1358 all over again!

On April 1, 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran was established. Things have never been perfect as any human made society isn't. But things have never been this bad.

Unless you've been in a coma, under a rock or tripping on something I don't even want to smell, you already know that many Iranians are protesting the results of an allegedly rigged election. (Trying to compare this to our 2000 election). The year 1358 is the year in the Islamic calendar when the the previous regime ending revolution occurred.

God responded and other wackiness

Among all the hubbub of returning to school this fall, I managed to break my hand. Yes, my hand. I hit someone on the side of his or her head with my hand and am now paying for it (literally).

Tonight in my first post in three weeks or so, I want to address the whole thing about Moveon.org. Apparently, no one can do just that: move on. The ad itself while rather uninspired ("Hey, Petraeus rhymes with Betray Us!!!" "That's brilliant!!!!!!") and off target. Lets set something straight. Military figures are not politicians. When they leave the service they may then feel free to pull an Ike and run for office, even the highest in the land. Until then, there are as much a part of the chain of command as the grunt who hauls a 60 lb pack and a rifle. He's taking orders from the Commander-in-thief... I mean chief.

Moveon.org is attacking the wrong guy. He's stuck having to fight a war that even he may not agree with. SEevice people are citizens, too. They do not think the same and no one should ever categorically assume that all service men and women are therefore gun toting, conservative yahoos. Anyone who's served a day in the armed forces will tell you that there are as many varying beliefs, opinions and ideologies as there are in the civilan world. Never take for granted that a soldier is there completely by choice. Signing up means you follow orders regardless of your ideas but unable to express them To attack someone who cannot freely express their own heart and mind do to the role they have is sheer rudeness and dispicable.

I've said my peace on that (mistake intended) and lets put this puppy to bed!

Next week, the United Nations will once again begin its General Assembly for reasons unknown to anyone with brain cells to rub together. If you must ask why, read the UN charter. I even linked it for you because I'm such a nice caring person... Ban Ki-Moon and all the rest will show up for hopefully, another circus. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran will be in New York again despite last year's outright weirdness (Do I need to remind people of Chavez and his "devil" talk?). Ahmadinejad, beyond being short and an excellent modern Napoleon wannabe, asked to be able to visit Groud Zero in New York to pay his repects. New York officials denied his request citing safety concerns since the site is now a construction zone. Way to go New York!

Beacause I want to keep this post short I will refrain from talking about Bush's supposed B in Econ 101 (word on the street says it was a C-). I will, however, discuss a recent lawsuit brought about by a Nebraska State Senator named Ernie Chambers on September 14th. This senator was incenced to dicover a lawsuit being brought by an accuser in a sexual assault case. During the case, the words "victim" and "rape" were barred from the proceedings. The victim, as it were, has now sued saying her right to free speech was infringed upon.

Mr. Chambers took it upon himself to file a lawsuit against God. Thats right! The One, the Almighty, the great I Am. According to Chamber, he can sue God in Douglas County, his home county where Omaha is, because God is everywhere. Chambers also waived personal service i.e. notifying Him of said suit, because God is omniscient. He already knows.

Specifically in the suit, God is accused "of making and continuing to make terroristic threats of grave harm to innumerable persons, including constituents of Plaintiff who Plaintiff has the duty to represent." In addition, God has caused (though I'd prefer the words allowed or enabled over caused) "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines, devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects, and the like." (Nice use of allitereration! Woeful Wars might have been cooler).

And it doesn't end there. God further takes it on the chin with this scathing diatribe against God (probably Morgan Freeman) of "calamitous catastrophes resulting in the wide-spread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants including innocent babes, infants, children, the aged and infirm without mercy or distinction." Never accuse God of being too random.

Well, God spoke back (or is it spake?) At any rate, God says that Chambers cannot sue anybody as his frivolous lawsuit is supposed to prove. He also added in the response that Chambers missed a very important point particularly concerning blaming him for human oppression and suffering. According to God "I created man and woman with free will and next to the promise of immortal life, free will is my greatest gift to you." Apparently there was another response that listed a phone number for a law firm in of all places, Corpus Cristi.

I have nothing witty to add to this. Its funny enough on its own but in an intellectual way. I would like to, however, say a few things about the case that brought this about. The woman who brought about the suit has a case. Here's why: the case of her "assaulter" ended in mistrial because the surrounding publicity damaged the prosecution's chances of getting an impartial jury. Since she also couldn't speak freely in the court to lay her claim of assault against another, she and the prosecution were effectively gagged. This amounts to a judge who would rather control how a case is tried rather than interpret the law and ensure that justice is served.

I also want to add that calling someone a victim in a trial does not absolutely mean that the defendent victimized the accuser. He may be proven otherwise. However, there is still eveidence that the victim was victimized. That cannot be disputed.

As much as I could rant till I'm actually in Nebraska, I must move on... hee hee....

On Sunday, a new Ken Burns' documentary is premiering on PBS. It is called simply The War and it details events as seen through orinary people who fought or assisted in World War II. As most of those close to me know, I am obsessed with World War II. I invite all who have the chance to view this. War stories are rarely told and even more rarely heard. In fact, less so since 1,000 World War II vets die everyday. But worse than this, a majority of high school graduating seniors believe the US fought with Germany against the USSR. Now thats just BAD!!!!!!

Now onward toward history (can those two words be used together like that?)

On this Day, in 1780, Benedict Arnold became Benedict Arnold by giving the British the plans to West Point. Who was he before you ask? He was benedict arnold.

In 1765, Antoine de Beauterne claimed to have killed the mysterious wolf-like creature called the Beast of Gévaudan (French: La bête du Gévaudan). The beast continued its horrific attacks all the same.

On this day, in 1897, The New York Sun published the letter stating "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus". The editorial is now the most republished editorial in the English Language.

J.R.R. Tolkein published The Hobbit in 1937. Geeks and free thinkers would forever feel its fantastical pull. But really, bedtime stories would never be the same.

And in 1991, after decades of oppression and before that, genocide, Armenia is independent of the USSR which ceased to exist shortly thereafter.

Iran, Russia and a Mexican Hurricane

Why must I always write about Iran? They always seem to come up somehow. There was a fire on a plane in Mashhad, Iran today. Eigthy people died, none of whom were crew members. The plane was carrying 147 passengers. The plane in question is a Russin Tupolev 154. Incidents with planes, whether crashing or what not, are a common occurrance in Iran. Economic sanctions make it very difficult for the country to import the spare parts it needs.

Regions in Russia are making Russian Orthodoxy a subject in school. The Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga and Smolensk regions will make it compulsory while 11 other regions will make it an optional course. The curriculum stresses history rather than theology. However, opponents point out that the Russian constitution clearly states that there is a seperation of church and state. Moreover, the Muslim minority, who constitute at least 10% of the federation, are feeling slighted. They say that the same measure should be extended to Muslim students with Islamic history an optional subject.

The European Union apparently is growing faster economically than Japan or the good ole USA. However, their ability to create jobs is less than stellar. It is expected to lessen somewhat as we go into the end of the year. Another African country banning homosexual parties, Ghanian Information Minister Kwamena Bartels noted that since it is illegal to by gay in Ghana, there shouldn't be a conference for homosexuals there. The conference is set to take place next month. My question is why they choose Ghana, a place that does not accept Homosexuals in the first place, for that kind of party?

Tropical Storm Ernesto came ashore at Long Beach, North Carolina. It is now headed northward. Norfolk, Virginia better look out.

Hurricane John is a Category 3 storm and headed for Baja California. Cabo San Lucas is in the bull's eye.

I'll have more later.

"If they try to rush me, I always say, 'I’ve only got one other speed -- and it’s slower'."

There's a lot of news today and there's some people to bid farewell to. But, first the News.

Iran has missed its deadline. One can't help but wonder if Iran would really have kept it. UN Resolution 1696 called for Iran to end its Uranium enrichment program or else face economic sanctions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said "cannot dissuade Iranians from their decision to make progress". It appears that Iran never listened to begin with. The country remains unpopular throughout the globe. However, currently Iran's "stock" is high in the Middle East. It backs Hezbollah, who, though a terrorist group, also run social programs. Its program is supposedly to start a nuclear energy program which will help the expanding economy. According to the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), it gets most of its nuclear materials through the black market and runs secret, or, clandestine, experiments.

The United Nations has passed a resolution to create a peacekeeping force to head to Sudan. Sudan has been reluctant to accept such aid except from the African Union. Resolution 1706 was sponsored by the United States and the United Kingdom. It passed with a vote of 12-0. Russia, China and Qater abstained (courteously). Sudan rejected the resolution citing a violation of their sovereignty. Had Sudan accepted it, it calls for 17,300 military personnel to be deployed but supervised by some civilian organization and an additional 3,300 police personnel. This is an effort to strengthen the United Nations Mission in Sudan. The press release and full text of the resolution can be read here. Many of the atrocities that have become synonymous with Darfur continue despite African Union presence.

Ten bombs exploded simultaneously in Yala, Thailand, 600 miles south of Bangkok. The bombs detonated at eight banks. One person was killed and 18 injured as part of ongoing violence from Islamic seperatists. Southern Thailand has three provinces, Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat, that have a Muslim majority. The rest of the country is largely Buddhist. 1,300 people have died due to sectarian violence since January 2004.

Though this item is old, ever so old, its pertinent. Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor are being held in Libya. They have been tried once for intentionally infected 426 children with the HIV virus in the late '90's. They were convicted in December 2005 and sentenced to death only for the Supreme Court to overturn the convictions and demand a retrial. The accused claim they were tortured to confess. Libya has said the nurses could go free if Bulgaria compensated Libya in the amount of €4.4 Billion, or, $5.5 Billion. Bulgaria (understandibly) has rejected this idea. It has been joined by other nations such as the United States in offering an aid fund. Fifty of the affected children have since died. The outbreak that the nurses were there for was underway before they arrived in Libya. Is the Palestinian going to have a country back him?

Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela, has stated that he supports Syrian President in opposition to "imperialist aggresion", namely, US intervention. Chavez was in Syria signing energy deals and has also visited Malaysian and Iran in recent weeks. At the beginning of the Israeli-Lebanese conflict, Chavez withdrew Venezuela's ambassador from Israel.

Nadim Injaz, a Palestinian, was arrested by Israeli commandos after they stormed into the UK embassy in Tel Aviv. The man was there seeking asylum and claiming that he would be killed by other Palestinians. Israelis refused to help him. The man threatened to kill himself on TV if he was not granted asylum.

In Norway, Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' and 'Madonna' have been recovered after nearly two years since they were stolen. Three men were convicted and sentenced to eight years' prison time in May. The paintings were stolen on August 22, 2004, at gunpoint. How the police recovered the paintings has not been made public. A police spokesman said "out of consideration of police working methods, it will be hard to give details about how the operation was carried out". How very European.

A Muslim leader in Tanzania has said that the beach party to be held September 2nd in honor of the late Freddie Mercury's birthday should be banned. Mercury, lead singer of British rock band Queen and gay, was born in Zanzibar. Azan Khalid of Zanzibar's Association for Islamic Mobilization and Propagation said that his homosexuality violates Islamic principles. He even went so far as to say "that's why he was branded a Queen". (I can't help but chuckle a little over this. Ok, I'm chuckling a lot.) Mercury, whose real name was Farrokh Bulsara, was of Indian Parsi descent and not a Muslim. Though he was not religious, he was by heritege, a Zoroastrianism.

Here in the US, Tropical Storm Ernesto has restrengthened in the Atlantic Ocean. Though it has not regained hurricane status it is very close. Currently, its packing winds of 70mph. There have been reports of half a foot of rain falling in North Carolina. Landfall is expected to occur somewhere near Sunset Beach, North Carolina. However, this is very southern North Carolina and so it could therefore, be right at the border between the two Carolinas. After coming ashore, it is expected to track north along the Eastern seaboard.

Mexico deals with Hurricane John as well. After beating up mainlaind Mexico as a category 4 hurricane, it now heads toward Baja California and Los Cabos as a category 3 storm (it has winds of at least 125 mph). The government ordered 10,00 local residents into shelters. Mexicans have been less than accomodating and seem to slowly concede the hurricane will hit them.

Politically, there has been a shake up. On August 8th of this year, Joe Lieberman, Democratic Senator from Connecticut, conceded defeat in that state's Democratic primary ot challenger Ned Lamont. Some have said the reason for his defeat was the "kiss of death" he received from President Bush during the president's entrance for the 2005 State of the Union address. Regardless, Lieberman, an observant Jew and former Vice Presidential candidate, has decided to continue his campaign as a Independant. This has led to chilly receptions from other Senators. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he has been abandoned. In addition to this congressional matter, there are questions about what this means to any future Presidential campaigns.

Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract from NASA to build the Orion vehicle. This new fleet would replace the aging and ailing shuttle fleet in 2010. The vehicles won't fly until 2014, however. Lockheed beat Northrop Grumman and Boeing for the multi-million dollar contract.

In Local News (for me), Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was convicted after three and 1/2 hours of deliberation in the 2003 kidnapping and death of college student Dru Sjodin. She went to school at the University of North Dakota.

Salman Khan (सलमान ख़ान), Bollywood superstar (and very VERY goodlooking man) has said that the Media is responsible for his negative image of late. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for illegally hunting a chinkara (black buck), an endangered species. He also is awaiting trial for another case of killing the same species in a trip to Rajasthan in 1998. He also is to be tried for a 2002 reckless driving incident where one person died and three people were injured when he drove onto a sidewalk in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) where people were sleeping. He's even been accused of beating his ex-girlfriend and 1994 Miss World, Aishwarya Rai (ऐश्वर्या राय).

Today on CBS, Bob Schieffer stepped down from his interim position as the anchor of CBS Evening News. He has filled the post for 18 months since Dan Rather's early retirement amid the National Guard records scandal. He has served his post well and helped turn around the flagging network's credibilty. He retains to his Washington post and hosting of CBS' Face the Nation. His tenure anchoring the evening news has been one of the best in recent years especially after the acsenses of the Big Three: Peter Jennings, Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw.

Glenn Ford, born Gwyllyn Samuel Newton Ford, legendary actor and Naval Reservist died yesturday at the age of 90. He'd been in such films as "The Blackboard Jungle", "Cimmaron", "Midway", "The Courtship of Eddie's Father", "Superman" and "Fate is the Funter". "Gilda", with Rita Heyworth, helped reintroduce him to American audiances after his lengthy time away serving in World War II. He remained in the service in reserve capacity and rose to the rank of Captain during all those years. He never won an Oscar but he should've. The above quote is attributed to him.

Nine years ago today, Princess Diana died in a car addident in Paris. Her death still affects many around the globe and has become a touchstone in many lives. (I, myself, tear up a little as I write this.) She forever changed the way we view royalty. She will always be missed.

On this day in 1994, the Provisional Irish Republican Army declared a cease-fire. This did not last and hostilities resumed in 1996. In July 2005, PIRA announced it would no longer pursue an armed campaign.

Just last year, 1,199 people were killed in a stampede on the Al-Aaimmah bridge in Baghdad. Shiite pilgrims were on the bridge when a rumor spread of suicide bombers. During the stampede, the iron railings fell off and many fell into the Tigris river. The Bridge links the staunchly Sunni area of Adhamiya on the east bank of the Tigris and the Shia area of Kadhimiya on the west bank.

On this day back in 1897, Thomas Edison patents his kinetoscope, the first movie projecter.

"You with the wells... GET OUT!"

Chad (تشاد) has taken the step to order oil firms out of it territory. Chevron Texaco and Petronas (from Malaysia... those wonderfaul towers belong to them) have been given their marching orders because they failed to pay taxes. Exxon Mobil is the only remaining oil company and the rest of the will be controlled by the state. I thought President Idriss Deby had taken a page from the book of Bolivia's President Evo Morales. If so, good on him.

Iran (جمهوری اسلامی ايرا) still claims their nuclear facilities are for peaceful energy only resources. One cannot help but distrust the oligarchic theocracy. They do not have a great record and their President challenges the existence of the Holocaust. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (محمود احمدی نژاد) continues to say nuclear weapons are not on the table while touring a Heavy Water plant in Arak (اراک). The BBC quotes him as saying "There is no discussion of nuclear weapons. We are not a threat to anybody, even the Zionist regime which is a definite enemy of the people of the region." Supposedly this plant will also be beneficial to health institutions as well.

In Gaza (again) Israel (מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל )made some interesting airstrikes. They dropped some ordinance on a Reuters van. Two journalists were injured. The IDF claims they were driving suspicious and in a combat zone. They also claim it was not clearly marked but "the armored car was clearly labeled as a media vehicle, with signs on all sides, including the roof". Good job boys!

Up North in Canada, the leader of that country's Green Party is calling for a renogotiation of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). Elizabeth May, elected at a convention on saturday, compared the free trade deal to cancer by saying "unlimited economic growth is the ideology of the cancer cell". In other words, economic growth should be checked rather than be free wheeling. Gotcha.

Remember a few days ago when Pluto was still a planet? Not anymore! Now, just like Plan B, there are opponents to this unthinkable decision. Some scientists find it embarrassing. There are of course those who believe its the right way to go. Because of new technologies there are other distant objects that rival Pluto's size, new definitions must be written and agreed upon. Though this makes sense, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) waited until the end of the convention in Prague to vote on the resolution. Most of the delegates weren't there had left. Of the 2,700 attending, only 424 voted. That's roughly 15.7%. Hardley a majority. We'll see what happens to poor Pluto. I still think we've pissed off the Plutonians who will one day strike back with their death ray.

Last but not least, I want to chime in on George Will's declaration that Article 9 of Japan's constitution be reconsidered. For those that do not know, General MacArthur wrote the Japanese constitution back in those dark occupation years and in it was a stipulation that Japan (日本国)could not have military forces. It could retain some for self-defence (自衛隊) mind you and it needed it considering China (中國) and later Korea (조선) and Viet Nam. However, the events in the past decade or two have raised the amount of self-defence Japan must do. Its budget for said self-defence is "$45B". That's enormous. We, the United States, are supposed to provide the bulk of defence but with two wars and various conflicts and operations, that is untenable. Will, writing for the Washington Post, asserts quite correctly that the time has come to change things. With increased tension in East Asia and the long ongoing dispute over Taiwan (中華民國), there is a need for Japan to be a true military power again. Its dubious they'd go a mad rampage of the Pacifc since they are predominantly pacifist. They beat us economically anyway. Will also keenly points out that we need a pro-American ally. Japan is that ally. Just adding my two cents.

On this day back in 55 BCE, Julius Caesar landed in Britain. It would never be the same.

On this day 15 years ago, Moldova declared itself free of the USSR.