Month: February 2008

Updated at 9:00 p.m. EST, Feb. 2, 2008At least 31 Iraqis were killed and another 24 were wounded across Iraq as relative quiet returned to Baghdad a day after massive explosions killed nearly a hundred people. Four Saudi gunmen were also killed. On the other hand, no Coalition deaths were reported so far this month. … Continue reading “Saturday: 31 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded”

State legislators in Vermont introduced legislation Wednesday demanding the state’s National Guard troops return from Iraq. Lawmakers in Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania are poised to push similar legislation. At the heart of the matter is a contention that President George W. Bush’s legal authority to deploy the National Guard to Iraq has expired. “Congress … Continue reading “States Consider Calling Back National Guards from Iraq”

According to the Sunday Times, Sibel Edmonds has revealed to them details – in defiance of several government gag orders – of how this and several previous administrations "monitored", but did little or nothing to interfere with, the "infiltration" of Western states by "foreign states" seeking "nuclear secrets." Edmonds, a fluent speaker of Turkish and … Continue reading “Safeguarding ‘New-cue-lur’ Secrets”

To be sure, there is more reason than in almost all the previous years of the Iraq war for advocates to hope that things just might turn out reasonably well from the American perspective – even given that even at this late date US objectives are remarkably ill-defined and subject to change as circumstances change. … Continue reading “Bush’s Rosy Scenario”

Updated at 12:15 p.m. EST, Feb. 2, 2008Bombers in Baghdad ratcheted up the violence on this prayer day by attacking multiple pet markets. Overall at least 110 Iraqis were killed and 215 more were wounded across Iraq. No Coalition troops were reported killed. In Baghdad, apparently coordinated attacks on two pet markets left scores dead … Continue reading “Friday: 110 Iraqis Killed, 215 Wounded”

Alarmed by the George W. Bush administration’s increasing use of the so-called "state secrets privilege" to keep politically embarrassing lawsuits against the government from ever coming before a judge, Congress is stepping in to help ensure that people with grievances can have their cases heard. A new bill sponsored by Senators Edward M. Kennedy, a … Continue reading “Congress Seeks to Limit ‘State Secrets’ Privilege”

Western governments, eager to pursue their political or economic interests, too often reward self-proclaimed and flawed "democracies" that clearly abuse the political and civil rights of their citizens, according to the latest edition of Human Rights Watch’s annual "World Report" released here Thursday. The mere holding of elections does not make a state democratic, according … Continue reading “West Gives False ‘Democracies’ a Pass”

BAQUBA – Conditions are particularly difficult for women in Baquba, despite the relative lull in violence. The city, about 40 km northeast of Baghdad, is capital of Diyala province, amongst the most troubled regions of Iraq in recent months. As in all conflict areas, women, along with children and the elderly, have suffered most. A … Continue reading “Violence Draws Veil Over Women”

The UK’s Opinion Research Business has released another statistical study of Iraqi casualties since the launching of the American invasion, one that updates, revises, and essentially confirms their earlier estimate of a million-plus dead. The price of “liberation” is indeed high, but was it worth it? The Iraqis have a simple answer: some 60 percent … Continue reading “Deadly Hubris”

Before the US House of Representatives, Jan. 30, 2008 Madame Speaker, I rise in opposition to the extension of the Protect America Act of 2007 because the underlying legislation violates the US Constitution. The misnamed Protect America Act allows the US government to monitor telephone calls and other electronic communications of American citizens without a … Continue reading “Protect America from the Protect America Act”