One of the best defenses against trolls is to treat them with indifference. Humorous references addressed to others about a troll's comments can also be effective. Ridicule sometimes doesn't work well. Some trolls thrive on that and other forms of opposition.
The only surprise in this piece is that Glenn Greenwald was working with NBC. Otherwise, this is just another example of evil at work. In just the last 100 years we have had megalomaniacs, psychopaths, sociopaths and other kindred spirits send tens of millions of people to their premature deaths in two world and many lesser wars in their lusts for power and wealth. The only difference is the level of technology and its abuse.
Fortunately, there are courageous whistleblowers and journalists and other activists who keep the candle of hope lit.
"You, however, seem to make no distinction between your perception of a “Washington, DC establishment of amoral power players” and the literally thousands of government workers, many in high positions, who you might be surprised to learn are not all your loathsome “power players.”
It is absurd to conclude that the thousands of people working in government offices equate to "power players" especially after some of the real power players caused a shutdown that cost them 16 days of work (and pay)..
” If that doesn’t work, then it may be time to head for the hills – or South America.”
When I wrote that it was more a rhetorical flourish than a plan. However, if I were a young man with children I would give it some serious thought. The problem would be finding some place to escape to where our or some other Empire is not trying to colonize it.
It appears I might have to make a retraction. Someone just slipped a note over the transom to my office. It is marked "TOP HUSH HUSH" and says the Washington elites are not responsible for any of the disasters I have referred to. It was some bad apples in the typing pool.
"South America? That’s a laugh. which country in South America do you think has a greater rule of law and other attributes that you consider essential? Perhaps Chile?"
How about Ecuador? Best Places To Retire Overseas: Ecuador Tops InternationalLiving.com's 2013 Global Retirement Index - link to huffingtonpost.com
" I doubt that you could name the “entire Washington, DC establishment,” much less provide evidence that they are “amoral power players.” "
Evidence? How much do you need? We don't need to know the names and phone numbers of the power players in Washington. We just need to know what they did and are doing. Illegal and immoral wars, shredding of the Constitution, interference in the affairs of other nations, assassinations by drones and other means often including innocent women and children, destruction of the environment, media columnists and talking heads on television who got it disastrously wrong on Iraq are deploying similar mendacity and distortions on Iran and elsewhere, condoning the slaughter of hundreds of people in Gaza, lying to elected officials in Congress and those elected officials who punish some for their lies but let others lie all they want, feeding the military-industrial complex with contracts for armaments that the military and navy don't want while they advocate cutting programs that the poorest among us depend on for survival. Need more? There is more where that came from..
Your implication that we need personal knowledge of people we criticize is meretricious nonsense. Did you know Edward Snowden personally before you got into criticizing him?
By the way, did you enjoy that skit of Dubya making fun of the non-existent WMDs that were the basis of the lies that got us into the war on Iraq?
Given the way our "leaders" in Washington are increasingly abusing their powers and shredding the Constitution, South America despite its problems could very well be an improvement through time - except for the continual interference in their affairs by our would-be emperors in Washington, DC.. Perhaps, Glenn Greenwald who changed his domicile to Brazil knows something about that country that you don't, and perhaps he knows something about the US that you don't.
OK. I'll concede "entire" was not a good choice of words, but a sizable and effective portion of them promoted the immoral and illegal war on Iraq, while they indicate they would be willing to have a go at Iran, even though very knowledgeable people indicate that would be a similar crime and bigger blunder for the US than Iraq. Your choice: Amoral or immoral? Either one nothing to be proud of. The power players in Washington have more than most to say about what happens in the United States and that included the economic crisis of 2008, thanks to the lobbyists of K Street and their campaign bribe donors and recipients who helped to overturn Glass-Steagall. How did you enjoy Dubya's skit about the elusive WMDs? Were you in league with the elites at that correspondents dinner and did you too find it hilarious?
Pierre Omidyar's new media project - link to firstlook.org - could be a game changer with some of the most independent journalists already on board - Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras, Matt Taibbi, etc. If that doesn't work, then it may be time to head for the hills - or South America.
"While security agencies are diverse and can serve democracy when better regulated, the diversity is expunged by the right wing, and the failure to regulate is the result of failed democratic institutions which have not themselves been “vulnerable to a vigilant public.” "
It is not only the right wing that is a problem. The entire Washington, DC establishment of amoral power players is among the greatest obstacles to an enlightened and civilized nation. Its members are in it for what they can get out of it, and they have no concern for the people over whom they have so much influence. The 2004 Radio and television correspondents dinner –March 24, 2004 = link to c-spanvideo.org showed the moral bankruptcy of the "in" people who attended the banquet and found George W. Bush's skit making fun of Saddam Hussein's non-existent WMDs to be hilarious. Only one person had the integrity to walk out - David Corn now of Mother Jones. There were a few with sufficient decency to be embarrassed but not enough to join David Corn in heading for the exits. While they were enjoying this joke hundreds of loved ones of American dead and maimed who were victims of those Bush administration lies suffered at home. Make that ditto for tens of thousands of Iraqis. And these are the people in whose hands the fates of ordinary citizens are sometimes placed.
"If Greg Abbott won’t explicitly dissociate himself from Nugent, after publicly campaigning with him, then he doesn’t deserve to be governor of Texas, because he is behaving in an un-American way."
If Abbott wins this election it will say a lot about the majority of Texas voters and none of it will be nice. I had hopes for Rick Perry when he proposed Texas seceding from the Union and also hoped that the rest of the Bible belt would join him, but apparently that was typical Perry - all talk and nothing of substance.
As for the "un-American way" I'm not so sure that the Nugent/Abbott relationship is that un-American. There are still lots of racists and bigots and politicians who will use them out there.
"Sarah Palin said of Abbott, “if he’s good enough for Ted Nugent, he’s good enough for me!” "
Ted Nugent is just part, probably a small part, of the problem. The real problem is the many people who go along with his appalling claptrap or lack the integrity and moral courage to take a stand against it. At one time Hitler was considered something of a crackpot with his rants in Vienna. It wasn't until he acquired a following of large groups of intellectual and physical thugs that he became a threat.
Gregory and the other hosts on television are not there to practice journalism. They are there to facilitate the dissemination of Establishment propaganda, and that includes MSNBC. Consider this from Mondoweiss: "Liberal MSNBC host (Melissa Harris-Perry) says Snowden thinks he’s in a Spielberg movie and Greenwald is a ‘jerk’" - link to mondoweiss.net
On the other hand, Kerry's state department has no problem with extracting and shipping Canadian tar sands via the Keystone XL pipeline that has many environmentalists incensed.
Fortunately, President Obama has assured us that, "No one is above the law" so we can rest assured Justice will prevail during this watch. Only those who are more equal than others will get away with high crimes and misdemeanors.
"Is Hillary Clinton a neocon-lite?: Exclusive: As a U.S. senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton often followed a neocon-style foreign policy, backing the Iraq War, teaming up with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on an Afghan War “surge,” and staking out an even more hawkish stance than Gates on Libya," Robert Parry reports - link to consortiumnews.com
"10. Hillary Clinton has a ten point lead over Rand Paul in polling about a possible presidential match-up."
If I had to choose the lesser evil in this case, I would be inclined to hold my nose and give it to Rand Paul. At least, he might stick to the Constitution more than HRC..
A recent poll gave Hillary and Biden a combined total of 85 points out of 100 for the 2016 presidential polling. Both were prominent warmongers for the war on Iraq. Apparently, that didn't register with many people responding to that poll. And Biden was a prominent leader in pushing the Bankruptcy Act and overturning Glass-Steagall. What kind of electorate is this?
Americans will have the same choice for president in 2016 they have mostly had over the last sixty-some years: Choose the lesser evil or vote for a protest candidate.
"2. The public never cared about that scandal in the first place; Bill Clinton remained popular, and everyone understood he was railroaded by the Republicans in a mean-spirited power play. Nearly 20 years later, no one even remembers it as important."
Nor, apparently, do most Americans think it important that Clinton presided over sanctions on Iraq that cost hundreds of thousands of children their lives.
It is bizarre and evidence of moral bankruptcy in the United States that many of the same people who are pushing for or threatening war on Iran are the same people who were complicit in the immoral and illegal war on Iraq. If the US was the virtuous leader of the world it claims to be, then these warmongers would have been hauled off to a criminal court years ago. If the post-WWII war crimes trials were used as a standard these warmongers would have spent some time dangling at the end of a rope.
The Truth about the Criminal Bloodbath in Iraq Can't Be 'Countered' Indefinitely: The media cover-up has been a weapon in the crimes of western states since the first world war. But a reckoning is coming for those paid to keep the record straight by John Pilger - link to commondreams.org
" Of course, even the average American is now so disgusted and gun-shy when it comes to another war that the hawks are all on their own inside the beltway bubble ..."
Given the typical average Americans who may be tired of wars, the odds are they will remain mute if the hawks do get another war going or likely to be going. A little or a lot of haranguing by the likes of Faux Newz and Windbaugh & Co. about supporting the troops will keep them quiet unless there is a draft to recruit enough people to meet the requirements suggested by spyguy.
Talking of a draft, we should have one that requires all children and grandchildren of senators and representatives voting for wars to be shipped of to the war zones where boots are required on the ground.
There is nothing incredible about this. These politicians are primarily interested only in what is good for themselves despite what children are taught in civics or social studies classes about their being in Congress and the White House to represent the people who elected them. It just happens at this time that they are paid courtesans for the Israeli right wing and its lobby in the United States. If, on the other hand, Saudi Arabia, China or Fiji outbid the Israeli lobby then they would do the bidding of the Saudis, the Chinese or the Fijians. The preceding refers to foreign affairs. On the domestic side the same criterion - self-interest - applies and they do the bidding of the corporations that bribed them with campaign finance donations.
We should not be surprised at the promotion of a war on Iran. There has always been a faction in American public life inclined towards aggression without regard for others: Slavery, Native American near genocide, and setting up banana republics in Central and Latin America. More recently we have had to witness: "A rare indictment of US atrocities: Since World War II, the U.S. government has routinely sidestepped blame for the slaughters that have accompanied American foreign policy. One of the few high-profile condemnations occurred when playwright Harold Pinter accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005," as Gary G. Kohls recalls. - link to consortiumnews.com
There were periods of enlightenment when the United States played a prominent role in writing the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, but they were treated with the utmost contempt by the Bush II Administration and its English poodle.
"40 Republican senators are making a last-minute push to bring further Iran sanctions up for a vote despite the opposition of senate majority leader Harry Reid. Some 59 senators signed on to a plan to increase sanctions during President Obama’s negotiations with Iran, which Iranian leaders have argued could derail the talks."
Let's not overlook the Democrats (note the uppercase "D") who are complicit in this potential lunacy.
We should have a national referendum on this with these questions:
1. Do you support a war on Iran?
2. If the answer is "yes" are you prepared to open your wallet or charge your credit card to pay for it? If the answer is "no" your "yes" vote doesn't count.
"But this is where it gets seriously hilarious. So this fleet. What does it consist of? “…a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship…”"
But given the spinmeisters for war on Iran and a predominantly gullible American public there is no telling what could be done with this. This destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship are real, but Saddam Hussein's WMDs weren't and look at what happened there. A lot of fearmongering goes a long way.
"It is amazing how our government can do what it wants."
It really isn't that amazing. If someone in a position of authority has a lot of power and wields it with authority he or she can get away with it. They will be supported by their courtiers and the masses will remain mute until power is abused to excess. If the public is sufficiently docile, as appears to be the case in the US, excess is often a long time in coming.
"He came into office with what could have been a huge, intelligent, and industrious base, ready to support the progressive agenda."
Obama, like most politicians especially those in the higher echelons of their respective oligarchies, came into office with obligations to power players who funded his campaign and those who promoted him to the national stage.
"But 51 percent of Americans think the country is already too extended abroad. 52% say that the US should “mind its own business” abroad, and only 38% disagree."
A system of referendum could be an improvement, but the polling data excerpted above doesn't suggest that public participation in a referendum would be that much of an improvement. With the people split so close to 50-50 on many issues, a referendum could be a crap shoot. Then there was the war on Iraq that was initially supported by around 70% of the people.
Anti-Semitic: A pejorative hastily applied by Israel's right wingers and their neocon supporters to anyone who has the impertinence to disagree with them, no matter how slight the difference in opinion.
I recall saying something similar on several occasions in the past when critics lambasted politicians in government. I look back at those times with considerable embarrassment at how naive I was then.
What on earth are you talking about justice being the cleanest of the three branches? Justice is not a branch of government. It is a concept for a civilized society, and it is that society that is responsible for its proper administration. Congress, a key component of justice, has failed. The justice (sic) department operates on double standards, so it has failed. The Supremes keep coming up with split decisions when it comes to cases before them, so they are no help. And a majority of citizens who have a share in the responsibility for a just society even if they don't know it either approve or acquiesce in this meretricious charade.
The Guardian (UK) has an excerpt from what appears will be a fascinating book about Snowden: "How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower: He was politically conservative, a gun owner, a geek – and the man behind the biggest intelligence leak in history. In this exclusive extract from his new book, Luke Harding looks at Edward Snowden's journey from patriot to America's most wanted" by Luke Harding - link to theguardian.com
"Who are the clients? With whom do the clients compete? What is the quid pro quo with NSA? "
In such a secretive environment, who knows? One theory is that the NSA is working for whatever administration occupies the White House that is owned by the plutocracy. But given the moral bankruptcy of the whole bunch the NSA might be like the gunslinger in Western movies who was hired to protect the town and its people but eventually took over.
President Obama has said, "No one is above the law." As Orwell might have put it, "We are all equal before the law. It is just that some are under it (less equal) and others are not (more equal)."
"Only 5 names? We can easily bring that to 10 if we include certain Supreme Court justices."
Why stop there? If we applied the Nuremberg Principles to the United States we could add all the lead players in the Dubya Administration and about 70 percent of the members who were in Congress in October 2002.
"For 2016 she has already indicated to throw her support behind Hillary."
Is this the same Hillary who as senator for New York pushed for the war on Iraq that has left millions of people dead, maimed and displaced in a nation that is now an unfolding disaster?
"Of course she sells her fame via endorsements. So what?"
How about considering the moral and ethical aspects of cashing in on one's fame. Many famous people have declined offers from organizations and corporations they didn't want to be associated with.
I don't want to hurt your feelings, but given your apparent devotion to Obama and now Ms. Johansson you are beginning to sound like a groupie.
"What does one imagine her contract is worth? And then ask how many of her critics have made personal sacrifices anything equivalent to it. "
You have, probably, inadvertently confirmed she is in it for the money. Money over principle. There's a word for that. As for sacrifices made by her critics you might be very surprised if you ever learn.
" His approval ratings have tanked in some large part because he has lost those who care about the 4th amendment and personal privacy."
For the early birds watching the worm, Obama's rating was stuck at a very low point before he got the nomination to run for president. That was when he reversed a former sympathy for Palestinians and pandered to the Israel lobby at an AIPAC conference in 2008.
Six years later there is: "The State of the Union, Obama-style: In praise of self-delusions" by Robert Fantina - link to counterpunch.org
Obama is concerned about the wealth gap. Really?
"Obama Administration Pushes New Trade Agreement That Would Further Enrich Pharmaceutical Companies And Discourage Lower Priced Generic Drugs" by Jonathan Turley - link to jonathanturley.org
Here's an interesting take on Obama's SOTU speech, the only one I have come across with this viewpoint - Obama in search of lost credibility - "Obama, en busca de la credibilidad perdida" - link to internacional.elpais.com
It appears he might finally have realized the old saw also applies to him: You can fool some of the all the time, all the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.
" It is unfortunate Obama’s successes, have been downplayed so much. He has disappointed me many times, ..."
The problem is not that whatever good Obama has done has been downplayed. The problem is that whatever good he has done has been overshadowed enormously by his seriously flawed actions.
He pontificates about the obscene wealth gap, but he has been a party to policies encouraging that wealth gap. One of those policies is fast track on TPP that will make matters worse.
He has said, "No one is above the law." Hands up anyone who believes that.
Thank you for the review. According to a CNN poll 60 percent of the people didn't watch Obama's speech or the GOP response. I was one of that 60 percent. Neither he, the GOP or the Democratic Party has any credibility in my book.
It is probably mostly true that Republicans are not waging a war on women in a planned sense. It is more likely they just have a bunch of angry authoritarian types (including some women) running loose and giving vent to whatever pops into their shallow heads. Mike Huckabee suggests women control their libido and they won't need birth control, but what about the women who, according to Congressman Steve Pearce (R-NM), are supposed to "submit" to their husband's whenever he gets in the mood to dominate her? For women this probably feels like a war against them, but they are not alone. Most, apparently, in the Republican Party are at war with anyone, male or female, who are not members of their cabal.
As the Scottish bard, Robert Burns said, "The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley" and as Lord Acton said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
That's the other part of the problem, and it is probably just as difficult to resolve as the climate itself. And observing how so many capitalists are in denial while they pursue more excessive wealth in ways that are destructive of the planet is like watching a Greek tragedy.
"A wealthy country like ours has the means and resources to cope with climate change."
I wouldn't bet on that. California is already in distress mode, and if (make that when) things get worse we will very likely get more evidence that many, if not most, of our fellow citizens will toss us out of the lifeboat if it means their own survival.
"Then there is a finding the increased percentages of Republicans don’t believe in evolution ."
No surprise there when we consider that most Americans really don't believe in anything other than gratifying their short-term desires. The GOP are just taking advantage of their low IQs just as the Democratic Party does with other issues.
" We are watching fundamentalist so called progressive media outlets (Chris Matthews, Huff Po) go on a feeding frenzy for the truth in regard to Christie’s “Bridge gate” fiasco but these same outlets were not making those demands when it came to Clinton and Benghazi."
No surprise there. MSNBC is to the oligarchs of the Democratic Party what Faux Newz is to their counterparts in the Republican Party. The Dems just wind up "Motormouth" and set him loose on Hardball to pitch softballs to the party puppets.
"Undoing net neutrality has the same effect TPP has as a give away in increasing corporate power over nations and their populace, that for some inexplicable reason, at least to date, Obama loves."
There is nothing inexplicable there. Obama was owned by corporate America when he first ran for president. And he still is.
"US bombing of Iraq: The toxic legacy continues; New study links heavy bombing of Falluja and Al Basrah to staggering rise in birth defects, miscarriages" - link to commondreams.org
"For the first time in my life I am ashamed that my country’s government unequivically supports a country that practises terrorism, ..."
You need to brush up on your history, Tom. How about these for openers of US terrorism: The African slave trade, ethnic cleansing of Native Americans, segregation in the Deep South, installing dictators in banana republics in Central and South America? Then there was the overthrow of the democratically-elected prime minister of Iran who was replaced by the Peacock Shah and his Savak ministry of security.
"Any thoughts on how “WE” can “protect our political and intellectual classes?”
The first challenge is to define who "we" are. The "99 percent" categorization is nonsense as is"one nation, ..., indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"And after the Second World War when the U.S. and our allies tried Nazis as war criminals, they still gave themselves free Get Out Of Jail card..."
In a phase of honest assessment, the Allied lawyers laying the groundwork for the Nuremberg Trials compiled a list of war crimes against the Nazis. London and Washington returned the lists with many items deleted because American and British forces had committed the same crimes.
Very well said, again, George. I will, however, take one exception. There is some morality in the world. It just has a tough time making progress against such overwhelming odds.
" If we are to emerge from the jungle, we must have a rule of law in international affairs as well as domestically. Impunity for war criminals only encourages war crimes."
Very true, but unfortunately in the minds of too many people in power that is, as a former attorney general might have put it, a quaint idea.
George: I agree with much of what you have had to say, but I'm not ready to share your dystopian view. I see our situation as just another continuation of the contest of good versus evil with evil almost always prevalent. But the good can't surrender. At the same time, people who would make excuses for our "leaders" should remember Acton's dictum about the corrupting influence of power. That's one we can safely bet on.
"Powell did a great disservice to his historical legacy and his country when he performed his “good soldier” routine at the U.N. Security Council and testified that Saddam Hussein actually had WMDs. "
Not to mention the tens o thousands of US military dead and maimed and the millions of Iraqis killed, maimed, and displaced as refugees. The Iraq war was one of the greatest crimes of this century and Powell was complicit in the leadership that initiated that war.
The Guardian has an interesting article on leadership. Though prompted by Christie and Bridgegate, it is worth considering regarding opinions of Obama cited above:
"The Chris Christie scandal proves it: strong leaders are dangerous: The disgrace of New Jersey's Republican governor shows how political strength can fast become bullying – or worse" by Jonathan Freedland - link to theguardian.com
You can add "Blackjack" Pershing to that list. He wanted to continue the "war to end all wars" beyond 11/11/18 and to invade Germany despite the total losses of life had already reached into tens of millions.
Then there were the generals (if I recall correctly 34) who were fired by George Marshall when he became chief of staff.
And, how about those Nave admirals who helped to cover up the USS Liberty crime?
No one should be surprised by criticism of President Obama. There has been a sharp contrast in many instances between his statements and his actions. To just cite just one, he has repeatedly claimed "no one is above the law." Hands up anyone who believes that!!
Given human nature and the variety of personalities it embraces we should not be surprised that reactions to Obama's verbal discrepancies range from mild to venomous.
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One of the best defenses against trolls is to treat them with indifference. Humorous references addressed to others about a troll's comments can also be effective. Ridicule sometimes doesn't work well. Some trolls thrive on that and other forms of opposition.
The only surprise in this piece is that Glenn Greenwald was working with NBC. Otherwise, this is just another example of evil at work. In just the last 100 years we have had megalomaniacs, psychopaths, sociopaths and other kindred spirits send tens of millions of people to their premature deaths in two world and many lesser wars in their lusts for power and wealth. The only difference is the level of technology and its abuse.
Fortunately, there are courageous whistleblowers and journalists and other activists who keep the candle of hope lit.
"You, however, seem to make no distinction between your perception of a “Washington, DC establishment of amoral power players” and the literally thousands of government workers, many in high positions, who you might be surprised to learn are not all your loathsome “power players.”
It is absurd to conclude that the thousands of people working in government offices equate to "power players" especially after some of the real power players caused a shutdown that cost them 16 days of work (and pay)..
How did you enjoy the skit?
” If that doesn’t work, then it may be time to head for the hills – or South America.”
When I wrote that it was more a rhetorical flourish than a plan. However, if I were a young man with children I would give it some serious thought. The problem would be finding some place to escape to where our or some other Empire is not trying to colonize it.
It appears I might have to make a retraction. Someone just slipped a note over the transom to my office. It is marked "TOP HUSH HUSH" and says the Washington elites are not responsible for any of the disasters I have referred to. It was some bad apples in the typing pool.
"South America? That’s a laugh. which country in South America do you think has a greater rule of law and other attributes that you consider essential? Perhaps Chile?"
How about Ecuador? Best Places To Retire Overseas: Ecuador Tops InternationalLiving.com's 2013 Global Retirement Index - link to huffingtonpost.com
" I doubt that you could name the “entire Washington, DC establishment,” much less provide evidence that they are “amoral power players.” "
Evidence? How much do you need? We don't need to know the names and phone numbers of the power players in Washington. We just need to know what they did and are doing. Illegal and immoral wars, shredding of the Constitution, interference in the affairs of other nations, assassinations by drones and other means often including innocent women and children, destruction of the environment, media columnists and talking heads on television who got it disastrously wrong on Iraq are deploying similar mendacity and distortions on Iran and elsewhere, condoning the slaughter of hundreds of people in Gaza, lying to elected officials in Congress and those elected officials who punish some for their lies but let others lie all they want, feeding the military-industrial complex with contracts for armaments that the military and navy don't want while they advocate cutting programs that the poorest among us depend on for survival. Need more? There is more where that came from..
Your implication that we need personal knowledge of people we criticize is meretricious nonsense. Did you know Edward Snowden personally before you got into criticizing him?
By the way, did you enjoy that skit of Dubya making fun of the non-existent WMDs that were the basis of the lies that got us into the war on Iraq?
Given the way our "leaders" in Washington are increasingly abusing their powers and shredding the Constitution, South America despite its problems could very well be an improvement through time - except for the continual interference in their affairs by our would-be emperors in Washington, DC.. Perhaps, Glenn Greenwald who changed his domicile to Brazil knows something about that country that you don't, and perhaps he knows something about the US that you don't.
OK. I'll concede "entire" was not a good choice of words, but a sizable and effective portion of them promoted the immoral and illegal war on Iraq, while they indicate they would be willing to have a go at Iran, even though very knowledgeable people indicate that would be a similar crime and bigger blunder for the US than Iraq. Your choice: Amoral or immoral? Either one nothing to be proud of. The power players in Washington have more than most to say about what happens in the United States and that included the economic crisis of 2008, thanks to the lobbyists of K Street and their campaign bribe donors and recipients who helped to overturn Glass-Steagall. How did you enjoy Dubya's skit about the elusive WMDs? Were you in league with the elites at that correspondents dinner and did you too find it hilarious?
Pierre Omidyar's new media project - link to firstlook.org - could be a game changer with some of the most independent journalists already on board - Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, Laura Poitras, Matt Taibbi, etc. If that doesn't work, then it may be time to head for the hills - or South America.
"While security agencies are diverse and can serve democracy when better regulated, the diversity is expunged by the right wing, and the failure to regulate is the result of failed democratic institutions which have not themselves been “vulnerable to a vigilant public.” "
It is not only the right wing that is a problem. The entire Washington, DC establishment of amoral power players is among the greatest obstacles to an enlightened and civilized nation. Its members are in it for what they can get out of it, and they have no concern for the people over whom they have so much influence. The 2004 Radio and television correspondents dinner –March 24, 2004 = link to c-spanvideo.org showed the moral bankruptcy of the "in" people who attended the banquet and found George W. Bush's skit making fun of Saddam Hussein's non-existent WMDs to be hilarious. Only one person had the integrity to walk out - David Corn now of Mother Jones. There were a few with sufficient decency to be embarrassed but not enough to join David Corn in heading for the exits. While they were enjoying this joke hundreds of loved ones of American dead and maimed who were victims of those Bush administration lies suffered at home. Make that ditto for tens of thousands of Iraqis. And these are the people in whose hands the fates of ordinary citizens are sometimes placed.
"If the Deep State is not monolithic but divided over policy, ..., then it is vulnerable to a vigilant public."
And there lies the problem. In these instances the public is more likely to be apathetic for a long time before it becomes vigilant.
"If Greg Abbott won’t explicitly dissociate himself from Nugent, after publicly campaigning with him, then he doesn’t deserve to be governor of Texas, because he is behaving in an un-American way."
If Abbott wins this election it will say a lot about the majority of Texas voters and none of it will be nice. I had hopes for Rick Perry when he proposed Texas seceding from the Union and also hoped that the rest of the Bible belt would join him, but apparently that was typical Perry - all talk and nothing of substance.
As for the "un-American way" I'm not so sure that the Nugent/Abbott relationship is that un-American. There are still lots of racists and bigots and politicians who will use them out there.
"Sarah Palin said of Abbott, “if he’s good enough for Ted Nugent, he’s good enough for me!” "
Ted Nugent is just part, probably a small part, of the problem. The real problem is the many people who go along with his appalling claptrap or lack the integrity and moral courage to take a stand against it. At one time Hitler was considered something of a crackpot with his rants in Vienna. It wasn't until he acquired a following of large groups of intellectual and physical thugs that he became a threat.
Gregory and the other hosts on television are not there to practice journalism. They are there to facilitate the dissemination of Establishment propaganda, and that includes MSNBC. Consider this from Mondoweiss: "Liberal MSNBC host (Melissa Harris-Perry) says Snowden thinks he’s in a Spielberg movie and Greenwald is a ‘jerk’" - link to mondoweiss.net
On the other hand, Kerry's state department has no problem with extracting and shipping Canadian tar sands via the Keystone XL pipeline that has many environmentalists incensed.
Fortunately, President Obama has assured us that, "No one is above the law" so we can rest assured Justice will prevail during this watch. Only those who are more equal than others will get away with high crimes and misdemeanors.
"Is Hillary Clinton a neocon-lite?: Exclusive: As a U.S. senator and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton often followed a neocon-style foreign policy, backing the Iraq War, teaming up with Defense Secretary Robert Gates on an Afghan War “surge,” and staking out an even more hawkish stance than Gates on Libya," Robert Parry reports - link to consortiumnews.com
"10. Hillary Clinton has a ten point lead over Rand Paul in polling about a possible presidential match-up."
If I had to choose the lesser evil in this case, I would be inclined to hold my nose and give it to Rand Paul. At least, he might stick to the Constitution more than HRC..
A recent poll gave Hillary and Biden a combined total of 85 points out of 100 for the 2016 presidential polling. Both were prominent warmongers for the war on Iraq. Apparently, that didn't register with many people responding to that poll. And Biden was a prominent leader in pushing the Bankruptcy Act and overturning Glass-Steagall. What kind of electorate is this?
Americans will have the same choice for president in 2016 they have mostly had over the last sixty-some years: Choose the lesser evil or vote for a protest candidate.
"2. The public never cared about that scandal in the first place; Bill Clinton remained popular, and everyone understood he was railroaded by the Republicans in a mean-spirited power play. Nearly 20 years later, no one even remembers it as important."
Nor, apparently, do most Americans think it important that Clinton presided over sanctions on Iraq that cost hundreds of thousands of children their lives.
It is bizarre and evidence of moral bankruptcy in the United States that many of the same people who are pushing for or threatening war on Iran are the same people who were complicit in the immoral and illegal war on Iraq. If the US was the virtuous leader of the world it claims to be, then these warmongers would have been hauled off to a criminal court years ago. If the post-WWII war crimes trials were used as a standard these warmongers would have spent some time dangling at the end of a rope.
The Truth about the Criminal Bloodbath in Iraq Can't Be 'Countered' Indefinitely: The media cover-up has been a weapon in the crimes of western states since the first world war. But a reckoning is coming for those paid to keep the record straight by John Pilger - link to commondreams.org
" Of course, even the average American is now so disgusted and gun-shy when it comes to another war that the hawks are all on their own inside the beltway bubble ..."
Given the typical average Americans who may be tired of wars, the odds are they will remain mute if the hawks do get another war going or likely to be going. A little or a lot of haranguing by the likes of Faux Newz and Windbaugh & Co. about supporting the troops will keep them quiet unless there is a draft to recruit enough people to meet the requirements suggested by spyguy.
Talking of a draft, we should have one that requires all children and grandchildren of senators and representatives voting for wars to be shipped of to the war zones where boots are required on the ground.
There is nothing incredible about this. These politicians are primarily interested only in what is good for themselves despite what children are taught in civics or social studies classes about their being in Congress and the White House to represent the people who elected them. It just happens at this time that they are paid courtesans for the Israeli right wing and its lobby in the United States. If, on the other hand, Saudi Arabia, China or Fiji outbid the Israeli lobby then they would do the bidding of the Saudis, the Chinese or the Fijians. The preceding refers to foreign affairs. On the domestic side the same criterion - self-interest - applies and they do the bidding of the corporations that bribed them with campaign finance donations.
We should not be surprised at the promotion of a war on Iran. There has always been a faction in American public life inclined towards aggression without regard for others: Slavery, Native American near genocide, and setting up banana republics in Central and Latin America. More recently we have had to witness: "A rare indictment of US atrocities: Since World War II, the U.S. government has routinely sidestepped blame for the slaughters that have accompanied American foreign policy. One of the few high-profile condemnations occurred when playwright Harold Pinter accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005," as Gary G. Kohls recalls. - link to consortiumnews.com
There were periods of enlightenment when the United States played a prominent role in writing the UN Charter and the Geneva Conventions, but they were treated with the utmost contempt by the Bush II Administration and its English poodle.
"40 Republican senators are making a last-minute push to bring further Iran sanctions up for a vote despite the opposition of senate majority leader Harry Reid. Some 59 senators signed on to a plan to increase sanctions during President Obama’s negotiations with Iran, which Iranian leaders have argued could derail the talks."
Let's not overlook the Democrats (note the uppercase "D") who are complicit in this potential lunacy.
We should have a national referendum on this with these questions:
1. Do you support a war on Iran?
2. If the answer is "yes" are you prepared to open your wallet or charge your credit card to pay for it? If the answer is "no" your "yes" vote doesn't count.
"The Iranians are coming."
But will the Russians and our warmongers beat them to it? F… Europe by Eric Margolis - link to commondreams.org
"But this is where it gets seriously hilarious. So this fleet. What does it consist of? “…a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship…”"
But given the spinmeisters for war on Iran and a predominantly gullible American public there is no telling what could be done with this. This destroyer and a helicopter-carrying supply ship are real, but Saddam Hussein's WMDs weren't and look at what happened there. A lot of fearmongering goes a long way.
I need a second opinion on this. I'll check with Mike Huckabee and Michelle Bachmann.
"It is amazing how our government can do what it wants."
It really isn't that amazing. If someone in a position of authority has a lot of power and wields it with authority he or she can get away with it. They will be supported by their courtiers and the masses will remain mute until power is abused to excess. If the public is sufficiently docile, as appears to be the case in the US, excess is often a long time in coming.
"He came into office with what could have been a huge, intelligent, and industrious base, ready to support the progressive agenda."
Obama, like most politicians especially those in the higher echelons of their respective oligarchies, came into office with obligations to power players who funded his campaign and those who promoted him to the national stage.
"If the US were ruled by referendum ..."
"But 51 percent of Americans think the country is already too extended abroad. 52% say that the US should “mind its own business” abroad, and only 38% disagree."
A system of referendum could be an improvement, but the polling data excerpted above doesn't suggest that public participation in a referendum would be that much of an improvement. With the people split so close to 50-50 on many issues, a referendum could be a crap shoot. Then there was the war on Iraq that was initially supported by around 70% of the people.
If only we could read the Dear President Obama letters from his campaign donors with a vested interest in Keystone XL.
"Why give Fox that boon? Why give it to a serial killer of the truth like O’Reilly?"
Because there was a perception that there was something in it for Obama.
Anti-Semitic: A pejorative hastily applied by Israel's right wingers and their neocon supporters to anyone who has the impertinence to disagree with them, no matter how slight the difference in opinion.
"Too cynical."
I recall saying something similar on several occasions in the past when critics lambasted politicians in government. I look back at those times with considerable embarrassment at how naive I was then.
What on earth are you talking about justice being the cleanest of the three branches? Justice is not a branch of government. It is a concept for a civilized society, and it is that society that is responsible for its proper administration. Congress, a key component of justice, has failed. The justice (sic) department operates on double standards, so it has failed. The Supremes keep coming up with split decisions when it comes to cases before them, so they are no help. And a majority of citizens who have a share in the responsibility for a just society even if they don't know it either approve or acquiesce in this meretricious charade.
Pay more attention. Justice is raped every day.
"Crime doesn’t pay?: JPMorgan Chase begs to differ" by Richard Eskow - link to commondreams.org
The Guardian (UK) has an excerpt from what appears will be a fascinating book about Snowden: "How Edward Snowden went from loyal NSA contractor to whistleblower: He was politically conservative, a gun owner, a geek – and the man behind the biggest intelligence leak in history. In this exclusive extract from his new book, Luke Harding looks at Edward Snowden's journey from patriot to America's most wanted" by Luke Harding - link to theguardian.com
"Who are the clients? With whom do the clients compete? What is the quid pro quo with NSA? "
In such a secretive environment, who knows? One theory is that the NSA is working for whatever administration occupies the White House that is owned by the plutocracy. But given the moral bankruptcy of the whole bunch the NSA might be like the gunslinger in Western movies who was hired to protect the town and its people but eventually took over.
"Just what is it that they are bee-hiving about at NSA?"
How about an insatiable accretion of power?
It isn't mind-boggling at all. Our national justice (sic) system is corrupt and based on Orwell's "Animal Farm." Some are just more equal than others.
President Obama has said, "No one is above the law." As Orwell might have put it, "We are all equal before the law. It is just that some are under it (less equal) and others are not (more equal)."
"Only 5 names? We can easily bring that to 10 if we include certain Supreme Court justices."
Why stop there? If we applied the Nuremberg Principles to the United States we could add all the lead players in the Dubya Administration and about 70 percent of the members who were in Congress in October 2002.
"Abbott has used his position as Texas Attorney General to argue in court that Texas has sovereign immunity from the Americans with Disabilities Act."
Maybe, with a little luck, he'll follow through on Rick Perry's threat to have Texas secede.
Another reason why the 60 percent of people (according to CNN) who ignored both the SOTU and the response got it right.
"For 2016 she has already indicated to throw her support behind Hillary."
Is this the same Hillary who as senator for New York pushed for the war on Iraq that has left millions of people dead, maimed and displaced in a nation that is now an unfolding disaster?
"Of course she sells her fame via endorsements. So what?"
How about considering the moral and ethical aspects of cashing in on one's fame. Many famous people have declined offers from organizations and corporations they didn't want to be associated with.
I don't want to hurt your feelings, but given your apparent devotion to Obama and now Ms. Johansson you are beginning to sound like a groupie.
"When and how did she *knowingly* choose money over principle?"
How about when she chose Sodastream over Oxfam?
"I just don’t think that critics of Israeli policy should jump to conclusions about Scarlett Johansson which may not warranted."
If she has a defense against her critics, I'm sure her PR flacks will give it a try.
"What does one imagine her contract is worth? And then ask how many of her critics have made personal sacrifices anything equivalent to it. "
You have, probably, inadvertently confirmed she is in it for the money. Money over principle. There's a word for that. As for sacrifices made by her critics you might be very surprised if you ever learn.
"Go figure." Again, follow the money.
"In the end, Ms. Johansson had to choose between the two, and she gave up her association with Oxfam."
What else? Follow the money.
"Looks like Keystone XL, ... may be on the way to getting the Obama Seal of All of the Above Approval:"
Only naive Obama groupies will be surprised at this one.
He talked a lot about "clean" coal when he first ran for president.
Make that laid at his own mouth.
There shouldn't be any surprise about Obama being pro-Big Energy. He gave several signals of that position in 2008.
" His approval ratings have tanked in some large part because he has lost those who care about the 4th amendment and personal privacy."
For the early birds watching the worm, Obama's rating was stuck at a very low point before he got the nomination to run for president. That was when he reversed a former sympathy for Palestinians and pandered to the Israel lobby at an AIPAC conference in 2008.
Six years later there is: "The State of the Union, Obama-style: In praise of self-delusions" by Robert Fantina - link to counterpunch.org
On the other hand, he might be as crazy as a fox.
"Millionaires and billionaires cannot represent nor relate to most Americans. "
Indifference to fellow Americans is not limited to millionaires and billionaires. You can find similarly callous attitudes among all financial strata.
Obama is concerned about the wealth gap. Really?
"Obama Administration Pushes New Trade Agreement That Would Further Enrich Pharmaceutical Companies And Discourage Lower Priced Generic Drugs" by Jonathan Turley - link to jonathanturley.org
Here's an interesting take on Obama's SOTU speech, the only one I have come across with this viewpoint - Obama in search of lost credibility - "Obama, en busca de la credibilidad perdida" - link to internacional.elpais.com
It appears he might finally have realized the old saw also applies to him: You can fool some of the all the time, all the people some of the time, but not all the people all the time.
"A moment of cheap grace for the folks."
And lots of hypocrisy from the audience.
" It is unfortunate Obama’s successes, have been downplayed so much. He has disappointed me many times, ..."
The problem is not that whatever good Obama has done has been downplayed. The problem is that whatever good he has done has been overshadowed enormously by his seriously flawed actions.
He pontificates about the obscene wealth gap, but he has been a party to policies encouraging that wealth gap. One of those policies is fast track on TPP that will make matters worse.
He has said, "No one is above the law." Hands up anyone who believes that.
Thank you for the review. According to a CNN poll 60 percent of the people didn't watch Obama's speech or the GOP response. I was one of that 60 percent. Neither he, the GOP or the Democratic Party has any credibility in my book.
Then there is this from 2012:
"Candidate for CIA chief Jane Harman advocated ethnic breakup of Iran" by Juan Cole - link to juancole.com
Having endured several comments by Jane Harman on TV I find any criticism of her as at least plausible.
"The GOP obviously is increasingly a party of angry white men."
It isn't only "angry white men." There are also angry white women (Ann Coulter and Phyllis Schafly?) and a few angry non-white men; e.g., Alan West.
It is probably mostly true that Republicans are not waging a war on women in a planned sense. It is more likely they just have a bunch of angry authoritarian types (including some women) running loose and giving vent to whatever pops into their shallow heads. Mike Huckabee suggests women control their libido and they won't need birth control, but what about the women who, according to Congressman Steve Pearce (R-NM), are supposed to "submit" to their husband's whenever he gets in the mood to dominate her? For women this probably feels like a war against them, but they are not alone. Most, apparently, in the Republican Party are at war with anyone, male or female, who are not members of their cabal.
Are you suggesting Wikileaks should have kept quiet and let the CIA practice its dastardly acts?
"The CIA had nothing to do with “setting up” the Pakistani Directorate of InterServices Intelligence."
The CIA just ran the post-graduate courses and raised the ISI's "professionalism.
As the Scottish bard, Robert Burns said, "The best laid schemes of mice and men gang aft agley" and as Lord Acton said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
"After 6 years of his rule I still have no idea what he stands for…"
Clue. Whatever appears to be in Barack Obama interests - at least in the short term..
Pardons and commuted sentences are only for “connected” ..."
Same with "looking forward." No "looking forward" for Snowden, Manning, Kiriakou and all the other whistleblowers.
"Barack Obama has a weed problem."
He also has a trust problem that brings into question whatever he says.
"Bill,I do think that if our resources were properly mobilized and intelligently used , we could survive"
IF!
That's the other part of the problem, and it is probably just as difficult to resolve as the climate itself. And observing how so many capitalists are in denial while they pursue more excessive wealth in ways that are destructive of the planet is like watching a Greek tragedy.
"A wealthy country like ours has the means and resources to cope with climate change."
I wouldn't bet on that. California is already in distress mode, and if (make that when) things get worse we will very likely get more evidence that many, if not most, of our fellow citizens will toss us out of the lifeboat if it means their own survival.
"Then there is a finding the increased percentages of Republicans don’t believe in evolution ."
No surprise there when we consider that most Americans really don't believe in anything other than gratifying their short-term desires. The GOP are just taking advantage of their low IQs just as the Democratic Party does with other issues.
" We are watching fundamentalist so called progressive media outlets (Chris Matthews, Huff Po) go on a feeding frenzy for the truth in regard to Christie’s “Bridge gate” fiasco but these same outlets were not making those demands when it came to Clinton and Benghazi."
No surprise there. MSNBC is to the oligarchs of the Democratic Party what Faux Newz is to their counterparts in the Republican Party. The Dems just wind up "Motormouth" and set him loose on Hardball to pitch softballs to the party puppets.
A sixth reason why it wasn't Hillary Clinton's fault: Rubio said it was.
"Undoing net neutrality has the same effect TPP has as a give away in increasing corporate power over nations and their populace, that for some inexplicable reason, at least to date, Obama loves."
There is nothing inexplicable there. Obama was owned by corporate America when he first ran for president. And he still is.
Not surprising when you consider this: "Privatizing the public good: Is this the end of net neutrality?" By David Rosen - link to counterpunch.org
One step back for freedom of speech, one big step forward for proto-fascism.
Guernica - 1937. Fallujah - 2003.
"US bombing of Iraq: The toxic legacy continues; New study links heavy bombing of Falluja and Al Basrah to staggering rise in birth defects, miscarriages" - link to commondreams.org
"For the first time in my life I am ashamed that my country’s government unequivically supports a country that practises terrorism, ..."
You need to brush up on your history, Tom. How about these for openers of US terrorism: The African slave trade, ethnic cleansing of Native Americans, segregation in the Deep South, installing dictators in banana republics in Central and South America? Then there was the overthrow of the democratically-elected prime minister of Iran who was replaced by the Peacock Shah and his Savak ministry of security.
"Any thoughts on how “WE” can “protect our political and intellectual classes?”
The first challenge is to define who "we" are. The "99 percent" categorization is nonsense as is"one nation, ..., indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
"When we start standing up and protect our political and intellectual classes it will disappear like a puff of smoke in the breeze."
Correction: "If" not "When" and neither is likely.
Sharon may be dead, but Sharon's attitude lives on in Israel. Unfortunately.
"And after the Second World War when the U.S. and our allies tried Nazis as war criminals, they still gave themselves free Get Out Of Jail card..."
In a phase of honest assessment, the Allied lawyers laying the groundwork for the Nuremberg Trials compiled a list of war crimes against the Nazis. London and Washington returned the lists with many items deleted because American and British forces had committed the same crimes.
Very well said, again, George. I will, however, take one exception. There is some morality in the world. It just has a tough time making progress against such overwhelming odds.
"It is shameful that Vice President Joe Biden should be attending the funeral of Ariel Sharon today, ..."
That is part of the (unwritten) bargain such political courtesans have with the Israel lobby.
" If we are to emerge from the jungle, we must have a rule of law in international affairs as well as domestically. Impunity for war criminals only encourages war crimes."
Very true, but unfortunately in the minds of too many people in power that is, as a former attorney general might have put it, a quaint idea.
George: I agree with much of what you have had to say, but I'm not ready to share your dystopian view. I see our situation as just another continuation of the contest of good versus evil with evil almost always prevalent. But the good can't surrender. At the same time, people who would make excuses for our "leaders" should remember Acton's dictum about the corrupting influence of power. That's one we can safely bet on.
More assaults on the troops:
1. Trying to reduce government liability for care of vets with PTSD.
2. Trying to shortchange military retirees on their earned pensions.
And, what about the banksters who put the entire nation at risk?
"He should have gone to some other country. Russia is not my idea of refuge especially under Putin."
Any suggestions as to where he might have gone (easy) and how he might have gotten there (far from easy)?
"Why weren’t they cashiered,..."
Two possibilities: Obama didn't have what was required and/or he was ganged upon by others with too much power for Obama to prevail.
"Powell did a great disservice to his historical legacy and his country when he performed his “good soldier” routine at the U.N. Security Council and testified that Saddam Hussein actually had WMDs. "
Not to mention the tens o thousands of US military dead and maimed and the millions of Iraqis killed, maimed, and displaced as refugees. The Iraq war was one of the greatest crimes of this century and Powell was complicit in the leadership that initiated that war.
"In short you can’t presume that the rule in practice is perfection and that Obama is personally responsible for any and all tiny deviations from it."
It looks like we could charge Obama with considering the top executives of Wall Street banks as being above the law.
"The US department of injustice: Harsh Prosecution for the Little People and the Big Guys Skate" by Dave Lindorff - link to counterpunch.org
"Powell’s 5 minutes of heroism under fire in Vietnam go a long way toward excusing his perfidy on WMD’s."
Not in my book.
The Guardian has an interesting article on leadership. Though prompted by Christie and Bridgegate, it is worth considering regarding opinions of Obama cited above:
"The Chris Christie scandal proves it: strong leaders are dangerous: The disgrace of New Jersey's Republican governor shows how political strength can fast become bullying – or worse" by Jonathan Freedland - link to theguardian.com
You can add "Blackjack" Pershing to that list. He wanted to continue the "war to end all wars" beyond 11/11/18 and to invade Germany despite the total losses of life had already reached into tens of millions.
Then there were the generals (if I recall correctly 34) who were fired by George Marshall when he became chief of staff.
And, how about those Nave admirals who helped to cover up the USS Liberty crime?
No one should be surprised by criticism of President Obama. There has been a sharp contrast in many instances between his statements and his actions. To just cite just one, he has repeatedly claimed "no one is above the law." Hands up anyone who believes that!!
Given human nature and the variety of personalities it embraces we should not be surprised that reactions to Obama's verbal discrepancies range from mild to venomous.