The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues Analyzes issues of liberal concern and gives readers a digest of what is reported in over forty newspapers throughout the world to engage them in critical thinking issues. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 69 9297

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Female Iraq Vet Aims At Republican Seat 2008-01-27 08:30:26 Jill Morganthaler, a 30 year Army veteran, has decided to sift from fighting on the fields of Iraq to zeroing in on a Repulican congressman who ran a dirty campaign in 2006 to defeat a former female Iraq war veteran.If the 53 year-old suburban mother wins the Demcoratic nomination for congress, she will take on conservative Republican Rep. Petr Roskam who defeated Tammy Duckworth in 2006 by a few hundred votes. During her tour in Iraq, Morgenthaler served as a military spokesperson and got caught in the tragedy of Abu Ghraib scandal. “I would never apologize what those seven(US soldiers) did. Not only what they did was totally wrong to the prisoners, it was wrong for our nation. It really hurt the good we were doing.” Morgenthaler believes the Iraq government has to assume more responsibility for safety because it is important to get our troops back home. Morgenthaler has received the enthusiastic support of Duckworth who joins in seeking the defeat of a conservative Rep ...

Clinton Strategy-Marginalize Obama-Recipe For Victory? 2008-01-27 08:16:03 Senator Hllary Clinton and her mate, former president Bill Clinton, undoubtedly have a strategy of seeking to transform Barack Obama into a “black candidate” and in the process endeavor to ruin his run for the presidential nomination. Obama gained a victory in South Carolina but it came mainly through efforts of black voters, he only obtained abou 20% of his vote from white South Carolinians. On the other hand, Senator Clinton was not an overwhelming favorite of white males, an issue that continues to haunt her quest for victory in the primaries. There is a broader issue for the Clintons–is a strategy based on creating racial tensions one that befits the American people? Will Americans grow weary of the Clintons for their divisiveness? Will the strategy backfire in the coming election if Hillary Clinton gains the nomination but so angers black Americans voters and liberals they vote with their feet by not showing up in November to cast ballots? It increasingly is beco ...

Election Fraud=Blood, Hate, Violence In Kenya 2008-01-27 08:01:54 President Kibaki stole an election by manipulating vote counts. Undoubtedly, he assumed opposition parties would scream but eventually allow his actions to be accepted. Unfortunately, his theft has resulted in an outburst of tribal anger as opponents and defenders of his theft clash over a dispute that has escalated from anger over a vote count to unleashing of dromant tribal fears. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been desperately attempting to persuade Kibaki and Raila Odinga to come together for the greater good of all Kenyans even if it means temporarily suspending their own goals. Annan made a trip around the country meeting people who were beaten and driven from their homes by bands of armed youth. Thousands are now displaced because they fear returning to homes located in areas where there are rivel tribal groups. Kofi Annan captured the essence of what is happening today in Kenya when he said, “The crisis has mutated from an electoral dispute into much deeper p ...

Indonesian History 101 In Need Of Revision 2008-01-27 01:15:15 Indonesia’s former dictator, Soeharto lies near death but an honest story concerning how he ruled has yet to be told young people. At the National History Museum, which he founded, Soeharto is portrayed as a symbol of strength and benevolence during the nation’s early yers for survival. No mention is made in presenting information about the past such as the bloody so-called “rebelion” of 1965 which led to the death of between 500,000 to 21 million people based on which source is providing the data. Soeharto cracked down severely on an alleged “communist” coup which also resulted in the death of seven generals. There is no mention of student protests in 1966 or 1974, 1978 or 1998. Many Indonesian educators would like to see new textbooks which present a more balanced view of the Soeharto era, but that entire episode, at present, remains hidden in the murky waters of political correctness. In essence, Indonesia prefers history taught from the top down ... History

Immigrants– Please Come to Japan 2008-01-27 01:03:17 Within the coming years, Japan will finally come to grips with realty–it needs immigration in order to maitain is position as a leading world power. According to Hidenori Sakanaka, “By 2050, Japan’s population will have shrunk from the current 127 million to about 90 million, and to about 40 million by the end of the century.” He estimate Japan needs about 10 million new immigrants just to survive as a viable nation. A declining birth rate, an ever increasing aging population are combining to create a huge population gap in Japan. Some estimates believe if Japan seeks to maintain its present economic power and high standard of living, it might require about 30 million immigrants by 2050. The Japanese government is ordinarily more intereted in controlling and limiting immigration rather than coming to grips with its need for more people. There are currently about 2 million registered foreigners in the country and about 40,000 people who annually obtain permanent ...

Obama Wins Smashing Victory In South Carolina 2008-01-27 00:22:50 Barack Obama obtained two-thirds of the vote in the South Carolina primary with Hillary Clinton coming in second with 27% and John Edwards gaining about 18%. Many observers believe the extent of the Barama vicory may partially be attribued to the slime capaign conducted by the two Clintons. There are reports Senator Ted Kennedy has asked Bill Clinton to tone down the invective against Barack Obama which increasingly comes across as mean spirited and hardly what one should expect from a former president of the United States. Hopefully, Senator Clinton has learned from South Carolina the nation is tired of divisivenes, tired of attacking opponents on personal grounds, and tired of a candidate who shifts frrom issues to personalities. If she continues this undignified performance Clinton runs the risk of aiding her Republican rival more than she can damage the Obama candidacy. ...

Nobody Asked Me But, 2008-01-26 12:56:21 Once a week, we explore the ordinary and extraordinary events that happened over the course of the past several days. Did you ever notice how Mitt Romney resembles the little man atop a wedding cake? I passed a sign at McDonalds saying twenty five cents for a chicken McNugget. You could give them away for nothing and I’d rather take my luck at the soup kitchen run by the Salvation Army. I always smile coming across a person walking a dog when it’s five degrees outside. Me, no animals except humans. I saw a sign saying “Hair Salon For Men.” Sorry, I’m from the Depression era, it is a barber shop and no women allowed. If baseball players are bing indicted for lying about steroid use, when we will get around to Bush administration athletes who lied about Iraq and a few other topics? Saddam Hussein told an FBI agent he wanted to come across as a defiant tough man and lied about the WMD. Unfortunately, for Saddam, he was dealing with a man who wanted to come ac ...

Send In The Swat Team-Dennis Is Going Wild! 2008-01-26 11:56:50 Dennis Rivera, age 5, is now considered among the most dangerous criminals inhabiting the streets and schools of New York City. The noted felon, erupted in a violent outburst which compelled New York’s finest to rush to the scene and place the young criminal in handcuffs in order to save the entire school from potential danger. A safety agent at Public School 81, placed handcuffs on the kindergarten student in order to save the lives of other endangered children. The incident outraged the American Civil Liberties Union which has long been upset at such incidents involving children, but, none directed against kindergarteners. School Chancellor Joel Klein called the handcuffing incident “troubling” but would not go so far as to cast any blame on security guards who inflicted such punishment on a toddler. He said rules on handling unruly students are murky. “When you are dealing with youngsters, when you are dealing with people having trouble, this requires human j ...

Gates Urges Joint Operations With Pakistan 2008-01-26 10:22:27 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates continued hammering away at his “suggestion” to Pakistan that US troops be allowed to conduct joint operations with the Pakistan army in the turbulent norhtwest region where al-Qaeda, Taliban and tribal groups are battling government forces. Admiral Michale Mullen, head of the rmed forces, said: “I think certainly there is a desire on the part of the Pakistan government and armed forces to have us assist, we would certainly try to do that.” He noted that Admiral Fallon, who is responsible for forces in the area, already devised a plan to handle al-Qaeda and the Taliban. In London, President Musharraf made clear that he did not wish foreign troops to be involved in joint operations with the Pakistan army and pointed out the United States already is short of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. I imagine Pakistan military leaders are thrilled to have access to an American plan which explains how to defeat terrorism. One can only hope i ...

Israel Claims Iran Has Secret Nuclear Program 2008-01-26 09:20:31 Israel defense Minister Ehud Barak insisted Iran has a secret nuclear weapon development program and e suspects it is already working on warheads for ground-to-ground missiles. “The Iranians are aiming at nuclear weapons,” he asserted, even though “they may have slowed down the weapons development in 2003″ out of fear of an American attack. Barak insists Iran is further down the line of nuclear weapons than anyone realizes. He fears “we will wind up in 10 or 15 years with a nuclear device in the hands of terrorists.” He wants the international community to dig further into this problem. Iran’s Foreign Minister Manoucher Mottaki made clear yesterday “Iran is not threatening Israel and does not want nuclear weapons.” He pointed out Iran refused to recognize South Africa until their apartheid program ended and as far as Israel is concerned, “there is no reason why relations with that oountry cannot change to.” There was no ...

Is BBC Mideast Coverage Biased? 2008-01-26 09:01:42 Steven Sugar, a solicitor, has been waging a one man war to have disclosed an internal BBC report on whether or not it has been presenting an anti-Israel biased view of events in the Middle East. His plea under the Freedom of Information Act was rejected. The BBC argues the Act does not apply to journalism. In 2004, the BBC commissioned Mr. Balen to conduct an analysis of its Mideast coverage. The BBC has long been charged with displaying an anti-Israel viewpoint, a point exemplified when BBC correspondent Barbara Piett admitted she cried at the death of Yasser Arafat. In2006, however, a study for th BBC governors by Sir Quentin Thomas concluded its coverage favored the Israeli side. A government funded media source has the responsibility of presenting a broad range of views although it has every right to advocate on issues. Th issue is not lso much as to whether the BBC has been partial so much as to whether or not it has pursued truth in its reporting. Of course, one can question t ...

Hugo Chavez: Colombia Plots Aggression! 2008-01-26 07:36:26 Presdient Hugo Chavez of Venezuel charged his neighbor was in some form of collusion with the United States to plan aggressive action against his nation. “I accuse the government of Colombia of devising a conspiracy acting as a pawn of the U.S. empire, of devising a military provocation against Venezuela. A military aggressiion is being prepared from Colombia ” and it is part of a broader American plan to drive him from office. He citd intelligence reports, but in his talk did not offer any specific evidence to support his allegations. His nation has been engaged in conflict with Colombia because of supposed support given Chavez to rebal forces in Colombia who hold several important hostages. Chavez, as usual, may have an important message to send the world, but his rhetoric often obscures the meaning of what he attempts to convey. He warned war would send oil prices skyrocketing and the “invaders would have to step over our dead bodies.” Secretary of State Con ...

Afghans Protest American Raids 2008-01-26 01:16:14 Hundreds of Afghans chanted anti-American slogans to protest the deaths of nine policement who were killed during American offensive actions. According to Abdullah Nasir of the province’s government, “coalition forces launched an operation north of Ghazni. Unfortunately, we got reports that second district commander Kamyag along with eight other officers were killed.’ The US led force insists they killed insurgents, but an Internet report claimed to see the officers approach coalition forces only to be fired upon. There are always accidents in any war, but the increasing number of civilians being killed by coalition troops indicates something more complex may be at work. Apparently, there is lack of effective communication between Coalition troops and local Afghan leaders. There is also the factor of placing great dependence on air strikes which invariably result in the death of innocent civilians. This problem cropped up during the Vietnam war which also relied upo ...

Can I Warn Robbers In Polish? 2008-01-26 01:12:06 The owner of a large camera store in Lund has been reported to Sweden’s ethnic discrimination ombundsman for displaying a sign in Polish which was designed to ward off thieves. The sign reads: “Expensive cameras are not left in the store by the manager?” A passerby noticed the sign and reported it to authorities as discriminatory against those of Polish heritage. Ulf Ogge defended his action by claiming: “Eight years ago I had three break-ins in a short space of time.The thieves drove a car through the entrance. When I was in court it turned out that all the perpetrators were Poles and they weren’t able to speak Swedish or English. A Polish friend of mine helped me to write the sign. One can only wonder if the object of Mr. Ogge was to avoid having cars driven into his store, why not be a bit more helpful. Perhaps, he can leave the keys to the front door in a manner that would make their presence known. In that way, he can avoid being a discriminatory pers ...

US Ready To Fight In Pakistan Says Gates! 2008-01-25 15:02:39 The situation in Iraq remains volatile, the war in Afghanistan is hampered by lack of clear vision and disagreement between the United States and its NATO allies, but Secetary of Defense Robert Gates is ready to dispatch US forces to Pakistan to assist in the war against militants. “We remain ready, willing and able to assist the Pakistanis and partner with them to provide additional training, to conduct joint operations, sould they desire to do so.” He emphasized America would not take any unilateral action but would only send troops if requeted by the government of Pakistan. At points, observers remain confused as to whether there is anyone in the Bush administration who has a focused view on world affairs. There has been no “victory” in Iraq, and prospects for stability are still uncertain. Afghanistan over the past years has seen the spead of Taliban influence, not its dimunition. Where does Secretary of Defense Gates intend to find the troops who will be se ...