The conference is attracting a bit of attention, especially among WikiLeaks supporters on Twitter, after WikiLeaks released a statement claiming that UNESCO had not invited anyone from the organization to speak at the conference. In the statement, WikiLeaks called for people to #OccupyUNESCO because they were “stacking” the conference with “WikiLeaks opponents.”

Reports from Egypt say the Egyptian military has move army troops and armored vehicles in trying to end the clashes between Egyptians protesting the military’s rule and police and gain acceptance of an agreement with certain factions. So far, those efforts aren’t succeeding.

At issue is how State can still claim to be transparent when it won’t explain why it refuses to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to have an unmonitored visit with Bradley Manning. It’s not quite Baghdad Bob … quite. But it would be pure comedy gold if it weren’t about our hypocrisy on human rights.

The anti-Muslim hate industry in the US poisons more than just those who hear their venom. When those infected with it join the military and are posted to an Islamic country, all hell breaks loose. For a description of that hell, let me direct your attention to a video documentary by Der Spiegel of the members of a “kill team” from the 5th Stryker Brigade in Afghanistan.

The hate industry at home created the monsters, and the military trained them, gave them weapons and put them in situations to act on their hate. The price for this is being paid for this by Afghan civilians, other US soldiers, UN aid workers, and others. Enough.

Speaking form the east room of the White House this hour, Barack Obama took the opportunity to articulate (or at least give a US government face to) the resolution passed yesterday by the UN Security Council authorizing intervention in the Libyan conflict.

Claiming his government “takes great interest in protecting civilians,” Libyan Foreign Minister Moussa Koussa has just declared an “an immediate stop to all military operations.”

The announcement was made within the last half-hour, and shortly after statements by both French and British leaders that airstrikes on Libya would begin “within hours.” The airstrikes were authorized by last night’s vote in the United Nations Security Council.

The Obama administration has apparently decided to support a “No-Fly Zone” in Libya – but then went even further. So, does anyone out there have a clue what’s going on here?

Chutzpah and Ingratitude don’t have overlapping definitions, but the Israeli delegation at the UN came close yesterday in their explanation of why they failed to be at President Obama’s UN speech, in which he dared include a long set of remarks that appear, by and large, to seek justice for Palestinians in the ongoing talks on ending the 63-year long conflict:

What better example is needed to highlight the folly of how misguided the US effort in Afghanistan has become than to realize that troops from the same Special Operations Command which is responsible for the night raids that provoke civilian outrage are also attempting to provide primary medical care to the population?

John Hickenlooper, Mayor of Denver and Democratic nominee for Governor of Colorado, may be the single luckiest Democrat running for office this year. Only a few months ago, it looked like he was going to face a very tough election against a solid Republican candidate, Scott McInnis, in a bad political climate for Democrats. Polling [...]