I thought this was a hoax, but apparently it is true: The proposal came from the Air Force’s Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, which requested $7.5 million to develop a so-called "gay-bomb." Using the Freedom of Information Act, Edward Hammond, director of the U.S. office of the Sunshine Project, obtained a copy which was "part of a military effort to … Read More
Court Believes In That Thing Called The Constitution
Good decision: President George W. Bush cannot order the military to seize and indefinitely detain a Qatari national and suspected al Qaeda operative, the only person being held in the United States as an "enemy combatant," an appeals court ruled on Monday. In a major setback for Bush’s policies in the war on terrorism adopted after the September 11 attacks, … Read More
Homophobia Kills
I wonder what is more important — getting the terrorists or discriminating against gays? For some on the right, the answer apparently is the latter. At least, that’s the national policy. An excellant op-ed in the New York Times makes this point: IMAGINE for a moment an American soldier deep in the Iraqi desert. His unit is about to head … Read More
Malkin = Fearmongerer
Excitable rightwing blogger and occasional-Bill-O’Reilly-substitute-on-Fox Michelle Malkin castigates NY Mayor Bloomberg and New Yorkers in general for being "ostriches" about the whole foiled JFK bombing plot. What set Malkin off? This quote from Bloomberg: "There are lots of threats to you in the world. There’s the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can’t sit there and worry … Read More
“Verschärfte Vernehmung”
Earlier this month, the Republican contenders for President were asked a debate question by moderator Brit Hume: Imagine, Hume told the candidates, that hundreds of Americans have been killed in three major suicide bombings and "a fourth attack has been averted when the attackers were captured … and taken to Guantanamo…. U.S. intelligence believes that another, larger attack is planned…. … Read More
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Up until only a few weeks ago, Price Floyd was the media affairs director at the U.S. State Department. Now that he’s left that post, he reflects back on why the United States has failed to convince the world of the virtues of U.S. foreign policy. It’s not for lack of trying — U.S. state department officials have been on … Read More
Flypaper Theory Rebuked
In 2003, then-war-supporter Andrew Sullivan wrote: One of the many layers of the arguments for invading Iraq focused on the difficulties of waging a serious war on terror from a distant remove. Being based in Iraq helpsus notonly because of actual bases; but because the American presence there diverts terrorist attention away from elsewhere. By confronting them directly in Iraq, … Read More
On Jihadists
Like Glenn Greenwald, I am getting increasingly tired of the Malkin-types who make it their daily mission to try to scare everybody into thinking that Muslims — even American Muslins — are all hell-bent on committing acts of terrorists. If an imam prays to Mecca before boarding a plane in some remote airport, the right wing punditry — Rush, Malkin, … Read More
The Rush To Fight, And The Consequences
Yup. Another "What Digby Said" moment: The Bush administration and its neocon muses have long said that the most dangerous thing the US could do would be to give the terrorists a victory by "proving" that we don’t have the ballocks to stand and fight. They firmly believe that a failure to kick ass and take names, going all the … Read More
The Fort Dix “Terrorists” In A Nutshell
CNN: WASHINGTON (CNN) — The federal government charged five alleged Islamic radicals with plotting to kill U.S. soldiers at Fort Dix in New Jersey. A sixth was charged with aiding and abetting the illegal possession of firearms by three of the others. "The philosophy that supports and encourages jihad around the world against Americans came to live here in New … Read More
Supporting The Troops
Right-wing pundit Dick Morris explains it all on Fox News. It seems that we need to have our soldiers in Iraq – to be killed. Yes, if we give al Qaeda fresh young American bodies there, they won’t kill Americans here: MORRIS: I think that withdrawal from Iraq — it obviously gives al Qaeda a huge victory. Huge victory. On … Read More
As It Happened
Just discovered the 9/11 Television Archives, which has the actual unedited TV broadcasts of the attack on the WTC, starting around 8:30ish that morning. Kind of odd to watch Charles Gibson talk with Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, knowing that in less than 20 minutes, the world would change.
True News or Onion Parody?
You decide: Extended overseas deployments affecting soldiers serving in Afghanistan and other locales overseen by U.S. Central Command should help to alleviate the stress on the Army, a senior U.S. officer in Afghanistan told Pentagon reporters today. *** The tour extensions will provide more predictability and stability for soldiers and their families, [Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno] said….. Answer … Read More
U.S. Government Funding an al-Qaeda-Related Terrorist Group
This seems like a bad idea: In the years since 9/11, al-Qaeda as a centrally controlled organization has been largely crushed. Its core leadership has been reduced from several thousand to several hundred, its ability to mount large-scale attacks has been seriously degraded, and it has evolved into something closer to a franchise operation than a single coherent group. According … Read More
Remains Of 9-11 Victims Used To Fill Potholes
I’m speechless: The pulverized remains of bodies from the World Trade Center disaster site were used by city workers to fill ruts and potholes, a city contractor says in a sworn affidavit filed Friday in Manhattan Federal Court. Eric Beck says debris powders – known as fines – were put in a pothole-fill mixture by crews at the Fresh Kills … Read More