In the run up to the Iraqi war I was involved in a project called Stand Down which attempted to gather bloggers on the “right” and “left” of the political spectrum to write posts in opposition to going to war. Sadly the site is down. I say sadly because it would provide useful documentation of how correct the anti-war side was and how badly wrong the pro-war side was. We accurately predicted everything that went wrong in Iraq because of the invasion. We laid out all the facts and exposed all the lies that the rest of the country only seemed to “discover” long after the invasion, even though all the information was out there for all to see (just mostly in overseas press not in the jingoist, cheer-leading US press).
Tags: Activism, Feature, Human Rights, Iraq, Torture, US Politics
The war in Yugoslavia was a turning point in the human rights movement. Appalled by the atrocities they saw, many Western war correspondents advocated for military intervention by the US and the EU. The rallying cry was “how can we stand by and let another Holocaust happen?” Eventually (not soon enough for what would soon be known as the “liberal hawks”) NATO did intervene in the war in Kosovo. Subsequent to that war, NATO set up the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and some advocates of human rights were ecstatic. In its 2000 World Report the Human Rights Watch specifically cites the ICTY and the NATO military actions against Yugoslavia and concludes that this “foretells an era in which the defense of human rights can move from a paradigm of pressure based on international human rights law to one of law enforcement.”
Tags: Feature, Human Rights, Hypocrisy, Kosovo, Media, Nationalism, US War Racket
I was going to write something on the Russian-Georgian war. However, Seumas Milne at the Guardian expressed exactly what I was thinking far better than I could. Another intelligent analysis may be found here. And more here regarding today’s announcement on the US-Polish missiles deal.
Tags: US Politics, US War Racket
I’ve finally done it! I’ve taken the plunge and am converting my site to a more “modern” technology. I chose Wordpress because it is open source, full-featured and easy to use. The full conversion will take a while, since I want old links to work, but moving forward, all new posts will be on this site.
One part of the conversion that hasn’t been done is the pictures in the header. The theme switches photos each time you visit, but right now I have the out-of-the box photos which aren’t really relevant to the blog. I plan to use photos from my daughter the photographer (who lives in Israel) but she is currently traveling. When she returns, I’ll have her create some files using her photos. Meanwhile you can just click on the photo to go to her site.
P.S. Please note that the tags box is not yet updated for past articles so it isn’t accurate yet.
The Jerusalem Post is an English newspaper in Israel, which is politically aligned with the Orthodox settler movement. When Obama was in Israel, he sat down for an interview with them, a relatively unfriendly “audience.”
No one in my quadrant of the political spectrum is ever going to be elected President. So my key criteria for a “good” President are: compassion, worldliness, intelligence and political savvy. Obama seems to have all of these in abundance. Although I don’t agree with many of the details of his positions, the more I hear him speak the more impressed I am. He is the savviest and most intelligent politician the Democratic party has produced since Bill Clinton, and I mean that as a compliment. He may not be super progressive, but he seems to be on the correct side of the fence on all important issues. And the more I see him, the more I feel he has the same human empathy and care for people that Clinton did.
I have mentioned several times on this blog my deep affection for the New Yorker. My mom started subscribing to it when she came to this country in 1946 and it has always been in her home. On my iPod I have several New Yorker podcasts, both fiction and non-fiction and they are truly inspiring. I love reading the magazine, and I whole-heartedly agree with publisher Si Newhouse’s reverential reference to it as “The Only.” So I was quite taken aback by all the controversy surrounding the Obama cartoon..
I find this cartoon pretty amusing and not the least bit tasteless, but I would be the first to admit my tastes are not quite conventional. What I do find totally tasteless is the controversy surrounding it. Since I originally wrote this piece the controversy got even more out of hand, so I have substantially updated it.
Tags: Media, US Politics
Frank Rich has an extremely well-articulated piece on why torture is not just immoral, but dangerous.
I have a very nuanced view on the use of psychoactive substances. My drug of choice is caffeine delivered via coffee, and I do enjoy wine and the occasional scotch and soda. But in general I don’t see the necessity or benefit in “enjoying” life through a drugged haze.
As this article clearly points out! In another measure Iraq is number one in the world (just turn the list upside down). Fortunately, Israel improved this year and went from number 3 to number 5! USA isn’t doing too bad either.
Relevant Quotes
Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz: Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace -- Benito Juárez
It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. -- Eleanor Roosevelt
Let them call me a rebel and welcome. I feel no concern from it. But should I suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul -- Thomas Paine