Month: July 2013

US Hedge Funds Paint Argentina as Ally of Iranian ‘Devil’

When Argentina defaulted on its national debt in 2001, US hedge funds swooped in to buy the nation’s bonds at pennies on the dollar, confident they would eventually prevail in the US legal system and force the country to pay out in full. That battle is set to reach the Supreme Court later this year, … Continue reading “US Hedge Funds Paint Argentina as Ally of Iranian ‘Devil’”

Spinning Yarns in the Mainstream Media

The Washington Post editorial page under Fred Hiatt has long been a neoconservative bastion rivaling the Wall Street Journal, supporting every war to come down the pike while justifying every intrusion on personal rights as long as it might plausibly be justified on grounds of national security. On July 23rd, the paper’s op-ed page delivered … Continue reading “Spinning Yarns in the Mainstream Media”

Liberty’s Backlash

Last week, Justin Amash, the two-term libertarian Republican congressman from Michigan, joined with John Conyers, the 25-term liberal Democratic congressman from the same state, to offer an amendment to legislation funding the National Security Agency (NSA). If enacted, the Amash-Conyers amendment would have forced the government’s domestic spies when seeking search warrants to capture Americans’ … Continue reading “Liberty’s Backlash”

Positive Signals Between Iran and U.S. Intensifying

Within days of the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s new president, both Tehran and Washington appear to be sending positive signals to each other. The latest came Monday in a flurry of reports from Iran that its former ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Javad Zarif, is Rouhani’s pick as his foreign minister. “If … Continue reading “Positive Signals Between Iran and U.S. Intensifying”

Kill Wasteful Missile Defense Efforts

In the 30 years, since President Ronald Reagan created his expensive pie-in-the-sky Strategic Defense Initiative – quickly and appropriately named "Star Wars" by critics and journalists alike – the United States has spent a whopping $250 billion on trying to shoot down fast intercontinental ballistic missiles, such as those that might someday be fielded by … Continue reading “Kill Wasteful Missile Defense Efforts”

Ex-Envoy’s Account Clarifies Iran’s 2003 Nuclear Decision

Newly published recollections by the former French ambassador to Iran suggest that Iran was not running a covert nuclear weapons programme that it then decided to halt in late 2003, as concluded by U.S. intelligence in 2007. Ambassador Francois Nicoullaud recounted conversations with high-ranking Iranian officials indicating that Tehran’s then nuclear policy chief – and … Continue reading “Ex-Envoy’s Account Clarifies Iran’s 2003 Nuclear Decision”

‘King of Bacon’ Attacks Libertarians

Asked about the national debate unleashed by the Snowden revelations, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie declared war on libertarians: “As a former prosecutor who was appointed by President George W. Bush on Sept. 10, 2001, I just want us to be really cautious, because this strain of libertarianism that’s going through both parties right now … Continue reading “‘King of Bacon’ Attacks Libertarians”

The Moral Verdict on Bradley Manning: A Conviction of Love in Action

The sun rose with a moral verdict on Bradley Manning well before the military judge could proclaim his guilt. The human verdict would necessarily clash with the proclamation from the judicial bench. In lockstep with administrators of the nation’s war services, judgment day arrived on Tuesday to exact official retribution. After unforgiveable actions, the defendant’s … Continue reading “The Moral Verdict on Bradley Manning: A Conviction of Love in Action”