"A federal air marshal pointed a gun towards passengers on a flight from Atlanta to Philadelphia for about 30 minutes Saturday while detaining an unruly passenger, travelers said." [more]

"As the Bush administration ratchets up its verbal war against Iraq, the rest of the world is talking back ó in statements that contain more skepticism and disapproval than support and that are often determined by domestic politics, economic problems, distrust of the United States and concerns about international law." [more]

"Nearly a year after the start of America's war on terrorism, that war faces the real risk of being hijacked by foreign governments with repressive agendas. Instead of leading a democratic coalition, the United States faces the risk of dangerous isolation. The Bush administration's definition of the challenge that America confronts has been cast largely in semireligious terms. The public has been told repeatedly that terrorism is 'evil,' which it undoubtedly is, and that 'evildoers' are responsible for it, which doubtless they are. But beyond these justifiable condemnations, there is a historical void. It is as if terrorism is suspended in outer space as an abstract phenomenon, with ruthless terrorists acting under some Satanic inspiration unrelated to any specific motivation." [more]

"America's war debate has grown in intensity, dominating the agenda to the exclusion of everything else." [more]

"A top expert says America's approach to protecting itself will only make matters worse. Forget 'foolproof' technologyówe need systems designed to fail smartly." [more]

"How does activist anti-intellectualism manifest on the ground? One instance is the reduction of strategy to mere tactics, to horrible effect. Take for example the largely failed San Francisco protest against the National Association of Broadcasters ... Never mind the utter non-impact of this aimless march. The point was clear: we marched for ourselves. We were our own targets. Activism made us good." [more]

"A year after the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, more people, like Hamdani, question whether war is the answer. There once seemed to be a broad consensus behind the president. But recent opinion polls now show that only 36 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the right direction as opposed to 60 percent last March." [more]

"Typically, these new rules have been put into effect by memorandum, without public explanation. Missing has been any forum for weighing the risks of shutting off public access." [more]

"Following an aborted uprising at Mazar-i-Sharif, 7,500 prisoners were taken to a crowded jail in Sheberghan where, according to Afghans interviewed for the film, they were tortured by US Special Forces. After interrogation, thousands of Taliban fighters were stuffed into container trucks, and driven to the Dasht Leili desert. Hundreds suffocated on the way, and the rest were shot by Northern Alliance gunmen in the presence of US troops, and then buried in mass graves, the film charges." [more]