Tibet: The Story Of A Tragedy

This is an excellent history of the tragic Tibetan peoples and land (courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/user/Windhorse):

Stolen Oil Profits Keep Iraq’s Insurgency Running

This is why the surge will ultimately fail. Our forces are fighting and dying to prop up a hopelessly corrupt government:

The sea of oil under Iraq is supposed to rebuild the nation, then make it prosper. But at least one-third, and possibly much more, of the fuel from Iraq’s largest refinery here is diverted to the black market, according to American military officials. Tankers are hijacked, drivers are bribed, papers are forged and meters are manipulated — and some of the earnings go to insurgents who are still killing more than 100 Iraqis a week.

“It’s the money pit of the insurgency,” said Capt. Joe Da Silva, who commands several platoons stationed at the refinery.

Five years after the war in Iraq began, the insurgency remains a lethal force. The steady flow of cash is one reason, even as the American troop buildup and the recruitment of former insurgents to American-backed militias have helped push the number of attacks down to 2005 levels.

In fact, money, far more than jihadist ideology, is a crucial motivation for a majority of Sunni insurgents, according to American officers in some Sunni provinces and other military officials in Iraq who have reviewed detainee surveys and other intelligence on the insurgency.

Although many American military officials and politicians — and even the Iraqi public — use the term Al Qaeda as a synonym for the insurgency, some American and Iraqi experts say they believe that the number of committed religious ideologues remains small. They say that insurgent groups raise and spend money autonomously for the most part, with little centralized coordination or direction.

Congressman Hoyer: Bush, Republicans did not "Follow Law"

This speech was given by Congressman Steny Hoyer during the FISA debate in the House of Representatives yesterday. It was a powerful indictment of Bush, the Republicans, and their domestic spying program.

China will Crush Tibet Protests While World Remains Silent

Will the world remain silent when the Chinese authorities crush the Tibetan rebellion? Tragically, the answer is yes. As happened during the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, the world did nothing and said very little. The profits made by multi-national corporations trump human rights. Even this article source refers to the protesters as "rioters." The only reason the story is being covered at all is because of the cell phone videos coming. The media only cares about sensationalism. The tragedy will be forgotten in 2 weeks, just as it was during the Mianmar protests of last year:

China set a "surrender" deadline after riots in Lhasa that it said killed 10 innocent people, launching a crackdown on Saturday after the worst unrest in Tibet for two decades.

The response came after torrid protests on Friday which flew in the face of official claims the region was immune from unrest as Beijing readies to hold the Olympic Games in August.

"Criminals who do not surrender themselves by the deadline will be sternly punished according to the law," stated the notice on the Tibetan government Web site (www.tibet.gov.cn). It added that those who "harbour or hide" them also face harsh treatment.

The government offered rewards and protection for informers.

Chinese television showed footage of rioters trashing shops and trying to break down the entrance of a bank, and plumes of smoke floating above the city.