political soundoff

Editor - "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein is the book I most recommend to people that are trying to make sense of the things going on in today's world. In a nutshell, Klein effectively argues that the neo-conservatives of the world either create shock and/or pounce on shock to create drastic economic change based on the beliefs of Milton Friedman. The article below by Gary Hart offers a refreshing look at how shock can be used for the good of mankind.

by Gary Hart

Rare is the catastrophe that does not offer some promise. The key is having the genius to discover hope within the rubble.

An argument can be made that the current financial disaster offers a future president, Obama in this case, the chance to transform the U.S. economy. A weakened Wall Street and a chastened conservative community are not now in a position to resist thoughtful and sober re-regulation of markets. The Reagan era (actually Nixon-Reagan-Bush) is over and with it the arrogance that laissez faire always presumes.

But recreation of another Rooseveltian period of 1932 to 1940, with a new set of rules for intricate financial institutions, is not enough. We must transform our economy from one of consumption to one of production, invest much more heavily in new technologies, research, and invention, and start the process of creating a post-carbon economy. The current wreckage must not simply be put back together to recreate the old economy. It must be pushed out of the way to make space for a new, 21st century economy.

The same may be said for foreign policy. Merely returning to the pre-Bush status quo will not work because the new century features a host of new realities: proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; the rise of stateless nations; the threat of pandemics; failed and failing states; mass south-north migrations; climate change; globalized economics; and the list continues. An Obama administration will have responsibility for repairing damaged traditional relations. But it will also have the opportunity to create a new round of international institution-building that includes international financial regulation and cooperation, international administration of a post-Kyoto treaty, reduction in nuclear weapons, integration of public health services, and so on. Our new foreign policy should be patterned on the immensely creative 1945 to 1948 Truman era.

And when troops and equipment are returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, our military should not merely be "re-set", the Washington code word for rebuilding the Cold War military. Our defenses in the new century must acknowledge the transformation of war and the changing nature of conflict which will require new military structures, command and control systems, and even weapons themselves.

The Wall Street disaster is a metaphor for excess and greed, but also for a time gone by. The world of the new century requires not just a new Democratic administration, but one that is prepared to transform our nation and help transform the world

The world’s most neglected emergency, according to the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, is the ongoing tragedy of the Congo, where six to seven million have died since 1996 as a consequence of invasions and wars sponsored by western powers trying to gain control of the region’s mineral wealth. At stake is control of natural resources that are sought by U.S. corporations—diamonds, tin, copper, gold, and more significantly, coltan and niobium, two minerals necessary for production of cell phones and other high-tech electronics; and cobalt, an element essential to nuclear, chemical, aerospace, and defense industries.

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The United States is directly responsible for over one million Iraqi deaths since the invasion five and half years ago.  In a January 2008 report, a British polling group Opinion Research Business (ORB) reports that, “survey work confirms our earlier estimate that over 1,000,000 Iraqi citizens have died as a result of the conflict which started in 2003…. We now estimate that the death toll between March 2003 and August 2007 is likely to have been of the order of 1,033,000. If one takes into account the margin of error associated with survey data of this nature then the estimated range is between 946,000 and 1,120,000”.

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As the banter grows about the Russia-Georgia conflict, the neocons are being more ominous than ever with their threats to Putin and his comrades. CNN and the other "media" are supporting this stance by only showing the damage done on the Georgia side of the war. The American public is following along like the sheep they  have become and it's becoming popular to hate Russia again (ah... reminds me of the days in elementary school when we used to go to the basement and hide under desks to protect ourselves from the Russians).

What the public doesn't know, of course, is that there's much more to the story than they're reading or watching on FOX. What they also don't seem to understand is that Russia has the capability to create a massive problem for America if they re-engage with our enemies in a proactive way.

This article explains more.

If you're any kind of internet news surfer (and since you're here, I'll assume you are), you have heard the rumors about Obama not being a natural U.S. citizen (and, therefore, not eligible to be POTUS). The ongoing story is that the Republicans know this and are waiting to spring it on the world sometime in mid-October to derail the Democrats chance in the elections.

The good news is that factcheck.org just destroyed this rumor by doing some real, old-fashioned journalism work. They went to the Obama Chicago headquarters and saw it live and in person.

Here's the link

Editor's Note: When the U.S. propaganda machine is in full tilt (as it is with regards to the Russia-Georgia conflict), you must read each and every word carefully. Yes becomes No, Right becomes Left, Peace becomes War and so on. When the U.S. casually mentions the deployment of a "missile defense system" to be installed in Poland what they're really saying is a new missile base with attack capabilities will be installed in Poland and the U.S. will run it. The Russians realize this and they don't like it. Do you remember the Cuban missile crisis? How did the U.S. respond? Same thing here.

FULL STORY HERE

For some of those witnessing the fighting in the Caucasus over the past few days, the narrative is straightforward and easy. The plucky republic of Georgia, with just a few million citizens, was attacked by its giant eastern neighbour, Russia. Add to this all the stereotypes of the cold war era, and you are presented with a truly David and Goliath interpretation – with all its accompanying connotations of good and evil. While this version of events is being written in much of the western media, the facts present a different picture

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There was NEVER any intent to occupy Georgia or annex any territory for Russia as Condoleezza Rice is trying to have you believe. The entire operation was set off to STOP aggression by Georgia against a legally-mandated peacekeeping force and against defenseless civilians, and that is a demonstrable fact everywhere but in the US.

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Reveling in his status as an intimate of George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain, and America's lone democratic ally in the Caucasus, Saakashvili thought he could get away with a lightning coup and present the world with a fait accompli.

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Editor's Note: CNN, MSNBC and Fox don't seem to want to cover the fact that Georgia was the aggressor in the recent battle with Russia. Over the next few weeks, we'll expose why the U.S. propaganda machine is in full force against the "evil Russian empire". As usual, there is a much deeper story to be told. Also as usual, US/Israel corporate structures lie at the heart of the issue.

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Editor - PS informed you two years ago that the rise in oil prices would be sharp and based on deregulated futures markets. It's nice to know our Congress is just now catching up on this.

"Record oil prices are inflated by speculation and not justified by market fundamentals," according to Gheit. "Based on supply and demand fundamentals, crude-oil prices should not be above $60 per barrel."

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It appears just about no one knows that the most important piece of legislature in European history got shot down in flames by a small island less than 72 hours ago. What it's proponents called the document that would finally create something akin to the United States of Europe and it's detractors claimed would create a monopolistic state run by the elites was, effectively, stopped cold by Ireland's rejection of the treaty.

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Roger Stone boasts about being the sleaziest man in politics and that his rules are "Attack, attack, attack—never defend" and "Admit nothing, deny everything, launch counterattack." As a young operative, Stone was involved in Watergate, causing him to be fired by Bob Dole.

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A secret deal being negotiated in Baghdad would perpetuate the American military occupation of Iraq indefinitely, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election in November. The terms of the impending deal, details of which have been leaked to The Independent, are likely to have an explosive political effect in Iraq. Iraqi officials fear that the accord, under which US troops would occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, will destabilise Iraq's position in the Middle East and lay the basis for unending conflict in their country.

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GW might just be Einstein compared to McCain. Take a peek:

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www.jpost.com

US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Army Radio quoted a senior official in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday.

However, the official continued, "the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice" was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic, for the time being.

The report stated that according to assessments in Israel, recent turmoil in Lebanon, where Hizbullah de facto established control of the country, was advancing an American attack.

In an address to the Knesset during his visit here last week, Bush said that "the president of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages."

"America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions," Bush said. "Permitting the world's leading sponsor of terror to possess the world's deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

If you are a US serviceman or woman and you fail to come back in one piece, you're pretty much on your own. If you do receive medical services, you'll have to fight for every penny and what you'll get will be substandard at best. Recently, the military has been sending bills to wounded soldiers.

President Bush last week signed into law a bill which will see the federal government begin to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. within six months, a move critics have described as the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database.

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For the first time in history, a trading block is planning for international embassies. This has traditionally been reserved for countries only.  Critics fear this represents a "power grab" by Brussels officials pushing for a federal superstate (they're right).

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