HRW wish list for Barack Obama

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/10/29/usdom20099.htm

"We Are Like Clouds"

A story about families from former USSR countries living in Italy, some for several generations, who are not eligible for Italian citizenship.  This is a problem throughout most of Europe, from Turks in Germany, to Arabs in France, to Pakistanis in the UK.  Many of these people are hunted by immigration authorities and detained indefinitely when captured.  Unfortunately, these types of practices have recently been codified into EU law.

More on Mugabe

After negotiations, Tsvangirai's opposition will receive more positions in Mugabe's cabinet than Mugabe's Party.  That's at least something to be happy about.  Also, while Mugabe will continue to be president. Tsvagirai will serve as his prime minister.  This situation has the potential to be very good--compromises, progress, democratic recognition and accountability.  Or very bad--purges, corruption, political violence and instability.  I imagine it will take a little from both columns.  

My Ongoing Love Affair with Philip Gourevitch

One of the brightest guys around, I first became enamored with Philip Gourevitch after reading his poignant book on Rwanda, We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families.  Gourevitch has now co-written a new book, Standard Operating Procedure, about Abu Ghraib and the state-sanctioned policies which made that national disgrace not only possible, but inevitable (to go along with Charlie's quote of William Carlos Williams).  He appeared on Charlie Rose a few days ago to talk about his book and the policy of torture in the United States.  This is a great great resource for understanding where our government has taken our laws, our civil liberties, and our safety in the "War on Terror."

The interview is about 30 minutes long.  

Bashir to ICC: I'll tell you where you can put your genocide allegations

In defiance of the International Criminal Court, Sudan's President Omar el-Bashir is in Istanbul, attending a Turkey-Africa economic cooperation summit.  This is important for two reasons:  one, the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, recently asked the court to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir on charges of genocide.  Once that warrant is issued, should Bashir travel outside Sudan, he is liable to be arrested.

Two, Turkey is not a signatory to the ICC, but several western countries are pressuring Turkey to sign on in order to enter the European Union.  Turkey's decision to host Bashir may further influence its relations with Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

The ICC only came into being a few years ago.  It's credibility hinges on its cooperation with the international community.  This trip may show us that not only is Sudan defying the authority of the international institution, but Turkey has rejected it at as well.  Which makes me have to ask, what authority does the ICC actually have, anyway?

Fractured Spine? The DHS Will Deny You a Wheelchair, Then Let You Die from Cancer

One year ago, Hiu Lui Ng was detained by US immigration 

authorities for an expired visa.  For a year, he was shuffled among detention centers in three New England states, a system run by the Department of Homeland Security.  In April of this year, he started complaining about back pain, but was refused treatment on several occasions.  As his condition deteriorated, he lost the ability to walk.  The detention center authorities denied him the use of a wheelchair.  Immobile, Mr. Ng was not only in excruciating pain, but also unable to stand in line to receive medication from the detention center's doctors.  

Finally, in late July of this year, after several attempts by detention center authorities to "expose" Mr. Ng's deception about back pain, he was taken to the hospital, where he was found to have cancer in the liver, lungs, and bones, as well as a fractured spine.  Mr. Ng died on August 5, 2008.

Georgia

Georgia insists that Russia is still bombing even after Medvedev called a halt to military action. It seems clear that this attack on Georgia is about Russian control in the region.  And in light of Georgia's recent steps to joining NATO, this attack on Georgia is really an attack on NATO.  Should NATO, then, be the one defending Georgia?  What, practically, can the international community do to stop such rampant aggression?

Mukasey: Not Every Violation of Law Is A Crime

Good to hear from the nation's Attorney General.  Turns out the DOJ is getting off with little more than a slap on the wrist for discriminating against non-Republicans in its hiring of career department employees.  

Mukasey has also ruled out firing or redistributing the people hired under the pro-Republican rubric because they themselves "didn't do anything wrong."  Maybe so, but they were hired illegally.  Without repercussions, there is little hope that this will not continue to happen.

Another Reason to Put Off Proposing to Your Girlfriend

Okay, so maybe the Kimberly Process got diamonds off the hook...sort of.  Now it seems that gold is implicated in the exploitation of African children.  Maybe the moral of the story is to stay away from price-inflated rocks and metal altogether?

Federal Prosecutor Doesn't Need No Stinkin' Trial to Prove Ivins' Guilt

A US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeffrey Taylor has declared the now-notorious scientist suspect Bruce Ivins guilty of the 2001 Anthrax attacks.  According to the CNN article, a good portion of the scientific community is dubious about the DOJ's evidence against Ivins.  

I'm not sure why I'm surprised, considering members of the DOJ have become quite adroit at avoiding trials.  But isn't it a tad irresponsible for a lawyer, who is supposed to be grounded in civil and criminal law, to just proclaim someone's guilt without trial?  And even worse when the someone is unable to defend himself (read: deceased)?  This is jsut pandering to the public's need for closure, and reawakening latent fears.

Hamdan Acquitted on One Count, But May Still Face Life in Prison

Salim Hamdan was acquitted of conspiring with Osama Bin Laden to carry out terrorist attacks.  He was found guilty, however, of aiding terrorist attacks as Bin Laden's driver.  Hamdan's sentence hearing will be carried out this afternoon.  Life in prison is still a real possibility, especially considering that even if Hamdan were acquitted of all charges, the US Government would still not be required to release him, thanks to Hamdan's special status as a an "enemy combatant."  

Representatives from human and civil rights groups attended the trial.  The general consensus was that the judge acted as fairly as he could under 

rules which favored the US Government.  Now, though, as this Washington Post article points out, the partial acquittal may give the Bush Administration ammunition to proclaim future military tribunal trials of suspected terrorists as 'fair and unbiased.'  

Let's Talk Creepy

Yes, peace is born of wisdom....and...fighter planes?

Hasn't the McCain camp been carping on Obama for the supposed arrogance in his campaign?  And his latest attack ad pokes fun at Obama's near-saintly status among some supporters (which has actually died down since Obama's shameless pandering to the right began).  In light of these criticisms, isn't this poster a bit, oh, messianic, fascist, and creepy?  There's clearly an implication that McCain's policies are "right" in some cosmic sense of the word.  And, that dissent to McCain's plan for "peace" is both unnecessary and unwise. ...and that planes periodically come out of McCain's forehead.  All in all, confusing and, again, creepy.

Government Mercenaries Employed in America's Cities

This is a two-parter.  First is a story about the Government hiring companies such as Blackwater (made famous for their common use of excessive force in Iraq) to complement the efforts of the DEA.  Next, a raw story article about a raid in California, and a photograph that is raising some eyebrows

It's easy to go after the drug-users first.  No one likes them.

Baghdad 5 years later

A documentary floating around YouTube and Digg.  Worth a watch.  2 parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTMp-YNaDdg

Homeland Security Wants Your Computer

The Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed that federal agents may take a traveler's laptop or other electronic device, including ipods and cell phones, to an unspecified location for an indefinite period of time, (and this is the best part) without any suspicion of wrongdoing. According to Michael Chertoff, this is an effective way to stop terrorism.  Everyone better delete your "terrorism" folders from your desktops now.

So...Wha' Happened?

What's this?  Good news on the human rights front?

The judge in the current case against Salim Hamdan in Guantanamo Bay seems to be hearing evidence fairly, rejecting that which was clearly gleaned from coercion. Hamdan's defense lawyers submitted a government document on Wednesday that confirms Hamdan's allegations that he was subject to sexual humiliation and extreme coercion at the hands of the US at Guantanamo Bay.  Really, is anyone surprised at this point?  That's great that there is evidence to back it up.

The second bit of good news is that the House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Karl Rove in contempt for evading a subpoena to testify about his involvement in the firing of nine US attorneys in 2006.  

The vote now will go to the full House, which has held both Harriet Miers and Joshua Bolton in contempt for similar infractions.  The sentence for evading a subpoena is up to a year in prison, though actual jail time for Rove is a long shot at best.

AIDS in America

The rates of AIDS in African-American communities often parallels that of African countries, according to the Black AIDS Institute.  Bush's efforts against AIDS in Africa may be one of the few positive things about his presidency, but it seems that in the midst of these efforts, he forgot about Americans suffering from the disease.  

Maryland ACLU finds police surveillance of peace groups

That the Maryland State Police can think that being anti-war is a subset of terrorism is a terrifying prospect. --David Rocah

First Guantanamo Video Released

The video is of an interrogation of Omar Khadr, a Canadian citizen who was only 16 at the time of his imprisonment at Guantanamo.  The United States has no juvenile policy at the detention center.  Khadr is now 21 years old.

Following the video, Amnesty International called for Khadr's immediate repatriation to Canada.

Red Cross says US interrogation techniques are "categorically" torture

Could Bush and his administration face international charges of war crimes in the future?  If the international system works.  Great video from Keith Olbermann.

ICC proves once again that international charges of genocide mean pretty much nothing

Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir has been charged with the crime of genocide by the International Criminal Court.  Okay, maybe this doesn't mean nothing.  At least a charge from an objective international justice system will put to rest any remaining doubt that the Sudanese Government is in fact systematically exterminating certain members of its country.  

But what will this charge of genocide, encouraged by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, actually do?  Not much for now.  The ICC judges have said they will begin reviewing the evidence, but the process could take months.  Meanwhile, 2.5 million Darfuris have been displaced from their homes and are eking out an existence in IDP camps, under the care of international aid groups.  300,000 Darfuris have already died at the hands of the Janjaweed.

In addition, the Sudanese Government is already contesting the charge.  Aside of course from the often-used accusations that the ICC allegations are politically motivated, Sudan is not a member of the ICC, and therefore cannot be brought to trial without its own consent.  

If el-Bashir were to cross an international border, however, he could be extradited and it would be a different story.

In addition, Sudanese women demonstrated against the ICC's decision in front of the UN Headquarters today in New York.  I can merit a guess as to why they would feel the need to defend a president who has flattened the majority of their country for the sake of businessmen and elites in Khartoum, but I have no real answers.  Read the article.

Fighting FISA

Okay, so I am plugging this movement to hold Democrats who voted for FISA accountable.  Everybody pledge.  Here's some info on the movement from Wired, with a link to the page to donate.

Gutting the 4th Amendment

Bill # HR 6304, also known as the FISA Bill, passed in the Senate today by a vote of 69-28.  The fourth amendment, which was set to protect Americans from government searches without a warrant, has essentially been shredded.  Under this new amendment, if the Attorney General finds "reasonable" cause to search an American citizen, he can authorize it without the approval of a judge.  That means the power is concentrated in the Executive Branch, folks.  We are officially no longer a democracy.

Watch video.

Full article.

Sudanese men falsely arrested, released, harassed by British police

A very good article from Middle East Online about a suspected terrorist in Britain.

How do you solve a problem like Mugabe? Part II

An editorial from the Guardian makes the case that African leaders are hesitant to confront Mugabe not because they are soft on human rights, but because they are committed to the principle of national sovereignty.  

"Modern African and European conceptions of sovereignty are influenced by different historical experiences. The determining historical experience of the former is external conquest, domination and exploitation at the hands of colonial forces. The formative experience of the latter is the second world war, in which untold destruction, along with the Holocaust, instigated grave shock and revulsion in the European psyche."

Aside from generalizing and citing no evidence for actual individual internalization of these "determining historical experiences," this piece is espousing a Eurocentric interpretation of this situation: Africa, not historically blessed with the freedom of the Western world, is reacting to its past, rather than the present situation.  Maybe after they get over it, Africans will achieve the human rights standards of Europe.

Unfortunately, Europe's human rights record is far from perfect.  Or even satisfactory.  Human rights violations in Europe often may take softer forms than the overt violence in Africa--structural discrimination against minorities, social segregation, or since September 11, covert operations, illegal detentions, and surveillance--but they are still violations.  And I am not convinced a real comparison can be made to determine which is worse.  

More likely, there are various reasons why African leaders have chosen to bicker over Mugabe rather than confront him.  Perhaps one of those is a real lack of viable, practical options.  What, in the end, will sanctions against Zimbabwe achieve?  On what terms should the AU unite against Mugabe?  What stake does the rest of Africa have in Zimbabwe's affairs?  These questions should be answered first, before spraying sanctions around.

War crimes conviction against Bosnian war leader reversed

Naser Oric's conviction on charges that he failed to stop the massacre of Serbian soldiers during the Bosnian war in 1992-1995 was reversed by a UN appeals court today.  Oric, a Bosnian Muslim, led an insurgency against Serbian soldiers in the notorious city of Srebrenica, where, in 1995, Serbian soldiers invaded a UN safe area and murdered over 8,000 Muslim men.  

There have been assertions that Oric's attacks on Serbian soldiers constituted vicious acts of revenge, rather than self-defense.  However, the appeals court found that, while crimes were committed against Serbian soldiers in Srebrenica, Oric did not have control over these crimes.

Perhaps ironically, this is similar reasoning that has been used to reduce charges for many Serbian commanders, and that the ICJ used to acquit Serbia of genocide altogether in 2007. Crimes were committed.  Individuals are not responsible. 

Certain members of the Serbian Army have been convicted of genocide.  General Ratko Mladic has been charged with genocide but remains in hiding, most likely in Serbia.

Play nice, or no clean drinking water

For the sake of political maneuverability, the United States has delayed the delivery of $54 million to Haiti--a sum intended for the country's ailing drinking water infrastructure--for several years.  

Nearly 70% of Haitians lack direct access to clean drinking water.  Human Rights groups have strongly criticized the US's impediments as 

"egregious...malfeasance."  The objective was to gain a foothold in the Haitian government--calling on those vying for power during and in between the presidencies of Jean-Bertrand Aristide to broker a deal satisfactory to the United States.

Obama is not Superman

An insightful (and by that I mean, correct) article on reactions to

Obama's recent nods to the right (ie, FISA).  David Sirota encourages us to hold Obama accountable; to assume his actions speak for his beliefs, and judge him on those actions, rather than making excuses for him.  Then, the task is to act accordingly, pressuring Obama to uphold the progressive ideals that won him the nomination in the first place.  Writing letters is a good way to start.  Here's the link to Obama's website.

Darfur...still bad.

A Reuters article on the state of Darfur.  With the situation there devolving even further into chaos than, perhaps, ever, now food shipments to the some 2 and a half million people who have been driven from their homes and are living in displaced persons camps are being raided.  The humanitarian groups supplying food to these displaced persons have been forced to cut rations nearly in half due to these raids, and many Darfuris are beginning to suffer from malnutrition. For background on the situation in Darfur, click here.

How do you solve a problem like Mugabe?

The United States has begun pushing for economic sanctions and travel bans against Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his administration after an election last Friday speckled with intimidation, violence, and corruption.  China, a long-time ally and arms supplier of Zimbabwe, is pushing back, claiming that this is an internal matter and imploring the United Nations for more diplomatic action toward Mugabe.  

Governments aside, what do human rights groups have to say on how best to handle Mugabe's insidious seizure of power?  Human Rights Watch's argument appears to be a hybrid.  HRW is calling for the African Union to reject Zimbabwe's election, including the imposition of sanctions, and to press for peacekeepers to end the recent violence.  Sounds plausible, but how likely is it that the AU will actually take "the strongest possible action" against Mugabe?  Read HRW's recommendations here.

How do you screw this up? : ICC may throw out its first case

The International Criminal Court may throw out its very first case due to questions of the possibility of a fair trial.  The defendant in the trial would be Thomas Lubanga, former warlord of Congo accused of using young boys and girls as child soldiers, messengers, and sex slaves.  Apparently, the prosecution has repeatedly withheld pertinent information from the defense, and now risks losing the trial altogether.  

You know, I would like to see a conviction in this case as much as anyone.  The turmoil in Congo was beyond horrific.  But withholding evidence?  That's the best way to get the case thrown out.   The ICC has to uphold high standards of justice.  It's job is to dole international justice to people who have committed some of the worst crimes against humanity.  If they were to haphazardly begin to convict people without a fair trial, the ICC could become not only irrelevant, but a very corrupt and dangerous institution.

Italian Prime Minister receives immunity, spies on Italians, and discriminates against Roma all in one weekend

Wikipedia on Roma People
The Italian Cabinet adopted a bill today providing Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with immunity from prosecution for corruption, just as a case against him for--you guessed it, corruption--was about to reach a verdict.  Mr. Berlusconi is charged with arranging a $600,000 bribe for misleading evidence in previous corruption trials.  

Additionally, the Prime Minister introduced a security bill which allows phone tapping and the imprisonment of journalists for counterterrorism purposes, and creates an ethnic registry for those of Roma descent.  According to the bill, the Italian Government will fingerprint all those in Roma camps, including children.  Roberto Maroni, the Interior Minister, swears it is not an ethnic registry, but a way  to "provide further guarantees of the rights" of Roma, by assuring "those who have the right to stay can live in decent conditions" and those who do not can be sent home.   

I hate to break it to Mr. Maroni, but whatever his claimed intentions are do not change the fact that he is targeting Romani for special surveillance by the government.  This is reminiscent of Romani persecution in Germany, pre and post 1933.  Read about it here.

Can Ron Paul at least be our Secretary of State?

Great speech by Ron Paul on the war drums for Iran.  Check out the Resolution he mentions here.

Just when we thought it was safe to go back in the voting booth...

Pardon my French, but fucking hell!!  First Obama essentially puts the final nail in the coffin for public financing, with his "first campaign funded by the American people" tripe.  Now he is supporting the FISA bill granting retroactive immunity to the telecom companies that worked with Still-President Bush to illegally spy on American citizens.  On top of that, his entreaty to the American people to justify this outrageous reversal is little more than, "trust me with these powers.  I know what I'm doing."  An excerpt from his statement:  

"[The 'compromise'] is not all that I would want. But given the legitimate threats we face, providing effective intelligence collection tools with appropriate safeguards is too important to delay. So I support the compromise, but do so with a firm pledge that as President, I will carefully monitor the program, review the report by the Inspectors General, and work with the Congress to take any additional steps I deem necessary to protect the lives - and the liberty - of the American people."

Sorry Senator.  We have had 8 years of that sort of reasoning, and just because you don't speak with a goofy Texas accent doesn't make you more trustworthy with unchecked power.  

These statements are, of course, all the more frustrating after his comments in January of this year:

I strongly oppose retroactive immunity in the FISA bill. Ever since 9/11, this Administration has put forward a false choice between the liberties we cherish and the security we demand. That is why I am co-sponsoring Senator Dodd's amendment to remove the immunity provision. Secrecy must not trump accountability. We must show our citizens – and set an example to the world – that laws cannot be ignored when it is inconvenient.

Here's the issue:  On Keith Olbermann last week, Jonathan Alter of Newsweek said the Netroots bloggers were overreacting about Obama's FISA flip-flop.  "He's always been a politician," he said, and politicians, especially legislators, know that you can't always get everything you want.  Sometimes you have to compromise.  This bill, Alter went on, restores the constitutionality of FISA which had been diminished by the Bush Administration, even if imperfectly.  To put it bluntly:  get over it.

I have to disagree with Alter.  This is the same sort of apologetic rationalizing that allowed the Bush Administration to manipulate the American people for eight years.  After 9/11, people were willing to place their civil liberties on hold for the sake of security.  Soon, we were justifying pre-emptive war, holding 13-year-olds without trial, and torturing detainees.  What Alter fails to understand is that there is now some urgency to this situation.  The stakes have become quite high.  The Bush Administration has collected power in the Executive Branch, and it will be up to the next president to either continue tarnishing our Constitution, robbing people of their rights, and alienating America from the international community, or to deescalate, respect civil liberties, review Bush's executive orders, and restore the separation of powers.  Obama's strongest base, or one of them, the netroots bloggers, campaigned for him on the hope that Obama understood the situation and was committed to honestly changing it.  This sort of betrayal will not--and should not--be ignored.  

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - John Adams [1772].

"Free government is founded in jealousy, not confidence . . . . Let no more be heard of confidence in men, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitutions." -Thomas Jefferson [1799].

Mugabe cuts off, then beats up, his swan song

A disconcerting article from the Washington Post describes Mugabe's re-seizure of power in Zimbabwe, and the subsequent attacks on supporters of Tsvangirai's opposition party, which until recently had been expected to win the upcoming election and end Mugabe's 28-year dictatorship.  

Tsvangirai himself is holed up in the Dutch Embassy, and refuses to make an appearance on election day.  Zimbabweans have done all they can do, he says, it is up to the larger African community to end Mugabe's reign.

The current election is clearly being rigged by Mugabe's supporters, and intimidation has begun to force votes for Mugabe.  Police officers, for example, have already been forced to cast their ballots in front of superior officers, and there are rumors that those who do not vote (revealed by purple ink on their finger) will be beaten by Mugabe's militias.

Here is a bit of background on Mugabe.

It seems the only question after such a heartbreaking power grab--and right on the cusp of a new, hopeful era--is what can really be done to stop such dictators in Africa?  Mugabe's is not a unique story in African politics.  But somehow these dictators are left to run their violent courses with little to no outside interference.  National sovereignty and diplomacy are all incredibly important in the international system--so what is to be done when the people of a country, like Zimbabweans, are taking steps for change, but continue to be beaten down by violent regimes?  

Invasion and war are rarely, if ever, the answers.  My question is whether there is a third option, short of war but beyond strongly-worded condemnations from Western governments. Sanctions usually end up hurting the people more than the government.  Perhaps carrots would be more effective than sticks in situations like these.  It seemed to work with Kim Jong Il.

By a vote of 293-129, Congress says Americans' civil liberties are not as important as protecting "patriotic" telecom companies from lawsuits

A bill passed friday afternoon which essentially give immunity to the telecom companies--namely, Verizon and AT&T--which participated in the Bush Administration's now notorious surveillance program, incepted shortly after 9/11, that allowed the NSA to intercept calls made from US residents to locations overseas.  The compliant telephone companies, which have been threatened with lawsuits in the past from those people who suspected they were the victims of wiretapping, now have immunity from such lawsuits, pending a court review.  This court review is little more than a formality, however, as the only thing necessary to dismiss a lawsuit outright would be proof that the telecom company was acting under orders from the White House--which we already know to be the case.

And what about the implications for our civil liberties, you

 ask?  Let's let Rep. Pete Hoekstra, the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, answer:

The intelligence community depends on "the backing of patriotic, private companies...Those business that cooperate are putting their shareholders and employees at stake, and they deserve support--not multibillion-dollar lawsuits."  In other words, America's largest telecom corporations can't be bothered by our pithy desire for freedom from warrantless spying.  Well said, indeed.

Read More about wiretapping, court cases, and constitutionality at the ACLU website.

Standardizing (Discriminatory) Immigrant Policies in Europe

According to an article in the Washington Post, the European Parliament is standardizing a currently disparate set of immigration policies in Europe.  The stated goal was to find a compromise between those countries with more liberal immigration policies and those with harsh policies--for instance, Britain may detain immigrants indefinitely prior to their involuntary deportation.  The problem is that there are very few countries in Europe that actually have liberal immigration policies.  So, expectedly, the Parliament played to the lowest common denominator, and now its new directive has actually standardized discriminatory immigration policies.  Fantabulous.  

Among the new policies are 18-month detentions before deportation, and a nifty new power to declare a state of emergency and essentially ignore all these new standards if the conveniently vague situation should occur that "an exceptionally large number" of immigrants places "an unforeseen heavy burden" on a country.  Meanwhile all the Members are patting themselves on the back for working toward freedom and civil rights.  Delightful.

The very best part, though, is that Britain, which holds immigrant detainees indefinitely, and Ireland, who sends a good portion of its immigrant detainees to Britain, opted out of the directive completely.  Yippie Hurray.

Iraqi refugee crisis approaches 5 million strong

Here's the latest Amnesty International report on the refugee crisis in Iraq.  The number of displaced persons, both internally and externally, has now climbed to 4.7 million people, perhaps the worst refugee crisis in recent history.  Despite this, however, the international community has failed to respond in a meaningful way with humanitarian aid.  Syria and Jordan at the moment are hosting many refugees, but are straining under the burden.  Additionally, the refugees are not allowed to work in these countries, and therefore are completely dependent upon scarce international relief.  It is the responsibility of those countries who participated in the invasion of Iraq--most especially the United States--to respond to this unbridled crisis.

A report on Guantanamo

Please watch this video.  Several hundred people have been released from Guantanamo Bay prison after several years of imprisonment without having formal charges brought against them. This report is a compilation of interviews with these former prisoners about the conditions they suffered in Guantanamo.  A travesty of both US and international law.

After a long absence...

Here is nice little debate between Obama and McCain about Guantanamo.  I do hope Obama follows through if he is elected.

www.washingtonpost.com:.webloc

Also, the United States has officially left the Human Rights Council.  Awesome.

Opposition Erased from Russian Media

Creepy.  It's never good when the press is blatantly censored.  Russia is by no means the only place that practices censorship.  Perhaps one of the most overt, though.  For reference, press censorship = alarm bells should go off.

www.iht.com:articles:2008:06:02:africa:russia.php.webloc

United States detains nearly 30,000 people without trial

Please read this article from the guardian.  Things seem to be getting more appalling each day.

www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/02/usa.humanrights

US Impedes talks at Dublin without Even Going to Dublin

We are here to ban cluster munitions,

not to create loopholes that would make
it easier for the United States to use them.

--Steve Goose, director of the Arms division
at Human Rights Watch

International talks to ban cluster munitions began in February of last year. Delegates are currently meeting in Dublin for final negotiations on a treat which would ban clusters outright. But the United States is fomenting doubt about the treaty, raising the specter of unjust charges from the international community. The United States is also arguing that a ban on clusters would somehow impede humanitarian efforts. Read more.

Forced Removals of 'Islamic Fundamentalists' in France

Human Rights Watch's Universal Periodic Review of France came out earlier this month. Among other things, HRW's main concern seemed to be the forcible deportation or removal of individuals in France accused of being "Islamic Fundamentalists." HRW points out the lack of due process, protocol, and standards of treatment employed during these accusations, interrogations, and removals, even among those individuals who had spouses and children who are French citizens.

One of the most disturbing examples concerned a man named Adel Tebourski, a French-Tunisian national, whose French citizenship was actually stripped from him in order to expel him to Tunisia in August 2006.

France has had tense immigration issues for some time, as do many other places in Europe. The new "war on terror" serves as a convenient guise for dealing with unwanted immigrants under the pretext of national security.

John McCain on Ellen

I'm not usually a fan of the Ellen show, but this morning she hosted John McCain and gave him a good goading about the issue of gay marriage. I was surprised that she actually went for it and talked about California's recent overturning of the gay marriage ban. She really stated her feelings very honestly and articulately. Well done. Click the image to watch.

Barack Black Eagle

This is cool. Obama has been accepted as an honorary member of the Crow Nation.

Heading for a 'Papers, Please' Society?

Here is a story from Radar Magazine about actions to the Government has taken since, and even prior to, September 11. Granted, a portion of the article is pure speculation about what could potentially happen in the event of an attack, or any other event deemed a "national emergency" (which apparently now only the Federal Government has the power to label). But what is chilling about the article is that the infrastructure seems to be in place to enforce a police state in the name of national security; the questions are if and when.

In light of this, who we choose as our next president becomes even more important. Would any of the current candidates willingly give up the power that Bush as amassed in the Executive Branch? Here is a start from Obama, but the tentativeness in his answer does not fill me with a lot of hope. If there are no criminal convictions, the nation at least needs to examine the direction we have taken over the last 8 years, and the policies of the Bush Administration--and any American Administration that has condoned torture, the abuse of civil rights, and vigilantism--must be condemned. Most importantly, the various Executive Directives Bush has passed need to be reviewed, publicized, and rejected.

Photo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
Image:1947_hurricane.jpg

Obama Responds

Barack Obama responded to Bush's and McCain's comments about appeasement and policies toward the Middle East. Good speech from Obama, as usual, but I still wonder exactly how far he will be willing, let alone able, to change our relations with that part of the world. What does he really think our relationship with Palestine should look like?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chP9GcKcNFM

Rwandan Women After Genocide

Here is an interesting video from the Washington Post about reconstruction in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. In the midst of the reconstruction, women are becoming, if not the dominant members of society, at least equal to their male counterparts in what was traditionally a male-dominated culture. Part of this development came from necessity, as men made up only 40% of the population after the genocide and women began carrying on family businesses. But another part seems to come from a sincere and conscious attempt to relax the societal distinctions which had divided Rwanda in the past. In addition to gender roles, ethnic differences have also blurred.

More Politics

An article in the Washington Post today reports that President Bush is invoking the historical memory of the Holocaust and Hitler as fuel to bash the Middle East and stir up animosity toward his rivals, particularly, and predictably, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.

"There are good and decent people who cannot fathom the darkness in these men and try to explain their words away. This is natural," Bush was planning to say. "But it is deadly wrong. As witnesses to evil in the past, we carry a solemn responsibility to take these words seriously. Jews and Americans have seen the consequences of disregarding the words of leaders who espouse hatred. And that is a mistake the world must not repeat in the 21st century."

He goes on: "Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along...We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is -- the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Comparing events and governments today to World War II and the Holocaust are disingenuous for several reasons, not least because it completely ignores the unique historical moment in which Hitler and the Holocaust occurred. And also not only because it is a clear, and by this point hackneyed strategy for fearmongering. Even more than all that, the real point behind Bush's statement, that every government which "espouses hatred" is equivalent to Hitler, is ludicrous. World leaders espousing hatred and violence is, unfortunately, an everyday occurrence. Here are just a few examples... In Russia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, of course, in the United States.

The memories of the Holocaust are being, and have been, manipulated in order to push an agenda, to allow Bush to spotlight the violent ravings of his rival governments, while covering up his own. A severe affront to those lost to genocide.

Music and Comedy

Flight of the Conchords is fantastic.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BLJ5a6aJOb8&feature=user


And aging Superheroes:

http://donaldsoffritti.blogspot.com/search?q=decadence

Politics

Keith Olbermann deserves more recognition for his journalism, especially his commentary on the Bush Administration. Here's the latest example, courtesy of Crooks and Liars:

Mr. Bush...when required by law to verify that your evidence [for invading Iraq] was accurate, you simply resubmitted it with phrases amounting to 'see! I dun proved it!' virtually written in the margins in crayon!" Brilliant.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/05/14/countdown-special-comment-to-president-bush-shut-the-hell-up/

News Stories

What has happened to the US?

Drugging/Deporting Immigrants
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/nation/specials/immigration/cwc_d4p1.html

The War in Iraq
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/helenthomas/16190138/detail.html

Torture
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2006/us0706/1.htm#_Toc141074582
See also, Administration of Torture by Jameel Jaffer and Amrit Singh

Diet and Health
http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22178/49492-portion-size--now

Conservation and Consumption
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/bush-blames-food-prices-on-india.php

Americans have been taught their country has historically been the home of freedom, democracy, and innovation. Clearly, we have made a wrong turn somewhere. But is it fair to call these new developments? Or is it a path we have been following for a while now?

Getting Things Down

I just wanted to get some pictures, things to remember, etc. So here's Easter, the apartment, the boyfriend, and the cats.