Shame on the UN Security
Council’s failure to pass a resolution to end the Israeli occupation on
Palestinians
The Jordanian Ambassador Dina
Kawar submitted the motion after it had been agreed upon by 22 Arab states and
the Palestinian Authority
The situation in the Council
has been going on for over 25 years on this subject without resolution
The UN Security Council
continue to sit on their backsides and evade the issues
They are using all kinds of
excuses, while the Palestinians have no hope or dignity left
The UN Security Council is a
disgrace and is not fit for purpose!
Israel’s aggression continues
to occupy land which is not legally theirs
This has been stated, yet
nothing by the Security Council has been done about it
In 1967 Israel seized Egypt’s
Sinai Peninsula and Syria’s Golan heights and set up settlements
Israel also invaded Lebanon
in 1978 & 1982 and maintained long-term occupation in the southern part of
the country
These wars and their
occupation were all related to the Palestine question and have deepened the
political crisis surrounding it
Even after Israel was forced
to withdraw from Egypt and Lebanon, the Palestine (and Golan) occupation has
still continued
Since resolution 242 and 338
the Security Council has taken no significant steps to end the Israel-Palestine
conflict
The US’s influence has kept
the issues off the Council’s agenda
When the Council members have
introduced resolutions, responding to periodic crisis, the US has repeatedly
used its symbolic weight
The Council will only become
effective once it confronts the US’s displeasure and US’s pressure
Recent US policies by John
Kerry have only made matters worse
Samantha Power, the US
Ambassador to the UN, stated that the US searches every day for new ways to
take constructive steps to…
…support the parties in making
progress towards achieving a negotiated settlement
This is utter rubbish
Their policies are set to
undermine any proper legal solutions, so that the status quo remains in favour of their Master – Israel!
The Jordanian Ambassador
expressed that the Council bears both the legal & moral responsibilities to
resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict
It has to be said after 25
years of continued failure…
…the Security Council is not
fit for purpose, as it can no longer justify its appalling position and should
be disbanded
A new independent body needs
to be set up which is just and cannot be influenced by outside interested
parties and…
…where the law comes into
force finally and sets up the solution to make the two state situations happen
Then where there are illegal
settlements that have been erected, they must be pulled down
The world owes the people of
Palestine justice against an unjust state of suppression and apartheid
What are we as a human race?
Have we no sense of justice?
Must we allow ourselves to be
continuously bullied by those who think they can control us?
Freedom has to be fought for,
against an oppressor that feels it has all the guns, against what is legally
and morally right
Until we learn to stand up
against injustice, there really is no point in being alive. We might as well be dead
Two World Wars were fought
against oppressors who used force to take what they wanted
Blood was spilt by those
brave men and women, who sacrificed their lives so that we may live in freedom
Were their actions for
nothing? The answer was, “NO!”
Can we now allow another
oppressor to keep the status quo and
not allow human dignity and freedom to prevail?
They enjoy freedom while
others are denied it!
Let the world come together
and do what is right, not only morally but lawfully as well
We owe it to our fellow human
beings to speak out and to defend Mankind from those who wish, like a cancer,
to control our every being
The parents of Peter Greste,
an Al-Jazeera’s journalist, are hopeful that their son will soon be released
It is now one year on since
Peter Greste and his colleagues Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were sentenced
to seven and to ten years
They are accused of spreading
false news to help a terrorist group
Jailed simply for reporting
the news nothing less! Their eye witnessed accounts were shown on Al-Jazeera
news
It is a testament to their
work in the field and professionalism in bringing the facts to the general
public
Many of their colleagues
around the world continue to protest against their injustice
It is later this week that a
court will decide whether they have grounds for appeal
The kangaroo courts of Egypt
leave a lot to be desired and where fear is at the very heart of their legal
practice
It is making a mockery of
what is right and legal and what is subterfuge!
Egypt is seen around the
world as a failed state
Those in power wish to remain
so and will continue with their iron tight grip on their fellow suffering
public
They fear democracy and will
no longer listen to the people where justice is concern
They are now a laughing stock
of what the legal system is all about
Not one is safe in that
country and so subservience to this punishing regime of dictatorship remains in
control
After Hosni Mubarak nothing
has changed
The courage of the people and
those who were their rescuers was astonishing by any other means
Those who have already been
rescued from the blazing Italian ferry The Norman Atlantic amid freezing
temperatures…
…were praising the bravery of
these men and women
It has taken an International
rescue effort amid high winds and treacherous conditions for them to achieve
this rescue operation
Italian and Albanian
authorities were taking part, working right through the night in very difficult
conditions
Italian and Greek helicopters
also worked through the night to air lift passengers to safety
Some were taken to hospital,
where they were treated for hyperthermia
On deck the crew tried to
lower life boats, but not all the passengers could get in as there was no
co-ordination
Passengers themselves opened
up boxes and got out life vests, trying to save themselves
There are seven other ships
in the area and rescue helicopters with search and rescue support aircraft were
being sent in
An Italian Air Force
helicopter pilot said that acrid smoke from the ferry filled his helicopter
cabin making rescue even more challenging
We must praise the bravery
and relentless determination by all the rescue workers in their delivery
They are attempting to save
human lives and to alleviate any long-term suffering
They will be remembered for
all time
The many problems caused to
people are the inadequacies of Governments and mismanagement of companies
around the globe
It does not matter whether it
is an airline or a cafe that cannot get its goods because supplies are not
there
Too many things are going
wrong because the structure to supply proper utilities is not there
Until these people are shown
up for their lack of responsibilities, nothing will ever change
Too many lives are being
disrupted due to poor management and what is supposed to be the basic rights of
people in today’s society
Airplanes, which are not safe
to fly or fly over war-torn countries – their corporations have to be made
accountable
It is always the public who
suffer with their lives and not the management who controls these operations
Staff of a company was told
on Christmas Day that their jobs were no longer there for them and all will be
made redundant
Again nothing has been done
to manage the situation in a better way beforehand to halt this situation in
happening
People have to be made
accountable for their misdemeanours
The entire world has to see
that incompetence on every level destroys lives in so many ways
We have to demand a higher
authority from industry and from corporations
High compensation must be given
to all those who are innocent and…
…have suffered loss in some
way which was directly attributed to bad management
We, as a people, can no
longer walk over the other side and turn a blind eye and allow these
irresponsibilities to continue
The law is there to protect
the public
It needs to be seen to be
working in our daily lives, otherwise continued hardship and loss of life
continues
Speaking in today’s programme
in Yangon, Aung San Suu Kyi stated that the international community must do
more to aid reform
She further stated that the
world has really lost interest in reform
Without reform everything in
the world is at a standstill
Many stagnate under the current
regime of laws, which are largely outdated and outmoded
People throughout the world
need to move forwards
But current regimes see their
power and influence being taken away from them and so because of power and fear
the status quo remains
Aung San Suu Kyi has fought
almost her entire life for democracy for the Burmese people
She has been steadfast in her
resolve to bring about change and reform for them
Only leaders of this world
who put their people first will succeed and change with reform can come about
Fear needs to be removed and
the leaders need to devise a way of allowing the people to live in harmony and
not in fear of their ruler’s fear
Rebellions become rife
because of suppression of the people
The rulers gain nothing but
dissent and a reputation for brutality, which is not necessary
They must start to believe in
a higher cause for their people and not for their selfish ways
All rulers are subjected to
the power of God and its wisdom in ruling
All wise men are guided this
way and fear does not come into the equation, but right thinking and action
always does
In time Aung San Suu Kyi will
be able to rule Burma and a better more productive country it will become.
Change is already in the air!
King Felipe of Spain has
attacked corruption across his country in his first Christmas Eve message
He said the public figures
did not deserve to profit or become rich because of their office
There must not be favoured
treatment for those occupying a position of public responsibility
Spain has seen a number of
corruptions cases being brought against various politicians including Rodrigo
Rato, the former head of the IMF
King Felipe’s sister, the
Princess Cristina, is to stand trial for tax fraud and the Spanish public will
await the result
Is the King double talking or
is he genuine in his statement?
If so then his sister cannot
be allowed to get away with it just because she is royal!
There have been too many
double standards
The rich and famous get off,
while the poor, who cannot afford lavish lawyers, have to pay the full price
Princess Cristina cannot be
allowed to get away with it. She already knew of her husband’s off shore
accounts
Also for the lavish work done
to their Spanish residence, all on the back of tax payer’s money
Christian pilgrims from
around the world have celebrated Midnight Mass in Bethlehem, the birthplace of
Jesus, to mark Christmas Eve
The Latin Patriarch has
called on the Jews, Muslims and Christians together as equals
This was in reference to the
violence in Gaza and Jerusalem. He hoped 2015 would be a better year than the
one we have experienced so far
The Midnight Mass took place
in the Church of the Nativity, which marks the spot where Jesus was born in the
West Bank town
Thousands of pilgrims crowded
the Manger Square to watch the procession led by the Patriarch
The region has become a land
of conflict and there is hope that next year will see no separation wall and
that there will be bridges of peace
The Patriarch was referring
to the barrier Israel is building in and around the West Bank, which separates
Bethlehem from Jerusalem
This Holy area must be marked
as free for all citizens of the world to come to worship
It is not a rite for Israel’s
continuation to force its might against what is not theirs, but belongs to all
religions
Until the world stands up
against Israel’s regime of force and ignorance, nothing will ever change
It is the world’s Governments
that must deal with the issue and put in safeguards that all pilgrims of
worship should be able to do so freely
A United Force for security
and not Israel’s should be implemented and to help take care of this sacred
place
This has long been overdue
The world continues to
sleepwalk while Israel surreptitiously continues its plan of ethnic cleansing
& seeking power only for its own people
Authorities in Peru have
decided to evacuate a remote Amazon community after they were raided by members
of an indigenous tribe
The Mashco-Piro Indians are
the indigenous tribe of nomadic hunter gathers who inhabit the remote regions
of the Amazon rain forest
They have in the past
actively avoided contact with the non-native people, choosing instead to live
in voluntary isolation
The Peruvian ministry has
said it has become increasingly difficult for the tribesmen to forage for food
This leaves them no choice
but to thieve from local communities
Around 200 Mashco-Piro
Indians armed with bows and arrows arrived at Monte Salvador looking for food
It is said they killed
domestic animals for food and took away cooking pots and other metal objects
from the village
The indigenous people are
feeling the effects of the modern world impacting on their food supply as
loggers decimate their homeland
While the Authorities are
evacuating a remote community for safety they also need to do something to help
the indigenous tribes
They are being denied their
own supply of food
A local indigenous
organisation has asked the Government to protect the Mashco-Piro’s land
Much of which has already
been taken over by logging concessions and drug-traffickers
Man’s greed again plays its
part in demolishing all that was once sacred and good
Have we no shame?
Mankind constantly feels it
must invade in order to pull down what has taken nature thousands of years to
grow and build
We should all congratulate
Tunisia for their efforts in bringing about democracy in a fair way
This is the first free
presidential election and has been won by Beji Caid Essebsi, who has been
confirmed as the winner
Whether you like this man or
not, it is the principle that through democratic elections the public
themselves have a say as to who they want
Beji Caid Essebsi won 55.68%
of the vote his opposition rival took 44.32% of the vote, showing the public
that it was a near run thing
Mr Essebsi will need to work
with the opposition parties to establish a better form of governing
For him to realise that
although he won there are still many lessons to learn and…
…much careful negotiations
will need to take place to secure peace and prosperity in governing Tunisia
Time is on their side and
they will be able to transform into a healthy and peaceful regime, something to
be envied by other Arab countries!
It seems inconceivable that
Sepp Blatter will be allowed to serve a fifth term as President to Fifa’s
governing body
There is already an
investigation going on into World Cup bidding corruption under his jurisdiction
Michael Garcia of the ethics
committee has now quit citing a lack of independence in Fifa’s judicial
processes
He believes the
organisation’s culture is beyond reform
A highly respected man like
Mr Garcia would not have resigned if he thought he had any opportunity of
getting a feasible result
As with all organisations
which are too big and the stakes financially so great, no one wants to
relinquish their position
The backhanders are too
lucrative to leave behind
No one should be in office
for more than three years
It is now up to Fifa to come
clean or it will continue to be plagued by the corruption that feeds it
Football needs to recover
from this corruption as it brings the game into disrepute
The tragic shooting of two of
New York’s police officers by Ismaaiyl Brinsley is most distressing for all
concerned
This man, who was 28, had a
history of violence and mental instability
He had been arrested at least
19 times in his life and had a troubled childhood, which was so violent that
his mother was afraid of him
Yet society let him down
& so the result was further violence against an institution that was not
there for him, but would only put him away
It is unfortunate that mental
illness is not dealt with properly, but only incarceration is
This man was mentally
traumatised all his life yet was completely ignored by the system
Nobody cared enough to do
anything about it!
He was never psychologically
assessed while being in prison and no alarm bells were ever flagged up
Under the circumstances it is
now shown to be extremely dangerous and irresponsible
It is high time that America
started to deal with these souls whose lives have been wrecked by violence
No treatment is given to ease
their emotional pain
Where now is justice to be
seen to be done?
How many people like Brinsley
are severely troubled and are out there walking the streets and who will be
their next victims?
America needs to wake up to
the many that have mental illness, yet appear to be sane enough to buy a gun
In their hands this lethal
weapon is another slaughter waiting to happen!
My question is who cares or
even gives a damn?
How many more fatalities need
to occur before the gun culture is amended?
The situation with Cuba and
the lifting of sanctions, which has crippled this island since the 1960’s, will
be a godsend to so many
The USA has to realise that
their embargo solved nothing and both Cuba and the USA have suffered as a
result of this situation
It takes a brave man like
President Obama to realise that nothing has been achieved
Cuba still functions in spite
of the sanctions imposed on it
The rule of the Castro
brothers has only strengthened their grip and determination on the island and
they have not suffered themselves
There needs to be a form of
diplomacy and eventual trading of the two countries
This will bring about a
resolution that will allow for peace to be restored and a greater understanding
People are not that far apart
in their need to survive
In time there will be genuine
democratic elections and a wider expansion of trade and finance
This will allow for
prosperity to come into this country
The lifting of sanctions with
genuine respect for each other’s sovereignty will be able to establish a good
working dialogue
From that many other
opportunities will be able to come about and a new impetus of commercial
activities will gradually come in
There will still be a
tightening of the laws but over time they too will become more relaxed to allow
for foreign investment to be installed
The USA will never be allowed
to have control or a radical foothold within this country
It will be written in their
constitution that their sovereignty must be respected at all times
Influence against foreign
control totally banned, so that Cubans can be their own people and remain
independent as is their wish
It has already been predicted
that the sanctions against Moscow will bite and hit them hard
This is now beginning to be
realised
It is up to the Russian
people to put pressure on President Putin’s regime of violence against the
Ukrainian people
I appreciate that the Crimea
was once under Russian territory and became under the banner of the Ukraine
The demography of Russia has
changed with the end of the Cold War
The people themselves have
decided, which country they wish to be a part of
It has to be the people whose
vote will count as to which Government they wish to live by
Not what Moscow dictates from
its shrinking borders
Russian’s themselves are
deprived of many things because of the dictate of their Government
There is no freedom in
Russia, just an iron fist wrapped around them to keep the status quo…
…of a Government who seek
power for themselves and not for the interests of their people
It is because of this policy
that Moscow is now feeling the effects of their cavalier ways
Unfortunately it is the
people who suffer the most
Now it is up to the people to
have their own rebellion and for them to dictate democratic freedom
It is their right, as any
civilian should have
The more Moscow interferes
with the Ukraine and the Crimea, the more it will suffer and the harder it will
be to resurrect their economy
Sometimes it takes the harsh
reality to stop the senseless arrogance in their stride
The thumb screws are turning
and it will get ever tighter before common sense prevails
Moscow cannot hope to win
with their continued aggression
To all our faithful
followers, we are back, having just moved and are safely ensconced in our new
abode
Nothing much has changed in
our short time away with the world still in disarray
There is still much injustice
that continues to sway in many areas of the globe
The UN General Assembly has
voted in favour of referring North Korea to the International Criminal Court to
face crimes against humanity
The resolution has been
passed by 116 votes to 20 with 50 abstentions
The UN Security Council is
expected to discuss the resolution, but is likely to face stiff opposition from
China and Russia
This will always happen with
countries who fail to adhere to a proper civilised human rights programme of their
own
It is high time that this
opposition to what is morally right and where justice by the law is regarded as
sacrosanct is thrown out
It is the law held by the
highest in the world that must be adhered to so that suffering is no longer
tolerated…
…no matter who the dictator
is!
Ordinary North Koreans have
faced ‘unspeakable atrocities’
The report details
wide-ranging abuses of torture, political repression and other abuses
Prison camps where detainees
are deliberately starved, forced labour, executions, torture, rape with forced
abortion and infanticide
Fortunate North Koreans who
have defected have confirmed these reports
Of course North Korea has
refused to co-operate with the report and its findings
One dictator cannot hold an
entire country in his grip for all time
The time for change is
amongst us and it is the people who will decide their fate and not one person
any longer
We pray that that day comes
soon, so that freedom over suppression wins the day
