Obama's Counter-terrorism Advisor Denounces Bush-era Policies
LOS ANGELES TIMES: John Brennan accuses the previous administration of promoting a 'global war' mind-set that served only to 'validate Al Qaeda's twisted worldview.'

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama's counter-terrorism chief on Thursday repeatedly rebuked the Bush administration in a speech designed to make the case for a broader approach to fighting Islamic extremism.

In his first public appearance as the White House counter-terrorism advisor, John O. Brennan said that President George W. Bush's policies had been an affront to American values, undermined the nation's security and fostered a "global war" mind-set that served only to "validate Al Qaeda's twisted worldview."

"Rather than looking at allies and other nations through the narrow prism of terrorism -- whether they are with us or against us -- the [Obama] administration is now engaging other countries and people across a broader range of areas," Brennan said.

The sharp language is likely to extend the war of words between the current administration and conservative critics such as former Vice President Dick Cheney, who has carried out an unusually high-profile campaign accusing Obama of abandoning methods that made the country safe.

Brennan's speech was the latest in a series of addresses by senior administration figures in recent weeks outlining the president's national security agenda.

Brennan emphasized the argument that the United States must move beyond using the CIA and the military to attack Al Qaeda and must work to expand economic and educational opportunities across the Muslim world.

"We cannot shoot ourselves out of this challenge," Brennan said. "If we fail to confront the broader political, economic and social conditions in which extremists thrive, then there will always be another recruit in the pipeline, another attack coming downstream."

Brennan presented what he described as a multi-tiered approach -- including using the U.S. military to train the security forces of allied countries, supporting democratic reforms and directing billions of dollars in aid to impoverished regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan. >>> Greg Miller | Friday, August 07, 2009

Polish Woman Fined for Gay Abuse
BBC: A Polish court has banned a woman from publicly using derogatory terms like "queer" or "fag" to describe her young gay neighbour.

A judge in north-west Poland ruled the 44-year-old woman had infringed Ryszard Giersz's dignity by repeatedly verbally abusing him in public.

The woman, identified in court as Anna S, was also ordered to pay Mr Giersz damages of 15,000 zloty (£3,100).

Polish gay rights groups have hailed the case as unprecedented.

An emotional Mr Giersz said he was very happy with Tuesday's verdict, adding that he may use the damages payment to buy a bigger flat away from his neighbour.

"I'm a normal person and I just want to live with my partner in peace," he told journalists after the court hearing. "The last six months have completely knocked us out."

Ms S, who can still appeal against the verdict, maintained her innocence throughout the proceedings, saying that she was, in fact, the victim.

"All the witnesses lied," she was quoted as saying by the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza. "This man offended me. He threw things at me from his window. I'm depressed because of this and need treatment." >>> Adam Easton, BBC News, Warsaw | Friday, August 07, 2009

Campaign Against Homophobia (in Polish) >>>

Mikhaïl Saakachvili en appelle à l'Europe et aux États-Unis
LE FIGARO: À trois jours du premier anniversaire du conflit éclair qui opposa la Russie et la Géorgie en Ossétie du Sud, le président géorgien, Mikhaïl Saakachvili, a invité les États-Unis et l'UE à envoyer un «message clair» à Moscou pour apaiser les tensions entre les deux pays. Alors que le ton monte, Saakachvili a évoqué mardi un «risque» de reprise des combats. «Les Russes exercent une pression constante. Les dernières manœuvres sont préoccupantes, ils refusent de répondre aux appels des observateurs européens, et malheureusement les médias à Moscou annoncent une situation de conflit imminente», a-t-il déclaré mardi sur RTL. De son côté, la Russie profère le même genre d'accusations. Le gouvernement géorgien préparerait pour l'anniversaire «des actions à caractère provocateur», et l'évolution des événements serait «imprévisible» le long de la frontière, selon le vice-ministre russe des Affaires étrangères, Grigori Karassine. Ce dernier a à nouveau accusé Washington de réarmer l'ex-république soviétique. Mardi, toutefois, Barack Obama et son homologue russe Dmitri Medvedev ont eu un entretien téléphonique au terme duquel ils seraient tombés d'accord sur la nécessité de réduire la tension en Géorgie.



[Source: LeFigaro] A. To. | Mercredi 05 Août 2009

Saakaschwili warnt vor neuem Kaukasus-Krieg
DIE PRESSE: Ein Jahr nach dem Kaukasus-Krieg zwischen Georgien und Russland ist die Gefahr einer neuerlichen Eskalation für den georgischen Präsidenten nicht gebannt. Russland wolle weiter die georgische Demokratie stürzen.

Der georgische Präsident Michail Saakaschwili hat zum ersten Jahrestag des Kaukasus-Krieges vor neuen schweren militärischen Auseinandersetzungen mit Russland gewarnt. "Die Gefahr gibt es noch", sagte Saakaschwili am Freitag im deutschen Sender ARD. So sei der russische Ministerpräsident Wladimir Putin noch immer an der Macht, und "er hat sich verpflichtet, mich an irgendeinem Teil meines Körpers aufzuhängen", sagte Saakaschwili laut Übersetzung.

Nach Presseberichten hatte Putin dem vor einem Jahr um Vermittlung bemühten französischen Präsidenten Nicolas Sarkozy gesagt, er werde den georgischen Staatschef "an den Eiern aufhängen". "Russland wollte meine Regierung stürzen" >>> Ag | Freitag, 08. August 2009

Erneut Proteste von Moussavi-Anhängern in Teheran: «Tod dem Diktator»-Rufe – Polizeieinsatz zur Auflösung der Versammlung
NZZ ONLINE: Einen Tag nach der Vereidigung von Präsident Mahmud Ahmadinejad sind in Iran erneut Oppositionsanhänger auf die Strasse gegangen. Sie riefen «Tod dem Diktator». Hunderte Polizisten waren vor Ort und versuchten, die Versammlung aufzulösen.

Augenzeugenberichten zufolge versammelten sich Hunderte Sympathisanten des Oppositionsführers Mir-Hossein Moussavi auf einem Platz in der Hauptstadt Teheran. Sie riefen «Tod dem Diktator», wie ein Augenzeuge berichtete. Hunderte Polizisten seien vor Ort und versuchten, die Versammlung aufzulösen. >>> sda/Reuters | Freitag, 07. August 2009

Air Strike Said to Kill Pakistani Taliban Chief
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: WASHINGTON – The leader of the Pakistani Taliban was killed in a drone strike by U.S. forces, Pakistani officials and one of the man's aides said.

Pakistani news accounts previously reported that the air strike, carried out early Wednesday morning, had killed one of the wives of the militant leader, Baitullah Mehsud. But Pakistani officials said Friday Mr. Mehsud is dead and that the Taliban had cordoned off the area, stopping anyone from getting near the site.

"I confirm that Baitullah Mehsud and his wife died in the American missile attack in South Waziristan,'' Taliban commander Kafayat Ullah told the Associated Press by telephone. He wouldn't give any further details.

Reports of Mr. Mehsud's death have circulated in the past, but a U.S. defense official said Pakistani officials appeared to be more certain this time that Mr. Mehsud had been killed. A U.S. counterterrorism official said there are "strong indications" that Mehsud was killed.

Baitullah Mehsud had emerged as one of the most wanted Islamist extremists in Pakistan's lawless western tribal regions, leading a large army of militants that have fought U.S. and Pakistani forces on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistani border.

Pakistani officials accused Mr. Mehsud of being behind a number of high-profile terrorist attacks, including the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007. >>> Peter Spiegel and Jay Solomon | Saturday, August 08, 2009 [sic]

Yet another ‘pious’ Muslim on his way to Paradise or Jannah (جنّة), another pious Muslim on his way (or has he already arrived?) to meet the virgins and beautiful, wide-eyed boys that will surely be awaiting his arrival to tend to his every desire and whim!

"And those foremost (In Tawheed and obedience to Allah and His Messenger in this life) will be foremost (in Paradise). They will be those nearest to Allah in the Gardens of Delight. A multitude of those (the foremost) will be from the first generation (who embraced Islam) and a few of those (the foremost) will be from the later (generations). They will be reclining, face to face, on thrones woven with gold and precious stones. They will be served by immortal boys, with cups and jugs, and a glass from the flowing wine, from which they will have neither any headache, nor any intoxication. They will have fruit from which they may choose, and the flesh of fowls that they desire. There will be Houris with wide, lovely eyes (as wives for the pious), like preserved pearls, a reward for deeds that they used to do. They will hear no vain or sinful speech (like backbiting, etc.) but only the saying of: Salam, Salam, (greetings of peace). And those on the Right Hand, who will be those on the Right Hand? They will be among thorn-less lote-trees among Talh (banana trees) with fruits piled one above another, in long-extended shade, by constantly flowing water, and fruit in plenty, whose season is not limited, and their supply will not be cut off. They will be on couches or thrones raised high. Verily, We have created for them (maidens) of equal age, loving (their husbands only). For those on the Right Hand." 
[56:10-38]

Read more about what awaits pious Muslims in Paradise >>>

Cleared Car Bomb Doctor Allowed to Remain in Britain
If you ever thought that the people at the top were paid to protect you and further the values of our Judeo-Christian civilisation, disabuse yourselves of those notions now! The powers that be have all but given up on defending our way of life. They want the fat salaries, but they don’t want to take the uncomfortable decisions that go with those positions. In short, they are stupid, cowardly, greedy idiots, bereft of all sense of shame or responsibility. They care little about our safety, but a lot about lining their pockets. – ©Mark

THE TELEGRAPH: A doctor cleared of the London and Glasgow car bombings, Mohammed Asha, is to be allowed to remain in Britain after the British government dropped its attempt to deport him.

Dr Asha, 28, admitted being friends with both of the bombers, lending them money, and meeting them at key points in the build up to the plot but he was cleared of involvement at the end of a trial last year.

The Home Office has now dropped its attempt to deport him back to his native Jordan on the grounds that his presence was “not conducive to the national good”, opening the way for him to return to his work as a doctor.

A hearing of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in January had already released him on bail and expressed the view that it was not in the public interest to prevent him from resuming work in the National Health Service.

A colleague had told the hearing in central London that Dr Asha, who was working as a neurologist in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, when he was arrested, had the potential to be one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons.

Bilal Abdulla, and Kafeel Ahmed who died in the attacks, planted two car bombs outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in London’s West End in June 2007. >>> Duncan Gardham, Security Correspondent | Friday, August 07, 2009

White House: 'War on Terrorism' Is Over
So this soft-thinking president wants us all to play mind-bending games, does he? So, from now on, I suppose ducks are really horses, and tables are really chairs. What has this president been smoking? – Mark

THE WASHINGTON TIMES: 'Jihadists' and 'global war' no longer acceptable terms

It's official. The U.S. is no longer engaged in a "war on terrorism." Neither is it fighting "jihadists" or in a "global war."

President Obama's top homeland security and counterterrorism official took all three terms off the table of acceptable words inside the White House during a speech Thursday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

"The President does not describe this as a 'war on terrorism,'" said John Brennan, head of the White House homeland security office, who outlined a "new way of seeing" the fight against terrorism.

The only terminology that Mr. Brennan said the administration is using is that the U.S. is "at war with al Qaeda."

"We are at war with al Qaeda," he said. "We are at war with its violent extremist allies who seek to carry on al Qaeda's murderous agenda." >>> Jon Ward and Eli Lake, Copyright 2009 The Washington Times, LLC | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hat tip: Jihad Watch

'Hero' Greek Woman Sets Fire to Drunken Briton's Genitals
THE TELEGRAPH: A 26-year old Greek woman has become an overnight national hero after setting fire to the genitals of a 23-year old drunken Briton who allegedly tried to sexually assault her in a crowded bar.

The unidentified woman from the fiercely proud island of Crete won herself even more praise by doing the right legal thing – turning herself over to police and the courts to be put on trial for what she claimed was her "right to self-defence".

She will face a magistrate on Friday to see if the case will go to court.

She is currently facing an investigating magistrate on charges of causing bodily injuries to the Briton and of endangering private property.

The Briton himself, whose name is expected to be released later, is currently in a private clinic in Heraklion, the capital of Crete island, being treated for second degree burns to his testicles and penis.

According to a police statement issued last night the incident occurred at a club in the notorious coastal resort of Mallia, which is dominated by young Britons seeking all-night revelry.

It alleged the Briton took down his trousers and started waving his genitals at a number of girls. He then specifically "forcefully fondled" the 26-year old Greek woman, asking her to take hold of his genitals.

After asking him to stop harassing her, the police said, she poured the alcoholic drink Sabucco on his genitals (an Italian brand type of Greek ouzo or French Pernod drink).

This again allegedly failed to stop his advances, so the woman seized a lighter and set fire to the alcohol-drenched genitals, local press reports said. >>> Paul Anast in Athens | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Just Ask Arafat
YNET NEWS: Does world remember why we needed airline security in first place?

Every time I travel overseas (and I must admit it happens often,) I undergo security checks at airports worldwide. Every time I ask myself how could it be that none of the billions of travelers who have been going the strict and annoying checks for years now dedicate a few seconds to thinking about the reason for this screening process, which has become an integral part of every flight by now. As if it’s pre-destined. Just like one needs a ticket and passport, one needs to stand in line and undergo a security check.

A whole generation (and in fact, two generations) of passengers are convinced that the need for security was born along with the first ever flight. However, we the older ones remember why every traveler now needs to undergo those checks. We also remember that many years ago we could fly from one location to another without any interruptions. The planes were slower perhaps, and there was no in-flight movie, but we could just board a plane and fly.

It is therefore odd that even those who still remember this ancient era do not think, or do not want to think, about the reason for the bothersome addition of security: The fact that one, Yasser Arafat, and the terrorist gangs he commanded, introduced the need of security checks after inventing the notion of hijacking planes for the purposes of extorting the Free World. >>> Noah Klieger | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Words Aren’t Enough
YNET NEWS: Obama has failed to sweep Israelis, Arabs because his message has remained vague

WASHINGTON – Barak [sic] Obama has been unable to sweep public opinion in Israel, and not because he did not bother to travel to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem or directly address the people. He has failed because his message is vague and it does not enable Israelis to understand what his next steps are, and how exactly we will be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Obama was elected US president mostly because he knew how to produce what the American public so direly needed: Hope. Yet among Middle East residents, Obama has been unable to produce hope, because he has not presented an orderly plan accompanied by a timetable. Obama said that the two-state vision is the solution. President Bush also said it before him, yet for eight years nothing happened.

Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, boasts that he spent his summer vacations on the beach in Tel Aviv. Yet even he cannot explain to his boss the essence of Israeliness: When you push Israelis into a corner, their response is reflected by two constitutive statements: "I won't be a sucker" on the one hand, and "I'll show you who's the boss" on the other hand.

When Obama pressured Israel and demanded that it curb settlement construction without indicating what the other side needs to do, he failed to move Israelis to his side; not even the ones who support his policy and automatically applaud any peace plan. The more he presses, the more assertive they'll become, while also showing him they won't be the neighborhood's sucker.

This Israeli disdain can easily turn into willingness to face a challenge, even if the price is heavy: Israelis only want to know there's a reason to do it.

Meanwhile, Obama also failed to give hope to the Palestinians and to Arab residents of east Jerusalem: He did not present a message that would prompt people to rally around it, such as what the Palestinian state will look like, what will its relationship with Israel be like, what will security guarantees be like, and what will Mideastern residents gain by backing Obama. >>> Orly Azoulay | August 04, 2009

Spinning Vinyl – Scott Joplin – The Entertainer


Chocotiger: The Entertainer

Don't Cry For Me Argentina

Queen Rania of Jordan: ملكة القلوب ملكة الاردن الملكة رانيا حماها الله

Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan (Official Website) >>>

Israeli Prime Minister Visits Scene of Gay Shooting
PINK NEWS: The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has visited the Tel Aviv gay youth centre where two people were killed last weekend.

Speaking today at the scene, he said the shooting bore "the markings of a terror attack".

Two people, a 16-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man, were killed and 15 were injured when a masked gunman opened fire on the LGBT venue on Saturday.

Police are still hunting for the gunman. The prime minister assured those present the police had his support.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu said: "We need to do this and we must bring security back into our lives. This is not just a blow to the gay-lesbian community. This is a blow to all Israeli youth and Israeli society."

He added: "Anyone who has suffered from gratuitous hatred, as an individual or in a group, knows how painful and unacceptable it is. This is something we must uproot from society as much as possible," he added. "I think Israeli society has made progress towards tolerance, and I hope and feel certain that we can make further progress."

The event was closed to the media. It was the first time an Israeli prime minister has visited a gay organisation. [Source: PinkNews] Staff Writer | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Turkish Nationalist Plotters 'Planned to Kill Prime Minister'
TIMES ONLINE: Members of a nationalist plot to overthrow the Turkish Government planned to attack the Nato headquarters in Turkey and assassinate 12 prominent figures, including the Prime Minister, a court heard today.

Fifty-two additional suspects, including a former senior policeman, were charged with involvement in the alleged campaign of chaos and violence that was to culminate in a military coup. A court accepted the third, 1,454-page indictment in the Ergenekon trial, charging the ultranationalist, ultra-secularist group.

Two four-star generals and senior figures from the security forces, business, politics, academia and the media are among the defendants as Turkey confronts for the first time what has long been known as the Deep State. The network is considered to be the true, military-backed power behind the throne in this mainly Muslim democracy.

Ergenekon, named after a mythical valley where ancient Turks once lived, is considered the latest incarnation of an organisation that has allegedly existed for decades under different guises. It was given a new impetus and its new title after the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister, whose party was first elected in 2002. His background as a political Islamist has helped the group to sway public opinion, but it is his reformist, pro-European Union actions and policies that are most offensive to this isolationist and anti-Western group’s hard core. >>> Suna Erdem in Istanbul | Thursday, August 06, 2009

President Obama's Approval Rating Plummets to 50 Per Cent for First Time
TIMES ONLINE: President Obama’s approval rating fell to just 50 per cent for the first time today as a growing number of Democratic congressmen across the country contend with angry mobs decrying his economic policies.

The screaming groups, who have hung effigies of Democratic politicians on nooses and even issued death threats, are accused of being orchestrated mobs paid for by conservative groups.

Yet they have captured the spotlight and point to the raging national debate over Mr Obama’s increasingly desperate push to reform health care, the centerpiece of his domestic agenda. The clashes also come amid deep concerns about the exploding budget deficit, a ballooning debt which is threatening the president’s entire economic policies.

After a month in which his poll ratings suffered a significant slide, a new Quinnipiac survey had his approval rating down to just 50 per cent. As in other recent polls, and more ominously for Mr Obama, a majority of Americans now disapprove of his handling of the economy and the issue of health care. >>> Tim Reid, Washington | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hackers Crash Twitter
THE TELEGRAPH: Twitter has gone down after the microblogging website became the victim of what the company believes was a co-ordinated attack.

The site crashed at around 2pm UK time, and remained offline for several hours. Twitter users around the world were unable to use the service, and could not send or receive messages, known a tweets.

Twitter confirmed that the outage had been caused by malicious attempts to overload its servers. This technique, known as a distributed denial of service attack, is widely used by hackers, cybercriminals and spammers to flood a website's servers with access requests, leaving ordinary traffic unable to connect to the server, and causing the system to overload and crash.

Hackers use a network of compromised computers, called a "botnet", to launch these attacks. Computer users are often unaware that their machine has been infected with a virus, worm or malicious software that allows hackers to gain remote access to their PC.

Twitter said that although the microblogging service was up and running again, it was still defending against the attack, and was attempting to recover and provide a normal service. >>> Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Von der «Islamischen» zur «Iranischen Republik» : Präsident Ahmadinejad steht gefährlicher Protestbewegung gegenüber
NZZ ONLINE: Iran dürfte eine Phase der Transformation durchlaufen: Die Protestbewegung wird wohl nicht mehr aufzuhalten sein. Selbst wenn die nächsten vier Jahre Repression, Gewalt und Einschränkung der Meinungsfreiheit dominieren werden. Die Zeichen dafür, dass die Islamische Revolution am Ende ist, werden immer deutlicher.

Der Grundstein für vier weitere Jahre unter Mahmud Ahmadinejad in Iran ist gelegt. Am 4. August wurde der Präsident ein weiteres Mal vom obersten Geistlichen Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vereidigt. Die breite Protestwelle, die die Wahlen und allmählich auch das politische System in Frage stellen, scheint an dem Mullah-Apparat buchstäblich abzuprallen. Doch das Establishment in Teheran steht auf immer wackligeren Beinen.

Distanz zur Führung
Ein prominentes Zeichen dafür setzte der frühere Präsident der Islamischen Republik, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Er blieb sowohl der Ernennung als auch der Vereidigung von Präsident Ahmadinejad fern. Damit setzt der Gelehrte und frühere Staatspräsident ein deutliches Signal, dass auch die Elite des Landes zunehmend auf Distanz zur Führung geht. >>> hoh | Donnerstag, 06. August 2009

Gesellschaft: Reiche Länder haben die niedrigsten Geburtenraten
Bild: Google Images
WELT ONLINE: Je besser es den Menschen geht, desto weniger Kinder bekommen sie. Das zeigen Wissenschaftler anhand von Daten aus den letzten 35 Jahren. Sie warnen: In vielen hoch entwickelten Ländern sei der Trend zur Überalterung nicht mehr umzukehren. Um ihn zu mildern, müsse die Politik familienfreundlicher werden.

Es ist paradox: Den Menschen in Industrieländern geht es immer besser – und die Geburtenrate sinkt. Dass mit zunehmendem Reichtum weniger Kinder geboren werden, ist ein weltweites Phänomen. Die Angst mancher Länder vor Überalterung oder gar dem Aussterben der eigenen Bevölkerung sei aber unbegründet, schreiben US-Forscher im Wissenschaftsmagazin „Nature“ (Bd. 460, S. 741). Werde ein bestimmter Grad ökonomischer Entwicklung erreicht, drehe sich der Trend um. In den USA und den Niederlanden steige die Geburtenrate bereits wieder leicht an.

Die Wissenschaftler um Hans-Peter Kohler von der Universität Pennsylvania in Philadelphia analysierten für ihre Studie Daten von 1975 und 2005 aus 24 Ländern. Sie erfassten jeweils die Geburtenrate und den zwischen 0 und 1 liegenden „Human Development Index“ (HDI), der Wirtschaftskraft, Lebenserwartung und Bildungsgrad der Menschen eines Landes berücksichtigt. >>> dpa/ks/cn | Donnerstag, 06. August 2009

Umfrage: Deutsche haben kein gutes Image in der Schweiz
WELT ONLINE: Sie wohnen Grenze an Grenze, sprechen dieselbe Sprache und fahren im selben Gebirge Ski – und doch trennen Schweizer und Deutsche manchmal Welten. Vorurteile sind dabei keine Seltenheit. Ein Hamburger Unternehmen hat Schweizer nun befragt, was sie sich unter einem typischen Deutschen vorstellen.

Deutschland ist als Urlaubsland eigentlich nicht unbeliebt bei den Schweizern. In einer Online-Umfrage des Hamburger Unternehmens für Werbewirkung MediaAnalyzer gaben 81 Prozent der Befragten an, schon einmal in Deutschland Urlaub gemacht zu haben. Doch es scheint nicht allen gefallen zu haben, denn 54 Prozent empfinden das Image des Nachbarlandes als schlecht (47 Prozent) oder sogar sehr schlecht (sieben Prozent). >>> | Mittwoch, 05. August 2009

La vérité selon Obama
leJDD.fr: Aux Etats-Unis, l’administration Obama est à la peine pour imposer sa réforme de l’assurance-maladie. A tel point que la Maison blanche en appelle désormais aux citoyens américains, afin qu’ils dénoncent toute information "douteuse" sur le sujet.

On ne change pas une technique qui marche. Durant la campagne présidentielle américaine, le camp Obama avait lancé un site anti-rumeurs, consistant à rétablir ‘la vérité’ sur le démocrate. L’équipe du candidat avait alors invité les citoyens américains à rapporter les rumeurs les plus folles. L'efficacité de la méthode s'est rappelée au bon souvenir du président Obama. Dans un message posté sur le blog officiel de la présidence, le directeur chargé des nouveaux médias, Macon Phillips, demande ainsi à ses concitoyens de rapporter toutes les informations entendues sur la réforme de l’assurance-maladie, projet phare de la mandature démocrate. "Il y a beaucoup de désinformation sur la réforme (…) ces rumeurs se répandent (...) par les chaînes de courrier électronique ou les conversations ordinaires", écrit-il. Et d’en appeler aux citoyens américains: "Nous vous demandons de nous aider. Si vous recevez un courriel ou voyez quelque chose sur internet qui vous semble douteux au sujet de la réforme de l’assurance-santé, envoyez-le à flag@whitehouse.gov."

Le message n’est pas passé inaperçu dans le camp républicain. En colère, le sénateur du Texas, John Cornyn, s’est fendu d’un courrier à la Maison blanche, rendu public sur son site internet. "Je n'ai pas connaissance d'un quelconque précédent dans lequel un président demande aux citoyens américains de rapporter (...) ce que disent leurs concitoyens lors de discussions publiques, et qui serait considéré comme douteux ou hostile aux intérêts politiques de la Maison Blanche", écrit-il. L’élu républicain demande désormais à l’administration Obama de s’expliquer sur la manière dont elle entend utiliser les informations rapportées par les internautes, disant craindre une quelconque action à l’encontre des personnes ainsi dénoncées. Et d’exhorter la Maison blanche à "cesser immédiatement de dresser une liste d’ennemis politiques". Washington n’a pas commenté ce courrier. >>> Jeudi 06 Août 2009

President Obama's VIP Healthcare
LOS ANGELES TIMES: The commander in chief and his family get free treatment from a staff of four doctors. White House physicians see their role as mirroring the Secret Service, to protect the chief executive.

Reporting from Washington -- When President Obama says he has the best healthcare in the world, he isn't kidding.

The White House medical unit, with a staff of four doctors plus nurses and physicians' assistants, is steps from his office. Treatment is free for Obama and his family (as well as for the vice president and his family).

During the president's travels, a doctor and nurse ride in a limousine in his motorcade. An emergency medical technician comes too, with an ambulance.

Air Force One is stocked with equipment for an on-board operating room. On overseas trips, two medical teams usually travel with the president, one on the plane and one pre-positioned on the ground so the president will always have a rested doctor and nurse at the ready.

The first family receives VIP treatment at military hospitals. And Obama has virtually instant access to medical specialists that few, if any, Americans could duplicate.

"If the president comes to us this morning with a mole on his cheek, a dermatologist will be seeing him today," said Dr. Rob Darling, a retired Navy captain who was a White House physician for President Clinton.

During the Clinton administration, a White House doctor and nurse typically traveled with the first lady when she went overseas separately from the president, but she did not have a medical team embedded in her everyday entourage, Darling said.

A White House spokesman declined to describe the arrangements for Michelle Obama.

The personal physicians and access to military hospitals come on top of a choice of 10 family health insurance options that Obama receives along with all other federal employees.

White House spokesman Reid Cherlin declined to say which health insurance plan the Obama family has. But under the federal Blue Cross Blue Shield plan -- the most popular among government employees -- a doctor visit costs $20 and generic drugs are $10. >>> Mike Dorning | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Barack Obama - Dumber than Dumb


Hat tip: Avenging Apostate at Pedestrian Infidel >>>

Japan Remembers Hiroshima

Broader Issues on Table in Pyongyang
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: While Negotiating Journalists' Release, Clinton and Kim Widened Talks to Security, Regional Concerns

WASHINGTON -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, in more than three hours of discussions with Bill Clinton in Pyongyang, drew the former U.S. president into a wide-ranging discussion of security and regional issues.

Former U.S. officials and diplomats say the meetings, attended by the top ranks of Pyongyang's security establishment, were part of a renewed campaign by Pyongyang to stimulate direct negotiations with Washington over the country's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama and his aides stressed Wednesday that they weren't viewing Mr. Clinton's trip as anything more than a humanitarian mission focused on securing the release of two detained American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling.

Mr. Clinton returned to California Wednesday morning on a private jet with Ms. Lee and Ms. Ling, who had been arrested in March at the Chinese border and later sentenced to 12 years hard labor for illegally entering North Korea. Mr. Clinton's one-day visit secured their release.

"We were very clear this was a humanitarian mission," Mr. Obama said in an interview with MSNBC Wednesday. "We have said to the North Koreans there is a path for improved relations, and it involves them no longer developing nuclear weapons."

Mr. Clinton and his delegation were tight-lipped Wednesday about what transpired during a 75-minute meeting with Mr. Kim on Tuesday. They also attended a two-hour banquet hosted by the North Korean leader and his country's pre-eminent national-security body, the National Defense Commission.

U.S. officials briefed on Mr. Clinton's mission, however, are already outlining a broad discussion with Mr. Kim that focused on significantly more than just the two imprisoned Americans.

These U.S. officials indicated that Mr. Clinton expressed to Mr. Kim the necessity that his regime end a nuclear program that's feared to be stoking a broader arms race across Asia and the Middle East. >>> Jay Solomon | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Tough Times: Mobile Homes for Pilots
Jobs with an airline used to be among the most respected and envied but now at Los Angeles International Airport about a hundred airline employees - ranging from mechanics to pilots - are living in mobile homes parked just yards from one of the busiest runways in the world. Watch BBC video here

In Denial

BarackObamaExperiment >>>

Reforma

Evangelical Christianity: It's Glastonbury for God
THE INDEPENDENT: Church of England pews may be empty, but the fields of Somerset are rocking with a series of evangelical festivals this summer. Jerome Taylor joined the faithful

Rich Nathan is just about to wrap up his evening sermon when a loud and piercing shriek erupts from the back of his congregation. A woman in the crowd of 3,000 worshippers is shaking uncontrollably and wailing. "Jesus!" she cries. "Jesus I feel you!" Nearer the front of the stage, a small and equally exuberant group of faithful is receiving the Holy Spirit in other ways. Some rock from side to side, others simply mutter in hushed tones or raise their hands skywards.

It could be a scene from the American Mid-West – Pastor Nathan is, after all, a prominent Jewish-born convert to Christianity who leads a church in Ohio. But today's energetic act of mass worship is taking place in the rolling countryside of Somerset, just to the south of the picturesque town of Shepton Mallet.

As the leaders of Britain's more mainstream denominations scratch their heads and debate how to revitalise their congregations, evangelical Christianity in Britain is going from strength to strength. The number of evangelical churches in Britain has risen from 2047 to 2,719 since 1998 and their followers now make up 34 per cent of Anglicans, figures show.

Nowhere is the strength of British evangelism more apparent than at the numerous summer festivals that have sprung up and attract tens of thousands of people every year. Britain's first atheist summer camp, attended by 24 children last week, made headlines around the world. But just down the road an estimated 60,000 Christians of many different but predominantly evangelical hues will pass through the gates of the Royal Bath and West Showground over the next five weeks for a succession of festivals that offers a heady mix of Glastonbury and God. >>> Jerome Taylor | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Blackwater Accused of Murder in 'Crusade to Eliminate Muslims'
TIMES ONLINE: A series of allegations including murder, weapons smuggling and the deliberate slaughter of civilians have been levelled against the founder of Blackwater, the security company being investigated for shooting deaths in Iraq.

The accusations, including a claim that the company founder Erik Prince either murdered or had killed former employees co-operating with federal investigators, are contained in sworn affidavits lodged at a Virginia court on Monday night.

The company was the most prominent of an army of private security companies employed by the Pentagon and State Department to protect military convoys and guard US diplomats in Iraq

The accusations against Mr Prince are being made by two former employees, including a former Marine, who have sworn them anonymously as John Doe No 1 and John Doe No 2, because they said they feared for their lives if their identities were revealed

In one of the statements, John Doe 2, who worked for Blackwater for four years, alleged that Mr Prince “views himself as a Christian crusader tasked with eliminating Muslims and the Islamic faith from the globe” and that his companies “encouraged and rewarded the destruction of Iraqi life”.

They claimed that Mr Prince and other executives destroyed incriminating videos, e-mails and documents and hid their criminal behaviour from the US State Department. >>> Tim Reid in Washington | Thursday, August 06, 2009

When Being Gay Can Get You Murdered
HAARETZ: Israel has seen dozens of murders of homosexual men by sexual partners in recent decades. One prominent filmmaker believes that in a considerable proportion of these cases, the killer sought to "purify" himself of any suspicion that he was gay.

Ran Kotzer, today a senior producer at the Channel 2 television concessionaire Reshet, investigated the phenomenon while creating his 2003 documentary "Cause of Death: Homophobia." Kotzer said such murders have not received the attention they deserve, because the victims are often perceived as partly culpable in their own murders, simply by virtue of being homosexual.

Kotzer sees such crimes as homophobic murders, which usually stem from the perpetrator's feelings of guilt and the desire to "kill the homosexual within him." >>> Ofri Ilani | Thursday, August 06, 2009

Hebrew Anti-gay Facebook Page Hacked and Turned into Pro-gay Forum
HAARETZ: A user on social networking site Facebook managed on Wednesday to hack into an anti-gay group on the popular site, and change it into a pro-gay forum complete with homoerotic photos and videos.

The original group, "I also hate gays" had attracted over a 150 users and a spawn of copycat groups after it was started days after a shooting at a Tel Aviv gay center that left two dead and over a dozen wounded.

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community"

The group had featured a manifesto calling on people to join "if you don't care what happened on Saturday night, if you are tired of gay people talking about their sexual deviation" and saying its goal was to attract people looking to "shut-up Israel's homosexual community" >>> Benjamin L. Hartman, Haaretz Correspondent | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

US Journalists Return Home from North Korea with Bill Clinton
THE TELEGRAPH: Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the two US journalists freed after 140 days in captivity in North Korea, have returned home with Bill Clinton to a tearful reunion with their families in Los Angeles.



Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were flanked by the former US president Bill Clinton, whose meeting with the reclusive Jong-il had secured their liberty during a surprise 20-hour visit to Pyongyang, as they gave their first account of their escape from a 12-year sentence of hard labour.

"Thirty hours ago, Euna Lee and I were prisoners in North Korea," said Miss Ling, struggling to remain composed. "We feared that at any moment we could be prisoners in a hard labour camp. Then suddenly we were told that we were going to a meeting.

"We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president Bill Clinton. We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives [was over].

She added: "Euna and I would just like to express our deepest gratitude to president Clinton and his wonderful, amazing, not to mention super-cool team ... and the United States Secret Service who travelled half way around the world, and then some, to secure our release." >>> Toby Harnden in Washington | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Lubna Hussein: Justice Deferred
THE GUARDIAN: Lubna Hussein's trial for 'indecent dressing' has been postponed. But whatever the result she has struck a blow for women's rights

The trial of Lubna Hussein was postponed for the second time yesterday. Under the pretext of attempting to determine whether Hussein had truly revoked her immunity from prosecution when she resigned from her UN position, the authorities have bought more time to find a face-saving resolution to the debacle. This is looking more and more unlikely as Hussein's campaign gathers momentum both at home and abroad.

Initially, she was viewed as something of a loose cannon in Khartoum. So many before her had suffered the pot luck fate of flogging and retreated to lick their wounds in private for fear of attracting more shame and indignity. In a naturally demure and modest society, any suggestion of inappropriate behaviour leaves a woman with no option but to try and minimise the damage to her reputation and quell the "no smoke without fire" whispers.

But now that spell has been broken. Around 50 female protesters braved tear gas and baton beatings from police outside court yesterday, tying their fate to Lubna's. An ancillary case is brewing as another journalist faces an exorbitant fine for criticising the government's handling of the case. By breaking through the self-imposed barrier of fear of what others would think, Lubna has stripped her punishment of all its power and turned the tables spectacularly. If ultimately she is flogged her "martyrdom" will be complete – if she is found innocent the government will be humiliated and public order laws made a mockery of. >>> Nesrine Malik | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Une cartouche de fusil de chasse dans le courrier de Sarkozy
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: MENACES | Les services de sécurité de la République française ont intercepté une lettre de menaces avec munition adressée au président Sarkozy.

Une lettre contenant une cartouche de fusil de chasse de gros calibre, adressée au président de la République Nicolas Sarkozy, a été interceptée mardi par les services de sécurité, a-t-on appris mercredi de sources proches du dossier. >>> AFP | Mercredi 05 Août 2009

Who Is Really Being Dishonest About Islam?
AINA: In his "The Faith Divide" blog at the Washington Post's website, Eboo Patel took umbrage Monday at two recent reviews in the New York Times Book Review charging "Dishonesty About Islam in the NYT Book Review." Patel was angry at favorable reviews of what he called "Bruce Bawer's alarmist book Surrender" (about which he huffed, "the subtitle says it all: Appeasing Islam, Sacrificing Freedom") and Christopher Caldwell's Reflections on the Revolution in Europe (which was reviewed by Fouad Ajami). Yet while making the improbable claim that the New York Times printed material that was dishonest and negative about Islam, Patel showed himself to be not a little disingenuous -- suggesting that before he call these reviewers on their alleged dishonesty, he should look to his own.

"Ajami," complains Patel, "opens his piece by juxtaposing two disparate pieces of history: the departure of Spain's last Muslim ruler in 1492, and the terrorist attacks on Madrid in 2004. 'A circle was closed,' Ajami writes, 'and Islam was, once again, a matter of Western Europe.'" What is wrong with this? "The Muslim presence in medieval Spain," asserts Patel, "is widely regarded as a time of tolerance, good government and support for the arts and education. In fact, Ajami himself wrote a positive review of one of the many books on that era, Maria Rosa Menocal's The Ornament of the World. Placing Al-Andalus, as it was known, in the same breath as a ghastly terrorist attack - as if to say 'Here's what happens when Muslims are around' - is beyond questionable. A dead fish wouldn't want to be wrapped in a newspaper article with that level of intellectual dishonesty."

Funny that Patel should mention Menocal. Certainly her Ornament of the World is largely responsible for the contemporary myth of a tolerant, pluralistic, proto-multicultural Al-Andalus. But even Menocal, in that very book, admits that tolerance and pluralism went only so far in Muslim Spain, which institutionalized discrimination against Jewish and Christian dhimmis:

The dhimmi, as these covenanted peoples were called, were granted religious freedom, not forced to convert to Islam. They could continue to be Jews and Christians, and, as it turned out, they could share in much of Muslim social and economic life. In return for this freedom of religious conscience the Peoples of the Book (pagans had no such privilege) were required to pay a special tax -- no Muslims paid taxes and to observe a number of restrictive regulations: Christians and Jews were prohibited from attempting to proselytize Muslims, from building new places of worship, from displaying crosses or ringing bells. In sum, they were forbidden most public displays of their religious rituals. (Pp. 72-3)

So much for a paradise of tolerance and multiculturalism. Historian Kenneth Baxter Wolf observes that "much of this new legislation aimed at limiting those aspects of the Christian cult which seemed to compromise the dominant position of Islam." After enumerating a list of laws much like Menocal's, he adds: "Aside from such cultic restrictions most of the laws were simply designed to underscore the position of the dimmîs as second-class citizens." >>> Robert Spencer, FrontPageMagazine (JihadWatch)| Tuesday, August 04, 2009

The Islamic Mein Kampf
View ‘The Islamic Mein Kampf'* here
*Be advised that many of these images are disturbing, and will not be appropriate for minors. Viewer discretion is therefore advised.

Muslim Persecution of Christians
View ‘Muslim Persecution of Christians’* here
*Be advised that many of these images are disturbing, and will not be appropriate for minors. Viewer discretion is therefore advised.

Obama the Joker

Ahmadinejad Sworn in for 2nd Term as Iran’s President
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran addressed the parliament after being sworn into a second term as president. Photo: The New York Times
THE NEW YORK TIMES: BEIRUT, Lebanon — With his adversaries shunning the ceremony and security forces on the streets, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn into office for a second term Wednesday, almost two months after elections that divided the nation and sparked Iran’s deepest crisis since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago.

Protests erupted outside the parliament building as he was inaugurated, with several people arrested and police using pepper spray to disperse demonstrators, according to news reports. Severe reporting restrictions in Iran hindered efforts to gauge the scale of the demonstration.

The official IRNA news agency said there was no “disturbance of the peace” on major streets and traffic circles in the Iranian capital during the inauguration, The Associated Press reported, quoting witnesses as saying at least 10 people were detained by police.

Witnesses said the detainees included protesters in black T-shirts in a show of grief over Mr. Ahmadinejad’s inauguration, The A.P. said. The state-run broadcaster Press TV said more than 5,000 members of the security and police forces had gathered around the parliament building while officers with sniffer dogs patrolled the area.

In a relatively low-key speech, news reports said, Mr. Ahmadinejad attacked foreign detractors, appealed for national unity, pledged a “stronger” foreign policy with “more effective new plans” and said he would “spare no effort to safeguard the frontiers of Iran.”

Speaking from a podium bedecked with yellow flowers, he did not directly allude to the huge street protests that have riven Iranian society since opposition leaders accused the authorities of rigging the June 12 election in which Mr. Ahmadinejad was awarded an overwhelming victory. His election was formally endorsed earlier this week by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On Wednesday, Mr. Ahmadinejad urged national unity, saying: "We should join hands as we move forward to fulfill our goals,” The A.P. reported. He said his government would “resist any violation of law and interference.”

“We will not remain silent, we will not tolerate disrespect, interference and insults,” he said. >>> By ROBERT F. WORTH and ALAN COWELL | Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Bill Clinton Secures 'Pardon' for Imprisoned Journalists after Meeting North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il
TIMES ONLINE: Bill Clinton burst back on to the global political stage yesterday in the unlikely setting of North Korea — and orchestrated an immediate and spectacular diplomatic coup.

Within hours of the former US President shaking hands with Kim Jong Il, his reclusive host, North Korea announced that two imprisoned American journalists would be pardoned and released. Laura Ling and Euna Lee, sentenced to 12 years of hard labour in June after being convicted of spying, are expected to be on board Mr Clinton’s private jet when he leaves Pyongyang today.

“We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms,” their families said in a statement.

Mr Kim’s “special pardon” was a sign of North Koreas’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy”, the state’s official news agency said.

The appearance of the world’s most gregarious former head of state in the rogue state took all sides by surprise. It also suggested that President Obama is prepared to use the formidable political skills possessed by the husband of his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, when it suits him.

Mr Clinton’s success raised hopes that North Korea may soon be enticed back to multinational disarmament talks, after three months of mounting tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme.

The breakthrough came after what the North Korea media described as “sincere and exhaustive discussions” on a range of matters between Mr Clinton and Mr Kim. The North Koreans said the former US President had flown to Pyongyang bearing a “courteously conveyed” personal message from Mr Obama.

The White House denied that a message had been sent and described Mr Clinton’s trip as a “solely private mission”. Behind the scenes, the Obama Administration had approved the trip after North Korean officials were said to have told the journalists’ families that they were prepared to release them to Mr Clinton. The families then approached the former President.

In another striking break with tradition, footage of Mr Clinton’s arrival and images of his meeting Mr Kim were aired almost immediately on North Korea’s tightly controlled state television channel. >>> Leo Lewis in Tokyo, and Tim Reid in Washington | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

JK Divorce Entrance Dance!

LEMONDROP.COM:
Viral Wedding Video: The Divorce Version! >>> Andrea Zimmerman | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Just in case you missed the wedding, here it is: Only in America! JK Wedding Entrance Dance, St Paul, Minnesota >>> Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Clinton in Nordkorea: Botschafter ohne offizielle Botschaft
STERN.DE: Fakt ist: Ex-US-Präsident Bill Clinton hat in Pjöngjang Nordkoreas Machthaber Kim Jong Il getroffen. Fraglich bleibt, ob Clinton geschickt wurde. Während nordkoreanische Medien behaupten, Clinton habe eine offizielle Botschaft überbracht, spricht das Weiße Haus von einer "ausschließlich privaten" Reise.

Die USA haben überraschend Bill Clinton nach Nordkorea geschickt, um die Freilassung von zwei inhaftierten Journalistinnen zu erwirken. Als erster hochrangiger US-Politiker seit neun Jahren traf der Expräsident am Dienstag mit Staatschef Kim Jong Il zusammen. Clinton habe "höflich" eine mündliche Botschaft von US-Präsident Barack Obama übermittelt, hieß es in einer Meldung der amtlichen nordkoreanischen Nachrichtenagentur KCNA. Kim habe sich dafür bedankt. Bei dem Gespräch habe es einen "weitreichenden Meinungsaustausch" gegeben. Das Weiße Haus dementierte umgehend, dass Clinton eine Botschaft Obamas überbracht habe. "Diese Berichte treffen nicht zu", sagte ein Sprecher am Dienstag. >>> AP/DPA | Dienstag, 04. August 2009

Paris critique la censure 
d'un sondage au Maroc
LE FIGARO: Le quotidien Le Monde et un hebdomadaire indépendant ont été interdits pour avoir voulu évaluer la popularité de Mohammed VI. Le roi y était pourtant plébiscité.

A l'occasion du dixième anniversaire de l'arrivée au pouvoir de Mohammed VI, TelQuel, le premier magazine marocain, s'est associé au Monde pour réaliser un grand sondage sur la popularité du roi. Cet exercice banal en Occident s'est révélé beaucoup plus périlleux au Maroc. Jamais auparavant un sondage sur la popularité d'un chef d'Etat n'avait été mené dans un pays du monde arabe, souligne le quotidien français.

Avant même la parution du magazine et de sa version arabophone, Nichane, dans les kiosques, le ministre marocain de l'Intérieur, Chakib Benmoussa, a fait saisir samedi le numéro contenant le sondage et l'a fait détruire. Lundi soir, c'était au tour du Monde de se voir saisi dès son arrivée à l'aéroport de Casablanca et privé de vente dans les kiosques. «La monarchie ne peut être mise en équation, même par la voie d'un sondage», a justifié le ministre de la Communication, Khalid Naciri.

La France a critiqué mardi cette décision de Rabat. «Nous sommes particulièrement attachés à la liberté d'expression, protégée par le Pacte international des Nations unies relatif aux droits civils et politiques qu'a ratifié le Maroc, et à son corollaire, la liberté de la presse», a assuré le porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères, Romain Nadal. Cette réaction française à une décision politique marocaine fait figure d'exception dans les relations entre les deux pays. Ces derniers entretiennent des liens privilégiés et Paris soutient généralement les décisions de Rabat. >>> Caroline Politi (lefigaro.fr) avec AFP | Mardi 04 Août 2009

Communiqué du Groupe TelQuel: Forte condamnation des saisies de TelQuel et Nichane
TELQUEL: Le Groupe TelQuelcondamne avec force et énergie la saisie et la destruction de 100 000 exemplaires des magazines TelQuel et Nichane, dont il est l’éditeur, sur décision des autorités publiques marocaines. Samedi 1er août, alors que ces exemplaires étaient encore sous presse, le ministère de l’Intérieur a en effet ordonné leur saisie, puis leur destruction dans les locaux même de leur imprimerie. Les autorités reprochent à TelQuel et Nichane d’avoir voulu publier, en partenariat avec le journal français Le Monde, un sondage d’opinion sur le bilan des 10 ans de règne de Mohammed VI. Même si les résultats de ce sondage démontraient que les Marocains plébiscitent le souverain dans leur écrasante majorité – 91% estiment en effet que son bilan est « positif » à « très positif » – le porte-parole du gouvernement a jugé que « la monarchie ne pouvait être sujette à débat, même dans le cadre d’un sondage ». >>> Groupe TelQuel, Casablanca | Dimanche 02 Août 2009

International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Condemns Seizure of Magazines
IFEX: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today strongly condemned the order issued last Saturday by the Minister of the Interior to seize and destroy over 100,000 copies of two weeklies, TelQuel and Nichane magazines, which carried results of an opinion poll on King Mohammed VI's decade on the throne.

According to the Syndicat National de la Presse Marocaine (SNPM), an IFJ affiliate, the order was implemented while the magazines were in press. The ministry alleges that the publishers, the TelQuel group, contravened current legislation by publishing, in partnership with the French daily Le Monde, the results of an opinion poll assessing the last ten years of government since King Mohamed VI came to power.

"Once again the Moroccan authorities have scored an own goal. To mark the tenth anniversary of the king's accession to the throne, they have been trumpeting new liberties they claim he initiated in matters of press freedom and civil liberties," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ President. "By banning the publication of a mere opinion poll, the authorities have shown they are still prepared to behave as intolerant dictators."

According to the syndicate, the decision was doubly illegal as there is no legislative text that allows for the pulping of newspapers without a judicial order nor any legislation that forbids the publication of opinion polls. >>> | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Bill Clinton Meets North Korean Leader Kim Jong Il for Talks
TIMES ONLINE: Bill Clinton, who flew into North Korea today on a surprise mission to secure the release of two American journalists, was taken from the airport into a rare face-to-face meeting with the regime’s “Dear Leader”, Kim Jong Il.

The unexpected summit meeting has raised hopes across the region that North Korea may soon be enticed back to multinational disarmament talks after three months of mounting atomic tensions and provocation.

North Korea’s official news agency reported that Mr Clinton and Mr Kim engaged in “sincere and exhaustive discussions” on a range of issues and that the former US president came armed for his encounter with a “courteously conveyed” personal message from Barack Obama. The White House quickly denied there had ever been such a message.

In another striking break with tradition, footage of Mr Clinton’s arrival and images of his meeting with Mr Kim were aired almost immediately on North Korea’s tightly-controlled state television channel – an indication, said close observers of North Korea, of how the visit will likely be used by the regime to parade its out-manoeuvring of the US.

It appears that the groundwork for the talks were well-laid and that Mr Clinton is likely to return to the US with the two journalists in tow on Wednesday. Although nominally carried out in a private capacity, Mr Clinton’s visit is believed to have the double purpose of both freeing Laura Ling and Euna Lee from their sentence of 12 years hard labour and of bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table on nuclear weapons.

Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have deteriorated rapidly since May after the unpredictable regime test-fired what it said was a nuclear device and declared the six party” multinational disarmament talks with South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, America “dead in the water”.

The Pyongyang state news agency put what experts said was a predictable spin on the visit, declaring that Mr Clinton had first appealed for the release of the two American prisoners and then for the opportunity to meet Mr Kim – a request that was graciously granted. >>> Leo Lewis | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

Schwul im Gottesstaat

ZEIT ONLINE: Auch Darius hat in Teheran gegen die Wahl protestiert. Obwohl er sonst lieber unauffällig bleibt. Er ist schwul, und auf Homosexualität steht in Iran die Todesstrafe.

Es war das erste Mal in seinem Leben, dass Darius nicht vor den Sittenwächtern weggerannt ist. Er stand inmitten einer Großdemonstration auf dem Platz der Revolution in Teheran. Reckte seine Fäuste in den Himmel und schwenkte ein grün bemaltes Betttuch. Grün wie die Hoffnung, grün wie die Parteifarbe von Mir Hussein Mussawi, dem gemäßigten Präsidentschaftskandidaten, dem Darius seine Wahlstimme gegeben hatte.

Einen Tag nach dem Protestmarsch sitzt Darius in seinem Lieblingsrestaurant im Zentrum von Teheran und zerlegt einen Kebab-Spieß mit der Präzision eines Chirurgen. Sein marineblaues Sakko verschmilzt mit den türkisfarbenen Kacheln an der Wand. Darius will ein alkoholfreies Bavaria-Bier bestellen, der Kellner übersieht ihn.

Darius ist geübt darin, nicht aufzufallen. Er ist schwul, und auf Homosexualität steht in Iran die Todesstrafe. Mehr als 4000 Männer, die Männer lieben, wurden seit der Islamischen Revolution an Baukränen erhängt. Darius lebt in ständiger Angst vor dem Regime. Doch als der Verdacht aufkam, dass Ahmadineschad das Wahlergebnis gefälscht hatte, fühlte auch Darius sich betrogen. Er wollte sich nicht länger verstecken und demonstrierte. Er ging für Gerechtigkeit und mehr Freiheiten im Alltag auf die Straße.

Auch unter Mussawi als iranischem Präsidenten würde es keinen Christopher Street Day in Iran geben, keine Aids-Schleifen oder Gay-Clubs. Trotzdem erhoffte Darius sich von dem Reformer eine verbesserte Situation für die Schwulen im Land. "Mussawi hat uns Presse- und Meinungsfreiheit versprochen", sagt er. Das könnte nach und nach zu größerer gesellschaftlicher Toleranz gegenüber Minderheiten führen.

Seine Meinung frei zu äußern, wagt Darius bisher nicht einmal vor seiner Familie. Sein Großvater war Ajatollah, ein geistlicher Kleriker, und seine Eltern würden ihn persönlich ins Gefängnis schleppen, wenn sie wüssten, dass ihr Sohn homosexuell ist. Das weiß er, weil sein Vater es einmal beiläufig in einem Nebensatz sagte. Seitdem lässt Darius vor ihm hin und wieder ein paar schwulenfeindliche Sprüche fallen. Nicht einmal sein Zwillingsbruder weiß, dass Darius auf Männer steht. >>> Von Carola Hoffmeister | Mittwoch, 01. Juli 2009

Iranian Queer Railroad >>>

Radio Raha >>>

Port du voile : Al-Qaïda menace la France
lePARISIEN.fr: Le numéro deux d'Al-Qaïda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, s'en est violemment pris à la France pour sa prétendue hostilité au voile islamique, estimant qu'elle «va payer pour tous ses crimes», rapporte ce mardi le centre américain de surveillance de sites islamistes SITE.

«La France prétend être un pays laïque alors que son coeur est plein de haine pour les musulmans», a déclaré le chef d'Al-Qaïda en réponse à une question d'un site islamiste sur une prétendue hostilité de la France au port du hijab.

«La France va payer pour tous ses crimes», a-t-il conclu. >>> leparisien.fr | Mardi 04 Août 2009