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Best of the Web: Confessions beaten out of 'suspects', executions by the hundreds... How different is justice in today's Iraq from the era of Saddam?
The presumption of guilt is just one of Saddam's creation that has outlived the dictator
Saddam is Dead! Long live Saddam! And glancing through the grisly list of executions which the new, free, democratic, American-constructed Iraq has carried out - about 500 all told, and rising - Saddamism is flourishing in the land of the two rivers. Last year alone, 1,200 men and women were on death row, most of them sentenced after the usual pre-trial confessions under torture. In fact their court appearances were preceded, in many cases, by television interviews in which they admitted to their "crimes". And sure enough, another 26 "terrorists" were executed in Baghdad last week as the country's Shia Muslim prime minister tried to smother the Sunni revolt against him.
Lobaczewski presented a process that begins with visionaries whose ideas are corrupted by a cascade of personalities, all deficient in character, ending in psychopaths taking the helm and guiding the society to war, destruction, and eventual collapse. Most of us think of psychopaths as being mostly criminals who end up in jail, but Lobaczewski shows that they actually are capable of leading us, at least when they are born into privilege.
Lobaczewski also describes how the rest of society largely goes along with this, and this is the subject of this article.
© 38 Degrees
The fact that the so-called "lobbying bill" does so little to regulate the activities of corporate lobbyists isn't even the worst of it. The truly appalling part is the extensive second section of the bill which is clearly designed to silence critics of the government such as charities, voluntary organisations, protest groups, trade unions and religions (which despite the bile from the obnoxious anti-theist ranter brigade, have done much good work in promoting social justice).
The only constituents who matter in the UK... in the background, London's financial district.
The Council of Europe claims the handouts given to Britain's jobless are 'manifestly inadequate'.
Ministers have been told they are in violation of the European Social Charter - potentially opening the door for claimants to take the Government to court to get more money.
But ministers say obeying the diktat from the Council, which oversees the controversial European Court of Human Rights, would cost the UK billions of pounds and plunge efforts to reduce the deficit into chaos.
To comply, Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) would have to be hiked by £71, from £67 to £138 a week.
Last night Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith accused the Council of Europe of 'lunacy'.
Maybe an anger management course or two?
© Wikimedia Commons
For upper middle income earners, high net-worth individuals, retirees, and certainly the "one percent" - where you live can make a huge difference in how much of your money you get to keep at the end of the year and how much you need to fork over to your state.
To help individuals and businesses make an informed choice, the Tax Foundation collects data on more than 100 tax provisions for each state and then ranks them to create its annual State Business Tax Climate Index. The 10 worst states on the list all levy complex, non-neutral taxes that favor some economic activities over others and have comparatively high individual and corporate tax rates.
'Ma'am, please step out of the vehicle'... The fascist net closes in.
Peers last night unexpectedly backed the Labour move, which would give ministers the power to make it a criminal offence in England, punishable by a fine or points on a motorist's licence.
The Government had argued this would be very difficult to enforce, and might risk infringing on civil liberties. They favour an awareness campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking around children.
But Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, Labour health spokesman, persuaded colleagues it was a matter of child protection and crucial for the future.
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, a former president of the Royal Society of Medicine, said: 'A child in the back seat is effectively imprisoned in the vehicle for their own safety. Whatever adults do they have no control over.'
The affliction of abusive leadership has recently even infected some civilian leaders at the Pentagon, according to military documents obtained by The Washington Post under the Freedom of Information Act.
As an example, according to the paper, Army officers described the working atmosphere under Joyce E. Morrow, a powerful civilian official at Army headquarters, as "toxic," corrosive" and "like you were in a prisoner of war camp."
Most of the world is not aware of what is going on in France at this moment. This brief video presents a concise picture:
© UknownCarlos Arredondo, Ray Odierno
Before President Obama even began the State of the Union address, two people I knew in the audience, from two defining points in my life, were much more significant to me. I thought their presence reflected the "State of the Union" better than anything the President could have said.
