Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Prepping Minds for War Against China / Politics / US Politics
By: Shamus_Cooke
You'd think the U.S. was already at war with China, given the immense amount of anti-China rhetoric spouting from the government and media. But selling wars takes time. The average American hasn't bought in to this false advertising yet. So the big lie will be repeated until its roots are deeply sunk into the American psyche: China, says the U.S. government, is a threat that needs to be "dealt with.”
Monday, January 17, 2011
The US-Israeli Coup in Beirut / Politics / Middle East
By: Mike_Whitney
The United States and Israel have executed a stealth coup that has precipitated the collapse of Lebanon's unity government.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton preemptively torpedoed negotiations between Saudi Arabia and Syria by telling "Saudi King Abdullah and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri that the U.S. would reject any settlement at the expense of the UN tribunal." (Tehran Times) Clinton knew that the Saudi-Syria team was close to a "breakthrough" that would have resolved contentious issues related to the investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. She could not allow that to happen because it would derail the US/Israeli plan for regime change and another Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tonight We Are All Tunisians / Politics / Middle East
By: Submissions
Yvonne Ridley writes: Over the last few days we have seen some of the bravest people facing down some of the worst.
Armed with nothing more than a revolutionary heart and hopes of a better future they gathered and protested as government forces aimed their weapons and fired live rounds in to the crowds.
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Turmoil in Lebanon / Politics / Middle East
By: Stephen_Lendman
Reportedly, 19th century Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz once remarked: "Poor Mexico, So far from God, So close to the United States." His proximity comment applies to Lebanon. Bordering Israel, it experienced decades of belligerent interventions as early as 1954 when Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion proposed supporting the establishment of a Maronite-dominated Christian mini-state.
In 1978, Israel attacked Lebanon and occupied the country up to the Litani River before withdrawing under US pressure, letting UN Blue Helmets (UNIFIL) replace its own forces.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
How Many U.S. Senators Does It Take To Screw A Taxpayer? / Politics / US Politics
By: James_Quinn
"Today, the government decides and they misdirect the investment to their friends in the corn industry or the food industry. Think how many taxpayer dollars have been spent on corn [for ethanol], and there's nobody now really defending that as an efficient way to create diesel fuel or ethanol. The money is spent for political reasons and not for economic reasons. It's the worst way in the world to try to develop an alternative fuel." - Ron Paul
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Arizona Shootings, The Lunatic is in My Head / Politics / US Politics
By: Ashvin_Pandurangi
"The possibility of madness is therefore implicit in the very phenomenon of passion."
- Michel Foucault (Madness and Civilisation)
The mass shooting in Tuscon, Arizona was a sad and unpleasant event, but it was fully expected by those of us who stay informed. We couldn't predict exactly where such an event would occur, when it would occur or how it would occur, but we knew that it was only a matter of time before people began lashing out against "the system" in violent ways. In early 2010, a man lashed out by flying a plane into an IRS building in Texas, but this time the violence directly targeted a federal politician, who is currently hospitalized in critical condition.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Arizona Republican Resigns Over Tea Party Threats / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Patrick Martin writes: A local Republican Party official in Arizona resigned his position this week after the attempted assassination of Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, citing the threat of violence from Tea Party members in his area.
Anthony Miller, who was hailed as a rising star in state Republican circles as one of the party’s few black leaders, was reelected last month to a second term as chairman of the Arizona Legislative District 20 of the Republican Party. District 20 is a heavily Republican area in the southwest suburbs of Phoenix, including Ahwatukee Foothills and parts of Chandler and Tempe.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
US Pressure Triggers Collapse of Lebanese Government / Politics / Middle East
By: Global_Research
Bill Van Auken writes: Lebanon’s misnamed “national unity” government fell Wednesday after the political bloc led by Hezbollah withdrew over the failure to reach an agreement on policy toward a United Nations probe into the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Liquidate the Fed / Politics / Central Banks
By: Fred_Sheehan
"I would also like to note that the same research paper [produced by the Federal Reserve staff] analyzed the macroeconomic effects of the FOMC's full program of securities purchases ["Quantitative Easing," usually called, by non-economists, "printing money"], including the first round of purchases that was initiated in late 2008 and early 2009, the modification of the reinvestment policy that was announced last August, and the second round of purchases that was initiated in November.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 14, 2011
U.S. Media Selling Views and Calling it News / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: John_Kozy
America's journalists are not "newshounds." They are nothing more than salesclerks, hocking the products their employers want to sell. The pretty faces that now function as most television news anchors are no different than the pretty models used to sell other products. The American "free" press is comprised of nothing more than a number of retail outlets which sell stories slanted to please their target audiences. As such, they exist merely to sell snake oil.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Politics – Not Oil Prices – Are What's Behind the Deepwater Drilling Debate / Politics / Crude Oil
By: Money_Morning
Jason Simpkins writes: With oil prices rising and the Gulf oil spill fading from the forefront of the American psyche, deepwater drilling is set to emerge as a very hot, and very controversial topic in the months ahead - particularly among Republican representatives.
The GOP traditionally has been the party that supports the development of fossil fuels, while Democrats tend to push for more environmental regulation and a move toward renewable resources.
Read full article... Read full article...
Friday, January 14, 2011
Does Fascism Lurk Around The Corner In The USA? / Politics / US Politics
By: Danny_Schechter
Fascism is one of those words that sounds like it belongs in the past, conjuring up, as it does, marching jack boots in the streets, charismatic demagogues like Italy’s Mussolini or Spain’s Franco and armed crackdowns on dissent and freedom of expression.
It is a term we are used to reading in histories about World War 2---not in news stories from present day America.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Bonus Bonanza for UK’s Top Bankers / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Global_Research
Robert Stevens writes: The five biggest UK banks are set to pay out massive bonuses for 2010. Chief executives at HSBC, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds and Standard Chartered will receive millions in bonuses, as working people endure unprecedented cuts in pay, working conditions and social services imposed by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
U.S. Recruits Japan As Global Military Partner / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Rick_Rozoff
During the preceding week the U.S.’s top military officer identified Asia as the central focus of the Pentagon’s attention in the world, U.S. warships joined Japanese counterparts in military maneuvers in the East China Sea for the second time in a month, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in East Asia on a trip that began in China and will end in Japan and South Korea on January 14.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Congressional Security and the Tucson Shooting / Politics / US Politics
By: STRATFOR
Following the Jan. 8 shooting of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Federal District Judge John McCarthy Roll and 17 others in Tucson, Arizona, discussion has focused on the motivations and ideology of the accused shooter, Jared Loughner. While it was important to make a quick assessment of Loughner’s profile in order to evaluate the possibility of an organized threat, all the available evidence (though not conclusive) indicates that he acted alone.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Palin and Tea Party Political Right Tied to Arizona Assasination Spree / Politics / US Politics
By: Global_Research
Bill Van Auken writes: Mounting evidence has linked the 22-year-old gunman who severely wounded Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, killed a federal judge and killed or wounded 18 others in Tucson, Arizona to the political right.
According to a memo issued by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of the shooting spree at a Tucson, Arizona strip mall Saturday, Internet activity by the gunman, Jared Lee Loughner, linked him to American Renaissance, which DHS described as an “anti-government, anti-immigration, anti-ZOG [Zionist Occupation Government], anti-Semitic.” The online publication of the organization advocates white supremacy and racial separation.
Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Budget Battles Ahead / Politics / US Debt
By: Axel_Merk
William Poole writes: I began writing this note on New Year’s Day; the holiday season is over all too early for me as I contemplate the coming year. Along with other investors, I have many worries, but at the top of my list is the budget battle that will be fought in Washington, every state capital and most capitals of high-income countries abroad. As I finish this note, Republicans are now in charge of the House of Representatives.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Arizona Shootings, Paul Krugman Incites Hatred and Ignores His Own Rhetoric / Politics / US Politics
By: William_Anderson
In reading Paul Krugman's column today on the Arizona shooting – a very predictable column, I might add, given Krugman's political views – I am struck by the fact that we have a mathematical economist who adds 2 + 2 and gets 5. Not only is his theme dishonest, but he also goes about presenting the information dishonestly.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
EU Prepares to Approve €1 Trillion Master Energy Plan / Politics / Energy Resources
By: Global_Intel_Report
INCIDENT: Towards the end of last year, the European Commission presented its new energy strategy for the next decade, calling for investment of €1 trillion in the EU's energy network, among a series of other measures. Leading Eurocrats hope that an EU energy summit scheduled for next month in Budapest will endorse the proposals and give them some political traction.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 10, 2011
Toward Sensible Monetary Policy / Politics / US Interest Rates
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week the 112th Congress was sworn in. I am pleased that I will be chairing the Monetary Policy Subcommittee of the Financial Services Committee, which has oversight of the Federal Reserve. Obviously, this position will facilitate my efforts to ensure the Fed provides the American people with more information about what they have been doing with and to our money. Not surprisingly, since my chairmanship was announced, apologists for the Fed have been recycling the old canard about how increased transparency threatens the Fed's so-called political independence.
Read full article... Read full article...