Month: July 2006

Until the second term of George W. Bush is over, the neoconservatives would do their best to kick up a storm of criticism and controversy every time the United States decides to give diplomacy a chance. However, as long as Vice President Dick Cheney is mentoring Bush on issues of foreign policy, the neocons have … Continue reading “Alive and Still Kicking Hard: Washington’s Neocons”

Gentle reader, do you know that Israel is engaged in ethnic cleansing in southern Lebanon? Israel has ordered all the villagers to clear out. Israel then destroys their homes and murders the fleeing villagers. That way there is no one to come back and nothing to which to return, making it easier for Israel to … Continue reading “The Shame of Being an American”

In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President Bush threw down the gauntlet before Iraq, North Korea and Iran. “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. “I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as … Continue reading “Nuking Hezbollah”

A woman, an immigrant from Russia, throws herself on the ground in total despair in front of her home that has been hit by a missile, crying in broken Hebrew: “My son! My son!” believing him dead. In fact he was only wounded and sent to the hospital. Lebanese children, covered with wounds, in Beirut … Continue reading “Stop That Shit, Indeed”

An Afghan government proposal to reestablish the notorious Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has raised concerns among U.S. human rights advocates. Under the Taliban, the virtue and vice department enforced restrictions on women and men through public beatings and imprisonment. Its agents “beat women publicly for wearing socks that were … Continue reading “Karzai’s Cabinet Proposes Return of Religious Police”

Israelis Are Dying: It Must Be an Escalation I am willing to take your word for the coverage you saw, and if things are indeed as you describe I wholeheartedly agree with your admonishment of the BBC. However, I just had a look at their Web site; there were two articles on the conflict on … Continue reading “Backtalk, July 22, 2006”

DAMASCUS – Syrian capital Damascus is being flooded with refugees. The devastation in Beirut is beginning to show in another capital. The disaster response director at the Damascus headquarters of the Red Crescent, Raed al-Tollin, told IPS that while he does not have exact figures, their shelter has been deluged with refugees since the crisis … Continue reading “Lebanese Refugees Crowd Damascus”

My country has been “torn to shreds,” said Fouad Siniora, the prime minister of Lebanon, as the death toll among his people passed 300 civilian dead, 1,000 wounded, with half a million homeless. Israel must pay for the “barbaric destruction,” said Siniora. To the contrary, says columnist Lawrence Kudlow, “Israel is doing the Lord’s work.” … Continue reading “No, This Is Not ‘Our War’”

Washington’s self-styled “Global War On Terrorism” has cost the country at least 430 billion dollars over the past five years in military and diplomatic efforts, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the watchdog arm of the U.S. Congress. The GAO warns that future costs may be difficult to estimate because of irregularities in how … Continue reading “Cost of Terror War Hits $430 Billion”

I rise in opposition to this resolution, which I sincerely believe will do more harm than good. I do agree with the resolution’s condemnation of violence. But I am convinced that when we get involved in foreign conflicts and send strong messages, such as this resolution will, it ends up expanding the war rather than … Continue reading “This Will Come Back
to Haunt Us”