With Berlusconi before the courts and with Libya's war pornography helping the world get off, it's easy to forget that there's a 23 year old kid sitting in solitary confinement facing life imprisonment.

Bradley Manning, the U.S private accused of leaking 720,000 documents to WikiLeaks has been forgotten; he's not getting Assange like fame or reverence, or an Assange like house arrest.

Instead he's been shackled, alone in a cell and very often disrobed so he doesn't harm himself.  

Whether you agree with what he did or not, we have to remember that he's a U.S citizen, we have to remember what rights he has, and we have to remember what terrible long years he faces alone. 

We have to remember him.   . . read more

Today the U.S congress has agreed on a budget cut plan that will see $38b cut this year. Doesn't seem like it will do much to bring down a trillion dollar deficit but it might be damaging to some public works and public jobs. 

What was interesting about this though was how much the process symbolised the U.S.

It wasn't really a great win for either party, it avoided making serious changes and a serious analysis into the country's problems and it was replete with the kind of melodrama that would embarrass soap opera directors.

Congress' inefficient and reductive policy programme reminds you of the old saying that says "the opposite of pro is con, therefore the opposite of progress= congress."  

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Has this changed your perspective on Facebook, Google and Yahoo? Will you be deleting your accounts any time soon? Tell us and remember...Disqus!  . . read more

After years of discourse and moooooonths of debate, Barack Obama has finally repealed America's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Policy.

John McCain must have been in a giving mood this Christmas. That or Republicans are so drunk on tax-cuts you could ask any of them for anything.

The next few months will no doubt be interesting - are gays actually going to walk openly in the military? Or does the culture still say no? It may be early days, since there's still plenty of layers the bill has to go through in order to be certified.

What's certain is that there's going to be some tough adjustments in the coming months, but at the end of the day a long-overdue justice has been provided.

So wow, guess what. Obama can actually get something done.

The US is meant to be a Libertarian's wet dream, yet the Federal Government tells you which substances you can't consume and prevents certain groups from exercising rights which are enjoyed by the majority.

Gay marriage is still illegal and idiotic drug wars are being fought to stop adults from doing what they want.

Obama though in a landmark announcement seems to be turning the tide on this paradox by pulling his support from the idea that marriage can only be between men and women.

So, after repealing"Don't Ask, Don't Tell", Obama is definitely shaping up as the most gay friendly President in history.   . . read more

Apologising is a uniquely human action, it involves taking responsibility for a mistake and admitting you erred. In someways it also involves asking for forgiveness.

Kevin Rudd, Australia's former PM who was sacked by his own party last year, apologised last night for "killing" his Emissions Trading Scheme which he says brought about his downfall.

Whether this is true or not, his apology echoes another one he made in his first week in government. That "sorry" was to the aboriginal people of Australia who since British colonisation were oppressed, marginalied and literally stolen from their families. 

His apology in that instance was personal and was seen almost universally as a positive step towards reconciliation and healing. It didn't lead to a better livelihood for indigenous Australians and has to be seen now as a symbolic act without much substance behind it.

Hopefully this second apology for failing on climate change can lead to asking for real forgiveness by making some real progress.    . . read more