July 16, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
We will not fall magically into a rising tide of job creation, just by depriving ourselves of services and privileges we have built into our way of life and on which our prosperity depends. And we will not create jobs by privileging those industries that are doing the least to innovate. Innovation is the American way; it is what the nation has always struggled to accomplish, and it must be the cornerstone of a new job-creation boom.
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July 16, 2011 :: The Editors :: No Comment Yet
Anyone who wants to drive the nation to default, in order to “hurt Obama” or promote some narrow ideological interest, hates this country. There is no other way to see it. People who lust after, and joke about, and court and urge and instigate, the failure of their nation, with the idea that doing so might elevate their faction in the resulting chaos, harbors a deep and pervasive resentment against the majority of the people who will suffer as a result.
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July 15, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
News Corp., the New York-based multinational media conglomerate whose majority shareholder is the controversial billionaire Rupert Murdoch, is now facing an FBI investigation for illegal activity in news gathering. Long maligned by press advocacy groups as a leading source of abusive media activity, and even of attacks on genuine news sources, News Corp. is now being accused of having authorized bribery and/or hacking activity to gain illegal access to the private files of victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
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July 15, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently published an op-ed, in which he argued that “If Washington actually had the discipline to live within its means over the long term, every American citizen would not owe $46,000 toward the national debt.” The rhetoric is effective, but the logic is flawed; not every American “owes” an equal share of the national debt.
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July 15, 2011 :: The Editors :: 2 Comments
The Republican House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) has made himself into a lightning rod for criticism from all quarters, in the debt ceiling negotiations at the White House, by obstructing substantive negotiations two days in a row. Cantor has now taken a hard line that no tax increases of any kind will be contemplated, [...]
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July 15, 2011 :: The Editors :: 3 Comments
The Libya Contact Group held its most recent diplomatic summit today in Istanbul, to discuss how best to deal with the exigencies of the security crisis there, and possible political solutions. Sec. of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, of the United States, now fully recognizes the Transitional National Council, based in Benghazi, as the legitimate government [...]
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July 13, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The investigative news magazine Vanguard reports from Indonesia on the tobacco industry’s massive, coordinated effort to get as many young people across the developing world, hooked on deadly cigarettes, in order to profit from their addiction. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg says 1 billion people will be killed by smoking this century, unless something is done to curb big tobacco’s efforts to profit from destroying the health of its customers.
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July 12, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Gov. Scott Walker has divided Wisconsin like no politician since the 1880s. His government engaged in what critics called a campaign of naked corruption almost from the day he took office. He was accused of illegally using the police to threaten, harass and intimidate the families of his opponents in the state legislature. He was [...]
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July 11, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The United States of America has been, since its birth 235 years ago, a world leader in promoting universal public education. It has also been a world leader in promoting universal access to higher education and to advanced degrees. That history has made the US a leader in technological innovation and advanced problem solving for two centuries. That legacy is under threat, and national educational aims demand immediate attention.
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July 6, 2011 :: staff :: No Comment Yet
Today, at the White House, at 2pm EDT, Pres. Barack Obama became the first American president to “live tweet”, posting to his Twitter account the question, “in order to reduce the deficit,what costs would you cut and what investments would you keep”, signing it, simply “- bo”. The president then answered questions, selected by “curators” across the country, who sorted through tens of thousands of questions from Twitter users. He had no prior knowledge of the questions, nor did the moderator, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.
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July 5, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
IndependentsOfPrinciple.com :: The Tea Party movement, which claims it is driven by a resistance to taxation, is really motivated by a widespread sense of economic disenfranchisement, that is now reaching everyone except the superrich. The populist urgency that underscores all of the Tea Party’s energy is not inherently linked to Grover Norquist’s anti-American “Club for [...]
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July 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
A federal appeals court has ruled that Congress acted within its Constitutional authority when it passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law, last year. Importantly, the three judge panel voted two to one, with one Republican nominee and former Scalia law clerk in the majority, that the individual mandate is in line with Congressional authority to regulate interstate commerce.
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June 28, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: No Comment Yet
The view taken by some in Washington that major reductions in the United States’ national debt can be achieved without addressing revenues is essentially a pledge to do nothing serious about the debt or deficit. The reason: the ideology of supply-side tax-cut-only social policy not only requires, but admires “deficit spending”.
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May 20, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Pres. Barack Obama upset many in Israel yesterday, when he called for a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea, saying it would not allow Israel to effectively defend itself, and conservative opponents of Obama are now actively trying to vilify him as having abandoned Israel. This [...]
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May 5, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
There is a simple response to the GOP hardliners who say bin Laden’s demise justifies waterboarding and other torture techniques used under the Bush administration, and that is: if it had worked, it would not have taken 10 years to locate bin Laden. What “led” the US intelligence community, and SEAL Team Six to bin Laden’s fortified compound was long-running, diligent intelligence work of the kind that is hampered and obstructed by irrational fits of violence, torture and vengeful behavior.
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May 3, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Now is the time for Republicans to lay down their arms and help Pres. Obama build a better, safer, more cooperative American future. In just a few short days, they have lost the birther issue, the budget issue, and, more importantly, the national security issue. They have no candidates with any military or command experience, and Barack Obama has just accomplished what George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, with all they did to alter US and world politics to empower their administration, could not do in seven: he killed Osama bin Laden.
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May 3, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.
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May 2, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari, whose late wife Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by extremists shortly after returning to her homeland to seek the presidency, said he was not informed prior to the operation that it was taking place, but that his government, and all of Pakistan should celebrate Bin Laden’s demise. Bin Laden had repeatedly tried to kill Bhutto, and was suspected of plotting to assassinate Pres. Zardari.
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May 1, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Tonight, the news is breaking across global television and online media that the president of the United States will be making a special televised address to announce that Osama bin Laden has been confirmed killed. NBC News’ Chuck Todd is reporting the news began to leak out after Pres. Obama began informing, by telephone, the key leaders in Congress, that he would be making this announcement.
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April 28, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
In his weekly address, President Obama laid out his plans to address rising gas prices over the short and the long term. While there is no silver bullet to bring down prices right away, there are a few things we can do. This week, the Attorney General launched a task force dedicated to rooting out fraud or manipulations in the oil markets. The President called for finally ending the $4 billion in taxpayer money that the oil and gas companies receive annually. And, we need to continue safe, responsible production of oil at home. But in the long term, we need to invest in clean, renewable energy. That is why the President strongly disagrees with a proposal in Congress that cuts our investments in clean energy by 70 percent.
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April 21, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The al-Khalifa regime in Bahrain has seen its international reputation deteriorate from apparent friend of western nations and western values to violent police state using foreign mercenaries to kill its own people. No human rights lawyers were needed to bring about that shift; this was the flagrant, unapologetic and coordinated response of the regime to its people’s fairly moderate demand for political reform.
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April 4, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
GOOD.is has released this infographic illustrating the significant disparity between the current demographic makeup of the United States Congress (both houses combined) and the actual population of the United States. There is a clear drag on progress in most Americans’ access to Congressional office, and it appears the composition of Congress would shift to the Democratic party, given the current policy platforms and voting tendencies of distinct (and overlapping) demographic groups.
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April 3, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The United States Supreme Court is preparing to hear oral arguments in a landmark campaign finance case, in which a wealthy candidate who chose not to use public matching funds alleges those funds amounted to an illegal enhancement of his opponent’s speech. That assisted speech, the argument goes, was an unconstitutional government intrusion into the [...]
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April 3, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Grover Norquist infamously said he wanted to shrink the size of government till it could be drowned in a bathtub. That is, remember, the American government, the revolutionary democratic republic set up by George Washinton, Thomas Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and company. Not an enemy government, but the government that protects and serves the interests of [...]
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March 27, 2011 :: The Editors :: 2 Comments
Today, Juan Cole published an open letter to the political left, asking them to understand the humanitarian urgency of the situation in Libya, and to balance their desire for an end to war and foreign interventions against the need to protect human life and ensure that a viable democracy movement is not put down through massive slaughter of thousands or tens of thousands of civilians. Cole is right. Though military action is never the best of all possible outcomes, it is sometimes the only way to protect innocent human life against plans of deliberate mass murder.
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March 24, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
There has been a lot of controversy among members of Congress as to whether Pres. Obama “consulted” adequately with the Congress before intervening in the Libyan crisis. The controversy is mostly cynical politicking by opponents of Obama who were demanding Obama intervene, right up until he did. In fact, Pres. Obama sent notice to Congress, [...]
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March 22, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
In a stunning insult to the American people and to the world community, the national Republican party has adopted a new propaganda attack against Pres. Obama: they now argue Pres. Obama is too talented at doing too many things and that the American people cannot comprehend such a complex job description. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, [...]
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March 19, 2011 :: staff :: One Comment
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously this week to authorize the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya, and gave member nations the power to take “all necessary measures” to protect civilians. NATO and an alliance of Arab countries are now orchestrating airstrikes against Libyan military positions, to clear the ground for a secure [...]
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March 17, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: 2 Comments
National Public Radio is a resource that belongs to the American people. It is not government controlled, has no editorial bias in terms of ideology or party, and is the nation’s most extensive network of committed professional journalists delivering reliable information to American citizens, via the radio. Federal funding is a commitment to enabling the American people to benefit from the founding principle that a free and independent press makes us freer and more resilient to the challenges a democracy faces.
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March 16, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
A report from the American Medical Association finds the US is not prepared to deal with the public health crisis that would ensue from a major nuclear accident. There is also evidence suggesting that aging nuclear plants are less stable and less secure than the public is led to believe. Indeed, radiation releases are surprisingly and disturbingly common.
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March 15, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The president’s proposed budget for 2012 includes $36 billion in loan guarantees for the development of new nuclear power plants. The United States has still not solved the problem of where to securely store nuclear waste material for the time frame necessary. In Japan, two nuclear reactors appaer to be in meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The $36 billion would be far more wisely spent developing a clean energy economy based on advanced solar and wind technology.
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March 15, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Nuclear power plants, like the one at Fukushima Daiichi, contain 1,000 times more radioactivity to leak than the Hiroshima bomb. Nuclear scientists estimate 1,000,000 people would be killed or injured in a major accident, were one to occur at the San Onofre plant in southern California. But Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on Monday compared the [...]
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March 13, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Just one day after Wisconsin governor Scott Walker signed a bill into law that strips public employees of collective bargaining rights, the largest crowd to date gathered around the state Capitol building in Madison. Authorities estimate between 85,000 and 100,000 people joined the protest, demanding the repeal of the law and the recall of all [...]
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March 12, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) denounces the intent of Rep. Peter King’s (R-NY) “radicalization of American Muslims” hearings, which she says are a waste of time and counterproductive effort to promote religious and ethnic bias. At 5:10 into this video, Rep. Peter King is heard suddenly ordering Ms. Jackson Lee to end her statement at the very moment she decries the “lack of factual basis” for the hearings. King had earlier shouted down Rep. Jackson Lee when she suggested each member of the committee should be allowed to make a statement in support of or criticizing the nature and aim of the hearings.
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March 12, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim-American in the United States Congress, spoke to the Congressional hearing chaired by Rep. Peter King (R-NY), examining the question of the “radicalization of American Muslims”. He told the story of a young, Muslim-American man who gave his life to save others on 11 September 2001. Rep. Ellison’s testimony was emotional, and he fought back tears nearly throughout the statement, telling of the young man’s sacrifice.
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March 12, 2011 :: The Editors :: 3 Comments
Republican governors have unabashedly joined in their party’s national campaign to undermine the economic recovery and marginalize their people in a concerted effort to harm Pres. Obama and derail his re-election bid. In Florida, the new Tea Partyist governor has refused to accept any federal funding for a high-speed rail project that would have stimulated economic growth and job creation in his state, despite Florida being granted $2.4 billion out of the $2.6 billion needed, and the previous governor having explicitly requested the funds.
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March 10, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Rachel Maddow reports on the Michigan governor’s legislation giving himself emergency powers, including the power to dissolve local governments, take over cities, unincorporate entire municipalities —the equivalent of erasing them from the political map— and remove elected officials, replacing them with his own unilaterally appointed substitutes.
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March 10, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Last night, the Republican party is Wisconsin decided to shirk the law, ignore a direct warning from the Assembly minority leader that their actions were a flagrant violation of the law, ignore established process and pass a fiscal proposal as if it were not a fiscal provision. The Senate majority leader, responsible for staging and carrying out this maneuver, said openly that the ban on collective bargaining was intended to make it more difficult for Pres. Obama to win re-election.
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March 10, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
In Wisconsin last night, the Republican state Senate stripped public employees of nearly all collective bargaining rights in a hastily called vote, in a dubious parliamentary maneuver. They did not notify the public or the minority party of their actions with adequate time for debate, and in just 13 minutes, they erased 50 years of progress on labor rights in Wisconsin.
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March 10, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
The majority leader of the Wisconsin state Senate, Scott Fitzgerald, admitted today on FOX News that the radical budget plan he and his brother and Gov. Walker are trying to force on the people of Wisconsin is a deliberate strategy to cripple the Democratic party in 2012 and make it harder for Pres. Obama to win the state of Wisconsin.
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March 9, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Republicans in the Wisconsin state Senate have voted to force through a bill banning collective bargaining for public employees in the state. The move is being described as a new parliamentary move, without precedent and possibly without any legal foundation. There are now accusations of clear ethics violations in the process used to force the measure through, and threats of legal action.
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March 9, 2011 :: staff :: One Comment
The governor of Michigan is trying to force through the legislature a bill that would establish emergency rule, LITERALLY. Gov. Snyder is seeking emergency powers that would enable him to 1) unilaterally declare a “financial emergency”, 2) disincorporate entire municipal governments, 3) dismiss elected officials with no replacement election to follow, 4) seize control of local civil services, 5) hand taxpayer money, services and POWERS to private, for-profit firms.
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March 3, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Every wave on the ocean that has ever risen up and refused to lay back down has been dashed on the shore, but it is the very purpose of a wave to rise up, because once it rises up above the horizon it finally has the perspective to see that it’s not just a wave, that it’s a part of a mighty ocean. And the sharpest rock on the wildest shore can never break that ocean apart, they can never wear that ocean down, because it’s the ocean that shapes the shore.
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March 3, 2011 :: J.E. Robertson :: Comments Off
The United States of America is a nation of immigrants. It is a nation that has wrestled with vicious undercurrents of racism and xenophobia, and has emerged ever more democratic, generally trending toward a more perfect union representing the foundational ideals that were, in the 18th century, so far out of reach, but so necessary as core aspirations. And over time, it is a nation that has become richer, stronger and more democratic, by getting closer to those foundational ideals.
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March 3, 2011 :: Denver Lessing :: Comments Off
FOX News has begun to escalate what appears to be a partisan campaign against the people of the state of Wisconsin. The network was caught yesterday using fake footage, stock footage of another protest, in Florida, at another time, where there were physical scuffles going on, while reporting that this was taking place in Wisconsin. [...]
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March 3, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Mike Huckabee is a (retired?) Christian minister. He has long sought to present himself as moderate, reasonable and trustworthy. But he has now shown himself to be a flagrant liar, determined to manipulate his audience in order to provoke visceral, race-based reactions he can exploit. The evidence for this is his repeated telling of the outright lie that Pres. Obama “grew up” in Kenya. The president NEVER lived there.
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March 2, 2011 :: staff :: 3 Comments
After the governor of Wisconsin first ordered the state capitol closed to the public, then ejected protesters, then refused to ease restrictions on access, a judge has ordered the closure reversed, requiring that the state government allow full public access to the building during business hours. The governor’s officials responded that by allowing public officials, staff and scheduled visitors to enter, they were already in compliance.
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February 28, 2011 :: The Editors :: Comments Off
Wisconsin’s Republican governor, whose attack on the rights of public servants has sparked the most persistent and widespread public protests seen in the state’s history. After two weeks of protests, the governor’s abject refusal to negotiate in any way with opponents to his bid to strip public workers of their rights has brought over 100,000 peaceful demonstrators to the state capitol complex this weekend. Gov. Walker is now seeking to bar any further protest in a desperate bid to impose his will on the people.
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February 28, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
There is a myth that is often put forth as evidence that conservatives are unserious about democracy, which is that they favor rapacious capitalist behemoths. Many do, especially those for whom conservatism means capitalism. But most conservatives are ordinary people who want the little guy to be free of the imposing will of major power interests. It confuses matters to assert that all conservatives are interested in promoting big business interests.
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February 26, 2011 :: staff :: Comments Off
Last week, a man pretending to be oil billionaire David Koch, one of the major Republican donors thought to be behind the concerted operation by Republican governors to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, spoke with Gov. Scott Walke by phone. During the conversation, Gov. Walker revealed much about his own thinking in relation to using the claim of a “budget crisis” to impose massive cuts on public servants’ compensation and to strip them of basic workplace fairness rights.
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