Security over women’s rights in Afghanistan

We have been repeatedly rammed down our throats the rationale for supporting the invasion of Afghanistan  – the myth that this is a ‘war against terror’. A war to eradicate and stop terrorists from destabilising the region and the world. A war against Islamic fundamentalisms advocated by the likes of groups such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban that preaches extremist beliefs and practices including those against women.

Death penalty in California

After a four year moratorium on the death penalty in California, officials are introducing new lethal injection procedures to allow executions to continue. The state has the dubious honour of having the most number of people on death row in the US (close to 700) – twice as much as Texas, also known as the ‘death state’.

Singapore GLCs political donations to Australia’s political parties

The Political Donations Act in Singapore prohibits political groups and politicians from accepting foreign funding. The purpose of this legislation is ‘to prevent foreign groups from interfering in domestic politics’.

What retards action on climate change?

What makes governments, scientists and people believe or act on climate change? This is a question that is as polarised as the vigorous debates between advocates and sceptics of climate change.

An Obituary – Howard Zinn

No matter what we’re told, no matter what tyrant exists, what border has been crossed, what aggression has taken place, it’s not that we’re going to be passive in the face of tyranny or aggression, no, but we’ll find ways other than war to deal with whatever problems we have, because war is inevitably—inevitably—the indiscriminant massive killing of huge numbers of people. And children are a good part of those people. Every war is a war against children… …

… When you fight a war against a tyrant, who do you kill? You kill the victims of the tyrant. Anyway, all this—all this was simply to make us think again about war and to think, you know, we’re at war now, right? In Iraq, in Afghanistan and sort of in Pakistan, since we’re sending rockets over there and killing innocent people in Pakistan. And so, we should not accept that.

We should look for a peace movement to join. Really, look for some peace organization to join. It will look small at first, and pitiful and helpless, but that’s how movements start. That’s how the movement against the Vietnam War started. It started with handfuls of people who thought they were helpless, thought they were powerless. But remember, this power of the people on top depends on the obedience of the people below. When people stop obeying, they have no power. When workers go on strike, huge corporations lose their power. When consumers boycott, huge business establishments have to give in. When soldiers refuse to fight, as so many soldiers did in Vietnam, so many deserters, so many fraggings, acts of violence by enlisted men against officers in Vietnam, B-52 pilots refusing to fly bombing missions anymore, war can’t go on. When enough soldiers refuse, the government has to decide we can’t continue. So, yes, people have the power. If they begin to organize, if they protest, if they create a strong enough movement, they can change things. That’s all I want to say. Thank you.

- Howard Zinn (source: Democracy Now! tribute to Howard Zinn)

In my bookshelf sits a second hand and yellowed copy of ‘The Twentieth Century – A People’s History’ by Howard Zinn. It is a book which I should read again (and would highly recommend) for those who have yet to do so.