Blackwater – er, Xe – has been kicked out of Iraq. Now the other private security contractors should be banned as well. February 17, 2009 The Guardian, Huffington Post, Common Dreams, ZNet After raking in more than a billion dollars from its contracts in Iraq, Blackwater is finally being forced to leave the country that … Continue reading No Mercy for Mercenaries
Attack of the Killer Robots
The Pentagon’s dream of a techno army is doomed to fail. February 2009 issue In These Times; To view PDF, click here. Also published in the Columbia City Paper, Metroland, Boise Weekly, Alternet, Common Dreams One of the most captivating storylines in science fiction involves a nightmarish vision of the future in which autonomous killer robots … Continue reading Attack of the Killer Robots
Military 2.0: Should You Fear the Killer Robots?
P. W. Singer discusses the military's sci-fi future, what happens when life imitates Star Wars, and his new book, Wired for War. January 29, 2009 Mother Jones Peter W. Singer is not your typical "military expert." At 33 years old, he is the director of the Brookings Institution's 21st Century Defense Initiative and the youngest … Continue reading Military 2.0: Should You Fear the Killer Robots?
Obama: Listen to Iraqi Opinion
January 5, 2009 Foreign Policy In Focus, Alternet, Common Dreams In discussing his plans for the Iraq War during the presidential campaign, one group that Barack Obama seldom, if ever, mentioned as supporting his proposed policy was the Iraqi people. Obama's campaign website, which differs only slightly from his transition website, lays out very clearly … Continue reading Obama: Listen to Iraqi Opinion
Boats Break the Siege of Gaza
by Eric Stoner and Bryan Farrell November 2008 issue Z Magazine When Israel began imposing economic sanctions and withholding taxes from the occupied territories in response to Hamas’s electoral victory over the ruling Fatah party two years ago, a group of human rights activists from around the globe gathered to discuss what they could do … Continue reading Boats Break the Siege of Gaza
Beyond the Lesser of Two Evils
October 31, 2008 Huffington Post Those skeptical of voting - at least for either major party - are invariably confronted with some version of the "lesser of two evils" argument. It's usually the last line of defense for Democrats, after they concede that their party has a long way to go on many of the … Continue reading Beyond the Lesser of Two Evils
Voting is a Cop-out
October 27, 2008 issue Indypendent, and a longer version on the Huffington Post "If you don't vote, then you can't complain." So goes a refrain that is reflexively regurgitated to anyone who questions the efficacy of voting. Generally it's accompanied by a smug look, indicating that in their eyes you're hopelessly out of touch with … Continue reading Voting is a Cop-out
‘Obscene Monument to War’ Returns to NYC
October 27, 2008 issue The Indypendent; Also published in Fall 2008 Issue of WIN Magazine While hundreds gathered to welcome the return of the U.S.S. Intrepid to its west Manhattan pier Oct. 2, not everyone present was there to celebrate. More than a dozen peace activists carried banners and handed out fliers along the waterfront … Continue reading ‘Obscene Monument to War’ Returns to NYC
Outsourcing the Iraq War: Mercenary Recruiters Turn to Latin America
July/August 2008 issue NACLA Report on the Americas, Innsikt (Norway), Common Dreams, ZNet In October, Erik Prince, the 39-year-old CEO of Blackwater Worldwide, a leading private security company operating in Iraq, went into damage-control mode. Blackwater employees in Baghdad’s Nisour Square had killed 17 Iraqi civilians the previous month, causing an uproar and the suspension … Continue reading Outsourcing the Iraq War: Mercenary Recruiters Turn to Latin America
Criminal Health Care: My Experience in Insurance Company Hell
March 10, 2008 Alternet, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News Health care has become the top domestic issue for most Americans this electoral season -- and for good reason. By nearly any measure, the system simply does not work. Heart-wrenching stories of its shortcomings can be read ad infinitum. And while they rightly evoke feelings of empathy … Continue reading Criminal Health Care: My Experience in Insurance Company Hell
Eric Stoner 