Americas

"...Israeli occupation or even the Israeli practices that consolidate that occupation, especially Israeli settlement building in and around Jerusalem. Such a result is as bad as no result and will further convince Palestinians that the negotiations process is a dead end. This, in turn, will translate into further support for Hamas."

A human rights hearing into allegations of editorial misconduct represents a threat to The Lobby’s ability to defame without shame. Not surprisingly, Maclean’s enthusiastically endorses political efforts to strip commissions of the power to investigate and rule on free speech issues.

John Edwards’ sleazy extramarital affair reminded me of the excesses in the final days of the Roman Empire. In 2006, Edwards began his trysts with his mistress. He stopped lying about the seedy affair on Aug. 8, 2008. Meanwhile, about 1,955 U.S. troops died in the Iraq War. While Edwards was “doing” his paramour, others in Washington, D.C., like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have been “doing” the public about ending the war and impeachment.

"As the dust of 9/11 settles down and the bloodstains of Iraq dry up, American people will realize that it is not terrorism that is the greatest threat to their national security. But it is their very democracy - increasingly manipulated by a powerful coterie - that is the greatest threat to their national security."

"As the New York Times had recently pointed out - most of the media analysts on war and terrorism have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air. If that is not enough, just digest this: records and interviews show that the Bush administration used its control over access and information in an effort to transform those analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks."

"The Obama campaign has in effect contributed to equating any person with a connection to the American Muslim community as politically untouchable."

"So what about peace? The occupation? Economic policy? Social problems? Education? Health care?

Who gives a damn?"

"It was World War I that changed the calculus. When the Ottomans joined the war on the side of Germany, the Allied Powers – Britain, France and Russia – decided to dismantle the Ottoman empire. Even then, there was little interest in the Zionist plan – despite intense Zionist lobbying."