Politics

The Guardian has an article titled Fascist America in 10 easy steps. Although the article is specifically about America, it applies to any country with the same symptoms, whether historical or contemporary.The steps are:

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy
2. Create a gulag
3. Develop a thug caste
4. Set up an internal surveillance system
5. Harass citizens' groups
6. Engage in arbitrary detention and release
7. Target key individuals

Graham Fuller is an ex-CIA spy, and a Rand Corp. researcher who lived and worked in Turkey, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, North Yemen and Afghanistan. He now lives in Squamish north of Vancouver.He is the author of six books and many articles on Islam. His writing focused on Asian Islamic politics, religion and ethnicity. His articles have appeared in scholarly journals and everything from The New York Times to the Christian Science Monitor.

A recent survey by WorldPublicOpinion.org in Egypt, Pakistan, Morocco and Indonesia found that a majority thinks that the USA's goal is to weaken and divide Islam.

The survey also contains responses on things like:

Jack Shaheen is a Christian Arab American professor of Lebanese descent.After observing how Arabs are portrayed in the media, and especially entertainment, he authored a book: Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood vilifies a people, which is also available as a documentary on DVD.You can see excerpts from it on

Lee Iacocca, a great American icon, has written a book called Where have all the leaders gone?In it, he describes the 9 C's which are qualities of leaders, Curiosity, Creativity, Communication, Character, Courage, Conviction, Charisma, Competence, Common Sense, and Crisis Leadership. For everyone he lambasts G.W Bush and Congress for shortcomings over the tenure of the current administration.

The Red Cross describes civilian life in Iraq as "unbearable and unacceptable", and it is an "ever-worsening humanitarian crisis".From this CBC article.

I never bothered to look at the details of an airline ticket before.

A while ago, the BBC reported on a poll conducted in Egypt by a government agency. The poll of 1,000 Egyptians was surprising in its findings. Israel was perceived as the most hostile to to Egypt, which is in itself no surprise. However, it is followed by Denmark, Britain and the United States, in that order!

Although often a brutal dictator, Saddam Hussein's execution was remarkable in many ways.

The mobile phone video of Saddam's execution was taped by one of the attendees, who is a high ranking official.

First, there is his calmness, and composure, and even courage. He was not afraid to die. He refused the blind fold too.

When a group of onlookers mocked him, his reply was "هية هاي المرجلة" meaning "Is this manliness?"

An analysis on the BBC lists the bitter options facing the Bush administration as on what to do with the Iraq quagmire.

• There are four distinct wars in Iraq:
• Islamist jihadists against the USA
• Nationalist militants against the USA
• Shia militants against Sunnis
• Sunni militants against Shia
• The options so are are:
• Withdraw. This will only cause the violence to escalate, and perhaps a full scale civil ware.
• Increase the troops in Iraq. Public support may be limited and Congress may not approve the budget.
• Threaten to leave, in order to pressure the Iraqi government. That may not work, and the insurgents will see it as a victory.
• Negotiate with the insurgents. Unlikely.
• Divide Iraq into 3 autonomous states. This will cause all the conspiracy theorists who said this will happen be proven right.
• Continue what is being done today. Seems not to have worked, so why would it work in the future.

Read the details on the BBC.