American Politics, Progressive News, Human Rights, Civil Disobedience, Foreign Policy, Current Events, Cultural Activism, and Social Justice.
http://www.dustcircle.com | http://www.facebook.com/dissentingheretic | http://www.twitter.com/dustcirclenews

Sunday, September 9

9.Sept.2012: Obama Transcript, Anti-Corporatist-Duopoly, Nonprofits' Political Laundering, Pledge of Allegiance Roots, Challenging Power, the 3rd Constitution, NYPD Open Israeli Branch, Abolish the Death Penalty, Jerusalem Syndrome, Immigration, Income Tax History, Republican Greed, Cleaning Up the Economy, Hope on Climate, Fact-checkers, Medicaid's Future, Feminists, Perpetual War, Israel's Lynch Mob, Guantanamo Smack-down, Genetically Engineered Food, Sue the Feds for Spying, Water-boarding, Obama Not a Socialist, Creationism and Evolution, Gorilla Grasps Mortality, George Carlin, Are You Smarter Than an Atheist?


Transcript of Barack Obama 2012 Acceptance Speech

Pres. Obama: Thank you. (Sustained applause.) Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much... (continued)
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Transcript-of-Barack-Obama-by-Barack-Obama-120907-625.html

5 Countries the US Is Royally Screwing Over

American history is littered with examples of military intervention and political meddling in the affairs of foreign countries. There was the US-backed overthrow of Iran's democratically elected leader in 1953; the 1954 coup in Guatemala engineered by the Central Intelligence Agency; US funding of brutal "dirty wars" against leftists throughout Latin America in the 1970s; and much more.

Study: US Health Care Wastes $750B

President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney are accusing each other of trying to slashMedicare and put seniors at risk. But the counter-intuitive finding from the report is that deep cuts are possible without rationing, and a leaner system may even produce better quality.

Dear Democrats: If you do That you have to do This

If you slam Republicans for foreign policy naivete, you have to explain why you just pissed off 1.5 billion Muslims by giving away all of Jerusalem to Israel as its capital.

"Reasonable Suspicion" Now Applies to Mitt Romney

I remember being stopped and frisked by the NYPD after my first five minutes in Brooklyn in the spring of 2011. My business partner and I were singled out for a warrantless search and detainment for no other reason than the fact that we were a young white guy and a young black guy in a shady neighborhood late at night. Neither of us had drugs or weapons, neither of us had committed a crime, but the NYPD officers who searched us said they were allowed within the law to stop and frisk anyone they deemed "suspicious." Reporters should likewise use that same standard of reasonable suspicion to relentlessly press the Romneys over their tax returns until the truth comes out.

Thoughts on Anti-Corporatist-Duopoly Ways to Approach the 2012 Election


How Nonprofits Inadvertently Provide Cover for Political Donor Laundering

Writing for USA TODAY, Stephen Engelberg provides a useful reminder that the Supreme Court'sCitizens United v. Federal Election Commission (FEC) decision wasn't meant to keep the names of donors to 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations secret. In the Citizens United ruling, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, "With the advent of the Internet, prompt disclosure of expenditures can provide shareholders and citizens with the information needed to hold corporations and elected officials accountable for their positions and supporters."

Surprising Socialist, Capitalist, and Masonic Roots of the Pledge of Allegiance

120 years ago today, on Sept. 8, 1892, The Pledge of Allegiance was first published in Youth's Companion, a family magazine that has been called, "the Reader's Digest of its day." The pledge was writtien by a Socialist Christian minister, Francis Bellamy, and James Upham, a Mason, for schoolchildren to recite on on Oct. 12 of that year,  the quadricentennial of Columbus' arrival.

Let's Not Let the Wingnuts Own the Constitution

If you don't lay claim to the constitution, they will:

Bill Moyers on Challenging Power and Changing Politics

On last night's episode of Moyers & Company, Moyers spoke to Sen. Bernie Sanders and Green Party candidates Jill Stein and Cheri Honkala. From the show's website.

Iraq: Inside the Belly of CIA Beast
Much to the bitter disappointment of international community, a report recently declassified by CIA reveals that a war that started in the name of democracy in Iraq in 2003 and claimed the lives of more than one million innocent Iraqis and thousands of US-led troops was waged on the basis of an unfortunate series of blatant lies fabricated by CIA.

The Third Constitution Of The United States
Proposing a Third Constitution of The United States. A People's constitution

The Real Welfare Problem: Government Giveaways to the Corporate 1%

While Romney and Ryan lie about welfare (and just about everything else), and Obama and the Democrats demurely mumble objections, there is a real welfare horror story going on in America.

Politics and Plutocrats: A Parade of Inequality

America is currently engaged in the most expensive presidential contest in world history. In the United States, money doesn’t just talk – it dictates. How can we hope to make progress on the path to sustainability when the road is blocked by barricades of bullion backed by battalions of billionaires? How do we break through the political gridlock?

Why The Death Penalty Needs To Be Abolished

After 24 years on Death Row, Michael Keenan was released yesterday after evidence that the prosecution withheld evidence that would have exonerated him of the 1988 murder of Tony Klann.

NYPD Opens Branch in Israel

The New York Police Department opened its Israeli branch in the Sharon District Police headquarters in Kfar Saba. Charlie Ben-Naim,  a former Israeli and veteran NYPD detective, was sent on this mission.

Russia warns Israel, U.S. striking Iran would be ‘literally disastrous’

Russia warned Israel and other nations not to attack Iran over its nuclear program, saying the use of force would be disastrous for the Middle East and have consequences far beyond the region, the Interfax news agency reported on Thursday.

10 Misconceptions about judaism and israel within the Truth Movement

Much of these misconceptions go round and round the circuits of the alternative media. Many of these terms and concepts get propagated by soft resistance groups. I would suggest they are distributed in order to take the sting out of the whole situation. To kill time, to defuse the seriousness of what really is going on. Keffiyeh-wearing groups such a George Shill Galloway’s ‘Free Palestine’ movement and other leftist (Jewish-run) groups.

Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 ways they differ on immigration

Immigration could be a pivotal issue in the 2012 presidential race, and Barack Obama knows it. Mr. Obama's positions on immigration issues, such as a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and greater discretion in deportations, are in line with those favored by most Latino voters. Republican challenger Mitt Romney has tried to cast himself somewhere between the staunchest anti-illegal immigration activists of his party and Obama.

Jerusalem Syndrome

The campaign flap about the city's status is an American political hallucination.

Holy Rollers

The Nuns on the Bus are just one example of progressive dissidents 
challenging the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

"President Romney" -- Why Those Two Words Should Scare You into Action This Election

Right-wing billionaires are dropping piles of dough on this election ... it'll take people power to save the day.

12 Signs Obama Is Showing Some Serious Backbone Against Republican Greed and Madness

The President’s performance at the DNC showed a new willingness to stand and fight.

The Hidden Progressive History of Income Tax

The income tax was the most popular economic justice movement of the early 20th century. What happened?

Federal judge rejects new restrictions on Guantanamo detainees' access to counsel
A judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia [official website] on Thursday rejected [opinion, PDF] new restrictions on lawyers representing Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] detainees who have had their habeas corpus challenges denied or dismissed. In hearing the challenge to the new rules last month, Chief Judge Royce Lamberth expressed skepticism about the restrictions [JURIST report], which in some cases require a lawyer to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) [memorandum, PDF] to continue to be able to meet with a client, making any meetings or communications with a client "subject to the authority and discretion" of the Guantanamo commanding officer.

Cleaning Up the Economy

ill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention was a remarkable combination of pretty serious wonkishness - has there ever been a convention speech with that much policy detail? - and memorable zingers. Perhaps the best of those zingers was his sarcastic summary of the Republican case for denying President Obama re-election: "We left him a total mess. He hasn't cleaned it up fast enough. So fire him and put us back in."

A Massive Ray of Hope on Climate

limate change is accelerating, but there’s a massive ray of hope: clean energy is booming, producing nearly 20% of the world's electricity! Incredibly, the US and EU are threatening to stifle this breakthrough - but together we can stop them.

Election May Decide Medicaid's Future

edicaid has long conjured up images of inner-city clinics jammed with poor families. Its far less-visible role is as the only safety net for millions of middle-class people whose needs for long-term care, at home or in a nursing home, outlast their resources.


The Message From Both Parties Is That Americans Are Disposable 
If political conventions are ranked on a one to ten scale for intelligence, I give the Republican Convention zero and the Democrats one.

Politicians, Don't Worry About Factcheckers–They Don't Worry About Your Lies

It's hard to be hopeful about that when you have one of the media's most prominent factcheckers, the Washington Post's Glenn Kessler (9/1/12), explicitly downplaying the importance of honesty in politics. 

9 Kits You Should Have in Your Home to Prepare You for Anything

Disasters—whether in the form of natural disasters, tech emergencies, or a ripped seam in your only pair of dress pants—are all about preparedness. Here are eight kits you should keep in your home to prepare yourself for the most common emergency situations you might face.

Media Not Concerned About the Very Poor

All this talk today about poverty got us wondering just how many people in America live below the poverty line,” anchor Scott Pelley announced on the CBS Evening News (2/1/12). By “all this talk,” Pelley was referring to less than 200 words, in a report CBS had just aired on GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s missteps, that discussed Romney’s remark that he wasn’t “concerned about the very poor.”

NYPD Report Says 96 Percent Of Shooting Victims Are Black or Latino

The New York Police Department released new data showing the vast majority of victims and perpetrators of violent crime in the city are black and Latino, in what experts said was likely part of a broader effort to defuse allegations of racial bias in the NYPD's stop-and-frisk policy.

Drone use expands to TV stations, undermines public safety, privacy

As national controversy has erupted over expanded use of unmanned weaponized aerial drones by local police departments, others want to be in on the action, including TV stations, reports Russia Today on Wednesday, but civil and human rightsorganizations point to drone public safety risks and abuse of privacy rights.

On the final night of the Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden made their pitch to America’s voters: The theme of the night was choice — not just of candidates, but of governing visions on issues like the economy, deficits, and taxes. 

The Fourth Commandment and American Law

Many Christians claim that the Ten Commandments are the foundation of American law and/or government. If that's true, then where can the Fourth Commandment to be found in American law — and especially in the Constitution which is the foundation for American law and government? Is there any basis for saying that any aspect of American law owes anything to the Fourth Commandment?

AP Does the Worst Fact-Check of All Time

The AP obviously felt the same kind of pressure from their "fact-check" last week. And they made up for it by attacking Bill Clinton in the most puerile possible way

This afternoon, in just over one hour, 23,000 people signed a petition asking CNN to fire contributor Erick Erickson.

How to Prevent "President Romney"

n two months we Americans will go to the polls once again to decide who the president will be for the next four years. We will not be allowed to vote on those who wield the true power in this country. On November 6th we will not vote for the chairman of ExxonMobil or JPMorgan Chase or Citibank or the Premier of China. That day will come, but not this year.

Perpetual War
Because the world spends roughly a trillion dollars each year on armaments, it follows that very many people make their living from war. This is the reason why it is correct to speak of war as a social, political and economic institution, and also one of the main reasons why war persists, although everyone realizes that it is the cause of much of the suffering of humanity.

Still in search of the American dream

How can any living politician anywhere in the world even pretend to rival former US president Bill Clinton's charisma, delivery (with substance) and authority? His Awesomeness gave it all for US President Barack Obama at the Democratic Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. He may well have sealed Obama's re-election all by himself.  
We heard from a lot of you — and we mean a lot of you — about our recent report on the Stanford School of Medicine analysis of several studies on the health effects of organic foods.

What do socialists say about Election 2012?

Everyone--the media commentators, leaders of the two parties, liberal supporters of the Democrats and conservative supporters of the Republicans--are saying that the 2012 presidential election offers a clear choice between two fundamentally different political visions. So why doesn't it seem that way most of the time? Lance Selfa, author of The Democrats: A Critical History, explains why in this interview with SocialistWorker.org.

Israel's lynch mob violence

An assault on a Palestinian teenager has shone a spotlight on a cauldron of prejudice that runs through the Israeli establishment, explains Hadas Thier.

Chief US District Judge Royce Lamberth has long had a reputation for being a fiery jurist, but in yesterday's opinion on Guantanamo Bay detainees' access to counsel, Lamberth conveyed his understandable outrage with the government. Mincing no words, Lamberth accused the Executive Branch of infringing on the Judiciary's duty to protect individual rights, particularly the right to Habeas Corpus.

The food industry's big problem with genetically engineered food

The No on Proposition 37 campaign emailed Thursday to tout a new study by UC Davis professors. It concludes that the proposition on the November ballot to require the labeling of genetically engineered foods would cost the food industry more than a billion dollars and lead to higher food costs from consumers.

Are Christians really marginalised in this country?

The Equality and Human Rights Commission argues in its intervention submission that Strasbourg – and the UK courts – should move on from their “restrictive” interpretation of Article 9, summed up by Lord Bingham’s oft-cited description of the Court’s position in R (SB) v Governors of Denbigh High School [2006] UKHL 15

US Complicit in Israel War Plans for Iran

After supplying Israel with the massive bunker-buster bombs that would be critical in any Israeli military strike on Iran, the US government now wants to have it both ways, trying to shield itself from any backlash by insisting it would not be “complicit” in such an Israeli gambit.

If You Can't Sue The Feds For Spying, Sue Them For Lying About Spying

There have been numerous attempts by various parties (including, in a few cases, the EFF) to sue the US government concerning various aspects of its warrantless spying on Americans. Pretty much all of these cases end up failing, often for reasons that are suspect. However, it appears that the EFF is going to try again. As you may recall, back in July, the feds admitted to Senator Wyden that their own analysis discovered that they had violated the 4th Amendmenton occasion in carrying out surveillance under the FISA Amendments Act. 

Human Rights Watch Accuses US of Covering Up Extent of Waterboarding

uman Rights Watch alleges that Libyan opponents of Gaddafi were subjected to torture at CIA prisons before being handed over to his security police. Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

Are you smarter than an atheist? A religious quiz:

Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups in a 32-question survey of religious knowledge by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. On average, Americans got 16 of the 32 questions correct. Atheists and agnostics got an average of 20.9 correct answers. Jews (20.5) and Mormons (20.3). Protestants got 16 correct answers on average, while Catholics got 14.7 questions right.
How will you do on the quiz?
- Staff

Jon Stewart: Fox News Anchors' Hearts and Brains Appear to Have Shrunk Three Sizes Between RNC and DNC

Actual socialist Bernie Sanders: No, Obama is not a socialist

This video is from “Moyers & Company,” published Friday, Sept. 7, 2012.


Dawkins on creationism and evolution: a CNN interview




Gorilla taught to grasp its own mortality




Obama Accepts Democratic Nomination for Re-Election with Appeal for More Time to Bring Change




Accepting Democratic Nomination, Obama Pledges to Revive U.S. Economy While Protecting the Environment



George Carlin: The Patron Saint -



Steve Dustcircle can be found at:

http://www.dustcircle.com
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...