contributions

WASHINGTON - One hot, dusty day in June, Col. Ted Westhusing was found dead in a trailer at a military base near the Baghdad airport, a single gunshot wound to the head.
The Army would conclude that he committed suicide with his service pistol. At the time, he was the highest-ranking officer to die in Iraq.
The Army closed its case. But the questions surrounding Westhusing’s death continue.
Westhusing, 44, was no ordinary officer. He was one of the Army’s leading scholars of military (…)

I am writing to you, regarding the Iraqis detained by USA troops and the Iraqi security forces. The USA troops have more than 13500 detainees in Abu-Graib, Bucca and (16) other locations. The Iraqi security forces have tens of thousands of detainees. The majority of those were detained without any charge. They were deprived from the Wright to contact lawyers. The Red Cross and Iraqi Red Crescent organizations are not allowed to visit the detainees.
In light of the above facts, you are (…)

A sign, required by law, warns of a pesticide application of methyl bromide on a field near Watsonville, Calif., Aug. 12, 2005. The pesticide is used to fumigate the soil as preparation for strawberry planting. The U.S. continues to permit the methyl bromide to be used despite signing an international treaty that banned its use by 2005. Its survival demonstrates the difficulty of banishing a chemical that is a powerful toxin but that also helps deliver abundant, pest-free and affordable (…)

A "trophy" video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal.
The video has sparked concern that private security companies, which are not subject to any form of regulation either in Britain or in Iraq, could be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of innocent Iraqis.
The video, which first appeared on a website that has been linked unofficially to (…)

Iran’s hard-line president called for the Bush administration to be tried on war crimes charges related to Iraq and denounced the West for its stance on Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, state-run television reported today.
“You, who have used nuclear weapons against innocent people, who have used uranium ordnance in Iraq should be tried as war criminals in courts,” Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an apparent reference to the US.
Ahmadinejad didn’t elaborate, but he was apparently (…)

What is missing from the debate over withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq? Any discussion of what the Iraqi people themselves want.
The opinions of those most affected by the war count most. So a nationwide referendum should be conducted in Iraq on the question of whether U.S. troops should stay or go, in which every Iraqi can vote directly on this question.
Some polls have asked Iraqis specifically about the presence of U.S. troops, and guess what: They want us to leave.
A February (…)

SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Observed By Peter Fredson
For Amusement Purposes Only
November 27, 2005
While roaming the internet daily, when I find an amusing or cogent sign I jot it down. Here is my latest collection:
CAUTION: AUTOMATIC DOOR (PUSH TO OPERATE)
ALL DEPLETED URANIUM GOING CHEAP.
CAUTION, REPUBLICAN CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AHEAD, DO NOT PICK UP HITCHHIKERS.
ANTIQUE DIVINATIONS MADE HERE DAILY.
DRIVE RECKLESS! IT HELPS DICK CHENEY’S BUSINESS!
BUSH LEARN TO READ PROGRAM: (…)

A Spinwatch investigation has revealed that journalists working for the Services Sound and Vision Corporation (SSVC) have been commissioned to provide news reports to the BBC. The BBC has been using these reports as if they were genuine news. In fact, the SSVC is entirely funded by the Ministry of Defence as a propaganda operation, which according to its own website makes a ’considerable contribution’ to the ’morale’ of the armed forces.
In the US, Washington has been rocked by the scandal (…)

[Introduction by Tom Engelhardt: It didn’t take long for the war crimes to begin — in Afghanistan, in Guantánamo, in Iraq. By November 2003, Mike Davis was writing about them for Tomdispatch. And in introducing his piece, "The Scalping Party," I suggested that the seeds of our future were well-planted and already beginning to sprout their monstrous crop. I wrote on that November 14th, over a year and a half ago:
"Operation Iron Hammer" just went into its second night in Baghdad with the (…)

Original at http://commonwonders.com/archives/col321.htm Poll Shock Off by 40 points, newspaper’s predictions may be disturbingly accurate
By ROBERT C. KOEHLER Tribune Media Services
November 24, 2005
One of the most wildly inaccurate pre-election polls in memory, which was off by over 40 points on some predictions, may prove to be deadly accurate as an indicator of the problems we face as a nation with our voting process - and democracy itself.
But you won’t learn this by reading (…)