SUDAN REVOLTS

Sudanese Security Forces Using Live Bullets and Excessive Force Results in the Death of More than Ten, the Arrest of Hundreds, and the Torture of Peaceful Demonstrators

General Bashir, who is ruling Sudan by iron and blood for nearly 25 years and who commits genocide, war crimes and the killing of political detainees under torture, using more than 70% of the Sudanese national budget for war and less than 2% for education and health, whose policies have divided Sudan and continue to threaten its unity, a friend of Osama bin Laden and deeply involved with the different fanatical terrorist groups from Somalia to Mali and indoctrinating African youth (in the African Islamic University in Khartoum), which threatens the unity of many African countries.  

In the last five days, Sudanese youth, women, and people living in the residential areas of big cities, such as Khartoum, Wad Madani, Atbara, Kosti, and many others are witnessing peaceful demonstrations against the austerity measures by the Bashir government, which puts the burden on the poor and marginalized groups, at the time that the ruling party leaders are involved in huge corruption and embezzlement of public funds and repression measures against all those who are looking for democratization of the country and ending the wars.

 The campaign of the regime against the peaceful demonstrations using live bullets resulted in the death of more than ten demonstrators and most of them are from Wad Madani city in central Sudan and arresting hundreds among whom many were tortured.  It is to be recalled that earlier the security forces have killed many peaceful demonstrators in Nyala city, the capital of South Darfur earlier this month.  The SRF and the SPLM-N condemn the killing of peaceful demonstrators and urge the Sudanese people in Diaspora and the friends of Sudan, civil societies and democratic countries to condemn the Sudan government and urging them to stop killing, torturing and detaining peaceful demonstrators.

The SRF and the SPLM-N are supporting a peaceful uprising in Sudan, which will open a way for a democratic peaceful settlement for war issues and building a new society that is based on equal citizenship and democracy.  We have urged our supporters all over Sudan to participate effectively in the peaceful demonstrations.

Yasir Arman

Secretary General, SPLM-N

Secretary of External Affairs, SRF

September 25, 2013

The News or Propaganda?

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"If the people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the busineess of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly." 

~ Thomas Sowell.

Most of us would like to believe we are free and perhaps tis' true, to a certain extent, that some of us may be more awake compared to others, however, truth is, we all fall victims to the system in one way or another at some point. Some things beyond our control, others manufactured by the ignorance that stems from our laziness, and some, are just well produced that even the 'awake mind' ends up trapped in.

The media brings you the "news". What exactly amounts to news though, is something that has definitely not been well defined.

The Macmillan Dictionary defines news as:

1) information about something that has happened recently

2) information about recent events that is reported in newspapers or on television or radio

3) the news a television or radio broadcast that gives you information about recent events, read by a newspaper with special reports by correspondents.

This is only the idea of what "news" should be, not what we actually get. Definition 3 of the oxford dictionaries however, is relatable:

• a person or thing considered interesting enough to be reported in the news

The above is precisely what we get today. Stories considered interesting enough. The dirtier the mud, the more we're rolled in it. Good news, does not make for news. It's just not "interesting" enough.

Through out the Trayvon Martin case, mainstream media appeared to be some what of revolution starters. "Has justice been served?", "Oh no, we think it's because Trayvon was a black man? What do you think?"

Now the reason I find the Tray case ironic, is simply because these media houses, are the same ones that enforce the stereotypes they appeared to be fighting against. Think of the last time you saw a crime committed by a Christian man. The headlines didn't read "Christian Man kills wife with dutch oven" now did they? More like "Dutch oven went horribly wrong" or "Husband kills wife with Dutch oven". To be fair I don't actually know if Mr Flannery was Christian or not, that was just an illustration. Which simply further goes to emphasise my point, all that is made relevant in a non-muslim committed crime, is the nature of crime, not religion of the criminal(for most part that is). 

The point here, is simple, I could go on and on, but a friend once told me "once you feel people understand your argument, it makes no sense to keep going." Since I believe you pretty much get the big picture here, i'll just quote Thomas Sowell again, "If the people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly." 

Understand the difference, choose your sources accordingly, read widely and don't base your arguments on what one source tells you should be your argument,  instead, formulate your own by assessing all available dimensions to every tale. 

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Love As A CHOICE

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"Love is a choice you make from moment to moment"

~ Barbara De Angelis

Before you read i'd like to let you know that my arguments here will not be raised based on any school of thought(I have not done any research with relation to love to actually learn the different theories of love). This post is merely based on opinion and practical thinking, which is of course relative as everyone has their own perspectives so do feel absolutely free to share yours, if different.

The generally accepted rule is that love is a feeling we have no control over. Classical accounts also have it that love is not a choice we make, but is instead, something we fall into and have no control over. I'd like to challenge that.

The widely accepted notion of love as a feeling we lack control over is the reason we have women who stay in abusive relationships and young girls making compromises early in life because they are "in love" and would therefore do anything/accept everything as they just "can't help it". 

Love As A CHOICE

Remember the last time you met that young man/lady(respectively) and thought "damn, who's your mother?" only to realise his/her mother was that Aunt you had not met? Now remember how all those feelings you had building up retraced themselves back very quick, never to re-emerge again and after a few awkward moments you were bro's? Last time I checked there was no element of the human body that instantly shuts love out because of blood relations. *Obviously different where relatives can marry*

Wouldn't you then say it was a conscious decision you made not to have any romantic feelings towards him/her because you ended up being relatives? That can only mean we choose who to love because it is ok and vice versa no?

Some women in India, for example, forced into arranged marriages, say they learnt to love the people they were with in time and given the choice, would have it no other way. Then there's those who would be out the door given the choice. The difference between the two would be personal choice wouldn't it? Or that love is something that can be "learnt", and if it is learnt, it can be unlearnt too? Just like a bad habit(not that i'm saying it is one)

To be clear, I do not support arranged courtships, however, this beats the belief that one is "meant to be" with someone and so they should make compromises. If someone who was forced into a relationship can in time fall in love with their spouse, then you who has the choice to be with whomever you please can definitely be with the person who treats you right and stop compromising everything simply because you "lack control over your feelings."

Love as an uncontrollable feeling has built a feeble society, dictating that it is an innate feeling we have no choice but to accept. It is always easier to accept we have no control over hard decisions, but choice comes with a sense of freedom. Once we accept love as a choice, we'll then be able to make wiser choices and not be trapped in circumstances simply because it has long been believed and deemed uncontrollable.

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