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FOIA Documents Regarding The Death of Col. Ted Westhusing

Amid the myriad tragedies and heartache caused by the Second Iraq War, the death of Col. Westhusing is among the saddest and most senseless. I have been asked by a number of people who knew Col. Westhusing for some of the documents that I obtained from the Defense Department via the Freedom of Information Act over the course of my year-long inquiry into his suicide. Rather than distribute paper copies, it makes sense to make them available in electronic form. Herewith, a batch of the key documents, in PDF:

The $775,000-a-Year GI

December 30, 2008
Counterpunch
The disastrous presidency of George W. Bush will be remembered for decades to come. The litany of failures are many: the extra-Constitutional kidnapping and detention of suspected terrorists, the torture of prisoners, the trumped-up intelligence that led to a futile war in Iraq, the lackadaisical response to the hurricanes on the Gulf Coast, the laissez faire attitude toward financial regulation...the list goes on.

Obama, Vilsack and Salazar: The Ethanol Scammers’ Dream Team

December 29, 2008
Energy Tribune
Barack Obama promised to deliver “the change we need.” Alas, the president-elect cannot seem to change his thinking about the ethanol scam. Over the past few weeks, Obama’s delusions about ethanol have become even more pronounced.

Obama buys the biofuel hype

December 19, 2008
Guardian.co.uk
The senator from Big Corn is now the president-elect. And he's buying the hype on biofuels.

OPEC Was Right About Oil Prices. Now What?

December 16, 2008
Energy Tribune
Back in June, I wrote a piece for The American in which I argued that oil prices were being driven higher by the immutable law of supply and demand. Today, with prices plunging to near $40 instead of the $145 level seen in mid-July, it’s abundantly obvious that speculators were a key driver, probably the main driver, of the surge in oil prices that occurred between late 2007 and July.

China's Coal Market Resets, Looks for Pollution Reduction Technologies

December 14, 2008
Energy Tribune
(Note: Lee Geng is the co-author on this story)
China’s coal market, like other commodity markets, is going through tumultuous times. Prices have plunged in recent months, falling as low as $87 per ton, a steep drop from the $145 price level hit in June. The downward pressure on coal prices will likely continue as stockpiles at ports and power plants continue to grow due to the country’s slowing economy.

It’s a Gas, Gas, Gas: The Paradigm Shift in the U.S. Natural Gas Business

December 11, 2008
Energy Tribune
The collapse in oil prices gets most of the headlines. But the corresponding collapse in natural gas prices may be the more important story for both the short- and long-term interests of the U.S.

Oil and Afghanistan Mean That the United States Has Little Leverage Over Pakistan

December 5, 2008
US News & World Report
In the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the U.S. government is pressuring Pakistan to investigate the incident that left more than 170 dead in India's largest city. After arriving Thursday in Islamabad, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanded that the Pakistanis provide "robust" cooperation with the Indians to find the perpetrators. There has also been talk that the United States might suspend aid to Pakistan.

Gasoline’s Cheap Again, But Peak Oil Still Looms Large

December 3, 2008
Energy Tribune
Given the news from the past few months, it borders on the foolhardy to preach about the looming dangers of peak oil. Doing so seems a bit like warning about the possibility of drought while standing without an umbrella in the midst of a torrential downpour.

Hard Facts and Innumeracy: Coal Use Grows Despite Global Warming Warnings

December 2, 2008
Energy Tribune
Last year, during an interview with Vaclav Smil, I asked the distinguished professor of geography at the University of Manitoba why there was such a paucity of informed discussion about energy issues. He replied “There has never been such a depth of scientific illiteracy and basic innumeracy as we see today.”

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