Month: June 2016

The Erbil offices of a media group were attacked.

Originally posted at TomDispatch. One of the strangest news developments of our time is the way the media now focus for days, if not weeks, 24/7, on a single event and its ramifications. Omar Mateen’s slaughter of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando is only the latest example of this. If no other … Continue reading “Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics… and US Africa Command”

The horrifying June 12 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando is just the sort of tragedy that demands government action. The death toll – whether it was the worst mass shooting in US history depends entirely on your definition of the former – was 49 people; around 50 were injured. Government rode into action … Continue reading “Be Careful With Those Secret Watchlists, Congressman”

Fallujah’s displaced civilians are overwhelming aid agencies who simply lack enough supplies for the large, sudden influx of people.

Entire communities in the West Bank either have no access to water or have had their water supply reduced almost by half. This alarming development has been taking place for weeks, since Israel’s national water company, “Mekorot”, decided to cut off – or significantly reduce – its water supply to Jenin, Salfit, and many villages … Continue reading “Palestine’s ‘Prayer for Rain’: How Israel Uses Water as a Weapon of War”

More evidence of militia presence is coming out of Fallujah.

There are dangerous provocations along Russia’s western border that have received little or incredibly one-sided coverage by the U.S. media. Thus the US public is not aware of the possibility of a major conflict between two nuclear-armed powers occurring due to an accident or misinterpretation. The genesis of this current situation goes back in ancient … Continue reading “The Political Establishment’s Hubris on Russia”

Originally posted at TomDispatch. On October 7, 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, the Bush administration launched a bombing campaign against Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. An invasion to “liberate” the country followed. Almost 15 years later, with the Taliban again gaining ground, President Obama has just eased constraints on the U.S. military’s use of … Continue reading “Air Supremacy Isn’t What It Used to Be”

According to a U.S commander, Baghdad may be exaggerating gains made during operations in Fallujah.

Last week America was rocked by the cold-blooded murder of 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Unlike the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Orlando shooter appears to be a lone gunman who, while claiming allegiance to ISIS, was not actually working with a terrorist group. About the only thing Orlando … Continue reading “Don’t Let Them Take Your Liberty After Orlando”