- A U.S. soldier on duty in Iraq makes a reasoned plea to his military to change it's rules on conscientious objection.
- Specter of the Dollar's crash, a perspective from the pages of a French daily newspaper.
- What does Karl Rove want to do next? Make sure the Republicans get elected forever.
- Is Alabama simply trying to hold on to it's segregationist past?
- If it weren't so sad it would be funny. Once again, the difference between Allawi's statements and Iraqi reality is huge.
- U.S. Lawyers and Iraqi complainants join to bring charges of War Crimes against U.S. oficials in a German court. (The German legal system will prosecute war criminals wherever they are located.)
- Will the last one to leave the Bush administration please turn off the light? Ridge resigns post at Homeland Security. To spend more time with his family, says his resignation letter...riiiiight.
- The European Union takes over peacekeeping duties in Bosnia. This little reported handover is crucial to the EUs hopes to change the situation where it is an economic and diplomatic giant but a military midget.
- Iraq's Shia parties, led by Grand Ayatollah Sistani, have built a powerful political alliance uniting moderates with extremists and seem likely to dominate next month's general election.
- UN to back pre-emptive strikes in first major overhaul of Security Council.
- Military commentator David Hackworth has a go at U.S. generals putting joy-rides over supply flights for troops in Iraq.
- Tests apparently show that a new treatment can stop HIV in it's tracks.
- U.S. Republican Senator calls for the UN Secretary-General to resign. U.S. Ambassador refuses to say that the U.S. still has confidence in the UN.
- Armed robots are going to Iraq, but will this save lives or make it easier to be inhuman in war?
- There has been a fair bit of speculation about US involvement in the Ukranian elections, Anne Applebaum argues that anti-American feelings are more important than pro-democracy sentiments for the conspiracy buffs.
Quote of the Day:
If facts conflict with a theory, either the theory must be changed or the facts.
Benedict Spinoza
2 comments:
Cernig, excellent article on conscientious objection to war.I will pass it on to people I know.
There was a time of course when there was no such thing as conscientious objection, you were sent a white feather if you didn't want to go to war.
Fortunately now we are seeing more people who realise what war means and how inglorious it is.
I always said that if either of my sons was drafted I would break their legs with a baseball bat rather than let them go to war.(yes I know I promote non-violence)
And they agreed to let me.
Unfortunately....if the draft comes in in America, and I believe it will, I don't think there will be such a thing as not wanting to go for whatever reason.
And with the government holding the purse strings for a lot of unemployed,let's just say that these will be eligible for the draft, there won't be much of a choice.
I can't see Bush putting the names of his daughters or the children of the rich into the hat.
shadows
Hi Shadows,
I do think the most effective counter to the Pro-War robots is the simple charge of cowardice. If they are so gung-ho for pre-emptive invasions, why have they not joined up? Simple, they are being brave with other people's bodies, not their own. Damn few of them are soldiers, and those who are soldiers are invariably not in the front line and have no intentions of asking for a transfer to combat duty. The guys in the foxholes and on patrol have a very different conception of the war. Look at the "Stories from the Troops" on Operation Truth. (See my links list for the link). During the Republican Party convention, young Republicans were very vocal in their support for the Bush Adventure...but when questioned all had reasons why they wouldn't join the Army!
Call them COWARDS, that is what they are.
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