Author: michael o. allen

  • “Enemies of freedom”

    Gaza Needs a George Orwell Now By Jim Sleeper – January 11, 2009, 12:48AM Israel is barring independent journalists from Gaza, but The New York Times, relying on Palestinian correspondents there, reports that “Hamas, with training from Iran and Hezbollah, has used the last two years to turn Gaza into a deadly maze of tunnels,…

  • When David is the Goliath

    Israel Has Killed 3 Times As Many Civilians As They Have Hamas Fighters Gaza Children Found With Mothers’ Corpses By ALAN COWELL PARIS — The International Committee of the Red Cross said Thursday it had discovered “shocking” scenes — including small children next to their mothers’ corpses — when its representatives gained access for the…

  • 16th minute

    by Zina Saunders Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe The Plumber, is off to be a war correspondent for Pajamas TV, a right wing blog network. Not known for his honesty and truth-telling, Joe is heading out to set the record straight about the conflict in Gaza. Here’s a link to more about Joe’s latest…

  • Freyne exits stage right

    Peter Freyne, R.I.P I am not familiar with Seven Days, the publication that Peter Freyne last worked for, but I don’t believe that’s the paper he worked for when I toiled as a general assignment reporter at the Burlington Free Press from 1988 to 1990. I was always wary of him but, since I did…

  • Can you call it a war if . . .

    Can There Be Politics in Tragedy? Or in Gaza? By Jim Sleeper – January 4, 2009, 6:22PM I’m immersed in long-range writing and leave tomorrow for six months in Berlin, but the Gaza war provokes me to share a brilliant essay by Darry Li, a doctoral student in anthropology and Middle East Studies at Harvard…

  • Uri Avnery’s peace proposal

    MEMO FOR OBAMA ON ISRAEL For: the President-Elect, Mr. Barack Obama. From: Uri Avnery, Israel. The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, special forces soldier in the 1948 war, editor-in-chief of a newsmagazine, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement: -1- As…

  • A Hero of the Cuban Revolution

    Che – Part 1 (Cert 15) by Philip French , The Observer, Sunday 4 January 2009 Related: Peter Bradshaw’s review of “Che” This month is the 50th anniversary of the overthrow of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and his replacement by Fidel Castro, who, sadly enough, was also to become a dictator. Shortly after the revolution,…

  • Spike Lee: 'Barack changes everything'

    Lee lays it down for the Guardian Ever since a college project filming riots in New York in 1977, Spike Lee has used his movies to provide an alternative commentary on life in his home country. Here, he tells John Colapinto what the future holds now that Obama has torn up the script for African-Americans…

  • A fight to the death?

    Why Israel went to war in Gaza by Chris McGreal in Jerusalem, The Observer, Sunday 4 January 2009 ‘Are you a target if you voted for Hamas?’ Last night Israel sent its ground forces across the border into Gaza as it escalated its brutal assault on Hamas. As a large-scale invasion of the Palestinian territory…

  • Truths and hope

    The Central Virginia Progressive-The DAVISReport sends us You Can’t Fix What you Don’t Acknowledge-Can I get an Amen? I am pleased to present this guest essay from my friend and colleague, Tyrone Nelson. A former school board candidate,Tyrone Nelson is well known in the greater Richmond Community. He is the pastor of the Sixth Mount…