Featured Editorials

Wow. The astounding grip the Saudis have on Western discourse.

Submitted by lotlizard on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 5:07am

The West Rightly Condemns Isis Vandalism of Ancient Sites – But Not When the Saudis Do It

Explosives pulverize historic sites in the Middle East, bulldozers erase ancient tombs and shrines, historic forts are torn down and Ottoman facades destroyed. The home of the favourite wife of the most revered man in an entire religion is even turned into a block of toilets. How can the world prevent this wicked desecration and extinction of a heritage that belongs to all mankind? I am, of course, referring to those iconoclastic Wahhabi-Salafist Muslim head-choppers … the Saudis!

Human Rights Watch, UN Human Rights Office challenge Malaysian Federal Court ruling

Submitted by Robyn on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 2:43pm

photo Jina_zps4vpbhvna.jpgOn October 8 the Malaysian Federal Court reversed a lower court ruling that the state of Negeri Sembilan's prohibition on cross-dressing was unconstitutional. On entirely technical grounds, the Federal Court upheld Sharia law that prohibits "a male person posing as a woman."

The judicial decision is a serious setback in a four-year struggle by transgender activists to end arbitrary arrests of transgender women on the basis of discriminatory laws.

--Human Rights Watch

This Federal Court ruling is a major setback for transgender rights.

Trans women in Malaysia, who were buoyed by the landmark lower court decision recognizing their rights to be themselves, have been let down once again.

--Neela Ghoshal, Human Rights Watch

Russia's offensive in Syria not doing much there

Submitted by gjohnsit on Sat, 10/10/2015 - 2:49pm

Washington is busy screaming and crying over Putin's military adventure in Syria, and Moscow is pumping out the propaganda about how they are "destroying" terrorists by the score, the actual facts on the ground is that not all that much has changed.
Russia's offensive ismaking minimal gains

Location, Location, Location

Submitted by Robyn on Sat, 10/10/2015 - 2:46pm

Back when I lived in Arkansas (1984-2000), I would frequently be told, upon seeing outrageous behavior on the part of one of that state's citizens, "You've got to remember, This is Arkansas." As if that simple statement implied that Arkansans were not subject to the laws of the United States or the societal expectation of Planet Earth.

It frustrated me no end.

It got so I would say

Arkansas is a really beautiful place to live, except for the people who live there.

I imagine people in other places may have similar stories...or perhaps, ones that are in total opposition.

The news spins:

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