Month: September 2005

The death toll from a stampede of Iraqi Shi’ite pilgrims continued to climb Wednesday, with security officials saying nearly 800 people perished and 323 were injured when rumors of a suicide bombing sparked chaos on a Baghdad bridge. Most were trampled or fell into the Tigris River, as panic spread through the crowd of thousands … Continue reading “Iraq’s Deadliest Day Needed No Bombs”

The U.S. Treasury is paying out more each month to sustain the war in Iraq than it did during the Vietnam War, according to a new report that calls the ongoing conflict “the most expensive military effort in the last 60 years.” The 84-page report, “The Iraq Quagmire: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War … Continue reading “Iraq War Costs Now Exceed Vietnam’s”

That long Labor Day weekend, traditionally a time of rest, lies ahead. It marks the end of this summer’s not-so-silly season, a few days when TomDispatch shuts down and everyone who can light a barbecue or visit that favorite end-of-summer vacation restaurant is likely to do so. Nick Turse plans to put in a pit … Continue reading “The Military-Gastronomic Complex”

Chalk up the city of New Orleans as a cost of Bush’s Iraq war. There were not enough helicopters to repair the breached levees and rescue people trapped by rising water. Nor are there enough Louisiana National Guardsmen available to help with rescue efforts and to patrol against looting. The situation is the same in … Continue reading “How New Orleans Was Lost”

The men and women of the National Guard shouldn’t be killing in Iraq. They should be helping in New Orleans and Biloxi. The catastrophic hurricane was an act of God. But the U.S. war effort in Iraq is a continuing act of the president. And now, that effort is hampering the capacity of the National … Continue reading “The National Guard Belongs in New Orleans and Biloxi”

Leave aside the war’s preface of lies. Forget about Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib. Pretend not to care about international law and organizations. Ignore the chutzpah of the Coalition Provisional Authority, the increase in terrorism around the world, and the awesome pigishness of Halliburton. Think not about the international reputation of the United States. Don’t … Continue reading “A Question of Competence”

And the Hypocrites Who Do It In October 2004, Roger Cohen wrote a column for the International Herald Tribune titled “The Serbian Question,” arguing that reducing Serbia to a more manageable size and turning it over to the benevolent hegemony of the European Union would finally resolve the issues behind the 1990s wars. It was … Continue reading “Rejecting Reality”