Dan Eggen and Robert Barnes, The Washington Post: "Standing behind a lectern in Michigan this week, with two trusted senators ready to do his bidding, John McCain seemed to forget for a moment that he was only running for president. Asked about his tough rhetoric on the ongoing conflict in Georgia, McCain began: 'If I may be so bold, there was another president . . .' He caught himself and started again: 'At one time, there was a president named Ronald Reagan who spoke very strongly about America's advocacy for democracy and freedom.'"
Anlässlich der Einigung zwischen den USA und Polen zur Errichtung des Raketenabwehrsystems in Polen, erklärt Helmut Scholz, Mitglied des Parteivorstandes:
DIE LINKE bleibt bei ihrer klaren Ablehnung der US-amerikanischen Pläne, Militärbasen in Osteuropa zu errichten. Auf Grund der hohen Aktualität der Lage und im Schatten des Kaukasuskonfliktes fordert DIE LINKE mehr Besonnenheit. Weiteres Aufrüsten kann nicht zu mehr Sicherheit führen, im Gegenteil Aufrüstung schürt Konflikte. Der von den Polen gewählte Weg, sich nun mit den USA zu verständigen und eine US-Basis zuzulassen belastet das Verhältnis zu Russland. Ob das Abwehrsystem auf den Iran, den Nahen- und Mittleren Osten oder alle anderen Gebiete gerichtet ist, spielt für Frieden und Sicherheit eine untergeordnete Rolle. Es zielt auf die globale Durchsetzung der US-amerikanischen Hegemonie und wird eine Demokratisierung der internationalen Staatenbeziehungen verhindern. Darüber hinaus wird ein konfrontativer Kurs des Ausbaus der NATO vorangetrieben. DIE LINKE wird sich weiterhin für Abrüstung und Frieden gemeinsam mit zivilgesellschaftlichen Kräften einsetzen, insbesondere aktiv und konkret mit jenen in Polen und Tschechien.
The bulwark against tyranny is dissent. Open opposition, the right to challenge those in power, is a mainstay of any healthy democracy. The Democratic and Republican conventions will test the commitment of the two dominant U.S. political parties to the cherished tradition of dissent. Things are not looking good...
Multiple combat deployments to Iraq are increasing serious mental health problems among soldiers, triggering drug and alcohol abuse and contributing to record suicide levels, suggest reports out today. In a typical unit headed to Iraq, 60% are on their second, third or fourth deployment, lasting about a year each, said Army Col. Carl Castro, who directs a medical research program at Ft. Detrick, Md...
Susan Bysiewicz, The New York Times: "What is the secretary of Veterans Affairs thinking? On May 5, the department led by James B. Peake issued a directive that bans nonpartisan voter registration drives at federally financed nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and shelters for homeless veterans. As a result, too many of our most patriotic American citizens - our injured and ill military veterans - may not be able to vote this November."
Cornelia Dean, The New York Times: "Last year, a private company proposed 'fertilizing' parts of the ocean with iron, in hopes of encouraging carbon-absorbing blooms of plankton. Meanwhile, researchers elsewhere are talking about injecting chemicals into the atmosphere, launching sun-reflecting mirrors into stationary orbit above the earth or taking other steps to reset the thermostat of a warming planet."
Nina Bernstein, The New York Times: "He was 17 when he came to New York from Hong Kong in 1992 with his parents and younger sister, eyeing the skyline like any newcomer. Fifteen years later, Hiu Lui Ng was a New Yorker: a computer engineer with a job in the Empire State Building, a house in Queens, a wife who is a United States citizen and two American-born sons. But when Mr. Ng, who had overstayed a visa years earlier, went to immigration headquarters in Manhattan last summer for his final interview for a green card, he was swept into immigration detention and shuttled through jails and detention centers in three New England states."
On May 12, immigration officials swooped in to arrest 400 undocumented workers from Mexico and Guatemala at the local meat-packing plant, a raid described as the biggest such action at a single site in U.S. history. The raid left 43 women, wives of the men who were taken away, and their 150 children without status or a means of support. The women cannot leave the town, and to make sure they do not they have been outfitted with leg monitoring bracelets.
Marisa Taylor, McClatchy Newspapers: "Attorney General Michael Mukasey confirmed plans Wednesday to loosen post-Watergate restrictions on the FBI's national security and criminal investigations, saying the changes were necessary to improve the bureau's ability to detect terrorists."
Paul J. Saunders, The Washington Post: "The fates of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are chief among the many issues that are still unresolved in the war between Georgia and Russia. What's clear, however, is that Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered his country's military to assert his authority over South Ossetia by force. American officials should reflect on the implications of Saakashvili's behavior for U.S. policy toward Georgia, Russia and the region."
Serge Truffaut, Le Devoir, chalks up Russia's military incursion in Georgia to a single source, "all because the commitment President Bill Clinton made to Moscow was not honored by his successor."
Helen Cooper, CJ Chivers and Clifford J. Levy, The New York Times: "The story of how a 16-year, low-grade conflict over who should rule two small, mountainous regions in the Caucasus erupted into the most serious post-cold-war showdown between the United States and Russia is one of miscalculation, missed signals and overreaching, according to interviews with diplomats and senior officials in the United States, the European Union, Russia and Georgia. In many cases, the officials would speak only on the condition of anonymity."
Tour of Tskhinvali Undercuts Russian Claim of Genocide
Tom Lasseter, McClatchy Newspapers: "As Russian troops pounded through Georgia last week, the Kremlin and its allies repeatedly pointed to one justification above all others: The Georgian military had destroyed the city of Tskhinvali ... But a trip to the city on Sunday, without official escorts, revealed a very different picture. While it was clear there had been heavy fighting - missiles knocked holes in walls, and bombs tore away rooftops - almost all of the buildings seen in an afternoon driving around Tskhinvali were still standing."
Mikheil Saakashvili's decision to use the opening of the Olympic Games to cover Georgia's invasion of its breakaway province of South Ossetia must rank in stupidity with Gamal Abdel-Nasser's decision to close the Straits of Tiran to Israeli ships.
All the Propaganda That's Fit to Print:
The New York Times, Again, Tells It Like It Ain't
By Sean M. Madden
As part of an all-out Western media campaign to bury the simple fact that Georgia invaded South Ossetia a week ago -- an act of aggression which led, subsequently, to Russia's response -- Thursday's NYT's top headline helps to further instill the lie, at home and abroad, that Bush and the U.S government are truly concerned about the welfare of Georgians and human beings generally.
I am a citizen of a country that was a principal actor in the two big wars of the twentieth century. I believe that these wars were unnecessary for the security of my country and killed unimaginable numbers of people. They also destroyed British primacy in the world and were the means of transforming Britain from genuine liberal democracy to politically correct corporatism.
The Bush Regime imbeciles don't know when to stop. With the world still rolling in laughter from John McCain's claim that "in the 21st century nations don't invade other nations," the moronic US secretary of state declared: "This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia, where Russia can threaten a neighbor, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed."
The Truth about Georgia gets censored again on TV?
The Truth about Georgia gets censored again on TV. A reporter makes a comparison to the US reaction to 911 to Russia's reaction to Georgian attacks and the satellite feed drops off in the middle of his question. TV is censored every day and every hour but sometimes the censorship is plain to see.
Once the Atlantic Alliance is shattered, America's lifeline to the world is kaput
By Mike Whitney
There are no military installations in the city of Tskhinvali. In fact, there are no military targets at all. It is an industrial center consisting of lumber mills, manufacturing plants and residential areas. It is also the home to 30,000 South Ossetians. When Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the city to be bombed by warplanes and shelled by heavy artillery last Thursday, he knew that he would be killing hundreds of civilians in their homes and neighborhoods. But he ordered the bombing anyway.
Russia-Georgia Conflict Fueled by Rush to Control Caspian Energy Resources
Democracy Now! Audio & Transcript
Human Rights Watch has accused both Russian and Georgian forces of killing and injuring civilians through indiscriminate attacks over the past week of fighting. Professor and author Michael Klare joins us to talk about how the Russian-Georgian conflict is largely an energy war over who has access to the vast oil and natural gas reserves in the Caspian region.
Since Bill Clinton invaded the Balkans and severed Kosovo from the Yugoslav torso, the incredibly patient Russians had stoically endured years of abuse, insults, and increasingly open belligerence directed at the Kremlin. Yet still they tried to have normal relations with the West. The turning point was reached only recently, as the Americans defended the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia and implicitly justified the murder of a dozen Russian soldiers, who were on a UN-sanctioned peacekeeping mission. The War Party has had a hard-on for Putin ever since the run-up to our Iraq misadventure, when the Russian leader opposed the drive to war, tried to buy time for the Iraqis via the UN, and openly mocked the lies that rationalized the whole disaster...
LINDENHURST (WABC) -- A battle is brewing over a cell phone tower on Long Island Thursday.
The tower was put up at the corner of a park in Lindenhurst. Some residents there say they were tricked, because they thought it was a flag pole. Now, they are concerned for their children's safety.
There are more than 100,000 cell phone towers in the United States.
Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch.com: "To appreciate the full extent of the military crisis into which the United States has been plunged requires understanding what the Iraq War and, to a lesser extent, the Afghan War have to teach. These two conflicts, along with the attacks of September 11, 2001, will form the centerpiece of George W. Bush's legacy. Their lessons ought to constitute the basis of a new, more realistic military policy."
As Increases Move Beyond Food, Oil: U.S. inflation soared to a 17-year-high annual rate in July, a government report showed, led by gains in food, energy, airline fares and apparel.
U.S. foreclosure activity in July rose 55 percent from a year earlier as a slump in once-sizzling housing markets forced yet more borrowers to default on their mortgages, according to a monthly report.
Americans have now racked up nearly $1 trillion in credit-card debt. As housing equity shrinks and costs rise, agencies such as Moody's report swelling numbers of accounts with balances three or more payments past due. Reinforced by abusive industry practices, the plastic safety net is becoming a permanent cage.
John McCain's chief foreign policy adviser and his business partner lobbied the senator or his staff on 49 occasions in a 3 1/2-year span while being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the government of the former Soviet republic of Georgia.
While Aide Advised McCain, His Firm Lobbied for Georgia
Sen. John McCain's top foreign policy adviser prepped his boss for an April 17 phone call with the president of Georgia and then helped the presumptive Republican presidential nominee prepare a strong statement of support for the fledgling republic.
American soldiers will withdraw from cities across Iraq next summer and all US combat troops will leave the country within three years, provided the violence remains low, under the terms of a draft agreement with the Iraqi Government.
Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation: "As John McCain and the Republicans trumpet their election year boldfaced lie-drill now so we can lower prices at the pump today-they continue to ignore a looming energy disaster with lives hanging in the balance. Currently, eight million homes rely on heating oil during the winter months, and last winter’s prices forced too many citizens to choose between heat, food, and medicine."
„Mit rund 4,4 Milliarden Euro hat die Bundesregierung im vergangenen Jahr die Einkommen von Voll- und Teilzeitbeschäftigen aufgestockt. Weil ihr Einkommen trotz Arbeit unter dem Existenzminimum lag, waren circa 1,3 Millionen Menschen auf Hartz-IV-Leistungen angewiesen. Damit, so eine aktuelle Studie des Deutschen Gewerkschaftsbundes, war ein Viertel aller Hartz IV-EmpfängerInnen im ausgewerteten Zeitraum berufstätig…“ DGB-Mitteilung vom 12.08.2008 http://www.dgb.de/2008/08/12_harzIV_aufstocker/
Aus: LabourNet, 14. August 2008
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26. August 2008
Lohnspirale nach unten stoppen!
Die morgen erscheinende Studie des WSI zur Entwicklung der Reallöhne in Deutschland kommentiert Klaus Ernst, stellvertretender Vorsitzender der Partei DIE LINKE:
Die Bundesregierung kann noch so oft das Gegenteil behaupten: Der Aufschwung kommt bei den Menschen nicht an. Insbesondere Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen und Teilzeitbeschäftigte müssen mit Realeinbußen von fast 14 Prozent kämpfen. Verbunden mit privaten Zuzahlungen für Rente und Gesundheit sowie massiv gestiegenen Energie- und Lebensmittelpreisen haben viele Menschen immer weniger Geld in der Tasche. Schuld hat die Politik. Hartz IV, Privatisierungen, die Subventionierung des Niedriglohnsektors und Minijobs sind ein Armutszeugnis für Rot-Grün und die Große Koalition. Die Lohnspirale nach unten muss endlich gestoppt werden. Wir brauchen einen flächendeckenden gesetzlichen Mindestlohn. Die gewerkschaftsfeindliche Gesetzgebung von Hartz IV bis zum Anti-Streik-Paragrafen muss endlich beendet werden, damit flächendeckend wieder höhere Lohnzuwächse erkämpft werden können.
Erstmals hat ein Landessozialgericht einen Sachverständigenrat einberufen, um die ALG II Regelleistungen/ Grundsicherung für Arbeitssuchende gemäß SGB II, zu überprüfen. Nach Informationen der ARCA Soziales Netzwerk e.V. in Eschwege hatte eine Familie in Hessen mit Hilfe des Erwerbslosenvereins eine Klage eingereicht, in der sie zurecht die Bemessung der ALG II Regelsätze als unzureichend anklagt.
TV celebrity Jasper Carrott branded a controversial phone mast site in Kingswinford “criminal” after viewing the eyesore for himself.
The comedian called at the High Acres estate to lend his voice to a campaign calling for a water tower which is home to 18 antennae to be pulled down amid health fears.
The Birmingham based star met protestors at the foot of the tower and delivered a devastating attack on authorities, who he says allow sites to grow unchecked while collecting billions of pounds in revenue from phone companies.
Thomas L. Friedman, The New York Times: "John McCain recently tried to underscore his seriousness about pushing through a new energy policy, with a strong focus on more drilling for oil, by telling a motorcycle convention that Congress needed to come back from vacation immediately and do something about America's energy crisis. 'Tell them to come back and get to work!' McCain bellowed."
Paul Harris, The Observer UK: "Under fire from Republicans, top Democratic politicians in the United States are considering lifting a ban on new offshore oil drilling. The issue is now at the forefront of the presidential election, as Republican candidate John McCain has made allowing new drilling one of the center pieces of his campaign, claiming that it will help drive down petrol prices. Democrats have hitherto said new drilling would do little to relieve consumer pain at the pump, accusing Republicans of misleading the public and being a pawn of big oil companies. Yet signs are emerging that they are easing their opposition to the comprehensive ban."
Most of the killings of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan are ignored because US military media releases are published unquestioningly by the world's newspapers. The words of US "officials" go straight into print without question and are presented as incontrovertible fact.
Just when you think Uncle Sam's war has no more surprises to spring on an unsuspecting world, he comes up with yet another gem. Take the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who grew up in the U.S. and went to top universities including the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Trump and His Allies...
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2022/06/21/trump-and-his-allies-are-clear-and-present-danger-american-democracy?utm_source=daily_newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter_op
rudkla - 22. Jun, 05:09
The Republican Party...
https://truthout.org/articles/the-republican-party-is-still-doing-donald-trumps-bidding/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=804d4873-50dd-4c1b-82a5-f465ac3742ce
rudkla - 26. Apr, 05:36
January 6 Committee Says...
https://truthout.org/articles/jan-6-committee-says-trump-engaged-in-criminal-conspiracy-to-undo-election/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=552e5725-9297-4a7c-a214-53c8c51615a3
