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Latest Articles: Opinions/Editorials
Wikileaks and the New Global Order: America’s Wake-up Call
Post Date: 2010-11-30 15:44:54 by Brian S
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The Wikileaks disclosure this week of confidential cables from United States embassies has been debated chiefly in terms either of the damage to Washington’s reputation or of the questions it raises about national security and freedom of the press. The headlines aside, most of the information so far revealed from the 250,000 documents is hardly earth-shattering, even if it often runs starkly counter to the official narrative of the US as the benevolent global policeman, trying to maintain order amid an often unruly rabble of underlings.Is it really surprising that US officials appear to have been trying to spy on senior United Nations staff, and just about everyone else for that ...
Leaked Cables Reveal America’s 'Profound Hatred Of Democracy,’ Chomsky Declares
Post Date: 2010-11-30 15:34:50 by Brian S
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What does the release of over 250,000 secret US State Department cables by WikiLeaks ultimately reflect? "What that reveals is the profound hatred for democracy on the part of our political leadership and of course the Israeli political leadership," Noam Chomsky, renowned American linguist and political dissident, told Democracy Now's Amy Goodman on Tuesday. In the context of Israeli and US policymakers view of Iran shown in the cables, Chomsky said that the perspectives of the leadership stand in sharp contrast to the opinions of the populations they supposedly serve. "[US Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton and [Israeli Prime Minister] Benjamin ...
Deficit Commission Plan Would Kill 4 Million Jobs, Analysis Finds
Post Date: 2010-11-29 18:31:04 by Brian S
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The preliminary deficit reduction plan recently released by the co-chairmen of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility would kill four million jobs over the next three years, according to a recently published analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). "Using the rule of thumb that a 1% increase in GDP increases payroll employment by 1 million jobs, we estimate that Co-Chairs’ Proposal would thus reduce payroll employment by roughly 723,000 jobs in 2012, 1.4 million jobs in 2013, and 1.9 million jobs in 2014," economists Josh Bivens and Andrew Fieldhouse said in their report, "Fiscal commissioners’ proposal would cost millions of jobs." Bivens and ...
A German's View of Islam
Post Date: 2010-11-29 18:12:18 by sneakypete
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A German's View of Islam This is by far the best explanation of the Muslim terrorist situation I have ever read. His references to past history are accurate and clear. Not long, easy to understand, and well worth the read. The author of this email is said to be Dr. Emanuel Tanya, a well-known and well-respected psychiatrist. A man, whose family was German aristocracy prior to World War II, owned a number of large industries and estates. When asked how many German people were true Nazis, the answer he gave can guide our attitude toward fanaticism. 'Very few people were true Nazis,' he said, 'but many enjoyed the return of German pride, and many more were too busy to ...
WikiLeaks provides the truth Bush obscured [Full Thread]
Post Date: 2010-11-29 14:46:04 by go65
57 Comments
Say what you want about WikiLeaks - and I don't much like what it has done - it nevertheless would be useful for its founder, Julian Assange, to follow George W. Bush as he lopes around the country, promoting his new book, "Decision Points." When, for instance, Bush attempts to justify the Iraq war by saying the world is a better place without Saddam Hussein, Assange could reach into his bag of leaked U.S. government cables and cite Saudi King Abdullah's private observation that the war had given Iraq to Iran as a "gift on a golden platter." Iraq now has a Shiite-dominated government and many senior officials who are ominously friendly with Iran. It was always ...
New Republican Congress Emboldens Netanyahu
Post Date: 2010-11-29 14:41:12 by Brian S
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The new Republican-led Congress will be more pro-Israel – but it might not be manifest in foreign aid. The incoming majority leader of the House, for instance, will be Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia, a staunch pro-Israel lawmaker, and the incoming House speaker-designate is Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, who has outspokenly criticized the Obama Administration for pressuring Israel regarding construction in Judea and Samaria. On the other hand, as The New York Times has reported, newly-elected senator from Kentucky, Rand Paul, with isolationist, Tea Party tendencies, bluntly told AIPAC (the influential American Israeli Public Affairs Committee lobbying group) that they were "going ...
HAPPY THANKSGIVING; GOD BLESS EVERYONE HERE AT LIBERTYSFLAME
Post Date: 2010-11-24 23:52:01 by Murron
3 Comments
From My Family, To Yours!! Have a wonderful day, and God Bless you all.~ Murron "We've come to the time in the season, When family and friends gather near To offer a prayer of Thanksgiving, For blessings we've known through the year To join hands and thank the creator, And now when Thanksgiving is due This year when I count my blessings, I'm thanking the Lord He made you This year when I count my blessings, I'm thanking the Lord He made you" ~ Johnny Cash
Israel-First False Calvinist-Evangelical Theology Encourages Israeli Atrocities
Post Date: 2010-11-23 19:11:10 by Brian S
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Today most evangelical Christians remain silent after more than 60 years of Israeli injustice and brutality against Palestinians. Many praise Israel more enthusiastically than ever! This includes the millions who fanatically follow Zionist pastor John Hagee. Is there any Israeli outrage (maybe starting nuclear war?) that could cause evangelicals to disapprove of the Jewish state? Shockingly, no. The dominant theology of evangelicals today—Calvinism—leads Christians to the belief that we must not “curse” God’s chosen people with criticism, no matter what they do. Such incredible, unscriptural forbearance is rooted in centuries of a Calvinist heresy described as ...
Israel's Culture Of Lying
Post Date: 2010-11-23 14:03:13 by Brian S
6 Comments
Israeli and Zionist leaders, irrespective of their party affiliation, are proven liars. The former Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, for example, denied the very existence of the Palestinian people, saying "What Palestinians?" In fact, lying has always been one of three pillars upon which Zionism, which many well –meaning historians wouldn't hesitate calling "Jewish Nazism," is based. The other two pillars are murderous ethnic cleansing and land theft. Lying is also a central structural component of the collective Israeli mindset, especially in matters pertaining to the systematic persecution, dispossession and repression of the Palestinians. Lying is ...
There Will Be Blood
Post Date: 2010-11-23 12:21:26 by Skip Intro
17 Comments
There Will Be Blood Former Senator Alan Simpson is a Very Serious Person. He must be — after all, President Obama appointed him as co-chairman of a special commission on deficit reduction. So here’s what the very serious Mr. Simpson said on Friday: “I can’t wait for the blood bath in April. ... When debt limit time comes, they’re going to look around and say, ‘What in the hell do we do now? We’ve got guys who will not approve the debt limit extension unless we give ’em a piece of meat, real meat,’ ” meaning spending cuts. “And boy, the blood bath will be extraordinary,” he continued. Think of Mr. Simpson’s blood lust as one ...
Jesus For Jews, Or Something Like That
Post Date: 2010-11-23 11:38:45 by Brian S
1 Comments
There is no way to get on the inside of the who-is-chosen question without unpacking the quirky relationship Evangelicals have with Jews, both embracing them and condemning them to eternal damnation. This has to be one of the odder relationships ever concocted, sort of like those news stories that crop up once in a while about how a cat befriends a hamster. Evangelicals brood over the Jews. Jesus was a Jew. But then He started a whole "new" religion that instantly was in conflict with the Jews. To Us Real Christians (as I once thought of us) there were Actual Jews and then there were Real Jews. Evangelicals' believe that they are also The Chosen People. Some Evangelicals ...
'Tea Party' Trouble On Foreign Policy
Post Date: 2010-11-22 14:49:56 by Brian S
3 Comments
The "tea party'' agenda in the midterm election focused largely on domestic issues. But the Republican gains in Congress that the movement fueled will have profound foreign policy consequences. Bipartisanship in foreign policy has all but disappeared, and the first victim is likely to be the Obama administration's New START treaty with Russia. This agreement, which is both modest in its cuts and extremely favorable to U.S. concerns, has been the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's attempts to reset U.S.-Russian relations. Although there probably are enough votes in the Senate to ensure the treaty's ratification, a handful of Republicans almost certainly will ...
Patrick J. Buchanan: Who Fed The Tiger?
Post Date: 2010-11-22 12:18:32 by Brian S
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Missiles fired from the Chinese mainland could destroy five of the six major U.S. air bases in the Far East. So states a new report of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, adding: "Saturation missile strikes could destroy U.S. air defenses, runways, parked aircraft, and fuel and maintenance facilities. Complicating this scenario is the future deployment of China's anti-ship ballistic missile, which could hold U.S. aircraft carriers at bay outside their normal operating range." Opposite Taiwan, China's missile force has reached 1,600. Beijing is also building rockets, submarines and surface fleets to extend her dominance out to the third chain of ...
The Blur Between Spending and Taxes
Post Date: 2010-11-21 23:24:37 by go65
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SHOULD the government cut spending or raise taxes to deal with its long-term fiscal imbalance? As President Obama’s deficit commission rolls out its final report in the coming weeks, this issue will most likely divide the political right and left. But, in many ways, the question is the wrong one. The distinction between spending and taxation is often murky and sometimes meaningless. Enlarge This Image David G. Klein Imagine that there is some activity — say, snipe hunting — that members of Congress want to encourage. Senator Porkbelly proposes a government subsidy. “America needs more snipe hunters,” he says. “I propose that every time an American bags a ...
After John Tyner: A Five-Step Plan to a Sane Airport Security System
Post Date: 2010-11-20 11:25:26 by go65
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In late October, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which handles airport security in the US, began offering passengers a choice: either submit to being imaged by the new, invasive, "backscatter" scanners, which show your genitals to the security officers manning the machine, or risk having your junk touched by those same officers. New regulations require that the TSA perform "enhanced pat-downs"—which some critics have described as "groping"—of anyone who declines the controversial full-body scan. If you decline both procedures, as Californian John Tyner did this week, you can be investigated and face fines up to $11,000. Although a ...
Pretty Good for Government Work (Warren Buffet)
Post Date: 2010-11-18 16:38:22 by go65
7 Comments
DEAR Uncle Sam, My mother told me to send thank-you notes promptly. I’ve been remiss. Let me remind you why I’m writing. Just over two years ago, in September 2008, our country faced an economic meltdown. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the pillars that supported our mortgage system, had been forced into conservatorship. Several of our largest commercial banks were teetering. One of Wall Street’s giant investment banks had gone bankrupt, and the remaining three were poised to follow. A.I.G., the world’s most famous insurer, was at death’s door. Many of our largest industrial companies, dependent on commercial paper financing that had disappeared, were weeks away from ...
TARP 'Most Successful U.S. Program Ever'
Post Date: 2010-11-18 14:11:15 by Brian S
4 Comments
The Troubled Asset Relief Program wasn't really a bank bailout after all, but instead was the "most successful government financial program ever," banking analyst Dick Bove said. In a research note, Bove noted that the controversial TARP saved the banking industry as well as the broader economy while generating a hefty return for taxpayers. Former President George W. Bush signed the $700 billion program into law on Oct. 3, 2008 as banks suffered a liquidity crisis brought on by the collapse of the subprime mortgage market. TARP recapitalized banks across the board -- even many that didn't need the extra money. Bove praised the program for restoring faith in the system ...
Ed Accuses Rush Limbaugh of Being a Racist
Post Date: 2010-11-18 07:28:37 by A K A Stone
1 Comments
Ed Schultz continues his war on Rush Limbaugh and once again labels him a "racist."
Last night Schultz had Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee on to call Limbaugh racist. Tonight, he brings Al Sharpton into the brawl.
"When you keep having all these racial tones that is supported by federal regulated radio -- just remember, the stations that he is on go to the federal government to get consolidation, to get waivers," Sharpton said.
"The government has the right to protect free speech, but they also have an obligation to hold standards where [the] American people are not subjected to this," Sharpton added. (emphasis mine)
Sharpton didn't stop at implying Limbaugh is somehow violating his ...
How GM IPO Proves the Tea Party Wrong
Post Date: 2010-11-17 15:56:02 by Brian S
5 Comments
What could have happened is that today, General Motors would be in the 15th month of its bankruptcy, no end in sight, with consumers shying away from its products and tens of thousands of automobile industry workers either laid off or despairing for their futures. Instead we have an IPO that is the talk of Wall Street, loans being repaid with stock sale proceeds, an auto company that makes money at the bottom of a cycle and new products that are widely applauded. So it's a simple call. The Tea Party and its predecessors, who eschewed federal loans to GM, simply got it wrong, failing to perceive that a "bailout" can just as easily be called an "investment." What we ...
Low-tax states will gain seats, high-tax states will lose them
Post Date: 2010-11-17 15:09:58 by WhiteSands
2 Comments
Migration from high-tax states to states with lower taxes and less government spending will dramatically alter the composition of future Congresses, according to a study by Americans for Tax Reform Eight states are projected to gain at least one congressional seat under reapportionment following the 2010 Census: Texas (four seats), Florida (two seats), Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah and Washington (one seat each). Their average top state personal income tax rate: 2.8 percent. By contrast, New York and Ohio are likely to lose two seats each, while Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania will be down one apiece. The average ...
The Freak Show: Time For The Republicans To Put Up Or Shut Up
Post Date: 2010-11-17 14:37:05 by Brian S
8 Comments
The midterm elections are over, and the Republican Party now controls the House of Representatives, and while they don’t control the Senate, they have enough of a presence to help dictate what legislation gets through. So let’s see if the so-called “party of no” will use their gains to try and get some of their ideas enacted. Both Senator elect Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey have pointed out that the Republican gains aren’t a mandate, but a choice by the people to give them a shot, and they are now, essentially, on probation. Gov. Christie put it very bluntly, saying that they need to now do what they didn’t do for the past ...
Tea Party's Anti-Earmark Crusade Gives More Power to President Obama
Post Date: 2010-11-17 13:13:29 by Brian S
3 Comments
Under strong pressure from tea party favorites Sens. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell this week changed his long-held position in favor of earmarks. Senate Republicans will now, it seems, follow their colleagues in the House and agree to a moratorium on requesting earmarks. Sometimes in life you need to be careful what you wish for because you just might get it. For backers of the tea party’s drive to end earmarks, this is one of those times. Tea party supporters often claim that they want a return to the constitutional system. But the U.S. Constitution created a separation of powers in which the Congress would have the power of the ...
The Paranoid Style of Anti-Islamism
Post Date: 2010-11-16 19:48:24 by Brian S
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This is a rather dated piece I wrote for consideration by the magazine last fall, but it remains very relevant, as I don’t think the apparent passing of the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque” controversy means that Anti-Islamism is going away any time soon. Indeed, among the freshman House Republicans will be Allen West, who gave an impassioned speech about Tours and Lepanto at an event sponsored by Frank Gaffney. Incidentally, for all my Catholic friends, there is a very simple answer to the question “Did Charles Martel ask why they hate us?” – Charles Martel would never have said that they hate us for our freedom. ***************** By now it should be ...
Not One Cent For Tribute: Obama's Embarrassing Gift To Israel
Post Date: 2010-11-16 19:37:00 by Brian S
2 Comments
A legendary story from our early history has it that Thomas Jefferson so hated John Jay that he ordered Pierre L'Enfant -- the civil engineer who designed our capital city -- to excise any reference to Jay (including "J Street") from his plans. The story is apocryphal, but the history behind it isn't. For Jefferson, Jay was an arch appeaser: his 1795 treaty with Britain provided concessions to a nation we had defeated in our revolution. Jefferson wasn't the only one who hated the treaty. While Jay's agreement was ratified by the Congress, he was burned in effigy by New York and Philadelphia mobs and the treaty so stained his reputation that he was never considered ...
RAHN: What caused the financial crisis
Post Date: 2010-11-16 11:18:36 by WhiteSands
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RAHN: What caused the financial crisis Expert points to government policy, not greedy bankers By Richard W. Rahn Was the great financial crisis caused by greedy and reckless bankers and Wall Street players or by a broad range of individuals, financial institutions and governments who became less risk-averse and prudent or by government housing policies that brought on the housing bubble and mismanaged the risks? The lame-duck Congress now in session is about to make some major decisions on spending and taxes - when all too many members still are operating on the idea that greedy bankers and Wall Street players, rather than government housing policies, are the problem. Without waiting ...
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