There is no such thing as church law, sharia law or any other religious law. The law of the land, Government law, or International law applies. Religious entities simply do not have the legal power or authority to create or apply laws.
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The UK Armed Services Minister Bill Rammell has stated that there will not be a need for an open and public inquiry into allegations that British Forces in Iraq allegedly inflicted human rights abuses upon Iraqi detainees.
The latest evidence of its capability comes with the release of information that Iran's researchers were tinkering with a 'two-point implosion device' which, when fully developed would give Iran the capacity to put a small nuclear warhead onto a medium-range missile.
AFGHANISTAN. RADICAL SOLUTIONS FOR A RADICAL WAR Some time ago I mentioned that the war in Afghanistan, as it was then as well as the way it was then conducted, was basically unwinnable.
I have not changed my view and these days there are some added dimensions that will have to be taken into account when we start looking for solutions and exit strategies.
FINDING OSAMA BIN LADEN They seek him here, they seek him there, they seek him everywhere but finding Osama Bin Laden seems to be proving to be more difficult than first thought. Not that the difficulties with finding him are an indication as to how good he and other Al Qaeda main decision-makers and operatives might appear to have been in terms of hiding their ever-changing locations, but more as to highlight the incompetence of the various intelligence services.
GIVE US THE USS LIBERTY The issue of the Liberty has deeply poisoned the American relationship with Israel. It is a far greater thorn than Israelis understand because, in fact, Israel did try to kill every sailor on board The Liberty. If I needed persuasion of that, I got it with the correspondence I began with two officers of the Liberty, as well as my personal meetings with British documentary maker, Peter Hounam, who made a highly damning of Israel film of the incident, shown on the BBC.
JOHN HOWARD. THE GRUB FROM DOWN-UNDER Ah yes, my Australian friends certainly won't like me for this little contribution but then, that's life.
First of all we must ask the question as to how on earth John Howard ever managed to stay in power as Prime Minister for 11 long years. Were Australians asleep at the wheel or did they just care more about cricket rather than a fair and just Government?
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT FULLY AWARE OF CIA TORTURE OF DAVID HICKS AND MAMDOUH HABIB While the former Australian Liberal Government has always claimed that it knew nothing of allegations of the torture of Australians David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib at Guantanamo Bay, it now turns out that both the then Attorney General, Philip Ruddock as well as then Prime Minister, John Howard, were fully briefed as to the methods of interrogation of both men by CIA operatives.
TONY BLAIR FOR EU PRESIDENT? THE THOUGHT OF IT ALONE WOULD MAKE ME WANT TO THROW UP Remember a man named Tony Blair? Yep, that's him.
He was the one who ventured into an illegal war in Iraq together with his other two grubby little mates George W Bush and Johnny Howard. And then, after his resignation as British PM, he became a Middle East 'peace representative' on behalf of the United Nations, achieving absolutely nothing in the process.
GOD, RELIGION AND FRAUD - IT ALL LOOKS THE SAME TO ME While I would be the first person to defend anyone's right to practice their chosen religion unhindered and where and when they please, and while I also acknowledge that some people with a religious background have and still are doing good deeds on behalf of their communities, I reserve my right to highlight and point out to the general community that in all cases religions are based on half-truths, fiction and indeed fraudulent conduct.
THE CIA - A TERRORIST ORGANISATION? NOT YES WE CAN, BUT YES IT IS. I can remember saying, on this very site in fact, and on 7th March 2007, that the CIA (Central Intelligence Organisation) was acting like a terrorist organisation and by the looks of things,
I was damned right.
GOVERNMENTS ABUSING PRINCIPLES OF ANTI-TERRORISM LAWS When the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York occurred, the immediate aftermath, in terms of revised and additional anti-terrorism legislation just had to be put in place. Many countries, if not most, all revised their legislation to suit their own specific needs regardless of the fact that some of those could well be regarded as dubious in terms of their justification.
IRAN - STUFFED BY RELIGIOUS FANATICISM What is it with so-called religious leaders that even entices them into running countries and stuffing them in the process? Their motivation has certainly has nothing to do with religion but rather more to do with their hunger for power, in my view.
Bali. Indonesia 18 August 2009 Bali is perhaps one of the world's best known tourism destinations and while I have no great love for Bali as a resort destination, I do admire Balinese culture and some of the scenery in the more outlying areas.
Vanuatu 18 August 2009 Vanuatu is a small island nation located in the Western Pacific east of Australia. Consisting of numerous small islands, the country was once ruled by both the British and the French when it was then known as the New Hebrides.
DANGEROUS SKIES Airlines and Governments Cutting Corners Given the parlous state of the world-wide aviation industry at the moment, I am not surprised that crashes such as recent crash events with the various types of aircraft ranging from Airbus A330s to Twin Otters are appearing to have become more common.
Afghanistan - Where Men Rule and Women are 'Legally' Raped With the latest advent of the law advocating ’legal’ rape against married women, is there such a thing as democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan. Apparently not, judging by the law that was passed on 27 July 2009 giving men ‘legal’ right to refuse maintenance to their wives if they refuse to be raped. This law is a further demoralisation for women in Afghan society.
VISIT AFGHANISTAN YEAR 2010 - A HOLIDAY OF A LIFETIME. LITERALLY I am extremely pleased to announce that the year 2010 will be known as the "Visit Afghanistan Year 2010" and for the purpose, I have pleasure announcing some great travel packages that are likely to please many among you.
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