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The Persistence of Arab Anti-Americanism

MisantropicPainforest — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:03:07 -0800

Marc Lynch reviews Amaney Jamal's Of Empires & Citizens, which argues that "anti-Americanism has very little to do with cultural resentments or civilizational hatred... Instead, Arab anti-Americanism reflects a deeper rejection of undemocratic political systems in Arab countries, which for decades have been underwritten and supported by the United States."

"If people were more concerned, I wouldn’t have to be there."

zarq — Mon, 06 May 2013 13:29:45 -0800

Her encampment is 'an old patio umbrella draped in a white plastic sheet secured with binder clips. It is flanked by two large boards with messages in capital letters: BAN ALL NUCLEAR WEAPONS OR HAVE A NICE DOOMSDAY and LIVE BY THE BOMB, DIE BY THE BOMB. This rudimentary shelter has been positioned outside the White House for more than three decades. It is a monument itself now, widely considered the longest-running act of political protest in the United States, and this woman, Concepcion Picciotto — Connie, as she’s known to many — is its longest-running caretaker.' Accompanying Photos: Keeping a Vigil From 1988, Toledo Magazine: A Life of Protest

Crossing the "Red Line"?

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:45:13 -0800

Syria Options Go From Bad To Worse

As reports have surfaced of possible use of sarin gas in the Syrian civil war, calls by long-time proponents of U.S. intervention on behalf of the anti-Assad rebels have grown to a fever pitch. These same voices, both at home and abroad, have evoked the administration’s previously stated “red line” on use of chemical weapons. But even assuming that reports of WMD usage in Syria turn out to be true, the Obama Administration’s position may be far more nuanced than previously thought.

Why would the US get involved in Syria? Civilian deaths, chemical weapons use (and proliferation), and mounting refugee crisis, and unrest in Lebanon are reasons for intervention. But should it? Obama Appears At A Loss To Define The Way Forward In Syria Why Obama Doesn't Want To Intervene In Syria and Obama's Case Against The War In Syria. Sentors Graham and McCain respond: "There are many options at our disposal, including military options short of boots on the ground in Syria, that can make a positive impact on this crisis, which is destabilizing the region. The President must act now or risk squandering U.S. credibility in Syria and around the world." Is Barack Obama A Republican Realist? Various groups have attached themselves to factions in the conflict. Hezbollah announced that Syria has "real friends in the region and world" and that they support al-Assad. Opposition group the al-Nusrah Front has "merged" with Al-Qaeda In Iraq. Al-Qaeda's battle for control of Assad's chemical weapons plant - "A battle near a factory believed to be one of the Syrian regime's main chemical weapons plants shows just how close such weapons could be to falling into al-Qaeda's hands." Intervention isn't guaranteed to work. The "Libyan model" or "Malian model" for foreign military support may not be repeatable in Syria. Even With US Guns, Syria's Rebels Still Might Lose. But what might intervention look like? Drone strikes? Boots-on-the-ground? Safe havens? No-fly zones? "Decapitation strike"? Simply material support? Or are there just no good military options?

The question has been, and remains: Does the U.S. have the capacity to end the violence, in any meaningful way, within the immediate future?

The conflict and the weapons of war aren't limited to Syria. Repercussions and implications extend through the region: The Syria-Iran Red Line Show Want to fix Syria? Talk to Iran Syrian Conflict Casts Long Shadow Over Iraq More Syrian Refugees Will Cause Crisis In Jordan as Jordan Weighs Syria Buffer Zone Israel Sees US Respons As Gauge for Iran. The Onion Goes To War

One of my poems goes: The next one and a half pages are redacted.

jaduncan — Wed, 01 May 2013 03:04:22 -0800

The Guantánamo Memoirs of Mohamedou Ould Slahi For nearly 11 years, Mohamedou Ould Slahi has been a prisoner in Guantánamo. In 2005, he began to write his memoirs of his time in captivity. His handwritten 466-page manuscript is a harrowing account of his detention, interrogation, and abuse. Although his abuse has been corroborated by U.S. government officials, declassified documents, and independent investigators, Slahi tells his story with the detail and perspective that could only be known by himself and the people who have kept him captive. It is impossible for us to meet with him or independently verify his account. Until now, it has been impossible for him to tell his story. [ht homunculus]

"Never, ever let anybody use your gender as an excuse."

zarq — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 18:55:06 -0800

"Women get flustered under fire. They're too fragile, too emotional. They lack the ferocity required to take a life. They can't handle pain. They're a distraction, a threat to cohesion, a provocative tease to close-quartered men. These are the sort of myths you hear from people who oppose the U.S. military's evolving new rules about women in combat. But for women who have already been in combat, who have earned medals fighting alongside men, the war stories they tell don't sound a thing like myths" Multi-page link to the article. Additional Feature * Women of the 101st Airborne Division: "As part of Nathaniel Penn's "Natural Born Killers"—an oral history documenting the experiences of American female soldiers on the field that marks the official lifting of the U.S. military ban on women in combat roles—in the May issue of GQ, we spoke to a group of female servicewomen currently stationed in Fort Campbell, K.Y. as they prepare for deployment to Afghanistan this spring. These soldiers were assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division roughly a year ago as part the Women in The Service Review program. The program first introduced women to historically male-held roles in combat arms battalions—an experiment, in part, to make sure that they could handle it. Mission accomplished. Here, five of them talk to us about past deployments, navigating expectations, and their changing roles in the Army."
Video * "Natural Born Killers: Battle Tested" * "Natural Born Killers: Battle Ready, Women of the 101st Airborne"

Peace is liberty in tranquillity

MuffinMan — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 04:40:09 -0800

The UK Peace Index [PDF], a new publication from The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), has produced a startling new headline: against public perceptions of crime, both crime and homicide have fallen significantly. The fall over the last decade has resulted in the UK homicide rate now being roughly equivalent to that of the Western European average, and it is now at its lowest level since 1978. The last ONS data from 2010/11 [PDF] suggest that even people who trust official statistics believe crime has gone up. 66% of them believed this was the case. Among those who distrust official statistics, 80% believe crime has gone up. However, among victims and non-victims of crimes alike, only a minority believe they live in an area where crime is above the national average. Separate research by Cardiff University suggests injuries from violent crime are down by 14% in 2012 in England and Wales. Furthermore, the Peace Index researchers are at a loss to explain why violence is falling - not just in the UK but elsewhere - and dismiss many of the existing theories. For those that are interested, the IEP has now also produced its second US Peace Index. The data there, too, show a sharp decline in violence. The US is more peaceful domestically now than at any other time over the last twenty years; since 1991 there has been a substantial and sustained reduction in direct violence across the US. The index showed that Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and Minnesota were the most peaceful states - and that Florida, Nevada, Tennessee and Louisiana were the least peaceful - perhaps explaining the ouroboros nature of arguments about the (de)merits of gun control. Lest one get too excited, the same organisation also produces a Global Peace Index, which Iceland tops [PDF]. The UK ranks 29th. The US ranks 88th. Related: British Crime Survey for England and Wales; ONS Crime Statistics. Previously: Punch line inside (Global Peace Index, 2007).

Gun control amendments defeated

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:53:45 -0800

Despite widespread popular support, on April 17th, 2013, the US Senate voted to defeat four legislative amendments that would strengthen background checks for gun purchases and place a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Victims and survivors of victims of recent shootings who were in the Senate audience were heard to yell "Shame on you" at legislators as the final votes were tallied.

The Day Care Dilemma

zarq — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:30:27 -0800

"Trusting your child with someone else is one of the hardest things that a parent has to do — and in the United States, it’s harder still, because American day care is a mess. About 8.2 million kids—about 40 percent of children under five — spend at least part of their week in the care of somebody other than a parent. Most of them are in centers, although a sizable minority attend home day cares.... In other countries, such services are subsidized and well-regulated. In the United States, despite the fact that work and family life has changed profoundly in recent decades, we lack anything resembling an actual child care system. Excellent day cares are available, of course, if you have the money to pay for them and the luck to secure a spot. But the overall quality is wildly uneven and barely monitored, and at the lower end, it’s Dickensian."

Gene genie, let yourself go

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:20:03 -0800

After a decade or so of legal back-and-forth between Utah-based Myriad Genetics and medical researchers, the ACLU, and the Public Patent Forum, the US Supreme Court will hear a case next week which attempts to address whether genes — isolated (derivative) or original — can be patented. The stakes are high on both sides: opponents use Myriad's actions to argue that giving short-term monopoly control over humanity's genetic constituency is not in the public interest, while proponents defend the use of patents to spur private research in biotech, alternative energy and other nascent industries.

North Korea Sets April 10th Deadline

Artw — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:38:16 -0800

North Korea has warned foreign embassies in Pyongyang that it cannot guarantee their safety from the threat of conflict after 10 April, and has advised them to consider pulling their staff out of the capital. This follows North Korea blocking South Korean Workers from the Kaesong industrial complex - a sign that this might be more material than the usual posturing, warning that a 'moment of explosion' is nearing and moving missiles with "considerable range" to its east coast. Though the US is playing down the threat and the UK and Russia have no plans of moving their diplomats the possibility of an accident or miscalculation leading to war looms. North Korea has earned the reprobation of Russia and Fidel Castro in recent days and even longtime supporter China is beginning to lose patience with it - something some say is not before time.

“He’s just like a noble lion that does not bite.”

zarq — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 11:02:21 -0800

The last King of Rwanda, Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, lives on public assistance in low-income housing, at a dead end between US Route 66 and State Route 655 in Oakton, Virginia. 'He ruled Rwanda for just nine months in the 1960's before fleeing a revolt and has spent the last half century in exile, powerless to stop the violence that ripped through his country. He is 76 years old now, his tottering seven-foot-two-inch frame stooped by age and the vagaries of fate.'

Operation Overlord

zarq — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 13:21:02 -0800

PhotosNormandie is a collaborative collection of more than 3,000 royalty-free photos from World War II's Battle of Normandy and its aftermath. (Photos date from June 6 to late August 1944). The main link goes to the photostream. You can also peruse sets, which include 2700+ images from the US and Canadian National Archives.

The American Mind

the man of twists and turns — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 07:06:54 -0800

The Historian Garry Wills Has Written Better Than Anybody Else About Modern America

The Atlantic - Benj Edwards

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 10:23:43 -0800

The Copyright Rule We Need to Repeal If We Want to Preserve Our Cultural Heritage

"As the hymn says, you can lay your burden down."

zarq — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 07:36:49 -0800

The Things They Leave Behind. "When the Vietnam Veterans Memorial opened 30 years ago, something unexpected happened: People started leaving things at the wall. One veteran has spent decades cataloging the letters, mementos, and other artifacts of loss — all 400,000 of them." (Via.) Website: The National Park Service Museum Resource Center. CSPAN Video: "Bob Sonderman, director of the Museum Resource Center, gave a tour of the football field-sized warehouse which houses roughly 2.5 million archaeological objects from National Park locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia." (2/11)

"The Fiery Cross guards you at nights."

zarq — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:20:45 -0800

In the 1920's, the Ku Klux Klan operated a resort for Christian white supremacists called Kool Koast Kamp near Rockport, TX. For just a dollar a day per family, they offered swimming and "big game fishing" in "deep blue surf," educational activities and "watermelon parties." All under the protection of a "fiery cross" and "an officer of the law, the same Christian sentiment." (Brochure pages 1, 2, 3, 4) Alternate links to images of the brochure pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

"Perhaps as dangerous as the actual Communists"

the man of twists and turns — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:27:21 -0800

The Homosexual Atom Bomb

Such absurd equations show how homosexuality became a floating signifier, associated with whatever political tendency one most disliked. Rather than representing a certain group of people, it represented everything that was wrong—whatever that meant. America’s Red Scare bled into its Lavender Scare; the Soviets associated homosexuality with capitalism and fascism. But empty as it was, the political use of the trope of homosexuality had a devastating effect on real people from both countries.

"Homosexuality Is Stalin's Atom Bomb to Destroy America" is on display at the Winkleman Gallery in NYC. The Lavender Scare, The Second Red Scare's Fraternal Twin Question: Why were homosexuals considered a threat to national security?

Johnson: The politicians behind the Lavender Scare asserted that homosexuals were susceptible to blackmail by enemy agents and so could be coerced into revealing government secrets. In other words, the official rationale wasn't that homosexuals were communists but that they could be used by communists. A Senate subcommittee spent months investigating this claim and came up empty-handed. They found no evidence that even a single gay or lesbian American civil servant had ever been blackmailed into revealing state secrets. The only proof they offered was the well-known case of Colonel Alfred Redl, an Austrian double agent who was exposed just before World War I. Nevertheless, the subcommittee's final report stated emphatically that homosexuals posed a threat to national security and called for their removal from all federal agencies.

The Lavender Scare, a documentary.

Silent No More: Women In The Military Speak Out Against Sex Crimes

fantodstic — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 02:20:00 -0800

Sexual Assault In The U.S. Military is the focus of a serious contender for Best Documentary Feature at this year's Academy Awards. The Invisible War is a groundbreaking investigative doc that sheds light on the under-reported epidemic of sexual abuse against female members of the military, as well as the lack of punitive action in these crimes: of the 8 percent of sexual assault cases that are prosecuted in the military, only 2 percent result in convictions. A female soldier in a combat zone is more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

By official estimates from The Department of Defense, 19,000 violent sexual crimes occurred in the military in 2011 alone. Sexual assault is grossly under-reported in the military. In 2011, 3,191 assaults were reported when its likely that somewhere between 19,000 and 22,000 assaults occurred. The women in the film speak about the physical and mental abuse they underwent while serving in the military - and about the the lawsuit they joined and the verdict in which their experiences were labeled "occupational hazards". The film is already garnering much attention, especially as front-running Oscar Nominee - and lawmakers are taking notice. The Invisible War has played an influential role in helping expose this ongoing epidemic. Shortly after seeing the film early last year, Leon Panetta held a press conference where he announced changes to military policy. The DoD shifted court martial authority to higher levels last year. Then, the General Jeff Sinclair incident: The former deputy commander of the elite 82nd Airborne Division, a decorated veteran of the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan, has been charged with forcible sodomy, wrongful sexual conduct and other violations of military law, the Army said. -from the NYT Article The Pentagon doesn't like this so much, and would much rather this all just go away quietly. Sinclair's wife even dropped a letter to the editor at the Washington Post. As the trial continued last month, with all the details surfacing, Sinclair hired MWW to come up with his personal website to perform damage control. Meanwhile, as the epidemic continues, victims have begun documenting their experiences via I Am One. It is estimated that over 500,000 women have been victims of sexual abuse in the U.S. military. Invisible War director Kirby Dick firmly believes the film can create even greater change: “This is the film that—if it does get an Academy Award—it will motivate Congress, it will motivate the [Defense Department], it will motivate the military to make even more changes. There will be a direct result from this winning the award and the reduction of rape. That will happen.” Film Trailer (youtube)

Where the nation's highest earners live

msbubbaclees — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 08:13:57 -0800

The Washington Post has posted a clickable county map of the United States, illustrating the percentage of households in the top 5% of national income (based on data from the US Census Bureau).

The Shooter

chunking express — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 07:38:55 -0800

The Shooter. It begins, "The man who shot and killed Osama bin Laden sat in a wicker chair in my backyard, wondering how he was going to feed his wife and kids or pay for their medical care."

Twelve Mintue Chunks Of White Hot Knowledge!

The Whelk — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 09:55:19 -0800

John And Hank Green (previously), amusing youtube teachers of world history and biology have finished the first cycle of their educational series Crash Course (previously) and have wrapped up mini lessons on Literature and Ecology. Now they've just started two brand new series on U.S History and Chemistry (to come). Outtakes.

All aboard!

Potomac Avenue — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:43:03 -0800

By the creator of the California Rail Map, and inspired by ideas from various agencies and advocacy groups: A Map of the US High Speed Rail System

The Cyber-Ombudsman

zarq — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:24:03 -0800

TruthTeller is an ambitious new automated application built by the Washington Post, which fact checks political speeches, ads and interviews "in as close to real time as possible." The prototype is intended to be a complement to the paper's Fact Checker Blog. More on the project from TechCrunch and Poynter.

Gospel of Intolerance

Blazecock Pileon — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 08:47:38 -0800

Gospel of Intolerance - Excerpts of "God Loves Uganda", a feature documentary directed and produced by filmmaker Roger Ross Williams is having its premiere at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film explains how money donated by American evangelicals directly finances the violent antigay movement in Uganda.

Mexican Drug Cartel Animated Infographic

HuronBob — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 18:28:06 -0800

A short animated infographic that pretty clearly explains the extent of the illegal drug and weapon problem shared by Mexico and the United States.