Afghan Court Secretly Sentences Student to 20 Years

In yet another example of the fu*ked up mentality of religious fundamentalists and why Afghanistan is yet another black hole from which the USA needs to extricate itself, Sayed Pervez Kambaksh (pictured at left), a student journalist has been told he will spend the next 20 years in jail after the country's highest court ruled against him – without even hearing his defence. His crime? To download article on women's rights. I'm sorry, but why the Hell are we squandering money and lives of Americans when this is how those in a supposed friendly regime behave. As I have said before, religious fundamentalists no matter the religion are a clear and present danger to society and the world. I increasingly wonder if the world would not be a far better place if all religion ceased to exist. The UK's Independent has a story that describes this travesty of justice. Here are some highlights:

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Sayed Pervez Kambaksh, the student journalist sentenced to death for blasphemy in Afghanistan, has been told he will spend the next 20 years in jail after the country's highest court ruled against him – without even hearing his defence. The 23-year-old, brought to worldwide attention after an Independent campaign, was praying that Afghanistan's top judges would quash his conviction for lack of evidence, or because he was tried in secret and convicted without a defence lawyer. . . . .Instead, Justices issued their decision in secret, without letting Mr Kambaksh's lawyer submit so much as a word in his defence.

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Afzal Nooristani, the legal campaigner representing Mr Kambaksh, accused the judges of behaving "no better than the Taliban". Hundreds of millions of dollars have been poured into Afghanistan's legal system and 149 British soldiers have died there since 2001, but experts admit that state justice is still beyond the reach of most ordinary Afghans.

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The Supreme Court's decision means Mr Kambaksh's best hope is now a presidential pardon, which will force Mr Karzai to choose between fundamentalists in his government and the rule of law. It has also raised serious questions over the millions of dollars spent on Afghan justice reforms since 2001, which appear to have been wasted. Mr Nooristani said: "The whole system is corrupt. Even with more investment, the system won't work." Mr Kambaksh was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to death last year for circulating an essay on women's rights which questioned verses in the Koran.

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Western diplomats insist they have been lobbying hard to have the case reviewed. But critics say their softly-softly tactic hasn't worked. "The Afghans know the money just keeps coming no matter what they do," said an American lawyer in Kabul. Even if Mr Kambaksh wins an 11th-hour pardon, there are thousands of people just like him, convicted illegally, with no recourse, support or international scrutiny.

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[A] spokesman for the British embassy said: "We have serious concerns about the fairness of Mr Kambaksh's trial. We continue to call on the Afghan state to comply with the international human rights standards, to which it is a party – this includes the right to a fair trial."

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In my view, I am beginning to believe that it is time for the USA and others to pack up and leave Afghanistan. These people are insane and no amount of money and American lives will turn the mess around.

Iraq Troop Withdrawal - Support Growing for Iraq Troop Withdrawal

The American public continues to be ahead of the politicians - and certainly the delusional Chimperator Bush - when it comes to addressing the Iraq War fiasco as shown by this new Rasmussen poll (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/iraq_troop_withdrawal). When are the Democrats in Congress going to get the courage to use this public mandate?

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 64% of Americans would like to see U.S. troops brought home from Iraq within a year. That’s the third straight weekly increase in support for troop withdrawal and a 6-point increase from mid-September. Those figures include 28% who want the troops brought home immediately. That’s up from 20% four weeks ago following Congressional testimony by General David Petraeus.

All questions concerning Iraq reveal stark partisan differences. Eighty-three percent (83%) of Democrats want the troops to come home within a year. Sixty-three percent (63%) of Republicans believe the troops should remain until the mission is complete. That latter figure is down from 71% two weeks ago. As for those not affiliated with either major party, 69% want the troops home within a year. Only 29% take the opposite view and say they should remain.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) of American voters say that the economy is the top issue for Election 2008. Eighteen percent (18%) say the War on Terror is most important while 13% believe the War in Iraq is tops. Democrats are trusted more than Republicans on nine of ten key issues tracked by Rasmussen Reports.

Warner: Begin troop withdrawal by Christmas

Virginia's senior Senator, John Warner continues to defy the Chimperator's efforts to silence anyone who does not sign on to the myth that things are going fine in Iraq. Not only does Warner have integrity, but based on his own years in the military, his service as Secretary of the Navy, and other past positions, he sees members of the military as more that mere cyphers to be played with. Many politicians give lip service to caring about our troops, but Warner truly means it. I have heard him speak many times and talked with him one-on-one. I am convinced it's not lip service with him. Here are a few highlights from MSNBC's story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20410739/):

NEW YORK - Sen. John Warner said Thursday President Bush should start bringing home some troops by Christmas to show the Baghdad government that the U.S. commitment in Iraq is not open-ended. The move puts the prominent Republican at odds with the president, who says conditions on the ground should dictate deployments. Warner, R-Va., said the troop withdrawals are needed because Iraqi leaders have failed to make substantial political progress, despite an influx of U.S. troops initiated by Bush earlier this year.

“We simply cannot as a nation stand and continue to put our troops at continuous risk of loss of life and limb without beginning to take some decisive action,” he told reporters after a White House meeting with Bush’s top aides. Warner’s new position is a sharp challenge to a wartime president that will undoubtedly color the upcoming Iraq debate on Capitol Hill. Next month, Gen. David Petraeus, the top military commander in Iraq, and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are expected to brief members on the war’s progress.

Who’s the more astute student of Vietnam War history — President Bush or Sen. John Warner, R-Va.? Warner, the octogenarian GOP Senate powerbroker who served as Navy secretary under President Nixon during the Vietnam War, called Thursday for Bush to begin withdrawing some U.S. troops from Iraq — he used the figure of 5,000 — so that they could be home by Christmas.