Countercurrents Archive October 2007

31 October, 2007

Israel Chokes Gaza Some More
By Peter Hirschberg

Israel has begun limiting fuel supplies to Gaza as part of punitive measures it is implementing in an attempt to stem the firing of rockets by militants from the coastal strip into Israel. But Palestinian leaders and human rights groups are warning the move could spark a humanitarian crisis

Why Did We Invade Iraq Anyway?
By Michael Schwartz

As worldwide demand for hydrocarbons soared, the United States was left with three policy choices: It could try to combine alternative energy sources with rigorous conservation to reduce or eliminate a significant portion of energy imports; it could accept the leverage conferred on OPEC by the energy crunch and attempt to negotiate for an adequate share of what might soon enough become an inadequate supply; or it could use its military power in an effort to coerce Middle East suppliers into satisfying American requirements at the expense of everyone else. Beginning with Jimmy Carter, five U.S. presidents chose the coercive strategy, with George W. Bush finally deciding that violent, preemptive regime change was needed to make it work. The other options remain unexplored

A Family Tree
By Layla Anwar

I console myself with the thought that I, at least, have the memory of a Tree. Something to give me strength, verticality, and a sense of belonging even if it is on some fictional, imaginary level...I have serious doubts that the increasing number of Iraqi orphans can console themselves with that same thought

Deliberate Hypocrisy
By Ghali Hassan

The primary aim of U.S.-Western deliberate hypocrisy is to control the public, induce moral bankruptcy and justify the use of violence to further U.S.-Western imperialist agenda, using “democracy” and “human rights” as political tools. Thus, as long as U.S.-Western leaders continue to ignore their own war crimes and their complicity in war crimes, they have no moral authority or credibility to judge other countries or interfere in the affairs of other countries

Civilization Ends With A
Shutdown Of Human Concern.
Are We There Already?
By George Monbiot

A powerful novel’s vision of a dystopian future shines a cold light on the dreadful consequences of our universal apathy

Criminal Justice Meltdown In New Orleans?
By Bill Quigley

Some say crime causes a city to be under siege; others say crime is the symptom of a city under siege. Either way, New Orleans is in serious trouble. Our criminal justice system is in unprecedented crisis

The True Cost Of War For Oil
By Bonnie Bricker & Aadil E. Shamoo

"We have to decide, as a nation, whether our need for Middle Eastern oil is more important to our future than our conduct as a moral and ethical people." Which brave presidential candidate would lay it on the line so clearly? None yet. And that's the problem with the national debate on the war in Iraq, and possibly, our foray into Iran as well

An Open Letter To The Christian Right
By Robert Weitzel

If you’re on board, we’ll need to act quickly and decisively. Every indication is that the “faith-based” administration you’ve supported these last seven years is about to expend more of our gold and our children’s lives on a new round of bloodletting in Iran

Is God Running For President?
By Mary Shaw

The religious right and their supporters in Washington have brainwashed the American public into believing that Christianity is patriotic. In fact, according to a recent survey by the First Amendment Center, 65 percent of Americans believe that the nation's founders intended the U.S. to be a Christian nation and 55 percent believe that the Constitution establishes a Christian nation

Plot Against Bhutto Bodes Ill For Pakistan
By Gul Jammas Hussain

Those who want to kill Bhutto should know that people die but ideologies do not. The Zulfikar Ali Bhutto legend is an ideology that can not be killed. At this critical juncture, those who are seeking to assassinate Benazir Bhutto should reflect upon the repercussions of their plot, since it would further polarize Pakistani society if it succeeded

Public Statement On The Gujarat Carnage 2002
By Concerned Citizens

We therefore call upon the Central government and the Supreme Court, whose duty it is to enforce the rule of law and protect the Constitution, to immediately take the above steps. We also call upon all right thinking people of Gujarat to come out in support of these demands. What is at stake is not merely the survival of Constitutional values and the rule of law but the survival of civilisation itself in this country

Custodial Murder Of Mutahir Ali Tapader And
Subsequent Police Atrocity In Barak Valley Of Assam
By Wali Laskar

It was reported in local media that an innocent citizen was killed by police on 21st September, 2007 at Kalain in the district of Cachar, Assam. The police tortured the victim to death in full public view, allegedly for refusing by the victim and his relatives to pay a gratification of rupees ten thousand to sub-inspector Narain Tamuli, in-charge-officer of Kalain Police Patrol Post under Katigorah Police Station

30 October, 2007

New York Times And Bush’s Threat Of World War III
By Bill Van Auken

With the US military already mired in two colonial-style wars with no end in sight, the Times indicates that there exist no grounds for believing that the White House will not pursue the seemingly insane course of launching yet a third war, which—far more than those already underway—carries with it the danger of spreading into a global conflagration

Turning Truth On Its Head
By Abbas Edalat & Mehrnaz Shahabi

The US has opened up a new front in its now sharply accelerated war drive on Iran. The announcement last week by Condoleezza Rice, branding Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps a terrorist organisation, and imposing the strongest sanctions yet since 1979 Iranian Revolution, alarmed several democratic presidential candidates who described it as an indication that the White House had begun its "march to war"

On Track For U.S. Collapse
By Michael S. Rozeff

Bush and Cheney are steering the U.S. into a collapse. Only strong public voices by influential people can prevent the coming disaster. We desperately need for men and women who are known to the public and have credibility to speak up in the critical period ahead to avoid catastrophe

When Blackwater Kills,No Questions Asked
By Ali al-Fadhily

The Iraqi investigators said Blackwater should be expelled from the country, and demanded eight million dollars compensation for the family of each victim. Officials decided last week to establish a committee to find ways to repeal a 2004 directive issued by L. Paul Bremer, head of the former U.S. occupation government in Iraq, which placed private security companies outside Iraqi law, making them immune to prosecution. Many Iraqis are angry that Blackwater enjoys special rights

The Catastrophic Military Occupation Of Iraq
Is Rarely Described Accurately In The U.S. Media
By Kevin Zeese & Dahr Jamail

An Interview with independent journalist Dahr Jamail “The bogus idea that if the U.S. leaves things will worsen is both inherently racist and ignorant.”

Engaging Hamas And Hizballah
By Ali Abunimah

Nothing could be easier in the present atmosphere than to accuse anyone who calls for recognition of and dialogue with Hamas, Hizballah and other Islamist movements of being closet supporters of reactionary "extremism" or naive fellow travelers of "terrorists." This tactic is not surprising coming from neoconservatives and Zionists. What is novel is to see it expressed in supposedly progressive quarters

Uncertain Outcomes:The Israeli-Palestine Question
By Jim Miles

Now with events in Iraq and Afghanistan becoming predominant within the newscasts, Israel-Palestine has not seemed to be central to the picture. Unfortunately it still is, as the Jewish lobby in America has the ear – and foremost its wallets – of many Americans in its thrall, and those same groups are now clamouring for an attack on Iran because of Iran’s alleged desire to completely destroy Israel and Israel’s self-willed fear of Iranian nuclear power. Regardless of that global centrality, even if it were not there, the question of what will happen in Israel-Palestine remains

Janadesh For A National Land Policy
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

Thousands of tribal and Dalits who started their march under the banner of Ekta Parishad, from Gwalior on October 2nd, 2007, were not allowed to step out of the Ramlila grounds in Delhi. It was unfortunate that the government did not allow them to vent their voice at the parliament house, the Panchayat of our democracy

Kashmir's 'City Of Bunkers'
By Wajahat Ahmad

Recently there were news stories regarding the Indian military's impending plans to induct around 12000 more troops in Kashmir. It seems quite likely that Srinagar would receive a fair share of these new troops and by extension the population of new military camps and bunkers is bound to grow. Soon, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Srinagar, ''The city of bunkers''

Can We Resist Fascism With Indignation Alone
By Jawed Naqvi

Suppose Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, is called a fascist, which he is, and it translates into more votes for him in the coming state elections. How does one respond to this possibility, which, as many have concluded, is in fact the bitter truth? This is the backdrop we have to keep in mind about Tehelka's otherwise skillful and daring expose with concealed cameras of the manic Hindutva hordes that raped and killed at will in Gujarat in 2002, and their cheerleader, the chief minister himself

29 October, 2007

More Warnings Of A US War On Iran
By Peter Symonds

The Bush administration’s unprecedented decision last week to brand the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a weapons proliferator and its Quds Force as a “supporter of terrorism” has heightened tensions with Tehran and undermined European efforts at negotiations, setting the stage for a US attack on Iran

'War On Terror' Is Now War On Iran
By Pepe Escobar

Scores of middle-aged, mild-mannered, bearded gentlemen - the technocrats of the Iranian military bourgeoisie - are now officially enjoying the status of "terrorists", at least from a Washington point of view

The Devil’s Playground
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

I make an effort to understand this President turned dictator and his reasons for planning genocide. Given Russia’s stark warning and Europe’s precarious stance in that 25% of it’s oil and 40% of its natural gas is supplied by Russia, a military confrontation with Iran would likely drag in other nations. What reason other than sheer madness would he have for doing this?

Peak Oil And Famine:Four Billion Deaths
By Peter Goodchild

Population growth is soaring, whereas oil production is plunging. If, at the start of any year, the world’s population is greater than its carrying capacity, only simple arithmetic is needed to see that the difference between the two numbers means that mortality will be above the normal by the end of that year. In fact, over the course of the 21st century there will be about 4 billion deaths (probably about 3.6, to be more precise) above normal

The Prophet Of Climate Change: James Lovelock
By Jeff Goodell

One of the most eminent scientists of our time says that global warming is irreversible — and that more than 6 billion people will perish by the end of the century

Rapid Global Warming Will Create
Famine And Drought, Lovelock Warns
By Steve Connor

Climate change is happening faster than anyone predicted and its consequences could be dire for the survival of civilisation in the 21st century because of the chaos it will cause in terms of famine, drought and mass migration

Freedom Writ Large
By John Pilger

We who care for freedom in Burma should not be distracted by the posturing and weasel pronouncements of our leaders, who themselves should be called to account as accomplices – unless and until their fine words are matched by deeds that make a genuine difference and they themselves stop destroying lives. We owe that vigilance and that truth to Aung San Suu Kyi, to Burma's writers and to all the other bravest of the brave

The Bank Of The South: An Alternative
To IMF And World Bank Dominance
By Stephen Lendman

Small signs of change are emerging, the Bank of the South may be one of them, and a new generation of leftist leaders may in the end break Washington's weakening (but still strong) hold on the region. That's the hope, and every step forward means more power to the people and another possible world

Israel's Military Court System Is The Model To Avoid
By Lisa Hajjar

If we learn anything, then, from the Israeli experience, perhaps it should be that torture and arbitrary or indefinite detention exacerbate a conflict and endanger civilians

On Tehelka's Gujarat Sting
By Mukul Dube

Over five years after the Gujarat genocide, it looks as if a beginning has been made to bring to book those who were responsible for it. It would be premature, though, to think that the battle is won. Our legal system is well known for its slow functioning. Worse, while the recorded admissions of criminals damn them personally, the evidence that Tehelka's work has brought out against Modi, for example, must be described as hearsay

Moving From Moditva To Sanity:
The Stakes In Gujarat
By Praful Bidwai

The Congress has a historic chance to inflict a stinging defeat on the BJP. To do this, it must offer an alternative vision, take a strongly secular line, build alliances with other anti-communal parties/groups, and run a spirited campaign with a wise choice of candidates, while keeping the BJP dissidents at an arm's length. The fight is winnable-and certainly worth winning

26 October, 2007

Humanity's Future Is At Risk
By Steve Connor

A landmark assessment by the UN of the state of the world's environment paints the bleakest picture yet of our planet's well-being. The warning is stark: humanity's future is at risk unless urgent action is taken. Over the past 20 years, almost every index of the planet's health has worsened. At the same time, personal wealth in the richest countries has grown by a third

Creating Our Own Hell On Earth
By Tom Turnipseed

To save this planet we must each do our part and we must demand that our leaders lead. As we watch the fires in the west, can’t we see that we are destroying our beautiful country by our own hand and creating a fiery hell on earth?

Truth Matters
By Charles Sullivan

It is not coincidental that professional journalists, those who write for profit in the mainstream media, are the least likely to tell us the truth, the whole truth; whereas, free-lance writers, who operate under a different set of rules and out of the mainstream, are more likely to serve the public interest, and tell us what we need to know in order to be a free people, and good world citizens

One Step Closer To War
By Bill Van Auken

In an act unprecedented in the history of international relations, Washington on Thursday unilaterally imposed harsh and potentially crippling economic sanctions against Iran’s main uniformed security force, as well as against more than 20 Iranian companies and the country’s three major banks.The sanctions, announced by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, represent a deliberate provocation aimed at precluding any negotiated settlement to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program and making a US war against the country all but inevitable

Gaza: The Auschwitz Of Our Time
By Khalid Amayreh

Israel is now incarcerating nearly a million and a half helpless Palestinians in the Gaza Strip into a hell similar in nature to the Warsaw Ghetto. The Gaza concentration camp is not only fitted with a wall, but also with every conceivable tool of repression, such as electric fences and watch towers manned by Gestapo-like trigger-happy Jewish soldiers who shoot first and ask questions later

Shuttle Lunacy
By David Truskoff

Comics and cartoonists are having a field day with the woman who seems to believe that she is doing something important. The poor befuddled Secretary never appears to have a reference point. Even during her many Trips back and forth the Israelis mock her. Israel announced on October 2,2003 it would build 565 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Should that not have been her reference point?

Marxism, Darwin, And Jerry Fodor's Flying Pigs:
In Defense Of Natural Selection
By Thomas Riggins

The philosopher Jerry Fodor is rightfully upset with some of the nonsense coming out of Academia disguised as science and dressed up in arguments purportedly derived from Darwin’s theory of evolution. Lots of nonsense put forth under the guise of “evolutionary psychology” is a good example. Here complex behavioral patterns of humans today are explained as inherited traits from our animal past or traits that we evolved when we were hunter gathers on the African savannah

The Baiga (the medicine man)
By Kunal Sharma

Of the few remaining tribes in the central highlands of India that still hold own to their ancient ways and exhibit primitiveness in the anthropological sense, the Baiga are among the last remaining inhabitants. Their culture, the association with the forest, low levels of literacy and close bonding with nature make them a special people. Though no longer associated with the term ‘hunting savage’ nevertheless they still follow many ancient traditions

25 October, 2007

Turkey Begins Bombing In Iraq
By Patrick Cockburn
in the Qandil mountains, Iraq

Turkey used its helicopters and artillery to attack Kurdish guerrillas inside northern Iraq yesterday as the Turkish army massed just north of the border. The helicopter gunships penetrated three miles into Iraqi territory and warplanes targeted mountain paths used by rebels entering Turkey

Iraqi Refugees Turn To prostitution
By Omar Sinan

This club in northwest Damascus represents one of the most troubling aspects of the Iraqi refugee crisis — Iraqi women and girls who are turning to prostitution to survive in countries that have taken them in but won't let them or their families work at most other jobs

Ill-Equipped Soldiers Opt For "Search And Avoid"
By Dahr Jamail

Iraq war veterans now stationed at a base here say that morale among U.S. soldiers in the country is so poor, many are simply parking their Humvees and pretending to be on patrol, a practice dubbed "search and avoid" missions

The California Wildfires And
The American Social Crisis
By Patrick Martin

Once again, the world watches as a natural disaster in the United States threatens to become a social catastrophe. Once again, a million Americans are forced from their homes by a long-forecast calamity, with little planning or preparation by the local, state and federal governments. Once again, tens of thousands of refugees seek shelter at a football stadium in a major American city—this time, San Diego

Torture, Paramilitarism, Occupation And Genocide
By Stephen Lendman

On October 5, George Bush confronted a public uproar and defended his administration claiming "This government does not torture people." Again he lied. Once secret US Department of Justice (DOJ) legal opinions confirm the Bush administration condones torture by endorsing "the harshest interrogation techniques ever used by the Central Intelligence Agency." It also condones paramilitary thuggery, oppressive occupation, and genocide. This unholy combination is the ugly face of an imperial nation run by war criminals

Bush Threatens Escalation Of
Aggression Against Cuba
By Bill Van Auken

The question posed by Bush’s provocative speech is whether, as part of this war, the administration in Washington is preparing to launch a “preemptive” attack on Cuba

Ann Coulter: Nuke Them!
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

I have always been able to separate the ordinary Americans from the government. Tonight was the first time that the two became inseparable. For the first time in 21 years I witnessed hate in America – and what an ugly spectacle

When Can India Raise Its Head High !
By Anjali Sinha

Don’t know how many are aware of the fact that as an orthodox Christian Bobby Jindal opposes abortion.; talks about Intelligent Design rather than the scientifically proved Darwinian Theory of Human Evolution

The Marked People
By Harsh Mander

The latest to join this global assault on democratic rights — in the wake of the three bomb blasts that hit Hyderabad this year — is the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh. The state Minorities Commission has reported the abduction and illegal detention and torture by the police of a large number of Muslim youth within days of the blasts on August 25, 2007

Is It Emancipation Or Elimination Of
The Scavengers In Laar Town (Deoria)
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

In the eastern Uttar-Pradesh, they do not use the term Balmikis/Valmiks for the sweeper. Instead there are people from the communities of Rawats, Bansfors, Helas, Mehtars who are engaged in scavenging work. Many of the women narrated their plight and how they wish to get out of the scavenging hell

24 October, 2007

US Plans Military Strikes On PKK Bases
By Peter Symonds

With the Turkish military poised to strike the guerrilla bases of the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Washington and London are engaged in frantic diplomatic activity to prevent a Turkish intervention that would further destabilise the US occupation of Iraq. However, as the Chicago Tribune reported yesterday, the Bush administration is also drawing up plans for military attacks on the PKK, either by US forces or jointly with the Turkish army

The Imperial Presidency
By Ralph Nader

To what level of political insanity has this Washington Caesar descended? Only two countries can start World War III-Russia and the United States. Is Bush saying that if Russia, presently opposed to military action against Iran, persists with its position, Bush may risk World War III? If not, why is this law-breaking warmonger, looking for another war for American GIs to fight, while his military-age daughters bask in the celebrity lime light?

The Nuke Deal Is Dead
By Vijay Prashad

The short-term battle was won by the Communists, who led the opposition to the deal and winnowed regional parties away from the Congress and toward their position. The Communists' stance is that the nuclear deal (set in motion in 2005) is only one part of a wider embrace between the Indian and US governments, and between Indian and US-based corporations

Christian/Jewish Fascism Awareness Week
By Margaret Kimberley

Right wing propagandist David Horowitz has declared October 22nd through October 26th Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week.The current Horowitz obsession is focused on Islam and on keeping Americans whipped into a frenzy of fear and hatred against all Muslims. The very term Islamo-Fascism is a cynical creation of neoconservatives, designed to insure blind adherence to the Bush war on terror scheme

Freedom Struggle, Violence And State
By Firdous Syed

"Freedom struggles" all over the world are facing a typical predicament today, a Catch-22 situation put forth by the fact that a monolithic modern state which understands the language of violence only, is, at the same time, helped by a violent campaign to obliterate the legitimacy of a "freedom struggle"

The Israel/Palestine Question
By Jim Miles

Ilan Pappe’s highly revised second edition of The Israel/Palestine Question offers the reader a very instructive read on changing historical perspectives about Israel/Palestine within one over-riding theme – land tenure and population control

Foreclosure USA
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

We the people once owned our democracy. We elected “representatives” to run it for US. Have you noticed? Somewhere along the way we lost our democracy

Peace Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning
By David Swanson

Maybe it's time that we grew up as a nation. Maybe it's time we joined hands, locked elbows, and forced our Congress to impeach, not for oral sex, but to restore our Bill of Rights. Maybe it's time we made proper use of the positive force of nonviolent action. Maybe it's time we stopped pledging to flags, praying to lords, saluting commanders, obeying authorities, and bowing before our televisions. Maybe it's time we shut down the Washington crime machine under the banner "No War, No Warming"

Needs And Aspirations Of Ethnically Cleansed
Northern Muslims Of Sri Lanka
By Shahul Hasbullah

The highlights of the Fact Finding - 2007

23 October, 2007

Cheney Raises The Rhetoric Against Iran
By Jim Lobe

In the harshest speech against Iran given by a top George W. Bush administration official to date, Vice President Dick Cheney Sunday warned the Islamic Republic of "serious consequences" if it did not freeze its nuclear programme and accused it of "direct involvement in the killings of Americans"

On The Eve Of Destruction
By Scott Ritter

Pundits have raised their eyebrows and comics are busy writing jokes, but the president’s reference to Armageddon, no matter how cavalierly uttered and subsequently brushed away, suggests an alarming context

US Army Lures Foreigners With Promise Of Citizenship
By Cordula Meyer

More than 30,000 foreign troops are enlisted in the US Army, many of them serving in Iraq. Their reward for risking their lives for their adopted country is US citizenship

Bloggers Without Borders...
By Baghdad Burning

By the time we had reentered the Syrian border and were headed back to the cab ready to take us into Kameshli, I had resigned myself to the fact that we were refugees. I read about refugees on the Internet daily… in the newspapers… hear about them on TV. I hear about the estimated 1.5 million plus Iraqi refugees in Syria and shake my head, never really considering myself or my family as one of them

It Is Our War
By Pervez Hoodbhoy

The war in Pakistan's tribal areas is being fought by Pakistan's army under America's gun and on its orders. Many innocents have tragically died from bombardment from the skies. Therefore, not surprisingly, Pakistanis are angry and most feel it is not their war.But Pakistan, for its own sake, urgently needs to battle the flames of religious fanaticism lest they consume the rest of the country. This must, however, be done in a manner that is intelligent and principled

Uncommon Grace: Biology And Economic Theory
By Charles Sullivan

Ecology and biology are the natural capital upon which nature works. They are the underpinning of all social and economic paradigms—bar none. Impair and denigrate them and everything in them, including us, is diminished. Damage them excessively, and everything falls, including our precious ownership society

Vilifying Islam
By Ida Audeh

When a religion is vilified, those who believe in it can be disposed of without creating a domestic uproar. That seems to be the real purpose for using the Islamofascist label. We must reject the bogus excuses given by the US government to wage perpetual war on third-world nations for the sole purpose of securing US and Israeli hegemony over the region

Blatant Double Standards
By Jyoti Punwani

With Islamic groups “not being ruled out’’ as culprits in the Ludhiana bomb blast, and Bangladeshis being interrogated for the Ajmer blast, it is clear that in India’s fight against terrorism, one group of terrorists is being completely excluded

Forced For Veil
By Aftab Alexander Mughal

The valley of Swat once used to be called Pakistan's Switzerland and would draw a large number of tourists, especially from within the country, but that has all changed. It has fallen to the extremists and large swathes of it seem as if they are in the control of Taliban sympathizers

Anuradhapura: Air Farce Reflects
By Satchi Sithananthan

The LTTE is certainly having the Sri Lankan forces in a spin and at what cost? Are there some maneuverings and machinations behind this attack that serve the arms cartels with the support of corrupt elements within the government?

22 October, 2007

Fears That Seas Soak Up Less Greenhouse Gas
By Andrew Woodcock

The oceans’ ability to act as a “carbon sink” soaking up greenhouse gases appears to be decreasing, research shows, leading to new fears about global warming

US Raid On Baghdad’s Sadr City Leaves
Many Dead And Wounded
By Bill Van Auken

A violent US assault on Baghdad’s Sadr City Sunday left many people dead—49 according to the military’s own count—and scores more wounded. The foray into the crowded and impoverished Shia neighborhood, home to an estimated 3 million people, was launched before dawn and quickly escalated as American forces called in air strikes that left houses, stores and cars destroyed and in flames

It’s The Oil
By Jim Holt

Iraq is ‘unwinnable’, a ‘quagmire’, a ‘fiasco’: so goes the received opinion. But there is good reason to think that, from the Bush-Cheney perspective, it is none of these things. Indeed, the US may be ‘stuck’ precisely where Bush et al want it to be, which is why there is no ‘exit strategy’

Freedom's Watch Targeting Iran
By Bill Berkowitz

After successfully holding the line on Congressional support for the surge in Iraq, wealthy Bush backers are turning their attention and money to drumming up support for military action against Iran

What Will It Take To Hasten The Revolution?
By Harold Niver

Wake up, nation, and rise up. The "terrorists" are not the enemy – the system that grinds you down in really at the root of your pain and suffering. Overthrow the dictatorship that is planning to destroy you, the one that has already purchased you like you're a common commodity

UAW Sellout At GM And Chrysler
By Stephen Lendman

The September and October United Auto Workers (UAW) GM and Chrysler agreements are just the latest examples of union leadership surrender and betrayal. It's an ominous sign of labor's plight and clear indication of what's ahead - more for business, less for workers, and no relief in sight with union bosses out for themselves and more allied with business and imperial interests than their own rank and file

Does Larry Sabato Really Want
A Constitutional Convention?
By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Why would a prominent law professor supposedly in favor of having the nation’s second constitutional convention organize a symposium where the keynote speaker is dead set against a convention? And why pack the three subsequent panels with people against a convention? I kept asking myself these questions as I attended the recent symposium that Larry Sabato had the audacity to title “National Constitution Convention

Palestinians' Lives Invisible To Israelis
By Edward Mast

On a visit to Tel Aviv last month, I asked some Israeli friends what people in Israel were saying about the Palestinian situation. Not much, they told me. Israelis are more concerned about the corruption charges against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, coming on the heels of corruption charges against previous governments. Palestinians and their issues, my friends told me, are becoming more and more invisible to the Israeli people

Modi Won't Talk Godhra, Walks Out Of Interview
By Karan Thapar

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi walked out of an exclusive interview with Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN's Devil's Advocate because he was questioned about Godhra. Narendra Modi walked out of the interview less than five minutes after it started in Gandhinagar

Special Economic Zones: Profits At Any Cost
By C.R. Bijoy

These capital driven enclaves have all the bearings of impending economic crisis and the concomitant political and legal turmoil. SEZs are not simply about land-based displacement-inducing projects driven by the nexus of capital and state. It is also about the replacement of democracy by governance by corporations, the new form of governance by capital supplanting people. It is also about growth with inequity, and social and environmental injustice. It is also about democratization of control over and governance of resources by people in response, as a matter of right and struggle

19 October, 2007

Bomb Blasts Hit Bhutto’s Return
To Pakistan
By Peter Symonds

The bomb blasts in Karachi are a reminder that Bhutto’s return, far from bringing peace and democracy, is likely to open up a new chapter of political crisis and instability

Wi-Fi, The Death Of Us All
By Mark Morford

You are going to die. Wireless gizmos are devouring your brain, right now. Very sorry

Assassination Of Sheikh Shakes US Claims
By Ali al-Fadhily

Resistance to occupation seems to have risen after the assassination last month of Abdul Sattar Abu Risha, head of the al-Bu Risha tribe. Abu Risha had begun to cooperate actively with U.S. forces

Bush Invokes Threat Of “World War III”
By Patrick Martin

Referring to the Iranian regime, Bush declared, “I believe they want to have the capacity, the knowledge in order to make a nuclear weapon. And I know it’s in the world’s interests to prevent them from doing so. I believe that the Iranian—if Iran had a nuclear weapon, it would be a dangerous threat to world peace. We’ve got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel. So I’ve told people that, if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”

U.S. Will Tip Its Hand Before Attacking Iran
By David Swanson

If Bush and Cheney attack Iran, we will almost certainly know it's coming. For months prior to the invasion of Iraq, even while the corporate media bombarded us with the pretense that Bush and Cheney had not yet decided on war, other stories further back in the pages of newspapers and on the internet informed us, or should have informed us, that an attack was coming

Why They're Afraid Of Michael Moore
By John Pilger

With this new independence apparent, Moore's deftness and dark humour in Sicko, which is a brilliant work of journalism and satire and film-making, explains – perhaps even better than the films that made his name, Roger and Me, Bowling for Columbine and Fahrenheit 9/11 – his popularity and influence and enemies. Sicko is so good that you forgive its flaws, notably Moore's romanticising of Britain's National Health Service, ignoring a two-tier system that neglects the elderly and the mentally ill

Review: “My Brother’s Keeper.
Documentary Photographers And Human Rights”
By Dr Gideon Polya

“My Brother’s Keeper” is a powerful and moving book that deserves a place in everybody’s personal library as a continual reminder of Man’s continuing active and passive inhumanity to Man and that we cannot walk by on the other side

18 October, 2007

Nuclear-Armed Iran Risks World War:Bush
By Sheryl Gay Stolberg

President Bush issued a stark warning on Iran on Wednesday, suggesting that if the country obtained nuclear arms, it could lead to “World War III.”

Daughter Of East Returns -With West's Backing
By Beena Sarwar

The much bruited ‘deal’ between Pakistan’s twice-elected, twice-deposed former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has cast a shadow over her triumphal homecoming on Thursday, after nine long years of self-imposed exile

A Genetic Disaster
By Kate Mucci

By deploying DU weapon's, we have forever altered the genetic structure of not only the human race, but of all life on earth. This travesty has been completely ignored by mainstream media in favor of nonsense about spoiled pop stars and self-aggrandizing politicians. The military has refused to acknowledge its part in what could well be the genetic destruction of the human race and has largely left its own American military victims to suffer and die without compassion or treatment. And of course the current presidential candidates have completely denied any knowledge of this issue

Nobel Hypocrisy
By Stephen Lendman

In point of fact, throughout his political life, Gore's actions betrayed the public's trust and still do. He and his wife live in two large energy-consuming homes: a 10,000 square foot, eight bedroom one in Nashville and a 4000 square foot one in Arlington, VA. The Gores also own a third home in Carthage, TN. In both Washington and Nashville, utility companies offer a wind energy green alternative to customers for a small per kilowatt hour premium. Gore can easily afford it, but public records show no evidence he's does it in either residence

Formalizing Apartheid Packaged As Peace Initiative
By Neta Golan & Mohammed Khatib

Olmert, Bush, Blair and their accomplices in the "Quartet" have vast, sophisticated and boundlessly resourced PR machinery that, through unlimited access to an uncritical media, can put a compelling "peace spin" on an apartheid process. During the November meeting they will assure the world of their commitment to a Palestinian state (with the appropriate Abbas/Olmert/Bush photo ops). They will promise to commit millions of dollars, funding Palestinian "institution building" and humanitarian aid and arming troops in order to "keep the peace" inside the Bantustans. Arab states will normalize relations with Israel, strengthening the "moderates" of the entire region, thus softening the Arab street as a prerequisite for an American-led strike on Iran

The Show Goes On ... And On
By Ali Abunimah

Unlike a few hours of theatrical escapism the producers of the Middle East Peace Process hope that the audience will actually believe that what they are viewing on stage, whether performed in Madrid, Oslo, London, Washington or Sharm al-Sheikh is real-life and even has the potential to end the conflict caused by a century of western-supported Zionist colonization in Palestine

Academic Freedom At Risk On Campus
By Saree Makdisi

The attack on intellectual freedom intended to shield Israel from criticism, not only threatens academic privileges on college campuses, it jeopardizes our capacity to evaluate our foreign policy. With a potentially catastrophic clash with Iran on the horizon and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict spiraling out of control, Americans urgently need to be able to think clearly about our commitments and intentions in the Middle East. And yet we are being prevented from doing so by a longstanding campaign of intimidation that has terminated careers, stymied debate and shut down dialogue

King Hemp V: Industrial Disease
By Rand Clifford

American prohibition of hemp was ushered in on the tawdry ruse of "Refer Madness", but corporate profits were the real issue then, as they remain. Instead of protecting people from "The Evil Weed From Mexico", hemp prohibition was engineered to "protect" The People from sharing in corporate profits

Judging Your Judges
By Subhash Gatade

A study about the subordinate judiciary covering six states, sponsored by the UNDP, has not received the attention it deserves.Interestingly Jharkhand, which is one of the six states, has come out with its report first. Monitored by a high court judge, the aim of the study was to find out barriers if any in providing access to justice for the underprivileged sections of our society

17 October, 2007

The Iraqi Genocide
By Paul Craig Roberts

One can only marvel at the insouciance of the US Congress to the current Iraqi Genocide while condemning Turkey for one that happened 90 years ago

The Forgotten Refugees Of The U.S. War On Iraq
By Lee Sustar

More refugees than Darfur. A humanitarian disaster. The largest displaced population in the Middle East since the mass expulsion of Palestinians with the formation of Israel in 1948. That’s the reality of the Iraqi refugee crisis--denied by the U.S. government and routinely ignored in the mainstream media

US And Israel Maintain Menacing Silence
Over Air Raid On Syria
By Peter Symonds

The real purpose of the raid and the subsequent tight-lipped official silence was to send a menacing message throughout the region that the Israeli state can and will strike without warning against any target as it sees fit

Controlling The Debate On Palestine, Israel
By Ramzy Baroud

My latest talks in the US have made me realize that the witch hunt on intellectuals that escalated rapidly since September 11, 2001 is nowhere near over

Nandigram:State Sponsored Mayhem
By Nilanju Dutta

A people's tribunal held in the wake of March 14 police firing and State vendetta at Nandigram avers that the West Bengal government has mainly been responsible for the ghastly incidents targeting villagers. A review of tribunal's final report

Hamas: Islamic Democracy And National Liberation
By Sukant Chandan

People around the world are developing their own political identities from their own cultural and political roots. Morales, Chavez, Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas are a few such examples. In the process of developing these indigenous movements, there is a move away from the uniform cultural and political forms of Western secular and Marxist models

The Difference Between Black Brazil And Black U.S.
By Italo Ramos

Reading all this news about race in the US, more than just to learn about American racial complexity, I could make sense of how big the differences are between Brazil and the US, in terms of racial questions. Here are some of them

Anti Neo-Liberal Victory In Poland
By Bronislaw Czarnocha

Bus drivers of the regional city Kielce, Poland, had won their two weeks long Polish strike and obtained the permission from that city to form a worker self-governing enterprise where they will have decisive majority of the action package

Ten Silent Senators
By David Swanson

On June 22, 2005, Democratic Senators Kerry, Johnson, Corzine, Reed, Lautenberg, Boxer, Kennedy, Harkin, Bingaman, and Durbin sent the following letter to the Republican Chairman and Democratic Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The letter stressed the urgent need for an investigation that over two years later has not been done. Only, now the Democrat is Chairman of the committee, and the other 10 Democrats have gone as silent as the dead

16 October, 2007

Genocide And Sexual Terrorism In Congo
By Christine Schuler Deschryver & Amy Goodman

In a war that has already killed over 4 million people, Christine Schuler Deschryver describes how women continue to be the victims of "sexual terrorism" in the Congo. John Homes, the UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, called the sexual violence in the Congo “the worst in the world.”

Why Are Americans So Fearful?
By Dave Eriqat

Observing our relentless march toward war abroad against Iran and looming dictatorship at home, it’s obvious to me that our “leaders” are getting away with this agenda because Americans are so fearful. But why? What are they afraid of? Answering this question is important because I think this irrational fear is finding an outlet in anger, which is evident in the police brutality we see domestically and wars we launch abroad

In The Kingdom Of Fear
By Sheila Samples

It's them against us -- a greedy corporate cabal protected by a cruel and sinister Dick Cheney and Bush, a vicious, brainless jackass who endowed himself with "wonder-working" masturbatory power to torture and kill at will. I once read that the Constitution is our birth certificate. If we are to remain a legitimate republic and escape this Kingdom of Fear, we must impeach both of these illegitimate warmongers. We must resist being fatigued into compliance with murder and into relinquishing our freedoms

Peak Moment For Peak Oil In Queensland
By Stuart McCarthy

Until recently the peak oil debate in Australia has been largely confined to internet forums. Those who have dared elsewhere make the obvious point that production of the finite resource upon which our entire economy is based will soon peak and decline, have usually been labeled as doomsayers, conspiracy theorists, socialists or rabid greenies. That situation has changed dramatically in recent weeks with the release of the Queensland Government’s long-awaited Oil Vulnerability Taskforce Report. World oil production is peaking – it’s official, at least here in Queensland

1947 And Its Place In History
By Rajesh Tyagi

The local bourgeois, joined hands with international capitalism to avert the possibility of a successful social revolution in India. Capitulating to the British colonialists, the Indian bourgeois with support of landlords, shamefully accepted the blueprint for peaceful transfer of power, with partition of India on religious lines, as its core scheme, wherein 27 lakh people perished in violence

Climate Change Threatens The Fight To End Poverty
By Rajendra Pachauri

The possibility of large numbers of people becoming environmental refugees is not only a humanitarian problem of serious proportions but also has the potential for social disruption that needs to be avoided

Escaping BAU - 450ppm, 2 Degrees C, Change Now
By Bill Henderson

Last week Tim Flannery revealed that the next IPCC report will reveal that greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere have passed the 450( E)ppm level a full decade ahead of earlier IPCC prediction. 450ppm is the precautionary ceiling to keep temperature rise below a 2 degree C increase above the pre-industrial mean. Limiting the temperature rise to less than 2 degrees has long been considered the bottom line for avoiding dangerous climate change: for avoiding possible latent positive feedback that could lead to runaway climate change, for avoiding an apocalyptic situation where climate change was no longer within our control

U.S. Too Often Follows Israel's Lead
In Diplomatic Situations
By Paul Findley

America badly needs a civilized discussion of the damaging role of Israel in U.S. policy formulation

Israel Has Turned The Gaza Strip Into A Zoo
By Amira Hass

Since 1991, Israel has been using the partial or total imprisonment of the Gazans in their cage, for longer or shorter periods, as a political strategy: Sometimes it is depicted as punishment, sometimes as a deterrent action and always as a preface to a political plan. Until not long ago, it seemed as though the terms of imprisonment could not be any worse. The past four months have proven that there is always "worse."

Love And Be Damned
By Ram Puniyani

In India this process of secularization, transformation in caste and gender relations towards the one of equality, was fairly well on its way till the decades of 80s, when the rise of communalism has put severe brakes on this process. What is surprising is that even in West Bengal, which is ruled by the Left front Govt., the matters don't seem to be much different. In Rizwans case while the human tragedy is of mammoth scale, the intolerance of high and mighty is very intimidating

15 October, 2007

'The U.S., Not Iran, Is The Terrorist'
By Ed Kinane

In the last two centuries has Iran... invaded any other nation?

US Air Strikes Kill 34 Iraqis
By Naomi Spencer

On October 11, US forces killed 34 Iraqis during air strikes on a home northwest of Baghdad. The military has acknowledged that at least 15 among the dead were civilians, including nine children, making the civilian toll one of the largest admitted by US forces since the 2003 invasion

It’s Insanity, Stupid! - Al Gore
And That Nobel Peace Prize
By Gabriele Zamparini

The Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore opened a heated debate: was it right to award a mass murderer and war criminal? This is a curious question that certainly would have a meaning in a sane world, certainly not in ours

'Swimming Up The Tigris'
By Felicity Arbuthnot

Book Review: 'Swimming Up The Tigris' By Barbara Nimri Aziz."Barbara Nimri Aziz opens many gates, to unique, astute and eye misting, insights. Every American and British politician should read this book and sink to their knees in shame."

Stop Domestic Violence Now!
By Nasiruddin Haider Khan

The Prevention of Domestic Violence Act is a historic step towards a gender sensitive law in India. However, the big question remains, how is it different from other existing laws of the land? Why is this law unique? Most importantly, what are the benefits an aggrieved person can get from this law?

The Kurdish Case Against Turkish Military Actions
By Martin Zehr

Recent activity by the Turkish military and government presents a real danger of invasion by Turkey against the Kurdish Autonomous Region. Next week the Turkish Parliament will be voting to approve military action against the Kurdish Autonomous Region

Guru Of Greed: The Cult Of Selfishness
By Leonard Doyle

Fifty years after it was first published, Ayn Rand's most influential book offers a vital clue to why so many Americans vote against their economic and social interests

A Three Way For The Real Third Way
By Jeff Berg

If we fail again and let consumption manage us and not us it, I’m guaranteeing here and now that energy fascism is the jackboot that we will all be ground under. Most of the rest of the world gets this already. They do not hate us for our freedoms they hate us for the insane recklessness and abuse of freedom that our everyday fossil fuel lifestyle screams at them. And who can blame them?

Promised Social Change In Ecuador
By Stephen Lendman

Raphael Correa was elected Ecuador's president last November and took office January 15 promising social change. Correa must now deliver and just got a boost from his governing Movimiento Alianza Pais' landslide Constituent Assembly election victory to rewrite the nation's constitution for the 177th time in Ecuador's history hoping to get it right this time

American Tears
By Naomi Wolf

In Germany, according to historian Richard Evans, in 1931-1932, if enough Germans of conscience had begun to say No -- history would have had an entirely diferent outcome.If we go any further down this road the tears will be those of conservatives as well as progressives. They will be American tears.The time for weeping has to stop; the time for confronting must begin

The Realpolitik Of Article VI: Religious
Test Required For Public Office
By Robert Weitzel

To illustrate the deleterious effect religious tests have on the secular democracy envisioned and codified by the Founding Fathers, consider that three of the first four presidents of the United States, all of whom where instrumental in drafting either the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, would be unelectable today if certain of their thoughts on religion were worn on their sleeves

Obama Blows It With "Kingdom On Earth" Comment
By Mary Shaw

On October 7, Obama disappointed me, big time. I know he's a religious man, but he overdid it this time. In my opinion, he crossed the line re: separation of church and state when he told the congregation at an evangelical church in South Carolina: "I am confident we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth."

13 October, 2007

Nobel Prize For Al Gore
By Patrick Martin

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to former Vice President Al Gore is a political statement by the European bourgeoisie about the policies of the Bush administration and the politics of the United States. Rarely has there been such an open intervention by the European ruling elite in the internal politics of America

The Pain Of Caring Too Much
About The Earth's Death
By Dr. Glen Barry

I am unwilling and unable to sit by stoically and impassively as the Earth, her creatures and humanity suffer and die; no matter how much it hurts emotionally, and you should not either

RAW: An Instrument Of Indian Imperialism
By Isha Khan

RAW over the years has admirably fulfilled its tasks of destabilising target states through unbridled export of terrorism. The India Doctrine spelt out a difficult and onerous role for RAW. It goes to its credit that it has accomplished its assigned objectives due to the endemic weakness in the state apparatus of those nations and failure of their leaders

Is American Capitalism Doomed To Fail
By G Asgar Mitha

All it will take is a disastrous war that America might start on some pretext. That would surely end capitalism. The process of moral wastage is on-going. That one ideology, democracy, on which the United States was founded, is dead. It exists only in name and not form. It has been the victim of American capitalism. Likewise demise of capitalism might be at the hands of the war it fabricates. Iraq and Afghanistan were cake walks but will every other country be thus?

Genocide Commission And Genocide Denial
By Armenian Genocide-Denying US, Turkey And Israel
By Dr Gideon Polya

A great victory for truth over repugnant Genocide Denial has just been achieved in Washington - with a vote of 27 to 21, the US Congress House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee has adopted House of Representative Resolution 106, the Armenian Genocide Resolution that acknowledges the World War one Armenian Holocaust as an Armenian Genocide. This was achieved in the face of intense lobbying by the Bush Administration, Apartheid Israel, the Racist Zionist (RZ) Lobby and the Turkish Government

Gitmo At Home: DV Courts In America
By David Heleniak

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Domestic violence is a very real and significant problem in America. This month would be a good time to address the attempt of state governments to combat domestic violence through the issuance of temporary and permanent restraining orders

Tortured State
By Gladson Dungdung

A study on custodial torture is revealing of what is wrong with Bihar's governance

Iftar Party?
By Mubasshir Ahmed

Come Ramadan and every political party – be it right-wing, left-wing or middle-wing – float a new (political!) party with a limited life: Iftar party

12 October, 2007

455 PPM And Counting...
By John Blair

Recent reports from Australia saying that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) final Assessment due out Nov. 7 will show that we have already eclipsed the CO2 concentration of 450 PPM CO2, that we had previously hoped to remain under. The report will show that we have played the waiting game for too long. It will show that the politicians introducing mediocre measures for hopeful mitigation that will take decades to accomplish is simply too little too late

Surviving The Century
By Chris Goodall

At its root, climate change is not a scientific or technical problem, but an issue of the use of power

Divide And Rule
By Galal Nassar

US plans to partition Iraq have been on the back burner for almost two decades. Now the future of the Arab world for generations to come hangs on whether or not they succeed

2008: Safari Tourism In Iraq
By Pablo Ouziel

I wonder if the publicised incident of Blackwater USA will serve as the wakeup call for western nations to realise what we have become, or it will pave the way towards an eventual Iraqi Safari Park for those westerners who flourish in capitalism to indulge themselves in the 'pleasure' of shooting Iraqi civilians

Hated, Humiliated, Butchered
By Mahasweta Devi

The mob murder of Nats in Bihar was no accidental atrocity, writes an outraged Mahasweta Devi. It was the consequence of preserved brutalities

Why Burma Is Not Iraq
By Ramzy Baroud

If Iraq has been a lesson of any worth it is that the Burmese are much better off without American bombing raids or British napalm in the name of intervention. True reforms and democracy can only come from within, from the closed fists of the determined dispossessed. Indeed, Burma is not Iraq, and Thank God for that

Tibetans: Exiled For Life
By Suzan Okar

Escaping from China has never been without risk for scores of Tibetans who had little option but to make India their abode. Settled in India, they continue to suffer because New Delhi is not signing the international treaty for refugees. Besides, India does not want to annoy China any more

Hindutva —Terrorism's New Signature
By Subhash Gatade

While nobody can deny the role of jihadi terrorists belonging to the likes of Lashkar-e-Toiba or Jaish-e-Mohammad in many such bloody and inhuman incidents, one feels pertrubed over the mono-chromatic presentation of such a complex phenomenon where green tends to dominate the rest. The conspiracy of silence over the phenomenon of what is known in popular parlance as 'Hindutva terrorism' needs to be questioned and confronted. ...The fanatics who spread violence in the name of religion are worse than terrorists and more dangerous than an alien enemy

The Pain Of Instant Justice
By Gladson Dungdung

Though Kerala state in India is known for total literacy, it was a horrible experience of the ‘instant justice' for 40-year-old pregnant woman Jyoti and her two kids, who were stripped and beaten up by a mob accusing them of stealing a golden anklet of a child in the vicinity

11 October, 2007

Our Drinkable Water Supply Is Vanishing
By Tara Lohan

Thanks to global warming, pollution, population growth, and privatization, we are teetering on the edge of a global crisis

Mud, Fog, And Blackwater
By Rand Clifford

CorpoMedia is simply the propaganda arm of CorpoGov, who won’t stop until the realization of CorpoWorld. A privatized world where the essentials of life will be available only to those who can afford them, and the idea of commonwealth is safe, deep in some landfill patrolled by Blackwater. A two-class world where the elite own virtually everything, live in self-contained fortresses patrolled by Blackwater, and travel only with Blackwater escorts. What’s to stop them now, other than Mother Nature? For a sneak preview of sorts, research what has really happened in New Orleans

Pakistan In Peril
By K. Hussan Zia

Pakistan has very little water storage capacity. The United States and Australia have over 5,000 cubic metres of storage capacity per inhabitant and China has 2,200 cubic metres, while Pakistan has only 150 cubic metres of storage capacity per capita.Pakistan can barely store 30 days of water in the Indus basin. If something wrong happens with the Indus basin, Pakistan has no alternative to feed its agriculture. There is no latitude for error

The Hydra
By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich

The reality we live in is that a far worse creature than the legendry hydra is terrorizing the global village. As one head is de-commissioned, another replaces it; Rumsfeld with Gates, Casey with Petraeus, and so on. Its contemptuous greed unfulfilled, the Iraqi devastation only vetted the appetite of the ungodly creature; and so venomous lies spew out in preparation for an attack on the next country – Iran, with 72 innocent lives waiting to be annihilated

Seymour Hersh On Bush's Plan For Iran
By Thomas Riggins

Everyone should try to get a copy of Hersh's article to read. I have only presented a few of its high lights. The article itself gives ample evidence that the case against Iran is very weak and mostly contrived. Pressure has to be increased on the Congress to try and rein Bush and his generals in before they can create an even bigger catastrophe in the Middle East

How The Military Can Stop An Iran Attack
By Jeremy Brecher & Brendan Smith

Is there a basis for cooperation between the military brass and citizens who believe an attack on Iran would be criminal and/or suicidal? Perhaps. The brass can go public with the truth and ask Congress to provide a platform for explaining the real consequences of an attack on Iran. They can call for a national debate that is not manipulated by the White House

Only One Congress Member Gets It
By David Swanson

For almost a year Congressman Dennis Kucinich has been saying that the Democratic leadership in Congress should end the occupation of Iraq by not bringing up for a vote any more bills to fund it. For all these months, he has been the only member of Congress willing to say this

Open Letter To Bolivian President
Evo Morales Ayma
By David Truskoff

My question is what are you doing in terms of education for the young in Bolivia to prevent the same cycle that realist my age have seen happen again and again. The fuel of Capitalism is greed. Greed can only be controlled with early education. The west waits for Castro to die hoping that will end the growth of socialism in your part of the world? Right wing Cubans in America are preparing for that day. Are you?

"We Need More 'Punk-Ass Kids'"
By Dan Glazebrook

An interview with Moazzam Begg who was recently released from Guantanamo Bay

Mush Was Right. But Who Can Trust Him Anymore?
By Abid Ullah Jan

Musharraf was right in his analysis, statements and promises. However, his deeds proves him to be part of the same corrupt league. The story in today’s newspapers about Musharraf being one of the 499 owners whose farmhouse spread over 2500 acres of land worth Rs 75 billion in the suburbs of Islamabad simply confirms this conclusion. Other than those who have some personal or global totalitarian axe to grind, with this proven track record of glaring contradictions and brazen lies no one can trust General Musharraf anymore

10 October, 2007

Contractors Kill Two Iraqi Women
By Kate Randall

Two Iraqi women were killed Tuesday afternoon when their vehicle was fired on by a private security convoy in central Baghdad. The guards were from the Unity Resources Group, an Australian-owned company

It’s Not About The Carbon
By Jim Miles

It is now recognized that global warming is happening, that it is happening faster than expected, that in order to reduce carbon output we need to make changes to our usage of carbon consuming compounds. I have argued here that carbon is not the cause, it is simply the scapegoat. The real cause, the real culprit is you and I, those of us within the huge consumptive and unsustainable free market economy that obsessively quests for growth in a finite world. The changes that need to be made need to occur at all levels of society, from personal actions broadening out to civic, federal and international actions that create a radically less consumptive world with significantly more freedom and societal health for all humanity

Oil, Israel, And America: The Root Cause Of The Crisis
By Scott Ritter

There are many factors involved in what one might term the “root cause” of Iranian-US animosity. But the reality is all of the points of friction between Iran and the US could be readily resolved with viable diplomacy save two: Israel’s current level of unflinching hostility towards Iran, and America’s addiction to global energy resources

Ahmadinejad's Visit – A Diplomatic Debacle
By Brita Rose

After the theater and hyperbole surrounding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent visit to New York, there are more sinister developments that are not getting their rightful attention

Depleted Uranium: Enduring Risk
By John W. Warnock

After the 1991 Gulf War, birth defects and leukemia rose dramatically in the areas around Basra where these weapons were used. By 2003, the U.S. Defense Department admitted that over 200,000 Gulf War veterans had filed for compensation for death, illness or disabilities.The veterans refer to this as “Gulf War Syndrome.” In the first Gulf War, the U.S.-led coalition suffered 148 deaths.Since then 8,000 veterans of this war have experienced early death

Favored Nation
By Mahir Ali

At the time of writing, it isn’t clear whether Anglo-American efforts towards a Bhutto-Musharraf deal have produced results. It’s conceivable that the military ruler’s strictly conditional offer to discard his uniform in the event of his “re-election” is part of the package

Reviewing James Petras' "Rulers And Ruled
In The US Empire"
By Stephen Lendman

The book is information rich on a core issue of our time. It discusses the US empire's "systemic dimensions," evolving changes in its ruling class, its corporatist system, myths about its coming collapse, contradictions in the current debate on immigration and market liberalization policies, the use of force and genocidal carnage, corruption as a market penetrating tool, the Israeli Lobby's power and influence, Latin American relations and events in the region, social and armed resistance, and much more in four power-packed parts under 17 subject chapter headings

Secularism And Islamism In The Arab world
By Sukant Chandan

The end of the strife between the Islamists and what remains of the secularists in the anti-imperialist struggle, is not just attributable to the weakness of the secularists but is a sign of the strength of the independence movements in the Arab world. Furthermore, the Islamists’ leadership in this struggle — such as that of the Iraqi resistance — lacking support that the secularists enjoyed from the Socialist Bloc, is indicative of the strength of their ideology’s roots in the history, culture and identity of the masses in the region

Book Review - ' The India Doctrine'
By Isha Khan

The book comes complete with a foreword written by esteemed scholar, Professor Ataur Rahman of Dhaka University who sets the theme of the book. We are reminded by Prof. Rahman that while India might have its own rationale for framing its regional policy compatible with its national interests, the fact remains that constant apprehensions, mistrust and tensions between India and the smaller neighbors including Bangladesh had its negative effects on any meaningful cooperation and security in the region

Wailing Woes
By Aaliya Anjum

Women in Kashmir suffer rape, molestation, kin's disappearances, psychological trauma and torture, while the much-hyped slogan of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proclaiming 'zero tolerance' towards human rights abuse stares him in the face!

09 October, 2007

Washington Lauds Pakistan’s Sham Election
By Keith Jones

The Bush administration has lauded the sham election Pakistan’s military regime staged Saturday to extend General Pervez Musharraf’s presidential mandate till the fall of 2012

Pakistan Political Drama: So Far So Good - For US
By M B Naqvi

The Americans pretty much behave as if they own the place. Whether the Americans will finally succeed in rescuing Pakistan from the threat of Islamic extremism is a question for which there is no clear answer

We Are In A Bad Fix
By Mathew Maavak

What began as sub-prime woes in the US housing sector may ripple into something we cannot yet imagine. Will there be a severe global recession, or worse? If wars are yet contained, bidding wars will yet emerge over wheat, water, fish, medicines and oil. What will the future hold in this ecology of crises?

The Big Lie: ‘Iran Is A Threat’
By Scott Ritter

A careful fact-based assessment of Iran clearly demonstrates that it poses no threat to the legitimate national security interests of the United States. However, if the United States chooses to implement its own unilateral national security objectives concerning regime change in Iran, there will most likely be a reaction from Iran which produces an exceedingly detrimental impact on the national security interests of the United States, including military, political and economic

Unrepentent, Bush Denies Torture
By Marjorie Cohn

Torture is a war crime. Those who commit or order torture can be convicted under the U.S. War Crimes Statute. Techniques that don't rise to the level of torture but constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment also violate U.S. law. Congress should provide for the appointment of a special independent counsel to fully investigate and prosecute all who are complicit in the torture and mistreatment of prisoners in U.S. custody

Darfur: Why Should We Care?
By Mary Shaw

A symbolic Olympic torch relay is making its way around the world to call attention to the ongoing genocide in Darfur, in western Sudan, and to call on China, host of the 2008 Summer Olympics, to use its considerable influence with Sudan to end the violence there

1776.0 Americanistic Personality Disorder - A Satire
By Jason Miller

The essential features of Americanistic Personality Disorder include pervasive patterns of extreme self-absorption, profound and long-term lapses in empathy, a deep disregard for the well-being of others, a powerful aversion to intellectual honesty and reality, and a grossly exaggerated sense of the importance of one’s self and one’s nation. These patterns emerge in infancy, manifest themselves in nearly all contexts, and often become pathological

FDA Industry Insiders Derail Approval Of
New Cancer Treatments
By Evelyn Pringle

George W Bush's FDA, stacked with insiders from the industry that literally carried him to Washington, has stooped to a new low to protect the obscene profits of the multi-billion dollar cancer industry by blocking the approval of a new class of immunotherapies that can extend the lives of dying cancer patients with minimal side effects

The Muslim Question In Gujarat
By Vidya Subrahmaniam

By an unspoken consensus, Muslims have been excluded from the election debate in Gujarat

08 October, 2007

Blackwater Mercenaries
Fired Without Provocation
By Kate Randall

An official Iraqi investigation into the deadly shooting involving Blackwater USA found that the security contractors opened fire without provocation on September 16 in a main square in Baghdad, killing 17 Iraqis and wounding 22

Bush Awards Congressional Medal To
IBC Czar - A Satire
By E.B. Patton

President Bush announced today he was awarding Iraq Body Count (IBC) co-founder John Sloboda the Congressional Medal of Honor. Bush said, “It’s very important to every person in America that we continue to minimize the true costs of the Iraq War. Mr. Sloboda has done important work in this regard, by giving us tolerable Iraqi casualty figures to promote, instead of the Godless crap you see in the Lancet or Opinion Business Research. Every single one of the American people owes Mr. Sloboda a debt of gratitude, which is why I’m awarding him this medal.”

Iraq's National Liberation Front
By Ibrahim Ebeid & Husayn Al-Kurdi

On September 22 Iraqi Resistance groups convened a Unification Congress in a liberated area of Baghdad. The Congress resolved to unite all the groups who were in attendance on the basis of achieving the total liberation of Iraq, however long that may take. The Congress also decided that membership in the unified Resistance Front would be open to other groups or fighters wishing to join. A Supreme Command of the Jihad and Liberation Struggle was created and Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Ba'ath Secretary-general and President of Iraq, was elected the Supreme Commander of the Front

US/Indo Nuclear Agreement:Derailing A Deal
By Noam Chomsky

This Indo-US agreement richly deserves to be derailed. The threat of nuclear war is extremely serious, and growing, and part of the reason is that the nuclear states - led by the United States - simply refuse to live up to their obligations or are significantly violating them, this latest effort being another step toward disaster

Invisible Genocide Of The Poor
By Parshuram Rai

The number of people who fell prey to Hitler's insanity was 6 million and the "silent holocaust of hunger" is killing over 13 million people every year. Every year more than two genocides of Nazi scale. But unlike the victims of Nazi gas chambers, the victims of hunger die unnoticed, unmourned and in the backyards of vibrant democracies

Columbus Day: American As Apple Pie
By Max Kantar

Columbus: a hero? Yes, for Slavery, Colonization, Genocide, Racism, Religious Fanaticism, and Human and Environmental Exploitation. Yet we do not only condone Christopher Columbus in the United States of America, we honor his life by celebrating and observing a holiday in his name. On second thought though, slavery and genocide are as American as apple pie

Stalemate On The South American Chessboard?
By Federico Fuentes

It has been a year of political tours and counter-tours for Latin America, principally by the two figures who dominate the regional political landscape: Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez and US President George W. Bush. While Bush embarked on a tour in March of Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico, Chavez made his move by visiting Argentina, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Haiti. At each stop, the warmonger who presides over the US empire was met with mass protests; the firebrand revolutionary proclaiming the need for a new socialism of the 21st century was met with mass outpourings of support

ANC Policy Statement On The Peoples Of Arakan
Shows Lack Of Foresightedness
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui

There is too much suspicion and animosity between various races and ethnicities within Burma, including Arakan. Burma needs integration, trust-building, equity and justice for all, and not failed assimilation attempts that disrobe, dispossess, and dehumanize minorities at the altar of the majority

Playing "Patty Cake" With E. Coli Amid
Hygienic Anarchy In US Slaughterhouses
By Martha Rosenberg

E. coli contamination in meat is the ultimate example of "crap in; crap out." Not only can Escherichia coli 0157:H7 make you violently sick or kill you, it is a grim reminder of where the beef you ate came from and the fact that the cow didn't die voluntarily. That's why big meat and the government agencies that protect it want to keep the focus on beef packagers like Topps Foods and Cargill Inc

The Attack On Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
By Dan Lieberman

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, arrived in the United States with a baggage of alleged demagoguery. He didn't have to bring demagoguery here; the U.S. media showed it has enough to stock the world

07 October, 2007

Climate Change And Entire Landscapes
On The Move
By Stephen Leahy

The hot breath of global warming has now touched some of the coldest northern regions of world, turning the frozen landscape into mush as temperatures soar 15 degrees C. above normal. Entire hillsides, sometimes more than a kilometre long, simply let go and slid like a vast green carpet into valleys and rivers on Melville Island in Canada’s northwest Arctic region of Nunavut this summer, says Scott Lamoureux of Queens University in Canada and leader of one the of International Polar Year projects

Two Million Iraq Deaths, Eight Million
Bush Asian Holocaust Deaths
And Media Holocaust Denial
By Dr Gideon Polya

The following analysis reveals that the total VIOLENT and NON-VIOLENT post-invasion Iraqi excess deaths now total 1.5-2.0 million and that the total excess deaths in the Bush I and Bush II Asian Wars now total 8 MILLION. Mainstream media ignoring of this horrendous, ongoing mass murdering of ethnically or culturally SEMITIC Indigenous peoples amounts to near-comprehensive anti-Semitic Holocaust Denial

The Paid (and Protected) Terrorists
By Ghali Hassan

On Sunday 16 September 2007, at least 28 innocent Iraqi civilians, including women and children, were murdered by Blackwater mercenary army. The cold-blooded massacre was an unprovoked violence designed to terrorise and strike fear among the Iraqi population living under murderous Occupation

Haider Abdul-Shafi: Passing Undefeated
By Ramzy Baroud

The recent death of Haider Abdul-Shafi could not have come at a worse time. Bearing in mind the grim shortcomings of the Palestinian leadership and the lack of any serious attempt to rectify the situation, the loss of this unique and iconic leader feels all the more acute

Divestment: Solution or Diversion?
By Kevin Funk & Steve Fake

Evoking memories of global activism against apartheid in South Africa, the Save Darfur movement is aiming to address the humanitarian crisis in the beleaguered region by campaigning for divestment from certain companies operating in Sudan

The Third Global Revolution
By G. Asgar Mitha

Empires expand only to contract in the end. The American goliath like the Roman or the pre-Islamic Arabian tribal goliath stands alone and, is waiting for the David with a simple but deadly sling

The Fraud Of American University Accreditation
By Dominic Jermano

There is a major problem in the United States with Accreditation. They claim they are legitimate but our current social condition and results have proven how really false that is

Equatorial Guinea: 40 Years Of independence
By Agustin Velloso

almost forty years after the country achieved independence (October 12, 1968) and more than ten years after the start of the oil industry, Equatorial Guinea’s position in the Human Development Index is quite far from what is expected for a country with the world’s highest GDP growth in 1995-2001

Dalit Theology
By Sathianathan Clarke & Yoginder Sikand

Sathianathan Clarke talks about what Dalit Theology means to him in an interview with Yoginder Sikand

Where Have The Narmada Waters Gone?
By Himanshu Upadhyaya

Forget about the larger debate on the gigantic Narmada dam which has displaced tens of thousands, the government has failed to keep its own promises. The truth of the scam is that too many people have been promised drinking water and too many people have been duped

05 October, 2007

Iraq Body Count: “A Misleading Exercise”
By Media Lens

The mainstream media are continuing to use figures provided by the website Iraq Body Count (IBC) to sell the public a number for total post-invasion deaths of Iraqis that is perhaps 5-10% of the true death toll

Global Climate Change: Threat To
Nature And Human Society
By Sanjeev Ghotge & Ashwin Gambhir

Kyoto II will probably represent the most important collective negotiations in world history, though too few citizens of the world recognize it as such. These negotiations will probably be more important to the future of both humanity and nature than all the previous treaties on security, trade, finance, terrorism or disarmament

Of Ants And Humans
By Jean-Louis Turcot & Emily Spence

We may not be as smart as ants, one might conclude. Nonetheless (if we can wisely imitate them to at least some degree), the longevity of our species may yet far outstretch the time span of the infamous Dodo birds

King Hemp IV: Rope And Dope
By Rand Clifford

The King could be a fantastic boon for The People and the environment—similarly fantastic are his threats to status quo profits. The profit shift would typically be from elite corporations, to The People. Also, hemp being a natural plant rules out patents so coveted by the elite

Entire State Of Jammu And Kashmir Is Disputed
By Dr Shabir Choudhry

Kashmir dispute, whether you call it India and Pakistan problem or give it any other name, is essentially related to national identity and future of people of Jammu and Kashmir. To make it further clear it is an issue of right of self – determination, which is our birthright and doesn’t have to be granted by anyone

The American Empire And The Commonwealth Of God
By Jim Miles

Book Review: The American Empire and the Commonwealth of God – A Political, Economic, Religious Statement. By John Cobb, Richard Falk, David Griffin and Catherine Keller

Burma’s Struggle For Democracy -
What Needs To Be Done?
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui

Last month, we saw protests inside Burma. Dozens of people were killed. On September 25, 2007 President Bush announced “new” sanctions against the military government of Burma, symbolically joining hands with tens of thousands of protesters in the streets of Yangon and challenging the United Nations to join him in a broader "mission of liberation."However, as I see it, the older sanctions imposed by the USA and some western countries did not really bite deep into the skin of the SPDC regime that is ruling Burma

Bush Chooses War And Tobacco Company Profits
Over Children's Health Care
By Mary Shaw

As promised, George W. Bush has vetoed a highly popular bipartisan bill that would provide health care for uninsured low-income American children

Gandhi, Religion And Indian Nationalism
By Ram Puniyani

Today sixty years down the line, the world has come far. The increase in violence all over the world, the politics wearing the clothes of religion has intensified the 'Hate other' ideology. Can we look up to Gandhi to confront the misuse of religion for political agenda of the mighty at global as well as local level? Can we pick up some of the values from him rather than just bypass him or merely pay lip service to his ideals?

Caste Manages Sports
By Amit Chamaria

In India athletics, hockey, football and some others are physically intensive but deglamourised sports that invariably secure the participation of the people mainly from the under-privileged section. As situation prevails in the country, only upper class people can, truly, enjoy sports

04 October, 2007

Advanced US Preparations For War On Iran
By Peter Symonds

A lengthy article by veteran journalist Seymour Hersh published in the New Yorker on Sunday provides further confirmation of the Bush administration’s well-developed military and political preparations for attacking Iran. According to Hersh, the Pentagon has drawn up new war plans, the CIA has allocated substantial extra resources and the White House has already sounded out US allies, including Israel, Britain and Australia, for support in any military strike

Shifting Targets: The Administration's Plan For Iran
By Seymour M. Hersh

In a series of public statements in recent months, President Bush and members of his Administration have redefined the war in Iraq, to an increasing degree, as a strategic battle between the United States and Iran

So What About Iran?
By Uri Avnery

It is no secret that the Pro-Israel lobby and its allies - the (mostly Jewish) neo-cons and the Christian Zionists - are pushing America into this war, just as they pushed it into Iraq

My Last Conversation With Aung San Suu Kyi
By John Pilger

"What I am saying is that, no matter the regime's physical power, in the end they can't stop the people; they can't stop freedom. We shall have our time."

"Capitalism Is The Worst Enemy Of Humanity"
By Evo Morales

Speech by Bolivian President Evo Morales Ayma during the United Nations meeting on Climate Change, New York, September 24, 2007

"Capitalism And Freedom" Unmasked
By Stephen Lendman

An era ended November 16, 2006 when economist Milton Friedman died. Rarely had so much praise been given anyone so undeserving in light of the human wreckage his legacy left strewn everywhere

Economic Sharing: A Shift In Global Values
By Rajesh Makwana

A growing body of progressives within the global justice movement, including environmentalists, economists and policy makers, broadly agree that a significant overhaul of the world’s economic and political systems is long overdue, and that without significant restructuring our most pressing problems will never be tackled

Dissenting At Your Own Risk
By Cecilie Surasky

Pundits will surely argue for years about professors Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer's explosive new book, The Israel Lobby, which blames poor U.S. policy in the Middle East on a loose network of individuals and pro-Israel advocacy groups.But the book, and the response to it, opens up another controversy: the stifling of debate about unconditional U.S. support for Israeli policies

Godhra, Gujarat: POTA-Affected Families
Struggle To Survive
By Yoginder Sikand

Almost six years after a deadly wave of genocidal attacks that targeted Muslims in Gujarat, the victims of the state's worst case of anti-Muslim violence still wage a tough battle for survival. In one of the worst-hit parts of the Gujarat, the Panchmahals district, scores of Muslim families have been reduced to penury after having lost their homes and possessions and with their male earning members still languishing in jails

Mahatma Gandhi Today
By Mike Ghouse

Mahatma Gandhi probably would have endorsed my view that, if we can learn to accept and respect the God given uniqueness to each one of seven billion of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. That is the mission of the foundation for pluralism

02 October, 2007

UK-US Iraqi Holocaust And Iraqi Genocide :
3.9 Million Deaths
By Gideon Polya

Authoritative estimates of violent and non-violent Iraqi excess deaths now show that the post-invasion excess deaths in Occupied Iraq total 2.0 million the 1990-1990 Gulf War violent deaths totalled 0.2 million and the 1990-2003 Sanctions War was associated with 1.7 million excess deaths. The total 1990-2007 excess deaths in Iraq now (September 2007) total 3.9 million

Dogs Under Glass
By Adam Engel

Don’t be too surprised to meet a violent death within the next few decades. Just because the concentration camps in America aren’t “active” yet doesn’t mean ‘we’ aren’t Nazis

Global Hypocrisy On Burma
By Satya Sagar

As the Burmese military brutally cracks down on a popular uprising of its citizens demanding democracy the question on many minds is – so what is the world going to do about it? From the trend visible so far the answer is simple- nothing at all

Political Tensions In Lebanon Threaten Civil War
By Jean Shaoul

The massive car bomb in Beirut on September 19 that killed Antoine Ghanem, a leading Christian Maronite MP from the far-right Phalange, and five others has further eroded the slim majority of Fouad Seniora’s government and delayed the selection of the next president.It has intensified longstanding political tensions that threaten to erupt into all out civil war in Lebanon

The Folly, Egoism And Dangers Of
Climate Geo-Engineering
By Glen Barry

Is humanity so resistant to change that we will tamper with the biosphere's workings to construct a "Frankensphere"; rather than reducing population, consumption and emissions?

Ahmedinejad V Bollinger
By Mike Ghouse

When President Ahmedinejad visited the United States in September, he was asked by the Columbia University to speak (speech link included below) to the students, he did. Prior to his speech, President Bollinger of Columbia University introduced him in derogatory terms. As an academic, he made us Americans look bad

A Q and A For The People Of A Forsaken Republic:
Addressing The Origins Of The Whose-Your-Daddy Nation
By Phil Rockstroh

Over the last three decades, the authoritarian right has risen to create the nation they have been longing for since their humbling by the Watergate scandal. After being subdued and humiliated by the mechanisms of a free republic, the right has turned the tables -- and subdued and humiliated the republic. If the trend continues, all but unchallenged and unabated, we might as well replace the torch held aloft by Lady Liberty with a taser

A Very Expensive Quagmire
By Mary Shaw

Last week, the White House sent Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Capitol Hill to lobby for increased funding to keep the killing going on in Iraq for another year. The updated price tag: over $190 billion. For one year. And for what?

Women Not Warned About SSRI-Related
Lung Birth Defect
By Evelyn Pringle

A study of nearly 500,000 women by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, in the September 18, 2007, Annals of Internal Medicine, found that nearly 50% of women taking a prescription drug that could cause birth defects did not receive warnings to avoid pregnancy. The authors note that the pregnancy risks of a drug should be discussed with women before they begin taking it

In Conversation With Mr Bhagwan Das
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

'It is good to break and bad to continue with a tradition that has subjugated the Dalits'

The Electronic Sting
By Farah Aziz

There have been numerous other instances where either wrong information has been aired, or the aired visuals and commentaries have been sensational.In the absence of a regulating authority inside or outside the television media in India, this is becoming a routine affair, with editors and owners washing their hands off the crass reportage, while nobody seems to be held accountable

01 October, 2007

Forgetting Gandhi On International
Non-Violence Day
By Pablo Ouziel

October 2nd will mark the birth anniversary of Human Rights Activist, Mahatma Gandhi and for the first time, the United Nations is officially proclaiming this day to be the International Day of Non-violence. Hopefully, on this day we can all spare a little of our time to reflect on how little we have all understood Mahatma Gandhi's message, after all everyday we seem to plunge into a worse state of affairs and drift away farther from Gandhi's respectable message; "I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."

A Global Satyagraha Against Imperialism
By Rohini Hensman

Gandhi's birth anniversary on October 2 provides a fitting occasion to launch a global satyagraha against imperialism. Such a struggle is urgently needed today, given the carnage being inflicted by imperialism in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, and the threat of even greater carnage in Iran. Support for the people of these countries needs to be stepped up to a higher level globally if the continuing holocaust is to be halted

From Iraq To Burma: Hypocrisy Rules The West
By Paul Craig Roberts

Shame has vanished from Western "civilization." Hypocrisy has taken its place. On September 28, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown could be heard on National Public Radio decrying the use of violence against democratic protesters by the government in Burma. Brown declared the British people's revulsion over the violence inflicted by the Burmese government on its people. But Brown said nothing about the violence the British government was inflicting on Iraqis and Afghans

One More Argument For The U.N
By Fidel Castro

Four weeks before the Iraq invasion which happened in the night of March 19 to 20, 2003, George W. Bush publicly sustained his demands of Saddam Hussein in the following terms: disarmament or war. In private, Bush acknowledged that war was inevitable. In a long private conversation with the then Spanish president, José María Aznar, held on Saturday, February 22, 2003 at the Crawford Ranch in Texas, Bush made it clear that the moment had come to get rid of Saddam. ‘We have two weeks. In two weeks our military will be ready. We will be in Baghdad at the end of March', he told Aznar.The moment has come to get rid of Saddam

Greenspan's Dark Legacy Unmasked
By Stephen Lendman

The new book of Greenspan's memoirs "The Age of Turbulence" is just out for which his reported advance exceeded $8.5 million (second only to Bill Clinton's $10 for his memoirs) plus additional royalties if sales exceed 1.9 million copies. They may given the amount of high-impact publicity it and he are getting nonstop. And that's not all. He's in great demand on the lecture circuit at six figure fees

Lebanon And Syria: The Politics Of Assassination
By Ramzy Baroud

The assassination of Lebanese politician Antoine Ghanem on September 19 is likely to be used, predictably, to further US and Israeli interests in the region

Left Triumphs In Ecuadoran Elections,
Country’s Institutions To Be Transformed
By Roger Burbach

On Sunday the political coalition President Rafael Correa heads won an overwhelming majority of the seats in the Constituent Assembly of Ecuadore that is tasked with “refounding” the nation’s institutions. Rafael Correa's government marks the emergence of a radical anti-neoliberal axis in South America, comprising Venezuela, Bolivia and now Ecuador

Don't Be A Blind Follower
By David Truskoff

Would I join Doctor King again and demonstrate against a "white only tree" in front of a school? Yes I would. Would I object to unfair racist court proceedings? Yes I would. Would Doctor King support teen-age thugs who beat a boy senseless, kicked him in the head and risked killing him before he was taken to the hospital? I know he would not and neither will I

US Military: Setting The Moral Bar Too Low
By Stan Moody

I would agree with Gen. Pace that all types of sexual misconduct are destructive not only to United States defense but to our nation's vitality. Would that our military were all strong, upstanding people who did not drink much, were faithful to their wives (or husbands) and treated prisoners of war with dignity

Saffron Terror
By Subhash Gatade

Militant Hindutva is on the rise, but there is a conspiracy of silence that seeks to hide this reality

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