Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today it is time that the Palestinians are given a state:

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The time has come for establishing a Palestinian state and it’s in the interest of the U.S. to do so, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday in one of her most forceful statements yet on the issue.
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The comments from Rice, after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, suggested that the Bush administration is determined to try to bridge the wide gaps between Israel and the Palestinians ahead of a U.S.-hosted Mideast conference.

…

Standing next to Abbas, Rice defined Palestinian statehood as a U.S. interest.

“Frankly, it’s time for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Rice said.

“I wanted to say in my own voice to be able to say to as many people as possible that the United States sees the establishment of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution as absolutely essential for the future, not just of Palestinians and Israelis but also for the Middle East and indeed to American interests,” she said. “That’s really a message that I think only I can deliver.”

The article goes on from there.

I’m just thinking, though. How is it in the US’s best interest to give a state to these guys:

Christian Bookstore Owner Was Tortured Before His Death (via Hot Air Headlines)

The owner of a Christian bookstore in the Gaza Strip who was found dead this weekend was publicly beaten by Islamic gunmen accusing him of spreading Christianity, witnesses and Palestinian Arab security officials said.

The body of Rami Ayyad, director of Gaza’s only Christian bookstore, was found Sunday riddled with gunshot and stab wounds. He had been abducted the night before as he closed his shop, a local Christian group said.

Gaza-based Islamic groups had accused Ayyad, a Baptist, of engaging in missionary activity. His bookstore was firebombed in April, and since then Ayyad had told relatives he was receiving death threats from Islamists.

The day before his abduction, Ayyad said he was being followed by a car with no license plates.

Witnesses and security officials associated with Hamas’s so-called Executive Force told The New York Sun that Ayyad was publicly beaten a few blocks from his store before being shot to death.

…

Hamas security sources said Ayyad’s body showed signs of torture. He leaves a pregnant wife and two young children. No group has taken responsibility for the attack.

Sheik Abu Saqer, the leader of an Islamic outreach movement that said recently it formed a military wing to enforce Muslim law in Gaza, Jihadia Salafiya, told the Sun that though his group “didn’t carry out the Ayyad attack,” all Christians engaging in missionary activity in Gaza would be “dealt with harshly.”

…

Now that Hamas is in power, Sheik Saqer said, Christians can continue to live safely in Gaza only if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women appearing in public without proper head coverings.

Since June, “the situation has changed 180 degrees in Gaza,” he said. “Jihadia Salafiya and other Islamic movements will ensure Christian schools and institutions show publicly what they are teaching to be sure they are not carrying out missionary activity. No more alcohol on the streets. All women, including non-Muslims, need to understand they must be covered at all times while in public.”

“Also, the activities of Internet cafes, pool halls, and bars must be stopped,” he added. “If it goes on, we’ll attack these things very harshly.”

…

The head of Hamas in Gaza and a former Palestinian Arab foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar, responded to fears that the group could impose hard-line Islamic rule by saying: “I hardly understand the point of view of the West concerning these issues. The West brought all this freedom to its people, but it is that freedom that has brought about the death of morality in the West. It’s what led to phenomena like homosexuality, homelessness and AIDS.”

Better than you, I guess is his answer.

A “government” that supports the torture and murder of Christians - yep, give them a state.

Or, this:

Seven Suicide Bombing Attempts in Six Weeks

Or, this:
PA Forces Shoot Dead Two Palestinians, Including 5 Year Old Boy (via LGF)

Or, how about this:

Palestinian children with “toy guns” (via Hot Air Headlines)

Or, the indoctrination of children in Palestine with Antisemitism and the glorification of suicide bombers through children’s programming. (via LGF)

Child martyrdom - yep, let’s give ‘em a state.

Their elected government is a group we’ve declared a terrorist organization, but we want to give them legitimacy. Is this ironic to anyone but me?

news, politics | 3 Comments »

The one television show I was looking forward to watching this Fall - the one show I caught the premiere of last week while in California - the one show where guys go into remote tribes and get their butts kicked - is being shown on Discovery Channel in the US, and not on Discovery Channel in Canada.

No “Last One Standing” for Canadians, or for the Americans who live here. Stupid universal health care.

Seriously though, have you seen this show?

I’m so ticked I’m missing it. Zulu stick fighting tonight.

pop culture, Rant | 3 Comments »

Canadian Army Forced Out of U Victoria

An already bitter left-right divide simmered as the University of Victoria Student Society announced its decision to ban Armed Forces recruiters from their career day, to be held in January, claiming the Armed Forces commits war crimes that make it unacceptable as an employer of the university’s students.

The left-leaning student union, registered under the Canadian Federation of Students, has recently been at odds with conservative, liberal and even several independent groups since the controversial ousting of a popular UVSS chairperson candidate in last year’s election. Right-leaning campus groups have expressed dissent, claiming that the student union has no business banning recruiters from the fair and that students themselves should decide where they would or would not like to work.

What war crimes? Remember, the Canadian Forces are fighting in Afghanistan - the war the the Left continually tells us is the justified war. The front that the Left tells us that the US should have paid most attention to, that in Afghanistan, we “took our eye off the ball” and let Bin Laden go. Afghanistan is the just war, according to the rhetoric of the Left.

But, regardless, the left-leaning student union at the University of Victoria levels baseless accusations of “War Crimes” at the Canadian Forces.

Unbelievable.

Update: I found the article from the U of Victoria Student newspaper, The Martlet. Check this out:

[Tim] Fournier [from Students Against War] accused the military of being dishonest, saying the Canadian Armed Forces use depleted uranium, which has been linked to cancer. The website of the Department of National Defence said that the Armed Forces haven’t carried depleted uranium since 1998.

“They are liars,” Fournier said. “They do not tell the truth, and they manipulate us.”

Hmmm. When confronted with a denial from the Department of National Defense, his response is - “You’re a liar.” Nice comeback buddy.

Scott Garnett, a student in the gallery, challenged Fournier’s assertion that the Canadian military is guilty of war crimes.

“Has anybody in the Canadian military been convicted of war crimes?” Garnett asked.

“They don’t tell us,” replied Fournier, who said Afghans under the supervision of the Canadian military were tortured. “Convicted or not, torturing people is a war crime.”

I wonder if this guy is a Truther. He’s got all the marks of a conspiracy theorist.

Director-at-large Christine Comrie said it was important to ban the military from recruiting because some students are ignorant about the issues.

“A lot of students don’t know about the issues and don’t know about the facts,” she said. “We have to make this decision for students.”

…

Many people in the room broke into applause after Ho cast her tiebreaking vote in favour of banning the military.

U of Victoria students - welcome to your nanny state!

In the meantime, the ban has been rescinded, and is scheduled for a vote on October 25. I guess that they are going to let students actually make their own decisions.

The UVic Students’ Society (UVSS) rescinded their ban on Canadian Forces recruiters in the Student Union Building (SUB), putting the issue to a student vote at the society’s Oct. 25 annual general meeting.

…

In response to that meeting, a Facebook group was started called “The Canadian Forces are not criminals … but the UVSS are idiots.” Group members printed handbills and impeachment petitions were circulated for the seven members of the UVSS who voted to remove the military from the SUB.

So, I guess not everyone at U of Victoria is an idiot. But, again, this guy is:

Tim Fournier of Students Against War said that his group is not trying to censor anyone, but rather “prevent students from being charged with international war crimes.”

What?

Can’t wait to see what the vote is.

Update #2: Had I been keeping up with my RSS reader, I would have noticed that SDA was all over this 2 weeks ago.

politics, U of T, Toronto | No Comments »

More creeping sharia at U of T, this time Scarborough.

From an article on October 4th, in the Campus Paper, The Varsity:

Halal Food Hard To Swallow At UTSC

The Muslim Students Association at UTSC has ignited a fierce debate on the particulars of halal food on campus, refusing to support a long-awaited halal option at a Bluff’s, a UTSC campus restaurant.

The result of numerous faculty, staff and student requests, the new menu was introduced to the campus on May 29, making all chicken and beef options certified halal. Despite this, many MSA members say that any establishment that also serves alcohol and plays dance music is an unsuitable environment for their dietary needs.

So, the request was made for halal food. It was granted. But, that isn’t enough - they want the place, a university restaurant, to stop serving alcohol and playing dance music as well. Because, you know, mad beatz taints the meatz.

Some students said the restaurant, in failing to accommodate those who prefer not to eat at an alcoholic establishment, made more of a negative gesture than a positive one with the menu option.

“This initiative was brought forth solely by Bluff’s without ever consulting the MSA or Muslim students. If this was a deliberate accommodation, it’s kind of offensive in giving us the food in a manner unsuitable to us,” said Ahmad Jaballah, a former MSA executive and current Scarborough Campus Students Union VP students and equity.

Jaballah also argued that patronizing such an establishment is wrong because Muslim students would provide revenue for Bluff’s to purchase alcohol—an action forbidden by hadith, a Prophetic saying.

Is the answer so difficult then? I mean, patronize another business. Plus, I have to add, that the whole “VP for students and equity” position is a sham. On the St. George campus, I tried to voice a complaint of antisemitism last year with the VP of “equity” and was basically told to get bent. She was a Muslim, by the way.

The best part, though, is that this guy is wrong:

But Food and Beverages Manager Zalia Conde disagrees, noting that the Bluff’s restaurant serves alcohol under the university’s liquor license, rather than a license of its own. In fact, it is through the university that U of T dining establishments purchases alcohol.

When asked about the controversy, a few students argued that simply paying tuition supports the purchase of alcohol by contributing to the salary of the VP business affairs, who oversees the University Alcohol Policy.

Heh. Paying tuition funds alcohol purchases. What will they say/do about that one? I imagine it won’t be not paying tuition.

Despite the MSA, however, sales of halal food are on the rise. The sales are enough to make the program viable. And, there are some Muslim students who are a little more reasonable:

Muzna Siddiqui is one student who disagrees with MSA’s stance and now sees Bluff’s as another inclusive option for her.

“Personally, as a Muslim student, I’m happy the SCSU and UTSC are accommodating us,” she said. “For me, I don’t see how alcohol can contaminate the food like pork does. Unless someone is cooking with it, I don’t see the problem of being in an environment that serves alcohol, because it’s not something directly touching my food.”

Why isn’t that person VP of Equity?

Previously: Women’s Only Hours At UofT - Guess Why?

religion, U of T | 1 Comment »

Busy busy. Too busy to blog lately. But, I’m getting back around to it. Comp #2 finished aside from a few revisions. And, I saw some stories today that just pissed me off. So, I’m trying to get back on it.

site maintenance | No Comments »