The Who’s Who of Pakistan’s Fallible Men

I can vividly recall a quote by the late veteran Baloch politician Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti from the 1990s when I used to cover parliamentary proceedings in Islamabad. Commenting on the deplorable state of affairs and the apathy of legislators, he had said on the floor of the house: “Give me 217 crores, and I will buy you the entire parliament.”

He was referring to the number of members of the National Assembly then, and their eagerness to fall in line for a price tag. Incidentally, the then Speaker of the National Assembly Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, who is Prime Minister now, had expunged the remarks. A decade down the line, Mr Gillani admits that all is not well in the Republic of Pakistan, and the curse of corruption has eaten up its vitals.

Despicable enough, the Who’s Who list of corrupt people comprises people belonging to the ruling hierarchy of the country. Moreover, it doesn’t stop there, and runs deep into many of the political parties, serving and retired bureaucrats and ex-services personnel. The staggering number of people accounted for, who had benefited from an impugned piece of legislation granting them immunity from prosecution runs into more than 8,000. Though the so-called National Reconciliation Ordinance, promulgated by former president General Pervez Musharraf, has exhausted its lifespan and has not been legislated into law, possible prosecution of the corrupt still remains a distant possibility. The list of beneficiaries, dished out by the office of Prime Minister, points a finger at President Asif Ali Zardari, many of the cabinet ministers, allies and opposition politicians, serving ambassadors, armed services personal, government secretaries, corporate bosses, top-notch bank executives, and pen pushers in the rank and file of bureaucracy.

Though corruption is hardly a secret in Pakistan, the fact that the country has risen in the dubious hierarchy to be ranked by the Transparency International at 42nd among the world’s most graft-prone countries is worrisome. The dubious distinction, as well as the corrupt reigning supreme, is not only a dilemma, but also a shame for a proud Pakistani nation. Not only the rot needs to be cleaned, the Augean stable cleared as well. Unfortunately, there is hardly any office or person to which the nation can look up to in realising such a goal. Judiciary, civil society and the media — to which the nation looks with awe — can neither dispense with their role nor take refuge behind the big leaf of excuses. The corrupt not only need to be exposed and prosecuted, but also ensured that they do not have any role in representing the nation.

It’s high time for a resilient nation to take the reins in its own hands. It has for long been taken for a ride in the name of national security, democracy and religion. Its chequered history is one of deception, dismemberment and dictators. And even today, all those at the helm of affairs have shamefully compromised with the nation’s future to enjoy the privilege of being in power to protect their petty interests. This is simply unacceptable to a nation, which is reeling under terrorism, political instability and a worsening economic crisis. Bad governance, and one with bias and discrimination, has further exacerbated the problem. Pakistan’s biggest drawback has been that it has failed to build institutions and strengthen the rule of law, and had unnecessarily relied on personality cult. The trend needs to be reversed, and made sure that it begins with a process of stringent accountability across the board. No sacred cows should be spared under any pretext.

Though not much can be expected from parliamentarians, who have their own political compulsions, this house has to act differently from its predecessors. Unlike its counterparts in the past that truncated people’s sovereignty over the affairs of the state by investing powers in a coterie of selected men, current National Assembly has to take a different approach. The NRO should never become a law in any sense. We must make sure that its beneficiaries, and the corrupt under any benchmark, are made to pay for their actions. Pakistan has an opportunity in disaster, and the parliament needs to ensure that opportunists and freebooters do not undermine its vitality and jurisdiction. As an immediate recourse, many of the controversial legislative and executive decisions taken by previous, and for that matter the present, governments need to be reviewed, and if necessary, reversed. The stigma of corruption, and the extra-burden of the corrupt, in our body politik need to be shunned. The looted billions belong to the impoverished nation, and they have every right to recover them from the pinnacle of presidency to the con artist on the street. Otherwise, late Bugti will have many a reason to laugh at in his
 eternal abode.

Support for the Continued Occupation of Afghanistan

The President is expected the announce a troop increase as well as a plan for eventual withdraw from Afghanistan in a nationally televised speech at West Point today.

As pundits and politicians offer their credulously numbing opinions, I felt it was important to give a little more context to a conflict that has now lasted longer then the Revolutionary war, the Civil War, the first and second World Wars as well as both conflicts in Iraq. In fact, of the fifteen wars Americans have fought since the Revolution, only the Vietnam war has lasted longer.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I personally support the conflict in Afghanistan, as well as the expected troop increase. However, I can not support this country walking itself into another costly military quagmire.

As Republicans criticized Obama's deliberation over whether to increase troop levels for a second time since taking office, there seemed to be little acknowledgment of the scathing report released by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee criticizing the Bush Administration's decision to redirect attention away from Afghanistan in 2001 and towards Iraq:Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tora Bora Report

"Osama bin Laden was unquestionably within reach of U.S. troops in the mountains of Tora Bora when American military leaders made the crucial and costly decision not to pursue the terrorist leader with massive force...

...the failure to kill or capture bin Laden at his most vulnerable in December 2001 has had lasting consequences beyond the fate of one man. Bin Laden's escape laid the foundation for today's reinvigorated Afghan insurgency and inflamed the internal strife now endangering Pakistan" (Yahoo)

The report cites declassified testimony and intelligence reports that confirm that Osama bin Laden was in fact hiding within the surrounded mountains of Tora Bora, and that repeated requests for troops- in some cases a mere few hundred Rangers- were denied by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. This represented not only a sweeping reversal of the Powell Doctrine, but a withdraw from the stated mission to capture bin Laden and crush al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Osama bin Laden himself was convinced of his own demise, even writing a last will and testament to his family affirming his militant convictions as well as apologizing to his children for dedicating his life to jihad.

Delta Force and CIA operatives have both publicly criticized Rumsfeld and then leading General Tommy Franks' decision to rely on Afghan troops for the assault who ultimately negotiated a cease-fire with al-Qaeda and turned their guns on CIA operatives when they attempted to engage bin Laden directly. So, when support was denied to Afghanistan and troops were drawn down, where was the outcry? Where was the criticism? How could the media fail to criticize the government's unwillingness to commit to their own goals?

Dick Cheney himself publicly championed Rumsfeld's decision, and continued to deny troop increases to Afghanistan for over seven years until President Obama finally increased troop numbers in March of this year.

The Afghan campaign up until that point had largely been a renowned success- the Taliban had been ousted and by 2002, interim President Hamid Karzai had been instated.

Just a few days after the fall of Kabul in November of 2001, Bush et. al. had already started directing Rumsfeld and Franks to draw up plans for an invasion of Iraq.

So rather then commit less then a thousand troops to finish the conflict in less the 2 months, we've instead been dragged through a 9-year, $300+ billion campaign with little to no ultimate progress to report of. As of the summer of 2009, new General Stanley McChrystal announced that the Taliban has now gained the upper hand and there's even talk of bringing the Taliban back into the political fold after initially expelling them in 2001.

It's interesting to me that Republicans are quick to cite government fallibility when it comes to criticizing government-run health care and yet are unwilling to acknowledge their own incompetence when it comes to their conduct in Afghanistan up to this point. By any accounts, the Afghan campaign was an utter failure. However, this has nothing to do with left or right and everything to do with how the entire country completely mishandled this war for 8 years. Democrats did absolutely nothing to fix or to criticize Rumsfeld's tactics until way after the damage had been done and it was "politically safe" to do so.

This brings me back to my initial statement of support for a troop increase. The fact of the matter is this is a mess that we've created and it's our responsibility to clean it up. According to a 2009 BBC poll, 63% of Afghan citizens support the U.S. military presence while 90% oppose the Taliban. By an 82-4% margin, Afghans also said they preferred the current government over the Taliban regime and a general majority feel that the U.S. presence will contribute to greater security, which along with poverty and unemployment, ranks as the highest concerns for the future of Afghanistan.



However, the Afghan government has been ranked as one of the most corrupt nations in the world, along with Iraq and Somalia. The Taliban has reemerged as a major influence in the country, and al-Qaeda continues to gain support in neighboring Pakistan. Without any western military presence, the country will most assuredly fall into greater disarray; there's little evidence yet that President Karzai's anti-corruption campaign will have a lasting effect, with over 50,000 additional troops needing to be trained.

Indeed, there is no way we can achieve any sense of stability in Afghanistan without a serious commitment of dollars and soldiers over the next few years, if not more. Yet, American and world interests are no different now then they were in 2001 when 88% of Americans supported the U.S.-lead invasion. It is only frustrating that it cost us nearly half a trillion dollars and almost a thousand American lives, as well as our reputation as bastions for human rights to make virtually zero progress. For that, let us not direct our anger at Obama for continuing the fight, but at those who chose to ignore the fight in lieu of other prospects.

Review: Junkyard Empire - Rebellion Politik

There is a land where Rock, Jazz and Hip-Hop meet over smart and passionate lyrics. It is a land filled with a vision of a better life, a better future, a better now. That land is the domain of Junkyard Empire, the Minnesota quintet that had their national coming out party on the last day of the 2008 Republican National Convention. Junkyard Empire leaves nothing unsaid; no political stone unturned, and spares no undeserving party from their social critique. This is the secret to Junkyard Empire’s second album, Rebellion Politik, a sometimes brutally honest musical roller coaster ride you won’t soon forget.

Junkyard Empire opens with Original Assumption, featuring Desdamona. The song deals with the seeds of urban decay as well as the seeds of recovering from the same. The song mixes elements of Hip-Hop, Rap and Jazz in an acoustic arrangement that is thoroughly enjoyable not only in spite of but for its apparent contradictions. Freedom is the concept explored; using some very apt social commentary to make serious points about what Freedom is and is not. Rebellion Politik is a call for Social Revolution based on Socialist Democratic principles and features some incredibly rapid fire rapping along with some highly enjoyable jazz improv on piano. Manifest is an exploration of how the powerful twist media, religion and anything else they can use to change the minds of people for their own betterment. The song hits on some of the big concepts and marketing pushes in American history and focuses on many of the things we do every day that have consequences far beyond what we can see.

RDM & Mr. Nox sit in on The Basics, a song that pays tribute to the history of Hip-Hop and calls on practitioners to remember where they came from musically. Conflict Part I (The History) looks at how the Israeli/Palestinian conflict came to be and where it is today. Junkyard Empire makes the point that Zionism began as a means to survival for Jews but has become a point of arrogance, implying that the movement has become hypocritical in light of its original purpose. To be fair, Junkyard Empire has a distinct opinion of who's right and who's wrong in the conflict, but the logical point of the song is probably worth some discussion in less polarized circles. Junkyard Empire closes with Alternate Energy Remixed, an entertaining party song that's highly danceable. It's a great light leave in the wake of some of the heavy subject matter that came before.

Junkyard Empire is the real deal. The rhymes on Rebellion Politik display a distinct lyrical talent steeped in intelligence and a strong sense of social responsibility. The acoustic arrangements are also a real treat, particularly when Junkyard Empire brings in elements of Jazz. Rebellion Politik is one of the top Hip-Hop/Rap albums I've heard in 2009.

One-way politik: Scotlands schools in crisis?

You’d be forgiven for thinking so given todays headlines.

Labour and the Liberal Democrats called for education secretary Fiona Hyslop to quit after figures showed the total number of teachers fell by almost 1,000 in the space of a year.

The total number of teachers in pre-school, primary, secondary and special schools and in visiting specialist posts, was 53,584 – 975 fewer than in 2007.

The councils responsible for hiring the teachers have responded by saying that it would be madness to employ more teachers when confronted by falling school rolls.

Well?

They are right you know. School rolls are falling and the result of this is that the net ration of teachers to pupils is rising… The pupil teacher ratio in schools increased from 12.9 in 2008 to 13.2 in 2009. So why all the shouting about lower numbers of teachers?

Might one venture to suggest it’s just a simple number for the opposition to mindlessly shout about which doesn’t really tell us anything about the state of education in Scotland?

Aren’t the local authorities correct to not be employing new teachers? Money is tight – if class sizes can be kept at a reasonable level (where there is little conclusive evidence to suggest smaller class sizes are beneficial) what it the problem?



To my mind it’s an example of something I would describe as “one-way politics” the kind of politics that lead to there being no effective opposition to the war on terror because no one wanted to be seen as soft on terrorism. Essentially it seems there are certain issues on which rational thought is trumped for the emotive impact of a catchy soundbite. No one really cares about the numbers they care about making the other side look bad. So far, so what’s new? Politics has “progressed” in such a way for many a year hasn’t it?

Depressingly enough probably but there is one particularly pernicious aspect to one-way politics that annoys, frustrates and worries me more than the childish point scoring of tribal party politik. That is that on certain issues – education, crime and immigration to name a few there is only one direction that policies and initiatives can move in. Generally towards some arbitrary consensus based on little more than Daily Mail editorials and the opportunity to trump the opposition.

It’s why every debate about immigration at least has to address vague concerns about the negative effects while immigration itself probably isn’t that much of a problem – indeed some research has suggested people moving from the North of the country to the South puts more of a stretch on resources – 2.5 million people have moved to the South East from the rest of Britain and around 1.4 economic immigrants have come to the whole country. But immigration is a huuge perceived problem – much like crime. So rational and reasoned responses cannot be relied upon.

It’s why crime laws, particularly drug legislation, appear to get harder and harder. You can’t seen to be soft on these issues as that gives the opposition an opportunity to attack. Just look at what happened to Prof. Nutt. Sacked for daring to suggest (in unrelated academic work) that cannabis classification did not relate to the level of harm it actually caused… One-way politics trumps even scientific evidence.

Frankly its a ridiculous system and the sooner someone points out how ridiculous it is in gubmint (and we all listen) the better.

The Art of Politik

SPECIALfeature: Obama's Big Unemployment Problem: A Threat to re-election
SUMMARY
*persistent high unemployment may mirror Jimmy Carter and shape perception of Obama administration.
*expert economists agree the stimulus package wasn't sufficient and more direct help from the Federal government is needed.
*Obama's priorities will be tackled in a specific order, but the order they are arranged in is a mistake and may cause him and democrats big problems.
*returns on huge investments need to come sooner, rather than later at the risk of endangering the administration's agenda and possible re-election.

We remain only eleven months after Obama's inauguration, and while we find ourselves in a much better position than we were during Obama's first few weeks in office, there is widespread discontent at the state of the economy as perceived by the common man.

We've freed ourselves from the recession, but the pain felt at home-still without real income except for an unemployment check makes it difficult to look at stock market numbers and agree with Robert Gibbs and Tim Geithner that the economy is getting better.

The erosion of patience is understandable when the ambitious promises behind much of the measures passed this year turned out to be overly optimistic.

Surely, there is no doubt that the real economy is improving, that there is more money being pumped into the economy by consumers in almost all sectors relative to this same time last year when we were in dire straits. The housing market in October saw a ten point one percent increase in home sales and car sales have come back strong even after the government's Cash for Clunker's program ceased to exist.

As extraordinary and confidence inspiring signs that these are, the administration's initial goal with the stimulus program was to avoid the jobs market slipping into ten plus percent unemployment rate territory; a big point of sale for the stimulus program. However optimistic you may want to be about what the stimulus has done for the economy, in this respect, it has been an utter failure.

It has also failed to spur consistent increases in retail sales, instead resulting in seesawing months were there is alternating growth and contraction. Retail sales tend to be important because growth in retail jobs fueled a lot of the job growth in years past.

What is the most worrying and most alarming is to see that this far through the stimulus package and being at the point where the economy is showing some strength (2.8% GDP growth revised in the third quarter), the job market is STILL shedding jobs. We have a long way to go before the unemployment rate gets back to normal. The longer that takes, the longer it will take for consumer spending to pick up. The longer that takes, the longer it will take for robust economic recovery to take hold.

If we all really wanted to be honest with ourselves, we can't say we didn't know that the unemployment rate would still reach ten percent. Expert economists, Paul Krugman and Mark Zandi both had testified to the congress and made it known to the president that the stimulus bill needed to be bigger. They warned that if the goal was to keep the jobs market in check, barring a bigger stimulus bill, the congress would need to come back to consider a second round of stimulus. Failure to do this would result in high unemployment for several years to come.

Zandi and Krugman both also predicted then and still do now that job growth will be stunted if there's no more stimulus, and thus real GDP growth will be flat because of stagnating consumer spending. So far they have consistently been proven right. Despite all this, there is seemingly little more focus from the administration except to hold a so called 'jobs' summit, giving Americans little reassurance that the economy will begin show visible signs of a recovery.

It is apparent that the Wall Street and bank bailout in combination with the stimulus package has left the country with no appetite to digest further government spending to save the economy, especially when it seems like the returns on our investments are either lost or too slowly materializing. The administration's handling of the TARP program ended too similar to George Bush and former Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson; mismanaged and riddled with loopholes that gave banks the upper hand on important issues to taxpayers such as bonuses.

Because of this, the Obama administration is going to have a very tough time finding the votes to get any type of necessary second stimulus passed.

While it is of utmost importance that the Obama administration get to health care and reshaping one sixth of the country's economy as soon as possible, it is of even greater importance to the overall economy and even for Obama's re-election for the labor markets to recover.

Obama has already spent most of his political capital on health care. It seems like critics who claim the order of Obama's priorities are a mistake might have a point. Health care truly could've waited a few months, but those already unemployed for almost two years truly have no more time that they can spare.

If the state of the job market remains the same, regardless of what Obama accomplishes on health care, his presidency may mirror Jimmy Carter's and be defined majorly on persistently high unemployment and perhaps threaten chances of democrat's and his own re-election.

Those who worry about deficits and debt have legitimate reasons to worry, big deficits and debts are definitely not sustainable for long periods of time. However, most economists including Mark Zandi and Paul Krugman point towards the United States having an eighty percent debt to GDP ratio in 1950, they point to Italy and Belgium's around ninety percent debt to GDP during World War II, and they point to the ease they all had in getting out of the debt. Krugman correctly argues that the key to these types of debts aren't paying them off, but managing them and letting economic growth handle the rest.

Projected growth in the economy for the next several years dwarf the debt levels that economists believe are needed to really get the labor market back on track. America and congress simply need to get past the flawed notion that government stimulus and Keynesian economics doesn't work, when clearly, history proves otherwise.

There is some good news for the Obama administration. The recent jobs reports are showing that the job markets have slowed job loss and may within a relatively short amount of time begin adding jobs again, albeit at a likely slow pace.

It's unfortunate to say that at this point there is no honeymoon to protect the president. Patience has worn out with independents and patience is wearing thin even with the most loyal supporters. Despite what opposition may come, Obama really needs to take the reigns and really put the foot to the gas on the jobs situation at the risk of undermining his and the democratic party's agenda.

There is a definite opportunity for Obama to take this jobs summit and rally support for job stimulus even if it must be done under the guise of something else. This is going to take some incredible maneuvering, creativity, and leadership by the president.

This may turn out to be the administration's biggest flop or it may turn out to be its biggest accomplishment. There is still time to make this a victory, but whether or not the administration begins to see the need to again address the problem instead of giving the situation more time will really determine if they fail or are successful in 2012.

High-powered Italian opposition politician resigns after scandal with prostitute

Italian politician quits after sex scandal

ROME — A prominent opposition politician embroiled in a scandal over his encounter with a transsexual prostitute resigned his high-profile job Tuesday as head of the region that includes Rome.

Piero Marrazzo has said he made mistakes and that he had been living a “nightmare” since the encounter in July in a Rome apartment. Four policemen have been arrested for allegedly attempting to blackmail the 51-year-old Marrazzo, who is married and has three daughters.

“My personal condition of extreme suffering makes my stay at the helm of the region not longer useful for the Lazio citizens,” Marrazzo said in a statement announcing his resignation.

He said the resignation was “final and irrevocable.” He also maintained that he had always acted for the good of his citizens, “whatever personal mistakes I may have committed in my private life.”

In previous statements, he had admitted to “weaknesses.”

Marrazzo had already handed over his responsibilities to his deputy last weekend, after the scandal broke.

Media reports say there is a video evidence, though the video has not been publicly seen.

Marrazzo said he wrote three checks to the alleged blackmailers, although they weren’t cashed. He said he did not go to the police out of fear and shame.

The scandal was the latest blow to the already weak Democratic Party, the main opposition force to Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s conservatives. Marrazzo has suspended his membership in the party, but the scandal has overshadowed the election of a new party leader in a primary vote this weekend.

Media reports said Tuesday that Marrazzo, seeking to drop out of the public eye, wanted to spend some time at a Benedictine monastery or some other religious institute near the capital. His whereabouts were not made public.

Memo to Turnbull: Politics has its own skill set.

As I type, Malcolm Turnbull is probably sinking back into his office chair after just about the worst day of his leadership. Todays meeting was supposed to go for 4 hours, and sources expected he would get 2/3rds support. Instead it went on for about 10 hours, and he has gotten just half, if not having a majority oppose him in the party room. He has emerged battered and bruised, but at least has a deal. As he was at pains to remind everyone he is still the leader, but does he actually know how to practice politics?

Despite the fact that Turnbull has held the superior hand (the science, the polls, even Govt support) he has been consistently out maneuvered on this issue. He is being out played, if he does escape beyond this week it will have more to do with others lack of interest in his job(for the time being), than a sign of capability. (Word is that Tuckey and Jensen have written to ask for a leadership spill on Thursday morning) So why is it that a man who could outwit the intelligence services before the High Court, take on the Packers and Fairfaxes in the Business world, has crumbled before former real estate agents like Barnaby Joyce and cardigan wearing mofos like Minchin? Indeed only his decision to simply declare the discussion over tonight around 8pm has left him with any credibility, and seems his best move of the entire day.

The press like to think leadership is a beauty contest, with them able to define beauty, and the polls just the public endorsing their narrative. But it’s also about brains and using the system. To lead you need not be older, wealthier, more capable, more sucessful or even better looking, you only need to be able to consistently out politik your opponents.

Howard was a great politician not just because he could be populist and give the media/people what they want, but he also used the rules and settings to his advantage. In the republican convention he set up a fight between direct and indirect electionists to ensure the referendum failed. In 2007 whilst on the nose with the polls, media and colleague, having set up Downer to see if he should quit (the infamous APEC hotel meeting) he then turned and demanded that if he was to go they would have to force him. Though a majority were against him, he knew this would be too hard and he kept his job.

Obama is another one you see who understands the need for rat cunning as the basis of leadership. He won his first Illinois legislature seat by having voting registrations for his opponents tossed out, allowing him to be elected unopposed. It might jar with his rhetoric of hope, but his skills are the best hope progressives have for real change.

The ethics of this form of hardball are always of course debatable though hardball politics needn’t be wrong. More importantly however is that to do it you first need to be able to see it, imagine it. To be able to read the lay of the land, the personalities and circumstances and politik your way into a superior position.

What does this have to do with Turnbull ? Well, constantly we have seen him be out thought and out manouvered by his own party members, who are in many ways still playing soft on him. He faces an opponent in Rudd who knows very well how to play such politics, and there is no way he should be allowed to represent Australia to the world, facing the elite of the Chinese, Americans, or Indonesians if he can’t out think those around him in far easier domestic circumstances. We know he branch stacked like crazy to win his seat in Wentworth, but it must now be doubted how much of that was his own effort.

All this points to the fact that while we decry the lack of plumber/teacher/cafe owner turned politician, politics itself is a profession. It needs to be learnt, it needs to be experienced, it has its own norms, skill sets and oddities that have to become second nature if you are to obtain and weild power. If you cant, then you are just wasting everyones time.

This is why I’m not that concerned about the number of politicians who have never done anything else, and why though I like Turnbull, he has seemed headed for a humiliating defeat ever since thinking about running for the leadership. When Costello baulked on election night Turnbull began challenging for the job, finally rolling Nelson, all for the thankless task of being leader during a first term opposition. Since then, despite numerous government mistakes (groceries, nbn, school stimulus, debt, asylum seekers, utegate, cprs) Turnbull has failed to land a solid punch. All the pain for Rudd has been either self or media inflicted.

Politics is a skill that needs to be learnt, and Turnbull is proving the classic case of a man who didn’t respect this. Like many, esp from the business world he simply presumed that skill in other areas directly translates, or that sheer force of personality will get you through. He is clearly a brilliant man, but political skill has never been about just sheer intelligence, but out thinking those around you and using the circumstances to leverage the best outcome for yourself/your position. Turnbull’s learnt a lot very quickly, but it is not quick enough if he wants to remain.

That could mean he has only 36 hours to find a new way to control his party. It saddens me to say it, but I think it would be best he lost the vote (if it occurs). If he sticks around he could take some time to lick his wounds and re-run in 2012 for the leadership. If not, then best to go out now rather than leading to an election debacle. Its not a fun club to have been leader without ever going to an election (think Crean, Downer), but right now, Nelson seems the smarter (and happier) politician than Turnbull.

BODY POLITIK

A good friend of mine came to me and said she needed a site to display her collection. She explained it to me and the details of what she was trying to do and I was both impressed and excited. Body Politik is a unique and interesting concept and I would like you to check it out and be part of it // MORE INFO and PICS AFTER THE JUMP + enjoy

www.bodypolitik.net
www.twitter.com/bodypolitik

Body Politik is not what one considers a traditional fashion house/label. What is called a proper collection seems forced and foreign. Perhaps later on we will create one but for now items and projects come and go pretty organically.

At the moment everything is made in-house…except for the dyes and fabrics. However we do dye the fabrics, mix our own colors as needed, make patterns, cut and sew. And as we grow, our goal is to maintain in-house/domestic production. What makes us unique is our passion, eagerness to learn/perfect our craft, and our intimacy with our clients and projects. What also sets us apart is our exclusivity to sustainable materials and commitment to clean clothes through a close watch on our domestic production.

The Body Politik

Some of you may have noticed all our female shapes disappeared from the store a few days ago. We decided it was time to revamp our entire shape line! Our goal is to provide top notch avatar shapes in a wide variety of styles, from plus size to petite, model shapes to the girl next door. It's not just about looks, it's about personality too.

Each shape is offered by itself or with a new custom Infinity Skin. To launch the new line we have 5 fresh new faces.

Introducing the new girls:





More shapes on the way soon!

Shapes are offered as budget no modify versions, modifiable versions for those that like to tweak their shapes and also in our popular skin/shape combo pack. The skin/shape packs now include a brand new Infinity Skin, each one created using our custom skin creator to perfectly compliment the shape.

That's not all, however! Each shape also comes with a host of extras:

- 4 variations of each shape (to accommodate skirts and prim eyelashes)
- Custom fitted natural prim eyelashes
- Style card
- Eyebrow base
- Coupon for a special discount on our Prim Nails
- 6 pairs of eyes in 2 sizes
- TBP Skin Coupon for 200L off a female skin (this is included in the shape only packs so you can choose any skin you'd like and still get the skin/shape pack discount)

That's a lot of value!

With mod shapes and unique skins from our Infinity Skin Custom Skin Creator The Body Politik offers extraordinary versatility for updating your appearance in SL.

Americans Want Obama Pal Tim Geithner Gone

More trials and tribulations from the utter FAIL that is the Obama administration:

Adding to lawmaker criticism of U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's performance is a new survey released on Friday showing 42 percent of Americans say he has done a "poor job" handling the credit crisis and federal bailout programs.

The survey by Rasmussen Reports, a polling and electronic publishing firm, found that 20 percent rated Geithner's performance in these areas as "good" or "excellent", while 16 percent were not sure how he was performing. Twenty-two percent rated his performance as "fair".

Rasmussen said these findings were largely unchanged from a survey done in March just after the passage of the Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus plan and disclosure that American International Group would pay out $165 million in bonuses despite a massive government bailout.
Investors polled has stronger opinions: 47 percent said Geithner was doing a poor job , while 24 percent said his handling of crisis was good or excellent.

Fewer People Believe In Global Warming

ManBearPig and lies are finally starting to make folks scratch their heads:

A recent Pew Research survey showing a sharp decline in the proportion of the public saying there is solid evidence of global warming has triggered considerable speculation about why these views are changing. The poll was released a day after 18 leading scientific organizations released a letter reaffirming what they see as scientific consensus on climate change.

The survey found 57% saying there is "solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades." In April 2008, 71% said there was solid evidence of global warming, and in 2006 and 2007, 77% expressed this view.

Why do fewer Americans believe the earth is warming? No single factor emerges from Pew Research Center surveys, but rather a range of possible explanations, including a sour economy and, perhaps, a cooler than normal summer in parts of the United States.

First, it is important to note that signs of a change in public opinion -- on the environment generally and global warming more specifically -- were evident long before Pew Research's new survey. In March, Gallup's annual environment survey found an increase in the percentage of Americans who say the seriousness of global warming is "generally exaggerated" -- from 30% in 2006 to 41% this year. Similarly, Fox News found the percentage of registered voters saying they "believe global warming exists" has fallen from 82% in January 2007 to 69% in May of this year.
Pew Research surveys show that as economic concerns have surged, fewer people view the environment as a top policy priority. In our annual survey on the public's policy agenda, just 41% rated protecting the environment as a top priority; just a year earlier, 56% rated it as a top priority. Yet other issues also were overshadowed as more people focused on the economy and jobs. There were sharp declines as well in the proportions rating dealing with illegal immigration (down 10 points), reducing health care costs (10 points) and reducing crime (eight points) as top priorities for the president and Congress. Notably, there has been no change in recent years in the proportion of the public saying that stricter laws and regulations are needed to protect the environment. Fully 83% expressed that view in Pew Research's political values survey, released in May. At the same time, far fewer people viewed protecting the environment as a priority if it meant slower economic growth and job losses, or higher prices.

The Art of Politik

preview SPECIAL FEATURE: The Obama Delusion

This is a preview of an upcoming piece that will be titled "The Obama Delusion". The piece will be posted sometime this week.


With the familiar and infamous closing line to virtually every presidential speech, "..and may God bless the United States of America", new President, Barack Obama waved goodbye to a packed crowd in Chicago's Grant Park with the understanding of the 'change' mandate that he had just gotten from America's voters.

The president surely knew the change he was going to bring, but as sure as America was of who they wanted to be their 44th president, few people understood what it was that he would do. Failing to understand that resulted in really low or exceedingly high expectations for him and inevitably has caused some reservations among those who voted for Obama. People naturally resist change, so to have so much of it already done has caused unease about gambling on such an ambitious agenda with so much change at a time when a turn for the worse could have proved disastrous.

Progressive democrats embraced his message, taking to heart his words and having a perception of Obama's agenda being more ambitious and more leftist than any president has tried in the past.

Centrist independents couldn't separate the incumbent republican candidate to his predecessor, and thus they took the mantra of change to simply mean something other than George Bush. In making this judgment, independents seem to have underestimated how much change Obama intended to bring. This is partly to blame for increased calls for the president and congressional democrats to slow down their efforts to make significant changes to address monumental problems.

Mainstream democrats on a whole tend to be quite satisfied with the president's job performance, however, they also seemed to miscalculate how hard he would push for bipartisan votes, whether or not the piece of legislation necessitated a republican to cross over for passage. This route has angered many, battered the patience of others, and it has caused dissatisfaction at the concessions being made for the sake of bipartisanship that it almost makes one forget the democratic party has super majorities in the congress.

It seems like the only group who didn't underestimate where the president intended to go with his agenda were republicans, but even they didn't expect Obama to be as pragmatic as he has been. His pragmatism has caused him the most problems within the party and within the congress. Republicans supported his first Afghanistan surge in almost greater numbers than democrats. Today, this is being repeated as he nears another troop decision. His moderate stance on gay marriage has angered part of the base and his support of second amendment rights has forced conservatives to claim the stance as a facade.

When it comes right down to it, most people simply projected their own perception of change and led themselves to miss the mark...

Nazri denies selective prosecution

KUALA LUMPUR, The arrest of controversial ex-Perlis mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin last night provoked a debate on “selective prosecution” in Parliament this morning even as he was facing charges for allegedly holding an Islamic lecture in Selangor without a permit.

“The minister said there's no selective prosecution... but why was Dr Asri arrested?” said the Umno MP for Kalabakan, Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh, in a question directed at Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of law and parliamentary affairs.

Nazri was taken aback at the unexpected attack from his fellow Barisan Nasional (BN) colleague.

“I actually don't know about this case,” he admitted.

“I don't want to accuse anyone of selective prosecution,” he said, after regaining his composure.

“But we know that in a state, if we want to give a lecture, especially on Islam, we need permission first,” the Padang Renggas MP added.

The straight-talking Mohd Asri was briefly held at a religious lecture in Ampang last night on claims he had held a public lecture without a permit from the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS).

He was freed at 1.10am on police bail but ordered to turn up for further questioning at the Gombak JAIS office later in the morning.

The maverick Islamic scholar, who had recently returned from further studies in Britain and is being courted by Islamist party PAS to join them, is claiming blatant persecution.

During Question Time earlier, Nazri denied that the federal government practised “selective prosecution”.

Kubang Kerian PAS MP Salahuddin Ayub had noted the increasing public perception that the government had acted with bias in charging certain parties with legal action, based on a book “Malaysia: Sejarah Kenegaraan dan Politik”.

He wanted to know what the government was doing to counter the public's poor impression of the judicial system and the national anti-graft body.

He noted that even the BN MP for Sri Gading had last week attacked the government for its poor performance in dealing with graft.

“Is it because the salary is not enough? Do they need new incentives?” Salahuddin asked, before adding: “Or a new government to solve this problem?”

Nazri replied that the book cited by Salahuddin dealt with the past, before the age of the Internet when “many things could happen and be hidden”.

He pointed out the present was different because there was greater freedom of expression, as proven by the publication of the very same book held up by Salahuddin.

“On selective prosecution, there's none,” he said.

He defended the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), pointing out that the anti-graft body was “colour blind” when carrying out its duty.

Nazri noted that in the past, 12 men from the ruling coalition had been arrested for corruption compared to only one from the federal opposition.

“Don't tell me we must arrest 100 per cent Barisan Nasional to show there's no selective prosecution?

“Unless you feel there's no corruption in Pakatan Rakyat. That's impossible,” he lobbed back at the PAS MP.

Sosyo – Politik Aktivizm Internet

Within every society, groups of individuals come together to support deserving causes. Social activism is most common in the political arena, where groups bound by shared public interests act in concert to deliver votes for political parties. Societal and technological change has accelerated the evolution of such large scale instances of social collaboration with the advent of Internet. In particular, the internet has transformed the value of information, by distributing it across interactive platforms which facilitate unprecedented participation from users and in the process enhancing the value of information multifold. One area where the Internet has significantly empowered groups of individuals with information is the socio-political scenario of the nation. As the voting public of the United States looks forward to the Presidential election on November 4, 2008, all of the information gathered and analyzed about the activities, policies of and public attitudes towards both Barack Obama and John McCain acquires immense value. Election web sites now encompass a wide range of topics and services, including debate analysis, poll results, voter turnout ratios, and predictions about voting behavior. The newspaper industry represents one form of media that has maximized the access and reach of election information over the internet. Opinions, blogs and buzz are all examples of new forms of media and information dissemination which have been spawned by the internet, and which empower groups with the means to reach new members and influence election outcomes. For instance, the New York Times has a dedicated section on politics that caters to all citizens, delivering market analysis, and blogs with news and commentary serving local markets. Additional services provided by publications like the New York Times also offer online, interactive and live chat rooms with market analysts and electoral consultants who provide deeper insight into the economical policies of each Presidential candidate. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter now host a diversity of forums that are dedicated to the posting and sharing of ideas and opinions about the coming election and each candidate. On Facebook you can find photos, discussion boards and career biographies of both Obama and McCain. The network also empowers local groups with the organizational tools to host events, and a powerful platform for promoting candidates and their respective policies using posters and cards. Featured also are blogging arenas, and the capability to host national call groups for each candidate, to which friends and family can be invited, and which make it much easier to reach out to other like-minded people across the country. These sites also nurture friendships within groups by gathering together women, veterans and students and giving them the tools to form their own communities. On Twitter, there are streams of messages from users about each candidate’s performance on the campaign trail. Both Obama and McCain have also used services like Facebook and Twitter as forums to generate support, solicit funds and propagate their policies and opinions. Minekey, Facebook’s popular application which fuels a discussion community of over two million people, recently launched its own election site to provide a forum for U. S. and global citizens to discover, vote upon and discuss the policies and positions of both candidates. Clearly, the internet is the driving force contributing to the promotion and advance of public awareness of national issues. Socio-political activism on the net has instigated widespread cultural change, by surfacing all election campaign activities, events and issues available in the virtual world – to all people, wherever they live.

Lemon Politik

Herzlich Willkommen !

In 1989 the world changed forever. You probably have at least the slightest idea why. Perhaps you don’t fully understand the series of events that occurred throughout that particular year, maybe you are not very keen in history and politics, but, nonetheless, one way or another you are surely aware that something big happened. I assume this as a fact the same way as I assume that right now, you are reading from a computer screen. You were probably surfing the internet, found a link or were told by someone (like me) to get in here. As insignificant as a click of a mouse can be, having a computer makes you one of the luckiest person on Earth. I realized Internet is a good not everybody can afford. Whoever you are, you are using internet right now. If you wish you could easily close this site and look for unlimited amounts of information of your choice. You are very lucky indeed. Not everyone can claim such a privilege.

You are an internet user, so I suspect you don’t live under a rock. However you are no academic eminence either. I promise I will do my best not to bore with large post’s with unnecessary history contents. You won’t find that in here so should you be looking for exactly that, you ought to remember that internet gives you the freedom to start stumbling or surfing the web again. It is not my purpose to give history lessons…I would even rather looking in wikipedia for such !

As you probably guessed…and you guessed right, Lemonpolitik has something to do with Politics. What is it exactly ? I am not sure yet, I hope you can help me find out that connection by becoming a fellow reader of this website. All I can tell you in advance is that Lemonpolitik is no place for political correctiveness. Lemonpolitik will squeeze the juice right out from the news you read to provide you with fresh points of view. Still , don’t expect this site to tell you the truth either. The only truth out there is that there are only points of view, and you should make your own. Of course you cannot do so if you are not allowed to. Well, the lemon has its own point of view and it is not afraid of sharing its thoughts and beliefs. First, the lemon believes you are entitled to the right of information. If you are who you chose to be, then you must chose what to read. Now, as much as I would like to, this shall be no space for abstract thinking. You won’t find yourself reading about philosophy or morale unless those subjects are bound in practical and tangible manners. However, please note that this is no place for pasting merely abstracts of the old & new realpolitik thinking. On the contrary, the lemon is an internet-user generated editorial which is quite liberal. It’s background ideology is that there is good in this world worth fighting for. The lemon strongly supports people’s self determination and the protection of unalienable rights. It condemns any system based upon the diminish of human kind potential, but it does so by taking a look at inescapable facts.

Aright, this site could be tagged as a political review of global events. Lemon will stain with citric acid those who would want you to remain silent and submissive.

Twenty years ago a miraculous revolution peacefully toppled an autocratic regime with no respect for its people. In theory both capitalism and socialism claim to be the best formula for providing happiness to the people. However it is not capitalism who prevailed. It was the liberal democracy model the one that prevailed over autocracy. Democracy is not perfect, but it is the best system we got. It gives persons the power to chose not only leaders amidst themselves, but to chose what to wear, where to go, what to think and which values to follow. Choice gives people purpose. It gives us hope and it allows us to develop ourselves as human beings. Every system that constrains the human will is destined for doom.

This is Lemonpolitik.
Shout ! and let it all out !

Tawana Brawley Redux: Woman Recants Sex Torture Claims Backed By Black Liberals

Seven people pleaded guilty for their part in abusing Megan Williams -- but now Williams says that abuse never happened.

She will hold a press conference Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, to recant her claims of abuse, attorney Byron L. Potts, who represents Williams, told The Charleston Gazette on Tuesday night.

"She has decided she has been living this lie for approximately two years and she has decided to tell the truth," Potts said. "She fabricated the story and she did this in retaliation because she was having a relationship with one of them."

But former Logan County prosecutor Brian Abraham, who was in charge of the case, said no one ever went to jail because of Williams' statements.
Instead, Abraham said Tuesday night, he decided early in the case not to rely on Williams' statements, but on the physical evidence and the statements of the co-defendants.

"It's ironic to me that today she's saying she made all this up. At the time she was criticizing me for offering them plea agreements," Abraham said.

"This isn't to rejuvenate her 15 minutes of fame, but to regurgitate her 15 minutes of fame. Is she proposing to give back all the donations she got?"

Like the Duke Lacrosse Fake Rape Case and the Tawana Brawley Hoax before that, another young, Black woman makes the national headlines claiming she was raped and ends up as a fraud. Of course, false claims of rape not only hurt the cases of real victims of sexual violence, but for the race hustlers on the Left (who incidentally, in the case of the controversial New Black Panther Party, exploited Megan Williams' lie for their own personal gain by funding her defense), how foolish does that egg on your face look after you're once again caught out there trying to make hay with no meat? Any wonder why squelches on racism by the Left are met with so much skepticism? And that's just too bad for the real victims of racism.