Buying Time?

Thought provoking article at My brother, the warrior, died for ... ? - Los Angeles Times.

Morally Bankrupt

Having read the text of the "Mccain Amendment" I am at a loss as to why there is even a discussion going on about it, especially from an administration talking democracy and the politics of "Christianity". This article, however, indicates that our esteemed elected officials want to keep open the torture options. This is just disgusting. I'm reminded of Rumsfeld's press conferences where he danced around questions about extended incarceration and torture by saying that these guys aren't soldiers. Since when does the United States NOT torture people because it is against some law? We don't torture because we believe it's WRONG! In this speech W himself said about Iraq's insurgency:

But nevertheless, there are still some in Iraq who aren't happy with democracy. They want to go back to the old days of tyranny and darkness, torture chambers and mass graves. I believe we're making really good progress in Iraq, because the Iraqi people are beginning to see the benefits of a free society. They're beginning -- they saw a government formed today.

In reference to ANYONE ELSE torture is always considered one of the examples of EVIL being present. So, if you are a government that advocates torture, you are evil. Removing torture from your country is one of the "benefits of a free society" and a sign that your policies are rising up out of the gutter. This administration's actions with regard to this, the press' coverage, and the reaction of the American people will speak volumes.

10-12 Million People Needing Food Aid

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Silently, Malawi begins to starve. Oxfam estimates that 10-12 million people in the region urgently need food. Too bad they are Africans i.e. invisible.

Poor Countries and War

Excellent article published here Why Did the Poorest Countries Fail to Catch Up? - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Download the pdf file. It's long and full of statistics, but here's an excerpt from the conclusion (NOTE: LDCs=least-developed countries):

Why have the poorest countries not only failed to catch up but have even failed to keep up with the
rest of the world? The reasons must be highly country specific, but, in a cross-sectional study, we can
still uncover some possible causes—or at least state positively why growth was so low and negatively
what are not likely to be the reasons for low growth. One key factor associated with low growth is war and civil strife. The poorest countries have lost, on average, some 40 percent of their output through much greater frequency of war compared with the rest of the world. If we take the effect of wars alone, we find that the entire relative decline of the LDCs compared with the middle-income countries can be thus explained. In other words, had prevalence of war among LDCs been at the same level as elsewhere, the LDCs would have at least kept pace with the rest of the world.

True conflict mediation needs to be a high priority in the world. All of our donations to relief and development, while they are needed and will be needed for the long term, are just band-aids on the wounds of war. As the article states, unless war, including civil wars, are effectively prevented then the humanitarian aid and development will always be trying to just catch up with the damage done. The developed countries like the US and the EU need to be leading in this. Our resources and expertise need to be deployed in the arena of true peace making. Our legacy of arming one side or the other in order to see our agenda furthered or a "hands-off" approach because it's an "internal conflict" or the parties involved don't meet our standards for engagement can't be continued. Too much is at stake.

First Hand Account of Pakistan Earthquake Relief

Here's a link to a blog being done by a person within Pakistan. It's an interesting read and gives a glimpse of what the people there are facing.
Humanitarian Man