Category Archives: Civil Liberty

The Real Thing

8/9/2001 – 1:10 pm

Carlo Giuliani, the young man killed by police at the recent Group of Eight meeting in Genoa, has been called the “first person to die in anti-globalization protests,” but this is untrue. Any number of people have already be killed by police in developing nations – Indonesia and India, to name two. It’s easy to […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary, Economy | Comments (0)

Ecumenism is a Four-Letter Word

3/15/2001 – 4:31 pm

“The Catholics hate the Protestants, the Protestants hate the Muslims, the Muslims hate the Hindus and everybody hates the Jews.” Those aren’t my words, they’re Tom Lehrer’s, written many years ago and meant as satire. Like all good satire, there is truth at their core and some three decades later, the barb is still on […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary, Electoral Politics | Comments (0)

Bishop Attacks Queen

2/10/2000 – 5:00 pm

According to the legend, St. Valentine was a bishop in what is now Italy back in the days when the Romans were killing Christians. He was beheaded on February 14th, which became his feast day. In the middle ages, people began sending love letters – or Valentines – on this day because folk wisdom held […]

By floegel | Also posted in Catholicism, Commentary | Comments (0)

Free Tibet

1/13/2000 – 5:05 pm

I’m on the road this week, calling from Sebastian, Florida, on the Atlantic coast. I’m here with the Ruckus Society at a training camp for Free Tibet activists. Half of the students at the camp are Tibetan exiles, the other half are college students on break. The students learn to plan direct actions, strategic campaigning, […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Comments (0)

What Happens Here

12/9/1999 – 3:06 pm

What happened last week in Seattle – and more significantly what didn’t happen – was a great example of direct democracy. By taking the streets and raising their voices, protesters set a stumbling block in the road toward an unaccountable, unelected world government by multinational corporations. Congratulations to all who participated peacefully. Now get ready […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary, Economy | Comments (0)

Are There No Prisons?

12/2/1999 – 2:51 pm

“God bless us, every one.” Is it that time of year? Again? Already? Now that it’s December, Adrienne is spoiling for me to rent the 1951 British version of “A Christmas Carol,” with Alastair Sim. It’s a good movie, I’ll admit, but “A Christmas Carol” was written in 1843. Of what relevance could anything Charles […]

By floegel | Also posted in Commentary | Comments (0)