After reading a few sites on the Iraq War I came across a web site that really caught my interest. It deals with a few subjects that other web sites don't. The families the soldiers leave behind and also dealing with soldiers coming home with injuries and the care for them. One letter imparticular really caught my interest about Traumatic Brain Injuries. The wife of a soldiers had read an article about TBI http://www.soldierlife.com/ being a growing problem and that it is becoming a burden on tax payers as well as understaffed hospitals. She is right that these men and women are never going to be the same again and after serving our country they deserve help in dealing with the problems brought on by the war.
It was also brought up in class whether or not Saddam Hussein was connected with Al-qeada. This youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Khut8xbXk8 video Iraq War: Legal or illegal? talk about this and other issues pertaining to the Iraq War. This video does give many things to think about pertaining to the war.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Israel Lobby
This was a long read for me, but quite informative also. According to the article, since the 1973 October War, Washing has given Israel more support, both economic and military, than any other state. Israel is also the only state to get this support in one lump sum. The other states are divided up into quarterly installments. The US also gives Israel access to critical intelligence no other country has access too. This is really disturbing news.
Jewish Americans are also influencing the US Government with a group called the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This is the strongest and most influential group of them all. Unfortunately this group has a strong influence on Congress where critics will fall silent when Israeli problems arise and will not debate any issues pertaining to Israel. This makes you wonder who really is running the government....the US or Israel.
News reports are also effected and can't be as objective as they should because of the difficulty in covering events in the Occupied Territories would involve acknowledging Israel's actions. Even the radio station NPR was boycotted for going against Israeli sympathies.
This is very disturbing to think one country can have so much influence over our own country. I thought we were supposed to be a democracy, but in view of this information it realy makes you wonder who really is running this country. There was even a part about intimidating scholars and keeping close vigils on academics using students to litterally rat on the professors.
Jewish Americans are also influencing the US Government with a group called the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). This is the strongest and most influential group of them all. Unfortunately this group has a strong influence on Congress where critics will fall silent when Israeli problems arise and will not debate any issues pertaining to Israel. This makes you wonder who really is running the government....the US or Israel.
News reports are also effected and can't be as objective as they should because of the difficulty in covering events in the Occupied Territories would involve acknowledging Israel's actions. Even the radio station NPR was boycotted for going against Israeli sympathies.
This is very disturbing to think one country can have so much influence over our own country. I thought we were supposed to be a democracy, but in view of this information it realy makes you wonder who really is running this country. There was even a part about intimidating scholars and keeping close vigils on academics using students to litterally rat on the professors.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid
The idea of pease in the Middle East seems to be unreachable at this point in time. The Israelis believe they have the right to confiscate Arab land and and persecute the Arab for fighting back. Since the Israeli Jews immigrated from persecution by the Nazis, it seems they would be a little more compasionate towards the Arab people. But it seems they are doing the much same thing to them that the Nazi did to the Jews. The Arab retaliate against the occupation with what they call "Freedom Fighters". These Freedom Fighters are suicide bombers. They don't seem to care who gets killed in their fight. They have killed many men, women and children.
There were a couple other points that really seemed to stick out for me too. The wall they constructed around the West Bank area is really unfair to so many. This wall was built right along the border all the way around the West Bank, dividing peoples homes from their lands. There is even a Church where many Palestine people have worshipped for years that is cut off from it's people it serves. The curch is on one side of the wall and the worshippers are on the other side. It doesn't seem like the Israeli people want to have peace with the Arab. Neither side will give any concessions in the debate for peace. The Jews have a right to their won state, but the Arabs also have the right to live in peace and not be persecuted for being different from the Jews. The Israli government must also comply with international law if peace is ever to come to that area. Maybe someday this will be possible.
Another point brought up was the Hezbollah. I was amazed the Hezbollah has only been around since 1982. I thought the group had been formed much earlier.
There were a couple other points that really seemed to stick out for me too. The wall they constructed around the West Bank area is really unfair to so many. This wall was built right along the border all the way around the West Bank, dividing peoples homes from their lands. There is even a Church where many Palestine people have worshipped for years that is cut off from it's people it serves. The curch is on one side of the wall and the worshippers are on the other side. It doesn't seem like the Israeli people want to have peace with the Arab. Neither side will give any concessions in the debate for peace. The Jews have a right to their won state, but the Arabs also have the right to live in peace and not be persecuted for being different from the Jews. The Israli government must also comply with international law if peace is ever to come to that area. Maybe someday this will be possible.
Another point brought up was the Hezbollah. I was amazed the Hezbollah has only been around since 1982. I thought the group had been formed much earlier.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Wild Thorns
Wild Thorns gave a very grafic picture of what it's like to live on the Gaza Strip under Isreali occupation. Usama is very idealistic and comes home on the pretext of losing his job and coming home to care for his mother. Being a Freedom Fighter he doesn't seem to really harbor any feelings of kinship with any of his family or any need to take care of them. He is constantly finding fault as if this will justify what he is going to do to them when the Freedom Fighters attack the busses. He plans to bomb the busses taking people into Isreal to work for the Jews. The Freedom Fighters feel this is a betrayal to their people.
His cousin Adil is the oldest son and the responsibility of taking care of the family has fallen on his shoulders. He is constantly reminding himself he has nine mouths to feed and the kidney machine also that is keeping his father alive. He has given up on the family farm and believes no one else in the family knows. Each one seems to be rapped up in their own world and can't seem to see what is happening with each family member. Their father is bitter and blames everyone because he is dependent on the kidney machine and cannot support his family. This makes him feel useless and not needed.
It's hard to imagine living in fear the way these people do from day to day. The Jews raid their homes and blow them up if they feel the people living there have helped the Freedom Fighters in any way. The prisons are diplorable and it seems the people are lucky if they make it to their cells still alive. There seems to be no justice system on the Gaza Strip other than what the Jews in charge will allow them to have. Even the children are taken from the streets and put into these prisons at the will of the Jews. The Freedom Fighters feel justified in what they believe will help free their people and country from occupation, but it's hard to justify murder by blowing up busses with innocent people on board.
His cousin Adil is the oldest son and the responsibility of taking care of the family has fallen on his shoulders. He is constantly reminding himself he has nine mouths to feed and the kidney machine also that is keeping his father alive. He has given up on the family farm and believes no one else in the family knows. Each one seems to be rapped up in their own world and can't seem to see what is happening with each family member. Their father is bitter and blames everyone because he is dependent on the kidney machine and cannot support his family. This makes him feel useless and not needed.
It's hard to imagine living in fear the way these people do from day to day. The Jews raid their homes and blow them up if they feel the people living there have helped the Freedom Fighters in any way. The prisons are diplorable and it seems the people are lucky if they make it to their cells still alive. There seems to be no justice system on the Gaza Strip other than what the Jews in charge will allow them to have. Even the children are taken from the streets and put into these prisons at the will of the Jews. The Freedom Fighters feel justified in what they believe will help free their people and country from occupation, but it's hard to justify murder by blowing up busses with innocent people on board.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Short Stories
A couple of these stories were pretty strange and I'm not sure I really understand them. One is "A Hand In The Grave." It's about two medical students who are told they have to supply a skeleton for class and don't want to pay for one. So they make arrangements with each other to dig up a corpse from the local graveyard and use that skeleton for class. While he's waiting for the time for him to meet his friend he is cursing the hour he decided to enter medical school. After they have dug down to the coffin of the corpse the first student decides he can't reach in the coffin to get the skull so he talks his friend into doing the deed. His friend is horrified when he thinks he's put his finger into the eye sockets. This makes them both decide that medical school is not for either of them and they finally leave the corpse where it's buried. Later they find out there are actually no corpses buried in this graveyard. It's was a wasteland belonging to a Turkist peasant who constructed earthen graves that were actually covers for small storage spaces where he kept his wheat and flour to keep them safe.
Norma and the Snowman was a nice little story about a volunteer. One of his comrades find a white rabbit one night almost frozen to death and he brings the rabbit into their tent to let it thaw out. At first I wondered if they were going to eat the rabbit, but they didn't. It thawed out and they let it go the next day. I think in a way the rabbit represents the freedom they all would like to have someday, and they seemed to experience it in that rabbit. Norma is the love of one soldiers life and is called the "juice lady." In the end she has decided that she will eventually join the volunteers soon also. It's nice to see that in the midst of so many horrors in the middle east there is still love and compassion for both people and animals.
Norma and the Snowman was a nice little story about a volunteer. One of his comrades find a white rabbit one night almost frozen to death and he brings the rabbit into their tent to let it thaw out. At first I wondered if they were going to eat the rabbit, but they didn't. It thawed out and they let it go the next day. I think in a way the rabbit represents the freedom they all would like to have someday, and they seemed to experience it in that rabbit. Norma is the love of one soldiers life and is called the "juice lady." In the end she has decided that she will eventually join the volunteers soon also. It's nice to see that in the midst of so many horrors in the middle east there is still love and compassion for both people and animals.
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Men In the Sun
Men In the Sun was a very interesting book to read. It's scarey to think about all the hardships these people had to live through just to survive. Not ever having been exposed to such violence while growing up, it's hard to imagine the terror these people lived with each and every day. I do remember hearing a lot of the things that did go on over there back in the 70's, but I never realized just how bad things were.
At a couple points the book was hard to follow in the beginning, but once I got into the book it was much easier to keep up with each of the men involved and what they were doing. A couple places in the beginning it was a bit hard to determine which parts the man was actually living and which parts the man was dreaming in. The struggle these people went through in just their day to day lives to survive and not knowing if you would see another day. It's so hard to imagine living like that. It's very understandable why they are so untrusting of many people when their lives depend on their instincts just to survive.
The ending was very disappointing for me. I really thought the men would make it to Kuwait after all they had gone through just to get there. It's also very morbid what Abul Khaizuran did with the bodies, but understandable too. He had to protect himself, but I also wonder if his boss knew what Abul was doing when he drove his lorry across to Kuwait or if his boss was also transporting people to safety.
At a couple points the book was hard to follow in the beginning, but once I got into the book it was much easier to keep up with each of the men involved and what they were doing. A couple places in the beginning it was a bit hard to determine which parts the man was actually living and which parts the man was dreaming in. The struggle these people went through in just their day to day lives to survive and not knowing if you would see another day. It's so hard to imagine living like that. It's very understandable why they are so untrusting of many people when their lives depend on their instincts just to survive.
The ending was very disappointing for me. I really thought the men would make it to Kuwait after all they had gone through just to get there. It's also very morbid what Abul Khaizuran did with the bodies, but understandable too. He had to protect himself, but I also wonder if his boss knew what Abul was doing when he drove his lorry across to Kuwait or if his boss was also transporting people to safety.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Maryam
After rereading the Maryam there is one other part that caught my attention. On the first page Shakir states: "And surely I fear my cousins after me, and my wife is barren, therefore grant me from Thyself and heir." Later Shakir states: "She said: When shall I have a boy and no mortal has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste?" First of all, how does he know is wife is barren if she has not been touched by any mortal? Maybe I missed something in the translation here, but it sounds like a conflict in the scripture. I also found these same scriptures in Al-E-Imran.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Orientalism
What an interesting story. I grew up listening to the story of the birth of Jesus when my grandmother read it directly from the bible. I don't remember Mary ever giving birth by a palm tree, nor being showered with dates. Where was Joseph also? In the story in the bible Mary gives birth to the baby Jesus in a stable with animals around her and Joseph is right beside her. Where are the shephards also? Even the animated story on the birth of Jesus shows these happening.
Another thing about this piece is God judging man. Every story I've ever heard has told of God judging man individually on what he has personally done in life. Not standing together with other men and devils. Being raised christian this goes against some things I was taught.
Some of the more current history on the East is a little familiar to me. There were a few things I do remember from listening to the news as they were happening. I remember the debate over dependence on oil from the Middle East.
The history on the "Orient" was pretty interesting also. I like how they have it broken up into different areas. It gives you a much better idea just how large the "Oreint" really is and how many countries are considered the Orient.
Another thing about this piece is God judging man. Every story I've ever heard has told of God judging man individually on what he has personally done in life. Not standing together with other men and devils. Being raised christian this goes against some things I was taught.
Some of the more current history on the East is a little familiar to me. There were a few things I do remember from listening to the news as they were happening. I remember the debate over dependence on oil from the Middle East.
The history on the "Orient" was pretty interesting also. I like how they have it broken up into different areas. It gives you a much better idea just how large the "Oreint" really is and how many countries are considered the Orient.
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