Good news isn't always easy to find in the activist community, but...
here are some good news stories from early 2009 through early 2011 |
Illinois Abolishes Death Penalty;
16th State to End Executions
Gov. Pat Quinn
says system is "inherently flawed" as Some See a Turning Point Against
Capital Punishment (read).
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Japan halts whaling hunt amid
protests
Japan abandoned
the rest of its whale hunting
season in Antarctic waters on Friday after netting only a fifth of its
targeted catch of 850 whales, citing harassment by activists. The Sea
Shepherd Conservation Society, derided as a terrorist group for its
harassment of the country's whalers, hailed the result as a victory and
said it would keep up the pressure next year (read).
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One day after large scale
protests, Italy's PM Berlusconi to stand trial in teen sex case
His penchant for
beautiful young women has cost
him his wife, and now may cost Silvio Berlusconi what he cherishes
most: power. The 74-year-old Italian premier was
ordered to
stand trial on charges he paid a 17-year-old Moroccan girl for sex, and
then used his influence to cover it up — an offense that, if
proven, could see him barred permanently from public office (read).
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George W. Bush cancels trip to
Switzerland amid calls for protests & war crimes investigation
Former President
George W. Bush was forced to
cancel a trip to Switzerland amid concerns of massive protests and
calls from human rights groups to investigate his administration for
war crimes (read).
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PROTESTERS FORCE DICTATOR TO
FLEE. This Is The Wikileak That Sparked The Tunisian Crisis
In a blow to U.S.
interests, Tunisia's
dictatorship has collapsed, partially due to food price inflation and
unemployment, but also because of WikiLeaks.
One of the U.S. government cables released by WikiLeaks exposed the
corruption of Tunisia's President's family, its reach into business in
the country, and ability to transcend the rule of law. President Ben
Ali's family was called "The Family" throughout the leak. The
government attempted to block access to WikiLeaks earlier this month (read).
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Swiss lawmakers call for
expulsions amid probe into possible US embassy surveillance program
exposed by WikiLeaks
Angry Swiss
lawmakers called for the
ouster of U.S. diplomats suspected of illegally spying on people around
their diplomatic missions, in a standoff over the use of
counterterrorism measures.
The Swiss government said it has demanded a stop to any surveillance
and is investigating the scale of what it calls an unauthorized spying
program by the U.S. mission to the United Nations in Geneva and the
U.S. embassy in Bern.
The probe follows outrage in Iceland, Norway and Sweden over reports
that U.S. diplomats were monitoring some of their countries' citizens
— including allegedly taking pictures of street
demonstrations
and of people deemed security risks, sparking a wave of anti-American
sentiment.
A U.S. diplomatic cable obtained by WikiLeaks and reported on by the
Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten cited an October 2005 incident
involving outside surveillance by the U.S. mission in Geneva (read).
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'Domino Effect'? More Countries
Recognize Independent Palestine
Guyana
became the seventh Latin American state to recognize an
independent Palestinian state. Although the official recognitions are
largely nominal, they have irked the State of Israel as they expose its
growing diplomatic isolation in the face of the current peace deadlock.
It was the announcement in support of Palestinian statehood
by
Brazil on Dec. 3 that inspired other countries in the continent to
follow suit. Since then, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile,
and now Guyana, have all offered such recognition. Paraguay
and
Peru are expected to do so soon. Venezuela had already recognized
Palestine in the mid-2000s (read).
Related: Russia reiterates
support of a Palestinian state (read). Palestinians raise
flag at Washington office (read).
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The
Little Bill That Could -- Congress passes Local Community Radio Act,
opening up the airwaves to local, independent radio stations
(read
1), (read
2).
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'Israeli War Crimes' signs to go
on Seattle Metro buses
"Israeli
War Crimes," the enormous advertisement reads. "Your tax dollars at
work." To the right of the image is a group of children --
one
little boy stares out at the viewer, the others gawk at a demolished
building, all rebar and crumbled concrete. It's an ad you'll
be
seeing soon on a handful of Metro buses in downtown Seattle (read).
Update:
Unfortunately, this ended up not being good news: "Facing an outcry,
city officials bar planned bus ads against 'Israeli war crimes' and
retaliatory responses decrying 'Palestinian war crimes'." (read).
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Angelina Jolie Hates
Thanksgiving, Refuses to Celebrate, Report Says
"Jolie
hates this holiday and wants no part in rewriting history like so many
other Americans,” a friend said. “To celebrate what
the
white settlers did to the native Indians, the domination of one culture
over another, just isn’t her style. She definitely
doesn’t
want to teach her multi-cultural family how to celebrate a story of
murder." (read).
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London's Mayor Boris Johnson
tells George W. Bush to stay away from Britain
Not only would George Bush face anti-war riots
if he comes to
Europe, says Mayor of London Boris Johnson, he could be arrested for
torture policies when he was president (read).
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Senate approves $4.55 billion
settlement for Native Americans and African-American farmers
The Senate has unanimously approved two
multi-billion-dollar
settlements to resolve longstanding lawsuits over the mismanagement of
Native American land trusts dating back to the nineteenth century and
discrimination complaints filed by African-American farmers against the
U.S Department of Agriculture (read).
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Council on Foreign Relations
suggests draw down in Afghanistan
"The Obama administration’s upcoming
December 2010 review
should be a clear-eyed assessment of whether there is
sufficient
overall progress to conclude that the strategy (in Afghanistan) is
working. If not, a more significant draw down to a narrower
military mission would be warranted” (read).
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Burma releases Nobel Peace
laureate Aung San Suu Kyi - prepares for "non-violent revolution"
Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest
in Burma, also
known as Myanmar, has sparked worldwide celebrations among supporters
of the long-time pro-democracy activist. But her supporters
are
also cautious in noting the daughter of Burma's assassinated
independence leader, Aung San, has been previously released before
being detained again (read).
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British politician
arrested over Twitter call to stone female Muslim journalist to death (read).
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University of Michigan
students walked out of a speech by an Israeli soldier in a
potent, silent protest (read/watch
video).
'Viva
Palestina' aid convoy arrives in Gaza (read).
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In response to
Oscar-winning documentary The
Cove, dolphins are caught and most released in annual
Japan dolphin hunt (read).
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Fidel Castro takes
'responsibility' for persecution of Cuban gays (read).
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Activists
in the U.K. found not guilty of causing $300 million of damage to a
weapons manufacturer who supplied arms for Israel's 2009 assault on Gaza
Six
activists in Brighton, UK who broke into an arms factory that provided
weapons for Israel's 2009 assault on Gaza and caused about $300 million
of damage, have just been found not guilty by a jury! Their defense was
based on prevention of a greater crime. The parent company of the EDO
factory is ITT, who you might know as an American company who financed
Hitler (read).
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Argentina becomes the
world's 10th country to legalize gay marriage
Despite
strong opposition from the Catholic church, Argentina became the
world's 10th country to legalize gay marriage. The other countries are
Holland, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal
and Iceland. Argentina's female President Cristina Fernandez
de
Kirchner staked her political reputation on passing the law (read).
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Native American Tribe
Reclaims Slice of the Hamptons after Court Victory
Shinnecock
nation recovers ancestral lands in millionaires' Long Island playground
after gaining federal recognition
(read).
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Victory: Peace Groups
Permanently Shut Down Army Experience Center in Philadelphia
A
coalition of thirty
peace groups has proven triumphant in their goal of forever shutting
down the “Army Experience Center” in a suburban
shopping
mall in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that the
Army plans to permanently close the facility (read).
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Anti-Torture Activists
Acquittal a Victory for 'Free Speech'
D.C. judge acquits 27 Guantanamo
protesters of charges from Capitol Hill protest (read).
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MORE GOOD NEWS
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