American Politics, Progressive News, Human Rights, Civil Disobedience, Foreign Policy, Current Events, Cultural Activism, and Social Justice.
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Showing posts with label jimmy carter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jimmy carter. Show all posts

Friday, September 14

14.Sept.2012: America's War Mentality, Indefinite Domestic Military Detention, End of Humanity, Chicago Teacher Strike, Politics and Religion Don't Mix, U.S. Debt is Political, Growth OR Equality, Boycott of Israel, Corporations vs. Education, Save Money on Health Care, Citizens United Threatens Democracy, Big Pharma Criminal, Naked TSA Scanners, Record Poverty Census, Rachel Corrie, Surveillance State, U.S. Crops Very Poor, Prosecuting Wall Street, Predator Drones, Jesse Ventura Interview, 2012 PETA Video on Animal Abuse

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War: What America Knows Best

When it comes to Iran, Washington’s regional preparations for war are staggering.  The continual build-up of U.S. naval power in the Persian Gulf, of land forces on bases around that country, of air power (and anti-missile defenses) in the region should leave any observer breathless.  There are U.S. special operations forces near the Iranian border and CIA drones regularly over that country.

If Politicians Think Teachers Have it So Easy, Why Do They All Become Bankers?

This week a lot of Democrats and "liberals" are attacking Chicago teachers for what they tell us are their extravagant and "unreasonable" demands. It's funny: If they think teaching's such a gravy train, why have they all become bankers instead?

Journalist's Suit Against Indefinite Domestic Military Detention Wins In Federal Court

A federal judge permanently threw out a key part of the National Defense Authorization Act on Thursday as part of a lawsuit brought by journalist Chris Hedges and others who claimed that they could be held in indefinite military detention because they interviewed suspected terrorists.

The End Of Humanity: Rise of the Robots

The global elite has reached a decision that could spell the end of humanity as we know it in the decades to come. Having become superfluous in the eyes of those who plan to impose a technocracy over the entire planet, robots will be used to both replace and eliminate humans as the elite advances towards its much cherished technological singularity.

Free speech vs. reverence for Muhammad: Can they coexist?

The violence in Egypt, Libya, and Yemen show the results of American ideals clashing with those of nascent Arab democracies. Caught in between are American Muslims.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0913/Free-speech-vs.-reverence-for-Muhammad-Can-they-coexist

Chicago teacher strike: Talks to end strike make progress

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said the sides had definitely come closer together.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0913/Chicago-teacher-strike-Talks-to-end-strike-make-progress

In Aftermath of Ambassador's Death, US Warships Headed for Libya
Following a promise by President Obama on Wednesday that the United States would “bring to justice” to those responsible for the attack on the US embassy in Benghazi that led to the death of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other officials, military officials now say that two Navy warships—notably armed with tomahwk missile systems—are now steaming towards the Libyan coast.

US Citizens' Due Process Rights Saved from the NDAA's Indefinite Detention

You can't change the world if you don't believe in impossible things. On Wednesday, I was reminded that my obstinate faith in the ability of citizens to stand up against an all-out assault on civil liberties by my own government is not so absurd, after all. Judge Katherine Forrest (an Obama-appointed judge) granted people everywhere a permanent injunction against an unconstitutional provision, section 1021, in the NDAA – and thus a reprieve from the terror of being indefinitely detained by the US military, without charge, evidence or trial.

The Provocateurs Know Politics and Religion Don't Mix

 So another internet clever-clogs sets the Middle East on fire: Prophet cartoons, then Koranic book-burning, now a video of robed "terrorists" and a fake desert. The Western-Christian perpetrators then go into hiding (an essential requisite for publicity) while the innocent are asphyxiated, beheaded and otherwise done to death – outrageous Muslim revenge thus "proving" the racist claims of the trash peddlers that Islam is a violent religion.

Record Poverty Persists While Gap Between Rich and Rest of Us Increases

Sadly, those who "occupied" Wall Street and city squares across the country in 2011, were right: All of the income gains have concentrated at the top, while the rest of us saw a deterioration or stagnation in our wages and income.

Moody's Threat to Downgrade US Debt is Political, Not Fiscal

Moody's threat this week to downgrade the US government's credit rating says a whole lot more about the credit rating agency than it does about the US debt situation. It is really a way of telling the world that Moody's is making a political statement, rather than an assessment of risk for investors who want actual information about US Treasury securities. This is really an embarrassment for Moody's – since they are supposed to be evaluating risk – although most of the media didn't seem to notice.

Labor Is Under Attack All Over the World

There are plenty of notable labor events occurring at the moment. And by “notable,” of course, we mean hideous and horribly depressing. Clearly, management people all over the world believe the stars are in perfect alignment and that they now have a tremendous advantage when it comes to negotiating with their workforce. Naturally, they’re looking to exploit that advantage.

Already God-Soaked Presidential Campaign About To Get Another Dose Of That Old-Time Religion
Religious Right’s ‘Values Voter Summit’ Attempts To Push ‘Culture War’ Issues To The Front And Center, Says Americans United

Monopolizing War? 
What America Knows How to Do Best
Growth or Equality: Two Competing Visions For America’s Future
David Korten on how closing the wealth gap can open the way to a fairer, more prosperous economy.
http://www.countercurrents.org/korten130912.htm
5 Issues This Election Should Be About, And One To Drop
Cutting through the campaign rhetoric and attack ads, here are five issues we believe should be at the center of the 2012 election, plus one that has no place in the public 
http://www.countercurrents.org/vangelder130912.htm
Growing Isolation: Boycott Of Israel Crosses To Governments’ Realm
Should Israel be worried? Very much so, for the age of total impunity is coming to an end. Critical voices of the Israeli occupation and mistreatment of Palestinians are rising - not only within civil society circles, but among world governments as well.

The Path To War For The Sake Of Israel
Canada has recently suspended its diplomatic ties with Iran, accusing Iran of “ significant threat to global peace and security in the world today” . The move is attributed to U.S.-Israel pressure to create a coalition front and provide a façade of “international” legitimacy to justify aggression against Iran.

Corporate Media's War on Public Education

Corporate media scoundrels support making education another profit center and destroying the future of millions of kids.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Corporate-Media-s-War-on-P-by-Stephen-Lendman-120913-718.html

When It Comes To The DoJ And Wall Street, Don't Call It "Justice"

If a recent report is true the Justice Department will need a new name -- and some of us will have to step up and admit we were wrong.

Obama's Unconstitutional NDAA 'Detained Indefinitely' by Federal Judge

A federal judge permanently blocked enforcement of a law signed by Obama late last year that included vague language allowing the military to detain US citizens indefinitely.

The Wrong Way to Save Money on Health Care

Employer outlays for workers' health insurance slowed from a 9 percent jump last year to less than half that -- 4 percent -- this year, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Foundation. Good news?

Southern whites troubled by Romney's wealth, religion
Reuters/Ipsos polling data compiled over the past several months shows that, across the Bible Belt, 38 percent of these voters said they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who is "very wealthy" than one who isn't. This is well above the 20 percent who said they would be less likely to vote for an African-American.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-rt-us-usa-election-poll-bible-beltbre88a05h-20120910,0,630640,full.story

Israeli police intolerant of Christianity: clergyman
The Israeli authorities are growing increasingly intolerant of Christianity in the country, responding inadequately to violent attacks against the faith by Jewish extremists, a senior Vatican official in Jerusalem has warned.

http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/Israeli+police+intolerant+Christianity+clergyman/7210631/story.html

Jimmy Carter: Citizens United, 'Financial Corruption' Threaten Democracy
ormer U.S. president Jimmy Carter issued a blistering indictment of the American electoral process Tuesday, saying it is shot through with "financial corruption" that threatens democracy.http://www.readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/13447-jimmy-carter-citizens-united-financial-corruption-threaten-democracy

Attack on US Consulate May Not Be Last: Expert
Benghazi Tuesday night, that claimed the lives of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, may only be the beginning of more widespread unrest among Muslims worldwide, according to some experts.

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/attack-on-us-consulate-may-not-be-last-expert-291681.html
Six Jerusalem teens charged with attacking Palestinian

Teens broke a 28-year-old man’s ankle, after they suspected him of of ‘taking advantage’ of a Jewish woman.
http://theuglytruth.wordpress.com/2012/09/12/six-jerusalem-teens-charged-with-attacking-palestinian/

Big Pharma criminal: Bribery, fraud, price fixing now public record
Those of us who have long been describing the pharmaceutical industry as a “criminal racket” over the last few years have been wholly vindicated by recent news. Drug and vaccine manufacturer Merck was caught red-handed by two of its own scientists faking vaccine efficacy data by spiking blood samples with animal antibodies. GlaxoSmithKline has just been fined a whopping $3 billion for bribing doctors, lying to the FDA, hiding clinical trial data and fraudulent marketing.


Romney Smiles At News Of American Deaths In Libya:

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/09/12/romney-smiles-american-deaths-libya-image/

TSA Still Not Taking Comments On Naked Scanners; So Public Interest Group Does It For Them

If you needed proof of politicians’ sensitivity to, and encouragement of, persistent terrorism fears, look no further than today’s hearing in the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security. It’s called “Eleven Years After 9/11 Can TSA Evolve To Meet the Next Terrorist Threat?” and it’s being used to feature—get this—a report arguing for a “smarter, leaner” Transportation Security Administration.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120912/07362920359/tsa-still-not-taking-comments-naked-scanners-so-public-interest-group-does-it-them.shtml

6 Right-Wing Zealots (or Groups of Zealots) That Would Blow Up the World for Political Gain

Step back from the news cycle a moment and what you see is a week in which toxic, wildly irresponsible right-wingers have been trying to set a series of fires around the world, stoking their mythical "clash of civilizations" out of religious bigotry or for political gain, or a little bit of both.

The Dystopian Digital Sweatshop That Makes the Internet Run

Meet the workers making $1.20 an hour "microtasking" for billion-dollar brands like Microsoft and Amazon--right here in the US.

US Census report: Record numbers in poverty and widening inequalityThe United States Census Bureau released its latest survey of poverty in America on Wednesday, revealing that the ranks of those classified by the government as poor remained at record highs in 2011, while the gap between the rich and everyone else widened further.


The troubling case of Rachel Corrie

Almost ten years after the death of Rachel Corrie on 16 March 2003, her case still raises troubling questions. How was a 23-year-old protester killed by an Israeli military bulldozer? Did the driver do it deliberately, as the family have claimed? Were the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) responsible in some other way?

Straight talk about the surveillance state

US crops in a poor state


Prosecuting Wall Street: People and Power






Dennis Kucinich: No More War. No More Business as Usual




Predator drones and the murder of innocents

Jesse Ventura: 
No More Gangs in Government
Part 1

 
Part 2
 

As U.S. Inequality Widens, Scholar Cornel West and Broadcaster Tavis Smiley Launch Poverty Tour 2.0


Islamic Scholar Tariq Ramadan on the Growing Mideast Protests and "Islam & the Arab Awakening"


PETA Forced to Hold Restricted Screening of Animal Abuse Film at the Kansas State Fair [WARNING: GRAPHIC]
Here's the [EXPLICIT] PETA film:

Sunday, September 2

2.Sept.2012 - RNC Demonstrators, Genetics, GMO's, TV Usage Declines, WikiLeaks, Afghanistan Occupation, Obama Campaign, Greed and Debt, Israelis Sexually Assault Palestinian Woman, Slave Wages, Christopher Hitchens' New Book, George Orwell Too Liberal, Domain Seizures, SOPA and TPP, Nonbeliever Nation

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It helps me and what I do here. 
Thank you so much.



RNC Demonstrators Defy Expectations of Violence
n the lead-up to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, the authorities seemed to expect violence. Our mayor, Democrat Bob Buckhorn, brought in around 3,000 additional police officers from the rest of Florida, bringing the total number of officers to 3,500. These imported police walk the streets in khaki outfits that resemble military uniforms. Along with the 1,700 National Guard members, Coast Guard vessels armed with .50-caliber machine guns patrolling the waterways, and secret service checkpoints, downtown Tampa resembles a war zone.

What Everyone Needs to Know About Genetics

That is sexual selection on a grand scale, and that is the subject that most interests Sykes, who famously linked modern humans back to common female ancestors in his bestselling book The Seven Daughters of Eve. A subsequent book,Adam's Curse, argued that the male of the human species will become extinct within 5,000 generations. Now Sykes has turned his attention to one of the most genetically interesting places in the world -- the United States, which is the subject of Sykes's new book DNA USA: A Genetics Biography of America

Congress Investigates WH Taxpayer-Funded Payoffs to MSNBC’s Olbermann, Maddow

Still unsure where all of the president’s $831 billion dollars in stimulus went?

A Non-GMO Buying Guide

upermarkets have carried genetically modified foods for nearly two decades, but the debate over GMOscontinues and is heating up. HB Bill 5117 would require the labeling of products containing GMOs. And while the bill has won early support from several state representatives, senators, farmers markets and chefs other organizations such as The Connecticut Farm Bureau and the state Department of Agriculture oppose the bill.

America Deserves a Raise

his Labor Day, President Obama has the opportunity to defend the economic rights of millions of Americans by supporting a substantial increase in the minimum wage.

Nielsen is out with its annual list of the top TV markets. And while there are no big changes — New York is still #1, Los Angeles #2, Chicago #3, and Glendive, MT is still #210 — the company estimates there are now 114,173,690 U.S. television households. That’s down -472,620 (-.4%) from last year as more households forgo TV and get their video news and entertainment from the web and web-enabled devices — or chose not to get it at all.

WikiLeaks, Assange And The American Empire
Louis XVI needed a revolution, Napoleon needed two historic military defeats, the Spanish Empire in the New World needed multiple revolutions, the Russian Czar needed a communist revolution, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires needed World War I, the Third Reich needed World War II, the Land of the Rising Sun needed two atomic bombs, the Portuguese Empire in Africa needed a military coup at home. What will the American Empire need?

Asking Jimmy Carter To Help End The Deadly Occupation of Poor Afghanistan
Jimmy Carter of late has made his name synonymous with seeking peace. Could he not step forward and defend this innocent population by recounting the 'Cold War' history that played out in 1979 in Afghanistan? Where is American gratitude toward Afghans, Taliban included, for their sacrifices made while doing their part to bring US victory in the "Cold War?' Help lessen US media unleashed enmity and call for ending occupation. 

Comedian Amy Poehler Advocates for Domestic Workers’ Rights

Currently, the National Labor Relations Act excludes domestic workers, including childcare providers, housekeepers and caregivers. These workers are predominately women—especially women of color, many of them immigrants. Without legal protections, they are not assured minimum wages, overtime pay, adequate working conditions or mandatory meal-and-rest breaks: rights that are granted to most other U.S. workers.

Obama Campaigns For Veterans' Mental Health

As that war winds down, the president is ordering additional help for those with invisible battle scars. A rash of suicides has shown mental injuries can be just as deadly as a roadside bomb.

We Are Writing the Epilogue to the World We Knew

The data continue to roll in, and they are telling us we are in the process of bringing an end to the world we evolved in, and creating a new, harsher world. We will be forced to devote more and more of our resources trying to adapt to this new world, and less on development.

Greed and Debt: The True Story of Romney and Bain Capital

The great criticism of Mitt Romney, from both sides of the aisle, has always been that he doesn't stand for anything. He's a flip-flopper, they say, a lightweight, a cardboard opportunist who'll say anything to get elected.

Supreme Court adds 2 cases to next term
The US Supreme Court [official website] on Friday added two new cases [order list, PDF] to its docket for next term. The first case, The Standard Fire Insurance Co. v. Knowles [docket; cert. petition, PDF], involves the procedural issue of whether a class action can be removed to federal court when there is dispute over whether the amount in controversy is over $5 million...
The second case, Descamps v. US [docket; cert. petition, PDF], is a challenge to the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's use of Matthew Descamp's state burglary conviction to convict him of burglary under federal law...

Israelis tear Palestinian woman’s clothes off

A group of Israelis attacked a Palestinian woman in the village of Lebnan Al Sharq on Wednesday afternoon, tearing off her clothes in front of her husband and son who retaliated by attacking the colonists, injuring one. The Israeli military allowed the gang to beat the Palestinian husband Khaled Sameeh Daraghmah and his son Sameeh before they arrested the two men and removed them from the area.

US Preparing for a Post-Israel Middle East?

Congresswoman Illena Ros-Lehtinen will have her hands full as she makes the political and social rounds at this month’s Republican National Convention.  Illena is the only female committee chair in the House of Representatives and arguably Israel’s most ardent agent.  She is a constant thorn in the Obama administration’s side, regularly castigating the president for playing “political games with U.S. foreign policy” and being “soft on Iran” and undermining the legitimacy of Israel.  Ros-Lehtinen is a congressional cheer leader also for her Jewish voters in Florida—a key battleground in the rapidly approaching US presidential election. Most recently, Ros-Lehtinen helped shepherd through Congress yet another bill tightening sanctions against Iran while calling for US military action against the Assad regime in Syria.

‘We Built It’ Using Slave Wages, RNC Convention Workers Paid Below Minimum Wage

Now that the dust has settled and Clint Eastwood is back to arguing with wooden chairs in Hollywood, it’s  time to begin the herculean task of addressing every single lie made and said at the RNC in Tampa. They might as well dubbed the RNC the Breitbart Convention since they based the entire theme on a carefully edited soundbite taken out of context. Of course I’m referring to the so-called “We Built It” mantra, which appears to Mitt Romney’s “Yes we can,” though it’s more realistically ”No we didn’t; we did what we do best and relied on the laborers we hate to do our heavy lifting”.

The New York Times reviews Hitchens’s final book

In today’s New York Times Christopher Buckley appraises Hitchens’s last bookMortality (you can buy it for $13.79 on Amazon). It’s short (104 pages), and collects the 7 pieces about his cancer Hitchens wrote forVanity Fair, plus a last chapter of unpublished jottings, some of which I’ve posted before.

America’s vanishing middle class

As Labor Day approaches, it's time to reflect on our lopsided economy


George Orwell - too left wing for the BBC?

It emerged this week that a proposed statue to the legendary journalist - and former BBC employee - was turned down by departing DG Mark Thompson because of Orwell's leftist allegiances. What does that say about the BBC - and its critics?

Think Tank Behind SOPA Says USTR Should Make Sure TPP Includes IP Maximalist Positions

ITIF, the think tank that was often credited with coming up with the basic idea behind SOPA's horrifying plan to censor websites and break key parts of the basic DNS system (and, which we recently discovered, gets funding from the MPAA) is back and pushing for support of IP maximalism in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. It has re-released a report about how the TPP must be "the gold standard" in trade agreements -- with a key focus on stronger and more limiting IP rules. In a press release about this re-release, ITIF argues for a strong maximalist agenda in the TPP:

Congressional Reps Question Feds Over Botched Domain Seizures

The government's admission that it had (once again) mistakenly seized and censored a website for over a year when it dropped its case against Rojadirecta/Puerto80 has reminded everyone that Dajaz1 was not an isolate case. It was a part of a wider program where DHS (via ICE) and the DOJ systematically believed whatever the RIAA and MPAA were telling them, leading to the blatant censorship of a variety of websites, without proper due process. 

US Justice Department cites abuse of students’ constitutional rights in Mississippi schools

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), school officials in Meridian, Mississippi have been running a “school-to-prison pipeline” for youth in the public school system. The report indicated that police acted as a “taxi service,” utilizing minor infractions to fast-track students into the jail system, often without any accompanying due process to oversee the legality of such actions.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Praises the Occupy Movement; Denounces U.S. and Israel

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the "Supreme Leader" of Iran, praised America's "Occupy Wall Street" movement on Thursday, in an address to the Non-Aligned Summit, a gathering of 120 nations now taking place in Tehran.

PARODY VIDEO - LEGITIMATE RAPE -


The Humanist Hour #77: Nonbeliever Nation

Editor's Note: Though we recommend subscribing to our podcast using a program like iTunes, you can start listening right now, using the player below, or by downloading the audio file directly. (right/option click > save as)
new episode of the Humanist Hour is available for listening. Keep reading to find out about the guests on this month’s show.
In this month’s podcast, Jes and Todd interview AHA President, freethought activist, blogger and author David Niose, about his book,Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans.

Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans

Today, nearly one in five Americans are nonbelievers – a rapidly growing group at a time when traditional Christian churches are dwindling in numbers – and they are flexing their muscles like never before. Yet we still see almost none of them openly serving in elected office, while Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and many others continue to loudly proclaim the myth of America as a Christian nation.
In Nonbeliever Nation, leading secular advocate David Niose explores what this new force in politics means for the unchallenged dominance of the Religious Right. Hitting on all the hot-button issues that divide the country – from gay marriage to education policy to contentious church-state battles – he shows how this movement is gaining traction, and fighting for its rights. Now, Secular Americans—a group comprised not just of atheists and agnostics, but lapsed Catholics, secular Jews, and millions of others who have walked away from religion—are mobilizing and forming groups all over the country (even atheist clubs in Bible-belt high schools) to challenge the exaltation of religion in American politics and public life.
This is a timely and important look at how growing numbers of nonbelievers, disenchanted at how far America has wandered from its secular roots, are emerging to fight for equality and rational public policy.

David Niose

David Niose’s background includes experience in law and mass communication. Having practiced law in Massachusetts since 1990, Niose has also worked in print and broadcast media, taught both history and law, and written extensively on a wide array of issues. Upon joining the AHA board in 2005, Niose initiated and helped develop the AHA’s media campaign. Niose has appeared in national media and spoken to groups around the country, emphasizing the importance of utilizing mass media to inject humanist ideas into the public dialogue, improve the public image of humanists, and sway public opinion away from the religious right. As an attorney, Niose has advocated for church/state separation and the rights of humanists and other nontheists, and he is currently involved in implementing a legal strategy to enforce the rights of humanists and other nontheists via the avenue of equal protection law. He has worked with the Secular Coalition for America in various positions to help advocate for the rights of Secular Americans, and has served on the boards of Greater Worcester Humanists and Greater Boston Humanists.

Links from this month’s episode:

Nonbeliever Nation
Other Links:


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