What do the president's nomination of Rep. Porter Goss (R-Fla.), to head the CIA and the seemingly contradictory proposal of Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), to dismember the CIA have in common with tales of Swift boats once in Vietnam? Answer: The proven potential of all...
Rage Against the Machine
Beneath the thin plastic veneer of American society, rage roils around the irrationality of life in the Empire, and occasionally it boils over. As it did in Hollywood, Florida, the other day, when Carlos Arredondo "snapped," as the news reports put it: "Melida...
The Silent Majority Is Ours
The DNC showed that the present path of the organized antiwar movement cannot lead to success. The antiwar movement within the Democratic Party was utterly defeated. It placed its hopes in John Kerry, in spite of Kerry's call for greater military power for the U.S.,...
A Culture of Improvisation
What I took away from reading the entire James Schlesinger "independent" commission report [.pdf] and the executive summary and a skim of the rest of the Jones-Fay generals' report [.pdf] on the abuses of prisoners at Abu Ghraib was a profound confirmation of what...
Darfur’s War of Definitions
Finally, the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan is a focal point for diplomats and the media. This is the least one could expect after months of murder, rape and, dare I say, ethnic cleansing, starting as early as February 2003. Almost all parties who have recently...
Backtalk, August 26, 2004
How Do They Get Away With It?Yes, how in the world do they get away with it? Are we that ignorant and stupid in this country to want to reelect a president who has done nothing but make a complete mockery of the Constitution and the rule of law, caused close to 8,000...
The Bush Betrayal
As we defend liberty and justice abroad, we must always honor those values here at home. George W. Bush, October 28, 2003 George W. Bush came to the presidency promising prosperity, peace, and humility. Instead, Bush has spawned record federal budget deficits,...
Israel Must Rethink Prisoner Policy
"For all I care, they can starve to death!" announced Tzahi Hanegbi, after Palestinian prisoners declared an open-ended hunger strike against prison conditions. Thus the Minister for Internal Security added another memorable phrase to the lexicon of the...
Rumsfeld’s Torture Panel Clears Rumsfeld
A commission of civilian military advisers established by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says that soldiers running Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq deserve most of the blame for acts of torture and abuse committed there, while high-ranking Pentagon officials are guilty...
Defense Challenges Tribunals’ Legitimacy
The first of four scheduled criminal hearings for Guantanamo Bay detainees went forward today, notwithstanding concerns from human and civil rights groups and a legal challenge in U.S. civilian courts. During the hearing, the defense challenged the military judges'...


