1)The US and Burma: Same Same but Different?
Following U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s trip to Burma this past week, the international media has been abuzz with speculation about the future of the relationship between the USA and Burma. US sanctions against Burma may now potentially be lifted – this may in turn open Burma up to more UN aid and IMF loans.
Burma’s President Thein Sein has signed into law the country’s first law allowing peaceful protests – with the provision that they get permission from the governmental powers-that-be beforehand. While the law does impose several strictures, it represents a small step forward for Burma, as protests have previously been unilaterally banned in the country. The two most famous protests that have occurred in the last century – the 1998 student protests and the 2007 monk-led “Saffron Revolution” – have resulted in brutal military crackdowns. Can we expect to see an “Occupy Rangoon” protest sometime soon?
But the question some inquiring minds have is this: as Burma’s military junta takes a step towards freedom and democracy, is the US government itself transitioning into a military junta? The “National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012” made waves in the US last week. The bill, which will essentially allow the US military to detain US citizens without a trial based on allegations of “terrorist activity” is remarkably similar to Burma’s laws that allow its military to detain individuals for suspected “treasonous activities”. Perhaps the Burmese military can teach the newly militarized US police some lessons for dealing with OWS protesters
2) DEA Launders Millions of Dollars for Mexican Drug Cartels
If smuggling thousands of firearms into Mexico during the ATF’s “Operation Fast and Furious” didn’t seem like a great idea to you, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) policy of laundering money for Mexican drug cartels will also probably rub you the wrong way. While the DEA claims that the laundering is part of a move for “the greater good”, they haven’t yet been able to explain how laundering funds is aiding America’s war on drugs at all, given that no cartel arrests have been made and the flow of drugs into the US has not dropped. Given the magnitude of the claims against the DEA and the ATF shared on mainstream news sources, we’re a bit surprised that Americans aren’t shouting for answers – but then again, perhaps they’re too busy following the antics of Kim Kardashian. And speaking of Kim Kardashian…
3) Kardashian Annulment Claims
The word on the streets is that Kris Humphries, Kim Kardashian’s husband of less that 75 days, has responded to her very public decision to file for divorce by filing for an annulment on grounds of “fraud”. But does Kris really know what he’s getting into? According to divorce lawyers, receiving an annulment can render other financial components of a regular divorce – alimony and prenuptial agreements – void. What’s the point in engaging in a 72-day (probably) sham marriage, if you can’t get some cash out of it?
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