Truthout - News

Congress Must Debate the Libya War

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:25:20 -0400

The US is now at war in a third Muslim country, according to the "official tally" (that is, counting Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya, but not Pakistan or Yemen, for example.) But Congress has never authorized or debated the US military intervention in Libya. (A sharply disputed claim holds that the Pakistan and Yemen actions are covered by the 2001 authorization of military force, but no one has dared to argue that the 2001 authorization to use military force covers Libya.)

Some will no doubt claim that the president is acting in Libya within his authority as commander in chief. But this is an extremely dangerous claim.

News in Brief: Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Ann Wright Among 30 Arrested for Protesting Against Abuse of Bradley Manning, and More ...

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:56:57 -0400

Daniel Ellsberg, Col. Ann Wright Among 30 Arrested for Protesting Against Abuse of Bradley Manning

In This Nuclear World, What Is the Meaning of "Safe"?

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:56:17 -0400

In a nuclear crisis, life becomes a nightmare for those people trying to make sense of the uncertainties. Imaginably, the questions are endless.

Radiation is invisible, how do you know when you are in danger? How long will this danger persist? How can you reduce the hazard to yourself and family? What level of exposure is safe? How do you get access to vital information in time to prevent or minimize exposure?

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Richard D. Wolff: "Personal Debts" (Video)

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:37:22 -0400

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Charmed Into Battle: How a Volunteering Vacation Became a Quest to Protect Nepal's Children

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:12:28 -0400

About to turn thirty, Conor Grennan planned a year-long trip around the world. He started his trip with a three-month stint volunteering in the Little Princes Orphanage in war-torn Nepal. What was supposed to be just a three-month experience changed Conor's life, and the lives of countless others. While playing on the roof of the orphanage, Conor was approached by a woman who would turn out to be the mother of two of the wards. Over hours of conversations with her, Conor learned the truth about the kids he'd come to love.

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A Modern Medical Disconnect

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:06:12 -0400

Maggie Kozel dreamed of being a doctor when she was a child, but the modern health care system she experienced upended her idealistic view of medicine. In her new book, "The Color of Atmosphere," Kozel writes about her days as a young pediatrician, her Navy experience with universal medicine and the strains of entering private practice.

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Public Support for Israel

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:04:48 -0400

In his last year in the White House, George W. Bush promised Israel $30 billion in military aid over the next ten years. Apparently, Barack Obama doesn't think that's quite enough. His new proposed budget ups the ante by $75 million for the next fiscal year. If Congress approves that increase - and when did Israel ever lose in the US Congress? - the average US taxpayer will contribute $21.59 in military aid to Israel in 2011, according to the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.

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Senior Yemeni Officers Call for Ouster of President

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 10:49:46 -0400

Sana, Yemen - In a significant erosion of military support for Yemen’s embattled president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, five generals on Monday threw their support behind protesters calling for his immediate ouster as rival soldiers took up positions in different sections of the capital.

The generals were Brig. Gen. Ali Mohsin Saleh, a powerful figure who commands forces in the country’s northwest, three other brigadier generals and a general. The five said they had decided to support the protesters after watching the bloody clashes on Friday.

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The Butterfly and the Boiling Point

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:46:05 -0400

Charting the wild winds of change in 2011.

Revolution is as unpredictable as an earthquake and as beautiful as spring. Its coming is always a surprise, but its nature should not be.

Revolution is a phase, a mood, like spring, and just as spring has its buds and showers, so revolution has its ebullience, its bravery, its hope, and its solidarity. Some of these things pass.

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Allies Target Qaddafi's Ground Forces, but Resistance Continues, Reports Say

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 09:28:56 -0400

Tripoli, Libya - After a second night of American and European strikes by air and sea against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s forces, European nations on Monday rejected Libyan claims that civilians had been killed. Pro-Qaddafi forces were reported, meanwhile, to be holding out against the allied campaign to break their hold on the ground while enforcing a no-fly zone.

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