Indian Women Push Back with Slutwalk.
It's often called the 'biggest democracy on earth' and it is, sort of, but India remains one of the five worst countries in which to be a woman - right…
The Mound of Sound
"An Extraordinarily Dangerous Place" – Iraq on Eve of American Pullout
Washington's Iraq Special Inspector General for Reconstruction, Stuart Bowen, has taken the measure of Iraq today and laments the deterioration of security in the country."Iraq remains an extraordinarily dangerous place…
Our Libya Policy Is Just What Islamist Extremists Prayed For
The most important thing in the fight against Gaddafi was the one we ignored - getting the job done quickly.Time was very much of the essence in this one. In…
Robert Reich – Obama Falling Into Republican’s Economic Death Spiral
One of the few, coherent voices on America's political-economic morass has been Robert Reich, the U.C. Berkley public policy professor who earlier served three White House administrations. Reich has argued…
Could the Tea Party Be America’s Salvation?
No seriously, just bear with me for a moment. Tea Party members of America's House of Representatives appear intent on bringing their government down. These excerpts from der Spiegel illustrate…
How Screwed Up Are the Republicans? This Screwed Up
The Center for American Progress has a report on one thing the Republicans will absolutely not accept cutting back - the US military budget.“Decline is a choice” is the mantra…
Australia May Ditch the F-35
The Australian government has revealed it may scrap its plan to buy 100 F-35s because of delivery delays and ongoing cost overruns. Repeated delays and ballooning costs in the F-35…
How Did We Expect to Achieve Anything in Afghanistan by Partnering with Mobsters?
Of late the Taliban have been busy hauling out the trash. They've been clearing out Hamid Karzai's support network in the Pashtun south by a series of targeted assassinations that…
How to Transform a Democracy Into a Feudal State
High drama in Washington. It's the sort of political theatre that is enormously riveting. Congress is tossing about a ticking time bomb - supposedly - the US federal debt ceiling.…
America’s Fundamentalist Taliban
The dark face of America's religions fanaticism is finally coming into the light of day. To get a look at America's own Taliban, check out this article from al Jazeera.…
Murdoch Crew Caught In Yet Another Outrageous Hacking Scandal
This time the target was Sara Payne whose 8-year old daughter was murdered by a repeat sex offender in 2000. Scotland Yard has now added Mrs. Payne to their list…
European Union to Crack Down on Right Wing Extremism
The Norway massacre has pushed the European Union and the organization's police arm, Europol, into action against right wing extremists.this week both European Union interior ministers and the European law…
The Only Democracy In The Middle East
It's a common retort used whenever Israel comes in for criticism. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. That, somehow, seems to entitle the Israeli government to a…
Why Religion Has No Place in Politics
An excellent op-ed in today's New York Times.What is striking on the current American scene ...is the extent to which people see certain political and economic positions as required by…
No, the Talibs Aren’t Finished.
As Canada's combat mission in Kandahar ended, Canadian commanders were busy patting themselves on the back and proclaiming the Taliban insurgency in that province "flattened" due to their efforts. Of…
Today’s Climate Change Quirk
It's another of those never-ending "once in a century" stories. The heaviest rainfall in a century has triggered devastating floods and landslides in the Seoul area of South Korea. The…
Diabolical Prime Minister Caught Muzzling Scientists – Again
The fundamentalist fiend is at it again. Science to Steve Harper is the noonday sun to a vampire. This time it was a federal fisheries expert muzzled by Harp's political…
A Prisoner of Conscience – Banged Up for 2 Years By a Corrupt State
Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher has been sentenced to two years in prison. His crime? He attended a government auction where he bid on oil and gas leases to derail what…
What Makes Stephen Harper Tick?
Douglas Pratt in his paper "Terrorism and Religious Fundamentalism" explores aspects common to religious fundamentalist movements, whether Islamic, Jewish, Christian, Hindu - whatever. He explains how these common features or…