News For March O4, 2010

Former Pakistani Officer Embodies a Policy Puzzle

By CARLOTTA GALL

“The Taliban cannot be forced out, you cannot subjugate them,” he said. “But they can tire the Americans. In another three to four years, the Americans will be tired.” Continue

---

“Peace or Apartheid” are not the only options for Israel

By Alan Hart

The developing debate about Israel’s future offers two scenarios but there is a third which, apparently, should not be discussed in the open, in public. So let’s do just that. Continue

---

We Need Bigger Deficits. Or we're toast

By Mike Whitney

The media has played a big role in fueling deficit hysteria. It's all part of a well-funded public relations campaign aimed at putting the government on a starvation diet. Continue

---

Ideallergy

By John O'Kane

Obama's stimulus program lacks even the fumes of the Great Society anyway, certainly the parent New Deal, providing minimal funds to the states. It basically props up the existing order. Continue

---

Ayn Rand's Excellent Proposal

By Ernest Partridge

In Ayn Rand’s sprawling novel, Atlas Shrugged, ubermensch industrialist, John Galt, infuriated over the “theft” of his property by the parasitic government, calls upon his fellow “captains of industry” – the “producers of wealth” – to go on strike which, we read, brings down the entire economy. Continue

---

California Man Gets Eight Years for Stealing Cheese

By Daniel Nasaw

A California man has been sentenced to up to eight years in prison for stealing a $3.99 (£2.60) bag of shredded cheese in a case critics say shows the need for reform of the state's criminal justice system and the overcrowded state of its prisons. Continue

---

Moon Over Gringo Gulch

In God we can only trust, but in hashish rests assurance

By Joe Bageant

Americans already know the purpose of life: to worship god and make money, which have been two sides of the same ontological coin since Alexander Hamilton, one of America's first economists -- who also happened to be one of our first lawyers too -- set about forging our system. Continue

---

Abe Osheroff on the Struggle for a Better World

Getting Rid of Hope and Faith

By Robert Jensen

The young man said he often felt depressed, not about the circumstances of his own life but about the possibilities for change. Finally, he looked at me and asked, “Once you see what’s happening -- I mean really see it -- how are you supposed to act like everything is going to be OK?” Continue

---

Thirty militants, one soldier killed in northwest Pakistan gunbattle: Dozens of militants armed with assault rifles attacked a security checkpoint in Pakistan's volatile northwest, sparking a gunbattle that left 30 insurgents and one soldier dead, officials said Thursday.

Five Pakistani workers killed in Kandahar, Afghanistan: Two gunmen riding a motorcycle gunned down a group of foreigners waiting for a bus, which was to take them to a construction site, said a representative of the local police.

Over 120 Taliban militants killed in southern Afghanistan: More than 120 Taliban militants have been killed and 56 others captured since a major offensive against Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was launched on Feb. 13, Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Thursday, DPA reported.

17 killed in Iraq as blasts target voters: A string of blasts ripped through Baghdad targeting early voters and killing 17 people Thursday, authorities said, raising tensions in an already nervous city as early ballots are cast for Sunday's parliamentary elections.

2.8 million Iraqis remain internally displaced: Seven years after the March 2003 US-led invasion, Iraq remains deeply divided. There are few prospects of durable solutions for the approximately 15 per cent of the population who are displaced inside and outside Iraq. It is thought that there are almost 2.8 million internally displaced people

Disturbing story of Fallujah's birth defects: Six years after the intense fighting began in the Iraqi town of Fallujah between US forces and Sunni insurgents, there is a disturbingly large number of cases of birth defects in the town.

Afghan survivors: Women waved scarves to try to stop NATO air attack: The military helicopters swooped in from behind the three-vehicle convoy as it wound through a remote road in southern Afghanistan, and survivors of last week's deadly attack said they had no idea they were in danger until the lead four-wheel drive vehicle exploded.

Admiral Mullen: foreign policy is too dominated by the military: Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says US foreign policy is too dependent on military generals and admirals and not enough on the State Department.

General: Demands of Iraq, Afghan occupation hurting Army's ability to train its forces: The Army's ability to train its forces is "increasingly at risk" because of the nation's protracted commitments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the general in charge of training has told the Army's chief of staff.
Free land, weapons and petrol help buy Iraqi votes: The Arabic word that has delivered land, money, weapons, clothes and numerous other perks for Iraqis in the run-up to Sunday's parliamentary election is "rashwa." The English word is bribe.
Fresh clashes leave 17 people killed in Mogadishu: Several mortar rounds and heavy gunfire damaged residential areas, claiming the lives of more than 10 civilians. Seven fighters were also killed in the violence
Manufacturing Consent For Attack On Iran: Fox News Poll: Iran and the Bomb Equals Disaster: A Fox News poll released Tuesday finds that 60 percent of voters think force will be required to stop Iran, while 25 percent think diplomacy and sanctions alone will work.
Two Israeli Missile Ships Pass Through Suez Canal: In the past, the passage of Israeli warships southward through the canal, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea, has been interpreted as preparation for a possible attack against Iran.
China rejects Iran sanctions, pushes for diplomatic solution: China said Thursday it will continue to push for a diplomatic resolution to the Iranian nuclear standoff, rebuffing efforts by Western powers to introduce a new set of sanctions against Iran.
Shirin Ebadi warns against Iranian sanctions: Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi has warned against imposing sanctions on her country, saying it would harm the population not the government.
Livni to Netanyahu: With you in power, Israel is a pariah state: Opposition leader Tzipi Livni sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in a speech made during a Knesset session marking the one-year anniversary of Netanyahu's ascension to power.
Gilad Atzmon : Bowing to Jewish Pressure : Prime Minister Gordon Brown has announced plans today to stop the issue of arrest warrants for foreign officials such as Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barak and other Israeli war criminals who were forced to cancel planned trips to London after arrest warrants were issued against them.
Dubai wants Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu behind bars: Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, the man leading the investigation into the Dubai assassination of Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, has called for the arrest of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Respected Danish journalist admits 'I was a Mossad agent': "I traveled all over Africa under the cover of [being] a journalist," said Pundik.
Hamas slams Arab vow to resume talks with Israel: The Palestinian Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, has slammed the Arab League's foreign ministers' decision to submit to an American proposal for Palestinians to hold indirect talks with Israel.
Syria hints Israel planted nuclear traces on its territory: Syria suggested on Thursday that Israel dropped uranium particles onto Syrian soil from the air to make it look as if a covert nuclear weapons plant was being built there, diplomats at a United Nations nuclear watchdog meeting said.
U.S. will determine who can board some Canadian flights: Starting in December, some passengers on Canadian airlines flying to, from or even over the United States without ever landing there, will only be allowed to board the aircraft once the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has determined they are not terrorists.
USA Gun Owners Buy 14 Million Plus Guns In 2009 – To put it in perspective that is more guns than the combined active armies of the top 21 countries in the world.
Michael Moore: There's Going to Be a Second Crash (And Glenn Beck Can F--k Off): There's going to be another crash. The commercial real estate bubble hasn't burst yet. That's going to burst. The credit card debt is so huge right now, it will never be repaid. That's a house of cards waiting to fall. So the crash of '08 is going to look like coming attractions. And we're in for a much, much worse time.
Fed’s Fisher Calls for Accord to Break Up Big Banks: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas President Richard Fisher called for an international pact to break up banks whose collapse would threaten the financial system, a position that goes beyond other Fed officials.
Senate rejects $250 checks for elderly: A measure to give some 57 million elderly people, veterans and persons with disabilities a $250 check was rejected by the Senate on Wednesday, a setback for the powerful seniors' lobby.
"Real" Unemployment Could Surge to 25%, Portfolio Manager Says: Lekas sees the headline unemployment rate rising to 10% in February and climbing to 15% or 16% by mid-year. Even more dire, he sees the "real" unemployment figure surging to 25%.