CRUEL EXECUTIONS OF CHILDREN IN IRAN & SOMALIA

I tend to object to the Bush/Cheney attempt to demonize Iran and make it an "enemy." However, I certainly view Iran's use of the death penalty as egregiously wrong as I find it severely objectionable when carried out in the United States.

For a state, any state, to take the life of a person, even though that person has been adjudged to have committed some heinous act, is morally wrong and an immoral overreaching of a state's powers.

I refer to reports of the latest execution of a juvenile in Iran. The BBC reports:

"The New York-based Human Rights Watch said the Afghan man, identified as Gholamreza H, was hanged in Isfahan province on 30 October. He was 19 when the execution was carried out, but had been convicted for a murder he committed in November 2006 as a 17-year-old. .. . .

"Human Rights Watch says 26 juvenile offenders have been executed in Iran since January 2005, out of a worldwide total of 32 known executions."

Furthermore, I want to strenuously protest the stoning of a 13-year old girl in Somalia after being gang raped by three adult males.

Here is the BBC's account of the gruesome and cruel happening.

For this resurgence in primitive fundamentalist Islamic morality, I place the blame squarely on Bush and Cheney. It was these American leaders who overturned the government of the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu several years ago by egging the Ethiopians, centuries old enemies of Somalians, to invade and occupy much of Somalia. Just at the time when a moderate Islamic government was restoring commerce and a normal course of living to Somalia, Bush and Cheney upset the whole equilibrium by their misplaced zeal against any Islamic form of government.

The result has been two years of armed conflict, shelling of civilians, disintegration of any civilized life, destruction of the city of Mogadishu, and total lawlessness. What then happens are outrages like this one where fundamentalist militants impose their savage morality on some unfortunate 13-year old child.

BUSH'S MEDDLING IN SOMALIA RESULTS IN DESTRUCTION OF CAPITAL MOGADISHU

The BBC reports on the dire strait of residents of Mogadishu, capital of Somalia. Just today 12 civilians at a market were killed in a fire fight between the U.S. backed "government" and insurgents from Islamic Courts.

Reports the BBC:

"The world should be shocked at the systematic destruction of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and its residents, says lobby group Human Rights Watch.

"The organisation told the BBC the city had become a zone of free-fire between government and insurgent forces.

"It said if such a situation was happening anywhere else in the world, like Georgia or Lebanon for example, it would be considered a travesty.

"Instead Somalia was the most ignored tragedy in the world today, HRW said."

And who is responsible for the carnage and destruction of the city? George W. Bush and Dick Cheney who so fear an Islamic government in northeast Africa that they would try to overthrow a legitimate government and install their own non-Islamic friends. Bush and Cheney also persuaded Ethiopia, an enemy of Somalia, to invade and occupy Mogadishu. In Bush's eyes, all Islamic peoples are terrorists.

The result is that Somalia is a burnt out shell where the poorest and the most vulnerable still reside because they have no place to go and don't have the wherewithall to get out.

The BBC's Mark Doyle reports on visiting Mogadishu:

"BBC World Affairs correspondent Mark Doyle recently visited Mogadishu and says the city on the Indian Ocean, which was previously one of Africa's trading hubs with the Middle East, is dying.

"Now whole swathes of it are rubble or skeletons of buildings without doors or windows or roofs, he says.

"He adds that the most shocking, eerie aspect of it is that in many parts of the capital all the people have fled."

REPORTS ON PEACE ACCORD IN SOMALIA - ETHIOPIANS MAY BE FORCED TO CEASE HATED OCCUPATION

The BBC is reporting that there has been a peace agreement signed by both the provisional government and the insurgents in Somalia. Part of the accord is that Ethiopia must withdraw its troops within 120 days.

If this peace report is true, it will end the most recent bloody fighting that has consumed Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, and left it a ruined ghost town.

Somalis hate the invading and occupying Ethiopian army that illegally came into Somalia at the behest of Ethiopia's patron, George Bush and the United States. Bush so hated the government of the Islamic Courts that, notwithstanding the peace which the Islamic Courts brought to Mogadishu and all of Somalia in 2006, he egged on the Ethiopians to invade Somalia. Bush also stationed U.S. war ships off Somalia's coast so that the U.S. could fire hundred-pound shells into small Somalian villages, with the goal of killing Islamic insurgents, but which actually killed and maimed far more innocent civilians, including women and children.

So a peace breakthrough is most welcome. Somalians will look forward to the withdrawal of Ethiopian marauders. However, part of the deal should be the forced withdrawal of U.S. war ships. The U.S. and its president George Bush must also promise to cease interfering in Somalia or disturbing its chosen government.

FOOD RIOTS IN MOGADISHU - HOW BUSH HAS CAUSED DESTRUCTION OF SOMALIAN SOCIETY

To see how much chaos George Bush and his foreign policy have caused throughout the world, a good example is Somalia. Just yesterday, Somalis demonstrated on the streets of Mogadishu against the high food prices. Somali government forces, allied with the invading Ethiopians shot dead at least two, maybe more.

George Bush so hates the Islamic Courts, the previous government that for once brought peace and normalcy to Mogadishu that he urged the Ethiopian army to invade Somalia, shell markets in Mogadishu, force hundreds of thousands of Somalians to abandon their homes and head for rural areas away from the Ethiopian tanks and rockets.

So George Bush is responsible for the total disintegration of Somalian society and the abject course of life in the country.

First, the Ethiopians must withdraw.

Second, Bush and Cheney need to call back their war ships sailing off the Somalian coast that have fired rockets into small Somalian villages.

Third, the Somalians are the only ones to determine who will represent them in their government. It is not up to Bush, Rice or the rest of the Bush team.

ETHIOPIAN TROOPS SHELL MOGADISHU MARKET, KILLING AT LEAST 10

How could Ethiopian troops shell a Mogadishu market? This is outright genocide. The Ethiopians knew what they were firing at - civilians, children, people shopping for their daily provisions.

The BBC reports:

"At least 10 people have died and many have been hurt as Ethiopian forces backing the Somali government shelled Mogadishu's main market, witnesses say."

Several comments. One. The Ethiopians have no right to be in Somalia. They are clearly an invading army. The Somalis don't want them. They have no business being in Mogadishu.

Second. The only reason the Ethiopians are fighting local people in Mogadishu is because of Bush and Cheney. When the Islamic Courts took over in December 2006, Bush and Cheney could not tolerate that Somalia had an Islamic government. So they persuaded the Ethiopians to invade and re-take the government for the non-Islamic families. So we have Ethiopians fighting for George Bush and Dick Cheney. The result has been disaster and carnage for many hundreds of thousands Somalis living in Mogadishu.

BUSH'S WAR IN SOMALIA THREATENS CALAMITY TO CIVILIAN POPULATION ESPECIALLY CHILDREN

The BBC reports on impending catastrophe in Mogadishu as a result of street fighting between Ethiopian troops and Somali Islamists.

""It continues to deteriorate by the day," the UN refugee agency's Guillermo Bettocchi told the BBC.

""There are no signs of improvement on the ground, and those who are suffering the brunt of the conflict are the civilians, who are being either killed or displaced, and are in the middle of suffering that is unacceptable," he said.

""In terms of child malnutrition, access to education, lack of access to clean water and sanitation facilities, indeed the situation in Somalia is the worst in the world . . . to be a child in Somalia today is something that means lots of suffering and a grim future.""

Once again we have American interference in the inner political workings of a country that has caused this catastrophe. George Bush and Dick Cheney were so fearful of an Islamic government in Somalia that they encouraged Ethiopia to illegally send in its army into Mogadishu. Ethiopia is predominantly Christian, Somalia predominantly Moslem. Ethiopia's actions are those of a Christian invader in an Islamic country. Besides ethnic differences, the religious chasm spawns hatred on both sides for the other.

Ethiopia should get out of Somalia, and leave residents of Mogadishu themselves to decide who they want as their political leaders. And George Bush and Dick Cheney should cease interfering and meddling in the internal affairs of another sovereign state.

ETHIOPIANS AND BUSH CAUSE HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE IN SOMALIA

I see where over 200,000 people are stranded outside Mogadishu after escaping the fighting between the Ethiopian Army and fighters of the Islamic Courts. These refugees have no shelter, are living out in the open, have scarce food resources, and are in dire condition.

How did this catastrophe happen? Last December the Ethiopians invaded Somalia as the surrogate for the Americans. The Ethiopians are still fighting in and around Mogadishu. And it is all because of George Bush and his militaristic foreign policy. Bush & Co. is so intent on waging war against Islamic states that he incited the Ethiopians, mainly Christians, to illegally invade Somalia, engage in street-to-street fighting in Mogadishu, and make life hell for many thousands of innocent Somalians.

ETHIOPIANS ATTACK CIVILIANS IN SOMALIA, GEORGE BUSH APPROVES

The BBC reports heavy fighting in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. And who is doing this fighting? Ethiopians. These are invaders and occupiers of Somalia, much like the United States is in Iraq.

The result is heavy casualties for residents of Mogadishu. Writes the BBC:

"Some of the heaviest fighting in months has broken out between Ethiopian forces and local insurgents in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. Residents said that at least 10 people had been killed amid shell and machine-gun fire as the Ethiopian forces launched an offensive. Somalia has seen a surge in violence since Ethiopian-backed government troops ousted Islamists last December."

Ethiopians need to get out of Somalia. They need to stop firing upon civilians. They need to hold their fire and spare lives of Somalians.

And George Bush needs to stop inciting the Christian Ethiopians from attacking and killing Somalians. Since the Somalians are mainly muslim and the Ethiopians christian, Bush thinks it is morally justified to encourage the Ethiopians, notwithstanding the destruction and loss of innocent life the Ethiopians are causing.

BUSH'S DISASTROUS MEDDLING IN SOMALIA

Today the BBC reports that the latest violence in Somalia between Ethiopian forces and Somalia's Islamists has left more than 60 people dead.

"Somalia's Elman Human Rights Organisation described the violence as the worst in recent years.
"I call on the both sides to stop the fighting and shelling without any condition," chairman Sudan Ali Ahmed said to Associated Press news agency.
One resident, Ali Haji, said: "Ethiopians are trying to kill me because I am Somali, and insurgents are not happy because I am not picking up a gun and fighting with them. I have lost all hope." "

In June 2006, the Union of Islamic Courts took over Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, and for the first time in about 16 years, there was relative peace and calm. According to a BBC report,

"Local Islamic courts were set up by businessmen who wanted someone to catch and punish thieves and people who do not respect their contracts.
Some of these courts joined to form the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and their small groups of gunmen became Somalia's strongest fighting force. "

"After years of lawlessness, many Somalis are happy to have some kind of law and order. The prices of many basic foods have fallen because gunmen no longer extort money from lorries taking goods to markets."

Then this past December, Ethiopia invaded Somalia with its tanks and war planes. Ethiopia is mainly a Christian nation. Somalia is entirely Sunni Islamic. Washington and Bush secretly backed the Ethiopians and their push into Mogadishu. Since then, Mogadishu's peace and tranquillity have given way to street fighting, mayhem and civilian slaughter.

Bush obviously prefers this societal chaos to peaceful Islamic rule.

The United States, through Bush, has caused civilian casualties and civilian upheaval by its meddling, all because Bush sees everything through his simplistic "War on Terror" glasses.