Sim-O

Jon Stewart:

If you’ve got a mate that tells you secrets, then it’s right and propor that you don’t blab. After all, they’re not your secrets. It’s not your place to put his information into the public realm, is it.
Especially if that information was helping you. After all, he might stop telling you all the things that he found out.

But what if your mate was getting that information by, lets say, less that honourable means?
Would you still want the information? Would you try and stop you buddy being bad? Would your mate still be your mate or would you start distancing yourself, in case people started to think you were up to no good?

It must be torture having to make a decision like that.

Via

BBC:

US President Barack Obama has ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay prison camp as well as all overseas CIA detention centres for terror suspects.

Signing the orders, Mr Obama said the US would continue to fight terror, but maintain “our values and our ideals”.

Nothing like setting off on the right foot, eh?

teh Guardian:

The US president, Barack Obama, looked set to suspend the controversial Guantánamo Bay military tribunals, in one of his first actions after being sworn in yesterday.

Within hours of taking office, Obama’s administration filed a motion to halt the war crimes trials for 120 days, until his new administration completes a review of the much-criticised system for trying suspected terrorists.
…
The halt to the tribunals was sought “in the interests of justice,” the official request to the judges said.

An excellent first move, I must say. Especially if he’s going to hit them targets.

Apparently someone starts their new job today.

You’ll excuse me if I don’t get too excited about it. It may be historic in that this will be the first black president of the United States, but that’s it isn’t it? What other way is this special?

Don’t get me wrong, I think Barak will be a better president that the previous effort, but I’m not really expecting anything too radical. After all, in any established political system there are vested interests that do not like change, and to get any sort of meaningful change Mr Obama is going to need more than just the support of the Democrats. the Republicans need to be in on it too. Is that going to happen.

President Obama may be a good guy, but before we all start pissing our pants in anticipation for the saviour of the free world, I think I hang on and see how much to the left he wants to go and how much he is allowed to go.

Parts of the US right likes abstaining, whether sex or international politics, so this should come as no surprise, especially with the USs’ record:

The Guardian

The UN last night passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the 13-day conflict in Gaza, breaking a deadlock in the international community’s response to the crisis that risked exposing the UN to ridicule .

The vote was passed by 14 votes to nil, though the US, represented by secretary of state Condolleeza Rice, abstained. It came after three days of intense Arab pressure at the UN’s headquarters in New York and in the face of stiff Israeli opposition.