watanan

Gone wrong

2010-08-09T22:20:00.003-05:00

It is probably time to think! Yes it is.

Just tell me, do you know if anything is going right today?

You do not know, do you?

Well, let me tell you; nothing is.

The wars are out of control because drone attacks send messages of love and peace. The economy is out of control and the poor keep buying what the rich sell. Healthcare is just like a Domino's pizza, few big greasy slices (Pharma, Insurance, and Doctors). Education; we are worse than South Korea and no one is interested in making it better because it take three presidential terms to see results. Crime is up, prisons are packed, and guns are for all. The black president turned out to be white. The country decided to have a tea party.

I doubt that we can think!!

What does it Mean to Elect Obama?

2008-11-08T18:34:00.002-06:00

I have been thinking about the meaning of the results of the elections. Over the last few days, I have heard from commentators, musicians, friends, radio, and TV. There are few themes: race, maturity, and future.

Some voters were race sensitive and opted to vote republican. Others claimed that they were race neutral, that their vote was driven by issues and character. I doubt, however, that this group of voters were that neutral. For many liberals, the Obama's blackness was a plus; the election of a black man to become the president of the United States restores some of its reputation as a beacon for hope and progress. I believe that if Mr. Obama was white, many would not have voted for him. His blackness was his gem. Race played a role in every vote, a positive or a negative one.

America's vote for Mr. Obama is a sign a maturity, growth beyond the age of the cowboys, beyond the years of adolescence. Through the 2oth century, America went through the generation of the world wars and their children, the baby boomers. The presidents of the 20th century are bright examples of these generations. These generations took the US from the industrial age to the information technology revolution. But now, it is the era of the post baby boomers, their children. They played a large role in organizing, voting, and wining the election. It is a multicultural, connected, intellectual creative crowd. They live in large cities, own studios and small condos, and drive small cars. They stylish, but not in Brooks Brothers. They have a small personal space.

Last, the future. This is the beginning of the new American century. It is the time to put together the blue print for the coming 100 years. The constitution, in its spirit and not in its detail, will remain the inspiration for how to plan for a new era in a manner that will allow this nation to grow and spread good around the world.

Tomorrow

2008-11-03T22:32:00.002-06:00

I had a strange feeling today: an anticipation with a subtle worry and a hint of satisfaction. Everyone at work today felt strange and as we looked, we were able to see it in each other's eyes, we recognized our ourselves. It was as if we were all agents of a secret organization planning the great escape, planning the revolution, planning the takeover. We all new what will happen tomorrow and whispered it to each other with nods and smiles. It reminded me of the movie "V for Vendetta". When tomorrow comes, everyone will be ready, everyone will be charged, everyone will be waiting for the signal. Tomorrow, we will all go out, feeling the same, looking the same, and doing the same: voting in the new America.

Hope Obama

2008-10-31T07:43:00.003-05:00

I have been listening to and reading commentaries more than ever in the last two weeks looking for the arguments that would make Obama better than McCain other than: he is just like Bush, and finally I heard it yesterday on NPR. It was from a young lady that lives with her family in a farm. She were educated, had children, and elected to be a farmer. She spoke softly and eloquently. She said, and I am paraphrasing: we need a president with a lot of hope to give us all hope. Her words reflected the depressive universal desperation that we are seeing all over this country. It is not about a solution, it is about a leader. A leader that will hold the torch and light the way. A leader that will feel the pain of the people. It is for a leader with a new vision, a new philosophy, a new paradigm. I believe that the election of Obama is the rebirth of America, the beginning of the new post-information, post outsourcing revolution, the new world. It will be painful, but it will joyous. So let us hope.

Lebanon: Stop

2008-05-17T10:17:00.003-05:00

It really hurts. It hurts to see our brothers and sisters in Lebanon go through such period of fear and worry. It hurts to see so many suffer, out of their home, out of their businesses, or worst; out of life. Lebanon that was always a leader in education, commerce, and intellect in the Arab World and the destination for any Arab going forward, is now once again on the verge of collapse due to the battle of egos. The egos are of those inside or outside its borders. A solid Lebanon in my mind is not only a right for all the Lebanese, it is important for the Arabs for three reasons:

It is an important frontier in the conflict between the Arabs and Israel. If Lebanon nationalizes the 400,00 Palestinians and end the fight for Shibaa farm, Syria looses its chances of getting the Golan, and the Palestinians will have no negotiating power. Lebanon will be the domino that ends the Arab-Israeli conflict. Lebanon is the weakest link.
Lebanon is the most heterogeneous county in the Arab World. A fragmented Lebanon or one that is ruled by an oppressive minority will signal the beginning of other minority wars. Wars that will fragment Syria, Iraq, and even Saudi Arabia.
Lebanon was the seed of Arab Nationalism. Its collapse will only mean the end of this project.

So, you and you and you too: get together, stop fighting and rebuild Lebanon.

The Framing of the Lebanon Question

2008-05-09T20:48:00.006-05:00

The events in Lebanon can only bring shame. It seems that the Arabs are so unaware of their realities. Many are speaking of the Sunni-Shia divide in Lebanon and the Syria-Iran backed Hezbollah, and Iran's growing threat in the region. These notions are nothing but the cart before the horse. Iran is the cart, Israel is the horse.

The enemy of the Arabs in the region for the past 60 years has been Israel. For the past 60 years, Israel has never surrendered or given wins back without ensuring that the deal will only make it stronger. Instead of sounding the alarms of an increasing Israeli power and might and instead of focusing on the misery of Palestinians under occupation, all the loud speaker of the media in the US and across the Arab east are pointing the fingers at Iran as the source of all the fear and destruction in the region.

I have seen many perplexed by the relations with Iran, they see them as unwarranted, unusual and unacceptable. Let me give some reasons of why the Arabs and Iranians should be working together. Iran was a part of the Muslim Empire and the Persian civilisation was central the development of the science, philosophy, literature and theology that the Arabs are proud of. Despite the dislike of many nationalist Iranians of the Arabs, most of them recognize the importance of our shared heritage and culture. The relations between Iran and the Arab world continued solid into the era of nationalisms as many of the Iranian scholar studied and lived for extended period of time in Iraq and in Lebanon. Iran is the only country that boarders the Arab world to the west, and it is only natural that we have major cultural similarities.

The animosity of the Arab countries towards Iran surfaced when Iraq waged its war against it after the Islamic revolution took over. This war was supported by many of the Arab countries on the gulf. It was clear then that power and money can be invested in a war against Iran but not in the war against Israel.

Then came the new Iraq war. The US invaded Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction, and found only the destruction. The interesting result of the war is that it brought to the front pages of the newspapers and other news outlets the Sunni-Shia conflict. Iraq never had a Sunni-Shia problem until now. Iraq had a tribal problem and a crazy dictator who had no hesitation killing anyone who threatens him, Shia, Sunni, or christian.

The events in Lebanon are also labeled as Sunni-Shia problems. And I say that they are not. They are political differences between two political agendas, a pro-Israel agenda and an anti-Israel one. The later framing cannot be declared because if the pro-Israel agenda becomes public, its supporters would loose a large component of its public backing. So it is easier to re-frame the struggle to a Sunni versus Shia or even better pro-Syrian versus anti-Syrian conflict or pro-Iran versus anti-Iran.

As for myself, I am neither for the Sunnis nor for the Shia. I am for first thing first. The Arabs should first address the Israeli occupation to reach a long lasting settlement and then the American occupation of Iraq if it lasted that long. The Arabs should then face their inner problems as they develop a regional coalition that includes Iran and Turkey. They are the Arabs' natural allies and if not courted well, can become serious foes.

How Should Arab Americans Vote?

2008-03-05T12:05:00.003-06:00

From my little chats with friend her and there, they all, and rightly so, are concerned with war in the Arab East and mostly about Palestine. Many try to track presidential candidate to measure their tendencies. Is he pro Arab, is she pro Israel, did he give speeches for the Jewish lobby, etc. Over the last 50 years, not a single American president was pro Arab, not even a candidate was openly pro Arab. Presidents come and go, candidates come and go, and the situation in the Arab East just gets worse for the Arabs.

The concerns of Arab Americans are understandable but irrelevant to the political process. Arab Americans do not have any power to change the course of events in the East. The events have geopolitical, economic, and historical forces that are out of the control of immigrant communities, especially a small fragmented one like ours. Therefore, Arab American should be truthful and consistent with their mission, and should vote to whoever makes their life better her in the US, because that is why they are immigrants in this country, searching for a better life. They should leave the power struggle for those in power and their people, they know better.

Is America Demented

2008-03-05T11:43:00.004-06:00

I was wrong in my humble predictions and it does not really matter. What matters is that the big winner yesterday was the Republican Party that seems to be joining forces with Mrs. Cliniton against Obama. The republicans clearly favor running against Hillary. She is a woman, she was pro war, ex first lady, she is white, and she is from New York. A white republican pilot, pro war from Arizona will have a good chance against her especially that black and independent voters that supported Obama might abandon her in the general election if she were the democratic nominee. After such punishment, her only remaining strength would be the hispanic vote and it might just not work.

McCain and Clinton used fear tactics to scare voters from the terrorist hiding next door waiting to ignite himself once Obama is elected, especially that his middle name is Hussein; like in Saddam Hussein! I will be greatly disappointed if this technique works again. It will only mean that the general public has no short-term memory, 4 years is short-time in history scale. In medical terms, such loss of short term memory is the central feature in the diagnosis of dementia.

TX, PA, and OH

2008-02-21T14:13:00.007-06:00

Mr. Obama is 150 delegates ahead. The three biggest races to come are: TX, PA, and OH. I think that he is going to win all three with the following percentages: TX 64%, PA 66%, and OH 62%. This would make him ahead by an additional 150 delegates, total ahead 300. These wins will guarantee his candidacy to run against the leading republican. I might be wrong but I hope I am right.

Shallow Americanism, or Not

2008-02-08T09:06:00.000-06:00

One of the comments on YES WE CAN blog was "Shallow Americanism". I was perplexed by it because I did not really understand what it meant. Shallow, the word, is easy to understand: in the physical realm, it means an object that lacks the physical depth or would otherwise mean a lacking of depth in intellect or knowledge.

Americanism (noun) means a custom, trait, or tradition originating in the US. The SUV is an Americanism, the Hamberger is an Americanism, and the Superball is also an Americanism. This leads me to the questions, is a video about a political figure or movement an Americanism? Most of you would say NO, because such tradition is prevalent worldwide and more so in the Anti-American camps of the world. I therefore doubt that a custom is what the comment meant.

Americanism also means allegiance to the United States and its customs and institutions. The opposite of which these days is Anti-Americanism that is to be opposed or hostile to the government, official policies, or people of the United States. So "Shallow Americanism" might mean allegiance that has little intellectual depth. This is also not likely because we do not really know how to measure the depth of allegiance and if one could meter such attitude, the lyrics of the video are deep and touch on the suffering of many in this country.

To try to better understand what "shallow Americanism" means, I googled it and got 467 hits. That is not much compared with typing "aaaaa" that results in 555,000 hits. Some of the hits were however interesting:

A Quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship, or the sale of goods through pretending that they sell, or power through making believe you are powerful, or through a packed jury or caucus, bribery and “repeating” votes, or wealth by fraud."
Lillian D Wald in Americanization Policies published 1920 has this story: An Irish child wanted to kill a Jewish classmate on Easter because he killed his "Gawd". When the teacher explained, "Christ was a Jew", the boy responded, "I know. He was then, but he is an American now". The author comments, "Great is our loss if such shallow Americanism is accepted by newly arrived immigrants and their national traditions and heroes."
Bernard Cohen in his book Sociocultural Changes in American Jewish Life published 1972 describes that "many of the grandchildren of Jewish immigrants, raised in the 1920s and 1930s in homes detached from ideals and values of faith of their, were assimilated to a shallow Americanism which resulted in a feeling of "emptiness" and "marginality"."

It seemed to me, and to my surprise, after reviewing these and many other hits, that the usage of the term “shallow Americanism” was most frequently associated with immigrants rejecting assimilation with America. So could it be that the reader might be telling us that he rejects assimilation into America.

Possible!

To help myself understand Americanism, I looked up the founding documents. These are the documents in which we find the origins of the ideas about governments, law, and rights on which the USA was founded. The be an American (with allegiance to its government, official policies, or people) is probably to commit to the essence of these documents.

Chronologically listed, these are the foundings documents and how each of them begins:

1215 A.D.
Magna Carta. English liberty charter decreed by King John:
"JOHN, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, to his archbishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, foresters, sheriffs, stewards, servants, and to all his officials and loyal subjects, Greeting. "

November 11, 1620
Mayflower Compact. Agreement drafted by the settlers of the first New England colony: "In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience."

June 12, 1776
Virginia Declaration of Rights. Drafted by George Mason, this declaration of rights later became a model for other state constitutions and the Bill of Rights.
"A DECLARATION OF RIGHTS made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free convention which rights do pertain to them and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government . Section 1. That all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. Section 2. That all power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people; that magistrates are their trustees and servants and at all times amenable to them. "

July 4, 1776
The Declaration of Independance.
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. "

1781
The Articles of Confederation Charter or first "Constitution" adopted by the 13 states following the American Revolution.
"To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting. Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
I. The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The United States of America".
II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.
III. The said States hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other, against all force offered to, or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever.
IV. The better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different States in this Union, the free inhabitants of each of these States, paupers, vagabonds, and fugitives from justice excepted, shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of free citizens in the several States; and the people of each State shall free ingress and regress to and from any other State, and shall enjoy therein all the privileges of trade and commerce, subject to the same duties, impositions, and restrictions as the inhabitants thereof respectively........ Full faith and credit shall be given in each of these States to the records, acts, and judicial proceedings of the courts and magistrates of every other State.
V. For the most convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, ........ Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendence on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace.
VI. No State, without the consent of the United States in Congress assembled, shall send any embassy to, or receive any embassy from, or enter into any conference, agreement, alliance or treaty with any King, Prince or State; nor shall any person holding any office of profit or trust under the United States, or any of them, accept any present, emolument, office or title of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or foreign State; ...."

October 1787 - August 1788
The Fedralist Papers. A series of newspaper articles drafted by Alexander Hamilton along with collaborators John Jay and James Madison, urging ratification of the new Constitution. They are the primary source for the interpretation of the constitution as they discuss the ideas befine the proposed system of government. The first document begins:
"To the People of the State of New York:
AFTER an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government, you are called upon to deliberate on a new Constitution for the United States of America. The subject speaks its own importance; comprehending in its consequences nothing less than the existence of the UNION, the safety and welfare of the parts of which it is composed, the fate of an empire in many respects the most interesting in the world. It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind. This idea will add the inducements of philanthropy to those of patriotism, to heighten the solicitude which all considerate and good men must feel for the event. Happy will it be if our choice should be directed by a judicious estimate of our true interests, unperplexed and unbiased by considerations not connected with the public good. But this is a thing more ardently to be wished than seriously to be expected. The plan offered to our deliberations affects too many particular interests, innovates upon too many local institutions, not to involve in its discussion a variety of objects foreign to its merits, and of views, passions and prejudices little favorable to the discovery of truth."

1788
The Constitution.
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

1791
The Bill of Rights.
"Ammendment I:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Ammendment II:.."

1865 (13th Amendment), 1868 (14th Amendment), 1870 (15th Amendment).
The Reconstruction Amendements. Amendments abolished slavery and guaranteed equal protection of the laws and the right to vote.
"13th Amendment to the US Constitution
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

YES WE CAN

2008-02-07T14:23:00.000-06:00

"It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation" This is how the video begins. The "Yes We Can" video on YouTube by Black Eyed Peas’ has been a hit. It was viewed 2.5 million times since it was posted 5 days ago. I recommend that you listen to it. I found the lyrics on Salem-News.com and here they are:

"It was a creed written into the founding documents that declared the destiny of a nation. Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists as they blazed a trail toward freedom. Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants as they struck out from distant shores and pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness. Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized; women who reached for the ballots; a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and a King who took us to the mountaintop and pointed the way to the Promised Land.
Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

We know the battle ahead will be long, but always remember that no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
We have been told we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics...they will only grow louder and more dissonant ...........
We've been asked to pause for a reality check. We've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.
But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope.
Now the hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in the American story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining "

And the Winner is....Barak

2008-02-06T17:28:00.000-06:00

Despite the less than twenty delegates Hillary has over Barak so far, he is the real winner. Yes he is. He is the winner because the worst is behind him. She had her best wins and will get no more. He is yet to get his best wins. Yes, the best is yet to come.

If we look at 21 states that have not had a primary or a caucus, Barak is ahead of Hillary in all of them according to the "YAHOO BUZZ". The BUZZ is probably not as good as "scientific polls", as good as these are, but the BUZZ probably means something when he is ahead of her in all 21 states, and is ahead by more than 30 absolute points in 16 of the 21 states. This margin will give Barak a differential of at least 695 delegates.

Kibbe at the Crossroads

2008-01-31T12:20:00.001-06:00

I was driving to work listening to NPR when the Kitchen Sisters began and it was about "kibbe". Yes, "kibbe". Kibbe, for those who do not know, is the food of the gods. It is by far the most tasteful, delicious, and lovely dish one can ever eat. Kibbe can be grilled, backed, raw, and sometimes in stew. It is a meat shell stuffed with meat, onion, and nuts; and what more does one wish in a dish.

The show "kibbe at the crossroads" was about the food of some of the oldest Arab immigrants in the US, those of the late 1800's and early 1900's to the Delta. I was shocked to know that kibbe was present when the "Blues" was born. That's why if you don’t eat kibbe, you ain’t got the blues. Most of the guests on the show called themselves Lebanese, but at times confessed that were from Greater Syria. I felt so proud of their achievements and stories, I connected with their struggles despite being 90 or more years apart. It was a great, emotion-filled show; every Arab-American should listen to it.

The Democrat for The White House

2008-01-25T09:53:00.001-06:00

The competition between the Democratic candidates for the White House has been ugly. Ugly to the point that it is beginning to have a nauseating effect on the public. Like many, I have my own opinions and would like to share them, but before I do, I have to be clear: I do not vote.

The question that I would begin with is: why Obama? And my answer to myself is:

If an African-American becomes president, the race struggle in its classical form (black versus white) would be declared over and a new more inclusive struggle would begin, the struggle of the classes. The class struggle would resonate with similar struggles in other western nations and third world one that have dealt with it as their main social problem.
If an African-American becomes president, the African-American youth will have a new role model to follow. Not the gangsters in the block, not the hip-hop artist with his bling-bling life and disgusting lyrics, but the president of the United States.
An African-American president will hopefully ease the mistrust many African-Americans have for Washington politics and the White House.
If the son of an immigrant makes it to the White House, all immigrant communities will cheer and hopefully cooperate in developing legislation to improve their lives and promote their issues. Such a president will boost the moral of immigrant communities that were alienated in the past 8 years despite all the talk about immigration reform.

Such reactions to Obama have nothing to do with experience or white papers or proposals. These reactions result from who the candidate is, and this "is" is very personal.

The second question is: why not Clinton? Well, she is just that "same old story" all over again. In the general election, it is actually her weakness and not her strength that she was the First Lady for 8 years and a senator for 7 years. If these are her qualifications, she will lose against McCain. If one votes for the "same old story", McCain's story is a longer one. If one votes for positions on issues, McCain, and I am not advocating him, has worked with many Democrats on many issues, he advocated finance reform, gun control, immigration reform, has opposed tax cuts, and was honest when he called waterboarding torture.

So, what is the best Democratic duet to run for the White House? I think it is Obama with Edwards for VP. And if they win, it would be a revolution, a democratic electoral revolution.

Bomb First Then Talk

2007-09-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

The bombing of Syrian targets by the Israeli air force is still puzzling, not because that it happened but because of all the theatrics around it. Syria and Israel took their time commenting on what had happened, then leaked reports in the media or through other countries in the region (US or Turkey), then gossip poured about the target. Were they weapons going to Lebanon? Or were they nuclear heads from North Korea? Or are they new Syrian purchases from Russia?

Lebanon, Iran, and North Korea. How convenient! This event could be used to pressure any opponent for the US globally or Israel regionally. The US and Israel seem unhappy with the resurgence of Russian sense of dignity after a prolonged hibernation. Russia has its nuclear bombers flying around the world again, and supplying many nations with weapons and military technology. Iran is unarguably the main pain for the US and Israel in the region by its influence in Iraq and Lebanon. And lastly Korea is engaged with the 6 nation talks and is still on the radar.

The second scene of this theater is the Israeli call for talks. Why now and do they mean it? first of all, and due to the frustration of the world with violence in the Mideast, any call for talks gets a good welcome and good press that would immediately negate some of the negative press that came out when Israel waged war on Syria. I guess that WAR is the only word that can describe multiple military attacks on another country. But do they mean it? Well they might. See, the key to gaining the upper hand in any attack on Iran is to pacify Syria first. That can occur with force or peace with Syria or the first leading to the second. And as I see it, war with Iran is coming.

It is not that I advocate for war. I AM AGAINST ANY WAR. But I am pessimistic and I hope that i am wrong.

Chicago Arabesque

2007-06-25T22:19:00.001-05:00

This week we will celebrate Arabic culture in Chicago in the first outdoor Arab festival; Arabesque. It is a 4-day festival that will run from Wednesday through Saturday at the Daley Plaza in Chicago. Please come and visits with us, check the website ot listen to the interview at NPR.

Back in Chicago

2007-05-24T12:53:00.000-05:00

I just came back from San Francisco and I liked it! The weather was great, the walks around it streets were spectacular, the homeless have become more creative, the ocean was overwhelming, and the food was good. Despite all that, I do not think that I can live there. I felt that it is not a city to settle in but a city to pass through. It can be a chapter, not a finale. The reason why I have to come to this resolution is that I am contemplating a move to the west and I have to figure if this new migration is good. So, let me compare Chicago with San Fran.

Size: Chicago Bigger than San Fran.
Architecture: Chicago is more famous than San Fran.
Restaurants: Chicago has more diversity and more quantity than San Fran.
Topography: None in Chicago many in San Fran.
Immigrant Communities: Larger and more diverse in Chicago.
Weather: San Fran better than Chicago hand down.
Spirits: Chicago does not have Napa or Sonoma.
Housing: Much more expensive in San Fran.
Cost of Living: More in San Fran.
Travel to The middle East: longer from San Fran.
Homeless: More than San Fran.
Streets: Cleaner in Chicago.
Style: San Fran people are more hip.
Traffic: More in Chicago.
Higher education: San Fran much better.

To sum it up, Chicago has more soul, Chicago has got the blues! But still love San Fran, maybe for a past or maybe for a future, but not now.

Iraq, Grounds for Battles

2007-01-10T10:26:00.000-06:00

Iraq has become the war zone for all those wanting to fight. It started with the US going to battle against terrorists. Then, Iraqis started their own battle; to pay back for the days of Saddam and to control the new Iraq! After that, it became clear that Iran is battling the US in Iraq. And now, the Republican Party, and specifically the Bush family, is battling among themselves the Iraq policy. In contrast to what Bush 41 had hoped, the Bush 43 team is gambling one more time on military power, more war, to solve the Iraqi questions. The Bush family feud didn't just start with the Iraq Study Group and the latest election. It probably began three years ago when the group Diplomats and Military Commanders for Change revealed how dangerously isolated the Bush Administration is, not just around the world but even from America's own bipartisan foreign policy and military establishments. Stay tune, the rest is yet to come..

WAR

2006-11-24T20:08:00.001-06:00

I have just discovered that radio is more vivid and challenging than TV, particularly non-news programs like interviews and literary readings. If you were listening, it reaches directly into your brain . Outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, and then the brain. The brain would reassemble a picture, a pattern. When you watch TV, the picture (pattern) is predetermined, you do not think, you are passive. The picture is poured into your brain, it becomes the pattern for what you would later hear. If a picture occupies a space first, any information entering the brain later would have to conform to it! If it does not, it becomes a second class pattern, or maybe a lie or propaganda.

In the past week I have listed to two programs that were very inspiring. A short story by Tom Bissell "War Wound". It brings back Vietnam, a writer and his father, a Vietnam Marine, revisiting. I see it as an intro to the wounds returning from Iraq, how they happened, and how to treat them. At some point the father says "when I came here, we were like crusaders. We were going to help people, make their lives better, give them democracy."

The second story was an interview with an Iraq veteran living in his car! Yes in his car. It was so painful that I could not hold my tears. A soldier is as human as anyone of us. Pictures of children that he played with in Iraq keep him going and maintain his sanity. Please listen to it and comment.

History and Politics And The TV In Ramadan

2006-09-26T09:56:00.000-05:00

Ramadan has just started and with it began a marathon of TV series that will occupy some of us till the early morning hours. Similar to those of previous years, they are tackling themes that are strongly tied to the troubles of the Arab World. Some series deal with political corruption, these are usually the mildest of all and are sometimes funny. On the other hand, we have historical dramas that deal with particular eras or particular figures. In addition to educating the viewers about the historical content, they try to use the past as a magnifying glass of contemporary political matters, particularly the failures of the political leadership in the Middle East. The productions are sometimes very large and lavish. They are hard to follow but at the ends they are frequently intellectually pleasing.

The most traumatic of all the series are the ones dealing with terrorism. I have been following two. The first one was set in Syria. It was very painful to watch, lots of tears and lots of body parts. In yesterday's episode, the leader of the terrorist cell wanted to use his stepdaughter to blow up a government building. She was 6-7 years old! The scene of strapping her with explosives was hard to watch. Due to a series of coincidences, the police foiled the attack, arrested all the bad guys and saved the little girl. The second show was set in multiple countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and England. The characters were from a larger number of Arab countries. The terrorists are more sophisticated and run a complex organization. Many of them had been in Afghanistan and are now living in some of the Arab states or the UK. So far, there has been some snapshots into their psyche that will, I assume, influence how the plot unfolds. I think that this will be the most rewarding of the two, but let us wait and see, or watch.

I would like to advise all US law makers, politicians, CIA, FBI, NSA, and the White House to watch all these programs. They will give them great insight on the real troubles of the Arab World and how the locals view them. I think that the insight will be larger than that given in any CIA report or expert testimony and will cost much less, 39 dollar per month for the satellite subscription, a TV and someone to translate!

Issa in Chicago

2006-09-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we, that is my son, my wife and myself attended an event at symphony center, the home of the Chicago Symphony-- the best Symphony in the US. It was a merger of The World Music Fest, Macy's Day, the and Silk Road Project. All the performances were inspiring and perfectly tied modernity with heritage. But for me, the best came at the end.

My friend, Issa Boulos and his group, Radio Maqam played with the Symphony 4 pieces composed by Issa himself. The performance for me exemplified what an international citizen can be and can do. After the event, I could not say more than thank you to Issa, I said it in my name and in the name of all those struggling to bring peace. I encourage all my readers to check his performace on the Prairie Home Companion radio show that will probably be available in few days and to visit his webpage.

One more time, thanks Issa

Attack in Damascus

2006-09-13T08:34:00.000-05:00

The attack on the US embassy in Damascus brought back old memories. Ten years ago I stood there inline to submit my documents to get a visa to come to the US. I know every corner of that block. But yesterday's attack made me realize, that even my memories are not safe from the attacks of extremist. It also reinforces in my mind the need to partner with Syria in the fight against extremism and the push for peace in the Middle East.

I would like to introduce a cenario, a sort of a political future fiction, politofuturofiction! After the attack on the US embassy, someone in the US administration would say: "eureka! Syria is also a victim of extremism, it had been and remains mostly secular, the public is moderate, and the government has a long experience in dealing with and fighting extremism. We -the US- should have Syria on our side." This staffer, and let us call him Joe, does some research and discovers that Syria's strongest grievance is the Golan heights. Joe is also concerned about the growing giant called China. Joes discovered that the Arab World with its human, economic, and geopolitical resources is the only possible partner that can help the US stand still against China, Europe is get very old and Russia might partner with China! Joe feels an urgency because he read a report that in 2030 China might become richer than the US. Joe concluded after lots of reading that it is crucial to resolve the remaining issues of the Middle East conflict to focus on China. Joe develops a plan to bring Syia inline with the US. It goes like this: convince Israel to give the heights back, Assad makes a Sadat-like visit to Tel Aviv, Syria and Israel sign a peace agreement that include enough water for Israel, Israel withdraws from the heights, Syria through its links with Hezbollah and Hamas forces disarmament, in return Israel withdraws from the West Bank and Gaza, the Lebanese battle out their differences and reach a stable form of government after significant concessions. Then, Syria turns around helps the US solving the Iraq problem. Joe concluded that Syria is the only Arab country that can occupy the vacuum in Iraq once the US forces leave because of its location, size of its military, and because it can deal with Iran more than any other Arab country. Syria's presence in Iraq will satisfy the other Arab allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and will calm their concerns about the increasing strength of Iran and its reach into Iraq. A strong Syrian-Egyptian-Saudi alliance in Iraq will stand against Iran and force its cooperation. Joe present his findings to his superiors, they like it, implement it, it becomes a reality. Joe gets the Nobel prize for peace and retires in Damascus!

Joe, where are you...

Including Syria - A Domino Effect for Peace

2006-09-06T18:09:00.000-05:00

The key for the US to wage war against Iran, or at least reduce its threat, is to pacify Syria. I do not think that Syria's allegiance with Iran and Hezbollah is eternal. Syria has always accepted the American carrot and therefore, we should give it one more! The least expensive carrot to pacify Syria that would even make it change sides would be to return the Golan heights -- restarting negotiations this time around might not be enough. The return of the heights will also force the Syrian government to focus on domestic issues, particularly economic and political reform, area's which the international community can engage with Syria through peaceful diplomatic means to affect change. The return of the heights will also create the chance for Iran to step back and re-evaluate its position on nuclear development and would also bring down one of the strongest argument used by Al-Qaida to wage war agent Arabs and the West especially if Israel solves the Palestinian question. This is not giving in to terror, this is giving back people their land to start a domino for peace.

What I Would Really Want You to Do

2006-08-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

To tell you the truth, I named this blog "watanan" because I am worried about my identity. Many Arabs living in America or any other western nation probably share my worry that stems from the chance of a war between my homes. At this point in history, the West has Arabs and Muslims under the microscope; they are seen as the enemy. This vision is created and perpetuated daily by a complex process of misinformation to which the immigrant Arab and Muslim communities in the West have been effectively silent.

If you were paying attention to the news, the drums of war have begun. The US has increased the number of its troops in Iraq and shipped new weapons to Israel. British and American troops have moved from hot spots in Iraq and are probably at the Iranian and Syrian borders. Israel has developed a new brigade to attack Syria and Iran and is investing heavily in improving the safety of its shelters. Britain, Canada, and Australia have been recruiting aggressively into their militaries. Even Saudi Arabia has recently received new fighter jets from France. The US had secured French and now German support against Iran. Can you hear the drums now.

So, what should you do? Should you just stay tuned, as the war comes to a theater near you, or maybe to your bedroom TV! Or should you "do something." I recommend the later, because watching TV can probably increased your weight! The least you can do is to EDUCATE the people around you about the misinformation directed at them, ask them to stop watching TV, and MOTIVATE them to say "no to war, no to any war".

This brings me back to my little blog. I would like you to send me answers about few questions: how can you become a citizen of the west with roots in the east? How will you cope with a large scale war against Arab or Muslim nations? And what should Arabs and Muslims living in west do to bring peace and prevent war? Please, ask your friends that might have an opinion to participate. I would like your participation to be in a paragraph form and to include answers to all of my questions. I will post all your opinions on my blog to have a living archive of our voices.

Lastly, I believe that there are better fields that we should send our men and women to than the fields of battle.

Lebanon One More Time

2006-08-17T16:43:00.000-05:00

I have not heard the speech of Bashar Assad a couple of days a go, therefore I cannot comment much on it. I did however hear the responses by Hariri, Jumblat, Hizbullah, American and European politicians. It shocks me as a follower of the events how naïve the March 14th group are. If Hizbullah was a patriotic resistance, as most Lebanese politicians have expressed during the latest conflict, we would therefore assume that Hizbullah will not accept disarmaments if there were no guarantees that the army will perform as good as they did if Israel attempts to attack Lebanon again for any reason. The empowerment of the Lebanese army has been a subject that the minister of defense in Lebanon has stressed with expressions of frustration in a recent interview on the LBC TV. Such guarantees cannot be given by any foreign superpowers or Israel; these guarantees have to be based on an internal evaluation of the Lebanese army. Lebanese elected officials, government, and military experts should agree upon its current and desired capabilities and the steps to be taken in between. Such empowerment of the army would only be effective in Hizbullah’s view, if and only if the Lebanese government aligns its role in the region with Hizbullah’s view of Lebanon’s position in the conflict with Israel, that is the expulsion of Israel from all occupied Arab territory and the return of prisoners. The only guarantee for Hizbullah would then be to have more influence either in the army and the ministry of defense or in the parliament. Such changes are still far away in Lebanon, as they would require dramatic change in the election law and the composition of the government. In the meantime, Hariri and Jumblat went out lashing against Damascus’s latest declarations, giving Hizbullah the opportunity to say with full calm, that they also disagree with Damascus. One more nominal victory for Hizbullah in Lebanon!

Fat

2006-08-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

I see a lot of obese patient in my clinic. As you probably know obesity is an epidemic in the United States and disadvantaged populations are hit harder than the rest. In many of my encounters with my obese patients, I observed the following:

Most of my patients do not know what a calorie is! I will not define it here but most people will understand that a 200 pound person jogging for 10 minutes will burn 150 calories, one can of soda.
What also shocks me is the amount of soda and other sugar rich drinks these patients consume. Some of my "soda drinkers" consume 2 liters of regular soda per day. A few actually consume 6 liters of soda per day. And guess what happened, they could not sleep!
The next problem many of my patient suffer from is the wrong impression that exercise will solve their problems. No, no, no. It is caloric restriction that will do it.
Some also think that diet modification will work. For some, it will, but for most of my patients, it will not. The results will be the same if one eats 4000 calories per day of junk food or of good food. At some point I advised one of my patients to stop drinking soda. Three months later he came back and complained that he gained more weight. When I asked him how much soda he was drinking, he said that he stopped drinking it completely. "Now, I drink juice" he said, with some pride. Two cartons of Florida's orange juice!!!
Plate size: this is a cultural issue. In the US the plates are very big while in most eastern cultures the plate is small. I think plate size gives certain feed back to the eater!
Most of my obese patients do not have a scale. This is killer if one claims to be on a diet and not have a scale!
Lastly, most of my obese patients do not know what their weight should be and their best guess is more than 20% above their ideal body weight.

In conclusion, to get rid of extra weight: set your goal, eat less, and monitor you progress frequently

Rice vs. Wife

2006-07-31T11:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my wife cried for the sight of dead children in Lebanon. She attended in black a birthday party. My son did not know what was going on as we were supposed to be happy, it was party time in Chicago!

It was not party time in Qana. I can not even try to imagine how parents and rescue workers felt. My heart brakes when my son gets a little cold especially when I hug his warm body and absorb his fever. How would a mother feel when she carries the cold corps of her son!

In the mean time, Condi Rice was in Israel in her bright dress, distributing here ugly smile to all reporters. Even the Israelis had more somber faces and used more words to describe their assumed regrets. Did Rice ever have a child sleep on her chest and feel his worm breath on here face!

In My Bed

2006-07-29T04:51:00.000-05:00

I am on call tonight at the hospital. On those nights, my son spend the night in my bed, next to mom. Tonight, and as she tucked him in, he said "I am angry with you and dad. You listen to dad more than you listen to me, and you sometimes ask me to go back to my room. I have lots of questions and I need answers!"

Son, I love you...

The Idol to the White House

2006-07-29T04:35:00.000-05:00

Bush plans to host "American Idol" Taylor Hicks and the other top 10 finalists at the oval office. Mr Hicks has won more votes on the "Idol" than Mr Bush in the last elections, and I bet that Mr Rove will visit with Mr Hicks to get some pointers for the upcoming elections and to discuss possible cooperation! As for Mr Hicks, he will get to meet his 9th grade teacher, who is currently Laura Bush's press secritary. This gathering reminds me of the recent Hugh Grant movie American Dreamz, but this current events is even better, it is reality!

Insignificant Lives

2006-07-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

The experience of the Sixth War in the Middle East has so far confirmed that despite being “human”, the lives of the victims of this war including the Israeli soldiers are insignificant. It has also confirmed that human rights can be suspended particularly when they are needed for the sake of an exceptional state of war- the “terror” on terror. I am afraid that the quest for a new Middle East has turned into a conquest and that the American captain has lost his compass.

Three Patients

2006-07-27T23:38:00.000-05:00

Three of my patients did not show up for their appointments. Each of them visited with me last Tuesday and each of them had an excuse. The first patient was at the emergency room due to an asthma attack. The smoke of the fire that burned down his house triggered the attack. The fire started in the drier. The second patient’s nephew died. He had an argument with his mother and was found dead in his room three days later. He ingested his mother’s psychiatric medications. She had attempted suicide three times, three failed attempts. My last patient’s husband died. She brought the death certificate to prove it to me!

We, providers of health care, are trained to empathize with our patients and to protect our emotions. But on that day, I ran out of empathy and it hurt!

Peace

2006-07-21T15:03:00.000-05:00

For me, the ultimate peace is the peace of mind, inner contentment. To have it, I have to piece together all kinds of peace. Peace within my family, peace within my neighborhood, pace within my town, peace within my country, peace within my culture, and then peace with all. Prozac couldn’t give me a peace of mind.

We all want peace. But, what kind of peace? I found a possible answer: a Righteous peace.

THE PEACE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Theodore Roosevelt
An Autobiography. 1913.

There can be no nobler cause for which to work than the peace of righteousness; and high honor is due those serene and lofty souls who with wisdom and courage, with high idealism tempered by sane facing of the actual facts of life, have striven to bring nearer the day when armed strife between nation and nation, between class and class, between man and man shall end throughout the world. Because all this is true, it is also true that there are no men more ignoble or more foolish, no men whose actions are fraught with greater possibility of mischief to their country and to mankind, than those who exalt unrighteous peace as better than righteous war. The men who have stood highest in our history, as in the history of all countries, are those who scorned injustice, who were incapable of oppressing the weak, or of permitting their country, with their consent, to oppress the weak, but who did not hesitate to draw the sword when to leave it undrawn meant inability to arrest triumphant wrong. Read the rest at Bartleby.

An Address Delivered Before the American Society for the Judicial Settlement of International Disputes, December 17, 1910
Jean Jules Jusserand
With Americans of Past and Present Days. 1916

Does peace mean progress? Is the disappearance of war a sign of improvement or of decay? At a yet recent date learned men, their eyes to their microscopes, were teaching us that among the various kinds of living creatures they had studied, war was the rule; that where struggle ceased, life ceased; and that, since more beings came into the world than the world could feed, the destruction of the weakest was both a necessity and a condition of progress. Struggle, war, violence meant development; peace meant decay. And a bold generalization applied to reasoning man the fate and conditions of unreasoning vermin. Since it was fate, why resist the inevitable and what could be the good of peace debates?

But the stumbling-block that Science had placed on the road to better days has been removed by Science herself. The sweeping conclusions attributed to that great man Darwin by pupils less great have been scrutinized; other experiments, such as he would have conducted himself had he been living, were tried, and their results added to our book of knowledge. Great results, indeed, and notable ones; it turned out that the explanation of transformism, of progress, of survival, was not to be found in a ceaseless war insuring the predominance of the fittest, but in quiet and peaceful adaptation to environment, to climate, and to circumstances. And we French are excusably proud to see that, for having unfolded those truths years before Darwin wrote, due honor is now rendered almost everywhere, and especially in America, to Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, author of the long obscure and now famous Philosophie Zoologique, 1809.

As for the undue multiplication of individuals, statistics unknown to Darwin have since shown that, whatever may be the case with beetles or fishes (and let them work out their own problems according to their own laws), there is, for man at least, no need of self-destruction to ward off such a peril: the general decrease of the rate of reproduction, so striking throughout the world, is all that is wanted, and in some cases is even more than is wanted.

War, therefore, is not our unavoidable fate, and that much of the road has been cleared: a long road followed amid terrible sufferings by mankind through centuries. The chief danger in times past, and partly still in our own, does not result from an ineluctable fate, but from the private disposition of men and of their leaders. And we know what for ages those dispositions were. Former-day chroniclers are wont to mention, as a matter of course, that “the king went to the wars in the season,” as he would have gone a-fishing. People at large saw not only beauty in war (as there is in a just war, and of the highest order, exactly as there is in every duty fulfilled), but they saw in it an unmixed beauty. Men and nations would take pride in their mercilessness, and they were apt to find in the sufferings of an enemy an unalloyed pleasure. Read the rest at Bartleby

Dissociations

2006-07-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

I don’t want to choose between mourning the dead and awaiting their call. I don’t want to fake a smile as I walk down the isle to buy my steak. Can I sleep as they battle the thunders of war? Can I shine my shoes as they march a dirt road? Can I turn my AC on and play with my son? Can I kiss my wife goodbye? Can I be the hunter and the prey? Can I be the victor and the loser? Can I be an American if my mother lives in Beirut?

Peace, Propaganda & The Promised Land

2006-07-20T15:06:00.000-05:00

Bathsheba Ratzkoff & Sut Jhally
www.rys2sense.com
By Google

Watch video

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land provides a striking comparison of U.S. and international media coverage of the crisis in the Middle East, zeroing in on how structural distortions in U.S. coverage have reinforced false perceptions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This pivotal documentary exposes how the foreign policy interests of American political elites--oil, and a need to have a secure military base in the region, among others--work in combination with Israeli public relations strategies to exercise a powerful influence over how news from the region is reported. Through the voices of scholars, media critics, peace activists, religious figures, and Middle East experts, Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land carefully analyzes and explains how--through the use of language, framing and context--the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied terrorities appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. The documentary also explores the ways that U.S. journalists, for reasons ranging from intimidation to a lack of thorough investigation, have become complicit in carrying out Israel's PR campaign. At its core, the documentary raises questions about the ethics and role of journalism, and the relationship between media and politics.

Arabic Editorials on The Israel-Hezbollah Conflict

2006-07-19T12:59:00.000-05:00

Khaleej Times Inline
Dar Alhayat
Yemen Times
Al-Ahram
Addiyar

The Coup Attempt That Started a War

2006-07-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

Payvand's Iran News
7/18/06 By
Dr. Abbas Bakhtiar

As Israeli planes pound the Lebanese infrastructure to sunder, as the Palestinians spend their days and nights in inhumane conditions and under siege, as people in 20 Israeli towns sleep in bomb shelters, Israel threatened to widen the conflict by attacking Syria. According to Baztab.com, an Iranian online newspaper, the Israeli government has given Syria 72 hours to handover the two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah or face the consequences. Iran already has declared that any attack on Syria will be considered an attack on the Muslim world (i.e. Iran and others). If Israel attacks Syria, Iran will enter the fray, which will bring in the US, which will involve Iraq and the Persian Gulf countries. In other words any attack on Syria may start a regional war that may engulf the whole region, sending the price of the crude oil to unimaginable levels. Is it possible that a small border skirmish turn into a regional war? The answer is yes.

Read the full article

No Comment

2006-07-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

Homs, Syria

no comment

Dear Mr. Schorr

2006-07-18T17:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Mr. Schorr

I was quite surprised by your commentary on NPR yesterday. You seemed puzzled by the death of the peace process and concerned that extremists have hijacked the Middle East. Your analysis shows typical optimism and shortsightedness.

The peace process was born dead. As you know, multiple UN resolutions have clearly defined the goals and guideline for the resolution of the conflict in the Middle East, self determination, establishment of an independent state for Palestinians, return of dispossessed refugees and Jerusalem, and the removal of the Jewish settlements. Israel is in violation of most of these UN resolutions and the peace process was its way of out blame. Israel was able to build a complex web of agreements and structures that made any peace impossible. What is wrong with giving back all of the occupied land for an ever lasting peace.

As for the second item on your bewilderment list, the rising power of Hamas and Hizb Allah, you should probably read The Nation’s online editorial posted on July 14. The two organizations have risen to fill power gaps. These gaps are the result of American and Israeli policies that weakened the Palestinian authority and the Lebanese government, both were democratically elected .

Yours truely

Grownup

2006-07-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

My son has recently become concerned with the definition of a grownup. He does no associate it with a particular age; instead, he associates it with certain items. I am not sure how he got these ideas because we have never associated these items with growing up.

My son is fond of music, so we try to let him listen to as much music as possible. The best tool for such an adventure was my iPod which he leaned to use on his own. Few weeks ago, he came to me and said “dad, when I grow up you should get me an iPod and make sure it is a black one.” My iPod is white!

The second item on his list of becoming a grownup is the car, and that was a bit surprising because he is more into trains than cars. So two weeks ago and as he was mounting his car seat, he called on me and had this serious look on his face and said “dad, I want a car.” I responded reminding him that he had lots of car but he did not like that “dad, I mean a car like yours. When I grow up, you should get me a car and an iPod, a black one.”

Yesterday noon, he discovered his third grownup item, the grill. As I prepared food for our guests, he sat out there on the patio under the hot son watching every move I made. Once I finished he said “dad, when I grow up you should get me a grill, a car, and an iPod, and make sure it is black.”

My son is curretly four years old.

Checkmate Iran

2006-07-17T16:52:00.000-05:00

No one would argue that the United States would like to solely control the world’s resources of petroleum and its routes of transportation. Saudi Arabia has had the largest known oil reserves in the world and happens to be friendly with the US. This long-term friendship has guaranteed an uninterrupted flow of oil to the US and allowed the kingdom to afford large expensive contracts with US companies.

After securing the kingdom and probably due to rumors of a possible drop in its oil production, the US became aware of the importance of securing other sources of oil. Canada has the second largest oil reserve in the world and probably has no interest in antagonizing the US. The fourth oil reserve is Iraq and is currently pumping under US occupation 2.5 million barrels per day. The third oil reserve and the jewel of the oil crown is Iran with 133 gigabarrels of oil and an averages 1.5 gigabarrels per year, 25% of that during the shah's rule of Iran. Accordingly, taking over Iran would be the next big thing for any oil hungry nation.

Hizb Allah in southern Lebanon and Syria are the main obstacles for the US in taking over Iran. Any attack on Iran would result in a major assault on Israel. Such an attack would mobilize the hibernating Arab World and could lead to a disastrous war. Therefore, is seems logical that before attacking Iran, the US has to reduce these threats of Israel’s neighbors.

How can that happen?

The first move was UN resolution 1559 on September 2, 2004. It called upon Syria to end its military presence in Lebanon and upon all Lebanese militia to disband. This resolution angered the Syrian government. The Lebanese politician and journalists motivated by their nationalism played into the American plot and kept attacking Syria at every occasion.

Nothing much happened until the assassination of Lebanon's beloved former Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri. Major anti-Syrian demonstrations ereupted and the international community applied massive pressure on Syria to leave Lebanon. The Syrian troops were out of Lebanon by September 26, 2005. By that, the US concluded the second move and it had three major consequence: Hizb Allah does not have the direct physical support of Syria (weaker), Syria cannot restrain Hizb Allah if it needs to (loose), and Lebanon is in violation of UN resolution 1559.

The third move is to disarm Hizb Allah. It is clear from the current conflict that Israel has been preparing for a massive attack on Lebanon. Israel’s purposes are punishing the Lebanese for violating resolution 1559 and implementing that resolution! It is very interesting to note that the current government in Lebanon was democratically elected and was supported by the US and France, that aren't doing much to stop the slaughter of innocents.

Move four will be pressuring Syria to cave in once Hizb Allah is disarmed. The last political cards in Syria’s hand are the fledgling radical Palestinian groups, a stock of chemical weapons, and the instability of Iraq. We should also remember that Syria is still the main suspect in the assassination of Hariri and that investigation is not closed yet. Its outcome will definitely play into the crushing of Damascus’s will.

This gradual pealing of all the layer of power that Iran has built over time will leave her naked for Uncle Sam to consume, the checkmate.