Washington Affairs

18 August 2003


50 Million in the Dark -- The Blame Game
The lead story for this issue was changed when 50 million North Americans lost electrical power on Thursday. The mightiest nation in the history of mankind saw one in five citizens (and not a few of its good neighbors in Canada) forcibly returned to medieval conditions. There is no excuse for it, but the responsibility dodging has begun. Click here to read more.

ACLU Asks Judges to Halt Recall Vote in California
The California recall initiative has grown ever weirder. However, the icing on the cake may be a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union to postpone the election until March so that flaws in the voting procedures can be corrected. It may be the first time the ACLU has asked to prevent an election to protect voters' rights. Even Floridians are laughing at California, but at least the lights don't go out on the left coast. Click here for more.

NATO Takes Over Afghan Command
The US-led war against the Taliban in Afghanistan resulted in an occupying force of called the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) run by Germany and the Netherlands. This group is now a NATO entity. NATO, an organization in search of a mission, may have found something for itself to do -- putting a coat of internationalism on US foreign policy. Click here to read on.