Month: September 2004

A Shabby and Sinister Case for War

Anyone following the Larry Franklin Pentagon spy story is keenly aware of the solidarity binding neoconservatives, AIPAC, Israel’s right-wing Likud Party, the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and the war drums neocons are beating against Iran. By this time, only the willfully ignorant could be unaware that top neocon policymakers in the George W. Bush administration … Continue reading “A Shabby and Sinister Case for War”

Sadr City Peace Talks Fall Apart

BAGHDAD – The new outbreak of violence in Baghdad has shattered ceasefire talks between Shia militants and the Iraqi government. Following a successful if fragile ceasefire in the holy city Najaf, it was hoped that talks in the impoverished Sadr City of Baghdad would become a model for further negotiations between the government and followers … Continue reading “Sadr City Peace Talks Fall Apart”

Pollardites in the Pentagon?

In 1987, Jonathan Pollard, U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, was imprisoned for life for selling a roomful of U.S. secret documents to Israel. Tel Aviv refused to return them. At the Clinton-Netanyahu summit at Wye River, Pollard became a subject of contention. ”Bibi” Netanyahu wanted to fly the American traitor back to Israel where he is … Continue reading “Pollardites in the Pentagon?”

Backtalk, September 8, 2004

Eugene Koontz’s backtalkEugene Koontz misses the point. Most people don’t pay close attention to the details of state policy because we’re biologically designed for a way of life in which all the major decisions affecting our lives are made in small primate social groupings. After the demands of work, family, friends, neighbors and the immediate … Continue reading “Backtalk, September 8, 2004”

Turkey Takes a Step Closer to EU

BRUSSELS – Turkey’s case for joining the EU improved with the publication of a report Monday setting out the advantages this would bring to the bloc. The report was published as European Union enlargement commissioner Guenther Verheugen noted in Ankara that the human rights situation within Turkey has improved. Concerns over human rights have long … Continue reading “Turkey Takes a Step Closer to EU”

Chilean Dictatorship’s Victims Go After Pinochet’s Lawyer

MADRID – Representatives of more than 5,000 survivors of the Chilean dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet and the families of victims brought a lawsuit Monday against the former dictator’s executor, Oscar Aitken, in the Spanish capital. The legal action was filed in the court of Spanish Judge Baltasar Garzón, and urges him to investigate the … Continue reading “Chilean Dictatorship’s Victims Go After Pinochet’s Lawyer”

Iraq: A Real Crossfire for Journalists

BAGHDAD – How does a journalist report from a country like Iraq, where the dynamics of the situation and the danger level change so rapidly? That question is put often to journalists. There is no simple answer, but the following words come to mind: flexibility, caution, experience, judgment, and calm. Few journalists rely on a … Continue reading “Iraq: A Real Crossfire for Journalists”

National ID Threatens Liberty

Washington politicians are once again seriously considering imposing a national identification card – and it may well become law before the end of the 108th Congress. The much-hailed 9/11 Commission report [pdf] released in July recommends a federal identification card and, worse, a "larger network of screening points" inside the United States. Does this mean … Continue reading “National ID Threatens Liberty”

Gandhi’s Ideals, Hindu Fundamentalism Still at Odds

NEW DELHI – It is an irony of history that Mahatma Gandhi, who led India to independence from British colonial rule in 1947, is now in a popularity contest with Veer Savarkar, arrested for the assassination of the "Apostle of Peace" but acquitted for lack of corroborative evidence. Gandhi was shot dead at a prayer … Continue reading “Gandhi’s Ideals, Hindu Fundamentalism Still at Odds”