Bush, the "liberator": I should not be writing anything. I have so much grading. Grading is the only part of teaching that I do not like. I do not even believe in grading. But you have to submit grades. Grades and money should be eliminated from life. But anyway: as you know, the Bush administration, Thomas Friedman and the neo-conservative gang promoted the Arab Development Report unendingly since Sep. 11 to promote Bush's wars of "liberation." Now, the Bush administration is blackmailing the UNDP which prepares the report. The Bush government does not like this draft of the 3rd Arab Development report which criticizes US and Israel (and Arab governments of course). But the esteemed administration only wants criticisms of Arab governments, but US and Israel? How dare they? The US government is threatening to withdraw $100 million of its contribution to UNDP if the report is not changed. AlHayat's pro-House of Saud columnist Jihad Al-Khazin, admitted suggesting succumbing to US pressures, to avoid a fight, as he said. Nadir Farjani, the head of the team of scholars who prepared the report, told As-Safir that they will publish the report at their own expense if the US followed through with its threats. I have good friends who worked on the report, and hope that they resist US pressures no matter what, I do not care if that would eliminate US contribution. If anything; it would make UNDP more independent. Those who worked on the report are willing to pay $60,000.00 to cover the cost of inependently publishing it.