Peace in the Middle East? - O Jerusalem!

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While President Obama's speech to the Muslim world was well received by many last week, I am yet to hear a voice that looks at the Israeli/Palestinian problem for what it is!

It seems to me that you can forget about settlement disputes, the Jewish wall, the Hamas rocket attacks, and all the other stumbling blocks which both sides seem to put in each others way to impede the peace process. The one and only sticking point that will always raise it's ugly head and stymie any peace effort will always be the question of Jerusalem. Who will rule it?

The Israelis say that Jerusalem is not up for negotiation. The Palestinians say that Jerusalem is important to them also and must be the subject of any peace talks. Bam!!! Impasse!! Never the twain shall meet! Especially so, as long as Israel remains a defacto religious State.

So Mr. Obama, nice speech but...

Hey here's a thought out of left field... why not turn Jerusalem into a Sovereign City State like the Vatican?



This is Dr. Kangaroo and I'm lookin' out for the little guy!
Gonna test your hype!

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The Iranian Non Elections

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The mock elections in Iran are about to take place.

Who will be the regime's next puppet?

The insane incumbent Ahmadinejad or some other loon hand-picked by Ayatollah Khamenei and the mullahs of the Guardian Council?

Afterall they are the ones who decide who can run in the elections and by definition therefore the outcome of the election!

The populace will engage in the charade of voting. Poor things need something to get excited about... but... it will be all for nought!!

Election rules

Who can run: Candidates for president must be Muslim and between the ages of 25 and 75.

Reaching the ballot: All hopefuls for high elected office must be cleared by the Guardian Council, a 12-member body of clerics and scholars loyal to the ruling theocracy. The council often rejects potential candidates considered too liberal or critical of the Islamic system. For Friday's election, four of more than 470 possible candidates were allowed.

Who wins: A simple majority — 50 percent plus one vote — is needed to win the presidency. If no candidate attains that Friday, a second round is held between the two top vote-getters June 19.

Who votes: Anyone at least 18.

President's role: The president has control of some domestic policies and serves as the international face of the country. But the nonelected theocracy, headed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, controls all major decisions.

The Associated Press

This is Dr. Kangaroo and I'm lookin' out for the little guy!
Gonna test your hype!

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China - Expansion By Stealth?

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

In days of old when a country or state coveted the resources of another state or simply wanted to expand it's empire it went to war!

21st century equivalent? China buys into other country's resources with state owned companies.

Hmmph! Am I being paranoid?

This is Dr. Kangaroo and I'm lookin' out for the little guy!
Gonna test your hype!

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Guantanamo detainee arrives in NY

Well about time!

(Courtesy of the BBC)

The first Guantanamo detainee who is to be tried in a US civilian court has arrived in New York, officials say.

Ahmed Ghailani has been transferred to face charges in a New York court in connection with the 1998 US embassy bombings in East Africa.

Mr Ghailani, a Tanzanian, was seized in Pakistan in 2004. He is expected to make an initial court appearance in Manhattan later on Tuesday.

He was taken to Guantanamo with other "high value" detainees in late 2006.

His transfer comes as the Obama administration struggles to find a way to make good its election promise to close Guantanamo Bay within a year of taking office.

This piece of scum deserves everything he gets!

Oh... and so does the US Administration if this whole episode fizzles or blows up in their faces... too long coming my friends!!

This is Dr. Kangaroo and I'm lookin' out for the little guy!

Gonna test your hype!

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America - Was a good idea!!

Image by akiey via Flickr

When you read the great documents of the USA... The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, The US Constitution... documents which have shone a beacon of light for Democracies around the globe... when you read them... then you look at what America has become... do you not want to weep?

Yes... as a cynical friend of mine once said... "America was a good idea!"

The Founding Fathers must be doing cartwheels in their graves.

This is Dr. Kangaroo and I'm lookin' out for the little guy!
Gonna test your hype!