Britain’s Foreign Policy is Just Plain Wrong
Menzies Campbell – The Observer (Britain)

The [British] government's endorsement of the United States position has yet again done us terrible damage in Europe, the Middle East and throughout the world… Over one issue in particular, effort must be made - Israel/Palestine. As the Lebanese government was being chastised for its failure to implement Security Council Resolution 1559, calling for the disarmament of Hizbollah, little was said about Resolution 242, calling for Israel's withdrawal from territories it had occupied in 1967…Israel/Palestine should become not a cause but an obsession. If it redefines our relationship with the United States, so be it.

Mob Threatens Paul Fromm’s Home

About 25 activists of the violent “Anti-Racist Action” (ARA) attacked Paul Fromm's townhouse in the quiet community of Port Credit (Ontario, Canada) on the afternoon of August 19. The police failed to keep the activists entirely off condo property, as the law requires, but did stop them about 100 feet from his door. Marching under the flag of communist Cuba, they shouted: "Nazi, Nazi, Nazi, out, out, out!" "Nazi Klan Go Hand In Hand" and "Die Nazi Scum!" Startled neighbours came out to see the spectacle. Many of the thugs wore bandannas and ski masks. Peel Region Police squad cars, bicycle police and cops on foot and eventually six mounted police kept them at bay.

Zundel's Defense Attorney Charged with 'Holocaust Denial'
Zundelsite

Sylvia Stolz, defense attorney of Ernst Zundel in his trial in Mannheim, Germany, has herself been charged with “Holocaust denial.” During another case, in which she represented Dr. Rigolf Hennig, Stolz is supposed to have read to the court a newspaper article about the appearance of the renowned Israeli artist, Gilad Atzmon in Bochum. In a public statement, Atzmon is quoted as having said that the written history of the Second World War and the Holocaust are a "complete forgery, initiated by Americans and Zionists".

Wilhelm Furtwängler and Music in the Third Reich
Institute for Historical Review

Not only during his lifetime, but also in the decades since his death in 1954, Wilhelm Furtwängler has been globally recognized as one of the greatest musicians of this century, above all as the brilliant primary conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra, which he lead from 1922 to 1945, and again after 1950. Following the National Socialist seizure of power in 1933, some prominent musicians left Germany. Most of the nation's musicians, however, including the great majority of its most gifted musical talents, remained. With the possible exception of the composer Richard Strauss, Furtwängler was the most prominent musician to stay and "collaborate."

By any measure of international law, from Nuremberg to the Geneva accords, Blair is a major prima facie war criminal. The charges against him grow. The latest is his collusion with the Israeli state in its deliberate, criminal attacks on civilians. While Lebanese children were being buried beneath Israeli bombs, he refused to condemn their killers or even to call on them to desist. That a cease-fire was negotiated owed nothing to him, except its disgraceful delay. Not only is it clear that Blair knew about Israel's plans, but he alluded approvingly to the ultimate goal: an attack on Iran.… Blair's extremism, like Bush's, is rooted in the righteous violence of rampant Messianic power. 

The World’s Oldest Computer
The Guardian (Britain)

It looks like a heap of rubbish, feels like flaky pastry and has been linked to aliens. For decades, scientists have puzzled over the complex collection of cogs, wheels and dials seen as the most sophisticated object from antiquity.… But 102 years after the discovery of the calcium-encrusted bronze mechanism on the ocean floor, hidden inscriptions show that it is the world's oldest computer, used to map the motions of the sun, moon and planets.… Known as the Antikythera mechanism and made before the birth of Christ, the instrument was found by sponge divers amid the wreckage of a cargo ship that sunk off the tiny [Greek] island of Antikythera in 80 BC. 

Europe’s Underlying Weakness
Serge Trifkovic

The present technological, cultural and financial strength of Europe is a façade that conceals a deep underlying moral and demographic weakness. The symptoms of the malaise are apparent in the unprecedented demographic collapse and in the loss of a sense of place and history that go hand-in-hand with the expansion of the European Union. The emerging transnational hyper-state is actively indoctrinating its subject-population into believing and accepting that the demographic shift in favor of Muslim aliens is actually a blessing that enriches the Old Continent’s culturally deprived and morally unsustainable societies. Europe is losing the ability to define and defend itself, to the benefit of unassimilable multitudes filled with contempt for the host-society.

Everything Old Is New
William Rivers Pitt – Truthout

Everything old becomes new again, or so the saying goes. Nowhere is this more evident than in the highest reaches of neo-conservative power in Washington, DC.  Over the last several weeks, an old White Paper found new life in the shattered ruins of Lebanon's infrastructure. Titled “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm,” the 1996 paper was masterminded by three neo-con hawks who, in the fullness of time, became powerful members of the Bush administration: Richard Perle, Douglas Feith and David Wurmser.… “A Clean Break" was written ten years ago to advocate for an Israeli attack on Lebanon, and by proxy Syria and Iran. It was cast aside then, but appears to have been revived for this current disaster.  

Ditch US in Terror War, Say 80 Percent of Britons
The Telegraph (Britain)

A majority of British people wants the government to adopt an even more "aggressive" foreign policy to combat international terrorism, according to an opinion poll conducted after the arrests of 24 terrorism suspects last week. However -- by a margin of more than five to one -- the public wants Tony Blair to split from President George W Bush and either go it alone in the "war on terror", or work more closely with Europe . A  majority also wants tougher domestic legislation that would allow police more time to detain suspects while they investigate complex terrorism plots.…  The survey exposed deep-seated distrust of the foreign policies championed by Mr Bush since September 11, 2001. Only 14 per cent believed Britain should continue to align itself with America.

Don’t Expect Disarmament of Hizbollah
Robert Fisk – The Independent

Now you see them, now you don't. Hizbollah weapons? None to be seen. And none to be collected by the Lebanese army. For when this august body of men crossed the Litani river, their officers made it perfectly clear that it would not be the army's job to disarm the Hizbollah. Nor was anyone in Lebanon surprised. After all, most of the Lebanese troops here are Shias – like the Hizbollah – and in many cases, the soldiers who crossed the Litani are not only from the same southern villages but are related to the guerrillas whom they are supposed to disarm. In other words, a typical Lebanese compromise. So whither UN Security Council Resolution 1701?

The 'American Dream' is Fading
Jerry Landay – The Providence Journal (Rhode Island)

It slowly dawns on Americans that their lives are changing. For more and more of us, "the American Dream," which we assumed as our birthright – founded on infinite plenty, a bottomless cup of creature comforts, and fair rewards for hard work – is fading.… Adding insult to injury, the redistribution of our dwindling wealth under Bush widens the gap between the "wealth aristocracy" and the rest of us. The rest of us are in a squeeze as inflation is driven by energy costs, medical care, and prescription drugs. Home-foreclosure rates are growing; they jumped an average 13 percent a month nationally at the end of 2005.

In Israel, Bitterness Over Failure to Eliminate Hezbollah
The Washington Post

"Israel lost big-time," said Ravit Ben-Simon, 25, glumly reopening her cellphone store on Wednesday in nearby Kiryat Shemona. "It wasn't a worthwhile war at all. It all started because of the kidnapped soldiers. Where are they now? Still kidnapped. It was all for nothing." That view was reflected in a national poll released Wednesday, showing that public support for the government of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has plummeted. The poll by the Maariv newspaper showed that Olmert's support had dropped from 78 percent on July 19, shortly after the war began, to 40 percent.... For Israel, accustomed to military domination of its Arab foes, the failure of its army to crush Hezbollah, or even to reduce the shelling, was a bitter pill.

A Self-Defeating War
George Soros – The Wall Street Journal

The war on terror is a false metaphor that has led to counterproductive and self-defeating policies. Five years after 9/11, a misleading figure of speech applied literally has unleashed a real war fought on several fronts – Iraq, Gaza, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Somalia – a war that has killed thousands of innocent civilians and enraged millions around the world. Yet al Qaeda has not been subdued; a plot that could have claimed more victims than 9/11 has just been foiled by the vigilance of British intelligence. Unfortunately, the "war on terror" metaphor was uncritically accepted by the American public as the obvious response to 9/11. 

IHR News and Comment
Institute for Historical Review

The Institute’s “IHR News & Comment” e-mail service continues to grow, attracting ever more subscribers who appreciate these informative, timely roundups of news, analysis and commentary. To subscribe to this free public service, send a note to news@ihr.org

Former President Carter Condemns Israeli Action in Lebanon
Der Spiegel (Germany)

In an interview the German magazine Der Spiegel, former President Jimmy Carter expressed dismay at Israel's recent bombardment of Lebanon and at the Middle East policies of the Bush administration, which has supported Israel's actions. “I don't think that Israel has any legal or moral justification for their massive bombing of the entire nation of Lebanon. What happened is that Israel is holding almost 10,000 prisoners, so when the militants in Lebanon or in Gaza take one or two soldiers, Israel looks upon this as a justification for an attack on the civilian population of Lebanon and Gaza. I do not think that's justified, no … I think that at this moment the United States and Israel probably stand more alone than our country has in generations.”

America's One-Eyed View Of War: Stars, Stripes, And The Star Of David
Andrew Gumbel – The Independent (Britain)

The [United States] media, more generally, has left little doubt in the minds of a majority of American news consumers that the Israelis are the good guys, the aggrieved victims, while Hizbollah is an incarnation of the same evil responsible for bringing down the World Trade Centre, a heartless and faceless organisation whose destruction is so important it can justify all the damage Israel is inflicting on Lebanon and its civilians. The point is not that this viewpoint is necessarily wrong. The point – and this is what distinguishes the US from every other Western country in its attitude to the conflict – is that it is presented as a foregone conclusion. Not only is there next to no debate, but debate itself is considered unnecessary and suspect.

The De-Zionization of the American Mind
Jean Bricmont – Counterpunch

When people in the antiwar movement divert attention from Israel by blaming Big Oil or Big Business for the wars (specially the one in Lebanon, or the threats against Iran) one should demand that they provide some evidence for their claims. Challenge all the apologists or excuse makers for Israel or its lobby within progressive circles.… What is at stake in the de-Zionization of the American mind is not only the fate of the unfortunate inhabitants of Palestine but also unspeakable miseries for the people of that region and maybe of the rest of the world. 

Israel Should Pack Up and Go
Nadim Shehadi – Haaretz (Israel)  

If Israel can exist only by destroying the neighborhood, then it's time to declare it a failed state. The Zionist dream has turned into a nightmare and is not viable. If the future holds more of the same, then the time has come to reconsider the whole project. Every state has a duty to defend its citizens, but also it has a duty to provide them with security and the two are different. The prospects are for more destruction, fanaticism, violence and hatred. No unilateral separation can isolate Israel from this, nor can the region or the world live with the consequences. This seems to be the only choice, and Israel must do itself and others a favor and go away.

Iran is Not a 'Crisis,' Say Former US Generals and Officials
Los Angeles Times

Seeking to counter the White House's depiction of its Middle East policies as crucial to the prevention of terrorist attacks at home, 21 former generals, diplomats and national security officials will release an open letter tomorrow arguing that the administration's "hard line" has actually undermined US security.… Retired Army Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, one of the letter's signers … noted that the Bush administration's unabashedly pro-Israel stance during the recent conflict with Hezbollah was an indication that the White House may accede to such assessments. "This administration is clearly so beholden to Israel that it raises the concern we might go along" with a military strike, Gard said.

America is Rapidly Becoming More 'Diverse'
Associated Press

America's growing diversity has reached nearly every state. From South Carolina's budding immigrant population to the fast-rising number of Hispanics in Arkansas, minority groups make up an increasing share of the population in every state but one, according to figures released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.… Whites are a minority in four states — Hawaii, New Mexico, California and Texas — and the District of Columbia. The share of white people fell below 60 percent in three other states: Maryland, Georgia and Nevada. Nationally, non-Hispanic whites make up about 67 percent of the population, down from 70 percent at the start of the decade. California, New York, Texas and Florida have the nation's largest immigrant populations. 

Remembering China's 'Cultural Revolution'
John Roderick -- Associated Press

Forty years ago, Chinese communist chairman Mao Zedong launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. It's an unpleasant anniversary that official Beijing will not celebrate and most Chinese would rather forget. Mao's objective: to purge the party of its moderate, pragmatic faction, which he said was leading China away from Marxism and toward capitalism and to make himself unassailable leader. The bloody, chaotic decade between 1966 and 1976 which ensued was among the most violent, divisive and shameful in China's long, illustrious history.... Before it ended in 1976, untold thousands died and millions were tortured, imprisoned or humiliated, mostly by those young shock-troops, the Red Guards.

Olmert’s War, and the Next One
Patrick J. Buchanan

Bush-Cheney are thus morally and politically culpable for what was done to Lebanon and the democratic government there that was born of a "Cedar Revolution" George Bush himself had championed.  Congress poodled along with Bush, so Bush will not be called to account, as he would be were any other nation but Israel involved.… Bush is on notice from the neocons and War Party that have all but destroyed his presidency: Either you take down Iran, Mr. Bush, or you are a failed president. If the president is still listening to these people, Lord help the Republic.

Israel's Verdict: We Lost the War
Donald Macintyre – The Independent (Britain)

Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, was obliged to admit "shortcomings" in the 34-day-old conflict in Lebanon yesterday as he launched what may prove a protracted fight for his own political survival. Mr Olmert's admission in a stormy Knesset session came in the face of devastating poll figures showing a majority of the Israeli public believes none or only a very small part of the goals of the war had been achieved. Adding insult to injury, the leader of Hizbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, crowed on television that his guerrillas had achieved a "strategic historic victory" over Israel.

Americans Believe Spin, Not Facts
The Record (New Jersey) – Editorial

What is truth? Pontius Pilate's infamous question may be worth asking again, in light of responses to a recent Harris Poll on the war in Iraq. Given the poll's surprising findings, truth has nothing to do with facts and everything to do with the version of reality you choose to subscribe to. Half of those polled said Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction at the time of the U.S. invasion in 2003. That's up from 36 percent a year ago. And it's despite the fact that after the invasion, U.S. inspectors took 16 months and spent $900 million to conclude that Saddam had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons leading up to the invasion. But why let inconvenient facts get in the way? 

Israel vs. Hizbollah: Round Two
Gwynne Dyer

The ceasefire in southern Lebanon will not hold. Israel will probably lose more soldiers killed in combat in the next month than in the past month (104). Ehud Olmert will probably no longer be prime minister of Israel by the end of this year. And it is all too likely that Benjamin Netanyahu will take his place. The UN-sponsored ceasefire will not hold because Hizbollah has not been defeated. Despite a month of pounding by Israeli bombs and artillery, it still holds at least 80 per cent of the territory south of the Litani River. In most places, Israeli forces have advanced no more than a few kilometres from the frontier. In the last few days before the ceasefire, Hizbollah was launching twice as many rockets into northern Israel as its daily average in the first week of the war.

Berlin Exhibition Stirs Painful Memories
BBC News

Even before it opened its doors, the exhibition "Forced Paths" attracted a lot of controversy in the German and Polish media. The aim of the organisers of the exhibition at the Kronprinzenpalais on Berlin's Unter Den Linden Avenue is ambitious - to explore the plight of millions of people who were forced to flee their homes in Europe during the 20th Century.… But, controversially, the exhibition also focuses on the suffering of Germans who were expelled from Poland and Eastern Europe after World War ll. The exhibition has been organised by a foundation closely linked to the Federation of the Expelled, which represents 12 to 14 million ethnic Germans, and their descendants, who were forced from their homes.

Now the Real War Begins
Robert Fisk -- The Independent (Britain)

The real war in Lebanon begins today. The world may believe - and Israel may believe - that the UN ceasefire due to come into effect at 6am today will mark the beginning of the end of the latest dirty war in Lebanon after up to 1,000 Lebanese civilians and more than 30 Israeli civilians have been killed. But the reality is quite different and will suffer no such self-delusion: the Israeli army, reeling under the Hizbollah's onslaught of the past 24 hours, is now facing the harshest guerrilla war in its history. And it is a war they may well lose.… If the ceasefire collapses, as seems certain, neither the Israelis nor the Americans appear to have any plans to escape the consequences.

Washington’s Interests In Israel’s War
Seymour M Hersh – The New Yorker

The Bush Administration was closely involved in the planning of Israel’s retaliatory attacks. President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney were convinced, current and former intelligence and diplomatic officials told me, that a successful Israeli Air Force bombing campaign against Hezbollah’s heavily fortified underground-missile and command-and-control complexes in Lebanon could ease Israel’s security concerns and also serve as a prelude to a potential American preëmptive attack to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations, some of which are also buried deep underground.

A Taste of Things to Come
Charley Reese

The plot to blow up several American and British airplanes over the Atlantic is merely a taste of things to come.… Today, there is no avoiding stating the plain truth: We have a problem. The government is totally paralyzed and is unwilling to issue even the mildest rebuke to Israel, no matter how outrageous its behavior. Why? Because the Israel lobby is so powerful, American politicians are afraid of it.… The only way to win the war on terrorism is to revert to our republican roots and give up imperialism. We're no good at imperialism anyway. Our foreign policy should be just what George Washington said it should be – trade and commerce with all, entangling alliances with nobody, and absolutely no interference in the internal affairs of any other country.

Japanese Leader Visits War Shrine Despite Protests
BBC News

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has prayed at the country's national war shrine in Tokyo despite protests from China and South Korea. Fourteen war criminals including wartime Prime Minister Hideki Tojo are honoured there among 2.5 million war dead.  Neighbouring countries say the shrine celebrates Japan's militaristic past. Mr Koizumi's visit on Tuesday was his first to the Yasukuni shrine on an anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. Mr Koizumi arrived in a limousine and entered the huge shrine behind a Shinto priest in traditional robes.

Holocaust Cartoon Exhibit Opens in Iran
The Associated Press

An exhibition of more than 200 cartoons about the Holocaust opened Monday in Tehran as Iran's response to last year's Muslim outrage over a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper. The display, showing 204 entries from Iran and abroad, was strongly influenced by the views of Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who drew widespread condemnation last year for calling the Holocaust a "myth" and saying Israel should be destroyed. Masoud Shojai, director of the host Caricature House, said a jury looked through 1,200 entries received after the contest was announced in February by the co-sponsor, the Iranian newspaper Hamshahri.  

Lawmakers Vote in Ignorance On Intelligence Legislation
Boston Globe

Nearly all members of the House of Representatives opted out of a chance to read this year's classified intelligence bill, and then voted on secret provisions they knew almost nothing about. The bill, which passed by 327 to 96 in April, authorized the Bush administration's plans for fighting the war on terrorism.… The failure to read the bill calls into question the vows of many House members to provide greater oversight of intelligence in the wake of pre-9/11 failures, mistakes about Iraq's weapons capability, and revelations about spying on Americans.

My Fellow Targets
Charley Reese

Every war and conflict involving Israel since then has been over the issue of Israeli occupation and the Israeli refusal to allow Palestinian refugees to return or even to file claims for lost property. It's strange that Jewish refugees from Europe in the 1930s and 1940s can file claims for lost property, but Palestinian refugees cannot. All Israel has to do to get peace treaties with every Arab country in the region is to return to its 1967 borders, as a United Nations Security Council resolution ordered it to do.… Slavish devotion to Israel will make Americans the target of hatred and violence for generations. So stay alert, my fellow targets.

Repatriation: The Dark Side of World War II
Jacob G. Hornberger

From the first grade in their public schools, Americans are taught the evils of Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. "If we had not entered World War II, Hitler would have conquered the world," Americans are taught. "There is no way that the world could have tolerated the continuation of the Nazi regime. It was necessary for tens of thousands of Americans to die to stop Hitler."  Yet, there is one uncomfortable fallacy with this reasoning. The United States and the Western world survived something even worse — the regime of Joseph Stalin and the rise and domination of the communist empire. 

Hizbollah is Match for Israel’s Military Machine
Robert Fisk – The Independent (Britain)

… It should be said that the Israeli army are not winning their war in southern Lebanon. Within two kilometers of their own border, they lost their 15 soldiers on Wednesday. Many others were wounded. The furthest the Israelis could reach in an armoured column yesterday was the edge of Khiam, the site of their own notorious torture prison from 1978 to 2000. It is still only two miles from the border and they are fighting a far more determined and disciplined enemy than in 1982, when their "incursion" took them as far as Beirut. The Israelis have crossed the same border to find that their enemies, Hizbollah, are prepared to die in battle - indeed, seek to die in battle - unlike the secular PLO over whom they proclaimed an easy victory in 1982.

End This Tragedy Now
Fouad Siniora (Prime Minister of Lebanon)

As the world watches, Israel has besieged and ravaged our country, created a humanitarian and environmental disaster, and shattered our infrastructure and economy, putting an intolerable strain on our social and economic systems.… Israel seems to think that its attacks will sow discord among the Lebanese. This will never happen. Israel should know that the Lebanese people will remain steadfast and united in the face of this latest Israeli aggression -- its seventh invasion -- just as they were during nearly two decades of brutal occupation. The people's will to resist grows ever stronger with each village demolished and each massacre committed.

William Fulbright: A Giant Passes
Alfred M. Lilienthal

Appearing in 1973 on the CBS "Face the Nation" television program, Senator Fulbright was asked, "which would be the best way to settle the  Arab-Israeli war," and "would it not be in everyone's interest for the U.S. and the Soviet Union to refrain from furnishing weapons to either side?" He responded: "Yes, but the U.S. government alone is not capable of doing that, because the Israelis control the policy in the Congress and the Senate.… Somewhere around 80 percent of the Senate of the United States is completely in support of Israel and of anything Israel wants."

Israel Enhancing Nuke-Capable Submarines
Galil Report– World Net Daily

German engineers the past few weeks have been in Israel working to improve three advanced, nuclear capable attack submarines it provided the Jewish state last year, security sources tell the Galil Report. Many here have estimated the vessels can be used both as a strategic, second-strike nuclear deterrent or for conventional use during any large-scale confrontation. Military officials say the submarines are not needed for Israel's current campaign in Lebanon. The officials said Israel recently has discussed with foreign governments travel and refueling routes so the submarines can reach the Persian Gulf – within firing distance of Iran.

Male and Female Brains are Different
San Francisco Chronicle

Louann Brizendine's feminist ideals were forged in the 1970s, so the UCSF neuropsychiatrist is aware that some parts of her new book, "The Female Brain," sound politically incorrect. Women have come a long way toward equality over the past 50 years, but the Yale-trained Brizendine, 53, says her research indicates that human brains are still wired for Stone Age necessities. Male and female brains are different in architecture and chemical composition, asserts Brizendine. The sooner women -- and those who love them -- accept and appreciate how those neurological differences shape female behavior, the better we can all get along. Start with why women prefer to talk about their feelings, while men prefer to meditate on sex.

Why America Gives Israel Its Unconditional Support
The Economist (Britain)

Why is America so much more pro-Israeli than Europe? The most obvious answer lies in the power of two very visible political forces: the Israeli lobby (AIPAC) and the religious right. AIPAC, which has an annual budget of almost $50m, a staff of 200, 100,000 grassroots members and a decades-long history of wielding influence, is arguably the most powerful lobby in Washington, mightier even than the National Rifle Association.... A few cracks are starting to appear. But they are still insignificant in the mighty edifice of support.

Nine-Eleven Commission Chairmen Admit Whitewashing the Cause of the Attacks
Ivan Eland

A new book by the Chairmen of the 9/11 commission admits that the commission whitewashed the root cause of the 9/11 attacks — that same interventionist U.S. foreign policy.… Some commissioners wanted to cover up the link between the 9/11 attack and U.S. support for Israel because this might imply that the United States should alter policy and lessen its support for Israeli actions. How right they were. The question is simple: If the vast bulk of Americans would be safer if U.S. politicians moderated their slavish support of Israel, designed to win the support of key pressure groups at home, wouldn’t it be a good idea to make this change in course? 

Their Power of Endurance
Amira Hass – Haaretz (Israel)

… Israel's double standard and basic contempt for anyone who isn't "us" explains better than the army's outdated equipment and faulty training why it has been receiving blows so far, and will continue to receive them. Israel is convinced that in Lebanon, as in Gaza and the West Bank, its unlimited power to destroy is both a deterrent and spur to political change. It is ignoring the human factor -- that the Palestinians and Lebanese' fortitude grows in lockstep with our strengthening powers of destruction.

Bush’s Disastrous 'Democratic Fundamentalism'
Patrick J. Buchanan

Had Reagan done to Lebanon, when half a dozen Americans were seized as hostages, what Israel has done, when two soldiers were taken hostage, Democrats would have denounced Reagan as a war criminal. Conservatives would have begged him to ease up. Yet, almost to a man and woman, our politicians are falling all over one another to express their 100 percent support of what Israel has done to Lebanon. Even Israelis must feel a measure of contempt for this kind of groveling. If neither U.S. party is willing to show any independence of Israel, if America will not address the root causes of Arab animosity, and if we will not even negotiate with our enemies, we should probably pack up and get out of the Middle East. Before we are thrown out.

Was Israel's Aim to Clear Path for US War on Iran?
Gareth Porter -- Inter Press Service

Israel has argued that the war against Hezbollah's rocket arsenal was a defensive response to the Shi'ite organization's threat to Israeli security, but the evidence points to a much more ambitious objective – the weakening of Iran's deterrent to an attack on its nuclear sites. In planning for the destruction of most of Hezbollah's arsenal and prevention of any resupply from Iran, Israel appears to have hoped to eliminate a major reason the George W. Bush administration had shelved the military option for dealing with Iran's nuclear program – the fear that Israel would suffer massive casualties from Hezbollah's rockets in retaliation for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. 

Why Israel’s Campaign in Lebanon is Failing
Mark Weber (interview)

While Israel’s well-trained and well-equipped military machine can inflict great damage on Hezbollah and Lebanon, this campaign is proving to be a major setback for Israel and the United States, above all because Hezbollah has proven to be a much tougher and more resourceful adversary than the Zionists had expected.... This campaign is wrecking what remains of U.S. credibility in the Middle East, and is severely harming America’s stature elsewhere in the world. The U.S. has acted with such arrogance, deceit and hypocrisy, and for so many years, that its promises are nearly worthless. Washington’s claims of concern for peace, justice and democracy in the Middle East are, more obviously than ever, fraudulent and insincere.

The Real Estate War
Gideon Levy -- Haaretz (Israel) 

This miserable war in Lebanon, which is just getting more and more complicated for no reason at all, was born in Israel's greed for land. Not that Israel is fighting this time to conquer more land, not at all, but ending the occupation could have prevented this unnecessary war.... The war against the Palestinians is therefore unequivocally a territorial war, a war for the settlements. In other words, in the West Bank and Gaza, people were killed and are getting killed because of our greed for land. From Golda Meir to Ehud Olmert, the lie has held that the war with the Palestinians is an existential one for survival imposed on Israel when it is actually a war for real estate, one dunam after another, that does not belong to us. 

Lebanon Campaign is a War by 'All Jews,' Says Israeli Leader
JTA 

Ehud Olmert asked North American Jews for help in fighting Hezbollah. “I believe this is a war which is fought by all the Jews,” the Israeli prime minister said in a conference call and webcast Monday. The call was sponsored by the United Jewish Communities to launch its Israel Emergency Campaign. “We have to win this war and we will win this war, but we have to rely on you” to rebuild cities and lives in Israel, Olmert said

The End of the Beginning: Preparing for War Against Iran
Dan Plesch

Regardless of any impending ceasefire, the removal of Hizbullah and the Iranian nuclear position sets up the prospect of an US war against Iran. US forces are ready today to destroy 10,000 targets in the Middle East in a few hours. US readiness for more war is just one indicator that the present war is likely to spread and intensify in the coming months.… American intentions towards Iran are fairly clear. If diplomacy and sanctions fail to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions then military force must be used. No one should be shocked that William Kristol, the neoconservative leader, has already called for a military strike on Iran in response to Hizbullah's attack on Israel. 

Arizona Campuses Have US Flags, But Don’t Teach American History
American Council of Trustees and Alumni

Arizona’s legislature recently earned national attention by requiring the American flag in all public classrooms, but none of the state’s major public universities requires the study of American history. “The Arizona legislature’s desire to protect our national heritage is commendable,” ACTA president Anne D. Neal said. “But symbols of America are only valuable when students understand their significance, and we have no reason to believe that Arizona’s students do. The governor and the legislature should urge these institutions to fix this problem.” 

Galloway Lashes Out at Pro-Zionist Media
Sky News Television Video clip

In a feisty nine-minute interview on Sky News television George Galloway, British MP, passionately speaks in support of Lebanon, defends the Hezbollah resistance, lambastes pro-Zionist bias in the media, and declares that the struggle against Israel will endure as long as it continues its unjust policies.

Newly Declassified Files Document US War Crimes in Vietnam
Los Angeles Times

The files are part of a once-secret archive, assembled by a Pentagon task force in the early 1970s, that shows that confirmed atrocities by U.S. forces in Vietnam were more extensive than was previously known. The documents detail 320 alleged incidents that were substantiated by Army investigators -- not including the most notorious U.S. atrocity, the 1968 My Lai massacre. Though not a complete accounting of Vietnam war crimes, the archive is the largest such collection to surface to date. About 9,000 pages, it includes investigative files, sworn statements by witnesses and status reports for top military brass. The records describe recurrent attacks on ordinary Vietnamese.…

Television News Reports from Across the Middle East
Mosaic -- Link TV

News reports, from unedited Arab, Israeli and Iranian television news broadcasts, as seen each day in Middle East countries. With voice-over dubbing in English. Shows how the dramatic developments in Lebanon, Israel and Palestine are presented to the public. Warning: Some of these video images graphically present the grim reality of war.

Failing to Grasp Realities of the Middle East
George Monbiot -- The Guardian (Britain)

Though Israel ranks 23rd on the global development index -- above Greece, Singapore, Portugal and Brunei -- it remains the world's largest recipient of US aid.… By giving these weapons to Israel, the US government is, in effect, stating that all its military actions are being pursued in the cause of legitimate self-defence, American interests and world peace. The US also becomes morally complicit in Israel's murder of civilians.… Since 1972 the US has used its veto in the UN security council on 40 occasions to prevent the passage of resolutions that sought either to defend the rights of the Palestinians or to condemn the excesses of Israel's government. 

AIPAC's Hold
Ari Berman -- The Nation

AIPAC [the American Israel Public Affairs Committee] is the leading player in what is sometimes referred to as "The Israel Lobby" -- a coalition that includes major Jewish groups, neoconservative intellectuals and Christian Zionists. With its impressive contacts among Hill staffers, influential grassroots supporters and deep connections to wealthy donors, AIPAC is the lobby's key emissary to Congress. But in many ways, AIPAC has become greater than just another lobby; its work has made unconditional support for Israel an accepted cost of doing business inside the halls of Congress. AIPAC's interest, Israel's interest and America's interest are today perceived by most elected leaders to be one and the same.  

Christian Zionists and the Strangest Alliance in History
Jon Basil Utley

It is a bit weird that we begin the 21st century with American foreign policy being made by religious fundamentalists who mirror some of their Muslim brethren in their hatred. And now they want to attack Iran, whatever the consequences for the world's oil supplies through the Straits of Hormuz. Never mind all the wisdom and experience, books and lectures of America's foreign policy establishment: State Department and CIA experts overseas, analysts at think tanks, the most brilliant thinkers in the nation might as well be whistling in the dark. George Bush has been asked if he believes that we are in the "end times." He refused to answer. He has said that God tells him what policies to pursue, presumably those now inflaming the Muslim world. 

In Wake of Qana, Israel and US Seen as Terrorists
Paul Findley -- The State Journal-Register (Illinois)

The ghastly human carnage at Qana, Lebanon, should awaken everyone to the grim reality that our nation's attachment to Israel is bad news. It entangles America in one awful mess after another -- first 9/11, then Afghanistan, then Iraq and now Lebanon. None would have occurred if our government had refused to support Israel's long subjugation of the Palestinians.… America's dangerous attachment to Israel must end. We should have made a clean break from this warrior state years ago, but better late than never.

Britons and Americans are Watching Two Different Wars
Julian Borger

The US and European media have always covered the Middle East from different perspectives, but flying back to Washington from a stay in London at the height of the Lebanese conflict made it clear to me how wide the gulf has become. Britons and Americans are watching two different wars. The overwhelming emphasis of television and press coverage in the UK was the civilian casualties in Lebanon.… Back in DC, watching Lebanon through American camera lenses, the centre of the action seemed to be Haifa [Israel]. 

Future History: A Glimpse Of What US Lebanon Policy Could Spawn
Lawrence Pintak – Common Dreams

It is very likely that the world will look back at the summer of 2006 as a seminal moment in Middle East history. We may well be seeing, as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says, “the birth pangs of a new Middle East.” But it is also quite possible a monster will be born.… "Folly,” wrote historian Barbara Tuchman, is “the pursuit of policy contrary to self-interest.” The Bush administration set out to redraw the map of the Middle East. Instead, it has set it on fire. Three weeks ago, Hezbollah was a militia/political party engaged in a domestic struggle to survive on the new Lebanese political landscape reshaped by the withdrawal of Syria ’s forces. Today, it is the inspiration for a generation. Meanwhile, Iraq is becoming the new Afghanistan.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Ralph Raico

The most spectacular episode of Truman’s presidency will never be forgotten, but will be forever linked to his name: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and of Nagasaki three days later. Probably around two hundred thousand persons were killed in the attacks and through radiation poisoning; the vast majority were civilians.…

By early summer 1945, the Japanese fully realized that they were beaten. Why did they nonetheless fight on? As Anscombe wrote: "It was the insistence on unconditional surrender that was the root of all evil." That mad formula was coined by Roosevelt at the Casablanca conference, and, with Churchill’s enthusiastic concurrence, it became the Allied shibboleth.

Was Hiroshima Necessary?
Mark Weber

America's leaders understood Japan's desperate position: the Japanese were willing to end the war on any terms, as long as the Emperor was not molested. If the US leadership had not insisted on unconditional surrender -- that is, if they had made clear a willingness to permit the Emperor to remain in place -- the Japanese very likely would have surrendered immediately, thus saving many thousands of lives.… General Curtis LeMay, who had pioneered precision bombing of Germany and Japan (and who later headed the Strategic Air Command and served as Air Force chief of staff), put it most succinctly: "The atomic bomb had nothing to do with the end of the war."

The Hiroshima Myth
John V. Denson

Every year during the first two weeks of August the mass news media and many politicians at the national level trot out the "patriotic" political myth that the dropping of the two atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945 caused them to surrender, and thereby saved the lives of anywhere from five hundred thousand to one million American soldiers, who did not have to invade the islands. Opinion polls over the last fifty years show that American citizens overwhelmingly (between 80 and 90%) believe this false history which, of course, makes them feel better about killing hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians (mostly women and children) and saving American lives to accomplish the ending of the war.

Attractive Parents 'Have More Daughters'
Daily Telegraph (London)

Beautiful people not only seem to get richer, live longer and float through life with greater ease than the less visually blessed, they are also changing the face of the world. Researchers have established that very attractive people are 36 per cent more likely to have daughters than sons and that the world's females are becoming better-looking than men as a result. The report, from the London School of Economics, may provide an insight into the biological forces that lead the most striking people to produce first-born daughters. It postulates that differing "evolutionary strategies" lead parents to produce the sex that would most benefit from their own characteristics.

The Big Hollywood Lie: Denying that Jews Control the Film Business
New American View 

The Jewish denial that Hollywood is controlled by Jews is a great lie which can be attested to by anyone who has ever been associated with the film industry.… The Jews were, and remain, in control of Tinsel Town. To say otherwise is to lie.… It is bad enough when a group representing less than three percent of the American population -- and many of whose members have a self-proclaimed first loyalty to a foreign nation -- should be in control of so many of America's cultural, financial and governmental institutions. But it is positively insulting for them to deny their influence and power -- particularly when they themselves are continually boasting in their own circles about their "overrepresentation" in these fields. 

Why Do They Hate Us?
Jonathan Cook

The crowds in Beirut last year demanding a Cedar Revolution, “the first shoots of democracy” supposedly planted by the United States, are a distant memory. Yesterday we saw in their place the fury of Lebanon directed against the capital’s United Nations building -- an early “birth pang” in Condoleeza Rice’s new Middle East. If Israel wanted to widen its war, it could not have chosen a better way to achieve it than by sending its war planes back to the mixed Muslim and Christian village of Qana in south Lebanon to massacre civilians there, as if marking a morbid anniversary. A decade ago, Israeli shelling on the village killed more than 100 Lebanese civilians sheltering in a local UN post.… Israel, as usual, can be relied on to defend the indefensible.

Israel is using phosphorous bombs and cluster bombs against civilians, weapons banned by the Geneva Conventions when used against civilians.… And the U.S. Congress is despicable in its silence. They are all bought off by the Israel lobby and are afraid to criticize. If this were happening in any other country by any other country, there would be speeches on the floor of Congress, legislation introduced to stop aid and other help to whomever would be committing this cruelty. But since their campaign money comes from the Israeli lobby, we hear only silence.

The Power of Nightmares
BBC Two (Video)

Since the public has lost faith in ideology, politicians must now use fear in order to maintain their hold over the masses. This probing, thoughtful video examines the origins of the fear-mongering neo-conservative movement, including the impact of Jewish intellectual Leo Strauss, as well as of modern Islamicism and its relationship with Osama bin Laden. This three part television documentary series (2004), written and produced by Adam Curtiss, earned praise from British newspapers. The Guardian, for example, remarked: "This intelligent, scintillating series is a must for anyone who has the remotest interest in what is going on the world."

In a Paris Court, Dr. Faurisson Defends Himself
in Holocaust Case

In a Paris courtroom on July 11, Dr. Robert Faurisson and his attorney waged a vigorous, articulate and well-prepared legal battle. The fiercely energetic 77-year-old retired professor was on trial for having granted a telephone interview of revisionist character about the Holocaust story to an Iranian radio and television station. About a hundred revisionists, from France, Britain, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy, Iran and some other countries, were present to support Faurisson. From the start, the courtroom battle swung in favor of the defense. A decision in the case is to be handed down on October 3.

Hizbullah's Attacks Stem From Israeli Incursions into Lebanon
Anders Strindberg -- Christian Science Monitor

As pundits and policymakers scramble to explain events in Lebanon, their conclusions are virtually unanimous: Hizbullah created this crisis. Israel is defending itself. The underlying problem is Arab extremism. Sadly, this is pure analytical nonsense. Hizbullah's capture of two Israeli soldiers on July 12 was a direct result of Israel's silent but unrelenting aggression against Lebanon, which in turn is part of a six-decades long Arab-Israeli conflict.… Since its withdrawal of occupation forces from southern Lebanon in May 2000, Israel has violated the United Nations-monitored "blue line" on an almost daily basis, according to UN reports.  

Irish Bog Bodies Help Unlock Secrets of Iron Age
Reuters

Life in the Iron Age may have been nasty, brutish and short but people still found time to style their hair and polish their fingernails — and that was just the men. These are the findings of scientists who have been examining the latest preserved prehistoric bodies to emerge from Ireland 's peat bogs — the first to be found in Europe for 20 years.  One of the bodies, churned up by a peat-cutting machine at Clonycavan near Dublin in 2003, had raised Mohawk-style hair, held in place with gel imported from abroad. The other, unearthed three months later and 25 miles away in Oldcroghan by workmen digging a ditch, had perfectly manicured fingernails.

We Need Policies for a Real, Lasting Middle East Peace
Jimmy Carter

It is inarguable that Israel has a right to defend itself against attacks on its citizens, but it is inhumane and counterproductive to punish civilian populations in the illogical hope that somehow they will blame Hamas and Hezbollah for provoking the devastating response. The result instead has been that broad Arab and worldwide support has been rallied for these groups, while condemnation of both Israel and the United States has intensified.... There will be no substantive and permanent peace for any peoples in this troubled region as long as Israel is violating key U.N. resolutions, official American policy and the international "road map" for peace by occupying Arab lands and oppressing the Palestinians.  

One Hundred (Plus) Years of 'Regime Change'
Robert Sherrill – The Texas Observer

George Bush and Dick Cheney may get your vote as the worst, the dumbest, the most venal, and the most dangerous bunglers in foreign affairs in US history. But this book [Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq] will show you that their equals have appeared before. Overthrow is an infuriating recitation of our government’s military bullying over the past 110 years – a century of interventions around the world that resulted in the overthrow of 14 governments – in Hawaii, Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Vietnam, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Chile, Iran, Grenada, Afghanistan, and … Iraq.

The Moral Rot of Middle East Intervention
Jacob G. Hornberger

Of one thing we can be certain after decades of the US government’s interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East: it has not brought peace to that part of the world. Another thing we can be certain after decades of the US government’s interventionist foreign policy in the Middle East: it has not brought peace to that part of the world. Another thing we can be certain of: the federal government’s interventionist foreign policy is at the center of the moral rot that pervades the US Empire.... We should keep in mind that much of the weaponry for the Israeli government’s bombing campaign has been provided by the US taxpayer, compliments of the US foreign aid.

Americans Gloomy About the Future, New Poll Shows
NBC News 

The American public has grown increasingly pessimistic, as nearly two-thirds don't believe life for their children's generation will be better than it has been for them, and nearly 60 percent are doubtful the Iraq war will come to a successful conclusion. And there's more pessimism: Among those who believe the nation is headed on the wrong track, more than 80 percent say it's part of a longer-term decline. "This is just a horrendous set of numbers," says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican Bill McInturff. The mood is "as dank and depressing as I have seen."

Bombs destined to be used by Israel are being flown via Scotland only because the Irish government refused to allow them to land on its soil. Scotland on Sunday can reveal that after the conflict in Lebanon began three weeks ago, Ireland turned down a United States request for planes carrying 600lb so-called bunker busters to refuel at Shannon airport in County Clare. As a result, cargo planes carrying the bombs, which the Israeli army is using in its offensive against Hezbollah, are being flown via Prestwick airport in Ayrshire. The use of Prestwick triggered a furious diplomatic row last week after it emerged that the US had broken aviation rules by failing to notify Britain about the flights.

Israel’s Wartime Enemy Has No Innocents, Say Rabbis
Ynet News (Israel)

The Yesha Rabbinical Council [of Israel] announced in response to an IDF [Israel armed forces] attack in Kfar Qanna [in Lebanon] that "according to Jewish law, during a time of battle and war, there is no such term as 'innocents' of the enemy." “All of the discussions on Christian morality are weakening the spirit of the army and the nation and are costing us in the blood of our soldiers and civilians," the statement said.

Deadly Israeli Assault Strikes at US Mideast Policy
Peter Baker -- The Washington Post

With each new scene of carnage in southern Lebanon, outrage in the Arab world and Europe has intensified against Israel and its prime sponsor, raising the prospect of a backlash resulting in a new Middle East quagmire for the United States, according to regional specialists, diplomats and former US officials.… Analysts think that if the war drags on, as appears likely, it could leave the United States more isolated than at any time since the Iraq invasion three years ago and hindered in its foreign policy goals such as shutting down Iran 's nuclear program and spreading democracy around the world.