December 31, 2004
To the New Year
Well, 2004 could have gone much better for the world, and 2005 is off to a running bad start. I generally don't do New Year's resolutions, but feel the need to affirm that I commit myself to continuing the struggle...
Tsunami Response: Money and Politics
[Update 12/31/04 10:19am pst: THe US has just upped their contribution to $350 million] As the death toll from the tsunami goes over 135,000, individual donations and pressure force increases in governmental donations. Even corporations are stepping up to the...
December 30, 2004
Tsunami: Who Knew What When?
We should not be surprised that as the death toll from the tsunami rises towards 124,000, that questions of foreknowledge arise. Since the tsunami hit, there have been questions of whether a tsunami warning system would have mitigated the death...
December 29, 2004
The Tsunami from Ko Lanta Thailand
We received an email from some friends of our daughter. They were at Ko Lanta, Thailand where it is estimated several hundred are dead. We were all very worried about them, and very relieved to hear from them. I want...
Tsunamic Calamity - A Natural Selection of Victims
By Mathew Maavak [Mr. Maavak can be reached at mathew@maavak.net. Or visit his site Panoptic World] It was my last afternoon in Goa when fellow vacationer Ashwin Sivakumar -- who swapped an arctic Helsinki for family and sunshine -- stumbled...
December 28, 2004
Tsunami Impacts and Warnings of What Is to Come
The Associated Press places the current death toll at 44,000 and the Guardian/UK over 50,000. Regardless, this now qualifies as the worst natural disaster in human history, and Aid groups are struggling to cope....
December 27, 2004
CACI Back in the News
CACI, exposed for its involvement in US torture of prisoners, is still a fair-haired company with the Pentagon having just received a new four year $85 million contract from the Navy....
December 26, 2004
Massive Earth Quake Followed by Tsunami
Update 12/26/04 11:12pm (pst). There are now over 14,000 dead with hundreds of thousands displaced. The concern now is disease from contaminated water supplies and flood sewage systems. There are also the expected immediate needs. The International Federation of the...
Justice, Fair Play--Are They Just Words When Applied to Rape by U.S. Personnel and the Military?
By: Jack Dalton It's been common knowledge in this country for a very, very long time that if you want justice or fair play you had better have real deep pockets. One only need have a cursory look at the...
December 25, 2004
Seasons Greetings
Seasons Greetings - No matter what holidays you celebrate. Across many religions and beliefs, this is the time of the returning of the light - both literally and figuratively. It is my fond hope for each of you, and for...
December 24, 2004
US and China - Conflict of Interest?
China has become one of the major product suppliers to the US. The use of Chinese labor by multi-national corporations (such as Wal-Mart) has driven a rapid industrialization of China. The Chinese government has opened the doors to capitalism and...
December 23, 2004
Update on Jennifer Dyer
Since UTJ has been posting information from Jack Dalton on Jennifer Dyer's situation with the Army, and it has generated significant discussion, here is an update. The Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) approved Jennifer Dyer's Resignation...
Followup on Recent Articles
The news keeps streaming in related to recent articles on UTJ, so I thought you might be interested in some updates. Rather than simply post them to the articles where you might or might not see them, I have consolidated...
December 22, 2004
Death and Mayhem in Mosul
Yesterday, an apparent mortar attack on a US military camp in Mosul Killed 24 and wounded 64 people. Seventeen of the dead are from the 101st Airborne Division, at least four of the other seven dead were Halliburton employees. The...
Religion & Politics and How to Corrupt Them Both
By: Jack Dalton This article has been removed at the author's request....
It Can't Happen Here
By: Congressman Ron Paul (I-Tx) From 12/20/04 Texas Straight Talk, It Can't Happen Here. [Reprinted under Fair Use] In 2002 I asked my House colleagues a rhetorical question with regard to the onslaught of government growth in the post-September 11th...
December 21, 2004
US Torture of Detainees Back in the News
Reports of the US torture of detainees and prisoners in the "war on terrorism" are back in the news as new reports come to light. From Guantanamo, to Afghanistan, to Iraq - if the US is there then there is...
December 20, 2004
Russian Oil: The Plot Thickens
Back on 12/05/04 I wrote a piece What Are We Headed for? Look to Russia, which looked at the theft of the Russian economy in its transition to capitlaism. In that article I discussed the process that was detailed in...
The HUH? News
Bush Is Time's 'Person of the Year' The editors tapped Bush "for sharpening the debate until the choices bled, for reframing reality to match his design, for gambling his fortunes -- and ours -- on his faith in the power...
December 19, 2004
Shifting Realities in Fallujah
Sometimes I think that I am living in "The Twilight Zone." The reporting on Fallujah is an excellent example. From basic data about Fallujah to implementation of actions in Fallujah, so many questions, and so many challenges of reality emerge....
December 18, 2004
The (Not So) Hidden Corporate Welfare
Well we all know that the vaunted Medicare Prescription Drug Plan was rigged to give pharmaceutical companies whatever price they wanted, so it isn't too surprising that Retirees Are Paying More for Health Benefits - an average of 25 percent...
December 16, 2004
Prisoner Abuse Reports Links
Just a heads up. The ACLU has an extensive list of links to the various official reports on US abuse of prisoners and detainees: Records Released in Response to Torture FOIA Request...
Nathan Gale - PTSD?
Last week the big news was the on-stage murder of Dimebag Darrell Abbott of Damageplan and three others at a concert Alrosa Villa by Nathan Gale. It seemed more than random, but in what way. This week Nightline is running...
The Continued Plight of 1st LT Jennifer Dyer: Raped, then Raped Again
By: Jack Dalton The Article 32 hearing for 1st LT Michael Hall took place on Friday, Dec. 10th. Fred Klepp told me in an email afterward that he fully expects Hall to be held over for a General Courts Martial....
December 15, 2004
Ohio Voting Escapade Sounds A Lot Like 9/11 Excuses
If you have been paying attention to the various investigations into voting "irregularities" in Ohio and the excuses being offered, it is starting to sound much like the "massive failure" of every possible system used to excuse anyone from culpability...
December 14, 2004
Back to Fallujah ... Excuse Me, Anbar Province
In my previous piece about the ongoing horror in Fallujah, I noted that the US press has essentially declared a news blackout on what is going on. Actually they are doing something even sneakier. Instead of reporting on Fallujah, they...
December 13, 2004
Fallujah - Off the Front Pages but Hell Rages On
Falluja is off the front pages. Of course, Bush declared it a victory remember? He has a bad habit of that - declaring victory and the real ugliness is only starting. Yesterday, Sunday, the US bombed Fallujah and Mosul --...
Privatizing Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme
Ponzi Scheme Etymology: Charles A. Ponzi died 1949 American (Italian-born) swindler : an investment swindle in which some early investors are paid off with money put up by later ones in order to encourage more and bigger risks. Much of...
December 11, 2004
Mother's view of the war: Battle fatigue on the home front
By: Teri Wills Allison This was published in the 11/21/04 San Francisco Chronicle. I am not a pacifist. I am a mother. By nature, the two are incompatible, for even a cottontail rabbit will fight to protect her young....
Motor Voter turns into Selective Service Registration
How in the world did this one slip under the radar? States are linking Selective Service registration to their state drivers license and state ID systems. Thus far 33 states and territories have added this provision, and Louisiana requires the...
Cell Phone Registry Alert
Cell phone user alert! It is recommended that you immediately register your cell phone with the Do Not Call registry by Dec 15th. Starting January 1, 2005 advertisers will get lists of cell phone numbers. Calls from advertisers can eat...
December 10, 2004
Operation Iraqi Pillage: Why Free-market Capitalism
By Guest Author: Pamela Langley "The great historical irony of the catastrophe unfolding in Iraq is that the shock-therapy reforms that were supposed to create an economic boom that would rebuild the country have instead fueled a resistance that ultimately...
Secret Laws, Secret Programs, Secret ?
Since the first Bush Jr. administration in 200, we have had an onslaught of issues, directives, decisions, plans, etc, that apparently must be kept from the public's eyes for reasons of "national security." This only accelerated with the legislation following...
December 8, 2004
Black Ops and a $40 Billion Untraceable Budget
I imagine over the next couple of weeks we will be getting more information about the so-called "Intelligence Reform" legislation that will likely go to Bush for signing this week. What we do know, is that there was (is?) a...
Death of Fisheries and EU Action
The EU is set to close fishing grounds in the North and Irish Seas to stop the total destruction of the fisheries and the marine eco-system of the region. Creating huge no-fishing marine preserves is seen as the only way...
December 7, 2004
Musharraf and Bush - You Have to Scratch Your Head
On one hand, you could say that the relationship between Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf and US President George W. Bush is on excellent terms. They certainly seem friendly in front of the cameras (not always the case with Bush...
December 6, 2004
2004 Political Contributions
One of the better sites for tracking who is giving money to whom is Open Secrets. Their last contribution update for the 2004 Presidential race was in October, but it can give you an idea....
December 5, 2004
What Are We Headed for? Look to Russia.
It seems that every day the dollar is hitting a new record low. This could all come home to roost sooner than we think. It is easy to write off the problem as lousy economic policy, but I believe there...
America's Imperial Wizard Visits Canada
By: John Chuckman [John's pieces appear in Counterpunch, Online Journal, Yellow Times, Media Monitors, Scoop, and many other sites. This was sent as a guest submission to Uncommon Thought. John Chuckman can be reached at JChuckman@mediamonitors.org] We are getting stories...
December 4, 2004
New Prisoner Abuse Surfaces
A new set of pictures of prisoner abuse has surfaced - this time by Navy Seals from May of 2003 - and yet another investigation has been launched. The Navy states that abuse may not have occurred, but that these...
More on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Here is some followup information on UAVs which I discussed on 11/25/04 in the article Do Prophets Use Smart Dust?....
December 3, 2004
The Railroad Act
We all knew it was coming when the Republics took over both the House and the Senate, but how far would they dare go in their roughshod strut of dominance - as far as the worst bully on the block...
December 2, 2004
New UTJ Feature
A new feature has been added to Uncommon Thought. I have set up a forum/bulletin board. This will allow the community to participate in dialogues in a different format. From time to time you have information and thoughts you want...
Bhopal After 20 Years
Twenty years ago I was 30 years old. I watched the news in horror as thousands of people choked and collapsed on the TV screen in front of me. I remember the panic of the people and their inability to...
December 1, 2004
We Need More and Better Propaganda
According to the Defense Science Board, the Bush Administration has a message problem and they call for better propaganda. Here is the link to th 111 page report. 11/29/04 Report of the Defense Science Board Task Force on Strategic Communication...
Big Change at the UN?
Apparently a move is underway for some massive changes at the Untied Nations - particularly in relationship to security issues. There is a proposal to expand the Security Council, but there is a much larger policy shift underway. According to...
Propaganda from The Independent
Why is Patrick Cockburn from The Independent/UK lying about the missing 380 tons of explosives? "The disappearance of 350 tons of explosives, including 191 tons of HMX, at the time of the war in April last year became a crucial...
