–Oh, fun.

“[T]he chief of protocol to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, was facing extradition to France on Sunday after German police arrested her in connection with her alleged involvement in the incident that sparked the Rwandan genocide in 1994.”

Also see: Rwanda: French Writer Acquitted of Racial Defamation | All Africa

“His book attributed responsibility for the attack against the plane of the former Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana, to the current Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, and denounced a campaign of disinformation implemented by the latter to ensure himself the support of the international opinion.”

And: Rebel leader Nkunda vows to fight peacekeepers in Congo | Guardian

“Rwanda denies that it continues to support Nkunda after backing him immediately after its invasion.”

–Equity built into budgets. Who would have thought?

Also see: The Inequities of Climate Change and the Small Island Experience | Counter Punch

“Islands serve as our canary in the coal mine for climate change, warning of the destructive impacts well underway. The problem is, global crises are many and our global attention is easily diverted. No one is checking on the canary.”

–Some theory for you this morning. Have a listen to a someone who understand most of what is going on and has an alternative to present.

–Ali lays it straight for us. Indeed, rhetoric is not enough.

–A little optimism from Laxer here. I am not sure that it is the end of reaction, but it is certainly going to be an altered framework of reaction.

–The Real News continues to bring analysis on the future direction of an Obama foreign policy. The question is will there be a marked change in stance? The answer looks more and more bleak which shouldn’t be a surprise. Organizing must continue at the grassroots if progressive policy is going to be put on the table.

–This should not be a surprise to the business community.

–WalMart must be put on notice that workers will not tolerate their rights being trampled on. If you want to operate a business in Canada you must abide by our laws.

–I am not sure they are all that secret, but it is interesting to see that the administration is trying to blame individuals — or “bad apples” for the mistakes of Bush et al..

“Britain’s security agencies and police would be given unprecedented and legally binding powers to ban the media from reporting matters of national security, under proposals being discussed in Whitehall.”

The freedoms British soldiers are fighting for.

Also see: Capturing the trauma of war close up | Independent

“I spoke to one soldier who was only 11 years old when 9/11 happened. I asked him if he remembered it and how he felt at the time. He told me that it made him feel as though he wanted to kill someone. I think it’s interesting because he was so young and it suggests that personal memory seems to be conditioned by institutional memory.”

“Senior officials of the State Department and the C.I.A. voiced fears that military commandos would encroach on their turf, conducting operations that historically the C.I.A. had carried out, and running missions without an ambassador’s knowledge or approval.”

“But Obama’s not going to be able to make the break. He wants to draw down in Iraq in order to concentrate more firepower in Afghanistan. He’s not going to take on the lobby in Washington and he’s not going to stop further Jewish colonisation of the occupied territories or talk to Israel’s enemies. With AIPAC supporter Rahm Emanuel as his new chief of staff – “our man in the White House”, as the Israeli daily Maariv called him this week – Obama will toe the line. And of course, there’s the terrible thought that bin Laden – when he’s not shopping at US military post offices – may be planning another atrocity to welcome the Obama presidency.”

“The demonstration here yesterday was a good day. We were supported by the Social Democrats, the Green party and the Socialists - we are very proud because we now know that we belong to the political mainstream.”

About 14,000 demonstrators converged on the site, police said, with protest organizers saying that 16,000 people had turned out.

Spent fuel from Germany’s nuclear power plants is sent each year to France and Britain for reprocessing and then is returned to the Gorleben site.

“International leaders, including Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, have spoken out against plans to expel the family.”

“Fawzia al-Kurd told news agency AFP: “They arrived at three thirty at the morning. They broke into the house by smashing the door and forcefully threw us out, inhumanely.”

–Have a look at some of the protests that happened around the world on the Nov. 5th international day of action against the commercialization of education.

A documentary film showing how Burmese seamen aboard Thai fishing boats are abused, beaten and even murdered is now available for viewing on the Internet. The 10-minute film, titled “Abandoned, not Forgotten,” was released on the official Web site of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITWF). General Secretary, David Cockcroft said: “This is a 21st century scandal, and everyone involved—including those who wittingly or not buy or sell fish products tainted by this horrible exploitation—must examine their consciences and act.” More here and the short film on Youtube is here.

CSR Asia - Corporate Social Responsibility in Asia.

–A very interesting look at the media and the lead-up to the economic crash. Mainstream corporate press missed it almost entirely. The problem is no one seems to be saying that the dominant ideology was never challenged and the those who critique the dominant ideology are ignored. It should be rather funny for people who read Leftnews because when they say that they didn’t see it coming, it is obvious that they are reading the wrong papers.

I don’t like the tone of this debate. Why do party insiders always think we can win elections by being like the Liberals, only more so? Why does a shift to Third Way politics always involve ridding the party of its “unreconstructed” socialist roots, under the guise of “modernization”? Have not the German SD’s and British Labour (and Bob Rae) provided the model for failure and betrayal enough to turn people off the idea of a rightward shift?
Of course it is necessary to have a reformation of the NDP, alter strategies, project a different image, inspire people to hope and change. But repeating the mistakes of history is not the way. It could yield an election win, but it would be trading short-term gain for long-term pain. The above-mentioned parties’ politics are bankrupt, and they are failing, and they deserve to. If New Democrats choose to waffle, they should waffle to the left.