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by Sharon Grimes, W A M M
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AU.S.-Run Gulag to Close
President-elect Barack Obama has promised to close the Guantánamo Bay facility. Meanwhile, a federal judge (who is a Bush appointee) ordered the release of five Algerian men who had been held at Guantánamo Bay for almost seven years. The judge said there was no credible evidence to substantiate the charges against them. David G. Savage wrote in the Los Angeles Times that “civil libertarians said Thursday’s [Nov. 20] decision confirmed what the Bush administration’s critics had long assumed—that the cases against the Guantánamo prisoners would not stand up if they were examined by an independent judge.” (Washington Post, Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/21/08)
Hopeful Policy Changes
Before the election, President-Elect Barack Obama wrote letters to employees in seven U.S. departments – Labor, Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs, Transportation Safety Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and Social Security Administration – outlining his plans if he were to be elected. He said he planned to cut back on contracts to private firms doing government work, remove censorship from scientific research, and push for tougher industry regulation to protect workers and the environment. Defense was the only area in which he did not make promises requiring additional spending. (Washington Post, 11/16/08)
“Climate of Change”
The theme of this year’s Freedom Awards from the National Museum of Civil Rights was “Climate of Change,” signifying “lasting impressions globally by the winners.” Al Gore was honored for his work to reverse global climate change. Blues singer B. B. King received the Lifetime Achievement Award for paving the way for other musicians. Diane Nash received the National Freedom Award for her pioneering civil rights work, which includes organizing Freedom Rides, founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and teaching nonviolent tactics. She also served on the committee that helped pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. (commercialappeal.com, 10/27/08)
Treaty Endorsed
A treaty regulating global arms trade was endorsed overwhelmingly by the UN General Assembly in October. Only the United States and Zimbabwe voted against the treaty; 147 of the 192 member nations voted in favor of drafting the treaty; the rest were absent or abstained. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 11/1/08).
Local Attorney Awarded
Peter Thompson, a local attorney, received this year’s Earl Larson Award in November from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN). He was honored for a career dedicated to “the pursuit of justice and the protection of civil liberties.” He has done pro bono work defending demonstrators in protests against Honeywell and Alliant Tech and was active with the Advocates for Human Rights related to war crimes and human rights investigations. (Civil Liberties News, Vol. 38, Issue 04)
Media Group Demand Gaza Coverage
The Foreign Press Association, a group representing journalists working for foreign news organizations in Israel and the Palestinian territories, filed a complaint with the Israeli government demanding access to Gaza and petitioned the High Court of Justice to order the government to allow its 400 members to enter the Strip. Although Israel has sealed the border crossings in the past, this time they have barred all movement in and out of Gaza, except for essential humanitarian aid. Israeli Defense Ministry spokesperson Shlomo Dror claims that “the situation in Gaza is clear: There is daily firing, we have information about possible attacks on the crossings and we are limiting our activity there as much as possible.” Israeli journalists have been barred from Gaza for two years. (New York Times, 11/18/08, Haaretz.com, 11/25/08)
Muslim-Catholic Dialogue
In November a group of Catholics and Muslims met in Vatican City in a three-day forum aimed at improving understanding and easing tensions between the two faiths. They pledged to work together “to condemn terrorism, protect religious freedom, and fight poverty.” They issued a 15-point declaration calling on Catholics and Muslims to renounce “oppression, aggressive violence, and terrorism, especially that committed in the name of religion.” It also said religious minorities are entitled to their own places of worship and that the “founding figures and symbols they consider sacred should not be subjected to any form of mockery or ridicule.” (New York Times, 11/6/08, posted article.)
India Urged to Avoid Bush-Cheney Road
Sections of the Arab-supported media and academics are urging India to avoid the approach adopted by the Americans after 9/11 in the wake of the carnage in Mumbai. An editorial in the Middle East Times also exhorted the “silent majority” of Muslims the world over to speak out against the attacks. “The Muslim community around the world needs to wake up to the fact that there is no longer room for the silence of the silent majority. It is time for the leaders of the Muslim world – and the people of the Muslim world – to become vociferous. It is time for all Muslims who feel strongly about what happened in Mumbai to speak out against the violence.”
The editorial appealed to India to “avoid falling into the same trap that led to the world’s remaining superpower to adopt measures that were not in line with the democratic principles they wished to spread around the world.” It added: “India should not enact laws similar to the USA Patriot Act, establish Guantánamo-like camps and turn Pakistan into another ‘Iraq’; even if the attacks on Mumbai do represent another 9/11.” (article online) |
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© 2008 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete December 2008/January 2009 Index - click here
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