Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The good news for Oct. 28, 2008


There's a lot going on in the world that doesn't have much of anything to do with the impending U.S. elections. Some of this news is good, some not. All of it, I think, is worthwhile reading.

Still, be sure to get yourself educated and go vote next Tuesday. Seriously. If you don't and we meet in person, I can't be held responsible if my foot decides to kick you in the shins.

  • [Washington Post] Rwanda now boasts the first female majority in the world for their Parliament. They've also been working hard since the genocide of the mid 90's to establish gender equality in the country. This is good stuff.
  • [Glen Greenwald] So apparently an active U.S. Army unit has been assigned to NorthCom (that would be right here in the United States), and this is the first time that's ever been done. Because, y'know, there are strict Constitutional prohibitions against our standing army being assigned to domestic law enforcement duties. The ACLU, thankfully if unsurprisingly, is pressing the government for imformation about this potentially illegal move.
  • [Stereohyped] I'm not sure who's behind this really poorly done and obviously fake campaign mailer, but it's both stupid and a fine example of the racist attitudes still held by far too many folks, even right here in Wisconsin.
  • [Cracked] Five presidential elections even dumber than this one. Didn't think it was possible!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Glenn Greenwald has been all over this for a couple of weeks now. Why is it that he doesn't have a Pulitzer yet? He's been consistently excellent for a couple of years now.

He makes complete sense on this issue. On the other hand, another writer I respect a lot, Col. Bob Bateman (who I discovered at Altercation on MediaMatters.com) seems to think it's not that big a deal. So I'm kind of conflicted.

All in all though, my first instinct is, of course, to stand completely behind posse comitatus and foursquare against any use of the US military ever inside the US

Emily said...

Right there with you. People are rationalizing the move up and down, but no matter which way you slice it, it's still an active military force being used domestically. And that's no good.

The Lost Albatross