November 2010
10 posts
Bogus Parallels — The Independent’s Donald... →
As British citizens, we, Macintyre included, all bear responsibility for Blair’s actions - our moral accountability is a very clear and obvious factor demanding that we hold Blair to account as far as we are able. Macintyre, by contrast, is in +no+ way responsible for the actions of the leader of a Palestinian government elected by Palestinians.
The moral priority could hardly be clearer,...
The Forgotten Threat: ‘Countdown to Zero’ on... →
At this point, the knowledgeable viewer may start to worry that the film regards nuclear weapons solely as something whose use threatens the United States but not something with which the United States (inventor and sole user of the bomb) has long threatened others.
But the worry is quickly dispelled. In a particularly powerful and perhaps newsworthy episode, Blair reveals that when he was...
Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico? →
Linked earlier, but this piece co-authored by Charles Bowden is worth setting aside half an hour to read.
(via Instapaper)
Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico? →
Here is the US policy in a nutshell: we pay Mexicans to kill Mexicans, and this slaughter has no effect on drug shipments or prices.
(via Instapaper)
Ecology & Libertarian Socialists →
Robin Hahnel:
It is one thing to point out that it would be better to plan how to use and preserve the natural environment in a democratic, equitable, and effective way rather than leave those decisions to be made very poorly by market forces. It is another thing to ignore the fact that we failed to replace capitalism with libertarian socialism in the twentieth century, which means that...
ZMag Article: Human Rights by Noam Chomsky →
It is not a law of nature that we have to subordinate ourselves to the violence and deceit of the “principal architects” of policy and the doctrinal manipulation of the servants of power.
(via Instapaper)
Calling All Future-Eaters →
Chris Hedges:
The climate crisis is a political crisis. We will either defy the corporate elite, which will mean civil disobedience, a rejection of traditional politics for a new radicalism and the systematic breaking of laws, or see ourselves consumed. Time is not on our side. The longer we wait, the more assured our destruction becomes. The future, if we remain passive, will be wrested from...
Roots of riots in Northern Ireland →
Rather than oppose the Orange Order, the Nationalist party Sinn Fein wants to accommodate it within “community politics”. In the past, Sinn Fein organised protests against Orange marches.
Today it labels those protesting against the marches as “Republican dissidents” or “hoods”.
The history of Irish Republicanism shows that those who promote the armed struggle will tend to become...
Singapore convicts author of death penalty book →
Alan Shadrake’s book accuses Singapore’s courts of bowing to pressure from the government and the wealthy.
“Singapore’s criminal prosecution of Shadrake only underscores the country’s poor record of respect for freedom of expression,” said Sam Zarifi [Amnesty International’s Director for the Asia-Pacific region].
Shadrake is also being prosecuted under Singapore’s criminal defamation...