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Sunday, January 4th, 2009 Domingo, 4. De janeiro de 2009

Listing countries where elections have been mixed with violence and repression, Human Rights Watch said western powers, especially the United States and European Union, have accepted elections in countries that don’t respect human rights, for political reasons and benefit. Listando países onde eleições tenham sido misturados com violência e repressão, a Human Rights Watch disse potências ocidentais, especialmente os Estados Unidos e União Européia, aceitaram eleições em países que não respeitam os direitos humanos, por motivos políticos e benefício.

The group said the west has continued to prop up fragile democracies, or those that purport to be, such as Kenya, where waves of killings have followed a disputed election, and Pakistan, where elections are coming up after the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. O grupo disse que o Ocidente tem continuado a proposta de democracias frágeis, ou aqueles que pretendem ser, como o Quénia, onde ondas de assassinatos têm seguido uma disputada eleição, eo Paquistão, onde as eleições são a subir depois do assassinato da líder oposicionista Benazir Bhutto . The group also said that countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Russia and Thailand have taken on the belief that elections are equal to democracy. O grupo também disse que países como Bahrein, Jordânia, Nigéria, Rússia e Tailândia têm tomado com a crença de que as eleições são iguais para a democracia. In its annual report, the group said that Washington, Brussels and European capitals “play along” with the notion that a country can have democracy simply by holding elections. No seu relatório anual, o grupo disse que Washington, Bruxelas e capitais europeias "jogar junto" com a noção de que um país pode ter democracia simplesmente segurando eleições. “It’s now easy for autocrats to get away with mounting a sham democracy,” said Kenneth Roth, the group’s executive director. "Agora é fácil para os autocratas para fugir com uma montagem fictícia democracia", disse Kenneth Roth, diretor executivo do grupo. “That’s because too many Western governments insist on elections and leave it at that.” “They don’t press governments on the key human rights issues that make democracy function - a free press, peaceful assembly, and a functioning civil society that can really challenge power,” Roth said. "Isso porque muitos governos ocidentais insistem em eleições, e ficar por aqui." "Eles não pressionar os governos sobre as principais questões relativas aos direitos humanos que fazem funcionar a democracia - uma imprensa livre, pacífica, e um funcionamento da sociedade civil que pode realmente desafio poder ", disse Roth. The report said grave human rights abuses have fueled humanitarian crises in Somalia and the Ogaden region in Eastern Ethiopia, where millions of people are suffering. O relatório disse graves abusos dos direitos humanos têm alimentado crises humanitárias na Somália e no leste da região Ogaden da Etiópia, onde milhões de pessoas estão sofrendo.

The report documented manipulations of elections. O relatório documentado manipulações das eleições. It said Chad, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Uzbekistan committed “outright fraud,” while governments controlled the electoral machinery in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand and Zimbabwe. Ele disse Chade, Cazaquistão, Nigéria e Uzbequistão cometido "pura fraude", enquanto os governos controlados máquinas eleitorais no Azerbaijão, Bahrein, Malásia, Tailândia e Zimbábue. Belarus, Egypt, Cuba, Iran and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories blocked or discouraged opposition candidates. Bielorrússia, Egipto, Cuba, Irã e de Israel nos territórios palestinianos ocupados bloqueados ou dissuadidas candidatos da oposição. Russia and Tunisia were cited for stifling the media, and China and Pakistan undermined the rule of law, the report said. Rússia e Tunísia foram citados para sufocar a mídia, e da China e do Paquistão prejudicou o Estado de Direito, o relatório disse. “Many of these tactics are illegal under domestic and international law, but rarely do outside powers call governments to account for it,” the report said. "Muitas dessas táticas são ilegais no âmbito nacional e do direito internacional, mas raramente fazem poderes fora chamada para os governos são responsáveis por isso", disse o relatório.

“Established democracies are often unwilling to do so for fear of losing access to resources or commercial opportunities, or because of the perceived requirements of fighting terrorism.” “It seems Washington and European governments will accept even the most dubious election so long as the ‘victor’ is a strategic or commercial ally,” it said. "Fundada democracias são muitas vezes relutantes em fazê-lo por medo de perder o acesso a recursos ou oportunidades comerciais, ou por causa da percepção exigências da luta contra o terrorismo". "Parece que Washington e os governos europeus irão aceitar até mesmo a eleição mais duvidosa, enquanto o ' Victor é um aliado estratégico ou comercial ", ele disse. In Kenya, rival political sides halted talks over disputed elections and vicious ethnic clashes after the killing of an opposition legislator, but said they would keep talking while would keep killing each other. No Quênia, rival político lados interrompida fala sobre eleições e disputado vicioso confrontos étnicos após o assassinato de um legislador oposição, mas disse que iria manter a conversa, enquanto ia manter a matar uns aos outros.

The country remained tense and volatile and violence continued to reign while political parties have battled for more than a month over who won the presidential elections. O país permaneceu tenso e volátil, a violência continuou a reinar, enquanto os partidos políticos têm lutado por mais de um mês sobre quem ganhou as eleições presidenciais. Nasser Ega-Musa, a United Nations spokesman, said both parties had “a general desire to continue the negotiations and a willingness not to be distracted and derailed,” by the shooting death of David Too. Nasser Ega-Musa, um porta-voz das Nações Unidas, disse que ambas as partes tinham "um desejo generalizado de continuar as negociações e uma vontade de não ser distraído e descarrilhou," pela morte de David Too tiroteio.

The human rights report also said China has clamped down on the media as it is preparing to hold the Summer Olympics Games in August. O relatório sobre os direitos humanos também disse que a China aperta para baixo na mídia como se preparam para realizar os Jogos das Olimpíadas em agosto. Foreign journalists who were given the right to interview Chinese have been harassed, detained or intimidated to prevent them from doing reports on the country’s poor human rights records. Jornalistas estrangeiros a quem foi concedido o direito de entrevistar chineses foram molestados, intimidados ou detidos para impedi-los de fazer relatórios sobre os pobres do país os direitos humanos registros. It said the construction boom to prepare for the Olympic Games has involved an estimated one million construction workers under harsh and unsafe labour conditions, but that trade with China is more important to the US and the EU than human rights. Ele disse que a firma de construção para se preparar para os Jogos Olímpicos, implicou um valor estimado de um milhão de trabalhadores em construção dura e condições inseguras de trabalho, mas que o comércio com a China é mais importante para os E.U. e da UE que os direitos humanos.

Have Your Say: EU and US said to favour elections over human rights Dê a sua opinião: UE e E.U. disse a favor dos direitos humanos durante eleições
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Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 Sábado, 3. De janeiro de 2009

Tens of thousands of protesters are due to voice their anger at the Gaza bombing blitz in a series of rallies across the UK. Dezenas de milhares de manifestantes são devidos a voz sua indignação perante a bombardear Gaza blitz em uma série de comícios em todo o Reino Unido.

Up to 20,000 people - including the singer Annie Lennox and Respect MP George Galloway - are expected to march along the Embankment in London before walking to Trafalgar Square to call for an immediate end to the Israeli attacks. Subiu para 20.000 pessoas - incluindo a cantora Annie Lennox e Respeito MP George Galloway - são esperados para março, ao longo do Aterro, em Londres antes de caminhar para Trafalgar Square para pedir um fim imediato aos ataques israelitas.

The demonstration is the biggest of at least 18 organised across the country. A demonstração é a maior organização de pelo menos 18 em todo o país.

Former model Bianca Jagger and singer Lennox have backed the protests, calling on American President-elect Barack Obama to speak up against the bombardment. Ex-modelo Bianca Jagger e cantor Lennox ter apoiado os protestos, exortando-eleito Presidente americano Barack Obama a falar-se contra o bombardeamento.

Other rallies will take place at Blytheswood Square, Glasgow; Bedford Square, Exeter; Princes Street, Edinburgh; Bristol city centre; Bold Street, Liverpool; Norwich Forum; Portsmouth’s Guildhall Square; Queen Victoria Square, Hull; Tunbridge Wells town centre; Leeds Art Gallery; All Saints Park, Manchester; Grey’s Monument, Newcastle; Castle Square, Swansea; St Sampson’s Square, York; Morrisons, Caernarfon; Bradford city centre; and Sheffield town hall. Outros comícios terá lugar às Blytheswood Square, Glasgow; Praça Bedford, Exeter, Princes Street, Edimburgo; Bristol centro da cidade; Bold Street, Liverpool; Norwich Fórum; Portsmouth's Guildhall Square; Queen Victoria Square, Hull; Tunbridge Wells centro da cidade; Leeds Art Gallery; Parque Todos os Santos, Manchester; Grey's Monument, Newcastle; Castle Square, Swansea; St Sampson's Square, York; Morrisons, Caernarfon; Bradford centro da cidade, e Sheffield Town Hall.

Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone and comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support to the campaign to end the violence. Ex-prefeito de Londres Ken Livingstone eo comediante Alexei Sayle acrescentou também seu apoio à campanha para pôr fim à violência.

Speaking at a press conference in central London, Ms Jagger said: “I would like to make an appeal to President-elect Obama to speak up. Falando numa conferência de imprensa no centro de Londres, a Sra. Jagger afirmou: "Gostaria de fazer um apelo ao Presidente eleito para falar de Obama.

“People throughout the world were hopeful when he was elected and we must appeal to him to ask for the immediate cessation of the bombardment of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.” "As pessoas em todo o mundo estavam esperançosos quando ele foi eleito e é preciso recorrer a ele para pedir a imediata cessação do bombardeio da população civil na Faixa de Gaza."

Lennox spoke of her shock at watching scenes of the bombing on television. Lennox falou dela em choque assistindo a cenas de bombardeios na televisão. She said: “A few days after Christmas I came downstairs, put the television on, and saw smoke pyres coming from buildings and I was shocked to the core because I was thinking as a mother and as a human being.” Ela disse: "Poucos dias depois do Natal eu vim de baixo, colocar sobre a televisão, e viu fumaça vindo de edifícios piras e fiquei chocado ao núcleo porque eu estava pensando como uma mãe e como ser humano."

Comedian Sayle said he was speaking out because it was important for Jewish voices to be heard. Comediante Sayle disse que estava a falar para fora, porque era importante para o judeu vozes a serem ouvidas. He said: “I want to feel proud of Israel, I want to be proud of my people but I am ashamed.” Ele disse: "Quero sentir orgulho de Israel, eu quero ter orgulho do meu povo, mas tenho vergonha".

Have Your Say: Rallies to protest Gaza bombing Have Your Say: Rallies Gaza para protestar contra bombardeios
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Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 Sábado, 3. De janeiro de 2009

Have Your Say: Guantanamo intake unacceptable, says Malcolm Turnbull Have Your Say: Guantánamo ingestão inaceitável, diz Malcolm Turnbull
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Friday, January 2nd, 2009 Sexta-feira, 2 de Janeiro de 2009

By Francis A. Boyle Por Francis A. Boyle

The United Nations General Assembly must immediately establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI) as a “subsidiary organ” under UN Charter Article 22. A Assembleia Geral das Nações Unidas deve imediatamente estabelecer um Tribunal Penal Internacional para Israel (CITI), como um "órgão subsidiário" Carta das Nações Unidas sob o artigo 22. The ICTI would be organized along the lines of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), which was established by the Security Council. O CITI seria organizada de acordo com as linhas do Tribunal Penal Internacional para a Jugoslávia (TPIJ), que foi estabelecido pelo Conselho de Segurança.

The purpose of the ICTI would be to investigate and prosecute Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Peoples of Lebanon and Palestine–just as the ICTY did for the victims of international crimes committed by Serbia and the Milosevic Regime throughout the Balkans. O objetivo do CITI seria a de investigar e julgar israelita crimes de guerra, crimes contra a humanidade e genocídio contra os povos do Líbano e da Palestina, assim como fez o TPIJ internacional para as vítimas dos crimes cometidos pelo regime de Milosevic Sérvia e em toda a região balcânica.

The establishment of ICTI would provide some small degree of justice to the victims of Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Peoples of Lebanon and Palestine–just as the ICTY has done in the Balkans. A criação do CITI proporcionaria um pequeno grau de justiça para as vítimas dos israelitas crimes de guerra, crimes contra a humanidade e genocídio contra os povos do Líbano e da Palestina, assim como o TPIJ fez nos Balcãs. Furthermore, the establishment of ICTI by the UN General Assembly would serve as a deterrent effect upon Israeli leaders such as Prime Minister Olmert, Foreign Minister Livni, Defense Minister Barak , Chief of Staff Ashkenazi and Israel’s other top generals that they will be prosecuted for their further infliction of international crimes upon the Lebanese and the Palestinians. Além disso, a criação do CITI pela Assembleia Geral da ONU poderia servir como um efeito dissuasor sobre dirigentes israelitas, como primeiro-ministro Ehud Olmert, o Ministro dos Negócios Estrangeiros Livni, o ministro da Defesa, Ehud Barak, Chefe do Estado-Maior de Israel ASHKENAZI e outros principais generais que eles vão ser processados para seu posterior punição dos crimes internacionais sobre os libaneses e os palestinos.

Without such a deterrent, Israel might be emboldened to attack Syria with the full support of the Likhudnik Bush Jr. Neoconservatives, who have always viewed Syria as “low-hanging fruit” ready to be taken out by means of their joint aggression. Sem um tal efeito dissuasor, Israel poderia atacar a Síria Entusiasmado com o apoio total da Likhudnik Bush Jr. Neoconservatives, que sempre encarada Síria como "baixo-pendurando frutas" pronto para ser retirado por meio de sua joint agressão. If Israel attacks Syria as it did when it invaded Lebanon in 1982, Iran has vowed to come to Syria’s defense. Se Israel ataca Síria, como o fez quando invadiu o Líbano em 1982, jurou que o Irão tem vindo a Síria da defesa.

And of course Israel and the Bush Jr administration very much want a pretext to attack Iran. E, obviamente, Israel e os Bush Jr administração deseja muito um pretexto para atacar o Irão. This scenario could readily degenerate into World War III Este cenário poderia facilmente degenerar em World War III

For the UN General Assembly to establish ICTI could stop the further development of this momentum towards a regional if not global catastrophe. Para a Assembleia Geral da ONU para estabelecer CITI podia parar o desenvolvimento desta dinâmica regional se não para uma catástrofe global.

Have Your Say: An Israeli War Crimes Tribunal Dê a sua opinião: Um israelita Tribunal Penal
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Friday, January 2nd, 2009 Sexta-feira, 2 de Janeiro de 2009

Strong voices for peace have left us this year, people who used their art for social change, often at a high personal price. Forte vozes para a paz nos deixaram este ano, as pessoas que utilizaram sua arte para a mudança social, muitas vezes em um alto preço pessoal.

Odetta was a legendary folk singer of the civil rights movement. Odetta foi um lendário cantor folk do movimento dos direitos civis.

Considered the “Queen of American Folk Music,” Odetta introduced audiences worldwide to African-American folk, blues and gospel music. Considerada a "Rainha da American Folk Music", introduzido Odetta audiências mundiais para Africano-Americano de folk, blues e música gospel.

New Year’s Eve was her birthday. Véspera de Ano Novo era seu aniversário. She would have been 78. Ela teria sido 78. When Rosa Parks was asked which songs meant the most to her, she replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.” Quando Rosa Parks foi perguntado o que significou a mais canções para ela, ela respondeu: "Todas as canções Odetta canta".

Odetta sang “Oh, Freedom,” an African-American slave spiritual, at the 1963 March on Washington. Odetta cantava "Oh, Liberdade", um escravo espiritual Africano-Americano, em março de 1963 em Washington. Early on, she attracted the interest of Harry Belafonte and Pete Seeger. No início, ela atraiu o interesse de Harry Belafonte e Pete Seeger. Her voice, her talent with the guitar and the natural style in which she maintained her hair—later to be dubbed “afro”—set her as an icon of the civil rights movement. Sua voz, seu talento com o violão e os naturais estilo em que ela mantém o cabelo dela mais tarde, a ser duplicado "afro" definir-la como um ícone do movimento dos direitos civis. She told an interviewer in 2003: Ela disse um entrevistador em 2003:

“When I first started, I would sing these prison songs … it got to a point where doing the music actually healed me … it was music from those who went before. "Quando eu comecei, eu ia cantar essas canções prisão ... ficou a um ponto onde está fazendo a música realmente curou-me ... foi a música de quem correu antes. The music gave them strength, and the music gave us strength to carry it on.” A música lhes deu força, e da música nos deu força para levar isso adiante. "

She inspired Bernice Johnson Reagon, an early member of the SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) Freedom Singers. Ela inspirou Reagon Bernice Johnson, um membro da SNCC precoce (Comissão Coordenadora do Estudante não violenta) Freedom Singers. She had been suspended from college in Albany, Ga., for civil rights protests, then went on to Spelman College, where historian Howard Zinn and his wife, Roz, took her to folk music concerts by Joan Baez and Odetta. Ela tinha sido suspenso do colégio em Albany, Ga, protestos por direitos civis e, em seguida, passou a Spelman College, onde o historiador Howard Zinn e sua esposa, Roz, levou-a para concertos de música folk Joan Baez e Odetta.

Reagon recalls the first time she heard Odetta: Reagon recorda a primeira vez que ouviu Odetta:

“In Georgia, where I grew up in the country, the roads were built by chain-gang labor. "Na Geórgia, onde cresceu no país, as estradas foram construídas pela cadeia-gangue trabalhistas. I knew the sound, because as the men worked, they sang. Eu conhecia o som, porque, como os homens trabalhavam, eles cantaram. But I never thought I’d hear it coming from a concert stage … when she sang prison songs or work songs. Mas eu nunca pensei que eu iria ouvir isso vindo de um concerto fase ... quando ela cantou canções prisão ou trabalho canções. … She was just what I needed to begin my life as a freedom fighter and as a Freedom Singer.” ... Foi só o que eu precisava para começar a minha vida como um lutador ea liberdade como uma liberdade Singer. "

Reagon later went on to found the women’sa cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock. Reagon mais tarde passou a cappella women'sa encontrado o grupo Doce Mel no Rock.

Another great liberation singer we lost this year was Miriam Makeba of South Africa, known as “Mama Afrika.” She sang against apartheid, then went into exile for decades. Outra grande libertação cantor perdemos este ano foi de Miriam Makeba da África do Sul, conhecida como "Mama África". Ela cantou contra o apartheid e, em seguida, fui para o exílio há décadas. Belafonte helped her, too, gain recognition. Belafonte ajudou ela, também, conquistar o reconhecimento.

In 1968, she married SNCC-leader-turned-Black-Panther Stokely Carmichael, for which she was blacklisted in the US until the 1980s. Em 1968, ela casou-líder que virou SNCC-Black Panther, Stokely Carmichael, por que ela estava na lista negra os E.U. até a década de 1980.

Soon after her death, I asked the Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu about Makeba. Logo após sua morte, eu perguntei o Nobel da paz Desmond Tutu sobre laureado Makeba. The South African archbishop smiled: “Her singing, her voice, helped many people to know a little bit more about the vicious apartheid system. O Sul Africano arcebispo sorriu: "Seu cantar, a voz dela, ajudou muitas pessoas a conhecer um pouco mais sobre o sistema de apartheid vicioso. She was just a tremendous human being, a great loss to us and to Africa.” Ela era apenas um ser humano extraordinário, uma grande perda para nós e para a África. "

Also blacklisted in 1968 was singer and actress Eartha Kitt, who died at age 81 on Christmas Day. Também lista negra em 1968 foi cantora e atriz Eartha Kitt, que morreu em 81 anos no dia de Natal. In 1968, she was invited to a celebrity luncheon at the White House by Lady Bird Johnson, who asked Kitt about urban poverty. Em 1968, ela foi convidada para uma celebridade almoço na Casa Branca por Lady Bird Johnson, que pediu Kitt sobre a pobreza urbana. Kitt replied: “You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. Kitt respondeu: "Você envia o melhor deste país fora para ser filmado e mutilados. They rebel in the street. Os rebeldes na rua. They don’t want to go to school because they’re going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam.” The first lady reportedly burst into tears. Eles não querem ir à escola porque está indo para ser arrebatada ao largo de suas mães para ser abatido no Vietnã. "A primeira-dama informou estourar em lágrimas. For years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas and was investigated by the FBI and CIA. Durante anos depois, Kitt realizada quase exclusivamente no exterior e foi investigado pelo FBI e CIA.

Born out of the Deep South and South Africa, these women’s voices sang out, from concert halls to protest rallies. Nascido fora do Deep do Sul e da África do Sul, essas vozes femininas cantou fora, salas de concerto para protestar comícios. Another voice we just lost sang out from the written page. Outra voz que perdemos cantou a partir da folha escrita. Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve in London. Harold Pinter morreu na véspera de Natal, em Londres. Though too sick to travel to Stockholm to collect his Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005, he sent a video address: “The majority of politicians … are interested not in truth but in power. Embora muito doente para viajar a Estocolmo para recolher o seu prêmio Nobel de Literatura em 2005, ele enviou um vídeo endereço: "... A maioria dos políticos não estão interessados na verdade mas no poder. … To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance. ... Para manter esse poder é essencial que as pessoas permaneçam na ignorância. … What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies.” Pinter was referring to US policy from Guantanamo to Iraq. ... O que nos rodeia, por isso, é uma vasta tapeçaria de mentiras ". Pinter se referia à política E.U. de Guantanamo para o Iraque.

As these icons are laid to rest, their voices continue to inspire millions. Como estes ícones são estabelecidas para descansar, suas vozes continuam a inspirar milhões. Barack Obama will soon take the reins of the most powerful nation on Earth, promising change. Barack Obama, em breve tomar as rédeas da nação mais poderosa da Terra, prometendo mudanças. But it will now take the actions of those millions, heeding these echoes of the past and transforming them into their own voices, to effect real change. Mas vai agora tomar as ações desses milhões, ignorando estes ecos do passado e transformá-los em suas próprias vozes, para produzir mudanças reais.

Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column. Denis Moynihan contribuiu com a investigação a esta coluna.

Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 700 stations in North America. Amy Goodman é o anfitrião do "Democracy Now!", Um diário internacionais TV / rádio notícias hora ventilar por mais de 700 estações na América do Norte. She was awarded the 2008 Right Livelihood Award, dubbed the “Alternative Nobel” prize, and received the award in the Swedish Parliament in December. Ela foi premiada com o 2008 Right Livelihood Award, apelidado o "Nobel Alternativo" prémio, e recebeu o prêmio no Parlamento sueco em dezembro.

© 2008 Amy Goodman © 2008 Amy Goodman

Have Your Say: Amy Goodman: Voices of Resistance Sing On Dê a sua opinião: Amy Goodman: Vozes de Resistência Em Sing
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Friday, January 2nd, 2009 Sexta-feira, 2 de Janeiro de 2009

Have Your Say: Private firm may track all email and calls Dê a sua opinião: Private empresa pode acompanhar todas as chamadas e e-mail
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Thursday, January 1st, 2009 Quinta-feira, 1 º de janeiro de 2009

Today I am deleting all the content from my Myspace account and leaving only this notice. Hoje estou apagando todo o conteúdo de minha conta MySpace e deixando somente este aviso. I’ve been inspired by the Fui inspirada pela Franklin Street Statement Franklin Street Statement and e Identi.ca and I realize that a free/libre/open source internet is still possible, but it will require us to stop supporting corporate websites such as myspace. e eu percebo que um free / libre / open source internet ainda é possível, mas vai exigir-nos a parar de apoiar sites corporativos, tais como MySpace. Here are some good reasons to delete your Myspace page, and support alternatives not run by corporations. Aqui estão algumas boas razões para excluir a sua página Myspace, e apoiar alternativas não correr pelas corporações.

1. I’m tired of being free labor for the Fox corporation. Estou cansada de ser livre de trabalho para a Fox corporação. The right wing Fox news corporation owns myspace, and I’m not going to support them any longer by giving them my content, my writing and images and information about who my friends are, for free. A ala direita Fox News Corporation possui myspace, e eu não estou indo para apoiá-los por mais tempo, dando-lhes o meu conteúdo, o meu escrito e imagens e informações sobre quem são meus amigos, de graça. I don’t support war, the way the Fox corporation has, and I don’t want to provide them with more money to spread more pro-war propaganda. Eu não apoiar a guerra, o modo como a Fox corporação tem, e eu não quero prestar-lhes mais dinheiro para espalhar mais propaganda pró-guerra. According to their license, Myspace has full rights to use my content things like advertisements for Myspace. De acordo com a sua licença, Myspace tem plenos direitos para usar o meu conteúdo coisas como anúncios de Myspace.

2. I actually care about my friends, and don’t want to screw them over my making them a “friend” on Myspace. Eu realmente se preocupam com os meus amigos, e não querem apertar-lhes sobre o meu fazer-lhes um "amigo" no Myspace. By using myspace, I’m forcing my friends to sign up for a corporate owned, ad ridden, heteronormative web service if they want to stay in touch with me. Ao utilizar myspace, estou forçando meus amigos para se inscrever em uma das sociedades pertencentes, ad ridden, heteronormativo web service se quiser ficar em contato comigo. The way that we don’t want to delete our accounts because we want to stay in touch with friends or fans of our bands just shows how dependent we already are on Myspace’s corporate controlled environment. A maneira que nós não queremos apagar as nossas contas, porque queremos ficar em contato com os amigos ou fãs da nossa banda só mostra como dependentes que já estão no Myspace da corporativo ambiente controlado. We’re forced into a compulsory relationship we don’t want because we want to “keep in touch” with our friends? Somos forçados a uma obrigatória relação que não querem porque querem "manter contato" com os nossos amigos?

3. I’m tired up updating so many websites because Myspace refuses to be interoperable with other websites. Estou cansado de actualização tantos websites Myspace, porque se recusa a ser interoperáveis com outros sites. Myspace and sites like it do not allow you to download your data or automatically send it to other social networking sites because they want to force you into the jail of their website. Sites como o MySpace e que não permite o download de seus dados automaticamente ou enviá-la para outros sites de rede social, porque eles querem forçá-lo para a prisão do seu site. Why? Por quê? Why don’t we demand open social networking standards and the ability to download our own content? Porque não estamos a exigir padrões abertos de rede social e capacidade de baixar o nosso próprio conteúdo?

4. I have a good Free/Libre/Open Source alternative, my own blog. Tenho um bom Free / Libre / Open Source alternativas, o meu próprio blog. You can read about what I’m up to at Você pode ler sobre o que eu estou até com http://technotrannyslut.com , free of ads for bad movies and music, free of binary gender choices and heteronormative options for your relationships. , Livres de anúncios de maus filmes e música, livre de binário gênero heteronormativo escolhas e opções para o seu relacionamento. Sites like Identi.ca provide ethical, non-corporate controlled alternatives to sites like Twitter. Sites como o Identi.ca fornecer éticos, não-corporativos controlados alternativas para sites como o Twitter. You can keep up with my status on Identi.ca, and sign up for your own microblog, here: Você pode acompanhar com o meu estado de Identi.ca, e inscrever-se para o seu próprio microblog, aqui: http://identi.ca/djlotu5 Help create a well known list of alternatives like Identi.ca/Twitter , Opensim/Secondlife, if you now of any, by Ajudar a criar uma bem conhecida lista de alternativas como Identi.ca / Twitter, Opensim / Secondlife, se você a qualquer momento, por posting a comment here postar um comentário aqui :

Actually, even better than deleting your account, just delete all the content and post a notice like this one. Na verdade, ainda melhor do que apagar sua conta, basta apagar todo o conteúdo e publicar um anúncio como este.

This is just the beginning, I’m planning on getting off of Facebook and other web services as well, and I hope you do too. Este é apenas o começo, estou planejando sair do Facebook e outros serviços web como bem, e espero fazê-lo também. We can have an internet that is Free/Libre/Open Source, but only if we stop supporting the corporate, locked down options we’ve been using all of these years. Podemos ter uma internet que é Free / Libre / Open Source, mas apenas se deixar de apoiar as empresas, trancado opções que temos vindo a utilizar todos esses anos. As these services become more a part of our lives and get into our phones and our everyday communications, it is critical that we fight for our freedom. Como estes serviços tornam-se mais uma parte de nossas vidas e entrar nos nossos telefones e nosso quotidiano comunicações, é fundamental que nós lutamos pela nossa liberdade. The Free/Libre/Open Source movement needs to expand from just writing software, into creating networks of servers and services, like Indymedia has done for so many years. A Free / Libre / Open Source movimento precisa ampliar a partir de apenas escrever o software, na criação de redes de servidores e serviços, como o Indymedia fez por tantos anos. Software alone is not enough in a networked service ecology, where servers, cables, wireless networks, infrastructure that we all control is essential if we want freedom. Software por si só não é suficiente para uma rede de serviços ecologia, onde servidores, cabos, redes sem fio, infra-estruturas que todos nós o controlo é essencial se queremos liberdade. I hope to see you back on the Free/Libre/Open Source internet. Espero para ver você de volta sobre o Free / Libre / Open Source internet. Bye. Tchau.

Via techno tranny slut techno Tranny slut

Have Your Say: Why You Should Delete Your MySpace Account Dê a sua opinião: Por que você deve excluir sua conta MySpace
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Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 Quarta-feira, 31 de Dezembro de 2008

By Por Hywel Trewyn Hywel Trewyn

CALLS to put Welsh on new ID cards are at last to be considered by the Government. CONVITES para colocar no novo galês cartões são, finalmente, a ser considerada pelo Governo.

The U-turn follows pressure from language campaigners who say it would be an insult if English-only cards were issued in Wales. O meia-volta segue pressão de ativistas língua que dizem que seria um insulto Inglês-se somente cartões foram emitidos no País de Gales.

The Welsh Language Board yesterday welcomed an announcement that UK Border Agency officials will at least review the idea of producing bilingual cards available for Wales. O galês Câmara saudou ontem um anúncio de que a UK Border Agency funcionários, pelo menos, rever a idéia de produzir placas bilíngües disponíveis para País de Gales.

It is a reversal on policy from earlier this year, when the Home Office said it had “no intention to include Welsh on identity cards”, arguing the language “was not an official language of the EU.” É uma inversão na política do início deste ano, quando o Ministério do Interior disse que tinha "nenhuma intenção de incluir galês em bilhetes de identidade", defendendo a língua ", não foi uma das línguas oficiais da UE."

But the WLB has always argued including Welsh on cards issued in Wales was essential – the same as for driving licences and passports. Mas a WLB sempre defendeu incluindo galês sobre cartões emitidos no País de Gales foi essencial - as mesmas que para as cartas de condução e passaportes.

And they are sending a clear message to the Government that Welsh people would see it as an insult if a Welsh option was excluded from the cards, which will eventually be distributed to every British citizen. E eles estão enviando uma clara mensagem ao Governo galês que as pessoas o veriam como um insulto, se uma opção galês foi excluído dos cartões, que serão depois distribuídos a todos os cidadãos britânicos.

WLB chair Meri Huws said: “If the Welsh language does not appear on Identity Cards, I don’t believe they will reflect the true identity of the people of Wales, and their linguistic identity in particular. WLB cadeira Meri Huws disse: "Se o galês não aparecem nos bilhetes de identidade, eu não acredito que eles vão reflectir a verdadeira identidade do povo do País de Gales, e sua identidade linguística, em particular.

“Therefore it is essential that all ID cards issued in Wales are fully bilingual, as is the case with driving licences. "Por isso, é essencial que todos os cartões emitidos no País de Gales estão totalmente bilíngües, como é o caso das cartas de condução.

“I welcome the fact that the Home Office is now considering how to include the language on cards issued in the future, and look forward to hearing a statement on this issue soon.” "Congratulo-me com o fato de que o Home Office está agora a considerar como incluir o idioma em cartões emitidos no futuro, e ansioso por ouvir uma declaração sobre este assunto em breve."

And the WLB stance was supported by Caernarfon Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams: “The first drafts of the proposed ID cards had the Union Jack on them. E a WLB postura foi apoiada por Caernarfon Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams: "Os primeiros rascunhos da proposta de cartões tiveram a União Jack sobre eles. This would have been wholly unacceptable to people living in Wales. Este teria sido totalmente inaceitável para as pessoas que vivem no País de Gales. I understand now there’s not going to be the Union flag.” Eu entendo agora há não vai ser a bandeira da União ".

Mr Williams has tabled a number of questions asking the Government what steps have they taken to provide bilingual ID cards in Wales and the rest of the UK and for Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy about which steps he has taken to guarantee that Welsh will be on the cards. Sr. Williams apresentou uma série de perguntas perguntando quais os passos que o Governo tem que tomar para proporcionar bilíngüe cartões no País de Gales e do resto do Reino Unido e de Secretário galês Paul Murphy sobre quais os passos que ele tomou para garantir que os galeses será no cartão .

Now, following a consultation period, it seems there is a glimmer of hope that they will be bilingual. Agora, após um período de consulta, que parece existir é um vislumbre de esperança de que será bilíngüe.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said: “There will be no Welsh headings on the first wave of identity cards to be issued to workers in critical locations in Manchester and London City airports. A UK Border Agency porta-voz disse: "Não haverá galês posições na primeira onda de cartões de identidade a ser emitido para os trabalhadores em locais críticos em Manchester e Londres Cidade aeroportos. International Civil Aviation Organisation rules state that travel documents must have headings written in English and French. Organização da Aviação Civil Internacional regras estabelecem que os documentos de viagem deve ter posições escritas em Inglês e Francês.

“As we roll out ID cards across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we will review the inclusion of Welsh on the cards.” "Como nós implantação de cartões em toda a Inglaterra, País de Gales, Escócia e Irlanda do Norte, que irá analisar a inclusão do galês sobre o cartão."

A previous linguistic battle was won after the census was forced to include a Welsh tick box for Welsh people. A batalha foi ganha anterior linguística após o censo foi obrigado a incluir uma caixa de carrapato Welsh Welsh pessoas.

The first identity cards were distributed to foreign residents living in the UK last month and will then be distributed to the general population of the UK in stages, dependent upon status, over the next three years. Os primeiros bilhetes de identidade foram distribuídas para os residentes estrangeiros que vivem no Reino Unido no mês passado e depois será distribuído para a população em geral do Reino Unido, em fases, depende de estado, ao longo dos próximos três anos.

People working in “sensitive” jobs like at airport employees will be given the cards first, then young people who want them from 2010 and from 2011 they will be available to everyone. Pessoas que trabalham em "sensíveis" como o emprego no aeroporto empregados serão dadas as cartas primeiro, em seguida, os jovens que querem eles a partir de 2010 e de 2011 vão estar disponíveis para todos.

Have Your Say: Government considers Wales as ID card guinea pigs Dê a sua opinião: Governo considera Gales como cartão cobaias
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Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 Quarta-feira, 31 de Dezembro de 2008

By Kaya Burgess Por Kaya Burgess

The Labour administration in 1978 believed the introduction of ID cards would be “unacceptable” and “objectionable” in the fight against illegal immigration, confidential documents released today show. A administração do Trabalho, em 1978, acreditava que a introdução de cartões de identificação seria "inaceitável" e "censuráveis" na luta contra a imigração ilegal, documentos confidenciais, divulgado hoje mostra.

The comments were in a draft statement due to be given to the Commons by Merlyn Rees, the Home Secretary, who wrote that the introduction of identity cards “would require major changes in practices and powers reaching far beyond immigration control”. Os comentários eram de um projecto de declaração que deve ser dada ao Commons por Merlyn Rees, o Ministro do Interior, que escreveu que a introdução de cartões de identidade "implicará importantes mudanças nas práticas e os poderes de ultrapassar largamente controle de imigração".

He added: “In the past such changes have been contemplated only in war: the Government does not believe they could be justified on immigration grounds alone.” Ele acrescentou: "No passado, essas alterações foram contempladas apenas na guerra: o Governo não se acredita que poderiam ser justificadas por motivos de imigração sozinho".

The comments were later edited out of the final speech he delivered to the House, as a struggling Labour Government tried to resist the calls from Opposition leader Margaret Thatcher for more draconian measures to tackle illegal immigration. Os comentários foram posteriormente editadas no final do discurso que ele entregue à Câmara, como um governo trabalhista lutando tentou resistir aos apelos do líder oposicionista Margaret Thatcher para mais draconianas medidas para combater a imigração ilegal.

In a secret discussion between Prime Minister Callaghan and the Whips on March 8 1978, a Downing Street aide wrote: “It was claimed that many Asian immigrants were very frightened. Em uma discussão secreta entre o Primeiro-Ministro e do Callaghan Chicotes em 8 de março de 1978, um assessor de Downing Street escreveu: "Foi alegado que muitos imigrantes asiáticos ficaram muito assustados.

“There was bitter opposition to the tactics adopted by Mrs Thatcher… and that resentment should be exploited by the Government.” "Não foi a oposição amarga a táctica adoptada pela senhora Thatcher ... ressentimento e que devem ser exploradas pelo Governo."

Ministers stuck by their pledge not to introduce quotas on immigration as they did not want the “objectionable” measure of requiring everyone to carry identification papers. Ministros preso por sua promessa de não introduzir quotas de imigração, uma vez que não queria o "censurável" medida da exigência de todos para desempenhar papéis identificação.

The confidential Government documents also discussed ways to expose “the fraudulent nature of Mrs Thatcher’s approach”, although a personal note written by Mr Callaghan warned that the Government’s response to Select Committee recommendations was too lacklustre. Os documentos confidenciais governo também discutiu formas para expor "a natureza fraudulenta da senhora Thatcher da abordagem", apesar de uma nota pessoal, escrito pelo Sr. Callaghan advertiu que a resposta do Governo para Select Committee recomendações era muito fraco.

He said: “We seemed to be accepting few recommendations – mostly ones to do nothing.” Ele disse: "Não parecia estar aceitando algumas recomendações - principalmente aqueles que não fazem nada."

Have Your Say: 1978: Labour opposed ID cards to curb illegal immigration Have Your Say: 1978: Trabalho cartões oposição para travar a imigração ilegal
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Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 Terça-feira, 30 de dezembro de 2008

• Unrest caused by bad economy may require military action, report says – ‘Pervasive public health emergencies’ may require call on military 29 Dec 2008 A US Army War College report warns an economic crisis in the United States could lead to massive civil unrest and the need to call on the military to restore order.
• Flu watchdog lab planned 29 Dec 2008 ‘The idea is to strengthen our surveillance against the dreaded bird flu and be ready with a disease control plan if it strikes.’
• Jakarta ends stand-off on bird flu vaccines – Indonesia’s health minister accused the US of trying to use bird flu samples to create a biological weapon . 24 Feb 2008
• DoD to carry out ‘military missions’ during pandemic, WMD attack 23 Oct 2007
• DoD to ‘augment civilian law’ during pandemic or bioterror attack 11 May 2007
• Scientists Recreate 1918 Flu and See Parallels to Bird Flu –In 2005, US Army scientists reconstructed Spanish flu virus by extracting genetic fragments from the bodies of victims exhumed from the Alaskan permafrost. 18 Jan 2007
• KBR awarded Homeland Security contract worth up to $385M 24 Jan 2006 KBR, the engineering and construction subsidiary of Halliburton Co., said Tuesday it has been awarded a contingency contract from the Department of Homeland Security to supports its Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in the event of an emergency.
• Rumsfeld’s growing stake in Tamiflu –Defense Secretary, ex-chairman of flu treatment rights holder, sees portfolio value growing . 31 Oct 2005 The prospect of a bird flu outbreak may be panicking people around the globe, but it’s proving to be very good news for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other politically connected investors in Gilead Sciences, the California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu, the influenza remedy that’s now the most-sought after drug in the world. Rumsfeld served as Gilead (Research)’s chairman from 1997 until he joined the Bush administration in 2001, and he still holds a Gilead stake valued at between $5 million and $25 million , according to federal financial disclosures filed by Rumsfeld.
• Killer flu recreated in the lab 07 Oct 2004 Scientists have shown that tiny changes to modern flu viruses could render them as deadly as the 1918 strain which killed millions. A US team added two genes from a sample of the 1918 virus to a modern strain known to have no effect on mice.

Have Your Say: US, Japanese Researchers Mix Samples of 1918 Flu Pandemic to Recreate Deadly Code
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Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

The Independent - We’ve got so used to the carnage of the Middle East that we don’t care any more – providing we don’t offend the Israelis. It’s not clear how many of the Gaza dead are civilians, but the response of the Bush administration, not to mention the pusillanimous reaction of Gordon Brown, reaffirm for Arabs what they have known for decades: however they struggle against their antagonists, the West will take Israel’s side. As usual, the bloodbath was the fault of the Arabs – who, as we all know, only understand force.

Ever since 1948, we’ve been hearing this balderdash from the Israelis – just as Arab nationalists and then Arab Islamists have been peddling their own lies: that the Zionist “death wagon” will be overthrown, that all Jerusalem will be “liberated”. And always Mr Bush Snr or Mr Clinton or Mr Bush Jnr or Mr Blair or Mr Brown have called upon both sides to exercise “restraint” – as if the Palestinians and the Israelis both have F-18s and Merkava tanks and field artillery. Hamas’s home-made rockets have killed just 20 Israelis in eight years, but a day-long blitz by Israeli aircraft that kills almost 300 Palestinians is just par for the course.

The blood-splattering has its own routine. Yes, Hamas provoked Israel’s anger, just as Israel provoked Hamas’s anger, which was provoked by Israel, which was provoked by Hamas, which … See what I mean? Hamas fires rockets at Israel, Israel bombs Hamas, Hamas fires more rockets and Israel bombs again and … Got it? And we demand security for Israel – rightly – but overlook this massive and utterly disproportionate slaughter by Israel. It was Madeleine Albright who once said that Israel was “under siege” – as if Palestinian tanks were in the streets of Tel Aviv.

By last night, the exchange rate stood at 296 Palestinians dead for one dead Israeli. Back in 2006, it was 10 Lebanese dead for one Israeli dead. This weekend was the most inflationary exchange rate in a single day since – the 1973 Middle East War? The 1967 Six Day War? The 1956 Suez War? The 1948 Independence/Nakba War? It’s obscene, a gruesome game – which Ehud Barak, the Israeli Defence Minister, unconsciously admitted when he spoke this weekend to Fox TV. “Our intention is to totally change the rules of the game,” Barak said.

Exactly. Only the “rules” of the game don’t change. This is a further slippage on the Arab-Israeli exchanges, a percentage slide more awesome than Wall Street’s crashing shares, though of not much interest in the US which – let us remember – made the F-18s and the Hellfire missiles which the Bush administration pleads with Israel to use sparingly.

Quite a lot of the dead this weekend appear to have been Hamas members, but what is it supposed to solve? Is Hamas going to say: “Wow, this blitz is awesome – we’d better recognise the state of Israel, fall in line with the Palestinian Authority, lay down our weapons and pray we are taken prisoner and locked up indefinitely and support a new American ‘peace process’ in the Middle East!” Is that what the Israelis and the Americans and Gordon Brown think Hamas is going to do?

Yes, let’s remember Hamas’s cynicism, the cynicism of all armed Islamist groups. Their need for Muslim martyrs is as crucial to them as Israel’s need to create them. The lesson Israel thinks it is teaching – come to heel or we will crush you – is not the lesson Hamas is learning. Hamas needs violence to emphasise the oppression of the Palestinians – and relies on Israel to provide it. A few rockets into Israel and Israel obliges.

Not a whimper from Tony Blair, the peace envoy to the Middle East who’s never been to Gaza in his current incarnation. Not a bloody word.

We hear the usual Israeli line. General Yaakov Amidror, the former head of the Israeli army’s “research and assessment division” announced that “no country in the world would allow its citizens to be made the target of rocket attacks without taking vigorous steps to defend them”. Quite so. But when the IRA were firing mortars over the border into Northern Ireland, when their guerrillas were crossing from the Republic to attack police stations and Protestants, did Britain unleash the RAF on the Irish Republic? Did the RAF bomb churches and tankers and police stations and zap 300 civilians to teach the Irish a lesson? No, it did not. Because the world would have seen it as criminal behaviour. We didn’t want to lower ourselves to the IRA’s level.

Yes, Israel deserves security. But these bloodbaths will not bring it. Not since 1948 have air raids protected Israel. Israel has bombed Lebanon thousands of times since 1975 and not one has eliminated “terrorism”. So what was the reaction last night? The Israelis threaten ground attacks. Hamas waits for another battle. Our Western politicians crouch in their funk holes. And somewhere to the east – in a cave? a basement? on a mountainside? – a well-known man in a turban smiles.

Have Your Say: Fisk: Leaders Lie, Civilians Die, and Lessons of History are Ignored
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Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

leninology.blogspot.com

I warned you months ago: the magic word is ‘Sderot’ . Any amount of barbarism can be justified by the frankly risible rocket attacks on southern Israel. The Israeli propaganda line, repeated with dogged fanaticism by its apologists everywhere, is that Israel performed an immense act of goodness in withdrawing its colonies from Gaza, and the native ingrates actually responded by sending a spray of Qassam rockets aloft in celebration. To add insult to injury, the bleeders even used former ’settlement’ buildings to launch the rockets from. Such beliefs have to be encouraged to justify such outrageous proposals as the levelling of Gaza . Before this gets out of hand and people start using the rockets to justify some sort of “holocaust” , let us at least bear the facts in mind for a while.

The Qassam rockets were being used as one component of an array of military tactics deployed by Gazan groups before the pull-out, the Gush Katif colonies being the prominent target. This was a response to a wave of violence and expulsions in which, for example, 13,350 residents of Rafah had their homes and life belongings destroyed in the year preceding the withdrawal, courtesy of Israeli tanks and Caterpillar bulldozers. Parts of Gaza came to resemble Grozny. The Israelis frequently attacked ambulances, at one point using the argument that UNRWA had allowed Qassam rockets to be loaded on board one such vehicle (this turned out to be a lie, but it is still repeated on many a media outlet and website). The vast majority of casualties from their use date back to the period of formal colonialism. After the withdrawal, the rate at which these were used diminished dramatically. Their use has spiked in response to serial atrocities against Palestinians, such as the slaughter of the Ghaliya family on the Gaza beach, (in which Hamas broke an eighteen month unilateral ceasefire ).

There were few such rockets fired during the six-month ceasefire, even though Israel didn’t respect its terms, but their use was increased again as Israel broke the truce on November 4th (burn that date into your brain and remember it next time someone tells you that those nasty Hamas thugs wouldn’t renew the ceasefire). Now, there are legitimate arguments about both the efficacy and ethics of using such weapons. To my mind, they have very little going for them as a tactic of resistance. But the apparently widespread belief that Qassam rockets are the vindictive and jubilant response of sneering Palestinian jihadists to Israeli mushiness is not justified by any evidence. In fact, if the aim were truly to end Qassam rocket fire, the logical option would to be engage in a unilateral ceasefire and invite Hamas to enter into a process of dialogue. But that brings us to another myth, the myth of Hamas rejectionism, which is for another post.

Have Your Say: The Qassam rockets myths
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Monday, December 29th, 2008

By NORM KENT

He picked for Vice President one of the major architects of the Drug War.

He picked for Chief of Staff one of the chief opponents of medical marijuana.

He is talking about picking for the Drug Czar spot a conservative candidate who has been a congressional leader fighting drug reform.

He has promised to put an end to raids on medical dispensaries in California, but he has not said he will broadly support the Hinchey-Rohrbacher Amendment which would let states decide the issue.

He has moved from once supporting marijuana decriminalization to publishing comments that he cannot overuse ‘political capital’ on the issue.

He has now appointed for Attorney General a candidate who has a long history of opposing drug policy reforms and who has in court supported mandatory minimum sentencing and civil forfeiture.

Allen St. Pierre, the Executive Director of NORML, summed it up best about Mr. Obama’s appointments thus far: “So Far, Not So Good:” His thought-provoking article appears on the NORML.com website at its blog.

From summarizing why the selection of Joe Biden as Vice President caused him ‘digestive tumult’ to tracing Rahm Emanuel’s anti-drug policies for the past decade, the article captures a snapshot of what was routine politics as usual for the players soon to be in power.

When it comes to our 44th President, some of his positions on marijuana were once encouraging. But as Mr. Obama has moved towards the national limelight, there is a new found frustration for reformers. It seems the President to be is moving from the left to the middle. And as Loudon Wainwright once wrote in a popular song, the only things you see in the middle of the road are dead skunks and yellow lines. Still, I am not alarmed yet. It is way too early, and there is still room and reason for optimism.

Commencing your administration in the face of a national economic crisis at home while American soldiers are at war abroad can focus your priorities on other issues outside the need for weed. We have seen what happened to Bill Clinton when he tried, too early in his administration, to advance the cause of gay rights by banning discrimination against homosexuals in the military. He started a firestorm which burnt up valuable first months of his presidency.

We do know this though, and it is a challenging start. Rather decisively, on the official administration website, at www.change.gov , the following statement appears:  President-elect Obama is not in favor of the legalization of marijuana.

What can we then expect of Mr. Obama once he becomes President?

I think there are many encouraging things.

First, in his past he has acknowledged the broad failures of the drug war, declaring in 2004 that it was an “utter failure” which needs to be rethought.

Second, as an African-American in an urban community, few people will be as sensitive as Mr. Obama to the exhaustive legal toll this drug war exacts on minority communities. The arrests come quicker, the prosecutions are more frequent, and the sentences are longer. Drug arrests have been tools to deny poor people driver’s licenses, scholarships and federal welfare benefits, causing innocuous conduct to endure catastrophic consequences for otherwise decent people.

Third, the President is ‘with it’. His telling comments to a group of students when asked whether he ‘inhaled’ marijuana were “Of course, I thought that was the whole purpose.”

Those remarks are a reflection of the candor and commitment of Mr. Obama to address the issue in a new light. He did not play a game of Clintonian holier-than-thou cover-up. With the same self-deprecating qualities that he shared with the nation when he called himself a ‘mutt,’ Mr. Obama implied in tone and substance that marijuana may not be as bad as we have been hearing from the government for too many decades.

Last week, the website Change.gov asked the public to provide them with a list of the top public policy questions facing America. Visitors to the site were then asked to vote on which questions should take priority for the incoming administration.

After receiving nearly 100,000 total votes on more than 10,000 separate public policy issues, the most widely voted on question for Obama is:

“Will you consider legalizing marijuana so that the government can regulate it, tax it, put age limits on it, and create millions of new jobs and create a billion dollar industry right here in the US”

Maybe Rahm Emanuel has turned a corner as well. Rahm is politically smart if nothing else, so I hope that he’ll follow his boss’ lead in the area of criminal justice reforms. Also, to his credit, after voting years against Hinchey-Rohrbacher Amendment in 2007, as member of Congress from Illinois, Rahm voted in favor of holding back federal funding from law enforcement (read DEA) to raid or harass medical marijuana cultivators and dispensaries.

I know I have been unsuccessful in getting my own liberal Congresswoman from South Florida, Debbie Wasserman-Schulz, to even support this effort. Maybe Mr. Emanuel will influence her and dozens of others. It will take leadership from the oval office. That can only happen when the people in office are looked upon as enlightened reformers rather than being weak on crime.

Politically, I know such polls as the one the administration inaugurated here are instrumental in turning mindsets. If we can show politicians that it is ‘safe’ to support drug reform, even popular, we can suddenly find them on our side. To their credit, outstanding philanthropists like Peter Lewis and George Soros have been national leaders in helping bring public opinion out of the closet. These are men whose voices may be heard by the new administration. And I am here for them too if they need me. My number is listed. So too is Barney Frank, the influential Massachusetts congressman who has long supported decriminalization legislation.

The truth is that people who support decriminalization have always been a silent majority afraid to speak out. But give them a secret ballot box, and in state after state, you see massive support for medical marijuana and a more enlightened approach to marijuana reform. Perhaps the President, in his own unique disarming way, can lead a new path. He has surrounded himself with educated leaders who also have been willing to speak candidly in favor of decriminalization including new Cabinet nominee Bill Richardson.

We do not need a new Drug Czar, either. This is America. Czars are for Russia. What we need is the appointment of an educator, a scientist, a doctor, a constitutional rights lawyer to pave the way to a new era of drug enlightenment.

At the last NORML Board of Directors meeting, one issue we raised was one many of us within the drug reform movement can support. It has been three decades since the Shafer Commission released its national study on marijuana, which Nixon immediately trashed. Perhaps a new Blue Ribbon Commission, with decades more research behind it, and years of medical marijuana evidence, can look into new recommendations for the 21st century.

On one hand, such a Presidential panel would buy time for the new administration to get settled in with more pressing priorities. But it would also give drug reformers a national platform to address so many issues that have been, forgive me, cultivated- since the Shafer Commission, from forfeiture laws to raids on dispensaries, from the THC content of marijuana to medicinal initiatives. It is time to look again at marijuana with a scholarly and clinical eye instead of with SWAT teams and law enforcement raids.

Correspondingly, it is also time for the national drug reform organizations to speak with a singular voice and work together for a common purpose. There needs to be a unity of purpose, and leaders from the Marijuana Policy Project, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Drug Policy Alliance, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy, and a host of other respected reform organizations, too many to mention here, should hold their own meeting to develop a common theme with a collective initiative. We need to work together to send a message that is enlightened and progressive, convincing legislators and the executive branch that we are responsible and right..

The drug reform movement needs to act in a way that President-elect Obama has asked all of us to move towards: not to be tied to the politics of the past and the way things have always been done, but to engage hope by broadening our constituency and reaching out to others. Within the drug reform movement, fratricide must come to an end. We must bury the hatchet on our own rivalries, and move forward with a common purpose. We defeat ourselves by ourselves when we do not.

Our cause is just, and our goals have always been righteous. We may have only ourselves to blame if we cannot achieve now what we have fought so long for. I would say our time is now, but I thought that in 1976 when the Attorney General of the United States, then Ramsey Clark, said we should see an end to unjust marijuana laws before the end of the decade. I think we are overdue. Together, let us do better than we have already done.

We have a President who is willing to listen, a Congress that is willing to learn, and a public that is salivating for a better solution.

Norm Kent is a criminal defense lawyer from Fort Lauderdale who serves on the Board of Directors for NORML www.norml.com He can be reached at Norm@normkent.com , and his law office website is www.normkent.com

Have Your Say: What Will Obama Do About Cannabis?
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Monday, December 29th, 2008

By Venezolana de Televisión

“The Kingdom of Heaven is not a kingdom or life in the clouds. Either it exists here or else it exists nowhere,” President Chávez issued a wake-up call during the last Sunday program of 2008. “It’s on earth, and that is why Christ came here and was born among the poor, in the manger.”

The head of state in Venezuela noted that the capitalist system throughout its history has distorted Jesus’s message to the poor about the Kingdom of Heaven, with the sole purpose of exploiting the impoverished majorities in favor of the minorities who enjoy the wealth of the world.

The Christ child was born on earth, poor and human, to fight and make this planet truly the kingdom of heaven, of equality and justice, not to be poor in life and to win glory in the afterlife, Comandante Chávez said during the last Aló Presidente broadcast of the year, speaking from El Valle where he inaugurated a new People’s Clinic.

“The message of Christ, who said the Kingdom of Heaven is that of the poor, has been very often manipulated. In this way they have for centuries manipulated the poor of the world, to make them quietly accept exploitation.”

“Christ was born to call on us to create, here on earth, the Kingdom of Love,” Chávez explained, adding that this kingdom has no other name than socialism.

The president reminded the audience that socialism comes from what is social, as capitalism proceeds from capital.

“Socialism is the doctrine, science, of development of what is social. Capitalism is the immoral art, science, and technology of development of capital or growth of capital — (for capitalism) what matters is that even while people die of hunger capitalists accumulate capital.”

The president stressed that therein lies the key to understanding the confrontation that began again, in which Venezuela has become the center of the battle between socialists and capitalists, “between people becoming more politically conscious every day and those who exploited them forever.” He said that that is why the issue of the constitutional amendment is of vital importance as it will allow Venezuela to go farther on the socialist path, the truly human and democratic path, for the happiness of the Venezuelan people.

To conclude the last Aló Presidente of the year, the president wished the best for Venezuelan families, urging them to enjoy Christmas and New Year’s Eve with love, moderation, and simplicity so they can continue in 2009 the work of making Venezuela a great nation of justice and equality.

Have Your Say: Chávez: Capitalists Have Manipulated the Message of Christ to Exploit the Poor
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Monday, December 29th, 2008

The first day of what Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak assures us will be a “long and difficult” war in the Gaza Strip has come and gone, leaving at least 300 Gazans dead , over 700 wounded, and one Israeli civilian killed and four wounded in retaliatory strikes . The number of Gaza civilians dead is not currently known, but the attacks centered around police stations and killed a large number of Palestinian security forces.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak hit out at calls to cease the attacks and renew the ceasefire, saying “ for us to be asked to have a ceasefire with Hamas is like asking you to have a ceasefire with al-Qaeda .” Except of course that up until a week ago Israel did have a six month long ceasefire with Hamas which Minister Barak repeatedly defended from the more hawkish opposition members.

But the time for an unpopular peace is over in Israel, and police are being dispatched to crack down on those protesting against the unpopular war that has followed.

Meanwhile, as Gazans count their dead and tend to their wounded in a chaotic scene , Hamas and the assorted militant factions that reside in the strip are vowing revenge. Hamas says “ all options are open ” in responding to the attacks, while Islamic Jihad is ordering all its fighters to respond to “ the Israeli slaughter .”

Those still calling for peace between the belligerent factions appear for now to have little traction, and the war is liable to continue to escalate.

Have Your Say: Over 300 Killed in Gaza as Attacks Continue
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This entry was posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 at 1:09 am and is filed under Contributions & Guests . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.

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