Alternative News

How many U.S. immigrant-citizens renounce their prior citizenships?

"What’s the rate of compliance with these single-citizenship laws? Not very high; perhaps half at most, judging from Japanese and South Korean data. In a minority of cases, failure to report your new citizenship to the government of your country of origin may indeed represent an attempt to game the system. However, in most cases, it’s simply due to benign neglect: you are no longer under the jurisdiction of the 'old country', and have no future intention of exercising any rights there, so you don’t bother with the rules of their system. And of course, civilised countries do not presume guilt in such cases, nor impose life-altering fines on emigrants for failure to comply with obscure paperwork." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow many U.S. immigrant-citizens renounce their prior citizenships?

Finally, a reasonable newspaper article on why people renounce citizenship

"'Wages in the United States are low and many hard working people struggle to afford life’s basic necessities. Other burning issues include a degrading public health system, a half-dead retail sector and an arguably chaotic political environment … Americans who have relatives and friends outside of the United States are choosing to renounce their U.S. citizenship and relocate to countries with better economies.' Oh wait, I seem to have inadvertently misquoted the article. We at the Isaac Brock Society deeply regret this editing error. It’s actually talking about the reasons why citizens of Botswana renounce." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFinally, a reasonable newspaper article on why people renounce citizenship

U.S. court grants Nigerian asylum-seeker the right to testify about his own torture

"The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decided today that a Nigerian man, Olakunle Oshodi, will be allowed to testify fully at his deportation hearing about the torture he suffered as a political dissident at the hands of Nigerian officials before he fled his homeland. The lower courts and dissenting judges refused to hear what happened the first time an unsympathetic immigration judge deported him, back in 1978. Oshodi returned to the United States in 1981, eventually married a citizen and had a child. Despite that, he faced deportation years later and then applied for political asylum." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. court grants Nigerian asylum-seeker the right to testify about his own torture

Documenting “Detainee Treatment [sic for ‘Torture’]“

"'The report of the blue ribbon Task Force on Detainee Treatment[sic for 'torture'] is the most comprehensive, bipartisan investigation into the detention and treatment [sic for 'torture'] of suspected terrorists yet published. The report's first 'finding' states, 'U.S. forces, in many instances, used interrogation techniques on detainees that constitute torture. American personnel conducted an even larger number of interrogations that involved 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.' Both categories of actions violate U.S. laws and international treaties. Such conduct was directly counter to values of the Constitution and our nation.' And remember, these are people who like Leviathan!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDocumenting “Detainee Treatment [sic for ‘Torture’]“

Guantanamo Gulag and the Human Rights Lie

"The US military running the Guantanamo Bay prison have cracked down hard on the dozens of prisoners who have, in desperation, engaged in secret hunger strikes so that they may die in peace making their point about the American gulag without being force-fed by US authorities. Of the 166 who remain in indefinite detention, without charge or trial, 86 have been 'cleared for release.' But they will not be released. They will most likely be held until they die. Many have likely already gone insane, as they were captured with no evidence, given no trials, tortured, and forced to live in a tropical Siberia. Yet the US has the gall to hector and lecture [other countries] about 'human rights.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuantanamo Gulag and the Human Rights Lie

Former Cheney aide demands Syria ‘exit strategy’ from Obama

"Mary Matalin, a Republican strategist and former advisor to Vice President Dick Cheney, on Sunday said that Americans had become “war wise” after the Iraq war and demanded that President Barack Obama produce an exit strategy before launching an attack on Syria. President George W. Bush and Matalin’s former boss, Vice President Dick Cheney, were criticized for not having a post-war plan after invading Iraq in 2003. Even after Iraq held democratic elections in 2005, Bush said in his State of the Union address that he would 'not set an artificial timetable.' for leaving. That same year, Vice President Dick Cheney argued that the Iraq insurgency was in its 'last throes.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer Cheney aide demands Syria ‘exit strategy’ from Obama

Rand Paul reminds Kerry of his famous anti-Vietnam war quote

"Paul pointed to Kerry’s 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he asked: 'How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?' 'I would ask John Kerry, ‘How can you ask a man to be the first one to die for a mistake?’' Paul quipped. 'What I’ve told them is, I’m not sending my son, your son or anybody else’s son to fight for stalemate. You know, when we fight, we fight when we have to. But I see things in a very personal basis.' 'You know, I see a young John Kerry who went to war and wish he remembered more of how awful war is.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul reminds Kerry of his famous anti-Vietnam war quote

Experts: Syria attack could escalate violence and further destabilize region

"According to an article at the top of the New York Times website, even a well-executed strategic strike against the nation could aggravate tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia — both nations that seek to dominate the region politically and militarily — and actually have the effect of buoying up Syria’s beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad. Middle East watchers say that the only truly predictable thing about the highly unstable region is that any actions will produce unintended consequences. They warn of a possible Assad-bolstering surge of anti-Americanism or even a spreading of hostilities to other countries in the region, including Turkey and Israel." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExperts: Syria attack could escalate violence and further destabilize region

Who Benefits From A War Between The United States And Syria?

"The party that stands to benefit the most is Saudi Arabia, and they won't even be doing any of the fighting. They have been pouring billions of dollars into the conflict in Syria, but so far they have not been successful in their attempts to overthrow the Assad regime. Now the Saudis are trying to play their trump card - the U.S. military. If the Saudis are successful, they will get to pit the two greatest long-term strategic enemies of Sunni Islam against each other - the U.S. and Israel on one side and Shia Islam on the other. In such a scenario, the more damage that both sides do to each other the happier the Sunnis will be. There would be other winners from a U.S. war with Syria as well." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho Benefits From A War Between The United States And Syria?

Impeachment: Congress Fires Opening Shot Across Obama’s Bow.

"With these perhaps historic words the Congress has begun to claw back its Constitutional right to decide issues of war and peace. Significantly the letter comes from a Republican lawmaker, and it is clearly a tribute to the leadership of the libertarians in the Republican Party, most notably Ron Paul, Justin Amash and Rand Paul. But the situation is grave enough, possibly leading on to a World War, that 21 Democrats have challenged the President and their Party bosses to sign the statement. They are moving beyond partisanship as Ron Paul did in challenging George W. Bush on the war on Iraq." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingImpeachment: Congress Fires Opening Shot Across Obama’s Bow.