solanasaurus.com

I’m in Puerto Rico right now. I did a quick note for the oD blog on what politics looks like here at the moment.

An interpretive ballet about the beauty of enriched uranium.

Thanks to the Daily Show for alerting us to the “dangers” of allowing gays in the US military. Thanks to Drew for reminding us 11,000 people have been kicked out of the army for being gay since the stupid “don’t ask don’t tell” rule was imposed in 1993 (hey, Clinton you did fail us on that one).

Politics in exile are never fun, lately they’ve been even less fun for Iranian blogger, Hoder. Never afraid to say controversial things, he’s come under personal attack from critics who say he lies about more or less everything, including being detained on a visit to Tehran in 2005. I can vouch for him in this case. At the time, we were co-editing IranScan.net

This is what can happen if you employ non-union workers in New York. I’m not sure how many inflatable rats are parked in front of building sites and businesses around the city, but it seems like someone should make a website with a Google map on it so we can keep track.

Our eyes popped out when Al-Jazeera said openDemocracy was run by US security officials. They apologised and let Anthony Barnett explain what we’re actually about.

Also, by Anthony Barnett (I meant to link to this a few days ago), a refreshingly different apporach to thinking about the bombing of Lebanon and global security in general: invite Israel, Palestine and Lebanon to join the EU. The whole article should be required 9/11 anniversary reading.

Over at Bloggombia the royal ‘they’ voice their support for Venezuelan comedian/candiate Benjamin Rauseo, aka the “Conde del Guacharo”. He’s one of 23 candiates angling to beat president/messiah Hugo Chavez in presidential elections in December. And he’s not joking.

And here’s something else that’s not funny: Venezuela election body promises toothpaste probe

It seems that, “government grocery stores are distributing a toothpaste called “10 Million Smiles” — produced by a local cooperative — which [the opposition] call a veiled reference to Chavez’s campaign slogan “10 Million Votes.”"

A depressing comment from my pal Hossein Derakhshan on the Washington Post’s blog. Why would you say anyone should have nuclear weapons unless you were prepared to use them?

I simply can’t understand how Hossein would argue to put the deadliest weapons in the hands of a government who he can’t even trust not to arrest him for being a blogger. It’s a shortsighted, pessimistic and simplistic point of view.

…even if Iran becomes the most peaceful, secular and progressive, yet still independent state on the planet, the U.S. would be unable to tolerate it.

OK, but when is that likely to happen? The Bush Administration gets the boot in 2008. We (and I mean everyone on the planet) can’t let dislike of US policies cloud our good judgement.

Read his short piece on openDemocracy.net:

So answer me this one, please. If you kill a hundred innocent civilians and one terrorist, are you winning or losing the war on terror? “Ah”, you may reply, “but that one terrorist could kill two hundred people, a thousand, more!” But then comes another question: if, by killing a hundred innocent people, you are creating five new terrorists in the future, and a popular base clamouring to give them aid and comfort, have you achieved a net gain for future generations of your countrymen, or created the enemy you deserve?

Why is a congressman from Illinois (where less than 1% of the population is Puerto Rican) co-sponsoring bills about economic policy in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rican bankers have rewarded him with campaign cash. Of course, it would be silly to bribe Puerto Rican politicians since they have no real political power in Congress.

The congressman, Jerry Weller, is married to the daughter of a Guatemalan dictator who was responsible for killing thousands and thousands of Mayan Indians.