| Monday, 27 April 2009 |:

"Humanitarian Aid Is Not a Crime"–Activist Fights Littering Charge for Leaving Water Jugs in Desert along Arizona-Mexico Border:

Sri Lanka to Halt Heavy-Weapon Attacks on Rebels - The Sri Lankan government has ordered a cease-fire against the Tamil Tigers in areas where tens of thousands civilians are trapped. Some 50,000 civilians remain trapped by Tamil Tiger rebels "in a four-square mile patch of beachfront on Sri Lanka's northeastern coast." Some in the Sri Lankan government consider calls by Tamil Tigers to hold a unilateral ceasefire a joke. The Tamil Tigers say that a ceasefire is the only way to avoid a humanitarian crisis. Meanwhile European officials travel to the area to assess the situation. ... "[M]ore than 6,400 civilians have been killed and 13,000 wounded, according to the United Nations."

Industry Ignored Its Scientists on Climate - ... "[A] document filed in a federal lawsuit demonstrates that even as the [Global Climate Coalition] worked to sway opinion, its own scientific and technical experts were advising that the science backing the role of greenhouse gases in global warming could not be refuted." ... "The coalition was financed by fees from large corporations and trade groups representing the oil, coal and auto industries, among others."

Lines on a Slippery Slope - Michael Gerson points out an unintended consequence of releasing Justice Department memos on torture: their release may help Americans better understand the justification for using harsh techniques. That said, "The Justice Department memos raise a question: Can coercive interrogation ever be justified?" He contends that while we may make retrospective judgments on the interrogation techniques, those who made the decision to use those techniques could not look at the issue retrospectively; protecting Americans came first.

Non-violent protests against West Bank barrier turn increasingly dangerous. - Israeli troops continue to shoot tear gas and even live ammunition at peaceful Palestinian protesters, as Israeli settlements encroach further and further into the West Bank, and Palestinian farmlands are taken away from villages. Israeli troops have no regard for nationality, firing indiscriminately into crowds and hitting Palestinians, Americans and Israelis alike. Despite the dangers, some feel that non-violent protest is the only means of resistance, and the movement is slowly taking hold in the West Bank.

Looking Back at Abu Ghraib 5 Years Later - Amid controversy surrounding the upcoming release of torture pictures by the Obama administration, Mary Mapes's personal anecdote gives compelling reasons for why it was a good idea to release the Abu Ghraib pictures five years ago, and why it continues to be a good idea today. "We all like to think that if we had been at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo or Baghram Air Base, we would have done the right thing.

| Wednesday, 28 January 2009 |: Mainstream Idea has a new blog: An Appeal to the Young. Does it need a new blog? Definitely.

| Sunday, 24 January 2009 |: Mainstream Idea has a new blog: Allodoxaphobia. Does it need a new blog? Maybe.

| Tuesday, 20 January 2009 |: Pre-Inauguration Speech Predictions

What can we expect from the first half-black president? Let's forget that he appoints Clintonites right and left. Let's forget that his policy on Israel and Palestine will remain more or less the same as every other US president. Let's also forget that he's distanced himself immensely from his base. What can we expect from a man who is half-black, who has suddenly taken the whitest office known to humankind—the United States Presidency?

The question isn't an easy one. Racism in our country, which is rooted so deeply in the American tradition, has distorted and perverted our social-racial discourse (and let me tell you from experience that the US is not the only such place). Race is still one of the largest identity markers in the US, and it divides us into separate nations....

... continued in the Journal...

| Thursday, 16 January 2009 |: Mainstream Idea has launched The International guild of Atheists and Anarchists:

The two labels have always gone hand-in-hand, for all who oppose the inherent injustice of authority. Today we face what we always have faced: a world where bitter religions and souring states threaten our fundamental rights and our nourishing freedoms. The only weapons we have are peaceful protest and non-violent action; all other means are rendered useless and counterproductive by a power that has long delegitimized our cause through cradle-to-grave propaganda and outright violence, going so far as to turn our oppressed comrades, the poor masses whom they stab and rob, and whom we seek to help, against us. Even today, the very formation and organization of a peaceful group such as this, due to the labels "Atheist" and "Anarchist," remain dangerous and risky acts of protest--ones which we are nonetheless morally motivated to undertake. We repeat: peaceful protest and non-violent action are the only means we have-and they are the only means to coexistence.

... continued...

Also, look for our group on Facebook!

| Thursday, 15 January 2009 |: Bush's Parting Gift
A Report on Pregnant Teenagers, Mutilated Mothers and Fewer Jobs

In an IM interview with Jessica Yates, a student of Nursing at Radford University in Roanoke Virginia, Mainstream Idea was afforded a small glimpse into the abominable US health care system, and how it affects the working poor. For the past year Jessica has worked in several places, but has taken special interest in her work at the Child Health Investment Program (CHIP) of Roanoke, the Pediatric Mental Rehab Center in Salem, and the Mother Baby Health Unit in Roanoke. There she works with new-born infants, pregnant teenagers and poor women up to 25 years of age.

In her short time as a student nurse, Jessica has seen first-hand how health care is handled in poorer parts of the country, with pregnant teenagers being withheld vital information about birth control and STDs, students being allowed to perform surgery in order to cut costs, and heads of households opting for unemployment because their incomes are too small to provide health care for their families...

... continued...

by Andrew Fassett
andrewf@mainstreamidea.com

GCD Slideshows: [#1] How It Terrifies [#2] Wrath of Confirmation Bias