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
Showing posts with label california. Show all posts
Showing posts with label california. Show all posts

Monday, November 5

05.Nov.2012 - America's Dismal Choice, Prop 37 & Corporate Lies, Choose Sides on Climate Change, U.S. Drone Killings, Red Cross Response, Occupy Leads relief Efforts, Democracy Danger Signs, Romneyism, Rise of the Peer Progressive, the S&M Election, America's Deplorable Human Rights Record, End Raging Cronyism, Voting for Your own Extinction, What the Bible Says About Rape


Before Voting, Watch This Video




America's Dismal Choice

With speculation now centered on how Superstorm Sandy’s impact may affect the U.S. election result, the final presidential debate, which focused on foreign policy, might seem like a distant event to American voters. But for the rest of the world, this was an event that mattered. As many pundits have noted, if the rest of the world were voting in the U.S. presidential election, the third presidential debate would probably have proceeded differently.http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/03-1

Prop 37 and Corporate Lies in the Post Truth Era

As a historic vote with profound implications for the future of our food system nears, the question becomes whether a campaign with limitless resources and a disdain for the truth can defeat an overwhelmingly popular idea supported by a grassroots army, and over 3000 public interest organizations: the right to know what's in the food we eat and feed our families.

We Can't Afford the Silencing of the Voice of "We, the People"

We use the metaphor "herding cats" to describe a situation in which someone tries to govern the collective behavior of creatures who have only individual goals and agendas, and little interest in being governed.

'The Time to Choose Sides on Climate Change Is Now'

As the devastation from "superstorm" Sandy continues for millions, Up host Chris Hayes urged viewers on Saturday that the time to choose sides on climate change is now. While "we want our government first and foremost to keep us safe," it has neglected to heed warnings from climate scientists and the manifestations of climate change we have seen in extreme weather events.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/03-0

‘OK, Fine. Shoot Him.’ Four Words That Heralded a Decade of Secret US Drone Killings

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) usually gets all the credit for the first US drone targeted killing beyond the conventional battlefield. But it was the military which gave the final go-ahead to kill on November 3 2002. Lt General Michael DeLong was at Centcom headquarters in Tampa, Florida when news came in that the CIA had found its target. The deputy commander made his way down to the UAV Room, showing live video feeds from a CIA Predator high above Marib province in Yemen.
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/11/03

A Cure for America's Corruptible Voting System
hen I went to vote last week in New York City, using an absentee ballot (because I will be out of the country on election day), I had a surreal experience that was also very ordinary: I marked my ballot – put it, as advised by the nice man behind the counter, into a sealed envelope, handed it to him and … nothing.
Hurricane Sandy destroyed 111 homes in the Queens neighborhood of Rockaway Beach. (photo: USAF/Master Sgt. Mark C. Olsen)he American Red Cross struggled on Friday to reassure beleaguered New York City residents that its disaster-relief efforts were at last getting up to speed, after the agency's delayed arrival in devastated areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens drew intense criticism.

Occupy Leads Relief Efforts In Powerless Red Hook
s the lights come back on in lower Manhattan, the power imbalance in parts of the city worst hit by Sandy is more literal than ever. Brownstone Brooklyn neighborhoods like Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens were able to celebrate Halloween as usual, but just blocks away, many residents of the Red Hook Houses, the city's second-largest housing project, are without electricity, heat, or running water, and growing increasingly desperate. Red Hook, like other areas with overheard power lines, could wait another ten days or longer for juice, according to Con Edison. So far, Red Hook has received little help from the city or FEMA, and a team of Occupy protestors have been heading relief efforts.

Democracy Danger Signs
'Mitt Romney's 'closing argument' redefines chutzpah.' (photo: Carlos Osorio/AP)
itt Romney's “closing argument” redefines chutzpah. “You know that if the President is re-elected, he will still be unable to work with the people in Congress,” Romney said on Friday. He warned of a government shut-down, or another debt-ceiling crisis – two examples of Congressional Republicans taking the economy hostage for partisan gain – if Barack Obama emerges victorious next week. If elected, Romney promised not to “pass partisan legislation.”

The Coming Post-Election GOP Freak Out
hat's the state of mind this weekend of the conservative outrage machine? With regard to liberals, I think it's fair to say as of Saturday that most of us (excepting your allowed-for percentage of nervous nellies) expect Barack Obama to win. If he somehow doesn't, we'll be surprised and deeply depressed. But provided the outcome doesn't involve some kind of Florida-style shenanigans, in a couple days' time, we'll come to terms with it.

Romneyism
y now, in these last remaining days before the election of 2012, we have learned enough about the beliefs of the Republican presidential candidate to see them as a worldview all its own – a kind of creed that explains Mitt Romney. Those who say he has no principles are selling him short.

Beyond The 6th Of November; The Rise Of The Peer Progressive
As the 2012 US presidential election looms, the familiar red and blue fever spreads across television and computer screens like another World Series or Superbowl. This election is no different than any other, as the corporate two party duopoly propagates the illusion of choice and sucks people into a presidential charade between two sock puppets that essentially work for the same bosses.
http://www.countercurrents.org/hayase041112.htm

Peddling A Zionist Ticket To Nowhere
Addressing mesmerised fans from Australian Palestine solidarity in Adelaide, Evans, former Attorney-General and Foreign Minister of Australia, former Head of the International Crisis Group (ICG) and Chancellor of the Australian University, offered a grandiose crumb of righteous insistence that Australia should be on the right side of history by supporting Palestine's bid for statehood recognition in the UN General Assembly.
http://www.countercurrents.org/vlazna041112.htm

A Quick Guide to Mitt's 10 Most Destructive Guiding Principles

Despite its contradictions and ellipses, Romneyism has an internal coherence.

Why a Romney Presidency May Be Worse Than You Think
War with Iran. An ultra-conservative Supreme Court. Death to Social Security. Romney could be an epic disaster.

Whistleblower: 6 Ways Romney's Healthcare Proposals Enrich Insurance Companies and Sicken Americans

Romney's plan is a prescription for boosting insurance industry profits at the expense of the public's well-being.

US presidential campaign comes to an end

The last weekend of the 2012 US presidential election campaign was marked by rallies for both Democratic President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney in a handful of closely contested states, while the deluge of television commercials continues right up to the opening of the polls on Tuesday.

DOJ may appeal ruling on Guantanamo prisoner access to counsel 
The US Depatment of Justice (DOJ) [official website] filed a notice of appeal[text, PDF] in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit [official website] opposing a ruling [JURIST report] rejecting the government's argument that they should be allowed to set certain rules regarding Guantanamo Bay [JURIST backgrounder] detainees' access to counsel.

The S&M Election

Obama tells us that we better lick his boots or we will face the brute down the hall, Mitt Romney. After all, we wouldn’t want the bad people to get their hands on these newly minted mechanisms of repression. We will, if we do not behave, end up with a more advanced security and surveillance state, the completion of the XL Keystone pipeline, unchecked pillage from Wall Street, environmental catastrophe and even worse health care. Yet we know on some level that once the election is over, Obama will, if he is re-elected, again betray us. This is part of the game. We dutifully assume our position. We cry out in holy terror. We promise to obey. And we are mocked as we watch promises crumble into dust.
Broken US System Needs Watching: International Election Observers Could Face ArrestTuesday's national election in the US is shaping up to be a bruising affair, with both parties hiring armies of lawyers to fight over likely contentious battles over voter access to polling stations, dealing with long lines that could prevent people from voting after polls officially close, the counting of votes cast, and now, the right of international inspectors from the respected Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the process.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Broken-US-System-Needs-Wat-by-Dave-Lindorff-121104-664.html

America's Deplorable Human Rights Record
Far and away, America's human rights record is the world's worst. No other nation approaches its unprincipled history. Earlier crimes against humanity were largely internal and regional. Twentieth century ones went global. New millennium ones elevated atrocities and other human rights abuses to an unprecedented level. It keeps rising. America is guilty of virtually every crime imaginable and then some.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/America-s-Deplorable-Human-by-Stephen-Lendman-121104-10.html

Mbp-13Larry Lessig: End Raging Cronyism, Save Our RepublicYou, like most Americans, believe that money buys results in Congress. No matter who wins, you believe that corporate interests will still have too much power and prevent real change. You are correct in your belief that money buys results in Congress, Lessig says. However, he has a different prescription than non-participation.
http://bigthink.com/think-tank/larry-lessigs-crusade-against-raging-cronyism

You are voting for your own extinction

The “debates” revealed that not only the candidates but also the entire country is completely tuned out to every real problem and dangerous development. For example, you would never know that US citizens can now be imprisoned and executed without due process. All that is required to terminate the liberty and life of an American citizen by his own government is an unaccountable decision somewhere in the executive branch.
http://www.darkmoon.me/2012/you-are-voting-for-your-own-extinction-by-paul-craig-roberts/

Judaism: A Threat to Humanity
Judaism, like all of the “revealed”/hearsay man-made religions, breaks the people of the world down to “us versus them.” In Christianity and Islam the “us” are the believers and the “them” are the non-believers. In Judaism this also holds true to a point. However, in Judaism much importance is placed on being an ethnic/racial Jew and not merely a religious Jew. For example, a person who has aJewish mother but who does not believe in Judaism is considered by Judaism and religious Jews to be a Jew.
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2012/10/31/judaism-a-threat-to-humanity/

What the Bible Says About Rape

Christians of many stripes are scrambling to distance themselves and their religion from Republican comments about rape. But a literal interpretation of the Bible is quite disturbing.

American Determination and Climate Change
'm so struck with America's human spirit as Hurricane Sandy has left a trail of destruction in its wake, destroying homes and businesses and turning the lives of so many upside down. And yet people remain unbowed - New Yorkers and New Jerseyans, first responders, hospital workers, National Guard and countless others - are pulling together, as they always do, in the face of tragedy. And this would be the case whether or not a Presidential election were running in the background.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/271-38/14337-american-determination-and-climate-change

Sandy-Ravaged Northeast Now Facing Developing Nor'easter


The Perils of Income Inequality

The Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which authorized the federal government to impose an income tax on individuals, will turn 100 years old on February 3. It is unlikely that many corks will pop in celebration. But they should, because the income tax plays a central role in ensuring American democracy. More to the point of contemporary politics, the Sixteenth Amendment was designed precisely to protect the 47 percent of Americans Mitt Romney has reviled.

The End of the Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is at risk of becoming irrelevant. I have spoken with so many Republicans who, when arguing for Governor Romney, have made the startling point that it does not really matter who is president. Both parties are more or less the same. I believe now that if the Democratic Party continues to fight for the same old issues, it will be abandoned, and cease to exist.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maxwell-kennedy/democratic-party-_b_2072910.html

Obama Romney buttonsWhy Abortion Has Become Such A Prominent Campaign Issue
Both President Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are putting the issue front and center, including official campaign-produced ads.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/11/05/164185767/why-abortion-has-become-such-a-prominent-campaign-issue


What To Look For On Election Day: The Battle For The White House & Congress
Tomorrow, as those who follow politics probably know, is Election Day. The battle between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney has been contentious, expensive, personal, illuminating, ugly, frustrating, petty, enlightening and, above all, long. And it is expected to be close.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/politicaljunkie/2012/11/05/164147704/what-to-look-for-on-election-day-the-battle-for-the-white-house-congress

Vote YES to Your Right to Know
California: Make them label GMO


Allergies, autism and GMOs
The poisoning or our children


How chemical ag systematically poisons you
And GMOs make it worse

Maher guest Rob Reiner: ‘Romney looks like a fool right now’

Glenn Greenwald on Voters 'Disenchanted' With Obama



US-Israeli relations still tense over Iran



Israel admits Yasser Arafat deputy's assassination



Chris Rock - Message for White Voters



Thousands need homes after Sandy



Cold Weather and New Storm Add to Sandy Woes



Swing state Florida could hinge on Hispanic vote

Friday, November 2

02.Nov.2012 - Demonic Possession, New York Crises, Climate Change Gridlock, High School Atheist Club, New World Order, Capitalist Dictatorship, Next President of Austerity, Small Markets Big Money, Vote the Bible Shirts, Fighting Monsanto, We Are Not Powerless

Congratulations to Eric Fox of Colorado for winning the Free Book, The End of Faith by Sam Harris! 
December, we will be giving away another book! Stay tuned for details! There is no catch besides getting involved. 
Stay informed. Immerse yourself. Everything affects you and your loved ones. 
To donate to The Dissenting Heretic, use the WE PAY button on our website: http://www.Dustcircle.com

Shocking Poll - More than Two-Thirds of Republican Voters Believe in Demonic Possession

And less than half think humans are responsible for climate change.

1 Not-So-Simple, Pretty Funny Question for the 73% of White Evangelicals Who Will Apparently Be Voting for Romney

A question that deserves an answer before election day.


Residents of New York Face a Huge Range of Crises

Contradictions abound in NYC -- huge swathes of the city are fine, while entire neighborhoods are facing serious shortages.

Climate Change Gridlock: Where Do We Go From Here? (Part 1)
Global warming is no longer a fear for the future, it’s threatening human civilization now. But a good portion of humanity doesn’t seem that concerned. On this edition, part 1 of a special 2 part series, Brian Edwards-Tiekert takes us through the climate change that is happening, the political response that isn’t, and the people trying to break the gridlock.

article imageStudent Duncan Henderson Fights for Two Years to Start Atheist Club at Alabama High School

Student Duncan Henderson has been trying to start an atheist club, called the “freethinker” club, at Auburn Junior High in Auburn, Alabama, but was met with strong resistance for two years.
(spelling corrected here^)

From Chaos To A New World Order: Words Of Hope At The United Nations
Existing political/economic structures that serve not the people are in decay, a new world order based on universal principles of goodness: justice, equality, unity and freedom Is the call of many around the world.

Capitalist Dictatorship in Romney Campaign
he mainstream media and even Democrats have been slow to call Mitt Romney's deliberate falsehoods "lies." But after just calling them what they are, it is also important to analyze their meaning. Lies on Romney's scale do not simply show contempt for the intelligence of American voters. They show contempt for democracy, and display some of the features of capitalist dictatorship of a sort that was common in the late twentieth century. 

The Source of Romney’s Lying

Exclusive: An enduring mystery about Mitt Romney is why he lies so persistently and with so little shame. Some people blame his business experience or cite the basic dishonesty of politics, but there is also the curious foundation of his Mormon religion which was started by a proven conman, notes Robert Parry.

Telling Truths about Israel/Palestine

False national narratives play key roles in controlling human behavior, especially when enforced by an aggressive propaganda system that demonizes factual counter-narratives. That has long been the case as Israel minimized its harsh treatment of Palestinians, but the truth has begun to break through, says Lawrence Davidson.
Mitt Romney and Barack Obama meet at their second debate
The next president of austerity
We know from history that the "lesser evil" is no guarantee against the "greater evil."
http://socialistworker.org/2012/11/01/the-next-president-of-austerity

Small markets, big money
The sports media is moaning about the trade of Oklahoma City Thunder star James Harden to the Houston Rockets--but NBA owners are making out just fine.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/11/01/small-markets-big-money

WHY DO WE NEED A PRESIDENT ANYWAY?

It wasn’t always a given that we’d have a single executive who has the power to make final decisions about the fate of our country.


Christian group fights Texas for banning ‘Vote the Bible’ shirt at polls
"Vote the Bible" shirt banned at Texas polling placesA Christian group in Texas is threatening to file a formal complaint with the Attorney General’s office because a woman who lives near Austin was forced to cover up her “Vote the Bible” T-shirt after election officials suggested that it could be construed as illegal electioneering.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/01/christian-group-fights-texas-for-banning-vote-the-bible-shirt-at-polls


A Grim Warning from Science

One of the things that makes Sandy different from Katrina is that it’s a relatively clean story. The lessons of Katrina were numerous and painful—they had to do with race, with class, with the willful incompetence of a government that had put a professional Arabian horse fancier in charge of its rescue efforts.

Corporate Media Breaks Climate Silence, Following Undeniable Sandy Superstorm

As many have now observed, part of the new reality in Sandy's aftermath—whether too slowly, reluctantly or imperfectly—is that many mainstream media outlets, once decidedly resigned to avoid the scientific consensus, are now asking significant questions about the role of human-induced global warming and the impact of climate change and extreme weather.

Hurricane Sandy and the Myth of the Big Government-vs.-Small-Government Debate

Quite a shock the other day to look out my window in Jersey City, and see the Hudson River rushing over what used to be the street in front of my building. For nearly three days my dog and I played Robinson Crusoe and Friday, sleepily watching from our little apartment-island while we waited for hot water, cell service, the internet, even elevators to come back on line.

Why Monsanto Is Fighting Tooth and Nail Against California's Prop 37

A new poll conducted by the University of Southern California and the LA Times has found that Proposition 37, the GMO labeling initiative has slipped a whopping 17 points since the last poll in September. The proposition continues to lead but only by 2 percentage points with less than a week before the election. Thirteen percent of likely voters are still undecided on whether to require mandatory labeling of genetically modified organisms in foods.

We Are Not Powerless to Confront Climate Change

Millions of victims of Superstorm Sandy remain without power, but they are not powerless to do something about climate change. The media consistently fail to make the link between extreme weather and global warming. Through this catastrophe, people are increasingly realizing that our climate has changed, and the consequences are dire.

Senate likely to revisit cyber bill when Congress returns

Senator Joe Lieberman, one of the authors of the bill, would consider dropping a provision aimed at shoring up protection of critical infrastructure that had raised concerns among Senate Republicans, if that issue could be addressed in an executive order, Jeffrey Ratner, senior adviser for cybersecurity on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, said Wednesday.

Looking Beyond Election Day: The Issues That Threaten to Derail the Nation

What follows is an overview of the major issues that both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, despite their respective billion dollar war chests, have failed to mention during their extensive campaign trail stumping and televised debates. These are issues that aren't going away anytime soon. Indeed, unless we take a proactive approach to the problems that loom large before us, especially as they relate to America's ongoing transformation into a police state, we may find that they are here to stay.

Sandy Forces Climate Change on US Election
A dead deer lies among driftwood and debris left by a combination of storm surge from Hurricane Sandy and high tide in Southampton, New York, on October 30, 2012. (photo: Lucas Jackson/Reuters)The presidential candidates avoided the topic at all their big public forums - except for Romney's Republican national convention joke about how silly it was to try and slow the rise of the oceans (which probably didn't win him many votes on the Jersey Shore this week). Obama did talk climate with MTV last week, but that venue almost defines the issue's fringe status; his other real discussion of it was with Rolling Stone - global warming is, apparently, only for people with earbuds.

Two diametrically opposed views on the #Occupy movement

Two wildly different takes on the Occupy movement have recently found their way into my Twitter feed. Both deserve careful consideration (watch this blogspace):

When will male politicians take women's rights seriously?
Feminism appears to be back with a vengeance in the UK. Kirsty Styles reports from the UK Feminista lobby of Parliament, and asks how long it will take before the f-word that really rings true in our society is 'fairness'

'Letting taxpayers fund parties directly could revive our rotten system.' (photo: Donkey Hony)When Corporations Bankroll Politics, We All Pay The Price
t's a revolting spectacle: the two presidential candidates engaged in a frantic and demeaning scramble for money. By 6 November, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will each have raised more than $1bn. Other groups have already spent a further billion. Every election costs more than the one before; every election, as a result, drags the United States deeper into cronyism and corruption. Whichever candidate takes the most votes, it's the money that wins.

Why the Protestant Work Ethic Is a Menace to Society

Good riddance to a religious approach that preached salvation through constant hard labor.

The 9 Most Anti-Science Candidates in America
These House and Senate candidates don't like that book learnin'.

How Christian Fundamentalism Feeds the Toxic Partisanship of US Politics

When evangelicals attack 'the gay agenda' of an anti-bullying event in schools, something is sick in America's religious culture


Distrust growing among voters in California


US military spending in question



US-Israel conduct Largest Military Drill to date



The Depression Cure That Society Won't Allow




More 'Once in a Lifetime' Weather Events Likely



A Crisis Foretold: Studies Warned New York Infrastructure Critically Threatened by Climate Change



Without Power and Aid, Low-Income Residents of NYC’s Lower East Side Struggle in Storm’s Aftermath



David Rohde: Superstorm Sandy Has Exposed New York City’s "Hideous Inequality"



As Missouri Senate Race Tightens, New Details Emerge on Todd Akin’s Anti-Abortion Past

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...