Showing all posts tagged United States
How Obama treats Americans who dare challenge the “war on terror”
During my recent trip to Washington I met former CIA officer… John C. Kiriakou. He was friendly and generous and aware that he was facing time in jail. It’s both ironic and outrageous that the Obama administration, who has pursued whistle-blowers more than any US government in history, is happy to send this man to jail…
What happens to our digital footprint when we die?
A penetrating article in the Wall Street Journal about how memories and our modern, online identities will be remembered after we’ve gone: Alison Atkins died on July 27 at age 16. Online, her family is losing its hold on her memory. Three days after the Toronto teen lost a long battle with a colon disease,…
Can divesting in fossil fuel companies help the climate crisis?
The US campaign 350.org aims to lead a public movement against climate change by putting financial and painful pressure on fossil fuel companies that cause climate change. It’s an interesting idea, debated below on Democracy Now!, as similar tactics were used against apartheid South Africa and today’s apartheid Israel:
Michael Moore embraces stunning film about Palestinian resistance, 5 Broken Cameras
The film 5 Broken Cameras was one of 2012’s strongest, documenting the daily brutality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. One of America’s most successful documentary film-makers, Michael Moore, is a big champion of the film. During a November screening in New York, Moore introduced the film with the following words: I was able to…
Charlie Brooker’s 2012 Wipe
The kind of 2012 round-up that beautifully skewers the leeches who often inhabit the news media and public life:
Israel sails blissfully towards self-made disaster so how many Jews want to jump off?
An article in Haaretz is titled, “Will 2013 be the Year American Jews Secede from Israel? The answer is surely no but there’s no doubt that a growing bulk of US Jews, especially young ones, ain’t too fond of the direction Israel is going, namely towards a proudly racist and fascist state. Here’s an extract…
Rise of Sunnis in the Middle East and the decline of Iran in 2013
Juan Cole offers some predictions: 2013 will see Iranian influence in the Middle East continue a decline that began with the Arab upheavals of 2011. Iran’s two major allies in the Arab world are Syria and Lebanon. In Lebanon, Iran arms the Shiite party-militia Hizbullah, and does so overland through Iraq and Syria. Since Israel…