Bill Humphrey

About Bill Humphrey

Bill Humphrey is the primary host of WVUD's Arsenal For Democracy talk radio show and a local elected official.

Australia was spying on Indonesia

New NSA/Five Eyes-related revelations in the Guardian: “Australia tried to monitor Indonesian president’s phone”

I’m not really surprised to find out the Australian government was spying on senior leadership in Indonesia. I think I’d be more surprised to learn they were definitely NOT.

That being said, the new jackass Prime Minister had a pretty weak response, besides incorrectly (see below) brushing it off as the work of the other party from whom he just took power. The government’s primary excuse? Australia’s activities were not so much “spying” as “research” [and] “We use the information that we gather for good, including to build a stronger relationship with Indonesia.”

Oh ok then. So you just needed to hack phones to find out their pets’ names or … what?

I really enjoy this “research” for better relations excuse. I mean, it’s seriously like saying Australia was just trying to Facebook-creep on Indonesia to see if Indonesia was “in a relationship” with anybody. 

And about the claim that this is all the other party’s fault? The docs show the spying on Indonesia actually started the very day the previous PM from his party left office, meaning their own party would have been in office when it was planned, even if Labor technically had taken office by the time it began.

Is the new UN Congo mission working?

Tough to assess, but there’s a big reason to be skeptical of the progress they can make. The math.

With the stepped-up and increasingly militarized United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, launched earlier this year, there are now 19,000 UN troops on the ground. That still only works out to per capita coverage of about 47 square miles per soldier. For comparison, the U.S. alone brought 148,000 troops in 2003 to invade Iraq, a nation less than one fifth the size of the DRC. It’s unclear how many troops the DRC government has under its command at any given point, but on the low end they only have 144k troops, most of which aren’t particularly useful or competent at securing the peace.

AFD 63 – Humanitarian Aid, Keystone, Guns

Latest Episode:
“AFD 63 – Humanitarian Aid, Keystone, Guns”
Posted: Wed, 13 November 2013

Guest expert Abby Stoddard from Humanitarian Outcomes joins Bill to discuss a new report on violence against humanitarian aid workers. Then Bill looks at problems on the Keystone pipelines. Finally, why can’t we even have a debate on guns?

Additional links:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24764316

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/11/10/2921121/dallas-gun-advocates-protest-restaurant-gun-control-advocates/

AFD 62 – Role of Government

Latest Episode:
“AFD 62 – Role of Government”
Posted: Wed, 06 November 2013

Sasha discusses the Kentucky Health Insurance Exchange. Then Bill assesses the progress of implementing the rest of the exchange and discusses the role of government in 21st century America.

Additional links:

www.slate.com/articles/business/billion_to_one/2013/10/sweden_s_billionaires_they_have_more_per_capita_than_the_united_states.html

African Al Qaeda now more funded by Europe than Persian Gulf

In the past ten years, the GSPC/Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has made an estimated $116 million in ransom money. They now get more money from Europe than from the traditional source of Persian Gulf terror financiers.

I’m not a hardliner who says “we should never negotiate with terrorists” — never say never — but we’ve got to stop buying back prisoners for huge amounts of money. I can’t imagine how terrible it must be for them and their families, but that is an awful lot of money going to terrorists for financing and arming insurgencies all over Africa. A lot more innocent people will die because of all these ransom payments — and probably more people will be kidnapped.

AFD 61 – Non-Functioning Democracy

Latest Episode:
“AFD 61 – Non-Functioning Democracy”
Posted: Tues, 29 October 2013

What is a democracy? Bill and Sasha talk Texas voting laws, then Bill critiques the DC fiscal paralysis and comments on guns in America.

Additional links:

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2013/10/16/2788321/budget-crises-jobs/

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/17/2789931/threat-women-texas/

http://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/d/download_file_39242.pdf

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/ag-holder-number-of-mass-shootings-in-u-s-have-tripled

http://www.theglobalist.com/social-cost-u-s-guns/

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2013/10/25/2835741/virginia-tech-cuccinelli-mcauliffe-guns/

AFD 60 – Furlough

Latest Episode:
“AFD 60 – Furlough”
Posted: Tues, 15 October 2013

Guest commentator Melanie joins Bill to talk about the impact of having most Federal workers on unpaid leave from their jobs during the shutdown. Then Bill looks at food inspection problems in the U.S. Guest commentator Sarah discusses a court decision in Nebraska. Bill examines political mirroring between France and a former African colony.

Additional links:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/11/20926440-statue-of-liberty-mount-rushmore-other-national-parks-to-reopen-during-shutdown

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/10/shutdown-salmonella/

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/11/2770331/salmonella-usda-regulation-fail/

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/14/world/europe/france-to-send-more-troops-into-africa.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201310110610.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201310110463.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21913926

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/world/africa/michel-djotodia-leader-of-coup-in-central-african-republic-holds-on-to-power.html

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/10/french-polls-surge-support-national-front