United Nations- shames the world hijacking basic human rights and freedoms - women equal men- gays, kids, disabled, aged... matter- as do the poorest of the poor.imho
Afghanistan
turmoil- FORMAL REPORT UPDATED NOV2013
Updated:
Mon, 4 Nov 2013
Afghanistan
has experienced more than three decades of conflict, and fighting is still
raging in much of the country.
It
is the source of a quarter of the world’s refugees, and although millions have
returned home since 2002, nearly 2.6 million are still living as refugees, most
of them in Pakistan or Iran. Another half a million people are displaced within
Afghanistan.
U.S.-led
troops ousted the Taliban in 2001 after they refused to hand over Osama bin
Laden, the al Qaeda leader behind the Sept. 11 attacks in New York and
Washington.
But
violence has surged since 2006, with the Taliban fighting a guerrilla war in
the south and east and carrying out high-profile suicide and car bombings
across the country.
The
Taliban regrouped with the help of safe havens across the border in Pakistan
and money from drug lords.
Billions
of dollars have been poured into rebuilding the country since 2001, but
corruption and the lack of security have hampered development and been a source
of frustration to many Afghans.
Aid
agencies struggle to access most of the country, especially rural areas where
the needs are greatest.
Although
nominally women have recovered many of the rights lost under the Taliban, a
combination of tribalism, poverty and conflict make the exercising of those
rights a significant challenge.
Soviet
invasion
At
the crossroads of regions and empires, Afghanistan has been subject to periodic
intense foreign interest for centuries.
In
more recent history, a Soviet-backed communist government seized power in 1978,
sparking a number of uprisings around the country as it tried to impose radical
social reforms. Deteriorating security and a coup by another communist faction
precipitated the Soviet invasion at the end of 1979.
Villages
were bombed and thousands of civilians arrested and tortured during the
occupation.
Religious
fighters, or mujahideen - covertly funded by the United States and Saudi Arabia
- formed the backbone of the resistance to the occupation.
The
Afghan jihad, or holy war, became a cause for Muslim warriors from around the
Islamic world. The future al Qaeda leader bin Laden was among them.
The
Soviets withdrew in 1989, leaving behind the communist government of President
Mohammad Najibullah. Stricken by defections, Najibullah's government collapsed
in 1992, and he eventually took sanctuary at a U.N. compound in Kabul, where he
was hanged by Taliban forces four years later.
A
mujahideen government was established in April 1992, but it was riven with
factional rivalry, and the country disintegrated into civil war during which at
least 40,000 people were killed in Kabul alone.
The
Taliban
The
power vacuum allowed the Taliban, a militant student movement that grew out of
hardline religious schools in Pakistan, to take the southern city of Kandahar
in 1994 and Kabul in 1996.
The
regime, which adhered to a strict interpretation of Islam, barred women from
most activities outside the home and ruled they must wear a head-to-foot burqa
in public and be accompanied by a male relative. Many women still wear the
burqa.
Bin
Laden and al Qaeda relocated to Afghanistan in the mid-1990s after being forced
to leave Sudan. They based themselves around Kandahar.
The
Taliban provoked international condemnation, particularly over their treatment
of women. Only three countries - Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates - recognised them as the legitimate government.
In
1999, the United Nations imposed sanctions to force the Taliban to turn over
bin Laden, who was wanted in connection with the 1998 bombings of U.S.
embassies in the Kenyan capital Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.
The
Northern Alliance
Throughout
the Taliban's rule, fighting continued between the Taliban and the Northern
Alliance. The Alliance was made up of ethnic Tajik-dominated groups who had
united to fight the Taliban.
Two
days before al Qaeda launched its Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S., a leading
member of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud, was killed by suicide
bombers posing as journalists. Al Qaeda members were believed to have carried
out the assassination to curry favour with the Taliban.
The
United States launched bombing raids on Afghanistan in October 2001 after the
Taliban refused to hand over bin Laden.
With
U.S. help, the Northern Alliance took the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, then
Kabul. The rest of the country swiftly followed.
It
is believed bin Laden fled to Pakistan when U.S. and Afghan forces captured his
main base in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan in late 2001. Many
other al Qaeda militants also fled to Pakistan.
2001
and beyond
At
the end of 2001, members of the opposition and international organisations
gathered in Germany and drew up the Bonn Agreement, which provided a political
roadmap for Afghanistan and a timetable for reconstruction.
Hamid
Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun born to the Popalzai clan - a sub-group of the royal
Durrani tribe - was chosen to head an Interim Authority. He was later installed
as president and won an outright majority in the first presidential election in
2004. Parliamentary elections were held the following year.
Presidential
elections in 2009 – a key milestone for peace – were plagued by violence,
widespread fraud and low turnout. Karzai won, after his main challenger
Abdullah Abdullah pulled out saying a planned runoff vote was not going to be
free and fair.
Parliamentary
elections in 2010 were calmer.
The
next presidential election is due in 2014, the same year all foreign combat
troops are due to leave the country.
The
government's authority remains fragile and violence has soared. Militants have
crossed the border from Pakistan to join the ranks of the Taliban fighters, who
are staging increasingly sophisticated attacks, including multiple roadside
bombings and complex ambushes.
Taliban
numbers swelled from 7,000 in 2006 to roughly 25,000 in 2009, according to a
2009 U.S. intelligence assessment. More recent estimates vary from between
20,000 and 35,000.
U.S.
President Barack Obama decided to send additional troops to Afghanistan in
2009, boosting the total number of foreign troops to about 150,000. Most of the
new U.S. troops headed south to the heart of the Taliban insurgency, where
British, Canadian and Dutch soldiers did not have enough strength to keep hold
of ground they captured.
NATO
leaders began transferring responsibility for security to Afghans in 2011. The
Afghan army took command of all military and security operations in June 2013.
Foreign
troops work with the Afghan National Army, which was about 175,000 strong in
March 2013, some 12,000 below its projected size.
The
Afghan national police force numbers about 150,000, and is due to rise to
160,000 in 2014.
However,
thousands of recruits are quitting the Afghan police and armed forces every
month, raising fears over their ability to protect the country after coalition
troops leave.
In
addition, for every 10 new soldiers recruited to the Afghan army, at least
three are lost because they have been sacked, captured or killed in action.
Civilians
have borne the brunt of the conflict.
Since
2007, when the United Nations began keeping statistics, more than 18,000
civilians have been killed in the conflict.
The
high number of civilian casualties angered Karzai and weakened public support
for the continued presence of foreign troops.
Relations
between Kabul and Washington were also strained over a string of incidents
involving U.S. forces in 2012, including the massacre of Afghan villagers for
which a U.S. soldier was jailed for life in 2013, and the inadvertent burning
of copies of the Koran.
There
have also been concerns about the Afghan military and police. There has been a
rise in the number of attacks by Afghan soldiers who have turned on their
Western allies, and some are worried that the Taliban is infiltrating Afghan
security forces.
Some
of the most daring, complex attacks in Afghanistan have been blamed on a
militant group called the Haqqani network, which operates in both Pakistan and
Afghanistan and is allied with the Taliban.
The
Haqqani network fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, with
support from Pakistani, Saudi and U.S. officials. The Haqqanis view part of
southeast Afghanistan known as "Loya Paktia" as their rightful
homeland.
Since
early 2011, the U.S. government has been seeking to hold peace talks with the
Taliban, but it is unclear whether the militants are cohesive enough to agree
on a joint diplomatic approach to the talks.
In
May 2011, bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in northwestern Pakistan.
By then, al Qaeda's influence on the Taliban had greatly diminished.
NATO
plans to keep a small military training and support mission in Afghanistan
after the end of 2014, which the Taliban says is an encroachment on the
country's independence.
Western
officials say that the exit of most foreign troops will remove one of the
Taliban’s main recruiting tools.
Going
home
Millions
of Afghans fled to neighbouring countries during the years of conflict, and the
Taliban's fall triggered one of the largest and swiftest refugee repatriations
in the world.
Since
2002, Afghans have been streaming home, mostly from Iran and Pakistan. More
than 5.7 million Afghans have returned to their country, according to the U.N.
refugee agency (UNHCR). Another 2.6 million refugees and many undocumented
Afghans were still in Pakistan and Iran in 2013, and further afield.
Pakistan
and Iran have said they want the remaining Afghans on their soil to go home.
The
number of people displaced inside Afghanistan is about half a million,
according to UNHCR. However, this is a conservative estimate because it is
impossible to access and collect information in many areas, the Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) said.
The
majority have fled their homes because of clashes between NATO-led troops and
Taliban-led insurgent groups in the south, southeast and west of the country,
IDMC said. Natural disasters and local conflicts, such as land disputes, have
also displaced people.
Rural
areas are increasingly insecure, forcing many returning Afghans to migrate to
towns and cities.
Many
also face the risk of landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind from years
of war. Hundreds of civilians are killed or injured each year, most of them
children, according to Landmine Monitor 2013. Many of the mines are near roads,
health facilities, camps for the displaced, airports, bridges and irrigation
systems, U.N. Mine Action Service says.
The
contamination poses a formidable challenge to the country's social and economic
reconstruction.
Reconstruction
hurdles
Billions
of aid dollars have poured into Afghanistan to help rebuild the shattered
infrastructure and economy. Afghanistan depends on aid for most of its
spending.
International
donors provided $35 billion in aid to Afghanistan between 2001 and 2010.
And,
in 2012, major donors pledged another $16 billion in development aid through
2015, in an attempt to prevent it from deteriorating further when foreign
troops leave in 2014, but demanded reforms to fight widespread corruption. The
aid was tied to a new monitoring process to help prevent money from being
diverted by corrupt officials or mismanaged.
While
strides have been made in improving access to education and health care, only a
third of the population of 30 million is literate and the average person earns
only about a $1,000 a year, according to the U.N. Development Programme.
Much
of the donor money has gone back to donor countries, the Agency Coordinating
Body for Afghan Relief and Development (ACBAR) alliance of aid agencies said in
a March 2008 report. An estimated 40 percent of the $15 billion spent in aid
between 2001 and 2008 was returned to donors in corporate profits and
consultant salaries, the report said.
And
whereas spending on aid by all donors between 2001 and 2008 amounted to about $7
million a day, the U.S. military spent some $100 million a day fighting Taliban
insurgents, ACBAR said.
The
United Nations launched a $4 billion development plan in October 2009, to run
from 2010 to 2013. This U.N. Development Assistance Framework covers
governance, peace, agriculture, food security, health, education, water and
sanitation.
Afghans
rank insecurity, unemployment and corruption as their top concerns, according
to a 2012 survey by the Asia Foundation.
Corruption
Reconstruction
efforts have been dogged by allegations of corruption and waste on the part of
the government, aid agencies and contractors.
Public
sector corruption is rife and Afghanistan, along with Somalia and North Korea,
are considered to be the most corrupt countries in the world in Transparency
International's Corruption Perceptions Index.
Government
officials and international aid workers have been accused of stealing money or
taking bribes. Some companies that won contracts to rebuild the country have
been accused of delivering shoddy roads, hospitals and schools or even nothing
at all.
Corruption
and cronyism are among the main gripes of ordinary Afghans.
Many
also complain that parliament, which is supposed to voice their grievances and
keep the government in check, is made up mainly of ex-warlords and powerbrokers
who use their position to serve their own interests.
Karzai
has accused the international community of helping to fuel corruption and has
asked foreign donors to stop awarding massive reconstruction projects to
contractors linked to senior officials in his government.
Donors
spend most aid money outside state channels to avoid it being siphoned off by
corrupt officials. But they have done so without telling the Afghan government
how and where the funds were being spent. Critics say this undermines the
government's authority, and complicates planning and coordination between
donors and provinces.
In
July 2012, donors agreed to channel more through the Afghan government, if the
government made progress in fighting corruption and improving governance. The
United States committed to channel up to 50 percent if these conditions were
met.
That
same month Karzai issued a decree to begin implementing the reforms. He ordered
all ministries to take steps to cut down on nepotism and corruption, and
directed the Supreme Court to accelerate investigations already under way. In
September, he dismissed five governors and changed leading positions in nearly
a third of the country’s provinces.
Real
and suspected waste and misspending turned parts of the Afghan population
against aid workers, with their relatively large salaries and expensive cars,
according to local independent watchdog Integrity Watch Afghanistan.
Humanitarian
crisis
Civilians
have borne the brunt of years of conflict and underdevelopment. Thousands are
killed every year and millions have been displaced. An estimated 42 percent of
the population lives on less than $1 a day, and nearly 60 percent is
chronically malnourished.
The
Taliban insurgency has forced many schools and health clinics to close. At
least 45 percent of school-age kids do not attend even primary school and many
families have little or no access to health care.
Natural
disasters also affect tens of thousands of people every year, including
earthquakes, frequent floods and, for many years, severe drought.
Humanitarian
needs increased in 2013, mainly because of the worsening conflict, and U.N.
experts say the needs are likely to rise even further as a result of the
withdrawal of foreign troops in 2014.
Aid
agencies’ access to the most vulnerable decreased because of a rising number of
attacks on aid workers and offices, and cuts to a U.N. air service, which have
hampered access to the country’s southeast.
Some
Afghan non-governmental organisations and movements, including the Afghan Red
Crescent Society, have greater access than international NGOs.
Aid
agencies are particularly concerned about people in the country’s southeast,
northeast and northwest, where there are reports of growing numbers of people
displaced and limited access to those in need.
Some
aid is channelled through Provincial Reconstruction Teams run by foreign
troops, and many aid agencies use armed convoys to move around. As a result,
aid workers are seen by the Taliban and other armed groups as being an
extension of NATO forces and therefore seen as legitimate targets. Scores of
aid workers have been wounded, kidnapped or killed.
Violence
is not the only threat to life. Children die of easily preventable diseases,
and malnutrition. Afghanistan is one of three "polio endemic" countries
with most cases in the turbulent south, according to the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative.
Tuberculosis
is another major public health challenge. Experts say women in particular
suffer high rates because they tend to spend most of their time indoors and
have less access to medical care than men do.
The
results of the Afghanistan Mortality Survey, released in 2011, raised major
questions among health experts about the reliability of data both past and
present for maternal and infant death rates, and average life expectancy.
For
example, the survey concluded that average life expectancy is about 60 years,
compared with previous estimates of 49 years.
The
survey was carried out by the Afghan government and U.N. World Health
Organization.
Drugs
Afghanistan
produces 74 percent of the world's opium, the United Nations says. The Taliban,
which banned cultivation during their rule, are now exploiting the trade to
fund their insurgency. The majority of poppy fields are in the country's south
and southwest where the Taliban are most active.
Eradication
efforts infuriate farmers who say they would be destitute without their crops.
Many farmers depend on loans provided by drug traders as a down payment for the
subsequent drug harvest.
Former
U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke said in 2009 attempts to
destroy crops had been ineffective. They penalised the farmers and had no
impact on the Taliban's earnings from the trade – rather it helped them
recruit.
However,
poppy eradication continues.
One
of the main tools in combating the narcotics trade involves fostering
alternative livelihoods. The idea is to wean farmers away from poppy
cultivation by offering them fertilisers and seeds for legal crops.
Drug
addiction does not just affect those beyond Afghanistan's borders – there are
more than one million addicts in the country, according to UNODC. Drug use is
high among refugees returning from Iran and Pakistan.
Women
During
the Taliban years, the regime prohibited women from attending universities and
shut girls' schools in Kabul and other cities, although primary schooling did
go on in many other areas of the country. Earning a living was also very
difficult, a tragedy in a country with tens of thousands of war widows – in
Kabul alone there are estimated to be up to 50,000.
Today,
women have the right to vote and are elected to parliament. Millions of girls
go to school and women are allowed to work outside the home. Fawzia Koofi is
the country’s leading female politician, and intends to run for president in
2014 despite several assassination attempts.
Other
female leaders have been targeted, too. In Laghman province, the local director
of women's affairs, Naija Sediqi, was assassinated in December 2012. She had
been in the role for five months, following the assassination of her female
predecessor Hanifa Safi. Although their murders were attributed to the Taliban,
women’s groups have complained that there were no thorough investigations
carried out.
The
daily life of many women is still dominated by the threat of violence and
backbreaking toil, and women generally are kept from public roles especially in
rural areas in what is one of the most conservative countries in the world.
Many
girls are married off as children or young teenagers, and the vast majority
never learn to read or write.
Human
Rights Watch says violence against women and girls remains rampant, including
domestic violence, sexual violence, and forced marriage.
In
many cases, women who are raped are charged with immorality and imprisoned.
They can also be jailed for running away from their husband.
In
May 2013, Afghanistan’s parliament failed to ratify a bill banning underage and
forced marriage, domestic violence, rape and forced prostitution.
Links
The
Feinstein International Center has published several in-depth reports on aid in
Afghanistan, including Winning hearts and minds? Examining the relationship
between aid and security in Afghanistan (Jan 2012) and Afghanistan:
Humanitarianism unravelled? (2010).
The
Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) produces useful
reports on Afghans' views.
The
Afghanistan Mortality Survey (2010) showed improvements in maternal and infant
death rates, as well as average life expectancy. But the gains are so great
that experts are questioning its accuracy.
The
think tank International Crisis Group has lots of information about
Afghanistan's conflict past and present.
UNICEF
has plenty of facts and figures on children in Afghanistan. Save the Children
also has some useful background.
Another
good site is Pajhwok Afghan News, the country's largest local news service. The
news is broad-based and some of the reporters benefit from a wealth of local
contacts, although inaccuracies sometimes pop up. Note that you have to pay to
access some of the material. The service runs stories in Dari, English and
Pashto.
The
Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), an international journalism
organisation, carries well-written features on the country.
iCasualties
is an independent site which keeps track of foreign troop casualties in the
country, breaking it down by province and nationality.
The
International Security Assistance Force site has details of foreign troop
numbers and contributions.
Afghanistan
Online says it is the biggest and most visited Afghan website.
For
Afghan feminism, consult the Revolutionary Association of the Women of
Afghanistan, which was founded in 1977 by women intellectuals. The organisation
supports women's rights and education.
UNHCR's
Afghanistan page has useful statistics on refugees and the internally
displaced. The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre also has good
background.
The
Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief alliance of aid agencies has useful
reports on aid in Afghanistan.
Both
ACBAR and Human Rights Watch have raised grave concerns about the impact of the
conflict on civilians.
For
information on demining see the Landmine Monitor report on Afghanistan.
Timeline
A
chronology of events since the end of the Soviet occupation. It does not
include many of the attacks on civilians that have happened since 2001 and have
been blamed on both the United States and Taliban.
1989
- Last Soviet soldier leaves under 1988 agreement. Moscow-installed Najibullah
government remains in place in Kabul
1992
- Communist government collapses. Mujahideen groups set up a government which
is riven by factionalism. Country disintegrates into civil war
1994
- Battles reduce much of Kabul to rubble. Mullah Mohammed Omar, a Muslim
cleric, sets up Taliban movement of Islamic students, who take up arms, capture
Kandahar and advance on Kabul
1996
- Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who fought with mujahideen groups against
Soviet occupation, returns to Afghanistan. Taliban take Kabul, hang former
President Mohammad Najibullah and set up Islamic state
1997
- Afghanistan renamed Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Taliban impose their
version of Islam. But ethnic Uzbek factional chief Abdul Rashid Dostum retains
control in five northern provinces
1998
- Taliban take northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif, massacring at least 2,000
mainly ethnic Hazara civilians, according to Human Rights Watch. Bamiyan, a
Hazara stronghold in the centre of the country, follows. Taliban later destroy
colossal stone Buddhas of Bamiyan
Northern
Alliance, made up of non-Pashtun mujahideen militias, fights back against
Taliban
U.S.
forces bomb suspected al Qaeda bases in southeast in reprisal for bombings of
U.S. embassies in east Africa
1999
- United Nations imposes sanctions to force Taliban to turn over bin Laden
2001
Sep
- Al Qaeda-linked suicide bombers assassinate military head of Northern
Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masood
Sep
11 - Al Qaeda suicide plane hijackers attack New York and Washington, killing
thousands
Oct
- U.S. begins bombing Afghanistan to root out bin Laden and his Taliban
protectors
Nov
- Northern Alliance forces enter Kabul as Taliban leaders flee
Dec
- Afghan groups sign deal in Bonn on an interim government headed by Hamid
Karzai, a leader from the biggest ethnic group, the Pashtun
First
members of multinational peacekeeping force arrive
Interim
authority takes power. Bonn plan says an emergency Loya Jirga, or grand
assembly, must be held in six months
2002
Jun
- Emergency Loya Jirga agrees on a transitional authority. Karzai sworn in as
its head
2003
Nov
- French UNHCR worker Bettina Goislard shot dead by suspected Taliban militants
in Ghazni town, leading to suspension of many aid missions in south and east
2004
Jan
- Rival factions at the Loya Jirga agree on a constitution, paving way for
first free elections
Oct
- Presidential elections. Karzai sworn in on Dec 7. Parliamentary vote is put
off amid security concerns and logistical problems
2005
Sep
- Elections held for a lower house of parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, and
provincial councils. Former commanders of military factions, three ex-Taliban
officials and women activists win seats
Dec
- Parliament sits for first time
2006
Jan
- International conference in London promises Afghanistan economic and military
support in return for pledges to fight corruption and drugs trade
Aug
- Suicide bomber rams his car into a NATO convoy in Kandahar killing 21
civilians in the worst suicide attack to date
Oct
- NATO assumes responsibility for security across the whole of the country
after taking command in the east from a U.S.-led coalition force
2007
- Taliban step up suicide attacks throughout the country
Jan
- Karzai says he's open to talks with Taliban
Feb
- Taliban threaten a spring offensive of thousands of suicide bombers as U.S.
doubles its combat troops and takes over command of NATO force from Britain
Mar
- NATO and Afghan forces launch Operation Achilles, targeting Taliban and
allied drug lords in Helmand
Nov
- More than 70 people, mostly schoolboys are killed, in a suicide bombing in
the northern town of Baghlan. The dead include six members of parliament
Dec
- Afghanistan expels two senior EU and UN envoys after accusing them of making
contact with the Taliban
2008
Feb
- A suspected suicide bombing kills more than 100 people in Kandahar in the
most deadly attack since the ousting of Taliban.
Jun
- Donors pledge around $20 bln in aid at Paris conference
Sep
- Karzai offers peace talks and asks Saudi Arabia to help with negotiations.
Taliban however refuse to negotiate
Dec
- Afghanistan and Pakistan decide to form joint strategy to fight militants in
their border regions
2009
Feb
- U.N. says 2,100 civilians killed in 2008 - a 40 percent rise on 2007
U.S.
President Barack Obama announces he plans to send another 17,000 U.S. troops.
Karzai says Afghanistan turning a new page in relations with United States
May
- U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates replaces commander of U.S. forces with
Gen Stanley McChrystal, saying the battle against the Taliban needs "new
thinking"
July
- U.S. army launches major offensive against Taliban in Helmand province
Taliban
call on Afghans to boycott presidential and provincial elections
Aug
- Elections marred by widespread Taliban attacks, low turnout and claims of
serious fraud
Oct
- Electoral Complaints Commission declares tens of thousands of votes invalid
and calls for a run-off election
Nov
- Run-off presidential vote cancelled after Karzai's remaining challenger
Abdullah Abdullah pulls out saying the vote cannot be free and fair. Karzai
declared president for a second term
Dec
- Obama decides to raise troop numbers to 100,000 and says will begin
withdrawing forces by 2011
2010
Feb
- Taliban reject Karzai's invitation to a peace council
NATO-led
forces launch Operation Moshtarak to try and secure Helmand province
Karzai
takes control of the U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission, which helped
expose massive fraud in October presidential election
Jul
- International agreement to transfer control of security from foreign to
Afghan forces by 2014. General David Petraeus takes command of U.S. forces
Aug
- Independent Election Commission says over 900 polling centres will be closed
due to security fears during Sep. parliamentary elections
United
States says Karzai ban on all foreign private security firms may affect aid and
development work
United
Nations says civilian casualties up by 31 percent since 2009, with Taliban
responsible for 76 percent of deaths
Unidentified
gunmen kill 10 aid workers, including 8 foreigners, in Badakshshan province
Sep
- Parliamentary elections pass off relatively smoothly despite a Taliban threat
to disrupt the poll
Nov
- NATO agrees plan to hand control of security to Afghan forces by 2014-end
Dec
- Final election results announced
2011
Mar
- The number of civilians killed by fighting rose 15 percent in 2010, compared
with 2009, United Nations says. A total of 2,777 civilians were killed during
2010, 75 percent of them by Taliban
Apr
- Violent protests break out against Koran burning in a U.S. church. At least
seven foreign U.N. workers are killed when protesters storm the U.N. compound
in Mazar-e Sharif
May
- Bin Laden shot dead by U.S. special forces near Pakistan's main military
academy in the northwestern garrison town of Abbottabad
Taliban
launch “spring offensive”
Jun
- U.S. President Obama announces 10,000 U.S. troops to leave during 2011, and
another 23,000 by Sep. 2012
U.S.
says it is participating in Afghan Peace Council talks with Taliban
268
civilians reported killed in May, highest monthly toll since 2007
Jul
- Senior government officials assassinated, including Karzai's half-brother who
was governor of Kandahar
ISAF forces hand over security of seven
regions to Afghan troops
United
Nations says 1,462 civilians killed by conflict during first half of 2011, a
rise of 15 percent from the same period in 2010 and the highest since 2001
General
John Allen replaces General David Petraeus as head of ISAF, U.S. forces
Sep
- Militants carry out major attack on U.S. embassy and NATO headquarters in
Kabul, killing 27 people. Officials blame Taliban-linked Haqqani Network, and
U.S. top military commander accuses Pakistan of backing attack
Human
Rights Watch report says Afghan militias and police are committing serious
abuses
Oct
- India and Afghanistan sign strategic partnership
Bomb
near U.N. housing and assault on NGO offices in Kandahar kill at least five
people
U.N.
report is released, detailing torture of detainees by Afghan security officials
Karzai
says the government is to abandon peace talks with Taliban and focus on
dialogue with Pakistan
Nov
- Hundreds of political elite attending a loya jirga traditional assembly
endorse Karzai's bid to negotiate a 10-year military partnership with the
United States
Dec
- Pakistani Sunni militants Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claim responsibility for attacks
on Shia holy day Ashura, killing more than 80 people and injuring at least 100
Pakistan
boycotts Bonn conference on Afghanistan
2012
Jan
- A leaked NATO report says the Taliban, with Pakistan support, is poised to
retake control after NATO withdrawal
Taliban
said had opened an office in Qatar as part of confidence building measures
agreed on with U.S. and German govts
Feb
- Reports of NATO troops burning copies of Koran trigger violent country-wide
protests
NATO, UK and France recall civilian staff from
ministries after two senior U.S. military officers killed in Afghan Interior
Ministry. Taliban claim responsibility
United
Nations says the civilian death toll rose in 2011 to 3,021
Mar
- U.S. soldier Robert Bales shoots 17 villagers including 9 children in
Kandahar’s Panjawi district.
Taliban
break off prisoner exchange talks with U.S.
Apr
- U.S. and Afghanistan agree a strategic partnership deal
Taliban
launches a multi-city “spring offensive” in Kabul, Nangahar, Logar and Paktika
provinces
Pakistan,
Afghanistan and United States discuss reviving peace talks
May
- NATO summit says 2014 withdrawal of troops “irreversible”
ISAF
announces al-Qaeda second-in-command killed in Kunar province
Arsala
Rahmani, a former Taliban minister and key member of the High Peace Council, is
killed in Kabul. The Taliban deny responsibility
Jul
- Tokyo donor conference pledges $16 billion in aid, and promises to channel
more aid through the Afghan government if Afghanistan does more to tackle
corruption
Aug
- U.S. military discipline six soldiers for inadvertently burning copies of the
Koran in February
2013
Mar
- Two former Kabul Bank chiefs are jailed for a massive fraud that nearly led
to the collapse of the entire Afghan banking system in 2010
Jun
- NATO forces hand over command of all military and security operations to
Afghan army
Aug
- Robert Bales is jailed for life for massacring unarmed villagers in March
2012
---------------------------
Waging
Peace: Canada in Afghanistan FULL DOCUMENTARY
Published
on Dec 29, 2012
Canada's
Only Independently funded and filmed documentary on our mission in Afghanistan.
http://www.wagingpeacefilm.com
Follows
Canadian Richard Fitoussi on a personal quest into the fiercest parts of
Afghanistan's war-torn southern frontier to learn why Canadian soldiers are
dying in a mission that has sparked more controversy than any other military
intervention in Canadian history.
Embedded
with the Canadian military alongside established war correspondents. Fitoussi
sees for himself what is at stake for the Afghan people and the Canadians who
serve in our name.
As
his journey unfolds, Fitoussi is faced with the realites of modern day
peacekeeping, and tries to distinguish between the reality on the ground and
the rhetoric of the U.S. led "war on terror". In the end he witnesses
the ultimate sacrifice of young Canadians in a journey that nearly costs him
his life.
COMMENT:
I
agree, I believe that Canadians are indeed the better basic soldiers and are
more resourceful than our soldiers. I just meant that the USA's military has
more resources and a larger budget to allow for more types of training.
Generally
though, when comparing Canadian and American soldiers, the Canadian soldiers
tend to operate better than ours.
Also,
there is a large amount of military cooperation between the? US and Canada too,
so we're designed to be interoperable with each other anyways. :)
------------------
In
Honour of Our Canadian men and women who serve/d- land, sea, air- Military,
Militia, Reservists and Rangers..... thank u.... WHEN I FIND MYSELF IN TIMES OF
TROUBLE- MOTHER MARY COMES 2 ME...SPEAKING WORDS OF WISDOM...LET IT BE....
----------------
2013
CANADA- AFGHANISTAN- Travelling memorial honours the fallen
2013
CANADA- AFGHANISTAN- Travelling memorial honours the fallen… honour, dignity,
respect and most of all thanks and prayers
The
Memorial Vigil
The
Memorial Vigil
One
of the ways the DND/CAF are commemorating the service of Canadian personnel is
through an Afghanistan Memorial Vigil. The Memorial Vigil contains 190 plaques
representing 201 fallen: 158 CAF members, one Canadian diplomat, one Canadian
civilian contractor, one Canadian journalist and 40 United States Armed Forces
members who were under Canadian command.
As
of 9 July, the Vigil is open to the public in the Hall of Honour on Parliament
Hill. It will remain there throughout the summer until, at a later date, it
will travel across Canada to a variety of cities and Canadian Forces Bases to
ensure all families of our fallen and Canadians have the opportunity to view
it.
With
approximately 900 CAF members currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of
Operation ATTENTION, important contributions continue to be made. The Vigil
commemorates the hard work, dedication and sacrifice of CAF members during Canada’s
mission in Afghanistan, and recognizes the support of military families,
friends, and all Canadians.
By
the end of Canada’s current training mission in Afghanistan in March 2014, the
CAF will have been in Afghanistan about the same length of time as the First
World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War combined. Once the last CAF
troops have come home, the Government of Canada, including the DND/CAF, will
take additional steps to recognize and commemorate all of the work and
sacrifices Canadians have made in Afghanistan.
CANADA
The
Trews - Highway of Heroes
"Highway
of Heroes", was co-written and co-produced by The Trews and Gordie Johnson
(Big Sugar) and was inspired by the 2006 death of Captain Nichola Goddard from
The Trews' hometown of Antigonish, NS. Canada's Highway of Heroes, is the
section of the MacDonald-Cartier freeway named to honour those who have
sacrificed all in service of country.
You
can purchase "Highway of Heroes" world-wide exclusively via iTunes. http://bit.ly/dbVi6d
Net
proceeds from sales will benefit the Canadian Hero Fund ( http://www.herofund.ca
), an organization that assists the families of Canadian military personnel
through academic scholarships.
The
video was directed by Tim Martin
---------------
Heaven
was needing a hero (Hommage Canadien 2012 Canadian Tribute)-Jo Dee Messina
-------------------
Music
Video of Canadian Heroes - One and All- God is watching.... each and all and
holding u close to Him- WATCH THE CHILDREN- can't stop crying
Music
video of "Canadian Heroes", written for the Canadian Forces Troops.
Check out: www.canadianheroes.com
This new song for the Canadian Troops is amazing!!
------------------
with
love
UK,
US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand -All Nato- Brothers in Arms
Published
on Jun 24, 2012
Putting
a side politics and hatrid, like it or not, we are brothers. Until you have
served for you country along side you allies, I guess you truly don't know what
it means to have your allies aside you. Fighting, for your freedom.
----------------
UN
PEACEKEEPING MISSIONS- $$$$6 BILLION A
YEAR
Yet,
there is very little anti-corruption guidance on offer to peacekeepers. There
is no U.N. peacekeeping policy specifically focused on corruption.
This
has alarming implications for the success of missions and for the rights and
security of civilians that peacekeeping forces are deployed to protect.
There
is a sense among peacekeeping and foreign policy professionals that because corruption
is difficult, it is better to adapt and to cope with it, rather than to
recognise it more formally and address it. There are many cases in which
turning a blind eye to corrupt practices has threatened the success of a
mission.
Corruption
and peacekeeping: Getting it right
Source:
Thu, 3 Oct 2013 03:27 PM
Author:
Hiruy Gossaye
------------------
POSTED/POSTED
CANADA
MILITARY NEWS: Sep3-SOCHI Baby!/Oh Justin/COMIC GENIUS BOYS OF SUMMER 2013-
Robin, Jeff the Fox, John Cleese, Stephen Fry, Charlie Daniels- real world
truths/Syria/Bully links
posted/posted/posted/
CANADA: Pg6Jun24- Jeff Foxworthy-USA- a
country founded by geniuses n run by idiots/ROBIN WILLIAMS PEACE PLAN FOLKS/Why
Country fans r the best- Jeff Foxworthy
-------------------------
JEFF
FOXWORTHY AND ROBIN WILLIAMS, JOHN CLEESE, CHARLIE DANIELS AND STEPHEN FRY-
WORLD PEACE- LET'S GIT US SOME
A
Country Founded by Geniuses but Run by Idiots
Attributed
to Jeff Foxworthy:
If
you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for
entering and remaining in the country illegally — you might live in a nation
that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or to take an
aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion — you might live in a nation that
was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
you MUST show your identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy
liquor, or check out a library book and rent a video, but not to vote for who
runs the government — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses
but is run by idiots.
If
the government wants to prevent stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun
magazines that hold more than ten rounds, but gives twenty F-16 fighter jets to
the crazy new leaders in Egypt — you might live in a nation that was founded by
geniuses but is run by idiots.
If,
in the nation’s largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not one 24-ounce
soda, because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat — you might live
in a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
an 80-year-old woman or a three-year-old girl who is confined to a wheelchair
can be strip-searched by the TSA at the airport, but a woman in a burka or a
hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched — you might live in
a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of
debt is to spend trillions more — you might live in a nation that was founded
by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
a seven-year-old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is
“cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is
perfectly acceptable — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses
but is run by idiots.
If
hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government regulation
and intrusion, while not working is rewarded with Food Stamps, WIC checks,
Medicaid benefits, subsidized housing, and free cell phones — you might live in
a nation that was founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
If
the government’s plan for getting people back to work is to provide incentives for
not working, by granting 99 weeks of unemployment checks, without any
requirement to prove that gainful employment was diligently sought, but
couldn’t be found — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but
is run by idiots.
If
you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big-screen TV,
while your neighbor buys iPhones, time shares, a wall-sized do-it-all plasma
screen TV and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults
on his mortgage — you might live in a nation that was founded by geniuses but
is run by idiots.
If
being stripped of your Constitutional right to defend yourself makes you more
“safe” according to the government — you might live in a nation that was
founded by geniuses but is run by idiots.
What
a country!
How
about we give God a reason to continue blessing America!
COMMENT:'
Status
Update By Mark Wills
This
pretty well sums it up.
AND...
AND....
ROBIN WILLIAMS PEACE PLAN
You
gotta love Robin Williams……..Even if he’s nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to
come up with the perfect plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to
stand up and repeat this message.
Robin
Williams’ plan…(Hard to argue with this logic!)
Robin
Williams, wearing a shirt that says 'I love New York ' in Arabic.
ROBIN
WILLLIANS MADE THIS SPEECH IN NEW YORK .
The
PEACE Plan!
Robin
Williams, wearing a shirt that says 'I love New York ' in Arabic.
Robin
Williams' plan...(Hard to argue with this logic!)
"I
see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for peace.
So, here's one plan":
1)
'The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will apologize to the world for our
'interference' in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler,
Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those
'good 'ole' boys', we will never 'interfere' again.
2)
We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting withGermany ,
South Korea , the Middle East, and the Philippines . They don't want us there.
We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes
in the fence.
3)
All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll
give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and
deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are from. They're
illegal!!! France will welcome them.
4)
All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless
given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in.
If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum
would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11
cashiers.
5)
No foreign 'students' over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they
don't att end classes, they get a 'D' and it's back home baby.
6)
The US, UK , CANADA and AUSTRALIA will make a strong effort to become
self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing non-polluting sources
of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan
wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while.
7)
Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their
oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to
sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites
would be enough.)
8)
If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not
'interfere..' They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or
whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the
army.. The people who need it most get very little, if anything.
9)
Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the
spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good
homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens.
10)
All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us
'Ugly Americans' any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or
LEAVE. Now, isn't that a winner of a plan?
The
Statue of Liberty is no longer saying 'Give me your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses.' She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, 'you want a piece
of me?' '
If
you agree with the above, Share or forward it to friends...If not, well I would
be amazed if you DELETED it!!
AND...
JEFF
FOXWORTHY STEPPED UP 4 GLOBAL COUNTRY MUSIC FANS... AND SHOWED... WHY COUNTRY
MUSIC IS THE PURE, RAW, REAL AND RIGHTEOUS MUSIC OF THIS WORLD...
...
AND IS TRULY MADE IN AMERICA BABY!- our
troops, our kids, our country- it matters
Jeff
Foxworthy CMT Speech -2007
AND..
Dear
John Reding... u got this sooo right.... John Cleese is the Robin Williams and
Jeff Foxworthy of reality bites HARD...... u speak 4 everyday folks so weary
and just wanting 'a bloody decent life on a planet we are here 4 such a short
time on'... PERIOD. Thanks Mr. Cleese
and Stephen Fry and Robin Williams and Jeff Foxworthy- u rock our worlds and
make the planet smile on an otherwise quite shitty day..... and times.... God
bless our Nato troops - the sons and daughters we love and are so sick of being
placed un-necessarily in harm's way by THE DESPOTS AND THIEVES CALLED UNITED
NATIONS- who are SUPPOSED 2 BE THE SAVIOURS OF THIS PLANET.... imho... oh
yes... and have a great day... from Old Momma Nova
John
Cleese has it about right:
"The English are feeling the pinch in
relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security
level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security
levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit
Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz
in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized
from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the
British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when
threatened by the Spanish Armada.
The Scots have raised their threat level from
"Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have
any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of
the British army for the last 300 years.
The French government announced yesterday that
it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide."
The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and
"Surrender." The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that
destroyed France 's white flag factory, effectively paralysing the country's
military capability.
Italy has increased the alert level from
"Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military
Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat
Operations" and "Change Sides."
The Germans have increased their alert state
from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing
Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a
Neighbour" and "Lose."
Belgians, on the other hand, are all on
holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of
Brussels.
The Spanish are all excited to see their new
submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms
so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.
Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security
level from "No worries" to "She'll be alright, Mate." Two
more escalation levels remain: "Crikey! I think we'll need to cancel the
barbie this weekend!" and "The barbie is cancelled." So far no
situation has ever warranted use of the last final escalation level.
-- John Cleese - British writer, actor and
tall person.
AND...
CHARLIE
DANIELS
Let
The Muslim Nations Solve The Muslim Problems of Syria, et. al.
Posted
on May 2013
Has
President Obama painted himself into a corner with his penchant for drawing red
lines? Cartoonist A.F.Branco thinks so.
He made this post at Legal Insurrection:
Why
would leader of the world’s super power ever want to tell a potential enemy
what its red line is, is a mystery to me.
But, we won’t go into that today.
The
neo-cons have been busy beating their war drums demanding that the President
stand behind his word to go to war if chemical weapons were used in the Syrian
conflict. Besides the fact the intel on whether chemical weapons were used or
not is less than perfectly clear, is that the measure by which we noble
Americans are to spill our blood and spend our treasure? Let’s save this
discussion for another day, also.
So
far President Obama has not accepted that his “red line” has been crossed. He
is under a lot of pressure from neo-cons on both sides of the big pond, as well
as, from the Saudis and others in the region. He is keeping his options open
according to this CNS report:
“There
are options that are available to me that are on the shelf right now that we
have not deployed,” he told reporters packed into the White House briefing
room.
There
is no doubt that Obama wants to see the Assad regime fall. So, he is probably
considering enforcing a no-fly zone over Syria or maybe a missile attack to
destroy the store of chemical weapons, assuming we know for sure where they
are. But, here is a question. Why do we want to Assad? Do we know that what
would come next would be any better? What comes next could be even worse. And,
by the way, isn’t Assad fighting jihadists? Aren’t jihadist are enemies? And,
what makes us think that the fighting will stop and peace will prevail if Assad
is gone? This is not Libya or Egypt. The fighting for power between the
different forces will continue, in my opinion. And, I predict it will spread to
Jordan and Iraq.
Silvio
Canto, Jr. says: The problem with Syria is that there ar no good options.
1)
Do nothing is not an option. You can’t
sit back and let someone drop chemical bombs on innocent people. We did that with Saddam Hussein and it just
emboldened him to invade Kuwait and get very reckless.
Also,
doing nothing sends a signal to Israel about what we could do in Iran, another
one of those problems headed in President Obama’s direction. Doing nothing will also throw Jordan into
turmoil.
2)
Go to the UN. Well, how did that work with Iraq? How much help are we getting from allies in
Afghanistan? Unfortunately, President
Obama will find out what President Bush and Clinton found out about the UN. The
UN is really good about making anti-American statements but it is not very
helpful with any of the world’s serious problems, like Syria today, Iraq and
Sudan in the past.
3)
Call on the Europeans to help. Good luck with that. The Europeans are too busy with their
unemployment and collapsing welfare states.
Furthermore, their militaries are inadequate anyway. We saw that in Libya that NATO can not put 2
jets in the air without US assistance.
4)
Send US troops. The US public won’t go for that. Furthermore, President Obama has not prepared
the public. He has not even explained Afghanistan and we have 60,000 troops
there!
There
are no pretty options but something must be done.
Your
humble observer here at Asylum Watch does not agree that doing nothing is not
an option. When it is all boiled down, this is a Muslim problem and should be
dealt with by the Muslim nations in the region. We will not win any friends by
getting involved. It is time to recognize that the Arab Spring has evolved into
a Sunni -Shi’a war. This is their war not ours! Let them fight it out. In fifty
or hundred years we will see if we can then deal with whoever is still
standing.
But,
what about the oil? How would we and the world survive without Middle East oil?
Will
we never grow tired of spilling our blood for oil while the owners of the
military-industrial complex get richer and richer? Times have changed. We can
learn to survive without Middle East oil. With shale oil and shale gas and
converting a large percentage of cars and trucks to operate on natural gas, it
can and should be done.
Well,
that’s what I’m thinking. What are your thoughts?
COMMENT:
Little
by little the region is going to turn even more chaotic. The West can not solve
the Sunni Shi’a conflict.
COMMENT:
I
have posted, Egypt is now restarting its nuclear program. Yet there is no
discussion. Blasting out Iran nuclear capacity is removed from the Syrian
issue. Once we stop playing world cop other nations will learn to take care of
things or perish. It has been the story of history. I am not an isolationist
but am becoming a realist IMHO.
--------------------------------
COMMENT:
Am
so glad that the world's peoples are stepping up - along with politicians 2 say
enough... no more Nato troops dying and wounded and weary fighting for human
dignity, human decency and basic freedoms-in the hard parts of the world have
not changed in the last 20 years..... it's time 2 disband the despots and
thieves of United Nations like we did with League of Nations when they became
the same monsters instead of saviours... have 2 agree.... our Nato troops
matter... the well being of our own nations- MATTER... imho... our consciences
need 2 move away from trying 2 save the parts of the world that JUST CAN'T BE
SAVED- especially when they won't and don't help themselves.... we are weary...
and yet... joyful that even the hard politicians are stepping way from 'ME
POWER' and putting the people first... it's time.... and am glad that Obama has
shaken the world- because he is truly a good and decent man..... as are all the
women and men of so many global nations.... hugs and love- old momma nova
Rep.
Alan Grayson “We Are NOT The World’s Policemen! Nor The World’s Judge, Jury,
And Executioner!”
Let’s
not police the world!
Representative
Alan Grayson weighed in on the crisis in Syria and the upcoming draft
resolution that would authorize the president to order a military strike.
French President Hollande has committed to action if the United States goes to
war, despite the UK parliament backing out of any planned hostilities. The
debate in congress will likely be fractured, considering how the antiwar voices
in congress have been gaining in strength in recent years. President Barack
Obama reportedly fears a vote due to a rising tide of voices opposed to big
government spying and war mongering. A war-weary public has exerted tremendous
pressure against engaging in another conflict with no objective. Polls show an
American public is increasingly opposed to intervention, even in light of the
use of chemical weapons.
Congress
is poised to possibly vote on the resolution the weekend of the 9th, with hearings
on the foreign relations committee beginning Tuesday, September 3rd.
Representative Grayson appeared on MSNBC to offer his opinion on the
intervention in the Syrian Civil War. Grayson rationalizes that attacking Syria
won’t take away their ability to make another attack in the future and it would
be a waste of American lives and treasure.
--------------------------
u
go Stephen Fry- just love u- ur books are awesome and so is your writing and
acting
that's the whole point- the monsters
slithering their Islam roots under Allah and Mohammed's beautiful Faith... r
truly destroying all that is beautiful about the Islamic Faith and Muslims
around the world.... enough is enough.... we are Muslimed out.... weary of the
Islamic cesspool of butchering innocent Muslims, Christians and all of
humanity... imho
Stephen
Fry hits back at accusations of Islamophobia
Stephen
Fry has spoken of his frustration at being labelled an "Islamophobe"
for criticising the violent acts committed by some Islamists
In
on online exchange last week, Fry said Prof Dawkins was justified in singling
out Islam for more criticism than other religions, tweeting: "Wonder why.
Oh, have a look around the world and see them slaughtering each other, let
alone others. So charming to women too …"
Katie Grant
Author Biography Sunday 01 September 2013
-----------------------
Leave
it to a country song man- real, raw and righteous... BEST COMMENT: I vote for
going to war with Syria only after the budget is balanced. How's that for
kicking the can down the road, actually, I think I sent it into orbit!
cause folks- $$$ global ruination is here....
and it's all about the economy and healing our own nations... God bless u
Charlie... and thanks... from an old Canadian momma
CHARLIE
DANIELS
A
Citizen's Take on Syria - Soapbox 09/02/13
In my soon to be 77 years as a citizen of the
United States of America, having lived through Japan's sneak attack on Pearl
Harbor, the dark days of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Watergate, 9/11 and all the
other serious and profound events our beloved nation has been involved in over
the last three quarters of a century, I have to say with all sincerity that I
have never seen a president as confused, befuddled, impotent, insincere and as
out of his depth as Barack Obama has become in dealing with the Syrian issue.
When you're the leader of the free world, you
don't make statements you can't back up and you don't draw lines in the sand,
watch your enemies cross them with impunity and go off and play a round of
golf.
Obama painted himself and the nation into a
corner with his “red line” statement and I truly believe he thought he would
have unilateral international and domestic support only to find himself
standing alone in the spotlight with egg on his face and a ticking political
time bomb in his hand.
I don't believe he ever had any intention of
going through Congress and only decided to do so when he was left without the
support of traditional allies and the disdain of a war weary American public
who have begun to feel that America cannot be the international police force
who has to bear the brunt of every catastrophe.
I think Obama is taking the vote for military
authorization to Congress to bail himself out, to buy some time, somebody to
share the blame if all goes wrong. Obama had already positioned war ships. All
that was left to do was give the order to fire the missiles and at the 11th
hour, after being rejected by the British parliament and put off by the French,
he started having second thoughts and reached for the life preserver.
I, for one, am glad that Obama - for whatever
reason - political expediency notwithstanding, did not facilitate the missile
attack as it would have been largely symbolic and cosmetic and as he had given
Assad enough warning to move the weapons out of harms way would have done
little if anything to rid the world of chemical weapons.
It's not that I think nothing should be done
about weapons of mass destruction no matter where they're used in the world,
but I believe it's not just the responsibility of the United States to enforce
international law. If the civilized nations of the world shirk this duty, why
should they think America should take on the job by itself?
America has done enough "sending
signals", symbolic gestures, getting involved in situations that don't
threaten our national interests or that of our allies.
America's leaders should guard their tongues
well and not issue spur of the moment reactions and empty threats. Our bite
should be a lot worse than our bark and a presidential warning should be a dire
and solemn caution, issued only once and followed up with swift and decisive
action, not some half-baked puff of bravado that nobody really takes seriously.
What little bit of credibility America had in
the Middle East just went out the window Friday afternoon, as a president who
let his ego overload his common sense backed down from a tin horned dictator of
a third world country, or at least that's how it's viewed in that part of the
world.
The mettle of a president and the people he
surrounds himself with is not proven until push comes to shove. This nation has
entered a new phase in the war on terror and our relativity in the rest of the
world and the road is going to be long, rocky and dangerous.
It remains to be seen how this embarrassing
situation will play out. Will the president seek the council of the more experienced
advice available to him in Congress? Or, will he remain defiant and continue to
go it alone.
You've cost America a great deal this past
week, Mr. President.
How much more can we take?
What do you think?
Pray for our troops and the peace of
Jerusalem.
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
---------------------------
world
is changing- If your a basically good and decent person who happens 2 be gay... who am I 2 judge?
Pope
Francis reaches out to gays in welcome gesture: Editorial
Pope
Francis’ openness toward gays should encourage Catholic bishops, clerics and
believers to be more welcoming toward gays and speak up against homophobia
around the world.
In
big ways and small, Pope Francis is reminding the world’s 1.2 billion Roman
Catholics that the faith they profess calls them to love God and serve each
other, before judging others. This is a Vicar of Christ who bluntly prodded
Brazil’s bishops to get out of their comfy palaces and preach the gospel to the
slums. Who has washed the feet of criminals. Fed the homeless. Shunned the
ornate papal apartments. And who carries his own luggage.
Now
he is signalling that the church on his watch isn’t in the business of
marginalizing and demonizing people for their sexuality. After urging 3 million
Brazilians and pilgrims on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro to spread the
gospel to “the fringes of society,” Francis practiced what he preached by
reaching out to gays during a media scrum on his flight back from his first
papal trip.
“If
someone is gay, and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to
judge?” Francis said, replying to a question about gay priests in the Vatican.
“The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they
should not be marginalized because of this but that they must be integrated
into society.”
-------------------
Canada
eh? :-) Hey- we don't care who u marry
as long as U BOTH LOVE HOCKEY :-) Pope
Francis SAYS VERY CLEARLY- “If someone
is gay, and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”
Francis said, replying to a question about gay priests in the Vatican. “The
Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this very well. It says they should
not be marginalized because of this but that they must be integrated into
society.”
God gets even and makes the world laugh and hug our troops closer... dying and wounded and serving your nation- do u really think the enemy gives a sheeeeet? .... and your Comrades in Arms - fighting 4 simple freedom 4 millions and millions of throwaway folks that the 'rich' part of the world does not care about?
and
Canada since 1969- has had laws in place becoming gender illiterate, colour blind and 99% of Canadians live by this and, as a new nation, manage 2 hug 2 official languages, 200 cultures... and 4 kids, disabled, aged, equality ... it matters...
and
Church
sign attacking homophobia goes viral
Pro-gay
signboard photo has
attracted
over one million online views
Nick Renaud-Komiya Friday 30 August 2013
A
church in Canada has found a novel way to spread its message of tolerance
towards gay people and the results have gone viral
-------------------
IT'S TIME WE STEP AWAY FROM UNITED NATIONS MESS- LIKE WE DID IN 1945 WITH
LEAGUE OF NATIONS AND CREATE A GLOBAL ORGANIZATION THAT HELPS HUMANITY- WOMEN,
CHILDREN AND DEVELOPING WORLD.... UNITED NATIONS WAS FORMED OFF THE ASHES OF
THE JEWISH HOLOCAUST AND LEAGUE OF NATIONS MESS 1945
LET'S
HELP THOSE WHO WANT HELP.... THE ONLY DECENT THING ABOUT UNITED NATIONS GREED,
DESPOTS, THEIVES (MONEY AND STEALING OVER HUMANS DAILY LIVES AND WELL BEING AND
PRESERVING THEIR LIFE AND EDCUATION-) IS
NATO TROOPS...IMHO
BEST
QUOTES: ON
MUSLIM COUNTRIES-
QUOTE
1
Yes. Some Muslims want us there. However a
majority do not. Until they step up and really want democracy and to live by
other rules and laws than what is in the Koran it will not change and it is all
a waste. Many people in the world do not like our constitution. Would you like
it if they thought there way was better and tried to force it upon us?
AND..
QUOTE
2
THERE
IS A FUNDAMENTAL FLAW IN ISLAM AND IT IS THIS:
UNLIKE
THE OTHER MAJOR RELIGONS OF THE WORLD, ISLAM CAN FIND NO PLACE FOR ITSELF IN
THE MODERN WORLD.
IT IS HIDEBOUND, BENT ON TURNING BACK A CLOCK
THT CANNOT BE TAMPERED WITH.
NO MATTER HOW MANY INFIDELS WE KILL- NO
MATTER HOW MANY TERRORIST ATTACKS WE LAUNCH- WE CANNOT RETURN THE WORLD TO THE
WAY IT WAS CENTURIES AGO.
WE
CANNOT DESTROY MODERN CULTURE ANY MORE THAN WE CAN DESTROY TIME- TO CONTINUE TO DO SO IS 2 BECOME DON QUIXOTE
TILTING AT WESTERN WINDMILLS.
DEFEAT
AND MADNESS ARE THE ONLY POSSIBLE RESULTS.
THE SAD REALITY IS FANATICS CANNOT COPE WITH
REALITY.... THEY RETREAT 2 THEIR MOUNTAIN LAIRS; WHILST ENSURING THEIR OWN
CHILDREN HAVE THE BEST OF THE WESTERN WORLD CULTURE AND EDUCATION, AND STRIKE OUT AT EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING
THAT HAD CAST THEM OUT...
CANADA:
Pg5Jun24-5- DISGRACEFULL American politicos n UN refried despots and thieves
side with Pakistan n Afghan Muslim NEWAGENAZI BUTCHERS- destroying all Nato
troop incredible work on the ground of r Afghanistan
AND..
BULLYING
The
Australian Chief of Army Has A Badass Message For Sexist Bullies-GET OUT
CANADA:
Pg5Jun24-5- DISGRACEFULL American politicos n UN refried despots and thieves
side with Pakistan n Afghan Muslim NEWAGENAZI BUTCHERS- destroying all Nato
troop incredible work on the ground of r Afghanistan
---------------------------
CANADA:
Pg5Jun25- DISGRACEFULL American politicos n UN refried despots and thieves side
with Pakistan n Afghan Muslim NEWAGENAZI BUTCHERS- destroying all Nato troop
incredible work on the ground of r Afghanistan-Lord Jesus, Mother Mary and
Joseph- ? wld we let anymore Nato troops battle 4 basic freedoms?
Disgraceful-
America politicos and UN refried despots and thieves r joining with Pakistan
and Afghan NewAgeNazi Muslim Butchers..... to destory all the incredible work
we have achieved with our boots on the ground..... hell's a waitin boys...
hell's a waitin....along with Wesboro Baptist Church who hates troops and gays
and coloureds... and those who deface our Military monuments and treasures of
our Nations....
...
our beloved Nato kids left out on their own hung in nowwhereland again!!!! and
our beloved Aghan sons and daughter troops and pollice- this is ugly-
...
how can Kerry and Obama kiss up to NewAgeNazi Muslim Taliban (whatev-a) on same
day that 4 American troops were landmined deliberately 2 death???
for
all the Nato children who died- 4 Afghanistan's freedom- boots 2 the ground-
THE REAL LIVE HEROES OF AFGHANISTAN ALONGSIDE AFTHAN COMRADES IN ARMS-
ANA-Military and Afghan Policing...2day- 4 Corporal Cameron Baird of Aussieland
The
Last Post & Reveille-Australia and New Zealand
<iframe
width="420" height="315"
src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tAM3tU6WEY8"
frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
--------------------
STUFF
THAT MATTERS.... because when every day becomes International Women's Day and
Gays (Canad has laws since way back in 1969- and WE'RE A BRAND NEW COUNTRY
FOLKS) disabled, aged... and children are valued and considered worthy of
saving....the world will truly have no war.... just development, education and
empowerment.... imho...
Global
survey on family, gays, won't change doctrine -Vatican
Source:
Reuters - Tue, 5 Nov 2013 03:42 PM
*
Survey circulated before synod on family in October 2014
*
Questions tackle issues that were once taboo
*
No desire to reopen doctrinal debate -Vatican official
By
Philip Pullella
VATICAN
CITY, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Catholics should not expect quick changes in Church
rules against divorce, contraception and gay marriage even if most of them
express dissenting views in a global survey, Vatican officials said on Tuesday.
The
Vatican has sent a 39-question survey to dioceses around the world before an
extraordinary meeting of bishops, known as a synod, on the theme of the family,
scheduled for October 2014.
For
the first time in preparation for such a meeting, the Vatican has asked bishops
to share the survey widely with parish priests and for them to seek the views
of their parishioners.
The
questions touch on themes such as homosexual marriage, artificial birth control
and how Catholics who have divorced and re-married should be treated in the 1.2
billion-member Church.
"We
don't have a desire to re-open all the discussion on Catholic doctrine,"
the synod's Hungarian coordinator, Cardinal Peter Erdo, told a news conference
called to present the survey.
"It
is not a question of public opinion," he said, adding that the synod would
discuss how to find solutions to difficult pastoral situations "within the
doctrine that we already have".
The
questionnaire, however, tackles once-taboo issues such as how to include
adopted children of gay couples in the Church.
It
also has sections on "unions of persons of the same sex", "the
education of children in irregular marriages" and "the openness of
the married couple to life".
A
leaked copy of the survey was published last week by the National Catholic
Reporter in the United States, touching off speculation on whether it could
lead to changes in Church rules.
POPE
HAS ULTIMATE DECISION
But
Vatican officials made clear that change, if any, would come slowly and that it
would be for Pope Francis to decide what to do with the survey results and the
synod's deliberations.
"The
synod does not make decisions based on the majority of public opinion. That is
not how it works," Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte, who will be the synod's
secretary-general, said.
Nevertheless,
it would be a mistake for the synod to ignore the results if "a large part
of public opinion feels a certain way", he said. "We will have to
reflect, pray and (the pope) will shed light on it."
Popes
traditionally use the findings of synods, which are held at the Vatican, to
write their own documents, or apostolic exhortations, on a given subject, in
this case the family.
The
Church teaches that homosexuals should be treated with respect but does not
approve of gay marriage. It says homosexual tendencies are not sinful but
homosexual acts are.
Without
indicating any change in these teachings, Francis has said the Church should be
more merciful toward gays and less judgmental, especially if they are
"persons of good will and searching for God".
The
survey's questions on gay marriages asks about the local church's attitude
towards "people who have chosen to live in these types of union" and
towards governments that allow it.
The
questions show a concern for how better to prepare young people for marriage,
the effectiveness of natural birth control methods, and how to support the
"journey of faith" of divorced and remarried people who are excluded
from the sacraments. (Editing by Alistair Lyon)
--------------------
Human
trafficking is crime against humanity-Vatican group
Source:
Reuters - Mon, 4 Nov 2013 04:00 PM
Author:
Reuters
By
Philip Pullella
VATICAN
CITY, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Human trafficking is a crime against humanity that
should be recognised as such and punished by international or regional courts,
a Vatican study group said on Monday.
Nearly
30 million people live in slavery across the globe, many of them men, women and
children trafficked by gangs for sex work and unskilled labour, according to a
global slavery index issued last month by the Walk Free Foundation charity.
"International
or regional courts ... should be created because human trafficking in an
international phenomenon that cannot be properly prosecuted and punished at the
national level," said a statement listing 50 recommendations made at a
two-day seminar held at the initiative of Pope Francis on how to combat human
trafficking and slavery.
The
Vatican statement gave no details of the proposal made by the more than 100
experts who attended the seminar.
"The
idea is that it should be something along the lines of European courts that go
beyond borders," Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, the head of the
Pontifical Academy of Sciences, said afterwards in a telephone interview.
The
group, which will give its recommendations to Pope Francis as well as to
organisations fighting human trafficking, also said it should be defined as a
crime against humanity in national and international legislation.
Sanchez
Sorondo said the pope had asked his department and the Vatican's Academy of
Social Sciences to hold the seminar because he was so concerned about human
trafficking.
Sanchez
Sorondo said in a preparatory document for the seminar, which he did not
attend, that some experts believe human trafficking could overtake drugs and
weapons trafficking to become the world's most lucrative criminal activity.
Francis
has made defending the poor and vulnerable a cornerstone of his papacy. He has
made numerous appeals for the protection of refugees.
His
first trip after his election was to Lampedusa, an island half-way between
Sicily and Tunisia where many victims of human trafficking end up, to pay
tribute to those who had died at sea..
More
than 360 mainly Eritrean migrants died drowned in early October when their boat
capsized off Lampedusa. (Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alistair
Lyon)
----------------------
CANADA
CANADA-
MEN STEPPING UP AGAINST ABUSE OF GIRLS-WOMEN- Canada is Manning Up- WHITERIBBON.CA- real men and boys stepping up
2 break the chains of abuse of women all
over the world- empowering men and boys- no more excuses - no more abuses-
pictures videos-Oct 04 2013
Canada
Child Abuse Healing Monument- the quilts- Martin Kruze - We Remember - 2 honour
those who survived horrific child abuse and paedophiles- and those who did
not.... Martin Kruze ("Iwas a Paedophiles dream") little boy who
loved playing hockey at Maple Leaf Gardens- commited suicide 3 days after
horrid 2 year sentence of paedophiles who abused 80 little boys who just loved
hockey..... We remember Martin... here's to the One Billion Rising- around the
world- breaking the chains- no more abuses and - no more damm excuses....
Canada's stepping on up hard...
AND...
HERE'S ANOTHER KIND OF RAPE- Little
Muslim girl children being murdered by evil Muslim Jihaidists simply because
little Muslim girls just want to have the freedom of education that all other
children have globally... GLOBAL GIRL POWER IS RISING FOLKS.... and we just
aren't taking this bullshit and beans anymore.... UNITED NATIONS MUST STOP PROTECTING THEIR
PAEDOPHILE MONSTERS.... cause we're coming.... a billion of us... we're
coming.... girls will be free and go to school and not become food 4
paedophiles and killer freaks with no countries or laws... or honour...imho
British
Islamists to issue fatwa against Malala Yousufzai
4
days ago – “There will be a fatwa issued regarding Malala Yousufzai taking into
account ... hijab and jihad,” said Abu Baraa, a senior member of Shariah4Pakistan.
... is being used as a propaganda tool by the enemies of Muslims to say: 'Look,
... campaigning that had pitted the young girl against one of Pakistan's most
..
AND.....
Canada's
Prime Minister nominates Malala for Nobel Prize
by
Tarek Fatah
Petition
Organizer
Prime
Minister Stephen Harper of Canada nominates Pakistan's Malala Yusufzai for the
2013 Nobel Peace Prize
G.
Stroumboulopoulos
A
petition to nominate Malala Yousafzai for the Nobel Peace Prize has a new
signature. @pmharper signs on.
AND...
GLOBAL
GIRL POWER
Sisters
from Kabul
.
Born
in Kabul, Fazila and Hangama Amari and
their family fled Afghanistan in 1996 with the arrival of the Taliban, going
first to Pakistan, then to Iran, then to Tajikistan, and finally arriving in
Canada in 2005.
Both
sisters are now studying at NSCAD University. But while they’ve adjusted to
life in Canada, they can’t forget the troubled homeland they left behind.
As
an artist, Fazila Amiri’s films look at the consequences for human rights in
Afghanistan and Canada's role there. She is currently developing her first
feature film to be shot in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Born in Kabul in 1988, Fazila is finishing her
undergraduate degree, majoring in film, at NSCAD University. Her first short
film Paaizeb was screened at the 41st Montreal World Film Festival, and Gerreh,
her thesis film, just screened at the Atlantic Film Festival.
Gerreh—a
Persian word for “tying the knot"—will also show next month at the Autumn
Human Rights Film Festival in Kabul and
at Communications Nova Scotia’s Diversity Film Festival at the Art Gallery of
Nova Scotia.
The
16-minute film tells the fictional story of an immigrant Afghan bride who
experiments with democracy in her new multicultural Canadian land. Shot last
winter with a nonprofessional cast, the film was funded by Film Nova Scotia.
“Through
cinema, I can express my experiences, the things I have seen,” says Fazila, 23.
“By making films, it’s helped me to understand what my voice is as an artist.
I’m so grateful for the support and understanding of my professors.”
Filmmaker
Fazila Amiri; Still from her film, Gerreh (left)
Fazila’s
younger sister Hangama, a painter, is also bringing her art before an
audience: the exhibition The Wind-Up
Dolls opened at the Anna Leonowens Gallery on Monday, Sept. 27. It consists of
a series of portraits of six Afghan women, whom she met on a visit to her
native Kabul last year.
“When
you’ve been raised in four countries, you get a bit of conflicted identity,”
explains Hangama, 22. “And I find myself thinking back to where I came from and
what I would be like if I stayed. These women who I met have lived under
oppression and in a male-dominated society ...
I feel as an artist I can bring their stories alive.”
Presented
with the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteerism Medal at the President’s
Convocation on Wednesday, Sept. 21, Hangama says she expresses her appreciation
for her life in Canada by volunteering. But like her sister, she is drawn again
and again to where she comes from.
“Canada
gives me the luxury to focus on my education and to find my voice as an
artist,” she says. “I will always be so grateful for that.”
AND...
NOVA SCOTIA ARTIST- WHO HAUNTS US WITH DIGNITY OF AFGHAN WOMEN- she's awesome..
AND...
GLOBAL GIRL POWER RISING UP....
Confronting
the male gaze
November
16, 2012
.
Opening
night of Passion for Freedom at Unit 24 Gallery in London, England. Hangama
Amiri's painting Raining Stones can be seen next to the window.
From
the glamour of London, England to the tranquility of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia,
Hangama Amiri is excited about where her art is taking her.
Just
graduated from NSCAD University in the spring, the young Canadian uses her art
to speak for the women of her native land, Afghanistan.
“I
see myself as creating activist artwork to challenge and to change and to bring
hope for the women of Afghanistan,” says Hangama, 23, just back from the U.K.
and en route to Lunenburg, where she is one of three NSCAD grads with the
NSCAD-Lunenburg Community Studio Residency Program.
Hangama
was in London to attend the opening of the Passion for Freedom Festival exhibition
at Unit 24 Gallery, next to the Tate Modern. Two of her paintings from the
Wind-up Dolls Series, which debuted at the Anna Leonowens Gallery in the fall
of 2011, were accepted to the prestigious exhibition.
“When
I applied, I got a reply from the curator of the show that same day,” says
Hangama. “I was quite surprised.”
Born
in Kabul, she and her family fled Afghanistan with the arrival of the Taliban
in 1996, making their way to Canada in 2005. The Wind-Up Dolls series was
inspired by a 2010 trip back to the city of her childhood and the women she met
there. The painting Raining Stones shows a naked woman, her head bowed and her
long hair obscuring her face, in the centre of the canvas, as rocks drop down
around her. The painting refers to the fact women accused of committing
adultery are still subject to being publicly stoned in Afghanistan’s tribal
villages.
The
second painting shows a young woman with fire obliterating her eye, holding a
book in one hand and a Burqa in the other.
Despite the flames—the intimidation, the danger—her gaze is fierce and
defiant.
Hangama
Amiri's second painting at the exhibition shows a young girl with fire over her
eye.
“When
the Taliban lost control of the country in 2001 there was great hope for girls,
that they would be able to go to school. But it isn’t safe. So many girls have
had acid thrown into their face.”
Her
work got a lot of attention in London; she was interviewed on the BBC and a
columnist in The Spectator singled out her two paintings for special mention in
his review. “When you look at them, you cannot help but know that the artist
understands the plight of women facing one of the most murderously misogynistic
forces on the planet,” writes Nick Cohen, “and perhaps feel the need to offer
her solidarity overwhelming all other emotions.”
Hangama
was back in Kabul recently, in the company of her sister Fazila, a NSCAD film
grad who was scouting locations for her first feature. The sisters collaborated
on Domes of Secret Desires, a series of six videos. In each sequence, a woman
(Hangama) wearing a blue Burqa would perform such taboo activites as putting on
lipstick, walking in high heels and smoking hookah. “These performances are the
conceptual portraits for women who have been target of moral behavioral codes
imposed on them by men in religiously standardized societies,” explains
Hangama.
As
well, Hangama started work on a series of paintings and projections which will
explore the male gaze in Afghanistan. She plans to build on them once back in
the Lunenburg studio.
“In
today’s Afghan society, Afghan women live in a sexually objectifying
environment; they are harassed and called names and stared at by men,” says
Hangama. “If you walk outside (in Kabul) covered from head to toe, you are
still harassed … there is no way of escaping the male gaze.”
Video still from The Male Gaze project in
development.
CANADA
MILITARY NEWS: Nov25-10yrsstrong-Afghanistan Women standing up/Hangama Amiri
Art/News-news/Freedom is coming/Global Girl Power/P1
AND
HERE IS ANOTHER KIND OF CHILD RAPE-
Muslim Jihadists- raping and stealing the minds of little Muslim girls
who just want the dignity and freedom to go to school...Global Girl Power
Rising...
Two
paintings from the series
“The
Wind-Up Dolls” by AMIRI HAGAMA portrays the contemporary Afghan women whom the
artist
met
upon visit to her home city, Kabul in 2010. ‘These paintings give a social
dimension portraying
the
innermost thought and feelings of contemporary Afghan women.’ – says Hangama Amiri
(Canada).
AFGHANISTAN
SAVIOUR- Girls standing up 4 Girls- GLOBAL GIRL POWER
Hangama
Amiri
The
Wind-Up Dolls of Kabul | 2011
The
Wind-Up Dolls, is a painting series about Afghan women whom the artist met on a
visit back to her homeland Kabul, Afghanistan in the year of 2010. The research
painting project portrays the innermost thoughts, social dimensions, and
psychological insights of six Afghan women in contemporary Afghan society.
------------
4rd
Passion for Freedom Festival 2012
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Censored
works shown for the first time in the City of Freedom -- London.
Passion
for Freedom asked artists to respond to these three questions:
1.
What is freedom?
2.
How easy is it to lose it?
3.
How hard is it to get it back?
The
"Passion For Freedom" Exhibition this year consisted of 40 artists
from 20 countries from all over the world. They came from Canada, USA, Poland,
the Netherlands, Afghanistan, Iran and from all over the UK. Some of the works
have never been shown before due to art galleries fear of consequences. 5 of
the artists exhibited their work under changed names. Although anonymous they
attended the private view but asked photos or videos in which they appear not
to be published.
Freedom
is like air -- you don't see it, you don't appreciate it until you start to
lose it.
facebook.com/passionforfreedom
--------
AND
GLOBAL GIRL POWER- we love r Afghan
girls- they will go to school - Afghan daddies love their little girls too.
AND
GLOBAL GIRL POWER- we love r Afghan
girls- they will go to school - Afghan daddies love their little girls too.
Raining
Stones- Brilliant Artist Depiction- of stoning- Hangama Amiri- Nova Scotia
Canada
GLOBAL
GIRL POWER- F**K The War.... Malalas and Nedas R going to school
heretic
Islamists killing kids who just want 2 go 2 school and get an education....
So
cool- Cartoon- Global Girl Power- WHAT TERRIFIES RELIGIOUS HERETIC
ISLAMEXTREMISTS THE MOST- LIKE THE TALIBAN R NOT NATO TANKS, BOMBS R BULLETS-
... It's a girl with a book- MALALAS AND NEDAS WILL GO 2 SCHOOL
Malala
awarded 2013 Children's Peace Prize
Agence France-Presse
Posted at 08/27/2013 9:54 PM | Updated as of
08/27/2013 9:54 PM
THE HAGUE - Teenage activist Malala Yousafzai,
shot in the head by a Taliban militant last October after campaigning for
girls' right to education, has won the prestigious International Children's
Peace Prize, KidsRights announced Tuesday.
The Pakistani 16-year-old will receive the
award from 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner and women's rights campaigner Tawakkol
Karman at a glittering ceremony in The Hague on September 6, the
Amsterdam-based organisation said.
Malala "risked her life in the fight for
access to education for girls all over the world," KidsRights said in a
statement.
"By awarding the 2013 International
Children's Peace Prize... KidsRights shines the spotlight on a brave and
talented child who has demonstrated special dedication to children's
rights," it added.
The passionate advocate for girls education
was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while on a school bus near her home in
Pakistan's Swat Valley last year.
She was given life-saving treatment in Britain
where she now lives, but the attack galvanised her campaign for greater
educational opportunities for girls.
Malala's brave fight back from her injuries
and her speech at the United Nations in July have made her a leading contender
for this year's Nobel Peace Prize.
But the response to her in Pakistan has been
mixed, with many hailing her as a national heroine while others have criticised
her for promoting a "Western" agenda.
The International Children's Peace Prize, an
initiative of the Dutch-based KidsRights Foundation, was launched in 2005 by
former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, when he chaired the Summit of Nobel
Peace Laureates in Rome.
It carries a cash value of 100,000 euros
($133,000) that is invested in projects relating to the winner's cause.
Last year's winner was 13-year-old Cris
"Kesz" Valdez for his work with Filipino street children while he
himself was destitute.
Cris received the prize from South African
peace icon and Nobel Peace laureate Desmond Tutu, who is the award's patron.
--------------------------
AUSTRALIA
No
more domestic abuse- no more child abuse- no more bystanders- SHELDON KENNEDY
WLD SO LOVE THIS....and so do women and children globally... God bless u
Aussies and White Ribbon - our global guys r saying "MAN UP"- stop
the abuse.... listen- to Aussie- every week 1 women murdered by spouse or
partner.... every week.
AUSTRALIA'S
WHITE RIBBON- POLICING-MILITARY
Flashmob
- No Bystanders - One Billion Rising- no more excuses-no more abuses
---------------------
ONE
BILLION RISING-no more abuses or excuses-Women Matter -October CANADA- John Baird addresses UN 4 Women's Rights and
horrid abuses of girls -women/Cher nails it/Congo disgrace/USA-Canada Child Sex
Trafficking- Canada women equal men...period- ?CAN'TRESTOF THEWORLD?
INTERNATIONAL
DAY 4 THE GIRL CHILD
Twenty
Wishes for Canadian Girls
October
11th marks the International Day of the Girl Child, and on its second
observance, this is what I wish for girls in Canada: that they know the feeling
of safety, a warm bed, and a roof over their heads, that they have enough food
so they never have to go to school hungry, and that they have loving adults in
their lives who will protect and cherish them;
that
they are exposed to the arts and sports in school, and that they develop a
life-long love affair with both;
that
they are told they can do anything boys can, and that the first time a boy
beats them in a race, they are challenged and inspired to work harder for the
next time;
that
they have a coach or a teacher who, when the world is collapsing around them,
will always make it better–my beloved gymnastics coach would have boarded a
plane for any of ³his girls² if we had called and said we needed him;
that
they are told they are beautiful, that there is something about them that makes
them different than everyone else, and that they sparkle;
that
they are encouraged to dream their greatest dream, to take every opportunity,
and to remember impossible is just a dare;
that
they learn there are speed bumps in life, and that they will have to dig deep,
and find a way around or over them;
that
they know the endless opportunities available to them, that more of them choose
science, technology and math, and that some even reach for the stars;
that
they are taught to live healthy lives, to know AIDS is not the same as a cold
and requires more than a pill to survive, that there are more than three STIs,
and what is needed to protect themselves;
that
they are taught diversity is beautiful, that they can travel the world in
cities like Toronto or Vancouver, that families come in different forms and
sizes, and that all are beautiful;
that
they never know violence–emotional, physical or verbal–and if they ever do,
they would know how to get out of damaging relationships, take action and
protect themselves;
that
when they graduate they would make the same wage as the young men who sat in
their classes, that they would earn a dollar for every dollar men earn, and
that no one would ever ask them during an interview when they planned to get
pregnant;
that
they understand they can be catalysts, like rain drops that become ripples, and
change the world;
that
they know young women around the world who have the same choices and rights as
they have in Canada, and that if women around the world do not, they would fight
for their sisters abroad;
that
they know they can represent their communities and serve Canada in a Parliament
where the goal is fifty percent women, and not just-one third, and if the goal
is wrong, they can change it;
that
they find someone to lean on during the tough times, and to celebrate during
the joyous times;
that
if they choose to have children, that there would be real child care choices
available to them, and that Canada would no longer rank 25 of 25 for early
learning and child care;
that
if they need help for food, their children would not go hungry because a
national breakfast program would be in place;
that
whether they choose to stay at home and look after their children, care for
their aging parents, or volunteer at the Legion, their work would be
appreciated and valued; and
that
as they age, there would be the necessary supports so they could age in
dignity, and if possible, stay in their homes and in their communities where
they contributed so much.
On
International Day of the Girl Child, let us all reflect on what we need to do
better in Canada to allow our girls to achieve their greatest dreams, and to
indeed have it all should they choose.
Kirsty
Duncan, M.P., is the Liberal party critic for CIDA, consular affairs, and
status of women
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