Category: Obama Administration

Real Peace-Making Needed for Gaza

Some Israeli leaders joke about their periodic slaughter of Gazans as “mowing the grass,” a chore that needs regular repeating. Though a ceasefire has stopped the killing for now, real peace-making is needed to stop Israel from bringing out the…

If a Genocide Falls in the Forest

Chilling words of ethnic hatred and even genocide uttered by prominent Israelis were the political backdrop for Israel’s military offensive against Gaza, which killed more than 1,800 people including many children, writes David Swanson.

The Fire Sale of the Post Offices

In an earlier time, U.S. post offices were more than just places to mail letters. They were noble structures, symbols of democracy, stone-and-mortar testimony to the value of community. But many are now neglected and up for sale, laments Gray…

The Long Reach of Vietnam War Deceptions

America’s war in Vietnam, which was authorized by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution a half century ago, had lasting consequences for the nation, including deeper public distrust of government and government’s determination to restrict the people’s right to know, as…

How LBJ Was Deceived on Gulf of Tonkin

As war hawks today push President Obama into more and more confrontations, there is an echo from a half century ago when Vietnam War hawks manipulated President Johnson into a bombing campaign in retaliation for the phony Gulf of Tonkin incident,…

Israel’s Bloody but Hollow ‘Victory’

Exclusive: Israeli officials claim they have dealt Hamas a punishing blow through a month-long military campaign that killed more than 1,800 Gazans, including many children. But the “victory” may come back to haunt Israel in the revulsion sweeping Europe and…

Likening Palestinians to Blades of Grass

From the Archive: As Israel’s Operation Protective Edge winds down with more than 1,700 Gazans  mostly civilians dead, Israeli leaders may feel they’ve finished a recurring chore, “mowing the grass” to eliminate troublesome Palestinians, as ex-CIA analyst Elizabeth Murray observed in 2012.

US/Israeli Hypocrisy on Human Rights

After World War II, the U.S. government was the champion of international law and human rights, but a selective application of those rules  shielding U.S. actions and those of allies like Israel has made a mockery of these universal principles,…

Are US Banks Still ‘Too Big to Fail’?

The U.S. economy’s long slog back from the 2008 financial crisis has tried to ignore the looming question of whether a repeat is likely. Some economists think the Dodd-Frank reforms have largely ended “too big to fail” risk-taking but others…

Gaza’s Desperate ‘Prison Riot’

The noble traditions of Judaism stressing justice for the downtrodden are being soiled by the endless cruelties that Israel and its current leaders heap on the Palestinians, including the latest slaughter of more than 1,700 Gazans, many of them children, a moral…