AltWeeklies Wire
Will Obama's Escalation of the Afghanistan War Succeed?new
Obama's plan for Afghanistan is conceptually straightforward: Apply the political and military lessons of Iraq to Afghanistan. Escalate the war. Tell everyone how successful escalating the war has been. Declare victory. Get out. Will it work? It depends on what you mean by "work."
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
01-12-2010 |
Commentary
Tags: War on terror
What Happened to the U.S.-Brokered Political Deal in Honduras?new
On June 28, Honduran soldiers picked up an hombre named Manuel Zelaya, put him on an airplane, and deposited him approximately 350 miles to the southeast in beautiful Costa Rica. That doesn’t sound too bad, right? There were a couple catches, though. Catch No. 1: It was a one-way ticket.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
01-12-2010 |
Commentary
Tags: War on terror
Tell Me More About Corruption, Pleasenew
The overwhelming majority of Americans don’t experience corruption the way people in poorer countries do. By and large, we aren't hustled by cops for $100 bills when we get pulled over for speeding. The fire department doesn't demand tribute before extinguishing your house.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
01-12-2010 |
Commentary
Tags: War on terror
Is Nigeria Finally Cleaning Up Its Crooked Ways?new
In a move that threatens to make emptying your spam folder much less amusing, the Nigerian government recently launched a big crackdown on so-called "419" scammers. The 419 scam, named for the section of the Nigerian legal code outlawing it, reportedly rakes in billions of dollars annually.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
01-12-2010 |
Commentary
Tags: War on terror
Emily's Post: Every Time WMC Rears its Head, a Lobbyist Gets His Paychecknew
Why are we still listening to anything Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce has to say? The right-leaning business lobbying group spent a lot of money to thoroughly destroy any credibility it may have had by helping to elect two under-qualified and deeply compromised justices to the state Supreme Court.
Isthmus |
Emily Mills |
01-11-2010 |
Commentary
Calling for Intelligent Airport Securitynew
It is the duty of all public officials to “do something” whenever a new threat appears, even if there is nothing sensible to be done. If they don’t make a show of solving the problem, the media will punish them severely.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Gwynne Dyer |
01-07-2010 |
Commentary
It's Time for New Mexico to Make Some New Year's Resolutionsnew
Forget the personal. It’s time to get political. New Mexico, after all, faces challenges when it comes to everything from tackling political corruption to budget shortfalls, endemic drunk driving to declining educational achievement. That’s not to mention global warming.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Laura Paskus |
01-07-2010 |
Commentary
Revisiting South Carolina's Political Dynastiesnew
We did a story last spring following Carroll Campbell's early challenge to Congressman Henry Brown, looking at the electoral fortunes of the sons of South Carolina's political dynasties. With Paul Thurmond now weighing a congressional run, we thought we'd revisit the piece.
Charleston City Paper |
Greg Hambrick |
01-06-2010 |
Commentary
Is San Francisco Spending Too Much Money?new
What makes San Francisco “the worst-run big city in the U.S.?” Well, part of it, said SF Weekly, is the fact that SF spends more money per capita than any comparable city and county. In fact, according to a chart the paper included in its story, SF spends more than twice as much per capita as Philadelphia.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Tim Redmond |
01-06-2010 |
Commentary
The Nooses Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas Hung Up Must be Cut Downnew
Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas have defiled our town square with hanging corpses: five county supervisors, four superior court judges, two county administrators, three attorneys, an entire law firm, and (everywhere) Mexicans.
Phoenix New Times |
Michael Lacey |
01-05-2010 |
Commentary
Joe Lieberman, Connecticut's Surprising Occasional Liberal in Washingtonnew
There's a Connecticut guy in Congress who's taking the lead on extending benefits to same-sex partners of 30,000 federal employees, gets a 100-percent rating from abortion rights groups and has an environmental record that's a tree-hugger's dream. He's Joe Liebrman.
New Haven Advocate |
Gregory B. Hladky |
01-05-2010 |
Commentary
You Can’t Always Sing & Dance: Karen Kayenew
My friend, Karen Kaye, executive director of Connections for Children in Santa Monica, a non-profit provider of babysitting and other services for single working mothers, is dead.
Random Lengths News |
Lionel Rolfe |
12-28-2009 |
Commentary
The Fear Decade
Home of the free and the brave. Live free or die. Shoot first; ask questions later. Kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out. These were the mottos of a brash, impetuous, audacious-to-a-fault nation. That nation is dead.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
12-28-2009 |
Commentary
The Joy of Receiving: A Year of Bailouts, Handouts and Hypocrisynew
For the first time since 1995, Democrats in Washington bow to no one — except the emperor of Japan. While they have not stimulated the job market, they thoroughly Christmas-goosed us conservatives.
Isthmus |
David Blaska |
12-28-2009 |
Commentary
Obama's 'Good Enough' Revolution
In the world of ideas, President Obama has come to symbolize the triumph of Good Enough. Obama, along with his PR flacks and Congressional allies, loves to paraphrase Voltaire: "Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good." Better to move forward incrementally than not at all.
Maui Time |
Ted Rall |
12-22-2009 |
Commentary
