America's Tortured Past - by Stephen LendmanOn August 24, an ACLU press release stated:In response to two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits, "The government today handed over to the American Civil Liberties Union (one of dozens of documents comprising an unprecedented 130,000 previously secret pages, including) a detailed official description of the CIA's interrogation... Continue Reading →

Early and Current Fears about Vaccine Dangers - by Stephen LendmanGiven today's hysteria over a non-existent Swine Flu threat and possible mandating of experimental, untested, toxic, and likely bioengineered vaccines, it's appropriate to review early fears about their dangers - when evidence first surfaced and concerns were raised.In 1920, Charles Michael Higgins' "Horrors of Vaccination... Continue Reading →

Growing Poverty and Despair in America - by Stephen LendmanIn 1962, Michael Harrington's "The Other America" exposed the nation's dark underside enough for John Kennedy to ask his Council of Economic Advisor chairman, Walter Heller, to look into the problem and for Lyndon Johnson to say (on January 8, 1964) that his administration "today, here... Continue Reading →

Codex Alimentarius (CA) Threatens Human Health - by Stephen LendmanOn its web site, CA (Latin for food code) says:"The Codex Alimentarius Commission was created in 1963 by the FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN) and WHO (World Health Organization) to develop food standards, guidelines and related texts such as codes of practice under... Continue Reading →

The Obstacles to Real Health Care Reform: Private Insurers and Big PhRMA - by Stephen LendmanIn almost the same breath on August 17, the White House effectively dropped a real public option (that likely never existed) while Obama was telling the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) that the Pentagon will escalate the Afghanistan/Pakistan war into... Continue Reading →

Global Depression and Regional Wars - Reviewing James Petras' New Book: Part II - by Stephen LendmanPart II continues Petras' analysis of the global depression, regional wars, and the decline of America's empire.Obama's Latin American PolicyAt all times under all administrations, policy, not rhetoric, defines priorities, and it's no different for Obama. With regards to... Continue Reading →

Reinventing No Child Left Behind - by Stephen LendmanEnacted on January 8, 2002, the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act's (NCLB) sponsors claimed it would close the achievement gap between inner city and rural schools and more affluent suburban ones by setting high reading and math standards, then testing to assure they're achieved. However, the... Continue Reading →

Global Depression and Regional Wars - Reviewing James Petras' New Book: Part I - by Stephen LendmanJames Petras is Binghamton University, New York Professor Emeritus of Sociology. Besides his long and distinguished academic career, he's a noted figure on the left, a well-respected Latin American expert, and a longtime chronicler of the region' popular struggles.... Continue Reading →

Religious Fundamentalism in Israel - by Stephen LendmanIsrael Shahak's (1933 - 2001) "Jewish History, Jewish Religion" argued that while Islamic fundamentalism is vilified in the West, comparable Jewish extremism is largely ignored. In the book's forward, Edward Said wrote:"....Shahak's mode of telling the truth has always been rigorous and uncompromising. There is nothing seductive about... Continue Reading →

No Letup In Political Witch-Hunts Under Obama - by Stephen LendmanFor eight years, the Bush administration relentlessly targeted Muslim, environmental, and animal rights activists as national security or terrorist threats. Shamefully, Obama continues the same practice.On May 20, the FBI arrested four New York men, claiming they planned to bomb a Bronx synagogue and community... Continue Reading →