We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Briton held in Syria says British militants among captors

Click here to access article by AFP (Agence France-Presse) via The Express Tribune (Pakistan).

It seems that at least some insurgents that go by the name of the "Free Syrian Army" are not Syrian. Surprise, surprise! (sarcasm)
A British photographer who was held hostage in Syria for a week said on Sunday that his captors were international militants who included several Britons.