Everyone agrees the base on southern Japan's Okinawa Island should be shut down and moved. The problem is where. Col. Dale Smith, who commands the base, is undaunted.
''We operate just fine out of Futenma,'' he told The Associated Press on Friday in his first interview with the media. ''When a new facility is built and it's fully operational, that's the day that we will close our doors. We do not have any problem with the way we do business out of the current location of Futenma as it is now, though.''
Futenma, which has been used by the U.S. since the closing days of World War II, is a classic ''not in my backyard'' issue. Residents want it shut down and moved.
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TVNL Comment: Why does the US still have 18,000 troops in Futenma? Why does the US have miliitary bases in more than 150 countries around the world? Just asking...
Major U.S. news organizations, including the New York Times and the Washington Post, are engaged in a replay of the kind of slanted coverage that paved the way to war in Iraq, only this time regarding Iran.
A new report from the New America Foundation states that one of every three people killed in the U.S.’s not-so-secret drone war in Pakistan is a civilian. The report also discloses that none of the strikes in 2009 targeted Bin Laden, and that they have had little impact on the Taliban’s ability to plan operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The following recalls have been announced: McCormick & Company is recalling certain best buy and product codes of McCormick French Onion dip mix, McCormick vegetable dip mix, McCormick onion gravy mix and McCormick corn bread stuffing.
"I wish it was like it was before, when I could go out with my friends and feel safe." "Before" was the 1990s — the era of Saddam Hussein, a time that many remember as almost idyllic in its safety. Unless their own families were victims of Saddam's terror, the years between 1991 and 2003 held almost no threats. Young women could go out to visit their friends in the evening, families dined at outdoor restaurants until after midnight, parks were full, and life seemed less precarious
Climate scientists have delivered a powerful riposte to their sceptical critics with a study that strengthens the case for saying global warming
The Vatican was today rocked by a sex scandal reaching into Pope Benedict's household after a chorister was sacked for allegedly procuring male prostitutes for a papal gentleman-in-waiting.
Joseph Stiglitz - former head economist at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and a nobel-prize winner - said yesterday that the very structure of the Federal Reserve system is so fraught with conflicts that it is "corrupt" and undermines democracy.
Fluoride poisoning from groundwater in India's eastern state of Jharkhand is causing serious health problems for villagers.
