Month: March 2005

Well, it is not that difficult to see that something potentially quite important is happening in Lebanon. It certainly seems to be a move in the direction of independence and the idea of a civil society with democratic underpinnings – and the move is reflected or echoed elsewhere in the Middle East. What is much … Continue reading “Lebanon: Hope and Trepidation”

There is a bleak wondrousness to this American world of ours. The Bush administration, after all, loathes fundamentalists – those dangerous fanatics in strange lands with bizarre medieval belief systems, who wish us such ill and are more than ready to go to some twisted paradise to prove their fervor – except, of course, for … Continue reading “A Less Super Superpower”

Emerging Threats: Overclassification and Pseudo-classification Good afternoon, my name is Sibel Edmonds. I have been invited to provide you with testimony today regarding my direct experience with the use of excessive secrecy, rare privileges, and over-classification by the Department of Justice against me during the past three years. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. … Continue reading “Statement of Sibel Edmonds”

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen accused of plotting with al-Qaeda to assassinate President George W. Bush, will remain in jail pending trial. That was the ruling yesterday by a federal magistrate in Alexandria, Virginia. And part of his reasoning may be found in a most unlikely place: a provision in the intelligence reform … Continue reading “Bail Denied in ‘Rendition’ Terror Case”

Listen to Scott’s interview with Eric Margolis stream download mp3 When Seymour Hersh last appeared on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, he explained the administration’s foreign policy agenda to host Jon Stewart. After noting that this agenda was the work of the “neoconservatives, the Wolfowitzes, the people who work at the Pentagon, the civilians,” and … Continue reading “Bush Keeps Fueling the Fire”

“Many parents have experienced the eerie intuition that tells them their child is in danger.” – Jesus on Parenting “Mom, there’s this test we’re supposed to take tomorrow,” my daughter told me one night last year, “but I have a funny feeling about it. Our guidance counselor came in and said that the school would … Continue reading “10 Ways to Protect Your Child From the ASVAB”

If you’ve been listening to the story-line composed by American officials promoting the Bush administration’s foreign policy, you might have concluded that two recent international developments are all part of the Freedom Narrative. The two developments are the Chinese opposition to the security accord between Washington and Tokyo that announced for the first time that … Continue reading “Get Real, America”

"Beatings will continue until morale improves." – Modern American joke This week, the heat under the bubbling Balkans cauldron has been stoked by the Hague Inquisition, and more so than usual. In addition to the obligatory quota of Serb generals, among the 10 new indictments it just issued were the commander of Bosnian Muslim forces … Continue reading “Consequences of the Hague Inquisition”

Two years after the invasion and conquest of Iraq, and what have we gained? An Islamic state in Iraq, a looming confrontation with Syria, and the increasingly likely prospect of Lebanon reverting to a state of civil war. Hosni Mubarak is pledging to hold “elections” that will no doubt exclude Islamists and anybody else who … Continue reading “Lebanon’s Hollow
‘Cedar Revolution’”

LONDON – The U.S. hand of support offered to a new push for peace in the Middle East could well turn out to be the kiss of death for the peace process. The London Meeting on Supporting the Palestinian Authority agreed Tuesday that Lt. Gen. William Ward from the U.S. Army will head a security-coordinating … Continue reading “Palestine Peace Move Could Be the Kiss of Death”