Sarah Palin Returns to Alaska after Election Defeat

MAIL Online: Palin Backlash Continues as Republican Lawyers Head to Alaska to Take Back Her $150,000 Campaign Clothes

’The Lady in Red’. Photo of Sarah Palin courtesy of Mail Online. Click on the photo to play Chris De Burgh's 'The Lady in Red'
The bitter McCain backlash against Sarah Palin continued today as it emerged that Republican Party lawyers were heading to Alaska to retrieve her $150,000 (£95,000) campaign clothes.

The vice-presidential candidate's hopes of challenging Barack Obama in 2012 took a big dent as simmering tensions with the McCain camp finally boiled over into wide-ranging criticism of her conduct.

In a string of damaging briefings, it was claimed that Mrs Palin had spent 'tens of thousands' more on her clothes than budgeted for, that she once met McCain aides dressed in nothing but a towel and that she did not know Africa was a continent.

She was also unable to name the nations in the vitally important North American Free Trade Agreement.

There are only three. Her own, its northern neighbour Canada and its southern neighbour Mexico.

The 44-year- old former Republican running mate's lack of general knowledge - and a storm over her designer wardrobe - emerged as she returned to her home state of Alaska.

Extraordinary details of bitterness and jealousy between the Alaska governor and John McCain were laid bare following their White House defeat.

McCain aides complained that Mrs Palin refused to be coached before TV interviews - even after it emerged she wasn't sure about Africa's status in the world.

Republican bosses also complained that Mrs Palin and her family spent even more on new clothes and shoes than previously reported.

One McCain aide described the Palin family shopping spree in some of America's most exclusive department stores as 'Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast.'

According to Newsweek magazine, a party donor who agreed to foot the clothes bill was expecting to pay out up to £15,000.
He was stunned when he received the bill for nearly £100,000. And that wasn't even the whole tab, it was revealed yesterday. >>> By Mail Foreign Service | November 7, 2008

TOWNHALL.COM: Michelle Malkin: The Cowardly Character Assassination of Sarah Palin

Sunken ships loosen bitter lips. The failed McCain campaign, for all its high-minded talk of honor, duty and courage, is now teeming with unscrupulous gossipmongers. Seems the dishy staffers forgot to crack open their copies of Sen. McCain's bestseller, "Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember."

Rest assured: Their cowardly character assassination of Sarah Palin won't be forgotten.

The finks turned to Newsweek and Fox News to spread petty rumors about Palin's intellect and character. The magazine peddled anecdotes from sources horrified that Palin greeted top advisers at her hotel room -- gasp! -- "wearing nothing but a towel" and "wet hair." Fox News reporter Carl Cameron breathlessly reported that his unnamed McCain sources told him Palin lacked "a degree of knowledgeability necessary to be a running mate" because, they claimed, she didn't know which countries were parties to the North American Free Trade Agreement and "didn't understand that Africa was a continent, rather than a series, a country just in itself."

Let's assume for a moment that the McCain rumormongers are telling the truth about Palin (and I don't believe they are). Who would it damn more: Palin, or McCain and his vetters, who greenlighted her for the vice presidential nomination? Don't need a fancy Ivy League degree to figure that one out.

In introducing her to America, McCain praised her independence and backbone: She "stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down." The inside snipers are now roasting her for that very attribute -- redefined as "going rogue" -- because she had the nerve to try to schedule media interviews on her own. The nerve of her!

Palin's response to the campaign fragging? At a late Wednesday night airport press conference in Anchorage, immediately upon landing home after the election defeat, she smiled cheerfully. The Alaska governor shrugged off the "foolish things" said by the McCain saboteurs, and simply said, "It's politics. … It's rough and tumble and you've got to have a thick skin just like I've got."

Hollywood savaged Palin. Journalists mocked her. Liberal blogs slimed her. Opponents cursed her, Photoshopped her, hacked her e-mail, hanged her in effigy, called her bigot, Bible-thumper and bimbo, and attacked her husband and children. But nothing Palin endured during the election season compares to the treatment she's receiving from these backstabbing blabbermouths who worked on the same campaign she poured herself into over the last three months. >>> Michelle Malkin | November 7, 2008

NEW YORK TIMES: Palin Calls Critics Among McCain Aides ‘Jerks’

ANCHORAGE — Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska fired back Friday at the unnamed McCain campaign aides who have been maligning her in recent days, saying that their criticism was “cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and those guys are jerks.”

Ms. Palin spoke out upon her return to the governor’s office here, defending herself from a barrage of criticism that has been aimed at her from unnamed McCain aides ever since the McCain-Palin ticket was defeated Tuesday. >>> By William Yardley and Michael Cooper | November 7, 2008

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Barack Obama: Key Dates in the Civil Rights Campaign
Ann Nixon Cooper
THE TELEGRAPH:
Key Dates in America’s Civili Rights Campaign >>> By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor | November 6, 2008

TIMESONLINE:
Ann Nixon Cooper: The History Woman >>> Suzy Jagger in Atlanta | November 6, 2008

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Barack Obama May Have Helped California Proposition 8 Gay Marriage Ban Pass
THE TELEGRAPH: Gay marriage will be banned in California after voters turning out to back Barack Obama gave their assent to a motion known as Proposition 8.

Around 70 per cent of the African-American voters who overwhelmingly backed Mr Obama also approved Proposition 8, helping pass the controversial ballot measure despite a small majority of whites voting against the ban on same-sex unions. Hispanic and Asian voters were split on the issue.

The state's black turnout jumped to 10 per cent of the electorate, up from 6 per cent in 2004, as voters inspired by Mr Obama flocked to the polls for the first time. The Democratic candidate took the state with 61 per cent of the popular vote.

Although the president-elect opposed the gay marriage ban, it appears his supporters may have helped pass the measure that was vociferously opposed by many white Democrats.

The news is a blow to gay rights campaigners, who had hoped California would be the vanguard for the legalisation of same-sex marriage across the US. More than 18,000 homosexual couples have wed in the state since its supreme court allowed gay marriages earlier this year. The status of those unions is now in doubt.

On the day that Mr Obama swept to power, voters handed a number of defeats to gay campaigners.

Amendments to ban gay marriage were also approved in Arizona and Florida, and Arkansas voters approved a measure banning unmarried couples from serving as adoptive or foster parents

But gay rights campaigners, who spend tens of millions of dollars fighting to oppose Proposition 8, have vowed not to admit to defeat. A petition to dismiss the measure on the grounds that decision of such importance should be taken by state legislatures rather than voters has already been filed to the Supreme Court.

"We pick ourselves up and trudge on," said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights. "There has been enormous movement in favour of full equality in eight short years. That is the direction this is heading, and if it's not today or it's not tomorrow, it will be soon." [Source: The Telegraph] By Matthew Moore | November 6, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH: It's Time for America to Abandon Gay Prejudice

In his powerful and moving acceptance speech Barack Obama singled out many groups including gays who now could believe that this election would make a difference.

Yet, ironically, it was the sheer scale of Obama’s victory which ensured that Proposition 8, which bans same-sex marriages in California, was passed into law.

Records number of black people queued excitedly alongside thousands of gay men and women in California to vote for Obama. Yet in the privacy of the ballot box around 70 per cent of the African-Americans, who have complained of the prejudice they have suffered from the white community, voted to enshrine in law discrimination against gays.

They ignored the wishes of their charismatic hero, America’s first black President, and instead heeded the hell fire and brimstone homilies of their pastors from their pentecostal churches. Those pastors, like the hockey mum Sarah Palin, regard homosexuality as a disorder which can be treated. It can’t.

A staggering $74 million was spent on the Proposition campaign, most of it raised from the church, making it the most expensive social-issue campaign in US history. On the same day Obama fulfilled the American dream, amendments outlawing gay-marriage were also approved in Arizona and Florida. The celebrations in gay households over Obama’s victory will have been bitter sweet.

The Proposition 8 constitutional amendment now limits marriage to heterosexual couples, nullifying the California Supreme Court decision that made them legal since June. The legal status of 18,000 gay couples, who have already entered into civil partnerships, may now be challenged.

Yet in Britain people have absorbed the idea of gay weddings with remarkable ease. Why wouldn’t they? It’s not much different from the straight variety albeit with some logistical difficulties. >>> By Andrew Pierce | November 6, 2008

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Rahm Emanuel: A Profile of Barack Obama's Enforcer
Rahm Emanual, known as “Rahmbo”, to be Obama’s Chief of Staff. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
THE TELEGRAPH: Rahm Emanuel, who has been chosen by Barack Obama to be the White House chief of staff, is known by colleagues as "Rahmbo" - a nickname reflecting his reputation as one of the most ferociously combative figures in Washington.

Mr Emanuel, who received training in ballet as a boy, has shown no lightness of step in his political career: would-be enemies are advised to heed the story of a pollster who wronged him and promptly received a large, decomposing fish in the post.

Reflecting on his own foul-mouthed, attack-dog style, Mr Emanuel has said: "I wake up some mornings hating me too." Commentators have suggested that Mr Obama, who ran a lofty campaign based on national unity and bipartisanship, has recognised the need to employ a tough enforcer to push through his policy programme.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on November 29, 1959, to a doctor and a hospital technician, Mr Emanuel was brought up in a household that combined black civil rights activism with devout Judaism. His religious devotion has endured: he recently secured a special waiver from his rabbi to work through Rosh Hashanah during negotiations over the $800 billion banking bail-out.

Mr Emanuel grew up with a sister and two brothers - one of whom, Ari, grew up to be a talent agent in Los Angeles and provided the inspiration for the character Ari Gold in the television series Entourage. He himself was the real-life spark for the character of Josh Lyman, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the West Wing.

As a teenager, while working part-time in a fast-food restaurant, Mr Emanuel severed the middle finger on his right hand in a meat-slicing machine. After he chose to go swimming in Lake Michigan rather than go to hospital for stitches, Mr Emanuel's wound became severely infected and, after he came close to death, the top of his finger was amputated.

While studying at a Jewish day school, Mr Emanuel trained in ballet, and was talented enough to be offered a scholarship to the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet company. However, he turned it down in favour of studying the dance style at Sarah Lawrence College, a liberal arts institution, from where he graduated in 1981.

While at Sarah Lawrence, Mr Emanuel joined the team for the congressional campaign of fellow Chicagoan David Robertson. Via a master's degree in speech and communication at Northwestern University in 1985, he went on to work for several other Democratic campaigns, culminating in a role as chief fundraiser in Richard Daley's successful campaign for Mayor of Chicago in 1989.

He took a break from politics during the 1991 Gulf War, volunteering as a mechanic on an army base in Israel. It was on his return that he joined the presidential primary campaign of Bill Clinton, then the Governor of Arkansas. It was to prove the move that launched his national political career. >>> By Jon Swaine | November 6, 2008

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The World from Berlin: 'Barack Obama and the American Miracle'
SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL: German commentators served up a mixture of glee and caution on Thursday as newspapers published their first editorials reacting to Barack Obama's historic victory over Republican rival John McCain.

Say what you will about press bias in the United States. No one in Germany ever felt the need to pretend: Like elsewhere in Europe, the media here was always in the bag for Barack Obama.

Now that their "smart," "attractive," "cosmopolitan" darling has made history by becoming the first African-American to win the White House, German opinion-makers are trying to strike a balance between pure celebration and sober-minded reflection.

After eight years of strained, if not chilly, relations between Washington and Berlin, the German media sees Obama's election as an opportunity to repair America's image and re-establish the US as a role model for the world.

But after the obligatory tributes to the enormity of the event, editorial-writers were quick to fall back into the more familiar German mode of compiling caveats: expectations are too high; Americans are still war mongers; Europe will not be able to rise to the occasion; the challenges facing the president-elect are simply too great.

Editorialists allowed themselves three paragraphs of drunken jubilation. Then it was back to German sobriety. >>> Christopher Glazek | November 6, 2008

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Barack Obama: Victorious President-elect Picks White House Team
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama, the US president-elect, has begun assembling a glittering White House team, which could include two heirs to the Kennedy dynasty and other Washington big-hitters.


After a historic election, which saw him swept into office with a big majority, Mr Obama has entered the gradual transition to power that will end with his inauguration in 75 days' time.

As Mr Obama began constructing his cabinet, Mike Hayden the director of the CIA announced that the organisation would start briefing him on top-secret intelligence and "the full range of capabilities we deploy for the United States."

The president-elect could make a powerful gesture to the Democratic party heritage by offering Caroline Kennedy, whose father President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, the post of US ambassador to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, her cousin Robert F Kennedy Jnr, son of Senator Robert Kennedy, who was murdered in 1968, might become chief of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Democratic sources suggested that Senator John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, is also being considered to replace Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State, while her predecessor Colin Powell - who shocked fellow Republicans by endorsing Mr Obama over John McCain - is a possible Pentagon chief or Education Secretary. A tearful Mr Powell said on Wednesday that he was "very emotional" about the Democrat's victory.

However, Mr Obama's inner circle could also have a strong Chicago flavour to it, maintaining links to his political home.

Congressman Rahm Emanuel, a former aide to President Bill Clinton who is famously combative and foul-mouthed, has accepted the role of chief of staff, after being asked ahead of the softly-spoken former senator Tom Daschle. >>> By Toby Harnden in Chicago | November 6, 2008

THE TELEGRAPH:
Barack Obama’s Hitoric Victory: Now We Need to Know What ‘Change’ Means >>> By Simon Heffer in New York | November 5, 2008

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Internet Black Boxes to Record Every Email and Website Visit
THE TELEGRAPH: Internet "black boxes" could be used to record every email and website visit made by computer users in Britain, it has been reported.

Under Government plans to monitor internet traffic, raw data would be collected and stored by the black boxes before being transferred to a giant central database.

The vision was outlined at a meeting between officials from the Home Office and Internet Service Providers earlier this week.

It is further evidence of the Government's desire to have the capability to vet every telephone call, email and internet visit made in the UK, which has already provoked an outcry.

Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner, has described it as a "step too far".

The proposal is expected to be put out to consultation as part of the new Communications Data Bill early next year.

At Monday's meeting in London representatives from BT, AOL Europe, O2 and BSkyB were given a presentation of the issues and the technology surrounding the Government's Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), the name given by the Home Office to the database proposal.

They were told that the security and intelligence agencies wanted to use the stored data to help fight serious crime and terrorism. >>> By Graham Tibbetts | November 6, 2008

THE INDEPENDENT: The Big Question: Is Hazel Blears Right to Accuse Political Bloggers of Undermining Democracy?

Why are we asking this now?

Communities Minister Hazel Blears made a speech to the Hansard Society yesterday in which she criticised political bloggers in the UK. "Political blogs are written by people with disdain for the political system and politicians, who see their function as unearthing scandals, conspiracies and perceived hypocrisy," she said. Conservative grandee Lord Baker has described the comments as "extraordinary". He said: "She needs to tune into the modern world. People have a right to say what they think and if she doesn't like it she can blog back". However, Blears maintains that: "Until political blogging adds value to our political culture, by allowing new voices, ideas and legitimate protest and challenge, and until the mainstream media reports politics in a calmer, more responsible manner, it will continue to fuel a culture of cynicism and despair." >>> By Ed Howker | November 6, 2008

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IMP,

Target Obama: Fears President May Never Make It to the White House
DAILY EXPRESS: A MILITARY-style operation to keep Barack Obama alive was under way yesterday within hours of his victory.

Even as the US President-elect celebrated with more than 160,000 supporters in Grant Park, Chicago, he did so from behind bullet-proof glass 12ft high and 3ins thick.

Mr Obama, wife Michelle, running mate Joe Biden and his wife Jill were under instructions not to stray from the line-of-fire protection zone.

This zone had been identified by FBI agents pointing lasers at the stage from every building surrounding the park.

America will have to get used to such scenes. Such are the concerns for Mr Obama’s safety that many are already voicing their fears he may not even reach the White House.

Emory Douglas of the Black Panthers rights group said: “Nothing can be taken for granted that he actually will be the next President of the United States. There are people who don’t want Obama in that position and some of them are powerful.

“There could easily be an assassination or a campaign to ruin him before he begins his term because of what he represents.

Nothing is out of the question. Until January when he is inaugurated, we just don’t know if we will see a black man in charge.”

Fears for Mr Obama’s safety began the moment he entered the race for the White House and investigations are on-going into potential threats from race-hate groups in and outside the US.

As America celebrated yesterday the mood in both Secret Service and FBI headquarters was sombre as the scale of the task was analysed.

One security source said: “It’s not the crazies who tell you what they’re gonna do that are dangerous, it’s the crazies that don’t. And we all know they’re out there. It only takes one lunatic racist with a gun, one deranged extremist with a single bullet, one determined white supremacist, to end it all.

“And you can bet there are plenty of angry, disturbed people lining up for the chance to be that one.” >>> By Joanna Walters | November 6, 2008

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Israels Aussenministerin warnt Obama: Gegen direkte Gesprächen mit der iranischen Führung
NZZ Online: Die amerikanische Aussenministerin Condoleezza Rice ist zu einem Arbeitsbesuch in Israel eingetroffen. Kurz nach ihrer Landung in Tel Aviv hat das staatliche Radio ein Interview ausgestrahlt, worin Aussenministerin Tzipi Livni den gewählten amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama vor direkten Gesprächen mit Teheran warnt.

Einen direktren Dialog mit der Führung in Teheran zu suchen sei zum gegenwärtigen Zeitpunkt nicht förderlich – vielmehr würde dies als Zeichen von Schwäche interpretiert werden, sagte die amtierende israelische Aussenministerin Tzipi Livi [sic] im staatlichen Radio. >>> hoh. | 6. November 2008

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Barack Obama: The Road to the White House
Watch Guardian video: Jonathan Freedland narrates a half-hour documentary tracing Barack Obama's remarkable journey to the White House, from his childhood in Hawaii, through his education in Indonesia and at Harvard. Accompanied by contemporary and archive pictures, plus reports from Guardian correspondents around the world >>> Jonathan Freedland | November 5, 2008

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Kein Lobgesang aus Moskau nach Obamas Sieg: Scharfe Kritik an der Politik der Vereinigten Staaten
NZZ Online: Der russische Präsident Medwedew hat in seiner ersten Rede zur Lage der Nation mit scharfer Kritik an der Politik der Vereinigten Staaten nicht zurück gehalten. Der Regierungswechsel in Washington war ihm einen knappen Satz wert.

Der russische Präsident Medwedew hat am Mittwoch nicht zu den ersten Staatsmännern gehört, die dem neu gewählten amerikanischen Präsidenten Barack Obama ihre Glückwünsche zukommen liessen. Im Gegenteil hielt er sich in seiner ersten Rede zur Lage der Nation mit scharfer Kritik an der Politik der Vereinigten Staaten nicht zurück. Der Regierungswechsel in Washington war ihm einen knappen Satz wert. Der am Nachmittag vom Pressedienst des Kremls verbreitete Text eines Glückwunschtelegramms an Obama verweist auf die Bedeutung guter Beziehungen zwischen Amerika und Russland und verleiht der Hoffnung Ausdruck, der künftige Dialog werde konstruktiv sein. >>> mac. Moskau | 5. November 2008

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Le foulard islamique jetable fait son apparition en Norvège
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: HYGIENE | Le groupe agroalimentaire norvégien Nortura va, pour la première fois dans le pays scandinave, introduire un foulard islamique (hijab) jetable. L'objectif est de concilier les convictions religieuses de ses employées musulmanes avec les exigences d'hygiène.

«Pour nous, il est important d'adapter les conditions de travail à la diversité de nos employés», a expliqué jeudi Nina Sundqvist, la directrice générale de Nortura. «Nous voulons permettre aux musulmanes qui travaillent dans nos usines d'avoir des vêtements professionnels conformes à la fois à leurs pratiques religieuses et aux normes d'hygiène», a-t-elle dit.

Quelque 20% des 7000 employés de Nortura sont d'origine étrangère, indique le groupe, qui rassemble 70 nationalités. Fabriqué en Suède, le hijab jetable remplacera pour celles qui le souhaitent le traditionnel filet à cheveux.

Ne recouvrant que la chevelure et le pourtour du visage, il a été agréé par le Conseil islamique norvégien, principale instance de représentation des musulmans en Norvège. [Source: TDG] ATS/AFP | 06.11.2008

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Oma Obama und Kenia ziehen ins Weiße Haus
Obamas Oma “könnte vor Glück tot umfallen”. Foto dank der Welt
WELT ONLINE: Mit einem Strahlen im Gesicht hat Barack Obamas Großmutter Sarah ihrem Enkel zu seinem Wahlsieg gratuliert: "Er arbeitet hart, und er ist ein guter Christ", sagte die 86-Jährige in ihrem kenianischen Heimatdorf. "Ich könnte vor Glück tot umfallen". So wie sie hofft ganz Kenia auf den berühmten Sohn des Landes.

Es war eine schwierige und lange Geburt. Aber am Schluss war der heutige Polit-Star Obama geboren. Seine Mutter Esther brachte ihn in den frühen Morgenstunden in einem Krankenhaus in Kisumu im Westen Kenias zur Welt. Das war am 3. November – also noch bevor Barack Obama Tausende Kilometer entfernt auf jene Siegesbühne in Chicago stieg, um seine erste Rede als künftiger Präsident der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika zu halten. Aber Esther war sich zu dem Zeitpunkt schon sicher, dass sie für ihren Sohn den Namen eines Siegers ausgesucht hatte.

Ein internationaler Star und ein kleiner Junge gerade einmal zwei Tage alt – Esther meint, die beiden seien seelenverwandt. Aus einem Holz allemal – aus afrikanischem, noch besser: aus kenianischem natürlich.

"In Kenia steht die Wiege des mächtigsten Mannes der Welt", so bringt es die Schwester am Eingang des Krankenhauses auf den Punkt. "In den kommenden Tagen werden hier so gut wie alle Frauen ihre neugeborenen Söhne nach Obama nennen."

Die Namensgebung hat System: "Wir hier in Afrika glauben, wenn man einem Kind den Namen eines anderen Menschen gibt, dann wird er oder sie das Glück, Pech und Schicksal dieses Menschen teilen", sagt die 32-jährige Mutter. Einen Namen für Obamas Zwillingsschwester zu wählen, fand sie schwieriger. Es sollte schon dasselbe Kaliber sein. Deshalb heißt die Kleine nun Queen. >>> Von Nicile Macheroux-Denault | 6. November 2008

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Antisemitismus in Deutschland nimmt stark zu
WELT ONLINE: Siebzig Jahre nach der Reichspogromnacht ist Deutschland nach wie vor ein Hort des Antisemitismus: In den ersten neun Monaten des laufenden Jahres gab es bundesweit fast 800 antisemitische und 14.000 rechtsextreme Straftaten. Jetzt will der Bundestag einen Beschluss zum Antisemitismus fassen.

Antisemitische Kriminalität bleibt in Deutschland ein gravierendes Problem. Nahezu 800 einschlägige Straftaten hat die Polizei von Januar bis September bundesweit festgestellt. Das ist der aktuellen Antwort der Bundesregierung auf Anfragen pro Quartal von Bundestagsvizepräsidentin Petra Pau (Linke) und ihrer Fraktion zu entnehmen. >>> | 4. November 2008

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Israel Opinion: America Turns Left
YNET NEWS: Sever Plocker says Obama win opens unfamiliar social-democratic chapter in US history

It wasn’t about skin color, but rather, about the views. For the first time in history, a statesman who can be characterized as a European-style social-democrat will enter the White House. It never happened before and it wouldn’t have happened now had it not been for the American financial crisis, which exposed the failure of unrestrained, merciless, rampant capitalism.

The broad and overwhelming objection to the collapsing “Wall Street system” enabled Obama to convey his message to the masses: Things will change. No more business as usual! I will lead the change. America under my leadership will forever part ways with the decayed financial system that brought us here, Obama told the young men and women who melted in the face of his gaze and quivered to the sound of his voice.

And what will replace the old system? Obama has remained economical in respect to the details of his presidential plans. However, his latest appearances conveyed great credibility because of the three figures standing by him: Former Treasury Secretaries Larry Summers and Bob Rubin, as well as former Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. The three aces.

Republican candidate John McCain not only lacked such [a] dream team – during his election campaign he relied on the advice of dubious economists bordering on charlatanism. Only towards the end of the campaign he brought in some distinguished characters, such as the plumber from Ohio and the governor of California. But that was too late.

I do not view the election of a dark-skinned citizen as America’s president as a historic revolution. Afro-Americans have already served in the most senior government position: Secretary of state. Had Colin Powell or Condoleezza Rice run for president and won, the change in America’s political life would be minor; marginal even.

The great turnaround has to do with the unique blend featured by Obama: Not only is he a social-democrat, he is black too; not only is he black, he is young; not only is he young, he is a Muslim who became Christian; Not [sic] only is [he] a Muslim-turned-Christian, he’s pro-Zionist; not only is he pro-Zionist, he is black too; not only is he black, he’s a social-democrat.

This multifaceted blend excited Americans to the point of losing all senses, including the natural sense of criticism and skepticism. Leading American intellectuals, ranging from columnists to physics professors, from authors to filmmakers, bowed down before Obama. And they were not the only ones. According to a poll by British weekly The Economist, citizens of the world would have granted Obama 80% support, at least, had they been able to vote in the elections. >>> Israel Opinion | November 5, 2008

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A New Era Begins As Barack Obama Elected President
Watch InfoLive video: Here >>>
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Barack Obama Says America Has Changed after Historic Win
THE TELEGRAPH: Barack Obama has swept to an historic victory in the American election, overwhelming John McCain to become the first black President of the United States.

Obama’s victory speech
"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America," he declared before tens of thousands gathered in Chicago's Grant Park.

His victory, he said, showed that "America is a place where all things are possible" and that the "true genius" of his country was "that America can change".

He told the world that "a new dawn of American leadership is at hand" and that its true strength came "not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals".

Mr Obama, 47, and his vice-presidential running mate Joe Biden won in an electoral college landslide, seizing the swing states of Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Ohio, New Mexico, Iowa and Virginia. The previously Republican states of North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri and Montana were still too close to call.

Mr McCain gave a moving and notably gracious concession speech, saying that "this campaign was and will remain the great honour of my life, and my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience".

Recalling "old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation", he said: "America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States." >>> By Toby Harnden in Chicago | Novemebr 5, 2008

SKY NEWS:
Watch video >>>

THE AUSTRALIAN:
US election victory speech by Barack Obama >>>

THE TELEGRAPH: Michelle Obama: America’s Next First Lady

Michelle Obama, the next First Lady, victorious. Photo courtesy of The Telegraph
As the eulogies wash over Barack Obama today, he can at least rely on his wife Michelle Obama - America's next First Lady - to bring him down to earth.

Others may gush over her husband but Michelle Obama, not only the first black First Lady but one of the youngest presidential wives since Jackie Kennedy, likes to be brutally honest about him.

Unlike some First Ladies, the 44-year-old Princeton and Harvard Law School graduate, and working mother of two, is certainly her own woman. In her words, she doesn't want to be "so tied to all that (Barack) is that I don't have anything for me".

Critics have labelled her arrogant, haughty, cold and an "angry black woman". Supporters portray her instead as independent-minded, unafraid to speak out and a devoted mother who puts family firmly before career.

During the campaign she would give a standard 45 minute stump speech, which she wrote herself and delivered without notes. While other would-be presidential wives traditionally stick to sunny, uncontroversial topics, Mrs Obama would tackle issues such as education and inequality.

And, of course, she talked about her husband. Thanks to her, we now know that the president elect never puts the butter away, cannot make beds and tends to be a bit smelly in the mornings. Such tidbits might have helped humanise the Obama image but critics claimed she emasculated him.

"Occasionally, it gives campaign people heartburn," David Axelrod, the Obama campaign's chief strategist, told the New Yorker of her more candid remarks. "She's fundamentally honest-goes out there, speaks her mind, jokes. She doesn't parse her words or select them with an antenna for political correctness." >>> By Tom Leonard | November 5, 2008

LE MONDE: Barack Obama élu président : "C'est votre victoire"

Barack Obama, 47 ans, est désormais le 44e président des Etats-Unis, et le 4 novembre 2008 fera date dans l'histoire du pays. Peu après 5 heures, heure de Paris, les médias américains ont annoncé la victoire du candidat démocrate face à John McCain. Le sénateur de l'Illinois devient ainsi le premier président noir des Etats-Unis. Moins d'une heure plus tard, il était sur la scène du Grant Park de Chicago,_ son fief,_ pour fêter sa victoire et assurer aux Américains que "le changement est arrivé". >>> LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | 05.11.08

NZZ Online: «Der Wechsel ist angekommen»: Barack Obama ist neuer Präsident der USA

Die Amerikaner haben Barack Obama zu ihrem neuen Präsidenten gewählt. Der Republikaner John McCain gestand seine Niederlage ein und gratulierte seinem demokratischen Konkurrenten. «Der Wechsel ist angekommen», rief Obama danach vor tausenden seiner Anhänger in Chicago aus.

Der nächste Präsident der USA heisst Barack Obama. Was sich durch einen langen und brillant geführten Wahlkampf hindurch abgezeichnet hatte, ist in der Nacht von Dienstag auf Mittwoch Realität geworden. Amerika wird ab kommendem Januar erstmals von einem schwarzen Präsidenten geführt.

Obama hat sich nach seinem Wahlsieg von Zehntausenden jubelnden Menschen im Grant Central Park von Chicago feiern lassen. Besonders viele ältere Bürger dunkler Hautfarbe hatten nach der Bekanntgabe des Durchbruchs in den Hochrechnungen Tränen in den Augen. >>> spi./bbu. | 5. November 2008

NZZ Online: Kommentar: Eine neue Ära in Amerika

Das Pendel hat in den USA weit ausgeschlagen – weiter, als noch vor wenigen Monaten angenommen werden konnte. Der Demokrat Barack Obama hat die Wahl zum 44. Präsidenten in aller Klarheit gewonnen, und ihm wird ein Kongress mit deutlich gestärkten demokratischen Mehrheiten zur Seite stehen. Die Ära, in der die Republikaner in Washington das Präsidentenamt, die Mehrheit im Kongress oder sogar beides in der Hand hatten, geht damit nach 14 Jahren zu Ende. Die politische Zäsur ist aber wohl noch tiefer. Obama hat die politische Landkarte neu gezeichnet und in Gebieten triumphiert, die über Jahrzehnte hinweg als republikanische Hochburgen gegolten hatten. Seit Mitte der sechziger Jahre hat kein demokratischer Präsidentschaftskandidat einen derart hohen Wähleranteil errungen wie der Senator aus Illinois.

Historische Hürde überwunden

Historisch ist der Wechsel schon deshalb, weil am 20. Januar auf den Stufen des Kapitols in Washington erstmals ein Afroamerikaner den Amtseid als Präsident ablegen wird. Skeptiker hatten bis zuletzt bezweifelt, dass Amerika «reif» für einen Schwarzen im Weissen Haus sei. Auf dünner Faktenbasis wurde behauptet, dass die Umfragen verzerrt seien, weil manche weisse Wähler in der Wahlkabine ihren rassistischen Ressentiments freien Lauf lassen würden. Doch der vielzitierte «Bradley-Effekt» blieb am Dienstag aus. Amerika hat bei der Überwindung der alten Rassenschranken einen weiten Weg zurückgelegt. Überhaupt spielten Rassenspannungen im Wahlkampf eine bemerkenswert geringe Rolle. >>> Von Andreas Rüesch | 5. November 2008

DIE WELT: Der gewaltige Erfolg des Mythenzauberers Obama

Seinen Erdrutschsieg hat Obama errungen, indem er eine riesige Gemeinde um sich scharte. Die fast religiösen Anklänge, die sein Auftritt heute Nacht in Chicago hatte, gehören zum Konzept – und bergen neben der Chance auf Erfolg als Präsident auch die Gefahr einer herben Enttäuschung.

Barack Obamas Sieg ist so gewaltig, seine Wählerschaft so umfassend, sein Mandat so absolut, seine Mission so ehrgeizig, dass die Dankesrede vor Hunderttausenden in Chicago über das Politische schon weit hinaus- und fast ins Religiöse hineinragt.
Der Schauer, den man beim Anhören der Rede verspürt, enthält neben der Bewunderung für die Leistung auch die Furcht vor den unerfüllbaren Hoffnungen, die hier geweckt und verklärt werden. Niemand, auch Obama nicht, wird alle diese Wunder bewirken können, schon deshalb nicht, weil sie einander vielfach widersprechen.

Man wird diese schimmernde Nacht in Erinnerung behalten, sobald Obama von den Alltäglichkeiten der Politik eingeholt sein wird. Sie wird immer der Horizont sein, zu dem er den Blick aufhebt, um der engen Perspektive der Partikularinteressen zu entkommen. Und gut so, dass bald jemand das Weiße Haus regiert, der an das Gemeinsame erinnert, den Geist der Humanität anruft, für Zusammenarbeit eintritt und Amerika in eine globale Welt einordnet.

Dennoch liegt der Ansatz zur Enttäuschung bereits verborgen in der messianischen Erwartung, die in diesen Mann gesetzt wird und die er selbst durch seine Inszenierung nährt. Seine Chicagoer Rede, wie so viele zuvor, spricht er als charismatische Predigt vor gläubiger Gemeinde. Den sakralen Ton erfinden nicht die Beobachter, Obama selbst legt ihn mit voller Absicht hinein. Nach den einleitenden Dankesworten an John McCain, Joe Biden, seine Frau Michelle, die beiden Töchter, seine Wahlkampfmanager und die ungezählten Helfer ist seine Rede genau auf diesen Effekt zu geschrieben. >>> Von Christoph Keese | 5. November 2008

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Barack Obama Fever Grips Kenya
Kenyans woke up in a fever of anticipation that the most powerful man on earth could soon be Barack Obama.


In a printing shop in Kisumu, the capital of Senator Obama's ancestral home province in Kenya, Jumah George had no doubts about the election result even before the polls opened.

He had brought in a rugby shirt to have Mr Obama's image imposed on it. "I don't want it to say 'for president', I want it to be 'president'," he said.

"I'm optimistic. The world right now is interested in change. Everybody wants change and I believe Barack will bring change. He will benefit the whole world.

"Our focus is not material benefits but the change he can bring in each and every person, the attitude. That's what's inspiring about him."

Mr Obama's father and namesake grew up in Nyangoma Kogelo, a small village in Nyanza province, and the election has created huge excitement.

All the country's main newspapers splashed on the vote today, with the Daily Nation declaring it "Obama's defining moment", and the Standard offering a "16-page Obama Magic Souvenir pullout".

To Kenyans, Mr Obama's impressive rhetorical skills have bolstered his appeal almost as much as his father's nationality.

Samuel Obambo, 25, a sales executive from Siaya, the Obamas' home district, wore an Obama T-shirt and said: "He's a good man, he's able, he's a family man, he shows love to everybody.

"It will be good because tourists will come, investors, whatever. We are going to have a lot of changes in Kenya, especially in Kisumu."

Milka Achieng, 40, a street hawker, added: "He's got a good vision and he loves all, both poor and rich men."

The streets of Kisumu, lined with stalls selling cheap clothing and household goods, are thousands of miles and a world away from Washington, and the Obama story has a special resonance.

"For a black man to make it seemed impossible," said Lucas Ooko, 35, a newspaper vendor, who is also from Siaya district. "It's a miracle whose time has come and nobody can stop it now." >>> By Sebastien Berger in Kisumu | November 4, 2008

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As Islam Strengthens, the West Weakens… Or Maybe It’s Simply Losing It!
Allowing your pet dog to beg at table in future could put you in jail for “animal cruelty”! Photo courtesy of Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: Failing to notice your dog is getting fat, feeding it at the table and chocolate treats are all animal cruelty that could end up putting someone in jail under new government guidelines.

Chocolate, raisins or grapes are "poisonous" for pets, according to the code, while a dog should not be disturbed when eating as this can cause "food-related aggression".

It also recommends that dogs should not be fed at the table as this can lead to begging - and that "curious" animals such as cats should be kept away from windows or tumble dryers.

The new codes of practice for owners of dogs, cats and horses, just released for consultation, are part of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to prevent cruelty. The guidance says that breaching the three codes will not in itself be a crime, but it could prove to be the deciding factor in whether an individual is found guilty in court of a pet welfare offence – which carries a maximum jail sentence of six months or a fine of up to £20,000. Opposition policiticans criticised the "over the top" rules that "take people for fools".

However, Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, said the new laws afford animals "greater protection than ever before". Launching the eight-week consultation, Mr Benn said: "These three new codes of practice will outline the responsibilities of owners under the Act and give practical advice on how to fulfil them. This means no one will be able to claim ignorance as an excuse for mistreating any animal."

The guidelines cover the environment for animals, diet, the company they enjoy, ensuring they exhibit normal behaviour patterns, as well as health and welfare issues.

The code of practice for dogs advises against taking a dog for a walk during the hottest part of the day or feeding it less than an hour before vigorous exercise in order to avoid "bloating". Owners should groom dogs with long hair at least once a day and all dogs should have teeth cleaned with dog chews or canine toothpaste as part of routine care.

Training dogs should be done through "positive reinforcement" rather than punishment that can lead to behavioural problems in the future.

Owners can spot signs of stress such as barking excessively, urinating indoors or yawning when not tired.

The advice stresses cats are not vegetarians and adults do not need bowls of milk. However they do need somewhere to hide and to scratch claws.

The guidelines for horses are based on the same principles.

Bill Wiggin, the Tory spokesman on animal welfare, said the new codes are "absurd".

"Defra has missed the opportunity to produce a set of sensible proposals that would protect animals from abuse and mistreatment.

Here we have this ridiculous guide which tells people not to walk their dog in the heat of the day or feed it at the table. DEFRA are taking people for fools." ”Absurd” New Guidelines Advise Pet Owners against Allowing Dogs to Beg at Table >>> By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent | November 4, 2008

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Wilders' Fitna Put on a Par with Mein Kampf
RADIO NETHERLANDS WORLDWIDE: The Dutch right-wing Freedom Party is furious about a passage in a primary school textbook in which party leader Geert Wilders' film Fitna is put on a par with Adolf Hitler's book Mein Kampf. The two works are cited as examples of one-sided thinking. The textbook will be distributed to 2,000 primary schools.

The Freedom Party says it's a disgrace that the textbook was subsidised by the Dutch government. The party speaks of political indoctrination and demands that the authors, the Day of Respect foundation recall the textbooks.

The foundation says that even though it's not entirely happy about the phrasing of the passage in question, it has no intention of cancelling distribution. The Day of Respect will be marked next week on Thursday. [Source: Radio Netherlands Worldwide] | November 4, 2008

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Gaffney: Treasury Submits to Shariah
WASHINGTON POST / Commentary: The U.S. Treasury Department is submitting to Shariah - the seditious religio-political-legal code authoritative Islam seeks to impose worldwide under a global theocracy.

As reported in this space last week, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt set the stage with his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Persian Gulf states. His stated purpose was to promote the recycling of petrodollars in the form of foreign investment here.

Evidently, the price demanded by his hosts is that the U.S. government get with the Islamist financial program. While in Riyadh, Mr. Kimmitt announced: "The U.S. government is currently studying the salient features of Islamic banking to ascertain how far it could be useful in fighting the ongoing world economic crisis."

"Islamic banking" is a euphemism for a practice better known as "Shariah-Compliant Finance (SFC)." And it turns out that this week the Treasury will be taking officials from various federal agencies literally to school on SFC.

The department is hosting a half-day course entitled "Islamic Finance 101" on Thursday at its headquarters building.

Treasury's self-described "seminar for the policy community" is co-sponsored with the leading academic promoters of Shariah and SCF in the United States: Harvard University Law School's Project on Islamic Finance. At the very least, the U.S. government evidently hopes to emulate Harvard's success in securing immense amounts of Wahhabi money in exchange for conforming to the Islamists' agenda. Like Harvard, Treasury seems utterly disinterested in what Shariah actually is, and portends.

Unfortunately, such submission - the literal meaning of "Islam" - is not likely to remain confined long to the Treasury or its sister agencies. Thanks to the extraordinary authority conferred on Treasury since September, backed by the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the department is now in a position to impose its embrace of Shariah on the U.S. financial sector. The nationalization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Treasury's purchase of - at last count - 17 banks and the ability to provide, or withhold, funds from its new slush-fund can translate into unprecedented coercive power.

Concerns in this regard are only heightened by the prominent role Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari will be playing in "Islamic Finance 101." Mr. Kashkari, the official charged with administering the TARP fund, will provide welcoming remarks to participants. Presumably, in the process, he will convey the enthusiasm about Shariah-Compliant Finance that appears to be the current party line at Treasury. >>> Frank J Gaffney Jr | November 4, 2008

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EU Tells Turkey to Improve Media, Women's Rights
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE: BRUSSELS, Belgium: In a new report card, the European Commission will tell Turkey on Wednesday that it must work harder to improve women's rights and press freedoms in order to join the European Union.

In a speech at an EU-Turkey conference at the European Parliament on Tuesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said the report will list several areas that "need to be addressed urgently."

"I am thinking, for instance, of the negative atmosphere against the press, or bans of Web sites which are becoming a source of serious concern, (and) efforts are needed to protect women's rights and gender equality," said Rehn.

The report card is an eagerly awaited annual event for both proponents and opponents of Turkey's membership in the EU.

In Ankara, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, declined to comment on the report until his government has seen it.

The report — which also praises Turkey, according to Rehn — is unlikely to significantly affect the negotiations regarding Turkey's EU membership, which began in 2005 and are expected to last about a decade.

For instance, Turkey's entry negotiations cover 35 negotiating areas, including issues from human rights to many economic issues. To date, only eight issues are under negotiation, and the EU has accused Turkey of being too slow on others.

The report's criticism also will not surprise Turkey's population. >>> AP | November 4, 2008

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Melanie Phillips: Join Up the Dots
THE SPECTATOR: I have written many times about concerns over Obama’s links to the Nation of Islam. Now here it is from the horse’s mouth. Ken Timmerman reports:

A former top deputy to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan [Dr Vibert White Jr] tells Newsmax that Barack Obama’s ties to the black nationalist movement in Chicago run deep, and that for many years the two men have had ‘an open line between them’ to discuss policy and strategy, either directly or through intermediaries.

... In addition to the ideological affinity Obama expressed for the black nationalist movement, White believes that Obama owes much of his success as a public orator to speaking techniques that Farrakhan developed over the years, and exploited for years to great success...As a former minister of the Nation of Islam, I know how they speak,’ White told Newsmax. ‘I don’t know who was training Obama. But that style is not a ministerial style like in the Christian church. It’s a Nation of Islam style.’

Daniel Pipes, who has written about Obama’s links to the Nation of Islam, expresses his amazement that a man who tomorrow may become President of the United States should have so many questionable links in the arena of Islam and the Middle East:

Other than Obama's lies about his childhood religion, which cast doubt about his character, all the other connections establish the radical circles he frequented during his Chicago years, associations he is trying hard – and with apparent success - to keep from the attention of just enough voters until after election day.

The response of the Obamanics is to dismiss every such piece of evidence as a ‘smear’. They should consider this. A smear is a lie, or a gross distortion of some kind. You cannot smear someone by telling the truth. None of Obama’s revealed radical connections, deeds or words has been refuted or disproved. Given the volume of them, their consistency throughout his life and political career, the way they chime with what he himself has said and written – including his Philadelphia race speech which, when read carefully, is far more troubling than his enthusiasts have recognised – and the demonstrable lies he has told and evasions he has made about these connections and his early life, it is eminently reasonable to conclude that such information tells us something very important and alarming indeed about his character and world-view.

To believe otherwise is to be irrational. To vote on that basis is to be reckless in the extreme. [Source: The Spectator] Melanie Phillips | November 3, 2008

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Melanie Phillips: Selling Us All to Saudi Arabia
THE SPECTATOR: The Islamisation of the west is proceeding according to plan, as the Times reports:

Gordon Brown claimed success yesterday in his attempt to persuade Saudi Arabia to help stricken economies by pumping more money into the International Monetary Fund... Lord Mandelson, who was also at the dinner at the Royal Palace, said Mr Brown wanted to ensure that the Saudi King was ‘on the same page’ over the causes of the financial problems and the solutions. ‘We are seeking “buy-in” from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to the necessary response that we all need to make to the turmoil of the international financial system. If we don’t get that money we will fail,’ Lord Mandelson said...

Lord Mandelson said that the Saudis and other Gulf states would now expect a bigger role in global institutions in return for their investment.

You bet they will. Gordon Brown and Peter Mandelson are delivering Britain and the west into dhimmitude.*

* Definition of ‘dhimmi’ from the Dhimmi Watch site:
Dhimmis, ‘protected people,’ are free to practice their religion in a Sharia regime, but are made subject to a number of humiliating regulations designed to enforce the Qur’an’s command that they ‘feel themselves subdued’ (Sura 9:29). This denial of equality of rights and dignity remains part of the Sharia, and, as such, is part of the law that global jihadists are laboring to impose everywhere, ultimately on the entire human race.

The dhimmi attitude of chastened subservience has entered into Western academic study of Islam, and from there into journalism, textbooks, and the popular discourse. One must not point out the depredations of jihad and dhimmitude; to do so would offend the multiculturalist ethos that prevails everywhere today. [Source: The Spectator] Melanie Philips | November 3, 2008

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Lord Bingham: 'No Reason' to Exclude Sharia
TIMESONLINE: Muslim communities should have the right to decide their own disputes provided they are subject to our laws, one of Britain's most senior legal figures has said.

Lord Bingham of Cornhill, who has recently stepped down as senior law lord, said he could see "no reason" why a devout Muslim, provided he or she was "acting voluntarily and without coercion", should not choose to submit a family dispute to a Muslim cleric.

That would be no different from a Jewish family submitting their dispute to be decided by a Rabbi or a Christian to a Church of England to an Anglican priest or marriage counsellor, he said.

But Lord Bingham, addressing the annual Bar Conference in London, made clear that there could be "no question" of any decision not being subject to the law of the country; nor of those involved forfeiting their rights to go to a court of law, he said.

He also emphasised that any such decision to have a dispute handled in this way as is already happening with Sharia councils in certain communities would have to be entirely voluntary. >>> Frances Gibb, Legal Editor | November 3, 2008

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Iran Minister Sacked over Forged Oxford Degree
THE TELEGRAPH: A forged degree certificate from Oxford University has toppled Iran's interior minister.

The Tehran parliament voted to impeach Ali Kordan over the issue, thereby dealing a severe blow to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Mr Kordan had tried to prove his suitability for the post of interior minister by assuming the identity of an Oxonian. To support his claim of a British education, Mr Kordan flourished a certificate purporting to show that Oxford had awarded him an "honorary doctorate in Law".

This document, riddled with typing errors, garbled English and misspellings, supposedly carried the signatures of three Oxford professors. The certificate commended Mr Kordan for "preparing educational materials" and for "research in the domain of comparative law that has opened a new chapter not only in our university but, to our knowledge, this country".

Accordingly, the document announced that Mr Kordan was "intitled" to an honorary doctorate "in order to be benefitted from its scientific privileges".

But Oxford's administrative offices said the University had no record of giving Mr Kordan a semi-literate degree certificate. All three professors whose forged signatures appear on the document did indeed hold chairs at Oxford. But Mr Kordan had not troubled to check that they were lawyers. Oxford pointed out that none of them were.

Iran's parliament accordingly brought an impeachment motion against Mr Kordan, who was accused of other offences along with being a fake Oxonian. The impeachment was carried by 188 votes, with only 45 MPs backing Mr Kordan.

Mr Ahmadinejad had fought hard to keep his interior minister. The president, who faces re-election in June, has suffered a major blow to his authority. [Source: The Telegraph] By David Blair, Diplomatic Editor | November 4, 2008

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Obama the Messiah Is Going to Produce Profound Disillusion
Image courtesy of Google Images
THE TELEGRAPH: There is a video clip running on YouTube at the moment which shows a black woman moved nearly to tears at an Obama rally, telling a television interviewer that all her problems will be at an end when he is elected president. She won't have to worry anymore about putting gas in her car or paying her mortgage because "he will help me". It would be easy to find this absurd - the blind faith of an unsophisticated voter who has clearly mistaken Barack Obama for Jesus - but in truth it is both sad and alarming. I can understand the sense of the miraculous that Obama's likely accession to the presidency must involve for African-Americans: I grew up in the US at a time when even the cities of the northeast were almost entirely segregated. (It was called "de facto segregation" as opposed to the legally enforced version that prevailed in the South, and was even more pernicious and intractable in its way.) But this woman's testimony is a reminder of something deeply disturbing in the Obama phenomenon: the fact that his campaign has shifted its tone from his original "post-racial" stance to one that is subliminally evocative of black evangelism. Far from his earlier intellectually nuanced and racially neutral delivery, his cadences and his frankly inspirational stump speeches now have the unmistakeable ring of the black pulpit. Little wonder that his candidacy is being mistaken for the Second Coming. >>> Janet Daley | November 4, 2008

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THE TELEGRAPH:
Barack Obama: he’s Been Sent by God: Even by the feverish standards of US politics, the messianic fervour of Obama's campaign is disquieting, writes Mick Brown from Colorado. >>> By Mick Brown in Colorado | Novermber 4, 2008

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Duchess of York Accused of Smearing Turkey's Image
Photo of Sarah Ferguson courtesy of Reuters
REUTERS: ANKARA - Turkish officials have accused Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, of smearing Turkey's image on a television program about state orphanages in Turkey ahead of a European Union membership report.

Ferguson went under cover with reporters for ITN to visit state-run orphanages in Ankara and Istanbul and expose conditions there. The documentary will be on ITV on November 6.

"It is obvious that Sarah Ferguson is ill-intentioned and is trying to launch a smearing campaign against Turkey by opposing Turkey's EU membership," Nimet Cubukcu, a minister in charge of women and family affairs, told Anatolian agency late Monday.

"It is saddening that Sarah Ferguson made video shots with an orientalist point of view which she is not permitted to make in her own country and tried to cause indignation in Turkey," Cubukcu said.

The European Commission will publish Wednesday a report on countries wanting to join the 27-member bloc. Turkey, a large Muslim country, began membership negotiations in October 2005. The EU has repeatedly criticised Turkey for its human rights record and has urged the government to speed up reforms.

"This is a valid area of public interest at a time when the UK government is endorsing the accession of Turkey into the EU, a process which is conditional in part on Turkey improving its human rights record with children," an ITV spokesperson said. >>> Editing by Louise Ireland | November4, 2008

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UN Condemns Stoning to Death of 13-Year-Old Somali Girl
THE EARTH TIMES: Nairobi - The United Nations children's agency UNICEF Tuesday condemned the recent stoning to death of a 13-year-old Somali girl for adultery in the port town of Kismayo, which was taken over by Islamist insurgents in August. The girl, Aisha Duhulow, was last week stoned to death for adultery under Islamic law, or sharia. Initial reports said that the girl was in her twenties.

UNICEF said that reports indicated the girl had not committed adultery, but been raped by three men while walking to visit her grandmother in the capital Mogadishu.

The Islamic authorities said that the girl had confessed to her crime and repeatedly asked for the full penalty under sharia.

However, witnesses told the BBC that she begged for her life before being buried up to her neck in the ground and stoned by around 50 men in front of over 1,000 spectators.

"This is a tragic and deplorable incident" said UNICEF Representative for Somalia, Christian Balslev-Olesen. "A child was victimized twice - first by the perpetrators of the rape and then by those responsible for administering justice."

Insurgents have been fighting Somalia's transitional federal government since Ethiopian troops helped oust the Union of Islamic Courts in early 2007.

However, main insurgent group al-Shabaab has rejected the deal and vowed to keep fighting until Ethiopian forces leave Somalia.

The Horn of Africa nation has been plagued by chaos and civil war since the ouster of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991. [Source: The Earth Times] DPA | November 4, 2008

BBC: Stoning Victim ‘Begged for Mercy’

A young woman recently stoned to death in Somalia first pleaded for her life, a witness has told the BBC.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me," she said, according to the man who wanted to remain anonymous. A few minutes later, more than 50 men threw stones. >>> | November 4, 2008

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Obama and His Connexions to Kenya

Hat tip: European Kafir

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Bin Laden's Son Seeks Asylum in Spain after Being Refused Visa to Live in UK with His British Wife
Omar bin Laden, OBL’s son, with his British wife, Zaina bin Laden in Rome in February. Photo courtesy of Mail Online
MAIL Online: Osama Bin Laden's son has claimed political asylum in Spain - after being refused entry to live in the UK with his British wife.

Omar Osama bin Laden, 27, is being held in Madrid's Barajas Airport after arriving in the Spanish capital on a Moroccan-bound flight from Egypt.

Omar, toyboy husband of a grandmother-of-five previously known as Jane Felix-Browne, is reported to be in the transit hall of the airport's newly-built terminal four.

He is expected to remain there while Interpol confirms his identity and officials consider his asylum claim.

Spanish newspaper El Pais said authorities had decided to process his case 'speedily.'

Omar's surprise asylum claim comes seven months after he was told his British visa application was being turned down at the British Embassy in Cairo because of suggestions he could still be loyal to his terrorist dad.

He is thought to have flown into Madrid without his British wife, now known as Zaina Alsabah-bin Laden.

The couple were planning to move to her £550,000 home in the village of Moulton, near Northwich in Cheshire, when he was refused a UK visa.

Mrs bin Laden, a member of the parish council in Moulton until recently, is severely visually impaired and said she needs access to medical treatment but refuses to be apart from her husband. >>> | November 4, 2008

TIMESONLINE: Bin Laden Son Claims Asylum in Spain

One of Osama bin Laden’s sons has claimed political asylum in Spain, insisting that he is a pacifist who does not share the beliefs of the world’s most wanted terrorist.

Omar Ossama bin Laden, 27, claimed asylum when his flight from Cairo to Casablanca stopped over in Madrid’s Barajas airport last night, reportedly accompanied by his British wife Jane Felix-Browne, 52, a grandmother from Cheshire.

Mr bin Laden, who was travelling on a Saudi Arabian passport, was on Tuesday being interviewed at the airport by Spanish immigration officials, who have 72 hours to make a decision. He can appeal if he is refused.

In April, he was banned from entering Britain to live with Mrs Felix-Browne, who goes by her Islamic name Zaina Mohamad, because of fears that his presence would cause “considerable public concern”. Officials told Mr bin Laden that there was evidence he was still loyal to his father. >>> Graham Keeley in Barcelona | November 5, 2008

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Barack Obama: ‘Marriage Is Between a Man and a Woman’
Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential candidate, has spelled out his views on gay marriage on the eve of the election.

The White House front-runner said in an interview with MTV he did not support same-sex weddings and believed "marriage is between a man and a woman".

But the Illinois senator reaffirmed his opposition to a proposition on the ballot in California that would change the state constitution to overturn a ruling that recently gave gay couples the right to marry.

"When you start playing around with constitutions just to prohibit somebody who cares about another person, it just seems to me that's not what America is about," the senator said.

"Usually, our constitutions expand liberties, they don't contract them," he added.

The Democratic presidential nominee voiced strong support for civil unions between same-sex couples "that provide legal rights to same-sex couples (so) that they can visit each other in the hospital if they get sick, (so) they can transfer property to each other. If they've got benefits, they can make sure those benefits apply to their partners."

He added: "I think that's the direction we need to go in. I think young people are ahead of the curve on this for the most part. Their attitude, generally, is that we should be respectful of all people, and that's the kind of politics I want to practice."

In the interview, Mr Obama described California's Proposition 8, which residents will vote on on Tuesday, as "unnecessary". Opponents of the measure hope Mr Obama's position will encourage voters in the Democratic state to defeat it.

The senator also opposes the federal Defence of Marriage Act that prevents states from having to recognise same-sex marriages performed in other states and voted against a federal constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. >>> By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles | November 4, 2008

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Benoît XVI renoue le dialogue avec les musulmans
Le pape á Ratisbonne, le 12 septembre 2006. Photo grâce au Figaro
LE FIGARO: À Rome, une rencontre au sommet entre l'Église catholique et l'islam va tenter pendant trois jours de solder la crise ouverte, il y a deux ans, par le discours du Pape à Ratisbonne.

C'est sans doute la blessure la plus vive du pontificat de Benoît XVI. La crise ouverte avec le monde musulman à Ratisbonne, en Allemagne, le 12 septembre 2006, n'est toujours pas refermée. Le premier «forum catholique-musulman» de trois jours, qui s'ouvre demain au Vatican, pourrait toutefois adoucir le mal.

Il y a deux ans, le Pape prononçait un discours académique devant ses anciens confrères universitaires dans la faculté où il avait enseigné. Il traitait de son thème favori, les relations entre la foi et la raison. Dans son introduction, le Pape s'appuyait sur une citation de l'empereur byzantin, Manuel II Paléologue. Une phrase, datée de 1391, «étonnamment abrupte» précisait alors Benoît XVI : «Montre-moi donc ce que Mohammed a apporté de neuf, et alors tu ne trouveras sans doute rien que de mauvais et d'inhumain, par exemple le fait qu'il a prescrit que la foi qu'il prêchait, il fallait la répandre par le glaive.»

Noyée dans le contexte de la conférence et de ce voyage du Pape en Allemagne, cette citation passa tout d'abord inaperçue. Pendant 48 heures… avant de revenir en boomerang des États-Unis et enflammer, d'un jet, le monde musulman. Le dimanche 17 septembre, une religieuse catholique était tuée en Somalie, six églises étaient endommagées dans des pays arabes, la plupart des pays musulmans engageaient des protestations diplomatiques contre le Saint-Siège. >>> Jean-Marie Guénois à Rome | 03.11.2008

BBC: Pope Urged to Admit Common Ground

When 138 senior Muslim scholars and clergy tried to establish the common ground between Islam and Christianity last year, they said the very peace of the world hung on the outcome.

On Tuesday, a high-ranking delegation is beginning a rare visit to Rome in an effort to persuade the Pope to endorse what they say are the shared origins and values of the world's two biggest religions.

Their letter, A Common Word, cited passages from the Koran which the scholars said showed that Christianity and Islam worship the same God, and require their respective followers to show each other particular friendship.

The document examined fundamental doctrine and stressed what it said were key similarities - such as the belief in one God and the requirement for believers to "love their neighbours as themselves".

Significantly the letter acknowledged that the Prophet Muhammad was told only the same truths that had already been revealed to Jewish and Christian prophets, including Jesus himself.

After a year using the Islamic principle of seeking consensus, the letter has developed into a "manifesto" and is backed by almost 300 leaders from Sunni, Shi'ite, Sufi and other Muslim traditions.

'Out of hand'

The initiative was welcomed promptly by several Christian leaders, including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.

The Vatican has, however, responded more cautiously to the prospect of identifying common beliefs. >>> By Robert Pigott, Religious Affairs Correspondent | November 4, 2008

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Westerners Warned over Travel to Indonesia ahead of Bali Executions
THE TELEGRAPH: British, Australian and US citizens have been warned about travelling to Indonesia as the country prepares to execute three men responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings.

Amid fears of revenge attacks, Australia has advised its citizens against all travel to the south-east Asian country.

In London, the Foreign Office said that British citizens should exercise caution and be villigent for political protests or any sign of violence.

The United States warned its citizens to "maintain a low profile".

The three men, Imam Samudra, 38, Mukhlas, 48, and Amrozi, 46, are to be executed by firing squad imminently. They were convicted and sentenced in 2003 for their role in planning the co-ordinated suicide car bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians and 28 British holidaymakers.

The three men were members of a regional Islamist terror group loosely allied to al-Qaeda. They have shown no remorse for their crime and regard themselves as martyrs.

They have exhausted all their appeals and all the signs are that the executions are imminent after the execution order was brought forward. >>> By Thomas Bell, South East Asia Correspondent | November 3, 2008

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British Bishop Calls for Action over Iranian Apostasy Law
RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE: The Bishop of Rochester has called on the Government to take action about a new law in Iran that would make the death penalty mandatory for apostasy.

Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali said in the House of Lords that many asylum seekers arrive in the UK because of religious persecution.



He asked: “What diplomatic efforts are Her Majesty’s Government making regarding the passing of the law on apostasy by the Iranian majlis, which makes the death penalty mandatory for apostasy and which will undoubtedly cause many more people to flee that country?”



Home office minister Lord West of Spithead said he was not sure “what exactly is going on about approaching Iran on that point”.



But he added: “We are not particularly happy about a number of things in Iran.” [Source: Religious Intelligence] By Adrian Hall | November 3, 2008

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