Shutting the window on Gaza

11 days ago Israel closed it's border crossings into Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket attacks and is denying entry to foreign journalists. Peter Lerner, the Spokesperson for the coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories has said that the decision is not tantamount to a ban on journalists, but that they do not fall into the category of humanitarian aid workers, who are the only groups allowed in at this time.

the following taken from VOAnews.com
U.N. spokesman Chris Gunness said the rocket attacks are intolerable.

"Of course Israel has legitimate security concerns and we respect that and we respect the right and indeed the obligation of Israel to take action," said Gunness.

But Gunness said that is not a justification for cutting off food supplies, and he demanded that the borders reopen immediately.

"Let's see this for what it is. Fifty-six percent of the Gaza Strip are children. Let us not cause suffering of innocent children," said Gunness.

Steven Gutkin, Foreign Press Association chairman had this to say,
"We consider it a serious problem for freedom of the press. We think that journalists have to be placed in a special category. A blanket ban on people going into Gaza should not apply to journalists,"

"We serve as the window for the world into Gaza,"

the curious case(s) of Governor Don Siegelman

I had never heard of Don Siegelman until I got this email. Check out the sixty minutes link first.


Dear Aaron,

I am Don Siegelman, a Democrat and I served as the Governor of Alabama until Karl Rove targeted me in a political prosecution. My story, as described in CBS’s 60 Minutes is just one example of how Karl Rove subverted our Constitution and corrupted the integrity of the Justice Department.

I was convicted of something that The New York Times said,”… has never been a crime.” A former Republican Attorney General of Arizona said on CBS’s 60 Minutes, that “they couldn’t beat Siegelman fair and square so they targeted him with this prosecution.” I was THE blue dot in a red state that became Karl Rove’s target.

My investigation was started by Karl Rove’s client, the Alabama Attorney General, and I was brought to trial one month before the election, by a U S Attorney who was the wife of my Republican opponent’s campaign manager- a thirty year friend and political associate of Rove’s. After the trial, a Republican lawyer gave sworn testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that Karl Rove was directing the DOJ to prosecute me.

My sentence was enhanced for speaking out against the political nature of the prosecution. Handcuffed and shackled, I was immediately removed from the courtroom and taken to a maximum security prison where I was put into solitary confinement.

Nine months later, I was released in an extraordinary ruling of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals saying there are “substantial questions of law and fact likely to result in reversal”.

Robert Wexler called for an investigation into my case, and has stood firm against those who prefer to run out the clock, and let those who committed the real crimes get off the hook. No one has fought harder for me or for bringing Karl Rove to justice than Robert Wexler.

But this fight is not about me, it’s about our country, restoring the law, and bringing Karl Rove to justice.

Robert Wexler has shown that strong Congressional leadership is our best insurance against the abuse of power that Karl Rove has waged against the American People.

Now it’s up to us to continue this fight for justice and to restore our democracy.

Now, we must fight for Robert Wexler. Please help me keep him in office by contributing to his campaign.

We must send a message that it is un-American to have US Attorneys targeting people because of their party affiliation. If they can bring a Governor down, they can do it to you or a member of your family.

We must also send a message to Robert Wexler's challengers: “We will not let you remove our allies in Congress who stand with us in this fight against the subversion of our democracy.”

Please help Robert Wexler push back against his self-funded challengers.

If you are angry at what this administration has done to America and if you share my disappointment at the passiveness of some Members of our Democratic Congress, then we must reward and defend those, like Robert Wexler, who has never quit fighting on our behalf.

Click here to show the rest of Congress we will support those who support our ideals.

The tough work is left to be done. We must continue to fight until Karl Rove and others have been held accountable. It is now time for Rove and the others who abused power and used the DOJ as a political weapon to be brought to justice.

With your help, we can be certain Robert Wexler will be standing with us when we win our victory and return America to its best ideals.

Now it’s time for us to take action. We have to ensure that Robert Wexler has the money to win re-election.

Please join me in donating now.

With every best wish, I am sincerely,

Don Siegelman

P.S. For more information on my case, go to www.donsiegelman.org

you can't fuck with the kids!

We got us the lesser of two evils and I've been genuinely moved. If so much crazy shit wasn't going on in my life I'd be able to enjoy this a lot more euphorically but that's neither here nor there.

Now that he is safely in office, I feel as if it's my duty to commence the shit-talk. But give me a little while.

"Just permit these men one shred of human dignity."

17 Chinese men being held at Quantanamo Bay will very likely never be released even though no charges are being brought and Lutheran's in the US have pledged to take them in.