RE: Anonymous on Ara Abrahamian

You said:

"What are you talking about? I am talking about the other athletes. His ill timed actions ruined the ceremony for the innocent silver and gold winner.

PS- They removed Ara's medal completely now and have awarded the bronze to the fourth place finisher. I am very glad about this.

PEACE!"

Well - The Court of Arbitration for Sport agrees with Ara Abrahamian.
http://www.tas-cas.org/d2wfiles/document/1915/5048/0/Award%20OG%2008%20007%20FINAL.pdf

The CAS's decision:

FILA is required by the Olympic Charter and its own internal rules, to provide a
procedure in its rules for an appeal jury (or some equivalent) to hear promptly claims by athletes or others affected that in a competition the relevant officials have not complied with FILA rules and procedures. Article 22 of its Wrestling Rules may provide such a procedure. If so, FILA should clarify that mechanism. In any event, FILA did not follow Article 22 properly, if at all, or provide any other appropriate appeal mechanism in this case. The Athlete is also entitled to invoke the disciplinary process contemplated by Article 36 of the Constitution.

The question is why is the ire being drawn to Ara Abrahamian when it is FILA who itself did not follow its own rules?

Using one of the maxims of interpreting the drafting of any document, a document will be construed strictly against the party drafting it.

In this cse, not only could FILA not even present an argument about trying to follow their own rules, they blatantly disregarded them.

In this case, Ara Abrahamian was in the right by shedding light on this situation, as he did not use any violence.

If the Olympian in question won the gold by crooked means, is that a gold really worth defending? The Olympics are a celbration of the purity and honesty of the game; not dillydallying with rules when it suits a governing body.

In this case, it is a shame that the gold medalist, and silver medalist also did not walk off the podioum in support of Ara Abrahamian in his crusade against corruption at FILA.

As for FILA taking away a bronze medal - not everything in life is about receiving amedal, especially if it is tainted by cheating.

You are happy they took his medal away, he is happy because he stood up for moral integrity, rather than just doing the easy thing, accepting a TAINTED bronze medal, not making a fuss...

What he did took courage because he rebelled against a corrupt establishment. That is something that is priceless, and which no gold medal could ever be worth.

Good for Ara Abrahamian!!!

Ara did this to protest against the corruption amongst the judges. In the semi-finals, the italian guy who later won the gold, was pronounced the winner during the BREAK between the second and third round! Suddenly the judges decided that Ara had been outside of the ring. When Ara requested a video overlook they refused, even though that is what they should do if requested according to THE RULES. I say this is a start of a revolution against corrupt judges in wrestling! Go ARA!

Re-Post of my February 1, 2008 blog - South Ossetia - the Caucasus Montenegro?

The right to national self-determination is a fundamental right that must be balanced with the effects it would have with all directly affected. This is the only road to a peaceful solution based on the equality between peoples. It is this principle that must prevail in the dispute between South Ossetia and Georgia.

The strategy that should be used in this dispute is the strategy used between Montenegro and Yugoslavia. It would transform South Ossetia and Georgia into a confederation of two equal states, characterized as a "joint state." If South Ossetian demands for increased autonomy are not met, South Ossetia could hold a referendum on independence from Georgia.

South Ossetia was an Autonomous-Oblast in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. It is a region inhabited by Ossetians, an ethnic group with a distinct culture, and language. Amidst the disintegrating Soviet Union, South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in 1992. The fear motivating the Ossetians to secede were Georgian requirements that Georgian was to be the only official language, effectively muting the Ossetian identity. After an armed confrontation with Georgia, South Ossetia remains in a frozen conflict, a de facto state that is fully self-governing, and without the vestiges of independence.

The International Court of Justice recognizes the right to self-determination as "a right held by people rather than a right held by governments alone." The Canadian Supreme Court, in referring to Quebec's quest for unitary secession from Canada, stated separation would be legal only "where 'a people' is denied any meaningful exercise of its right to self-determination within the state of which it forms a part." The Canadian Supreme Court stated this opinion balancing both the right to self-determination, and the widely accepted principle of territorial integrity.

It is clear South Ossetia has every legal right to pursue self-determination. The "Ossetian people" decided they want statehood. Furthermore, it is also evident that the Ossetian people were effectively being "denied any meaningful exercise of self-determination" within Georgia when their language was pushed aside.

Possessing the right of self-determination is a legal question, while accomplishing self-determination is a question of power and diplomacy.

Georgia is a key transit point in the recent Central Asian oil boom, being the central hub of the Baku-Tiblisi-Ceyhan pipeline. Its relations with Russia are poor over military base closures, and allowing NATO forces on its territory. Georgia has ethnically diverse provinces, each having problems with the central Georgian government about their identities. Ossetian independence would encourage minorities in Abkhazia, Ajaria and Akhalkalai to seek their own sovereignty, with Russian (fueling independent tendencies) and Western (promoting stability to prevent oil-transit stoppages) interests directly competing with each other, potentially leading to complete civil war.

However, practical fears of governments should never influence the normative ideologies breathing life into international law. Therefore, a joint-state solution would be ideal in this conflict in order to ensure unnecessary violence that would erupt with immediate South Ossetian independence, and to prevent a xenophobic central government purposefully watering down separate ethnic identities.

Paris Hilton is infuriated about a rumour saying she lives in Glendale

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,384545,00.html

Paris Hilton has had enough of the hearsay. Earlier this week the starlet made a public pledge on her personal MySpace page to fight all the false things that are said about her in the media.

After listing her mood as "annoyed," the hotel heiress wrote:

"Page Six reported that I have moved into Benji's neighborhood, and that Nicole is upset by this...SO NOT TRUE! First of all, I don't even live in Glendale. Secondly, I have my own home in a gated community in Beverly Hills — that's where I live. I haven't been to Glendale in months. Where do they come up with this?"

What can I say? The sex tapes obviously did not get her this mad. Nor did Sarah Silverman cutting her up when she hoped Paris would not break her teeth on jail bars where she would be gnawing at them thinking they were penises.

What irks Paris Hilton to a high degree of moral turptitude is living or even setting foot in Glendale California, home to the biggest Armenian community outside of Armenia... (Note, most of those Armenians are originally from Iran)

WOW!

Maybe she would feel better being linked to Ron Jeremy and Vivid Entertainment...
Maybe Glendale does not offer her the opportunity to be a total skank... Or maybe she does not like Armenian dicks...

Awaiting a turn at commission

The following is a very good article by Michael Coren --> http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Coren_Michael/2008/06/07/5800271.php

I accuse. The various federal and provincial human rights commissions of discrimination. Against me. Because for years now I have spoken out against same-sex marriage, the excesses of the gay community and Muslim extremism in my column as well as on my radio and television shows.

A total of 250,000 people watch the latter and the radio program is on the largest station in Canada. Good Lord, I've even made speeches on these issues, addressing thousands of people.

I know that some people have complained about me to certain commissions, but I also know that the commissions in question have rejected the complaints. Yet as the B.C. Human Rights bunch takes on Maclean's magazine I am ignored. Why? It can only be because I am a Roman Catholic, half-Jewish, heterosexual, bald Conservative immigrant. It's offensive, unfair and horribly un-Canadian.

For years now these kangaroo courts -- fear not, Australian marsupials are not yet protected under our hate crimes legislation so I'm okay -- have gone after relatively anonymous teachers, tradesmen and church ministers who have few resources and limited connections. Come on guys, you're missing an opportunity here.

So here goes. Marriage is between a man and a woman. If two homosexuals want to live together that is entirely up to them, but it is not and can never be a marriage.

World's still round

The state may say otherwise, but if the state suddenly decides that the world is flat, the world is still round. I will never, while there is breath in my body, regard a same-sex union as a marriage.

Gay couples should not be allowed to adopt children, whether they are part of what they think of as a marriage or not. If at all possible children should be raised by a mother and a father.

While single parent families do obviously exist, a healthy society should aspire to a mother and father raising children. To consciously create families where one gender is not present is irresponsible and dangerous.

Islam may not be reconcilable with a western, pluralistic culture. There is not a single Islamic state that enjoys the liberal multiculturalism or respect for human rights and diversity taken for granted in almost all of the Christian-based world. The right to convert to another faith, the freedom to express unpopular opinions, the equality of women and so many other basic virtues are unusual if not impossible.

If we contrast Hindu India with its immediate neighbour Muslim Pakistan, for example, we see how one celebrates different religions and parliamentary representation while the other has been ruled by dictators and persecutes religious minorities.

Both countries were left by the British empire with equal economic potential, but while India is about to become an economic super power, Pakistan is in decay.

Only a bigot would argue that all terrorism is committed by Muslims. But only a fool would deny that Islam is the only religion that directly produces so much international terror, from Russia and Palestine to Britain and Spain and from the United States and Jordan to Indonesia and Egypt.

When sadistic brutes scream out verses from the Koran before cutting the head off a bound and screaming victim, who am I to deny that Islam is a factor? When terrorist leaders tell us time and time again that their Muslim faith inspires them, how dare we not take their word?

Dear human rights commission types, surely this is enough.

Kobe and the Jackass Crew

America Needs A Leader Like This!

(This was an email circulated to me)

[Prime Minister John Howard - Australia ]
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote:
'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending som e individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians, as we have never seen before.'
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.'
'We speak mainly ENGLISH ... not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, then you have no choice but to learn "our" language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are finished complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom ....
'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'
Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.