Month: August 2009

64 Years Too Late and
Not a Moment Too Soon

As another August 6th approaches, let me tell you a little story about Hiroshima and me: As a young man, I was probably not completely atypical in having the Bomb (the 1950s was a great time for capitalizing what was important) on my brain, and not just while I was ducking under my school desk … Continue reading “64 Years Too Late and
Not a Moment Too Soon”

Beginning to Smell in Afghanistan

The Army’s Col. Timothy R. Reese is, at least for the time being, still the chief of the Operations Command Advisory Team in Baghdad. His job is to advise Iraqi general, Abud Qanbar, in charge of security in Baghdad. Prior to his deployment to Iraq, Reese ran the Combat Studies Institute at Fort Leavenworth, where … Continue reading “Beginning to Smell in Afghanistan”

Monday: 20 Iraqis Killed, 65 Wounded

Updated at 7:15 p.m. EDT, Aug. 3, 2009 At least 20 Iraqis were killed and 65 more were wounded across Iraq, but Babil province took the hardest the hit with three fatal bombings. Another significant attack took place in Anbar. The DoD reported that one American soldier died on July 25 from wounds suffered two days earlier in an anti-tank grenade attack. Meanwhile, the Shi’ite group Asa’ib al-Haq renounced violence after meeting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki over the weekend; the extremist group has previously taken credit for killing Americans and kidnapping Britons.

A Jeremiad and a Message of Hope

Dear Dov Yermiya, I have received the distressing letter that you recently sent to a limited number of friends. You paint the Israeli reality in dark – but true – colors, and end by cutting your ties with it. "Therefore I, a 95-year-old Sabra (native-born Israeli Jew), who has plowed its fields, planted trees, built … Continue reading “A Jeremiad and a Message of Hope”

Life in the Bubble: At Home in the Israeli Settler State

Given my Judeo-Christian roots, I’ve long wanted to visit “The Holy Land.” The U.S.-supported Israeli attack on Gaza this past winter lent urgency to that longing. In mid-May I joined a delegation going to Israel and the West Bank of the Israeli-Occupied Palestinian Territories. Altogether I spent a month experiencing those tense and militarized lands. … Continue reading “Life in the Bubble: At Home in the Israeli Settler State”

‘Culturally Sensitive’ Imperialism

In Britain, they’re getting antsy about Obama’s war – the "Af-Pak" [.pdf] war, that is. Without the poodle Tony Blair to cover for us, Britain’s ruling Labor Party – decisively smacked down in the recent elections to the European parliament – is grumbling about being stampeded by the United States into fighting another unpopular war. … Continue reading “‘Culturally Sensitive’ Imperialism”

Sunday: 18 Iraqis Killed, 49 Wounded

Updated at 6:08 p.m. EDT, Aug. 2, 2009 At least 18 Iraqis were killed and 49 more were wounded mostly in two separate bombings. No Coalition deaths were reported; however, the remains of a Navy pilot, missing since the Persian Gulf War, were recovered from a burial site in Anbar province. Also, Prime Minister Maliki made his first trip to Kurdistan since taking office three years ago, perhaps hoping to stave off another war. Separately, former Saddam aide Tariq Aziz received a seven-year sentence for the forced relocation of Kurds.

Saturday: 3 Iraqis Killed; 7 Iraqis, 5 Iranians Wounded

Updated at 11:23 p.m. EST, Aug. 1, 2009 At least three Iraqis were killed and seven were wounded in light violence that came a day after a horrific spate of attacks on Baghdad mosques. One of the bombings today occurred at a mosque just south of the capital. Also, five more Iranian refugees were injured during renewed unrest at Camp Ashraf.