"The federal government first approved atrazine in
the 1950s, but it came under increased scrutiny in
the late 1990s after Tyrone B. Hayes, a professor of
integrative biology at the University of California
at Berkeley, did a series of studies -- first for
chemical companies and then on his own -- that
indicated that tiny amounts of the pesticide de-masculinized
tadpoles of African clawed frogs. The European Union
declared it a harmful "endocrine disrupter" and
banned it as of 2005, but the EPA decided to
allow its continued use after determining that the
agency lacked a standard test for measuring the
hormone-disrupting effects of chemicals. "
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
NEWS EVENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD RELATING TO FUTURE TRENDS
In response to readers' demands we started to select news articles that relate to some of the subjects we cover. We certainly don't suggest this is a comprehensive collection or even the very best available.
However, some of these stories are so important that they need to be more widely known. Picture above is of rain forest destruction in Brazil.
If you have a story that should be featured here, don't hesitate to contact us.
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT US DOMESTIC POLICIES
WAR IN IRAQ GLOBAL TERRORISM GLOBAL POLITICAL THEORY
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL & ECONOMIC ISSUES
TOTAL COST OF ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION
The staggering annual financial cost of environmental destruction. (BBC 10/10/2008)
An EU study shows that annual cost of environmental destruction is greater than current credit crisis.
Humans are running up huge environmental debts 10/29/2008
Environmental destruction a grave threat to world's poor BBC 5/28/2008
"The TEEB review was set up by the German government and the European Commission during the German G8 presidency.
The two institutions selected Mr Sukhdev, a managing director in the global markets division at Deutsche Bank, to lead it. "
CLIMATE CHANGE
IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Al Gore 2007 Nobel Prize Speech and Video (Official Nobel Prize Site) Official Transcript
Former Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore, Accused the U.S. of Blocking at U.N. Climate Talks in Bali (CNN News, 12-3-07) CNN video clip of Al Gore's comments on Bali conference. Al Gore petition on Bali conference.
COAL USE PREDICTED TO RISE
IEA predicts coal will grow by as a share of world energy between 2005 and 2030. This means the world's worst form of energy will grow in demand by 73%. (International Energy Agency) (Click here for report.)
NEWS FROM THE ARTIC AND ANTARCTIC
Greenland's Ice
Cap is Melting Three Times Faster than Five Years Ago
Citing
evidence accumulated by a University of Texas at Austin team of
scientists, the article demonstrates that the Greenland ice cap, which
holds an estimated 2.85 cubic kilometers of fresh water ice (See New
Scientist), is melting away more rapidly than scientists had
previously thought. This melting process is raising sea levels
around the world, which will in turn place coastal areas underwater within
50 years. (By San Francisco Chronicle posted on Common Dreams,
8-11-06)
Even more grim news from Greenland according to NASA (CNN News, 12-11-07)
According to new data, NASA climate scientist Jay Zwally said: "At this rate,
the Arctic Ocean could be nearly ice-free at the end of summer by 2012, much
faster than previous predictions."
Escalating Ice Loss Found in Antarctica (Washington Post, 1-14-08)
METHANE
Scientists Find
New Global Warming "Time Bomb"
"Global warming gases trapped in
the soil are bubbling out of the thawing permafrost in amounts far higher
than previously thought and may trigger what researchers warn is a climate
time bomb. Methane - a greenhouse gas 23 times more powerful than
carbon dioxide - is being released from the permafrost at a rate five
times faster than thought, according to a study being published today
in the journal Nature." (By The Associated Press posted on
Common Dreams, 9-7-06)
Artic Threatens Siberian Permafrost (Independent, 6-14-08)
Carbon Emissions and Hydro-Electric Power - Some Grim News Contrary to popular opinion, giant dams are anything but Carbon neutral. This article from the New Scientist in February 2005 tells why. (New Scientist, February 2005)
[OPINION] Why Hydropower is Not Clean Energy A 2007 article from one of Brazil's leading experts on the Amazon. Click here to reach Dr. Fearnside's web site. (Scitizen, 1-9-07)
OCEANS AND GLOBAL WARMING
A Devastating view of how Human Activities are Effecting the World's Oceans (Washington Post, 2-15-08)
Oceans losing ability to absorb carbon dioxide far faster than before. Also check this article. (Telegraph,10-23-07)
A Look at Growing Acidity in our Earths' Oceans', Scientists fear that the change may be Irreversible (Common Dreams, 12-16-07)
Only
10 Percent of Big Ocean Fish Remain
According to a study
published in Nature in 2003, 90% of the world's largest species of
fish have already been killed by humans.
(CNN News, 5-14-03)
World's
Fish Supply Will Run Out by 2048
A recent scientific study
concluded that unless changes are made, current fishing practices and
ecological destruction caused by pollution of the world's oceans will
result in the extinction of fish caught to provide food. This will
provoke a crisis among the world's population as a critical source of food
for human beings disappears.
(Washington Post, 11-3-06)
A 'Dead Zone' Appears In The Gulf of Mexico At Record Size (Washington Post, 7-31-08)
FORESTS
Forests
Face Global Extinction (By Toronto Globe & Mail posted on Common Dreams,
8-21-01)
A UN report released in 2001 stated it would
"take a miracle -- and concerted
international effort -- to save the healthy forests left in the world from
obliteration". Read UNEP Publications.
Grim news about the destruction of the world's forests
"Worldwide, one-half of
all forests we've lost in the last 10,000 years has occurred in the last
80 years. Half of that was destroyed in the last 30 years," says
Scott Paul, Forest Campaign Coordinator for Greenpeace
Cambodia, for example, lost nearly 30 percent of its primary forests from 2000 to 2005, according to FAO. Vietnam lost close to 55 percent of its primary forests, FAO found. And Nigeria lost nearly 56 percent of its primary forests over the same period, the worst rate of forest loss in the world, according to FAO. The destruction of the Earth's oldest and richest forests is not a new phenomenon, but the rate of destruction has increased in recent decades. (CNN News, 7-12-07)
EPA REGULATION
Weedkillers are being found in Streams and Rivers Endangering Fish, and Aquatic Life (Washington Post, 12-9-07)
SPECIES EXTINCTION
Humans
Spur Worst Extinctions Since Dinosaurs
A report released in
March 2006 by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity concluded that
"the current pace of [animal
and plant] extinctions was 1,000 times faster than historical rate] thanks
to the activities of human beings. Read the "Global Biodiversity
Outlook 2 Report" (Planet Ark, 3-21-06)
Extinct
Species Won't Return for 10 Million Years
Analyzed
fossils lead to calculations that it takes about 10 million years after a
plant or animal becomes extinct before anything resembling it reappears,
if it reappears at all. (ABC News, 3-8-00)
Climate
Change Drives Widespread Amphibian Extinctions
A new 2006 study
provides the first clear proof that global warming is causing outbreaks of
an infectious disease that is wiping out entire frog populations and
driving many species to extinction. (National Science Foundation, 1-11-06)
Almost 50% Of The World's Primates Is In Danger Of Extinction (CNN)
The
State of the World? A Grim Warning from 1,300 Scientists
This is
the considered opinion of 1,300 leading scientists from 95 countries, who
conclude that environmental degradation, if continued at its current pace
will irreparably damage the global ecosystem to such an extent that it
will not recover for thousands of years. Read the "Millennium Assessment
Reports"
(By The Independent posted on Information Clearing House, 3-30-05)
World's Top Ten Rivers in Danger (PDF) (World Wildlife Fund)
CHINA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS
Chinese Water Shortage Signals Coming Crisis China's massive industrialization and population growth over the last decade have left its water resources severely depleted. Almost "320 million Chinese lack adequate access to clean drinking water. Deserts cover 27% of the country's landmass. Most of China's surface water is unfit for human consumption, and some of that not even clean enough for industrial use. Grain production is sliding. The Yellow River runs dry so often and so long that some scientists have argued that it ought to be considered a seasonal phenomenon." (Time, 10-2-06)
CHINA'S ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS (Spiegel, 2-1-07)
An excellent article from
Germany's Der Spiegel on the global impact of China's
pollution.. Click
here for story.
POVERTY
Climate
Change Could Kill Millions of Impoverished People
A disturbing
article that shows rapidly increasing climate change may kill upwards of
182 million people in Africa within the next 100 years. (Christian
Aid Web Site)
Global
Warming "May Cause Economic Chaos"
A British government report has
stated that climate change could cause massive economic and social
upheaval if reforms are not put into place that stop the warming of
the planet. (CNN News, 10-30-06)
Richest 2% hold half the world's assets (See also Financial
Times article, 12-6-06)
Distribution on
personal wealth is spread unevenly across the world. This article
explains how the richest being two per cent of adults own more than 50 per
cent of the world's assets while the poorest half share only one per cent
of wealth. Click here to read the Press
Release text. (World Institute for Development Economic
Research)
Poverty is growing around the world. (Information Clearing House, 2-17-07) Link to author's site.
POVERTY & ECONOMICS
Social
Mobility in America Lags Behind "Old" Europe
Hertz, an Assistant Professor of Economics at American
University in Washington, DC, takes a scientific and statistical look at
socio-economic mobility in the United States. He finds disturbing
evidence that poverty is on the rise in America and that upward
economic mobility between generations in the United States, long a
heralded advantage of living in this country, lags significantly behind
many developed countries, especially in Western Europe. Read the
full report: "Understanding
Mobility in America" (Center for American Progress, 4-26-06)
Middle-Class
Dream Eludes African American Families
Almost half of African
Americans born to middle-income parents in the late 1960s plunged into
poverty or near-poverty as adults, according to a new study.
(Washington Post, 11-13-07)
U.S.
Census Reports 1 in 8 Americans Live in Poverty (The Times of India,
8-30-06)
Despite having the
world's largest economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, one in eight
Americans and almost one in four blacks lived in poverty in 2005.
Read the official U.S.
Census Bureau Press Release.
THE HEALTH CARE CRISIS IN U.S.
45.8
Million in U.S. Now Lack Health Insurance ( FOX News, 8-30-05)
A Fox News article
from 2005 showing how 15.7% of the U.S. population has no health insurance
whatsoever, and yet the Bush Administration calls for cuts in
Medicaid. Read "Income,
Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States,
2004 America is the only modern state with no national
health insurance, a social program begun over over years ago in Imperial
Germany.
US Health System Ranks Worst in Developed World in New Study (By Agence France Presse posted on Common Dreams, 5-15-07) Link to Report
AIDS
Disaster in Nation's Capital
What's particularly damning is
that a key cause of this has been the banning of a needle exchange program
by the Republicans in Congress. America's capital, unlike other
world capitals, does not have the right to elect members of Congress who
can vote due to conservative politic pressure tactics.
(Washington Post, 12-2-07)
The
Nation's ER Care in Crisis: Capacity, Expertise are Found
Lacking (Washington Post, 6-15-06)
An article posted in the Washington Post in June 2006 which
documents the dangerous collapse of America's emergency health care
system. Should there be a widespread epidemic outbreak or
bio-chemical attack the system could not help! Buy National Academies Reports
and Books.
Medical
Malpractice Kills as Many as 100,000 Americans
Annually (Center for Justice Democracy)
According to the Center for Justice and Democracy, in
a major study released in 1999, the National Academy of Sciences Institute
of Medicine found that up to 98,000 people are killed each year by medical
errors in hospitals -- far more than die from car accidents, breast cancer
or AIDS. Read the "Executive Summary of
To Err is Human" the book which drew national attention to the
crisis.
POLITICS AND RELIGION
Top
Evangelical Leader Discredited in Homosexual Scandal
Tim
Haggard, former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, has
admitted publicly that he has battled a lifelong "sexual problem" (aka
homosexuality), following allegations that he paid a man for sex and asked
the man to procure crystal meth for him. Ironically, perhaps,
Haggard's NAE has been vocal in its support of a so-called "family values"
political agenda which includes a ban on gay-marriage, a policy stance
that clearly conflicts with Haggard's secret life.
(CNN News, 11-6-06)
Claude
Allen, President Bush's Domestic Policy Chief, Charged with Felony
Theft (Washington Post, 3-11-06)
In March 2006, Claude Allen, President George Bush's
top domestic policy adviser, was forced to resign in disgrace after being
charged with felony theft in a scam to defraud Target and Hecht's stores
using returned merchandise he did not purchase at those stores.
Allen's resignation came as a deep disappointment to social conservatives
who believed Allen was "a stalwart for
marriage, for family, for abstinence education and ... unwavering in his
dedication to the things that our constituents value." (See Conservatives
Stunned by Allen's Arrest on Theft Charges)
GOP
Rep. Mark Foley, Chair of House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children,
Resigns Due to Homosexual-Pedophilia Scandal Former
House Representative Mark Foley (R-FL) resigned on September 29, 2006 for
having sent sexually explicit email and instant messages to teenaged boys
(under 18) serving as pages in the U.S. Congress. Foley had made
fighting child pornography a center-piece of his congressional agenda and
in a particularly ironic twist he was serving as chairman of the House
Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children at the time the emails came to
the public's attention. The scandal promises to widen as the Justice
Department investigates Foley and the press continues to question when the
Republican leadership first learned about Foley's conduct. After
all this, "pro-family" Foley now admits he is an active homosexual and
says this was a result of having had sex with a minister. See
story.
(Washington Post, 10-1-06)
Religious Interference in U.S. Sex Education Produces Disaster New York Times 9/6/2008
(See our more detailed report on Iraq.)
U.S.
Invasion is Responsible for Deaths of Over 650,000 Civilians in
Iraq
The estimate is probably low since it is very hard to
count the death toll from the indirect effects of the U.S. invasion.
It also does not count the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed by the
western sanctions before the war. (Washington Post, 10-11-06)
A
Majority of Iraqis Now Approve of Attacks on U.S. Forces
This
story from ABC News details the findings of a recent University of
Maryland study concerning public opinion in Iraq. Some of the
results included "Six in ten Iraqis (60%) approve of
attacks on U.S.-led forces" and "Nearly eight in ten say the U.S. presence
in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it's preventing (as opposed to
being 'a stabilizing force.'). (ABC News, 9-27-06)
Iraqi
Lawmakers Back Bill on U.S. Withdrawal - Washington
Post
Incredibly, the U.S. Congress just passed a bill
opposing the wishes of the majority of the Iraqi Congress, who
demanded a date for U.S. withdrawal.
(Washington Post, 5-11-07)
Bush surge opposed by Iraqi Prime Minister. (Washington Post, 1-21-07)
Al Qaeda
supports Bush's plans to keep U.S. Troops in Iraq
This article speaks for itself. Bush's
invasion of Iraq has been the best thing that ever happened to Al
Quaeda. (The Christian Science Monitor, 10-6-06)
U.S. Military opposes Bush's handling of war. New poll of soldiers by respected military publication. (The Seattle Times, 12-30-06)
Military Families Disapprove President Bush and his handling of the War in Iraq (By The Los Angeles Times posted on Common Dreams, 12-7-07)
"Iraqi Parliament
Speaker, Defended by White House, States Killing American Soldiers is
Praiseworthy (Think Progress Web Site, 7-25-06)
Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, the Speaker of the Iraqi
Parliament, has stated that "America didn't come to the country for our
sake. America came with a pure Zionist agenda. He
added, “I personally think whoever kills an American soldier in
defense of his country would have a statue built for him in that
country.” (Also see complaint by
Congressman John Larson concerning this statement) This from a
man who White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten believes has an “appreciation for the sacrifice so many Americans have
made.” This comment came several weeks after President George
Bush said he was "impressed" by Mashhadani.
Top Iraqi "moderate" leader, Mr. Hakim, who is praised by Bush, refuses to condemn Holocaust denial or calls for Israel's destruction. This story is truly stranger than fiction. Read actual CNN transcript if you are skeptical. (Interview is in middle of program transcript.)
Saddam's
Alleged Al-Qaeda Ties Were Disproved Before the War
In new
major report U.S. intelligence analysts and members of the Senate Select
Intelligence Committee found no links between Saddam Hussein and
al-Qaeda while senior Bush administration officials publicly asserted
those links to justify invading Iraq. (Washington Post, 9-9-06)
Cold-Blooded
Carnage is Soaring in "Free" Iraq
Death squads and terrorists have
increased attacks on civilians in Iraq, killing more than 1,600 people in
cold-blooded "execution-style" slayings in July 2006 alone.
(CNN News, 9-1-06)
10 % of all Iraqis have fled the nightmare created by Bush (Washington Post, 2-4-07)
Women's rights curtailed as Iraq moves towards religious extremism. (Washington Post, 12-16-06)
Iraqi Prime Minister says Iraq can take care of itself without U.S. troops. (Al Jazeera Web Site, 7-15-07)
Key adviser to Prime Minister condemns U.S. troops for human rights violations (International Herald Tribune, 7-14-07)
Realistic ABC News Video on U.S. troops in combat. (ABC News, 7-16-07)
Unembedded: A great book on the war in Iraq
Another independent journalist's view (Asia Times, 5-2-07)
Perpectives on the War
William Odom, Former Director of U.S. National Security Agency (Nieman Watchdog Web Site)
William Lind, U.S. Military Analyst (The Free Congress Commentary, 11-26-07)
U.S. Government Official Statements
Defend America
The
official Department of Defense web site for the war on terror, including
Afghanistan and Iraq.
Triumph
of Free Market Economics: Afghanistan Leads the World Again in Heroin
Production
The triumph of free market economics in post-Taliban
Afghanistan has translated into that country once again becoming the
world's leading producer of heroin since the U.S. invasion in autumn
2001. Tight Taliban control over the country had led to an estimated
95% decline in opium cultivation by 2001 (See BBC
Report). However, since the overthrow of the Taliban opium
production has skyrocketed. U.S. officials blame the Taliban but
this is not at all clear and the majority of the money may be going to
political friends of the current government. (CBC News, 7-5-07)
President Hamid Karzai's Brother Is Being Accused Of Heroin Trade (Financial Times, 10-4-08)
Opium
now produces 50% of Afghan economy
This new UN report
raises more questions about the dependence of the Karzai government
on opium and heroin. (CNN News, 11-17-07)
U.S. Government Official Statements
Defend America
The
official Department of Defense web site for the war on terror, including
Afghanistan and Iraq.
The term "war on terror" as used by President Bush is really not a correct term. The overwhelming majority of people who have been killed by "terror" in the last 100 years have been killed by state terror not terror perpetuated by those not in power. Mr. Bush's plan is not concerned at all about that. Indeed, his plan actually creates a system of state terror by using torture to enforce state authority.
Human Rights Issues
Human
Rights Watch Report on U.S. Use of Torture June 2006
(PDF)
An updated Human Rights Watch study documenting the use of
torture and renditions (secret detentions) against terror suspects.
UN
Condemns U.S. Human Rights Record in War on Terror
The U.N. Human
Rights Committee issued a strongly worded critique of the U.S.
government’s rights record at home and abroad, which reflects a growing
international consensus that the U.S. is violating basic human rights
norms. (Human Rights News, 7-28-06)
Bush
Admits to the Existence of Secret CIA Prisons and Defends
Them (By NBC News posted on Information Clearing House, 9-6-06)
Years after significant evidence surfaced that the CIA was
running illegal, secret prisons outside of the U.S., President Bush
finally admits to their existence. Read President
Bush's comments here.
New Dangers of Terrorism
Biotechnology and Biological Warfare. Chilling news of how even smallpox might be created by biotechnology. (Washington Post, 7-31-06)
Home-made bombs are easy to build. Internet search engines turn up hundreds of sites that even include information on how to make an atom bomb. Here is a popular site. (Bomb Shock Web Site)
U.S. Government Official Statements
President
Bush Officially Admits the Existence of Secret CIA Prisons
After
denying their existence since 2003, President Bush admits in this speech
of September 6, 2006 that secret CIA prisons exist outside of the U.S.
(The White House, 9-6-06)
President
Bush Discusses the Global War on Terror
A speech delivered by
President Bush at the White House on September 5, 2006, including detailed
commentary on the goals of al Qaeda and other Islamic extremists.
(The White House, 9-5-06)
Defend America
The
official Department of Defense web site for the war on terror, including
Afghanistan and Iraq.
EU and European Unification
European Leaders signed a new treaty to reshape the EU and streamline decision-making (CNN News, 12-13-07)
Germany's conservative leader calls for EU Army. This story has been largely ignored but it represents a truly revolutionary development that will further set the stage for Europe becoming a world military giant. Click here for article. (Spiegel Web Site, 5-23-07)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wants to Create European Naval Unit (Spiegel, 6-16-08)
Politicians Urge Removal of US Nuclear Weapons From Germany (DW-World, 6-23-08)
ISRAEL, THE PALESTINIANS, AND THE WAR IN LEBANON
Jimmy Carter's New Book "Palestine Peace Not
Apartheid". (CBS News, 11-28-06)
His strong
title has angered many Israel sympathizers, as Carter compares Israeli
policies to the former racial policies of the Republic of South
Africa. He also states the occupation of Palestinian land
contradicts the peace agreement he brokered between Egypt and Israel and
also violates United Nations resolutions.
Jimmy Carter, Former President Says The U.S. Government Has Been Too
Submissive To Israel (Where to buy the book? Check out Amazon.com)
Desmond
Tutu Likens Israeli Actions to Apartheid
South African
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu compares conditions in Palestine to those
in South Africa under apartheid, and called on Israelis to try and change
them. (By Inter Press Service posted on Common Dreams web site,
10-29-07)
New Poll Reveals How Unrepresentative Neocon Jewish Groups Are (By Salon.com posted by Common Dreams, 12-12-07) This shows that the American Jewish community has major reservations about ideas such the decision to attack Iraq in 2003. Link to report. 2007 Annual Survey of American Jewish Opinion - American Jewish Committee
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA
Tutu Has Called Israel's Blockade Of The Gaza Strip An "Abomination" (Common Dreams, 5-29-08)
Eight British-Based Aid Agencies and Human Rights Groups has Described the Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip as the Worst in 40 Years (Spiegel, 3-6-08)
Israel Creates
Humanitarian Disaster in Gaza (Counter Punch Web Site, 7-4-06)
Israel's invasion of Gaza in the
summer of 2006 resulted in tremendous damage to the area's already shaky
infrastructure. Electric power and supplies of drinking water have
been cut to hundreds of thousands of people in an area that is already one
of the world's most impoverished. A
Los Angeles Times article on this subject.
(Information Clearing House Web Site, 9-23-07)
UN
Official says Israel's Siege of Gaza Breeds Extremism and Human
Suffering
A senior United Nations official has issued and
unprecedented appeal to British MPs to use their influence to try to
alleviate the impact of "indiscriminate" and "illegal" Israeli sanctions
in Gaza which display "profound inhumanity" and are "serving the agenda of
extremists". (Information Clearing House Web Site, 11-23-07)
Israeli
Bombing Creates Lebanon's Worst Environmental Disaster
When Israeli
jets struck a power plant in Beirut in July 2006, it resulted in the
dumping of 15,000 tons of oil along Lebanon's Mediterranean Sea. It
is the largest environmental crisis in the country's history.
(National Geographic News, 7-31-06)
Video on Gaza
Gaza's Reality - Video 5 minutes (Information Clearing House)
Keeping
Palestinians Poor and Without Electricity
During
Israeli-Palestinian violence in summer of 2006, the only electric power
plant in Gaza was bombed by the Israeli air force. This plant, which
supplied power to 65% of the population of the Gaza Strip, also drives the
desalination facilities that provide locals with their only potable
water. Tens of thousands of people were thus left without easy
access to either fresh water or electricity in the middle of the Middle
East summer. (Counter Punch Web Site, 7-3-06)
A global debate is raging about "fascism". Many Europeans regard U.S. President Bush as a fascist. In return, President Bush claims that he is fighting Islamic "fascism". A particularly troubling problem for President Bush on top of all the other problems he is facing at home and abroad is the fact that a former prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials (somebody who knows something about real fascism) has stated that Mr. Bush should be put on trial as a war criminal.
Bush and Saddam
should Both Stand Trial, Says Former Nuremberg Prosecutor
This
article details comments made by Benjamin Ferencz, a former U.S.
prosecutor at the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, who argues that according
to the standards of international law established after World War II,
George Bush should be tried for launching an "aggressive war" against Iraq
in 2003. (One World News, 8-25-06)
Europeans
See U.S. Under Bush as Primary Threat to Global Stability
Recent
polling done by the Angus Reid Global Scan concludes that 30% of Europeans
see the United States as the biggest threat to global stability, far
surpassing Iran (23%), China (15%), and North Korea (14%). (Angus
Reid Global Monitor, 9-5-06)
Reclaiming
the Issues: Islamic or Republican Fascism?
The article states
that Neo-Conservative policies, as exemplified by the Bush Administration,
are ideologically closer to historical Fascism than the "Islamic Fascists"
that the administration argues it is fighting. (Common Dreams Web
Site, 8-28-06)
U.S. Government Official Remarks
President
Bush: The U.S. is at War with 'Islamic Fascists'
Comments made by
President Bush in early August 2006 concerning the U.S. war against
"Islamic Fascism." (CNN News, 8-10-06)
DANGEROUS NEW IDEAS FROM ADVOCATES OF AMERICAN IMPERIALISM
Arming
Japan with Nuclear Weapons
Columnist Charles Krauthammer, an
advocate for the use of torture against terror suspects, writes that the
new right-wing government of Japan, which embraces Japan's militaristic
past, should be armed with nuclear weapons in response to the testing of a
small nuclear device by North Korea. This despite the fact that
Japan is already protected by treaty under the U.S. nuclear weapons
umbrella. (Washington Post, 10-20-06)
Iran:
The Next War
This revealing and detailed article documents the
manipulation of intelligence information in order to bolster a case for
a U.S. invasion of Iran. (Rolling Stone, 7-24-06)
DECLINE OF AMERICA'S IDEAS AND THE RISE OF AUTHORITARIAN IDEAS
The significance of China's political system in the world. A very thought-provoking article from Germany's Der Spiegel on the paradox that today's modern, supposedly "free enterprise" "democratic" "new order" is based on a totalitarianian state that has a closer relationship in terms of political and economic theory to Mussolini's Italy than modern democratic systems. Click here for article. (Spiegel Web Site, 2-27-07)
China's Neo Fascist System Becoming a Model to Many (Washington Post, 5-20-07)
An Interesting Article About Today's Global Power And Authority (Foreign Affairs, 8-7-07)
Russia and China Chart their own Course, their Political Elites are Pursuing an Alternative to the Prevailing Western Model (Financial Times, 1-8-08)
China's Next-Generation Nationalists (Los Angeles Times, 5-6-08)
A New Approach to Capitalism in the 21st Century VIDEO (World Economic Forum, 1-24-08)
THE CONTINUING LEGACY OF WESTERN IMPERIALISM
Running The World; Asia Makes Reform of International Institutions A Priority For The West (The Economist, 7-3-08)
THE STUPIDITY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
American people are appallingly ignorant of international affairs. (Salon Web Site, 9-27-01)
Just How Stupid Are We?: Facing the Truth About the American Voter: Rick Shenkman
GENERAL ARTICLES
Islamic
Militants are Defeating U.S. Technology Five Years after
9/11
An excellent article by respected Pakistani journalist
Ahmed Rashid on the ways in which the West's military response to Islamic
radicalism has been failing. High technology is no substitute for
ideas and the human element. (Washington Post, 9-11-06)
Ukraine President Victor Yuschenko wants Israel to Recognize the Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 as Genocide (Baltimore Jewish Times, 11-14-07) Past political crimes haunt the present and the future.
Major
film in Japan glorifies Kamikazes.
Japan, unlike Germany, has
not totally repudiated its actions in World War II. Indeed,
Japanese Prime Ministers worship at the Yasakuni Shrine where many of
Japan's World War II leaders are commemorated in spite of vehement
protests from nations like China and Korea. (Reuters Web Site,
5-12-07)
Just recently, a new film has been made with the active support of Japan's popular Governor of Tokyo that glorifies the Kamizazes. This article speaks for itself.
Rebirth of Paganism in Africa. A very interesting article from Germany's Der Spiegel showing that Christianity is fading. Certainly the record has been a sorry one in recent years. Congo and Rwanda were the African nations with the highest percentage of Christians. Click here for article. (Spiegel Web Site, 2-7-07)
Our Big Government Gets Back To The Basics (The American Prospect, 6-9-08)