- Also On
- TONIGHT at 7pm...author Michael Morris discusses his novel "Man In The Blue Moon." He's a wonderful southern writer. The event is free and open to the public...in the museum theater.
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- Anthony Brett DaweTHANK YOU , SIR AND YOUR WIFE - BRETT CHANDLERabout a month ago
- Ahsan RazaThe killings of the Shiite Muslims continue un-abated in those areas under the control of the military and Para-Military forces where the banned Muslim organizations operate freely and without hindrance. In the latest killings on June 28 at least 13 pilgrims were martyred and several others injured in a bomb blast attack on Zaireen's bus in Hazar Ganji, Quetta, the capital of Balochistan where the city remains under the tight control of the Frontier Corp (FC), a unit of the Pakistan Army. In the city it is not possible for anyone to move without being body searched by the FC and other law enforcement agencies yet the militants pass freely. The reports say that a police officer was also killed in the attack. The bus carrying at least 40 persons from a Shiite religious group was coming from Taftan, Pakistan's border city with Iran. The pilgrims had gone to Iran on a pilgrimage tour. The banned organization, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility for the massacre. During the month of June alone, 31 Shiites were killed in the Quetta and Mand areas of Balochistan by the LeJ bomb blasts and target killings. All of them were from Hazara ethic groups who are associated with the Shiite sect of Islam. More than 600 persons from the Shiite sect of Islam have been killed during the past four years. According to the provincial home department report more than 400 Shiites and Hazaras had been killed in more than 200 incidents in the four-year span through 2011 and about 100 pilgrims had been killed in the first half of this year alone. Balochistan province, the Gilgit and Baltistan and Kurram agency of northern area, is well known as a Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) and has become a killing ground for the Shiite sect that consists of 24 percent of the Muslim population in Pakistan. These are the places where the contingents of the Pakistan army, its Para-Military forces and the Frontier Corps (FC) are stationed and control all the roads, besides having check posts all around the major cities. In the same areas the banned militant groups are operating along with the military organizations and in these areas the military provide safe passage to them. There is also a huge presence of spies from the infamous intelligence agency, the ISI. As a result banned Islamic militant organizations feel at liberty to operate freely under the patronage of the law enforcement agencies. In Karachi alone, which is not considered a military zone, not a month passes without target killings of Shiites and the militant organisations overtly take collections from the streets to fund their operations. The civilian intelligence agency, the Intelligence Bureau (IB), in its latest report has warned that organisations such as Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Jundallah are more powerful now than they were in the '80s and '90s when they wreaked havoc across the country through sectarian attacks. "Even today they pose a challenge as big as al Qaeda and they are getting more powerful. Imagine where they will be in a couple of years," said an official who was a member of the IB team that prepared the report. Some of the contents of the report were shared with The Express Tribune, which stated that the SSP and LeJ had already extended their network outside their traditional strongholds in South Punjab, the southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Pakhtun belt of Balochistan, including Quetta. "Now they are everywhere…from interior Sindh to the base of the Himalayas," added the official. The SSP and LeJ were among several outfits that were banned by former military ruler Pervez Musharraf back in 2002, but their infrastructure and manpower remained untouched. An activist of the SSP who would only give his last name said, "We went into hiding for some years but our system was very much there," The killings of Shiites, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus and other communities from religious minority groups are of no concern to the state as a whole and the elected representatives of the assemblies including the governments of Pakistan and the provinces. Massacres are taken, nowadays, as routine issues and the main concern is the numbers of deaths. If the body count is lower than the previous one it is generally thought that it was not so important. The so-called 'independent judiciary' turns a blind to these massacres though it is famous for taking Sou-Moto action in politically sensitive cases. In fact, the courts have released many militants, at least one of which has spoken in public calling for the killing of Shiites in the service of Islam. In one instance, a militant, Malik Ishaq, filed action in the session court of Rahim Yar Khan calling for the banning of the Shiite Azan (the call for prayers). The court issued notice to the police to take action on the plea even though it was beyond its authority to do so. This is just further proof of the appeasement attitude of the government and the courts towards the militants and terrorists. Where is the protection guaranteed in the Constitution of Pakistan for freedom to profess religion and to manage religious institutions? Section 20 (b) states: Every religious denomination and every sect thereof shall have the right to establish, maintain and manage its religious institutions. Furthermore, Pakistan has ratified the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and its article 18 which binds the state parties to: ....assure freedom of thought on all matters, personal conviction and the commitment to religion or belief, whether manifested individually or in community with others. The Asian Human Rights Commission urges the government of Pakistan and its parliament to bring to an immediate halt the targeted killings of Shiites and all other minority and religious groups. The government must also conduct independent enquiries into the massacre of Shiites and provide special attention to the killings of persons from religious minorities. Legal action must be taken against the perpetrators of the violence and also the police and judicial officers that turn a blind eye to these atrocities.about a month ago
- Ambassador Andrew Young Visits (14 photos)It was an active day at the Carter Library Monday. Ambassador Andrew Young stopped by for a walk though the museum with Library Director Jay Hakes. Young is putting together a program on President Carter, so a video crew followed the pair ...as they toured the museum and talked about Carter's life. Later, Mrs Carter hosted a dinner for her mental health fellows in the museum lobby. Mrs. Carter is the country's foremost advocate for improvements in mental health.See More
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- Jimmy Carter Sets Record for Longest Post-White House Career
By The Carter Center
Today marks an important milestone in President Carter’s life—he has had the longest post-White House career of any president.
...That’s 31 years of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope since he left office in January 1981, which the former President says has been some of the most rewarding work of his life: “Rosalynn and I are grateful for the support we have seen for the Carter Center’s work to help some of the world’s poorest and most neglected people get the tools and knowledge they need to improve their own lives.”See More
In recognition of his humanitarian efforts, especially through The Carter Center, President Carter was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2002.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the not-for-profit Carter Center, which he and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter founded in 1982, has become a permanent extension of the Carters’ vision and courage to make a difference, reaching more than 70 nations. Some of the Center’s achievements include:
Cases of Guinea worm disease have been reduced from about 3.5 million in 1986 to fewer than 600 expected in 2012. This historic eradication effort has helped to establish permanent, basic village-based health care delivery networks in thousands of communities in Africa.
92 elections in 37 countries have been observed. And the Center, which helped pioneer election observation, is seen today as setting the standard for neutral and professional election observation practices worldwide.
Bolstered by President Carter’s reputation as a peacemaker, Center-led conflict mediations furthered avenues to peace in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, Sudan, Uganda, the Korean Peninsula, Haiti, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Middle East.
In the field of human rights, the Center was instrumental in helping to establish international standards for human rights through the United Nations. Today, the Center serves as an international forum for human rights defenders struggling to protect these important principles on the ground.
And in the field of mental health, tremendous advances have been seen in efforts to end the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illnesses as well as the long fight to create parity for mental health in our health care system.
President Carter’s development of the Center has been “only” his fourth career, following decades as a peanut farmer, Naval officer, and elected public official in the state senate, governor’s office, and White House.
“We are very fortunate that President Carter has dedicated himself so completely to the work of the Center. His leadership has helped millions of neglected people to enjoy a brighter future,” says Carter Center President and CEO Dr. John Hardman. “We are all inspired by his energy, wisdom, and compassion.” - Carter Library Director Jay Hakes addresses the Triple Nickel members and their families prior to visiting the Carter museum.
- Sunday is Grandparents Day...It is a time when how much our family means to us...and that's the topic of next Wednesday's author program. Michael Morris will discuss his novel "Man in the Blue Moon". Publishers Weekly calls it “A magical a...nd mesmerizing page-turner rooted in hardscrabble Florida during WWI, based in part on a true family story…Morris’s narrative is subtle and supple, with overtones of the wry Southernisms of Flannery O’Connor, the rural Florida backdrop of Their Eyes Were Watching God, and a good helping of powerful and mysterious faith." Join us at 7:00pm Wednesday for this free reading and book signing. Morris will be joined by author Robert Leleux.See More
- The Carter Library, the Sierra Club and GreenLaw hosted internationally know photographer and environmentalist J Henry Fair for a showing and discussion of his exhibition "Industrial Scars". The exhibit will be on display at the Carter Library through October 14th.
- Director Ben Affleck revisits the Iran hostage crisis in film.
- TONIGHT...6pm..free tour of "Industrial Scars", then at 7:00, hear photographer J Henry Fair..We'll be finished in time for you to watch the convention.
- Join us Thursday at 6:00pm for a free tour of the exhibition "Industrial Scars: The Photography of J Henry Fair." It is an amazing photographic look at the way the earth is being damaged by pollution. Mr Fair will take part in the tour and then at 7:00 pm, he'll do a short presentation in the museum theater. Both events are free and open to the public.
- Join Us tomorrow night (Tuesday @ 7pm) as author Joseph Crespino discusses "Strom Thurmond's America." You won't want to miss this revealing account of Thurmond. Free and open to the public. A book signing follows the talk.
- Check out the New York Times Book Review piece on Junot Diaz...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/books/review/junot-diaz-by-the-book.html?ref=books
Then see him in person at the Carter Library on Sept. 21st. Tickets available at Acappella Books - There are only a few days left for active duty military and their immediate family to see the Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum at no charge. The Blue Star Museum program, which offers free admission to active-duty military and their family ...members (military ID holder and up to five family members), runs through September 3, 2012 (Labor day). Active duty military include Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and active duty National Guard and active duty Reserve members.See More
“We hope our active duty military families will take this opportunity to see the Carter Presidential Museum,” Carter Library Director Jay Hakes said. “As a former Commander in Chief and Navy officer, President Carter is a strong supporter of the military, as is Mrs. Carter.”
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Museum is one of more than 1,500 museums across America to offer free admission to military personnel and their families this summer in collaboration with the National Endowment of the Arts, Blue Star Families, and the Department of Defense. To find out which museums are participating in addition to the Carter Museum, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. - ACVB Reception at Carter Presidential Museum (19 photos)The Carter Library and carter Center hosted members of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau Thursday evening. It was a great oppotunity for members to see our beautiful facility and taste some of the great food by our official caterer Proof of the Pudding.
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