We’ve all learned a lot about the horrific and likely results of solitary confinement through the reported plight of Bradley Manning, and background reading we’ve done, and the cavalier attitude of our President, the officials at Quantico and within the DoD and Secretaries of the Military. I know many of you share my dark thoughts about Quantico Commander Colonel Dan Choike and Chief Warrant Officer Denise Barnes for continuing to keep Manning under a Prevention of Injury Watch allowing such barbaric treatment, and Barack Obama for refusing to involve himself with it.
It’s all too easy to forget that Manning’s torment is being repeated many thousands of times each day, and for many prisoners in the country, over the course of years and sometimes decades.
More and more studies have reported on the severely deleterious effects of this often punitive incarceration, including the US Bureau of Prisons Commission, and yet the practice is still on the rise.
If one major shame is this simple fact, the other is that no one knows how many prisoners live this way.
I'm not an animal lover. I've had pets that I've loved, but I've never referred to them as "my children." I don't eat much meat, but I'm not opposed to animals as food. Like most normal people, I balk at animal cruelty, but I balk more at people cruelty. And, when it comes down to it, I'd rather we spent our resources taking care of children than stray dogs and cats.
On Friday I wrote about Maine's new Tea Party governor's decision to remove murals depicting aspects of LABOR from the LABOR department offices. He didn't wait long. Over the weekend, workers (Yes, laborers) removed them and they're now in storage somewhere. This is what the walls look like now:
By Michael Maiello on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 7:53pm | World Affairs
Juan Cole's strongly worded "Open Letter To The Left" about Libya seemed designed to take down a very dangerous bit of information that's come out recently but hasn't gotten nearly enough attention in my opinion -- the Libyan rebels we're defending have real and substantial ties to Al-Qaeda.
By Doctor Cleveland on Sun, 03/27/2011 - 11:46am | Politics, World Affairs
One of the frequent talking points about the Libyan rebels is that they only have about a thousand trained soldiers in their ranks. As the meme went around, it sometimes turned into only 1000 soldiers, period, which is clearly not true. And the "1000 men" meme has been used to shore up certain anti-intervention talking points, even though it undermines others.
I suppose it started with the Monroe doctrine, or maybe the John Smith one, but suddenly in the last two decades what was a handy icon has become a media substitute for examining the specific situation and its specific characteristics.
So the Powell Doctrine: Don't attack unless you have overwhelming force. Or Desider's doctrine in So you want to be a millionaire Libyan: Don't try to assist a revolution unless the rebels have shown that they can hold a lot of the country.
If he had ever heard of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, it had never made much impact on him. It was so long ago, and in New York, and the victims barely spoke English. And, anyways, what does it have to do with him?
I am a feminist. I understand that some may argue with that or claim I am a poor example of a feminist - I am far from perfect in this self-assessment. But I do understand the movement, and at very least work to be a feminist ally.
According to RawStory two days ago, and now other publications, the FBI has announced that it will ‘dedicate’ a billion bucks for Lockheed Martin to develop the ‘Next Generation Identification System’. It will be compared to the Total Information Awareness Program that was defunded by Congress in 2004, but parts of which Wikipedia says still exist.
The first stage will be dedicated to creating a massive database of fingerprints and connecting to other law enforcement ID systems around the world, and providing scanners to police and sheriffs all over the US. It would enable the collection of prints from suspects, not just indicted or convicted criminals.
New York Times has a talk with Ali Tarhouni, who notes the Libyan rebels have only 1000 trained soldiers. Time Magazine notes that the rebels have now given up on advancing to Tripoli and are instead safeguarding home territory.
But in a rare stroke of luck, these few, these proud, these brave are being supported by cruise missiles that have gone from "no-fly zone" to "no-drive zone". At this rate, a baby could overthrow the government, as long as reaching the government weren't required. (The "re-taking" of Ajdabiya was arranged by bombing Qaddafi troops until they left, at which point the rebels could limp into town, but CNN obligingly reported this as "a victory".)
A Radical Conservative Perspective: America Would be Better Off Without Black People
I rarely get into the debate over the lingering racism in America, because I feel that the vast majority of the American people have made an honest and concerted effort to put racism behind us. So as long as it’s not blatant or damaging to individual or collective African-Americans, I look upon it as merely a distraction used as to keep the American people divided and unaware of the most insidious threat to America - the gross assault on the poor and middle class.
DAKAR, Senegal — At least 700,000 people have fled their homes in Ivory Coast’s main city, Abidjan, to escape the increasing violence and collapsing economy stemming from the nation’s political crisis, the United Nations said Friday.
Daily gunfire spurred by Laurent Gbagbo’s efforts to stay in power after losing a presidential election in November has pushed thousands of residents out of neighborhoods surrounding the city’s central districts, while the closing of banks and businesses have led to widespread unemployment.
“The massive displacement in Abidjan and elsewhere is being fueled by fears of all-out war,” a representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees told reporters Friday in Geneva, estimating that 700,000 to one million people had already left their homes.[....]
The Monday following Japan’s deadly earthquake, tsunami, and unfolding nuclear nightmare, we bought fish for our first family aquarium. Jennifer and the girls and I pored over the beautiful swimmers at a pet store in Seaside, Oregon, evacuated three days prior.
An employee’s helpful advice about keeping a healthy tank was a welcome counter-balance to the grief and worry hanging over us. The catastrophe in Japan came less than three weeks after a smaller quake did serious damage in New Zealand. Are we next in line for tectonic turmoil?
By Ramona on Fri, 03/25/2011 - 10:36am | Politics, Arts & Entertainment, Humor & Satire
Elizabeth Taylor was the most beautiful human being on this earth for so many years you had to wonder if her not-of-this-world violet eyes didn't have something to do with it. Because, honestly, who else on this earth ever had violet eyes? But beyond her beauty, she had something else that most incredibly pampered child stars never had: an ability to look outside herself and see the other half of the world. She worked tirelessly to bring attention to HIV/Aids, bringing honest a
I welcome any and all devil's advocates (or other complaints), but find the general gist of this to be on the nose. The source of this infographic is the Center for American Progress.
By Donal on Thu, 03/24/2011 - 10:22pm | Technology
I attended an AIA panel discussion tonight:
Infrastructural Systems: Cities Designed for a Changing World Hillary Brown, FAIA, Paul Lukez, FAIA, and Mason White; moderated by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson
