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.

Blogging

I've been really bad at this blogging thing, but I'm going to start up again insha'Allah.

BTW if you want to take a trip to Pakistan to view the madness first hand, let me know. There is a delegation heading there next week; I'll forward you the 411.

Housekeepers Win Historic Citation against LAX Hilton for Health and Safety Violations

At a November 15th press conference, politicians, community members, and clergy came out in support of LAX Hilton housekeepers who filed a complaint and won a citation against the hotel from the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health for violating the Repetitive Motion Injury (RMI) standard.

Totaling $14,425 in proposed fines, this is the first time that CalOSHA has cited a hotel for violating the RMI standard. It cited the privately-owned LAX Hilton on October 30th for failure to control exposures causing such injuries and failing to train workers on injury symptoms, prevention and reporting. Additional violations included electrical, chemical and eye protection hazards and a failure to adequately complete accident investigation forms under the Injury and Illness Prevention Program Standard.

California is the only state in the United States that has a workplace repetitive motion injury standard. According to the LA Times, CalOSHA Director Len Welsh said the LAX Hilton "did not follow policies that other Hilton hotels followed." In the same article, Adela Barrientos, one of the LAX Hilton housekeepers who filed the complaint along with the Southern California Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health, stated that "they keep putting more things in the room."

The LAX Hilton, located on Century Boulevard just outside the Los Angeles International Airport, is under a national boycott. Housekeepers there held a "Day of the Dead Tired" march through Los Angeles along Century Boulevard, drawing attention to work-related injuries and the need for health care.

Feed the Fasters

Love the Poor

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "O God, grant me life as a poor man, cause me to die as a poor man and resurrect me in the company of the poor." His wife asked him why he said that, and he replied: "Because (the poor) will enter Paradise (before) the rich. Do not turn away a poor man. . .even if all you can give is half a date. If you love the poor and bring them near you. . .God will bring you near Him on the Day of Resurrection."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1376

It can be the difference between kicking the beggar
(and I've seen this happen in Muslim countries!),
smiling at him or buying him lunch . . .

Stop Tancredo's Fear Mongering

This is the same idiot who suggested bombing Mecca a couple of years ago.

Want to keep the hate mongering off your local television networks? Sign the petition NOW!

Sweetest Girl Lyrics

...Never thought that she would come and work for the president
Mr. George Washington (where my money at?)
She thought he’d call (where my money at?)
She had a good day, bad day, sunny day, rainy day
All he wanna know is (where my money at?)
Closed legs don’t get fed, go out there and make my bread
All he wanna know is (where my money at?)
She ended up in a roll call, bruised up, scarred hard
All he wanna know is (where my money at?)
She thought he’d call (where my money at?)

See I’mma tell you like WU told me
Cash Rules everything around me
Singin’ dollar dollar bill yall (dollar, dollar bill yall)...

Al-Awda Statement On Annapolis Conference

For Immediate Release
November 26, 2007

Al-Awda Statement On Annapolis Conference

With the upcoming US-sponsored international conference in Annapolis MD, Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, reiterates once again that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved with the return of all Palestinians to their original homes, towns, and villages, with full restitution of all of their confiscated and destroyed property, and compensation. The Palestinian Arab people, regardless of their religious affiliation, are indigenous to Palestine. Therefore, they are entitled to live anywhere in their homeland Palestine which encompasses present-day [apartheid] "Israel", the West Bank and Gaza Strip. No agreement, negotiations or parties which purport to trade away these rights or any other inalienable rights can have any legal basis and cannot bind or compel the Palestinian
people to end the struggle for the fulfillment of all of their rights.

The definition of [apartheid] Israel as a "Jewish state", granting exclusive rights to citizenship and land to any Jew from anywhere in the world, while denying the indigenous inhabitants of Palestine their fundamental rights, is part and parcel of the racism inherent in the colonialist Zionist ideology which underlies the policies and laws of the settler state of [apartheid] "Israel". Any sacrifice of any part of our land and culture will represent a blow to the entire Arab peoples and the lands of West Asia and Africa.

The US government subsidizes [apartheid] Israel's injustices with billions of dollars annually. Any Palestinian and other Arab participating in accommodation with
the Zionist and US regimes in order to promote normalization and put an end to the Palestinian liberation struggle, stand exposed naked before the world as traitors to our people.

Until all Palestinians exercise their right to return and self determination, Al-Awda calls on all its members and supporters to redouble their efforts, working for and demanding:

1. An end to all US political, military and economic aid to [apartheid] "Israel"
2. The divestment of all public and private entities from all Zionist corporations, and American corporations with subsidiaries operating within [apartheid] "Israel"
3. An end to the investment of Labor Union members' pension funds in[apartheid] "Israel"
4. The boycott of all [apartheid] "Israeli" products

The 60 year commemoration of the Palestinian Nakba will take place in May 2008. Al-Awda's 6th Annual International Convention will take place in Anaheim, California, May 16-18, 2008. The convention will be dedicated to renewing our struggle to return and to reclaim our land no matter what deals are made in Annapolis.

Until Return

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition
PO Box 131352
Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA
Tel: 760-685-3243
Fax: 360-933-3568
E-mail: info@al-awda.org
WWW: http://al-awda.org

Al-Awda, The Palestine Right to Return Coalition (PRRC) is the largest network of grassroots activists and students dedicated to Palestinian human rights. We are a not for profit tax-exempt educational and charitable 501(c)(3) organization as defined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States of America. Under IRS guidelines, your donations to PRRC are tax-deductible. To make a donation, please go to http://www.al-awda.org/donate.html

Thanksgiving [Rape & Pillage Day] Grateful List

(It's a joke folks!)

In a special pre-Thanksgiving radio address broadcast from the White House, President George W. Bush asked his fellow Americans to join him in giving thanks for the following things:

“My fellow Americans, let’s be thankful for global warming, because as these winter months approach, it makes the world such a nice, toasty place.

“Let’s be thankful for all of the food on our tables, unless some of it is from China.

“Let’s be thankful that Pakistan will have free and fair elections, and maybe someday we will, too.

“Let’s be thankful for the iPhone, except for those losers who actually paid full price for it.

“Let’s be grateful that I didn’t take out a subprime mortgage on the White House like Mr. Cheney told me to.

“Let's be thankful that nuclear weapons haven’t fallen into the hands of the wrong people, like Nancy Pelosi or Rosie O’Donnell.

“Let’s be thankful that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s writers are on strike, and hopefully will stay that way for the rest of my term in office.

“Let's be thankful that even though my approval numbers are falling, they’re still higher than my grades at Yale.

“Let’s be thankful that Osama bin Laden dyed his hair in his last video, because that made him look really gay.

“Let's be thankful for Guitar Hero III, which really helps you get through those long Cabinet meetings when they're going on and on about the economy.

“Let's be thankful that our military commanders have nothing bad to say about the war in Iraq until after they’re retired.

“Let's be thankful that in nine months it will be August and then I can go on summer vacation again.

“And finally, my fellow Americans, let's be thankful that, even though Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize, I’m still a lock for the Nobel War Prize.”

A Perspective on Arranged Marriages

Most Americans have sex on the third date. I married my husband after meeting him for the third time. I'm Indian, and having an arranged marriage is something that my ancient culture still thinks is a great idea.

Since the day I was born, my parents had been planning this occasion. When I was 20, they presented me with my first proposal. I found him overbearing, and I desperately hoped there would be more suitors. There were. But I passed on every Raj, Arun, and Sanjay — too fat, too boring, too short.

By age 26, after attending more than 150 weddings, I was fast approaching my "expiration date." So my parents put pressure on our community — not to mention my relatives — to find The One. They urged me to be more flexible, and I had no reason to argue. Being a spinster in Indian society is considered an embarrassment, a burden on the family. I was raised to think a smiling groom, approved and blessed by my parents, was the ultimate achievement. While Western teenagers spent summers working the cash register at the mall, I spent mine learning to sew and cook so that I could someday be a successful wife.
. . .
That's when I started to realize that I just might have the best of both worlds. I marinated my Indian marriage in the flavors of Manhattan. I kept the sari and bought the Jimmy Choos. I made fabulous curries, seasoned with spices from Dean & Deluca. And after months of enjoying decidedly non-Indian experiences of seders, Saks, and sake, I felt confident enough to direct Indian guests to a hotel, occasionally throwing in a MetroCard.

As Indian women gain financial independence, it is inevitable that we will see fewer arranged marriages — and maybe that's too bad. I firmly believe that our marriage works because it is blessed and supported by our families. The strength we get from their advice (solicited and unsolicited) helps us overcome difficult times. Had I found my own mate, I'm sure my parents would have come around, but I'd have to live knowing that they wouldn't be truly emotionally invested in the success of the marriage.

I've come to believe it's not so much how you get hitched but what you do with your relationship that matters. Although my husband doesn't always agree with his opinionated and selectively liberated wife, he openly expresses his love. Back home, couples don't even hold hands on the street. Here, well, couples do a lot more than that. India may have found me a husband, but America showed me how much fun it is to be his wife. Power to my parents for arranging this union.

Full story (i.e. the stuff in between): MSN's Lifestyle

Higher Education Action Alert

(In case you need a break from the LAPD stuff. . . )

After almost 10 YEARS of waiting, the Higher Education Act is finally on the move!

The Higher Education Act was originally introduced in 1965 to help "strengthen educational resources of our colleges and universities and to provide financial assistance for students in postsecondary and higher education." It is the single most comprehensive bill dealing with higher education access on the federal level. HEA is supposed to be renewed every 5-7 years, but hasn't been reauthorized since 1998!

On Friday, the House Education & Labor Committee introduced the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 (Higher Education Act Reauthorization). The committee will make changes to the bill this week and the full House will vote on the bill soon.

Today, you have the chance to make sure college is affordable and accessible for generations to come.

Passage of the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 will:

* Simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application by allowing the Department of Education to use IRS information already available

* Expand higher education access for low income and underrepresented students by making the Pell Grant available year round, strengthening early intervention & outreach programs such as GEAR UP & TRIO, and expanding funding for graduate students at historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and other minority serving schools.

* Restore the integrity and accountability of student loan programs by requiring schools to adopt codes of conduct, providing student borrowers with full information about their federal and private loan options, and protects students from aggressive marketing practices by lenders

Congress needs to hear from students and their families about the need to make higher education more affordable and accessible!

Flood your Representatives' phone lines WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY and urge them to make higher education a right!

Click here for a sample call-in script!

For more information on the Higher Education Act, visit www.usstudents.org or email us at ussa@usstudents.org.