From the BBC News web-site:
US 'must close Guantanamo camp'
The US should close the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba and any secret "war on terror" detention facilities abroad, a United Nations report has said.
The UN Committee against Torture said that detaining persons in such conditions was a violation of the UN Convention against Torture.

It also urged the US to put in place "immediate measures" to eradicate torture of detainees by its troops.

The committee's report follows a hearing in early May into US conduct.

"The state party should cease to detain any person at Guantanamo Bay and close the detention facility," the 11-page report said.

It also urged the US to "rescind any interrogation technique" that constituted torture, such as the use of dogs to scare detainees.

The report was compiled by a panel of 10 experts who heard testimony in early May from a delegation of US officials into its "war on terror" conduct.

Story from BBC NEWS:

Bush's response (my prediction): "We don't torture, don't condone torture and we have no "secret camps". We will close the Guantanamo Bay facility when it is no longer needed. The enemies of freedom are everywhere."

Just suppose for the moment that George W. Bush really is chosen by God but with a twist (you know God and his sense of what, humor? The macabre?). The twist is that he is the anti-Christ. (Or Antichrist) Think about it. What was Christ's chief message? Love. What is W.'s? Fear. (No not hate). Jesus said do unto others as you would have done unto you. Georgie says we gotta do it to them before they do it to us.

Jesus went around with the poor and the sick and the wretched. Bush goes around with rich and the powerful and the influential.

Jesus made the world, at least his part of it, a better place. (Only my opinion?) George? Well, there might be some people that would tell you that Bush is making the world better. There are, there's no doubt of it. These people should be rounded up and shot. (Just kidding. Or Am I?)

I hereby nominate William Jefferson Clinton for vice-president, to run in the November 2008 election; on the democratic ticket I would guess. Think about it, what does the vice-president do? Make speeches, schmooze, spout policy, be one of the faces of the admin. but with no real power (at least, not usually). These are all things that Bill Clinton does very, very well. Say what you want about him as a president, I believe his true calling is as the vice-president.

I got to thinking about this while viewing Real Time with Bill Maher tonight when he mentioned some poll that found that if Bill Clinton was running right now against GWB that he would get 68% of the vote. I began to wonder if I would like the chance, at least, to vote for him again. A two term limit, say, but only to consecutive terms, then, after being out for one you can run again. In the end, I don't favor this. I'm thinking, I don't care about whom we're talking, he's not the only guy that's qualified to be president. The biggest problem seems to be in getting to choose among qualified candidates; at best we are usually offered one. Or maybe that's just my opinion.

France remembers slavery victims
By Clive Myrie
BBC News, Paris

France is to become the first European country to hold a national day of remembrance for the victims of slavery.
Wednesday's day of commemoration has been ordered by President Jacques Chirac, who says the stain of slavery on history must not be forgotten.

He will attend a special ceremony in the nation's capital designating 10 May as Slavery Remembrance Day.

But some of his other attempts to address aspects of his country's colonial past have drawn criticism.

On 10 May five years ago, the French Senate passed a law recognizing slavery as a crime against humanity.

For France, shackling people in chains was concentrated in her Caribbean colonies, with captured Africans transported to plantations.

Now Mr Chirac - with an eye on his legacy - wants France never to forget what he calls "this indelible stain on history".

Historians' anger

But he is not just looking to the past. He has promised to fight modern forms of slavery, allowing companies that knowingly use forced labour anywhere in the world to be prosecuted in French courts.

But laws he has championed requiring schools to teach lessons on the horrors of the slave trade have proved very controversial.

Some historians are angry the government is dictating how history is taught in the classroom, while other critics are furious schools won't be required to highlight the positive role they say France played in its former colonies.

There's little doubt that on this day every year from now on, there will be heated debate about France and her colonial past.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/4756635.stm

Published: 2006/05/10 02:01:45 GMT

© BBC MMVI

So, it's finally official, he's coming back. I knew it all along. I've been thinking a little bit about what that means for the Packers next season (partly because I was asked by a radio person last night and it got me going) and here's what I have come up with: At least they know who their QB is going to be next year and what they can expect. Maybe that doesn't sound like much (and maybe it isn't) but we sure weren't looking at a winning season next year with an untried almost rookie as the number one guy and nobody else really as plan B. I suppose they would have picked up some cast-off from another team, someone with experience as a starter (even if he was bad, and really, what else would be available) and done the best they could but realistically if Favre would have retired they would have been looking at 5-11 being a pretty lofty goal. At least now they have one issue addressed and they can move on to others. And there is hope. Maybe Ahman Green regains his pro-bowl caliber form, maybe Javon Walker decides his best course of action is to quit whining about his contract and come back and play hard (with a future hall-of-famer throwing to him) and earn a big contract instead of just demanding one. Maybe they have a good draft and get some immediate help on defense, maybe, dare I hope, they get a real impact player with that first pick. They lost five games by three points or less last season, maybe in '06 they win those. Add that to the four that they did win and there's nine already.

I also want to comment on what it is/was about Favre that made him one of the best ever (I'm still not sure just where he belongs, definitely top 10 though). In my opinion the one thing that he did as well as anybody ever (and better than all but a couple) is to make a play work. When he was surrounded by other talented players that meant working within the system, going through the progressions, getting the ball out to the right guy and marching them down the field. Most of the time. But every so often something would happen like oh say the left tackle fans on his block and the fullback is occupied helping on the other side or something and here comes John Randle or somebody with a seeming free shot. He was the best I ever saw at making the play still work in that situation. And there have been a lot more games in which he has played with lesser talent than ones with superior talent; they were only really on top for two seasons, he's been the Pack's QB for 14. And oh yeah, he can throw the ball really hard and really far.