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 0 110 8518

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

KKK Burns Cross On Lawn Of Airman 2007-12-19 10:08:56 It’s Christmas time in Illinois, so some local KKK idiots decided to celebrate the birth of Christ by burning a cross on the lawn of a member of the United States air force. A neighbor reported the crime because the airman was off doing his duty serving the United States. The words, “KKK” and “white power” were written on the cross. Burning a five foot cross on the lawn of a member of the military is not the most serious crime committed by those who harbor hatred in their heart at a time of the year when supposedly one is filled with joy and love. It is a relatively minor incident and will soon be forgotten by all concerned. The real tragedy is that people who hide in the darkness of night most probably during daytime are vigorous supporters of fighting wars– ones they will talk about but never engage in. The only fighting they can handle is fighting at night when no one can see their faces and then slithering away before confronting the object of t ...

Slave Labor Shames America-Read About It In England! 2007-12-19 09:44:49 Shortly after John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency, author Michael Harrington wrote a powerful book depicting the plight of migrant workers in America and Edward R. Murrow filmed the famous “harvest of Shame” episode on TV. It inspired the Kennedy administration to take action. Fast forward forty five years and an English newspaper is printing stories on its front page about the plight of America’s migrant workers, Leonard Dolye, reporting from Florida, describes fruit pickers held captive and subjected to brutal work conditions. three of them recently broke free after a year of being terrorized by their employer and reported to police conditions on the fruit plantation. The workers were locked up at night and if they took a shower using a hose, $5 was deducted from their wages. “The story of slavery and abuse in the fruit fields of sub-tropical Florida threatens to lift the lid on some appalling human rights abuses in America today.” In words that coul ... America

Indonesian Women Lack Protection Against Domestic Violence 2007-12-19 08:56:53 Indonesian retired judge Deliana Sayuti Ismundjoko claims women in her nation are still subjected to domestic violence due to failure on the part of law enforcers to regard the complaints of women as legitimate pleas for protection against a violent spouse. Her National Commission on Violence Against Women has conducted seminars for police, prosecutors and judges to make them aware of issues confronting women in families where the husband uses violence against them. The Women’s Legal Aid Foundation believes, “some 10 percent of violence victims reporting their cases in criminal lawsuits were accused of being perpetrators instead, and some of them even ended up as defendants.” There is a strong bias among prosecutors against women in cases of domestic violence. Indonesian law does not allow a judge in divorce cases or disputes over inheritance to allow issues of domestic violence to be considered. Although domestic violence is a serious issue in Indonesia, this nation ...

Putin’s Secret Plan For Power! 2007-12-19 08:40:18 Yulia Larynina, writing in the Moscow Times, revealed a possible secret plan by President Putin, Time’s Man of the Year, to maintain his power in Russia. Putin recently visited the nation of belarus which is ruled by an absolute dictator named President Alexander Lukashenko. The Russian delegation brought with them a document which would lead to creation of a union of the two nations including a president who would be elected by voters in the two countries. It is clear why Putin would seek such an arrangement since it would be a back door route to allowing him to maintain the office of president, only it would be president of two nations, not one. His successor, Dimitry Medvedev under this arrangement would be reduced to the role of second banana and would have limited power. Obviously, Lukashenko hesitated with this arrangement because he currently is complete control over his nation, why risk taking a crack at being subordinate to a president of the two nations/ However, accord ...

Chinese Government Backs Religious Freedom– Sort Of! 2007-12-19 08:16:32 Th Chinese Communist government has always struggled with issues of religious freedom given that a basic tenet of communism was opposition to the institution of religion. President Hu Jintao reaffirmed his government’s support for the principle of religious freedom, but buried in his words were some disturbing comments. “We shall carry out the Party’s policy,” he said, “of free religion…The Party shall reach out to religious believes and held them through their problems.” He urged those who believe in religion to be patriotic citizens and support the idea of a unified nation . The essence of religious freedom is that government does not tell people what to believe nor does government provide assistance to help people “through their problems.” All governments hope citizens are patriotic, but the individual decides what constitutes being patriotic, not the government. The Chinese Communist government continues exerting a strong role ...

US Military Furious At Turkish Air Attacks In Iraq 2007-12-18 19:43:38 During the past few days, Turkish air planes have bombed villages and supposed military bases of Kurdish rebels in the mountains of Iraq. Inhabitants of the villages claim there were no Kurdish rebels and those killed and wounded were simply ordinary civilians. Not only villagers are furious at the Turkish attack, but so is the United States military. US commanders were not informed by Turkey there would be air attacks until the planes were already inside Iraq. The United States had made an agreement with Turkey that US intelligence would provide information about the location of Kurdish rebels, but these sources were not consulted in these air strikes. The Iraq government, which supports efforts to curb Kurdish rebels, is also upset at being kept ignorant about attacks on its own territory. A major concern of US military officials is the importance of coordinating intelligence in order to ensure attacks are made on Kurdish rebels, not innocent civilians. The Turkish military claimed ...

Jacob Zuma Gains African National Congress Leadership 2007-12-18 19:08:49 A tumultuous African National Congress which witnessed heated arguments between supporters of outgoing President Mbeki and his rival for power, Jacob Zuma, concluded with the election of Zuma into the role of head of the African National Congress. Since the ANC is the dominant political party in South Africa, it is almost automatic that whoever it selects to be its leader will also become president of South Africa. Mbeki expressed his concerns about the character of Zuma who he believes has the potential to encourage corruption as well as many charges regarding his sexual misconduct. Zuma ran on a populist platform that promised to redress needs of those in poverty who feel left out of South Africa’s booming economy. He had strong support from trade unions and those on the political left. helen Zille, head of the opposition Democratic Alliance expressed fears that Zuma will undo the constitutional government that has evolved in South Africa and which has avoided conflict between ...

President Sarkozy Snows On Turkey’s Parade 2007-12-18 10:45:49 The French have a tradition in which a nation is invited to devote a six month period in which cultural aspects of their society are presented to the French public, a “country season” as it is commonly termed. The Turkish government in 2006 arranged with France to have 2008 be the year in which a “Turkish season” would display Turkish fashions, literary works, culinary expositions and many other facets of Turkish culture to the people of France. They have now been informed the season will never get going because Turkey has been bumped from the parade. The denial comes on the heels of President Sarkozy’s efforts to block Turkish entry into the European Union. According to a Turkish diplomat, “We think the real reason behind France’s request to postpone the Turkish season is the fact that it just comes ahead of Euro elections” to the European Parliament. Last year, the season featured Armenia, a nation with whom Turkey has poor relations. I ... President

Hamas Rockets Hit Israel- Israel Hits Hamas 2007-12-18 10:25:32 Hamas rockets continued hitting targets in Israel resulting in operations by the Israel Defense Force to launch air and ground assaults against Hamas militants. Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned that “Israel must brace itself for Jihad’s response” while Hamas leaders warned of a “wave of martyrdom operations” against Israel targets. The current approach to dealing with Hamas and the approach used by Hamas to deal with its hostility toward Israel consists of attacks and counter attacks. Neither side can point to any real success other than citing the number killed or the destruction caused by bombing. It is seemingly a tit for tat approach that simply is not getting at real issues such as how to resolve Palestinian and Israel disagreements. One obvious casualty in the seemingly nonstop attack/counterattack is the road map for peace that supposedly was to emerge from the Annapolis conference. Albert Einstein supposedly once said the definition of stupidity ...

A Sad Story Of Children Who Are Bigots! 2007-12-18 09:11:05 By her own admission, the luncheons cooked by Phool Jumari Rawat may not always be the tastiest food prepared for school children, but that is not the reason students are refusing to eat the food cooked by this woman. In India, children of the Bibpur Primary and Junior High school near Lucknow have launched a boycott against the school cook because of her food, it is due to the fact Msr. Rawar is a Dalit, a so-called untouchable. As a result, the children claim any food made by her is unclean. Ironically, this year in the state of Uttar Pradesh, a Dalit, Mayawati Kuman, was elected chief minister of the state. The children remain adamant in their refusal to accept any food from an untouchable. A district magistrate, Chandra Bhanu, said the emphasis will now be upon the poor quality of food prepared by Mrs. Rawat as the basis of terminating her employment. One pupil, Shivani Singh Chauhan, commented: “I will not eat anything cooked by that lady. I have heard my family members say ... Children

Benazir Bhutto Charges Musharraf Aided Taliban Regrouping 2007-12-18 08:49:18 Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party(PPP) charged that President Musharraf is partially responsible for the resurgence of the Taliban in areas of her nation as well as in Afghanistan. She claims the Taliban were crushed by American forces in Afghanistan and when they fled to safety in Pakistan, they were able to regroup. “They could not do that unless there is some support from the government or the intelligence.” She is casting her candidacy as the main force capable of halting Pakistan’s movement toward a government in which fundamentalist leaders exert control. Bhutto charges President Musharraf as using the fundamentalist militants in order to gain victory in the January election. She believes only her triumph in the election will result in a government dedicated to moving Pakistan out of medieval thinking and called for major education reforms of the religious madrassas schools. Her political ally, Nawaz Sharif’s petition to stand for publi ...

Stay Or Go– Which Way America In Iraq? 2007-12-18 08:26:54 There is scant doubt violence has declined in Iraq since 30,000 additional American troops were dispatched to that nation earlier this year. But, according to General Joseph Fil, commander of US forces in Baghdad, the progress achieved in recent months is “fledgling, fragile, and not guaranteed.” The additional troops have made it possible to maintain forces in every part of the city, but he believes the situation is far from resolved. “There is absolutely a risk of going too quickly” because leaving “before the Iraqis are truly able to take over these areas independently would be very risky, and there ares some areas in the city where, at this point, it would fail.” There are now 160,000 American troops in Iraq, a force capable to maintaining order in major cities like Baghdad, but there are still rural areas where the situation is less stable. There was never any doubt placing thousands of American forces in Baghdad would temporarily lessen violenc ... America

Taiwan Threatens Independence From China 2007-12-18 08:14:37 Sixty years ago, forces of the Chinese Communist Army formalized their control over the nation as thousands of Nationalist troops under the command of Chiang kai-shek fled the mainland in order to take refuges on the island of Taiwan(then called Formosa). The Chinese Communist government never recognized Taiwan as anything other than a province of their nation which was temporarily not under the control of its central government. Both sides, essentially, have agreed to keep things neutral with hope that someday the issue can be resolved without violence. For about forty years the United States backed the Taiwan government, but during the past few decades it has recognized the Chinese Communists as the legal government of China. Taiwan officials have indicated they may consider a referendum which would legally result in secession from China, an action that will infuriate the Chinese Communist government. The United States is caught in the middle and simply prefers maintaining the status ...

Secretary Gates Critical Of German Role In Afghanistan 2007-12-18 01:07:36 Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was sharply critical of efforts by Germany and several other NATO nations in supporting efforts in Afghanistan to defeat terrorism. He wants Germany to send more troops and supplies to the fighting in Afghanistan. Gates noted that German troops were located in northern regions, “in an area that does not have a lot of violence so the requirement on them to engage in combat has not been as that of us who are in the south and east.” German authorities denied the charges saying they were not justifiable. The conflict is undoubtedly one that will continue for several months. Despite the presence of 50,000 American and NATO troops, the Taliban continues its policies of violence and intimidation in many areas of Afghanistan. German officials believe there is a lack of coherent strategy in dealing with the Taliban, and efforts to develop a well trained army and police force are years behind schedule. President Karzai and British officials have even ...

Saudi King Pardons Rape VICTIM! 2007-12-17 16:30:34 Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah pardoned a female rape victim who had been sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes for being alone with a man who was not related to her. Saudi Justice Minister Abduallah bin Muhammed al-Sheik told reporters the pardon does not meant the king doubted the country’s judges, but instead acted in the “interests of the people.” The victim, known only as the “girl of Qatif” had met with a friend who had some pictures of her and while they were in his car, a gang of seven men raped her. Earlier this month, President Bush expressed anger at the verdict saying he would be furious if the victim had been one of his own daughters, but emphasized it was a person opinion and he would not make it known to the Saudi Arabian government. It is good news that victims of rape are not being punished, but bad news that judges who impose such ridiculous sentences are defended by the Saudi government. The double standard for Saudi wom ...