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How Congress Could Fix Its Budget Woes, Permanently
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. After a thorough analysis of statistics from dozens of countries forced to apply austerity plans by the World Bank and IMF, former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz called austerity plans a “suicide pact.”
Congress already has in its hands the power to solve the nation’s budget challenges – today and permanently. But it has been artificially constrained from using that power by misguided economic dogma, dogma generated by the interests it serves. We have bought into the idea that there is not enough money to feed and house our population, rebuild our roads and bridges, or fund our most important programs -- that there is no alternative but to slash budgets and deficits if we are to survive. We have a mountain of critical work to do, improving our schools, rebuilding our infrastructure, pursuing our research goals, and so forth. And with millions of unemployed and underemployed, the people are there to do it. What we don’t have, we are told, is just the money to bring workers and resources together.
Medals for Murder
by Stephen Lendman
Extrajudicial killing is official US policy. Drone wars normalize it. Obama decides who lives or dies. He appointed himself judge, jury and executioner.
He's got final kill list authority. His secret memo authorized Anwar al-Awlaki's assassination. Anyone anywhere in the world can be murdered on his say.
His "white paper" inverted inviolable legal principles. It's titled "Lawfulness of a Lethal Operation Directed Against a US Citizen who is a Senior Operational Leader of Al Qa'ida or An Associated Force."
It calls lawless killing without trial or evidence legal. Vague language substitutes for clear evidence and just cause. Rule of law principles don't apply.
Habeas rights and due process are spurned. The 1215 Magna Carta states:
"No free man shall be seized, or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed, or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals, or by the law of the land."
Qatar and U.S.: Collusion or Conflict of Interests
By Nicola Nasser**
In his inaugural address on January 21, U.S. President Barak Obama made the historic announcement that “a decade of war is ending” and declared his country’s determination to “show the courage to try and resolve our differences with other nations peacefully,” but his message will remain words that have yet to be translated into deeds and has yet to reach some of the U.S. closest allies in the Middle East who are still beating the drums of war, like Israel against Iran and Qatar against Syria.
In view of the level of “coordination” and “cooperation” since bilateral diplomatic relations were established in 1972 between the U.S. and Qatar, and the concentration of U.S. military power on this tiny peninsula, it seems impossible that Qatar could move independently apart, in parallel with, away or on a collision course with the U.S. strategic and regional plans.
Escalating Tyranny in America
by Stephen Lendman
America's no democracy. It wasn't established to be one. It never was and isn't now.
Latter day framers today would be called a Wall Street crowd. They included money-lenders, investors, speculators, merchants, politicians, planters, and lawyers. High-mindedness wasn't on their agenda.
They wanted America run by people who owned it. They made sure it turned out that way.
Wheeler-dealer government is policy. The "supreme law of the land" is whatever presidents and sitting governments say.
Wealth and power alone mattered. It's more than ever true today. Popular interests are entirely excluded. Government of, by, and for the people never existed and doesn't now.
Harry “the rat” Reid Torpedoes the Hagel Nomination
Michael Collins
Hagel's confirmation has become a memorable battle, in part because many of his opponents are strongly pro-war while always having avoided themselves the kind of sacrifice Hagel exhibited. Andrew Kreig, Justice Integrity Project
Senate Democratic Majority Harry Reid is a rat of epic proportions. He was the only member of the Democratic majority who voted against cloture on the filibuster now in place by Senate Republicans. Reid earned his latest rat tail for two acts against the citizens of this country. First, of course, is the vote against cloture, thus allowing the Republicans to block the Hagel nomination. Reid was forced into this vote by parliamentary rules which Reid himself created. Before that, Reid assured the survival of the filibuster by refusing to curtail the odious process when he wrote the rules for this session of the Senate.
How the Western Leaders Terrorized Muslim World using Fake Clash of Civilizations
Mahboob A. Khawaja, PhD
A "war of religion" is unfolding, with a view to justifying a global military crusade. In the inner consciousness of many Americans, the "holy crusade" against Muslims is justified. While President Obama may uphold freedom of religion, the US inquisitorial social order has institutionalized patterns of discrimination, prejudice and xenophobia directed against Muslims.' - (Michel Chossudovsky, 'America's Holy Crusade against the Muslim World', Global Research, 8/30/2010).
Does the US war strategy require other nations to follow the American policy lead of war against all - the terrorism of war instigated by the Clash of Civilizations theory? Stephen Lendman ('America's Permanent War Agenda' 3/01/2010), an American political intellectual and a man of universal conscience puts the history in one nutshell:
"America glorifies wars in the name of peace, what historian Charles Beard (1874 - 1948) called "perpetual war for perpetual peace" in describing the Roosevelt and Truman administrations' foreign policies - what concerned the Federation of American Scientists when it catalogued about 200 post-1945 conflicts in which America was, and still is, the aggressor"
Israel Fuels Syrian Fire, Risking Regional Outburst
By Nicola Nasser**
The timing of the Israeli air raid early on January 30 on a Syrian target, that has yet to be identified, coincided with a hard to refute indications that the “regime change” in Syria by force, both by foreign military intervention and by internal armed rebellion, has failed, driving the Syrian opposition in exile to opt unwillingly for “negotiations” with the ruling regime, with the blessing of the U.S., EU and Arab League, concluding, in the words of a Deutsche Welle report on this February 2, that “nearly two years since the revolt began, (Syrian President Bashar Al-) Assad is still sitting comfortably in presidential chair.”
So God Made Republicans
Joel S. Hirschhorn
Stupid people have the right to vote. Stupid people propel our consumer economy and waste money on myriad things because they are stupid shoppers. Stupid people have the right to own guns, lots of guns. Stupid people have free speech. So, no surprise, in our representative democracy (aka republic) even the most stupid citizens deserve to be represented in government. God has done this by giving them the Republican Party with lots of stupid politicians running and ruining our nation.
Now we see leading Republicans working hard to rebrand, remessage, rebuild and separate themselves from Tea Party extremists. This mighty effort is just another example of how stupid and delusional Republicans are.
Time to Drop Money from Helicopters?
By Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers
Co-directors, It’s Our Economy
Milton Friedman of the Chicago School of Economics suggested in 1969 that dropping money out of helicopters for citizens to pick up was a sure way to restart the economy. This was consistent with long-held views; in 1948 he argued that governments should rely solely on printed money to finance their regular cyclical deficits. This is the Keynsian’s favorite Friedman monetary recommendation. In fact, John Maynard Keynes put forward a similar idea in 1936, but he urged people to dig up bottles filled with money.
Looking at the shape of the economy, maybe it is time to consider direct cash payments to citizens. Does anyone doubt that if the $20 trillion or so dollars the Federal Reserve has given to the banks in the 2008-09 bailout, the virtually no interest loans for 3 years and the subsequent QE’s (Qualitative Easings) had been given directly to the people (except, of course, the 1 percent) the economy would be better off today? That the economic collapse would be behind us?
Escalating Pressure on Iran
by Stephen Lendman
Secretary of State John Kerry's clear where he stands. He laid down markers. He demands Iran comply with Washington's demands. Left unsaid is what follows otherwise.
On February 26, nuclear talks will resume. P5+1 countries (Washington, Britain, Germany, China and Russia) will meet Iranian negotiators. They'll do so in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Targeting Iran's peaceful nuclear program is red herring cover for regime change. Good faith negotiations aren't possible. Washington obstructs them. So does Israel behind the scenes.
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