and Pakistanis inherit cataclysm and Presidency..though latter being more deplorable..

The last two weeks have been deadliest in the recent month with a plane crash costing 152 lives and crew, flood killing more than 1400 people and 2.5 million homeless and rescuers are struggling to reach more than 30,000 people still cut off by the floods, which are the worst in 80 years. Worse is the fear of outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera among the homeless while food is scarce and water supplies have been contaminated by the floods. The things had not fallen down when Karachi went mad killing more than 50 people after an MPA was killed on August 02, 2010.

So a country would expect its leadership especially government to set aside all task and take up humanitarian assistance and rescue/ rehabilitation work at priority.

Correction, its Pakistan! People of Pakistan inherit catastrophe and presidency with latter being more deplorable.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is continuing with his plan, to enjoy family's stately home in the French countryside and to visit Britain to make him understand war on terror and 'beg' despite outrageous remarks made by Prime Minister David Cameron in Bangalore, at a time when the country is struggling to cope with what is being described as its worst floods in 80 years.

Yes his presence in the country would not, in any way, be conducive to rescue and relief efforts. But in such circumstances isn't it common practise that heads of state or government, at least make symbolic gestures of solidarity by putting off pleasure trips. But oh yes, launching political career of Bilawal 'Bhutto' zardari is far more important than the lives of half of population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and millions of displaced people. Besides, we have 'rich precedent' of axing life of millions of people and billions of Rs. from national enchequer to personal accounts in name of earth quake and internally displaced people.

The outburst of anger against such reckless and mind boggling heartless behavior has been overwhelming , be it online blogs,print media and electronic media. The question remain, who is listening? The governments with quacks like dasti, fozia wahab debating non-issue through senseless talk or the Prime minister Gilani who kept addressing public rallies in connection with a coming by-election despite the havoc in country?
Sad state of Affairs of Country and hearts.
Please spread the message of ways of helping the people affected by floods

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/08/03/pakistan-floods-how-to-help

Help wherever and however you can!

“I want a new invincible human being, insensitive to pain, resistant and indifferent about the quality of life of individuals.” Stalin

"Nothing is more unreliable than the populace, nothing more obscure than human intentions, nothing more deceptive than the whole electoral system."

These days politicians i.e the Government and opposition is probably are at their lowest in terms of modesty, integrity, intentions, morality and senseless diversions. The more you loathe them, the less.
Since devastation of Attabad , the people of Hunza are living in despair. The protocol savvy government ministers particularly the gilgit Baltistan elected representative have more important things on thier mind which includes distributing funds (Millions of Rs.) to self acclaimed righteous Lawyers and boycotting Shandur festival. I was at loss of words to hear and read about the 'Boat Mafia' operating in the devastated area of Hunza. Insensitivity is the lowest level of humanity and we are aspiring nation of Stalin not Quaid-e-Azam.



So where are we heading as a nation as an individual. 'Silence', at work, at home in our rooms. We take pride in being diplomatic (or hypocrites?) and staying silent by keeping away of issues. I recently read a quote that there is no remedy for a nation where funeral is the only event that masses choose to raise their voice and come out of their homes.

Why I chose to write, here's the answer:

"I don't want to tell your story because you're a insensitive, self-centered moron. I've told a lot of stories about young people, and I always feel there's hope."
Joel Schumacher

Inciting Intolerance- source dawn blog

Hypocrisy it is.. The sentence ‘Congratulations, Michael Berry your message of hate resonated all the way back to Lahore’ hits the nail. He confessed how low his mind and soul can go to prove his point but didnot acknowledge that he is insensitive enough to fall low just to earn ratings for his show.

Inciting Intolerance

“I’ll tell you this — if you do build a mosque, I hope somebody blows it up. I hope the mosque isn’t built, and if it is, I hope it’s blown up.”

Those comments aired live on the radio, less than 36-hours before half-a-dozen terrorists armed with automatic weapons, grenades and suicide jackets stormed into two Ahmadi places of worship in Lahore, killing at least 95 people and injuring over a hundred worshipers.

But that message of hate wasn’t aired in Lahore or even in Pakistan. It was aired live across Houston, Texas.

The man behind the comments was Michael Berry, a former Houston City Council member and an award-winning radio talk show host with KPRC-950 AM.

In fact, the Michael Berry Show, which the comments were made on, was recently named the #1 talk show at 5 pm in the state of Texas. The show also won first place in the Houston Press Club Awards for best radio talk show in 2008.

Berry’s audacious comments were made to a live caller named Tony, who wanted to respond to the host’s opening comments in the show about how plans to build a mosque near Ground zero in NYC would be ‘disaster.’

Michael Berry: Tony on the West side I see you’re a big fan!
Tony: Hey Michael, I’m wondering if you are a bigot or..
Michael Berry: What’s a bigot?
Tony: Let me just get my point and then you can talk all you want because that’s what you do
Michael Berry: Okay…
Tony: Now you so eloquently put it that they were terrorists in 9/11, that’s fine everyone agrees with it, then you beautifully go on to say they are building a mosque. Who is this they? Who is this ‘they,’ you are talking about? I’m an American Muslim, so I’m not an American? I can’t build a mosque where I want to? How are you attaching criminals who flew planes, terrorist, murders who flew planes in 9/11 and linking them to building a mosque in New York?
Michael Berry: Is Tony your real name?
Tony: It is my real name. It’s my real name because people have called me Tony since I was born. That’s why. But what difference does it make what my name is?
Michael Berry: You just don’t sound like a Tony. Alright, well here’s the deal
Tony: Uh huh
Michael Berry: No! No Tony, you can’t build a mosque!
Tony: Why not?
Michael Berry: At the site of 9/11
Tony: Why not?
Michael Berry: No you can’t…and I’ll tell you this if you do build a mosque, I hope somebody blows it up!
The complete live call can be heard here.

The caller Tony responded to Berry’s comments by saying, “Good for you! That puts you right in the category of the people who flew the planes.”

And then the following conversation took place:
Michael Berry: really?
Tony: Yes, you people are exactly the same as those terrorists who flew those planes.
Michael Berry: Who is you people?
Tony: What?
Michael Berry: Who is you people? Whatever your name is.
Tony: You people, you right-wing nut jobs. That’s who you are.
Michael Berry: Let me tell you something Tony. It’s the right wing nut jobs that are going to keep this country safe from people like you.
Tony: Hold on, saving from who? Who are you saving us from ? Saving from me?
Michael Berry: No. Listen. You are in a building box. Its right wing radicals like me that are going to keep this country safe for you and everyone else from the people that are flying the planes from the countries that you fled from. Okay? If you want to identify with those people, go live with them. If you want to live in countries where they are practicing radical Islam: if you want to live there and be a part of that, Then by all means, whatever your real name is go do it. If you feel offended that we don’t want a mosque on top of 9/11. Then you have no shame or you are full of audacity.

Comments like that coming from a popular radio host in the city I live in aren’t just hurtful, they are scary. He clearly had no problem equating the 9/11 terrorists with ALL Muslims. And he had no problem making a call for “bombing a mosque” live on the airwaves in a city with 17 mosques and close to 200, 000 Muslims.

People like Michael Berry are killing the spirit of liberty and civil rights that define the United States of America.

Berry actually had the guts to say to the caller, “Is Tony your real name? You just don’t sound like a Tony.”

The irony is his own wife of 17 years, Nandita Berry, goes by “Nandy”. According to his about Michael Berry page she “was born and raised in Hyderabad, India. They are the proud parents of 3-year-old “Michael T”, who was born in Ethiopia.”

So while this white right-wing public rep cum radio host boosts of his diversity ‘by being married to an Indian immigrant and having adopted baby from Africa’ he also calls for a mosque to be blown up.

What kind of hypocrisy is that?

As the caller named Tony put it “you are exactly the same as those terrorists who flew those planes.”
‘They’ say they are fighting in the name of Islam and then they storm into places of worship and kill 95 God-fearing Ahmadis.

Congratulations, Michael Berry your message of hate resonated all the way back to Lahore.
PS: Michael Berry graciously issued a half-baked apology on the KPRC-950’s website:

“While I stand by my disagreement of the building of the mosque on the site, I SHOULD NOT have said ‘I hope someone blows it up.’ That was dumb, and beneath me. I was trying to show “Tony” how much I opposed his opinion, but I went too far. For that, I apologize to my listeners.”

But the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is not satisfied. As the largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization in the US, they are demanding action from the FCC (the American version of PTA). In a press release the National Executive Director Nihad Awad has said:

“Calls for acts of violence against houses of worship must never be tolerated or excused. We ask the FCC to demonstrate that incitement to violence is never acceptable on our nation’s airwaves.”

Sahar Habib Ghazi is a Houston-based journalist, who also blogs at www.outsideislamabad.com