October 2009 has begun with the New York Times reporting that “the president, vice president and an array of cabinet secretaries, intelligence chiefs, generals, diplomats and advisers gathered in a windowless basement room of the White House for three hours on Wednesday to chart a new course in Afghanistan.”

As this month begins the ninth year of the U.S. war effort in Afghanistan, “windowless” seems to be an apt metaphor. The structure of thought and the range of options being debated in Washington’s high places are notably insular. The “new course” will be a permutation of the present course.

While certainty is lacking, steely resolve is evident. An unspoken mantra remains in effect: When in doubt, keep killing. The knotty question is: Exactly who and how?

News accounts are filled with stories about options that mix “counterinsurgency” with “counterterrorism.” The thicker the jargon in Washington, the louder the erudite tunes from the latest best and brightest -- whistling past graveyards, to be filled by people far away.

My tears are gasoline,
My snot explosive
I piss sulphuric acid
and dump brown bombs of hatred

  Oh, God, yes, I hate
the murderers of my People
of my Family
of my Ancestors
of my Elders
of myself
Oh, God, yes, I hate

  But their hatred far exceeds mine
and mine hurts only me
I bear the hurt alone
I bear the hurt of the World
Alone  

And who will share my pain?
You?
Oh, take my hand then, Brother, Sister,
And let us share the pain of the World
Let us pool our tears of  Sadness
And drown our Great Grief

Together
You & I
And the People

  Yes, together

  Mitakuye Oyasin
We are All related
We are All One

Who is Dr. Larry James? A man who in his biography claims responsibility for "Fixing Hell." Whose hell did he fix? Or did he look the other way while the Devil’s work was done?

Between 2003 and 2007, Army Colonel Larry James served as Chief Psychologist of the Joint Intelligence Group and a senior member of the Behavioral Science Consultation Team (BSCT). James’ job was advising on interrogation and "behavior management" for the men and kids at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. In 2004, he functioned as the director of the Behavioral Science Unit at the Abu Ghraib prison.

That’s right. His past includes both the notorious Gitmo and Abu Ghriab, the infamous torture site in Iraq.

Having retired from the U.S. Army, James is currently the Dean of the Professional Psychology Department at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. James is licensed to practice psychology in Louisiana, Ohio, and Guam. Human rights advocates argue that Wright State is absolutely wrong in appointing James as Dean because of his questionable past.

The global economic crisis will push 100 million people into extreme poverty this year. More than 30 poor countries are in now in serious debt distress. This weekend, hundreds of millions of people around the world will Stand Up and Take Action to fight global poverty. More than 116 million people across the globe - people of every creed, every continent, and every class - will gather in their faith communities, schools, and homes to take action in support of the Millennium Development Goals.
Click here to join this global effort to help end world poverty

Almost 10 years ago, world leaders committed to a bold roadmap to end global poverty and its root causes - beginning with achieving the Millennium Development Goals which include eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, improving maternal health and ensuring environmental sustainability by 2015. We are all coming together at this critical moment because we know that despite the gains we've made, the global economic crisis is threatening our progress.

Latin America stands at the threshold of a new era: one that promises a return to political uncertainty, violence and chaos or one of political stability and economic prosperity. Honduras is a crucial indicator.

The possible outcomes of the Honduran crisis are likely to define the coming era for Latin America and the US future role in that hemisphere, and, in fact, beyond it. Indeed, the story is much more elaborate than a daring president holed up in a foreign embassy in his own country.

In her second visit to Asia as US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton declared on July 21 in Bangkok, “The US is back.” The declaration was disconcerting to many Asian countries, despite Clinton’s indistinct qualifications afterwards. Asian countries, exploring regional unity and economic cooperation are well aware of the subtle meaning of the term. However, it’s unlikely that politically stable and economically prospering Asia countries would allow for unwarranted outside interferences, especially with the growing Chinese regional influence and the election of Yukio Hatoyama the prime minister of Japan.