t r u t h o u t Sun, 25 Dec 2005

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John Dear | " Peace on Earth " Means " No More War "

Sun, 25 Dec 2005 14:11:18 -0800

 

 

 

 

John Dear reminds us about the true meaning of Christmas; Rebecca

Solnit points out that it wasn't a great year for either David or

Goliath; 216,000 remembered one year after tsunami; and more ...

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t r u t h o u t | 12.25

 

 

 

John Dear | " Peace on Earth " Means " No More War "

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505A.shtml

John Dear reminds us that the story goes that when the nonviolent

Jesus was born into abject poverty to homeless refugees on the

outskirts of a brutal empire, angels appeared in the sky to

impoverished shepherds singing, " Glory to God in the highest and peace

on earth! " That child grew up to become, in Gandhi's words, " the

greatest nonviolent resister in the history of the world, " and was

subsequently executed by the empire for his insistence on justice.

This weekend, as tens of millions of Christians across the country

celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, the US wages war in Iraq,

Afghanistan, Colombia and elsewhere; crushes the hungry, homeless,

elderly, imprisoned and refugee; and maintains the world's ultimate

terrorist threat - its nuclear arsenal.

 

 

 

Rebecca Solnit | 2005: Bad Year for Goliath

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505B.shtml

Rebecca Solnit points out that to say that it was a bad year for

Goliath doesn't mean it was exactly a good one for what George Bailey,

in annual holiday It's a Wonderful Life reruns, calls " the little

people. " US public opinion has almost caught up with the rest of the

world in opposing the war, but Iraqis are still being bombed and

American soldiers are still dying.

 

 

 

Blues in the Green Zone on Christmas

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505C.shtml

Outside the tiny mess hall, a handwritten sign proclaims in a spidery

scrawl: " Knight's Den lunch feast. Try the eggnog tonight. (The rest

is just Army chow.) Merry Christmas. " In this overlooked corner of the

Green Zone, troops from Michigan's National Guard celebrated Christmas

Eve on Saturday. From daybreak, the soldiers toiled to decorate the

spartan hall, open to the 146 " Knights " who are spending the holidays

in Iraq. At home are newborn children and grandchildren, and families

gathering to celebrate. In Michigan, it's snowing.

 

 

 

Mourners Remember 216,000 Tsunami Victims

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505D.shtml

Grieving relatives gathered on beaches and at mass graves Sunday to

remember the 216,000 killed or missing one year after a mammoth

earthquake unleashed a tsunami that crashed into coastlines from Asia

to Africa.

 

 

Matt Frei | Bush Bubble Burst by Troubled 2005

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505E.shtml

George Bush has no doubt had his share of difficult years before, but

in political terms 2005 must go down as his worst year in office. His

approval ratings had plummeted and are only now inching their way up

the ladder. The political capital he sought to spend after his

re-election has been squandered.

 

 

 

Some Fear Eavesdropping Could Undermine Work of Spy Agency

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505F.shtml

The White House decision to order surveillance of international phone

calls by US citizens without a warrant violated longstanding practices

and could undermine a key US intelligence agency that's critical in

the struggle against terrorists, former senior intelligence officials

and other experts said this week.

 

 

 

US Missteps Leave Iraqis in the Dark

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505G.shtml

The massive US effort will leave behind this legacy: Iraqis will

actually have, on average, fewer hours per day of electricity in their

homes than they did before the US-led invasion in March 2003.

 

 

 

David Sirota | Will the Dems Step Up in the New Year?

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505X.shtml

David Sirota writes that how each party answers its big questions will

not only decide the 2006 or 2008 elections but whether America will

still have a political system that represents our country's people.

Polls consistently show that Americans want a vastly more progressive

economic policy, are concerned about Big Money's influence on our

government and support bringing the troops home from Iraq within a

year. In other words, what the public wants is very clear despite the

political establishment's efforts to muddle the issues.

 

 

 

James Bamford | NSA, the Agency That Could Be Big Brother

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505Y.shtml

Deep in a remote, fog-layered hollow near Sugar Grove, W.Va., hidden

by fortress-like mountains, sits the country's largest eavesdropping

bug. Located in a " radio quiet " zone, the station's large parabolic

dishes secretly and silently sweep in millions of private telephone

calls and e-mail messages an hour.

 

 

 

US Bombing of Iraq Intensifies

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/122505Z.shtml

US airstrikes in Iraq have surged this fall, jumping to nearly five

times the average monthly rate earlier in the year, according to US

military figures. Until the end of August, US warplanes were

conducting about 25 strikes a month. The number rose to 62 in

September, then to 122 in October and 120 in November.

 

 

 

Red State Road Trip: A 60-Minute Documentary

http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm

How could America have given George W. Bush a second term? Filmmaker

Chris Hume decided to find out by embarking on a 6,000-mile,

cross-country journey in search of America's soul. The result: a

fascinating, hilarious, and often disturbing road-trip adventure.

 

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