The Itch in Joe Lieberman’s Gitmo Finger

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut may be the most destructive politician in the United States. Combining the worst ideas of the right, the left, and the religious, he essentially seeks to punitively tax the world in order to bomb it for the sake of Israel. Despite Lieberman’s “dual” loyalty — in quotes because I suspect [...]

I Have the Answer

NPR (All Things Considered) is devoting an entire hour of programming today to the war in Afghanistan. The show was prefaced with a comment something like “We don’t have all the answers.” Well, I have the answer: Get out! Get out now before one more Afghan dies, before one more U.S. soldier dies, before one [...]

German DM Mentions the War… in Afghanistan

An outrageous thing has happened today in Germany: the Defense Minister has used the word “war” to describe the, uh, war in Afghanistan. As Justin Raimondo might say: Germans are shocked — shocked! You see, these people burdened by national collective memories of WWII thought they were sending peacekeepers to Afghanistan — sure, sure, armed [...]

Jesse James Calls for Ban on Robbing Trains

CNN headline: Karzai calls for unity, end to corruption in Afghanistan It is astounding to see the western media treat Karzai like a legitimate winner and someone who has any credibility to fight corruption. This is akin to how the Soviet media treated the election “victories” of Stalin’s puppets in East Europe. At least we now have [...]

America’s Next Top Nazi

If this isn’t the craziest thing you read today, then you must be scrubbing graffiti off the walls of a padded cell: While the sixth season of the fashion reality show “Project Runway” is fast-approaching its climax, it’s become a running joke in my house that the show’s host, German supermodel Heidi Klum, would have made [...]

Gay Rights Go Global

London - A new bill before the Ugandan parliament proposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality” and “serial offenders.” A sentence of life imprisonment will be imposed for touching a person with homosexual intent. Membership in gay organizations, advocacy of gay human rights and the provision of condoms or safer sex advice to gay people will result in seven years jail for “promoting” homosexuality. Failing to report violators to the police within 24 hours would incur three years behind bars.

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When a Parent Is Away at War

In honor of Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is a time to honor those who have served our country. For clinicians at Children’s Hospital Boston, it’s also a time to think about the children whose parents are away from home, serving their country. What does having a parent at war mean for a child? We talked to Children’s psychiatrist Stuart Goldman, MD, about how to help a child cope with this stressful time.

What impact does having a parent away at war have on a child?

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Ivy League Liberal Elitism Will Make Sarah Palin President - How Only Union Organizing Can Prevent It

Conservatives win many votes saying that liberals are elitist. I am here to tell you that the liberal movement is indeed very elitist. Its organization's staffs are composed mainly of Ivy leaguers whose life experiences are dramatically different than the 70 percent of Americans that never graduate from college. Very few of them have any actual experience living with or knowing working-class people. As a graduate of Bucknell, I still feel out of a place and most glaringly underdressed when I get in a room with the Ivy Leaguers running our movement.

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Listening to Veterans

Wartime is a highly emotional time for everyone caught up in the fighting. These emotions remain high long after the battles. Among the most emotional of times for war veterans is Veterans Day. After the parades and solemn speeches, war's often angry turmoil and hidden injuries still haunt many veterans and their families.

Supporting our troops requires more than welcoming them home, but also listening and responding to their concerns. A big concern for many soldiers and their families is how to handle the transition back to civilian life. A big concern for many older veterans and their loved ones is how to handle the emotional distress of flashbacks set off by current events.

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A Morally Bankrupt Military: When Soldiers and Their Families Become Expendable

The military operates through indoctrination. Soldiers are programmed to develop a mindset that resists any acknowledgment of injury and sickness, be it physical or psychological. As a consequence, tens of thousands of soldiers continue to serve, even being deployed to combat zones like Iraq and/or Afghanistan, despite persistent injuries. According to military records, over 43,000 troops classified as "nondeployable for medical reasons" have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan nevertheless.

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Democracy Now! 2009-11-11 Wednesday

Headlines for November 11, 2009; Study: Over 2,200 US Veterans Died in 2008 Due to Lack of Health Insurance; Sexual Assaults, Inadequate Healthcare Among Spate of Issues Facing Women Servicemembers ; Parents of Iraq Veteran Receive Mistaken Notice from US Gov't, Not Condolence Letter They Await from Obama

Democracy Now! 2009-11-10 Tuesday

Headlines for November 10, 2009; Watchdog: New York State Regulation of Natural Gas Wells Has Been "Woefully Insufficient for Decades."; Filmmaker Philippe Diaz on "The End of Poverty?"; Hoodwinked: Former Economic Hit Man John Perkins Reveals Why the World Financial Markets Imploded -- and How to Remake Them

Democracy Now! 2009-11-09 Monday

Headlines for November 09, 2009; House Passes Landmark Healthcare Bill with Amendment Backed by Anti-Abortion Lawmakers; When the War Comes Home: Iraq Veteran at Fort Hood Speaks Out About Last Week's Mass Shooting; Ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya: Talks Are Off with Coup Government After Deal Collapses

Democracy Now! 2009-11-06 Friday

Headlines for November 06, 2009; In Worst-Ever Shooting of Its Kind, 13 Dead, 30 Wounded at Ft. Hood Military Base; Suspect Had Reportedly Complained of Anti-Muslim Bias; Breaking with Former Employer, Actor and Self-Described Insurance Industry "Spokesjerk" Andy Cobb Calls for Public Healthcare ; Actor, Playwright Anna Deavere Smith Weaves Multiple Stories of Healthcare Struggles into New Solo Performance "Let Me Down Easy"