By David Swanson

FACT CHECK: Is Iraq combat really over for US?
By CALVIN WOODWARD and ROBERT BURNS (AP)
WASHINGTON — Despite President Barack Obama’s declaration Tuesday of an end to the combat mission in Iraq, combat almost certainly lies ahead. And in asserting the U.S. has met its responsibilities in Iraq, the president opened the door wide to a debate about the meaning of success in the muddle that most — but not all — American troops are leaving behind. A look at read more

By David Swanson

This coming March 19th we’ll have two occasions to mark. One will be the start of the ninth year of occupying Iraq. And, if my math is correct, within a few days of that anniversary we’ll reach the point at which the Democratic House of Representatives and Senate have funded more days of occupying Iraq than those chambers did when they had a Republican majority. In funding days of occupying Afghanistan, the Democrats already have a big lead in the Senate but trail read more

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By David Swanson

As news stories are leading those still aware of the war on Iraq to believe it’s over, it was encouraging to see Busboys and Poets restaurant in Washington, D.C., packed Sunday evening for a four-hour forum on actions needed to actually end that war, make reparations, and deter future wars of aggression. The event was advertised with the following description:

“Is the U.S. military really leaving Iraq or just rebranding? What is the toll of seven years of occupation read more

By David Swanson

Pretending to end a war and occupation, while stationing 50,000 soldiers, 18,000 mercenaries, and 84,000 support contractors in massive and permanent military bases in Iraq is a far cry from what candidate Barack Obama described as ending “the mind-set that got us into war in the first place.” It fits better with Nobel Peace laureate Obama’s description of war as “not only necessary but morally justified.”

Over the past 20 years, the United States read more

By David Swanson

If I’m going to properly confess my sins, I’ll need to start at the beginning. In the beginning were the campaign promises, and let’s just say that only flies and loyal partisans could stand the smell of them.

“I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank.” Thus read more

By David Swanson

I expected to be disappointed by “Green Zone”. I mean the movie, not the chunk of Baghdad we’ve spent seven years and trillions of dollars killing over a million people to steal for an “embassy” containing 21 buildings on 104 acres. I’d been told that this movie was Matt Damon actually following the guidance of his teacher Howard Zinn. I’d been told this was a movie to expose the war lies. I remained dubious.

And then I finally got a chance read more

By David Swanson

Andrew Bacevich’s new book, “Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War,” is a good summary of the past 65 years’ worth of war thinking in Washington, D.C. “Prior to World War II,” he writes, “Americans by and large viewed military power and institutions with skepticism, if not outright hostility. In the wake of World War II, that changed. An affinity for military might emerged as central to the American identity.” read more

By David Swanson

On Tuesday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill already passed by the Senate that funds a $33 billion, 30,000-troop escalation in Afghanistan. The vote was 308 to 114. What could the good news possibly be?

The first good news is that, while we had no more than 35 congress members who would vote against war funding a year ago, or perhaps 55 when it was an easy vote with no pressure, we’ve now got 114. That’s serious progress. That’s a far read more

The United States today may be the planet’s greatest ever war maker, but the wars are fought, the bases maintained, and the weapons manufactured against the will of the majority of U.S. citizens. We express our opposition to wars openly in ways that could not be done at all until around 1880, and in so doing we almost certainly prevent more war making and limit the tactics our government can employ. In fact, if wars were still fought in the way the U.S. Civil War was fought, with armies read more

Here's where the hypocrisy hits the highway.  On July 1st, 162 congress members voted to require a withdrawal plan and end date for the occupation of Afghanistan, and 100 voted to fund only withdrawal, no continuation of war, while 25 voted to simply stop dumping any money into this war. 

Now all of them must vote yes or no, probably on Tuesday, on whether to fund a major escalation of the war in Afghanistan.  You won't hear anyone mention it, but read more

By David Swanson

To hear some activist bloggers, we only lobby because we are sure of swift victory or want to express our inner feelings. I think that neglects the most significant and effective strategy for lobbying: Pressuring Congress in order to produce a record of who stands where under pressure in order to use that for and against candidates in the next election and then come back and win. We need people on record. And, yes, we have to unelect the ones on record for the wrong thing, even read more

By David Swanson

This coming week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on $33 billion for war. A majority of Americans opposes this, but a sizable minority of Americans supports it. No one who supports it can be aware of any of the following six facts.

1. For many months, probably years, at least the second largest and probably the largest source of revenue for the Taliban has been U.S. taxpayers. We are giving the Taliban our money instead of investing it in useful things read more

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Host: Lila Garrett
Guests:

PAUL MAZURSKY, film maker (An Unmarried Woman, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Moscow on the Hudson) covers the evolution of movies, our world, and Amnesty International (he’s on the Exec. Board). A fun 20 minutes with a great film maker.

DAVID SWANSON, read more

  For today's Five Dollar Friday, I've given $5 to NNOMY.    

By David Swanson

The most massive and brutal crime committed on this planet during the past decade has been the invasion and occupation of Iraq. And we’re seeking to wash the blood off our hands without so much as an “Out, damn spot!” Nowadays “looking forward, not backward” is supposed to take care of everything, even as the crimes continue. What that takes care of is the leading perpetrators who begin to sense that the coast is clear and creep out of their holes read more

By David Swanson

The late Howard Zinn’s new book “The Bomb” is a brilliant little dissection of some of the central myths of our militarized society. Those who’ve read “A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA’s Secret Cold War Experiments,” by H.P. Albarelli Jr. know that this is a year for publishing the stories of horrible things that the United States has done to French towns. In that case, Albarelli, describes the CIA administering read more