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We all remember Israel’s 2008-2009 military offensive in Gaza. It was on every news broadcast for a week. We remember the atrocities, as reported to us by TV newsmen in the field. We remember the vile images of burned children, schools bombed, civilian houses obliterated.

We also remember the report of South African judge Richard Goldstone, that accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Of course, nothing was ever done to bring those responsible to justice. The matter was left to lie. No-one dares take on Israel. It would be anti-Semitic.

Today, Richard Goldstone says he was wrong. Israel never deliberately targeted civilians. His report was in error.

Writing in the Washington Post yesterday, Goldstone exhibits a surprisingly marked bias towards Israel, even to the point of criticizing the U.N. Human Rights Council:

I had hoped that our inquiry into all aspects of the Gaza conflict would begin a new era of evenhandedness at the U.N. Human Rights Council, whose history of bias against Israel cannot be doubted.”^[1]

Goldstone goes on to condemn Hamas for not holding its own investigations into its war crimes – that of firing rockets into Israel and targeting civilians. It was, according to Israeli sources, these rocket attacks that led to the Israeli military offensive of 2008-2009.

He applauds Israel for investigating accusations it targeted civilians, though these same investigations have produced no outcome, and says the basis for his original findings was one family of Palestinians, the al-Simouni family, who lost twenty-nine family members when their house was hit by Israeli fire-power.

During the Gaza offensive, which lasted twenty-two days, 1,400 Palestinians were killed. These included hundreds of civilians, many of them children.

What of those, Mister Goldstone?

During the Gaza offensive, which lasted twenty-two days, 13 Israelis died. None of them were civilians.

Who is Richard Goldstone?

Below, is a quote from his Wikipedia entry.

Goldstone is a third-generation South African born into a Jewish family in Boksburg near Johannesburg. He is of mixed English-Lithuanian descent; his mother’s father was English and his grandfather was a Lithuanian Jew who emigrated in the 19th century. His family was non-religious, but he credits his Jewishness with having shaped his ethical views through being part of a community that has been persecuted throughout history.”

Says it all, doesn’t it?

Who got to you, Mister Goldstone?

Oh, and before the comments and emails arrive accusing me of being an anti-Semite, I’m not. But I am bitterly opposed to any nation that’s hellbent on emulating the Third Reich.

^{[1] “Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes Washington Post, April 1st 2011}

Filed under: Stink of corruption

There is a meanness spreading like a plague throughout America. It is a meanness fed by cold-hearted, uncaring, American people who allow their twisted, out-of-step, principles to take precedence over the most basic forms of humanity.

Examples abound, from the lunatic right-wing who would completely remove that most inadequate of safety nets in this country, Social Security, and replace it with – nothing, to the many individuals who would be happy to carry lethal firearms around public places just to display their right to shoot another human being, if they chose to do so.

Today, I would like to concentrate on just two examples of America’s inhumanity to its fellow man, or, as it happens, in both cases, fellow woman.

Take a good look at this image:

This is the face of David Rimstidt, the chief trial deputy of Marion County, Indiana. I will leave you to form your own opinion of David Rimstidt.

Bei Bei Shuai, 34, is a Chinese woman living in Indiana. She had a boyfriend. They were expecting a baby. Then, the boyfriend left her. Thirty-three weeks pregnant, alone, and not knowing what to do, Bei Bei Shuai tried to kill herself in the most slow and horrible manner. She ate rat poison.

Bei Bei Shuai survived. Her baby was born alive on December 31st, but died three days later from brain hemorrhage.

David Rimstidt is prosecuting Bei Bei Shuai for murder and attempted feticide.

This is what he had to say:

This is a very unique case. Every charging decision is very difficult and goes through a process where we consider all the facts, all the circumstances, and under this situation, we believe we’ve charged the two charges we can prove.”^[1]

A unique case? My response to David Rimstidt is quite simple: Bollocks!

A 2005 article from Slate magazine cites:

………In 1984, for example, a disturbed pregnant woman was admitted to a hospital after ingesting 75 milligrams of brodifacoum [rat poison] over two days. That’s equivalent to a whopping 50 ounces of d-Con mouse poison. She survived, although she suffered severe hemorrhaging throughout her body and lost her baby.”^[2]

Bei Bei Shuai is clearly a mentally disturbed individual in need of compassion and psychiatric treatment, not thrown in a jail cell to await possible life imprisonment, if the jury happens to consist of clones of David Rimstidt.

Before moving on from this distressing case, I would like the reader to take a moment to click on link number one (1) at the foot of this article. Here you will find two more examples of American meanness by watching the short video on the right of the Indiana 6-News page.

Listen carefully to the anchor, Ericka Flye, whose introduction is cleverly formulated to turn opinion against Bei Bei Shuai.

6-News is digging into the case of a pregnant mother who ingested rat poison to kill her baby.”^[1]

Bei Bei Shuai didn’t ingest rat poison simply to kill her baby. She intended to kill herself.

On the same video, take note of the opening words of 6-News reporter, Derrick Thomas, the cold manner in which he utters the words:

Bei Bei Shuai is a Chinese native but has been living in America for about ten years. She is getting an up close and personal look at American justice.”^[1]

Mister Thomas, you are so right. This is a prime example of so-called ‘American justice’. The justice of a warped and sick society; the justice of anti-abortionists and religious nutters who will happily shoot and bomb doctors and clinics to justify forcing their out-of-step, twisted, principles on the saner members of American society.

Bei Bei Shuai needed an interpreter before she could plead, “Not Guilty”, to her charges. She cannot even speak English.

And now, let’s turn to my second example of the meanness of America. This time, unsurprisingly, it’s a politician.

We know from the plethora of cold-hearted and uncaring meanness spreading throughout America that Indiana is probably not the Meanness Capital of the United States. Nevertheless, this next example is also from Indiana. It’s a little bit of super-meanness and extra-special cold-heartedness from Eric Turner, the Assistant Republican Leader of the Indiana House of Representatives.

I will leave the lady responder at the end of this video to express her views on Eric Turner. She does it far better than I ever could.

Suffice to say, Eric Turner is a former member of the board of these ‘Christian’ establishments:

Kingdom Building Ministries of Denver, Colorado
College Wesleyan Church
North Central Indiana Youth for Christ
Taylor University Recruiting Foundation
Connection Youth Ministry
Lakeview Christian School

Says it all, doesn’t it?

This is not just the “state” of Indiana. This is the “state” of America.

^{[1] “Attorney Rips Prosecutor In Infant Rat Poison Death” 6-News, March 16th 2011}

^{[2] “Can Mouse Poison Kill You?” Slate, January 27th 2005}

^{Further reading on Bei Bei Shuai: “Indiana Charges Suicidal Pregnant Woman With “Feticide” and Homicide” AlterNet, March 31st 2011}

Filed under: Reptilian-style societies

The upcoming wedding of the UK’s Prince William and Kate Middleton is not only a chance for Brits to let their hair down and party, it’s also a wonderful business opportunity for entrepreneurs with sufficient flair to make a quick buck out of the occasion.

There will, of course, be the usual array of royal mugs, royal tea sets, royal coffee pots, and similar items on sale throughout the land. One particular commodity caught my eye, which some may perhaps consider less appropriate to the occasion.

Yes, it’s a pack of ‘Royal Condoms’, appropriately labelled, “Crown Jewels – a triumvirate of regal prophylactics.”

One would surely assume the younger royals were a little more into contraception than reliance on the old rubber overcoat. It’s to be hoped our Kate doesn’t have to lie patiently on the royal honeymoon bed waiting for her prince as he fumbles vainly in the darkness, trying to open the packet.

At five pounds for a pack of three ($7.55) these souvenirs(?) are certainly priced for the wealthier customer. A few moments web research unearths a dozen pack of similar items for a mere three pounds eighty seven ($5.99).

Still, it’s not everyday there’s a royal wedding, so why not splash out on something a bit special?

A word of warning, though. These products do carry a disclaimer:

Crown Jewels Royal Wedding Souvenir Condoms are a novelty condom not suitable for contraception or protection against STDs”^[1]

So, in fact, they’re eminently suited to the British royals – they’re overly-expensive and they don’t work.

^{[1] “Crown Jewels Condoms of Distinction” crownjewelscondoms.com}

Filed under: Royal souvenirs