Category: Politics & World Affairs
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We’ve certainly been critical enough of John McCain here at A.B. — and rightly so, given his indefensible support of the war, torture, etc. But to be fair to the senator, he’s at least on the right side of something for once: prescription medications. McCain is supporting the reimportation of drugs from Canada in order…
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A little over a year ago during the run up to the 2006 elections, Sujatha posted an article detailing the vulnerability of the new e-slate voting system in use for the last few years. The article described how easily the system could be tampered with by introducing malicious programs into the memory card of the…
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The news report and the cartoon. Which one of the two perpetrators deserves to be charged with a crime? (The L.A. Times link via Joe)
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(Pakistani lawyer being arrested by plainclothes police :AP photo) Those who are following the turmoil in Pakistan know that General Musharraf is in all sorts of trouble. He has a vipers’ nest of Al Qaida, Taliban and their sympathizers on the western border. The US government has been paying the "friendly" government of Pakistan mega…
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Oh, wait, my bad. Secretary Rice criticized the Russians for all the flaws which any sane person sees in the American government today. [CNN] The Russian government under Vladimir Putin has amassed so much central authority that the power-grab may undermine Moscow’s commitment to democracy, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday. "In…
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Eugene Volokh notes that Barack Obama used to wear an American flag lapel pin, but no longer does (h/t Eric Muller). Obama’s explanation: "Shortly after 9-11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to…
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I have made it abundantly clear in several posts and comments that I am restless and dissatisfied with the Democratic presidential slate for 2008. Unfortunately it appears that it will come down to the unpalatable choice of "the lesser of the two undesirbles" for me – never a good feeling. But there is not much…
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From the Boston Herald: IN THE PAST few weeks, the secretive nation of Burma suddenly landed on the world’s front pages, as small demonstrations by monks spiraled into massive protests and triggered a violent crackdown by the military government. Such an impromptu uprising surprised many observers. Searching for explanations, some have cited the rising price…
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The 2008 presidential election is about change. So we have been told. If the candidates’ public pronouncements and debate performances are any indication, nothing much will change – at least not in foreign and war policies. And I am not speaking of the Republicans. The three top Democratic contenders, Clinton, Obama and Edwards, despite their…
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Myanmar’s fledgeling Orange Revolution, now turning bloody red, couldn’t have come at a more propitious time for George W. Bush. Bush addressed the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. His customary delusional take on the state of the world was once again on display. Going through the speech in a hurry in order get out of…
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Politicians exploiting tragedy and fear are nothing new. No photo op, gimmick, credit grabbing or pandering is above the political fray. Therefore it was hardly a surprise that Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York City on 9/11/2001 and a wily political opportunist, attached himself to the momentous events of that day with the tenacity…
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You didn’t hear about Nelson Mandela’s death, did you? Neither did I or the rest of the world. But George W. Bush, the president of the most powerful nation in the world thinks Mandela is dead. Not just that – but that Saddam Hussein may have killed him. How’s that for breaking news? I watched…
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Picasso, Monet, Matisse, Miro, Kandinsky, Warhol, Van Gogh and a self portrait by Edvard Munch. One of the best of Jackson Pollock. A leading museum of fine art in Europe or America? How about the basement of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran? Earlier this year I posted an article by Indian journalist Manoj…
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