Prashant Bhushan of Team Hazare(most of whom are in detention now) says-

Delhi Police a Puppet in Central Govt's Hands: Bhushan

But wait, the head of the government is himself reputed to be a puppet of a certain royal family.

That makes Delhi police the puppet of a puppet. Or, a second hand puppet.
Personally, I think they are rather 3rd degree lapdogs.

Monster Singh

Is there a heart under that blue turban?

In his first comments on the issue, the Prime Minister Singh, who has been accused of mishandling the situation, said, "It is unfortunate that operation had to be conducted but quite honestly, there was no alternative."

 Really?
No alternative to a 1 a.m. surprise assault on peaceful citizens protesting corruption for which his party, the Congress, has historical responsibility?
No alternative to senseless(OK, not senseless -it was to save the Congress) beatings of all including women? No alternative to misbehaving with old women?
No alternative to sheer state brutality?
No alternative to unleashing his dogs on the public?


There was, of course, an alternative - to let the peaceful protests go on

 At no time did Baba Ramdev and his supporters threaten to become violent. If there was a problem of space and disruption of traffic then they could have been given the sprawling lawns of India Gate, the traditional place for protests in Delhi. There was simply no reason for this 'crackdown' as if the protesters were criminals and were creating a law and order problem. Law and order problem was actually created by the police atrocities themselves with their criminal assault.

But, irony of ironies, the Congress party claims to be the heir of Gandhi. They are, actually. Both literally and symbolically the heirs of another Gandhi - Emergency Indira. Like a scorpion cannot change its character and will bite the Congress cannot shed its repressive heritage. It's in gene and blood. OK, the blood is ours.

Manmohan Singh -Other than that he is quite decent

Remember the narrative the media has fed us for years - how Manmohan Singh is a decent man, very sharif(honest), incorruptible, so nice. But power corrupts all and only fools and media persons(I repeat myself) could have believed that under that blue pug(turban) beat a tender heart.

No, there is just dark, cold vacuum.




Update -
     Hemant Shah left the folowing comment to this article in The Hindustan Times -

Prime Minister Mao Tse Singh, I agree with your decision. There was no alternative to Ramlila Ground atrocity. Just like there was no alternative to Tiananmen Square excesses or Jalianwala Baag massacre.

You gotta do what you gotta do!

Digvijay Singh's crime is greater than that of Sushil Kumar

When Baba Ramdev said on being forcibly expelled from the Indian capital that Delhi kissi ke baap ke nahin hai (Delhi does not belong to anybody's father), his vernacular encapsulated the sheer arrogance with which the political elite struts over this city. For the feudal Congressi, Delhi is his fief. He moves about in bullet-proofed cars protected by ferocious looking commandos(breaking speed limits and other traffic laws)as we serfs strive in desperation to move our inconsequent selves out of the way. He is surrounded by taxpayer paid domestics(aka senior officials) who 'yes,sir' him 24/7 and would gladly lick not only his boots but his ass at a mere hint. So, who can blame them if the politicians believe they are our masters and not servants. In the system created by Nehru and perpetuated by his descendants, they are.


Have a look at today's example -

  Man Tries To Hurl Shoe At Congress Leader Janardan Dwivedi

High drama was witnessed at the AICC headquarters here today when a person posing as a journalist tried to attack party General Secretary Janardhan Dwivedi with a shoe, apparently miffed over the treatment meted out to Swami Ramdev.

The person, who was carrying an identification as Sunil Kumar of Nav-Sanchar Patrika from Jhunjhnu, Rajasthan, came close to Dwivedi, removed his shoe and stopped short of hitting him with it.

The middle-aged man, wearing a striped T-shirt, was heard telling Dwivedi that "you cannot stop us from asking questions."

The man was immediately caught by the a AICC staffer and some journalists and was removed from the briefing hall while being beaten up. He was then taken away by police.

 Video -

While being beaten up? By who? Congressi chamchas(sycophants) and toadies? Isn't beating up anyone a crime? Not in the Capital of the Compassionate Congress Cukoo land. 

Any senior leaders around who tried to stop this gross violation of the law?
Well, Digvijay Singh ,with all his sobriety and high-mindedness was there. So what did he do?
He joined in!

Why wouldn't he? A commoner had to be punished for his effrontery. Saale, maalik ko joota dikhata hai! (Bastard, how dare you show a shoe to your master?!)

Digvijay Singh assaults Sushil kumar

Video - Digvijay Singh takes law into his own hands(or feet)

Digvijay Singh Kicked Assailant Sunil Kumar

 Congress workers and some mediapersons overpowered the assailant Sunil Kumar at the party headquarters today, a furious party general secretary Digvijay Singh was shown on video footage kicking him thrice, as the man was lying on the ground.

The video clearly showed that Digvijay was very angry with the act of the assailant, who had tried to hit party general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi with a shoe.

Digvijay Singh was sitting inside his room in the party headquarters when the shoe incident took place, rushed out into the corridor near the press conference venue and kicked at Sunil kumar, lying on the floor, with his leg thrice.

The assailant was later taken outside and bundled into a police jeep to be taken to Tughlak Road police station.

Diggie usually implants both his feet in his mouth but today he used them to take law in his hands. It's OK, law hamare baap ka maal hai (is our father's property), we can do anything.

 Now compare the two crimes-
1) Sushil Kumar - impersonating, threatening violence with a shoe but not actually getting violent
2) Digvijay Singh and Congress toadies -actual physical assault on a person which could have(or perhaps have) resulted in injuries and even serious injuries.

Whose crime is greater?
And who was picked up by Chidambram's(India's home minister and a Nehru-Gandhi cutlery piece) palace guards aka Delhi police?


But who cares? Law, they say, is an ass and those who are supposed to keep it are, we have all seen, assholes.

"Why are you covering your face? You don't have a heart."

What happened (my own remarks are in italicized brackets and bold is mine)-

Police lobbed teargas shells apart from carrying out a "mild" truncheon charge (Ed -which didn't happen) on the protesters on Sunday. Many fainted because of the gas engulfing the covered venue and minor fires erupted.(what if they had turned into major fires or a stampede happened and killed hundreds? It was very possible.Wouldn't have meant anything to this 'compassionate' government.'Inclusive growth' is for those who don't get in the way.Those who do risk being excluded all the way to the other world.) "There was complete chaos. People could neither open their eyes nor keep them shut," recalled Shiv Kumar from Saharanpur. Protesters alleged that women and girls were manhandled. ( Bravo, Sonia, you go fight for women's rights!)

"First, people tried to stop the security personnel from reaching Ramdev. A young man took him away on his shoulders. But later he returned to address us," said Swami Akhandanand from Haridwar. He said about 1.20am things went out of control, "We had no report of where Ramdev went. He was asking everyone to maintain peace."

Eyewitnesses said by 1.30am, there was unrest in the camp with cops almost taking over the entire venue. "There was no provocation. What threat could women, children and men who came to participate in a satyagraha would pose?" asked Anita, a Ramdev follower from Sikkim.(The threat to gaddi*, no doubt)

Cops, however, said Ramdev's supporters pelted bricks and threw flower pots on them. Half an hour after the eviction operation began, the venue was full of smoke and it was difficult to anyone inside to breathe. Volunteers were seen taking out people who had fainted. Many were complaining about their missing belongings. But none was willing to leave Delhi before getting the order from the yoga guru.

"We will not go home. We need to see Baba," said Monika, a young supporter from Rohtak. Amid anti-government slogans, a woman shouted out to the cops, "Why are you covering your face? You don't have a heart." (Bandits and dacoits do this)

At 3am, most Ramdev supporters were on streets around the ground, especially the Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. People had taken over the entire pavement outside the MTNL office. But within minutes, a platoon of cops started driving them away.(Scram, you dogs! Fighting for your rights,bloody hell!) The police brought buses for volunteers to take people away.

"They can throw us out of Delhi by using force. But we will take this protest to villages and cities. The government has crossed all limits," said Sudha, who had come from Jharkhand. (Take that and remember next time -Delhi belongs to the Congress!)

The police kept driving away protesters until they had cleared the stretch between Ramlila Maidan and the Kamla Market roundabout.

Since police had also sealed Jantar Mantar (no shelter for you!)to avoid any gathering there, the exhausted protesters headed to Bangla Sahib Gurdwara beyond Connaught Place.

Timeline of events by News X

*The colorful Indian language translator-
        gaddi - seat, here it means the seat of power
       

It takes balls to thrash innocents -Delhi Police has them in depotful

Leader of the ferocious dog squad unleashed on the unsuspecting and peaceful protesters, Dharmendra Kumar, Special CP (Law and Order), tries to 'explain' away the allegations of atrocities. 'Explain' is perhaps not the right word as he is not interested in taking questions. Just watch it for a spectacle of sheer hubris. Our masters are dripping in such contemptuous arrogance, from 10, Janpath Road* down to the lowest beat constable(who is low and adept at beating innocents like street vendors).

Power made me God

Video. Original link.

Dripping in arrogance, yes, but not drop of sympathy in that drip for what his goons did-

The injured Mr Sibal could not find

Tehelka was the first media network to reach Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital in New Delhi to find out the condition of the injured in the late-night police action against Baba Ramdev’s supporters at a time when the government alleged that no serious injuries had been reported.


The reporter Revati Laul was speaking with the injured when the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital asked her to leave, despite the fact that the injured wanted to give testimonials of the police brutality they faced. Tehelka photographer Naveesh Tejpal was not allowed inside the hospital building with his camera. Therefore, the correspondent had to take these pictures on her mobile phone. They serve as evidence of police brutality. One woman, Rajbala, is critically injured with multiple fractures to her spine and all four limbs paralysed; two others have got serious head injuries. More than 60 people who were injured were admitted to this hospital.

Sunil Kumar at the LNJP Hospital. He got skull fracture. He claims that the police blocked most exits of the Ramlila Maidan

Ravindar Singh from Himachal Pradesh. He is injured in the head and stomach. He says he became victim of the police cane-charge

Cane-charge that according to Kumar didn't happen?! Lying rascal! (I mean the scoundrel feigning injuries and not Kumar who is a saint)
 
 Catch more here by Tehelka's reporter  Revati Laul. She showed courage to find some of the missing injured. However that pales in comparison to the balls required to thrash unarmed civilians, most of them just woken from sleep at 1 a.m, with a police force over 5000 strong.

Bravo, Dharmendra Kumar, you deserve a medal and it is probably being minted at the backyard of  10, Janpath Road.





*   10, Janpath Road  -The residence of Sonia Gandhi, India's de-facto mistress. 

Book of the month -March, 2011

Introducing with this post a new feature of The Liberty Blog and the Liberty News Central -The book of the month. Starting off with the latest in The Politically Incorrect Guide to series-

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism

  

 by National Review
deputy managing editor Kevin D. Williamson 

From the National Review description of the book-

Stalin’s gulag, impoverished North Korea, collapsing Cuba . . . it’s hard to name a dogma that has failed as spectacularly as socialism. And yet leaders around the world continue to subject millions of people to this dysfunctional, violence-prone ideology.

In The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to Socialism, Kevin Williamson (“chancellor” of NRO’s exciting Exchequer blog) reveals the fatal flaw of socialism—that efficient, complex economies simply can’t be centrally planned. But even in America, that hasn’t stopped politicians and bureaucrats from planning, to various extents, the most vital sectors of our economy: public education, energy, and the most arrogant central–planning effort of them all, Obama’s healthcare plan.

In this provocative book, Williamson unfolds the grim history of socialism, showing how the ideology has spawned crushing poverty, devastating famines, and horrific wars. Lumbering from one crisis to the next, leaving a trail of economic devastation and environmental catastrophe, socialism has wreaked more havoc, caused more deaths, and impoverished more people than any other ideology in history—especially when you include the victims of fascism, which Williamson notes is simply a variant of socialism.

Williamson further demonstrates:

Why, contrary to popular belief, socialism in theory is no better than socialism in practice

Why socialism can’t exist without capitalism

How the energy powerhouse of Venezuela, under socialism, has become an economic basket case subject to rationing and blackouts

How socialism, not British colonialism, plunged the bountiful economy of India into stagnation and dysfunction—and how capitalism is rescuing it

Why socialism is inextricably linked to communism

If you thought socialism went into the dustbin of history with the collapse of the Soviet Union, think again. Socialism is alive and kicking, and it’s already spread further than you know.

What’s the central characteristic of socialism?

That’s easy—it’s failure, says Williamson.

Thats worth a repeat in large letters-

What’s the central characteristic of socialism?

That’s easy—it’s failure

Now somebody tell that to our Supreme Court judges.

Aam aadmi literally bleeds for Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi

These unlucky fellows, including a small boy, had the misfortune to get into Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's way-

Anil Jain

Sumit Prakash

Aman

Or should I say, more accurately, it was Manmohan Singh who got into their way.

 Result -they died.

Do the dead appreciate his speeches?

This man is deadly -

Family blames PM's security for man's death

The family of a 46-year-old man on Monday alleged that he died of a heart attack as he could not be rushed to hospital on time due to blockage of roads to facilitate passage of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's cavalcade.

Anil Jain died in an ambulance near Rajghat when he was being taken to a hospital at around 7:15pm last night.

---- snip - snip -----------------

"We called up the Police Control Room. They did not help us. They kept us asking us where we are. Had we not got stuck in the jam for 15-20 minutes, my father could have been saved," Deepak said.

 and-

"When we reached the hospital, the doctor said that even if we had brought him 10-15 minutes earlier, he could have been saved," the victim's son Deepak Jain said.

This is getting to be a serial thing(cue a haunting music from some serial killer flick):
First there was Sumit Prakash-

A 32-yr-old kidney patient lost his life outside the Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) hospital, Chandigarh, after he was stopped from entering the hospital due to security reasons.

 So what happened-

The Prime Minister was visiting the hospital. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has said that the Prime Minister is saddened by the incident and that it has demanded a full report on the incident.

Sure he was saddened. He is a decent man, as our media persons keep chanting. Who can doubt the media chorus? So the politicians/bureaucrats concerned  must have learned a lesson and improved the security procedures after some deep soul searching. Right?
Don't be stupid! They have no soul.

So then came, Aman, an 8 year old boy.The poor boy's crime? Sheer bad luck  -Manmohan Singh was in town that day:

The death of their only son due to roads being blocked for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's convoy in Kanpur on July 3 has provoked the parents to make a humble appeal to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Seriously injured and profusely bleeding seven year old Aman was being rushed to Kanpur's Regency Hospital by his parents, when a roadblock on account of the PM's visit disallowed them quick access to the nearby hospital.

Holding the bleeding child in their hands, the parents make fervent appeals to the cops and administrative officials on duty, who refused to use their discretion in order to save his life. Wading through crowded bylanes, when they eventually reached the hospital, Aman had breathed his last. He was declared "brought dead".

The hapless parents were told "perhaps Aman's life could have been saved if you had reached the hospital 10 minutes earlier." Aman's father Tahadud Hussain Khan and mother Usha on Tuesday shot off a letter to Sonia Gandhi asking her to use her to prevent such tragedies in future.

So the poor parents met Sonia Gandhi and pleaded and wept. They should have slapped her. Even that might not have worked (except landing them in jail). The hubris is too great in high places to check it's heady ride of power lust over such minor matters as the death of a poor person's small child.

 So, Manmohan Singh government's response - wash one's hands off, much like Pontius Pilate(remember Singh Saheb is otherwise a decent guy):

The Centre on Saturday sought to delink the death of a 8-year-old injured boy with the security arrangements for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit here and asked Uttar Pradesh government to hold a high-level probe into the incident and fix responsibilities for it. 

---- snip - snip -----------------

(Union Minister)Jaiswal said if Aman was seriously injured, the local police administration should have ensured an alternative route to take him to a hospital or if this was not possible police should have transported the boy in their own vehicle.

 But wait a minute! The latest death(murder?) happened in Delhi and Delhi police is run by the central government -which means the Home Minister and the Prime Minister. So why didn't the Delhi police take Union Minister Jaiswal's months old advice and make arrangements to take Anil Jain to hospital?

But that is a rhetorical question. We all know why -because they don't give a shit. The police would rather be a lapdog of the VIPs than be a helper to the citizens. VIPs like it that way. Meanwhile we shall go on footing the bill of these moral monsters.

Welcome to the Indian democracy.

********************
Suspense.

A serial killer(s) is/are stalking India's streets. Who will be the next victim?

The killer(s) is/are high and mighty.
No one dare name him/them.
No one dare touch him/them.

Now wouldn't this make a nice film script!
*********************

 

So because this gentleman(?) had to give a speech somewhere and bask in accolades three person are dead. Since Sonia and Manmohan (or Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi, as Sauvik Charavarti delightfully calls the duo) claim to weep so much for the aam aadmi(common man), an enquiry has been ordered. Again!

It was gracious of them to do so since they are so busy blowing off thousands of crores (hundreds of billions) on some Nehru-Gandhi-Rajiv-Indira yojna(scheme).

But that is a mere formality -it's not as if they are going to arrest Manmohan or the commissioner of Delhi police. If these two are not responsible then who is? I would throw the home minister in too. Arrest the three and charge them with some form of homicide. Only then can we expect these high and mighty to have even a bit of actual concern for the common man instead of some pitiful crocodile tears.

Notice the nature of their concern for the aam admi -

1)  First loot the aam aadmi (taxes, inflation)
2)  then distribute that loot among thieves(politicians,bureaucrats,contractors,the politically connected) while sanitizing it by calling it some scheme for the poor etc,
3) but when an aam aadmi is actually dying and needs help  -then the official response is :

FUCK OFF!

Pardon me, I'm not a vulgar person but this bit of obscenity seems appropriate.

Chacha Manmohan S Gandhi's heart(is it one or two?) bleeds for the aam aadmi, we are told. But it is the aam aadmi who actually, literally bleeds for them.

Proving Nehru evil

Sauvik Chakraverti gave it a try in 2003 in the pages of the Times of India-

It is very easy to prove that the great Jawaharlal Nehru, our first prime minister, who founded a democratic dynasty that still lives on, was an evil man. My logic is based on the writings of Frederic Bastiat.

----------------

In which case, let us now take a close look at the Nehruvian legacy: What did this socialist dynasty encourage? It will be instantaneously obvious to anyone who remembers those hard socialist times that this dynasty stifled enterprise and promoted plunder. Nehru put in place what Rajaji called the 'licence-permit-quota raj': he fettered enterprise in every possible way so babus could plunder entrepreneurs. He encouraged bright young people to join his public enterprises, which were funded by looting the taxpayer. His daughter even went on a nationalising spree, the effects of which are still with us. In her heydays, the only jobs available were under the state. Young people were not encouraged towards enterprise; they were encouraged to join the state and plunder the people.

---------------------

The history books tell us that Nehru fought for freedom. But are Indians free today? We are ranked 122 in the World Economic Freedom Index, 2002. We are still, after 10 years of this voodoo liberalisation, an economically repressed nation. Our natural ability to trade, to 'truck, barter and exchange' — a gift which every Indian child is blessed with in abundance — is still not allowed to flourish, and free trade is still a distant dream. Currency controls, trade res-trictions, high tariffs and continued licensing hinder our ability to generate wealth for ourselves. And they encourage a 'rent-seeking society' which the personnel of the state, under the Nehruvian system, have become.

---------------------------------


The country is in a horrible state. Corruption rules the roost everywhere. Every city is dying. Every town is decrepit. Evil ideologies hold sway.

(emphasis mine)


Hard hitting, no? But no harder than the average Indian has been hit by, nay crushed under the wheels of the brutal Nehruvian state.


I also highly recommend his blog ANTIDOTE.

Supreme Court fails to comprehend socialism

Over at the Ayn Rand - India blog, Shanu takes Indian Supreme court justices to task for being ignorant about the meaning of socialism-

The Supreme Court dismissed as withdrawn a writ petition challenging the insertion of the word “Socialism” in Indian Constitution. According to the constitution, every Indian political party should swear allegiance to Socialism. The court said that it will consider the petition when the situation comes. Earlier the application of Swatantra party was rejected because it failed to do so.

------------------------


The chief justice said this while rejecting a petition in the past: "Why do you take socialism in a narrow sense defined by the Communists? In a broader sense, socialism means welfare measures for the citizens. It is a facet of democracy. It hasn't got any definite meaning. It gets different meaning in different times." This is worse than nonsense. Words are not to be used loosely, without assigning any proper meaning. In the words of Ayn Rand, “Every word of man’s language, with the exception of proper names, denotes a concept, an abstraction that stands for an unlimited number of concretes of a specific kind.” The word Socialism means a politico-economic system (If it can be called so) in which all property is centralized in the hands of the state. If words are used without assigning proper meaning, it will assume meanings some scoundrels want it to assume. People(Even non-Marxists) look at it benignly only because they haven’t given it much thought or think that Socialists won’t venture to go that far. They foolishly believe that it is a system which favors welfare of the common man.

To make it mandatory that every political party should swear allegiance to socialism is to prevent people from choosing the political system people want. It is an assault on individual liberty and Capitalism. This would mean that anyone who wishes to fight the brutality of socialist policies would be prevented from doing so at the outset. It proves that even the pretense to “democracy” is a sham. It shouldn’t escape our attention that the 42nd amendment was passed during the emergency period. So, the intentions behind it should be evident for everyone to see. People should see the word for what it is and act upon their knowledge if we are to move towards a society which respects individual liberty.

(emphasis mine)
Do catch it all.


Ignorance in high places is not a bug but a feature.Clueless elites with life and death power over the rest of us are a standard for the modern welfare state system that is now ubiquitous.There is no escape -the idiots rule everywhere (even in America -or especially in America at present).

There are enough laws to turn anybody into a criminal

Isn't this true of India as well, perhaps more so?-

GENE HEALY: Making Criminals Out Of All Americans. “The Founders viewed the criminal sanction as a last resort, reserved for serious offenses, clearly defined, so ordinary citizens would know whether they were violating the law. Yet over the last 40 years, an unholy alliance of big-business-hating liberals and tough-on-crime conservatives has made criminalization the first line of attack — a way to demonstrate seriousness about the social problem of the month, whether it’s corporate scandals or e-mail spam. . . . There are now more than 4,000 federal crimes, spread out through some 27,000 pages of the U.S. Code. Some years ago, analysts at the Congressional Research Service tried to count the number of separate offenses on the books, and gave up, lacking the resources to get the job done. If teams of legal researchers can’t make sense of the federal criminal code, obviously, ordinary citizens don’t stand a chance.”

Declare hospitals 'Prime Minister-free' zones

Socialism kills, as does it's cousin -the welfare state.The huge state apparatus that allegedly exists for the common good inevitably becomes a supremely arrogant and brutal self-serving monster.Just visit any government office as an ordinary citizen -and you'll know(as if you didn't)how much the public 'servants' are really public 'masters'.

We are just chattel -we are forced to pay taxes to feed this monster, we must vote to legitimize the beast, we exist to bow before the powerful politicians and their goons, to grovel and bribe at the endless number of departments to get something done, we are there to serve...the public servants.

This monstrous reality is perfectly encapsulated in what is state murder in all but name-

A 32-yr-old patient lost his life outside the Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) hospital, Chandigarh, after he was stopped from entering the hospital due to security reasons. The Prime Minister was visiting the hospital. The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has said that the Prime Minister is saddened by the incident and that it has demanded a full report on the incident.

Video from Times Now

(if the video does not play, here is the direct link)

The patient Sumit Prakash was reportedly shunted from gate to gate for almost two hours which allegedly led to his death. The deceased was from Ambala and was suffering from acute kidney problems that required him to visit the Inderjit hospital in Chandigarh on a monthly basis.

Today, he also developed respiratory problems which led Inderjit hospital to send him to the PGI in order to get oxygen. It was outside the PGI that he was refused entry as the Prime Minister was addressing a convocation there.

Did Manmohan Singh not know that his visit to the hospital would put patients' access to doctors in severe jeopardy? Is he so clueless? Or just plain vanilla callous like the rest of the political class to which he belongs?

Shouldn't he be prosecuted for knowingly putting patients at risk -finally killing one?(But which official has the balls to start such a line of inquiry -let alone a prosecution?)

At minimum, the hospitals need to be declared 'Prime Minister-free' zones.


Politics, they say, is a killer. For us chattel, it is.
But hey, he is 'saddened' .

(emphasis mine)

India: soft-tyranny

Well said!

Is there any doubt which is the case here in India?
We live in soft-tyranny that goes under the camouflage of democracy.

(via Instapundit)

Somebody arrest someone! -or Is India a free country anymore?

Hard to call ours a free country when things like this happen with a depressing regularity-

Editor arrested for 'outraging Muslims'

------------------------------
The editor and publisher of a major Indian newspaper have been arrested for "hurting the religious feelings" of Muslims after they reprinted an article from The Independent. Ravindra Kumar and Anand Sinha, the editor and publisher of the Kolkata-based English daily The Statesman, appeared in court yesterday charged under section 295A of the Indian Penal Code which forbids "deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings".

Sections of central Kolkata have been paralysed by protests for much of the past week after The Statesman republished an article by The Independent's columnist Johann Hari. Titled "Why should I respect oppressive religions?", the piece was originally printed in The Independent on 28 January. In it, Hari said he believed the right to criticise any religion was being eroded around the world.

The Statesman, a highly respected liberal English-language daily, reprinted the article on 5 February, causing a major backlash among a small group of Muslims who felt that the piece slighted the Prophet Mohamed and insulted their religion. Peaceful protests were held outside The Statesman's offices at the weekend but by Monday, demonstrations had turned violent. Angry crowds began blocking roads, attacking police and calling for the arrest of the article's author and the newspaper's publisher and editor. On Monday and Tuesday police used baton charges to try to disperse crowds and more than 70 protesters were arrested.

I am deeply offended by what has been done to my country by our political looter class and the religious fundamentalists, both feeding off each other.

Did you hear - I am offended! My sensibilities are offended! My deepest convictions have been disrespected!

Therefore I demand that someone be arrested immediately!

Or does that require violent mob on the streets -peaceful people(freedom loving liberals like myself and I suppose millions others) can have their sensibilities offended all day long without a peep from our rulers.

Some sensibilities, it is obvious, are more equal than others.


Update - there is an excellent post on this at dancewithshadows

There is a reason why this site - dancewithshadows - does not publish very many articles about religion. Any religion. Because if I do that, I am left with two options. Get thrashed by some group, or get thrown behind bars. And as this is a simple news and features site, and we do not make enough money to afford a lawyer to get me out, it is a losing battle which would just see me spending weeks or months taking a crap in a dirty crapper while my cell-mates watch.

In a way, it is hilarious that the protests by Muslim groups in Kolkata actually prove the point Johann Hari made - that you can’t criticise religions now, and freedom to do so have been eroded.

Read the whole thing.

(emphasis mine)

In India politicians commit murder in all but name

This is as good as murder-

Ambala : The nationwide protests by the VHP over the Amarnath land row have claimed the lives of innocent civilians who were denied crucial medical aid due to the disruption of normal life by the protestors. Shocking apathy displayed by VHP Protestors in cities like Ambala and Kanpur claimed the life of more than one.

A 60 year old heart patient in Ambala suffered a massive attack early this morning - but as his son's efforts to take him to a hospital were in vain- crucial time lost as he couldn't get his father urgent medical help due to the protests. Similar is the case in Kanpur- where a 22 year old boy who got accidentally electrocuted died after his family could not rush him to a hospital. Protestors refused to allow the family to pass the blockade- resulting in the death of the youth.

At around 9:00 am 60 year old Gaindaram complained of chest pain. Immediately, his son rushed him out of the house- hoping to get him to a hospital. However, it was not to be. At about 10 km from Ambala, on the Mullana-Ambala road the vehicle in which they were travelling was stopped by protestors. The heart patient’s son pleaded with the VHP protestors to let their auto go but his pleadings went unheard. Gaindaram's condition worsens, but the protestors refuse to let son cross the blockade. Finally, Gaindaram dies in his son's arm and he was declared dead upon arrival at Saket hospital in Ambala.

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The protestors of various organizations, including VHP and BJP, did not allow the ambulance to move ahead despite requests from those accompanying the victim in the vehicle; the sources said adding that lack of timely medical aid resulted in the old man's death.

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This of course not the first time politics over a crisis has claimed innocent lives. In August last year (2007) - a traffic jam stood between a 4 yr old boy Rahul and life saving medical treatment. It was two political parties Congress and the BJP in Shimla blocked roads in a spat of their own. The child's mother made desperate pleas to let her son’s ambulance pass. But they fell on deaf ears. She lost her son to political posturing.

Read the whole thing.

A question -what is the state going to do about it
answer -nothing
Another question -will anybody be arrested and punished?
answer -don't be stupid

The same venal set of people who care not a fig about the life of innocents run the Indian state also. A change of government in India simply means one gang of goons in place of another.

Here political fortunes are made on the blood of the common people. Remember this when the ugly mug of some political hack or minister appears on TV preening about his/her concern for the common man.

Consensual intercourse can never ever be rape

Can a committee of experts change fundamental nature of reality just by a fiat?
If they willed that an apple instead of falling to earth flies up in the space-that would not happen. But they can get away with calling consensual sex as rape-

Having sex with a girl or a wife under 16 years of age would amount to rape even if she voluntarily joins her partner in love-making.

The Law Commission has recommended that the age for sexual consent should be raised from 15 years to 16 years for girls, regardless of marriage.

Thus, even in cases where an under-16 girl elopes, marries a lover and has sex with her "husband," the girl's "husband" cannot escape punishment by claiming that he made love with his "wife."

Consensual intercourse can never ever be rape no matter what the 'experts' might say.
If the state wishes to outlaw sex under a certain age, it should say so clearly -just say 'sex under 16 is banned'-and not pretend that is a horrible crime they are protecting us against.

Hear all ye wise 'experts' of the law commission-
Rape is forced, unwanted sexual intercourse.
Anything consensual cannot be rape.

The plight of Bilkis Bano is way too horrific to be put in the same category as of a couple of teenagers having a nice time on the sly.

The law commission is getting away with an egregious violation of concepts that the words in a language refer to. Shall we say, rape of the language?

PS -interestingly in the case of our furtive teenagers above, only the male could be accused of rape even if it was the girl who might have initiated the.....ahem, proceedings. Talk about gender justice. All law, little justice -which actually perfectly encapsulates the Indian reality.

A very disturbing judgement from the Supreme Court

An odd and prima facie, a very disturbing judgment from the Supreme Court-

Not satisfied with explanation given by Zee TV and its reporter Vijay Shekhar for carrying out a sting operation allegedly showing corruption in lower judiciary, the the Supreme Court on Thursday asked them to tender an “unconditional apology” to avoid any criminal action.

The channel had carried a sting operation “Cash for warrant scam” in 2004. It showed three advocates of Ahmedabad securing bailable warrants—on fictitious complaint and for monetary considerations—against former President A P J Abdul Kalam, former Chief Justice of India V N Khare, apex court judge Justice B P Singh and senior counsel the late R K Jain.


“He has committed a serious offence,” the CJI said and refused to acknowledge that corruption existed in subordinate judiciary. “The perception of judiciary to this gentleman is absolutely wrong,” he said, refusing to accept the “intention” of the journalist was not to bring disrepute to the system.
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The court noted that all material facts, including addresses of persons against whom warrants were issued, were suppressed. “You have misled the magistrate, you have misled the lawyers,” the court said.
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However senior advocate Arun Jaitley, who appeared for the reporter, argued it should be the intention behind the act of the media that should be considered rather than the act. “If the reporter who tried to expose whatever little vulnerability exist in the system is taken to task, it would be a case of extreme positioning, which in today’s times is uncalled for,” Jaitely said.

Some bigwigs of the media, the defenders of freedoms(especially their own) seem to be skirting the issue.

Vir Sanghvi-

On Thursday, the Supreme Court finally took a stand on the contentious and controversial issue of television sting operations. The judges asked for an unconditional apology from a Zee News reporter who had conducted a sting operation seeking to reveal corruption in the lower judiciary. Asked the Chief Justice of India, “What public good has the reporter done? Prime facie, he has committed a serious crime.”

I do not want to go into the rights and wrongs of that particular case. And certainly, despite the tenor of the judgment, there is some merit in the argument offered by Arun Jaitley, counsel for Zee News, that the channel had first submitted the tapes of the sting operation to the judiciary and only then broadcast them. Jaitley argued that Zee News had behaved with responsibility and that the intention had not been to denigrate the judicial system.

No matter who you agree with — Jaitley or the Chief Justice — there is little doubt that the case will once again focus attention on the ethics of news television. Moreover, the judgment comes at a time when the Information and Broadcasting Ministry is circulating a draft Broadcasting Bill that many media professionals regard as going against the spirit of a free press.

Barkha Dutt-

The recent judgment against Zee News for attempting such an exposé is already a matter of concern.

'Concern'?- isn't that rather an understatement? What will the Supreme Court do if the reporter from the Zee News does not apologize? Send him to jail? For exposing corruption in the judiciary? Like I have said before- sometimes it feels it's Orwell's 1984 all the time.

It is left to 'Kiran', one of those faceless anonymous posters on the net so despised by some in the MSM(mainstream media) to say it out loud and clear-

"The only way to rid the country of corruption is to hang a few of you on the lamp post. The law does not permit us to do it but otherwise we would prefer to hang people like you to the lamp post," a Bench of Justices S B Sinha and Markandeya Katju was quoted by PTI as saying. The Bench made the statement while hearing the bail application of Braj Bhushan Prasad, a dismissed employee of Bihar government for his alleged involvement in the Rs 1,000 crore fodder scam.This sounds very good but what about the corruption in Judiciary? The same supreme court instead of punishing the corrupt judge of the Gujrat Judiciary in the Zee TV case is shielding the judge and is bent upon punishing the Zee TV for exposing corruption in judciary. It seems the judges of SC do not know the saying " Practice before you preach to others"

Note -Barkha Dutt's article is otherwise actually quite good.


(all emphasis mine)