From Military Families Speak Out, Dec. 6:

Military families challenge Iraq Study Group report as "the way sideways," paving the way for a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq

Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), a nonpartisan organization of over 3,100 military families who are opposed to the war in Iraq, faults the Iraq Study Group report released today as being about "The Way Sideways," rather than "The Way Forward." The three basic recommendations of the report - step up diplomatic efforts with other nations in the region, talk tough to the Iraq government to get them to 'step up to the plate', and withdraw some U.S. combat troops but leave a significant number of troops in Iraq to provide training, logistical and rapid response capabilities - will not end the war in Iraq.

Gus Selassie for Global Insight Daily Analysis via BBC Monitoring, Dec. 5:

Ethiopia and Somali Islamists in Last-Ditch Talks to Avert All-Out War
Despite the recent war of words and the deep-rooted animosity that appears to exist between the two sides, representatives of the Ethiopian government and Somalia's Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) have held unofficial talks, it has been confirmed. According to Ethiopian sources, the country's minister of state for foreign affairs, Tekeda Alemu, met Islamist officials in neighbouring Djibouti in a last-ditch effort aimed at averting an all-out war between the two sides, with the talks ending inconclusively.

Via the Sudan Tribune, Nov. 28:

Ogaden National Liberation Front Statement on Events Unfolding in Somalia
There has been much written about the events unfolding in Somalia with frequent mention of the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) and speculations on our position with regards to the events unfolding in Somalia. Hence, we would like to take this opportunity to clarify to the international community and members of the media our principled position on the Somali civil war and Ethiopia’s involvement in that country’s internal affairs.

Via BBC Monitoring:

Ethiopian rebel group terms parliament's decision on Somalia "reckless"

Text of statement issued by Ethiopian armed opposition Oromo Liberation Front, OLF, on 30 December

The Ethiopian parliament, on its session of 30 November 2006, ratified a declaration of war on Somalia and Eritrea. Most surprisingly, it took the unprecedented step of declaring war on the Oromo Liberation Front [rebel group OLF] as well in the face of fierce resistance from the loyal opposition on the grounds that this would be an extraordinary act of criminalizing political demand.

From AP, Dec. 2:

CARACAS -- A Navy captain arrested this week was allegedly about to deliver to opponents of President Hugo Chavez a list of officers disposed to help topple the government, according to a high-ranking military official.

In a seven- or eight-month investigation ending Nov. 30, ICE agents joined with officers of the New York City Department of Probation in arresting 81 immigrants with prior criminal records in Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Manhattan. The raids were part of "Operation Retract," an ongoing effort by ICE's New York office to arrest immigrants on probation for prior misdemeanor or felony convictions and place them in removal proceedings.

An ACLU press release, Nov. 28, online at Common Dreams:

Khaled El-Masri, Victim of CIA Kidnapping and Abuse, Seeks Acknowledgement, Explanation and Apology
RICHMOND, Virginia - The American Civil Liberties Union today argued before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that its lawsuit on behalf of Khaled El-Masri, a victim of the CIA’s policy of “extraordinary rendition,” should proceed. Earlier this year a federal district court in Alexandria, VA dismissed El-Masri’s lawsuit based on the government's argument that allowing it to proceed would jeopardize state secrets.

Our November issue featured the story "The Israel Lobby and Global Hegemony: The Mearsheimer-Walt Thesis Deconstructed" by William X. It argued that the controversial essay "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy" by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt replicates the historical pattern of anti-Semitism by scapegoating Jews for the crimes of US imperialism. It especially took Mearsheimer and Walt to task for dismissing the notion of a war for oil in Iraq, instead portraying Bush's military adventure as primarilly a war to protect Israel. The November Exit Poll was: "Is the Iraq war fundamentally for Israel or for oil? (Note our use of the word 'fundamentally'— no fair cheating by saying 'both.')" We received the following responses: