Are Israel’s Interests In Americas’ Interests? - ""Most recipients of aid given for military purposes are required to spend all of it in the US, but Israel is allowed to use roughly 25 per cent of its allocation to subsidise its own defence industry. It is the only recipient that does not have to account for how the aid is spent, which makes it virtually impossible to prevent the money from being used for purposes the US opposes, such as building settlements on the West Bank", write Mearsheimer and Walt. "Moreover, the US has provided Israel with nearly $3 billion to develop weapons systems, and given it access to such top-drawer weaponry as Blackhawk helicopters and F-16 jets. Finally, the US gives Israel access to intelligence it denies to its NATO allies and has turned a blind eye to Israel’s acquisition of nuclear weapons", add the authors. Furthermore, the US provides Israel with strong political backing – even though Israel is in violations of International Law and countless UN Resolutions –, in particular using its veto’s power at the UN against the world community to veto any criticism of Israel and increases the misery of the Palestinian people. "The combination of unwavering support for Israel and the related effort to spread 'democracy’ throughout the region has inflamed Arab and Islamic opinion and jeopardized not only U.S. security but that of much of the rest of the world. This situation has no equal in American political history. Why has the U.S. been willing to set aside its own security and that of many of its allies in order to advance the interests of another state?" question Walt and Mearsheimer."
The Iraq War is Going Very Well - For Israel - "Though I agree with Jeff Blankfort in his critique of Noam Chomsky as well-intentioned but basically a functioning Zionist, there is one point Jeff makes in the Chomsky/Blankfort Polemic on which I differ. Jeff believes as I do that the USA got into Iraq because of Israel. Where we differ is that Jeff states as most people do that the war is going very badly. As an individual sympathetic with the people of Iraq, concerned for our troops and the trillions of dollars of debt America is liable for as a result of our misadventure, I agree. But from the position of the Bush-NeoCon-Israeli perspective, I disagree. When George Bush is upbeat about the war, he should be. George works on behalf of Israeli not American interests and from an Israeli perspective, the war is going extremely well and as planned."
Colonial divide-and-conquer strategy - "The outbreak of sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite communities in Iraq in late February has only added to that sentiment—and for good reason. The reality, ignored by the corporate media propaganda machine here, is that U.S. policy for many years has been to promote conflict between different national and religious groups in Iraq."
Uncertainty... - "I sat late last night switching between Iraqi channels (the half dozen or so I sometimes try to watch). It’s a late-night tradition for me when there’s electricity- to see what the Iraqi channels are showing. ... I was reading the little scrolling news headlines on the bottom of the page. The usual- mortar fire on an area in Baghdad, an American soldier killed here, another one wounded there… 12 Iraqi corpses found in an area in Baghdad, etc. Suddenly, one of them caught my attention and I sat up straight on the sofa, wondering if I had read it correctly. ... “The Ministry of Defense requests that civilians do not comply with the orders of the army or police on nightly patrols unless they are accompanied by coalition forces working in that area.”That’s how messed up the country is at this point."
The Media and Iraq: What's Wrong With This Picture? - " Mr. Bush wants to know why the media don't publish more "success stories" about Iraq. I want to know the opposite: why the media don't publish photos and videos that -- in no uncertain terms -- show the blood-drenched truth." -- Seems to me the media is doing Bush a favor by not publishing these photos and videos.
Democrats Offer National Security Platform - "Eyeing House and Senate elections this fall, Democrats are stepping up their effort to cut into the public perception that Republicans are stronger on national security." -- Is this the best they can come up with?
Head of Arab League Pushes Nuke Programs - "The head of the Arab League called on Arab states Tuesday to work toward "entering the nuclear club" by developing atomic energy - a new concern for a Western world already trying to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions and fretting about a possible Mideast arms race." -- Countries without nuclear capability are at the mercy of those countries that have it.
Marchers say gringos, not illegals, have to go - "While debates about guest-worker programs for illegal aliens take place in the corridors of power, in the streets of America's big cities no amnesty is being offered by activists calling for the expulsion of most U.S. citizens from their own country. While politicians debate the fate of some 12 million people residing in the U.S. illegally, the Mexica Movement, one of the organizers of the mass protest in Los Angeles this week, has already decided it is the "non-indigenous," white, English-speaking U.S. citizens of European descent who have to leave what they call "our continent." ... The only solution, says the Mexica Movement, is to expel the invaders of the last 500 years, force them to pay reparations and return the continent to its rightful heirs." -- Humanity is an embarrassment to this planet.
Who are the illegal immigrants? - "The Pew Hispanic Center, a research organization in Washington, estimates there are as many as 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States, though researchers acknowledge they are difficult to count. Other organizations have put the number at 11 million, but all agree the total is rising quickly. Illegal immigrants are more likely than American citizens to hold jobs but less likely to have high school diplomas. They tend to be younger, and many have children who were born in the U.S., making the kids citizens."
Law Enforcement Agencies To Cite Truant Students - ""It's one thing to have a spontaneous demonstration of free speech, but it's another to have continued absences," Romer said during a City Hall news conference Tuesday afternoon. "A parent has a legal obligation to have their youngsters in school.""
Working class fight war while well-off defend it - "Ah, but they volunteered, you say. Yes, they did. All the more reason to honor their commitment by making sure they aren't cannon fodder in a dubious cause. They took to heart the shopworn platitudes and easy slogans about duty and honor and service while many who are wealthier did not. Soldiers shouldn't be ill-used simply because they believed in their country and its leaders. And they have been ill-used. They were sent to war on a pretext — that Saddam was linked to Sept. 11 — by civilian leaders who refused to plan for anything but quick and certain victory."
80 Eyes on 2,400 People - "If terrorists come to tiny Dillingham, Alaska, security cameras will be ready. But privacy concerns have residents up in arms."
Some Gay Couples Adopt to Molest, State Rep Says - " Rep. Debra Maggart, R-Hendersonville, said she still believes homosexual couples should not be allowed to adopt children. In fact, in addition to e-mail correspondence with a master’s student at Vanderbilt publicized recently, in which she said as much, she has also said homosexual couples may molest the children they adopt. "We also have seen evidence that homosexual couples prey on young males and have, in some instances, adopted them in order to have unfretted access to subject them to a life of molestation and sexual abuse," she said." -- And that can't happen with heterosexual couples that adopt? Nice blanket statement you moron.
Peeps make a quiet stand - "The Easter Bunny's expulsion prompts a marshmallow defense."
Quote of the Day
"Politics would be a helluva good business if it weren't for the goddamned people."
~ Richard M. Nixon
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