Rivers of Exile

Always worth another read July 3, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, US, World , add a comment

The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

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Moroccan Americans: what are our responsibilities? June 30, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, Maroc, US, World, US Congress , add a comment

As I indicated earlier, although unacknowledged in the invites or the agenda, the issue of the Sahara was front and center throughout last week-end’s Moroccan Americans Convention - and although a formal denial was offered, visibly stage-managed by various officials of the Moroccan government. Ironically, when all the official speech-making was over and we were invited to break into discussion groups, the one dedicated to “territorial integrity” was, by far, the smallest and the networking group the biggest. Says it all, really: people aren’t interested in having issues forced down their throat.

Still, there was a definite attempt to convince the audience that the Sahara issue is the foremost issue for Moroccan Americans and that we should all mobilize around it to lobby Congress to - I suppose - support whatever position the Moroccan government holds at any given time. We were repeatedly told - not so much by the Moroccan Ambassador, but certainly by the paid PR/communication (sic) flacks - that the Sahara is our only, and most critical , issue to discuss with Congress. One of the flacks - the clownish, patronizing former US Amb. to Morocco - even went as far as acknowledging that the “POW issue is a clever way of bringing Congresspeople to our side”. He went ahead and even brought up Darfur as a “model” of effective mobilizing - as if we didn’t know the kind of manipulation that issue has been subjected to.
So - let’s see here, about these responsibilities of ours as Moroccan Americans: (more…)

When Moroccan Americans get together… June 28, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, Maroc, US, World, US Congress , add a comment

Last Saturday, I attended a day-long gathering of Moroccan Americans advertized as focusing on “opportunities and responsibilities”. The email invite came from a former colleague that I respect and have known for a long time and I had time, so I went - if only to catch-up with old acquaintances and maybe meet new people. That, I did but the rest was pretty much old school, to say the least.

I got there mid-morning, just as the Ambassador of Morocco was wrapping-up his speech. I had no clue who he was, until I asked the guy sitting next to me, in the back of the room who turned out to be an official at the embassy too. Next to him, was another embassy official. This thing was starting to look “official” to me - which didn’t surprise me at all, although I wished the invite had mentioned it and saved me the trip. I turned my attention again to the Ambassador who was going on about “territorial integrity” (ie the Sahara issue). He even introduced a few former POWs.

Then the MC explained that we would hear from former US Amb. to Morocco, under Bill Clinton, Edward Gabriel whose exceedingly patronizing tone was matched by the hollowness of his presentation. He started off joking that he “knew he was at the right place when he saw signs for the conference room pointing in both directions” - which was a damn lie actually - basically telling the organizers to their face that they are incompetent by virtue of being Moroccan. And the room laughed along with him… He also interjected “couscous” numerous times, basically to indicate how Moroccans do business. And the Moroccans in the room laughed with him. (more…)

The most bigoted nation of the “civilized” - sic - world, period June 5, 2006

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Here we go again, let’s bash gay folks to get the fundies out to vote in November. How retarded is this? My God, don’t the bigots know they are being played? And what the hell kind of argument is it that says “gay marriage ruins marriage?” - How stupid is this? Have they noticed the rates of heterosexual divorce? Hello?

Also - doesn’t the Senate have better things to do these days than to try and go after our fellow citizen’s most basic rights? People are dying all over the place and the debt ceiling is in the stratosphere and these guys want to mess with the Constitution to go after gay people?

Predictable and predicted June 3, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, Political Islam, Iraq, Islam/Arab Phobia, US, World, So-called Democrats, US Congress , add a comment

No satisfaction at all in being proven right, is there? Anyone with a drop of common sense about them knew damn well that the anglo-american invasion/occupation of Iraq was based on lies, had zero chance of “success” - how could it? - and would end up bringing the anglo-american sphere of influence down a few notches.
As for the nauseating abuses of Iraqi civilians all of a sudden “coming to the surface now” as if Iraqi civilians haven’t been the victims of this crazy misadventure from the start - what took so long?

All we can do is continue to pray for peace and justice - while our politicians - Democrats and Republicans alike - continue to mislead us and kill people in our name. For shame.

Nazis gone wild in Montgomery County now??? May 26, 2006

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nazis in rockville

That’s what it looks like to me looking at this NBC pic of a car that belongs to a family friend!!! Seems to me the white supremacists are getting mighty frustrated NOT getting their way despite all the help they’ve had from cable news and talk radio. Don’t know if this has anything to do with my friends’ ethnicity or faith but nothing surprises me.

It’s notoriously dangerous to incite these people and then let them down, you know - we’re all too aware of the role played by hate radio talk in Rwanda and we’ve been getting a heavy dose of something very close to that for a while in this country.

Add to this the fact that - despite all the cheerleading about a “great economy” that only benefits the richest - it’s not working for these jerks who then have to take it out on the neighbors. Reap what you sow, etc.

Oliver Stone on coup against Chávez May 25, 2006

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Via Wolcott who pictures David Horowitz’ head exploding, the Post has the story:

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday that Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone was planning to film a movie about the 2002 coup in Venezuela that briefly ousted the former army officer.

Chavez, a harsh critic of the United States, says U.S. authorities were behind the botched coup that toppled his government for less than two days. U.S. officials dismiss his accusations.

Shame on you Congressman Van Hollen

Posted by Delilah in : General, Islam/Arab Phobia, US, So-called Democrats, Palestine, Maryland, US Congress , add a comment

van hollen

This guy is a jerk. I called his office earlier this week to urge him to vote against this filthy anti-Palestinian, AIPAC suck-up piece of crappy anti-Arab legislation, only to be told that the guy was co-sponsoring the damn thing! Enough said.

Arab Americans and Darfur May 8, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, Islam/Arab Phobia, US, World, So-called Democrats, Palestine , add a comment

Jim Zogby has an unfortunate tendency to see himself as representing the Arab American community - which is not the case at all. The various organizations he founded seem to mostly reflect the Arab American DC establishment; his “AA Leadership PAC” doesn’t discriminate against Arab candidates whose interests are opposite ours (see Congressman Lantos’ kiss-up bunny Darell Issa, R-Ca or that god awful woman who ran for Senate in Louisiana in 2002); his “Gibran Spririt Awards” go to honor - sic - folks like John Sununu Sr. What would Khalil say about being disrespected this way? And, of course, Zogby’s satellite organizations court big Arab business like nobody else.

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More head games

Posted by Delilah in : General, Political Islam, US, World, Iran , add a comment

Show of strength

pic via telegraph.co.uk

I don’t know about you but these guys look dead serious to me. That said, apparently, Iranians are laughing at Blair for Labour poll results and has Ahmadinejad really sent a letter to Bush? That’s what the Yahoo headlines sitting in my inbox have been telling me all day. Curiouser and curiouser - or not so curious, really, when you think about it. After all, wasn’t the game of chess invented in Iran?

Solid smackdown of Hillary May 7, 2006

Posted by Delilah in : General, US, Washington Consensus, So-called Democrats, US Congress , add a comment

Kos has a column in the WaPo today about Hillary’s presidential chances - he says no go and I hope he is right.

Choice quote:

Hillary Clinton leads her Democratic rivals in the polls and in fundraising. Unfortunately, however, the New York senator is part of a failed Democratic Party establishment — led by her husband — that enabled the George W. Bush presidency and the Republican majorities, and all the havoc they have wreaked at home and abroad.

He oui.