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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,…

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Democracy, Environment, Green Party, New York January 20, 2015

Green Party candidate could bolster debate

by Jimmy Buff Poughkeepsie Journal January 17, 2015 Last week, Congressman Chris Gibson announced he wouldn’t be running for re-election in New York’s 19th congressional district in 2016. The Kinderhook republican had always said he would self-impose term limits, but nevertheless, his announcement caught people off guard. Gibson had just resoundingly won re-election in the district in November and with that kind of support many thought he’d continue in the job beyond 2016. Speculation turned quickly toward Gibson’s political future — a run for governor of New York seemed to be the most popular consensus — and who the republicans…

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Climate Change, Environment, Fracking, Labor, New York, Race, Social Justice January 19, 2015

A Green State of State Message on MLK Day

by Howie Hawkins New York Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address comes as we are celebrating Martin Luther King’s birthday. Unfortunately, half a century after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the dream of equality and prosperity for all remains unrealized. Income inequality in New York is the highest in the nation, with one-sixth of New Yorkers living below the poverty line. In upstate cities, more than half of all children live in poverty. New York has the most segregated housing and schools in the country, worse than Mississippi or Alabama. More than a million New Yorkers…

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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…

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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…