Sunday 31 July 2011

KEN O'KEEFE - HIJACKING OF TNA MISSION BY CATHERINE MYLES & OTHERS

PUBLIC NOTICE - The Hijacking of the Trade Not Aid Mission

by Ken O'Keefe on Thursday, 28 July 2011 at 01:04
As the founder and Managing Director for the Samouni Project and Aloha Palestine CIC, the social enterprises that form the partnership of the Trade Not Aid Mission (TNA Mission) to Gaza, I must declare that a hostile takeover of the TNA Mission is currently underway. The primary instigators of this takeover are Catherine (Cate) Myles and Saeb Shaath. The latter going from no formal position or significant contribution, financially or otherwise to this mission, to being the leader of a “committee” that effectively renders my position as leader redundant. For the record, this committee is the primary vehicle for a blatant power grab.



I cannot deny that this takeover attempt is a direct result of my atrocious character judgment, specifically my entrusting one Catherine Myles as my “personal assistant” and accountant. Believing in her sincerity, TNA Mission funds were channeled to Ms. Myles with direction from myself to carry out certain tasks. Among those tasks was the purchase and registration of TNA Mission vehicles, these include a full sized coach and a mobile office mini-bus, both specifically designated for the Samouni Project, along with an 18-ton truck to be used as the primary trading vehicle for Aloha Palestine. In my failure to verify registration details however, these vehicles were fraudulently registered in the name of Catherine Myles, rendering them her personal property. The level of deception and pre-meditation for this takeover is ever clear to me now, and it relied upon the fraudulent registration of these vehicles in the name of Catherine Myles.


Knowing she was the legal owner of the vehicles, Police were called by Ms. Myles in order to protect her property as the vehicles and cargo secured for the Trade Not Aid Mission were taken against my will to a destination unknown. To be 100% clear, these vehicles have been literally hijacked from the mission and are now controlled by people who conspired to subvert myself from within the mission.

I apologize to every supporter of this mission, to the people of Palestine and everyone distracted from more important matters. But I also call on you to effect justice and the end of this takeover once and for all.

Regardless of these developments I shall remain a diligent, loyal worker for Palestinian justice, as well as an honorary member of the Samouni family. I continue to have the families full support as the leader of this mission. Samouni family members will be joining this mission and so I urge those involved in this fraud to distance yourself from it and condemn this takeover in the interest of the vehicles and cargo being returned without delay.

Mona Samouni announcing support for Trade Not Aid Mission in Gaza.

The following people require specific mention for their role in this takeover, they took the vehicles and aid and are ultimately coordinating and facilitating this takeover. Cath Jenkins, Jez Cuthbert, Allison Hubbard, Catherine Myles, Doug Myles and Saeb Shaath.

Leicester.

Slander vs. Sanity - Catherine Myles & the Endangerment of Woman

by Ken O'Keefe on Saturday, 30 July 2011 at 20:41
I shall continue to limit my writings to almost exclusively facts when it comes to the outrageous injustice that is the hijacking of the Trade Not Aid Mission.

Please read the following screenshot of Catherine Myles, this was posted on July 26th, one day after she and Saeb Shaath hijacked the Trade Not Aid Mission.  I would like everyone to read the words of the new co-leader of the Trade Not Aid Mission, Ms. Catherine Myles;


There are many accusations in here, let me address them sequentially.
1)     There is a reference to the visas, this is about our visa application to bring out four Samouni family members out to Europe and to lead the mission to Gaza, along with myself (this was always part of the plan).  Catherine says effectively that I have lied to the Samouni’s and told them that we have the visas; this is the first lie.  We have been told by the EU reps that the application will be rejected because it is “to political”.  Those working on the application in Gaza thought I would say enough to this then, instead I had given direction to send the application which makes clear that the application is made so the Samouni family can tell their story to the European audience directly.  I have every intention of doing this, if necessary I want to force the EU to reject the Samouni family’s right to share their story.  After all, this is what the EU does, sleep with and stroke Israel on every level.  But you never know, if pressure came to bear we might well have the Samouni’s with us as planned.  Among the Samouni’s coming would be a truck driver and the head of the family (Mukhtar).
2)     Next Catherine says I am banned in Gaza and Egypt, and that I knew this.  Now I have called my contacts in Gaza, which includes Dr. Ghazi Hamad, Chairman of the Border Crossings Authority in the Gaza Strip, this is man the runs Rafah Crossing.  I also called the former Deputy Foreign Minister and a couple of other well connected people, needless to say these comments by Catherine are lies as well.  I am welcome in Gaza and although I was indeed blocked from leaving Gaza by Egypt, when I finally left they never told me I was banned, to the contrary I was allowed to stay in Cairo after leaving Gaza.  When I did, nothing at all was said to me about being banned.
3)     Lie number three is built on lie number two, that I was banned and unwelcome.  Catherine goes further here to say that Hamas were protecting the reputation of herself, Cormac and Saeb by not revealing this.  Saeb consequently was never officially a part of this convoy until shortly before he showed up as part of the hijack crew.
4)     The next lie is hideous and dangerous, “KOK (Ken O’Keefe) was almost jailed twice in Gaza for trying to make young women go to his flat with him…”  As a result of this lie Noor, the Director of the Samouni Project in Gaza, has quit her position.  Yesterday she was crying and in fear for her life.  She is in serious danger and I repeat, Saeb Shaath is also responsible for any harm that comes to her for this lie, a lie that is purely intended to discredit me and protect the hijacking agenda and its instigators. Noor is nothing but a pawn to be used, Saeb Shaath (by his silence and complicity) and Catherine Myles are simply ruthless for doing this, never mind the nastiness of trying to destroy my name with such a lie, but to risk the life of Noor while you are at it is beyond disgusting.
5)     She says as well that I “committed other insane offences whilst he was there”, but she gives no details, leaving one who believes the first lies wondering just what other craziness I have been up to.  This is slander/liable at its best.
6)     She says I bullied and intimidated women.  Of course this is supported by no facts, but she felt like throwing in a bit of female abuse while we are at it.
7)     Next she says the “security forces hate KOK and have had him followed constantly.”  Well I know for sure that I am not hated, to the contrary I have made real connections with many brothers on the ground in Gaza… although I did not train any commando units for Hamas (as Israel has said).  As for them watching me all over Gaza, indeed they did, and that is why I am most welcome and respected, they know all that I have done there… and all I did was work very hard for the Palestinian cause and the mission that Ms. Myles and Saeb Shaath have hijacked.
8)     Ms. Myles says anyone who wants to check these facts then please do call ministers in Hamas.  Well I too encourage people to do this, but imagine very few of you actually have contact numbers, which is surely why she suggests you people call.
9)     Next quote, keeping in mind everything she has said to this point is complete bullshit; “There is much we knew that we could not reveal at all.  We were set tasks by the Mid East and we have done them.  We have exposed this man and we will bring him down.”  Right, so apparently the Ms. Myles acting as my PA thing was merely cover for the big job of exposing me.  In other words she has been lying to me in every way for months.

And so it goes, the real enemy of Palestine and the people of Gaza is none other than me, Ken O’Keefe.  I have been the problem and the mission I founded, that was merely a ploy for my dastardly plans to subdue and abuse young woman.  But thankfully the real heroes of Palestine have come, enter Saeb Shaath and his sidekick Ms. Catherine Myles.  Gaza fret no more, all will be well, the new and improved Trade Not Aid Mission is coming!

Co-leaders of the hijacked Trade Not Aid MissionI sincerely hope that everyone who is learning the facts about this horrendous display of deception, fraud and theft is as repulsed as they should be.  I encourage you to share this post and the facts surrounding it to such a degree that this hostile takeover becomes the signiture of Saeb Shaath and Catherine Myles.  If a pro bono attorney is found, liable charges will be filed.  Just today in Bradford I had a fundraiser set up for Trade Not Aid, they cancelled due to this circus.  Who loses?  We all know the answer to that and the only way I know to right this awful mistake of mine is to expose and retain control so the mission can move forward in the way it was always intended to do.  If enough of the people reading this get outraged then justice will be served and this mission will succeed.

A Response To The Transparent Assault Against Ken O’Keefe

Posted: August 4, 2011 by crescentandcross in Uncategorized
 
1 Vote

M. Dennis Paul, Ph.D. Associate Editor Salem-News.com

(WINDSOR, N.H.) – I am not going to claim full knowledge of all the events behind this issue. As a veteran of many political endeavors, movements and radical groups both above and below ground, however, I will comment on the realities of such smear campaigns.

First, and most important in my mind, is that Ken has certainly proven himself as the “genuine” article through all the work he has thus far accomplished with regard to Palestine and for the beautiful Palestinian people. Anyone who questions this does so with intentionally closed eyes and ears.

I defy those who are attempting to malign his character to produce any verifiable evidence in support of their malicious claims against him. To date, no one has accomplished this, let alone actually try.

Second, what is being demonstrated through this obviously orchestrated attack upon his person and his efforts is a well worn program of deceit very well known and understood by veterans such as myself. We have seen it played out over and over again.

It is commonly understood that any group of advocates and/or activists who gain public awareness for their actions and accomplishments will, without exception, be infiltrated by agents of either governments (which is the more frequent) or politically oppositional organizations.

Ken’s gained western press attention of time and time again when others tried but could not, pressuring Israel to end Human Rights violations in Gaza by ending the several year old illegal blockade.

In fact, the more effective an organization or individual is, the greater the need these detractors have for infiltrating and destroying them. The sole intent of such infiltrations is to create dissent within the activists’ circles and diminish their effectiveness and ability to continue their work.

This is easily accomplished through rumour, innuendo, slander, libel, planting of evidence and creating illegal and harmful situations in direct opposition to the core principles and values of the organization in such a way as to bring criminal charges against members and/or the organization itself.

I could easily outline the factual scenarios supporting this for each and every activist organization I have ever worked for or with and a great many for whom I did not work. To do so, here, is not practical. Instead, I suggest anyone seriously interested merely type in Infiltration of Activist Groups into their Google search and commence reading.

Third, the fact that commenters, here, have raised the ridiculous “arguments” presented, absent any attempt to support these foolish claims with any evidence, demonstrates the standard attack used by infiltrators and their network of side promoters.

The concept of repeating a lie or lies again and again, without regard to evidence, and most commonly through pretentious “challenges” such as “How do you know he has an Irish passport?” or harping on his possession of an American passport despite the matter (of what little worth it is) having been thoroughly explained is the sort of subterfuge used by anyone who cannot honestly sustain a reasonable argument under any circumstance but who desires to create some manner of doubt about the intended target. If there is anyone out there that does not recognize the organization behind the “Birther” movement, please now fall upon your sword (or a nail studded board, or pen…).

Fourth, I can personally assure anyone with doubt that, to the degree Hamas trusts anyone not Arab or with lineage within Hamas, Ken is quite highly regarded for the work he has done for Palestine and the beautiful Palestinian people. More important, there is absolutely no question as to the regard the Palestinians hold for Ken.

Ken and the late, great Gaza Activist, Vik Arrigoni. Ken had to ID his body after his murder last April. This is who Ken is…

Having requested comment from sources I do have in both Egypt and Gaza, if Ken is banned in either country, no one seems to be aware of it, they look forward to his presence and express deep regard for his safety wherever he might be. One source, having heard a bit about this smearing, stated he is sad that such a genuinely compassionate individual has to endure this “trial by fire” but assured that his friends and family in Palestine would always, and proudly, stand with him. Far from being considered a rock star or god, they consider Ken a family member… as do I and all of his family at Salem-news (and I am certain a great many more).

Finally, Ken has learned a difficult lesson. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of this most despicable infiltration (and this is exactly what this is) have further victimized the Palestinian people in attempting to hurt Ken. Ken is going to survive this bit of nonsense precisely because the people who truly know him will stick with him and those who have or had ulterior motives will drift away. Ken will continue to do the good work while his detractors will perhaps make an attempt to glorify their positions with some cosmetic actions or simply move on, having convinced themselves of their efficacy in destroying his name. Fools that they are, they may just believe they actually have the power to do so.

To Ken: Every good organization needs a shake up at some point in order to understand itself and its true allies. These shake ups can be painful at times and self doubt can seep in. You are morally and mentally too strong to succumb to this (far stronger than they must think) and you will definitely come out on top in this matter..stronger and wiser. Don’t let the drama become your focus. Let the infiltrators dance in their illusions/delusions and sing whatever tune makes them giggle.

Don’t play into it with any written or verbal exchanges for public edification. That is what they want.. to draw you into their arena. Focus on your next effort and ignore them. Find the legal team you need and let them deal with these clowns. Your deeds are going to prove them wrong.. not your words. You are a very trusting person and that is a beautiful quality.

In fact, before this all happened, I’d no doubt that had either Judas asked, you would have taken a bullet for them. They knew this.. and they used it against you. In the real world, you have many detractors such as ShuRAT HaDin, Bibi, the Psychotic “Religious” right, and on. Every one of them will attempt to seat you with a Judas. Keep your heart open and continue to trust.. but vet carefully as you have learned that grievous harm can come, to those you love, from filth that would use your trust. You don’t have to prove anything to us or the Palestinians, Ken. We know. The people that truly matter are all behind you, beside you and with you. Shake these desert fleas and move forward.

Stay Human, Brother!!

M. Dennis Paul, Ph.D.

DOMINIQUE STRAUSS-KAHN LE VIOLEUR DE Nafissatou Diallo

JE TE VIOLE, TU ME VIOLES, VIVE LA FRANCE!

DSK. Une proche dénonce les questions brutales de Thompson

Publié le 31-07-11 à 08:33    Modifié à 08:44     par Le Nouvel Observateur avec AFP     3 réactions

La femme, qui dit avoir eu une liaison avec l'ancien patron du FMI, raconte que l'avocat de Nafissatou Diallo lui a "couru après pendant une semaine".

L'avocat de Nafissatou Diallo, Kenneth Thompson. (AFP) L'avocat de Nafissatou Diallo, Kenneth Thompson. (AFP)
Une femme qui dit avoir entretenu une liaison avec Dominique Strauss-Kahn explique dans le JDD publié dimanche 31 juillet avoir été contactée par l'avocat de Nafissatou Diallo, Kenneth Thompson, et s'en prend à ses "questions brutales", "un peu comme dans un interrogatoire de police".
Installée aux Etats-Unis mais réfugiée en Suisse pour échapper à la pression médiatique, cette jeune Française précise par ailleurs que son "avocate à Los Angeles, Gloria Allred, a été contactée par le bureau du procureur Vance à New York".
"Je ne sais pas où en sont les choses parce que je suis en Europe depuis une semaine", ajoute-t-elle. Dans le magazine suisse l'Illustré, elle avait toutefois prévenu cette semaine que son témoignage "servirait sans doute plus la défense que l’accusation".
Harcèlement ?
Kenneth Thompson, l'avocat de Nafissatou Diallo, la femme qui accuse DSK d'avoir tenté de la violer en mai dans une chambre d'hôtel de Washington, "m'a couru après pendant une semaine", "j'avais des messages tous les jours", raconte cette jeune femme.
"C'est à partir de ce moment que j'ai engagé mon avocate. Nous avons eu une conférence téléphonique avec lui le 18 juillet pendant quarante-cinq minutes. Mais je lui ai répondu sèchement parce que ses questions étaient très personnelles, brutales, chirurgicales, un peu comme un interrogatoire de police", dénonce cette jeune femme.
Dans son entretien à L'Illustré, elle avait déjà accusé Thompson de lui avoir posé des questions "vraiment salaces, chirurgicales"
Liaison avec DSK
Elle explique que sa trace a été retrouvée car "il semble qu'un cabinet d'investigation de Washington se soit procuré une lettre que j'avais adressée à mon père à Sarcelles et dans laquelle j'évoquais ma liaison avec Dominique Strauss-Kahn". Elle aurait alors accordé son interview au magazine suisse pour "prendre les devants", explique-t-elle au JDD.
Le 20 juillet, Kenneth Thompson s'est rendu chez le procureur accompagné de l'avocat de Tristane Banon, une jeune femme écrivain française qui affirme que DSK a tenté de la violer en 2003.
Le Nouvel Observateur - AFP

Non au débat-procès de l’Islam

"Non au débat-procès de l’islam" : un appel du Nouvel Obs et de Respect mag

Publié le 23-03-11 à 18:03    Modifié le 25-03-11 à 12:01     Réagir

Religieux, simples croyants, agnostiques ou athées se mobilisent au nom de leur citoyenneté pour dénoncer le débat sur l'islam voulu par l'UMP, qu'ils considèrent comme une instrumentalisation de la laïcité.

"Nous, citoyens français de foi, de culture ou d’héritage islamique, immédiatement rejoints par des citoyens de toutes confessions ou sans confession, appelons le Président de la République et le gouvernement à renoncer au débat sur la laïcité et la place de l’islam en France, que l’UMP veut lancer le 5 avril.
Dans un climat de forte poussée de l’extrême-droite, après le fiasco du débat sur l’identité nationale, qui a libéré la parole raciste, nous estimons ce nouveau débat biaisé, stigmatisant et susceptible de mettre en péril une cohésion sociale déjà largement mise à mal par la politique actuelle.
Alors qu’un formidable mouvement d’élan pour la démocratie a lieu dans les pays musulmans, nous dénonçons ces procès récurrents de l’islam et de tous ses représentants – ou désignés comme tels –, ainsi que cette instrumentalisation grossière du principe de laïcité.
Religieux, croyants ou non-croyants d’héritage islamique, mais citoyens avant tout, nous tenons à réaffirmer haut et fort nos convictions républicaines et laïques. Nous faisons aujourd’hui entendre notre voix unie, parce que nous refusons d’être des boucs émissaires, victimes de stratégies électoralistes pernicieuses. Nous sommes et exigeons d’être considérés comme des citoyens à part entière et non comme des ‘individus entièrement à part’.
Aussi, nous invitons tous les citoyens français à nous rejoindre, pour refuser cette France des ‘eux’ et des ‘nous’ et créer ensemble un avenir commun."


LES REDACTEURS
Bouchera Azzouz, militante féministe
Marc Cheb Sun, directeur de la rédaction "Respect Mag"
Anne Esambert, haut fonctionnaire
Bariza Khiari, sénatrice PS de Paris
Ousmane Ndiaye, journaliste à "Respect Mag"
> Signer l'appel

ILS SOUTIENNENT
Abd Al Malik, rappeur et écrivain
Farid Abdelkrim, artiste de stand-up
Raymond Aubrac, ancien résistant
Jean Baubérot, historien et sociologue
Esther Benbassa, universitaire
Ghaleb Bencheikh, Conférence mondiale des Religions pour la Paix
Tahar Ben Jelloun, écrivain
Pierre Bergé, entrepreneur et mécène
Abdennour Bidar, philosophe
Didier Billion, "Revue internationale et stratégique"
Jane Birkin, comédienne et chanteuse
Pascal Blanchard, historien
Pascal Boniface, directeur de l'Iris
Hamou Bouakkaz, adjoint au maire de Paris
Marouane Bouloudhnine, président de Mosaic
Alima Boumediene Thiery, sénatrice (Europe-Ecologie-les Verts)
José Bové, député européen (Europe-Ecologie-les Verts)
Saïd Branine, directeur d’Oumma.com
Cabu, dessinateur
CCIF : Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France
Monique Cerisier-ben Guiga, sénatrice des Français de l'étranger (PS)
Vincent Cespedes, philosophe et écrivain
Malek Chebel, anthropologue et philosophe
Alain Chenal, universitaire
Madani Cheurfa, secrétaire général du Cevipof
Michel Ciment, journaliste
Catherine Clément, philosophe et écrivaine
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, député européen (Europe-Ecologie-les Verts)
Mohamed Colin, directeur de la rédaction de "Saphirnews"
Christian Delorme, prêtre du diocèse de Lyon
Rokhaya Diallo, auteure
Fayçal Douhane, président du club Polethique
François Durpaire, historien
Eldiablo, dessinateur
Eric Fassin, sociologue (ENS)
Bétoule Fekkar-Lambiotte, fonctionnaire internationale
Olivier Ferrand, président de Terra Nova
Dan Franck, écrivain
Azzedine Gaci, président du CRCM Rhône-Alpes
Vincent Geisser, sociologue
Nasser Haidari, adjoint au maire de Marseille
Mohammed Harbi, historien
Mahmoud Hussein (Bahgat Einadi et Adel Rifaat, écrivains)
Régis Jauffret, écrivain
Adil Jazouli, sociologue
Larbi Kechat, recteur de la mosquée Adda'wa
Saad Khiari, cinéaste-auteur
Jean Lacouture, écrivain et journaliste
Patrick Lozès, président du Cran
Laurence Méhaignerie, présidente de Citizen Capital
Fadila Méhal, présidente des Marianne de la diversité
Khaled Melhaa, journaliste-producteur
Jean-Pierre Mignard, avocat
Karim Miské, réalisateur
Gérard Mordillat, romancier et cinéaste
Edgar Morin, sociologue et philosophe
Pap Ndiaye, historien
Tareq Oubrou, grand imam de Bordeaux
Olivier Py, metteur en scène et dramaturge
Jean-Michel Quillardet, ancien grand maître du Grand Orient de France
Tariq Ramadan, universitaire
Véronique Rieffel, directrice de l’Institut des Cultures d'Islam
Olivier Roy, islamologue
Hafid Sekhri, membre du CRCM Rhône-Alpes
Benjamin Stora, historien
Fodé Sylla, Fédération internationale SOS Racisme
Christiane Taubira, députée de Guyane (PRG)
Jean-Claude Tchicaya, porte-parole de Devoirs de Mémoires
Lilian Thuram, ex-footballeur
Catherine Tripon, porte-parole de l’Autre Cercle
Françoise Vergès, historienne
Jean Viard, sociologue
Patrick Weil, historien et politologue
Ludovic Lotfi Mohamed Zahed, porte-parole de HM2F



Dans l'Obs : islam et laïcité, le débat qui choque par Nouvelobs
Nouvelobs.com
Sur le même sujet

Saturday 30 July 2011

Osama Bin Laden In India JULY 2011

 Pakistan News

Is Osama Bin Laden In India?

Osama Bin Laden surprised everyone in late 1990s when he escaped from the Gulf to hide at an unexpected place: Sudan.  Is it that the al-Qaeda chief is repeating history by choosing South Asia’s least likely place to hide?
Osama bin Laden’s disappearance since late 2001 despite a massive high-tech military and intelligence hunt involving assets and agents across several regions is strengthening a conclusion reached by many analysts that the al-Qaeda leader might have sought an unexpected hiding spot—India.
CIA has established an advanced information and intelligence gathering network in Afghanistan and Pakistan during the past nine years. The operation in Pakistan has reportedly recruited tribal men, garbage collectors and even doctors in hospitals in Pakistani towns and cities in the hope that an ailing bin Laden might be spotted somewhere. The failure to uncover any leads is forcing some analysts to dust off old pieces of information that were dismissed or not pursued for a variety of reasons.
India’s name came up frequently in intelligence briefs on the bin Laden hunt in the early months after the rout of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan in November 2001. This information was dismissed by the US intelligence community on the suspicion that the Pakistanis might have planted it to defame archrival India. There was also concern the information might have been planted by Al-Qaeda members as a diversionary tactic, meant to create breathing space for their hunted leader.
But a small breakthrough last summer refocused attention on India.
Before the Indian connection is explained, a word on the authenticity question of recent bin Laden tapes is necessary.
At least four different audio tapes surfaced last year carrying messages from Osama bin Laden. The year 2010 was not good for these bin Laden podcasts. Compared to each year since 2001, this was the first time that bin Laden tapes were met with widespread public skepticism inside and outside the United States. Never before were al-Qaeda leader’s voice and video releases so scrutinized and questioned. One reason for this was Osama fatigue. The news media and public opinion had lost interest in bin Laden ‘new tape’ releases. It no longer generated the same excitement. But there was a bigger issue this time. Eight years into America’s Afghan war, more and more Americans and others had begun questioning the credibility of the tapes.  At question was not just how these tapes were produced but also the full cycle of their release, methods of delivery, and final airing.
BIN LADEN TAPES IN 2010
Bin Laden released four tapes in 2010.  On 29 January, he came out with an audio tape blasting President Obama’s hazy position on climate change. This was a major departure for bin Laden. Climate change debate is hot in the United States and parts of Europe but hardly attracts any popular interest in the Middle East and Asia. For bin Laden to make this statement would not have won him any new admirers in the Middle East. But what it did was to embarrass the antiwar liberal camps in the US and Europe who largely also oppose US government’s position on climate change. Another new aspect in this audio release was bin Laden offering praise to an antiwar American activist, Noam Chomsky, who is a renowned critic of US government, CIA and the US military. Never before had bin Laden praised US persons by name in his audio and video tapes. The move, he would have certainly known, could have hurt Mr. Chomsky in the eyes of ordinary Americans and provided easy fodder in the hands of US hawks to discredit Chomsky’s antiwar message. The tape was aired by Al Jazeera in Qatar and the channel refused to explain how it obtained the tape.
A week earlier, bin Laden released an audio tape praising an attempt by a Nigerian citizen to blow up an airliner bound for Detroit on 25 December 2009. The one-minute audio tape, aired by Al Jazeera, endorsed the act but stopped short of claiming responsibility for it. The said incident was an amateur act by all standards of terror acts, poorly organized and with little chance of succeeding. It was not clear why bin Laden would want to be associated with it.  Mr. bin Laden also showed a sense of humor in the purported audio tape, saying his was a message ‘from Osama to Obama.”  This play on the name was strange. It served no purpose except to embarrass President Obama in front of American extremists who have been accusing him of being a closet Muslim.
In March, Bin Laden released another tape warning the US government it would kill American hostages if the accused in the 9/11 attack jailed in Guantanamo were executed. The irony in this tape, which many US commentators did not miss, was that al-Qaeda had already killed Americans whenever a chance offered itself, so how was this threat really a new threat? The progress in the trial of Guantanamo detainees was slow when this tape came out. Reports suggested that President Obama was resisting pressure from US military to expedite the trials because of legal and constitutional reasons. Bin Laden’s tape served to renew pressure on Obama to resume the trials.
And finally, in October, bin Laden released an audio tape warning to kill five French citizens kidnapped in Niger if France does not withdraw troops from Afghanistan. This was a bizarre message from the Al-Qaeda leader. The reason is simple. The Frenchmen were kidnapped by a little known local group in Niger that calls itself Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghrib. US intelligence officials refer to it by the acronym AQIM. The problem is that no one knows where this AQIM is really based. The best explanation coming from US sources is that this is a group of militants who, according to one American source, used to ‘roam the Sahara desert’ before coming together and ‘pledging allegiance’ to Osama bin Laden. How intelligence professionals can blindly accept the ‘Al-Qaeda credentials’ of any group coming forward and ‘pledging allegiance’ to bin Laden while sitting in another continent is a question that remains unanswered.
The strange part is that the kidnappings actually neatly fitted with the international competition over uranium mines in Niger where these kidnappings occurred. Imagine five Frenchmen kidnapped from a uranium mining town in Niger, where they were in fierce competition, and then the justification for the kidnapping comes from Al-Qaeda chief in an audio tape released some 2,000 miles away.  This is eerily similar to Chinese engineers kidnapped or killed in and around the new strategic Pakistani port city of Gwadar in 2006 and 2007 where countries like India, Iran, UAE and the United States were and continue to be opposed to Chinese presence and involvement for strategic reasons. When the Chinese were targeted, the responsibility was conveniently shouldered by a new group called Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as TTP or Pakistani Taliban. This new Pakistani Taliban, which borrowed its name from the original Afghan Taliban, gave a clumsy explanation for why it decided to attack Chinese interests in Pakistan while claiming to fight a jihad against United States. It said it did it in order to embarrass Pakistan’s pro-US government. The skeptics were not sure Pakistan’s pro-US government was embarrassed. What is for sure is that this was part of efforts to keep China out of a strategically important nation.
WHO RELEASES THESE TAPES?
There is a full delivery cycle to Osama bin Laden’s tapes. They are recorded, edited, copied and then transported to reach their final destination on the screen of a television news channel. Al Jazeera has received most of these video and audio tapes, with few going to other Arab and western networks.
For some reason, the government of the United States and its allies in the war on terror never pursued this trail as hard as they pursued terror financing, for example. Not that it would be easy. In most cases, unknown individuals dropped the tapes at the residence or at the local offices of Al-Jazeera correspondents in Islamabad or Peshawar.
But there has been another very prolific source of Al-Qaeda tapes other than al-Jazeera. This second source is SITE.  It is short for Search for International Terrorist Entities Institute. It was founded in 2002 as a private intelligence group by Rita Katz, an Iraqi born Israeli and US citizen. She served in the Israeli military. In 2008 she closed the institute and established SITE Intel Group. Its website describes the company in the following words: ‘Rapid, Full Translations of Primary Source Jihadist Media and Access to Jihadist Videos.’  This is a marketing niche that no one has thought of before and perfectly suited to the post-9/11 US security and military doctrines. In short, she combs the Internet for sites and chat rooms where al-Qaeda and Islamic groups post messages, press releases and audiovisual material. She does not reveal the identity of her clients but the company has been engaged by the Clinton and the Bush administrations.
Many have accused SITE and Ms. Katz of turning terrorism into an industry. Her strong links to the Israeli military and intelligence community provide context to her work.
Israel’s threat perception is very simple: Muslims pose a threat. Period. There are many Israelis who wish their security and military establishments would change this threat perception because all Muslims cannot be a threat. Interestingly, Ms. Katz and SITE has carried this paranoia to Washington DC. In 1999, when FBI and CIA could not find enough evidence to say al-Qaeda posed a global threat, terror experts in the government hired SITE to build a case against al-Qaeda. This case helped in propelling Al-Qaeda, a little known group in the Middle East before 9/11, into the coveted position of America’s main adversary in the world, a spot previously occupied by the former USSR.
There is one more country besides Israel that shares a similar threat perception as Israel. This country is India.
THE INDIAN LINK
The Bush administration worked hard and quite successfully in convincing the Indians that China posed a threat to India and that countering China will propel India to a superpower status. But despite Indian military buildup to counter China, it is Pakistan and Islamophobia that drives Indian policymakers. Hindu religious fundamentalism and inaccurate notions about geography and history force the Indian ruling elite to consider Pakistan and Muslims as a major threat. Historically, of all the foreign invaders of India, Muslims are the only ones to rule India for more than ten centuries until it was ‘liberated’ by the British Empire. This history weighs heavily on the Indian psyche and drives Indian policy toward Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kashmir.
During the 1990s, and thanks to this common threat perception, India and Israel started working closely to counter Islam. How paranoid these two countries are can be gauged from the fact that Islam is not a monolith political force. Muslim countries and nations are diverse and do not constitute a single force that would threaten either Israel or India. But despite this fact, ruling elites in Israel and India have used the ‘Islamic threat’ as a rallying cry for ideological and military buildup.
Israel had a long history and experience in dealing with Muslim religious groups. It learned how to infiltrate them, understand them, and negotiate with them. It also established schools to train agents in Quran and Islamic Sharia, and devoted resources to studying fault lines inside Islam that can be exploited to work Muslim groups against each other.
Israel passed this training and experience to India for use in occupied Kashmir to quell a pro-Pakistan popular movement there. So strong was the Israeli help that at one stage, in summer 1999, Indian military requested assistance from Israeli Special Forces to help stop the advance of Pakistanis. Even today, Israeli diplomats in New Delhi often remind their hosts about how Israel helped turn the situation on the ground in Kashmir.
India learned Israeli lessons in dealing with Muslim groups fairly quickly. Many freedom groups that operated in Indian-occupied Kashmir during the 1990s were fronts for Indian intelligence. India used these groups for various purposes. Some of these groups committed atrocities to discredit the genuine pro-freedom groups. Others acted as Trojan horses, spying from the inside on the pro-freedom Kashmiri movement.
After 2001, India established an elaborate intelligence setup in Afghanistan. But the purpose here was three-fold: Spy on Afghan Taliban, export terror into Pakistan’s western regions under the guise of Taliban, and exacerbate misunderstandings between Pakistani and US militaries. The last two were of special interest to the Indians. Disguised as Taliban, the Indians established contacts with militants and guns-for-hire inside Pakistan’s tribal region. Pakistani militants were recruited for training to commit terrorist acts inside Pakistan. The Indians were also keen to demonstrate that US soldiers are under threat from militants inside the Pakistani tribal belt. Establishing a direct link between attacks on US soldiers and Pakistan’s tribal belt was of paramount importance to the Indians. In some cases, this meant funneling weapons and funding to criminals and terrorists to mount attacks on US soldiers in Afghanistan and magnify links to Pakistani tribal belt.
INDIA AND BIN LADEN
All countries in the region have established contacts with Al-Qaeda at different times when it served their interests. Topping the list is the United States. Osama bin Laden started out as a CIA asset. Later, he established contacts with the Pakistanis and the Saudis. After 9/11 and the US war against Afghanistan, bin Laden established ties with Iran. This was a clear example that the impossible can happen. Who would have thought that two opposing religious schools, Iran’s Shias and al-Qaeda’s hard liners would become friends of convenience and circumstance? This relationship went as far as bin Laden trusting Iran with his sons and daughters and other senior lieutenants who were provided safe havens inside Iran.
The only country in the region whose name never appears in the list of countries that tried to contact al-Qaeda is India. But that is not because India did not try to establish such contact.
Indian intelligence agency, RAW, approached al-Qaeda immediately after the group’s defeat in Afghanistan. Such contacts date back to 2002 and 2003. The Indians are known to have kidnapped Pakistani and Afghan militants and transported them by air to India for training and indoctrination.
The first signs of Osama bin Laden’s contacts with the Indians emerged in early 2002, barely four months after the collapse of Taliban government in Kabul, and three months after the last sighting of bin Laden in the mountains of Tora Bora. At the time, India had amassed half of its military on Pakistan’s borders and there was a heightened possibility of war. Pakistanis knew Washington was using India to blackmail Islamabad in Afghanistan. The Indians tried to convince Washington that Osama bin Laden might be hiding with a pro-Kashmir group in the Pakistani part of Kashmir. New Delhi was hoping this would get Washington to go after pro-Kashmir freedom groups based in Pakistan.
What happened next is that the Americans and the British found leads indicating the possibility that bin Laden did indeed come to the region but only as a stopover to cross into India. Moreover, there were signs the Indians were in contact with the al Qaeda leader, or at least some of the Indians since not everyone in the Indian government knew about it. This divide between Indian intelligence and political establishment was proven eight years later when Indian intelligence officers admitted to running clandestine programs outside the purview of Indian politicians. One of these programs groomed Hindu terror groups to conduct a bombing campaign inside India that would be blamed on Pakistan, ISI and Kashmiris.
Washington and London quietly convinced New Delhi to allow foreign troops into the Indian occupied part of Kashmir to trace bin Laden’s trail. The Indians were extremely reluctant. They were concerned if they approved the measure and word got out, then India’s long held position of avoiding the ‘internationalization’ of Kashmir dispute would stand nowhere. In the end India allowed a 40-man team of US and British special forces – US Delta Force and Britain’s SAS – to enter Indian occupied Kashmir to hunt for bin Laden. When Britain’s daily Telegraph’s defense correspondent broke the news, Indian officials were in a fix. They denied the presence of Delta Force and SAS inside India or in Kashmir. “There is no question of allowing American or British or any foreign troops into J&K. The report is totally incorrect and baseless,” an Indian Defense Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying by the Indian media.
No trace of the terror leader was found. But it was a year later that information started trickling in about the possibility that bin Laden had availed Indian contacts and visited India. The information first reached the Pakistanis. Multiple contacts inside Afghanistan and among the Afghan Taliban talked about reports that bin Laden left the region for India. It seemed farfetched at the time. But four years later, new evidence showed that the Indians have actually moved terrorists involved in bombings inside Pakistan to India via Afghanistan. Among them was Brahamdagh Bugti, a Pakistani warlord from Balochistan, and terrorists who formed the so-called Swat Taliban that overran the scenic Swat region in 2009 before the Pakistani military defeated it.
There were three routes that bin Laden could have taken to India dodging the Pakistanis, knowing that Pervez Musharraf’s government would not hesitate in turning him over to the Americans having backstabbed pro-Pakistan Afghan Taliban officials, like the last Taliban ambassador to Islamabad Mullah Abdul Salam Zaeef. Bin Laden could have been flown from Afghanistan to India via Dubai. Or via Uzbekistan. A third possibility is that he slipped into Indian-occupied Kashmir from Pakistan.
The reports at the time said bin Laden visited two cities in southern India: Hyderabad and Bangalore. Pakistani intelligence officials tried to ascertain whether bin Laden slipped into India covertly or with help from elements in the Indian intelligence. A conclusive answer never materialized. But Pakistanis said this visit was not possible without the involvement of Indian intelligence. Yet there were no buyers in Washington and London for the Pakistani information. It is important to remember that this was 2003. Bin Laden’s family members were yet to be found hiding in Iran with Iranian intelligence help, and India was yet to be accused of supporting terrorism on the Pak-Afghan border and inside Pakistan using Afghan soil.
Pakistani officials shared this information with American and British journalists and were surprised to see them protecting India and giving it maximum benefit of the doubt. These journalists were ready to print unproven theories about Pakistan and its nuclear weapons but will not even hint at the possibility that bin Laden might have used the Himalayas to cross into India.
Myra McDonalds, a Reuters journalist, did muster the courage to mention bin Laden’s India link in a passing way in May last year. But the reason it came up was fresh developments in the India-bin Laden story.
Apparently, al Qaeda chief’s audio tape of March 2010 came from India. Security officials in the Gulf traced the tape to a courier service that booked the parcel in Bangalore. This is the same city identified by information floating in 2003 indicating bin Laden was there.
Al-Qaeda is almost decimated. There may not be more than fifty current and former al Qaeda associates in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border region. But the Americans continue to use it as a scarecrow. Since it came into being, al Qaeda and its chief have been played by various countries according to their interests. Even now, bin Laden continues to be played to some extent by one or more strategic players. It is not possible for a wanted man in an unstable region to sustain himself for a long period of time without a hiding place protected by the sovereign powers of a spy service.
Back in late 1990s, when all doors were closed for bin Laden, he surprised everyone by taking refuge in an unexpected place: Sudan. A decade later the al Qaeda chief seems to have repeated history by going in hiding at an unexpected place.

Tony Blair’s Legacy of Deception and 911 - Susan Lindauer

Pakistan News

Former U.S. Asset Exposes Tony Blair’s Legacy of Deception and 911

He’s got the smirking grin of a politician who knows that he got away with his crimes. He escaped responsibility for his political murders and the full brunt of moral outrage for the wasteful public sacrifice on his behalf.
I can see it in his eyes. They don’t know half the truth. They don’t know they’re asking the wrong questions. I’m scott free.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair got a second grilling in London last week over his decision to force Britain into the Iraq War, though U.N. weapons inspectors had uncovered no caches of illegal weapons to justify the invasion. Iraq was already broken by United Nations sanctions and had no capacity for self defense at all.
In the aftermath of sectarian strife and daily bombings, Blair’s delusion of nation-building has collapsed. Not so his preening moral rectitude to justify the War.
That smirk tells it all. Blair knows his legacy of public deception has prevailed.
Until now.
What the British people don’t realize is that up to this point, while Blair’s government fabricated nonsense stories of Pre-War Intelligence and phony moral arguments, intelligence Assets involved in Pre-War Iraq have been locked up in prison or otherwise silenced by phony indictments that functioned as a gag on political discourse. So much for the moral courage of Washington’s favorite puppy dog.
I myself covered the Iraqi Embassy at the United Nations in New York from August, 1996 until March, 2003. A few weeks after requesting to testify before Congress about a comprehensive peace framework that would have fulfilled all U.S. and British objectives without killing a single Iraqi child, I got indicted as an “Iraqi Agent” in “conspiracy with the Iraqi Intelligence Service.”
I got hit with all the bells and whistles of the Patriot Act– secret charges, secret evidence and secret grand jury testimony. My demands for a trial were blocked to protect the government. Instead, I “disappeared” into prison on Carswell Air Force Base in Texas for 11 months, where I faced threats of indefinite detention up to 10 years without a trial. Actually that proved to be the least of my worries. In prison, I had to fight off a Justice Department demand to forcibly drug me with Haldol—a rhinoceros tranquilizer that imitates the effects of Parkinson’s Disease—so that I could be “cured” of knowing the unhappy truth about the Iraqi Peace Option and Iraq’s substantial contributions to the 9/11 investigation.
Making matters worse, my team had delivered advance warnings about the 9/11 attack to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft’s private staff and the Office of Counter Terrorism in August, 2001. I was definitely persona non grata at the White House and 10 Downing Street.
My indictment continued five years. It ended five days before the inauguration of President Obama. Those five years gave pro-war leaders in Washington and London ample time and free rein to invent a totally fictitious story about Iraq and anti-terrorism that beefed up their personas in the corporate media.
I watched it all on prison television at Carswell Air Force Base. And I watched it again when Blair testified last week. In the absence of public knowledge, Blair has manipulated silence and secrecy to his own advantage. He has abused security classifications to obfuscate his weakness and policy mistakes.  And Blair’s government has continued to promote policies that have caused grave harm to global security, and perhaps most ironically, the War on Terrorism.
Unhappily for Blair’s legacy of deception, today Assets are free from prison and false indictment. Now it is our day to defend the public’s right to disclosure and accountability.
And so I challenge the British Government to summon Blair back to face the Inquiry. Only this time the British people should ask Blair about the comprehensive peace framework negotiated by the CIA in the two years before the War.
Oh never fear. MI-6 tracked our back channel talks exhaustively, even appearing at restaurants in New York at lunches with senior diplomats on the Security Council. British Intelligence had full knowledge of the Peace Option. Blair’s top intelligence staff understood that every single objective demanded by Washington and London could be achieved through peaceful means.
That included major oil contracts for the United States, and a package of highly innovative democratic reforms proposed by Baghdad to guarantee the successful repatriation of Iraqi Exiles and international election monitoring. Iraq also offered major reconstruction contracts for U.S (and British) corporations in any post-sanctions period. Iraq promised massive engineering contracts, translating to thousands of jobs and billions in revenues for any U.S. (or British) corporation that helped rebuild Iraqi infrastructure after sanctions.
Everything the U.S and Britain wanted was free for the taking. No blood had to be spilt. And this was no last ditch appeal for peace. It was a rock solid framework, with careful attention to all potential flash points for future conflict identified by the CIA. The truth is not remotely similar to what the international community has been told.
Once the British people understand the right line of questions, let us start again— with the truth this time. For the sake of historical integrity, Tony Blair should face the people to answer questions that would have been asked if Assets like myself had not been locked in prison to protect pro-War leaders in Washington and London. If Tony Blair deceives the British people in this next round of questioning, let him face criminal prosecution for perjury and obstruction of justice, like any other British citizen who lies under oath.
For that matter, I am prepared to stand before Parliament myself—as one of the very few Assets covering Iraq before the War. I am ready to look the people in the eye, and raise my hand to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Assets are primary sources of intelligence, in direct contact with people and events after all. As it stands, for all the tens of thousands of pounds financing this inquiry, the British people don’t know anything. Why not ask those of us who do?
That would wipe the smirk off Tony Blair’s face. Because now Assets are free from prison and phony indictments. And Tony Blair’s legacy of deception is finished.

Susan Lindauer covered the Iraqi Embassy at the United Nations for seven years before the invasion.

Friday 29 July 2011

JEHOVAH WITNESS TURNED ATHEIST

  http://www.atheistgeeknews.com/

Atheist Geek News

 News And Links For Atheists: Atheist Asks Obama About Faith-Based Absurdities

By The Atheist Geek | July 24, 2011
Thought I was dead, didn’t ya? That’s the problem when you blog for a hobby. You write whenever the hell you feel like it.
VIDEO: Atheist Asks Obama About Faith-Based Absurdities
VIDEO: Christopher Hitchens Debates Is the Catholic Church A Force Of Good In The World?
VIDEO: Senator Franken Shames Homophobic Imbecile
A large list of awesome female atheists
I swear I didn’t post this just to get me laid.1
Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia
The site’s creator believes that atheists can use Wikipedia entries to help further skepticism throughout the world (or at least the web) while minimizing belief in superstitions and quack science. Her web site tells us how this could work.
The Christian Delusion
Since Richard Dawkins’ landmark book, The God Delusion, was published in 2006, one frequent criticism that has been levied against it is that the treatment of Christianity is insufficient and too naive. Professor Dawkins has very little of a religious background, and I would agree that it shows in his book. The same may be said for Christopher Hitchens and god is not Great or Sam Harris and Letter to a Christian Nation. While there is still plenty to appreciate about each of those books, they have not offered a thorough refutation of Christianity. Although several other authors have produced wonderful works criticizing Christianity, this ex-Evangelical minister, John Loftus, has compiled an outstanding anthology of scholarly essays that strive to expose The Christian Delusion.
Scientologists, Catholics and More Money Than God
We do not need these books to tell us that money and religion make for a poisonous combination. But it is of some interest to see that ancient truth confirmed in both a church as relatively new as Scientology and one as ancient as Roman Catholicism. Even religious leaders develop a certain swagger when they know they are backed by bundles of cash. When a French court fined Scientology nearly a million dollars, one of its officials shrugged that off as “chump change.” And when the Vatican ran a deficit of nearly 2.4 million euros in 2007, an Italian journalist familiar with the church’s finances dismissed the debt as “chopped liver.” Chump change or chopped liver, both churches have bigger sums they can get to and use, and few outsiders are given a look at how they do it. These two books trace the cash source of theological confidence.
As an ex-Witness, I would find it neat if they wrote something like this about the Watchtower Society. Still, it’s good to keep things in perspective. The Society may be rolling in cash by any sane human standard, yet the bank accounts of the Catholic Church or the Church of Scientology would crush theirs like a bug.
Apathetic Atheism
Are you an “apatheist?”
Judge suspended for requiring church attendance as bail condition
Anti-Porn event – emotional appeals and dangerous misinformation
Sensory Perception Linked to Conceptual Perception
An inability to distinguish between internally-generated and externally-generated physical sensations appears to be linked to having trouble distinguishing between delusions (generated internally) and facts (that exist externally). This means that there seems to be a bond between sensory perception concept generation — between our ability to perceive the world through our senses and our ability to organize what we understand of the world through our mental concepts.
Victory for evolution in Texas
I Do Not Think This Means What They Think It Means…
Nor do I.
Pat Robertson is Bat Shit Crazy
1947 heat wave caused Catholic school girls to go wild
Someone filmed my dream. Again.
Atheist Barbie
How to get people to quit using homeopathic medicine
I have an in-law I’d like to try this one on.

  1. But I totally would have if I thought it would work. Alas, few things do.
Topics: Atheist News and Links, Secular Atheist | No Comments »

News And Links For Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses: Film About Jehovah’s Witnesses And Blood Transfusions

By The Atheist Geek | June 28, 2011
Experience leads to film
Blood, written by Dundas resident Patrick Chilvers, is a hospital drama that follows a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The family is forced to decide whether or not to allow their daughter to receive a blood transfusion after she is involved in an accident. The consequences of that decision could change their lives completely.
Doctors, Police “fight off” Jehovah’s Witnesses over blood transfusion
The life of a critically ill nine-year old girl (name withheld) whose parents belong to the Jehovah Witnesses faith was saved last Tuesday when the James Town police offered protection to the medical staff of the Princess Marie Louise Children’s Hospital to provide blood to the dying patient.
The police intervention was as a result of a distress call by doctors and nurses at the hospital who were faced with the challenge at the hands of the girl’s parents who were protesting against the intended transfusion of blood to their daughter since it was against their faith.
Well, at least they didn’t have to beat off the Witnesses. That would have been a totally different story. Hell, you know you would have clicked on the link if it said that.
Yerevan sees another incident with Jehovah’s Witnesses involved
Yet another incident between a priest and Jehovah’s Witnesses has occurred in Yerevan. According to a message obtained by PanARMENAIAN.Net, a sectarian gathering in a Zvartnots airport -adjacent banquet hall arouse concern of the employees as well as the guests of the adjoining halls.
Harold Camping, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Population Bombers: Fool Me Once…
Does Your Religion Affect Your Income
According to this study, the religions with members earning the least amount of money are historically Black Christian churches and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Just 15 percent of members of historically Black churches make $75,000 or more per year, which, as Hutson adds, may have a lot to do with the opportunities available to African Americans.
Are you a Closet Apostate?
Read through the points below and ask yourself if you can relate to any of them. Go on, humour me.
Jehovah’s Witnesses blocked from holding two conventions in St. Petersburg due to official interference
Mobs in India attack Jehovah’s Witnesses with impunity
2011 District Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Let God’s Kingdom Come!
Yep, that’s the theme. I think it’s rather fitting, especially as this cult has been waiting for God’s Kingdom for over a hundred years! I think this theme has the slight tone of, “oh come on Jehovah, for heavens sake! We’ve waited for so long for your Kingdom to come. Please, let it come!”
I also have some PDF files for those who might be interested:
Change to Generations
Jehovah ’s Witnesses can accept transfusion of cryosupernatant plasma
Topics: Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, XJW News and Links | 2 Comments »

Review: X-Men First Class

By The Atheist Geek | June 9, 2011
X-Men First ClassI read the reviews for X-Men: First Class before deciding to see it. They’ve been pretty solid up til now … but that’s how it goes when a movie is new. Still, I told myself, James McAvoy is a good actor and I really like the way January Jones’s boobies look in that bra. So, shit yeah, I’m in. On the negative side, the idea of Kevin Bacon playing Sabastian Shaw is pretty damn funny. I could see him as Mastermind or somebody like that, but Shaw is basically the ultimate evil guy in this one. For now, just try to picture this: Kevin Bacon is evil and he wants to rule the world.
You know you laughed. Can’t be helped.
I had other reasons for concern over the X-Men prequel even as my wife and I made our way to the theater. First, prequels usually suck. I’m looking at you, Star Wars. Second, Mystique looked pretty damn ridiculous in this movie. Sadly, I think the actress portraying her should have spent another hour in the makeup chair. I’d still beg her for sex and then spend the night at a titty bar when she said no1, but that’s beside the point. Her whole look screamed “fake” throughout most of the picture. It was even more distracting than all the hot chicks parading around in their underwear.
The chicks parading around in their underwear was actually a plus, mind you. But none of this adds up to “X-Men: First Class was awesome” or “X-Men: First Class sucked total donkey balls.” So which is it? Click on the jump if you wanna find out.
Read the rest of this entry »
  1. That’s what always happens.
Topics: Geek Entertainment, Geek Review | 3 Comments »

WTF?! I’m Still Here!

By The Atheist Geek | May 22, 2011
chihuahua tongueI’m betting you just woke up this morning and discovered you were still here. Like me, you thought, “Damn.” No more May 21st doomsday, huh? Thanks Harold Camping. At least I didn’t punch my boss in the sack yesterday. Not that he doesn’t need it, but that’s beside the point.
I’ve seen some pretty good doomsday gags suggested by other sites. My favorite is to take a bunch of sex dolls and fill them with helium, then let them fly over a field. Can’t you see it now? “Look at all those naked people going to heaven! Hey, that one’s got a raging hard-on!”
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Topics: Announcements, Personal | 1 Comment »

Doomsday, May 21st–So Long Suckers!

By The Atheist Geek | May 21, 2011
Picture
Third time’s a charm.
Right, Harold?
According to Harold Camping, the world will end on May 21st. Of course, Harold Camping’s argument is as irrefutable as any given by … uh … any totally random religious organization I might choose to mention. I’m sure cars are being overturned and cats are being set on fire in your front yard as you read this, so you might want to get a head start on hauling ass. Not that it matters. Cuz Jesus is gonna git ya.
Personally, I’m just hoping to get laid by someone with fully functioning lady parts by then. That almost never happens even on a good day. Dammit. So I’ll shower for the big event. You do whatever the hell you want.
Well, at least it wasn’t an elder who made the prediction. Maybe I can avoid the parade of in-laws waving signs about how right they were on my front step after all. That’s why I made sure to buy a home where the front step is so small. Only four of them can gather there at a time without falling off.
Picture
This cement never hardens.
Until someone steps in it.
There are land mines too. That’s why I don’t mow my grass. I have a slip of paper from the state that actually says it’s OK. How sweet is that? Keeps the kids off, too. Mostly. I still have plenty of mines left.
I just had my gallbladder yanked out like a grape off a vine last weekend. Ow. Jesus, couldn’t this have waited until I was on a real vacation or something? I’m just now able to move around without the help of 4 nurses and an ice cream cone for motivation.1 Thanks a helluva lot, Jesus. All knowing and wise? More like all knowing and inconsiderate if you ask me. Guess everything revolves around him and his precious apocalypse. No wonder I’m an atheist. Yeah, I said it.
I suppose no one will be alive to read the end of this post. Too bad. Or will they?
Read the rest of this entry »
  1. A life size blow up doll of Alyssa Milano works too. Except my dick gets in the way of the ice cream.
Topics: Announcements, Personal | 1 Comment »

Is That An Attack On The Watchtower Society Or Are You Just Criticizing My Religion?

By The Atheist Geek | May 6, 2011
Picture
Sometimes, we see the
world through two
different pairs of glasses
and we don’t even know it.
Ever since I posted my series about the November AWAKE! articles on atheism, I’ve started seeing more comments from Jehovah’s Witnesses here on Atheist Geek News. Some Witnesses say they only stopped here because they saw my “attack” on the magazine and wanted to defend it (or defend the Watchtower Society by implication as the magazine’s publisher). I take exception to this and wanted to explain my position for future commentators.
Here’s the thing. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with someone posting a rebuttal or offering a criticism to something I’ve written. Especially if what I’ve written is factually incorrect. I just don’t think words like “attack” are warranted here. Unless every criticism against everything is also an attack, that is. At which point, both words become synonymous and it doesn’t matter which one you use.
I would agree that there are hate sites out there run by people who truly hate the organization and its Witnesses. Some of these people are very angry. Some have a reason to be. But I don’t think this is one of those sites. To me, Atheist Geek News is simply a pro-ex-Witness site, one that offers up stuff for atheists and geeks alike. (If you happen to be all three, why not take off your coat and search for a spell?)
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Topics: Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, XJW Advice, XJW Commentary | 11 Comments »

News And Links For Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses: A Witness Named Corey Nash Was Killed…

By The Atheist Geek | May 1, 2011
Jehovah’s Witness recounts what he saw the day Corey S. Nash was killed in the parking lot of a Saginaw strip mall
SAGINAW — Blake Oliver of Flushing came to Saginaw for a Jehovah’s Witness convention at The Dow Event Center in Saginaw in August; he left a witness to the homicide of Corey S. Nash, 31, of Saginaw.
Monroe man charged with shooting rifle near Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Disfellowshipping and the Art of Civil Disobedience – Year of Sundays
This last Sunday, we did things a little differently. We attended the annual Memorial of Christ’s Death at a “Kingdom Hall” of my religious alma mater—Jehovah’s Witnesses—where I quietly partook of the emblems representing Jesus’ flesh and blood.
“Paying Attention” to: The Watchtower’s Secret Manual for Elders
Jason Barker provides his readers with an overview of the not-so secret Elder’s Manual.
The classification “atypical” by Jehovah’s Witnesses UMP
I found out about that one at JWD. (Thanks to AndersonsInfo.) Here’s the link to the discussion for those who might have missed it. Note that the original article is in French. The link above is a Google translation.
Here’s some more good news circulating. The Society is telling its Witnesses that apostates are “mentally diseased.” Yippie. You know they’ll be calling all inactives and ex-Witnesses that one, too. If you often find yourself locked in mortal combat with overzealous Witnesses, you may as well prepare yourself for this accusation soon. Just a heads up.
Protect Yourself from Liars and Deceivers: Expose those who try to deceive you.
This may sound like the title of a Watchtower article warning Jehovah’s Witnesses about evil apostates, but in fact, it’s a list of suggestions at Psychology Today. It might come in handy the next time your mom cracks up on you because you haven’t been to the Kingdom Hall in a while.
Have you ever wondered… What does it mean to be mentally clean?
From the Society’s own web site. Nuff said.
Topics: Ex-Jehovah's Witnesses, XJW News and Links | 1 Comment »

« Previous Entries

A large list of awesome female atheists

In a perfect world, we shouldn't have to have a separate list for female atheist activists. Some commenters even said such a list was "patronizing" by insinuating that women couldn't play with the big boys. But when other polls, lists, and posts seem to forget our existence, every little bit of awareness helps. We have just as insightful things to say, but we need people to listen. Once more people realize this, you'll start seeing more females listed amongst the likes of Dawkins, Hitchins, Harris, Dennett, Myers, etc...

So, without further ado, here is a list of some great female atheists who you should check out if you haven't already done so:

Authors/Journalists - Bloggers - Podcasters/Videobloggers - Activists - Comedians/Other

Authors/Journalists


Bloggers


Podcasters/Videobloggers


Activists


Comedians/Other

If you know someone who's missing and you think deserves a shout out, let me know in the comments and I'll add them. Or if I listed someone but didn't link to their blog or a more relevant site, let me know. Consider this a growing reference!

To clarify, this list is for living women who are known for their vocal support of atheism, skepticism, and/or scientific thinking - or, likewise, speaking out against religion and supernatural beliefs. There are plenty of women who simply happen to be atheists but never ever speak about it - this isn't intended for them.

A little backstory:

My previous post asked readers who they thought was the most influential female atheist of 2009 - and it has become very popular. All of the comments have reinforced one major theme:
Too many incredible female atheist voices are unknown.

When I started to make a list of influential females, I asked around for names. Half of them I hadn't even heard of, and some of them I was only vaguely familiar with. I did some Wikipediaing and Googling to try to figure out who should make it to the list. I didn't want to exclude people just because
I wasn't personally familiar with them, but I didn't want a list of 30 choices either. I tried to focus on active voices of 2009: those who had written new books, been consistently blogging, appeared on the news, etc.

Of course, I'm not perfect. Some excellent ladies didn't make my poll because of inadequate research, my own obliviousness, or most likely a combination of both. Apparently the list was also very US-centric, which I promise was not intentional, but again a result of my own biases. And for every atheist woman I missed, there was someone on my list a reader hadn't heard of. I think this lack of awareness speaks strongly. If a fellow godless lady who trumpets the importance of female voices in atheism doesn't know so many of these people, how will everyone else?

My best solution at the moment is to make a giant list. I can't make people click the links, follow the blogs, or even care - but I think it will help. In all the comments here and at other sites, I've seen a curiosity - a "Why haven't I heard of these people before? Time to check them out!" So hopefully people will click the unfamiliar names on this list and find a new favorite blogger, author, activist, or whatever.


About Me













Jen
McCreight is a liberal, geeky, nerdy, scientific, perverted feminist atheist who recently escaped Indiana for Seattle. More here.

About

About Jen McCreight
Before we touch on anything else, remember this: McCreight is always Right. It rhymes. If you ever meet me in person and actually pronounce my name correctly, you'll get a thousand bonus points.

Anyway, I'm mainly just some sarcastic gal with a lot of strong opinions. I just graduated from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana with a double major in Genetics and Evolution and a minor in Psychology. Yeah, good ol' Indiana - I've lived here my entire life, though I consider myself a Chicagoan. I've been doing research in an ecological genetics lab for almost three years, and in the fall I'm going to the University of Washington to get my PhD in Genome Sciences.


Other than being a giant biology nerd, I'm also really active in the atheist movement. I wasn't raised in a religious household, so moving to a conservative Midwestern community for college was a bit of a culture shock for me. I co-founded the Society of Non-Theists at Purdue University at the beginning of my sophomore year, and was President for three years. We now have over 400 people on the mailing list, which should tell you two things: 1) Purdue desperately needed a voice for secularism and 2) I'm kind of insane when it comes to organizing things. I was also recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Secular Student Alliance, where hopefully I'll continue to help secular groups across the nation.

I'm liberal, pro-choice, a huge supporter of gay rights, and oddly obsessed with human sexuality. Like, a lot. PZ gets squids, Hemant gets baby eating, and I get sex. I think I win.

In my nonexistent free time, I like painting and drawing, golfing (8 handicap, woo!), and playing video games. Especially Civ 4. Taking over the world is fun.

About the Blog
Blag Hag was created on March 11, 2009, mostly out of boredom. To be completely honest, I had just gotten out of a long relationship and needed something to pass the time in the void known as singledom. I thought, why not blog? I love writing, and I had kept a personal blog since middle school - a Xanga which I later upgraded to a LiveJournal (I am so classy). I'm also horribly opinionated about things, so it seemed like the perfect hobby.

I haphazardly picked a name based on a bad pun just so I could get started. I never fathomed that people other than my close friends would actually want to read this thing, or that I'd start being referred to as The Blag Hag (Moral of the story: Think before you name things). But then I was Pharyngulated a couple of times, and apparently people think I'm funny (?) when I'm ranting about stupid people. There's no shortage of stupid people in the world (unfortunately), so people stuck around (fortunately).

This blog doesn't have a specific theme, unless you count Shit Jen Thinks About as one. Most posts are about atheism, religion, science, biology, sex, feminism, politics, and any strange combination of those things.