"The Mahdi Army or Peace Brigades of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are fighting as a militia in Iraq on the side of the government of Bashar al-Assad against the Salafis."
In that sentence, do you mean to say inside Syria rather than inside Iraq?
Um. Maybe a college-dropout and housewife like me is going to oversimplify things, but ... I think the idea of a Jewish democracy is strange. They can either be a Jewish state or a democracy, but how can they be both when religious nationalism is not compatible with a free democratic society? And isn't this why J Street is losing influence while Jewish Voices for Peace is gaining both membership and funding?
I hope this isn't too OT, but I think people who are reading something about how Noam Chomsky views our government's actions against the world's poor for the benefit of America's rich might also be interested in Lawrence Lessig's pac for campaign finance reform: link to mayday.us
See, our foreign policy is at least partially shaped by congress, I'd say it's more than half, but some people might disagree with me -- anyway, our representatives in congress aren't really representing us, the citizens, or even the voters -- they're representing their donors. Because they have to appeal to the donors to get the money to get re-elected. I think this especially affects the right because of the Tea Party and the ever-looming threat for Republicans of an extreme right-wing candidate edging them out in every new primary -- but I also know that many people feel like this type of corruption is a major problem for the Democrats in congress too.
So how do we break the cycle of congressional representatives representing their donors rather than the regular American people?
We need campaign finance reform and we need it ASAP.
Today and tomorrow are the last days for this pledge drive. Midnight on Independence Day, Eastern Time, is going to be the deadline, and Lessig's Mayday pac needs to reach that five million mark, to prove that Americans really care about this corruption and are ready to do something about it.
Pretty much all the problems with congress have this one root, and we can't expect real progress until we are ready to attack the root.
I've been reading about this all day, because it happened just across town from me.
Jerad got kicked off the Bundy ranch because of his criminal record, specifically dealing a little pot. Not being able to get a good job, or health insurance, he suffered from dental problems and infections, and of course he lived in poverty. He blamed the government and the new world order and agenda 21 for his messed up life. He was definitely disturbed, definitely a rightwinger. But, if pot were legal, I bet he'd have had a happier life. Likewise if we had a national health system. And without easy access to guns, he and his idiot wife would probably not be murderers right now -- and probably wouldn't be dead. Oddly, this guy could have been much happier (plus ALIVE) if only our society were more liberal. Yet he hated liberals. So sad and strange. And he thought Elliott Rodgers (so-called Virgin Killer) was a liberal ... now some right wing morons are saying he and Amanda were socialists, because there was a swastika on their manifesto, and that's a National Socialist emblem. But apparently some conservatives fail to comprehend that the Nazi party wasn't socialist in the traditional sense, it wasn't Marxist, wasn't about class struggle or international working-class solidarity, it was just a right-wing racist party. So Jerad thought the misogynistic brat was a liberal, I have no idea why, and other idiots are saying Jerad was a liberal, demonstrating their unwillingness to understand something as basic as how to define Nazism.
The most depressing aspect of all this just might be this sinking feeling ... that this isn't the last time we'll see something like this. There could be a dozen more this summer. The right will claim that they're all false flag. Politicians won't do anything but offer condolences. And really, what can we do about it? I mean, there are policies on the national level which could help a little, but they aren't getting implemented fast enough. We're supposedly under surveillance from the NSA, but the NSA doesn't stop these attacks from happening so what's the point of spying on everyone and then doing nothing? Very frustrating.
Because I'm an Obama supporter, I'd like to agree with Farhang's analysis, but I'm really leaning more toward a combination of Bill and John. Also, a surrender of Assad's gas weapons is a little anticlimactic when what we know we need is a ceasefire and peace talks. My questions: how can anyone take the threat of an air strike on Assad seriously when we're still sending aid to Egypt after their coup and the slaughter of pro-Morsi demonstrators in the streets? And does the US have anything resembling credibility on the WMD issue when we still use depleted uranium and white phosphorus and have a significant reserve of conventional nukes, as well as being cozy with Israel, which also has conventional nukes and regularly flouts international law?
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but even the colonies wouldn't be such a big deal if the Jewish settlers didn't shoot and kill the Arabs they encounter. Maybe my information is out of date or biased.
There's an implication here that a woman's tendency to nurture is innate, rather than conditioned, and that men lack the tendency to be nurturers, at least in sufficient quantity. My personal experience and my take on feminism would cause me to be wary of such an implication. With that being said, I do think the mainstream has ignored the influence of women in Egypt's emerging democracy and civil society, and I believe further study of the influence of female literacy on Egypt's changing culture and political structure is warranted.
The weird thing is a guy on tv said that the reason Zero won't win an Oscar is because it goes easy on terrorism and it was made by people who are more liberal than the mainstream of the Academy, and I was like "Boy, I think this guy has got to be way off the mark!" Also weird that Kathryn Bigelow is the director -- she directed Strange Days, one of my all-time favorite movies. But I've got no interest in seeing this one. I'm glad Bin Laden's dead, but I don't want to watch a movie about it, especially one that glamorizes torture.
All this back and forth is great, but why aren't there this many comments when the blog is about the middle east? The life-or-death seriousness of what's going on in Syria or Palestine or Iran or Egypt really needs our attention more than a couple Canadian tourists having a bad day.
Thank you! This is what I've been waiting for. It's important for voters to understand that Mitt Romney is in deep with the people who want a war with Iran. I don't think most people get it. If Iran does get nukes, it would just mean a situation of detente with Israel, which already has nukes. Also isn't it amazing that Americans are so easily persuaded that Obama is a Muslim and/or socialist conspirator, when truly dangerous and traitorous conspirators like Feith and Cheney walk around freely? One thing I don't grasp -- why aren't Ron Paul and his anti-war libertarians making a louder noise?? This is a crisis and lives are at stake. Can they really be satisfied with gutting the social safety net and moving to the gold standard? Have they forgotten, or completely failed to see that the only way to long term tax and debt reduction is through peace?
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"The Mahdi Army or Peace Brigades of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are fighting as a militia in Iraq on the side of the government of Bashar al-Assad against the Salafis."
In that sentence, do you mean to say inside Syria rather than inside Iraq?
Um. Maybe a college-dropout and housewife like me is going to oversimplify things, but ... I think the idea of a Jewish democracy is strange. They can either be a Jewish state or a democracy, but how can they be both when religious nationalism is not compatible with a free democratic society? And isn't this why J Street is losing influence while Jewish Voices for Peace is gaining both membership and funding?
I hope this isn't too OT, but I think people who are reading something about how Noam Chomsky views our government's actions against the world's poor for the benefit of America's rich might also be interested in Lawrence Lessig's pac for campaign finance reform: link to mayday.us
See, our foreign policy is at least partially shaped by congress, I'd say it's more than half, but some people might disagree with me -- anyway, our representatives in congress aren't really representing us, the citizens, or even the voters -- they're representing their donors. Because they have to appeal to the donors to get the money to get re-elected. I think this especially affects the right because of the Tea Party and the ever-looming threat for Republicans of an extreme right-wing candidate edging them out in every new primary -- but I also know that many people feel like this type of corruption is a major problem for the Democrats in congress too.
So how do we break the cycle of congressional representatives representing their donors rather than the regular American people?
We need campaign finance reform and we need it ASAP.
Today and tomorrow are the last days for this pledge drive. Midnight on Independence Day, Eastern Time, is going to be the deadline, and Lessig's Mayday pac needs to reach that five million mark, to prove that Americans really care about this corruption and are ready to do something about it.
Pretty much all the problems with congress have this one root, and we can't expect real progress until we are ready to attack the root.
I've been reading about this all day, because it happened just across town from me.
Jerad got kicked off the Bundy ranch because of his criminal record, specifically dealing a little pot. Not being able to get a good job, or health insurance, he suffered from dental problems and infections, and of course he lived in poverty. He blamed the government and the new world order and agenda 21 for his messed up life. He was definitely disturbed, definitely a rightwinger. But, if pot were legal, I bet he'd have had a happier life. Likewise if we had a national health system. And without easy access to guns, he and his idiot wife would probably not be murderers right now -- and probably wouldn't be dead. Oddly, this guy could have been much happier (plus ALIVE) if only our society were more liberal. Yet he hated liberals. So sad and strange. And he thought Elliott Rodgers (so-called Virgin Killer) was a liberal ... now some right wing morons are saying he and Amanda were socialists, because there was a swastika on their manifesto, and that's a National Socialist emblem. But apparently some conservatives fail to comprehend that the Nazi party wasn't socialist in the traditional sense, it wasn't Marxist, wasn't about class struggle or international working-class solidarity, it was just a right-wing racist party. So Jerad thought the misogynistic brat was a liberal, I have no idea why, and other idiots are saying Jerad was a liberal, demonstrating their unwillingness to understand something as basic as how to define Nazism.
The most depressing aspect of all this just might be this sinking feeling ... that this isn't the last time we'll see something like this. There could be a dozen more this summer. The right will claim that they're all false flag. Politicians won't do anything but offer condolences. And really, what can we do about it? I mean, there are policies on the national level which could help a little, but they aren't getting implemented fast enough. We're supposedly under surveillance from the NSA, but the NSA doesn't stop these attacks from happening so what's the point of spying on everyone and then doing nothing? Very frustrating.
Because I'm an Obama supporter, I'd like to agree with Farhang's analysis, but I'm really leaning more toward a combination of Bill and John. Also, a surrender of Assad's gas weapons is a little anticlimactic when what we know we need is a ceasefire and peace talks. My questions: how can anyone take the threat of an air strike on Assad seriously when we're still sending aid to Egypt after their coup and the slaughter of pro-Morsi demonstrators in the streets? And does the US have anything resembling credibility on the WMD issue when we still use depleted uranium and white phosphorus and have a significant reserve of conventional nukes, as well as being cozy with Israel, which also has conventional nukes and regularly flouts international law?
Should I take from this that no one considers Hooshang Amirahmadi a serious candidate?
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but even the colonies wouldn't be such a big deal if the Jewish settlers didn't shoot and kill the Arabs they encounter. Maybe my information is out of date or biased.
There's an implication here that a woman's tendency to nurture is innate, rather than conditioned, and that men lack the tendency to be nurturers, at least in sufficient quantity. My personal experience and my take on feminism would cause me to be wary of such an implication. With that being said, I do think the mainstream has ignored the influence of women in Egypt's emerging democracy and civil society, and I believe further study of the influence of female literacy on Egypt's changing culture and political structure is warranted.
The weird thing is a guy on tv said that the reason Zero won't win an Oscar is because it goes easy on terrorism and it was made by people who are more liberal than the mainstream of the Academy, and I was like "Boy, I think this guy has got to be way off the mark!" Also weird that Kathryn Bigelow is the director -- she directed Strange Days, one of my all-time favorite movies. But I've got no interest in seeing this one. I'm glad Bin Laden's dead, but I don't want to watch a movie about it, especially one that glamorizes torture.
All this back and forth is great, but why aren't there this many comments when the blog is about the middle east? The life-or-death seriousness of what's going on in Syria or Palestine or Iran or Egypt really needs our attention more than a couple Canadian tourists having a bad day.
Thank you! This is what I've been waiting for. It's important for voters to understand that Mitt Romney is in deep with the people who want a war with Iran. I don't think most people get it. If Iran does get nukes, it would just mean a situation of detente with Israel, which already has nukes. Also isn't it amazing that Americans are so easily persuaded that Obama is a Muslim and/or socialist conspirator, when truly dangerous and traitorous conspirators like Feith and Cheney walk around freely? One thing I don't grasp -- why aren't Ron Paul and his anti-war libertarians making a louder noise?? This is a crisis and lives are at stake. Can they really be satisfied with gutting the social safety net and moving to the gold standard? Have they forgotten, or completely failed to see that the only way to long term tax and debt reduction is through peace?
And wouldn't the chances of a war with Iran go up dramatically if Romney were president? That would surely result in thousands of deaths.