The American civil war re-enactment society | Diane Roberts

The American civil war re-enactment society | Diane Roberts | Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

About five minutes after Lee surrendered at Appomattox courthouse in 1865, the white south got busy rewriting history, rebranding slavery as either benign paternalism or an accident that wasn't their fault: after all, the English brought the first slaves from Africa to the southern colonies. Those marketing geniuses of the "lost cause" renamed the carnage of 1861-65 the "war of northern aggression" and cast the Confederacy as a doomed but romantic collection of patriots: Saxons resisting Norman hegemony, Jacobites risking all for Bonnie Prince Charlie, or some other pseudo-history cadged from the novels of Sir Walter Scott.

These days, conservatives are the new Confederates. They may not all dress up and play Scarlett and Rhett, but their politics are at least 150 years old. Since Barack Obama was elected president, Fox News apocalypticist Glenn Beck has predicted a new civil war is coming. Senator-elect Rand Paul has expressed distaste for the Civil Rights Act. "Tenthers" – those who believe that the 10th Amendment gives states sovereignty – are increasing in number in state legislatures and in Washington. Recently, a Tea Party leader in North Carolina wrote in his newsletter, "Washington DC has become destructive of our economy and liberty. It is our right and our duty to throw off such a government."

VOA | Analysts: WikiLeaks Following New Strategy in Document Release

VOA | Analysts: WikiLeaks Following New Strategy in Document Release | News | English

Former Washington Post managing editor Phil Bennett, who now teaches journalism at Duke University, says Assange is parceling the documents out because he was dissatisfied that stories about the previous documents fell from public attention relatively quickly.

"He was unhappy about the way those stayed in the news and wanted 'more bang for the buck' [more attention over a longer period of time]," said Bennett. "And I think there's no doubt that they're parceling out the information in a way to keep the story alive and sustain interest in it."

This piecemeal release of classified cables has troubled U.S. officials.

Former CIA deputy director John McLaughlin says officials do not like surprises, and they are getting new ones every day.

"The fact that this is dribbling out, if you're in government now you have to wonder, 'What's next, and what am I going to have to cope with?' And it's likely to come at a bad time when you already have your hands full," said McLaughlin. "So it's another volatile factor in a world that's already too volatile."

Johnny Logan Spencer Sentenced To Nearly 3 Years In Prison For Threatening Obama In Poem

It seems like every threat goes unnoticed when it comes to the far right against President Barack Obama.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

21 year-old poor Tamil lady hanged and beaten in the Busa Army Camp-srilankaguardian.org

Sri Lanka Guardian: 21 year-old poor Tamil lady hanged and beaten in the Busa Army Camp

(December 04, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) A Tamil lady from Badulla in the plantation sector, working as domestic servant was arrested in Colombo following a complaint by her master and his wife that she is associated with the LTTE.

Sadashivam Krishnameni came to Colombo to earn a living and help ease her parents’ financial difficulties. She found a job as a domestic servant in a house in Seeduwa in the suburb of Colombo. The head of the house is an employee of the Sri Lanka national airways ‘Sri Lankan’ and his wife is employed with the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Krishnameni was working there for about a week, when the police from the Seeduwa police station came to the house and checked her national identity card. The policemen ordered her to report at the police station to record a confession.
Her master and wife accompanied her to the police station. Instead of recording her confession as told, the police detained her in the police station for two months without producing her before the Court.

"Who You Are Have Made Me Possible"; An Open Letter to Joseph,Marlon& Essex on World AIDS Day

Selah: An Online Meditation Journal - "Who You Are Have Made Me Possible"; An Open Letter to Joseph,Marlon& Essex on World AIDS Day

I remember when I first came across “In The Life” and watched “Tongues Untied”. I cried both nights after. I cried because I had lived too long to never know you.

I was 23 then, struggling with my own sexuality and politics, working at AID Atlanta as an organizer, taking Women’s studies & African American studies courses at Georgia State University; unknowingly continuing the work each of you were apart of.

But before then.. ..

I didn’t know you existed ; and it hurt me…


I went to high school in rural Georgia, my home less than 4 miles from the high school you attended Marlon. When my same sex desires arose within me there were no models around me to know how to navigate the slurs. I didn’t know how to dodge the dangerous desires of homophobes or how to circumvent the chaos of conundrums which would become my identity. I thought I was the only one.


I didn’t know you existed Marlon; and it hurt me….

West Papua: KNPB Congress: West Papua Must Unite For Referendum

West Papua: KNPB Congress: West Papua Must Unite For Referendum - Indigenous Peoples Issues and Resources

KOMITE NASIONAL PAPUA BARAT [KNPB]
WEST PAPUA NATIONAL COMMITTEE


We inform to all the international media, the international community and to all the observers of the West Papua problem that KNPB (the West Papua National Committee) has held the I Congress in the Kampung Harapan, Jayapura on 19 untill November 22 2010. This congress was attended by delegation from territories and the consulate from various elements that were combined in KNPB.


The first Kongres of KNPB produced the resolution that became the attitude and the commitment of all the participant, that: the Focus of the KNPB Program was to finish up the status of West Papua through the process of politics and the law. To push the process of the resolution legally and politics, KNPB nationally reduced the political program and the organisation. Firstly, the Political program of KNPB is to achieve the goal of the West Papua, that is Independent in a manner Politics went through the most democratic rout that is the Referendum. Secondly, the Organisation program that is KNPB as the media pushed the formation of the Nasional of West Papua Council as the body representative, at the same time as the symbol of the association in driving the struggle through to the formation of the temporary Government post the referendum.


Better scrutinised and understood the discussions whole in the congress that was held, the forum for the congress of the I Komite Nasional Papua Barat [KNPB] produced resolutions that were unity of the attitude and the resolve from all over delegation of the Papua people from the committee's territories and delegations of the organisation of the struggle, that is:


1. Immediately to finish up the West Papua politics status through the referendum route as the most democratic solution and
2. Immediately carried out the internal strengthening of the struggle for the nation of West Papua through the association and the repairing in the defence of the military, civil and the International diplomat in the political and organisation program of KNPB.
3. We urge the defence of the military to immediately unite and carry out the repairing in order to pushes the agenda towards the referendum.
4. We urge to all the elements of the struggle to immediately pushed the formation of the Nasional Council as the symbol of the national association towards the solution to the referendum in the problem resolution of West Papua.
5. Immediately stopped the debate and mutual conflicts between the foreign diplomat and immediately to unite in works of the campaign and diplomacy in order to pushes the process of the resolution through the law and politic route.


This congress also succeeded in choosing the central management for, where Buchtar Tabuni was chosen again with the unanimous vote to continue to become General Chairman of KNPB, whereas Mako Tabuni became Vice Chairman of KNPB. General Secretary was filled up by Agus Trapen and Danny Wenda. Whereas the national Spokesperson was Jefri Tabuni and Victor F. Yeimo was chosen to be the Internasional Spokesperson.


This this resolution was passed towards organised internal the struggle headed the nation goal of West Papua namely nation independence of West Papua.


“We Must End”

Sinceraly,


Victor F. Yeimo
International spokesperson (+6281384553160)

WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy

WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy [washingtonpost.com] A vast treasure trove of secret State Department cables obtained by the Web site WikiLeaks has exposed the inner workings of U.S. diplomacy, as well as bluntly candid assessments by American diplomats, according to news organizations granted advance access to the more than 250,000 confidential documents.

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Wikileaks's unveiling of cables shows delicate diplomatic balance with Pakistan
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Foreign governments say WikiLeaks revelations undercut relations with U.S.
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U.S. asked China to stop missile parts shipment to Iran
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: Wikileaks cables expose world leaders' sensitive diplomacy
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WikiLeaks's release of documents shows struggle to relocate Guantanamo detainees
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WikiLeaks cables reveal personal details on world leaders
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WikiLeaks's unveiling of secret State Department cables exposes U.S. diplomacy
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Obama administration to WikiLeaks: Documents' release would have 'grave consequences'
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WikiLeaks release: With better sharing of data comes danger
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Secret cables reveal that U.S. believes Iran has advanced missiles
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Pentagon details security changes prompted by leak
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Text of White House statement on WikiLeaks release
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange takes Post readers' questions
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Clinton: Wikileaks release an 'attack on international community'

The documents suggest U.S. diplomats were ordered to engage in low-level spying by obtaining foreign diplomats' personal information, such as frequent-flier and credit card numbers, presumably to better track their movements.

Princess Entitlement Mentality

Recordings of Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Digitized by Hoover Archives | Hoover Institution

Recordings of Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize Recipient, Digitized by Hoover Archives | Hoover Institution

The sound recordings of Rigoberta Menchú that formed the basis of her autobiographical book, I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala (London: Verso, 1983), compiled by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, are digitized and available for immediate access at the Hoover Archives. Menchú, a Quiché Indian woman who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 1992, was interviewed by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray over the course of a week in 1982. The recordings are among the Elisabeth Burgos-Debray papers at Hoover.

In the introduction to I, Rigoberta Menchú, Burgos-Debray writes, “Every day for a week, we began to record her story at nine in the morning, broke for lunch at about one, and then continued until six in the evening. We often worked after dinner too, either making more recordings or preparing questions for the next day. At the end of the week I had twenty-four hours of conversation on tape.”

Gainsbourg and Whitney Houston

No Sex Education Please, We're Arab - IPS ipsnews.net

Sex education is expelled from Egyptian schools.

Credit:Victoria HazouNo Sex Education Please, We're Arab - IPS ipsnews.net

CAIRO, Nov 22, 2010 (IPS) - Civil society has warned of adverse social and health consequences after the Egyptian government ordered the removal of content related to male and female anatomy, reproductive health and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from the school curriculum.

"We know most of this material wasn’t being taught, but removing it from the curriculum is a big step backwards," says Noha Roushdy, researcher at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).

Egypt’s education ministry has instructed schools not to teach lessons on "reproduction and propagation methods", "pollination and fertilisation" genetics, and anatomical illustrations of the male and female reproductive systems. Teachers were ordered to disregard chapters on these subjects in existing biology textbooks, and new textbooks have been printed that omit the lessons.

Stop DC's war on the black community!

Stop DC's war on the black community!

[uhurunews.com] The war on the African community in DC is in full swing.

In response, the International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) will hold an event titled, “Stop the war on the black community!” at Everlasting Life Café (2928 Georgia Avenue; Washington DC).

The event will be held on Saturday, December 18th at 2:00pm EST.

Keynote speaker will be InPDUM President Diop Olugbala.

The exchange of leadership between the two imperialist parties during the recent elections has had no effect on oppressed people.

City officials continue their attacks on all fronts, including gentrification, economic oppression, police containment, and a newly introduced attack on DC’s welfare program.

The gentrification problem, in particular, is so severe that DC—historically known as the “Chocolate City” because of its majority black population—is in danger of losing that title by 2020.

Same old. Same old.

Democrat Adrian Fenty is soon to be replaced as mayor of DC by city council chair Vincent Gray, also a Democrat. According to popular media, it would seem that things are about to brighten up.

The popular media reports that Gray lacks the level of arrogance Fenty was known for.

They say he will not build dog parks for white citizens in formerly African communities, or tear down our schools. Allegedly, Gray won't ignore “the people,” as Fenty has.

The question remains though: what will Gray do? He will inherit DC's 150-million-dollar deficit, and, as has been the trend set by Democratic mayors before him, he will make up for this deficit on the backs of Africans.

Already, Gray has co-signed an attack on the DC welfare program, initiated by former mayor, current city council representative and beloved neocolonial stooge, Marion Barry (who also is a member of the Democratic party).