|
Bold and Daring: The Way Progressive News Should Be
|
|
| If you have a problem reading this email, please click here to see the web page version You received this email because you signed up for it at OpEdNews. Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this email. Support Opednews. Make a tax deductible donation to make OEN Strong.   Daily Headlines
AIPAC
is taking an incredible risk by making an unprecedented full court
press to pass the bomb Syria resolution. Never in its history has it
gone all out to achieve passage or defeat for anything not directly
related to Israel. And, because Congress is snugly in its pocket on
Israel issues, it rarely needs to fight
Exclusive:
Despite the Obama administration's supposedly "high confidence"
regarding Syrian government guilt over the Aug. 21 chemical attack near
Damascus, a dozen former U.S. military and intelligence officials are
telling President Obama that they are picking up information that
undercuts the Official Story.
Bernanke
takes a two-pronged approach to the Fed's "price stability" mandate. On
the one hand, he keeps dumping enough Vodka into the punchbowl to keep
everyone at the party permanently blottoed, and with the other, he puts a
gun to the head of every cautious saver in the country who would prefer
to keep his money in a deposit account.
It is time for American Jews to take a stand against AIPAC, to put America first, to put peace first.
The
use of chemical weapons is a war crime that should be addressed by the
international legal system created precisely for such events. More
bombs, more violence, more war will only undercut the ICC and further
weaken international humanitarian law.
While
the Xi and Putin caravan reenacts the spirit of the Silk Road, the dogs
of war keep barking; and informed public opinion everywhere starts to
consider the possibility that Obama, by not assuming full responsibility
for what he said, and blaming "the world," may also be a coward. So,
the dogs of war bark and the emerging-powers caravan ... keeps on
trucking.
By David Swanson
The Bill Congress Should Pass Instead of War Here's a preliminary draft of what the United States Congress could pass this week if it were sincerely interested in human rights, international norms, the rule of law, and peace in Syria.
While
attention is focused on Syria, food stamps for the nation's poor are
being cut. House Republicans would eliminate food stamps for more than
800,000 Americans who now receive them but still do not get enough to
eat or have only a barely adequate diet. Funds for the nation's poorest
schools are being slashed. While attention is focused on Syrian,
low-income housing is disappearing.
Opednews is a mainly progressive site, so the answer to this poll may not surprise many people, but then again, maybe they will.
John Kerry is looking a bit different lately, and people are talking about it.
This
article is a reflection upon the work of environmental activist and
writer, Derrick Jensen. It furthermore equates the cycles of abuse to
the way in which corporations/banks maintain control in the dominant
culture throughout the world.
Has
China overinvested in high speed rail? Anecdotal stories of empty train
stations (paywall) in far-off provinces have led some to conclude that
high-speed rail is just another Chinese white elephant--an investment
without a cause. But the recent experience with high-speed rail belies
this narrative, and a closer look at the data reveals that high-speed
rail has...
The
2013 Climate CoLab popular vote winners in the electricity category
were Integral fast fission reactors and funding nuclear fusion projects
that could succeed within ten years. The goal of the Climate CoLab is to
harness the collective intelligence of thousands of people from all
around the world to address global climate change.
This
short piece suggests some powerful new "American" sound bites to get
Washington's ear right now about alternatives to Mr. Obama's "bomb
Syria" plan. Also included are links to resources about alternatives and
a note about this being the breakthrough point for a new global norm
about avoiding war as enforcement for international law.
God
told Andre Thomas to kill his estranged wife and two daughters, and to
gouge his own eyes out. Thomas obliged. He is currently awaiting
execution in Huntsville, Texas. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
deemed that Thomas is "clearly 'crazy' but ...also 'sane' under TX law."
Putting out one's own eye, called "auto-enucleation," is virtually
always associated with severe psychosis.
President
Obama has reframed his position on Syria, adjusting the Red Line
metaphor: It wasn't his Red Line, not his responsibility for drawing it.
It was the Red Line drawn by the world, by the international community
-- both legally by international treaty, and morally by universal
revulsion against the use of poison gas by Assad. metaphors can kill.
Former
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) joined MSNBC's Alex Wagner on Thursday for a
wide-ranging and contentious interview focused on President Barack
Obama's push for American intervention in the Syrian civil war. What
followed was a tense and heated exchange between the two ideologically
unaligned figures about the need for intervention in Syria, American
foreign policy in general, and Paul's speaking before "anti-Semitic"
groups.
Senior staff working for the body responsible for paying out compensation
By Andrew Schmookler
Bad Combination: Abuse of Power over Prisoners and America's Misguided "War on Drugs" My wife April, with other climate change activists, recently committed an act of civil disobedience that brought her to experience some of the workings of the "system of justice" in Washington, D.C. I focus here on one part of her experience: that being arrested for ANYTHING in D.C. apparently strips an American citizen of the right against unreasonable search: despite no "probable cause," all prisoners must pass a drug test.
Citing
increased threats to American citizens as the United States debates
military action in Syria, the Obama administration on Friday ordered
non-essential personnel out of its embassy in neighboring Lebanon. The
State Department said it also would allow non-essential staff and their
families to leave other key regional diplomatic outposts in Turkey and
Iraq.
The U.S. media avoids discussions on who was really responsible for the chemical weapons used in Syria.
A
federal inquiry is seeking to determine whether an outside "super PAC"
coordinated strategy with Representative Michele Bachmann's campaign
staff in violation of election laws. Bachmann is already the subject of a
House Ethics Committee investigation into her campaign finances and
allegations her staff was improperly used to promote her political
biography, "Core of Conviction."
By Franklin Lamb
Damascus Notes: Late Night "Town Meetings" before the American Attack One can only wish the Syrian people well and join with them and all people of good will--as many Christians and, reportedly, more Muslims, will do--for the day of fasting and prayer that His Holiness Pope Francis has called to be observed on September 7, 2013.
The
most comprehensive study on Obamacare to date finds that Americans'
insurance premiums under the health law will be "lower than expected."
Many Americans will pay even less than the top-line rates after
factoring in government subsidies for their health coverage, with some
paying nothing at all for crucial medical coverage.
By Dave Lindorff
Hopeful and disturbing signs in an unscientific neighborhood survey: Anti-War Conservatives and War-Monger Liberals 
Conservative
voters are no longer knee-jerk proponents of America's wars and empire.
Now it's liberals who could back the next war, writes TCBH! journalist
Dave Lindorff
By Herbert Calhoun
What Kind of Progress is Black Progress in America? Commentary on MSNBC's Al Sharpton hosted program celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King's "I have a Dream" Speech.
All
we're missing is a reference to "known knowns" and a laser pointer and
we could be back at any DoD briefing, circa 2003. Who can forget all the
bat squeeze uttered by Rumsfeld and his minions about the "limited,
focused, brief" strike on Iraq? Remember his prediction that the
military involvement would last days, perhaps weeks, but not months?
By
setting in motion a possibly catastrophic plan to bomb Syria, President
Obama has created what amounts to a "doomsday machine" that could
detonate if not disarmed by a breakthrough on peace talks. Obama is
gambling that Saudi opposition to negotiations can be neutralized first
Latest Articles
Why the GOP is suddenly the Party of Peace
The stunning number of GOP law makers that are vehemently opposed to US war making against Syria has been nothing less than astounding. Lame duck Minnesota GOP congressperson Michelle Bachman's flat out assertion that Syrian intervention would be a bad call and the US is war weary seemed to punctuate much of the GOP's new thinking about war. The eye-catching part of their sudden remake as the party of caution, even peace, can'
"Saving" Animals at Any Cost Can Be a Dangerous Proposition
Making animal shelters "no-kill" is certainly a worthy goal. But halting euthanasia at shelters before reducing the number of animals who are born creates more problems than it solves and leaves many animals to suffer a fate far worse than a painless death.
Does America's appetite for war mean a susceptibility to a smooth sales talk?
A brief talk with Congressman Neugebauer concerning housing deregulation and it's effects on Whistleblower protection,
The Case for Impeaching Obama
Article discusses reasons for impeaching Obama. He's part of an out-of-control executive branch which is taking the nation into illegal wars abroad and crushing civil liberties at home.
Move to Amend is listening--in a good way!
The NSA aren't the only ones listening; Move to Amend is conducting a nationwide community canvass and listening project to learn directly from our friends and neighbors what their issues of concern are. Move to Amend is listening because we want to connect our work to what people care about, we believe that people's voices matter in a democracy, and because only engaged citizens can counter corporate rule.
Syria: One Crisis Too Many
Polls indicate that Americans aren't in favor of military intervention in Syria. That's certainly true out here on the left coast. It's not that we don't care about Syria's humanitarian crisis; it's that we've run out of energy. America is in crisis overload.
The
Obama Doctrine has bombed not only the current G20 but in fact any
possibility of a diplomatic solution for the Syrian tragedy. Now the
"slap" is morphing into an iron glove, hijacked by the war lobby in
Capitol Hill via the Orwellian rhetoric of "change the momentum in the
battlefield" -- code for what this has always been about from the
beginning: regime change.
The
clock is ticking, with President Obama and Secretary Kerry frantically
selling a war that the American people don't want to buy. If Congress
goes ahead and approves military action, they -- unlike their British
counterparts -- will fail to represent the people who elected them.
Hallelujah
and hosannas, God works in such mysterious ways! And the next wondrous
aspect is that unity comes so far with zero bloodshed, no stomping
imperial boots, and no expense in cruise missile billions in a waste of
shame.
Congress
must obey the will of the people and realities of restraint by stopping
the authorization to attack Syria. The House of Representatives is the
place to stop the madness.
Does
the American public have the strength of character to face the fact
that the US government stands before the entire world revealed as a
collection of war criminals who lie every time that they open their
mouths? Will Congress and the American public buy the White House lie
that they must support war criminals and liars or "America will lose
face"?
The
American people have a right to a full release and vetting of all facts
before their elected representatives are asked to make a decision of
great consequence for America, Syria and the world. Congress must be
provided answers prior to the vote, in open hearings, not in closed
sessions where information can be manipulated in the service of war.
We've been there before. It's called Iraq.
There's
an elephant in the room no one wants to talk about when it comes to
debating whether or not to bomb Syria. There's more than
"accountability" going on here. The elephant is Israel.
In
the history of the U.S., going back to the 19th century, there have
been a number of instances of false flag or possible false flag events
that have taken the nation into a foreign war. There have also been a
number of instances, also going back to the 19th century, in which the
U.S. has used chemical/biological weapons. This column briefly examines
some of these instances.
The
speaker of the US House of Representatives has turned down a proposal
to meet with Russian MPs to discuss the situation in Syria. The Duma
members plan to visit Washington next week to persuade their American
counterparts not to attack Syria. But Russian MPs plan to pay a visit to
the Capitol Hill anyway and are currently busy verifying who exactly
will be in the delegation.
US
and British intelligence agencies have successfully cracked much of the
online encryption relied upon by hundreds of millions of people to
protect the privacy of their personal data, online transactions and
emails, according to top-secret documents revealed by former contractor
Edward Snowden.
By Justin Samuels
The Launch of AAFL TV - Bold, New and Deliciously Diverse! AA Film Lab launches AAFL TV, to promote ethnic and gender diversity.
Paragons deserve to be celebrated, criminals deserve to be punished, and determinists need to get a clue.
The
commemoration of the 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom"
was a moving, honorable event, but was it symbolism without substance?
This commentary asserts that we witnessed a "21st Century event with
20th Century messages."
The
rapid growth of rooftop solar instillations has caught the attention of
electric utility corporations who see both an unfair advantage and a
potential threat to their business model. The current debate may shape
energy policy and the race for renewable, carbon free energy for years
to come.
again
poem
What
government would conduct business with a war criminal government? It is
up to the governments of the world to make it clear to Washington that
the US government is not above the law and will be held accountable.
The
large majority of the American people say no, absolutely not; they are
joined by a similar majority of the International Community who are in
total agreement. Pitted against the wishes of the people of the world,
President Obama and the Military-Industrial Complex (MIC) are not the
least deterred as they march in lockstep into yet another U.S. military
debacle.
Iraq
and Libya have been taken out, and Iran has been heavily boycotted.
Syria is now in the cross-hairs. Why? Here is one overlooked scenario . .
. .
Most
international communities seem to be unaware of the support given by
the U.S., a few EU countries and Israel to the al-Qaeda-affiliated
Islamic terrorist organizations of Jabhat al-Nusrah, the Islamic State
of Iraq, and al-Shām, which committed the September 11 crimes and killed
thousands of Americans in the Iraq war.
What's
so awkward about Fox pressing Rumsfeld on the U.S. sending "mixed
signals" is Rumsfeld himself had offered a "hand of friendship" to
Iraq's dictator at the time when Hussein was engaging in the use of
banned chemical weapons -- actions the Bush administration would later
cite as a justification for military strikes.
 Best News Links from the Web
Victor
Jara's family says it has solved the mystery of who killed the Chilean
folk singer. They have filed a civil suit against a former army officer
who they claim tortured Jara to death in 1973.
An
Indian author whose memoir about her dramatic escape from the Taliban
became a Bollywood movie was shot dead by militants in Afghanistan,
police said Thursday. Sushmita Banerjee, also known as Sushmita
Bandhopadhya, was killed outside her home in Paktika province. Her body
was found Thursday, dumped outside a madrasa, or religious school, in
the outskirts of Sharana city, the provincial capital.
A
Russian warship carrying "special cargo" will be dispatched toward
Syria, a navy source said, as the Kremlin beefs up its presence in the
region ahead of possible US strikes against the Damascus regime. The
source did not specify the nature of the cargo. Russia has kept a
constant presence in the eastern Mediterranean during the Syrian crisis.
In recent days Russia has made steps to beef up its naval grouping in
the region.
The
G-20 summit ended worse than expected on Friday -- with acrimony,
division and name-calling over Syria. The conference, which was
originally conceived as an economic forum, also failed to deliver
results on global recovery.
A
federal judge on Wednesday ordered four Iraqis who were imprisoned at
the infamous Abu Ghraib prison to pay nearly $14,000 in legal fees to
defense contractor CACI, an Arlington, Va.-based company that supplied
interrogators to the U.S. government during the Iraq War. The decision
in favor of CACI stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the former prisoners in
2008, alleging that CACI employees directed the torture of prisoners at
Abu Ghraib.
With
his decision to seek congressional approval for an attack, Obama
created a political whirlpool. He exacerbated the growing schism on the
right that pits tea party isolationists--led by possible presidential
candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Marco
Rubio (R-Fla.), other likely 2016ers, rushing to catch up--versus the
coalition of hawks commanded by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and neocons
who yearn for a deeper and larger intervention in Syria than the
president envisions. That's the good news for the White House. The bad
news is that the president has sparked the same thing on his own side.
The
US and Russia have not bridged their differences over the issue of
possible military action in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said
military intervention would destabilize the Middle East and would be
"counter-productive." Mr Obama argued action was required even when the
Security Council was paralyzed, as the international consensus against
the use of chemical weapons had to be upheld.
Researchers
calculate that intense heat like that in the summer of 2012 is up to
four times more likely to occur now than in pre-industrial America, when
there was much less carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. [Knock, knock,
knock, on White House door: "Anybody home?"]
Protecting
key regions that comprise just 17 percent of Earth's land may help
preserve more than two-thirds of its plant species, according to a
scientists. [It often amazes me how simple human changes could save so
much--corridors connections various habitats, nesting boxes in certain
places, no wake zones for loon nesting, water that could be easily and
cheaply supplied in certain places, small protected borders around
farms, and so on. The list goes on and on and we foolishly fail to act
on this knowledge.]
It's
been five years since the fall of Lehman Brothers and the start of an
immense failure of economic policy in the United States. It's important
to realize how badly policy failed and continues to fail. Right now,
Washington seems divided between Republicans who denounce any kind of
government action -- who insist that all the policies and programs that
mitigated the crisis actually made it worse -- and Obama loyalists who
insist that they did a great job because the world didn't totally melt
down.
Port
Arthur, Texas, is an oil town, home to massive refineries that process
900,000 barrels of crude oil each day, occasionally burping up columns
of thick black smoke. It's where the proposed Keystone XL pipeline --
after pulling tar sands down from Alberta, Canada, and across the
American midwest -- would end. And its residents are sick and dying.
Jeb
Bush is set to present Hillary Clinton with the National Constitution
Center Liberty Medal on September 10. "Former Secretary Clinton has
dedicated her life to serving and engaging people across the world in
democracy," Bush said, in statement released in June. "These efforts as a
citizen, an activist, and a leader have earned Secretary Clinton this
year's Liberty Medal." As the date of the presentation nears, Tea
Partiers -- unsurprisingly -- are apoplectic that the former secretary
of state, senator and First Lady of the United States and Arkansas is
receiving an honor previously awarded to Sandra Day O'Connor, George
H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Newly
revealed documents show that the NSA has circumvented or cracked much
of the encryption that automatically secures the emails, Web searches,
Internet chats and phone calls of Americans and others around the world.
The National Security Agency is winning its long-running secret war on
encryption, using supercomputers, technical trickery, court orders and
behind-the-scenes persuasion to undermine the major tools protecting the
privacy of everyday communications in the Internet age, according to
newly disclosed documents.
In
the last few minutes of her MSNBC show Wednesday night, Rachel Maddow
took a look at some of the architects of the Iraq War who have been
coming out of the woodwork over the last few weeks to weigh in on the
Syria debate. Maddow had a strong message for people like Donald
Rumsfeld, who have questioned President Obama's decision: Your opinion
is no longer required.
Congressional
Democrats, torn over involving the United States in another
unpredictable Middle East war, are emerging as a major barrier to
President Obama's plan to strike Syria. Democrats say they are
confronted with a difficult choice: go against the wishes of President
Obama or defy voters who are overwhelmingly opposed to involving the
United States in another unpredictable Middle East war.
U.S.
President Barack Obama faced growing pressure from world leaders on
Thursday not to launch military strikes in Syria at a summit on the
global economy that was hijacked by the conflict. Obama arrived in
Russia's former imperial capital with a showdown looming at a dinner
hosted by President Vladimir Putin, with a debate on Syria the main
course on the menu.
This
is a particularly bad time to sell the American people a war, and make
no mistake: we are being sold, and this "military action," in another
time and place -- and in some quarters, here and now -- would be called
an act of war. Americans are not only weary of war, they're weary of the
politicians who commit us to it.
VIDEO:
As the United States debates whether to support the Obama
administration's proposal that Syrian forces should be attacked for
using chemical weapons against civilians, this video, shot in April,
joins a growing body of evidence of an increasingly criminal environment
populated by gangs of highwaymen, kidnappers and killers. Much of the
concern among American officials has focused on two groups that
acknowledge ties to Al Qaeda. These groups -- the Nusra Front and the
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria -- have attracted foreign jihadis, used
terrorist tactics and vowed to create a society in Syria ruled by their
severe interpretation of Islamic law.
|
