It's not been a great week for world peace so far, when all's said and done.On the down side, mass-murdering rightist nuthouse General Pinochet kicked the bucket without ever going on trial for overthrowing the Allende regime and subsequently 'disappearing' tens of thousands of people during his reign of terror.Ethiopia's former psycho leader Mengistu Haile Mariam was found guilty of committing genocide during his 'red terror' regime that led to mass famine in the country. But since he's hiding out in Zimbabwe with his old pal Mugabe, there's little chance of him facing prosecution either.Then, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert let slip the Middle East's worst-kept secret - the weapons of mass destruction reside in the Negev Desert under IDF control, not in Iraq at all.And while mass...
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Democracy was left fighting for its life today as a fairly and lawfully elected politician from one country met a group of fairly and lawfully elected politicans from another country.
Representatives from bastions of democracy like the Ulster Unionist Party, which was so keen on democracy it ruled a one party state for 50 years, and the current US administration, which gained power in a democratic election by gaining less votes than its opponent, criticised the politicians for meeting each other in an open fashion and trying to learn from each other’s history.
Critics of the move claimed that the meeting was only designed to boost the prospects of the attendees at their respective elections, which is anathema in any democracy.
The British Labour Party has not reacted to the...
Remember the kid who used to get bullied by everyone at school? You know, the weedy one. The kind of child who could do nothing right, and who everyone picked on to vent their own frustrations, even the teachers, who probably thought the same as you. You felt sorry for them, and knew there must be some reason for it. Bad home, mental health problems, both most likely. Everyone knew no one would ever care you see. But still, it was so easy. Everyone piled in and made his life hell. That poor wean is Lebanon.
Its so easy for countries around the world to use Lebanon as the way to vent their frustrations. Israel knowing its all Syria and Iran’s fault, but too afraid to send missles and bombs their way. Oh no, those kids are far too big. Much easier to pick...
An article in the Belfast Telegraph tells of The Blanket and its plans to publish the infamous Muslim Cartoons. According to the Tele, Ulster Muslims are outraged.
We linked to all the cartoons a few weeks ago, when the story was hot, so anyone who wants to get offended quicker can check out our post on the subject.
Belfast Blogger - insulting you......
So when does freedom of expression cross the line and become offensive? The Danish cartoons story has been mushrooming over the last few days, sadly leading to some deaths. The fact that these particulary unfunny cartoons were published in a newspaper originally showed a lack of editoral judgement and a misunderstanding on the purpose of cartoons. They should either make a point, or amuse. The best cartoons do both, but these did neither. Instead they tried to offend, and the point seemed to be how offensive they could become. The decision of other newspaper editors throughout Europe was slightly more defensible in that the cartoons had become a news story and people, at this stage, should be able to see and make their minds up. The fault goes back to the original...
The brand “Democracy” is in crisis tonight, as its main sponsor, the USA, threatened to withdraw funding from its plans for worldwide expansion.
The US leader, George W Bush, said “We thought democracy was a great idea. Who doesn’t love a brand that lets you drink Coca-Cola, watch trashy Hollywood films and give contracts to ol’ Dickie’s Haliburton?”
However a hitherto unknown, and potentially disasterous, side to the brand has reared its ugly head in recent days.
“Apparently, ” said Mr Bush, “people can elect who they want to be leaders with this crap, even people we don’t like!”
Mr Bush was referring to the recent democratic event in Palestine, where the Hamas political grouping won an overall majority...
In a tribute to two men’s determination to get hope triumphing over experience, the British Prime Minister and the Taoiseach are once again trying to play Frankenstein with the “peace process”. The victory of Hamas in the Palestinian elections provides a useful comparison with Northern Ireland in many respects, where a group once renowned and reviled across the world has come into the “political” process (i.e. stood for election, as opposed to using political violence) and beaten its more moderate rivals. There is a geniune reason for hope in the Middle East because of this. It is Hamas and their voters that Israel must come to agreement with before the bloodshed ends on both sides. The analogy with Northern Ireland is obvious, and will be complete...