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Latest Articles: Opinions/Editorials
Iran Commemorates Its (Expanding) Revolution
Post Date: 2011-02-03 19:40:53 by Brian S
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33 years after delivering a major blow to the post-WWII western political infrastructure in the Middle East, by uprooting a well-entrenched US-backed monarchy, the leaders of Islamic Republic of Iran are naturally elated that Egypt is in the grips of a similar people's revolution that, if successful, can cause profound transformations not only inside Egypt but also the wider region. Indeed, "political realignment" is the catchword that comes immediately to mind when one ponders the potential (geo) political implications of a regime change in Egypt, not to mention the on-going ripple effects of a new Arab awakening elsewhere in the Arab world, triggering the thoughts of a ...
The Modern American Political Plague: 6 ways to protect against its destructive toll
Post Date: 2011-02-03 19:15:21 by Capitalist Eric
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There is a great illness infecting America today. This plague has the name: Ineptum Inesse Privatio and it is not only robbing our society of purpose, of intelligence, and of the quality of Nationalism that once held this country together during its greatest trials and tribulation, it is undermining the very fabric of this once Great Nation. The main symptoms of this illness are ignorance, delusions of righteousness, and a tendency toward anger when approached by a person possessing the all important and increasingly difficult to cultivate Cure: Proven Fact. Many of you have witnessed the outbreak. People you once had meaningful conversations with have seemed to have turned into ...
The "Tea Party" Is Not Revolting
Post Date: 2011-02-03 15:11:23 by Skip Intro
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Just in case anyone from the "Tea Party" is watching the news from Egypt, this is what an actual revolution looks like. A quarter-million people randomly taking to the streets. No one dressed up in funny costumes and hats. No tea bags worn. Visceral, guttural, raw human outrage against one man's 29-year dictatorship while living under "emergency law" for 43 years. No voters upset that they lost an election two years earlier. Nobody angry that the government is trying to force national health care on them. Not one poster of Adolf Hitler. No professional lobbying organization putting together Official Protest Parties. BYOB. No national TV network rallying its ...
U.S. Interests in Peril as Youth Rebel, Leaders Quit in Mideast
Post Date: 2011-02-02 23:10:51 by Brian S
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Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Political upheaval among stalwart U.S. allies in the Arab world may have irrevocably altered politics in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East, Obama administration officials say. While they did not foresee the fast-changing events and can’t predict where spreading unrest will end, they insist they are keenly aware of the dangers. Longtime Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh yesterday followed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in responding to street protests by pledging not to seek reelection. The day before, Jordanian King Abdullah sacked his prime minister following demonstrations and promised “genuine political reform.” Last month, a revolt in Tunisia ...
Deficit hawkery as farce
Post Date: 2011-02-02 18:05:11 by go65
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The idea that cutting several tens of billions of dollars out of the federal budget right now will improve the economy makes no sense. There are no doubt some government programmes that aren't worth what we're spending on them. It's always a good idea to cut programmes that aren't worthwhile. Such cuts have nothing to do with the current state of the economy, one way or the other. America faces a long-term debt problem on the order of trillions of dollars, mainly as a result of rising health-care costs and their impact on the Medicare and Medicaid budgets. Rising Social Security obligations and huge defence expenses also play a role. And a very large role is played by the ...
Neocons vs. Israel
Post Date: 2011-02-02 15:32:59 by Brian S
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One of the most remarkable features of the American response to the Egypt crisis has been its one-sidedness.The longtime, loyal American ally Hosni Mubarak turns out to have virtually no support here, from Capitol Hill -- where just a handful of Republican backbenchers have called on Obama to support him -- to the foreign policy establishment where, after Les Gelb and John Bolton, there have been few voices rallying Obama to his defense. This is partly because cold-eyed, dictator-supporting realism is a very hard sell on the, er, American Street, where peaceful, hopeful protesters have captured the imagination. But it's also partly because the "neocons" won important ...
Democracy Is Back – How Awkward
Post Date: 2011-02-01 20:20:44 by Brian S
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It has taken just six weeks for the arrest of a fruit-and-vegetable seller in Tunisia to spark a chain of events that now threatens to topple the government of Egypt. Watching the revolt against autocracy spread across the Arab world is exciting, uplifting – and also deeply alarming for the world’s major powers, all of which are, in different ways, fond of the status quo. The discomfort of the US is obvious and much remarked upon. As the world’s only superpower and President Hosni Mubarak’s main outside sponsor, it is the US that everybody is looking to. But the turmoil in Egypt will also be a source of anxiety for European and even Chinese leaders. Europeans have ...
Buchanan: Winners and Losers From a Pharaoh’s Fall
Post Date: 2011-02-01 14:57:16 by Brian S
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Among the biggest losers of the Egyptian uprising are, first, the Mubaraks, who are finished, and, next, the United States and Israel. Hosni Mubarak will be out by year’s end, if not the end of this month, or week. He will not run again and will not be succeeded by son Gamal, whom he had groomed and who has fled to London. Today, the lead party in determining Egypt’s future is the army. Cheered in the streets of Cairo, respected by the people, that army is not going to fire on peaceful demonstrators to keep in power a regime with one foot already in the grave. Only if fired on by provocateurs is the army likely to clear Tahrir Square the way the Chinese army cleared Tiananmen ...
And There It Is: Neocons Test Idea of US Intervention in Egypt
Post Date: 2011-02-01 14:52:20 by Brian S
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Just now on MSNBC, neocon Dan Senor, former Iraq occupation spokesman, raised the possibility of intervention in Egypt. Host Chris Jansing asked Senor, more or less, why Americans should care about what’s going on in Egypt. What are the implications for our country and economy? Senor, as he is trained to do, conjured a dangerous false dichotomy that continues to embroil the US in pointless, expensive, deadly conflicts decade after decade. “There are two directions it could go. If the Egyptian government — and other governments for that matter — is replaced by moderate secular, pro-American governments that actually want to truly partner with us in fighting terror and ...
Next ... Liberating The American People From The Israel-Firsters
Post Date: 2011-02-01 12:54:29 by Brian S
1 Comments
In his latest Newsweek article Stephen Kinzer wonders who America is betting on to counter the popular rising forces in the Middle East : “The same friends it has been betting on for decades” he answers. “Mubarak’s pharaonic regime in Egypt, Mahmoud Abbas and his Palestinian Authority, the Saudi monarchy, and increasingly radical politicians in Israel. It is no wonder that Iran’s power is rising as the American-imposed order begins to crumble,” he concludes. Kinzer explains America's stance succinctly and accurately : “The U.S. keeps Mubarak in power - it gave his regime $1.5 billion in aid last year -mainly because ...
Second Amendment Rights Apparently Don’t Apply Around Sarah Palin
Post Date: 2011-01-31 19:30:20 by Brian S
13 Comments
Dear Editor: On Monday evening Jan. 24, Sarah Palin returned to her public speaking tour with a fundraising speech for a conservative Christian school in Lubbock, Texas. For anywhere from $250 to $2,500 a ticket, over 1,000 Texans listened to Palin deliver her version of the Sermon on the Mount. Her staff enforced what the local press called “tight security.” Despite a Texas law that forbids the banning of concealed handguns held by Texas permit-holders in public venues, all members of the audience had to bring a photo ID, pass through metal detectors, and anyone who tried to bring in a weapon, permit or not, was subject to arrest. Although media were barred from the event, it ...
Israel's Demand For Allegiance To A "Jewish," "Democratic" State Belie Open Society Claim
Post Date: 2011-01-31 19:09:19 by Brian S
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"Israel appears to be sliding down a slippery slope away from the very "Jewish" and "democratic" values it claims it embodies. Within Israel, there are many courageous voices rising in opposition. Sadly, within the organized American Jewish community there is largely silence." Recent developments in Israel indicate a steady movement away from the free and open society it proclaims itself to be.In October, the Israeli cabinet approved a draft amendment to the country's citizenship law that calls for non-Jews seeking to become citizens to pledge loyalty to Israel as a "Jewish and democratic state."The vote was 22 to 8, with the five ...
Limited Options in the Face of Turmoil
Post Date: 2011-01-31 11:34:15 by Brian S
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Across the Middle East, dramatic events have been unfolding in rapid-fire succession, confounding U.S. policy makers. First, Tunisia erupted in mass protest leading to the abdication of that country's president and the dissolution of its ruling party. While developments there were fermenting and still unresolved, attention was diverted to al Jazeera's much hyped release of leaked notes recording conversations between Palestinian negotiators and their American and Israeli counterparts. As revelations go, the "Palestine Papers," as they were marketed, didn't amount to much. However, as an effectively orchestrated and well-timed political attack designed for maximum ...
The Egyptian Masses Won't Play Ally To Israel
Post Date: 2011-01-30 21:53:47 by Brian S
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As long as the masses in Egypt and in the entire Arab world continue seeing the images of tyranny and violence from the occupied territories, Israel will not be able to be accepted, even it is acceptable to a few regimes. By Gideon Levy Three or four days ago, Egypt was still in our hands. The army of pundits, including our top expert on Egypt, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, said that "everything is under control," that Cairo is not Tunis and that Mubarak is strong. Ben-Eliezer said that he had spoken on the phone with a senior Egyptian official, and he assured him that there's nothing to worry about. You can count on Fuad and Hosni, both about to become has-beens. ...
Why senators are avoiding the Tea Party Caucus
Post Date: 2011-01-30 20:59:51 by Ferret Mike
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Some tea party favorites stayed away from the Thursday's meeting of the new Senate Tea Party Caucus, as newly elected Republicans try to define themselves in Washington. Atlanta The reluctance of tea party favorites like Sen. Marco Rubio (R) of Florida and Sen. Ron Johnson (R) of Wisconsin to join a new Senate Tea Party Caucus points to the difficulty some incoming Republicans face in adjusting to the political realities of the Beltway while retaining the tea party bona fides they earned on the campaign trail. Last year's House Tea Party Caucus had 50 members – this year's rolls haven't been released yet – but only four senators appeared before a throng of tea ...
The Neocons Have Lost It
Post Date: 2011-01-30 13:29:05 by Brian S
3 Comments
Since I triumphantly declared that at last, the neocon Hitler-Stalin pact moment had arrived, the neocons have rushed headlong into insisting that the global democratic revolution lives. Each example is just such a spectacle to behold in itself that they must be listed one by one: Max Boot: “We’re all neocons now.” One is left speechless. Is the idea that a Straussian divination of the speeches of Hassan al-Banna shows his secret purpose to have been to promulgate the wit and wisdom of Partisan Review? Michael Ledeen makes a convoluted argument for a completely nonsensical premise – that we must re-engineer the Green Revolution in Iran, and then all will be ...
Fear Extreme Islamists in the Arab World? Blame Washington
Post Date: 2011-01-29 19:26:48 by Brian S
5 Comments
In the last year of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. questioned US military interventions against progressive movements in the Third World by invoking a JFK quote: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." Were he alive to witness the last three decades of US foreign policy, King might update that quote by noting: "Those who make secular revolution impossible will make extreme Islamist revolution inevitable."For decades beginning during the Cold War, US policy in the Islamic world has been aimed at suppressing secular reformist and leftist movements. Beginning with the CIA-engineered coup against a secular democratic ...
Are We Witnessing the Start of a Global Revolution?
Post Date: 2011-01-27 13:35:05 by Brian S
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North Africa and the Global Political Awakening, Part 1 Global Research, January 27, 2011 For the first time in human history almost all of humanity is politically activated, politically conscious and politically interactive... The resulting global political activism is generating a surge in the quest for personal dignity, cultural respect and economic opportunity in a world painfully scarred by memories of centuries-long alien colonial or imperial domination... The worldwide yearning for human dignity is the central challenge inherent in the phenomenon of global political awakening... That awakening is socially massive and politically radicalizing... The nearly universal access to radio, ...
Exclusive: US Empire Will Fall Due To Lack Of Faith, Not Finances Or War, Author Warns [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2011-01-27 12:55:52 by Brian S
176 Comments
As many in the American empire longingly talk of "recovery" from the most devastating economic condition since the Great Depression, others have begun thinking in a very different direction, urging fellow citizens to prepare for the worst. Dmitry Orlov, author of "Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects," is one of the latter. Soon, he told Raw Story in an exclusive interview, Americans will "stop expecting anything of Washington," turning the US into more of a "banana republic" than a super power. Orlov, who witnessed the Soviet Union's collapse from within, lamented that the American empire's condition is so severe ...
CBO Forecast: Frightening Fodder For Both Parties
Post Date: 2011-01-26 15:11:40 by Brian S
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The big headline number from Wednesday’s Congressional Budget Office report is a jolting shot of bad news: a budget deficit this fiscal year of close to $1.5 trillion, or 9.8 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). That’s nearly as big as 2009’s shortfall, which was the highest in nearly 65 years. The $1.5 trillion deficit would be a nominal record, but not quite as big as the 2009 deficit when measured as a percentage of the economy. Story: CBO: U.S. budget deficit to hit $1.5 trillion More bad news: CBO’s forecasters don’t see employment returning to anything like normal before 2016. Look inside the 190-page report and you’ll find facts, figures ...
Is America Rubberstamping Apartheid In Palestine?
Post Date: 2011-01-26 12:35:33 by Brian S
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“More and more, Americans from all walks of life are talking about Israel’s influence in Washington, looking for someone to blame. Americans are angry, feeling powerless, victimized by their own government. Some of that blame takes the form of Antisemitism, again rearing its ugly head, but most of it is expressed in healthy skepticism, skepticism of a government showing signs of having been bought. “Bought” is a harsh word but no other word applies, not anymore. There is no other explanation, not for the policies we are seeing, policies steeped in bias, policies based on support of apartheid, of continual violations of human rights, of ...
Next To Republicans, Obama Is Presidential
Post Date: 2011-01-26 12:25:59 by Brian S
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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Democrats sat with Republicans for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, but a wide gulf still separates the two parties. Despite the superficial one-night show of unity by politicians, the nation is not united. America is facing its greatest crisis of confidence in decades, and Washington isn’t helping. The two political parties fundamentally disagree about America’s problems, and what Washington should do to solve them. Democrats continue to believe that government has a strong part to play in promoting the general welfare and helping to make America more competitive. Republicans continue to insist that ...
Americans Won't Buy The Tea Party's Free Market Snake Oil
Post Date: 2011-01-26 12:23:53 by Brian S
1 Comments
In the topsy-turvy, Alice-in-Wonderland alternative universe of the tea party and its Republican toadies, small-government and free-market economic policy will save the nation from disaster. In fact, as thinking Americans know full well, the current economic crisis is largely due to the unmitigated greed of Wall Street banks and American homeowners, abetted for years by the "free market" nonsense that Reps. Paul Ryan and Michelle Bachmann continue to foist on the public. When the history of this era is written, it will be clear that the Obama administration's aggressive action saved the nation from a fate far worse than the current recession.
Obama Calls Deficit Hawks’ Bluff
Post Date: 2011-01-26 11:56:00 by Brian S
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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) – In a skillful speech that aggressively promoted his own agenda while disarming Republican opposition, President Obama called the deficit hawks’ bluff in his State of the Union speech. He left not one, but two Republican responders flailing helplessly about an issue Main Street has trouble grasping – our supposedly overwhelming mountain of debt. Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, the official responder, sat in a dark and lonely hearing room talking a mile a minute about a “fiscal crisis” that no one else can detect. Ryan bewailed “the crushing burden of debt” that is not visibly crushing anyone with high interest rates, runaway inflation ...
The Politics of Evasion (Ignoring the debt)
Post Date: 2011-01-26 11:12:50 by go65
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If you were a visitor from Mars, watching tonight’s State of the Union address and Paul Ryan’s Republican response, you would have no reason to think that the looming insolvency of our entitlement system lies at the heart of the economic challenges facing the United States over the next two decades. From President Obama, we heard a reasonably eloquent case for center-left technocracy and industrial policy, punctuated by a few bipartisan flourishes, in which the entitlement issue felt like an afterthought: He took note of the problem, thanked his own fiscal commission for their work without endorsing any of their recommendations, made general, detail-free pledges to keep Medicare ...
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