The Agonist - Global War on Terror

Suicidal Vet "Was Begging For Help, and They Kicked Him to the Curb."

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:07:20 -0700

A few months ago, when I interviewed Josh, an Iraq War veteran, about his struggles with a traumatic brain injury and PTSD that he was affected with in Iraq, and which followed him home to Wisconsin, he told me that it had taken him 2 years to receive treatment for his conditions. His girlfriend told me that she was grateful that Josh was not one of the approximate 1,000 veterans who attempt suicide a month.

"Hundreds of thousands of soldiers who need it aren't even getting taken care of by the VA, and thousands more are attempting to commit suicide under their care. Not only that, but when I went there as 'a danger to myself and other people,' they said it was in the past and that it didn't mean that I was still. They didn't want me to be there and they didn't know what to do with me. It's no wonder they wanted to 'Shhh...' the numbers of veterans attempting to commit suicide under their care."

My Country Right or Wrong...My Country

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:40:40 -0700

Those words…so haunting, seemingly harmless and benign, I love my country whether it’s right or wrong. That’s what the phrase means, right? To some it may mean that, but to me, it means something entirely different.

“My country right or wrong”, that part is entirely correct. The Egyptians, the Spartans, the Romans, the Spanish and the English all supported their nations, whether they were right or wrong. What most people don’t realize is that the last two words of that phrase changes the meaning so completely; “my country”.

The truth is that it is your country whether your country is right or wrong. It’s still your country. That makes you part and parcel of what is done in your name. “My Country” is the damning part of that phrase. Yes, it’s your country, and what your country does reflects on you. The truth may be that you have no real power to move your country in a different direction, but that doesn’t take away the fact that you are complicit. What your country does, what it stands for, or doesn’t stand for, is certainly part of your responsibility. You may only be one voice in the wilderness, but you still have that voice.

Breaking: Obama has arrived in Afghanistan!

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:53:59 -0700

We were about to call it a night, and had drifted past a CNN rerun of Bill Nye and Larry King rambling about UFOs. Suddenly this secret variant of CNN known as "CNN International" broke in, and unknown anchors announced Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan. They said their staff had only learned in the last 30 minutes - it is still not on Google News (although the Wapo called it "coming days").

With a little luck our guy from Registan can peer sideways at the spectacle there? First post?!

8,763 Disabled Veterans Died Without Receiving Benefits

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:30:26 -0700

For a long time now, I have been following the KBR corruption storyline: the dirty water, the electrocutions, the rape cover ups and the tax dodging.

KBR was turned loose on our troops because the Bush administration's blind adherence to right-wing dogma — "government bad, private industry good" — drove it to outsource the management of the war to dozens of private contractors. And, no surprise, the abuses don't end with KBR.

Terrorism Suspect May Petition Civilian Court

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:47:06 -0700

R. Jeffrey Smith & Del Quentin Wilber | Richmond, VA | July 16

WaPo - Holding Accused Without Trial Is Upheld

A federal appellate court issued a new setback to the Bush administration on the treatment of terrorism suspects yesterday, declaring that the only accused "enemy combatant" apprehended and held on U.S. soil can petition a civilian court to review the evidence against him.

At the same time, the divided U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit affirmed the president's wartime power to hold accused combatants apprehended in the United States without trial, reversing a previous ruling by a panel of its own judges.

U.S. terrorism watch list tops 1 million

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:13:31 -0700

Randall Mikkelsen | Washington | July 14

Reuters - A U.S. watch list of terrorism suspects has passed 1 million records, corresponding to about 400,000 people, and a leading civil rights group said on Monday the number was far too high to be effective.

The Bush administration disagreed and called the list one of the most effective tools implemented after the September 11 hijacked plane attacks -- when a federal "no-fly" list contained just 16 people considered threats to aviation.

Don't Expect the Democrats to Stop an Attack on Iran

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:30:48 -0700

It’s very early in the morning and I’m here writing about the possibility of my country attacking another nation in the Middle East for no real reason except to put some capitalistic fears to rest. The major reason that the United States desires to attack Iran isn’t because they believe that they will build an atomic weapon, it is the fear that Iran will switch from the dollar and embrace the Euro which will send our currency into free fall and bring about a possible recession or depression in this country as our dollar becomes worthless.

Make no mistake about why wars are fought. The central reason is almost always about resources, markets or threats to an economy. The rhetoric that precedes a war is usually never about the real reasons a nation desires to attack another. The reasons for war are veiled in talk about freedom or principles, but warring nations usually have neither. This nation, built on a system of values called capitalism or a market economy is always ready to use its armed forces as a means to force their economic needs on other nations.

Fear Factor

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:18:47 -0700

Someone once described courage as not never being afraid, but going on in spite of the fear. As a nation and as elected officials we seem to be running dangerously low on courage. Oh we have the tough talk down, we have the posturing, but do we really have true courage? Since 9/11 when at least 2,985 people died from the terrorists attacks I think that what has been lost in all the hype is some perspective. While this was surely a tragedy, the population of the United States in the year 2001 was somewhere around 290 million people. Based on those numbers the terrorist attacks killed less than .02% of the population, yet since the attack we have responded by invading sovereign nations, torturing our fellow human beings, and gutting our Constitutional protections.

My Boss At KBR: "The Military Is None Of Our F---ing Concern."

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:50:54 -0700

[cross-posted from www.progressivefuture.org]

Ben Carter is a water safety expert and a caring family man. Passionate about his work, Carter went to Iraq to support the troops and reconstruction efforts. Yet soon after he arrived in Iraq he found KBR/Halliburton cutting essential corners, resulting in U.S. troops being forced to shower in wastewater. KBR’s indifference to the contaminated water led Carter to resign. Since leaving Iraq he’s spoken out about Halliburton, was one of the subjects of Brave New Films' "Iraq For Sale," testified before the Democratic Policy Committee and worked to warn soldiers of the dangers of contaminated water.

Carter participated in a series of e-mail interviews with me in June to talk about his experiences and spread the word about his quest to bring KBR to justice. Here's his story:

Real Independence for All Americans

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:23:13 -0700

I have been wondering of late where it is on the political spectrum that I would feel comfortable? There was a time when I considered myself to be a Democrat. This wasn’t because I believed in the party’s platform; it was because I disagreed with the Republican point of view. The last seven years have reinforced my view of Republicans, but at the same time my fondness for the Democrats has also waned. The truth is that frankly, I don’t see much of a difference between the two; both the Republicans and the Democrats are financed by the same entities.

Who are the people behind the curtain, so to speak? Well, they are basically the same people and organizations that have always ruled in this country (with periodic breaks from time to time). These are the captains of industry and the bankers that back them, and lately, religious groups (that pop-up occasionally). The government claim that the people are behind the government and they are responsible for electing their government is patently untrue. The only thing that the people are responsible for is rubber-stamping the candidates that are selected for us. The two political parties, the Republicans and Democrats, seem to be the only game in town, so to speak. While it is true that this nation has other political parties, in national elections, there are basically only two parties that matter.

Al-Qaeda on the run, al-Qaeda on the increase, or al-Qaeda the irrelevant

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:09:25 -0700

By Hannes Artens

"Senator, what do you see as the gravest long-term threat to the U.S. economy?" was Fortune Magazine's opening question for its series of parallel interviews with the presidential candidates on the state of the economy. John Mc Cain's answer was, how to put it?, quite unexpected and unorthodox: "Well, I would think that the absolute gravest threat is the struggle that we're in against radical Islamic extremism, which can affect, if they prevail, our very existence. Another successful attack on the United States of America could have devastating consequences." The man's almost pathological, of-Rudy-Giuliani-when-I-was-mayor-on-9/11-reminding, obsession with relating every problem mankind faces - be it global warming or the New England Patriots losing this year's Super Bowl - to Islamic extremism, aside, he's got a point.

Together with global warming and a capitalist economy having got out of control Islamist extremism is the gravest, long-term threat to global society (and given the prominence of Middle Eastern and Central Asian oil and gas in our daily lives, one can make a case for it being a significant threat to the US economy, too). Yet it is not a recent phenomenon. Islamic extremism is around for about seven hundred years. It is only since 9/11 that we've taken notice of it, begun to feel its effects, acknowledged the challenge it poses to the essence of modernity. Al-Qaeda, however, is only a snap-shot, the tip of the iceberg, the boogeyman fetched from the closet when it's time to scare voters, the simplification politicians and the media draw on when they're supposed to explain complex circumstances. Ultimately, whether al-Qaeda is eventually vanquished or Osama manages to hide out a little longer in his cave, is of marginal consequence in the confrontation between modernity and Islamist extremism.

Vote for this story at Buzzflash and at Digg

My Guantanamo Interview

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:18:07 -0700

In January, 2006 outraged that her country was illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, Mahvish Rukhsana — a journalist and recent law school graduate — volunteered to translate for the prisoners and eventually began representing an Afghan detainee. She has since published the stories of the detainees she has met in the newly-released book, My Guantanamo Diary. For more information, please visit http://www.mahvishkhan.com.

The work that lawyers like Rukhsana have done to advocate on behalf of these detainees contributed to a recent Supreme Court ruling to grant habeas corpus to all Guantanamo prisoners. That is why I felt so privileged to be able to talk to her about the importance of upholding the Constitution and restoring our international reputation. My interview with Rukhsana was conducted just before the Supreme Court's landmark ruling, and has been edited down to narrative form. [cross-posted from www.progressivefuture.org]

The Ticking Time Bomb

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:00:18 -0700

There is a story taking place in America that is being buried by the media, the armed forces, and the politicians. This story is so frightening that no one wants to address it or even talk about it. This story has the potential to bring more violence to the streets of America than any terrorist attack. The frightening tale that is being ignored is the fact that we have ticking time bombs within our midst. They do not belong to al Qaeda or any other shady terrorist cell, they will not be profiled because they don’t have Mid-Eastern ancestry, nor are they Muslim extremists. These ticking time bombs are our own sons, daughters, fathers, and brothers. They are the returning soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Blond, white schoolboy is al-Qa'eda extremist

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:42:21 -0700

Richard Edwards | West Yorkshire | June 25

Telegraph UK - A schoolboy aged 12 has been identified as an al-Qaeda inspired extremist after sending beheading videos to his classmates, police have disclosed. Anti-terrorism chiefs have said the example revealed how violent extremism is spreading “like a virus infecting young minds”. The blonde, white schoolboy from West Yorkshire is among 120 people being dealt with by police in a new anti-terrorism scheme targeting al-Qa’eda inspired youths.

British 9/11 fears over private planes, Government terror adviser warns

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:25:54 -0700

Christopher Hope | London | June 24

Telegraph UK - Private jets and light aircraft could be used by terrorists to launch attacks on crowds and buildings in Britain, the Government's anti-terror expert has warned.

Oh, no. Is there no limit to the cleverness of the evil doers? Thank goodness British intelligence is alert. Of course, George Carlin also observed that the cabin crew of a commercial jet could probably be knocked out cold from a blow with the weekend edition of the New York Times. Be afraid. Be very afraid.