"...Sarkozy called on Israel to stop settlement in the West Bank and said, “There cannot be peace without an immediate and complete halt to settlement. There cannot be peace without recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of two states and the guarantee of free access to the holy places for all religions.”

"Given that we are supposedly a nation of believers, it might be better if we prayed for guidance from immaterial forces before letting hysterical crackpots push us into supporting material action of ever more murderous intolerance and stupidity."

It’s painful to watch Sen. Barack Obama slide over to the Right on so many important issues, as the presidential election heats up in ‘08. FISA, NAFTA and Israel are a few. He’s also met with Colin Powell and suggested that he might keep Robert Gates on as his Secretary of Defense. What’s next? Irv “Scooter” Libby as head of his Justice Department? If Obama doesn’t want to flop, like Sen. John Kerry did in ‘04, he better ponder changing his ways.

"No social worker took enough time or cared enough to make sure that Sean and his siblings were being taken care of properly. Since the children were not dogs, no neighbors called the animal police to report the abuse or torture that continued both inside and outside the premises where the Paddock family lived. And though Wake County Protection Services had been involved with Sean and his siblings since birth, they were negligent about the children’s care, were blind to the abuse the children endured, and need to share part of the blame for Sean’s murder."

"Western media seldom reports that Mugabe was and still is popular especially in the rural areas; his land reform has won him support among his own people. When Zimbabwe gained independence in 1980, 70 per cent of the country's farm land was in the hand of 5,000 European settler landowners."

"It is hoped that all the political parties will discard electoral opportunism and mount joint efforts to initiate serious peace efforts. The successful handling of Kashmir’s current crisis offers a hope and a chance for the Congress government at the Centre to build on this bold decision and work towards a final and durable solution of the problem."

"...Olmert's adventures in peacemaking and conflict resolution, especially the ceasefire with Hamas, have persuaded Abbas that his and Fateh's political survival require him to seek renewed negotiations with Hamas regarding a Palestinian unity government."

"...it is difficult to imagine serious political progress in the Arab-Israel context without significant American involvement and support. And since the US is in the middle of presidential elections it is not at all likely we can expect significant political developments from any side."