Loose cannons

Expert opinion

"You'd be taking them to the Better Business Bureau if you bought a washing machine the way we went into the war in Iraq." — Former NATO commander and retired US Army general Wesley Clark, commenting August 17, on the White House and the Pentagon's justifications for invading Iraq.

Land of the free

"More than 5.6 million Americans are in prison or have served time there, according to a new report by the Justice Department released Sunday. That's 1 in 37 adults living in the United States, the highest incarceration level in the world." — August 18 Boston Christian Science Monitor.

'Ungoverned' — Pentagonese for 'people are fighting back'

"There were never any scenarios included that dealt with the occupation of an ungoverned territory like Iraq." — US Army Reserve chief Lieutenant-General James Helmly, quoted in August 21 Wall Street Journal.

Doing it tough

"BHP Billiton has bowed to pressure by revealing that new chief executive Chip Goodyear is being paid much less than his predecessor — at almost $6 million a year. The package ... compares with the $31.7 million for News Corp's Rupert Murdoch and $11.49 million for Westfield's Frank Lowy." — Australian Financial Review, August 22.

From Green Left Weekly, August 27, 2003.

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From GLW issue 551