Never Forgotten

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The atrocities committed in 2003 at Abu Ghraib, where prisoners were abused and tortured, are far from being forgiven and forgotten:


Artists and Poets world-wide have created an enduring record of the shameful and outrageous human rights violations that will live on not just in history books, but also in the annals of art, culture and literature.

One such artist is the famous Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero (born 1932), who exhibited a series of 50 interpretive works on the subject at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome in 2005.

When asked why he painted such horror, he replied (in his own words):

"Por la ira que sentí y que sintió el mundo entero por este crimen cometido por el país que se presenta como modelo de compasión, de justicia y de civilización."

"La injusticia me hace hervir la sangre" - Fernando Botero


All of Botero's paintings in his Abu Ghraib series, numbered 1 through 50, are based not on photographic evidence alone, but mainly on transcripts of actual testimony from the investigation into the prison scandal.

Botero made the paintings so that 'this crime against human dignity will be forever etched upon the collective consciousness of mankind'.

- Photo: The Artist in front of his canvas expressing in no uncertain terms his contempt for the perpetrators and their superiors, and his profound moral outrage.-

Having previously called himself an admirer of the United States (one of his sons lives in Miami), Mr. Botero said he became incensed because he "expected better of the American government".

Throughout Europe, where sentiment against the Iraq war is strong, news of the paintings and sketches has already generated interest. In 2006, museums in Hanover and Baden Baden, Germany, plan to hold special exhibitions of Mr. Botero's Abu Ghraib series.

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[Remember Theodore Roosevelt's words on criticizing the president.]
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The New Chancellor

The wait is over: Germany has a new Chancellor who will soon be turning the "executive men's-room" into the "executive powder-room" ...

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After weeks of negotiations following the German Federal Election of September 18, 2005 the two main opposing parties, SPD and CDU/CSU, entered into a Grand Coalition in order to make up the required majority of seats in the Bundestag. The two parties reached an agreement whereby the CDU/CSU candidate, Angela Merkel, will succeed Gerhard Schröder in the office of Chancellor and the SPD will fill 8 of a total of 16 ministerial posts. Merkel is the first woman ever to hold the position of German Chancellor.

Angela Dorothea Merkel (born July 17, 1954) grew up in the communist GDR (the former East Germany). She graduated with a doctorate in physics. In 1989, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she entered the political arena, aided by her mentor Helmut Kohl. Her political career culminated, 13 years later, in her election to chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) and leader of the conservative opposition in the lower house of the German Parliament (Bundestag) under former Chancellor Schröder.

It remains to be seen, over the coming months, what course she will steer in German national and international policy and, by extension, in the future of the EU (European Union), of which Germany is a powerful and influential member.

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We want to hear YOUR Opinion : Please click on the 'COMMENTS'/'Post a Comment' Link below:

15 Jahre Deutsche Einheit - German Reunification

October 3, 1990: - After more than 40 years, East and West Germany, which had been separated by different political systems in the aftermath of World War II, were peacefully reunited. The fall of the Berlin Wall was the symbol of the reunification of the two countries under a democratic system. On October 3, 1990, East Germany was dissolved and its citizens became citizens of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Excerpts from 'A Message from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany on the Day of German Unity 2005':

"On 3 October the Germans are celebrating the 15th anniversary of national unity in freedom. ... One and a half decades have passed and we have achieved much thanks to the drive and solidarity of Germans in east and west. ... There are new roads, railway lines and modern telecommunication networks. ... Internationally acclaimed centres for science and technology have sprung up. ... But we also know that many problems still remain to be solved. The most pressing is the problem of the millions of unemployed – in the new Länder but also all across . At the same time, we have to deal with the aging of our society. These are major tasks for policy-makers yet these tasks have been identified and the process of renewal has begun. ..."

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AMALGAMATED PERSPECTIVES Editorial Comment: - October 3, 2005. - Even after 15 years of efforts toward economic integration Germany has a long road to travel in mending the social polarization between East and West. To this day, the East is still unable to survive without government subsidies amounting to some €70 to €80 billion a year. Major long-term structural reforms are needed to bring about social, political and economic equalization. The concept of 'One Germany' is still far from having been made a reality in the lives of its population. -

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[See also: Bundestagswahl 2005 - Elections in Germany ]

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- Bundestagswahl 2005 - Elections in Germany

On September 18, 2005, the 16th Bundestags (federal) election (since 1949) was held in Germany in order to establish the Bundeskanzler (Chancellor) and his or her Cabinet, who will be directing the course of national and international German politics and policies for a term of 4 years. In this special election, which was called by the Bundespräsident to be held 17 months prior to the end of the regular four year cycle, seven distinctive political parties were on the ballot and 77.7 percent of all eligible voters participated.


In a bitter fight of rhetoric and ideology the two major rival parties, the SPD as embodied by Gerhard Schröder, and the opposition party CDU as represented by Angela Merkel, had vied for the mandate of the German voter. The outcome, in percent of votes cast, is as follows:
The Social Democratic Party SPD 34.3% - the right-of-center Christian Party CDU 27.8% - the CDU-affiliated CSU 7.4% - the Green Party 8.1% - the classical liberal FDP 9.8% - The Leftists 8.7% - and miscellaneous fringe parties 3.8%.


In accordance with German Parliamentary law, in cases where no single party has a majority on its own, a coalition government must be formed. At present rumors abound as to which party the CDU/CSU will choose for their coalition partner. This choice will affect the appointments to all government posts, and will dictate the political platform of German national and international policy. As of now, this momentous decision has not been made.


Germany, along with Great Britain and France, is a powerful member of the EU (European Union) and, by extension, the German heads of government will exert significant influence on global issues. The formation of the new German government will be a strong indicator of the future role Germany will play on the World Stage.


Meanwhile, AMALGAMATED PERSPECTIVES encourages you to seek out European and International media resources in order to stay informed on global issues, as we find the American media coverage of international events to be minimal, simplistic and all too often biased.
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[See also: Bundesrepublik Deutschland - a Federal Representative Democracy]
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[Read the Follow-up Article: "Whois the German Chancellor?"]

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? Who profits from Destruction ?

People worldwide who watch the tragic events unfolding on the hurricane-stricken Golf Coast of America will form their own opinions based on media coverage. Yet, who is more qualified to speak the truth than one of the residents directly affected by this disaster and its aftermath? - Michael Tisserand is one such resident who escaped the flood waters that destroyed his city. He currently lives in exile 200 miles away. Let us hear what he has to say:

"New Orleans is gone. The exotic destination where tourists could carouse Bourbon Street and act the fool, gone. The troubled and cherished home where we worked and raised our children, gone. The birthplace of Louis Armstrong, the muse of Tennessee Williams, the wellspring of the rhythms of the Neville Brothers, gone."

"Thousands of my neighbors are now dying in the streets due to bad policy and official neglect."

"In one long week, my city has become a national disgrace and a symbol of a shameful presidency."

Thank you, Michael Tisserand, for your powerful testimony.

Our own Editorial Commentary:

Realistically speaking, the rebuilding of New Orleans will require a massive public sector, federally funded effort. The preliminary estimate of the reconstruction cost lies at $100 billion for that city alone:

---> Lucrative no-bid contracts have already been awarded to Bechtel and to a subsidiary of industry giant Halliburton, both closely aligned with the Republican Party.

"How very un-surprising is it, that - once again - the LOSS suffered by the 'poor huddled masses' is about to be transformed into the PROFIT made by a select few..."

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Let us know your point of view on this issue - Please click on 'COMMENTS'/'Post a Comment' below

: Bloggers-of-the-World: UNITE and HELP

When everything that can be said has been said, when blame has been shifted around and the political finger-pointing has stopped, one fact still remains:
that of human SUFFERING and LOSS.

Amalgamated Perspectives asks you to join us in reaching out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina: Please reach into your wallets and donate generously to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund or to a Charity of your choice. Do it now.-

We thank you.

[Photo credit: John Makely/Sun]

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KATRINA: THE FLOODING OF IMAGES OF POVERTY IN AMERICA

An EDITORIAL by our French Correspondent, the Renaissance Man

"Hurricane Katrina has shattered the levees in New Orleans, and flooded that centuries-old city which was started by the French. Tens of thousands are displaced, homeless. Thousands are dead, floating in the muddy waters of the lake.

I won't comment or repeat the news which have been seen on the globe. But I would like to point out that a levee has also been breached in the American psyche; a levee that was keeping our society to forget, or avoiding us to see that poverty is alive and well in America in 2005.

Yes, the people who did not leave are black and poor. No, they could not afford to leave: with no car, or, for that matter, no future elsewhere, why bother?

The hurricane Katrina has shattered more than the walls and the levees of New Orleans. It has shattered the bold and egotistical "self-assurance" of a red, Republican America by showing to, and reminding all that tens of millions of people live in poverty.

In individual psychology like in the egos of Nations, it is when you become vulnerable - and admit that you are - that you open yourself up to being healed.

I hope that the U.S. will learn to pause for a second, and ask itself: how do we want to address poverty, which is the real question - instead of pointing fingers at why rescuers were late to arrive.

Ultimately, the voice of the Left has to make this question clear - and propose solutions. Maybe that now, the millions of poor or disadvantaged people who voted for the Right at the last elections (and thus against their own economic interest) will choose to see the real challenge: fixing poverty and the social and economic divide in America - instead of focusing on impeaching gay marriages and the crumbling of moral values in America.

With the levees crumbling in New Orleans, I hope that prejudice will also crumble, and help us focus on the real questions."

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[Discover WHO it is that PROFITS from Destruction and Loss]

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