Here’s a video that gives a pretty good idea of how America is currently viewed in much of the world. It may have an unfamiliar flavor to an American audience, but it’s worth watching the whole song. The imagery is striking. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnlMnf7t4t4[/youtube] (Thanks to JR) Don’t miss an American video response.
What is Mitt Romney’s position on torture? See: Romney, Torture and Teens In right-wing Republican circles, abusive authoritarianism without due process is endemic – and profitable. By Maia Szalavitz When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he’d support doubling the size of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, he was trying to show voters that he’d be tough on terror. Two of his top fundraisers, however, have long supported using coercive tactics that have been likened to torture for troubled teenagers….
Here is the original version of the editorial that ran on Op-Ed News. They had an exclusive for at least 48 hours on the pithier version – and it ran five days ago. Note the current status of the situation: 1. There is now a video that shows that Blackwater USA guards opened fire against civilians without provocation. 2. Blackwater is denying charges of arms smuggling. 3. Blackwater is back up and running in Iraq. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~…
No End in Sight, looks like it deserved the special jury documentary prize it received at Sundance. I’m looking forward to seeing the film, if it shows in Atlanta. Here’s the trailer (or see it on the home page of the movie site) : From the director: “But I had no idea how incompetently the occupation was being planned, and with what degree of ideological rigidity and arrogance and callousness and stupidity,†he said. “I just had no idea.†NPR…
I read Mark Morford‘s column every week. I have it emailed, and I’ve added the feed to my Bloglines. So it’s not surprising to me to me at all that he has written the sort of article on the Presidential Directive (my version) that I would have liked to have been able to write. Bush Declares Self ‘Mega Decider’ New documents ensure Dubya will rule America, should calamity strike. Free balloons! A snippet (but go read the whole thing): Such…
I was rereading a bit about Emerson and self-reliance earlier. It affected me, as it always does. Before I wade into current political statements of opinion on the recent Presidential Directives (I’ve seen blog headlines), I’ve decided to treat it like I would treat any document I wanted to interpret. What follows is my initial set of impressions and thoughts. This will change, it always does. It might be interesting to do part 2 sometime later, when these thoughts bounce…