A Night In Guantanamo

30 06 2008

I came across a story while reading “Orlando Weekly” that I thought deserved some attention. The story is written by a young man, and he describes his experience simulating a night in “Gitmo”.

His experience is particularly moving. And keep in mind, this was only one night.

Just a little warning, there is profanity in the story.

- Mia



Some thoughts on Boumediene

13 06 2008

It took only a few hours for yesterday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Boumediene V. U.S. to become a political football, with partisans on each side talking past one another with accusations exaggerated and terrible.

That is sad.

Rule of law — and specifically, the notion of the executive being bound by the law, the writ of habeas corpus -– these things are in the basic DNA of the United States. (Didn’t ANYONE watch that HBO special on John Adams?) This was about civil rights in the most basic sense. No the folks at Guantanamo Bay aren’t U.S. citizens, but because they are under the control of the U.S. government they are have access to U.S. courts for the purpose of challenging their detention.

The U.S. argument in Boumediene was one we have heard before. In essence it boils down this proposition: “[X] is a bad guy, and he is where he needs to be – detained.” In other words, individuals can be detained by U.S. military order and held indefinitely, because the courts lack both the power and the expertise to second guess military judgments.

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NPR’s take on Dunkin Donuts, Rachael Ray, and a scarf

2 06 2008

On May 29, NPR’s All Things Considered considers the keffiyeh in the context of a Dunkin Donuts ad.

Turn up your speakers and listen here.



Yalla vote, Pennsylvania!

17 04 2008

PennsylvaniaThe Pennsylvania primary is just around the corner — here are some of the campaign events in your area…

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Why should you vote this November?

2 04 2008

ABC Primetime ran a piece on how Muslims are treated in America… absolutely worth watching. They set up a bigoted, nasty character behind the counter of a bakery in Anywhere, America, and filmed the customers’ reactions when the actor refused to serve a Muslim woman–also in on the setup.

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