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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (71007)	11/28/2005 7:28:53 AM
From: lorne	Respond to of 81568

Egyptian police harass voters and arrest Islamists Sunday 27.11.2005 By Amil Khan and Tom Perry swissinfo.org ALEXANDRIA/TANTA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian police restricted voting in areas contested by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday and detained more than 800 Islamists trying to build on early success in parliamentary elections. Thousands of riot police deployed in constituencies where the Muslim Brotherhood was fielding a candidate, in many cases sealing off polling stations or severely limiting the number of people who could go in and vote, witnesses said. Young Islamists clashed with riot police in an Alexandria slum in the early evening, after waiting in vain to vote. In other places, thugs attacked Brotherhood activists. A leading judge told Reuters that some judges packed up early in protest and took ballot boxes away with them. "Security forces surrounded some of the polling stations, blocking some voters from entering," said Ahmed Mekki, a judge in charge of an election monitoring effort by the judiciary. Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Abdel Muezz Mohamed said 56 judges had refused to take part in the count because of flagrant violations during the day's voting. Altogether more than 11,000 judiciary personnel are supervising the process. There was also scattered violence on the fourth day of voting in the long electoral process, which ends on December 7. Monitors said members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Brotherhood had brawled at some polling stations. The Brotherhood, which fields candidates as independents because the government refuses to recognise the group, won more seats than President Hosni Mubarak's NDP in voting last Sunday. GOVERNMENT SHAKEN Although it does not have enough candidates to break the NDP's overall control over parliament, its electoral success has shaken the government and ruling party. As polling stations closed at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT), riot police and young Islamists fought running battles through the alleyways of the Dekheila slum in west Alexandria. "This is the response of the government to people wanting to exercise their right to vote," said Walid, a young carpenter. In another Alexandria district, Taher Abdel Fattah said he had been prevented from voting by a police cordon. "The government told us we should vote and decide the future of this country. Now the same government is stopping us voting. This is disgusting. There is no freedom here," he said. "Tomorrow they will say the election was fair and everyone is happy. It will all be lies. We are ruled by liars and thugs," said Mohamed Ibrahim, 31, who was also trying to vote. In the Nile Delta city of Tanta, a line of riot police three deep kept voters out. After polls closed, police ejected Brotherhood representative Mohamed Ibrahim from the counting hall, Ibrahim said. "The only people inside now are NDP." The Muslim Brotherhood said police had detained 860 Muslim Brotherhood supporters since the early hours, starting with dawn raids on their homes and continuing with arrests outside polling stations. Monitors confirmed arrests outside the stations. An Interior Ministry spokesman said police had deployed in strength but this was to ensure orderly voting. CLUBS AND MACHETES In Hayatim, men with machetes and clubs attacked Brotherhood organisers outside stations as soon as they opened in the morning, frightening voters away, witnesses and monitors said. "I raised a chair to defend myself but I was hit on the head and shoulder," Brotherhood campaign worker Mahmoud Mohamed told Reuters. His head was bandaged. Journalists for the French agency AFP, Reuters, the British Broadcasting Corporation and the U.S.-based Associated Press all reported being harassed and having equipment or papers seized. "I was telling London that troops were threatening voters, beating them with sticks and using teargas," said Mohammad Taha, an Egyptian working for the BBC. "Then one of the officers heard me ... and put his hands round my neck. He tried to put me on the ground. But I struggled. I was on air at the time ... He told me to shut up and used a stick to hit me in the stomach. Then he asked one of the officers to take me away." In Alexandria, Mahrous Tantawi, an unemployed man, said the NDP had paid him 20 Egyptian pounds for his vote. "I got the money last night and now I'm here so they can take me to the polling station to vote," he told Reuters. The Muslim Brotherhood so far has 47 of the elected seats in parliament, against about 120 for the ruling party. It was well placed to add more on Saturday and in the next round. The Brotherhood, which advocates political freedoms and wants to bring Egyptian law closer to Islamic law, was contesting 41 of the 121 seats at stake on Saturday.

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (71007)	11/28/2005 9:52:11 AM
From: Dan B.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 81568

You describe the first gulf war and ask has Jr. done it that way? You include things like the refusal of Sr. to march into baghdad. Has Jr. done it that way? No he hasn't, he hasn't booted anyone out of Kuwait either, naturally. While you say he hasn't articulated the goal, in fact he has. Broad coalition? The opinion is that it's broad enough. I know that isn't ok with you, but the goal is there, the coalition is there, and the good results the Iraqis are appreciating are there. Excuse Jr. if he can't please everyone, i.e the beheading asshole suicide bomber encouraging extremists, and perhaps you. Whoops, let no one think I would lump you in with beheading asshole suicide bomber encouraging extremists. Dan B.