[DAWN] OUR interior minister epitomises all that is going wrong with the country's internal security. His histrionics defy rational thinking. Trust him to come up with the most outrageous defence of the Taliban even when they stand completely exposed. However, some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go... Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's statement before the National Assembly last week on the Islamabad court carnage borders on insanity.
There is nothing to worry about the Taliban, the majority of whom are not anti-state, the minister assured a nation still reeling from the latest killing spree in the heart of the capital. He even sought the TTP's help to track down the attackers who may well have come from the banned group's own ranks. What an excellent example of bonhomie even though the newfound 'patriots' never falter when it comes to blowing up soldiers on the frontline and killing innocent civilians in the country's heartland.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] YET another gruesome killing related to the Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... gang war in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... has underscored the inability of the law enforcement agencies to halt bloody rivalries that are spreading to other predominantly Baloch localities in the city. Monday's killing of five people in Mowachh Goth some distance away from Lyari, highlights the determination of criminal elements in localised pie fights to extend their reach to wherever their quarry may be. Deplorable as the incident is, it is not for the first time that elements associated with gang wars have struck outside their areas of influence. Already in the throes of a multifaceted violence, Karachi is ill-prepared to meet the challenge of local gangs operating outside their traditional turf. At the same time, it would be unfair to argue for such violence to be contained in a certain quarter of the city. The problem must be eliminated altogether, and Lyari, one of the most congested and dangerous localities of Karachi, must be given a chance to experience peace.
As indicated, security operations have not yielded much, and criminal gangs, undeterred by a weak judicial system, continue to operate with impunity. But it is also a colossal failure on the part of Karachi's politicians, especially those representing Lyari, to ensure communal harmony in the area. Scores of Lyari residents have periodically left their homes to escape the daily mayhem and take shelter in other parts of the city, even outside. And yet no remedial action has been taken by the authorities who have adopted a discriminatory approach when it comes to cracking down on violence. Tackling crime in an impoverished area has to go hand in hand with efforts to develop it. Lyari is no exception. The effort to uproot criminals from the locality must be twinned with earnest development work that caters to the health and education needs of the people, while giving the latter the infrastructure that can spur economic activities.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] IT was a pronouncement that left many stunned. The Council of Islamic Ideology reportedly declared on Tuesday that laws barring child marriage in Pakistain were 'un-Islamic'. This shocking statement overtook the declaration made on Monday by the Council's chairman, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, that the current law requiring a man to seek written permission from his wife before contracting a second marriage should be amended. These statements speak volumes for the kind of issues that are on the Learned Elders of Islam's list of priorities, and the medieval mindset that dominates religious discourse in this country. Let us be clear: child marriage is a curse that robs children -- especially the girl child -- of their innocence and childhood. Such statements from holy mans, even if they are made in an advisory, non-binding capacity, only work to reverse the human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... gains that have been made in Pakistain, and to alienate Pakistain in the comity of nations.
As it is, Pakistain is a highly unfriendly place for children. This is a society that tolerates child labour and violence against children, where youngsters are traded like chattel to settle disputes as part of tradition. In such a backdrop, the CII's pronouncement sends all the wrong signals. In fact, the Council's priorities are extremely muddled. Instead of working to promote enlightenment, it has only solidified the role of the regressive mindset. Why do the members of the CII, in fact most Learned Elders of Islam, shy away from what should be focused on? Many of Pakistain's current problems are rooted in society's drift towards extremism, which has been aided by ultra-conservative clergymen. Yet the Learned Elders of Islam seem less concerned about existential issues that confront Pakistain and problems that threaten to tear apart the social fabric. For example, the menace of terrorism is condemned only passively. Efforts have been made to address the scourge of sectarianism, including by the CII, but little has been done to carry the message of sectarian harmony to the mosque and madressah, and to rein in communal rabble-rousers. And while they are quick to weigh in on issues such as child marriage and multiple wives, holy mans seldom forcefully condemn the dreadful treatment meted out to women and kiddies in Pakistain, often in the name of 'religion' and 'culture'.
The 'advice' offered by the CII to the government is best left ignored. As we have argued before, with an elected parliament in place, containing numerous shades of political thought including religious parties, to legislate and civil society to vet the legislation, the Council has little utility. If this is the level of its 'advice', it is best that the CII is disbanded. Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... as those who stand for human rights face off against the defenders of regression, the politicians must stand up and openly side with the forces in society working to promote progressive thought.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/13/2014 00:00 ||
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h/t Instapundit
This week marks the 40th anniversary of an event close to the hearts of gender activists everywhere. On March 11, 1974, ABC aired Marlo Thomas' "Free to Be...You and Me" -- a musical program celebrating gender-free children. Thomas and her fellow co-neutralists envisioned a world where the sex distinction would melt away. Instead of "males" and "females," there would be mutually respectful, non-gendered human persons. The project resulted in a platinum LP, a best-selling book, and an Emmy. More than that, the idea of gender liberation entered the national zeitgeist. Parents everywhere began giving their daughters trucks and sons baby dolls. Like so many dream boats floating on the utopian sea, this one crashed and sank when it hit the rocks of reality.
...In 2009, David Geary, a University of Missouri psychologist, published the second edition of Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Sex Differences. This thorough, fair-minded, and comprehensive survey of the literature includes more than 50 pages of footnotes citing studies by neuroscientists, endocrinologists, geneticists, anthropologists, and psychologists showing a strong biological basis for many gender differences. And, as Geary recently told me, "One of the largest and most persistent differences between the sexes is children's play preferences." The female preference for nurturing play and the male propensity for rough-and-tumble hold cross-culturally and even cross-species. Researchers have found, for example, that female vervet monkeys play with dolls much more than their brothers, who prefer balls and toy cars. Nor can human reality be tossed aside. In all known societies, women tend to be the nurturers and men the warriors. Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker points to the absurdity of ascribing these universal differences to socialization: "It would be an amazing coincidence that in every society the coin flip that assigns each sex to one set of roles would land the same way." The 70es have a lot to answer for. In particular if, like me, you have a kid subject to the will of psychotic bitches highly credentialed education professionals raised on the 70es theories.
#2
Arlington and scores of other veteran cemeteries remain largely gender segregated. Where's the affirmative action to 'level' those playing fields? The old republic was built upon the bodies, bones, trauma, desolation and last full measure of devotion by legions filled by those who's posterity are demonized for making a simple hand gesture of a gun on a school playing field.
Privilege and prerogative are not equality when they lack responsibility and consequence.
#3
You're saying Girls WILL NOT "Play" with guns, what are the actual shooting deaths, By Gender.
Don' know?
Then you're part of the Gender Separation, My Daughter Carries a weapon, Hasn't had to use it,(Not yet) But ready.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/13/2014 9:18 Comments ||
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#4
The gender wars *were* successful in destroying traditional roles - which was the goal all along. The stated goals of "equality," rainbows and unicorn farts were always a smoke screen.
#5
Yes, I'm expected to do a certain amount of the house work and child caring now. My wife, however, has never been expected to change the brakes on the cars or run the chain saw after a big wind storm, or go investigate when we hear something go bump in the night. She doesn't know how a table saw works, but she likes the bookshelves it built. She would never attempt to fix the burnt out wire behind the duplex outlet or climb under the house and put a wrench on that leaking pipe fitting. There is nothing critical that she does that cannot be delegated to me, inversely, 85% of what I do cannot be done by her or baby.
There is no "equality" in my house, just updated expectations. Not complaining, but let's call it what it is.
#6
And that's the problem, bigjim. Too many (most?) women want men to share their traditional tasks, but don't even consider sharing men's traditional tasks.
Though I know how to change the oil in a car, use a chainsaw (having been a firefighter earlier in my life pays off a lot), chop wood, cut the grass, shovel snow, put up shelves, etc., I'd really rather not.
But in return I don't expect a man to do the shopping, sewing, or cleaning (though I do expect everyone to pick up after themselves), or other house-type stuff, and don't care who cooks. That's more like actual equality in my mind.
Posted by: Barbara ||
03/13/2014 21:23 Comments ||
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#7
In our household she kills it, I grills it. Works well.
#3
While Dr. Carson has some valid points I wish he didn't go to the Nazi analogy. That's the way to shut down any rational conversation and only inflames the extremes on both sides.
He could easily have made similar comparisons to Mao's China or Stalin's USSR and not been wrong, AND he would have pushed back on the left. Nazis, incorrectly IMO, are seen as right wing and as such not an effective stone to throw.
#4
Let's remember - it's the National Socialist Workers Party (not just a bunch of Hollyweird portrayed black uniform thugs). Given the acts and behaviors of apparatchik bureaucrats in the Beltway, it's getting closer and closer every day.
And they're seen as 'right wing' because of a lot of academic socialist apologists who pushed the Big Lie since the 60s.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
03/13/2014 9:20 Comments ||
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#6
Carson's not that far off the mark, only depends upon the extent of influence a muslim education had upon dear leader in his youth.
Relations between Nazi Germany and the Arab World refers to political and military links between Germany and Arab nationalists during the era of Nazi Germany (19331945). The relationship between the Nazi movement and leadership and the Arab world encompassed contempt, propaganda, collaboration and in some instances emulation. Cooperative relationships were founded on shared hostilities toward common enemies, such as British and French imperialism, colonialism, and Zionism.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[DAWN] OUR interior minister epitomises all that is going wrong with the country's internal security. His histrionics defy rational thinking. Trust him to come up with the most outrageous defence of the Taliban even when they stand completely exposed. 
[DAWN] YET another gruesome killing related to the 
[DAWN] IT was a pronouncement that left many stunned. The Council of Islamic Ideology reportedly declared on Tuesday that laws barring child marriage in Pakistain were 'un-Islamic'. This shocking statement overtook the declaration made on Monday by the Council's chairman, Maulana Mohammad Khan Sheerani, that the current law requiring a man to seek written permission from his wife before contracting a second marriage should be amended. These statements speak volumes for the kind of issues that are on the 
