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 57 8575

Articles from The Impudent Observer - Global Liberal Issues

Parents of Slain Soldiers Protest In Oklahoma 2007-11-13 01:12:27 Two Oklahoma men whose sons were killed in Iraq staged a small protest on Monday at the state capitol. They said the Iraq war never should have happened and it is past time to end the United States participation in the tragedy. Warren Henthorn of Choctaw said: “This thing has lasted longer than World War II, and there doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.” His companion, John Scripsick of Wayne said in the past American efforts to defend freedom have gained world wide respect, but the Iraq war is having an opposite effect and causing many to hate America. Dr. Katherine Scheirman, who retired as an Air Force colonel in 2006, supported their arguments. “It doesn’t take courage to be like Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly or Richard Cheney,” she said, “and talk tough and warmonger when you haven’t put yourself or a member of your family on the line.” This was a small protest not involving more than a dozen or so people. Critics cont ...

Bhutto Back Under House Arrest In Pakistan 2007-11-13 01:04:03 Benazir Bhutto was given a seven day restraining order to stop from leading a mass rally to demand an end to the state of emergency. She was also placed l;under house arrest on Monday evening. There are reports over 200 police and army personnel are surrounding the home of Seantor Latif Khousa where Ms. Bhutto was visiting when the order came for her to abandon any thought of marching. “She,” said Minister of Information, Tariq Azim, “will not be allowed to break the law, hence, there will be no long march.” There are reports the Taliban has sent suicide bombers to Lahore to kill Ms. Bhutto. Former prime minister Bhutto has now made clear she no longer is interested in any power sharing arrangement with President Musharraf. The Pakistan situation continues to crumble. Reports are circulating that America is planning some type of operation that would result in safe guarding Pakistan nuclear facilities against seizure by Islamic groups. The Pakistan government ins ...

Somali Fighting Continues– 80 Dead, Hundreds Wounded 2007-11-12 21:55:31 Fighting continues in Somalia’s capital as Ethiopian and Islamic forces clash over control in the nation’s largest city. The number of dead ranges from 60-80 and hospitals report at least 250 wounded. The Ethiopian army was enraged when one of their soldiers was killed and his body dragged through the streets to cheers. This initiated a rampage of fury as Ethiopian soldiers fired indiscriminately at civilians, many of whom were trying to flee for safety. A local elder, Ali Muse Mohamed described the scene: “It is a very gruesome scene. They indiscriminately shot innocent civilians who were fleeing the fighting.” There are reports of many children being killed and at least 114,000 have left Mogadishu in the past week. This brings the total of displaced people since the Ethiopian invasion to a total of 850,000. There have been no protests from American authorities even though the United States provided naval and air support for the Ethiopians. Many conservative c ...

Israel Prime Minister Downplays Nuclear Iran Within Next Few Years 2007-11-12 19:31:16 Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said there was scant likelihood Iran would become a nuclear power within the next few years and that the earliest it could possibly occur would be by 2009 “only if nothing gets in their way and under the optimal conditions from Iran’s standpoint.” Olmert disagreed with those arguing Russia would support Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons. “I think Russia doesn’t have an interest in a nuclear Iran. they have supported steps against the nuclearization of Iran.” Russia has a large Muslim population and allowing Iran to become a nuclear power would add a new risk to its southern frontiers which contain large portions of that group. Russia only benefits if Iran is kept away from nuclear weapons. ...

Egyptian Bahais– Stateless People In Their Own Country 2007-11-12 16:45:07 Lost in discussions concerning religious rights is the issue of Bahais in nations like Iran and Egypt. The Egyptian government presently only recognizes a death certificate issues by Christian, Jewish, or Muslim officials so if someone in the Bahai faith dies, they are still living as far as Egyptian law is concerned. Shady Samir, a Bahai Cairo businessman, continues paying taxes on his dead father’s business because there is no death certificate that ever has been issued. Certificates, Identify cards, of passports are necessary documents in the modern world but they can not be obtained by members of the Bahai faith in Egypt. Egyptian Bahais who refuse to pose as Christian, Muslims or Jews are left in limbo, living as stateless people in the land of their birth. Raqi Labib, a student at Cairo University is denied a passport because he refused to state membership in one of the three recognized religions. The Bahais remain one of the most persecuted people in the Middle East. Pa ...

Hamas Fires On Arafat Memorial Service In Gaza 2007-11-12 16:24:28 Thousands of people gathered on Monday in a Gaza square to remember their fallen leader Yasser Arafat. It was the first major opposition rally allowed by Hamas which seized Gaza from the Fatah several months ago, but Hamas leaders feared forbidding the gathering would antagonize the Gaza population. As people listened to speeches, gunfire suddenly sounded and within a few moments six lay dead while dozens were wounded. People fled for their lives as guns sounded in the air. Fatah spokesperson, Mohammed Dahlan asserted the firing began when people from a nearby Islamic university entered the square, but Hamas claims Fatah began the firing. The Fatah leadership in Gaza believed the huge mass of people was an expression by the Gaza population that it disagrees with the Hamas seizure of power. This incident is further evidence of a deep seated fissure between Hamas and Fatah which currently makes difficult reaching an agreement with Israel. This makes even more important the necessity of ...

Israel and Palestinian Presidents Meet In Turkey 2007-11-12 09:17:15 Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Ankara in order to conduct peace talks. The government of Turkey is creating an industrial zone in Jerusalem as part of an initiative termed the Ankara Forum which brings together Israel and Palestinian businessmen in order to explore possible business ventures. It is expected the industrial zone will provide up to 8,000 jobs for Palestinians. During his visit, President Peres received an honorary doctorate from Bilkit University and he will be the first Israeli president to address a parliament which governs a Muslim nation. Perhaps, this is not the most important event in Israel-Palestinian relations, but it offers possibilities that must be explored. The combination of Israel and Palestinian brain power is a vital first step in developing relations which can use economic power as a means of forging friendly relations. The concept of providing jobs for Palestinians is vital for peace in the region. ...

Pakistan Situation Becomes Murky As Opposition Opposes State Of Emergency 2007-11-12 08:35:32 President Musharraf’s announcement of elections in January did not relieve the anger of his political opponents. The Pakistan Muslim League and other parties stated bluntly they would not participate in any election held under a state of emergency which has, in effect, suspended the Constitution. Musharraf has arrested thousands of people and taken hostile TV stations off the air which will impact the possibility of conducting a fair and honest election. He has revamped the Pakistan Supreme Court and charged its Chief Justice with being corrupt. Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry angrily denied the charges and demanded Musharraf offer proof. In the meantime, an unnamed former US official has been quoted in the American press as stating the American government has contingency plans for safeguarding Pakistan’s nuclear facilities. “We can’t say, with absolute certainty that we know where they are,” said the source. Obviously, dispatching US troops into a ...

Gordon Brown-England, Strongest Ally Of US 2007-11-12 08:15:16 Prime Minister Gordon Brown emphasized that Britain was the strongest ally the United States has in the world, but there were indications in his talk that, as a strong ally, England must cease going along with Bush policies that lead only to disaster. He expressed his desire that England and the European Union could work with America on issues such as global warming, an issue that apparently President Bush doesn’t hold in high regard. The prime minister looked toward the future by suggesting the world was entering a new phase and policies had to be developed concerning the needs of 21st century life. The failure of Tony Blair is that he never acted as a good friend to George Bush. A good friend does not encourage plunging into disastrous policies. A good friend speaks the truth when someone has lost contact with reality. Tony Blair was the worse friend that George Bush had in the world because he went along rather than urging his friend to be reflective. The problem is Bush only ...

Anti War Veterans March In Denver 2007-11-12 02:46:40 Denver authorities had attempted to deny permission for anti-war veteran groups to march in the Veterans Day parade, but finally relented. Members of Veterans for Peace and Iraq War Veterans Against the War marched along with other of their comrades in the day that reminds all Americans of those who served. An anti-war sign dropped to the ground and an onlooker placed her foot on the placard saying, “Today is a day or patriotism, not politics.” An onlooker, Air Force vet, James Hill responded: “They put in their time, they lost their buddies too, and their friends.” Those who become upset at groups like Iraq War veterans usually condemn them as being “unpatriotic” and associate patriotism as synonymous with supporting Bush and the Iraq war. This nation was founded by men and women who rejected English patriotism and argued for an American viewpoint. Iraq veterans who speak out against war are acting in a patriotic manner by standing behind the values ...

Big Yawn In Russia Over Duma Elections 2007-11-12 02:35:27 President Vladmir Putin’s political party, United Russia, has been dominating the electoral field during the past few months. But, despite its control over media outlets, laws which curtail opportunities for other political parties to elect members of the Duma, the electorate appears to have an overwhelming boredom with the entire process. United Russia was garnering 57% of potential votes in October, but now its numbers are down to about 44%. The ironic aspect of this decline is that competitive parties are not gaining additional votes, people appear to be indifferent. They are probably tired of inflation and the lack of competition in a vote dominated by one party. A party must gain at least 7% of the vote in order to qualify to have any of its members elected to the Duma. As of this point, it appears only the Communist party will reach that number. President Putin lacks trust in the Russian people and thus has stacked laws to prevent opposition parties from electing members t ...

Lies Told To Russian Children 2007-11-12 02:18:03 A new Russian history textbook is being used which portrays the policies of dictator Joseph Stalin in fairly light terms. For example, it gives the impression that Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania voluntarily joined the Soviet Union when in reality they were seized by Stalin. It presents a view that he modernized Russia, although he might have used some severe measures to accomplish that goal. The book does state there were forced labor camps and mentions 800,000 executions, but never comes close to getting at the real figures of at least 20 million dead because of Stalin. One of the problems of education is failure on the part of nations to present historically valid materials to youth. In America, an event like the War With Mexico ordinarily offers an American interpretation but leaves out the feelings of Mexicans about how and why the war actually began. Japan continues denying the atrocities its troops committed in China and elsewhere and actually gets upset when outsiders raise the ... Children

Hugo Chavez Upsets XVII Ibero-American Summit Mteeting 2007-11-12 01:20:47 Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez created a turmoil at the Ibero-American summit meeting in Chile by proposing drastic changes in Latin American borders. “Bolivia has a right to the sea. You know my position, and we all know the history. Bolivia had access to the sea, and that was just and legitimate.” Bolivia lost the territory in a war with Chile. Chavez also blasted the Summit because of its theme of “social cohesion” claiming that idea was a “very conservative, static concept.” He preferred that the Summit adopt at its theme, “social transformation.”Chilean officials were furious at their guest’s comments pointing out Chile had gotten rid of the dictator, Pinochet, and was in the process of creating a modern democratic society which was also addressing issues of poverty. Chavez was supported by Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua who went further in suggesting the Organization of American States should be replaced with a new organization ...

Are Anti-Hate Laws Necessary? 2007-11-11 19:35:24 Jenny McCartney, writing in England’s Daily Telegraph raises the question as to whether society requires anti-hate laws. The assumption behind having such laws is that certain behaviors or speech are deemed to require further punitive action against perpetrators. Ms. McCartney argues bores and those who utilize vulgarity in speech are all around us in our daily lives. If an individual begins to take action such as an incitement to violence against gays or blacks or women, there are existing laws to deal with such situations. According to the Home Office in England, a “hate crime” is defined as “any incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate.” A hate crime is usually triggered because of an individual’s skin color, sexual orientation, ethnicity or gender. The issue of “hate crimes’ carrying more severe penalties than ordinary crimes raises ma ...

“Just A Game.” How Apartheid Was Beaten In South Africa 2007-11-11 09:45:56 A new film, “Jut A Game,” depicts the heroic effort of South African leaders held in the Robben Island prison to fight back against apartheid through means of playing football(European version). Nelson Mandela, and other detainees, formed the Makana Football Association inside the island fortress that was officially recognized by international football bodies as a legitimate league. Most of the players were from the African National Congress whose leaders were supposed terrorists. According to Chuck Korr, an American sports historian, “It’s amazing. They followed every rule in the book. They were recreating the mundaneness of the outside world. I think partly to comfort themselves.” At first the men played covertly in their cells using balls made of paper, cardboard and rags. World pressure finally persuaded prison authorities to allow regular games to proceed. Football, according to Korr, “was about dignity and survival.” Perhaps, this story h ...