Politics
The Roots of Anti-Americanism by Sam Vaknin
The United States is one of the last remaining land empires. That it is made the butt of opprobrium and odium is hardly surprising, or unprecedented. Empires - Rome, the British, the Ottomans - were always targeted by the disgruntled, the disenfranchised and the dispossessed and by their self-appointed delegates, the intelligentsia.
Yet, even by historical standards, America seems to ... continue
The Disunited Nations by Sam Vaknin
Arab nations plan to table a resolution at the United Nations General Assembly condemning the U.S.-British led `invasion` and `occupation` of Iraq and calling for immediate troop withdrawal. A similar effort at the Security Council last week failed, doomed by the veto powers of both alleged aggressors.
This is not likely to endear the organization to the Bush administration whose haw ... continue
Redefining Insurance Fraud: On Managed Care by Robert Levin
Want to hear MY definitions of `insurance fraud?? I`ll tell you anyway.
Insurance fraud is when an HMO sells you a policy at an exorbitant rate and then finds all manner of ways to frustrate your pursuit of benefits.
Insurance fraud is when an HMO impedes access to procedures and specialists by requiring further `review` or `investigation.?
Insurance fraud is when ... continue
M.A.D. About Nukes by Ed Howes
Every living person and every one to come has the right to have and use any weapon that may be used against them. The only way to prevent pre emptive strikes is for opponents to agree to a simultaneous strike, which seldom happens. Who doubts that the defense policy of Mutually Assured Destruction prevented war between the Soviet Union/Russia and the U.S. for 50 years? Who would argue that ... continue
Tales Of Hollywood And Politics by Stephen Schochet
Arnold Schwarzenegger`s surprise announcement that he was seeking the California Governorship brought to mind the many times Hollywood figures have been involved in politics. Here are some related anecdotes:
When actors first came to Hollywood there were signs put up in front of hotels and apartments that said no dogs or actors allowed, with the performers ruefully complaining about ... continue
The Ironies Of MASH by Stephen Schochet
The TV show MASH ran for 11 years taking nearly every opportunity to bash the US involvement with the Korean War, which was actually an allegory for Vietnam. Many episodes showed a moral relativism between the US side and the communists, the doctors(with the exception of Frank Burns) made no distinction between the wounded and often talked about declaring the war a tie so they could go home ... continue
A Chat with Osama by Ed Howes
After speaking with Saddam, I was not especially surprised to hear from Osama. He did not care to speak with me off the record and wanted me to record and publish our conversation. He said he could no longer imagine talking to any American in a position of authority. He said he had been trying to do that for more than twenty years and the response was always; who are you that we should lis ... continue
A Chat with Saddam by Ed Howes
He never did say why he chose to call me, but for the past few months I have enjoyed some rather lively chats with Saddam. He said he has been wanting to speak to America and the rest of the world and he should only have to call one of us. He said he could have published his thoughts on the Internet, but he prefers the give and take of conversation. Our early conversations were personal en ... continue
The Plan for Iraq by Ed Howes
When I allow my trained attack dog out of the yard to run the streets, I am responsible for any damage the dog does. The Bible says so and modern statutory law says so. Careless dog owners are locked in American prisons today. When Congress turned America`s President loose, Congress became responsible for the consequences. But you would never know that to hear them tell it.
The Con ... continue
Chasing Shadows! A Dream by Arthur Zulu
I feel the earth under my feet shake, and the explosions deafen my ears. Day change to night as the thick dark smoke obscures visibility for hours. And I begin to see death with my naked eyes. But after all the shootings and bombings, the smoke clears at last. And we expect to see seven dead devils: Hatred, Oppression, Frustration, Injustice, Mistrust, Fear, and Enmity.
But there th ... continue
Saddham Hussein: Not Yet Uhuru by Arthur Zulu
So Saddham Hussein--the `sadman of Iraq,` murderer, and possessor of weapons of mass destruction--is finally caught like a rat. He was hiding in a `spider hole,` in a farm near his hometown of Tikrit, not far from one of the palatial palaces that he had built for himself by the River Tigris. And everyone is raising a high five and slapping each other`s back with the misguided belief ... continue
The Chinese Bin Laden: The terrorist leader China forgot by Stephen Sullivan
On December 15, the People`s Republic of China commenced a series of press releases on `Uygur Terrorism` in which they `publicly` and for the `first time` identified Uygur organisations and individuals that they claim to be terrorists.
The Uygur are a Turkic/Muslim ethnic group numbering some 7 million who live mainly in the economically and strategically important north western bor ... continue
Earthquake Diplomacy by Arthur Zulu
Earthquake Diplomacy
Relief materials cannot bring peace (Satire)
It is good to send aid to quake victims. But it cannot stop the terrorists and the nukes.
What the people of Bam didn`t suffer in the hands of the leaders of the `rogue state` of Iran, was inflicted on them by an earthquake. So the city of about 80,000 souls had her population reduced by half by the fatefu ... continue
Two Party Madness by Ed Howes
Mathematics suggests that a two party political system should be twice as good as a one party system. The reality is multiplication. One times one = two. A couple, dancing as one. Republicrats and Democans in a blurring identity crisis.
The disenfranchised sit out this dance and pray for miracles. We ignore a simple and obvious political solution and exit from the two party merry- ... continue
We are Going to Live on Mars by Arthur Zulu
Good news is hard to come by these days. But alas there is one. Man will soon be living on the red planet Mars.
The Journey started on a good foot. The space rocket Spirit successfully landed on the planet. It began photographing and digging up Mars and sending messages back to the earth that will soon be vacated. And there is back slapping and clicking of glasses as we drin ... continue
The 25 Fallacies of President Bush`s State of the Union Address on Terrorism ( Part 1 ) by Arthur Zulu
On 20 January 2004, George Bush Jr. the President of the United States gave his last (?) State of the Union Address. In this article, I will point out 25 fallacies of the speech on the war on terror.
Fallacy 1. `By bringing hope to the oppressed and delivering justice to the violent, [the American servicemen and women] are making America more secure.` Apologists of the war on ... continue
The 25 Fallacies of President Bush`s State of the Union Address on Terrorism ( Part 2 ) by Arthur Zulu
Fallacy 11. `We are working with Iraqis and the United Nations to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June.... The killers will fail, and the people of Iraq will live in freedom.` There is no full sovereign country on this earth. Because the small powers—the minnows are perpetually living under the shadows of the big powers—the tritons. In the book, ... continue
How the Weapons Disappeared by George Bush by Arthur Zulu
Fiction. That literary genre, supposed to be for dreamers, is growing fast. Not in the number of writers churning out fairy tales, but even among politicians?first citizens. And the number one citizen of the world for that matter?the President of the United States!
Not that George Bush actually wrote an epic novel. But what he told Fox News recently, if crafted into a story, ... continue
The Tragedy of Cyprus -rescue by US marines of FBIS staff in a military coup by A. Djev. Basharan
THE TRAGEDY OF C Y P R U S
~by A. Djev. Basharan (1974)
-author & formerly of the FBIS
A memory of the day of a military coup
I had gone through this before. But it was not accompanied by bombs, shells, and bombardment, and the war was not waged right on top of us or around us.
The coup which ousted President Makarios took place on a Monday morning. Shells dropped ... continue
Socrates, Politics and Axe Murder: A Look At Gay Marriage by Maya Talisman Frost
This week, I attended a reading by Christopher Phillips. He is the author of Socrates` Caf?: A Fresh Taste of
Philosophy, and has been described as the `Johnny Appleseed of philosophy` because of his penchant for starting meaningful dialogues with groups around the world.
He was in town to promote his newest book, Six Questions for Socrates: A Modern-Day Journey of Discovery Thr ... continue
First Previous listings 61 to 80 of 356 Next Last