The Obama administration decided Tuesday to seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council, reversing a decision by the Bush administration to shun the United Nations' premier rights body to protest the influence of repressive states.
"Human rights are an essential element of American global foreign policy," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a statement. "With others, we will engage in the work of improving the U.N. human rights system. . . . We believe every nation must live by and help shape global rules that ensure people enjoy the right to live freely and participate fully in their societies."
U.S. to Join U.N. Human Rights Council, Reversing Bush Policy
Daily Kos: CIA Engineered Controlled Opposition?
Is it possible Markos Alberto Moulitsas Zúñiga, leader of the “Kossaks,” that is to say followers and fawners of the Daily Kos, is a CIA operative? Francis Holland, posting on the My Left Wing messageboard, details Moulitsas’ relationship with the CIA:
US court dismisses smoking appeal
The US Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by cigarette maker Philip Morris over a $79.5m (£56m) award to the widow of a long-time Oregon smoker.
The court upheld a 1999 ruling by the Oregon Supreme Court in favour of Mayola Williams.
VIDEO: Red State/Blue State: How the Media Tear Our Nation Apart
The founder of TvNewsLIES.org gives a brief explanation of how the establishment media create and maintain the false perception that our nation is divided into two opposing political communities.
In a final plea Jesse Richard asks all Americans: "Help me tear down that wall, the wall between information and the American public, - the wall known as the establishment media!"
Soldiers: Army forced us to deploy despite health woes
A recent Army inspector general's report says the process for deciding a soldier's fitness for combat is so confusing that it increases the chance of sending ailing troops to war.
They describe a climate where commanders constantly pressure soldiers with health issues to deploy, even when their medical records — which they provided — show physical problems.
Chicago Sun-Times owner files for bankruptcy
The Sun-Times Media Group, owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and dozens of suburban newspapers, filed for bankruptcy reorganization Tuesday, making it the fifth U.S. newspaper publisher to seek protection from creditors in recent months.
The step, brought on by a precipitous decline in advertising revenue, means both of Chicago's major daily newspapers are operating under bankruptcy protection. Tribune Co., the parent company of the Chicago Tribune, the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers, filed for bankruptcty in December.
Taliban Leader: We're Planning Attack On D.C. "Soon"
The commander of the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility Tuesday for a deadly assault on a Pakistani police academy and said the group was planning a terrorist attack on the U.S. capital.
Baitullah Mehsud, who has a $5 million bounty on his head from the U.S., said Monday's attack outside the eastern city of Lahore was in retaliation for U.S. missile strikes against militants along the Afghan border.
"Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world," Mehsud told The Associated Press by phone. He provided no details.
TVNL Comment: So he announces the attack in advance, just like anyone who is planning a surprise attack. That sounds realistic, right?
'Worse than the Taliban' - new law rolls back rights for Afghan women
Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission.
'Tell Her the Truth' - a play about Gaza
Israel's recent bombing and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, Operation Cast Lead, killed 1,417 Palestinians; thirteen Israelis were killed, five by friendly fire. Thousands of Palestinians were seriously wounded and left without adequate medical care, shelter or food. Among the Palestinian dead, more than 400 were children. In response to this devastation, Caryl Churchill wrote a play.
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