Politics - Draft - Briggitte Gabriel - Lebanese Christian survivor of Muslim Burgeoning of Christians

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=140068656022922&ref=mf

Politics - Draft - Can Africa be saved?

Over 150 women were raped in a Congolese village over a 4-day spree. Can Africa be saved?

A woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read!!!
This is not sensationalism or yellow journalism. One inf four men admitted raping a woman in the previous year
BBC

This goes back to the discussion on who is at fault for Africa's state.

Whether this is the colonialism's fault or the inherent lack of adaptation to the Western culture and values. I read an article written by an African defending the latt...er. Lack of progress combined with guns and power lead to more rape and killing.

As Sam has written before, many of the Africans believe the way to cure HIV is to rape a little baby. Many of them rape adolescents and wait around for a chance for an eligible virgin to show up.

I wonder whether Western efforts could help Africa...

there are some things, which are commonly abhorred by all societies and are understood as such on all levels of intelligence, such as rape and child abuse. Th...is is not a West vs. East issue. In fact, they do it, everywhere in the world, to instill fear because they know just how horrible it is. It IS much more accepted there because there is no law and order and because there is no punishment. And yes, I am saying the moral set is absolute when it comes to a basic right of not wanting to be raped.

Another issue, though, is FGM. A lot of people used the West vs. East argument on that one, but this is just defending ignorance! And barbaric rituals and killing of innocent women (girls). The only reason a girl would not protest this on a physical (not emotional) level is because she does not want to be excoriated from her family or society.
This is a point to consider when it comes to a veil or burqa and how we defend women's right to wear it because they WANT to. The question is who really wants THEM to wear it...

Here's another Africa story that was on CNN today, this time from Nigeria
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/08/25/nigeria.child.witches/index.html?hpt=C1#fbid=AL6Iv4iWzFp&wom=false
This is heart breaking how ignorance causes people to abuse their children adn throw them out of their families. This is inconceivable; reminds me or the Scarlet letter...

Politics - Draft - How the left academics fall into the trap of causality

Sam:
Stoler is talking about colonial-like policies of the State of Israel in the Occupied Territories not the State of Israel.

Stoler is one of the greatest scholars in North America. She... and her husband are NYC Jews and she has collaborated many times with TAU.

__

of course you can voice disapproval once you are knowledgeable on the subject and preferably have visited the place. i am not sure it's very easy or safe to visit Congo, but Israel's doors are wide open.

there are a lot of scientists that st...ray away and start pulling for the underdog, just like the rest of the world. Yulia and you have a similar opinion. I wouldn't call the territories occupied, but disputed. And there is no way I would compare colonialism and Israel's policies in the territories . anyway ill read later and comment

The boycotting people are also hypocritical. They use Israeli-made or invented products every day because they are not easy to boycott. If they need an urgent medical treatment, they will even come to Israel to get it if... it were the best place. They boycott Universities because it's easy. They found something painless to boycott. This is all done for show. In general, the idea is if you stop buying specific products thereby reducing the demand, the seller will become weaker and the competitors will take over. So Israel will suffer economically. Would that make Israel treat the Palestinians better and achieve the two-state solution? I doubt it, and probably the opposite will happen. Israel won't be able to donate as much money as it does now. [They are all forgetting the positive images of Israeli surgeons donating their time to operate on Palestinian children and so on. Who else does that for an enemy?]

P.S. I boycott any cosmetic companies that do animal testing, which is actually a lot, so you have to be careful. Dove & Pantene are on the list, Arm & Hammer and a bunch of products I used to use daily. I don't listen to artists that wear fur and I would not be friends with anyone if they did (consider that a warning :)). Part of the reason I do it is because it makes me feel better that I don't contribute to the bad cause. Maybe my refusal to buy these products won't save that many animals, but at least I won't participate. So that's probably how these people feel, and that's why I can sort of relate to that. If they think Israel is an evil machine, they won't buy products from here. Just like I won't buy products from Iran if I can help it.

Politics - Draft - Lieberman voicing his own opinions

s it acceptable for a Minister to make a statement during a visit to a foreign counterpart and then upon criticism say that it was his personal opinion and not his country's position? is he allowed to voice his opinion when it's in dissonance with the official position??

LIEBERMAN. WHO ELSE. TOLD THAT LEAVING A FEW ARABS IN THE PAL STATE ONCE WE DRAW THE BORDERS IS HIS OWN IDEA

Aliza
Theoretically not at all acceptable, but in practice I think that the likelihood that Lieberman would do this sort of thing is a part of the reason Netanyahu chose him for the job. Hes the bad cop that enables Netanyahu to make a somewhat plausible attempt to position himself as the good cop.

Politics - Draft - Bill Clinton's opinion: Russians are an obstacle to peace

"Bill Clinton has caused anger in Israel by describing Russian-speaking immigrants to the Jewish state as a significant obstacle to a peace deal with the Palestinians."www.telegraph.co.uk

There is no expansionism. We have lived in this land since forever. You cannot expand in your own land.
Even Clinton did not compare their zeal toward maintaining the land we have to the expansionism of the Soviet Union.
And Clinton is wron...g in regards to the origin of this zeal.
Russians have seen Chechnya. They have seen terrorism. It hits close to home. Even thosewho are hear for tens of years have someone back home, who has been affected. In some parts of Russia terrorism is more real than it is in Israel (post wall). Suicide bombings are happening. And they are even more brutal, targeting school, for instance.
Russians are much less forgiving. They don't believe in any way of peace besides containing the terorists in their territory and subjecting them to harsh conditions (lightly speaking, when it comes to Chechnya). The Russians believe that peace of mind comes with the price.
They don't care about finding the solution for the Palestinians (or care less) as much as they care about their lives. Of course, there are exceptions.
My friend Racheli, who is a lawyer, is planning to found an association of former FSU lawyers for peace.
There are all kinds of Russians. While Clinton is right about their sentiment, he is wrong about its origin and he is wrong about the Russians being the obstacle. If you want to talk about the obstacles, let's talk about the Palestinians and the lack of a real partner for making peace.

Politics - Idea - Stupidity and Ignorance are popular. Why?

Why are the likes of Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnel gaining popularity in the US? Is this because they can relate to the less-educated voters and those afflicted by religion and losing common sense? Hopefully, those are a minority.

Actually, I think it is quite the opposite. I think statistically right wing politicians/constituents are less educated than their left-wing counterparts.
Radical ideas and simple ...ways of dealing with things (eg this is against god's will) are typically associated with right wing. i think this goes across cultures.
I just watched a video of this new pretty-girl o donnel character who was thabking sarah palin for support and it just made me laugh. The lady is thanking the size of the state for letting her win - getting to know people personally helps w...in the small minds over. Then she said the was
gonna change quote the homeland of our security unquote. Then she tried to
defend her not caring to get a college degree until the age of 40 and lying about it by saying she was paying off her loans just like most of her constituency while apparently she had to take a course. Anyway, most of her constituents apparently like shallow pretty women who cannot speak well and have unoriginal ideas and are sitting in the goverment tempering with science and human rights in the name of god