Month: September 2008

Updated at 6:30 p.m. EDT, Sept. 16, 2008At least 12 Iraqis were killed and 46 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. No Coalition deaths were reported, and a change in command of U.S.-led forces took place in Baghdad. General Ray Odierno took over leadership of U.S-led forces in Iraq during a ceremony … Continue reading “Tuesday: 12 Iraqis Killed, 46 Wounded”

The administration of President George W. Bush continues to expand government secrecy across a broad array of agencies and actions – and at greatly increased cost to taxpayers, according to a coalition of groups that promote greater transparency. Dr. Patrice McDermott, director of Open the Government, a watchdog group, told IPS, "The federal government under … Continue reading “The Most Secretive Administration Ever?”

The ground floor of Zaki Khimayl’s home is a cafe where patrons can drink mint tea or fresh juice as they smoke on a water pipe. Located by Jaffa’s beach, a stone’s throw from Tel Aviv, the business should be thriving. Mr. Khimayl, however, like hundreds of other families in the Arab neighborhoods of Ajami … Continue reading “Jaffa’s ‘Renewal’ Aims at Expulsion of Palestinians”

[Author’s note: As some of you may have noticed, I took August off. I needed to and I have come back fresh. I will be writing at least one article a month from now on, and occasionally two.] One of my biggest frustrations when watching debates is that most of them fall into one of … Continue reading “A Star Is Born”

Updated at 5:15 p.m. EDT, Sept. 15, 2008The Ramadan surge in bombings continued today with significant bombings in Balad Ruz and Baghdad, but few other attacks made it into the news reports. At least 38 Iraqis were killed and 68 more were wounded overall. Only one report of violence made it out of Mosul, where … Continue reading “Monday: 1 US Soldier, 38 Iraqis Killed; 68 More Wounded”

Having laid out the staggering expansion of a budget-busting Pentagon – as diplomat, arms dealer, spy, intelligence analyst, domestic disaster manager, humanitarian caregiver, nation-builder, and global viceroy – in part one of her series on the Bush military legacy, Frida Berrigan, arms expert at the New America Foundation, turns to the issue of privatization. In … Continue reading “The Pentagon Legacy of the MBA President”

The military commissions at Guantánamo – the trial system for "War on Terror" prisoners that was established in the wake of the 9/11 attacks – are of enormous significance, as they are the only point at which the Bush administration’s post-9/11 detention policies (focused, for the most part, on a disturbing legal limbo between the … Continue reading “Another Insignificant Afghan Charged”

It looks as if 9/11 is on the verge of becoming a national holiday. It is curious that this should be so, on a number of levels. The cable news channels, whose attention span is already amazingly limited, couldn’t get enough of remembrance, with Fox replaying its entire 2001 coverage and the others featuring lengthy … Continue reading “Seven Years of Incomprehension”

I have to laugh at the brouhaha Sarah Palin’s ascension to national prominence has stirred, especially the consternation in the Obama camp and the media (or do I repeat myself?). One can only imagine the spittle-flecked computer monitors of the anti-Palinistas – especially Andrew Sullivan, whose hatred of the caribou-shooting gal from up north has … Continue reading “Sarah Palin, Neocon Pod Person”

What $700 Billion? Must agree with Mr. Peña: the numbers do not add up. But what does add up is the money given away freely to Israel: much more than $700 billion. Presumably, giving money to “unfriendlies” in the form of legitimate purchases implies the USA is funding unfriendlies, which blows back at the U.S. … Continue reading “Backtalk, September 15, 2008”