Month: August 2008

In addition to dueling over Afghanistan (the subject of my last column), Senators McCain and Obama are trying to one-up each other when it comes to energy. Most notably, the McCain campaign recently released an ad that essentially blames Obama for $4-a-gallon gasoline (although the price of gasoline has actually gone down since the ad … Continue reading “My Energy Plan Is
Better Than Yours”

Updated at 7:20 p.m. EDT, Aug. 4, 2008At least 21 Iraqis were killed and another 26 were wounded during a politically eventful day in Iraq. Two U.S. servicemembers were killed as well. Despite another postponement, a vote on the provincial elections may be imminent. Meanwhile, some Palestinian refugees will be allowed to leave the country. … Continue reading “Tuesday: 2 US Soldiers, 21 Iraqis Killed; 26 Iraqis Wounded”

More than five years after invading Iraq as a first step toward "transforming" the Middle East, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush seems to have lost its footing – let alone its unquestioned domination – throughout the region. The talk of "democratizing" the region has almost entirely disappeared from the administration’s rhetoric as … Continue reading “US Gets No Traction in the Middle East”

Nearly three years after the U.S. government failed to convict Palestinian activist and former college professor Sami al-Arian of any charges in one of the most high-profile terrorism trials following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, he continues to be held in federal prison – where, if convicted in an upcoming trial on criminal contempt charges, he … Continue reading “‘When You Have to Leave America to Be Free’”

Ehud Olmert’s resignation speech reached us on our way back from a demonstration. We were protesting the death of Ahmad Moussa, aged 10, who was murdered during a demonstration against the Separation Fence at Na’ilin village – the fence that robs the village of most of its land in order to give it to the … Continue reading “A Hollow Man for
a Hollow Time”

A photographer friend of mine came to Chengdu in June to do a photo essay on a few topics of interest in Sichuan – Gong Fu in Ya An, Hakka in the suburbs of Chengdu, and of course the earthquake that had just devastated much of the province. At the airport in Beijing, he bought … Continue reading “The Security Blanket”

The latest series of test missiles launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in the northern part of the Persian Gulf and the eastern Hormuz Strait has fueled new concerns over a military conflict in the region. Despite apparent diplomatic progress between Tehran and six world powers in recent weeks, the report of missile tests has … Continue reading “Preparing for War Through Negotiations?”

Living Through the Age of Denial in America Engelhardt covers a lot of territory, but he engages the reader with a crisp writing style and a stunning grasp of information. His conclusion, that Americans have been living through an Age of Denial, is, alas, incontrovertible. At the end, Engelhardt offers a ray of hopeful light … Continue reading “Backtalk, August 5, 2008”

Updated at 6:40 p.m. EDT, Aug. 4, 2008Three American soldiers were killed and a third one was wounded in separate incidents. At least 21 Iraqis were killed and 31 more were wounded across the country as well. Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based rights group, said that U.S. authorities must produce evidence … Continue reading “Monday: 3 US Soldiers, 21 Iraqis Killed; 31 Iraqis Wounded”

The media narrative now being woven around the apparent suicide of U.S. government scientist Bruce E. Ivins – a prominent anthrax researcher who worked at Ft. Detrick’s U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases bio-weapons research lab (USAMRIID) – is that he was a lone nut, a "homicidal maniac" who poisoned the five people … Continue reading “The Patsy”