With Iran pinned between Afghanistan, Iraq, and American warships in the Persian Gulf, with plans way in advance for an even more destructive shock and awe campaign, with various war games taking place, and other countries being bullied or pushed into repudiating their friendship with Iran, with intense sanctions already in place and about to get tighter, the noose is tightening. And then you have politicians of every stripe competing with each other over who could spill the most blood, all the while hinting at nuking Iran to prevent it from getting nuclear power!

That France is joining in, demonstrates once again the congruence of the Imperial nations as in Haiti, and their "circling the wagons" against the barbarians to the East, or to use another metaphor, doning on their white crusader sheets.

I'm surprised that they haven't yet manufactured an incident with Ahmedinejad getting roughed up in NYC. The media campaign has been disgusting, basically, calling for the man to be lynched, with liberals in lock-step with neo-con designs. The hysteria has been so extreme, that one can imagine Goebbels sitting at the other end of the microphone.

The fact we have rabblers here willing to go along for the ride, believing or even dwelling on the lies, distortions, and propaganda, AGAIN, even as the war clouds gather, is pretty eyeopening.

[ 24 September 2007: Message edited by: ceti ]

Despite the insults that were hurled at him he held his own and made a farce of american democracy as the university officals used up time in trying to humiliate the man.

As far Palestine goes..he says hold a referandum (a democratic act) and ask the palestinian people what they think....hahahaha totally ripping apart the israel/US form of democracy as we all know they won't dare do that.

Investigate and scientifically pry at the holocoust he said..of course to me he was alluding the reason the holocoust happened in the first place is what Israel does not want exposed as it is the same reason the palistenian people are experiencing what they are experiencing....that's the drift I got.

In my opinion I think the holocoust isn't investigated scientifically because it would reveal the use of carbon monoxide as the killing and gassing agent...a gas that the oil and gas industry allows in your house and you to breath because it dulls the mind causing permanent brain damage amongst other respiratory disorders the government doesn't want you to know about.

It was great ..at the end of the Iran pres. speech the crowd applauded very loudly ..so much so..cnn pulled the audio plug! Oh they periodically would cut out his speech ,but thanks to satellite technology a person could hop from one news station to the next and get it all. Hehehe

When he was delivering blows to the US the interperter would charge up the language trying to make it sound radical and up beat when it was soft spoken...it was great to see all the media tricks and tactics in play.

I hope he delivers another great speech to the UN.....my guess is when he is done....There would not be a country in the world except for the US and it's controlled friends that will blame Iran for fighting back in any way shape or form if attacked by the US.

The only mistake or lie he made was saying there were no homosexuals in Iran , not like the USA which is filled with em..
It was actually funny as he can't lie with a straight face.

It becomes obvious he is an academic not a bold faced lying politician.

I'm sure the US government will come up with something to discredit him soon,stage something or outright arrest him..he exposed and bashed them up pretty good.

ahmadinejad

quote:

---

The highlight of the event by far was when, in response to accusations of repressing homosexuality, he stated: "Iran doesn't have the issue of homosexuals," and the audience collectively laughed at him.)

---

Compare that to the reality....

quote:

---

Two gay Iranian teenagers -- one 18, the other believed to be 16 or 17, were executed this week for the "crime" of homosexuality, the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) reported on July 19.

---

After that and they lose every arguement they will likely attack the person like they do in typical Neo-Con fashion.

Like how he pointed out depleted uranium in his speech also...as it will be shown (has already been shown in reports to the UN) how the US uses that as ethnic cleansing compound...talk about chemical warfare and terror and weapons of mass destruction... the US is looking like the ipso facto terror machine ...and what does that make supporters of the terror machine??????

quote:

---

Hardly the highlight of the event..but I'm sure the one the Neo-Cons will flock around as it was the only lie of the event.

---

So, "the neo-cons" are apparently the only ones who would be concerned about this?

Why aren't YOU concerned?

Imagine how low one has to sink to defend a reactionary theocrat like Ahmadinejad.

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeff house:
And imagine how dishonest you have to be to try to label concern for anti-gay policies a "neo-con" point of view.

---

Imagine - someone giving a homophobic speech in the United States. In public!

Call Ripley's.

Of course, it's different when someone calls for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage (hint: George W. Bush).

Or when the Armed Forces ban recruits who state they are not heterosexual.

There have been plenty of investigations of the holocaust. As well, Harry Truman made a point of making the pictures well-publicized as allied troops liberated concentration camps (to help bolster the international legitimacy of the Nuremburg trials).
"It becomes obvious he is an academic not a bold faced lying politician."

Huh? What the heck do you think his visit to America and speech to the UN was all about? Its politics. Everything Mahmoud does is about politics. Just as Paul Martin bashed the Americans to make political gains when it was convenient, Mahmoud represents the more hard-line wing in Iranian politics. Confrontation with the US is likely to drive more people into his camp (notice that we didn't hear much about Iran under its previous administration). The refusal to let him see ground zero, and the anger towards him are probably going to help him rally the troops at home.

"As far Palestine goes..he says hold a referandum (a democratic act) and ask the palestinian people what they think....hahahaha totally ripping apart the israel/US form of democracy as we all know they won't dare do that."

You clearly have no idea what democracy (really liberal democracy) is. Referenda as a basis for secession in general (probably not in the Palestinian case) almost always leads to mega-constitutional change, with minimal concern for minority rights. I think it is sad that in the left, of all places, one now finds the most stalwart advocates for nationalism and national self-determination.

In the Palestinian case this is a much smaller concern, but at any rate I fail to see what a separate Palestinian state will accomplish. The West bank and Gaza strip (its not like the Palestinians are going to get any other territory soon - and as much as the rest of the Arab world supposedly cares about their plight, they would never give the Palestinians an inch of land themselves) are economically depressed, and the Palestinian economy would be wholly reliant on workers traversing into Israel.

I actually think a multinational (as in Israelis and Palestinians living together), federal, secular Israeli state is the best course of action, but obviously that isn't going to happen any time soon.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Parkdale High Park:
"
In the Palestinian case this is a much smaller concern, but at any rate I fail to see what a separate Palestinian state will accomplish. The West bank and Gaza strip (its not like the Palestinians are going to get any other territory soon - and as much as the rest of the Arab world supposedly cares about their plight, they would never give the Palestinians an inch of land themselves) are economically depressed, and the Palestinian economy would be wholly reliant on workers traversing into Israel.

---

[ 24 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeff house:
So, "the neo-cons" are apparently the only ones who would be concerned about this?

Why aren't YOU concerned?

---

The babbler you quoted without identifying (in your usual fashion) clearly characterized Ahmadinejad's comment about gays as a "lie". He suggested that the neo-conservatives who run the United States would seize on that lie in order to discredit Ahmadinejad and divert attention away from the rest of his remarks.

You now try to twist that into a statement that "only" neo-cons would be concerned about the gay lie. There is dishonesty afoot here, but it's on your part, not Buddy Kat's.

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeff house:
Imagine how low one has to sink to defend a reactionary theocrat like Ahmadinejad.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeff house:
And imagine how dishonest you have to be to try to label concern for anti-gay policies a "neo-con" point of view.

---

[ 24 September 2007: Message edited by: M. Spector ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by jeff house:

So, "the neo-cons" are apparently the only ones who would be concerned about this?

Why aren't YOU concerned?

Imagine how low one has to sink to defend a reactionary theocrat like Ahmadinejad.

And imagine how dishonest you have to be to try to label concern for anti-gay policies a "neo-con" point of view.

---

See that's all the neo con can harp on..everything else is true...

Of course the Neo-con is very hypocritical as they are so anti gay but the firsdt ones to go running iinto the mens rooms in airports and run after the male pages...

My view ..it's biological and the Iran pres should be ashamed as he touched on depleted uranium..You think it's chance that people that live around heavily polluted areas have more girls than boys.

Think depleted uranium besides causing cancers etc,..for many generations there are birth defects ..and deformities..or hormonol changes.like a mixture of men and woman at the genetic scale.

In the arab world they better get used to it because so much radioactive material has been dumped it's sickening.

CBS's Propaganda Ambush in Tehran - the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Interview

This is a good account at the full range campaign to demonize the man that is so grotesque in its severity, that it even exceeds the job that was done on Saddam.

That is setting aside the well-worn epithets thrown his way just to show that one is part of the American mainstream consensus.

As for the absolute denial about the existence of homosexuality in Iran, I would bet at least half of the world's leaders would dissemble in the same way -- and in big democracies too like India where it is also still illegal. However, you don't have people buttonholing the prime minister of India or attacking him in such a disrespectful way do you?

The issue is such an obvious red herring, as Ahmedinejad doesn't have control over social policies. In fact, he was recently came out in favour of girls being able to watch soccer matches in stadiums, but the religious authorities blocked him.

[ 24 September 2007: Message edited by: ceti ]

quote:

---

Iran is one of at least seven countries today which still retain capital punishment for homosexuality. Others include Mauritania, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

---

Source.

Someone I missed the neo-con demonstrations and pro-LGBT outrage when Musharraf, Karzai, and the Saudi royals have visited the United States. I missed the indignant university presidents and the shocked CNN reporters.

Can anyone provide me with links to those expressions of outrage on the part of the good people of the U.S.?

[ 24 September 2007: Message edited by: unionist ]

quote:

---

Cheshmak Farhoumand-Sims is a peace researcher, educator and practitioner completing her PhD studies at York University in Toronto in the Department of Political Science. Cheshmak received an Honours BA in peace and conflict studies from the University of Toronto and a M.Sc. in conflict analysis and resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where she wrote her Master’s thesis on the subject of the psychological, cultural and religious dimensions of post-conflict reconciliation processes in intractable conflicts. In addition to these degrees, Cheshmak has studied at the Austrian Peace University and the United Nations Graduate Studies Program.

---

quote:

---

Under Article 395 of the 1969 Penal Code, the age of consent to sodomy was set at 18. Where the minor is between 15 and 18 years old and does not resist the act, the adult may be punished with imprisonment of up to 7 years. Where the minor is 14 years or below, the punishment is a maximum of 10 years. (Schmitt and Sofer - "Sexuality and Eroticism among Males in Moslem Societies")’

---

I don't seem to remeber any neo-cons suggesting that we should not invade Iraq because its laws explicitly protected gay righs from 1969 forward, the same year that Canada's own Sodomy laws were repealed.

According to that web site the present government has not changed the law.

Sodomy laws around the world

Meanwhile 14 states in the union still a some kind of Sodomy Law on the books up until the year Iraq was liberated.

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

quote:

---

Nicaraguan President Signs Sodomy Law: "Nicaraguan president Violeta Chamorro has signed into law a new penal code that makes sodomy a crime punishable by up to four years in prison [but see next item]. The bill, which defines sodomy broadly as "the cohabitation between individuals of the same sex," was passed by the National Assembly on June 11 and sent to Chamorro, who signed the legislation on July 8 without informing either the press or the opposition Sandinista block. ."(IGLHRC Press Release August 7, 1992)

"Amended Article 205 (now Article 204 of the reformed Penal Code) provides that "anyone who induces, promotes, propagandizes or practices in scandalous form sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex commits the crime of sodomy and shall incur 1 to 3 years imprisonment". It also states that if one of the people engaging in sexual intercourse is in a position of power or authority over the other, even if in private, s/he will be punishable with 2 to 4 years in prison for unlawful seduction." (Amnesty International Update 14 August 1992)

---

Then, let's knock down that straw man. Maybe some readers won't notice that we haven't said anything negative about Iran's treatment of gays, or President Ahmadinejad's ignorant responses.

After all, if we said Iran is wrong to execute gays, then we would have departed from the Black and White Guidebook.

Because EVERYTHING is black and white.

I believe that gay rights activists are fooling themselves if they think contributing to this campaign, without carefully analyzing and expressing their objection to the overall policy of the US government are naively contributing to a largish human rights disater of another kind, and at the same time doing absolutely sweet fuck all for gays and lesbians in Iran -- not in the short term or in the long term -- many of who will also be blown to pieces, despite their sexual preferences.

For instance, they should be pointing out that, while Amedinejad's statements are overtly homophobic, they are evidently representative of the views shared by the leadership numerous US allies in the region, as a mantra.

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

I don't believe we should avoid the truth just because some or all of it might be convenient to George Bush.

So, for example, I believe that Ahmadinejad is a far-right-wing product of the Iranian Secret Police. He hasn't a tolerant bone in his body, and his views on gays and Jews are offensive.

So I should shut up about this because Bush MIGHT invade his country?

quote:

---

Remember, if we had said anything negative about the gulag, that too would have given comfort to the Bad Guys. Better to lie every chance we get, or at least, keep a strategic silence.

---

Oh, please.

Do "Gays" masturbate with their left or right hand?

This is laughable. Ahdimenijad and his ilk are the enemy of human freedom, everywhere.

quote:

---

Something does not become untrue because right-wing sources mention it.

---

But there's so much material(books, films, newspapers, you name it) demonizing Iran, and most of the other Middle Eastern nations, surely there's room for a place where we can look at those places and say, "Yep, they have their problems, but they don't deserve to be condemned as cesspits and backwaters which have to be sqwashed by the American military industrial complex"?

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: CMOT Dibbler ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by DMcLeod:
"It is bad enough having the right hypocritically manipulate gay rights as an issue to justify their military campaigns, having you cynically manipulate them to bash the radical left as part of your personal 1950's anti-reds campaign is almost as irritating."

Oh, please.

Do "Gays" masturbate with their left or right hand?

This is laughable. Ahdimenijad and his ilk are the enemy of human freedom, everywhere.

To reduce this to USA bad, Opponents good, is to get caught in a crossfire which doesn't serve the interest of homosexuals anywhere, not to mention any human rights, at all.

---

Since you have only made three posts to this board, I will forgive you for not knowing that inevitably, when this subject comes up, Jeff finds an opportunity to start mouthing off about reds in the ranks.

These long meandering diatribes about stalanism and cabals on this board, inevitably end up as tremendous thread drifts that have nothing to do with gay rights or Iran, but about the instinctual fealty and totally uncritical loyalty shown by leftists to anything that opposes US imperialism. Or so it is according to Jeff.

If you read above I quite clearly expressed my opinion about Amedinejad's comments. I certainly did not say people should not talk about the problem of abuse against gay people in Iran. I said they should contextualize them so they can not be construed as a call for war.

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

Many will disagree. Bushco is far less a threat than A**dimenajad and the theocratic A**holes who run Iran.

Bush will be gone soon, whereas the theocratic weasels who run Iran will remain, insofar as people support and maintain them.

I heartily agree. The repression of gays in Iran is one reason to believe that Iran is an extremely repressive society.

quote:

---

I don't "contextualize" "gay" rights. Lest there be any confusion I am "gay". I put it in quotes for a resaon, because to me it's a meaningless word.

Many will disagree. Bushco is far less a threat than A**dimenajad and the theocratic A**holes who run Iran.

Bush will be gone soon, whereas the theocratic weasels who run Iran will remain, insofar as people support and maintain them.

I'm not calling for war, rather, let's defend our rights.

---

This is what I said:

quote:

---

I believe that gay rights activists are fooling themselves if they think contributing to this campaign, without carefully analyzing and expressing their objection to the overall policy of the US government are naively contributing to a largish human rights disater of another kind, and at the same time doing absolutely sweet fuck all for gays and lesbians in Iran -- not in the short term or in the long term -- many of who will also be blown to pieces, despite their sexual preferences.

---

Is there anything in there which suggests to you, that I think people should not talk about the issue of gay rights in Iran?

It is in fact Jeff who has made up the strawman that I and most of the people on this thread are saying that we should not talk about gay rights in Iran.

And lest there be any confusion, I am at least techincally "Jewish" and in that context I am strongly opposed to those who I feel cynically manipulate the issue of anti-semetism as a leverage point for their propoganda in regard to Iran.

I feel it is an insult, frankly.

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

How did "Jewish" people get drawn into this?

Fuck Ahdimenijad, and anyone who thinks like him.

This thread is about the general shape of the propoganda being used by the right to justify an attack on Iran. In fact gay rights are not mentioned in the OP, however Goebbel's is:

quote:

---

The media campaign has been disgusting, basically, calling for the man to be lynched, with liberals in lock-step with neo-con designs. The hysteria has been so extreme, that one can imagine Goebbels sitting at the other end of the microphone.

---

This is not a thread just about gay rights in Iran.

[ 25 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

[ 26 September 2007: Message edited by: Cueball ]

Develop it's new energy options.

Relativly cheap carbon fuel is not great politically speaking (unless your at war(which would suit the Iranian 's fine))

Gay Rights Around the World

quote:

---

AFGHANISTAN
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, the punishment is execution, the methods are
throwing the homosexual down from a high roof or hill or by burying
them beside a wall which is then toppled on to them.

ALBANIA
LAWS: 1. Has no sodomy laws, the age of sexual consent is 18 for homosexual
males, and 14 for lesbians and heterosexuals.

ALGERIA
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable with up to 3 years
imprisonment and a fine between 1,000 and 10,000 Algerian dinars.

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 14 years in prison.

BAHAMAS
LAWS: 1. Has no sodomy laws for sex in private, the age of sexual consent
is 18 for homosexuals and 16 for heterosexuals. There is a law
against sex in public, punishable with up to 20 years in prison.
The public sex law clearly discriminates against homosexuals as it
does not apply to heterosexuals who are found engaging in sexual
activity in a public place.
2. Allows homosexuals in its military.

BAHRAIN
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with imprisonment not exceeding 10
years, with or without corporal punishment.

BANGLADESH
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with deportation, fines, and/or up to
10 years to life imprisonment.

BARBADOS
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal.

BHUTAN
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual sex is forbidden by law, punishable with a maximum
sentence of life in prison.

BOTSWANA
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual conduct is illegal punishable with up to 7 years
imprisonment.

BRUNEI
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, with a penalty of up to 10 years imprisonment or
a fine of up to 30.000 Brunei dollars.

CAMEROON
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with a penalty of 6 months to 5 years
imprisonment and a fine of up to CFA 200.000. If one of the persons
involved is under the age of 21 the penalty is doubled.

COOK ISLANDS
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 7 years in prison for sodomy, and
5 years in prison for indecent acts with males.

ETHIOPIA
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable with a penalty of 10
days to 3 years' "simple imprisonment". This penalty may be
increased by 5 or more years when the offender "makes a profession
of such activities", or exploits a dependency relation in order to
excercise influence over the other person. The maximum sentence of
10 years' imprisonment can be applied when the offender uses
violence, intimidation or coercion, trickery or fraud, or takes
unfair advantage of the victim's inability to offer resistance. The
maximum sentence can also be applied when the victim is subjected
to acts of cruelty or sadism; when the offender transmits a venereal
disease although fully aware of being infected with it; when an
adult is charged with committing homosexual acts with persons under
15 years of age; or when distress, shame or despair drives the
victim to committing suicide.

GRENADA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law.

GUINEA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with six months to three years of
imprisonment and a fine of 100 000 to 1 000 000 Guinean francs.
If the act was committed with a minor under 21 years of age, the
maximum penalty must be pronounced. Any person that has committed
a public indecency (public sex) will be punished by three months
to two years of imprisonment and a fine of 50 000 to 450 000
Guinean francs or simply by one of these two punishments. When an
indecent act (group sex) is committed by a group of individuals,
the penalties will be doubled.

GUYANA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to life in prison.

INDIA
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual sex is forbidden by law, punishable with a maximum
sentence of life in prison.
COURT:1. On 9-2-04 the Delhi High Court dismissed a legal challenge to
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, India's sodomy law. The
Court claimed that the validity of the sodomy law could not be
challenged by anyone "not affected by it." The case was filed by
two prominent Indian organizations that represent the interests
of men who have sex with men, the Naz Foundation International
and the National AIDS Control Organization. According to the
Court, since no sodomy charge had been filed against the groups,
they lacked standing to challenge the law. Section 377 punishes
acts of sodomy, buggery and bestiality. Although it criminalizes
these acts committed by anyone, the law is commonly used to target,
harass and punish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.
2. In December 2004 a judge in the city of Amritsar dismissed a case
against a lesbian couple saying there was no law that prevented
the women from living together. Homosexuality is illegal in India,
but lesbians are not specifically mentioned in the law the judge
noted. The two women, one 18, the other 25, say they were married
in a Hindu ceremony, but did not provide proof of the wedding,
according to Indian media reports. The women claimed their marriage
was performed according to Hindu rites, but police said they did
not believe Hindu priests would knowingly have allowed a same-sex
marriage. The couple was detained by police following a complaint
by the father of one of the women who told officers that his
neighbors had shunned the family after his daughter's sexuality was
known. The family of the other woman reportedly supports the couple.
Gay activists in India have tried with no avail for several years to
have the country's sodomy law overturned.
3. On 11-10-06 the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to Section
377 of the Indian Penal Code, India's sodomy law, saying the law is
needed to deal with persons with perverse sexuality.

IRAN
LAWS: 1. Homosexuality is illegal, those charged with love-making are given
a choice of four deathstyles: being hanged, stoned, halved by a
sword, or dropped from the highest perch. According to Article 152,
if two men not related by blood are discovered naked under one
cover without good reason, both will be punished at a judge's
discretion. Gay teens (Article 144) are also punished at a judge's
discretion. Rubbing one's penis between the thighs without
penetration (tafheed) shall be punished by 100 lashes for each
offender. This act, known to the English-speaking world as
"frottage" is punishable by death if the "offender" is a non-Moslem.
If frottage is thrice repeated and penalty-lashes have failed to
stop such repetitions, upon the fourth "offense" both men will be
put to death. According to Article 156, a person who repents and
confesses his gay behavior prior to his identification by four
witnesses, may be pardoned. Even kissing "with lust" (Article 155)
is forbidden. This bizarre law works to eliminate old Persian
male-bonding customs, including common kissing and holding hands in
public.

IRAQ
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, the punishment is death.

JAMAICA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 10 years imprisonment and
hard labor. A penalty of up to 7 years imprisonment, with or
without hard labour, is provided for anyone attempting to commit
homosexual acts or an "indecent assault" on another male person.

KENYA
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is strictly forbidden, punishable with up to
14 years in prison.
NOTE: 1. Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, President of Kenya, is extremely
anti-homosexual.

KIRIBATI
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 14 years in prison.

KUWAIT
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishes sexual intercourse between men over 21
years of age with imprisonment of up of to seven years, it punishes
sexual intercourse with a male under 21 with imprisonment of up to
10 years.

LEBANON
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with imprisonment not exceeding one
year.
MALAWI
LAWS: 1. Section 153 Penal Code, which prohibits "unnatural offences", and
Section 156 concerning "public decency", are used to punish
homosexual acts. It is reported that, in the past, Europeans who
committed homosexual acts with Malawis were prosecuted under
Article 156 and expelled as undesirable aliens.

MALAYSIA
LAWS: 1. Homosexual acts are illegal, punishable by lashing and a prison
sentence of up to 20 years. Even cruising is illegal, punishable
with up to 2 years in prison.
2. Bans homosexuals from appearing on radio and television.

MALDIVES
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual sex is forbidden by law, punishable with a maximum
sentence of life in prison.

MARSHALL ISLANDS
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 10 years in prison.

MAURITANIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with death.

MAURITIUS
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 5 years in prison.

MONGOLIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law. Section 113 of the Penal Code prohibiting "immoral
gratification of sexual desires", can be used against homosexuals.

MOROCCO
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, which provides a penalty of between
6 months and 3 years imprisonment and additional fines from 120 to
1200 dirhams for "lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the
same sex".

MOZAMBIQUE
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable with a penalty of up to
3 years imprisonment in a "re-education institution" where hard
labour is used to alter the prisoners "aberrant behaviour".

NAMIBIA
LAWS: 1. Male homosexuality is illegal.
2. Namibia's Labour Code (Clause 107) explicitly prohibits
discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace.
COURT:1. The High Court in Windhoek on June 24 reaffirmed a German lesbian's
right to permanent residence status based on her relationship with
her Namibian partner. Judge Harold Levy found that since
heterosexual couples are recognized for common-law relationships
-- "universal partnerships" -- then, given the "equality provision
in the Constitution and the provision against discrimination on
the grounds of sex, I have no hesitation in saying that the long-
term relationship between the applicants in so far as it is a
universal partnership, is recognized by law."

NAURU
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law.

NEPAL
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual sex is forbidden by law, punishable with a maximum
sentence of life in prison.

NICARAGUA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 4 years in prison.

NIGERIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 14 years in prison.
Since 2000, 12 of Nigeria's northern states have adopted Sharia
codes for their courtrooms. Under Islamic law, homosexual sex is
punishable by death.
NOTE: 1. President Olusegun Obasanjo is very anti-gay. He says homosexual
tendencies are clearly unbiblical, unnatural, and definitely
un-African.

NIUE
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 10 years in prison.

OMAN
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable by up to 3 years in prison, but only
acts arousing scandal lead to public prosecution.

PAKISTAN
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable with life in prison, and
corporal punishment of 100 lashes, while Islamic law, which also
can be enforced legally, calls for up to 100 lashes or death by
stoning.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, anal intercourse is punishable with imprisonment
of up to 14 years, other homosexual relations between men are
punishable with up to five years imprisonment. Lesbian relations
are not criminal, the age of sexual consent is 16.

QATAR
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishes sodomy between consenting adults
(irrespective of sex) with up to five years imprisonment.

SAINT LUCIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law.

SAMOA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 5 to 7 years in prison.

SAUDI ARABIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, homosexual acts are subject to a maximum penalty
of death. Sodomy is proved either by the culprit confessing four
times or by the testimony of four trustworthy Muslim men. If there
are less than four witnesses or one of them is not trustworthy,
they are all to be punished with 80 lashes (a slave 40) for slander.

SENEGAL
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, an improper or unnatural act with a person of
the same sex will be punished by imprisonment of between one and
five years and by a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 francs. If the
act was committed with a person below the age of 21, the maximum
penalty will always be applied.

SEYCHELLES
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law.

SIERRA LEONE
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law.

SINGAPORE
LAWS: 1. Male homosexual sex is illegal, and can be punished by life in
prison, lesbian sex is legal in private.
2. Visual representation of homosexual acts are banned, and so are
materials that portray homosexuality as a legitimate and acceptable
lifestyle.
3. The Ministry of Defence does not admit self-acknowledged gay men
into the military, but they have to serve the army in the capacity
of administrative or logistical clerks when serving their two and a
half-year compulsory military service.
NOTE: 1. Singapore's Registrar of Societies refused to register the gay
organization People Like Us on March 31, 2004 and ordered its members
to cease activity. The agency said registering the group would violate
the Societies Act's ban on organizations that are "likely to be used
for unlawful purposes or for purposes prejudicial to public peace,
welfare or good order in Singapore" and its ban on organizations that
are "contrary to the national interest." People Like Us said it would
launch an appeal to the Minister of Home Affairs. However, on April 7,
2004, the ministry suggested that would be pointless. "As the mainstream
moral values of Singaporeans are conservative, it is hence contrary to
public interest to grant legitimacy to the promotion of homosexual
activities and viewpoints," the ministry said in response to a press
inquiry. For the time being, People Like Us has halted activity, but a
spokesman said the organization's more than 1,000 members will continue
to advocate for gay rights individually.
2. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Singapore, is anti-gay.

SOLOMON ISLANDS
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punished with 14 years imprisonment.

SOMALIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punished with imprisonment from 3 months to 3
years, and an act of lust different from sexual intercourse is
punished with imprisonment from 2 months to 2 years.

SRI LANKA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 10 years in prison. No laws
cover sex between women.

SUDAN
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable by 100 lashes or death.

SYRIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable by up to 3 years in prison.

TANZANIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 14 years imprisonment.
On the island of Zanzibar male homosexual sex is illegal, punishable
with up to 25 years in prison. Lesbian sex is also illegal, punishable
with up to 7 years in prison. The male homosexual sex sentence is the
same as that for murder.

TOGO
LAWS: 1. Homosexual acts are illegal and are often prosecuted as rape or
assault, punishable with fines and up to 3 years imprisonment.

TOKELAU
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 10 years in prison. You can
receive 5 years imprisonment for making a pass at another male.

TONGA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 10 years in prison.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 10 to 20 years in prison. It
provides a penalty of up to life imprisonment if committed on a
minor (under 18 years old).
2. Under Article 8 of the Immigration Act, homosexuals are not allowed
to enter the country.

TUNISIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with imprisonment of up to 3 years
for sodomy between consenting adults, entrapment is common.

TURKMENISTAN
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 2 years in prison.

TUVALU
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 14 years in prison. You can
receive 7 years imprisonment for making a pass at another male.

UGANDA
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, criminalizes "carnal knowledge
against the order of nature" with a maximum penalty of life
imprisonment. Section 141 prohibits "attempts at carnal knowledge"
with a maximum penalty of 7 years imprisonment. Section 143
punishes acts of, procurement of, or attempts to procure acts of
"gross indecency" betweem men in public or private with up to 5
years imprisonment. Prosecutions are rare.
2. The constitution of Uganda bans same-sex marriage. The constitution
says that "marriage is lawful only if entered into between a man and
a woman" and specifies that "it is unlawful for same-sex couples to
marry".
NOTE: 1. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of Uganda, is extremely
anti-gay.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
LAWS: 1. Has some sodomy laws, the Abu Zhabi Penal Code makes sodomy
punishable with imprisonment of up to 14 years, the Penal Code of
Dubai imposes imprisonment of up to 10 years on consensual sodomy.

UZBEKISTAN
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with up to 3 years in prison for anal
sex. Oral sex is legal. Lesbian sex is not mentioned in the law.

YEMEN
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is forbidden, punishable by death.

ZAIRE
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable with up to 5 years in
prison.

ZAMBIA
LAWS: 1. Has a sodomy law, punishable with 14 years imprisonment.
NOTE: 1. Frederick J.T. Chiluba, President, is extremely anti-gay.

ZIMBABWE
LAWS: 1. Homosexual activity is illegal, punishable by up to 10 years in
prison. The law states that sodomy is any "act involving contact
between two males that would be regarded by a reasonable person
as an indecent act". The "sexual deviancy" law could also make it
a criminal offense for two males to hold hands, hug, or kiss.
NOTE: 1. On August 1, 1995, president Robert Gabriel Mugabe called
homosexuality an abhorrent offense against nature. He is extremely
anti-gay.

---

We've had a Canadian PM who talked to his dead mother in between running the country.

The title of his presentation is "A Coup Has Occurred" and is worth reading outside of the question of the bellicose actions of the US towards Iran.

[ 27 September 2007: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]

quote:

---

A statement signed by 215 Iranian MPs cited the bombing of Japan during World War II, and the invasions of Vietnam and Iraq, as "terrorist actions".

The largely symbolic move comes days after the US Senate urged the White House to brand Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.

The foreign ministry in Tehran said it backed the MPs' motion.

Correspondents say the ministry's support is significant because government bodies are generally not as hardline as the parliament.

---

quote:

---

Britsh MPs visiting the Pentagon to discuss America's stance on Iran and Iraq were shocked to be told by one of President Bush's senior women officials: "I hate all Iranians."

And she also accused Britain of "dismantling" the Anglo-US-led coalition in Iraq by pulling troops out of Basra too soon.

The all-party group of MPs say Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Coalition Affairs to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, made the comments this month.

---

American diplomats have been ordered to compile a dossier detailing Iran's violations of international law that some fear could be used to justify military strikes against the Islamic republic's nuclear programme.

Members of the US secretariat in the United Nations were asked earlier this month to begin "searching for things that Iran has done wrong", The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.
advertisement

Some US diplomats believe the exercise — reminiscent of attempts by vice-president Dick Cheney and the former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld to build the case against Saddam Hussein before the Iraq war — will boost calls for military action by neo-conservatives inside and outside the administration....

"Iraq Will Have to Wait

Posted on Sep 27, 2007"
....
"The administration always heeded the justifications for aborting an attack, primarily because there was time still left on the clock, so to speak. But time is running out. Israel has drawn a red line across the calendar, indicating that if Iran has not pulled back from its nuclear ambitions by the end of 2007, military action in early spring 2008 will be inevitable. The attack on Syria by Israel sent a clear message that attacks are feasible. The continued emphasis by the Bush administration on Iran as a terror state, combined with the fact that the administration seems inclined to blame its continuing problems in Iraq on Iran, and not failed policy, means that there is no shortage of fuel to stoke the fire of public opinion regarding war with Iran. Add in the “reality” of weapons of mass destruction, and war becomes inevitable, regardless of the veracity of the “reality” being presented.
....
The highest priority for the antiwar movement in America today must be the prevention of a war with Iran. The strategic objectives should include getting Congress to repeal the war-powers authorities currently on the books, thereby forcing the president to seek new congressional approval for any new war. Likewise, a concerted effort must be undertaken to counter the disinformation being spread by the Bush administration and others about the nature of the Iranian threat. Every action undertaken by the antiwar movement must be connected to one or both of these strategic objectives. "
Scott Ritter

[ 30 September 2007: Message edited by: contrarianna ]