Month: March 2009

Ten years ago today, on March 24, 1999, the Atlantic Empire chose to reveal itself to the world by demonstrating the unchecked power of a fully operational military alliance. After fifty years of keeping "the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down" (in the words of its first Secretary-General, Lord Ismay), NATO stepped … Continue reading “Turning Point”

In November 1963, the US-sponsored president of southern Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, was murdered by members of that country’s military.  The murder was (at the least) tacitly supported by Washington and was partially due to Diem’s attempts to operate independently of Washington in regards to the war his military was fighting against Washington’s enemies – … Continue reading “Pulling Karzai’s Strings: Obama as Puppeteer”

The Transportation Security Agency (TSA) recently announced that it was re-instituting random screening of passengers at gates. Of course, the reality is that TSA has been conducting additional screening at gates since July 2008 per the TSA’s own Web site: "If you are flying in or out of a U.S. airport this summer you may … Continue reading “TSA: Tedious, Slow, and Absurd?”

Updated at 5:31 p.m. EST, Mar. 25, 2009 At least eight Iraqis were killed and 21 more were wounded in the latest attacks, but no Coalition deaths were reported. U.S. authorities admitted that there has been an uptick in violence as they hand over security operation to their Iraqi counterparts. Meanwhile, Turkey and Iran shelled … Continue reading “Wednesday: 8 Iraqis Killed, 21 Wounded”

RAMALLAH – By late Saturday afternoon hundreds of heavily armed Israeli security forces on horseback and on foot had arrested over 20 Palestinians, assaulted a handful of people, and prevented numerous festivities from taking place. Police in riot gear on horseback charged at groups of Palestinian youths in Salahadin Street, the major thoroughfare of Palestinian … Continue reading “Israel Under Pressure Over Divided Jerusalem”

Tuesday marked the tenth anniversary of the bombing of the nation formerly known as Yugoslavia – an act of aggression that prefigured America’s post-9/11 rampage and set the stage for our endless "war on terrorism" in many more ways than are at first apparent. To begin with, the Yugoslav war, like the Iraq invasion, was … Continue reading “The Nation Formerly Known as Yugoslavia”

Is your representative speaking out against escalation of the Afghanistan war? Last week, some members of Congress sent President Obama a letter that urged him to “reconsider” his order deploying 17,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Everyone in the House of Representatives had ample opportunity to sign onto the letter. Beginning in late February, it … Continue reading “These Colors Cannot Run… Afghanistan”

Updated at 8:59 p.m. EDT, Mar. 24, 2009 A day after a dramatic surge, the number of casualties dropped off precipitously. Only four Iraqis were killed and six more were wounded in the latest reports. Meanwhile, Turkey’s president and the KRG’s prime minister met in Baghdad. No Coalition deaths were reported. Turkey‘s President Abdullah Gul … Continue reading “Tuesday: 4 Iraqis Killed, 6 Wounded”

BELGRADE – Ten years after the NATO bombing of Serbia, concern is rising over a rise in the number of reported cases of cancer. Some 15 tons of ammunition fortified with depleted uranium was dropped by way of more than 50,000 bombs and missiles in the 11 weeks of bombing of Serbia in 1999. The … Continue reading “Fallout of Serbia Bombing ‘Continues to Kill’”

JERUSALEM – Key issues in conflict between Israelis and Palestinians are all coming to a head. But even if these immediate issues are resolved, in any event, the conflict itself and an overriding diplomatic paralysis threaten to take long-term hold and to stymie all efforts to move the conflict onto a peace track any time … Continue reading “Israeli-Palestinian Disputes Coming to a Head”