I am applying to be one of the first drivers....
Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
Thursday, November 04, 2010
Justice Stevens gives his 2 cents about the proposed Park51 Islamic Center...
http://us.cnn.com/2010/US/11/04/justice.stevens.ground.zero/index.html?hpt=T2
http://us.cnn.com/2010/US/11/04/justice.stevens.ground.zero/index.html?hpt=T2
1) Go to google maps (maps.google.com)
2) Go to "Get Directions"
3) Start Location: Japan
4) End Location: China
5) Go to direction #43
6) Laugh
2) Go to "Get Directions"
3) Start Location: Japan
4) End Location: China
5) Go to direction #43
6) Laugh
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
Salon.com has a nice piece albeit a bit old about the use of agent provocateurs. The FBI has foiled plenty of terrorist plots it itself set up and planned.... Is this law enforcement? I don't know but read for yourself
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/07/06/fbi_foiled_terrorism_plots/index.html
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/feature/2010/07/06/fbi_foiled_terrorism_plots/index.html
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Elmo breaks guy's two fingers...
OK, OK, I spun the story in the opposite direction... Got you.
Read the full story at http://us.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/28/florida.crime.fighting.elmo/index.html?hpt=T2
OK, OK, I spun the story in the opposite direction... Got you.
Read the full story at http://us.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/09/28/florida.crime.fighting.elmo/index.html?hpt=T2
Monday, September 27, 2010
Nick Adenhart was a promising young pitcher for the California Angels. Unfortunately when he came face to face with Andrew Gallo, his career was cut short.
If only Andrew Gallo was a grizzled MLB veteran who took the youngsters pitch out of the park.
Andrew Gallo is another repeat drunk driver offender, who killed Andrew Gallo and two of his mates. Thankfully, he was just convicted of 3 counts of 2nd degree murder. So he should not be threatening anyone else's life for the foreseeable future....
More on the story and here for the original details.
If only Andrew Gallo was a grizzled MLB veteran who took the youngsters pitch out of the park.
Andrew Gallo is another repeat drunk driver offender, who killed Andrew Gallo and two of his mates. Thankfully, he was just convicted of 3 counts of 2nd degree murder. So he should not be threatening anyone else's life for the foreseeable future....
More on the story and here for the original details.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Whats the best excuse you ever heard someone get out of jury duty with?
Well it sure is not having NFL season tickets.
Yup someone actually told a judge they could not be on a jury because they had season tickets.
I guess the Judge is not a fan of the local team....
Read on at http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/09/nfl-season-tickets-wont-get-you-out-of-jury-duty/1
Well it sure is not having NFL season tickets.
Yup someone actually told a judge they could not be on a jury because they had season tickets.
I guess the Judge is not a fan of the local team....
Read on at http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/09/nfl-season-tickets-wont-get-you-out-of-jury-duty/1
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A couple of interesting and fun sports bits today:
An Italian Team has a novel idea of how to deal with low attendance at their games....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503821229703834.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESixthNews
How creative. The only thing missing is to pump fake crowd noise over the loud speakers, just like various NFL teams have done in the past...
Secondly, the new version of the famous Simon and Garfunkel song Mrs Robinson, dedicated to Denard Robinson....
Nice Heisman Pose Denard!
An Italian Team has a novel idea of how to deal with low attendance at their games....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703989304575503821229703834.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLESixthNews
How creative. The only thing missing is to pump fake crowd noise over the loud speakers, just like various NFL teams have done in the past...
Secondly, the new version of the famous Simon and Garfunkel song Mrs Robinson, dedicated to Denard Robinson....
Nice Heisman Pose Denard!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
In the news recently, we had two very interesting murder defenses presented by our fellow lawyers:
- In the case of Shelley Malil, an actor famous for his role in 40 year old virgin, the defense was he could not see and assumed he was being attacked, so he repeatedly stabbed his "attacker" who was his girlfriend. OK, maybe once or twice, but 20 times?
- In another lower profile murder case, the defense tried to claim the perpetrator was insane by virtue of having too much caffeine.... WOW. I guess Starbucks could be charged with conspiracy or assisting in a crime.
- In the case of Shelley Malil, an actor famous for his role in 40 year old virgin, the defense was he could not see and assumed he was being attacked, so he repeatedly stabbed his "attacker" who was his girlfriend. OK, maybe once or twice, but 20 times?
- In another lower profile murder case, the defense tried to claim the perpetrator was insane by virtue of having too much caffeine.... WOW. I guess Starbucks could be charged with conspiracy or assisting in a crime.
Robert Wright of the New York Times last week put together a wonderful piece on the scriptures and the controversial passages in each. He stressed the importance of contextual interpretation vs superficial biased quotations to demonize, which can be directed at any one of the religious scriptures in our world. I found it highly enlightening and urge everyone to take a look at it:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/the-meaning-of-the-koran/
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/the-meaning-of-the-koran/
The headlines have it "FBI Stings man who allegedly had backpack with fake bomb"
What does that mean? Are we safe? Is another terrorist off the street?
hmm....
So the FBI gave the guy a backpack, told him it was a bomb, and told him to place it somewhere, then arrested him for it?
What is especially comical in the story is the motive of the culprit "Hassoun explained he saw attacking Chicago as a means of creating chaos to gain political control of the city and its sources of revenue,"
WOW
What logic... What intelligence...
I guess when they handed out the brains, he slept in. The guy obviously has a few screws loose. And I guess the FBI seized the opportunity.
What does that mean? Are we safe? Is another terrorist off the street?
hmm....
So the FBI gave the guy a backpack, told him it was a bomb, and told him to place it somewhere, then arrested him for it?
What is especially comical in the story is the motive of the culprit "Hassoun explained he saw attacking Chicago as a means of creating chaos to gain political control of the city and its sources of revenue,"
WOW
What logic... What intelligence...
I guess when they handed out the brains, he slept in. The guy obviously has a few screws loose. And I guess the FBI seized the opportunity.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The story of Park51 and the "outrage" of building a mosque on hallowed ground is a story that has been drummed up by hate mongers who tend to miss a very important point, one that I always harp on when discussing terrorism being linked to any religion:
The victims of 9/11 came from all faiths, colors, ages, etc.
Including Muslims.
Michael Theodoridis was a co-worker of my brother's who had converted to Islam. He and his pregnant Muslim wife were on American Flight 11. 3 Muslim victims. Tragically, her family were placed on a no fly list and prevented from attending the memorial.
CAIR has prepared a simple document introducing at least 30 of the Muslim victims. There are definitely others too. Their stories are touching and tragic, and no different from those heroes portrayed in United 93 and World Trade Center. They include the stories of first responders like Salman Hamdani, a NYPD cadet and paramedic, who died while off duty rushing to assist at the scene. Tragically he was even suspected of being involved in the time until the pieces of his body were found and identified.
http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/Muslim-Victims-of-911.pdf
Take a look for yourself. That hallowed ground is a special place for all of humanity. No one should be excluded or blamed because of the ethnic or religious affiliations of the perpetrators. We humanity are all victims, some more than others.
The victims of 9/11 came from all faiths, colors, ages, etc.
Including Muslims.
Michael Theodoridis was a co-worker of my brother's who had converted to Islam. He and his pregnant Muslim wife were on American Flight 11. 3 Muslim victims. Tragically, her family were placed on a no fly list and prevented from attending the memorial.
CAIR has prepared a simple document introducing at least 30 of the Muslim victims. There are definitely others too. Their stories are touching and tragic, and no different from those heroes portrayed in United 93 and World Trade Center. They include the stories of first responders like Salman Hamdani, a NYPD cadet and paramedic, who died while off duty rushing to assist at the scene. Tragically he was even suspected of being involved in the time until the pieces of his body were found and identified.
http://www.cair.com/Portals/0/pdf/Muslim-Victims-of-911.pdf
Take a look for yourself. That hallowed ground is a special place for all of humanity. No one should be excluded or blamed because of the ethnic or religious affiliations of the perpetrators. We humanity are all victims, some more than others.
Another sad tragedy today.
A man shot and killed his three children.
The father attempted suicide but survived.
What is wrong with our world today?
The greatest irony from the story is that the perpetrator's co-worker mentioned that he(the perpetrator) was distraught over the custody battle with the children's mother, and that '"everyone was lying" about him having a violent temper'. Sheesh. He sure proved everyone wrong. Very very sad.
A man shot and killed his three children.
The father attempted suicide but survived.
What is wrong with our world today?
The greatest irony from the story is that the perpetrator's co-worker mentioned that he(the perpetrator) was distraught over the custody battle with the children's mother, and that '"everyone was lying" about him having a violent temper'. Sheesh. He sure proved everyone wrong. Very very sad.
In being an avid and unusual basketball player, I distinguished myself for, among other things, having a three point layup. Which means running and jumping from behind the three point line, and prior to landing very close to the basket, laying it up. Effectively a three point layup. The person I always attribute it to (and I could be wrong) is the late Malik Sealy, who as I recall made such a layup at the end of the first half in the NCAA tourney.
Malik tragically died in a car accident 10 years ago. What is even more tragic is how he died and what has ensued since.
His car was hit by a car driven in the wrong direction on the freeway by Souksangouane Phengsene, who survived the accident, to the dismay of humanity. Mr. Phengsene was drunk out of his mind(blood alcohol of 0.19, almost double the Minnesota limit of 0.1). The image of that accident:
And it was not his first drunk driving incident. He would serve three years of a four year prison sentence, and was released in 2003. He was convicted of at least his third such offense in 2006. And again in 2008, for which he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. And when he gets out in 3-5 years, isn't it perfectly reasonable to expect another offence within a year or two?
How is this guy allowed to be in the general public, let alone behind the wheel of a car? In my book, he deserves the death penalty, or at least incarceration for life.
He already took one life, and has jeopardized so many others repeatedly.
Support your local SADD and MADD chapters. And don't let yourself or your friends drink and drive. The whole "think before you drink" campaign is not enough (especially once you consider it is sponsored by the liquor industry). How many lives have to be lost so tragically?
Malik tragically died in a car accident 10 years ago. What is even more tragic is how he died and what has ensued since.
His car was hit by a car driven in the wrong direction on the freeway by Souksangouane Phengsene, who survived the accident, to the dismay of humanity. Mr. Phengsene was drunk out of his mind(blood alcohol of 0.19, almost double the Minnesota limit of 0.1). The image of that accident:
And it was not his first drunk driving incident. He would serve three years of a four year prison sentence, and was released in 2003. He was convicted of at least his third such offense in 2006. And again in 2008, for which he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. And when he gets out in 3-5 years, isn't it perfectly reasonable to expect another offence within a year or two?
How is this guy allowed to be in the general public, let alone behind the wheel of a car? In my book, he deserves the death penalty, or at least incarceration for life.
He already took one life, and has jeopardized so many others repeatedly.
Support your local SADD and MADD chapters. And don't let yourself or your friends drink and drive. The whole "think before you drink" campaign is not enough (especially once you consider it is sponsored by the liquor industry). How many lives have to be lost so tragically?
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Who better than the Onion to highlight the situation of anti Islamic hysteria we are observing today, in light of the Park 51 mosque project.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-already-knows-everything-he-needs-to-know-abou,17990/
The deliberate attempts by those who hate to stoke other's emotions ignorantly against one faith and its followers is a modern tragedy, especially in the information age. The hate crimes that have taken place since, including the stabbing of a NYC cab driver, numerous attacks on mosques, and intimidation and harassment of Muslims across the country are the direct result of giving legitimacy to such hatred. Bravo to those who have stood up for truth and stood against hate. Bravo to Mayor Bloomberg, John Stewart, Keith Olbermann. The President backed off of such a stance for political reasons. Shame on the media and the republicans for making an issue of hate one to ride on. Everyone of you will look back on this episode with regret.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/man-already-knows-everything-he-needs-to-know-abou,17990/
The deliberate attempts by those who hate to stoke other's emotions ignorantly against one faith and its followers is a modern tragedy, especially in the information age. The hate crimes that have taken place since, including the stabbing of a NYC cab driver, numerous attacks on mosques, and intimidation and harassment of Muslims across the country are the direct result of giving legitimacy to such hatred. Bravo to those who have stood up for truth and stood against hate. Bravo to Mayor Bloomberg, John Stewart, Keith Olbermann. The President backed off of such a stance for political reasons. Shame on the media and the republicans for making an issue of hate one to ride on. Everyone of you will look back on this episode with regret.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The humanitarian catastrophe in Pakistan is one that deserves every one of our attention. When I first heard the news, and the claims of it being worse than the Tsunami, I was skeptical. But the evidence is tremendous, and the tragedy is extremely serious. The satellite images that have been broadcast to illustrate the flooding are horrifying. Where villages stood is now water. What was a river meters wide is now 20 km wide. If you would like to see for yourself visit the BBC or Satellite Imaging Corp
We all need to do what we can to assist those in severe need right now.
If you have a preferred charity, contact them to see if they are collecting supplies or strictly monetary aid, and give what you can. A few suggestions:
- Oxfam International
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or your local red cross/red crescent
- Mercy USA for Relief and Development
- Islamic Relief
- Doctors without Borders
- Islamic Medical Association
We all need to do what we can to assist those in severe need right now.
If you have a preferred charity, contact them to see if they are collecting supplies or strictly monetary aid, and give what you can. A few suggestions:
- Oxfam International
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies or your local red cross/red crescent
- Mercy USA for Relief and Development
- Islamic Relief
- Doctors without Borders
- Islamic Medical Association
Monday, August 16, 2010
Another in our series on why drinking isn't such a great idea, it can make you think you can go dukes of hazzard style over the toll booth....
Net result?
For more on the story, visit http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/06/this_is_not_how_youre_supposed.php
Net result?
For more on the story, visit http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2010/06/this_is_not_how_youre_supposed.php
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A bear cub got its head stuck in a plastic jar and could not get out.... But the story has a nice happy ending....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10977657
For other "positive" news and websites with stuff to brighten your day, check out
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/02/8.sites.brighten.day/index.html?iref=NS1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10977657
For other "positive" news and websites with stuff to brighten your day, check out
http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/02/8.sites.brighten.day/index.html?iref=NS1
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Heat have turned the NBA inside out. First Dwayne Wade re-signed. Then Chris Bosh joined. Then of course we were we all witnesses to Lebron mania as he defected to the dark side. Since then, a list of NBA superstars and substars have followed including Udonis Haslem, Zydrawnas Ilgauskas, Mike Miller, Joel Anthony, James Jones, Carlos Arroyo, Jamal Magloire, and maybe John Lucas III and Jason Williams (white chocolate). Even Anfernee Hardaway (yes you do remember little penny) is contemplating coming out of his retirement to join the fabled cast....
But the biggest acquisition is yet to come it seems .....
But the biggest acquisition is yet to come it seems .....
Monday, July 05, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
In the news, Touchdown Jesus aka the King of Kings, a sixty foot high statue of Jesus with his hands raised to the sky (seemingly to catch a touchdown, thus the moniker), burned to the ground after being struck by lightning. Its true, I am not making this up.... Built at a cost of $250,000, the monument was a tourist drive by attraction since built in 2004. While the author of the report blamed Charlie Weis (the statue being 270 miles south of Notre Dame's home in South Bend), I couldn't help but imagine ways the newspapers (or especially the Onion types) could have reported on the incident:
- Touchdown Jesus is on Fire!
- Another miracle.... Jesus invokes lightning...
- Jesus burns dedication statue as inadequate tribute
- Builders put up statue... God says no thanks...
- Zeus to Jesus - Take that
- Touchdown Jesus burned for dropping the ball
- The King of Kings goes down in a ball of fire
The association to Notre Dame also puts an appropriate spin on it, especially considering Notre Dame has lost 9 of the last 10 bowls it has been in and last won the national championship 22 years ago.
The funniest parts of the news report were:
- Police started issuing citations to the gawkers who snarled traffic
- People were grabbing foam pieces of the statue to take home
- People would often be startled by the statue when they drove by
Good news (I guess) is the founder said the statue would be rebuilt.
- Touchdown Jesus is on Fire!
- Another miracle.... Jesus invokes lightning...
- Jesus burns dedication statue as inadequate tribute
- Builders put up statue... God says no thanks...
- Zeus to Jesus - Take that
- Touchdown Jesus burned for dropping the ball
- The King of Kings goes down in a ball of fire
The association to Notre Dame also puts an appropriate spin on it, especially considering Notre Dame has lost 9 of the last 10 bowls it has been in and last won the national championship 22 years ago.
The funniest parts of the news report were:
- Police started issuing citations to the gawkers who snarled traffic
- People were grabbing foam pieces of the statue to take home
- People would often be startled by the statue when they drove by
Good news (I guess) is the founder said the statue would be rebuilt.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Big surprise from the New York Times today.
Our government has discovered a trillion dollars in minerals in Afghanistan.... Wow so there is something to fight for over there in addition to democracy... Or did we know that all along?
I mean we went there first to get Osama Bin Laden, right? Never got him...
Then we helped some old Unocal guy named Karzai become the president... And he and his cronies are taking full advantage of their positions (the article mentions one of his ministers got a $30 million bribe from the Chinese to assign a contract for a copper mine to them)...
And we recently decided we need to send more troops there and expand the war...
All for democracy?
Or for a trillion dollars worth of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium...
Our government has discovered a trillion dollars in minerals in Afghanistan.... Wow so there is something to fight for over there in addition to democracy... Or did we know that all along?
I mean we went there first to get Osama Bin Laden, right? Never got him...
Then we helped some old Unocal guy named Karzai become the president... And he and his cronies are taking full advantage of their positions (the article mentions one of his ministers got a $30 million bribe from the Chinese to assign a contract for a copper mine to them)...
And we recently decided we need to send more troops there and expand the war...
All for democracy?
Or for a trillion dollars worth of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium...
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Can't get enough of Colbert.... Skip ahead to the 2:40 mark for the evils of the world cup....
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Sport Report - Soccer Debate - Marc Fisher & Mark Starr | ||||
| ||||
Today, on Woot Kids, they are selling a Hannah Montana soccer ball for only $1.99 plus S&H.
So for all you fans of Hannah Montana, you have to have this in your collection....
And for all of you who aren't fans, what better way to say I love you than to kick this ball as much and as hard as you can.....
Sorry couldn't help myself, now back to the regularly scheduled programming....
So for all you fans of Hannah Montana, you have to have this in your collection....
And for all of you who aren't fans, what better way to say I love you than to kick this ball as much and as hard as you can.....
Sorry couldn't help myself, now back to the regularly scheduled programming....
I am sure we all heard the news, two young men from New Jersey were arrested on their way to Egypt and then supposedly to Somalia for intent to commit "violent jihad" and terrorism. Boy we all breathed a sigh of relief. Another two nutjobs off the street.....
Except....
In an interview with CNN, the mother of one of these two says her son was a stupid kid, not a terrorist. And she says the whole trip was arranged by "Bassim", who they suspect is an "informant" or possibly another case of an "agent provocateur". The guy was the one to reassure her that her son and his friend were going with him to Egypt to study arabic. Further, the son was also set to marry a lady in Egypt, which would contradict the alleged plan of these two. (side note: looking at their arrest photos themselves gives you a feeling about the two(I mean c'mon denim and corduroy grey shirts ;-) ), in light of other evidence circulating the news, such as the below photo which I used to make a point in a previous blog post. BTW, Where is the PETJ to condemn this (People for the ethical treatment of juice) Also, these guys were supposedly members of the "Islamic thinkers society". Boy, what a name of an organization for someone alleged to have said ""My soul cannot rest till I shed blood. I wanna like be the world's [best] known terrorist". The organization claims to be non violent while printing posters that say "exterminate the zionist roaches))...
To me, based on the superficial data we have, it looks like another fishy case of agent provocateurs framing someone who has issues to begin with. According to the mother, her son saw 16 or 17 psychiatrists to treat his anger issues, so he was definitely not a stable person. Could he have said the things he is alleged to have said? No question, based on the profile we are seeing. Especially if he was egged on or led that way....
This is eerily similar to the tragic case of Imam Luqman. At least though in this case, the feds did not go in with their guns blazing, and left the guy to die on the pavement. If these guys needed treatment(which is pretty obvious), they should be institutionalized other otherwise dealt with appropriately. But to take someone with such issues, and lead them on/set them up to make them seem like terrorists to make a splash of a supposed terror is just plain wrong. Lets see how the facts line up....
Except....
In an interview with CNN, the mother of one of these two says her son was a stupid kid, not a terrorist. And she says the whole trip was arranged by "Bassim", who they suspect is an "informant" or possibly another case of an "agent provocateur". The guy was the one to reassure her that her son and his friend were going with him to Egypt to study arabic. Further, the son was also set to marry a lady in Egypt, which would contradict the alleged plan of these two. (side note: looking at their arrest photos themselves gives you a feeling about the two(I mean c'mon denim and corduroy grey shirts ;-) ), in light of other evidence circulating the news, such as the below photo which I used to make a point in a previous blog post. BTW, Where is the PETJ to condemn this (People for the ethical treatment of juice) Also, these guys were supposedly members of the "Islamic thinkers society". Boy, what a name of an organization for someone alleged to have said ""My soul cannot rest till I shed blood. I wanna like be the world's [best] known terrorist". The organization claims to be non violent while printing posters that say "exterminate the zionist roaches))...
To me, based on the superficial data we have, it looks like another fishy case of agent provocateurs framing someone who has issues to begin with. According to the mother, her son saw 16 or 17 psychiatrists to treat his anger issues, so he was definitely not a stable person. Could he have said the things he is alleged to have said? No question, based on the profile we are seeing. Especially if he was egged on or led that way....
This is eerily similar to the tragic case of Imam Luqman. At least though in this case, the feds did not go in with their guns blazing, and left the guy to die on the pavement. If these guys needed treatment(which is pretty obvious), they should be institutionalized other otherwise dealt with appropriately. But to take someone with such issues, and lead them on/set them up to make them seem like terrorists to make a splash of a supposed terror is just plain wrong. Lets see how the facts line up....
Monday, June 07, 2010
Abu Dhabi just unveiled a building that put to shame the leaning tower of Pisa. The new Capital Gate Building leans much more than the classic tower of Pisa....
Some poor lady seems to have taken the loss of the distinction to heart, and has unfortunately jumped from the slightly leaning tower of Pisa.
What a world we live in...
Some poor lady seems to have taken the loss of the distinction to heart, and has unfortunately jumped from the slightly leaning tower of Pisa.
What a world we live in...
Who better than the Onion to spice up the anticipation for the World Cup....
Nation's Soccer Fan Becoming Insufferable
A useful email forward (can't verify authenticity or source unfortunately):
Putting Names To Faces
Lawrence of Cyberia
June 3, 2010
A brief introduction to the nine Turkish people shot dead on 31 May 2010, by Israeli soldiers who attacked the Turkish vessel M.V. Mavi Marmara, as it attempted to transport humanitarian aid to the people of the Gaza Strip.
1. Ibrahim Bilgen, 61, an electrical engineer from Siirt. Member of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers of Turkey. Married with 6 children. (link - link - link - link)
2. Ali Haydar Bengi, 39, from Diyarbakir. Graduate of Al-Azhar University, Cairo (Department of Arabic literature). Married with 4 children. (link)
3. Cevdet Kiliçlar, 38, from Kayseri. Originally a journalist, later an aid worker with the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH). Married with two children. See him participating in an IHH African relief project here. See his Flickr photos here. (link - link)
4. Çetin Topçuoglu, 54, from Adana. Former amateur soccer player and taekwondo champion, who coached Turkey's national taekwondo team. Married with one son. See his Facebook page here. (link - link)
5. Necdet Yildirim, 32, an IHH aid worker from Malatya. Married with a three-year-old daughter. (link)
6. Fahri Yaldiz, 43, a firefighter who worked for the Municipality of Adiyaman. Married with four children. (link)
7. Cengiz Songür, 47, from Izmir. Married with seven children. (link - link)
8. Cengiz Akyüz, 41, from Iskenderun. Married with children aged 14, 12 and nine. (link)
9. Furkan Dogan, 19, student at Kayseri High School; planned to become a doctor. Son of Dr. Ahmet Dogan, Assoc Prof at Erciyes University. A Turkish-American dual national, with two siblings. (link - link - link)
(This post liable to change as more details become available).
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Another big catch in the war on terror....
or so we are to think....
A couple in Ohio, with dual citizenship, US and Lebanese, was caught conspiring to send money to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia formed to fight Israel that the US government has labeled as terrorists.
Amazing. Another success in our war on terror.... except....
Hmmm...
If I read the article correctly, all the money that was to be sent was supplied by the FBI....
And the person who asked them to send the money in exchange for payment was an FBI informant or more aptly an agent provocateur....
So let me get this straight, this couple was approached, offered money to send money "back home" to Lebanon to reach Hezbollah, and are thus charged with a crime of conspiring to fund terrorism?
I would love to do a survey. Go and ask 100 people from all walks of life if they would be willing to deliver money to some overseas shadowy recipient in exchange for some ridiculous sum of money (the article mentions they hoped to get paid $300,000 - $400,000 for delivering $500,000 - $1,000,000). Lets even say hypothetically that the recipient is Hezbollah... Hmm Wikipedia dot com .... look up hezbollah.... "is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon.[3] Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics." Hmm they don't sound so bad... Anything in there about attacking America or Americans? Nope....
Especially in this challenging economy, I guarantee you a substantial percentage would say "what the heck" and agree to it.
And then lets charge each one of those with conspiring to fund terrorism.
Fair's fair, right?
The credibility of our law enforcement is at stake if the use of such tactics becomes more widespread. Just reading that article on its face raises significant questions about this investigation and charge. Of course, all of us "reasonable" people will say, they should not have agreed and they should have called the police. But tempt any person enough, and almost anyone will cave in to the temptation being dangled in front of them to violate their own principles. As they say, "every person has their price".
If law enforcement can send in fake criminals to incite and fund criminal activity (effectively bribe people to commit crime or go along with a crime) and then charge all of those who go along, that's not law enforcement. That's criminal conspiracy and selective prosecution. In lay terms, the "criminals" were "framed". Plain and simple.
The problem takes an even more unfortunate twist when those targeted are seemingly exclusively from one religious or ethnic group.
or so we are to think....
A couple in Ohio, with dual citizenship, US and Lebanese, was caught conspiring to send money to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia formed to fight Israel that the US government has labeled as terrorists.
Amazing. Another success in our war on terror.... except....
Hmmm...
If I read the article correctly, all the money that was to be sent was supplied by the FBI....
And the person who asked them to send the money in exchange for payment was an FBI informant or more aptly an agent provocateur....
So let me get this straight, this couple was approached, offered money to send money "back home" to Lebanon to reach Hezbollah, and are thus charged with a crime of conspiring to fund terrorism?
I would love to do a survey. Go and ask 100 people from all walks of life if they would be willing to deliver money to some overseas shadowy recipient in exchange for some ridiculous sum of money (the article mentions they hoped to get paid $300,000 - $400,000 for delivering $500,000 - $1,000,000). Lets even say hypothetically that the recipient is Hezbollah... Hmm Wikipedia dot com .... look up hezbollah.... "is a Shi'a Islamist political and paramilitary organisation based in Lebanon.[3] Hezbollah is now also a major provider of social services, which operate schools, hospitals, and agricultural services for thousands of Lebanese Shiites, and plays a significant force in Lebanese politics." Hmm they don't sound so bad... Anything in there about attacking America or Americans? Nope....
Especially in this challenging economy, I guarantee you a substantial percentage would say "what the heck" and agree to it.
And then lets charge each one of those with conspiring to fund terrorism.
Fair's fair, right?
The credibility of our law enforcement is at stake if the use of such tactics becomes more widespread. Just reading that article on its face raises significant questions about this investigation and charge. Of course, all of us "reasonable" people will say, they should not have agreed and they should have called the police. But tempt any person enough, and almost anyone will cave in to the temptation being dangled in front of them to violate their own principles. As they say, "every person has their price".
If law enforcement can send in fake criminals to incite and fund criminal activity (effectively bribe people to commit crime or go along with a crime) and then charge all of those who go along, that's not law enforcement. That's criminal conspiracy and selective prosecution. In lay terms, the "criminals" were "framed". Plain and simple.
The problem takes an even more unfortunate twist when those targeted are seemingly exclusively from one religious or ethnic group.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
As if the last post wasn't enough, more and more incidents are arising. The Zionists are dead set against truth and against peace, and don't care who is asking for it, Muslim Christian or Jew.....
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/05/teaneck-harassment-trial-involves-pro-palestinian-bumper-stickers.html
US support for Israel must be conditioned on adherence to international law, UN resolutions, human rights, and a commitment to real peace. The settlements must end, the abusive settlers must be stopped, and a new era of fair diplomacy must begin.
http://mondoweiss.net/2010/05/teaneck-harassment-trial-involves-pro-palestinian-bumper-stickers.html
US support for Israel must be conditioned on adherence to international law, UN resolutions, human rights, and a commitment to real peace. The settlements must end, the abusive settlers must be stopped, and a new era of fair diplomacy must begin.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hmmmm.....
Where to start....
Well, of course, besides thwarting any chance of peace, Israel and its supporters have been busy....
First, they had their own diplomats expelled from the UK and Australia in response to their use of falsified passports to commit an assasination of a Palestinian in Dubai.
Hmm...
Then they denied entry to Noam Chomsky, a Jewish thinker, author and professor, who happens to be critical of Israeli aggression. Of course, their supporters took it a step further, attacking the home of Rabbi Lerner of Tikkun, who advocates peace and is critical of the Israeli aggression. As if death threats to shut him up weren't enough... In addition, an AP exam was the subject of outrage by zionists for using a quote by Edward Said. I guess the word Palestinian is offensive to the zionists because no one actually lived on the land they settled on (due to their historical and religious right) and continue to settle in. The homes they constantly demolish, such as the one that Rachel Corrie, Gods mercy and blessings be upon her soul, stood to protect, are Darwinian evolutionary phenomena. They just magically came together, and just the same the Israelis can take them apart. The settlers themselves are very respectful of human rights, as you can see below:
They actually begin the civic duty and human rights training early for those wonderful settlers:
The Gaza blockade continues. A group of international aid ships will not be allowed to reach Gaza according to the Israelis, despite the obvious humanitarian crisis they themselves caused.
This just in, Israel offered to sell the nuclear technology it constantly lies about having, despite its foremost criticism of Iran for trying to get the same technology, to its former brother in Apartheid, South Africa. Of course, what do we expect other than new lies of denial, even though the agreement has the signature of the current president of Israel, Shimon Peres, and Botha of South Africa.
And what does the world do about all this?
Well, our government approved more military aid for Israel.
And the EU said Palestinian aid would be cut if there is no peace. Regardless of if the Palestinians or the Israels cause the lack of a peace deal.
We even threatened to cut aid to Lebanon.
We live in a fair and balanced world. Thank you Faux News! The real story is so telling. We don't even have to spin it.
Where to start....
Well, of course, besides thwarting any chance of peace, Israel and its supporters have been busy....
First, they had their own diplomats expelled from the UK and Australia in response to their use of falsified passports to commit an assasination of a Palestinian in Dubai.
Hmm...
Then they denied entry to Noam Chomsky, a Jewish thinker, author and professor, who happens to be critical of Israeli aggression. Of course, their supporters took it a step further, attacking the home of Rabbi Lerner of Tikkun, who advocates peace and is critical of the Israeli aggression. As if death threats to shut him up weren't enough... In addition, an AP exam was the subject of outrage by zionists for using a quote by Edward Said. I guess the word Palestinian is offensive to the zionists because no one actually lived on the land they settled on (due to their historical and religious right) and continue to settle in. The homes they constantly demolish, such as the one that Rachel Corrie, Gods mercy and blessings be upon her soul, stood to protect, are Darwinian evolutionary phenomena. They just magically came together, and just the same the Israelis can take them apart. The settlers themselves are very respectful of human rights, as you can see below:
They actually begin the civic duty and human rights training early for those wonderful settlers:
The Gaza blockade continues. A group of international aid ships will not be allowed to reach Gaza according to the Israelis, despite the obvious humanitarian crisis they themselves caused.
This just in, Israel offered to sell the nuclear technology it constantly lies about having, despite its foremost criticism of Iran for trying to get the same technology, to its former brother in Apartheid, South Africa. Of course, what do we expect other than new lies of denial, even though the agreement has the signature of the current president of Israel, Shimon Peres, and Botha of South Africa.
And what does the world do about all this?
Well, our government approved more military aid for Israel.
And the EU said Palestinian aid would be cut if there is no peace. Regardless of if the Palestinians or the Israels cause the lack of a peace deal.
We even threatened to cut aid to Lebanon.
We live in a fair and balanced world. Thank you Faux News! The real story is so telling. We don't even have to spin it.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The headlines are shouting "Fugitive cleric al-Awlaki warns of future attacks" or "American-born cleric praised in al Qaeda audio message" or "US-Born al Qaeda Cleric Says Kill Americans" or "Radical cleric justifies killing of US civilians"....
Clearly Mr. Awlaki has lost his marbles.
Because he has turned his back on the principles and history of the faith which he professes to follow and teach.
The last headline is especially telling. In Islam, there is no justification for wrong. The history of the Prophet Muhammad is abundantly clear with that message. When the Muslims were persecuted, tortured and even killed during the Meccan era, the message by the Prophet was patience and perseverance in the face of the wrong. When they negotiated a treaty with Meccans, from Madina, which was seemingly imbalanced in favor of the Meccans, he honored his agreement, even if it meant turning back new converts. During the Madinan period, when he was undermined by the hypocrites, and the son of the chief hypocrite offered to kill his own father to end the controversy, he insisted that such an act would be unacceptable, unjustifiable and wrong. Even in war, prisoners of war and those who surrendered and even local vegetation had rights, even in the heat of the battle, let alone civilians. Lastly, suicide is strictly forbidden, even on the battlefield, and that is an undeniable and indisputable fact and principle.
The principles that underly our faith, and the noble history of those who practised it clearly make the words of this individual baseless. For him to support and suggest for the major in the Ft Hood tragedy and the young Nigerian in the Christmas day event to carry out such heinous acts, it begs the question, has this guy lost his marbles? Perhaps his call for "killing Americans" is a suicidal call for his own death?
I can't say for sure. All I can say is he and others need to stop misrepresenting our noble religion. You want to carry on as such, make sure to distance yourself from the religion and principles you clearly are violating and tarnishing its name.
Clearly Mr. Awlaki has lost his marbles.
Because he has turned his back on the principles and history of the faith which he professes to follow and teach.
The last headline is especially telling. In Islam, there is no justification for wrong. The history of the Prophet Muhammad is abundantly clear with that message. When the Muslims were persecuted, tortured and even killed during the Meccan era, the message by the Prophet was patience and perseverance in the face of the wrong. When they negotiated a treaty with Meccans, from Madina, which was seemingly imbalanced in favor of the Meccans, he honored his agreement, even if it meant turning back new converts. During the Madinan period, when he was undermined by the hypocrites, and the son of the chief hypocrite offered to kill his own father to end the controversy, he insisted that such an act would be unacceptable, unjustifiable and wrong. Even in war, prisoners of war and those who surrendered and even local vegetation had rights, even in the heat of the battle, let alone civilians. Lastly, suicide is strictly forbidden, even on the battlefield, and that is an undeniable and indisputable fact and principle.
The principles that underly our faith, and the noble history of those who practised it clearly make the words of this individual baseless. For him to support and suggest for the major in the Ft Hood tragedy and the young Nigerian in the Christmas day event to carry out such heinous acts, it begs the question, has this guy lost his marbles? Perhaps his call for "killing Americans" is a suicidal call for his own death?
I can't say for sure. All I can say is he and others need to stop misrepresenting our noble religion. You want to carry on as such, make sure to distance yourself from the religion and principles you clearly are violating and tarnishing its name.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
McManus v. Fulton, 278 P. 126 (1929).
OPINION: [*172] [**127] MR. CHIEF JUSTICE CALLAWAY delivered the opinion of the court.
During the March term, just ended, the judgment of the trial court was reversed by a three to two decision. Two opinions were filed. Considering the case upon motion for a rehearing and as a result of an extensive study of the authorities one of the justices has changed [***2] his mind, now being of the opinion that the judgment ought to be affirmed. In coming to this conclusion he but followed the commendable rule of judicial conduct expressed a thousand years ago by Khalif Omar, instructing his first Kadi: "If today thou seest fit to judge differently from yesterday, do not hesitate to follow the truth as thou seest it; for truth is eternal, and it is better to return to the true than to persist in the false."
OPINION: [*172] [**127] MR. CHIEF JUSTICE CALLAWAY delivered the opinion of the court.
During the March term, just ended, the judgment of the trial court was reversed by a three to two decision. Two opinions were filed. Considering the case upon motion for a rehearing and as a result of an extensive study of the authorities one of the justices has changed [***2] his mind, now being of the opinion that the judgment ought to be affirmed. In coming to this conclusion he but followed the commendable rule of judicial conduct expressed a thousand years ago by Khalif Omar, instructing his first Kadi: "If today thou seest fit to judge differently from yesterday, do not hesitate to follow the truth as thou seest it; for truth is eternal, and it is better to return to the true than to persist in the false."
Sunday, May 09, 2010
On CNN's Ireport, there was a very cool pictorial of Sun halos and other natural phenomena. A sun halo occurs when there are extremely high cloud formations distorting the view of the Sun. Eg.
Check out the images at http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=441262&hpt=Sbin
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Frankie Boyle, a Scottish comedian with a show on BBC, said the following during an episode, 'I'm quite interested in the Middle East, I'm actually studying that Israeli army martial arts. And I know 16 ways to kick a Palestinian woman in the back.
''It's a difficult question to understand. I've got an analogy which explains the whole thing quite well: If you imagine that Palestine is a cake - well, that cake is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew.'
The BBC has since apologized due to complaints of Anti-Semitism (Humorous anecdote: The host of the show Andy Zaltzman himself is Jewish).
What is anti semitic about the statement? Hmmm... Let me think about this. 16 ways to kick a Palestinian woman in the back? Lets do a quick google search for Israeli soldiers or even settlers abusing Palestinians.... WOW plenty of results there.
How about the analogy, Palestine is a cake that is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew?
Hmm.... Just recently we keep hearing about how Israel continues to build its settlements irrespective of them being on territories they illegally occupy. Even in today's paper, a mayor and founder of a settlement in the middle of the west bank seems to try to establish that his illegal settlement founded 32 years ago is not going anywhere and is a permanent fixture.... One that requires a four lane highway to bisect Palestinian territories, in the middle of Palestinian territory, on land they had no right to whatsoever.
Rachel Corrie who was murdered by the Israelis 7 years ago is a testament to "punched to pieces". She stood as a human shield to Israeli bulldozers destroying another Palestinian home. And the Israelis had no qualms whatsoever about running her over with said bulldozer, which was made by my and Rachel's home country (USA by Caterpillar) and likely given for free as part of our huge annual aid package to Israel. Or about faking dozens of passports of nations they are allies with and sending their assassin squads to other countries to murder people.
I guess the only part that really stands out as potentially anti semitic is the use of the term Angry Jew. (I would even argue that labelling the crimes of the Israelis as being related to their Jewish faith is a slap in the face of the faith. No faith would allow them to justify such crimes. It is truly a tragedy that the Zionists have taken such terms and the association of Israel to the Jewish religion and cheapened them to justify their own ends.)
So on behalf of the BBC, Mr. Boyle and anyone else I apologize(not that I represent them or anything, but hey we all got to do our best to promote peace and harmony). The Israelis are abusing, murdering and stealing from the Palestinians, but they are not doing it because they are angry. They are very calm in committing their crimes.
(see for example the pictures of the guys in the Dubai hotel casually strolling in their tennis outfits and carrying their tennis rackets right before they murdered someone?)
Story link: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/04/30/10922/franke_boyle%3A_bbc_are_cowards
For more on the occupation, I highly recommend the movie Occupation101
Side anecdote: There has been a recent proposal sponsored by Egypt to make the entire middle east a nuclear free zone. I am definitely in favor of this proposal, as it will mitigate the Iranian crisis we are currently watching, by removing the Israeli nuclear threat which underlies the power imbalance of the region. Unfortunately, as is typical with most well meaning peace initiatives, Israel thumbed its nose at it.
''It's a difficult question to understand. I've got an analogy which explains the whole thing quite well: If you imagine that Palestine is a cake - well, that cake is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew.'
The BBC has since apologized due to complaints of Anti-Semitism (Humorous anecdote: The host of the show Andy Zaltzman himself is Jewish).
What is anti semitic about the statement? Hmmm... Let me think about this. 16 ways to kick a Palestinian woman in the back? Lets do a quick google search for Israeli soldiers or even settlers abusing Palestinians.... WOW plenty of results there.
How about the analogy, Palestine is a cake that is being punched to pieces by a very angry Jew?
Hmm.... Just recently we keep hearing about how Israel continues to build its settlements irrespective of them being on territories they illegally occupy. Even in today's paper, a mayor and founder of a settlement in the middle of the west bank seems to try to establish that his illegal settlement founded 32 years ago is not going anywhere and is a permanent fixture.... One that requires a four lane highway to bisect Palestinian territories, in the middle of Palestinian territory, on land they had no right to whatsoever.
Rachel Corrie who was murdered by the Israelis 7 years ago is a testament to "punched to pieces". She stood as a human shield to Israeli bulldozers destroying another Palestinian home. And the Israelis had no qualms whatsoever about running her over with said bulldozer, which was made by my and Rachel's home country (USA by Caterpillar) and likely given for free as part of our huge annual aid package to Israel. Or about faking dozens of passports of nations they are allies with and sending their assassin squads to other countries to murder people.
I guess the only part that really stands out as potentially anti semitic is the use of the term Angry Jew. (I would even argue that labelling the crimes of the Israelis as being related to their Jewish faith is a slap in the face of the faith. No faith would allow them to justify such crimes. It is truly a tragedy that the Zionists have taken such terms and the association of Israel to the Jewish religion and cheapened them to justify their own ends.)
So on behalf of the BBC, Mr. Boyle and anyone else I apologize(not that I represent them or anything, but hey we all got to do our best to promote peace and harmony). The Israelis are abusing, murdering and stealing from the Palestinians, but they are not doing it because they are angry. They are very calm in committing their crimes.
(see for example the pictures of the guys in the Dubai hotel casually strolling in their tennis outfits and carrying their tennis rackets right before they murdered someone?)
Story link: http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2010/04/30/10922/franke_boyle%3A_bbc_are_cowards
For more on the occupation, I highly recommend the movie Occupation101
Side anecdote: There has been a recent proposal sponsored by Egypt to make the entire middle east a nuclear free zone. I am definitely in favor of this proposal, as it will mitigate the Iranian crisis we are currently watching, by removing the Israeli nuclear threat which underlies the power imbalance of the region. Unfortunately, as is typical with most well meaning peace initiatives, Israel thumbed its nose at it.
In light of the Christmas day attempted bombing of the KLM flight, I am definitely in favor of stronger security measures in today's day and age. I was sort of in the middle when it came to those new body scanners. On one side, I can totally understand civil liberties groups and individuals complaining about the privacy issues. I can also see the need for better technology to ensure the safety of all.
Well, recently, the staff who are supposed to be utilizing the technology, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), had a flare up because of the technology and the potential privacy issues they raise. Read more at http://us.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/05/06/tsa.scanner.assault/index.html?hpt=T2 and try not to laugh.
Well, recently, the staff who are supposed to be utilizing the technology, the TSA (Transportation Security Administration), had a flare up because of the technology and the potential privacy issues they raise. Read more at http://us.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/05/06/tsa.scanner.assault/index.html?hpt=T2 and try not to laugh.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
We have gone through a rough period of time recently. Terror attacks or attempted terror attacks are on the rise. From Columbine, to 9/11, to the Mumbai attacks, to the failed Christmas day Nigerian bomber, to Joseph Stack flying his plane into the IRS building, to Major Hasan attacking his colleagues in Fort Hood, to the arrests of the Hutarees, to the stabbing of dozens of school children in China, etc etc. In the last two days, explosives were planted in Times Square and on the route of a marathon in Pennsylvania, and thank God, both attempts failed.
Recently, the administration decided to stop using such inflammatory terms as "Islamic terrorism". With good reason too... Lets evaluate the term first as a term and secondly in light of the recent incidents.
As a term Islamic terrorism is an oxymoron. Islam does permit and support self defense, and sets clear guidelines for warfare, should war arise. These guidelines are very clear, and include protections for among other things, enemies who surrender, civilians and even vegetation. It is also clear that to attack someone is forbidden, but to fight back when you are attacked is sanctioned. Islam clearly does not permit indiscriminate attacks.
From the basic greeting Muslims are obligated to share Salam Alaykum (Peace be unto you), it is a religion founded on and dedicated to peace.
Further, the killing of one person is clearly described in the Quran as equal to killing all of humanity. The value of human life, especially innocent human life, is extremely sacred.
Are there Muslim nutjobs? Clearly, since it is the second largest religion by adherents in the planet, we will have our share!
Are there those who try to justify or rationalize their crimes through twisting their religion? No doubt.
But they in no way are redefining or changing the religion or the principles upon which it is founded. To demonize the religion is akin to demonizing Christianity for the Inquisition, Hitler or the priest abuse scandals, or demonizing Judaism for the Israeli occupation.
What really strikes me about these incidents is how misguided the perpetrators are.
The Mumbai attacks to me are the most disgusting horrifying thing I have ever seen in my life, even beyond Columbine. A group of young men planned and carried out an attack where they walked through one of the most populous cities of the world and indiscriminately shot people. Over 500 of them at that. A quick search of the list of those who died reveals that of the 172 who died, at least 36 of them where Muslim(not to focus on only those victims but to make a point about the perpetrators). The religion clearly establishes that murder of anyone is a crime punishable by death, and murder of a fellow believer is a guaranteed ticket to hell. How could these lunatics justify what they did? It clearly had absolutely 0 basis from their religion. I was truly glad to see that the lone captured gunman was convicted. Hopefully he will meet his maker soon. I was also delighted that the Muslim cemeteries in India refused to accept the bodies of the other gunman. (See http://us.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/03/india.mumbai.verdict/index.html) I would not want my family cemetery to house such remains of such vile criminals next to my relatives' remains.
The Christmas day bomber was a seemingly bright 23 year old who burned himself trying to attack a commercial jetliner. I am sure that at least 25-60% of the passengers were Muslims. What would he have achieved? Was it purely a case of suicidal rage? Or was he an imbalanced individual, equipped and sent by criminals to carry out a horrendous crime?
Lets look at the New York Times Square attack. Who would the victims have been (assuming it was a perpetrator who claims to be Muslim)? Locals, tourists? I am pretty sure that at least 20% of street vendors in NYC are Muslim (including one of the first and closest witnesses to the scene)? Cabbies in NYC are, my guess, at least 30% Muslim(according to one source upwards of 85%). And with the general population of the US being approximately 3-4% Muslim, in addition to Muslim tourists, the crime would have impacted the Muslim community as much as the broader community. No different than 9/11, where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and all other faiths suffered just the same. My brother had a colleague of Greek heritage who had converted to Islam and was with his pregnant Pakistani wife on one of the planes. A Muslim firefighter was shockingly suspected of some involvement for months, until they found his body with other first responders.
My point is not to focus on the potential victims and what percentage of them were Muslim. Every victim is a tragedy. Every victim is someone's brother, sister, mother or father. Every victim has a family they provide for, who will now suffer. No matter their religion, no matter their ethnic heritage, no matter any characteristic they may have. Each victim is a tragedy for all of humanity.
The young misguided people who have carried out some of these crimes, with their whole lives ahead of them, the question begs WHY? Some might justify actions by blaming foreign policy, inequality, oppression in places, historical incidents etc. But no religion allows you to justify wrongs based on wrongs. As our parents always taught us, two wrongs don't make a right.
In this age, with movies and games that glorify warfare and criminal activity(#10 best selling game of all time is Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, 4 of top 10 PC games of all times are first person shooter games), is it really a stretch if an individual with some misguided passions acts in such ways that have come to seem almost natural to them? Let alone someone with serious issues? These games are definitely not the underlying problem, but they definitely contribute.
Terrorism is terrorism pure and simple, no matter who perpetrates it. We must try to understand what is causing these misguided people to do what they do. We may not solve every problem or prevent every criminal, but at least by trying to come up with the reasons and solutions, hopefully we can stop being part of or contributing to the problem.
Recently, the administration decided to stop using such inflammatory terms as "Islamic terrorism". With good reason too... Lets evaluate the term first as a term and secondly in light of the recent incidents.
As a term Islamic terrorism is an oxymoron. Islam does permit and support self defense, and sets clear guidelines for warfare, should war arise. These guidelines are very clear, and include protections for among other things, enemies who surrender, civilians and even vegetation. It is also clear that to attack someone is forbidden, but to fight back when you are attacked is sanctioned. Islam clearly does not permit indiscriminate attacks.
From the basic greeting Muslims are obligated to share Salam Alaykum (Peace be unto you), it is a religion founded on and dedicated to peace.
Further, the killing of one person is clearly described in the Quran as equal to killing all of humanity. The value of human life, especially innocent human life, is extremely sacred.
Are there Muslim nutjobs? Clearly, since it is the second largest religion by adherents in the planet, we will have our share!
Are there those who try to justify or rationalize their crimes through twisting their religion? No doubt.
But they in no way are redefining or changing the religion or the principles upon which it is founded. To demonize the religion is akin to demonizing Christianity for the Inquisition, Hitler or the priest abuse scandals, or demonizing Judaism for the Israeli occupation.
What really strikes me about these incidents is how misguided the perpetrators are.
The Mumbai attacks to me are the most disgusting horrifying thing I have ever seen in my life, even beyond Columbine. A group of young men planned and carried out an attack where they walked through one of the most populous cities of the world and indiscriminately shot people. Over 500 of them at that. A quick search of the list of those who died reveals that of the 172 who died, at least 36 of them where Muslim(not to focus on only those victims but to make a point about the perpetrators). The religion clearly establishes that murder of anyone is a crime punishable by death, and murder of a fellow believer is a guaranteed ticket to hell. How could these lunatics justify what they did? It clearly had absolutely 0 basis from their religion. I was truly glad to see that the lone captured gunman was convicted. Hopefully he will meet his maker soon. I was also delighted that the Muslim cemeteries in India refused to accept the bodies of the other gunman. (See http://us.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/03/india.mumbai.verdict/index.html) I would not want my family cemetery to house such remains of such vile criminals next to my relatives' remains.
The Christmas day bomber was a seemingly bright 23 year old who burned himself trying to attack a commercial jetliner. I am sure that at least 25-60% of the passengers were Muslims. What would he have achieved? Was it purely a case of suicidal rage? Or was he an imbalanced individual, equipped and sent by criminals to carry out a horrendous crime?
Lets look at the New York Times Square attack. Who would the victims have been (assuming it was a perpetrator who claims to be Muslim)? Locals, tourists? I am pretty sure that at least 20% of street vendors in NYC are Muslim (including one of the first and closest witnesses to the scene)? Cabbies in NYC are, my guess, at least 30% Muslim(according to one source upwards of 85%). And with the general population of the US being approximately 3-4% Muslim, in addition to Muslim tourists, the crime would have impacted the Muslim community as much as the broader community. No different than 9/11, where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists and all other faiths suffered just the same. My brother had a colleague of Greek heritage who had converted to Islam and was with his pregnant Pakistani wife on one of the planes. A Muslim firefighter was shockingly suspected of some involvement for months, until they found his body with other first responders.
My point is not to focus on the potential victims and what percentage of them were Muslim. Every victim is a tragedy. Every victim is someone's brother, sister, mother or father. Every victim has a family they provide for, who will now suffer. No matter their religion, no matter their ethnic heritage, no matter any characteristic they may have. Each victim is a tragedy for all of humanity.
The young misguided people who have carried out some of these crimes, with their whole lives ahead of them, the question begs WHY? Some might justify actions by blaming foreign policy, inequality, oppression in places, historical incidents etc. But no religion allows you to justify wrongs based on wrongs. As our parents always taught us, two wrongs don't make a right.
In this age, with movies and games that glorify warfare and criminal activity(#10 best selling game of all time is Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, 4 of top 10 PC games of all times are first person shooter games), is it really a stretch if an individual with some misguided passions acts in such ways that have come to seem almost natural to them? Let alone someone with serious issues? These games are definitely not the underlying problem, but they definitely contribute.
Terrorism is terrorism pure and simple, no matter who perpetrates it. We must try to understand what is causing these misguided people to do what they do. We may not solve every problem or prevent every criminal, but at least by trying to come up with the reasons and solutions, hopefully we can stop being part of or contributing to the problem.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Somali Pirates Say They Are Subsidiary of Goldman Sachs
Almost as good as the statement by the leader of Libya (and at the time, to the embarrassment of the African Union, its leader) that the pirates are defending their human rights by being pirates since they are hungry or fighting against the greedy west. (see eg. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/525348/-/13rtrgiz/-/index.html)
Thank God he was not reelected as leader of the African Union
Almost as good as the statement by the leader of Libya (and at the time, to the embarrassment of the African Union, its leader) that the pirates are defending their human rights by being pirates since they are hungry or fighting against the greedy west. (see eg. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/africa/-/1066/525348/-/13rtrgiz/-/index.html)
Thank God he was not reelected as leader of the African Union
The questions surrounding the tragedy of the killing of Imam Luqman instead of being answered and disappearing keep growing. First it was a shootout. Now the evidence shows he had deep lacerations on his face and a broken jaw. Additionally, he was seemingly shot 20-21 times, then handcuffed, and left to die on the floor, while the FBI dog which was seemingly shot once (not clear by who) was airlifted to a hospital.
No matter the man's rhetoric, he still had rights, and he still was a human being. The agent in charge had no concerns about his agents' conduct???? We should have no concern that he and his agents should be suspended and possibly fired and/or prosecuted themselves.
Read more at http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/photos-raise-questions-shooting-cuffed-muslim-leader/story?id=10308639
(Blog note: Sorry for no posts in a while, due to relocation.)
No matter the man's rhetoric, he still had rights, and he still was a human being. The agent in charge had no concerns about his agents' conduct???? We should have no concern that he and his agents should be suspended and possibly fired and/or prosecuted themselves.
Read more at http://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/photos-raise-questions-shooting-cuffed-muslim-leader/story?id=10308639
(Blog note: Sorry for no posts in a while, due to relocation.)
Monday, March 08, 2010
Saturday, February 06, 2010
I just saw the movie Rendition for the first time. If you have not seen it, it is definitely a must see. Another of the shameful Bush era legacies that hopefully have come to an end, rendition is the action of sending a suspect to another country where they will be tortured, to get around our constitution and laws.
What was even more compelling than the actual movie was the commentary. Included was an amazing documentary interview with a victim and the family of another victim of rendition, whose stories contributed to the screenplay of the movie. Its about 26 minutes long, but I urge you to watch it. It is very graphic though, so I would suggest you exercise caution.
Recently, President Obama honored the CIA officers and contractors who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The alleged perpetrator was a double agent Jordanian. AlJazeera carried an extended interview with his Turkish widow. Some of her comments were very interesting:
1. Her husband became a changed man after being jailed and tortured in Jordan. It is possible this is when he was recruited to be an agent for the CIA, as well as possibly by AlQaeda.
2. He seemed to be stateless, like many other Muslims, especially the Palestinians, who can not return to their home country for political or other reasons. He had requested she find out how he could try to obtain Turkish citizenship and constantly was telling her he would be back soon with her and the children.
3. She supported what he had done because "he had killed Americans"
Lets start with #3. Years ago, the rest of the world admired the US and our people. Everyone looked up to the US, aspired to visit the US, and wished to become a citizen. What has happened to change this?
One of the many possible reasons is our foreign policy, both our public official policies and actions, and our secret policies and actions as carried out by the CIA and as illustrated by this film and this recent incident. Our unfettering support for Israeli aggression and oppressive regimes has fomented an atmosphere whereby people look at the US as an imperialist state, out to pursue its own and its allies' interests irrespective of who suffers as a result. The US' inability to stand behind the Goldstone report on the Gaza atrocities is illustrative of that. The claims by Israel and its allies of bias in this report is shocking to say the least. I think in any situation where 13 people die on one side, the majority being soldiers in an aggressive formidable army attacking a slum, and 1400 people die on the other, the majority being civilians, women and children, involving the use of excessive and illegal force, and blame is placed equally on both, people will ask WHAT?
Why would this Jordanian, who was looking forward to rejoining his wife and kids, take his own life?
How about the recent conviction of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani, in NY court for attempted murder of US officers. I mentioned her story last year. She was captured and detained by the US and its allies in Pakistan/Afghanistan, and her children were also taken. Years of detention later, and she is named as a most wanted terrorist. She reappears in custody, and is shot, after supposedly grabbing the guns of those interrogating her and firing at them. Why would an MIT educated scientist allegedly try to kill US officers? And why are there so many holes in the story of her capture, disappearance, recapture, and the disappearance of her children? Her whole country of Pakistan is infuriated by what happened and at her conviction. This story is definitely not a helpful one for our interests.
How about the Christmas day KLM bomber? Why would a 23 year old Nigerian who was UK educated from a well to do family, try to take his own life and the lives of hundreds of passengers on a commercial jetliner?
Its easy in each one of these stories to "blame the terrorists".
Its harder to try to understand why and to do something to prevent it in the future, especially if some fault lies with us.
The recent inquiry into the Iraq War directed at Tony Blair was a refreshing review of a war based on hype and spin. A similar review should be conducted states side, and those responsible for the deaths of thousands of our young men and women, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis should be made accountable. (Watch the Green Zone starring Matt Damon for a very intriguing depiction of the WMD scandal. Fiction but how far from the truth?)
President Obama came in under the flag of change. Fundamental change in our foreign policy, both the public and the secret, must be devised and implemented to see change in this world. Otherwise, we will continue to foster desperation and hatred.
What was even more compelling than the actual movie was the commentary. Included was an amazing documentary interview with a victim and the family of another victim of rendition, whose stories contributed to the screenplay of the movie. Its about 26 minutes long, but I urge you to watch it. It is very graphic though, so I would suggest you exercise caution.
Recently, President Obama honored the CIA officers and contractors who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The alleged perpetrator was a double agent Jordanian. AlJazeera carried an extended interview with his Turkish widow. Some of her comments were very interesting:
1. Her husband became a changed man after being jailed and tortured in Jordan. It is possible this is when he was recruited to be an agent for the CIA, as well as possibly by AlQaeda.
2. He seemed to be stateless, like many other Muslims, especially the Palestinians, who can not return to their home country for political or other reasons. He had requested she find out how he could try to obtain Turkish citizenship and constantly was telling her he would be back soon with her and the children.
3. She supported what he had done because "he had killed Americans"
Lets start with #3. Years ago, the rest of the world admired the US and our people. Everyone looked up to the US, aspired to visit the US, and wished to become a citizen. What has happened to change this?
One of the many possible reasons is our foreign policy, both our public official policies and actions, and our secret policies and actions as carried out by the CIA and as illustrated by this film and this recent incident. Our unfettering support for Israeli aggression and oppressive regimes has fomented an atmosphere whereby people look at the US as an imperialist state, out to pursue its own and its allies' interests irrespective of who suffers as a result. The US' inability to stand behind the Goldstone report on the Gaza atrocities is illustrative of that. The claims by Israel and its allies of bias in this report is shocking to say the least. I think in any situation where 13 people die on one side, the majority being soldiers in an aggressive formidable army attacking a slum, and 1400 people die on the other, the majority being civilians, women and children, involving the use of excessive and illegal force, and blame is placed equally on both, people will ask WHAT?
Why would this Jordanian, who was looking forward to rejoining his wife and kids, take his own life?
How about the recent conviction of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani, in NY court for attempted murder of US officers. I mentioned her story last year. She was captured and detained by the US and its allies in Pakistan/Afghanistan, and her children were also taken. Years of detention later, and she is named as a most wanted terrorist. She reappears in custody, and is shot, after supposedly grabbing the guns of those interrogating her and firing at them. Why would an MIT educated scientist allegedly try to kill US officers? And why are there so many holes in the story of her capture, disappearance, recapture, and the disappearance of her children? Her whole country of Pakistan is infuriated by what happened and at her conviction. This story is definitely not a helpful one for our interests.
How about the Christmas day KLM bomber? Why would a 23 year old Nigerian who was UK educated from a well to do family, try to take his own life and the lives of hundreds of passengers on a commercial jetliner?
Its easy in each one of these stories to "blame the terrorists".
Its harder to try to understand why and to do something to prevent it in the future, especially if some fault lies with us.
The recent inquiry into the Iraq War directed at Tony Blair was a refreshing review of a war based on hype and spin. A similar review should be conducted states side, and those responsible for the deaths of thousands of our young men and women, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis should be made accountable. (Watch the Green Zone starring Matt Damon for a very intriguing depiction of the WMD scandal. Fiction but how far from the truth?)
President Obama came in under the flag of change. Fundamental change in our foreign policy, both the public and the secret, must be devised and implemented to see change in this world. Otherwise, we will continue to foster desperation and hatred.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Enjoy this summarized intro to the IPAD
Also some enjoyable sports bits from the onion
Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season
and
Tom Coughlin Retires From Family To Spend More Time With Team
Lastly, enjoy some brilliant individuals. First they rob a store, with no masks or weapons and drive off in their not so common car. Then they call police to help them with a flat tire. Seriously I did not make it up....
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1220215.html
Also some enjoyable sports bits from the onion
Packers Fan Announces He Will Return To Drinking For Another Season
and
Tom Coughlin Retires From Family To Spend More Time With Team
Lastly, enjoy some brilliant individuals. First they rob a store, with no masks or weapons and drive off in their not so common car. Then they call police to help them with a flat tire. Seriously I did not make it up....
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/1220215.html
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
The New York Times reports an inquiry has begun. But is that enough? For some commentary, visit http://detroit.blogs.time.com/2010/02/02/overkill-2/
She is such a wonderful role model. Here's a picture of her about 40 years ago:
And a more recent pic:
See what I am talking about?
(In case you missed it, she has the same purse)
In our materialistic age, its refreshing to see a good example of how we should be. Less waste on luxury and exuberance (I guess in other ways, she is not a good example, but anyways).
Instead of buying that new purse, tie, or other non-necessity, send that money to the stricken in Haiti. Or the poor right down the street from you.
In case you missed it, the President's chief of staff Rahm Emanuel used the word "retarded" in an insulting fashion in a meeting at the White House, and some are calling for his resignation/replacement. (See this link)
I won't get into the politics of it, although I do admit, I am in favor of him being sacked.
But this brings back to the forefront the unfortunate language that we utilize that is offensive. I personally have been struggling to remove such jargon from my own tongue, and its definitely not easy.
People justify using such words by:
1. claiming they don't mean it in an offensive fashion
2. claim they are using it in a commonly used acceptable fashion
3. refer to themselves or their colleagues
Words such as retarded or the n word are offensive. period. It really doesn't matter if you are using them in a non offensive or supposedly acceptable (either culturally, socially or otherwise) fashion.
Bias and racism are intolerable. Why then do we allow ourselves to use terms which offend?
I won't get into the politics of it, although I do admit, I am in favor of him being sacked.
But this brings back to the forefront the unfortunate language that we utilize that is offensive. I personally have been struggling to remove such jargon from my own tongue, and its definitely not easy.
People justify using such words by:
1. claiming they don't mean it in an offensive fashion
2. claim they are using it in a commonly used acceptable fashion
3. refer to themselves or their colleagues
Words such as retarded or the n word are offensive. period. It really doesn't matter if you are using them in a non offensive or supposedly acceptable (either culturally, socially or otherwise) fashion.
Bias and racism are intolerable. Why then do we allow ourselves to use terms which offend?
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Well, the long awaited autopsy was released. Actually I am not sure if it was released, it was supposed to be released yesterday. But it was leaked over the weekend. And the questions, instead of being answered, have multiplied. Shot 21 times(including many times in the groin). Shot once in the back. Handcuffed. Watch this news report:
What strikes me as well, is that the FBI dog who was shot (and they never investigated who actually shot the dog, only alleged it was Imam Luqman) was airlifted to a hospital. And Imam Luqman was seemingly shot again in the back after being stricken with 20 bullets in the front and left to die on the floor. And they cuffed him?
Dawud Walid, the spokesman for CAIR, is closest to the story, and he posts some commentary on his blog at http://dawudwalid.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/shot/
And the agent in charge, instead of trying to address the issues, strictly toted the party line and said everything was done appropriately, and the use of informants in such cases is justified and invaluable....
Read more at
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100130/NEWS02/100130008/1004/Report-Muslim-cleric-shot-21-times-in-FBI-raid&template=fullarticle
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/autopsy-says-michigan-imam-suffered-21-gunshot-wounds
http://www.freep.com/article/20100128/NEWS02/100128078/1320/FBI-Detroit-head-defends-use-of-informants
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100130/METRO/1300376/FBI-shootout-with-Muslim-cleric-lasted-about-4-seconds
UPDATE: It was released as per the below report:
What strikes me as well, is that the FBI dog who was shot (and they never investigated who actually shot the dog, only alleged it was Imam Luqman) was airlifted to a hospital. And Imam Luqman was seemingly shot again in the back after being stricken with 20 bullets in the front and left to die on the floor. And they cuffed him?
Dawud Walid, the spokesman for CAIR, is closest to the story, and he posts some commentary on his blog at http://dawudwalid.wordpress.com/2010/01/30/shot/
And the agent in charge, instead of trying to address the issues, strictly toted the party line and said everything was done appropriately, and the use of informants in such cases is justified and invaluable....
Read more at
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100130/NEWS02/100130008/1004/Report-Muslim-cleric-shot-21-times-in-FBI-raid&template=fullarticle
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news/local/autopsy-says-michigan-imam-suffered-21-gunshot-wounds
http://www.freep.com/article/20100128/NEWS02/100128078/1320/FBI-Detroit-head-defends-use-of-informants
http://www.detnews.com/article/20100130/METRO/1300376/FBI-shootout-with-Muslim-cleric-lasted-about-4-seconds
UPDATE: It was released as per the below report:
Wow....
This is a new one for me....
A crowd gathered for a fight thanks to some facebook trash talk, and lo and behold, someone pulls a gun and starts shooting....
What is wrong with our world today?
Read more at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-01-29-Facebook-shooting_N.htm?csp=34&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+usatoday-NewsTopStories+(News+-+Top+Stories)
This is a new one for me....
A crowd gathered for a fight thanks to some facebook trash talk, and lo and behold, someone pulls a gun and starts shooting....
What is wrong with our world today?
Read more at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-01-29-Facebook-shooting_N.htm?csp=34&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+usatoday-NewsTopStories+(News+-+Top+Stories)
Remember the huge deal that came out of a proposal to ban minarets in Switzerland? Then the popular vote passed the proposal? Remember all the global outrage, the petitions, the campaigns, the calls for boycott, etc...
Daniel Reich who is attributed with starting the whole thing has converted to Islam.
Now he wants to build a mosque in Switzerland.
Just goes to show, every step, every action you take in life, think long and hard about it and its implications before moving forward. Don't burn your bridges, because you might have to or want to use them in the future. Otherwise, you will likely end up with your foot in your mouth or worse.
BTW for some positive pieces, please see the following
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/29/muslim.inventions/index.html
and
Daniel Reich who is attributed with starting the whole thing has converted to Islam.
Now he wants to build a mosque in Switzerland.
Just goes to show, every step, every action you take in life, think long and hard about it and its implications before moving forward. Don't burn your bridges, because you might have to or want to use them in the future. Otherwise, you will likely end up with your foot in your mouth or worse.
BTW for some positive pieces, please see the following
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/29/muslim.inventions/index.html
and
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