So What?

Few days ago, CBS broke out the news of disclosing the true identity of the man code named "Curve Ball". He is considered responsible for providing evidence to build the case for the invasion of Iraq.

The CNN video below focus on Colin Powel, then Secretary of State then, and how he was skeptical about the whole report, which he himself presented during the security council session about Iraq prior to the war



Two questions: first, if this news is true, who should pay the price for what happened to Iraq till now? Second question, so what? will this bring back innocents got killed to their loved ones?

Sarkozy In 60 Minutes

This is an excerpt of an interview run by CBS's news program 60 minutes two weeks before the divorce of French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, from his wife Cecilia, after he has been asked about the divorce



Below is from FOX, just some sort of "analysis" on "Sarko" (as American media like to call him) attitude during the 60 minutes interview



It is the interesting the note among the many comments on the second video:
"I love how Fox News always defines pro-Bush as "pro-American," whereas the French who don't like Bush and his repeated lies about Iraq are "anti-American". You right-wingers need to get over yourselves. You ain't America. " I tend to agree with that!

However, from both videos above one can conclude that the new French president is one focus of attention - a big one - by American media.

What Love Can Do!

Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes

Quick Questions for Americans

This video reminded me of some years ago when I was among friends watching a documentary on TV about sects and religious movements in the United States. After the show we had some discussion about the influence like the KKK has on society in the US, and I was curious to know how Americans think or feel about them, so I asked an American girl sitting with us. Her answer was! "They are Muslims, right?? and they have some kind of a mosque, or something like a temple!!"

Yet, it is not fair to say that all Americans are the same.

One of the things brought my attention in this video is the easy way they talk about "the next invasion"of another country after Iraq and Afghanistan!

The Media & Iraqi Bloggers

No one now can deny the role of the media in people’s daily life. The media became the centre of belief or disbelief regarding all topics. However, in the previous months I noticed (heard and read on more than one occasion) how western media, American and British in particular, is taking more interest in Iraqi bloggers and Iraqi blogs. The interest was not limited to publishing an article about the Iraqi X blogger or the Y blog, but it has extended to include bloggers being interviewed on the phone or a bloggers receives an email from newspaper or a magazine journalist, and/or radio stations hosts. It did not stop to that, there are some media sources who succeeded in hiring bloggers by offering some Iraqi bloggers fees for their writings, which varies between a hundred and five hundred (or maybe more or fixed price), depending on some conditions and obligations.

The interest of the media, such as the likes of the BBC (which happens to show a lot of interest in Iraqi bloggers recently) is not new; the famous blog of Raed before and during the 2003 war and the invasion is a good example of the amount of attention an Iraqi blog can attract. Since then, a lot have been written on blogs and bloggers, People from all over the world began sharing and posting comments on current events and thoughts published by Iraqi bloggers, commercial and non-commercial organizations and even governments started to follow up on what Iraqi bloggers’ latest entries (and sometimes encourage them directly or indirectly), all to serve certain own interest, or shall I say “exploit” those who write from the location where hot events are taking place.

The intention of the media remains vague, in my opinion; because some took Iraqi bloggers for granted as the perfect source for their news reports in their fierce competition with other news channels and political circles! On the other hand, I don’t want to sound suspicious and doubt any approach made by the media towards Iraqi bloggers. Maybe this will help to show the whole world what really is going on in Iraq - away from programmable propaganda to serve the interest of that side or the other.

A very dear friend of mine once told me – where I see where her remark is referring to, she said: “It is an attempt to have full control over someone’s thoughts and mind by censoring the blogger’s work, removing what they don’t like and agree on things they see suit with their interest as a publisher or news channel” Maybe she is right, but it is not always the case!

Probably, the media want to grab the interest of ordinary people in the different countries towards Iraqi bloggers’ daily thoughts, their perception of events around them and their own and personal opinion regarding what really is happening in Iraq and the world generally. It can be considered a great opportunity for Iraqis to promote their culture, their traditions, their way of thinking, to tell about the good and the bad within their society and how politics in old and new Iraq has been run and by whom, especially after years of isolation caused by sanctions and oppression by former regime, and now under the US occupation.

I don’t deny my happiness and support when I see, for example, the BBC is publishing or talking about bloggers such as Iraqi Rocker or Chikitita or Anarki-13. It fills my heart with joy and pride!

Bush owes the whole world an apology

I think what to come will be the next to big debate in the coming days in the United States. There are more and more voices objecting towards the way Bush and his administration is handling things in Iraq. But Keith Olbermann, who is a host of a show on NBC channel called "Countdown" where it discusses the latest daily news, went further than that. Olbermann wrote an article carrying the title "Bush owes us an apology". The issue under debate now is Bush's response to a reporter during his last conference time. The reporter was asking the U.S president about his reaction to the letter former secretary of state, Collin Powel sent, saying: "the world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism." The link to this blog is here

The debate now is not about what Bush thinks of Powel's words, or about the morality of the U.S. foreign policy, it is more about the phrase Bush used, which Olbermann refered to it as Bush's attempt for a "monopoly of thinking"!!!

It became obvious that the cause for "fighting for democracy by the United States" became an internal affair. It seems that the Bush's administration policy of promoting "free speech" and "free will" in the whole world has back-fired, and the essense of democracy in the land of freedom is at stake, especially after hearing Bush's words!

Are we witnessing a struggle to re-initiate democracy in the way it used to be more than a decade ago in the United States? In other words, does the American people sensing the heat nearing to them that their democracy now under threat from it's own government? starting with monitoring every word said or written on telephones, internet, newspapers, on the streets...etc? Does the American public begin to be afraid that actions committed by their government abraod in the name of democracy would be mirrored inside the country?

In this case, Bush owes the whole world an apology, and not only he should do that to his own people, Mr. Olbermann