Daily Headlines
In life and history- even in horror rise very distinct examples every person and people hope they could be like.
What if you graded presidents, not on personality or style or popularity, but on how many deaths they caused or prevented?
With Republicans abandoning the middle as toxic, how will this effect the electability of GOP candidates?
The world is experiencing dej vu as nations watch Israel's ongoing oppression and suppression of the people of Palestine that is, once again, taking a very tenuous situation and escalating it into a bloodbath. It does not take much for the Israeli government to erupt and unleash its massive power on people who now have become little more than sitting ducks in a shooting gallery.
In 1992, a 44-year-old attorney made the following assertion: "For goodness' sake, you can't be a lawyer if you don't represent banks."
here's the "secret" of Operation Protect the Zionists, sorry, Protective Edge: without smashing Hamas, which controls Gaza, Israel cannot drill off the Gaza coast. For Bibi as well as the Knesset, the possibility that the Palestinians could have access to their own gas-generated wealth is an absolute red line. Israel lords over all Palestinian natural resources -- land, water and energy.
A propaganda campaign was waged by the Israeli government to whip the population into a frenzy of revenging bloodlust over the "missing boys" -- even as Netanyahu and his minions knew full well the boys were dead. These efforts were redoubled after the bodies were found, and of course led to the notorious murder of a Palestinian teenager by Israeli youths inflamed by the government's cold-blooded manipulations.
There's a lot to love about America and its people: their pioneering spirit, their entrepreneurship, their ability to think outside the box, their passion for the arts, etc. Increasingly, however, as time goes by, I find the things I don't like about living in a nation that has long since ceased to be a sanctuary for freedom are beginning to outnumber the things I love.
By Glenn Greenwald
Newly Obtained Emails Contradict Administration Claims on Guardian Laptop Destruction
Newly Obtained Emails Contradict Administration Claims on Guardian Laptop Destruction
Emails just obtained by Associated Press pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request (FOIA) prove that senior Obama national security officials -- including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and then-NSA chief Keith Alexander -- not only knew in advance that U.K. officials intended to force The Guardian to destroy their computers, but overtly celebrated it.
Human society is organized in a manner inconsistent with reality. Trillions of tons of frozen methane in the Arctic Ocean will be vented in the near future due to warming ocean temperatures. If this happens, we go extinct. Yet, we do nothing...
By Rev. Dan Vojir
When Icons Go All Commie-Pinko: Archie Goes Out With A Bang For Social Justice And Gun Control
When Icons Go All Commie-Pinko: Archie Goes Out With A Bang For Social Justice And Gun Control
Archie. Social Justice. Gun Control. It doesn't get more current than this.
By David Swanson
If Iraq Were in Central America
Most people in the United States don't realize how convenient it has been to have millions of Iraqis made homeless so far away from the United States, fleeing to places like Syria, and then fleeing Syria when it's Syria's turn to be destroyed.
If Iraq Were in Central America
Most people in the United States don't realize how convenient it has been to have millions of Iraqis made homeless so far away from the United States, fleeing to places like Syria, and then fleeing Syria when it's Syria's turn to be destroyed.
With Apple's longtime PR chief Katie Cotton now in retirement, Apple is on the prowl for a replacement and Carney is in the running for the position, reports Re/code. According to the report, Carney is also being considered for a position at Uber, which is currently seeking a communications expert with political chops to help in its fight against the deeply entrenched taxi industry.
Rupert Murdoch is chairman and CEO of News Corporation, one of the world's largest media conglomerates, which includes Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. Since launching The Australian newspaper 50 years ago he has also become one of the richest people in the world. In a wide-ranging interview aired Sunday in Australia to mark this 50-year anniversary, Murdoch reflected candidly on climate change, saying he thought it should be approached with great skepticism. Murdoch is far more concerned with his bottom line than that of emissions. "We can be the low-cost energy country in the world," he said. "We shouldn't be building windmills and all that rubbish."
On July 15, Ladypartsjustice.com becomes the first #NSFW comedy and information hub exposing the creepy anti-choice laws that keep infesting our country.
Discussion of how the technological and the human are quietly merging in ways with profound repercussions for the future of our species.
Kill Team is not just a video game anymore, not just the inevitable pairing of two of the most popular words in American English. "Kill Team" is now a movie, and against the odds it's not a celebration of killing, but a particular take on an actual series of events made widely known by Rolling Stone.
Paul Thomas on Arne Duncan and the Myth of Low Expectations
Paul Thomas here reviews many of the public statements of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and finds a common theme: the cause of low test scores is low expectations. If only society, the schools, and parents had higher expectations, no child would be left behind, no child would ever get low test scores, children.Embedded in this claim is the strange belief that poverty, hunger, homelessness, racism, and other social maladies have no effect on students' ability to learn in school. Thomas refers to a list of popular but misguided beliefs that Duncan loves to repeat because they support his narrative of blaming teachers, parents, and schools:
Paul Thomas here reviews many of the public statements of Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and finds a common theme: the cause of low test scores is low expectations. If only society, the schools, and parents had higher expectations, no child would be left behind, no child would ever get low test scores, children.Embedded in this claim is the strange belief that poverty, hunger, homelessness, racism, and other social maladies have no effect on students' ability to learn in school. Thomas refers to a list of popular but misguided beliefs that Duncan loves to repeat because they support his narrative of blaming teachers, parents, and schools:
By Jay Janson
Complain? No! Stop Israel's Genocide! Demand Special Nuremberg Court! Netanyahu Arrest!
Complain? No! Stop Israel's Genocide! Demand Special Nuremberg Court! Netanyahu Arrest!
Working, with former US Attorney General Ramsey Clark's support, to seed confidence that Nuremberg Principles law will soon come down on citizens of US, of NATO nations and the still contested state of Israel, which exists primarily on seized, stolen and ethnically cleansed land, are freaking sick of reading, even during ongoing genocide, excellently and professionally written, moralistic journalism of horror and helplessness
States where hydraulic fracturing is taking place have seen a surge in earthquake activity, raising suspicions that the unconventional drilling method could be to blame, especially the wells where the industry disposes of its wastewater. Oklahoma has recorded nearly 250 small-to-medium earthquakes since January, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Geological Survey. That's close to half of all the magnitude 3 or higher earthquakes recorded this year in the continental United States.
How does one respond to such disfiguring logic such as that of Louie Gohmert? One can't, really. One can only scratch one's head and marvel at whatever substance is in Texas' drinking water (fracking fluid?) that produces such a bumper crop of half-wits who populate the state's political system.
How does one stay sane in a world gone mad? Where narcissism is celebrated as a desired trait, and acting like a sociopath is considered the best way to get ahead in business. Selfishness is the one consistent symptom in all mental illness, so common we have to ask if it is not a form of neurosis in itself. We may never know: societies based on selfishness don't survive for long.
The latest revelations of US spying on Germany have unleashed unprecedented levels of distrust in Berlin. The government has already expelled the CIA's chief here and may soon be planning additional measures as it seeks answers from Washington. It remains an open question whether the step will be enough and if it will make a lasting impression on the Americans. Further curiosities from the mysterious world of espionage have already come to light, with new rumors circulating almost daily in Berlin's government district.
Kansas' Ruinous Tax Cuts - NYTimes editorial board
There was a windstorm of hasty excuses in recent weeks after Kansas reported that it took in $338 million less than expected in the 2014 fiscal year and would have to dip heavily into a reserve fund. Spending wasn't cut enough, said conservatives. Too many rich people sold off stock in the previous year, state officials said. It's the price of creating jobs, said Gov. Sam Brownback.None of those reasons were correct. There was only one reason for the state's plummeting revenues, and that was the spectacularly ill-advised income tax cuts that Mr. Brownback and his fellow Republicans engineered in 2012 and 2013. The cuts, which largely benefited the wealthy, cost the state 8 percent of the revenue it needs for schools and other government services.
There was a windstorm of hasty excuses in recent weeks after Kansas reported that it took in $338 million less than expected in the 2014 fiscal year and would have to dip heavily into a reserve fund. Spending wasn't cut enough, said conservatives. Too many rich people sold off stock in the previous year, state officials said. It's the price of creating jobs, said Gov. Sam Brownback.None of those reasons were correct. There was only one reason for the state's plummeting revenues, and that was the spectacularly ill-advised income tax cuts that Mr. Brownback and his fellow Republicans engineered in 2012 and 2013. The cuts, which largely benefited the wealthy, cost the state 8 percent of the revenue it needs for schools and other government services.
This article attempts to place in context the political and historical objectives of the Freedom Summer -- how it happened and what was the minimum achievement, while also discussing how that achievement has been significantly eroded, with the 2000 Florida electoral debacle being the mot important indicators of reverse polarity. We are going backwards.
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee admitted today that Republicans have no grounds for articles of impeachment against President Obama. Republicans have been calling for this president to be impeached for things that George W. Bush did. Currently, some Republicans want to impeach Obama for Bush's immigration policy. It never stops, but the Boehner lawsuit has thrown gasoline on the fire. Instead of calming the impeachment talk, House Republicans have made things exponentially worse with their lawsuit scheme.
By carol wolman, MD
Why Japan should resign as host of 2020 Summer Olympics
There is a huge risk that the world's finest young athletes and their fans will be exposed to radiation from Fukushima Daiichi in 2020. The Japanese should face reality and honorably retreat from hosting the Games, so they can be resited in a timely manner.
Why Japan should resign as host of 2020 Summer Olympics
There is a huge risk that the world's finest young athletes and their fans will be exposed to radiation from Fukushima Daiichi in 2020. The Japanese should face reality and honorably retreat from hosting the Games, so they can be resited in a timely manner.
By Tom Engelhardt
Todd Miller, Bill of Rights Rollback in the U.S. Borderlands
You're not in the United States. Oh sure, look around at the fog lifting over the New England countryside or the diamond deserts of Arizona, but this land isn't your land, not anymore. It's a place controlled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and your constitutional rights do not apply on their territory.
Todd Miller, Bill of Rights Rollback in the U.S. Borderlands
You're not in the United States. Oh sure, look around at the fog lifting over the New England countryside or the diamond deserts of Arizona, but this land isn't your land, not anymore. It's a place controlled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and your constitutional rights do not apply on their territory.
Comparing Greenbacking - a system of Debt-free money - to Modern Monetary Theory of money.
By Herbert Calhoun
Did the Founding fathers fail their own litmus test for freedom?
This is a review of Jack Rakove's Pulitzer-winning Book, "Revolutionaries," with commentaries of the reviewer about the meaning of the freedom the Founding fathers actually fought for.
Did the Founding fathers fail their own litmus test for freedom?
This is a review of Jack Rakove's Pulitzer-winning Book, "Revolutionaries," with commentaries of the reviewer about the meaning of the freedom the Founding fathers actually fought for.
Latest Articles
My thoughts and open letter to President Barack Obama in regards to crises in Gaza.
There is no "peace process."/ There is peace and the absence of peace--/ The gnawing hunger for it,/ The desperation of the vanquished.
When Germany and Argentina square off in the Word Cup Final, the whole world will be watching the culmination of what may be the most exciting FIFA World Cup Tournament ever. What most people are unaware of, however, is the brutal conditions that FIFA creates to pull off the games.
When it becomes clear that the Palestinians once again have not become dormant and passive, Israel will take another step, more radical than the last. The "process of destruction" will be stopped only from outside Israel. Israel, captive to the process, is incapable of imposing self-restraint. A mass movement demanding boycotts, divestment and sanctions is the only hope now for the Palestinian people.
Engelhardt, The Age of Impunity
For America's national security state, this is the age of impunity. Nothing it does -- torture, kidnapping, assassination, illegal surveillance, you name it -- will ever be brought to court. For none of its beyond-the-boundaries acts will anyone be held accountable.
For America's national security state, this is the age of impunity. Nothing it does -- torture, kidnapping, assassination, illegal surveillance, you name it -- will ever be brought to court. For none of its beyond-the-boundaries acts will anyone be held accountable.
Ukraine's President Poroshenko threatened to kill "scores" to "hundreds" of resistance soldiers after his forces suffered a major defeat. Now we have reports of Nazi style killings of women and children.
Over the past 24 hours, UNRWA has opened a number of its schools as emergency shelters for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), the organization said on its website. Five shelters have been open in Gaza since 8 a.m. local time, and 2,000 people have already sought refuge.
By targeting Palestinians in general, they will come to feel they are all hated and targeted regardless of whether they have anything to do with this crime. They will all come to hate us even more. Those who were repulsed by this terrible crime will likely stop feeling any sympathy for the families of the dead, because of the violence they will be facing.
A Finger in My Soup
I'd heard of such horror stories and assumed they were mostly fictional or concocted as the bases for lawsuits, and then I was actually served a bowl of soup that had a finger in it.
I'd heard of such horror stories and assumed they were mostly fictional or concocted as the bases for lawsuits, and then I was actually served a bowl of soup that had a finger in it.
Twenty-five percent of the kids at the center of the current border crisis are from Honduras. We need to look at the history and not pump up the military at the border. We need a more human border.
Antiwar Song, "Candyland" protests pro-war propaganda
"Candyland", Antiwar song by singer songwriter Tabitha Elkins, creates online buzz
"Candyland", Antiwar song by singer songwriter Tabitha Elkins, creates online buzz
If and when the American empire engages in combat with China or Russia, it appears that Washington will be able to count on their Japanese brothers-in-arms. In the meantime, the many US bases in Japan serve as part of the encirclement of China, and during the Vietnam War the United States used their Japanese bases as launching pads to bomb Vietnam.
The beauty of our country's present system of government is that anyone is perfectly free to buy a member of Congress. Isn't that what democracy is all about? Take the Koch brothers. Of course, these multibillionaire industrialists prefer to buy everything in bulk, and they've spent millions of dollars to purchase a whole flock of Republican Congress critters.
Large corporate capitalism is a breed apart from smaller scale capitalism. The former can often avoid marketplace verdicts through corporate welfare, strip owner-shareholders of power over the top company bosses and offload the cost of their pollution, tax escapes and other "externalities" onto the backs of innocent people.
Much of the violence driving thousands of unaccompanied children from Honduras to the U.S. can be traced to the past decades of U.S. military and economic interference in Honduras, including ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's support for a 2009 coup, Adrienne Pine tells Dennis J Bernstein.
Israeli politicians across the political spectrum appear to support the attack on Gaza. ...the left has organised several protests, fifty people here a hundred people there, and, while often this is how resistance begins, it is not clear how, within the current atmosphere, these sober voices will amount to anything. It is a time of deep despair for all those who envision a different and brighter future for this land.
American Democracy is in full crisis & approaching civil unrest. Crowdsourcing just might be the answer to fixing our broken, corrupted political institutions & avoiding violence.
The good news for Clinton objectors is Maher's warning shots, and far better advice, will fall on deaf, tin ears. Only destiny and higher powers, as in Greek tragedies, thwarts the Clintons' high drama. Maher ignores what makes Hillary run: not great legislative feats, nor leading great reform movements, nor diplomatic breakthroughs (conspicuous throughout by their absence) but unshaken, unmatched, gritty endurance.
Wiriting the New York Times, Samuel G. Freedman, a Jewish journalism professor at Columbia University, calls attention to two Supreme Court 5-4 decisions involving supposed religious liberties: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby and Greece v. Galloway. In both cases, the five Justices in the majority were the five male Catholic Justices on the Supreme Court. These two cases raise the disturbing possibility that they are theocons.
Best News Links from the Web
The UK intelligence agency GCHQ has developed sophisticated tools to manipulate online polls, spam targets with SMS messages, track people by impersonating spammers and monitor social media postings, according to newly-published documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. The documents -- which were published on First Look Media with accompanying analysis from Glenn Greenwald -- disclose a range of GCHQ "effects" programs aimed at tracking targets, spreading information, and manipulating online debates and statistics.
Md. student test scores drop significantly as state shifts to Common Core
"Reading and math scores on state tests for Maryland elementary and middle school students have dropped to their lowest levels in seven years, according to a Washington Post analysis of 2014 test data released Friday. Some Maryland officials expected the drop because schools are transitioning to new national academic standards that do not align with the tests.State and county educators said the across-the-board decline on the final Maryland School Assessment (MSA) was largely a result of the state's move to a curriculum aligned with the Common Core State Standards. "Students' scores had been steadily inching up until 2013, when there were sharp declines in reading and math scores, a slide that continued this year.
"Reading and math scores on state tests for Maryland elementary and middle school students have dropped to their lowest levels in seven years, according to a Washington Post analysis of 2014 test data released Friday. Some Maryland officials expected the drop because schools are transitioning to new national academic standards that do not align with the tests.State and county educators said the across-the-board decline on the final Maryland School Assessment (MSA) was largely a result of the state's move to a curriculum aligned with the Common Core State Standards. "Students' scores had been steadily inching up until 2013, when there were sharp declines in reading and math scores, a slide that continued this year.
Since December of last year, JPMorgan Chase has been experiencing tragic, sudden deaths of workers on a scale which sets it alarmingly apart from other Wall Street mega banks. Adding to the concern generated by the deaths is the recent revelation that JPMorgan has an estimated $180 billion of life insurance in force on its current and former workers. Making worldwide news last week was the violent deaths of JPMorgan technology executive Julian Knott and his wife, Alita, ages 45 and 47, respectively, in Jefferson Township, New Jersey. However, two other recent, sudden deaths of technology workers at JPMorgan have gone unreported by the media.
This opinion piece appeared on Scholars & Rogues a little more than a year ago, and being that opinions often don't lose any luster, timeliness or effect after only a year, it might be something to ponder upon if you've ever encountered someone who's "made it without any help from the government at all." Written with a snarky and amused tone by the head cook and bottle washer of Scholars & Rogues, it's one of my favorite opinion pieces of all time. It's funny, clever, and oh, so true. Enjoy!
Help Joshua Katz Take Back Our Democracy in Florida!
Remember seeing Joshua Katz's fabulous TED talk, where he lacerated the fake reformers who are assailing hard-working teachers, smothering children with standardized tests, and privatizing public education for fun and profit. Josh is a math teacher in Orange County, Florida. and he is running for school board in Orange County,That board is thinking of bringing in TFA. They need a real educator on the board. "He shows how our present "toxic culture of education" is hurting kids, stigmatizing them as early as third grade by high-stakes standardized testing, while the vendors get rich."He connects the dots: the testing corporations get rich while our children suffer. He names names: Pearson, McGraw-Hill, ALEC, and more.The high-stakes tests demoralize many children, label them as worthless, demand "rigor," while ignoring the children before us, their needs and their potential. READ & help..
Remember seeing Joshua Katz's fabulous TED talk, where he lacerated the fake reformers who are assailing hard-working teachers, smothering children with standardized tests, and privatizing public education for fun and profit. Josh is a math teacher in Orange County, Florida. and he is running for school board in Orange County,That board is thinking of bringing in TFA. They need a real educator on the board. "He shows how our present "toxic culture of education" is hurting kids, stigmatizing them as early as third grade by high-stakes standardized testing, while the vendors get rich."He connects the dots: the testing corporations get rich while our children suffer. He names names: Pearson, McGraw-Hill, ALEC, and more.The high-stakes tests demoralize many children, label them as worthless, demand "rigor," while ignoring the children before us, their needs and their potential. READ & help..
Another teachers union ding for Arne Duncan - Allie Grasgreen - POLITICO.com
The American Federation of Teachers approved a resolution this afternoon calling for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to resign if he does not improve under a plan to be implemented by President Barack Obama. After much debate, the union also approved a resolution deriding corporate profiteering, invalid scoring systems and administrative mishaps of in the Common Core, but ultimately supporting the "spirit" of the standards.
The American Federation of Teachers approved a resolution this afternoon calling for Education Secretary Arne Duncan to resign if he does not improve under a plan to be implemented by President Barack Obama. After much debate, the union also approved a resolution deriding corporate profiteering, invalid scoring systems and administrative mishaps of in the Common Core, but ultimately supporting the "spirit" of the standards.
After a European Court of Justice ruling denied the UK government the opportunity to introduce a Data Retention and Investigative Powers bill, the Prime Minister has convened a secret Cabinet meeting to pass the bill regardless as "fast-track" legislation. The bill is directed at telecommunications companies, demanding that their customers' data be held for 12 months. Law enforcement will hence have access to whatever "metadata" (information about when and where a text was sent, but not its content) they deem relevant to national security. In some cases, a "legal intercept" may also be performed, allowing police to listen in to phone calls and other private communications. This legislation will set a dangerous precedent for invasions of privacy by the state and disobedience in the face of international law. Reading up on the bill is a must for all who care about their civil liberties.
How many Americans know how health reform is going? For that matter, how many people in the news media are following the positive developments? I suspect that the answer to the first question is "Not many," while the answer to the second is "Possibly even fewer." The Affordable Care Act has faced nonstop attacks from partisans and right-wing media, with mainstream news also tending to harp on the act's troubles. Many of the attacks have involved predictions of disaster, none of which have come true. But absence of disaster doesn't make a compelling headline, and the people who falsely predicted doom just keep coming back with dire new warnings.
Amid a continuing scandal over the arrests of two German government workers for allegedly spying for the US, the country's chancellor, Angela Merkel, said on Saturday she was doubtful the US would ever stop spying on Germany. On Friday, a senior German official told the Guardian the country expected "something in public" from the US about spying activities regarding its ally, as the German people were "so outraged" on the issue. Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Josh Earnest seemed to play down the discussions of such issues in public when he said: "Countries with sophisticated intelligence agencies like the United States and Germany understand what intelligence activities and relationships entail.
The NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden has condemned the new surveillance bill being pushed through the UK's parliament this week, expressing concern about the speed at which it is being done, lack of public debate, fear-mongering and what he described as increased powers of intrusion. In an exclusive interview with the Guardian in Moscow, Snowden said it was very unusual for a public body to pass an emergency law such as this in circumstances other than a time of total war. "I mean we don't have bombs falling. We don't have U-boats in the harbour." Suddenly it is a priority, he said, after the government had ignored it for an entire year. "It defies belief."
After a busy few months trying to impeach Attorney General Eric Holder, increase carbon pollution, and wipe out limits on campaign contributions, Tea Party favorite Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is now working to sell off America's national forests, parks, and other public lands. The movement garnered national attention earlier this year with the help of Cliven Bundy, the Nevada rancher who spurred a standoff with federal officials after refusing to pay more than $1 million in grazing fees owed to taxpayers. Bundy notoriously refuses to acknowledge federal authority, telling CNN in April that "I'll be damned if this is the property of the United States. They have no business here."
Joint efforts by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and three other Western foreign ministers failed Sunday to advance faltering nuclear talks with Iran, with the target date for a deal only a week away. "There has been no breakthrough today," said British Foreign Secretary William Hague after meetings with Kerry and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and Iran.
The ratings for Meet The Press continue to crumble as the American people continue to show no interest in the pro-Republican Sunday morning show format. Many blamed David Gregory for this pro-Republican bias, but Republicans outnumbered Democrats 2 to 1 when Tim Russert hosted Meet The Press. The difference between Gregory and Russert is that Russert was better at giving off an air of objectivity, even if his show was fundamentally the same as Gregory's. David Gregory is just a symptom. The disease that will eventually kill Meet The Press is pro-Republican bias.
