Aug. 10, 2006: #1

Over the last week or so, I have noted articles that I considered important but had no time to post. Some of what I shall post may be of interest, or not. Older and current articles may be interspersed.



UK Terrorist Threat

On the latest terrorist scare in the UK, a man from High Wickham, a London suburb, who lives near the homes of five of those apprehended, said what is really scary is that many of them worked at Heathrow Airport, children of immigrants from the Kashmiri area of Pakistan, I heard, though that may not apply to all those arrested.

Does that ring any bells in Canada? Senator Kenney's parliamentary committee have tried to warn Parliament and Canadians for years and several times, as have the RCMP who reported an abysmally low number of RCMP in security at airports like Pearson Toronto and Trudeau Montreal. Maybe it is time to check more closely who are working in our ports and airports.



Family begs Harper to help save imam's life -- Canadian activist to be executed in China -- Mr. Celil's wife, Kamila Telendibaeva pregnant with fourth child, Allison Hanes, NatPost, Aug. 10, 06
www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.ht
ml?id=9e7a582c-361b-4074-bd2e-440688d97100

[....] Mr. Celil, 37, is an ethnic Uyghur of Muslim faith. He came to Canada as a refugee in the mid 1990s and was later granted citizenship.

Trying to unite with two older children from a previous relationship who were left behind in China, Mr. Celil travelled to Uzbekistan in March with his wife to visit her family. [....]

They attribute his problems with the Chinese government to his political activism on behalf of the country's ethnic Uyghurs.

Much like the Tibetans, China's 7.2 million Turkic-speaking Muslims descended from the Huns have struggled for more independence since their territory was annexed a half a century ago. [....]

What is Canadian citizenship worth? He obtained Canadian citizenship, then returned. What is a refugeee, then, if he thinks it is safe to return?

China to execute Canadian: human rights group , Updated Wed. Aug. 9 2006, CTV.ca News Staff

[....] reports Huseyin Celil, of Burlington, Ont., will be put to death for alleged terrorist activities.

... arrested in Uzbekistan ... extradited in June to China, which refused to recognize the Canadian citizenship he obtained last year, Amnesty International said.

[....] Celil, a political dissident who fled China in the mid-1990s and came to Canada in 2001 as a refugee, has been sentenced to death in absentia in China.

.... championed the cause of the Muslim Uygur people in Xinjiang province, an area taken over by the Chinese government more than 50 years ago.

China accuses Celil of taking part in a terrorist attack on a government delegation in Xinjiang in 2000 and of murdering an Uygur in Kyrgyzstan

[...] East Turkestan terrorist activities," [....]

Hanging Europe's Jews out to dry , Douglas Davis, National Post, August 10, 2006
www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.ht
ml?id=09c4d9f5-daa0-4026-a7a0-7c39749ba511

[....] London was scarred by yet another demonstration last weekend by the Left-Islamic alliance. The most chilling aspect was the drumbeat chant of the demonstrators: "We are all Hezbollah."

What on earth does that mean? That the Hezbollah wannabes identify with Taliban-style Islamism? That they support the death sentence for adulterers, homosexuals and "dishonourable" women? That they endorse the denial of education to girls and embrace prescribed forms of violence against disobedient wives? That they subscribe to the violent destruction of the Jewish state and attacks against Jews worldwide?

The Left's alliance with Islam [....]

Why would a civilization, at the height of its intellectual, cultural and technological power, seek to subvert its own values to appease a bunch of jihadist fanatics? Why is Israel being sacrificed on the altar of a seventh-century mystical supernaturalism? Were my interlocutors crazy? Were the demonstrators driving themselves crazy with their hatred of Israel? All this abnormal behaviour defies conventional political analysis, so I decided to consult my favourite shrink. [....]

A must read.



Cuba

Just another police state -- With Fidel's fading, the revolution has arrived at its own belated historical terminus, Christopher Hitchens, National Post, August 10, 2006
www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.ht
ml?id=652b7f48-784d-42a3-a42f-48feca47ab2c

If there had been a military coup in any other Latin American or Caribbean country, even a fairly small or obscure one, I think it safe to say that it would have made the front page of the newspapers. But the military coup in Cuba has not been reported at all. [....]

Cuba has been a garrison state run by a military caudillo for most of the past half-century. More than anything, the maximum leader always based his legitimacy on his status as commander-in-chief. The dynastic succession of his brother only formalizes the situation. As was once said of Prussia, Cuba is not a country that has an army but an army that has a country.

Nor does this army confine itself to the stern questions of political and military power. Under the stewardship of Raul Castro, it has extended itself to become a large stakeholder in the few areas of the Cuban economy that actually make money. [....]

The oil crisis and Prudhoe Bay , Daniel Yergin, Financial Post, August 10, 2006
www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.ht
ml?id=f020d8db-c60e-41c2-bf2b-1a33304c0391

[....] Unlike what is happening in Nigeria, Iraq and Venezuela, Prudhoe Bay's troubles are of an engineering nature that can be fixed, perhaps in a matter of months. And despite the recurrent images, the problem is not along the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), but in the far smaller network of pipes that gathers crude oil from wells. [....]

Moreover, the reason for the shutdown was precautionary [....]

Hezbollah leader warns Arabs to leave Haifa , 09 Aug 2006
www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2006/08/09/nasrallah-haifa.html

[....] Nasrallah also said he approves of Lebanon's ceasefire plan that would include sending 15,000 soldiers to take control of south Lebanon and Hezbollah strongholds, and see Israel withdraw from the region.

[....] The proposal differs from one drafted by the United States and France that demands a "full cessation of hostilities" on both sides, a buffer zone patrolled by Lebanese forces and UN troops, but does not specifically call for an Israeli withdrawal. [....]

I believe France has sided with Lebanon that Hezbollah won't have to disarm. Other articles note, then, that nothing will change; Hezbollah will do as it has been doing for years ... perfidious France protecting its relations with Middle East and the oil suppliers.



United Nations

UN considers session to condemn Israel , Steven Edwards, CanWest, August 09, 2006
www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=
bd8aef97-dbb4-45ea-a330-533859c9015f&k=44722

UNITED NATIONS - Muslim countries Tuesday pushed the newly formed United Nations Human Rights Council to hold a special session to condemn Israel for its military offensive in Lebanon.

The move came as UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called separately for a "comprehensive investigation" into the Israeli strike on the Lebanese town of Qana last month, saying the resulting civilian deaths "could be ... a pattern of violations of international law" by Israel.

The UN's intensified scrutiny of Israel adds to questions already raised about the country's record in the war by UN Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour, a former Canadian Supreme Court justice, and the monitoring group Human Rights Watch. [....]

Israel said in a report it attacked the area because it had information Qana served as a regional headquarters for Hezbollah.

"It contains extensive weapons stockpiles, serves as a haven for fleeing terrorists, and is the source of over 150 missiles launched into northern Israel," said the report, submitted to the UN. [....]

Truth is elusive: "Annan himself confirms the number killed at Qana is now believed to be 28", not 40 or 54. What is Israel to do? Wait for France to disarm Hezbollah? Louise Arbour to take Israel before her world court for a good thrashing. Of course, the mainstream media supply that now. I noticed a defender of Louise Arbour wrote a letter to the editor in defence of her intemperate words on the ME and Israel -- war crime. (Aug. 9, 06, Globe & Mail). Bosh!



Media Bias

Aug. 8, 06, I watched some of CBC Newsworld's coverage (approx. 4:05 ET) for the presentations to the United Nations Security Council. One man was speaking and the caption read: "Representatives of Arab States speak at UN session on Middle East Crisis". It didn't sound like an ambassador from one of the Arab states. (I had caught the words of one ambassador, previously.) Finally, there were two brief flashes on who was speaking; it was the Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman. Yet, most of the time the Arab States caption was below him as he spoke. Later, I noticed the title of the Bell GlobeMedia / Globe and Mail or CTV article also emphasized that it was representatives of Arab States speaking at the UN session on the Middle East Crisis. It has since been changed, but I did see it. Within the article Ambassador Gillerman was mentioned, but the thrust and the impact were anti-Israel.

Another attempt at building up hatred for the PM, pre-election, again.


Israeli cabinet approves wider Lebanon offensive , CTV/MSN, 09/08/2006 9:25:28 AM

Israel's Security Cabinet approved a wider ground offensive in Lebanon, as the U.S. and France debated an Arab demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal.

Related: Israeli cabinet approves wider Lebanon offensive

PM picks Muslim Liberal MP as Mideast special adviser on South Asia and the Middle East -- Then this gratuitous bit: "in a surprise move apparently aimed at quelling anger in Arab and Muslim communities."

Why would they suggest PM Harper's motivation? Considering how little of what he says actually gets reported without distortion and/or opinion added by the MSM, why would they presume to make a correct guess?



Isn't Canadian citizenship grand? New citizen criticizes Canada's response to Mideast crisis

That's gratitude for you, Last Updated: Wednesday, August 9, 2006, 5:03 PM AT, CBC News, via AnnieO_01, 8/09/2006 16:12:12
www.canoe.ca/mb2/messages/cnewsf/11801.html

Minutes after receiving his Canadian citizenship, a Lebanese man spoke out against Ottawa's response to the crisis in the Middle East.

Wadih Farah took his oath of citizenship Wednesday during a ceremony at Halifax's Pier 21. Federal Immigration Minister Monte Solberg who was in attendance.

"I think they could do a little bit more," said Farah. "They were a little bit slow to pull people out at the beginning."

He also took aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper's support for Israel. [....]