War is a staple of human life, with men savagely destroying each other since the days of tribes. Genocide is a development in warfare, a more catastrophic and calculated way of eliminating enemies. For all of human history, there have been tales of entire civilizations disappearing, men and children being killed, and mothers raped to cut off their father’s bloodlines. Before we can take action, it is important to realize that genocide has always been and always will be. “Never again” is a false promise because of its premises. It’s tragic, but it’s the truth. (more…)

California and the Death Penalty
By Jordan Harms

A piece in the New Yorker I read recently entitled Tinkering with Death by Alex Kozinsky, a death penalty judge, alternately enraged me and buoyed me with hope for common sense. This roller coaster ride with Kozinski’s words epitomizes how he presented his argument for the death penalty, which is why where he ended up was somewhat surprising. One could characterize Kozinski’s work as self-persuasion—was he trying to show all sides of the argument, or merely trying to convince himself that he was on the right side of that argument? He juxtaposed the appeal to the heartstrings by those speaking for the man on death row next to the gruesome horror of the acts that got him there. There are perhaps better ways to make his point. (more…)

The past week played host to two major news events. The first was the visit to Columbia University by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The second was the increasingly visible struggle in Myanmar for political and social liberty and the institution of democracy. Both topics received considerable attention and brought out many different views and commentaries, especially on the issue of Ahmadinejad. Both issues have a major effect on the world-wide political stage. It is hard to believe that two stories and one person, encompassing three countries, thousands of miles apart, can be connected in any way, but the events are very connected. They are connected in a manner that is both regrettable and disturbing. (more…)