Kenneth Rogoff, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and former chief economist at the IMF recently published two interesting articles on Project Syndicate: Is Modern Capitalism Sustainable? and Rethinking the Growth Imperative. The articles, which are worth reading in full, are not at all what one would expect from a former chief economist at the IMF. Here are a few excerpts: From Is Modern Capitalism Sustainable?: It is ironic that modern capitalist societies engage in public campaigns to urge individuals to be more attentive to their health, while fostering an economic ecosystem that seduces many consumers into an extremely…
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Chinese troops in Texas
Say what one will about Ron Paul’s broader social agenda, he’s the only contender for the leadership of either of the two dominant political parties in the US that is willing to state the obvious about American foreign policy. For this reason alone he deserves to be taken seriously. Instead, and for that reason precisely, he doesn’t stand a chance of winning the leadership.
Obama signs Defense Authorization Bill
President Obama used the last day of 2011 to sign the defense authorization bill, formally ending weeks of heated debate in Congress and intense lobbying by the administration. Obama’s main justification is found in his signing statement: I have signed the Act chiefly because it authorizes funding for the defense of the United States and its interests abroad, crucial services for service members and their families, and vital national security programs that must be renewed. Yet many have decried the bill’s language that would allow indefinite detention for suspected terrorists without a trial–including Americans arrested in the United States. Among those…
Danny Glover and Cornel West
Danny Glover and Cornel West are two of the leading voices in the 21st century American civil rights movement, a movement that is no longer primarily about race. The fundamental injustice that they are addressing affects us all, regardless of race or gender. These two men (and many more like them) move America beyond race far more than the election of Obama does. And this contrast between, on the one hand, Glover and West speaking at the Occupy movements and, on the other, Obama speaking at the Martin Luther King memorial couldn’t be more striking. By representing and catering to…
The bid for Palestinian statehood
John Quigley (professor of law at Ohio State University) and Gabi Fahel (international lawyer) have written an excellent article outlining the rationale for the Palestinian request for UN membership. Well worth reading.
Rocky Anderson for U.S. Justice Party
Very interesting interview on Democracy Now: A new political party has entered the fray as an alternative to Democrats and Republicans ahead of the 2012 elections. On Monday, the Justice Party formally kicked off its formation with an event in Washington. Former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson will run for president on the Justice Party ticket. Although hailing from a solidly red state, Rocky Anderson has been known as one of the most progressive mayors of any major U.S. city in recent years. During his two mayoral terms from 2000 to 2008, Anderson was an outspoken champion of…
Student speaks up at the UNCCC in Durban
Anjali Appadurai, a student at the College of the Atlantic in Maine, addressed the United Nations Convention on Climate Change on behalf of youth delegates. It was a powerful speech. Some Quotes: I speak for more than half of the world’s population. We are the silent majority. You have given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not on the table. What does it take to get a stake in this game? Lobbyists, Corporate Influence, Money? Now is not the time for incremental action In the long run, these will be seen as the defining moments of…
Constitutional amendment: corporations are not people
Sen. Bernie Sanders proposed an amendment to the Constitution to exclude corporations from First Amendment rights to spend money on political campaigns. The bill is a reaction to the 2010 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision, in which the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the government cannot put limits on election advertisements funded by corporations, unions, or other groups. Democrats have charged that the decision essentially treats corporations as people who can enjoy First Amendment rights. Some Quotes: Make no mistake, the Citizens United ruling has radically changed the nature of our democracy, further tilting the balance of power toward…
U.S. Congress and insider trading
Apparently there is a loophole in U.S. legislation that excludes Congress members from laws against insider-trading. According to an article published by the Business Insider many Congress members are guilty of abusing this loophole, including John Kerry, Dick Durbin, Jim Moran, and especially Spencer Bachus. Some quotes: According to a new book called Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer, as relayed by Dave Weigel at Slate, Rep. Bachus made more than 40 trades in his personal account in the summer and fall of 2008, in the early months of the financial crisis. The fact that Bachus personally traded on private…
Video: Seymour Hersh on propaganda for war with Iran
This Democracy Now interview on the propaganda for a war with Iran is an absolute must-see: Interesting quote: But there’s an element of rationality in the Israeli intelligence community that’s not being expressed by the political leadership. It’s the same madness we have here. There’s an element of rationality in our intelligence community which says, in ’07, and it has said it again last year, they don’t have the bomb. They’re not making it. It’s at NIE, 16 agencies agreed, 16 to nothing, in an internal vote, before that—they did an update in 2011 on the ’07 study and came…
Highs and lows in American politics
Four remarkable individuals (Amy Goodman, Michael Moore, Cornel West, and Chris Hedges) have really stood out lately in providing a coherent analysis of the Occupy Wall Street movement and an understanding of the social and political crisis that caused it. Here are two moving interviews worth watching: 1) Amy Goodman and Chris Hedges on Charlie Rose; 2) Cornel West and Michael Moore on Democracy Now. At the extreme other end of the spectrum, Ed Lee has just recently released this politic ad for his election campaign, demonstrating the depths to which American politics can sink:
Anonymous exposes the pedophiles
Apparently the latest Operation Darknet by the (in)famous Hacker Collective Anonymous, known for its support of the whistle-blower platform Wikileaks and the Occupy Movement, took matters into their own hands and succeeded where the police and FBI failed. During Operation Darknet Anonymous hunted for darknets (hidden networks only visible for their members) and this time revealed one of the biggest sharing platforms for child pornography ever discovered. Staying true to their manifesto, they published all user data they could unveil and subsequently killed the platform. This case is especially interesting because one of the main mantras and characteristics of the group Anonymous was broken…
Libya: voices from within
Some students from Tripoli University recently expressed their opinions on the killing of Gadhafi and the post-Gadhafi development inside Libya. The views expressed don’t bode well for the future peace and stability of Libya. Two Quotes: “We are very angry but not really surprised by what Sanad did. He’s a stupid guy and I am sure someone whispered in his ear that he would become famous and rich if he did NATO’s dirty job by killing Colonel Gadhafi. NATO did more than 1000 bombing attacks “to protect Libyan civilians” but killed thousands of us instead. For sure NATO and their…
Remaining committed to obstructionism and doublespeak
UNESCO finally voted to admit Palestine as a member state: 107 countries supported the motion, 52 abstained, and the US and Israel managed to pressure only another 12 countries to vote against it. The US responded to this small but significant exercise in global democracy by immediately announcing that it would cut off all funding to UNESCO, an educational, scientific, and cultural organization. This announcement was yet another crystal clear example of US obstructionism on the Palestinian issue, its utter disregard for world public opinion, and its unwavering and irrational support for Israel. But listen to the announcement itself, in…
Executive earnings higher than paid taxes
The data presented in a recent New York Times article entitled “Where Pay for Chiefs Outstrips U.S. Taxes” is incredible (and yet somehow not very surprising): At least 25 top United States companies paid more to their chief executives in 2010 than they did to the federal government in taxes, according to a study released on Wednesday. How can the corporate sector maintain any credibility in the face of these data. How disillusioned must the public be not to see or do something about this problem? Even if someone did actually believe the trickle-down claim that keeping the corporations wealthy will eventually raise…
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- U.N. Photo Collection Shows Gaza War Through the Lens of Palestinian Journalists April 19, 2024
- "Fear and Terror": Gaza Photographer Ahmed Zakot on Documenting the Carnage of Israel's Assault April 19, 2024
- Over 100 Arrested at Columbia After Univ. President Orders NYPD to Clear Pro-Palestine Student Protest April 19, 2024
- "No Palestinian Is Safe": Renowned Feminist Scholar Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian Arrested in Jerusalem April 19, 2024
- Headlines for April 19, 2024 April 19, 2024
- Israel Considers Attacking Iran and Invading Rafah as Netanyahu Seeks Lifelines to Stay in Power April 18, 2024
- Columbia Students Risk Arrest, Suspension to Maintain Gaza Solidarity Encampment on Campus April 18, 2024