The New York Times THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN, Discovers The Worlds Best Peacekeepers. Thank You Thomas, Better Late Than Never - Or Is That The New York Times Motto?

New York Times

ll that said, I hope Mr. Obama will take this instinct a step further when he travels to Oslo on Dec. 10 for the peace prize ceremony. Here is the speech I hope he will give:

“Let me begin by thanking the Nobel committee for awarding me this prize, the highest award to which any statesman can aspire. As I said on the day it was announced, ‘I do not feel that I deserve to be in the company of so many of the transformative figures who’ve been honored by this prize.’ Therefore, upon reflection, I cannot accept this award on my behalf at all. “But I will accept it on behalf of the most important peacekeepers in the world for the last century — the men and women of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

“So for all these reasons — and so you understand that I will never hesitate to call on American soldiers where necessary to take the field against the enemies of peace, tolerance and liberty — I accept this peace prize on behalf of the men and women of the U.S. military: the world’s most important peacekeepers.”

Un Nobel en guerra

Barack Obama es el Premio Nobel de la Paz en este 2009. La noticia ha sorprendido, pues no sólo no lleva ni un año como Presidente de los EE.UU, sino que también es un presidente en guerra.  Una guerra, la de Afganistán cada vez más cuestionada.

Sea como fuere, muchos esta semana se han hecho la misma pregunta, ¿ no habrá nadie que se merezca este premio más que Obama? Él mismo ya ha dicho que no se lo merece…

Mahmoud Abbas facing challenge to his leadership from aggressive youth

After meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu without preconditions, Mahmoud Abbas facing a revolt against his leadership of Fatah from guard of younger leaders.

Handshakes of deception. Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas agrees to play a game in front of President Obama.

Hounded by his moderate supporters and militant rivals alike, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is facing a leadership crisis that will make it harder for the Obama administration to draw him into peace talks with Israel.

He made two concessions that ignited fury at home and across the Arab world: First he joined President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for a meeting in New York last month to explore prospects for formal talks.

Then last week he agreed, under American pressure, to postpone the Palestinians’ demand for a UN Security Council debate on a UN report accusing Israel of war crimes in Gaza.

While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has for months offered to resume talks,

«I cannot imagine that Abbas can meet [U.S. envoy] Mitchell and simply agree to resume negotiations with Israel without preconditions», said Mouin Rabbani, a Palestinian political analyst based in Jordan.

Source: Los Angeles Times.

My comment:

During my stay in Israel last week, a friend of mine said:

«Something is breeding among the Muslims in Jerusalem. It has been quite for too long».

Radical Islam is not happy with the Fatah president Mahmoud Abbas. When he meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York, Abbas had not got anything. The PM of Israel had not agreed to stop building in Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.

The logic within the Arab Palestinian terrorist movement, has again changed. The present silence has been a product of a wait and watch approach to the Likud lead Israeli Governments relations to the new Obama administrastion. «How much can we get from Benjamin Netanyahu without rocket fire and stones?»

Now, when Netanyahu has managed to stand up during pressure from Washington and London, its time to resume the political agenda of hate and violence. The logic is simple:

«Lets again make life inside Israel a living hell. Obama and Blair will agree to blame the Zionist state for the trouble, and Netanyahu will be forced to make «peace». In the bargain we will get Judea and Samaria, and East Jerusalem».

This is the same logic as the Nazis used during the peace negotiations that ended with the outbreak of Word War II. The moment Chamberlain understood that Hitler was not a man of peace, it was simply to late.

Obama on Nobel Peace Prize: "I Will Accept This Award As a Call to Action" [Video]

On October 9, 2009, our newly elected president, Barack Obama, was informed that he will be honored with the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. Obama humbly accepted the award, but went on to speak about the nation’s and the world’s tasks for peace in the future. Many reacted by saying that Obama does not accept this award because he has not done “anything” as our president. But most may be unaware that he received it, not for his achievements as the 44th United States president, but for his efforts in international diplomacy and world peace. More importantly, his efforts in nuclear disarmament.

After the jump I have a small, written piece from my boy Joe that is very interesting and thought-provoking, to say the least. And yes, I totally agree with him.

“The Hate Will Never Stop”, by Joe Hyman

In the past, the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to figures in order to both congratulate accomplishment and to further encourage action of a supported agenda. Basically, specific achievements are not the only criteria for the Nobel Peace Prize. Hear that? A world committee has convened, The Nobel Peace Prize Committee, and decided that our President, Barack Obama is an immensely important figure in the world; not our country, not our politics…world politics. And Americans hate the fact that he was awarded the prize, minimizing and downplaying his accomplishments saying, “What has he even done?”, “He shouldn’t have gotten an award after 12 days in office”. Is everyone forgetting how Barack Obama rejuvenated a nation, injecting hope and optimism in our country? That was before those 12 days in office. But the obvious reality is, they are not awarding those 12 days in office. Maybe you weren’t affected, but a lot of other people were…alot. Voting records were broken during this last election. No president in recent history has been so fervently supported by Americans, not to mention, by our youth. Any political movement that included our nation’s youth the way it did this past year should be applauded and encouraged, as it was, he was elected President.

The Nobel Peace Prize is further congratulating our President with the prize, giving momentum to a set of causes that shows promise to a more peaceful world. The committee has awarded our President the prize for his leadership internationally, his actions towards nuclear disarmament, and to draw attention to an agenda that they (the committee, not you) think brings peace to our world. This is bigger than America, they have sat down and chosen our President because of his affect on the world. But fine, you want it to be about you? We can talk that talk. The committee also decided to award the President the award because of his historical political track to the White House. This is who you voted for America. Maybe not you, the reader, but the majority.

Oh yea, and not to mention, he is a Black man. He is a Black man that won the presidency in a country that is built on racism, literally. A country that has an ugly past, a unique past. Only one other world event is even compared to what happened during slavery in America. I emphasize this point intentionally. It’s a big deal. This change is a big deal. The majority of voting Americans (majority white Americans) just allowed the world to view America in a different light. And they did it for this man, Barack Obama. His was the leader of that movement that changed history, and shows incredible promise to change history. Hmm, that world seems familiar. This isn’t necessarily me talking, ya’ll said it! I repeat, maybe not you the reader, but the majority.

The majority of people in this country voted/support our President, but when he is awarded and encouraged with The Nobel Peace Prize to continue the agenda that you voted for, you’re mad about it? You hate? You discredit and minimize the award? Wow, patriotism at it’s finest? Well, I’m proud of our President because I voted for those issues that are being put on a pedestal to the world by The Nobel Peace Prize Committee, saying, he is the leader of a movement that will affect this entire world.

It’s hate, because it is undeniable the accomplishments he has made, and the affect he is having on world politics; whether you agree with it or not. This never ending stream of hate that is pouring out of right-winged politics is antonymous to success. It seems as if it will never stop. But nobody will say why. You hate Barack Obama because he is a democrat. You hate Barack Obama because of his age. Haters, you’re making it really easy to say, you hate Barack Obama because he is Black. But after hundreds of years of Black slavery in America, abolishment of legal slavery in America, and the incredible rise of the African-Americans status within a fiercely racist society, it seems, the hate will never stop.

Is the U.S. Preparing to Bomb Iran?

Is the U.S. stepping up preparations for a possible attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities? Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has been sparring with President Obama over whether Iran is developing the technology to build nuclear weapons. (ABC News Photo Illustration) The Pentagon is always making plans, but based on a little-noticed funding request recently sent to Congress, the answer to that question appears to be yes. First, some background: Back in October 2007, ABC News reported that the Pentagon had asked Congress for $88 million in the emergency Iraq/Afghanistan war funding request to develop a gargantuan bunker-busting bomb called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP). It’s a 30,000-pound bomb designed to hit targets buried 200 feet below ground Now the Pentagon is shifting spending from other programs to fast forward the development and procurement of the Massive Ordnance Penetrator. The Pentagon comptroller sent a request to shift the funds to the House and Senate Appropriations and Armed Services Committees over the summer. Click here to see a copy of the Pentagon’s request, provided to ABC News. // The comptroller said the Pentagon planned to spend $19.1 million to procure four of the bombs, $28.3 million to accelerate the bomb’s “development and testing”, and $21 million to accelerate the integration of the bomb onto B-2 stealth bombers. ‘Urgent Operational Need’ The notification was tucked inside a 93-page “reprogramming” request that included a couple hundred other more mundane items. Why now? The notification says simply, “The Department has an Urgent Operational Need (UON) for the capability to strike hard and deeply buried targets in high threat environments. The MOP is the weapon of choice to meet the requirements of the UON.” It further states that the request is endorsed by Pacific Command (which has responsibility over North Korea) and Central Command (which has responsibility over Iran).

The Mojave Cross

By the time you read this, the case may already be decided. But I’d like to throw this out for your opinion anyway.

Today, Wednesday, October 07, 2009, the Supreme Court is hearing the case of the “Mojave Desert Cross”. This monument has been the subject of a heated argument for fifteen years.

The Tug-o-War (paraphrased from Snopes, Religious Tolerance.org, and the UK Telegraph.  Interesting that the best news story I found on this came from the UK Telegraph, but that’s another story.):

1934: a Christian Cross is erected on Sunrise Rock by the VFW as a WWI Memorial

1994: Sunrise Rock becomes the Mojave National Preserve, a 1.6 million acre preserve, administered by the National Park Service (NPS)

1999: An unnamed private citizen petitions the NPS to erect a Buddhist memorial in the vicinity of the Mojave Cross. The petition is denied.

1999: the ACLU files a complaint with the NPS on behalf of Frank Buono (Catholic, Veteran, former Ranger with the NPS), stating that the cross violates the “Establishment Clause” of the Constitution. The ACLU requested that the cross be removed because, although it was maintained as a war memorial, it did not represent all veterans, only those who were Christians.

Oct. 2000: NPS agrees to remove the cross

Dec. 2000: Rep. Jerry Lewis of California (no, not THAT Jerry Lewis) inserts language into a House Appropriations bill that prohibits federal funds from being used to “remove the white cross from within the boundary of the Mojave National Preserve.”

March, 2001: ACLU files lawsuit on behalf of Buono, seeking to compel the removal of the cross

July, 2002: U.S. District Court rules in the ACLU’s favor stating that the cross conveys a “message of endorsement of religion.”

2002: Rep. Lewis inserts language into a Defense Appropriations Bill declaring the Cross Site to be a national memorial and arranged a deal transferring the acre of land on which the cross sits to the VFW in exchange for five acres of privately owned land within the preserve. This technically removed the cross from federal land.  Language of the transfer may include (I read this in a couple of articles but couldn’t find concrete evidence) the provision that, if the VFW was no longer able to maintain the land, it would revert back to the NPS.

July, 2004: Ninth Circuit Court rules in the ACLU’s favor, rejecting the land transfer proposal, stating, in part, that the “primary effect of the presence of the cross” was to “advance religion” and therefore violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

2008: Bush Administration appeals the Ninth Circuit decision, arguing that Buono was an Oregon resident and therefore lacked legal standing to sue over a cross in California. They further argued that the land transfer was a “sensible” and “permissible” way of “resolving the establishment clause problem.”

Feb. 2009: Supreme Court agrees to hear the Mojave Cross Case (Salazar vs. Buono). It comes before the court on Wednesday, October 07, 2009. The cross still stands on Sunrise Rock, but is currently covered by a large plywood box until a decision is made. Obama Administration lawyers bear the responsibility of defending the right of the Department of the Interior to maintain the cross.

The relevant part of the First Amendment to the Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

What do you think? Should the cross be allowed to stand?

Dreaming 'bout Obama

I couldn’t believe it when I awoke this morning, that I’d dreamed about Obama!    Since I seldom remember my dreams, this was a shock, but the significance of the dream, which at first seemed silly, began to dawn on me as dawn lightened the sky.

First of all, he was riding what appeared to be motorized bicycle (not a motorbike) yet was pedaling along on it.  Various contraptions extended which reminds me of the tinker toy gun my granddaughter had fashioned during the day.

I was at a fair, inside a tent I believe, looking at my sister’s display which included two quilts she’d made, when Obama suddenly drove up on his bicycle and stopped to look.   “My sister in Kentucky made these” I said proudly.  He didn’t seem to know where Kentucky was.

“Appalachia,” I said.  “Surely, you’ve heard of the Appalachian Mountains.”   There was no sign of recognition from him.   “You really should get to know  the country,” I said.   It was as though he were a stranger here who knew nothing about America.

In the culture I grew up in, in Appalachia, we look for meaning in our dreams, believing they either instruct us or reveal truths that are hard to see when we’re awake.    I’m still pondering the dream’s meaning, however, and whether it was triggered by the tinker toy gun my granddaughter had made.