Month: May 2007

Congress voted this past week to authorize nearly $40 billion for the Department of Homeland Security, but the result will likely continue to be more bureaucracy and less security for Americans. Five years into this new department, Congress still cannot agree on how to handle the mega-bureaucracy it created, which means there has been no … Continue reading “More Bureaucracy,
Less Security”

Gen. David Petraeus, touted by the Bush administration as the potential savior of the Iraq debacle, is like a lot of officers these days, a four-star general with relatively little combat experience. He led the 101st Airborne Division during the initial invasion of Iraq and later was posted with it in the Kurdish area – … Continue reading “Back Iraqi Nationalists and
Get Out”

Updated at 12:30 a.m. EDT, May 15, 2007The tally of U.S. servicemember deaths passed 3400 today with the deaths of six servicemembers in separate events. Eleven other Americans were wounded in those attacks as well. At least 95 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 54 Iraqis were also wounded. Also, one Danish soldier was … Continue reading “Monday: 6 GIs, 1 Dane, 95 Iraqis Killed; 54 Iraqis Wounded”

The news I have for "netroots" types and Huffington Post liberals who see the Democratic Party as the major if not only hope for the antiwar movement can be summed up in two words: forget it. Majority leader Sen. Harry Reid recently let the cat out of the bag when he said, "There is new … Continue reading “Benchmarks and Bullsh*t”

"I saw Ron Paul last week in the Republican debates. He was good, but everybody else ignores what he says." This is from an e-mail I received from an economist friend who is a liberal Democrat. I responded, "Everybody except the viewers. He won the poll afterward, getting 43 percent. MSNBC reported it and then … Continue reading “Hail Ron Paul and Mike Gravel”

The current brouhaha over a U.S. plan to deploy anti-ballistic missiles (ABM) in Poland has nothing to do with a fear that Iran will attack Europe or the U.S. with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM). It has a great deal to do with the Bush administration’s efforts to neutralize Russia’s and China’s nuclear deterrents and … Continue reading “Nostalgic for the Cold War? Good News”

What value has a human life? We usually think of this in terms of sentiment – of memories, grief, love, longing, of everything, in short, that is too deep and valuable to put a price upon. Then again, is anything in our world truly priceless? As anyone who has ever taken out a life insurance … Continue reading “What Price Slaughter?”

Updated at 12:34 a.m. EDT, May 14, 2007In a very active Sunday, at least 146 Iraqis have been killed and another 201 injured in violent events. A major bombing near the Kurdish autonomous region left over a hundred Iraqis dead or injured. Two American servicemembers were also killed today. And, a militant group claims to … Continue reading “Sunday: 2 GIs, 146 Iraqis Killed; 201 Iraqis Injured”

More than 1,000 people turned out this week for one the largest conferences to date on the health effects of the Iraq war. Leading researchers flew in from around the United States to speak at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). "We have been silent too long," former UCSF chancellor Haile Debas told the … Continue reading “Iraqis’ Mental Health Suffering, Say Doctors”

Updated at 11:30 p.m. EDT, May 12, 2007Although Saturday was packed with violent activity, few casualties were produced. Overall, 40 Iraqis were killed and 24 wounded. However, one of the deadliest ground attacks on American soldiers occurred in Mahmudiya. At least four GIs and as many as 7 were killed in an early morning attack. … Continue reading “Saturday: 6 GIs Killed, More Missing; 40 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded”