Mostly Water
NDP "Prepares for Government" by Emphasizing Kinship with Obama
By Keith Jones - 17 April 2013
Canada’s official opposition, the trade union-supported New Democratic Party (NDP), touted last weekend’s party policy convention as a showcase of its “readiness to govern” and toward that end adopted “pragmatic” policies, “modernized” its rhetoric, and emphasized its kinship with other “progressive” parties like Barack Obama’s Democrats and the Australian Labor Party.
Media Rush to Judgment in Boston Marathon Bombing
By Barry Grey - WSWS
The explosion of two bombs Monday afternoon at the Boston Marathon has been accompanied by a rush to judgment by the media, in which claims of a broad new terror attack are being made without any factual substantiation...The bombs exploded near the finish line of the marathon in the heart of the city's downtown area...[A]t least three people were killed and 144 wounded, including 15 with critical injuries. Witnesses on the scene and at hospitals have reported that the injuries include amputated lower limbs.
Where Are the Eulogies for Thatcher’s Victims?
By JOSEPH RICHARDSON - Counterpunch
As a result of Thatcher’s malicious attack on working people, both unemployment and under-employment have now become endemic and generally accepted features of British society...With service sector jobs predominating, many people who might have received training in skilled, industrial occupations are forced into precarious, low paid work in cafes and supermarkets. Most importantly, the evisceration of our industry has linked our economic fortunes with the actions of reckless financiers who have now plunged us into the worst recession of the last 80 years.
Gold Drops Most in 30 Years
It's getting hammered. In August 2011, it rose above $1,900 an ounce. It was an all-time high. At midday April 15, it was $1,364. It's a 28%+ decline.
Noam Chomsky on "Libertarianism" [Video]
By Noam Chomsky - Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Noam Chomsky describes Libertarian “savagery” retelling how Ron Paul said that letting a comatose American die because he had no insurance was “a tribute to our liberty.”
Venezuela: Post-Election Sour Grapes
Throughout his tenure, America's scoundrel media vilified Chavez relentlessly. They did so straightaway.
Syrian Opposition Militia Declares Allegiance to Al Qaeda
By Niall Green - 16 April 2013
Last week the Al Nusra Front, the military backbone of the US-sponsored Syrian opposition, openly swore its loyalty to Al Qaeda...“The sons of Al Nusra Front pledge allegiance to Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri”...The statement also indicated that the Syrian terrorist group would merge with Al Qaeda in Iraq, from which Al Nusra has received personnel and training.
Hunger Striking for Liberation, Justice and Dignity
Samer Issawi's a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine activist. In April 2004, he was wrongfully arrested. He committed no crime.
Spies That Share: Documents Show CSIS Collaboration with Private Sector
By Tim Groves - April 16, 2013
The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) is disclosing intelligence to private companies despite a law that does not permit this sharing...There is a “new imperative” for the Service to work closely with industry partners, according to the 2010 “Review of CSIS’s Private Sector Relationships,” created by the Security Intelligence Review Committee (SIRC), the body that oversees the spy agency’s compliance with the law.
Imperial Partners Showcase Their Ruthlessness
America and Israel partner in injustice. They prioritize it. Imperial lawlessness is policy. So is state terror. Many examples explain. They're commonplace daily.
Australian Foreign Minister Outed as Long-Time U.S. Informant
By Patrick O’Connor - 15 April 2013
A new round of American diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks has revealed that Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has been a US intelligence source for nearly four decades...In 1974 and 1975, Carr was one of a host of Labor Party and trade union figures providing confidential briefings to US embassy officials on the internal discussions, policy differences, and factional rivalries within the Labor government of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam.
New York Times v. North Korea
The Times is America's unofficial ministry of information and propaganda. Daily managed news misinformation is featured.
Chavismo Wins
Venezuela's spirit of democracy lives. Celebratory fireworks followed Maduro's win. They were more subdued than last October. Chavez won then by 11 points.
A Look at Dominator Ecology
Over the past few years, we’ve learned we’re not alone in being fed-up with the type of ecological knowledge and discourse in the dominant culture. Lots of people question the perspectives towards the land that are spread through the mass media, upheld in the academy, and are readily funded. Though the intention of this series is to offer some starting points for an anarchist ecology, we would like to take some time to describe what it is that we seek to avoid.
New York Times Anti-Palestinian Bias
NYT pro-Israeli bias is palpable. It's longstanding. It's distorted and one-sided. It blames Palestinians for Israeli crimes.
Last of Warsaw Ghetto Survivors Calls for Rebellion Against Israeli Occupation
By Richard Silverstein - April 9, 2013
"Rebel against the Occupation. No – it is forbidden for us to rule over another people, to oppress another [people]. The most important thing is to achieve peace and an end to the cycle of blood[letting]. My generation dreamed of peace. I so want to achieve it. You have the power to help. All my hopes are with you. If only [you could]."
Vatican Dismissed Pinochet Massacre Reports as "Communist Propaganda:" WikiLeaks
By Peter Finocchiaro - April 8, 2013
Gen. Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship was responsible for the deaths of as many as 3,200 people in Chile in the 1970s, but the Vatican dismissed reports of bloodshed at the time as "communist propaganda," according to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks on Monday.
Texas: Police in Schools Criminalize 300,000 Students Each Year
By Steven Hsieh - April 12, 2013
In Texas, hundreds of thousands of students are winding up in court for committing very serious offenses such as cursing or farting in class. Some of these so-called dangerous criminals...will face arrest and even incarceration, like the honors student who spent a night in jail for skipping class, or the 12-year-old who was arrested for spraying perfume on her neck.
Creating a North Korean Threat
Washington needs enemies. When none exist, they're invented. North Korea's straight from central casting. Pyongyang threatens no one. Media scoundrels say otherwise. So does Obama.
Wars, Union-Busting and Neo-Liberalism: Decay and Ruin in Thatcher’s England
By TARIQ ALI - Counterpunch Weekend Edition
[Thatcher's] legacy is clearly visible in the state of Britain today. It is essentially a story of decay and ruin: A small, post-imperial vassal state dependent on nostalgia and, more importantly, the United States to keep itself afloat. On the economy the Thatcherite model...was effectively the deindustrialization of the country...and laying the foundations for a financialised economic model that exploded with the Wall Street crash of 2008.
