Wanted: An Honest Election

By morning of the day John Kerry accepted his nomination, it was clear the Kerry Party at the FleetCenter was perpetrating a fraud on the delegates and on the nation. And many in the Big Media were going along. Consider. Among the more than 4,000 delegates, two passions were predominant: detestation of Bush and hostility … Continue reading “Wanted: An Honest Election”

Survey: Iraqis Frustrated but Optimistic

Iraqis are optimistic about the future but frustrated with unreliable services like electricity, and concerned about the quality of governance, according to a major poll released here Friday. "Iraqis are hopeful about events improving, have not yet realized gains in their personal lives, and have not crossed the ‘tipping point’ in terms of their own … Continue reading “Survey: Iraqis Frustrated but Optimistic”

Pentagon Learns About the Sixth Amendment

The Pentagon is learning that things work differently here in the United States than they do in Iraq. In this country, when the judiciary issues an order, the Pentagon is required to obey it. That’s why the government is now permitting Ali Saleh al-Marri to meet with his attorney as part of his habeas corpus … Continue reading “Pentagon Learns About the Sixth Amendment”

Should We Have Faith in the Government?

Ever since the attacks of 9/11, unsanctioned alternative explanations of what happened and why have been in ample supply. What are the American people to make of these explanations? That depends on the alternative offered. My purpose here is not to lend credence to any of them, but rather to examine the attitude that officialdom … Continue reading “Should We Have Faith in the Government?”

Trampling Aliens in the Name of Anti-Terrorism

Americans are still learning the details of some of the abuses that were committed against those rounded up as suspected terrorists after 9/11. The Justice Department inspector general issued superb reports in June and December 2003 detailing violation of rights, denial of due process, and, in some cases, physical brutality. Perhaps the best way to … Continue reading “Trampling Aliens in the Name of Anti-Terrorism”

Sudan Officials Split Over UN Sanction Threat

NAIROBI (IPS) – Sudan has "accepted" a UN resolution to rein in pro-government militias, known as Janjaweed, in the western region of Darfur, within 30 days, a surprising move that seems to reflect a split in the Islamic regime. Until late Friday, Khartoum had rejected the UN Security Council’s resolution threatening the regime with sanctions … Continue reading “Sudan Officials Split Over UN Sanction Threat”

Iraq’s Palestinians Dispossessed Again

BAGHDAD – The grass has all but disappeared off what used to be the football field of the Palestinian Haifa sports club on the edge of Baghdad. After more than a year as an improvised refugee camp that at one point housed some 2,000 people, it looks sun-bleached and bent by the wind. Hardly a … Continue reading “Iraq’s Palestinians Dispossessed Again”

Decision 2004: Iran or Sudan?

Well, now we know that no matter who wins in November, we’re going to stay in Iraq as long as it takes and do whatever it takes to achieve final victory – whatever “victory” means. The election will, however, decide which country is next to have its “regime changed.” If Kerry is elected, it’ll be … Continue reading “Decision 2004: Iran or Sudan?”

Throwing the Book at Bush

Books keep pouring off the presses on the subject of why George W. Bush should not be reelected. I got four in my mailbox recently. Bush might be the biggest boon to book publishing since Harry Potter. The most serious of the four books is The Bubble of American Supremacy, by George Soros. The most … Continue reading “Throwing the Book at Bush”

Sino-Pak Policy: Carrot and the Stick

Every May, Sirbuz Khan, 26, makes his way north along the Karakorum Highway from Islamabad and spends the next six to seven months moving around China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region buying silk for his family’s cloth business. Business is good – for every five meters of pure white silk Khan buys, he can make a … Continue reading “Sino-Pak Policy: Carrot and the Stick”