Titanic Post

Ron Paul simply spoke truth

by Bryan Hyde Printed in The Spectrum May 21, 2007

It must be a sign of the times. A presidential candidate was recently shouted down in a televised debate for saying something that was patently offensive to the other candidates and the media talking heads - the truth. Not surprisingly, the offender was Congressman Ron Paul and the truth to which he spoke was the unintended consequences of heavy-handed foreign policy decisions on the part of the federal government. (more…)

By Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar
Alternet May 21, 2007, Printed on May 21, 2007

Last week, a majority of Iraqi lawmakers demanded a timetable for U.S. and other foreign troops to leave their country. The very next day, the Al Fadhila party, a Shi’ite party considered moderate by the (often arbitrary) standards of the commercial media, held a press conference, in which they offered a 23-point plan for stabilizing Iraq.

The plan addressed not only the current situation in Iraq — acknowledging the legitimacy of Iraqi resistance, setting a timetable for a complete withdrawal of occupation troops and rebuilding the Iraqi government and security forces in a non-sectarian fashion — but also the challenging mission of post-occupation peace-building and national reconciliation. It included provisions for disbanding militias, protecting Iraq’s unity, managing Iraq’s natural resources, building relationships with other countries based on mutual interest and the principle of non-intervention in domestic issues, and healing the wounds of more than 30 years of dictatorship, war, sanctions, and foreign occupation.

An online search shows that the peace plan was largely ignored by the Western commercial media. Read entire article >>

Dear John,

(From Raed in the Middle)

I read about your latest trip to Baghdad in articles like McCain, in Baghdad, says city is safer than before, McCain lauds security during Baghdad visit, and McCain Sees Improvement in Iraq.

I’m sure you wanted to stage a “shopping in Baghdad” spree to show us how great and safe Baghdad is, and to encourage more Americans to go do their Shopping in downtown Baghdad, but I’m not sure your plan has worked. (more…)

By Howard Zinn
Progressive May 2007 Issue

As I write this, Congress is debating timetables for withdrawal from Iraq. In response to the Bush Administration’s “surge” of troops, and the Republicans’ refusal to limit our occupation, the Democrats are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months. And it seems they expect the anti-war movement to support them.

That was suggested in a recent message from MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, “like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.” (more…)