BEATS

AFGHANISTAN

Robert Fisk, Independent, UK - The collapse of Afghanistan is closer than the world believes. Kandahar is in Taliban hands - all but a square mile at the centre of the city - and the first Taliban checkpoints are scarcely 15 miles from Kabul. Hamid Karzai's deeply corrupted government is almost as powerless as the Iraqi cabinet in Baghdad's "Green Zone"; lorry drivers in the country now carry business permits issued by the Taliban which operate their own courts in remote areas of the country.

The Red Cross has already warned that humanitarian operations are being drastically curtailed in ever larger areas of Afghanistan; more than 4,000 people, at least a third of them civilians, have been killed in the past 11 months, along with scores of NATO troops and about 30 aid workers. Both the Taliban and Mr Karzai's government are executing their prisoners in ever greater numbers. . .

"Nobody I know wants to see the Taliban back in power," a Kabul business executive says - anonymity is now as much demanded as it was before 2001 - "but people hate the government and the parliament which doesn't care about their security. The government is useless. With so many internally displaced refugees pouring into Kabul from the countryside, there's mass unemployment - but of course, there are no statistics. . .

Afghans working for charitable organisations and for the UN are telling their employers that they are coming under increasing pressure to give information to the Taliban and provide them with safe houses. In the countryside, farmers live in fear of both sides in the war. A very senior NGO official in Kabul - again, anonymity was requested - says both the Taliban and the police regularly threaten villagers. "A Taliban group will arrive at a village headman's door at night - maybe 15 or 16 of them - and say they need food and shelter. And the headman tells the villagers to give them food and let them stay at the mosque. Then the police or army arrive in the day and accuse the villagers of colluding with the Taliban, detain innocent men and threaten to withhold humanitarian aid. Then there's the danger the village will be air-raided by the Americans."

BREVITAS

OBAMALAND

Progressive Review - The notion that Obama was all about change is beginning to get a bit worn, so the LA Times has thoughtfully given Obama an alternative amazing virtue: "Obama assigns centrists to make radical economic moves. The team led by Lawrence Summers, Timothy Geithner and Christina Romer will have to strike a balance between extraordinary government intervention and the nation's commitment to free markets." Those centrists radicals will do it every time.

Chris Bowers - Even after two landslide elections in a row, are our only governing options as a nation either all right-wing Republicans, or a centrist mixture of Democrats and Republicans? Isn't there ever a point when we can get an actual Democratic administration? Also, why isn't there a single member of Obama's cabinet who will be advising him from the left? It seems to me as though there is a team of rivals, except for the left, which is left off the team entirely. Not a single, solitary, actual dyed-in-the-wool progressive has, as far as I can tell, even been mentioned for a position in the new administration.

Ralph Nader - Having defeated Senator Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Primaries, he now is busily installing Bill Clinton's old guard. Thirty one out of forty seven people that he has named so far for transition or appointments have ties to the Clinton Administration, according to Politico. One Clintonite is quoted in the Washington Post as saying: "This isn't lightly flavored with Clintons. This is all Clintons, all the time.". . . Now, recall Obama's words during the bucolic "hope and change" campaign months: "The American people understand the real gamble is having the same old folks doing things over and over and over again and somehow expecting a different result." Thunderous applause followed these remarks.

FREEDOM & JUSTICE

Guardian, UK - The Metropolitan police is to boycott the home secretary's plan to arm 10,000 frontline officers with Taser stun guns because of their potential to cause fear and damage public confidence. The Metropolitan Police Authority said yesterday it had no intention of immediately taking up Jacqui Smith's offer to sanction an increase in the availability of Tasers. "We recognise the potential to cause fear and damage public confidence if the use of Tasers is extended to non-specialist trained police officers and is perceived by the public to be indiscriminate," the MPA said. "There is no doubt that in some circumstances Tasers are a very effective alternative to firearms . . . but their use must be tightly controlled and we have seen no case made out to extend their availability."

Newsweek - When the Olympic torch passed through Juneau, Alaska, in 2002, 18-year-old Joseph Frederick saw a chance at TV airtime. His tactic: a banner reading BONG HITS 4 JESUS. Not amused, Frederick's principal confiscated the banner and suspended him for five days. He shot back something about Thomas Jefferson. She tacked on another five. Frederick took his free-speech argument to court, with backing from the ACLU. Five years later it was before the U.S. Supreme Court, with Kenneth Starr representing the school. The court ruled that since Frederick was holding the banner at a "school-supervised" (though not on school grounds) event, the principal had a right to restrict what he said about illegal drugs-even if his message was rather nonsensical. Now 25, Frederick is learning Mandarin and teaching English in China. Although he is proud that he stood up for his rights, he regrets "the bad precedent set by the ruling." His case was finally settled at the state level in November, winning him $45,000 and forcing the school to hold a forum on free speech.

SCHOOLS & THE YOUNG

Gary Stager - Here is a most stunning principle of the school the Obama children and Biden grandchildren will be attending. . . Wikipedia: "The school does not rank its students, as this conflicts with the Quaker Testimony of Equality." . . What? Not ranking students? No winners or losers? No AYP? Where is the accountability in that? Perhaps there are other ways of identifying educational accomplishment? . . . You wouldn't think so if you listened to President-elect Obama speak about public education.

San Diego Union-Tribune - Kevin Change said it was strange the first time he saw an advertisement across the bottom of his calculus test. But now he and his classmates look for them. . . Some are pithy one-liners, hawking the names of local businesses: "Brace Yourself for a Great Semester! Braces by Henry, Stephen P. Henry D.M.D." Others are inspirational quotes, like "Keep the company of those who seek the truth, and run from those who have found it - Vaclav Havel." They only appear on the first page of an exam. The unusual advertising may be here to stay, said calculus teacher Tom Farber, who came up with the idea to pay for his printing costs.

MID EAST

Raw Story - US officials told scores of firms offering security in Iraq that their personnel will lose immunity from prosecution under a new US-Iraq security pact due to take effect in January. The officials told reporters that they briefed delegates from 172 security contractors employing nearly 175,000 Americans, Iraqis and others in Iraq about the new rules under a pact set to replace a UN mandate expiring December 31. . . Under the changes, contractors "can no longer expect that they will enjoy the wide ranging immunity from Iraqi law that has been in effect since 2003," when US-led forces invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein, according to the statement.

Jeff Stein, Spy Talk - When last seen in these parts, Iraqi exile leader Ahmed Chalabi was serving up phony defectors to the New York Times in a campaign to justify toppling Saddam Hussein. Some suspect Chalabi was acting on behalf of Iran, to get rid of its major nemesis, and has continued to do its bidding in Baghdad. So imagine our surprise when we found Chalabi's byline in the New York Times telling the U.S. to get out of Iraq. In "Thanks, but You Can Go Now," the Iraqi Zelig writes that "there are still those in Washington's corridors of power who want to reduce Iraq to being an American puppet state, like Jordan or Egypt, nations governed through a corrosive mix of covert intelligence and military support spoon-fed to a permanent oligarchy." He should know. Years back, the portly master intriguer fled Jordan after being charged with looting a bank.

LATIN AMERICA

Raw Story Bolivian leader Evo Morales accused the US government of encouraging drug-trafficking as he explained his decision to banish the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Morales. . . said the staff from the US agency had three months to prepare to leave the country, because "the DEA did not respect the police, or even the (Bolivian) armed forces." "The worst thing is, it did not fight drug trafficking; It encouraged it," the Bolivian leader said, adding that he had "quite a bit of evidence" backing up his charges. Presidential Minister Juan Ramon Quintana presented a series of documents and press clippings at a news conference. . . that had influenced Morales' decision to suspend DEA activities last week.. . . Throughout the 1990s, the DEA in Bolivia "bribed police officers, violated human rights, covered up murders, destroyed bridges and roads," said Quintana. Morales earlier said that after a 1986 operation in Huanchaca National Park, it was determined that the largest cocaine processing plant "was under DEA protection." He also charged that the DEA had investigated political and union leaders opposed to neoliberal economic policies, which he said amounted to political persecution.

FURTHERMORE. . .

Guardian, UK - Two Teddington rowers are planning to strip off for a perilous 4,350 mile trip across the Indian Ocean in a self-built boat to raise cash for charity.
Daring Roger Haines and Tom Lee will have to manage around 2.6m oar strokes during the mammoth challenge which will see them travel from the coast of Australia to Mauritius. The pair will brave 50ft waves, 17 species of shark, 10 types of whale and even pirates - and they will do it completely nude for most of their 105-day journey in order to avoid chafing. They hope to raise L100,000 for charity, as well as become the first duo to row across the Indian Ocean - the third largest in the world. Roger and Tom are one of 30 teams competing in the Indian Ocean Race 2009, and despite putting L30,000 of their own money into the contest they still need L40,000 for items including a medical kit, a life raft, insurance and food provisions.

Fark - Florida town to rename street after Obama. That's interchange we can believe in

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