Crossposted with TomDispatch.com I have a fairy tale for you. Once upon a time, a representative democracy was established with a constitution that distilled the wisdom of the ages. Its foundational principles included civilian control of the military and a system of checks and balances that encouraged vigorous public debate as a basis for effective [...]
Social media is an undeniable comfort for those in the military and their families as communication from remote areas easier than ever before. But loose tweets sink fleets, and the British Ministry of Defence has produced two PSAs warning both military personnel and their loved ones to think before they “tweet, blog, update, tag, comment, [...]
Cunning bad guys are essential to most political dramas, and the real life battles between democrats and dictators are no exception. As the strategies of non-violent resistance to authoritarian regimes have developed, so too have the dirty tricks and counterattacks of the regimes themselves. In April a top-secret document, said to be from the Syrian [...]
The federal government continues to take steps to curb the problem of veteran homelessness. Public housing authorities in 18 states will receive $5.4 million to provide permanent housing for nearly 700 homeless veterans, according to a joint announcement Monday from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This is [...]
This story has been updated. WASHINGTON — Delta Air Lines is facing intense criticism after charging 34 U.S. soldiers returning from Afghanistan $2,800 in baggage fees. The incident came to light on Tuesday after a couple of the new-media savvy soldiers recorded a video about their ordeal and posted it on YouTube. “We showed up [...]
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of supporters of Bradley Manning converged at Leavenworth, Kan., Saturday to rally for the Army private accused of leaking classified documents to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. Gathered outside the prison where Manning is currently being held, protesters denounced Manning’s treatment and called on the White House to drop all charges against him. [...]
By Sung-won Shim SEOUL, Jun – South Korean Marines fired rifles at a South Korean commercial aircraft flying near the sea border with North Korea, thinking it was one of the communist North’s jet fighters, but they never hit their target, military sources said on Saturday. The shooting illustrates the level of tension between the [...]
North Korea opened its roads to a pack of tourists earlier this month for the first-ever self-driven Chinese tour of the isolated country. As Reuters is reporting, about 100 tourists visited the country as part of the three-day tour, which cost roughly $147 per person. The visitors took in various scenic spots including beaches and [...]
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy intercepted a North Korean ship suspected of carrying an illegal shipment of missile parts to Myanmar two weeks ago, the New York Times reported on late on Sunday, citing senior American officials. The North Korean cargo ship was forced to return home after a standoff at sea and several [...]
Most global polls rate Scandinavian and west European nations as being among the world’s happiest and most liveable. Not so says a North Korean survey, which ranked China as “the happiest place on earth.” As Shanghaiist is reporting, a new global happiness index released by North Korea’s Chosun Central Television awarded China 100 out of [...]
