NYT Ties Turkish Group to 'Terrorism'--by Mixing It Up With a Different Group

Ever since the Israeli raid on a Turkish group's boat filled with aid for the Gaza Strip, there has been a lot of attempts in the press (FAIR Blog, 6/10/10), following Israel's lead, to label the Turkish humanitarian group IHH a supporter of "terrorism."

Source: http://www.fair.org/blog/2010/07/16/nyt-ties-turkish-group-to-‘terrorism’-by-mixing-it-up-with-a-different-group/

Afghanistan: The war logs

A collection of links to stories made possible by the recent wikileaks release.

Internal US intelligence records for Afghanistan reveal civilian killings, 'friendly fire' deaths, shadowy special forces and Taliban's casual slaughter of the population - a Guardian special investigation.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/series/afghanistan-the-war-logs

WikiLeaks Releases 90,000+ Secret Military Documents Painting Devastating Picture of Afghanistan War

It’s one of the biggest leaks in US military history. More than 90,000 internal records of US military actions in Afghanistan over the past six years have been published by the whistleblower website WikiLeaks. The documents provide a devastating portrait of the war in Afghanistan, revealing how coalition forces have killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents, how a secret black ops special forces unit hunts down targets for assassination or detention without trial, how Taliban attacks have soared, and how Pakistan is fueling the insurgency. We host a roundtable discussion with independent British journalist Stephen Grey; Pentagon Papers whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg; former State Department official in Afghanistan, Matthew Hoh; independent journalist Rick Rowley; and investigative historian Gareth Porter.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/26/the_new_pentagon_papers_wikileaks_releases

Mother of five killed by Israeli artillery fire close to Gaza buffer zone

According to the woman's husband, Nasser Abu Said, 37, the attack began without warning at about 8.30pm on Tuesday with two shells being fired as the family of 17 sat outside their house in the village of Johar a-Deek. Apart from Nasser and his 65-year-old father, the entire group was women and children.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jul/16/idf-kills-mother-gaza-israel

Hemmed-In Gazans Find Themselves Locked in Despair - NYTimes.com

Notice the below snippet from the article. Hamas doesn't really have strong support in Gaza, yet the entire region has been made into a prison by the Israeli and Egyptian blockade. That violates one of the core principles of international law, that it's wrong to collectively punish a population for the acts of a few (in this case Hamas)

Hamas took over full control by force three years ago, a year after it won an election...In fact, there is a paradox at work in Gaza: while Hamas has no competition for power, it also has a surprisingly small following.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/world/middleeast/14gaza.html

In Haiti, the Displaced Are Left Clinging to the Edge

Six months after an earthquake, only 28,000 of 1.5 million displaced Haitians have new homes, and Port-au-Prince remains a tableau of life in the ruins.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/world/americas/11haiti.html?_r=1

We're in a Recession Because the Rich Are Raking in an Absurd Portion of the Wealth

Our economy can't thrive when the richest 1% get an ever larger share of the nation's income and wealth, and everyone else's share shrinks.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/economy/147469/we're_in_a_recession_because_the_rich_are_raking_in_an_absurd_portion_of_the_wealth/?page=entire

Anxiety May Be at Root of Religious Extremism, Researchers Find

Wow. This makes a lot of sense.

New findings show that anxiety and uncertainty can cause us to become more idealistic and more radical in our religious beliefs.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100706103404.htm

Media Clampdown in the Gulf Coast: Government and BP Place More Restrictions on Journalists

Pretty nice music by Explosions in the Sky at the end of this clip.

Covering BP's massive oil spill disaster has been a challenge for journalists given the numerous restrictions placed by BP and in many cases, local law enforcement and federal officials. But reporting on the spill and the clean-up efforts just got even harder.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/7/media_clampdown_in_the_gulf_coast

Steele Crazy After All These Years

Glad to see the Michael Steele puppet is back.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Steele Crazy After All These Years
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Environmentalist Facing 3-Year Prison Sentence For Unfurling Banners in Senate Office Building

Anybody still doubt we're headed into 1984 territory in this country?

Environmentalist Ted Glick will be sentenced today and faces up to three years in jail for hanging two banners inside the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill that read, "Green Jobs Now" and "Get to Work." Glick was convicted in May of two misdemeanors -- displaying a banner in a federal building.

Source: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/6/environmentalist_facing_3_year_prison_sentence