July 2009 - Page 3 of 4 - Toward Freedom

Piracy and Washington: The Somalia Crossroads

William Minter and Daniel Volman July 13, 2009 William Minter and Daniel Volman

In October 2008, Human Rights Watch rated Somalia the most ignored tragedy in the world. Almost 1.5 million Somalis are internally displaced, and an additional half million are refugees. Two decades of instability, including a U.S.-backed intervention by Ethiopian troops in December 2006, have failed to put Somalia on the map. If the American public has thought about Somalia at all this decade, it was as the setting of the popular 2001 movie Blackhawk Down, based on the October 1993 battle in Mogadishu between U.S. troops and Somali militia, rather than as a real place where Washington's policies were fueling conflict and prolonging suffering.

Fighting for Cyber and Software Freedom

Michael Fox July 8, 2009 Michael Fox

Richard Stallman

With his pleasant smile, his thick beard and curly shoulder-length hair that he twirls while he talks, Richard Stallman looks more fit to be following the Grateful Dead, than attending Latin America's largest technology and information event. But Stallman is not just attending, he is the guest of honor: The Jerry Garcia of Free Software.

Video Report: Honduran Coup Resistance Growing

Sandra Cuffe, The Real News July 7, 2009 Sandra Cuffe, The Real News

An interview with Sandra Cuffe, independent journalist reporting from the streets of Tegucigalpa, Honduras on the day the military opened fire on protesters. Tension peaked as unprecedented thousands marched to the airport to welcome the return of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, a return that was thwarted by the military. Military resorts to killing, numbers in streets double - even opponents of Zelaya join in.

High Stakes for Honduras

Benjamin Dangl July 7, 2009 Benjamin Dangl

The US should give clearer signals of its support for the restoration of President Zelaya, the victim of a right-wing coup. Among other reasons, Zelaya deserves our support because he was ultimately overthrown in response to his plans to organize a popular assembly to rewrite the country's constitution.

Politics-as-Usual While the Planet Burns

Brian Tokar July 6, 2009 Brian Tokar

A palpable sense of triumph accompanied the passage last week of a first-of-its-kind global warming bill in the US House of Representatives. Rep. Henry Waxman of California, one of the bill's two main sponsors, called it a "decisive and historic action," and President Obama described the bill as "a bold and necessary step."

No Reason to Favor Private Health Insurers

Joel S. Hirschhorn July 2, 2009 Joel S. Hirschhorn

In the national debate about health care reform absolutely nothing makes less sense than the positive views of much of the public about private health insurers. There is no good reason to have positive views of private health insurers, the companies that have relentlessly increased the costs for very limited health insurance.