National Politics

No Image

Democracy, International, National Politics, peace January 30, 2015

Henry Kissinger or CODEPINK: Who’s the “Low Life Scum”?

Friday, January 30, 2015 Common Dreams  A very angry Senator John McCain denounced CODEPINK activists as “low-life scum” for holding up signs reading “Arrest Kissinger for War Crimes” and dangling handcuffs next to Henry Kissinger’s head during a Senate hearing on January 29. McCain called the demonstration “disgraceful, outrageous and despicable,” accused the protesters of “physically intimidating” Kissinger and apologized profusely to his friend for this “deeply troubling incident.” But if Senator McCain was really concerned about physical intimidation, perhaps he should have conjured up the memory of the gentle Chilean singer/songwriter Victor Jara. After Kissinger facilitated the September 11,…

No Image

Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, Third Party January 5, 2015

Is Bernie Sanders’ Best Option to Run for President As a Green?

AlterNet December 29, 2014 by Steven Rosenfeld Bernie Sanders, Vermont’s independent U.S. senator, last week told a home state reporter that he will decide by March if he will run for president as an independent or a Democrat. But there’s a third major option Sanders hasn’t mentioned: running as a Green. “A letter was sent to Bernie Sanders about a year ago: a combination of a query—are you interested—along with some instructions about how to approach the Green Party,” said Scott McLarty, the party’s national media coordinator. “We never heard back.” “I know there are members of the party who…

No Image

International, Middle East, military budget, National Politics November 22, 2014

The Fourth Estate in Flames: On the US Media’s Award-Winning War Propaganda

Common Dreams by Medea Benjamin A war-weary American public that a year ago resoundingly rejected US military intervention in Syria to overthrow the Assad regime now is rallying behind the use of force to destroy the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). In just three months, from June to September, support for US airstrikes in Iraq soared from 45% percent to 71%, and to 65% for airstrikes in Syria. How did such an astounding turnabout occur? Certainly it wasn’t due to the persuasive powers of President Obama, who seems to have been reluctantly dragged into a conflict that he once acknowledged has…

No Image

Democracy, Green Party, National Politics, occupy, Third Party June 9, 2014

The Democratic Party Dead End and the Resignation of American Progressives

Nation of Change by Michael Trudeau If you read the New Republic or receive emails from the PAC “Friends of Bernie Sanders,” you might have seen a rather strange article recently by New Republic editor Michael Kazin titled “Democrats Need Bernie Sanders to Run for President.” As perhaps the main voice on the left calling for independent progressive senator Bernie Sanders to reject the Democratic Party in 2016 in favor of a leftist coalition, I’ll offer that there’s a lot Kazin gets right but that his ultimate conclusion is vitally flawed. Namely, Sanders cannot and will not win the Democratic…

No Image

Climate Change, Environment, Green Party, National Politics, Third Party April 22, 2014

The Future Will Be Green Or It Won’t Be At All

Stop Capitulating, Start Converging: The Global Climate Convergence and the Independent Political Imperative     firedoglake by Scott McLarty Monday April 21, 2014 In early April, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim issued a dire warning about the consequences of global climate change and increasing economic inequality. The combination of the two, he said, are likely to result in violent clashes around the world: “Fights over water and food are going to be the most significant direct impacts of climate change in the next five to 10 years. There’s just no question about it.” Mr. Kim urged scientists and environmental…