The Road to Germany: $2400 from Foreign Policy Magazine
"Some set out on a complicated journey to Europe with a crude graphic — a flowchart of the route from Turkey to Germany — as a guide. In its rudimentary geometry, refugees saw an impossible dream. In its illustrated stick figures, kicking their heels upon reaching the final destination, they saw themselves. They allowed an image, powerful and meditative in its simplicity, to shape their personal stories."
Showing posts with label Human rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human rights. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Trying to Put a Period on One of the Darkest Chapters in US History
Senate Votes To Outlaw Torture from the Huffington Post
"In a landmark showing, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to outlaw the practice of torture and solidify a noncoercive method of intelligence interrogation, indicating a firm departure from the years of the Bush-era torture program -- a period that many have characterized as one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history."
"In a landmark showing, lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to outlaw the practice of torture and solidify a noncoercive method of intelligence interrogation, indicating a firm departure from the years of the Bush-era torture program -- a period that many have characterized as one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history."
Sunday, June 14, 2015
A perfect penalty coming out of an imperfect justice system
What do you think of the death penalty now, Justice Scalia? (Leonard Pitts) from the Miami Herald
"The argument against the death penalty will never have the visceral, immediate emotionalism of the argument in favor. It does not satisfy that instinctive human need to make somebody pay — now! — when something bad has been done. Rather, it turns on quieter concerns, issues of inherent racial, class, geographic and gender bias, issues of corner-cutting cops and ineffective counsel, and issues of irrevocability, the fact that, once imposed, death cannot be undone. Those issues were easy for you to ignore in mocking Blackmun. They are always easy to ignore, right up until the moment they are not. This is one of those moments, sir,..."
The predictable outcome when a perfect penalty comes out of an imperfect justice system.
"The argument against the death penalty will never have the visceral, immediate emotionalism of the argument in favor. It does not satisfy that instinctive human need to make somebody pay — now! — when something bad has been done. Rather, it turns on quieter concerns, issues of inherent racial, class, geographic and gender bias, issues of corner-cutting cops and ineffective counsel, and issues of irrevocability, the fact that, once imposed, death cannot be undone. Those issues were easy for you to ignore in mocking Blackmun. They are always easy to ignore, right up until the moment they are not. This is one of those moments, sir,..."
The predictable outcome when a perfect penalty comes out of an imperfect justice system.
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Faster Pace of Releases at Guantánamo
Obama Nears Goal for Guantánamo With Faster Pace of Releases from the New York Times
"Now 127 prisoners remain at Guantánamo, down from 680 in 2003, and the Pentagon is ready to release two more groups of prisoners in the next two weeks..."
"Now 127 prisoners remain at Guantánamo, down from 680 in 2003, and the Pentagon is ready to release two more groups of prisoners in the next two weeks..."
When the Whole World is Watching ...
It’s Time for Pervasive Surveillance — of the Police from Raw Story
"We need recordings, and we need them not just to investigate high-profile shootings. There is a growing demand for accurate recording of the entire spectrum of police activity, making greater transparency of policing an urgent priority. However, recordings by themselves are not a magic bullet."
"We need recordings, and we need them not just to investigate high-profile shootings. There is a growing demand for accurate recording of the entire spectrum of police activity, making greater transparency of policing an urgent priority. However, recordings by themselves are not a magic bullet."
Friday, January 2, 2015
What the "Old Hands" Have to Say about the Bush Torture Program
Why torture doesn't work: A definitive guide (Ryan Cooper) from The Week
"Dick Cheney says torture is effective. But the Nazis (and the Soviets and the Viet Cong and the Stasi) would disagree."
"Dick Cheney says torture is effective. But the Nazis (and the Soviets and the Viet Cong and the Stasi) would disagree."
Friday, December 26, 2014
Closing Gauntanamo Gets Closer to Reality
U.S. Prepares to Accelerate Detainee Transfers from Guantanamo Bay Prison from the Huffington Post
"The Obama administration is accelerating its efforts to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention center, preparing to move dozens of inmates out of the prison in coming months in a step forward for President Obama’s redoubled attempt to achieve a core national security objective before he leaves office."
"The Obama administration is accelerating its efforts to shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention center, preparing to move dozens of inmates out of the prison in coming months in a step forward for President Obama’s redoubled attempt to achieve a core national security objective before he leaves office."
Should Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & CIA Officials Be Tried for Torture?
War Crimes Case Filed in Germany from Democracy Now
"Cheney’s claim that he would approve torture again highlights a key question: Are top officials above the law, and will the impunity of today lead to more abuses in the future?"
"Cheney’s claim that he would approve torture again highlights a key question: Are top officials above the law, and will the impunity of today lead to more abuses in the future?"
What to Do With the Authors of American Torture
Prosecute Torturers and Their Bosses from the Editorial Board of the New York Times
"These are, simply, crimes. They are prohibited by federal law, which defines torture as the intentional infliction of “severe physical or mental pain or suffering.” They are also banned by the Convention Against Torture, the international treaty that the United States ratified in 1994 and that requires prosecution of any acts of torture. So it is no wonder that today’s blinkered apologists are desperate to call these acts anything but torture, which they clearly were. As the report reveals, these claims fail for a simple reason: C.I.A. officials admitted at the time that what they intended to do was illegal."
"These are, simply, crimes. They are prohibited by federal law, which defines torture as the intentional infliction of “severe physical or mental pain or suffering.” They are also banned by the Convention Against Torture, the international treaty that the United States ratified in 1994 and that requires prosecution of any acts of torture. So it is no wonder that today’s blinkered apologists are desperate to call these acts anything but torture, which they clearly were. As the report reveals, these claims fail for a simple reason: C.I.A. officials admitted at the time that what they intended to do was illegal."
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Torture and Accountability: What About the Doctors?
‘Do No Harm’: When Doctors Torture (Julie Beck) from the Atlantic
"Medical officers used their knowledge to aid and abet the CIA's interrogation tactics."
"Medical officers used their knowledge to aid and abet the CIA's interrogation tactics."
Friday, December 12, 2014
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: Prosecutions Over US Torture - May Not Be Up To US Authorities
UN Expert Calls For Prosecution Over U.S. Torture from the Huffington Post
""In all countries, if someone commits murder, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they commit rape or armed robbery, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they order, enable or commit torture — recognized as a serious international crime — they cannot simply be granted impunity because of political expediency," he said."
""In all countries, if someone commits murder, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they commit rape or armed robbery, they are prosecuted and jailed. If they order, enable or commit torture — recognized as a serious international crime — they cannot simply be granted impunity because of political expediency," he said."
Ricks: Reflections on Iraq
In and Out of Time in Iraq (Tom Ricks) from the New Yorker
"In the back of my brain, an unconscious thought was growing, whispering, insisting on being heard: something is very wrong here. It hit me hard; it was a personal feeling. This wasn’t a matter of policy, this was a matter of my life: This war is going to be very different from the other conflicts you have covered..."
"In the back of my brain, an unconscious thought was growing, whispering, insisting on being heard: something is very wrong here. It hit me hard; it was a personal feeling. This wasn’t a matter of policy, this was a matter of my life: This war is going to be very different from the other conflicts you have covered..."
Turning Loose More Detainees ... Finally
Obama Effort Leads To Surge In Guantanamo Releases from the Huffington Post
"With the sudden surge in transfers, Guantanamo is now at a turning point. The prisoner population is at 136 — down from a high of near 700 and its lowest point since shortly after it opened in January 2002 — with 68 of the prisoners cleared for transfer. Officials have said at least five more will be moved by Dec. 31."
"With the sudden surge in transfers, Guantanamo is now at a turning point. The prisoner population is at 136 — down from a high of near 700 and its lowest point since shortly after it opened in January 2002 — with 68 of the prisoners cleared for transfer. Officials have said at least five more will be moved by Dec. 31."
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Summon Your Own Rescue Drone...
The panic button app that can summon a drone (and the police) to come to your rescue at the touch of a button - and will even chase after an assailant from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"System set to be used in 30 US hospitals, schools and offices. Drone can record everything it sees on arrival at the scene. Drone has speakers and microphone - and can follow a fleeing assailant."
"System set to be used in 30 US hospitals, schools and offices. Drone can record everything it sees on arrival at the scene. Drone has speakers and microphone - and can follow a fleeing assailant."
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Captives held by Islamic State were Waterboarded from the Washington Post
"At least four hostages held in Syria by the Islamic State, including an American journalist who was recently executed by the group, were waterboarded in the early part of their captivity, according to people familiar with the treatment of the kidnapped Westerners."
Whew! Well, at least they didn't torture the hostages!
"At least four hostages held in Syria by the Islamic State, including an American journalist who was recently executed by the group, were waterboarded in the early part of their captivity, according to people familiar with the treatment of the kidnapped Westerners."
Whew! Well, at least they didn't torture the hostages!
Friday, August 22, 2014
What's Visible When Your TV News is on Mute
Black And White In Ferguson And Journalism (Jaime Steihm) from National Memo
"When you don’t know if the violent scenes on the evening news are in Iraq or in Ferguson, Missouri, then things are bad."
"When you don’t know if the violent scenes on the evening news are in Iraq or in Ferguson, Missouri, then things are bad."
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Differing Reports on CIA Torture
Senate Republicans to issue minority report on CIA 'torture' techniques from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Republicans on the Senate intelligence committee will soon release a minority report asserting that the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques helped bring down Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, the panel’s top Republican said on Sunday. ... The Democrats’ majority report is expected to allege that the CIA’s use of techniques, such as waterboarding, did not help yield valuable intelligence and was not necessary."
"Republicans on the Senate intelligence committee will soon release a minority report asserting that the CIA’s use of harsh interrogation techniques helped bring down Osama bin Laden and other terrorists, the panel’s top Republican said on Sunday. ... The Democrats’ majority report is expected to allege that the CIA’s use of techniques, such as waterboarding, did not help yield valuable intelligence and was not necessary."
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
TODAY'S BIG NUGGET: Clarity on the Muddled Debate Over Torture
The Torturers’ Non-Defense (Andrew Sullivan) from The Dish
"In other words, the entire point of the Convention is to prevent any wriggle room around what torture is and to include inhumanity. And if you don’t believe that stretching people till their limbs break, near-drowning them hundreds of times, hounding them day and night with sleep
deprivation, or subjecting them to freezing temperatures, mock executions and amount to inhumanity, you are no longer human. In a court of law, Tenet would be out of luck. Just as important, the context is irrelevant."
Bush, Cheney, Tenet, and down the line -- criminals.
"In other words, the entire point of the Convention is to prevent any wriggle room around what torture is and to include inhumanity. And if you don’t believe that stretching people till their limbs break, near-drowning them hundreds of times, hounding them day and night with sleep
deprivation, or subjecting them to freezing temperatures, mock executions and amount to inhumanity, you are no longer human. In a court of law, Tenet would be out of luck. Just as important, the context is irrelevant."
Bush, Cheney, Tenet, and down the line -- criminals.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Discovering Democracy and Freedom in Myanmar
Burmese Visitors Get a Taste of Democracy and Hope (Peter Berkowitz) from Real Clear Politics
"Several told me that while they were sure they wanted democracy and freedom, they were not so sure what democracy and freedom were—because their universities don’t teach political science, the regime controls the availability of books, and for decades Burmese politicians and intellectuals thought that the only significant intellectual source of opposition to the military’s grip on the government came from Marxism."
"Several told me that while they were sure they wanted democracy and freedom, they were not so sure what democracy and freedom were—because their universities don’t teach political science, the regime controls the availability of books, and for decades Burmese politicians and intellectuals thought that the only significant intellectual source of opposition to the military’s grip on the government came from Marxism."
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Being Gay in Russia: The New Reality
Homophobia in Russia Is Taking a Kafkaesque Turn (Jay Michaelson) from the Daily Beast
"LGBT organizations declared foreign agents in one fell swoop, gays being blacklisted by banks, employers, and landlords—welcome to the new reality of being LGBT under Putin."
"LGBT organizations declared foreign agents in one fell swoop, gays being blacklisted by banks, employers, and landlords—welcome to the new reality of being LGBT under Putin."
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