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.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Oliver Stone Under Assault Again
By Lisa Pease
July 17, 2010
Oliver Stone is under attack again, which isn’t a surprise, given that no other filmmaker has been so willing to challenge the “conventional wisdom” in an effort to uncover the facts about important events.
Read on.
July 17, 2010
Oliver Stone is under attack again, which isn’t a surprise, given that no other filmmaker has been so willing to challenge the “conventional wisdom” in an effort to uncover the facts about important events.
Read on.
Iranian Scientist, a Different Curveball
By Ray McGovern
July 17, 2010
Useful insights often must be seen through a glass darkly. But some can be pulled through the smoke and mirrors shrouding the wanderings of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri, who is now back home in Iran after 14 months in the U.S. as guest of the CIA.
Read on.
July 17, 2010
Useful insights often must be seen through a glass darkly. But some can be pulled through the smoke and mirrors shrouding the wanderings of Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri, who is now back home in Iran after 14 months in the U.S. as guest of the CIA.
Read on.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Why I am a Jew
By Daniel C. Maguire
July 16, 2010
My coming out as a Jew would certainly surprise my Irish Catholic parents who produced a brood of seven Irish Catholics, including me, three of whom became priests, including me.
Read on.
July 16, 2010
My coming out as a Jew would certainly surprise my Irish Catholic parents who produced a brood of seven Irish Catholics, including me, three of whom became priests, including me.
Read on.
Dying Sea Turtles Warn of Toxic Gulf
By Dennis Bernstein
July 16, 2010
July 16, 2010
Many of Nature’s most ardent defenders are gathered in the Gulf of Mexico, engaged in a desperate rescue mission, trying to save not only the wildlife directly endangered by BP’s massive oil spill but the ecosystem’s viability for sustaining future animal life as well as the economic life of coastal communities.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Bybee Faults CIA on Torture Excesses
By Jason Leopold
July 15, 2010
Jay Bybee, who as a senior Justice Department lawyer signed two memos in 2002 authorizing CIA interrogators to torture “war on terror” prisoners, told a congressional panel that more than a half dozen other brutal methods were used by the CIA without legal approval.
Read on.
July 15, 2010
Jay Bybee, who as a senior Justice Department lawyer signed two memos in 2002 authorizing CIA interrogators to torture “war on terror” prisoners, told a congressional panel that more than a half dozen other brutal methods were used by the CIA without legal approval.
Read on.
Obama Frees CIA from Its Watchdog
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 15, 2010
President Barack Obama has been a major disappointment to a liberal community that rallied to his call for genuine change.
Read on.
July 15, 2010
President Barack Obama has been a major disappointment to a liberal community that rallied to his call for genuine change.
Read on.
Some Hard Truths about America
By Robert Parry
July 15, 2010
July 15, 2010
A hard truth about the U.S. economy is that corporations don’t need as many of us as workers but still need us as consumers. That dilemma helps explain why unemployment is stuck near 10 percent and why the economic recovery is stumbling toward a double dip.
Read on.Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Oakland Reels after Killer-Cop Verdict
By Dennis Bernstein
July 14, 2010
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums had a chance to shine last Thursday after the verdict was announced in the murder trial of transit cop, Johannes Mehserle, for the Jan. 1, 2009, killing of a 22-year-old, unarmed black man, Oscar Grant.
Read on.
July 14, 2010
Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums had a chance to shine last Thursday after the verdict was announced in the murder trial of transit cop, Johannes Mehserle, for the Jan. 1, 2009, killing of a 22-year-old, unarmed black man, Oscar Grant.
Read on.
PanAm 103 Verdict: Justice or Politics?
By William Blum
July 14, 2010 (Originally published Feb, 5, 2001)
The newspapers were filled with pictures of happy relatives of the victims of the 1988 bombing of PanAm 103.
Read on.
July 14, 2010 (Originally published Feb, 5, 2001)
The newspapers were filled with pictures of happy relatives of the victims of the 1988 bombing of PanAm 103.
Read on.
How James Meredith Beat the Racists
By Sherwood Ross
July 14, 2010
July 14, 2010
The inscription on the life-sized bronze statue of James Meredith on the campus of the University of Mississippi at Oxford reads “courage,” “perseverance,” “opportunity,” and “knowledge.”
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Wasteland of Social Media
By Phil Rockstroh
July 13, 2010
In an age, when nature is besieged and the political landscape blighted, and one stands, stoop shouldered and wincing into the howling wasteland of epic-scale idiocy extant in the era, a solitary person can feel lost ... marooned inside an increasingly isolated sense of self.
July 13, 2010
In an age, when nature is besieged and the political landscape blighted, and one stands, stoop shouldered and wincing into the howling wasteland of epic-scale idiocy extant in the era, a solitary person can feel lost ... marooned inside an increasingly isolated sense of self.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Rich Work Around the Recession
By Michael Winship
July 12, 2010
July 12, 2010
I may be one of the only Manhattan residents not disappointed with LeBron James’s televised announcement that, “This fall, I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.”
Valentine's 'Pack' Traces Real Drug War
By Adam Engel
July 12, 2010
Relentless is the pack in search of prey, relentless are the wolves. Meticulous is the disclosure of truth about the real“war on drugs,” as chronicled by Douglas Valentine in The Strength of the Pack (“PACK”).
Read on.
July 12, 2010
Relentless is the pack in search of prey, relentless are the wolves. Meticulous is the disclosure of truth about the real“war on drugs,” as chronicled by Douglas Valentine in The Strength of the Pack (“PACK”).
Read on.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Baker's Misfocused 'Family of Secrets'
By James DiEugenio
July 11, 2010
Russ Baker's Family of Secrets has a rather deceptive title. In two ways.
Read on.
July 11, 2010
Russ Baker's Family of Secrets has a rather deceptive title. In two ways.
Read on.
Who Goes to Jail? BP CEO or Shrimper
By Dennis Bernstein
July 11, 2010
On June 17, after watching BP’s oil blowout pollute the Gulf of Mexico for nearly two months, environmental campaigner and fourth-generation Texas shrimp boat captain, Diane Wilson, had had more than enough.
Read on.
July 11, 2010
On June 17, after watching BP’s oil blowout pollute the Gulf of Mexico for nearly two months, environmental campaigner and fourth-generation Texas shrimp boat captain, Diane Wilson, had had more than enough.
Read on.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Speaking Up for the Expendables
By the Rev. Howard Bess
July 10, 2010
I serve on the Board of Directors of Palmer (Alaska) Arts Council, which every year facilitates dozens of events featuring music, drama, poetry, films and art, including popular summer programs for children theatre culminating in the presentation of plays.
Read on.
July 10, 2010
I serve on the Board of Directors of Palmer (Alaska) Arts Council, which every year facilitates dozens of events featuring music, drama, poetry, films and art, including popular summer programs for children theatre culminating in the presentation of plays.
Read on.
Speedy Justice for Spies, Not Wall St.
By Danny Schechter
July 10, 2010
We just witnessed justice on steroids. Ten Russian “spies” — even if we still don’t know what they were spying on or why — were brought to court, copped a plea, and were on their way out of the country by midnight.
Read on.
July 10, 2010
We just witnessed justice on steroids. Ten Russian “spies” — even if we still don’t know what they were spying on or why — were brought to court, copped a plea, and were on their way out of the country by midnight.
Read on.
Friday, July 09, 2010
The Second Coming of Petraeus
By Ivan Eland
July 9, 2010
With the justified firing of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his replacement with Iraq water-walker David Petraeus, it’s as if people are hoping for a second coming of Jesus in Afghanistan.
Read on.
July 9, 2010
With the justified firing of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his replacement with Iraq water-walker David Petraeus, it’s as if people are hoping for a second coming of Jesus in Afghanistan.
Read on.
BP Ruined a Mississippi Way of Life
By Dennis Bernstein
July 9, 2010
Eleven weeks into the BP oil catastrophe, millions of gallons of thick black crude continue to gush into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
July 9, 2010
Eleven weeks into the BP oil catastrophe, millions of gallons of thick black crude continue to gush into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Neocons, Likud Conquer DC, Again
By Robert Parry
July 8, 2010
The clout of Washington’s neoconservatives and the political fear induced by Israel’s Likud hardliners were on display again with recently released e-mails in which Gen. David Petraeus grovels before a key neocon and in White House meetings at which President Obama pandered to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read on.
July 8, 2010
The clout of Washington’s neoconservatives and the political fear induced by Israel’s Likud hardliners were on display again with recently released e-mails in which Gen. David Petraeus grovels before a key neocon and in White House meetings at which President Obama pandered to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Read on.
McGovern, Parry Speak in Washington
By Michael Collins
July 8, 2010
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and investigative journalist Robert Parry spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Wednesday night. They were guests of The McClendon Group which holds periodic meetings at the press club featuring investigative reporters and newsmakers.
Read on.
July 8, 2010
Former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and investigative journalist Robert Parry spoke at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, Wednesday night. They were guests of The McClendon Group which holds periodic meetings at the press club featuring investigative reporters and newsmakers.
Read on.
Obama's Bungled Military Strategies
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 8, 2010
President Barack Obama inherited a difficult national security situation — wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; an exaggerated and counterproductive war on terror; debilitating deficits and rising debt; an obstructionist Congress; and a corporate media that has abandoned its watchdog ethos.
Read on.
July 8, 2010
President Barack Obama inherited a difficult national security situation — wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; an exaggerated and counterproductive war on terror; debilitating deficits and rising debt; an obstructionist Congress; and a corporate media that has abandoned its watchdog ethos.
Read on.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Oil Firms May Fuel Burma's Nuke Plans
By Dennis Bernstein
July 7, 2010
U.S. oil giant Chevron, along with the French energy giant, Total, and PTTEP in Thailand “are financing the world’s newest nuclear threat with multi-billion dollar payments, and have refused to practice financial transparency, despite calls by the Burmese and international community,” according to a newly released report from EarthRights International.
Read on.
July 7, 2010
U.S. oil giant Chevron, along with the French energy giant, Total, and PTTEP in Thailand “are financing the world’s newest nuclear threat with multi-billion dollar payments, and have refused to practice financial transparency, despite calls by the Burmese and international community,” according to a newly released report from EarthRights International.
Read on.
Losing in Afghanistan
By Marjorie Cohn
July 7, 2010
Last week, the House of Representatives voted 215-210 for $33 billion to fund Barack Obama’s troop increase in Afghanistan. But there was considerable opposition to giving the President a blank check.
Read on.
July 7, 2010
Last week, the House of Representatives voted 215-210 for $33 billion to fund Barack Obama’s troop increase in Afghanistan. But there was considerable opposition to giving the President a blank check.
Read on.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
The Military-Industrial Complex's Win
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 7, 2010
Barack Obama’s crippling inheritance as President of the United States is the near-five-decade failure of the nation’s political leadership to heed President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s warning that “in the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
Read on.
July 7, 2010
Barack Obama’s crippling inheritance as President of the United States is the near-five-decade failure of the nation’s political leadership to heed President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s warning that “in the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
Read on.
Mississippi Gov. Barbour Fronts for BP
By Dennis Bernstein
July 6, 2010
Louie Miller, state director of the Sierra Club in Mississippi, is burning up. And its not the sweltering heat typical of Mississippi summers that’s getting to him: It’s Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and his kid-glove treatment of BP over its oil blow-out disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
July 6, 2010
Louie Miller, state director of the Sierra Club in Mississippi, is burning up. And its not the sweltering heat typical of Mississippi summers that’s getting to him: It’s Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and his kid-glove treatment of BP over its oil blow-out disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
Cheery Fireworks, Depressing Reality
By Danny Schechter
July 6, 2010
On the Fourth of July, two days after a jobs report showed how many Americans are down, the nation was looking up -- at fireworks signaling the anniversary of American independence (even as the BP disaster shows how dependent we’ve become).
Read on.
July 6, 2010
On the Fourth of July, two days after a jobs report showed how many Americans are down, the nation was looking up -- at fireworks signaling the anniversary of American independence (even as the BP disaster shows how dependent we’ve become).
Read on.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Thoughts on Patriotism on July Fourth
By William Blum
July 5, 2010
Most important thought: I'm sick and tired of this thing called "patriotism."
Read on.
July 5, 2010
Most important thought: I'm sick and tired of this thing called "patriotism."
Read on.
How Reagan Charted a Dismal Future
By Gray Brechin
July 5, 2010
Novelist Arthur C. Clarke and director Peter Hyams proved less than prophetic in the optimistic vision presented in the movie 2010, but they gave the audiences of 1984 what they wanted to hear.
Read on.
July 5, 2010
Novelist Arthur C. Clarke and director Peter Hyams proved less than prophetic in the optimistic vision presented in the movie 2010, but they gave the audiences of 1984 what they wanted to hear.
Read on.
What Eisenhower Could Teach Obama
By Melvin A. Goodman
July 5, 2010
Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told his senior advisers in the Oval Office of the White House, “God help this country when someone sits in this chair who doesn’t know the military as well as I do.” Several months later, he issued his famous warning about the military-industrial complex.
Read on.
July 5, 2010
Fifty years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower told his senior advisers in the Oval Office of the White House, “God help this country when someone sits in this chair who doesn’t know the military as well as I do.” Several months later, he issued his famous warning about the military-industrial complex.
Read on.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
America's First Spymaster
By Robert Parry
July 4, 2010
July 4, 2010
Having grown up in eastern Massachusetts not far from Lexington and Concord, I always found the Revolutionary War’s heroes familiar and fascinating, including some whose names are little remembered except by historians.
Friday, July 02, 2010
Video Captures Another Border Killing
By Dennis Bernstein
July 2, 2010
It's a muddy cell phone video, taken from a difficult angle, but the audio recorded on the modest device, is both revealing and chilling: the contents cast doubt on claims by the U.S. Border Patrol, regarding the death of a Mexican national who died in custody after being beaten and electric-shocked by federal agents on May 28.
Read on.
July 2, 2010
It's a muddy cell phone video, taken from a difficult angle, but the audio recorded on the modest device, is both revealing and chilling: the contents cast doubt on claims by the U.S. Border Patrol, regarding the death of a Mexican national who died in custody after being beaten and electric-shocked by federal agents on May 28.
Read on.
A Musical's Message from '1776'
By Michael Winship
July 2, 2010
As we commemorate the Fourth of July, one of the joys -- and there are many -- of life in these United States is that you never know what the hell we, the people, will say next.
Read on.
July 2, 2010
As we commemorate the Fourth of July, one of the joys -- and there are many -- of life in these United States is that you never know what the hell we, the people, will say next.
Read on.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Rethinking Iran-Contra
By Robert Parry
July 1, 2010
The conventional view of the Iran-Contra scandal is that it covered the period 1985-86, when President Ronald Reagan became concerned about the fate of American hostages in Lebanon and agreed to secretly sell weapons to Iran’s Islamist government to gain its help in freeing the captives.
Read on.
July 1, 2010
The conventional view of the Iran-Contra scandal is that it covered the period 1985-86, when President Ronald Reagan became concerned about the fate of American hostages in Lebanon and agreed to secretly sell weapons to Iran’s Islamist government to gain its help in freeing the captives.
Read on.
The Afghan 'No Exit' War
By Ivan Eland
June 30, 2010
In contrast to World War II and Desert Storm — which had clear goals, even though those of the latter were limited — the war in Afghanistan resembles the Spanish-American War and the Vietnam War.
Read on.
June 30, 2010
In contrast to World War II and Desert Storm — which had clear goals, even though those of the latter were limited — the war in Afghanistan resembles the Spanish-American War and the Vietnam War.
Read on.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
BP Oil Spill Fouls Water, Land and Air
By Dennis Bernstein
June 29, 2010
On a morning last week, Floridians along the pristine beaches of the Florida panhandle found themselves the latest shoreline victims of the underground volcano of oil and dangerous gasses released by BP into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
June 29, 2010
On a morning last week, Floridians along the pristine beaches of the Florida panhandle found themselves the latest shoreline victims of the underground volcano of oil and dangerous gasses released by BP into the Gulf of Mexico.
Read on.
Bruce Fein and the Politics of Empire
By David Swanson
June 29, 2010
Bruce Fein concludes his new book, American Empire: Before the Fall, by demolishing the worldview of Henry Kissinger as expressed in a Washington Post column last year.
Read on.
June 29, 2010
Bruce Fein concludes his new book, American Empire: Before the Fall, by demolishing the worldview of Henry Kissinger as expressed in a Washington Post column last year.
Read on.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Gen. Petraeus and the 'Surge' Myth
By Robert Parry
June 29, 2010
If there is one overriding consensus among Washington opinion leaders today, it is that Gen. David Petraeus is the perfect choice to turn around the failing war in Afghanistan because he supposedly already achieved such a feat in Iraq. But what if that conventional wisdom is wrong?
Read on.
June 29, 2010
If there is one overriding consensus among Washington opinion leaders today, it is that Gen. David Petraeus is the perfect choice to turn around the failing war in Afghanistan because he supposedly already achieved such a feat in Iraq. But what if that conventional wisdom is wrong?
Read on.
Losing Civilian Control of the Military
By Melvin A. Goodman
June 28, 2010
The New York Times' David Brooks minimized General Stanley McChrystal's remarks in Rolling Stone magazine as "kvetching." For the Times' Maureen Dowd, McChrystal and his "smart-aleck aides" were merely engaging in "towel-snapping" jocularity.
Read on.
June 28, 2010
The New York Times' David Brooks minimized General Stanley McChrystal's remarks in Rolling Stone magazine as "kvetching." For the Times' Maureen Dowd, McChrystal and his "smart-aleck aides" were merely engaging in "towel-snapping" jocularity.
Read on.
The Heat Is On in Washington
By Michael Winship
June 28, 2010
I spent part of last week in Washington, DC, and the heat already was so oppressive I recalled the old story that during the summer the British Foreign Service used to classify the capital as a hardship post, allowing embassy employees to go about their official business clad in pith helmets and shorts.
Read on.
June 28, 2010
I spent part of last week in Washington, DC, and the heat already was so oppressive I recalled the old story that during the summer the British Foreign Service used to classify the capital as a hardship post, allowing embassy employees to go about their official business clad in pith helmets and shorts.
Read on.
Court's Dual Standards on Free Speech
By Nat Parry
June 28, 2010
A majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court seems to believe in free speech for corporations when it comes to influencing elections, but not so much for actual people trying to end wars.
Read on.
June 28, 2010
A majority of justices on the U.S. Supreme Court seems to believe in free speech for corporations when it comes to influencing elections, but not so much for actual people trying to end wars.
Read on.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Finding the Financial-Reg Loopholes
By Danny Schechter
June 26, 2010
The Sturm und Drang is over. The Bank lobbyists went home to collect their bonuses as the House and Senate agreed on a 2,000-page financial “reform” quickly praised by the White House and superficially covered in the press.
Read on.
June 26, 2010
The Sturm und Drang is over. The Bank lobbyists went home to collect their bonuses as the House and Senate agreed on a 2,000-page financial “reform” quickly praised by the White House and superficially covered in the press.
Read on.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Is Financial 'Reform' a Charade?
By Danny Schechter
June 25, 2010
charade | sh əˈrād| noun, an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance : talk of unity was nothing more than a charade.
Read on.
June 25, 2010
charade | sh əˈrād| noun, an absurd pretense intended to create a pleasant or respectable appearance : talk of unity was nothing more than a charade.
Read on.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Obama Misses Afghan Exit Ramp
By Ray McGovern
June 24, 2010
Is President Barack Obama so dense that he could not see why Gen. Stanley McChrystal might actually have wanted to be fired — and rescued from the current March of Folly in Afghanistan, a mess much of his own making?
Read on.
June 24, 2010
Is President Barack Obama so dense that he could not see why Gen. Stanley McChrystal might actually have wanted to be fired — and rescued from the current March of Folly in Afghanistan, a mess much of his own making?
Read on.
The CIA/Likud Sinking of Jimmy Carter
By Robert Parry
June 24, 2010
As the Official Story of the 1980 October Surprise case crumbles – with new revelations that key evidence was hidden from investigators of a congressional task force and that internal doubts were suppressed – history must finally confront the troubling impression that remains: that disgruntled elements of the CIA and Israel’s Likud hardliners teamed up to remove a U.S. president from office.
Read on.
June 24, 2010
As the Official Story of the 1980 October Surprise case crumbles – with new revelations that key evidence was hidden from investigators of a congressional task force and that internal doubts were suppressed – history must finally confront the troubling impression that remains: that disgruntled elements of the CIA and Israel’s Likud hardliners teamed up to remove a U.S. president from office.
Read on.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Obama's Truman-MacArthur Moment
By Ray McGovern
June 22, 2010
Journalist Michael Hastings has given Rolling Stone magazine a graphic account of the arrogance, disarray and ineptitude that distinguish what passes for President Barack Obama’s policy on Afghanistan. For those of us with some gray in our hair, the fiasco is infuriatingly reminiscent of Vietnam.
Read on.
June 22, 2010
Journalist Michael Hastings has given Rolling Stone magazine a graphic account of the arrogance, disarray and ineptitude that distinguish what passes for President Barack Obama’s policy on Afghanistan. For those of us with some gray in our hair, the fiasco is infuriatingly reminiscent of Vietnam.
Read on.
Evita, the Swiss and the Nazis (from the Archive)
By Georg Hodel
June 22, 2010 (Originally published Jan. 7, 1999)
On June 6, 1947, Argentina's first lady Eva Peron left for a glittering tour of Europe.
Read on.
June 22, 2010 (Originally published Jan. 7, 1999)
On June 6, 1947, Argentina's first lady Eva Peron left for a glittering tour of Europe.
Read on.
Hung Out to Dry (From the Archive)
By Georg Hodel
June 22, 2010 (Originally published Summer 1997)
The "Dark Alliance" contra-crack series, which I co-reported with Gary Webb, has died with less a bang or a whimper than a gloat from the mainstream press.
Read on.
June 22, 2010 (Originally published Summer 1997)
The "Dark Alliance" contra-crack series, which I co-reported with Gary Webb, has died with less a bang or a whimper than a gloat from the mainstream press.
Read on.
Propaganda and Iran's Election
By Edward S. Herman and David Peterson
June 22, 2010
It is almost a commonplace that the flow of information, opinion, and moral indignation in the United States adapts well to the demands of state policy.
Read on.
June 22, 2010
It is almost a commonplace that the flow of information, opinion, and moral indignation in the United States adapts well to the demands of state policy.
Read on.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Turkey Resists Showdown with Iran
By Ivan Eland
June 21, 2010
The sad truth is that if Iran wants a nuclear weapon, it will likely eventually get one.
Read on.
June 21, 2010
The sad truth is that if Iran wants a nuclear weapon, it will likely eventually get one.
Read on.
Letting Corporate Criminals Rule
By Danny Schechter
June 21, 2010
It seems clear that BP can’t seem to fix the catastrophic gusher the press calls a “leak,” and that President Obama can’t fix the economy because its problems are structural and won’t respond to soaring rhetoric emanating from his bully pulpit.
Read on.
June 21, 2010
It seems clear that BP can’t seem to fix the catastrophic gusher the press calls a “leak,” and that President Obama can’t fix the economy because its problems are structural and won’t respond to soaring rhetoric emanating from his bully pulpit.
Read on.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Christians and the Environment
By Rev. Howard Bess
June 19, 2010
With few exceptions Christians are keeping their mouths shut about the impending disaster that we and our world face. Collectively, we have created a life-style that cannot be sustained on the globe on which we live.
Read on.
June 19, 2010
With few exceptions Christians are keeping their mouths shut about the impending disaster that we and our world face. Collectively, we have created a life-style that cannot be sustained on the globe on which we live.
Read on.
US Soldier Alleges '360' Firing in Iraq
By Ralph Lopez
June 19, 2010
If even a small fraction of what former Bravo Company 2-16 soldier Ethan McCord is saying is true, that orders were given at a battalion level in Iraq for "360 rotational fire" against civilians in order to "kill every motherfucker in the street," upon being hit by an IED, then Congress must investigate.
Read on.
June 19, 2010
If even a small fraction of what former Bravo Company 2-16 soldier Ethan McCord is saying is true, that orders were given at a battalion level in Iraq for "360 rotational fire" against civilians in order to "kill every motherfucker in the street," upon being hit by an IED, then Congress must investigate.
Read on.
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Challenge of Being Miley
By Michael Winship
June 18, 2010
Amidst all the news of petrochemical malfeasance in the Gulf - and thank you Rep. Joe Barton, pride of Texas, for your apology to BP, demonstrating everything that's wrong with a Congress jammed too snugly in the pocket of big business - I watched teen sensation Miley Cyrus on David Letterman Thursday night.
Read on.
June 18, 2010
Amidst all the news of petrochemical malfeasance in the Gulf - and thank you Rep. Joe Barton, pride of Texas, for your apology to BP, demonstrating everything that's wrong with a Congress jammed too snugly in the pocket of big business - I watched teen sensation Miley Cyrus on David Letterman Thursday night.
Read on.
Witness: US Agent Aimed at Mexican
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 18, 2010
An eyewitness to the June 7 shooting death of a 14-year-old Mexican youth said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took aim at the boy for several seconds after the boy emerged from behind a pillar of a bridge on the Juarez side of the border near El Paso, Texas.
Read on.
June 18, 2010
An eyewitness to the June 7 shooting death of a 14-year-old Mexican youth said a U.S. Border Patrol agent took aim at the boy for several seconds after the boy emerged from behind a pillar of a bridge on the Juarez side of the border near El Paso, Texas.
Read on.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Tricky October Surprise Report
By Robert Parry
June 17, 2010
A congressional report on a turning point of modern U.S. political history – whether candidate Ronald Reagan struck a treacherous deal with Iranian radicals to help win the White House in 1980 – was written haphazardly and deceptively, including an apparently false claim that Reagan’s innocence was approved unanimously by a House task force.
Read on.
June 17, 2010
A congressional report on a turning point of modern U.S. political history – whether candidate Ronald Reagan struck a treacherous deal with Iranian radicals to help win the White House in 1980 – was written haphazardly and deceptively, including an apparently false claim that Reagan’s innocence was approved unanimously by a House task force.
Read on.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
How US Media Botched Iran's Election
By Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett
June 17, 2010
June 17, 2010
Foreign Policy's seven-part series, "Misreading Tehran," is, for the most part, a disappointing example of the phenomenon it purports to explain -- inaccurate interpretations of Iranian politics surrounding the Islamic Republic's June 12, 2009, presidential election. Such misinterpretation has had a deeply corrosive effect on the debate about America's Iran policy.
Zionism and a Dreamscape of Ghosts
By Phil Rockstroh
June 16, 2010
Although my mother fled Nazi Germany, as a child, on a Kindertransport, with a few family valuables sown into her clothing, and I was brought up on the myths and hagiography of the Zionist state, I, over time, came to recognize the folly of the whole colonialist enterprise — the folly of ethnic exclusion and expulsion, the inherent tragedy of nationalism based on the delusion of religious birthright.
Read on.
June 16, 2010
Although my mother fled Nazi Germany, as a child, on a Kindertransport, with a few family valuables sown into her clothing, and I was brought up on the myths and hagiography of the Zionist state, I, over time, came to recognize the folly of the whole colonialist enterprise — the folly of ethnic exclusion and expulsion, the inherent tragedy of nationalism based on the delusion of religious birthright.
Read on.
Prudhoe Bay, BP's Other Ticking Bomb
By Jason Leopold
June 16, 2010
Nearly 5,000 miles from the oil-spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, BP and its culture of cost-cutting are contributing to another environmental mess in the Prudhoe Bay oil field on Alaska’s north shore, according to internal BP documents and more than a dozen employees interviewed over the past month.
Read on.
June 16, 2010
Nearly 5,000 miles from the oil-spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, BP and its culture of cost-cutting are contributing to another environmental mess in the Prudhoe Bay oil field on Alaska’s north shore, according to internal BP documents and more than a dozen employees interviewed over the past month.
Read on.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wikileak Case Echoes Pentagon Papers
By Coleen Rowley and Robert Parry
June 15, 2010
Almost four decades after Defense Department insider Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers – thus exposing the lies that led the United States into the Vietnam War – another courageous “national security leaker” has stepped forward and now is facing retaliation similar to what the U.S. government tried to inflict on Ellsberg.
Read on.
June 15, 2010
Almost four decades after Defense Department insider Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers – thus exposing the lies that led the United States into the Vietnam War – another courageous “national security leaker” has stepped forward and now is facing retaliation similar to what the U.S. government tried to inflict on Ellsberg.
Read on.
The Gaza Ghetto
By Alvaro Vargas Llosa
June 15, 2010
I arrived in Gaza just hours after Israel’s May 31 commando raid on the flotilla led by Turkish activists. I wanted to gauge the effects of the blockade maintained by Israel since 2007, when Hamas took over all of Gaza’s institutions, and of Israel’s 2008-09 military offensive to stop Hamas rocket barrages.
Read on.
June 15, 2010
I arrived in Gaza just hours after Israel’s May 31 commando raid on the flotilla led by Turkish activists. I wanted to gauge the effects of the blockade maintained by Israel since 2007, when Hamas took over all of Gaza’s institutions, and of Israel’s 2008-09 military offensive to stop Hamas rocket barrages.
Read on.
Witnesses of Border Killing Dispersed
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 15, 2010
At dusk on June 7, Bobbie McDow and her husband were heading south across the busy Paso Del Norte foot-bridge, which connects El Paso, Texas, to Juarez, Mexico. In the sweltering heat, McDow asked her husband if they could pause for a moment so she could catch her breath.
Read on.
June 15, 2010
At dusk on June 7, Bobbie McDow and her husband were heading south across the busy Paso Del Norte foot-bridge, which connects El Paso, Texas, to Juarez, Mexico. In the sweltering heat, McDow asked her husband if they could pause for a moment so she could catch her breath.
Read on.
Monday, June 14, 2010
WPost, NYT Show Tough-Guy Swagger
By Robert Parry
June 14, 2010
When Americans wonder how their country has ended up in so many pointless and seemingly endless conflicts around the world, like the meandering Afghan War and the bloody mess in Iraq, a good place to start would be the “prestige” newspapers, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Read on.
June 14, 2010
When Americans wonder how their country has ended up in so many pointless and seemingly endless conflicts around the world, like the meandering Afghan War and the bloody mess in Iraq, a good place to start would be the “prestige” newspapers, the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Read on.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Eyewitness Contests Israeli Account
By Jesse Strauss and Dennis Bernstein
June 13, 2010
Fatima Mohammadi was on board the Mava Marmara on May 31 when it was attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos who killed nine activists and wounded many more in stopping the Turkish-flagged ship from running the Gaza blockade.
Read on.
June 13, 2010
Fatima Mohammadi was on board the Mava Marmara on May 31 when it was attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos who killed nine activists and wounded many more in stopping the Turkish-flagged ship from running the Gaza blockade.
Read on.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
El Paso 'Cat and Mouse' Turns Fatal
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 12, 2010
It was a blistering Monday evening in El Paso. The heat had jumped past 95 degrees and it was about to get a lot hotter in this militarized border town, with checkpoints and helicopters flying over head.
Read on.
June 12, 2010
It was a blistering Monday evening in El Paso. The heat had jumped past 95 degrees and it was about to get a lot hotter in this militarized border town, with checkpoints and helicopters flying over head.
Read on.
Friday, June 11, 2010
America's Covert Democracy
By Danny Schechter
June 11, 2010
Defending America covertly has become an ongoing theme for one more TV series. Salute the flag and praise NBC (GE) for its latest effort to persuade the population to accept the kind of secret operations that now drive the war in Afghanistan.
Read on.
June 11, 2010
Defending America covertly has become an ongoing theme for one more TV series. Salute the flag and praise NBC (GE) for its latest effort to persuade the population to accept the kind of secret operations that now drive the war in Afghanistan.
Read on.
Roberts' Court Sinks Campaign Reform
By Michael Winship
June 11, 2010
At a dinner party, an ever-so-proper aristocrat who had been at the British evacuation of Dunkirk 60 years ago, remained tightlipped despite intense questioning from the other guests about what he had seen there. Finally, he shuddered at the memory and exclaimed, "The noise, my dear, and the people!"
Read on.
June 11, 2010
At a dinner party, an ever-so-proper aristocrat who had been at the British evacuation of Dunkirk 60 years ago, remained tightlipped despite intense questioning from the other guests about what he had seen there. Finally, he shuddered at the memory and exclaimed, "The noise, my dear, and the people!"
Read on.
The Troubling Mystery of 'Revelation'
By the Rev. Howard Bess
June 11, 2010
Every time there is a crisis in the United States or the world, real or imagined, a significant part of the Christian population takes on a renewed interest in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, with its vivid imagery of violent conflict between Good and Evil.
Read on.
June 11, 2010
Every time there is a crisis in the United States or the world, real or imagined, a significant part of the Christian population takes on a renewed interest in the last book of the Bible, Revelation, with its vivid imagery of violent conflict between Good and Evil.
Read on.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Imagining Courage and Sanity
By William Blum
June 10, 2010
Things internationally are so dispiriting there's nothing left to do but fantasize.
Read on.
June 10, 2010
Things internationally are so dispiriting there's nothing left to do but fantasize.
Read on.
Obama Goes with Neocon Flow on Iran
By Robert Parry
June 10, 2010
June 10, 2010
Whether wittingly or witlessly, President Barack Obama is pursuing a neocon-charted path on Iran that parallels the one that George W. Bush took to war with Iraq – ratcheting up sanctions against the “enemy,” refusing to tolerate more peaceful options, and swaggering along with the propagandistic tough-guy-ism of the major U.S. news media.
Read on.Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Obama Shies from Real Intel Reform
By Melvin A. Goodman
June 9, 2010
President Barack Obama's appointment of retired Gen. James Clapper as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) demonstrates the Pentagon's enormous influence over the President and indicates that there is little likelihood of genuine reform of the hidebound intelligence community.
Read on.
June 9, 2010
President Barack Obama's appointment of retired Gen. James Clapper as the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) demonstrates the Pentagon's enormous influence over the President and indicates that there is little likelihood of genuine reform of the hidebound intelligence community.
Read on.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Standing Up for Helen Thomas
By Robert Parry
June 8, 2010
June 8, 2010
Long-time White House correspondent Helen Thomas was right to apologize for a stupid remark she made about Israeli Jews leaving Palestine, but another ugly part of this incident was how her “mainstream” colleagues quickly turned on this 89-year-old icon.
Monday, June 07, 2010
Terrorism and Israel's Attack at Sea
By Ivan Eland
June 8, 2010
Details of Israel’s attack on the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza remain in dispute as Israel and other nations negotiate over who will conduct an investigation. But even if Israel’s spin about its attack on the flotilla is accepted, the situation is still fairly damning for Israel.
Read on.
June 8, 2010
Details of Israel’s attack on the flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza remain in dispute as Israel and other nations negotiate over who will conduct an investigation. But even if Israel’s spin about its attack on the flotilla is accepted, the situation is still fairly damning for Israel.
Read on.
Bush's Torture Experiments Criticized
By Jason Leopold
June 7, 2010
Physicians for Human Rights has accused the Bush administration of using “war on terror” detainees as human “guinea pigs” to gauge the effectiveness of various torture techniques, a practice that has raised troubling comparisons to Nazi-era human experimentation.
Read on.
June 7, 2010
Physicians for Human Rights has accused the Bush administration of using “war on terror” detainees as human “guinea pigs” to gauge the effectiveness of various torture techniques, a practice that has raised troubling comparisons to Nazi-era human experimentation.
Read on.
Wall Street Reform Under Siege
By Danny Schechter
June 7, 2010
June 7, 2010
We have less than a month to go before the Congress votes on financial reform.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Obama's 'Drone' Attacks Criticized
By Sherwood Ross
June 6, 2010
The United Nations independent investigator on extrajudicial killings wants countries that employ lethal drone attacks to first prove they have attempted to capture or incapacitate suspects.
Read on.
June 6, 2010
The United Nations independent investigator on extrajudicial killings wants countries that employ lethal drone attacks to first prove they have attempted to capture or incapacitate suspects.
Read on.
Saturday, June 05, 2010
Israeli Navy Seizes 'Rachel Corrie'
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 5, 2010
Much to the dismay of the Israeli government, Rachel Corrie remains determined to protect the rights of Palestinians crowded into the Gaza Strip.
Read on.
June 5, 2010
Much to the dismay of the Israeli government, Rachel Corrie remains determined to protect the rights of Palestinians crowded into the Gaza Strip.
Read on.
Friday, June 04, 2010
How 'Power' Christians Ignore Jesus
By the Rev. Howard Bess
June 4, 2010
Are Christians destined to be rulers? Over the past 2,000 years, the vast majority of the followers of Jesus have answered that question with a resounding “yes.” With that answer, we have deserted the very leader we claim to follow.
Read on.
June 4, 2010
Are Christians destined to be rulers? Over the past 2,000 years, the vast majority of the followers of Jesus have answered that question with a resounding “yes.” With that answer, we have deserted the very leader we claim to follow.
Read on.
Salvador's Funes Find 'Change' Hard
By Don North
June 4, 2010
Like U.S. President Barack Obama, Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes won on a platform of “hope and change,” but he has since discovered that hard economic times and old political divisions can make accomplishing new policies difficult.
Read on.
June 4, 2010
Like U.S. President Barack Obama, Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes won on a platform of “hope and change,” but he has since discovered that hard economic times and old political divisions can make accomplishing new policies difficult.
Read on.
Gaza Boat Activists Deny Israeli Story
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 4, 2010
With a bloody raid on the “Freedom Flotilla,” Israel has demonstrated, once again, its willingness to kill innocents in order to sustain its punishing blockade on the Gaza strip, even when doing so raises more and more questions about nuclear-armed Israel’s national sanity.
Read on.
June 4, 2010
With a bloody raid on the “Freedom Flotilla,” Israel has demonstrated, once again, its willingness to kill innocents in order to sustain its punishing blockade on the Gaza strip, even when doing so raises more and more questions about nuclear-armed Israel’s national sanity.
Read on.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Israel Attacked a NATO Member's Ship
By Craig Murray
June 3, 2010
NATO HQ in Brussels is a very unhappy place. There is a strong understanding among the various national militaries that an attack by Israel on a NATO member flagged ship in international waters is an event to which NATO is obliged - legally obliged, as a matter of treaty - to react.
Read on.
June 3, 2010
NATO HQ in Brussels is a very unhappy place. There is a strong understanding among the various national militaries that an attack by Israel on a NATO member flagged ship in international waters is an event to which NATO is obliged - legally obliged, as a matter of treaty - to react.
Read on.
First-hand Account of Israeli Assault
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 3, 2010
Dennis Bernstein: First of all, how are you doing? How are you feeling?
Read on.
June 3, 2010
Dennis Bernstein: First of all, how are you doing? How are you feeling?
Read on.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
UN Human Rights Adviser Blasts Israel
By Dennis Bernstein and Jesse Strauss
June 2, 2010
Dennis Bernstein: We don’t have a lot of detail, but Israel itself is clearly admitting they carried out this raid. … Based on what you know and what you’ve seen, what can we say about what happened here in terms of human rights violations and international law?
Read on.
June 2, 2010
Dennis Bernstein: We don’t have a lot of detail, but Israel itself is clearly admitting they carried out this raid. … Based on what you know and what you’ve seen, what can we say about what happened here in terms of human rights violations and international law?
Read on.
Why US Intelligence Reform Failed
By Ivan Eland
June 2, 2010
The sacking of Dennis Blair, the third director of national intelligence in the position’s short five-year history, is one important indicator that the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2004 has failed.
Read on.
June 2, 2010
The sacking of Dennis Blair, the third director of national intelligence in the position’s short five-year history, is one important indicator that the Intelligence Reform and Terrorist Prevention Act of 2004 has failed.
Read on.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Israel's Dangerous Turn
By Robert Parry
June 2, 2010
After Israel’s lethal attack in international waters on a civilian flotilla carrying relief supplies to Gaza, a troubling question arises: Have Israeli authorities, who possess a major nuclear arsenal, become dangerously erratic?
Read on.
June 2, 2010
After Israel’s lethal attack in international waters on a civilian flotilla carrying relief supplies to Gaza, a troubling question arises: Have Israeli authorities, who possess a major nuclear arsenal, become dangerously erratic?
Read on.
America's False Measure of Success
By Danny Schechter
June 1, 2010
It was hard to resist an invite to my high school reunion because it came from guys who worked with me on the student newspaper at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York; my gateway to a career in journalism.
Read on.
June 1, 2010
It was hard to resist an invite to my high school reunion because it came from guys who worked with me on the student newspaper at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, New York; my gateway to a career in journalism.
Read on.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Obama's Timidity and Deaths at Sea
By Ray McGovern
June 1, 2010
A chief lesson to learn from President Barack Obama’s recent unwillingness to stand up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Lobby is that such timidity can get people killed.
Read on.
June 1, 2010
A chief lesson to learn from President Barack Obama’s recent unwillingness to stand up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Lobby is that such timidity can get people killed.
Read on.
How Israel Out-Foxed US Presidents
By Morgan Strong
May 31, 2010
At the end of a news conference on April 13, President Barack Obama made the seemingly obvious point that the continuing Middle East conflict – pitting Israel against its Arab neighbors – will end up “costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure.”
Read on.
May 31, 2010
At the end of a news conference on April 13, President Barack Obama made the seemingly obvious point that the continuing Middle East conflict – pitting Israel against its Arab neighbors – will end up “costing us significantly in terms of both blood and treasure.”
Read on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)