Saddam execution is just another political propaganda

Many Iraqis woke up with joy this morning when they found that their former dictator Saddam Hussein was dead. The execution of Saddam took place on December 30th at 6 o’clock Iraqi local time.  The former dictator looked surrender and helpless.  He carried a Quran and refused to wear a head-covering mask. The next thing, he had the rope around his neck. Moments later, the world celebrates.

When I was watching the video clip on the event that took place before Saddam’s execution, I wondered was justice really served? or was it just another political propaganda by the Bush administration, and the Iraqi government?

Saddam’s execution is a political propaganda by the Bush administration and the Iraqi government. The execution is for Saddam’s conviction of killing 148 people in the Dijail. This is not one crime that he committed. As many of you many know, Saddam is responsible for thousands of deaths in the region area. Yet, he was not being tried for other crimes because the sentence of the Dijail massacre demands Saddam to be executed within 30 days. It is many Iraqis’ wishes for Saddam to be dead. However, his dead is only represent for the Dijail massacre. Many may argue against me that Saddam is dead, that’s all it matters. However, why executed him within 30 days? Why not let him being tried for others crimes he committed?

The reason is simple. According to the Iraqi Constitution, no prisoner at 70 years of age or older can be executed. Saddam is 69 years old. He was born in April of 1937. If Saddam were to be on trials for all other crimes he is responsible for, he cannot be executed regardless to the sentence because of his age. One trial on crimes against humanity could take years. The trial on Dijail massacre took almost a year to convict him. Also, it is the United States’ wish to show the world that Saddam is the reason to go on the war in Iraq not the WMDs that the President George W. Bush stated in early years of war. The Iraqi government was pressured by the United States to give death sentence to Saddam as soon as possible because Bush is losing his reputation and support from the Americans. In other words, Saddam’s death is a way of fixing Bush’s image. Another point I’d like to make, the new Iraqi government is being considered as the United States’ puppet. Many political scientists, and mainstream media view the Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki as a weak and indecisive leader. The execution of Saddam Hussein gives Maliki the strength as a leader that he is strong and his government is able to punish the former dictator of Iraq. Saddam’s death is a show produced by the Bush and the Maliki administrations to show the world that the cause of going to war in Iraq is just.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Saddam deserves a death sentence. However, I prefer the former Iraqi president to be on trial for all the crimes he committed and then executed. Since the court ruled that Saddam should be executed within 30 days, why did the government have to rush it?  Was it to put the Saddam era to an end quickly? or was it just a move to boost the image of President Bush and Prime Minister Maliki? Saddam’s execution is another strategy to diverge the fact that President Bush decided to go on war in Iraq because of WMDs and terrorism. Nice move huh?

Filed under: American Politics, International Politics, Iraq, News, Politics

Gerald Ford Dies

The U.S former President Gerald R. Ford has died today at 93. He had battled pneumonia and had gone through two heart treatments. Ford was never elected into the White House position both Vice-President and President. He came into the office when President Nixon appointed him as Vice President to replace Spiro Agnew. Ford then became the President of the United States when Nixon resigned from the office after the Watergate scandal.

My heart goes out to the Ford family for this loss.

Source: CNN international

Filed under: American Politics, News

Fidel Castro Part II: The Return

Fidel Castro is back. It appears that he doesn’t have cancer after all. He may face a long recover from his illness. However, he could govern Cuba again according to a Spanish surgeon said on the CNN international news web site.

Is this a good news? I personally don’t know.

Here is what I know:

I have been reading many of the NY Times articles on Cuba. Based on what I’ve read I feel many Cubans love Fidel Castro despite all the political corruptions. Fidel founded the Latin American School of Medical Science outside of Havana. The school offers full scholarships to foreign students to study there. Frankly, there are number of U.S Americans attending to that school. During the aftermath of the hurricane Katrina, Cuba offered medical help which was declined by the United States government. What am I trying to say? Well, Fidel may be known through out the world that he is the evil leader. However, we must look that he also has done good things for his country which is the reason why people are still love and respect him.

Now that he doesn’t have cancer, there’s a chance for him to come back.  I guess we have to wait and see if Fidel can really continue to control his country. If Fidel is back which I predict it’s sometimes next year, I expect to see Fidel to have a stronger relationship with Hugo Chavez.  I think he and Chavez can do some damage to the United States especially on the crude oil industry. My question is this: will his brother Raul willing to give back his power? Raul favors in instituting free market-oriented economic policies. I don’t think that is what Fidel wants. Fidel likes to have complete control leadership in every aspect of life in Cuba. So, I think that these two men will have a lot of conflicts in terms controlling  and guiding Cuba.

These are just my thoughts on Cuba. I might be wrong.  What do you think? Can Fidel really control his country again?

Filed under: International Politics, News, Politics

What to look forward to in 2007

What to look forward to in 2007? So many things…

Let’s start with the American politics

• There will a number of politicians announce their interests in running for President in 2008.
• President Bush will see more of his people leaving the White House if he continues to be stubborn about the war in Iraq. Just admit the failure already.
• Are the Democrats ready to take over? What is this party of going to do? So far, I have not heard the party’s agenda on what they are planning to do. I wonder how this party is going to shape the American politics especially on the war on middle-class, immigration, and of course, the war in Iraq.

 International politics

• I would like to see how will the 47 Africans nation work with China. Will this 1.9 billion in aid and trade agreement improve their lives of Africans? My prediction is that it will not work. Corruption and civil war conflicts will stop Africa from growing politically, economically and socially.
• Will North Korea launch the second nuclear weapon test? According various news sources, Kim Jong-il is planning to do it again early 2007.
• Will the Six-party talks contiune? Right now, it is not going anywhere because North Korea will not comply to any agreement unless the United States lifts the U.N sanctions and allows North Korea to access its bank account.
• I have a feeling that Castro and Chavez are up to something. I don’t know what exactly it is but we should keep an eye on them.
• Will Brazil able to control its gas prices? I know that Brazil is energy independent because it produces and uses Ethanol as its fuel. However, the gasoline prices is about 5 dollars per gallon. This causes many poor people to buy gases in Venezuela which about 12 cents per gallon and it creates black market for cheap gasoline.
• How is Iran going to respond after the United Nations slapped Iraq with sanctions earlier this week? Will it launch the nuclear test like North Korea?
• The election in Iraq: Will Ahmadinejad will the election?

Let’s move on to something light

Sports

• Will Iverson and Camelo Anthony lead Nuggets to the NBA finals?
• All charges against Duke’s Lacrosse players will be dropped completely by the end of January or early February of 2007. Why? Simple, the prosecutors can’t find enough evidence to convict three players.
• Will T.O grow up?
• Reggie Bush or Vince Young? Who will be the rookie of the year?

Entertainment

• Will celebrities adopt more international kids? It’s like every superstar is doing it.
• Will there be more good movies? This year there aren’t many movies I like.
• Last but not least, can Britney Spears be a good mother once and for all.

Now, it’s my turn to ask you. What are you looking forward to in 2007?

Filed under: American Politics, Immigration, International Politics, Iran, Iraq, News, North Korea, Politics, Sports

Shame NBA…Shame

Today the NBA has announced its decision on Saturday’s Knicks-Nuggets brawl that took place at the Madison Square Garden. From the last article, my prediction is not what I expected.

Carmelo Anthony got the hardest suspension, 15 games. Nate Robinson and J.R Smith each got 10 games. Mardy Collins got 6 games. Jared Jeffries will not be playing for four games. Nene and Jerome James both got one game suspension for leaving the bench during the fight. However, the man who instigated the harsh play and is, in my opinion, responsible for the event, Isiah Thomas did not get penalize from the league.

The NBA and David Stern have disappointed the worldwhen Stern announced to not punish Thomas. Isiah Thomas should be punished for motivating his players to play very aggressive towards the opponent at the very last minutes of the games. Since the team was losing, why would Thomas order his players to do such a thing? To make the matters worse, he warned Carmelo not to go near the paint. Was Thomas frustrated that his team has been playing like s**t? Well, then why didn’t he manage the roster better when Larry Brown was the coach?

Thomas should be punished for his action. What he did on Saturday night was unprofessional. He did not represent himself neither as the coach nor the Knicks’ President of basketball operations.  

To James Dolan: PLEASE GET RID OF THOMAS NOW!!

Filed under: News, Sports

The NBA Brawl 2006, Players Just Don’t Get It

Last night, ten players from the Knicks and Nuggets ejected from the game as the result of the brawl at the Madison Square Garden. It seems that the NBA players do not get the lesson from the Palace brawl in 2004. Now, the question is on David Stern and Stu Jackson. What are they going to do? Everybody including a lot of NBA hard cores like me will have to wait to what the league has to say on Monday.  

I believe Isiah Thomas, Nate Robinson and Carmelo Anthony will get very harsh sentence from the league. I have never seen a coach warned a player of an opposing team.  Three minutes left in the 4th quarter, Thomas did just that by warning Anthony not to go near the paint. A minute and 45 seconds left, J.R Smith got the ball went inside the paint. That’s when everything started. Thomas probably told his players to commit hard foul on anyone. Plus, the post-game news conference, Thomas blamed George Karl, the Denver Nuggets head coach for having four starters left in the 4th quarter knowing that his team was winning by 19 points or so. That is a very poor sportsmanship on Thomas. Why can’t he just admit his mistakes? It seems Thomas will be fired at the end of this season.

As for Robinson, he should have used his head before he got involved with J.R Smith. The foul was between Smith and Mardy Collins not Robinson. Robinson’s excuse was unacceptable just like his coach’s. I understand that he tried to stand up for his fellow team mates however, he shouldn’t have done it. People from now on will remember him as this “shorty” who got into the brawl at the MSG not the player who blocked Yao Ming’s shot. Sorry Nate, you have just ruined your reputation.

For Anthony, I think he will get the hardest sentence out of all for punching Collins . Like Robinson, I underdstand the he was just looking out for his team mates. However, he should not have involved in it period. The team needs him. He is the leader of the Nuggets franchise. My question is: what is his team going to do while he is suspended? I would love to see how Karl is going to deal with this.

My prediction for the suspensions:

Thomas- 5 game suspensions and fines.

Robinson- 7 game suspensions and fines.

Anthony- 8 game suspensions and fines.

What do you think?

Filed under: News, Sports

McDonald’s Gift Card for X’Mas? Not a Good Idea

I was watching a McDonald commercial two hours ago promoting its gift card for this Holiday season. So, have you heard of a McDonald’s Arch Card? If not, here it is. It’s a new way of making us, Americans fatter. McDonald’s Arch Card works like a regular gift card. You can refill the money and re-loadable in $ 5, $ 10, $ 25 and $ 50 at any McDonald’s restaurant. You can also take this card anywhere. Instead of carrying money to McDonald’s, you can simply take the Arch card with you. How convenient is that? 

Having a McDonald’s gift card is absolutely a ridiculous idea. I don’t see how people are going to buy this card as as a gift card for the holiday season or for the convenience of not carrying money. If you buy the Arch card for your love ones, chances are they are going to think that you want them to get fatter. Gift card is just a way of making people go to McDonald possibly everyday or every chance they get if the card has the value of 50 dollars or more. To me, McDonald’s just want to make us gain more weight and spend more time at their restaurants. In November, McDonald’s launched a new design for their restaurant which looks more like a family center. A new McDonald will have an internet cafe, new comfortable seats, and more space for kids to play and run around. Now, it’s the gift card. How nice is that?

So, for this Holiday season, I hope that you don’t buy the McDonald’s gift card for your husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend or close friends because I don’t want you to get hurt. If you want your man or anyone you know to gain weight, then this is the right gift for him/her.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Are You Serious? The New American Citizenship Test Doesn’t Make Sense

                  On November 30^th, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced its decision to release a new American citizenship test. The USCIS Director Emilio Gonzalez, the new exam will be given a test in 10 U.S cities starting January 2007. The new American citizenship test is not like the old one. Now, it is focusing more on the ideals and concept of the United States rather than its history. The purpose of releasing the new exam is to “inspire immigrants to learn about the civic values of this nation so that after they take the oath of citizenship they will participate fully in our great democracy” Gonzales said. 

 It sounds great right? Not…

             Let me ask you something: can you, American born citizens name at least two U.S Supreme Court justices without searching online or looking at a book? Or can you name three branches of our government and explain why we have them? According to the New York Times article by Clyde Haberman, only 42 percent of Americans can list the three branches of government and 24 percent of Americans can name two U.S Supreme Court justices. If the American citizens can’t name branches of their own government, then why bother having this kind of question on the new citizenship test? And how can you expect the immigrants to fully understand the American democracy when only 40 percent of American citizens went to vote in the last election? 

            How can the government expect immigrants to fully comprehend the values of the U.S government and democracy when its citizens don’t even know or give a damn about them? Don’t get me wrong, I like the fact that USCIS has finally taken actions in reforming the citizenship test. However, 70 percent of the question on the new citizenship exam should not be based on the concepts of U.S government. To me, it seems that the new test is targeting to reduce the number of naturalized citizens by giving this kind of test. There should be some sort of 50-50, splitting half of the test to focus on facts and concepts. This way, immigrants will have a higher chance of passing the test and become U.S citizens. To be a naturalized citizen is not easy, some immigrants have to wait for years in order for them to get green cards and a chance to take the test. For me, the new citizenship test is just another obstacle for immigrants to become one of us.

Filed under: American Politics, Immigration, Politics

It’s All About China

          The United Nation Security Council passed the resolution 1718 against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the recent nuclear weapon test. According to the International Crisis Group, the resolution 1718 is the strongest and harshest United Nations action on North Korea since the 1950 Korean War.      

          The resolution 1718 demands that Kim Jong-Il and his regime ”not to conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile”. It asks state members to impose sanctions against North Korea. All state members should, but are not required to inspect cargo in and out of North Korea. Since the resolution was passed, nations such as South Korea refused to comply with the United Nation Security Council’s requests. This fallout has proved that the Security Council’s latest attempt at sanctions does not work. The United Nations is ineffective in solving and taking action against such an aggressive and authoritarian state. China is still trading with DPRK as if nothing had happened. The current superpower, the United States, can not do anything to stop North Korea. President Bush and the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been traveling around the world to persuade foreign leaders to support resolution 1718. But, not many nations want to do what the United States is asking. Freezing North Korea’s financial accounts does not seem that North Korea is planning to do what Resolution 1718 demands. However, there is only one country that can stop North Korea from developing more nuclear weapons.  

So who can stop North Korea? China.

              China, the first nation to learn about Pyongyang’s nuclear weapon test, is the only nation that can stop North Korea from creating more lethal and biological weapons. China is the main ally to Jong-Il. According to the CIA World Fact Book, 32 percent of goods imported to North Korea were from China in 2004. On the other hand, North Korea exported forty percent of its goods to China in the same year. As you can see, China is the main source of income and survival for North Korea. Without China, just imagine how devastated Jong-Il and his people would be. North Korea has been facing food shortages. Many North Koreans have died due to starvation. China has provided Pyongyang with food and oil. Due to the high level of threat of its nuclear program from North Korea, China has been reducing its humanitarian aid to Pyongyang since September 2006. Since October 9th 2006, many nations, such as the United States are counting on China to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks on nuclear weapons. This is the perfect time for China to show that it can be the next superpower. If North Korea has agreed to come back to the six-party table, China will be recognized and gain a new reputation in the eyes of many states’ leaders. However, China has placed itself in a difficult situation. It has to please both North Korea and the U.S allies.  

What’s like to be China?             

       Let me give you a clearer picture. If China failed to satisfy the United States, it could potentially lose its foreign investors. President Hu Jintao does not want to do that because the country is developing faster than any nation with its Gross Domestic Product of eight to twelve percent a year. On the other hand, if North Korea collapses, there will be massive influx of North Korean refugees. These refugees can potentially create job competition and high unemployment for Chinese workers. Last week, North Korean announced to test its nuclear weapons again sometime in December and early next year. From now on, President Jintao and his officials must be very careful and take every action wisely because any aggressive measures on North Korea can lead to a second nuclear weapon test near Chinese border. The future of China is on Jintao. It is up to him find a way to deal with North Korea that would benefit his country and makes it a win-win situation for his country.              

        So far, China has not been as aggressive as other nations such as the United States and Japan. The reason is simple. It does not want to put any more pressure on Jong-Il that may want him to launch a nuclear missile at China. According to a recent report by the New York Times, the Chinese custom agents do not inspect cargoes that come in and out of North Korea effectively due to its 700-mile border and small number of custom agents. Micheal Rank from NKzone.org reported that Chinese businessmen and North Korean officials are still continuing with their plans to build ports in the border of city Hunchun (North Korea) despite the sanctions. This proves that China still wants to maintain its economic relations with North Korea, even after its surprising approval of the U.N resolution 1718.  At the same time, China is a persuader for the Americans and its allies to convince North Korea to come back to the six-party talks. In return for making Jong-Il come back to the table, China is now becoming the next “super-global power.” Jintao’s government demonstrates to the world that a communist nation like China can have an important role in the international policies and decision-making. Therefore, no one, including to the United States, should underestimate the power of China because one day, it will take away the U.S’s title of “superpower.”           

  Because of China’s effort to bring DPRK back to the six-party talks, we, as global citizens, should expect the changes in U.S foreign policies towards China. It could be that Bush would allow China to become more involved in the U.S market than it is right now. Soon, China will become the one of world’s most influential economic powers. In terms of North Korea, China is the only key state actor that has capability to persuade North Korea in to do that the world’s hegemonic nation wants. Everything is all about China. Without this red state,North Korea would have probably launched its weapons to the U.S and other soils.    

Filed under: North Korea