McCain's campaign staff is rife with lobbyists. But, apparently, McCain finally found lobbyists who crossed the line. That line is pretty far out there -- representing a brutal military regime that is now letting hundreds of thousands of its citizens die. Over the weekend, he lost two key staffers because they represented the Myanmar regime:
Doug Davenport, the regional campaign manager for the mid-Atlantic states, founded the DCI Group's lobbying practice and oversaw the contract with Myanmar in 2002.
"Doug has tendered his resignation and we have accepted it," Jill Hazelbaker, McCain's communications director, wrote in a e-mail.
He joins former DCI Group CEO Doug Goodyear, who resigned yesterday from the post of convention CEO after Newsweek reported that DCI was paid more than $300,000 to represent Myanmar's ruling junta.
Absent the typhoon, these guys would still be working for McCain.
This is another catastrophe of epic proportions where citizens are being failed by their government:
Desperate survivors cried out for aid on Thursday nearly a week after Cyclone Nargis killed up to 100,000 people, as pressure piled up on Myanmar to throw its doors open to an international relief operation.
The United States was still awaiting approval from Myanmar's junta to start military aid flights, but the U.N. food agency and Red Cross/Red Crescent said they have started flying in emergency relief after some delays.
And this is why that matters:
Aid has barely trickled into one of the world's most isolated and impoverished countries, although experts feared it would be too little to cope with the aftermath of Nargis, which left up to 100,000 feared dead and one million homeless.
Myanmar's military government, already under criticism for abuses, is recruiting children as young as 10 into its armed forces, a U.S. rights group charged in a report released Wednesday.
Government recruiters target children because of "continued army expansion, high desertion rates and a lack of willing volunteers," the 135-page report by New York-based Human Rights Watch said.
"Military recruiters and civilian brokers receive cash payments and other incentives for each new recruit, even if the recruit clearly violates minimum age or health standards," it said.
Right. Myanmar is really high on the list of priorities for the Bush administration. Most in Washington probably couldn't even find the country on a map so while I agree Bush is a "loudmouth bully", this protest only shows how delusional the junta really is, not that it seems to matter.
Myanmar's military government stepped up its propaganda campaign against the United States on Sunday, accusing Washington of inciting last month's pro-democracy demonstrations in hopes of installing a puppet government.
Demonstrations that began Aug. 19 over high prices for fuel and consumer goods grew into a broad-based movement for democratic reform that attracted tens of thousands of people in Yangon, the country's biggest city.
Embassies in the UK, Thailand, Australia and Singapore have all been targeted by the "Panties for Peace" campaign, co-ordinated by an activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
The manoeuvre is a calculated insult to the junta and its leader, General Than Shwe. Superstitious junta members believe that any contact with female undergarments - clean or dirty - will sap them of their power, said Jackie Pollack, a member of the Lanna Action for Burma Committee.
"Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman's pants or sarong will make them lose their strength," Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.
So far, hundreds of pairs of pants have been posted, according to another campaigner, Liz Hilton. "One group sent 140 pairs to the Burmese embassy in Geneva," she said.
Even the religious right crazies in America seem relatively normal compared to these people and that's no small task. (h/t - Bruce)
It's a small step but still very positive. China dives in to the international PR game and does the right thing.
China turned against the Burmese government last night and supported a UN security council statement rebuking the military regime for its suppression of peaceful protests, and demanding the release of all political prisoners.
The security council statement, which also called for "genuine dialogue" with the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, marked the first time that Beijing had agreed to UN criticism of the junta.
The statement did not threaten sanctions, but the significance of its unanimous support by all 15 members of the security council would not have been lost on Burma's generals, who had hitherto been able to count on China, a neighbour and key trading partner, to block UN censure.
Maybe the junta in Myanmar also calls it "enhanced interrogation" just like George. So does this mean Laura will also be speaking out against torture by the US or is she just another fraud who thinks torture is OK when it's done by Americans?
A Myanmar opposition leader who was arrested during last month's mass protests against the junta died due to torture during interrogation, an activist group said on Wednesday.
Why even bother at this point if there is a checklist of conditions? Talk or don't talk so why lower yourself since the junta in Myanmar is never serious anyway. The world is still waiting for some pressure by India or China but that's about as likely to happen as the junta unconditionally freeing Suu Kyi from house arrest.
In a statement issued by her party, the National League for Democracy, she rejected the deal, saying: "The success of a dialogue is based on sincerity and the spirit of give and take. The will for achieving success is also crucial and there should not be any pre-condition."
The junta has said it is willing to meet the 62-year-old but only if she first renounces her calls for international sanctions. Yesterday, it appointed the deputy labour minister, Aung Kyi, as "manager for relations" with opposition leaders, apparently at the behest of the UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who visited Burma 10 days ago and met senior General Than Shwe.
Bush diplomacy in action as pro-democracy protesters are hunted by the junta security thugs. I suppose Myanmar just doesn't have enough oil, but then again, oil production hasn't missed a beat.
Soldiers announced that they were hunting pro-democracy protesters in Myanmar's largest city Wednesday and the top U.S. diplomat in the country said military police were pulling people out of their homes during the night.
Military vehicles patrolled the streets before dawn with loudspeakers blaring that: "We have photographs. We are going to make arrests!"
Shari Villarosa, the acting U.S. ambassador in Myanmar, said in a telephone interview that people in Yangon were terrified.
UPDATE: CNN has video of the repressive security forces in action. This is what China and India are supporting? China is no stranger to this but India? Disappointing to say the least.
The days of mass protests seem to be an an end, with the dictatorship enforcing its power through violence and mass arrests. The UN is talking though the junta leadership continues to be uninterested in speaking with the UN. Realistically the only countries that can have much impact would be China and India and considering China's own modern history with internal dissent I can't imagine them taking a firm stand against the actions of the junta. India though has been disappointingly quiet, probably afraid to risk business being lost to China - a local competitor - if they speak out. That may very well be true, though it is still disappointing.
For the past couple days, there has been a roving rally here in Washington to support the movement for democracy in Burma. Chris has been writing almost daily posts about the anti-government protests in that country. The protesters in DC, led by monks, have marched to the Burmese, Chinese and Indian embassies. The Washington Post profiled the Burmese exile community today.
I caught up with the protest today in front of the Indian embassy where they stopped en route to the White House. There was something very powerful about seeing a group of Burmese monks protesting next to a statue of Gandhi -- in front of the embassy of India, the world's largest democracy, which Ganhdi helped create. Gandhi's statue includes the inscription "My life is my message." The Burmese people could use some of India's moral authority and democratic ideals right about now.
Reports continue to vary with some saying 9 dead and others, including British PM Gordon Brown, believe it is much, much higher. With a steady stream of blogs reporting on the violent government crackdown, the junta responded by shutting down the internet in addition to arresting hundreds (thousands?) of monks and containing monks to their monasteries. Other reports suggested divisions within the military - even two units fighting each other - though today current reports suggest calm and lack of protest.
The new battle at the moment is over corporate involvement in Myanmar such as US and French oil companies Chevron and Total who both continue to operate. Some are calling for them to stop all operations or to pull out completely, requests which have been rejected. I would certainly not consider myself to be supportive of the oil industry though I wonder if it is not better to have some inroads into such a country which can be used to exert influence. The very strong counter argument is that if you do have influence you have to actually use it. So far there are no overt signs of China or India using any of their influence and they are the two countries who have the most interaction with the reclusive government. As for Chevron and Total, when was the last time we saw an oil company stand up for human rights? Yea, I can't recall such an event either.
After a very bloody Thursday, protesters in Myanmar are back out though most reports are saying that monks are not involved because of government troops limiting their movements to inside the monasteries and also busing them out of the city centers. Follow the Guardian Burma blog for regular updates.
If diplomacy was not so out of fashion in the White House, you would expect increased activity and pressure to be exerted on some of the regional partners who enable the dictatorship such as China and India but the days of active diplomacy and dialog seem long gone.
Plenty of reports coming in on the protests in Myanmar including reports of even more violence by the government security forces, attempts by the government to provoke violence between Buddhists and Muslims, searches for members of the international press and massive arrests. The Guardian has excellent coverage with links to multiple blogs that are providing regular updates. The junta has been attempting to shut down bloggers, unsuccessfully so far, who are still managing to distribute photos, video and regular updates.
With the non-violent protests by Buddhist monks growing, the military junta announced an end to public gatherings and an early curfew, hoping to quell the uprising. 10,000 people ignored the threats and marched again in Yangon today with various reports of warning shots, arrests and beatings by the police.
UPDATE: CNN reporting 5 demonstrators killed today including at least one monk.
The Bush administration was making noise on this subject yesterday, suggesting they would announce sanctions targeting the leaders of the junta and "those that provide financial support to them" which of course, would primarily be China, the local power who provides enough support to the brutal dictatorship to keep it afloat though somehow I doubt the Bush administration will ever take any action against China. How else would big business in the US deliver products that fail quality and safety standards at such a low price and who else would buy the Bush/GOP debt? What a pathetic and laughable threat, but what we've come to expect.
The protest today, the sixth straight day, is impressive because when the military junta makes a threat they mean it. The difficulty for the junta is the special protected status of Buddhist monks in this very religious country. Arresting, attacking or using violence against the monks could provoke a counter-reaction strong enough to promote a much bigger uprising across the country and the end result is unclear.
Absolutely amazing. The military junta in Myanmar is not known for freedom of expression nor allowing any dissent. A few years ago I attended a performance by the Moustache Brothers in Mandalay shortly after one of the brothers had been released from prison for making what sounded to me like a pretty harmless joke. The joke had been performed a few years earlier at a Suu Kyi rally and the comedian held out a police helmet and asked "what is this?" When people said "police helmet" he laughed and said "no" as he turned it upside down. "It's a collection box" meaning something to carry bribes, as the Myanmar police have a reputation for being extremely corrupt.
That simple joke landed two of the brothers in prison for six years so you can imagine how much is on the line when the people of Myanmar take to the streets to protest the brutal junta.
Each day the protests are more and more impressive. As severe as the junta can be against dissent, it shows how little left to lose the population has become and how far beyond reason the junta has gone to maintain control. The monks have shown incredible nerve and leadership during this process of non-violent protest.
While this may not sound like much in the western world, this means everything in Myanmar where the population is very Buddhist. Taking firm action like this is incredibly bold and potentially dangerous, as in deadly.
Thousands of Buddhist monks marching in defiance of Burma's oppressive military regime have decided to excommunicate the government and its supporters by refusing alms or donations from anyone linked to the junta. At one of several ceremonies held before saffron-robed clerics marched peacefully through the former colonial capital, Rangoon, and other cities this week, the monks vowed to refuse offerings from the "pitiless soldier kings" in charge of the country now known as Myanmar.
"Reverend clergy, may you listen to my words," a Buddhist abbot told one such gathering. "The violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless kings – the great thieves who live by stealing from the national treasury – have killed a monk at Pakokku and also arrested reverend clergymen by trussing them up with rope. They beat and tortured, verbally abused and threatened them.
"The clergy ... must boycott the violent, mean, cruel, ruthless, pitiless soldier kings. They must also refuse donations and preaching. This is to inform, advise and propose."
With the monks entering their fourth day of protest which is unheard of in Myanmar, tensions have to be high. In a country where government control is enforced through arrest, torture and hard labor this is an absolutely incredible display of peaceful protest for human rights. Think of the US civil rights movements in the 1950s and 1960s or Gandhi in India.
