Since when did critising Israel become and act of “anti-Semitism,” or a hate crime? Apparantly since “500 lawmakers, diplomats and academics from over 50 nations met in Jerusalem to consider the threat of “mushrooming” criticism of Israel.”

Freedom of speech is quickly becoming a hate crime it would seem - get ready to kiss your civil liberties goodbye :

www.rense.com - Israel’s Foreign Minister, Avigdor Lieberman, quoting ADL head Foxman, said much of the world has now “crossed the line” from legitimate criticism of Israel into an epidemic of anti-Semitism. Also speaking for the government of Israel was Diaspora Foreign Minister Yuli Edelstein who warned that global anti-Semitism “has been able to gain endorsement from academics, media outlets, and even political parties.” Edelstein says, “to be ‘anti-Israel’ is to be anti-Semitic. To boycott Israel, Israeli professors and Israeli businesses, these are not political acts, these are acts of hate, acts of anti-Semitism!”

“Look at the reality Israelis face when traveling to international athletic, business and academic events. More and more, when they arrive in Sweden, Turkey, England, and even the United States, they must lecture and perform before hostile or even violent crowds, requiring police protection. We must not hesitate to expose this hatred for what it is. It is a strong and vile form of xenophobia [fear of foreigners]. It expresses itself through violence, mockery and exclusion. It is directed toward the outside, toward that which is different, in appearance, speech or prayer.” “It is discrimination against Jews, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism.” (Jerusalem Post, December 16, 2009, “Verbatim: Anti-Semites Have Warped Tiny Israel Into Goliath”)

My latest piece is a light tongue in cheek look at my time spent in Dubai. My hotel, as I later found out, was actually an illegal brothel - “sin city” as one taxi driver sharply infromed me.

“Dreamland Hotel” was published at the Window Dresser’s Arms, a wonderful online forum, full of robust discussion:

Walking out of the airport in Dubai was like walking into a hot cup of tea - hot, sticky and a tad uncomfortable. It was late, I was tired and all I wanted was a shower and a decent bed to rest my weary head, so I jumped into the nearest cab and was on my way.

As we pulled up the taxi driver assured me that this was the ONLY hotel in Dubai with vacancies, “sure of course it is” I said, too tired to dispute the blatant lie.

“Dreamland Hotel… This place seems OK” I thought as I checked in. Despite the name reminding me of a dodgy mini golf centre, or a David Lynch film - I was just thankful I had found somewhere to stay. It wasn’t the Hilton but it had clean sheets, hot water, TV with movies in English (bonus) and super cold aircon.

A quick wash and I was ready for a walk around the neighbourhood.

As I walked the streets beneath the giant skyscrapers a voice, now quickly approaching me from behind, darted out of the darkness, “Hello, what’s your name?” I turned to find a young man smiling and smoking a cigarette. “My name is Ahmed, are you lost? Let me show you around” he said.

I walked with Ahmed for a while; he was from Lebanon and seemed strangely interested in just about everything, it was a tad creepy and the conversation soon degenerated. “So, are you circumcised? It’s much better when you’re making sexing to be circumcised,” he said, completely out of the blue.

Slightly taken a back I tried to steer the conversation away from my nether regions, “what an odd thing to ask” I said. “What about when you’re alone… do you…” continued Ahmed. My God! Where the hell was this guy from? I had a fair idea of where he was headed with these questions and really didn’t want to go there. We turned a corner and I was just about to use the nearest shop as an excuse to end our charming chat, but to my dismay it was a darkish empty street.

Ahmed’s voice suddenly went up a few octaves and became a camp, nasal twang, his hand gesture became overtly animated and he giggled like a school girl as he flamboyantly strutted alongside me.

“So, you look tired, do you want a massage? Let’s party, I studied special massage techniques you know… Just come back to my place, it’s so relaxing, do you like partying? I love partying, it’s so much fun, do you want a massage? I’m really good.” He said in almost one breath.

Oh great… The last thing I needed was to be hit on by a sexually frustrated Lebanese guy who wanted to prod me in all the wrong places. OK, strange city, extremely creepy guy, dark alley, very bad mix. Had to think of something to say and fast… “I have to re-arrange my sock draw, go watch paint dry, cut myself and bathe in vinegar, learn the Dewy Decimal system” Anything! Sheesh, quickly Reuben think of something! “Oh wow, look at the time, I really must go check my emails… Thanks but no thanks mate.”

“I really must go check my emails?” That was my great escape sentence? Oh brother, I must have been tired - but it worked a treat and I was off like a Jewish foreskin. (I was going to say “off like a bride’s nighty.” Or “off like a bucket of prawns in the hot Aussie sun,” but this, untasteful as it is, seemed to fit the previous paragraphs perfectly.)

It can’t get much worse than that I thought, as I scampered unscathed back to the safety of Dreamland Hotel.

The first few days at Dreamland were nice and quite as it was still Ramadan, everyone was lovely, I even got to know the girls at the front desk, “hello Mr Reuben” they would say as I clambered through the door, in a sweaty mess after a long day in the hot sun.

Finally I could get some work done - or so I thought.

On the last day of Ramadan one of the porters came and asked if I was ready to disco, “all the discos start tonight, Ramadan is over so we can party,” he said with a grin.

“That’s nice” I thought, “good for you.” Little did I realise that what he was trying to tell me was that the hotel had its very own nightclub. Not one but three. And my room just happened to be above two of them. Fantastic, there goes my peaceful sleep.

The first club was called “Wild Indian Girls” Presumably for the Indian clientele, the second was an Arabic club “Arabic Dreams” or some such name and the third, which was right under my room, was for Pakistanis. I can’t remember what it was called; only that it was extremely loud. That night was like trying to sleep in a bad Bollywood flick, as the distorted bass rattled everything in my room, including my now frayed nerves.

On the second night curiosity got the better of me and I just had to see what all the fuss was about.

I tentatively ventured into the Pakistani club - I was half expecting to find a dimly lit room, perhaps a smoke machine and disco ball and of course some badly dressed Pakistanis wearing their jeans pulled right up under their armpits, pressed cotton shirts (unbuttoned half way) and bouffant hairdos all busting a “Bollywood meets disco fever” move on the dance floor. Oh how I was wrong.

To my surprise the room was full of tables and chairs, no dance floor, no disco ball and only a few bad hairdos. In the centre of the room was a stage, on the stage was a long bench and on the long bench sat a row of thoroughly unimpressed young girls. “Something is very wrong with this picture” I thought to myself. The room was packed with incredibly drunk men sitting around the tables, all shouting and cheering - having a great old time. Then the music started and one of the girls got up and did a total Bollywood dance number, then another song and another girl. It seemed they all had particular songs that they would mime away to as they flitted nimbly around the stage.

It was all very cute and amusing until I noticed some of the girls on the bench having what looked to me like an elaborate conversation in sign language with some of the patrons. Hand signals were flying all over the shop, numbers, thumbs up, thumbs down, the international rubbing of thumb and pointer together “money, money, money” waving fingers back and forth in a “No! No! No! I don’t think so” kind of way, pointing upstairs and giggling all the while - “are they bargaining for something? What on earth is going on?”

My suspicions were confirmed as I watched these covert transactions take place and one or two girls silently slipped away only to reappear some time later looking slightly ruffled.

After just about as much bad Bollywood music as I could bear I made for the sanctuary of my room, stuffed napkins in my ears and tried to get some sleep.

The next morning on my way out I was stopped by the man who sat at the door. “So… Did you have some fun last night?” He asked. “Did you like… the girls? You can take them up to your room you know…” He was an elderly Pakistani man, very pleasant in appearance, if not a tad strange in manner. “But don’t bother with these girls, they’re too expensive,” he continued, as he looked at me through his 70’s style glasses (original vintage) with his thick locks of grey hair blowing in the warm breeze. He was 65 years old, but didn’t look a day over 40, “what’s his secret?” I wondered.

“I will take you to a place where there are good cheap girls…very, very cheap… But they’re only available in the mornings.” He said with a slightly disturbing grin. What is this? A red spot special at woolies? Early bird gets the worm I guess…

“Oh gee… that’s um, well that’s… good, great, yeah thanks… that’s ah, good to know… very informative… thanks it’s a very ah… kind offer, I’ll um… I’ll… yeah thanks.” I spluttered.

If “very, very cheap” prostitutes was this guy’s secret to staying youthful, I think I’ll just have to age gracefully.

That night I had a quick peek through the door of “Wild Indian Girls.” It was much the same as the Pakistani club, although more subdued - Pakistanis really know how to let loose and party. I wasn’t too sure about the name though, as the girls didn’t look all that wild - possibly “uninterested, depressed Indian girls” would have been more fitting.

They say that curiosity killed the cat - but mine had died years ago, so my next port of call was definitely the Arabic club. I was informed that just to enter the club there was an exuberant cover charge, “try before you buy” was my excuse and so I slipped in for a minute or two. As far as dodgy clubs in even dodgier hotels go, this was not so bad - plates of hummus and nibbles were being served, the air was filled with the sweet smell of flavoured tobacco, as just about everyone in the room hubble bubbled away on their sheesha pipes whilst three or four largish Arabic woman all performed some kind of pseudo belly dance come two step shuffle on stage. I didn’t stay long enough to see if any covert hand signals were being given as I’d had just about enough Twin Peaks entertainment for one night.

The same rules applied for all three clubs - a few hand signals and it’s into the express elevator to the elusive “upstairs.” So I was staying in an illegal brothel - out of all the hotels in Dubai I ended up at Dreamland or “Wet-dreamland” as it should be renamed. There has to be a first for everything I guess.

I decided to take a quick stroll to the shops - I had only made it to the end of the street when a young black girl approached me. “You looking for some brown sugar?” she said in a tired voice. “I have a place we can go to.” “No thank you - just looking for some cigarettes” I said in as polite a voice as possible and decided to take a short cut through a nearby car park. I had apparently now stumbled into the African girls pick up section - girls, young and old were hanging around under dimly lit street lights, all waiting for a John Doe to take them home.

Nervous young men pretending to talk on their mobiles stalked the car park, all waiting for a quiet moment to make their move and pounce on their prey. I almost expected to hear David Attenborough start narrating as this national geographic style dance was performed.

Quickly leaving the shadows of the car park I headed straight for the shops, only to be faced with a giant Russian lady who looked like Vladimir Putin’s sparring partner. Bright blue eye liner, thick red lipstick that looked like it had been applied by a blind man with Parkinson’s and a horrendously short skirt displaying thighs that would have made Phar Lap whimper - she looked me up and down in a very menacing way, turned and continued smoking her cigarette.

“Phew!” I obviously didn’t look worth it, which was great as no amount of polite “no thank you” would have appeased this giant lady of the night, who more than likely ate baby kittens, little children and dolphins for breakfast.

I was nearly there, just a few more metres and that packet of $1.50 cigarettes was mine!

All of a sudden a slim arm slipped itself around my waist and a young Asian girl made herself quite comfortable by my side. “Do you want massage? Special price for you…” What on earth is going on? I quickly checked to make sure there wasn’t a huge flashing neon sign above my head that said “Young white male: Quick, offer him unusual sexual services!”

Well at least she wasn’t a hairy Lebanese guy, but never the less, the answer remained the same. “No thanks - I just want a packet of cigarettes.” I thought choosing cancer over possible herpes or HIV was a rather good move.

Finally I had made it to the shops - their glowing fluorescent lights were like a beacon of hope, a sanctuary of safety. I stepped into the light and took refuge in the isles of frozen goods and cleaning products, but it wasn’t long until I had to brave the elements once more.

I sat, smoking a much needed cigarette, on a nearby bench pondering the bizarre nature of the past few days when a voice quietly whispered something in my ear that would make your average lady of the night blush like a school girl - I turned to find another Asian lady sitting beside me. “Where on earth am I?” I wondered - it was like I had somehow crossed into a parallel universe where Kings Cross, minus the toothless junkies and crack whores, was having a really bad Arabian Nights theme party.

As flattering as it all was, the only thing I really wanted to do was watch daggy 80’s re runs on the movie channel in the comfort of my room.

I returned to the hotel and as I walked up the stairs to my room I stopped to chat to the security guard standing at the door of the Pakistani club - he was from Ethiopia and always had a tale to tell. “Tomorrow you should go to the Ethiopian section of town, they have special cafes where you can take part in a traditional coffee ceremony,” he said. Hallelujah! Finally, someone was talking about something that didn’t involve cheap prostitutes or massages! What a lovely idea, good coffee, a new experience, should be fantastic. “The ceremony is performed by beautiful Ethiopian woman,” he continued, “and afterwards, you can have all kinds of fun with them, if you know what I mean - Ethiopian woman are the best in the world…” Oh God… I just can’t escape.

The “complete guide to killing non Jews” - a handbook published by the fundamentalist Od Yosef Hai yeshiva in the West Bank gives detailed ”religious guidance” on how it is permissable to kill all non Jews who may pose a threat.

“When is it permissible to kill non-Jews? The book Torat ha-Melekh [The King’s Teaching], which was just published, was written by Rabbi Yitzhak Shapira, the dean of the Od Yosef Hai yeshiva in the community of Yitzhar near Nablus, together with another rabbi from the yeshiva, Yossi Elitzur. The book contains no fewer than 230 pages on the laws concerning the killing of non-Jews, a kind of guide for anyone who ponders the question of if and when it is permissible to take the life of a non-Jew.” - Roi Sharon, Maariv, November 9 2009

Some excerpts of the book are as follows:

“In any situation in which a non-Jew’s presence endangers Jewish lives, the non-Jew may be killed even if he is a righteous Gentile and not at all guilty for the situation that has been created…When a non-Jew assists a murderer of Jews and causes the death of one, he may be killed, and in any case where a non-Jew’s presence causes danger to Jews, the non-Jew may be killed.”

“Hindrances—babies are found many times in this situation. They block the way to rescue by their presence and do so completely by force. Nevertheless, they may be killed because their presence aids murder. There is justification for killing babies if it is clear that they will grow up to harm us, and in such a situation they may be harmed deliberately, and not only during combat with adults.”

IDF soldiers who took part in the devestating attack “Operation Cast Lead,” on Gaza have been awarded medals of honor for heroism and bravery.

On the 27 of December 2008, Israeli forces brutally attacked Gaza without warning. For 22 days the IDF bombarded Gaza, raising parts of it to the ground, killing over 1400 people - moslty all unarmed civilians. 

Where is the bravery and heroism in this?

OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant, presented the soldiers with their medals and said that during the incursion into Gaza “the IDF reached its goals. The enemy was badly beaten. IDF soldiers acted out of faith in the justice of our cause, and their moral norms are praiseworthy.”

Galant also told those present that “in the tough hours of the trial through fire you bravely and resiliently persevered. You are a lighthouse of morality and values.”

“Their moral norms are praiseworthy?”

“A lighthouse of morality and values?”

Shameful!

Good friend and long time peace activist, Gareth Smith, recieved death threats whilst protesting to mark the 61st anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

His banner “Gaza! Israel’s Ghetto. 1.5 million besieged” attracted the attention of two young Israeli men, one of whom then said to Gareth “if we were in Israel and I had a gun I would kill you beacause you are protecting killers.”

Gareth will be attending the Gaza Freedom March along with 13 other Australians and 1000 others from 40 countries on New Years Eve in Gaza. He is taking much needed humanitarian supplies into Gaza and urges other to make donations - Children’s clothing, medical supplies and cash can be given to the Canberra Program for Peace - Commonwealth Bank, BSB 06 2919 A/C No 0092273

“I will be documenting as fully as possible how donations are used,” he told The Byron Shire Echo.

To read the full article click here

The sad reality - US government officials now face a “pro Israel” litmus test before they can work for the government:

The following was posted by Stephen M. Walt on his blog at Foreign Policy: 

Ha’aretz says U.S. officials face ‘pro-Israel’ background check

Associate Professor Jake Lynch, director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney has written the following fantastic piece, published in the Sydney Morning Herald, about America being in a constant state of war:

How America is constantly at war

JAKE LYNCH
June 26, 2009

Early this year was a turning point in America’s relations with the rest of the world, and not just because Team Obama took over. What tells us more about the underlying dynamics of global conflict is that the US switched, at some point following the inauguration, from being a country usually at peace to one usually at war.

The modern era of American war fighting started with what President Franklin Roosevelt called the “date of infamy”: Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941, which brought GIs into World War II. To this point, 811 months have passed, and the US has now spent 406 of those at war. That doesn’t count the innumerable logistical efforts, starting with the Berlin airlift, clandestine operations and proxy wars - even the odd peacekeeping mission.

It is derived from adding the 46 months it took to get Japan to surrender in the Pacific to 37 months of the next episode of all-out combat, in Korea. Identifying the Vietnam starting point is tricky, but the first American military hardware - helicopters - and personnel to fly them arrived in South Vietnam on December 11, 1961.

The formal ceasefire came 134 months later, and for a while the idea of sending Americans to fight overseas fell into disrepute. It was rehabilitated through small-scale deployments like Grenada in 1983 and the invasion of Panama in 1989: two months each.

Then came Desert Storm,where it took three months to eject the forces of Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991.

There followed the ill-starred attempt in Somalia in 1992-93 (10 months) and the bombing of Yugoslavia in the Kosovo conflict of 1999 (another three). The US has been at war in Afghanistan since October 2001, and again in Iraq from March 2003.

American troops are due to withdraw from Iraqi cities this weekend, perhaps marking an end point there, after 76 months, though the country seethes with latent conflicts. Afghanistan now stands at 93 and counting.

Total: 406 out of 811, more than half.

I’ve counted each month in the overlap twice, to reflect the uniqueness of two major wars happening at once. One might ask whether the US actually ever stopped being at war with Iraq, given the constant air patrols over the no-fly zones, the ever-tightening sanctions regime and the occasional intensification of air strikes.

For the US to be at war should not be surprising, but seen as normal: not “man bites dog” but “dog bites man”. In every case, our attention has been directed to particular, external causes, or threats, from South-East Asian nations “falling like dominoes” to communism, to Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction”.

Instead, we should be looking for general, internal causes. What is it about America that keeps it at war and what intensifies the pressures to war?

A colossal arms industry needs periodic advertising campaigns, on slogans like “shock and awe”, more now because the era of shareholder value means ever greater returns are required, to meet market expectations.

Obama’s first defence budget in early April kept up the previous level of spending. The share price of all the major weapons suppliers turned sharply upwards just beforehand and they’ve been outperforming the stockmarket ever since. Recently, the industry inveigled Congress into an appropriation the military itself doesn’t want, the redundant F-22 fighter.

Then there’s the media. As secretary of state, Colin Powell became America’s chief spokesman for invading Iraq. TV companies waved the flag. His son, Michael Powell, was then the chairman of a Federal Communications Commission planning to deregulate the industry. NBC, one of the three major TV networks, is majority owned by General Electric, which is a major military supplier and contributor to the Bush presidential campaigns.

A proliferation of on-air experts and commentators from corporate-funded think tanks push military stratagems. The idea for the “troop surge” in Iraq was launched, for instance, by the conservative American Enterprise Institute, with a column in The Washington Post.

Where does that leave us? Australian troops are about to take part in Operation Talisman Sabre, in central Queensland, the biennial joint training exercise geared towards maintaining “interoperability” with their US counterparts. We are rehearsing for the next war, and we should think long and hard about whether we really want to.

Obama has spoken about the need for America to regain its leadership as an innovator of civilian technological applications. He may re-regulate media. He may cut the Pentagon’s procurement budgets and he may promote inclusive dialogue and negotiation in Afghanistan.

He may prove a peacemaker: but the underlying momentum, in large sections of the US economy, is pulling in the opposite direction.

My latest article “The American wars” was published today at Online Opinion - As the year comes to an end I thought it would be a good time to have a long hard look at what we have achieved over the past eight years of bloodshed. The piece deals with our contemporary history, Iraq, Afghanistan, American involvement and the abhorrent loss of life that has occured because of it:

The American wars

By Reuben Brand

The past eight years of our history have been marred with violent bloodshed, war, fear, terrorism, propaganda and countless loss of life. There are a myriad questions that need to be asked and answered to make any kind of logical sense of this mess, but one reoccurring theme is the role America plays surrounding our dark devolution into the new millennium.

Throughout my travels in the Middle East region, I frequently hear the same issue being raised, “America is a very big problem”. It doesn’t matter whether I am in Pakistan, Syria, Oman, Kuwait, or any where else, the sentiment remains the same: “America is a very big problem.”

Contemporary history as we know it began on September 11, 2001, when two iconic towers fell in New York and more than 2,700 lives were lost.

As tragic as any loss of life is, are we expected to believe that the deaths which occurred on 9-11 could possibly justify the invasion of Afghanistan, the systematic detainment, torture and abuse of countless civilians on no charge other than suspicion, the illegal invasion of Iraq on the premise of weapons of mass destruction and according to analysis of UNICEF data by Australian scientist, Dr Gideon Polya, the brutal deaths of 6.6 million Afghanis (both violent and avoidable) and 1.2 million Iraqis? It is a largely disputed figure, but one that has now been published and proven by ORB, an independent UK based Research Company.

Are we really expected to believe these wars that have shattered the lives and homes of millions of Afghanis and Iraqis leaving many as destitute refugees, that have completely destroyed two countries, and which now conveniently have US backed puppets installed as their “democratic” leaders, are being fought to ensure the safety and freedom of the West, primarily America, from some form of barbaric terrorism? Does anyone else not see the irony in this?

Keep the West safe from terrorists by terrorising everyone who looks, dresses and sounds different. Especially those who don’t agree with the doctrine or ideology of the world’s super power. “If it looks like the enemy, shoot it!” were the rules of engagement given to Sergeant Ken Davis on his first tour of Iraq. Yes, I tend to agree with the sentiment of the region: “America is a very big problem.”

Any honest person would have to ask the question “why didn’t America invade the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?” It is now widely accepted that Iraq and Afghanistan had nothing to do with 9-11. We all know that al-Qaida is primarily a Saudi backed organisation; its leader, Osama bin Laden, is a Saudi; and it was 19 men, many of whom were Saudi nationals, who hijacked three planes, flew two into the World Trade Centre and one into the Pentagon. This is all common knowledge.

Al-Qaida attacks America, so America in all its wisdom and “intelligence” decimates Afghanistan and leads a pre-emptive strike and invasion of Iraq - go figure.

In an address to the nation on March 17, 2003, just two days before the horrific Shock and Awe bombing of Baghdad, former US President George W. Bush stated that “Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to posses and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised”.

The only weapons of sizable measure found in Iraq were the weapons US and coalition forces used to kill the Iraqis.

There were no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq, we all know that.

Perhaps Bush, in one of his many misspoken moments got the word WMD mixed up with MWD, a term used by geophysicists while surveying and drilling for oil. Measurement While Drilling to be exact. There are plenty of MWDs in Iraq - not exactly a threat to global security, more like an asset to financial security.

The US government misled its own people, lied to the world and created a war deemed illegal under international law. A war that continues to be in grave violation of the Geneva Conventions. A war for which we are all now paying the price.

Lord Bingham, one of Britain’s most authoritative judicial figures and retired senior law lord, delivered a speech in late 2008 regarding the invasion of Iraq. “If I am right that the invasion of Iraq by the US, the UK, and some other states was unauthorised by the Security Council there was, of course, a serious violation of international law and the rule of law,” he said.

Bingham continued with explicit reference to the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib: “Particularly disturbing to proponents of the rule of law is the cynical lack of concern for international legality among some top officials in the Bush administration,” he added.

OK, so we have a fair idea of why Iraq was invaded, but what about Afghanistan? The US says it is looking for bin Laden - with all the technology in the world and they still can’t find him? It makes you wonder that perhaps Afghanistan has something more valuable on offer.

It does: Afghanistan holds the keys to the rich natural gas and oil of the Caspian Basin, which will be transported through the yet to be developed Trans Afghan Pipeline - a blueprint the US has had on the backburner for some years now. Once implemented, this lucrative pipeline will hungrily carry all the natural resources it possibly can across Afghanistan, down into the seaport of Gwadar in south-western Pakistan.

Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan also allows the US to keep pressure on the only Islamic country to possess nuclear weapons. Pakistan poses a serious threat to US control in the region: “destabilise and disarm” is the general theme, how it will be played out is yet to be seen.

Just as Bush propagated his lies about Iraq concealing some of the “most lethal weapons ever devised,” President Obama, six years on, remarked on March 27 this year that “we are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and allies - So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al-Qaida in Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

Slightly more eloquent than his predecessor, but it is more or less the same old rhetoric.

In a White Paper from the Interagency Policy Group’s Report on US. Policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan it was stated that “in Pakistan, al-Qaida and other groups of jihadist terrorists are planning new terror attacks. Their targets remain the US homeland, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Europe, Australia, our allies in the Middle East, and other targets of opportunity.” Well that just about covers the globe, so according to this report al-Qaida is planning to destroy the entire world. Quite ambitious for a group whose leader lives in a cave.

Obama delivered another speech earlier in the year about “responsibly ending the war in Iraq”. Desperate to try to turn the humanitarian disaster that America created into some kind of humanitarian aid mission, Obama made it clear that “America’s men and women in uniform have fought block by block, province by province, year after year, to give the Iraqis this chance to choose a better future. Now, we must ask the Iraqi people to seize it,” he said.

To seize what? A country that you destroyed? It’s a farcical remark. The whole idea of an irresponsible country preaching about “responsibly ending the war in Iraq”, is ludicrous. The responsible thing to do would have been not to invade in the first place.

Obama then went on to portray US military violence and aggression as acts of friendship and kindness:

“Our nations have known difficult times together. But ours is a bond forged by shared bloodshed, and countless friendships among our people. We Americans have offered our most precious resource - our young men and women - to work with you to rebuild what was destroyed by despotism - So to the Iraqi people, let me be clear about America’s intentions. The United States pursues no claim on your territory or your resources. We respect your sovereignty and the tremendous sacrifices you have made for your country.”

The pre-emptive strike doctrine, the shock and awe campaign, the routine torture and humiliation of innocent civilians at Abu Ghraib and the countless other war crimes perpetrated by the US tells us another story about respecting sovereignty.

So what have we achieved over the past eight years of blood thirsty war? Is the world a safer place now? No. Of course it isn’t. We have achieved more mistrust, more hatred, a new arms race, more support for the Taliban and other insurgency groups and, most devastatingly, we have achieved on average, the violent deaths of many Afghanis and Iraqis everyday for the past eight years.

Congratulations, what an achievement.

There are no quick fixes, but it’s about time Team America backed off and stopped trying to police the world - their vigilante actions create a pile of bodies wherever they go. Honestly ask yourself if the past eight years of bloodshed has been worth it.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner escallating a war in an already war ravaged country and sending an additional 30,000 troops to the region - Oh the sad, sad irony

Obama’s rhetoric, although far more eloquent, is much the same as his predecessor:

What is daily life like in one of the most dangerous regions in the world? Find out at Cosima Brand’s new blog - written by none other than my lovely little sister. So do yourself a favour - visit Cosima’s website and learn a new perspective on a country that is once again in the global spotlight:

Eid al Adha

By Cosima Brand

Eid al Adha marks the end of the Hajj, or Pilgrimage to Mecca and is in commemoration of the sacrifice that the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) was called upon to make of his son, Ismail (Ishmael).

Warning: This post is a bit graphic

Our Eid morning started off with getting all the guys out the door in time for the Eid prayers and getting breakfast ready — which for me was cake (nothing better than chocolate cake for breakfast!) whilst everyone else mostly had Halwa Puri, which is a dhal like soupy thing, sweet halwa and fried bread. Almost as healthy as my cake!

The next thing I knew the butchers had arrived. There were four of them. A head butcher, and three attendants, one looking far too young for that kind of work in my mind. As in accordance with the Halal way of slaughtering, all the goats were kept away from the place of slaughter at the back of the house, and each one was brought out individually. I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my tummy as the first goat was brought around, but it was all over before I could even comprehend. They gave him a drink of water and next thing his throat was cut and he was gone.

They washed all the blood away, and hung the carcass to be skinned and gutted. Out came the next goat, and the next and the little sheep in the middle, which I was particularly sad about, as I had hung out with the sheep all morning. The cow was last, at about four in the afternoon, they tied his legs whilst he was sitting and again, it was over very quickly.

As I said in a previous post, I have worked in animal welfare, so know just how bad slaughtering can be — but this was really very quick, humane and in one swift precise cut. I think that in Pakistan the general level of care for animals is quite high, despite having some great big blotches on the animal welfare scale like bear baiting (the MOST horrible thing I think I have seen as animal cruelty goes). Because so much of the country is involved in some way with animal husbandry there is a respect there that also translates to the way the animals are killed.

After all the animals had been slaughtered, and the cutting up had begun, it was our turn to get our hands dirty… quite literally. You see the animals slaughtered are divided into three parts, one is kept by the family, another given to extended family and the third given to the poor. In our case it was more like ninety percent given to the poor. So the day was spent sorting out the meat and bagging it for freezing, as the following morning there would be an influx of poor people coming around to collect thier share of meat.

Eid is the one time of year when the poorest of the poor get to eat meat, and many go from Eid to Eid without having it, simply because they can’t afford to buy it. It is also the time of year when all of the many stray dogs and cats are full, full, full as all the scraps are usually dumped on the sides of the street. Not very pretty and a huge health hazard I am sure.

The last of the meat was cut up at around seven at night, more than ten hours work by the butchers. At that time the house was already full of guests — the extended family seem to come to our place on Eid — which means a whole lot of tea to be made and served, and a whole lot of smiles and nods as I don’t yet speak much Urdu, and they don’t speak that much English.

I then had to accompany my husband on the rounds of the city dropping off the other portions of the meat to family members and came home quite exhausted.

I had survived my first real Eid al Adha, and whilst there were still two more days of guests to get through, the part I had been dreading was over. I don’t think it will ever be easy for me to watch the things I watched on Eid, but as someone who eats meat, I think it is a real duty to understand the reality of it, and to give thanks every time.

I have put some pics in a gallery, but left out the more graphic ones, as I thought it would be  inappropriate to show them here.