Keep your eye on the ball, society

If you’ve been following my twitter updates, you’ve seen that I have been living in Nepal and South Asia for the last 6 weeks. Believe me, there is a lot to talk about…and I’m not quite sure where to start. But I decided to step away from the temple-lined trails of Lumbini and take my eyes off of the snow-covered mountains in Pokhara, at least for a few minutes, to write about a very serious situation that is talking place back home. No, its not President Obama’s remark about Kanye West or the latter’s behavior on television. The title of this post is not about H1N1 either, its something that has claimed 10 times as many victims.

From BBC News:

Gunmen have carried out another attack on a drugs rehabilitation centre in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, killing 10 people and injuring two others.

The shooting follows the deaths of 18 people in an attack on a separate rehab centre in the same city this month.

Such shootings have been blamed on drug traffickers who accuse the clinics of protecting dealers from rival gangs.

A vicious inter-gang drug war in Ciudad Juarez has seen some 1,400 drug-related deaths so far this year.

Thousands of extra police and troops have been deployed in the city, which is on the US border, to try to stem the inter-gang violence.

The latest killings took place at the Anexo de Vida clinic.

I read the international news the other day and came across the headlines that have been coming out of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico’s largest border city and ground zero for narco-terrorists and their horrific antics that include mass killings, beheadings, and forms of torture that are among the most gruesome in the world. The most dangerous people don’t necessarily linger in the mountains of Pakistan, as some people believe. Even those who scoff at the “War on Terror”, such as Isolationists like Ron Paul, should be able to see the seriousness of this threat. At the very least, we should feel for our neighbors on the other side of the border who have to live with a nightmare like this because of America’s obsession with drugs.

Just two weeks from now

Hard to believe I’m going to be in Kathmandu, Nepal, in under two weeks. I’ve been reading up as much as I can and keeping in touch with friends and contacts who live there, but I can’t imagine I will understand the spectacular culture  the city has to offer until I am actually walking through its streets. Its hard to express my excitement through a blog post.

Anyway, here is a video I found on YouTube, taken by a traveler, of traffic in Kathmandu.

I will be leaving for Delhi even sooner…in fact, I’ll be heading out there just days from now. During my stays in both countries, I will be blogging and updating twitter regularly, although it will probably be from an internet cafe half the time.

Time to call it as it is

Yes, Iraq still exists. There was a time when it was the biggest story out there. It was in a state of complete chaos, devastating bombings rocking the country on a daily basis and militias roaming the street day and night, terrorizing and killing anyone who visited the wrong mosque. The situation was labeled a “civil war” by the media and just about anyone who tried to prove the opposite—that hope was not lost— was dismissed as a neocon or a “warmonger”. That was the past.

These days, the Baghdad correspondents who many Americans invited into their homes in the evening to tell tales of death and destruction have gradually disappeared. Often, a Google search of certain Iraqi cities will yield few results. With two successful elections this year, stunning security success, and a departure of US troops from major cities, Iraq is on track to succeed.  But, despite a dramatic drop in news coverage that trends opposite a rise in progress and stability, you can still find regular articles in the newspaper, on TV and on the internet about the” War in Iraq”; usually they are about troop withdrawals or an attack that the enemies of humanity—the “minutemen”, as Michael Moore termed them—manage to pull off against Iraq’s civilian population. Either you hear that, or you hear nothing…that’s an industry that’s supposed to bring fairness and accuracy to the American population at work for you. Quite an achievement in society, isn’t it?

Although there is much work to be done, its time for the media to stop referring to the situation as “the war” and focus instead on Iraq’s emergence as a sovereign country with a fully capable army and police force that brought law, order, and stability to major Iraqi cities that were once deemed “lost” to the insurgency by conniving politicians, like Harry Reid, and hatchet-piece news reports that have had an awful tendency to dot the front pages of the New York Times and the evening news. In fairness to the Iraqi people, whether or not Iraq is “at war” can rightfully be questioned. Misleading the public by portraying Iraq as something it’s not is detrimental not only to society, but to humanity. Its hard to argue that a stable Iraq is in everyone’s interest, unless of course it doesn’t fit into your zealous political aspirations.

The biggest indication that Iraq’s dark days are behind it is the face of the insurgency, or lack thereof. Zarqawi is dead. Abu Ayyub Al-Maasri, his replacement, has not been heard from since 2007 and reports suggest he is in Afghanistan.  Al-Sadr and his hiddeous deputy, Abu Deraa, have scurried off to Iran without even a whimper. As of today, every man who has taken a major role as a leader in the insurgency has been killed, jailed, or fled the country, leaving the so-called resistance without leadership or any form of  logistical organization. Running gun battles and ambushes targeting the Iraqi Security Forces are down almost one-hundred percent while the ISF rules the streets in Basra, Ramadi, and Diyala. Then there are the elections. Last January saw a peaceful and successful democratic election that gave Iraqis the chance to join other democracies without having suicide attackers and car bombs detonate as they lined up. Last week, Iraq’s Kurdistan region went to the polls in a peaceful and efficient election, bringing a death blow to the once-resilient criticism that Iraq could never become a functioning democracy.  In layman’s terms, it’s over…everyone who wanted to see the Iraqis fail at building a stable, democratic society has lost, pure and simple. And “everyone” covers a lot of ground, from the despotic Arab regimes that surround Iraq, to the still blood-soaked streets of Tehran, and the halls of Congress that were witness to countless resolutions drafted up congressmen and woman who sought to derail the success of Iraq and Iraqis to protect their political investments. The latter have both a (D) and an (R) in front of their names.

Iraq still faces trouble, particularly from its neighbors. As the uprising in Iran refuses to give up, its hard to predict what the regime in Tehran could do if 70 million people hungry for democracy and secularization bring it into its death throws. We all know the horror of what the Baathists, Saddam supporters, and Sunni extremists did to Iraq after they fell from power, there is no doubt that, if Khomeinism implodes, it could spew out the same terrorism—such as market and café bombings—and Iraq could bear the brunt of this, especially if the Mullahs and their allies sought to shift media attention away from their demise, which is becoming more of a possibility each day. Personally, I don’t think it’s a coincidence June saw an increased rate of high-profile attacks against Iraqi civilians as protests raged next door in Iran. Of course, a desperate and humiliated Al-Qaeda in Iraq was also eager to make it seem as if their attacks, not the June 30^th deadline, were driving American soldiers from Iraqi cities and back to their bases. Despite rabid media hopes and speculation, the violence that hit parts of Iraq in June has not spilled over into July, and this month looks to be as calm as May, which was the calmest month in Iraq since 2003.

A congragulations and an apology to the people of Iraq from politicians across the United States should be in order. I’m not naïve though, and you shouldn’t be either. In the eyes of the Reids and Pelosis of the world, Iraq mind as well have spun off the earth’s axis. It was a subject that scored them a few cheap political points and could be swept under the rug when everything backfired. In fact, if it wasn’t for the financial crisis, I can’t help but feel that American voters might have seen what had been going on behind the curtains and rightfully voted against these people. It amazes me how a Senator can declare an effort lost and refer to a 4-star general as a liar without being ran straight out of office. 2010 could bring some solace to those of us who stood by Iraq in the most difficult of times, but the real solace comes in the continued growth and success in Iraq: the markets re-opening, the schools being built, and the brave young men and women who enlist into Iraq’s security forces and take an oath to protect their fellow citizens, so they can bring their children in a nation that could prove to be the Middle East’s greatest success story.

What has communism achieved?

What has communism helped us achieve? I think this is a good question. I’ve been hearing a lot about communism lately. From middle-aged veterans, like the ones you can find across Berkeley, to college students who have been indoctrinated into believing that the genocidal wisdom of Lenin, Marx, and Mao somehow has something positive to offer the world, communism and socialism are being put forward by some as the solution to the world’s financial difficulties.

A Maoist rebel prepares to attack in Bihar, India (photo from Topnews, India)

When I get into debates about the subject, I always start by asking “What has communism done to benefit society? ” The answer to this question is an elusive one, because unless you consider re-education camps, Stalin’s Purges, or Kim Jong Il’s cult-like dictatorship a benefit to society you have few examples to provide. Capitalism has provided us with much of what we take for granted today—automobiles, railroads, airplanes, internet access, computers, toilet paper—the list goes on. However,  a lot of pro-leftist/communist sorts will talk about Fidel Castro and Cuba—its health care system, its infrastructure, its emergency-preparation—and how that system has helped the people of Cuba. Well then, if Cuba is such a stunning success story, why is it that so many people on the island are willing to attach themselves to floating objects that are far from seaworthy and paddle their way to America?

Even if it’s conceded that Cuba has built a successful communist system (which it has not), it has come at the expense of human rights and liberties that Castro’s defenders on US soil take for granted. After all, it doesn’t take more than mild criticism of the brothers’ Castro to end up rotting in some jail. Ironically, American leftists who defend Castro often rant about the evils committed by the US Government in Guantanamo Bay, which, compared to Castro’s prison system, would probably be a luxury retreat to the thousands of prisoners being held in Cuba. I’m not advocating or supporting the things that have happened down in Gitmo, but 3 square meals a day, regular health checkups, freedom to pray, and a clean cell are hard to come by if you get picked up by Cuba’s State Security Forces. Perhaps it’s no surprise that several Guantanamo inmates linked to the Uighur separatist movement  have made very clear they would rather remain in prison than be deported back to Communist China, a country that has all but silenced the Muslim population of their native Xinjiang Province.

Enough about Cuba though…I’d like to talk more about what communism has offered society, both in the past and today, that has been of benefit. Unless you are moved by death, destruction, and dismemberment, this list of latest accomplishments by communists and their sympathizers will not impress you.

Communism’s role in today’s society:

July  24^th, 2009: The “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea” executes a woman for distributing bibles and spreading the Christian Faith. She was executed last month despite a claim by the North Korean Government that the state guarantees freedom of religion.

July 20^th, 2009: FARC rebels attack a town in southeastern Columbia, injuring dozens of people and killing three others, including two teenagers.

July, 2009: Maoist bombers take down 36 policemen in India’s remote East with multiple landmine blasts and a ferocious gunbattle.  A dozen more officers are seriously injured and several others remain missing. The assailants—the feared Naxalite rebels, are inspired by the communist teachings of “Revolutionary” Mao Zedong and Lenin

Meanwhile, the Naxalites have issued a threat against Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, vowing that he will meet the “same fate” as former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was assassinated in Sri Lanka by a female suicide bomber dispatched by the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). Considering that the Naxalites have begun to imitate the LTTE in other tactics, does this mean that they are ready to strap themselves in explosives and go after Indian politicians? The answer remains to be seen, but communists attacking world leaders with suicide vests is one of the last things this world needs right now.

So does this type of system offer us hope in a challenging economic climate? You be the judge, my friends.

The world awaits

Hey everyone,

I am still here, I’ve just been tied down with all of my busy work lately! As you can see, I have been doing my very best to update my twitter account often on an hourly basis, but I took a couple weeks off from blogging. At the moment, I am in the final stages of preparing for my trip to New Delhi next month. I’m leaving on the 10th and I obtained my 6-month Visa today. I already have the feeling that this is going to be the adventure of a lifetime.

While Delhi is sure to be amazing, I’m most excited about going to Kathmandu, Nepal, where I will be staying for 3 months. Nepal has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, including Mount Everest and the Himalayas. Then of course there is the culture–a spectacular combination of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam–all three of which I will be studying vigorously.

I’ll be posting about some of the most recent events happening in the world very soon. Until then, you can find me on twitter. I also plan to blog extensively about my trip.

Not giving up

I found this video on Twitter. Its a protest that took place in Tehran yesterday.

This morning, CNN removed its special “Iran coverage” section of its website. The global community seems more fascinated with Bernie Madoff and the rash of celebrity deaths. Ahmadinejad, who makes Madoff seem like decent person, continues to make a mockery out of the people of his country. Today he suggested that Neda’s death should be “investigated”.

Here’s the story from AP/Fox:

 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked Iran’s cleric-controlled judiciary on Monday to investigate the killing of Neda Agha Soltan, who became an icon of Iran’s ragtag opposition after gruesome video of her bleeding to death on a Tehran street was circulated worldwide.

 

Ahmadinejad’s Web site said Soltan was slain by “unknown agents and in a suspicious” way, convincing him that “enemies of the nation” were responsible.

 

The regime has implicated protesters and even foreign intelligence agents in Soltan’s death. But an Iranian doctor who said he tried to save her told the BBC last week she apparently was shot by a member of the volunteer Basij militia. Protesters spotted an armed member of the militia on a motorcycle, and stopped and disarmed him, Dr. Arash Hejazi said.

 

 An investigation seems legitimate if it meant that the Iranian government would summon and punish the Basiji and the other thugs roaming the streets–the thugs who, according to an Iranian doctor and many eyewitnesses, murdered Neda in cold blood–but instead it meas that the investiagtion will focus on whether or not “foreign agents” were involved in the killing. In other words, Ahmadinejad is harping on the same card being used by his puppet master, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, blaming the United States, Israel, and the UK for the hatred his countrymen feel for him. Well Mr. Ahmadinejad, I have news for you: when you steal an election and begin a campagin of killing when the people speak out, those people are going to hate you. It doesn’t take an international conspiracy involving MI5, the CIA, and the Mossad to make that happen. And I have more news: its going to take more than a few “Marg bar Amrika! Marg bar Israel!” chants from your dwindling crowd of supporters to help you maintain your grip of power. You can only keep the blood of the innocent hidden under your perverted interpretation of Islam and the false pretense of democracy for so long.

How many more people are going to have the die in vain while the world shrugs its shoulders and lets out a cold sigh of indifference?

More protests from far and wide

I’ve come to realize that I have devoted my blog to giving the Iranian people a voice these last few weeks. Blogs are not like the news, which has unfortunately found much more interest in celebrity deaths and the scandal involving South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Instead, blogs can stay focused on the most important things.

Amidst all this, the Iranian people are not giving up…and their supporters are not giving up either. On Thursday, I attended a rally in San Francisco’s Union Square for a third time. it was my third event in 3 days. Just two days earlier, Iranian-American City Councilman Ross Mirkarimi succeeded in pushing the city to adopt a resolution in support of the protesters in Iran.

The evening concluded with the release of hundreds of green and black balloons, which dispersed above the city. 

Meanwhile, in Iran today, thousands of people rallied outside of the Khobr Mosque, shouting slogans against Ahmadinejad and Khamenei and demanding that their votes be recognized.

Here’s what happened. Remember, its impossible for news sources to verify what’s happening in Iran right now because of extreme reporting restrictions. But the eyewitness accounts of thousands of people taking part in this rally appear to be very true. Even in light of brutal government repression, which President Mousavi’s (that’s the fitting title) wife has termed “martial law”, the Iranian people are still trying to change their country for the better.

Here are a couple more photos from Thursday’s rally…

I thought this was a really great photo…hats off to the designer of the sign.

Roxana Saberi speaks out against Iran

I am glad to see the Roxana Saberi has not forgotten the many others who remain imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison. I wish that more international leaders were like her.

Sorry for the lack of posts…I have been attending many different rallies, including one in San Jose two nights ago where I had the chance to speak. I will update soon and post some photos of these spectacular rallies that are taking place all across the Bay Area.

I have been updating my Twitter regularly…as it is quicker and more efficient than blogging, at least at this moment in time.

Tehran protests reach the Bay Area

The reports that the rallies in Tehran are stretching more than 5 miles across the city may be incorrect. 8,000 plus miles might be more fitting. Over vast oceans, Iranians from around the world are joining with their countrymen and women who are fighting  for their rights in their homeland.

I spent Wednesday evening in San Francisco’s Union Square, standing with the Bay Area’s Iranian-American community to protest the “re-election” of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the brutal crackdown that is causing mayhem and suffering across Iran’s major cities. I was happy to see so many cars honk their horns as they drove past the gathering. Some occupants even yelled to us in support while motorcyclists revved their engines to show that they stand in solidarity with the Iranian people.  

The message was very clear: Iranians from far and wide, all over the world, are not going to stand for what Ahmadinejad has done. Some protesters waved pictures of Mir Hossein Mousavi, declaring that he is the real president of Iran, not Ahmadinejad. . Chants echoed by the protesters included “Oh Iran, please stay well. Ahmadi, go burn in hell!”. I myself held up a sign with a message calling for President Obama to declare his support for Mousavi.

Protesters also called on the UN for support, urging the world body to step in and intervene. Personally, I have little hope that the UN will do anything to help ensure that the will of the Iranian people is represented. After all, this is the same UN that brought Ahmadinejad in as the keynote speaker at a racism conference in Geneva (I have the link to his tirade in my post below). On my way to the protest, I walked past the United Nations Plaza and saw the UN flag flapping in the wind.

After walking through the plaza and meeting up with the protesters, it reminded me that we all live in one world and need to work together to make it a better place. I’ve always thought that was the main message of the United Nations. Right now, the rest of the world isn’t doing enough to help Iran in its struggle for freedom. However, there was no shortage of American citizens who were ready and willing to stand with the Iranian people. Now if only our leaders had that same will…

I will be attending Thursday Night’s protest and hope to have many more photos to post. I urge everyone to follow the election unrest in Iran very closely.

 

Iran’s election reveals two fraudulent leaders

“Hope and Change” probably sounds like a great phrase for the millions of people who are revolting against the theocracy in Iran right now.

For 3 days now I have been following the elections in Iran and I am keeping close contact with some of my Iranian friends who are actively involved in the protests that have nearly brought life in Tehran to a halt. These protests are the most significant since 1979, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, the religious ruler of Iran who hailed the results as a divine victory from God, must be shaking under his robe. Ahmadinejad continues to slap his people in the face by saying the outrage that has set the streets alight is no different than the anger after a soccer match. But what can expected from someone who makes a fool of himself at a UN racism conference and mocks the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Most people I have talked to, even a hard-left European aquantaince I spoke to the other day, believe that Ahmadinejad is nothing short of a fraud, or Ahmadine-fraud, as the media has begun to call him. When the elections started, I felt almost certain that this would happen, because its what you can expect from a thuggish theocracy. That said, my anger is not only reserved for the Mullahs in Tehran, it lies with three of my own politicians who are milling around Washington and elsewhere in the world, grappling to find the right words–or more likely, the better way to keep alive the planned “negotiations” with Ahmadinejad and Khamenei as the legitimate rulers of the Iranian nation. These three would be President Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. One of my favorite authors, Christopher Hitchens, scorched Clinton in his most recent article about the elections in Iran:

Shame on all those media outlets that have been complicit in this dirty lie all last week. And shame also on our pathetic secretary of state, who said that she hoped that “the genuine will and desire” of the people of Iran would be reflected in the outcome. Surely she knows that any such contingency was deliberately forestalled to begin with.

I strongly recommend reading the rest of this article by Hitchens, who is far more experienced on the subject than I am and has traveled to Iran several times, including multiple visits to the mosques that preach the anti-American, anti-Israel diatribe that has allowed the Khomeinists to stay in power these last thirty years.

Anyhow, I am appalled by the lack of outrage expressed by President Obama. Apparently, there isn’t enough “Hope and Change” left over for the people of Iran, who are crying out for help and are being met with a muted response. Who could forget the speech Obama gave the night of his victory? I recall the President vowing to stand up to “those who would tear this world down.” So much for that I guess. At least, many Iranians must be thinking this as they are beaten, electrocuted, and even shot by revolutionary thugs armed with guns by the Iranian authorities.

As the protests rage, Iran holds the potential for a brighter future. My concern right now is that the millions of people marching against theocratic rule are lacking a strong leader who can redefine the meaning of “revolution”. Sure, Mir Hossein Mousavi would have been a better and more receptive leader than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but at the end of the day, he’s still part of the establishment and, according to Kenneth R. Timmerman, played a vital role in the creation of Hezbollah, the Shiite terrorist group that has brought much mayhem to Lebanon, the Middle East, and the world. Luckily, the Iranian proxy, Hezbollah, suffered a humiliating defeat in Lebanon’s recent election. While mentioning this subject, I would like to quote Mr. Hitchens again, who, like me, cannot accept that a demagogue like Ahmadinejad was able to secure re-election while the tide turns on Islamic fundamentalism elsewhere in the world.

The obvious evidence of fixing, fraud, and force to one side, there is another reason to doubt that an illiterate fundamentalist like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad could have increased even a state-sponsored plebiscite-type majority. Everywhere else in the Muslim world, in every election in the last two years, the tendency has been the other way. In Morocco in 2007, the much-ballyhooed Justice and Development Party wound up with 14 percent of the vote. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the predictions of increased market share for the pro-Sharia parties were likewise falsified. In Iraq this last January, the local elections penalized the clerical parties that had been making life a misery in cities like Basra. In neighboring Kuwait last month, the Islamist forces did poorly, and four women—including the striking figure of Rola Dashti, who refuses to wear any headgear—were elected to the 50-member parliament. Most important of all, perhaps, Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah was convincingly and unexpectedly defeated last week in Lebanon after an open and vigorous election, the results of which were not challenged by any party.

Indeed. Hitchens’ summation certainly makes a lot of sense, and I wish that President Obama had the decency to say exactly that in a direct address to the people of Iran–not an address to reach out to the bloody and repressive theocracy, but an address to the Iranians, both young and old, who are tired of living under a country that is ruled by Sharia law and ravaged by unemployment and economic stagnation.

President Obama, you have a chance to stand up for everything you campaigned on. Face the reality that Ahmadinejad and Khamenei are not, and will never be, trustworthy partners in peace. Iran, the United Sates, and the entire international community are at a crossroads that, with or without a good outcome, will be of historical proportions.

All of this, though, is just wishful thinking. The fact is, the situation in Iran, as well as the insanity that is threatening to plunge the Korean Peninsula into nuclear war, has revealed Obama to be a phony and a leader who is incapable of standing up for justice. His first 100 days have been dedicated to protecting the rights of mass murderers like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and he has been very vocal in his opposition to the “Previous Administration”, but sadly his concern for oppression and human rights doesn’t seem to apply to anywhere but his own country.