Chai's Analysis

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

cyclone victims

natural disasters = natural human instincts to help.

to donate to the Bangla victims' please consider this organization:
http://blog4brac.blogspot.com/

i get scared about donating to charities and such when i don't know how much actually goes to overhead or the relief effort. so, i like smaller charities who have less overhead and are based on real humanitarianism, instead of bureaucracy.

so, think about this organization, wish for a quick recovery in Bangladesh and part of India affected by this flooding during this thanksgiving.

Monday, November 19, 2007

A letter from Pakistan

Forwarded from a friend's friend:
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Dear Friend,

I believe my letter will find you in best of health. And I also once again hope that you remember your Oxford colleagues of International human Rights Law, Program 2004.

Due to the security reasons, I am writing you from my new email address.

You must be having an idea of Pakistan’s present situation. In Pakistan, Mr. President General Pervez Musharaf, due to his lust for Power, has brought a different sort of coup i.e. coup against Judiciary, Lawyers and Electronic Media. However at the pretext that its important for the progress of so called “War on terror”, whereas in fact this coup has nothing to do with the War on Terror but is helping the actual Terrorists to strengthen themselves.

As Mr. President General Pervez Musharaf expected a Judgment against him from the Supreme Court of Pakistan, barring him to be president of the country for another 5 years, hence he ironically insulted and removed all the Judges of Supreme Court , who were about to deliver Judgment against him. So much so that like minded Judges in the High Courts have also been removed by the same General. All the lawyers who were pleading cases against him in the courts have been arrested. And the Electronic Media, which used to show true picture to the nation has been banned. Besides others, thousands of Lawyers including office bearers of all the Pakistan court Bars Councils, have been sent behind the bars under different unfounded charges. Lawyers are being tortured and disgraced in public. Police while using force against the lawyers drag them from hairs and slap them. Just to humiliate them. Constitution of the Country has been suspended. This is in fact more than a Martial Law. But very cleverly has been given the name of Emergency.

However, it is very strange that US and other governments are not showing considerable interest in the restoration of Judiciary and are showing no resentment against confinement of Judges, Senior Lawyers and Human Right activists. The fact is being totally ignored that no country and no democracy can work, without free and fair judiciary. If the judiciary is allowed to be demoralized in this way, it would not be a good precedent even for the other developing countries. At present the president is collecting judges, who can only favour him. He is turning the courts to Mock Courts, JUST FOR HIS OWN VESTED INTERST.

I will request you to please come forwards and help the Judiciary & judicial System of this country. The only crime of this country Deposed Judiciary is this that, it tried to be fair and stand by the truth. Please play your pivotal role for restoration of free judiciary and release of Lawyers and true democracy in Pakistan. Please show your resentment in some way and motivate the other also, in the interest of justice. Amongst others, the lawyers of Pakistan direly need you. At least pass resolutions in this respect in your organizations/institute/bar council and refer the same to UN etc

Regards.

Ghulam Shoaib, Advocate


In order to examine certain rays of Emergency news and activities in Pakisitan Please log on to http://pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com or www.geo.tv
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please write to your local congress people, including senators, informing them about the situation in pakistan and how they have the power to do something.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

the pakistan and us connection

There are so many connections between Pakistan and the United States. We literally have our fingers in every single country in this world, don't we? What is happening in Pakistan affects us, in the United States, more than I think we think it does. To boil it down, this is what I believe has happened:
  • U.S. support General Musharaff, who took power via a military coup, to help end terrorism.
  • Mushie writes a book and claims that Pakistan is a democratic state.
  • Mushie puts the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court in jail because he didn't like what he said.
  • Through increasing pressure, past exile leaders attempt to come back to Pakistan.
  • Bhutto successfully comes back and bombs kill her supporters and on-lookers.
  • Mushie calls for an emergency state and freezes the Pakistan Constitution.
  • Subsequently, Mushie forces judges and lawyers to support him; if not, see yourself go to prison.
  • Bhutto puts pressure on Mushie to end emergency rule. She wants to protest.
  • Mushie puts Bhutto on house arrest, with hundreds of police guarding one house.

Man, what a trip! And the psycho part is this- it could happen here and some people think it has happened here. Yes, we are a democratic country, but in real terms, we are a republic. We have a popular vote (the one that Al Gore won) and we have an electoral vote (the one that George W. won). Simplified, the electoral vote has more pull.

When George W. walked into office, he brought Cheney (an ex-officio of corporation). He also came in with notions of military power exceeding Constitutional powers. We have people, under the guise of the PATRIOT Act, arresting and detaining American citizens, without any Constitutional rights of an attorney, speedy trial, or being detained with a charge. We have judicial and legislative powers being trumped for executive privileges and power. At least in other countries, they have the integrity to call it what is (emergency rule). We still call ourselves the leaders in bringing democracy. It looks like we are teaching and leading examples of a military/coup like government rule.

Yesterday, lawyers from NYC rallied in support of the lawyers and judicial branch in Pakistan. Below are a few pictures from the rally. There were hundreds of people there, mostly non-South Asian, who listened to speeches by presidents of the various bars and the son of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, who is a NYC lawyer.



Monday, November 12, 2007

i'm going to begin analyzing again

i am. there is much to be analyzed and much to be written about. i will start again. have no fear, my analyzing friends.