Individual Liberty — Individual Responsibility

For those we lost, We will not forget 09/11/2001

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”
— The Continental Congress, July 4, 1776

“The task of statesmanship has always been the re-definition of these rights in terms of a changing and growing social order.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt (Commonwealth Club Address, 1932)

“Roosevelt was wrong! The principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence are the principles of individual liberty. Our unalienable rights, given to us by God are given to us as individuals. Our rights do not come from society or the government, and they cannot be redefined by politicians. The nature of these rights carries with it the implication of individual responsibility, without which we surrender them.”
— Perri Nelson, November 6, 2008

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Hamas-Fatah truce?

Published Tue, Dec 19 2006 4:11 PM
Technorati Tags: Elections, Middle East, Israel and Palestine

Hamas and Fatah have declared a truce (again). The more I read about this, the worse it looks. Apparently the fighting has escalated since Abbas called for early elections. This truce looks like a chance for two terrorist organizations to remove a distraction in their common cause: the destruction of Israel. Haaretz has details.

Abbas and Haniyeh called Tuesday afternoon on the warring factions to stop fighting in the Gaza Strip, after a day of violence in which six people were killed.

"I call on all to show restraint and calm, not to resort to arms and to end tensions," Haniyeh said in a speech broadcast live on television, in which he also urged the warring factions to unite in the struggle against Israel.

"This nation, this people, will be united in front of the occupation and aggression and will not be engaged, despite the wounds of the past few days, in internal fighting," Haniyeh said in a televised speech.

Abbas said in a statement, "I call on ... all, without exception, to adhere to a cease-fire and to end the killings and all other operations in order to maintain our national unity."

What national unity? There doesn't seem to be any, except on one point: both sides want to see Israel wiped off of the map, and they can't work toward that aim when they're killing each other.

Amid calls for a truce, Haniyeh also slammed Abbas' call for early Palestinian elections "illegal" and accused the United States of spearheading efforts to bring down his democratically-elected government.

"I want to clarify that we consider the issue of the early elections for the presidency and parliament unconstitutional," Haniyeh said. "If you [Abbas] consider the people the source of power, why are you working against the will of the people."

I've always wondered about terrorists and their comprehension of certain Western concepts like Democracy. I don't know enough about the Palestinian constitution to say, but holding elections seems to be a good way to determine what the will of the people is. I wonder what the parliamentary procedure for calling for elections is in Palestine anyway?

What is it that Fatah has to fear from a new election anyway?

"There is an undeclared decision to bring down the government... and the Americans are leading this effort," Haniyeh added.

...

The internal Palestinian fighting, the worst in a decade, has escalated since Abbas called Saturday for early elections in an attempt to break a political deadlock with the Hamas government. Hamas has accused Abbas of launching a "coup."

Which is it I wonder? Is the United States trying to bring down the Palestinian government or is Abbas trying to launch a coup? And how does a "coup" come from democratically held elections?

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, is expected to make a major speech in Gaza at 6 P.M. (1600 GMT) to respond to Abbas's election call. Hamas has said it would boycott any polls.

That seems like a sure way to lose in the polls. I know that some say that Hamas would rig the election, but not voting is a sure way to not get what you want.

Trackposted to Rightwing Guy, Wake Up America, Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, The Random Yak, The HILL Chronicles, Adam's Blog, Pirate's Cove, Planck's Constant, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.