Month: June 2008

JERUSALEM – The likelihood of a large-scale Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip has crept closer as more rockets continue to land in southern Israel and another Israeli was killed by a mortar shell, further hardening attitudes among senior ministers against a proposed truce with Hamas. Speaking to reporters aboard his plane as he … Continue reading “Attack on Gaza Looking More Likely”

After months of a tough and bitter race, a merciless struggle, Barack Obama has defeated his formidable opponent, Hillary Clinton. He has wrought a miracle: for the first time in history a black person has become a credible candidate for the presidency of the most powerful country in the world. And what was the first … Continue reading “No, Obama Can’t!”

Updated at 12:22 a.m. EDT, June 10, 2008At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 49 more were injured during the latest violence. No Coalition deaths were reported. Meanwhile, a mass grave may have been found in Diyala province, but conflicting reports indicate it may have been the mass burial of unclaimed bodies from the morgue … Continue reading “Monday: 20 Iraqis Killed, 49 Iraqis Wounded”

Well, it looks like giving China some face will have little to no impact on the way things are done in this country. If anything, it will give the Party the confidence to continue harassing parents, journalists, and dissidents of all kinds in the name of social cohesion. Most local foreigners were skeptical when the … Continue reading “The US and China:
Unsettling Similarities”

Give China Some Face It is interesting that the author talked about “the world” throughout the article. It really should be “the West” instead. I’d say it’s typical for a Westerner to consider himself representing the world. The West does not represent the world. It never has and is becoming less so. I hope this … Continue reading “Backtalk, June 09, 2008”

Updated at 12:40 a.m. EDT, June 9, 2008A suicide bomber killed a U.S. soldier and wounded 18 more Americans in northern Iraq. Anoother U.S. soldier was killed during a roadside bomb blast in Baghdad yesterday. At least 28 people were killed and 58 were injured across Iraq. Meanwhile, Turkey reported striking suspected Kurdistan Workers Party … Continue reading “Sunday: 2 US Soldiers, 28 Iraqis Killed; 18 Americans, 58 Iraqis Wounded”

Updated at 11:50 p.m. EDT, June 7, 2008A series of small bombings left casualties across Baghdad today, while a mass grave was found just south of the capital. At least 22 Iraqis were killed or found dead and 39 more were wounded in violence across the country. No Coalition deaths were reported, but U.S. troops … Continue reading “Saturday: 22 Iraqis Killed, 39 Wounded”

President George W. Bush and Democratic and Republican luminaries broke ground recently at the future gleaming home of the United States Institute of Peace on the National Mall. After absorbing the speeches and, on the same day, the rather partisan Senate Intelligence Committee’s report that concluded the Bush administration lied to the United States regarding … Continue reading “Is the Real Problem ‘Isolationism’ or Bipartisan Aggression?”

The Senate Intelligence [sic] Committee has finally deemed it safe to release its report on "whether public Statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by US Government officials made between the Gulf War period and the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom were substantiated by intelligence information.” What "intelligence information"? Well, recall that in the summer … Continue reading “Intelligence [sic] Committee Report”

It’s time for another pop quiz on America’s favorite region of the world – the Middle East. Let’s get started with the subject of nuclear weapons. Which country in the Middle East actually possesses nuclear weapons? Israel. Which country in the Middle East refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty? Israel. Which country in the … Continue reading “Middle East Pop Quiz”