If You're Going to Insist on Voting for Obama . . .

. . . as a responsible voter, you should at least attempt to hold him accountable.

ACTION ALERT:
Call the Obama Campaign: "Understand" [Apartheid]Israel's starvation

THE UN SAYS:

• Israel is allowing only 41% of Gaza's food requirements

• Israel grants only 1 in 7 patients access to urgent treatment outside Gaza

• Israel denies medication and hospital supplies to Gaza

• Israel is not allowing enough fuel to treat and pump clean water in Gaza

• Israel's cruelty has caused more than 70 deaths of untreated Gaza patients since June

BARACK OBAMA SAYS: "We have to understand why [apartheid] Israel is forced (sic) to do this"

PLEASE CALL THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN TO SAY YOU ARE OUTRAGED!
(866) 675-2008

TALKING POINTS:

• Denying food to 1.5 million civilians is a crime! It is irresponsible for Obama to encourage it.

• Denying medicine to sick and dying people is a crime. It is NOT self defense.

• [Apartheid] Israel's actions are collective punishment. Why does Obama not condemn it?

• Denying food, medicine and other essential supplies does nothing to harm fighters or the Hamas government in Gaza. It only harms civilians, one half of whom are children. Does Obama consider them disposable?

Obama's callous defense of [apartheid] Israel's cruelty deserves your action. Presidential candidates are sensitive to criticism. Your calls have the potential to make Palestinian rights an issue. Now is the time!

Following is the text of Obama's letter to the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad. A photocopy of the signed letter is at Jewish Standard.

1.23.2008

Dear Ambassador Khalilzad,

I understand that today the U.N. Security Council met regarding the situation in Gaza, and that a resolution or statement could be forthcoming from the Council in short order.

I urge you to ensure that the Security Council issue no statement and pass no resolution on this matter that does not fully condemn the rocket assault Hamas has been conducting on civilians in Southern [apartheid] Israel for over two years.

All of us are concerned about the impact of closed border crossings on Palestinian families. However, we have to understand why [apartheid] Israel is forced to do this. Gaza is governed by Hamas, which is a terrorist organization sworn to Israel's destruction, and Israeli civilians are being bombarded by rockets on an almost daily basis. That is unacceptable and [apartheid] Israel has a right to respond while seeking to minimize any impact on civilians.

The Security Council should clearly and unequivocally condemn the rocket attacks against Israel, and should make clear that [apartheid] Israel has the right to defend itself against such actions. If it cannot bring itself to make these common sense points, I urge you to ensure that it does not speak at all.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator

Creative Activism Makes Me Happy

Egyptian player Mohamed Abou Traika wears a tee shirt reading "Sympathize with Gaza" as he celebrates his goal 1-0 against Sudan in Kumasi 26 January 2008 during the African Cup of Nations football championship. STR/AFP/Getty Images

4th Amendment

Today's Criminal Procedure reading included the Accidental Tourist's Guide to Maintaining Privacy Against Government Surveillance. Yes, it's somewhat old but if you're a Muslim or political activist (sadly) it still very much applies to you.

To maintain privacy, one must not write checks or make any phone calls. It would be unwise to engage in conversation with any other person, or to walk, even on private property, outside one's house. If one is to barbecue or read in the backyard, do only if surrounded by a fence higher than a double decker bus and while sitting beneath an opaque awning. The wise individual might also consider purchasing anti-aerial spying devices if available (be sure to check the latest Sharper Image catalogue). Upon retiring inside, be sure to pull the shades together tightly so that no crack exists and to converse only in quiet tones. When discarding letters or other delicate materials do so only after a thorough shredding of the documents (again see your Sharper Image catalogue); ideally, one would take the trash personally to the disposal site and bury it deep within. Finally, when buying items, carefully inspect them for any electronic tracking devices that may be attached.

Scott E. Sundby, Everyman's Fourth Amendment: Privacy or Mutual Trust Between Government and Citizen? 94 Colum. L Rev. 1751, 1789-1790 (1994)

If You Registered As A Republican ...

...so you could vote for Ron Paul, please excuse me while I laugh at you.

This is why people of conscience attempt to avoid voting Republican at all costs:

Free Speech My Arse!

Three Days to the Postmark Deadline!

A Palestinian civilian has been killed and over 40 injured in an [Apartheid] Israeli missile attack that destroyed the deserted, Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza City.

The building, destroyed on Friday, was situated in the heart of a residential neighborhood but had been vacant since it was severely damaged in a air raid two years ago.

A woman was killed and at least 46 other civilians were injured in the attack, hospital officials said.

Full Story: Al Jazeera English

How do you read that and not do something? Start with baby steps - register to vote. If you're a CA voter, you've got three days to get your application postmarked!

Kucinich Kicks MSNBC In The Face

People are sometimes surprised and even upset that I haven't yet jumped on the Obama wagon. I'm not saying I won't, just that I haven't. It's really simple actually: I can't get over Dennis Kucinich. As Presidential candidates go, he's FABULOUS.

He is, right on:

• The WAR

• Palestine

• Social Welfare

• Civil Rights

• The Patriot Act

...and the list goes on.

"But Zahra, he doesn't have a shot in heaven!" You're right. His chances aren't slim, they're anorexic. "So why stick with Kucinich then?" Ask me another day about rape vs. date rape, but in the meantime it's because he is bringing THE ISSUES to the table. When was the last time Obama or Clinton said something appropriate about Palestine? Or have you heard Paul on immigration?

Everybody is scared of Kucinich because Kucinich is getting folks to talk about what matters. He is raising the issues ...

Today's good news: MSNBC tried, but will not be able to lock Kucinich out of the upcoming debate!

Senior Clark County District Court Judge Charles Thompson said if Kucinich is excluded, he'll issue an injunction stopping the televised debate.

The judge sided with a lawyer for the Ohio congressman, who says debate host MSNBC at first invited Kucinich to take part and then told him last week he couldn't.

Full Story: Associated Press

Forbidden Love: My Favorite Thus Far

I know you've all been bombarded with emails about the fabulous films competing in the Link TV competition. And subhana'Allah they are all amazing. While I posted one of my other favorites at Muslamics a few days ago, Forbidden Love (below) got the highest ranking from me! It's funny, most everybody can relate to it and the ending is beautiful!

Election 2008 - How Will You Make Palestine Matter?

Sen. Clinton's behavior is hardly unusual among the candidates for president. Barack Obama, who expressed some sympathy for the Palestinians before he set his sights on the White House, now has little to say about their plight, and he too said little about what should have been done at Annapolis to facilitate peace. The other major contenders are ardent in their declarations of support for Israel, and none of them apparently sees a two-state solution as so urgent that they should press both sides to reach an agreement. As Zbigniew Brzezinski, a former U.S. national security advisor and now a senior advisor to Obama, noted, "The presidential candidates don't see any payoff in addressing the Israel-Palestinian issue." But they do see a significant political payoff in backing Israel to the hilt, even when it is pursuing a policy -- colonizing the West Bank -- that is morally and strategically bankrupt.

Full Story: LA Times

So tell me: have you, as a self-proclaimed supporter of the Palestinian people, at least registered to vote in the upcoming elections?

L.A. Living Wage Law Is Upheld

(Hijab Tip: Nadia Afghani)

Subhana'Allah. It's a sad day when the politicians and judges get it right and the Muslim organizations (no names, but you know who I mean), that claim to be at the forefront of advocating justice, don't.

The 3-0 ruling by a panel of the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles means that the city can now implement a law that would provide salary and benefits equal to $10.64 an hour to workers at a dozen LAX-area hotels. The law had been struck down in May by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe, who sided with business interests and ruled that the city had not made sufficient changes from an earlier version of the ordinance.

The law is groundbreaking because living wage laws in the United States are usually applied to government contractors. The law in Los Angeles went a step further, targeting the hotels because they generate so much business from the city-owned airport.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa hailed the decision as a victory.

"I have always supported the alternative ordinance, which the court upheld today, because it balances the right of workers to receive a living wage with the concerns and needs of business," he said in a statement issued by his press office.

The law will most immediately affect about half of the 3,500 hotel workers, with the other half already making more than $10.64 an hour. But periodic cost-of-living adjustments to the living wage probably will result in a raise for most of the 3,500 workers.

Full story: LA Times

Yes folks. There are Muslim organizations that could care less. They were fine with the idea of directing thousands of Muslims towards hotels that were NOT even paying a living wage. It looks as though they are going to have to find a new way to manifest their narrow minded backwardness to perpetuate injustice. Alhamdulillah for the victory. May Allah (swt) guide our organizations and protect us from their mistakes.