President Barack Obama signs an executive order closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) A President Who Doesn’t Even Try Is Obama Kowtowing to the Right? Or Is He One of Them? by Ted Rall The President’s progressive critics blame [...]
Obama’s economic policies have failed to create jobs or a recovery because “he banked on the banks” [GALLO/GETTY] New York, NY - Back in the last Century, when Bill Clinton was running for re-election in the “permanent campaign” he, with the advice of the smarmy Dick Morris chose to co-opt Republican positions to pre-empt their using [...]
. The Fable of the Century The ending is up to you by Robert Reich Imagine a country in which the very richest people get all the economic gains. They eventually accumulate so much of the nation’s total income and wealth that the middle class no longer has the purchasing power to keep the economy going [...]
image from wikipediaIn the year 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine saw some kind of a religious vision at some time before a battle in which he defeated his major rival at the time, Maxentius (1). Just what the nature of the vision was is unclear, but it did lead to Constantine’s conversion to what became [...]
No matter how much evil Barack Obama actually accomplishes during his presidency, people that call themselves leftists insist on dubbing him the Lesser Evil. Not only is Obama not given proper credit for out-evil-ing George Bush, domestically and internationally, but the First Black President is awarded positive grades for his intentions versus the [...]
‘Big Government‘ Isn’t the Problem, Big Money Is By Robert Reich link http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30903.htm March 23, 2012 “The Nation” — Conservatives love to rail against “big government.” But the surge of cynicism engulfing the nation isn’t about government’s size. It flows from a growing perception that government doesn’t work for average people but [...]
the glass ceiling denying Mormons the presidency.Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the University of Chicago. (AP / Steven Senne) Voters Have Two Candidates, No Choice by Robert Scheer With Mitt Romney’s super-PAC limo now on cruise control to victory at the GOP convention, voters are left with only two reasons to vote [...]
Gated Intellectuals and Ignorance in Political Life: Toward a Borderless Pedagogy in the Occupy Movement Tuesday 20 March 2012 by: Henry A. Giroux, Truthout | Op-Ed Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, third from right, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, speaks during a rally at the Venetian Club in Rockford, Illinois, March [...]
OWS by Creative Commons Is the solution more democracy and how do elections fit into that picture since this session’s title is “Is Voting a Solution?” “How do we get there from here?” would be another way of putting this question. A basic disagreement exists within the Left between those who argue that elections are [...]
My Conversation with Noam Chomsky Email To A Friend Printer Friendly Comments about 8 hours ago From I have been reading Noam Chomsky’s work for several years and from the very beginning his work inspired me. Whether you agree with him or not, I think everyone agrees that he has [...]
Governor Vaginal Probe: With This Shaming Wand, I Thee Rape by Abby Zimet Today’s strip The fabulous Garry Trudeau continues all week to take on Texas’ law requiring a woman seeking an abortion not just to undergo a vaginal ultrasound, but to listen to the heartbeat of the fetus. With Virginia’s recent and much-criticized passage of a similar bill, Rachel [...]
A new survey of southern Republicans from Public Policy Polling finds that about half – 45% in Alabama, 52% in Mississippi – still believe Obama is a Muslim. A majority do not believe in evolution. And about a quarter – 21% in Alabama, 29% in Mississippi – think interracial marriage should be illegal. Oy: Wake me when they’ve seceded. [...]
Part of the strip which has been rejected by several papers. Photograph: Doonesbury Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau has defended his cartoon strip about abortion, which several US newspapers are refusing to run, saying he felt compelled to respond to the way Republicans across America are undermining women’s healthcare rights. The strip, published on Monday and scheduled to run all [...]
. Why the War on Women? by Glenn Smith Remember when John Ashcroft put a drape over the bared breast of the “Spirit of Justice” statue at the Justice Department? The Republicans are now busy trying to cover their own political private parts after flashing a core part of their agenda – their war on [...]
Noam Chomsky on the State-Corporate Complex: A Threat to Freedom and Survival Posted by Mark Motive on March 7, 2012Academic Lectures, Society, VideoAdd comments Mar072012 link to the video http://www.planbeconomics.com/2012/03/07/noam-chomsky-on-the-state-corporate-complex-a-threat-to-freedom-and-survival/ Related articles More Chomsky on Iran (ikners.com) Noam Chomsky on Austerity, Education & Healthcare (ikners.com) Chomsky: How we are treated (ikners.com) Noam Chomsky: Education For Whom and For What? [...]
The consistent anarchist, then, should be a socialist, but a socialist of a particular sort. He will not only oppose alienated and specialized labor and look forward to the appropriation of capital by the whole body of workers, but he will also insist that this appropriation be direct, not exercised [...]
“The general public are viewed as no more than ignorant and meddlesome outsiders, a bewildered herd. And it’s the responsible men who have to make decisions and to protect society from the trampling and rage of the bewildered herd. Now since it’s a democracy they – the herd, that is – [...]
Image by thelastminute via Flickr Dandelion Salad link to lengthy Chomsky talk http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/noam-chomsky-education-for-whom-and-for-what-2012/ Arizona on Feb 17, 2012 Noam Chomsky, a world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist, spoke at the University of Arizona on Feb. 8, 2012. His lecture, “Education: For Whom and For What?” featured a talk on the state of higher education, followed by [...]
Photo Credit: A.M. Stan The 11 Dumbest Things Conservatives Have Said About Women From Rush Limbaugh to the Pope, it’s been one of the worst months ever for verbalized sexism. February 28, 2012 | In Congress this week, the GOP attempted to push through the vile Blunt amendment, which would allow any employer to deny insurance [...]
Pat Buchanan Moves to Fox, Immediately Makes Birther Joke By Steve M | No More Mister Nice Blog Louisiana Proposes Bill To Outlaw “Aggravated Criminal Abortion by Dismemberment” By Robin Marty | RH Reality Check Limbaugh Incident Reveals GOP‘s True Colors By BooMan | Booman Tribune CA GOP Communications Director Calls Krystal Ball [...]
. A Better Question Might Be, ‘How Is It NOT Fascism?’ by Thomas S. Harrington Have you ever spoken to someone who lived through a fascist regime? If and when you do, you might be surprised at what you hear. When they get talking, most people who lived through Mussolini’s Italy, Franco’s Spain, Salazar’s [...]
Noam Chomsky chooses Obama over GOPs as 2012 President Noam Chomsky has said, “I’m not a great enthusiast for Obama, as you know, from way back, but at least he’s somewhere in the real world.” He stated that the 2012 candidates are “Off the International Spectrum of Sane Behavior.” The extended view [...]
Barack Obama with his wife, Michelle, at the White House in December 2011. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images Three years ago to the day, Barack Hussein Obama stood before a crowd shivering in the frigid January air and took the oath of office that made him the 44th president of the United States. By some estimates, there [...]
Noam Chomsky on Ron Paul Ron Paul’s a nice guy. If I had to have dinner with one of theRepublican candidates, I’d prefer to have it with him — but, his policies are off the wall. Kutztown University Nov. 21, 2011 January 14, 2012 video at http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30251.htm CHOMSKY: Ron Paul’s a [...]
Republican Socialists, Democratic Capitalists GOP Pols Exploit Anti-Wall Street Rage By Ted Rall January 12, 2012 “Information Clearing House” — Newt Gingrich made a name for himself as the right-wing ideologue who led the 1994 “Republican Revolution.” What a difference the wholesale collapse of international capitalism makes. Forget 9/11—everything changed on 9/14/08, [...]
The ‘other’ political parties of the US It’s not just Democrat or Republican – dozens of third-party candidates are also running for president this fall. Many Americans view the Democratic and Republican parties as two sides of the same coin [GALLO/GETTY] Manchester, New Hampshire - From Dorothy Ann Adams to William David Zollinger, 315 men and [...]
GOP Needs Divine Intervention Tom Ferguson: The problem for the GOP is they have nothing to say about the economic crisis even though Obama policies have been a failure Go to story | Go to homepage The Promise What you have been seeing on TRNN is just a taste of what’s to come; we [...]
Texas doctors to operate on girl burned in U.S. drone strike By davidswanson - Posted on 22 December 2011 (CNN) – She has eyelashes but no eyebrows. She has all her fingers but is missing four nails. Her skin is so taut now that she can no longer frown. LOOK AT HER.
The Occupy movements are a manifestation of the public’s discontent with American social welfare [GALLO/GETTY] San Pedro, California - Last week I wrote about Newt Gingrich‘s incredibly destructive record and mindset. But as I wrote then, “If you want to know why the American political system can’t solve even most routine problems anymore, the reasons are [...]
Think-N-Evolve (CC-BY) The words of the U.S. Constitution appear against Anarchism’s signature colors of black and red. As those weary of Occupy Wall Street’s insistence on direct democracy grow increasingly critical, Nathan Schneider with The Nation reminds us that it was anarchist principles that attracted and kept so many of its most devoted participants, and which [...]
A melodious, larger-than-usual contingent of Wisconsin’s Solidarity Singers gathered as usual in the Capitol Rotunda Friday in defiance of the first day of Scott Walker‘s excessive new access rules declaring that more than four people have to get a permit. The singers, who have been performing labor and civil rights songs every day for ten months, have added [...]
When in doubt, wheel on Teddy Roosevelt. It’s in every Democratic president’s playbook. TR was president from 1901 to 1909. He was manly, ranching in North Dakota, exploring the Amazon and nearly expiring on the River of Doubt. He was an imperialist con amore, charging up San Juan Hill, sending the [...]
Self-interest rules as US circus makes mockery of democracy Paul McGeough December 6, 2011OPINION Go anywhere in the world these days and the voice of the US is heard – urging, cajoling or sanctioning in the name of freedom and human rights. It might be a big gun, like Hillary Clinton in Burma, or [...]
An America that’s never wrong by PAUL J. BALLES on DECEMBER 4, 2011 “Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world.” –Arthur Schopenhauer Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong. –James Bryce Americans won’t like [...]
The political pendulum of the US has swung so far to the right that ‘centre-left’ politicians such as Al Gore only appear sporadically in the media says writer [GALLO/GETTY] “President Obama’s support is eroding among elements of his base,” began a front-page story in the September 16New York Times. Experienced readers understood what was meant. The US [...]
| LIKE THIS ARTICLE ? Join our mailing list: Sign up to stay up to date on the latest headlines via email. Five Ways that Financial Elites are Destroying Democracy Is democracy compatible with a financial system run by billionaires? Maybe not. November 21, 2011 Is democracy compatible with a financial system run by billionaires? [...]
Grover Norquist has been described as the 13th member of the supercommittee, such is his influence over its six Republicans. Photograph: Haraz N Ghanbari/AP Grover Norquist hails victory after supercommittee deal fails Democrats blame Republican lobbyist for scuppering Congressional supercommittee on national deficit reddit this Ewen MacAskill in Washington guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 22 November 2011 20.30 GMT [...]
Senator John Kerry cited Republicans’ ‘intransigence’ for the committee’s failure to come to an agreement [Getty/AFP] So far the super committee charged with stepping up to the plate and dealing with America’s deficit does not have a deal. But if they make one, they won’t be what you see on the screen. They will be [...]
The supercommittee’s failure will trigger automatic cuts in the defence budget and domestic spending. Photograph: J Scott Applewhite/AP US braced for automatic cuts as supercommittee set to admit defeat Republicans and Democrats blame each for other for failure on deal to reduce federal deficit by $1.2tn over 10 years reddit this Ewen MacAskill in Washington [...]
Wikimedia Commons Republican Congressman Darrell Issa is not hurting for money, according to a new study. STUDY: NEARLY HALF OF CONGRESS MEMBERS ARE MILLIONAIRES EMAIL PRINT SHARE SHARE Posted on Nov 15, 2011 The shiny ideal of representative democracy starts dimming a bit when one considers factors and figures like those charted in a new study [...]
Bachmann Wants Iraqis To Pay ‘Several Million Dollars Per Life’ For Every American Who Died In Iraq By Ian Millhiser on Nov 13, 2011 at 12:05 pm In an interview this morning with Meet the Press’ David Gregory, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) repeated her claim that the Iraq should pay America for the privilege of [...]
FRI NOV 11, 2011 AT 10:59 AM PST Iowa Republicans: Cut defense before Social Security, Medicare byJoan McCarterFollow Share830 PERMALINK 54 COMMENTS This should be a wake up call for all the deficit peacocks, Leon Panetta most definitely included, who want to protect the Pentagon at all costs against spending cuts. They’re [...]
Ralph Nader (left) and Ron Paul. (Photos:ragesoss, Gage Skidmore) Populist Alliances or Senseless Wars and Corporate Welfare Thursday 7 July 2011 by: Bruce E. Levine, Truthout | News Analysis Ron Paul and Ralph Nader have an intriguing idea. While both know that there are significant ideological divides between their camps (and so neither are [...]
American Crisis Politics By Eric Walberg – Cairo American voters now have a clear view of who they can vote for next year, with Barack Obama as the Democrats‘ certain candidate and Mitt Romney as the Republicans’. Both candidates offer much the same prescriptions for the multiple crises facing their country — more war [...]
When it comes to warmongering leaders and their bloodthirsty cohorts it is more often than not a crime to vote for these people. After all the way the capitalist democracies are structured leaves no room for any real dissent apart from the false notion that your vote really means anything apart from deciding which [...]
Obama Fails Wall Street “Conspirators” Too The Secret Republican by ANDREW LEVINE “Conspiracy theories” have a bad press. But sometimes conspiracies are real and sometimes conspiracy theories do account for what they purport to explain. Whether they do or not is an empirical question. Because real world politics is propelled by multiple, heterogeneous causes, and [...]
Obama vs. Jobs; Hope vs. Reality By David Swanson http://warisacrime.org/content/obama-vs-jobs-hope-vs-reality Last week, President Obama racked up several more broken campaign promises as he pushed through Congress three new job-killing corporate trade agreements. The Senate Finance Committee was quite open about the fact that these agreements will kill off more jobs and eager to mitigate the [...]
Obama’s New Populist Fakery contributors: Wall Street and assorted special interests. The Democratic Party’s Rubinomicsand Clintonomics core operators, plus smooth Bush Administration holdovers such as Tim Geithner, not to mention quasi-Cheney factotums in the Justice Department. by MICHAEL HUDSON The seeds for President Obama’s demagogic press conference on Thursday were planted last summer when he [...]
A New Bush Era or a Push Era? Posted on Oct 11, 2011 David Shankbone (CC-BY) By Amy Goodman Back when Barack Obama was still just a U.S. senator running for president, he told a group of donors in a New Jersey suburb, “Make me do it.” He was borrowing from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used the same [...]
The protests erupting across the country speak to the disillusionment with America’s politics [GALLO/GETTY] The exciting presence and perseverance of protestors on Wall Street (and the spread of the #OccupyWallStreet protests to cities throughout America) is a welcome respite from years of passivity, and not only in relation to the scandalous legal and illegal abuses [...]
