Now, I give you fair warning, either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice! -- From “Alice in Wonderland†The House has approved a second Iraq war-funding bill that President Bush has vowed to veto. Let’s put this latest development into perspective: The president violated a fundamental law of economics in lowering taxes … [Read more...] about Iraq War Dénouement: Curiouser & Curiouser
Economic Woes in Iran
Ahmadinejad's popularity and the Iranian economy are both on the decline. Is there an opening here that might lead to an end to the nuclear standoff? I think so. … [Read more...] about Economic Woes in Iran
Reporter Taken Away At Night By Military In Bangladesh
No, it isn't just in fiction. There HAS been an ominous knock on the door in the middle of the night, and a citizen -- a journalist -- taken away in darkness by government forces. In Bangladesh: Tasneem Khalil, an editor at the Bangladesh’s leading English language daily, The Daily Star, has been taken away from his home by the military in Bangladesh. He was taken away … [Read more...] about Reporter Taken Away At Night By Military In Bangladesh
Violence Erupts in Eastern Congo
By the very units created as harbingers of peace in the region. … [Read more...] about Violence Erupts in Eastern Congo
Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove
Murray Waas writes for National Review: The Bush administration has withheld a series of e-mails from Congress showing that senior White House and Justice Department officials worked together to conceal the role of Karl Rove in installing Timothy Griffin, a protégé of Rove's, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. Several of the e-mails that the Bush … [Read more...] about Administration Withheld E-Mails About Rove
See Drumbl Blog for a Limited Time!
Keep your eyes on PrawfsBlawg over the next few weeks, as Washington & Lee Law Professor Mark Drumbl is slated to be a guest-blogger. Drumbl is one of the more intriguing theorists on the punishment of mass atrocities, and his book, Atrocity, Punishment, and International Law, looks fascinating. Given what is going on in the world today (especially in Uganda, which is a perfect … [Read more...] about See Drumbl Blog for a Limited Time!
Tony Blair Quits His War Peace Term As Britain’s Prime Minister
Tony Blair, Britain's youngest Prime Minister when he came to office some 10 years ago, has quit -- ending a long term that saw moments of peace, war, predictions that he would be a political powerhouse, praise for his loyalty to the United States and criticism that he had become too deferential to U.S. President George Bush. The Guardian: Tony Blair today announced he … [Read more...] about Tony Blair Quits His War Peace Term As Britain’s Prime Minister
The Event
Mick LaSalle published the 18th chapter of The Event at his website: go there now and read it - it's promising to be a spectacular ending. … [Read more...] about The Event
Iraq: Bosnia II?
It’s difficult to find anyone these days that doesn’t think a civil war exists in Iraq. Sure, there’s some Al-Qaeda elements in the Sunni community, but from the accounts I’ve read, it accounts for less than 10% (and probably closer to 5%) of the current violence. From Army General David H. Petraeus, U.S. Commander in Iraq (March 9, 2007):Ultimately, he said, the … [Read more...] about Iraq: Bosnia II?
Mother’s Day: The Lost Story
The collective unconscous remembers everything that modern culture has forgotten and covered over. So here, let us go behind the Hallmark card displays, where there is a little door, and entering through, we find ourselves in a muddy field where the land has been fed by boys' blood. And, just this then whilst standing here on this field meant to grow life but which became a … [Read more...] about Mother’s Day: The Lost Story
What Obama Represents
Andrew Sullivan has a good, albeit a little bit overly enthusiastic in my opinion, post up about Barack Obama: Obama's speech yesterday is his most detailed yet on foreign affairs. Read it. It is emphatically not isolationist; it is emphatically not against the use of military force when necessary; it is emphatically pro-military in its call for many more troops. On the … [Read more...] about What Obama Represents
Habeas Corpus: Will Dems Wake From the Dead?
"La Justice Caricaturée" by Robert LeVigan My occasional penchant for hyperbole duly noted, the suspension of habeas corpus is the single most destructive thing that the Bush administration (and a compliant Congress) have done over the last six-plus years, and that’s saying a lot considering that war thingie. For too many Americans, the suspension of certain civil … [Read more...] about Habeas Corpus: Will Dems Wake From the Dead?
Oh That Condi: Rice Almighty What a Pal!
Way back in 2000 when the world was just a wee bit less crazy, Secretary of State-in-waiting Condoleezza Rice was a member of Chevron’s board of directors and head of its public policy committee, which oversaw areas that could be of potential political concern (which is to say embarrassment) for the giant oil company. That makes the news that Chevron was knowingly paying … [Read more...] about Oh That Condi: Rice Almighty What a Pal!
‘Inspiration’
May 6, The Moderate Voice, Jeremy Dibbell: "No Way to Pick a President". May 10, The Washington Post, David S. Broder: No Way to Choose a President. Funny, umh, coincidence isn't it? … [Read more...] about ‘Inspiration’
Tony Blair: In Different Hues
At school he drove his teachers to distraction, constantly questioning their authority. At university, he acted out his rock star fantasies as the lead singer of a band. To read the Blair story - from rebellious schoolboy to global statesman - please click here... The British media provides an interesting fare prior to Prime Minister Tony Blair's expected announcement today … [Read more...] about Tony Blair: In Different Hues
Chaos In Iraq: ‘Of Criminal, Moral, Political & Metaphysical Guilt’
(photo courtesy fearbush.com) "In what sense can the average American be held accountable for the chaos of Iraq?," James Reston Jr. asks this pertinent question in the USA Today. "Between those who manage the war in Washington and those who fight it in Iraq, the American people enjoy a safe middle ground. The country is both at war and not at war. The war machine in … [Read more...] about Chaos In Iraq: ‘Of Criminal, Moral, Political & Metaphysical Guilt’
Iraq Related Political Surge Seems In Wrong Direction
There does seem to be the beginning of a "surge" in the Iraq war...on the political front...in two countries. And it's not positive news for the Bush administration. SURGE ONE IN THE IRAQ LEGISLATURE: Not only do Iraq lawmakers plan to surge away from their desks for a looonnnnnng vacation this summer (two months) while American troops fighting in and for their country won't … [Read more...] about Iraq Related Political Surge Seems In Wrong Direction
“Our Constitution is Colorblind….”
...and neither knows nor tolerates classes amongst citizens." John Marshall Harlan, Plessy v. Ferguson, dissenting. Ruminations on the meaning and the context of America's most famous dissent. … [Read more...] about “Our Constitution is Colorblind….”
Couric’s News Show Gives CBS Lowest Ratings Since 1987
You can now safely say that time is running out for Katie Couric as an enduring CBS evening newscast anchor. She has more than 60 Minutes left (in fact that's where some writers have suggested she will land). But it's hard to imagine CBS keeping the situation intact with this news: It surely wasn't what CBS dreamed about when Katie Couric was hired: the "CBS Evening … [Read more...] about Couric’s News Show Gives CBS Lowest Ratings Since 1987