Olympic Spirit?

Olympic Spirit vs Human Rights

Tibetans may upstage Olympic torch relay
Pro-independence Tibetans are threatening to upstage the Olympic Torch Relay when it passes through Canberra next month on its only stop in Australia.
The torch will visit the nation’s capital on April 24 on its way to China for the start of the Olympics on August 8.
“We will use the focus on Canberra and the torch to highlight the current situation in Tibet and to call for the torch not to go … through Tibet and up Mount Everest,” Australia Tibet Council executive officer Paul Bourke told AAP. (…) — (2008-Mar-25) SMH

US Climbers protest Olympic torch in Tibet
The Olympic torch, bound to climb Mount Everest in May, is unexpectedly turning into the loudest voice for human rights violations in Tibet and China yet. — (2008-Apr-04) MountEverest.net

(…) It is worth noting that the Dalai Lama has opposed a boycott of the Games. The danger, of course, is that demonstrations for a boycott will inflame the situation. It will make it harder to establish negotiations in a meaningful way and will do nothing to resolve the question between China and Tibet. It would also delay the possibility of negotiations about an agreed future as part of China. Whatever is done now should contribute to an ultimately peaceful, negotiated solution. (…) — (2008-Apr-09) Malcolm Fraser

I’m really in two minds about this. I would think politicians boycotting the opening address and countries allowing protests along the torch route would have more benefit than an athletic boycott.

[1] 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay [Wikipedia]
[2] A boycott will endanger a peaceful solution for Tibet Malcolm Fraser (2008-04-09) [The Age]

Sorry

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to Australia’s Stolen Generations:

Today we honour the Indigenous peoples of this land, the oldest continuing cultures in human history.

We reflect on their past mistreatment.

We reflect in particular on the mistreatment of those who were Stolen Generations – this blemished chapter in our nation’s history.

The time has now come for the nation to turn a new page in Australia’s history by righting the wrongs of the past and so moving forward with confidence to the future.

We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians.

We apologise especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country.

For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.

To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry.

And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.

We the Parliament of Australia respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered as part of the healing of the nation.

For the future we take heart; resolving that this new page in the history of our great continent can now be written.

We today take this first step by acknowledging the past and laying claim to a future that embraces all Australians.

A future where this Parliament resolves that the injustices of the past must never, never happen again.

A future where we harness the determination of all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to close the gap that lies between us in life expectancy, educational achievement and economic opportunity.

A future where we embrace the possibility of new solutions to enduring problems where old approaches have failed.

A future based on mutual respect, mutual resolve and mutual responsibility.

A future where all Australians, whatever their origins, are truly equal partners, with equal opportunities and with an equal stake in shaping the next chapter in the history of this great country, Australia.

A day of closure, and a way forward? Time will tell.

“As Prime Minister of Australia, I am sorry,” Mr Rudd told Parliament.
“On behalf of the government of Australia, I am sorry.”
“On behalf of the parliament of Australia, I am sorry. I offer you this apology without qualification.”

[1] VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS – No. 2 – Wednesday, 13 February 2008 [PDF] (2008-Feb-13) [House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament]
[2] The Apology [ABC News]
[3] The hour has come. A nation says sorry. (2008-Feb-13) [The Age]

Australian 2007 Election online

Phil did thus write unto the masses;

Go to Google Maps at maps.google.com.au then select “My Maps” from the tab near the top-left. From that you can select “Australian 2007 Election” and while away the day learning many things, such as which seats are held by whom and with what percentage.
Unfortunately perhaps the greatest thing you’ll learn from the exercise is to be patient as it takes a long time for the page to finish loading completely. Apart from that problem, it’s a very cool use of technology.

What else do we have available?

Add our special Australian election content to Google Maps. Find your electorate, read your seat’s profile, locate a convenient polling booth, see your seat in satellite view, explore marginal seats, view candidates and much more. — Google

Add the electorate layer* (KMZ) to your Google Earth

*This product incorporates data that is copyright © Commonwealth of Australia (Australian Electoral Commission) 2007.

[1] 2007 Australian Federal Election [Google]
[2] How to use Google’s Election Products [YouTube]
[3] australiavotes (channel) [YouTube]
[4] 2007 Federal Election [ABC news]

Copyright & SearchEngines

Australia’s copyright law breaks search engines [1]
Australia’s new copyright law may result search engines blocking access to the country. PM John Howard sold Australia’s copyright law out as part of the US-Australia Free Trade Agreement, through which Australia agreed to change its copyright laws to surpass America’s own disastrous system.

“Google believes that the bill fails significantly to bring Australia’s Copyright Act fully into the digital age,” the submission says.[2]

[1.] Australia’s copyright law breaks search engines (26-Nov-2006) [BoingBoing]
[2.] Google warns Aust copyright laws could cripple Internet (7-Nov-2006) [ABC News]
[3.] Copyright law changes faces criticism (7-Nov-2006) [ABC (PM)]
[4.] Copyright reform (21-Nov-2006) [ABC (Law Report)]

2006-08-01

Analysis: Bush Mideast Stance May Flop [1]
… Mehdi Noorbaksh, associate professor of international affairs at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology, said the United States miscalculated on two grounds in its stance on the Israel-Hezbollah violence.
“Buying time for the Israelis” allowed violence against Lebanese citizens to rise and turned the tide of world opinion against both Israel and the United States, he said. At the same time, the U.S. position helped fan support across the Arab world for Hezbollah. …

The Google Maps Mania Blog directs us to a KML file that geographically documents events that have taken place in the past week on both sides of the Israel – Lebanon border.

Google Map of Israel Lebanon Conflict (using KML) [2]
Viewed in GoogleEarth

Interesting work by Kathryn Cramer using GoogleEarth and Photoshop to Speculate on where Israel will attack on the ground [3]

“Israeli Forces Push Through Lebanon Border” (from Lebanon looking towards Israel) [4]

Bush links fighting to war on terror [5]
… Rice’s maneuvering highlights the deepening crisis in which she now finds herself – by far the biggest in her tenure as America’s top diplomat. By refusing to call for an immediate cease-fire, even in the face of the Qana bombing, Rice was teetering on the edge of a public relations disaster, particularly in the Arab world. …

Mazen Kerbaj is a Beirut blogger who is posting illustrations and live improv as bombs drop;
mazen kerbaj’s blog (Blogger)
mazen kerbaj’s photos (flikr)

Rice turns up the heat on Israel [6]
… Leading US neoconservative commentator Bill Kristol reflected the view of many in the Administration, when he said that Israel and the US had underestimated Hezbollah’s strength and that both Israel and the US looked likely to be the losers in this conflict and Hezbollah and Iran the winners. …

[1.] Analysis: Bush Mideast Stance May Flop [Washington Post]
[2.] Google Map of Israel Lebanon Conflict (using KML) [Google Maps Mania]
[3.] Speculations on where Israel will attack on the ground [Kathryn Cramer]
[4.] “Israeli Forces Push Through Lebanon Border” (from Lebanon looking towards Israel) [flikr]
[5.] Bush links fighting to war on terror [International Herald Tribune]
[6.] Rice turns up the heat on Israel [The Age]
[7.] Day-by-day: Lebanon crisis – week three [BBC]

When terrorism is state sanctioned II

Each coffin represents a single person killed in the on-going conflict between Israel and Lebanon. I will be updating this page daily with new numbers taken from BBC’s coverage on the conflict. For comments and suggestions please email me at info[at]moiz.ca [1]

Lebanon damage report [2]
Summary of the main Lebanese infrastructure damaged by Israeli bombing in the two weeks since the conflict began on 12 July, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs.

Security Council fails to condemn post attack [3]
The United Nations Security Council has failed to condemn this week’s Israeli attack on a UN observer post in Lebanon, which killed four peacekeepers.
The attack on the post in the town of Khiam killed peacekeepers from Austria, Canada, China and Finland.

The Security Council has adopted a statement saying it “is deeply shocked an distressed by the firing by the Israeli Defence Forces on a United Nations Observer post in southern Lebanon on 25 July, 2006.”

But it stops short of condemning the bombing.

Diplomats say the US refused to agree to any statement which criticised Israel.

The policy statement, which carries less weight than a resolution, is weaker than one proposed by China and other nations. …

[1.] Israeli/Lebanese Coffin Counter
[2.] Damage in maps: Lebanon damage report [BBC]
[3.] Security Council fails to condemn post attack [The AGE]
[4.] Timeline: Key events in Middle East crisis [The AGE]

U.S. Supreme Court blocks Guantanamo trials

And justice for all? About Bl**dy time!

… Washington — The Supreme Court dealt U.S. President George W. Bush a stunning defeat Thursday, ruling the controversial military trials of terrorists suspects detained at Guantanamo prison camp were illegal under both U.S. and international law, including the Geneva Convention.
…
The vote was 5-3, with moderate Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joining the court’s liberal members in ruling against the Bush administration. Chief Justice John Roberts, named to the lead the court last September by Bush, was sidelined in the case because, as an appeals court judge that he had earlier ruled on the Hamdan case. … [1]

A bit of a reality check delivery.

… Both rulings reinforced the court’s warning in a related case two years ago. The president, it said, does not have a “blank check” for pursuing war against the nation’s enemies. Even in matters of national security, he must defer to checks and balances posed by other branches of government and the U.S. Constitution. … [2]

and …

For five years, President Bush waged war as he saw fit. If intelligence officers needed to eavesdrop on overseas telephone calls without warrants, he authorized it. If the military wanted to hold terrorism suspects without trial, he let it.

Now the Supreme Court has struck at the core of his presidency and dismissed the notion that the president alone can determine how to defend the country. In rejecting Bush’s military tribunals for terrorism suspects, the high court ruled that even a wartime commander in chief must govern within constitutional confines significantly tighter than this president has believed appropriate.. … [3]

So will we see War Crimes trials against the Bush Administration, now that it has been found that they do need to recognise Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions? Or are ‘War Crimes’ only prosecuted when it is *the terrorists*?

… Even more importantly for present purposes, the Court held that Common Article 3 of Geneva applies as a matter of treaty obligation to the conflict against Al Qaeda. That is the HUGE part of today’s ruling. The commissions are the least of it. This basically resolves the debate about interrogation techniques, because Common Article 3 provides that detained persons “shall in all circumstances be treated humanely,” and that “[t]o this end,” certain specified acts “are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever”—including “cruel treatment and torture,” and “outrages upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment.” This standard, not limited to the restrictions of the due process clause, is much more restrictive than even the McCain Amendment. See my further discussion here.

This almost certainly means that the CIA’s interrogation regime is unlawful, and indeed, that many techniques the Administation has been using, such as waterboarding and hypothermia (and others) violate the War Crimes Act (because violations of Common Article 3 are deemed war crimes). . … [5]

[1.] U.S. Supreme Court blocks Guantanamo trials [Globe and Mail]
[2.] Blank check returned [Chron.com]
[3.] A Governing Philosophy Rebuffed [Washington Post]
[4.] HAMDAN v. RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, et al. [FindLaw]
[5.] Hamdan Summary — And HUGE News [SCOTUSblog/Marty Lederman]