Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea (tags)
Book review of Mark Blyth's "Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea," 304 pp, March 2013: "Slaves of Defunct Economists: Why politicians pursue austerity policies that never work" by Henry Farrel, Washington Monthly, Mar/Apr 2013
Media Lies and Misinformation on Bin Laden (tags)
media lies
Confessions of an Adopted Child (tags)
As an adopted child, I felt ideologically out of place. I wondered if a person could have a genetic predisposition towards particular moral values? Could DNA be a factor in a person's attraction to sports or sequined evening gowns?
Gallo does Bush inpersonation in court (tags)
I just got finished reading Bob Gallo's testimony in the Parenzee case. For all the good his testimony will do, the prosecution might as well have called George W. Bush to the stand. I get the feeling that Gallo unwittingly associated himself with Bush in the eyes of the court.
Repost of NBC News story on Pentagon spying (tags)
The story says that they spied on last year protest in Hollywood
Scandal: Did Expatriate & SoldierVote COUNT? (tags)
U.S. CitiZeNs; ON The FrontLines Of Int. Relations- DID Expat. & SoldierVote get Left Behind? A Pivotal, Hotly contested 'election of a lifetime' spurring Worldwide interest saw OverSeas Voters registration increase fourfold as these Americans are the Country's spokespeople, and best face forward. Recalcitrant insistence on conflict creating perpetual war, was on the table for We Decide, you saw the BillBoards reminding US whose Will was to be measured- The People's! RiP van Winkle Voters came out of the woodwork, contributing herculean volunteer efforts & enthusiasm were unprecendented and encouraging. NEVER in U.S. Presidential politics have MASSIVE crowds shown up to endorse an incumbent. But to throw out, Reject malfeasence and Get Rid of incompetence! The 51st state, as American's abroad were called because of it's swing potential, an estimated 4million civilians and 500,000 military, of course many in dubious, difficult, dangerous and DeaDly situations, it's numbers giving it an impact larger than the 24 smallest states. Participation was cool this time, many expressing eager desire to voice their vote. Also though, a haunting anxiety that the systemic flaws characteristic of confusing procedures and snafus investigated by the GAO in previous efforts at smooth and fair election process run by a mosaic of federal & state agencies would DisCount NOT AcCount accurately the absentee Vote. Expatriates tend heavily liberal, outnumber military significantly and the soldiers especially rank and file were said to be more mixed, varied not so monolothic, or predictable as usually seen said veterans of multiple elections. However, the pentagon, which for some reason took over from the state department, the handling of ballots, was criticized for registration websites not working, unequal mishandling of the CivilianVote, absentee ballots mailed late in 8 of 15 swing states, ballots hard to get, too many hoops to jump through and doubts whether they would get back in time, count and be honored fairly as a private firm owned by a republican donor and of the reelection team, was handling ballots historically counted at local levels. Typically 8% of absentee votes are discarded, with Bush possibly winning the popular vote by 2-3%, HOW assured at Legit can we be? when you also ADD the percents lost of provisionals thrown out, the undervotes thrown out, unequal distribution of election hardware, not random in the stunting of turnout toward one of the choices, including GAINS from unreal certification of results with more votes than voters, when the long lines were in the democratic precints!. Registration going up, up, UP Machines going DOWN, down, down, DOH! What level of fraud is sufficient to BeSmirch Confidence? Reports below abound of systemic pre-election suppression and NOW BlackOut and silence of OverSeas results are Signs of a Sinister Scandal. These OverSeas American's are ambassadors, this vote should not be treated cavalierly but be traceable, honored and COUNTED, foreigners, frontlines in someone elses HomeLand, they REALLY understand Vote or Die. I asked my roomate for a historical quote which could speak to this unseemly realization, scenario we've allowed to happen? She said there is NONE, because it has never happened before. So I say, an UNprecendented, UNheard of, UNfair, UNacceptable, UNnatural Results can only be Remedied, Adjudicated, Balanced by SomeThing that hasn't happened before a NewVote to Ameliorate this WaterShed MoMent! POST AS COMMENTS WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, FOUND OUT, RESEARCHED ON THE ACCURACY & VALIDITY OF OVERSEAS VOTE COUNTS. NO SoldiersVote Left Behind.
The Future of America under the American-led Empire: A Realistic Sense of it. (tags)
That it is high-tech, well lighted, air conditioned and instantly gratifying in such a gratuitous fashion, will make it seem, to many, a benign kind of tyranny. A kind of benevolent beast. These four horsemen will seemingly come bearing new gifts for all.
‘ Science Fictions is about scientists behaving very, very badly. Crewdson’s research is thorough, his writing brisk.’ — Edmonton Journa
Understanding Neocon Strategy - Their "Big Picture" Vision (tags)
Ian Masters interviews Nicholas Confessore about the neocon's dream of creating a one party nation, and how this all fits into a bigger picture of shrinking government (except defense and corporate welfare), how Karl Rove and Grover Norquist fit into the picture, etc. Nicholas Confessore is the editor of the Washington Monthly, a highly respected academic journal published by a think-tank with mainstream and conservative board members like Brent Scowcroft. This is not marginal views from the left. These are mainstream views that sharply criticize the total insanity that is the George W. Bush junta.
THE PROJECT FOR THE NEW AMERICAN CENTURY (tags)
MoveOn Bulletin Friday, May 9, 2003
Practice to Deceive-- Chaos in the MiddleEast is not the Bush hawks' nightmare scenario-- (tags)
"In short, the administration is trying to roll the table--to use U.S. military force, or the threat of it, to reform or topple virtually every regime in the region, from foes like Syria to friends like Egypt, on the theory that it is the undemocratic nature of these regimes that ultimately breeds terrorism. So events that may seem negative--Hezbollah for the first time targeting American civilians; U.S. soldiers preparing for war with Syria--while unfortunate in themselves, are actually part of the hawks' broader agenda."
Weapons of Mass Deception (tags)
In the year and a half since September 11 the Bush administration has been waging an aggressive military campaign against real and perceived enemies, coupled with a public relations campaign to win the "hearts and minds" of the world. In Afghanistan, at least, the military campaign has shown some success. The public relations campaign, however, has been an embarrassing failure.
THE WEEKLY SPIN, Wednesday, March 5, 2003 --------------------------------------------------------------------- sponsored by PR WATCH (www.prwatch.org) ---------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO'S LYING? Gore or the Media? (tags)
Excerpt of a story on TomPaine.com (with link to full story.) Particularly worth noting is that Mollie Dickerson identifies specific reporters at the Washington Post and New York Times responsible for promoting these lies, just as Gene Lyons identified Jeff Gerth's role in promoting Whitewater lies years before Gerth set off the Wen Ho Lee witch-hunt.