Peace and Justice Post

The American Muslim (TAM), January 23, 2008

by Sheila Musaji

Geert Wilders is a Dutch politician who has made a 10 minute film on the Qur’an. He says that he wants to “expose” the Qur’an, and his previous statements about the Qur’an and Islam seem to show a commitment to provocation and bigotry that make it clear that this will not be a balanced or honest film.

“The maverick politician’s remarks about Islam have become increasingly radical. In February last year he said that if Muslims wanted to stay in the Netherlands, they should tear out half of the Koran and throw it away. In parliament he then called for the Koran and Hitler’s Mein Kampf to be banned, a proposal that was rejected.” Jason Burke, The Observer 1/20/08

“Wilders has a less-than-stellar record when it comes to cultural sensitivity on the issue of Islam. He has demanded an outright ban on Islam’s holiest book, which he calls a “fascist” text. And he means it when he says ban, according to his website: “Not only the sale, but also the use in mosques and ownership in a household context should be punishable. If the current legislation does not allow that, then a new law on banning the book should be introduced. This book incites hate and murder, and therefore does not fit in with our rule of law. If Muslims want to participate, they must distance themselves from the Koran. I know that is asking a great deal, but we have to stop making concessions.”” Borzou Daragahi, L.A. Times 1/22/08

There is some question as to whether or not the film will be shown on Dutch television.

Continued . . .

Telegraph.co.uk, January 24, 2008

By Joan Clements in The Hague

A politician has warned that a “fear of Islam” is governing Holland after he delayed the release of a short film attacking the Koran.

Geert Wilders, 44, the leader of the Dutch Freedom Party, who compares the Muslim holy book to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf, sparked government panic after saying the anti-Islam film would be released tomorrow.

As Dutch police prepared for a weekend of riots and Mr Wilders was told by the authorities that he would have to leave country, he launched a new attack on “intolerant” Islam while announcing that his 10-minute film attacking the Muslim faith would be postponed for two weeks.

“If I had announced that I was going to make a film about the fascist character of the Bible would there have been a crisis meeting of Holland’s security forces?” he wrote to the Volkskrant newspaper.

“Would I have received as many death threats as I have done since announcing I was making a film about the Koran? Of course not.”

Iran’s parliament, the Majlis, this week warned of “extensive repercussions from Muslims throughout the globe” if the film was broadcast.

In an attempt to defuse tensions, the Dutch government will tomorrow announce that it will not implement a ban on the Islamic burqa dress.

Highly touted increase in U.S. troops impetus for surge in civilian casualties

American Free Press, Issue No. 3, January 21, 2008

By Richard Walker

While the Pentagon and White House, as well as many in Congress declare the “surge” in Iraq a success, little is said about the fact that as many as 24,000 Iraqi civilians died in 2007, representing the second highest casualty figure since the invasion in 2003.

Most of the dead were from areas outside of the capital, Baghdad, where the surge has been concentrated, obscuring a drastic increase in violence in other parts of the country. While the surge has reduced high levels of sectarian deaths in the capital, there is a drastic increase in killings elsewhere.

The problem with representing the surge as a major success is that the overall picture of life in the country is obscured and the level of human tragedy minimized.

In comparing last year’s death toll with that of 9-11, Iraqi civilian casualties in 2007 were 800% higher. That does not include civilians injured and maimed for life, or the dead and wounded within the ranks of the U.S. military and its coalition partners. In 2007, there were close to 900 U.S. military deaths and 5,648 wounded. Forty-seven British soldiers were killed. Those figures hid another statistic: the number of soldiers evacuated from Iraq for treatment related to behavioral and psychiatric issues.

Some reports suggested that close to 1,000 soldiers from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated at the Army medical facilities at Landsthul in Germany. Most were from Iraq and fell into the category of victims of “mental trauma.”

Continued . . .

Yahoo News, January 23, 2008

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush and his top officials ran roughshod over the truth in the run-up to the Iraq war lying a total of 935 times, a study released Wednesday found.

Bush and his administration “waged a carefully orchestrated campaign of misinformation about the threat posed by Saddam Hussein‘s Iraq,” said the damning report entitled “False Pretenses.”

According to the Center for Public Integrity, eight administration officials “made at least 935 false statements” about Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction, or links to Al-Qaeda, on 532 separate occasions.

“In short, the Bush administration led the nation to war on the basis of erroneous information that it methodically propagated and that culminated in military action against Iraq on March 19, 2003.”

Continued . . .

Counterpunch, January 23, 2008

What Gives the US the Right to Claim a Moral Monopoly Over the World?

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

“The first use of nuclear weapons must remain in the quiver of escalation as the ultimate instrument to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction.”

Five Western military leaders.

I read the statement three times trying to figure out the typo. Then it hit me, the West has now out-Owellled Orwell: The West must nuke other countries in order to prevent the use of weapons of mass destruction! In Westernspeak, the West nuking other countries does not qualify as the use of weapons of mass destruction.

The astounding statement comes from a paper prepared for a Nato summit in April by five top military leaders–an American, a German, a Dutchman, a Frenchman, and a Brit. It can be found here.

The paper, prepared by men regarded as distinguished leaders and not as escapees from insane asylums, argues that “the West’s values and way of life are under threat, but the West is struggling to summon the will to defend them.” The leaders find that the UN is in the way of the West’s will, as is the European Union which is obstructing NATO and “NATO’s credibility is at stake in Afghanistan.”

And that’s a serious matter. If NATO loses its credibility in Afghanistan, Western civilization will collapse just like the Soviet Union. The West just doesn’t realize how weak it is. To strengthen itself, it needs to drop more and larger bombs.

Keep reading . . .

 Telegraph.co.Uk, January 24, 2008

By Tim Butcher on the Egyptian side of Gaza’s border

Tens of thousands of Palestinians swept into Egypt after Hamas militants blew holes in Israeli-built border defences that had kept them penned inside the crowded Gaza Strip.

The day Gaza’s Berlin Wall came down Listen now: Tim Butcher describes the Egypt wall breach Leader: Hamas can’t be ignored With Egypt showing no appetite to restore order immediately, Israel’s decades-old control of goods and people reaching Gaza was brought to an end the instant explosive charges punched eight holes in the concrete and steel frontier. It immediately relieved pressure from the recent blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza to try to stop Palestinian militants firing rockets across the perimeter fence into the Jewish state. And it raised the very real threat of Palestinian militants ramping up arms smuggling into Gaza from Egypt to increase attacks on Israel. The international community appeared wrong-footed by the border breach with the United Nations appealing for calm and Jordan warning any Israeli retaliation could derail the peace process. Coninued . . .

Race Against the Clock

Counterpunch, January 22, 2008

By MARJORIE COHN

Nine out of 23 Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee favor starting impeachment hearings against Vice-President Dick Cheney. Six of the nine are co-sponsors of H.R. 799, which contains three articles of impeachment.

Articles I and II of H.R. 799 accuse Cheney of purposely manipulating intelligence to deceive Congress and the American people about a fabricated threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, respectively. Article III charges Cheney with openly threatening aggression against Iran absent any real threat to the United States. All three articles say Cheney’s actions have damaged our national security interests.

Three of the nine Judiciary Committee Democrats who advocate launching impeachment hearings against Cheney, Reps. Robert Wexler (D., Fla.), Luis Gutierrez (D., Ill.) and Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.), co-authored an op-ed that appeared on December 27 in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Keep reading . . .

American Friend’s Service Committee

January 22, 2008

One Day=720 Million Dollars is a video just put out by the American Friend’s Service Committee.

Please forward this video to others. Please keep up action to end this ILLEGAL war.

About this video: Visit http://www.afsc.org/cost to tell Congress how you want your tax dollars spent. The Iraq war has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of U.S. military personnel. It is also costing $720 Million dollars each day – dollars that could be spent in much more constructive ways. It is time to DEFUND the war and RE-FUND human needs in the U.S. and Iraq. Sign our petition at http://www.afsc.org/cost – and send this video to ten friends.

Study: Bush, Other Officials Issued Hundreds of False Statements Before Iraq Invasion

Staff
AP News

Jan 22, 2008 20:48 EST

A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The study concluded that the statements “were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses.”The study was posted Tuesday on the Web site of the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism. The White House did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

The study counted 935 false statements in the two-year period. It found that in speeches, briefings, interviews and other venues, Bush and administration officials stated unequivocally on at least 532 occasions that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction or was trying to produce or obtain them or had links to al-Qaida or both.

Keep reading . . .