Updated: The True Genesis of Amnesty International...it's not what you might think!

The True Genesis of Amnesty International

Read the above article by Claudio Veliz in Quadrant Magazine: Australia's independent review of literature and ideas. Veliz was involved with the organization from its founding. Just for starters, Amnesty International came into being much earlier than its official founding date of 1960. And if you have ever suspected that Amnesty International is anything but politically neutral, despite its stated policy of representing "prisoners of conscience" from both the left and the right, you will learn exactly how and why your suspicions are correct.

According to Veliz:

The Cold War experience would also have confirmed Münzenberg’s conviction that waged urbi et orbi, such campaigns would be ignored inside a communist world undisturbed by a free press and public opinion, but would undermine the moral status of policies advanced by the United States and its allies.

More about this blog: No story in real life ever comes to a tidy end. Stories continue to unfold, and unlike other media, this blog makes a point of following up on them. Each time you revisit this blog, you may find more links and discussion, and sometimes rolling updates, on developing stories.

So here's an update, as of June 19, 2007:

The hidden leftist agenda of AI again comes to light in this recent article, Vatican Calls for Catholics to Stop Supporting Amnesty Int'l. One need not be a Catholic to regard AI's recent activities as a grotesque betrayal of the organization's stated aims:

Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, called on Catholics to stop supporting the group.

“If in fact Amnesty International persists in this course of action, individuals and Catholic organizations must withdraw their support, because, in deciding to promote abortion rights, AI has betrayed its mission,” the National Catholic Register quoted him as saying.

Stein hoist to LittleGreenFootballs and
Gop3.com: The Triumvirate!

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Stumble It!

The heroes of Sydney show the world what disaster preparedness is all about

Attn Mayor Nagin: this is how it’s done

Sydney, Australia deals with a deadly storm and shows the world what good disaster preparedness is all about. It's a grass-roots effort, based on voluntarism and individual responsibility. It relies on local people taking initiative to do the training, planning, and organizing ahead of time. And it is not run by the government!

This same type of grass-roots disaster preparedness organization should exist everywhere in the world where human beings live. Why doesn't it?

Here's a great BIG stein hoist to this informative, entertaining, and wonderfully-named blog, Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.

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Learn the fascinating secrets of storm-tracking, extreme weather, and wildfire fighting

Ever wanted a behind-the-scenes view of how professionals approach hurricanes, tornados, dust storms, wildfires, and other dangerous but exciting phenomena? Here you are:

• Wildfires are an ongoing problem. Wildfires at Jacksonville.com offers an entire section of up-to-date information.
• The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center offers wildland fire maps and firefighting information.
• The Weather Channel blog offers the personal experiences of the weather forecasters themselves, as well as the scientific background explained in layman's terms.
• For storms in the U.S., check out the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.
• The MODIS Rapid Response System offers new satellite views of extreme weather and fire events worldwide, including some spectacular photos of smoke from the recent Florida wildfires.
• TheStormTrack.com offers updated satellite views and current information on hurricanes and tropical storms worldwide.
• For information about winter storms, snow and ice, avalanches, and cold-climate regions, check out National Snow and Ice Data Center.
• For those of you who live Down Under, there's Australia Severe Weather.
• For storm-chasing buffs, Stormtrack.org offers a library of storm-chasing information, including maps of recent severe weather phenomena.
• Professional storm chaser Warren Faidley's Stormchaser.com offers data, links, and media information about severe weather and storm chasing, along with some truly wild photos.

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