The Week in Review #22 September 16 – September 22

The news of the week was dominated by the unwelcome intrusion of Hurricane Isabel, and as we
write this tens of thousands of people in our area are still without electricity—and of course will
not be viewing this for some time.

Behind the flooding and power loss was the news from the American military fronts in
Afghanistan and Iraq. Continuing guerrilla attacks seem to be increasing as are losses to “friendly
fire” as anxious American troops shoot up Iraqi civilians. As the Shrub administration scrambles
for exit strategies in both countries, they continue to refuse to count civilian casualties.

The Anglo American team of 1400 experts was to publish their report of Iraq’s biological
and nuclear weapons this week. Apparently, having found nothing they have delayed their report.
It is presently in the hands of CIA director, George Tenet.

Claiming the “strongest privacy policy in the industry,” the discount airline, JetBlue,
apologized this week for having turned over data on more than one million passengers to a
Pentagon contractor which was trying to determine how to identify “high risk passengers,” not to
mention “past terrorists .” (NY Times)

Political Science professor Robert A. Pape reported in a New York Times op-ed piece that his
study of suicide terrorists covering 188 persons from 1980 to 2001 indicated that “there is little
connection between suicide terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism, or any religion for that
matter.”

Bumper sticker of the week:
“Bush/Cheyney ‘04: This Time, Elect Us.”

This week in history: US Constitution adopted (1787); First Republic of France declared and National Convention, elected by universal male adult suffrage, meets to draft new constitution same day as French soldiers drive the Prussian army out (1792); Emancipation Proclamation (1862); Great Steel Strike begins in which 350,000 workers strike for union recognition (1919); first demonstration against the Vietnam War, organized by the War Resisters’ League (1963).