By Jim Hightower | – (Otherwords) – Jesse Jackson ran a strong populist campaign for president in 1988, advocating bold new policies and programs to address inequality. This prompted establishment skeptics to scoff, “Where ‘ya gonna get the money?” It’s no secret where America’s wealth has gone in recent decades: upwards. Jackson answered directly: We’ll […]
Archives for October 2019
Climate Crisis Stress is already Killing Us: this Chaos Map shows Where
By Aled Jones, Davide Natalini,Anglia Ruskin, and Imelda Phadtare | – Over 12 days at the start of October 2019 eight people were killed, more than 1,300 injured and nearly 1,200 arrested after demonstrations became violent in Ecuador. The demonstrations focused on reversing the ending of fuel subsidies, which had been brought in as part […]
Iran seeks to Take advantage of Trump’s Exit from Syria to become Diplomatic Power Broker
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – How has Trump’s impetuous invitation to Turkey to invade Syria and displace America’s allies against ISIL, the Syrian Kurds, issued nearly two weeks ago, been taken advantage of by Iran? It should be noted in the first instance that Iran has its own restive Kurdish province and is no more […]
How Much in ‘Inequality Tax’ Are You Paying?
(Inequality.org) – The hidden burden America’s top-heavy distribution of income and wealth places on people of modest means What nation ranks as the world’s richest? A simple question to answer, right. Well, not so much, suggests the just-released tenth annual Global Wealth Report from the banking giant Credit Suisse. Everything turns out to depend on […]
Erdogan’s Plan to Resettle Arabs in Syrian Kurdish Zone is dangerous and expensive
By Stasa Salacanin | – Although the Turkish offensive in north-east Syria has ceased for five days, concerns are mounting over the humanitarian impact of the operation to push Kurdish-led forces, which Turkey regards as terrorists, out of the area. Ankara’s plan to resettle millions of refugees into the area and its president’s threat to […]
New War for Oil? Trump to Occupy Oil-Rich Syrian Province with Tank Corps, Asks for Kurdish Displacement There
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump said he talked to Syrian Democratic Forces leader Gen. Mazloum Abdi on Thursday. As usual, Trump’s report of the conversation is marred by outright lies and bizarre allegations. He said, I really enjoyed my conversation with General @MazloumAbdi. He appreciates what we have done, and I appreciate what the […]
Killing Me Softly with Militarism: The Decay of Democracy in America
(Tomdispatch.com) – When Americans think of militarism, they may imagine jackbooted soldiers goose-stepping through the streets as flag-waving crowds exult; or, like our president, they may think of enormous parades featuring troops and missiles and tanks, with warplanes soaring overhead. Or nationalist dictators wearing military uniforms encrusted with medals, ribbons, and badges like so many […]
No, Erdogan can’t send most of Turkey’s 3.7 mn Syrian Refugees into Kurdish Regions
By Shelley Inglis | – Turkey’s recent military incursion into northern Syria is aimed at weakening Syrian Kurdish forces along its border. Turkey believes those forces are linked to the insurgent Kurdish militia inside Turkey, whom Turkey and the U.S. have labeled terrorists. But that’s not the only goal. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-term […]
California’s Wildfire Electricity Blackouts are a Taste of Climate Apocalypse to Come
By Abrahm Lustgarten | ( ProPublica) | – PG&E’s rolling blackouts probably don’t eliminate fire risk, and they actually could make responding to fires harder. What they largely do is shift responsibility away from the company. At the beginning of October, my kids’ preschool informed me that it might be closed the next day because […]