2002

Quiet American Censorship? (12/10/2002) - A Michael Caine movie that did poorly in audience testing is delayed for more than a year, signaling the end of civilization as we know it.
Why I Don't Vote Republican (12/10/2002) - Republican Trent Lott's comments about Strom Thurmond once again illustrate the problems with the Republican Party.
Ann Coulter Off the Deep End (Again) (12/5/2002) - Coulter gives her usual treatment to the Central Park jogger case. Why is this nutcase so popular with some conservatives and right wingers?
Amnesty International's Odd Turn on Iraq (12/5/2002) -
Bowling for Columbine = Lying for Fun and Profit? (11/25/2002) - Michael Moore's outdoes even himself with the lies, myths and fake footage in his "documentary" about gun violence in America.
Eric Alterman Celebrates Green Party Election Disaster (11/12/2002) - Alterman says the "one bright spot" of the 2002 election was the disaster experienced by the New York state Green Party.
The Nation Endorses McCall, But on the WFP (11/5/2002) - Doesn't bother to mention Democrats' nightmare scenario of a third-place McCall finish.
Eric Alterman's Moral Exemplar (10/31/2002) - What is Eric Alterman doing offering up Peter Singer as espousing an admirable set of ethical principles?
Ted Rall on the Assassination of Paul Wellstone (10/30/2002) - Rall provides another fruitcake column, this time on the (possible) assassination of Paul Wellstone.
It Helps If You Actually Read Novak's Op-Eds (10/29/2002) - The Nation pegs Robert Novak as a supporter of the Bush administration's Iraq position. Apparently at The Nation actually reading columnists isn't a requirement before criticizing them.
The Nation's Embarrassing Take on Michael Bellesiles (10/29/2002) - The Nation publishes an article defending discredited historian Michael Bellesiles -- the same week Bellesiles resigns after an independent review board confirms the numerous problems with his award-winning book Arming America.
The Self-Discrediting Left (10/23/2002) - Harvey Wasserman says the fate of American freedom rests with a woman who voted to extinguish the Bill of Rights.
Who Bombed Bali? The United States, Of Course (10/23/2002) - UC Berkeley professors explain that Al Qaeda is too small to have carried out Bali bombing, and besides it was in U.S. interests to blow up a night club.
The Contradictions of Scott Ritter (10/23/2002) - Scott Ritter says there are no contradictions in what he said in 1998 about Iraq's weapons programs compared to what he's saying now. Apparently Ritter's dictionary contains a completely different definition of "contradiction" than the rest of the known world.
Michael Weisbrot on Venezuela (10/18/2002) - When are a million protesters anti-democratic elitists? When they don't agree with the Left, of course.
Helen Caldicott's Back (10/16/2002) - Former Space Shuttle enthusiast spreads nonsense about depleted uranium.
The Leftist Lament -- Where Are All the Lefty Blogs? (10/9/2002) - Warning -- acts of free speech are being committed somewhere on the Internet.
Alterman vs. Cockburn (10/9/2002) - A verbal fight to the death over whose the bigger moron ends in a tie.
Free Tibet! (Well, On Second Thought, Never Mind) (10/9/2002) -
Molly Ivins and Bill Moyers vs. Stephen F. Hayes (10/7/2002) - The Left cares about media conflicts of interests, except when those with the conflict are on the Left.
Those Damn Indians! (10/3/2002) - Forget the Jews -- it was Indian-Americans who did in Cynthia McKinney with their nefarious election tactics.
Hanan Ashrawi's View of Dissent -- It's Demeaning (10/2/2002) - A Middle Eastern politician whose never been protested and is shocked at dissent in action.
Alterman's Alter Ego (9/30/2002) - Wherein Eric Alterman and John Ashcroft are finally on the same page.
M. Shahid Alam vs. M. Shahid Alam (9/20/2002) - If you don't want people saying you support terrorism, then don't write articles justifying suicide bombings.
Ted Rall vs. Wendy Chamberlain (9/19/2002) - Did the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan rush to revive the Unocal pipeline at the beginning of the U.S. war in Afghanistan? Ted Rall says so, but the news report he cites says something else.
More Black Men In Jail Than College -- Not (9/18/2002) - A recent study that claimed more black men were imprisoned than in higher education relied on inaccurate statistics.
Al Qaeda: Why Do They Hate Us? (9/18/2002) - It is about the freedom and liberty, stupid.
Scott Ritter Admits He Shades the Truth to Prevent War Against Iraq (9/16/2002) - Scott Ritter is obviously a liar, but recently he admitted that he won't talk about things he saw in Iraq that might hurt his case against renewed military action against Saddam Hussein.
Whitewashing Anti-Semitism at CounterPunch (9/10/2002) - William Hughes leaves out a few details in describing why Cynthia McKinney lost in her Democratic primary.
Was Oppenheimer a Member of the CPUSA? (9/9/2002) - A new book claims that Robert Oppenheimer lied about his membership in the Communist Party.
George Monbiot on the Horrors of Being Rich (8/30/2002) - They may be starving, Monbiot says, but those Ethiopians sure are happy.
Kim Jong-Il Had to Break Out the Umbrellas (8/27/2002) - North Korean dictator's ability to control the weather fails on latest Russian trip.
Cynthia McKinney Loses Despite Nader Praise (8/21/2002) - The five-term incumbent Represenative loses big to a Democratic challenger, despite Ralph Nader's last minute appeal for her.
Another Soviet-Era Mass Grave Discovered in the Ukraine (8/20/2002) - Monks go looking for crypt of saint, but find hundreds of victims of Soviet terror, including 80 children.
Succinct Description of Michael Albert's Participatory Economics (8/19/2002) - Leave it to a punk magazine to nail participatory economics.
Castro Says Russia Betrayed Cuba (8/6/2002) - But don't fret too much, since Castro says Cuba is a shining example of how socialism can outperform capitalism economically.
UN vs. Rwanda Over Genocide Prosecutions (8/4/2002) - The United Nations accuses Rwanda of dragging its feet on witnesses for genocide trials.
Chaplin Almost Denied Knighthood Partly Due to Communist Ties (7/23/2002) - The entertainer was denied knighthood until just before his death in part due to his ties to Communists and Communist front groups.
Mokhiber and Weissman on Pharmaceutical Drug Price Gouging (7/22/2002) - Mokhiber and Weissman take on drug prices, but their analysis is less than incisive.
Longest Serving Tibetan Political Prisoner Arrives in the United States (7/15/2002) - Seventy-six year old Tanag Jigme Sangpo insists he will continue to campaign for a free Tibet.
How a U.S. Diplomat Celebrates the Fourth of July in Cuba (7/12/2002) - Vicki Huddleston finds a unique way to violate Cuba's sovereignty.
Todd Gitlin on Left Wing Anti-Semitism (7/9/2002) - Gitlin deplores anti-Semitism in left wing student movements but cannot understand its origin. But it flows rather logically from two widely accepted Left wing claims.
Worker's Paradise Tries to Keep Citizens from Leaving (7/8/2002) - If the Cuban revolution is so popular, why does Cuba have to use police to prevent people from fleeing the island nation?
Chilean Supreme Court Puts End to Possible Pinochet Trial (7/2/2002) - Upholds lower court ruling that former dictator is mentally unfit to stand trial.
Does North Korea Sanction Infanticide? (6/26/2002) - Interviews with recent escapees from North Korean prison camps revives claims that the Communist regime has a policy of forced abortion and infanticide for pregnant prisoners.
Everybody Loves Castro (6/21/2002) - Almost everyone in Cuba signs a petition to make the Communist country's political and economic system "untouchable" by democratic reform.
Turkmenistan: The Land that Time Forgot (6/20/2002) - More than a decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Turkmenistan is still ruled by the same dictator who maintains his power through purges and a personality cult.
Nader on the Excesses of Corporate Power (6/20/2002) - No corporate corruption can remain hidden from Nader for long.
Why Didn't We Listen to Project Censored about the Space Shuttle? (6/11/2002) - Helen Caldicott and Project Censored warned us that the space shuttle was destroying the ozone layer, but we just refused to listen.
David Corn, Michael Albert on Leftist Conspiracy Mavens (6/10/2002) -
Memo to Robert Kuttner: Read the Damn Bill (6/3/2002) - The Kuttner Error Express continues rolling.
Google and Censorship (5/31/2002) - Laura Flanders keeps rewriting the same old clueless Leftist line about corporate control of the Internet.
Dershowitz vs. Chomsky (5/31/2002) -
Philip Agee Has a Few Screws Loose (5/30/2002) - The ex-CIA agent proclaims his support of the Cuban revolution is based on his love of free elections.
China -- It Ain't No North Korea (5/28/2002) - China might be repressive but at least it ain't North Korea.
Shocker in Vietnam Election (5/28/2002) - In an electoral showdown, the Communist Party again trounces all comers in Vietnamese elections.
The Perverse Effects of the Cuban Embargo (5/24/2002) - The U.S. embargo on Cuba is a failed artifact of Cold War politics that diminishes the freedom of both Cubans and Americans.
George Monbiot Despises Deception . . . Except When It Is to His Benefit (5/24/2002) - Monbiot conveniently leaves a lot out of his column on alleged corporate deception by Monsanto.
Forget the Nukes, Disarm the Big Macs! (5/22/2002) - I'll give up my Big Mac when Nader pries it from my cold, dead hands.
Is Article I, Section 3 the Left's Next Big Thing? (5/20/2002) - Norman Solomon cannot understand why debate over states' Senate representation is not a burning issue (forgetting that the Constitution all but permanently settled this issue a couple centuries ago).
Cubans Present Referendum Signatures to National Assembly (5/13/2002) - Will Cuba's National Assembly follow the requirements of Cuba's constitution? Don't hold your breath.
Was Katarina Witt a Stasi Collaborator? (5/9/2002) - Witt said she wanted her Stasi file kept sealed to protect her personal life, but it looks like what she really feared were revelations about her close relationship with the Stasi.
Cuba Frees Vladimiro Roca (5/9/2002) - The dissident is released after almost five years in jail to pave the way for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter's visit to the Communist nation.
Three Former-Czech Officials Convicted of Harassing Dissidents (5/9/2002) - Vaclav Havel and others were victims of a concerted effort by Communist Czech authorities to make life unbearable in hopes that the dissidents would agree to exile.
Paul Wellstone on the Evils of Anti-Republican Ads (5/9/2002) - Wellstone asks us to imagine the horrors that might be caused by a proliferation of nonprofit advocacy groups.
Vietnam Arrests Man for Posting Pro-Democracy Tracts on the Internet (4/27/2002) - Posting a translation of an essay titled "What Is Democracy" lands a Vietnamese dissident in jail.
Howard Zinn and Todd Gitlin Duped by Anti-Cloning Activists (4/25/2002) - Maybe they should actually read petitions and learn something about the issue before endorsing the pro-life movement's position on human embryo research.
Where Are My Pinochet Coffee Mugs? (4/24/2002) - Isn't it about time we started branding murderous 20th century dictators?
Cuba and the United Nations Human Rights Commission (4/23/2002) -
Where Did Coup Leaders Get the Idea They Could Just Overthrow Chavez? (4/23/2002) - Probably from Chavez, who has never had much use for democracy himself.
Stupid White Plagiarizers? (4/16/2002) - Michael Moore reprints an inaccurate e-mail as if he wrote it, and argues he is not responsible for ensuring the facts in his book are accurate.
Michael Moore Prophecy Watch (4/9/2002) - Moore's crystal ball suddenly turns hazy.
Cathy Young on Eric Alterman and Israel (4/8/2002) - Cathy Young responds to Eric Alterman, who still has not done anything to retract or correct his error.
Somebody Get Paul Begala a Calendar and Quick (4/5/2002) - Begala appears to engage in a little wishful thinking over the Clinton administration's handling of the Robert Hanssen spy case.
Michael Moore Does Not Take Well to Being Ambushed at Cornell (4/4/2002) - Moore does not deal well when people turn his own tactics against him.
Nonviolent Advocates Who Want to Redefine Laws of War (4/4/2002) - Is escalation of violence against civilians and total war good for peace? I think not.
Who's Afraid of AOL Time Warner? Revisited (4/2/2002) - Whatever happened to AOL Time Warner's Crushing media monopoly? The market chewed it up and spit it out.
Eric Alterman's Making a List (But Not Checking It Twice) (4/1/2002) - Alterman's blacklist of allegedly "reflexively" pro-Israeli journalists appears to have a glaring error.
AlterNet's Alarmism Over Broadband Regulation (3/29/2002) - Absurd comments about broadband regulation show left wing activists still don't understand the technology or the issues surrounding "open access."
Cockburn on Jewish Control of the Media (3/28/2002) - According to Alexander Cockburn, the issue is not if, but rather how the extent to which Jews control the media.
Robert Jensen Puts His Ideas into Action (Not) (3/27/2002) - It is a lot easier to write about promoting free speech and discourse then it is to actually practice those ideas.
Cuba Bans Computer and Computer-Related Sales Private Individuals and Groups (3/26/2002) - Cuba is apparently none too happy about dissidents who have proved rather successful at using electronic means of communication to get their message out.
China Doesn't Understand Weblog Phenomenon Either (3/24/2002) - Web logs are making it difficult for China to censor the Internet. What effect will they have on U.S. media?
Scott Ritter on Saddam Hussein's Humanity (3/22/2002) - Hey, murderers and torturers are people, too!
Eric Alterman Dissembles about Andrew Sullivan (3/22/2002) - It turns out, corporate payments to writers are not such a big deal after all.
Michael Moore: 'Small Business People Are Rednecks' (3/20/2002) - Just which side is Moore on in the corporations vs. small business battle? The corporations, of course.
What Really Happened at San Diego Speech by Michael Moore? (3/19/2002) - Moore is like the Energizer Bunny -- he just keeps lying and lying and lying and lying and . . .
Gorbachev: Communism Was "Pure Propaganda" (3/18/2002) - Gorbachev diagnoses what was wrong with the Soviet Union, but still misses the mark when it comes to Yeltsin.
German Court Rules Kohl's Stasi File to Remain Sealed (3/12/2002) - In order to protect Kohl from a campaign finance scandal, a German court blocks access to surveillance files kept by the East German intelligence agency.
H. Rap Brown Could Face Death Penalty for Atlanta Murder (3/11/2002) - The former SNCC leader and Black Panther Party member was convicted over the weekend in the shooting death of an Atlanta police officer.
Protectionism v. Terrorism: Which Side is George W. Bush On? (3/6/2002) - The White House thinks it is more important to fight free trade than it is to fight terrorism.
Just How Inefficient Is Communism? (3/5/2002) - South Koreans waste more food than North Korea actually produces.
Chomsky: Take Bin Laden at His Word (3/4/2002) - Noam Chomsky tells the BBC that the U.S. war in Afghanistan is unlawful, and the world should take Bin Laden at his word.
Horowitz on the Loose Over 9/11 (2/25/2002) - David Horowitz gives Bill Clinton an unwarranted pass on Somalia.
Michael Moore Prevaricates about 2000 Election (2/22/2002) - In 2000, Moore said he didn't give a damn if Nader voters gave George W. Bush the White House. Now he's apparently revising history to pretend otherwise.
Does Ralph Nader Oppose Shays-Meehan? (2/20/2002) - Campaign finance reform bill is really about censorship.
Ralph Nader Says 9/11 Would Never Have Happened If He Had Been President (2/19/2002) - Nader said he would have made changing cockpit doors a priority, so the 9/11 terrorist attacks would never have happened. Yet another indication that Nader and reality separated years ago.
Cuba vs. the United States on Infant Mortalityc (2/18/2002) - Cuba's low infant mortality rate is impressive, but comparing it directly to the U.S. rate is difficult for a number of reason.
Chomsky's Turkish Publisher Acquitted (2/13/2002) - A man in Turkey who had been indicted for publishing essays by Noam Chomsky was acquitted of charges that he threatened the unity of the Turkish state.
Book Review: King Leopold's Ghost (2/12/2002) - Adam Hochschild looks at a forgotten democide of the late 19th century.
John Manley Says, Don't Call Them Evil (Pretty Please) (2/12/2002) - What is so wrong with calling North Korea evil?
The British National Health System vs. Kaiser Permanente (2/1/2002) - A study published in the British Medical Journal suggests that Kaiser Permanente is a more effective provider of health services than is the British National Health System.
New Revelations about the Red Army's Campaign of Rape in Its Occupied Zones (1/29/2002) - New research suggests that the Red Army rivaled the Japanese imperial army in condoning rape by its soldiers.
Enron and the Social Security Lockbox (1/28/2002) - Andrew Hofer points out that Enron's accounting gimmicks were very similar to the gimmicks used by the Social Security Administration to hide the true nature of its finances.
Connie Niva Gives Castro a Piece of Her Mind (1/25/2002) - Over lunhch, the Vice Chair of the University of Washington's Center for Women and Democracy gets to the bottom of Cuban oppression -- she is all over Castro about those damn Golden Arches.
How Many People Died as a Result of U.S. Bombing in Sudan? (1/24/2002) - Noam Chomsky has been claiming that tens of thousands of people died as a result of the U.S. attack on a Sudanese bombing attack, but even he confesses ignorance at how the estimates he's been touting were arrived.
Chomsky Needs a Fact Checker (1/24/2002) - Noam Chomsky told an interviewer that Human Rights Watch estimated that tens of thousands of people died as a result of the U.S. bombing of a pharmaceutical plant in the Sudan. Human Rights Watch says it never made any such estimate.
Say What You Will about Eric Alterman, He's Still an Idiot (1/22/2002) - If you're going to accuse someone of plagiarism, make sure you've got your timeline straight.
Enron, Bush and the Houston Astros? (1/22/2002) - The Nation posts and then pulls an article claiming Enron helped Bush out by agreeing to fork over $100 million for a new stadium for the Houston Astros.
David Horowitz vs. Amazon (1/20/2002) - Horowitz's latest fruitcake complaint is over-the-top even for him.
Ralph Nader Goes Off-Message about Censorship (1/17/2002) - During the 2000 presidential campaign, Nader could not say enough good things about government censorship, but suddenly Nader's trying to reinvent himself as a friend of free speech.
Documents Reveal Close U.S. Ties with Disgraced Peruvian Intelligence Chief (1/14/2002) - A U.S. ally in the drug war was helping funnel arms to Colombia rebels and running a protection racket for drug traffickers.
Noam Chomsky on Christopher Hitchens: He Doesn't Really Believe What He Says (1/9/2002) - Lately Chomsky does not seem to be able to disagree with anyone without ascribing some sort of false consciousness or outright duplicity to his opponents.
Noam Chomsky on David Horowitz (1/8/2002) - Chomsky respond to Horowitz's attacks with an obviously false ad hominem.
Polish Court Acquits Policeman Who Fired on Striking Miners (1/7/2002) - A judge rules that policemen who killed 9 miners and injured 25 others were just following orders.
Hong Kong Businessman Charged with Importing Bibles into China (1/7/2002) - Man is allegedly charged under anti-cult laws aimed at suppressing groups that may pose a threat to the Communist Party's monopoly on power.
South Korea Claims Record Number of Defectors from North Korea (1/7/2002) - With no end in sight to North Korea's famine and economic problems, the number of people defecting to South Korea has tripled since 1999.
Did the West "Tolerate" the Taliban? (1/3/2002) - An article in "The Nation" claimed the West "tolerated" the Taliban because it pacified Afghanistan.
China's New Year's Gift -- Even More Executions (1/2/2002) - Once again, China executed more people in 2001 than the rest of the world combined.
That's the Sound of Silent Famine Relief (1/1/2002) - The Left suddenly goes silent about the claims that the U.S. bombing of Afghanistan would kill millions of people because it would make famine relief impossible.