Thursday, 31 August 2006, 17:08 GMT

Rösta homo den 17 september!

Oavsett vilket parti du tänkt rösta på så bör du välja en politiker i denna lista. Genom att sätta ett kryss framför en homo- eller bisexuell kandidat kan vi vara säkra på att riksdagen tar våra liv och våra frågor på allvar. Varje bög och lesbisk bör påminna sig om att heterosexuella aldrig har arbetat för våra intressen utan påtryckningar. Många av dem vill väl, men eftersom de inte tvingas leva med diskrimineringen, hatbrotten och homofobin blir välviljan aldrig mer än ett abstrakt ställningstagande. Och nej, detta handlar inte om politisk korrekthet, särskilda privilegier eller teoretiska strukturer. Tvärtom.

Wednesday, 30 August 2006, 19:04 GMT

A quote

Californian state Senator Sheila Kuehl is urging Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to sign bill to prohibit any negative portrayal of gays in textbooks and other instructional material:

"Prohibiting school books or activities that degrade our kids and our community is an important piece of the puzzle in creating a safer school environment."

I wish I could say that Swedish schoolbooks were gay-friendly, but unfortunately, many still contain hostile and outright homophobic articles. I don't like prohibitory politics, but as long as the taxpayers' money finance the education it's reasonable to ban bigoted textbooks.

Wednesday, 30 August 2006, 14:47 GMT

Främlingsfientlig moderat förstör

I bloggosfären sprids nu nyheten att Agneta Östman-Wenger, en moderat politiker i Nykvarn, har skickat epost till Länstidningen i Södertälje och klagat på för många mörkhyade barn i tidningen. Jag tar mig för pannan. Om det är någonting som partiet har försökt få alla kandidater att förstå inför denna valrörelse så är det att ingenting, absolut ingenting är privat.

Det är möjligt att Östman-Wengers brev till tidningen skadar moderaterna. Det vore olyckligt. Men det är faktiskt värre att hon, som för övrigt är verksam i en av Sveriges mest invandrartäta kommuner, uttalar dessa åsikter och tror sig kunna komma undan med det. Att göra hud- och hårfärg till en fråga är inte okej, oavsett vilken politisk hemvist en person har.

Jag tycker att Östman-Wenger bör be om ursäkt och/eller lämna moderaterna. Vi behöver inte sådana klumpiga och ohyfsade personer. Och ska man tror artikeln i Länstidningen så bryr hon sig inte heller så mycket om partiet och sin politiska karriär. Så varför vara kvar och förstöra för oss som faktiskt vill partiet och den svenska borgerligheten väl? Hon har nog ändå inte så mycket gemensamt med oss som menar att ett regeringsskifte faktiskt skulle kunna öppna för en mer liberal invandringspolitik som förhoppningsvis skulle resultera i ännu flera "mörkhåriga, söta barn med främmande namn"?

Uppdatering: Moderaternas partisekreterare Sven Otto Littorin delar min åsikt. Till Expressen säger han: "Har man den här typen av åsikter är det morsning och goodbye." Läs mer här och här.

Wednesday, 30 August 2006, 07:21 GMT

Opposition Ahead in Latest Poll

With eighteen days to the Swedish general election on 17 September, the liberal-conservative opposition is ahead by 3.5% according to the latest opinion poll by the research agency Synovate Temo.

• The Social Democratic Party – 34.7%
• The Left Party – 5.8%
• The Green Party – 5.9%
• The Moderate Party – 26.9%
• The Liberal Party – 11.0%
• The Christian Democrats – 6.3%
• The Centre Party – 5.7%

The four political parties that make up the opposition alliance are marked in blue, while the three parties of the governing coalition are red.

Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 17:36 GMT

Skydd för privatlivet

I en replik på DN Debatt pläderar Datainspektionens generaldirektör Göran Gräslund för ett lagstadgat skydd för privatlivet. I ett stycke skriver han att ett stort problem finns med nätpublicering och att många känner sig kränkta av att det finns personuppgifter på internet. Han exemplifierar med offentliga telefonkataloger och kreditupplysningar. Ett problem är enligt Gräslund att personuppgiftslagen är lätt att gå runt genom att betala 2 000 kronor för ett så kallat utgivningsbevis hos Radio- och TV-verket, vilket ger den ansvariga för en webbsida samma grundlagsskydd som tidningar.

Gräslund kan ha en poäng i att internet lätt kan användas av dem som vill skada någon i sin närhet. Men att försvåra för bloggar och andra internetbaserade media vore helt fel. Tvärtom borde det bli lättare och billigare att registrera sig för att få samma skydd som andra media. I USA – där konstitutionen ger alla den yttrandefrihet som vi svenskar måste ansöka om – har bloggar och internetjournalistik fått sitt betydande genombrott just för att granskning och kritik inte behöver ta hänsyn till integritetslagar. Med vissa problematiska bieffekter, naturligtvis.

Jag återkommer när Gräslunds artikel finns tillgänglig på Dagens Nyheters hemsida.

Tuesday, 29 August 2006, 10:01 GMT

Kant on the Basics of Morality

Everyone must admit that a law, if it is to hold morally, i.e., as a ground of obligation, must imply absolute necessity; he must admit that the command, "Thou shalt not lie," does not apply to men only, as if other rational beings had no need to observe it. The same is true for all other moral laws properly so called.

– Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals, translated into English by H. J. Paton (New York, 1965).

Monday, 28 August 2006, 19:21 GMT

Anna Sjödins skenhelighet

Jag tittade precis på Sveriges Televisions valprogram Karavanen med Sverker Olofsson. Kvällens program sändes från Karlstad och var väl sådär lagom intressant som de flesta program av denna typ brukar vara. En sak störde mig dock – SSU:s ordförande Anna Sjödin och hennes vidrigt tillgjorda skenhelighet. När hon dissade bloggar med argumentet att hon minsann hellre ägnar tid åt att prata politik med invandrare i segregerade områden ville jag bara spy. Det funkar inte Anna – Babak Jemai vet vad du egentligen tycker om invandrare. Fan för sådant arrogant hyckleri!

Monday, 28 August 2006, 16:26 GMT

Stämningsbild

Jag tog bilden med min mobiltelefon när jag gick längst Österportsgatan i Malmö tidigare idag. En moderat som jag ska väl egentligen inte tycka om illegal affischering av elskåp, men detta gjorde mig på gott humör. Dessutom tycker jag faktiskt att affischer tillhör en urban stadsmiljö.

Saturday, 26 August 2006, 06:29 GMT

Neck and Neck

With only twenty-two days to the Swedish general election on 17 September, the liberal-conservative opposition is ahead only by a fraction according to the latest opinion poll by the research agency Sifo.

• The Social Democratic Party – 35.8%
• The Left Party – 5.6%
• The Green Party – 6.0%
• The Moderate Party – 24.3%
• The Liberal Party – 10.2%
• The Christian Democrats – 6.5%
• The Centre Party – 6.7%

The four political parties that make up the opposition alliance are marked in blue, while the three parties of the governing coalition are red.

Friday, 25 August 2006, 13:39 GMT

Osynliga idioter

Stalkning verkar vara populärt numera. Via bloggen Ninja Economist hittade jag precis denna artikel om ett allvarligt fall som faktiskt hotar hela det öppna och demokratiska samhället. Och nej, då menar jag inte den berörda hemsidan som sådan, utan det som hot mot webbhotell och enskilda entreprenörer resulterar i. Rädsla och osäkerhet gynnar ingen samhällsutveckling.

Friday, 25 August 2006, 08:18 GMT

Farewell, Apartheid! Welcome, Equality!

From an article published on Reuters's website:

South Africa's cabinet has given the green light for a bill allowing gay marriage, which would make it the first country in Africa to accord homosexual couples the same rights as their straight counterparts.

Government spokesman Themba Maseko said the cabinet had approved the bill—which must still be adopted by parliament—after the country's highest country ruled it was unconstitutional to deny gay people the right to marry.

"Basically (the bill) will legalize same sex marriage in compliance with the constitutional court ruling," said Maseko, who could not say when parliament would discuss the bill.

The bill—which has drawn opposition from religious groups who want a referendum on the issue—is still subject to public commentp.

The cabinet decision puts South Africa on course to join a handful of mostly European countries that allow same-sex marriage, making it the first to do so in Africa, where homosexuality remains taboo and opponents decry gay unions as 'un-African'.

This is great news, but it is no coincident that South Africa is the first African country to legalize gay marriage. They know what apartheid is like and they want to get rid of it.

Friday, 25 August 2006, 07:41 GMT

Elaka hot och trakasserier

Den 12 juli skrev jag en skämtsam notis om en bloggare som vid flera tillfällen pingat mitt namn och därmed gjort mig till ett eget "tema". Samme bloggare hävdar nu att jag bryter mot personuppgiftslagen (PuL) genom att skriva hans namn på min blogg. Han skriver att han efter inrådan av polisen samt Datainspektionen ber mig att ta bort all information gällande honom som privatperson från min hemsida. Det blir problematiskt eftersom jag enbart publicerat hans namn i samband med att jag bemött något han skrivit på sin blogg, inte sällan då i artiklar som huvudsakligen handlar om mig. Vid alla tillfällen har det handlat om en offentlig diskussion där riktiga tilltalsnamn har används av alla deltagare. Bortsett från namnet har jag inte publicerat några av hans personuppgifter.

Jag känner inte bloggaren privat, men sedan några månader har han utsatt mig för något som närmast liknar stalkning på internet. Främst har det handlat om små hotfulla meddelanden via epost. Det avtog en tid men har nu eskalerat igen. Det senaste tilltaget är att han enligt egen uppgift "inlett en mycket intressant mailkonversation med ledande moderater i Malmö" samt gjort en abuseanmälan till mitt webbhotell.

Mitt stora misstag var nog att jag på denna blogg skrev att jag i nu under valrörelsen leder en lokal IT-grupp inom moderaterna. Då såg min stalkare en möjlighet att förödmjuka mig och vända personer i min närhet emot mig. Därmed tog han steget från trakasserier via internet till trakasserier i verkliga livet. Det personliga har blivit privat.

Ett stort problem med stalkning är att ingen utom den som blir utsatt förstår vad som verkligen händer. Samma person som förföljer och trakasserar någon kan vara trevlig, öppen och social gentemot andra. När sedan offret exploderar av frustration framstår denne som märklig och blir inte sällan misstrodd. Så beskrivs det av många och jag känner nog att det stämmer, även om jag inte jämför min situation med de grövsta fallen.

Om min blogg plötsligt skulle försvinna så vet ni varför. Då är det mitt webbhotell som fått panik. Jag har dock tillgång till en server i annat land, men det kan i värsta fall ta någon timme att föra över allt till denna. Jag kommer inte att ta bort någonting jag skrivit om inte sakliga argument för det presenteras av någon myndighet. Men som jag tolkar informationen på Datainspektionens hemsida så har jag inte gjort något fel. Det är exempelvis helt rimligt att på sin hemsida publicera och bemöta ett offentligt brev i vilket man pekas ut som lögnare. I ett sådant fall "måste den personuppgiftsansvariges intresse av en publicering väga tyngre än den registrerades intresse av skydd mot den kränkning av den personliga integriteten som en publicering kan medföra".

Uppdatering: Min stalkare har – förutom att skicka absurt mycket epost till moderata företrädare i olika positioner – svarat på inlägget ovan med en egen artikel i samma anda, fast med honom som offer. Det är typiskt för rättshaveristen och jag bryr mig inte så mycket om det. Men jag vill dementera en sak. Av hans artikel kan man få intrycket av att jag ljugit om min roll som chef för moderaternas IT-team i Malmö. Det har jag inte gjort. Jag är chef för detta team. Men jag är inte anställd av partiet och jag får ingen lön. Det har jag heller aldrig påstått. IT-teamet består av ett antal partimedlemmar som arbetar ideellt i valrörelsen. Vi lägger ner många timmar med detta arbete och planerar bland annat en kampanjsida inför valrörelsens slutspurt. Att vara chef för detta team (ja, partiet har valt att kalla det "chef") innebär att jag leder arbetet.

Thursday, 24 August 2006, 12:48 GMT

Sådan är den svenske bloggaren

Nu vet vi vem den svenske bloggaren är. Hans Kullin, som själv bloggar, har undersökt det hela och kommit fram till följande om den typiske svenske bloggaren:

• kvinna
• 26-30 år gammal
• har högskole- eller universitetsexamen
• skulle rösta på socialdemokraterna om det vore riksdagsval idag
• har tillgång till bredbandsuppkoppling
• bloggar för att hon gillar att skriva
• uppdaterar sin blogg varje dag
• har inget emot att bli kontaktad av företag i sin egenskap av bloggare
• är anonym
• läser 6-10 bloggar dagligen
• spenderar 6-10 timmar per vecka med att läsa bloggar
• använder aldrig en RSS-läsare för att läsa bloggar
• läser helst bloggar om vardagsbetraktelser
• läser bloggar för få läsa "vanliga människors" åsikter
• har aldrig klickat på en annons på en blogg

Thursday, 24 August 2006, 09:34 GMT

Alliansens valmanifest

Klicka på bilden för att ladda ner Allians för Sveriges valmanifest. Vill dock varna min libertarianska vänner för eventuella ångestattacker. Trösten och motivationen får sökas i att alternativet är värre. Konservativa och socialliberala vänner bör däremot vara ganska nöjda.

Thursday, 24 August 2006, 07:47 GMT

Ett brev är skickat

Igår skrev jag om Ronnie Lindén, en av dessa märkliga människor som ägnar mycket av sin tid åt att fantisera om faran med att behandla bögar som alla andra. Jag nämnde då att jag genom åren träffat ett ganska stort antal människor som honom men att jag aldrig riktigt kunnat förstå vad som driver dem. En av dessa märkliga böghatare jag råkat på är Stefan Sanneskär, en socialdemokratisk bloggare i Stockholms-förorten Vällingby.

Sanneskär skickade epost till mig för några timmar sedan. Han gillar inte mig. Orsaken är att jag i maj skrev ett brev till socialdemokraternas partisekreterare Marita Ulvskog i vilket jag gjorde henne uppmärksam på att man från partiets hemsida länkade till flera artiklar av Sanneskär som mycket väl skulle kunna fälla honom för hets mot folkgrupp. Precis som Åke Green i hans världsberömda predikan har Sanneskär gjort återkommande kopplingar mellan vuxna homosexuella relationer och våldtäkter på barn och djur. Det ena ska leda till det andra, ty så kan man tolka Bibeln (om man är full) och då måste det vara sant.

Socialdemokraterna svarade via epost att man tog avstånd från Sanneskärs hatiska artiklar, tog bort alla länkar till hans hemsida, samt betonade att han inte hade några förtroendeuppdrag.

Sanneskär tog snabbt bort de värsta övertrampen för att kunna söka stöd hos enskilda partikamrater, men han har inte kunnat komma över förödmjukelsen som det tydligen innebar. Därför försöker han nu hämnas på mig. Via epost lät han därför meddela att han har skickat ett brev till moderaternas partisekreterare och partikansliet i Malmö för att klaga på mig. Mitt oerhörda brott ska bestå i att jag ljugit om honom i en kommentar på en blogg – en fruktansvärd anklagelse som förmodligen kommer att överskugga hela valrörelsen… :-)

Nåväl. Hade det varit så att jag ljugit om Sanneskär så kanske det vore illa, men allt jag skrev i kommenterar än sant, vilket Sanneskär faktiskt devis bekräftar i sitt eget brev när han åter förklarar att lika rättigheter för homo-, bi- och heterosexuella kommer att resultera i tidelag och incest.

Varför Sanneskär skickar brevet till moderaterna framgår inte. Jag gissar att syftet är att partiet ska straffa mig på något sätt. Lite lustigt i så fall, för en ideellt arbetande partimedlem som bekämpat en homofob socialdemokrat på internet ses nog snarare som en tillgång än en beslastning.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 11:43 GMT

(S)mutskastningskampanj

Socialdemokraterna har sin vana trogen satsat mycket på smutskastning och negative campaigning. Det senaste exemplet är webbsidan Moderatmot.nu, på viken man kan läsa om en lång rad reformer som moderaterna motsatt sig genom åren. Det hävdas bland annat att "moderaternas motstånd till folkskolereformen 1927 [kan] kopplas till deras motstånd mot utbyggnaden av högskolan idag" samt att "en genomgång av moderaternas historia visar på ett parti som konsekvent är emot alla förändringar till ett bättre samhälle för alla". Detta är naturligtvis inte sant. Dagens moderater har inte mycket gemensamt med Allmänna valmansförbundet anno 1927. Detsamma gäller naturligtvis socialdemokraterna själva. Mycket av det som partiet gjort genom åren skulle med största sannolikhet få de flesta av dagens socialdemokrater att känna ett visst obehag. Ett parti bör således tänka sig för några gånger innan man lanserar en smutskastningskampanj som denna. Nu är ribban satt till valrörelsen 2010.

Wednesday, 23 August 2006, 03:19 GMT

På turné mot homosexuella

Jag vet inte vad det är som gör att somliga har ett så enormt behov av att tala om för alla andra att de tycker illa om homosexuella. Det är ett mysterium för mig. Ändå har jag genom åren träffat ganska många människor som ägnar en stor del av sin tid åt just detta. Jag kan ha viss förståelse för att somliga tycker att sexuella aktiviteter mellan personer av samma kön känns motbjudande eller främmande, men då handlar det om personliga preferenser och individuell smak. Att någon däremot ger sig ut på en turné runt landet för att "varna för homosexualitet" är helt obegripligt. Det är dock precis vad Ronnie Lindén just nu företar sig. Han har tillsammans med sin fru skapat en organisation kallad Amoso som har en hemsida med syftet att "avslöja myter om sexuell orientering". Där kan man läsa följande avslöjande:

En av programpunkterna under Pridefestivalen 2006 var en partiledardebatt fredagen den 4:e juni under RFSLs regi. Ett av ämnena som våra partiledarna satt och debatterade var huruvida småpojkar skulle vara klädda i kjol när de kom till dagis eller småskolan. Detta är så klart ett viktigt ämne för RFSL. De vet mycket väl hur deras egen homosexualitet började med könsförvirring i tidiga barnaår. Således kan bl.a. kjolklädsel för vissa pojkar bidraga till att öka de homosexuellas antal i framtiden. Du kan läsa om effekten av sådan könsförvirring i min presentation nedan. Detta och liknande initiativ från RFSLs sida presenteras politiskt som godartad "könsneutralitet". Med "neutralitet" menas kanske att pojkarna ibland kan få ha byxor i stället för kjol. Eller kanske att ett nytt slags klädesplagg för nedankroppen bör introduceras. Ett mellanting mellan kjol och byxa och som både pojkar och flickor skall vara klädda i för att komma in i dagis.

Jag får väl tacka Lindén för informationen. Jag hade nämligen ingen aning om att jag någonsin varit osäker på min könsidentitet. Bortsett från min roll som stjärngosse i skolans luciatåg – iklädd ett plagg misstänkt lik en vit klänning – har jag själv aldrig gått klädd i kjol. Tjejkläder intresserade mig inte som pojke. Jag ville hellre klä ut mig till Luke Skywalker och leka rymdkrig med mina kompisar.

På sin hemsida skriver Lindén att han har doktorerat vid "University of California inom naturvetenskapen". Lite diffust får man nog tycka. De flesta som doktorerar brukar ju annars vara mer precisa med vilken expertis de har. En förklaring kan dock vara att han överdriver sin kompetens, för enligt en artikel på Kanon.se ska han ha blivit nekad att doktorera.

Nekad examen
Ronnie Lindén är från Malmö men har bott i Sacramento i Kalifornien sedan tidigt 70-tal tillsammans med hustrun Margareta.
I Kalifornien – där han tillskriver sig en doktorsgrad – har han nekats en examen som "wastewater treatment plant operator" efter att ha ansetts överdrivit sina meriter.

Lindén är en mycket övertygad pingstvän och blev under mitten av 70-talet vän med John S Torell, en av hökarna inom pingströrelsen och en av dem som hårdast kritiserat de som visat någon typ av fördragsamhet med homosexuella.

Åkte till Green
När processen mot Åke Green inleddes lämnade Lindén USA och åkte till Sverige och Öland för att träffa Åke Green och har sedan dess enbart sysslat med att föra ut hatbudskapet om hur homosexuella hotar civlisationen.

Nu är alltså Lindén ute på Sverigeturné för att varna folket för bögarna. Budskapet är det gamla vanliga. Homosexuella män sägs vara mer benägna att förgripa sig på barn, vi saknar riktiga fadersgestalter, och vi styr media genom mäktiga lobbyorganisationer. Vidare hävdas att homosexuella män i större utsträckning är otrogna, oftare är narkomaner, lever kortare liv, är fixerade vid sex, är intoleranta mot religiösa, samt fulla med sjukdomar och vidriga i största allmänhet. Som brukligt är i dessa sammanhang så hänvisas till enskilda vittnesmål och ovetenskaplig forskning. Konspirationer, överdrifter, förtal och fria fantasier i en skön blandning, med andra ord.

Ett problem är möjligen att vissa tar det Lindén säger på allvar. Jag tror dock att de flesta ser igenom hans argument. För hela hans bevisning bygger på att några få människors egenskaper tillskrivs en stor folkgrupp. Ett exempel är att Lindén på sin hemsida försöker bevisa att homosexuella män gillar unga pojkar genom att hänvisa till justitierådet Leif Thorssons medialt uppmärksammade köp av sexuella tjänster från en tjugoårig man. Jag tror inte att svenskarna köper den typen av "bevis", för med den metoden går det att bevisa nästan vad som helst – exempelvis att socialdemokrater tycker om att dansa med kor.

Tuesday, 22 August 2006, 01:26 GMT

Malmö Tower

On 2 July, I wrote about the planned new skyscraper here in Malmö. I then published a picture of my personal favourite of the suggested buildings. Yesterday the final decision was announced, and the winner was a 180-metre tall building by C. F. Møller Architects in Denmark. Their skyscraper is seen on the picture above. It will be finished by 2011.

Read more about Malmö Tower here (pdf).

Monday, 21 August 2006, 19:39 GMT

Pick of Sympathy

When following the European mainstream media one might get the impression that everybody sympathizes with the Palestinian side in the Middle East conflict. This, it turns out, is not the case. According to an article in this week's The Economist, the people of the West are friendlier towards the Israeli side than the media will let us believe. I am actually a bit surprised considering that the journalistic reporting often is shamelessly bias in favour of the Palestinians, but I'm pleased to see that so many are able to see past that. Still, far too many—probably a majority—pick the Palestinian side when they have to choose. What, apart from the sad state of media coverage, makes people do this choice? One guess is that Israel—with its backing of the United States—is seen as the stronger of the two; and people often feel a natural sympathy for the weaker. Another, more unsettling, guess is that two thousand years of European anti-Semitism plays a more significant role in our culture than we like to think. A third guess is less troublesome and deals with the absurdity of the question itself. In the complex Middle East conflict, it would be somewhat strange not to feel sympathy for both sides. The answer to the question could therefore shift daily depending on the latest news.

Monday, 21 August 2006, 01:25 GMT

In support of Israelis' right to exist

Magnus Lindberg of the Al Hamatzav blog has published some pictures from yesterday's manifestation in support of Israel, which took place in Stockholm. Communists from the Left Party as well as Nazi supporters interrupted the event and threatened some of the politicians that participated. The sign seen on the picture above says: "According to Hezbollah, I do not have the right to exist". That is precisely the core of the Middle East conflict—the fanatics of Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran do not even recognize the most fundamental human rights of Israelis and Jews.

Sunday, 20 August 2006, 22:31 GMT

Tyst valrörelse på internet

Från en artikel av Roland Poirier Martinsson i dagens Svenska Dagbladet:

I år skulle it-landet Sverige se det politiska genombrottet för internet. Men nätet har varit stendött och nu är det bara en månad kvar till valet. Varför blev det så?

[…]

I tre amerikanska valrörelser har partiers och kandidaters hemsidor och bloggosfären tagit stor plats. Under samma period har vi sett två fenomen växa stort i betydelse för amerikansk politik.
För det första gräsrötternas inflytande. Särskilt inom det demokratiska partiet har de interna maktförhållandena förskjutits. Också hos republikaner syns samma tendens, om än svagare.
För det andra har presidentvalens kampanjmakare kommit att betrakta internationella opinioner som viktiga för hur amerikanerna röstar, något som huvudsakligen förklaras av den snabba tillgången till utländska röster via ett klick på en blogglänk. De oetablerade har gjort sitt intrång i politiken – precis som nätets profeter spådde. Och precis som befarades har samma trend inneburit en vulgarisering av politiken. Påhoppen på John Kerry var osmakliga och osakliga. Nätkampanjen mot George W Bush var ännu långt värre. Vad man än ser först går det inte att förneka att fler röster hörs.

I Sverige ser vi tystnaden på nätet sammanfalla med en toppstyrning av partierna som snarast accentuerats de senaste åren. Ingen kan väl säga att partierna prioriterar medlemmarnas traditionella hjärtefrågor? I vänsterpartiet har man helt enkelt rensat ut dem som inte rättade in sig i ledet.
Bortsett från att vara en plattform för gräsrötter kan internet tjäna som ett viktigt verktyg för de politiska partierna. Det är obegripligt att inte någon utnyttjat den möjligheten. Vad vore två heltidstjänster i de budgetar som partierna rör sig med i valrörelsen? Chatt, kommentarer, jippon, länkar, filmer, information, bloggar, mediekritik, spinn, spel, opinionsmätningar, budskap – en välskött hemsida skulle kunna göra intryck långt in i valmanskåren och dess effekter sprida sig som ringar på vattnet till press och eter.

Tyvärr har han nog rätt. De svenska partierna är mycket toppstyrda och intresset för internet och blogg är minimalt i partiernas toppskikt. Jag har försökt förmå moderaterna att satsa mer på hemsidor och bloggar, men det tycks aldrig riktigt tas på allvar utan blir på sin höjd något partiet ägnar sig åt när allt annat är gjort. Moderaternas närvaro på internet vilar i princip helt på ideella krafter – inklusive den nationella hemsidan. Valstugor och kampanjer ges enorm betydelse och tilltron till mediala jippon är påtagligt. Det är säkert bra i en valrörelse, men för att vinna en opinion på längre sikt krävs en långsiktig strategi, och i denna borde en rejäl internetsatsningar ha en huvudroll.

Sunday, 20 August 2006, 00:46 GMT

The law isn't everything

"Al-Fil" of the Middle East Gay Journal has published an interesting account of his journey to Cyprus.

In Cyprus, I went to a gay bar on the Greek side one night. I took a taxi into town. When I got there, the driver asked me where I wanted to get out, implying that he would take me there. I told him the gay bar of Limassol, called Allelum. He pulled over immediately, asked for 3 pounds, and drove away. I knew I was near it, but I got lost—I'm no good at reading Greek. What I found is that Cypriots, when I met them, were so very nice to me. They asked where I was from, how I was doing, if I had a beautiful sister. Then I started asking directions to the gay bar. They told me, but shut down and were very cold. There was no conversation after that.

I spent a night two expatriates, one Iranian and one Irish. It was an interesting night, and I got a bit too drunk. We ended up on a pier, sitting on a bench. Just sitting. A car pulled up, and they stood up quickly—they were worried the police might cause trouble for us. An interesting thing about Cyprus: the laws may have been changed to be pro-gay in order to please the European Union, but no one has told the police. Cyprus is a very conservatice country, to put it lightly, and will be dragged kicking and screaming to the modern social policy of the E.U.

It's probably a good example of the situations in a lot of countries—the laws don't tell you much. Just because homosexuality is legal or illegal doesn't predict the situation for gay people in actual day-to-day life. Egypt, for example, has no laws against homosexuality. But it's not a gay haven. In Morocco, there are laws against homosexuality. But it's not nearly as bad.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot of coverage on normal gay life in many countries outside of Europe and North America. Many times, all that people have to reference are laws, treaties, and speeches of political and religious leaders. It's less than half the picture.

He makes some very good points when he reflects on how laws and public speeches by officials don't tell the truth about the situation for gay people. Cyprus is a good example. The laws and official policies are modern and adjusted to fit the European Union, but in reality the Cypriot society is still hostile towards gays.

Saturday, 19 August 2006, 00:14 GMT

The Moderate Blog

On 10 July, I mentioned my new job as head of the IT-team at the Malmö branch of the Moderate Party. One of the things I have been working on is a group blog. This blog has now been activated, although it will still take a few days before it is fully operating (most of the co-writers are still to register). If you're able to read Swedish and would like to know what happens in Malmö and Sweden during the election campaign you can visit "Moderatbloggen" (the Moderate Blog) on the following URL:
http://moderatbloggen.blogspot.com/

To be honest, I am not sure how well this blog project will turn out. Most of the participants are new to blogging, and some are perhaps a bit suspicious of the idea. But I think it is important for Swedish liberals and conservatives to challenge the claims of our rivals. The socialist bloggers work hard at distorting the liberal and conservative parties, and to let them do so without voicing opposition could be disastrous. In that, a group blog of this sort could play an important role.

Thursday, 17 August 2006, 00:28 GMT

Det Progressiva Hizbollah?

Lennart Frantzell, en normalt ganska sansad skribent, skriver på sin blogg Det Progressiva USA:

"Långt innan resten av världen ens har börjat inse vidden av katastrofen i Libanon är krigets segerherrar, Hizbollah, redan på plats med tusentals frivilliga och omfattande ekonomisk hjälp till de mest drabbade.

Utrustade med mobiltelefoner och den senaste kommunikationsteknologin befinner de sig redan ute i byarna och kan hjälpa hundratusentals drabbade libaneser med att bygga upp sina liv och sina hem."

Den amerikanska progressivismens främsta röst i den svenska bloggosfären hyllar således högerextrema Hizbollah. Det besvärar honom tydligen inte att det var Hizbollah som startade kriget. Inte heller har det någon gång framhållits att Hizbollah aktivt motarbetar fred och stabilitet i Mellanöstern genom att vägra acceptera Israel, sprida antisemitisk propaganda och systematiska motsatta sig varje försök att integrera de palestinska flyktingarna i det libanesiska samhället. Det torde vara svårt att förfäkta en mer polariserad och ensidig bild av en komplicerad konflikt.

Wednesday, 16 August 2006, 22:18 GMT

Goats in Diapers

From Andrew Sullivan's blog on 8 August:

Yes, we knew they were screwed up. But some Shiite Islamists in Iraq are allegedly killing shepherds because they have not put modesty "diapers" on their goats! The goats are too tempting for Muslim males, it appears. Well, compared with the walking black tents they force their women into, goats are indeed quite fetching. The logic of religious fundamentalism is nothing if not relentless.

From Andrew Sullivan's blog on 13 August:

It's hard to get them out of my head. Here's the story if you missed it: Iraqi Islamists are threatening shepherds with violence if they don't clothe their goats with diapers to avoid tempting lonely shepherds. Another facet of the "new Middle East." Yes, it's funny. But it's also revealing about the way fundamentalism and sex interact. What most male-run religious fundamentalisms include is a major exception for the hetero-male sex drive. Sex outside of missionary-position reproduction with legal wife/wives is officially verboten; but when frail male flesh gives in, the blame is almost always the object of desire—not the guy actually responsible. Hence: it's the goat's fault. The way they were dressed, they were asking for it.

It seems so bizarre that it is hard to comprehend. But apparently it is true, and in a way it's not that different from Victorian England where table legs were covered by textiles to prevent indecent thoughts.

Monday, 14 August 2006, 22:34 GMT

Hugo Chávez's Summer in Pictures

Hugo Chávez is a hero to many young European communists and socialists, which rather proves how insincere they are about democracy and civil liberties. Because Chávez's friends are an interesting bunch of dictators and totalitarians. Anyone else with these sorts of mates would rightfully be labelled weird and politically awkward. Only a left-winger could get away with the things Chávez does. Here are a few pictures from his latest get-togethers—with my very own speculations on what he talked about (for your amusement only).

In July, Chávez met with Belarus's dictator Alexander Lukashenko. They had a nice chat and compared methods of intimidate their political opposition.

A few days later Chávez met with the President of Iran. They talked about torture methods and practised Jew-bashing on human-size dolls.

Yesterday, Chávez travelled to Cuba and drank coffee with his old pal Fidel Castro. They discussed the latest Bush-gossip and drew paintings of themselves.

Monday, 14 August 2006, 15:49 GMT

Bra att Ahmadinejad bloggar

En läsare har skickat en kommentar till min notis om Ahmadinejads blogg:

Jag tycker det är fantastiskt om Ahmadinejad börjar blogga. Det kan inte på något sätt vara av ondo att olika synsätt kommer fram. Det skulle vara bra om Bush gjorde det, men hans minsta hicka eller viskning till Blair syns ju ändå i medierna, Ingen vet vad Irans president tycker. Kanske just i "konflikterna" som rör mellanöstern skulle det vara hälsosamt med ökat informationsutbyte.

Finns den tex på Engelska och har du själv läst den eller refererar du bara till yahoo? Jag hittade bara en persisk variant och det är jag inget vidare på att läsa.

Det är absolut bra att Ahmadinejad börjat blogga. Om inte annat så för att visa vilka märkliga idéer denne man faktiskt har. Som det är nu så får vi filtrerade nyheter från Mellanöstern, där framförallt arabiska och persiska media förskönas och tillrättaläggs.

Precis som du skriver så vore utmärkt om Bush började blogga.

Ahmadinejads blogg verkar inte fungera särskilt väl. Men när den gör det så finns det en engelskspråkig version. Uppe i högra hörnet finns en amerikansk-engelsk flagga. Klicka på den för att komma till den engelskspråkiga versionen.

Sunday, 13 August 2006, 22:23 GMT

Ahmadinejad Takes Up Blogging

It's a great day for the Loony Left and the world's Islamists! Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has launched his very own a blog. From an article on Yahoo News:

Iran's president has launched a Web log, using his first entry to recount his poor upbringing and ask visitors to the site if they think the United States and Israel want to start a new world war.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose speeches are riddled with anti-U.S. rhetoric, also described how he was angered by American meddling in Iran even when he was at elementary school.

Ahmadinejad swept to a surprise victory in last year's presidential race by promising the country's poor a fairer share of Iran's oil wealth and emphasizing his own humble origins that led many to vote for him as an "outsider" to Iran's ruling elite.

"During the era that … living in a city was perfection, I was born in a poor family in a remote village," he wrote in a blog dated Friday, after opening with Islamic greetings.

His origins as the son of "a hard-bitten toiler blacksmith" may have been humble, but he says he excelled at school where he said he came 132nd out of 400,000 in exams to enter university.

Well, at least it has the potential to make even the craziest political bloggers in Europe and America look humble and moderate…

Sunday, 13 August 2006, 13:08 GMT

Why Islam is the new Marx

From an article on the News.com.au website:

The similarities of communism and Islam are considerable. Both are egalitarian and advocate radical economic change. They both demand a domination of the public space and share a dogmatic, ideological view of the world.

Political Islam is also supplying the social services in a collective context that communism promised, and the status of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah depends on this. Their facilities are often described by locals as superior to those provided by the ruling governments.

Islam also promises to deliver the poor masses from oppression, but there is a difference: instead of the working class rising up against the bourgeoisie, the uprising to be encouraged is by hapless, impoverished Muslims against their oppressive Western masters or puppet Arab leaders. And like communism, Islam believes the collective must be preserved at the expense of the individual. We are social beings first, individuals second.

Like communism, Islamism promises a better life for the poor, oppressed and alienated. It is cloaked in God, but its essence is strongly secular. Unless the West fights the war of ideas at this level, offering a competing vision of morality as well as economics and technology, the lure of Islamic extremism will continue to flourish.

This is true. The similarities of radical Islam and communism are obvious. It is also true that the battle against Islamism must be fought on many levels, the main one being philosophical. This is how the West won over Soviet communism, and this is how we must win over Islamism. The liberal Western-style of economics and democracy is better for the poor than either the socialist or Islamic alternatives. Our main objective must therefore be to work for global democracy and a universal acceptance of basic human rights. The anti-Western propaganda is workable only as long as people in totalitarian countries are forced to live in failed economic systems. By economic liberalization, people in the poorest countries will be able to make themselves a better life. Fighting Islamism and communism is in many ways a fight against poverty and inequality, which are the very reasons so many people are attracted to theses ideologies in the first place. It is time to break up this vicious circle.

(Thanks Erik.)

Friday, 11 August 2006, 19:06 GMT

Ripe for transplant

On 17 July, Swedish blogger Jonas Morian wrote favourably about organ transplantation. I am not against human organs being used for transplantation, but I think there are great risks to the technique. Doctors are humans, and humans are often greedy and status-seeking. In light of this, I think the temptation to sacrifice a young but low-status patient for an older patient of fame or wealth is real. By using some humans as means to others, we all risk bad treatment when we seek medical treatment. Mr Morian called me a cynic, but I think an article in a resent issue of the New Scientist proves me right:

In June, Ottawa Hospital in Canada announced its first organ transplant in recent history from a patient who hadn't been classified as brain-dead, but whose heart had stopped - so-called "donation after cardiac death" (DCD). By switching to this definition of death for transplant purposes, doctors hope to increase the number of healthy organs available and the number of potential donors from which they can be harvested.

For example, the Australian Health Ethics Committee (AHEC) is considering recommending legislation to enable more DCDs, as part of a drive to turnaround Australia's flagging organ donation rates. A similar shift is taking place in the US, where a limited number of DCDs already take place. There, the number of DCD kidney transplants has increased fivefold since 1995 to over 500 in 2004, and numbers are expected to increase sharply over the next decade.

The driving force behind this change is the worldwide shortage of organs (see "The crisis in organ donation"). Last week, doctors at the World Transplant Congress in Boston, Massachusetts, heard how the pool of available organs in the US could increase by up to 20 per cent if DCD was adopted more widely - enough to treat many of the estimated 6000 people in the US who die each year while on organ waiting lists. In the UK, strong government support has helped swell numbers of DCDs more than sixfold in the last 15 years, to 120 in 2005.

In light of this, it is all the more surprising to discover that the medical community is divided about the ethics of DCD. What's more, donor-card holders, far from consenting to the new practices, are blissfully unaware of the seismic shift in organ collection procedures.

"Doctors are very pragmatic," says Christopher Doig, a critical care specialist at Canada's Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta. "But there is something inherently bothersome about changing the way we are going to determine death so that we can increase the numbers of organs for donation."

By redefining death, doctors gain access to organs they are not entitled to. I think this may lead to greater troubles in the future. If you're a card-carrying organ donor you have approved of organs being taken from your body when you have died. But what definition of "death" have you signed up for?

Friday, 11 August 2006, 14:47 GMT

The Left and the anti-Semitism

A reader writes:

"The left in Europe in the 1930s did not accept Hitler or hate the Jews. In fact many of them were Jews and Internationalists and hated fascism. Dershowitz is a demagogue and not at all interested in the truth. And you should study your history a little more. Israel and the right wing crazies in the US will cause another world war. God help us all."

Terms like "left" and "right" are useful but often misleading. In the blog entry my reader comments I used the term "left" as a reference to the communist left, which, at the time, supported Hitler and the Nazis. It wasn't until the friendly pact of Stalin and Hitler ended on 22 June 1941—when the German-Soviet war officially began—that the extreme left of Europe broke with the Nazis. However, like Stalin, they never stopped linking Jews with greed and capitalism, and by doing so engage in anti-Semitic rhetoric. We saw it in the 1930s and we see it today.

The European Left was torn between the moderate socialists and liberals on the one hand and the communist and Nazis on the other. Political terminology is confusing and must be understood in its context. The European Left is by far more communist and totalitarian oriented than the American Left. Being an American liberal is considered being a right-winger in Europe.

Wednesday, 9 August 2006, 16:03 GMT

Al-Zarqawi's Mom's Blog II

Dear Mama Zarq,

Now what do I do?

– Ned in Connecticut

And here's Mama Zarq's advice to Ned.

Wednesday, 9 August 2006, 06:12 GMT

What the fight is about

Sweden's Loony Left is demonstrating support of Hezbollah and other Islamist organizations in their common struggle against Israel. The leftist mainstream media plays along, and everyone who voice criticism of Islamism is labelled an Islamophobe. But the fight against Islamism is a fight for democracy, human rights, and liberty against religious and political fascism. A while ago I came across a BBC film entitled Execution of a Teenage Girl on a Google website. It shows the true face of Islamism. See it!

Wednesday, 9 August 2006, 00:03 GMT

Quote abuse

A funny quote from Ann Coulter's column of 2 August 2006:

Q: The last time we spoke, you told me you're routinely misquoted by newspaper reporters. What are a couple of the more egregious examples? Why does this happen?

A: It happens so much, I don't even keep track of it anymore. The last one I remember was when I said "cutting the tax rate on capital gains seems to have increased tax receipts for fiscal 2006, just as supply-side economics predicted it would." It came out in the paper as, "I worship Adolf Hitler and share all of his goals, especially the 'final solution' to the 'Jewish problem.'"

I have no idea how it happens, given the strict objectivity and rigid nonpartisanship of the American media.

I remember one interviewer who asked me about promiscuity in the gay community. I said that I couldn't see anything morally wrong with it. In print, however, I was quoted as saying that promiscuity is a sign of good morals.

Tuesday, 8 August 2006, 14:43 GMT

Satan opposes gay marriage

From the Huffington Post:

In a crowded press conference early Tuesday morning, Satan announced his disavowal of both gay marriages and civic unions. "I know there is are a lot of people who might think I'm in favor of this," he said, "but you couldn't be more wrong. My perfect world involves the fevered debasement of flesh and the absolute corruption of the spirit, not two happy people living out in the suburbs building a life together.

Frankly, just the thought of these "families" hosting barbecues and going to baseball games makes me sick."

Satan told the story of one example, Gary Ross, whom he said he considered a particular disappointment. "Gary moved to New York City from Indiana six years ago, got into the club scene, participated in orgies and anonymous sex, took drugs, and maintained all sorts of behavior we condone and encourage. But then he met Patrick Stevens. Recently they moved out to Long Island and got a chocolate lab puppy. Now we here, and I speak for the entire organization, see Gary and Patrick's publicly stated desire to join in a loving and eternal union as just another step down a long, sad road."

During the Q&A Satan was asked if he considered state-sanctioned civil unions to be a reasonable compromise. He replied no, because even though it wasn't a spiritual act like marriage, in his eyes any acceptance of love was strictly forbidden, especially if it came with good health insurance. The only behavior he could endorse, he said, were acts that promoted hate and misery, along with any prejudices that ripped communities apart.

Answering a reporter's final question on the fate of gay couples, Satan snapped back, "All I can say is, if any of these so called 'couples' think they're going to have a nice hot seat in a circle of hell, they'll be sorely disappointed. As much as it pains me to exclude anyone from the fires of eternal damnation, we just won't let them in."

Considering how much time and energy fanatic Christians spend on telling gay people that God doesn't approve of homosexuality, one would have guessed that Satan would be on our side. But no. Well, I'm not surprised. Love and good taste has never really been Satan's thing, has it?

Monday, 7 August 2006, 00:12 GMT

Jordanian gaydar

When I write about the situation for gay people in the Middle East it is usually sad news, but once in a while I run into a story that reveals a different side to things. Like this tale of a Jordanian taxi driver with a particularly strong gaydar.

Sunday, 6 August 2006, 19:58 GMT

"Cuba si! Castro no!"

From yesterday's Pride Parade in Stockholm. Photograph taken by "opinion-stricken" blogger Micke Kazarnowicz.

Sunday, 6 August 2006, 15:29 GMT

Honour killing in Iraq

From an article in the Observer:

Hardline Islamic insurgent groups in Iraq are targeting a new type of victim with the full protection of Iraqi law, The Observer can reveal. The country is seeing a sudden escalation of brutal attacks on what are being called the 'immorals'—homosexual men and children as young as 11 who have been forced into same-sex prostitution.

There is growing evidence that Shia militias have been killing men suspected of being gay and children who have been sold to criminal gangs to be sexually abused. The threat has led to a rapid increase in the numbers of Iraqi homosexuals now seeking asylum in the UK because it has become impossible for them to live safely in their own country.

Ali Hili runs the Iraqi LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) group out of London. He used to have 40 volunteers in Iraq but says after recent raids by militia in Najaf, Karbala and Basra he has lost contact with half of them. They move to different safe houses to protect their identities, but their work is incredibly dangerous.

Eleven-year-old Ameer Hasoon al-Hasani was kidnapped by policemen from the front of his house last month. He was known in his district to have been forced into prostitution. His father Hassan told me he searched for his son for three days after his abduction, then found him, shot in the head. A copy of the death certificate confirms the cause of death.

Homosexuality is seen as so immoral that it qualifies as an 'honour killing' to murder someone who is gay—and the perpetrator can escape punishment. Section 111 of Iraq's penal code lays out protections for murder when people are acting against Islam.

'The government will do nothing to tackle this issue. It's really desperate when people get to the stage they're trading their children for money. They have no alternatives because there are no jobs,' Hili says.

Graphic photos obtained from Baghdad sources too frightened to identify themselves as having known a gay man, and seen by the Observer, show other gay Iraqis who have been executed. One shows two men, suspected of having a relationship, blindfolded with their hands tied behind their backs—guns at the ready behind their heads—awaiting execution. Another picture captured on a mobile phone shows a gay man being beaten to death. Yet another shows a corpse being dragged through the streets after his execution.

Only the Islamists and the hardcore Left can honesty say that bringing secularism, human rights, and Western-style liberty to Iraq is wrong. Every man, women, and child is entitled to live freely as long as he or she does not intrude on the liberty of others. This is not a subjective or relativistic belief, but an objective truth—any state that cannot uphold and protect individual liberties deserves no respect and lacks democratic legitimacy. Iraq has a long way to go.

Read more on Michael Petrelis's blog.

Saturday, 5 August 2006, 19:37 GMT

Men are useless

From a leading article in this week's The Economist:

"In most intellectual areas, such as vocabulary and verbal reasoning, the differences between men and women are statistically insignificant. But the long tail of mathematical genius does tend to be male, along with higher rates of idiocy and masturbation. While women show less mathematical brilliance than men, their scores are better in some verbal skills.

These differences may or may not be innate, but the argument anyway misses the point. The interesting question is not whether men are more likely to be weirdly good at maths than women are, but whether the things that men are good at are more or less useful than the things that women are good at. And the answer, in the rich world at least, is no.

[…]

Men, studies show, are exceedingly good at rotating three-dimensional shapes in their head. Perhaps women once stared open-mouthed in wonder as their mates juggled pyramids of imaginary polyhedra. Such tricks are also quite handy for engineers who specialise in building large bits of machinery, digging tunnels or slinging bridges across rivers. But, now that the rich world has about as many tunnels and bridges as it needs, and the large bits of machinery which aren't made by computers and robots are made by the Chinese, their usefulness is limited."

The future looks gloomy for European males, but at least we can keep ourselves busy by digging excellent tunnels and perfecting our masturbation skills.

Friday, 4 August 2006, 21:43 GMT

När kriget kom till byn

G. Tikotzinsky skriver om hur Hizbollahs krig för bara några timmar sedan nådde ändra fram till hans hem, mer än tio mil från den libanesiska gränsen:

Jag satt i källaren, läste kommentarerna på al-hamatzav och funderade på en post för i morgon. Plötsligt hördes sirenerna. De måste finnas alldeles i närheten, för det lät ungefär som ett bil-larm fastspänt på glasögonbågarna. Inte en chans att missa det, inte en chans att missförstå det, och inte en chans att min fru skulle sova igenom det. Ett skrik – G! – uppifrån bekräftade att hon vaknat och uppfattat situationen. Till min förvåning hittade jag latenta trestegshoppartalanger – två jätteskutt räckte för att hinna upp till barnkammaren och slita åt mig vår treåring. Sen tillbaka ner till skyddsrummet och börja se över situationen. Jag hann faktiskt börja fundera på om det inte trots allt var grannvillans tjuvlarm som tjöt, men just då hördes det: BOOOM! Och efter några sekunder en smäll till.

Så ser fungerar terrorismen – den smyger sig in i människors innersta och skapar en ständigt närvarande osäkerhet. Och det är denna terror mot civila israeler som så många i Sverige och Europa inte vill se som en direkt orsak till Israels bombningar i Libanon. Hizbollah har avfyrat flera hundra raketer mot Israel det senaste året. Alla riktade mot civila mål.

Friday, 4 August 2006, 02:46 GMT

I like Saab

From a BBC article:

Sweden's biggest defence manufacturer, the Saab Group, says it will no longer provide weapons to Venezuela.

Well done, Saab! Today you've made me a proud Swede. If only the defence manufacturers in Spain, Russia, and other European countries would do the same, we could stop the tyrant Hugo Chávez from threatening an entire continent.

Thursday, 3 August 2006, 23:19 GMT

The Castro Legacy

Using his own blood, Santiago Valdeolla Pérez, a political prisoner jailed by Fidel Castro's regime, wrote a message on a Cuban flag: "The fatherland belongs to all of us"—"For Cuba it is time"—"Lets open the door"—"Long live the APPSC (The Assembly to Promote a Civil Society in Cuba)"—"Long live a free and democratic Cuba".

Earlier this week, on 2 August, Ali Esbati, one of Sweden's most prominent communists, published an article in which he hails Castro as a great leader and a hero to the world's poor and oppressed. The article is cynical, and Mr Esbati shows no sign of sympathy for the victims of Castro—the impoverished, imprisoned, tortured, and enslaved Cubans. Instead he portrays Cuba as a utopia, while the United States and the democratic world is described as a totalitarian hell. This rhetoric is typical for a new generation of extreme Swedish communists.

On 23 February 1988, Armando Valladares, a former political prisoner in Cuba, addressed the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva:

Mr Chairman, today I want to speak about torture, about what it means for a human being to be tortured, to be humiliated, or what may be even worse, to watch a friend, a companion, or a relative being tortured.

As many of you know, I spent twenty-two years in prison for political reasons. Perhaps, I am the only delegate in this Commission who has spent such a long time in prison, although there are several persons here who have known in their own flesh the meaning of torture. I do not care about their political ideology, and I offer to you my embrace of solidarity, from tortured to tortured.

I had many friends in prison. One of them, Roberto López Chávez, was just a kid. He went on a hunger strike to protest the abuses. The guards denied him water, Roberto lay on the floor of his punishment cell, agonizing, deliriously asking for water. water… The soldiers came in and asked him: "Do you want water?"… The they took out their members and urinated in his mouth, on his face… He died the following day. We were cellmates; when he died I felt something wither inside me.

I recall when they kept me in a punishment cell, naked, with several fractures on one leg which never received medical care; today, those bones remain jammed up together and displaced. One of the regular drills among the guards was to stand on the steel mesh ceiling and throw at my face buckets full of urine and excrement.

Mr Chairman, I know the taste of the urine and the excrement of other men… that practice does not leave marks; marks are left by beatings with steel rods and by bayonet thrusts. My head is still covered with scars and you can feel the cracks.

This will be the Castro legacy. Unlike Mr Esbati, the Cubans who have suffered under Castro's regime will not mourn him when he dies, they will not cry when democracy is installed, and they most certainly will not remember Castro as a hero of the poor and oppressed.

Read more about the real Cuba here.

Thursday, 3 August 2006, 02:04 GMT

The true dangers of drugs

From an article in the Independent (with a few alterations):

This is the first ranking based upon scientific evidence of harm to both individuals and society. It was devised by government advisers—then ignored by ministers because of its controversial findings.

1: Heroin
Origin: Vast majority comes from poppy fields of Afghanistan
Medical: Sedative made from the opium poppy. Can be smoked or injected to produce a 'rush'. Users feel lethargic but experience severe cravings for the drug
Number of UK users: 40,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 744

2: Cocaine
Origin: Made from coca shrubs from Colombia and Bolivia
Medical: Stimulant made from leaves of the coca bush. Increases alertness and confidence but raises heart rate and blood pressure and users will crave it
Number of UK users: 800,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 147

3: Barbiturates
Origin: Synthetic lab-made drugs, used to be prominent in clubs
Medical:Powerful sedatives. Widely prescribed as sleeping pills but dangerous in overdose and now superseded by safer drugs
Number of UK users: Not many
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 14

4: Street Methadone
Origin: Synthetic drug similar to heroin but less addictive
Medical: Similar to morphine and heroin and used to wean addicts off these drugs because it is less sedating. Street versions may be contaminated
Number of UK users: 20,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 200

5: Alcohol
Origin: Brewed across the world in many different forms
Medical:Central nervous system depressant used to reduce inhibitions and increase sociability. Increasing doses lead to intoxication, coma and respiratory failure
Number of UK users: Most adults
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 22,000

6: Ketamine
Origin: Anaesthetic drug popular on club and rave scene
Medical:Intravenous anaesthetic used on humans and animals which, when taken in tablet form, creates hallucinatory experiences
Number of UK users: Unknown
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

7: Benzodiazopines
Origin: Tranquilisers used to beat anxiety and insomnia
Medical:The most common prescription tranquillisers. Effective sedatives which have a calming effect, reducing anxiety, but are addictive
Number of UK users: 160,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 206

8: Amphetamines
Origin: Synthetic stimulants snorted, mixed in drink or injected
Medical: Man-made drugs that increase heart rate and alertness. Users may feel paranoid. Newer form, methamphetamine, is addictive
Number of UK users: 650,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 33

9: Tobacco
Origin: Most of the leaf comes from the Americas
Medical: Contains nicotine, a fast-acting stimulant which is highly addictive. Tobacco causes lung cancer and increases the risk of heart disease
Number of UK users: 12.5m
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 114,000

10: Buprenorphine
Origin: Can be made in a laboratory
Medical: More expensive alternative to methadone used to wean addicts off heroin. Preferred by some addicts because it leaves them more 'clear headed'
Number of UK users: Unknown
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

11: Cannabis
Origin: Plant is easily cultivated in temperate climates
Medical: Leaves of the cannabis sativa plant or resin can be smoked or eaten. It is a relaxant but stronger forms can also cause hallucinations and panic attacks
Number of UK users: 3m
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 16

12: Solvents
Origin: Organic compounds found in glues, paints, lighter fluid
Medical: Includes glue, gas lighters, some aerosols and paint thinners. Produces euphoria and loss of inhibitions but can cause blackouts and death
Number of UK users: 37,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 53

13: 4-MTA
Origin: Amphetamine derivative; similar effects to ecstasy
Medical: Amphetamine derivative, similar to ecstasy, and also known as 'flatliners'. Popular dance drug, producing feelings of euphoria
Number of UK users: Unknown
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A14: LSD
Origin: Hallucinogenic, synthetic drug more popular in 1960s
Medical: Man-made drug that has a strong effect on perception. Effects include hallucinations and loss of sense of time. A 'bad trip' can cause anxiety
Number of UK users: 70,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

15: Methylphenidate
Origin: Medicine, similar to amphetamines
Medical: The chemical name for Ritalin, the stimulant drug used to treat children with attention deficit hyperactive disorder which helps them concentrate
Number of UK users: Unknown
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

16: Anabolic Steroids
Origin: Hormones used by bodybuilders and sportsmen
Medical: Synthetic drugs that have a similar effect to hormones such as testosterone. Used by body builders to increase muscle bulk
Number of UK users: 38,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

17: GHB
Origin: Synthetic drug, sold as 'liquid ecstasy'
Medical: The date rape drug, Gammahydroxybutyrate, is a sedative that has a relaxing effect, reducing inhibitions, but can lead to stiff muscles and fits
Number of UK users: Not many
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 3

18: Ecstasy
Origin: Synthetic drug in tablets; popular in dance scene
Medical: MDMA or similar man-made chemicals. Causes adrenaline rushes and feelings of wellbeing but also anxiety and high body temperature
Number of UK users: 800,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: 33

19: Alkyl Nitrites
Origin: Liquid, better known as 'poppers'; inhaled
Medical: Gives a strong, joyous rush and a burst of energy for a few minutes which quickly fades and can leave a powerful headache
Number of UK users: 550,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: N/A

20: Khat
Origin: Green-leaf shrub grown in region of Southern Africa
Medical: Natural stimulant, its leaves are chewed to produce a feeling of wellbeing and happiness. Popular with the Somali community
Number of UK users: 40,000
Number of UK deaths in 2004: Not many

The biggest problem with the current politics concerning drugs is the gap between government anti-drug "information" and reality. By misinforming young people on the dangers of drug taking, the credibility and trust is ruined. The Swedish Government is far worse than the British. Here youngsters are told that there are no differences between soft and hard drugs, and that smoking cannabis is no different from taking heroin. This is as big of a lie as the one about Earth being flat. The dangers of smoking cannabis do not even come close to dangers of taking heroin—and everybody who knows anything about drugs knows this. But people who should know better continue to play along with the government propaganda. What politicians need to do is to recognize the failure of the anti-drug strategy and reform the current legislation.

Tuesday, 1 August 2006, 12:32 GMT

Hezbollah's Success

From an article on the YnetNews website:

Is Hizbullah behind the tragic incident in the village of Qana that claimed the lives of some 60 people? While the Israeli army continues to investigate the circumstances leading to the building's collapse, some in Lebanon do not hesitate to point the finger at the Shiite organization and claim it is to blame for the death of dozens.

The Lebanese website Libanoscopie, associated with Christian elements in the country and which openly supports the anti-Syrian movement called the "March 14 Forces," reported that Hizbullah has masterminded a plan that would result in the killing of innocents in the Qana village, in a bid to foil Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's "Seven Points Plan", which calls for deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hizbullah.

'Disabled children placed inside building'

"We have it from a credible source that Hizbullah, alarmed by Siniora's plan, has concocted an incident that would help thwart the negotiations. Knowing full well that Israel will not hesitate to bombard civilian targets, Hizbullah gunmen placed a rocket launcher on the roof in Qana and brought disabled children inside, in a bid to provoke a response by the Israeli Air Force. In this way, they were planning to take advantage of the death of innocents and curtail the negotiation initiative," the site stated.

The site's editors also claimed that not only did Hizbullah stage the event, but that it also chose Qana for a specific reason: "They used Qana because the village had already turned into a symbol for massacring innocent civilians, and so they set up 'Qana 2'." Notably, the incident has indeed been dubbed "The second Qana massacre" by the Arab media.

War is an ugly thing. But some wars are uglier than others. Hezbollah is doing its best to set an all-time low. And the worse thing is that they are succeeding. The Loony Left and the mainstream media are only too happy to play along with the Hezbollah propaganda. Burned handicapped children are provoking the emotions in every sane human being, which is exactly why they are perfect for war propaganda. But one must ask who is to blame for the horrible treatment of children we see in pictures from the Lebanese War—is it the Israeli Air Force that tries to prevent terrorist missiles from entering Israel, or is it the terrorist organization that deliberately places the children in houses where the missiles are?