Robert Koehler: Captives to the Logic of Violence. A decade later.
The abyss keeps deepening, the wars keep squandering our blood and treasure beyond all logic except the logic of violence. What ended on Sept. 11, 2001, it sometimes seems, was human evolution. Suddenly, an irreparable schism opened between those in power and the rest of humankind, and a decision fell into place that war for profit would never end -- and there was nothing to be done about it, as the corporate media conveyed to the world with a knowing shrug.
What fell into place was armed insanity as perpetual background noise, and any reach toward global community, understanding and forgiveness went on permanent hold. "Peace, of course, is not just absent from video games. Thus spake the Washington Post the other day, in a dazzlingly superficial reflection on the tenth anniversary of whatever happened that day, oh yeah, terror, evil, biff, bop, pow: "A Decade After the 9/11 Attacks, Americans Live in an Era of Endless War. " This is it, sucker, get used to it. Honor Their Memory - Be a Hero for Peace.
The Future of the US Institute of Peace. USIP future - Debategraph. Peace-Building That Pays Off (New York Times)...Anthony C.
Zinni Williamsburg, Va. --IN voting last month to eliminate financing for the United States Institute of Peace, members of the House of Representatives did not do their research. You will find the institute’s competent work behind practically every American success in Iraq and Afghanistan. This week, as the Senate considers alternatives to the House budget bill, we should remember that the stakes for national security and peace-building are high. The Institute of Peace is like the Marine Corps or special forces for foreign affairs and peace-building. But the institute’s value goes beyond the bravery and commitment of its staff. In the six months before the institute’s intervention, there had been 93 attacks on American forces in the area with homemade bombs; in the six months after, just one.
In Afghanistan, the institute conducts mediations on issues from refugees to property and water disputes. Anthony C. Conservative Budget Cuts. Weiner’s resignation is good for USIP. Every cloud has a silver lining, and there's one organization in Washington that stands to benefit from the humiliating resignation of Rep.
Anthony Weiner (D-NY) -- the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP). USIP, a conflict resolution organization created by Congress in 1984 and funded by the U.S. government ever since, is embroiled in a fight for its very existence. Caught up in the firestorm of GOP budget cutting that specifically targets foreign aid and diplomacy funding, USIP is battling hard to preserve its funding and the charter that allows it to continue as a policy research body whose work is integrated with the U.S. government and military. There are plenty of GOP lawmakers who have their targets set on USIP but, until today, there was only one senior Democrat who had taken an active role in trying to defund the organization -- Weiner.
In February, Weiner joined with two Republicans, Reps. "This is a very, very good program. Getty Images.