Sunday 29 January 2012

Occupying Hawaii: Paradise Lost and Found
Michelle Fawcett, Truthout: "Ever since the Garden of Eden headlined the Torah, savvy marketers have realized that we all deeply desire a slice of paradise.... The natural splendor of Hawaii draws about seven million tourists a year as well as thousands of transplants, many wealthy, who relocate to the Pacific island chain for the relentlessly balmy weather. At the same time, the tropical Shangri-La barely conceals teeming tent cities, droves of poverty-wage workers and the legacy of the conquest of native Hawaiians."
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Occupy Protesters and Police Clash in Oakland
Sarah Maslin Nir, The New York Times News Service: "A march to take over a vacant building by members of the Occupy movement in Oakland, Calif., turned into a violent confrontation with the police on Saturday, leaving three officers injured and about 200 people arrested.... Most of the arrests occurred in the evening, when large groups of people were corralled in front of the Downtown Oakland Y.M.C.A. on Broadway. At one point, one group of protesters broke into the City Hall building."
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Four Psychologists at the Gates of Hell: A Fable for Our Time
Roy Eidelson, Truthout: "In 2005, despite evidence that psychologists were involved in abusive and torturous interrogations of national security detainees, [the] American Psychological Association (APA) ... concluded that psychologists play a critical role in keeping such interrogations 'safe, legal, ethical and effective'....With this stance, the APA, the largest association of psychologists worldwide, became the sole major professional health care organization to support practices contrary to the international human rights standards that ought to be the benchmark against which professional codes of ethics are judged."
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The Party of Our Discontent? An Interview With Green Party Candidate Jill Stein
Steve Horn, Truthout: "Discontent with the political system as a whole is rising, as seen clearly through the lens of struggles around the world and right here at home, via the ongoing Occupy movement.... This is the background to my conversation with Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for president of the United States.... Stein is hoping to ride the momentum of the Occupy movement and reach uncharted water for a third-party candidate for president, and has a central campaign platform called the 'Green New Deal.'"
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Fact-Checking Obama's State of the Union Speech, Part 1: Jobs
Jack Rasmus, Truthout: "On January 24, 2012, President Obama delivered his latest State of the Union (SOTU) speech to Congress. It heavily emphasized economic themes, among which were jobs, manufacturing, trade, the auto industry, teachers, taxes, Medicare, financial regulation and growing income inequality in the United States.... But many of the president's claims in his SOTU speech, especially with regard to jobs, were contrary to the facts."
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Avoiding a Catastrophic War with Iran
Nathaniel Batchelder, Common Dreams: "Pray cooler heads will guide America in the dialogue and decision-making over Iran's position in the world. Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and there is no certain evidence that such a program is under way. Certainly Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and the interests of world peace demand that these issues be resolved without military action that could launch a catastrophic war."
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Byron Dorgan on Making Banks Play by the Rules
Bill Moyers, Moyers & Co.: "Bill Moyers talks with former Senator Byron Dorgan about making sure big banks play by rules that protect consumers from financial calamity, and how those big banks continue to leverage power and influence to avoid responsibility while maximizing profits. Dorgan was a nearly-lone voice in Congress in 1999 when he predicted economic calamity.... But given the economic meltdown nearly 10 years later, it turned out to be one of the most prescient speeches in American political history."
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Sri Lankan General Admits War Crimes; US May Hold Crucial Supporting Evidence
Emanuel Stoakes, Truthout: "The extrajudicial killing of civilians, surrendering soldiers and dissident journalists under the direction of the Sri Lankan government has been alleged by a former general in the Army who was extremely well-placed to comment on military activity during the island nation's bloody civil war.... It is believed that representatives of the United States State Department have spoken to the source and hold a rich collection of testimonies and other evidence regarding alleged crimes committed during the civil war."
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Can't Buy Me Laws: Congress Must Give Back Chris Dodd's Dirty Money
Joel Kelsey, Save the Internet: "Rarely is the systemic corporate capture of Washington, D.C., on display in such a transparent and ugly way as it was last week. Former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, now the head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), has been pushing the passage of Web-censorship bills in both the House and Senate.... We can't guarantee that top lobbyists like Dodd, who have gone through the revolving door in D.C., will become more ethical. But we can demand that our elected officials make it clear to K Street who they are supposed to be representing in Washington."
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The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will return Monday, January 30.

15 More Important Things Than Newt's Trading in Wives Like Upgrading New Model Cars
Read the Article at BuzzFlash

Google Chief At Davos Praises Globalization, Dismisses Jobs Crisis
Read the Article at The Huffington Post

The Corporate Usurpation of the Internet
Read the Article at Nile Bowie Blog

Iran to Stop Oil Experts to Some Countries Soon
Read the Article at Reuters

Ron Paul and the Liberty of Bullies
Read the Article at Al Jazeera

The Man Behind Gingrich's Money
Read the Article at The New York Times

Another Payroll Tax Cut Extension?!
Read the Article at Business Week

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