1. Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and his sons will stand trial for ordering deadly force to put down protesters in Egypt (several hundred were killed), as well as for corruption. Aljazeera English reports: The trial, while it is intended to strengthen the rule of law, is attended with dangers. It could stiffen resistance of […]
Archives for May 2011
Selective Outrage about War
This poster at reddit.com compares the various costs of Bush’s illegal war in Iraq to those of the UN /NATO intervention in Libya (which is not illegal in internationaL law) and asks you to guess which one Republicans are angry about.
Rand Paul on Patriot Act Extension puts Obama to Shame
Sen. Rand Paul is among the few in Congress to oppose the 4-year extension of the misnamed PATRIOT Act, which violates the 4th Amendment against baseless and warrantless search of personal effects.
Top Ten Green Energy Good News Stories
1. German Chancellor Angela Merkel became a green energy hawk after Fukushima. She wants to phase out Nuclear energy and coal, and move quickly to renewables. 2. A team headed by Patrick Pinhero, associate professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia, has invented a flexible solar sheet that dramatically improves the efficiency of […]
Pressman: American Presidents and the Two-State Solution
Jeremy Pressman writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: “Clinton, Bush, & Obama on a two-state solution” This compilation of major Clinton, Bush (43), and Obama statements on a two-state solution including security, settlements, the West Bank, refugees, and Jerusalem suggests the similarities and differences in presidential rhetoric since President Bill Clinton publicly called […]
What lies Behind Netanyahu’s Bluster on ‘1967 Borders’
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s high dudgeon over the world community’s demand that Israel return more or less to ‘1967 borders’ plays to two audiences, his domestic constituency among far rightwing ‘Greater Israel’ parties intent on usurping Palestinian land, and his American constituency among the third or so of US Jews who oppose trading land for […]
Pakistan’s Chinese Gambit
Pakistan’s relations with the United States are troubled, and Islamabad may be turning to China as a result. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani just ended a 4-day visit to Beijing, which turned into a love fest. The visit commemorated 60 years of Sino-Pakistan relations. (China has been a key Pakistan ally in the latter’s struggle […]
Saleh again Defies US, GCC, refuses to Go
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh refused again on Sunday to sign an agreement brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council with his opposition agreeing to step down. He demanded that the opposition leaders, who had signed on Saturday, come to his palace to sign again. In the meantime, his helicopters had to rescue the ambassadors who […]
Protest Backroom Deal to Extend Un-Patriot Act til 2015
There’s an action alert by a supporter of Rand Paul over at Firedoglake saying that an attempt will be made at 5 pm on Monday in the Senate to extend the misnamed ‘PATRIOT Act’ for four years. There will be an attempt to get unanimous consent for the extension, with just a motion to which […]
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