Daniel Day-Lewis (come back to the screen, Daniel, we miss you!) travels to the Gaza Strip and meets Palestinian families suffering under occupation and the psychologists assisting them. Full marks to Murdoch’s London Times for publishing this piece.
Showing all posts in June 2019
Torture matters
“On March 16, the US House of Representatives, in a stunning 420-to-2 vote, passed an amendment to the emergency Iraq supplemental appropriation by Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) forbidding the use of any funds that violate the legal obligations of the international Convention Against Torture, which this nation signed. Congressman Markey has led the charge against…
The lure
“Few ideologues can resist the allure of a blank slate – that was colonialism’s seductive promise: “discovering” wide-open new lands where utopia seemed possible. But colonialism is dead, or so we are told; there are no new places to discover, no terra nullius (there never was), no more blank pages on which, as Mao once…
Cutting through
Gush Shalom is a large Israeli peace group. It publishes a weekly advertisement in Haaretz newspaper. This ad will be published tomorrow: WHO WILL INVESTIGATE? On the eve of Sharon’s Texas visit, three unarmed Palestinian boys were killed by the Israeli army. In retaliation of the killing, which violated the cease-fire, dozens of mortar shells…
Indepedence…to the US
April 29 is the 40-year anniversary of Australia committing troops to Vietnam. It was a disastrous war, killing hundreds of conscripted young men. When Australia withdrew in 1973 under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, the country had decisively turned against the imperial deceptions of the Americans. The current Governor-General Michael Jeffrey, who fought in Vietnam, still…
Rushdie talks sense
Writer Salman Rushdie accuses the Bush administration of fuelling Islamic fundamentalism by failing to seriously engage with the international community.“It seems really remarkable that the moment you leave America…you find not just America’s natural enemies, but America’s natural allies talking in language more critical than I, in my life, have ever heard about the United…
Don’t be fooled by the spin
The US is failing in Iraq and hatred of the occupation is greater than ever, writes Jonathan Steele in today’s Guardian. Recent massive protests against the American presence, vast areas of the country out of “coalition” hands and largely lawless and the desire of the US to maintain permanent bases in the country all contribute…
Rumsfeld in Iraq
US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld visited Iraq yesterday. Iraq-based Christopher Allbritton, blogger and journalist-for-hire, says the real reason behind the visit, unreported in the Western media, is American concerns that deposed Ba’ath party members will be completely purged from vital governmental positions, when they are, in fact, essential for the “rebuilding” of the country.…
Blocking out reality
What is this story doing on the leading world news page of today’s Sydney Morning Herald? “As he ponders the future of the free world, the fate of social security or the state of his Texas ranch, President George Bush can turn to one source for solace: his iPod.” The article explains how Bush likes…
Bomb them from a great height
Monty Python’s Terry Jones is confused. He can’t understand why a recent UN report proves that children were better off under Saddam. There must be a mistake. Surely. And no, Jones isn’t wishing for the return of the brutal dictator. He’s merely asking some pertinent questions. “This, of course, comes as a bitter blow for…