The Iranians have released their own video of the alleged "confrontation" that occurred between three US warships and five Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz: The Pentagon's narrative is very different. Coupled with a claim that the Iranians...
Repress U: Build a Homeland Security Campus in Seven Steps
Consider the ultimate gift in a homeland security country: the iTaser, a weapon with its own MP3 player and earphones that can deliver a 50,000 volt electrical charge while you catch your favorite tunes. This new Taser, on display at the Consumer Electronics Show in...
The Ties That Strangle
I recently highlighted the irony of sending nearly $1 billion overseas in military earmarks as we close down bases here at home to save money. Our government's flawed foreign policy troubles me especially in light of recent events in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto's...
Kicking the Can Down the Road
A piece in the December 27, 2007 Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Vote on fate of Kirkuk postponed," by Tina Susman and Asso Ahmed of the L.A. Times, reported that "Kurdish lawmakers agreed Wednesday to a six-month delay in a referendum on whether the oil-rich...
Fuel Crisis Freezes Iraqi Life
BAQUBA - It's turning out to be about the hardest winter Abu Muslih has known. Too often it's a choice between buying food and medicines, and buying kerosene to keep his children warm. "I see them feeling cold, so I go out to buy kerosene at any price,"...
Will Naval Incident Undermine Bush’s Iran Message?
It is by now almost routine. With recurring frequency, US leaders tour the Middle East depicting Iran as the region's greatest threat. As such, President George W. Bush's visit to the Middle East this week has historic precedent. But while the message often fell on...
Thursday: 25 Iraqis Killed, 24 Wounded
Updated at 11:10 p.m EST, Jan. 10, 2008At least 25 Iraqis were killed and 24 more were wounded in the latest round of violence. Most of them were gunmen or security personnel. Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration reported that only a trickle of...
Providing for the Common Defense
American Airlines will be the first U.S. commercial passenger carrier to flight test a defensive system against anti-aircraft shoulder-fired missiles known in military parlance as MANPADS, for "man-portable air defense system." Although they are participating...
A Surge in Logic
Before we declare the occupation of Iraq a success, nuke Iran, and/or barge into Pakistan, it might be wise to take a deep breath and think logically about some of the pressing issues of the day. Whether you come down on the side of non-interventionism and the...
‘A Heartbeat Away’ From War
As the American people amuse themselves with the illusion that they have any say in the way they are presently governed, our rulers are moving toward war. Two recent incidents underscore the imminence of this prospect. The Iranian "provocation" in the...


