StarrNarrative

  Once Again, the Democratic Party’s Old Guard Sabotages the Chance for Change By David Starr   They are fond of calling themselves “New” Democrats or “Third Way” Democrats, but what they actually represent is nothing new and not an alternative. This was proven recently when they chose old guard Gerry Connolly over the younger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a vote in the House Democratic Caucus for the top slot on the House Oversight Committee.    The secret-ballot vote had Connelly winning convincedly over Ocasio-Cortez, 131 to 84. As  quoted in Common Dreams , Ocasio-Cortez concluded, “Tried my best. Sorry I couldn’t pull it through everyone–we live to fight another day.” One problem in choosing Connolly is that he’s 74 years-old and has cancer. Ocasio-Cortez is 35 and is to the left of the old guard.    One can grow tired of the “New/Third Way” Democrats’ hellbent efforts to maintain dominance over the party, which makes them a part of the capitalist e...

  Are the Syrian Rebels Mostly Religious Fanatics Who Want to Impose a Theocracy?   By David Starr   In August of 2021 the Taliban retook power in Afghanistan. It has been a nightmare for the Afghani people, especially for women and girls. A report by the Centre For The Responsibility To Protect (CFTRTP)  details the brutal crackdown by the Taliban . In its Risk Assessment,  the CFTRTP noted the following abuses:    “Decades of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law; institutionalized large-scale and systemic gender-based discrimination by Taliban de facto authorities against women and girls; widespread and systemic targeted attacks perpetrated by ISIL-K and the Taliban against ethnic and religious authorities; lack of independent media and crackdown on civil society and human rights defenders; weakness of state structures to protect vulnerable populations and an unwillingness of the de facto authorities to uphold ob...

  The Failings of the U.S. Prison System By David Starr   It’s well-known that the United States has the world’s largest prison population. According to an NAACP  Criminal Fact Sheet , the USA represents 5% of the world’s population yet has 25% of the world’s prison population. The NAACP puts the number of people in jail and prison at 3 million.   Thus, U.S. officials are in no position to judge other countries.   Racial hostility has of course been a factor for who goes into prison. More from the NAACP Fact Sheet:   • 32% of the US population is represented by African Americans and Hispanics, compared to 56% of the US incarcerated population being represented by African Americans and Hispanics.   • In 2014, African Americans constituted 2.3 million, or 34%, of the total correctional population.   • African Americans are incarcerated at more than 5 times the rate of whites.   The Fact Sheet also contains how much was spent on corrections, $81...