The past week+

I will not be posting again till some time after the New Year since I don't have steady access to a computer. In the meantime, check out what's below.

* Is the Search for WMD Over? "After eight months of fruitless search, George Bush has in effect washed his hands of the hunt for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction," the Independent reports. David Kay is also set to leave his post as head of the Iraq Study Group prior to submitting a report about what the search turned up -- virtually nothing.

* "The number of U.S. service members killed and wounded in Iraq has more than doubled in the past four months compared with the four months preceding them," Vernon Loeb of the Washington Post reports. Additionally, the total number of soldiers evacuated from Iraq is nearing 11,000.

* John Sloboda, a co-founder of the Iraq Body Count project, wonders why there is no official death toll in Iraq.

* The Pentagon has issued a stop-loss order in order to prevent the further erosion of troops available for service and deployment.

* Antonia Zerbisias opines about the Pentagon's creation of a "Good News Network" in order "to do an end run around the networks and beam directly from its press centre in Iraq. Just in time for election year 2004, the satellite service will counteract all those terrible stories of bombings, shootings, killings and maiming from the, you know, war."

* This AP report about military operations in and around Samarra, Iraq provides a vivid illustration of the brutalities of the US occupation. No more Mr. Nice Guy, indeed.

* The Bush administration went too far with its Iraq-uranium claims, according to the Washington Post. Ya don't say!

* By now, you've no doubt seen the infamous photo of Donald Rumsfeld greeting Saddam Hussein with a warm handshake on a visit to Baghdad in 1983. New documents have emerged about a trip the following year, in 1984, meant to shore up relations between the US and Iraq.

* It's time to come clean about the effects of depleted uranium, says Steven Rosenfeld.

* Rogue No More?: Following news that Libya has abandoned its WMD program, the UN Security Council is set to explore a resolution proposed by Syria calling for a WMD ban across the Middle East. Obviously, this resolution is aimed at Israel.

* According to a report in Yediot Aharonot, George Bush told an Israeli journalist that "we must get rid of" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

* Ali Abunimah and Gideon Levy comment on the reappearance of the "relative calm" meme in media discussion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

* Stephen Zunes argues that "when it comes to the Israel/Palestinian issue, the Democratic establishment is virtually indistinguishable from the Bush administration."

* Paul Burrows addresses the Geneva Initiative in a two-part feature on ZNet: Part I & Part II. Also, leading Christian and Jewish conservatives are urging Bush to ignore the initiative and not push Israel on any moves towards peace.

* Peter Bergen tackles the slippery question, "What is al Qaeda?"

* Commenting on the fallout of a "distracted America," Martin Walker contends that "Historians may yet look back to define the Bush pesidency as the era when America's moment of undisputed power began to give way to a new balance among a series of regional powers, each able to challenge American dominance in its own sphere of influence."

* As Pakistan cracks down on militants following recent assassination attempts against Pervez Musharraf, the Guardian's Peter Preston warns of a nightmare scenario if the military dictator is displaced from power.

* The tragedy of the earthquake near Bam, Iran is staggering. If you'd like to contribute to the relief effort, get in touch with National Iranian American Council or the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

* Kris Axtman of the CSM reports on the ignored terror threat at home -- in Texas.

* Parts of Patriot Act II were signed into law under the cover of Saddam Hussein's capture on December 13. How convenient.

* "Hundreds of videotapes that federal prison officials had claimed were destroyed show that foreign nationals held at a New York detention facility after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were victims of physical and verbal abuse by guards," reports Dan Eggen of the Washington Post. An article from last year's Post offered a glimpse into the detention facilities.

* The investigation into the Valerie Plame scandal is "gathering momentum," according to the Washington Post. Let's hope so. As Bernard Weiner says, it's about time to out the leakers.

* Slate's Timothy Noah wonders, "What does a guy have to do to get a congressional bribe investigated?"

* "The nation's official jobless rate is 5.9%," the LA Times reports, "a relatively benign level by historical standards. But economists say that figure paints only a partial — and artificially rosy — picture of the labor market." If you take into account the underemployed and those that have given up looking for work, the rate rises to 9.7%.

* As the offshoring of the US service sector continues apace, Bob Herbert of the NY Times is worried about the "white collar blues."

*In a column for the SF Chronicle, Harley Sorensen introduces a lecture by Dr. Stephen Bezruchka on "Health and Poverty in the US."

* Hunger and homelessness is on the rise in major US cities, according to a 25-city survey commissioned by the US Conference of Mayors.

* Double failures: NAFTA and the "export model of agriculture."

* Jim Lobe wonders if Dick Cheney's on his way out.

* As the LA Times reports that white men overwhelmingly support George W. Bush, Arlie Hochschild addresses why "the people most hurt by Bush's policies are his strongest supporters" in an interview with Buzzflash. Hochschild, a sociologist at UBerkeley, elaborated on the reasons blue-collar white males support Dubya in an October article for TomDispatch.com.

* "The broad outlines of the Bush re-election campaign strategy have begun to appear," observes Dave Lindorff, "and they present an ugly picture."

* Check out the National Resources Defense Council's accounting of the Bush administration's environmental record. It's a good companion to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s article, "Crimes Against Nature," from a December issue of Rolling Stone.

* Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber's 1997 book, Mad Cow USA: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?, is available for download. It's quite relevant now.

* Would you like some modern-day slavery with that glass of OJ? The Palm Beach Post presents a special report on the behind-the-scenes abuses and injustices endured by Florida's migrant population, many of whom work within the orange juice industry.

* Rewind: Editor & Publisher runs down 2003's most significant press issues, David Shaw dissects the past year's media lowpoints, and Barry Crimmins takes a look at the "war year in review."

* Paul Krugman's been on fire recently. In varying articles over the past few weeks, he's addressed the "death of Horatio Alger," called for a truthful accounting of the current state of the world, and offered some useful tips for enterprising journalists.

* Justin Raimondo thinks Pope John Paul II is the "man of the year" for standing up to the war party.

* Irene Gendzier examines the political legacy of Edward Said.

* Dell DeChant and Juliet Schor have some interesting things to say about the workings of consumer culture.

* Looking for some new reading for the new year? Check out Dissident Voice's lengthy list of recommended books.