111 nations agree to ban cluster bombs -- U.S. not one of them

Yes, American corporate media is busying squealing like pigs in poop over the latest opportunity to take a political candidate's minor and irrelevant gaffe and blow it into a a major news event. Meanwhile, the rest of the world is trying to save the lives of innocent civilians. But would our media carry this story? Will Keith Olbermann do a "Special Comment" on this story?

From the Washington Post:

LONDON, May 28 -- More than 100 countries reached agreement Wednesday to ban cluster bombs, controversial weapons that human rights groups deplore but that the United States, which did not join the ban, calls an integral, legitimate part of its arsenal.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, whose personal intervention Wednesday led to final agreement among representatives of 111 countries gathered in Dublin, called the ban a "big step forward to make the world a safer place."

In addition to the United States, Russia, China, Israel, India and Pakistan -- all of them major producers or users of the weapons -- did not sign the agreement or participate in the talks.

So what's the big deal, you say? "'Cluster' bombs can't be too bad -- we're not talking about anything nuclear, are we?" Well, yeah, actually they're unbelievably nasty:

The weapons consist of canisters packed with small bombs, or "bomblets," that spread over a large area when a canister is dropped from a plane or fired from the ground. While the bomblets are designed to explode on impact, they frequently do not. Civilians, particularly children, are often maimed or killed when they pick up unexploded bombs, sometimes years later.

And so you might add, well fine. Let these 111 countries do what they want. But oh no -- the Bush Administration can't leave it at that:

American officials are not attending the treaty talks but have lobbied hard in world capitals to undermine the treaty. Diplomats in Dublin say US Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice and even President George W. Bush have been telephoning their counterparts around the world to promote US positions.

“In the end, the Americans had very little support in Dublin,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s a big defeat for the Bush administration. This conference is going to produce a strong treaty banning cluster munitions, and there’s nothing the White House can do to stop it.”

photo from No More Landmines

Condi's legacy

Irony can be a beautiful thing. Imagine if by getting nothing done, you had a word created in your honor! Well, Dr. Ferragamo has done just that. Hat tip to Princess Sparkle Pony for posting this from the New York Times:

The long buildup to Annapolis, together with Ms. Rice’s many trips to the region, have given birth to a new verb in Israeli government circles: “lecondel,” meaning, to come and go for meetings that produce few results. The word is based on Ms. Rice’s first name.

UPDATED: Islamic threat = loss of civil rights

It looks like our friend in Pakistan, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has taken lessons from George W. Bush and Co, as the President's army has rounded up more than 500 activists, censored the media, and stated that scheduled presidential elections may need to be delayed.

U.S. Secretary of State Condaleeza Rice took a strong stand, declaring “We just have to review the situation.” Now there's some leadership for ya!

Some of the suspended rights in Pakistan under his declaration of “Emergency Law” are:

• Protection of life and liberty.
• The right to free movement.
• The right of detainees to be informed of their offense and given access to lawyers.
• Protection of property rights.
• The right to assemble in public.
• The right to free speech.
• Equal rights for all citizens before law and equal legal protection.
• Media coverage of suicide bombings and militant activity is curtailed by new rules. Broadcasters also face a three-year jail term if they "ridicule" members of the government or armed forces.

This list would be shocking, if only it weren't so familiar to Americans under the rule of Bush II.

Read more at The Huffington Post.

UPDATE: You can read first-hand accounts of the events and conditions in Pakistan at the blog All Things Pakistan:

As I wrote yesterday, the emergency declared by Gen. Musharraf is deeply disturbing, but not really surprising. The horrendous political situation that Gen. Musharraf described in his ‘Emergency’ speech is, in fact, true.

Extremism and violence has gone out of hand. Society is deeply divided. Religion has been high-jacked and is now routinely used to incite violence. The writ of the government is being trampled. Politicians have failed and people do seek recourse in the judiciary. People are frustrated and deeply disturbed. We have been writing and discussing all of this and more on this blog repeatedly. We cannot, therefore, deny what is obvious.

However, none of this is a justification for a suspension of the Constitution and for the declaration of emergency. In fact, all this is damning evidence of government failure. A suspension of the constitution will not and cannot resolve any of these issues. It is more likely to - and has already - made each of these situations even worse.

Condi and BFF playing house?

I read about this story early this morning, and have been stewing (marinating? any Kissing Jessica Stein fans out there?) ever since on whether to post it here, or not.

Here's what I decided: your private life is private — unless you make your living by being part of a movement that discriminates and is generally hateful toward others who live that same private life of yours. So, sorry Condoleezza, time for me to start spreadin' the news:

From The Raw Story:

Secretary of State, who keeps private life shrouded, co-owns home with female filmmaker

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice co-owned a home and shared a line of credit with another woman, according to Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler, who reveals the information in his new book, The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy.

Kessler discussed the revelations with talk-show host and gay author Michaelangelo Signorile Friday on his Sirius Radio show.

According to the book, Rice owns a home together with Randy Bean, a documentary filmmaker who once worked with Bill Moyers. Kessler made the discovery by looking through real estate records.

Bean explained the joint ownership and line of credit to Kessler by saying she had medical bills which left her financially drained and Rice helped her by co-purchasing the house along with a third person, Coit Blacker, a Stanford professor who is
openly gay.

More coverage at the Wonkette, Bloggernista, and Pam's House, and at Michaelangelo Signorile's site, The Gist, which has the most analysis.

Is this another trip into the seemingly bottomless closets of the Republican party? That's what makes this different from talking about the private life of say, Jodie Foster. Sure, I wish Jodie would come out, but I respect that she has simply never talked about her private life at all. She has never pretended to be anything, and has never associated herself with people who make it their life's work to destroy gay Americans. For Condoleezza Rice to sit idly by, protecting her own personal assets (property and money) while her administration spews hate and attempts to use its power to take away our civil rights is unconscionable.

Condi, girlfriend, as my brother said to me: Don't let the closet door hit you on the way out.