Ideas please . . . .

Al Qaeda in Somalia?
Since the Black Hawk Down saga of '93 the US has kept a hands-off approach in Somalia but this morning a suspected al-Qaeda cell in Southern Somalia was attacked with scary firepower.
A few traditional opposers of the Iraq war have come out in support of this latest offensive and the Somali interim president has backed the attack but do you? Does this signal a wider engagement by the US in the Horn of Africa (we now know there's a US sub nearby)? If you're in Somalia what do you think?

Citizenship stripped x 2
Runner Mushir Salem Jawher is a Kenyan refugee in Bahrain but because he raced in Israel the Bahraini government has stripped him of his adopted nationality. In many Arab countries even having an Israeli stamp in your passport is a quick route to the shady room behind the curtain at customs. To top it all, Mr Jawher's original country, Kenya, has said it doesn't want him back! Is this stateless man destined to wander the earth's Airport lounges like Tom Hanks in The Terminal? Do you think the Bahraini government should let politics interfere with the right to enjoy your sport? Or does this get to the deeper issue of whether Arab governments should recognise the state of Israel?

Can you legislate against religious beliefs?
Many religions - including Judaism & Islam - believe homosexuality is immoral. But a new bill to be presented before the UK's House of Lords proposes to make it an offence to discriminate against someone on the grounds of their sexual orientation. The bill is already law in Northern Ireland and is it's now the last opportunity to debate it before it becomes law in the rest of the UK. If you're a Christian would you permit a gay pride meeting in your local church hall? If you're Jewish or Muslim what would you do if this lot wanted to rent out your Synagogue/Mosque for a tasting session!?

Here's what Lord Mackay, a senior British Lord, said about it: "For people of religious faith who believe that the practice of homosexuality is wrong, these proposals seem to me to carry a serious threat to their freedom in their voluntary and charitable work and in relation to earning their livelihood in a number of occupations."

Can you have three parents?
A child in Canada has three parents on his birth certificate. The female partner of the child's lesbian mother is listed alongside the biological father and the natural mother. The Canadian judge in Ontario said it was in the child's best interests but what does this mean for the traditonal view of the family? If you are in Canada please let us know how this is playing there.

Death Penalty
The unruly death of Saddam has got the Italians pushing for a global moratorium on the death penalty. They plan to bring it up at a meeting of EU bigwigs this Thursday. Is it time to end the death penalty? If you believe the death penalty is the ultimate deterrent, did the scenes at Saddam's execution sway you even a little bit?