International Politics and Economy

Right Said Fred (really!) appears on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver to tell Syrian president Bashar al-Assad what a dick he is. It’s going to be especially disappointing to Assad, as they are one of his favorite bands. Lyrics: YOU’RE TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH TOO AWFUL FOR THIS EARTH SO AWFUL IT HURTS […]

Crime

Vegas ‘Revolution’ Shooters inspired by Tea Party Law allowing Shooting of Police

contributors

Vegas cop killers ‘had pro-gun militia links’ (via AFP) A gun-toting couple possibly linked to anti-government militias killed two US cops execution-style and left a swastika on the bodies, in America’s latest chilling shooting rampage, police said Monday. In the third mass shooting in three weeks in the… —- Related video: Rachel Maddow: “Killers’ […]

Crime

Top 3 White Terrorist Attacks in America this Week

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole Our capitalist class may be becoming an absolute danger to ordinary Americans. By promoting a doctrine of absolute right to gun ownership (which rather helps gun manufacturers) and at the same time encouraging people to hate the Federal government and resent paying taxes, they are creating a whole class of alienated far […]

Constitution

That time when White Terrorists Ambushed Nevada Police after Fox Supported Bundy Gunmen Threatening Law Enforcement

contributors

They shouted, “This is a revolution!” ABC News: “Deadly Shooting Spree in Las Vegas” Related posts: Fox News asks Rand Paul if Reid is right to “call Americans” “Domestic Terrorists” and: “Top Ten Differences between White Terrorists and others”

Iraq

Iraq: 450,000 have fled al-Anbar as Gov’t Deploys Militias against al-Qaeda

contributors

Euronews reports: “Security slips further in Iraq as car bombs hit Baghdad” Ahmad Hadi gives the background at Niqash.org Members of an extremist Shiite Muslim militia have been recruited to fight Sunni Muslim rebels and militias in Iraq’s Anbar province. But for some Baghdad-based fighters the battle is taking place too close to home: They’re […]

Constitution

5 Falsehoods Defenders of NSA keep Repeating that Destroy their Credibility

Juan Cole

By Cindy Cohn and Nadia Kayyali Over the past year, as the Snowden revelations have rolled out, the government and its apologists have developed a set of talking points about mass spying that the public has now heard over and over again. From the President, to Hilary Clinton to Rep. Mike Rogers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein […]

Arab Spring

Egypt, Syria, Libya . . . . What is the Appeal of Phoney Elections in the Middle East?

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole The world has been treated to a whole series of “elections” in the Middle East recently. Iraq had parliamentary elections, Libya’s parliament voted for a new prime minister, and Egypt and Syria had presidential elections. This summer, Turkey will have elections. It would be nice if all these elections signaled a turn […]

Democratic Party

Georgia Courthouse is shot up by Sovereign Citizen after GOP backs Bundy, Open Carry

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole That didn’t take long. The Georgia GOP rushed into law an ‘open carry’ provision in April allowing people to tote around guns in bars and churches (apparently these are felt to be complementary institutions in Georgia) and schools (these are apparently felt to be full of expendable if short people in Georgia). […]

Barack Obama

Can Obama Make good on his Pledge to overturn Citizens United with a Constitutional Amendment?

contributors

In his new book, Ken Vogel claims that President Barack Obama told Democratic donors he believes he is in a good position to pass a constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United. The book, entitled “Big Money: 2.5 Billion Dollars, One Suspicious…