Each year thousands of children are conscripted by governments, paramilitary groups, and guerrillas to serve as military combatants, human mine detectors, and sex slaves.
Don’t let the opportunity to have your say pass by - this is your world and you have a right to make yourself heard - do not simply sit back and think someone else will tackle this issue for you - we all need to get involved and make a difference.
An American Enterprise Institute (AEI)-Brookings Institution Event
Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring Electoral Manipulation
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
2:00 - 3:30 pm
Falk Auditorium - The Brookings Institution
Countries around the world - even long-established democracies - grapple with the fundamental issue of guaranteeing that their elections are fair and competitive. Recent events ranging from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Indiana’s voter identification law to the turmoil that has resulted from Zimbabwe’s recent presidential contest only confirm that fact. Drawing on social science research from the U.S. and abroad, Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring Electoral Manipulation explores ways to define, measure and detect fraud, and makes recommendations for reform.
On May 21, 2008, the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution will host a discussion with the book’s editors, R. Michael Alvarez and Susan Hyde. Thomas Mann, co-director of the American Enterprise Institute-Brookings Election Reform Project and senior fellow at Brookings, will moderate the panel.
After the program, panelists will take audience questions.
Moderator:
Thomas E. Mann, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Während der XIV. Dalai Lama in den westlichen Medien wie ein „Gott zum Anfassen” (Der Spiegel) gefeiert wird, ist seit dem Frühjahr 2008 ein Verfahren gegen ihn wegen Menschenrechtsverletzung und Hinderung der freien Religionsausübung am höchsten Gericht seines Gastlandes Indien anhängig.
Kläger ist die so genannte Dorje-Shugden-Society, eine Gruppierung tibetischer Mönche, die den Schutzgott Dorje Shugden verehrt. Am 5. Mai 2008 gaben die Dorje Shugden Anhänger in einer Pressemitteilung bekannt, dass sie weltweit und insbesondere auch bei dem Deutschland-Besuch des XIV. Dalai Lama vom 16. bis zum 19. Mai 2008 gegen ihn demonstrieren werden.
Die Anklagepunkte gegen den tibetischen Religionsführer lauten: Unterdrückung religiöser Minderheiten, Verletzung des Rechts auf freie Meinungsäußerung, Inquisition, anti-demokratische Machenschaften, Denunziationen, Heuchelei, Doppelmoral.
Die Tibet-Experten Victor und Victoria Trimondi zeigen in einer gut recherchierten Studie, was hinter diesen Anschuldigungen steckt. Sie untersuchen den Shugden-Fall insbesondere unter der Frage, ob der exiltibetische Staat und der XIV. Dalai Lama die Trennung von Staat und Kirche wirklich anerkennen.
Der erbitterte Kampf des XIV. Dalai Lama gegen den Dorje-Shugden-Geist zeigt: die Grundgesetze des säkularen und humanistischen Staates haben für den tibetischen Religionsführer keine Bedeutung.
An editorial in the Wall Street Journal says that by doing so, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has “called the bluff” of U.S. congressional leader Nancy Pelosi, who had seized on the issue as a reason for not proceeding forward with the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.
A paper from the Rand Corporation questions how to break the “failed state cycle,” particularly in the triangle formed by Sudan, the Congo, and Sierra Leone.
“Insecurity in the 21st century appears to come less from the collisions of powerful states than from the debris of imploding ones. Failed states present a variety of dangers: religious and ethnic violence; trafficking of drugs, weapons, blood diamonds, and humans; transnational crime and piracy; uncontrolled territory, borders, and waters; terrorist breeding grounds and sanctuaries; refugee overflows; communicable diseases; environmental degradation; and warlords and stateless armies. Regions with failed states are at risk of becoming failed regions, like the vast triangle from Sudan to the Congo to Sierra Leone. For security, material, and moral reasons, leading states cannot ignore failed ones. While no two failed states are alike, all typically suffer from cycles of violence, economic breakdown, and unfit government, rendering them unable to relieve the suffering of their people, much less empower them. This paper aims to improve the understanding and treatment of failed states by offering an integrated approach based on two ideas: that certain critical challenges at the intersections between security, economics, and politics must be met if the cycle is to be broken and that, in meeting those critical challenges, the guiding goal should be to lift local populations from the status of victims of failure to agents of recovery.”
Edgar Millan Gomez, the chief coordinator of Mexico’s government crackdown on organized crime was murdered in his home. The Los Angeles Times says the Sinaloa drug cartel seems the likely culprit.
Freedom House’s 2008 report on press freedom shows a clear decline in both authoritarian countries and established democracies.
PRESS RELEASE
Washington D.C., April 29, 2008 - Global press freedom underwent a clear decline in 2007, with journalists struggling to work in increasingly hostile environments in almost every region in the world, according to a new survey released today by Freedom House. The decline in press freedom - which occurred in authoritarian countries and established democracies alike - continues a six-year negative trend.
Freedom House will formally present findings from Freedom of the Press 2008: A Global Survey of Media Independence today at the Newseum in Washington. Freedom House Executive Director Jennifer Windsor will also unveil the Map of Press Freedom 2008, a central exhibit featured in the Newseum’s Time Warner World News Gallery.
While the survey indicated that setbacks in press freedom outnumbered advances two to one globally, there was some improvement in the region with the least amount of press freedom: the Middle East and North Africa. The survey attributes the gains in the Middle East and North Africa to a growing number of journalists who were willing to challenge government restraints, a pushback trend seen in other regions as well.
“For every step forward in press freedom last year, there were two steps back,” said Windsor. “When press freedom is in retreat, it is an ominous sign that restrictions on other freedoms may soon follow. However, journalists in many countries of the world are pushing the boundaries, crossing the red-lines, demonstrating commitment and courage against great odds and we are seeing a greater global flow of information than ever before.”
Out of 195 countries and territories, 72 (37 percent) were rated Free, 59 (30 percent) Partly Free, and 64 (33 percent) were Not Free, a decline from 2006. However, the study found that declines in individual countries and territories were often larger than in years past. Key regional findings include:
Central and Eastern Europe/ Former Soviet Union: This region showed the largest region-wide setback, with Russia, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan, and several Central European countries, among others, showing declines. Only 18 percent of the region’s citizens live in environments with Free media.
Middle East and North Africa: More unrestricted access to new media such as satellite television and the internet boosted press freedom regionally. Egyptian journalists showed an increased willingness to cross press freedom ‘red lines,’ moving the country into the Partly Free category.
Asia-Pacific: Restrictions on media coverage were imposed in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and Vietnam’s government cracked down on dissident writers.
Americas: Guyana’s status shifted from Free to Partly Free, while Mexico’s score deteriorated by a further three points because of increased violence against journalists and impunity surrounding attacks on media.
Sub-Saharan Africa: The region accounted for three of the year’s five status changes: Benin declined from Free to Partly Free, while the Central African Republic and Niger moved into the Not Free category. Political conflict and misuse of libel laws were key factors behind a number of country declines.
Western Europe: The region continued to have the highest level of press freedom worldwide, despite declines in Portugal, Malta and Turkey, the only country in the region ranked Partly Free.
The survey, released annually in advance of World Press Freedom Day on May 3, assesses the degree of print, broadcast, and internet freedom in every country in the world. The 2008 ratings are based on an assessment of the legal, political and economic environments in which journalists worked in 2007.
“Improvements in a small number of countries were far overshadowed by a continued, relentless assault on independent news media,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Freedom House senior researcher and managing editor of the survey.
“We are particularly concerned that while abuses of press freedom continue unabated in restrictive environments such as China, threats are also apparent in countries with an established record of media freedom and in newer democracies in Central Europe and Africa.”
The key trends that led to numerical movements in the study include:
Unrest and Upheaval: Media played a key role in covering coups, states of emergency and contested elections in countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Georgia, and as a result, journalists became prime targets during government crackdowns.
Violence and Impunity: Violence against journalists and, in many cases, corresponding impunity regarding past cases of abuse was a key factor in determining press freedom in countries as diverse as Mexico, Russia and the Philippines.
Punitive laws: Media freedom remains seriously constrained by the presence and use of numerous laws that are used to punish critical journalists and outlets.The abuse of libel laws increased in a number of countries, most notably in Africa. Satellite television and internet-based news and networking sources are an emerging force for openness in restricted media environments as well as a key target for government control.
New media: The world’s worst-rated countries continue to include Burma, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, and Turkmenistan. In 2007, Eritrea joined the ranks of these exceedingly bad performers, while a crackdown in Burma worsened that country’s already repressive media environment, leaving its score second only to that of North Korea worldwide.
Detailed information from the survey are available here and by contacting Laura Ingalls at ingalls@freedomhouse.org.
Den Völkern schadet vielmehr die Habsucht der eigenen Bürger als die Raubgier der Feinde. Dieser läßt sich bisweilen ein Ziel setzen, jener aber nicht. (Niccolò Machiavelli)
In der Frankfurter Rundschau prophezeit der Soziologe und Italien-Experte Peter Wagner eine ziemlich düstere Zukunft für Italien nach der Rückkehr von Silvio Berlusconi an die Macht. Und resümiert, dass jedes Volk die Herrscher hat, die es verdient.
“Francesco Guicciardini wünschte sich, noch erleben zu dürfen, dass sein Land sich zu einem wohl geordneten republikanischen Gemeinwesen entwickelt. Der Florentiner Zeitgenosse Niccolò Machiavellis ahnte aber, dass seine Lebenszeit dafür zu begrenzt sein würde. Er war auch generell allen Illusionen abgeneigt und hielt die Zukunft für wenig vorhersehbar. Insbesondere sah er die Demokratie als eine zu zerbrechliche Regierungsform an, die leicht ein Land in den Ruin treiben könnte. [...] Guicciardini meinte, dass Bürger immer vom Streben nach ihrem ‘Besonderen’ angetrieben würden. Ihre persönlichen Interessen an Besitz oder Ruhm würden sie vor den Erhalt des Gemeinsamen stellen. Aus diesem Grunde sei Fortschritt in der Entwicklung von Republik und Demokratie niemals gewiss. Die italienischen Wahlen haben dies nachdrücklich bestätigt.”
The history of Palestinian refugees deserves international attention. So does the history of one million Jewish refugees from the Arab-Israel conflict. Yet the United Nations has devoted countless resolutions and debates to only one side of this story, completely ignoring the other.
For the first time ever in the UN Human Rights Council, at its recently concluded session, the suffering of Jewish refugees from Arab lands was also placed on the international agenda. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Congress adopted a historic resolution recognizing that all victims of the conflict must be treated equally.
Racism and Historical Truth: Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands
UN Watch Oral Statement
Agenda Item 9: Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on Racism Doudou Diène
UN Human Rights Council, 7th Session, March 19, 2008
Delivered by Regina Bublil Waldman
Thank you, Mr. President.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for his work against racism, and address two areas of his report.
Dr. Diene, in Addendum 1 you mention Libya’s treatment of ethnic minorities. In Addenda 3 and 4, you envision a multicultural society based on two principles: respect for historical truth and non-discrimination against minorities.
As a victim of Libyan discrimination, I agree: only with historical truth can we build a better future.
Today I wear my traditional ethnic dress to celebrate my heritage, but also to mourn its destruction.
One million Jews lived in the Middle East at the turn of the century. Today, less than five thousand remain.
Their plight has been ignored by the international community.
Their story is my story.
In 1948, there were thirty-six thousand Jews living in Libya. Today, there are none.
During the 1967 war between Israel and her Arab neighbors, mobs took to the streets and shouted, “Edbah el Yehud!” - “Slaughter the Jews!”
They burned my father’s warehouse and came to burn our home.
An honorable Muslim neighbor stopped them, and saved our lives.
The government ordered the expulsion of all Jews from Libya, where my family had lived for hundreds of years. They confiscated our homes and all our assets.
We were given this one-way travel document - never allowed to return.
My family was put on a bus to the airport. The bus driver got out, and tried to burn the bus with us in it. We were rescued from death by two Christian friends.
I come here today bearing no hatred — only these historical truths:
Jews have been an indigenous people of the Middle East for over 2,500 years.
On the basis of race and religion, Arab regimes subjected Jews to arbitrary arrest, confiscation of property and expulsions. This is fully documented in this report by Justice for Jews from Arab Countries.
The UNHCR has ruled that Jews fleeing from Arab countries were ‘bona fide’ refugees, victims of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Dr. Diene, your report envisions a future of tolerance and equality. Applying the principles you set forth, we trust you will examine the actions of Libya and other Middle Eastern countries that forced out their Jewish minorities.
Like in South Africa, only the acknowledgment of truth and history will lead to reconciliation.
Letters obtained by the New York Times indicate the U.S. Justice Department has told Congress that U.S. intelligence agencies trying to stop terrorist attacks may use interrogation practices that go beyond the bounds of international law. The JURIST legal blog explores.
Wir laden Sie herzlich zu unserer Veranstaltung ein:
“Die NPD - Eine Gefahr für unsere Demokratie!“
Dienstag, den 29. April 2008, von 13 bis 16 Uhr Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin
Preußischer Landtag - Raum 311
10111 Berlin (Nähe S- und U-Bhf Potsdamer Platz)
Es diskutieren:
- Dr. Rudolf van Hüllen, Verfasser des Buches “Das Rechtsextreme Bündnis: Aktionsformen und Inhalte” im Auftrag der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung,
- Michael Heinisch, Sozialdiakonische Jugendarbeit Lichtenberg,
- Frank Henkel MdA, innenpolitischer Sprecher der CDU-Fraktion,
- Dr. Viola Neu, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung.
Moderation:
Prof. Dr. Manfred Wilke, stv. Landesvorsitzender und Leiter des Forums für Demokratie, Geschichte und Extremismus der CDU Berlin.
Wir würden uns freuen, wenn wir Sie auf unserer Veranstaltung begrüßen könnten.
Despite continuing reports of Sudanese involvement in the killing, rape, and displacement of many thousands in Darfur, the Khartoum regime was celebrated for its “cooperation” at the recently concluded session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Sudan’s allies from the African, Islamic groups and Non-Aligned blocs lined up to praise Khartoum, a position that was formalized in a consensus resolution welcoming the collaboration of the government of Sudan.
Gibreil Hamid, a survivor from Darfur, took the floor on behalf of UN Watch to confront the impunity granted to Sudan.
See full text below.
UN Watch Takes on Sudan and its Allies
UN Human Rights Council, 7th Session
Interactive Dialogue with UN Special Rapporteur on Sudan
UN Watch Statement Delivered by Gibreil Hamid, March 17, 2008
Thank you, Mr. President.
I speak on behalf of UN Watch. We thank the Special Rapporteur for her excellent work for the victims of Darfur.
Mr. President, I am from Darfur, and I know the truth about what is happening there. The truth can be found in today’s report.
The report shows how the Government of Sudan is violating human rights and international humanitarian law, with physical assaults, abductions and rape. In October, Government forces attacked Muhajiriya. People praying in a mosque were rounded up, and forty-eight civilians were killed. In November, Government planes dropped bombs on Habila. The attackers entered the villages, shooting, stealing animals and setting fire to houses.
On 2 December, in West Darfur, armed men attacked a group of ten women and girls. A sixteen-year-old girl from the group was gang raped, and at least three other women were whipped and beaten with axes. Police and soldiers refused to help.
Today’s report says that violence against women in Darfur is continuing. There is no improvement. There is no justice. The attackers enjoy immunity.
Mr. President, in the name of basic human rights, UN Watch urges Sudan to end these attacks against innocent civilians. UN Watch asks this Council to please stop praising Sudan for its “cooperation.” Mr. President, attacking little girls is not “cooperation.”
We wish to ask the rapporteur: What further action is she planning to protect the victims of Darfur?
Am 27. April 2008, entscheiden die Berlinerinnen und Berliner in einem - in der Verfassung verankerten - Volksentscheid darüber, ob der Flughafen Tempelhof weiter erhalten bleibt, oder als Wiese ohne Nutzungskonzept verödet.
Die CDU-Fraktion hat sich bereits während des Volksbegehrens mit aller Kraft für die Offenhaltung des Flughafens Tempelhof eingesetzt. Denn seit der Berlin-Blockade im Jahr 1948 ist er das Freiheitssymbol unserer Stadt, vor allem aber ist er ein Chancenflughafen für Investitionen und Arbeitsplätze.
Wenige Tage vor dem Volksentscheid haben wir hochrangige Experten zu einer Anhörung eingeladen. Sie werden herausarbeiten, wie Tempelhof als ideale Ergänzung zum Großflughafen BBI den Berliner Wirtschaftsstandort nachhaltig stärken kann. Auch das Konzept der Investoren Lauder und Langhammer soll intensiv erläutert werden.
Expertenanhörung zur Offenhaltung des Flughafens Tempelhof
Begrüßung:
- Dr. Friedbert Pflüger, MdA, Vorsitzender der CDU-Fraktion
Podium:
- Friedrich Merz, MdB, CDU-Wirtschaftsexperte
“Standortvorteil Tempelhof bei wachsendem Geschäftsflugverkehr nutzen”
- Prof. Dr. Elmar Giemulla, Luftverkehrsexperte der TU Berlin
“Weiterbetrieb von Tempelhof ist Null-Gefahr für BBI”
- Wolf-Dieter Siebert, Vorstand der Deutschen Bahn
“Die Deutsche Bahn als Betreiber von Tempelhof”
- Robert Salzl, Projektplaner der CED GmbH (Lauder)
“Das Lauder-Konzept - neue Arbeitsplätze für Berlin”
Moderation:
- Jochim Stoltenberg, Berliner Morgenpost
Schlusswort:
- Ingo Schmitt, MdB, Mitglied im Verkehrsausschuss, Landesvorsitzender der CDU Berlin
Dienstag, 22. April 2008, 18:00 Uhr im Abgeordnetenhaus von Berlin, Preußischer Landtag, Raum 311 Niederkirchnerstraße 5, 10111 Berlin
Wir würden uns freuen, wenn wir Sie zu unserer Expertenanhörung begrüßen könnten. Um sich anzumelden, bitte hier klicken.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Gina Schmelter - Referentin für Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Italians today finish a second and final day of general election voting. ISN Security Watch assesses the record of the two main candidates for prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi and Walter Veltroni, and the likelihood their coalitions will join.
“Silvio Berlusconi is known to be reluctant to carry on in a situation similar to that of Romano Prodi two years ago, when the ex-president of the European commission had a majority of only two in the senate and had to rely on the support of the life-senators. Yet Berlusconi is essentially a man of power and he will want to leave his mark in any post-election deal. Walter Veltroni will surely see the opportunity of a grand coalition as a test of his statesmanship and the chance to drive through reforms. Veltroni’s objective now must be to isolate Berlusconi and break from his stifling influence; such a strategy presents Italy’s only road to recovery and stability.”
In der Frankfurter Rundschau prophezeit Peter Michalzik eine ziemlich düstere Zukunft für Italien vor der Wiederwahl Silvio Berlusconis. Das Land sei politisch am Ende.
“Man muss einen Schritt weiter gehen und dem Umstand ins Auge blicken, dass Italien, vielleicht neben Weißrussland, das erste Land Europas ist, das keine Politik mehr hat… In Italien ist der Staat nur noch dazu da, jenen, die es schaffen, ein Teil von ihm zu werden, ein sicheres undluxuriöses Auskommen zu sichern. Die Karriere als Politiker ist da besonders attraktiv. Die Abgeordnetengehälter sind exorbitant, vergleichbar nur mit den größten und reichsten Nationen der Welt. Der Staat ist der Kuchen, von dem sich jeder ein so großes Stück nimmt, wie er kann.”
The Brookings Institution examines the showdown on Capitol Hill over the U.S.-Colombia free-trade pact and says Colombian leaders may react sharply if the deal is shot down by the U.S. Congress.
A new report written by Susan E. Rice from the Brookings Institution and Stewart Patrick from the Center for Global Development ranks 141 countries on economics, politics, security, and social welfare - as well as twenty other “sub-indicators” - and derives an “index of state weakness”.
“This paper presents the Index of State Weakness in the Developing World (hereafter, the Index), which ranks all 141 developing countries according to their relative performance in four critical spheres: economic, political, security, and social welfare. We define weak states as countries that lack the essential capacity and/or will to fulfill four sets of critical government responsibilities: fostering an environment conducive to sustainable and equitable economic growth; establishing and maintaining legitimate, transparent, and accountable political institutions; securing their populations from violent conflict and controlling their territory; and meeting the basic human needs of their population.”
Opposition parties are also claiming to have won Zimbabwe’s presidential election, though officials still have yet to release official results, but Business Day reports that Mugabe has now admitted defeat to a close circle of advisers.
April 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of both the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (he was shot April 4, 1968, on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis), and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (also known as the Fair Housing Act), which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex and family status.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson signing Civil Rights Bill, April 11, 1968
In a 1967 speech he urged Americans to be “dissatisfied until slums are cast into the junk heaps of history, and every family is living in a decent sanitary home.” From 1966-1967 Congress considered but failed to pass the Fair Housing Act. When Dr. King was assassinated, President Johnson urged for the bill’s quick passage and it was signed into law seven days later, in time for Dr. King’s funeral.
Voting technology, long the purview of heated debate among the political and advocacy communities, is the focus of a blog entry from the Moritz College of Law - Ohio State University.
“With the Clinton and Obama camps at odds over whether to seat Florida and Michigan delegates, the idea of holding an all-mail election has emerged as a possible solution. The New York Times reports today that Democratic Party officials are ‘close to completing a draft plan’ for a mail-in primary in Florida that would take place in early June. Proponents of all-mail voting often cite Oregon’s experience in support of their arguments. If they can do it, the argument goes, why can’t we?
Given that Democratic Party rules set clear standards for having delegates recognized, which Florida and Michigan just as clearly failed to abide by, it seems obvious that the delegates selected through those states’ prior primaries shouldn’t be recognized. At the same time, there are reasons to be very cautious about exporting all-mail elections to these states, especially in a hotly contested and undeniably important race like this one. Here are a few of those reasons.”
The International Herald Tribune reports that some of the newest European Union states appear to be suffering “reform fatigue” - particularly with respect to goals of pluralism, democracy, and good governance - and are scaling down efforts at legislative change.
“For example, media freedom is a touchy issue across Europe, and new member states cannot be asked to adopt higher standards than those in countries like Italy, where the opposition leader and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns important media outlets.”
At a hearing of the United States Senate’s Finance Committee, a senior official in the US Treasury Department has called Iran “the central banker of terrorism”.
Outlining some of what Iran is known to be doing to support anti-American and anti-Israeli fighters, the under-secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Stuart Levey, said Iran “uses its global financial ties and its state-owned banks to pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and to fund terrorism.”
He also told lawmakers that Iran used front companies and “cut-outs” to “engage in ostensibly innocent transactions that are actually related to its nuclear missile programs.”
“We have seen Iran’s banks request other financial institutions take their names off of transactions when processing them in the international financial system. This practice, which is even used by the central bank of Iran, is intended to evade the controls put in place by responsible financial institutions and has the effect of threatening to involve those financial institutions in transactions that they would never engage in if they knew who or what was really involved,” Levey said.
Levey heads the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which is responsible for tracking money being filtered into terrorist groups. In all, since June 2005, the OFAC has identified 51 entities and 12 individuals as proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, of whom 36 entities and 11 individuals were tied to Iran, nine entities and one individual were tied to North Korea and three entities were tied to Syria. Levey told senators that efforts to cut off money to Al Qaeda had shown success - especially in the last 18 months. He cited senior al-Qaeda leaders’ complaints that they had suicide bombers ready to go but no money to finance operations.
The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson today will announce a broad proposal to overhaul regulation of U.S. financial markets. The article says the reforms could eliminate or merge major institutions - including the Securities and Exchange Commission - and might seek to strengthen the authority of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
John Grisham’s new book THE APPEAL is the cover review in the New York Times Book Review this Sunday, March 30.
Steven Brill, the founder of American Lawyer magazine and Court TV, pens the review, calling THE APPEAL a “gripping tale” and commending John Grisham for pointing out “how the justice system in more than half of the 50 states is increasingly threatened by the kind of big-money gutter politics that have made so many Americans disgusted with Washington.”
In a sidebar interview, also in the Book Review, Steven Brill states that John Grisham’s prose “has the texture and authority of someone who’s been exposed to [the legal system].”
Es gibt Besserwisser,
die niemals begreifen,
dass man Recht haben
und ein Idiot sein kann. Martin Kessel
Im Aufmacher der Süddeutschen Zeitung am Wochenende ruft Hilmar Klute zum Widerstand gegen “Rauchverbote, Sexratgeber und Ernährungshinweise” auf.
“Ständig Schläge zu bekommen ist grausam, aber ständig Ratschläge zu bekommen ist sogar die Hölle. [...] Helmut Schmidt sagte im Zeit-Interview auf die Frage, ob er wenigstens jungen Leuten vom Rauchen abraten würde: ‘Ich würde niemandem unerbetene Ratschläge geben.’
Der alte Schmidt ist ein Held unserer Tage. Und es wäre wünschenswert, wenn auch die Hausmeister und Weltverbesserer für eine Weile Enthaltsamkeit üben und bitte so lange die Luft anhalten, bis man seinen Schweinebraten aufgegessen, seine 60 Milligramm Alkohol runtergeschluckt, die Mousse au chocolat samt Sahnehäubchen ausgelöffelt und vier Zigaretten fertig geraucht hat. Wäre das alles nicht - liberal?”
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