Month: July 2004

Inoculated for a While? Some time ago I was reading PNAC’s Dec. 3, 2003, National Security Outlook, authored by Thomas Donnelly and Vance Serchuk. The following practically leapt off the page [“Fighting a Global Counterinsurgency“]: (D)efense transformation must bring about a change in the military mindset from what Eliot Cohen calls a “mass army” to … Continue reading “Backtalk July 13, 2004”

We’re fighting a war to export "democracy" to Iraq – as U.S. government officials openly discuss the possibility of canceling the November elections. While it’s no surprise that a government official of any nationality would talk out of both sides of his mouth, in the Bizarro America of the post-9/11 era a distinctly double-jointed rhetorical … Continue reading “A Scheme to Cancel the Elections?”

Mohamed ElBaradei – director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency – was in Israel last week pursuing a nuke-free Middle East. Now, ElBaradei has already certified Iraq to be nuke-free. And Iran. So, isn’t the Middle East already nuke-free? Well, not according to Mordechai Vanunu. Vanunu was a technician at the Israeli nuclear facilities … Continue reading “Déjà Vu, ElBaradei?”

National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice’s Asia trip produced several noteworthy developments. Although topics of conversation included trade and human rights, the talks with Chinese, Japanese and Korean officials revolved around the two major points of conflict in the region: North Korea and Taiwan. The first important development is the role of Jiang Zemin, former President … Continue reading “The US Stumbles Over North Korea, Taiwan”

“Hijacking planes, terrorizing innocent people and shedding blood, constitute a form of injustice that cannot be tolerated by Islam, which views them as gross crimes and sinful acts. … Any Muslim who is aware of his teachings of his religion and who adheres to the directives of the Qur’an and the Sunn’ah will never involve … Continue reading “Michael Moore, Richard Perle Join Forces”

Saturday at the Westin Diplomat hotel outside Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the Democratic Party finalized its platform for the upcoming Democratic National Convention to be held in Boston later this month. Progressives and peace lovers – mostly Kucinich and Dean supporters – didn’t get much at all. Not only does the platform not call for the … Continue reading “Democrats Drop Antiwar Pretensions”

A former speechwriter for President Richard Nixon thinks his old boss made a mistake when he ended the military draft in the early 1970s during the war in Vietnam. Noel Koch reports that Nixon himself came to believe he erred and “[urged] that the draft be restored.” Well, that’s too bad. My only reason for … Continue reading “The Draft Is Fascist”

After 9/11, the word of the president was supposedly the only protection that the rights and liberties of the American people needed. After 9/11, President Bush granted himself unlimited, unchecked power over anyone in the world suspected of being a terrorist. The Supreme Court, in a series of rulings on June 28, 2004, trimmed that … Continue reading “Torture as Due Process”

Senate Iraq Report Said to Skirt White House Use of Intelligence American principles (truth, justice, responsibility) anyone? It’s been quite a while since anything I’ve read on Antiwar.com has gotten me riled up. But today, two articles really bothered me. First, it appears the 9/11 commission has agreed not to focus on the misinterpretations of … Continue reading “Backtalk July 11, 2004”

Iraq is suffering an acute economic crisis marked by widespread poverty, catastrophic levels of unemployment and deteriorating work conditions for those fortunate enough to have jobs. Yet according to reports by international labor and human rights groups, a series of policies enacted by U.S. administrators and large Western contractors, who promised to bring economic recovery, … Continue reading “Iraq’s Economic Woes Fuel Resentment”