Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

Archives for February 2007

February 26, 2007 By Fausta

Terrorist trials and immigration

I had a great time doing this morning’s podcast with John Chappell of Inside Europe: Iberian Notes and Jose Miguel Guardia of Pajamas Media and Barcepundit. As promised, we talked about the March 11 terrorist trials, and illegal immigration into the EU.

The trial of 29 people accused of planning, supporting, and carrying out the March 11, 2004 explosions in the Madrid trains started eleven days ago on February 15. Missing from the trial are the four suspects who blew themselves up in a Madrid apartment during a police raid

Among the dead is the alleged ringleader of the Madrid bombings, Sarhane ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, a Tunisian named in the international arrest warrants, the authorities say.

Brett Stephens explains the rules under which the suspects are investigated when in a Napoleonic code judiciary, as Spain has.

The BBC has an article discussing some of the issues surrounding the trial. The International Herald Tribune takes A brief look at the 29 suspects in Spain’s March 11 Trial.

During the podcast we also talked about the possible sentences. The way the Spanish laws work, no matter how long a sentence, the culprit serves only a maximum term of forty years.

You can listen to the podcast here:

How are the subjects of terrorism and immigration related?

Europe, however, is also a magnet for immigration: It will attract up to 1 million newcomers this year. But the European experience with immigration is quite different from that of America. Part of the reason is that many immigrants to Europe end up on welfare, while in the United States, almost all immigrants take one or more entry-level jobs and work their way up the economic ladder. Welfare is simply not the American way.

Islamic Conquest of Europe?

Moreover, most immigrants to the United States are fully integrated into American society by the second generation, regardless of their country of origin. By contrast, most immigrants to Europe are Muslims who refuse to assimilate and instead tend to cluster in marginalized ghettos on the outskirts of cities across the continent.

Here, too, the American experience is quite different. The best available estimates show that there are between 1.9 million and 2.8 million Muslims in the United States. And unlike their European counterparts, American Muslims generally do not feel marginalized or isolated from political participation. According to a 2004 Zogby Poll, American Muslims are more educated and affluent than the national average, with 59 percent of them holding at least an undergraduate college degree. Moreover, the majority of American Muslims are employed in professional fields, with one in three having an income over $75,000 a year.

But back to Europe: The Muslim population of Europe has more than doubled since 1980, and according to some estimates, there are some 25 million Muslims living on the continent today. Demographers predict that this figure may double by 2015, and that the number of Muslims could outnumber non-Muslims in all of Western Europe by mid-century. This prompted Princeton University’s Bernard Lewis to tell the German newspaper Die Welt that ‘Europe will be Islamic by the end of the century.’

This reality is already influencing European foreign policymaking and does not auger well for the future of transatlantic relations. Indeed, many analysts believe that the steady weakening of Europe is the underlying cause for the widespread anti-American and anti-Israel bigotry found among Europe’s elites, many of whom are bowing to pressure from Muslim residents as a way to buy a fake peace with radical Islamists. Says Fouad Ajami, a well-known authority of the Arab world: ‘In ways both intended and subliminal, the escape into anti-Americanism is an attempt at false bonding with the peoples of Islam.’

John links to Aaron Hanscom‘s interview with Professor Javier Jordan of the University of Granada, and of Jihad Monitor, who explains further,

The analysis of personal profiles of more than 300 jihadists arrested in Spain shows that there is a significant proportion that belong to the middle-class, have family, are fluent in Spanish and have even obtained Spanish citizenship. For example, in the Abu Dahdah network, an Al Qaeda cell dismantled at the end of 2001, half of the members would be classified as “socioeconomically integrated.”

Social exclusion, imprisonment or arriving to Spain without family and work are factors that can make an individual even more vulnerable to the recruitment process. Under these circumstances, the jihadist group offers friendship, camaraderie and material support, while inculcating the subject with radical ideas. Nevertheless, the process can occur without any material favors being offered. To explain it in simpler terms, the key ingredient is the “bad company” one keeps. In most cases, jihadist values are spread through confidential ties and friendships.

Follow Barcepundit‘s links for more background on the trial.

Botched investigations, feeble sentences, massive unrestrained illegal immigration into a welfare state, and social isolation of immigrants add up to an explosive mess.

We’ll do a follow-up podcast as the trial develops.

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Filed Under: 3/11, Barcepundit, illegal immigration, Inside Europe:Iberian Notes, Islam, Madrid, Spain, terrorism

February 26, 2007 By Fausta

James Cameron finds Jesus

… or at least he claims to not only have found Jesus’s grave, but also the graves of Jesus’s whole family.

Scholars don’t believe him, Kobayashi Maru, Eric, The Anchoress and Steve are posting about it.

Apparently Cameron thinks that finding

10 ancient ossuaries – small caskets used to store bones – discovered in a suburb of Jerusalem in 1980

is evidence, because

One of the caskets even bears the title, “Judah, son of Jesus,” hinting that Jesus may have had a son

All I can say is, if the name Jesus was anywhere near as common in Judea 2,000 years ago as it is today in Spanish-speaking countries (and the Phillipines – I knew a Philipino named Jesus), Cameron’s got his work cut out for him.

Heck, even The Dude found Jesus at the bowling alley:

More at PowersPoint, via Jeremayakovka

Update, Wednesday 28 February: What did I tell you?

Other archeologists note that the names listed by the documentarians were the most common names in use at the time for Jerusalem.

——————————————

My email seems to be working again. Thank you for your patience.

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Filed Under: Christianity, Jesus, movies

February 26, 2007 By Fausta

Today at noon: Fausta’s Blog Talk Radio live

blog radio
Today’s Fausta’s Blog Talk Radio show will feature John Chappell of Inside Europe: Iberian Notes and Jose Miguel Guardia of Pajamas Media and Barcepundit.

We’ll be talking about the March 11 terrorist trials, Spanish politics and illegal immigration into the EU.

The call-in number is (646) 652-2639.

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Filed Under: Barcepundit, Blog Talk Radio, blogs, Inside Europe:Iberian Notes, Pajamas Media, podcasts

February 26, 2007 By Fausta

More on 22 yr old blooger Abdel Kareem’s conviction

After I posted about Abdel Kareem’s conviction, a commenter named Ahmad wrote,

Hello, could you help me promote this freedom video as much as you can, if you agree to its contents, of course. It’s about Egypt’s real nature and the accelerating imprisonment of freedom fighters in general, and bloggers like Kareem and many others under severe threats from the Egyptian Government.

Many thanks, Ahmad

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbEM6soTHOA

Here’s the video:

About.com has how to help Abdel Kareem, including the following,

  • Reporters Without Borders states that Egypt is bucking to host a stage of the United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum in 2009 (ironically, the country is on the group’s list of 13 Internet enemies). Lobby against Egypt’s inclusion in this event by contacting Nitin Desai, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Internet Governance, at igf@unog.ch. (Mailing address and phone/fax numbers here.)
  • Read more about it from Sandmonkey

    Here’s the link to the Free Kareem.org website, which is down at the moment

    Special thanks to Siggy for his help.

    Cross-posted at MNM

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    Filed Under: Abdel Kareem, blogs, Egypt, news

    February 25, 2007 By Fausta

    Romeo, Juliet, and me

    Neo-Neocon’s Romeo and Juliet post reminded me of when I was in school.

    I went to an all-girls Catholic school in Puerto Rico, run by Vincentine nuns. When I first started at that school the nuns used to wear Flying Nun hats

    but the school was located in Santurce, not San Tanco. The nuns were addressed as Sor (Sister), and unlike other orders, kept their original names. I never saw any of them take flight but they were notoriously bad drivers. The only people taking flight were those who got in their way.

    The nuns wore their flying hats which they later changed to regular veils, probably to save on starch, and made us wear the ugliest possible uniform and Bass penny loafers. In the lower grades we had to wear lace-up oxfords, uglier yet.

    Being first short and skinny and later tall and skinny, I looked like a pale stick for all my school years – I looked awful in that thing. Have you ever had a nightmare where you show up naked at an important event? I have had nightmares where I show up wearing my old school uniform.

    After I left school I have never purchased a pair of Bass penny loafers, either.

    Being in that school for eleven years accounts for a lot of my ideosyncracies. One of the better ones is my love of movies.

    A few blocks away from my school, El Metro (as in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, not underground/subway metro), the most modern cinema in the area, was located. The nuns took us on field trips to watch nun-approved movies.

    I remember the time that we walked from the school to El Metro to see the re-release of Ben Hur. By the time we got to our seats I ended up in the next-to-last seat in my row, and much to my chagrin Sor C.G. (whose name I withold in case she ever reads this) sat next to me after everybody else was seated. Sor C.G. was one of the weirder nuns in the large gaggle of weird nuns from that convent. Well, Ben Hur got rowing,

    and Charlton Heston was looking Pretty Damn Good shackled at the oars, when much to my surprise Sor C.G. let out a deep deep sigh.

    I wonder if she ever told that one in confession.

    But back to Romeo and Juliet.

    Ever-watchful for our virtue, one good day the school principal, Sor P. (name withheld to protect the guilty, again), came to our classroom during religion class. If memory serves me right, Sor C.G. was the religion teacher that year. Sor P. sat “inconspicuosly” in the rear of the classrom and at a strategic point in the class formally announced that none us girls should see Zefferelli’s Romeo and Juliet.

    Discreet glances were exchanged among us girls, and I for one made a mental note to go see Romeo and Juliet right away.

    Sor P. went from classroom to classroom making the same announcement.

    The next day must have been either a Saturday or one of the many holidays they have in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico and France must be tied for record number of paid holidays), because four of my friends and I walked to the movie theater and saw Romeo and Juliet. All of our mothers, who had not seen the movie, approved of the excursion and some might have even been pleased at our sudden interest in high culture.

    By the time our mothers caught on to the fact that R&J had a nude scene we’d seen the movie at least twice.

    My friends and I loved the movie. We all let our hair grow to Juliet lengths (I had nearly-waist-long hair for all of my teens), and danced with jingle bells on our wrists. Stores started carrying dresses with Juliet sleeves and we talked our moms into buying them for us. I memorized the theme music and can still play it on the piano.

    Romeo and Juliet was a huge success at El Metro and played for long enough that my friends and I memorized the dialogue.

    Zefferelli should have sent the nuns a thank-you note.

    A few years later my first boyfriend (one of the guys that didn’t want me to wear eyeglasses in his presence) quoted

    let lips do what hands do,


    and wanted me to think he’d come up with that line.

    I dropped him because of that.

    After I started at the University of Puerto Rico I ran into him and his then-girlfriend.

    He had her convinced that the poetry he quoted was his.

    You Tube has the original R&J trailer:

    —————————————————

    Dr. Sanity, the other member of the Sanity Squad I’ve met in person, has the Carnival:

    Digg!

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    Filed Under: movies, Neo-Neocon, Puerto Rico, Sanity Squad, schools

    February 24, 2007 By Fausta

    Saturday blogging: The perfectly cooked steak

    The WSJ tells us how to cook a steak. Since the article is by subscription only on line, as a service to my readers I’m copying it:

    • Preheat your oven to 450F degrees
    • On the stove top, heat a large, dry skillet until it is very hot. Season the steak (a 4-5 lbs porterhouse or bone-in-ribeye steak, 1 1/2″ to 2″ thick) well with salt and pepper and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side, until it has a dark crust [Note If your smoke alarm is very sensitive, like mine is, make sure to run the hood fan or you’ll get blasted]
    • Place skillet in preheated oven for about 14 minutes for a 1 1/2″ steak. Cook to between rare and medium rare, because residual heat will continue cooking the meat while it is resting. To test for doneness, press your finger to the meat: it should yield to the touch but not be soft. The chef says a thermometer will pierce the meat and allow the juices to run out.
    • Rest steak for at least 5 minutes before slicing or serving

    Tester’s note: If you don’t feel confident about judging the doneness of the meat the way professionals do, use an instant-read thermometer to be sure the meat has reached an internal temperature of 120F for rare or medium rare

    And here’s the steak:

    Baked potato with sour cream and butter, a salad, and maybe some green beans with almonds.

    The perfect meal.

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    Filed Under: food

    February 24, 2007 By Fausta

    Internet free speech, and today’s items

    Dissent Crushed: Abdel Kareem, Egypt’s Free Speech Martyr

    The consequences of the verdict and sentence are grave, both for Abdel Kareem and the for the Egyptian blogosphere in general.

    If Abdel Kareem’s appeals are unsuccessful, he will have to spend the next four years in prison, where he could very likely get killed by an over-enthusiastic believer. His other option is to spend the next four years in solitary confinement, which won’t probably bode well for his mental health. Dead or crazy, those are his options now.

    As far as the blogosphere, the implications are equally dangerous. This verdict sets a legal precedent for prosecuting someone for what they write on the Internet, on charges that are not easily defined or defended against. This could be used to prosecute any blogger the government feels like punishing, and serves a huge blow to freedom of speech in Egypt.

    —————————————————
    Iran Moving Aggressively in Latin America. I’ll post more on the subject next week.
    —————————————————

    Former ACLU Chapter President Arrested for Child Pornography
    —————————————————

    Juan Williams and Dr. Krauthammer on Hillary:

    CK:…Hillary has been running for 20 years. Her husband that gave the keynote address at the convention in 1988, and remember when Bill ran, he said you buy one, you get one free. So she and her husband have been in the business of the presidency, organizing, laying the groundwork, for twenty years. Here she is, all of a sudden, this guy comes out of nowhere on the back of one book, two years in the Senate, and a media swoon, and she’s asking herself how is this possible, and she’s, you know, her coronation is interrupted, and her strategy has to be to challenge this guy over and over again, on whatever it is, as a way to knock him off his course. Either he fights back and then he ends up in the gutter with her, and he loses his sheen, or he runs away, and everybody says he’s weak, he doesn’t have the stomach and the fight to be a president. So it’s going to happen over and over again. This is round one, it’s a fifteen rounder.

    HH: Juan, do you agree with that analysis?

    JW: Yeah, I think that’s pretty wise. I mean, the difficulty here is I think Obama wants to rise above the static. He just doesn’t have the money, he doesn’t have the organization, he doesn’t have Bill Clinton and all of the people who have benefited from Clinton’s time in the White House, he doesn’t have all the political consultants who are on the payroll. So what Obama has got to do at this point is rely on momentum, and say that he is part of a new kind of American, and especially Democratic Party politics that’s not the politics of polarization, that he is simply looking to pull people together, and he wants, he has the capacity to capture the middle of the American electorate in the general election, and assure the Democrats a win. So if he gets involved in the dirty, you know, trading dirt with Hillary Clinton, that’s not to his advantage. And Geffen this week, now some people might say Geffen did that without Obama’s permission, but when he starts saying, when Geffen starts talking about the Clintons a liars, when he starts talking about Hillary as overscripted, overproduced, inauthentic, a lot of people think oh, is that Obama? And then Hillary’s people say Obama’s got to apologize. Obama’s got to return the money. Obama says no, it wasn’t me. I’m not returning anything. That’s not to Obama’s advantage, although I think if you look back over the last week or so, it’s Hillary who’s taken the shots here. I think Hillary has been damaged. I don’t know that it was so wise for her to elevate that Maureen Dowd column to the kind of height that she did by responding to it so angrily.

    Neo-Neocon has some Thoughts on Hillary and other female heads of state

    Hillary’s iron has been shown more in the cause of getting first her husband and then herself elected, at least so far. And she’s tainted by the brush of her own possible corruption as well as Bill Clinton’s moral failings, and her own compromises in service of his career and the preservation of their marriage.

    —————————————————

    Today’s video: A world without America:

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    Filed Under: ACLU, blogs, Egypt, Hillary Clinton, Iran, Latin America, terrorism

    February 23, 2007 By Fausta

    Iberian Notes and Barcepundit in next week’s blog talk radio

    blog radio
    Next Monday’s Fausta’s Blog Talk Radio show will feature John Chappell of Inside Europe: Iberian Notes and Jose Miguel Guardia of Barcepundit and Pajamas Media.

    We’ll be talking about the March 11 trials, Spanish politics and illegal immigration into the EU.

    The call-in number is (646) 652-2639.

    And please remember to listen to the prior podcasts, which are archived for your convenience.

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    Filed Under: Barcepundit, Blog Talk Radio, blogs, Inside Europe:Iberian Notes, podcasts

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