Month: December 2007

Before the US House of Representatives, December 5, 2007 I regret that I was unavoidably out of town on October 23, 2007, when a vote was taken on HR 1955, the Violent Radicalization & Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act. Had I been able to vote, I would have voted against this misguided and dangerous piece of … Continue reading “‘Homegrown Terror’ Act an Attack on Internet Freedom?”

Israel’s lobby in the US is "scrambling," as Ron Kampeas puts it in the Jewish Exponent, to defend the draconian sanctions imposed on Iran for its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons. With a war-weary America unlikely to respond favorably to the news that President Bush has ordered an attack on Iran, the War Party has … Continue reading “Iran: Why Won’t We Take Yes For An Answer?”

Whatever else the release of the 16-agency National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian bomb may be, it is certainly a reasonable measure of inside-the-Beltway Bush administration decline. Whether that release represented “a preemptive strike against the White House by intelligence agencies and military chiefs,” an intelligence “mini-coup” against the administration, part of a longer-term … Continue reading “The Zero-Sum Fiasco”

The Bush administration has made quite a botch of U.S. foreign policy. Initiating an unnecessary and needlessly bloody war in Iraq. Pushing a now discredited belligerent campaign against Iran. Creating more Islamic hostility and additional terrorists around the world. Ignoring a worsening situation in Afghanistan. Delaying negotiations with North Korea. Wrecking relations with Russia. Fulminating … Continue reading “Creating Crisis: Another War in the Balkans?”

Updated at 11:50 p.m. EST, Dec. 7, 2007At least 25 Iraqis were killed or found dead ands 24 more were wounded in the latest attacks and raids. Several new explosions were heard in Baghdad. No Coalition casualties were reported. In Baghdad, a roadside bomb in the Jisr Diyala district left six wounded. A separate bomb … Continue reading “Thursday: 25 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded”

In the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference, foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates are finding considerable irony in Israel’s Arab neighbors pressing for freedom for Palestinians while their own citizens continue carry a heavy burden of unrelenting political repression. Most of those representing Middle East and North African nations at the Nov. 27 … Continue reading “Glaring Hypocrisy of Arab Annapolis Participants”

Over the past six decades, the United States has used its nuclear arsenal in five often inter-related ways. The first was, obviously, battlefield use, with the “battlefield” writ large to include the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The long-held consensus among scholars has been that these first atomic bombings were not necessary to end the … Continue reading “Empire and Nuclear Weapons”

Updated at 6:40 p.m. EST, Dec. 5, 2007A series of bombings in several major cities rocked Iraq today. Overall, at least 31 Iraqis were killed and 70 were wounded in the latest attacks. Most of the victims were civilians. Also, three U.S. soldiers were killed in separate incidents. During a combined IED and small arms … Continue reading “Wednesday: 3 US Soldiers, 31 Iraqis Killed; 70 Iraqis Wounded”

Despite the White House spin that the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) supports its policy of increasing pressure on Iran, the estimate not only directly contradicts the George W. Bush administration’s line on Iranian intentions regarding nuclear weapons, but points to a link between Tehran’s 2003 decision to halt research on weaponization and its decision … Continue reading “Iran NIE Validates 2003 European Diplomacy”

TAMPA – Public school districts in two Florida counties are refusing to allow members of a peace organization to counter the presence of military recruiters by talking with high school students about options other than joining the service, according to a spokesperson for the group. "They [the Manatee and Sarasota County School Districts] are saying … Continue reading “Peace Group Barred From Florida Schools”