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PLEASE NOTE: The Reality TV World Message Boards are filled with desperate
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As entertainment critic Roger
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with me, correct me--but don't tell me to shut up. That's not the American way."
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"Obama's Egypt speech"
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AyaK 10426 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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06-04-09, 02:09 PM (EST)
 
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3. "RE: Obama's Egypt speech" |
BHO, 6/4/09:The fourth issue that I will address is democracy. I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other. That does not lessen my commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people. Each nation gives life to this principle in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. America does not presume to know what is best for everyone, just as we would not presume to pick the outcome of a peaceful election. But I do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and doesn't steal from the people; the freedom to live as you choose. Those are not just American ideas, they are human rights, and that is why we will support them everywhere. There is no straight line to realize this promise. But this much is clear: governments that protect these rights are ultimately more stable, successful and secure. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. America respects the right of all peaceful and law-abiding voices to be heard around the world, even if we disagree with them. And we will welcome all elected, peaceful governments - provided they govern with respect for all their people. This last point is important because there are some who advocate for democracy only when they are out of power; once in power, they are ruthless in suppressing the rights of others. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party. Without these ingredients, elections alone do not make true democracy.
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cahaya 19891 desperate attention whore postings
DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold"
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06-04-09, 06:32 PM (EST)
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9. "RE: Obama's Egypt speech" |
Seriously, I can't argue with this.
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AyaK 10426 desperate attention whore postings
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06-04-09, 07:41 PM (EST)
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11. "RE: Obama's Egypt speech" |
And neither can I.
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Ahtumbreez 10456 desperate attention whore postings
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06-04-09, 03:46 PM (EST)
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4. "RE: Obama's Egypt speech" |
Even if I didn't understand every word "issulamadego"? I at least understood the meaning. I was happy that he brought 9/11 back to Al Queda instead of Iraq or the Muslims. And yes, I'm still hopeful. 
Mangalicious by The Slice
09/25/2008 Bre left for Iraq
04/29/2009 Bre left Iraq
06/09/2009 Bre gets a hug from Mom
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dabo 26942 desperate attention whore postings
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06-05-09, 02:09 AM (EST)
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13. "Very well" |
LAST EDITED ON 06-05-09 AT 02:12 AM (EST)I never had any theoretical problem with the Dubya administration attempting to impose democracy on Iraq after deposing the Saddam government. It was noble. It was never realistic, but g'dang it was noble. Is it working? If "working" includes a permanent U.S. military occupation of a country facing extremist militant opposition, then no. If accepting that then yes. If it means instead acceptance of truly democratic government there, BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! not gonna happen.
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HobbsofMI 16065 desperate attention whore postings
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06-05-09, 10:58 AM (EST)
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19. "RE: More myths" |
LAST EDITED ON 06-05-09 AT 11:04 AM (EST)I'll have to do some research on that but I thought it was around the first time Iraq voted and W and Co. was touting all these new democracies in the Middle East. Then I thought Hezbollah won in Lebanon and then (win/took over) in the Gaza Strip/West Bank but they only got control of the Gaza Strip. I thought I remember W and Rice trying to denounce the elections but when pressed if it was a fair vote they had to say yes but Hezbollah used pressure and intimidation to win. All this happen on W's watch... so why is it the Dem's fault? Edit: from Wikipedia:
Hezbollah alongside with Amal is one of two major political parties in Lebanon that represent the Shiite Muslims. It holds 14 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's Parliament and is a member of the Resistance and Development Bloc. According to Daniel L. Byman, it's "the most powerful single political movement in Lebanon."<80> Hezbollah, along with the Amal Movement, represents most of Lebanese Shi'a.<81> However, unlike Amal, Hezbollah has not disarmed. Hezbollah participates in the Parliament of Lebanon. In the general election of 2005, it won 10.9% of parliamentary seats. The Resistance and Development Bloc, of which Hezbollah is a member, won all 23 seats in Southern Lebanon, and in total, 35 seats, or 27.3% of parliamentary seats nationwide.<82> When municipal elections were held in the first half of 2004, Hezbollah won control of 21% of the municipalities.<25> Hezbollah has been one the main parties of March 8 Alliance since polarization of political atmosphere of Lebanon in March 2005. Although Hezbollah had joined the new government in 2005, it remained staunchly opposed to the March 14 Alliance.<83> In November 2006, Hezbollah, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), and the Amal Movement jointly demanded the establishment of a "national unity government",<84><85> in which they demanded early elections and one third of the Cabinet seats; effectively, veto power.<86><87> When negotiations with the ruling coalition failed, five Cabinet Ministers from Hezbollah and Amal resigned their positions. On December 1, 2006, these groups began the 2006–2008 Lebanese political protests, an ongoing series of protests and sit-ins in opposition to the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.<16><88> Finally, on May 7, 2008 Lebanon's 17-month long political crisis spiraled out of control. The fighting was sparked by a government move to shut down Hezbollah's telecommunication network and remove Beirut Airport's security chief over alleged ties to Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the government's decision to declare the group's military telecommunications network illegal was a "declaration of war" on the organization, and demanded that the government revoke it.<89><90> Hezbollah-led opposition fighters seized control of several West Beirut neighborhoods from Future Movement militiamen loyal to the American-backed government, in street battles that left 11 dead and 30 wounded. The opposition-seized areas were then handed over to the Lebanese Army.<17> The army also pledged to resolve the dispute and has reversed the decisions of the government by letting Hezbollah preserve its telecoms network and re-instating the airport's security chief.<91><92> At the end, rival Lebanese leaders reached consensus over Doha Agreement on May 21 2008, to end the 18-month political feud that exploded into fighting and nearly drove the country to a new civil war.<93> On the basis of this agreement, Hezbollah was granted veto power in Lebanon's parliament. At the end of the conflicts, National unity government was formed by Fouad Siniora on July 11, 2008 and Hezbollah has one minister and controls eleven of thirty seats in the cabinet.<4><18> So they won a lot of seats and were a major part of the majority coalition.   
GO WINGS! 2008 Stanley Cup Champs!
sig JSlice and by IceCat, and bobble head by Tribephyl
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AyaK 10426 desperate attention whore postings
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06-05-09, 05:40 PM (EST)
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20. "RE: More myths" |
You have to be cautious when you cite to Wiki and it almost completely leaves out the 2005 Lebanese national elections (known at the time as the "Cedar Revolution"), which were handily won by the Hariri bloc (with over 35%, and as part of a grouping with over 50%), with Hezbollah's 10.9% of seats confined to the areas where Hezbollah militias were still in military control. This was seen as a major rejection of Syria and Hezbollah, once the people of the country got a chance to do free voting. BUT...The second paragraph is more or less accurate, except by leaving out the important details that Hezbollah's army is larger than Lebanon's and much better armed, that Hezbollah "handing over" neighborhoods to the Lebanese Army is fiction, and that the Lebanese Army granted Hezbollah veto power over the democratically-elected government in return for Hezbollah's agreement not to kill all of the leaders of the Lebanese Army. In actuality, Hezbollah has seized militarily what it lost at the ballot box. Was this a result of Bush's declining popularity at home? Absolutely. Hezbollah only stood down and allowed the elections in early 2005 because it thought Bush was about to attack it after Hezbollah murdered Hariri in an attempt to fragment the opposition. By late 2006, that was no longer a worry. That's why I took the cheap shot at Democrats, because of their continuing demagoguery about Bush's presidency -- but it was a cheap shot, because Bush's declining popularity wasn't a result of any great love for the looney-left peaceniks who still dominate the Democratic Party but rather due to a widespread (and, as we have seen, incorrect) belief that the U.S. had lost in Iraq, that Iraq had turned into an all-out civil war similar to Vietnam, and that Iraqis hated Americans -- all of which we know to be false since the surge broke the rival grips of the al-Qaeda (Sunni) and the al-Sadr (Shi'ite) militias over Iraq. But we can't forget that Bush's push for democracy seriously worried the Egyptians and the Saudis. Egyptian strongman Mubarak would be voted out of office today if people could vote, and the Saudi royal family would be following him into exile (one step ahead of the lynch mobs) tomorrow. As a result, there was a strong semi-official movement in our Arab "allies" that opposed American success, which got plenty of play from Americans and other foreigners who were dependent upon the continued dominance of the current Egyptian and Saudi governments. In that sense, it's better that Obama has spoken in favor of democracy but abandoned the push for it. It's better to fight one battle at a time. By the way, you were thinking of the Gaza Strip elections in Palestine, which were won by Hamas, not the Lebanese elections. And that reminds me that Obama's condemnation of the Israelis for the Palestinian dislocation is evidence that we forget the past at our peril: When Egypt was in Gaza American isn't the only ally that the Egyptians have undercut for their own purposes, as Palestinians should have learned. But obviously they did not.
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cahaya 19891 desperate attention whore postings
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06-08-09, 10:25 AM (EST)
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22. "Lebanese election results released today" |
From CNN:Lebanon's pro-Western bloc will retain its control of the country's government despite a strong challenge from a Hezbollah-dominated alliance, according to official election results released Monday. The "March 14" coalition won 71 seats in Lebanon's parliament, while the Hezbollah-dominated "March 8" alliance won the remaining 57 seats, Lebanese Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announced. Saad Hariri, the leader of the Sunni-dominated March 14 bloc, gave a victory speech Monday after the polls closed but hours before the official results were released. So far, there has been no official reaction from Hezbollah, which is supported by both Syria and Iran and considered to be a terrorist organization by the United States. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to speak later in the day Monday. 
A royal agman creation
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AyaK 10426 desperate attention whore postings
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06-05-09, 09:39 AM (EST)
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16. "RE: Not noble... just an after thought" |
I hope you're talking about your gray furry donkey.
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