Monday, March 23, 2009

IDF ceased long ago being 'the most moral army in the world'
by Gideon Levy.

From the article:

The testimonies from the graduates of the Oranim pre-military course were a bolt from the blue - accounts of soldiers butchering a woman and two of her children, shooting and killing an elderly Palestinian woman, how they felt when they murdered in cold blood, how they destroyed property and how there was not even fighting in this war that was not a war.

But this is neither a bolt nor blue skies. Everything has long been known by those who wanted to know, those who, for example, read Amira Hass's dispatches from Gaza in this paper. Everything started long before the assault on Gaza.

The soldiers' transgressions are an inevitable result of the orders given during this brutal operation, and they are the natural continuation of the last nine years, when soldiers killed nearly 5,000 Palestinians, at least half of them innocent civilians, nearly 1,000 of them children and teenagers.

Everything the soldiers described from Gaza, everything, occurred during these blood-soaked years as if they were routine events. It was the context, not the principle, that was different. An army whose armored corps has yet to encounter an enemy tank and whose pilots have yet to face an enemy combat jet in 36 years has been trained to think that the only function of a tank is to crush civilian cars and that a pilot's job is to bomb residential neighborhoods.

To do this without any unnecessary moral qualms we have trained our soldiers to think that the lives and property of Palestinians have no value whatsoever. It is part of a process of dehumanization that has endured for dozens of years, the fruits of the occupation.


Read the entire article over here.


Testimonies of Israeli soldiers reveal (or rather confirm) IDF's barbarities in Gaza.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Interesting article on how Zardari might have duped us once again:


There is much talk of an embattled and defeated man in the Presidency. The chief justice has been restored. The Zardari government has surrendered, it is claimed. So why has Zardari's smile gotten wider?

As night fell on March 15, the long march was making history. The people of Pakistan refused to be cowed by lathis or unending tear gas. Senior police officials refused to obey orders from Salmaan Taseer's government to use deadly force against unarmed citizens. Every hurdle on the road to Islamabad was simply melting away in face of the Black Coats' revolution.

However, on announcement of the restoration of Iftikhar Chaudhry as chief justice, the revolution has retreated. The Long March and dharna have been called off by lawyers and politicians. President Zardari's government is taking credit for fulfilling the promise of Benazir Bhutto.

Prime Minister Gillani's announced on state television that Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry will be restored as chief justice on March 21, only after the retirement of the incumbent chief justice, Abdul Hameed Dogar. He reiterated that Mr Zardari had been unable to fulfil the promise of restoration because Abdul Hameed Dogar was already chief justice and that there could not be two chief justices. Prime Minister Gillani also committed that all other deposed judges will stand restored, but notably there was no mention of restoring the Nov 2, 2007, judiciary. In fact, Gillani clearly stated that the restoration of Iftikhar Chaudhry was fulfilment of President Zardari's pledge that the term of any existing judge will not be disturbed.


Read more.

Monday, March 16, 2009

CJ restored


Chief Justice Chaudhry Iftikhar is to be restored. While only time will tell if there are any loopholes in this decision or not, its a brilliant victory for all the lawyers, civil rights workers and all those who bore the brunt of the government's ruthlessness in this. It wouldn't have happened if it weren't for these brave souls. Lets just hope that this is a sign that perhaps democratic forces might still take root in this battered country.

Sunday, March 15, 2009


I don't want to be cynical about the Long March, but I just read this post on Teeth Maestro, how there might be a Deal going on underneath all of this. Worth reading I suppose.

Absolute insanity hits the country

Well, they never learn, do they? The dictators who rule us.

Crackdown on lawyers, political workers is in full swing.
Severe confrontation between the police and the protestors is underway right now in Lahore. If this is what we do to those who peacefully protest, I can't imagine how there's any hope for us.


Really, it seems to me the government is totally going round the twist, anyone with a tiniest bit of intelligence can see that such violent means to suppress will only gift more sympathy and more publicity to the protestors. And so whether they manage to reach Islamabad or not, their stated goals have already been accomplished.

By the way, I just saw this bit of news. Suspension of text-messaging services in Islamabad. Seem like desperate measures to me. Anyway, for live coverage of the Long March, visit these links:

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Meanwhile, after the 'Festival of Death' was allowed to continue, there have been several throat-slitting incidents, and the death of two little girls. One seven, and the other eight (heard that on TV, will post the links later since there are none available right now). And there are still several hours left before it comes to a close. This is in addition to the three who died while celebrating on the 28th of Feb.

So should Basant be celebrated or not? Seems like a plain decision for anyone with sense. Hundreds of people have died in this; more who remain alive with severe disabilites. No amount of speeches containing words such as 'culture' and 'tradition' can justify these deaths. Unless its the culture of death we are seeking to promote.