Police, protesters clash in southern Iran

(A.P.)
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI (AP) – 4 hours ago

TEHRAN, Iran — Security forces and hard-line militiamen assaulted opposition protesters, beating men and women and firing tear gas, as thousands gathered in a central Iranian city for a memorial commemorating the country's most senior dissident cleric, who died this week. The government's crackdown showed signs of moving for the first time against clerics who support the opposition: Basij militiamen surrounded the house and office of two prominent religious figures, shouting slogans and breaking windows, opposition Web sites reported. The death on Sunday of the 87-year-old Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, a sharp critic of Iran's leaders, gave a new push to opposition protests, which have endured despite a heavy security crackdown since disputed presidential elections in June.

His memorials have brought out not only the young, urban activists who filled the ranks of earlier protests, but also older, more religious Iranians who revered Montazeri on grounds of faith as much as politics. Tens of thousands marched in his funeral procession in the holy city of Qom on Monday, many chanting slogans against the government. Wednesday's violence erupted when thousands tried to gather for a memorial to Montazeri at a mosque in the central city of Isfahan, 200 miles (325 kilometers) south of Tehran. They were met by a large force of riot police and Basijis, which stormed the crowds to disperse them, according to a witness and opposition Web sites. Farid Salavati, an Isfahan resident who tried to attend the memorial, said baton-wielding riot police clubbed people on the head and shoulders, and kicked men and women alike, injuring dozens.
"They didn't allow anybody to enter the mosque," Salavati told The Associated Press. "I saw at least two people with blood pouring down their face after being beaten by the Basijis." "Tens of thousands gathered outside for the memorial but were savagely attacked by security forces and the Basijis." He said sporadic clashes continued into the early afternoon, and the memorial at the Sayed Mosque was canceled.

More than 50 people were arrested in the Isfahan clashes, including pro-opposition cleric Masoud Adib, who was expected to address the gathering at the mosque, the Salaamnews and Parlemannews Web sites said. Parlemannews reported that Basijis beat people, including women, and used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. The reports could not be independently confirmed. Iranian authorities have banned foreign media from covering protests. Security forces also surrounded the home of Ayatollah Jalaleddin Taheri, a senior reformist cleric who organized the memorial, several Web sites reported. "Treating people this way at a memorial service is deplorable," Taheri said in a statement. Later in the evening, his supporters forced their way through the cordon, scuffling with security forces, who eventually relented and moved from the area, Web sites reported.

Taheri was the chief Friday prayer leader in Isfahan until he resigned in 2002 in protest against the establishment, which he said was paralyzing the country in the name of religion to maintain its hold on power. Meanwhile, for the past two nights, plainclothes hard-liners, thought to be Basijis, surrounded the office in Qom of another prominent pro-reform cleric, Grand Ayatollah Youssef Saanei, shouting "insulting slogans," tearing up posters and breaking windows, Saanei's office said in a statement carried on opposition Web sites. In the postelection crisis, Saanei has emerged as one of the most prominent critics of Iran's clerical leadership among the country's grand ayatollahs, the highest rank in the Shiite religious hierarchy. He denounced the crackdown launched after the June election, which the opposition says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won by massive vote fraud. Saanei and other reform clerics have been criticized by hard-liners in past months, but rarely have they come under direct harassment or pressure.

The leadership may be particularly nervous about the fallout from Montazeri's death because it came as Iran marks one of the most important periods on the Shiite religious calendar, the first 10 days of the Islamic month of Moharram, a time of mourning rituals for a revered Shiite saint. The period culminates on Sunday with Ashoura — a day that coincides with the seventh day after Montazeri's death, a traditional day of further commemorations. That could fuel greater protests.
Iran's police chief, Gen. Ismail Ahmadi Moghaddam, on Wednesday threatened tougher action against protesters and issued a warning against those in the opposition who he said "made a show of supporting" the Islamic Republic — an apparent reference to the many pro-reform political leaders and clerics who are veterans of the 1979 Islamic Revolution that brought clerics to power. "Today, it has been proven to the people that they are moving in violation of (the Islamic Republic) and the law," he said, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. "The hypocritical nature of this movement has become clear."
"We once again urge them to stop their actions, or else severe action will be taken against them under the law," he said.
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad removed opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi from his official post as head of the Art Academy.

Mousavi, who the opposition says was the true winner of the election, is an architect who has long been prominent in the arts scene. Iranian state television announced Wednesday that Ahmadinejad appointed a new head. Salaamnews said Ahmadinejad broke off a tour of southern Iran Tuesday to attend the meeting that sacked Mousavi. There have been concerns Mousavi could be arrested and tried, along with hundreds of opposition supporters now on trial for taking part in the protests. Pro-reform lawmaker Darioush Ghanbari said it was a "politically motivated decision" by the government. "It shows they can't tolerate Mousavi even" as part of the academy.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Edwin Legarda Commemoration Solidarity Appeal
"false positive"
colombiansolidarity.org.uk

Background

Edwin Legarda, the husband of Colombian indigenous leader Aida Quilcue, was killed on 16 December 2008 when the Colombian army ambushed his car in an attack seemingly meant for Aida. Soldiers fired 106 bullets at the vehicle, piercing it 17 times. President Uribe and army figures immediately claimed that Edwin had failed to stop at an army checkpoint, and for this reason the soldiers opened fire.

Investigators in the case have established that there was no checkpoint, and believe that the plan was to set up a ‘false positive’: plant firearms on the corpses of those travelling in the car and claim that Edwin and Aida were guerrillas. On her recent trip to the UK, at the invite of Unison Northern and the Northern TUC and in conjunction with the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, Aida said that if the army had managed to successfully carry out the false positive then the government would have been able to portray the indigenous movement and the Minga of Social and Communitarian Resistance (which Aida led in social mobilisations in October 2008) as ‘terrorist organisations’.


Seven soldiers are currently on trial for Edwin’s murder, and the court case is slowly progressing. The army has produced Edwin’s father as witnesses to claim that Aida was in fact responsible for making the call to the army giving information that a ‘guerrilla chief’ was carrying arms in the car, in what Aida calls “a perverse plan to implicate me in the murder of my own husband, and at the same time change the nature of the crime from a political assassination by the state, to a crime of passion”. The next hearing in the case is in January, when testimonies and evidence will begun to be heard.

Commemoration event

Aida and indigenous organisations from the South West of Colombia are planning an event to commemorate the anniversary of Edwin’s murder on December 16th this year. The event, which is expected to have the participation of 1500 indigenous community members as well as people from diverse social sectors, will be held in the area around Totoro municipality where Edwin was killed. The agenda will include a symbolic march on the road down which Edwin was driving, followed by interventions from indigenous and social leaders, a homage to Edwin, traditional indigenous rituals, and a report on the progress of the legal case.

Aida is requesting solidarity with the event from social organisations and individuals familiar with the case and the Colombian context. Organisations and individuals are requested to send messages of solidarity and support which can be read out in the event. Financial donations are also welcome to help with the event logistics.

Please send any correspondence to colombiasolidarity@riseup.net .

Indicted (in the United States) paramilitary leader holds meeting in Haiti
by Kevin Pina

HaitiAction.net


Port au Prince, Haiti - HIP — Haitian activists in Port au Prince are accusing the Obama administration of turning a blind-eye to the political activities of alleged criminal bosses in Haiti while backing a ruling to exclude the widely popular Fanmi Lavalas party. The party of ousted president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, known as Fanmi Lavalas, was barred by current Haitian president Rene Preval's handpicked election council from participating in parliamentary elections scheduled for Feb. 2010.

The accusations made against the Obama administration by community leaders in Haiti stems from a recent meeting of the Front for National Reconstruction (FRN) held at the Hotel Olofson in downtown Port au Prince on Dec. 19. The FRN gathering of former paramilitary commanders who helped oust former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in a bloody takeover in 2004 was officiated by their party leader Guy Philippe. He was indicted on Nov. 22, 2005 for conspiring to import cocaine into the United States and money laundering. Lawyers contacted in Miami confirmed that the indictment is still open and that Philippe remains on a wanted list of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) of the United States.

Philippe escaped from a high-profile DEA raid that was supported by the Haitian government in July 2007. According to the Miami Herald, "The raid's failure angered Haitian President René Préval, who had to work hard to persuade his minister of justice to allow the U.S. agents to capture Philippe and other drug suspects on Haitian territory, according to well-informed U.S. and foreign officials who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record about the case."

The DEA raid was launched after Philippe revealed on a local Haitian radio station that Andre Apaid and members of his Group 184 had provided funding to paramilitary forces in the neighboring Dominican Republic to oust Aristide. The Group 184 led the opposition movement to Aristide and mounted an international public relations campaign seeking his resignation. Apaid and the Group 184 claimed that they were a peaceful civil society organization with no relationship to Philippe as his forces entered Haiti on a killing spree of Lavalas supporters in early Feb. 2004. During a broadcast on radio Signal FM, Philippe claimed that the Group 184 and business leaders that included Apaid had sent money to buy arms and provided logistical support to their invasion from the Dominican Republic. Apaid owns Alpha Industries that is one of the largest garment assembly factories in Haiti. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited one of Apaid's factories last April to tout his partnership with Canadian apparel giant Gildan Activewear as an example for economic development in Haiti.

A leader of one of the many community organizations affiliated with Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas and who spoke on condition of anonymity stated, "It's clear to us that Obama and Preval never really intended to arrest Philippe but only wanted to send him a message to shut his mouth. While Fanmi Lavalas has been barred from the next elections in 2010, Philippe's party has been accepted to run by Preval's election council. Now Philippe openly holds an FRN meeting in the capital...where's the DEA? He's right here if they really want him. Obama and Preval are hypocrites."

While Fanmi Lavalas, which is still recognized as Haiti's most popular political party is barred from participation in the upcoming parliamentary contest in Feb. 2010, Philippe's Front for National Reconstruction was approved to run in the elections by Preval's election council.

©2009 Haiti Information Project

The Haiti Information Project (HIP) is a non-profit alternative news service providing coverage and analysis of breaking developments in Haiti.

Winner of the CENSORED 2008 REAL NEWS AWARD for Outstanding Investigative Journalism

For further information about the Haiti Information Project (HIP) visit: http://www.teledyol.net/HIP/about.html
Contact: HIP@teledyol.net

Charter 08 --wiki--

Charter 08 (Chinese: 零八宪章; pinyin: Língbā Xiànzhāng) is a manifesto signed by over 303 Chinese intellectuals and human rights activists to promote political reform and democratization in the People's Republic of China.

“ This year is the 100th year of China's Constitution, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 30th anniversary of the birth of the Democracy Wall, and the 10th year since China signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. After experiencing a prolonged period of human rights disasters and a tortuous struggle and resistance, the awakening Chinese citizens are increasingly and more clearly recognizing that freedom, equality, and human rights are universal common values shared by all humankind, and that democracy, a republic, and constitutionalism constitute the basic structural framework of modern governance. A "modernization" bereft of these universal values and this basic political framework is a disastrous process that deprives humans of their rights, corrodes human nature, and destroys human dignity. Where will China head in the 21st century? Continue a "modernization" under this kind of authoritarian rule? Or recognize universal values, assimilate into the mainstream civilization, and build a democratic political system? This is a major decision that cannot be avoided.”

As a document of Chinese origin, it is unusual in calling for greater freedom of expression and for free elections. It was published on 10 December 2008, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and its name is a reference to Charter 77, issued by dissidents in Czechoslovakia. Since its release, more than 8,100 people inside and outside of China have signed the charter

China: Liu Xiaobo’s Trial a Travesty of Justice
Prominent Dissident Faces Up to 15 Years Imprisonment
December 21, 2009

Human Rights Watch.org News

Related Materials: China: Liu Xiaobo’s Release Hinges on International Action
The only purpose of this trial is to dress up naked political repression in the trappings of legal proceedings. Liu’s crimes are non-existent, yet his fate has been pre-determined. This is a travesty of justice.


Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director(New York) – By mounting a pre-determined political trial of China’s most prominent dissident, the Chinese government is violating the rights of Liu Xiaobo and showing contempt for its universal human rights commitments, Human Rights Watch said today.

Liu Xiaobo, a leading intellectual who spent nearly two years in prison after the Tiananmen crackdown, has been indicted for “incitement to subvert state power,” a charge frequently used against dissidents because it allows the criminalization of criticisms of the government and the party. Liu’s trial is due to open on the morning of December 23 in Beijing.

“The only purpose of this trial is to dress up naked political repression in the trappings of legal proceedings,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “Liu’s crimes are non-existent, yet his fate has been pre-determined. This is a travesty of justice.”

Liu has been indicted for “incitement to subvert state power” for his contribution to the drafting of “Charter ‘08,” a political manifesto calling for human rights and the rule of law in China, as well as several articles he had published in previous years. He was arrested on December 8, 2008, and detained for over a year before being indicted. He faces up to 15 years in prison, the maximum under a single charge of “fixed-term imprisonment” under Chinese law.

Although Liu was promised an open trial, his wife Liu Xia was told by court officials this week that she would not be allowed to attend the trial. Several original co-signatories of Charter ‘08 who had earlier expressed their solidarity with Liu Xiaobo, as well as other supporters, have been warned by security agents that they should not attempt to attend the trial and placed under police surveillance.

“Liu Xiaobo’s case has been marked by grave rights violations from the outset,” said Richardson. “His arrest was political, the charges are political, and his trial is political.”

Human Rights Watch urged foreign governments to continue to press the Chinese government for Liu Xiaobo’s immediate release.

Background:

Liu, a prolific writer and pro-democracy essayist, has been detained, arrested, and sentenced repeatedly for his peaceful political activities since the late 1980s. Arguably China's most well-known dissident abroad, he has received several international human rights prizes.

After his detention in December 2008, a group of leading writers, China scholars, lawyers, and human rights advocates from around the world, including several Nobel Prize winners, released a letter urging for Liu's release to Chinese President Hu Jintao. On January 21, 2009, the appeal was echoed by a consortium of 300 international writers coordinated by PEN, including Salman Rushdie, Umberto Eco, Margaret Atwood, and Ha Jin.

In March 2009, Liu was awarded the Homo Homini prize, which was presented by President Václav Havel to several other signatories of Charter ‘08 representing Liu at a ceremony in Prague. Human Rights Watch, as well as Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders, and PEN have repeatedly called for his release, and recently asked President Obama to raise his case in his meeting with President Hu Jintao.

Serbian atrocities during Bosnian War haunt the recent attempt of the Serbian state to apply for E.U. membership.

Serbia submits EU membership application
(BBC.CO.UK)14:42 GMT, Tuesday, 22 December 2009


The Srebrenica Massacre --wiki--(1995)

The Srebrenica Massacre, also known as the Srebrenica Genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing of more than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys, as well as the ethnic cleansing of 25,000-30,000 refugees in the area of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) under the command of General Ratko Mladić during the Bosnian War. In addition to the VRS, a paramilitary unit from Serbia known as the Scorpions, that officially operated as part of the Serbian Interior Ministry until 1991, also participated in the massacre. The United Nations had declared Srebrenica a UN-protected "safe area" but that did not prevent the massacre, even though 400 armed Dutch peacekeepers were present at the time.

The Srebrenica massacre is the largest mass murder in Europe since World War II. In 2004, in a unanimous ruling on the "Prosecutor v. Krstić" case, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) located in The Hague ruled that the Srebrenica massacre was genocide, the Presiding Judge Theodor Meron stating:

"By seeking to eliminate a part of the Bosnian Muslims, the Bosnian Serb forces committed genocide. They targeted for extinction the 40,000 Bosnian Muslims living in Srebrenica, a group which was emblematic of the Bosnian Muslims in general. They stripped all the male Muslim prisoners, military and civilian, elderly and young, of their personal belongings and identification, and deliberately and methodically killed them solely on the basis of their identity."

The Siege of Sarajevo --wiki-- (1992-1996)

The Siege of Sarajevo is the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. Serb forces of the self-proclaimed Republika Srpska and the Yugoslav People's Army (later to become the Army of Serbia and Montenegro) besieged Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from April 5, 1992 to February 29, 1996 during the Bosnian War.

After Bosnia and Herzegovina had declared independence from Yugoslavia, the Serbs, whose strategic goal was to create a new Serbian State of Republika Srpska (RS) that would include part of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, encircled Sarajevo with a siege force of 18,000 stationed in the surrounding hills, from which they assaulted the city with weapons that included artillery, mortars, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, heavy machine-guns, multiple rocket launchers, rocket-launched aircraft bombs, and sniper rifles. From May 2, 1992, the Serbs blockaded the city. The Bosnian government defence forces numbering roughly 40.000 inside the besieged city were poorly equipped and unable to break the siege.

It is estimated that nearly 10,000 people were killed or went missing in the city, including over 1,500 children. An additional 56,000 people were wounded, including nearly 15,000 children. By 1995, killings and forced migration had reduced the city’s population to 334,663 - 64% of its prewar size.

Yemen and Civil War
courtesy of the BBC.CO.UK


The reputed home of the Queen of Sheba, Yemen has been at the crossroads of Africa, the Middle East and Asia for thousands of years thanks to its position on the ancient spice routes. The Romans knew this fertile and wealthy country as Arabia Felix, in contrast to the relatively barren Arabia Deserta to the north. And today it maintains its distinct character.

Overview

The modern Republic of Yemen was born in 1990 when traditionalist North Yemen and Marxist South Yemen merged after years of border wars and skirmishes. But the peace broke down in 1994 and a short civil war ended in defeat for separatist southerners and the survival of the unified Yemen.

Politics: President Ali Abdallah Saleh has been in power since 1978. Shia rebels led by Abdul-Malik al-Houthi have been conducting a low-level insurgency in the north

Economy: Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East; economic difficulties have sparked unrest

International: Yemen has been co-operating in the US-led "war on terror", risking domestic resentment


Timeline

Since unification Yemen has been modernising and opening up to the world, but it still maintains much of its tribal character and old ways. Tensions persist between the north and the south; some southerners say the northern part of the state is economically privileged.

Since the summer of 2009, hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands displaced by clashes between government troops and north-western rebels belonging to the Zaidi sect, a branch of Shia Islam in the mainly Sunni country. The conflict has acquired a regional dimension, with the Yemeni authorities accusing Iran of backing the rebels, while the rebels accuse Saudi Arabia of supporting the Yemeni government.

TV talent show exposes China's race issueBy Emily Chang, CNN
December 21, 2009 -- Updated 2036 GMT (0436 HKT)
CNN.COM

Shanghai, China (CNN) -- It all started with the lure of the glitz, the glamour and the dream of being China's next pop star. But, as with many reality shows, Lou Jing's instant fame came with unanticipated consequences.

Lou Jing was born 20 years ago in Shanghai to a Chinese mother and an African-American father. According to her mother, who asked not to be identified in this report, she met Lou's father while she was still in college. He left China before their daughter was born.

Growing up with a single mom in central Shanghai, Lou Jing said she had good friends and lived a normal life. "When I was young, I didn't feel any different," she said.

But as soon as she stepped into the national spotlight on a Chinese reality television show called "Go! Oriental Angel," Lou Jing became a national sensation -- not necessarily because of her talent, but how she looked.

"After the contest started, I often got more attention than the other girls. It made me feel strange," Lou said.

The reality show hosts fondly called her "chocolate girl" and "black pearl." The Chinese media fixated on her skin color. Netizens flooded Web sites with comments saying she "never should have been born" and telling her to "get out of China."

Lou Jing's background became fodder for national gossip, sparking a vitriolic debate about race across a country that, in many respects, can be quite homogenous. There are 56 different recognized ethnic groups in China, but more than 90 percent of the population is Han Chinese. So people who look different stand out.

"We lived in a small circle before," said her mother. "But after Lou was seen nationwide, some Chinese people couldn't accept her."

It has been a shocking ordeal for someone who says she always considered herself just like every other Chinese girl.



Video: Being Chinese and black "Sometimes people on the street would ask me, 'Why do you speak Chinese so well?' I'd just say, 'Because I'm Chinese!'" Lou said.

But, as any curious child would, Lou Jing certainly thought about why she looked different. In a clip reel aired on the show, her classmates say they tried to protect her from feeling out of place.

"She used to wonder why she had black skin," said one classmate. "We thought about this question together and decided to tell her it's because she likes dark chocolate. So her skin turned darker gradually."

Another classmate weighed in, "We said it's because she used to drink too much soy sauce."

Even Lou Jing's maternal grandmother admitted in a taped interview, "I told Lou Jing she was black because her mom was not very well and had to take Chinese medicine."

But such explanations were not enough for a voracious Chinese public. Show producers convinced Lou Jing's mom to appear on-air and asked her to address the many unanswered questions.

"Lou Jing did not ask about her father until she was sixteen years old," her mother told the audience. "She said, 'Where is my dad?' I didn't answer, I just cried and Lou Jing never asked me this question again."

On stage this time, it was Lou Jing who wept as she held an arm tightly around her mother, gripping the microphone in the other. The camera zoomed in on audience members tearing up as well.

"Lou Jing would cook dinner for me before I got home," her mother said. "I was quite sad then. In other families a girl her age would have a mom and a dad who loved her."

Although her father has been absent, Lou seemed to be curious about learning more. On the reality show, the host inquired, "Lou Jing, have you ever thought about going to find your dad, to get to know him?"

Lou Jing pauses for a moment and softly responds, "Yes, I have thought about that before."

In this way, the most private aspects of Lou Jing's otherwise quiet life became painfully public. But as the show went on, so did Lou Jing. She stuck with her daily routine, listening to Beyonce, her favorite artist, hanging out with her friends and continuing to go to school.

"I was so angry," said her drama teacher, Tao Yandong, of the Shanghai Drama Academy's School for the Television Arts. "My student had been insulted by others so of course I felt bad, too. But she told me she was fine and wasn't letting these things hurt her heart."

Watching Lou Jing laugh and gossip with her Chinese classmates today, this appears to be true. Back in her modest two-bedroom apartment, it is hard to imagine that Lou Jing and her mother are subjects of national scrutiny.

Instead, they are focused on her future. Her career goals are many, spanning from hosting a television show to becoming a diplomat "to bring people together," she said.

As a college junior, Lou Jing is thinking about graduate school applications, hoping to pursue a master's degree in foreign policy in New York City after she graduates from college.

When asked what she will do without her mother, Lou excitedly said, "My mom is going to come with me!"

Her mom shakes her head and smiles. If anything, their enduring bond as mother and daughter only seems to have gotten stronger. After all, for all their critics, there were just as many supporters.

Until the end of her run on "Go! Oriental Angel," fans continued to vote for Lou Jing show after show. The judges praised her confidence. Lou Jing was eventually eliminated before the finale, but not without a powerful parting message.

"I think I'm the same as all the girls here, except for my skin color. We share the same stage and the same dream. I've tried my best, so no matter what happens, I'll hold onto my dream."

Violent crime in the United States, including murder and robbery, dropped 4.4 percent in the first half of 2009 and property crime like car thefts also dropped, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday.

Mon Dec 21, 2009 12:07pm EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

U.S.

The latest statistics suggest that U.S. violent crime could drop for a third full year in a row, a steady decline despite the harsh economic recession that some policymakers and police groups had feared would lead to an upward spike.

The number of murders plummeted 10 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2008, while robbery fell 6.5 percent and forcible rape dropped 3.3 percent, according to preliminary statistics released by the FBI. Violent crime in all of 2008 fell 1.9 percent from 2007. But in some cities hit hard by the economy, like Baltimore and Detroit, the murder rate climbed. In Detroit, hurt by the auto industry's woes, there were 163 murders reported in the first six months of 2009 versus 146 during the same period in 2008.

But other cities where murder rates had been high, like New York and Los Angeles, saw a drop off. In New York, there was a drop from 252 murders in 2008 to 204 reported during the first half of 2009. The overall decline was not limited to violent crime. Property crimes dropped 6.1 percent during the first six months of 2009, with vehicle theft plummeting 18.7 percent and burglary falling 2.5 percent, the FBI statistics showed.

Reported cases of arson also fell during the first half of 2009, dropping 8.2 percent from the same period in 2008. The FBI report did not offer an explanation for the declining crime rates. Violent crime in all four regions of the country measured by the FBI fell. The only region that saw an uptick in property crimes was the southern United States, inching up 0.7 percent during the first half of 2009, the FBI said. There was also a small increase in violent crimes in cities with populations of 10,000 to 24,999, rising 1.7 percent.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky, editing by Will Dunham)

Blackwater in Colombia

14.12.2009 Source: english.pravda.ru
Blackwater in Colombia

By: Eva Golinger

In early 2008, the U.S. Army Missile Command and Space Defense awarded contracts in the amount of 15 billion dollars to a group of private contractors, including Blackwater. The contract, which includes intelligence operations, espionage and reconnaissance, among other things, faces two countries in Latin America, Mexico and Colombia.

Not surprisingly, came the revelation in Ecuador of Washington's role in the illegal invasion of Ecuadorian territory in March 2008. The participation of military and U.S. intelligence agents, then located at the military base of Manta, was initially suspected in the operation that killed persons in a FARC camp. Now an official report from Ecuador confirms this fact. It reaffirms further that where there are military bases used by the U.S. military, action be carried out by Washington - no matter what the rules, laws and regulations of the host country.

The controversial military agreement between Colombia and the United States, signed on Oct. 30, means the largest military expansion in Latin America by Washington. The agreement allows the presence of private contractors to service the needs of Washington agencies in Colombia, with all the same immunity granted to U.S. officials and military. This is not new. Under the agreement of Plan Colombia, Washington used by over 30 contractors for 10 years to perform military and intelligence work and espionage in Colombia. Some of them are the most powerful companies of the military industrial complex, such as DynCorp, Bechtel, Lockheed Martin, the Rendon Group, and Raytheon, among others.

Within the new military agreement, the amount of contractors - or mercenaries of war - will increase. The privatization of war and the use of private companies to perform security operations, defense and intelligence, is now the modus operandi of Washington. The Blackwater company is certainly more controversial, now known as Xe Services. During the past eight years, Blackwater has earned over 1.4 billion dollars in contracts from the State Department and Pentagon. Since 2005, Blackwater has also gotten semi-secret contracts with the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. for security and defense operations within the country, which have been seen as the beginning of the creation of a privatized state police to suppress and control a population that each day is in a more desperate economic situation.

In early 2008, the U.S. Army Missile Command and Space Defense awarded contracts in the amount of 15 billion dollars to a group of private contractors, including Blackwater. The contract, which includes intelligence operations, espionage and reconnaissance, among other things, involves two countries in Latin America, Mexico and Colombia. The contract specifically details the "air training provision" to the Colombian armed forces and "strategic PR support" to the Colombian government (read: psychological operations). In the case of Mexico, Blackwater is responsible for supporting the missions against drug trafficking.

Days ago, it was revealed that Blackwater was hired by the CIA to kill suspected insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Blackwater mercenaries were involved in some of the most sensitive and clandestine CIA operations, including transport of prisoners to secret CIA prisons. Former Blackwater mercenaries have indicated that their role in those clandestine operations was so routine that the division between the CIA, Pentagon and Blackwater no longer existed.

Now, this CIA front company and the Pentagon operate freely in Colombia. In the U.S., there are dozens of lawsuits and legal cases against Blackwater for violations of laws, arbitrary killings and human rights violations. However, Álvaro Uribe's government has opened the door for the presence of this dangerous enterprise in South America, which represents a great threat to peace and regional security.

The countries of ALBA and UNASUR members collectively should prohibit the presence of contractors - mercenaries of war in Latin America. But, there will be more death, conflicts, violations of sovereignty, and we expect there will ultimately be a war.

Translated from the Portuguese version by:

Lisa KARPOVA

PRAVDA.Ru

US Drones Hacked in Iraq Deliberately: Pentagon Needs More Cash

21.12.2009 Source: Pravda.Ru

Iraqi gunmen have learned to intercept secret data from US intelligence and use them in their purposes. It goes about the information collected by Predator unmanned aircraft. A program, which can be downloaded online for less than $26, gives the gunmen an opportunity to access video signals transmitted by unmanned aircraft.

The software, supposedly developed by Russian programmers, works with the traffic from a satellite, unpacks files from it and saves them on computer hard drives according to specified filters. The warriors of the Iraqi resistance use the information to find out which objects the US intends to attack in the future.

The information first appeared in the WSJ, which referred to high-ranking defense and intelligence officials of the United States. Mujahedeens, the newspaper wrote, generously shared the received information with many extremist groups. As a result, the above-mentioned program became a part of the standard equipment of an Iraqi gunman. The authors of the article in the WSJ said that the gunmen could not intercept the control of the drones. However, their achievement minimizes the potential of unmanned planes.

The program is neither a hacking nor a pirate program per se. It was developed to access legal freeware. Who would have thought that Americans will be transmitting secret information via open channels? The issue of the drone safety appeared for the first time during the middle of the 1990s, during the military operation in Bosnia. American specialists were working on the system to encode the signals sent to drones and from them. They eventually decided not to install the systems on the aircraft since they made the planes heavier.

The Pentagon apparently believed that the enemy would never be able to find out how to use such a drawback. The Pentagon thought it wrong. The information proving that Iraqi Mujahedeens could intercept the signals from US drones surfaced in 2008. The laptop of a seized Iraqi gunman was found containing secret information of US air intelligence. Afterwards, in the summer of 2009, US servicemen seized several computers containing hours of recordings which Iraqi gunmen intercepted from drones.

Many countries of the world, including the United States, stake on the use of unmanned aircraft. Their share may make up to 36 percent of all other US aircraft already in 2010. They are particularly 375 MQ-9 Reaper drones, the cost of which amounts to $12 million each. What is going to happen to the program of unmanned aircraft now?

Pavel Zolotarev, a senior expert with the Institute for the United States and Canada, said in an interview with Pravda.Ru that the drone program would not be revised because of the scandal. Alexander Mordovin, an aviation expert, said in an interview with Pravda.Ru that the recent scandal in Iraq would obviously affect the development of the unmanned aircraft program.

“I believe that there is no program that can guarantee absolute protection against hacking. It’s quite possible that it was the US Defense Department that asked journalists to create the scandal to obtain more funding for the program. Drones will always be in demand. The only exception is a nuclear war because the impulse of a nuclear explosion puts all types of equipment out of order.

Sergey Balmasov
Pravda.Ru

Tishrei (or Tishri) (IPA: [ˈtɪʃri] or [ˈtɪʃreɪ]) (Hebrew: תִּשְׁרֵי (תִּשְׁרִי‎) Standard Tišre (Tišri) Tiberian Tišrê (Tišrî) ; from Akkadian tašrītu "Beginning", from šurrû "To begin") is the first month of the civil year (which starts on 1 Tishrei) and the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year (which starts on 1 Nisan) in the Hebrew calendar. The name of the month is Babylonian. It is an autumn month of 30 days. Tishrei usually occurs in September–October on the Gregorian calendar.

1 Tishrei - Adam & Eve were created
On Tishrei 1, which corresponds to the sixth day of creation -- "God said: 'Let us make Man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth...'" (Genesis 1:26).

1 Tishrei - First Sin & Repentance
On the same day man was created, man also committed the first sin of history **This statement should be edited. It is improbable and is not implied anywhere in scripture. It is more likely that a significant amount of time had passed prior to this event.**, transgressing the divine commandment not to eat from the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil." Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden, and humanity became subject to death, labor and moral confusion. But also on that day, the first persons also repented their sin, introducing the concept and opportunities of teshuvah ("return").

1 Tishrei - (2105 BCE) - Dove's 3rd Mission
On the 1st of Tishrei, (the 307th day of the Great Flood), Noah dispatched a dove from the ark, for the third time. When the dove returned carrying an olive branch, this is how Noah knew that the flood was drained from the earth. On that day, Noah removed the roof of the ark; but Noah and his family, and all the animals, remained in the ark for another 57 days, until the 27th of Cheshvan, when the surface of the earth was completely dry and God commanded them to leave the ark and resettle and repopulate the earth.

1 Tishrei - (1677 BCE) - Binding of Isaac; Sarah's Death
Abraham's test of faith—his binding of Isaac in preparation to sacrifice him as per God's command, occurred on the 1st of Tishrei of the Hebrew year 2084 (1677 BCE), and is recalled each Rosh Hashanah with the sounding of the shofar (ram's horn, for the reason that a ram was sacrificed in Isaac's place when an angel revealed that the command to sacrifice Isaac was a divine test). The Torah's account of the event is publicly read in the synagogue on the 2nd day of Rosh Hashanah. On the day of Isaac's binding, the Talmud tells that his mother, Sarah, died at age 127, and was then buried in the Machpelah Cave in Hebron.

1 Tishrei - (2-4 B.C.E.) Jesus of Nazareth, Abrahamic prophet and founder of Christianity (born in the month of Ethanim (Tishrei)

The painting is from Rembrandt titled "Joseph's Dream in the Stable" from the story of the Nativity or the events before and after the birth of Christ.
courtesy of --wiki--

The Global Peace Index (GPI) is an attempt to measure the relative position of nations’ and regions’ peacefulness. It is maintained by the Institute for Economics and Peace and developed in consultation with an international panel of peace experts from peace institutes and think tanks with data collected and analysed by the Economist Intelligence Unit. The list was launched first in May 2007 and then in May 2008 and recently on 2 June 2009 and is claimed to be the first study to rank countries around the world according to their peacefulness.

-- wiki--

The Second Republic of Spain
democracy before facism

excerpt from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade Archives

Spain in 1931 was a country riven by inequalities. Still predominantly an agrarian country, traditional divisions endured between wealthy landowners, doggedly preserving their position, and a huge number of landless labourers and poverty-stricken smallholders, desperate to lift themselves from an existence of near-starvation. One of the largest landowners was the Catholic Church who, in addition to any theological motivations, were thus determined to maintain the status quo. Opposing the Church was the largest Anarchist movement in Europe, with a history of incendiary anti-clericalism. 'Spaniards' it was said, 'followed their priests either with a candle or a club'.

In the very few areas witnessing industrial change- chiefly Catalonia and the Basque regions- corresponding social and political change was largely absent. Aspirations by these regions for some degree of autonomy were bitterly opposed by the Spanish army who, fighting in Morocco to regain an empire which had been lost with the catastrophic defeat to the United States in 1898, strongly resisted any attempts to break up Spain. Large, powerful and extremely top-heavy in officers, the Spanish army had a tradition of involvement in politics; Primo de Rivera's military dictatorship had ruled Spain as recently as the 1920s. The dictatorship's legacy was a huge budget deficit at a time when the world was already sinking into economic depression, and its collapse spelled the end for the Spanish monarchy.

In April 1931, municipal elections were taken to be a plebiscite on the monarchy and the result was an overwhelmingly hostile vote against it. The King, Alfonso XIII, realising that he had lost not just the support of the populace but, crucially, the support of the military, fled Spain. Thus, on April 12, 1931, Spain's Second Republic, la nina bonita, was born.

Gutierrez bill would give millions citizenship
White House, others say it's too liberal

December 20, 2009

BY ERIN KELLY

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a leading congressional advocate for immigrants' rights, has introduced a bill that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to become U.S. citizens and would end a controversial program that enlists local police to enforce immigration laws. The bill is widely viewed as too liberal to pass.

Obama administration officials have said they are looking instead to a more moderate, bipartisan immigration-reform bill to be introduced in the Senate early next year by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Still, the Chicago Democrat made it clear that he and his allies expect a seat at the negotiating table as lawmakers and the White House seek middle ground on the polarizing issue.

Gutierrez's bill, endorsed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Black Caucus and Asian Pacific American Caucus, would allow illegal immigrants to stay in the country while they apply to become legal residents or citizens. They would have to pay a $500 fine and show they've made a contribution to the country through work, education, military or community service. The legislation also would repeal a program that enlists local police and sheriff's deputies to enforce federal immigration laws. The bill says only the federal government has the authority to enforce those laws.

It also includes a provision that would allow states to offer in-state school tuition to students who aren't citizens and whose parents may be in the country illegally. The bill acknowledges that strong border security is needed, but it also calls for increased oversight of border control agents to ensure civil liberties are protected. "As a candidate for president, Barack Obama promised comprehensive immigration reform, and we have brought him the bill to accomplish this," Gutierrez said. Opponents of the bill said they're angry the bill offers amnesty to millions of illegal workers while so many citizens are out of work.

"People feel shocked and completely betrayed that any elected official would propose legalizing illegal immigrants, stopping local police from enforcing immigration law, and stopping increased border security when we have over 15 million Americans out of work," said William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who has co-sponsored past immigration-reform bills with Gutierrez, said he was disappointed by the legislation. "It repeats the mistakes of the '86 reform -- massive legalization without a temporary-worker program to accommodate future labor demands," Flake said. Flake also criticized the bill for watering down the penalties illegal immigrants would face before they could become legal residents. Previous bills have called for a $2,000 fine and would have required illegal immigrants to return to their home countries before returning to the United States.

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) said the bill is going nowhere. "Congressman Gutierrez is an ardent supporter of immigrant rights and has introduced at least 20 major immigration bills in the past 10 years, but none has been cleared by a committee for a vote on the House floor," Lewis said.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said last week the Obama administration is pinning its hopes for reform on Schumer's bill. "We are providing assistance now to Sen. Schumer," she said.

Gannett News Service

"Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war. "

-- Psalm 120 (6,7) --

Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism
--HarmonyMalaysia.wordpress.com --

MCCBCHST AIMS & OBJECTIVES
Aims

(a) To promote understanding, mutual respect and co-operation between people of different religions.

(b) To study and resolve problems affecting all inter religious relationships.

(c) To make representations regarding religious matters when necessary.

(d) To advance and promote the religious, cultural, educational and social rights and interests of the religious bodies.

Objectives

(a) To uphold and promote the ideas as enunciated in the Rukun Negara.

(b) To promote unity, harmony and understanding amongst people of different religions through conferences, seminars and other channels.

(c) To print, publish and distribute journals, periodicals, leaflets or books that the Executive Committee may consider desirable for the promotion of its objects, with the proviso that, prior approval must be obtained from the competent authority.

Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres, Toussaint Louverture, in addressing his soldiers before the battle of Battle of Ravine-à-Couleuvres (on February 23, 1802) speaks of his adversary Leclerc and the French invasion forces:

"You are going to fight against enemies who have neither faith, law, nor religion. They promise you liberty, they intend your servitude. Why have so many ships traversed the ocean, if not to throw you again into chains? They disdain to recognise in you submissive children, and if you are not their slaves, you are rebels. The mother country , misled by the Consul , is no longer anything for you but a step-mother. Was there ever a defence more just than yours? Uncover your breasts, you will see them branded by the iron of slavery."

from --wiki-- The Louverture Project

Religion in Africa
courtesy of -- wiki--

A map of Africa, showing the major religions distributed as of today. Map shows only the religion as a whole excluding denominations or sects of the religions, and is colored by how the religions are distributed not by main religion of country. Where overlap, majority is displayed except for traditional religions practiced in a syncretic fashion.

Thome Yorke, Hearing Damage