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| | Issue #20.37 :: 09/12/2007 - 09/18/2007 | New Book Lays Out the Cost to American Troops for Ongoing War
Also: Judge Rules Parts of Newly Revised PATRIOT Act Unconstitutional
| BY DAN COOK
| The New York Times reported Monday that Gen. David Petraeus has recommended that decisions on significant troop withdrawals in Iraq be delayed for six months. That play for more time on President Bush’s surge strategy sets the stage for another round of wrangling between President Bush and the Democratic-controlled Congress. Meanwhile, the new book Moving a Nation to Care lays out in both statistics and personal stories the cost American troops are paying for the continued occupation in terms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the book, author Ilona Meagher notes that 40,000 soldiers have already been diagnosed with PTSD and that “in today’s theaters of war, where troops are dealing with extended and multiple deployments, twenty-four hour operations with no opportunity to unwind, sleep deprivation, ever-changing mission goals and guerilla warfare conditions where enemies and civilians blend together, it has been estimated that cases of PTSD may be higher than in past conflicts.” Retired naval commander Jeff Huber says the book “is a must read for anyone who understands that the worth of a nation is best measured by how it treats its wounded heroes.”
Manhattan federal Judge Victor Marrero ruled Sept. 6 that parts of the recently revised USA Patriot Act are unconstitutional. Facing pressure from Congress on the unauthorized wiretapping of U.S. citizens, in August the Bush administration sought and received permission from Congress to change the law to allow the FBI to force Internet and telephone companies to give up customer records and forbid them from telling their customers about the invasion of privacy. Marrero ruled that Congress’ revised law has not resolved previous court objections to the PATRIOT Act and has “created additional constitutional problems,” according to The New York Times. At issue are “national security letters” used by the FBI to compel companies to give up customer records. Between 2003 and 2005, the FBI issued about 143,000 such letters, and a report by the Justice Department’s inspector general found “that the bureau had often used the letters improperly and sometimes illegally.”
Apple lowered the price last week on its 8GB iPhone from $599 to $399. Along with cheers from those looking for cheaper iPhones, the news prompted howls from Wall Street about whether the move means Apple’s foray into cell phones isn’t going as well as expected and an outcry from those who bought the phones early and paid more. In response to the early adopters, Apple CEO Steve Jobs offered a $100 Apple store credit. Other recent Apple news includes the launch of a new line of iPods, including the iPod Touch, which features the same touch-screen interface as the iPhone along with a 3.5-inch video display, Wi-Fi web browsing and, of course, MP3 downloads. The player comes in 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399) models.
The 2008 presidential campaign is turning into a clash of culture and values between Republicans of different stripes, as those who support Ron Paul — many of whom are young and Internet-savvy — challenge the coverage of Republican candidates by right-leaning network Fox News. Specifically, tension is spilling out over perceived bias by FOX against Paul and his lone stance among Republicans against the Iraq war. In an open letter to Fox News posted online following the Sept. 5 Republican debate in New Hampshire, a Paul supporter lambasted the network (and Sean Hannity specifically) for giving Paul little air time, hitting him with “one-sided” questions “engineered to make [him] look foolish” and treating him in a generally “confrontational” manner, especially compared to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Read the letter at
openletter2foxnews.wordpress.com. Though Paul is finding lots of support online, he is considered a maverick and a long shot by mainstream analysts.
Media Madness is a column exploring web sites, TV, video games, blogs, books, media industry news and anything else in the media universe that strikes our fancy. | |
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