alt.politics.usa.republican

Truthout's Executive Director Marc Ash interviews Father Louis Vitale;
sectarian "cleansing" permeates in Baghdad; Iraq's senior Sunni leader pleads
for help in ending genocide; Krugman on the GOP field; Italian mafia
investigation uncovers secret arm sales to Iraq; asylum seekers delayed by
homeland security laws; and more ... Browse our continually updating front
page at



t r u t h o u t |

Video | Marc Ash Interviews Father Louis Vitale
/docs_2006/
Truthout's Executive Director Marc Ash sat down with Father Louis Vitale, a
Franciscan priest who has been active in the anti-war movement for decades.
Father Vitale, an Air Force veteran, was arrested at Fort Huachuca in Arizona
protesting the training of interrogators, who he believes are involved in
torture.

Sectarian "Cleansing" in Baghdad
/docs_2006/
Tina Susman, of the Los Angeles Times, reports that "on many days, the number
of corpses found in the two Baghdad neighborhoods account for half of those
picked up across the capital. Before the war, Amil and Bayaa were middle-class
neighborhoods where Sunnis and Shiites lived easily among one another. Now,
not only are they mainly Shiite, but they have become prime territory for
Shiite militias looking to expand into the surrounding Sunni-dominated areas."

Iraq Sunni Leader Pleads to Stop the Genocide
/docs_2006/
Steven R. Hurst, of The Associated Press, writes: "Iraq's most senior Sunni
politician issued a desperate appeal Sunday for Arab nations to help stop what
he called an 'unprecedented genocide campaign' by Shiite militias armed,
trained and controlled by Iran. In another development on Sunday the US
military reported five American soldiers were killed, apparently lured into an
al-Qaida trap."

The New York Times | Wrong Way Out of Iraq
/docs_2006/
In an editorial, The New York Times argues "there should be no illusions about
trying to continue the war on a reduced scale. It is folly to expect a smaller
American force to do in a short time what a much larger force could not do
over a very long time. That's exactly what the British are now trying to do.
And the results are painfully plain to see."

Paul Krugman | It's All About Them
/docs_2006/
Paul Krugman, of The New York Times, says "the GOP field is dominated by smart
men willing to play dumb to further their personal ambitions. We shouldn't be
surprised, then, to learn that these men are monstrously self-centered. All of
which leaves us with a political question. Most voters are thoroughly fed up
with the current narcissist in chief. Are they really ready to elect another?"

Anti-Mafia Police Uncover Arms-to-Iraq Plot
/docs_2006/
The Guardian-UK's Ewen MacAskill and Tom Kington report that the "US loss of
control over the flood of weapons into Iraq was highlighted again yesterday
when it emerged that Italian anti-Mafia investigators had uncovered an alleged
shipment of 105,000 rifles of which the American high command was unaware ...
The consignment appears to have been ordered by the Iraqi interior ministry.
The US high command in Baghdad admitted it had no knowledge of any such order,
even though the ministry is supposed to inform the Americans before making any
arms purchases."

US Anti-Terrorism Laws Hold Up Asylum Seekers
/docs_2006/
Darryl Fears, of the Washington Post, reports that "more than seven months
after the Bush administration promised help to a group of foreign nationals
whose applications for asylum or refugee status have been hindered by strict
interpretation of anti-terrorism laws, only a handful of the applicants have
had their cases resolved ... Advocates say that more than 1,000 asylum seekers
have been blocked because of the strict interpretation of the anti-terrorism
laws."

VIDEO | Marc Ash Interviews Father Louis Vitale
/docs_2006/
Truthout's Executive Director Marc Ash sat down with Father Louis Vitale, a
Franciscan priest who has been active in the anti-war movement for decades.
Father Vitale, an Air Force veteran, was arrested at Fort Huachuca in Arizona
protesting the training of interrogators, who he believes are involved in
torture.


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