name: Yuram Abdullah Weiler
Comments and thoughts of an American Muslim on US Foreign policy in the Middle East and the so-called War on Terror,examining the contradictions from a perspective of justice, fairness and human rights.
Merchants for the Angel of Death
07 May, 2008
It’s the Foreign Policy, Stupid
11 April, 2008
“Why do they hate us?” The question simultaneously captures the ignorance of the average American as to their government’s use of hard-earned tax dollars, and an unshakable faith in American innocence and purity of motives. After all, as President Truman declared in 1947 with unabashed idealism "It must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."[i] So how indeed could they hate us? (More)
5th Anniversary in Iraq
20 March, 2008
Someone became angry with me for canceling an appointment on 19 March 2008, the 5th anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq, due to my emotional state after listening to “Winter Soldier” testimony and contemplating my actions in protest of the War. What follows is a slightly edited version of the text of my response. (More)
Insanity Is
06 March, 2008
“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
– Albert Einstein.
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Give War a Chance
01 March, 2008
Recently, I saw two bumper stickers on the back of a truck, one of them read, "Give War a Chance," and the other, "War never solved anything except for ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism and Communism." I was really at a loss as to how, if presented with an opportunity, to respond to the absurd messages on these bumper stickers and pondered at length over various approaches that I could employ.
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Gaza...And the Siege Goes On
25 January, 2008
“The closure of the Gaza power plant, in addition to Israel's continuing tightened siege of the Gaza Strip, will have a catastrophic effect on the 1.5 million residents of Gaza, who are already suffering chronic shortages of fuel, medicine and some basic food stuffs. The Director of Gaza's main Shiffa hospital describes the current situation as "Potentially disastrous."”[1] (More)
A Tale of Two Countries
15 January, 2008
This is a story about two countries. One is The United States of Acirema, often called Acirema or the US for short, and the other is called Nari. Now the US and Nari were as different as night and day, black and white, or east and west. The Aciremans spoke English which is written from left to right, while the Narians spoke a language called Persian--just like the Gulf off its shores--which is written from right to left. The US was a small peace-loving country while Nari was a rich, aggressive, imperialistic power with military bases in many countries, including those surrounding Acirema like Abuc, Ocixem and Adanac.
This Is My Country?
28 June, 2007
Recently, my son graduated from high school and I had the pleasure of being with him for the entire ceremony. The event started off with the requisite singing of the “Star Spangled Banner,” the US national anthem, and for the first time in my life, I found the courage to sit in protest. Why? Because I’m deeply disturbed by what the flag of United States has come to symbolize to me personally and to other nations in the international community. I’m appalled and disgusted by the hypocrisy the United States displays by violating both domestic and international law,[1] such as by wiretapping without warrants, using torture on prisoners of war and denying a speedy trial to those imprisoned in the name of the “War on Terror,” while lauding itself as the champion of democracy and defender of human rights. After the “Star Spangled Banner,” the choir sang “This is My Country.” I had to ask myself, “Is this my country?”
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The Final Solution
30 May, 2007
I was really surprised and somewhat honored to have been listed on the Masada 2000 website along with Melodye Feldman, Norman Finklstein, Noam Chomsky and other critics of the policies of the Israeli Government who are striving for peace and justice in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. To suggest that a man of my age (59) and very limited financial resources could be considered a threat to Israel is beyond absurd, yet someone out there considered my participation in protests last summer against Israel’s invasion of Lebanon to be threatening enough to take my picture and post contact information about me.
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Blackwater – Bush’s Republican Guard
20 February, 2007
Since the onslaught of the Reagan administration in 1981, the “free market” has been promoted as the panacea to cure all economic ills. The idea is that “market forces,” Adam Smith’s “invisible hand,” best determines the most efficient distribution of scarce economic resources.[i] The free market solution, also known as privatization or deregulation, has been applied to everything from private companies such as railroads and telephone companies, once thought of as having an obligation to serve the public, to governmental agencies such as water systems, public transit and even prisons. Now, the free market solution is slowly being applied to the US military as well as civilian police forces.
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An Open Letter to President Bush
17 January, 2007
President Bush, you have informed the American people that you intend to send more troops into Iraq, which will no doubt, increase violence and further aggravate the volatile situation there. It is clear to most rational beings that the US invasion of Iraq and subsequent dissolution of the former Iraqi army have caused the bloody civil war and security chaos that now exists there.
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Bush, Democracy, and Other Contradictions
28 December, 2006
Democracy – Government by the people, exercised either directly or through elected representatives.[1] This is how the Dictionary defines Democracy, which is supposed to be the system of government in America. Recently, the people elected their representatives and, barring an intervention by the Republican Party, the majority in both houses of the new Congress will shift to the Democrats. How might the current Neocon administration plot to regain control of Congress before the next election?
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Massacre at Beit Hanoun
20 November, 2006
During the week of 2 to 8 November, while people in the US were preoccupied with the mid-term elections, a massacre took place in Gaza, with 86 human beings killed by Israeli forces. This massacre, as well as the continuing Israeli assault on Gaza seems to go largely unnoticed by the mainstream US media.
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Meanwhile in Iraq
24 October, 2006
Here in the fantasy world of America, lead by Prime Minister of Denial Bush, all signs seem to point to a rosy and upbeat picture, certainly for the near future if not for the long term. Gas prices are going down, the stock market is once again reaching record levels and the holiday season, with its economic injection of consumer spending, is rapidly approaching. Construction sites seem to be appearing on every corner, with tall cranes pointing skyward as if to suggest that here in America, there are no limits to economic growth. Even in the neighborhood, the local strip mall is receiving a face-lift, apparently designed to give the impression of a medieval castle, which further adds to a surrealistic illusion.
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Will Natanz be the next Nagasaki?
02 October, 2006
On 9 August 1945, the US dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan killing some 150,000 men, women and children. The blast leveled 6.7 million sq. meters of the city and destroyed over 12,000 homes.[1] Since then, the US has become a world leader in proliferating nuclear weapons; overtly by the sale of weapons and technology to other nations and covertly by forcing smaller nations to acquire nuclear arms in self-defense. Iran now faces the threat of a pre-emptive nuclear strike if it does not cave in to US pressure to halt its nuclear program. Regardless of intentions, it is understandable that any country finding itself surrounded by US nuclear forces and client states, as is Iran, would utilize every available option for self-defense.
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