Month: April 2014

The lion’s share of fatalities today came out of Anbar province, where security operations and clashes killed dozens of militants. The number of casualties in Anbar cannot be independently confirmed, because there are few to no reporters there. The most dramatic attacked, however, occurred in a Shabak community in northern Iraq. Also, a Diyala province councilman was shot dead in that restive province

Originally posted at TomDispatch. Sometimes you really do need a map if you want to know where you are. In 2008, the ACLU issued just such a map of this country and it’s like nothing ever seen before. Titled “the Constitution-Free Zone of the United States,” it traces our country’s borders. Maybe you’re already tuning … Continue reading “The Creation of a Border Security State”

Even more threatening to Israel these days than the sporadic violence on its borders from the civil war in Syria or Islamist opposition to the military coup in neighboring Egypt is the peaceful and growing boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) movement in the West and in Palestine against Israeli companies and institutions, especially those that have … Continue reading “Israeli Leaders Smear Even Peaceful Palestinian Efforts for a State”

Oh, the burden of empire! It weighs so heavily on John Kerry’s shoulders: "Secretary of State John Kerry attested Tuesday to the massively complex challenges Washington faces in Ukraine, Russia, Iran and the Middle East, declaring ‘it was easier’ during the Cold War. "In a candid moment during a State Department speech, the top US … Continue reading “John Kerry, Clueless Buffoon”

Gunmen wearing military uniforms attacked a polling station near Kirkuk. That and other violence left 29 dead and 61 wounded across the country.

With Vladimir Putin having bloodlessly annexed Crimea and hinting that his army might cross the border to protect the Russians of East Ukraine, Washington is abuzz with talk of dispatching U.S. troops to Eastern Europe. But unless we have lost our minds, we are not going to fight Russia over territory no president ever regarded … Continue reading “Nationalism, Not NATO, Is Our Great Ally”

At least 105 people were killed and 127 more were wounded today when bombers struck deep into the Shi’ite south again. Baghdad also suffered from multiple bombing attacks. The now usual violence also occurred in Anbar and in the north.

Greater Boston and its citizens are the focus of media attention in recognition of the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings that took three innocent lives and injured over 264 people, some of them severely. City leaders praised the heroism of the first responders and the deepened community spirit (“Boston Strong”). Addressing 2,500 invited … Continue reading “Boston and Baghdad”

Originally posted at TomDispatch. How the mighty have fallen. Once known as "Obama’s favorite general," James Cartwright will soon don a prison uniform and, thanks to a plea deal, spend 13 months behind bars. Involved in setting up the earliest military cyberforce inside U.S. Strategic Command, which he led from 2004 to 2007, Cartwright also … Continue reading “Too Big to Jail?”

This Easter day, 2014, is fraught with meaning, at least for me. This is a holiday of hope, and I’m wondering: is there any? I have to admit, at times, that pessimism overcomes me. The way lies take hold, and persist, does not bode well for the triumph of truth. Take, for example, the recent … Continue reading “Is There Hope?”