Saturday, July 24, 2010

The Other 'Top Secret America'

By Douglas Valentine
July 24, 2010

After Dana Priest’s and William M. Arkin's three-part series, “Top-Secret America,” appeared in the Washington Post, pundits began falling all over themselves in a rush to describe the size and implications of the elephant in the living room, though few saw fit to even notice the elephant before.

Read on.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Terror's Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone

By Ray McGovern
July 23, 2010

A recent exposé in the Washington Post shows that if you have a security clearance and are comfortable being part of a lucrative “self-licking ice cream cone” – a process that offers few if any benefits while perpetuating its own existence – then the “war on terror” is definitely for you!

Read on.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

'Loyal Bushies' Spared Prosecution

By Jason Leopold
July 22, 2010

A special prosecutor, who spent nearly two years investigating whether former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other Bush administration officials committed crimes in connection with the firing of a U.S. Attorney, has ended her probe, saying she found "insufficient evidence" to file charges.

Read on.

New Fin-Reg Law Only a Half-Measure

By Danny Schechter
July 22, 2010

With eleven pens for souvenirs, President Obama signed the financial reform bill in a rare celebratory moment.

Read on.

Pentagon's Robots Transform Warfare

By Sherwood Ross
July 22, 2010

The Pentagon is rapidly improving its ability to fight wars with robots, a capability “bringing about the most profound transformation of warfare since the advent of the atom bomb” and raising “a host of ethical and legal issues,” says Scientific American.

Read on.

The Fight to Protect Social Security

By Kevin Zeese
July 22, 2010

The bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, which was created by President Barack Obama earlier this year, is using exaggerated rhetoric to heighten deficit fears at a time when many economists say more government spending is needed to spur hiring and avert a second dip in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Read on.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Vanunu's Ongoing Persecution in Israel

By Eileen Fleming
July 21, 2010

On May 23, 2010, Mordechai Vanunu began a three-month sentence in solitary confinement on charges of speaking to foreign media in 2004. On Sunday, July 11, 2010, his brother Meir was allowed to visit him for 30 minutes.

Read on.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Right's Power of Infrastructure

By Robert Parry
July 20, 2010

Dwight Eisenhower, after commanding Allied forces in World War II and serving eight years as U.S. President, came to appreciate the power of political and economic infrastructure, leading to his famous warning about the threat to the American Republic from a “military-industrial complex.”

Read on.

No One Wants to Admit Afghan Failure

By Michael Winship
July 20, 2010

A recent headline on the New York Daily News Web site was blunt: "In case you’ve forgotten," it read, "we’re at war."

Read on.

Does Christian Charity Reach 'Illegals'?

By the Rev. Howard Bess
July 20, 2010

When the early Christians faced the challenge of bowing down to Caesar and obeying the Roman government or living by the teachings of Jesus, they followed the teachings of Jesus, becoming a persecuted people. Many lost their lives because of their commitment to their Christ.

Read on.

The Ever-Expanding 'War on Terror'

By Ivan Eland
July 20, 2010

The synchronized and unconscionable bombings by the Somali group al-Shabab — of people doing nothing more than watching soccer games in Kampala, Uganda — counter-intuitively illustrates why the United States should not be fighting Islamic militancy worldwide.

Read on.

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Another Police Killing in Oakland, CA

By Dennis Bernstein
July 18, 2010

This weekend, police killed another man at the same rail transit station in Oakland, California, where 22-year-old Oscar Grant was shot in the back last year, a case that resulted in violent clashes this month when the police officer responsible was convicted of only involuntary manslaughter.

Read on.