March 21st 2009, San Francisco

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 [...]

Gays Don’t Have an Equal Right to Kill

My whole life it seems “gays in the military” has been an issue. Liberal democrats and gay activists have been arguing for years with right-wingers and the military establishment over the issues surrounding the right of homosexuals to fight in the armed forces — from troop morale to religious morality, everyone’s got a problem. Bill [...]

South Asian Generals on US Sojourns

The American public may have paid this little attention. But three prominent South Asian generals have just completed politically significant sojourns in the United States, raising dust and debates in this part of the world.

The former Pakistan president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, fueled at least two major debates during his 40-day lecture tour of the US from September 14. Former Bangladesh army chief Gen.

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Palestinian President Abbas, Critical of Peace Process, Says Won't Seek Reelection

Jerusalem - Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he's made up his mind once and for all: There will be elections in January – and he will not be a candidate in them.

Mr.

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World's Citizens to Politicians: Get Serious on Global Warming Now!

On September 26th, a new day dawned for global democracy.

On that date, nearly 4,000 people gathered in 38 countries spanning six continents to consider what should happen at the UN climate change negotiation this December in Copenhagen (COP15).

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Rethinking Afghanistan: Alternatives to War

President Obama is reviewing the way forward in Afghanistan. His decision will define his presidency much as Vietnam defined the legacy of President Johnson's presidency in the 1960s.

At a time when so much opportunity and necessity for change is at stake from health care reform to climate change legislation, education and nuclear weapons policy and the economy, the war and its costs will trump all.

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House Passes Sweeping Health Care Reform Legislation

Saturday began with a morning pep talk from President Obama during a private meeting with Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill and a public appeal from the presidential podium in the Rose Garden shortly thereafter.

"Rise to this moment," said Obama, who has made health care reform his top domestic priority. "Answer the call of history...finish the job."

At around 11:15 p.m. EST, more than 12 hours after they began to debate the historic $1.1 trillion health care reform bill, Democrats had

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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"

Democracy Now! 2009-11-05 Thursday

Headlines for November 05, 2009; Italian Prosecutor in Case Against CIA Operatives Hails Convictions for '03 Kidnapping of Egyptian Cleric; As Massey Energy Blasts West Virginia's Coal River Mountain, a Debate on Mountaintop Removal Mining; "GM's Money Trees": Displacement of Rural Brazilians Highlights Consequences of "Cap and Trade" System

Democracy Now! 2009-11-04 Wednesday

Headlines for November 04, 2009; Election Day 2009: GOPers Sweep Governor Races; Bloomberg Wins Tight NYC Mayoral Race; Dems Take House Seats; Maine Repeals Gay Marriage ; Low Road to High Finance: McClatchy Expose Reveals How Goldman Sachs Sold Off Billions in Mortgage Securities After Anticipating Housing Collapse; Blueberry Farming Giant Found to Use Child Labor at Michigan Fields

Democracy Now! 2009-11-03 Tuesday

Headlines for November 03, 2009; Appeals Court Rules in Maher Arar Case: Innocent Victims of Extraordinary Rendition Cannot Sue in US Courts; Israeli Activists Criticize US House for Considering Resolution Condemning Goldstone Report on Israeli War Crimes in Gaza; "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama": New Documentary on Barack Obama's Historic Presidential Run