The EU Must Stop The Politics and Save Lives

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Thursday June 25, 2015 · 9:07 AM PDT

2015/06/25 · 09:07

European leaders must move beyond playing mere politics and find a “decisive, humane and comprehensive” response to the ongoing refugee and migration crises. Such is the belief of Avaaz, a global civil-society organisation, which is currently organising an online petition with over 425,000 signatures calling upon European leaders to deal with the above crises and to thus “adopt a comprehensive plan that saves lives, ensures the safe and legal resettlement of refugees, and establishes a fair and binding system to receive and assist people seeking refuge in Europe”.

kev9100

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Thursday June 25, 2015 · 8:00 AM PDT

2015/06/25 · 08:00

With EU leaders today in Brussels for a summit on the Greek financial crisis, it is easy to forget that they are also here to discuss another Greek crisis: one of migration. Along with its Mediterranean neighbours Italy and Malta, Greece is the arrival point in Europe for thousands of African migrants. An Amnesty International press statement released today states that a fact-finding mission in Greece shows how “poor planning, ineffective use of EU funds, and a hiring freeze has left Greek authorities incapable of meeting the needs and protecting the rights of refugees”.

kev9100

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Monday June 22, 2015 · 7:03 AM PDT

2015/06/22 · 07:03

Of all the powerful ideologies that run through American politics, there is arguably none that is stronger and more potent to American voters than “American Exceptionalism”. America being seen as a beacon of hope, liberty and democracy is an image that politicians and presidents, notably Ronald Reagan, have made use of for decades. Of course, like many national myths, there is a grain of truth to this argument. America is indeed the country where a black man with a funny name and with a non-traditional personal background can be become president. Such social mobility should be commended. But if one looks at the institutional features that make up American democracy, it is clear that something has gone horribly wrong.

kev9100

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Friday June 19, 2015 · 6:58 AM PDT

2015/06/19 · 06:58

Tensions have rarely been as high surrounding migration in Europe as they are today. The impressive results of far-right, anti-immigrant parties throughout Europe are testament to this fact. Yet a small but important win for the forces of tolerance and humanity occurred recently with the decision to allow Joël Munezero, a 5 year-old child with a very serious disease, and his mother to stay in Belgium.

kev9100

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Wednesday June 17, 2015 · 6:19 AM PDT

2015/06/17 · 06:19

There is little point in denying it: American Football is a great sport to watch. Relatively easy to understand and with a scoring system similar to that of rugby, it is no surprise that football à l’americaine is becoming more and more popular both in Ireland and the UK.

kev9100

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Tuesday May 19, 2015 · 8:17 AM PDT

2015/05/19 · 08:17

People like the Irish: such is the truism that one often hears and obviously, I can’t complain as I am indeed Irish and I live abroad! But this attachment to Ireland can occasionally go too far. During Barack Obama’s trip to Ireland in 2011, the President paid a visit to the village of Moneygall, County Offaly, which in its own words, is the supposed “Ancestral home of US President Barack Obama”. Apparently, the great-great-great grandfather of Obama came from Moneygall .Although no one can fault Moneygall for making the most of their connection with the President, is it not at least slightly over-the-top that people are so keen on finding any tenuous links with Ireland?

kev9100

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Wednesday May 13, 2015 · 8:17 AM PDT

2015/05/13 · 08:17

The EU is rightly criticised for often failing to live up to its ideals. While there is often talk of solidarity and togetherness, such values are not often translated into actual policies. Instead, the EU is perceived as the ultimate insiders-club with little tangible connection to the people that it is meant to represent. However, the founding values of the EU remain noble: respect for human dignity, liberty, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights. And as such, one can only applaud today’s announcement by the EU Commission of putting in place a Europe-wide migration policy.

kev9100

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Monday June 30, 2014 · 9:26 AM PDT

2014/06/30 · 09:26

It has become somewhat normal now to say in European political circles that the rise of the far-right, especially in countries such as France, mirrors the rise of the extreme-right of the 1930’s. At first glance, this cliché seems to have some merit. The extremist parties of the 1930’s rose to prominence with a very simple strategy: blame all of their countries’ woes on a weak and vulnerable minority. No matter what, the fascist parties of the 1930’s could not even countenance the idea that perhaps they themselves were responsible for the issues that faced their country. Instead, they increased people’s fears and prejudices by blaming anyone who did not fit their preconceived idea of the “norm”. Although a remarkably simple tactic, it ultimately proved successful and caused untold human suffering and destruction. The extreme-right of today, whether it be in America, France or anywhere else in the world, still uses the exact same tactic today: refuse any responsibility to actually try and find real solutions and simply blame the easy targets. One only needs to look at Marine Le Pen’s Front National and their recent call to ban the holding of dual-nationality as if the concept of someone holding joint Algerian and French nationality will tear the social fabric of the French Republic apart. So, should we all worry about the rise of a new political extreme that will take power just as we saw in the 1930’s?

kev9100

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Friday June 27, 2014 · 11:29 AM PDT

2014/06/27 · 11:29

For all that modern technology has changed our world and how we communicate with each other; the defining feature of how we communicate is, of course, still our choice of language. Language is much more than a series of boring grammatical rules that occasionally appear to be designed solely to frustrate and anger anyone who dares to try and learn a foreign language. Language; and crucially our own personal choices in how we use it, can show how a person perceives themselves and also the world around them. One only need to listen to an old BBC broadcast from the 1950’s to realise that is definitely not the same language that you would find today walking around any major British city today. The quintessential 1950’s BBC accent is rife with old-fashioned diction and an accent so sharp and taught it seems that the speaker sees every single word as a constant battle to appear as proper and polished as possible. Today, modern English is defined by its much more American nature with expressions such as “like” and occasionally even “awesome” entering into modern parlance. So, should we all lament the fact that we are no longer refined English speakers with an accent that would be fit for an audience with the Queen?

kev9100

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Saturday January 21, 2012 · 3:17 PM PST

2012/01/21 · 15:17

I know the primary race has a long way to go and this could look very foolish in a few months, but I think this is now the most likely outcome for the GOP when you look at the respective candidates. Also, the rules the GOP have adopted this year in allocating their delagates in a somewhat proportional manner make a divided convention more likely as well.

kev9100

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Thursday December 16, 2010 · 11:41 AM PST

2010/12/16 · 11:41

THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ME .THIS WAS NOT WRITTEN BY ME

I had no idea who Bob Cesca was before I read this column and I still know very little about him. Howeer, I came across his column at BWD's new blog and I thought it was fantastic. I know the majority here will likely disagree with it quite srongly, but I think he hits the nail on the head.

kev9100

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Saturday December 04, 2010 · 6:35 PM PST

2010/12/04 · 18:35

Just to be completely clear, I have no problem with Cenk criticising Obama. This is a site for Democrats/lefties to debate the issues of the day. Of course the President's performance will be a matter of debate. But Cenk never debates or contributes. He soapboxes.

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The EU Must Stop The Politics and Save Lives

Fortress Europe Creaking at the Seams

American Democracy is a Failure

Joël Munezero Wins Right to Stay in Belgium

American Football: A Potent Mix of Violence, Excitement and Cruelty

Can You Really Call Yourself Irish If You Have Never Actually Been To Ireland?

Migration: Ireland should accept its responsibilities and not hide behind a treaty

The Extreme-Right and the Repeating of History

We need to talk about English

A Split GOP Convention? It Could Well Happen

God Bless Sanity and Bob Cesca

Why is Cenk Uygur allowed to post on Dkos?