It's Too Late to Plead the Fifth

Okay, so I could've posted about W Bush's confession that he authorized torture last week. But I decided to be a downer the week of Veterans' Day. However, that was last week, and I just got an interesting reminder via Portside, and an idea just occured to me. The reminder, the actual text of which I share later, is that there are two investigations related to the U.S. torture program pending in the National Court of Spain.

And the thought? Since the Republican party has decided to go tea pot crazy and co-sign the idiocy that Obama is some sort of jihadist Manchurian president, and since they promise a series of investigations into the Obama administration, Obama should go after BushCo full board. What does he have to lose? And is it really worth permiting the injustice of not holding war criminals accountable for their crimes?

For Ethanol, Now This?!

And I'm talking sugarcane not corn. For Brazil to lead the world in sugarcane ethanol production, much better for the environment than either corn ethanol or oil and gasoline, is one thing. They have sugarcane, we don't. They apparently don't have a strong oil and gasoline industry, we do. Even the little sugarcane industry we do have is blocking.

But for them to beat us out in terms of ensuring equality for all citizens regardless of race, that's just inexcusable.

Change the World with Very Little Things

Did you ever realize that Jesus calls money "very little?" (Luke 16:10, check it out.) So trust and believe, those little things you do that you think mean nothing can mean everything. That's the case whether you're a believer or not. When we think of the Giants of History, the Rosa Parks and Harriet Tubmans, Frederick Douglasses and Medgar Evers - at the end of day, what they did was actually little.

Joke: France Is Cancelling Haiti's Current Debt to Paris

France has already said it was canceling all of Haiti's 56 million euro (US$77 million) debt to Paris. The aid package also will include reconstruction money, emergency aid and $40 million in support for the Haitian government's budget.

What's so funny?

What the Haiti?!

I came up with the title actually Friday afternoon for this article about the halting of airlifting people in need of medical treatment out of Haiti due to disputes over who'll pay for the healthcare cost. (Ironic, huh?)

And I was gonna follow that up with this article about Fox News and Rush Limbaugh giving aid and comfort to Osama bin Laden and Al Qeada.

But I couldn't think of an explanation for the Limbaugh piece in part because I was trying to find good video of the tea tax Obama smacked down Friday afternoon. Then I got caught up listening and before I knew, I needed a break.

Then, closing down for the night, I came across this: Americans Arrested While Taking Children From Haiti.

"Ruh, roh, Shaggy!"

Nobel Obama (with Added Thoughts)

And another thing!: If Pres Obama doesn't deserve such accolades, he doesn't deserve the condemnation we've seen since his first day in office, either.

On second thought: Pres Obama is the first person of color to become president in the Western world. And for that, there's gotta be something higher than the Nobel Peace Prize for that! Cause Lord knows I didn't think I'd see one before my 40s or 50s, and I'm still in my 20s!

President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm a bit surprised. It's kinda quick.

The Nobel committee sited his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Now a lot of people criticize Pres Obama for being a celebrity. Well, a lot of conservatives and idiots and haters. And well, the committee itself says, "Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."

Then of course are those who got bent-out-of-shape when Pres Obama said he was a citizen of the world. And well, the committee itself says, "His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

And there're those who decry his diplomatic style and "apologizing" for the US to the world. And well, "Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. . . .Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened."

I don't know. I just find it interesting that the things some condemn you for, others will praise you for.

Gotta go now. Other things to work on. Life calls.

And in International News . . .

I promised awhile back to start adding more of an international flavor to my blog. I haven't kept up with international news as well as I had hoped. But then again, I haven't kept up with national news as well as I had hoped, either.

But, reading this book asking wondering just how stupid are American voters has encouraged me again to try to understand international events as well as the economy. So here we go.

First up, U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu is suing an Anderlecht player over an alleged racial insult, hoping the case will help eradicate on-field racist abuse in European soccer. You know I'm a big sports fan. When I played basketball, one of the things I was best at was trash talk. I really didn't want to get into the dozens, though. Just more generic, "Wave to the ball. You won't be seeing it while I'm guarding you." Just thinking about it gives me shivers! But including someone's race in your trash talk is less King Jamesian than just the regular "yo mama" joke. It needs to be stopped. Racialized insults and condescension has a history and it cannot be tolerated. I understand it's hard to control the fans; but it should quite easy work to put players in check.

Next up, and last for the edition (LOL!) is: President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday threatened to sanction private banks that fail to collaborate with his government's regulations as it moves toward a socialist economy. Now, you probably think Chavez is a demagogic prick, and I'm actually leaning in that direction. But you can't really question the logic here. His issue, as I understand it, is not private banks earning a profit - that's what banks do. It's how the stay in business and "pay" depositors for use of their money. His problem, as I understand it, is banks making sick amounts of money while regular people suffer. And I think if we in the US had the same sort of courage to tell bankers not to screw us, our economy would be doing a lot better how.

Just Keeping You Informed

"U.S. consumers, Prendergrast said, can also help by pressuring major electronic companies - from Apple to Sony - to certify that cell phones, computers and other products contain "conflict-free minerals," a campaign tactic popularized by the Sierra Leone-based film "Blood Diamonds." "

Rape Crisis in Congo Tied to Mining Activity

Monday 01 June 2009

by: Dominique Soguel Visit article original @ Women's eNews

Washington - Activists concerned by this year's escalation of sexual violence in eastern Congo are trying to turn up the heat on those benefitting - directly or indirectly - from illicit mineral extractions.

"Conflict minerals power our entire electronic industry," John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, told U.S. senators at a May 13 hearing on sexual violence in eastern Congo and Sudan.

The Enough Project is a Washington-based organization campaigning against genocide and crimes against humanity, including rape in eastern Congo.

Prendergast said that Congo would only have a chance at peace when something is done about the conflict-inducing demands of North America, Asia and Europe.

Eve Ensler, author of "The Vagina Monologues," helped launch an international awareness raising campaign called V-Day in 2007 to end sexual violence in eastern Congo.

UNICEF estimates that hundreds of thousands of girls have been raped in the last decade in the two eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.

A Single Nightmare

"Corporate greed, fueled by capitalist consumption, and the rape of women have merged into a single nightmare," Eve Ensler said at U.S. Senate hearings on May 13. "Women's bodies are the battleground of an economic war."

Ensler said that international mining companies with significant investments in eastern Congo value economic interest over the bodies of women by trading with rebels who use rape as a tactic of war in areas rich in coltan, gold and tin.

"Military solutions are no longer an option," she said. "All they do is bring about the rape of more women."

The United States has invested more than $700 million in humanitarian aid and peacekeeping to Congo, according to the U.S. Department of State.

Prendergast said this money will do nothing to root out the economic causes of eastern Congo's conflict and sexual violence.

He said a comprehensive long-term strategy to combat rape needs to change the economic calculus of armed groups.

Seeking Conflict-Free Minerals

Prendergast asked senators to support the Congo Conflict Minerals Act, which was introduced by Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold in April of this year.

The bill aims to break the link between resource exploitation and armed conflict in eastern Congo by requiring companies trading minerals with Congo or neighboring states to disclose mine locations and monitor the financing of armed groups in eastern Congo's mineral-rich areas.

"The sooner the illicit conflict minerals trade is eliminated, the sooner the people of Congo will benefit from their own resources," said Prendergrast.

U.S. consumers, Prendergrast said, can also help by pressuring major electronic companies - from Apple to Sony - to certify that cell phones, computers and other products contain "conflict-free minerals," a campaign tactic popularized by the Sierra Leone-based film "Blood Diamonds."

Such a process would use a tracking system for components, similar to that developed in 2007 under the Kimberly Process. This international certification scheme ensures that trade in rough diamonds doesn't fuel war, as it did in Angola, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone during the 1990s.

Germany has already developed a pilot fingerprinting system for tin that could be expanded to other minerals and help establish certified trading chains, linking legitimate mining sites to the international market.

--------

Dominique Soguel is Women's eNews Arabic editor.
»

Update: Three Interesting, if Unrelated, Items (Previously Just Two)

Update: Three Interesting, if Unrelated Items

I'm not going to write about this. This particular post, I feel, is full. But, I do strongly encourage you read this post on racismreview.com honoring the abolitionist John Brown's birthday.
________________________________

My comments will come in italics:

Sex-starved Kenyan Sues over Boycott

I won't lie. As much as anything else, this is hilarious! But, above that, this indicates the power women have in regards to sex when we work as a group. Now. I know "Momma got needs," and so the fact that the boycott was only a week kinda worked in women's favor. It it was a year-long boycott or an indefinite boycott, maybe enough women would've fallen off the band wagon to make the other women's celibacy kind of pointless. I don't know. But women do have power in regards to sex when we work as a group. This applies to the US to the extent that, and here's something maybe politically incorrect, not all females having pre-marital and even marital sex really want to. They just want to be in a relationship. Undoubtedly this affects teenagers and maybe women in their early twenties more than it could maybe apply to other women. That said, how many of you unmarried ladies are having sex when you really don't want to, even if you do want to have sex? I guess I'm saying that more women want to wait to have sex, even if they don't necessarily want to wait till marriage. And if more women stuck to their guns, I think some of the pressure to have sex, especially on young girls, would lift. I could be wrong. I'm stating this completely from opinion with not a lot of scientific research.

I would also like to point out that this indicates the power women have when we work together, period, for anything. Sex may be the most apparent thing that occurs to women in regard to shared power, but here in the US, we have substantial political clout. Remember, women make up the majority of voters. Whatever we want, if we worked together, we could get. More days for family leave. Affirmative action. Equal pay. More vacation days. The US works more days out of the year than any other industrialized nation. The English and French don't understand how we maintain emotional and mental health with only 2 weeks of paid vacation. I don't think we do. And we certainly don't maintain any kind of political health. People are so busy and tired from one day to the next, they don't really pay attention to what's going on in their local, state, and federal governments. They don't really pay attention to policy debates. Sound bites stand in for substantative arguments.

Take healthcare, for example. The conservatives don't want public healthcare just for its own sake. Not that it's bad. Not about keeping government small. They just don't want public healthcare taking money from the large and power insurance companies. Have you heard these people? They'll go for healthcare reform so long as there's not the option to buy into government provide healthcare competing with the various private options. Two problems with this: 1) whatever happened to the concept of free market competition? 2) I thought anything provided by the government was substantially inferior to anything provided by the private sector. Why the worry about government insurance competing with private insurance? But what the publicans will say is that they don't want state beauracracy making decisions that doctors and patients should be making. If more voters would think about it, that argument is empty. First off, no one's suggesting government beauracracy make decisions that doctors should be making. Secondly, it's not like private insurance cos aren't denying claims and costing people their lives all the time. That's part of what's keep the cost of private insurance so high! Paying to have enough people to deny claims.

And speaking of healthcare and women, if enough women worked together to get single-payer healthcare, we could have it. I am woman, here me roar!

Story Highlights

• Kenyan sues activists, claims recent sex ban affected his marriage
• Women were urged to withhold sex to force political reform
• Activists not worried about lawsuit, claim sex boycott worked

NAIROBI, Kenya (CNN) -- A Kenyan man has sued activists who called on women to boycott sex to protest the growing divide in the nation's coalition government.

James Kimondo said the seven-day sex ban, which ended this week, resulted in stress, mental anguish, backaches and lack of sleep, his lawyer told the state-run Kenya Broadcasting Corp.

The lawsuit filed Friday claims lack of conjugal rights affected Kimondo's marriage and seeks undisclosed damages from the G-10, an umbrella group for women's activists, KBC said.

The women's caucus caused a national debate when it urged women to withhold sex to protest increasingly frosty relations between President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

Citizens of the east African nation are frustrated by a shaky coalition government, which was formed after post-election violence killed more than 1,000 people in 2008. The wrangling between Kibaki and Odinga has sparked fears of more violence.

Gender activists say they are not worried about the lawsuit.

"I have not been served with the papers, but I was told they are coming and I am eagerly waiting," said Ann Njogu, executive, director of Centers for Rights Education and Awareness. "It will be interesting to see the face of a man who is not willing to abstain for the sake of his country."

Despite the lawsuit, Njogu said, the boycott was successful.

"The principal leaders met as a result of the boycott, and I understand that they are setting up reforms to look into the country's internal security," she said.

Plans are under way for women activists to meet with Kibaki and Odinga, according to Njogu.

CNN's Faith Karimi contributed to this report.

All About Kenya
____________________________________

God Kept Him from Going Broke

CNN's Betty Nguyen sits down with Rev. Michael Beckwith about turning to God during these rough financial times.

To answer your question, you probably recognize this guy from being on Oprah.

Now, I make no secrets about my faith. And so I share this with you for two good reasons. One is that I truly believe God will speak to us if we'll only listen. And by listen, I mean sit down sometimes and listen they way you would listen to your significant other, or to your child, or to birds. I hardly think the problem is that God isn't speaking. I think the problem is that we aren't listening. And no. I'm not talking about "hearing voices," though some do. But I don't mean "hearing God," the way people make jokes that it's okay to talk to God, but not okay if God talks to you. No. I'm not talking about scizophrenic hallucinations. I'm talking about listening to God, hearing God speak in those quiet moments that we have to ourselves. Though, working 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year, I guess I can understand how most people don't have time for a quiet moment to hear God speak to them. But watch what can happen when you do listen:



The other reason I posted this video is to share the thought of investing your values and beliefs. Invest in green companies. Companies with unions. Companies that do right by others. That's the only way, or at least one of very few ways, we'll get Big Business to pay attention to the needs of people. And, it's a demonstration of Christianity in action. Affecting the world by the way we invest is something Christians ought to do. Now, if you ask me, this will only work if you're trying to "do unto others as you'd have them do unto you." God will only bless the efforts that truly represent his call for justice and righteousness. I think the failure of abstinence-only education should serve as an indication that God won't bless efforts to force our moral standards on others. But, "forcing" people to serve and help others I believe is okay.

Pirates of the Aden

update and h/t RobM commenter of JJP: The battle against piracy begins in Mogadishu

update and h/t Jack and Jill Politics: Here're some thoughts on Somali piracy via K'Naan, a Somali artist.

update: from Scahill's post, Johann Hari

crossposted here

That said, allow me to let off some "angry black" steam. Apparently, the insurance premiums of shipping companies is going up because of piracy. But after reading this in the Huffington Post, I don't feel sorry for the shipping companies.

Also, just take a moment to consider our last few interventions - we do not need to intervene in Somalia or declare "war" on pirates. We need to stop others from exploiting the Sea of Aden, which is helping the cause of and creating the need for pirates.

I Don't Believe This!

First off, I hope I'm not breaking any laws. This is copyrighted by the AP. But, if somebody says something, I'll just take it down.

Okay. Now. I'm really happy about this decision. I'm happy for the victims of apartheid. Now, hopefully somebody can catch a clue about the victims of slavery and neo-slavery (Jim Crow).

Well. Truth be told. I'm actually a little upset that a US judge can rule in favor of the victims of racism in another country, but more than 9 out of 10 white Americans would reject reparations for the descendants of slaves. That's not even counting what's owed to the descendants and living victims of neo-slavery (Jim Crow).

But. I am happy for the victims of apartheid in South Africa. ~ No1KState

NY judge rules in favor of 1970s apartheid victims
Published: 4/8/09, 9:05 PM EDT
By LARRY NEUMEISTER


NEW YORK (AP) - Apartheid victims who accused automakers and IBM of helping the government of South Africa engage in violent repression to enforce racial segregation in the 1970s and '80s can go to trial with their claims, a judge ruled Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Shira A. Scheindlin rejected assertions by several countries that the lawsuits should not proceed because that might harm relations between the United States and South Africa.

The written decision was related to lawsuits filed about seven years ago on behalf of victims of apartheid. The lawsuits once targeted many more U.S. corporations, including oil companies and banking institutions, but the number of defendants was decreased after the lawsuits were tossed out by one judge and an appeals court that reinstated them said allegations needed more specifics.

After Scheindlin dismissed several more companies as defendants Wednesday, the plaintiffs were left to press their claims against IBM Corp., German automaker Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Rheinmetall Group AG, the Swiss parent of an armaments maker.

The plaintiffs, at least thousands of people seeking unspecified damages, allege the automakers supplied military vehicles that let securities forces suppress black South Africans. IBM is accused of providing equipment used to track dissidents.

The judge noted that the U.S. Supreme Court had referenced the apartheid cases in the footnote of an earlier decision when it wrote "federal courts should give serious weight to the executive branch's view of the case's impact on foreign policy" when the U.S. and a foreign government agree litigation could harm the domestic policies of a foreign nation.

But she said the footnote was only meant as guidance and the executive branch was not "owed deference on every topic."

The U.S. government had submitted a statement saying the lawsuits could become "an irritant in U.S.-South African relations" because they might interfere with South Africa's sovereign right to decide apartheid issues and might discourage investment in South Africa.

South African officials had said the efforts to compensate victims should be pursued within South Africa's political and legal processes.

Defense lawyers have said corporations shouldn't be penalized because they were encouraged to do business in South Africa during apartheid. Lawyers for the companies didn't immediately return telephone messages Wednesday.

Plaintiffs attorney Michael D. Hausfeld praised the ruling, saying it will allow his clients to begin obtaining evidence from the companies that will show what they did in relation to South Africa during apartheid.

"It's great," he said. "There's a treasure of documentation that would be disclosed for the first time ever."

Hausfeld said that besides South Africa and the United States, countries including Germany, Switzerland and England had opposed letting the litigation proceed.

He said it was significant that the judge concluded that opposition by governments was not enough to halt lawsuits brought for human rights reasons. Ruling otherwise, he said, "would have given governments a veto power over the bringing of legal claims."

Daimler is based in Stuttgart, Germany, while Ford is headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., and General Motors is based in Detroit. IBM is based in Armonk, N.Y.

Rheinmetall Group is a holding company headquartered in Dusseldorf, Germany. It is the parent company of Oerlikon Contraves AG, an armaments maker headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.




Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brazil’s Leader Blames White People for Crisis

I didn't come up with the title. That's the title of the article. I just kept the title because it's the simple and at the same time, not what white Americans think.

Of course, I think it's hilarious!! But that's just me and my wicked sense of humor. ~ No1KState


Brazil’s leader blames white people for crisis
By Jonathan Wheatley in São Paulo and agencies

Published: March 27 2009 00:27 Last updated: March 27 2009 00:27

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Thursday blamed the global economic crisis on “white people with blue eyes” and said it was wrong that black and indigenous people should pay for white people’s mistakes.

Speaking in Brasília at a joint press conference with Gordon Brown, the UK prime minister, Mr Lula da Silva told reporters: “This crisis was caused by the irrational behaviour of white people with blue eyes, who before the crisis appeared to know everything and now demonstrate that they know nothing.”

He added: “I do not know any black or indigenous bankers so I can only say [it is wrong] that this part of mankind which is victimised more than any other should pay for the crisis.”

Mr Brown appeared to distance himself from Mr Lula da Silva’s remarks. “I’m not going to attribute blame to any individuals,” he said.

Mr Brown was visiting Brazil as part of a five-day tour of Europe, the US and South America in preparation for the G20 summit to take place in London next Thursday. He made a joint appeal with Mr Lula da Silva for the world’s biggest economies to provide $100bn to boost global trade.

“I’m going to ask the G20 summit next week to support a global expansion of trade finance to reverse a slide in world trade,” Mr Brown said.

Mr Lula da Silva also spoke out strongly against raising trade barriers in response to the global crisis. “I compare protectionism to a drug,” he said. “Why do people use drugs? Because they are in crisis and they think the drug will help them. But its effects pass quickly.”

The two leaders’ remarks demonstrate the desire each will have to secure the other’s support during the G20 meeting.

Brazil – which has long campaigned unsuccessfully to be given a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council – will argue for a bigger voice for Brazil and other emerging nations in multilateral organisations such as the International Monetary Fund and the Financial Stability Forum, a group of central banks and national supervisory authorities established in 1999.

Brazil is one of many nations calling for increased regulation of global financial markets and greater powers for multilateral regulators.

It will also call for a resumption and conclusion of the Doha round of talks at the World Trade Organisation.

In return for supporting such initiatives, Mr Brown will expect Brazil to endorse calls for fiscal stimulus in a bid to mitigate the impact of the global crisis, such as the proposed $100bn in trade finance.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

This Is Solidarity

This is what solidarity is about. Make no mistake about it, the union knows this simple act isn't enough for peace. But the immediate objective isn't peace, it's solidarity. And I'm a little insulted that the Israeli leader is making sarcastic comments suggesting otherwise. Don't get me wrong, I'm not for murder. If for only my faith, I'm for nonviolent protest. But knowing what Israel is doing to Palestine . . . eh . . . - No1KState


South African Dock Workers Won't Unload Israeli Goods

Associated Press
February 4, 2009

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/04/world/AP-AF-South-Africa-Israel.html?_r=1

JOHANNESBURG

South African dock workers won't unload ships carrying
goods from Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians,
a union leader said Wednesday.

Randall Howard, general secretary of the South African
Transport and Allied Workers Union, said it appeared a
ship carrying goods from Israel was nearing Durban's
port. If once the ship docks its cargo is determined to
be Israeli, he said, union workers won't unload it.

"We will make that contribution," he said. "The
historic and heroic struggle of the Palestinian people
for self-determination ... is a struggle that SATAWU
supports."

Last year, South African dock and freight workers
refused to unload a ship carrying weapons for Zimbabwe
to protest Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's rule of
the neighboring country. In the case of Israeli goods,
Howard said, it did not matter whether they were
weapons of vegetables.

"If it's an Israeli product, we're going to boycott
it, plain and simple," he said.

In Israel, Foreign Minister spokesman Yigal Palmor
said: "If these people think that by refusing to
unload shipments from Israel they are promoting peace
they should go back to school because they have misread
the situation in the Middle East big time."

Israel's three-week military offensive against Gaza,
which killed hundreds of civilians before ending last
month, sparked protests in South Africa. Israel says
the operation was aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire
from Gaza.

Howard, decrying Palestinian as well as Israeli
violence, says Israeli attacks were "extremely
disproportionate."

Strong South Africa-Israel ties cultivated by the white
government in the apartheid era have been maintained
since the onset of majority rule. South Africa also has
a close relationship with Palestinians, thanks to long-
standing connections between the governing African
National Congress and the Palestinian Liberation
Organization.

Republican Stupidity and also, Bono and Israel

They make inane arguments, such as the one Ken Blackwell makes about the stimulus creating jobs being a bad thing for two reasons: it would create more Democratic voters in Virginia and use taxpayer money to provide jobs without putting it back in the economy.

First of all, the point is jobs not votes. And if Republicans don't like the fact that most government workers vote Democratic, they should articulate a vision that doesn't require those thick, nerb-bird glasses. Second of all, these people with these government jobs . . . don't they eat and live and drive? And don't they pay taxes on the money they make?

-I checked out the article after hearing Keith Olbermann mention Blackwell in his "3 Worst People in the World" segment. I can't believe such sheer stupidity passes as critical thought for anybody.

Oh! BTW - Did you catch Bono's shout-out to Palestine! Yeah! Israel, if you do right by Palestine, you won't have to worry about rockets coming into Israel. Now, the train has left the station when it comes to actually giving them their land back; though, if that's possible, I'm for it. But you could treat them like, oh I don't know, human beings!

Somalia: Girl Stoned to Death

This is not an indictment against either Islam or religion in general. And just to be sure, this isn't an indictment against people of color around the world, and Africa in particular. So read this article and think, "Those people. It's an indictment against global sexism, and global includes the US. Part of changing the world will be empowering women; and, part of empowering women is making sure the men in the family are able and willing to protect them, especially as children.

What does that mean here in the US? Should we go over to Somalia and change their regime? No! And besides, we're already ever though fighting "terror," right? Somehow, this slipped by. And as you'll see, more weapons are not needed.

For the US, it means a couple of things. It means supporting Somalian and international NGOs whose mission it is to empower, protect, and heal women.

This also means we're really gonna have to clamp down on domestic violence and violence agianst women. We're gonna have to empower women by raising the minimum wage. And even more importantly, we're going have to pay more to jobs usually left to women, ie childcare, elderly care, teaching, secretarial work, etc and so on. No, money can't buy happiness; but it can sure as hell by freedom and a sense self-empowerment.

What I mean to say is this - If we're really going to end these sorts of barbarity against women in the world, we're going to have start by ended our more sophisticated by still barbarious treatment of women here in this country. And that means more than just maintaining a structure that benefits corporate masculinity. We're going to have radically chagne the entire system if we really want to put an end to sexism hear and around the world.

And before I finish with me thought, sexism isn't the reason Hillary Clinton lost. And sexism isn't why Sarah Palin's clothing brought so much attention. I mean, Clinton didn't even compete in 11 primary elections, and remember all the attention John Edwards got for his $400 USD haircut? - No1KState

PRESS RELEASE
October, 31 2008


Somalia: Girl stoned was a child of 13


Contrary to earlier news reports, the girl stoned to death in Somalia this week was 13, not 23, Amnesty International can reveal.

Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was killed on Monday, 27 October, by a group of 50 men who stoned her to death in a stadium in the southern port of Kismayu, in front of around 1,000 spectators.

Some of the Somali journalists who had reported she was 23 have told Amnesty International that this age was based upon a judgement of her age from her physical appearance.

She was accused of adultery in breach of Islamic law but, her father and other sources told Amnesty International that she had in fact been raped by three men, and had attempted to report this rape to the al-Shabab militia who control Kismayo, and it was this act that resulted in her being accused of adultery and detained. None of men she accused of rape were arrested.

“This was not justice, nor was it an execution. This child suffered a horrendous death at the behest of the armed opposition groups who currently control Kismayo,” said David Copeman, Amnesty International's Somalia Campaigner.

“This killing is yet another human rights abuse committed by the combatants to the conflict in Somalia, and again demonstrates the importance of international action to investigate and document such abuses, through an International Commission of Inquiry.”

Amnesty International has learnt that:

Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was reported as being 23, based upon a judgement on her physical appearance, according to one of the journalists who had reported the stoning. Her actual age was confirmed to Amnesty International by other sources, including her father.

Her father said she had only travelled to Kismayo from Hagardeer refugee camp in north eastern Kenya three months earlier.

She was detained by militia of the Kismayo authorities, a coalition of Al-shabab and clan militias. During this time, she was reportedly extremely distressed, with some individuals stating she had become mentally unstable.

A truckload of stones was brought into the stadium to be used in the stoning.

At one point during the stoning, Amnesty International has been told by numerous eyewitnesses that nurses were instructed to check whether Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was still alive when buried in the ground. They removed her from the ground, declared that she was, and she was replaced in the hole where she had been buried for the stoning to continue.

An individual calling himself Sheik Hayakalah, was quoted on Radio Shabelle saying:``The evidence came from her side and she officially confirmed her guilt, while she told us that she is happy with the punishment under Islamic law.'' In contradiction to this claim, a number of eye witnesses have told Amnesty International she struggled with her captors and had to be forcibly carried into the stadium.

Inside the stadium, militia members opened fire when some of the witnesses to the killing attempted to save her life, and shot dead a boy who was a bystander. An al-Shabab spokeperson was later reported to have apologized for the death of the child, and said the milita member would be punished.

Background

Amnesty International has campaigned to end the use of the punishment of stoning, calling it gruesome and horrific. This killing of Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow demonstrates the cruelty and the inherent discrimination against women of this punishment.

The reports on this killing should be understood within the climate of fear that armed insurgent groups such as al-Shabab have created within the areas they control in Somalia. As Amnesty International has documented previously, government officials, journalists and human rights defenders face death threats and killing if they are perceived to have spoken against al-Shabab, who have waged a campaign of intimidation against the Somali people through such killings.

Since the death, a number of individuals have told Amnesty International they have fled from Kismayo out of fear of suffering a similar fate to Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow.

Sad But Encouraging News Out of Africa

October 28, 2008

Court Rules Niger Failed by Allowing Girl’s Slavery
By Lydia Polgreen

DAKAR, Senegal — A West African regional court ruled Monday that the government of Niger had failed to protect a young woman sold into slavery at the age of 12.

The landmark ruling, the first of its kind by a regional tribunal now sitting in Niamey, Niger’s capital, ordered the government to pay about $19,000 in damages to the woman, Hadijatou Mani, who is now 24.

Slavery is outlawed throughout Africa, but it persists in pockets of Niger, Mali, Mauritania and amid conflicts like the one in northern Uganda. Antislavery organizations estimate that 43,000 people are enslaved in Niger alone, where nomadic tribes like the Tuareg and Toubou have for centuries held members of other ethnic groups as slaves.

Ms. Mani’s experience was typical of the practice. She was born into a traditional slave class and sold to Souleymane Naroua when she was 12 for about $500.

Ms. Mani told court officials that Mr. Naroua had forced her to work his fields for a decade. She also claimed that he raped her repeatedly over the years.

“I was beaten so many times I would run back to my family,” she told the BBC. “Then after a day or two I would be brought back.”

Ms. Mani brought her case to the court this year, arguing that the Niger government had failed to enforce its antislavery laws.

She had initially sought protection under Niger’s laws. In 2005, Mr. Naroua gave her a certificate freeing her, but when she tried to get married he claimed that she was already married to him.

A local court ruled for Ms. Mani, but a higher court reversed the judgment. In an absurd twist, Ms. Mani, who had gone ahead and married the other man, was sentenced to six months in jail for bigamy. She was released after serving two months.

“Nobody deserves to be enslaved,” Ms. Mani said in a statement. “We are all equal and deserve to be treated the same. I hope that everybody in slavery today can find their freedom. No woman should suffer the way I did.”

Slavery has long been tolerated in Niger. The Niamey government outlawed the practice in 2003, but it continues in the remote reaches of the vast, arid and impoverished nation that straddles the Sahara.

Antislavery organizations hailed the decision as an important victory against deeply entrenched social customs.

“For 17 years, we have been working towards bringing slavery to the attention of the authorities,” said Ilguilas Weila, president of Timidria, a Niger antislavery advocacy group, in a statement. “This verdict means that the state of Niger will now have to resolve this problem once and for all.”

The Community Court of Justice, the entity that ruled against Niger, is a judicial arm of Ecowas, a political and trade group of West African nations. The court, which can sit in any of the member nations, was created in 2000 and has made a number of important rulings.

But its limited ability to enforce them has sapped its influence.

Earlier this year, the court ordered the government of Gambia to release a journalist who had been missing for two years and was believed to be in government custody. Gambia ignored the judgment.

Case Study: Thailand

To be honest, I'm a little confused about what's going on in Thailand.

The former Prime Minister Thaksin is in England in self-exile. There was a military coup because PM Thaksin was accused of corruption. Charges included selling his family's controlling stake in telecommunications company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion. Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and complain a key national asset is now in foreign hands.

Thaksin also has been accused of stifling the media and mishandling a Muslim insurgency in southern Thailand that flared under his rule.

Here's the thing. People’s Alliance for Democracy, the coalition of businessmen, academics and activists, has accused the new Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat of being a political proxy for Thaksin, his brother-in-law. The PAD is now going for broke, according to many political analysts. The arrest of two of PAD leaders, Chaiwat Sinsuwong and Chamlong Srimuang, who were detained on treason charges in for their roles in the anti-government group's late August raids on government buildings, signals a renewed campaign to attempt to topple the government. Many believe Chamlong orchestrated his own capture to fire up the PAD protestors, whose enthusiasm for the battle has waned in recent weeks.

But, the Thai who live in the large rural sections of the country love Thaksin. Villagers point to the homes they built during Thaksin's tenure from 2001 to 2006, the refrigerators they bought, the general store they opened - all a result of the low-interest loans his government offered.

"Thaksin was the savior of the poor," said Kamcham Pokasang, 68, a farmer from Kok Loi in the northeastern province of Buriram, where lush green paddies of jasmine rice stretch to the horizon. "Before Thaksin we had nothing, only rice fields. Thanks to Thaksin, my family now has everything."

What's most sad is that the political crisis is a tug-of-war between Thaksin's supporters in the countryside, where two-thirds of Thailand's 65 million people live, and an educated middle class who feels threatened by the rural majority's growing political clout.

This isn't to say there hasn't been corruption and that Thaksin's opponents don't care for the poor - like our Republicans. They, unlike our Republicans, Thaksin's critics want to jettison his policies promoting privatization, free trade agreements and CEO-style administration.

There is more to be read about this story here, from BBC News Asia-Pacific, which leads with the fact that you know something ain't right when doctors break their hypocratic oath and refuse to treat injured policement. Also here, Bangkok Post General News details more Thaksin legal troubles.

Admittedly, I came upon this story because my mom has some thing about no one in the house changing the internet homepage, and the story popped up as soon as I opened the web browser. I caught glance of it just before I began to type in the web address to my email account. But, I think there's something here for us Americans to glean. And it does have to do with the difference between socialism and democratic socialism.

First of all, wow! I mean really politicians, do enter politics because you're corrupt? or is it that you were led astray?

Second of all, another wow! at how Asian countries deal with their corrupt politicians. Can you imagine what America would be like if we got rid of our corrupt politicians? And it's not even like Thaksin illegal invaded and sovereign nation or anything like that, and he's had to leave the country!

Third of all and actually most important, all kidding aside, I'm concerned that 1/3 of Thai people think they know what's best for the other 2/3. I'm concerned because maybe the 2/3 were bought off with the new houses and help entering modernity. I'm concerned because maybe the 1/3 are being so legalistic, they see the forest for the trees.

All said, I'm concerned that these groups can't come together and about the swirl of rumors of lies which are believed no matter how sensationalized or ridiculous. Sound familiar.

Listen, Americans. You can't make political decisions based on what you think is best for you as an individual. I mean, you can, I just question the wisdom of such thinking. And you certainly can't make a decision based solely on what the politicians are saying. Get informed. Find out what happens when. And especially, don't believe what one guy (McCain) is saying about the other guy (Obama, for whom I just voted!).

And you can't vote based on "scary" words like "socialism" or "spreading the wealth." Especially if you don't have any wealth, then, dumb- , er, I mean dear voter, you're gonna get some help from the government, which you probably deserve.

And you know what, I just can't figure out how we've gotten to this notion that a person worth is based solely on their paycheck. That if you don't make much, it's your fault, not the fault of the CEO who's milking your labor for all it's worth.

You gotta understand, in a capitalist society, labor is a form of capital. And many of us are allowing a labor to be undervalued. Whether it's because we're believing lies labor unions hurting rather than helping workers. Or, whether it's because you actually believe affirmative action puts whites, especially white men at a grave disadvantage. Or, maybe it's because you think we're being "invaded from the South of the border." Your labor is being undervalued and it's you're own fault. You don't keep yourself informed. You don't read all the different points of views about an issue. And Lord knows it seems like you can hardly read the truth about an issue, Mr and Mrs "I can't trust Obama because he's an Arab."

So, let's do some informing.

socialism: 1. a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole. 2. procedure or practice in accordance with this theory. 3. (in Marxist theory) the stage following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles.

democratic socialism: a form of socialism with a democratic government; the ownership and control of the means of production, capital, land, property, etc., by the community as a whole -- combined with a democratic government

Now, am I saying that we should move to a completely socialist society where everybody makes the same no matter what work they do or how hard they work? No, no quite. What I'm saying is we shouldn't privatize corporate profit and then nationalize corporate losses. What I'm saying is that instead of being a proud know-nothing, maybe you should find sometime to learn what's really going on. And, trust me, when it comes to telling the truth, NY Times laps anything owned by Ruport Murdoch. (And by the by, am I the only who thinks it's funny the truth always happens to be "liberal.")

And while I encourage everyone to vote, especially for Obama, for the love of all that's good and holy, don't vote for a fellow proud six-pack know-nothing, which amounts to a drunk idiot. And yes, that's a shot a Sarah Palin, I'm sure you couldn't tell.

Oh, Dear Lord

I had a post in mind about black racism, and indeed, I will get to that.

But first, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr and Zionists. Rev. Jackson is quoted as having said "Zionists who have controlled American policy for decades" remain strong, they'll lose a great deal of their clout when Barack Obama enters the White House. There's even more about it in an Israeli newspaper.

Now, while I promised more international flavor, I certainly didn't intend this to be it. But, you know what? It is, and it's important to discuss. So here's my opinion.

I strongly disagree with the Zionists. I can understand why any religious Jew longs to see the reconstruction of the Temple. I understand that, and I think it's important that it be rebuilt if possible. Not necessarily on the same site, but I have no idea how Jews observe what I read of the Torah without a Temple. And I think it's important that people of other beliefs, even if I disagree, are allowed to follow their faith.

That said, I do not agree that Israel has some inherent right to exist. If we accord territory by who fought to obtain and maintain it, then certainly Israel has proven that land belongs to them. But I disagree with the underlying idea. If I had my druthers, Amerindians would still be in control of both North and South America. Are, at least, there'd be equality of power. Palestinians would still be in charge of what's now Israel.

But, now, it is what it is. And what we face is an Israel that kills and murders as many Palestinians as they claim Hamas kills Israelis. What we face is an Israel that is breaking the Accords by extending it's reach and settlements more and more into Palestinians lands. They do this and get away with it because the US backs them. And it is wrong. Absolutely wrong.

It's wrong for a few reasons. I'll go through a few.

• Israel's presence and our support for Israel is behind much of the terror and killings in the Middle East, our war in Afghanistan and illegal invasion of Iraq notwithstanding.
• The Holocaust, as terrible and horrible as it was, and it happened - 12 million dead - does not entitled Israel to land that's not theirs and wasn't given to them by the previous occupants. And it certainly doesn't excuse their oppression, suppression and repression of the Palestinian people. I'm a Christian. Our Holy Book includes much of the Jewish Holy Book. I know of God's promises to Israel. But, Israel broke their end of the promise. Israel broke their end of the Covenant. That's how they ended up under the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Persians, and the Romans. And until they make right with God . . .
• And one thing I also know about the Covenant between God and Israel is that they aren't allowed to have any alliances with other nations. So, even though Zionist Christians think they're helping Israel but pressuring the US government to support Israel through groups like AIPAC, they're actually helping Israel continue to break their Covenant with Jehovah.
• And even if such alliances were allowed, God certainly doesn't approve of what Israel is doing to the Palestinian people.

I think what Rev. Jackson is pointing out is that up till now, the US has always been an broker with a conflict of interest. Hopefully, under an Obama administration, the Palestinians will have a more influential voice. Maybe they can get justice. I agree that Rev. Jackson is coming at this from an African-American standpoint. Just because Israel has the power and might to do something, doesn't mean it's right.

Which, interestingly enough helps bring me to the topic of "black racism." Ha! Just the idea of "black racism" makes me laugh. Like we've been calling the shots for the past 100 years or so. It's as ridiculous as the idea that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the Democrats fighting Republican attempts to regulate the sub prime loans is what has gotten us in the trouble. Anyone who believes that hasn't taken the time to find out the truth, or is just an outright idiot to believe that Republicans fought for regulation of industry. Republicans fighting for regulation? Are you kidding me?

It's just like the misleading news and advertisements that somehow, ACORN is engaged in voter fraud. I guess, Americans don't take time to think. So, let me help you work this out logically. Let's say a false registration reaches the County Board of Election. The B of E is gonna reject it and the person won't get to vote. Problem solved. What CNN and Lou Dobbs should really be investigating and screaming bloody murder over is the widespread, national, Republican attempts to have people illegally removed from the voter rolls. I mean, in some states, they're actually trying to argue that people who've houses have been foreclosed on shouldn't be allowed to vote because they have no address. But, you can read more of that in some of my previous posts.

So, "black anti-white racism." According to lots of people, including Pat "When will they finally fire him?" Buchanan, it is a real phenomenon. And I think this myth is also something we'll need to work through logically and slowly. Follow me now, and don't be afraid to interrupt and ask questions.

First of all, somehow, the popular connotation of "racism" has morphed from the idea that people of color are inferior to white people, the idea that one group of people are inferior or superior to another group, to the idea that someone hates another person simply because of the color of the skin.

Well. Let's see. Here's one definition from American Psychological Association (APA):

1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races
determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that
one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine;
discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

The problem is that white Americans ignore the destructive power of the first two and amplify the last one. That way they can deny being racist because they don't hate blacks. Even though our system of government and white Americans' beliefs is underlied by the idea that they are superior.

On the flip side, when blacks express anger and frustration at the racism inherent in our society, when white hear the Dr. Rev. Jeremiah Wright, white Americans here that anger and frustration, equate it to hate, then accuse African Americans of hating whites and therefore being racist.

Which goes to prove what angers blacks so much - that anytime you criticize the country, white Americans take it as a racist attack - that shows that they do, in fact, equate themselves with the system and that the system is indeed biased in their favor.

URG!!!!!!!!

So is their hatred in the black community? "You betcha." Do we teach it to our children? Do we preach it in our churches? Yeah. But it's not hatred of white people. You silly, silly white people. It's the hate of a system built against us. It's the frustration that even when we're twice as good as any white job applicant for example, sometimes we're still not considered equal to a whites. Yes, we hate injustice.

Then there's the fact that whites hate the fact that blacks don't trust them. Oh! their indignation at our questioning their motives behind the attacks and smears and reasons for not voting for Obama. They get so self-righteous when we point out that clearly they're not considering a black person equal to a white person even though said black person is far superior.

You wanna know why all that indignation and red-faced umbraged fall of nonlistening ears? It's because you first of all don't know, or do a good job or pretending not to know, what racism is. You excuse yourself of racism, point of fact, Pat Buchanan and Bill Bennett still have jobs. But when we speak out about it, you accuse us of racism when we're just fighting for justice.

And here's the other reason we don't trust you. Well, most of us don't trust most of you, especially white Christians. Why are you ignoring our outcry against the injustice of racism as defined in the first 2 sections? Why do you so easily accept the injustice of white supremacy?

Here I'm Is

Yeah, I don't mean that sentence literally. It's not acceptable in any form of English. It's just something I heard my little cousin say when she was 2-years old.

Again, today. Some stream of consciousness about the world around me.

Let me start by saying that Americans, especially those who lack the melanin content of others, need to get over ourselves. We're not God's gift to the world. Right at this very moment, while we claim to support democracy and are willing to occupy a country that posed no danger to us, we're undermining a democracy in South America. Quite possibly just because Evo Morales and his left-leaning government doesn't dance to our tune.

No, America. We're not the greatest place on earth. We're not the the Disney Land of the world. Get over it!

We claim to be a land of religious tolerance. Not true. Ask the Muslim in your neighborhood. There aren't any? Try your job. Still none? Find someone who looks Arab, promise you're not wired, and ask them their truest thoughts of America.

We claim to be a Christian nation. That's not true, either. Oh, I know how candidates for president have to profess a belief in Christ. I know how we treat the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, etc, etc, so on and so forth. All of which leads me to the conclusion that we got a bunch of people who're crying, "Lord, Lord!" and ain't nowhere near heaven.

We claim to be a racially tolerant nation. Well, I'm black so I know that's a load of crap. In fact, that's what the previously mentioned male friend added to my list of traits I want in a husband. He's anti-assimilation. Which is odd if you knew him. But, that's what I heard him say. And, well, I like that. I'm anti-assimilation, too. Yes, I can speak standard American English with the best of'em. I have my "white" voice. I can "act white" when necessary. But ultimately, I feel as though I'm being deceptive when I do those things. And I am indeed deceiving the audience of my "white" performance into accepting me for the person they would like me to be, and not the person I really am. I do that to get what I want. Studies have shown that the average person responds more positively to whiteness than blackness. So, I get what I want and go on with life.

I mean, take a look at the most liberal site you can find. Huffington Post. Alternet.org. Read the articles, then read the comments.

Which further proves my point that we're not a Christian nation. Over 30% of our citizens, in order to be successful, have to put on a performance. We 30% have to spend at least 8 hours of our day lying about who we really are. Um, yeah, any religious leader who spent more time with the so-called "sinners and tax-collecters" than he did high priests and scribes would not force others to be anything but who they are in order to be successful.

Now, granted, I'm kinda down right now. My football fantasy teams aren't performing as well as I had hoped. You'd think I'd be able to just shake that off, but no.

So, here I'm is with a few of my general complaints about America.

And when I mention our lack of religious tolerance, I'm including dogmatic atheists and agnostics as well. It bothers me that these intellectuals who understandably demand rational proof of God can't separate religious teachings from religious people and their most demonstrably religious actions. I once can across someone who was trying to make the barb that in Christianity, a man dies to receive 10 virgins while at least Islam gives him 72. The guy was referencing a parable, a story Jesus told to help explain how the Kingdom of God works. The fact that he couldn't tell the difference between a parable and actual promises led me to the conclusion that he's not the genius atheist he thinks he is.

Which brings me to another point. We claim to be a sexually tolerant nation. We're not. Whether or not your sexuality and sexual activity is accepted depends on your race, your gender, and the particular group you're in at the moment. We have a healthy margin of people who believe whole-heartedly in sexual purity - at least for females - and who decry the relatively high amount of sexual content on TV. As though they can't turn the channel. Then there're those who think waiting until you're married to have sex is a terrible idea. No, no one's actually explained to me why that is, but whoa! Just find yourself someone who's "sexually liberated" and find out just how uptight they are.

Yes. I'm a virgin. Oh, believe me. It's by choice. If at this moment right now, I decided to have sex, I could change my networking-site status and find at least 10 sexual partners available tonight. And another 10 who'd be willing to fly in or fly me out by tomorrow.

And, as promised, I suppose I should list some general complaints about the world at large.

Okay. Let me first start with America's international affairs. We went to war with the Taliban if Afganistan, illegally invaded Iraq, talking tough about Iran and Russia. Meanwhile, there's a genocide in the Darfur region of the country of Sudan on the continent of Africa and what have we done? At least 5 million people have died in the war(s) in Congo on the same continent and what have we done? . . . Oh, I should be clear. I mean, what have we done to promote peace? Cause the fact that we're selling weapons in these regions does count for doing something, just not something constructive. And before you fault "those people" as though we American are above such destructive actions, interview some Iraqis and also, some women in our military.

And as far as international affairs apart from America, Georgia needs to stop their illegal, genocidal actions in South Ossetia.

Okay. I gotta go now. But I'll be back. And I'm not promising a better mood.

Wanda Sykes Cracks Me Up!!

I plan to starting discussing some foreign issues soon. American politics has come to depress me. I find it quite distressing that McCain/Palin with their lies and terrible policies might actually win.

Not that I won't mention the election at all or talk about race anymore. Just that I want to broaden my horizon. What I've found by chatting with people online from all over the world is that the issues confronting everyone are just about the same - everywhere there is racism, sexism, greed and capitalism. And, of course, everybody is suffering from poor decisions of George W Bush; and, to be quite honest, American hegemony overall. So yes, I will deal with the issues while including an international flavor. Yes, that means I'll have to start reading more articles about foreign affairs and what's going on in other countries. But that's fine. I look to learn as much as my brain can hold.

But until then . . . Wanda Sykes is hilarious!