Holidays Ending With a Bang

When a co-worker told me today that he traveled fourteen hours to spend the holiday with friends; I had to interject some concerns; what with the price of gas, worries about the US infrastructure, especially if you consider the amount of money being spent in Iraq; besides, did he know what happened to Michael Jordan's father when he stopped to nap on the road in North Carolina? Or, what about Bill Cosby's son Ennis, who was murdered when his car got a flat tire in LA? Considering that on the way back, my co-worker traveled via United Airlines... the road trip was a breeze.

Speaking of Iraq; there is news of an attack on the Kurds by Turkey this week. This is just awful news. There was a delegation of Turkish parliamentarians in Iran this week who's stated aim was the "expansion of Iran-Turkey ties"... I wonder if this attack is trowing a monkey wrench into the reported statement of "A prominent Iranian MP... that Iran-Turkey cooperation contributes to establishing peace and security in the Middle East region."

Until recently the Bush Government has refused to hold high-level talks with Iran. This seems strange since others in the Middle East, who should be most concerned about the intentions of the neighboring country of Iran (which has been labeled by the US as a "terrorist" state) don't have the same concerns about Iran, who is said by the US to be seeking nuclear "weapons." In fact Egypt is also in talks with Iran this week. Of course the recent National Intelligence Estimate finding that Iran has halted its nuclear weapons program is an embarrassment to Bush and his agenda for the Middle East. The Bush administration has vowed not to change its policy towards Iran, and has attempted to "spin" the conclusions of the report in its favor. The NIE report also notes that the global threat of terrorism is up significantly, along with attacks in foreign nations.

American fundamentalist Christians just funded the smuggling of 40 Iranian Jews from Iran to Israel. Two Iranian Jewish leaders called this an "emigrant stunt". Ciamak Morsathegh of the Tehran Jewish Committee is reported to have made statements to AP (Associated Press) that this news organization depicts in this way; "Jews living in the Islamic Republic were not endangered by the hard-line policies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad".

The assassination of Bhutto by a suicide bomber/sniper is such a tragedy for Pakistan. The Middle East is a spot that has exploded since the attack of Iraq by the US in 2003. The area is so unstable now that it makes you question the sanity of Bush supporters who profess to have "questions" over the tactics employed in the Iraq "war". This is the latest "talking point" being used by the Republican demigods to appease their constituents. Well this constituent is not appeased and wants the impeachment of this administrations' executives. Something to look forward to in the new year. Keep hope alive!