Bin Laden's death and the Al Qaeda myth.

He was the Salafist Jihadist Terrorist Princess Queen of Hearts. We’ve spent almost 10 years growing up in his Bond-villain like shadow, but after nearly a decade of hiding from US intelligence they finally got round to finding the best hide and seek champion in the Islamic world – Osama Bin Laden is dead. Watching [...]

Taliban more popular than Lib Dems, polling shows.

As the Lib Dems prepare for their first election – a by-election in Oldham – since they jumped in bed wi the Tories, it’s looking likely that not only will they not be able to win the seat, but they will be crushed at the polls. Even David Cameron has felt some sympathy for the [...]

Incredibly boring man supports ending of drug war.

In the past year and a bit or so, there’s been a real momentum challenging the establishment view on drugs –  that drugs are all bad and that a civilised society has to keep them prohibited. The head of the Royal College of Physicians, former Police chiefs and of course SSY favourite former ACMD chair [...]

Really remembering the consequences of war

Today is Remembrance Sunday, a day when we stop for a moment of silence, or watch veterans’ parades, or wear red poppies on our tops “to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts”. It was originally named the Earl Haig Appeal [...]

Prohibition has always failed

Every human society since we first evolved has experimented with drugs, pyschoactive substances, and altered states of consciousness. Many leading psychologists and anthropologists believe that this is a normal part of human life, and experimenting with substances like cannabis or magic mushrooms has actually played a role in the evolution of modern, intelligent humans. But [...]

How to get fired in Afghanistan

This week Obama sacked his top commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal. What the affair proves is that, for US commanders, it doesn’t matter how many innocent civilians you kill, or deaths you cover up; what really matters is slagging off colleagues. McChrystal had given exclusive access to a reporter from Rolling Stone, who went [...]

A powerful new argument against the war. . .

. . .is that these guys’ skills are clearly being wasted in Afghanistan, and they should be back home contributing to their communities.

Afghanistan Diagram of TOTAL CHAOS.

“When we understand that diagram, we’ll have won the war” – US Generals. So puzzle fans, please send all helpful answers in a stamp addressed envelope to Pentagon, Washington, DC 20001 – Dept. of Defense The first five lucky senders will receive a Blue Peter badge and the leadership of Afghanistan’s National Army.

Afghan President threatens to join Taliban, NATO insist he's just playing hard to get

Hamid Karzai first came to western attention after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, where he was imposed as the President of the divided country. He’s a far cry from scary unshaven one-eyed Taliban head honcho mad bastard Mullah Omar, and other Taliban hardliners – Karzai cuts a dapper figure in sharp suits, possibly [...]

US Army caught on camera.

A while ago I did an article about violent videogames, where I jokingly made reference to accidentally shooting civilians in a helicopter gunship. Watching this footage thats been leaked on the internet of insurgents and civilians (including a reuters cameraman) being slaughtered makes you wonder how far war is from a videogame today. The gunship [...]

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