By Ivan Eland
May 18, 2010
To smooth over the stormy relationship with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, President Barack Obama is throwing out the red carpet in Washington, D.C., for Karzai and his entourage.
Read on.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Itching to Fight Another Muslim Enemy
By Robert Parry
May 17, 2010
If you read the major American newspapers or watch the propaganda on cable TV, it’s pretty clear that the U.S. foreign policy Establishment is again spoiling for a fight, this time in Iran.
Read on.
May 17, 2010
If you read the major American newspapers or watch the propaganda on cable TV, it’s pretty clear that the U.S. foreign policy Establishment is again spoiling for a fight, this time in Iran.
Read on.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Kagan's Dubious Stand on Civil Rights
By Marjorie Cohn
May 15, 2010
After President Obama nominated Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court, he made a statement that implied she would follow in the footsteps of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights giant and first black Supreme Court justice.
Read on.
May 15, 2010
After President Obama nominated Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court, he made a statement that implied she would follow in the footsteps of Justice Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights giant and first black Supreme Court justice.
Read on.
Chevron's 'Crude' War on Free Speech
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
May 15, 2010
Even as headlines and broadcast news are dominated by BP's fire-ravaged, sunken offshore rig and the ruptured well gushing a reported 210,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, there's another important story involving Big Oil and pollution - one that shatters not only the environment but the essential First Amendment right of journalists to tell truth and shame the devil.
Read on.
May 15, 2010
Even as headlines and broadcast news are dominated by BP's fire-ravaged, sunken offshore rig and the ruptured well gushing a reported 210,000 gallons of oil per day into the Gulf of Mexico, there's another important story involving Big Oil and pollution - one that shatters not only the environment but the essential First Amendment right of journalists to tell truth and shame the devil.
Read on.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Return of Madcap Capitalism
By Robert Parry
May 14, 2010
For much of the post-World War II era, there was a broad consensus that well-regulated capitalism – paired with an effective public sector – was the economic model that worked best, especially compared with the Soviet Union’s heavy-handed central planning or the madcap capitalism that had led to the Great Depression.
Read on.
May 14, 2010
For much of the post-World War II era, there was a broad consensus that well-regulated capitalism – paired with an effective public sector – was the economic model that worked best, especially compared with the Soviet Union’s heavy-handed central planning or the madcap capitalism that had led to the Great Depression.
Read on.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Historical Challenge of Rabbi Jesus
By the Rev. Howard Bess
May 13, 2010
Today’s New Testament scholars have lively arguments among themselves; but they have a near unanimous opinion about one thing: Jesus was a Jewish rabbi.
Read on.
May 13, 2010
Today’s New Testament scholars have lively arguments among themselves; but they have a near unanimous opinion about one thing: Jesus was a Jewish rabbi.
Read on.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tea Party Crazy Has a History
By William Blum
May 12, 2010
If you shake your head and roll your eyes at the nonsense coming out of the Teabagger followers of Sarah “Africa is a country” Palin and other intellectual giants like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh ...
Read on.
May 12, 2010
If you shake your head and roll your eyes at the nonsense coming out of the Teabagger followers of Sarah “Africa is a country” Palin and other intellectual giants like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh ...
Read on.
The Danger of Israeli Nuke Hypocrisy
By Robert Parry
May 12, 2010
The United States finds itself in the curious position of going to the mat on behalf of Israel’s top security concern – preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb – while Israel and its supporters continue to insist that U.S. officials maintain Israel’s decades-old “ambiguity” about whether or not it possesses a nuclear arsenal of its own.
Read on.
May 12, 2010
The United States finds itself in the curious position of going to the mat on behalf of Israel’s top security concern – preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb – while Israel and its supporters continue to insist that U.S. officials maintain Israel’s decades-old “ambiguity” about whether or not it possesses a nuclear arsenal of its own.
Read on.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Iraq's Divided Future
By Ivan Eland
May 11, 2010
Recently, Massoud Barzani, president of the northern Kurdish region in Iraq, bluntly declared that the American visions of a strongly unified Iraq were “bird dreams and wishes.” Barzani then proceeded to heighten pressure for greater decentralization of the country and expanded Kurdish control over oil.
Read on.
May 11, 2010
Recently, Massoud Barzani, president of the northern Kurdish region in Iraq, bluntly declared that the American visions of a strongly unified Iraq were “bird dreams and wishes.” Barzani then proceeded to heighten pressure for greater decentralization of the country and expanded Kurdish control over oil.
Read on.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Condi: The Queen of No Soul
By Sebastian Doggart
May 10, 2010
Two events, both of which feature a public figure named 2005’s “most powerful woman in the world,” may go down as the most bizarre of the year.
Read on.
May 10, 2010
Two events, both of which feature a public figure named 2005’s “most powerful woman in the world,” may go down as the most bizarre of the year.
Read on.
Diminishing Supreme Court Justice
By Marjorie Cohn
May 10, 2010
As the Rehnquist court continued to eviscerate the right of the people to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens filed principled and courageous dissents.
Read on.
May 10, 2010
As the Rehnquist court continued to eviscerate the right of the people to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, Associate Justice John Paul Stevens filed principled and courageous dissents.
Read on.
WPost's Ignatius Still Fawns Over CIA
By Melvin A. Goodman
May 10, 2010
David Ignatius, the Washington Post's self-appointed apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency, has struck again.
Read on.
May 10, 2010
David Ignatius, the Washington Post's self-appointed apologist for the Central Intelligence Agency, has struck again.
Read on.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
The Dangers of Madcap Capitalism
By Danny Schechter
May 8, 2010
The Wall Street Journal headline on the day after we almost lost the U.S. stock market reported that the wise men on the Street were “baffled” by the big drop Thursday. The Financial Times called the event “Shambolic” as if only a shaman can decode it.
Read on.
May 8, 2010
The Wall Street Journal headline on the day after we almost lost the U.S. stock market reported that the wise men on the Street were “baffled” by the big drop Thursday. The Financial Times called the event “Shambolic” as if only a shaman can decode it.
Read on.
Kent State & the Left's Lack of Resolve
By Michael Winship
May 8, 2010
I was a freshman at Georgetown University when it happened, 40 years ago on May 4.
Read on.
May 8, 2010
I was a freshman at Georgetown University when it happened, 40 years ago on May 4.
Read on.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Key October Surprise Evidence Hidden
By Robert Parry
May 6, 2010
A Russian government report, which corroborated allegations that Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign interfered with President Jimmy Carter’s Iran-hostage negotiations in 1980, was apparently kept from the Democratic chairman of a congressional task force that investigated the charges a dozen years later.
Read on.
May 6, 2010
A Russian government report, which corroborated allegations that Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign interfered with President Jimmy Carter’s Iran-hostage negotiations in 1980, was apparently kept from the Democratic chairman of a congressional task force that investigated the charges a dozen years later.
Read on.
The Original Anti-War Mother's Day
By Gary G. Kohls
May 6, 2010
May 6, 2010
In 1870 – 140 years ago – the disastrous human consequences of the American Civil War were becoming increasingly apparent, especially to the mothers of sons and the wives of husbands who had watched as these men proudly and patriotically marched off to “glorious” war a decade earlier.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Loose Lips on Iran Can Sink America
By Ray McGovern
May 5, 2010
The omnipresent World War II-era poster with the words “Loose Lips Sink Ships” served as a warning to members of the U.S. military to take heed lest they divulge information that could tip off the enemy and result in defeat in battle.
Read on.
May 5, 2010
The omnipresent World War II-era poster with the words “Loose Lips Sink Ships” served as a warning to members of the U.S. military to take heed lest they divulge information that could tip off the enemy and result in defeat in battle.
Read on.
BP Flouted US Safety Rules
By Jason Leopold
May 5, 2010
The troubles of oil giant BP are not limited to its Gulf of Mexico operations, where a deadly blast aboard a drilling rig two weeks ago ruptured an oil well 5,000 feet below the sea's surface and triggered a massive oil leak that is now the size of a small country.
Read on.
May 5, 2010
The troubles of oil giant BP are not limited to its Gulf of Mexico operations, where a deadly blast aboard a drilling rig two weeks ago ruptured an oil well 5,000 feet below the sea's surface and triggered a massive oil leak that is now the size of a small country.
Read on.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
The Tea Party's Blind Eye on Torture
By Ivan Eland
May 4, 2010
In an op-ed piece in the Christian Science Monitor, James Bovard points out that the love of liberty by the Tea Party crowd usually takes a backseat to a hatred of President Obama and the Left.
Read on.
May 4, 2010
In an op-ed piece in the Christian Science Monitor, James Bovard points out that the love of liberty by the Tea Party crowd usually takes a backseat to a hatred of President Obama and the Left.
Read on.
Did Kent State Have to Happen?
By Robert Parry
May 4, 2010
Forty years ago, the United States took a very ugly turn as President Richard Nixon’s escalated the war in Indochina by invading Cambodia, prompting angry college protests, including a confrontation at Kent State which ended with National Guardsmen killing four students on May 4, 1970.
Read on.
May 4, 2010
Forty years ago, the United States took a very ugly turn as President Richard Nixon’s escalated the war in Indochina by invading Cambodia, prompting angry college protests, including a confrontation at Kent State which ended with National Guardsmen killing four students on May 4, 1970.
Read on.
Monday, May 03, 2010
The Death of a Cynical WPost Editor
By Robert Parry
May 3, 2010
The death of former Washington Post editorial writer Stephen Rosenfeld at age 77 has prompted the usual praise heaped on any well-respected insider at his passing. But little note has been made of Rosenfeld’s role in steering the Post to the neoconservative harbor where it’s now anchored.
Read on.
May 3, 2010
The death of former Washington Post editorial writer Stephen Rosenfeld at age 77 has prompted the usual praise heaped on any well-respected insider at his passing. But little note has been made of Rosenfeld’s role in steering the Post to the neoconservative harbor where it’s now anchored.
Read on.
Fraud: America's New Watchword
By Mark Ames
May 3, 2010
Ever since I got kicked out of Russia and forced back home, I’ve been collecting all kinds of news articles about fraud, in a document file titled “America Is Russia.” Here’s a little taste of the wonderful world of American Fraud:
Read on.
May 3, 2010
Ever since I got kicked out of Russia and forced back home, I’ve been collecting all kinds of news articles about fraud, in a document file titled “America Is Russia.” Here’s a little taste of the wonderful world of American Fraud:
Read on.
Explaining the Plunder and the Crime
By Danny Schecter
May 3, 2010
In politics, it’s always all about the narrative, about how issues are framed.
Read on.
May 3, 2010
In politics, it’s always all about the narrative, about how issues are framed.
Read on.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Does Obama Know the War He's In?
By Robert Parry
May 2, 2010
In addressing the University of Michigan graduating class, President Barack Obama pleaded for increased “civility” in American politics and in the media, faulting extremes of the Left and the Right for the ugly acrimony that is sapping the nation’s ability to address serious problems.
Read on.
May 2, 2010
In addressing the University of Michigan graduating class, President Barack Obama pleaded for increased “civility” in American politics and in the media, faulting extremes of the Left and the Right for the ugly acrimony that is sapping the nation’s ability to address serious problems.
Read on.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
How Rev. Moon's 'Snakes' Infested US
By Robert Parry
May 1, 2010
As an investigative journalist, I’m not much for catchy political metaphors, but the revelation that snakes and rodents are infesting the Washington Times building as the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s newspaper sinks into a financial swamp does have some poetic justice about it.
Read on.
May 1, 2010
As an investigative journalist, I’m not much for catchy political metaphors, but the revelation that snakes and rodents are infesting the Washington Times building as the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s newspaper sinks into a financial swamp does have some poetic justice about it.
Read on.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sniffing Out Tea Party Corporatism
By Michael Winship
April 30, 2010
I first became aware of Jim Hightower more than 20 years ago, during the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. The Democrats were nominating Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis to run for president against Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush, and at the time Dukakis looked like he had a pretty good chance at the White House.
Read on.
April 30, 2010
I first became aware of Jim Hightower more than 20 years ago, during the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. The Democrats were nominating Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis to run for president against Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush, and at the time Dukakis looked like he had a pretty good chance at the White House.
Read on.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Arizona Law Recalls Past US Racism
By Marjorie Cohn
April 29, 2010
April 29, 2010
The conservative “states’ rights” mantra sweeping the United States has led to one of the most egregious wrongs in recent U.S. history. New legislation in Arizona requires law enforcement officers to stop everyone whom they have “reasonable suspicion” to believe is an undocumented immigrant and arrest these people if they fail to produce their papers.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
When Regulation Isn't Enough
By Jay Diamond
April 28, 2010
Back in 1999 on a radio program I had in NYC at the time, I was stridently critical of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which was euphemistically called "The Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999" and was pushed by today’s Teabagging maestro, Dick Armey.
Read on.
April 28, 2010
Back in 1999 on a radio program I had in NYC at the time, I was stridently critical of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which was euphemistically called "The Financial Services Modernization Act of 1999" and was pushed by today’s Teabagging maestro, Dick Armey.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Risks in Obama's Mideast Policy
By Ivan Eland
April 27, 2010
The Obama administration is eager to solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem — both to make the President seem less naïve for having believed he could broker the chronic dispute quickly and to lessen the motivation for radical Islamists that attack the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
Read on.
April 27, 2010
The Obama administration is eager to solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem — both to make the President seem less naïve for having believed he could broker the chronic dispute quickly and to lessen the motivation for radical Islamists that attack the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere.
Read on.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Is Iran Really a Threat?
By Ray McGovern
April 26, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said publicly that Iran “doesn't directly threaten the United States.” Her momentary lapse came while answering a question at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 14.
Read on.
April 26, 2010
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said publicly that Iran “doesn't directly threaten the United States.” Her momentary lapse came while answering a question at the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar, on Feb. 14.
Read on.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
How Authoritarianism Hurts Religion
By Rev. Howard Bess
April 25, 2010
The drain of young adults from churches has been verified by surveys and studies – and as one who cares deeply about the health of Christian churches, I ask the question: “Why are people leaving our churches in such great numbers?”
Read on.
April 25, 2010
The drain of young adults from churches has been verified by surveys and studies – and as one who cares deeply about the health of Christian churches, I ask the question: “Why are people leaving our churches in such great numbers?”
Read on.
Gaming Wall Street's Roulette Wheel
By Michael Winship
April 24, 2010
Goldman Sachs is the Blackwater of finance, the latest in a long line of companies you love to hate, like AIG and the Dallas Cowboys.
Read on.
April 24, 2010
Goldman Sachs is the Blackwater of finance, the latest in a long line of companies you love to hate, like AIG and the Dallas Cowboys.
Read on.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Mad Hatter's Tea Party Movement
By William John Cox
April 22, 2010
There may be good reasons why the Tea Partiers are mad; but their solutions are equally mad.
Read on.
April 22, 2010
There may be good reasons why the Tea Partiers are mad; but their solutions are equally mad.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
'Old Hacks' Return to Vietnam
By Don North
April 21, 2010
On April 29, 1975, the end of the long and bloody Vietnam War was finally at hand. American helicopters were descending on pick-up sites around Saigon in what would be the largest helicopter evacuation in history.
Read on.
April 21, 2010
On April 29, 1975, the end of the long and bloody Vietnam War was finally at hand. American helicopters were descending on pick-up sites around Saigon in what would be the largest helicopter evacuation in history.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Obama's Nuclear Spring Fell Back
By Melvin A. Goodman
April 20, 2010
The good news is that President Barack Obama has ended the Bush administration's campaign against disarmament and has returned to traditional approaches toward arms control.
Read on.
April 20, 2010
The good news is that President Barack Obama has ended the Bush administration's campaign against disarmament and has returned to traditional approaches toward arms control.
Read on.
Pharma Invades Water Supplies
By Gary G. Kohls, MD
April 20, 2010
For over a decade now environmental toxicologists have been doing chemical analyses on the water of lakes, streams and aquifers that are the sources of public drinking water, especially the waters that are downstream from wastewater treatment facilities. The results have been alarming.
Read on.
April 20, 2010
For over a decade now environmental toxicologists have been doing chemical analyses on the water of lakes, streams and aquifers that are the sources of public drinking water, especially the waters that are downstream from wastewater treatment facilities. The results have been alarming.
Read on.
Obama's Modest Shift on Nuke Policy
By Ivan Eland
April 20, 2010
Despite all the hoopla about President Barack Obama’s summit on nuclear security and a new arms control deal, the eventual results of his laudable efforts will probably be modest and will likely be dwarfed by the damage to nuclear security done by George W. Bush’s prior administration.
Read on.
April 20, 2010
Despite all the hoopla about President Barack Obama’s summit on nuclear security and a new arms control deal, the eventual results of his laudable efforts will probably be modest and will likely be dwarfed by the damage to nuclear security done by George W. Bush’s prior administration.
Read on.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Questioning the Bible
By the Rev. Howard Bess
April 18, 2010
I have always been a religious person, but not just religious. I was a Christian with a life commitment to Jesus. I have never considered any other life path.
Read on.
April 18, 2010
I have always been a religious person, but not just religious. I was a Christian with a life commitment to Jesus. I have never considered any other life path.
Read on.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tea Partiers Protect Wall Street
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
April 17, 2010
With all due respect, we can only wish those Tea Party activists who gathered in Washington and other cities this week weren't so single-minded about just who's responsible for all their troubles, real and imagined.
Read on.
April 17, 2010
With all due respect, we can only wish those Tea Party activists who gathered in Washington and other cities this week weren't so single-minded about just who's responsible for all their troubles, real and imagined.
Read on.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Cyber-Warfare Chief's Deception
By Ray McGovern
April 16, 2010
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander may well be harboring the proverbial thought attributed to prevaricator Oliver North upon being spared punishment -- and instead getting rewarded handsomely -- for lying about the Iran-Contra Affair: “Is this a great country or what!”
Read on.
April 16, 2010
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander may well be harboring the proverbial thought attributed to prevaricator Oliver North upon being spared punishment -- and instead getting rewarded handsomely -- for lying about the Iran-Contra Affair: “Is this a great country or what!”
Read on.
How Greedy Deregulation Killed Miners
By Kevin Zeese
April 16, 2010
Were it not for the deliberate actions of Don Blankenship and Massey Energy the deaths of 29 miners in West Virginia would not have occurred.
Read on.
April 16, 2010
Were it not for the deliberate actions of Don Blankenship and Massey Energy the deaths of 29 miners in West Virginia would not have occurred.
Read on.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
PBS Shies from Single-Payer Debate
By Margaret Flowers
April 15, 2010
It was with a sense of déjà vu that I watched the latest PBS Frontline documentary about health care.
Read on.
April 15, 2010
It was with a sense of déjà vu that I watched the latest PBS Frontline documentary about health care.
Read on.
Ghost of 'Total Information Awareness'
By Coleen Rowley
April 15, 2010
Since we all tend to reflexively cringe whenever someone mentions the ideological “F” topic, I’m going to try and minimize some of the natural revulsion and denial by writing the full word that we usually fear to name only once: fascism.
Read on.
April 15, 2010
Since we all tend to reflexively cringe whenever someone mentions the ideological “F” topic, I’m going to try and minimize some of the natural revulsion and denial by writing the full word that we usually fear to name only once: fascism.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Israel, the US and Propaganda's Power
By Robert Parry
April 14, 2010
Sometimes, it seems like there are only two groups on earth that don’t grasp the importance of media – the American Left and some tribe in Borneo, though the word is that the tribe may have just bought a radio transmitter, leaving only one group that doesn’t get it.
Read on.
April 14, 2010
Sometimes, it seems like there are only two groups on earth that don’t grasp the importance of media – the American Left and some tribe in Borneo, though the word is that the tribe may have just bought a radio transmitter, leaving only one group that doesn’t get it.
Read on.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Jesus's Morality v Church's Doctrine
By Gary Novak
April 13, 2010
Reverend Bess described the historical perspective on the difference between Paul's theology and that of the four Gospels of Jesus. As Bess noted, the moral message is quite different between Paul and the Gospels. Paul focused on sacrifice, while the Gospels focused on solving human problems as the basis for morality.
Read on.
April 13, 2010
Reverend Bess described the historical perspective on the difference between Paul's theology and that of the four Gospels of Jesus. As Bess noted, the moral message is quite different between Paul and the Gospels. Paul focused on sacrifice, while the Gospels focused on solving human problems as the basis for morality.
Read on.
US Media Lectures Russia on Terrorism
By Ivan Eland
April 12, 2010
On March 31, 2010, the New York Times wrote an editorial that briefly expressed horror in response to the Moscow subway terror bombings, then warned that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin might yet again use terrorist attacks to further consolidate his power, and finally lectured Russia that the only way to defeat such extremism was to deal with the underlying causes.
Read on.
April 12, 2010
On March 31, 2010, the New York Times wrote an editorial that briefly expressed horror in response to the Moscow subway terror bombings, then warned that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin might yet again use terrorist attacks to further consolidate his power, and finally lectured Russia that the only way to defeat such extremism was to deal with the underlying causes.
Read on.
Bush Officials Hyped Detainee Threats
By Jason Leopold
April 12, 2010
The Bush administration deceived the American people about the certain danger posed by Guantanamo Bay detainees – the “worst of the worst” as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called them – when many likely were innocent bystanders, according to a former top State Department official.
Read on.
April 12, 2010
The Bush administration deceived the American people about the certain danger posed by Guantanamo Bay detainees – the “worst of the worst” as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld called them – when many likely were innocent bystanders, according to a former top State Department official.
Read on.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
How Christianity Lost Jesus
By the Rev. Howard Bess
April 10, 2010
We call Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Matthew Gospel the Sermon on the Mount. It is without question our finest summary of the teachings of Jesus.
Read on.
April 10, 2010
We call Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Matthew Gospel the Sermon on the Mount. It is without question our finest summary of the teachings of Jesus.
Read on.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Letting Coal Miners Die in West Virginia
By Michael Winship
April 9, 2010
April 9, 2010
The high cost of energy in America was paid in human lives this week, with the deaths of more than two dozen miners in a massive explosion at the Upper Big Branch coal mine in West Virginia. It's the worst mine disaster in a quarter of a century.
Watching Innocent Iraqis Die
By Robert Parry
April 9, 2010
The next time CNN’s Wolf Blitzer boasts about George W. Bush’s “successful surge” in Iraq or Newsweek hails “Victory at Last,” you should think of the video released by Wikileaks.org this week showing the killing of a group of Iraqi men, including two Reuters newsmen, as they walked nonchalantly through the streets of Baghdad.
Read on.
April 9, 2010
The next time CNN’s Wolf Blitzer boasts about George W. Bush’s “successful surge” in Iraq or Newsweek hails “Victory at Last,” you should think of the video released by Wikileaks.org this week showing the killing of a group of Iraqi men, including two Reuters newsmen, as they walked nonchalantly through the streets of Baghdad.
Read on.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Murder Replaces Torture, Brilliant!
By David Swanson
April 8, 2010
I've been reading about the history of torture, including John T. Parry's new book Understanding Torture: Law, Violence, and Political Identity. Parry gives a history of torture in Europe and the United States through the twentieth century, establishing its pervasiveness, and the repetitiveness of the excuses and legalistic machinations used to allow it.
Read on.
April 8, 2010
I've been reading about the history of torture, including John T. Parry's new book Understanding Torture: Law, Violence, and Political Identity. Parry gives a history of torture in Europe and the United States through the twentieth century, establishing its pervasiveness, and the repetitiveness of the excuses and legalistic machinations used to allow it.
Read on.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Obama, NYT Keep Israeli Nuke Secrets
By Robert Parry
April 7, 2010
Overall, the New York Times praises President Barack Obama’s revised policy on when to launch nuclear attacks, though agreeing with some critics that it was a mistake to continue brandishing nukes at Iran, the only non-nuclear-armed state still being threatened.
Read on.
April 7, 2010
Overall, the New York Times praises President Barack Obama’s revised policy on when to launch nuclear attacks, though agreeing with some critics that it was a mistake to continue brandishing nukes at Iran, the only non-nuclear-armed state still being threatened.
Read on.
CIA Assigned to Kill US Citizen
By Jason Leopold
April 7, 2010
The Obama administration has lowered another legal barrier shielding Americans from extrajudicial punitive action by their own government, in this case authorizing the CIA to kill a U.S. citizen suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda in Yemen and links to two attacks inside the United States last year.
Read on.
April 7, 2010
The Obama administration has lowered another legal barrier shielding Americans from extrajudicial punitive action by their own government, in this case authorizing the CIA to kill a U.S. citizen suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda in Yemen and links to two attacks inside the United States last year.
Read on.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Obama Threatens Iran with Nukes
By Robert Parry
April 6, 2010
April 6, 2010
In readjusting U.S. policy on when to launch a nuclear strike, President Barack Obama has repudiated the use of nukes against non-nuclear states with the exception of Iran, which he termed an “outlier” along with North Korea.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Is Vatican Guilty in Child-Sex Scandal?
By Robert Parry
April 5, 2010
April 5, 2010
Often the worst scandals are ones that have become engrained as business as usual within an organization or a society, not entirely accepted but tolerated by the Old Boys Network in command, like racial segregation, anti-Semitism, bias against women – or in the case of the Vatican, pedophilia.
Read on.Sunday, April 04, 2010
Making Aggressive War OK, for Some
By David Swanson
April 4, 2010
When my friend Jodie Evans recently tried to make a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove, he declared the Downing Street Minutes to be "a complete fabrication." Of course, this "complete fabrication" was actually the minutes of an official meeting held by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Read on.
April 4, 2010
When my friend Jodie Evans recently tried to make a citizen's arrest of Karl Rove, he declared the Downing Street Minutes to be "a complete fabrication." Of course, this "complete fabrication" was actually the minutes of an official meeting held by then British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Read on.
Friday, April 02, 2010
Forgetting Dr. King's Dream of Justice
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
April 2, 2010
Forty-two years ago, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee.
Read on.
April 2, 2010
Forty-two years ago, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated, gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee.
Read on.
The Bomb-Bomb-Iran 'Parlor Game'
By Robert Parry
April 2, 2010
Normally, if two countries with powerful nuclear arsenals were openly musing about attacking a third country over mere suspicions that it might want to join the nuclear club, we’d tend to sympathize with the non-nuclear underdog as the victim of bullying and possible aggression.
Read on.
April 2, 2010
Normally, if two countries with powerful nuclear arsenals were openly musing about attacking a third country over mere suspicions that it might want to join the nuclear club, we’d tend to sympathize with the non-nuclear underdog as the victim of bullying and possible aggression.
Read on.
Thursday, April 01, 2010
US Recants Zubaydah's Terror Charges
By Jason Leopold
April 1, 2010
April 1, 2010
The Justice Department has quietly recanted nearly every major claim the Bush administration made about Abu Zubaydah, the alleged al-Qaeda leader who was the first suspected terrorist subjected to the torture of waterboarding and other White House-approved “enhanced interrogation techniques.”
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
A Method to Republican 'Madness'
By Robert Parry
March 31, 2010
Washington’s conventional wisdom for explaining the intensity of Republican obstructionism toward President Barack Obama breaks down one of two ways: either it’s a philosophical disagreement over the role of government or a desperate need to stay in line with a radicalized right-wing base.
Read on.
March 31, 2010
Washington’s conventional wisdom for explaining the intensity of Republican obstructionism toward President Barack Obama breaks down one of two ways: either it’s a philosophical disagreement over the role of government or a desperate need to stay in line with a radicalized right-wing base.
Read on.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
King's Prophetic Words of Peace
By Gary G. Kohls
March 30, 2010
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death,” warned Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, 43 years ago this Easter Sunday.
Read on.
March 30, 2010
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death,” warned Martin Luther King Jr. in his famous speech at Riverside Church in New York City on April 4, 1967, 43 years ago this Easter Sunday.
Read on.
Why Pope Benedict Must Resign
By Daniel C. Maguire
March 28, 2010
Milwaukee has now replaced Boston and other competing centers as the epicenter of priest sexual crimes against children.
Read on.
March 28, 2010
Milwaukee has now replaced Boston and other competing centers as the epicenter of priest sexual crimes against children.
Read on.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A Surprise Tea-Party Confrontation
By Richard L. Fricker
March 28, 2010
When I visited the Capitol grounds on March 21, the day the House of Representatives passed healthcare reform, I was aware that some protesters there had been directing violence, threats and insults against members of Congress, but I was surprised when I ended up on the receiving end of some abuse myself.
Read on.
March 28, 2010
When I visited the Capitol grounds on March 21, the day the House of Representatives passed healthcare reform, I was aware that some protesters there had been directing violence, threats and insults against members of Congress, but I was surprised when I ended up on the receiving end of some abuse myself.
Read on.
US-Israeli Relations at a Crossroads
By Melvin A. Goodman
March 28, 2010
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban once said that the Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Well, the same can be said for the Israelis and particularly their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read on.
March 28, 2010
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban once said that the Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Well, the same can be said for the Israelis and particularly their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read on.
Welcoming a CIA Official at Fordham
By Debra Sweet
March 28, 2010
March 28, 2010
I'm not sure what was worse; sitting in an auditorium for a speech by the head of CIA clandestine operations, or having most of the audience give a standing ovation afterward. There were some low points in between, too.
Read on.Saturday, March 27, 2010
The GOP's Double Standard on Anger
By Nat Parry
March 27, 2010
In the wake of the bitter health-care debate and some ugly incidents of violence against Democratic members of Congress, there have been some belated – and halfhearted – appeals from Republican leaders to tamp down the fiery rhetoric on the Right.
Read on.
March 27, 2010
In the wake of the bitter health-care debate and some ugly incidents of violence against Democratic members of Congress, there have been some belated – and halfhearted – appeals from Republican leaders to tamp down the fiery rhetoric on the Right.
Read on.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Incredible Lightness of Reform
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
March 26, 2010
That wickedly satirical Ambrose Bierce described politics as "the conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
Read on.
March 26, 2010
That wickedly satirical Ambrose Bierce described politics as "the conduct of public affairs for private advantage."
Read on.
The Right Finds Virtue in Extremism
By Lisa Pease
March 26, 2010
During his acceptance speech at the 1964 Republican convention, presidential candidate Barry Goldwater famously said, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” But was he correct?
Read on.
March 26, 2010
During his acceptance speech at the 1964 Republican convention, presidential candidate Barry Goldwater famously said, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.” But was he correct?
Read on.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Politics of 'Corrections'
By Robert Parry
March 25, 2010
Perhaps nothing measures the imbalance of media and political power in the United States better than the decision-making by major news organizations about when to issue “corrections.”
Read on.
March 25, 2010
Perhaps nothing measures the imbalance of media and political power in the United States better than the decision-making by major news organizations about when to issue “corrections.”
Read on.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Politics of Media
By Robert Parry
March 24, 2010
If you believed what you saw on Tuesday’s NBC evening news or what you read in the Washington Post’s lead editorial on Wednesday, you wouldn’t have a clue that Republicans are engaged in a scorched-earth political strategy to destroy the Obama administration.
Read on.
March 24, 2010
If you believed what you saw on Tuesday’s NBC evening news or what you read in the Washington Post’s lead editorial on Wednesday, you wouldn’t have a clue that Republicans are engaged in a scorched-earth political strategy to destroy the Obama administration.
Read on.
El Salvador: Ghosts at the Polls
By Don North
March 24, 2010 (Originally published June 24, 2009)
“If they kill me, I shall arise again in the Salvadoran people,” said Archbishop Oscar Romero in March 1980, just two weeks before he was gunned down by a sniper while saying Mass.
Read on.
March 24, 2010 (Originally published June 24, 2009)
“If they kill me, I shall arise again in the Salvadoran people,” said Archbishop Oscar Romero in March 1980, just two weeks before he was gunned down by a sniper while saying Mass.
Read on.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Making Unneeded Enemies in Somalia
By Ivan Eland
March 23, 2010
Although the Clinton administration’s debacle in Somalia in the early 1990s is most famous — as depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster “Black Hawk Down” — more recent American meddling by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations may have worse long-term effects.
Read on.
March 23, 2010
Although the Clinton administration’s debacle in Somalia in the early 1990s is most famous — as depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster “Black Hawk Down” — more recent American meddling by the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations may have worse long-term effects.
Read on.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Obama, Free at Last on Health Care
By Robert Parry
March 22, 2010
The long-delayed passage of health-care reform may indeed be a historic moment for the United States, but it also marks something else – the moment when President Barack Obama has been freed, finally, to pursue a more innovative foreign policy, including a more aggressive approach to Middle East peace.
Read on.
March 22, 2010
The long-delayed passage of health-care reform may indeed be a historic moment for the United States, but it also marks something else – the moment when President Barack Obama has been freed, finally, to pursue a more innovative foreign policy, including a more aggressive approach to Middle East peace.
Read on.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Calling Out Yoo on Presidential Power
By David Swanson
March 21, 2010
I had the opportunity to ask war lawyer John Yoo a couple of questions on Friday. The situation was not ideal, with someone else holding the microphone and deferring to the witness, and other people heckling, and other people shouting at the hecklers.
Read on.
March 21, 2010
I had the opportunity to ask war lawyer John Yoo a couple of questions on Friday. The situation was not ideal, with someone else holding the microphone and deferring to the witness, and other people heckling, and other people shouting at the hecklers.
Read on.
NYT Admits Getting Duped on ACORN
By Robert Parry
March 21, 2010
March 21, 2010
The New York Times admits, sort of, that it got duped by right-wing propagandists who appear to have succeeded in a plot to destroy ACORN, an organization that for four decades has aided and defended the poor and powerless across the United States.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Protesting a Defiler of US Principles
By Ray McGovern
March 19, 2010
This morning I was reading the 11th grade AP American History textbook used in my granddaughter here in Charlottesville.
Read on.
March 19, 2010
This morning I was reading the 11th grade AP American History textbook used in my granddaughter here in Charlottesville.
Read on.
GOP Learns to Love Dissent
By Nat Parry
March 19, 2010
“The American people are saying, ‘Stop’ and they’re screaming at the top of their lungs,” said House Republican Leader John Boehner explaining why the GOP is so determined to kill President Barack Obama’s health-insurance reform.
Read on.
March 19, 2010
“The American people are saying, ‘Stop’ and they’re screaming at the top of their lungs,” said House Republican Leader John Boehner explaining why the GOP is so determined to kill President Barack Obama’s health-insurance reform.
Read on.
The Many Lies of Karl Rove
By Melvin A. Goodman
March 19, 2010
Joseph Goebbels, the leading propagandist of the Third Reich, understood the power of the lie; the greater the lie, the greater its power.
Read on.
March 19, 2010
Joseph Goebbels, the leading propagandist of the Third Reich, understood the power of the lie; the greater the lie, the greater its power.
Read on.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Israel's Troubling Tilt Toward Apartheid
By Robert Parry
March 19, 2010
March 19, 2010
The United Nations General Assembly may well have been wrong in 1975 to equate Zionism with racism, since many early Israelis rejected extremist notions regarding separation of Jews from Arabs. But today a virulent form of Zionism is turning Israel in the direction of an intolerant apartheid state.
The Death and Life of Bishop Romero
By Gary G. Kohls
March 18, 2010
Next week will be the 30th anniversary of the assassination of El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero, a pivotal moment in the modern history of Central America and a moment that deserves reflection among U.S. citizens regarding the role their own government played in the ghastly bloodshed that surrounded Romero's death.
Read on.
March 18, 2010
Next week will be the 30th anniversary of the assassination of El Salvador's Archbishop Oscar Romero, a pivotal moment in the modern history of Central America and a moment that deserves reflection among U.S. citizens regarding the role their own government played in the ghastly bloodshed that surrounded Romero's death.
Read on.
Torture Lawyer Gets His Say at UVA
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
WPost Blames Obama First, on Israel
By Robert Parry
March 16, 2010
The U.S. government is in a clash with Israel over Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, housing construction that the Obama administration sees as a threat to renewed peace talks – and guess which side the Washington Post’s neoconservative editorial page is taking?
Read on.
March 16, 2010
The U.S. government is in a clash with Israel over Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, housing construction that the Obama administration sees as a threat to renewed peace talks – and guess which side the Washington Post’s neoconservative editorial page is taking?
Read on.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Yoo Besmirches Legacy of Jefferson
By Ray McGovern
March 15, 2010
Initially I was shocked at the thought of the University of Virginia welcoming former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo to the “Academical Village” founded by Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, which denounced tyrannical acts by King George III, including ones that fell far short of waterboarding.
Read on.
March 15, 2010
Initially I was shocked at the thought of the University of Virginia welcoming former Justice Department lawyer John Yoo to the “Academical Village” founded by Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, which denounced tyrannical acts by King George III, including ones that fell far short of waterboarding.
Read on.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Spy Takes US-Israeli Secrets to Grave
By Robert Parry
March 15, 2010
Last week’s death of Israeli spymaster David Kimche – and the omissions in his obituaries about his most sensitive operations, especially those regarding the United States – are a reminder of how much crucial history is being lost as key figures from this era take their secrets to the grave.
Read on.
March 15, 2010
Last week’s death of Israeli spymaster David Kimche – and the omissions in his obituaries about his most sensitive operations, especially those regarding the United States – are a reminder of how much crucial history is being lost as key figures from this era take their secrets to the grave.
Read on.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
30 Years of US Mistakes in Afghanistan
By James A. Lucas
March 13, 2010
More than three decades ago, there were social movements in Afghanistan to improve the standard of living of its people and to provide greater equality for women. There was even a functioning, if imperfect, democracy.
Read on.
March 13, 2010
More than three decades ago, there were social movements in Afghanistan to improve the standard of living of its people and to provide greater equality for women. There was even a functioning, if imperfect, democracy.
Read on.
Friday, March 12, 2010
How Big Business Dupes the Masses
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
March 12, 2010
Living in these United States, there comes a point at which you throw your hands up in exasperation and despair and ask a fundamental question or two: how much excess profit does corporate America really need?
Read on.
March 12, 2010
Living in these United States, there comes a point at which you throw your hands up in exasperation and despair and ask a fundamental question or two: how much excess profit does corporate America really need?
Read on.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
WH Chief Helped GOP Sink 9/11 Trial
By Jason Leopold
March 11, 2010
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has collaborated behind the scenes with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to oppose the Obama administration’s plans to use federal civilian courts, not military commissions, to try alleged Islamic terrorists, according to sources and press reports.
Read on.
March 11, 2010
White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel has collaborated behind the scenes with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham to oppose the Obama administration’s plans to use federal civilian courts, not military commissions, to try alleged Islamic terrorists, according to sources and press reports.
Read on.
Taboo Inhibits Frank Iran/Israel Talk
By Ray McGovern
March 11, 2010
Participants at an otherwise informative discussion on “Iran at a Crossroads” at the Senate on Wednesday seemed at pains to barricade the doors against the proverbial elephant being admitted into the room — in this case, Israel.
Read on.
March 11, 2010
Participants at an otherwise informative discussion on “Iran at a Crossroads” at the Senate on Wednesday seemed at pains to barricade the doors against the proverbial elephant being admitted into the room — in this case, Israel.
Read on.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Health Insurers Push the Limit on Fees
By Don Monkerud
March 10, 2010
California's Consumer Watchdog group is suing Anthem Blue Cross after they raised health care insurance premiums 39 percent, but the company isn't budging.
Read on.
March 10, 2010
California's Consumer Watchdog group is suing Anthem Blue Cross after they raised health care insurance premiums 39 percent, but the company isn't budging.
Read on.
Remembering the Land of the Brave
By Lynne Gillooly
March 10, 2010
As the daughter of a veteran and the niece of eight more – one of whom never came home – it angers and saddens me to see what has happened to the once proud and brave United States of America.
Read on.
March 10, 2010
As the daughter of a veteran and the niece of eight more – one of whom never came home – it angers and saddens me to see what has happened to the once proud and brave United States of America.
Read on.
Bay of Pigs Meets Black Hawk Down
By Robert Parry
March 10, 2010 (Originally posted March 30, 2003)
Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, George W. Bush has “lost” the war in Iraq. The only question now is how big a price America will pay, both in terms of battlefield casualties and political hatred swelling around the world.
Read on.
March 10, 2010 (Originally posted March 30, 2003)
Whatever happens in the weeks ahead, George W. Bush has “lost” the war in Iraq. The only question now is how big a price America will pay, both in terms of battlefield casualties and political hatred swelling around the world.
Read on.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Making Matters Worse in Afghanistan
By
A recent NATO airstrike in the province of Uruzgan — against what was thought to be a convoy of Taliban insurgents on their way to attack Afghan and foreign military forces — killed at least 27 Afghan civilians, including four women and a child.
Read on.
A recent NATO airstrike in the province of Uruzgan — against what was thought to be a convoy of Taliban insurgents on their way to attack Afghan and foreign military forces — killed at least 27 Afghan civilians, including four women and a child.
Read on.
Hard Lessons of the My Lai Massacre
By Gary G. Kohls
March 9, 2010
March 9, 2010
Forty-two years ago this week, on March 16,1968, a company of green, battle-untested U.S. Army combat soldiers from the Americal Division, swept into the Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai, rounded up the 500+ unarmed residents, all women, children and old men, and efficiently executed them in cold blood, Nazi-style.
Monday, March 08, 2010
How Reagan's Propaganda Succeeded
By Robert Parry
March 8, 2010
In the 1980s, CIA propaganda experts and military psy-war specialists oversaw the creation of special programs aimed at managing public perceptions in targeted foreign countries as well as inside the United States, according to declassified documents at Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library.
Read on.
March 8, 2010
In the 1980s, CIA propaganda experts and military psy-war specialists oversaw the creation of special programs aimed at managing public perceptions in targeted foreign countries as well as inside the United States, according to declassified documents at Ronald Reagan’s Presidential Library.
Read on.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Tearing Down the Church-State Wall
By the Rev. Howard Bess
March 7, 2010
Under the administration of President George W. Bush, without a single vote by Congress, a whole new federal social service arm was created. It was called the Faith-Based Initiative.
Read on.
March 7, 2010
Under the administration of President George W. Bush, without a single vote by Congress, a whole new federal social service arm was created. It was called the Faith-Based Initiative.
Read on.
Did US Coddle an Anti-Iran Terrorist?
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
March 7, 2010
March 7, 2010
We were in Tehran on Feb. 24 — the day that Iranian authorities announced the capture of Abdol Malik Rigi, the head of Jundallah.
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Will Fear Again Be GOP Trump Card?
By Michael Winship
March 6, 2010
Comparisons are odious, the old saying goes, and certainly Democrats are dealing with some smelly, stinky realities as they stare down the next eight months until Election Day 2010 and pundits galore compare the party's prospects to debacles of the past.
Read on.
March 6, 2010
Comparisons are odious, the old saying goes, and certainly Democrats are dealing with some smelly, stinky realities as they stare down the next eight months until Election Day 2010 and pundits galore compare the party's prospects to debacles of the past.
Read on.
Mullen Wary of Israeli Attack on Iran
By Ray McGovern
March 6, 2010
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came home with sweaty palms from his mid-February visit to Israel. Ever since, he has been worrying aloud that Israel might mousetrap the U.S. into war with Iran.
Read on.
March 6, 2010
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came home with sweaty palms from his mid-February visit to Israel. Ever since, he has been worrying aloud that Israel might mousetrap the U.S. into war with Iran.
Read on.
Friday, March 05, 2010
War Is a Drug in 'The Hurt Locker'
By Lisa Pease
March 5, 2010
Right at the start, superimposed text reveals the theme of “The Hurt Locker”: War is a drug.
Read on.
March 5, 2010
Right at the start, superimposed text reveals the theme of “The Hurt Locker”: War is a drug.
Read on.
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