Month: January 2007

The Empire Turns Its Guns on the Citizenry Dear Mr. Roberts, When I was much younger the original meaning of SWAT was “Special Weapons Attack Team.” That meaning has now gone down the government’s memory hole being euphemized as “Special Weapons And Tactics.” The original was and is much more accurate. ~ G. Andris Vaskis, … Continue reading “Backtalk, January 26, 2007”

Antiwar.com is pleased to announce the winners of its first-ever Student Essay Contest, held summer 2006. Today we present Madeline Reese of the United States, 1st-place winner in the junior division. Alexia Gilmore Executive director, Antiwar.com Sometimes, in contemplating war and the need for peace, one wonders, “what if”; what if Thomas Paine’s ideas were … Continue reading “What If?”

Updated at 1:25 a.m. EST, Jan. 26, 2007 At least 113 Iraqis were killed or found dead today and another 193 wounded during a series of bombings in the capital and other attacks throughout the country. One American soldier was killed and three more GIs were wounded in a roadside bomb attack northwest of the … Continue reading “Thursday: 113 Iraqis, 1 GI Killed; 190 Iraqis, 3 GIs, 2 Britons Wounded”

Churchillian it was not. Yet the State of the Union seemed a success if Bush’s purpose was to buy time from Congress to wait and see if his surge of US forces into Iraq might yet succeed. But when Bush started to describe the ideological war we are in, one began to understand why we … Continue reading “The Ideologue”

In the first step toward what some believe could eventually lead to a constitutional crisis, a key Congressional committee approved a nonbinding resolution here Wednesday formally dissenting from President George W. Bush’s plan to send some 21,000 more troops to Iraq. The 12-9 vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which came less than 14 … Continue reading “Revolt Builds Against Bush’s Iraq Policy”

The people of Iran and the United States share many of the same hopes and fears about global problems but remain deeply distrustful of each other’s government, according to a major survey of public opinion in both countries released here Wednesday. As speculation mounts about a possible military confrontation between the two nations over US … Continue reading “US, Iranian Publics Not So Different”

United for Peace antiwar demos George Bush’s State of the Union speech provided every single US resident that opposes the war in Iraq with a reason to take that opposition into the streets. His argument that ending the US military involvement in that nation would lead to extremists running the world is nothing new, but … Continue reading “Don’t Let Congress Backslide”

United for Peace antiwar demos Peace activists from around the United States will converge on Washington Saturday for what organizers hope will be the largest demonstration to date against the Iraq war. “We expect a turnout in the six figures,” said Tom Andrews, a former Democratic congressman who now runs the group Win Without War, … Continue reading “Antiwar Groups Plan Surge on Washington”

Updated at 12:25 p.m. EST, Jan. 24, 2007 U.S. forces conducted major operation along Haifa Street in Baghdad today. Dozens were killed and many were injured. Throughout the country, at least 137 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 70 were wounded. At least three U.S. servicemembers were also killed. One soldier was killed and … Continue reading “Wednesday: 137 Iraqis, 3 GIs Killed; 70 Iraqis Wounded”

The opening statements in the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby struck official Washington like twin thunderbolts, opening up a huge fissure in the Bush administration at the same time that everything else – the security situation in Iraq, the Republican Party, the president’s approval rating – is falling apart at the seams. With Scooter … Continue reading “The Trial of Dick Cheney”