After two intense weeks of quadrennial Olympic sport events, London emptied itself of 906 medals-–302 gold; 302 silver; and 302 bronze—and declared the XXX Olympiad a great success regardless of what that “idiotic” presidential candidate from America, Mitt Romney, had said during his recent visit to the city. Continue reading
US presidential hopeful Mitt Romney may be big with the Salt Lake City crowd but he’s clearly out of his depth away from his rah-rah followers. Tall, tanned and suited with the kind of finesse only money can buy, he certainly looks the part. But as my father always used to say, “don’t judge a man by the cut of his cloth.” Continue reading
Mitt Romney got off to a royal start Wednesday when he visited London. Continue reading
There aren’t many things the Republican Party has been consistent about for the past several years, but defending rights of states over that of the federal government is one of them. And, the latest controversial Supreme Court ruling merely confirms that. In his interpretation of the Commerce Clause, Chief Justice Roberts reinforces his federalist stance. Continue reading
Ask any magician and they’ll tell you that the secret to a successful magic trick is misdirection—distracting the crowd so they don’t realize how they’re being fooled. Get them watching your left hand while your right hand palms the silver dollar: “Now you see it, now you don’t.” The purloined coin now belongs to the magician. Continue reading
Officials admit Indiana law requires a system so officials can see how you voted; broad implications for your rights—quietly, and never fully disclosing the broad reach and rights-violating implications of this, Indiana officials now admit that STATE LAW requires that ballots be traceable to individual voters. Continue reading
This statement by General Haynesworth, the media mogul in the classic film A Face in the Crowd (1957), more than aptly sums up contemporary politics. Keeping with the spirit of his 2008 “Hope” and “Change” campaign slogans, Barack Obama has adopted “Forward” as his 2012 campaign slogan, while Mitt Romney is standing behind “Believe in America.” Continue reading
On Wednesday, July 4, Ricky “My-T-Mouth” Johnson, an obscure ghost lyricist in the rap-music world, and also an acquaintance from the early Occupy days, showed up at the porch of my historical townhouse at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. He had brought his family from Portland (Oregon) to see our famed fireworks’ display, he told me and, knowing that I live here, maybe take time to rap a little about the upcoming presidential election. Continue reading
In all the hullabaloo over the Supreme Court’s decision on health care, another of its rulings quickly fell off the public radar. Before deciding the fate of the Affordable Care Act, the Court announced it would not reconsider Citizens United, the odious 5–4 decision two years ago that opened our elections to unlimited contributions. Continue reading
While critics of the Obama administration, pundits, and some economists point to weak job growth over the past 30 months as a failure of leadership, and lament the announcement that the Obama administration created only 80,000 jobs in June, no one is asking how about no job growth? That’s right. How about no job growth at all? Continue reading
When it comes to judging Egypt’s recently sworn-in new leader Muhammad Mursi, we should avoid attaching labels or succumbing to knee-jerk perceptions. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which the new president is drawn, is not a religious or political monolith and it already appears that President Mursi has a few surprises up his sleeve. Continue reading
So what do you get when you combine Mitt Romney, expensive horseflesh, fancy dinners and a financial scandal in the City of London? An interesting confluence of people and events that once again raises question about the wealthy Republican candidate’s ability to relate to ordinary Americans and highlights the overwhelming, caustic influence of big money in this year’s presidential race. Continue reading
The build-up to Sunday’s announcement as to the winner of the presidential elections was a televised cliffhanger that kept me glued to the screen. Like a substantial proportion of the Egyptian electorate, I had been tentatively rooting for Ahmed Shafiq as the most experienced candidate who had vowed to maintain law and order although the thought of a man considered a remnant of the ousted regime taking charge hardly filled me with enthusiasm. Continue reading
After having been part of the American electoral process for the past 12 presidential elections, I have made a vow to make my contribution count this 13th time around, and not gift my vote once again to one of the two political parties which duopolistically keep the American voter subservient to powerful interests which corrupt America’s legislative process through their lobbies. During the next four months my columns will follow a consistent theme: why the reelection of Barack Obama will be detrimental, in the long run, to the political and social well-being of the American citizenry; not all its citizenry, that’s true, just the impoverished, or soon to be impoverished, 80 percent majority. Continue reading
Celebratory gunshots could be heard all across Egypt on Sunday afternoon, following a long-drawn announcement confirming that Mohammad Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate, had narrowly beaten his rival Ahmad Shafiq. Continue reading
Representative democracy has no legitimacy if it only represents the interests of large corporations and the elite rich. Continue reading
One of the worst, most discredited arguments of the hapless Obama lover is that those who dare criticize him should realize that he just can’t do very much. They whine and wail that this shrewdest of all politicians has been hamstrung by his opponents. “He can’t do everything,” they say. “He has to be president of all the people,” is another argument (aimed exclusively at black people who dare ask what he has done for them lately). Continue reading
On Thursday, Mitt Romney spoke before a group of Latino lawmakers in Florida, and displayed what the New York Times calls a “softer touch” on immigration. Continue reading
My neighborhood has become a cash machine for the Obama re-election campaign. Continue reading
If vote-rigging prospers, none may call it vote-rigging. It simply becomes the new norm. Once again, the universal laws of statistics apply only outside U.S. borders. The recall vote in Wisconsin produced another significant 7% discrepancy between the unadjusted exit poll and the so-called “recorded vote.” In actual social science, this level of discrepancy, with the results being so far outside the expected margin of error would not be accepted. Continue reading
To be sure, meither the corporate owned Democrat or the corporate owned Republican parties are viable choices for the struggling everyday ordinary Black, White, Brown, Red, and Yellow people of this nation. In fact, these corporate owned parties are the antithesis to the needs and hopes of ordinary people in this nation, and throughout Mother Earth. Continue reading
If you’re visiting a candidate this summer and looking for a thoughtful house gift, might we suggest a nice Super PAC? Thanks to the Supreme Court and Citizens United, they’re all the rage among the mega-wealthy. All it takes is a little paperwork and a wad of cash and presto, you can have, as The Washington Post describes it, a “highly customized, highly personalized” political action committee. Continue reading
Millions of global citizens agree with the young Spanish woman and the older American intellectual quoted above, most obviously many in Egypt and Wisconsin. Though the popular uprisings in that nation and that state are hopeful signs of democracy in the making, resort to the electoral process only proves the truth of their words. That process is owned and controlled by the entrenched state power of financial interests and until money is taken out of the supposedly democratic electoral process, it is indeed ultimately worthless. Continue reading
If you ever had any doubt that the millionaires and billionaires pull the strings in this country’s puppet elections, get over it. As the New York Times reported, Walker Survives Wisconsin Recall Vote, “Gov. Scott Walker, whose decision to cut collective bargaining rights for most public workers set off a firestorm in a state usually known for its political civility, easily held on to his job on Tuesday, becoming the first governor in the country to survive a recall election and dealing a painful blow to Democrats and labor unions. Continue reading
Just a year ago, crowds demanding their rights in Cairo’s Tahrir Square were a source of inspiration to repressed people everywhere. The martyrs killed during the January 25th revolution didn’t die in vain. After more than 30 years of virtual dictatorship when Egyptians were fearful of speaking out, their sacrifice contributed to the new Egypt, ostensibly a free and democratic country. But with democracy comes individual responsibility. Democracy doesn’t equate to the absence of any rule of law. Democracy doesn’t permit citizens to bludgeon one another because they hold different opinions or, as was the case on Saturday evening, to violently protest the sentencing of their former president, once again bringing the capital to a standstill. Continue reading
How on earth did the Muslim Brotherhood’s unprepossessing candidate manage to scoop the edge during the presidential election? That has to be the question on many Egyptian liberals’ lips these days. The organisation’s charismatic first choice, Khairat Shater, was disqualified by the electoral committee, leaving the majority of voters fairly certain that the Brotherhood was out of the race. How wrong they were! Continue reading
ROME—SYRIZA, an acronym signifying “Coalition of the Radical Left,” is favored to win upcoming elections following the inconclusive elections held last May 6. Today’s ungovernable and crisis-ridden Greece is shaking the foundation of the European Union. Continue reading
If family values are in the news, you can be sure an American election is just around the corner. According to Republicans, gay marriage is a glory hole puncturing the sanctity of the nuke-clear family, so for backing such a ghastly proposal, with ring, no less, Obama is the “gayest president,” according to Rand Paul, or “The First Gay President,” per Newsweek. Anything to sell that particularly brand of rectum tissues, I suppose, although I’d rather use corncobs. Continue reading
Despite the propaganda being advanced by the government, the purpose of voter ID laws is not to eliminate voter fraud and protect the integrity of elections. Rather, their aim is to silence and suppress as many American voters as possible and increase the already widening chasm between the electorate and our government representatives. In fact, voter ID laws are the icing on the cake when it comes to public officials shutting Americans out of the decision-making process, silencing dissent, and making sure that those in power stay in power and have the last word on government policy. In other words, voter ID laws are the final step in securing the American corporate oligarchy, the unchallenged rule by the privileged and few. Continue reading
Israel is currently experiencing the kind of turmoil that may or may not affect its political hierarchy following the next general election. However, there is little reason to believe that any major transformations in the Israeli political landscape could be of benefit to Palestinians. Continue reading
American voters are adrift on the sinking U.S. ship of state in a political sea awash with thousands of activist organizations reflecting every hue of the political spectrum. Responding to the voter’s SOS, a nonpartisan lifeboat has been floating around the Internet and social media for the past couple of months quickly attracting a broad range of bipartisan support. Continue reading
“The fight must not cease; you must see that it does not stop.” Susan B. Anthony spoke these words 106 years ago, yet it looks as if the fight against inequality for women continues to this day. Examples of this abound. According to a recent Fox News report the scandal over members of the Secret Service soliciting prostitutes is drawing the ire of women who contend such alleged misconduct would not have happened if more women were agents. Director Mark Sullivan revealed that only 11 percent of Secret Services agents are women. In addition, women are still not allowed to be priests in the Catholic Church. College Times reported recently that women make less than 78 cents for every dollar than men earn in the workplace—and in 99% of all occupations, women earned less than men. Continue reading
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