|
First For News Archives Index
|
|
| << September13, 2004 - 1st 4 News Edition #5 |
|
Make Changes to Your Subscription or Unsubscribe at the bottom of this email. Welcome to 1st 4 News. In this edition we have three excellent articles. Remember to keep to articles coming in. In this edition, 1.Saddam and Ben-Laden - Friends or Foes? By: Nevine Al Seidi 2.Why Dual Citizenship Can Be a Double-Edged Sword By: Marc J. Lane 3.Would You Like a Slap With That Burger? By: Noelle F. ********************************************************************* Saddam and Ben-Laden - Friends or Foes? By: Nevine Al Seidi The theory that Saddam is linked in any way to Bin Laden and his religious movement: Al Qae'da is downright ridiculous and hilariously ignorant - read why! 'The idea that al-Qaeda is getting political or military support from Iraq is ludicrous. I can see no way.' Alex Standish, editor of the UK journal Jane's Intelligence Digest - required reading for war- watchers and war-makers everywhere - thinks US intelligence officials are making 'a big mistake' on Iraq. 'They are trying to convince us of something that is highly unlikely', he says. 'If they really believe that Saddam is feeding and sustaining bin Laden's men, then they can't possibly understand the fundamental difference between Iraq and al-Qaeda.' Brendan O'Neill A Link between Saddam and Bin Laden? No Way Though I am convinced that the American adminstration has been running on a "Pretend-you-are-doing-something-for-the-nation-by- attacking someone-else" slogan, ever since Bush Sr's ascent to power, and despite the fact that the American foreign policy came to be defined by "Bushism" ??“ a word used to denote the hilarity of the president's lies, I know that the American administration has no clue as to whether Saddam and Ben Laden are linked together by more than their Arabism. Saddam's internal trouble started well before the first gulf war. Aspiring to introduce enlightenment in Iraq, he dared proclaim Iraq a secular state. In concurrence to this he passed a law that an illiterate will be punished by an imprisonment sentence of three years. Furthermore, he announced that any political argument of religious nature from any religious group will not be permissible. Both high priests and famous sheikhs were thrown publicly in prison for seeing his declaration as infidel and anti-Islam. Islam, a religion whose dogma is primarily about `ruling' a state, does not allow for enlightenment. Secularism of states means a blatant `ridda', an Arabic word which means renouncing faith (Islam). On this note, Saddam's rule has acquired animosity, at least in heart from all `radical' Muslims and some Orthox Christians. With a grave religious sin like this, Osama was the most disenchanted Muslim leader of Saddam's rule. On the other hand, Saddam, who belongs to the largest political party in Iraq (of 7 million members) is a communist. Though communism was not discussed in Islam, Islam recognizes capitalism as the just social law. The Saudi-born billionaire who is a mega business man, born to a great fortune, saw in communism an anti-Islamic ideology. Belonging to a great tribe of noble blood, Ben laden sees himself as inherently superior to Saddam, even if the latter traced his bloodline to the prophet. What do the two of those have in common? Both are for a Pan-Arabia; but where Saddam visions an `enlightened' one Arab nation, Osama dreams of building a Muslim empire, not with himself as a head, but with any devout leader as one. Saddam to Ben Laden was an infidel; Ben Laden to saddam remained a backward thinker. With this grave ideological difference, a any close tie between the two Arab leaders is positively impossible. ******************************************************************** Al Seidi, Nevine, Egyptian-born (1961) obtained her BA in English Literature(Honours) from Alexandria University Egypt. She is presently writing her first book: The Cultural Predicament of the Third World The Ethical vs. the Ethnical ******************************************************************** 2.Why Dual Citizenship Can Be a Double-Edged Sword By: Marc J. Lane dual citizenship can't help but water down patriotism. Anti-American combatants John Walker Lindh, the notorious "American Taliban," and Yaser Esam Hamdi, a citizen of both the United States and Saudi Arabia, were captured by U.S. troops in Afghanistan. But neither Mr. Lindh nor Mr. Hamdi will be stripped of his U.S. citizenship, because in 1967 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that citizenship is an inalienable right that can only be lost if it's voluntarily renounced. The number of Americans who are also citizens of other countries is soaring. And the growing prospect of U.S. citizens serving in foreign, even antagonistic, armies and governments, and foreign citizens serving in our own army and government and voting in our elections, raises disturbing questions about loyalty and national identity. Dual citizenship is often an inadvertent consequence of birth: A child of foreigners is born on U.S. soil or a child of a U.S. citizen is born in another country. But, increasingly, citizens of other countries become U.S. citizens by choice. And many immigrants opt to remain nationals of their home countries even as they gain U.S. citizenship, along with the political rights and public benefits it affords them. Immigration advocates don't fret about U.S. citizens' ties to other countries. American identity, they argue, isn't based on ethnicity or culture, but on the twin principles of liberty and self- determination. And they insist that all of us benefit when permanent residents of the U.S. pursue citizenship and deepen their commitment to those American values. Many proponents of dual citizenship seem to buy into the logic. American Jews who want to move freely between the U.S. and Israel, and even vote in both countries, are among them. It was a Jewish naturalized U.S. citizen who moved to Israel and voted in an election there whose case established the constitutional right to retain U.S. citizenship. And since the Supreme Court so ruled, thousands of Americans have served in foreign armies, most of them in the Israeli army, and voted in foreign elections. The globalization movement has also spurred interest in dual citizenship. Beneficiaries of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the European Union are happy to see executives move without effort from one country to another and harvest the rewards of multinational corporate trade. Then there are foreign countries that seek to benefit from the financial and political clout enjoyed by their nationals abroad. They seem unstoppable in their encouragement of expatriates to claim dual citizenship. Mexico, the native land of more foreign-born U.S. residents than any other, is the most blatant example. The Mexican Nationality Law invites former Mexican citizens who have been naturalized in the U.S. --; or elsewhere, for that matter --; to have their Mexican citizenship restored without losing their naturalized citizenship. The Mexican government treats these new American citizens as "bi- nationals" and wants them to vote in both the U.S. and Mexico, while Mexican politicians campaign for their votes and their allegiance. There's no question that dual citizenship can make it easier to travel, work and own property in other countries. But passports aren't credit cards to be collected and used interchangeably whenever it's convenient. Immigrants may sincerely profess their love for both their native and adopted countries, but dual citizenship can't help but water down patriotism. And shared national loyalties, sooner or later, may come into conflict. Congress shouldn't be winking and nodding to new citizens who swear allegiance without meaning it. Instead, it should empower the State Department to revoke one's citizenship when his loyalty to another country can be proved. To do less undermines our nationhood. ********************************************************************* Marc Lane is a business and tax attorney, a Master Registered Financial Planner, a Registered Financial Consultant, and a Certified Investment Specialist. ********************************************************************* Would You Like a Slap With That Burger? By: Noelle F. This was written during my employment as a cocktail waitress during the summer of 2002. It is a brief thought on why children act the way they do in front of their parents and complete strangers. Speaks briefly of my conservative values. Would You Like a Slap With That Burger? An account of one of many memorable waitressing experiences and what's wrong with kids today. "Hey, where's my burger?!" Ahhh, the wonderful sounds that come from the mouths of children. This surprising yet shocking statement did indeed come from a child. A child, from the looks of him, who really didn't need that burger his parents had ordered for him. But alas, they are on vacation??¦so why not order the chubby kid a burger or two. I spend my summers working as a poolside waitress at an upscale resort in Southern California, and these little "incidents" as I like to call them often spur a chain of reasoning in my own mind about the world today. Not just about kids, but their parents and the behaviors allowed and ignored by those parents. Suffice to say, the majority of these families are in the upper-class bracket of society. This does not justify, by any means, the behavior noticed by my co-workers and me. There are just as many middle-class kids who are as rude, but what struck me about this particularly jovial child was that as he so adamantly demanded his food, his parents sat right beside him and didn't even flinch at his use of, shall we say, "smart ass" tone with me. `Hey Lisa, see that kid over there?' `The fat one?' `Yeah, the fat one, he's a little jerk.' `They're all f***in' jerks, Noelle.' `Thanks Lis.' Now let me offer that I am not yet myself a parent, however, if I had ever used that tone with any adult, let alone a complete stranger who was doing me a service, I would have been reprimanded appropriately (spanking). Who was this kid? Who was he to think he could speak to another human being like that??¦someone twice his age, who was bringing him food for the simple purpose of earning a tip from his "permissive" parents. `Mom, can I have a coke?' `No. Water or milk.' `But mom??¦.' `Don't use that tone with me young lady!' I kindly explained to the child that I was a waitress and not a cook, and that the cooks make the food in a certain order and when it was done I would bring it to him. He did not respond. I thought to myself an array of tones and explicatives I would have enjoyed using to combat the child's rudeness, however, I like to think I am a kind and patient person who knows better than to lower myself to a 12-year olds realm of idiocy and irrationalism. `Hey kid, how many calories do you consume in a day?' `What the hell is a calorie?' `That's what I thought you little porker.' This child is obviously not told "no" a lot in his home, I'm sure. And why not? Well, lets evaluate the situation. Judging from the absurd amount of money these people were spending at the hotel, and the pool alone, this child and his siblings, God forbid there are more of them, are probably spoiled rotten. His mother probably works outside the home and is not there to "mother" him during the day or after school. His father has probably been swept up, as many men today have, in this "feminist empathizer" way of life: afraid to act like a man who is responsible for his family, the actions and appearance of his children and reluctant to put his foot down and appropriately punish his children for doing wrong. Hence, the blatantly rude and shocking words that so effortlessly tumbled from his child's mouth. `Hey dad, bring me a damn beer!' `But son, you're only 11!' `I said now!' `Yes son.' Kids get what they want and that is a sad fact of today's world. Their parents don't like to say no for fear of "hurting the child's feelings" or something stupid like that. WHAT? Yes, that's what I said??¦their feelings. Let me clarify: I do believe children have feelings??”of course they do, but a parent needs to be rational when deciding what is or is not good for a child. And that includes limits, and ultimately, saying no to unnecessary wants. For example: the toy aisle in the supermarket. Why is that there? What moron decided to put toys in the supermarket? I know, I know, its marketing and profits blah, blah, blah. Growing up, the supermarket was NOT a fun place. We knew what came out of that store: food. And maybe something to drink. Things we needed to sustain life on this planet and in our house. We had this ridiculous thing called a budget, God forbid, that allowed my mother to purchase enough food to make it through the week (hopefully) on the amount of money my father supplied to her from working hard to keep a roof over our heads. If we ever asked for a toy while in the supermarket we would get what we fully expected: a glare from my mother and a firm "no". Looking back, I'm glad she said no, over and over and over again. I understand needs and wants, the difference between excess and necessity and I'm not afraid to assert my opinion on the matter, nor will I be when I have children of my own. `Mom, I want this!' `It's a pack of bouncy balls.' `I know! I want it!' `No.' `Pllllleeeeeaaaaasssssseeeeee!' `No.' It's funny what a kid who has probably consumed one too many hamburgers in his short pudgy life can make you think. ******************************************************************** Noelle is a senior at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, majoring in English. She hopes to find work writing satirical/politically themed articles for magazines after graduation. If that doesn't happen...well, she'll just be a struggling writer living on saltines and jugs of water. ******************************************************************** That's all folks - keep safe. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RobotReply - We're giving away Automated Marketing Systems 100\% Free. NO Exceptions!! Also Earn and Purchase Unlimited Leads at Wholesale!! Ranked Top 4,500 of ALL Web Properties by Alexa. http://askean.ultrafastreply.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sender's Address: Tladi Small Sent From:piensas@icqmail.com Rueil Malmasion France 92500 France Sender's Email: piensas@icqmail.com To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: http://ultrafastreply.com/z/rmv.pl?es=hpzfzpzfzkzmhfhs&rid=24773&seq=1 |
|
| << September13, 2004 - 1st 4 News Edition #5 |
|
First For News Archives Index
|
|
|
Archives powered by Zinester's Mailing List Service
Details on First For News |
Browse for more newsletters at Zinester's Ezine Directory
Managed by Zinester's Mailing List Management |