Yesterday, another tragedy hit very close to home as a gunman brutally executed several young girls at an Amish school before turning the gun on himself. I grew up in York County which is right next door to Lancaster County. I would often go into Lancaster County and pass the horse and buggy wagons that the Amish community uses to travel to get to various places. The killer, Charles Carl Roberts IV had on him a 9mm pistol, a shotgun and a bolt-action rifle with more than 600 rounds of ammunition. Why does an average American citizen need 600 rounds of ammunition for? If he was living in Baghdad, I could understand the sense of feeling and being in an unsafe environment. Nonetheless, you say it’s because we are entitled to do so by the second amendment in the constitution. I say just as Bush is taking away other civil liberties there should be more gun control laws here in America. In any case, I believe the gun control issue is only a small portion of this particular case that happen in Lancaster County. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Come back tomorrow as I continue with part 3 of my series titled “U.S. Crime: Violence in American” by discussing and proposing ways in which crimes could be alleviated in America.

Hello everyone and welcome back to the 2nd edition of Tuesday’s Music! Today, I have a special treat for all of the French music lovers out there. For those of you who have never listened to French music before I am proud to introduce not only one of my favorite singers but truly one of the top singers in France, Pascal Obispo! His first album “Le long du fleuve (Along the river)“ came out in 1990 and ever since then there has been hit songs coming from his mouth.

American singer Lionel Richie copied Pascal’s song “L’important c’est d’aimer” (The Importance of Love) and turned it into a smash hit here in America. In 2001, Pascal was honored by winning meilleur artiste masculin francophone or simply put “Best Male Artist”.

Pascal’s office website (French only) is updated constantly with a lot of information from the singer. His newest album is titled “Les fleurs du bien” and I must give it two thumbs up! Even if you can not understand a word of French I am sure you will enjoy listening to this great album. Les fleurs du bien album pays a tribute to Rosa Park who died in 2005. This song is like no other as it pays homage to a brave young African American woman who paved the way for civil rights for all minorities here in America. The actual song les fleurs du bien on the album is also a wonderful song to listen too. This is a must have CD for your collection. So lets take a listen to Pascal’s first single “Rosa” off of his newest album “Les fleurs du bien.”

“Unofficial video of Rosa”

Want more? Go here to listen to the clips from Pascal’s old and new albums.

Thailand, a country represented by a rich culture has gained worldwide attention once again through a coup d’etat on September 16th. While Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra was at the United Nations for the opening of the General Assembly little did he know that he would soon be ousted by his military. Although, I certainly do not encourage the overthrowing of our elected officials. I do feel that the Thai people want what is best for their country and are not afraid to take measures, although drastic, to ensure the prosperity of Thailand. I wish to some extent that the citizens of the United States had enough political will to demand a halt to the abuse of powers that is being exercised by the Bush Administration. Unfortunately, the political will is far too weak to accomplish even a legal way to end the Bush Administration.

So with that, I hope that the future government of Thailand will act in such a way that it promotes the rule of law, a zero tolerance for corruption within its political system and continues to contribute to the stability of East Asia.

Welcome back to another blog on international cuisines! Today, I will talk about another delicious food that will certainly bring back memories for people who have ate it and wishful thoughts of people who have not ate it before. Satay! For the sake of where exactly satay originally comes from, I am going to say Malaysia or Indonesia. But, Satay is enjoyed in every Asian country from Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, China and the Philippines not to mention around the world! Satay is usually enjoyed with some type of sauce depending on which country you eat it in. I usually go to a local Malaysian restaurant to have it and they serve it with peanut sauce. Also, satay is typically eaten as a snack but if I eat it at home I will usually just eat satay and a bowl of rice, which is quite yummy! Satay can come in a variety of meats from chicken, beef or pork.

So with that, I will sign off with a big YUM YUM to satay. Enjoy!
Update on 10/02/06 for posted comment:

SATAY MARINADE 1 tsp. coriander powder
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. anise powder
2 tsp. tumeric powder
2 cloves garlic hache finely
2 stalks lemon grass hache finely
2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. thick tamarind juicepinch of salt

Mix all ingredients together. Makes enough marinade for 500 -600 gms of meat. Marinade for 1 hour minimum then thread diced meat onto bamboo skewers. Cook over char grill while basting. Serve with a peanut dipping sauce.

BASTE FOR COOKING 1/2 cup thick coconut cream2 tsp. oil (1 tsp. sesame oil optional)

Never have I heard of a man speak with such integrity and eloquently speak of President Bush like this. Please watch the full video right here. Excerpt from video: The polite phrase for how so many of us were duped into supporting a war, on the false premise that it had ’something to do’ with 9/11 is “lying by implication.” The impolite phrase is “impeachable offense.”

Hello once again to everyone! Today I will be talking about a very controversial topic. I wanted to talk about September 11th before the actual end of September. So with that said, lets begin.

September 11th was a horrible day for this country. But as Americans do we have the full facts as to what really happened that day? Have we researched extensively the events and unanswered questions that we have regarding that fateful day? The U.S. government loves it when we do not pay close attention (i.e. by not voting) to the daily events that play out. The average American has a short attention span when it comes to government issues, which leads us to be less defiant when we hear political leaders and watch the news. The Bush administration is like a deadly bacteria. We must look at events that are happening around the world and here at home to see what if any hidden agendas might be uncovered.I believe that most Americans think this government is a law-abiding government that follows international law and is the perfect representation of human rights. Well I am here to tell you everyone to wake up from that delusion. Does the U.S. government have any right to lecture China on human rights issues when our government needs a lesson or two on how to treat prisoners of war humanely? As I said earlier, if we do are research we will find atrocities that this government has committed. If we as Americans know the facts that happen in the past and that are happening right now it would certainly not be tolerated. We as Americans must not believe the propaganda that our current government is telling us regarding the ongoing war on terror. The theme of the Bush Administration using violence as a last resort and that it must be for the common good of all is a propaganda slogan that has been echoed by horrible leaders in the past. We as the citizens of our country have the duty to uncover the wrongdoings of our government and to promote and demand global peace from power hungry imperialist governments. Future blogs will be devoted to sharing some of the horrible acts that the American government has done to its citizens and the ongoing terror of war.

So we that little outburst , I am going to help my readers by encouraging you to watch Loose Change. What is Loose Change? It is a film that “shows direct connection between the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the United States government. Evidence is derived from news footage, scientific fact, and most important, Americans who suffered through that tragic day.” Yes, I will say it again, a direct connection between the the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the United States government. These are remarkable findings! I had to watch it three times to let all the information seek in. This video has been translated into many different languages, including French, Spanish and German. The video is 1h30mins approximately and can be watched online! Watch it today!

Click here to watch it NOW!

As always, these are my opinions and I encourage everyone to share their thoughts on this issue with me through the comment bottom below! You have the option of being anonymous if you choose.

Bill S 3930 has passed. Democrats say this bill has given President Bush too much power. Furthermore, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement concluding he is “convinced that future generations will view passage of this bill as a grave error.” You may wonder why the press has not been covering this important bill. Under this bill anyone could be considered an “enemy combatant.” I’m sure the media is scared to report the true facts and to criticize this bill as they could just disappear and be labeled an “enemy combatant.”

Under this bill, the Bush Administration now has the right to interpret the Geneva Convention. So what does that mean? Torture, yes torture can be used and is legal again. This is retroactive to Nov, 1997. Here is the exact language in Bill S 3930 that redefines the Geneva Conventions and its applicability:

Section 8, Implementation of Treaty Obligations
(2) RETROACTIVE APPLICABILITY- The amendments made by this subsection, except as specified in subsection (d)(2)(E) of section 2441 of title 18, United States Code, shall take effect as of November 26, 1997, as if enacted immediately after the amendments made by section 583 of Public Law 105-118 (as amended by section 4002(e)(7) of Public Law 107-273).

It was said that the big case on what one can and cannot do to detainees — Hamdan v. Rumsfeld 126 S.Ct. 2749 2006 (read this brief) decided earlier this year — rested on the fact that, basically, what the Bush Administration was doing was illegal. Now that the law has been changed, potentially every single previous abuse the Bush Administration was pursuing becomes legal again and Hamdan loses all of its effective force until the Supremes Court decides otherwise.
These are just some of the powers that were granted to President Bush.

1.) Notes the president has the authority to interpret “the meaning and application” of the Geneva Conventions. Allows hearsay evidence.

2.) Allows coerced testimony if the statement was acquired before a 2005 ban on cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and a judge finds it to be reliable. Bans coerced statements taken after the 2005 ban went into effect if it violates constitutional definitions of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

3.) Bars individuals from protesting violations of Geneva Conventions standards in court.

FYI: Anyone from any country could be considered an “enemy combatant.”