I have always been an advocate for Social issues whether it be Women's Rights, Immigration Reform, Education and the Environment. These issues were negatively impacted during the 8 years of Bush Cheney tyranny and I was filled with a sense of hopelessness. That changed when Barack Obama became the Democratic party presidental canidate. I became a active volunteer during the contentious campaign. With the election of Barack Obama I am filled with hope and promise for the future. I want to continue to participate for reform and change.
James Fellows is a well respected correspondent with 25+ years service with The Atlantic. He also served 2 years as an editor for US New & Reports. In this brief editorial he discusses the 'pernicious influence' of Elizabeth 'Betsy' McCaughey who through distorted facts and innuendo played a major role in derailing the Clinton health bill is now doing her best to derail the Obama health care legislation with the current death panel claims.
This is quality journalism at its finest. GRAVEYARD OF ANALOGIES is a fascinating and insightful examination of the similarities and differences between the debacle of the Soviet invasion and occupation of Afghanistan in 1979 and the Bush Administration's ill-fated decision in 2001 after 9/11 not battle known al Qa'eda and the Tailban strongholds in Afghanistan choosing instead to focus the war on terror in Saddam Hussein's Iraq with devastating consequences: the destruction and destabilization in Afghanistan, increased hostilities between Pakistan and India and shock waves of instability in the Central Asia region. Eight years later the Obama Administration inherits unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and tries not 'to meet ... More »
n terms of relevance and expertise Ahmed Rashid is a prestigeous Pakistani journalist considered an authority on Pakistan-India-Afghanistan relations. His 'who's who' journalistic portfolio includes appearances on PBS' Charlie Rose show, BBC World, International TV & Radio and CNN. His commentary posts have appeared in the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, WSJ and The Nation. He's authored Taliban: Miltant Islam and Descent Into Chaos, both NY Times bestsellers. However I believe this article is not representative of the high standards of his work. It is a 'vanilla' piece with poor source information; names of the selected western diplomats and foreign journalists chosen for 'hard headings briefings by Pakistan's ... More »
For those unfamiliar with ICE and detention policy this article is an excellent primer. It is well researched backed up with harrowing stories of American citzens.
This is an in depth article on ICE and detention policies with harrowing examples of American citizens caught in the web of DHS detention policies.
I was not well informed about the long-standing history between Pakistan, Afghanistan and India. My limited knowledge was in context to 9/11 and the 'war on terror.' And even though I feel this article was general in tone and lacked journalist punch, it was a good introduction to the politics and history of this part of the world. The subsequent fact checking portion of the review was the real education in terms of information and education.