27 February, 2009
Obama Budget Projects Record Deficits
And Borrowing
By Patrick Martin
Under the budget outline issued by the Obama administration Thursday, the US government will run a $1.75 trillion deficit during the current fiscal year, which ends September 30, nearly four times the largest previous federal deficit
U.S. To Leave Residual Force Of
50,000 In Iraq After "Pullout"
By Anne Gearan
Some of the U.S. forces likely to remain in Iraq after President Barack Obama fulfills his pledge to withdraw combat troops would still have a combat role fighting suspected terrorists, the Pentagon said Wednesday
How Credit Unions Survived The Crash
By Ralph Nader
While the reckless giant banks are shattering like an over-heated glacier day by day, the nation's credit unions are a relative island of calm largely apart from the vortex of casino capitalism
Israel's Lurch To The Right Could Be Far Indeed
By Helena Cobban
The continuing efforts by Israel’s presumptive next prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to assemble a rightwing-dominated government have sparked serious concern about the effects such a government might have on peace efforts with the Palestinians
Israel’s Military Mephistopheles
By Jonathan Cook
Officials claim unelected former general “running the country”
Teacher And Student: A New Class Struggle?
By Niranjan Ramakrishnan
At the end of his elegantly phrased and superbly delivered speech, what did Barack Obama convey?
Obama Embraces Bush's “War On Terror”
Policy Without Naming It So
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Not surprisingly, the Obama administration, siding with the Bush White House, contended on February 20 that detainees in Afghanistan have no constitutional rights. In a two-sentence court filing, the Justice Department said it agreed that detainees at Bagram Airfield cannot use U.S. courts to challenge their detention
New York City: An Apple Of Contradiction
By Joseph Grosso
The essay gives an overview of New York's historic contraditions and segways into present day conflicts. It shows that in many ways New York is not the center for progressive politics that it is often alleged to be and numbers show an overcrowded, very expensive city. The essay ends on a hopeful note that national politics is leaning leftward and this could soon have positive effects
US Discriminatory Immigration Policies
Toward Haitians
By Stephen Lendman
It's a familiar story for Haitians - last in, first out for the hemisphere's poorest, least wanted, and most abused people here and at home. Most recently it was highlighted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials announcing the resumption of over 30,000 deportations to a nation reeling from poverty, repression, despair, the devastation from last summer's storms, and occupation by UN paramilitary Blue Helmets - since 2004, illegally there for the first time ever to support and enforce a coup d'etat against a democratically elected president, at the behest of Washington
The Facade Of Sectarianism
By Ali Jawad
‘Sectarian’ clashes in the second-most holiest site in Islam can only serve to achieve one forbidding outcome. The sight of bloodshed and hostilities in the near vicinities of this sacred site is tantamount to sacrilege in the hearts and minds of Muslims all across the globe
Let's Talk About The Real Thing
By Aditi Munot
There is a whole lot of talk about public health and thus a ban on smoking in public places for the sake of this public health. But there is no discussion on reduction in emissions from automobiles and mines and factories for the betterment of public health
Crimes Against Conscience
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The writing is on the wall for all the communities in Sri Lanka. It is time to wage not war, but honourable peace for all
25 February, 2009
HRW Report Exposes Sri Lankan
Government’s War Crimes
By Sampath Perera
A report released last Friday by the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) has provided a glimpse into the criminal character of the Sri Lankan government's war against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Entitled "End ‘War' on Civilians," it calls on the government to "immediately cease its indiscriminate artillery attacks on civilians in the northern Wanni region and its policy of detaining displaced persons in internment camps"
How The US Economy Was Lost
By Paul Craig Roberts
If incompetence in Washington, the type of incompetence that produced the current economic crisis, destroys the dollar as reserve currency, the “unipower” will overnight become a third world country, unable to pay for its imports or to sustain its standard of living
Coalition Theory
By Uri Avnery
We don’t have a Julius Caesar. But we do have an Avigdor Liberman. When he announced his support the other day for the setting up of a government headed by Binyamin Netanyahu, that was the crossing of his Rubicon. I hope that this is not the beginning of the end of Israeli democracy
Targeting Israel With Boycotts,
Divestment, Sanctions, And Prosecutions
By Stephen Lendman
Enough is enough. After 61 years of Palestinian slaughter, displacement, occupation, oppression, and international dismissiveness and complicity, global action is essential. Israel must be held accountable. World leaders won't do it, so grassroots movements must lead the way
Aspects Of The Post-Oil Community
By Peter Goodchild
I have great hopes for the future, when the hard times are over. By the end of the present century, the human population will be much smaller than it now is. The 200-odd nations of the present day will be only a dim memory, and the major languages will have broken up into local dialects, to such an extent that a linguistic outsider will be one who lives only over the next hill. Grass will be growing everywhere, and the long miles of cracked highways will be merely a curiosity. Yet those days will not be the Dark Ages: on the contrary, starlight will once again appear over the cities at night
The California Budget And Class War
By Ann Robertson
On February 19, the California legislature, after weeks of wrangling, passed a special budget to address the historically high $42 billion deficit. It represents an unadulterated washout for working people who are attacked on almost every front by the Democratic Party, which controls a broad majority in the legislature
Get Rid of Opium, Or Perish
By Ramtanu Maitra
Obama must recognize that the only way Afghanistan can be stabilized, thus bringing peace to the region, is by ridding it of the menace of opium once and for all.As long as policymakers ignore this reality, the security environment in and around Afghanistan will continue to deteriorate, leading to a regional blow-up
A Spectre Haunts Imperialism…
By Kavita Krishnan
The people of the US (through their vote for Obama and ‘change’) and Muntadar al-Zaidi alike may have given Bush (and all he stood for) the boot – but the Congress party of India wants to give Bush the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in India! Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, addressing the annual general meeting of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), declared, “Give Bharat Ratna to Bush. I don't know what the rules are but I will officially do something.”
24 February, 2009
The New War In Iraq
By Patrick Cockburn
A new war is threatening Iraq just as the world believes the country is returning to peace. While violence is dropping in Baghdad and in the south of the country, Arabs and Kurds in the north are beginning to battle over territories in an arc of land stretching from Syria to Iranian border
The 81st Annual Academy Awards:
Lifeless For The most part
By Hiram Lee
One will see how differently things will look in the coming years. The economic crisis which found little expression in the awards ceremony or in the films nominated will make itself felt. There will be social upheavals in the US, as well as other parts of the world. The present stagnant artistic climate will dissipate, which will make it possible for the artists to begin considering the great questions of our time
The BattleFor Bil'in
By Eileen Fleming
For four years, the beleaguered agricultural village of Bil'in in the West Bank has resisted the route of Israel's Wall; which in Bil'in is composed of miles of electrified-barbed wire fencing that denies the landowners access to their legally owned land. The Israeli Supreme Court has ruled that The Fence must be moved and the stolen land restored to the Bil'in villagers; but civil and military authorities have not complied and last week, night time raids by Israel escalated
Arab Parties Face The Most Hostile Knesset
In History
By Jonathan Cook
Arab party legislators will be facing the most hostile Knesset in history. Of the parliament’s 120 members, at least 65 are classified as belonging to the right and far-right and may yet form a governing coalition
Radical Love
By Mickey Z.interviews Natty Seidenverg
Natty Seidenverg is a writer and an activist from the high desert region of Cascadia. She's been giving radical love workshops for about three years. Mickey Z. interviews Natty
Icons And Geo-Politics or
Must Russia Bail Out Ukraine?
By Gaither Stewart
The tide in Ukraine has now turned eastwards. The impulse toward the West of the last fifteen years has stopped. Though Ukraine must have good relations with both East and West, in any economic contest between Russia on one hand and Europe-USA on the other, Moscow in a fair battle will always win. For Russia, a Ukraine in the camp of the USA would be like Canada suddenly taking control of New England, or Mexico taking over Texas
Israeli And American War Crimes?
By Timothy V. Gatto
The propaganda that Israel uses against the inhabitants of Gaza is exceedingly course and steeped in hate. They seem to believe that all Palestinians are Hamas militants. Some Knesset members have advocated killing Palestinian young because they will only grow up to be enemies of the Jewish State. It is no small wonder that this sentiment is expressed, because if Israel continues to commit genocide without intervention by the U.N. or the U.S., these children will indeed grow up fighting for their very lives
Never Forget The Lessons Of Yesterday
For The Sake Of Tomorrow
By Vincent Guarisco
Sadly, the wars of our fathers are the most unforgiving testament of time. This testament has filled the Pacific ocean to the brim with blood-soaked tears that will haunt our memory for generations to come. In present-day terms, the Armageddon clock may have notched back a tick or two from the days of President Harry Truman to our new modern day President Barack Obama, but we still have many concerns to worry about before the clock has spider webs
"Words, Words, Words":
Rhetoric In The 'War On Terror'
By Maryam Sakeenah
The power of rhetoric which comes with all the authority and glamorous technology of the world's hyperpower has indeed taken a heavy toll on public opinion. It has in fact, with its skewed up morality, perverted the integrity of the human conscience, head and heart. As a result, prejudices are established as fact, myth as reality. The masses are benumbed to the terrible atrocities in the guise of the 'War on Terror.' And questions cannot be asked. As Bush the Senior had said, "What We Say, Goes."
Honey I Shrunk Pakistan!
By Muqtedar Khan
Pakistan has now become a strange and complex entity in which contradictions not only endure, but also seem to thrive. Parts of it are stable and rich (like Punjab) while others like the NWFP are in complete chaos. It has recently returned to democracy and civilian rule and yet parts of it are in the hands of authoritarian anti-democracy militias. It is an American ally and yet many of its citizens are at war with America. These contradictions are fault lines that will eventually lead to an implosion
What If That Local Support…
By M Shamsur Rabb Khan
Even though Advani is only interested in probing local support, he needs to stick to his stand. What if this calculation of Advani ends in utter failure? Suppose, for a while, the UPA Government goes for probing local support (the Mumbai police must have been doing it), and comes out with a finding that some Hindus were also among the local support, will Advani believe this version? Or will he and his colleagues, like on earlier occasions, start blaming everyone – the UPA Government, the Mumbai Police and the ATS for wrong and politically motivated investigation?
23 February, 2009
U.S. Military Base In Vicenza
Gets Final Approval
By Stephanie Westbrook
At a press conference on Friday, February 20, Italian Special Commissioner Paola Costa and U.S. Consul General from Milan, Daniel Weygandt, announced final approval for a new U.S. military base in Vicenza, Italy
America's Municipal Meltdowns
By Nick Turse
Stories about the economic woes facing individual cities and towns are already a staple of national newspapers, even as the bad news, experts believe, is only beginning to flow in. Spikes in unemployment already reaching double-digit levels in some cases, municipal governments deep in the red, essential cutbacks in local services, increasing lines at food pantries, towns facing bankruptcy or even contemplating municipal suicide are increasingly common nationwide
Dispatches From The Front Lines Of Economic Crisis
By Stephen Lendman
Today's crisis should bury the myth about "free-market" fundamentalism as the best of all possible worlds. History proves otherwise by clearly showing that it fails the many to advantage the few because it's arranged that way
The Problem With “A Nation Of Cowards”
By Bill Noxid
The most disturbing consequence of the election of the first African-American president is the delusional rush to pretend that this country that was founded ( and continues to function ) on genocide and slavery, is somehow “past” racism. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth, and the fact that society as a whole still refuses to face it is - as Attorney General Eric Holder stated clearly - nothing less than cowardice
Position Paper: “Super Progressives For Obama”
On Guantanamo
By Maher Osseiran
Obama needs to prosecute Bush for the sake of the country, the constitution, and the rule of law. If all that is not a good enough reason for Obama, he should certainly do it for his own sake; sooner or later, the illegality of the Afghanistan war will be evident to all and Obama’s plan to expand that criminal war would only make a criminal out of him
Farewell To Tayeb Salih: One Of Africa’s
Most Illustrious Literary Figures
By Mustapha Marrouchi
They are no longer stirring still. In fact, they are dying at an alarming rate. First, there was Edward Said, then Mahmoud Darwish, and now Tayeb Salih
Human Tragedy Continues In Northern Sri Lanka
By Sarath Kumara
As fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continues in the northern Wanni region, the plight of civilians trapped in the war zone is worsening
And Still They Talk Of Righteousness
By Aditi Munot
We need to stop committing these crimes against humanity, against all species, against the planet. We need to understand and accept that everybody has an equal right to live and an equal right to all amenities. We need to understand no one is or should be allowed to be more privileged to live at the cost of the lives of so many others
Are Muslims In India Appeased?
By Tomichan Matheikal
What is needed today in India is stop making irresponsible statements like 'Muslims are appeased' and help the community develop better so that they join the mainstream and live in peace and harmony with the mainstream communities. That's not impossible
21 February, 2009
Netanyahu Asked To Form
New Israeli Government
By Donald Macintyre
Benjamin Netanyahu, the hawkish leader of Israel’s biggest right-wing party, Likud, was yesterday given six weeks to form a coalition government as he appealed for a “new approach” of unity to deal with the “great challenges” from Iran’s nuclear programme and the global recession
Obama Was Unconvinced By
Bibi’s Desire For Peace
By Robert Fisk
Mr Obama, who figured out the Middle East pretty quickly, apparently found Bibi arrogant and unconvincing in his professed desire for peace with the Palestinians. What Mr Netanyahu thought of Mr Obama is not known, but he could scarcely have tried to hide his election line: security for Israel, but no Palestinian state
Global Boycott Movement Marks Its Successes
By Jeff Handmaker
Responding to the many calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, solidarity movements around the world have marked many successes. It is important for human rights advocates to build on this momentum and seize the opportunity to do what is within their power to try and hold Israel accountable for its abuses of human rights and other international laws
A New Afghanistan Nightmare
By Ramzy Baroud
Former president Bush and his entourage of allies failed to turn Afghanistan into a US-styled democracy, easily exploitable for strategic and economic use. By pressing a military solution in Afghanistan, Obama is not only summoning another failed US imperial experiment – as that in Iraq – but insists on adding his country’s name to those of Britain and Russia, who had better chances of success, but were squarely defeated
Iraqi Doctors In Hiding Treat As They Can
By Dahr Jamail
Seventy percent of Iraq's doctors are reported to have fled the war-torn country in the face of death threats and kidnappings. Those who remain live in fear, often in conditions close to house arrest
Do Americans Get “The Truth”?
By Timothy V. Gatto
If a casual reader were to read all of the “mainstream media” reports on the Israeli/Palestinian and the Israel/Iranian events, one could conceivably come away with the mindset that Israel is a country that just wants to survive and is a “good and forthright ally of America”. In reality, this is nothing like the truth. The truth is what’s behind the motivations of our “good friend and ally, Israel”
Babri Mosque Demolition: Why On December 6?
By Ashok Yadav
Was it a mere coincidence that the Babri mosque was demolished on December 6? What was so exceptional about this particular date that it overrode all other options in the 366 days of that year (1992 being a leap year)? A scrutiny of this question, I posit, would unveil the true character of Hindu communalism or Hindutva
20 February, 2009
Where Are The Weapons?
By Robin Davis
Israel's claim to attack Gaza was that Hamas was illegally smuggling weapons into Gaza and was firing them into Israel. But from beneath the pulverised "terrorist infrastructure" of hospitals, mosques, police stations, UN aid warehouses, schools, shops, offices, orchards, farms and homes, we have yet to see evidence of anything but a modestly armed militia and the mangled corpses of ordinary human beings with nowhere to run. The so-called "war" showed that Hamas and the other Palestinian fighters are all but defenseless. The question that rings out loudly is this "Where are the weapons?"
Fascist Rule In Israel
By Stephen Lendman
Observers are following the rhetoric and watching as events unfold. In the meantime, jockeying and deal-making continue as Netanyahu and Livni try outmaneuvering each other to form a new government. Whoever wins, Palestinians, Israelis, and most others will be losers
A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation
By Eileen Fleming
A Review of A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation by Rev. Naim Ateek
Sri Lankan War Refugees To Be Detained In “Welfare Camps”
By Sampath Perera
Despite its claims to be waging a war to "liberate" the country's Tamil population, the Sri Lankan government in Colombo has drawn up plans for detention centres to house up to 200,000 Tamil civilians currently caught in the fighting between the army and the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Is Peace Rainbow High? O, Sri Lanka!
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The UN is beginning to shift its blame on India, for its inaction on the plight of Tamil civilians. This is just the tip of the iceberg. But underneath it all, the international system, is drowned in political hypocrisy, lop-sided justice and bureaucratic bungling
Promises, Promises And Obamese Seduction
By Gaither Stewart
Now planet earth too is rebelling against occupation by human beings. One has to conclude that, yes, there is a human stain
Holy Garb: Profane Agenda
By Ram PuniyaniSeers Demand Dropping of Word Secular from Indian Constitution
19 February, 2009
Food Crisis Under The Spotlight
By Joyce Mulama
Worldwide demand for food is expected to grow steadily over the next 40 years, but 25 percent of the world's food production may be lost to 'environmental breakdowns' by 2050 unless urgent action is taken
U.N. Seeks A Green Revolution In Food
By Thalif Deen
The food crisis that spilled over from last year could take a turn for the worse in the next decade if there are no explicit answers to a rash of growing new problems, including declining agricultural production, a faltering distribution network and a deteriorating environment worldwide
Still Homeless In Baghdad
By Dahr Jamail
"We only want a normal life," says Um Qasim, sitting in a bombed out building in Baghdad. She and others around have been saying that for years. Um Qasim lives with 13 family members in a brick shanty on the edge of a former military intelligence building in the Mansoor district of Baghdad. Five of her children are girls. Homelessness is not easy for anyone, but it is particularly challenging for women and girls
President Of Special Interests
By Paul Craig Roberts
The Bush/Obama bailout/stimulus plans are not going to work. Both are schemes hatched by a clique of financial insiders. The schemes will redistribute income and wealth from American taxpayers to the shyster banksters
Reflections On The Concept Of A 'Green New Deal'
By Peter Custers
It is high time a transition be staged away from the present economy of capital accumulation - towards an economy which is stationary, which refuses to grow. This transition, moreover, needs to be staged at the world level, and needs to be strategized in a manner which will protect the global South. At present, the given perspective may sound very utopian, exactly the way the concept of a Green New Deal would have sounded utopian if proposed a few years back. Yet it is truly important that climate activists and environmentalists start discussing the given perspective, as part of their struggle to defend planet earth. In a period of economic crisis such as now exists, when dramatic changes and transformations are inevitable, we need a new vision, one that helps protect all forms of life on planet earth
The Future Appears Bleak
By Frank Joseph Smecker
What will happen to radical scholars, activists, and unionists in the ensuing years in the wake of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007? Why am I nervous? There are soooooo many question I've got shootin' around in my head. Anyhoo, the future appears bleak if you want to look at things through this sort of lens
Israel’s Naked Zionfascism
By Ghali Hassan
Israel’s Zionfascism is the greatest threat to world peace and security. Its real aim has always been military domination and the obliteration of the Palestinian nation. It is time for people to stop acting like outsiders. The alternative is the global resistance campaign that includes boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) to defeat Zionfascism in pursuit of peace and Palestinian independence
The Roots Of Hatred In The Zionist Ideology
By Salim Nazzal
The fact that Hitler was democratically elected by the German people did not legitimize his policy of mass murder; in the same way the Israeli election of fascists and war criminals should not legitimate the Zionists' policy of mass murder. However, if Hitler is the starkest model of the democratic electoral system that brought Nazism to power in Germany, the recent Israeli election is a more recent example of an election that brought another known fascist, Avigdor Lieberman, widely viewed as the Israeli duplicate of contemporary European fascists like Jorg Haider or Jean Marie Le Pen, to power
Fearing A 'One State Solution', Israel's President Serves Pabulum To Washington
By Franklin Lamb
Israel's President urges the American people and government to, "commit our most concerted effort to allow two states to flourish." Unless he and his fellow leaders of Israel are prepared, without further delay, to commit to a complete withdrawal to the June 4, 1967 armistice line, in a serious effort at peace, Israel will continue to lose American and International support and One State is the likely future for Palestine
Obama , British Empire Worse Than Al-Qaeda!
By Nu'man Abd al-Wahid
There are now roughly 250 million Arabs, a billion Muslims and the new President of the United States claims he wants a new relationship with these peoples, based on “mutual respect.” This “mutual respect” will never develop if President Obama, like his predecessors, continues to play the British concocted evil game in the Middle East. A barbaric game, which has reaped millions and billions in subsidies for the British state (under the fig leaf of “investments” and “trade” from the Gulf statelets it created), fanatical murderous wrath for the Americans and ethnic cleansing, division and war for the indigenous Arabs
18 February, 2009
What Does Economic "Recovery" Mean
On An Extreme Weather Planet?
By Tom Engelhardt
Once we start connecting some of today's drought dots, wouldn't it make sense to try to connect a few of the prospective dots as well? After all, if you begin to imagine what the worst might look like, you can also begin to think about what might be done to mitigate it. Isn't that more sensible than looking the other way?
The Ten Principles Of Apocalyptic Financing
By Peter Goodchild
There must be survival strategies for those of us who believe every word that comes out of the TV set, for those of us whose income has half the spending power of our parents’, for those of us who bleed ourselves dry trying to educate children who will be climbing over garbage dumps in later decades
Israel Should Forget About Bombing Iran
By Gideon Levy
Benjamin Netanyahu, formerly "Mr. Terror," is now "Mr. Iran," and has declared that "Iran will have no nuclear arms." Notwithstanding the boisterous nature of the declaration, this will hopefully be the case, but if what Netanyahu means is that Israel, under his leadership, may become embroiled in an attack on Iran, then there is room for grave concern. Now is the time to tell Netanyahu: "No bombing." Netanyahu (and some among us) should drop any thoughts about a military option
Peak Oil: Facts At Your Fingertips
By Peter Goodchild
The following may indicate some of the more important “names and numbers” in the complex issue of peak oil and its consequences. Besides that of oil production itself, one curve for which the numbers are significant is that of human population, since the interaction of those two curves will be momentous. Other vital sets of figures are those in the quest for alternative energy and those for post-oil survival
Eelam Tamils: Civilian HumanShield
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The Government is constantly accusing the Tamil Tigers that they are keeping forcibly the Tamil civilians as human shields. One thing must be said, that this matter of human shields is morally a despicable action and there is no chivalry in it. However, the important ingredient is missing
Rethinking Pasmanda Movement
By Khalid Anis Ansari
Pasmanda, a word of Persian origin, literally means 'those who have fallen behind', 'broken' or 'oppressed'. For our purposes here it refers to the 'dalit' and 'backward' caste Indian Muslims which constitute, according to most estimates, 85% of Muslim population and about 10% of India's population
17 February, 2009
Apartheid Israel Gaza Massacre
By Gideon Polya
The horrendous mortality and morbidity statistics revealed by the paper "The Wounds of Gaza", just published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet are truly shocking – 1,350 killed (60% children) and 5,450 severely wounded (40% children) in reprisals for zero (0) Israeli deaths from Gaza rockets in the preceding year. This demands International Criminal Court and intra-national prosecutions and Sanctions and Boycotts against Apartheid Israel by all decent decent people around the world
Choose Life!
By Deb Reich
After this futile, criminal, pornographic war in Gaza (Shmuel Amir rightly termed it a "hunt" rather than a war) and yet another national election in Israel ending basically in impasse, but this time with a distinctly fascist motif, we are no closer to sustainable peace in the Middle East. We need a drastic revisioning of what we are doing here
Livni's Bitter Options
By Uri Avnery
Now Ms Tantalus must choose between two bitter options: to retire to the desert where there is neither water nor fruit, or to serve as a fig-leaf for an obnoxious coalition
Two US Missile Strikes In Pakistan
In Three Days Kill More Than 60
By Barry Grey
The United States on Monday carried out its second missile strike in three days inside Pakistan. More than 30 people were reported killed after four CIA Predator drone aircraft launched at least four Hellfire missiles at a purported Taliban training camp in Pakistan's northwest tribal area of Kurram. It was the first US strike in Kurram, one of seven semi-autonomous tribal areas in Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan. Monday's attack followed a missile strike on Saturday on a building in the South Waziristan tribal district that killed at least 30 people
Boys With Toys
By Dahr Jamail
It is not the threat of violence that weighs on the people of Iraq. It is the omnipresent occurrence of violence that has resulted in the desperate nation wide chant, “We are tired. All we want is for normal life to return.”
Bolivarianism Triumphs In Referendum Vote
By Stephen Lendman
On February 15, Venezuelans voted on whether to let presidents, National Assembly representatives, governors, mayors, and state legislators run indefinitely for re-election after Chavez last December proposed a national referendum for constitutional change - so voters, not politicians could decide. Sunday they spoke decisively in favor by a 54.4% to 45.6% margin with over 94% of votes counted. Chavez didn't win. Venezuelans did for Bolivarian continuity and against oligarch dominance, no democracy, and back to an impoverished state
The World Calls On UN To Stop Genocide Of
Tamils In Sri-Lanka
By Dr C P Thiagarajah
Here are appeals from some of the Western parliamentarians who sincerely felt that immediate action should be taken by the UN
16 February, 2009
Chavez Wins Reform Vote In Venezeula
By Niko Price
President Hugo Chavez won a referendum to eliminate term limits Sunday and vowed to remain in power for at least another decade to complete his socialist revolution
Global Slump Could Throw
53 Million More People Into Poverty
By Mike Head
The World Bank warned last week that up to 53 million more people around the world could fall into poverty in 2009 as a result of the global economic slump, and up to 400,000 more children could die each year as a result of rising infant mortality. The statistics highlight the worldwide character of the social catastrophe being caused by the deepening crisis
When Population Growth And
Resource Availability Collide
By Lester R. Brown
With India's population projected to grow from 1.2 billion in 2007 to 1.7 billion in 2050, a collision between rising human numbers and shrinking water supplies seems inevitable. The risk is that India could face social conflicts that would dwarf those in Rwanda. The relationship between population and natural systems is a national security issue, one that can spawn conflicts along geographic, tribal, ethnic, or religious lines
The River Too Tells The Story
By Dahr Jamail
There is less water now in the Tigris, and it is less clean. The river has fewer fish, and rising fuel and other costs mean they are more costly to catch. It's not, as Hamza Majit finds, a good time to be a fisher
Chomsky On Gaza
By Christiana Voniati
An interview with Noam Chomsky
Israel Is Committing A Holocaust In Gaza:
Norman Finkelstein
By Selcuk Gultasli
An interview with Professor Norman Finkelstein who compiled the photomontage comparing the atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine and the Nazi holocaust
The Uniqueness Of Israeli Election
By Dr. Elias Akleh
Elections all over the world very much look alike. The candidates talk about improving economic situations, creating jobs, cutting spending and reducing taxes, improving education, and increasing medical coverage and social services. But the Israeli elections have a unique characteristic that distinguishes it from all other elections. Israeli candidates talk about huge military spending, killing Palestinians, evicting them out of their homes, destroying their towns, stealing their land and building more illegal Israeli colonies
Captain Of The Universe
By Rand Clifford
This show was an elaborate farce, apparent power versus real power. Real power is spoken in money. Real power always wins. In the end, banksters laughed all the way home with most of our money. Committee members, forces of apparent power, cowered in hopes of not actually offending real power
Toxic Plans For Toxic Assets
By Stephen Lendman
With this kind of "dream team," Obama may match or exceed "the most incompetent eight years of government in modern times, and (be) a contender" for all time, according to money manager and market strategist Jeremy Grantham. If so, the worst of today's crisis lies ahead. Massive future plunder is coming to make working Americans no better off than millions of global wage slaves, that is if they have any decent employment at all
President Rajapkaha: STOP THE WAR!
By Chandi Sinnathurai
Tamilnet is reporting from the ground that the Sri Lankan state is using cluster bombs and combustible bombs. Countless civilians are dead and many are suffering from respiratory problems. Make-shift hospitals are bombed. This dirty war has become increasingly insane while the world powers are simply being spectators. The Tamil civilians who are caught in this fighting are undergoing inhumane treatment
14 February, 2009
Global Warming Impacting Humanity
By Gideon Polya
Australia’s State of Victoria (capital Melbourne), has just suffered record-breaking heat wave temperatures and a tragic bushfire disaster (over 180 people dead, over 1,000 homes destroyed, over 300,000 hectares burnt). This tragedy has occurred on top of a background of sustained drought, man-made global warming and global government inaction
Australian Bushfires: The Tragic
Outcome Of Government Neglect
By Richard Phillips
As each day brings new details of the terrible human cost of the bush fires that hit Victoria last weekend, evidence mounts that government neglect, the run-down of emergency services and the lack of any comprehensive plan were direct contributors to the tragic loss of life
Inheritors Of Debt And Distress
By Jaideep Hardikar
Seen in the context of child rights, the tragedy unfolding among children in Vidarbha's dusty countryside begs the question: How do you uphold a child's right to survival, protection, development and participation when the problem has not even been acknowledged? When Rahul Gandhi toured Vidarbha for a day, he asked a boy about his dreams. A farmer standing nearby told him: "Don't ask them to dream, ask them to confront reality. They have no right to dream." A stunned Gandhi politely suggested that the farmer not be so pessimistic. The farmer insisted it was better to confront reality than to dream, as the former would help one understand and eventually overcome the problems
Sri Lanka: Information War
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The government propaganda is that it is the Tigers who are terrorizing the Tamils, not allowing them to leave the jungles. On the other hand, the Tigers are saying, it is the Government troops that are indiscriminately killing scores of civilians. Both parties have moral responsibility towards the civilian population. Tigers are the protectors of Tamils, and if so, they cannot be seen to be doing such appalling acts to their own. The Government has responsibility of protecting its citizens. The troops cannot be killing off its own civilian population
An Open (and Desperate) Appeal
From The Philippines
By Eric V. Encina
My family and many of our neighbors are becoming desperate. We have literally run out of funds and cannot find work to support ourselves due to the economic downturn. We do not know about the way that we are going to feed ourselves. Our electricity and water supplies are on the verge of being turned off. Perplexed and in despair, we have no feasible plan available to move ahead in our lives
The Tower Of Babel Of The European Left
By Gaither Stewart
While the European Right in power gloats, today's Left reality is indeed sad. Disarray reigns in most every party of the Left, in European and also especially the American Left—Socialist, Social Democrat or Communist movements. Disarray also in just what the Left idea is. Too many ambitious leaders some places, too few in others, while Anarchists deny the necessity of leadership at all. Insane concept for the Left! For people do not act alone. Or, left to their own doing, they go off in many directions. One needs a direction. One needs leadership. In Europe the situation is clear: the result of the lack of unity and leadership is before our eyes: decomposition of the Left into more and more splinter parties and groups
The Bell Tolls
By Eileen Fleming
A Review of We can have Peace in the Holy Land, by Jimmy Carter
Israel’s Occupation
By Jim Miles
Israel’s Occupation, is a book that is so well written and presented that it provides a captivating and amazingly powerful read. It is one that I would describe as a ‘must read’ for anyone – from those already knowledgeable about the situation, to those who are relative newcomers. Neve Gordon’s description, analysis, and examples are clear, concise, and authoritative (most from Israeli sources). His arguments and perspectives are fully supported and well sequenced. While I hesitate to describe any purely academic work as captivating, this work fits
Waylaid W. Email - Bush 43 Queries
Bush 41: “What Happened”?
By Robert Becker, Ph.D.
Let’s face it, Poppy, I was born to pitch, not do office work, lookin' up big words, experts droning on and on, when I wanted only to bike or watch football. I think you and Cheney misled me, sayin' being prez would be fun and games, hardly work at all. Like the army reserves when I could show up when I wanted to. I got really tired of obeying Cheney’s Big Rule: once we decide, we never go back, never change
13 February, 2009
Israel Lurches Into Fascism
By Ali Abunimah
Israel today is lurching into open fascism. It is utterly disingenuous to continue to pretend -- as so many do -- that its failed and criminal leaders hold the key to getting out of the morass. Instead of waiting for them to form a coalition, we must escalate the international civil society campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to force Israelis to choose a saner path
Israelis, In Crisis, Vote For A Government Of War
By Nicola Nasser
Dust of Tuesday’s voting battle settled down and the battle of forming the next Israeli government has just begun. With Benjamin Netanyahu poised for premiership and Avigdor Lieberman, leader of a “racist and fascist” party (as condemned by Talia Sasson of the Merez party) very well positioned to be the king or queen maker of the next ruling coalition, the Palestinian people and the whole region will have to brace as from next March for an Israeli government of war
The PLO: Why An Alternative And Why The Panic?
By Ramzy Baroud
Many Palestinians are still hoping that the PLO can be revamped without the need for further fragmentation. However, since neither the current PLO nor the PA are truly independent bodies, one has to wonder if national unity under the current circumstances is at all possible
The Largest Wave Of Suicides In History
By P Sainath
The number of farmers who have committed suicide in India between 1997 and 2007 now stands at a staggering 182,936. Close to two-thirds of these suicides have occurred in five states (India has 28 states and seven union territories). The Big 5 – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh– account for just about a third of the country’s population but two-thirds of farmers’ suicides
US Jobless Benefit Rolls Hit Record High
By Barry Grey
The Labor Department reported that, for the second week in a row, more than 600,000 US workers filed new claims for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the total number of continuing claims—those drawn by workers collecting benefits for more than one week—to a record high of 4,810,000. Continuing claims have risen by more than 2 million over the past year, reaching the highest level since the government began keeping track in 1967
A Short History Of US Government Handouts
By Stephen Lendman
In America today, they're called bailouts, but throughout history they were handouts. Some quite generous (though nothing like today's) and always for the privileged. Never for the public interest or greater good
Sri-Lanka Defies Ceasefire Call And
No Proposal For Tamil’s Political Rights
By Dr C P Thiagarajah
‘In a war with no witnesses, it is the civilians who pay the price for both parties' disregard for international humanitarian law," said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International's Sri Lanka expert. Unless the world act forcefully and truthfully the civilian will pay a ghastly price
12 February, 2009
Israeli Election Exposes Social
And Political Crisis
By Chris Marsden
Israel's general election has inaugurated a round of political horse-trading after the ruling Kadima party unexpectedly defeated the even more right-wing Likud
The New Fallujah Up Close And Still in Ruins
By Dahr Jamail
Driving through Fallujah, once the most rebellious Sunni city in this country, I saw little evidence of any kind of reconstruction underway. At least 70% of that city's structures were destroyed during massive U.S. military assaults in April, and again in November 2004, and more than four years later, in the "new Iraq," the city continues to languish
"Professor Chomsky On Sri Lanka
And American Affairs"
By Eric Bailey
Sri Lanka Guardian's Washington correspondent Eric Bailey interviews Noam Chomsky
The Futility Of Not Creating Debt Free Currency
By Eric V. Encina
We need to reorganize the patterns of the global economy rather than continue to throw money at useless crooks and empty remedies that, doubtlessly, do not work because, if they did, we would be seeing improvements already rather than an ever deepening crisis. Therefore, we need to start pressuring our government representatives to make the necessary radical reforms. If we not change our monetary patterns soon, the most terrible outcomes imaginable are all but assured
Mesmerized By Melodic Rhetoric
By Joel S. Hirschhorn
In these dismal times using what the Founders gave us makes more sense than ever before. Americans need more than two-party politics. They need a serious debate about structural reforms through constitutional amendments that can attack the deep rooted corruption and incompetence that plague the federal government and contributed to creating our current economic meltdown
Darwin's Anniversary Year
By Q. Isa Daudpota
The theory of evolution through natural selection places the whole of biology and medicine on a firm, unified foundation. All aspects of the interaction of lifeforms and the environment can be understood clearly with the help of this theory. The media should cover different aspects of this wonderful all-encompassing theory this year
The Neo Liberal Elite Seize Their Opportunity
To Increase Unemployment Globally
By Anthony Ravlich
The Neo liberal elite has seized their opportunity following a recent ideological shift by the global elites at the United Nations to create massive global unemployment and greater ‘top-down’ control by the State, the collectives, the media and big business
A Press Conference Of Adults
By Niranjan Ramakrishnan
It seemed like a different world altogether, with serious questions and serious answers. It was like a group of visitors, after having kitchie-kitchie-kooed with a baby brat for a brief while, now turning to talk to an adult who had just entered the room. Then it slowly struck you that this 'brief while' was eight long years! After the customary twaddle of the Bush press event, we were suddenly in on an adult conversation. It will take getting used to
Feminism/Fundamentalism/Communalism/
Pramod Muthalik/Malegaon
By Mustafa Khan
The state and the government of India cannot and must not allow any fundamentalist to sink roots. Srikant Purohit, Sadhvi Pragyasingh Thakur, Pramod Muthalik as also the acid throwing Muslims are extreme fundamentalists of different hues and degree and their deeds create terror with varying range of disaster
11 February, 2009
Few Peacemakers In Israel's Knesset
By Neve Gordon
Israeli voters have elected a majority of lawmakers who are against the two-state solution. Now it's up to the world--and the Obama administration--to respond
Digging For The Truth
By Sameh A. Habeeb & Janet Zimmerman
South of the Gaza Strip, a very strange phenomena is taking place. People are racing time, using primitive ways to get food and achieve a good life. The people in the Gaza Strip, the most densely populated area in the world, are forced to face death in order to attain life's basic necessities. This is against all humanitarian laws, and the rights of these laws were stripped from the Gazans by Israel. Border crossings were closed as a tightened siege was imposed two years ago
Dirty Socks
By Uri Avnery
We are faced by a sorry lot of politicians, some of them documented failures and some completely free of any past achievements. There is no meaningful discussion between them about the issues. Not one of the main contenders offers real solutions to our basic problems. The differences between them are invisible without a magnifying glass
Significance Of Dockworkers' Refusal
To Offload Israeli Cargo
By Azad Essa
When COSATU and its affiliate SATAWU made it clear that their dockworkers would not be offloading the Johanna Russ, in palpable solidarity with the Palestinian people last week, a largely irrelevant port in the Southern tip of Africa called Durban was making history across the globe once more. Of course, the Israeli goods were offloaded a few days before the scheduled docking, by virtue of scab labour thwarting the blockage and mass protests planned on Sunday. But the message was out: a new wave of civic angst towards injustice had begun. And it was the labour movement at the head of it all
Israel’s Subtle Propaganda Strategy-
The Israel Lobby At Work
By Dan Lieberman
Two recent publications, a response by United States Senator Benjamin Cardin to an Amnesty International plea and an article in Newsweek magazine, A Plan of Attack for Peace by Daniel Klaidman, Jan. 12, 2009 , demonstrate how far Israel 's supporters can reach to mislead the public
Capitalism’s Self-inflicted Apocalypse
By Michael Parenti
After the overthrow of communist governments in Eastern Europe, capitalism was paraded as the indomitable system that brings prosperity and democracy, the system that would prevail unto the end of history. The present economic crisis, however, has convinced even some prominent free-marketeers that something is gravely amiss. Truth be told, capitalism has yet to come to terms with several historical forces that cause it endless trouble: democracy, prosperity, and capitalism itself, the very entities that capitalist rulers claim to be fostering
A Day Of Reckoning For The USA
By Norm Lowry
Much of our coming calamity could likely be avoided. But it would necessitate complete honesty & integrity; admitting the truth (as it is), turning away from our blindness & evil, & becoming willing to make genuinely honest amends. Either way, the price tag seems to be the same. We can die or live, dependent on the Mercy of those we have offended…or…we can simply suffer the consequences of a terrible Day of Reckoning, with its guarantee of more destruction & death than any of us would like to see
Obama's "War On Terror"
By Stephen Lendman
The language is softened and deceptive. The strategy and tactics are not. The "war on terror" continues. Promised change is talk, not policy. Just look at Obama's war cabinet
American Apologies
By Mickey Z.
Here’s a news flash for the Pope of Hope: “Our way of life” (in the more general sense) not only needs to be apologized for, it needs to be permanently altered...in a major way. Americans constitute 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's energy
The Left And Support For Anti-Imperialist
Islamist Resistance
By Nadine Rosa-Rosso
Speech delivered by Nadine Rosa-Rosso at the The Beirut International Forum for Resistance, Anti-Imperialism, Solidarity between Peoples and Alternatives
Where In The Constitution Does It Say
America is a "Christian Nation"?
By Timothy V. Gatto
Let religion do what it was intended for and that is to minister to peoples spiritual needs, whatever they happen to be. Let the government divorce itself from anything that hints of religious dogma. If Obama doesn’t attend church on Sunday…so what. That goes for all the rest of the government officials. It really is none of our business what they believe when it comes to religion, most of them are lying through their teeth anyway
Speculation , Scams, Frauds and Crises:
Theory And Facts
By Sunanda Sen
Curbs on speculatory finance and an aggressive expansionary fiscal policy are the answers to what has gone wrong in the world today
Will Recession Impede TB Care And Control?
By Bobby Ramakant
In the lead up to the forthcoming 3rd Partners Forum in Brazil next month, let us think how we can economize to utilize every penny we have for TB care and control – while we find ways to mobilize more resources to fill the gap
Children Of A Lesser God?
Abandoned And Stricken Too!
By Anjali Singh
In the first ever incident of its kind the state of Uttar Pradesh is struggling with its growing disabled population. As grim as that sounds the fact remains that a single seven year old blind and deaf destitute child has become a huge challenge for not only the government of UP but its citizen's at large as well
When Technology Fails
By Carolyn Baker
I cannot recommend highly enough When Technology Fails for everyone who takes the "long emergency" even a little bit seriously
08 February, 2009
The End Of The Sri Lankan “Peace Process”
By K. Ratnayake
The statement is just as notable for what it does not say. It does not call for an immediate end to the fighting, for the withdrawal of all Sri Lankan troops to the 2002 ceasefire lines, and for a return to the internationally-sponsored negotiations of 2002-03. In other words, the co-chairs no longer observe even the diplomatic niceties of the so-called peace process that they once sponsored
Biden Vows To Continue Bush Policy Towards Iran
By Jeremy R. Hammond
U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden last Saturday outlined the Obama administration’s continuation of the Bush administration’s foreign policy towards Iran. Reiterating the Bush policy of loosely defined “preventive” warfare outlined in Bush’s National Security Strategy, he said that the “U.S. will strive to act preventively to avoid having to choose between the risks of war and the dangers of inaction.”
Full Circle
By Dahr Jamail
Among things that have not changed in Iraq is one that I hope never changes. After a four-year-long absence, each of my meetings here with former friends and fresh acquaintances seems to suggest that adversity has taken its toll on everything except Iraqi hospitality and Iraqi generosity. I am awestruck to find the warmth of the Iraqi people miraculously undiminished through grief, loss and chaos
A Short History Of The Israeli - Palestinian Conflict: Past Is Prologue
By Stephen Lendman
Grave breaches of Geneva constitute war crimes. Israel (like America) is criminally liable. Holding it accountable is essential. It's high time world jurists demanded it
Israel's Attack On Gaza: Legitimate Self Defense
Or War Crime?
By International Lawyers without Borders
An interview with Dr. Franklin Lamb
Requiring Accountability From
Pampered Public Servants
By Emily SpenceThe taxpayers of Mississippi, whether they condoned the action or not, bought their current or a former governor an eight seat plane for 3.7 million dollars. The state's authorizing fiscal managers, obviously, must have deemed it an essential for his office and ratified its purchase order. In addition, it costs approximately $1,200 to operate for each hour in use for trips by the present governor's family, associates and himself
Outside The Business Model
In Bloomberg’s New York
By Billy Wharton
Despite announcing a 2009-2010 budget, which would accelerate homelessness, devastate City schools and shrink the quality of life of the elderly, Bloomberg confidently pronounced that “New York’s business model is sound.” In fact, his budget amounts to a carefully crafted document which caters to the interests and well-being of those securely located at the center of his business model – the City’s business elite. The prospects for those of us outside of the business model - working class and poor New Yorkers – are far less “sound.” We are, at best, nuisances to be policed and warehoused in the name of law and order
Candles In The Darkness
By Dave Bennett
Survival is a universal topic of discussion these days, given clearly evident faltering economies, climate change and rapidly diminishing resources. Dave Bennett reviews three books that deal with these issues - " Energy Security and Climate Change A Canadian Primer" by Cy Gonick, "Plan C - Community Survival Strategies for Peak Oil and Climate Change " by Pat Murphy and "Depletion and Abundance, Life on the Home Front - Coming to Terms With Peak Oil, Climate Change and Hard Times" by Sharon Astyk
Our Response To Terror
By Dr Sandeep Pandey
In the clamour for asking the Pakistani government to take decisive action against the terrorist organizations in that country and shut down their camps we forget one thing. The civilian government in Pakistan is probably simply not in a position to do what we except from it. It is a well known fact that military and ISI in Pakistan are quite independent of the civilian government. The terrorists function quite independently too - sometimes with overt and at others with covert support of the military and ISI. In fact, the situation is such in Pakistan that probably none of the players is in a position to dictate terms to another. How may we expect any coordinated action in this anarchy?
Developing Sahyadris And Eating It Too
By Gopal Krishna
Even as sponsored destruction Sahyadris is underway, new discoveries of previously unknown species made in the forests amid the increasing vulnerability to extinction of more and more species must set the alarm bell ringing
07 February, 2009
Global Jobs Crisis Deepens
By Tom Eley
In a clear indication the economic crisis is rapidly heading into a severe global depression, US employers purged 598,000 jobs in January, the most job losses in a single month since 1974. January's firings raised the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent, the highest level since 1992
No Unemployment Among Iraqi Gravediggers
By Dahr Jamail
Amidst the soaring unemployment in Iraq, the gravediggers have been busy. So busy that officials have no record of the number of graves dug; of the real death toll, that is
Change The Lobby
By Ramzy Baroud
One cannot emphasize enough the stranglehold Israel’s lobbying infrastructure has on US foreign policy. The events of recent weeks undoubtedly attest to this. “The special relationship” that has been historically fostered between the US and Israel in fact, is often a relationship of leverage, manipulation and intimidation, and often leads to the US supporting actions or resolutions that stand at complete odds with the interests of the American people
Americans Are Funding And Supporting Genocide
By Timothy V. Gatto
It is no wonder why most Arabs despise the U.S. If this country really wanted peace, we would be impartial and stop supporting a militant state that commits genocide against helpless women and children. The choice is ours to make. Without U.S. support, the nation of Israel would have to change its ways if it wanted the international support that would be essential for its survival if America stopped shipping its military supplies to them
Gaza, Greenhouse Gases And Muslim Holocausts
By Dr Gideon Polya
Pro-coal climate sceptic falsehood and irresponsible ignoring of warnings from top climate scientists has permitted the Australian Federal Government to commit World leading per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) polluter Australia to an annual 2% increase in Domestic and Exported GHG pollution despite expert UK assessment that an annual 6-8% decrease in GHG pollution is needed to avert catastrophic climate change and a 10 billion-victim (and substantially Muslim) Climate Genocide
Politics By Other Means
By Chandi Sinnathurai
The world powers, sadly have kept their silence for better part of the long-drawn Sri Lankan conflict -- only to issue, at times, some token public statements. On the whole, the international community have supported overtly for a political solution to this conflict. But covertly, they have given their nod to a military solution. And of course, they have supplied arms and intelligence
Pramod Muthalik: Stalwart Of Sangh Parivar
Coming Home To Roost!
By Mustafa Khan
The crisis created by Lt Col Srikant Purohit of Abhinav Bharat and Pramod Muthalike of Sri Ram Sena is complementary to each other. They have been nurtured on an extreme ideology. The 'culture' that Hindutva laboratories have developed in the name of Hindu 'culture' has at long last begun to assert its Frankenstein existence of its own. The monster is no more in the control of the scientists. Both the organizations are equally dangerous to the unity and the integrity of the country. Purohit and his Abhinav Bharat have been in the news for quite sometimes but not so much Muthalik and his SRS
Reservation In Faculty Recruitment,
Viva 'Academic Untouchability'?
By Subhash Gatade
The return of 'academic untouchability' with due sanction of the parliament and the further legitimisation it would provide to the 'merit' versus 'quota' debate need to be questioned and challenged uncompromisingly
05 February, 2009
Obama Set To Launch Military “Surge”
In Afghanistan
By Barry Grey
President Barack Obama is set to formally authorize the dispatch of 10,000 to 12,000 additional US combat troops to Afghanistan, the beginning stage of a military "surge" that will likely add 30,000 more soldiers and Marines over the next 12 to 18 months, doubling the US occupation force to 60,000. Obama's announcement of the initial compliment of three combat brigades, to begin deploying in April, could come this week
The War On Terror Is A Hoax
By Paul Craig Roberts
If America were infected with terrorists, we would not need the government to tell us. We would know it from events. As there are no events, the US government substitutes warnings in order to keep alive the fear that causes the public to accept pointless wars, the infringement of civil liberty, national ID cards, and inconveniences and harassments when they fly. The most obvious indication that there are no terrorist cells is that not a single neocon has been assassinated
India's Terror Dossier: Further
Evidence Of A Conspiracy
By Raveena Hansa
On 5 January 2009, the Indian government handed a 69-page dossier of material stemming from the ongoing investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks of 26-29 November 2008 to the Pakistani government. This was subsequently made accessible to the public , so it is possible for us to examine it
India's Choices After Pakistan Responds
To The Mumbai Dossier
By Madhavi Bhasin
This week Pakistan is expected to respond to India's dossier dealing with the investigations of the Mumbai terror strike. It would be interesting study India's possible responses
BBC's "Impartiality" Anything But
By Muhammad Idrees
AhmadBBC's decision to refuse a charity appeal has consequences that go far beyond any of the BBC's earlier failings: as the respected British MP Tony Benn put it, "people will die because of the BBC decision."
The Story Of Khaled Abd Rabo
By Sameh A. Habeeb & Janet Zimmerman
"My mother, my wife, and my three daughters all held white flags..."
Palestine Caught Between The Culture Of
Life And The Culture Of Death
By Salim Nazzal
Many lessons can be concluded from the Gaza war. The first is the Palestinian's great will to sacrifice to defend their home. The second is the failure of Israel's excessive power to achieve anything apart from taking the life of around 450 Palestinian children under 10 years and adding more innocent Palestinians to the graveyards of Gaza
A New Administration, Tired Old Policies
By Stephen Lendman
The US and global economy are truly risking a near-depression if the policy reaction is not bold, aggressive, sustainable and credible." Barely a whiff of it in sight so far. Buckle up. The year ahead will be convulsive
The Passing of Juan Rafael Santos,
Champion of Myriad Causes
By Emily Spence
The tremendous activist and writer Juan Rafael Santos, I just learned, died last month. So, I write this commemoration in both grief and celebration of his life
Sri Lanka: Stop The War
By Chandi Sinnathurai
What the Tamil civilains desperately need is a decisive action on the part of the International community, exerting international pressure, asking the Rajapaksha regime to stop the war immediately. That will be the only international humanitarian intervention. It is only then that the Tamil civilians will feel safe from the Government's indiscriminate elimination
04 February, 2009
Sri Lankan Tamils Fearful For The Future
By Inter Press Service
As Sri Lanka celebrates 61 years of independence from British colonial rule on Wednesday, the enthusiasm is understandably not shared by minority Tamils living under the military jackboot in the north of the country
Mullaitivu Vs Gaza: The Tokyo Co-Chairs
Fail On The Responsibility To Protect
By Asian Centre for Human Rights
Cease-fire is the only option to prevent further violations of war crimes both by the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. International community must not wait for the fall of Mullaitivu just the way NATO troops remained a mute witness to the fall of Sebrenica in the former Yugoslavia. In a situation when the State (Sri Lanka) has publicly refused to fulfill its responsibility to protect, international community has the responsibility to “use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means” or take “collective action, in a timely and decisive manner”, through the Security Council and in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations
It Is Now Or Never
By Aditi Munot
Climate change is no longer a difficulty to be faced by our children or grandchildren. It sure is going to happen in our lifetimes. If we do not change today, correct our lifestyles and consumption patterns now…. There will be no tomorrow. We, the entire global community have to make a choice today, to be able to live tomorrow. Each one of us, every individual, every country, the whole world needs to take it upon ourselves to keep this planet liveable…. For us, our children, all other species with whom we share this planet
Did The Israeli Army Wage
A Jewish Jihad In Gaza?
By Jonathan Cook
Extremist rabbis and their followers, bent on waging holy war against the Palestinians, are taking over the Israeli army by stealth
Can Mitchell Turn Jerusalem Into Belfast?
By Ali Abunimah
US President Barack Obama's appointment of former Senator George Mitchell as his new Middle East envoy is a good choice. Mitchell showed even-handedness uncharacteristic of US officials when he led a fact-finding mission to the region in 2000
Security In Iraq: Relatively Speaking
By Dahr Jamai
lOne could say security is better if one is clear that it is better in comparison not to downtown Houston but to Fallujah 2004. Compared to days of multiple car bomb explosions, Baghdad today is better
I Support Indicorps, Not Sonal Shah
By Raju Rajagopal
I have applauded Sonal’s disavowal of Hindu nationalist groups and her condemnation of the 2002 Gujarat pogroms1 even though they came under duress, over six years late! Her widely-disseminated declarations will hopefully steer young people away from organizations such as VHP-A, Hindu Students Council (HSC), Ekal Vidyalayas, India Development and Relief Fund (IDRF), etc, or at least force reforms from within, if such a thing is possible. But, sadly, I also saw in her words a blatant attempt to shift the burden of her past to everyone but herself. And that is not a promising start for an honest conversation that she says she would like to begin
Madrasa Education Myth And Reality
By Asghar Ali Engineer
It is interesting to note that these madrasas were open to students of other communities as well. Raja Rammohan Roy studied in Madrasa Aliyah and was as much scholar of Persian and Arabic as that of Sanskrit and Hindu religion. In many cases thus madrasas in fact fulfilled both religious and secular needs and taught was necessary for secular as well as religious life
Be Wary Of Who You Follow
By Norm Lowry
My piece of the debate on "Global Financial Meltdown" is simple: Stop looking to my country (the USA) for much of anything related to "Integrity" or "Moral leadership"
03 February, 2009
Iraq's Shocking Human Toll
By John Tirman
About 1 Million Killed, 4.5 Million Displaced, 1-2 Million Widows, 5 Million Orphans
Generals Seek To Reverse
Obama Withdrawal Decision
By Gareth Porter
CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within 16 months at an Oval Office meeting Jan. 21
What To Do About Wall Street
By Ralph Nader
Now the world knows that these men belong to the "oops oligarchy" that bails itself out while it lets the companies collapse into the handcuffed arms of Uncle Sam and bridled taxpayers who have to pay for unconditional megabailouts. Instead of the Wall Street crooks being convicted and imprisoned, they have fled the jurisdiction with their self-determined compensation. Corporate crime pays, while pensions and mutual fund savings evaporate
Under The Black Flag
By Uri Avnery
A Spanish judge has instituted a judicial inquiry against seven Israeli political and military personalities on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case: the 2002 dropping of a one ton bomb on the home of Hamas leader Salah Shehade. Apart from the intended victim, 14 people, most of them children, were killed
Competing Ideologies: Davos v. Belem
By Stephen Lendman
For the ninth consecutive year, WSF's participants agreed that "Another World Is Possible." This year it's essential, now more than ever
Homo Rapiens Be Damned: Savagery
Is Not Programmed Into Our DNA
By Jason Miller
Humanity, past and present, is filled with examples of compassionate, courageous, and decent human beings, clearly indicating that Homo sapiens remain extant, that savagery is not programmed into our DNA and that developing a more “natural equilibrium” with our surrounding environment is within the realm of possibility
Apology To The Planet Earth: Trilogy Part I
By Mary Hamer
Animals: I Withdraw My Name from the Human Race Dedicated to all the animals that have suffered at the hands of Homo Sapiens
02 February, 2009
Australia Faces Collapse As
Climate Change Kicks In
By Geoffrey Lean & Kathy Marks
On Friday, Melbourne thermometers topped 43C (109.4F) on a third successive day for the first time on record, while even normally mild Tasmania suffered its second-hottest day in a row, as temperatures reached 42.2C. Two days before, Adelaide hit a staggering 45.6C. After a weekend respite, more records are expected to be broken this week
Global Financial Crises And Hugo Chavez
By Abdul Basit
Taking into account the current leadership and their negative performance, it is natural that we make an in-depth analysis about the 'other' leaders who are accused by the dominant media and regimes as 'tyrants' and 'dictators'. Although many leaders come to our mind, the most prominent among them are Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Ahmedinejad of Iran..etc. In this article we will look into the policies pursued by the one among them namely Hugo Chavez, an icon of resistance against Imperialists and oppressors
Guantanamo, The Inside Story
By Yvonne Ridley
First hand account of a journalist who visited Guantanamo prison
US/Pakistan Showdown/Throwdown July12
By Peter Chamberlin
If President Obama really seeks a fresh start with the Muslim world --establishing a humane new foreign policy for the United States to guide us to an acceptable conclusion of the war-- then he must make a visible clean break with all the failed Bush policies. A fresh start with Pakistan, our most important ally in the terror war, would begin by ending CIA Predator strikes and cutting-off all support for their gangs of criminals and terrorists who now plague the country
Endless Night
By Ashok Agrwaal
I call upon both the Palestinians and the Israelis to show some sense. To recognize that they are both the losers in this game. (Ultimately Israel must also lose.) If they do not heed my message (and why should they, I am nobody) I then choose to stand on the sidelines and watch. I choose not to take sides because I see the larger picture
Dead Hence Guilty ?
By Subhash Gatade
The National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed a police encounter on the eve of the republic day. Two young men who were supposedly carrying a big cache of arms and ammunition were killed on the spot. The only consolation to this otherwise bloody episode was that few conscientious journalists including some civil rights activists tried to look beyond the official truth
Ceasefires, Israeli-Style
By Stephen Lendman
Declaration notwithstanding, nothing changed. Gaza remains occupied, under siege, and totally isolated. Borders are still closed. On January 28, The New York Times said "truckloads of humanitarian aid" are stuck in Egypt because of Israeli and Cairo restrictions. Little can get in, and attacks merely downshifted to a lower gear
Gaza New Siege Mechanism
By Nicola Nasser
The rebuilding of Gaza has become the latest siege weapon. The Israeli occupation, the US that had backed its offensive, and the EU which did nothing to stop it are conspiring to turn the reconstruction process into a means to produce a suitable "peace partner" while the Arab summit in Kuwait hopes to use it to bring about Palestinian reconciliation
Farms Heal--Agrotherapy
By Shepherd Bliss
Connecting to the land and seeing beauty can help alleviate anxiety and restore a damaged soul. Farming and gardening can be effective therapy for the slings and arrows of bad fortune that befall people. Plus that, instead of paying for professional therapy, on a farm one can have meaningful work, produce an income, and feed one’s self and family
Iraq Elections Could Be A Telling Signpost
By Dahr Jamail
After strong polling for the provincial elections Saturday, Iraqis are looking out for new signposts of political recovery from the U.S.-led invasion and occupation
Madrasa Education Equivalent To CBSE?
By Abdullah KhanMadrasa
curriculum should be modernised before giving it equal status to school/college education
