In Case U Missed It!

Are Americans in Line for Gitmo?

2011-12-04T11:16:00.000-06:00

December 3, 2011Exclusive: Though the 9/11 attacks occurred more than a decade ago, Congress continues to exploit them to pass evermore draconian laws on “terrorism,” with the Senate now empowering the military to arrest people on U.S. soil and hold them without trial, a serious threat to American liberties, says ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern.By Ray McGovernAmbiguous but alarming new wording, which

Anwar al-Awlaki's Extrajudicial Murder

2011-10-01T20:02:00.002-05:00

The law on the use of lethal force by executive order is specific. This assassination broke it – that creates a terrifying precedentby Michael RatnerIs this the world we want? Where the president of the United States can place an American citizen, or anyone else for that matter, living outside a war zone on a targeted assassination list, and then have him murdered by drone strike. [ AP)] Anwar

Obama: A Disaster for Civil Liberties

2011-10-01T19:50:00.000-05:00

By Jonathan Turley, Los Angeles Times01 October 11 He may prove the most disastrous president in our history in terms of civil liberties.ith the 2012 presidential election before us, the country is again caught up in debating national security issues, our ongoing wars and the threat of terrorism. There is one related subject, however, that is rarely mentioned: civil liberties.Protecting

None Dare Call It Privatization

2011-07-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Dispatch from a high-powered conference spelling out a new strategy for raiding the commonsby Tom TresserAt the Hyatt Lodge Hotel on the McDonald’s corporate campus in Oak Brook, Illinois, June 24, the other wingtip dropped.It happened at a conference called “It’s Not Privatization: Implementing Partnerships in Illinois”, organized by The National Council for Public-Private Partnerships and the

Program won't cover 9/11 responders for cancer

2011-07-27T00:57:00.000-05:00

By Katie Silver, CNNJuly 26, 2011 6:42 p.m. EDTNew York (CNN) -- Workers who were involved in the response to the World Trade Center attack will not have their cancer treatments compensated under a program set up after September 11, according to a controversial decision released Tuesday by the World Trade Center Health Program.There is inadequate "published scientific and medical findings" that a

US Accused of News Blackout on Nebraska Nuke Plant

2011-06-22T01:00:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - 20:53 Special to HuntingtonNews.NetBy: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers (from a Russian Agency Report) A shocking report prepared by Russia’s Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) on information provided to them by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the Obama regime has ordered a “total and complete” news blackout relating to

Lots of Inconvenient Truths -- Chemical Illness Epidemic in the Wake of the BP Blowout

2011-06-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

Recently Kenneth Feinberg, the lawyer overseeing the $20 billion Gulf Coast Claims Facility to "make it right" for people harmed by the British Petroleum oil blowout disaster, told a Louisiana House and Senate committee that he had not seen any claims, or any scientific evidence, linking BP's oil and dispersant release to chemical illnesses. Feinberg also stated that chemical illnesses take years

Why the United States Is Destroying Its Education System

2011-04-11T13:03:00.000-05:00

By Chris HedgesA nation that destroys its systems of education, degrades its public information, guts its public libraries and turns its airwaves into vehicles for cheap, mindless amusement becomes deaf, dumb and blind. It prizes test scores above critical thinking and literacy. It celebrates rote vocational training and the singular, amoral skill of making money. It churns out stunted human

Tokyo Electric to Build US Nuclear Plants: The No BS Info on Japan's Disastrous Nuclear Operators

2011-03-15T10:09:00.002-05:00

Monday 14 March 2011by: Greg Palast, t r u t h o u t | News AnalysisI need to speak to you, not as a reporter, but in my former capacity as lead investigator in several government nuclear plant fraud and racketeering investigations.I don't know the law in Japan, so I can't tell you if Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) can plead insanity to the homicides about to happen.But what will Obama plead?

The Afghan War is Brutal, Expensive, Unpopular, and Ineffective – So Why Are We Spending Billions on It?

2011-03-03T07:49:00.000-06:00

Leading Afghan Feminist Wants the U.S. and NATO to Leave Her Nationby Sonali Kolhatkar"The sad truth is that Obama’s war policies have turned out to be even more of a nightmare than I expected.” – Malalai Joya, A Woman Among WarlordsWhile millions of Americans are experiencing unemployment, wage stagnation, rising tuition, dwindling social services, and poverty at levels not seen since the Great

The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops

2011-02-16T11:43:00.001-06:00

By Andrew MaloneLast updated at 12:48 AM on 3rd November 2008When Prince Charles claimed thousands of Indian farmers were killing themselves after using GM crops, he was branded a scaremonger. In fact, as this chilling dispatch reveals, it's even WORSE than he feared.The children were inconsolable. Mute with shock and fighting back tears, they huddled beside their mother as friends and neighbours

The vindication of Dick Cheney

2011-01-18T20:07:00.001-06:00

By Glenn GreenwaldIn the early months of Obama's presidency, the American Right did to him what they do to every Democratic politician: they accused him of being soft of defense (specifically "soft on Terror") and leaving the nation weak and vulnerable to attack. But that tactic quickly became untenable as everyone (other than his hardest-core followers) was forced to acknowledge that Obama was

Obama and GOPers Worked Together to Kill Bush Torture Probe

2010-12-03T18:23:00.003-06:00

Wed Dec. 1, 2010 2:47 PM PSTIn its first months in office, the Obama administration sought to protect Bush administration officials facing criminal investigation overseas for their involvement in establishing policies the that governed interrogations of detained terrorist suspects. A "confidential" April 17, 2009, cable sent from the US embassy in Madrid to the State Department—one of the 251,287

The Myth of Charter Schools

2010-11-08T02:14:00.001-06:00

Diane RavitchNovember 11, 2010Ordinarily, documentaries about education attract little attention, and seldom, if ever, reach neighborhood movie theaters. Davis Guggenheim’s Waiting for “Superman” is different. It arrived in late September with the biggest publicity splash I have ever seen for a documentary. Not only was it the subject of major stories in Time and New York, but it was featured

Time to end war against the earth

2010-11-07T23:37:00.001-06:00

Vandana ShivaNovember 4, 2010When we think of wars in our times, our minds turn to Iraq and Afghanistan. But the bigger war is the war against the planet. This war has its roots in an economy that fails to respect ecological and ethical limits - limits to inequality, limits to injustice, limits to greed and economic concentration.A handful of corporations and of powerful countries seeks to

Arundhati Roy faces arrest over Kashmir remark

2010-10-27T00:05:00.002-05:00

Booker prize-winner says claim about territory not being an integral part of India was a call for justice in the disputed regionguardian.co.ukThe Booker prize-winning novelist and human rights campaigner Arundhati Roy is facing the threat of arrest after claiming that the disputed territory of Kashmir was not an integral part of India.India's home ministry is reported to have told police in Delhi

Perpetrate a Fraud? 361,000 Votes Later, LWV/IL Broadcasters Block Green Gov Candidate From Debate?

2010-10-13T17:06:00.002-05:00

Jeff BiggersPosted: October 13, 2010 07:40 AM HUFFINGTON POSTOn the heels of an informative Chicago Tribune editorial board gubernational debate among all five candidates, in an otherwise uninspiring race, the League of Women Voters and the Illinois Broadcasters Associations are pressing ahead with a strangely partisan decision to limit the discussion of an ABC-TV televised debate to only two

Nine Months After the Quake – A Million Haitians Slowly Dying

2010-10-12T19:52:00.001-05:00

by Bill Quigley"If it gets any worse," said Wilda, a homeless Haitian mother, "we're not going to survive." Mothers and grandmothers surrounding her nodded solemnly.We are in a broiling "tent" with a group of women trying to raise their families in a public park. Around the back of the Haitian National Palace, the park hosts a regal statute of Alexandre Petion in its middle. It is now home to

Third Wheel Vs. Big Wheels

2010-09-29T20:23:00.001-05:00

BY Edward McClelland NBC CHICAGOThis morning’s debate between Pat Quinn and Bill Brady inside the Union League Club, was preceded by another debate, on the sidewalk outside the Union League club. It was a debate over who should be debating.Supporters of Green Party candidate Rich Whitney picketed the event with signs reading “Let Rich Debate.”(click story tiutle to read more)

Pentagon Destroys Copies of Controversial Memoir Written by Army Officer

2010-09-26T08:06:00.002-05:00

Published September 25, 2010| FoxNews.comThe Pentagon has burned 9,500 copies of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's memoir "Operation Dark Heart," his book about going undercover in Afghanistan.A Department of Defense official tells Fox News that the department purchased copies of the first printing because they contained information which could cause damage to national security.The U.S.

FBI raids anti-war activists' homes

2010-09-25T15:07:00.002-05:00

Agents looking for links to terrorists, federal spokesman saysSeptember 24, 2010|By Andy Grimm and Cynthia DizikesChicago TribuneFederal agents searched homes of anti-war activists in Chicago and Minneapolis on Friday in an investigation of possible links with terrorist organizations in the Middle East and South America.About 20 FBI agents spent most of the day searching the Logan Square

Blackwater's Black Ops

2010-09-22T10:37:00.002-05:00

Jeremy ScahillSeptember 15, 2010 | This article appeared in the October 4, 2010 edition of The Nation.Over the past several years, entities closely linked to the private security firm Blackwater have provided intelligence, training and security services to US and foreign governments as well as several multinational corporations, including Monsanto, Chevron, the Walt Disney Company, Royal

U.S. troops charged with murder of Afghan civilians

2010-09-12T23:38:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON | Fri Sep 10, 2010 3:47pm EDTWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Twelve U.S. soldiers have been charged with gruesome crimes in Afghanistan ranging from murdering civilians to keeping body parts as war trophies -- revelations that the Pentagon said on Thursday damaged America's image around the world.The infantry soldiers from the 5th Stryker Brigade based in Washington state deployed to Kandahar

Shhhhhh! JSOC is Hiring Interrogators and Covert Operatives for 'Special Access Programs'

2010-08-26T01:41:00.001-05:00

The US military's most elite counter-terrorism force, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), prides itself on the secrecy of its operations. JSOC runs classified, compartmentalized task forces in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, the Horn of Africa and elsewhere around the world. It has operated secret prisons and detention sites globally and is the premiere organization tasked with killing or

Poorer Nations Hit with 'Exorbitant' Consultancy Fees for Carbon Offset Projects

2010-08-25T17:35:00.002-05:00

Nepalese government has paid a Norwegian consultancy €150,000 (£123,000) to get UN certification for biogas projects * Reese Erlich in Badreni, Nepal * guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 25 August 2010 15.14 BST The UN-certified scheme that allows developed nations to pay for carbon reductions abroad instead of making domestic cuts has come under fire for paying high fees to consultants from rich

BP oil spill: scientists find giant plume of droplets 'missed' by official account

2010-08-19T16:46:00.003-05:00

A 22-mile plume of droplets from BP's Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico undermines claim that oil has degraded* Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 19 August 2010 19.00 BSTScientists have mapped a 22-mile plume of oil droplets from BP's rogue well in the depths of the Gulf of Mexico, providing the strongest evidence yet of the fate of the crude

In Case U Missed It "Eat Me" McDonald's interviews

2010-08-18T23:19:00.004-05:00

Here's an In Case U Missed It video made for a Chicago Sketch/Variety show Democracy Burlesque who performed "Eat Me" in August 2010 about food and the food industry.(click the title to link to the video)

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity

2010-08-16T21:27:00.001-05:00

By Ellen NakashimaWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, July 29, 2010The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.The administration wants to add just four words -- "electronic communication

The US isn't leaving Iraq, it's rebranding the occupation

2010-08-06T00:59:00.000-05:00

Obama says withdrawal is on schedule, but renaming or outsourcing combat troops won't give Iraqis back their countryby Seumas MilneFor most people in Britain and the US, Iraq is already history. Afghanistan has long since taken the lion's share of media attention, as the death toll of Nato troops rises inexorably. Controversy about Iraq is now almost entirely focused on the original decision to

The Audacity of Arne Duncan

2010-07-25T10:36:00.000-05:00

by Jim HornArne Duncan stood before the NAACP convention last week to repeat his claim that “education is the civil rights issue of our generation.” He also declared “the only way to equality in society is to achieve equality in the classroom.” Since Mr. Duncan did not spell out what he meant by equality or civil rights, let’s see if we can extrapolate his meaning from the policies he is

Requiem for the Antiwar Movement

2010-07-22T18:41:00.002-05:00

by Cindy SheehanThis article and these observations are going to piss some people off—but oh well. You will be angry with me, even though I am not the one who is ordering more war, paying for more war, torturing people and imprisoning them without due process, destroying the economy and the environment, blah, blah, blah. I have developed an incredibly thick skin and if I rankle, it’s because I

Put away the flags

2010-07-04T12:22:00.000-05:00

Remembering Howard Zinn on July 4.On this July 4, we would do well to renounce nationalism and all its symbols: its flags, its pledges of allegiance, its anthems, its insistence in song that God must single out America to be blesseIs not nationalism -- that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce it engenders mass murder -- one of the great evils of our time, along with racism, along

World’s Mining Companies Covet Afghan Riches

2010-06-18T22:44:00.001-05:00

By JAMES RISENPublished: June 17, 2010WASHINGTON — Mining companies around the world are eager to exploit Afghanistan’s newly discovered mineral wealth, but executives of Western firms caution that war, corruption and lack of roads and other infrastructure are likely to delay exploration for years.A few high-risk investors are sufficiently intrigued by the country’s potential to take an early

Are Foreign Lives of Equal Worth to Ours?

2010-06-18T00:26:00.000-05:00

By Adil E. Shamoo, June 16, 2010When a U.S. civilian is murdered in a foreign land or in the United States, we rightfully feel angry, sad, and some of us demand vengeance. These are normal, primordial, and instinctive feelings of group loyalty and herd mentality that have bound communities and countries for thousands of years. Should such human traits, which are often beneficial, emotional and

The enemy is at home

2010-06-01T01:20:00.002-05:00

(click the title to see this video)

Gulf oil well disaster could mean explosive profits for Halliburton

2010-05-25T15:33:00.000-05:00

The oil well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico could be a well-timed and profitable accident for Halliburton, the global oil company with the famous connection to former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Just eight days before the uber-Valdez accident, Houston-based Halliburton acquired Boots & Coots Services, also based in Houston, in a $240 million cash and stock deal. Boots & Coots, which uses

Kagan in Context: Shafting Progressive Values

2010-05-10T20:30:00.001-05:00

by Norman SolomonIf President Obama has his way, Elena Kagan will replace John Paul Stevens -- and the Supreme Court will move rightward. The nomination is very disturbing, especially because it's part of a pattern.The White House is in the grip of conventional centrist wisdom. Grim results stretch from Afghanistan to the Gulf of Mexico to communities across the USA."It turns out, by the way,

ACLU to Obama: ‘Entire World is Not a War Zone’

2010-04-28T21:09:00.002-05:00

Published on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 by Raw Storyby Daniel TencerThe American Civil Liberties Union has sent a strongly-worded letter to President Barack Obama, asking him to end an alleged program that allows 'targeted killings' of terror suspects outside of war zones.In the letter, the civil liberties group argues that the alleged program -- which, according to news reports, is now targeting

Where 'Military Victory' Is an Oxymoron

2010-04-08T02:20:00.001-05:00

by Tom AndrewsPublished on Wednesday, April 7, 2010 by CommonDreams.orgWhen it comes to Afghanistan, "military victory" is an oxymoron. Even President Obama and his Defense Secretary Robert Gates say so. Repeatedly.The only path to peaceful resolution to the Afghanistan conundrum, they point out, is by winning the "hearts and minds" of the Afghan people.That is why the grim news from Afghanistan

Health Reform Passes, But I Still Don't Feel So Good

2010-03-23T13:57:00.002-05:00

by Randall AmsterExecutive DirectorPeace & Justice Studies AssociationHurray! I mean, Boo! Or is it, What? Perhaps we should just go with Whatever. No matter how you slice it, something has happened that is either historically fabulous, monumentally stupid, perplexingly intricate, or ordinarily mundane. I suspect, in the end, it will wind up being all of this and more. Welcome to the brave new

A Detention Bill You Ought to Read More Carefully

2010-03-15T17:35:00.001-05:00

Marc Ambinder Mar 5 2010, 3:40 PM ETWhy is the national security community treating the "Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010," introduced by Sens. John McCain and Joseph Lieberman on Thursday as a standard proposal, as a simple response to the administration's choices in the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing attempt? A close reading of the bill suggests

House Afghanistan Debate: What Kucinich Accomplished

2010-03-12T11:36:00.001-06:00

by Robert NaimanThursday, March 11, 2010Yesterday, at long last, there was a vigorous debate about the war in Afghanistan on the floor of the United States House of Representatives. The legislative vehicle was a resolution introduced by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich calling for U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan by the end of the year. But House critics of the war have long been

America’s secret prisons for undocumented immigrants

2010-02-01T23:12:00.000-06:00

“We can make him disappear”By Andrew Joad1 February 2010There are at least 186 secret detention centers maintained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) within the borders of the US, according to an article published in the Nation magazine in December. Drawing on a report by Amnesty International (AI) entitled “Jailed without Justice,” it estimates that 415,000 people have been

Presidential assassinations of U.S. citizens

2010-01-27T14:42:00.001-06:00

By Glenn GreenwaldThe Washington Post's Dana Priest today reports that "U.S. military teams and intelligence agencies are deeply involved in secret joint operations with Yemeni troops who in the past six weeks have killed scores of people." That's no surprise, of course, as Yemen is now another predominantly Muslim country (along with Somalia and Pakistan) in which our military is secretly

Off-base camp

2010-01-27T00:32:00.002-06:00

A mistaken claim about glaciers raises questions about the UN’s climate panelJan 21st 2010 | From The Economist print editionCorbis Still thereTHE idea that the Himalaya could lose its glaciers by 2035—glaciers which feed rivers across South and East Asia—is a dramatic and apocalyptic one. After the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said such an outcome was very likely in the

Profiting from Haiti’s Crisis: Disaster Capitalism in Washington’s Backyard

2010-01-19T21:42:00.000-06:00

US corporations, private mercenaries, Washington and the International Monetary Fund are using the crisis in Haiti to make a profit, promote unpopular neoliberal policies, and extend military and economic control over the Haitian people.In the aftermath of the earthquake, with much of the infrastructure and government services destroyed, Haitians have relied on each other for the relief efforts,

Which Dr. King Will We Honor?

2010-01-18T10:31:00.002-06:00

Monday 18 January 2010by: Ryan Van Lenning, t r u t h o u t | Op-EdAs we observe the life and example of Martin Luther King, Jr., the question arises, "Which Dr. King will we honor?"Will we yet again observe a polished, scaled-down, and non-threatening version of Martin Luther King, Jr. - the mere shadow of the man and his dream? At least we will recognize the leadership of the man who called for

Obama wants record $708 billion for wars next year

2010-01-13T18:51:00.000-06:00

By ANNE GEARAN and ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writers Anne Gearan And Anne Flaherty, Associated Press Writers – Wed Jan 13, 4:26 pm ETWASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year, The Associated Press has learned — a request that could

The fundamental unreliability of America's media

2010-01-13T18:47:00.000-06:00

Glenn GreenwaldTuesday, Jan 12, 2010 07:13 ESTConsider the record of the American media over the last two weeks alone. Justin Elliott of TPM documents how an absolute falsehood about the attempted Christmas Day airline bombing -- that Abdulmutallab purchased a "one-way ticket" to the U.S., when it was actually a round-trip ticket -- has been repeated far and wide by U.S. media outlets as fact.

Obama administration won't sign landmine ban

2009-11-24T22:59:00.002-06:00

More than 150 countries have agreed to the Mine Ban Treaty's provisions Tues., Nov . 24, 2009WASHINGTON - The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention that bans land mines.State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Tuesday that the administration recently completed a review and decided not to change the Bush-administration era policy."We decided that our land mine

Vaccination: A Conversation Worth Having

2009-11-16T13:04:00.000-06:00

Bill MaherWhile America is still in the grips of swine flu mania, let me use this opportunity to clear up a few things about my beliefs concerning the flu shot, vaccines, and health in general. I do this because there is obviously a lot of curiosity about this subject of vaccines -- it comes up in every interview I do these days, and I've been finding that people, including doctors, are privately

Pharma Deal With White House On Course To Net Industry Billions

2009-11-11T15:40:00.000-06:00

The deal struck between the pharmaceutical lobby, the White House and Senate Democrats has drastically improved Big Pharma's expected profits, a private industry report finds.IMS Health, a company that supplies the pharmaceutical companies with sales data, predicts that new health reform legislation -- combined with a projected upswing in the economy -- will result in a net gain of more than $137

Brother of Afghan Leader Is Said to Be on C.I.A. Payroll

2009-11-10T10:31:00.000-06:00

By DEXTER FILKINS, MARK MAZZETTI and JAMES RISENPublished: October 27, 2009 KABUL, Afghanistan — Ahmed Wali Karzai, the brother of the Afghan president and a suspected player in the country’s booming illegal opium trade, gets regular payments from the Central Intelligence Agency, and has for much of the past eight years, according to current and former American officials.The agency pays Mr.

Obama's Latest Use of 'Secrecy' to Shield Presidential Lawbreaking

2009-11-01T18:43:00.001-06:00

What was once depicted as a grave act of lawlessness -- Bush's NSA program -- is now deemed a vital state secret.by Glenn GreenwaldThe Obama administration has, yet again, asserted the broadest and most radical version of the "state secrets" privilege -- which previously caused so much controversy and turmoil among loyal Democrats (when used by Bush/Cheney) -- to attempt to block courts from

Public Health Before Wall Street Wealth

2009-10-14T14:03:00.001-05:00

Public Health Before Wall Street Wealthby Robert ScheerWonderful. The 13 Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee get one faintly rational Republican to join them in a meaningless stab at health care reform and it throws the media into a titillated frenzy about what it all means. It means very little.The main thrust of the proposal is to forcibly submit even more customers to the tender mercies

What happened to global warming?

2009-10-14T01:29:00.000-05:00

By Paul HudsonClimate correspondent, BBC NewsPlanet Earth (Nasa)Average temperatures have not increased for over a decadeThis headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.But it is true. For the last 11 years we have not observed any increase in global temperatures.And our climate models did not

Honduras - 100 Days of Repression and Resistance

2009-10-07T00:09:00.000-05:00

Today marks 100 days since a military coup was carried out against President Zelaya in Honduras. It also marks 100 days of massive, sustained, nonviolent resistance on the part of the Honduran people who are saying no to this brazen attempt to return to the days of dictators. In the face of uncontainable resistance, the coup regime has employed increasingly draconian measures. Most disturbing

Who Decides About War? What About the People?

2009-10-05T02:08:00.001-05:00

by John NicholsThe U.S. occupation of Afghanistan has reached its "sell-by…" date.A majority of Americans now tell pollsters the mission was a mistake. Ninety-eight members of the House – including liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans – have cosponsored Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern's resolution asking the Pentagon to develop an exit strategy.Unfortunately, the generals who run

Blackwater CEO accused of killing witnesses

2009-08-06T01:37:00.000-05:00

August 5th, 2009Global ResearchThe lawsuit filed by Iraqis against the US contractor Blackwater takes turn with a former employee and a former US marine accusing the firm's owner of murder.In sworn statements filed on August 3 in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia, the two testified that company owner and CEO Erik Prince may have murdered or arranged the murder of individuals

The Big Lie of Afghanistan

2009-07-30T22:51:00.001-05:00

by Malalai JoyaIn 2005, I was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. Women like me, running for office, were held up as an example of how the war in Afghanistan had liberated women. But this democracy was a facade, and the so-called liberation a big lie.On behalf of the long-suffering people of my country, I offer my heartfelt condolences to all in the UK who have lost their

Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers

2009-07-22T00:14:00.002-05:00

updated 9:47 a.m. CT, Mon., July 20, 2009ATLANTA - The last time the government embarked on a major vaccine campaign against a new swine flu, thousands filed claims contending they suffered side effects from the shots. This time, the government has already taken steps to head that off.Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine,

Afghanistan War Resister to “Put the War on Trial”

2009-07-14T21:23:00.001-05:00

Tuesday 14 July 2009by: Dahr Jamail, t r u t h o u t | Report US Army Specialist Victor Agosto served a 13-month deployment in Iraq with the 57th Expeditionary Signal Battalion. "What I did there, I know I contributed to death and human suffering," Agosto told Truthout from Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, in May, "It's hard to quantify how much I caused, but I know I contributed to it." His

Obama Gives Bush a 3rd Term in Education

2009-06-15T13:51:00.001-05:00

It is time to kill the Bush-era No Child Left Behind programby Diane RavitchThe great mystery of education policy today is why the Obama administration is embracing the Bush program. I recently wrote in Education Week (June 10) that it is time to kill the Bush-era No Child Left Behind program. The overwhelming majority of teachers agree with me. Those who educate our kids know that NCLB is a

DoD Training Manual Describes Protest As "Low-Level Terrorism"

2009-06-15T13:37:00.001-05:00

Pentagon training course says engaging in First Amendment is terrorist activity Steve WatsonInfowars.netFriday, June 12, 2009Current Department of Defense anti-terrorism training course material states that the exercise of First Amendment rights in the U.S. constitutes terrorist activity.The ACLU has written to the DoD regarding its Antiterrorism and Force Protection Annual Refresher Training

Key health care senators have industry ties

2009-06-13T09:39:00.004-05:00

Members with connections include Rockefeller, Harkin, Dodd, Coburn, GreggIn this Feb. 2, 2009 file photo, Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and his wife, Jackie Clegg Dodd, talk with reporters during a news conference at Dodd's office in Hartford, Conn.var hasRelatedPhotos = 'true';if (hasRelatedPhotos=='true'){var vRPL = document.getElementById("viewRelatedPhotosLink");if (vRPL!=undefined)

Obama’s Animal Farm: Bigger, Bloodier Wars Equal Peace and Justice

2009-06-02T01:32:00.001-05:00

by Prof James Petras“The Deltas are psychos…You have to be a certified psychopath to join the Delta Force…”, a US Army colonel from Fort Bragg once told me back in the 1980’s. Now President Obama has elevated the most notorious of the psychopaths, General Stanley McChrystal, to head the US and NATO military command in Afghanistan. McChrystal’s rise to leadership is marked by his central role

Obama Readies More Troops in Wake of Civilian Massacre

2009-05-08T02:29:00.005-05:00

'Tractor Trailers Full of Pieces of Human Bodies;'As President Barack Obama prepares to send some 21,000 more US troops into Afghanistan, anger is rising in the western province of Farah, the scene of a US bombing massacre that may have killed as many as 130 Afghans, including 13 members of one family. At least six houses were bombed and among the dead and wounded are women and children. As of

Buying Brand Obama

2009-05-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama is a brand. And the Obama brand is designed to make us feel good about our government while corporate overlords loot the Treasury, our elected officials continue to have their palms greased by armies of corporate lobbyists, our corporate media diverts us with gossip and trivia and our imperial wars expand in the Middle East. Brand Obama is about being happy consumers. We are

Obama Legal Team Wants Defendants' Rights Limited

2009-04-24T12:38:00.001-05:00

MARK SHERMAN | April 23, 2009 08:29 PM EST | WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to overrule long-standing law that stops police from initiating questions unless a defendant's lawyer is present, another stark example of the White House seeking to limit rather than expand rights. The administration's action _ and several others _ have disappointed civil rights

Obama requests $83.4 billion more for war spending

2009-04-12T11:51:00.000-05:00

Defense Secretary Gates argues that the additional money is needed to prevent abrupt troop withdrawals. The administration says it's 'the last supplemental for Iraq and Afghanistan.' By Julian E. BarnesApril 10, 2009

Geithner's Plan Will Tax Main Street to Make Wall Street Richer

2009-03-30T20:27:00.001-05:00

Many financial experts have focused narrowly on the immediacy of Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's plan while neglecting to consider certain long-term implications. (Photo-illustration: Everett Bogue /t r u t h o u t) The new consensus among the experts who missed the housing bubble (EMHB) is that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's plan to subsidize the purchase of junk mortgages and

Death squad leader ‘was top CIA agent’

2009-03-24T08:55:00.000-05:00

Death squad leader ‘was top CIA agent’SERBIA: Gabriel RonayTHE LATE President Milosevic's secret police chief and organiser of Serb death squads during the genocidal ethnic cleansing of disintegrating Yugoslavia was the United States' top CIA agent in Belgrade, according to the independent Belgrade Radio B92. The claim that from 1992 until the end of the decade, Jovica Stanisic, head of Serbia's

Pentagon's next big weapon? A $400 million, 450-foot spy blimp

2009-03-16T11:56:00.011-05:00

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon said Thursday that it intends to spend $400 million to develop a giant dirigible that will float 65,000 feet above the Earth for 10 years, providing unblinking and intricate radar surveillance of the vehicles, planes and even people below. "It is absolutely revolutionary," Werner J.A. Dahm, chief scientist for the Air Force, said of the unmanned airship, describing it as

Jim Cramer On "Daily Show"

2009-03-16T01:04:00.003-05:00

Full Unedited, Uncensored Video(click story title to see video) threeup_js('Media', '174558', '2'); document.write('Your request is being processed...'); Your reque

Obama's Non-Withdrawal Withdrawal Plan

2009-02-27T13:14:00.001-06:00

Orwell in Babylon By CHRIS FLOYD It would be superfluous in us to point out that a plan to "end" a war which includes the continued garrisoning of up to 50,000 troops in a hostile land is, in reality, a continuation of that war, not its cessation. To produce such a plan and claim that it "ends" a war is the precise equivalent of, say, relieving one's bladder on the back of

Probe Finds Army Charity is Hoarding Millions

2009-02-23T03:26:00.000-06:00

Military's biggest charity is stockpiling cash, rather than using it for aid FORT BLISS, Texas - As soldiers stream home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the biggest charity inside the U.S. military has been stockpiling tens of millions of dollars meant to help put returning fighters back on their feet, an Associated Press investigation shows.The rear gunner on a US Army Chinook

The CIA Beyond Redemption and Should be Terminated

2009-02-21T01:02:00.002-06:00

by Sherwood RossThe Central Intelligence Agency(CIA) has confirmed the worst fears of its creator President Harry Truman that it might degenerate into “an American Gestapo.” It has been just that for so long it is beyond redemption. It represents 60 years of failure and fascism utterly at odds with the spirit of a democracy and needs to be closed, permanently. Over the years “the Agency” as

Despite Obama's Promises, Rival views are scrubbed frrom White House

2009-02-07T11:09:00.002-06:00

by David Sirota Only weeks ago, the political world was buzzing about a "team of rivals." America was told that finally, after years of yes-men running the government, we were getting a president who would follow President Abraham Lincoln's lead, fill his administration with varying viewpoints, and glean empirically sound policy from the clash of ideas. Little did we know that "team of

Obama Lawyers Set to Defend Yoo

2009-01-28T23:25:00.000-06:00

In Democratic legal circles, no attorney has been more pilloried than former Bush Justice Department official John Yoo, chief author of the so-called torture memos that Barack Obama last week sought to nullify. But now President Obama's incoming crew of lawyers has a new and somewhat awkward job: defending Yoo in federal court. Next week, Justice Department lawyers are set to ask a San

Children of Gaza, Run to the Angels

2009-01-10T15:47:00.000-06:00

by Suzanne Baroud Ironically, it was in Palestine, 20 years ago, that I concluded that there is no God. For how could a God, who claims to love all and treat all with impartiality, allow such horrors like those in Palestine to happen? This unbelief grew stronger with each curfew, with each strike that mourned the death of yet one more martyr, with a decapitation induced by gunfire in

The Outcry Is Muted, But The Food Crisis Is Getting Worse

2009-01-10T12:29:00.000-06:00

The financial debacle has drowned out coverage of food shortages. Where are the billion-dollar bailouts for the hungry? by Jayati Ghosh Just a few months ago, we were being told that this is a period of stark, unprecedented and unfolding food crisis, with looming shortages and huge global imbalances between demand and supply. Everyone who matters - from officials in international

Afghans to Obama: End the Occupation

2008-11-24T00:20:00.000-06:00

President Elect Barack Obama wants to increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan. But the US/NATO occupation is less popular than ever. Eman, an Afghan woman's rights activist with RAWA tells Uprising host, Sonali Kolhatkar, that Obama must end the occupation. RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, is the oldest women's political organization in Afghanistan,

ACLU wants probe into police-staged DNC protest

2008-11-09T00:24:00.001-06:00

By Felisa Cardona The Denver PostArticle Last Updated: 11/07/2008 10:25:14 AM MST if(requestedWidth > 0){ document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.width = requestedWidth + "px"; document.getElementById('articleViewerGroup').style.margin = "0px 0px 10px 10px"; } When a Jefferson County

Thousands face mix-ups in voter registrations

2008-10-18T22:51:00.001-05:00

Many are wrongly flagged as ineligible in new databasesBy Mary Pat Flaherty updated 11:22 a.m. CT, Sat., Oct. 18, 2008 function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) { var n = document.getElementById("udtD"); if(pdt != '' && n && window.DateTime) { var dt = new DateTime(); pdt = dt.T2D(pdt); if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((''.toLowerCase()=='false')?false:true));} } }

G8 to Poor Women: Let Them Eat Dirt

2008-07-22T22:25:00.001-05:00

Last week, leaders of the world’s richest countries, the Group of Eight (G8), met to chart the course of the global economy at the luxurious Windsor Hotel Toya Resort and Spa in Toyako, Japan. While President Bush and his colleagues discussed world hunger over a six-course lunch, women in Haiti were preparing cakes of dirt for their children’s dinner. Eating dirt, mixed with salt and vegetable

US seeking 58 bases in Iraq

2008-06-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Baghdad - Iraqi lawmakers say the United States is demanding 58 bases as part of a proposed "status of forces" agreement that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country indefinitely. Leading members of the two ruling Shiite parties said in a series of interviews the Iraqi government rejected this proposal along with another U.S. demand that would have effectively handed

The Bushes and Hitler's Appeasement

2008-05-20T01:08:00.002-05:00

The Bushes and Hitler's Appeasement By Robert Parry Consortium News Sunday 18 May 2008 The irony of George W. Bush going before the Knesset and mocking the late Sen. William Borah for expressing surprise at Adolf Hitler's 1939 invasion of Poland is that Bush's own family played a much bigger role assisting the Nazis. If Borah, an isolationist Republican from Idaho,

Conscious Incompetence

2008-04-09T00:40:00.006-05:00

You are great.You are so great, you might even care about the world and think that the Bush administration is filled with a bunch of idiots.It seems like they should be stupid... how could they not be stupid considering all the dumb things that have taken place?Consider the notion of conscious incompetence - making a conscious decision to appear incompetent in order to mask your true

A Conscientious Objection

2008-03-24T22:52:00.002-05:00

by Chris Hedges Those of us who oppose the war, who believe that all U.S. troops should be withdrawn and the network of permanent bases in Iraq dismantled, have only two options in the coming presidential elections-Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney. A vote for any of the Republican and Democratic candidates is a vote to perpetuate the occupation of Iraq and a lengthy and futile war of

Obama, Clinton or Mckinney? The Progressive choice is clear

2008-03-17T13:53:00.002-05:00

Comparison of Obama & Cynthia McKinney: Who is the Real Progressive Candidate? THE ORGANIZER NEWSPAPER, March 14, 2008 Straight to the Source 1) Want REAL Change? Support Cynthia McKinney's Power to the People Presidential Campaign! EDITORIAL Barack Obama is creating a

Iraq war price tag reaches three trillion US dollars: book

2008-03-12T02:24:00.000-05:00

AFPTuesday, March 11, 2008 The war in Iraq will cost US taxpayers at least three trillion dollars, a respected, Nobel Prize-winning economist wrote in a new book which was excerpted in the US press this week. Joseph Stiglitz's book "The Three Trillion Dollar War:

Clinton connected company 'United Technologies' makes bid to purchase DIEBOLD

2008-03-09T01:59:00.003-06:00

This weekend, mega defense contractor United Technologies announced an offer for Diebold at a 66% premium to the current stock market price. Leading this effort is the board of directors of United Technologies. United Technologies board includes Jamie Gorelick, partner at WilmerHale, who was the former Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton Administration who played such a significant role in

Hooray! We're.... In Dependant !?

2008-02-21T12:58:00.004-06:00

Opening a Pandora's Box: Kosovo "Independence" and the Project for a "New Middle East"by Mahdi Darius NazemroayaGermany and the U.S. have deep-seated geo-strategic interests in dividing Yugoslavia. Washington, D.C. and Berlin have also been the first governments to recognize the secessionist states, which resulted from the breakup of the Yugoslav federation.(click on title to read the rest of

An Inconvinient Truth? Or Lie? or BOTH?!

2008-02-20T16:56:00.005-06:00

I recently engaged in a rousing online debate about Global Warming with some friends and family which is pasted in the comments section for your viewing and debating pleasures!:In Case You Missed it said:Hey friends and family!I came across this letter to the UN about Climate change and wanted your reactions to it since some of you are all up in the environmental world! Cheers!http://

US spy satellite plan 'a cover'

2008-02-17T12:36:00.002-06:00

US spy satellite plan 'a cover'Russia has accused the US of using a plan to shoot down a broken spy satellite as a cover for testing an anti-satellite weapon.BBC News(click the story title to read more)

"Clean Team" to the rescue!

2008-02-16T14:21:00.008-06:00

Fair is foul,And foul is fair!(Macbeth 1.1)I'm sure you heard,The government is going to conduct a series of military tribunals to try and convict 6 Arab men of their involvement with 9-11.A "Clean Team" has gotten all of them to talk without using any torture!(Never mind that the "rules" for a military tribunal are about as unclear and unconstitutional and undemocratic as they come.)(Never mind

Detention camps at undisclosed locations in the US?

2008-02-13T23:58:00.004-06:00

Since 9/11, and seemingly without the notice of most Americans, the federal government has assumed the authority to institute martial law, arrest a wide swath of dissidents (citizen and noncitizen alike), and detain people without legal or constitutional recourse in the event of "an emergency influx of immigrants in the U.S., or to support the rapid development of new programs." (click title of

Uncomfortably Numb

2008-02-12T02:07:00.000-06:00

"Hello. Is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me. Is there anyone home? Come on, now. I hear you're feeling down. Well I can ease your pain, Get you on your feet again.Relax. I need some information first. Just the basic facts: Can you show me where it hurts? There is no pain, you are receding..." - Pink FloydWaterboarding!!The word sounds kind of fun in some ways doesn't it?!

Super Dele-GATE

2008-02-10T01:41:00.000-06:00

The race between Obama and the HillBillaries is neck and neck!(Never mind, for just a moment, that there have been well documented reports of widespread voter fraud, voter suppression and general Diebold chicanery across the country most widely "reported" in New Hampshire, Nevada, California, New York and Louisiana. I put "reported" in "quotes" because the "MSM" is doing its usual "amazing" job

In Case You Missed It

2007-10-09T13:11:00.001-05:00

Hello,My name is John St. Coltrain,In Case You Missed It. Some articles and opinions I found here and there that you might have missed. Or maybe you did not miss it. How the F am I supposed to know?If you love everyone you see then everything will get better.Thanks you.Thanks you very much.Please keep current on current eventscurrently.