be just

YouTube - TPMtv: Iraq By the Numbers

: " The Democrats need to represent the swelling ranks of have-nots as vigorously as Bush has stuck up for the haves "

American Indigestion: : "Anyhow, there’s Bush with his master’s degree, ‘more educated’ than Franklin Roosevelt, and way ahead of either Washington or Lincoln (and not a few others), who did not go to college. And yet he is widely perceived as one of the dumbest presidents in history. Go figguh, eh? There is some contention on this point. Is Bush really so dim, or does he just play at it for political marketing purposes? I’ve read a number of accounts from those who have met with him personally and argue that he is smarter than he comes off in public, though of course, that’s a bit like saying that Hitler was not such a bad fellow because he didn’t murder as many people as Stalin."

Shooting the messengers : "One reason that the US government, politicians and people don’t have a clear idea of the situation in Israel/Palestine is that any criticism or complaint about Israel, no matter how well-researched and moderate, is swiftly attacked by lobbies in the US as being anti-semitic."

Bin Laden as a fantasy figure : "Most of the factoids that have become canon about Osama bin Laden and the financing of terror were estimates, guesstimates or simply made up, as in the case of his presumed $300m personal fortune. But these fantasies have driven real and dangerous actions."

When Wishful Thinking Replaces Resistance Why Bush Can Get Away with Attacking Iran Many people in the antiwar movement try to reassure themselves: Bush cannot possibly attack Iran. He does not have the means to do so, or, perhaps, even he is not foolish enough to engage in such an enterprise. Various particular reasons are put forward, such as: If he attacks, the Shiites in Iraq will cut the US supply lines. If he attacks, the Iranians will block the Straits of Ormuz or will unleash dormant terrorist networks worldwide. Russia won't allow such an attack. China won't allow it -- they will dump the dollar. The Arab world will explode. All this is doubtful. The Shiites in Iraq are not simply obedient to Iran. If they don't rise against the United States when their own country is occupied (or if don't rise very systematically), they are not likely to rise against the US if a neighboring country is attacked. As for blocking the Straits or unleashing terrorism, this will jus...

Iran’s Nuclear Chess Game : "Ali Larijani , who is the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council responsible for nuclear discussions with the West, has called nuclear negotiations a “diplomatic chess.” Perhaps he is implying that like a good chess player he plans a few moves ahead of his opponent. After receiving two sanctions, Larijani had taken the position that as long as the Security Council (SC) refuses to return Iran’s case to the IAEA, Iran will not clarify nuclear ambiguities that have been reported by the Atomic Agency and will continue to reduce cooperation on many additional inspection activities that are not within the framework of the standard Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). "

Try Bush for war crimes, urges US combat veteran | The Australian : "GEORGE W. Bush should be tried as a war criminal for his role in launching the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the Howard Government is culpable for supporting him, a US anti-war activist claims. The US President and John Howard were committed to a failing war that was being waged for oil and economic motives, former US marine and two-time combat tour veteran Matt Howard said in Sydney yesterday. The anti-war movement was growing in the US, and veterans had a responsibility to tell the truth about what was happening in Iraq, Mr Howard, 26, told a news conference at the Alternative APEC Centre in Sydney's Trades Hall. The Prime Minister's support for the war provided 'political cover' to Mr Bush's 'dangerous political agenda', said Matt Howard."

Iraq and Vietnam : "President Bush, one of the two most famous pro-Vietnam War members of his generation to avoid fighting in that war, has finally accepted what he previously rejected: that there are parallels between the war he ducked out of and his violent occupation of Iraq. (The other best-known famous pro-war war avoider is Vice President Dick “I had other priorities in the ’60s than military service” Cheney.) Unfortunately, Bush has learned a far different lesson from Vietnam than many others have. “Whatever your position is on that debate [about how we got into the Vietnam War and how we left], one unmistakable legacy of Vietnam is that the price of America’s withdrawal was paid by millions of innocent citizens whose agonies would add to our vocabulary new terms like ‘boat people,’ ‘reeducation camps,’ and ‘killing fields.’” Others have already corrected Bush’s predictably bad history. The killing fields of Cambodia began long before the United States exited Vietnam; Amer...

More Money for Israel?- by Justin Raimondo : "American military aid to Israel has been increased yet again, which leads us to ask the inevitable question: What are we getting for our money? Well, we're getting this , as well as this , and this – not to mention this ."

Al Jazeera English - Focus - Berber Language Gets An Airing : "Killing off the language of the conquered has been a priority for invaders since mankind graduated from the mere exchange of grunts and signs. The Berbers of North Africa found themselves at the receiving end when Arabs overran their turf in the seventh century. Their Amazigh tongue fared no better than countless other languages driven underground by defeat on the battlefield. While some languages and nations are erased over time, some persist and live on the margins. Such is the case of the Berbers and their language."

Al Jazeera English - News - Deadly Clashes Hit Somali Capital : "At least six people have been killed and many wounded in fighting between government troops and fighters in the Somali capital of Mogadishu."