Africa

"Sharon never took the trouble to explain his motives for undertaking the Disengagement. One could only guess. The military preparations were meticulous, the public relations preparations were nil. In spite of this, the general public did support the plan, either out of loyalty to the democratic order or out of hope for peace, or both. But even this did not generate a big, rousing public movement in support of the Disengagement."

"For silencing the truth tellers, the US and its allies are willing to put democracy, human rights and civil liberties on hold and put relations with their own masses at risk to remain completely unrestrained domestically, to use any amount of force in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world, and to rig elections or discredit opponents."

"We need such honest historians to filter out impurities from history and present the facts as they are so that history become a mirror for the present day war lords and they are able to see their face in it before they arrogantly boast about their “way of life” and values to justify the worst form of tyranny they have imposed on Muslims and non-Muslims alike."

"Respect must be paid, and justice must be created. The dead cannot be brought back; the suffering of recent days can’t be undone. But it’s up to us to create maximum pressure for a truly adequate rescue effort -- and to organize effectively while demanding political accountability. That means depriving Bush, Cheney and their congressional allies of the power they ruthlessly enjoy. And that means ending their impunity, so that truth has consequences."

"The question is why were the Corps of Engineers not ordered to at least try to shore up the Levees designed for category 3 Hurricane, when it was known for at least three days that a category 5 hurricane is barreling towards New Orleans. Only the president could have ordered such an effort."

"Long after the cameras of CNN have moved away from Biloxi and Kenner the human needs will be profound on a massive scale usually seen only in wartime or severe natural disasters."

"While New Orleans was reeling from the first deadly effects of “Hurricane Katrina,” Neocon Jonah Goldberg mocked the idea of placing some of the city’s refugees in the Superdome. This is the same warmonger who once wrote that the U.S. should “bomb Canada!” When France refused to go along with the Bush-Cheney Gang’s scheme to invade Iraq, he smeared the French people as a nation of “liars,” who were only interested in a “desire for oil.”

"Sharon has proved that he can turn Israel around on its axis but has he struck a chord and proved that anything is possible. He has inadvertently opened a Pandora’s Box that he may not be able to escape from."