Musafir's Musings

Hands Across the Seas, Part I
A Friend's Decision to Die with Dignity

"The winds that blow-- ask them,
which leaf of the tree
will be next to go"

---Soseki (translated by Harold Henderson)

A friend, Sarah M, who lives in Sussex, UK, was recently diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. It is a horrible, painful, degrading disease. She has decided to avoid going through the various stages of treatment which could prolong her remaining days.

Sarah is a passionate activist in human rights causes and justice for the Palestinians. Widely traveled, she is a voracious reader, enjoys gardening, pets, and music. While the NHS in Britain does not have provision for pro-active measures to hasten death, one gets the impression that it is less rigid in its position than the American system under pressure of religious and political organizations to which 'euthanasia' is a dirty word.

More »

Daphna Moore

All I ask is that you consider the suggestion here. Don't just stand around in groups complaining. Take an active part in giving this nation back to the people, not the government.

The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. And I mean both Houses and I mean both major parties.....

I realize that a few Members of each House are trustworthy, but, as a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch to ever disgrace our Nation.

In November of 2010 the entire House of Representatives will stand for re-election; all 435 of them. One third of the Senate, a total of 33 of them, will also stand for re-election. Vote every incumbent out. And I mean every one of them. No matter their Party affiliation.

More »

Re-reported, edited by Carolyn Bennett

Ros-Lehtinen, Berman, Burton, Ackerman - time to rein in this team of four - now, or November 2010

The Goldstone report concluded that, "while the Israeli Government sought to portray its operations as a response to rocket attacks in the exercise of its right to self-defense, the Israeli plan had been directed, at least in part, at the people of Gaza as a whole." The report pointed to the "treatment of many civilians (detained or killed while trying to surrender) as one manifestation that effective rules of engagement, standard operating procedures, instructions to the troops on the ground" had created "an environment in which regard for civilian lives and basic human dignity had been replaced with a disregard for basic international humanitarian law."

More »

By Khalid Amayreh in Ramallah

Today, any gesture of opposition to the American-backed regime is reported to the security agency. As many as 9,000 people, mostly suspected Hamas sympathizers, have been arrested by these agencies in the West Bank since 2007. Many or most of the detainees are subjected to physical and psychological torture. Indeed, at least ten detainees died under brutal torture in police facilities maintained thanks to American and European tax-payers' money.

Anyone listening to Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas these days would think the man is a paragon of democracy and liberty. Abbas, who has remained at the helm of the PA despite the expiration of his term in office, has been exhorting Palestinians to prepare for "presidential and legislative elections" which he called a "constitutional imperative."

However, a deeper look into Abbas's behaviors at home shows that the PA Chairman is not really interested in holding true, free and honest elections. After all, actions speak louder than words. Today, Abbas is presiding over a ruthless despotic regime where the level of repression is unprecedented since the start of the Israeli Occupation in 1967.

There is a nearly total absence of human rights and civil liberties. As to the rule of law, it is virtually paralyzed. Some human rights groups which wronged citizens used to turn to for help have closed their doors, apparently under pressure from the PA security agencies.

More »

by Stephen Lendman

At a time of growing US poverty, hunger, homelessness, and despair, imperial wars without end, and the Obama administration even worse than its predecessor, Venezuela:

-- is a model participatory democracy;

-- holds free, fair and open elections;

-- respects the rule of law, civil liberties, and human rights;

-- doesn't intimidate its neighbors;

-- uses its resources responsibly for the people;

-- provides essential social services for the needy;

-- champions judicial fairness and the rule of law;

-- has a model free and open media;

More »

Malalai Joya

The worst massacre in Afghanistan from September 11 to now happened during the presidency of Obama.

Malalai Joya is known around the world as a courageous opponent of the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, the corrupt regime presided over by President Hamid Karzai--and the Taliban and other conservative Islamist forces battling U.S. and Afghan government troops.

An uncompromising fighter for women's rights, Joya was elected to parliament in 2005, where she denounced the presence of representatives who she called "warlords" and "war criminals." In 2007, she was suspended on the grounds that she had "insulted" fellow members. An international solidarity campaign has rallied support for her.

Joya has been the target of assassination attempts and must travel in Afghanistan with armed bodyguards, wearing a burqa as a disguise. She has written a new book about her life, A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice.

As the first stop on a speaking tour of the U.S., Malalai Joya was the featured speaker on a panel discussion at the Northeast Socialist Conference in New York City on October 23. Introducing her were several American opponents of the U.S. war on Afghanistan, including Iraq Veterans Against the War member Mathis Chiroux. Here, we print edited excerpts from Joya's speech.

More »