“If we take the magnitude of the injustice done to the Palestinians by the state of Israel, there is a basis for comparison with apartheid,” said the former Israeli ambassador to South Africa, Alon Liel. “If we take the magnitude of suffering, we are in the same league. Of course apartheid was a very different philosophy from what we do, most of which stems from security considerations. But from the point of view of outcome, we are in the same league.”
As far back as 1961, Hendrik Verwoerd, the South African prime minister and architect of the “grand apartheid” vision of the bantustans, saw a parallel. “The Jews took Israel from the Arabs after the Arabs had lived there for a thousand years. Israel, like South Africa, is an apartheid state,” he said. It is a view that horrifies and infuriates many Israelis.
“Apartheid was an extension of the colonial project to dispossess people of their land,” said the Jewish South African cabinet minister and former ANC guerrilla, Ronnie Kasrils, on a visit to Jerusalem. “That is exactly what has happened in Israel and the occupied territories; the use of force and the law to take the land. That is what apartheid and Israel have in common.”
Source: The Guardian
Fran Unsworth, a BBC Editor, discusses Israeli news media restrictions…
One of the forms that all journalists sign, to be accredited members of the press on arrival in Israel, is a promise that you will obey the rules of the military censor. In the context of the latest war in South Lebanon, those rules mean – we are not allowed to report any Hezbollah hits on military bases, not allowed to broadcast news of ministerial visits to the frontline until ministers are safely back out of Hezbollah’s range.
And if rockets land whilst we are live on air, we have to be vague as to where they fall (the theory being that Hezbollah may be watching BBC World or equivalent, and using our information to help them calibrate their rockets launchers). Also we are not allowed to report on military casualties until the Israeli censor says so.
Source: BBC
Nice, huh?
Workers discover chocolate Virgin Mary
Drippings beneath vat at chocolatier bear resemblance to mother of Jesus
(AP) Updated: 9:30 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2006
A piece of chocolate, which some believe bears a resemblance to the Virgin Mary, is seen at Bodega Chocolates in Fountain Valley, Calif., on Thursday.
Source: MSNBC
go there for the lump of dog poo they think looks like their imaginary friend… sheesh
I am NOT a Maoist by any stretch of the imagination, but I heard this quote from China yesterday on BBC radio and it just fills me with enormous glee!!!
Chinese Envoy Tells U.S. to ‘Shut Up’
Friday August 18, 2006 6:01 AM
LONDON (AP) – The United States should “shut up” with its concerns about China’s growing military spending because the increase is no threat, a Chinese ambassador said Thursday.
Sha Zukang, China’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, told British Broadcasting Corp. radio that American concerns about his country’s growing military might were misguided.
“It’s better for the U.S. to shut up,” Sha said. “Keep quiet. It’s much, much better.”
Sha said the world need not worry about China’s growing economic and military might because “China basically is a peace-loving nation.”
“China’s military buildup is not threatening anyone,” Sha said. “This is a legitimate defense.”
China’s 2.3 million-member People’s Liberation Army is the world’s largest fighting force, and Beijing has alarmed its neighbors with double-digit percentage increases in military spending nearly every year for a decade.
U.S.-China military relations have been strained over a number of issues in recent years, including Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s push for Beijing to be more open about its defense priorities, its military budget and its nuclear arsenal.
Source: Guardian International
I just wish the guy had said something like: “Like the US has any right to speak of military spending…”
Watch the Rick Mercer Special on YouTube.com
Link: YouTube.com
priceless!!
US ‘knew of Israel bombing plan’
Israel and the United States were in close contact about Israel’s war on Hezbollah long before it began, a US investigative journalist has claimed.
“Israel had devised a plan for attacking Hezbollah, and shared it with Bush administration officials, well before” 12 July, Seymour Hersh wrote.
The article in the New Yorker magazine relies on many anonymous sources and includes denials from US officials.
Source: BBC
course… the New Yorker is a Liberal left wing extension to the world wide communist conspiracy so, I suppose, we all should just ignore that…
Here’s a link to Hersh’s New Yorker article:
Link: The New Yorker
This is an amazing and heartfelt explanation of the Vietnam War, in 15 minutes.
It should be watched by anyone still trying to get a grasp on Iraq and Afghanistan.
Link: The Pinky Show
link to a right-wing nut job…
but true is true, no matter what mouth it comes from…
this is a detailed accounting of doctored photos published since the start of the Israeli offensive in Lebanon
Link: www.zombietime.com
just… ignore the commentary and check out the rest of the site only if you got a tough stomach.
We are told now, by organized religions, that these acts are wrong because God intended sex to be between man and woman for the sake of procreation…
this, however, is a modern rationalization.
The ancient Hebrews (and successively, Christians and Muslims) believed in a plethora of beings besides God and Man… namely the ubiquitous angels, demons, devils, etc.
demons and devils were considered to be sterile entities, empty husks… and as such could not procreate…
however, they were, like man, driven to procreate…
this was most simply accomplished by direct human-demon sex… succubae and incubi…
however, the ancient Jews believed, as well, that demons could use any seed (semen) that was not directed to fertile ground (a woman’s womb) to spawn… therefore any seed spilled because of masturbation or directed anywhere besides a womb could be utilized by all manners of evil spirits to generate further demons.
Willing and conscious masturbation and/or homosexual intercourse would be openly inviting the creation and growth of evil on earth. what greater evil could a man perform?
This also explains why the Bible and Quran are silent regarding lesbianism. It’s NOT mentioned because women have nothing to waste that can be utilized for demon procreation. They can act as a brood mare for a demon but only by being impregnated by a male-demon.
this is the root of the anathema… nothing more, nothing less… fear of demons…
fear of the boogey-man
BOOO!!! Watch out or they will sneak into your boxers and gobble up all that cum!!
Source: ‘Civilian Casualty’? It Depends – Los Angeles Times
By Alan Dershowitz,
July 22, 2006
THE NEWS IS filled these days with reports of civilian casualties, comparative civilian body counts and criticism of Israel, along with Hezbollah, for causing the deaths, injuries and “collective punishment” of civilians. But just who is a “civilian” in the age of terrorism, when militants don’t wear uniforms, don’t belong to regular armies and easily blend into civilian populations?
We need a new vocabulary to reflect the realities of modern warfare. A new phrase should be introduced into the reporting and analysis of current events in the Middle East: “the continuum of civilianality.” Though cumbersome, this concept aptly captures the reality and nuance of warfare today and provides a more fair way to describe those who are killed, wounded and punished.