Arhiv Svet
An outright lie
| 16. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
To say that the “government of Lebanon” – and thus, by extension, the ordinary people of Lebanon who, as usual, are bearing the deadly brunt of the Israel’s assault – is responsible for Hezbollah’s attack is an outright lie, and the Israeli leaders know this. They know full well the dicey political situation in Beirut: the fragile, patchwork coalition between sectarian factions that only recently fought a long, savage civil war, and the great weakness of the central government, its demonstrated inability to disarm Hezbollah’s militia without risking the renewal of civil war. They know full well that that the armed wing of Hezbollah launched its idiotic raid without the knowledge or approval of the Lebanese government – and probably without the knowledge of the two Hezbollah members in the cabinet, much as the political side of such movements are often kept deliberately insulated from military decisions, as with the IRA, ETA, the ANC and other groups. They know all this, yet they have now launched their second campaign of collective punishment – a blatant war crime, whatever the ostensible provocation.
My Life in Gaza
| 16. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Ostensibly, this bombing campaign started because of the soldier’s capture. To the outside world it might seem like an easy decision for Palestinians: Let the soldier go, and the siege will end. Yet for Gazans, even in the face of this brutal violence, another decision comes, not with ease, but with resolve. He is one soldier who was captured in a military operation. Today, several hundred Palestinian children and women are locked in Israeli prisons. They deserve their freedom no less than he does. Their families mourn their absence no less than his family does. So while Gazans endure Israel’s rainstorm, most want the soldier held — not harmed — until the women and children are released.
Most Gazans also believe that Israel’s latest assault was pre-planned, that the soldier’s capture is merely a trigger. Israel dropped thousands of shells on Gaza, killing women, children and old people, long before his capture. This time, Israel attacked Gaza within hours of a national consensus accord signed by Fatah and Hamas, which could have led to negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. That would have pushed Israel to give up control of Palestinian land and resources. Gazans believe that the goal of Israel’s military campaign is the destruction of both our elected government and our infrastructure, and with it our will to secure our national rights.
Kakšna žival je zdaj to?
| 14. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Dobro je biti pozoren.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert described the Hizbollah attacks as an “act of war” by Lebanon and promised a “very painful and far-reaching” response. Vir
Najbolj zanimiv je ravno dodatek “by Lebanon” - če bi rekli, da gre za dejanja Hizbolaha, bi težko pojasnili uničevanje libanonske infrastrukture, od letališča, cest do telekomunikacijskih in energetskih sistemov. Težko bi pojasnili, kaj počnejo v Bejrutu. V kolikor napade na izraelsko ozemlje kvaliciciraš kot napade Libanona, potem pride v poštev 51. člen Ustanovne listine ZN, ki pravi:
Article 51
Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs against a Member of the United Nations, until the Security Council has taken measures necessary to maintain international peace and security. Measures taken by Members in the exercise of this right of self-defence shall be immediately reported to the Security Council and shall not in any way affect the authority and responsibility of the Security Council under the present Charter to take at any time such action as it deems necessary in order to maintain or restore international peace and security.
Načrt je jasen - gre za agresijo Libanona na Izrael, Izrael se ima pravico braniti dokler Varnostni svet ne sprejme ukrepov za vzdrževanje mednarodnega miru in varnosti. V Varnostnem svetu pa sedijo naši ameriški prijatelji, ki bodo z vetom poskrbeli, da ne bo neprijetnih presenečenj v obliki poziva, da se Izrael umakne iz Libanona.
No, vsi se s to formulacijo ne strinjajo. Finsko predsedstvo EU je objavilo:
The Presidency of the European Union is greatly concerned about the disproportionate use of force by Israel in Lebanon in response to attacks by Hezbollah on Israel. The Presidency deplores the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. The imposition of an air and sea blockade on Lebanon cannot be justified. Actions, which are contrary to international humanitarian law, can only aggravate the vicious circle of violence and retribution, and cannot serve anyone’s legitimate security interests.
The Presidency urges Hezbollah to release the captured Israeli soldiers immediately and unconditionally, and to cease all attacks on Israel. The Presidency also calls on the government of Lebanon to do its utmost to prevent such attacks. Vir
Tukaj je povzročitelj napadov na Izrael drug: ne Libanon kot celota ampak Hizbolah. Iz tega potem sledi uničujoč mednarodnopravni položaj izraleskih dejanj, ki jih ni mogoče kvalificirati drugače kot dejanje agresije na suvereno državo. V skladu s tem pogledom, ki je po mojem pravilen, si je potrebno naliti čistega vina in poimenovati stvari s pravimi besedami: gre za vojno, za napad na suvereno državo, za kršenje mednarodnega prava.
A EU na Bližnjem Vzhodu ne more nič; tam imajo škarje in platno v rokah ZDA.
Poraz na celi črti
| 14. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Ne doživite vedno, da bi bilo tako jasno vidno, kako zelo in v celoti je doživela določena politika popoln neuspeh; a z drugim kot popoln neuspeh ni mogoče označiti rezultatov Busheve politike na Bližnjem Vzhodu in okolici. V Afganistanu kaos in krepitev Talibanov, iransko igranje z mednarodno skupnostjo, sektaško nasilje na robu državljanske vojne v Iraku, krepitev nasilja med Izraelci in Palestinci… in sedaj še izraelski napad na Libanon. Slabše skoraj ne more biti več.
A obrata ni pričakovati. Ameriški veleposlanik v ZN je že vložil veto na resolucijo, ki bi od Izraela zahtevala prekinitev ofenzive na območju Gaze. Očitno bodo ZDA stale za Izraelom ne glede na posledice, kasneje pa se bodo ponovno spraševali, zakaj jih sovražijo.
Mogoče zaradi tega?
“They came first to the little village of Dweir near Nabatiya in southern Lebanon where an Israeli plane dropped a bomb on to the home of a Shia Muslim cleric. He was killed. So was his wife. So were eight of his children. One was decapitated. All they could find of a baby was its head and torso which a young villager brandished in fury in front of the cameras. Then the planes visited another home in Dweir and disposed of a family of seven.” Vir
Burleska:
President Bush telephoned Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and assured him he was pressing Israel to “contain the damage” to Lebanon and avoid civilian casualties, Siniora’s office said in a statement. Vir
Farewell to pride?
Their brand-new airport, the pride of their postwar reconstruction, had been bombarded by Israeli war planes along with a host of other infrastructure projects, bringing death and devastation on a more than Gazan scale. Vir
Ameriški Rdeči križ zavrnil prispevek politično neprimerne osebe
| 13. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Natalie Maines, pevka skupine Dixie Chicks, o posledicah njene kritike predsednika Busha.
Look at what happened with the Red Cross. We tried to donate $1 million to them and they wouldn’t take it. We were treated like lepers. We received a letter from them saying it wasn’t possible to accept our money. One mustn’t forget, of course, that the acting president of the United States is also an honorary chairman of the American Red Cross.
Pity the Nation
| 13. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Pity the Nation. All over again? Mimogrede, od kdaj lahko Izrael brez protestov napade suvereno državo? All over again?
Toplo, topleje, vroče?
| 13. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Libertarec se tudi tokrat ni izneveril tradiciji zagovarjanja interesov korporacij in je ponovno nalepil post, kjer dokazuje, da znanstvenega konsenza o človeško povzročenem globalnem segrevanju ni. Exxon Mobil je navdušen. Jah, če mu je kaj priznati, je to doslednost - če se bodo korporacije jutri odločile, da je zemlja ploščata, boste to že naslednji dan izvedeli na njegovem blogu. Bog ne daj, da bi kaj škodilo profitom.
Komu verjeti se sprašuje avtor na blogu Vitae porno non est. Težka zagata, saj 99,999 % prebivalcev o teh vprašanjih sploh ne more relevantno presojati. Še huje je, ker ravno teh 99,999 % lahko od politikov zahteva ukrepanje ali neukrepanje.
Torej, kaj storiti? Če po nekem naključju niste ravno specializirani za klimatske spremembe, vam prebiranje znanstvene literature ne bo dosti pomagalo. Še manj priročen je internet - kakofonija prerokov, napovedovalcev apokalipse, peticij, pozivov… kako se znajti v tej solati?
Preprost nasvet: ne poslušajte tistih, katerih plača je odvisna od tega, da nekaj verjamejo ali ne verjamejo.
Zaupanje priznanim preučevalcem klimatskih sprememb z objavami v uglednih, peer-rewieved znanstvenih publikacijah, ki jim več pomeni znanstveni ugled kot položaj v političnih institucijah ali zasebnih organizacijah (ali celo medijska razbobnanost), je verjetno najboljša strategija.
Moj zaključek? Konsenz, če ga definiramo kot prepričanje, da človeško delovanje vodi k občutnim spremembam zemeljskega ozračja, ki zahtevajo takojšnje ukrepanje, obstaja. Obstoj konsenza nas sicer ne obvaruje pred zmotami, a gotovosti itak nimamo nikoli. Če v to vključimo še načelo previdnosti (bolje ukrepati in se motiti kot neukrepati in pokasirati ekološko katastrofo), je odgovor verjetno še bolj jasen.
Kam, Poljska?
| 11. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Poljski predsednik Lech Kaczynski zahteva od vlade v Berlinu uradno opravičilo zaradi satire v nekem nemškem časopisu. Torej, kdo vse že ima probleme z razumevanjem vloge tiska v demokratičnih družbah? Očitno islamski fundamentalisti niso edini…
Sicer pa je poljska politika zadnje čase en sam obup. Brata Kaczynski sta si razdelila oblast, vladati pa nameravata z mešanico populizma in nacionalizma plus z občasnimi dodatki rasizma, ksenofobije in proti-evropske politike.
Spolna vzgoja po ameriško
| 10. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Ko vam spolno vzgojo v šolah ugrabijo verskih blazneži (video).
Apdejt: očitno Hrvatom grozi enako pranje možganov.
“…Provođenjem programa kojim se djeci brani upotreba kontracepcije i opisuje masturbaciju kao devijantan oblik ljudske spolnosti, a homoseksualnost kao nastranost…” Več
Stari prdci iz vseh vetrov so navdušeni:
“Kontracepcija nije dopuštena, masturbacija je devijantan oblik ljudske spolnosti i nije dopuštena, a homoseksualnost je nastranost. To će učiti učenici u hrvatskim školama, a zajednički je to zaključak predstavnika Katoličke crkve, Srpske pravoslavne crkve, Islamske zajednice i predstavnika reformiranih crkava, koji su postigli svojevrstan religijski konsenzus oko pitanja spolnosti, koji će ući u školski program.” Več
Svetlana, prav imaš. Plomba na možgane.
Talibani so se pobrali
| 10. julij 2006 | Svet | Jure
Očitno smo zavozili tudi Afganistan.
Far from Afghanistan being a model for Iraq, Iraq has become a model for Afghanistan. There have been 41 Afghan suicide bombings in the past nine months, compared with five in the preceding five years. IEDs — improvised explosive devices — have become a fact of life. Three were left in roadside handcarts in Kabul last week to detonate as buses went past.
According to United Nations officials, not a day passes without a school being burnt down or a teacher being murdered, often in front of schoolchildren.
If there is one factor most responsible for the Taliban resurgence it is the war in Iraq, which distracted the attention of London and Washington at a critical time. While US marines were toppling statues of Saddam Hussein and then finding themselves fighting a bloody insurgency, the Taliban regrouped and retrained in Pakistan.
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