Month: February 2006

More Photos Surface (updated June 11) (Warning: Graphic Photos Below) The Washington Post has released new photos along with new information about the use of dogs on prisoners. An unmuzzled dog appears to be used to frighten a detainee at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Two military dog handlers told investigators that intelligence personnel ordered … Continue reading “Abu Ghraib Abuse Photos”

Last week’s annual Conservative Political Action Conference signaled the transformation of American conservatism into brownshirtism. A former Justice Department official named Viet Dinh got a standing ovation when he told the CPAC audience that the rule of law mustn’t get in the way of President Bush protecting Americans from Osama bin Laden. Former Republican congressman … Continue reading “Conservatives Endorse the Fuhrer Principle”

The best thing you can say about Vice President Dick Cheney’s recent "hunting incident" is that, to the relief of members of his family, Cheney didn’t shoot himself in the foot. Unfortunately, you cannot say the same thing about the policies that officials in Washington and Jerusalem seem to be devising these days as part … Continue reading “A Perfect Geopolitical Storm Taking Shape”

“In questions of power, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson All over the country, and even in the press, the U.S. Constitution is being discussed in regards to the president’s war powers. This is apparently a … Continue reading “As Long as We’re Talking About the Constitution…”

WASHINGTON – Despite reports of growing tensions and even occasional clashes between Islamists and nationalists, the predominantly Sunni insurgency in Iraq appears increasingly united and confident of victory, according to a new report released here Wednesday by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG). The 30-page report, based primarily on an analysis of the public communications … Continue reading “Report: Sunni Insurgents Increasingly Unified”

As Washington’s dependence on African oil intensifies, some analysts predict the region will increasingly play host to confrontations between U.S. forces deployed there and various insurgent groups, predominantly Islamic extremists. Currently, African oil accounts for 12 percent of the United States’ total yearly consumption. During the next 10 to 15 years, the amount is projected … Continue reading “US Funding Doubled for ‘Anti-Terror’ Forces in Africa”

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr should be given some kind of award for the most outrageously off-target reporting on the newly released photos and videos of U.S. torture and abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. In her numerous appearances during the morning news cycle on CNN after the images were first broadcast … Continue reading “CNN Blames the Photos,
Not the Torture”

Foreign policy and human rights experts appear to agree with a United Nations report calling on Washington to shut down its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but most believe that simply closing it misses a larger point: What to do with the prisoners? And many of those interviewed by IPS are fearful that the … Continue reading “UN Report Fuels Debate Over Guantanamo”

Hunter Shot by Cheney Has Heart AttackHi folks –The AP article regarding Harry Whittington’s heart attack states:“White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney accidentally shot him were involved in the treatment, the officials said.” I am a licensed physician, and I’ve spent most of the last 21 years in academic … Continue reading “Backtalk, February 16, 2006”

Last week, President Bush proposed a record $439.3 defense budget for fiscal year 2007, almost $30 billion more than the current budget. And as has been the case since 2003 – when the Bush administration decided to invade Iraq – the fiscal year 2007 defense budget does not include full funding for military operations in … Continue reading “More Defense Spending,
Less Security”