Month: November 2009

The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a UN-sponsored report which says Israel committed war crimes during last winter’s military assault on the Gaza Strip.

The Goldstone report, which accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes, has already been endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council, which sponsored the fact-finding commission.

The General Assembly on Thursday voted by a margin of 114 to 18 to adopt the report after debating it for two days.

Forty-four member-nations abstained from voting.

The report calls on both Israel and the Palestinians to investigate accusations of human-rights violations during the 22-day conflict in December and January.

The debate at the General Assembly, which began on Wednesday, was called for by the Arab UN group, with the backing of the 118-member Non-Aligned Movement (Nam).

Offensive conduct

Most of criticism in the report, compiled by a fact-finding panel led by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge, was directed towards Israel’s conduct during the offensive, in which human rights organisations say about 1,400 Palestinians – many of them women and children – were killed.Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, were killed over the course of the war.

AForP

(Submitted by reader)

FOCUS
By Andrew Kennis

The debate over health insurance reform is raging in Washington [GALLO/GETTY]

For nearly two decades, Wendell Potter led a very comfortable life as a public relations health insurance executive.

However, while flying on a corporate jet and being served lunch on gold-rimmed china with gold-plated cutlery, Potter had an epiphany of sorts.

He realised that the reason why millions of Americans were without health insurance or under-insured was because: “Our Wall Street-driven healthcare system has created one of the most inequitable healthcare systems on the planet.”

This June, Potter left his well-paid and secure job at CIGMA, one of the US’s largest health insurance companies, and has spoken out in favour of healthcare reform.

‘Killing thousands’

With almost 50 million people living without any health insurance and another 25 million people under-insured during a recession, the debate about how to reform the US healthcare system has been underway for many months in Washington and is expected to continue through to the end of the year.

Potter become a whistleblower and is now speaking out against industry abuses on national television news shows.

He does not mince words when telling Al Jazeera that if a strong “public option” is not passed by Congress, healthcare executives would be effectively allowed to continue policies that “literally kill thousands of Americans every year, through denied coverage, as a result of relentless pressure coming from Wall Street”.

The public option, currently favoured by the White House, would attempt to insure the uninsured, with the government providing a non-profit, publicly-funded insurance plan.

The public option, however, has not been fully vetted and passed by Congress and Republicans, coupled with a number of Democratic allies, have vowed to prevent it from reaching the desk of Barack Obama, the US president.

Paying more, getting less

About 50 million Americans are without health insurance [GALLO/GETTY]

In the meantime, the US continues to be the country with the highest proportion of uninsured people in the developed world. It also has the distinction of spending a greater portion of its total economic output on healthcare than any other developed country – just over 17 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year.

On average, the US spends twice as much as other developed countries on healthcare.

But even though US citizens pay more for healthcare, they get less of it, resulting in a lowly 37th place ranking among healthcare systems in the world, according to a study by the World Health Organization based on quality and fairness.

In terms of the infant mortality rate, a common marker for the overall state of healthcare systems, the US was outranked by all of the following countries according to the CIA’s World Factbook: Sweden (3rd), Japan (4th), France (7th), Norway (10th), Germany (14th), Israel (17th), Denmark (21st), United Kingdom (31st), Canada (35th), Taiwan (39th), Italy (41st) and even a few underdeveloped countries, including Cuba (43rd).

How can this paradox of the US spending the most and getting the least for its healthcare occur in the country with the world’s largest economic output?

EAN

Although nearly 200 years have elapsed since the discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I, there is still much more to learn about it. Nevine El-Aref looks at the latest revelations

When the famous explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni discovered the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I in 1817, he knew that it represented a very developed example of a New Kingdom royal tomb. Not only was it the longest, deepest and most completed tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings, but its walls were painted with fine scenes in full colour featuring the great pharaoh in various positions before the gods and with his family. Inside the burial chamber Belzoni found a calcite anthropoid sarcophagus and a fragment of a canopic chest that used to hold the internal organs, and is now on display at Sir John Soane’s Museum in London.

Not only is the architectural design of the tomb very distinguished, but so too are the scenes that decorate the burial chamber. The tomb is comprised mainly of a long corridor with seven unidirectional passageways connecting several decorative chambers. It has a special chamber dedicated to the god Osiris and another to the ritual of the opening of the mouth. The vaulted burial chamber has a painted ceiling featuring astronomical scenes.

The most mysterious feature in the tomb, and one that has perplexed Egyptologists until today, is the long passageway found underneath Seti I’s marble sarcophagus.

Why did the ancient Egyptians dig such a tunnel beneath the Pharaoh’s sarcophagus? Was it to his treasure, or for religious purposes, or as a security precaution? What was the real purpose of the tunnel? And what did it lead to?

WA

Volume 56, Number 18 · November 19, 2009

By David Cole

Race, Incarceration, and American Values

by Glenn C. Loury, with Pamela S. Karlan, Tommie Shelby, and Loïc Wacquant

Boston Review/MIT Press, 86 pp., $14.95

Let’s Get Free: A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice

by Paul Butler

New Press, 214 pp., $25.95

Releasing Prisoners, Redeeming Communities: Reentry, Race, and Politics

by Anthony C. Thompson

New York University Press, 262 pp., $39.00; $21.00 (paper)

1.

With approximately 2.3 million people in prison or jail, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the world—by far. Our per capita rate is six times greater than Canada’s, eight times greater than France’s, and twelve times greater than Japan’s. Here, at least, we are an undisputed world leader; we have a 40 percent lead on our closest competitors—Russia and Belarus.

Even so, the imprisoned make up only two thirds of one percent of the nation’s general population. And most of those imprisoned are poor and uneducated, disproportionately drawn from the margins of society. For the vast majority of us, in other words, the idea that we might find ourselves in jail or prison is simply not a genuine concern.

For one group in particular, however, these figures have concrete and deep-rooted implications—African-Americans, especially young black men, and especially poor young black men. African-Americans are 13 percent of the general population, but over 50 percent of the prison population. Blacks are incarcerated at a rate eight times higher than that of whites—a disparity that dwarfs other racial disparities. (Black–white disparities in unemployment, for example, are 2–1; in nonmarital childbirth, 3–1; in infant mortality, 2–1; and in net worth, 1–5^[1]).

In the 1950s, when segregation was still legal, African-Americans comprised 30 percent of the prison population. Sixty years later, African-Americans and Latinos make up 70 percent of the incarcerated population, and that population has skyrocketed. The disparities are greatest where race and class intersect—nearly 60 percent of all young black men born between 1965 and 1969 who dropped out of high school went to prison at least once on a felony conviction before they turned thirty-five. And the incarceration rate for this group—black male high school dropouts—is nearly fifty times the national average.^[2]

NYB

By B. R. Gowani

Chaos spread all over the swine district recently. Dire tension and worry were visible on every pig’s face. Some were flipping the newspaper pages anxiously to find the latest reports, even as others were glued to the TV news bulletins. All TV stations had cancelled their regular programming and were airing public announcements. Then there were those who had multiple windows open on their computer screens to get virtual news from every possible source.

Each pig was asking his children to avoid mingling with other piglets. The level of alert was raised to saffron. Meanwhile an emergency assembly of the swine leadership was convened to announce precautionary measures. The Chief Spokespig appeared live on TV, and was simulcast on website computers, to boost community morale as he assured his fellow members that His Swineness would address them very soon. The air was heavy with fear as though some sort of a disturbance of genocidal scale was imminent.

Finally, moments of anticipation came to an end as the Chief of Staff announced the arrival of His Swineness to address the community. It was to be telecast live on every radio, TV station, and website to reach all members.

“Lady pigs and gentleman pigs: here is His Swineness.”

“My fellow pigs, Good Evening. In the past, I have usually appeared in front of you on happy occasions. It has indeed been rare, that my presence amongst you has been to deliver unpleasant news. But unfortunately, today is one of those rare instances that I had never anticipated to confront, least of all, to announce in such an assembly. My entire body shakes in fear and trepidation. Nevertheless, as the leader of this community, it is my responsibility to inform you, based on the intelligence reports, the current situation with regard to the peril we face; and, also to give you instructions on how to protect yourself from the looming danger.

Let me delve into a little history before commenting on the present crisis.

My fellow comrades, as you are well aware we have never waged war against the human kind, even as many merciless humans continue to kill us to gratify their appetite. In fact, I think the most frequently consumed meat on our planet is pig meat: a sad fact, indeed! Our mortality rate would be even greater but for the restriction placed on the consumption of our flesh by some religions. This is the only reason I am fond of these religions.

The Jews are not supposed to eat our meat, but many in the West do, and in Israel they advertise our meat as “basar lavan” or “white meat.” There continue to be many Jews who do follow the prohibition conscientiously. Most Muslims are also quite strict in their observance of this restriction. And so, I salute them both on behalf of our swine community.

On the other hand, there are some fanatic pigs in our district who would like to be sacrificed on the occasion of Bakra Eid (Festival of Goats). Due to their strong desire, they condemn the practice of only sacrificing certain species of cattle for this occasion as sheer discrimination. They are thinking of suing the Muslim leaders on this matter.

I should clarify my administration is absolutely against this crazy idea. We are in no mood to disturb the centuries-old non-relationship with the Muslims. I should also clarify that my government does sympathize with these fanatic pigs after finally understanding their argument.

Their logic is as follows:

• The businessmen are going to kill us anyway,
• The death is going to be cruel
• They will keep us in appalling conditions while we live in order to satisfy their lust for our meat.

So then,

• Why not bypass the cruel conditions and die for Allah in a reverent way?

My government firmly believes that death whether on God’s path or under the butcher’s knife is horrible and wrong. It is in both instances, an untimely death and cannot be justified. Most members in the swine community would prefer the indifference of the Muslims to the capitalists’ depiction of us as loving characters like Miss Piggy, Mr. Porky, etc., while they murder us.

I should also mention that the Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains have all been kind to us. And we are grateful for that.

Coming back to the present crisis, let me call your attention to the symptoms of the disease which is rumored to have infected one of our kind in this district. I say it is a rumor because no cases as yet have been confirmed. The symptoms of this disease result in the infected candidates indulging in torturing, raping, and killing fellow members who have different cultures, beliefs, or life styles than the majority.

(At that moment, the Swine Security Advisor interrupted His Swineness’s speech by whispering into His ear. Upon hearing this, He heaved a sigh of relief. He then continued his speech but with a relieved tone.)

My fellow pigs! It has just been conveyed to me that there are no victims of the Modi Flu in our district. The rumors were false.

I Thank God! The confusion was due to Mr. Narendra Modi having contracted the “Swine Flu” and not the other way round.  No one of us has contracted the Modi Flu!

However, we pray to Bhagwan for Modi’s speedy recovery. Amen.”

B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com

By Thitinan Pongsudhirak

BANGKOK – The hospitalization of King Bhumibol Adulyadej has brought Thailand’s most daunting question to the fore. The country’s wrenching political struggle over the past several years has, at bottom, concerned what will happen after the ailing 81-year-old king’s reign, now at 63 years, comes to an end.

Thailand’s endgame is being shaped by several key events: the military coup of September 2006, the current military-supported constitution and election in 2007, street protests and seizures of Government House and Bangkok’s airports in 2008, the army-brokered coalition government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that has ruled since January this year, and the Bangkok riots in April. At stake is the soul of an emerging Thailand, with far-reaching ramifications for developing democracies elsewhere as well as the broader international community.
Thailand’s color-coated crisis pits largely urban, conservative, and royalist “yellow” shirts against the predominantly rural “red” columns of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. For much of Thailand’s long economic boom of the past two decades, wealth resided mostly in the Bangkok metropolitan area, a boon to the burgeoning urban middle class, but deeply resented by the rural majority.

While the rural population had more than enough to eat, their economic opportunities and upward mobility were limited by a shoddy education system and docile state-run media that fed them soap operas and official messages. For a nobody to become a somebody, all roads led to Bangkok and its prestigious prep schools and universities. Thailand’s farms became increasingly alienated from the urban elite. Thaksin recognized this urban-rural divide and shrewdly exploited it, upending the elite consensus that had long prevailed.

That consensus rested on a nexus of the military, the monarchy, and the bureaucracy. Military rule and putsches stemming from factional infighting among generals were the norm until the early 1970’s, when university students overthrew a military dictatorship and opened up democratic space. Parliament, political parties, and politicians then came and went alternately with military coups, which invariably suppressed the maturation of democratic institutions.

The rural-urban divide wedded the grassroots rural population to upcountry patronage networks and vote-buying, while elected politicians reaped their rewards through corruption and graft. In turn, the military stepped in from time to time – once every four years on average since 1932 – ostensibly to suppress corruption, but retarding democratic rule in the process.

All this changed when Thailand promulgated a constitution in 1997 that promoted political transparency and accountability and government stability and effectiveness. Its logical but flawed outcome was the triumph of Thaksin and his once-invincible Thai Rak Thai party, which became the first to complete a full term and be re-elected – by a landslide in 2005.

Thai Rak Thai’s populism featured income redistribution, cheap health care, micro-credit schemes, and a dazzling array of policy innovations that ushered Thailand into twenty-first-century globalization. The direct connection of Thaksin and his party to the electorate bypassed and threatened the established trinity of institutions that had long called the shots in Thailand.

Thaksin and his cronies handed the establishment an opportunity to strike back by abusing power and profiting personally from it. A billionaire telecommunications tycoon, Thaksin presided over the trebling of his family’s assets in the stock market. He also engineered an extrajudicial drug-suppression campaign that claimed 2,275 lives.
Thaksin’s sins are voluminous, and became the basis of the rise of his yellow-shirted opponents, the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which entered the electoral arena as the New Politics Party. The PAD spent much of last year demonstrating against the two successive Thaksin-nominated governments that arose from the December 2007 election, reinvigorating Thai Rak Thai’s anti-PAD red-shirted allies, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

After more than three years, Thailand’s crisis has become a knotty saga. Abhisit’s pledges of reform and reconciliation in the wake of April’s riots have made little headway. The PAD wants to maintain the 2007 charter. The UDD favors reinstatement of the 1997 constitution. Enraged by a sense of social injustice, the reds rail against the establishment’s double standards, while the pro-establishment yellows have hunkered down for a battle of attrition.

PS

The White House has used the million per soldier statistic in private briefings to Congress, and that has obvious implications

By Mary Louise Kelly

One of the factors President Obama must weigh as he decides whether to send more troops to Afghanistan is the cost — not just in lives, but in dollars. With the economy still struggling, questions exist about how much the U.S. can afford to spend in Afghanistan — and for how long.
Earlier this week, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said the war in Afghanistan had already cost a “staggering” $243 billion.

In fact, it is a challenge to calculate exactly how much the U.S. has spent on the war so far.

The Congressional Research Service estimates that since the invasion of Afghanistan eight years ago, the U.S. has spent closer to $227 billion. The Pentagon puts the number at $156 billion.

The variables include which expenses are actually included and whether the total relies on how much Congress has approved for the war compared with what the Pentagon has actually spent.

Michael O’Hanlon, a defense analyst at the Brookings Institution, says one useful way to break down these huge numbers is to look at how much it costs to send just one soldier to war.

“We are at a point where it’s unbelievably costing us close to a million dollars, in additional costs — above and beyond salaries and the equipment that’s already in the inventory — per soldier or Marine per year,” he says.

RAWA

By Piotr Maciej Kaczy?ski

The Czech position in Brussels has been heavily undermined. This is mainly the result of two developments: the perceived failure of the Czech presidency of the European Union in the first half of the year, and the country’s equivocating position on ratifying the Lisbon Treaty.

The bad reputation the Czech Republic has acquired in the EU damages not only its image but its ability to put forward new proposals. Even if this compromised position has not thus far brought any negative policy consequences for the country, that possibility cannot be excluded should the situation continue to deteriorate.
Earlier this month, President Václav Klaus reminded everybody he objected to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and therefore wanted a “footnote” to be added to the document. It gave the debate on Lisbon ratification yet another twist. This time, however, there was no unified position, and it was impossible to say whether Klaus’ move should be understood as a step toward or away from Czech ratification.

The first argument goes – and this was seconded by an interview Klaus gave to Lidové noviny – that the president is no longer in a position to stop the Lisbon Treaty from entering into force, and is looking for an exit strategy to save face. The second line of thinking is much more suspicious, and is based on previous statements made by the president and his team on this and other issues (such as climate change). According to this view, Klaus is looking for any excuse to delay the process until elections are held in the United Kingdom, resulting in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in which it would be voted down. Then the issue of Czech ratification would be irrelevant; someone else would derail the document, and it would never enter into force.

Prague Post