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How the U.S. Army Kills Its Own Soldiers A horrifying, exclusive report from JoAnn Wypijewski on the grim secrets of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. How a sadistic drill sergeant tortured basic trainees, amid brutal indifference that led to the death on March 19,2006,of 21-year-old PFC Matthew Scarano. Dead Movement Marching? Cockburn and St Clair assess the failures of the national antiwar groups, even as popular opposition to the war tops 60 per cent. Stalin or Confucius? Chris Reed on the Secrets of the Garden of Bliss, otherwise known as North Korea. CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! |
Today's Stories Gabriel
Kolko March 23, 2006 Charles
V. Peña Joe
DeRaymond Robert
Fisk Jonathan
Cook Tom
Engelhardt Joshua
Frank Norman
Solomon Robert
Fitch / Joe Allen Patrick
Cockburn CounterPunch
News Service Website
of the Day
March 22, 2006 David
MacMichael Juan
Santos Paul
Craig Roberts Patrick
Cockburn Ramzy
Baroud Jason
Leopold Dennis
Perrin William
Blum Jeffrey
St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 21, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Winslow
Wheeler Tom
Engelhardt Arnold
Oliver Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Mike
Whitney William
A. Cook Sophia
A. McLennen
March 20, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ralph
Nader Diane
Christian Jeff
Halper Harry
Browne Norman
Solomon Patrick
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 18 / 19, 2006 Cockburn
/ St. Clair Werther Chris
Kromm Patrick
Cockburn Elaine
Cassel S. Brian
Willson Fred
Gardner Brian
Cloughley Laura
Carlsen Eamon
Martin Julie
Hilden Alison
Weir Jeffrey
St. Clair Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 17, 2006 Eduardo
Galeano Greg
Moses Richard
Falk / David Krieger Cindy
and Craig Corrie Amira
Hass Mike
Marqusee James
Petas and Robin Eastman-Abaya Website
of the Day
March 16, 2006 Norman
Solomon Tom
Philpott Heather
Gray Amira
Hass Missy
Comley Beattie Sen.
Russell Feingold Lucinda
Marshall Andrew
Bosworth Clancy
Sigal Website
of the Day
Jonathan
Cook Winslow
Wheeler Diane
Christian Ron
Jacobs Missy
Comley Beattie Jared
Bernstein Noam
Chomsky Website
of the Day
March 14, 2006 Earl
Ofari Hutchinson Dave
Lindorff Kevin
Zeese Todd
Chretien Jason
Kunin Thomas
Palley Cockburn
/ St. Clair Website
of the Day
March 13, 2006 Uri
Avnery Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney David
Green Jeremy
Scahill Mike
Ferner Corey
Harris Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Ralph
Nader Paul
Craig Roberts Ben
Tripp John
Strausbaugh Landau
/ Hassen Robert
Bryce Gary
Leupp Fred
Gardner Ron
Jacobs Jonathan
Scott Ramzy
Baroud Jordan
Flaherty John
Chuckman Joe
Allen Julia
Kendlbacher St.
Clair / Walker / Pollack / Vest Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend
March 10, 2006 Ben
Rosenfeld Lila
Rajiva Saree
Makdisi Elena
Shore Joshua
Frank Dave
Zirin Aura
Bogado
March 9, 2006 John
Walsh Annie
Zirin Brian
McKenna Chris
Floyd Rachard
Itani Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Wylie
Harris Alexander
Cockburn Website
of the Day
March 8, 2006 Patrick
Bond Brian
Concannon, Jr. Pat
Williams Lance
Selfa Mokhiber
/ Weissman Walter
Brasch Vijay
Prashad Website
of the Day
March 7, 2006 Werther John
Blair Dave
Lindorff Mike
Whitney Warren
Guykema Sen.
Russell Feingold Robert
Jensen Norman
Solomon Bernie
Dwyer Website
of the Day
Ralph
Nader Dave
Zirin Vanessa
Redgrave Walter
A. Davis Joshua
Frank Nate
Mezmer Paul
Craig Roberts Website
of the Day
Alexander
Cockburn Jennifer
Van Bergen Steven
Higgs Winslow
T. Wheeler Ron
Jacobs Rev.
William E. Alberts Colin
Asher Fred
Gardner "Pariah" John
Scagliotti Seth
Sandronsky Joan
Roelofs Arjun
Makhijani Ardeshr
Ommani Diana
Barahona Ben
Tripp St.
Clair / Socialist Worker Staff Poets'
Basement Website
of the Weekend March 3, 2006 Laura
Carlsen John
V. Whitbeck Chris
Floyd Mohamed
Hakki Pratyush
Chandra John
Scagliotti Website
of the Day
March 2, 2006 Paul
Craig Roberts Dave
Lindorff Ramzy
Baroud Saul
Landau Joe
Allen Steve
Shore Denise
Boggs Norman
Finkelstein Website
of the Day
March 1, 2006 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire Niranjan
Ramakrishnan Faheem
Hussain Antony
Loewenstein Elizabeth
Schulte Mike
Whitney John
Ryan Michael
Donnelly Tom
Reeves Website
of the Day
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March 24, 2006 Rescuers Vie for Credit How the CPT Hostages Were Freed By PATRICK COCKBURN, KEN SENGUPTA and OLIVER DUFF Irbil, Iraq. Norman Kember, the British peace activist kidnapped in Iraq, is expected home in two days after being freed with two fellow hostages following an operation by international forces. It is believed that the location where the three men were held in west Baghdad was traced after information was supplied by Iraqi go-betweens who had established contact with the kidnappers. British, American, Canadian and Iraqi police and troops were involved in the mission, lasting three weeks, in which mobile calls made by people close to the abductors had been monitored. Mr Kember, a 74-year-old grandfather, and his Canadian companions from the Christian Peacemaker Teams, James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden, were found unguarded in the house four months after their abduction. He is expected back in the UK in two days. The body of a fourth hostage, 54-year-old American Tom Fox, had been found, with marks of having been tortured, in the Mansour district of Baghdad last month, leading to fears that the others too may have been murdered. Mr Kember spoke to his wife, Pat, on the telephone following his release. Afterwards, he said at the British embassy in Baghdad: "It's great to be free. I am looking forward to getting back to the UK." Last night, he was described as being in "reasonable condition". Speaking at her home in Pinner, north London, Mrs Kember, 72, said that she was "thrilled " and "could not wait to have him back". She said that she had been deluged with calls from friends, relations and the media after the news broke that her husband had been released. Mr Kember's two fellow hostages needed hospital treatment. In a telephone conversation with his mother in Canada, Mr Loney said an Iraqi man had led Western forces to the building where he and the others were being held. He described his captors as "basically a criminal gang". Mr Kember's brother Ian said: "What's happened is a wonderful thing and obviously a great relief." The Rev Robert Gardiner, a family friend, who is a minister at Harrow Baptist Church near the couple's home, said the murder of Mr Fox meant Mrs Kember "had to face up to the reality that Norman could be next ... That distressed her deeply because she was just beginning to hope that sort of thing was not going to happen". He added that she had only been able to watch the videotaped messages taken during his kidnapping for the first time last night. The raid, at just after 8am Baghdad time (5am GMT), followed the arrest of two suspects at a different address in west Baghdad on Wednesday evening. There were differing accounts among the "coalition of the willing" about who was most responsible for freeing the hostages. In London, government ministers said that British forces had played a "prominent role" during the rescue mission. The Prime Minister said that he was " delighted" and had spoken on the telephone to the Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, to thank him for the help given by Canadian troops. The Defence Secretary, John Reid, said: "The rescue of Norman Kember and his colleagues was by a multi-national force spearheaded by British troops. British troops were involved in a rolling operation which finished at 5am. The British troops played a key role in it but, of course, it involved troops from other nations as well." British defence sources insisted it was they who had gathered the intelligence for the rescue, 12 miles from Baghdad. However in Baghdad itself, a US Major-General, Rick Lynch, asserted that one of the two suspects arrested by American forces supplied vital information. "We conducted an assault on the house, and inside the house we found three hostages, in good condition. There were no kidnappers there at the time. The three hostages were by themselves," he said. Iraqi sources said that the country's interior ministry had played a significant role in the rescue through the use of informers. One insistedit would have been impossible for Western forces to have found the location of the kidnap house without Iraqi help. Three days after the kidnapping on 26 November last year, video footage of the hostages was released by a previously unknown group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, which accused the hostages of being spies. Appeals for the release of the hostages were made on Arabic TV by Mrs Kember, the jailed radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada and former British Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg. The veteran peace campaigner Bruce Kent, a friend of Mr Kember's, said he " fell out of bed" when rung by a reporter with the news. "I was amazed, I just burst into tears," he said. "Tom Fox's death was the worst moment of it all, bringing back thoughts of all the terrible executions and beheadings from before." In a statement, the Christian Peacemaker Teams in North America said that their "hearts are filled with joy" at the release of their members. It said: "They went motivated
by a passion for justice and peace to live out a non-violent
alternative in a nation wracked by armed conflict ... We believe
the illegal occupation of Iraq by multi-national forces is the
root cause of the insecurity which led to this kidnapping and
so much pain and suffering in Iraq. The occupation must end."
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org. |