Category Archives: Veterans for Common Sense News

US civil rights group to sue CIA over secret prisons

US civil rights group to sue CIA over secret prisons A US civil rights groups says it is taking the CIA to court to stop the transportation of terror suspects to countries outside US legal authority. The American Civil Liberties … Continue reading

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Torture, American-Style

There are two torture debates going on in America today: One is about fantasy, and the other is about reality. For viewers of TV shows such as “Commander in Chief” and “24,” the question is about ticking bombs. To find … Continue reading

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In the End, Torture Hurts Us

Each time I write anything objecting to the Bush administration’s use of torture, I get dozens of e-mails from self-styled “realists.” Some of my correspondents offer unprintable suggestions on punishments that should be meted out to people — like me, … Continue reading

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High hopes, disillusionment among Iraqi women

Safia Taleb al-Souhail has ambitions to be Iraq’s first woman president one day. A month before a poll in which she hopes to win a parliamentary seat, the former exile is upbeat about women’s rights and democracy. She says the … Continue reading

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The illusion of phased withdrawal

A consensus is slowly building in the United States among both congressional Republicans and Democrats that a phased withdrawal of all US forces from Iraq will begin next year. Whether euphemized as “redeployment” or described frankly as withdrawal, the new … Continue reading

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Shake and Bake: United States should stop using white phosphorus in Iraq

Shake and Bake Let us pause and count the ways the conduct of the war in Iraq has damaged America’s image and needlessly endangered the lives of those in the military. First, multilateralism was tossed aside. Then the post-invasion fiasco … Continue reading

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Bush’s fascist Valhalla

Bush’s fascist Valhalla The strategy to militarize the country is moving forward as planned despite apparent setbacks in Iraq. As the Washington Post reported on Nov. 27 the Dept of Defense is expanding its domestic surveillance activity to allow Pentagon … Continue reading

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Up in the Air: Where is the Iraq War Headed Next?

UP IN THE AIR: Where is the Iraq war headed next? by Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker, Posted November 28, 2005 (for December 5, 2005 edition) In recent weeks, there has been widespread speculation that President George W. Bush, confronted by … Continue reading

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Reporter’s Notebook: In Baghdad, Capital Vistas Gradually Shrink With Insecurity

Reporter’s Notebook: In Baghdad, Capital Vistas Gradually Shrink With Insecurity By Robin Wright, Washington Post, Friday, November 25, 2005 BAGHDAD — Five months after the fall of Baghdad, I went to Iraq with Colin Powell. It was the first visit … Continue reading

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Iraq War, Fallujah, and White Phosphorus

A War Crime Within a War Crime Within a War Crime The revelations from Falluja are piling up By George Monbiot, The Guardian, November 22, 2005 The media couldn’t have made a bigger pig’s ear of the white phosphorus story. … Continue reading

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