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Archives: September 2012
Settler Violence and Ethnic Cleansing: Mahmoud Abbas at the UN on What Israel is doing to the Palestinians
Mahmoud Abbas complains of Israeli settler colonialism in the Palestinian West Bank and warns of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. The speech, at the UN General Assembly, did…Obama set precedent with Drone Killings for Romney to become Terminator-in-Chief (Ross)
Alice K. Ross writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: President Obama’s personal involvement in selecting the targets of covert drone strikes means he risks effectively handing a ‘loaded gun’ to Mitt…
Annals of Settler Colonialism (4) German Namiba #savagesunite
German officers arrive in Southwest Africa from Berlin to deal with the Herero, whose rebellion has died down. Ordinarily a colonial state would now move to negotiations. But Gen. von Trotter had…Alice Walker: Palestinians face Oppression Much worse than Jim Crow of Old South
On Amy Goodman's "Democracy Now!", celebrated novelist and Pulitzer-Prize winner Alice Walker points out that Palestinians in the Occupied Territories under Israeli control face conditions much worse than those suffered by African-Americans…
Netanyahu 2002: Iraq has Centrifuges ‘the size of Washing Machines’ to Produce A-Bomb
Israeli PM Binyamin "Chicken Little" Netanyahu tried to scaremonger about Iraq in 2002, as his contribution to the Anglo-American war of aggression on that country. "there is no question whatsoever," Netanyahu said,…
Annals of Settler Colonialism (3) German Namibia #savagesunite
The rebellion of some among the much-abused Herero people is transformed by the German authorities and settlers into a race war and a pretext for seizing their lands. The logic of settler…
It’s Psychological Warfare, Stupid: Why Netanyahu Really wants to Destroy Iran
The Israeli Likud Party's cover story for why it wants to draw the United States into a war with Iran makes no real sense. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has been predicting an…
Colbert Report: Obama’s Ottoman Conspiracy
Steve Colbert on Rep. Louie Gohmert's crackpot allegation that Obama is resurrecting the Ottoman Empire The Colbert Report Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive
Annals of Settler Colonialism (2) German Namibia #savagesunite
An advertising campaign by bigots in San Francisco and New York asks us to choose, in Israeli-occupied Gaza and the West Bank, between the "civilized man" and "savages." Likewise, the German Empire…
Is Paul Ryan right that Obama’s Foreign Policy is Blowing up in Our Faces?
Paul Ryan knows nothing about the world or foreign affairs. I presume he may have been abroad at some point somewhere. I don't know. As is usual in American politics, however, cavernous…
The Annals of Settler Colonialism: German Namibia (1) #savagesunite
Settler colonialism has a long and unsavory history and always involves displacing people from their land, driving them into penury, making and keeping them stateless, and, often, killing large numbers of them.…Surprise: US Drones Kill Civilians, Provoke Hatred (Woods)
Chris Woods writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Men, women and children are subjected to almost constant trauma – including fear of attack, severe anxiety, powerlessness, insomnia and high levels of…
Demonizing Muslims and the New McCarthyism (Bacevich)
Andrew J. Bacevich writes at Tomdispatch.com: First came the hullaballoo over the “Mosque at Ground Zero.” Then there was Pastor Terry Jones of Gainesville, Florida, grabbing headlines as he promoted “International Burn-a-Koran…
Has-Been, Lame Duck Ahmadinejad’s UN Speech is Empty Mugging for the Camera (Azad)
Armin Azad writes in a guest column for Informed Comment Dear Israel and America: Please don't feed the Troll On Wednesday September 26, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, will make further…President Obama’s Speech to the UN General Assembly
Transcript Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General, fellow delegates, ladies and gentleman: I would like to begin today by telling you about an American named Chris Stevens. Chris was born in a town called…Top Ten Mitt Romney Solutions to our Problems
1. Expensive emergency room care for those who have no health insurance. 2. Higher taxes on the middle class. 3. Lower taxes on millionaires. 4. War with Iran. 5. Intervention in Syria.…Muslims are no Different, or why Bill Maher’s blood libel is Bigotry
Comedian Bill Maher puts himself in the company of "9/11 liberals" who believe that Islam as a religion is different and decidedly worse than all other religions. He said Friday that 'at…The Iran Crisis boils Again (What to Read)
Trita Parsi of the Iranian-American Council is our guide:
Kim Jong Style (Parody of Psy’s Gangnam Style)
Barely Political's parody set in North Korea:Sunday’s Recommended Reading
(Still getting used to this new plugin. If the link is truncated below, just click on the tweet's author or the hashtag & it should take you to the link.)Top Ten ways Corporate Food is Making us Fat and threatening our Food Supplies
While it is much better than the fascisms of the Right and the Left, one of the big drawbacks of corporate democracy is that the people are often outgunned. Large corporations account…‘Free Libya’ Crowds in Benghazi rally against Militias, Drive al-Qaeda out of City
The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11 was seen by many observers as a sign of Libyan radicalism or instability rather than the work of a small,…Are Judges finally Standing up to Secretive Drone Assassinations? (Searle)
Jack Searle writes at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism Three federal appeal court judges greeted US government efforts to block the release of information on the CIA’s targeted killings programme with skepticism…
Tunisian Muslim Leader Warns of Dangers of Violent Fundamentalism
As the Tunisian Ministry of the Interior announced that no demonstrations would be permitted on Friday, the Muslim leader Rached Ghanoushi warned of the dangers of violent fundamentalism. The Tunisian government invoked…
Heartbeats around the World (Video)
"Engage: A Cloud-Sourced Film, or, "Heartbeats around the World":The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife and Sacred History from Judaism to Islam
The Harvard Magazine gives a full account of the deciphering by Professor Karen L. King of a fragmentary Coptic fragment on papyrus from the otherwise lost "Gospel of Jesus' Wife." It was…Fury Unbound: the Muslim Dilemma (Majid)
Anouar Majid writes from Rabat, Morocco, in a guest column for Informed Comment The French are in trouble. The publication Charlie Hebdo has just published cartoons of Islam's prophet, Mohammed, and now…
Romney lets the 47% Know Exactly how he feels about Them (Jamiol Cartoon)
From Paul Jamiol's World
Martin Luther King, Jr. in Arabic Translation
The Global Americana Institute is delighted to announce the publication in Arabic of Marshall Frady's biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. along with some of King's landmark speeches and writings. The book…
Why they Hate us: Romney Secretly Plots to Screw Palestinians over Again
In a conversation with donors he thought private, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney laid out with startling clarity the American policy toward the Palestinians: Mother Jones has the story, and the transcript.…
America’s Hypocrisy in Bahrain (Marlowe)
Jen Marlowe writes at Tomdispatch.com Terror and Teargas on the Streets of Bahrain The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (in the U.S. at Least) By Jen Marlowe Jihan Kazerooni and I drove…
Calm Muslim Berates Violent Muslims for Defaming Islam and being Suckers
Nouman Ali Khan of the Bayyinah Institute appeals to the Quran, the behavior of the Prophet Muhammad, and common sense in upbraiding the violent believers for letting Islamophobes get their goat and…
Tax Deadbeat Romney Calls Working People Leeches
It turns out that Mitt Romney divides Americans into two groups. Nearly half, 47%, (145.7 million people) are leeches. They are the ones, he says, who 'pay no income tax' and expect…Top Myths about Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment Program
1. Iran's civilian nuclear enrichment program is alleged by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be a stealth nuclear weapons program. But there is no evidence at all for this allegation, and…Netanyahu in 1992: Iran close to having nuclear bomb
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is trapped in reflection theory. He was allegedly himself involved in illegally smuggling nuclear triggers out of the US, and he assumes that Iran desperately wants a…Top Ten Likely Consequences of Muslim anti-US Embassy Riots
1. Tourism in Egypt and Tunisia, the economies of which heavily depend on it, is likely to take a nosedive this fall. It is a shame, because Tunisia had been hoping for…The War on Terror Comes to Facebook (Harvey)
Stephanie Harvey writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism Facebook, the social networking website with over 955 million profiles, has been used as a ‘honey trap’ by terrorists posing as attractive women…
Obama Plays Hardball and Egypt’s Morsi Folds
The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi happened because the Libyan government is still weak, rebuilding after its revolution against Muammar Qaddafi. But there was no doubt that the new government…
Romney Jumps the Shark: Libya, Egypt and the Butterfly Effect
The late science fiction writer Ray Bradbury authored a short story about time travelers. They were careful, when they went back to the Jurassic, not to change anything, but one of them…The West Will Have to Compromise on Syria (Schmidt)
Søren Schmidt writes in a guest column for Informed Comment: Syria is neither Egypt nor Libya – and the conflict can therefore not be solved as it was in Egypt and Libya…Omar Khayyam (186) “wine educates the soul”
If you give wine to a mountain, you will set it …Romney Poses, as Militants Burn Benghazi Consulate, killing Ambassador, 3 staffers, & Demonstrate in Cairo, over Islamophobic Film
Predictably, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tried to make political hay of the tiny demonstrations in Cairo and Benghazi by Muslim militants. The Benghazi mob turned violent in clashes with police and…Omar Khayyam (204) “strangers cannot know You as Your close friends do”
Prudes don't know Your grace the way we do, and strangers cannot know You as Your close friends do. You said, "If you commit a sin I will consign you to hell!"…
Top Ten Bad Signs for Romney
1. The Fraternal Order of Police has refused to endorse Romney for president. This is the first time for 98 years they don't have a favored candidate. Romney's support of Wisconsin-style gutting…America’s 9/11 response subverted our values, liberties (Cole @ Detroit News)
My column is out at the Detroit News, "America's 9-11 Response Subverted our Values & Liberties. Exerpt: "Then-French President Jacques Chirac advised George W. Bush to avoid the phrase "war on terror,"…A Rebuke to the American-Israeli Economic War on Iran (Cole in Truthdig)
My column is out in Truthdig: "A Rebuke to the American-Israeli Economic War on Iran" Excerpt: "In his acceptance speech in Charlotte, N.C., President Barack Obama said, “The Iranian government must face…CIA Drone Strikes on Pakistan: Infographic (Leo)
Sarah Leo writes at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism The Bureau has been recording every reported CIA drone strike in Pakistan. The result is our extensive database which details every known attack…Omar Khayyam (205) “when the waitress pours the Shiraz wine”
When you next hold a party, my dear friends, rejoicing in how stylish you all are; and when the waitress pours the Shiraz wine, remember poor me in your evening prayers! Translated by…A Tale of Two Insurrections: Syria, Iraq, and American Security
Both Iraq and Syria saw massive violence on Sunday. But there is a key difference between the two, and therein lies a cautionary tale for Syria. In Iraq, guerrillas of the so-called…Omar Khayyam (307) “clerics drink the people’s blood”
I am busier than you are, cleric of the faith! And, despite my drunkenness, I'm soberer than you. I drink the blood of the vine, while you drink that of people. Be…Dear Mitt: *You* Don’t Get to Say That
Dear Mitt Romney: Your so-called Medicare reform is just a way of shifting health expenses from millionaires (whose taxes you want to lower) to middle class and working people (with whom you…Omar Khayyam (233) “The sun has lassoed rooftops with its rays”
The sun has lassoed rooftops with its rays, and the king has splashed the light of day into my glass. Have some wine, for passionate love called out at dawn, saying 'drink up'…
NASA Explains how We Caused the Hottest Decade and are generally screwing ourselves over (Video)
NASA's 5-minute video explains why the last decade has been the hottest ever (we did it) and what climate change means for our hot, thirsty future. It is entitled "Piecing together the…Libyans say CIA Tortured Them (Ross)
Alice Ross writes at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism President Bush and his CIA director Michael Hayden have each claimed that the US has in the past only used the controversial interrogation…Omar Khayyam (172) “A passion for heavenly goddesses”
I hope my mind will always be consumed by a passion for heavenly goddesses, and that my hand will always cradle the juice of the grape. They tell me they hope that God will…Dear Democrats: If you do That you have to do This
Dear Democratic Party: If you bring Gabby Giffords to say the Pledge of Allegiance, you have to bring up the issue of gun control somewhere in your speeches or platform. If you…Top Ten Ways we are Better off than in January 2009
It is breathtaking impudence that Republicans should try to campaign on whether we are better off than were were in the last six months of the Bush administration. I can't believe we…US covert actions in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia (Woods & Serle)
Chris Woods and Jack Serle write at the Bureau of Investigative Journalism: Pakistan: August sees the highest number of CIA strikes in Pakistan since October 2011. A number of senior militants are…
Science Fictional Despair in Deraa, Syria (Photo)
h/t The New SyriaWas the Rachel Corrie Verdict the end of Israel’s Judicial Credibility? (Marlowe)
Jen Marlowe writes in a guest column for Informed Comment August 28, 2012: Cindy and Craig Corrie and Sarah Corrie Simpson made their way into the Haifa District Court, surrounded by scores…
Afghanistan’s US Bases: Big Government Conservatives Love (Turse)
Nick Turse writes at Tomdispatch: Afghanistan’s Base Bonanza: Total Tops Iraq at That War’s Height Afghanistan may turn out to be one of the great misbegotten “stimulus packages” of the modern era,…Is Obama more Klingon or more Vulcan? & Michael Dorn Pitches “Captain Worf”
Actor Michael Dorn has confirmed that he is trying to develop a new television show, "Star Trek: Captain Worf." He told Star Trek News, "I had come up with the idea because…What Cable News didn’t Tell You: The Non-Aligned Movement Meeting Strengthened Iran’s Hand vs. US, Israel (Azad)
Armin Azad writes in a guest column for Informed Comment Although it was largely ignored by the Western media, the Teheran Non-Aligned Summit concluded its work last Friday. It approved a statement…
Labor Day Question: Are you Better off than You were in 1970?
Thoughts for a Labor Day in 2012: The real question isn't whether we are better off than we were four years ago. It takes a long time to recover from burst bubbles…
“What the World Needs Now” – In Memoriam Hal David
Award-winning lyricist Hal David is dead at 91.. Here is one of his hits in remembrance, and the sentiment is one we could do with right about now. Dionne Warwick sings Hal…Tutu Slams Tony Blair for Illegal Iraq War, boycotts Leadership Conference
South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu made waves by refusing to attend the recent Discovery Invest Leadership Summit in Johannesburg because of the presence of former British prime minister Tony Blair. His…