[ The real security needs of the American people are not being properly funded. Then again, Bush never intended to do “everything we can to protect the homeland,” as David Corn documented in his “Homeland Insecurity” piece for The Nation (4 Sept 2003). –BL ] At Ports, Cargo Backlog Raises Security Questions excerpted from 27 July 2004 | New York Times by John M. Broder LOS ANGELES, July 26 – Severe cargo congestion and labor shortages at American seaports are creating long delays in delivering goods and potential threats to national security, dockworkers and security experts say. The problems are particularly […]
Daily Archives: July 27, 2004
7 posts
U.S. ‘Correctional Population’ Hits New High 26 July 2004 | New York Times by FOX BUTTERFIELD The number of Americans under the control of the criminal justice system grew by 130,700 last year to reach a new high of nearly 6.9 million, according to a Justice Department report released today.
[ Petersen’s piece below contains a piecing-together of bin Laden’s argument against the U.S., and justification for violence against U.S. civilians. On the one hand, post-9/11 blind rage, or overgeneralized hatred, may still prevent many Americans from considering such arguments. On the other hand, in light of the increasing popularity of bin Ladenesque arguments among Middle Easterners and others, it’s not clear there is any path to lasting peace other than by means of some degree of mutual understanding. Notes: some of bin Laden’s Fatwahs referenced below can be found on the mideastweb.org site. The underlining below is mine. –BL ] […]
July 26, 2004 | Daily Star [Middle East] by Shibley Telhami The warning by the US Department of Homeland Security that Al-Qaeda may be preparing to disrupt the presidential election has been sounded with little assessment of the terrorist organization’s aims. Some have questioned the extent to which the Bush administration may be using such warnings for political reasons, but few have challenged the notion that Al-Qaeda seeks to replicate its Madrid attack on the eve of the Spanish election for the presumed goal of defeating President George W. Bush. In fact, while Al-Qaeda is constantly trying to prepare massive […]
by Brendan Lalor In a recent statement outlining “criteria for judging the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement,” the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops expressed concern over the Bush-brokered U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), which includes “the United States, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.” CAFTA is a trade agreement especially beneficial to large corporations, modeled on the North American Free Trade Agreement, binding Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, which has been criticized for draining well-paying jobs from the U.S., destroying Mexican corn and rice farmers’ livelihoods, failing to provide adequate protections for the environment, and more. The […]
July 27, 2004 | Christian Science Monitor by Annia Ciezadlo BAGHDAD – The scene: a humble clay house on one of Baghdad’s meanest streets. A knock at the door. When the man of the house answers, he is astonished. “We have presents for you!” warbles Shaima Emad Zubair, a young siren with tangerine lipstick. Batting her blue-mascaraed eyes, she pokes her microphone his way. Behind her, several boys unload a washing machine, refrigerator, TV, sofa set, and more from the back of a truck as a camera crew films. “This is a big surprise,” says Ahmed Hassan Kadhim, standing in […]
[ While Khartoum’s denials of evil-doing are doubtless disingenuous, it is unfortunate that Bush’s foreign policy record has paved the way for Sudan’s semi-plausible, cynical argument regarding the motives behind pressure from the U.S. Thanks to David Donahoe for forwarding this article. –BL ] Jul 27, 2004 | Reuters by Tsegaye Tadesse ADDIS ABABA – Washington is using the Darfur crisis as a pretext to topple the Sudanese government, Khartoum’s envoy to the African Union (AU) said on Tuesday. Ousman Alsaid also told reporters Western military intervention in its remote western region would risk splitting Africa’s largest country and unsettling its […]