Democracy & Civics

Mexico's Drug War Crosses Borders

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Driven by America’s insatiable appetite for cocaine, marijuana and other narcotics, Mexican drug cartels have increasingly transformed U.S. border towns into scenes of violence, kidnappings and corruption, reports the Los Angeles Times. The El Paso Times reports that drug cartels are increasingly recruiting U.S. citizens to their networks, including Horizon High School students in El Paso who were recently busted for driving Mexican drugs to Oklahoma City. According to the Dallas Morning News, U.S. narcotics officials are well aware of the problem, and last week rounded up 30 key Mexican Gulf Cartel operatives that were selling cocaine and marijuana at key points throughout Texas. One key Gulf Cartel leader, Miguel Trevino Morales, a hit man in charge of fending off any competition in and around Nuevo Laredo, has so far evaded the grasp of both Texan and Mexican officials. Oddly, Morales is listed as “wanted” only by the Laredo police, and not by the DEA or other national-scale agency, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

Democracy & Civics

A Neo-Nazi Resurgence Tests Speech Limits

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From a grisly “execution” video to clashes over protest rallies, officials and ideologues tread dangerous ground as neo-Nazi activists seek to push their agenda in Europe and the United States. In Russia, a student was arrested for posting a video that appears to document the execution-style beheading and shooting of two purported Central Asian immigrants. The Guardian reports that racist and neo-Nazi crimes in Russia are up 22 percent compared to last year. Previous incidents there include an assault on an environmentalist camp that left one person dead and nine injured. Germany remains intolerant of neo-Nazi activity, and banned a march memorializing Rudolph Hess, the Third Reich’s second-in- command, who committed suicide in prison in 1987.

Democracy & Civics

The Gospel of Intolerance

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Whether it’s Jews against Christian, Christians against Muslims, or Iraqi sects against each other, religious intolerance is thriving, sometimes with deadly results. The Yedizi community, an ancient minority Kurdish ethnic- religious group in Iraq, faces near-annihilation following a coordinated carpet bombing attack carried out by al-Qaeda operatives last week in the Sinjar district west of Mosul. The Yedizis, who were heavily persecuted under the regime of Saddam Hussein, have endured other attacks in recent months. Yedizi leaders are now contemplating bringing disparate Yedizi settlement together under Kurdish tribal lands for safety. Dutch Minister Geert Wilders made headlines last week when he wrote an editorial calling for a ban on the Koran, which he called a “fascist” text that exhorts violence.

Democracy & Civics

Hate Crimes and the Homeless

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Violent street attacks on the homeless have multiplied across America in recent years, prompting lawmakers in six states, including California, to introduce legislation that would label such attacks hate crimes and punish people accordingly. According to a 2006 report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, the number of rapes, beatings and murders has jumped to 142 attacks countrywide from 36 such assaults recorded in 2002. The report points out that most homeless attacks are likely to go unreported. As for the perpetrators, crime statistics point squarely to middle-class males of European descent, typically in their teens. Those who oppose including protection for the homeless under hate crimes legislation say that unlike race or gender, being homeless is sometimes a choice.

World

The Atrocity Illustrations

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An advocacy group called Waging Peace wants to submit “evidence” of crimes against humanity witnessed by Sudanese children who say Arabic Janjaweed militants, backed by government troops, killed their families and torched their villages in Darfur. A group of child refugees drew pictures when asked to describe the atrocities their witnessed. Arguing that children’s memories are more reliable than evidence provided by the Sudanese government, the group now wants to submit 500 drawings to the International Criminal Court as it prosecutes Sudanese war criminals. Lawyers for the ICC say using the drawings could present problems, especially if questions come up regarding the activists’ influence over the children. They also expressed concern about forcing the children and their surviving relatives to undergo harsh cross-examination on the stand.

World

Ten Chapters to Jihad

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A military manual put together by Taliban militants and clerics shows how organized the group really is, and underlines its geographic power base along the southern Pakistani border. The 10-chapter “Military Teachings for the Preparation of Mujahedeen” is a how-to manual that details everything from constructing explosives and how to target heavy vehicles to techniques for blowing up bridges and power lines. It also encourages students to join the Taliban without the consent of their parents. The Telegraph reports that the manual has already been delivered to Taliban militants in Pakistan. Experts say it has the potential to fall into the hands of pro-Taliban ethnic Pashtun tribes along the border who also oppose the occupation.

World

Iraq's Oil Fields Open for Business (Soon)

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Iraq is cautiously opening its oil fields to foreign and domestic investment, but is trying to do it on their own terms.
In September, Iraq’s parliament is expected to ratify a law allowing Western countries to invest in Iraqi oil fields. The country is believed to have oil reserves of 115 million barrels, half of them unexplored. From now on, all previous oil contracts will be reviewed with an eye toward spreading the country’s oil wealth evenly among Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds and other groups, according to proposed legislation. Iraq’s national oil company will be given first access to the country’s enormous West Qurna field and decide which foreign companies to work with. Russian giant Lukoil is hoping an agreement they had under Saddam Hussein to drill there still holds.

Economy

Domestic Workers Abused Worldwide

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Hundreds of domestic workers commit suicide in Bahrain every year rather than return to their families in debt, according to rights groups and Western observers. The workers, mostly women from Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, take out huge loans to pay their way to Bahrain, lured by the promise of good jobs and decent wage, according to Gulf News. But the jobs turn out to be lower quality, and the pay a fraction of what they expected. Broke and often abused by their employers, they cannot return home and often choose to end their lives. A report by Human Rights Watch titled “Swept Under the Rug: Abuses Against Domestic Workers Around the World” includes testimonials from hundreds of women from Asia to Africa.

Democracy & Civics

Security State's Brave New Tech

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The U.S. and Britain have been developing elaborate new tools to identify and subdue would-be terrorists at home and abroad. The Department of Homeland Security is developing a non-lethal weapon that emits a dazzling beam of light to incapacitate any suspect for a period of time. According to USA Today, the device has been dubbed the “puke-ray” for its tendency to induce nausea and vomiting. Rights groups worry it will be used not on terrorists but on Mexican immigrants crossing the border at night. Others worry that the instruments could enter the black market, forcing law enforcement to defend themselves against the weapon they developed.

Democracy & Civics

Your Words Betray You

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Marc Shultz couldn’t quite recall what he brought into the coffeeshop that Saturday morning, the day the last Harry Potter book hit the shelves. But as a worker at a local bookstore, a cup of coffee was a mandatory prelude to what would surely be a hectic day. In his hand, it turned out, was a printout of an article — a bit of media criticism to start the day and accompany his ritual caffeine boost. This he later recounted to the FBI agents who quizzed him at length on the topic. They were tipped off by someone at the coffeeshop who considered a critique of Fox News to be a risk to national security.