commondreams

Webバージョン  |  アップデート設定  |  登録解除 いいね ツイート 転送 http://endofsecrets.blogspot.com Mr. President, It’s Time to Move Forward on Climate Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Michael Brune As President Barack Obama’s second term gets underway, Americans are expecting big actions from him — especially on climate disruption and clean energy. The decision to block the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline should be the cornerstone of his positive, solutions-oriented climate legacy. read more Obama's SOTU Was No Game-Changer Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 John Cavanagh In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama deftly nudged the national debate further away from the dominant austerity framework that brought us the misguided budget deal on New Year’s Day.(Image from WhiteHouse.gov) He also brought much-needed attention to the critical jobs shortage by eloquently calling the need for more good middle class jobs the “North Star that guides our efforts.” read more How Congress Could Fix Its Budget Woes, Permanently Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Ellen Brown As Congress struggles through one budget crisis after another, it is becoming increasingly evident that austerity doesn't work. We cannot possibly pay off a $16 trillion debt by tightening our belts, slashing public services, and raising taxes. Historically, when the deficit has been reduced, the money supply has been reduced along with it, throwing the economy into recession. read more What Obama Said (and What He Meant) About Climate Change, War and Civil Liberties Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Norman Solomon The words in President Obama’s “State of the Union” speech were often lofty, spinning through the air with the greatest of ease and emitting dog whistles as they flew. Let’s decode the president’s smooth oratory in the realms of climate change, war and civil liberties. “For the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change.” read more Obama Could Go it Alone, Bring All the Troops Home, and Stop the Killing Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Phyllis Bennis President Obama said during his State of the Union address that he would focus on things he could do alone — without having to depend on a badly divided, partisan Congress. And the powerful imagery he summoned in support of voting rights — real, implementable voting rights, based on the example of a 102-year-old voting rights hero, could and should indeed be a critical focus of executive energy. read more A Conspiracy of Stupidity Posted by lauren on 13 February, 2013 Tom Engelhardt You could, of course, sit there, slack-jawed, thinking about how mindlessly repetitive American foreign and military policy is these days. Or you could wield all sorts of fancy analytic words to explain it.  Or you could just settle for a few simple, all-American ones.  Like dumb. Stupid. Dimwitted. Thick-headed. read more Greek Factory Under Workers Control Posted by lauren on 13 February, 2013 Peter Rothberg The workers of Vio.Me., a building materials factory in Thessaloniki, Greece, which was abandoned by its bankrupt owners, have been unpaid since May of 2011. This week, after a series of general assemblies the workers convened, they’ve started occupying the factory and operating it under direct democratic workers’ control. The culmination of a year-long struggle that has attracted attention and solidarity in Greece and worldwide, the occupiers are trying to kick-start production and prove themselves a viable new model. read more State Tax Systems Need to Become More Progressive, Not Less Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Ilana Novick State tax systems, according to a new report from the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, take a far larger share of income from their lowest income residents than they do from the wealthy, exacerbating income inequality within and between states, encouraging the wealthy to move to low tax states, and even worse, threatening the effectiveness of federal and state programs designed to ease the tax burden for the poorest families. read more Italy's Ex-Intelligence Chief Given 10-year Sentence for Role in CIA Kidnapping Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Glenn Greenwald A US State Department official on Monday "expressed concern" about what he called "a 'climate of impunity' over abuses by police and security forces" - in Egypt. The official, Michael Posner, warned that failure to investigate Egyptian state agents responsible for "cruel treatment of those in their custody" - including torture - creates "a lack of meaningful accountability for these actions". read more SOTU: Lukewarm Liberalism at Home, Hypocrisy Abroad Posted by jon on 13 February, 2013 Matthew Rothschild President Obama’s State of the Union Address provided some solace to progressives on some issues, but left a lot to be desired on others. He was right to point out that we can’t keep “drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next”—a good, clean shot at Republican obstructionism on the fiscal cliff and sequestration. read more 登録変更 | 登録解除