Dec 21
Posted 152 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The trial of Bradley Manning continues after taking a few sensational turns last week. We discussed on this blog a few months ago how Manning’s charges for allegedly leaking classified information to Wikileaks could amount to capital punishment, so the stakes could not be higher.
Dec 8
Posted 165 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The U.S. may already be in the midst of an ongoing armed conflict with Iran. Observers have warned about covert actions in Iran for years, but this week there have been reports that this covert war is heating up.
Nov 30
Posted 173 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The buzz around the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, SB 1867, has been growing for months now. Rumors that I personally heard as early as July, said the bill would allow the military to capture and detain without trial U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.
Nov 16
Posted 187 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The International Atomic Energy Agency recently released a report showing that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon but that it has taken steps consistent with developing one. On Monday, President Obama addressed the IAEA report and stated that the use of force against Iran was definitely on the table. The possibility that Iran could get a nuclear weapon is disturbing, but the prospect that U.S. might start another preemptive war is unacceptable. The time to stop the next war is now.
Posted 194 days ago by Marshall Thompson
As Veterans Day approaches, I think it’s a good time to pay tribute to the troops. For this tribute, however, I propose something novel. Instead of post-traumatic-stress inducing fireworks and parades let’s actually listen to what the veterans are saying and incorporate it into our public policy. Thus, in honor of the troops on Veterans Day, I propose that we shut down Guantanamo.
Posted 201 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) granted full membership for Palestine on Monday. It’s definitely strange for an organ of the U.N. to recognize a state before the Security Council does, but it’s not the end of the world, right? Well, if you’re the U.S. or Israel, maybe it is. Israel called it a “tragedy,” and the U.S. is threatening to pull its funding of UNESCO.
Oct 26
Posted 208 days ago by Marshall Thompson
Anonymous, one of the foremost hacktivist groups around, decided to clean up the Internet a bit last week by attacking websites and servers that either distribute or support the distribution of child porn. The loosely organized group of hackers has always had a soft spot for vulnerable groups of people and a feeling that they own the Internet, so this latest target makes sense.
Posted 257 days ago by Marshall Thompson
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Palestine. First, a U.N. report found the blockade of Gaza to be legal under international law, but faulted the Israeli Defense Force for the deadly raid on a Turkish vessel that was attempting to bring supplies directly to the tiny strip of contested land. In essence, it’s OK for Israel to control all of Palestine’s imports and exports, but it’s not OK to mess with Turkey’s ships.
Maybe if the U.N. recognized Palestine as an independent state, like Turkey or Israel, it would get some more respect. Unfortunately for Gaza and the West Bank, the U.S. does not want the U.N. general assembly to give that recognition yet. Palestine is making rumblings at the U.N., and Obama wants to put the kibosh on it. To get Palestine to withdraw the proposal, the U.S. offered a sweet deal of a shiny new round of peace talks. Who could refuse that excellent deal?
Posted 264 days ago by Marshall Thompson
The mega bank claims these were isolated mistakes, but it’s hard to imagine, for example, how a $2.9 million loan to Iran went completely unnoticed for two years.
Aug 25
Posted 270 days ago by Marshall Thompson
Despite the 13th Amendment and strong laws against human trafficking, slavery continues to be a part of the U.S. economy. Recently, the feds busted a human trafficking ring in Wyoming that was providing labor for the hospitality industry. So, the person who helped you with your bags at the Holiday Inn Express might seem perfectly willing, but was actually being forced to labor without compensation. Even the owners of the hotels were often unaware of the situation thanks to third-party staffing services. In that light, a recent article in the Huffington Post raises some red flags. It details how hotel maids are having an increasingly hard time making ends meet. Hotels expect more work for less pay while the cost of living increases. How can the hotels get away with that? Apparently, many are outsourcing the jobs.
A Harvard Law School Student Journal
© 2012 The President and Fellows of Harvard College.