News at Home

Column: Bush's Bold New Vision

by P. M. Carpenter

As we pursue mostly unidentified evildoers in accord with the bold new vision of the “Bush Doctrine,” let us pause to review our successes. The list is most impressive. We have killed perhaps hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children. But the Pentagon is dreadfully sorry, so that figure really isn’t as bad as it seems. We have liquidated maybe and exactly one senior member of Al Qaeda, whose majority membership is housed pret

Presidency: Bush Should Consider the Fate of Wartime Presidents

by Ira Chernus

President Bush is responding to national disaster by assuming the mantle of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. He would do well to consider the fate of less successful wartime presidents, not only Truman but Lyndon B. Johnson. Leading a nation to war is trickier than it may seem.The frequent references to Pearl Harbor inevitably call up memories of FDR. But Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has acknowledged that the war o

Column: Shameful

by P.M. Carpenter

11The war slogs on. The radical conservatives in power are widely regarded by ethnic minority groups, as well as by discontented pockets within the majority ethnic group and some of the international community, to be illegitimate. The ruling elite came to power only through intimidation, behind-the-scenes power plays, and close ties to a few sympathetically minded judicial mullahs. Its inspiration is a religious and social fundamentalism clearly out of step with secular-humanist enlightenment th

Column: Succeeding in Alienating the Islamic World

by P.M. Carpenter

Every time the president steps before a mike to fill us in on international matters, I become more bewildered on what in the world -- literally -- is going on. While the major dailies were applauding the leadership and “grit” of his latest address (Thursday, October 11), I was still waiting for an interpreter of what seemed very much like executive bran

Religion and the "New War"

by Norman Markowitz

A friend of mine, Shanti Tangri, a Professor Emeritus of Economics at Rutgers and a humanist, made an interesting point today that got me thinking. Shanti, a secular Indian-American of Hindu background was forced to flee his home in the late 1940s in the Indian Civil War that produced the Muslim separatist state of Pakistan. His point was that in this conflict, as in life, he has much more in common with the secular people of all countries than he does with religious fundamentalists, Muslims

Column: We Are All Victims, or Maybe It's Not That Way At All

by William Thompson

VICTIMS? The concept of six degrees of separation has been on my mind since September 11. We simply were not that far away from the people in the towers. I live physically 2000 miles away, yet I connect to victims through individuals I personally know in at least three separate directions, and that means everyone I know connects through me, ergo, th

And They Say Academics Have Little Practical Advice to Offer

by HNN Staff

The following comment appeared this past week on the H-War discussion group run by H-Net. As members probably know, much of policing of British areas of influence in the Middle East during the 1920s was turned over to the Royal Air Force. However, whenever a British plane had to make a forced landing in places like Iraq or Afghanistan, crews were often subjected to hideous torture by locals. Their favorite torment was to castrate any captured infidels, then known colloquially as

Civil Liberties: The World War I Precedent We Don’t Want to Repeat

by Diane M. T. North

As the Bush administration launches a worldwide war against terrorists, it also is setting up an Office of Homeland Security. Questions are being raised about how that office will protect the nation. In their past wartime experiences with"homeland defense," Americans ended up damaging their democratic principles and hurting innocent citizens. Perhaps the best-known example occurred during World War II, when the government ordered thousands of Japanese American men, women and children

Black Tuesday II

by Robert S. McElvaine

"Black Tuesday" has long referred to events that took place in lower Manhattan on Oct. 29, 1929 -- the largest stock market crash ever experienced. Now that long ago Great Crash in the heart of the world's financial center has been superseded by a far worse and all-too-literal Great Crash only blocks away on another Tuesday. People picture the onset of the Great Depression of the 1930s with vivid images of ruined investors jumping out the windows of New York's skyscrape

Column: The Phony War

by P.M. Carpenter

America has found itself in a situation known in Europe from September, 1939 to April, 1940 as the"Phony War." The bin Laden-inspired airborne devastation of human life on September 11 was as much a Blitzkrieg as Hitler launched at 4:45 am, September 1, 1939 against peaceful Poland. For about 6 months, however, the stench of real war in Europe was defer

Column: Saving General Powell

by P. M. Carpenter

At the time of this writing -- 17 days after the first most senseless act of the new century and 7 days after the president's speech to the nation -- Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Know Nothings and Greenbacks are justifiably at peace with George W. Beltway brotherhood wafts through the autumn air. All past executive wrongs and ill-advised policies are forgiven. Even it

Bush Has to Lead, the Rest of Us Have to Sacrifice

by Stanley I. Kutler

Pearl Harbor!An act of war!These have been the slogans of choice.Pearl Harbor conjures memories of World War II and the response of the greatest generation ever. And as that generation is about to pass, we have accelerated our praise and acclamation.In December 1941, we confronted the armed might of Germany and Japan, then among the world's leading powers. What occurred on Sept. 11 has limited use as an analogy. Yes, American soil has been attacked and Ame

Responding to Terror: No Good Choices

by Daniel Szechi

In its brutality and horror, the World Trade Center attack of September 11 outmatched Pearl Harbor. Because it did so, our grief and anger are settling into a cold rage against whoever committed the atrocity and those who may be sheltering the perpetrators' accomplices and families. But what must now be done? This is the question transfixing the government and being debated by the rest of society. On one side are the advocates of quick, decisive and massive

Military: Mr. Rumsfeld's Challenge

by Michael Creswell

The recent terrorist attacks on New York and Washington underscore the urgent need to modernize the nation's defense forces.Wisely, the Bush administration had already indicated its desire to transform a military shaped in the Cold War to forces ready for an uncertain future. Instead of being prepared to fight a massive tank battle against the Soviet Union for control of Europe, the administration believed, the U.S. military services

An Investigation—NOW!

by Nikolas K. Gvosdev

Every commentator in America is drawing the parallel between the recent terrorist attacks and the Japanese air raid against the Pacific fleet nearly 60 years ago. This second Day of Infamy -- September 11, 2001 -- has already taken its place next to December 7, 1941. Not only have thousands of lives been lost in a surprise attack, but Americans' sense of geographic security from overseas violence and turmoil has been shaken. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the United States ask

Why She Did It: Barbara Lee’s Vote Against War

by Jason Sokol

Five-hundred and eighteen members of Congress voted to extend President Bush the power to use"all necessary and appropriate force" in crafting a military response to the tragedy of September 11. Barbara Lee, a Democratic Representative from California, registered the Capitol’s lone voice of dissent. Almost unanimously, Congress is in tune with those majority of Americans who wish to inflict"justice" on the culprits. From the New York Times to the San Franc

Presidency: His Finest Hour

by Larry Schweikart

This was the same man who came within a hair's breadth of losing an election in November, who withstood the political chicanery of the Florida Democratic machine to fix the vote count. This was the same man who admitted to having a drinking problem in younger years, and whose happy-go-lucky lifestyle led him to mediocre grades in college and an ill-fated oil venture. This was the same man who mangled syntax even more than his father, and whose speaking missteps became known as"Bushisms."

Column: Unintended Consequences

by P.M. Carpenter

It is the morning after the president's"war" speech and the liberal media can't say enough good things about it. But I gotta admit, I'm scared. Scared, because softly underneath the speech one could hear the tune:"The Old Cold Warriors Are Back in the Saddle Again."11For several days political bookies were giving odds that Bush would side with the more pugilistic of his adv

9-11: War Fever

by Eugene E. Leach

Within minutes of the horrific attack on the World Trade Center, Tom Brokaw of NBC News was declaring war on"terrorism." On almost every television channel references to Pearl Harbor were flying thick and fast even before the Center towers collapsed. The daily news has been called the first draft of history. Today some people in the media seem eager to turn in their first draft while events are still going on. This is irresponsible reporting and dangerous his

A Time for Calm

by Joseph Palermo

In this time of heightened passions and emotions among Americans resulting from the horrific attacks of September 11th, along with the mainstream media's steady stream of disturbing images with commentators calling for an aggressive United States military response, we must stop for a moment to reflect and consider carefully whether moving toward more bloodshed, violence, and hatred is the path our nation should take. On April 4, 1968, passions were also running hig