Jefferson Corner

Any one, whether Arab, Muslim, or American must wonder what in the hell is going on in Iraq not today but for the last 30 years. Iraq was a blood bath for over centuries ever since the days of the Umayyad Empire and nothing has changed.
Arabs who are familiar with Iraq will tell you that “only a dictator could ever rule Iraq” may be right. The Umayyad rulers tried to subdue Iraq some centuries ago and succeeded only when they send Alhajaj Yousef Althaqafi to rule Iraq. On his first sermon in Al-Kufa he stood there silent for few minutes and as expected, some of the believer sitting waiting to hear the new ruler started to throw small pebbles at Alhajaj who was diminutive in stature. The scene continued for few minutes until Ahajaj began his most famous sermon, which we as young students had to remember and recite. He called the Iraqis “hypocrites” who deserver severe punishment and he ended his sermon with the beheadings of few people and that was the only way for the Umayyad to subdue Iraq. Saddam sad to say followed the same advice of Alhajaj to the letter. The daily carnage and the savagery of the crimes and the daily statements coming out of Iraq, make so many others and me a believer that Alhajaj may have been right!
It is even harder to imagine that such sectarian crimes take place on a daily basis killing hundreds of innocent people every day. When one sees the daily statements made by many of the politicians, Shiite and Sunnis one has to wonder where were these people when Saddam ruled and was killing and murdering hundreds of thousands. The Sunnis and some of the Baathist Shiites were not only silent during this time, but also actively participated in Saddam’s killing machine. No one can convince me or any one that Saddam can carry on killing hundreds of thousands if not millions of Iraqis without the support of a large segment of society. The same is true of Hitler. He could not have carried his crime of murdering millions of Jews and others with the active support of substantial number of the German people. Too bad that the same Sunnis who now are speaking out about the murder of Sunnis where so silent for many years. I am not aware of one single Sunni leader who ever came out and publicly spoke out against Saddam and his crimes against the Shiite and the Kurds. (I invite corrections here).
It is also sad to see the Shiites who suffered so much under Saddam commit similar crimes against innocent Iraqi civilians. What is wrong with these people? It is so hard to even imagine that such killing is taking place on a daily basis in Iraq in 2006.
Why so much killing and why so much murder? Perhaps the Iraqis, both Sunnis and Shiites want to prove Alhajaj right? That Iraq as a nation could never be ruled by democratic means but instead must be ruled by bloodthirsty dictators. If this is the case then there is no reason to even have a country called Iraq, as the people and their leaders proved to be unfit and unqualified to rule and manage such a country. It is time for those with ‘blood on their hands” to step aside. George Bush and his Zionist mafia could not have chosen a worse model for implementing democracy in the Middle East.
The only way out of this blood bath and the only way out of the American military occupation and the only way to end the sectarian violence is to make Iraq a ward of the UN or some other organization and place it under a trusteeship, thus putting an end to the senseless and sectarian killings and murder, saving American lives and tax payers money and of course putting an end to the big fraud committed by Bush and his Tel-Aviv mafia.
It is sad and simply too bad that the Iraqi leadership, both Sunni and Shiite could not and is unable to rise up to the occasion and prove to the world that both Saddam and Alhajaj are wrong, that Iraq can be a peaceful democratic country and a model for others.

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Last update - 09:39 12/11/2006
No one is guilty in Israel
By Gideon Levy
Nineteen inhabitants of Beit Hanun were killed with malice aforethought. There is no other way of describing the circumstances of their killing. Someone who throws burning matches into a forest can’t claim he didn’t mean to set it on fire, and anyone who bombards residential neighborhoods with artillery can’t claim he didn’t mean to kill innocent inhabitants. Therefore it takes considerable gall and cynicism to dare to claim that the Israel Defense Forces did not intend to kill inhabitants of Beit Hanun. Even if there was a glitch in the balancing of the aiming mechanism or in a component of the radar, a mistake in the input of the data or a human error, the overwhelming, crucial, shocking fact is that the IDF bombards helpless civilians. Even shells that are supposedly aimed 200 meters from houses, into “open areas,” are intended to kill, and they do kill. In this respect, nothing new happened on Wednesday morning in Gaza: The IDF has been behaving like this for months now. But this isn’t just a matter of “the IDF,” “the government” or “Israel” bearing the responsibility. It must be said explicitly: The blame rests directly on people who hold official positions, flesh-and-blood human beings, and they must pay the price of their criminal responsibility for needless killing. Attorney Avigdor Klagsbald caused the death of a woman and her child without anyone imagining that he intended to hit them, but nevertheless he is sitting in prison. And what about the killers of women and children in Beit Hanun? Will they all be absolved? Will no one be tried? Will no one even be reprimanded and shunned? GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant will say with exasperating coolness that apparently there was “a problem with the battery’s targeting apparatus,” without moving a facial muscle, and will that be enough? Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh will say, “The IDF is militarily responsible, but not morally responsible,” and will he thus exculpate himself? And who will bear the responsibility for the renewal of the terror attacks? Only Hamas? Who will be accused of the tumble in Israel’s status and its depiction as a violent, leper state, and who will be judged for the danger that hovers over world Jewry in the wake of the IDF’s acts? The electronic component that went on the blink in the radar? No one is guilty in Israel. There is never anyone guilty in Israel. The prime minister who is responsible for the brutal policy toward the Palestinians, the defense minister who knew about and approved the bombardments, the chief of staff, the chief of command and the commander of the division who gave the orders to bombard - not one of them is guilty. They will continue with the work of killing as though nothing has happened: The sun shone, the system flourished and the ritual slaughterer slaughtered. They will continue to pursue the routine of their daily lives, accepted in society like anyone else, and remain in their posts despite the blood on their hands. A few hours after the disaster, while the Gaza Strip was still enveloped in sorrow and deep in shock, the air force was already hastening to carry out another targeted killing, an arrogant demonstration of just how much this disaster does not concern us. Israel after the disaster was split: There were those who did their duty and “expressed sorrow,” like the prime minister and the defense minister, and there were those who hastened with appalling insensitivity to cast the responsibility onto the Palestinians, like the “moderate” foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, and the deputy defense minister from the Labor Party, Sneh. The silent majority did not bother to emerge from its yawning indifference. The entertainment shows on television continued to make people laugh, and one of the radio stations even broadcast, in a demonstrable lack of taste, Sarit Hadad’s song “You’re a Big Gun.” Mourning, of course, did not descend on Israel, and there was not even a single manifestation of genuine participation in the sorrow. It did not occur to Israel to promise compensation to the families and it did not provide help, apart from transferring some of the wounded to hospitals in Israel. We provided more aid to the victims of the earthquake in Mexico, even though there we didn’t have a hand in the disaster. For the most part, the media were not very disturbed by the killing and devoted less attention to it than to the Gay Pride parade. A day or two after the disaster it was totally forgotten and other affairs are filling our lives. But it is impossible just to go on to the next item on the agenda. This disaster is not an act of God. There are people who are clearly responsible for it, and they must be brought to justice. The fact that the International Court of Justice in The Hague still looks very far from Israel, and the various “Halutzes” and “Galants” can still move around freely in the world, because in Israel they forgive nearly everything, does not mean that war crimes are not being committed here. The IDF may well be a big gun, but an army that is responsible for needless killing in such large dimensions, as in recent months in Lebanon and in Gaza, is a failed and dangerous army that must urgently be repaired. The Defense Forces are not only killing Arabs for no reason, they are also directly endangering Israel’s security, disgracing it in the world and embroiling it again and again. The heedless and arrogant reaction to such deeds contains a dangerous moral message. If it is possible to dismiss mass killing with a wealth of technical excuses, and not take any drastic measure against those who are truly guilty of it, then Israel is saying that, as far as it is concerned, nothing happened apart from the faulty component in the radar system or the glitch in balancing the sights. But what happened at Beit Hanun, what happened in Israel on the day after and what is continuing to happen in Gaza day after day is a far more frightening distortion than the calibrating of a gun sight.
Editor note: this article appeared in Haaretz, the Israeli paper. No US paper and no US editor dare to write what this paper publish.

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Sometime I wonder when the Arabs and Muslims will get a sense of honor and feel the shame and take responsibility for the actions of Arab states when it comes to international crimes committed toward citizens of Arab states.
The long time silence over the crimes committed by the central government in Khartoum and its twenty years war against the people of South Sudan resulting in the death of over 2 million people and now the silence toward a similar crimes committed by the central government in Sudan and its allies in Darfur. How can any Arab and Muslims ever be so silent about what is going on in Sudan?
The central government of Sudan over the years justified its war against the animist and Christian south that its war is against imperialist and colonial interventions in the south that undermines the unity of Sudan and at times justified its war as a way to implement Sharia law in a region of the country without any Muslim majority.
While it true that colonial powers did support the south in the war with the central government and its it true that missionaries played a an important role in keeping the war going hoping to recruit more and more animist to its Christian ranks. However all of this could never justify the war the Sudanese government waged against its own people in the south and imposing Sharia could never be justified under any and all circumstance with the killing of millions of people and the wasting of the very few precious resource the country have. The central government in Khartoum is responsible for the war in the south and is responsible for the crimes its forces and its allies wage against the people of Darfur. Frankly, I could never find any justification for such wars and could never find any excuses for the central government in Sudan.
Now that the conflict in the south seems to be on its way of getting solves, the problem in Darfur and the daily killings going on and the uprooting of indigenous people and the racial uprooting and ethnic cleansing going on in Sudan, require the immediate intervention of the Arab states and the Arab League with the central government of Khartoum to its is crimes against its own people in Darfur.
One also has to question the wisdom of the government in Khartoum and its justifications of its actions in Darfur when the people of Sudan need urgently investment in development. One has to wonder how much infrastructure could have been built in Sudan if the government put all of its sources in development and not in stupid wars that only kills people, destroy infrastructure and keep army generals well fed and fat. How many rails line could have been rebuilt? How many schools and clinics could have been built with the billions wasted on such useless and criminal actions against its own people?
But then the Arab league and Arab states are not know for being ahead of time, always behind time. There was a chance to avoid the invasion of Iraq and Mr. Amr Musa made sure the Arab League does not take any action that calls for Saddam to step aside, thus saving the more than 600,000 victims and saving Iraq from destruction and disintegration. The same is true when recently the Arab League decided to break the total boycott of the Palestinian people and allow Arab Banks to provide funding to the Palestinian Authority and the people. This action was done of course in anticipation of the US agreeing to a lifting of siege over the Palestinian government when Hamas step aside. One has to wonder what this Arab League is for and what service it provide. With all due respect to Mr. Amr Musa, the time ran out for the Arab League and its time for it to fold and close shop. It is an organization without any bones and without any courage and leadership and without any sense of shame.

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For over 50 years, the Arabs are convinced that only the US can solve the Arab-Israeli conflicts. The same is true of so many Palestinian- Americans who share the views that the US is very much interested in peace in the Middle East and convinced that the US is interested in settling once and for all the Arab-Israeli conflict. I am one of those who disagree with all of this non-sense and who sees the US not only a party to the conflict on the side of Israel but share in the daily crimes committed by Israel toward the Palestinian people and recently the Lebanese.
The recent veto by the US of a draft resolution holding Israel responsible for the massacre of so many innocent civilians in Beit Hanoun and the more than 38 vetoes in support of Israel, its crimes and its continued occupation should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that the US is, was never interested in peace in the Middle East, and in fact the US is one of the promoters and sponsors of all of the conflicts between the Arabs and Israel and could not, even if it wants to, due to domestic political reasons, sponsor any efforts that could lead to real peace between Israel and the Palestinians and between Israel and the Arabs.
US foreign policies from the days of Lyndon Johnson to Bush Jr., was always against the Arab interests even as they pursue genuine peace with Israel. And it is not all because of the influence of the Israeli/Jewish lobby, which has something to do with it, but long established policy directives that want to keep the Middle East a source of conflict and instability drive US policies in the Middle East. Other wise the US is perhaps in the best position to push for and demand an immediate halt to the violence and conflict and can in no time organize a world conference between Israel and the Arab countries and push for a total and comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab conflict.
The recent veto can only demonstrate that this Bush administration lacks any sense of moral values, and even devoid of any of its often-pronounced Judea-Christian values. How can a cold-blooded murder of innocent people of an entire family be justified? Even criminal Israel admitted the killings and murder in Beit Hanoun to be a technical mistake, yet Ms. Rice and Mr. Bush could never see any thing wrong with killing and murder of innocent Palestinian and could not see any thing wrong with killing of innocent Arabs. To Bush and Rice, the only good Arab is a dead Arab. This is the same Ms. Rice who not too long ago stood up and spoke at the annual conference of the American Task Force for Palestine and gave its commitments to do something about the daily crimes committed by Israel and who promised to work toward peace. It seem that peace is one defined by death.
The US is always covering up for Israel and always covering up for the daily crimes committed by Israel and its criminal army, and always find a way not only to provide international cover for such crimes, but fund it as well. We as taxpayers pay for all of the bombs and weapons that kill Palestinians and killed Lebanese. Someone like the ex-senator from Virginia, George Allen gave Tel-Aviv more than $30 BIILION, tens time the money he voted to give to his state of Virginia.
One day all of this will catch up with Israeli leaders, and US who will sooner than later will have to face international tribunals for the daily international crimes committed by Israel and its defense forces. For those who think the US is an honest broker should take notice and recognize once and for all that the US is not only a party to the conflict in the Middle East but is a partner in the daily crimes committed by Israel and its army, crimes committed on a daily basis in Gaza and in the West Bank.

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I have to admit, my entire family and I were so very happy with the Republican loss of both the House of Representative and the Senate and above all were very excited in particular with the loss of George Allen and the election of Jim Webb to the US Senate.
Yes, this past election was a referendum on George Bush and his policies of war on America, his war terrorism and his war on Iraq that his “Tel-Aviv” mafia got us in.
The election of George Bush was a declared war by the NeoCons and the evangelicals against American and all that it stood for. The election of George Bush in the first place was a war on a healthy and substantial budget surplus, which he and his friends squander on their own foolish adventure and it is nothing but a declaration of war on middle class American and the millions of taxpayers. George Bush chose greedy corporate American over his own people and we all know where did the hundreds of Billions of dollars left over from Bill Clinton went. It went to companies that took American for a ride and took the taxpayers for a ride.
The NeoCons declared war on America and its democratic values and tried to justify the erosion and suspensions of civil liberties and justified torture and abuse and murder of prisoners in the name of fighting terrorism and in the name of national securities. American, which was the most loved country during the Clinton years, became the most hated country during George Bush and Dick Chaney’s years. The NeoCons for their own personal and ideological gains which has nothing to do with the national interest of the US and it has every thing to do with “Tel-Aviv” made sure that George Bush followed their own path to self destruction and the war on Iraq, which was originally planned by Bibi and his Likkudist boys in Washington back in 1992-3 was a way to secure Israel and put American in grave danger. The war on Iraq did not provide the American people with more security, in fact it added a lot to our insecurity, and added a great deal to the resentment of America by so many people around the world.
The election loss of George Bush, his Republican Party, all of NeoCons and evangelical Zionists-Christians was a declaration of independence by the American people and a declaration and commitment to the moral and democratic values that made the US such a great country, admired for its democratic principals and more admired for its protections of civil and constitutional rights. The Republican Revolution was no less of a revolution than that of Hitler National Socialism and its war on the German people.
The Republican lost not because the Democrats put forward clear alternatives and put forward a clear plans to undo the damage done by George Bush in his 6 years in office, but because the American people no longer bought the lies of the White House and its political strategists. This election was a vindication that American will always be that great country with great values and principals and will always be the leader of the free and democratic world. Bush, Chaney, Rumsfled, Rice, Bolton, Faith, Edelman, Perle, Wolfowitz, Frumm, Robertson, Faldwell and all of the NeoCons are nothing but an exception to the rule and that American will always manage to make a self correction and bring back the country to the middle. Let us hope the Democrat will have the backbones to offer clear alternatives to George Bush and his NeoCons and offer a program of investing in American and its people and that exporting democracies is a good thing, when it is done by examples and not by B-52’s or F-16’s. Yes, there is so much good well out there for America and we hope the Democrats will make a good use of it. It is the good well of the people of the world that is the best guarantees for our security. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan proves the limited use and benefits of weapons and wars.

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Couple of days ago, thousand of Palestinians gather in “Almoqata” the official seat of the Palestinian government in El-Bireh/Ramallah (actually, the “Almoqata” is officially in El-Bireh) to commemorate the second anniversary of the death of the late Yaser Arafat.
As a Palestinian American with strong views and opinion of the late Arafat have to respect the love and feeling many Palestinians continue to hold for Arafat. I guess for so many of them, he is the one that made the Palestinian cause an international cause and here no one can deny that. However the disagreement and argument over Arafat is about the way he managed and ran the Palestine Liberation Organization and the way he ran “ the revolution” and the big mess he got the Palestinians in with his Oslo.
I do not want to discount the love for Palestine the late Arafat had and do not doubt his original commitments to the cause, however no one can deny that over time, Arafat became “egomaniac” convinced he is the “cause” and he is “Palestine” and as such he blurred the clear lines between himself as a person or as leader and that of the “cause” and this is was the down fall of Arafat. In his quest for power and authority he made sure that his personal interest in power and authority over money and political decisions supercede that of what is good for the “cause” and for the people. Arafat was simply a little man with small mind and small dreams like all other dictators who put there own personal and selfish interest ahead of the interest of his “cause” and his people. How could any one justify the fact that Arafat opened the check book of the PLO and Palestinian Authority and transferred tens of millions of dollars to the private accounts of his wife and wrote millions to his personal and loyal friends when their contribution to the people and the cause was at best totally absent. If Arafat was a leader of democracy or the head of a corporation he will be in jail for life. Instead thousands of people gather to honor his memory. That is why after 100 years we remain under Israeli Occupation.
Not only Arafat was morally, ethically and financially corrupt, he made a big mess of such a great cause and in the end gave up the rights of our people to a free state within Palestine in exchange for a job as a subcontractor to the Israeli Occupation. Oslo no matter how rosy certain people within the Palestinian Authority makes it to be and no matter the justification that Fatah and the PLO give to Oslo remains the biggest fraud ever committed by Arafat. One may forgive financial fraud, misuse and embezzlement of the people’s money; Oslo justifies bringing to trial Arafat and all those who negotiated Oslo. Arafat desperate after his big mistake of supporting criminal Saddam and desperate to stay as a key player in the Palestinian cause agreed to the terms and conditions of Oslo. The Israelis up to their ears with the mess of the First Intifada knew Arafat too well, and knew he will sell his own mother, let alone his people to stay in power and convinced him to conclude the deal in Oslo, a deal that made Arafat and his gangs billions of dollars while helping Israel manage the occupation of his people and destructions of their homes and properties. I am sure in due time, the Palestinian people will wake up one day to discover that Arafat was not only a hero, but a very big fraud. That Oslo has nothing to do with liberation from Israeli Occupation, but a way to ‘manage for a fee’, the Israeli Occupation by giving Fatah, the PLO and the Palestinian Authority a “business”. The Palestinian people will soon discover this fraud and will soon discover that Arafat was out for himself and was never the leader they think he was. Arafat embezzled the people’s money for his own personal use, but also hijacked, destroyed and mismanaged a great cause and it will take the people decades to undo the damage done by Arafat.

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