Good advice for Dems from Bernie Sanders

Blueprint for Dems

In my view, the Democrats--including the president--have absurdly continued to stumble along the path of "bipartisanship" at exactly the same time the Republicans have waged the most vigorous partisan and obstructionist strategy in recent history. . . .
§ Perhaps most important, let Obama be Obama. Bring back one of the great inspirational leaders of our time, who is more than capable of taking on the powerful special interests and rallying the American people toward a progressive agenda and a more just society. . . .
§ Pass the strongest healthcare reform legislation as soon as feasible - making it clear that it will be significantly improved in the near future. . . .
§ Pass a major bill that creates millions of new jobs rebuilding our infrastructure and moving our energy system in a different and sustainable direction. . . .
§ Pass legislation allowing workers to have the right to join unions without unfair and illegal opposition from their employers. . . .
§ Boldly address the economic and financial crisis, which has left 17 percent of our workforce unemployed or underemployed. . . .

Should there be a state of emergency in Jos?

allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Jos - Senate Rejects Motion for State of Emergency

When Senate President David Mark put the question majority of senators voted against it. The Senate however resolved that the Plateau State Government and other relevant security agencies should "Fish out the perpetrators and sponsors of this latest act of violence and bring them to book to serve as deterrent to others with similar tendencies."

Good background on the riots from Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera English - Africa - Clashes near Nigerian city of Jos

Charles Dokubo, from the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, told Al Jazeera: "There is more than the religious aspect of it. There are two communities - one that call themselves settlers and one that call themselves indigenous communities.

"The crisis in the north started with the creation a local government."

Dokubo said that Muslim settlers were to manage the government, which was unacceptable to the indigenous Christian community who consider them non-citizens.

"The main cause of the crisis is about administration and the place where people belong."

The only correction I would add is that the indigenes don't consider them non-citizens, rather they consider them strangers or guests (same concept in Africa) and they believe they should have the rights of guests, not of indigenous people, or "sons of the soil" in African terms.

Great post from Juan Cole

Critics of Obama often charge him with failing to end the Iraq War. But there is no longer an Iraq War. There are US bases in a country where indigenous forces are still fighting a set of low-intensity struggles, with little US involvement. Obama is having his troops leave exactly as quickly as the Iraqi parliament asked him to.