AltWeeklies Wire
Program for Fallen Soldiers' Families Feels the Economic Pinchnew
Debbie Busch founded the nonprofit Helping to Unite Gold Star Survivors in 2003 to provide the loved ones of slain soldiers with support groups, summer camps and phone calls during difficult times such as birthdays, holidays and anniversaries. Six years later, Busch worries she and her tiny staff may soon have to close because of lack of funding.
Dallas Observer |
Megan Feldman |
12-22-2008 |
War
Veterans Against War; For Screenprintingnew
A former Guantanamo Bay guard hosts an anti-war screenprinting party.
The Portland Mercury |
John Motley |
12-19-2008 |
Art
Expressing Oneself Through Music Torture Programmingnew

Music as torture makes intuitive sense to us. In milder incarnations, we've been subjected to it, and practicing it, for years. In the context of genuine warfare, however, what role should music and other forms of pop culture play?
Las Vegas Weekly |
Greg Beato |
12-19-2008 |
Music
A Sojourn in the Palestinian City of Nablusnew
Arabs by day, Jews by night, and it was getting clear that both had become accustomed to the hells of occupation. My mind was swirling through a vortex of insanity that can only be found on a battlefield. What was I doing here?
Santa Barbara Independent |
Jesse Aizenstat |
12-15-2008 |
Travel
Militaries Map Out Scenarious for the Coming Climate Change Conflictsnew

I realized two years ago that the military in various countries were starting to run climate change scenarios in-house. So I started interviewing everybody I could get access to: not only senior military people, but scientists, diplomats and politicians.
NOW Magazine |
Gwynne Dyer |
12-12-2008 |
Environment
Vermont's Iraqi Refugees Struggle to Rebuild Shattered Livesnew

In the last year, about 50 Iraqis have been resettled in the Burlington area, and their numbers are growing.
Seven Days |
Ken Picard |
12-10-2008 |
Immigration
The Time for the Military's Gay-Purging Policy Has Come and Gonenew
As Barack Obama has said, Don't Ask, Don't Tell is counterproductive, particularly in wartime -- and thanks to the reckless foreign policies of our extremely lame lame-duck president, which has stretched our forces nearly to the snapping point, the U.S. military needs all the able-bodied men and women it can get.
San Diego CityBeat |
Editorial |
12-10-2008 |
LGBT
Escaping Baghdad and Finding Refuge in Metro Detroitnew

Hundreds of Iraqis have resettled in metro Detroit during the last two years as the United States finally opened to these refugees of the war in Iraq. This year, more than 2,000 Iraqis are expected to flock here. These are some of their stories.
Metro Times |
Sandra Svoboda |
12-09-2008 |
Immigration
'War Child' is Too Self-Congratulatory to Truly Engagenew
C. Karim Chrobog's debut feature documentary follows Emmanuel Jal, now based in London, as he travels to the United States to lecture and perform -- mostly for young international audiences with more liberal guilt than rhythm -- and later returns to Sudan for the first time in 18 years.
Washington City Paper |
Tricia Olszewski |
12-04-2008 |
Reviews
Why Aren't We Attacking Somalia's Pirates?
We bomb Afghan wedding parties like they're going out of style. Why aren't we going after Somalia's pirates?
Obama's Victory Revives the American Dream ... For Nownew
After the hype blows over, it's hard to say whether the President-elect can deliver on his sweeping promises. Like Carter with Nixon, Obama is in the awkward position of being an apologist for his warmonger predecessors. And while the comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq wars have become almost cliche, Obama's biggest test will be in ending the Iraq war.
Boulder Weekly |
Ben Corbett |
11-17-2008 |
Commentary
Howard Zinn Ponders Obama's Positions on Peace and Imperialismnew

The noted historian and activist talks about the war, the end of the Bush era and the future of the American empire.
Montreal Mirror |
Matt Jones |
11-14-2008 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Lt. Col. Stephen Abraham: We All Share Blame for Guantanamonew
What really matters now regarding the Cuba-based U.S. detention center, according to a former military attorney who was part of the tribunals there, is simple: The American people could've prevented it and changed it.
Metro Times |
Staff |
11-11-2008 |
Crime & Justice
Vets with PTSD Tackle the Scars You Can't Seenew

New cases of PTSD are flooding the VA system. Some veterans of earlier wars know what those Iraq and Afghanistan vets are in for.
Jazz Violinist Billy Bang Revisits Vietnam in Music for Veterans Daynew
"When I was writing that music, I remember actually crying again and seeing the nightmares I'd been trying to get away from."
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Mike Shanley |
11-11-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews