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  | Translate: 翻譯：               EU and US said to favour elections over human rights歐盟和美國表示贊成選舉對人權 Sunday, January 4th, 2009 星期日， 2009年1月4日
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.上市國家選舉已經混合暴力和鎮壓，人權觀察說，西方列強，特別是美國和歐洲聯盟，接受選舉的國家，不尊重人權，出於政治原因，並從中受益。 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.該組織說，西方國家繼續支撐脆弱的民主國家，或那些自稱是，如肯尼亞，一波又一波的屠殺遵循一個有爭議的選舉中，和巴基斯坦，在那裡的選舉即將到來的暗殺後，反對派領袖貝布托。 The group also said that countries including Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Russia and Thailand have taken on the belief that elections are equal to democracy.該集團還表示，國家，包括巴林，約旦，尼日利亞，俄羅斯和泰國已經採取的信念，選舉是民主平等的。 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.在其年度報告中，該集團表示，華盛頓，布魯塞爾和歐洲國家的首都“發揮沿”的概念，一個國家可以有民主只要舉行選舉。 “It’s now easy for autocrats to get away with mounting a sham democracy,” said Kenneth Roth, the group’s executive director. “現在方便獨裁者擺脫日益增多的假民主” ，羅斯說，肯尼思，該集團的執行主任。 “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. “這是因為太多的西方國家政府堅持選舉和停留在這一點上。 ” “他們不按政府的關鍵的人權問題，使民主功能-自由的新聞媒體，和平集會，和一個正常運作的民間社會，能夠真正挑戰權力， “羅斯說。 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.該報告說，嚴重侵犯人權行為助長了在索馬里的人道主義危機和歐加登地區在埃塞俄比亞東部，在那裡數以百萬計的人民正在受苦受難。 The report documented manipulations of elections.該報告記載操縱選舉。 It said Chad, Kazakhstan, Nigeria and Uzbekistan committed “outright fraud,” while governments controlled the electoral machinery in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Malaysia, Thailand and Zimbabwe.它說，乍得，哈薩克斯坦，尼日利亞和烏茲別克斯坦致力於“徹底欺詐” ，而政府控制了選舉機構在阿塞拜疆，巴林，馬來西亞，泰國和津巴布韋。 Belarus, Egypt, Cuba, Iran and Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories blocked or discouraged opposition candidates.白俄羅斯，埃及，古巴，伊朗和以色列在被佔領的巴勒斯坦領土封鎖或阻止反對派候選人。 Russia and Tunisia were cited for stifling the media, and China and Pakistan undermined the rule of law, the report said.俄羅斯和突尼斯被認為為扼殺媒體，中國和巴基斯坦破壞了法治，報告說。 “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. “許多這些伎倆都是非法根據國內法和國際法，但很少做外部勢力呼籲各國政府考慮到它， ”報告說。 “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. “建立的民主國家往往是不願意這樣做由於擔心失去獲得資源或商業機會，或因自覺要求打擊恐怖主義” 。 “看來美國和歐洲各國政府將接受即使是最可疑的選舉，只要'維克多是一個戰略或商業盟友， “它說。 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.在肯尼亞，對立的政治談判雙方停止有爭議的選舉和惡毒的種族衝突後，殺死了一名反對黨議員，但表示，他們將繼續談判，同時將繼續互相殘殺。 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.該國仍然是緊張和動盪和暴力的繼續執政，而各政黨為爭奪超過一個月超過誰贏得了總統選舉。 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.納賽爾埃加-穆薩，聯合國發言人說，雙方已經“普遍希望繼續進行談判，並願意不被分散和破壞” ，由槍殺大衛太多。 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.人權報告也說，中方已取締的媒體，因為它正在準備舉行的夏季奧運會在8月。 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.外國記者誰給的權利，採訪中受到騷擾，拘留或受到恐嚇，以防止他們做報告，該國的人權記錄惡劣。 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.它說，建築業的蓬勃發展為準備奧運會涉及估計有100萬建築工人在惡劣和不安全的勞動條件，但在對華貿易中更重要的是，美國和歐盟不是人權。 Have Your Say: EU and US said to favour elections over human rights 你說：歐盟和美國表示贊成選舉對人權 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Rallies to protest Gaza bombing集會，抗議加沙爆炸事件 Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 星期六， 2009年1月3日
Tens of thousands of protesters are due to voice their anger at the Gaza bombing blitz in a series of rallies across the UK.數以萬計的示威者是因為他們的憤怒的聲音在加沙轟炸突擊了一系列的集會在英國。 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.高達20000人-包括歌手安妮藍妮克絲與尊重議員加洛韋-預計到3月沿著路基之前在倫敦步行到特拉法爾加廣場，要求立即制止以色列的襲擊。 The demonstration is the biggest of at least 18 organised across the country.這次示威是最大的，至少有18舉辦全國各地。 Former model Bianca Jagger and singer Lennox have backed the protests, calling on American President-elect Barack Obama to speak up against the bombardment.與前模特和歌手比安卡賈格爾倫諾克都支持抗議，要求美國當選總統奧巴馬發言反對轟炸。 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.其他集會將在Blytheswood廣場，格拉斯哥;貝德福德廣場，埃克塞特;王子街，愛丁堡，布里斯托爾城中心;大膽街，利物浦;諾威奇論壇;樸次茅斯的市政廳廣場，維多利亞女王廣場，赫爾;滕布里奇韋爾斯鎮中心;利茲美術館;諸聖公園，曼徹斯特;灰色的紀念碑，紐卡斯爾;城堡廣場，斯旺西;聖桑普森廣場，紐約;莫里森，卡納芬;布拉德福德市中心;和謝菲爾德大會堂。 Former mayor of London Ken Livingstone and comedian Alexei Sayle also added their support to the campaign to end the violence.前倫敦市長肯利文斯通和喜劇演員阿列克謝Sayle還表示他們支持這項運動，以結束暴力。 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.在新聞發布會上在倫敦市中心，她賈格爾說： “我想作一個呼籲當選總統奧巴馬說話了。 “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.” “世界各地人民都希望他當選時，我們必須向他提出上訴，要求立即停止轟炸平民在加沙地帶。 ” Lennox spoke of her shock at watching scenes of the bombing on television.倫諾克談到她的震驚場面看電視上的爆炸事件。 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.”她說： “幾天後我來到樓下的聖誕節，把電視上，看見煙霧pyres來自建築物和我感到震驚的核心，因為我想作為一個母親和作為一個人的。 ” Comedian Sayle said he was speaking out because it was important for Jewish voices to be heard.搞笑Sayle說，他講了，因為它是非常重要的猶太人的聲音被聽到。 He said: “I want to feel proud of Israel, I want to be proud of my people but I am ashamed.”他說： “我要對以色列感到自豪，我想我值得自豪的人，但我感到慚愧。 ” Have Your Say: Rallies to protest Gaza bombing 你說：集會，抗議加沙爆炸事件 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Guantanamo intake unacceptable, says Malcolm Turnbull關塔那摩的攝入量不能接受的，說特恩布爾 Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 星期六， 2009年1月3日
KEVIN Rudd should immediately reverse a decision to allow former Guantanamo Bay inmates to resettle in Australia, the Opposition said today. 陸克文應立即扭轉決定允許前關塔那摩囚犯定居在澳大利亞，反對黨今天表示。 Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard has confirmed that Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay.代理總理朱莉婭吉拉德證實，澳大利亞，以及其他一些國家，已接近考慮安置被拘留者從關塔那摩灣。 “Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be made on a case-by-case basis,” she said. “任何一個人的決心來澳將在個案的基礎上， ”她說。 “For anyone to be accepted they would have to meet Australia’s strict legal requirement and go through normal rigorous assessment processes.” “任何人接受他們必須滿足澳大利亞的嚴格的法律要求，通過正常的嚴格的評估過程。 ” But Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull said on Macquarie Radio the situation was unacceptable.但是，反對黨領袖特恩布爾說電台的麥格理的情況是不能接受的。 “It’s only in this morning’s “這只是在今天上午的 report in The Australian報告在澳大利亞 that the Rudd government has made clear that it will accept these inmates of Guantanamo Bay,” he said.拉德說，政府已明確表示，它將接受這些囚犯在關塔那摩監獄， “他說。 “One of the things that is most troubling … is whether the Government would do so, accept former inmates from Guantanamo Bay, without disclosing that they have done so. “的事情之一就是最令人不安的...是政府是否會做到這一點，接受前囚犯從關塔那摩灣，沒有透露，他們已經這樣做了。 “This is why we need Mr Rudd to immediately and categorically reverse this decision to accept inmates of Guantanamo Bay for resettlement in Australia.” “這就是為什麼我們需要，陸克文立即和堅決扭轉這一決定接受囚犯的關塔那摩灣重新安置在澳大利亞。 ” Mr Turnbull said the inmates could arrive in Australia as refugees through existing migration processes.特恩布爾說，犯人可以在抵達澳大利亞的難民通過現有的移民進程。 “They cannot be accepted on the basis that they go into custody, because they haven’t committed any crime under Australian law,” he said. “他們不能接受的基礎上，他們進入保管，因為他們沒有犯下任何罪行根據澳大利亞法律， ”他說。 “So what (Mr Rudd) has agreed to, with the Americans, is to accept Guantanamo Bay inmates for resettlement in Australia in our community as migrants and that is completely and utterly unacceptable to the Australian people and it’s certainly unacceptable to the Coalition.” “那又怎麼樣（澳）已同意，與美國，是接受關塔那摩囚犯安置在澳大利亞移民的社會，這是完全和絕對不能接受向澳大利亞人民和肯定不能接受的聯盟。 “ Have Your Say: Guantanamo intake unacceptable, says Malcolm Turnbull 你說：關塔那摩的攝入量不能接受的，說特恩布爾 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 An Israeli War Crimes Tribunal一個以色列的戰爭罪行法庭 Friday, January 2nd, 2009 星期五， 2009年1月2日
By Francis A. Boyle弗朗西斯答：波義耳 The United Nations General Assembly must immediately establish an International Criminal Tribunal for Israel (ICTI) as a “subsidiary organ” under UN Charter Article 22.聯合國大會必須立即設立一個國際刑事法庭的以色列（ ICTI ） ，作為“附屬機構”的聯合國憲章第22條。 The ICTI would be organized along the lines of the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY), which was established by the Security Council.在ICTI將舉辦大致的南斯拉夫問題國際刑事法庭（前南問題國際法庭） ，這是安全理事會設立的。 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.的目的ICTI將進行調查和起訴以色列的戰爭罪行，反人類罪和種族滅絕罪對人民黎巴嫩和巴勒斯坦，正如前南問題國際法庭所做的國際罪行的受害者所犯下塞爾維亞和米洛舍維奇政權整個巴爾幹地區。 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.建立ICTI將提供一些小程度的受害者伸張正義，以色列的戰爭罪行，反人類罪和種族滅絕罪對人民黎巴嫩和巴勒斯坦，就像做了前南問題國際法庭在巴爾幹地區。 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.此外，建立ICTI由聯合國大會將起到威懾作用時，以色列領導人，如總理奧爾默特，外交部長利夫尼，國防部長巴拉克，總參謀長艾希肯納茲和以色列的其他高級將領，他們將被起訴他們進一步施加國際罪行後，黎巴嫩和巴勒斯坦。 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.如果沒有這樣的一種威懾，以色列可能會大膽攻擊敘利亞的全力支持下Likhudnik小布什的新保守主義，誰一直認為敘利亞是“掛的較低的果子”準備好了將要採取的手段，它們的聯合侵略。 If Israel attacks Syria as it did when it invaded Lebanon in 1982, Iran has vowed to come to Syria’s defense.如果以色列攻擊敘利亞，因為它沒有入侵黎巴嫩時，於1982年，伊朗已誓言來敘利亞的防守。 And of course Israel and the Bush Jr administration very much want a pretext to attack Iran.當然，以色列和小布什政府非常希望有一個藉口，對伊朗動武。 This scenario could readily degenerate into World War III這種情況很容易演變成第三次世界大戰 For the UN General Assembly to establish ICTI could stop the further development of this momentum towards a regional if not global catastrophe.為聯合國大會設立ICTI可能停止進一步發展該區域的勢頭，如果不是全球性的災難。 Have Your Say: An Israeli War Crimes Tribunal 聯繫我們：一個以色列的戰爭罪行法庭 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Amy Goodman: Voices of Resistance Sing On艾米古德曼：抵抗的聲音唱論 Friday, January 2nd, 2009 星期五， 2009年1月2日
Strong voices for peace have left us this year, people who used their art for social change, often at a high personal price.強大的聲音和平已經離開我們一年中，人們誰使用他們的藝術是社會變革，往往是在一個高的個人代價。 Odetta was a legendary folk singer of the civil rights movement. Odetta是一個傳奇的民歌手的民權運動。 Considered the “Queen of American Folk Music,” Odetta introduced audiences worldwide to African-American folk, blues and gospel music.審議了“女王的美國民間音樂， ” Odetta觀眾介紹世界各地的非洲裔民族音樂，藍調和福音音樂。 New Year’s Eve was her birthday.除夕是她的生日。 She would have been 78.她已經78 。 When Rosa Parks was asked which songs meant the most to her, she replied, “All of the songs Odetta sings.”當有人問羅莎帕克斯這首歌曲是最給她，她回答說， “所有歌曲Odetta唱。 ” Odetta sang “Oh, Freedom,” an African-American slave spiritual, at the 1963 March on Washington. Odetta唱“哦，自由， ”一個非洲裔奴隸精神，在1963年3月在華盛頓。 Early on, she attracted the interest of Harry Belafonte and Pete Seeger.早期，她的興趣吸引哈里貝拉方和前皮特西格。 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.她的聲音，她的天賦與吉他和自然的風格，她保持著她的頭髮，後來被稱為“黑人” ，使她作為圖標的民權運動。 She told an interviewer in 2003:她說， 2003年的採訪： “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. “當我第一次開始，我會唱的歌曲...這些監獄它得地步做音樂實際上癒合...這是我的音樂去那些誰之前。 The music gave them strength, and the music gave us strength to carry it on.”音樂給了他們的力量，音樂給了我們力量，以隨身攜帶的。 “ She inspired Bernice Johnson Reagon, an early member of the SNCC (the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) Freedom Singers.她啟發伯尼斯約翰遜雷根，早日成員SNCC （學生非暴力協調委員會）自由歌手。 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.她已經暫停從大學奧爾巴尼，佐治亞州，對公民權利的抗議，接著斯佩爾曼學院，在那裡歷史學家霍華德津恩和他的妻子， Roz ，把她帶到民樂音樂會瓊巴埃斯和Odetta 。 Reagon recalls the first time she heard Odetta:雷根記得她第一次聽到Odetta ： “In Georgia, where I grew up in the country, the roads were built by chain-gang labor. “在格魯吉亞，在我長大後，將在公路建設的鏈鋼勞動。 I knew the sound, because as the men worked, they sang.我知道的聲音，因為工作的男子，他們生。 But I never thought I’d hear it coming from a concert stage … when she sang prison songs or work songs.但我從沒想過自己會聽到來自舞台...當她演唱的歌曲或監獄工作歌曲。 … She was just what I needed to begin my life as a freedom fighter and as a Freedom Singer.” ...她正是我需要開始我的生活作為一個自由戰士和一個自由的歌手。 “ Reagon later went on to found the women’sa cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock.雷根後來又發現了women'sa合唱組甜蜜蜜的岩石。 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.另一位偉大的歌手，我們失去了解放今年米麗婭姆梅克芭南非，被稱為“非洲媽媽。 ”她唱反對種族隔離，然後流亡到了幾十年。 Belafonte helped her, too, gain recognition.貝拉方幫助她，也得到承認。 In 1968, she married SNCC-leader-turned-Black-Panther Stokely Carmichael, for which she was blacklisted in the US until the 1980s. 1968年，她嫁給SNCC領袖出身的黑黑豹Stokely卡邁克爾，因為她是在美國的黑名單，直到20世紀80年代。 Soon after her death, I asked the Nobel peace laureate Desmond Tutu about Makeba.她去世後不久，我問這位諾貝爾和平獎得主德斯蒙德圖圖約梅克芭。 The South African archbishop smiled: “Her singing, her voice, helped many people to know a little bit more about the vicious apartheid system.南非大主教笑著說： “她的歌聲，她的聲音，幫助許多人知道，一點點的惡性種族隔離制度。 She was just a tremendous human being, a great loss to us and to Africa.”她只是一個巨大的人，一個巨大的損失，我們和非洲。 “ Also blacklisted in 1968 was singer and actress Eartha Kitt, who died at age 81 on Christmas Day.還於1968年被列入黑名單的歌手和演員Eartha基特，誰去世，享年81歲的聖誕節。 In 1968, she was invited to a celebrity luncheon at the White House by Lady Bird Johnson, who asked Kitt about urban poverty. 1968年，她被邀請參加一個名人午宴在白宮的夫人伯德約翰遜，誰問基特關於城市貧困問題。 Kitt replied: “You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed.基特說： “你送的這個國家最好去拍攝和致殘。 They rebel in the street.這些叛亂分子在街頭。 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.他們不想去上學，因為他們要搶去從他們的母親是在越南拍攝。 “據說，希拉里放聲大哭。 For years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas and was investigated by the FBI and CIA.多年後，基特幾乎只在海外進行了聯邦調查局和中央情報局。 Born out of the Deep South and South Africa, these women’s voices sang out, from concert halls to protest rallies.非婚生深南亞和非洲，這些婦女的聲音唱的那樣，從音樂廳，以抗議集會。 Another voice we just lost sang out from the written page.另一種聲音，我們只是失去了生從書面網頁。 Harold Pinter died on Christmas Eve in London.哈羅德品特死於聖誕節前夕在倫敦舉行。 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.雖然病重前往斯德哥爾摩領取他的諾貝爾文學獎於2005年，他發出了視頻地址： “大多數政治家...感興趣的不是事實，但在電力。 … To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance. ...保持這種權力是至關重要的人民仍然生活在無知。 … What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies.” Pinter was referring to US policy from Guantanamo to Iraq. ...因此，我們有什麼周圍地區是一個巨大的掛毯的謊言。 “品特是指美國的政策從關塔那摩伊拉克。 As these icons are laid to rest, their voices continue to inspire millions.由於這些圖標安息，他們的聲音繼續激勵數百萬人。 Barack Obama will soon take the reins of the most powerful nation on Earth, promising change.奧巴馬將很快韁繩的最強大的國家在地球上，有希望的變化。 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.但現在它可以採取行動的那些數以百萬計，聽取這些迴聲過去將其轉變成他們自己的聲音，以真正的變革。 Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column. 丹尼斯漢有助於研究此列。 Have Your Say: Amy Goodman: Voices of Resistance Sing On 你說：艾米古德曼：抵抗的聲音唱論 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Private firm may track all email and calls私營公司可以跟踪所有的電子郵件和電話 Friday, January 2nd, 2009 星期五， 2009年1月2日
By通過 Alan Travis 艾倫特拉維斯 and和 Richard Norton-Taylor 理查德諾頓泰勒 | The private sector will be asked to manage and run a communications database that will keep track of everyone’s calls, emails, texts and internet use under a key option contained in a consultation paper to be published next month by Jacqui Smith, the home secretary.私營部門將被要求管理和運行的通信數據庫，掌握每個人的電話，電子郵件，文本和互聯網的使用的一個關鍵的選擇根據載於一份諮詢文件，於下個月出版的傑葵史密斯，內政大臣。 A cabinet decision to put the management of the multibillion pound database of all UK communications traffic into private hands would be accompanied by tougher legal safeguards to guarantee against leaks and accidental data losses.內閣決定把管理數據庫數十億英鎊的英國所有通信流量落入私人手中將伴隨著更嚴厲的法律保障，以保證對數據的洩漏和意外損失。 But in his strongest criticism yet of the superdatabase, Sir Ken Macdonald, the former director of public prosecutions, who has firsthand experience of working with intelligence and law enforcement agencies, told the Guardian such assurances would prove worthless in the long run and warned it would prove a “hellhouse” of personal private information.但是，在他的強烈批評，但該superdatabase主席先生，肯麥克唐納，前檢察長，誰擁有第一手的經驗與情報和執法機構，對衛這種保證將證明毫無價值從長遠來看，並警告這將證明了“ hellhouse ”個人的私人信息。 “Authorisations for access might be written into statute. “授權的訪問可能會被寫入章程。 The most senior ministers and officials might be designated as scrutineers.最資深的部長和官員可能會被指定為監票人。 But none of this means anything,” said Macdonald.不過，這意味著什麼， “ MacDonald表示。 “All history tells us that reassurances like these are worthless in the long run. “所有的歷史告訴我們，保證這類毫無價值從長遠來看。 In the first security crisis the locks would loosen.”在第一安全危機鎖將放鬆。 “ The home secretary postponed the introduction of legislation to set up the superdatabase in October and instead said she would publish a consultation paper in the new year setting out the proposal and the safeguards needed to protect內政大臣推遲實行立法，設立了superdatabase ，而是在10月表示，她將發表一份諮詢文件，在新的一年裡制定了建議和保障需要保護 civil liberties 公民自由 . 。 She has emphasised that communications data, which gives the police the identity and location of the caller, texter or web surfer but not the content, has been used as important evidence in 95% of serious crime cases and almost all security service operations since 2004 including the Soham and 21/7 bombing cases.她強調，數據通信，從而使警察的身份和位置的來電， texter或網頁瀏覽，但沒有的內容，已被用作重要的證據在95 ％以上的嚴重犯罪案件，幾乎所有的安全服務業務，包括自2004年以來，在Soham和21 / 7爆炸案。 Until now most communications traffic data has been held by phone companies and internet service providers for billing purposes but the growth of broadband phone services, chatrooms and anonymous online identities mean that is no longer the case.到現在為止最通信量數據已經舉行的電話公司和互聯網服務供應商的結算目的，但增長的寬帶電話服務，網上聊天室和無名氏的身份意味著，現在不再是這種情況。 The Home Office’s interception modernisation programme, which is working on the superdatabase proposal, argues that it is no longer good enough for communications companies to be left to retrieve such data when requested by the police and intelligence services.民政廳的攔截現代化計劃，這是工作的superdatabase提案，認為它不再是足夠的通信公司是留待檢索這些數據時，要求警察和情報部門。 A Home Office spokeswoman said last night the changes were needed so law enforcement agencies could maintain their ability to tackle serious crime and terrorism.內政部發言人說昨晚的變化，需要使執法機構可以維持的能力，解決嚴重的犯罪和恐怖主義。 Senior Whitehall officials responsible for planning for a new database say there is a significant difference between having access to “communications data” - names and addresses of emails or telephone numbers, for example - and the actual contents of the communications.高級白廳官員負責規劃一個新的數據庫，說有一個顯著性差異有機會獲得“通訊數據” -姓名和地址的電子郵件或電話號碼，例如-和實際內容的通訊。 “We have been very clear that there are no plans for a database containing any content of emails, texts or conversations,” the spokeswoman said. “我們已經非常清楚地表明，沒有計劃的數據庫，其中含有任何內容的電子郵件，文本或談話， ”該發言人說。 External estimates of the cost of the superdatabase have been put as high as £12bn, twice the cost of the ID cards scheme, and the consultation paper, to be published towards the end of next month, will include an option of putting it into the hands of the private sector in an effort to cut costs.外部估計的費用superdatabase已高達120億英鎊的兩倍，成本身份證計劃，諮詢文件，公佈對下月底，將包含一個選項，把它納入手中的私營部門在努力降低成本。 But such a decision is likely to fuel civil liberties concerns over data losses and leaks.但是，這樣的決定很可能燃料公民自由擔心數據損失和洩漏。 Macdonald, who left his post as DPP in October, told the Guardian: “The tendency of the state to seek ever more powers of surveillance over its citizens may be driven by protective zeal.麥克唐納，誰離開了他擔任民進黨在10月，向衛報： “這種趨勢的國家尋求更多的權力，監督其公民可驅動保護的熱情。 But the notion of total security is a paranoid fantasy which would destroy everything that makes living worthwhile.但總的概念，安全是一個偏執幻想這將破壞一切，使生活值得的。 We must avoid surrendering our freedom as autonomous human beings to such an ugly future.我們必須避免交出我們的自由自主的人對這種醜惡的未來。 We should make judgments that are compatible with our status as free people.”我們要做出判斷，符合我們的地位，自由的人民。 “ Maintaining the capacity to intercept suspicious communications was critical in an increasingly complex world, he said.保持能力攔截可疑通信是至關重要的，在一個日益複雜的世界，他說。 “It is a process which can save lives and bring criminals to justice. “這是一個過程，可以拯救生命，把罪犯繩之以法。 But no other country is considering such a drastic step.但是沒有其他國家正在考慮這樣一個重大步驟。 This database would be an unimaginable hell-house of personal private information,” he said.該數據庫將是無法想像的地獄內部的個人的私人信息， “他說。 “It would be a complete readout of every citizen’s life in the most intimate and demeaning detail. “這將是一個完整的讀出每一個公民的生活中最親密的和有辱人格的細節。 No government of any colour is to be trusted with such a roadmap to our souls.”沒有政府的任何顏色是被信任這樣一個路線圖，我們的靈魂。 “ The moment there was a security crisis the temptation for more commonplace access would be irresistible, he said.目前有一種安全危機的誘惑越來越平常訪問將是不可阻擋的，他說。 Other critics of the plan point to the problems of keeping the database secure, both from the point of view of the technology and of deliberate leaks.其他批評人士指出該計劃的問題，使數據庫的安全，從的角度來看，技術和故意洩漏。 The problem would be compounded if private companies manage the system.這一問題將更加複雜，如果私營公司管理制度。 “If there is a breach of security in that database it would be utterly devastating,” one said. “如果有違反安全在該數據庫將完全破壞， ”一說。 Have Your Say: Private firm may track all email and calls 你說：私營公司可以跟踪所有的電子郵件和電話 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Why You Should Delete Your MySpace Account為什麼你應該刪除你的MySpace帳戶 Thursday, January 1st, 2009 星期四， 2009年1月1日
Today I am deleting all the content from my Myspace account and leaving only this notice.今天，我刪除所有的內容從我供應的帳戶，並只留下這個通知。 I’ve been inspired by the我一直在鼓舞下 Franklin Street Statement富蘭克林街聲明 and和 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.我認識到，免費/自由/開源互聯網仍然是可能的，但它要求我們停止支持企業網站如MySpace 。 Here are some good reasons to delete your Myspace page, and support alternatives not run by corporations.這裡有一些很好的理由來刪除您的MySpace網頁，並支持替代品無法運行的企業。 1. 1 。 I’m tired of being free labor for the Fox corporation.我已經厭倦了被免費勞動力的福克斯公司。 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.右翼福克斯新聞公司擁有MySpace和我不會再支持他們，使他們自己的內容，我的寫作和圖片和資料誰是我的朋友們，是免費的。 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.我不支持戰爭的方式，福克斯公司，我不想為他們提供更多的資金來傳播更有利於戰爭宣傳。 According to their license, Myspace has full rights to use my content things like advertisements for Myspace.根據他們的授權， MySpace已經充分權利使用自己的內容像廣告供應。 2. 2 。 I actually care about my friends, and don’t want to screw them over my making them a “friend” on Myspace.事實上，我關心我的朋友，不希望他們對我的螺絲使他們成為“朋友”在MySpace上。 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.通過使用MySpace ，我強迫我的朋友註冊一個企業所擁有，廣告充滿，異體Web服務，如果它們想與其保持聯繫我。 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.的方式，我們不希望我們的帳戶中刪除，因為我們想與朋友保持聯絡，或球迷的樂隊只是說明依賴我們已經在MySpace上的公司控制的環境。 We’re forced into a compulsory relationship we don’t want because we want to “keep in touch” with our friends?我們被迫強制關係，我們不希望因為我們希望“保持聯絡”與我們的朋友？ 3. 3 。 I’m tired up updating so many websites because Myspace refuses to be interoperable with other websites.我已經厭倦了更新這麼多的網站，因為供應拒絕與其它的網站。 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. MySpace和網站，如它不允許您下載您的數據或自動發送給其他社交網站，因為他們想迫使你進入監獄的他們的網站。 Why?為什麼？ Why don’t we demand open social networking standards and the ability to download our own content?我們為什麼不要求開放的社交網絡的標準和能夠下載我們自己的內容？ 4. 4 。 I have a good Free/Libre/Open Source alternative, my own blog.我有一個很好的免費/自由/開放源碼的選擇，我自己的博客。 You can read about what I’m up to at你可以閱讀什麼我最多時 http://technotrannyslut.com , free of ads for bad movies and music, free of binary gender choices and heteronormative options for your relationships.免費廣告壞電影和音樂，免費的二進制性別選擇和異體選擇您的關係。 Sites like Identi.ca provide ethical, non-corporate controlled alternatives to sites like Twitter.類似網站Identi.ca提供道德，非公司控制的替代品等網站Twitter的。 You can keep up with my status on Identi.ca, and sign up for your own microblog, here:您可以保持我的狀態Identi.ca ，並註冊為自己的microblog ，在這裡： http://identi.ca/djlotu5 Help create a well known list of alternatives like Identi.ca/Twitter , Opensim/Secondlife, if you now of any, by幫助創造一個眾所周知的清單替代品一樣Identi.ca / Twitter的， Opensim / Secondlife ，如果你現在的任何，由 posting a comment here張貼在這裡評論 : ： Actually, even better than deleting your account, just delete all the content and post a notice like this one.事實上，甚至優於刪除您的帳戶，只需刪除所有的內容和發布通知就像這一次一樣。 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.這只是開始，我計劃在下車的Facebook和其他Web服務，以及，我希望你做太多。 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.我們可以通過互聯網的免費/自由/開放源代碼，但只有當我們停止支持企業，鎖定選項，我們一直在使用所有這些年。 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.由於這些服務變得更加的一部分，我們的生活，進入我們的手機和我們的日常通信，關鍵是我們要爭取我們的自由。 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.的免費/自由/開源運動需要擴大從編寫軟件，到建立網絡的服務器和服務，如印迪媒體做了這麼多年。 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.軟件本身是不夠的在網絡服務生態學，在服務器，電纜，無線網絡，基礎設施，我們所有的控制是至關重要的，如果我們想要自由。 I hope to see you back on the Free/Libre/Open Source internet.我希望看到你回的免費/自由/開源互聯網。 Bye.附屬的。 Via通過 techno tranny slut技術tranny賤人 Have Your Say: Why You Should Delete Your MySpace Account 你說：為什麼你應該刪除你的MySpace帳戶 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 Government considers Wales as ID card guinea pigs政府認為威爾士作為身份證豚鼠 Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 星期三， 2008年12月31號
By通過 Hywel Trewyn Hywel Trewyn CALLS to put Welsh on new ID cards are at last to be considered by the Government.呼籲把威爾士新的身份證是在去年將要審議的政府。 The U-turn follows pressure from language campaigners who say it would be an insult if English-only cards were issued in Wales.掉頭如下語言運動的壓力，誰說，這將是一種侮辱，如果僅提供英文版卡發行了威爾士。 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.威爾士語言局昨天宣布，歡迎英國邊防局官員將至少審查的想法，雙語卡可為威爾士。 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.”這是一個倒退的政策，從今年早些時候，當家庭辦公室說，它“無意包括威爾士身份證上” ，認為語言“不是一種官方語言的歐盟。 ” But the WLB has always argued including Welsh on cards issued in Wales was essential – the same as for driving licences and passports.但WLB一貫主張，包括威爾士的卡在威爾士是必不可少的-相同，駕駛執照和護照。 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.他們發出了一個明確的信息，該國政府，威爾士人會認為這是一種侮辱，如果威爾士選項被排除的卡，這將最終將分發給每一個英國公民。 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主席梅里‧胡斯說： “如果威爾士語沒有出現在身份證，我不相信他們會反映真實身份的人的威爾士，他們的語言特性，特別是。 “Therefore it is essential that all ID cards issued in Wales are fully bilingual, as is the case with driving licences. “因此，至關重要的是，所有的身份證簽發威爾士完全雙語的情況一樣，有駕駛執照。 “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.” “我歡迎這樣的事實，內政部目前正在考慮如何將卡上的語言發出的未來，並期待著聽證會的聲明就這一問題很快。 ” 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.與WLB立場表示支持卡納芬格子Cymru議員Hywel威廉姆斯： “的第一稿提出了身份證聯盟傑克他們。 This would have been wholly unacceptable to people living in Wales.這將是完全不能接受的人生活在威爾士。 I understand now there’s not going to be the Union flag.”據我所知現在不會成為歐盟旗幟。 “ 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.威廉斯先生提出了一些問題，要求政府採取何種步驟，他們採取提供雙語身份證在威爾士和其他英國和威爾士的秘書長保羅墨菲對此他已採取步驟，以保證將在威爾士的卡。 Now, following a consultation period, it seems there is a glimmer of hope that they will be bilingual.現在，諮詢期後，似乎出現了一線希望，他們將雙語。 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.英國邊境局發言人說： “不會有威爾士標題的第一批身份證發給工人在關鍵地點在曼徹斯特和倫敦城市機場。 International Civil Aviation Organisation rules state that travel documents must have headings written in English and French.國際民用航空組織規定，旅行證件必須有標題的書面英語和法語。 “As we roll out ID cards across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, we will review the inclusion of Welsh on the cards.” “當我們推出身份證在英格蘭，威爾士，蘇格蘭和北愛爾蘭，我們會檢討列入威爾士的卡。 ” A previous linguistic battle was won after the census was forced to include a Welsh tick box for Welsh people.先前的語言戰鬥後獲得的普查被迫包括威爾士在框內劃勾的威爾士人。 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.第一身份證分發給外國居民生活在英國上個月，然後分配給一般民眾的英國階段，依賴的地位，在未來三年內。 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.工作的人“敏感”的工作就像在機場僱員將被給予卡，然後年輕人誰希望他們從2010年和2011年，他們將提供給大家。 Have Your Say: Government considers Wales as ID card guinea pigs 聯繫我們：政府認為威爾士作為身份證豚鼠 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 1978: Labour opposed ID cards to curb illegal immigration 1978年：勞動反對身份證，遏制非法移民 Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 星期三， 2008年12月31號
By 由
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”.這些意見在一項聲明草案，由於考慮到商品的Merlyn里斯，內政大臣，誰寫信，引進身份證“將需要重大的改變和權力的做法遠遠超出了深遠的出入境管制。 ” 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.”他補充說： “在過去的這種變化已經設想只有在戰爭：政府不相信他們可以是有正當理由的入境理由的。 ” 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.這些意見後來被修改了最後講話內務，作為工黨政府試圖竭力抵制的呼籲反對黨領袖瑪格麗特撒切爾更嚴厲的措施對付非法移民。 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.在一個秘密討論首相卡拉漢和Whips 3月8日， 1978年，唐寧街備忘錄中寫道： “有人聲稱，許多亞洲移民都非常害怕。 “There was bitter opposition to the tactics adopted by Mrs Thatcher… and that resentment should be exploited by the Government.” “有苦反對戰術通過撒切爾夫人...和怨恨應利用政府。 ” 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.部長們堅持他們的承諾不引入配額移民因為他們不想在“不良”的措施，要求每個人都攜帶身份證。 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.政府的機密文件，還討論了如何揭露“的欺詐性質，撒切爾夫人的做法” ，但個人的書面卡拉漢先生警告說，政府的反應，以專責委員會的建議過於呆滯。 He said: “We seemed to be accepting few recommendations – mostly ones to do nothing.”他說： “我們似乎是接受一些建議-主要是那些什麼都不做。 ” Have Your Say: 1978: Labour opposed ID cards to curb illegal immigration 聯繫我們： 1978年：勞動反對身份證，遏制非法移民 Please read our請仔細閱讀我們的 posting guidelines before posting張貼在留言之前準則 . 。 Alternatively或者 you can discuss this report here你可以在這裡討論這一報告 . 。 US, Japanese Researchers Mix Samples of 1918 Flu Pandemic to Recreate Deadly Code美國，日本研究人員混合樣品， 1918年的流感大流行重新致命碼 Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 星期二，二○○八年十二月三十〇號
Lori Price洛裡價格 Researchers recreate 1918 flu pandemic virus 研究人員再現1918年的流感大流行病毒 – Why? - 為什麼？ And, why is no one *asking* why? 29 Dec 2008 Researchers have found out what made the 1918 flu pandemic so deadly — a group of three genes that lets the virus invade the lungs and cause pneumonia. They mixed samples of the 1918 influenza strain with modern seasonal flu viruses to find the three genes and said their study might help in the development of new flu drugs. 而且，為什麼沒有人*要求*為什麼？ 2008年12月29號研究人員發現了是什麼原因讓1918年的流感大流行如此致命-一組三個基因，讓病毒侵入肺部，導致肺炎。 他們混合樣品的1918年流感應變與現代的季節性流感病毒找到3個基因，並說他們的研究可能有助於開發新的流感藥物。 The discovery, published in Tuesday’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could also point to mutations that might turn ordinary flu into a dangerous pandemic strain . 這一發現刊登在本週二出版的美國國家科學院，也可以指向突變可能反過來普通感冒到一個危險的流感病毒株 。 Most flu experts agree that a pandemic of influenza will almost certainly strike again. 大多數專家一致認為，流感大流行的流感幾乎肯定會再次發動攻擊。 No one knows when [the US unleashes it] or what strain it will be but one big suspect now is the H5N1 avian influenza virus. 沒有人知道何時[美國釋放它]或什麼應變這將是一個大的懷疑，但現在是H5N1禽流感病毒。 US and Japanese researchers crack flu pandemic’s deadly code 美國和日本科學家破解流感大流行的致命代碼 30 Dec 2008 The genetic code that made the 1918 killer flu so deadly has finally been cracked, claim US and Japanese researchers, who say their discovery may lead to new drugs able to keep foment future outbreaks in check. By experimenting with genetic material recovered from preserved lung tissues of three victims of the so-called Spanish influenza, a team led by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka claims the virus landed a lethal one-two punch. First, it disrupted normal immune reactions, as previously known. But then it infected its victims’ lungs with deadly consequences. Ordinary flu bugs infect just the nose and throat.
Have Your Say: US, Japanese Researchers Mix Samples of 1918 Flu Pandemic to Recreate Deadly Code Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . Fisk: Leaders Lie, Civilians Die, and Lessons of History are Ignored 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 Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . The Qassam rockets myths Tuesday, December 30th, 2008
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 Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . What Will Obama Do About Cannabis? 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? Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . Chávez: Capitalists Have Manipulated the Message of Christ to Exploit the Poor 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 Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . Over 300 Killed in Gaza as Attacks Continue 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 Please read our posting guidelines before posting . Alternatively you can discuss this report here . Related News
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