Transcontinental controversy

There is a period of “relative calm” in the Middle East. No Israeli civilians were killed this week but hundreds of Palestinian civilians were slaughtered in Israel's “offensive” in the Gaza strip. Israeli tank shells massacred 18 Palestinian civilians, including 10 children and four women, as they lay asleep in their homes in the Gaza Strip early in the morning on Wednesday, November 8. However, their lives don't matter in the eyes of the North American media, so you probably only saw a ticker at the bottom of the screen. I guess most of us have become desensitized to Israeli massacres of civilians as they happen so often.

Also in the Middle East, a ruthless dictator has been sentenced to death by hanging. That's right; the mighty Saddam Hussein's show trial concluded that it was best to sentence him to death two days before the American election. Can anyone say staged?

Instead of allowing trials to be held for the war crimes and massacres of Kurds, Shia Muslims and Iranians, in which the American government was extremely complicit, the court sentenced Saddam to death for revenge killings that he carried out for his own interests. This entails that the massacres he committed as a favour to the United States will not go before trial, and American officials will not be brought to justice for their involvement. Saddam was a horrible dictator and deserves his fate, but those who gave him the power, weapons and commands to commit these crimes deserve the same sentence. Let the trials continue, let the truth come out, and hang the neo-cons too.

Where Iraqi courts failed, the American people succeeded. They judged and sentenced the neo-cons to a political death, forcing Donald Rumsfeld to finally resign in disgrace. The fake Al-Qaeda video and the death sentence of Saddam did little to sway American voters this time around.

The democrats took control of the house, and as we're going to press it seems as though they might take the Senate as well. It's a good thing that the republicans are out, but the big question is how much better will the democrats do. It's a shame that American politics has to be a decision between two evils. Not one independent candidate was elected this time around, so let's hope that America becomes truly democratic one day.

More bad news for the neo-cons is coming from Latin America where the charismatic and popular Hugo Chavez, who brought democracy to Venezuela and anger to the U.S. administration, seems posed for a landslide victory in the upcoming elections. Although the United States are backing his opponent Manual Rosales, there is little hope for Rosales other than republican-style voting fraud.

Danial Ortega also dealt a blow to US domination of Latin America as he was elected as president of Nicaragua. Ortega joins the ranks of other anti-American leaders in Latin America such as Chavez, Castro, and Bolivia's Evo Morales as the social democratic revolution continues to build momentum and challenges America's authority in the region.

The truth is always controversial, and it always opens dialogue. It also leads to hate. This is because liars will hate you for telling the truth. Do not be intimidated by these narrow-minded thugs who bully you into silence and acceptance of lies, for the truth shall set us all free.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.