Arash Kamangeer, Antiwar.com, 6 September 2008

I grew up in Iran and immigrated to US to avoid living in a theocracy. Lately though, the trajectory of US politics is something to worry about, not only to me, but also to many others in my predicament.

Wednesday night at the Republican convention was an especially poignant moment. I was watching Sarah Palin deliver her acceptance speech. As I was watching her, her family, and her adoring fans in the Republican convention, I could not overcome a feeling that I have seen this scene before…

Right after the Revolution in Iran and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, the Iran-Iraq war was started. To be fair, Iraq started that war, but the new revolutionary leaders of Iran saw the war as a godsend. They milked it for all it was worth. They labeled anyone against the war as a traitor or unpatriotic. Anyone who suggested that there may be a negotiated settlement was ridiculed and purged from power. Even Ayatollah Khomeini once said that this war is a blessing from God himself. You may see the parallels here already, but keep reading.

[Read the article]

Carl Hoffman, The Jerusalem Post, 4 September 2008

You are either going to love this group or hate it, depending on where you stand in Israel’s contemporary political spectrum. There is virtually no middle ground. Looking through the lenses of our politically hyper-polarized society, you will either admire this organization as a beacon of light pointing the way toward a better Israel, or abhor it as a dangerous threat to the country’s very existence.

The organization is called New Profile – A Movement for the Civil-ization of Israeli Society. Founded as a feminist organization 10 years ago to combat what it sees as the “over-militarization” of Israel, New Profile’s primary objectives are to put an end to compulsory military service, provide aid and support to imprisoned refuseniks and conscientious objectors, offer counseling on “all forms of draft resistance and conscientious objection” to high-school graduates prior to their enlistment, advocate resistance to Israel’s “occupation” of the West Bank, and conduct educational programs aimed toward raising public awareness of what the group believes is the over-emphasis of military themes in Israeli society and culture. One such program is a portable, traveling exhibit of photographs entitled, “Neither Shall They Study War Anymore.”

The group’s charter states: “We, a group of feminist women and men, are convinced that we need not live in a soldiers’ state. Today, Israel is capable of a determined peace politics. It need not be a militarized society. We are convinced that we ourselves, our children, our partners, need not go on being endlessly mobilized, need not go on living as warriors… We will not go on being mobilized, raising children for mobilization, supporting mobilized partners, brothers, fathers, while those in charge of the country go on deploying the army easily, rather than building other solutions… We oppose the use of military means to enforce Israeli sovereignty beyond the Green Line. We oppose the use of the army, police, security forces in the ongoing oppression and discrimination of the Palestinian citizens of Israel, while demolishing their homes, denying them building and development rights, using violence to disperse their demonstrations.”

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From the comments section of this post, “Oh, my, the Palin ‘business partner’ suddenly rushed into court to get divorce files sealed”:

Rumor from Alaska is that this refers to an affair the wife, Debbie, had with one of Palin’s advisers. Todd Palin got him fired. Since the order was denied, this will be public soon.

John McCain was a prisoner in Vietnam. So was Gary Glitter, and I’m not voting for him either.

Another comment made to the same post:

NOTE THE DATES ON THESE COMMENTS

From http://www.andrewhalcro.com/shadow_governor#comment-3663

State policy on co-worker relations

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2008-07-26 11:31.

There is no such state policy. Even if there were, Debbie Richter was not Bitney’s co-worker. He worked in the Governor’s Office in the Capitol Building and she works in the Dept. of Revenue in another office building. This was not a matter of any state policy being breached. This is an incident right out of high school–”You’re seeing my ex-girlfriend and me and my gang will get you.” The Palins decided to go after Bitney because Scott Richter, Todd’s friend and Sarah’s ex-boyfriend asked them to. Richter is also a business partner with the Palins in investment property in the Mat-Su Valley. The Palins and Scott Richter would not let it go after John Bitney was hired by Rep. Harris. Richter wanted him fired from his new job and the Palins tried to apply pressure to make this happen. They underestimated Rep. Harris who is tough and honorable–qualities foreign to the Palins. This tawdry affair should sicken Alaskans who care about their State. We elected an individual with no moral compass, no education, no background, no experience, just a blinding need to be the most popular girl in school. “Cute” can only take you so far then the veneer starts to peel.

American Friends Services Committee

Iraq Agreement Draft Available on AFSC.org

What will happen next year when the current U.N. mandate for a multinational military presence in Iraq expires?

U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have tackled that subject and hammered out a draft agreement. You haven’t heard much about it in the media.

But when my AFSC colleague Raed Jarrar found an Arabic-language version of the agreement, he translated it. And we posted it on our web site.

This is the first known public English translation of the document it’s breaking news, and we want to share this important information with you.

Stay tuned for more ways to help create peace and heal the wounds of war in Iraq. If you like, pass it along to your friends.

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