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 58 8751

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Turkey Moves To Multicultural Approach With Kurds 2007-11-16 11:01:09 Throughout the 20th century, Turkish governments repeatedly attempted to suppress the culture and rights of its Kurdish minority. The teaching of Kurdish in schools was restricted and being a Kurd was a detriment in employment or government work. Ironically, the fundamentalist Justice and Development Party led by Prime Minislter Erdogan and President Gul have shifted the government’s position towards one in which Kurdish culture and language are being supported and encouraged. There is even discussion about requiring knowledge of the Kurdish language of civil servants working in mainly Kurdish areas of Turkey. Historically, Turkey used military force to quell separatist militants, but now there has been a shift to political, economic and social factors as a way to win over the Kurdish population. The evidence is clear the new approach is working and fewer and fewer Kurds are urging a separate nation. The Justice and Development Party is now garnering a large sector of the Kurdish ...

Russian Parliament Concludes In Normal Obedient Role 2007-11-16 09:23:07 The current session of Russia’s Duma concludes this week leaving a legacy of obedience to the all powerful Pesident Vladmir Putin. The Duma has not rejected any of his proposals and essentially serves as a lap dog for the Putin administration. The Duma has done an excellent job of pushing through legislation that makes it difficult for smaller parties to elect anyone to parliament because Putin really doesn’t enjoy having anyone oppose the correctness of his policies. Vladmir Ryzhkov, among the few independent deputies, characterized the Duma because, “All it does is limp humbly behind the presidential administration and Cabinet. It’s a parliament that totally lacks willpower and initiative.” Ryzhkov finally got a commission established to investigate police actions in crushing an opposition political demonstration. The commission met a few times and then quietly never showed up again. Historians will gaze back on the Putin administration for its failure ...

Can A Teacher Discuss Personal Problems With A Student? 2007-11-16 09:02:55 A Canadian teenager is outraged because police arrested and charged his teacher with a sex-related offence because the two of them discussed the impact of the teacher’s recent break up with a man. The sixteen year-old denies there ever was any sexual contact or relations between the teacher and himself. “She never touched me. Police have taken this way too far. When they told me she was going to be charged, I was speechless.” The police said the teacher, dina Calattui, a married woman with a young child, was being charged with touching the girl’s leg. The two had been involved in an Internet discussion in which the teenager exchanged ideas and feelings with the teacher. The police stated: “There is no suggestion any sexual intercourse took place. the other offences involve conversations between them in their residences. These are offences because she is in a position of authority and he can’t consent because he is not 18.” Newspaper reporters ...

Bush Success Story- Chief Recipient Power Company Funds! 2007-11-16 08:34:41 An American power company with close financial ties to the Bush administration has ben named as one of the world’s highest producers of global warming pollution. Power plants now emit 40% of United States greenhouse gas and 25% of the world’s. Southern Company executives have given lavishly to Bush presidential campaigns and since 1990 bestowed $6.2 million on their favorite Republican candidates. A single Southern Company plant in Juliette, Georgia, already emits more carbon dioxide annually than Brazil’s entire power sector! lIt is the sixth worst pollution plant in the entire world. Southern is feared by many politicians in Washington D.C. because of its large lobbyist staff and the money given for political campaigns. Haley Barbour, a noted Southern lobbyist reportedly told George Bush after his electoral victory, “Hey, Mr. President, we didn’t elect you to have high energy costs.” After serving in the Bush administration, Barbour went on to b ...

Returning Iraq Veterans Raise New Issues For Police 2007-11-16 08:16:03 Police forces throughout the United States are encountering a new concern stemming from the return of police officers who served in Iraq. As Audrey Honig, of the L.A. Police Department notes, “In civilian work, we err on the side of not shooting, in the military they err on the side of shooting. We are very concerned that some officers are unable to make that transition.” In a recent case in Texas, Wayne Williamson, who served n an Army reserve unit in Iraq, began jumping at virtually every unexpected sound and wound up shooting an unarmed suspect during a foot chase. Williamson’s lawyer says “everyone believes he should not have fired” but his client thought he was back in iraq. The Los Angeles Police Department has now encountered several incidents of former Iraq war veterans who are experiencing difficulty in dealing with lethal-force scenarios. The United States Justice Department estimates over 11,000 police officers have served in Iraq and thus been ...

Towards A Government Of National Consensus In Pakistan 2007-11-16 08:03:30 Benazir Bhutto, leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, met with US Consul General Bryan Hunt who asked her if it was possible to work with President Musharraf in order to extricate Pakistan from the current crisis. She informed the American diplomat is was extremely difficult working with a man “who instead of taking us forward toward democracy took us backward toward military dictatorship.” Ms. Bhutto is working with all opposition parties in an effort to create a government based on the principle of a national consensus that democracy offered their nation the best opportunity to create a vibrant society and deal with issues of militancy. In the meantime, students, lawyers and journalists have formed the Free Pakistan Movement under leadership of Jemima Khan. The United States is obviously concerned an Islamic fundamentalist government might seize control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. Ms. Bhutto assured Mr. Hunt that her consensus government would not allow such an ...

Right Wing Alliance Collapses In European Union 2007-11-15 19:38:28 The Identity, Tradition, Sovereignty Group has ended in the European Union parliament. It was the first far right wing political group to emerge in the EU, but it has fallen apart as anger erupted between Romanian right wingers and Italian. A group dedicated to racism collapsed because one of the racist blocs attacked another bloc’s citizens. The Italian right wing led by Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini’s granddaughter, Alessandra Mussolini attacked her Romanian right wing friends by claiming that Romanians living in Italy had made law-breaking ‘a way of life for Romanians” after a Romanian immigrant was arrested for the murder of an Italian woman. Last week, the Greater Romania Party’s five members left the right wing group in protest which meant the bloc no longer had the minimum number of 20 members to officially be classified as a bloc. According to MEP Martin Schulz of the Socialist Group, “The good news is that the international of the ultra- ...

Taliban Kill Teenage Boy For Teaching English 2007-11-15 15:00:08 A sixteen year-old Afghan boy was teaching his classmates English when Taliban soldiers stormed into the school and dragged the boy outside where he was then killed. Police arrived shortly after the incident and killed two members of the Taliban. The leadership of the Taliban has denied responsibility for the murder, but this tends to be standard practice whenever the organization is caught doing an unpopular killing. The Afghan Taliban is now at the stage where a central leadership is lacking so small units undertake operations without direction or control. Most fighting against the Taliban is now occurring in southern regions of Afghanistan. There is scant doubt the present situation is becoming more dangerous for the people of Afghanistan and coalition forces. The US refused in 2001 to completely demolish the Taliban and allowed them to escape into Pakistan. It is now a “Catch-22″ in which as Pakistan descends into chaos it becomes increasingly more difficult to eliminat ...

Iran Now Has Industrial Nuclear Potential 2007-11-15 14:14:03 A report by a United Nation atomic watchdog committee said that Iran presently possesses the capability of using nuclear power for industrial use. The number of centrifuge machines in the country is now up to 3,000. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is still not pleased with the secret manner in which Iran is dealing with atomic power. England’s Foreign Office urged Iran to change its attitude, “If Iran wants to restore trust in its programme it must come clean on all outstanding issues without delay.” Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad responded that his country has been honest and is only working on industrial use of atomic power. The report did state there were signs of change on the part of Iran. “Iran has provided sufficient access to individuals and has responded in a timely manner to questions and provided clarification and amplifications on issue raised in the context of the work plan.” Nations have every right to be concerned ...

Turkey–New Middle Man Of Middle East? 2007-11-15 08:38:05 At the turn of the 20th century, Turkey was usually portrayed as the “sick man of Europe,” but today it is emerging as the new “middle man of the Middle East.” The Turkish government just concluded an important meeting by bringing together the presidents of Palestine and Israel for an extended get together in which President Gul tried to use his influence in resolving some problems. He also urged in his private sessions with Peres and Abbas that Syria should be invited to the upcoming Annapolis conference. Turkey is already attempting to build an industrial zone on the West Bank in order to stimulate economic activity and create jobs for Palestinians. The Muslim Justice and Development Party of Turkey is among the few Muslim political groups which has excellent relations with Israel and seeks to serve as a go between in fostering peace in the region. The prospect for significant progress at the Annapolis meeting is doubtful. But, Turkey might well be encouraged ...

President Musharraf Continues Arresting Opposition Leaders 2007-11-15 08:24:50 President Musharrafg of Pakistan continues insisting his nation is experiencing a crisis which necessitates a state of emergency being called and refuses to allow opposition leaders to openly protest his decisions. Yesterday, three leaders of the Bhutto led Peoples Party of Pakistan (PPP) were arrested. Ms. Bhutto said there could not be free elections if Musharraf is openly allowed to run for office while opposition leaders are in jail. She has reached out to her former opponents and indications are they are ready to cooperate against the Musharraf rule. Nawaz Sharif, whose party has long opposed Bhutto announced: “We are ready to set aside our differences with the PPP, and work for the return of a democratic rule.” The only true success achieved by President Musharraf in the past few weeks is finally persuading competing political parties to unite in a coalition for democracy in their nation. This may well be the most important change occurring in Pakistan and it holds op ... President

New Axis Of Evil–US, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan,etc.. 2007-11-15 08:11:16 In China, a bullet is fired into the back of a neck to execute a person, in Iran, hanging is used, in Saudi Arabia, a head is chopped off– all techniques currently being used by nations which continue using he death penalty as a means of punishment. Ironically, the United States now finds itself in the same company with hated Iran as among the 25 odd nations in the world in which the death penalty is a norm of punishment. A UN initiative to institute a moratorium on use of the death penalty was first proposed by Italy’s Prime Minister Romano Prodi who was shocked at the botched execution of Saddam Hussein. The entire European Union is supporting the UN Moratorium as are most other nations in the world. The United States is now part of the anti-moratorium alliance since it continues using the death penalty. President Bush’s native Texas leads all American states in sanctioning death as a penalty. He, personally, opposed any efforts to hold off on any death sentence whi ...

US Army Bans Waterboarding 2007-11-15 07:53:55 The United States army reiterated that it would not allow the use of waterboarding interrogation techniques used on prisoners. “The U.S. Armyu strictly prohibits the use of waterboarding during intelligence investigations by any of its members. It is specifically prohibited by Field Manual 2-22-3 and is not a sanctioned interrogation technique in any training manual or any instructions to soldiers in the field.” During hearings into the nomination of Michael Muskasey he continually refused to respond to questions concerning use of waterboarding on grounds it might result in punishment for those who used such approaches. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates when asked if such techniques could be construed as “torture” responded, “I am not going to wander into that legal thicket.” It is rather confusing why Gates claims he does not wish to “wander into that legal thicket” when the American armed forces have already stated waterboarding is NOT ...

Surge In Iraqi Displaced Matches US Military Surge 2007-11-14 16:58:04 The US military surge has been receiving enthusiastic comments from its supporters, but scant mention is being made of the surge in people displaced by the surge. At least a 100,000 people left their homes in the month of October raising the number of Iraqi displaced from 2.2 million to 2.3 million. It is estimated at least 1.5 million have left the country, but there are now increased restrictions being placed on Iraqi refugees in Syria, Lebanon, etc.. which has increased the difficulty of Iraqi going elsewhere to find refuge from the horror which envelops their land. Amal al-Kabuli of the red Crescent claims “the promises made by the government of Norui al-Maliki hto help the displaced people return to their homes has not ben honored.” Promises of paying refugees while they are displaced have also gone unfulfilled. The famous “surge” undoubtedly has reduced insurgent activity, but what no one knows for certain is what happens when US troops stand down. Will ga ...

Migrant Workers Abused In Middle East Claims Report 2007-11-14 16:09:31 The Middle East is now temporary home to hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who mainly come from Asian nations like India, Pakistan,Sri Lanka and elsewhere. The Human Rights Watch has issued a report on the conditions faced by Sri Lankan immigrants in the Middle East that is entitled: “Exported and Exposed: Abuses Against Sri Lankan Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates.” The immigrants are mainly women and they encounter a variety of abusive behaviors such as not getting paid or being under paid, physical and psychological abuse, sexual abuse, long hours of work, confiscation of passports so they cannot readily return home, and restrictions that make it difficult for them to learn what are the norms in their new country of residence. It is estimated many of the Sri Lankan women work 18 hour days, seven days a week and receive about $100 a month for their labor. The condition of the migrant workers is among the most ignored st ...