tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17214116786792625542011-08-26T18:59:23.500-05:00Political Beast (previously blame islam)Neutral commentary on political, economic and international affairsAjaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-91580504095260933382011-08-26T13:14:00.008-05:002011-08-26T13:55:21.195-05:002011-08-26T13:55:21.195-05:00Good Bye Mr. Qaddafi, it is time to bring peace to LibyaIt seems all but over for Col. Gaddafi, even though some of his loyalists are still resisting. Most of the country including Tripoli is now under the control of 'rebel forces'. Col. Gaddafi should realize that the game is over and order his loyalists to stop shooting.
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<br />The transitional political establishment needs to take charge immediately and set up an interim Government for 3 to 4 months. Their first task should be to disarm all rebels, take back weapons and bring peace to the streets of Libya. Leaving arms in the hands of rebels as was the case with Afghan Mujahedin post Soviet withdrawal and discharged Nigerian soldiers post Biafra war, can be dangerous and lead to civil war. They transitional authorities should also ensure that there are no retributions against Qaddafi loyalists and Qaddafa tribe as politics of revenge can only make matters worse for Libya. It is time to take all those young men off the streets and let them get on with their daily lives.
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<br />The transitional Government should set up a legal/political task force to draw up a democratic Constitution for public approval in a referendum in three months, so that free and free fair elections can be held soon thereafter for installing a legitimate Government in Libya.
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<br />Gaddafi may have done some good work for his country in his 42 year rule, but he was a dictator after all. He excluded some tribes to promote his own. Why do dictators cling to power until death, don't they learn lessons from history? Gaddafi should have offered to step down once Tunisian and Egyptian leaders fell. But he hung on to power to his own peril.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-9158050409526093338?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-27717626116852135302011-08-25T14:00:00.011-05:002011-08-25T15:42:52.952-05:002011-08-25T15:42:52.952-05:00India Corruption Scandal - Can Manmohan Singh Government survive Anna Hazare?The Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh is probably the most honest and competent Prime Minister India has had since Nehru. Yet it is a shame that some of the biggest corruption scandals have taken place in his Government.
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<br />The agitation launched by a Ghandi follower - Anna Hazare has caught the attention of Indian nation. People are fed up of corruption at every level of society, especially huge corruption scandals involving their elected representatives. The young and professionals have made Anna Hazare's cause their own and the movement has spread like wild fire.
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<br />Some of the biggest Indian business houses are embroiled in the alleged Government bribery scandals. The most infamous is the Telecom Spectrum auction scandal, which according to some estimates has cost the Indian tax payer at least $5 billion (some put the figure as high as $40 billion).
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<br />It all started on January 10, 2008 with then Indian Telecom Minister Mr. Andimuthu Raja (now in jail) calling bids for the auction of telecom spectrum to close the same day. It is alleged that representatives of shining stars of Indian industry (Amabanis, Tatas and others), having already fixed the price and Minsiter's bribe, were lounging in Minister's ante room with bank drafts in hand. The purpose of the short window for a multi-million dollar auction was to exclude foreign bidders and any new comers. It is reported that the Minister acquired six brand new Mercedes Benz cars soon thereafter. The exact figure of Minister's bribe is not known, but some estimates put it at $130 million.
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<br />It was a huge windfall for those in on the scheme. One of the companies that had paid $345 million for their segment of the spectrum, sold just 45% of their stake to a foreign company for $900 million, a profit of $744 million on an investment of $155 million (45% of $345 m). Similarly, other Captains of Indian industry sold minority interests in their spectrum allocation for hundreds of millions of dollars more than what they had paid. Obviously, buying the Indian Telecom Minister turned out to be an extremely profitable investment.
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<br />The Minister carried on until the scandal broke. The Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh failed to launch an immediate inquiry against the Minister or to remove him . No businessman has been charged to date either.
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<br />This is just one of the many scandals that Indian Government is embroiled in. The massive misappropriation of funds from Commonwealth Games is another and the list goes on.
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<br />Anna Hazare's Ghandian approach of peaceful protest and hunger strike has shaken Dr. Manmohan Singh's Government. In despair, they arrested Hazare, even though there is no law in India against hunger strike. Then they offered to released him, but he refused unless and until he was allowed to carry on hunger strike. In the end, Government had to capitulate. This fiasco has helped Hazare attract a great deal more attention.
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<br />What Anna Hazare is demanding is that Parliament create positions of Ombudsmen (Lokpal) at Federal and State levels with full authority to investigate corruption by all elected officials and bureaucrats. The law currently placed before the parliament exempts the Prime Minister from such an examination, nor does it include junior bureaucrats. This is not acceptable to Mr. Hazare, nor to the majority of Indian public, hence Mr. Hazare's hunger strike continues.
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<br />To save the situation, Dr. Manmohan Singh should immediately adopt Mr. Hazare's suggestions. He should denounce all corrupt politicians and kick them out of his cabinet, bring a strict accountability law before the Parliament and if politicians do not approve it, call general elections. With these actions, Indian public may still be prepared to fall behind him. Who knows, this may even give his Congress Party a majority. If he does not take immediate action, him and the Congress Party may face a bleak future.
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<br />I hope nothing happens to the 74 year old Mr. Hazare. If he were to die from hunger strike, all hell could break lose.
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<br />(Acknowledgement: some of the information contained in this post has been taken from today's Globe & Mail).
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-2771762611685213530?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-39718776837433312682011-08-17T13:45:00.008-05:002011-08-17T14:24:52.494-05:002011-08-17T14:24:52.494-05:00The less than credible findings of UN tribunal - issues Hariri indictmentsIt is most unfortunate that UN tribunal established to determine the truth about assassination of popular Lebanese leader Mr. Rafik Hariri, became mired in controversy. Rather than coming up with a credible and trustworthy finding, it has allowed itself to be influenced, making its findings somewhat suspect.
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<br />It is not beyond the realm of possibility that four Hezbollah members indicted by the tribunal were the actual killers. But by losing its independence, the tribunal lost its credibility.
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<br />The US was interested in pushing Syria out of Lebanon, so the initial focus was on Syria. Once Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon, focus conveniently shifted to Hezbollah.
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<br />There are many theories in Lebanon. Some think Syrians done it, others think Hezbollah done it and some even believe that assassination was orchestrated by Mossad or rogue US contractors. The UN tribunal perhaps did not consider all the possibilities.
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<br />What was needed was a true and reliable finding of the tribunal, so that the real assassins could be punished. Unfortunately, in the haze of all this, the truth may have been lost forever. Also, Lebanon is currently governed by an Hezbollah led coalition, chances of arrest and punishment are minimal.
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<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N3FMmKY2-7E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-3971877683743331268?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-19742167762431475872011-08-16T15:50:00.001-05:002011-08-16T15:55:08.117-05:002011-08-16T15:55:08.117-05:00Starbucks CEO to DC: You've been cut offThis blog had suggested the same thing a couple of weeks ago.
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<br /><a href="http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/16/news/economy/starbucks_boycott_washington/index.htm">Starbucks CEO to DC: You've been cut off</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-1974216776243147587?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-87277500090395021212011-08-09T12:55:00.002-05:002011-08-09T13:49:21.934-05:002011-08-09T13:49:21.934-05:00London BurningSadly, horrific pictures of arson, looting and damage to property in the lovely city of London are filling tv screens around the world. Rioting is taking place mainly in east London, but it now seems to be spreading south. Watching tv news from a few thousand miles away, it seems as if the the whole city is burning.
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<br />The British Prime Minister calls it the work of hooligans and thugs. No doubt, a great deal of it is. However, the PM is overlooking the real issues that have ignited these riots. The Afro-Caribbean community in UK is hit hard by recession. Unemployment amongst its youth is high, school dropout ratio is also very high. These are very serious social problems which need to be addressed if the society is to follow a balanced path with opportunities for all. By sweeping such problems under the rug, the British Government is only allowing them to fester.
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<br />The police appears under attack, out numbered and ill prepared. The British police must also share some of the blame for this crisis as there is a strong racial bias amongst police officers towards the Afro-Caribbean community. The senior police officers must ensure that racism is routed out completely from their force. The recent publicity against the police about some of their members being bribed regularly by News of the World may also have reduced their effectiveness and perhaps emboldened some youth to take them on.
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<br />With 2012 Summer Olympics around the corner, Britain needs to put its house in order. A repetition or extension of riots could put Britain's hopes of hosting Olympics in serious jeopardy.
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<br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D76ETFA_A9s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-8727750009039502121?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-66107224571319558672011-08-08T22:07:00.011-05:002011-08-08T22:46:39.496-05:002011-08-08T22:46:39.496-05:00Tea Party's Shenanigans hit America's 401k hardIt was quite obvious to many in America and around the world (as elaborated by this blog earlier) that Tea Party's intransigence in Debt Dialogue would eventually hit the markets hard and that is exactly what has happened. Even the senior members of Republican Party, who knew better or should known better, also demonstrated a complete disdain for a reasonableness accommodation.
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<br />The unfortunate message from Washington DC is that America is ungovernable. This is a very un-comforting thought. It has caused a downgrade of US credit rating and a decline in stock markets.
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<br />Retirees and those near retirement, have built their nest eggs with hard earned savings over their lifespans. They had barely recovered from the 2008 crash that they once again face a major decline in values of their investments. This time, the market decline was entirely avoidable. Had Washington entered into a responsible debt deal a few months ago, the message to markets would have been positive. But Tea Party's one point agenda - defeat Barack Obama in 2012 no matter what the cost, became a stumbling block to arriving at a timely settlement.
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<br />The 600+ point drop in Dow Jones on August 8 is most unfortunate. As in the past, the markets will ride out this storm too, but for many retirees, their 401K is a worth a great deal less today, than it was a few months ago.
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<br />Hopefully, the American electorate will remember all this in 2012 elections and send all those Congressmen and Senators packing, who put their warped ideology ahead of their nation's interests.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-6610722457131955867?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-75114217782904683192011-08-08T21:06:00.001-05:002011-08-08T21:06:28.214-05:002011-08-08T21:06:28.214-05:00Tea pe<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-7511421778290468319?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-44406647722554443522011-08-01T11:36:00.008-05:002011-08-01T12:12:22.013-05:002011-08-01T12:12:22.013-05:00A Convoluted Deal and America's Reputation in Tatters.The American politicians may have reached a debt deal late last night and a default is now likely to be averted, but the political circus of last few weeks has left America's reputation in tatters.<br /><br />The debt ceiling will now go up to $16.7 trillion over eighteen months. However, the deal barely patches economic wounds and methodology adopted is so convoluted and that it leaves many wondering about the caliber U.S. politicians. Also, many are wondering that if a deal could be done last minute, why could it not have been done three months ago, saving America this embarrassment?<br /><br />What U.S. needed was an increase in debt ceiling and constitution of a bipartisan Commission to work out and implement a plan to revive U.S. economy, create more jobs, cut wasteful expenditure, enable innovators and entrepreneurs to start new businesses using new technologies so that the economy expands and revenues grow. Instead, there is no focus on jobs, economy or the well being of U.S., the only task of the Commission set up under this deal is to cut cut cut. This does not bode well for future of U.S. economy.<br /><br />It is a pity that a country gave the world the concept of free market economy, innovation and opportunities for all; is going through dire straights. Even an ardent communist, Maoist country like China has very successfully adopted U.S. style free market, creating enormous prosperity for its citizens. <br /><br />The U.S. public has watched all this in horror and hopefully some lessons have been learned and the voters will send those politicians packing in 2012 who perpetuated this crisis.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-4440664772255444352?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-71125529007689519142011-07-30T12:26:00.005-05:002011-07-30T13:04:43.223-05:002011-07-30T13:04:43.223-05:00U.S. public deserves what is coming their way.Maria Cardona's article 'Tyranny of 87' on CNN blog sums it well that 87 tea party congress members are holding the country, its financial system and the world's economy hostage.<br /><br />It may be unkind to say it, but U.S. public deserves what is coming their way. After all, they elected this zealot group of 87 tea party activists who have no clue of the harm they are about to inflict on the nation. They say that to avoid default, just pay the interest on debt and stop all social security and medicare checks. This will leave millions of Americans in despair, but that does not bother them as long as there are no tax increase on the rich and loopholes remain open for big corporations to avoid taxes. <br /><br />What the U.S. needs at this time is to carefully nurture its economy back to health, even if it requires more stimulus or Quantitative Easing 3. But the actions of Republicans, especially the group of 87 could cause a recession all over again with more job losses adding to the already high 9% unemployment.<br /><br />Handing veto power to a group of unknown idealists of the opposing party, only two years after electing a new President was a huge mistake.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-7112552900768951914?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-42540488368935902062011-07-28T11:05:00.005-05:002011-07-28T11:31:09.047-05:002011-07-28T11:31:09.047-05:00US VOTERS SHOULD THROW OUT THE ENTIRE CONGRESSA Congress that repeatedly voted funds totaling trillions of dollars for an illegal, ill planned and an ill executed war in Iraq, also voted nearly a trillion dollars for another badly managed, over extended war in Afghanistan, is now not prepared to vote for an increased debt ceiling to avoid a US default? <strong>Such a Congress deserves to be thrown out. </strong><br /><br />US voters should hold each and every Senator and House member accountable for this political debacle and elect new representatives who will be more responsible in running nation's affairs than this bunch of idiots.<br /><br /><strong>Had the US Congress been sensible, it would have shut down Iraq & Afghan wars early enough to save $4 trillion. Had that been done, total US debt today would have been $10.3 trillion not $14.3 trillion. An increase in debt limit would not be needed.</strong><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-4254048836893590206?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-48203213549865564712011-07-26T20:30:00.009-05:002011-07-26T21:04:17.388-05:002011-07-26T21:04:17.388-05:00Uncle Sam is Bankrupt, this Financial Statement stinks.<span style="font-weight:bold;">US PUBLIC DEBT $14.3 TRILLION</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DEBT PER CITIZEN (TAX PAYING OR NOT) $46,624</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">DEBT PER TAX PAYING CITIZEN $130,000</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">INCOME & EXPENDITURE:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">INCOME: US FEDERAL TAX REVENUE $2.19 TRILLION COMPRISING</span><br /> PERSONAL INCOME TAX $949 BILLION<br /> PAYROLL TAXES (INCLUDING SOCIAL SECURITY ETC.) $839 BILLION<br /> CORPORATE TAXES $196 BILLION<br /> OTHER $206 BILLION<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">EXPENDITURE: US ANNUAL EXPENDITURE $3.456 TRILLION</span><br /> DEFENSE $702 BILLION<br /> SOCIAL SECURITY $716 BILLION<br /> MEDICARE $823 BILLION<br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">TOTAL OF THESE 3 ITEMS $2.24 TRILLION</span><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">THESE THREE ITEMS ALONE EXCEED TOTAL US REVENUE</span><br /> INCOME SECURITY $421 BILLION<br /> INTEREST ON DEBT $213 BILLION<br /> FEDERAL PENSIONS $213 BILLION<br /> OTHER $368 BILLION<br /><br />(Source: US Debt Clock.org, The Globe and Mail)<br /><br />Which Corporation or business in the world spends 154% of what it earns and still survives? <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Apart from excessive expenditure on first three items, the main culprit is the US Corporations. They earn billions of dollar each quarter and pay only $196 billion in taxes, which is a mere 20% of what private citizens pay in personal taxes!<br /></span><br />More wars anyone?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-4820321354986556471?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-47907987140468257572011-07-26T12:27:00.009-05:002011-07-26T13:36:51.902-05:002011-07-26T13:36:51.902-05:00US: Tea Party is to blame for the impending defaultThe intransigence of Republican Party, especially their Tea Party component to raise debt ceiling is sending Canadian Dollar, Gold and Swiss Franc soaring. The markets consider these safe havens in case of a US default. If a default occurs August 2, 2011 onwards, the Tea Party will be to blame for creating havoc with US and World financial systems. <br /><br />The debt ceiling was raised 17 times under Reagan, 4 times under Bush Sr. 4 times under Clinton and 7 times under Bush Jr. The Republican Party has only now developed consciousness or is it that their game play has gone too far?<br /><br />The Tea Party's ideology is warped. In a country where every dollar spent, only 62 cents are raised in revenue and the rest is borrowed, Tea Partiers refuse to increase revenue sources. Granted that US spending is out of control and needs to be reigned in, but most of the extra spending in last ten years has been on expensive wars.<br /><br />The Republican lawmakers who rave and rant against Government spending are themselves guilty of appropriating funds by way of entitlements for their pet projects, whether these are productive or not - like the bridge to nowhere in Alaska. They tag entitlements to any bill that passes Congress. <br /><br />Although this fight between Tea Party and President Obama seems mostly ideological, but there may be some undercurrents of racism here. In 2010 elections, some Tea Party zealots suggested that African Americans should not vote as they don't understand democracy. It seems that Tea Party has a one point agenda - remove Barack Obama from office, no matter what the cost to country's economy.<br /><br />To prevent default, if moderate Republicans do come to a last minute agreement with President Obama, Tea Party may try to stall the bill in Congress. If they cannot, they will probably field their own Presidential candidate in 2012. This could rip the Republican Party as their votes will split against Obama.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-4790798714046825757?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-3984690617131463002011-07-25T21:43:00.000-05:002011-07-25T21:44:44.772-05:002011-07-25T21:44:44.772-05:00Democracy Now reveals CIA Prison in Somalia<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.democracynow.org/embed_show_v2/300/2011/7/13/story/jeremy_scahill_reveals_cia_facility_prison"></script><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-398469061713146300?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-75706650648456227702011-07-25T21:27:00.000-05:002011-07-25T21:27:24.940-05:002011-07-25T21:27:24.940-05:00Norway attacks suspect claims collaborators - Europe - Al Jazeera English<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/2011724191227631688.html">Norway attacks suspect claims collaborators - Europe - Al Jazeera English</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-7570665064845622770?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-23129129114472006982011-07-23T17:53:00.010-05:002011-07-23T18:46:36.375-05:002011-07-23T18:46:36.375-05:00Is the Republican Party about to commit Harakiri? One hopes not.After voting to raise US Debt Ceiling a record seven times in George W. Bush's eight years presidency, the Republican Party is now dragging its feet to raise it once unless they get their way - further reduction in taxes for the rich and drastic cut in social services for the poor i.e. medicare, social security etc. While Bush reduced taxes of his own accord, Republican Party never insisted on cuts to social services during his presidency. <br /><br />By not increasing the debt ceiling, Republicans are holding US and world economy hostage as without the increase, US Government will most certainly start to default on its obligations from August 2, 2011 onwards. The debt ceiling should have been raised in May 2011, but Republicans have been playing hard ball, but now it is time for Republicans to deliver. <br /><br />After pulling out of talks with President Obama Friday, the Speaker of the House probably realizes his folly and is now desperately trying to come up with a solution before the Asian markets open Monday. Though he has left it rather late, but one hopes that his efforts will bear fruit.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Wall Street is extremely worried that if debt ceiling is not raised, default by US Government is imminent. If that happens, all hell may break lose in the financial markets. It is time for Wall Street and big Corporations (the main financiers of Republican party) to impress upon them that unless a deal is done within hours, all further funding to Republican party will cease.<br /></span><br />Most Americans know what is going on and a majority of them are with President Obama on this. Perhaps the President should set a final deadline of 12 Noon (EST) Sunday and if no agreement is in place, he should go directly to the American public and take them into confidence. They should know who is playing havoc with their future.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-2312912911447200698?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-84614471050230244472011-07-23T10:15:00.008-05:002011-07-23T18:52:00.068-05:002011-07-23T18:52:00.068-05:00NORWAY - The Serpent within, Should it be called Christian Terror?The rather tranquil country of 4.9 million inhabitants was shaken by a huge bomb blast in Oslo followed by random killings at a youth rally on an island. This horrific and mindless act of a terrorist has left nearly one hundred dead and many more injured. <br /><br />At the outset, media and politicians pointed a finger at Islamic terrorism. But soon enough it turned out that the terrorist was none other than a blonde haired blue eyed Norwegian citizen. The suspect, Anders Behring Breivik is an extreme right wing Muslim hating, immigrant hating Christian fundamentalist. <br /><br />In the last few years, this land of prosperity and peace has turned from a liberal to an extreme right majority. The media and politicians openly spew out hatred against Islam and immigrants. Extreme right wingers are constantly interviewed on television and their pathetic and hateful views given airing on a regular basis.<br /><br />Apparently Anders Behring Breivik is one such person, who openly demonstrated hate against Muslims and immigrants. Ultimately, hate got the better of him and in an act terror, he snuffed out the lives of one hundred innocent human beings and for no reason at all. <span style="font-weight:bold;">The serpent grew within.</span> History has shown that when extremists are allowed a free reign and moderate and sensible people do not raise voice to check them, the consequences are often deadly. Hitler was a product of such hatred. The Muslim countries are also guilty of not stopping extremists in their midst, who turned from extremists to gun toting terrorists. Today, many countries including Muslim countries are suffering the consequences. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Since Mr. Anders Behring Breivik is an extremist Christian fundamentalist, should this act of terror now be called Christian Terror? Ideally, it would be best not to link name of any religion with terror as terror has no religion. It should be denounced most vociferously whenever and wherever it occurs. Hopefully, the West will have a better understanding of it after this heinous act.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-8461447105023024447?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-88043607956324483342011-07-18T10:19:00.013-05:002011-07-18T23:14:54.315-05:002011-07-18T23:14:54.315-05:00US Debt Ceiling - Just to Defeat Obama in 2012, will the Republicans sink the US Economy?The Republican Congressmen and Senators are playing an extremely dangerous game with their nation's finances. In their desire to defeat Barack Obama in 2012, they are pushing the issue of National Debt Ceiling to the brink. <br /><br />If Congress does not approve an increase in country's debt ceiling by August 2,2011, United States Government will default on its debt obligations at the rate of $4 billion a day. The will result in lowering of US credit rating from AAA and no one will be willing to lend money to US Government unless there is a substantial increase in interest rates. <br /><br />The interest rate hike will hit the already weak economy hard, pushing unemployment to double digits, the housing market will suffer a down turn like it has never been seen before. Already some 29 million homes are under water i.e. their mortgages are higher than market values, increase in mortgage defaults will bankrupt many US banks and unlike 2008, Uncle Sam will not be able to save them this time as Uncle Sam will itself be bankrupt. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Are the Republicans really this desperate to defeat Obama that they will sink the entire US ship? Many think they are playing brinkmanship and will come good at the last minute to avoid default. I hope they are right, because otherwise they have to be extremely despondent to do this to their own country.<br /></span><br />The US default will also impact the World economy. The already suffering European economies of Greece, Ireland, Portugal and others will sink even further, resulting in a possible breakup of EU or the Euro as a single EU currency.<br /><br />And why are Republicans not willing to increase the debt ceiling even once in Obama's three years, when they raised it no less than seven times in Bush's eight years? Apparently they want more tax cuts for the wealthy and oppose closing tax loopholes for big Corporations. They want to eliminate Medicare and cut Social Security for the poor. The American public knows well that the high debt is a Republican legacy from George Bush's ill planned wars and tax cuts cuts for the rich.<br /><br />If a default occurs, Obama will probably take the high road and heap entire blame on Republicans and rather than winning the White House in 2012, Republicans could end up losing majority in the House and many Senate seats too. <br /><br />In case of default, US voters have only themselves to blame for giving Republicans and Tea Party candidates a majority in the The House in 2010 despite George Bush's disastrous eight year Presidency.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-8804360795632448334?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-87264978877191940842011-07-15T10:08:00.003-05:002011-07-15T10:11:36.916-05:002011-07-15T10:11:36.916-05:00SHE FELL ON HER SWORDRebekah Brooks, the CEO of one of the sleaziest newspaper (not surprisingly with largest circulation in the world) 'News of the World' presided over an empire which is alleged to have hacked private phones, paid bribes to policemen, gave free overseas trips to U.K. Prime Ministers and may even have bribed politicians on both sides of the pond. Yet she surprisingly refused to quit for several days while the scandal grew bigger and bigger. Today she fell on her sword and finally resigned. <br /><br />This newspaper (along with others) owned by Mr. Murdoch's News Corp lowered the level of journalism to the lowest levels. The FBI is reportedly investigating whether their journalists and 'investigators' hacked into the phones of families of 9/11 victims as they did with families of 7/7 victims in the U.K. <br /><br />Many politicians in U.K. and U.S. are hastily distancing themselves from Mr. Murdoch as many of them may have enjoyed his hospitality, political support and perhaps more.<br /><br />All credit goes to Hugh Grant for exposing this scandal by secretly tape recording a conversation with a News of the World 'journalist', whom Grant suspected of hacking his phone. The link below is interesting to watch.<br /><br />The British politicians are making a huge mistake by calling Mr. Murdoch before a House of Commons Committee. This will give him a platform to plead innocence on live television and the truth will never be out. The best thing is for British Prime Minister, David Cameron (who himself was chummy with Rebekah Brooks and also enjoyed Murdoch's political support through Sun Newspaper) to appoint an inquiry commission headed by a judge to investigate this whole sordid affair thoroughly.<br /><br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ilF__ZXEonw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-8726497887719194084?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-62004642354062547782011-07-13T16:21:00.005-05:002011-07-13T17:00:29.495-05:002011-07-13T17:00:29.495-05:00Rupert Murdoch's Come UppanceWhen one man or one Corporation controls so much of media around the world, arrogance and complacency is bound to set in. With world's major newspapers and television channels in his camp, Rupert Murdoch played God with politics. <br /><br />His Fox TV became a mouthpiece of the extreme right wing in the US, promoting Republicans and Tea Partiers whether they were right or wrong. His Sun newspaper in UK blatantly supported Conservative Party, not to mention the sleaziest of newspapers - The News of the World allegedly bribed policemen, hacked in to people's telephones and voice mail messages. <br /><br />Even the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was not spared as his phone was allegedly hacked into. Some of his newspapers deliberately published false stories about Palestinians in order to provide support to Israel. It is beyond belief that Mr. Murdoch did not have a hint of all this, that went on for years. <br /><br />The uproar in UK is well justified, even the British Prime Minister, David Cameron has become tainted with the scandal for hiring a former Murdoch employee who was already under investigation. The British Prime Minister has started an inquiry and who is conducting the inquiry - the Scotland Yard, many of whose policemen were on the take from News of the World? It would behoove the Prime Minister to constitute an independent inquiry commission. <br /><br />It is time for U.K., U.S. and other countries to examine the possibility of releasing Mr. Murdoch's stranglehold on world media. The US Senate may soon hold an inquiry into the affairs of News Corp, Mr. Murdoch's flagship. The highly respected newspapers like 'The Wall Street Journal' and Britain's 'The Times' should be spun off quickly in order to spare them from this scandal.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-6200464235406254778?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-9969977858570131142011-07-08T11:02:00.011-05:002011-07-08T15:02:47.871-05:002011-07-08T15:02:47.871-05:00The West Has Screwed Up in Libya?After the riots and overthrow of dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, Col. Gaddafi should have seen the writing on the wall. He should have realized that forty year rule is long enough and instead of trying to install his sons in his place, he should called free and fair elections and offered to step down and handed over power to an elected Government. But dictators never learn, do they?<br /><br />As the riots started and Ben Ghazi fell to opposing tribes, Gaddafi and his sons thought they could suppress the people by branding them thugs and drug dealers and by using brute force against them. The reality was quite different, after 40 years of rule, people wanted freedom of speech and a right to choose their own Government. After all a country is not one man's or one family's fiefdom.<br /><br />To stop the killing of civilians in Libya, United Nations passed a timely resolution to prevent further bloodshed. However, the West took that as a License to Regime Change. This is blatant misuse of a UN resolution. NATO's bombing of civilians in Tripoli and elsewhere has by now probably killed as many if not more civilians than Gaddafi's brute attacks. <br /><br />The main culprit in all this the French President Sarkozy, followed closely by Cameron, Obama and Berlusconi. Berlusconi seems to have seen the error of his ways of late and is trying to halt bombing by his NATO partners, but they are not listening to him as regime change is their real agenda and they say so openly. Berlusconi's enlightenment may also have something to do with huge economic losses staring Italy in the face by stoppage of uniterrupted oil flow from Libya. Also possibility of relicensing ENI's Libyan oil concessions to China and Russia may also be a factor.<br /><br />NATO is in violation UN Resolution 1973. Perhaps this time the International Criminal Court (which took no action against Bush & Blair for causing death of over 100,000 Iraqi civilians) will show some courage and add the names of NATO leaders for crimes against humanity in addition to Gaddafi's! However, that may be too much to ask of ICC as up to now they have only found courage to charge minor African and Serbian leaders. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The UN Secretary General, Ban ki Moon's job is to bring peace to this world. He should have tried to bring all sides together in Libya and found a peaceful solution for a transition. Instead, he has failed to make any efforts to stop the carnage. He should resign and go home instead of seeking another term.<br /></span><br />Gaddafi is a dictator and has been cruel to his people of late, but over the years, he has been a benevolent dictator. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Food, Education (including higher education), Housing and Healthcare is substantially subsidized by the Libyan Government. This is something neither Obama, nor Sarkozy have been able to accomplish for their people. </span>No wonder, Gaddafi still has support from a segment of Libyan population. The main opposition to him comes from larger tribes that Gaddafi has sidelined from power for a very long time. The West did not take all this into account before their gung-ho bombing of Tripoli.<br /><br />Instead of removing Gaddafi, NATO's action have only served to strengthen him as it is beginning to appear that he may have outwitted the West. This is great shame, for it is time for him to step down and let Libyans elect a democratic Government.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-996997785857013114?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-16652360915085581632011-05-09T13:43:00.008-05:002011-05-09T14:45:20.096-05:002011-05-09T14:45:20.096-05:00Will Bashar Al-Assad of Syria Survive?There is no doubt that Syria has been a thorn in the side of United States and Israel for steadfastly refusing to negotiate a compromise with Israel. Syrian leaders have insisted on complete and full withdrawal of Israeli forces and return of Golan Heights to Syria. Syria has also supported Hezbollah and Palestinians including Hamas for a free Palestine.<br /><br />The recent Arab uprising seems to be sweeping across the entire Arab world and the old guard is falling one by one. Syria has been a relatively tranquil country in Bashar Al-Assad's time and the current uprising may well have a foreign hand in it. However, the reality is that Arab people have woken up and are no longer willing to accept dynastic leaders. They yearn for democracy and Syrian people are no different.<br /><br />The Assad family has rules ruled Syria since 1966 without a democratic or a fair election. Forty five years is a long time for the population of a country to bear the rule of a father and son. Al-Jazeera reports that security personnel are carrying out house to house searches in various in Syria to grab opponents. This can only inflame the situation even further. <br /><br />The best thing for Bashar Al-Assad to do is to immediately call for a fair and open election; both for Parliament and Presidency. Allow all political parties to participate and if Syrian people re-elect him in a fair election then he has the right to continue, otherwise he must step down and hand over power to elected representatives.<br /><iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FLL20yy6b2w" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-1665236091508558163?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-20153620876812907252011-05-02T09:41:00.009-05:002011-05-02T10:28:35.066-05:002011-05-02T10:28:35.066-05:00GOOD RIDDANCE Osama bin LadinLast night President Barrack Obama confirmed the death of elusive terrorist Osama bin Ladin. He was killed through a military operation on a private mansion in Abbottabad, a city located 70 miles due north of Islamabad in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province (formerly known as the North West Frontier Province) in Pakistan. Pakistan Military Academy, where all Army soldiers are given their initial training is located just 6 kilometers from Abbottabad.<br /><br />Not much information is forthcoming at this stage about how it all happened. The actual operation seems to have been an all American one. There may have been some intelligence coordination with Pakistan. General Petraeus' visit to Islamabad and his meeting with General Ashfaq Kiyani a couple of days ago may have something to do with it. The strange thing is that there is no word either from Pakistan Army, the or the Pakistani Government.<br /><br />The media reports suggest that Osama bin Ladin has been buried at sea. This may well have been done to avoid a shrine being built around his grave giving a focal point to his supporters. However, what is hard to fathom is, how was his body flown to the Arabian Sea. The Chinook Helicopters that took part in the attack would have had at least one hour flight from Bagram to Abbottabad and the trip down to sea would take another four and the return journey to nearest base in Afghanistan (say Kandhar) would take another two hours. The question is, does a Chinook helicopter have the capacity to fly seven hours without refuelling?<br /><br />Burying Osama bin Ladin at sea raises some questions. Hopefully, the US Administration will soon release pictures of a dead Osama bin Ladin for the satisfaction of American people as well as for the world at large. Knowing how cautious President Obama is in these matter, he wouldn't stake his Presidency on it unless he had checked and rechecked several times with the ground forces, Pentagon and the CIA before his address to the nation last night.<br /><br /><strong>GOOD RIDDANCE Osama bin Ladin. You unleashed terror not just on the West, but also equally ferociously on the Muslim world. The 9/11 attacks, the suicide bombings, the killing of innocent people in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Morocco, Yemen and elsewhere is your legacy. You have blood on your soul of thousands of people around the world who did you no harm. The world is a better place today than it was yesterday.</strong><br /><br /><iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uaQLc6OlwWo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-2015362087681290725?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-40866698230960013082011-04-12T11:53:00.021-05:002011-04-12T13:32:20.024-05:002011-04-12T13:32:20.024-05:00Questions about Afghanistan War - Why is the U.S. failing?Ten years after the launch of Afghan war, why is the U.S. on verge of losing this war? This is a question that haunts many a military strategists and U.S. citizens who have scarified life and treasure.<br /><br />Ten years after the launch of this war, there has been no comprehensive analysis of why this war is still going on and why things have gone so wrong? Each time a new military commander is sent to Afghanistan, hope rises but then it fades again. By now, serious questions should have been raised by the intelligentsia in the U.S. They should have challenged successive U.S. Administrations and their analysis of this war. Also, the question needs to be asked of the Administration - when will this war end? <br /><br /><strong>In the first year of war, Taliban had all but surrendered - not in the military sense, but they gave up fighting and went back to their fields to their day to day lives. Why did the war not end then? Why were public development projects not started at that time for upliftment of Afghan society? An investment of $20 billion could have revolutionized Afghan cities, provinces and the Country as whole. In whose interest was it to continue the war and spend several hundred billion dollars bankrupting America?</strong><br /><br />Osama bin Ladin and Al-Qaeda were on the run and some former U.S. intelligence officials suspect, he was allowed to escape from Tora Bora. If that is true, then why did that happen and why have no serious questions been asked in the U.S. by politicians or the media.<br /><br />Many believe that suffering from a serious kidney ailment, Osama bin Ladin died several years ago. If that is the case, then why are successive Administrations not telling the truth? <strong>If the intelligence community does not know whether he is dead or alive, then what kind of intelligence work are they doing? If they are not sure whether he is dead or alive, then who are they chasing?</strong><br /><br />Through lack of country knowledge and perhaps naivete, U.S. allowed minority Tajiks & Uzbeks to dominate majority Pashtuns in running the affairs of Afghanistan in earlier years. As Taliban were Pashtun, some simple minds probably thought that all Pashtuns were Taliban. This was far from the truth as a majority of Pashtuns were also sick and tired of Taliban's extreme views. Uzbek warlord Rashid Dostum's murderous gangs killed most of Pashtun POWs. The Tajiks were equally vicious. Pashtun prisoners were locked up in 40 foot freight containers without water, food or sanitation, most died before the containers were opened weeks later. Many were simply lined up and shot and all this under the U.S. watch!<br /><br />Persecuted, the Pashtuns started to support the Taliban (by now almost extinct) once again, even those who had never supported them before. Sympathy and cash revived them into a more potent force than at the outset of war. Some brilliant minds in the U.S. thought that allowing Afghans to grow poppy once again (completely banished under Taliban rule) will probably make them happy. Indeed it did and it also started a multi-billion dollar drug trade. Some of the poppy proceeds started to flow to Taliban. As a result, they have become a formidable force today.<br /><br />So Mr. Obama, you said this is a war of necessity, then why have things gone so wrong and why is the U.S. on the verge of losing it? After hundreds of billions of dollars and many lives lost (U.S., Afghan and Pakistan), what has been accomplished so far? <br /><br /><strong>More importantly, Mr. Obama, when will this war end?</strong><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-4086669823096001308?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-74151557369613368852011-04-06T13:54:00.007-05:002011-04-06T21:14:22.819-05:002011-04-06T21:14:22.819-05:00Bollywood Comes to Toronto for Internation Indian Flim Academy Awards (IIFA) 2011Bollywood brings it star studded spectacle of annual film awards (the Indian Oscars) to Toronto, Canada this year. The event takes place on June 25, 2011 at Rogers Centre (formerly and still better known as the Skydome), which has a seating capacity in excess of 50,000. <br /><br />Toronto is waiting for this event with baited breath as it will bring a number of Bollywood stars to the city. Amongst those nominated for best actor and actress are Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Ashwaria Rai & Vidya Balan. It is an exciting time for three hundred thousand plus South Asian community living in Greater Toronto Area. The event will also bring much needed revenue to city's hospitality industry.<br /><br />It is understood that Ontario Government has been very generous in allocating a few million dollars to support the event. However, in spite of Ontario tax payers contribution, not a single ticket is available in the market except through unscrupulous scalpers at exorbitant prices. Hopefully, before parting with the funds, Ontario Government will insist on tickets being made available through regular ticket outlets.<br /><br />The event will be one of the most spectacular stage shows. More importantly, it will promote Toronto as one of the best cities in the world and millions watching on their TV screens thousands of miles away will hopefully be tempted to visit this cosmopolitan and most multi-cultural city.<br /><br />Below is one of the entries nominated for best female vocals:<br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTmF2v59CtI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-7415155736961336885?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1721411678679262554.post-84719607982075308862011-04-05T14:53:00.001-05:002011-04-05T14:55:03.927-05:002011-04-05T14:55:03.927-05:00Has the First Great War of 21st Century started, as suggested by Gerald Celente?<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rUX-1BI_pvQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1721411678679262554-8471960798207530886?l=blameislam.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>Ajaz Haquehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05161750705000560630noreply@blogger.com0