Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Afghanistan, What is Going on? / Politics / Afghanistan
By: Pravda
PRAVDA.Ru sources in Pakistan state that the US military forces are pulling back from the border posts between Afghanistan and Pakistan, while at the same time the Pakistani army is engaged in a major offensive against the Taliban. Is this to allow the Taliban to move freely, while the hidden objective is the Pakistani State?
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Fear-Mongering Pandemic! / Politics / Global Pandemic
By: Gary_D_Barnett
All the talk of pandemics that can only be solved by government intervention has me in a rage. I am literally sick of the fear-mongering rhetoric spewed by everyone from government officials to the mainstream media, advocacy groups, pharmaceutical companies, and the World Health Organization about false threats. The real threat to us all lies in our acceptance of fear, and in our acceptance of a false prophet as savior. What is at stake here is not a threat from disease or other disasters, but a threat to what’s left of our precious liberty due to the government’s fear-mongering about false "pandemics."
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The Fed Saves the Nation / Politics / Central Banks
By: Stephen_Merrill
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gets more than his share of grief. He is, after all, just the present grand master for the Keynesian policies that have ruled Washington since the days of Herbert Hoover.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
U.S. Government Squandered Billions in the AIG Deal / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Janet_Tavakoli
Janet Tavakoli, founder of Chicago-based Tavakoli Structured Finance Inc., a financial consulting firm, says the government squandered billions in the AIG deal.
“There’s no way they should have paid at par,” she says. “AIG was basically bankrupt.”
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Michael Moore's Action Plan: 15 Things Every American Can Do Right Now / Politics / US Politics
By: Submissions
You've Seen the Movie -- Now It's Time to ACT!
Friends,
It's the #1 question I'm constantly asked after people see my movie: "OK -- so NOW what can I DO?!"
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Monday, October 26, 2009
Russia, Iran and the Biden Speech / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: STRATFOR
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden toured several countries in Central Europe last week, including the Czech Republic and Poland. The trip comes just a few weeks after the United States reversed course and decided not to construct a ballistic missile defense (BMD) system in those two countries. While the system would have had little effect on the national security of either Poland or the Czech Republic, it was taken as a symbol of U.S. commitment to these two countries and to former Soviet satellites generally. The BMD cancellation accordingly caused intense concern in both countries and the rest of the region.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Audit the Fed, Anything Less Than Full Disclosure is Unacceptable / Politics / Central Banks
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Last week a new bill was introduced in the Senate to audit the Federal Reserve. Some backers of my bill HR1207 and the existing Senate companion bill S.604 were a little miffed at this, but depending on how you think about it, this new legislation poses no great threat to our efforts.
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Monday, October 26, 2009
American Healthcare Fascialism / Politics / US Politics
By: Thomas_J_DiLorenzo
Some time ago I invented the phrase "fascialism" to describe the American system of political economy. Fascialism means an economy is part fascist, part socialist. Economic fascism has nothing to do with dictatorship, militarism, or bizarre racial theories. Fascism is a brand of socialism that was the economic system of Germany and Italy in the early 20th century. It was characterized by private enterprise, but private enterprise that was comprehensively regulated and regimented by the state, ostensibly "in the public interest" (as arbitrarily defined by the state).
Sunday, October 25, 2009
How Did America Fall So Fast? / Politics / US Politics
By: Washingtons_Blog
In 2000, America was described as the sole remaining superpower - or even the world's "hyperpower". Now we're in real trouble (at the very least, you have to admit that we're losing power and wealth in comparison with China).
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Indian Ocean Great Power Confrontation, Geo-Politics of the Sri Lankan Civil War / Politics / GeoPolitics
By: Mahdi_D_Nazemroaya
The support and positions of various foreign governments in regards to the diabolic fighting between the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan military, which cost the lives of thousands of innocent civilians, says a great deal about the geo-strategic interests of these foreign governments. The position of the governments of India and a group of states that can collectively be called the Periphery, such as the U.S. and Australia, were in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) or Tamil Tigers, either overtly or covertly. Many of these governments also provided this support tacitly, so as not to close any future opportunity of co-opting Sri Lanka after the fighting was over.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Social Upheaval, How Close Are We? / Politics / Social Issues
By: Michael_T_Bucci
Many authors who have contributed to The Market Oracle have expressed concern - some overtly and some in passing - about the possibility of social upheavals in the US caused by economic dislocations and what impact these events would have on the markets. How close are we? An excellent synopsis by Mr Andre Damon of the current status of economic conditions extant in the US and the world on the eve of the G20
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Friday, October 23, 2009
Bailout Economic Madness as Congress Seeks to Bailout Pork Belly Farmers / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Mike_Shedlock
24 Senators and 63 House Representatives have completely lost their minds over pork bellies. Apparently the free market does not work, hog farmers are not making enough money, and the government owes farmers a profit no matter how much stuff they grow or raise.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
BBC Question Time, BNP Sowing the Seeds of Civil Unrest in Britain During 2010 / Politics / UK Politics
By: N_Walayat
The BBC's decision to allow the leader of the far right BNP air time on its flagship political debate programme Question Time tonight marks another milestone along the path towards the emergence of the far right to new extremes which follows the electoral winning of two European Parliament seats and a string of local election gains.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Washington to Start Taxing Securities Transactions? / Politics / US Politics
By: Tony_Sagami
Our budget deficit is skyrocketing, and it is only going to get bigger.
The Obama administration is ready to unleash another zillion-dollar stimulus plan. Oh, they won’t call it a stimulus plan, but make no mistake … a whole lot of taxpayer money is going to get spent (and borrowed).
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
Downsizing, Government Officials and Media Turning Against the Banks / Politics / Credit Crisis Bailouts
By: Danny_Schechter
Even as calls for an UPRISING against the practices of the big banks are being made, something else has begun to happen: a DOWNRISING has begun with members of the industry, prominent financial media outlets, and government officials beginning to turn against the banks they have been supporting.
Call it an EVOLUTION from above as opposed to an uprising or activism from below.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
UK Postal Strike Heralds Battle Between Working Class and the Establishment / Politics / UK Politics
By: Submissions
John Pilger writes: The postal workers’ struggle is as vital for democracy as any national event in recent years. The campaign against them is part of a historic shift from the last vestiges of political democracy in Britain to a corporate world of insecurity and war. If the privateers running the Post Office are allowed to win, the regression that now touches all lives bar the wealthy will quicken its pace. A third of British children now live in low-income or impoverished families. One in five young people is denied hope of a decent job or education.
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Thursday, October 22, 2009
U.S. Joins Ranks Of Failed States / Politics / US Politics
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
The US has every characteristic of a failed state.
The US government’s current operating budget is dependent on foreign financing and money creation.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Lost History Of Helmand Afghanistan / Politics / Afghanistan
By: Submissions
Adam Curtis writes: When you look at footage of the fighting in Helmand today everyone assumes it is being played out against an ancient background of villages and fields built over the centuries.
This is not true. If you look beyond the soldiers, and into the distance, what you are really seeing are the ruins of one of the biggest technological projects the United States has ever undertaken. Its aim was to use science to try and change the course of history and produce a modern utopia in Afghanistan. The city of Lashkar Gah was built by the Americans as a model planned city, and the hundreds of miles of canals that the Taliban now hide in were constructed by the same company that built the San Francisco Bay Bridge and Cape Canaveral.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Obama's Feud with Right Wing Fox News / Politics / Mainstream Media
By: John_Browne
In a small bit of Washington irony, a government panel convened this week under the guise of ensuring 'expressive freedom' on the Internet, while at the same time the Obama Administration put Fox News on notice that ideological rectitude would be a prerequisite for White House engagement.
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Exploding U.S. National Debt Means Bye Bye Miss American Pie / Politics / US Debt
By: James_Quinn
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people so full of doubts.” - Bertrand Russell