Diálogo Plural

In this NPR story (see the link below) Secretary of state Hillary Clinton calls the Stafe of Israel's lukewarm reduction of settlement building in the West Bank 'unprecedented'. Wow! Unprecedented; imagine that! So how come it feels no different in terms of tangible outcomes. Palestinians and Israelis are not conversing and the settlements are getting built notwithstanding the reduction. How unproductive is that? Speaking of unproductive: how about if the Palestinian leadership gets into some serious talks with Israelis and call their bluffs and bad-faith attitude, at least that way they can tell them to their face that what they're doing (building settlements while "negotiating") is wrong. If the political process is the continuation of belligerence by other means they can denounce the systematic displacement of Palestinians and try to get world public opinion on their side. And how about the US administration showing some leadership on this matter. How abo...

On the evening of October 13 (Black Tuesday) governor Luis Fortuño signed into law a nefarious piece of legislation, which eliminated compulsory membership fees for Puerto Rico's Bar Association. See coverage from El Nuevo Día , Caribbean Business , and El Vocero . It is a punitive measure directed at this institution for expressing solidarity towards laid-off government workers on September 25, 2009 (Black Friday). It is also a long-awaited measure by New Progressive Party lawyers, activists, legislators, and fanatics intolerant of dissent, and who have always considered the PRBA a constant irritant, a thorn on their side. As jubilant as some members of the governor's cabinet, legislators, supporters, and fanatics might feel, remember this: as functional or deficient a democratic society might be, it cannot be complete without civil society institutions and dissent. The weakening of the Puerto Rican Bar Association achieved just that. The PRBA might still exist, true, but it...

Sinking this Island-Nation further into hopelessness http://www.elnuevodia.com/aderogarhoycolegiacioncompulsoriadeabogados-625875.html Sent from my iPhone

A fitting obituary for one of Latin America's greatest voices (see the link below). May your beautiful voice fill the halls of heaven. Our loss is God's gain, for now He has you for Himself. May He be moved by your compelling lyrics. We will remember... Argentine Folk Singer Mercedes Sosa Dies http://www.npr.org/templates/text/s.php?sId=113479453&m=1 Sent from my iPhone