Political News & Info

From the Government Media & Information Center of Afghanistan: NATO officials promised to meet Afghan nation’s demand of bringing to justice, through an open trial, those responsible for the incident and it was agreed that the perpetrators of the crime be brought to justice as soon as possible. Riots escalate over Quran burning : KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Protesters angry over Quran burnings by American troops lobbed grenades at a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan and clashed with police and troops in a day of violence that left seven international troops wounded and two Afghans dead. The top American diplomat in the country said the spike in tensions between the U.S. and Afghanistan caused by the Quran burnings, including the killing of two American military advisers Saturday at an Afghan ministry, would not diminish Washington’s commitment to the region. “Tensions are running very high here and I think we need to let things calm down, return to a more normal atmosphere, and then get on with business,” Ambassador Ryan Crocker told CNN’s “State of the Union.” Sunday’s violence was the latest in six days of riots across the country by Afghans furious at the way some Qurans at an American base outside of Kabul were disposed of in a burn pit. The incident has swiftly spiraled out of control, leaving dozens of people dead, including four U.S. troops reportedly killed by their Afghan counterparts. Afghanistan ministers cancel trip to Washington : WASHINGTON (AP) – A Pentagon spokesman says a visit by senior Afghan officials, including the country’s defense and interior ministers, won’t happen this week as planned. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little says the delegation has called off its trip to Washington because they are consulting with other Afghan officials and religious leaders on how to quell the latest wave of violence and protect NATO employees. Protests erupted last week after U.S. officials said they inadvertently burned Qurans and other religious materials at an air base. The Afghan officials had planned to meet with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey. Little issued a statement Sunday saying that Panetta understood and that he would welcome the group at the Pentagon “in the near future.”

Originally posted here:
Afghanistan Meltdown: Grenades Thrown at U.S. Base, Diplomatic Visits Cancelled, NATO to Prosecute Alleged Quran Burners

On Hugh Hewitt’s nationally syndicated program yesterday, GOP frontrunner Rick Santorum said that the United States should arm the Syrian rebels: Here’s the transcript, in relevant part (beginning at 6:21): SANTORUM: We’d be aiding the rebels. We’d be aiding the new Syrian army, the opposition Syrian army with whatever weapons that we could get into that country through a variety of different avenues. And we’d be supporting them, not in any kind of direct military way, but indirectly through supporting them, as I said, with arms, ammunition, and other kinds of support. Hewitt asks whether the Syrian regime protects Christians, and asks Santorum about claims that Syria could go Islamist.  Santorum responds: SANTORUM: This is a regime that is a puppet regime of Iran, and Iran is a much greater threat to not just the Christian community but to the entire region and the world, and to our national security, and that relationship trumps any concern I would have that this new regime, which will essentially be an anti-Iranian regime – it will have to be because they know that Iran is the one who is killing them indirectly through Assad – I think you create at least an opportunity for a much friendlier, more pro-Western group in Syria than what you have today, and that gives me some hope that the Christian population there will be safe.

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Santorum: Arm Syrian Rebels

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com . Netanyahu and Obama to meet in Washington on March 5 Syria’s regime launches ’sickening’ assault on Homs Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez makes emergency trip to Cuba for cancer test Tibetan’s Lhakar movement confounds China’s Han leaders EU Commissioner in Athens will review all Greek budget decisions Private investors in Greek bonds to ‘voluntarily’ lose 74% Greece lurches to the left amid radical austerity Netanyahu and Obama to meet in Washington on March 5 When Netanyahu and Obama met in Washington on May 20 of last year, it didn’t go too well. U.S. President Barack Obama will host a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on March 5. The meeting will likely center on the question of Iran, and the widely discussed proposal for somebody (Israel or the U.S.) to bomb Iran’s nuclear installations to prevent development of a nuclear weapon. When the two met at the White House last year on May 20, they disagreed sharply on the question of Israel returning to its pre-1967 boundaries. It’s believed that Israel and the U.S. are in disagreement on the Iran issue as well. Haaretz Syria’s regime launches ’sickening’ assault on Homs The army of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad launched an intensive assault on residences of the Baba Amr neighborhood of Homs. Watching the barrage of shells injure civilians, and a baby die after shrapnel had pierced his body, one reporter called the assault “sickening.” Hundreds of shells rained down on the city in a two-hour period, reportedly razing buildings and killing at least 30 people. It’s suspected that the assault is a prelude to a full scale ground attack. BBC Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez makes emergency trip to Cuba for cancer test Venezuela’s president Hugo Chávez took a secret trip to Cuba over the weekend to test for a return of the cancerous tumor that was removed last summer. “It’s a small lesion that must be removed surgically. I’m in good physical condition to face this new battle. With God’s help they will successfully remove the lesion,” said Chávez. Havana Times Tibetan’s Lhakar movement confounds China’s Han leaders China’s strategy for handling Tibet has always been to encourage Han Chinese from the east to move to Tibet, so that the Han will eventually dominate the Tibetans, and hopefully absorb the Tibetans into the Han culture. However, the Tibetans began a strategic resistance movement in 2008, after the Chinese crushed the violent uprising in 2008. It’s known as the “Lhakar movement,” where Lhakar means White Wednesday. Every Wednesday, thousands of Tibetans–men, women and children– are meeting in their villages and towns to take pledges to express their determination to preserve their Tibetan identity and their refusal to be assimilated into the Han culture and identity. Eat Tibetan, Speak Tibetan, Dress Tibetan, Think Tibetan, Live Tibetan, Die Tibetan– that is their motto: “Lhakar is a homegrown, Tibetan self-reliance movement that started in the aftermath of the 2008 uprising. In spite of China’s intensified crackdown, Tibetans have embraced the power of strategic nonviolent resistance. Every Wednesday, a growing number of Tibetans are making special effort to wear traditional clothes, speak Tibetan, eat in Tibetan restaurants and buy from Tibetan-owned businesses. They channel their spirit of resistance into social, cultural and economic activities that are self-constructive (promoting Tibetan language, culture and identity) and non-cooperative (refusing to support Chinese institutions and businesses).” The Lhakar movement has unnerved the Chinese. They do not know how to stop its spread. The Chinese have sent reinforcements of their security forces to the Tibetan areas and cut off all Net connections. Despite this, the movement is showing no signs of abating. On the contrary, it is gathering strength. Bahukutumbi Raman EU Commissioner in Athens will review all Greek budget decisions Greeks are enraged that the final bailout agreement hashed out during an all-night meeting in Brussels cedes Greek sovereignty to the “troika” — the European Commission, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund. At the insistence of the Germans, the Dutch and the Finns, the €130 billion bailout loan will be tightly controlled: It will be put into an escrow account under the control of a troika commissioner who will dole out the money only as agreed. This will force Greece to make bond repayments, giving them higher priority than payments for such things as pensions or civil service salaries. Telegraph Private investors in Greek bonds to ‘voluntarily’ lose 74% This is shaping up to be an dramatic battle. During the Monday’s all-night session, the negotiators knocked a few more percentage points off the value of Greek bonds currently held by private investors. Last July, when this plan was first hatched, the bondholders were to take a voluntary 21% “haircut,” meaning they would lose 21% of their original investment. That figure has increased every time someone held a meeting, up to 50%, then 60%, then 70%, and now at 74%. Most of the private bondholders are banks, many of which are controlled by their respective national governments, so they will accept the “voluntary” sacrifice. But any investor refusing the voluntary offer will be forced to take it, because the Greek parliament will retroactively changes the laws governing the bonds by passing “collective action clauses.” This will probably be done in the next couple of days. Hedge funds that have insured their bonds with credit default swaps (CDSs) will prefer this route, because they can collect 100% of their investments when the collective action clauses trigger a “credit event.” Bloomberg Greece lurches to the left amid radical austerity Hot communist chicks shout slogans in front of the Greek parliament building in Athens. (AFP) A radical austerity drive has triggered the biggest political upheaval in Athens since the end of the military dictatorship in 1974. So far, it is leftist parties who have benefitted the most from the debt crisis, though the leftist parties are divided as well. Alexis Tsipras, the 37 year old leader of Syriza, the Coalition of the Radical Left, shouts, “We must prevent Greece from becoming a German protectorate once again. We are not a German colony.” Tsipras has a plan for getting Greece out of debt. He wants “Greece to remain a systemic problem for Europe,” so that the Europeans will eventually be forced to defer or reduce Greece’s debts. Fotis Kouvelis, 61, is more moderate, calling for reforms, though frighted of “German financial and economic hegemony.” Spiegel

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22-Feb-12 World View: EU Commissioner in Athens Will Review All Greek Budget Decisions

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and his Department of Justice don’t have a particularly strong track record of enforcing all existing American law – but the U.S. group Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is pressuring Holder to do his job in relation to Palestinian terrorists with American blood on their hands. Calls for extradition of specific Palestinian terrorists arose after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by terror organization Hamas, was released in exchange for Israel’s release of 1,027 Palestinian prisoners. Reports indicate that at leas t 15 of these 1,027 prisoners are responsible for killing or wounding Americans. Among those 15 criminals is the driver of the 2001 Sbarro pizza bombing, Ahlam Tamimi. To say Tamimi has expressed no remorse for her actions is almost an understatement. In fact, she has made clear that she would commit acts of terror again. In a recorded interview, Tamimi also grinned and laughed about the fact that her terror attack resulted in the death of 15 civilians, 2 Americans, and 8 children. The two American victims, by the way, were a 15-year-old named Malki Roth, and a woman named Judith Hayman, pregnant with her first child. Their lives ended suddenly in that pizzeria back in 2001 – while Tamimi now lives as a free woman in Jordan, where she is revered as a hero. So what could Holder and the DOJ do about it? According to the 1991 Anti-Terror Act, the United States may prosecute those who commit acts of terror overseas against Americans, with written permission from the Attorney General. However, despite the fact that a significant number of American citizens have been victims of terror attacks committed by Palestinians, the United States has to date never extradited any terrorists. This is especially bewildering in light of the fact that there is an entire division within the U.S. Justice Department specifically tasked with tracking down perpetrators of these types of attacks, as even its name makes crystal clear: The Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism. In a press release discussing this matter, ZOA states , “If the Justice Department does not go after the Palestinian Arab terrorists who were recently released and now living in freedom, then it is sending a dangerous and appalling message to victims and their families… that the United States does not value the victims and their families enough to ensure that these criminals are punished and justice is served.” Serving justice is Holder’s job. By ignoring these attacks, he and his DOJ do the families of the American victims of Palestinian terror a great disservice. Why is the American Attorney General so unwilling to enforce American law? The ZOA is precisely right about this: It is not only in the interest of justice to extradite these terrorists, but also in the interest of U.S. foreign policy, in order to demonstrate that the United States will stand up for the rights of American citizens wherever they are. That is an assurance all Americans should not have to question. However, seeing as how Holder seems to have a difficult time holding anyone accountable  within the United States (Fast and Furious, anyone?), it would be quite surprising to see him take appropriate action for the disturbing acts of violence outside the United States. Let’s hope for the sake of those American lives lost to Palestinian terror that we are indeed pleasantly surprised.

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Holder & DOJ Fail to Prosecute Palestinian Terrorists who Kill Americans Overseas

Since 2008, Barack Obama’s position on Iran has vacillated somewhat, but on the whole remained one of benevolence. During his presidential campaign, he expressed his openness to diplomacy with the nation’s leaders via his willingness to hold talks without requiring them to meet any conditions or demands from the U.S. Then, even before becoming president, he decided the talks would only happen if doing so “ advances the interests of the U.S.” And months after being sworn into office, while on his “American Apology Tour” in the Middle East, he assured Iranian leaders that he had no intention of standing between them and nuclear weapons. He even said , “No single nation should pick and choose which nation holds nuclear weapons.” In addition to these things, Obama has been cold toward Israel at times and openly indignant toward them at others, especially regarding their intentions to stop Iran from getting its hands on a nuclear weapon. For example, within the last month Israel has been warned not to attack Iran without our approval and told that if they do, “ the US would not defend Israel” should there be a reprisal. Yet after all this, Iranian President Ahmadinejad would be foolish to sleep with his door unlocked. For Obama said the same things about the Middle East as a whole during this Apology Tour, and where is Moammar Gaddafi now? Perhaps you’ll remember that the same Obama who told Middle Eastern leaders the U.S. lacks the moral authority to police the world in 2009, then defended policing the world (by sending troops to Libya) in 2011 and saying : “To brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader and — more profoundly — our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are.” And the latest news is that U.S. aircraft carriers have taken positions from which they could bomb any target any  location in Iran. At last count, “US naval forces in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea have over 320 Tomahawk missiles” at the ready. And another carrier group, which is on its way now, will raise the number of Tomahawk missiles to approximately 430. While I don’t want to say the sky is falling if it’s not, I also don’t want to ignore the fact that beneath the gentle sound of Obama’s pacifistic speeches and his 1960s-style antiwar approach to diplomacy, there lurks a man who wants a second term in office. And to get such a term, he comes across as someone who’d just about anything to get a few red state voters to go his way in November. And what would motivate red-state moms and dads more than the knowledge that their sons and daughters were in Iran, carrying out “our [responsibility] to our fellow human beings”? I hope I’m wrong. But as I think about the policy shift that took place to justify Libya, I can’t help but wonder if a war with Iran might be part of the perfection storm Obama’s counting on to get reelected.

Link:
Would Obama Go to War with Iran to Win Reelection?

I was born to a Jewish mother and father. My mother’s maiden name was Goldberg, and her parents, my grandparents, Yetta and Louis, emigrated to the United States from Poland and Lithuania. The grandparents on my father’s side, Freda and Isadore Klayman, hail from the Ukraine. All of my grandparents fled their native countries to escape anti-Semitic persecution and build a new life in the land of liberty and freedom, the United States. It’s an American story. When I was a young boy, I worked during school vacations in my father’s and grandfather’s meat packing plant in Philadelphia, which is where we all lived. At lunch, Isadore would take me out to lunch to the nearby Horn and Hardart’s restaurant, where over my usual meal of a chopped hamburger steak and baked beans, “Izzy” would educate me about my religious roots and his deep personal relationship with God. Izzy told me how when my father was away in the Far East as a soldier during World War II, that as he was lying near death in the hospital after a series of nervous breakdowns, God spoke to him and saved his life so he could build a successful business and care for his family. My grandfather, although Jewish to the core, had a personal relationship with God more akin to an evangelical preacher than the more formal relationship most fellow Jews enjoy. So it came to pass that I asked him one day if he believed in Jesus Christ. And, his answer caught me by surprise. “Grandson, God can do anything he wants. If he wanted to make Jesus his son, then he could have done so.” Indeed, in his heart, Izzy believed in Jesus. When he had passed through Ellis Island from the Ukraine as a young boy, the immigration officer asked him for his birthday. Since it was not unusual that Jews from this part of the world did not know their birthday – Izzy being one of them – he told the man that he would choose Dec. 25, Jesus’ birthday, adding, “If it’s good enough for Christ, its good enough for me!” Izzy was a great man, my hero. But more importantly, he planted in me the seed that would eventually grow into my becoming a full-fledged Jewish Christian. As I grew older, I too was fortunate, as I have written about before , to have God “speak” to me directly through his son Jesus. The first time occurred during the height of the Clinton scandals, just after my grandmother, Yetta, had died. I was going through a difficult personal and professional period in my life. On my grandfather’s and not coincidentally Jesus’ birthday, Christmas Day, the King of Kings came to me as I was standing tall and about ready to pray in a church, “My Mother of Victory,” in Georgetown, with my two young children, Isabelle and Lance. Jesus comforted me and told me that he exists and I could fully accept him into my life. The second time occurred about a year-and-a-half ago, again during a down period when I had almost died in a car wreck and was feeling thoroughly disgusted by our corrupt legal system. Again, Jesus came to me, saying that I should look forward and not back, be the revolutionary that He wants me to be. Even if I would pay a price for it (indeed, Jesus was the ultimate revolutionary and He paid the ultimate price), I should do so in His name. These conversations with the Lord were not in words, but thoughts, and I knew each time that the “thoughts” were coming from Him. They so uplifted me and infected my entire body with warm, loving emotion, coming out of the blue, that I knew who was communicating with me. My faith in Jesus and God was no longer based on reason or learning. I had, like my grandfather before me, experienced God’s hand “first hand.” With all of the trials and tribulations I had gone through over the years, fighting for justice and freedom in my own way and having scored a number of successes, Jesus’ coming to me when I needed him most was the greatest success; in fact, it was the greatest gift. Today, I have much more than just a deep pride that I am both a Jew and a Christian. Indeed, we are really one people – in my mind there is no distinction. Marty Goetz, a friend who was also born Jewish and became a gifted messianic gospel singer, puts it best in one of his songs: Jesus, in Hebrew, Yeshua, “was the greatest Jew there ever was!” Israel is the home of the greatest Jew there ever was, and perhaps that is just one reason I have come to so love this land. With the world and our nation coming apart at the seams, the Holy Land remains the place where it all began and, if we are not vigilant, where it will end. Over the last days, I have been watching the famous movie, “Exodus,” with actor Paul Newman. It depicts the beautiful story of how modern-day Israel came to exist, how our people, following the horrors of the Holocaust, fought their way back and returned to their promised land, with great sacrifice in “blood, sweat and tears.” It shows how Jews will never again be put in a vulnerable situation where they could cease to exist as a nation. With the guidance, intervention and divinity of the “greatest Jew there ever was,” this will not happen. The lyrics to the theme song in “Exodus,” written by my friend, actor and singer Pat Boone, say it all with great emotion: “This land, this land I love is mine.” But we as humans, being the revolutionaries Jesus wants us to be, must do all that we can to save our promised land. We cannot allow our President, Barack Hussein Obama – with his now not too latent anti-Semitic and pro-Muslim policies and actions implemented by the equally ethically compromised Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State – to join with radical Islamists to destroy our land of Israel. That “We the People” must ourselves do whatever we can to preserve the Jewish state is beyond question. Not just our “mullah in chief,” but nearly all of our political “leaders” have been nearly indifferent to the looming threat from Iran, which, now, due to Democrat and Republican inaction and stupidity – Iran, not Iraq, should have been our military focus – likely possesses the nuclear capability to do what not even Hitler could not have accomplished. For if the land of Israel ever ceased to exist – this land we love and which brought us Jesus – then we, too, will perish! With the help of our Lord and Savior, I for one will do all I can to not let this happen! You, too, should join with the greatest Jew there ever was to save our land – the promised land to both Jews and Christians. We are one people under God, and, in addition to the United States, the land of Israel is ours!

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The Land of Israel Is Ours to Defend

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com . Suspicions grow of planned massacre at soccer game in Egypt Panetta’s Afghanistan announcement stirs confusion and fears Panetta says Israel may strike Iran in April, May or June Suspicions grow of planned massacre at soccer game in Egypt Thousands of Egyptians march in a protest from the Al-Ahly club to the headquarters of the ministry of interior in Cairo. (AFP) Some people thought that Egypt was finally beginning to calm down, a year after the start of the Egyptian Revolution, but the deaths of 74 young people on Wednesday at a football (soccer) match in Port Said, with over 1,000 injured, has enraged tens of thousands of Egyptians, especially in Cairo. There were plenty of riot police present at the game, but video shows that they allowed the violence to continue without interference, and they may even have aided the violence by blocking the escape route of the victims. The victims were fans of the visiting team, Cairo’s Al-Ahly football club, a group that had actively taken part in the Tahrir Square protests during the past year, and the suspicion is widespread that police were responsible for the violence, in order to get revenge against the Al-Ahly team. On Thursday, thousands of protesters marched from the Al-Ahly club in Cairo to the headquarters of the ministry of interior, chanting “This was not a sports accident, this was a military massacre.” Black-clad riot police fired tear gas at them, resulting in hundreds of new injuries. Much larger protests are expected on Friday, when people come pouring out of mosques after midday prayers. The National (UAE) Panetta’s Afghanistan announcement stirs confusion and fears Wednesday’s surprise announcement by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that U.S. forces would end combat operations a year earlier, in 2013 instead of 2014, has caused some confusion. In Kabul, a senior Afghan security official said his government had not been informed of Panetta’s announcement and said it “throws out the whole transition plan.” He said, “Transition has been planned against a timetable and this makes us rush all our preparations. If the Americans withdraw from combat, it will certainly have an effect on our readiness and training, and on equipping the police force.” Reuters Panetta says Israel may strike Iran in April, May or June Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said on Thursday that he believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June. Israel believes that that’s the time frame just before Iran enters a “zone of immunity,” when it will no longer be possible militarily to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, because there will be enough enriched uranium stored in deep underground facilities. Panetta’s statement was startling and exceptionally specific, giving rise to speculation about a hidden message that Israel is on its own with an attack on Iran. Washington Post

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3-Feb-12 World View: Panetta Says Israel May Strike Iran in April, May, or June

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com . Greece appears to be close to meltdown Analysts ridicule Germany’s plan to control Greece’s budget Portugal’s slide towards becoming the next Greece accelerates Turkey denies that it’s aiding Hamas Imran Khan promises Pakistan a bigger revolution than the Arab Spring Greece appears to be close to meltdown Athens, Greece An article in Der Spiegel on Monday begins: “Europe’s politicians are losing touch with reality. Greece is broke, and yet Brussels wants to send the country billions in new loans, to which there is growing opposition within the coalition government in Berlin. Rescue efforts are hopelessly bogged down by bickering over who will ultimately step up.” Out of touch with reality? It’s been obvious to a lot of people since the whole Greek bailout saga began two years ago that Europe’s politicians were out of touch with reality, so one can only roll one’s eyes to see it in print in the mainstream media. Though of course I, for one, never really believed that they were out of touch with reality so much as that they were openly lying and defrauding the public. The article goes on to point out that Greece’s economy keeps getting worse, and now they need a €145 billion bailout loan, rather than the measly €130 previously expected. Who’s going to pay the extra €15 billion? The Germans are refusing, the private investors are balking, and the European Central Bank (ECB) is unwilling to lose even a single euro, which is pissing off a lot of people. EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn finally conceded that the €15 billion hole could only be plugged with government funds. The German government, which would supply most of those government funds, is not amused. Spiegel Analysts ridicule Germany’s plan to control Greece’s budget (Independent) Probably nothing illustrates the bizarre dysfunction of Europe’s politicians than the German proposal to appoint a “budget commissioner” who would have the power to veto Greece’s decisions on taxes and spending. This proposal is so absurd that it’s been openly rejected by politicians and openly ridiculed by analysts. Here’s something from a Greek blogger, Yanis Varoufakis: “On a final note, I have a message for Germany’s politicians: As a private Greek citizen, I understand your fatigue with all things Greek. But if you are so sure that your blueprint for stabilising Greece is so good (and that the problem is its implementation by the Greek authorities), I would welcome you to come to Athens to take over its implementation. But on one condition: If you succeed in making austerity work in the middle of a debt-deflationary cycle, I am happy for you to name your price. E.g. if within a year or so Greek GDP starts growing again and unemployment diminishes to below 10%, you can have our electricity grid (that Siemens has always coveted), our water companies, any assets that you name in advance. But, if you fail, then you must pay a price: e.g. pay in full Greece’s outstanding loans to the troika. So, how about it? Are you game?” However, the German proposal does carry a message for Greece that can’t be ignored: If we’re going to give you any more money, then, one way or another, we’re going to be in control of how you spend that money. Yanis Varoufakis Portugal’s slide towards becoming the next Greece accelerates Portugal 10yr yield 17.4% Panic selling hit Portugal’s government bonds on Monday, pushing yields (interest rates) for 10-year bonds to 17.4%. As anyone can see from the adjoining graph, Portugal is following the same path as Greece, though is several months behind. It now costs almost 4 million euros, payable immediately, if you want to purchase credit default swaps (CDSs) to insure 10 million dollars of Portuguese debt. Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho pinned the blame for Portugal’s problems on the EU’s failure in sorting out Greece’s problems. “The Greek situation continues, after all this time, to be the main factor of instability. It would be very good for everybody in Europe and for Portugal that the situation in Greece is resolved as soon as possible.” And so, Dear Reader, if you’re behind on your credit card payments, just tell the bank that it’s all the fault of Greece. Reuters Turkey denies that it’s aiding Hamas Recent reports that Turkey is providing $300 million in aid to Hamas have been dismissed by Turkey’s government. Until Monday, an open question was whether Turkey would be willing to become the new host of Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, now that the genocidal violence by the regime of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad has forced Hamas to split with Iran and Syria, and to move out of Damascus. However, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinç said that Mashaal’s being based out of Turkey is out of the question. Mashaal is thought to be considering moving to Jordan or Egypt, though it’s not clear that those countries would welcome the controversy of having Hamas headquartered there. Zaman (Istanbul) Imran Khan promises Pakistan a bigger revolution than the Arab Spring Imran Khan on Sunday Former cricket superstar Imran Khan, now an anti-American Pakistani politician, promised to bring the people of Pakistan together under his leadership, when he “captains the nation”: “My tsunami is much bigger than the leaderless Arab Spring, which was triggered by social media, but in Pakistan the media is free and I am leading the ‘revolution’ from the front. We will immediately announce a ceasefire and will not use our military against our own people because I have always said that it is not our war and we should not fight it. The US should also exit from Afghanistan to ensure peace in the region.” In his interview in Dubai on Sunday, he reiterated that he would sweep the next general elections, eradicate corruption within 90 days and bring reforms in all fields. After that, he said, “This is the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.” Oh wait, that was someone else. Gulf News (UAE)

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31-Jan-12 World View: Analysts Ridicule Germany’s Plan to Control Greece’s Budget

In the latest instance of official Palestinian incitement against Israelis, Palestinian television has described the murderers of an Israeli family as “heroes,” according to reports from Ha’aretz and Palestinian Media Watch. The footage aired twice last week on Palestinian Authority television on a show featuring Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. Palestinian Media Watch reports: On March 11, 2011, five members of the Fogel family were killed in their home in the Israeli town Itamar by Palestinian terrorists from the Awad family. Hakim Awad led the attack, killing the parents Ehud and Ruth and three of their children, aged 11 years, 4 years, and 2 months. The weekly PA TV program For You dedicated to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons let the mother and aunt of one of the murderers praise the terrorists as “heroes.” After the mother of the murderer Hakim Awad explained how she is prevented from visiting her son for security reasons, the PA TV host said: “Go ahead, sister, we can convey your voice.” On the phone, Hakim Awad’s mother “blesses” her “dear son,” and despite the fact that participants in this TV program normally do not mention the terror attacks for which their relatives are serving time, the mother mentions that her son is the one who “carried out the operation in Itamar and sentenced to 5 life sentences,” referring to her son’s brutal killings in the town Itamar. Hakim Awad’s aunt also participated in the program and referred to the terrorists involved in the killings as “heroes,” calling Hakim Awad “the hero, the legend.” This prompted the PA TV host to add: “We, for our part, also convey our greetings to them.” Incitement by Palestinians against Israelis in general and Jews in particular has been a consistent obstacle to the peace process for decades. It persists in official Palestinian media despite numerous demands from the Israeli government, as well as the United States, to stop incitement and hate speech that stokes public enthusiasm for terror against civilians.

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Palestinian TV Praises Murderers of Israeli Family

From the New York Times: CAIRO — Egyptian authorities confirmed Saturday that a political coalition dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, the 84-year-old group that virtually invented political Islam, had won about 47 percent of the seats in the first Parliament elected since the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. An alliance of ultraconservative Islamists won the next largest share of seats, about 25 percent. The military council leading Egypt since Mr. Mubarak lost power last February has said it will keep Parliament in a subordinate role with little real power until the ratification of a constitution and the election of a president, both scheduled for completion by the end of June. But the council has assigned Parliament the authority to choose the 100 members of a constitutional assembly, so it may shape Egypt for decades to come, although the military council has sometimes tried to influence that process. The election results were expected because of preliminary tallies after each of the three phases of the vote, but the confirmation comes in time for the seating of Parliament on Monday. The tally, with the two groups of Islamists together winning about 70 percent of the seats, indicates the deep cultural conservatism of the Egyptian public, which is expressing its will through free and fair elections for the first time in more than six decades. Read the rest of the story here.

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Muslim Brotherhood Now Controls 47 Percent of Egyptian Parliament