Did the U.S. Overreact to the 9/11 Attacks?
Last year, on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks by Al Qaeda on the United States, I posted a column arguing that the U.S. overreacted to these horrific acts of terrorism. Today, on the eve of 9/11, I’m posting an edited version of that column, the gist of which remains all too relevant.
The Other 9/11 -- Never Forget the Anniversary of U.S. Orchestrated Terror and Murder
In 1973, the Government of Chile was working on creating a society that took care of its poor. That country had a government that actually tried to leave no child or adult for that matter, behind, unfed, unclothed or without a roof over his or her head.
Bold Civil Disobedience Actions Blockade Entrance to Site of TPP Negotiations in VA
Two people were detained this morning after a tense stand off with police while blockading international trade negotiators from entering the Lansdowne Resort, site of the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations takingplace this week. Other activists greeted the arriving international negotiators with a 75-foot high banner suspended by weather balloons shaped like giant buttocks that read "Free Trade My Ass: Flush the TPP."
Survivor of US Military Rape in Japan Allowed to Pursue Perpetrator in US Courts
In a landmark case, on September 6, 2012, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Circuit Court Judge gave standing to an Australian woman to collect a Japanese civil judgment against a former US Navy sailor for raping her in Japan 10 years ago.
The US is Broke -- Not!
The conservative network of viral emails has been buzzing about a short video done by a retired accountant that shows our revenue to be insufficient to support any of the Federal discretionary budget once our obligations for debt service and entitlements are paid. Evidently this is news to many people and the video is presented in a context of shock, fear and great urgency. My spouse, Marguerite, emailed one of our mutual friends to allay his fears and put the matter in perspective.
The Economic Religion of Finance Capitalism
Of course farmers and flea markets are real, as are the corporate malls where millions enter with credit desire and leave in debt frustration. But the global financial market whose minority controllers run the planet is a vast electronic church sustained by a congregation of mentally and physically brutalized parishioners. A political clergy of rabbis, priests and ministers operate its banking cathedrals as an international casino whose minority profits accrue on the loss of billions of people forced to gamble their existence on its success, and their failure.
White House readies order on preventing cyberattacks
Rules, council to save computer systems
Living in “The Greatest Nation on Earth”
These are indications of the real state of affairs in this country 11 years after they attacked us because they “hated our freedoms.” Now, on September 11, 2012, the national security complex is, as Van Buren indicates, beyond accountability for any crimes it may commit. It exists in a post-legal America not available to 99% of us.
Conservationists Issue Plea to Save 100 Most Endangered Species
Over 8,000 conservation experts have issued a plea to save the world's 100 most endangered species.
The Chicago Strike Is Typical of American Politicians' War on Teachers
The Chicago teachers' strike is barely a day old, and the teacher-bashing is already well underway with great gusto.
Public Security – The Greatest Casualty of the Drug War
In stops all around the country, the Caravan for Peace has found that convincing people that the war on drugs is destructive and wasteful is not the problem. The polls show the public came to this conclusion long ago and now close to a majority favor what used to be considered “radical” solutions like legalizing and regulating marijuana. Although most people weren’t aware of the impact of the violence in Mexico, it’s immediately obvious to them that the drug war—trying to block supply in places like Mexico and stop consumption by criminalizing drugs in the U.S.– is not working. Anywhere.
Why Obama wants Chicago teachers strike to go away – fast
The Chicago teachers strike, which exposes a Democratic Party rift between support for unions and for the education reforms backed by Obama, could hardly come at a worse time for the president.
Is Chicago the Next Wisconsin?
Whatever the outcome of the teachers' strike in the Windy City, it has big implications for the future of labor nationwide.
Congressional report warns drones could track faces, never leave sky
The use of drones in American skies raises new questions about the value of privacy and the extent of government surveillance, according to areport released last week by the Congressional Research Service.
9/11 and Its Legacy of Fear
Sept. 11th has changed America radically--and not for the better.
Former CIA Chief: Obama’s War on Terror Same as Bush’s, But With More Killing
President Barack Obama has closely followed the policy of his predecessor, President George W. Bush, when it comes to tactics used in the “war on terror” — from rendition, targeted killings, state secrets, Guantanamo Bay to domestic spying, according to Michael Hayden, Bush’s former director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
The Post-9/11 Civil Liberties Debate
Interviewee: Matthew C. Waxman, Adjunct Senior Fellow for Law and Foreign Policy
Interviewer: Jonathan Masters, Online Editor/Writer
Interviewer: Jonathan Masters, Online Editor/Writer
More Evidence That Bush & Co. Ignored 9/11 Warnings
leven years to the day after September 11 and more than seven years after the release of the government's 9/11 Commission Report, newly public intelligence documents reveal just how much the George W. Bush White House knew in the lead-up to the attacks. In a New York Times op-ed, reporter Kurt Eichenwald writes of the presidential briefings that came before the well-known August 6 warning "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.," concluding that "the administration's reaction to what Mr. Bush was told in the weeks before that infamous briefing reflected significantly more negligence than has been disclosed." That included a warning from the CIA on May 1 that "a group presently in the United States" was planning to strike and one on June 22 that an attack could be "imminent."
Destroying The World In War: The 11th Anniversary of 9/11
Confessions of a Former Republican
ere, to my mind, was one strange aspect of the political convention season just past: since the great meltdown of 2008, brilliantly engineered by various giant financial institutions gone wild, we've seen a collapse in the wealth of middle-class African Americans and Hispanics, and a significant drop in the wealth of middle-class whites. Only the rich have benefitted. Though the draining of wealth from the middle and its fortification at the top have been a long time coming, the near collapse of the economy four years ago was a disaster whether you look at the rise in unemployment figures, poverty, the use of food stamps, gauges ofupward mobility, or just about any other grim measure you'd care to employ.
Louisiana Keeps Getting Busted for Teaching Creationism
People have the right to believe what they want about human origins, but they have no right to use the public school system to propagate religion. Insanity, it has been said, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Occupy Homes, Others Demand Foreclosure Action at Freddie Mac Chicago Headquarters
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have gotten about $150 billion in taxpayer support to stay afloat since the financial crisis--so why do they continue to throw homeowners (and taxpayers) out of their homes?
The Method To The Post 9/11 Madness
To your average educated careful consumer of U.S. news media, our militarism looks like ad hoc reactionary responses. A crisis flairs up here. We "intervene" there. An irrational foreign dictator threatens the peace over yonder. We get into wars because we have no choice, and then continue them because ending them would be somehow even worse than continuing them.
Obama Says One Thing Under The Spotlight; Does Another Behind Closed Doors
Jobs. That is the issue in the election – at least that is the issue Obama and Romney are focused on – who will create more jobs for a country in desperate need of them. During his convention speech, President Obama mentioned jobs 19 times, Romney did so 16 times. Obama promised a future where the U.S. will “outsource fewer jobs.” Of course, Romney is known as someone who made hundreds of millions by outsourcing jobs. Former President Clinton put forth a job scorecard, arguing Obama and the Democrats will create more jobs.
Police Seizure of Text Messages Nothing to LOL About: Court
The idea of police seizing your text messages may seem funny if all you have is some attempts to make happy hour plans and a cute note from your significant other. But it's a much bigger deal if that seizure results in an arrest.
9/11 Haunts Debate Over Cybersecurity
More than a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the tragedy haunts Washington policymakers who are deadlocked over how to protect the country against cyber attacks.
Meet John Kiriakou. He’s a former CIA officer who publicly acknowledged that waterboarding constituted torture. And he’s another whistleblower GAP represents who the Obama administration has charged in its unprecedented use of the Espionage Act.
EFF Sues for Answers About Illegal Government Email and Phone Call Surveillance
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sued the Department of Justice (DOJ) today, demanding answers about illegal email and telephone call surveillance at the National Security Agency (NSA).
Congress Members Demand USTR Tell the American People What's Going on With the TPP and its Impact on Digital Freedom
US Congressional Representatives Ron Wyden and Darrell Issa insist that the American people have a right to know what the US is seeking in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) with respect to intellectual property rights (IPR). They have co-authored a letter to Ron Kirk[PDF], the head of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) that is leading the US delegation in the TPP negotiations, asking him to reveal what the USTR is seeking in the intellectual property chapter.
Members of Congress Demand Answers for Homeland Security’s Unjust Domain Name Seizures
This morning, a bipartisan group of Representatives, led by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), sent a pointed letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and the Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano protesting the recent spat of domain name seizures—executed on dubious copyright grounds—that have been censoring websites with no due process.
Putting Israel's crimes on trial
The Russell Tribunal on Palestine plans to examine not only Israel's crimes against Palestinians, but the complicity of the U.S. and other countries, writes .
Sexist remarks and wolf-whistles could become criminal offences
Salacious whistles and sexist comments may fall foul of new laws against sexual harassment to which Britain is signing up, the prime minister will announce on Thursday.
Facebook Targets Liberal Website And Fan Pages, Allows Blatant Racism
People have often speculated about whether or not Facebook has a political bias, and now we may have indisputable proof that they do.
4 Ways the Catholic Church is Out of Date
Last week, an interview with Cardinal Caro Maria Martini was published in the Corriere della Sera and included a scathing rebuke of the policies of the Catholic Church. The cardinal said that the Church is “200 years out of date.” Which got me thinking what, specifically, the Catholic Church is out of date on. It didn’t take long to think of several.
http://www.care2.com/causes/4-ways-the-catholic-church-is-out-of-date.html
http://www.care2.com/causes/4-ways-the-catholic-church-is-out-of-date.html
White House Preparing Executive Order As A Stand-In For CISPA
This isn't a huge surprise -- and last month we even discussed the possibility, but it sounds as though the White House has decided that, with the failure of Congress to pass a comprehensive cybersecurity bill (CISPA passed in the House, but the rather different Cybersecurity Act failed in the Senate), it is going to issue some sort of executive order to deal with "cybersecurity issues."
Symptoms of crisis? Religion and women’s rights in Israel
Women are being increasingly targeted as the accommodation between religious and secular Israelis crumbles, heralding a profound systemic crisis in Israeli society
Larry Flynt offers $1M for Mitt Romney's tax returns
Hustler Magazine founder Larry Flynt is offering up to $1 million for Mitt Romney's tax returns or any other information about the candidate's personal finances
IRS awards $104 million to Swiss bank tax whistleblower
An attorney for former UBS [corporate website] banker Bradley Birkenfeld announced on Tuesday that the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) [official website] awarded Birkenfeld $104 million for information leading to an agreement between UBS and the IRS for $740 million in fines and penalties for its role in helping US clients shelter assets from US tax liability.
Bullies at the Ballot Box
rotecting the freedom to vote for all eligible Americans is of fundamental importance in a democracy founded upon the consent of the governed. One of the most serious threats to the protection of that essential right is the increase in organized efforts, led by groups such as the Tea Party affiliated True the Vote and others, to challenge voters' eligibility at the polls and through pre-election challenges. Eligible Americans have a civic duty to vote, and government at the federal, state, and local level has a responsibility to protect voters from illegal interference and intimidation.
Mom pays babysitter with beer while prostituting
Thousands Rally in Chicago Teachers’ Strike, Pushing Back Against Corporate-Backed Education Reform
We honor our dead by taking a hard look at the truth
The 9/11 Solution (2006)
Pilots For 911 Truth.org
What the real 9/11 witnesses saw and heard
Jet fuel cannot melt steel
We Are All Now Terrorist
Pat Robertson, Televangelist, Encourages Man To Become Muslim So He Can Beat His Wife
Chris Hedges on 9/11, Touring U.S. Economic Disaster Zones in "Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt"
Chris Hedges: Dems Owe Chicago Public Teachers Support for "Most Important Labor Action in Decades"
Thousands Rally in Chicago Teachers’ Strike, Pushing Back Against Corporatized Education Reform
Steve Dustcircle can be found at:
http://www.dustcircle.com
