As you probably know, Obama gave an interview to “Relevant,” a Christian magazine in which he said that prohibitions on late-term abortions must contain an exception for the health of the mother, but that:
[He didn’t] think that ’mental distress’ qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term.
Given that the current law governing late term abortions includes mental distress mental health as one of the health exceptions, this would be a significant narrowing of abortion rights.
Via Talk Left, Obama has refined his remarks, but he continues to back a position that would significantly narrow access to late term abortions over what the law currently allows. Even more troubling, he’s dishonest about what his position means in terms of how it would change current law.
Here’s Obama’s WORM:
Reporter: You said that mental distress shouldn’t be a reason for late-term abortion?
Obama: “My only point is this — historically I have been a strong believer in a women’s right to choose with her doctor, her pastor and her family. And it is ..I have consistently been saying that you have to have a health exception on many significant restrictions or bans on abortions including late-term abortions.
In the past there has been some fear on the part of people who, not only people who are anti-abortion, but people who may be in the middle, that that means that if a woman just doesn’t feel good then that is an exception. That’s never been the case.
I don’t think that is how it has been interpreted. My only point is that in an area like partial-birth abortion having a mental, having a health exception can be defined rigorously. It can be defined through physical health, It can be defined by serious clinical mental-health diseases. It is not just a matter of feeling blue. I don’t think that’s how pro-choice folks have interpreted it. I don’t think that’s how the courts have interpreted it and I think that’s important to emphasize and understand.”
According to Linda Douglass, the Obama campaign’s senior spokesperson, the senator from Illinois was making a distinction in the magazine interview between medically diagnosed mental illness and the kind of mental distress that an unwanted pregnancy causes many a pregnant mother.
As Melissa McEwan pointed out about his initial statement - “[h]e’s breathing life into the damnable lie that there are legions of women who seek out late-term abortions just because they’ve changed their silly little minds and make up lies about “mental distress” to get them.” This revised statement continues to breath life into that lie, only now with the more offensive “feeling blue” language.* It also reaffirms his previous patronizing language about a woman consulting with not only her doctor, but also her pastor (read: man) and her family (read: husband). Because no woman could make this decision by consulting only with her physician or, heaven forbid, just herself. Apparently, it takes a village to abort a fetus.
More troubling than all of that is that, as ABC’s Jan Crawford Greenburg points out, Obama continues to assert a more restrictive position than the rights currently enjoyed under Roe:
Here’s the problem with that, and why Obama’s remarks are so startling. Obama is trying to restrict abortions after 22 weeks to those women who have a serious disease or illness. But the law today also covers some women who are in “mental distress,” those women who would suffer emotional and psychological harm without an abortion.
This standard has long been understood to require less than “serious clinical mental health disease.” Women today don’t have to show they are suffering from a “serious clinical mental health disease” or “mental illness” before getting an abortion post-viability, as Obama now says is appropriate.
And for 35 years—since Roe v. Wade—they’ve never had to show that. So Obama, it seems to me, still is backing away from what the law says—and backing away from a proposed federal law (of which he is a co-sponsor) that envisions a much broader definition of mental health than the one he laid out this week.
In Doe v. Bolton the Supreme Court partially upheld an abortion restriction that limited physicians to performing abortions except where it was necessary based on the physician’s “best clinical” judgement. The Court upheld this provision as being permissible because such:
medical judgment may be exercised in the light of all factors —physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman’s age — relevant to the wellbeing of the patient. All these factors may relate to health. This allows the attending physician the room he needs to make his best medical judgment. And it is room that operates for the benefit, not the disadvantage, of the pregnant woman.
This is a much broader definition of health than that offered by Obama even after his WORM revision.
So Obama is either stupid and doesn’t know what current law is or he is deliberately portraying his position as current law when he knows it isn’t. I’ve never believed Obama was stupid.
Obama’s pulling the Bushian trick of portraying his position as being centrist by saying it’s the status quo when it’s actually to the right of the status quo. He’s moving the Overton window, but not to the left.
* As we already know periodically when they’re feeling down women launch attacks against good, upstanding men like Obama.
Prairie Populist 4 July 2008
Obama
has made a big deal about speaking out against the Iraq War. At that time he
had no audience or power.
Now he
has a world audience and all the power short of being president. Will he speak
out?
From: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/
Hersh's Gambit
by dday
I've spent the last two days puzzling over Sy Hersh's latest New Yorker piece about the prospect
of war with Iran. There's no question in my mind that the Cheneyites
want to be the "real men" who go to Tehran. Fourthbranch
Cheney may have lost the skirmish inside the Administration on North Korea, but
it's clear the country with the oil in it is the bigger prize, and in a way,
has always been the focus.
I know there's a lot of talk about Israel going ahead with an airstrike, but Hersh doesn't buy
it, and neither do I. Fourthbranch doesn't believe
they have the firepower needed to penetrate the deeply embedded facilities he
thinks the Iranians have, and he figures the US would be blamed for any attack
anyway, so why not go ahead with it. Furthermore, the Israelis are doing too
much talking about this, telegraphing the fact that they don't want to actually
do it. If they were serious about attacking, nobody at the New York Times
would get briefed about preparatory maneuvers.
About 13 years ago,
while working on a British TV magazine program, I found myself spending a
couple of days with Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie
Smalls/the Notorious B.I.G. (I swear, I still have the tape, but it’s analog.)
This extended interview took place at the time when Tupac
Shakur was yelling from the rooftops that he was
going to kill Brooklyn’s greatest rapper, and getting plenty of publicity and
selling records by doing so. Biggie wasn’t particularly alarmed. He’d been a
hustler in Bed-Stuy for too long to take seriously
threats that are broadcast. In far more colorful language, he said words to the
effect of “On the streets, when someone is telling anyone who’ll listen that
they’re going to kill you, you don’t have to lose any sleep over it. You’re not
going to hear about it beforehand when the real killer comes.”
Exactly. (Yes, I know, Biggie was eventually,
tragically, murdered — but his point is proven by the fact that his killers had
nothing to do with Tupac.)
So Fourthbranch wants to take the shot himself
(Israel's even asking them to do it for them, which is the point of all the
talk). And if you're someone like Sy Hersh who thinks that is abhorrent, that it would be deeply
destabilizing and catastrophic to this country's national security, you do
whatever you can to stop it. So he's been reporting about the imminent
possibility of an attack, in the hopes that the presence of the articles will
become a deterrent. He's revealed that the weapons have been moved into
position, the exercises prepped, the bombing routes checked. He knows he can't
rely on the Democratic Congress, obviously; as this latest article shows, the
only people who have been standing in the way of war with Iran are at the
Pentagon.
A Democratic senator
told me that, late last year, in an off-the-record lunch meeting, Secretary of
Defense Gates met with the Democratic caucus in the Senate. (Such meetings are
held regularly.) Gates warned of the consequences if the Bush Administration
staged a preëmptive strike on Iran, saying, as the
senator recalled, “We’ll create generations of jihadists,
and our grandchildren will be battling our enemies here in America.” Gates’s comments stunned the Democrats at the lunch, and
another senator asked whether Gates was speaking for Bush and Vice-President
Dick Cheney. Gates’s answer, the senator told me, was
“Let’s just say that I’m here speaking for myself.” (A spokesman for Gates
confirmed that he discussed the consequences of a strike at the meeting, but
would not address what he said, other than to dispute the senator’s
characterization.) [...]
Admiral Fallon acknowledged, when I spoke to him in June, that he had heard
that there were people in the White House who were upset by his public
statements. “Too many people believe you have to be either for or against the
Iranians,” he told me. “Let’s get serious. Eighty million people live there,
and everyone’s an individual. The idea that they’re only one way or another is
nonsense.”
When it came to the Iraq war, Fallon said, “Did I bitch about some of the
things that were being proposed? You bet. Some of them were very stupid.”
Hersh is basically writing what he hopes are
self-negating columns. He wants the very act of publishing, of making
transparent all these efforts to bomb Iran and the pushback, to deter the
Administration. This is pretty much Spencer Ackerman's take, and so far, so
good.
However, what Hersh is putting up front in this piece
is that the war has actually already begun:
Late last year,
Congress agreed to a request from President Bush to fund a major escalation of
covert operations against Iran, according to current and former military,
intelligence, and congressional sources. These operations, for which the
President sought up to four hundred million dollars, were described in a
Presidential Finding signed by Bush, and are designed to destabilize the
country’s religious leadership. The covert activities involve support of the
minority Ahwazi Arab and Baluchi
groups and other dissident organizations. They also include gathering
intelligence about Iran’s suspected nuclear-weapons program.
Clandestine operations against Iran are not new. United States Special
Operations Forces have been conducting cross-border operations from southern
Iraq, with Presidential authorization, since last year. These have included
seizing members of Al Quds, the commando arm of the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and taking them to Iraq for interrogation, and the
pursuit of “high-value targets” in the President’s war on terror, who may be captured or killed. But the scale and the scope
of the operations in Iran, which involve the Central Intelligence Agency and
the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), have now been significantly
expanded, according to the current and former officials. Many of these
activities are not specified in the new Finding, and some congressional leaders
have had serious questions about their nature.
The reason for the Finding, which is yet another hideous example of playing
with fire (we're arming and training Sunni fundamentalist Baluchis
from the same region as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?), is
that the normal blueprint for ginning up a war in the Middle East hasn't
worked. Cheney initially took the Iraqi pre-war marketing plan, with neocons in high
places going to battle on the op-ed pages and TV, articles about Iranian
perfidy strategically placed, and the like. Didn't cause more than a ripple,
and after the NIE showing Iran discontinued their nuclear program years ago,
dead on arrival. It should be known that the NIE itself, finally released after
years of delay and attempted suppression, is now a fading memory in the
national consciousness. It's a wonder we got it out at all:
The onetime
undercover agent, who has been barred by the CIA from using his real name,
filed a motion in federal court late Friday asking the government to declassify
legal documents describing what he says was a deliberate suppression of
findings on Iran that were contrary to agency views at the time.
The former operative alleged in a 2004 lawsuit that the CIA fired him after he
repeatedly clashed with senior managers over his attempts to file reports that
challenged the conventional wisdom about weapons of mass destruction in the
Middle East. Key details of his claim have not been made public because they
describe events the CIA deems secret [...]
"On five occasions he was ordered to either falsify his reporting on WMD
in the Near East, or not to file his reports at all," (his attorney Roy)
Krieger said in an interview.
So Plan B was launched - to start a dirty war inside Iran, using enemies of the
Iranian government, in the hopes that they can spark an event that the
Administration can credibly call an act of aggression. They had to get the
go-ahead from the Gang of Eight in Congress, which buckled (again). But they
authorized a very different program than Fourthbranch
ended up implementing:
Under the Bush
Administration’s interpretation of the law, clandestine military activities,
unlike covert C.I.A. operations, do not need to be depicted in a Finding,
because the President has a constitutional right to command combat forces in
the field without congressional interference [...]
“This is a big deal,” the person familiar with the Finding said. “The C.I.A.
needed the Finding to do its traditional stuff, but the Finding does not apply
to JSOC. The President signed an Executive Order after September 11th giving
the Pentagon license to do things that it had never been able to do before
without notifying Congress. The claim was that the military was ‘preparing the
battle space,’ and by using that term they were able to circumvent
congressional oversight.
Emptywheel has more on this aspect of the White House
evading oversight so they can set the fuse for a casus
belli. Clearly they want to "prep the battle
space" and garner just enough support to go over the heads of the wavering
generals and launch the attack of their dreams. And the fact that just talking
about this stuff enough raises the price of oil makes it a win even if they
lose.
Here's how Fourthbranch tried to get to Hersh the last time he foiled one of his dastardly plans:
...it's May, 1975,
and Seymour Hersh of the New York Times has just broke the story of a secret submarine mission inside Soviet
territorial waters.
Here's Dick Cheney's handwritten notes on how the Ford
administration might proceed next: "go after Hersh
papers in his apt."
I don't know what it'll be this time. But it's clear to me, as we approach July
4th, that there's no better patriot in this country than Seymour Hersh, taking on the job of 236 Democrats in the House and
50 in the Senate, trying to hold off this insanity for a few more months before
transitioning into a new Adminstration which will
hopefully recognize the broad consensus for negotiation and diplomacy with the
Islamic Republic as opposed to the folly of war.
*****
Prairie Populist 23 June 2008
George Carlin on Organized Religion:
"Religion convinced
the world that there's an invisible man in the sky who watches everything you
do. And there's 10 things he doesn't want you to do or
else you'll go to a burning place with a lake of fire until the end of
eternity. But he loves you!... And he needs money! He's all powerful, but he
can't handle money! [...] I've begun worshipping the sun for a number of
reasons. First of all, unlike some other gods I could mention, I can see the
sun. It's there for me every day. And the things it brings me are quite
apparent all the time: heat, light, food, a lovely day. There's no mystery, no
one asks for money, I don't have to dress up, and there's no boring pageantry.
And interestingly enough, I have found that the prayers I offer to the sun and
the prayers I formerly offered to God are all answered at about the same
50-percent rate. [...] Religion is sort of like a lift in your shoes. If it makes
you feel better, fine. Just don't ask me to wear your shoes. And let's not nail
the lift to the natives' feet."
Prairie Populist 19 June 2008
At a recent rural elementary school meeting in North Texas, John McCain asked the audience for total quiet. Then in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands once every few seconds, holding the audience in total silence. Then he said into the microphone, “Every time I clap my hands a child in America dies from gun violence.”
Little Johnny, with a proud Texas Drawl, pierced the quiet! “Well, stupid,…… stop clapping!”
Prairie Populist 18 June 2008
Solstice Moon Illusion http://science.nasa.gov/headlines
Rose Moon
tonight:
The
moon will appear to be a giant pink sphere tonight, a sight that scientists
call the Moon Illusion, according to the NASA Web site.
The
sight occurs each year on June 18 and is called a solstice moon because
summer solstice occurs on June 21, according to this NASA site.
"This
is significant because the sun and full moon are like kids on a seesaw; when
one is high, the other is low,” a description on the NASA Web site says. “This
week’s high solstice sun gives us a low, horizon-hugging moon and a strong Moon
Illusion.”
The
solstice moon also is often called Strawberry Moon, according to NASA's Imagine
the Universe site. On the site, an astrophysicist explains it this way:
"The
Full Moon of June generally goes by the epithet of the 'Rose Moon,' or the
'Flower Moon,' while people in certain areas blessed with berries, as ours is, prefer to call it the 'Strawberry Moon.'
From
NASA’s website: http://science.nasa.gov/headlines.
On
Wednesday night, June 18th, step outside at sunset and look around. You'll see
a giant form rising in the east. At first glance it looks like the full Moon.
It has craters and seas and the face of a man, but
this "moon" is strangely inflated. It's huge!
You've
just experienced the Moon Illusion.
Above: The full Moon beams through trees in
Manchester, Maryland. Credit: Edmund E. Kasaitis.
Copyright 2008; all rights reserved.
There's
no better time to see it. The full Moon of June 18th is a "solstice
moon", coming only two days before the beginning of northern summer. This
is significant because the sun and full Moon are like kids on a see-saw; when
one is high, the other is low. This week's high solstice sun gives us a low,
horizon-hugging Moon and a strong Moon Illusion.
Sky
watchers have known for thousands of years that low-hanging moons look
unnaturally big. At first, astronomers thought the atmosphere must be
magnifying the Moon near the horizon, but cameras showed that is not the case.
Moons on film are the same size regardless of elevation: example. Apparently,
only human beings see giant moons.
Are
we crazy?
After
all these years, scientists still aren't sure. When you look at the Moon, rays
of moonlight converge and form an image about 0.15 mm wide on the retina in the
back of your eye. High moons and low moons make the same sized spot, yet the
brain insists one is bigger than the other. Go figure.
A similar illusion was discovered in 1913 by Mario Ponzo,
who drew two identical bars across a pair of converging lines, like the
railroad tracks pictured right. The upper yellow bar looks wider because it
spans a greater apparent distance between the rails. This is the "Ponzo Illusion."
Right: The Ponzo
Illusion. Image credit: Dr. Tony Phillips. [More]
Some
researchers believe that the Moon Illusion is Ponzo's
Illusion, with trees and houses playing the role of Ponzo's
converging lines. Foreground objects trick your brain into thinking the Moon is
bigger than it really is.
But
there's a problem: Airline pilots flying at very high altitudes sometimes
experience the Moon Illusion without any objects in the foreground. What tricks
their eyes?
Maybe
it's the shape of the sky. Humans perceive the sky as a flattened dome, with
the zenith nearby and the horizon far away. It makes sense; birds flying
overhead are closer than birds on the horizon. When the moon is near the
horizon, your brain, trained by watching birds (and clouds and airplanes),
miscalculates the Moon's true distance and size.
Below: The "flattened sky" model for the
Moon Illusion. Source: Explaining the Moon Illusion by Lloyd Kaufman and James H. Kaufman.
There
are other explanations too. It doesn't matter which is correct, though, if all
you want to do is see a big beautiful Moon. The best time to look is around
moonrise, when the Moon is peeking through trees and houses or over mountain
ridges. The table below (scroll down) lists rise times for selected US cities.
A
fun activity: Look at the Moon directly and then through a narrow opening of
some kind. For example, 'pinch' the moon between your thumb and forefinger or
view it through a cardboard tube, which hides the foreground terrain. Can you
make the optical illusion vanish?
Stop
that! You won't want to miss the Moon Illusion.
Moonrise over
Selected US Cities
|
*****
Prairie Populist 6 June 2008
This post from:
http://tomwatson.typepad.com/tom_watson/
contains nice sentiments
Speaking Loudly With a Single Voice
Any true
supporter of Hillary Clinton and her vision for the United States should come
easily to the campaign of Senator Obama from Illinois.
Hillary ran hard, she fought to the end, and she clearly represented groups of
people in the United States who feel less than fully represented on our
national commons. To me, her voice was raised in full on their behalf - and
although she faced a vicious and sexist media, that voice was fully heard. No
one silenced Hillary Clinton, and I seriously doubt whether any one ever will.
And although her loss is a disappointment for my mother, for my wife, for my
daughter, she took the cowardly flak so that others may not have to on the
national stage. Any Democrat who seriously suggests aloud that Senator Clinton
is not owed a great debt by her party and by her nation utters a political
obscenity.
Likewise,
Democrats who argue that Barack Obama
is not worthy of half the party's support are seriously misguided. Losing
hurts, especially when some of the results don't feel particularly fair, when
the strange and arcane nomination process and the snarling media seemed to
conspire to defeat the first woman to come close to winning the presidency -
and especially when you lose by a nose after a brutal year of campaigning.
Yet, I have to say this clearly: Hillary lost, and she lost
squarely on the playing field as it was laid out for all candidates. Moreover, Barack won. And he really did win in the fullest sense of the word. There can be no
question that Obama also faced a stern test in terms
of our national mores and prejudices, and that his primary campaign was a
testament to his skill and talent - and yes, his vision for America.
Let's focus on
that vision, for this is the key issue. Obama's plan
for national office is only a short whisker's difference away from Hillary
Clinton's. They agreed on most of the major issues. They agree on bringing the
troops home. They agree on rolling back the excesses of the Bush years. They
generally agree on the environment, tax policy and a more humane foreign
policy. If you backed Hillary because of what she'd do as President, the next
best choice is clearly Barack Obama.
Then too, Obama also represents a group of Americans whose collective
voice has not had the greatest influence on that national commons. He, too, was
an underdog and prevailed in a close battle of energetic pioneers. That our
party should nominate an African-American man just 44 years after the tempestuous
passage of the Civil Rights Act is a fine thing indeed; a moment to be
celebrated. This Democrat twice voted for the Rev. Jesse Jackson is his younger
days - the nomination of Senator Obama does indeed
fulfill a yearning for change in this particular Democratic breast.
I know this
post will not be popular with some of the Clinton fans who have migrated to
this blog over the past year, yet it is entirely
consistent with my wholehearted support for Hillary during that period.
Likewise, some Obama backers will muse that I've
stepped late into the light. And many of you may not like this either: I hold
tremendous personal respect for Senator John McCain. I do not agree with him on
policy, but I would not see him denigrated in personally gratuitous fashion, not
after those five and a half years. I will not quote posts and articles that
play silly games with his name or make fun of his teeth or talk about his
personal life. He is a conservative, and I am not. He is a Republican and I am
not. But he is an American, and so am I.
Although my
candidate is defeated - in spectacular fashion, to her credit - I believe we
have a a vital opportunity
in this election to change the direction of the nation. And so, to me, the
politics of personality must fall gently aside. So I'd like to speak directly
to those Clinton supporters who have been along for the whole ride. If you're
hurt, take a break. If you're wounded, let it heal. And then join us if you
still feel you can, and let's go out and speak loudly - and with a single
voice.
UPDATE: As always, I appreciate comments here. And I've come a long way with bunch of ya. But I have to say I disagree strongly with Clinton supporters who say they'll never vote for Obama because they feel personally disrespected, because somehow the Democratic Party doesn't want their vote. Spare me. A little tough love, people: if Hillary Clinton can deal with it, I damned well hope you can. Her policy - his policy - is simply better. So lick your wounds and make your choice. And as it turns, Hillary and Barack are meeting right now - Senator Obama giving an overt and very public signal of respect for Senator Clinton. Buck up!
Prairie Populist 5 June 2008
Interesting stuff if true. This is the rumor that has been going around
the blogosphere for the last week.
From http://hillbuzz.blogspot.com/2008/06/whats-on-michelle-obama-rant-tape.html
What's
on the Michelle Obama Rant Tape?
NOTE: Here's what's
known so far. We will update this thread as new information comes in. As we
have repeated several times, we have never seen the Michelle Obama Rant Tape ourselves
-- we started researching this about 4 weeks ago when we first caught rumors of
a tape of Michelle ranting and raving and making remarks that were consistently
called "stunning". When we heard the GOP already had this tape, and
it was most likely Giuliani's opposition research team that found it, we tried
to figure out where and when something like this could have been filmed. The
only tools at our disposal were Google, the public library, and longtime
residents of Chicago who have long, strong memories.
Obama has insisted on many occasions that Michelle is his most trusted and
senior advisor: therefore, anything she thinks and says has great importance,
because he has stated himself she is a tremendous influence on him and his
decisions. That's why this tape matters, and that's why it's important to look
for it now instead of waiting for the Republicans to bring this out whenever
THEY choose. Democrats never seem to learn this lesson: if there is something
damaging a Democratic candidate knows is out there, he needs to bring it
forward and expose it himself to the American public. Gore, Kerry, and Dukakis
all thought they could hide their heads in the sand and not face up to the
critical flaws in their candidacies -- and they were all defeated because the
Republicans do opposition research, while Democrats do not. Opposition research
is boring and time consuming and not a lot of fun -- but when it turns up
something like a tape of a candidate's spouse spouting hateful things in
public, it's obvious why the GOP invests their time in it (Swiftboating, Willie
Horton, you name it).
After spending almost all free time Googling every possible combination of
words and dates related to this tape and spending hours going through old
newspapers at the library, these are the clues we were able to piece together
on what we believe the GOP has in terms of the "Michelle Obama Rant
Tape":
The Michelle Obama Rant Tape was filmed between June 26th - July 1st 2004 in
Chicago, IL at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in
Chicago, specifically the women's panel (Update and Note: the location was
originally stated as "Trinity" in everything we heard, but it's now
become clear the tape could have only been filmed at the Sheraton during this
conference. The Sheraton makes a lot more sense, and the setup of a panel
discussion is exactly what's been described as being on the tape. It's smart to
wonder if any Sheraton banquet employees remember this, because during a panel
discussion of that size, there would be plenty of staff moving around in one of
those banquet rooms).
Michelle Obama appeared as a panelist alongside Mrs. Khadijah Farrakhan and
Mrs. James Meeks.
Bill Clinton spoke during the Conference, as did Bill Cosby and other speakers,
but not at the panel Michelle attended.
Michelle Obama spoke at the "Women's Event", but referenced Bill
Clinton in her rant --- his presence at the conference was the impetus for her
raving, it seems. (Update and Note: it's been referred to as the "Women's
Event", which on the Conference agenda seems to be a luncheon, with panel
discussion; there could have been another "Women's Event" that was
not on the agenda, perhaps an event for the wives of speakers attending other
events. Large conferences typically have events for the wives of speakers, and
these are not always put onto the agendas sent to the public. This will, we're
sure, become clearer the more people look into the Conference and when exactly
Michelle made her panel appearance).
For about 30 minutes, Michelle Obama launched into a rant about the evils of
America, and how America is to blame for the problems of Africa. Michelle
personally blamed President Clinton for the deaths of millions of Africans and
said America is responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis and other ethnic
groups. She then launched into an attack on "whitey", and talked
about solutions to black on black crime in the realm of diverting those actions
onto white America. Her rant was fueled by the crowd: they reacted strongly to what
she said, so she got more passionate and enraged, and that's when she
completely loses it and says things that have made the mouths drop of everyone
who's seen this.
* Update and Note: Thinking back to 2004, and the period surrounding the
Democratic Convention, several of us here in Chicago remember hearing something
about the wife of a politician who said nasty things about Bill Clinton shortly
before the Democratic Convention. At the time, we didn't pay any attention to
this, because we had no idea who the wife was (Michelle) or who her husband was
(Barack); even after he gave his keynote address, we didn't really pay any
attention to the issue of this "wife of a politician" saying hateful
things about Bill Clinton and Africa shortly before the Democratic Convention.
However, in the last week or so, once the connections started being made that
(1) the GOP was rumored to have a tape of Michelle ranting and raving, (2) the
tape mentioned President Clinton, and (3) the tape was from 2004, the pieces fit
together and we realized the person who we remembered saying horrible things
about President Clinton in Chicago shortly before the Democratic Convention in
2004 was actually Michelle Obama (someone we had never heard of at the time).
Following up on this, we spoke with several people -- 5, to be exact -- who
were in Chicago in the summer of 2004: 2 of whom went to the Rainbow/PUSH
Coalition Conference (but who did NOT attend any women's event). Each of them
remembered hearing something about what was said (as noted above) about
President Clinton, Africa, and the rest -- by what really does appear to be
Michelle Obama. YouTube was not around back in 2004, at least not like it is
today, so we have no idea if there is a way to check for all the Chicago local and
national media news broadcasts for any mention of "the wife of a Senate
candidate" saying these negative things about President Clinton.
Several of us also remember hearing a very short blurb about this on the news
that summer, but completely dismissed the comments against Clinton at the time
because they are so ridiculous in light of all the Clinton Global Initiative
has done for Africa. That's actually why this has all stuck in our minds for 4
years: the incongruous fact that someone would say these horrible things about
a man who built a global foundation to address the very issues this person
rantedand raved about. Now, we noted all of this information in the last few
paragraphs in this update because people have been asking all day how we know what
details are on the tape -- the only reason we didn't spell this all out when we
first made the post was because, frankly, just look at how long it has taken to
show you why, exactly, we believe this panel discussion with Michelle is THE
tape the GOP is waiting to use. It is an awful lot of explanation, and
ultimately it boils down to people remembering what they heard 4 years ago, and
it all making sense only now in light of the events of the past four weeks or
so. Before you jump to criticism, remember that's the whole POINT in looking
for the video of Michelle's panel discussion at this Conference. Either a group
of people remember this incorrectly from the days surrounding the 2004
Convention, or that tape will be the "Michelle Obama Rant Tape"
that's being talked about at great length right now.
The "tape" is a DVD that Trinity United sold on its website, and
possibly offered free for download up until March 2008 when Trinity's site was
scrubbed and the DVDs were no longer offered for sale. (Update and Note:
"Trinity" here is also what's consistently been repeated from day one
about this "tape"; we believe the "tape" is actually a DVD
and have called it a DVD here because in 2004 VHS was already being phased out,
so it's doubtful this recording was an actual "tape". People just use
the word "tape" to refer to recordings of events. Getting bogged down
in the semantics of "tape" and DVD is silly -- we assume
"tape" and DVD are one and the same in this matter. There is a good
question of whether it was Trinity that had the DVD for sale or the Conference
organizers on another website, or if it was just a download, or if it was both
for sale and a download, or if just Trinity or just the Conference organizers
or both had it for sale. That's not been determined yet. But, it has been
consistently said that a GOP opposition research team got ahold of this
"tape", and got it by either purchasing it or downloading it online.
It's an established fact that prior to Jeremiah Wright's emergence as an issue in
this campaign, a large number of videos were available for both sale and
download that have since been removed. The same is true for other sites that
had this same content. Someone deliberately removed all that material because
they realized there were things on those tapes that would harm the Obama
campaign. If not, then why were the tapes removed from sale or download?).
This outburst happened just one month before the 2004 Democratic Convention,
when Barack Obama delivered the keynote address.
UPDATED: It seems really easy for Chicago local media, especially, to determine
whether or not this is the right tape of Michelle Obama. All they need to do is
pull the tape from this 2004 Conference (particularly the panel Michelle was
on), which should be readily available (since this was a very large multi-day
event). All a journalist needs to do is watch this tape: if this is not the
right one, they'd know immediately and this issue would be debunked. But,
logically, this seems to be the most likely source of the tape people have been
talking about at NoQuarterUSA.net
UPDATE #2: It's also being reported that ABC-7 news anchors moderated a panel
at the Conference that appears to be the one Michelle Obama participated in. If
so, then it's reasonable to believe ABC-7 in Chicago has footage from the panel
discussion. It's also been consistently said on the blogs since word of this
"tape" first broke that a network has the footage and is sitting on
it --- and that the network in question is ABC. Once again, if ABC-7 does have
tape from this panel discussion, they could solve this mystery today by
releasing it all on their website -- particularly the 30 minutes or so of
Michelle Obama speaking -- so we can see once and for all exactly what she said
that day. The ABC-7 anchors who moderated could also come out and definitively
say what Michelle Obama said on the panel (or Michelle could come out herself
and recount what she said). That would get to the bottom of this.
Posted by HillBuzz at 12:23 AM
And From No Quarter.com is a
discussion of what Michelle Obama said: http://noquarterusa.net/blog/page/3/
Our thanks to Martin Longman over
at Booman Tribune. He performed a public service last night by disseminating
Barack Obama talking points even before I had published my update. Two key
points–First, the Obama campaign is admitting the tape exists by ponying up a
bogus explanation. Second, they don’t dispute that Michelle is sitting at the
table with Louis Farrakhan.
So, here’s what
Martin posted:
The Michelle Tape
From what I understand, it is a tape of Michelle Obama criticizing the Bush administration.
How you’d write it:
Why did Bush cut
folks off medicaid?
Why did Bush let New Orleans drown?
Why did Bush do nothing about Jena?
Why did Bush put us in Iraq for no reason?
How you’d say it:
Why’d he cut folks
off medicaid?
Why’d he let New Orleans drown?
Why’d he do nothing about Jena?
Why’d he put us in Iraq for no reason?
How Larry Johnson
wants you to hear it:
Whitie cut folks
off medicaid?
Whitie let New Orleans drown?
Whitie do nothing about Jena?
Whitie put us in Iraq for no reason?
*****
Prairie Populist 4 June 2008
1920 Republican Convention
Suffragettes protesting at the 1920 Republican Convention. Left to right: Mrs. James Rector, Mary Dubrow, and Alice Paul. Sign reads: "No self respecting woman should wish or work for the success of a party that ignores her self." - Susan B. Anthony, 1872
Prairie Populist 4 June 2008
From http://anglachelg.blogspot.com/2008/06/what-does-hillary-want.html
What Does Hillary Want?
"You know, I understand that a lot of people are asking, what does Hillary want? What does she want? Well, I want what I have always fought for in this whole campaign. I want to end the war in Iraq. I want to turn this economy around. I want health care for every American. I want every child to live up to his or her God-given potential, and I want the nearly 18 million Americans who voted for me to be respected, to be heard and no longer to be invisible.You see, I have an old-fashioned notion, one that's been the basis of my candidacy and my life's work, that public service is about helping people solve their problems and live their own dreams. This nation has given me every opportunity, and that's what I want for every single American.
That’s why I want universal health care. It is wrong that Americans pay 50% more for health care than the people of any other wealthy nation, with costs doubling this decade and nearly 50 million people without any health insurance at all. It is wrong for parents to have to choose between care for themselves or their children, to be stuck in dead-end jobs just to keep their insurance or to give up working altogether so their kids will qualify for Medicaid. I have been working on this issue not just for the past 16 months, but for 16 years. And it is a fight I will continue until every single American has health insurance. No exceptions and no excuses.
I want an economy that works for all families. That’s why I have been fighting to create millions of new jobs in clean energy and rebuilding our infrastructure, jobs to come to all of our states and urban and rural areas and suburban communities and small towns. That’s why I sounded the alarm on the home mortgage crisis well over a year ago, because these are the issues that will determine whether we will once again grow together as a nation or continue to grow apart. And I want to restore America’s leadership in the world. I want us to be led once again by the power of our values, to have a foreign policy that is both strong and smart, to join with our allies and confront our shared challenges from poverty and genocide to global terrorism and global warming.
These are the issues that brought me into this race. They are the life blood of my campaign, and they have been and will continue to be the causes of my life. And your spirit has inspired me every day in this race. "
Prairie Populist 4 June 2008
WE are sore losers:
From
several Hillary Clinton supporters’ blog sites:
As this
historic and unbelievably close Democratic primary season winds down, let's
take a step back and consider what a stunning situation we have found ourselves
in.
Right now,
we have one candidate who leads in elected delegates and another who leads in
the popular vote. It's almost unprecedented, and no
one could have guessed we'd be in this position a year ago. Next to Florida in
2000, this has been the most incredible election contest I have ever witnessed,
and it's not even over yet.
In August,
it will be the Democratic super delegates who will decide this contest with
their votes at the convention. So...what's the most democratic way to determine
the winner here? And, all essential questions of electability aside, who has
the democratic moral high ground as the voting comes to a close?
Barack
Obama's lead in elected delegates is impressive, but I believe it is an
extremely flawed measurement. You see, delegates are malleable. With the right
strategy and pressure, they can be changed at will. These changes can occur at
local conventions, in DNC meeting rooms, or simply in the brain of an elected
delegate with a change of heart. The will of the voters often has nothing to do
with it.
There are
many examples that prove this point, and here are a few of them.
Iowa
All
discussion of what happened on the day of the Iowa caucuses aside, during the
county conventions back in March, the results changed dramatically.
Sen.
Barack Obama picked up nine more pledged delegates in Iowa, state Democratic
officials said late Saturday night, as thousands took part in county
conventions.
All but
one of the delegates had been among the 14 won Jan. 3 by former senator John
Edwards, who has since dropped out of the Democratic presidential race.
Election-night projections showed Obama getting 16 delegates and Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton 15.
[Obama
campaign manager David Plouffe] noted that the Iowa gain equaled Clinton's
nine-delegate win in Ohio -- a detail designed to emphasize a campaign
strategy of winning delegates everywhere it can in hopes of outpolling and
outmaneuvering the Clinton troops.
Thank you,
David, for perfectly illustrating my point.
At this
stage, Obama has actually gained eleven more Iowa delegates, while Clinton has
lost one and Edwards ten.
Decision
of the voters:
Obama 38%
Edwards 30%
Clinton 29%
Current
delegate apportionment:
Obama 60%
Clinton 31%
Edwards 9%
(27-14-4)
Nevada:
The
credentials committee of the Nevada Democratic Convention has concluded their
business and announced totals for the state's delegates to the Democratic
National Convention. The totals are a huge success for Ill. Sen. Barack
Obama, who improved upon his showing in the Jan. 19 precinct caucuses and
will now head to Denver in August with 14 delegates from Nevada to N.Y. Sen.
Hillary Clinton's 11.
Decision
of the voters:
Clinton 51%
Obama 45%
Current
delegate apportionment:
Obama 56%
Clinton 44%
(14-11)
Michigan
I assume
you already know what
happened there.
Decision
of the voters:
Clinton 55%
Uncommitted 40% (votes for Obama, Edwards,
Richardson, etc.)
DNC-adjusted
delegate apportionment:
Clinton 54%
Obama 46%
(69-59)
If I lived
in Iowa, Nevada or Michigan, I would have just one question: Was my vote for
Clinton one of the votes that got transferred into a delegate for Obama?
Texas
In the
primary, Hillary won 51% to 47% - a margin of over 100,000 votes. This primary
was incredibly inclusive. In addition to Election Day, early voting occurred
over a two-week period and turnout was through-the-roof for a Democratic
primary. But on election night, there was also a caucus, and calling it a
disaster is being kind. I'm not saying the caucus in Texas should be totally
dismissed (even though it deserves it), only that since far fewer people
participated, the atmosphere was chaotic (and sometimes dangerous), fraud
occurred, and the returns, according to CNN, are still stuck at 41% after three
months...Barack Obama does not deserve to walk away from Texas with more
delegates than Hillary Clinton.
Decision
of 2.8 million voters:
Clinton 51%
Obama 47%
Current
delegate apportionment, when including incomplete caucus tally:
Obama 51%
Clinton 49%
(99-94)
Question:
Is the delegate result from Texas a fair representation of the will of its
people?
Washington, Nebraska and Idaho
In each of
these cases, more people participated in the primaries than the caucuses. In
each of these cases, Hillary Clinton did significantly better in the primaries
than the caucuses. In each of these cases, the caucuses awarded delegates while
the non-binding primaries did not.
Washington
Caucus
Obama 68%
Clinton 31%
Washington
Primary
Obama 51%
Clinton 46%
Nebraska
Caucus
Obama 68%
Clinton 32%
Nebraska
Primary
Obama 49%
Clinton 46%
Idaho
Caucus
Obama 79%
Clinton 17%
Idaho
Primary
Obama 64%
Clinton 31%
And you
know what's really outrageous? Several thousand people showed up for the Idaho
caucuses where Obama netted 12 delegates...the very same number of delegates
that Clinton netted when 2.3 million voters showed up to give her a big win in
Pennsylvania. Something is very wrong here.
Question:
Are the delegates awarded from these caucuses an adequate reflection of the
will of the electorate in these states?
Some
Findings:
* 35.6
million People have voted
* The 37 primary states account for 97% of the vote.
* The 13 caucus states account for 3% of the vote.
Bottom
line: Clinton’s lead is from 34.5 million voters (97%) in Primaries. Obama’s
lead is from 1.1 million voters (3%) in caucuses.
...In
the 37 primaries, Hillary Clinton is up 500,000 votes (counting Florida and
Michigan and giving Barack Obama 75% of the votes of Michigan's uncommitted
delegates.) This gives her a 67 delegate lead in the primaries. In the 13
caucus states, Obama is up 300,000 votes which has resulted in a 205 delegate
lead.
This
contest is indeed a race for delegates, and the candidate with a majority of
them in August will be the nominee. No one is disputing that. But at the very
core of the idea of democracy lies a very basic concept: The
person with the most votes is the winner. By that measure, Hillary will indeed
prevail over Barack Obama when the final tallies come in tonight.
The great
thing about votes, as opposed to delegates, is that they are set in stone. No
amount of tinkering can change the vote totals in Florida, Michigan or anywhere
else. No backroom deals can alter them, no compromise can split them, and no
Supreme Court can erase them.
The choice
is now up to the super delegates, and I fully realize the burden that is placed
upon them now. But whether or not they decide to look beyond the confusing
delegate fog and honor the votes of the American people with their own vote at
the convention...nothing can ever take Hillary Clinton's democratic victory
away.
Nothing.
And on
that note:
Hillary
Clinton 17,673,329 (50.45%)
Barack Obama 17,355,652 (49.55%)
Prairie Populist 15 November 2006
The Iranian
revolution 1978-79 and other events in the
A map of the
Description
Opinions vary as to what countries make up the
modern definition of the
The African country of
We attempt here to show the modern
definition, but in world of geography, there are often many answers or (personal
or political opinions) to what appears to be a simple question.
*****
A timeline of major religions would be helpful
http://www.sacred-texts.com/time/origtime.htm if you go to the website there are URL connections
Timeline: Origin of Major Religions
This table indicates the approximate date each of the twelve major world religions began, along with the traditional dates for the birth and death of its founder (if applicable). You can click on each religions' link to start reading about it.
This list of twelve world religions is, of course, an oversimplification. Also, keep in mind that there are religions (such as the belief systems of Native American and Australian Aborigine peoples) that go back much further than Hinduism, and there have been several large religions that have started since Baha'i.
The 'Common Era' refers to 1 A.D. CE=Common Era, BCE=Before Common Era
| date | Near East | India | China/Japan |
| 1000+ BCE |
 Judaism: Moses 1500-1350 BCE |
 Hinduism: 2000 BCE |
|
| 600 BCE | Zoroastrianism: Zoroaster 628-527 BCE |
Jainism: Mahavira 599-527 BCE  Buddhism: Buddha 563-483 BCE |
 Taoism: Lao Tse 580-500 BCE Confucianism: Confucius 551-579 BCE |
| 100 CE |
 Christianity: Jesus 1-33 CE |
 Shinto: 100 CE |
|
| 600 CE |  Islam: Muhammad 570-632 CE |
||
| 1500 CE | Sikhism: Guru Nanak 1469-1538 CE |
||
| 1900 CE | Baha'i: Baha'u'llah 1817-1892 CE |
*****
Next a timeline
of the divisions of Islam
The death of Muhammad in
- The Prophet's preference to
follow him was Ali, the husband of his daughter, the Egyptian Fatima, and the
father of his only surviving grandsons Hasan and Husayn. But, while the family
was busy burying the Prophet, the leaders of
- The "Sunnis", followers of Abu, the majority, with 800 million Muslims.
- The "Shiites", followers of Ali, with 100 million Muslims (
Despite the differences in detail and politics, the various branches do accept the basic tenets laid down in the Koran.
1- The "Sunni": 800 million:
The followers of Abu, called "Sunni" because they accept the "sunnas", the oral traditions and interpretations of the Koran after Muhammad's death, called the "sunnas", and later the "Hadiths".
They are usually more liberal.
They belief the "caliph" ("successor" of Muhammad) should always be elected, not conferred by heredity. They claim they are the true followers of the faith, and until 1959 they refuse to recognize the Shiites as true Muslims. They believe in "predestination".
During the Ottoman Turks, the Caliphs were called "Sultans".
2- The "Shiite": 100 million:
The "Shiite
("partisans"), are the followers of Ali, more orthodox and militant,
mainly in
The "Iman"
and "Mahdi" (Messhiah):
Shiites created the office of the "Imam"
("leader" or "guide"), who were infallible, one for each
generation, the only source of religious instruction and guidance, and all in
direct descendence of Ali. There were 12 Imams since Ali; the last one, the
12th, went into hiding in 940, and he will emerge later to rule the world as
"Mahdi" ("Messiah"). For this reason they are also called
the "Imamites" or "Twelvers".
-
The present "Ayatollahs",
("signs of God") see themselves as joint caretakers of the office of
the Imam, until he returns at the end of time. The "Ayatollah
Khomeini" claimed that he was a descendant of the 7th Imam, and hence the
rightful ruler of the Shiites.
There are other sects and they can be found here: http://www.religion-cults.com/Islam/islam5.html
******
Now we will give a timeline for the occupation of
The Jebusites build the wall Jebus (Jerusalem
King David attacks and
captures
c. 960 BCE
King Solomon builds the First Temple.
The Assyrians
lay an unsuccessful siege on
c. 700 BCE
King Hezekiah builds the Pool of Siloam tunnel in order to supply the Gihon Spring water to the city.
The Babylonians
destroy
King Cyrus
the Great allows the Israelites to return from the Babylonian captivity and rebuild the
The Second Temple is built.
Ezra leads 1,800 Jews
from
The appointed governor of
The Great
Assembly is established in
Hellenistic domination under Alexander the Great.
Ptolemy I of Egypt rules
Antiochus Epiphanes sacks
The Maccabees recapture
Roman invasion by Pompey.
Herod expands the Temple
Mount and rebuilds the
- CE -
Crucifixion of Jesus.
Titus besieges and sacks Jerusalem and destroys
the
Hadrian crushes Bar Kokhba's revolt, reestablishes
Tolerant to other faiths, pagan
Emperor Julian the Apostate announces to the Jews that
they are allowed to return to "holy
Church of the Holy Sepulchre is built.
Byzantine Emperor Heraclius
retakes
Muslim Arabs under the
leadership of Caliph
Umar conquer
The Dome of the Rock mosque is built by Caliph Abd al-Malik.
The Ummayads build Masjid al-Aqsa.
Caliph Hakim orders destruction of churches and synagogues.
Turks conquer
First
Crusaders capture
Jerusalem is visited by Yehuda Halevi (1141), Maimonides (1165), Benjamin of Tudela (1173).
Saladin captures
Richard the Lionheart fails to conquer
300 Rabbis from
Kharezmian Tatars conquer the city.
Egyptian conquer the city.
Rule by the Mamelukes.
Nachmanides
goes to
The second conquest by the Mamelukes.
The visiting Dominican
priest Felix Fabri described
Sultan Selim of the Ottoman
Empire captures
Suleiman the Magnificent rebuilds walls
around
Muslims seal The Golden Gate to prevent Jewish Messiah's entrance.
Earthquake damages the city.
Judah
the Pious with 1,000 followers settle in
Restrictive legislation against the Jews.
Napoleon visits the area.
First visit by Sir Moses Montefiore.
Sultan Mehemet Ali of Egypt conquers the city.
The first British consulate is opened.
The Ottoman Turks retake the city.
The first census: 7120 Jews, 5760 Muslims, 3390 Christians.
The first Jewish neighborhood (Mishkenot Sha'ananim) is built outside the
Mea Shearim is built.
Theodore Herzl meets German Kaiser Wilhelm outside city walls.
Bezalel School of Art is founded.
British Army led by General Allenby captures the city.
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) is founded (inaugurated in 1925) on Mount Scopus on the land owned by the Jewish National Fund. 1923: The first lecture is delivered by the first president of World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) Albert Einstein.
The British Mandate of Palestine. Haj Amin al-Husayni is appointed Mufti of Jerusalem.
Arab riots in Hebron, Safed and Jerusalem.
King David Hotel is opened. The first issue of The Palestine Post is published.
1947 UN Partition Plan calls for
internationalization of
· May 13: Hadassah medical convoy massacre.
· May 14: The term of the British Mandate ends.
· May 14: The State of Israel is established at 4 pm
·
May 28: The Jewish Quarter of the
·
July 26: West
Jerusalem is proclaimed
·
1949:
King Abdullah I of Jordan is assassinated by Arab
extremists on the
Establishment of Yad Vashem.
Pope Paul VI visits the city.
Inauguration of new Knesset building. Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book are established.
1967 5-11 June
The Six Day War.
· June 7: The Old City is captured by the IDF.
·
June 28:
An Australian Protestant extremist burns a part of the al-Aqsa Mosque.
President of Egypt Anwar Sadat
visits
WUJS headquarters moves from London to
The Jerusalem Law is enacted.
And a timeline
for the Arab Israeli conflict in modern times from: http://www.cmep.org/documents/Timeline.htm
TIMELINE
of the ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT
Printer-Friendly Format: PDF File
|
1896-1897 |
Theodore Herzl publishes Der Judenstaat, “The State of the Jews” calling
for a Jewish state to solve the growing problem of anti-Semitism. First
Zionist Congress discusses plans to establish a Jewish state in |
|
WW1 |
The |
|
1915 |
Hussein-McMahon |
|
1916 |
Sykes-Picot Agreement
– divides the Ottoman Arab lands into zones exercised by either French or
British spheres of influence. |
|
1917 |
|
|
1922 |
Council of the |
|
1929 |
Arab-Jewish riots in |
|
1933 |
Hitler’s rise to power in |
|
1936-1939 |
The
Arab Revolt – First major outbreak of Arab-Jewish hostilities. Revolt
leads to the Peel Commission recommendation in 1937 of
partitioning |
|
WWII |
Holocaust; Haj Amin El Husseini, Mufti of Jerusalem sides with
Nazis. Jewish migration into |
|
1946 |
Hostilities
in |
|
1947-1948 |
UN General Assembly Resolution 181 is passed, partitioning |
|
1948 |
British
mandate ends; |
|
1949-1950 |
Armistice
(forms basis for what became known as the “Green Line”.) |
|
1956 |
|
|
1964 |
Palestinian
Liberation Organization (PLO) is established, with the stated aim of
“eliminating Zionism in |
|
1967 |
Six
Day War: – |
|
1969-1970 |
|
|
1973 |
Yom
Kippur War – |
|
1974 |
Palestinian
National Council adopts a political program. Israelis interpret
this as staged liberation of |
|
1977 |
Menachem
Begin and Likud coalition win Israeli elections. Settlements in
occupied territories increase. |
|
1978 |
|
|
1980 |
Israeli
government declares |
|
1981 |
|
|
1982 |
|
|
1987 |
Intifada,
a Palestinian popular uprising against the Israeli occupation of the
territories, begins in |
|
1988 |
The
PLO accepts UN resolution 242 and 338, renounces violence and recognizes the
right of |
|
1991 |
Gulf
War begins in January in response to Iraqi invasion of |
|
1992 |
Bush-Baker
Administration holds up $10 Billion in |
|
1993 |
Oslo
Peace Process, the agreement between the two sides to make gradual
steps towards a final settlement of the conflict, begins. |
|
1994 |
Palestinian
Authority is established in |
|
1995 |
“ |
|
1996 |
Palestinians
elect Yasser Arafat as President. |
|
1997 |
Hebron Protocol signed dividing city of |
|
1998 |
Wye River Memorandum, outlining
further Israeli withdrawal from the |
|
1999 |
PLO
postpones declaration of statehood. Ehud Barak elected as Prime Minister,
pledges to work for peace. Sharm el Sheik
memorandum signed between |
|
2000 |
Camp
David II – Clinton-led negotiations on final status issues between
Barak and Arafat breakdown, largely over the issue of |
|
2001 |
Taba
Talks: Arafat and Barak find common ground but no agreements.
Bush inaugurated. |
|
2002 |
Reoccupation
of Palestinian areas begins. Arafat placed under house arrest. Occupation of Church
of the Nativity in |
|
2003 |
US-initiated
war in |
|
2004 |
|
|
2005 |
Mahmoud
Abbas elected President of the Palestinian Authority on a non-violent
platform. Second Intifada ends with Sharm
el-Sheikh summit in February and declaration of cease-fire
by militant groups in March. In State of the Union address Bush
recommits to two-state solution and asks Congress for additional aid to the
Palestinians. |
|
2006 |
Prime
Minister Sharon suffers a serious stroke; Deputy PM Ehud Olmert assumes
power. Hamas, which is on the US State Department’s list of terrorist
organizations, wins majority in the Palestinian
Legislative Council elections. |
*****
OK if you
peruse the above you will see that various folks have occupied Jeruslaem.
The importance
of
The importance of
“Exalted is He who took His Servant in a night journey
from the Sanctified Mosque (in Mekkah) to Al-Aqsa Mosque (in
Prophet Muhammad was the first Muslim who
entered
On the other hand, there are several sayings in
which prophet Muhammad confirms the importance and holiness of Al-Aqsa Mosque,
and urges all Muslims to visit
As for the Arab Christians,
According to the Old Testament, the first Jewish
Temple was constructed by King David on a land purchased from Arnan, the
Jebusite. That site had no sanctity or holiness as Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, because it was a farm belonging to an Arabic citizen.
In the end, I say to the Israelis that it is
against human rights and logic to declare
******
Here is another less
devout take on the importance of
This posting may be unpleasant reading for devout Moslems.
If you are not interested in
reading the following facts about Islam, just delete this message.
If you agree with my position,
please forward it to any interested parties.
Feel free to quote from this
message.
Dr. M. Kedar, Dept. of Arabic, Bar-Ilan University,
52900 Ramat-Gan, Israel
Phone+Fax: 972 9 7449162 email: mkedar@mail.biu.ac.il
French translation of the whole document
How Did
Why and when the myth of al-Aqsa was created?
Muhammad, the Prophet,
hardly made any innovations when he established Islam. He used the hallowed
personages, historic legends and sacred sites of Judaism, Christianity, and
even paganism, by Islamizing them. Thus, according to Islam, Abraham was the
first Moslem and Jesus and
The practice of Islamization was
performed on places as well as persons:
In 682 CE, 'Abd allah ibn al-Zubayr rebelled against the Islamic rulers in
So why
shouldn't we also believe that the al-Aqsa mosque is in
This
description by al-Waqidi was not "convenient" for the Islamic
propaganda of the 7th century. In order to establish a basis to the
awareness of the "holiness" of
Another aim of the Islamization of Jerusalem was to undermine the legitimacy of
the older religions, Judaism and Christianity, which
consider
Though Judaism
and Christianity can exist side by side in Jerusalem, Islam regards both of
them as a betrayal of Allah and his teachings, and has done and will do all in
its power to expel both of them from the city. It is interesting to note that
this expulsion is retroactive: The Islamic announcers of the Palestinian radio
stations keep claiming that the Jews never had a temple on the
Arafat, himself a secular person (ask the Hamas), is doing today exactly what
the Califs of the Umayyad dynasty did: he is recruiting the holiness of
The Palestinian media these days is full of messages of Jihad calling to
broaden the national-political war between
Since the holiness of Jerusalem to Islam always was and still is no more than a
politically motivated holiness, Arafat is putting his political head on the
block should he give it up.
Must the whole world bow
down to myths concocted by Islam, long after
Should UN forces be sent to the
*****
That is some background of
religions and timelines. Now on to the subject. We have yellowed
and bolded some of the important dates and events.
Before
discussing
This timeline focuses on Middle Eastern history since 1900. Some events prior to 1900 are included to provide points of reference, but these should not be taken as a comprehensive summary of earlier history in the region.
1901: The Jewish National Fund is established to purchase
land in
Under the guidance of Theodor Herzl, the Jewish National
Fund (JNF) is established to purchase land in
1902:
The original Aswan Dam, or Aswan Low Dam, is built by the British. In 1970, it will be determined that the Aswan Low Dam is neither large enough nor strong enough to control extreme flooding, and a second High dam will be built.
1902-1932: Wahhabi leader Abd
al-Aziz ibn Saud recaptures a major city in
Wahhabi leader Abd al-Aziz ibn
Saud is the founder of
1905: Attendees at the Seventh Zionist Congress decide that
At the Sixth Zionist Congress two years earlier, delegates
had agreed to consider the establishment of a Jewish settlement in
1905: Ottoman-controlled
In 1918, the Violet Line, as it is known, is a boundary
drawn to separate the Ottoman and British spheres of influence in
1906: The All-India Muslim League is founded by Aga Khan III.
The Aga Khan, a hereditary spiritual leader, is elected
president of the All-India Muslim League. He will hold the position until his
resignation in 1912. The League is founded to protect the political rights of
Muslims living in
1906:
Muzaffar al-Din Shah signs
1906: Excavations in
The city unearthed by the excavations near
1907: The Shah of Persia (
Muzaffar al-Din Shah, who had become Shah after his father's death by assassination in 1896, dies in 1907. His son, Mohammed Ali Shah, succeeds him. Like his father, he is considered a weak leader, and after two years he is deposed and replaced on the throne by his son, 12-year-old Sultan Ahmed Shah, and a regency.
1907: The first Egyptian girl graduates from high school.
Nabawiya Moussa is the first Egyptian girl to earn a baccalaureate degree and finish her high school education. Twenty-one years will pass before another Egyptian girl earns this degree. Throughout her life, Moussa is a pioneering figure in women's education, teaching, writing, and speaking about its importance.
1907: The first major underwater archaeological exploration
takes place off the coast of
The Tunisian Antiquities Service finds bronze Greek statues
from a ship believed to have sunk en route from
1907:
To protect their economic interests in the region,
May 1908: Oil is discovered in
British adventurer William Knox
D'Arcy strikes oil in 1908, seven years after obtaining drilling rights to the
land from the Persian government. In 1909, D'Arcy joins with Burmah Oil to form
the Anglo-Persian Oil Company in 1909. By 1917, the British government, which
owns 51 percent of the company, is the most influential power in
Concerned with the continuing centralization of power under
Sultan Abdul Hamit and convinced that the growing economic influence of foreign
powers will end the
The establishment of a university in
1909: Tel Aviv is built
by the Jews.
A group of Jews
intent on founding an alternative city to the crowded, predominantly Arab port
city of
1911: The Ottoman Turks grant Imam Yahya bin Muhammad
autonomy in the highlands of
Starting in 1904, Yahya bin Muhammad, an imam, or religious
leader, has been leading Yemeni tribes opposed to Ottoman occupation. In 1911,
he, and not the centralized Ottoman government, is recognized as the ruling
power of the
1913: The founder of the Emirate of Qatar dies.
Sheikh Qassim bin Muhammad al-Thani dies 35 years after founding the Emirate of Qatar. His son, Sheikh Abdullah, formally assumes leadership.
1914-1918: World War I breaks out.
The Ottomans side with
1915-1916: The Ottomans initiate a policy of ethnic cleansing and kill 1.5 million Armenians.
The Young Turk government, the final Ottoman regime, massacres more than 1.5 million ethnic Armenians, a Christian minority within the empire. The killings are condemned by the world's major powers of the time -- even by their German and Austrian allies in World War I. Today, the Turkish government denies that there was an Armenian genocide, saying instead that Armenians were only relocated from the eastern war zone.
March 1915-January 1916: An estimated 500,000 are injured and 100,000 die when Ottoman forces fight against an Allied attack at Gallipoli.
Two waterways -- the
July 1915-March 1916:
While the
May 1916: British and
French negotiate the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
A secret
understanding negotiated during World War I between
1917: In the Balfour
Declaration, the British promise to help create a national home for the Jews in
Since the late 1800s, Zionists
had wanted a Jewish state to be created in
1918-1922: A nationalist
movement in
Saad Zaghlul leads a delegation
to meet with the ruling British High Commissioner and demand independence for
1918-1919: Famine devastates the Persian (Iranian) people.
As much as a quarter of the population living in the north
of
When Afghan King Emir Habibullah
Khan is murdered in February near Jalalabad, his son, Amanullah Khan, seizes
power, proclaims
1919-1929: Amanullah Khan rules
1920s: The first mosque built in
The Mother Mosque, the first built in
1920s: Iraqi women move to gain more rights and a better education.
Iraqi women seek to be recognized as full citizens and want freedom from having to wear a veil in public, as per Islamic tradition. Aswa Zahawi founds the Women's Rising Group, which begins to publish Leila, a journal promoting education and employment rights for women.
At the post-World War I San Remo Conference in
July 1920: Arabs in
Riots break out in what becomes known as the Great Iraqi
Revolution.
As part of the armistice ending World War I, the sultan
signs the Sevres Treaty, promising to give land to
October 1920:
A temporary government is established in
1921: The
Rudolph Valentino plays the title character in The Sheik, a film which promotes stereotypes and distorts Arab culture.
1921: An ancient part of the city of
A holy place from the ancient Punic period in
Reza Khan, a Persian army officer, deposes the Qajar dynasty
that had taken control of the country. He appoints himself Shah in 1925 and
seeks to free
Following the disintegration of
the
The Grand National Assembly, led by Mustafa Kemal, hero of
the War of Liberation, abolishes the office of the sultanate, thereby ending
631 years of rule by the
British archaeologist Howard Carter discovers the
undisturbed tomb of "King Tut" in
1923: The Lebanese American Khalil Gibran publishes The Prophet, a book of 26 poetic essays.
Khalil Gibran, a writer and artist (he studied with the French sculptor Rodin), is one of the most familiar literary figures in the Arab American community. The Prophet has been translated into more than 20 languages.
1923: Three leaders of the Egyptian women's movement return
to
In a daring act of defiance, Huda Shaarawi, Ceza Nabarawi,
and Nabawiya Moussa take off their hijab (veils) at the
1923: Oil is discovered in
The first oil strike floods the countryside with oil for 10
days before workers can bring it under control. The well produces 80,000
barrels of oil a day. In 1934, the first oil pipeline connects
Since the end of World War I, the British have divided the
Mustafa Kemal wins unanimous election as the first president
of
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is established
in
1926:
In 1926,
1926: The Kurdish city of
At the end of World War I, a proposal is put forth to
establish an independent Kurdish state, borrowing land from the region that now
comprises Iraq, Turkey, and Iran to do so. The failure to pursue that idea
further results in the Kurdish issue still in question in both
The Turkish Civil Code is adopted from Swiss Civil Code. The old code and sharia (Islamic law), which had been the foundation of Ottoman personal status law, are replaced. Women gain important rights. Polygamy is forbidden; marriages are to be performed in accordance with civil code, not religious code; and a court decree is required for divorce.
1927-1929: The Wahhabi Ikhwan
turn against central Arabian ruler ibn Saud.
The Ikhwan (translated as
"brethren") is a group of Muslims who practice Wahhabism, a puritan
form of Islam. Ibn Saud had recruited the Ikhwan to help massacre his
non-Wahhabi rivals and add
1928: The Muslim Brotherhood is founded as an Islamic
revivalist movement in
Elementary school teacher Hasan al-Banna founds the Muslim
Brotherhood based on his ideas that Islam should not only be a religious
observance, but a comprehensive way of life. He supplements the traditional
Islamic education with Tarbeyah training for the Society's male students that
includes education, scouting, and militia-type activities to resist the British
occupation. Over the next several decades, the Brotherhood becomes increasingly
involved in politics and is banned, reinstated, and then banned again in 1954
by the Egyptian government for its alleged involvement in the attempted
assassination of Egyptian president Nasser.
November 1928:
In adopting a new alphabet, Arabic script is replaced with Latin letters. The changes are consistent with other Westernizing social reforms implemented under Atat¸rk. Many Arabic and Persian words and phrases are removed from the language, replaced instead with Turkish ones. These changes are also designed to help combat illiteracy.
1929: Tribal rebellion in
After a year of civil war, Nadir Khan, Amanullah's former minister of war, is crowned King of Afghanistan. King Nadir Shah's reactionary measures undo Amanullah's reforms and reinstate customary Afghan laws and practices.
August 1929: Palestinian Arabs attack Jews following disputes over prayer rights to the Wailing Wall.
In 1928, Arab Muslims and Jews in
1930s:
Reza Shah Pahlevi bans traditional clothing (e.g.,
pantaloons and turbans for men, veils for women) in favor of Western garb. Many
people choose to ignore the new law. Among other reforms advocated by the Shah
at this time include reinstating Persian names for months, the solar calendar,
and the history of pre-Islamic
1930s-1950s: Oil exploration begins in the desert, and later offshore, of what is now the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Only 150,000 people, many of them nomadic Bedouins, inhabit the land that will comprise the UAE. With no roads, schools, hospitals, or factories, these people experience one of the lowest standards of living in the developing world until oil is discovered in the region.
1930: The pearl market collapses, leaving
The world pearl market collapses with the Japanese invention
of cultured pearls, devastating the already weak pre-oil economy of
1932: The first Maccabiah Games are held in
Jewish athletes from all over the world go to Tel Aviv,
Having reigned over much of
As previously agreed,
1933: Iraqi King Faisal dies and is succeeded by his son, Ghazi.
King Faisal is succeeded by his 21-year-old son, Ghazi, who rules from 1933 until his accidental death in 1939. A product of Western education, Ghazi has little experience with the complexities of Iraqi tribal life. While Faisal had the prestige and ability to draw politicians around the idea of national interest, Ghazi is unable to balance competing nationalist and British pressures. As time passes, the nationalist movement begins to view the Ghazi monarchy as little more than a British puppet.
1934: Women in
Atat¸rk grants women full voting rights, making
Before the 20th century, the Turks, like the Arabs, didn't
use family names. Mustafa Kemal -- Kemal is actually the name his
schoolteachers gave him, meaning "perfect" -- officially adopts the
surname "Atat¸rk," or "Father of the Turks." The honor is
given by the Grand National Assembly in appreciation for his having founded and
shaped the new
1936-1939: Palestinians protest British support of the Zionist
movement in
By 1936, the increase in Jewish immigration and land
acquisition, as well as general Arab frustration at the continuation of
European rule, mobilizes increasing numbers of Palestinian Arabs. In April of
that year, an Arab attack on a Jewish bus leads to a series of incidents that
escalate into a major Palestinian rebellion. The revolt lasts until 1939, when
the British, in part to obtain Arab support for the recently erupted war with
August 1936: Yasar Erkan wins
April 1936:
Faruq, son of the deceased King Fuad, ascends the Egyptian
throne. The Wafd Party initially supports the new king and his nationalistic
leanings. Within a year, however, Faruq signs the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty. Though
it brings
August 1936: The Peel Commission, a royal commission headed
by Lord Earl Peel, is appointed to examine the
In response to the Arab Revolt against British rule in
1938: Oil is discovered in
When oil is discovered in
November 1938: The Woodhead Commission, created to examine
the recommendation of the Peel Commission that
After Palestinian Arabs reject the 1937 Peel Commission's
partition plan (dividing
May 1939:
In May 1939,
1939-1945: World War II
The outbreak of World War II pits the Allied powers (
May 1941: Iraqi prime minister Rashid Ali attempts a coup, which results in rebellion and an invasion of British troops.
Strong anti-British sentiment and an increasingly powerful
urban nationalist movement come together to spark Prime Minister Ali's 1941
coup attempt. The coup is ultimately unsuccessful in ousting the monarchy, but
the landing of British forces completely divorces
August-September 1941: Allied powers invade
1942:
King Faruq's appointment of Mustafa al-Nahhas to head the Egyptian government virtually destroys Faruq's authority inside his country. Despite the fact he takes this action under the pressure of British tanks laying siege to his palace, many nationalists view Faruq as corrupt and ineffective.
1943: The National Pact divides the legislative powers of
the newly independent
The National Pact, an oral agreement between President Bishara al-Khouri and Prime Minister Riad al-Sulh, devises a formula for the distribution of seats in parliament according to population figures derived from the 1932 census. Six seats are reserved for all Christian sects, and five for all Muslim sects.
This loose affiliation of states favors unity among the Arab
people and opposes the establishment of a Jewish state in
Held in 1950,
January 19, 1946: Iran complains
to the newly formed UN Security Council, demanding that Soviet troops withdraw.
Soviet troops, originally
positioned in northern Iran in 1942 to prevent a possible German move and to
protect Iranian oil, intentionally ignore an agreement that calls for the
removal of all occupying forces by 1943. They stall as they debate whether they
can carve out of the oil-rich northern Iranian
The KDP's primary goal is autonomy in northern
April 1946:
Charles de Gaulle promises Syria
independence, but the transition is filled with strife.
1947: The Middle East Science Cooperation Office (MESCO) is established to foster scientific work in the region.
MESCO is established in
After World War II, a showdown
is looming between Jews and Arabs in
1949: Women in
1949:
1950:
Though the
After Prime Minister Ali Razmara advises against
nationalizing the oil industry on technical grounds, he is assassinated by
Khalil Tahmasebi, a member of the terrorist group of the Fadayan-e Islam.
March 1951: Ultranationalist Mohammed Mossadeq becomes Iranian prime minister
following death of Ali Razmara.
Before being appointed prime minister, Mossadeq served as a
minister and governor in the 1920s. His opposition to the accession of Reza
Shah results in imprisonment and later house arrest. Mossadeq returns to
parliament in 1941 after Reza Shah is removed from power and replaced by his son,
Mohammed Reza Pahlevi.
March 1951: Mossadeq nationalizes the oil industry.
To prevent foreign interests from controlling the Iranian
economy, Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq nationalizes the oil industry. This
move meets with tremendous resistance, especially from the British, who own
substantial oil interests. Mossadeq becomes a national hero to many Iranians
and gains international prestige -- Time magazine names him Man of the
Year for 1951.
Gen. Muhammad Naguib establishes Egyptian sovereignty; King
Faruq I formally abdicates his throne three days later. The events are
collectively known as the Egyptian Revolution. Col. Gamal Abd al-Nasser, who
leads the nationalist forces in the coup, ultimately seizes power from Naguib
in 1954.
1953: Lebanese women gain the right to vote.
1953: The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is founded.
The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) is
founded to promote sustainable development of the land. SPNI sponsors tours,
research, educational activities, and public campaigns for environmental
protection and historic preservation.
The Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes'
Remembrance Authority, serves as a repository for archives and books on the
Holocaust and for biographical information about those who died in it. The
compound houses two museums, exhibit halls, and monuments.
Set against the backdrop of the
Cold War, British and American intelligence groups worry that Mossadeq's
nationalist aspirations will lead to an eventual communist takeover. To avoid
this,
1953: The
Ending years of Egyptian demands, the British agree to
withdraw from the
November 1954-July 1962:
1956:
The new Egyptian constitution grants women the right to vote
and to run for elected office.
1956: The Baalbeck International Festival, a showcase for music, theater, and
dance in
The Baalbeck International Festival inaugurates its first
season with a performance of Jean Cocteau's La Machine Infernale. The
festival runs annually until 1975, ceases performances during the civil war,
and resumes in 1997. It has featured the Arab world's most popular performers
as well as international artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Rudolf Nureyev,
and the Bolshoi Ballet.
March 1956: Sultan Mohammed becomes King of Morocco, ending the French
protectorate of
Most likely in response to the
U.S. decision to revoke its foreign aid pledge to help build the Aswan High Dam
project, Nasser decides to nationalize the Suez Canal. Its toll revenues
provide a significant source of needed income. This angers
October 31-November 7, 1956: Suez Crisis: Israel, Britain, and France attack
1957:
In 1956, Arab nationalism receives a huge boost from the
failed attempt of
February 1958: The United Arab Republic, a union of
King Faisal II is assassinated for being perceived as too
closely aligned with former colonial power
With
1959: Oil is discovered in
The oil boom provides Libya with newfound financial
independence, transforming a country with one of the lowest standards of living
into one full of opportunities, with growing employment and plans for improved
housing, health care, and education. Investing much of its oil profits in other
parts of the economy,
1959: The first big oil reserve is discovered just off
the coast of
Oil is first discovered off of
While
The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
forms as a group of developing oil-producing countries seeking to enter the
international oil market. Its objective today is to coordinate oil policies and
to secure fair prices for its member countries (which now number 13) and
dependable supply to its customer nations.
The Shah's suspension of the constitution and his dissolution of the legislature free him to proceed with his plan for modernization, which has been opposed by religious conservatives in the Majlis. The Shah abolishes the practice of sharecropping, nationalizes dwindling forests, gives women voting rights, and starts a massive rural literacy program.
1961: As
After
1962:
Massive amounts of money flow into
Chagall's windows, which depict scenes of the 12 sons of
Jacob, are presented at the synagogue's dedication ceremony. Four of the
windows suffer damaged in the Six-Day War in 1967, and Chagall installs
replacements in 1969. Three windows are still marked by bullet holes.
1962: Civil war erupts when the
When army officers in the north overthrow the new imam,
Muhammad al-Badr, the
The Ba'ath Party, upset with the President Qasim's
dictatorial rule, joins forces with the military to force him out of power.
Col. Abd al-Salam Muhammad Arif becomes president and rules until his untimely
death in a helicopter crash nine months later.
1964: Conflict over access to fresh water from the
The countries sharing the basin of the
May 1964: The
Composed of various political
factions and guerrilla groups, the PLO is founded to serve as the coordinating
council for Palestinian organizations. The Palestinain national charter of 1968
will call for an end to the Jewish state. In 1988 the PLO will accept the two
state solution implicitly recognizing
July 1964: The Turkish film Susuz Yaz, or Dry Summer, wins the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and
other religious conservatives are angered by policies that they believe
contradict Islamic customs. Outspoken on a number of issues, Khomeini's
denunciations of the Shah's Status of Forces bill (which allows
1965: Zaynab al-Ghazali, Islamic activist and founder of the Muslim Women's
Association, is imprisoned in
At the same time that President Gamal Abd al-Nasser's
government cracks down on the Muslim Brotherhood, other groups suspected of
agitating the public against the government are also shut down. One such group
is Zaynab al-Ghazali's Muslim Women's Association. Al-Ghazali founded the
Muslim Women's Association in 1936, at age 18, to instill the doctrines of
Islam in women's minds, teach them about their rights and duties, and call for
the establishment of an Islamic state guided by the Quran and the Sunnah of the
Prophet Muhammad. (The Sunnah is the example of practical leadership and the
ideological guidance provided by Muhammad, which transforms belief in God into
a culture and a civilization, and enables men and women to evolve a way of
life.) Brought to trial in 1966 and sentenced to a life term, al-Ghazali is
released in 1971 by
1965: Archaeologists working in
A Danish archaeological expedition uncovers signs of human
habitation on the
The Immigration Act of 1965 abolishes the quota system
established in 1921 that restricted admission to the
1966: A banking crisis hits
A commercial banking crisis slows the go-go banking industry
of
Upon his death, President Abd al-Salam Muhammad Arif of
1966: Israeli writer S.Y. Agnon wins the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Agnon's novels and short stories primarily concern the
experiences of Eastern European (Ashkenazi) Jews. His writing combines
traditional sources with 20th-century literary experimentation (such as stream
of consciousness). His best known novel, The Day Before Yesterday (Temol
Shilshom), was published in 1945.
Conflict ignites after three weeks of increasing tensions,
including a massive Arab troop buildup in the
Closed during the Six-Day War by
the Egyptians, the
In response to
1967:
The People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (
1968: Yasser Arafat is elected chairman of the Palestine Liberation
Organization.
Yasser Arafat, leader of the al-Fatah faction of the
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), is elected chairman of the executive
committee. After his election, he shifts the PLO's main guerrilla forces to
1968: Amos Oz publishes Mikhael sheli (My Michael) in Hebrew.
This book, Oz's best known novel, is thought to symbolize
the struggles of the diverse cultures in
Following the Ba'athist coup, Gen. Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr
becomes president of
1969:
The film The Cow, which concerns a poor village that
loses its only cow and the devastation of that loss, is banned in
1969-1974: Golda Meir serves as Israeli prime minister, becoming the world's
second female head of government.
Kiev-born and Milwaukee-raised Golda Meir emigrated to
June 1969: President Salim Rubayi Ali assumes power in
Ali succeeds Qahtan al-Shabi, who is overthrown by the
Marxist National Liberation Front. The following year the country is renamed
the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, and during Ali's rule, most of the
economy is placed under government control.
September 1969: Revolutionary leader Col. Muammar al-Qaddafi takes power of
Qaddafi creates his own political system, the Third
International Theory, as an alternative to capitalism and communism. It is a
combination of socialism and Islam. From this point on on, all aspects of
Libyan life will be controlled by Qaddafi. He declares a jamahariyya
(government of the masses) and calls for political, legal, and social changes
in accord with his "green book."
The year 1969 sees periodic clashes between PLO guerrillas
based in
1970s:
Food-processing, textiles and traditional handicrafts, and
the banking industries in
1970: The Aswan High Dam is built in
A second, or "High," Aswan Dam is built with
Soviet assistance to replace the older, less effective
1970:
Imam Muhammad al-Badr,
With the March Proclamation, signed by
As sultan, Qaboos holds absolute power over
September 1970: The PLO launches a failed attempt to overthrow
The PLO's failed attempt to overthrow King Hussein of Jordan, known as Black September, results in the PLO's moving its main base of operations out of Jordan and into Lebanon.
Egyptian president Gamal Abd al-Nasser dies of cardiac arrest after negotiating a Jordan-Palestinian truce. His vice president, Anwar al-Sadat, succeeds him, running unopposed in the presidential election.
1971:
Bourguiba becomes the first Arab leader to publicly advocate
mutual recognition with
1971: Natural gas is discovered in northeast
The North Gas Field is among the top five largest natural gas reserves in the world.
Gen. Faruk G¸rler, leader of the armed forces chiefs,
presents a memorandum to Turkish president Cevdet Sunay demanding a
"strong and credible government." The civilian officials are told
that the military will take over the administration of the state unless a
government is found that can rein in the violence and implement the economic
and social reforms, including land reform, stipulated in the 1961 constitution.
Prime Minister Suleyman Demirel resigns the same day. Nihat Erim replaces
Demirel and sets about forming a "national unity, above-party
government" that will enlist the support of the major parties. This event
is known as the "coup by memorandum."
The UAE is founded as a federation of six independent emirates, or sheikhdoms. The provisional constitution, made permanent in 1996, allows for a multitiered national government consisting of executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In 1972 a seventh emirate joins the UAE.
1972:
Until the early '70s, Aramco is owned by California Arabian Standard Oil Company (Casoc), Texaco, Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (later renamed Exxon), and Socony-Vacuum (now Mobil Oil Company). In 1968 the Saudi minister of petroleum and mineral resources had publicly broached the idea of Saudi participation in Aramco, and after long negotiations, it is agreed that the Saudi government will buy 25 percent of the company. Over the next 16 years, Aramco will be converted to a totally Saudi-owned company called Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco).
1972: Feminist author Nawal El Saadawi publishes her book Women
and Sex, angering many of
The publication of El Saadawi's book results in her
dismissal by the Ministry of Health as its director of public health. Over the
next decade, she is imprisoned for criticizing government policies. El Saadawi
goes on to found the Arab Women's Solidarity Association (AWSA), the first
legal, independent feminist organization in
Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, the grandson of Sheikh
Abdullah, becomes Emir of Qatar. He is generally considered the first modern
ruler of
April 1972:
The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation serves as the basis of friendly relations between the two countries and will continue to do so into the 21st century.
June 1972:
Prior to 1972,
A strained Soviet-Egyptian relationship ruptures on
Gunmen from an underground terrorist organization calling itself Black September, linked to the Palestine Liberation Organization, take the Israeli men's Olympic team hostage. Two of the Israelis are killed almost immediately. In the ensuing botched rescue attempt, the remaining nine Israelis, as well as several of the captors and German police officers, are killed.
1973:
In addition to the prohibition on fishing and hunting without a license, Jordanian law also prohibits its citizens from cutting trees, shrubs, and plants. The steps are taken as part of a focus on conservation of the environment.
April 1973: Jordanian women gain the right to vote.
In 1974 King Hussein gives women the right to vote and run
for public office. But because there are no parliamentary elections between
1968 and 1989, women must wait 15 years to exercise this right.
The Egyptians and the Syrians attack
November 1973:
A supporter of
The Knesset installs Yitzhak Rabin as prime minister following
Golda Meir's resignation. Under Rabin's leadership, the government places
special emphasis on strengthening the economy, solving social problems, and
reinforcing Israeli defense. Three years after his election, however, he is
forced to resign when a journalist reveals that his wife has a bank account in
the
Turkish and Greek Cypriots lived together on the
Oman TV, which is operated by the Ministry of Information, broadcasts one channel in Arabic. The Omani government prohibits the establishment of privately owned radio or television companies, but people are allowed to use satellite dishes to access many foreign channels.
1975: Women are admitted to
Although they have been allowed to attend classes at
In a career that spanned decades, Umm Kulthum, the
"Star of the East," was a beloved fixture on Egyptian radio. Her
songs, which combined the Western popular tradition with traditional
Arab-Egyptian music, often had political overtones, supporting Egyptian
self-rule and the revolution of 1952. Following her country's defeat in the
Six-Day War, she embarked on a tour of
March 1975: King Faisal of
On
April 1975: Civil war erupts in
One cause for conflict is a power imbalance between the
dominant right-wing Christian population and the growing Muslim population who
feels excluded from real government. A second area of conflict is the
Arab-Israeli conflict, with
Assembled from several smaller women's societies and under the leadership of Sheikha Fatima, the wife of UAE president Sheikh Zayed, this federally funded organization makes recommendations to the government on such matters as health and education.
1977: Kurdish is recognized as an official language in
The Kurds -- an ethnic group acutely conscious of its
cultural differences from the Arabs -- have long struggled to achieve
recognition within
1977: The
By 1998, 15,000 students will attend UAE University (UAEU). The Higher Colleges of Technology, today with 10 campuses, open in 1988, providing a further 10,000 students with advanced technical training. These universities, like other development projects, are funded by oil money.
During his visit to
1978: Palestinian-American literary scholar Edward Said publishes his landmark work, Orientalism.
Said's theory of how the West creates the image of the exotic East, published in the book Orientalism, influences many areas of critical thought. Said has written extensively about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in works such as The Question of Palestine (1979). His memoir, Out of Place (2000), examines a boyhood defined by personal and political conflict.
1978: Ali Abdullah Saleh is elected president and embraces a
Western-style market economy for
While
Queen Noor, born Lisa Halaby in the
From the middle of 1978, street
demonstrations against the Shah's policies of Westernization, as well as his
authoritarian rule, are reaching an unprecedented level. Many cities are placed
under martial law, but people flood the streets to defy the Shah. During one
such demonstration on September 8, army tanks are used to disperse
demonstrators. Soldiers are ordered to shoot. More than 600 people are killed
in
Just five years after the Yom Kippur War,
During the late 1970s, dissent
and demonstrations protesting the dictatorship of the Shah increase in
After the Shah is driven from
1979-2002: Islamic fundamentalism takes hold in
Under the Ayatollah Khomeini, law codes based on Islam are
introduced in
Iraqi president Ahmad Hassan
al-Bakr resigns his position citing health reasons. Vice President Saddam
Hussein succeeds him as president and chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council (RCC). One year later, Hussein leads
November 1979: Militant Islamic extremists seize the Holy Mosque of Mecca to protest increasing Western influence, but are defeated by Saudi forces.
A group of Sunni Muslim fundamentalists calling for the
overthrow of the pro-Western Saudi government barricades themselves inside the
Holy Mosque of Mecca. After two weeks of fighting, the siege ends, leaving 27
Saudi soldiers and more than 100 rebels dead. Sixty-three more rebels are later
publicly beheaded.
November 4, 1979: Ninety people, including 63 Americans,
are taken hostage in the American Embassy in
The
students demand the return of the Shah to stand trial for crimes. Though some
hostages are released, 52 of the Americans are held for 444 days before their
release. In response to this hostage crisis, the
December 24, 1979: The Soviet military invades and
occupies Afghanistan, beginning a decade-long conflict.
The
1979: The Jordanian government opens a national crafts center.
1980s: Most Libyans enjoy educational opportunities, health
care, and housing that are among the best in
March 1980: The Iraqi National Assembly is formed.
Members of the National Assembly are elected to four-year
terms. All members must demonstrate loyalty to the goals of the Ba'ath Party
and to Saddam Hussein.
A scholar and proponent of Islamic government, Muhammad
Baqir al-Sadr is executed by Saddam Hussein's government. He had advocated the
establishment of
On
September 22, 1980: Iraq invades Iran.
Though the reasons behind the war are complex, border
skirmishes and a dispute over rights to the Shatt al-Arab waterway contribute
to the warfare.
Anwar al-Sadat's conflicts with Islamic groups in
1982:
During the 1980s in
February 1982: Syrian forces suppress a Muslim Brotherhood
uprising in
In 1976, the arch-conservative Muslim Brotherhood leads an armed insurgency against the al-Asad regime, which is criticized for being secular and representing only minority interests. This particular public demonstration is met with heavy artillery fire and ends in massive casualties.
Lebanese Christian Maronite president-elect Bashir Gemayel
is assassinated. Two days later, Christian militias allied with
1983: A Banquet of Seaweed by the
Syrian novelist Haidar Haidar is banned in
Islamists in
1983: The UAE government outlaws the shooting and hunting of birds, gazelles, and hares.
Hunting and rapid land development, which threaten critical habitat, have driven many animals in the UAE to the point of extinction over a very short time.
May 1983: An Israeli-Lebanese peace deal calls for
The
May 1983: Gen. Kenan Evren returns
Gen. Evren leads a 1980 coup and imposes military rule in an
attempt to end years of fighting between opposing radical groups that
ultimately leads to 5,000 deaths. Returning the country to democratic rule in
1983, he will serve as
Begin's resignation, an event publicly attributed to his
depression following his wife's death, follows the Israeli invasion of
During the 1975-90 Lebanese civil war, a suicide bomber
detonates a truck full of explosives, killing 241 U.S. Marines and wounding
more than 100 others. The 241 were part of a contingent of 1,800 Marines sent
to
1984: Kurdish terrorists in
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, founded in 1978, launches a
campaign of terror designed to win independence for the ethnic Kurdish people
living primarily in southeastern
Mid-1980s:
Oil reserves are discovered in the
Sultan Salman al-Saud flies aboard the space shuttle Discovery as a payload specialist.
1986: Commercial extraction of
Earnings from oil production and refinement will result in
significant contributions to the Yemeni economy over the next decade. Talks of
the reunification of Northern and
January 1986: Civil war breaks out in
A Marxist clash with the government of
November 1986: The arms-for-hostages deal that comes to be known as the Iran-Contra Affair comes to light.
After a week of denying any covert activities,
Young Palestinian demonstrators hurl stones and incendiary
devices at Israeli troops in the
1988: Women comprise about 25 percent of
Iraqi women hold professional positions (e.g., doctors, lawyers), as well as positions in education and social welfare offices. They are allowed to vote and serve as elected officials in the National Assembly.
The Kurdish areas of northern
July 1988: King Hussein of
Although King Hussein recognized the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people in 1974, he severs political links with the PLO and orders its main offices closed. His actions stem from his frustration over the PLO's issuing of a 14-point statement calling for an end to Israeli occupation and an independent Palestinian state, and Yasser Arafat's refusal to accept UN resolutions as a basis for peace talks.
The USS Vincennes opens fire on a civilian airbus as
it crosses the Gulf on a scheduled flight. The Navy claims that the aircraft
was mistaken for a fighter jet. The Iranians regard the shooting down of the
plane as a "terrorist" act and seek retribution through the
The cease-fire ends eight years of war between
A talented pilot in the Afghan air force, Abdul Ahad Mohmand, is chosen to train as a Russian cosmonaut and travel to the Mir space station as part of International Group 6. Mohmand remains in space for nine days.
Citing UN Partition Plan 181 from 1947 to support its claim, the PLO's legislative body, the Palestine National Council (PNC), declares a Palestinian state that includes land under Israeli occupation since 1967 (namely the Gaza Strip and West Bank). A flag and a national anthem for the new state are also adopted.
Benazir Bhutto, daughter of the country's ex-premier, is
sworn in as prime minister of
Best known for his
The
All 270 people onboard Pan Am flight 103 are killed in a
bombing believed to be in retaliation for
1989: Osama bin Laden founds the al-Qaeda network.
In 1989 Osama bin Laden forms al-Qaeda. Meaning "the
base," al-Qaeda grows out of the network of Arab volunteers who had gone
to
1989:
In the mid-1980s, a number of museums open, including the
Many Muslims believe that The Satanic Verses, a novel
about a young Indian's life in
May 1989:
This popular stock exchange attracts investors from the Gulf and from the West.
Some two million Iranians attend the Ayatollah Khomeini's
funeral in
Stricter interpretations of Islamic law are imposed under Lt. Gen. al-Bashir's regime.
1990s: Female literacy in
Whereas only 3 percent of Yemeni women are literate in 1975,
by the early '90s the country's female literacy rate hits 26 percent. Yemeni
women share the same right to education as men.
North and south reunite after nearly a decade of trying. The
formation of the
August 2, 1990: Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, invades
neighboring
August 1990: King Fahd invites U.S.-led troops to use
After Saddam Hussein's invasion of
September 1990:
Many Yemenis had long sought work in
The Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation, or the Taif
Accord, is signed into law. It establishes a more representative executive
branch based on recent estimates of the population. A half-Christian,
half-Muslim Cabinet assumes many of the powers of the president, and the Muslim
prime minister is given powers more equitable to those of the Christian
president.
1991: As emigration restrictions are loosened in
Over the past decade, many Eastern European countries have
begun to mitigate their foreign policies on
January 15, 1991-March 3, 1991: A U.S.-led military
coalition, with support from key Muslim states, fights to remove Iraqi forces
from
Following the Iraqi invasion of
Coalition ground operations begin and last only three days
before occupying Iraqi troops are expelled from
The Iraqi army suppresses an uprising of Kurds in the north
and Shii Muslims in southern
April 1991: Facing foreign pressures,
In return for foreign lenders agreeing to wipe out $10
billion in debt,
Under the terms of the agreement,
1991:
Insisting on an Arab solution to the Persian Gulf crisis
(which began in August 1990 with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait), King Hussein of
Jordan and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat spearhead peace initiatives, but
are regarded as appeasers of Iraq's Saddam Hussein by the West and the US's
Gulf Arab allies. Both King Hussein and Yasser Arafat suffer global diplomatic
isolation while, more locally,
1991: Smoke from burning oil wells in
The entire
1991: The UN deems
The war with
1991:
Although the Kurdish-language ban -- in effect since
May 1991:
The constitution of the
Airlifts to Israel of Ethiopian Jews suffering from famine
and oppression had begun in the 1980s, prior to Operation Solomon. The
integration of Ethiopians into Israeli society has not been smooth for reasons
both of culture and race.
Summer 1991: Scandal rocks
Riddled by fraud,
October 30-
The Madrid Peace Conference is jointly sponsored by the
December 1991: The Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) wins the first round of
general elections in
In the first round of general elections in
1992: Heavy soil erosion prompts two Turkish businessmen to raise public
awareness of environmental issues.
Businessmen Hayrettin Karaca and Nihat Gokyigit establish
the Turkish Foundation for Combating Soil Erosion, for Reforestation and the
Protection of Natural Habitats (TEMA) in 1992. Because 45 percent of
A native of
The citizens of the Kurdish-controlled area of Iraqi
Kurdistan elect a National Assembly and leader of the Kurdistan Liberation
Movement. The stated purpose of the election is to fill the legal and
administrative vacuum left by the withdrawal of the Iraqi government and to
facilitate a negotiated settlement for self-government within
November 1992: A UN human rights envoy reports widespread
repression of Kurds in
Max van der Stoel, special rapporteur of the UN Commission
on Human Rights, says that internal blockades of food and emergency supplies to
Kurdish populations in northern
1993: The Lebanese novelist Amin Maalouf wins the French prize for literature,
the Prix de Goncourt.
Like many other Lebanese novelists and writers, Maalouf is
profoundly concerned with the meeting of and conflict between East and West.
At approximately
March 1993: President Clinton establishes the cooperative U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Commission.
The U.S.-Israel Science and Technology Commission aims to
encourage and oversee cooperative scientific, agricultural, and environmental
research and projects. The 1990s sees a number of cooperative efforts between
the
Afghanistan's first national museum housed an impressive
record of Central Asian history dating back as far as the sixth century B.C.E.
Twice slammed by rockets and recklessly looted, many of the finer artifacts are
being sold on the international art market. Attempts have been made to secure
the remaining collection, but many pieces were too large to move, and
deteriorated in the ruins. More than 70 percent of its collection has been
destroyed or stolen. With the fall of the Taliban, efforts are under way to
protect and conserve what remains.
June 1993: Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is elected
president of
Iran's president, prime
minister, and Cabinet ministers do not have independent decision-making power.
They answer to the spiritual leader and to a group of religious scholars
appointed by the spiritual leader. A legislature, appointed by the people every
four years, makes laws in keeping with Islam. A council made up of six lawyers
and six clergy oversee this legislature.
June 1993: Tansu Ciller becomes
Ciller, a Western-educated economist, professor, and leader
of the True Path Party, serves three years before leaving her position as prime
minister in 1996.
The
The agreement reached in
1994: Omani women are encouraged to have fewer children.
Omani women, who traditionally gained status by having a
large number of children, have one of the highest birthrates in the world -- on
average, Omani women will bear 7.7 children. To help women and the children to
whom they give birth become healthier,
1994: Saudi production of desalinated water reaches cities in the center of the
kingdom.
Because of its lack of fresh water resources,
1994: The Lebanese economy rebounds four years after the end of the civil war.
Inflation drops from 75 percent to 18 percent as the economy
rebounds after the end of the civil war.
1994: A Marriage Fund is established to increase the percentage of UAE
nationals in the country.
Concerned with the percentage of male emirati, or UAE
nationals, marrying foreign women, UAE president Sheikh Zayed announces this
program in which UAE men and UAE women can receive long-term loans of up to
$19,000 to assist with wedding expenses and the purchase of a house. The loan
is interest-free and reduces by 20 percent with the birth of each child.
April 1994: Civil war breaks out in
Supporters of the president, a northerner, and those of the
vice president, a southerner, clash. The president's troops win out, and he
retains control over the republic.
Osama bin Laden is of Saudi Arabian origin, but his citizenship
is revoked in reaction to his attempts to overthrow the regime of
As a result of the
Following the signing of the Declaration of Principles and
the Cairo Agreement, Yasser Arafat enters