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Ret. Gen.: Massacre Could Force US From Afghanistan in Weeks -- News from Antiwar.com Speaking to CNN on Sunday, Retired Major General James A. Marks, the senior intelligence officer during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, said that the fallout from last weekend’s massacre could force a withdrawal from Afghanistan in a matter of weeks. “It’s not inconceivable that that could happen,” Marks said, noting that Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s demand for occupation troops to remain confined to base could dramatically change the mission. Karzai demanded NATO confine its troops on Thursday, during a meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Panetta has been among the officials who insist that there will be no policy changes because of the massacre. But they may not have a choice in the matter, as reports emerge that the Afghan parliament unanimously passed a resolution to abandon the current agreed upon terms of engagement for US troops (the Afghan War’s equivalent of a Status of Force...

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Progressive Mainstay in Congress, Loses Dem. Primary in Redrawn Ohio District

After Kucinich Defeat, Will Progressive Mantle Fall? - The ITT List When Dennis Kucinich’s political career came to an abrupt end this week, the progressive movement lost one of its most vocal and visible advocates. Kucinich’s rise to that status illustrates a paradox that's worth reflecting on: U.S. Representatives hardly ever achieve national influence until they aspire to a higher office. For this reason, a replacement of Kucinich's stature and far-reaching influence may be difficult to come by.

There Will Be Paranoia -- In These Times There is still a lot to figure out about organized haters, even for dedicated scholars such as Goldwag. He concedes being caught unprepared five years ago, after publication of ‘Isms and ‘Ologies. Radio talk show host Tavis Smiley asked Goldwag why the book’s index failed to list the term “racism.” Improvising a reply, Goldwag said, “That’s because I confined myself to specific systems of thought. I wrote about racist philosophies, but racism in general signals the absence of thought.” Goldwag could tell Smiley found that answer weak, as did Goldwag. As a result, he conceived The New Hate as a book about “the role of organized hatreds in the historical arc of American politics.”

J.P. Morgan Chase's Ugly Family Secrets Revealed       : Information Clearing House J.P. Morgan Chase's Ugly Family Secrets Revealed By Matt Taibbi March 16, 2012 "Rolling Stone" -- In a story that should be getting lots of attention, American Banker has released an excellent and disturbing exposé of J.P. Morgan Chase's credit card services division, relying on multiple current and former Chase employees. One of them, Linda Almonte, is a whistleblower whom I've known since last September; I'm working on a recount of her story for my next book.

Maid in Lebanon Abuse Video Kills Herself     : Information Clearing House   Maid in Lebanon Abuse Video Kills Herself By Al-Jazeera Suicide comes days after footage emerged of Ethiopian woman being violently dragged on Beirut street by male employer. March 16, 2012   An Ethiopian domestic worker in Lebanon who was filmed being physically abused in public has committed suicide, local media have reported. The video, first aired by Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International (LBCI) last week, caused outrage by showing a man abusing Alem Dechasa as she cried on a street outside the Ethiopian embassy in Beirut. The man was shown grabbing Dechasa and telling her, "get into the car" while she screamed out, "no, no, no". Another man then assisted in dragging Dechasa into the back of a car as she struggled to resist. Asaminew Debelie Bonssa, Ethiopian general consul in Lebanon, told The Daily Star newspaper in Beirut that Dechasa committed suicide by ...

Humanitarian disaster unfolds in South Sudan - Features - Al Jazeera English Washington, DC - Less than a year since South Sudan's independence, thousands of people in the region continue to face the stark realities of secession. As an impending famine and daily violence grow in severity, the governments in Juba and Khartoum remain mired in disputes over borders and oil revenues. Among the areas most affected by the latest violence and food shortages are states on the border between Sudan and South Sudan. Thousands of civilians stranded in the Nuba Mountains of Southern Kordofan, a Sudanese province with a population close to 1.1 million, now face starvation - largely a result of the Sudanese government's move to restrict international humanitarian relief agencies from accessing the most troubled areas. The recent fighting has destroyed large tracks of farmland and crops essential for isolated populations in Sudan's Blue Nile State and Southern Kordofan. According t...