U.S. military identifies vast mineral riches in Afghanistan

Echoes of the science fiction film Avatar, the U.S. military has located mineral riches in the ground in Afghanistan.    Were the minerals a factor driving the war?   Why is the U.S. military even doing mineral prospecting in Afghanistan? The NYT article says that the size of the deposits are valued at a $1 trillion, the… Read more »

Greenwashing the Pentagon

http://www.truth-out.org/greening-pentagon60385 Greenwashing the Pentagon Sunday 13 June 2010 by: Joseph Nevins, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed As oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico, just one of many manifestations of perilous ecological degradation across the planet, the need to challenge war and militarism – especially in terms of… Read more »

Fishermen caught mustard gas off NY

Fishermen off New York recently “caught” discarded chemical weapons injuring one crew member.  The military dumped thousands of tons of chemical weapons in the ocean off O’ahu.  Here’s an excerpt from the article: Officials say it’s impossible to know exactly how much and what type of weapons have been dumped in the ocean because of… Read more »

Is the U.S. miscalculating China?

This Washington Post article describes how the Obama’s administration’s dismissive attitude towards “outbursts” by top Chinese officials may be a miscalculation of the real widely held sentiment of Chinese leadership.  Not good, especially if the U.S. keeps provoking China with arms sales to Taiwan and an tightening noose of military bases. >><< http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/07/AR2010060704762_pf.html In Chinese… Read more »

Washington Post: Obama expands ‘secret war’ globally

President Obama is using more “extraterritorial” and “extralegal” tactics than Bush in the U.S. global and permanent state of imperial warfare.   The following article from the Washington Post describes how the Obama Administration has expanded the use of special forces to conduct covert operations in 75 countries, up from 60 countries the year before.  … Read more »

How does Rajin-Sonbong factor into the Cheonan-sinking controversy?

The Statehood Hawaii blog has posted analysis of the sinking of the South Korean navy ship Cheonan in the context of the U.S. military expansion in the Pacific and suggests other factors that may be driving the concerted “official story” blaming North Korea that has been pedaled by the U.S., South Korea and Japan: One… Read more »

Are beaked whales harmed by sonar in Hawai’i? “The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence”

http://honoluluweekly.com/feature/2010/06/beak-show/ Ocean Beak show Hawai‘i isn’t seeing beaked whale beachings due to sonar exercises. Why not? Christopher Pala Jun 2, 2010 Like dolphins, beaked whales have snouts known as “beaks.” Robin Baird, a marine mammal scientist who’s been studying Hawaii whales for 11 years, wondered why sonar used during naval exercises around Hawaii never produced… Read more »

Ken O’Keefe issues a statement about the defense of the flotilla from Israeli commando attack

From: Fadwa Dajani <f_dajani@hotmail.com> Sent: Sat, June 5, 2010 9:04:04 PM Subject: PRESS RELEASE: Ken O’Keefe Aboard the Mavi Marmara, Personal Statement & Photos Hello all, I write to inform you about Ken O’Keefe, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara when it was stormed by the Israeli military in the early hours of Monday 31st… Read more »

Beggars’ Belief: The Farmers’ Resistance Movement on Iejima Island, Okinawa

This article from Japan Focus gives a vivid account of the origins and history of the anti-bases movement in Iejima, Okinawa.  Also see the accompanying article by Ahagon Shoko and C. Douglas Lummis: I Lost My Only Son in the War: Prelude to the Okinawan Anti-Base Movement. This article is a translation of two chapters… Read more »