In the complex topsy turvy world of Iraq politics, it is sometimes difficult to know who belongs to which side or what the goal of political conflict is all about. Negotiations for the release of five British hostages are stalled over meeting demands of their captors who want several of their own people released in [...]

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A Canadian girl is at the center of an important court case because she was raised in a home by white supremacist parents whose beliefs led them to teach their children to hate anyone who was not white. The elementary age child used expressions like “Heil Hitler,” and told social workers that all black people [...]

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Once upon a time people looked to America as a nation which upheld constitutional principles of due process and respect for individual rights. The Bush fiasco in Iraq has stained the soul of America because of its desire to gain victory at any cost even if it meant losing one’s soul and self respect. Philip [...]

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A group of leading rabbis have called upon members of the Israel Defense Force to disobey orders if they are asked to dismantle illegal settlements on the West Bank. “We call on all security personnel to refuse expulsion orders. A soldier or policeman who is asked to take part in an uprooting operation is obligated [...]

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I was recently taken to task by a writer who informed me our Founding Fathers would have been proud of the Bush administration policy toward prisoners because they wanted America to be protected against foreign attack. The writer did not cite any specific “Founding Father” nor did he quote directly anything stated by one of [...]

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Each day we offer headlines that appeared in the world press along with our comments.
Singapore, Straits Times: “Religion Still Has Its Place”
I have a hunch God shakes his head in wonderment quite frequently.
Indonesia, Jakarta Post: “Men And Women Think Differently”
My wife and I disagree with [...]

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I have always believed one should accept another person’s right to enjoy a private life away from the scrutiny of the press. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi insists his frequent interactions with a seventeen year old girl and attending her 18th birthday party where he gave her a $10,000 necklace are just the way he [...]

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Amnesty International issued a sharply critical report on alleged poor treatment of asylum seekers in Denmark as well as noting failure on the part of police to respond to complaints of mistreatment by people. The report deplored the decision of Denmark to accept assurances from other nations that asylum seekers on return home will be [...]

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The best words for me to hear these days are, “my dad lived to be 98 and he has all his faculties.”
Dick Cheney, Vietnam War draft dodger and certified coward, standard bearer of the Republican Party, Colin Powell, Vietnam War hero who served his country for over thirty years, anti-Republican. Is there something wrong [...]

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In a recent workshop held in Jakarta for gays and lesbians, men and women recounted the problems they encountered living in a Muslim society when they informed parents and other family members about their sexual orientation. Valen, a gay man, said: “if I told my mother that I had decided to become a heterosexual, she [...]

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