February 2012

The 10 Most Excellent Reasons to Attack Iran

February 23, 2012

DAVID SWANSON - 1. Iran has threatened to fight back if attacked, and that's a war crime. War crimes must be punished.

Tags: Afghanistan, economy, Iran, nuclear arsenal, peace, political humor, rights, war, WMD's
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | No Comments »

How to Strengthen the UN’s Ability to Maintain International Peace and Security

February 21, 2012

LAWRENCE S. WITTNER - Conservative politicians often portray the United Nations as a powerful monster, poised to gobble up the United States and other countries and put them under alien rule. The reality, of course, is quite different.

Tags: American aggression, democracy, historical precedent, nuclear powers, peace, security council, UN, war
Posted in Analysis, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

Not Another Rabbit Hole!

February 19, 2012

IAN HRRIS - When Alice went down the rabbit hole in Lewis Carol’s novel, Alice and Wonderland, she experienced all kinds of unpleasant surprises. What kind of surprises will we Americans face if our government bombs Iran?

Tags: government, Iran, Israel, nuclear, peace, restrictions, war, WMD's
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

Government Health Care OK For Politicians But Not Us

February 17, 2012

JESSE JACKSON - Republicans on the campaign trail denounce Obama’s health-care reforms as a virtual threat to the Republic. It’s “socialized medicine,” “a job killer,” “a government takeover of health care.” All the Republican candidates for president promise to repeal it, and Republican legislators are virtually united in trying to do so.

Tags: costs, health care, hypocrisy, medicare, millionaires, poor, premiums, Rich, socialized medicine
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

The Big Money Behind State Laws

February 15, 2012

NY TIMES EDITORIAL - It is no coincidence that so many state legislatures have spent the last year taking the same destructive actions: making it harder for minorities and other groups that support Democrats to vote, obstructing health care reform, weakening environmental regulations and breaking the spines of public- and private-sector unions. All of...

Tags: ALEC, bias, corporate influence, E.P.A, interest groups, legislation, regulators, Right wing politics
Posted in Big Picture, Editorials, February 2012 | No Comments »

Keystone XL Pipeline Will Cost 20,000 Jobs Per Year

February 13, 2012

MARK WIGG - Canada has a surplus of crude oil and the US is pretty much their only market. About 20% of our oil now comes from Canada. According to today’s Toronto Globe and Mail (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/crude-glut-in-us-suppresses-canadian-oil-prices/article2330013/) , we are paying $30 less per barrel for tar sands oil because they have no place...

Tags: gas export, Keystone XL pipeline, natural gas, oil, pipeline, Texas
Posted in February 2012, Letters | 2 Comments »

ALEC Education “Academy” Launches on Island Resort

February 11, 2012

DUSTIN BIELKE - Today, hundreds of state legislators from across the nation will head out to an "island" resort on the coast of Florida to a unique "education academy" sponsored by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). There will be no students or teachers. Instead, legislators, representatives from right-wing think tanks and for-profit education...

Tags: ALEC, billionaires, corporation, greed, influence, Legislators, lobbyists, protestors, votes
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | No Comments »

Federal Jury Says Cops Can’t Arrest People for Recording Police Encounters

February 9, 2012

JACOB SULLUM - Last week a federal jury in Oregon awarded damages to an environmental activist who sued the city of Eugene after a police officer seized his video camera and arrested him for wiretapping. In March 2009, Josh Schlossberg was distributing leaflets outside Umpqua Bank in downtown Eugene when Sgt. Bill Solesbee told...

Tags: activist, arrest, Eugene, filming, lawyers, pain and suffering, police, political crimes, reassessment of police policy
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

Chicago Prepares an Iron Fist for NATO/G8 Protests

February 7, 2012

BRIAN TERRELL - On January 25, the host committee for the G8/NATO summit in Chicago in May unveiled a new slogan for the event, “The Global Crossroads.” The mood of the organizers is upbeat and positive. This is a grand opportunity to market Chicago with an eye for the tourist dollar and the...

Tags: Chicago, G8, Global Crossroads, justice, Madison, NATO, peace, political crimes, war, Wisconsin
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 2 Comments »

Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb vs. Iran

February 5, 2012

ADAM ENTOUS - Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.

Tags: arms, bomb, budget, bunker busting, diplomatic mess, DoD, Iran, military spending, nuclear development, Obama, war
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

Audit: U.S. Defense Department Can’t Account for Billions for Iraq

February 3, 2012

JOSH LEVS - The U.S. Defense Department cannot account for about $2 billion it was given to cover Iraq-related expenses and is not providing Iraq with a complete list of U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, according to two new government audits.

Tags: budget, Department of Defense, Iraq, lost millions, middle east, military, negligence, reconstruction, spending
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

Oil and Water Wars Ahead in the Geo-Energy Era

February 1, 2012

MICHAEL T. KLARE - Welcome to an edgy world where a single incident at an energy “chokepoint” could set a region aflame, provoking bloody encounters, boosting oil prices, and putting the global economy at risk. With energy demand on the rise and sources of supply dwindling, we are, in fact, entering a new...

Tags: Arctic, Caspian Basin, global warming, Iran, natural disasters, natural gas, oil, peace, resources, South China Sea, Strait of Hormuz, weather
Posted in Big Picture, February 2012 | 1 Comment »

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