Month: September 2008

In the lawless world of Guantánamo – and the United States’ even murkier network of secret prisons run by or on behalf of the CIA – it has taken six years and four months for British resident Binyam Mohamed to secure anything resembling justice. Seized in Pakistan in April 2002, Binyam was rendered to Morocco … Continue reading “British Court Rules Against UK and US in Guantánamo Case”

Mamdouh Habib, an Australian citizen, was living in Sydney with his wife and four children when he took a trip alone to Pakistan to find a home for his family. When Habib boarded a bus for the Islamabad airport to return home, Pakistani police seized him and took him to a police station, where he … Continue reading “Extraordinary Rendition, Extraordinary Mistake”

Politicians regularly turn public fear into votes. President Bush proved a master at this in his 2004 reelection success. Most presidents who don’t win the popular vote the first time don’t get a second term, but fear pushed Bush over the top in 2004. In the 2008 election, oil prices are high, and the presidential … Continue reading “Don’t Worry About Dependence on Foreign Oil”

During the run-up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003 the soldier selected to lead the campaign, Gen. Tommy Franks, called Pentagon number-three man Doug Feith “the stupidest f*cking guy on the face of the planet.” What Feith did to be dubbed the world’s greatest fool is unknown, but it is certain that Georgia’s President … Continue reading “The ‘Stupidest Guy on the Planet’ Has Lots of Company”