Headlines you never want to see: “Family wiped out by US.” A US air strike on suspected insurgents at Tikrit went terribly wrong Wednesday, when an American missile instead killed a family of 6, including four children aged 4 to 11. Iraqis allege that the man had come out of his house and fired a […]
Archives for June 2008
Kelly Kennedy, George Carlin, and the Reason for Traumatized Iraq Veterans
The late George Carlin did not like the phrase “post-traumatic stress disorder.” He famously said, ‘ I don’t like words that hide the truth. I don’t like words that conceal reality. I don’t like euphemisms, or euphemistic language. And American English is loaded with euphemisms. Cause Americans have a lot of trouble dealing with reality. […]
5 US Troops Killed; 90 Iraqis Wounded in Mosul; District Election for Sadr City Bombed:
Guerrillas deployed a roadside bomb to kill 3 American soldiers and an interpreter in northern Iraq on Tuesday. McClatchy reports two major bombings in Iraq on Tuesday. In Mosul, guerrillas set off a massive bomb outside a coffee shop, wounding at least 90 persons. McClatchy is reporting 2 deaths, but said the total would rise. […]
Hansen: Try CEOs of Big Oil for Fraud
NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen called for the CEOs of the oil majors to be put on trial for obstructing efforts to stop global warming and for misinforming the public about the issue. Video of his testimony: Could we also try the Board and Staff of the American Enterprise Institute, which is the “think tank” […]
McCain Aide Wishes on a Star
You always suspected that they thought it. But who would be so stupid as to say it. On McCain’s “political maestro” Mr. Charlie Black and how he thinks thousands of Americans being incinerated would be a “big advantage” to the Republican Party. “the longtime political pro got a bit too honest. Asked about the political […]
Councilman Kills 2 GIs; Mortar Fire Kills 10 on Awakening C.
A city council member in Mada’in (Salman Pak) abruptly opened fire on Americans who had been in a meeting with him. He killed 2 US troops and wounded 4 other Americans. He had been in India recently because Sunni-Shiite tensions made it too difficult for him in Mada’in. He had only been back one week […]
Saudis Driven into Poverty by High Oil Prices
Aljazeera International explains how high oil prices are hurting ordinary Saudis, driving up the cost of their food and imports. The petroleum is owned by the government and profits go to it. It is hard for the government to inject the money into the economy without risking high inflation (too much money chasing too few […]
Clark: McCain’s Threats of Force Disrespect Presidency
Gen. Wesley Clark on John McCain’s lack of policy-making and foreign policy leadership experience. Clark says McCain has always been for the use of force, and more force, when a president should view force as a last resort. He complains that when McCain talks about throwing Russia out of the G8 or makes up ditties […]
Shenkman: Why the American People Were So Easily Bamboozled by the Bush Administration
Rick Shenkman, is the author of the just-published Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter (Basic Books, 2008). He blogs at Howstupidblog and is editor of George Mason University’s History News Network Shenkman writes: I do not wish to engage in a debate about the Iraq War. But the thought […]