Friday, December 18, 2009
New Zardari Corruption Charges: Bad News for U.S.
New Zardari Corruption Charges: Bad News for U.S.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari addresses a meeting in Islamabad
There was more bad news for Washington out of Islamabad late Wednesday, Dec. 16, this time from Pakistan's Supreme Court. The court overruled an amnesty on corruption charges that had been granted to President Asif Ali Zardari and other senior figures, spurring efforts by political opponents to force America's top ally in Pakistan to step down. The move follows a week in which top U.S. military commanders struggled to persuade their Pakistani counterparts to go after Afghan Taliban groups based in Pakistan, while U.S. diplomats complained, through the media, of increasing harassment by Pakistani authorities, which was seen as a symptom of simmering resentment toward American involvement in Pakistan's affairs. (Read "Corruption Charges Loom for Pakistan's Pro-U.S. President.")
The full 17-member Supreme Court bench declared that the amnesty protecting Zardari from prosecution was illegal, reviving old corruption charges and raising the prospect that senior members of the government could be dragged into court. On Thursday evening, Dec. 17, the National Accountability Bureau, a government-corruption watchdog, began the process of issuing arrest warrants, freezing accounts and barring some of the accused from leaving the country, local media reported. (See pictures of a Pakistani lawyers' movement celebrating the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.)
The highest-profile names that could be immediately affected by the amnesty's cancellation include Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar and top presidential aide Salman Farooqi. "These are the people most loyal to the President," said a Zardari aide. Prospects are increasingly uncertain for the survival of the already unpopular government. Leading legal experts argue that Zardari, who could face eight corruption cases in Pakistan, currently remains protected by presidential immunity. But his political opponents, building pressure on him to resign, now appear poised to mount fresh challenges to his eligibility as a candidate for the presidency in the 2008 election. (See pictures of Pakistan at odds with itself.)
"Mr. Zardari has lost all moral grounds to continue ruling as head of state," says Marvi Memon of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Q, founded by former President Pervez Musharraf. "For the sake of his party's future and the people of Pakistan, he should do the right thing and step down immediately, failing which, he will go down in history in words he will never be able to recover from politically." (Read "Pakistan's Activist Judges Target Musharraf.")
The President's office has come out fighting. "There is no question of President Zardari resigning," said presidential spokeswoman Farahnaz Ispahani. "The only constitutional way to remove [the President] is impeachment by both houses of Parliament with a two-thirds majority." Members of the ruling Pakistan People's Party say their leader is the object of a vicious media campaign intent on ousting him because of his pro-U.S. stance. Zardari spent more than 11 years behind bars under previous regimes on charges that he denies and maintains are politically motivated.
The presidential amnesty struck down by the court was issued by Musharraf in October 2007 as part of a power-sharing agreement brokered by Washington and London to pave the way for Zardari's slain wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, to return to Pakistan. After her assassination, Zardari returned from exile, led her party to victory in the elections and stepped into the office of President after Musharraf's resignation.
The legal setback for Zardari comes at a moment of low approval ratings and widespread allegations of fecklessness, along with mounting pressure on him to shed the executive powers claimed for the presidency by Musharraf and revert to its traditional, largely ceremonial role. Even within the government there is a slow, grinding power struggle between the President and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who stands to benefit if Zardari recedes into the political background.
In contrast to Zardari, who is widely seen as being close to Washington — not a popular position in Pakistan — Gilani is viewed by analysts as being more vulnerable to pressures from the powerful army chiefs. The Prime Minister has also faced criticism from within his party for being too friendly with the political opposition. The potential shift in power away from Zardari is unlikely to help Washington's efforts to press Pakistan to join its war against the Afghan Taliban.
During the court hearing on the amnesty, the judges took particular interest in money-laundering charges brought against Zardari and Bhutto in Switzerland in 2006. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, the independent and widely popular activist judge sacked by Musharraf and restored by Zardari under pressure from massive street demonstrations, summoned all relevant documents and demanded explanations as to why the cases had been closed by the Swiss authorities at the request of Pakistan's attorney general at the time. Those cases have now been reopened, but leading attorney Aitzaz Ahsan — who led the lawyers' movement that had Chaudhry reinstated — insists that Zardari enjoys "sovereign immunity" and cannot be tried in Switzerland.
If that immunity is lifted, Zardari is unlikely to go quietly. His aides stress that he will face any charges brought against him. But since assuming the presidency, Zardari has been repeatedly drawn into political fights in which he has been forced to retreat under pressure from the opposition, the media and the military establishment. Some observers believe he can brave the gathering storm if he moves quickly to relinquish the executive powers of the presidency and overhaul his much criticized Cabinet. But unless he makes those concessions, analysts say, Zardari could find himself locked in a bitter battle for political survival that will consume most of his attention and distract from the wider challenges facing Pakistan.
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Commentary
Do we stand with Democracy? What is it with America and propping up corrupt Muslim governments?
Afghanistan is one of the most corrupt governments according to Transparency international.
Do you know what the top 5 most corrupt governments are?
- 1) Somalia
- 2) Iraq ~~~~~ We Created
- 3) Myanmar
- 4) Haiti ~~ In our own backyard and we leave them stranded without help.
- 5) Afghanistan ~~~ We created
Now we're propping up another corrupt government? What happened to the previous Pakistani government ruled by a Military commander, WHO WAS NEVER ELECTED, and his nuclear weapons falling into terrorist hands?
We were told if General Pervez Massharaf left office his country would have been torn apart. I believed that nonsense for a while too. Yet here it stands, more democratic than it was before, yet rather than helping to make it better we're complacent.
It makes sense why the Muslims of the world might be angry. We created the fairest democratic process the middle east had ever seen, in Gaza, and they voted.
What did we do with their vote? We tore it to shreds. We refuse to even speak with Hamas... after all they are terrorists.
If you don't do diplomacy with your enemies who is diplomacy for? Diplomacy is the strongest tool invented for changing the face of the planet. War gives us current day Iraq and Afghanistan.
Yet we refuse anything but war when it comes to Muslim "regimes".
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Btw who else are we propping up in the Muslim world that happens to be corrupt. The following 2 kings that hold countries of great important to the Muslim world:
- 1) Saudi Arabia
- 2) Egypt
Can we stand with the Muslims for once, instead of against them? Lets just try it, for laughs and giggles. Maybe a change in an archaic policy would do the world some good. After all wasn't the reason 9/11 occurred, according the 9/11 report, the war in Israel and Palestine?
Lets stop that war, support good governments in: Egypt, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia , and let's stand with the Muslim people for once. They are just like everyone else, the difference is their voice seems weak in a world filled with tyrants that bind them.
When their voice becomes powerful and protests take place, let's have been on their side rather than have been against them.
Barack Obama Is A Liar
I told you so, I told you so, I told you so.
There's a reason why i voted third party and why I plan on almost always voting third party, Because i don't want my vote to be useless.
If you have conservative leanings, you have only 1 vote they say, the republicans, sounds like a monarchy.
If you have liberal leanings, you have only 1 vote they say, the dems, sounds like a monarchy.
But if you vote your will, and you vote with someone who agrees with you, and you vote third party, you get exactly what you paid for.
Enough people realize that, we get real success stories.
Third party is throwing your vote away? Please, it's obvious who threw their vote away, and that's for whoever supports the beasts of Dem and Rep.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Pakistan court removes Zardari amnesty - 16 Dec 09
Corrupt leaders, and yet we somehow feel remorse for Benezir Bhutto?
No one deserves to die but a corrupt politician is still a corrupt politician. They're not even sure who killed her because everyone had motives, from the military government to the terrorists.
Regardless, Corruption should never be given amnesty, never.
McCain Fights For Financial Reform But Obama Doesn't?!
I don't care if a hypocrite works for the public good, as long as the public good is being done.
Glas Stiegal should be enacted.
Lieberman Busted Flip-Flopping On Healthcare
What a hypocrite, what a coward, what a corrupt individual...
Person of the Year: Bernanke choice shows what's wrong with the mainstream media
Ya! Cenk on RT, 2 of my strongest Sources for news.
Scientists crack 'entire genetic code' of cancer
Scientists crack 'entire genetic code' of cancer
Professor Mike Stratton: "This is a fundamental moment in cancer research"
| By Michelle Roberts Health reporter, BBC News |
Scientists have unlocked the entire genetic code of two of the most common cancers - skin and lung - a move they say could revolutionise cancer care.
Not only will the cancer maps pave the way for blood tests to spot tumours far earlier, they will also yield new drug targets, say the Wellcome Trust team.
Scientists around the globe are now working to catalogue all the genes that go wrong in many types of human cancer.
The UK is looking at breast cancer, Japan at liver and India at mouth.
China is studying stomach cancer, and the US is looking at cancers of the brain, ovary and pancreas.
 |  These catalogues are going to change the way we think about individual cancers  Wellcome Trust scientist Professor Michael Stratton |
The International Cancer Genome Consortium scientists from the 10 countries involved say it will take them at least five years and many hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete this mammoth task.
But once they have done this, patients will reap the benefits.
Professor Michael Stratton, who is the UK lead, said: "These catalogues are going to change the way we think about individual cancers.
"By identifying all the cancer genes we will be able to develop new drugs that target the specific mutated genes and work out which patients will benefit from these novel treatments.
"We can envisage a time when following the removal of a cancer cataloguing it will become routine."
It could even be possible to develop MoT-style blood tests for healthy adults that can check for tell-tale DNA patterns suggestive of cancer.
Russian roulette
The scientists found the DNA code for a skin cancer called melanoma contained more than 30,000 errors almost entirely caused by too much sun exposure.
| Most of the time the mutations will land in innocent parts of the genome, but some will hit the right targets for cancer Wellcome Trust researcher Dr Peter Campbell |
The lung cancer DNA code had more than 23,000 errors largely triggered by cigarette smoke exposure.
From this, the experts estimate a typical smoker acquires one new mutation for every 15 cigarettes they smoke.
Although many of these mutations will be harmless, some will trigger cancer.
Wellcome Trust researcher Dr Peter Campbell, who conducted this research, published in the journal Nature, said: "It's like playing Russian roulette.
"Most of the time the mutations will land in innocent parts of the genome, but some will hit the right targets for cancer."
By quitting smoking, people could reduce their cancer risk back down to "normal" with time, he said.
The suspicion is lung cells containing mutations are eventually replaced with new ones free of genetic errors.
By studying the cancer catalogues in detail, the scientists say it should be possible to find exactly which lifestyle and environmental factors trigger different tumours.
Treatment and prevention
Tom Haswell, who was successfully treated 15 years ago for lung cancer, believes the research will benefit the next generation:
"For future patients I think it's tremendous news because hopefully treatments can be targeted to their particular genome mutations, hopefully... reducing some of the side effects we get".
Cancer experts have applauded the work.
The Institute of Cancer Research said: "This is the first time that a complete cancer genome has been sequenced and similar insights into other cancer genomes are likely to follow.
"As more cancer genomes are revealed by this technique, we will gain a greater understanding of how cancer is caused and develops, improving our ability to prevent, treat and cure cancer."
Professor Carlos Caldas, from Cancer Research UK's Cambridge Research Institute called the research "groundbreaking".
"Like molecular archaeologists, these researchers have dug through layers of genetic information to uncover the history of these patients' disease.
"What is so new in this study is the researchers have been able to link particular mutations to their cause.
"The hope and excitement for the future is that we will eventually have detailed picture of how different cancers develop, and ultimately how better to treat and prevent them."
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Obama Gets Tough w/ Bankers...By Giving More Loopholes
Gets really good 3 minutes in, just be patient til then.
Monday, December 14, 2009
The Khan Academy
I've been with this guy, watching his channel, and learning what i needed to since near the beginning when he had hardly anyone watching.
It's nice to see him grow, and I knew it'd happen, because the quality of his content was just so high. It took a LONG time for him to catch on and he's still not hugely popular on youtube but he's getting there.
Salman Khan, keep up the great work. He is so dedicated to his Dream of the Khan Academy he quit his real job and worked full time on the Academy.
If you need help with anything, one day, Khan Academy will be your doors to success; nearly every door.
No respite for China's human rights dissidents
No respite for China's human rights dissidents
The case of former university professor and human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, 53, who has spent most of the past 20 years in jail or under house arrest, reveals much about what is going on beneath the glossy surface of the new China, Quentin Sommerville explains.
 Mr Liu has been a political activist for more than two decades |
Liu Xiaobo's wife, Liu Xia, pulled a handkerchief from her thick winter coat and sighed.
"We are living a life basically without freedom.
"Right now Liu Xiaobo has no freedom at all, not even a tiny bit," she said, her voice cracking.
Her husband is facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted of fresh charges for "inciting subversion of the Chinese state".
He has been detained for a year this time, and she has grown thin.
Her phone calls are being monitored, she has been denied internet access, and plain-clothes policemen lurk outside her home.
Liu Xiaobo's crime was to publish a democratic manifesto, Charter 08.
It calls for freedom of expression, multi-party elections, independent courts and for the military to be answerable to the government and not the Communist Party.
More than 300 people, academics and writers, signed it.
"It's time we stopped treating words as crimes," Mrs Liu had said.
But no criticism of the Communist Party is ever ignored here, and no challenge to its absolute rule is tolerated.
Party domination
China's courts are under the total control of the party, so it is almost certain that Liu Xiaobo will be convicted.
When President Obama visited China last month, he took a soft approach to human rights.
But he did present China with a list of cases that the US was concerned about, it is thought that Mr Liu's name was on it.
But China ignored Mr Obama, and less than a month later, the state pushed ahead with its prosecution of Mr Liu.
Before, when US presidents and other world leaders visited, China would often release a dissident.
 Protests are not uncommon in China |
Around the time of President Bush's visit in 2005, Wang Wanxing was released from 13 years detention.
When President Clinton visited, Wang Dan, one of the Tiananmen protesters, was set free.
But now, China no longer needs to worry about what the West thinks.
It was President Clinton who said human rights should not be allowed to interfere with relations with China.
Beijing took this to heart, because if there are no adverse consequences, why bow to western pressure?
Human rights in China are supposed to be improving.
It was thought the Olympics would make things better, prosperity would make things better, and leaving China to move at its own pace would make things better.
But human rights and legal reforms are moving backwards, not forward.
China is a country ruled by law, the government likes to claim. Except, it is not.
Wang Shengjun is the chief justice, but he has never been to law school.
However, he does have excellent contacts within the Communist Party.
| Ordinary people, hardly what you would call political radicals, have grown hungry for legal rights |
And he has been a very loyal cadre, halting years of legal reform by telling China's judiciary to reject the concept of independent courts.
Instead they should consider Communist Party interests first, then the people's interests, and finally constitutional law.
Despite the wishes of radicals like Liu Xiaobo, since Tiananmen, there has not been much appetite here for democratic reform.
People have grown richer, and are largely content under the Communist Party's rule.
But ordinary people, hardly what you would call political radicals, have grown hungry for legal rights, and progress was made in creating an independent and professional judiciary. That has now stopped.
Lawless land
What does it mean to live in a country without law?
It means that the parents of the schoolchildren who died in the Sichuan earthquake will never get their day in court.
It means that people poisoned by China's filthy factories have never been able to sue.
That farmers robbed of their land by corrupted officials are left destitute.
 Will President Obama have any future influence with China's leaders? |
And it means living in fear, which drives people to desperation.
In Chengdu, Sichuan, 47-year-old Tang Fuzhen tried to stop the local government from demolishing her home.
But the bulldozers and demolition crews arrived early one morning.
She could take no more, so she covered herself in petrol and set herself alight. She later died in hospital.
Eight of her family members, including her husband and son were then detained for "disrupting government work".
Across China, those who are frustrated by corruption or injustice are taking to the streets.
They did so on the island of Xiamen to stop a chemical plant being built near their homes; in Shanghai it was the threat of a new railway line; in Guangdong, to protest a planned waste incinerator.
And in each case it was the middle class, the newly rich, those who had benefited from the party's rule, who took to the streets.
With no faith in the courts, they had little choice but to take direct action.
As I was leaving her, Liu Xia turned and said: "It's written in our constitution that freedom of speech is a right of people.
"But Liu Xiaobo said a few words, and now he's a criminal. So you tell me, who is this Chinese Constitution written for? I do not know."
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Commentary
This is what most people have been missing about China. This isn't drastically radical news that was just released or that no one has heard about til now, and yet for some reason the majority of America still feels China is this strong industrialized giant that serves it's people.
It's honestly none of the above. Economically if you look at the spending power and economic output of Chinese people per capita, it's a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of an American. They're missing the strong consuming power we have, that drives the economy at full force and that we often take for granted.
It's people are served somewhat well but only at the very basic levels and there are few reasons and few possibilities to make more of yourself. The potential is missing often even when you do want to get financing for your new business or go to a University.
It's why I feel Russia, not China, is the future leader(2030-40), IF Russia lets the private sector do it's thing without interfering using dirty politics. Right now the markets and officials are being too corrupt to allow Russia to truly flourish but it's much more free in many ways than China and their consumption levels are a lot higher per capita.
We all can agree America is too indebted to lead. It can pull it's political purse strings for maybe another decade but after that it's at-least two more decades of hard work to pay off our debt. It took Canada a decade to pay off it's debt and it was nowhere near as big as ours; granted they also don't have as much revenue as we do.
Emerging economies is harder to pick but here are some key figures:
- 1)Brazil
- 2) Venezuala
- 3) Angola
- 4) Malaysia
- 5) Thailand
India and China have too much work ahead of them to truly Emerge strongly in the next couple decades. After that though you should see them as the giants of the world, possibly how America looks now compared to how it was in the early 1900's. As I said before, look for Russia to be the leader in the 2050 ranges if they play their cards right.
We can join China and India at the top, later in the century, if we work towards greater Democracy and Publicly funded elections. Democracy cures most ailments that can be cured when it comes to corruption, injustice, and human rights.