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Posts tagged with: US
Dec 22, 2008    |       94 comments

Why We Must Unite Against the US-Led War on Terror in Pakistan

Ever since Musharraf launched the first incursions into Waziristan in 2002, the military offensives have been controversial, heavy-handed, and extralegal. The recent operations in Bajaur and Swat raise new concerns. Instead of risking loss of ground troops, the top military brass has shifted focus to aerial bombing. Entire villages have been uprooted, creating the largest IDP crisis in our history. As our State bombs Pukhtunwa to a pulp, it relies on our unwillingness to object–to stay silent as our leaders exploit our fear of “Talibanization” to legitimize an illegal and cruel war.
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Dec 17, 2008    |       23 comments

Humor: Send Your Smelly Old Shoes to George W. Bush!

The shoe journalist is now being celebrated world wide to have served George W with a splendid adios, a Facebook group has taken shape asking for participants to send their old smelly shoes to the out going president as a farewell gift.

In solidarity with and in support of the brave Iraqi journalist Muntazer al-Zeidi, we are organizing a flood the White House with your Smelly Old Shoes campaign. From today until his last day in office, we should send Mr. Bush every smelly old shoe that we can find at home or in the street to express our true feelings to a “Job Well-Done”! With his shoes Muntazer al-Zeidi spoke for millions of people and he stands as a hero for speaking Shoes to Power. Below is the address and make sure to send it immediately.

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Dec 15, 2008    |       42 comments

Bush ‘shoed at’ in Iraq – Hilarious

The electronic media is abuzz with reports of an Iraqi journalist who threw two of his shoes at President George Bush who was in Iraq addressing a press conference with the Iraqi President.

The Iraqi television journalist Muthathar al Zaidi threw both of his shoes at and later yelled “This is a farewell kiss, you dog,”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uIj0YvDBKE[/youtube]
Considering what the Bush administration has done with the world at large, I must admit this was really satisfying specially coming from an individual in Iraq. On a lighter note I might also fear that America could now be heading towards implementing a ‘Shoe-less’ travel policy

Dec 13, 2008    |       39 comments

Would We Understand Barack Obama?

Guest Post by Farrah K Raja

For quite a while we the visitors on this blog at least have been going through ups and downs and heated debates, we are not afraid to confront our political traumas and to discus religious or social dilemmas.

We the Pakistanis are a surprise to ourselves. Largely we contained our anger, most importantly in response to Bombay blasts, reading back through comments there are so many different aspects and we have discussed that rationally.

We have tried to maintain our pride, nationalism and genuinely tried to separate and investigate facts from propaganda and in a way it has helped us to understand propaganda against us.
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Nov 24, 2008    |       13 comments

The Pakistan Test

An article appeared in New York Times discussing the tender situation that confronts Pakistan, Nicholas Kristof has presented Pakistans’ case well, more discussion on Pakistan follows on his blog. Nick has offered four solutions on how Barack Obama might help bring Pakistan out of its present problems. First is to slow the money supply to Pakistan as it just needs the political will to stop the insurgency not hard cash, Second is to ease trade barriers so that Pakistani industries develop. Third is to put pressure on India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue and the Fourth is to focus on education Question: Do you agree or would you have more so list out as suggestions

Nov 18, 2008    |       2 comments

Hillary Clinton eyeing US Secretary of State job

It seems Hillary Clinton is set to accept the job of US Secretary of State offered by Barack Obama, who apparently is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration. It might be a good move as it would really bring in the best of what the Democratic party had to offer in these elections. I had believed that had if Hilarry Clinton been in the running for the elections this November she would have easily out gunned McCain. What one still has to figure out is her position on the deteriorating situation in Pakistan.

Nov 7, 2008    |       3 comments

Great American Presidents born from Bad Times

Great presidents born from bad times – Rick Barton shares his thoughts on the newly elected President. If greatness is bestowed upon the American presidents by the seriousness of the problems they face, then the coming months are likely to produce Mount Rushmore-like moments for Barack Obama.

Not since 1932, when Franklin D. Roosevelt prepared to take office amid the depths of the Great Depression, or perhaps since 1860, when little-known prairie lawyer Abraham Lincoln watched powerlessly as a swath of Southern states seceded from the Union, has an incoming president faced such a daunting set of challenges. Is Barack Obama as the new president of the United States of America ready to rise up to the challenges that lay ahead and thence forth be recognized as one of the greatest President of our time?

Nov 6, 2008    |       20 comments

“YES WE CAN” Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States

For anyone who has not watched Barack Obama’s acceptance speech late night on 3rd November to a massive crowd at Grant Park Chicago, do so before proceeding further

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jll5baCAaQU[/youtube]

Its finally over America has finally chosen Barack Obama as its 44th President. History has been created and its for the very first time that an African American will be the official resident of the White House. Not only does it signify that after years of struggling with a pestering issue of racial discrimination Americans have finally risen out and quite possibly millions of ‘white Americans’ may have actually voted for a black man to lead their nation forward
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Nov 5, 2008    |       14 comments

Come Tuesday a Victory of Hope Over Rovesque Fear

Will the US be ever the same again?

Since life is all about flux, we continuously change, therefore any questions of change can be rhetorical in nature.

Yes, caution is advised and one must never underestimate the shenanigans of the neconzix, but the looming victory of Barack Hussein Obama (according to these pundits and this study of polls by Nat Silver) to come November 4, 2009 will be a global watershed event.

The last time the US was this polarized was in 1960 over Kennedy’s Catholicism. And the next time would perhaps be over a woman or a Jew candidate.

The Bush Presidency has managed to drag the US popularity downward throughout the world. He lied and misled the US – a Mass Deception over WMD and led an offensive against Saddam Hussain’s Iraq without a credible exit strategy.
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Oct 27, 2008    |       3 comments

Karachi University Seminar about the Military Operation in Bajaur, Waziristan, Kurram Agency & Swat

On 25th October, Saturday an event was organized in Karachi University organized by Karachi University Teachers Society, (KUTs) in collaboration of Peoples Resistance (PR).

The main speakers were, Mr. Kak Kahil a Peshawar based AJ TV Journalist and Mr. Wali Haider who has just recently returned from the Bajaur region. Both speakers spoke at length about the situation in the region and following their speeches were later peppered with some very interesting questions by the students about Imperialistic war in tribal & the settled areas of Pakistan, both speakers extensively criticized Taliban’s activities while also took the Pakistan Army to task for playing second fiddle to the NATO and US agenda which are leading towards a collapse of the sovereignty of Pakistan. The News reported on the event as follows
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Oct 27, 2008    |       6 comments

Open letter to Obama & McCain by Amina Masood Janjua

The News, Sunday, October 26, 2008

Dear Barak Obama and John McCain,

Whichever one of you wins this election, I wish you success and I hope from the depths of my heart that you will transform the image of America into what it should be. I pray that you are able to show the true face of America to the rest of the world — a face which reflects the values of your ordinary citizens, many of whom I met in a recent trip abroad and which was an eye-opener for me.

I was invited by Amnesty International to visit member states of the EU, the UK and the US on a speaking tour in August/September 2008, to meet politicians, parliamentarians and ordinary citizens, and to convey to them the agony and torment that hundreds of other family members, including myself, of ‘enforced disappeared persons’ are going through. I was amazed that many of the people I met had no idea about this burning issue; of the illegal abductions, the detention of these persons in so-called ‘safe houses’, the torture they are subjected to and the fact that they are denied the right to a fair trial. I was touched by the sympathy and promises of moral and any other support that they could offer in order to relieve us of this ongoing pain.
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Oct 23, 2008    |       38 comments

Don’t Blame the Victim – Detailed analysis of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui’s case

I share with you a detailed report published on the People’s Resistance mailing list analyzing the abduction of Dr. Aafia Siddqui and her ongoing trial in the US Courts. Please take time to read the report and if you agree with the contents then it would be a great help if you can join in the effort to spread the word far and wide to get more support for her.

Download the PDF Version
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Case study

On March 30, 2003, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui disappeared from Karachi along with her three minor children. Media reported that she had been taken by the US authorities with compliance of Pakistani authorities since the FBI had wanted to seek some information from her. In the face of general outcry, the US and Pakistani authorities quickly backtracked but then a year later Pakistani Foreign Office admitted publicly that Aafia had been handed over to the US.1

She became a concern for human rights organizations including Amnesty International who kept the case alive for five years. On July 6, 2008, political party Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf presented a British journalist in Islamabad who said there was reason to believe that Aafia was the “Prisoner 650” at Bagram (Afghanistan) and had undergone brutal rape and torture for five years. Outcry reaches a high water mark and urgent appeals were sent by Asian Human Rights Commission on July 22, to President George Bush and other persons of authority.

On August 4, the US authorities officially admitted of having Aafia in their custody but the US Department of Justice brought forth a charge sheet against her, claiming that she was arrested on July 17 (and not before) while loitering around near the residence of Ghazni’s Governor. They alleged that papers found in her handbag included instructions on making bombs and notes about installations in US.

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Oct 23, 2008    |       11 comments

Some Questions over a Lead Story in The Nation

Guest Blog by temporal who blogs at Baithak

Look at this lead story from the Nation. [also quoted below] – Arrested militants name RAW for funding 680m through Afghan secret agency

  • Where are the credits? Who wrote this story?
  • What are the sources of this story?
  • Is this a scoop or a “leaked” story
  • Does it smack of lifafa journalism?

More questions:

  • If this story is true, how could the GoP handle it better?
  • Should the three persons named be charged and tried in an open court?
  • Media be given free and unbridled access to cover the trial?
  • – to interview the three?

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Oct 15, 2008    |       31 comments

Pakistan is there to live

Guest Blog by Amjad Malik

As long as India keeps dreaming the disintegration of Pakistan, it will survive as a viable state as the very negativity serves the purpose of knitting this crowd of 170 million people into a nation, whenever it is confronted by its arch rival. Editor of Indian Defence Review, Mr. Bharat Verma writes that ‘new Delhi is its own enemy, when it permitted the creation of a pure Islamic state on its borders,” I for one disagree as this state emerged as a result of a successful struggle for independence by millions of Muslims of India who felt that two nation theory is the only viable option to preserve and protect each other’s identity and core values. Indian Hindus too got liberated after remaining under Moghuls for over 6 centuries and then British Raj through the same process due to Gandhi’s vision. Independence was neither granted through diplomacy, nor as a charity. It was snatched on the basis of fundamentals of the modern day democracy, one man one vote’ principle and majority of muslim populated areas vowed to join the newly established idea of ‘Pakistan’ where they saw security, identity and a peaceful enjoyment of civil and political rights, and a freedom of religion, culture and values.
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