There’s actually been some fairly news-worthy stuff happening in the world the last several days that hasn’t involved some guy’s manly parts clad in a pair of underwear.
Some of the news is actually quite unsettling, important, thought-provoking, and worth talking about.
We’ll start in the Middle East where a horrific story came to my attention yesterday.
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Syrian boy, who activists say was tortured and killed by security forces, has emerged as a powerful symbol in protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad which have been met with a bloody crackdown.
A childhood snapshot of 13-year-old Hamza al-Khatib has been emblazoned on posters by protesters across Syria after a YouTube video of his bloodied corpse sparked international outrage. http://af.reuters.com/article/…
The torture that the prepubescent al-Khatib appears to have been subjected to is unimaginable. His penis was severed, body is covered in bullet holes and cigarette burns, chest is covered in a massive burn mark, neck broken, kneecaps shattered, and face covered in bruises from repeated punches. Al-Khatib was taken into custody while attending an anti-government protest. http://gawker.com/5807641/yout…
The Gawker link has a link to the YouTube video of this child’s body should you be interested in seeing it. (I didn’t think it was that disturbing; I found the video of Neda much more so.)
Of course, the Syrian government is claiming Hamza was killed by anti-government demonstrators because that’s what governments do when they overstay their welcome.
In US news Mitt Romney officially declared his candidacy for President. I thought he’d already done so but I can’t keep track. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one’s point of view) Joe Miller (think hard on that one) and Sarah Palin aren’t going to be giving Romney their endorsements anytime soon:
WASHINGTON — A Tea Party group in Nevada led by a failed Senate candidate from Alaska announced Thursday that it is launching an effort to oppose Mitt Romney’s bid for the GOP presidential nomination.
The announcement of a “Stop Romney” campaign is something of a publicity stunt by the Western Representation PAC, coming as it did just hours before the former Massachusetts governor officially announced his intention to run for the White House. It is a way for both Joe Miller, the Tea Party group’s leader who lost his Senate bid to the incumbent he beat in the GOP primary, to raise his profile and for the political action committee to raise money. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…
Palin, during a bus stop tour in Boston just before heading to New Hampshire, criticized Romney’s health care law and dismissed the argument the former Massachusetts governor has used to defend it.
“[Romney] makes a good argument there that states’ rights and authority and responsibility allowed in our states makes more sense than big centralized government telling us what to do,” Palin said, according to Politico. “However, even on a state level and a local level, mandates coming from a governing body — it’s tough for a lot of us independent Americans to accept because we have great faith in the private sector and our own families, and our own businessmen and — women making decision for ourselves, not any level of government telling us what to do.”
Is Jon Huntsman, meanwhile, running hard to the Right?:
Perhaps playing to that segment of the electorate, he said the two living Republicans he most admires are now folk heroes: Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
“I admire the single-minded, intense focus on finding solutions,” he said, referring to Ryan’s mission to address the debt and spending. He cited Huckabee for connecting to voters and articulating a message in a heartfelt and thoughtful way.
Detailed policy positions are not available yet, but Huntsman has offered a few bold thoughts, going a bit further than some of his rivals who have been at this for a while. He supports Ryan’s Medicare plan, which doesn’t address Social Security. Some of Huntsman’s rivals have been wary of saying too much about the latter entitlement program, with some even questioning openly whether it could be changed. http://www.realclearpolitics.c…
According to the article Huntsman saw Daniels as his biggest primary competitor. Not sure I agree with that but, hey, doesn’t matter now.
And, Shaun, do not despair. Apparently, saying you’re not running doesn’t mean you’re not running:
Mike Huckabee said he did not slam the door shut to running for president next year “when he announced two weeks ago that he had decided against throwing his hat into the ring,” the Arkansas News Bureau reports.
Said Huckabee: “Everything is still open. I haven’t closed doors. I found long ago that that’s not the smart thing to do.” http://politicalwire.com/archi…
Bachmann is officially still not in but her chief of staff has taken a leave of absence to work in some other capacity for Bachmann. And, she’s just announced she will participate in the GOP debate in New Hampshire later this month. I’ll have to check the date and see if I need to make a road trip on my vacation.
And, it Sports ~ who’s atop the AL East? Hmmmm… And, yes, I know it’s still way early yet. (See what I did there? Might be a tough one.)
That’s it for now. Feel free to add any local, national, or international news you deem worthy.
P.S. Couldn’t leave you without this to enjoy (as seen in NYC and scooped up by rumproast):
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