Chavez Stirring Up trouble, Will Obama React?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the same man who has taken control over the media and successfully eliminated term limits making it possible for him to remain president for life, is now stirring up trouble along the Columbian border. Recently tensions have been rising between the two governments. Chavez lines 15,000 additional troops to “secure the border” with Columbia last week in response to escalating violence in the border region.

Recently the US, an ally of the Columbian government has been allowed into Columbian military bases for the purposes of helping combat drug cartel violence. Chavez, in his intense dislike for the United States, announced on state media that the US empire is using the drug war as a smoke screen to gain access to Venezuelan Oil reserves.

It’s amazing what you can do when you control the information citizens in your country have access to.

Chavez’s boldness to the United States and his arrogance is clear evidence that we have become weak and unintimidating as a nation. We are going to find out real fast that when rogue states like that no longer have that healthy fear of us they will exploit it and use it as a way of gaining leverage. This is exactly what Chavez is doing. He is stirring up trouble in hopes to provoke a response from the US, which knowing this administration will be minimal. He is trying to see how far we will let him go without intervening.

Might I add that being allied with a government means that you would intervene on their behalf if they were attacked for all of you US imperialists conspiracy nuts. So if we did not come to Columbia’s defense we would be breaking our agreement with them. Keeping in mind the president’s encounters with Chavez in the past I am skeptical Obama would take any action if Chavez made a move on Columbia. In fact, I think Obama honestly may be a closet Chavez supporter and in fact might be secretly supportive of Chavez’s actions.

Now some of you may ask why I say that.

First of all, the president had a pair of encounters with Chavez that were exceptionally friendly specifically when Chavez handed him that book that essentially condemns America. Secondly, More concrete evidence is found when you look at Obama’s appointed diversity Czar for the FCC, Mark Lloyd. He is a man who has literally praised the “democratic revolution” in Venezuela that led to the shutting down of numerous alternative media outlets. He called it an incredible revolution meaning to me that he obviously has some substantial common ground with this otherwise acting dictator of Venezuela.

We will watch these developments carefully and it will be interesting how our president responds to Chavez’s provocations. It will be quite revealing as to where Obama stands on this issue and will answer a lot of questions.

Gordon Brown and Afghanistan

 

It is in matters where lives are daily being lost and placed at risk that we need the greatest political clarity about what we are doing and why.

 

The first thing I want to say is that the removal of the Taliban Government in 2001 was an entirely justified action. The Taliban were hosting Al Quaeda and facilitating their campaign of international terror which had culminated at that time in the murder of 3,000 people in the 9/11 attacks.

 

The criminal Taliban government with all of its disgusting oppression of women, ghastly executions and maimings had come about because of repeated international interference by world powers. There was particular responsibility by the USA and Pakistan and the previous involvement of Russia, but many nations also had a hand in it. None of this excuses or justifies the illegitimate Taliban government and its crimes.

 

Al Quaeda is a criminal organisation responsible for mass murder and terrorism. The claims of Bin Laden and his associates for religious justification are of no worth and provide no justification for their crimes. Mafia claims for the moral authority of their ‘family’ values or Somali pirates attempted justifications of ‘policing’ fishing waters in response to loss of livelihood to international fishing are in a similar league to the propaganda of Islamists. Al Quaeda is organised crime like the Mafia or piracy. It is entirely justified to bring these organised criminals to justice and to take measures to destroy their organisations. By the very nature of the threat, these actions have to be international.

 

Dealing with very dangerous crime originating in another country requires military action, but it is very different from a war. As soon as the language of a ‘war on terrorism’ was invoked by George W Bush the necessary action against Al Quaeda and its supporters was misdirected. In his speech today Gordon Brown has shown that he has not yet managed to disentangle the issues in his mind and his government will continue to fail to set clear objectives in Afghanistan which will result in the unnecessary loss of British and Afghan lives for no purpose.

 

The Karzai Government is deeply corrupt and its pretensions to democracy have been exposed as completely fraudulent. These are matters which should be of great concern to the Afghan people, but they are none of our business. It is not possible to impose functioning political systems or moral values with armies and weapons.

 

It is not our business to stop Afghan farmers growing poppies. I will not go into the stupidity of British drug laws, but heroin use in this country cannot be controlled by trying to reduce production in Afghanistan. The demand for drugs in Britain is a British issue which can only be addressed in Britain.

 

Afghanistan is a multi ethnic place divided by different language, tribal and religious affiliations. For well over a century it has not been effectively ruled by a single government from the centre and there is no likelihood that it will be in the foreseeable future. Whether this problem is resolved by allowing the country to separate into its regional groupings or to form some sort of federal or con-federal relationship is a matter for the Afghan people to work out without outside interference.

 

The immediate problem is obvious. Invading powers have destroyed the military, policing and infrastructure of the country. With immediate withdrawal of the western powers, Karzai’s corrupt state apparatus would probably fall quickly to insurgents. So what is the solution?

 

The coalition forces should immediately stop all non-military activity such as school and road building or the administration of elections. The Karzai government must be told to establish its legitimacy by creating an administration that has public support. That can only be done by negotiating with the people who hold power and influence throughout the country. Some of the people they will have to talk to will be armed and may have been fighting to remove foreign influence from the country. This is not the same as wishing to attack the USA or Britain or having delusions about setting up a worldwide Islamist caliphate.

 

The coalition military should be taken of the streets and withdrawn to defensible bases pending withdrawal. Training of Afghan police and army should be rapidly phased out. If the Afghan government want training for their state forces (and they most certainly need it) such training should be provided by commercial contractors. There are plenty of private companies in the United States, Britain, Russia and elsewhere which are mainly made up of ex military personnel and they would compete for this business.

 

The pursuit of criminals like Bin Laden, Mullah Omar and their associates must continue as must the destruction of terrorist training camps and elimination of the criminal infrastructure. This does not require mass troops on the ground. It can and should be done by increased intelligence work, special forces operations and precision attacks by missiles and pilotless drones on firmly identified terrorist targets.

 

Brown has dithered on most things as Prime Minister and Britain has been too eager to follow bad leads from America. Now is the time for clarity and decisiveness. Recognise that it is a mistake to try to export democracy or western attitudes to Afghanistan and pull out the ground troops rapidly. Re-state our determination to prevent terrorist murder on British streets by eliminating criminal organisations whether they are based in this country or elsewhere.

The Blind Buzz has yet more on accessibility

10 Honorees Receive Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao’s New Freedom Initiative Award Award Recognizes Achievements On Behalf Of People With Disabilities – Press Release of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Barriers to USA employment being addressed.

Accessibility in Windows 7 « Microsoft

Affordable Assistive Technology Solutions on TechConnect

Blind people are better at finding their way : Neurophilosophy

Braille Literacy: An Early Disability Rights Activist Discusses the Paving of the Path

China Launches First Barrier-free E-commerce Website For Blind And Elderly – ChinaTechNews.com

Crossing the RSS Divide – making it simpler and compelling « As Your World Changes – get to grips with news feeds and podcasts.

Descriptive Audio Brings Disney Attractions to Life for the Blind

Disabled access to websites under UK law | OUT-LAW.COM by Pinsent Masons LLP

FCC to hold hearing at Gallaudet, Marlee Matlin to participate – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will hold a field hearing at Gallaudet on disabilities access issues as part of its effort to gather information from experts and consumers for the development of a National Broadband Plan.

Invitation to participate in a Google usability study – your chance to participate in a survey.

iTunes 9.0.2 Notes Accessibility Improvements– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Knock Detecting Lock Transforms Your Door Into A Pattern Sensitive Surface, Opens With Secret Knock » ZiggyTek – includes a kewl instructional video, it says here.

MacSpeech Dictate Receives Update to V1.5.6– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Orca – GNOME Live! – screen reader/magnifier for Linux. Instructions and downloads here.

Persons with disabilities demand access to computer education – better life awaits Nigerians who have this education, summit hears.

Social Media for Seniors — Lessons Learned « As Your World Changes

Super Talent Gives Super Speed in Super Small Package » ZiggyTek » Blog – is this the first USB version 3 drive?

Teaching Blind Children to Navigate

The New York Times Addresses Accessibility in Its iPhone App– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com] – some apps have become inaccessible in recent updates, but not this one.

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, Issue #233, Tuesday, November 03, 2009 – always topical and useful, so why not subscribe to the
RSS Feed?

Ubuntu: the complete beginner’s guide – Times Online

VMWare Fusion 3 Maintains Accessibility– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com] – desktop virtualisation on the Mac stays accessible.

WebAIM Screen Reader Survey Shows VoiceOver Gains but Downplays Flash Access Issues (Updated)– The Mac-cessibility Network – News [Lioncourt.com]

Wellness Checkpoint Health Risk Assessment Certified by CNIBs Accessibility Program – important that health management devices are accessible to wide range, says Canadian blindness organisation.

Blogger Jailed For Anti-Bush Remarks

The world has not yet come out of the medieval suppression when people either got killed or get imprisoned for life if they are found guilty for exercising their freedom and criticize the monarchs but this time it has taken a leap and taken a new form of national security policies.

Secret agencies in the name of national security can suppress anyone’s rights and freedom.

Civil society in USA should take a serious note of these events where innocent people like
Dr. Aafia and her children or old journalists like Nayyar Zaidi become easy targets of the
parallel governments in the for security agencies. The prime reasons are similar in these cases
either speaking for justice, belonging to particular race or religion or it can be the case
of just fitting in the profile.

Recent event is of an Indian blogger who was jailed for just making anti-bush remarks over the
internet.

Vikram with a highly educated background was pursuing PhD in cancer research and holds an
excellent academic record.

Civil society and human rights organizations of the world particularly of USA should
demand justice for these victims.

———————————————————————————————————————–

Student jailed indefinitely over alleged anti-Bush remark

Report by Russia Today

Source: http://www.russiatoday.com/Top_News/2009-10-15/indian-student-jail-bush.html

Internet crime is rapidly becoming a major focus for authorities around the world, but the case of an Indian student, jailed in the US nearly three years ago, is being seen as a major test of human rights in the country.

He was locked up for allegedly threatening the American president George W. Bush via his internet blog.

Before ending up in prison in 2006, Vikram Buddhi was an award-winning student at Purdue University in the United States, pursuing a double PhD in cancer research. His parents in India have been trying to prove his innocence for over three years.

“On February 3, 2006, the Secret Service made a formal report saying Vikram Buddhi is not a threat to the US President or any Secret Service protectees,” says the student’s father Dr. Buddhi Kota Subbarao. “Suddenly, on April 14, they arrest him. There is no new development between these dates. So having said he’s not a threat, how he could become a threat in April 2006?”

Dr. Subbarao is a retired Navy captain and nuclear scientist. His son was eventually found guilty formally, in 2007, of threatening the US President. However, the length of sentence has still not been announced and, without that, the family cannot appeal. Dr. Subbarao believes the entire trial was a miscarriage of justice.

Dr. Subbarao and his son

“The jury was not informed of the law, the defense attorney was told to shut up, and the jury’s questions explaining their confusion – the judge didn’t want to clear the confusion, so the jury got fed up and said guilty,” goes on Dr. Subbarao, “So all these show the trial is unfair, a mistrial must be declared.”

Vikram, 37, is accused of starting a web discussion, calling on Iraqis to take revenge on the US by attacking President George W. Bush. Vikram’s supporters believe he is innocent, because the internet trail does not prove he posted the message.

“He’s been accused of threatening to kill President Bush. How did he threaten – did he buy a weapon, did he write a letter ‘I want to kill you’, did he buy a ticket to Washington DC? What did he do?” demands the student’s lawyer Somnath Bharti.

In fact, Vikram’s family believes that he was targeted because a few months earlier he had publicly spoken out against possible racial discrimination at Indiana’s Purdue University. Vikram defended the case of a black student who was expelled for cheating, by highlighting the fact that three white students, guilty of the same act, were not.

Lawyer Somnath Bharti is sure that “Vikram is an outstanding student who stood against injustice, somebody who speaks up, and such people are not liked.”

Meanwhile, teachers and students of the elite Indian Institute of Technology are demanding the release of Vikram, a former student. They want the Indian government to put pressure on the American administration to look at the legality of the trial.

“The government has done nothing for this boy. Even the basic minimum that should have been done for an Indian citizen who is an alien abroad,” points out student Vijaya M.J. “We’re actually dealing with the US which is supposed to be a friendly country right now. When we have [Barack] Obama and Manmohan [Singh, Indian Prime Minister] shaking hands, and one of our students, completely in an unjust way being arrested and jailed in the US is completely unacceptable.”

They argue web postings are protected by the First Amendment of the US constitution that defends the right to freedom of speech.

“Even though so much is written about the rule of law and freedom of speech, [Americans] in fact live in a great deal of fear. Not only from terrorists, but also from their own security departments. Now, anybody who says anything about the American [president] will face the same fate,” Dr. Subbarao says.

What started out as two concerned parents demanding justice for their son is fast becoming an important precedent for the very nature of free speech in contemporary America. For a nation that prides itself on basic human rights and often lectures those who do not comply, it could soon face tough questions over its own laws of liberty.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwfzKX1Uu4s&feature=player_embedded

Obama's fading star

Simon Heffer has a useful piece at The Telegraph on how Barack Obama is failing to cut the mustard. Far from being a commanding figure he seems in thrall to the unions, the Democratic machine and special interest groups.

Many in the media are turning on him and for a country that prides itself on freedom of speech his attacks on the Fox Network do him no good at all.

As Adam has speculated before, Obama will be a one term President – unless he stops running an election campaign and starts to govern.

Warten auf Godot

Nur zur Erinnerung: ja, eigentlich war letzten Freitag vor einer Woche der Termin für eine Entscheidung über das Anreicherungsabkommen. Ja, genau, die Iraner haben dann gesagt sie bräuchten noch ein paar Tage. Am Donnerstag letzter Woche wollten sie sich schlußendlich äußern. Da gab es auch eine informelle Stellungnhame gegenüber der Internationalen Atomenergiebhörde  – es war weder ein Ja noch ein Nein, ein Vielleicht eigentlich auch nicht. Der Iran hat bis heute nicht offiziell geantwortet. Und alle mahnen wie seit Jahr und Tag. Und erklären sie wollten nicht ewig warten – vermutlich nur bis zum jüngsten Tag. Selbst el Baradei sagt nun erneut, die Iraner sollten sich endlich äußern. Selbst der.

Allerdings steht zu vermuten, daß allein schon die innenpolitisch angespannte Lage eine iranische Entscheidung intern zur Zeit gar nicht möglich macht. Einen sehr souveränen Eindruck gibt das iranische Verwirrspiel dabei gerade auch nicht ab. Es ist bloß die Schwäche und Standpunktlosigkeit der Gegenseite, auf die sie bauen können.

Amerikaniserat

Eller NORD-Amerikaniserat borde jag kanske säga. Ett underligt förhållande till USA råder i trakten.  I morse hittade jag den här huvudlöse G.I Joe sittandes på bakgården och började skrattande prata om den med Carlos -dess skapare. Nej, det är bara på skoj naturligtvis men ändå ett uttryck för frustrationen som råder över de stora skillnaderna grannarna emellan, medgav han.