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In Solidarity
Binu

Expanding Tropics A Threat
To Millions
By Steve Connor

www.countercurrents.org/connor031207.htm

The tropical belt that girdles the Earth is expanding north and south, which could have dire consequences for large regions of the world where the climate is likely to become more arid or more stormy, scientists have warned in a seminal study published today

Say It Isn’t So!
By Case Wagenvoord

www.countercurrents.org/wagenvoord031207.htm

what if the Bushites are not deranged? What if their every move is carefully calculated? What if they are making a deliberate attempt to generate a crisis of such proportions that Bush could use the chaos that ensued to declare martial law and complete his consolidation of power into the executive branch. Think of the possibilities. While Americans were reeling from the shock of total war and another Great Depression, the administration could eliminate Social Security and Medicare, along with whatever remains of our shredded social net. With the stroke of a pen, America would become a totalized Corporatist State and her citizens would be reduced to mere employees of the State with all of the rights corporate employees lack

Is Africa The Next Cold War Theater?
By Nii OkaiJah

www.countercurrents.org/okaijah031207.htm

China’s massive economic drive into Africa and the recent creation of the African military command by the United States may trigger a cold war on the continent. In such an event, Africa may pay a price for its independence because of its leaders’ failure to establish a United States of Africa equipped with a strong military, economic, political and diplomatic apparatus. It is imperative that Africa heed its own prophet

HUD Sends New Orleans Bulldozers And $400,000 Apartments For The Holidays
By Bill Quigley

www.countercurrents.org/quigley031207.htm

On the 12th day before Christmas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to unleash teams of bulldozers to demolish thousands of low-income apartments in New Orleans. Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War, HUD is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to tear down over 4600 public housing subsidized apartments and replace them with 744 similarly subsidized units – an 82% reduction

Bush Applauds Musharraf As He Makes Himself Pakistan’s President Till 2012
By Keith Jones

www.countercurrents.org/jones031207.htm

US President George W. Bush was the first foreign leader to congratulate General Pervez Mushraraf after he had himself sworn in Thursday to a further five-year term as Pakistan’s president

Musharraf: Our Own Caudillo
By Mir Adnan Aziz

www.countercurrents.org/aziz031207.htm

Retired General Pervez Musharraf took oath on November 29 as a civilian president. During this same oath he solemnly promised to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution’. Could anyone in that glittering gathering have dared ask him how that Houdini act could be managed? This so, when the same had been summarily suspended and shackled by his very own decree proclaiming ‘emergency’ in the country

Iraq: Government Fragments Further
By Ali al-Fadhily

www.countercurrents.org/fadhily031207.htm

As sectarian tensions escalate politically, a new fissure is appearing within the already fragmented Iraqi government

Iraq As A Pentagon Construction Site
By Tom Engelhardt

www.countercurrents.org/engelhardt031207.htm

When, in the future, you read in the papers about administration plans to withdraw American forces to bases “outside of Iraqi urban areas,” note that there will continue to be a major base in the heart of the Iraqi capital for who knows how long to come. As the Washington Post’s Glenn Kessler put it, the 21-building compound “is viewed by some officials as a key element of building a sustainable, long-term diplomatic presence in Baghdad.” Presence, yes, but diplomatic?

Henry Thoreau And The Patrons Of Virtue
By Charles Sullivan

www.countercurrents.org/sullivan031207.htm

If Thoreau’s life could be summed up in three words they would be, “Simplify, simplify, simplify.” To simplify and reduce one’s wants is a paradigm in stark contrast to the ravenous consumption required by capitalism. It was a way of living that eschewed money and markets; a way of being that afforded opportunity for intellectual pursuits and life long learning. Above all, it was a spiritually enriching way of life that was in harmony with the planet; it was gentle, sustainable, and fulfilling

Annapolis Hypocrisy Hides
Occupied Palestine Reality
By Stephen Lendman

www.countercurrents.org/lendman031207.htm

Against the sham backdrop of Annapolis, life in occupied Palestine is a daily struggle to endure and survive what Edward Said once referred to as Israel’s “refined viciousness.” This article addresses one week of it no different than most others. It shows the road to peace isn’t through Annapolis nor can it be achieved without a willing partner or with the legitimate Palestinian government excluded

Howard’s Legacy
By Ghali Hassan

www.countercurrents.org/hassan031207.htm

The Howard’s legacy will be remembered as a decade of right-wing, semi-fascist and racist government characterised by one egomaniac leader whose first priority has been his re-election, rather than doing anything for Australia. Under Howard, Australia has become a meaner and more divided country. Howard will be remembered (if ever) by most Australians as a divisive and deceptive prime minister. Good riddance

When Rights And Rules Collide
By Mary Shaw

www.countercurrents.org/shaw031207.htm

In my work as a human rights advocate, I am frequently asked about what we should do in cases where human rights conflict with religious or civil laws.Two cases have come to light in recent weeks that exemplify this kind of dilemma. The first is the case of a rape victim in Saudi Arabia. She had gotten into a car with a former boyfriend in order to get a photo that he had promised to return to her. Then the two were jumped and raped. And so she now faces 200 lashes and six months in prison, because she entered a car, unsupervised, with a man who wasn’t her relative

Islamic Renaissance Now
By Hamid Golpira

www.countercurrents.org/golpira031207.htm

The Islamic world is at the crossroads — either we have an Islamic Renaissance now or we will experience many years of backwardness

Tamils: Anti-Ethnocide Campaign
By Chandi Sinnathurai

www.countercurrents.org/sinnathurai031207.htm

After the 8th India-European Union [EU] Summit held in Delhi a Joint-statement was issued on 30 November 2007. There was nothing particularly ground-breaking in the statement about the conflict in Sri Lanka. But the hypocrisy of the statement betrays any diplomatic subtlety. Both – The EU and India have surreptitiously supplied military hardware to Sri Lanka knowing very well that these weapons are utilised to wipe out Tamil civilians. Having done that, they want to speak about peace, openly

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