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 59 8752

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Canada Halts Transfer Of Afghan Prisoners 2008-01-24 08:44:24 The government of Canada has quietly ceased transferring any Afghan prisoners captured by their forces to the government of Afghanistan due to concerns over treatment of detainees. In a letter to Amnesty International and the British Columbia Civil Liberties Assocation, Canadian authorities said they had ceased sending detainees to the control of Afghan forces following complaints of abuse by one prisoner. A Canadian human rights officer discovered braided electrical wire and a rubber hose while interviewing a detainee who claimed to have been beaten with the torture implements. The letter sent to human rights groups stated bluntly, “there have ben no transfers of detainees to Afghan authorities since that date.” Athough Canada has not revealed the number of prisoners transferred to Afghan control it is estimated to range as high as 200. It appears Canadian authorities fear continuing to send prisoners to certain torture eventually will be used by human rights groups in att ...

Iranian People Fear Impact Of Sanctions 2008-01-24 08:30:30 Lost in discussions and anger between Iran and the European Union or the United States is the impact of sanctions upon ordinary Iranians. A reporter for The Independent, discussed with an Iranian printer how sanctions effects his business. “These days doing business with any country other than Russia and China is nearly impossible,” said Mustafa Ibrahimis compelled to work through middle men in Dubai in order to obtain supplies for his operation. A third wave of sanctions by foreign ministers in Europe looms on the horizon although the intensity of desire for action has been somewhat dampened due to release of the American intelligence report that downplayed Iran’s march to nuclear weapons. Accordig to Nadeer Hashemi of the University of Toronto, “the entire approach to Iran, by quarantining it, sanctioning it, and isolating it, is counterproductive. It will only hurt the Iranian people and srenthen the most authoritarian elements within the regime.” The B ...

Sunni Militants Vow Action Against US Over Gaza 2008-01-24 08:17:03 A coalition of five Sunni militant groups issued a joint statement which promises to increase attacks on American troops because of US support of Israel’s policies in the Gaza strip. The announcement by the “Iraqi Resistance Campaign To Help Gaza” appeared on the Internet. It described American and Israel leaders as “war ciminals” and promised the people of Gaza that help would shortly arrive promising although they were fighting “the enemies of God in Iraq, this will not deter from helping our brothers(Palestinians) because the enemy is one and the victim is one.” This announcement should not be surprising because Muslim miilitants seek to create anger within the American army against Israel. They want US soldiers to believe if one of them is killed it all stems from Israel actions in Gaza. The situation in Gaza must be resolved and if it is, Islamic militants will still be fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. ...

China Dodges On Darfur Pollcy 2008-01-24 08:04:44 The Chinese government is upset at attempts by humn rights activists to link their policy of cooperation with the Sudan government to the upcoming Olympics. Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jiang Yu insisted “it is of apparent politicl intention and purposes to link the Darfur issue with the Olympics.” He rejected hopes by organizations his government would exert pressure on Sudan to halt the janjaweed attacks on innocent civilians. Although, China has important economic links with Sudan, the foreign ministry claims it lacks the power to exert pressure and is doing all in its power to help the people of Darfur by dispatching 140 enlgineering troops to assist. China continues with its policy of doing what is best for the economic interests of itself regardless of how that impacts other people in the world. China today is an important economic power, but it dodges any responsibilities to aid those who are suffering. It will conduct business as usual with any repressive regime ...

Rumsfeld Offers Advice On Winning War–Again 2008-01-24 01:13:56 After several months of silence, former Defense Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld once again offered advice on how to win the war in Iraq. He argued the United States is “sitting on the sidelines” in the global war of ideas. “We’re barely competing,” and that’s why we are losing. Rumsfeld argued America needs a “21st century agency for global communication”to spread our message about the importance of democracy and freedom. Rumsfeld believes the decision to fold into the State Department the United States Information Administration was a mistake and took away an agency that could present the American viewpoint in a positive manner. He called for creation of an Internet Information aency which could employ modern technology in the fight to expand its message. Perhaps, the new information agencies desired by Donald Rumsfeld can finally tell the world the real story about Saddam Hussein’s Weapons of Mass Destruction and, in the proc ...

Russia Not Rushin To Back Down 2008-01-24 01:04:00 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made it clear his nation would not be bullied by the West and intended to be completely in charge of its own territory as well as its foreign affairs. He made it clear to the Britsh government that the British Council which promotes cultural and education ties is closed down for failing to obtain legal authorization to function. Lavrov was also critical of US plans for missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic which Russia views as a direct threat to its own defenses. London believes the action against the Council is a response to the dispute which arose between the two nations following the 2006 murder in London of Alexander Litvinenko, a Russian dissident. It is still unclear exactly what is the crime of the Council except in being British. Lavov went on to denounce European and American decisions to support the aspirations of Kosovo for independence from Serbia. In addition to its close ties with Serbia, the Russian government is generall ...

Neo-Nazis March Again In Budapest 2008-01-23 16:33:55 The sight of a Nazi flag and the sound of marching boots once again was seen and heard on the streets of Budapest. A march by members of the Hungarian Guard (Maryar Garda) took place two days ago despite protests by civic organizations, but since the rally was authorized by the police, nothing could be done to halt it. The rally was held to make clear to Romas in the city the Hungarian Guard was watching them due to the beating to death by two Roma youths of a 17 year-old boy. Peter Kenda, a liberal journalist, was attacked by marchers who apparently believe anyone showing sympathy for Romas was, by definition, an enemy. Senior Catholic leaders denounced the decision by a chaplain to conduct a flag blessing for the neo-Nazis, this was the first time the Catholic church took a public stand about the Nazi group. Sixty years after the end of Nazi and neo-Nazi groups in Hungary it is sad to witness their re-emergence in the 21st century. Although the Hungarian Guard represents a tiny minor ...

Muslim-West Divide Widens 2008-01-23 14:33:55 A Gallup poll published this week in a report on Muslim-Western relations for the World Ecnomic Forum reflects an “alarming low level of optimism regarding dialogue between Islam and the West.” Most people in Muslim and Western nations countries believe dividions between them are worsening and each side believes the other disrespects their culture. Negative perceptions were most prevalent in the Unitd States, Israel and Palestinian terrfitories, most probably due to the Iraq war and the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. Although two thirds of people in Muslim nations said they respected the West, almost the same number felt the West did not respect them. Most Western respondents said they did not believe either side respected the other. Ironically, Iranians who have heard about threats of military action by the United States feel less disrespect than Turks who have scant conflict with America and are interested in entering the European Union. Of course, if they fai ...

Asking Questions In Afghanistan Results In Death! 2008-01-23 11:43:19 Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh, age 23, was sentenced to death on Tuesday by a three-judge panel in the northern Afghanistan city of Mazar i-Sharif for distributing a report he downloaded from the Internet that came from journalism students at Baikh University. The article said men and women should be equal under Islam and asked why men can have four wives but women can’t have multiple husbands. The judges claimed the article insulted the Muslim religion. Of course, for many non-Muslims, it is a question in our minds. Why only one sex with this opportunity? Jean MacKenzie, country director for the Institute for war and Peace Reporting, which trains Afghan journalists, insists the decision has nothing to do with the article, but is designed to exert pressure on Parwez’s rother Yaquib, who has done hard-hitting reporting on abuses by powerful commanders in Baikh and other northern provinces. Muslim clerics are supporting the decision which apparently is their effort to remain in the ...

School Grading Policies Upset Parents 2008-01-23 11:02:11 New York City’s fascination with test scores is increasingly raising concerns among parents regarding the meaning of education. Lee Solomon, the mother of a first grader at the Brooklyn New School, a sought after school that accepts students only by lottery, received the letter grade of C from accountability experts, expressed her anger by noting, “It really saddens me that this is how the Department of Education thinks that parents are best served, by boiling everything that happens in an entire school to a letter grade.” Since Mayor Bloomberg assumed office as mayor, he has summoned the business community to bring its expertise to the field of education. Of course, most of these people have never taught children nor have they ever been part of the difficult process of working with children from diverse backgrounds. The end result of corporate America’s education program is a dramatic decline in time spent at school learning history or engaging with literature ...

Hamas Agrees To Cede Border Control In Gaza 2008-01-23 09:04:37 Amid continuing chaos in Gaza, Hamas has agreed to cede control over border crossing in Gaza. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh spoke as thousands of Gazans crossed over into Egypt following destruction of the wall by gunmen. They were seeking to purchase goods made scarce by the Israel blockade. Haniyeh called for “an urgent speecy meeing” in Egypt that could result in opening border crossings “on the basis of national participation.” This apparently means Hamas would work with the Palestinian Authority. President Abbas of the PA denounced the Hamas statement and insists Hamas return all control over Gaza to his authority. Hamas has come to the realization they have created mass chaos in the Gaza area by acting with arrogance in their dealings not merely with the Palestinian Authority but with Israel. Hamas can cede control of border crossings to Egypt or the PA or whoever, but until they take control and halt Kassam rockets from hitting Israel, the situatio ...

Fewer High School Graduates Recruited For Military 2008-01-23 08:50:29 The percentage of Army recruits with at least a high school diploma dropped again last year continuing a trend that has worsened since the start of the Iraq war. National Priorities Project, a research group that analyzes federal data, found that nearly 71% of Army recruits graduated from high school in the 2007 budget year. All troops must have a high school diploma or an equivalent degree. In some cases the Army has paid for some recruits to take GED preparation courses and the test. The Army’s goal has been 90% high school diploma graduates, but this has not been achieved since 2004. The National Priorities Project noted the percentage of “high quality” recruits–those with high school diploma who scored in the top half on the military’s qualification test– delcined from budget years 2004-2007. In that period the number of high-quality recruits fell from about 61% to nealry 45%. Graduation figures in themselves need not attest to the quality of an ...

Kibaki Stole Kenya Election Through Fraud 2008-01-23 08:38:33 An investigation by the British newspaper, The Independent, uncovered evidence of vote rigigng in a third of all Kenya constituencies during the past presidential election. Stuffed ballot boxes and election officials altering rsults played a decisive role in Kibaki’s final “victory.” The Independent discovered that in 88 of the 210 constituencies the turnout was at least 1,000 votes higher in the presidential election than in the parliamentary poll which was conducted at the same time. This resulted in 380,944 votees more for Kibaki. According to observers, ballot boxes were stuffed by both sides. In one constituency, Odinga won 100.5 percent of valid votes cast. In Maragwa, Kibaki won 115% of the votes. Vote totals were also changed by officials at local polling centers who simply added thousand more votes to the Kibaki margin. Koki Muli, a senior Kenyan observer, noted: “They added 5,00 to 10,000, 15,000–whatever they wanted. It was bizarre. We had resu ...

Bush Lied About Iraq War Claims New Study! 2008-01-23 08:14:24 Two nonprofit organizations, the Center for Public Integrity and the Fund for Independence in Journalism, after an exhaustive examination of documents, public statements and interviews, have concluded President Bush and other Republican administration offiicals led concerning the reasons for war with Iraq. The statements “were part of an orchetrated campaign that effectively galvinized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.” The organizations identifed 935 false statements made by Bush and other governmnent officials. The record indicates they stated unequivoccally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction. According to Charles Lewis and Mark Reading-Smith of the Fund for Independence in Journalism, “the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propogated and culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003.” ...

Power, Not Leadership Is Issue In Kenya 2008-01-23 01:23:20 Billy Khona, writing in South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newwspaper, argued the conflagration sweeping Kenya has nothing to do with leadership as it has to do with power. “Never before have we needed legislative heroism as we do now. Alas, parliamentary politics, while making for good theater of the absurd, rarely demonstrates moral courage.” President Kibaki appears indifferent to the killings in all parts of the nation and mainly is concerned with ensuring his “victory” in the presidential election stands against the tide of reason. Khona says the election of an ODM member to the postion of Speaker of the House at least sends a message that Kibaki and his Kikuyu followers were not going so far as to rig that election process. Mr. Kahona sadly believes the most important matter on the minds of too many members of the legislature is getting a raise. As of this point, parliament has not done much to exert leadership. It has not witnessed members of diffe ...