Nepal Votes

Permutations And Combinations
ICG: Nepal's Election And Beyond
I Am Different
I Am A Buddhist Like Richard Gere
What Tibet Needs Is A Political Party
Confronting My Own Demons
Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal
Message To Elizabeth Caputo: SOS Call





In The News

Obama takes aim at knockout blow in Pennsylvania is gaining ground .... could end the hard-fought Democratic presidential race months earlier than expected. ..... making gains among some voting blocs that have been her most reliable backers. ..... "If Obama wins Pennsylvania, the race is over" ....... a heavy barrage of television advertising by Obama, who has been tripling Clinton's spending in Pennsylvania, a successful six-day bus tour of the state and a few bad weeks for Clinton have helped tighten the race ...... Clinton's lead at 6 points, down from 9 points last week and 12 points in mid-March .... she is slipping everywhere ..... But Obama has closed the gap on Clinton ahead of contests in big states like Ohio, New Jersey, California and elsewhere -- only to lose. ....... Obama also was picking up support in the populous and crucial Philadelphia suburbs. ..... Obama's advertising had been effective and his week-long swing through the state showed him talking with voters in a more personal and effective style. ...... "He was talking specifics in ways that he didn't before, about health care and the economy -- it wasn't just 'turn the page'" ....... her disproven claims to have faced sniper fire in Bosnia in 1996 -- she said she "misspoke" ...... neither is likely to reach the 2,024 needed to clinch the nomination once the nominating contests end in early June. ...... "If he gets within 5 percentage points of her, he can declare victory anyway. That may not get her out of the race but it deflates her arguments"

Nepal Votes in Historic Elections amid Sporadic Violence Enews 2.0, UK
Nepal goes to polls with hope for lasting peace Guardian King Gyanendra ascended the throne after his elder brother and eight other royals were shot in 2001 by the crown prince, who then turned the gun on himself. Gyanendra went on to seize absolute power, but was forced to yield some of his privileges two years ago after street protests. Nepal's main parties have pledged to abolish the monarchy as a first step. ...... one of the world's poorest countries, where 60% of the 27 million population are under 35. Many were voting for the first time. ....... The vote itself is complex: a mix of direct elections and a nationwide proportional representation system with quotas for women and Nepal's many ethnic and caste groups. Even electoral experts from the UN and other international groups say it will be hard to sort out the results, which are not expected until late April or early May. ..... the International Crisis Group, a Brussels-based thinktank, warned that the days and weeks after the vote would be dangerous. ..... Gunmen on motorcycles shot at a female candidate in the southern town of Janakpur, but she escaped unhurt. In the central village of Galkot, Maoists tried to take over a polling station and set fire to the building after scuffling with police and election officials, an official said. Police later arrested 15 men, seizing three grenades and a knife.
Nepal votes in historic election International Herald Tribune, France
EC: Voting ends for CA election in Nepal with high turnout Xinhua
Local official: Candidate shot dead in southern Nepal People's Daily Online
117-yr-old woman votes in Nepal election Hindu
On the eve of election, violence continues in Nepal Philadelphia Inquirer, PA
Nepal voting under way after burst of bloodshed Seattle Times
Violence mars Nepal's run-up to historic vote Times of India
Nepal Gears Up for Historic Election The Associated Press
Violence mars historic Nepal polls Sify, India
Nepal votes in landmark poll to seal monarchy’s fate Newindpress, India
In pictures: Nepal votes BBC News
Nepal´s 17.5 million voters ready to cast their democratic vote in ... American Chronicle
Nepal as a republic has a bright future: Jimmy Carter CNN-IBN, India
After 2 Delays, Nepal Holds National Election Voice of America
Carter terms Nepal elections as a groundbreaking event DailyIndia.com
Former US President Carter Believes Serious Violence Not Derailing ... Voice of America
Nepal goes to vote, monarchy on its way out CNN-IBN, India
Booths captured in three districts of Nepal Thaindian.com, Thailand
Election Preparation, Nepal Style: Bomb Making, Beatings, Killing ... NewsBlaze
Nepal concludes historic poll, world hails Thaindian.com, Thailand






Nepal's Election Sets Course for Abolishing Monarchy (Update2) Bloomberg
Voting suspended at 6 polling booths during CA polls in Nepal Xinhua, China
One killed, 2 injured in polling booth firing in C Nepal Xinhua
13 injured in blasts in Nepal Xinhua
Nepal turns out in force for historic poll Times Online, UK a historic election — the Himalayan nation's first in nine years — that could lead to the abolition of the world's last Hindu monarchy. ...... a spate of bombings and shootings in the days before the election. ..... further violence today, with Maoists burning down a polling station in the central village of Galkot and gunmen on motorcycles shooting at a candidate in the southern town of Janakpur ...... 20,000 polling stations around the country, some of which are a seven-day walk from the nearest paved road. ...... deployed 135,000 police and invited 100,000 local and foreign election observers, including British MPs and Jimmy Carter, the former American President. ...... Most expect the Maoists to come third behind the centrist Nepal Congress and left-wing Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) ...... expect the biggest problems to occur after the results
Nepal votes in historic election GulfNews, United Arab Emirates
Nepal border sealed ahead of poll BBC News
Nepal's Terai picks ballots over guns in peace hope Reuters had been one of Nepal's biggest troublespots, but the people of the country's southern plains ...... new hope for peace in the Terai or Madhesh, Nepal's agricultural and industrial heartland bordering India, home to half the country's 26.4 million people ..... there has been regular violence and many protests over the past year. ....... Just a few weeks ago, there were widespread fears the elections would not even take place in the region, but a last-minute deal brought most of the political parties in the area on board with a promise of autonomy after the vote. ....... The Madheshi people are closely linked in language, dress and culture to neighbouring India and complain of discrimination by successive governments dominated by Nepal's hill people. ...... but the vote passed off much more peacefully than most had hoped. ...... "We have been terrorised by political parties and had locked ourselves in homes for weeks," Shankar Prasad, a grocery shop owner said, queueing to vote in the town of Janakpur...... Hundreds of people prayed for peace in an ancient Hindu temple in Janakpur after casting their votes. ..... Not only does the new government have to reverse decades of discrimination against the Madheshis .... Leaders of a radical faction of the Madheshi People's Rights' Forum were fuming after failing to stop voters.
Two dead in Nepal violence as landmark election ends - Summary Earthtimes, UK
Nepal border sealed ahead of poll BBC News
Nepal's election - an opportunity to recover from a lost decade ... Reuters AlertNet, UK an historic opportunity for the country to put behind more than ten years of bombs, bullets and bandhs .... whereas the average Chinese person earns US$1,740 a year, and the average Indian US$720, in Nepal it is only US$270 ..... one quarter of Nepali people live on less than a dollar a day
Special security enforced in Nepal-India border Gorkhapatra
Indian intellectuals keep vigil on CA polls Gorkhapatra
Poll signals end for Nepal's monarchy The Age, Australia
Moaist fighters vote in Nepal The Times, South Africa

Pre-election violence flares in Nepal CNN International
Violence flares ahead of Nepal election CNN International
Election Candidate Killed In Nepal Allheadlines
Candidate Killed Days Before Nepal Vote The Associated Press
One dead as political rivals clash in Nepal RTE.ie, Ireland
UN chief urges restraint on violence in Nepal Xinhua, China
UNMIN Chief shocked over Dang killings, UML candidate muder Kantipur Online
Another Massacre in Nepal World Student Press Agency, Canada massacred at least eight ..... another anti-peace process massacre after the heart-pounding Gaur massacre in March 2007 when 29 civilians were killed in cold blood by Upendra Yadav-led criminal gangs from India and Nepal. ....... the number of deaths might go up since it was a sudden and one-sided firing with a latest automatic weapon. ....... They have spread rumor among such ignorant people that electronic devices installed underground will record whom they vote. The election commission has issued a public notice that the voting will be secret and nobody will ever know whom one votes for.
Nepali voters undeterred by violence in historic poll The Australian, Australia

Independent Candidate Shot Dead In Sarlahi Himalayan Times
High Turnout as Voting Ends For CA Election
1 Killed, 7 Injured as NC, Maoist Cadres Clash in Sunsari
YCL Captures 3 Polling Booths in Lalitpur, 8 Abducted
15 Hurt in Rautahat Clash, Maoists Attack UML in Bajhang
15 Injured as NC, Maoist Cadres Clash in Sunsari
Leela Koirala Escapes Unhurt in Dhanusha Firing A group calling itself LTT opened fire targeting NC leader and candidate for CA polls from Constituency No 4 of Dhanusha Leela Koirala near Saraswoti Secondary School polling centre in Janakpur this morning. ..... she was attacked during a visit to the polling centre. She managed to escape unhurt, but her vehicle was partially damaged
Voting Postponed As Maoists Torch Ballot Boxes in Arghakhanchi
5 Hurt in Clash, Voting Postponed in Sunsari, Sarlahi Booths
Maoists Capture Booths in Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk
One Killed, Two Injured in Mahottari Polling Booth Firing
Voting Postponed in 7 Booths in Chitwan, Siraha
Police Foil Maoist Bid to Capture Booth, Candidate Hurt in Rautahat
Voting Postponed at Two Mahottari Polling Booths
YCL Captures Ramechhap Booths
YCL Men Bar RPP Prez Rana From Voting in Sindhupalchowk a group of YCL cadres wielding lathis and khukuris barred Rana from visiting Thankpalghat polling booth at around 7: 10 am. Sapkota added that Rana returned to Thumpakhar area after YCL cadres misbehaved
PM Casts His Vote in Biratnagar, Prachanda in Chitwan

Voting concludes; most districts see over 60 pc voter turnout NepalNews voting has ended successfully and the officials are preparing to bring the ballot boxes to the district headquarters for counting. ....... Kathmandu constituency No. 1, where electronic voting system was introduced for the first time in Nepal ...... majority districts saw over 60 percent voter turnout. ...... Arghakhanchi district had over 70 percent turnout .... The balloting went smoothly in Terai and eastern districts like Morang, Sunsari, Bara, Prasa, Rautahat and Jhapa while it has been postponed in nearly a dozen stations in Chitwan, Siraha, Saptari and Mahottari districts.
India hails election as 'welcome and historic step'
Booths 'captured' in Lalitpur, Dolakha and Baglung; clashes in some districts
Voting postponed in seven polling centres; one killed in Mahottari voting has been postponed in Sajhapur centre and Janaki Secondary School centre in Meghauli Chitwan district, Sugabhawanipatti centre in Saptari-3; Balara centre in Sarlahi-3, Tetnahapatti High School centre in Siraha-2 and Banauli Danauli centre of Mahottari district have been cancelled. ...... Polling has also been cancelled at Balkot centre in Arghakhanchi district after the Maoists reportedly tried to capture booth. ...... Rastriya Janamorcha cadres have captured a polling booth in Rangkhni of Baglung constituency-2 ...... reports from Siraha district said the Nepali Congress cadres attempted to capture a polling booth in constituency No. 2. In the same constituency, Young Communist League (YCL) cadres and police opened fire at each other ....... one person was killed in a stampede after unidentified persons opened fire near a polling centre in Parsapatauli of Mahottari district. ..... The victim was hit by a jeep when the terrified voters were rushing for safety after the shooting incident. ..... cadres of Maoist-affliated Young Communist League barred Rastriya Prajatantra Party chairman Pashupati Shumsher Rana, a RPP candidate from constituency no 3 in Sindhupalchowk district from visiting a polling center this moring to cast his vote
Independent candidate gunned down in Sarlahi
Carter says he is very satisfied with the 'revolutionary election
Three killed in explosion in Rautahat

'Life and death situation' at the polling centers

NC cadre dies in clash with MJF men in Sunsari-5; Sujata demands re-polling Ganga Das, 38, succumbed to injuries he received during a violent scuffle with the MJF men at the polling station in Bhutaha. Das was attacked with sharp weapon. ..... has demanded re-polling, accusing MJF chief and her main rival Upendra Yadav of rigging the election ..... During the election campaigning also, cadres of the two parties had attacked each other’s election rallies in the constituency.






American Airlines cancels 1000 more flights for inspections Los Angeles Times for another round of maintenance checks. ..... The disruptions rippling through the nation's air traffic system today are the latest and most dramatic fallout from the rash of maintenance-related problems that have hit U.S. airlines in recent months.
Nepal set for historic elections NDTV.com Opinion polls also show the Maoists don't have as much support as Nepal's other political parties ...... 'We have to have a coalition and in the coalition Maoists have to be there, other wise we will not be able to take the peace process to its logical conclusion,'' said Madhav Nepal, President, CPN-UML.
Missteps Mar Clinton's Competency Message CBS News

India, Africa to back each other for UNSC seat Financial Express
US Lawmakers Condemn China's Crackdown in Tibet Voice of America
China doctors the news of Olympic torch San Francisco Chronicle
Zimbabwe emergency talks called BBC News
Bill and Hillary Clinton disagree on Colombia free trade issue Muckety
Clinton: I Differ With Bill on Trade The Associated Press Democratic voters who fault international deals for U.S. job losses. ...... "I don't think any married couple I know agrees on everything. And we disagree on this." ...... "Oh, we talk about everything." ..... In 2005, the former president was paid $800,000 by Gold Service International, a Bogota-based business development group, for four days of appearances in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.
Obama's Emerging Economic Message Washington Post sought to fuse a laundry list of economic policy proposals, many on the table for months, to his broader post-partisan governing philosophy ........ reflects working-class pocketbook concerns, from gas prices to declining wages ...... an erratic, sometimes clumsy process, with blocks of new text dropped into a free-flowing and high-minded stump speech, as conspicuous as weeds. ....... Obama said the broad goals of his "new direction" would include paying down the national debt, narrowing the income divide (in part by raising taxes on wealthy people), and minimizing the role of special interests in the legislative process.
Wolfson: Obama Must Win Pennsylvania RealClearPolitics Blog Outspending Hillary Clinton 3-to-1 in Pennsylvania
Obama May Bypass Public Financing The Associated Press
Clinton zeros in on Iraq Los Angeles Times Obama has a new commercial pitching his ties to women, which features his wife Michelle and their two children, along with his half-sister and grandmother. ...... "The person you want answering the phone at 3 a.m. is the person who's read the intelligence report . . . and is asking the tough questions," he said. Noting that voters want a president who has the judgment to say no to misguided wars, he added in reference to both Clinton and McCain, "There's only one out of the remaining candidates who qualifies on that front." ...... no country with a weak economy can maintain a strong military ...... the $10 billion a month the United States is spending in Iraq could be better used at home building roads, bridges and installing broadband technology.
McCain Set to Take the Federal Financing Plunge FOXNews

Darfur Solution: End The Dictatorship In Sudan

Darfur has been presented as a mystery problem for a long time now in the west. There is this huge humanitarian crisis, and noone seems to know how to fix it. Movie stars pay visits, and still nothing changes.

Spread Democracy

There is a major problem in Darfur, but it is not a mystery problem. We know how to fix it. We can fix it. At the risk of sounding like Republicans who think tax cuts are the solution to every problem, I would like to suggest democracy is the solution in Darfur like everywhere else.

Spread Democracy

There is a school of thought that says people make bad choices like violence. You can push that only so far. I happen to push that it is lack of infrastructure that gives rise to violence: political, social, economic infrastructure.

Spread Democracy

Some say it is lack of resources, perhaps lack of water. There is a little bit of truth to that. But lack of resources should lead to competition or migration, not violence. When there is no political, social, economic infrastructure for competition and migration, you do end up with violence.

Spread Democracy

You can blame one guy for the tragedy in Darfur.

Politics of Sudan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sudan, Politics Timeline, 21st Century
Sudan: Political situation
Wikipedia - Omar Hasan Ahmad al-Bashir
Omar Hassan al-Bashir - The TIME 100 - TIME
Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashier Biography - Sudan
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Country profiles | Country ...
Omar El Bashir order re-opening of Popular Defence Training Camps
VIDEO : Interview with Omar Hassan al Bashir
War in Darfur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darfur - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Save Darfur
Darfur: A Genocide We can Stop
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Q&A: Sudan's Darfur conflict
Eyes On Darfur
The Real Roots of Darfur




In The News

UN Chief: Darfur Violence Continues, Despite UN Efforts Voice of America
Darfur violence may be worse, despite UN efforts Reuters South Africa
UN Chief Urges Action on Darfur The Associated Press
UN chief says political process crucial to end Darfur crisis Sudan Tribune
Sudan: Darfur Groups Urge World Leaders Not To Attend Olympic ... African Path, MN
Darfur activists urge leaders to skip ceremony Reuters South Africa
Darfur Group Adds Olympics Boycott Call New York Sun
Farrow Going to Darfur for China Protest The Associated Press
UN Agency Appeals For $40 Million In Darfur Refugee Aid Allheadlines
"Turn It Up": Fight Against Darfur Genocide ACED Magazine, FL
George Clooney Mugged At Gunpoint In Darfur CBS 5, CA
Kristof: Don't get apathetic about Darfur The Brown Daily Herald, RI
Why China's Olympics is Good for Tibet, Darfur, and Puppies and ... Huffington Post, NY

Obama Visits Montana CBS News, USA

I Am A Buddhist Like Richard Gere

An Officer And A Gentleman

What Tibet Needs Is A Political Party
Don't Forget Burma, Pay Attention To China
Imagining A Federal, Multi-Party China Of State Funded Parties

What Tibet Needs Is A Political Party

Church, State

If the Tibetan diaspora does not have the sense and the guts to engineer a church and state separation within itself, they are throwing the Tibetan protesters to the dogs inside China. They might as well ask to call off the protests.

Nothing prevents the Tibetan diaspora from organizing a political party. Call it the Tibet People's Party or something.

Puppy Love With The Dalai Lama

I am on record saying I am fond of him, he is the ultimate, I am a Buddhist, he is bigger than the Pope. But he is a religious leader, a spiritual guide, at most he may give political advice. But political leadership has to be separate, elected.

Politically speaking what's the difference between His Holiness and Fidel Castro? The Dalai Lama went into exile in 1959, I believe. And he has been the political leader of the Tibetan diaspora ever since. There is something very wrong in that picture. He should have had to face at least 10 elections by now, but he has not, neither has Castro.

Doomed

Unless the diaspora engineers this separation, the movement in Tibet is doomed. It is only a matter of time before the protests are snuffed out. It is very hard to ignite a mass movement. So it is a great tragedy when a mass movement is sent to waste because people who could did not make the right political moves.

Clear Goal

That political party will have to say very clearly that it does not want Tibet to become a separate country. That party will also have to say it believes Taiwan is a part of China. And then the goal becomes that China grant Tibet the status of a federal state with its own parliament and competing political parties. Legalizing that Tibetan political party becomes the primary goal. Then we are talking. Right now we are not talking.

Don't Forget Burma, Pay Attention To China
Imagining A Federal, Multi-Party China Of State Funded Parties

Reaching Out To Taiwan

Taiwan is in a much better position to help Tibet than any other land mass. Not India, not America can help Tibet like Taiwan can. So much so that the Tibetans might as well moving their Dharmashala to Taiwan.

The Tibetan political party will have to enter into all the top political parties in Taiwan to try and engineer a common plank that as long as China agrees to become a federal, multi-party democracy of state funded parties, Taiwan will agree to become just another state inside that federal China.

You put that state funded parties part to give a very clear message that the idea is not to demolish the Chinese Communist Party. You give them wiggle room. Otherwise all attempts will be non-starters.

Agitate

Then you agitate. First you organize a political party. Then you come up with political clarity. Then you build a strong coalition with the parties in Taiwan. Then you agitate. At that point not just Tibet and Taiwan, but the rest of China might also join you. And then the CCP will have no option but to give in.

I can't think of a better use of the Olympic games than turning China into a democracy, although a democracy with Chinese characteristics.

In The News

As Rivals Battle, McCain Builds November Machine Washington Post beginning a conversation with voters who live in states where he has not campaigned. ..... a novel and risky campaign structure that will rely on 10 "regional managers" who will make daily decisions ...... his "Service to America" tour. ...... a departure for a party that has prized itself on running hierarchical, highly disciplined campaigns .... moving too slowly to build a large national apparatus. .... The senator has chosen former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina to be a high-profile pitchwoman for the campaign and the Republican Party. She will travel the country as a key surrogate for McCain and other Republicans.
Zimbabwe election may go to runoff Los Angeles Times Morgan Tsvangirai winning 49.4% of the vote and Mugabe 41.4%. A presidential candidate would win outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. ..... The runoff would be held within 21 days. ...... ZANU-PF lost key rural strongholds, including a seat in Mugabe's home village ..... met in emergency session with military and security chiefs. ..... In recent weeks, several hard-line security chiefs said they would not serve Tsvangirai, and last week Mugabe said the opposition leader would never be allowed to rule Zimbabwe. ....... "They have effectively been wiped out in large parts of their heartland. They're in shock. They have no idea what to do about it." ..... "But even if Mugabe steals the election, he misses the point. This is not just a rough patch. This has been seismic. The country has rejected him."
Zimbabwe Opposition Insists Mugabe Lost New York Times the posting of vote counts at individual polling stations ..... Immensely crafty and thoroughly ruthless, he is not a man likely to give up his hold on power without a fight ...... There is a great nervousness among those who have hitched their fortunes to an old autocrat. ...... “There’s no way the key older military people will support” the opposition against Mugabe ..... the president would steal the election if he could, but that it was not certain he had complete control over the apparatus of power, from the military to the intelligence agency. ..... Mugabe, once a guerrilla leader, retained some of his most bitter enemies after taking power, including a head of the secret police who had spent considerable effort trying to assassinate him.
Who Are We? New Dialogue on Mixed Race Being accepted. Proving loyalty. Navigating the tight space between racial divides. Americans of mixed race say these are issues they have long confronted ........ “Maybe we’ll get a little bit further in the dialogue on race” ...... the advancing age of marriage in the United States fuel a steady rise in the number of interracial marriages. ........ 6 percent of married couples. ..... two or more races, a category that now includes 7.3 million Americans, or about 3 percent of the population. ...... “When you’re mixed, you see how absurd this business of race is.” ..... “Sometimes, when I’m at the playground, people think I’m the nanny,” she said. ..... “It’s really unfair to expect people to choose,” she said. “It’s like asking to be loyal to one parent or the other.” ...... 41 percent of the mixed-race population was under 18. ...... the uproar that greeted Tiger Woods when he described himself as “Cablinasian” (for heritage that includes Caucasian, black, American Indian and Asian) in 1997 ...... the benefits of a mixed identity outweigh any challenges. ..... “Ultimately,” she said, the goal is “to not have to check a box.”
Tibetans Protest in Delhi, but March Is Off New York Times India continues to be in the eye of the Tibet storm. It shelters about 100,000 Tibetan refugees .... New Delhi says it does not allow anti-Chinese agitation on its soil
Obama Wins Most Texas Delegates The Associated Press Obama leads the overall race for the Democratic nomination with 1,631 delegates
Clinton's vow may be hazardous to party's health Globe and Mail
Hillary Clinton should pull out Telegraph.co.uk

Obama swamps Clinton on Pennsylvania airwaves Boston Globe he is buying five times more air time than Clinton. Thus far, the TV ads have mostly been biographical ..... The $2 million in ad buys could help partly explain why Obama, who is in the middle of a bus tour across the Keystone State, is closing the gap in the polls to the low double digits.
Experts Debunk Clinton's Electoral Vote Idea U.S. News & World Report the superdelegates holding their collective breath, waiting for someone to pull decisively into the lead ..... a race between Clinton and McCain could break down very much like the 2000 and 2004 elections ..... Clinton would lose to McCain 314-224, while Obama would beat him, 273-265. .... Obama seems to perform better than Clinton in a race against McCain.

Don't Forget Burma, Pay Attention To China

Anti-China Protests Escalate in Nepal Voice of America

This Will Also Go To Waste

This uprising in Tibet and elsewhere is also on schedule to going to waste for lack of political clarity. Political leadership is lacking. The uprising in Burma went to waste last year.

Street Action: Where The Action Is

People come out in the streets, and next thing you know the White House is paying attention, the Prime Minister of Britain is paying attention. A few weeks later when the streets go empty, those people then move on to other things, whatever is now in the headlines.

Street action is the dog that wags the tail.

Tibetan Diaspora Is Not Acting Right

I am a Buddhist. I think the world of His Holiness. He is better than the Pope. He is better than any mullah or pastor on earth. He is better than Jeremiah Wright, no offense to Barack. But he is a spiritual leader, he is a religious leader. He is not a political leader. His remark that Mao treated him "like a son" tells me all I need to know about him politically.

The Tibetan diaspora has to enact the church and state separation. The political leadership has to be elected every four years or so. The political leadership can not be someone born to it.

This uprising has not been the handiwork of the Tibetan diaspora. This has been homegrown and spontaneous. But it is true the diaspora is working in close coordination.

Seek Allies

Tibet's number one potential ally is Taiwan. If Tibet and Taiwan can together come around to a common goal of a federal, multi-party China of state funded parties, the rest of China will follow them.

Imagining A Federal, Multi-Party China Of State Funded Parties

Make Use Of The Olympics

Let 2008 be that year when China wakes up to itself as the world wakes up to China. Strike when the iron is hot, or when the world is paying attention.





In The News

Bush calls Hu to urge Tibet talks BBC News The anti-China protests began on 10 March ..... The Tibetan government-in-exile says about 140 people have been killed ..... the delay in Mr Bush's response is a measure of how delicate relations are between the US and China - two countries whose huge economies are deeply interlinked. ...... French President Nicolas Sarkozy has also called for dialogue over Tibet - adding he had not ruled out boycotting the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games being held in China in August. ..... Bush will attend the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
European Leaders Press China Over Tibet New York Times
Nepal Police Break Up Tibetan Protest Voice of America Police in Nepal armed with batons dispersed a protest Tuesday by Tibetan refugees and monks in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Pitt And Jolie Related To Obama And Clinton? San Francisco Chronicle, USA Brad Pitt can trace his family tree back to Barack Obama and Angelina Jolie can follow hers to Hillary Clinton ..... Obama is a distant cousin of Pitt ..... Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, as are Clinton and Jolie, twice removed.

Obama Warms to Wrapping Up Contest New York Times and has been adding more superdelegates to his column at a faster clip than she has .... Clinton, meanwhile, has indicated that she is willing to slug it out for the nomination through the summer ...... Nor did he get much writing done, as he had said he had hoped; instead he said he enjoyed reading a book, Philip Roth’s latest novel, “Exit Ghost.”

Barack Obama talks about his church, the Rev. Wright and his mom Los Angeles Times, USA Wright gave at least three sermons a week for 30 years ..... she was "not a believer."

Obama took the risk to confront race relations in America San Francisco Chronicle
Obama bounces back - speech seemed to help San Francisco Chronicle
Clinton stokes Obama pastor row amid Bosnia embarrasment AFP
Clinton criticizes Obama over his pastor's inflammatory words Boston Globe
Clinton Would Have Left Obama's Pastor The Associated Press
The GOP attack plan for Hillary Clinton Salon former GOP Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, shooting pumpkins in his backyard to prove Vince Foster was murdered by White House hit men. Or the $50 million Whitewater investigation, which dragged the country through six years of political turmoil ..... former Sen. Trent Lott, musing publicly that "maybe lightning will strike" Clinton before she could be sworn in to the Senate in 2001. ...... Republicans are digging deep into Obama's past now, ready to chip away at any warm feelings about him voters may still retain after a bruising primary. ....... McCain's campaign will call her a liberal and paint her support for ending the war in Iraq as a surrender to terrorists (the same strategy they'd use against Obama)


I Will Take Brad Pitt Over Dick Cheney Any Day

Pitt And Jolie Related To Obama And Clinton? San Francisco Chronicle, USA Brad Pitt can trace his family tree back to Barack Obama and Angelina Jolie can follow hers to Hillary Clinton ..... Obama is a distant cousin of Pitt ..... Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, as are Clinton and Jolie, twice removed.

Somebody - has to be some Republican, a Hillary Republican - somewhere along the way revealed Barack is a distant cousin of Dick Cheney and we have been suffering since. We lost New Hampshire, we did not do as well in New York City as I thought we might. People don't like Dick Cheney around here.

This contest was supposed to be over in January. Then I thought we might wrap it up on February 5. Did not happen. Then I thought March 4. Did not happen. I am blaming Dick Cheney. Otherwise we have had the money, the message, the man. What else do we need?

We lost Ohio. Who do you think is responsible? Two whisper campaigns did us in. One that Barack is a Muslim, another that he is a Dick Cheney cousin. The Muslim thing you can discount, especially now that everyone knows he has had a Christian pastor for over 20 years. But how do you make Dick Cheney go away? It is not true that Barack is a Muslim. But it is true that Dick Cheney is a distant cousin of Barack. That is not a notion you can hope to dispel.

So far I have kind of kept a distance from Barack, otherwise I have a feeling he might be my cousin too through his sister Maya. I mean, I did like the idea of being related to Barack, but I was wary of his Dick Cheney baggage. If Barack is my distant cousin, is Dick Cheney also my distant cousin. I can't stand the thought. I am not for that much mingling of the races. That would be a little too much for me.

But now I am kind of warming up to Barack after this Brad Pitt revelation. I would not mind having Brad Pitt in the family. I think he is a decent guy. What do you think?