Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Disappearance of Keith Olbermann

By Robert Parry
January 22, 2011

Keith Olbermann’s abrupt departure from MSNBC should be another wake-up call to American progressives about the fragile foothold that liberal-oriented fare now has for only a few hours on one corporate cable network.

Read on.

Friday, January 21, 2011

The Roots of US Religious Tolerance

By the Rev. Howard Bess
January 21, 2011

Most people do not realize the meaning of being a Baptist. Theologically, we cover the full spectrum from right to left. We are scattered politically throughout Republicans, Democrats, Tea Partiers and None of the Above. Our hallmark is freedom.

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Another MLK Holiday Is Safely Past

By Gary Kohls
January 21, 2011

“Now That He Is Safely Dead” is the poignant poem that was written by black poet/musician Carl Wendell Hines soon after Malcolm X’s assassination in 1965.

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Obama Submits to Israel Lobby

By Lawrence Davidson
January 21, 2011

According to Laura Rozen, a journalist specializing in foreign policy matters and writing in Politico, the Obama administration is seeking "new ideas from outside experts on how to advance the [Israeli-Palestinian] peace process."

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

US Courts Help Corporations Win

By Michael Winship
January 20, 2011

Joe Berlinger's back is against the wall. Last week the independent filmmaker, already facing crushing debt from legal bills, was dealt a major blow in his continuing fight against the third largest company in America, Chevron.

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Remembering Zorro's Vietnam Legacy

By Don North
January 20, 2011

Barry Zorthian, who died last month at the age of 90, was one of the last surviving U.S government officials who shaped America’s role in the Vietnam War, a man who also stood at the shadowy intersection between press management and psychological warfare.

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Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Behind the WikiLeaks' Leak

By Charles Pena
January 19, 2011

The continuing WikiLeaks controversy has focused needed attention on a number of important issues: whether, for example, Julian Assange was justified in releasing classified information in order to make government more accountable, whether the release of the information put U.S. intelligence sources and methods at risk, and whether the legitimate need for secrecy in certain government activities occasionally provides cover for government activities that public officials would have trouble justifying if they took place in the open.

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Tuesday, January 18, 2011

China's Hu Arrives to Look Around

By Danny Schechter
January 18, 2011

On the eve of the Chinese President’s visit to the United States, and the intense speculation about his intentions — and ours — I found myself in a dark room at the Anthology Film Archive in the East Village watching a spectacular documentary by Chinese filmmaker Zhao Liang called “Petition.”

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Getting Out of Iraq Before More Strife

By Ivan Eland
January 18, 2011

The American media continues to tout the reduced violence in Iraq without foreseeing the long-term potential for a resumption of severe ethno-sectarian violence and the absence of mechanisms — à la Sudan — to defuse it.

Read on.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Eisenhower's Understated Warning

By Gareth Porter
January 17, 2011

Fifty years after Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Jan. 17, 1961, speech on the “military-industrial complex,” the threat he identified has morphed into a far more powerful and sinister force than Eisenhower could have imagined. It has become a “Permanent War State,” with the power to keep the United States at war continuously for the indefinite future.

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Twisting MLK's Message of Peace

By William Loren Katz
January 17, 2011

On Jan. 13, the Pentagon commemorated the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with an address by Jeh C. Johnson, the Defense Department’s general counsel, who insisted that today’s wars are not out of line with the iconic Nobel Peace Prize winner’s teachings.

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Troubled History of the Hariri Probe

By Robert Parry
January 17, 2011

A United Nations-backed tribunal, which has conducted a long and troubled investigation into the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, issued a sealed indictment on Monday amid expectations that members of Hezbollah will be blamed.

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Reversing the Erosion of Civil Liberties

By Coleen Rowley
January 17, 2011

Who has not yet awoken to the fact that we have been sailing since the 9/11 attacks into a perfect storm?

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Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Israeli Right's Move to Repress

By Lawrence Davidson
January 16, 2011

Zeev Sternhell is an Israeli historian and a recognized expert on Fascism. He is also an occasional contributor to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

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Eisenhower's Neglected Warning

By Melvin A. Goodman
January 16, 2011

On Jan. 17, 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued his prophetic warning about the military-industrial complex, anticipating the increased political, economic, military and even cultural influence of the Pentagon and its allies.

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A Nation Approaching Spiritual Death

By Gary Kohls
January 16, 2011

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

Read on.