Few share our privilege, power and freedom – hence responsibility
“The White House keeps praising these journalists … who’ve been killed … How does that square with the fact that this administration has been so aggressively trying to stop aggressive journalism in the United States by using the Espionage Act to take whistleblowers to court? … You want aggressive journalism abroad; you just don’t want it in the United States.
–Jake Tapper displays a bravery too rare in the White House press room
US military occupation forces in Afganistan under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 59 combat casualties in the period ending February 21, as the official casualty total for both Iraq and AfPak wars* rose to 112, 539. The total includes 79,575 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003 (Operations “Iraqi Freedom” and “New Dawn”), and 32,964… Continue reading February 21, 2012
“Pay attention: Occupy was so powerful a force for nonviolence that it was already solving Oakland’s chronic crime and violence problems just by giving people hope and meals and solidarity and conversation.”
–Rebecca Solnit clarifies – violent crime in Oakland was down 19% while the encampment existed.
“In any case, the situation demonstrates a growing and expanding willingness on the part of our country’s senior military leaders to use “Information Operations” even on domestic audiences to manipulate the system in order to get what they want.”
–From Lt. Col. Davis’s damning report on our failures in Afghanistan
The neoconservative senator from Connecticut has introduced a “Sense of the Senate” resolution that would put the body on record as rejecting a situation that arguably already exists, in which Iran has the know-how to build a bomb even if it has no intention to do so.
–Sen. Lieberman is not satisfied with bombing Iran if they build a nuke. He wants us to bomb them just for knowing how it’s done.
US military occupation forces in Afganistan under Commander-in-Chief Obama suffered 22 combat casualties in the period ending February 15, as the official casualty total for both Iraq and AfPak wars* jumped to 112, 472 with the monthly report of “non hostile” casualties. The total includes 79,575 casualties since the US invaded Iraq in March, 2003… Continue reading February 16, 2012
“Senior ranking US military leaders have so distorted the truth when communicating with the US Congress and American people in regards to conditions on the ground in Afghanistan that the truth has become unrecognizable.”
–Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, U.S. Army, in a bombshell report subtitled “Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort”.
“Proprietary trading is not an essential commercial bank service that justifies taxpayer support.”
–Paul Volcker defends the rule that bears his name, which allows for government insurance on commercial bank deposits but leaves speculative traders to fend for themselves. Goldman, Sachs would prefer its prop desk was backed by Uncle Sam.
“… the United States will be in full blown debt ceiling hike chaos just as the final electoral debates take place.”
-Zero Hedge gives us something to look forward to.
“We needed a court order to eavesdrop on him, but we didn’t need a court order to kill him. Isn’t that something?”
–Michael Hayden, former Air Force general and CIA Director under Bush, on the assassination of Anwar al-Awlaki. Hayden added that “there isn’t a government on the planet that agrees with our legal rationale for [drone bombings], except for Afghanistan and maybe Israel.”