Lebanese Greenhouse Effect

“(2005-02-28) — As the Prime Minister of Lebanon announced the resignation of his government, the United Nations warned that crowds of protestors in Beirut have generated ‘dangerously high levels of carbon dioxide — a deadly greenhouse gas.’

‘All of this mob chanting, shouting and incessant breathing in and out poses a threat to the environment in the region,’ said U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. ‘Of course, we must blame George Bush’s foreign policy, which has increased the aspirations of millions of people in the Arab world.’

Mr. Annan said the fall of the Syrian-backed Lebanese government serves as a ‘painful reminder of the Bush administration’s failure to cooperate with the global community and sign the Kyoto treaty on greenhouse gases.’” - Scott Ott

Goodbye Lebanese Government

“WASHINGTON (AFP) - The White House welcomed the resignation of pro-Syrian Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karameh saying it should pave the way for elections and a new government that was ‘truly representative.’

White House spokesman Scott McClellan also repeated a call for Syrian troops to leave Lebanon. ‘We are closely watching developments with great interest,’ he told reporters.

‘The resignation of the Karameh government represents an opportunity for the Lebanese people to have a new government which is truly representative of their country’s diversity,’ McClellan said.

‘The new government will have the responsibility to implement free and fair elections that the Lebanese people have clearly demonstrated they desire,’ McClellan added.

‘The process of (forming) a new government should proceed in accordance with the Lebanese constitution and should be free of all foreign interference,’ the White House spokesman said.

‘It is time for Syria to fully comply with United Nations (news - web sites) Security Council resolution 1559 that means that Syria military forces and intelligence personnel leave the country,’ he said. ‘That will help to ensure that elections are free and fair.’

Karameh resigned on Monday in the face of mass protests, bringing to a head a political crisis sparked by the murder two weeks ago of his predecessor Rafiq Hariri.

The announcement was greeted with loud applause in Lebanon’s national assembly, where the opposition had been seeking a vote of no confidence in Karameh’s four-month-old government.

Tens of thousands of jubilant demonstrators in nearby Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut broke into singing the national anthem.”

Gimme Shelter

A day after opting out of the U.S. ballistic missile defense shield, Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin reiterated Friday that Washington must get permission from Ottawa before firing on any incoming missiles over Canada. …

Lebanese Government to Resign - Seeking Democracy

Significant uprising in Lebanon against the occupation of Syrian forces is occuring in full force and Syria has yet to respond. We are witnessing Democracy on the spread in the Middle East just as President Bush had predicted. The succesful Iraqi voting process with 8 million Iraqi citizens casting their ballot was enough to spark the collapse of the Lebaneese government under the weight of the will of their people.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Umar Karami has said the whole government is to resign as opposition figures call for popular protests to continue until Syrian troops leave the country.

Karami told parliament in Beirut on Monday: “Out of concern that the government does not become an obstacle to the good of the country, I announce the resignation of the government I had the honour to lead.”

The announcement was greeted with laud applause in the national assembly, where the opposition was seeking a vote of no confidence to bring down the government.

The battle is long, and this is the first step, this is the battle for freedom, sovereignty and independence,” opposition MP Ghattas Khouri said.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered at the nearby Martyrs’ Square, amid a sea of red and white Lebanese flags, broke into singing the national anthem on hearing the news.

It will be interesting to observe Syria’s reaction, which has been under a high degree of scrutiny by the U.S. Even after turning over the brother of Sadam Housain to the Iraqi authorities.

Howard Dean: "Speaks" about Intolerance

LGF (Little Green Footballs) pulled a short transcript from a recent Howard Dean speech. Wow… is the DNC in trouble!

Dean told the Hiebert fund-raiser that gay marriage was a Republican diversion from discussions of ballooning deficits and lost American jobs. That presents an opportunity to attract moderate Republicans, he said.

“Moderate Republicans can’t stand these people (conservatives), because they’re intolerant. They don’t think tolerance is a virtue,” Dean said, adding: “I’m not going to have these right-wingers throw away our right to be tolerant.” - [ that about sums it up - zzb]

And concluding his backyard speech with a litany of Democratic values, he added: “This is a struggle of good and evil. And we’re the good.”

We wonder how many Southern / Moderate Democrats will be left in hte DNC after the reign of Howard Dean. Get out the straight jackets and thorazine…. here comes Howard. - zzb

Idol Worship is the Devil’s Workshop

Wacko Jacko Feeding Frenzy Begins

The feeding frenzy is beginning early on the Michael Jackson case. Court TV reporter Diane Dimond reveals some new details on the case including a video that may be in evidence.

… That first night the two boys, aged 11 and 9, slept in Jackson’s bedroom, and the rest of the family was guided to guest quarters away from the main house. And on that first trip, the boys told the grand jury, Jackson gave them the gift of a laptop computer.

The children would later tell a grand jury that on that first night, the gift helped bring about their introduction to Internet porn sites ‘ XXX-rated pornography ‘ that Jackson and his adult friend Frank Cascio Tyson helped them reach and navigate. These brothers had just entered an entirely new way of life….

If only a portion of these stories are true Jackson’s career is OVER and he faces some serious time behind bars. - zzb

Has the Worm Turned? Palestinians Angry Over Tel Aviv Attack

Palestinians Angry Over Tel Aviv Attack Official condemnations and denials were followed by public anger toward the perpetrators as Israeli blamed Syria and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, which claimed responsibility for the attack. The Palestinians pointed fingers at the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah. Syria denied the allegations.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas convened his top security chiefs directly after the bombing and issued a strong statement pledging to track down and punish the culprits. The three main Palestinian militant groups ? including Islamic Jihad ? initially denied involvement. A branch of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the West Bank city of Nablus, even condemned the attack.

Is it possible that Palestine will pressure Syria in this strage turn of events? Have the Palestinian people finally had enough of outside groups sabotaging their piece process? Syria is in the hot seat once again and this time by a most unlikely source. - zzb

Mubarak Imposes Democracy - U.S. Frustrated

Satire flows once again from Scott’s pen:

(2005-02-26) — In another setback for the Bush administration, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told a national TV audience Saturday that he would impose democratic presidential elections on this tranquil Arab dictatorship.

Mr. Mubarak — who has run unopposed every six years since becoming president in 1981 after the assassination of Anwar Sadat — called for ‘more freedom and democracy’ and asked parliament to amend the constitution to allow ‘direct, secret balloting, giving the chance for political parties to run for the presidential elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for the people to choose among them with their own will’

Democrats in the U.S. Congress wasted no time pointing out that White House foreign policy had failed again.

‘How is President Bush going to carry out his promise to invade dictatorships and impose freedom if they keep announcing changes like this?’ said an unnamed Democrat Senator. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a domino effect, with one Arab nation after another falling into the democracy camp, thereby making the Bush foreign policy an obsolete embarrassment.’

In completely unrelated news, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice cancelled an expected trip to Egypt the night before Mr. Mubarak announced the democratic reforms.” - Scott Ott

See the post below. Satire aside, has anyone noticed that Democracy is on the rise in the Middle East? We suspect the Sultans are swallowing hard in Riddya and Dubai. - zzb

Democracy Taking Hold in Eqypt?

Egypt is sending signals to it’s people that democracy may be on the move in Eqypt as well. President Honi Mubarak has been watching the intense protests in neighboring countries demanding changes and reforms toward a greater voice of the people in choosing leaders.

CAIRO (AFP) - President Hosni Mubarak said he had told parliament to amend Egypt’s constitution to allow direct presidential elections in which anyone can stand and all citizens can vote by secret ballot.

The announcement, welcomed by the opposition as a first step, comes amid US pressure on Egypt to accelerate democratic reform and follows months of unprecedented protests in which demonstrators have denounced the likelihood of Mubarak being elected to a fifth six-year term.

In a televised speech, Mubarak hailed what he called an historic move signalling a new era of political reform. He said he had asked the constitution to be amended before May in time for the next presidential election.

“I took this initiative to open a new era of reform,” said the 76-year-old Mubarak who has ruled Egypt since his predecessor Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981.

Under the current system, parliament elects a single candidate for the presidency by a two-thirds majority, whose name is then put to a referendum.

The move would “for the first time in Egyptian history, allow everyone who is able and willing to serve the fatherland … to present their candidacy for direct election as president of the republic.”

Both the lower and upper houses of parliament will convene extraordinary sessions to study Mubarak’s demand, an official said.

One can only hope that real democracy is beginning to take root. Wouldn’t it be ironic that the far fetched idea of GW Bush actually DOES change the face of the Middle East?