Month: April 2009

US Leadership Could Rid World of Nukes

PARIS — It is estimated that there are some 23,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the United States and Russia today, with another thousand or so held by China, Israel, France, Britain, India, Pakistan, and who knows who else. As President Barack Obama said in Prague during his overseas journey last week, it could … Continue reading “US Leadership Could Rid World of Nukes”

Requiem for the War on Terror

On Monday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his version of the new Pentagon budget. Looked at one way, his suggested changes were significant, even startling given how deeply the giant armament companies have embedded themselves and their new generations of weaponry in the American landscape (and so in Congress). Gates stated that the F-22 … Continue reading “Requiem for the War on Terror”

Getting a Death Grip on Memory

A headline in the New York Times announced a few days ago: "Brain Researchers Open Door to Editing Memory." This news ran above the fold on the front page.  "Suppose scientists could erase certain memories by tinkering with a single substance in the brain," the article began. Readers quickly learned that it’s starting to happen: … Continue reading “Getting a Death Grip on Memory”

Confront Our Own Torturers

Let’s see, a U.S. court successfully convicted the son of the brutal former president of Liberia, Charles Taylor, of torturing his father’s political opponents. But we’re going to leave it to a Spanish judge to go after our own Torquemadas? A Spanish court has targeted former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as well former Justice Department … Continue reading “Confront Our Own Torturers”