Revised. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Although the Congressional inquiry into the Jan. 6 insurrection is releasing new information about the ties between the White House and the insurrectionists, that the attack on the Capitol that day was a well-planned paramilitary operation was clear from Department of Justice indictments already released. Below, I revisit one […]
Archives for June 2022
Why Muslim countries are quick at condemning Defamation – but often ignore Rights Violations against Muslim Minorities
By Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University | – The Indian government finds itself in a diplomatic crisis following offensive remarks by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, Nupur Sharma, on national television about the Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Aisha. The BJP has suspended Sharma from the position, but that has not […]
Is it now a Crime to Support Palestinian Rights?
By Yara Hawari | – ( Al-Shabaka ) A new wave of repressive UK government policies aims to suppress protest and political expression, posing a direct threat to Palestine solidarity work. Al-Shabaka’s senior policy analyst, Yara Hawari, locates this latest crackdown within Britain’s enduring support for Zionism, and shows how only in broad, intersectional alliances […]
With Putin bogged down in Ukraine, will the Syrian Civil War Reignite?
By Muhammad Hussein | – ( Middle East Monitor) – Pivotal moments in history rarely present themselves, but when they do, that is exactly what they turn out to be. The power dynamics of an entire region can be altered, the interests of governments can be shifted, and the geopolitical arena can be at least […]
California Milestone: State for First Time briefly Generates 103% of its Electricity from Renewables
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – On one day in May, Lauren Sommer at NPR reported, California ran for several hours on 103% renewable electricity, which means it generated enough electricity from wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and battery to fulfill the entire needs of the state plus to be able to export a bit to neighboring […]
How Long Will We Sacrifice Our Kids to the Gun Lobby’s Paranoia?
( Otherwords ) – Mass shootings are good for gun sales. In the days following the horrific school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, firearm stocks rose. Gun buyers, conditioned to fear new restrictions, tend to run out and buy more weapons after shootings like this one. They seem to believe that lawmakers will respond to mass […]
Lessons in Activism: How Australia’s expanding environmental Movement is breaking the Climate Action Deadlock in Politics
By Robyn Gulliver, The University of Queensland | – The federal election saw voters’ growing concern about Australia’s laggardly response to climate change finally addressed, with teal independents garnering seats in Liberal heartland and record votes for Greens candidates. But what caused this seismic shift in Australia’s political landscape? And why now? We believe the […]
A Country Armed to the Teeth: And Strutting Toward the Apocalypse
By Robert Lipsyte | – ( Tomdispatch.com ) – The gun I carried on the streets of New York City in the late 1960s was a Beretta, similar to the pistol James Bond packed in the early Ian Fleming novels. It was a small, dark beauty that filled me with bravado. I was never afraid […]
What did the President Know and When did He Know it? Trump’s 7-Part Plan and the Insurrection
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – When the news of the burglary at the Democratic campaign headquarters in the Watergate building broke, it wasn’t initially clear that President Tricky Dick Nixon had ordered it. (He did, twice. Yes.) So for those too young to remember that dreary scandal, the question of “What did the president know […]