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Op-Ed Columnist: The Phantom Menace

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

New York Times - By Paul Krugman - Nov. 23 (Opinion) - The scare stories from Wall Street seem to be intimidating Washington from doing more to rescue the economy.

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Yes, Sarah, There is a Media Conspiracy

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

True/Slant - By Matt Taibbi - Nov. 23 (Opinion) - Is the media out to get Sarah Palin? It seems like most of the letters I get are insisting that I admit it. “Surely you can’t deny,” writes one woman from Florida, “that no political figure in American history has had to put up with what Sarah Palin has had to put up with from the mainstream media.” Now, this is the part of this red-blue schtick where I’m supposed to strike back without thinking and re-hash the history of, say, the Monica Lewinsky scandal in rebuttal and then, as the argument progresses, do the whole “I know you are but what am I?” thing until the end of time. I’ve decided from now on that I’m just not going to go there with any of this culture-war bullshit. It’s exhausting. I mean, hell, if you want to argue over who’s more justified in wallowing in media victimhood, that’s not a fight I mind losing. Mazel tov!

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Lessons From the Japanese: Time to Stop Borrowing Money and Start Printing It

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

TruthOut - By Ellen Hodgson Brown - Nov. 23 (Opinion) - Miners used to keep canaries in coal mines as an early warning device. If the air was so bad that it killed the canary, the miners would soon be next. Japan may be the canary for the out-of-control deficit spending policies now being pursued in the United States and the United Kingdom.

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Naomi Klein on Climate Debt: Why Rich Countries Should Pay Reparations To Poor Countries For The Climate Crisis

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Democracy Now - By Naomi Klein, Amy Goodman - Nov. 23 (Interview) - With the Copenhagen climate summit two weeks away, best-selling journalist Naomi Klein examines the grass-roots movement behind the climate debate proposal that argues all the costs associated with adapting to a more hostile ecology—everything from building stronger sea walls to switching to cleaner, more expensive technologies—are the responsibility of the countries that created the crisis. Klein also discusses the 10th anniversary of the Seattle WTO protests and the 10th anniversary of her first book, “No Logo.”

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Population & Environment: a Progressive, Feminist Approach

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

TruthOut - By Laurie Mazur - Nov. 23 (Opinion) - If we take seriously the need to protect the planet and distribute its resources more equitably, it becomes clear that it would be easier to provide a good life—at less environmental cost—for 8 billion rather than 11 billion people. This is especially true for climate change: an analysis by Brian O'Neill at the National Center for Atmospheric Research estimates that stabilizing world population at 8 billion, rather than 9 billion or more, would eliminate one billion tons of CO2 per year by 2050-- as much as completely ending deforestation.

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US Group That Supported Overthrows of Democratically Elected Governments in Haiti and Venezuela Will Observe Elections in Honduras

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Common Dreams - Nov. 23 (Press Release) - Both groups are apparently planning to assist with observation of the elections, despite the fact that the electoral process will be effectively controlled by thousands of military troops and police officers - the same forces who have committed innumerable human rights violations, including killings, rapes, beatings and thousands of detentions, since the June 28 coup d'etat.

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Leaked documents reveal No 10 cover-up over Iraq invasion

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Richard Norton-Taylor - Nov. 23 - • Inquiry to hear how Blair hid true intentions for war • Military ?ill-prepared? for aftermath of invasion Military commanders are expected to tell the inquiry into the Iraq war, which opens on Tuesday, that the invasion was ill-conceived and that preparations were sabotaged by Tony Blair?s government?s attempts to mislead the public. They were so shocked by the lack of preparation for the aftermath of the invasion that they believe members of the British and US governments at the time could be prosecuted for war crimes by breaching the duty outlined in the Geneva convention to safeguard civilians in a conflict, the Guardian has been told. The lengths the Blair government took to conceal the invasion plan and the extent of military commanders? anger at what they call the government?s "appalling" failures emerged as Sir John Chilcot, the inquiry?s chairman, promised to produce a "full and insightful" account of how Britain was drawn into the conflict. Fresh evidence has emerged ...

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Dems 'In Deep Trouble' On Health Care, The Only Options Are A Bad Bill Or 2010 Losses

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Huffington Post - By Sam Stein - Nov. 23 (Interview) - One of the leading progressive champions of health care reform is pessimistic about the state of the debate in the Senate, saying he sees virtually no path to passing strong legislation and predicting potential congressional losses for Democrats as a consequence.

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Chomsky condemns 'immoral' Afghan war

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

BBC News - By Noam Chomsky - Nov. 23 (Interview) - (video)

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Rep. David Obey Warns President Obama of Afghanistan War Surtax

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

ABC News - By Jonathan Karl - Nov. 23 (Interview) - The powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has a stark message for President Obama about Afghanistan -- sending more troops would be a mistake that could "wipe out every initiative we have to rebuild the economy."

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Is the meaning of hajj being lost?

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The Guardian - By Syed Neaz Ahmad - Nov. 22 (Opinion) - Hajj is meant to bring Muslims together in brotherhood. But in 2009, more than ever, security is getting in the way "The hajj is one of the great cultural and spiritual events on earth, but one which most of us know far less about than we do about things that happen in outer space and under the sea", says Taran Davies co-producer of Journey to Mecca a new Imax film about the hajj. The hajj, of course, is nothing new. Muslims have been performing this once in a lifetime act of worship for 1430 years. The institution is as old as the Ka?bah itself which according to traditions was established some 4000 years ago in the barren lands of central Arabia. The ceremony is commemorative of Prophet Abraham?s acts of devotion. However, over the centuries perceptions and expectations have changed. This change presents new challenges every year. What with the threat of security, accidents, fire and terrorists, the House of Saud finds every hajj season a bit unnerving and it is not surprising that – ...

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