The Arab American News
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Turning the Palestinian cause into Medusa
In Greek mythology, there is a famous story about the beautiful Medusa who was turned into a horrific monster with hair of serpents. The transformation came about as "punishment" by the goddess Athena after the sea god Poseidon raped Medusa at Athena's sacred temple. The story goes on to say that anyone who looked...New FBI investigative powers deeply troubling
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply troubled by new guidelines that will give federal law enforcement authorities carte blanche to conduct investigations of individuals on the mere suspicion of questionable activity or upon meeting the FBI's assessment of what it considers a threat. This change will...America must prepare for a declining economy
In most of the populist energy plans offered by the Democrats and Republicans, there is an assumption of economic growth that is going to follow off-shore drilling of oil. The implied assumption is that we will have natural resources with which to do more. This is blatantly un-true. I don't understand why it's so hard for...
The crash of 2008
September 26th, 20080 The Crash of 2008, which is now wiping out trillions of dollars of our people's wealth, is, like the Crash of 1929, likely to mark the end of one era and the onset of another. The new era will see a more sober and much diminished America. The "Omnipower" and "Indispensable Nation" we heard about in all the hubris and braggadocio...Religious Jewish opposition to Zionism
Jewish anti-Zionism is an ongoing movement. It used to be the predominant voice, while today it is very much in the minority, largely because of the Holocaust. The book's subtitle, "A Century of Jewish Opposition to Zionism," is, however, rather misleading. More descriptive is the original French title, which...Victim of U.S. torture freed
Javed Yazamy gives the lie to Condoleezza Rice's most famous pronouncement: "We don't do torture." He had broken ribs, acquired at Bagram. His crime was that he, a journalist, went into Taliban territory and interviewed Taliban. Much of his work was for the Canadian television station CTV, serving as a translator...Incoherent agreement spells the way forward
BEIRUT (IPS) — The Lebanese unity government has finally came to terms with its ministerial declaration after weeks of political haggling. What promises and threats does the incoherent declaration hold for Lebanon in a polarized local and regional context? "The ministerial declaration is an impossible document that carries many...Racism, propaganda, and the Palestinian right of return
Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, has recently issued statements in accordance with a framework agreement reached with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, surrendering the inalienable right to return of roughly five million Palestinians to their land and homes that they were driven from primarily between the years of...The Bush Legacy in Michigan
Washington — In what supporters of the President have dubbed his "legacy year," Americans United for Change, the progressive issue-advocacy group best known for leading the successful fight to beat back President Bush's effort to privatize Social Security in 2005, has hit the road with its latest effort – the Bush Legacy...Third party and independent candidates present unified platform
Ron Paul held what he described as a "very important" press conference on September 10th in Washington, DC. The event brought four third party and independent candidates "together in unity" around a statement of principles. The event came as polls showed the presidential race tightening and third party/independent candidates getting...
Poll: Arab Americans favor Obama by wide margin
September 26th, 20080 WASHINGTON (IPS) — With less than two months before the November elections, Arab American voters in the United States are poised to vote heavily Democratic, according to a poll released here by the Arab American Institute (AAI). The poll, which was conducted by Zogby International for AAI, a Washington-based lobby and public...
Neo-cons, ex-Israeli diplomats push Islamophobic video
September 26th, 20080 WASHINGTON (IPS) — A group of hard-line U.S. neo-conservatives and former Israeli diplomats, among others, are behind the mass distribution, ahead of the November U.S. presidential election, of a controversial DVD that critics have denounced as Islamophobic. The group, the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), is working with...Bipartisan group urges deeper diplomacy with Muslim world
WASHINGTON (IPS) — In an implicit indictment of President George W. Bush's "global war on terror" and the hawkish pronouncements by Republican candidate John McCain, a bipartisan group of nearly three dozen U.S. leaders called here Wednesday for Bush's successor to place much greater emphasis on high-level diplomacy — including...
ACC gala honors charitable organizations
September 19th, 20080 DETROIT — A wide network of supporters of the Arab American and Chaldean Council (ACC) gathered at the Renaissance Center on Sept. 13 to celebrate the power of human creativity and generosity. At the 29th annual ACC Civic and Humanitarian Awards Gala, the group recognized Detroit-area charitable organizations and featured...
Arab American PAC interviews candidates
September 19th, 20080 DEARBORN — With election season fast approaching, the Arab American Political Action Committee (AAPAC) conducted personal interviews of five local candidates at The Arab American News office in Dearborn on Monday. The goal of the interviews was to get to know each candidate on a deeper level through 15-minute question-and-answer......
Local martial arts school produces champions
September 19th, 20080 DEARBORN — It's often said that the key to success in martial arts is to have a great teacher. In the case of Master Ali Koubeissi's tae kwon do students, that statement couldn't ring more true. Koubeissi, who teaches at Kouibessi Tae Kwon Do School on Michigan Avenue between Schaefer and Greenfield in Dearborn, has helped many...
Leaders reject Wygonik statement again
September 19th, 20080 DEARBORN — Local Arab American leaders rejected a second letter submitted to them by 19th District Court Judge Richard Wygonik on Thursday addressing alleged offensive remarks he made during a July conversation with Dearborn Heights Councilman Tom Berry. After meeting with a committee representing the Congress of Arab American......
Public Service Day parking enforcement starts Oct. 6
September 19th, 20080 Residents also advised about new rules for loose leaf collection DEARBORN — Enforcement begins in Dearborn the week of Oct. 6-10 of the rules that prohibit on-street parking during Public Service Days. Public Service Days mean cleaner neighborhoods. To allow work crews the chance to deliver the maximum level of services like...
Sheriff warns parents about posting videos of children on Internet sites
September 19th, 20080 To a proud parent it may seem innocent enough: Your child is doing something completely adorable while taking a bath or while in their "birthday suit," so you take some video and post it online to share it with the world. No big deal, right? Not so fast, according to Wayne County Sheriff Warren Evans, who says that there...
Dearborn High School Football
September 19th, 20080 Dearborn High: (2-1, 1-1 in Mega Red Division) Last week: Lost to Southgate Anderson, 25-22. This week: at home vs. Allen Park, Friday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. Edsel Ford: (3-0, 2-0 Mega Blue) Last week: Defeated Melvindale, 28-12. This week: at Inkster, Saturday, Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. Fordson High:...Vested interests drove new Pakistan policy
WASHINGTON (IPS) — The George W. Bush administration's decision to launch commando raids and step up missiles strikes against Taliban and al Qaeda figures in the tribal areas of Pakistan followed what appears to have been the most contentious policy process over the use of force in Bush's eight-year presidency. That decision has......
New police chief named for Detroit
September 19th, 20080 DETROIT — Incoming Detroit Mayor Kenneth Cockrel announced James Barren, a psychologist and counter-terrorism expert who has spent time training Iraqi police, as the city's new chief of police. Barren, who spent 31 years on the force before his retirement four years ago, replaces former Chief Ella Bully-Cummings, who retired...The Syria-Israel peace gambit
Few would argue that the indirect Israel-Syria talks through Turkish mediation, which were first announced 21 May, were a sign of political maturity and readiness for peace. In fact, while the discussions seemed concerned with the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and Israel's desire for security at its northern borders, the true......
Boycott group: McCartney embraces Israeli apartheid
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) says it regrets Paul McCartney's insistence on going ahead with his September 25th gig in Israel despite many appeals to him to cancel it due to Israel's crimes against the Palestinians, particularly its current brutally devastating siege of 1.5 million...Arab women artists create “Utopian Visions”
DEARBORN — Have you ever dreamed of a better, more perfect world? The word "utopia" represents a grand vision for an ideal society, especially in its social, political, and moral aspects. This imaginative concept reflects the human desire for civic improvement and perfection. In Utopian Visions, running from......