Author: mara.ahmed

Mikey Weinstein, whose Military Religious Freedom Foundation originated the protest over Franklin Graham’s involvement in the Pentagon event, said his group doesn’t get involved in issues beyond the armed forces. But he called it an “extremely huge mistake” for any branch of government to put its imprimatur on Franklin Graham, whom he calls an “Islamophobe, an anti-Muslim bigot and an international representative of the scourge of fundamentalist Christian supremacy.” As for Obama’s reported promise to “look into” the Pentagon’s decision, Weinstein said: “Our strongest hope is he was saying it the same way that somebody smiles and says, ‘Yes,’ to crazy Aunt Bertha in the attic, ‘Of course, we’ll bring up milk and cookies for the Martians who visit you each night.’ ” Full article.

Anyone hearing about central India’s ongoing epidemic of farmer suicides, where growers are killing themselves at a terrifying clip, has to be horrified. But among the more disturbed must be the once-grand poobah of post-invasion Iraq, U.S. diplomat L. Paul Bremer. In issuing Order 81, Bremer didn’t order Iraqi farmers to march over to the closest Monsanto-supplied shop and stock up. But if Monsanto’s experience in India is any guide, he didn’t need to. Full article.

three years in PRE-TRIAL solitary confinement! that’s the reality american muslims face. rather than focus on making fun of prophet muhammad as the key to restoring our civil liberties, how about some good old habeas corpus?

Syed Fahad Hashmi has been held in 23-hour-a-day solitary confinement for nearly three years. The government’s case rested on the testimony and actions of an old acquaintance of Hashmi’s who turned government informant after his own arrest. The 30-year-old American citizen’s trial was due to begin today in New York but on Tuesday Hashmi pleaded guilty to one count of material support to a foreign terrorist organization. In a Democracy Now! exclusive we speak with his brother and his former college advisor. Video here.

“We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of seed genetics. This level of control is almost unbelievable,” said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. “The upshot of that is that it’s tightening Monsanto’s control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we’ve seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight.” At issue is how much power one company can have over seeds, thefoundation of the world’s food supply. Without stiff competition,Monsanto could raise its seed prices at will, which in turn could raise the cost of everything from animal feed to wheat bread and cookies. Full article.

Keith Sadler, 53, a 15 year homeowner at the corner of Broadway and Fremont, decided that enough was enough and no one else had stood up to do something about this and that the loss of his own home was the best place to stand. “It’s time people should come together as a community to defend what is already theirs. I think we’ve already been shown that simply asking or hoping for change isn’t going to make it happen.” He held a press conference on Sunday night with several supporters in attendance, where he announced that he was not leaving voluntarily and the police would have to enter the house on their own and physically remove him. There are five people, all from the Toledo area, who are taking the stand with him. There are also supporters who have come form as far away as Florida to show their support and several even camped out in Keith’s yard over night, in spite of the rain. Full article.

Ed Murrow told his generation of journalists bias is okay as long as you don’t try to hide it. So here, one more time, is mine: plutocracy and democracy don’t mix. Plutocracy is the rule of the rich – political power controlled by the wealthy.

Plutocracy is not an American word but it’s become an American phenomenon. Back in the fall of 2005, the Wall Street giant Citigroup even coined a variation on it, plutonomy, an economic system where the privileged few make sure the rich get richer with government on their side. By the next spring, Citigroup decided the time had come to publicly “bang the drum on plutonomy.”

And bang they did, with an “equity strategy” for their investors, entitled, “Revisiting Plutonomy: The Rich Getting Richer.” Here are some excerpts:

“Asset booms, a rising profit share and favorable treatment by market-friendly governments have allowed the rich to prosper…[and] take an increasing share of income and wealth over the last 20 years…”

“…the top 10%, particularly the top 1% of the US– the plutonomists in our parlance– have benefited disproportionately from the recent productivity surge in the US…[and] from globalization and the productivity boom, at the relative expense of labor.”

“…[and they] are likely to get even wealthier in the coming years. [Because] the dynamics of plutonomy are still intact.”

And so they were, before the great collapse of 2008. And so they are, today, after the fall. While millions of people have lost their jobs, their homes, and their savings, the plutonomists are doing just fine. In some cases, even better, thanks to our bailout of the big banks which meant record profits and record bonuses for Wall Street.

Now why is this? Because over the past 30 years the plutocrats, or plutonomists — choose your poison — have used their vastly increased wealth to capture the flag and assure the government does their bidding. Remember that Citigroup reference to “market-friendly governments” on their side? It hasn’t mattered which party has been in power — government has done Wall Street’s bidding.

Don’t blame the lobbyists, by the way; they are simply the mules of politics, delivering the drug of choice to a political class addicted to cash — what polite circles call “campaign contributions” and Tony Soprano would call “protection.”

This marriage of money and politics has produced an America of gross inequality at the top and low social mobility at the bottom, with little but anxiety and dread in between, as middle class Americans feel the ground falling out from under their feet. According to a study from the Pew Research Center last month, nine out of ten Americans give our national economy a negative rating. Eight out of ten report difficulty finding jobs in their communities, and seven out of ten say they experienced job-related or financial problems over the past year.

So it is that like those populists of that earlier era, millions of Americans have awakened to a sobering reality: they live in a plutocracy, where they are disposable. Then, the remedy was a popular insurgency that ignited the spark of democracy.

Now we have come to another parting of the ways, and once again the fate and character of our country are up for grabs.

So along with Jim Hightower and Iowa’s concerned citizens, and many of you, I am biased: democracy only works when we claim it as our own.

complete interview with jim hightower here.

Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we don’t understand. The real enemy is a system that wages war when it’s profitable: the CEOs who lay us off our jobs when it’s profitable, the insurance companies that deny us health care when it’s profitable, the banks that take away our homes when it’s profitable. Our enemies are not several hundred thousands miles away. They are right here in front of us. (Mike Prysner)

On April 29, 2010, a “Teach-In on Capitol Hill,” was held in Washington, D.C., dealing with the question of what the U.S. Congress must do to end the U.S. Wars and secure a peaceful Middle East. One of the five panelists at the event was Jeremy Scahill. He is an investigative reporter and the author of the best-selling book, “Blackwater:The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army.” During Q&A, he addressed a query dealing with torture. Mr. Scahill said: “Torture is ongoing under the Obama adminstration…at Guantanamo and… around the world.” He described in detail one of the gruesome torture techniques still currently in use. Full article.

Peace activists can hasten an end to the U.S. war in Afghanistan by demanding a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal. A bill in the U.S. Congress introduced by Representatives McGovern and Jones, requires such a timetable. In the Senate, a similar bill has been introduced by Senator Feingold. Arguments in favor of a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan should include readiness to examine disturbing patterns of misinformation regarding U.S./NATO attacks against Afghan civilians. Full article.

“taking sides is very important right now. either you’re with the occupiers, or you’re with the occupied. end of discussion. NO cooperation with war crimes.” (nora barrows-friedman)