Letters to the Editor, February 21, 2004

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Operation Enduring Misery; the Afghanistan Debacle. By Mike Whitney, (Al-Jazeerah, Feb 20, 2004)

As Secretary of the International Committee for Solidarity with the Afghani people, I can fully endorse Mr. Whitney's charges (Operation Enduring Misery; the Afghanistan Debacle. By Mike Whitney, Al-Jazeerah, Feb 20, 2004) that the W. Bush administration manipulated the Afghanistan political process to install an unrepresentative, illegitimate puppet, Hamid Karzai:

"Representatives of the Bush Administration interrupted the original Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to make sure that their man, Hamid Karzai, was selected, and that’s exactly what happened. The former king, Zahir Shah, who was the popular choice of the people (He actually received 800 of a possible 1500 delegate votes in the first balloting) was sent packing after back-room dealings by the US produced the desired result. Since then, Shah has returned to his retreat in Italy."

This was done personally by former National Security Council member, and now Ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad. Both Khalilzad and Karzai are old associates of Deputy Secretary of Defence Paul Wolfowitz from Unocal lobbying days; in the 1990s, all three were on Unocal's payroll. In fact, the Afghanistan pipeline deal long sought by Unocal was signed by Karzai just a few days before the Loya Jirga, in case there might be any last-minute surprises. The only thing that's incorrect is that Zahir Shah has remained in Kabul, with the most important members of the royal family, who do not believe that Karzai will last very long. In fact, if W. Bush gets booted out of the White House and onto the dung-heap of history, Karzai is likely to follow with lightning speed.

Censure Bush

Dear Congresswoman Nancy Johnson,
Dear Congressman Christopher Dodd,
Dear Congressman Joseph Lieberman,

In an attempt to escape responsibility for the misleading statements that led the nation to war, President Bush has announced plans to form an independent inquiry to look into what went wrong.

An inquiry would serve the Bush administration well: it would envelop the issue in a fog of uncertainty, deflect blame onto the intelligence services, and push any political damage into 2005, after the upcoming election.

But the facts need no clarification. Despite repeated warnings from the CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency, President Bush and his administration hyped and distorted the threat that Iraq posed. He thereby lied to the American people.And now that reality is setting in, the President seeks to pin the blame on someone else.

You have the power to censure the President -- to formally reprimand him for his betrayal of the nation's trust. If ever there was a time to use this function, it is now. If you do not act, Congress risks losing its relevance as a check and balance on the Presidency.

Sincerely,

Selma Hermez
New Britain, CT

I just read your recent article, George Bush & John Kerry: Blood Brothers. There was a fact there that struck me hard. I heard this phrase on TV and figured I would do a search, which lead me to this article.

" John Kerry, who was chairman of ... Kerry Commission ... Foreign Policy as “focusing on allegations of illegal gun-running and narcotics trafficking associated with the Contra war against Nicaragua” ... "

The next day, after 9/11, somebody has said. "Why did they do it?" And I said, "because 80% of opium was coming from Afghanistan."

For Immediate Release:
Washington- Arab American Institute President James Zogby will host a voter rally on Saturday, February 28 to prepare voters for the Democratic primary on March 2. The rally will include detailed information for registered voters on their primary. Representatives for the presidential campaigns will be on hand to answer questions about their candidate's positions on issues of importance to the community. For more information on AAI's Ohio efforts, visit www.aaiusa.org/ohio.htm <http://www.aaiusa.org/ohio.htm>

According to the Ohio Democratic Party, just under one million Ohioans participated in the 2000 presidential primary. Ohio is home to over 185,000 Arab Americans who live in 86 of the state's 88 counties. A 2000 Zogby International poll shows 88.5% of Arab Americans are registered to vote, making them a critical constituency in Ohio.

WHO: AAI President Dr. James Zogby, representatives of the presidential campaigns

WHERE: AACCESS Community Center, 11555 Lorain Avenue, Cleveland Phone: (216) 252-2900

Directions: from the west: take I-90 East to Exit 166 (W. 117^th St.), turn right onto W. 117^th, turn left onto Lorain Ave.

from the east: take I-90 West to Exit 166 (W. 117^th St.), turn left onto W 117^th, turn left onto Lorain Ave.
from the south: take I-71 North to Exit 242 A-B (W. 130^th/Bellaire Rd.), Take the Bellaire Rd. exit (242 B) on the left, turn left onto Bellaire Rd., turn left onto W. 117^th St., turn right onto Lorain Ave.

Rebecca Abou-Chedid
Public Affairs Coordinator
Arab American Institute
(202) 429-9210 x27
www.aaiusa.org

A. Marriage shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5)

B. Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21

C. A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21

D. Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall be forbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)

E. Since marriage is for life, no government or law shall be able to permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9)

F. If a married man dies without children, his brother shall marry the widow. If he refuses to marry his brother's widow or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10; Deut 25:5- 10)

G. In lieu of marriage, if there are no acceptable men in your town, it is required that you get your dad drunk and have sex with him (even if he had previously offered you up as a sex toy to men young and old), tag-teaming with any sisters you may have. Of course, this rule applies only if you are female. (Gen 19:31-36)