| To: JohnM who wrote (64617) | 1/6/2003 1:31:38 PM | | From: Nadine Carroll | | | | Mr. Bishara was also accused of supporting armed resistance in the occupied territories, an accusation he denied.
Yes, certainly he denies it, in Hebrew. In Arabic, he has stood beside Arafat (he's on Arafat's payroll as "advisor on Israeli affairs") and cheered him on when Arafat has called for "a million martyrs to march to Jerusalem". It's the same game Arafat plays - say one thing in English, and another in Arabic. The Attorney General did not support this case, btw, and it's on appeal.
MK Ahmad Tibi to appeal disqualification from Knesset race
web.israelinsider.com;
As for Bishara, as I remember, last year he went to a conference in Syria which included Hamas and all the destroy-Israel terrorist groups, and MK Bishara made a very supportive speech. Would the US Congress do nothing if a member of the House traveled to Saudi Arabia and made a speech in favor of Al Qaeda?
But let's not cramp Dr. Newman's style, or hold our breath waiting for an Israeli response. |
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| To: JohnM who wrote (64617) | 1/6/2003 2:02:49 PM | | From: Nadine Carroll | | | | A good analysis of David Newman's argument:
Democracy Against Itself
by Elliot Chodoff
In an op ed in today's New York Times ("A Decision that Hurts Israeli Democracy," NYT, January 6, 2003) David Newman argues that the Israeli election committee's disqualification of Arab candidates Azmi Bishara and Ahmed Tibi damages Israeli democracy and is, in fact, only a step short of shameful. Newman glosses over the fact that Bishara, a frequent guest of the Syrian government in Damascus, has met with Hizbullah leader Nasrallah, and has encouraged continued terrorism by that organization as well as Hamas and other Palestinian groups. Tibi, formerly Yasir Arafat's official advisor, also has close ties with terroist organizations.
The problem with Newman's argument is that is based not on democratic principles, but on political expediency and partisanship. He would have no problem disqualifying a right wing candidate like right winger Baruch Marzel, but the removal of Messrs Bishara and Tibi, still to be approved by the Supreme Court, has broken "Israeli Arab voters' faith in the election system." If a party or candidate opposes Newman's world view, it may certainly be declared invalid with no consequences to Israeli democracy. The issue is not the rules of the Israeli election system, but how those rules are perceived by Israeli Arabs.
Newman's conclusions a a reversal of the logic of democracy. As we have commented recently ("Israeli Elections and American Concerns," January 3, 2003), process is the core of democratic systems, not the particular interests of a sector of society. While the laws should be applied equally to all, the fact that a group is offended by the results should have no bearing on the decision. Furthermore, if a segment of the population really feels best represented by individuals who have called for the violent overthrow of the state, Newman's protests are the least of Israel's concerns vis a vis its Arab citizens.
chodoff.blogspot.com |
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| To: Alan Brezin who wrote (64603) | 1/6/2003 2:08:41 PM | | From: LindyBill | | | | Cubans in Miami
No matter how much you demonize the Miami Cubans, they were not the ones who turned Cuba into a Communist Hell. If the Kennedy Family had not stolen the '60 election, Nixon would have got rid of Castro and Miami would have been saved from the Cubans that you dislike so much.
But, that is water over the dam. We were committed by the Kennedys to leaving Castro alone. There is no consensus to kick him out now. The best we can do is try to keep his fingers off of Venezuela and Brazil.
The tale David posted here about the Cuban Doctors in Venezuela is really telling. They had bad teeth upon arriving and went to the local Dentists to get them fixed. These Doctors were among the elite in Cuba, and could not get Dental work done! So much for that Socialist Paradise. Although I am sure there are some here who will blame that on our embargo. |
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| To: KLP who wrote (64569) | 1/6/2003 2:08:43 PM | | From: david | | | | KLP... Right now if I had to leave I can do that , there is freedom of travel, Foreign exchange and most of the liberties of a Democracy,, Problem is we don't know for how long, right now the State human rights, General Attorney. State Controller and most court houses are Buddies of Chavez and wont function for any thing in his detriment. If you follow what happened in most Communist, Dictator or Fascist Regimes (For me they are the same just difference of color: Red, Green and Black) the process is similar,, No independent from the Executive :: Judiciary, Legislative or Controller System,
I WILL not leave ( yet) as long as I can put my grain of sand for the Democratic mountain
Thanks for your wishes but right now in Venezuela safety is very temporal and relative.
I have been telling my Fellow Democrats that I am still waiting for the REICH STAG BURNING well, on friday two Chavez followers were shot in the head in the last manifestation, Chavez is accusing the Municipal Police in order not to fulfill the supreme court order to hand back the MP to the Mayors Command.. I KNOW as a FACT that we the Democrats have the intention and gave the indications to all followers and Municipal Police Sectors to avoid any confrontation and just back off instead of giving Chavez ANY excuse. Those deaths are done by the same sharpshooters that killed 19 opposition on April!11.
You ask if would come to that: it might very well come to that, today is one of those days that I feel a bit pessimistic, we see he does all he wants, he doesn't care a bout the country or its peoples suffering, Lately we got Algerians, Libyans, Brazilians and Cubans coming in to help the REVOLUTION and break the oil strike, TODAY we got a CHAINED TV TRANSMISSION with Chavez telling us that he is going to get tougher and he is having to attend the IRANIAN delegation that came with Iran's presidents blessing to help in ANY WAY the revolution, we all ready have the axis of evil in here , where are the democracies ??
It reminds me of the silent majorities in the USA until 1941, how many American life's were lost because of that ??
Sorry for the depresive tone..:-) |
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| To: paul_philp who wrote (64627) | 1/6/2003 2:12:22 PM | | From: JohnM | | | | I gather from this post you are now agreeing with my point about Iraq and oil.
No. Not in the least. Not even a little bit.
What you give with one hand, you take away with the other. Well, I have no idea what your argument is. It is oil; it is not oil. It is sex; it is not sex.
It remains beyond me to see how anyone could imagine that the fundemental, but certainly not the only thing, is the oil. And the purported danger Saddam represents to stable global energy prices.
But, if you don't think so, , , , , |
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| To: JohnM who wrote (64647) | 1/6/2003 2:21:59 PM | | From: paul_philp | | | |
What you give with one hand, you take away with the other. Well, I have no idea what your argument is. It is oil; it is not oil. It is sex; it is not sex.
It's all such a paradox, John.
The reason we are in the region is oil. However, once in the region, we now have a large number of engagements with the region. For example, some people in the region like blowing us up. We have established relationships and become allied with a number of countries.
It started out with oil. Now that we are engaged, the relationship is rich, deep, complex, contradictory, evolving, dangerous, successful ...
It is all about oil is too simplistic to be useful. Saying the US is aiming at Iraq with the intent to manage oil prices is equally simplistic. It may well have been the foreign policy calculus a few decades back but it sure is not the case today. They are attacking American's at home now. If you cannot see how that changes the calculation, then there is no point continuing the conversation.
Paul |
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