Blogging the democratic revolution
Daniel, a man of real culture, gives us the lowdown on Hugo Chavez’s vast new hideous culture scheme. It’s enough to repel the lowliest Britney Spears fan, it’s that gross. It’s also expensive, vulgar, downlifting, ugly and communist. Read it here.
..and the chicks are free. Hugo Chavez is flinging money in multi-billions all over the place, like a drunk with coins burning holes in his pockets. He’s the world’s biggest spendthrift and he’s driving Venezuela straight into the ground. Miguel Octavio has the whole sordid story here. Read and weep.
I knew this would happen. Hugo Chavez’s incessant meddling with the market would lead to what it always leads to: shortages, just like Cuba. And ration cards as well. More and more, Venezuela is looking like a communist regime. The thug of Caracas is bringing hunger to Venezuela. He’s got to go.
Not much time to post on this, but I woke up to a great news roundup by Gateway Pundit with pictures and video. Check it out.
I just wanted to point this out because I laughed out loud when I read it: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said in an interview with Russia’s TV-Tsentr on 11 July that he has no friends, Belapan reported. Responding to a remark by the interviewer that “the presidency is a colossal solitude,” Lukashenka said this description touches a “sensitive spot” in him. “This is the hardest thing, and…it tends to grow,” Lukashenka went on. “It is getting bigger and bigger over the years. Vladimir Vladimirovich ÄPutinÅ, my good colleague and friend, has friends. I cannot boast the same thing.” Lukashenka added that…
Al-Hayat has reported that an Egyptian court has legalized a moderate Islamist political movement (“Egypt: Judge Qubtay Grants Islamist Party a License by Decree“). Under Egyptian law, political organizations have to have a license to operate, and the country’s largest Islamist organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, is still denied one. This decree means that the New Center Party, led by Abu Ala Madi, an engineer, is the only legal Islamist party in Egypt. The article notes that this decision overrules a decision by the state Council for Party Affairs. The party, associated with what in Egypt is referred to as al-wasatiyya…
I’m thinking of redesigning the site. You know, making it sleeker, more organized, sexier in general. So I need you all to leave suggestions. General design? Colors? What cool features should it have? Leave your comments!
I’ve heard about this for two weeks and have been awaiting its release. Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission has introduced legislation into the House entitled the Central Asia Democracy and Human Rights Act. Under CADHRA, all non-humanitarian assistance to each government covered under the legislation would be conditioned on the President certifying that the country is making ???????substantial, sustained and demonstrable progress toward democratization and full respect for human rights.??????? U.S. assistance would be reduced by 33% for each year a positive determination cannot be made. In the third year, all aid to that government…
Students at Tehran University launched a protest against the regime to release all political prisoners. Of all people, a Reuters journalist was on the scene and wrote about it with pictures. TEHRAN, July 12 (Reuters) – Iranian police beat dozens of protesters with batons on Tuesday at a demonstration to call for the release of Iran’s most prominent jailed journalist. About 150 people, mostly students, had gathered in front of Tehran University chanting “political prisoners must be freed” when dozens of police moved in to break up the protest. The rally was in support of Akbar Ganji, an outspoken critic…
Reality Check Time on the Israeli/Palestinian Front – Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, now scheduled for next month, is leading the Israeli-Palestinian peace process – if such a thing exists – toward disaster. Ironically, the withdrawal, known in Israel as the “Disengagement Plan,” has wide support everywhere in the world outside Gaza itself – from most Israelis, from other Arab governments, especially Egypt, which is helping in the implementation, from the European Union, the United Nations and from the United States. I originally supported it myself, but it has become clear to me that this will lead to a…
Another car bomb has gone off in Beirut, but this time with a twist. This politician, Elias Murr, is considered pro-Syria. Lebanon’s caretaker Vice Premier and Defense Minister Elias Murr survived an assassination bombing ambush with minor and medium burns in Beirut’s suburban district of Naccache Tuesday. Local media reports spoke of one to four others killed in the explosion that ripped Murr’s motorcade to shreds. The reports said Murr, 45, the son-in-law of President Lahoud, was helped out of his armor-plated four-wheeler Porsche by onlookers and was taken to the nearby Serhal hospital in Lebanon’s Christian heartland where he…
Welcome to this week’s carnival of revolutions hosted by yours truly; the one, the only, the sexy. The purpose of this carnival is to highlight democracy movements, tyrannous acts, human rights, and election fiascos over the past week. And to promote myself, of course. Hey, look over there! General: Will Franklin looks at foreign aid from the U.S. Blogrel from Armenia asks the U.S. to define freedom and offers suggestions on how to use leverage on other governments. Thomas Lifson asks if there’s a such thing as a good communist? I think we all know his answer! Blogs — do…
I almost forgot, but I’m hosting tomorrow’s carnival of revolutions. Make sure to email me your blog posts regarding democracy, human rights, tyranny, etc. by sometime tomorrow morning. It’ll be a good one!
This is cool. There’s a reason this is becoming more and more frequent. BAKU, July 10 (AFP) – Some 10,000 opposition members, many dressed in orange, demonstrated Sunday in the centre of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku to call for fair parliamentary elections in November. Participants at the rally, organised by the opposition Azadlyg (Freedom) Bloc, shouted: “freedom” and called on President Ilham Aliyev to ensure that the November 6 poll is free. Many wore orange clothing, a symbol inspired by last year’s “orange revolution” that brought pro-Western opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko to power in Ukraine. Isa Gambar, head of the opposition…
Domingo Cavallo, the man who made Argentina into a first-world country in the early 1990s and then turned it into a fourth-world hellhole by 2002, bringing starvation, crime, poverty, robbery, toilet-paper money and an end to property rights, all in the span of a few short years, is running for office again. Luis at El Opinador Compulsivo in Buenos Aires calls it pathetic. Somebody just tell him no. Like a crazy driver, this man must never have be allowed to have his hands on the steering wheel of power again. Not ever. Arggggggghhhhh! UPDATE – SEPT 24: The dummy came…
The peace process continues in the Sudan, at least with regard to the main North-South conflict which has claimed millions of lives over the past four decades. Under the coalition agreement, former rebel leader John Garang has become the new Vice President of the Sudan. There will be a six-year interim period in which the southern rebels will maintain troops to ensure compliance by Khartoum. At the end of the six years, the southerners can then vote on succession. This is an excerpt from the New York Times (registration required): NAIROBI, Kenya, July 9 – Sudan elevated a former rebel…
It is going on fully four months since March’s Tulip Revolution that put Kyrgyzstan on the map for much of the west. Today, the country votes in its first presidential election since the parliamentary election revolt that led to the ousting of President Akayev. Acting-president Bakiev is seen as the frontrunner by a wide margin. Felix Kulov, who handled security in the country immedialtey after the revolution, was set to run against him but decided instead to run together with Bakiev. Should Bakiev win, he will appoint Kulov to the position of prime minister. I think it’s a basically foregone…
Nosemonkey from Europhobia is doing something pretty cool. With the absence of need for donations to the Red Cross or likewise organizations in the 7/7 terrorist attacks, he will be accepting and dispersing donations in the form of free pints of beer for police and emergency personnel. I like this idea.
Kyrgyzstan will be holding its first post-revolutionary presidential elections on Sunday. I will be posting my thoughts later, but for now, here is a roundup of links to interesting reading material to prep for tomorrow’s events. – First ever televised debates held (transcript here). – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty asks, “Will the election be free and fair?“ – Bakiev out in front, and Akayev backs him. – Foreign observers and journalists allowed, except from the CIS! Bishkek, 30 June 2005 (RFE/RL) — Kyrgyzstan’s election officials have given permission to some 80 foreign groups to monitor the country’s 10 July presidential…
Big Pharaoh posts this. I think it’s extremely revealing and effective. It shows the progress of female status in Egyptian society over the years. 1900-1920 1920-1940 1940-1975 2005 2020? 2050?
… By Russia! Go figure. THE international organisation that criticised the conduct of elections in Georgia before the Velvet Revolution and in Ukraine before the Orange Revolution has been accused by the Russian Government of double standards. Criticism of electoral abuses in former Soviet states by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) could ???????sometimes trigger unrest and destroy stability and is used by the extremist forces in those countries???????, said Alexey Borodavkin, Russia????????s Ambassador to the organisation. He said that the OSCE needed to introduce reforms to its procedure for election monitoring and accused the organisation of…
You have got to be kidding me. Mugabe is getting more ridiculous by the day. People’s property is now being taken away and resold back to them at higher prices than they paid for it. HARARE City Council has rescinded all land sale agreements made between 1998 and this year and is now reselling the land at market rates to the same buyers, where necessary. The prices charged in many of the agreements were a small fraction of pertaining market rates and usually well below the then cost of servicing the land. The price reviews follow the cancellation and invalidation…
To protest the rigged elections in their home country. I have yet to see a story carried on CNN, or anywhere else for that matter. I would love to be corrected on this, however, if in fact they have published a story. Yesterday they marched on the Carter Center (for obvious reasons), also located in Atlanta. You can see more photos here from other protests occurring worldwide today.
Hillary Clinton would have you think she is a moderate Democrat, serious about free trade, reasonable on all issues. A look at her voting record, particularly her despicable ‘no’ vote on CAFTA, shutting Central America out of U.S. markets and U.S. prosperity, will tell a different story. Here is an item from American Thinker about Hillary and her extremist anti-CAFTA cohorts, freaks like CISPES and Witness for Peace. This is the fringe left, so happy togetherrrrrr. Read it here.
The election commission is delaying the results, again, in what can only be a further attempt to clean up the trail of fraud. ADDIS ABABA, 7 July (IRIN) – Final results of Ethiopia’s 15 May parliamentary election will once again be delayed until investigations into allegations of electoral fraud are completed, the National Electoral Board (NEB) chairman said on Wednesday. NEB officials had previously postponed declaring the final results of the poll from 8 June to 8 July, saying they needed time to investigate disputed results. “There was a delay and that delay is continuing and we expect it will…