Here's a couple of links that will provide some entertainment while I develop new posts.
1) John Roberts' tenure on the Supreme Court has meant contradictory free speech rulings.
It should come as no surprise that the Bush legacy will haunt the United States for decades to come, with the Supreme Court becoming more conservative than any other time in recent decades. Under Roberts, Corporations were given a full and unequivocal right free speech, while providing "material support" to terrorist groups - including discussing or advising them on becoming non-violent organizations - will remain an indictable offense with terms up to 15 years in jail.
Back in the 1980s the translation of this ruling would be: Advising the African National Congress or Nelson Mandela would be an offense worthy of 15 years in jail.
Welcome to Conservative activist judges, folks.
2) According to one of the leading international NGOs operating in Somaliland, the recent elections were both free and fair
This is excellent news for democracy in the Horn of Africa, a region that at present completely lacks it. Furthermore, I hope this helps Somaliland gain some kind of recognition - whether as a country or a regional administration - from the African Union. Given the fact that politics trumps facts, for now their support is not coming.
3) John Stossel tells you why legalizing drugs is not such a bad idea after all
Though Stossel is a libertarian and I am not, his program on the war on drugs was nonetheless interesting. One day, we'll have a real debate about drug policy. But not anytime soon.
4) How do countries rank in terms of foreign aid?
Americans: Generous charitable donors
American government: Not so much.
5) Justice in Mexico comes out with the June report on violence in Mexico.
Mexico: closer than ever. Unfortunately, so are the drug trafficking organizations...
The number of drug-related executions in 2009, not including the chance discovery of currently undiscovered graves (there are probably thousands), is already very likely to surpass the record high in 2008 sometime in the next few months.
To get a better understanding of the situation on the ground in Mexico - at least where the DTOs, the army and the police are slaughtering each other - I urge you to check out Charles Bowden's book "Murder City" about Ciudad Juarez, a city right across the river from El Paso, Texas that has witness perhaps the most brutal violence of any Mexican city.
Back tomorrow, hopefully with a post on a comparison of national drug control policies, with some notes on Harper's dramatic shift towards incarceration.
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