Beth and Michelle

by | Sep 19, 2008 | Robin Kirk

I know it’s not strictly human rights-related — but check out my friend Beth, with her new buddy! Beth is organizing for the Obama campaign in North Carolina, where her BFF is doing events this week… And yes, I think Barack Obama is the better...

Why is torture a plus?

by | Sep 11, 2008 | Robin Kirk

Leaving aside the horrors of actual torture, it is interesting to examine how the issue plays in the current US presidential campaign. Most prominent is Senator John McCain’s use of torture as an element that qualifies him to lead. He suffered torture as a POW...

The hunting of the snark

by | Jul 1, 2008 | Robin Kirk

I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true.” — Lewis Carroll As the New York Times reports today, a federal appeals court yesterday found that accusations against a Uighur detainee held for more than six years at Guantanamo were based on bare and...

Dodd on FISA

by | Jun 25, 2008 | Robin Kirk

Yesterday, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) gave a magnificent speech on the Senate floor in opposition to the FISA bill before that body. Among its other reprehensible provisions, the bill would give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that fed information to...