Posts by whydem

The information compiled through a massive Facebook group about Saturday's global protests in support of Burma is now available at burma-watch.org. If there's a protest happening in your city, chances are there are details here.

They've also got PDFs for download with comprehensive news roundups.

Filmmaker Alex Gibney, who made the Why Democracy? film Taxi to the Dark Side (about murder, torture and abuse in US-run prisons in Afghanistan, Iraq and Cuba) wrote the following in response to today's New York Times report on the existence of a secret Justice Department memo endorsing extreme forms of interrogation of detainees.

The President and the Vice President of the United States appear to have an unquenchable thirst for cruelty. The proof is that their political myrmidons in the Department of Justice and in the office of the Vice President have gone to extraordinary and unprecedented lengths to make coercive interrogation and torture the official policy of the United States of America.

Today, an extraordinary article appeared in the New York Times, which revealed the existence of secret documents that chronicle the ruthless and indefatigable efforts of a small group of men inside the Department of Justice to maintain the ability of US personnel to continue to engage in torture or - if that word offends - a policy of intentional cruelty toward prisoners.

The UN's special envoy has now met with Burma's military leader, General Than Shwe, but this is by no means reason to celebrate. The international community has still done nothing beyond making speeches with a few harsh words. Meanwhile, thousands of monks are reported to have been rounded up and will be sent to prison, and at least one news outlet claims that thousands have been killed and are being buried in mass graves in a jungle.

If anything is to change in Burma, it will be because of massive public pressure. Governments have proven for decades that they are willing to do nothing.

Facebook has numerous groups devoted to the plight of the Burmese. One of the main groups has a massive resource with things you can do, listings of protests and other information. If you're a Facebook user, have a look at that group. If you're not, or if you have friends or family who are not Facebook members, we've copied much of the information into this entry and will update it regularly. NB: Joining a Facebook group will not make any difference -- it's the actions suggested (and probably much more) that might.

At a meeting at the Somme Heritage Centre at Conlig, Ian Paisley, leader
of Northern Ireland, shooks hands with Irish President Mary McAleese.
Read more about the historic handshake on BBC News online, as well as in the New York Times. Join the debate in our forums: What does democracy mean to you?.