The first person to face a US war crimes tribunal since WWII was formally sentenced at Gauntanamo Bay. David Hicks, and Australian captured in Afghanistan after fleeing al-Qa'ida frontlines in Kandahar, was originally sentenced to seven years, but his plea agreement allows him to only serve nine months. Hicks had originally faced a life sentence […]
As I've noted before, there is a lot going on! What follows is another smattering of items like my "Smorgasbord" post below. Politics – There is much to be discussed regarding the politics of climate change, internationally, between various stakeholders, and, of course, within countries. Two pieces from "The Economist," for instance, illustrate the intense […]
David M. Hicks, the 31 year old Australian national being held at Gauntanamo Bay, will be returned to his home country within two months. Hicks plead guilty to charges of providing material support to al-Qa'ida on Monday. He is the first person to face the new tribunal system to try Gauntanamo detainees and his trial […]
Canadian courts have begun to hear testaments in their first trial for genocide and war crimes. The trials focus on the Rwandan genocides. The Canadian courts are calling on witnesses from five countries, as well as sending Justices to Rwanda to hear testimonials. A witness identified only as C-16 detailed accounts of rape and murder […]
Human slavery, child trafficking, its all something that happens in a country far away, maybe someplace you've never even heard of, right? Well yes it does and the problem is huge, but it's also right here at home. Yes, child trafficking and slavery is a major issue in the United States, the Land of […]
In my post from March 19 on some international polling results, one of the salient findings was that Americans' consciousness and concern regarding climate change has risen dramatically in the past few years. Two new polls confirm that. The first, released March 12 from the Yale Center of Environmental Law and Policy's Environmental Attitudes and […]
Allegations of violations of the laws of war by former Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, were dismissed in US District Court yesterday. Nine former prisoners of detention facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan represented by The American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights First allege that Rumsfeld had personally approved torture techniques and violated the rights granted […]
The Pentagon's detainee offices have released the transcripts of KSM's (among others) trial before the CSRT. Inquiries have also been made regarding Hick's trial yesterday.
This weekend I was trying desperately to avoid work and all that comes with it, but when you work in the NGO world work is hard to avoid. There I was desperately trying to decompress from a long week at my job working for an anti-child trafficking organization, but I couldn’t escape. I flip the […]
I've got a lot for respect for activists and what they do. I was one, and I like to think this blog is a form of activism. Today I will spare you the call to the barricades but I do want to flag some important programs that are going on and that merit your attention. First […]
David Hicks will be arraigned for war crimes before a US military tribunal enacted at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba at 1pm this afternoon. Hicks, 31, is charged with providing material support for al-Qa'ida during the US led conflict in Afghanistan to oust the Taliban regime and track down associates of bin Laden's group. In a previous […]
Dr. Vali Nasr, one of leading experts on Islam and Muslim politics, presented a lecture for Grand Rapids Community College's Diversity Lecture Series at Fountain Street Church. Dr. Nasr is the author of many books, including The Shia Revival, and is a Professor at the Naval Postgraduate School. He is also an adjunct Senior Fellow […]
Let's presume you have not just returned from an interplanetary expedition and have been unable to access any Earth media over the past several years. Then you know that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore has been leading a very public fight to apprise people of the reality and dangers of global warming. The documentary […]
When you begin to research the issues that affect our children world wide you never get over the shock of the numbers. The stories of so many never leave your mind, and even as these numbers grow you seem to never loose that one thought in your mind, "how is this possible?" I will, and […]
I've been looking at energy and environmental issues for nearly 40 years and I've never before seen the proliferation of big news stories that I've been seeing for the past year or so, particularly, of course, on climate change. Maybe it was "An Inconvenient Truth," released on May 24 last year; maybe it was the 72° […]