006 00:00 ||
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President Pervez Musharraf postponed the execution of a British man for a month on Tuesday in order to give his family the chance to reach a settlement with the family of a taxi driver he was convicted of murdering 18 years ago, Reuters reported.
Mirza Tahir Hussain, who is of Pakistani descent, had been set to face the gallows in early June until President Musharraf's intervention following appeals from the British government, European Parliament and the convicted man's family. Musharraf, in response to the appeal from the family, had ordered a one-month postponement from June 1, Tasnim Aslam, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, told Reuters. "During this time, they (Hussain's family) are to work out some mutually agreed arrangement with the family of the victim." Under the Islamic Shariat, heirs of a victim may pardon a murderer in return for wehrgeld blood money. The dead man's family had dismissed a previous attempt by Hussain's family to extort them reach a negotiated settlement.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/24/2006 00:00 ||
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AMMAN - Jordans cabinet on Tuesday appointed career diplomat Ali al-Ayed as Ammans new ambassador to Israel, an official statement said. Al-Ayed, director of the prime ministers political politburo, fills the diplomatic post, which has been vacant since August, when King Abdullah II summoned the former ambassador to the Jewish state, Marouf Bakhit, and appointed him as head of the monarchs office. A month later, Bakhit became Jordans prime minister.
Al-Ayed served as Jordanian charge daffaires in Washington between 2001 and 2004 and for three months in Israel in 2005.
The appointment of a new Jordanian ambassador comes amid reports that King Abdullah II plans to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert after the new Israeli leader returns from Washington, where he met Tuesday with US President George W Bush.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/24/2006 00:01 ||
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Sporadic shooting has continued around East Timor's capital Dili overnight, between troops and rebel soldiers.
Australian soldiers could arrive in East Timor as early as this afternoon after the Government received an urgent request for help, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says.
Residents still in Dili have been told to stay indoors as bursts of gunfire could be heard close to Dili throughout the night.
Rebel soldiers from warring factions are still positioned in the hills around the capital.
Further west, East Timorese troops have engaged in an ongoing gunfight with a larger group of soldiers angry at their treatment and sacking from the army.
Central Dili was almost deserted last night, as thousands of residents fled.
Catholic churches and convents are full of refugees, many of whom have no idea when they will be able to return home.
The decision to send troops is conditional on details being agreed with the East Timorese Government.
The Vice Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, will fly to Dili this morning to negotiate the make up and role of the Australian deployment.
Acting Prime Minister Peter Costello says the troops will arrive in East Timor quickly once the details are finalised.
"We will not be doing this by half measures, we will be doing what is required to ensure that they can discharge their obligations," he said.
Dr Nelson told Lateline that the arrival of international forces should calm the violence between the East Timorese military and rebel soldiers.
"It'd be my reasonable expectation that we will see those rogue elements if you like, come to heel," he said.
The Minister says Australia could send up to 1,300 soldiers to East Timor.
East Timorese Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta told the 7:30 Report that he believes the arrival of Australian forces will immediately calm unrest in his country.
"The larger part, population remain very, very uneasy, panicking, and it is important that we restore calm with the presence of the first Australian units to land here," he said.
The bilateral relations between Viet Nam and the United States are very good, said US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.
"We have good relations with the Vietnamese mission to the UN, and so there are a lot of things on which we work together," Bolton said.
He told Viet Nam News Agency reporters in a recent interview that apart from commercial ties, there are other ties that the two countries would like to pursue. The US wants closer cooperation with Viet Nam on the proliferation security initiatives intended to stop the international trafficking of weapons of mass destruction materials and also hopes for greater cooperation between the two sides on the global war on terrorism.
The US ambassador is optimistic about the relationship between the two countries, saying that the future is likely to bring improved relations between Viet Nam and the US.
Regarding the US stance on Viet Nam's bid for non-permanent membership in the UN Security Council for the 2008-2009 tenure, Bolton said that historically, the US has never publicly announced its intentions in Security Council voting.
We understand you are very close to full diplomatic commitment, but please continue to work diligently on that 25,000 man Viet Cong augmentation to the MNFI and Basra.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is extremely worried about a cluster of recent human deaths from the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu. Seven people from the same family in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, died from the disease earlier this month.
Peter Cordingley, a WHO spokesman, said there was no sign of diseased poultry in the immediate area.
Investigators are looking into the possibility that the virus was spread between humans, Mr Cordingley said.
But he emphasised that there was no indication the virus had mutated.
Experts are worried that if it does mutate, it could become more easily transmitted between humans. There are several other points of interest the article doesn't cover. Yesterday, here was another confirmed bird flu death in Bandung, Java, which has been a hotspot for bird flu cases. There is a lot of talk in the bird flu forums that there is a mammalian vector involved, possibly cats. The 'the virus hasn't mutated' statement is pure fluff for the masses. The bird flu virus mutates all the time and WHO actually said 'there are no significant mutations', which is another way of saying 'we have no idea how significant the 'mutations' that have occured, are'.
Most significant of all, in Sumatra we appear to have a chain of 3 or 4 H2H transmissions. I speculated elsewhere that a (i.e. just one) chain of 10 H2H transmissions is required to start the pandemic.
#1
Phil, yeah, maybe. A cluster of H2H transmission only creaetes a pandemic if it involves a significant number of unrelated people. This cluster is an extended family, who were all present at a family event on April 29.
I'm thinking of this cluster as similar to a food poisoning outbreak after a family reunion.
And, regardless of any H2H transmission, the index case had to have been exposed in some manner to infected poultry or to an infected something.
Is it possible that the reason no sick poultry have been found is that the family ate them [it]? The pattern in other cases has been that sick poultry are immediately slaughtered for food. It's possible that everyone who knows what happened is dead.
#3
if it happens it happens excessivly worrying about it probably will age you faster.
Posted by: bk ||
05/24/2006 11:41 Comments ||
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#4
The significance of the no poultry link is that birds and mammals have evolved separately for 200 million years, as a result birds have significantly different biochemistry.
A virus adapted to infect birds is not well adapted to infect mammals and humans. If the virus has become established in a mammal population, then it is that much closer to being able to efficiently transmit in humans, which this cluster appears to show.
#5
A Man fed his family on an infected chicken that was dead, or was dead for a while. Here in Guam, our local ranchers have known about Bird Flu since forever - we know enough to cut off any infected or discolored parts from a fresh live bird, usually a discolored head or head-neck, and cook the rest at very high heat. In my lifetime and memory, I know of no one whom has ever gotten sick, or ever came down wid any human form of the disease. FOR ME, THIS BIRD FLU PARANOIA IS JUST A PC REASON WHY GOVT HAS TO TAKE DE FACTO SOCIALIST OR HYPER-REGULATORY CONTROL OF OUR FOOD SUPPLY.
Iff Socialists whom don't want to reform or share starve, proper Lefty Universlism-Equalism says everyone must starve as well, just for the heck of it.
From the NY Times. Someone get me some popcorn, and a big soda.....
The American Civil Liberties Union is weighing new standards that would discourage its board members from publicly criticizing the organization's policies and internal administration.
"Where an individual director disagrees with a board position on matters of civil liberties policy, the director should refrain from publicly highlighting the fact of such disagreement," the committee that compiled the standards wrote in its proposals. "Directors should remember that there is always a material prospect that public airing of the disagreement will affect the A.C.L.U. adversely in terms of public support and fund-raising," the proposals state.
Given the organization's longtime commitment to defending free speech, some former board members were shocked by the proposals.
Nat Hentoff, a writer and former A.C.L.U. board member, was incredulous. "You sure that didn't come out of Dick Cheney's office?" he asked. "For the national board to consider promulgating a gag order on its members I can't think of anything more contrary to the reason the A.C.L.U. exists," Mr. Hentoff added.
The proposals say that "a director may publicly disagree with an A.C.L.U. policy position, but may not criticize the A.C.L.U. board or staff." But Wendy Kaminer, a board member and a public critic of some decisions made by the organization's leadership, said that was a distinction without a difference. "If you disagree with a policy position," she said, "you are implicitly criticizing the judgment of whoever adopted the position, board or staff."
Anthony D. Romero, the A.C.L.U.'s executive director, said that he had not yet read the proposals and that it would be premature to discuss them before the board reviews them at its June politburo meeting. Mr. Romero said it was not unusual for the A.C.L.U. to grapple with conflicting issues involving civil liberties. "Take hate speech," he said. "While believing in free speech, we do not believe in or condone speech that attacks minorities." Which is why they were happy to sponsor the Nazi group marching through Skokie....
Lawrence A. Hamermesh, chairman of the committee, which was formed to define rights and responsibilities of board members, also said it was too early to discuss the proposals, as did Alison Steiner, a committee member who filed a dissent against some recommendations.
In a background report, the committee wrote that "its proposed guidelines are more in the nature of a statement of best practices" that could be used to help new board members "understand and conform to the board's shared understanding of the responsibilities of its members."
But some former board members and A.C.L.U. supporters said the proposals were an effort to stifle dissent.
"It sets up a framework for punitive action," said Muriel Morisey, a law professor at Temple University who served on the board for four years until 2004.
Susan Herman, a Brooklyn Law School professor who serves on the board, said board members and others were jumping to conclusions. "No one is arguing that board members have no right to disagree or express their own point of view," Ms. Herman said. "Many of us simply think that in exercising that right, board members should also consider their fiduciary duty to the A.C.L.U. and its process ideals."
When the committee was formed last year, its mission was to set standards on when board members could be suspended or ousted.
The board had just rejected a proposal to remove Ms. Kaminer and Michael Meyers, another board member, because the two had publicly criticized Mr. Romero and the board for decisions that they contended violated A.C.L.U. principles and policies, including signing a grant agreement requiring the group to check its employees against government terrorist watch lists a position it later reversed and the use of sophisticated data-mining techniques to recruit members.
Mr. Meyers lost his bid for re-election to the board last year, but Ms. Kaminer has continued to speak out. Last month, she was quoted in The New York Sun as criticizing the group's endorsement of legislation to regulate advertising done by counseling centers run by anti-abortion groups. The bill would prohibit such centers from running advertisements suggesting that they provide abortion services when they actually try to persuade women to continue their pregnancies.
Ms. Kaminer and another board member, John C. Brittain, charged that the proposal threatened free speech. "I find it quite appalling that the A.C.L.U. is actively supporting this," Ms. Kaminer told The Sun.
The uproar their comments produced at the April board meeting illustrates how contentious the issue of directors' publicly airing dissent with policies and procedures has become at the organization.
Some directors lamented that Ms. Kaminer and Mr. Brittain had shared their disagreement with the paper, and Mr. Romero angrily denounced Ms. Kaminer. "I got frustrated and lost my temper," he said yesterday. "In retrospect, that was a mistake."
At the meeting, Mr. Romero did not denounce Mr. Brittain. But board members said he had demanded that Ms. Steiner step outside the meeting room, where he chastised her for the look on her face when he was criticizing Ms. Kaminer. Hmmm....afraid to get in a man's face, but not of some girlies who don't know their place?
"Anthony went on to say that because I was Wendy's 'friend' and did not appear ready to join him in 'getting rid of her,' (by, among other things, lobbying her affiliate to remove her as its representative) I was no better than she was, and then stormed off angrily," Ms. Steiner wrote in an e-mail message to the board.
Later in the meeting, Mr. Romero asked another board member, David F. Kennison, to step outside after Mr. Kennison apologized for failing to object to Mr. Romero's attack on Ms. Kaminer.
Mr. Kennison reported in an e-mail message that Mr. Romero "told me that he would 'never' apologize to the target of his outburst and that his evaluation of her performance as a member of this board was justified by information he had been accumulating in a 'thick file on her.' "
When Mr. Kennison asked whether Mr. Romero intended to start such a file on him, "he asked me what made me think that he didn't already have a file on me," Mr. Kennison wrote.
Mr. Romero said Mr. Kennison had provoked him. "I do not have a file on Wendy," he said. "It's more like a file cabinet, at this time...."
In a telephone interview, Mr. Kennison said his biggest concern was the relationship between the board and the A.C.L.U. staff.
"I think of the board as the brain and the staff as the fang and the claws," he said, "and the brain should govern the fangs and claws rather than the other way around."
#5
"Directors should remember that there is always a material prospect that public airing of the disagreement will affect the A.C.L.U. adversely in terms of public support and fund-raising,"
And therein lies the objective - not civil liberties.
The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors in a fund-raising effort that has ignited a bitter debate over its leaders' commitment to privacy rights.
Some board members say the extensive data collection makes a mockery of the organization's frequent criticism of banks, corporations and government agencies for their practice of accumulating data on people for marketing and other purposes.
The issue has attracted the attention of the New York attorney general, who is looking into whether the group violated its promises to protect the privacy of its donors and members.
"It is part of the ACLU's mandate, part of its mission, to protect consumer privacy," said Wendy Kaminer, an ACLU board member. "It goes against ACLU values to engage in data-mining on people without informing them. It's not illegal, but it is a violation of our values. It is hypocrisy."
The organization has been shaken by infighting since May, when the board learned that Anthony Romero, its executive director, had registered the ACLU for a federal charity drive that required it to certify that it would not knowingly employ people whose names appeared on government terrorism watch lists.
A day after the New York Times disclosed its participation in late July, the organization withdrew from the charity drive and has since filed a lawsuit with other charities to contest the watch list requirement.
The group's new data collection practices were implemented without the board's approval or knowledge and were in violation of the ACLU's privacy policy at the time, according to Michael Meyers, vice president of the organization and a frequent internal critic. He said he had learned about the new research by accident Nov. 7 during a meeting of the committee that is organizing the group's Biennial Conference in July.
He objected to the practices, and the next day, the privacy policy on the group's Web site was changed. "They took out all the language that would show that they were violating their own policy," Meyers said. "In doing so, they sanctified their procedure while still keeping it secret."
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer appears to be asking the same questions. In a Dec. 3 letter, his office informed the ACLU that it was conducting an inquiry into whether the group had violated its promises to protect the privacy of donors and members.
Emily Whitfield, a spokeswoman for the ACLU, said the organization was confident that its efforts to protect donors' and members' privacy would withstand any scrutiny. "The ACLU certainly feels that data privacy is an extremely important issue, and we will of course work closely with the state attorney general's office to answer any and all questions they may have," she said.
Robert Remar, a member of the board and its smaller executive committee, said he did not think data collection practices had changed markedly. He recalled that the budget included more money to develop donors but said he did not know the specifics.
Remar said he did not know until this week that the organization was using an outside company to collect data or that collection had expanded from major donors to those who contribute as little as $20. "I don't know the details of how they do it, because that's not something a board member would be involved in," he said.
The process is no different than using Google for research, he said, emphasizing that the data firm hired by the ACLU, Grenzebach Glier & Associates, had a contractual obligation to keep information private.
Many nonprofit groups collect information about their donors to help their fund-raising, using technology to figure out people's giving patterns, net worth, health and other details that assist with more targeted pitches.
Because of its strong commitment to privacy rights, however, the ACLU has avoided the most modern techniques, according to minutes of its executive committee from three years ago. "What we did then wasn't very sophisticated because of our stance on privacy rights," said Ira Glasser, Romero's predecessor.
Glasser, who stepped down in 2001, said the organization had done some basic data collection on major donors and a ZIP code analysis of its membership for an endowment campaign while he was there. He said it had done research on Lexis/Nexis and might have looked at SEC filings.
Daniel Lowman, vice president for analytical services at Grenzebach, said that the software the ACLU is using, Prospect Explorer, combed a broad range of publicly available data to compile a file with such things as an individual's wealth, holdings in public corporations, other assets and philanthropic interests.
Meyers said he had learned on Nov. 7 that the ACLU's data collection practices went far beyond what was done previously.
"If I give the ACLU $20, I have not given them permission to investigate my partners, who I'm married to, what they do, what my real estate holdings are, what my wealth is and who else I give my money to," he said.
Jeez, you'd almost think you were dealing with... the NSA, or something...
#10
The American Civil Liberties Union is using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors
So the ACLU is using sophisticated data mining techiques, just like the NSA was? Only they are doing it for fundraising and the NSA was doing it for national security. What an important distinction!
The ACLU stifling free speech and data mining - how can ScrappleFace keep up?
#11
Sniff, sniff, why it was only just yesterday that Lefty bloggers began referring to the Democrats as "Socialists" or "Conservative Socialists" - DARE THE PEOPLE'S REVOLUTIONARY CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF AMERIKA/USA FOLLOW, fighting hard for those few seats on the [Amerikan] national and Global Politburo-Presidium which Russia-China never promised them???
Kicking off a four-day, three-state tour, Mexican President Vicente Fox said Tuesday that his nation wants to be part of the solution in the immigration debate, not the problem.
"We don't set up walls, and that's not the way you're going to fix this situation," Fox said in Spanish to representatives of groups active in Utah's Mexican community. "It's not with fences that we are going to solve this problem." Lying sack - why don't you explain how Mexico treats illegals from Central America?
There were cheers of "Viva Mexico" as Fox shook hands before leaving for an official dinner at the governor's mansion.
Earlier in the day, at a lunchtime speech to about 500 business, civic and religious leaders, Fox stressed the need for greater cooperation between his country and the U.S. on such issues as trade, energy and security. Si se puede salir!
Fox discussed his accomplishments during his six-year term, which ends this year, and promoted trade opportunities with Utah and the rest of the United States.
Working together, Mexico and the U.S. can improve the quality of life for citizens in both countries, he said. why don't you try a lot harder on your end
"The future of North America must guarantee great competitiveness, greater regional security, greater availability of energy, greater trade exchanges and, naturally, a greater well-being for all of its inhabitants," said Fox, who is also scheduled to visit Washington state and California this week.
He spoke of the steps he has taken to strengthen the Mexican economy and the democratization of his country.
Fox's visit comes as the U.S. Senate considers legislation to strengthen border security, authorize new guest-worker programs and give an eventual chance at citizenship to most of the estimated 12 million people already living illegally in the United States.
Utah, like many states, is divided on immigration. While Utah's largest minority population is Hispanic, there also is growing frustration about the wave of illegal immigrants entering the state.
Jorge Fierro, a Mexican citizen who has lived in Utah since 1986, hopes Fox addresses how he and future leaders can improve the lives of Mexicans. Fierro, who is catering an address Fox is scheduled to make at Rico's Market, opened his first bean stand in 1997 and now sells Mexican food products in supermarkets throughout Utah.
"This is going to boost our morale now that our brothers and sisters are facing uncertainty in their future," Fierro said.
The Minuteman Project, which opposes illegal immigration, is planning protests at the Capitol, where Fox is scheduled to address a special session of the Legislature on Wednesday.
"I'd like to see Vicente Fox tell his people to respect the law and come here legally," said Alex Segura, founder of the Utah Minuteman Project.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 10:11 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
"The future of North America must guarantee great competitiveness, greater regional security, greater availability of energy, greater trade exchanges and, naturally, a greater well-being for all of its inhabitants," said Fox
Well, changing a few Mexican laws regarding business might help, but then possibly a gringo or two might make a bit of money that the ruling billionaires would have pocketed otherwise. Can't have that.
#9
"One cannot underestimate the importance of this moment and how complex this issue is for our two nations," Fox told a special session of the Utah Legislature. "Since the beginning of my administration, the government of Mexico has promoted the establishment of a new system that regulates the movement of people across our border in a manner which is legal, safe and orderly."
#12
"Since the beginning of my administration, the government of Mexico has promoted the establishment of a new system that regulates the movement of people across our border in a manner which is legal, safe and orderly."
That just means that he'd like the gates thrown open in urban areas so his compatriots won't have to traipse through all of that inconvenient desert while being hounded (ha!) by la migra.
But it sure as shit will keep the problem in its country of origin. That is a country with corrupt police army and government, socialist laws and anti-capitalist policies. Mexico.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/24/2006 21:13 Comments ||
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#17
IOW, once again, America has to save and solve other nation's or ideo's -isms for them. USA has to save Leftism for the Lefties, Secularism for the Secularists, Socialism for the Socialists, Islam for the Islamists-Muslims, .......etal, and now Mahico for the Mahicans. NOT FOR MAHICO, ETC. TO REFORM FOR ITS OWN GOOD, BUT FOR AMERICA TO CONCEDE AND APPEASE, IN RETURN FOR NOTHING EXCEPT MAYBE BEING DESTABILIZED ANDOR DESTROYED. * US NINTH COURT, by its decision that America is an illegal and unconstitutional nation > America can neither attack or defend itself from anyone. Iff world sovereign nations wanna invade and wage war wid each other on CONUS-NORAM soil, America and Americans have no legal standing, authority, or venue to interfere or resist any invader(s) for s***!? AMERICANS' JOB IS TO SING "KUMBAYA" OR "WE ARE THE WORLD" AS WE HAPPILY REPORT TO OUR LOCAL EXTERMINATION CAMPS-GULAGS, AND NO FAIR CUTTING IN LINE, D**** YOU, TO THE DEATH CHAMBERS OR MASS GRAVE SITES - ONLY A TRUE TRAITOR WOULD TRY TO ESCAPE AND RESIST.
With a strong political record in Minnesota state politics, Keith Ellison stands a good chance to become the first Muslim member of Congress.
A Muslim elected to Congress? Many Muslim Americans have tried in vain to attain this elusive office, their efforts stymied for various reasons including weak campaign skills, lack of political experience, and continuing suspicion of Muslim American loyalties. But one Muslim politician has done it the hard (i.e. right) way - by working his way up the political ladder and building a wide constituency of supporters in his district - not just those in the Muslim community. With his endorsement last week by the Minnesota DFL (affiliated with the Democratic Party), two-term state legislator Keith Ellison is well positioned to succeed retiring Congressman Martin Sabo in Minnesota's heavily Democratic Fifth District and make history as America's first Muslim member of Congress. Running on a progressive platform that some liken to the late Senator Paul Wellstone, Ellison doesn't emphasize his Muslim faith, but he doesn't shy away from it either. "It's good for people to see a reasonable, moderate face of Islam," said Ellison, who has worked with the local Muslim community to promote civic participation. But despite the advantages of party endorsement and a favorable electoral demographic (the Fifth District is one of the most liberal districts in the US), Ellison still faces some obstacles in his road to Washington, DC. A few Democratic candidates who lost out on the DFL endorsement will run against Ellison in September's primary, and his Muslim faith (and past participation in the Million Man March, along with, uh, a million other people) is already drawing attacks on right-wing websites. Ellison, however, remains unfazed while he hits the campaign trail. "I just started studying [Islam] and found it interesting," said Ellison of his conversion many years ago. "I lead my life in a way to not make religion a big deal."
#4
I live in Minnesota, and if he has the DFL endorsement,he will sail into congress through Sabos district. I don't know for certain that "The She Bomber" wouldn't win in that district if he had the DFL nod.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/24/2006 10:41 Comments ||
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#5
SHOE bomber! She bomber. What a moron.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/24/2006 10:42 Comments ||
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#6
He is a Muslim convert. That doesn't say much for his character or his intelligence.
Maybe someone should threaten him to stay a Muslim or die. People like this need to be different. He's a different kind of lunatic, but a lunatic none the less.
#7
America is big enough to elect him if the voters chose to - I doubt, however, his American- or Western brand of Islam? will put him in good standing wid Osama, MadMoud, or Radical Islam's Army-Navy of mad Mad MAD M-A-D D*** YOU CAMEL-KAZES.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
MANAGEMENT AT Beaumont Hospital are to supply disposable headscarves to Muslim female students after it emerged that a small number of students were forbidden from wearing the hijad in theatre.
France should give the European Union constitutional treaty a "second chance" after its voters rejected it last year, former French president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing said in an interview published Tuesday. Giscard told the Financial Times that the treaty, whose drafting he oversaw as president of the European Convention, should be reconsidered after next year's presidential elections in France.
President Pervez Musharraf postponed the execution of a British man for a month on Tuesday in order to give his family the chance to reach a settlement with the family of a taxi driver he was convicted of murdering 18 years ago, Reuters reported. 
