Old reflexes, born of the victories of 1945 and 1989, linger among Britain and America’s political elites, which seem almost incapable of shaking off habits bred of the long Anglo-American imperium – what the American diplomat and writer George Kennan … Continue reading →

the astonishing arundhati roy: The American government doesn’t understand what kind of ground they stand on. When you say things like “We have to wipe out the Taliban,” what does that mean? The Taliban is not a fixed number of … Continue reading →

“Between 40 and 62 percent of the American people, including 80 percent of registered Democrats, want universal, single-payer not-for-profit health care for all Americans.” – this bill is NOT what we asked for. it’s a stunt. “This bill is not … Continue reading →

brilliant, brilliant interview – margaret atwood talks to bill moyers. the antinomian heresy: if u’re predestined to be the elect from birth, if u’re going to be saved no matter what, u can do the most atrocious things while still … Continue reading →

The Indian Constitution ratified colonial policy and made the State custodian of tribal homelands. Overnight, it turned the entire tribal population into squatters on their own land. It denied them their traditional rights to forest produce, it criminalised a whole … Continue reading →

From Weeping Palms: Stolen Childhoods, a series of paintings by Iraqi artist Maysaloun Faraj, in response to the war on Iraq, where dreams are continually shattered and destroyed. Maysaloun writes: “Trauma and tragedy permeate life back home at its core. … Continue reading →

Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom have morphed into a single Operation Enduring Occupation, set to bankrupt this country financially as well as morally, to destroy our own security as it has that of the over 31 million people … Continue reading →

The report reviewed the human rights record of the United States in 2009 from six perspectives: life, property and personal security; civil and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights; racial discrimination; rights of women and children; and the US’ … Continue reading →

In soaring emotional rhetoric not heard since his last soaringly emotional speech, the president expressed soaring emotional support for all wealthy Americans and for the overwhelming 90% majority who are not yet wealthy but will be someday if our free … Continue reading →

Cindy Sheehan: “We’ve set up camp because we believe that the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan for the multinational corporations using our US military were wrong under the Bush administration, they’re still wrong under the Obama administration. For … Continue reading →

Religion historian Philip Jenkins decided to compare the brutality quotient of the Quran and the Bible. “Much to my surprise, the Islamic scriptures in the Quran were actually far less bloody and less violent than those in the Bible,” Jenkins … Continue reading →

All infrastructures we build, like the monasteries in the Middle Ages, should seek to keep alive the intellectual and artistic traditions that make a civil society, humanism and the common good possible. Access to parcels of agricultural land will be … Continue reading →

obama never supported the public option – in fact, it was squashed by the white house. Even while Obama was saying that he thought a public option was a good idea, he had promised for-profit hospital lobbyists that there would … Continue reading →

v interesting analysis.

the situation in pakistan is complicated but if u want some basic understanding of the underlying issues, here’s an interview with robert fisk.

a clear-cut, well-articulated statement on the war in afghanistan and pakistan by action for a progressive pakistan. read full statement here.

a bunch of texans decide ur kids’ school curriculum. they’re not educators, they’re dentists and lawyers, and they want to correct the “liberal bias in academia.” how come no one even talks about this? The board, whose members are elected, … Continue reading →

Israel’s announcement of plans to build 1,600 settler homes in east Jerusalem was not only an “insult” to the United States but “destructive” of the Middle East peace process, a top White House official said Sunday. “We have just started … Continue reading →

Every single empire in its official discourse has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only … Continue reading →

According to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, U.S. and Allied forces have killed and injured more civilians than have the insurgents during Operation Moshtarak. Incredibly, the Pentagon continues to insist that this operation “protects the people.”

The beatings were intended to elicit a confession of involvement with a rotating cast of terrorist groups that would change from one day to the next. Initially, Hamdan protested his innocence. But the threat against his wife was too much, … Continue reading →