http://harpers.org/rss/index.xml Harper's Magazine: Founded June 1850. en-us Copyright Harper's Magazine Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:56:00 -0400 http://www.harpers.org/media/image/Harpers_305x100.gif http://harpers.org http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006146 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006146 Scott Horton Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:55:37 -0400 On November 10, President Obama, General Casey, and others spoke at a memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas. I was traveling at the time and missed this event, and just came back to it on the recommendation of some friends. It’s worth taking the time to watch this entire event, and the White House should be commended for offering it unedited. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006147 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006147 Ken Silverstein Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:14:14 -0400 Carolyn Lamm, president of the American Bar Association and friend of the world’s dictators, wrote a letter complaining about an article about her in Foreign Policy, which I linked to earlier. If you want to read Lamm’s letter, it is available here. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006144 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006144 Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:54:26 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006143 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006143 Scott Horton Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:57:41 -0400 The disclosures about Blackwater USA (now Xe Services LLC) are coming at a steady drip now. The company first gained international notoriety following the massacre of seventeen Iraqi civilians in an incident at Baghdad’s Nisoor Square on September 16, 2007. The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer put the company right in the middle of a controversial program of drone warfare on the Afghanistani-Pakistani border. A recent New York Times story suggests that senior officers approved payments of $1 million to Iraqi officials to silence their criticism of the company, which would raise questions under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act even if the payments were never made, as shown in the recent sentencing of businessman Frederic Bourke. As the judge in that case noted, the Justice Department secured a conviction even though there was no substantial evidence of any bribe ever having been paid. Blackwater may of course be subject to a more lenient Justice Department view. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-24 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-24 Paul Ford Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400 The U.S. Senate voted 60‒39 to bring the $848 billion health-care plan, with a diminished public option, to the floor for debate, but only after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid agreed to concessions for centrist Democrats, such as providing as much as $300 million in extra Medicare funding to Senator Mary Landrieu's state of Louisiana. No Republicans voted for the measure. A poll found that only 38 percent of Americans support the plan, an all-time low; another poll found that 52 percent of Republicans believe community organization umbrella group ACORN stole the 2008 election for President Barack Obama, with an additional 21 percent undecided. USA Today Examiner.com Talking Points Memo The number of home sales was up nearly 24 percent from last year's level, with buyers spurred by a soon-expiring federal tax credit, and economists warned that hundreds of billions of dollars in commercial real estate loans were about to come due; the developments constructed with those loans, often tenantless, are known as “zombie buildings.” AP The Huffington Post A group of congressional Democrats put forth the Share the Sacrifice Act of 2010, calling for an increase in the income tax to fund the war in Afghanistan, now in its ninth year, and four men died trying to defuse a bomb left over from the Vietnam War. AP via Raw Story AFP via Google Detainees in Iraq were taunting their guards about Brett Favre. “The Packers have got to really feel bad about that one,” they said. “He's so good for the Vikings.” 620 WTMJ . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006141 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006141 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:56:28 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006134 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006134 Scott Horton Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:38:54 -0400 President Obama is winding up an important trip to East Asia this week. A few weeks ago, Secretary of State Clinton concluded a significant visit to Pakistan. Shortly before that, German Chancellor Angela Merkel made an historic address to a joint session of Congress. A common thread runs through these three events: the American media’s coverage of each was a demonstration of its own utter cluelessness on questions of foreign relations and politics. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006137 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006137 Scott Horton Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:58:31 -0400 In a column on Sunday, the Washington Post’s David Broder explains to us that Harry Reid’s healthcare bill is a “budget-buster.” Broder’s latest bloviation even worked its way on to the floor of the Senate prepublication, as Mitch McConnell rushed to tout the latest recruit to the party of No. Harry Reid responded that Broder was “a retiree who writes a column once in a while.” But that was far too kind. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006140 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006140 Ken Silverstein Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:02:59 -0400 From Foreign Policy: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006139 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006139 Ken Silverstein Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:10:56 -0400 From the Washington Post: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006117 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006117 Scott Horton Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:07:55 -0400 Seton Hall Law Professor Mark Denbeaux and Jonathan Hafetz of the ACLU are two of the leading members of the “Guantánamo Bar Association”—the group of private and military lawyers who have managed the defense of the dwindling number of prisoners at Gitmo. They have brought out The Guantánamo Lawyers, a collection of over one hundred personal narratives by lawyers involved in this high-profile matter. I put six questions to them about the book and the status of the pending litigation over Gitmo. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006138 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006138 Ken Silverstein Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:40:09 -0400 From Newsweek(via Laura Rozen): . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006129 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006129 Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:48:20 -0400 Verhaßt ist mir das Folgen und das Führen. Gehorchen? Nein! Und aber nein—Regieren! Wer sich nicht schrecklich ist, macht niemand Schrecken: Und nur wer Schrecken macht, kann andre führen. Verhaßt ist mirs schon, selber mich zu führen! Ich liebe es, gleich Wald- und Meerestieren, mich für ein gutes Weilchen zu verlieren, in holder Irrnis grüblerisch zu hocken, von ferne her mich endlich heimzulocken, mich selber zu mir selber—zu verführen. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006124 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006124 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:39:51 -0400 [W]hen we talk about lying, and especially about lying among acting men, let us remember that the lie did not creep into politics by some accident of human sinfulness. Moral outrage, for this reason alone, is not likely to make it disappear. The deliberate falsehood deals with contingent facts; that is, with matters that carry no inherent truth within themselves, no necessity to be as they are. Factual truths are never compellingly true. The historian knows how vulnerable is the whole texture of facts in which we spend our daily life; it is always in danger of being perforated by single lies or torn to shreds by the organized lying of groups, nations, or classes, or denied and distorted, often carefully covered up by reams of falsehoods or simply allowed to fall into oblivion. Facts need testimony to be remembered and trustworthy witnesses to be established in order to find a secure dwelling place in the domain of human affairs. From this, it follows that no factual statement can ever be beyond doubt—as secure and shielded against attack as, for instance, the statement that two and two make four. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006122 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006122 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:15 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006121 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006121 Scott Horton Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:12:51 -0400 On today’s Frost Over the World, I discuss with Sir David Frost and Glenn Sulmasy the Obama Administration’s plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and a group of related defendants in federal court in Manhattan. Watch it through the Internet video link here. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006115 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006115 Scott Horton Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:15:19 -0400 A little more than six years ago, Lt. Col. Dominic “Rocky” Baragona was on his way home. He had a long journey ahead, but he was looking forward to it. Colonel Baragona was serving in Iraq, and his tour was up. He had just spoken with his father by satellite phone, telling him that he’d be in Kuwait the next day to board his flight back, “unless something stupid happens.” Hours later, something stupid happened. A private truck carrying supplies on a U.S. military contract careened three lanes across a highway and struck the humvee in which Colonel Baragona was traveling. He died in a gruesome traffic accident. After an investigation, the military concluded that the incident involved serious negligence by the contractor but no criminal wrongdoing. Colonel Baragona’s family filed suit against the Kuwaiti contractor in federal court in Georgia. They secured a default judgment, and then the contractor came back to court to reopen the case. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006114 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006114 Mr. Fish Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:03:20 -0400 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006110 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006110 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:53:17 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006108 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006108 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:27:55 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006107 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006107 John R. MacArthur Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:08:24 -0400 If President Obama has ever heard of William L. Shirer, chances are it’s in connection with Nazi Germany. Nowadays, you can’t make assumptions about what people under 50 know and don’t know, but it’s a safe bet Obama recalls Shirer’s most famous book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, even if he hasn’t read it. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006106 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006106 Ken Silverstein Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:04:27 -0400 From Gawker: . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006099 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006099 Ken Silverstein Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:40:35 -0400 Marian Wang works and writes for Mother Jones. She previously was a freelance investigative reporter and blogger for The Chicago Reporter, the Chi-Town Daily News and ChicagoNow. Wang’s recent post, “Where Are All the Lady Bloggers?”, cited a report from Technorati that found that sixty-seven percent of bloggers are men, prompting her to ask: “Is there a glass ceiling in the blogosphere?” I recently spoke to her by phone and via email about the post, and the broader issue of gender and journalism. This interview was edited for length and clarity. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006104 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006104 Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:04:25 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006103 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006103 Scott Horton Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:43:20 -0400 Former Bush Administration Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey addressed the Federalist Society only hours after his successor, Eric Holder, announced his plan to bring a group of Guantánamo prisoners up on federal charges in Manhattan. He offered harsh words, claiming that the trials would prove a “circus.” Such attacks on the nation’s criminal justice system have become routine on the political right. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006102 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006102 Ken Silverstein Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:43:53 -0400 It will be interesting to see if the State Department, which by order of a presidential proclamation and act of congress is required to bar corrupt foreign officials from American territory, will finally take action on Teodoro Nguema Obiang. As I reported here yesterday, the Justice Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have compiled a laundry list of gross misconduct on Obiang, the son of the dictator of Equatorial Guinea, a major oil producer and site of billions in investments by U.S. energy firms. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-17 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/WeeklyReview2009-11-17 Christopher R. Beha Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400 Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other accused September 11 plotters would be tried in federal court in lower Manhattan. “It is fitting that 9/11 suspects face justice near the World Trade Center site,” said New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, adding that the city had sufficient resources to safely hold the trials. “I'm concerned,” said former mayor Rudy Giuliani, “that we no longer believe we're at war with Islamic terrorists.” Five other detainees will be tried before military commissions. New York Times New York Times New York Times New York Times President Barack Obama traveled to Shanghai, China, where he addressed a town-hall meeting attended by members of the Chinese Communist Party Youth League, whose questions were pre-screened. The president described himself as “a big supporter of non-censorship.” The meeting, which the White House called the “marquee event” of Obama's trip to China, was not mentioned in official Chinese government news broadcasts. References to Obama's remarks on Chinese websites were removed within hours. Washington Post Officers from Beijing's Industry and Commerce Administration stopped the sale of “ObaMao” merchandise showing Obama dressed as Mao Zedong. Washington Post The Republican National Committee said that its health-insurance plan would no longer pay for abortions. Politico The Cheesecake Factory agreed to pay $345,000 to six male employees who were sexually harassed by other male employees, the number of Americans lacking dependable access to food reached its highest levels on record, and a New York woman who cut off her father's penis and burned it on the stove began taking cooking classes in jail. The Arizona Republic Report: More Americans going hungry New York Daily News . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006100 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006100 Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:11 -0400 . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006022 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006022 Ken Silverstein Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:58:19 -0400 In 2004, George W. Bush issued Presidential Proclamation 7750, which barred corrupt foreign officials from entering the United States and ordered the State Department to compile a list of banned individuals. Three years later Congress approved a complementary measure that said the State Department should take special heed to bar officials when there was “credible evidence” to believe they were involved the theft of natural resources revenues. Last July, the State Department issued a report noting that corruption eroded “confidence in democratic institutions” and that fighting it was a central tenet of American foreign policy. The report also stated that the Obama administration would “vigorously” enforce 7750, better known as the Anti-Kleptocracy Intiative, and give particularly close scrutiny to visa requests from individuals involved in corruption involving natural resources. . . . http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006098 http://harpers.org/archive/2009/11/hbc-90006098 Ken Silverstein Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:55:07 -0400 From the Washington Post: . . .