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Climate Talks on Verge of Collapse in Final Hours

by Nick Berning, Open Left

A leaked UN documents is among a number of news items as the climate talks reach the home-stretch.

WTF? $26 Software Being Used to Hack Drone Program in Iraq & Afghanistan

The Wall Street Journal calls it a "potentially serious vulnerability in Washington's growing network of unmanned drones."

Honduran Gay Activist Walter Trochez Assassinated

by Doug Ireland, Direland

The best-known LGBT activist in Honduras was assassinated on Sunday after speaking out against homophobic crimes and killings by the forces behind the coup there.

"The Foolish Symbols of Christianity": Israel's Religious Right Discovers the War on Hanukkah

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

Eat your heart out, Bill-O.

How Easy it Is to Reinforce People's Conspiracy Paranoia

by Joshua Holland, AlterNet

True but kind of lame 9/11 story.

Bill Kristol: Obama's Nobel Speech "Most Bush-Like ... of His Presidency," Lays Groundwork to Attack Iran

by Ben Armbruster, Think Progress

Never mind reality, Kristol and his washed-up neocon gang are increasingly turning their sights on Iran

Video: At Last! Rick Warren Finally Condemns Uganda's "Kill the Gays" Law -- A Law Written By His Friends

by Adele Stan, AlterNet

When Rick Warren's colleagues in Uganda crafted a new law that carries the death penalty for gay people with HIV, the pastor was silent. Under pressure, he finally speaks.

"Shock'n Y'all" Country Singer Toby Keith to Perform at Nobel Peace Concert

by Liliana Segura, AlterNet

This is the man whose artistic response to 9/11 was to pen a revenge anthem that included the lyric, "we'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American way."

Obama Invokes 'Just War' as Nobel Chairman Compares Him to MLK

by Daniela Perdomo, AlterNet

President Obama accepts his Nobel Peace Prize by calling Afghanistan a "just war." The Nobel chairman claims "Dr. King's dream has come true." What?

The Real Reason Obama Is Escalating In Afghanistan

by Christian Parenti, The Nation

The real purpose of these 30,000 soldiers is to make Obama look tough as he heads toward the next U.S. presidential election.

$57,077.60 -- That's What We're Paying Each Minute for the Occupation of Afghanistan

Jo Comerford, Tomdispatch.com. December 17, 2009.
The $30 billion cost of Obama's surge alone would place the US in the top-ten for global military spending, sandwiched between Italy and Saudi Arabia.

Neocons Must Be Pissed; China and Russia Are Getting the Sweet Oil Deals in Iraq

Pepe Escobar, Asia Times. December 17, 2009.
Cheney and Rumsfeld's script was never supposed to develop like this. Instead of US Big Oil getting the lion's share in Iraq, its top competitors turned out to be big winners.

Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman's Invictus Film Release Kicks Off New Campaign For Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Linda Milazzo, AlterNet. December 14, 2009.
The launch of Invictus will hopefully set of a wave of renewed interest in a proposal to recognize and protect the rights of humanity.

The 9 Surges of Obama's War

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. December 14, 2009.
The troop surge is only one part of the escalation of the Afghanistan war. Here are 8 more signs of how fully the President has committed us.

Big News from Copenhagen: Radical Cuts Urged, Deal In Jeopardy

Mark Hertsgaard, TheNation.com. December 12, 2009.
The divide between big emitters and at-risk nations deepened, threatening the prospects of reaching a climate deal.

Afghanistan: How the War Hawks Caged Obama

Robert Parry, Consortium News. December 12, 2009.
How a desire for bipartisanship and peace within his own party led Obama to appoint a hawkish cabal that pushed him to a renewed war in Afghanistan.

Bill Moyers: We Have a Nobel Peace President Who Won't Ban Land Mines

Bill Moyers, Michael Winship, Bill Moyers Journal. December 11, 2009.
The Nobel Committee said Obama won the prize for his respect of international law and his efforts at disarmament, yet he won't even sign on to end a barbaric weapon.

Explosions and Fraught Negotiations Show Iraq Struggling to Emerge From U.S. Shadow

Abeer Mohammed, Neil Arun, Institute for War and Peace Reporting. December 11, 2009.
This week, five car bombs near killed more than 120 people in Baghdad, one day after Iraqi lawmakers finally finished a convoluted debate over upcoming elections.

Why Do Airstrikes in Afghanistan Keep Killing Exactly 30 People?

Megan Carpentier, Air America. December 11, 2009.
Pentagon policy from the Rumsfeld days on acceptable kill rates still seems to be the guiding logic for what field commanders are telling the news media.

Does Obama's Road to Re-Election Run Through Kabul?

Christian Parenti, The Nation. December 10, 2009.
The real purpose of sending 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan is to make Obama look tough as he heads toward his next election.

Obama Accepts Nobel Peace Prize With a Pro-War Speech

Norman Solomon, AlterNet. December 10, 2009.
Obama spoke of "the world as it is" and insisted that "war is sometimes necessary" -- but generalities do nothing to mitigate the horrors of war being endured by others.

Pentagon's Advice to Traumatized Veterans: Think Happy Thoughts!

Penny Coleman, AlterNet. December 10, 2009.
Hey, all you quitters and whiners: If it’s bad and it hurts, you have to try harder, have faith, and above all, think positive!

The Swiss Minaret Ban: What Are They Really Trying to Outlaw?

Laila Lalami, The Nation. December 9, 2009.
A voter referendum prohibiting the construction of minarets in Switzerland is part of a disturbing, anti-Muslim trend that's been working its way through Europe for years.

Obama Far Outdoes Bush in Escalating War -- The Numbers Will Surprise You

David DeGraw, Amped Status. December 9, 2009.
Increasing numbers of deployed soldiers, mercenaries and drones all add up to Obama being more of a war president than Bush, in terms of hard numbers.

Iraq-WMD Claim Came from ... a Cab Driver?

John Byrne, Raw Story. December 9, 2009.
News in the UK: Iraqi cab driver was source of an infamous claim made by Prime Minister Tony Blair that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

Is Erik Prince Threatening the U.S. Government?

Jeremy Scahill, The Nation. December 8, 2009.
Did Blackwater's owner speak to Vanity Fair to send a message to the Justice Department about government secrets he can reveal?

How Hyper-Capitalism May Hobble the Copenhagen Summit

Walden Bello, Foreign Policy in Focus. December 8, 2009.
Unless we re-think the export-oriented capitalism that's causing all of our climate problems, the Copenhagen conference will be nothing more than a Band-Aid.

At Least 127 Dead in Baghdad Bombings

Agence France Presse. December 8, 2009.
Five massive vehicle-borne bombs rocked Baghdad on Tuesday, killing scores, iincluding women and students. It was the third coordinated massacre in the city since August.

Are Liberals Pathetic?

Chris Hedges, Truthdig. December 7, 2009.
Sterile posturing and cowardice have hollowed out the liberal cause.

Four Men Leave Guantanamo; Two Face Ill-Defined Trials in Italy

Andy Worthington, AlterNet. December 7, 2009.
Last week, the Obama administration announced that it had transferred four prisoners from Gitmo: one to France, one to Hungary, and two to Italy.

Over 1,000 Delegates for Peace Will Mark 1st Anniversary of Gaza Invasion, Protest Ongoing Israeli Siege

Medea Benjamin, AlterNet. December 7, 2009.
Impressive international delegation coming from 42 countries signed up for the Dec. 31 Gaza Freedom March.

The Other Occupation: Western Sahara and the Case of Aminatou Haidar

Stephen Zunes, AlterNet. December 5, 2009.
How long will U.S. authorities ignore the bleak realities of Moroccan repression?

Obama's War Speech Woke the Sleeping Giant -- Anger Over Afghan Surge Fuels Country-Wide Protests

Jodie Evans, AlterNet. December 4, 2009.
The president's announcement of a troop surge in Afghanistan this week prompted protests in over 80 communities across the country.

Honduras: What Now?

Thelma Mejia, IPS News. December 4, 2009.
The Honduran Congress voted this week not to reinstate ousted President Manuel Zelaya. "Mr. Zelaya is history," said Roberto Micheletti, who took power after the coup.

Progressive Leaders Pan Obama's Decision for More War in Afghanistan -- 10 Reactions

AlterNet. December 4, 2009.
Tom Hayden says he's taking the Obama bumpersticker off his car, Laura Flanders says the Bush Doctrine is still alive, and more.

Why Should We Get Out of Afghanistan? Because Imperialism Is a Fool's Game

Larry Beinhart, AlterNet. December 3, 2009.
Imperial occupations have become geometrically more difficult since the Second World War.

Obama's War Speech Offered Something for Everybody -- But Who's Buying It?

Rory O'Connor, MediaChannel.org. December 2, 2009.
Obama's promise: Let's come together and get along to end the war - by waging the war more intensely…but only for eighteen months, and then we all get to go home.

Hightower: What Is Obama Getting Us into in Afghanistan?

Jim Hightower, Creators Syndicate. December 2, 2009.
Cut the music, and let's all ponder what Barack Obama, Roberts Gates, Stanley McChrystal and Co. are getting us into ... and whether we really want to go there.

Obama's Afghan Surge Rationale Contradicts His Own Recent Position

Gareth Porter, IPS News. December 2, 2009.
Obama's rationale for escalation in Afghanistan is based on a notion that he recently rejected: the supposedly indissoluble link between the Taliban insurgency and al Qaeda.

A Humanitarian Disaster in the Making Along the Chad-Cameroon Oil Pipeline -- Who's Watching?

Brendan Schwartz, Valery Nodem, AlterNet. December 2, 2009.
The discovery of oil in Chad was supposed to allieviate poverty and human suffering, but it's only enriched Western Oil companies and the local dictators.

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