Tuesday, May 31, 2016
Opportunist Trump Meets Fanatical NRA
By accepting the NRA’s presidential endorsement, Donald Trump bought into the gun lobby’s paranoid view of government and its distorted interpretation of the Second Amendment, writes Lawrence Davidson. By Lawrence Davidson What do opportunists and fanatics have in common? They…
How Democracies Are Subverted
A risk to democracy is that wily politicians can exploit moments of anger and fear to implement plans that the public wouldn’t otherwise accept, a danger that requires popular vigilance to avert, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar explains. By…
Democrats at a Clinton-Sanders Crossroad
With California and other late primaries in view, Democrats face a fateful choice, whether to plunge ahead with status-quo Hillary Clinton or turn away at the last minute and go with hope-inspiring Bernie Sanders, as Lisa Pease urges in this open letter.…
Trump v. Clinton: Judging ‘the Lesser Evil’
The mainstream U.S. media rightly criticizes Donald Trump for his bigoted remarks about Mexicans and Muslims – and his know-nothing-ism on global warming – but wrongly ignores Hillary Clinton’s role in futile and bloody wars, Gilbert Doctorow notes. By Gilbert…
Monday, May 30, 2016
While you were crying over a dead ape, 125 thousand babies were just murdered
This weekend, our culture’s worship of animals and its cruel indifference to children finally came crashing together when a 4 year old child fell into the gorilla exhibit at the zoo in Cincinnati. Zoo officials were forced to shoot the ape to protect the kid. Many animal experts have agreed that the ape could have and probably would have killed the child at any moment — intentionally or unintentionally — leaving the zoo with no choice.
But that hasn’t been good enough for the peanut gallery. Scores of people have expressed outrage over the death of the gorilla, insisting that the zoo ought to have risked the child’s life in order to preserve the gorilla’s. There’s already been a shrine built to the ape, and tonight a candle light vigil is planned.
So, just as I had to do when everyone was worked up about Cecil the Lion, I am forced to step in with two very basic observations: 1) That the child’s life is worth more than the gorilla’s, and it isn’t even close. I would kill a thousand gorillas to save one child. I would rather the entire species be wiped off the Earth than one human perish.
2) That 125 THOUSAND CHILDREN will be murdered through abortion TODAY, as we speak, all across the globe. There will be no vigils for them. There will be no shrines. There will be no “National Outrage.” The outrage will be confined to a very specific group of people called “pro-lifers,” but everyone else couldn’t care less. Or, even worse, they’re actually quite happy about it.
This point needs to be made every time there is this silly, overwrought mourning over a dead beast. I wish it didn’t need to be said, but it does, so here you go:
CLICK HERE TO READ THE POST ON THEBLAZE, WHICH IS WHERE ALL OF MY NEW MATERIAL IS POSTED.
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Forgetting the Crimes of War
In the U.S. political culture, Memorial Day has become one more chance to glorify American wars and to exploit U.S. soldiers’ deaths to generate sentiment for more wars, a troubling tactic addressed by Gary G. Kohls and S. Brian Willson. By Gary…
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Tragic Valor of Marines at Con Thien
Exclusive: Memorial Day is exploited by politicians glorifying war and armed services recruiting new soldiers, but it should be a time to reflect on the ugly reality of warfare and the tragic valor of the combatants, says war correspondent Don North. By Don North…
Saturday, May 28, 2016
New Nukes for a New Cold War
Mythology about the rightness of dropping two atomic bombs on Japan is relevant to today’s “modernization” of the U.S. nuclear arsenal and the revving up of a new Cold War with Russia, says ex-Pentagon military analyst Chuck Spinney. By Chuck…
What’s Really Best for Israel?
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump went before AIPAC this year and pandered to those who blindly support Israel’s hard-line policies, but Bernie Sanders’s more evenhanded approach is better for Israel, says Rabbi Michael Lerner. By Rabbi Michael Lerner The New…
Friday, May 27, 2016
Ticking Closer to Nuclear Midnight
Exclusive: President Obama embraced Japanese survivors of the Hiroshima bomb, but his policies, such as heightening tensions with Russia, have raised the potential for a far worse nuclear catastrophe, explains Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall Even if you’ve never won…
Eerie Silence about a New World War
As the U.S. government plunges toward war with nuclear-armed Russia and/or China, there is an unsettling silence — or unnerving consensus — regarding the potential extinction of human existence, as John Pilger observes. By John Pilger Returning to the United States in an…
America’s Worst Laid Plans
The U.S. government seeks to impose neo-liberal economics on the world even though those “free-market” policies funnel global wealth to a tiny fraction at the top, cause widespread despair and spark political turmoil, Michael Brenner explains. By Michael Brenner The…
All Donald Trump’s Men
Donald Trump claims to fight for the little guy against a rigged system, but the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has turned to political operatives who have scammed money for the rich and powerful, says Michael Winship. By Michael Winship Right…
Risks of Citizens Suing Foreign Governments
Well-meaning legislation would permit 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the terror attacks but the principle of individuals suing foreign governments is fraught with problems, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar…
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Clinton’s Imperious Brush-off of Email Rules
Exclusive: The State Department’s Inspector General issued a blunt report criticizing Hillary Clinton’s imperious refusal to follow email rules as Secretary of State, adding to Clinton’s credibility problem, notes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern State Department functionaries faced…
Some Light in Iraq’s Dark Tunnel
The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 blasted apart the country’s political structure and left behind widespread chaos, but Iraqis may be slowly digging out of the wreckage, says ex-CIA official Graham E. Fuller. By Graham E. Fuller Iraqi politics…
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
NFL’s War Against Science and Reason
Exclusive: As a powerful corporation and cultural icon, the NFL expects to always get it way whether muscling aside concussion scientists or ignoring science in a witch hunt against one of its best quarterbacks and teams, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Perhaps…
Blaming ‘Too Much Democracy’ for Trump
The latest lament of the neocon establishment is that America is suffering from too much democracy – leading to Donald Trump – but the opposite is more to the point, how elite manipulation set this stage, explains Mike Lofgren. By Mike…
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
More Game-Playing on MH-17?
Exclusive: The West keeps piling the blame for the 2014 shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on Russian President Putin although there are many holes in the case and the U.S. government still withholds its evidence, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry A…
Get Robert Parry’s Five-Book Set
From Robert Parry: Election 2016 has been unusual in many ways, but these developments – both positive and negative – have roots that trace back over the past half century, many little known to the broad American public, but chronicled…
Monday, May 23, 2016
Does Russia Have Reason to Fear?
Exclusive: NATO is putting an anti-missile base in Romania and brushing aside Russia’s fears, but – over the decades – the U.S. has reacted furiously to the possibility of nearby foreign military bases, recalls James W Carden. By James W…
Intel Vets Urge Fast Report on Clinton’s Emails
A group of U.S. intelligence veterans is calling on President Obama to expedite the FBI review of former Secretary of State Clinton’s alleged email security violations so the public can assess this issue in a timely fashion. MEMORANDUM FOR: The…
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Trump’s Five Questions on US Foreign Policy
Along with his self-congratulatory bombast, Donald Trump has offered a rare critique of Official Washington’s “group think” about foreign policy, including the wisdom of NATO expansion and the value of endless war, notes John V. Walsh. By John V. Walsh…
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s ‘House of Cards’
Special Report: In promoting Hillary Clinton for President, the Democratic Party is betting that American voters are ready to venture back into the Clintons’ “House of Cards,” a structure long defined by scandals and self-interest, writes Greg Maybury. By Greg Maybury For…
Israel Veers Even Further Right
Hillary Clinton says she wants to take the U.S.-Israeli relationship “to the next level” even as Prime Minister Netanyahu’s right-wing regime plumbs new depths of extremism, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar notes. By Paul R. Pillar There already shouldn’t…
Tipping the Scales for Clinton?
The Democratic split between the Sanders and Clinton wings is widening because many Sanders’s backers see party chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz tipping the scales for Clinton and corporate interests, say Bill Moyers and Michael Winship. By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship…
Friday, May 20, 2016
Pushing Russia Toward War
NATO’s military pressure on Russia and the West’s economic sanctions have empowered Moscow’s hardliners, setting the stage for an escalation of the new Cold War into possibly a hot one, ex-British intelligence officer Alastair Crooke warns. By Alastair Crooke Something significant…
The Widening Cracks in Zionism
Zionism has imposed an ideological orthodoxy that seeks to lock Jews – and Western politicians – into unquestioning support for whatever Israel does, but more people are beginning to break ranks, observers Lawrence Davidson. By Lawrence Davidson Ideological movements, be…
US Downplays a New Syrian Massacre
Exclusive: The Obama administration claims Syrian rebels in Ahrar al-Sham deserve protection from government attack although they have close ties to Al Qaeda and joined its official Syrian affiliate in a slaughter of Alawites, writes Daniel Lazare. By Daniel Lazare On May…
Sanders Takes Case to California
Despite calls from many pundits and pols for him to quit, Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to rally thousands of Americans to a program of profound social and economic change, reports Rick Sterling. By Rick Sterling Vallejo is geographically close but…
Thursday, May 19, 2016
The Clinton-Colombia Connection
Exclusive: Despite a grisly human rights record and alleged ties to drug traffickers, Colombia’s ex-President Uribe has been a favorite of Hillary Clinton and her husband Bill, helping Clinton associates turn hefty profits, reports Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall In…
Trump and the Neocon Lament
Upset that presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump isn’t one of them, angry neocons insist that they represent America’s reasonable foreign policy consensus, a claim challenged by ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar The ululation among neoconservatives over their…
Up Close on Venezuela’s Crisis
U.S. policymakers are pleased with the ousters of leftist governments in Argentina and Brazil with the next prospective “regime change” in Venezuela where the economy screams and people are hungry, as Catholic layworker Lisa Sullivan describes. An open letter from Lisa Sullivan…
How Israel Out-Foxed US Presidents
From the Archive: A century ago, the British-French Sykes-Picot deal carved up the Mideast, setting in motion conflicts made more complicated when Israel emerged and mastered American politics, as Morgan Strong described in 2010. By Morgan Strong (Originally published May 31, 2010)…
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
US Media as Conduits of Propaganda
Exclusive: The “group think” about the Syrian government crossing President Obama’s “red line” in a 2013 sarin attack has collapsed, but The New York Times still reports it as flat fact, an industry-wide problem, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Nothing…
The Battle for Palestine
From the Archive: On the centennial of the British-French Sykes-Picot deal to carve up the Mideast, it’s worth recalling other ways Europe worsened the region’s problems, including the Israeli-Palestinian mess, ex-JFK adviser William R. Polk recalled in 2014. By William R. Polk…
Global Warming Accelerates
New climate data shows that the global warming crisis is worse – and accelerating at a faster pace – than was understood as recently as last year’s climate-change conference in Paris, writes Nicholas C. Arguimbau. By Nicholas C. Arguimbau The…
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
The Danger of Demonization
Exclusive: As the West is sucked deeper into the Syrian conflict and starts a new Cold War with Russia, the mainstream news media has collapsed as a vehicle for reliable information, creating a danger for the world, writes Robert Parry. By…
Muslim Memories of West’s Imperialism
From the Archive: A century ago, Britain and France secretly divided up much of the Mideast, drawing artificial boundaries for Iraq and Syria, but Muslim resentment of Western imperialism went much deeper, as historian William R. Polk described in 2015. By…
Michael Ratner, Champion for Human Rights
Michael Ratner, who died last week, was a champion on behalf of the world’s oppressed, giving the phrase “human rights” real meaning and defying its current propaganda application to justify endless war, as Marjorie Cohn explained at Truthdig. By Marjorie…
Monday, May 16, 2016
The Coming Democratic Crackup
Exclusive: Though the mainstream media is focused on Republican divisions, a more important story could be the coming Democratic crackup, as anti-war Democrats resist Hillary Clinton’s pro-war agenda, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry If the Democratic Party presses ahead…
Seeing Humanity in ‘Enemy’ States
Official Washington’s propagandistic view of the world sees “good guys” and “bad guys,” a simplistic and dangerous dichotomy that ignores the common human elements, as ex-State Department official Matthew Hoh observes. By Matthew Hoh Last month, I had the privilege…
Inciting Iran’s ‘Bad Behavior’
Washington’s neocon foreign policy establishment follows the Israeli-Saudi line on Iran, denouncing its every move, an approach that brings out the worst in the Iranians and raises the risk of war, notes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R.…
In Case You Missed…
Some of our special stories in April focused on the global troubles made worse by U.S. “endless war,” the unorthodox 2016 presidential race, and the crisis in the American mainstream news media. “Cleaning Up Hillary’s Libyan Mess” by Robert Parry,…
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Russia’s Diversity of Opinion
The usual U.S. depiction of Russian media is that all you get is Kremlin propaganda, but prime-time talk shows actually offer wider diversity of opinion and more substantive debates than what appears on American TV, says Gilbert Doctorow. By Gilbert Doctorow…
Refugees from ‘Endless’ War
Policymakers in Official Washington talk piously about waging “humanitarian” wars, but the real-life consequences of these interventions play out in squalid refugee camps far from U.S. shores, as Ann Wright witnessed. By Ann Wright “If you don’t like refugees coming…
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Escalations in a New Cold War
Exclusive: The Obama administration poked Russia in the eye again by activating a missile defense site in Romania while building up NATO forces on Russia’s borders, acts that could escalate toward nuclear war, notes Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan Marshall If…
Political Pressure Stymies US-Iran Ties
Exclusive: With the Iran nuclear agreement, President Obama opened lines of communications to Iran, but political pressures in Washington prevent a more substantive shift in relations, reports Gareth Porter. By Gareth Porter A former Obama administration official has asserted that the Iranian nuclear…
The Hillary Clinton/Neocon Merger
Between the mainstream media’s demonization of Donald Trump and the neocons jumping ship to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, a Clinton victory might prove grimly inevitable, but that will guarantee more neocon wars, says ex-CIA official Graham E. Fuller. By Graham E.…
Friday, May 13, 2016
Democrats, Too Clever by Half on Clinton
Exclusive: Democratic Party honchos who wanted Hillary Clinton’s coronation are having some regrets as her weaknesses become obvious, her poll numbers sink, and Donald Trump surges toward the lead, reports Robert Parry. By Robert Parry Last year when Democratic insiders…
Ghosts of ’68 in Election 2016
Longtime observers of American politics have noted striking parallels between the unpredictable wartime election of 1968 and the bizarre presidential contest of 2016, another time of war and distress, as Michael Winship recalls. By Michael Winship Watching the mad, mad, mad,…
LBJ’s ‘X’ File on Nixon’s ‘Treason’
From the Archive: The 1968 election had one shocking turn after another, but its final and arguably worst twist – still largely unknown to Americans – traded untold death in Vietnam for political power in Washington, Robert Parry wrote in 2012. By Robert…
Turkey’s Erdogan Clears Path to Dictatorship
The ouster of Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu marks another troubling milestone in President Erdogan’s consolidation of dictatorial power, a development that Alon Ben-Meir sees as further enflaming the region. By Alon Ben-Meir The forced resignation of Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet…
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Donald Trump’s Unsurprising Surprise
Exclusive: Donald Trump’s ascension to the Republican presidential nomination was predictable, paved by years of right-wing fear-mongering and dissemination of anti-knowledge, says former GOP congressional staffer Mike Lofgren. By Mike Lofgren A lot of pundits have egg on their faces. Nate Cohn…
A Need to Rethink Mideast Wars
Congress continues to shirk its duty to consider a new authorization of force for U.S. military conflicts in the Mideast that are on shaky legal grounds and deserve a thorough rethinking, writes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar…
Army Chaplain Resigns over Drone Wars
The U.S. government’s reliance on drones to sustain perpetual war in the Mideast is meeting resistance from some assigned to carry out and justify these tactics, including a U.S. Army chaplain who resigned in protest, writes Ann Wright. By Ann Wright…
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Neocons and Neolibs: How Dead Ideas Kill
Exclusive: Hillary Clinton wants the American voters to be very afraid of Donald Trump, but there is reason to fear as well what a neoconservative/neoliberal Clinton presidency would mean for the world, writes Robert Parry. By Robert Parry For centuries…
Russians Remember Their WWII Vets
The West’s propaganda war against Russia filters events there through a prism of cynicism and contempt, but that misses the human component of a country still remembering the deep personal scars of World War II, as Gilbert Doctorow reflects. By…
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Exploiting Global Warming for Geo-Politics
Exclusive: When a severe drought hit Syria a decade ago, the U.S. government chose not to help but rather exploit the environmental crisis to force a “regime change,” a decision that contributed to a humanitarian crisis, writes Jonathan Marshall. By Jonathan…
Daniel Berrigan’s Enduring Fight for Peace
As Campaign 2016 almost ignores the vital issues of war and peace – despite the reality of perpetual war – Daniel Berrigan, one of America’s great voices for peace, has gone silent, writes Michael Winship. By Michael Winship May is…
A Longwinded and Winding Rhodes
Official Washington is abuzz about the boasts of President Obama’s foreign policy speechwriter Ben Rhodes regarding his selling the Iran nuclear deal, a new club being wielded by the bomb-bomb-bomb-Iran neocons, explains James W Carden. By James W Carden A…
Still at War with Iran-Nuke Deal
As neocons look forward to dominant roles in a Clinton-45 administration, they are continuing their attacks on the Iran nuclear deal, thus keeping hope alive to eventually bomb-bomb-bomb Iran, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar describes. By Paul R. Pillar…
Monday, May 9, 2016
A Gift of Culture to Battered Palmyra
In an extraordinary act of culture and courage, a Russian orchestra performed in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra recently liberated from the Islamic State, but Western media mocked the event, notes Gilbert Doctorow. By Gilbert Doctorow Even those with…
America’s Two-Faced Policy on Iran
The Obama administration seeks to demonize Iran — along with Russia and China — while also demanding their help in areas of U.S. interest, an approach that is both disingenuous and dangerous, as British diplomat Alastair Crooke explains. By Alastair Crooke In…
Unfair Attack on UK’s Labour Party
The British Labour Party is under attack for “anti-Semitism” because a few of its members have made remarks critical of Israel and Zionism, but this assault is an abuse of a very serious accusation, says Lawrence Davidson. By Lawrence Davidson…
China Closes the Innovation Gap
While the U.S. expands spending on wars and “regime changes” – and slashes its budget for science and infrastructure – China is making different choices, now rapidly closing the gap on scientific innovation, writes John V. Walsh. By John V.…
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Price for Witnessing Against War
Exclusive: The funeral for anti-war priest Daniel Berrigan was a reminder of humanity’s need to challenge immoral government actions and the price that one pays for doing so, writes ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. By Ray McGovern Fr. Daniel Berrigan’s funeral…
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Dangers from Hating Government
Since Ronald Reagan declared “government is the problem,” the hostility to public solutions has snowballed, leading to the Republican Party’s selection of Donald Trump, someone who’s never served in public office, notes ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R.…
The Secret Behind the Yemen War
Exclusive: A recent PBS report about the war in Yemen exposed the secret connection between the U.S.-Saudi alliance and Al Qaeda, a reality that also underscores the jihadist violence in Syria, writes Dan Lazare. By Daniel Lazare PBS Frontline’s “Yemen…
Friday, May 6, 2016
How Obama ‘Legalized’ the War on Terror
Among the troubling legacies of Barack Obama’s presidency is his consolidation of the dubious legal principles that George W. Bush cobbled together to justify the Global War on Terror, explains Michael Brenner. By Michael Brenner President Barack Obama’s uneasy encounters…
Thursday, May 5, 2016
A Need to Clear Up Clinton Questions
Exclusive: As the Democrats glumly line up for Hillary Clinton’s belated coronation, the risk remains of potential criminal charges over her Libyan testimony or her careless emails, as ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern describes. By Ray McGovern “Some people think they…
If Russia Had ‘Freed’ Canada
Special Report: The U.S. government defined events in Ukraine as a “pro-democracy” revolution battling “Russian aggression” — at least as far as the world’s mainstream media was concerned. But what if the script were flipped, asks Joe Lauria. By Joe…
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
New Risks from Brussels’ ‘Security’
After a terror attack, Western governments react – or overreact – to show they’re doing something, but often make matters worse, as Belgium’s new layer of security outside Zaventem airport shows, writes Gilbert Doctorow. By Gilbert Doctorow In the days…
Lessons from Iraq’s Green Zone Protests
The neocon-engineered disaster in Iraq continues to unfold with protests now penetrating the super-secure Green Zone, but Official Washington resists obvious lessons, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar The temporary takeover of the Iraqi parliament building…
Monday, May 2, 2016
Shying Away from 9/11 Evidence
Lee Hamilton has always flinched at implicating important Americans and “allies” in crimes of state – citing the need for near perfect evidence – but that has let complicit parties go unpunished, says 9/11 widow Kristen Breitweiser. By Kristen Breitweiser…
Thank You, Readers!
From Editor Robert Parry: We came close to meeting our $25,000 goal for the spring fund drive with entirely small- to medium-sized donations. Thanks so much to everyone who was able to contribute! For anyone who still wants to donate,…
Reassessing American ‘Heroes’
American “heroes” often were hailed in their time but are viewed differently through the lens of history, as is happening to racist presidents Andrew Jackson and Woodrow Wilson, notes Lawrence Davidson. By Lawrence Davidson It seems as though some of…
Israel Wants More from US
The Obama administration and Israel are locked in a curious negotiation over how many billions of dollars the U.S. will send to Tel Aviv, a demonstration of Israel’s political clout, says ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar. By Paul R. Pillar…
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