Abuse Photos Blocked
Invoking newly granted powers allowing him to circumvent the Freedom of Information Act, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has blocked the release of photos showing US soldiers abusing detainees in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"The American public has a right to see the evidence of crimes committed in their name." – Alex Abdo of the ACLU.
Back Where He Belongs
Acting on anonymous tips from the Hispanic-American community, U.S. border officials deported Luis Miguel Salvador Aguila Dominguez, who for 48 years had been living here illegally, with his 17 children, under the name Lou Dobbs. Officers said Dominguez/Dobbs pulled a knife, swore in Spanish and spit on them, "like they will," before they grabbed him by the serape. From the Onion.
CNN sources said they knew nothing about Dobbs' past: "All we knew was that he was willing to take the job most American newscasters didn't want – speaking out hysterically against immigration at every turn to help us gain ratings points against Fox News."
Tear Down This Wall!
As the world marked the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, activists in the West Bank enacted their own liberation by symbolically tearing down pieces of the wall that encloses two million Palestinians. Near Ramallah, hundreds of protesters in Nilin and the Qalandiya refugee camp managed to knock down sections of wall. In both actions, the Israeli army arrived to fire tear gas at the crowd. Video and photos here.
The One Left Broken, Beaten Down, and Hungry
A judge has ruled that a church in Phoenix, where homelessness is on the rise, cannot feed the homeless. Crossroads United Methodist Church lost a court battle that began after neighbors complained about its weekly pancake breakfast and the hungry riff-raff turning up for it. Zoning, says the court. Compassion, says the minister.
For actions to help the homeless, go here."Are we just discriminating against people who are poor and who don't have homes because we don't like what we feel when we see them?" says Rev. Dottie Escobedo-Frank. "My, my, my! What have we come to? Where's the love?"
Oh, The Hypocrisy
Shelter From the Storm
After a seven-city tour, a U.N special investigator has accused the U.S. government of pouring billions of dollars into rescuing Wall Street but failing to address the shameful, growing problem of homelessness. Raquel Rolnik said the housing crisis is "invisible" to many people.
"You have a lot of money, a lot of dollars available. You have a lot of expertise. This is a perfect setting to embrace housing as a human right."
Pondering the Graveyard
It's been a while since Obama's actions have inspired hope in us, but it seems right to welcome the apparent seriousness with which the Administration is now weighing its options in Afghanistan - what the ever-sneering Cheney called "dithering." Let Obama take his time, see the coffins, hear the critics, and read William Volk on the quagmire ahead.
"Just like President Johnson's generals, yours keep asking for more troops. We were told we could achieve victory in Vietnam by the same combination of force and counterinsurgency...What actually brought the insurgencies to a halt was the withdrawal of the foreigners."
A National Peacemaker’s Day
It is right and proper that our nation sets aside days to honor the men and women who have fought in the service of our country. They fully merit our collective thanks and admiration for their bravery and sacrifice.
But our nation fails to honor the peacemakers.
