Progressive Zionist FRY'D DAZE

For our first story we have a story from Maan News coming out of Qalqiliyah where a man was Arrested for 'cursing God'

QALQILIYA (Ma'an) -- Palestinian police arrested a man on Thursday for "cursing God" while arguing with his father in Qalqiliya. 

Police responded to a call reporting a fight between a father and son in the northern West Bank town, officials said. A police report said the father called police to break up the fight after his son "cursed God." 

Police took the man, who was not identified, into custody in accordance with Article 273 of the Jordanian Penal Code, which criminalizes insulting the religious feelings of other persons or their religious faith, officials said. 

The penalty could result in a jail term of between 1-3 years, according to the code.

 It is sad that in 2011 we are still here. However this is not the first time something like this has happened in Palestinian Authority territory. According to the story in Maan, A year earlier in the same city, the PA arrested Waleed Hasayin, after he was accused of authoring blog posts critical of Islam.
Our second story comes from Egypt where ten of thousands of people rallied for an end to military and the institution of civilian rule. According to Al Jazeera:

Friday's protest drew political parties and religious movements of different stripes, though the loudest voices in the square came from Islamists, including hardline Salafis and the comparatively moderate Muslim Brotherhood.

Liberal, leftist and Islamist parties and groups such as the April 6 Movement, founded in solidarity with labour protests, participated in the rally. Islamists joined with their call to put an end to military trials of civilians, which have led to the incarceration of thousands in proceedings described by human rights activists as opaque and unfair.

Anan Zuhairi, a 26-year-old doctor, told Bilal she was not with any party or political movement but that she joined the protest because "nothing has been resolved since the revolution".

"Nothing we revolted for has happened. Emergency law is still not canceled. People are being taken out of their homes. Our demands have remained the same except they've become more," she said. "We just want democracy and freedom. The people with opinions are all in prisons." 

It seems like a new phase of the Egyptian Revolution is taking place, As angry marmothas been meticulous in describing this. It is worth checking out the information.

Our Third story comes from YNET, regarding the IAEA board rebukes defiant Iran over nuclear program

The UN nuclear watchdog board of governors censured Iran on Friday over mounting suspicions it may be seeking to develop atomic bombs, after the six big powers overcame divisions on how to best deal with a defiant Tehran.

But the resolution, which won overwhelming support at the 35-nation meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), omitted any concrete punitive steps, reflecting Russian and Chinese opposition to cornering Iran.

It was adopted by 32 votes for and two against - Cuba and Ecuador. Indonesia abstained. 

Iran however was defiant and called the findings: "unprofessional, unbalanced, illegal and politicized",

The U.S. though is vowing to stay on top of this:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the White House welcomed a resolution on Iran's nuclear program on Friday by the United Nations atomic energy watchdog, and said the United States will keep up pressure on Tehran to abandon its drive for a nuclear bomb.The resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency expressing growing concern about Iran's atomic work had exposed "the hollowness of Iran's claims" that its nuclear program was for purely civilian purposes, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in a statement.

"The whole world now knows that Iran not only sought to hide its uranium enrichment program from the world for more than two decades, but also engaged in covert research and development related to activities that can have only one application: building a nuclear warhead," he said.

Finally, speaking of Iran, Yoel Marcus in Haaretz offers this scathing article: Netanyahu's policies have turned Israel into Iran

I don't know if Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef have their dressy robes and turbans made by the same tailor and milliner, and whether the gold decorations woven into their clothes symbolize some sort of rank in their divine status or are just foppishness. Some say it's both. They have adopted the Ottoman tradition of clerics who vied in their day with the dandyish sultans. In any case, both Khamenei and Yosef have influence on questions of war and peace. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad isn't going to push that button without authorization from Khamanei, just as our prime minister and defense minister make pilgrimages to Our Master and Teacher on the issue of the Iranian threat.

Anyway, discuss or ignore or do whatever you like
Shalom