March 26, 2011
It's been a long time since I sat in a college literature class and learned about the theater of the absurd, the work of great writers like Beckett, Ionesco, Genet and Camus, among others.
Friday, March 25, 2011
'Theater of the Absurd' Comes to Life
By Danny Schechter
March 26, 2011
March 26, 2011
Torture and Bradley Manning
By Marjorie Cohn
March 25, 2011
March 25, 2011
Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, who is facing court-martial for leaking military reports and diplomatic cables to WikiLeaks, is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico brig in Virginia.
The Neocons Regroup on Libyan War
By Robert Parry
March 25, 2011
March 25, 2011
American neoconservatives worried that the pro-democracy wave sweeping the Middle East might take out only "moderate" Arab dictators, but the neocons now see hope that uprisings will topple "enemy" regimes in Libya and Syria.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
How Auto Ad Dollars Dictate Coverage
By Bianca Mugyenyi and Yves Engler
March 24, 2011
March 24, 2011
Last week, Detroit News auto critic, Scott Burgess, resigned after a “Chrysler dealer complained about his review of the Chrysler 200 — the centerpiece of the company’s 'Imported from Detroit' advertising campaign."
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Race for Solar Energy from Space
By William John Cox
March 23, 2011
March 23, 2011
The failure of the General Electric nuclear reactors in Japan to safely shut down after the 9.0 Tahoku earthquake – on the heels of last year’s catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the deadly methane gas explosion in Massey’s West Virginia coal mine – underscores the grave dangers to human society posed by current energy production methods.
Taking On the Teachers
By Lawrence Davidson
March 23, 2011
March 23, 2011
The Florida state legislature has passed Bill 736, and Gov. Rick Scott has signed it. So this effort to "reform" teaching practices in the Florida public schools is now law.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ignoring Peace Talks in Libya
By Marjorie Cohn
March 22, 2011
March 22, 2011
Since Saturday night, the United States, France, and Britain have been bombing Libya with cruise missiles, B-2 stealth bombers, F-16 and F-15 fighter jets, and Harrier attack jets. There is no reliable estimate of the number of civilians killed.
America 'Trapped' by False Narratives
By Robert Parry
March 22, 2011
March 22, 2011
On a state visit to Chile on Monday, President Barack Obama deflected questions about U.S. support for the late Augusto Pinochet’s brutal dictatorship by warning against the risks of becoming “trapped by our history.” But a clear and present danger to the United States is that it is being trapped instead by false and misleading narratives.
Monday, March 21, 2011
War's Corruption of Christianity
By Gary G. Kohls
March 22, 2011
March 22, 2011
There is no question that the Christian church of the first three centuries regarded itself as a nonviolent community. It makes perfect sense. Jesus clearly taught and modeled the nonviolent love of friend and enemy, and his earliest followers tried to do so.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
A World in Denial about Nuclear Power
By Danny Schechter
March 21, 2011
March 21, 2011
What will it take for our world to recognize the dangers that nuclear scientists and even Albert Einstein were warning about at the “dawn” of the nuclear age?
Protecting Libyan Civilians, Not Others
By Robert Parry
March 20, 2011
Even if you think that the incipient Libyan civil war was an unfolding humanitarian tragedy that justified some international intervention, it is hard not to take note of the endless double standards and selective outrage that pervade U.S. foreign policy.
March 20, 2011
Even if you think that the incipient Libyan civil war was an unfolding humanitarian tragedy that justified some international intervention, it is hard not to take note of the endless double standards and selective outrage that pervade U.S. foreign policy.
The Hypocrisy of the Libyan Conflict
By Lawrence Davidson
March 20, 2011
March 20, 2011
Whether you believe that the United Nations resolution authorizing extensive intervention in the Libyan civil war is justified or not, and whether you believe that the admittedly eccentric 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi over a complex and fractious tribal society has been cruel, there is one thing that all objective observers should be able to agree on.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Understating Afghan Civilian Deaths
By Gareth Porter and Shah Noori
March 19, 2011
March 19, 2011
The number of civilians killed in U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) raids in Afghanistan last year was probably several times higher than the figure of 80 people cited in the U.N. report published last week, an IPS investigation has revealed.
Through the US Media Lens Darkly
By Robert Parry
March 18, 2011
March 18, 2011
As Americans turn to their news media to make sense of the upheavals in the Middle East, it’s worth remembering that the bias of the mainstream U.S. press corps is most powerful when covering a Washington-designated villain, especially if he happens to be Muslim.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Learning Nuke Dangers the Hard Way
By Lawrence S. Wittner
March 17, 2011
March 17, 2011
Although people can be educated in a variety of ways, experience is a particularly effective teacher. Consider the Japanese who today are certainly learning how dangerous nuclear power can be.
Aristide's Right to Return to Haiti
By Nat Parry
March 17, 2011
March 17, 2011
The United States government, in violation of international human rights treaties, is trying to prevent the return to Haiti of twice-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was deposed in a U.S.-backed coup d’etat in 2004.
Al Jazeera Shows the Way
By Danny Schechter
March 17, 2011
March 17, 2011
When I arrived in the capital of Qatar, as one of the guest participants in the 6th annual Al Jazeera Forum focused on the Arab world in transition, it was clear the mood had changed.
Why the Jokes about Japan's Tragedy
By Phil Rockstroh
March 17, 2011
March 17, 2011
A number of years back, Pauline Kael took Steven Spielberg to task for his depiction of rural Georgia circa 1909 in his movie, “The Color Purple,” averring that Spielberg's only field of reference seemed to be images culled from cinematic history, rendering his movie tone deaf regarding the rhythms and cadences of life during the era.
Read on.Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The Invasion of Bahrain
By Craig Murray
March 16, 2011
March 16, 2011
The hideous King of Bahrain has called in troops from Saudi Arabia, UAE and Kuwait to attack pro-democracy protesters in Bahrain.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Return of Nukespeak
By Rory O'Connor and Richard Bell
March 16, 2011
March 16, 2011
George Orwell argued that controlling language offered the ultimate tool for getting people to accept the unacceptable – such as the catastrophic risks of operating nuclear power plants.
Punishing the Truth-Tellers
By Robert Parry
March 15, 2011
March 15, 2011
It appears the most serious offense you can commit in Washington these days is telling the truth. You get a pass on torture, aggressive war, killing civilians, lying, destroying evidence and such, but don’t dare give honest information to the American people.
Not-So-Fool-Proof Nuclear Power
By Jesse Laird
March 15, 2011
March 15, 2011
The ecological crisis posed by the exploding and leaking nuclear power plants in Japan following the massive earthquake and tsunami there presents an opportunity for Americans to rethink nuclear power.
Monday, March 14, 2011
At War with Community Responsibility
By Lawrence Davidson
March 14, 2011
March 14, 2011
I live in a university town just west of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Both the town and the university share the same name, hence West Chester University. WCU is a publicly owned institution and part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).
Inside America's 'Adjustment Bureau'
By Robert Parry
March 14, 2011
March 14, 2011
Today’s American political crisis has many facets, but a key one is narrative – how the history and ideals of the United States are understood by the public. The strategic importance of narrative is why the Right has invested so much in building media to redirect and control the national storylines.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The Budget Battle's Moral Dimension
By the Rev. Howard Bess
March 12, 2011
March 12, 2011
Government budgets are as much moral statements as the Ten Commandments or the Sermon on the Mount. The language is different, but the essence is the same. Budgets reveal the values of the nation.
Bradley Manning's Kafkaesque World
By Kevin Zeese
March 12, 2011
Bradley Manning’s appeal of the refusal to relax his conditions of confinement makes a strong case that he has been a model prisoner who is being unjustly abused. He also explains how his inhumane treatment violates his due process rights and constitutes cruel and certainly unusual punishment.
Read on.
March 12, 2011
Bradley Manning’s appeal of the refusal to relax his conditions of confinement makes a strong case that he has been a model prisoner who is being unjustly abused. He also explains how his inhumane treatment violates his due process rights and constitutes cruel and certainly unusual punishment.
Read on.
Friday, March 11, 2011
In Defense of NPR
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship
March 11, 2011
March 11, 2011
Come on now: Let’s take a breath and put this NPR fracas into perspective.
How the US Press Corps Lost Its Way
By Robert Parry
March 11, 2011
March 11, 2011
The eulogies for Washington Post columnist David Broder and the chaos surrounding National Public Radio have coincided as an unintended commentary on what went wrong with the U.S. news media.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Ex-CIA Analyst Decries Manning Abuse
By David C. MacMichael
March 10, 2011
March 10, 2011
I write to you in your capacity as the commander-in-chief of the armed services of the United States to express my concern, indeed my outrage, at the way in which the prosecution of U.S. Army Private First Class Bradley Manning is being conducted.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Manning's Abuse Reveals US Hypocrisy
By Kevin Zeese
March 9, 2011
March 9, 2011
Reports that Bradley Manning is being held nude every night at the Quantico Brig, then forced to stand naked in the hallway while he waits for his clothes, shows the inconsistency of the treatment of Manning with basic American values of due process, fair trial and human dignity.
How Two Elections Changed America
By Robert Parry
March 9, 2011 (Originally published November 4, 2009)
March 9, 2011 (Originally published November 4, 2009)
Two clandestine operations during hard-fought presidential elections of the past half century shaped the modern American political era, but they remain little known to the general public and mostly ignored by historians. One unfolded in the weeks before Election 1968 and the other over a full year before Election 1980.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Misjudgments Led to Hijacking Tragedy
By Ivan Eland
March 8, 2011
March 8, 2011
The killing of four Americans by Somali pirates was tragic. No excuse exists for murder. But at the risk of seeming harsh, I believe there is much contributory negligence to go around.
Monday, March 07, 2011
CNBC Advocates Unbridled Capitalism
By Robert Parry
March 7, 2011
March 7, 2011
CNBC, the top U.S. business news channel, is running propaganda ads in support of unbridled capitalism, including a 1979 clip of right-wing economist Milton Friedman besting talk show host Phil Donahue in a debate over the merits of greed.
The Other Side of the 'Marshall Plan'
By William Blum
March 7, 2011
March 7, 2011
Amidst all the stirring political upheavals in North Africa and the Middle East, the name "Marshall Plan" keeps being repeated by political figures and media around the world as the key to rebuilding the economies of those societies to complement the political advances, which hopefully will be somewhat progressive.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
How the NFL Can Solve 18-Game Impasse
By Robert Parry
March 6, 2011
March 6, 2011
Okay, I know we don’t write much about sports, but I had a thought about how to resolve one of the sticking points in the NFL negotiations with the players’ union – the issue of expanding the regular season schedule to 18 from 16 games.
'Class Warfare' Finds America
By Danny Schechter
March 6, 2011
March 6, 2011
The term “class war” has been extricated from the archives of another era, while divisions over the future of the economy have become a battleground in which the adversaries yell at each other, but rarely engage in any discourse with each other in a shared language.
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Power v. Truth, a Sad Mismatch
By Jonathan Schwarz
March 5, 2011
March 5, 2011
Last week, I made another of my doomed attempts to use politeness and rationality to get people with power to correct false statements.
The 'Christian Nation' Flashpoint
By the Rev. Howard Bess
March 5, 2011
March 5, 2011
Many big issues fill our daily news – political upheaval in the Middle East, budget-cutting in Washington, and a challenge to public unions in Wisconsin – but there is another dark storm cloud on the horizon, the renewed battle over the issue of church and state.
Criminalizing the Truth-Tellers
By Lawrence Davidson
March 5, 2011
March 5, 2011
There is no doubt that Julian Assange, the head of the WikiLeaks organization, and Bradley Manning, the soldier who allegedly leaked U.S. classified documents, are being singled out and made examples of by the Obama administration.
Friday, March 04, 2011
Bush's Interrogators Stressed Nudity
By Robert Parry
March 4, 2011 (Originally published September 12, 2009)
March 4, 2011 (Originally published September 12, 2009)
The CIA shared with George W. Bush’s Justice Department the details of how an interrogation strategy – with an emphasis on forced nudity and physical abuse – could train prisoners in “learned helplessness” and demonstrate “the complete control of Americans.”
Army's Mafia Abuse of Pvt. Manning
By Ray McGovern
March 4, 2011
Is the U.S. Army stooping to Mafia-style tactics in seeking to imprison 23-year-old Private Bradley Manning for the rest of his life, essentially making him an example for other U.S. soldiers who might be tempted to put conscience and commitment to truth ahead of military discipline and going by the book?
March 4, 2011
Is the U.S. Army stooping to Mafia-style tactics in seeking to imprison 23-year-old Private Bradley Manning for the rest of his life, essentially making him an example for other U.S. soldiers who might be tempted to put conscience and commitment to truth ahead of military discipline and going by the book?
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Mubarak, the Bag Man
By Morgan Strong
March 3, 2011
March 3, 2011
The mysterious fortune of ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak got an early boost from millions of dollars in cash bribes delivered by CIA-connected arms merchants in the late 1970s, according to two participants.
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Ray McGovern Hails Dropped Charge
By Robert Parry
March 2, 2011
March 2, 2011
A disorderly conduct charge against former CIA analyst Ray McGovern – for standing silently with his back to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – was dropped on Wednesday in what McGovern called a victory for the constitutional right to dissent against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
How to Read Gates's Shift on the Wars
By Ray McGovern
March 2, 2011
March 2, 2011
In Establishment Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates enjoys a charmed life based on a charming persona. The Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) is always ready with fulsome praise for his “candor” and “leadership” – and even for his belated recognition that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were nuts.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
WikiLeaks Shames the Old News Media
By Kevin Zeese
March 1, 2011
March 1, 2011
If there were ever a doubt about whether the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is “a real journalist,” recent events should erase all those doubts. Indeed, they should put him at the forefront of a movement to democratize journalism and empower people.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Kicking the Vietnam Syndrome
By Robert Parry
February 28, 2011
February 28, 2011
Twenty years ago, with a resounding victory in a 100-hour ground war against Iraqi troops in Kuwait, the first Bush administration completed the restoration of a powerful public consensus, a renewed national commitment that the United States should act as the world’s imperial policeman.
Ten Reasons Why Wall Street Skated
By Danny Schechter
February 28, 2011
February 28, 2011
Hats off to writer Matt Taibbi for staying on the Wall Street crime beat, asking in his most recent report in Rolling Stone: “Why Isn't Wall Street in Jail?”
Read on.Sunday, February 27, 2011
Gates Agrees, Bush's Wars Were Nuts
By Robert Parry
February 27, 2011
February 27, 2011
When Defense Secretary Robert Gates told West Point cadets that you’d have to be crazy to commit U.S. troops to wars like those in Iraq and Afghanistan, media commentators quickly detected a slap at his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, who oversaw those conflicts.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
America's Radical 'Conservatism'
By Lawrence Davidson
February 26, 2011
February 26, 2011
If you have the stomach to listen to the likes of Glenn Beck or track the antics of people like Sarah Palin, you might get the idea that today’s American political conservatives are a bunch of radicals and extremists. And, as we will see, you would be correct.
Professor Maguire Criticizes UN Veto
By Daniel C. Maguire
February 26, 2011
Dear Dr. Rice, A criticism and a comment: "Settlement" is, as you know, a euphemism for expropriation of Palestinian property.
Read on.
February 26, 2011
Dear Dr. Rice, A criticism and a comment: "Settlement" is, as you know, a euphemism for expropriation of Palestinian property.
Read on.
America, a Land of No Prophets
By the Rev. Howard Bess
February 26, 2011
February 26, 2011
In today’s English language, a prophet is someone who has the power to predict the future, but that is not the role of the prophets that we find in the Bible.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Recruiting America to War on Itself
By Michael Winship
February 25, 2011
February 25, 2011
"More cheese, less sleaze!" That was the funniest group chant at Tuesday’s rally of several hundred union and other progressive activists outside the Manhattan headquarters of Fox News.
Political Upheaval and Women's Rights
By William John Cox
February 25, 2011
February 25, 2011
As the youth-led Freedom Movement of 2011 spreads rapidly across the Middle East, one can only wonder what would be happening in Iraq today if the U.S. had not invaded eight years ago.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Budget Crisis? Duh, Tax the Rich!
By Robert Parry
February 24, 2011
February 24, 2011
A great tragedy of the United States is that the answer to many of the country’s domestic problems is obvious, even simple, but can’t be done because of a dominating political/media dynamic that rules that solution out.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wisconsin's Right-Wing Radical
By Lisa Pease
February 23, 2011
February 23, 2011
It’s not just Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s recent efforts to strip public employees of their right to collectively bargain that have citizens of his state outraged. Walker is nothing short of a radical hell-bent on privatizing the public sector of Wisconsin.
Standing Up to War and Hillary Clinton
By Ray McGovern
February 23, 2011
February 23, 2011
It was not until Secretary of State Hillary Clinton walked to the George Washington University podium last week to enthusiastic applause that I decided I had to dissociate myself from the obsequious adulation of a person responsible for so much death, suffering and destruction.
US Endless-War Budget Rolls On
By Sherwood Ross
February 23, 2011
February 23, 2011
Under President Barack Obama's new budget for fiscal year 2012, the Great American War Machine just rolls on and on.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Which Way on America's Road to Ruin?
By Don Monkerud
February 22, 2011
America remains on the "road to ruin," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin declared as she honored the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
February 22, 2011
America remains on the "road to ruin," former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin declared as she honored the legacy of Ronald Reagan.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Madoff Fingers Wall Street,, Sort of
By Danny Schechter
February 21, 2011
February 21, 2011
Thank you Bernie for breaking your silence, even if you are still clinging to that cover-up mode you adopted since your guilty plea took all the blame for your crimes on yourself.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Multiple 'Realities' in the Middle East
By Lawrence Davidson
February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
The inspiring moments when President Obama appeared before the cameras, and thus the world, to declare that the dictator Hosni Mubarak must step down and the people of Egypt must be given the inalienable right to self-determination are now in the past.
The GOP's Mixed Emotions on Anger
By Nat Parry
February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
The national Republican leadership embraced anger during the first two years of Barack Obama’s term with rank-and-file Republicans even brandishing guns at rallies. But anger is suddenly a bad thing again, at least when expressed by public employees defending their collective bargaining rights.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Egypt's Lessons of Peace
By Rev. Howard Bess
February 19, 2011
February 19, 2011
The uprising in Egypt has to be added to the truly world-changing events that I have witnessed in my life. The others I would call “the big three”: World War II, the American civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Tea Party Crazy Sweeps America
By Michael Winship
February 18, 2011
February 18, 2011
Forced at gunpoint this weekend to clean out a lot of old paper files in anticipation of some home improvements, I ran across some articles and obituaries I had saved following the death, a little more than five and a half years ago, of the late, great Ann Richards, former governor of Texas.
Read on.Battling 'Neoliberalism' in Wisconsin
By Daniel C. Maguire
February 18, 2011
It has been well noted that the protest in Madison, Wisconsin, is not about the budget but about union-busting, but that is a symptom, not the root of the problem.
Read on.
February 18, 2011
It has been well noted that the protest in Madison, Wisconsin, is not about the budget but about union-busting, but that is a symptom, not the root of the problem.
Read on.
Colin Powell's Disgraceful Lies
By David Swanson
February 18, 2011
February 18, 2011
In the wake of WMD-liar Curveball's videotaped confession, Colin Powell is demanding to know why nobody warned him about Curveball's unreliability. The trouble is, they did.
Read on.Thursday, February 17, 2011
Ray McGovern Bloodied at Clinton Talk
By Robert Parry
February 17, 2011
February 17, 2011
Sometimes the hypocrisy is just overwhelming. So, it probably shouldn’t surprise us that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would deliver a speech hailing the peaceful protests that changed Egypt while 71-year-old Ray McGovern was roughed up and dragged away for standing quietly in protest of her support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Read on.The Back Story on Iran's Clashes
By Robert Parry
February 17, 2011
February 17, 2011
Iranian parliamentarians presented an ugly scene on Tuesday with raucous chants calling for the executions of two opposition leaders – and the U.S. news media was quick to denounce the Iranian government – but there is a complex history that Americans aren’t getting.
Read on.Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tear Down This Reagan Mythology
By Ivan Eland
February 16, 2011
February 16, 2011
A visit to the remote Reagan ranch in the mountains near Santa Barbara, California, on the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth set me thinking about Reagan’s foreign policy record.
Read on.
How Egypt's Revolt Challenges Israel
By Lawrence Davidson
February 16, 2011
February 16, 2011
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently traveled to Israel and Jordan to assure these two "partners" of the steadfast nature of U.S. loyalty.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Short-Counting the Taliban
By Gareth Porter
February 15, 2011
February 15, 2011
Despite evidence that the Taliban insurgency had grown significantly in 2010, the U.S. intelligence
community failed to revise its estimate for Taliban forces as part of a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Afghanistan in December.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Recalling the Slaughter of Innocents
By Ray McGovern
February 14, 2011
February 14, 2011
Twenty years ago, as Americans were celebrating Valentine’s Day, Iraqi husbands and fathers in the Amiriyah section of Baghdad were peeling the remains of their wives and children off the walls and floor of a large neighborhood bomb shelter.
Read on.Now, Egypt Faces 'the Hard Part'
By Danny Schechter
February 14, 2011
February 14, 2011
On the long morning after, protesters returned to Tahrir Square to clean it up and savor their victory. There were even some initial scuffles with the military that may be over-anxious to assert control and show it is in charge.
Bush Confronts an Outraged World
By Lawrence Davidson
February 14, 2011
February 14, 2011
One of the really progressive acts that followed the end of World War II was the establishment of the principle of universal jurisdiction (UJ), a legal process that allows states that are signatories to various international treaties and conventions (such as the Geneva conventions) to prosecute alleged violators of these treaties, even when these violations are committed outside the country’s usual jurisdiction.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The CIA's Man in Egypt
By Scott Horton
February 12, 2011
February 12, 2011
With Mubarak’s departure, the focus now falls on his chosen successor, Omar Suleiman.
Read on.Friday, February 11, 2011
Hard Lessons from the HuffPost Sale
By Robert Parry
February 11, 2011
U.S. progressive media has had a tough few weeks. First, Keith Olbermann, the pioneer for liberal programming during MSNBC’s evening hours, was sent packing. Then, Arianna Huffington allowed AOL to subsume her Huffington Post into AOL’s right-of-center content for the price tag of $315 million.
Read on.
February 11, 2011
U.S. progressive media has had a tough few weeks. First, Keith Olbermann, the pioneer for liberal programming during MSNBC’s evening hours, was sent packing. Then, Arianna Huffington allowed AOL to subsume her Huffington Post into AOL’s right-of-center content for the price tag of $315 million.
Read on.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Obama-Was-Anti-Business Myth
By Kevin Zeese
February 10, 2011
February 10, 2011
The unrelenting narrative from the corporate media – that Obama must mend fences with American business – is disconnected from the reality of Obama’s policies and appointments.
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
What a 'Liberal Media' Might Look Like
By Lisa Pease
February 9, 2011
February 9, 2011
I’m surprised that otherwise intelligent people continue to believe the myth that the media is “liberal.” I think it’s worth discussing what a liberal media would look like if we had one, so we can better understand that we don’t have one.
Read on.Tuesday, February 08, 2011
America's Stay-at-Home Ex-President
By Ray McGovern
February 8, 2011
February 8, 2011
As the news broke on Saturday that former President George W. Bush had abruptly canceled his scheduled appearance this week in Geneva to avoid the risk of arrest on a torture complaint, my first thought was — how humiliating, not only for Bush but, by extension, for all Americans.
Read on.US Spurned Taliban Peace Feelers
By Gareth Porter
February 8, 2011
February 8, 2011
The central justification of the U.S.-NATO war against the Afghan Taliban - that the Taliban would allow al Qaeda to return to Afghanistan - has been challenged by new historical evidence of offers by the Taliban leadership to reconcile with the Hamid Karzai government after the fall of the Taliban government in late 2001.
The Many Obstacles to Revolution
By William Blum
February 8, 2011
February 8, 2011
In July 1975, I went to Portugal because in April of the previous year a bloodless military coup had brought down the U.S.-supported 48-year fascist regime of Portugal.
Monday, February 07, 2011
Mubarak's Dangerous 'Groupthink'
By Lawrence Davidson
February 7, 2011
Through his stubbornness Hosni Mubarak has managed to transform himself from a 30-year "loyal ally" into an 82-year-old liability.
Read on.
February 7, 2011
Through his stubbornness Hosni Mubarak has managed to transform himself from a 30-year "loyal ally" into an 82-year-old liability.
Read on.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Egyptian Blogger Describes Clashes
By Dennis Bernstein
February 6, 2011
February 6, 2011
To call the ongoing people’s revolts in Tunisia and Egypt FaceBook revolutions is certainly overstating the case.
Read on.NYT's Keller Disparages Assange
By Coleen Rowley
February 6, 2011
February 6, 2011
How unseemly for New York Times executive editor Bill Keller to look down so disdainfully at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, with a nasty ad hominem portrayal in last Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, “Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets.”
Saturday, February 05, 2011
Ronald Reagan, Enabler of Atrocities
By Robert Parry
February 6, 2011
February 6, 2011
When you’re listening to the many tributes to President Ronald Reagan, often for his talent making Americans feel better about themselves, you might want to spend a minute thinking about the many atrocities in Latin America and elsewhere that Reagan aided, covered up or shrugged off in his inimitable "aw shucks" manner.
Egypt Is Test of Obama's Promises
By Kevin Zeese
February 5, 2011
February 5, 2011
Egypt is an alarm that signals the urgent need for change in U.S. foreign policy. It provides President Obama an opportunity to transform a foreign policy that has often had the opposite effect than was sought and is undermining U.S. economic and national security.
Read on.Friday, February 04, 2011
Mideast Payback Worries Washington
By Michael Winship
February 4, 2011
February 4, 2011
Almost seven years have passed since I spent some time in the Middle East. The closest I get to the opinions of "the Arab street" these days is the fellow who runs the delicatessen a block away from me.
Read on.Reagan's Epoch Shatters in Egypt
By Robert Parry
February 4, 2011
February 4, 2011
The political crisis sweeping the Middle East is another part of Ronald Reagan’s dark legacy that is shattering into chaos even as the United States prepares to lavishly celebrate his 100th birthday.
Read on.Thursday, February 03, 2011
Olbermann's Disturbing Departure
By Franklin L. Johnson
February 3, 2011
February 3, 2011
On Friday evening, Jan. 21, after reading a short story by James Thurber, titled The Scotty Who Knew Too Much, Keith Olbermann abruptly closed his program by informing his viewers it would be his last. This out-of-the-blue exit will go down in broadcast history as one of the most bizarre.
Read on.Israel Frets Over Egyptian Uprising
By Lawrence Davidson
February 3, 2011
February 3, 2011
I watched Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu talk about the ongoing events in Egypt. In essence, he said that if the demonstrations against the 30-year-old dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak succeeded the world could get an Iranian-style regime in Egypt and that would be the end of democracy.
Read on.Tuesday, February 01, 2011
The Hope of 'Groundhog Day'
By Winslow Myers
February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
Groundhog Day brings to mind various associations, including the fervent hope of this snow-buried Bostonian that Punxsutawney Phil will not see his shadow this year and spring will come early. This may be the one good thing about global warming.
Read on.Lebanon Marks Another US Reversal
By Ivan Eland
February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
With the rise of a Hezbollah-backed government in Lebanon, hand-wringing seems to be the order of the day in the American and Israeli governments.
Read on.Reagan's Bargain, Charlie Wilson's War
By Peter W. Dickson
February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
What’s left out of a movie about history often interests only a few experts in the field. However, the release of one that chronicles the successful sub rosa American effort to bleed the Soviet Army in Afghanistan in the 1980s may prove to be an exception.
US-Israeli Strategy Crashes in Egypt
By Gareth Porter
February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
The death throes of the Mubarak regime in Egypt signal a new level of crisis for a U.S. Middle East strategy that has shown itself over and over again in recent years to be based on nothing more than the illusion of power.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Assailing Assange on '60 Minutes'
By David Swanson
January 31, 2011
January 31, 2011
The reason people in Tunisia, Egypt, and other parts of the world have been influenced to some extent by the work of WikiLeaks is that they have read or heard about the material that WikiLeaks has helped to make public.
The Unpredictability of Uprisings
By Lawrence Davidson
January 31, 2011
January 31, 2011
If the recent events in Tunisia and Egypt tell us anything, it is that predicting the beginning of mass unrest is very difficult. Indeed, it is probably easier to predict the stock market.
Read on.Sunday, January 30, 2011
How Food Prices Feed Egyptian Revolt
By Danny Schechter
January 30, 2011
January 30, 2011
This is an upstairs/downstairs story that takes us from the peak of a Western mountaintop for the wealthy to spreading mass despair in the valleys of the Third World poor.
Read on.
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