Political opportunism is de rigeur in Washington. And the more politicians declare that “this is an issue too serious to politicize”, the more that issue becomes politicized. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that debates over the role (and fate) of American soldiers in Iraq or on national security are distinguished more by political… Read more.
Archives for December 2005
To prove they are not people who would condone torture, Bush Admin officials offer this Christmas cheer…
News and Politics Read more.
Australia’s disgrace…
“Attacking people on the basis of their race, their appearance, their ethnicity, is totally unacceptable and should be repudiated by all Australians irrespective of their own background and their politics.” This was Prime Minister John Howard’s sensible reaction last weekend, after Australians were shocked, shocked, by the KKK-style beating white locals gave a few non-white… Read more.
11 million Iraqis (70%) defy insurgents in historic vote for democracy in Iraq!
Even partisan critics of President Bush’s leadership on Iraq had to have been impressed, even if politically resentful, by television images of Iraqis praising and hailing him as liberator as they flocked to polling stations to cast their votes in yesterday’s historic election. Although, the inspiration these images provided had to have been diminished ever… Read more.
The Iranians are asking for it and the Israelis should give it to them!
I find it incredulous when people accuse the Israelis of paranoia and unwarranted aggression in dealing with their Arab neighbours. And my incredulity is only exacerbated when the people making these accusations are otherwise reasonable, intelligent and fair-minded. But after watching Harvard Law Prof. Alan Dershowitz and MIT Linguistics Prof. Noam Chomsky debate the topic… Read more.
Dietary supplements (Hoodia): Is any of them truly safe and effective?
The United States has the most rigorous prescription drug approval protocols in the world. Indeed, American pharmaceutical companies often complain that they operate at a distinct disadvantage because of the exhaustive research, peer reviews and prolonged clinical trials the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates before any prescription drug goes to market. And the… Read more.
Stanley “Tookie” Williams executed!
Just hours after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied his final plea for clemency, Stanley “Tookie” Williams was executed this morning at 12:35 Pacific time by lethal injection. Evidently, God did not answer his prayers… In this previous article, I predicted that Schwarzenegger would grant Tookie clemency based on the legitimate claims of due process violations during… Read more.
Cracking the political glass ceiling: first woman to become president in South America…
The World Bank has heralded Chile as “a regional model of political and economic stability, with impressive modern infrastructure, little corruption and one of the lowest poverty indices.” And now it can be lauded for leading a paradigm shift in South America on yet another critical measure of Third World development: the emancipation of women.… Read more.
Trailblazing comedian Richard Pryor is dead…
It seems a cruel fate for the funniest man who ever lived to suffer a sad and agonizing death. But that was the fate of Richard Pryor who died, mercifully, in Los Angeles yesterday. The official cause of death was ruled a heart attack. But anyone who knows anything about Pryor’s life off-stage, knows that… Read more.
How “prepared” is the U.S. for another 9/11?
This week, to no one’s surprise, the 9/11 Commission gave the U.S. government a failing grade for its performance in implementing recommended security measures to prepare the country to prevent or react more effectively to another terrorist attack. But, as recent terrorist attacks in very prepared London and routine attacks in über prepared Israel have… Read more.