More Information Comes Out On Luis Ramirez Killing.

Since last week, when three White teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania were charged in the beating death of Luis Ramirez, a Mexican migrant, more information has come out regarding the circumstances under which Ramirez was beaten to death. ABC News reports:
. . .
According to a police affidavit, the defendants and three 17-year-olds encountered Ramirez, 25, and a [...]

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Update on Luis Ramirez Killing.

Almost a full week after Mexican migrant Luis Ramirez was beaten to death in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, charges have finally been brought against three suspects. The Republican Herald reports that two teenagers have been charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault:

Two teens were charged with homicide in connection with the July 12 beating and subsequent death of [...]

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Why Is It Never a Hate Crime?

Over the weekend, 25-year-old Luis Ramirez was beaten to death by a group of White teenagers in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. Ramirez, originally from Mexico, fell into a coma and died on Monday.
Ramirez’s fiancee Crystal Dillman told the Associated Press that Ramirez had often been insulted, including being called a “dirty Mexican.” A retired police officer who witnessed the [...]

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Justice for LaVena Johnson.

In high school, LaVena Johnson was an honor student, a violinist, and a volunteer in her community. After graduating, she decided to put off college and enlist in the army, where she was assigned to be the weapons supply manager of the 129th Corps Support Battalion and deployed to Iraq. On July 19, 2005, just eight weeks after [...]

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The Battle for Hearts and Minds Rages on.

Reuters reports that US soldiers shot and killed the 17-year-old son of Hamad al-Qaisi, the governor of Northern Iraq’s Salahuddin Province. The killing took place during a raid on a family home, where the governor’s son was staying. One other relative of the governor’s was also killed and three people were wounded.
A US military statement says that [...]

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Happy Birthday, Nelson!!

What’s wrong with me today? I almost forgot that it’s Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday today!!!
Congratulations to you, Nelson Mandela, who have accomplished more in your life than most of us can ever dream of!!! You are truly an inspiration!!! If only more leaders can be like you . . ..
On a related note, congratulations on [...]

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Cocaine Aircraft Abandoned at Sierra Leone’s National Airport: Deja-Vu all Over Again?

Reuters reports that an aircraft carrying 700 kilos of cocaine was abandoned on the runway of Freetown’s Lungi Airport in the early hours of Sunday morning. The pilots reportedly fled after abandoning the airplane. Sierra Leonean authorities also found several assault rifles and ammunition on board the abandoned aircraft.
This is not the first time Sierra Leone [...]

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And Now for Some Uplifiting News …

In a recent column, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tells the unlikely story of Beatrice Biira, a Ugandan woman who just graduated from Connecticut College. Beatrice was born to rural peasants in western Uganda, and started school late because her parents were too poor to afford to pay for her studies. But the family’s fortunes changed when [...]

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A Crash Course on How NOT to Win Hearts and Minds.

I just came across this video from the Winter Soldier 2008 conference, during which veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan gave testimony about crimes committed against civilians. Here’s an example:

There are many others on Youtube.
The videos pretty much speak for themselves. I fail to see how anybody can seriously [...]

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