Oh the horrors: A federal judge denied a request by a former contractor, convicted of killing an Afghan civilian, for permission to return to Afghanistan for employment, according to a ruling made public Wednesday. Calling the request “ill-timed” and “the epitome of arrogance,” U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar flatly refused to give Virginia Beach…
EU only knows how to release PR when Jewish fanatics act up
Yet another attack by Jewish colonists on a Palestinian mosque and the EU expresses concern. Omar Barghouti explains the constant weakness of this position (with a message under the headline “EU’s Ashton condemns burning synagogue in France as hurting inter-faith trust”): Well, not quite what Ashton said or what happened. There was no synagogue burnt…
If UN saw madness in Sri Lanka, where’s the real investigation?
Wikileaks offers typically invaluable insights but the obvious question remains; where’s the thorough pressure by the UN to force Colombo to answer serious allegations of war crimes? The UN Secretary General had told the diplomats that he saw a scene of “complete destruction”, when he flew over the former “no-fire zone” in Sri Lanka. He…
What never-ending occupation has done; Hamas needs Gaza blockade
Amira Hass in Haaretz explains: How embarrassing. While solidarity activists are planning new protests against the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas government is adding to limitations on Palestinians’ freedom of movement. One might justifiably ask: What are a few high school students Hamas refuses to allow to travel to the United States to…
Here’s a great idea; let’s just privatise everything
Mother Jones with the latest mad scheme: In Michigan, a state perennially crippled by budget deficits [1], public school districts across the state have already outsourced their bus drivers, cafeteria workers, sports coaches, and janitors to try and save money. Now Republicans in Michigan’s state Legislature want to take the outsourcing frenzy one giant leap…
Post 9/11 MSM thinking; get somebody, anybody
As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, get ready for an orgy of self-justification (endless war is required because “they” still hate us). This piece by Seamus Milne in the UK Guardian is fascinating because it reveals the mindset of so many elites to the terror attacks. It’s a handy reminder that fear-mongers and war-mongers…
Wikileaks has shown us a world we need to know
Wikileaks has its share of critics – the organisation is too centred around Julian Assange and a personality-type cult exists – but surely the vast bulk of information the group has released since 2006 makes it a major force for good (not least because it’s forced governments and many journalists on the defensive about their…
Who or what really caused the London riots?
Finally, hopefully, some answers: The causes and consequences of the English riots last month, the most serious bout of civil unrest in a generation, will be examined in a study by the Guardian and the London School of Economics. Researchers will interview hundreds of people who were involved, in the first empirical study into the…