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Wednesday 29 February 2012

Henry A. Giroux | Dangerous Pedagogy in the Age of Casino Capitalism and Religious Fundamentalism
Henry A. Giroux, Truthout: "If educators and others are to counter global capitalism's increased ability to separate the traditional nation-state-based space of politics from the transnational reach of power, it is crucial to develop educational approaches that reject a collapse of the distinction between market liberties and civil liberties, a market economy and a market society. This suggests developing forms of critical pedagogy capable of challenging neoliberalism and other anti-democratic traditions, such as the emerging religious fundamentalism in the United States, while resurrecting a radical democratic project that provides the basis for imagining a life beyond the 'dream world' of capitalism."
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Occupy Takes Aim at ALEC Today in 70 US Cities
Yana Kunichoff, Truthout: "Today, legislators and companies including Pfizer, Bank of America and Walmart, that benefit from the American Legislative Exchange Council's (ALEC) power in the legislative system will be the target of demonstrations, direct actions and various public shows of anger across the country under the banner of Shut Down the Corporations. 'The public is never informed that a group representing the most privileged people in America are drafting the legislation that disempowers the most vulnerable,' said David Osborn with Occupy Portland."
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C. Wright Mills Would Have Loved Occupy Wall Street
Peter Dreier, Truthout: "C. Wright Mills, the radical Columbia University sociologist who died 50 years ... would have loved Occupy Wall Street. Mills challenged the widely held belief that American society, having triumphed over the fundamental problems of the 20th century (depression, war and fascism) had become a model of economic success, political democracy and social well-being. At a time when social scientists and journalists were extolling America's post-World War II prosperity, Mills warned about the dangers of the growing concentration of wealth and power."
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Romney Wins GOP Primaries in Michigan and Arizona
Steven Thomma, McClatchy Newspapers: "Mitt Romney muscled his way to victory in two Republican primaries Tuesday ... But Romney failed to deliver the kind of convincing result that would start building momentum and rallying wavering Republicans to his side as his aides had long ago expected. The campaign now appears more likely to be a state-by-state, delegate-by-delegate competition rather than an early coronation that would have allowed the winner to turn attention full time to the general election challenge to President Barack Obama."
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WikiLeaks Exposes Department of Homeland Security Spying on Occupy Movement
Allison Kilkenny, In These Times: "[Department of Homeland Security] document appears to be more concerned with protecting the mechanisms of the financial sector than in ensuring the safety of citizens who are exercising their First Amendment rights. They talk about threats to 'critical infrastructure' and this fear that these protests are going to ... make commerce difficult and people are going to start losing money. There is a kind of bottom line in analysis to what they're talking about."
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Occupy Wall Street Rallies Monitored by Dow Chemical
Lee Fang, Republic Report: "Wikileaks revealed a massive trove of e-mails from the firm Stratfor. The e-mails show that the company, working on behalf of chemical giant Dow Chemical, closely monitored news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street movement. Stratfor relayed the activities of people seeking redress for the 1984 Dow Chemical/Union Carbide gas disaster in Bhopal, India, which resulted in the death of thousands and lasting environmental damage."
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Landing on Mars: A First Impression of Guantanamo Bay
Chrystal Loyer, Truthout: "One pair [of] gray flip-flops, SPF 55 sunblock, white linen shirt, cabana-style straw hat ... Judging from my suitcase, I am destined for some tropical paradise. But I am not headed just anywhere and the contents of my suitcase don't stop at the above.... Three legal pads, one mini recorder, five copies official military invite to travel letter, one unclassified case docket for Majid Shoukat Khan.... Five days ago, I received notice that I was invited to observe the next military commission to be held on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba."
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Who Stole the American Dream in Broad Daylight?
Mark Karlin, Truthout: "Opening in New York City on March 3 at the Quad City Cinema, 'Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?' is a feature documentary about the emergence of plutocratic control of the US government. But the film is not meant to raise the white flag to accumulated wealth. In fact, it concludes that, 'There are only two kinds of power in America: organized money and organized people.'"
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On the News With Thom Hartmann: The Debt Collector Industry Is Booming, and More
In today's On the News segment: The debt collector industry is booming, Greenpeace blames the Japanese government for the Fukushima nuclear crisis, one out of every ten employees on Wall Street is a clinical psychopath, and more.
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Archaeologist, Black Feminist Unearths Contributions of African Diaspora, Everyday People
Max Eternity, Truthout: "So, what happens when one comes to understand that race is more of a social construct and not a biological fact? From that perspective, how should one interpret and convey the black experience in America? And what does it mean to live 'an existence where the direct effects of racism are still a part of the everyday?' These are questions that stem from the larger question: what is the meaning of race?"
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Military Strikes Not the Answer in Syria
Ramah Kudaimi, Truthout: "The awful pictures, videos and stories coming out of Syria have US government officials starting to consider more serious options to help Syrians overthrow their authoritarian regime, including military intervention. Although it is estimated that at least 6,000 people have been killed in the past 11 months, military strikes would fail to protect civilians and make the situation even worse for Syrians."
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North Korea Agrees to Curb Nuclear Work, US Says
Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times News Service: "North Korea agreed to suspend nuclear weapons tests and enrichment and allow international inspectors to verify and monitor activities at its main reactor, the State Department announced on Wednesday, as part of a deal that included an American pledge to ship food aid to the isolated, impoverished nation."
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Olympia Food Co-Op Wins Anti-SLAPP Motion, Court Dismisses StandWithUs Lawsuit
Richard Silverstein, RichardSilverstein.com: "[On Monday,] a Washington state court dismissed a lawsuit brought against the Olympia Food Coop by StandWithUs and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs ... In this case, the issue was whether the food coop had the right to ban nine Israeli products from its shelves in support of the Global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. This action was taken according to coop rules which permitted the board by consensus to approve this."
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Obama the "Socialist" Saved Capitalism by Giving Welfare to Wall Street and Red States
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: "You would think that the right wingers shouting that Obama is a relic of the Soviet Union should be thanking him for saving capitalism, providing a climate for large corporations to soar in profits, giving bailout money to the banks and providing red states with redistributed income tax funds to survive."
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Conservative Justices Indicate Multinational Firms and Political Groups Should Be Shielded From Lawsuits in the US Over Atrocities Overseas
Read the Article at The Los Angeles Times

Glenn Greenwald: General McCaffrey Privately Briefs NBC Execs on War With Iran
Read the Article at Salon

The Time for a Financial Transaction Tax Has Come
Read the Article at BuzzFlash

Juan Cole: The Top Five Stratfor Revelations
Read the Article at JuanCole.com

Fighting Recall, Scott Walker Uses Koch Money to Soften Image
Read the Article at Salon

Vaginal Ultrasound Bills a Smokescreen, Say Pro-Choice Groups
Read the Article at Talking Points Memo

Democracy Alliance Dumps Progressive Organizations
Read the Article at The Huffington Post

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