Friday, April 28, 2006

[ Tit for Tat - Jesus cartoons!]

apr 27th

hahaha, this is rich! jesus (may existence be upon him!) in ummm... a
certain stage of excitement, and frolicking with male pals, shall we say?

will we now see incensed mohammedans (after all, jesus is one of their
prophets too) attacking american consulates?

maybe this is where mohammed got his idea of the 72 girl virgins plus 28
winsome boys, should your fancies be in the ac/dc direction.

btw, 'asato ma satgamaya' and 'maya' apply nicely to jesus. from
nonexistence to existence, truth by repeated illusion :-)

incidentally, i have heard that hanged men sometimes ejaculate at the
moment of death.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fwd: Tit for Tat - Jesus cartoons!
Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 22:34:44 EDT
From:
To:
CC:


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=49925
**
*BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
*'Jesus with erection' ignites outrage
Student newspaper publishes drawings in response to Muhammad 'toons
Posted: April 26, 2006
5:00 p.m. Eastern,© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

Cover of the Insurgent (image altered for propriety).

A Catholic activist organization has written to Oregon's governor and
state lawmakers to protest a University of Oregon student newspaper for
having published cartoons showing Jesus Christ naked and with an erection.

In its March edition, the Insurgent , an "alternative" student paper on
the Eugene, Ore., campus printed 12 hand-drawn cartoons of Jesus as a
response to rival paper the Commentator having published the
controversial cartoons of Muhammad originally published in Europe that
sparked Muslim riots worldwide. The Insurgent claimed it published the
drawings to "provoke dialogue."

William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, said the university's
president, Dave Frohnmayer, had been unresponsive to complaints about
the drawings, so he had written to the governor, every state legislators
and the chancellor of the Oregon University System, among others.

Drawing featured inside paper spanning two pages (image altered for
propriety).

"The March edition of the Insurgent ... was one of the most obscene
assaults on Christianity I have ever seen," Donohue said in a statement.
"To make sure that the persons I wrote to understand how vile this
attack was, I sent a photocopy of the two most offensive graphics: one
was a depiction of a naked Jesus on the cross with an erection; the
other, titled 'Resurrection,' showed a naked Jesus kissing another naked
man, both sporting erections."

Donohue also says there were other depictions of Jesus on the cross that
were "so gratuitously offensive that only the most depraved would defend
them." He also noted the paper published two commentaries attacking
Catholicism.

"That all of this appeared in a student newspaper, during Lent, on the
campus of a state institution, makes one wonder what is going on at the
University of Oregon," added Donohue.

While not describing the more sexual drawings, the main student
newspaper at the university, the Oregon Daily Emerald, also criticized
the Insurgent.

"The Insurgent editorial indicates a desire to show Americans why the
original cartoons were so offensive to the Muslim world," wrote the
editor of the Emerald. "According to the editorial, 'What is "not a big
deal" in the US (sic) is apparently a humongous big deal to others. Why
should we assume it would not be?'

"However, printing home-grown cartoons depicting Jesus on a cross/pogo
stick or Jesus on a cross/hangliding apparatus are not inflammatory in
the same manner as the anti-Islam cartoons, and therefore fail to
produce the intended empathy from Christians to Muslims."

Added the paper: "Unlike the Danish cartoons, the Insurgent drawings
seem intended to simply incite controversy for controversy's sake rather
than making specific social commentaries."

A spokesman for Frohnmayer contacted WorldNetDaily after press time to
say that the university president had posted a statement regarding the
controversy surrounding the cartoons:

"I share your concern about the offensive nature of the content
contained within the publication.

"I understand why it may seem as if the University should have prevented
publication or should take some action against those responsible for the
publication. The Student Insurgent is not owned, controlled or published
by the University of Oregon and is funded with student fees. Therefore,
the University cannot exercise editorial control over its content.

"The best response to offensive speech often is more speech. ... I am
strongly opposed to speech that makes individuals feel that they or
their beliefs are unwelcome or belittled, and I can assure you I will
use all permissible means to respond to publications such as the recent
Insurgent."

[Fwd: Koenraad's question on Dalit priests in RISA]

apr 27th

here's a response from a reader.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Koenraad's question on Dalit priests in RISA
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 18:48:43 -0700 (PDT)
From:
To: rajeev.srinivasan

Rajeev,

1. Hindus have organised themselves for centuries around a loose
structure of duties that are maintained through descent. Being a priest
may be very prestigious in other faiths but in Hinduism it is an onerous
responsibility. It is not a particularly attractive position that
someone would aspire to. The austerities and discipline required is
beyond the reach of most people

2. Brahmanas are by no means the only priestly jati. In TN there are
many groups of non-brahmin priests - the pandarams (who run temples all
over suoth TN and in Malaysia and Sri Lanka perform vedic rituals but do
not wear a sacred thread. and then there are sivacharis, and several
otrher classes of non-vedic priests officiating at sakthi/amman temples.
sometimes the same temple that has a sivachari performing regular
rituals may invite a brahmin priest once a year for a vedic ritual.

3. In the Jagannath temple at Puri */the brahmin priests are not allowed
inside the garba griha of Sri Jagannatha. /*The privilege is restricted
to the tradtional guardian tribe whose priests are called the /badus/.

4. In TN there are many temples among the smaller 'specialised' shrines
where people of all castes worship. These could be a local deity like
the village protecting Ayyanar or Muniswaran, or Karuppannaswami or many
otehr Ammans. Sri Jayendra Sarasvati has gone out of his way to frequent
these shrines and participate in the local ritual taking prasadam from
the hands of Adi-Dravidar priests.

5. The VHP has gone out of its way to train priests from the tibes and
dalit communities and has the lal langots (red breechcloutwalas) in
twists because of this. Because caste while a minor facet of Hindu
practice is the bedrock upon which Hinduhaters have built their
theories. Take away caste (by no means an easy task) and the entire
rationale for hating Hindus collapses

Of course these crooks will find something new to criticise within Hinduism.

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Thursday, April 27, 2006

[Fwd: Hindu American Foundation Reacts to False Media Reports after Court Hearing]

apr 26

response to disinformation campaign by propagandists.

as i said before, the propagandists have actually lost the case, because
the objective is to influence the publishers. said publishers have now
become sensitized, as they dont want anything to affect their book sales.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Hindu American Foundation Reacts to False Media Reports after
Court Hearing
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:37:23 -0700
Fro
Reply-To:
Organization: Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
To:

*Hindu American Foundation Reacts to False Media Reports after Court
Hearing*

Washington, D.C. (April 26, 2006) – The Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
reacted quickly today to errors in media coverage of a hearing for a
preliminary injunction filed by the Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
against the California State Board of Education (SBE) in Superior Court
on April 21. The injunction sought to stop the printing of textbooks
containing inaccuracies and an unbalanced presentation of Hinduism. In
denying the injunction, presiding Judge Patrick Marlette did not
pre-judge the merits of the case, indicated that he was “troubled” by
the SBE process in approving the contentious textbooks, and encouraged
the parties to discuss resolution of the case before the start of the
school year.

No journalists were present at the hearing, and according to HAF,
several media reports relied on the motivated and biased interpretations
of an amateur writer who gained recent notoriety for his anti-Hindu
blog. This individual, with no previous experience reporting on legal
proceedings, detailed that he attended the hearing and did not rely on
official transcripts in his widely circulated report.

“While HAF’s legal team would have preferred that the preliminary
injunction had been granted, they were pleased that the judge suggested
the process followed by the SBE to be problematic,” said Ishani
Chowdhury, Executive Director of HAF. “It is sad that one individual’s
musings that were patently false at best, and blatantly racist at worst,
were accepted as truth by too many.”

Based on the writer’s account, that variously intimated gratuitous
comments as to the race and ethnicity of HAF’s legal team and of those
present in the courtroom, some media reports erroneously stated that a
preliminary injunction hearing requires a "lower showing" on the merits.
In fact, such a hearing requires the court to balance a number of
factors, including any harm that could be caused by granting or denying
an injunction. Here, presiding Judge Marlette twice indicated that he
was "troubled" by the process used to approve these texts, but in
denying the injunction request seemed concerned that even if the books
were poorly written, "harm" wouldn't occur until the children actually
had the books in hand -- something that is currently several months off.

Judge Marlette also appeared to be concerned that he could not evaluate
how "bad" these texts were in the contexts of a preliminary hearing, as
that decision would require a lengthy analysis of the texts, comparison
with the treatment of other religions and possibly expert testimony.
Preliminary hearings are, by contrast, limited. The court rules impose
limitations on both the length of the papers that can be submitted and
the amount of time available for the hearing.

“Some accounts report that the judge rejected HAF's claims ‘on the
merits,’ when the judge never decided such a thing,” said Suhag Shukla,
Esq., legal counsel of HAF. “Clearly there is a fundamental lack of
understanding as to the standard of proof required for preliminary
injunctive relief. It’s difficult to obtain -- particularly against the
government. More importantly, this particular denial has no bearing on
the ultimate outcome of the case.”

HAF leaders reaffirmed their commitment to their legal action to ensure
that California school textbooks accurately and equitably depict Hinduism

“It is bewildering that these activists will oppose equal treatment of
all religions in school textbooks, the lack of which is what led to the
lawsuit,” said Chowdury. “Hindus are merely seeking parity with other
religions in sixth-grade textbooks, where social problems of other
religions are not given the same prominence, even as the redeeming
features of Hinduism are ignored.”

The Hindu American Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3), non-partisan
organization, promoting the Hindu and American ideals of understanding,
tolerance and pluralism.

**Mihir Meghani, M.D.**

**President, Hindu American Foundation**

**www.hinduamericanfoundation.org**
<http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org/>

**Cell Phone: 510-396-2745**

This e-mail message may contain privileged, confidential and/or
proprietary information intended only for the person(s) named. If you
are not the intended recipient, please destroy this message, and any
attachments, and notify the sender by return e-mail. If you are not the
intended recipient(s), or the employee or agent responsible for
delivering the message to the intended recipient(s), you are hereby
notified that any dissemination, disclosure or copying of this
communication is strictly prohibited.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

[Fwd: Dubai censor cuts scenes of labour abuse from 'Syriana']

25th apr

the truth behind the prosperity of dubai: the blood, sweat and tears of
indians.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Dubai censor cuts scenes of labour abuse from 'Syriana'
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 20:18:10 +0100 (BST)
From: Shah
To: Rajeev

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article359115.ece

21 April 2006 20:10

Dubai censor cuts scenes of labour abuse from 'Syriana'

By Jerome Taylor

Published: 21 April 2006

It may try to market itself as one of the more tolerant Gulf states, but
authorities in the United Arab Emirates have cut a number of scenes from
Syriana over fears that the Oscar-winning film starring George Clooney
is too realistic in its depiction of Arab states mistreating poor
migrant workers.

When the film opened last week, two minutes of footage showing Asian oil
workers in an unspecified Arab country being fired and later beaten by
police as they queued for work were noticeably absent from cinemas in Dubai.

Both scenes revolve around a key character, Wassim, a young Pakistani
migrant worker who, angered by the way workers from the Indian
subcontinent are treated, joins an Islamic terrorist group and becomes a
suicide bomber. References to the Bin Laden family and the late Saudi
King Fahd were also cut.

Aleem Jumaa, head of the Dubai censorship office, said: "We would never
allow anything that is disrespectful to the country or the president,
causes security problems, insults religions, exhibits immorality like
nudity or promotes vices like alcohol and drugs."

Human rights groups have frequently condemned the authorities in Dubai
and neighbouring Arab states for the poor conditions migrant workers
live in. "One of the world's largest construction booms is feeding off
workers in Dubai, but they're treated as less than human," said Sarah
Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The censorship comes at a sensitive time for the authorities in Dubai,
where violent illegal strikes by construction workers last month
revealed the less glitzy side of the country's booming economy.

The Gulf states regularly censor or ban books and films deemed too
socially or politically sensitive. This week the distributor for
Brokeback Mountain, the Oscar-winning film depicting a love affair
between two cowboys, said it had shelved plans to show the film in the
Gulf, where homosexuality remains illegal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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[Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League]

apr 25th

the maraad massacre is being swept under the carpet. it's only hindus
who died, so it's ok. the hindus must have committed mass suicide, the
mohammedans who ambushed them were just innocent bystanders. where is uc
banerjee, let's bring him in to give the mohammedans a certificate of
innocence.

kunjali kutty, iuml minister, was according to the grapevine, the
kingpin behind it.

e ahamed, india's foreign minister, the guy who didnt lift a finger when
maniappan ramankutty was kidnapped by the taliban and decapitated, was
very involved as well. he was 'praying' at the mosque where the bloody
swords were hidden.

t o sooraj, district collector, is a mohammedan, too.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 08:45:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rag
To:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/3229.html#
Print Story <http://www.indianexpress.com/printerFriendly/3229.html#>
*Kerala sits on riot report indicting Cong govt, Muslim League *
/**/
RAJEEV PI
/Posted online: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 at 0000 hrs IST /
KOCHI, APRIL 25
The judicial commission probing Kerala’s worst communal massacre in
Marad in 2003 has severely indicted almost every arm of the Congress-led
United Democratic Front Government: politicians, police officers and top
bureaucrats.
It has also found that the massacre was a planned conspiracy involving
extremist organizations, including those funded from abroad,
organisations, it said, successive state governments have used to
cultivate “vote banks.”
And that at least one senior politician belonging to the Muslim League,
part of the ruling Congress-led front, had advance knowledge of the
conspiracy.
The report of the commission, set up in 2004 and headed by District
Judge Thomas P Joseph, has been kept under wraps by the state government
which received it two months ago. It has been accessed by The Indian
Express.
The report asks the state government—which declined to allow a CBI
probe—to hand over the investigation to a special investigation team.
Its reason: the state police not only botched up investigation, it
planted false leads and avoided looking at the wider conspiracy.
Marad, a sleepy fishing village off Kozhikode, hit headlines on January
3, 2002 when Hindu and Muslim extremist elements were quick to hijack
what began as a trivial altercation over drinking water at the public tap.
A couple of Hindus and three Muslims lay dead the morning after.
This was the first communal eruption in this village of 275 Hindu and
191 Muslim families. The police did round up a few men, almost all were
found to belong to mainstream political groups, Congress, CPI(M), BJP
and the Muslim League. Police later found several had a dual identity as
members of a rash of extremist outfits.
No chargesheet was filed for a year and a half— until after Marad
erupted again, much more violently, at sunset on May 2, 2003. Armed men
chopped and hacked eight Hindu fishermen to death on the beach. One
assailant was reportedly hacked by mistake in the melee. The killers
then escaped into the local Juma Masjid.
The commission’s report notes the submission of then Kozhikode Police
Commissioner T K Vinod Kumar that hundreds of local Muslim women
converged on the mosque to prevent the police from entering it to catch
the killers.
While the police tried to reason with them, a nearly 300-strong armed
Hindu mob gathered as well threatening to attack the cops if they didn’t
catch the killers.
Driven to the wall, the cops opened fire after lathicharges and
teargassing failed, injuring one man. Vinod Kumar’s deposition asserts
that ‘‘the conspiracy was hatched in the Marad Juma Masjid and other
places.’’
The cops later confiscated a huge cache of arms from this mosque,
including explosives.
By then, the communal rift in Marad was total. The Sangh Parivar had
driven away all Muslim families from the village, not allowing them to
return and rapidly converting Marad into a saffron bastion.
So much so that even then chief minister A K Antony had to plead with
the Sangh leadership to be allowed into Marad after the incident.
Local Muslim families, all 191 of them, had to live in exile in relief
camps or with relatives elsewhere, for over a year. The Antony
Government did not dare to help them get back to their homes.
The Muslim League, meanwhile, vehemently opposed demands to have the
Marad massacre probed by the CBI. Though Antony said his Government
would consider a ‘‘partial CBI probe,’’ the Government later submitted
to the commission that it decided not to have a CBI probe since a
partial probe was not ‘‘procedurally possible.’’
The commission, however, dismisses this Government view saying it would
not stand legal scrutiny. Its report cites a Supreme Court order
asserting that such a probe was indeed possible, and adds that the
Government’s stubborn unwillingness to have the CBI look into the
massacre was ‘‘mysterious’’.
But the commission’s documents are more revealing. One is the deposition
of N P Rajendran, president of the Calicut Press Club, which the
Government sought to help restore peace in Marad. Rajendran told the
commission that Muslim League state secretary and then state Industries
Minister P K Kunhalikutty had asked him while he was at the Chief
Minister’s residence for the Marad meeting: “Where’s the guarantee that
the CBI, if allowed to probe the incident, will not arrest me or
Panakkad Syed Mohammed Ali Shihab Thangal (Muslim League supremo)?” The
commission’s report also says a senior Muslim League leader knew about
the conspiracy that later led to the killings.
Its other key findings:
• Coming in for strong indictment is then Kozhikode District Collector T
O Sooraj, currently director of Industries. The commission has observed
that allegations that the Collector was a communalist cannot be
dismissed as untrue.
The Collector had taken custody of the mosque from where the police had
seized lethal weapons. But, the commission noted, he allowed Muslim
League leader E Ahmed, then an MP and now Minister of State for External
Affairs, to enter the mosque and offer prayers, even as an explosive
situation prevailed in the area.
• The commission dismissed as ‘‘untrue’’ the Collector’s deposition that
intelligence officials had not alerted him about the possibility of
violence.
• The commission has taken a serious note of the deposition of state DGP
K J Joseph, that the then Assistant Commissioner of Police (Kozhikode)
Abdul Rahim “failed to investigate and take prompt action in Marad.’’
The DGP deposed that Rahim not only ‘‘hid the truth from his superior
officers’’ but also tried to establish that the key accused in the
massacre on the beach on May 2, 2003 were not guilty.
• The report talks about the presence of extremist outfits with foreign
links operating in Kerala, and slams the current and previous state
Governments for their failure to take any effective action against these
elements, being ‘‘interested only in the vote banks.’’
The commission has asserted that there was a much larger conspiracy than
what the police crime branch has revealed in Marad, and it must be probed.
*What happened in sleepy Marad*
• On Jan 3, 2002 a couple of Hindus and 3 Muslims were killed after a
trivial altercation over drinking water.
• No chargesheet filed for over a year
• On May 2, 2003, 8 Hindu fishermen hacked to death, killers escape into
mosque
• All 191 Muslim families driven out of the village by Sangh Parivar
• Cong ally Muslim League opposed CBI probe, Govt agreed
• Then Kozhikode district collector T O Sooraj indicted for bias in
favour of Muslim League
• The commission dismissed as ‘‘untrue’’ Sooraj’s deposition that he had
no intelligence alert
• State DGP said ACP “hid truth” from superior officers.
• The report talks about the presence of extremist outfits with foreign
links operating in Kerala

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[stratfor: The Geopolitics of China]

apr 25th

forwarded by ram narayanan.

i have been saying this stuff about the 60% non performing assets and
other ominous signs for the chinese economy for a long time. i am
surprised china hasn't collapsed yet. i think it's because the yanks
need the chinese to keep subsidizing their profligate spending. talk of
a co-dependency!

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: The Geopolitics of China
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 2006 04:38:43 -0400
From: Ram Narayanan <ramn_wins@adelphia.net>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>


*STRATFOR, GEOPOLITICAL INTELLIGENCE REPORT*
**
*04.25.2006*

The Geopolitics of China

*By George Friedman*

Chinese President Hu Jintao visited Washington last week for a meeting
that diplomatically might be called "nonproductive" -- or,
realistically, "disastrous." Not only was nothing settled, but a series
of incidents -- ranging from a reporter shouting insults at Hu and being
permitted to continue doing so for three minutes, to an announcement
that the national anthem of "The Republic of China" (also known as
Taiwan) was being played -- marred the visit, to say the least.

It is hard for us to believe that the admission of a Falun Gong member
to the White House press pool would go unnoticed by the White House
staff, or that it would take three full minutes to silence her. We are,
sad to say, cynical people, and it is plausible that the insults were
deliberate. The American side had been leaking for weeks that Hu would
try to use the visit for his own political ends in China, and wanted to
be granted every honor conceivable during the trip. The White House
appeared irritated by this hubris, although it would, on the surface,
appear quite natural for the United States and China to exchange full
diplomatic courtesies.

Obviously, something serious is going on in Sino-U.S. relations. The
United States has openly discussed a hedge strategy on China, under
which economic relations would proceed while the United States increased
its military presence in the region as a hedge against future trouble.
China, for its part, has been more than a little troublesome in areas
where the United States does not want it to be, particularly during the
current confrontation with Iran.

China and the United States are bound together economically. That is one
of the major problems, since they need very different things. The
Chinese economy
<http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=263140>,
as we have argued in the past, is not doing nearly as well as its growth
rate
<http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=260609>
would indicate. We won't rehash our views on that. However, the economic
reality creates an obvious tension
<http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=259659>.
Chinese exports are surging at very low or nonexistent profit margins in
order to sustain a financial system that has accrued a nonperforming
loan burden that is, by some measures, as high as 60 percent of gross
domestic product. The United States is addicted to Chinese imports, and
China is addicted to exporting to the United States. The United States
wants China to revalue the yuan in order to raise the price of Chinese
exports. The Chinese, eager to maintain and increase exports, have no
intention of allowing a meaningful rise in the yuan.

There are other forces binding the two countries together as well. The
most important is Chinese money -- which is flowing out to other
countries precisely because China is no longer a particularly attractive
place for Chinese investment. There is serious capital flight under way,
as money is redeployed to safer havens. The safest haven from the
Chinese point of view is the United States -- thus, Chinese investment
there is surging. And the United States needs this money. In this sense,
both countries are in a death-lock. There is no other economy that is as
large, liquid and safe as the American economy. Chinese investors need
their funds to be in the United States. And there is no larger pool of
cash than China's to finance U.S. debt.

This means that there is no divorce looming in Sino-U.S. relations. But
at the same time, it must be noted that, despite very close connections
between China and Japan, Sino-Japanese relations have deteriorated
remarkably -- and it is China that has driven the estrangement. The
reasons are political: China's government has domestic problems, and
patriotic fervor will tend to buttress Beijing's power. Japan is still
deeply hated for its behavior in World War II, and attacking Japanese
behavior is good politics. The Chinese have strained relations with
Japan nearly to the breaking point.

What is important here is this: It must not be assumed that China is
driven purely by economic considerations. In the case of Japan, Beijing
clearly has subordinated the economic advantage of having smooth
relations with Tokyo to its own domestic considerations. Now, Japan is
not the United States -- it is a significant country for China, but not
economically decisive in the way that the United States is. The Chinese
have more room for maneuver there. At the same time, it must be
understood that China is playing a complex game, and while making money
is up there on the priority list, it is not the only thing up there.
Preserving national unity in the face of centrifugal forces and foreign
power also matters a great deal to the Chinese.

It is therefore time to stop to consider China's national strategy in
the long run, and therefore, to consider China's geopolitics.

*The Geography Factor*

Beginning, as is necessary, with the outlines of China's national
boundaries, we are immediately struck by the fact that China is, in many
ways, an island. To the east are the South and East China Seas. To the
northeast is Siberia, thinly inhabited and to a great extent
uninhabitable. Some limited military expansion in that direction is
possible, but a large population could not be sustained. To the direct
north is Mongolia -- occasionally part of China, occasionally the ruler
of China, but currently a fairly unimportant area, not worth projecting
force into. To the southwest are the Himalayas. There is frequent talk
of India as balancing China, but this is, in fact, meaningless
<http://www.stratfor.com/products/premium/read_article.php?id=252087>.
They are as much separated as if there were a wall. There can be
skirmishes along the dividing line in the Himalayas, but no massive
movement of armies.

In the southeast, there is Indochina. China could expand there, but the
last time there were land-based skirmishes, in 1979, Vietnam beat the
Chinese soundly (though both sides claimed victory). Jungles and
mountains stretching from eastern India to the South China Sea make that
region impassable, even without the need for self-defense. Finally,
there are the western approaches into Central Asia, through Kazakhstan.
This has been the traditional, and in some ways only, route for Chinese
aggression. China is certainly deeply involved in Central Asia, but its
own region of Xinjiang is both Muslim and hostile to Beijing. It does
not provide a base for launching invasions, even if one was wanted.

For these reasons, China must be viewed as one of the most insular great
powers in the world. It has occupied most of the terrain that is
accessible to it; what remains is either inaccessible, undesirable or
quite able to defend itself. China's great interest, therefore, should
be the oceans. Over the past 20 years, China has become a major exporter
and thus should have a great interest in securing its sea lanes. But
China's coastal waters are effectively controlled by the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Constructing a navy that could challenge the U.S. Navy would take a
fortune, which China probably has, but also one or two generations would
be needed -- not only for construction, but for establishing a military
culture suitable for an aggressive naval force.

Most important, challenging the U.S. Navy with a Chinese navy cannot be
done regionally. The United States has fleets other than the 7th Fleet,
and if the U.S. Navy were concentrated against China, the Chinese could
not fight a defensive battle. They would have to take the fight to the
Americans, and that would mean fielding a global naval force. China
might one day have that, but they do not have it now. In this sense, the
standard concerns about a Chinese invasion of Taiwan are not realistic.
China does not have a naval force capable of taking control of the
Taiwan Strait, nor the amphibious force needed to gain significant
lodgment in Taiwan, nor therefore -- and this is the key -- the ability
to sustain a multidivisional force in Taiwan.

*The Internal Divide*

China does not have many regional options with conventional forces nor,
for that matter, does it face a conventional threat from within the
region. China's primary geopolitical problem, and thus its chief
military mission, is domestic. China is a highly diverse and fragmented
country; maintaining control of the current extent of the country is the
major strategic problem. Unlike most nations, whose external
geopolitical problems define their military thinking, China's internal
geopolitical problems drive its military planning.

There are two dimensions to these problems. The first is ethnic: China
occupies areas like Xinjiang, Tibet and Manchuria that are ethnically
distinct and sometimes restive. The other and deeper problem, however,
is not ethnic but regional. China has a large coastal plain. It also has
a vast interior that is mountainous. The tension between those two
regions historically has been a great challenge that China has faced.

The interior is heavily driven by agriculture -- subsistence
agriculture. It is extraordinarily poor, and arable land is minimal. The
coastal regions are relatively better off, to the extent to which they
conduct international trade through coastal ports. Thus, China has had
two realities. In one, the coastal regions were cut off from the rest of
the world, and there was a rough equality between the regions. Until the
British showed up in the 19th century, for example, trading with
foreigners had been illegal. After the British forced China open, the
coastal regions boomed, and the country fragmented; the coastal regions,
manipulated by foreigners who were in turn manipulated, turned outward
to the ocean, while the interior stagnated. Mao tried to create a
revolution in Shanghai and failed. Instead, he went on his Long March to
Yenan in the interior, raised a peasant army from there, and came back
to conquer the coast. He also closed off China from the world, creating
poverty but relative unity.

Deng gambled with the idea that he would be able to have his cake and
eat it too. He opened China to the world, thereby enriching the coastal
regions and recreating the tension that Mao had sought to abolish. For
30 years, Deng's gamble worked. Now it is breaking down. Beijing is
urgently trying to shift resources from the wealthy coastal regions to
the restive interior. The coastal provinces naturally are resisting. The
great question is whether Beijing will be able to juggle the two
realities, whether China will again turn inward to maintain geopolitical
integrity or if it will fragment further into warring regions.

Balancing the two indefinitely is the least likely outcome. But China
does have one other card to play, which is patriotism. The Communist
Party has little legitimacy at this point, but the idea of China --
particularly among ethnic Chinese of whatever region -- is not a trivial
driver. In order to generate patriotic fervor, however, there must be a
threat and an enemy. At this point, the Chinese are using the Japanese
in order to sustain patriotism. Reclaiming Taiwan would stir the spirits
and reduce regional tensions, but this, as we have pointed out, would be
militarily difficult in any conventional way. Moreover, it would bring a
confrontation with the United States.

*Priorities and Options*

If we accept the idea that maintaining the territorial integrity of
China is its greatest geopolitical imperative and that regional
prosperity comes second for Beijing, it follows that the government will
attempt to impose its will on the coast, and trade and economic concerns
will come second. Beijing's interest in having smooth trade relations
wanes, both because the wealth gap exacerbates tensions between the
regions and because the interest runs counter to its need for external
confrontation. It follows from this that China's primary interest -- and
ability -- would be to maintain security in China, and that foreign
adventures would be avoided except under circumstances in which they
would have a high probability of success and would serve internal
political interests.

A secondary goal would be to protect China's coast from foreign
encroachment. Imagine the following scenario: Business and Party
interests in the coastal region are resisting Beijing's efforts to bring
them under control and impose taxes. The situation becomes unstable, and
Western interests, investments and the expatriate community living there
are jeopardized. Through some political contrivance, these local leaders
position themselves as the regional authority and ask for American
intervention. The United States decides to intervene. Given that this is
roughly what happened in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in China
-- during which time there was a major American presence in Shanghai --
it is not as far-fetched as it might seem.

Under these circumstances, the government in Beijing would be forced to
resist or abdicate. So, if the primary interest of China is the
maintenance of internal security, a secondary interest would be
deterring foreign interventions in the event of instability. The
tertiary interest would be some form of force projection in the region,
particularly against Taiwan -- which not only could be regarded as an
internal security matter but would provide the regime with patriotic
credibility.

If we accept the premises that China's major resources will go to the
army for security purposes, and that China is at least a generation away
from having a significant naval force, then what military options do the
Chinese have? Obviously, one is its nuclear force. That is a serious
deterrent; nations have attacked nuclear powers (Egypt and Syria against
Israel in 1973) but not for the fairly marginal reasons the United
States might have to get involved in China at some hypothetical future
date. But given that deterrence runs both ways, nuclear stalemate always
leaves opportunities for subnuclear threats.

The prime military lever within China's reach is not sea-lane control,
but rather sea-lane denial. Using anti-ship missiles, the Chinese could
impose heavy attrition on the sea-lanes leading to Taiwan and even
potentially interdict Japan's sea-lanes. This would not guarantee China
control of the sea-lanes, and that is a problem if China is importing
oil by sea. However, in extremis, it would hurt Taiwan and Japan more
than China. And if the Chinese had systems that could threaten to
overload U.S. Aegis and follow-on systems designed to protect warships,
then it could force the 7th Fleet to retreat as well. The tactic would
serve as a deterrent against intervention and as a suitable secondary
system to supplement the army. It would also serve as a threat to the
interests, if not the survival, of Taiwan.

All of this is of course hypothetical and speculative. It assumes that
the current trends in Chinese relations with Japan and the United States
are merely road bumps rather than fundamental shifts in China's pattern.
But given that China does shift its pattern every 30 years or so, and
that the stresses on China make it reasonable to expect some shift --
and finally, given that there is a trend toward increased tensions in
play -- it is not unreasonable to think of China in a different way than
has been customary. China has been seen by Americans as a giant money
factory. It is that, but it is both less than that and more. It is a
great power facing other great powers, and a superpower. And while the
scenarios here are extreme, thinking about the extremes can be useful.

/Send questions or comments on this article to //analysis@stratfor.com/
<mailto:analysis@stratfor.com>.

an arab intellectual slams amartya sen

apr 25th

fouad ajami is if i am not mistaken of lebanese origin. here's a cruel
review of sen's new book 'idiocy and vacuousness', oops... 'identity and
violence'.

i havent read the book, but i can imagine what it would be all about,
based on sen's prior writing
1. islam = good, marxism = good
2. other religions = not so good
3. hinduism = bad

the usual nehruvian claptrap.

so now sen wants to be the anti-huntington. good luck, old chap, in this
post-9/11 world. your timing is slightly off.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 23:45:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rajan
To: Rajeev Srinivasan

This is funny. Not even the muslims are buying into
Amartya's fabrications -

http://www.statesman.com/life/content/life/stories/books/04/9sen.html

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

mohdan spills the beans on what 'secularism' really is

apr 25th

inadvertently, this man has clarified what 'secularism' means.

if what has been practised at ajmer is 'secularism', then 'secularism'
== mohammedanism.

the ajmer dargah is visibly built on top of a hindu/jain temple.

thank you for clarifying what arjun singh is striving so hard to
demonstrate wordlessly.

http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=22&newsid=220649&RF=DefaultMain
<http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&cat1=1&cat2=22&newsid=220649&RF=DefaultMain>
Clerics write to PM on J&K
- By Archana Jyoti

New Delhi, April 19: In a significant departure from established
convention, the Nazim of the Ajmer shrine has joined the Dar-ul-Uloom of
Deoband in Uttar Pradesh to address separate letters to Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh, urging him to intervene directly for a peaceful
resolution of the Kashmir issue, while maintaining that Jammu and
Kashmir "is an integral part of India."
Ajmer Dargah Nazim Syed Sarwar Chishti also made support for the
Congress and specifically Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the May 8
Rae Bareli byelection conditional to a resolution of the "immediate
problems" of the people of Kashmir. "I also take this opportunity to
make the present Congress-led government aware of our resentment towards
its policies regarding US President George W. Bush and its friendly
approach towards him," he wrote. Syed Sarwar Chishti also made it clear
that there was concern about the government’s tendency to blame "all and
sundry" for acts of militancy without proof. He said that before the
Congress asked Muslims for their support in elections, it should
"deliver peace to the Valley of Kashmir rather than lip-service to
Indian Muslims."
The letters have, for the first time, linked Indian Muslims with the
people of Jammu and Kashmir. Syed Chishti made it clear: _*"This message
is going from the shrine where secularism is not only preached but has
been practised since the last 800 years*_, and the message is for the
solution of the overwhelming problems of the Kashmiri population and not
in support of any particular group or leaders. This is a message in the
best cause of humanity."

.....

some questions in response to RISA questions

koenraad elst send the following mail that risa types want answers to
the following. will someone on RISA please post my questions there, too?

§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ begin quote from some risa type

(About the terms "Dalit" "Harijan", "SC", quote:)

I will answer your question with a question: How many of the major
temples in India that are patronized by caste Hindus have ex-untouchable
priests of any self-designation (Harijan, etc.)? How many Hindu leaders
who are ex-untouchables of any self-designation (Harijan, etc.) are
there who count significant numbers of "touchables" amongst their
followers? How many ex-untouchables of any self-designation (Harijan,
etc.) sit on the governing board of the VHP? How many ex-untouchables
of any self-designation (Harijan, etc.) hold high leadership positions
within the RSS? ...and, while we are at it, why is it that Hindu
ex-untouchables always seem to form separate sects whose membership is
predominantly or exclusively made up of others like themselves rather
than caste Hindus? And if the leaders of such sects desired the
recognition and respect of caste Hindu leaders, what name do you think
they would have to call themselves by, "Dalit" or "Harijan"?
§§§§§§§§§§§§§ end quote from some risa type

sure enough. as soon as they answer the following:

1. how many major churches in the us that are patronized by whites have
any black priests or leaders?
2. how many christian leaders who are black have significant numbers of
whites among their followers? how about vice versa? how many blacks are
members of cults like pat robertson's, oral roberts', and so forth?
3. how many blacks sit on the governing board of the mormons? of the
vatican? of the catholic church in the us? of the southern baptists? of
the unitarians? of the christian scientists? of the moonies? of the
episcopalians? of the methodists? of the seventh day adventists?
4. how many blacks hold high leadership positions in the salvation army,
which is the closest equivalent to the RSS? how many hispanics do? how
many asians do? same questions for the republican party? the democratic
national council?
5. why is it that blacks always seem to form separate
sects/cults/churches whose membership is predominantly or exclusively
made up of blacks rather than whites? same question for chinese,
koreans, filipinos, hispanics, etc?
6. if the leaders desired the recognition and respect of whites what
name do you think they call themselves by, black, hispanic, korean,
chinese etc or just christian?

talk of people living in glass houses! the christian church is far more
oppressive and discriminatory than any hindu ever was! so is american
society in general.

heal thyself first before pontificating to others!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

food industry shenanigans

apr 25th

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/books/review/23kamp.html?8bu=&emc=bu&pagewanted=all

what the food industry is doing in the us.

these are the guys feeding poor people large amounts of trans fats and
high fructose corn syrup as well.

as for you, cacoethes, i cant waste time doing google searches to match
your googling capability: while you decry the internet, you parade a
bunch of sources you found on the internet as well.

if there is enough money to be made, clearly the big fast food guys are
going to fund and find 'research' that shows that the garbage they are
feeding people is good for them. and the industry-friendly bush
administration will ask the FDA to rubber-stamp this research too. the
tobacco industry similarly got lots of govt agencies to accept that
tobacco is actually good for your health. so dont wave these reports
about as though they were some gospel truth.

and dont tell me that something is good for you just because it occurs
naturally. cyanide occurs naturally. steroids are found in the body. the
poisonous fugu fish is found in nature. therefore just because something
exists naturally it doesnt mean you have to eat it or eat it in large
quantities.

and oh, cacoethes, you are a scientist. that don't impress me much, to
quote a female pop singer. dont get me started on scientists: i have
ranted and raved about them here in the past. scientists are sometimes
quasi-semitic fundamentalists who cannot think beyond some dubious
theory they have embraced. they are most resistant to change.

[ California Textbook Lawsuit moves ahead in court]

apr 25

to counteract steve farmer's misinformation and gloating about the trial.

it really ain't over until the fat lady sings, farmer old boy. and in
any case, i think the key issue has already been won by the hindus:
publishers will now think twice about including anti-hindu material.
they will self-censor. because they are worried that if there is
anti-hindu material, hindus in the school districts may object. thus
those textbooks that do not offend hindus are the ones that are most
likely to get used.

thus, even if the witzel types win the court case, theirs would be a
pyrrhic victory.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Fwd. California Textbook Lawsuit moves ahead in court
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2006 05:26:11 -0400
From: S. Kalyanaraman
To: S. Kalyanaraman

Fwd. HP Press report, April 24, 2006

k

California Textbook Lawsuit Moves Ahead in Court

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, April 21, 2006: The California Superior Court
ordered an expedited schedule be determined in the lawsuit of the Hindu
American Foundation against the California State Board of Education over
the adoption of sixth grade social studies' books for next school year.
The lawsuit was brought when Hindus were dissatisfied with the book
review process which left in place inaccuracies, distortions and an
unbalanced presentation of Hinduism vis-a-vis other religions. See HPI,
March 18, for a summary of the lawsuit issues: here
<http://www.hinduismtoday.com/hpi/2006/3/18.shtml>.

In his ruling, Superior court Judge Patrick Marlette stated twice that
he was "troubled" by the SBE review process in adopting the books. HAF
had charged that what is supposed to be a documented and transparent
system of review actually progressed through 2005 and 2006 in a
haphazard manner. Parts of the review, HAF contends, were contrary to
Cali fornia State law.

The preliminary injunction was rejected by Marlette in favor of a speedy
schedule to resolve the complex case prior to the school year. It would
be rare for a preliminary injunction to be issued against a state
government. He could have dismissed the case, if he felt it had no
merit, but did not. He has instead ordered the SBE and HAF to confer and
provide a schedule for hearing the case expeditiously, before the
textbooks in question are distributed this fall. He also recommended the
two parties explore any possible resolution of the issues between them.

One surprising testimony in the case is that of Stan Metzenberg, a
member of the Curriculum Commission whose December 2 decision on the
Hindu issues with the textbooks -- and supposed to be the final
recommendation -- was tossed out by subsequent SBE actions. The SBE
contended the Curriculum Commission failed to follow the guidelines laid
out for it in reviewing the proposed Hindu "e dits" (as the changes are
called). As a result, the SBE held a separate, closed door meeting on
January 6 to again review the edits, and arrived at a different set of
recommendations less acceptable to Hindus.

Metzenberg, a professor at Northridge University in the California
system argues in his testimony that the Commission did indeed follow the
Board's instructions. He is no stranger to textbook issues, having been
involved in improving the science curriculum in California and
testifying before the US Congress on the same issue. During the December
2 meeting, Metzenberg, a molecular biologist, took issue with the claims
that there was an "Aryan Invasion" in ancient times in India -- one of
the main points of dispute with the texts. He took it upon himself to
read the studies that had been done on the genetic makeup of individuals
of the Indian subcontinent, and reviewed them with his wife, also a
professor at Northridge and an expert in human genetics. At the meeting,
he sided with the Hindus against the recommendation of several Western
non-Hindu Indologists. In his testimony, he states, "My opinion as a
scientist, and what I recommended to my fellow commissioners on December
2, was that Aryan Invasion Theory is not easily supported by genetic
evidence, and in fact the preponderance of more recent genetic evidence
would tend to rule out a major invasion of Europeans. This is why I
believe that it would be inaccurate to portray Aryan Invasion Theory as
a fact in California textbooks. Our [the Commission's] addition of a
qualified statement, 'Aryan invasion theory has been contradicted by
some scholarly evidence,' is a sensible solution."

Metzenberg's testimony carries special weight as he was part of the
process of textbook adoption and is supporting the Hindu contention that
the Curriculum Commission had followed proper procedure in considering
the edits. The Board's contention that the Commission did not proper
procedure is a major part of their defense.

Another declaration submitted is that of Dr. Shiva Bajpai, who was hired
by the Board as an expert in Indian history to review the proposed
edits. Upon the ent ry of the non-Hindu Indologists in December, he was
sidelined in the process. At the critical January 6 meeting in which all
contested edits were reviewed again, he was told that changes would only
be made if he and Dr. Witzel of Harvard, leader of the non-Hindu
Indologist group, agreed. This effectively gave veto power over the
edits to Dr. Witzel, with the result that significant edits Hindus
sought were not made. Bajpai concludes in his testimony, "It is my view
and opinion that if the textbooks reflect only the edits recommended by
the subcommittee [mostly the results of the January 6 meeting], those
texts will portray Hinduism and Indian history inaccurately and in a
manner that puts Hinduism in a rather unfavorable light. It is my view
and opinion that the texts continue to require changes to make them
comply with the Standards imposed by law for textbooks in California."

Also of interest in the court documents is an Amici Curiae Brief
submitted by a group of political and social activist organization
including The Ambedkar Center for Justice and Peace and the Friends of
South Asia. An Amici Curiae Brief is one filed by persons or
organizations not directly part of the court case, but who wish to
provide input. Most of the Brief is spent critiquing the edits still
sought by the Hindu groups, att acking the same groups as "politically
motivated," including a flow chart connecting all of them to the RSS in
India, even though HAF and the Vedic Foundation -- two key players --
have no organization ties with the RSS, and the association of most
others in the chart is tenuous as best.

Toward the end, their Brief states, "Indeed, 126 south Asia faculty and
scholars have unequivocally stated that the edits approved by the SBE
are an 'important and positive step in providing California school
children with more accurate information on Hinduism and Indian history
than in the current textbooks.' These faculty and scholars have reached
consensus that the textbook edits approved by the SBE are 'a sizeable
improvement over the earlier texts in attempting to present responsible
scholarship that is sensitive to and respectful of religious and
cultural difference.' "

The irony here is that the praised "edits approved by the SBE" are those
75% or so of the edi ts proposed by the Hindu groups and accepted. There
was no input to the edit process by the groups submitting the brief.

The judge at the April 21 hearing requested the groups explore a
possibility of settlement. The charges brought against the Board by HAF
are fairly extensive, ranging from improper process to the specifics of
five issues: women's rights, caste and untouchability, theology,
comparison with other faiths and Aryan Invasion. Toward the end of
January, prior to the final Board decision on the edits, HAF submitted a
document with their recommendation on two dozen or so critical edits
related these five issues. This proposal was rejected by the Board,
which led to HAF filing the lawsuit. The possibility remains that the
Board and HAF could revisit this list of edits and try to work out a
solution that does not hold up the entire textbook printing process, as
a trial might. A solution based on these specific edits would not
address the larger problems w ith the texts, but it would establish the
rights of Hindus to at least an equal part in the process with Western
non-Hindu Indologist, many of whom appear to regard Hinduism with
contempt. If, however, HAF prevails at trial, then court-ordered changes
to the books to bring the treatment of Hinduism on par with the other
religious would necessarily be quite extensive, as the court would not
be limited to the relatively small corrections allowed in the Board's
review process.

Monday, April 24, 2006

me on rediff on prof eachara warrier and the rajan case

apr 24th

i have only a few heroes; they are the ones who fight on against
overwhelming odds because their cause is right.

eachara warrier was one such hero.

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/apr/24rajeev.htm

hu's been insulted? :-)

apr 24th

i quite liked this bit about hu losing face and being treated like an
errant schoolboy. it must burn the chinese up no end.

subtle insults by the yanks, eh? they *are* getting pretty scared of the
chinese and are boning up on sun tzu, no doubt.

i wonder what sun tzu says about insults? let me make up something: "the
wise general does not show his anger, but bides his time to strike when
the time is ripe. but the wise general never forgets; he merely figures
out ways in which to return the insult magnified tenfold"

:-) pretty good, eh? just like the real sun tzu? i have read the text,
in fact i own a copy of the text and an interpretation. i find it to be
just one level more coherent than a fortune cookie ("confucious say wife
who put husband in dog-house find him in cat-house" :-) if you didnt get
it, look up what dog-house and cat-house mean in colloquial american
slang).

sun tzu's work is basically a lot of pious nonsense which can be
interpreted to mean all sorts of things.

btw, hu's performance was better than manmohan singh's in the us
congress. singh demonstrated to the entire world that he is a puppet on
a chain. when the puppeteer was not there to tell him what to do, he
looked exactly like dan quayle: unsure what to do, uncomfortable,
blinking like a deer caught in the headlights.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Shadow Warrior] 4/23/2006 11:25:53 PM
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 23:25:56 -0700 (PDT)
From: KapiDhwaja
To: rajeev

Click below to see the Chinese President humiliated at White House. I am
very happy, given that it is sweet revenge for the routinely obnoxious
attitude displayed by the Chinese, towards Indian Govt. officials and
India in general right here in our homeland.
link
<http://smh.com.au/news/world/chinese-leader-given-a-welcome-hell-never-forget/2006/04/21/1145344272751.html>

--
Posted by KapiDhwaja to Shadow Warrior
<http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2006/04/fwd-martha-nussbaum-hindu-hating.html>
at 4/23/2006 11:25:53 PM

on lok paritran -- request for some publicity

apr 24

i know practically nothing about this group, simply forwarding this
message.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: from a fellow blogger..
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 22:50:59 +0530
From: Anantha

Hi Folks!
No this is not some spam..pl read and DTN..

I am sure we all would have at one time or the other professed some
heavy fundas to 'improve' our nation. We would have surely had heated
arguments about how and why things go wrong here..many of us wud have
been silent spectators to the system being abused/misused..

And many a times we wud have said "some educated guys shud have the
courage and strength to come to politics and cleanse.."

So here are some educated well minded folks who have started a party
with some conscience. Please see http://www.lokparitran.org/ for their
vision, philosophy and the people involved. Though it has come to be
known as "The IITians party" its formed by a group of like minded
"educated" people.

Now in this coming TN elections they have fielded candidates in
following 8 constituencies in Madras.

Santhanagopalan – Mylapore

Elanthirumaran – Chepauk

Ishrayel Mahesh – Thousand lights

Prashanth Sharma – Egmore

Arvind Tiruvaiyar - T.Nagar

Rajamani – Annanagar

Hariharan – saidapet

Rabindra Ganesh – Park

There are already sms and fwd emails going on..

But my request to you big time bloggers (with heavy readerships) to
spread the word around and request the people in their (and your) know
in these constituencies to vote for them. Lets for once try some
"educated" politicians..

Let us be a part of some awakening and let us do more than just yapping
suggestions for a change. Here some guys have come out. Lets come out
and extend all possible support in the best ways we can.

--
Warm regards
Ananth
for my personal updates visit:
http://ananthoosupdates.blogspot.com/

[Fwd: Aryan idols: Biblical classifications, from Noah's sons to the Aryan race]

apr 24th

sounds like pretty good research into the dubious 'aryan' concept. it's
as those perceptive folks at the SABHA think-tank demonstrated: 'aryan'
is basically creationist mythology based nonsense from abbe dubois and
max mueller.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Aryan idols: Biblical classifications, from Noah's sons to the
Aryan race
Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 13:57:20 -0400
From:
To: S. Kalyanaraman

http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/185832.ctl
<http://www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/185832.ctl>

Arvidsson, Stefan *Aryan Idols*: /Indo-European Mythology as Ideology
and Science/. Translated by Sonia Wichmann. 320 p., 23 halftones, 6 line
drawings, 17 tables. 6 x 9 2006

Cloth $55.00spec 0-226-02860-7 Spring 2006

Critically examining the discourse of Indo-European scholarship over the
past two hundred years, /Aryan Idols/ demonstrates how the
interconnected concepts of "Indo-European" and "Aryan" as ethnic
categories have been shaped by, and used for, various ideologies.

Stefan Arvidsson traces the evolution of the Aryan idea through the
nineteenth century—from its roots in Bible-based classifications and
William Jones's discovery of commonalities among Sanskrit, Latin, and
Greek to its use by scholars in fields such as archaeology,
anthropology, folklore, comparative religion, and history. Along the
way, Arvidsson maps out the changing ways in which Aryans were imagined
and relates such shifts to social, historical, and political processes.
Considering the developments of the twentieth century, Arvidsson focuses
on the adoption of Indo-European scholarship (or pseudoscholarship) by
the Nazis and by Fascist Catholics.

A wide-ranging discussion of the intellectual history of the past two
centuries, /Aryan Idols /links the pervasive idea of the Indo-European
people to major scientific, philosophical, and political developments of
the times, while raising important questions about the nature of
scholarship as well.

*TABLE OF CONTENTS*

Preface
Introduction
1. From Noah's Sons to the Aryan Race: The Foundation Is Laid
2. A Place in the Sun: The Paradigm of Nature Mythology
3. Primitive Aryans: Research near the Beginning of the Twentieth Century
4. Order and Barbarianism: Aryan Religion in the Third Reich
5. Horsemen from the East: Alternatives to Nazi Research
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

*Subjects:*

* ANTHROPOLOGY: Cultural and Social Anthropology
* CULTURE STUDIES
* FOLKLORE AND MYTHOLOGY
* RELIGION: Comparative Studies and History of Religion
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/File last modified on 04/12/2006./

[Government Persecution Against Iskcon in Kazakhstan]

apr 23rd

i am forwarding this as requested. given the fact that kazakhstan is a
mohammedan state, /a priori /it is likely that this oppression is quite
true.

and where is the US Council on International Religious Freedom?

where is shabana azmi? where is kuldip nayar? where is arjun singh?

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Government Persecution Against Iskcon in Kazakhstan
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:36:46 +0530
From: Anand
To: rajeev

Namaste Rajeev,
I m a regular visitor of your blog, Pls. publish the following message
in your blog
so that many people can know about it.

Regards,
Anandkumar V

Here is another example of how in Kali-yuga the governments does not allow
the Vedic process freedom to continue without persecution, and that to
continue
working to preserve and protect it, what to speak of expanding it in some
countries, becomes increasingly difficult.

Da: Silk Road Foundation < director@palaceofthesoul.com
<http://f1mail.rediff.com/bn/compose.cgi?login=v_anandkumar&session_id=1K1KSK2Uo3qdKjmQjEHybJ20D3C1&FormName=mail_to_individual&email=director@palaceofthesoul.com>>
Data: 18 aprile 2006 3:33:05 CET
A: Sri Lalita dasi dasi < srilalita@libero.it
<http://f1mail.rediff.com/bn/compose.cgi?login=v_anandkumar&session_id=1K1KSK2Uo3qdKjmQjEHybJ20D3C1&FormName=mail_to_individual&email=srilalita@libero.it>>
Oggetto: Kazakhstan - Palace of the Soul Update

Dear Friends, Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila
Prabhupada.
In 1999 the devotees in Kazkhstan purchased a beautiful farm outside of
the
city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Since that time substantial strides have been
made in creating an agricultural community, a home for many vaisnavas,
and the
venue for a wonderful summer yearly festival attended by devotees from
Central
Asia and Russia.
Since October 2004 there have been many attempts from the government of
Kazakhstan to push us from this property. This has been done by smear
campaigns
in the media and ongoing litigation in the courts.

On March 29, 2006 a case was conducted in the Almaty Oblast Court.
Prior to
issuing the ruling the judge declared that the legal arguments of the
government land agency had no substance and that the arguments
presented by the
advocates representing our society were correct and in accordance to the
Kazakhstan legal code.
But after private discussion in their chambers the judges emerged and
issued
a ruling against

our society in which it is stated that the land be confiscated and
returned
to the government. This ruling was illegal and not based on legislation of
the government of Kazakhstan.
We purchased the land at the market value in 1999. In 2004 we
privatised the
land according to the laws of Kazakhstan in. Since this time the value of
this land has increased dramatically. The situation we have is that the
powerful government land barons want to eliminate us by any illegal
process that
they may possess the land, again sell, and make astronomical profit.
We have neither time nor options left. Our last option is the Supreme
Court
of Kazakhstan, but need-less-to-say, the legal system does not work in
this
country. It is either a matter of paying for the decision or having a
powerful
person order the decision.
Thus we are requesting devotees throughout the world to assist us in
different ways:

First, we are requesting you to send this letter to all the contacts you
have.

Second, we are requesting you to print the following letter and send to
the
Administration of the President of Kazakhstan requesting him to
intervene in
this case.
Third, we are requesting you to contact the heads of religious
organisations, as well as the foreign ministries in your countries, and
register an appeal
that they will voice concern to the government of Kazakhstan.
And at last, we are humbly requesting that you will all pray that this
situation may be reversed and our farm, Sri Vrindavan Dham, will not be
stolen by
the government of Kazakhstan.

The President of Kazakhstan has gained international respect for having
hosted an international religious forum in 2003. Yet, despite the talks of
religious equality and openness, he is allowing a religious society to
be illegally
evicted from their legally acquired property. It is an injustice performed
in the name of religious equality.
With affectionate regards,

BB Govinda Swami

Street addresses: Government:

To the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Nazarbayev N.A.

Government palace, Levoberezhye,

Astana, 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan.

President Residence:
To the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Mr. Nazarbayev N.A. Akorda, Astana, 010000, Republic of Kazakhstan.

President?s e-mail: sitePRK@global.kz
<http://f1mail.rediff.com/bn/compose.cgi?login=v_anandkumar&session_id=1K1KSK2Uo3qdKjmQjEHybJ20D3C1&FormName=mail_to_individual&email=sitePRK@global.kz>

Dear President Nazarbayev,

It is with deep regret that we have been informed of the legal situation
regarding the attempted confiscation of the land possessed by the
International
Society for Krishna Consciousness in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The properties of the society have been legally purchased and privatised
according to the land codes of Kazakhstan. Yet, since 2004 there has been
ongoing litigation in an attempt by government officials to steal the
land legally
owned by the society.
On March 29, 2006 a hearing was conducted in the Almaty Oblast Court. The
judge in charge of the case explained that he had carefully studied the
case
and that there was no substance in the arguments of the Government Land
Committee. Yet, when the decision was read it was ruled that the land
of the Krishna
Society be returned to the land reserve of Kazakhstan.
The decision was illegal, not based upon the legislation of your
nation, but
enacted due to pressure from some powerful individual.
Mr. President, you want that your fine country come into the rank of the
leading nations of the world. You have shown your open mindedness by
conducting
your International Religious Forum in 2003. Yet in this case we have a
glaring example of a religious society being destroyed by greedy and
self motivated
officers of your government.
Sir, we are respectfully appealing to you to intervene in this case.
Please
stop the abuse and destruction of the one element of Indian religion
which is
active in your nation. Please allow these people to live peacefully on
their
property in accordance to the vision of religious equality that you have
presented for the nation of Kazakhstan.
Sincerely,
-- ys.advaita.a.d. visit gitanagari.com <http://gitanagari.com>

[Fwd: Martha Nussbaum, a Hindu hating Professor at Yale now......]

apr 21

meanwhile, amartya sen's ex-wife indulges in blood-libel against
hinduism. i guess she's a jew (from the name) who became anti-hindu "by
injection" :-)

although a jew, she's not worried about the christists who have
massacred jews all these centuries, nor mohammedans who massacre them
now. she's wants to taunt hindus and the *only* country in the world
which never oppressed jews and in fact gave them refuge when they were
being beaten up by romans in 72 ce.

amartya sen, by the way, is not a hindu. he's a brahmo samaji. those
guys believe they are superior to hindus. but they believe they are
inferior to christists and mohammedans. in fact, based on specimens like
sen the brahmos are indeed superior to the semites: able to hoodwink
them at ease.

amartya sen once claimed that the greatest indian kings were not hindus:
akbar and ashoka, he said. thereby, he implied that hindus were not even
fit to rule their own country. alas, it merely showed how ignorant
amartya sen is in history. he simply does not know about krishna deva
raya and raja raja chola. he and arjun singh make a good pair. as they
say in malayalam, the two should be yoked to a single bullock cart.
(actually, i suspect according to sen and pals, akbar and ashoka are
'great' only because they were not hindus; that is the sole criterion
for greatness.)

i wonder if his economics is as full of holes as his strikingly poor
history. there was the instance where he became a laughing stock when
his pet theory about the great advances of chinese medicine was
cuttingly and with data rebutted by a chinese survivor of those times:
the WSJ mocked sen then. similarly his pet theory about 'the kerala
model' is complete bunkum. what has helped kerala is not land reform,
but the fact that the kings were enlightened and brought education to
the people (that which had been destroyed by the british when they wiped
out village schools -- refer to dharampal's 'the beautiful tree') was
what helped kerala. and the resultant export of manpower to singapore,
then the middle east, and the great exodus of nurses to all corners of
the west. none of this had anything to do with sen's beloved mohammedans
or marxists, sorry!

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Martha Nussbaum, a Hindu hating Professor at Yale now......
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 13:22:11 EDT
From:
To:


A Hindu hating Professor at Yale now, read below:

http://www.yale.edu/isps/seminars/antisemitism/nussbaum.pdf

P. S. In an effort to educate students on anti-Semitism, Martha Nussbaum
bashes Hindus.

To know more about Martha Nussbaum (and her links with Prof. Amartya
Sen), read below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_Nussbaum

[Fwd: Witzel takes his Aryan invasion to Pakistan: NS Rajaram]

apr 23

rajaram on witzel's saga. the honorable witzel is hardly a shining
example of academic integrity. he is the new william shockley, whose
theories about the inferiority of blacks was laughed out of academia.
(in fairness to shockley, he was a pretty good physicist, in fact a
nobel prize winner, and so it is grossly unfair to compare him to
witzel, whose sole claim to fame is that n. ram plucked him out of total
obscurity and made him a star.)

of course, anybody who disses blacks will be in trouble. but if you diss
hindus, you will have plenty of people supporting you because hindus are
the flavor of the month (year, decade, century) target for semites. a
lot of the windfall money mohammedans are making out of outrageous oil
prices is going to anti-hindu propagandists, no wonder witzel is sucking
up to pakistanis.

both witzel and farmer, just based on their racist taunting of hindus,
have forfeited any claims to 'academic objectiveness'. they are simply
racist bigots with an agenda.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Witzel takes his Aryan invasion to Pakistan: NS Rajaram
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 10:43:22 -0400
From: S. Kalyanaraman
To: S. Kalyanaraman

April 30, 2006
<http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=128>

*Witzel takes his Aryan Invasion to Pakistan
California textbook controversy*
/By N.S. Rajaram/

A few months ago, California education authorities accepted
recommendations to make changes to the depiction of Hinduism and India
in textbooks to be used in the state. Uninvited, Harvard Sanskrit
Professor Michael Witzel went on a lobbying spree to stop the proposed
changes. But here is a curious fact: while he seemed to be campaigning
against what he called 'Hindutva-inspired changes' his real agenda was
to save his pet Aryan invasion theory from being axed.

Michael Witzel and a small group of his followers, mainly Europeans and
the usual Indian hangers-on like Romila Thapar, are almost the last
holdouts for the foreign origin theory of the Vedas and Sanskrit as
products of the Aryan invasion. Their academic reputation, what is left
of it, rests on the survival of their Aryan theories.

Though largely ignored by the Indian media, two major developments have
sounded the death knell of the Aryan invasion theory. These are: (1)
genetic evidence showing that the Indian population is almost entirely
indigenous with negligible input from outsiders going back to the last
Ice Age (more than 10,000 years); and (2) British admission that the
Aryan invasion theory was concocted to serve imperial interests,
because, "it gave a historical precedent to justify the role and status
of the British Raj, who could argue that they were transforming India
for the better in the same way that the Aryans had done thousands of
years earlier."

In 1929, the British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin stated in the House
of Commons: "Now, after ages, …the two branches of the great Aryan
ancestry have again been brought together by Providence… By establishing
British rule in India, God said to the British, I have brought you and
the Indians together after a long separation, …it is your duty to raise
them to their own level as quickly as possible …brothers as you are…"
Need we say more?

*Disgraced at Harvard*
It is obvious that these revelations are devastating to Witzel's
academic reputation. This goes to explain his desperate lobbying in
California schools, begging education authorities to keep his Aryan
theories in the books. He made several trips, spending hours waiting in
the outer offices of California bureaucrats and arguing with his
opponents. This is not the kind of undignified behavior that one expects
from an elderly professor at a prestigious university like Harvard.

Even before the California scandal, Witzel's reputation had taken a
severe beating at Harvard. Recently, he had started an Internet e-group
called Indo-Eurasian Research that was little more than a hate group
that repeatedly attacked those who disagreed with him in violent and
abusive language. This was brought to the notice of Harvard authorities.

Ten years ago, Witzel had to step down as chairman of the Sanskrit
Department because of professional irregularities and personal
misconduct. He was charged with misusing his position to bring
unqualified people to Harvard and also threatening one of his students
(possibly more) with a lawsuit for disagreeing with him.

One of his favorites, Enrica Garzelli, was expelled by Harvard and sued
the university. His latest favorite is one Steve Farmer who claims that
DNA research discrediting Witzel's theories is an international
conspiracy! So far Witzel's troubles had been confined to Harvard.
Thanks to his political meddling, what was Harvard's embarrassment is
now an international scandal.

*Looking for money in Pakistan*
There also seems to be a mercenary angle to his campaign. Even before
the California controversy could be resolved, Witzel, along with Romila
Thapar, Emeritus Professor at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University,
announced the formation of The Academic Indology Advisory Council, and
Indian American Public Education Council.

According to Witzel and Thapar, their goal in forming these is "to
counteract this threat to the integrity of the material taught to our
children," to which end their group "will offer its expertise to any
school boards and publishers who may call on it, as a service to the
field of Indian Studies." ("Our children" sounds a bit strained since
neither Thapar nor Witzel is an American, much less parents of
school-going children in California.)

In other words, it is a consulting outfit that hopes to benefit from the
unprecedented media coverage that the controversy received. Given his
record, it is not surprising that Witzel's newfound business venture has
failed to takeoff. Publishers are avoiding him like the plague, having
incurred delay and losses due to his meddling in California school
curriculum. Some are facing lawsuits, as is the California State Board
of Education, for violating the civil rights of Hindu children.

His failure to attract money in America is what seems to have sent
Witzel to Pakistan looking for business as an anti-Hindu lobbyist. In
the March 12 issue of the Karachi newspaper Dawn (Internet edition),
Witzel proudly proclaimed Defeat for Hindutva revisionists, thanks to
his lobbying efforts in California.

The interesting thing about this advertisement masquerading as an
article on education is Witzel's identification of himself as "Professor
of South Asia Studies at Harvard." This conceals his real position as
Professor of Sanskrit. He no doubt sensed that Sanskrit is closely
associated with Hindu religion and culture. "South Asia Studies" may
sell better than Sanskrit in Pakistan.

While it is too early to say what all drove Witzel's plunge into
California school politics and form his business venture, it is hard to
take at face value his claim that it was to help school boards and
publishers maintain integrity in the field of Indian studies. Saving his
reputation and making some money to cover his growing legal and other
costs seems a more likely explanation.

All this places Witzel and his colleagues in their true place—not as
heroic fighters or larger than life demons, but pathetic figures trying
desperately to save themselves and their discredited discipline from
collapse.

(The writer is a former U.S. academic and historian of science. His book
Sarasvati River and the Vedic Civilization: History, Science and
Politics will be released this year.)

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=128&page=10
<http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=128&page=10>

Sunday, April 23, 2006

[Malaysia demolishes 100 years old Hindu temple]

apr 23rd

this of course doesn't bother anybody.

this temple is one in which i prayed, once when i was in kuala lumpur
years ago, at a particularly low point in my life.

if mohammedan governments or christist governments (in moscow or in
mizoram) demolish a hindu temple, that's perfectly all right. if a
disused mohdan structure is demolished after decades of stonewalling
(the so-called mosque in ayodhya), why, that's a great disaster and
enough of a stick to beat hindus with for the next twenty years.

really, the hypocrisy and bigotry are unbelievable. the
mullah-marxist-missionary nexus will not rest until it has wiped
hinduism out.

see what they are doing in nepal too: mullahs and missionaries are
converting left and right. marxists/maoists are creating instability
until all the hindus are wiped out.

the only answer is a militant hinduism and the imposing of pain back on
the semites.

incidentally, i am told the fellow the thais beat to death in bangkok
for damaging a brahma image was a mohammedan. if this had happened in
india, all the bleeding-hearts would never rest up until the mohammedan
had been given a param vir chakra.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Malaysia demolishes 100 years old Hindu temple
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 09:01:00 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rajan
To: Rajeev

http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=263&id=379485

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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us naval war college on india's role in indian ocean

apr 23rd

good one, kapidhwaja! great reading. sigh, he doesn't quote yours truly,
though he does read the net quite a bit.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Shadow Warrior] 4/22/2006 11:00:19 AM
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 11:00:25 -0700 (PDT)
From: KapiDhwaja
To:

A long read..India in the Indian Ocean
<http://www.nwc.navy.mil/press/Review/2006/spring/art3-sp06.htm>

--
Posted by KapiDhwaja to Shadow Warrior
<http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2006/04/re-fwd-jim-hoagland-interviews-prime.html>
at 4/22/2006 11:00:19 AM

[wsj: Tunku pans Amartya]

apr 23rd

good for tunku. sen is a bigot. as far as he is concerned, he's never
met any 'ism' he didnt like, except 'hinduism' and 'nationalism'. bloody
neo-semite.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Tunku pans Amartya
Date: Sat, 22 Apr 2006 21:54:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: Rajan
To: rajeev

http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110008272

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
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Friday, April 21, 2006

[Islam in space...]

apr 21

interesting questions indeed that the mohammedan faces in space. i have
seen mohammedans in planes (i flew on kuwait airways trivandrum to
london once) struggling to keep up with the time zone because it was
during their religious fast. the captain kept announcing the time, and
also the onboard display kept showing the direction of mecca! on normal
airlines this display shows you the position of the aircraft but here it
was the orientation of mecca.

you cannot a mohammedan from his religion even in space.

reminds me of musharraf once saying "mohammedanism is the most tolerant
religion." the obvious question, "on which planet?". surely not on
planet earth.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Islam in space...
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2006 19:57:36 +0530
From:
To: Rajeev Srinivasan <rajeev.srinivasan@gmail.com>

Hello Rajiv,

Malaysian Govt. spends money to send astronauts, in Islamic way. Please
give your comments.

http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Malaysia_Conference_Considers_How_To_Practice_Islam_In_Space.html

Regards,

latin america dumps old parties

apr 21st

wouldnt it be wonderful if the indian electorate did the same thing: dump both the congress and the marxists?

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/20/world/americas/20peru.html?ei=5087%0A&en=fc2ef2d318aadbe4&ex=1145764800&pagewanted=all

yes, it's unlikely that the left will lose bengal completely but they can be hurt and chastened if this election shows they are not so omnipotent or universally beloved.

in kerala, alas, it's tweedledum and tweedledee: whether it's the left or the congress, it's the same faces -- some christist will be the revenue minister so that he can handily give away public land to encroaching christists; some mohammedan will be education minister so that he can destroy the schools and colleges that hindus can go to and help the christist and mohammedan institutions which have state-funded salaries, but huge bribes that go to the management to hire teachers or admit students.


corruption elsewhere

apr 21

not that it makes one jump for joy, but there are other places -- like
sicily -- as corrupt as india.

this mafioso's reign reminds me of the veerappan saga -- surely they
could have caught him years ago. but they -- that is, certain rich and
powerful politicians -- did not want him caught. he was more useful to
them the way he was running around.

the hereditary protection racket -- father politician to son politician
-- is visible also in the way the nehru dynasty has kept itself in
power. it suits lots of rich and powerful politicians to have the
dynasty in power. they know how to deal with it, which is why a lot of
them were quite put out when the bjp came to power: damn, got to start
cultivating some new guys.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/opinion/21camilleri.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/21/opinion/21camilleri.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin>