AltWeeklies Wire
Private Contractors Played Key Role in Abuse of Iraqi Prisonersnew
Among those involved in the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib were private contractors - who may never be accountable for their acts.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
A.C. Thompson and Pratap Chatterjee |
08-07-2004 |
War
Photos Spur News Media to Change from Chroniclers to Diggersnew
The horrors at Abu Ghraib have finally changed how the media report on the war — and on the president who started it. George W. Bush could be in for some of the rough treatment that generally goes with the job.
Boston Phoenix |
Dan Kennedy |
08-07-2004 |
Media
American Soldiers Killed in Iraq Last Week Listednew
To honor the war dead and fill an information gap in U.S. mass media, City Newspaper will run weekly lists of American/"Coalition" soldiers and Iraqi citizens killed during the ongoing occupation of Iraq.
City Newspaper |
Jennifer Weiss |
08-07-2004 |
International
Government's Assurances of Humane Treatment Can't Be Trustednew
Just last month, the Supreme Court heard three cases concerning the rights of "enemy combatants" being held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and in U.S. Naval brigs off the American coast. One issue at stake is whether the government -- specifically President Bush -- should be trusted to handle prisoners in an appropriate manner.
Boston Phoenix |
Harvey A. Silverglate and Carl Takei |
08-07-2004 |
Civil Liberties
The American Press Saw No Evil, Heard No Evil, Reported No Evilnew
As American legislators and pundits gather to heap criticism on the Bush administration over the Abu Ghraib prison abuse in Iraq, the American press has silently slithered away from taking any responsibility for its inability to report on the behavior of U.S. soldiers until the story was dumped on its lap.
The Athens NEWS |
Abhinav Aima |
08-07-2004 |
Media
You Can't Do That on (U.S.) Televisionnew
Footage of U.S. troops terrorizing a former Iraqi army officer and a night-vision film of a U.S. helicopter crew gunning down suspected insurgents were broadcast in Australia, but media self-censorship keeps such reports from being viewed by the American public.
Boston Phoenix |
Jason Vest |
08-07-2004 |
Media
Movie Theater Chains Split on Whether to Show Moore's Filmnew
Two movie chains based in Springfield, Ill., and owned by members of the same family made conflicting decisions about exhibiting Fahrenheit 9/11. GKC Theatres banned the film in 28 of its 29 theatres, but Kerasotes Theatres showed it.
Illinois Times |
John K. Wilson |
07-22-2004 |
Movies
Compromising Position: A Letter to John Kerrynew
"I am endorsing you and voting for you, Senator, because you have done two things a simpering daddy’s boy like George W. Bush never would: you have marched both to and against war," political satirist Barry Crimmins writes to the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Boston Phoenix |
Barry Crimmins |
07-22-2004 |
Politics
The Government's War on Soldiersnew
They fight for us, obediently. Yet in conflict after conflict, American soldiers are injected, gassed, medicated, experimented on, exposed to chemicals, and given faulty weapons and equipment by their own government. Then they come home to vanishing veterans benefits and Pentagon stonewalling.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
07-14-2004 |
War
Spin Cyclenew
Jehane Noujaim goes behind the scenes at Al Jazeera and exposes the mirage of objective journalism.
Columbus Alive |
Melissa Starker |
07-01-2004 |
Profiles & Interviews
Objector or 'Deserter'?
Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia, who served in the Florida Army National Guard, faces a conscientious objector hearing in Oklahoma. Why did he abandon his unit in Iraq? Fort Sill officials are denying interview requests, citing military regulations.
Oklahoma Gazette |
Deborah Benjamin |
06-18-2004 |
War
Tags: Iraq, war & peace
What Would Lincoln Do?
In a speech to MoveOn.org on May 26, 2004, former Vice President Al Gore discussed the failures of the Bush Administration, the Iraq war and prisoner abuse. His talk is excerpted here.
Random Lengths News |
Al Gore |
06-15-2004 |
Politics
An Anti-War Father Honors His Fallen Sonnew
Bill Mitchell, a Vietnam vet who lost his son, Sgt. Michael Mitchell, to the war in Iraq, speaks out against the conflict. His interview is accompanied on the San Luis Obispo New Times Web site by two other interviews of fathers who've lost sons to the war. One of them complains that recruiters are going into Mexico with promises of U.S. citizenship in return for enlistment.
San Luis Obispo New Times |
Paul Rockwell |
06-10-2004 |
Children & Families
Charges Dropped against Student Protesting Torturenew
Charges were dismissed against a Boston College student who was arrested after he protested at a military recruitment center by dressing up like the victim in a famous Abu Ghraib torture photo. This story is a follow-up to "If Only He’d Put Women’s Underwear on His Head Instead ..."
Boston Phoenix |
Camille Dodero |
06-10-2004 |
Civil Liberties
Veterans Say More Care Needed for Those Whose War Wounds Are Mentalnew
Montana veterans in need of mental health care turn to the Veterans Administration's Fort Harrison. But investigations suggest that Fort Harrison is turning a blind eye.
Missoula Independent |
Keila Szpaller |
06-04-2004 |
War
