Month: January 2006

With great fanfare the other day, Oprah Winfrey asked James Frey a question that mainstream journalists refuse to ask George W. Bush: “Why would you lie?” Many pundits and news outlets have chortled at the televised unmasking of Frey as a liar. The reverberations have spanned from schlock media to highbrow outlets. On Friday, the … Continue reading “Domestic Lying: The Question Journalists Don’t Ask Bush”

WASHINGTON – Despite a UN probe into his possible role in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and a public challenge to his rule by a prominent Syrian politician in exile, Syrian President Bashar Assad appears likely to endure for the foreseeable future, according to experts here. Hamas’ sweeping victory in this … Continue reading “Assad Keeps Footing Amid Political Tremors”

Unfathomed Dangers in PATRIOT Act ReauthorizationIf people only knew that it’s a question of jurisdiction: a FEDERAL police force can only have jurisdiction over FEDERAL areas and territories. They do not (cannot) have jurisdiction in the states unless the states give over their jurisdiction. And I know that they (the feds) do not have jurisdiction … Continue reading “Backtalk January 30, 2006”

International donors whose funds sustained the Palestinian Authority for much of its life, and who are now alarmed at the win of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in the Palestinian parliamentary elections, could cut off their aid, effectively threatening to bankrupt the future Hamas-led authority. The European Union and the United States have reacted nervously … Continue reading “Donors Threaten Aid Cut After Hamas Win”

After every deep-serious meeting with Russian and/or Chinese leaders, Secretary of State Condi Rice emerges to tell her media sycophants that the Russians and/or Chinese basically agree with our position on Iran’s nuclear programs. Condi’s position is that Iran’s nuclear programs – widely expected to be certified in March by Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the … Continue reading “When Pigs Fly”

In a series of developments – some more publicized than others – the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, has been undergoing a transformation that will more closely align its activities with the State Department and the Pentagon. These changes could threaten the agency’s original emphasis of concentrating on long-term social and economic … Continue reading “Remaking USAID for a Permanent War on Terror?”

JERUSALEM – It took acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert more than 12 hours to respond. Maybe, like most Israelis, he was caught off guard by Hamas’s stunning victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections. Maybe, having stepped into the role of acting prime minister just three weeks ago after Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke, … Continue reading “‘Israel Will Work at Ignoring Hamas’”

When The New York Times revealed that President George Bush had authorized warrantless surveillance of Americans, the Bush administration reacted in its usual manner: attack and then stage a public-relations campaign. The attack was in the usual jingoistic mode, implying that both the Times and its source, a whistle-blower at the National Security Agency, were … Continue reading “Bush Broke the Law”

Request For Urgent Political Intervention Dear American Citizen, First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and “top secret.” Many authorities in the current regime of my home country would seek to persecute me if they were to discover this. I am … Continue reading “Do NOT Respond to this Email”

Here are a few headlines from stories you probably didn’t even see this week (and they could be multiplied numerous times over): “Another day of bloodshed in Iraq“ “Senior Sunni official killed in Iraq“ “U.S. Private Contractors leaving Iraq“ “Three Civilians, Seven GIs Killed in Iraq“ “Twelve U.S. servicemembers killed in Iraq since Friday” These … Continue reading “‘Maybe They Just Need to Have Their Civil War’”