By Caroline Baker of Speaking Truth to Power

Individuals concerned with the unprecedented changes the earth community is undergoing tend to venerate America’s Amish for their simple, earth-based lifestyle of frugality and solid commitment to caring for the other members of their community. There is much we have to learn from them, but more recently, there is yet another lesson they offer, and perhaps, not one we expected.
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By Ramzy Baroud

Much can be said to explain, or even justify Hamas’ recent political concessions, where its top leaders in Gaza and Damascus agreed in principle with a political settlement on the basis of the two-state solution.
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By Rowan Wolf

Given the number of contractors being used by the U.S. military, one has to ask where the military ends and the contractors begin, and what the mission relationship between them is. A recent event in Afghanistan raises plenty of questions, but no real answers.
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By Rowan Wolf

Many times we hear about the brutality of nature. We are well schooled in the concepts of “natural enemies.” Perhaps we need to broaden our perspective - allow other possibilities.
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By Dafna Linzer and Peter Finn. Republished from ProPublica

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate suspected terrorists indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.
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By Rowan Wolf

I don’t know about you, but I am pulling my hair out at the absolute insanity in the politics of the healthcare “debate.” I want a ’single payer” system that provides UNIVERSAL healthcare. I do not want a system that tweeks the edges so cover a FEW more people. As I see it there are three components to the healthcare issue:

1. Healthcare is not accessible to a growing portion of the population.
2. Healthcare in the United States is the most expensive in the world.
3. Costs (and profits) are out of control.
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By Ramzy Baroud

One might be tempted to dismiss the recent findings of the US State Department on human trafficking as largely political. But do not be too hasty.

Criticism of the State Department’s report on trafficked persons, issued on 16 June, should be rife. The language describing US allies’ efforts to combat the problem seems undeserved, especially when one examines the nearly 320- page report and observes the minuscule efforts of these governments. Also, it was hardly surprising to find that Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria — Washington’s foremost foes — languish in the report’s Tier 3 category, i.e. countries where the problem is most grave and least combated. Offenders in Tier 3 are subject to US sanctions, while governments of countries in Tier 1 are perceived as vigilant in fighting human trafficking.
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By Joel S. Hirschhorn

In the national debate about health care reform absolutely nothing makes less sense than the positive views of much of the public about private health insurers. There is no good reason to have positive views of private health insurers, the companies that have relentlessly increased the costs for very limited health insurance. Copays, deductibles and premiums have raped those lucky enough to have health insurance while also making it very difficult much of the time to get coverage for all kinds of health problems. The US health care system is unbelievably inefficient, providing far less effective health care for what is incredibly high costs, compared to all other industrialized countries. The main reason is the private health insurance industry.
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By Rowan Wolf

There is tremendous upheaval in Iran in the wake of the most recent elections. The people are risking their lives for a fair election and for some transformative change in governing. The protests which started over the election have to some extent shift to a more fundamental split in the ruling council. What the ultimate outcomes will be remain in question. What is clear is that hundreds of thousands of Iranians are in the streets challenging the fairness of the elections and the decision by the Supreme Leader. What is clear is that the Iranian government is responding to harshly, even brutally, quash the protests. What is not clear, and what is conveniently not being reported is the role of foreign nations in what is happening in Iran.
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By Ramzy Baroud

The election victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is likely to complicate US President Barack Obama’s new approach to his country’s conflict with Iran. The reason behind the foreseen obstacle is neither the US nor Iran’s refusal to engage in future dialogue but rather Israel’s insistence on a hard-line approach to the problem.
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