Sunday, September 01, 2013

1 September - Blogs I'm Following II

Westminster Abbey, West Door, Four of the ten ...Westminster Abbey, West Door, Four of the ten 20th Century- Mother Elizabeth of Russia, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Archbishop Oscar Romero, and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
8:14pm MDST

So what did National do about Nanny State then?

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 7 minutes ago
You’ll remember back when the Nats were in opposition, they made a meal out of Helen Clark’s Nanny State. Looking back at the old poster we did for *The Free Radical* magazine back in 2007, you can only thank goodness they’ve done so much since to remove all the nannying. just* look* at how little of what offended back then still remains! [image: [FREE_RADICAL-Nanny_State_Berserk_Poster.jpg]] And they haven’t done any new nannying, have they. None at all. Well, apart from siccing their spies onto us, and talking up fatty food bans, and transforming cities with no-drinking zones... more »

Mohawk Nation News 'Birth and Death'

brendanorrell@gmail.com at CENSORED NEWS - 48 minutes ago
BIRTH & DEATH Posted on August 31, 2013 MNN. AUG. 31, 2013. Detroit’s funeral directors were informed that the City “can’t process birth and death certificates because they have no paper and don’t have money to buy any.” After the July 18, 2013 bankruptcy the creditors want cash! Dying is easy. Proving you’re dead is getting impossible! Cities are corporations. Bankers are 51% of the

PUNITIVE ACTION OR REGIME CHANGE?

There should be no misunderstandings over what is about to happen in Syria. When the US and their allies – and the UK may well be joining them yet – attack Syria it will be for the purpose of regime change and not as a ‘punishment’ for using gas against civilians. The ‘punishment’ or ‘punitive’ rhetoric being used currently is purely for propaganda purposes in an effort to swing public opinion to support an attack. The court of public opinion in the West these days, especially when it comes to the possibility of going to war in the Middle East, is particularly important to politicia... more »

In 2012 Only Conservative Incumbents Lost Their House Seats

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 hour ago
Leaving out redistricting's incumbent vs incumbent primaries, in 2012 only 22 incumbents lost their House seats. Not one of them was a progressive. Every single one of them was a conservative. Only two Democrats were challenged by non-incumbents in primaries, Blue Dog Tim Holden (PA) and ConservaDem Silvestre Reyes (TX). Both were defeated by significantly more progressive Democrats, respectively Matt Cartwright and Beto O'Rourke, each of whom went on to win landslide victories in the general election. In Republicanville, three conservatives lost reelection to non-incumbents in pr... more »

happy labour day: thank a union, and thank the men and women who made unions possible

laura k at wmtc - 1 hour ago
If you're enjoying a long weekend, take a moment to acknowledge the blood, sweat, and tears of the women and men who made that possible. This page from a regional AFL-CIO affiliate has a partial list of what we enjoy thanks to organizing labour. 36 Reasons Why You Should Thank a Union Weekends All Breaks at Work, including your Lunch Breaks Paid Vacation FMLA Sick Leave Social Security Minimum Wage Civil Rights Act/Title VII (Prohibits Employer Discrimination) 8-Hour Work Day Overtime Pay Child Labor Laws Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) 40 Hour Work Week Worker's Compensation (W... more »

Blessed are the Peacemakers

Paul Coker at News Spike - 2 hours ago
" and I cannot forget that the *Nobel Peace Prize* was also a *commission*, a *commission* to work harder than I had ever worked before for *"the brotherhood of man." * This is a calling that takes me *beyond national allegiances*, but even if it were not present I would yet have to live with the meaning of my commitment to the ministry of Jesus Christ. *Martin Luther King, Jr.* *Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence* *Delivered 4 April 1967, Riverside Church, New York City* To me the relationship of this ministry to the making of peace is so obvious that I sometimes marvel... more »

PORTLAND PROTEST AGAINST SYRIA ATTACK

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 3 hours ago
There was a protest yesterday in Portland, Maine where several groups joined together to stand against a Syria attack. We marched a bit through the city and concluded with a closing circle where folks were asked to do something each day in the coming week to stop this coming attack. Sadly the top columnist from the *Portland Press Herald* wrote a slam peace that appeared in the Sunday edition of the paper. I believe the columnist was trying to do a couple things with his piece. One was to provide cover for Obama and our congressional delegation to support war by showing peace mo... more »

I'm reposting here the stirring video featured in my post of August 30, 2013, just in case you missed it. See and HEAR! why Paul Craig Roberts declared British MP George Galloway to be "the only real leader in the entire Western world."

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 3 hours ago
This video is taken from my original re-posting to Cherchez la Verite of an important article in Veterans News Now. ------------------------------ George Galloway's HEATED Speech British Parliament Debate On Military Action Against Syria. 8/29/2013 http://youtu.be/Han5fgzy4KU We need Americans who can, and will, stand up and speak truth to power like this. Cherchez la Verite

More and more Americans are changing their beliefs regarding whether or not the U.S. should attack Syria, fueled by John Kerry's incessent lying. We must convinvce our Congress persons and Senators that we'll vote them out of office if they support Obama's intention to commence a war of aggression against Syria.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 3 hours ago
Blogger's Note: In this post I am putting up snippets from the Huff Post having to do with John Kerry's assertions that the forces of Bashar al-Assad were responsible for the murderous chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians in a suburb of Damascus in the presence of UN observers (who were ordered away by the UN before they could judge who was actually responsible.) So where did Kerry get his information? Short answer, he didn't need information because his intention appears to be to lie about everything (see Paul Crag Roberts' assessments *here* and *here*). And for some of t... more »

IN THE GATHERING DARKNESS, A LIGHT GOES OUT / SEAMUS HEANEY 1939-2013

Allen L Roland, Ph.D at Allen L Roland's Weblog - 4 hours ago
** ** *Dublin's Seamus Heaney in repose* *Poetry is the bridge between the mind and the heart where feelings become words and none was more accomplished at that gift than Dublin's Seamus Heaney ~ the Irish poet, playwright, translator and lecturer, and the recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature. His light will be missed in the gathering darkness of our present times: Allen L Roland* As a writer, columnist and amateur poet, I recognize and relish the power of poetry and the emotional impact of putting feelings into words but it is implicit in Seamus He... more »

Some Sunday night listening...

Roobin at THROUGH THE SCARY DOOR - 4 hours ago
Here's a mild enigma. Early on in David Bowie's career, in his imperial period, which I would count as from arriving in Haddon Hall in 1970 and leaving Los Angeles in 1976, he is overflowing with songs. After that point they dry up. The Berlin albums were a protracted battle against writers block. They are his best in my opinion. Where did all the songs go? There's few bootlegs after 1975, the reissues in 1990 and 1999 produced very few new songs, and according to Pushing Ahead of the Dame there's even precious little info on studio takes, who played what and so on. This is the last... more »

Sunday Question for Liberals

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 5 hours ago
Same question as the one for conservatives: What Democratic politicians, if any, do you tend to trust on Syria? Outside of politicians: which writers, analysts, or experts do you tend to trust on Syria?

Israelis - Such Charming People.

Paul Coker at News Spike - 5 hours ago

Willful Ignorance-- A Problem For Representative Democracy?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 5 hours ago
On Wednesday, Ken pointed out that more Louisiana Republicans blame Obamafor the poor response to Hurricane Katrina than blame George W. Bush, 29-28%-- with another 44% "unsure." Perhaps most Louisiana Republicans didn't recall that they had never heard of Barack Obama in 2005 when Katrina struck. At the time he had been a U.S. senator for a few months. "Oh my God," I thought when I heard about this; "are these people voting? No wonder David Vitter was reelected!" But, it's hardly just Louisiana Republicans-- even if Louisiana does have the worst education results of any of the 50... more »

Sunday Question for Conservatives

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 5 hours ago
I guess I'll have to do Syria this week, even though I've asked about it recently... How about this one: what Republican politicians, if any, do you tend to trust on Syria? Outside of politicians: which writers, analysts, or experts do you tend to trust on Syria?

NO !

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 5 hours ago
It is time to evolve from a world in competition to a world of cooperation

Rulers Of The World

Oberon at GlobaLove Think Tank - 5 hours ago

There Must Be a BBC Reporter (Playing with My Heart)

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 6 hours ago
Of course, it's not just the BBC's Phil Mercer who's engaged in what seem like full-blown campaigning against the 'hardline' immigration policies of Australia's politicians. His newly-arrived BBC colleague Jon Donnison is, inevitably, singing from exactly the same biased hymn-sheet in his latest *From Our Own Correspondent *piece, Australia election: Asylum debate cooks up anger and uncertainty. Please allow me to paraphrase this emotionally-charged tosh... There's cheerful Syrian refugee Kobra and her nice friend Xanthe, a journalist who welcomed poor Kobra with open arms. They ... more »

Causes of the continuing Great Recession? That Savings Glut vs. Those Low Interest Rates

Peter Cresswell at Not PC - 6 hours ago
*If you don’t know what caused the economic collapse, says guest poster David Howden, what you do to repair it might be making things worse.* Five years after the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, economists are still starkly divided as to its causes. Perhaps this is not too surprising as we are now more than 80 years past the Great Depression with little end in sight to the debate surrounding the causes of that downturn. Most economists fall into one of two camps when explaining where the imbalances originated that led up to the current crisis. Austrian School e... more »

Anthony Weiner for the mayor of New York City

LeDaro at LeDaro - 7 hours ago
Anthony Weiner campaigning on the streets of New York City. He believes in transparency.

Tandem novel - 20,000 words 'typed in' - cover idea.

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 7 hours ago
*original cover concept*on the day that journalist Glenn Greenwald's boyfriend is detained for nine hours by border guards in UK and the Guardian newspaper is forced to DESTROY one of its computers containing whistleblower Edward Snowden's NSA material, I returned from four weeks away, on vacation. I brought back a novel, on three notebooks, written in long hand, which went through several title changes but finally 'stuck' on *TANDEM*. Kinda have a problem or three, i) I don't know how long it is, ii) I have to type it up and iii) as it changed so much 'during' the writing, it's g... more »

Obama And Syria: The Evolution From Covert War To Overt War

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 7 hours ago
President Obama is criminally misleading his people and the world when he says that America is planning "limited" and "narrow" strikes against Syria. The attacks may begin that way on day one, but it won't be long before the United States is dragged further into the war, along with regional allies such as Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. So far, these nations have prosecuted a covert war against the people and government of Syria. *The Saudi despots even admit it*. Since early 2011, they have trained, financed, and armed foreign Jihadist terrorists to terrorize the Syr... more »

Syria: Don't Gloat, Don't Underestimate The Blind Wrath Of America

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 8 hours ago
"Syria hailed an "historic American retreat" on Sunday, mockingly accusing President Barack Obama of hesitation and confusion after he delayed a military strike to consult Congress." - Yara Bayoumy and Thomas Ferraro, *"Scornful Syria hails 'historic American retreat' as Obama hesitates,"* September 1, 2013. "Don't gloat when your enemy falls, and don't let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or the Lord will see, be displeased, and turn His wrath away from him." - *Proverbs 24:17-18*. Are Syria's leaders wise? Their latest statement is an insult to America, and it shows that t... more »

What's wrong with the media

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 9 hours ago
Jake Tapper explains how he conducts an interview: Most interviews that I do are not super aggressive. They can’t be, and they shouldn’t be; that would get pretty tiresome. So when there’s an interview that’s tough or a question that’s tough, it’s something that raises eyebrows. It’s not easy to do that in the White House briefing room, at a press conference. That’s never easy. It’s not fun. Because as humans we are built to try to avoid conflict. Society constantly looks down its nose at conflict, even if the media doesn’t. And it’s not a comfortable feeling. It’s absolutely nerve... more »

Thank you for your comment, Satan

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 9 hours ago
Ah, coincidences! That's all they tend to be but (as Eddie Mair's hero Glenn Greenwald might put it)... ...the wonderful Seamus Heaney died this week aged 74 and the towering UK media figure that was Sir David Frost also passed through the keyhole of mortality this week aged 74. Hardly a coincidence, eh? Plus we here at *Is the BBC biased?* got 666 visitors from the pro-Palestinian website Electronic Intifada yesterday - the number of The Beast. A complaint from Satan himself at us being "a pro-Israeli blog" perhaps? Surely. [For all passing visitors from Electronic Intifada ... more »

Sunday Classics: On our way to focusing on Nedda's scenes with the two baritones of Leoncavallo's "Pagliacci"

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 9 hours ago
*Daniel Sutin as Tonio in Austin, 2012* *PROLOGUE (sung by the performance's Tonio) -- conclusion:* And you, rather than our poor actors' costumes, consider our souls, because we are people, of flesh and bone, and since in this orphan world, just like you, we breathe the air! I've told you the concept. Now hear how it worked out. Let's go -- begin! *Leonard Warren (b), Tonio; RCA Victor Orchestra, Renato Cellini, cond. RCA-EMI, recorded January 1953* *Giuseppe Taddei (b), Tonio; Orchestra of the Teatro alla Scala, Herbert von Karajan, cond. DG, recorded Sept.-Oct. 1965* *by... more »

'Pain in the Assad'

LeDaro at LeDaro - 9 hours ago
A ‘pain in the Assad?’ Syrian cartoonist speaks out from exile. *“Things were starting to give [Assad] * *a pain in the arse,” says Syrian cartoonist Ali Ferzat.* * (Illustration: Ali Ferzat)*

Your moment of Zen

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 9 hours ago
A treasure trove of sea glass. [photo via Mrs Cupid Stunt]

Saddam Was More Compliant With Inspectors

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 10 hours ago
5 TX fertilizer plants carrying same shit that exploded & killed 15 people last April have refused to be inspected. http://t.co/rajVbT92LV — Robert Crawford (@jurassicpork59) August 31, 2013 Yeah, you read that right. Nearly a half dozen Texas fertilizer plants housing ammonium nitrate, the extremely combustible substance that blew up a West, Texas fertilizer plant that claimed 15 human lives and injured over 200 others have refused to be inspected and, under Texas law, or the lack of them, they have that right. The article goes on to state that lawmakers were "intrigued"... more »

Inspirational . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 10 hours ago
MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS from an age that seemed to be more simple than ours. SLATE has an article by Rebecca Onion, “The Colorful Posters That Motivated Jazz-Age Workers To Strive” that is a delight. Do follow the link in the article to see a lot more of 'em. But times change, and ninety years or so later, we arrive at de-motivational posters that appeal to those who are more objective about

Northerntruthseeker Rant For Sunday, September 1st, 2013

Northerntruthseeker at Northerntruthseeker - 10 hours ago
It is Sunday, the start of the month of September, and again time for my weekly rant.... Many have wondered why I do not do daily posts like I used to.... I have been busy the last while with doing a course upgrade for my job, as well as taking care of some family business.... It has been hard to keep up with this blog at times, so bear with me.... I am still here, and very much alive and kicking.. Of course, most of this week's rant will indeed be about Syria....And the absolutely horrendous actions by the criminals in the United States and Israel who care not about people, but wa... more »

New Left Blogs August/September 2013

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 10 hours ago
Let's have it. Here are the new(ish) left blogs I've caught up with this month: 1. Ben Robinson Graphic Design (Socialist Party) (Twitter) 2. Christine Quigley (Labour) (Twitter) 3. Cllr Darren Price (Labour) (Twitter) 4. Hollywood Hegemony (Unaligned) 5. Labour Women's Network (Labour) (Twitter) 6. Leemartin1234's Blog (Labour) (Twitter) 7. Left of the Left of the Left (Unaligned/Anarchist) 8. Lost but not Returning (TUSC) 9. Mary Wimbury (Labour) (Twitter) 10. Masters of Suspicion (Unaligned) 11. Mum v Austerity (Unaligned) (Twitter) 12. Oliver Hotham (Unaligned) (Twitter) 13. Organisin... more »

Five Most Popular Posts for August

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 10 hours ago
The five most read posts last month were: 1. Splits and the Socialist Party 2. Top 100 Worst Blogs Poll 3. Review - Cybersexism by Laurie Penny 4. Working for a Member of Parliament 5. Conservative Bias at the BBC It is an axiom of political blogging that discussing one or more organisations of the far left will pull down the audience figures, and further confirmation comes with last month's post about the Socialist Party. I have something on the back burner about Ted Grant, so we shall see if that trend continues. My pick of the month deserving a few more readers is Marx and Dialec... more »

Pontius President

Karen Garcia at Sardonicky - 10 hours ago
What a way for President Obama to display his contempt for both the American people and for Congress. Saturday's pullback from an immediate bomb-a-thon was one of the weirdest simultaneous acts of ass-covering and imperial power-grabbing in the entire history of his presidency. The performance: Do a quickie Pontius Pilate, wash that blurred red line of blood clean from your hands and punt the case for bombing Syria and its environs right over to Congress. Be sure to double-signal your absolute lack of concern over all the thousands of victims of Assad's alleged chemical attacks b... more »

If this poll holds up, U.S. Congress persons and Senators will not give Obama license to attack Syria. But, hold on! What if the presstitute media should begin to rig the polling?

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 10 hours ago
------------------------------ New Poll: Only 9% Want US To Attack Syria Educate! Democracy, Wars and Militarism Original Here By Max Fisher, www.washingtonpost.com August 26th, 2013 A Syrian woman stands amid the ruins of her house, which was destroyed in an airstrike by government warplanes a few days earlier. (AP Photo/Abdullah al-Yassin, File) Let’s see whether President Obama cares what the people think in the “greatest democracy on Earth”New poll: Syria intervention even less po... more »

Barack Obama and Syrian crisis

LeDaro at LeDaro - 11 hours ago
The cartoon below depicts Obama's quandary quite well. *Red face**.*

Tim Tebow and the “Hard Work” Myth: No Excuses? | the becoming radical

plthomasedd at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 11 hours ago
Tim Tebow and the “Hard Work” Myth: No Excuses? | the becoming radical.

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 11 hours ago
*Facing Fire Over Challenge to Louisiana’s Oil Industry ~Campbell Roberts, NYTs* *Stephanie Grace: Independence at stake in appointments ~New Orleans Advocate*

Robert Jensen on US American Democracy

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 11 hours ago
I agree with many of the sentiments here and think they apply to Canada as well. Let me be clear: I’m not suggesting that there is nothing democratic about the contemporary United States, nor am I suggesting that we live in a fascist state. It’s important to avoid rhetorical overkill. Rather, I’m simply recognizing that, counter to the mythology of the United States, no existing nation-state is a democracy in any deep sense. The question is, to what degree are the features of a society—not just the formal political process, but the economic and social structures as well—truly democr... more »

Milky Way's giant black hole is a messy eater

LeDaro at LeDaro - 11 hours ago
I wrote a post earlier that Milky Way's giant black hole is very hungry and his diet consists of stars. Now a new reports shows that it is not a good eater. *"The colossal black hole at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy is a messy eater. Of all the gas that falls toward the black hole, 99 percent gets spewed back out into space, new observations show, making the black hole akin to a toddler whose food ends up mostly on the floor, rather than his mouth."* *X-ray: NASA / UMass / Q.D. Wang et al.; IR: NASA / STScI * *A composite image of the region around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), * *t... more »

Barack Obama seeks Congress's approval before launching an attack on Syria

LeDaro at LeDaro - 11 hours ago
What happens if Congress turns Obama down the way the British Parliament did to Cameron? The Syria attack story is an unfolding drama. What next?

True or false?

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 12 hours ago
I'm seeing a lot of comments appearing below the line on websites and blogs stating that it has now been proved that the apparent chemical attack on a suburb of Damascus was caused by the rebels, not the Assad regime - a startling claim. Oddly, few links seem to be appearing alongside those comments to back them up. After scouring the internet, this looks to be what people are talking about. It’s a report from a newish U.S. online news organisation called Mint Press News: http://www.mintpressnews.com/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons/168135 / ... more »

Putin orders a massive attack on Saudi Arabia if U.S. attacks Syria?

LeDaro at LeDaro - 12 hours ago
Interesting news. *"A grim “urgent action memorandum” issued today from the office of President Putin to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is ordering a “massive military strike” against Saudi Arabia in the event that the West attacks Syria.* ** *According to Kremlin sources familiar with this extraordinary “war order,” Putin became “enraged” after his early August meeting with Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan who warned that if Russia did not accept the defeat of Syria, Saudi Arabia would unleash Chechen terrorists under their control to cause mass death and chaos during th... more »

RISE OF THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 12 hours ago
Chris Hedges, whose column is published Mondays on Truthdig, spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans. He has reported from more than 50 countries and has worked for The Christian Science Monitor, National Public Radio, The Dallas Morning News and The New York Times, for which he was a foreign correspondent for 15 years. He has written nine books, including "Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle" (2009), "I Don't Believe in Atheists" (2008) and the best-selling "American Fascists: ... more »

Who reads Nuclear Green?

Charles Barton at The Nuclear Green Revolution - 13 hours ago
Nuclear Green continues to receive international attention. Where did these guys and gals come from? During the last month, Nuclear Green received the following page hits: Pageviews by Countries [image: Graph of most popular countries among blog viewers] EntryPageviews United States 5198 Norway 1413 China 1145 Netherlands 957 United Kingdom 528 France 468 Canada 467 Germany 452 Poland 266 Russia 166 China we know about, The UK is Kirk Sorensen's territory. The French have their own ideas about MSRs. The Chinese have let down the great firewall of China for Nuclear Green! Amazing.

Fred Upton Lies About Republican Healthcare Initiatives For His Pal Boehner

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 13 hours ago
Fred Upton represents a blue-leaning district in western Michigan that Obama won 53-45% in 2008 and lost to Romney by a handful of votes. The biggest county in the 6th district, by far, is Kalamazoo. Upton only got 49% of the vote there last year (same as his under-funded opponent). On the same day, Obama took Kalamazoo County with 56% and Senator Debbie Stabenow swamped her GOP opponent 57-39%. The only reason Upton, an out-of-touch hereditary multimillionaire, keeps winning is because DCCC chairman Steve Israel has given him a free reelection pass and refuses to back anyone runn... more »

Not-So-Militant Birds

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 13 hours ago
This has absolutely nothing to do with BBC bias but a blog is a blog is a blog...and I'm bursting to pass on the news that some scientists now suspect that the massive flightless Terror Birds - which (or so we've previously thought) stood atop the food chain (long) after the demise of the dinosaurs, chasing down and devouring mammals with their vicious curved beaks (you may have seen them starring in an episode of the BBC's *Walking with Beasts, *scaring the bejesus out of watching children) - may have been...and sorry to break the news to you...vegetarian. Scientists assessing t... more »

SUNDAY SONG

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 13 hours ago

Untitled

New Orleans Ladder at New Orleans Ladder - 13 hours ago
*Entergy labors to reach mark ~Richard Thomas, New Orleans Advocate* *Flood insurance costs causing drop in St. Charles property values ~WWLTV* *Navy warns its testing could kill whales and dolphins in Gulf of Mexico ~Leada Gore*

The Arctic Shadow

Owen Gray at Northern Reflections - 14 hours ago
Michael Byers, the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia, writes that during his recent Arctic Tour Stephen Harper tried to look like Vladimir Putin: Photos showed Harper standing awkwardly in front of a campfire made of logs that must have been flown in specially, because the camp was 800 kilometres north of the tree line. Putin would have killed a seal with his bare hands and ignited its oil by striking a rock against his teeth. Harper’s rifle was one of the 65-year-old relics used by the Canadian Rangers, relics th... more »

Yes Director General

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 14 hours ago
This is interesting, and seems a little reminiscent of *Yes Minister *(and comes courtesy of Alan at *Biased BBC *and *The Sunday Times, *behind its paywall)... Godric Smith CBE worked at Downing Street from 1996-2006, acting as Tony Blair's Official Spokesman between 2000 and 2004. He worked on London 2012 for seven years as Director of Communications for the Olympic Delivery Authority and as Director of Government Communications for London 2012. He was appointed a Non-Executive Director of HS2 in June 2012, and is also a Non Executive Director at The Cambridge Junction art centr... more »

Feminists demand gender quotas for bodies buried in Panthéon

Luboš Motl at The Reference Frame - 16 hours ago
A 2006 article about the feminist totalitarianism attracted hundreds of Slovak visitors today because it was linked to in a discussion under a remarkable Slovak newspaper article about some incredible demands by the French feminists. The story sounded like a hoax but Reuters was among the many well-known news agencies that ran the story which made me believe that in spite of its nearly comical content, the information is legitimate. Panthéon, Paris was built sometime in the middle of the 18th century (I've been there once but that's enough). Between 1791 and 2011, 74 French figur... more »

The first 'Sunday' of September

Craig at Is the BBC biased? - 17 hours ago
As it's Sunday morning, it's *Sunday* review time. ('Oh goodie!' I hear you cry.) 7.10 *Introduction*, by William Crawley 7.11 *New chief rabbi installed today*. The installation of Ephraim Mirvis (above) at the new chief rabbi of the UK brought invites to the *Sunday *studio for Justin Cohen of The Jewish News, and Labour's Lord Glasman. William asked Justin what people expected from Rabbi Mirvis. Justin said that his pastoral work is what people talk about, that he's "very much a people's person". He won't be a "revolutionary "though on issues such as gay marriage. He will cont... more »

ALEXANDER DUGIN: OPPOSING THE NEW WORLD ORDER

NO ONE TO VOTE FOR at NO ONE TO VOTE FOR - 17 hours ago
. The most interesting political analyst out there. Copied from here. Interview with Alexander Dugin Alexander Dugin *Introduction* In February 2012, Professor Alexander Dugin traveled to New Delhi, India to attend the 40th World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology, the theme of which was “After Western Hegemony: Social Science and its Publics.”Professor Dugin was kind enough to take some time away from the conference to answer a few questions by representatives of Arktos who attended the event. In this interview, we attempted to have Professor Dugin clarify some o... more »

Walter Burkert On The Epic of Atrahasis

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 17 hours ago
*Wikipedia:* Atra-Hasis ("exceedingly wise") is the protagonist of an 18th century BC Akkadian epic recorded in various versions on clay tablets. The Atra-Hasis tablets include both a creation myth and a flood account, which is one of three surviving Babylonian deluge stories. Below are excerpts from Walter Burkert's book, *"The Orientalizing Revolution: Near Eastern Influence on Greek Culture in the Early Archaic Age."* 1992. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts. Pgs. 88-89 & 100-103. "Since the rediscovery of the Akkadian epics and of *Gilgamesh* in particula... more »

Alexander Dugan: A New Politics to Oppose the New World Order

NO ONE TO VOTE FOR at NO ONE TO VOTE FOR - 18 hours ago
.The Wise Counsellor By Israel Shamir [A Review of The Fourth Political Theory, by Alexander Dugin. Arktos, London 2012] Ideas do not flow easily westwards. It is a norm that Western ideas are being spread in the East, not vice versa. Russia, the heir to Byzantium, is an “East”, among other great “Easts” of Dar ul-Islam, China, India; of them, Russia is the nearest to the West, and still very different. This is probably the main reason why Dugin, this important contemporary Russian thinker makes his belated entrance into Western awareness only now. Alexander Dugin, a youngish, sty... more »

ISRAEL, OBAMA AND SYRIA

Anon at aangirfan - 18 hours ago
*Marco di Lauro says he nearly "fell off his chair" when he saw his Iraq photo (above) was being used by John Kerry to promote a war in Syria. Timeline Photos* Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, who was Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff, believes that the chemical weapons used in Syria may have been an Israeli false flag. Former Bush administration official: Israel may be behind use of chemical arms in Syria *Political analyst Adrian Salbuchi has written **'Israel: The missing link in Syria puzzle'* Extracts: "*The Arab Spring* is the code for instigat... more »

Nuclear Watch - Fukushima Daichi - getting worse and worse and worse...

Mike Philbin at PROGNOSIS II - 19 hours ago
With the sea (allegedly) still boiling just outside what remains of the Fukushima nuclear reprocessing plant, here's a thorough, horrific and noteworthy video from NHK WORLD in Japan about the still-leaking triple-meltdown catastrophe that happened to the Fukushima Daichi nuclear reprocessing plant on 11th March 2011 when a tsunami slammed right into it. According to a German oceanic flow simulation, *the entire Pacific region*will be contaminated by nuclear radiation by 2017 and the West Coast of USA will start receiving the effects of this contamination on their shores by 2014.

Skirts and Pot Roast- Creative Showcase: A Creative Link-up

Debra Hawkins at Housewife Eclectic - 20 hours ago
School is in full swing here and I am gearing up for all sorts of exciting things next week, including an awesome post about the The Little Mermaid themed party I threw for my little girl. Stay tuned. Here are my favorite link ups from last week. I love this Star Wars Bows from Allons-y Kimberly. The Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars from look absolutely divine! I can't lie, I keep one of these Parabati bags from Rae Gun Ramblings in my purse at all times. I love it! This Pot Roast Made Easy recipe from Ashley's Dandelion wishes looks simple and delicious. I am completely in lo... more »

Awareness and Preparation = Risk Mitigation

Majia's Blog at Majia's Blog - 20 hours ago
I'm very afraid that something very wicked this way comes. It is known as radiation and it can come with a blast wave, be swept through the wind, or be carried in the ebb and flow of the ocean. We could all be at imminent risk for another very large exposure from Fukushima Daiichi, particularly people living closest to the plant and those directly downwind through local wind and through the jet stream. The first sign of imminent danger is spiking radiation. Enenews reports, via NHK, that levels have spiked 2,000 times. This is yet the most recent report of spiking rad levels at... more »

The Politics and Strategy of War on Syria

Land Destroyer at Land Destroyer - 21 hours ago
*Eric Draitser of StopImperialism.com appears on Press TV on Friday August 30, 2013 to discuss the latest on the situation in Syria. He examines the political divides that exist in the US ruling establishment between military and civilian factions. Draitser explains how Syria might respond to any military strike, including widening the conflict to other parts of the region. He also lays out the scenario for a possible escalation before any strikes might take place.*

"Geniuses perceive the world in a different way, and as a result have trouble interacting with other people" (Ian Welsh)

KenInNY at DownWithTyranny! - 22 hours ago
*"Perhaps the storyteller," suggests *The New Yorker*'s James Woods, "is especially ill suited for happy family life." Foremost among his subjects is Saul Bellow (above).* * * *"True genius, and I've known a few, is alienating. Geniuses perceive the world in a different way than other people do, and as a result they have trouble interacting with other people. . . . In the old days, geniuses were tolerated, even coddled. . . . Geniuses were surrounded with other geniuses, their eccentricities tolerated, and allowed to run. Today it's 'if you don't play well with others, even if you ... more »

No Syria Strike Without Congress OK? Why Not Before? Who's Going To Bail US Out Now? Cheney/Murdoch-Linked Israeli Energy Company

Obama to seek Congressional OK for Syria action I keep asking myself if President Obama saw no reason to consult with Congress prior to Great Britain's refusal to join the Syria strike coalition (actually it's a constitutional necessity that he do so before making war on foreign countries), with whom was he consulting (and shouldn't the citizenry know who's more important than their

Near Death Experience: Big rock nearly takes out car outside Keelung

Michael Turton at The View from Taiwan - 23 hours ago
This amazing video covers the entire event of a giant rock rolling onto a road and nearly wiping out a car. If you look carefully at the beginning of the video you can see the rock beginning its fall from atop the ridge. The rock is clearly visible on Google streetview shots of the site (below) ...and here is a view of the slide from the air: _______________________ [Taiwan] Don't miss the comments below! And check out my blog and its sidebars for events, links to previous posts and picture posts, and scores of links to other Taiwan blogs and forums!

Testing “Revolution” in Wisconsin: Wrong or Right?

Timothy D. Slekar at SCHOOLS MATTER @ THE CHALK FACE - 23 hours ago
You kill one and two more rise up to take its place! This is what it feels like dealing with education reformers. Their sheer ability to resurrect discussions that have been thoroughly run through with a sword is miraculous. For example, Alan J. Borsuk, writing for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel decided to push more common […]

An opportunity presents . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 23 hours ago
YOU CAN BECOME PART OF THE PROBLEM, from the perspective of the NSA. MOTHERBOARD runs a site that generates keywords that they suggest the NSA will find magnetic. HELLO, NSA is a kind of oblique, my-hovercraft-is-full-of-eels buzz-word generator that you can click on for a new chunk of jabberwocky. The government is listening to your internets. Generate a sentence with some of the keywords

Not On Your Evening News: The Day After America Attacks Syria

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 23 hours ago
*Photo Source: ABC Entertainment (1983).* It is easy to go to war. It is probably the easiest thing in the world because no thinking is required. It is easy to kill a demonized enemy. Logic is thrown out of the window. And this is the case here. Obama is making up false evidence to justify his criminal attack against Syria, but does he really know what he is getting himself and his country into? Does the White House have a plan for the day after an illegal attack on Syria? Author and geopolitical analyst William Engdahl *says* that the Obama administration does not have a clear... more »

Caveat surfer . . .

Edstock at The Galloping Beaver - 1 day ago
SOME SITES ARE RUN BY WEASELS. We've all encountered them, sites that are designed to force you to do something, most often at your expense. THE VERGE has a fascinating outline by Harry Brignull, “Dark Patterns: inside the interfaces designed to trick you”, which explores some of these foul constructs. And it's not just sites; Apple does the same thing with iOS 6 and they're not the only

SYRIAN INTERVENTION – LEGAL? DOUBTFUL; MORAL? DEFINITELY NOT!

The US and their allies are expending a lot of effort in trying to convince both each other and public opinion that intervention in Syria would be legal both under their own respective domestic laws as well as under international law. Little, however, is being said about whether or not such action would be moral. Neocon chickenhawk warmonger, “Mad Max” Boot, writing in *Commentary*, invokes George W. Bush’s legal justifications for attacking Iraq – of all examples – to set a precedent for Obama to attack Syria. Boot cites notorious Bush legal advisor and fellow warmonger John Yoo (f... more »

NO SYRIA ATTACK

Bruce K. Gagnon at Organizing Notes - 1 day ago
*The war team meets to plan strategy* *Contact Congress Now - No Syria Attack* Prevent an Attack on Syria The terrible and widespread killing in Syria will become even more terrible and more widespread if the U.S. military (or a coalition of allies) launches an attack. We can't idly sit by and watch the already suffering Syrian people suffer even more at the hands of the US-NATO war machine. We must act for peace now. Contact your House and Senate members immediately. Get others in your community to do it as well. Growing numbers of Republicans agree with us so reach out beyon... more »

Roswell, the GAO and Hiding Documents

KRandle at A Different Perspective - 1 day ago
Back in the mid-1990s, New Mexico Representation Steven Schiff asked the Air Force, and by extension other government agencies, what they knew about the UFO crash outside of Roswell. The Government Accounting Office, as it was then known, approached many of those agencies, asking for a search of their files for any documents relating to the event. Predictably, no one found anything that wasn’t already known. The FBI, for example, provided a redacted copy of a message from their Dallas office about information derived from their telephonic investigation of the incident, citing Major ... more »

Nothing Interests Me

thwap at thwap's schoolyard - 1 day ago
I don't even have the energy to waste time these days. But my blood work says I'm fine. It's a mystery.

How Do They See An Attack On Syria In Arizona?

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The *NY Times* Public Editor, Margaret Sullivan, admits she detects-- or at least readers bitching at her detect-- a bias in her paper's coverage, a bias that presents the administration's propaganda as conventional wisdom. Let's go clear across the country, to sweltering Arizona, to get two perspectives that vary significantly from what Obama is trying to sell. Dependable warmonger John McCain, with his reliable sidekick Lindsey, fear that Obama won't spill nearly enough blood for their taste. "The purpose of military action in Syria should not be to help the President save face... more »

Princess Diana murder mystery - witnesses and interesting clues as to what might have happened coming forth suddenly - what is afoot ? Was a military signal given after Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed were killed to signify " mission accomplished " ?

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://www.blacklistednews.com/Culprit_Gave_Military_Style_%E2%80%98Mission_Accomplished%E2%80%99_Gesture_After_Causing_Diana_Death_Crash/28542/0/38/38/Y/M.html Culprit Gave Military Style ‘Mission Accomplished’ Gesture After Causing Diana Death CrashAugust 31, 2013 Print Version *Source: Daily Mail* [image: Culprit Gave Military Style Mission Accomplished Gesture After Causing Diana Death Crash article 2407571 1B8BF028000005DC 176 634x843] Crucially, my investigations show that the paparazzi who supposedly hounded Diana to her death were not even in the Pont d’Alma tunnel at the time... more »

Tropical Storms Kong Rey and Trami pummel Taiwan , filling up most reservoirs across the country , causing massive mudslides and stopping train service between Pingtung and Taitung until September 2 , 2013 . Suao -Tonao section of Suhau highway closed due to storm as a precaution ! ! Next stop for Kong Rey - Japan !

Fred Walton at Catharsis Ours - 1 day ago
http://focustaiwan.tw/news/asoc/201308310022.aspx Reservoirs fill up as storm rain drenches Taiwan 2013/08/31 20:35:54 Zengwen Reservoir discharges flood Aug. 22, after Tropical Storm Trami skirted Taiwan. Taipei, Aug. 31 (CNA) Heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Kong-Rey over the past few days has filled up most of the reservoirs across the country, the Water Resources Agency (WRA) said Saturday In areas south Miaoli County, the reservoirs are either full or almost full, while some are overflowing, said Tien Chiao-ling, deputy director-general of the WRA. These reservoirs inclu... more »

Case Study: Račak

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago
Kosovo - It Began With a Lie from Spike1138 on Vimeo. President Obama is set to nominate former White House aide Samantha Power to replace Susan Rice as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Power has long been a staunch advocate for U.S. intervention on moral grounds. In 2008, she appeared on Democracy Now! to debate journalist* Jeremy Scahill*about Kosovo, Iraq sanctions and Bill Clinton’s foreign policy record. Power wrote extensively about Bosnia and Kosovo in her book, *"A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,"* which won a 2003 Pulitzer Prize. Scahill covere... more »

Congress putting the brakes on Obama

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
* * * * * * *Congress putting the brakes on Obama* by Robert Naiman, Common Dreams …with Press TV [Editors Note: Dear all, now is the time to grab your telephone pitch forks and get those calls in to the White house, your Congressman and both Senators. Give them congrats or spanking accordingly. They need to be shocked when they get back after Labor Day if they don't get called back anyway. A debate will give us more time to find more holes in their bogus gassing scam and expose them enough to demand an investigation now for treason for 'someone' attempting to launch the co... more »

The largest biological and chemical weapons attack of the 20th century...

Left I on the News at Left I on the News - 1 day ago
...was the deliberate murder of a million Iraqs, 500,000 of them children, by the United States Government. The recent attack in Syria, which is presumed to have been carried out using some sort of poison gas, is described as "the largest use of chemical weapons since the Syrian civil war began." 25 years earlier, an even larger attack launched on Iran by Iraq, with the assistance of the United States, killed thousands of people. But shortly after that attack, there occurred another attack, this one directly perpetrated by the United States, which killed a million people, half of... more »

To Russia With Rainbows

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
The 2014 Olympic games are set to be held in Sochi, Russia-- notable for their snow capped mountains, love of winter sports, and rabidly homophobic laws about "gay propaganda" (whatever that means). While these games have all of the trappings of Berlin 1936, the one organization we'd expect to have a clear head about these bigoted laws is the International Olympic Commission (IOC). The IOC chose Sochi before Russia passed their anti-gay laws, so the least you would expect them to do is allow Olympic athletes who are repulsed by Russia's institutionalized homophobia wear rainbow fl... more »

Al-Qaeda Approves of Barack Obama's Glorious Declaration of War Against Syria On August 31st

Saman Mohammadi at The Excavator - 1 day ago
Related: *Al-Qaeda Presents The Moral Case For U.S. Intervention In Syria*. *Al-Qaeda Is Disappointed In British Parliament, Calls On British PM To Attack Syria*. *Al-Qaeda Applauds Secretary of State John Kerry's Latest Remarks On Syria*. *Below is a statement by Jamal Ahmed al-Tahiri, the spokesman for Al-Qaeda in Damascus (AQD), showing strong approval of President Barack Obama's glorious declaration of war against Syria on Saturday, August 31, 2013. * In the Name of Allah the Merciful, America the Accursed, Aslam O' Alikum, What a majestic, mighty, and magnificent leader America h... more »

Russia Restructures Cyprus Debt; Cyprus Prohibits US Strikes On Syria

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
*Never try to outplay a Russian at chess... -Bill* Russia Restructures Cyprus Debt; Cyprus Prohibits US Strikes On Syria [image: Tyler Durden's picture] Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/31/2013 15:00 -0400 - Google - Middle East - United Kingdom Yesterday afternoon, *Russia agreed to restructure Cyprus' EUR 2.5 billion loan terms* to a much more affordable 2.5% semi-annual coupon through 2016 and a principal re-payment over the following four years. While probably still out of reach for the desparate economy, it was a positive step. Of course, this 'offer' ... more »

Pope Francis names Pietro Parolin as secretary of state

Obi-Wan Kabuki at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
Pietro Parolin was the Vatican's representative in Venezuela 31 August 2013 Last updated at 10:31 ET *Pope Francis names Pietro Parolin as secretary of state* http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23911986 Pope Francis has named a new secretary of state, in what is seen as his most significant appointment since he became leader of the Catholic Church in March. Archbishop Pietro Parolin, a 58-year-old Vatican diplomat, replaced Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, 79, who is retiring. Cardinal Bertone, appointed by Francis' predecessor Pope Benedict, had been widely criticised over last y... more »

Unfolding the Future of the Long War: Geostrategic/resource control

Penny at Penny for your thoughts - 1 day ago
Continuing on with the real reason for the war on Syria. Not, the ‘bad man’ who did something very, very bad. That so called *bad deed *requiring punishment from the benevolent big daddy. You should have gotten past that stuff in Gr. 2! *We are talking the real reason for the US/Israel/NATO destabilization of Syria, which started long ago. In a land far, far away. The USA.* *You read yesterday’s post? Syria: Pipelines, Global Control Tyranny and US dollar hegemony* I know you have a well honed attention span and a sharp eye for good information. So, here is some more of it. No spin. ... more »

The More Things Stay the Same, the More They Change

jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville - 1 day ago
So here we are again. As Obama starts stroking that massive, uncut black cock of his in Syria's general direction, the GOP was screaming that Obama was going to essentially declare war against a giant bowling pin, aka President Assad. Then Obama announced while Congress was still in recess until September 9th that he would first seek Congressional approval before engaging in any military action vs Syria. "Well... day-am," the GOP then said since the President had scuttled their one biggest chance for writing articles of impeachment in the sick, sad, sorry clown show t... more »

Trouble Brewing.

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago

Crier Havot

Wit's End - 1 day ago
O, pardon me, thou bleeding piece of earth, That I am meek and gentle with these butchers! Thou art the ruins of the noblest man That ever lived in the tide of times. Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood! Over thy wounds now do I prophesy Which like dumb mouths do ope their ruby lips To beg the voice and utterance of my tongue, A curse shall light upon the limbs of men; Domestic fury and fierce civil strife Shall cumber all the parts of Italy; Blood and destruction shall be so in use, And dreadful objects so familiar, That mothers shall but smile when they behold Their i... more »

Everyday Oneness

Sophia Love at AMERICAN KABUKI - 1 day ago
Audio Blog It’s like watching an image, once pixelated, come together. There is evidence in the everyday. When the channellers emerged en masse two years ago, the message was clear. Inhaling the enlightened fumes, arrogance emerged. We were played brilliantly. Misfits all of our lives, it was like giving us crack – we ate it up. *We were the Chosen Ones, the Special Ones, the Enlightened Ones, here to finally claim our untold worth. *Long life, prosperity, joy and beauty – this is where we belong. The separation which had been only slightly obvious to us, cl... more »

The Eve of Destruction

theozarker at The Conflicted Doomer - 1 day ago
August 31, 2013 Once again, a President of the American Empire and its military/industrial complex stand on the cusp of war in the Middle East – this time with even less support from the American people and the international community … Continue reading →

US SPY BOSS MESSAGE ON SYRIA GAS ATTACK ALLEGEDLY HACKED

Anon at aangirfan - 1 day ago
*Obama Will Seek Syria Vote in Congress* *The following may be true or may be disinformation.* "Hacker €Wagn3r got access to american intelligence officer correspondence and published Col. ANTHONY J. MACDONALD's mails. "He’s big boss from the US Army Staff Intelligence: "In the message August 22 Eugene Furst congratulates Col. on successful operation and refers him to publication of Washington Post about chemical attack in Syria. "From the Anthony’s wife dialog with her friend it’s clear *the video* with the children killed in the chemical attack near Damascus was staged by U.S.... more »

My Climate Action Plan

Greg Mankiw at Greg Mankiw's Blog - 1 day ago
Click here to read my column in Sunday's *NY Times*.

The History of Video Games

Phil at A Very Public Sociologist - 1 day ago
While I was away from blogging, I found that occasionally I had spaces of time to fill. Thanks to our near-infinite supply of books, more than a few hours were so spent. But when the media of cadaverous trees was not enough I got into retro video games. Hence why readers have to put up with occasional posts about them. I am far from the only one who has this peccadillo. The vast expansion of content on YouTube these last few years is fuelling interest in what the games systems of yesteryear have to offer. And it's not just folk of a certain vintage reliving digital nostalgia for a ... more »

Is Canada going to participate in Syrian war?

LeDaro at LeDaro - 1 day ago
The answer is yes. The participation will be covert. King Harper is not going to sit and just watch it. He doesn’t want silly discussions in the Canadian Parliament - there he is in favour of pro-rogue. *HMCS Toronto* *"Military sources tell CTV News it would take at least a week to get Canadian assets into the area, when a precision strike could be just days away.* ** *Canada is capable of taking over U.S. military tasks in some locations to free up American resources. Canada could also provide capabilities like transport and refuelling…… * ** *The Canadian warship HMCS Toronto is... more »

Slaying the Mythical al-Qaeda Beast

Paul Coker at News Spike - 1 day ago
** * * * `Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son! The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand: Long time the manxome foe he sought -- So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and... more »

What Mattered This Week?

Jonathan Bernstein at A plain blog about politics - 1 day ago
Well, Syria, obviously. I'm going to mention, however, the latest confirmation that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is going nowhere anytime soon. Really could be a very big deal. It sure was an unusually newsy week for the last week of August, no? Not sure what I have for "didn't matter." How about impeachment talk? I'm as guilty as anyone for picking up on stray comments by GOP politicians, and in some symbolic sense one could make a case for it being important, but I'm not really sure the comments do matter. What do you think? What am I missing? What do you think mattered this week?

We've come too far to turn back now

Libby Spencer at The Impolitic - 1 day ago
It wasn't so long ago that Republicans won an election by fearmongering about gays destroying "traditional marriage." So it's rather stunning that we've evolved so quickly to this level of public acceptance of equal marriage rights for gays. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will become the first Supreme Court member to conduct a same-sex marriage ceremony Saturday when she officiates at the Washington wedding of Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser. The gala wedding of Kaiser and economist John Roberts at the performing arts center brings together the nation’s highest court and t... more »

Michael Ratner, President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights, explains the REAL reason why Obama has been intent on attacking Syria. It is not to destroy chemical weapons but rather to degrade the Syrian military, leading ultimately to "...the overthrow of Assad and getting rid of some of the opposition groups that the United States doesn't want in there." The only lawful international justifications for a war of agression are (1) self defense and (2) a ruling by the UN Security Council. The only national justification under the U.S. Constitution is an affirmative vote of the U.S. Congress. Obama will violate both if he goes forward with his plan.

David L Griscom at Cherchez la Verite - 1 day ago
------------------------------ * the**REALnews Permalink* *Fool Me Twice, Shame on US* Michael Ratner: Obama administration asserting the use chemical weapons by Assad feels like deja vu of the lead-up to the Iraq War - *August 31, 13* More at The Real News *Bio* Michael Ratner is President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) in New York and Chair of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights in Berlin. He is currently a legal adviser to Wikileaks and Julian Assange. He ... more »

Has The State Of North Carolina Given Up On The Concept Of Democracy? Ask Art Pope, Who Owns The State's Political Establishment

DownWithTyranny at DownWithTyranny! - 1 day ago
For decades you could ask any progressive who the most evil and dangerous man in North Carolina was and the overwhelming response would have been "Jesse Helms" or, just plain "Jesse," a former ConservaDem-- very much like today's ConservaDems-- who finally switched to the Republican Party, just like Strom Thurmond and most of the racist trash from the garbage heap of the pre-Voting Rights Act southern Democratic parties. Today, however, not everyone knows who North Carolina's most evil and dangerous man is. Some might say it's the state's bungling and floundering governor, Pat McCr... more »
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