Month: November 2004

There Is No One Left to Stop ThemThanks to Paul Craig Roberts (no relation) for his courageous honesty and intellectual and moral clarity. Remembering his Wall Street Journal pieces (why don’t they bring him back now?), and in light of my own history of protest, I frankly never expected to be writing a tribute to … Continue reading “Backtalk, November 23, 2004”

The other day, something quite remarkable happened. Ever since the election, news anchors warned of the “coming assault on Fallujah,” the “final clampdown,” the “major military offensive” that would put an end to the resistance in that city. Dire warnings were made for civilians to flee – civilians already weakened, exhausted and terrorized by a … Continue reading “Thanksgiving in a Culture of Death”

We live in a recurring nightmare. That’s the only conclusion one can draw from today’s headlines, which, as we draw closer to a confrontation with Iran, bear an eerie resemblance to yesterday’s breaking news. It seems like only yesterday that a Middle Eastern exile group – the Iraqi National Congress (INC) – was feeding the … Continue reading “The Lying Game, Revisited”

It is not yet Bush’s second term. All available U.S. troops are tied down in Iraq by a few thousand lightly armed insurgents. Go-it-alone Bush has isolated America from her allies. And the neocons want to spread their war to Iran. The Bush administration is recycling the lies that it used to invade Iraq: Iran … Continue reading “Won’t Get Fooled Again?”

Scott Horton interviews reporter Dahr Jamail live from Baghdad about the real Iraq, a land of rampant murder, kidnapping, and media repression. Interview conducted Nov. 20, 2004. Check out Scott’s other interviews with prominent antiwar and libertarian figures. Download MP3 Listen to Streaming Audio Dahr Jamail is a native of Alaska whose articles frequently appear … Continue reading “Iraq Uncensored”

The NewStandard BAGHDAD – While debate continues in the United States about how best to manage the occupation and nation-building of Iraq, the ideas of Iraqis on the matter of what is to happen in their country have been all but completely muted in the West. Iraqis tend to favor free elections without American influence … Continue reading “Iraqi Critics Speak Out on Occupation, Election”

"Flow like the blood of Abraham through the Jews and the Arabs, Broken apart like a woman’s heart abused in a marriage." The world is upside down, taking a breath before the next episode. We have four more years of unbridled uncontested Imperial rule, self-righteous, self-confident and self-contained. Just like Wellstone going down above the … Continue reading “Chinese Dreams, American Dreams”

Though recent American presidents have pursued a policy of global hegemony, the Bush administration has pursued world dominance with a vengeance. The administration’s National Security Strategy, for example, calls for preemptive wars against potential threats to American security and commits America to forcefully preventing other countries from attempting to match it militarily. Many Americans are … Continue reading “The Human Cost of Hegemony”

When President Bush needed a rationale for invading Iraq, he told Congress that Saddam Hussein posed “a continuing threat to the national security of the United States” by "actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability, and supporting and harboring terrorist organizations." Now, every congressperson knew – or should have known – that Saddam was not actively … Continue reading “Here We Go Again”

SANTIAGO – North Korea, Iran, and Iraq, the countries that U.S. President George W. Bush labeled the "axis of evil" in early 2002, are the main unofficial issues being discussed at the 12th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which opened Saturday in the Chilean capital. Bush arrived in Santiago late Friday amidst a massive security … Continue reading “‘Axis of Evil’ Is Uninvited Guest at APEC”