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POPSKing And Nonviolence Yes it's true that September 11th changed a lot of things and reminded us how vulnerable we are. It made us realize we face a dangerous and diabolically clever enemy. It strengthened our resolve and triggered important steps to prevent future attacks, actions that made us more secure as a nation. But 9/11 did not and could not change the basic ground rules: War or incitement to violence is justified only when it's in response to a deliberate attack and only when it's undertaken as a last resort. And even during wartime, nations must observe the highest moral standards. It's so easy to incite violence. And it's so wrong.
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POPSA Guide to Understanding the Tactics of the Southern Poverty Law Center in the Immigration Debate It is therefore essential that we thoroughly examine and respond to the charges and the motives of those leveling the accusations. This publication is designed for the media, legislators and others who are actively involved in writing about or formulating immigration policy. Its purpose is to provide: * An overview of the unscrupulous tactics now being used in the immigration debate which distort factual reporting and limit meaningful debate. * A summary of FAIR’s 30-year record of advocacy on immigration. * An examination into the SPLC’s motives, terminology and techniques used against FAIR and others. * An objective third party analysis of the SPLC’s tactics and motivations. * Conclusions and suggestions for fair reporting and open mindedness.
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POPSWith Al-Qaida Fading, Why Expand the Afghan War? Consider the testimony of Dr. Marc Sageman before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. On Oct. 7, he presented before the committee a long and meticulous examination of the nature and limits of the al-Qaida organization today, and of the groups associated with it, the people who belong to it, the nature and limits of its present situation, the real (and limited) success of its terrorist actions and projects during the years since its founding in 1988—especially during the eight years since the 9/11 bombings—and, finally, its strength and operational potential today.
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POPSRemebering the roots of a REAL Civil War
More: After decades of mistrust and recrimination over the conflict between slavery and free labor, many in the North and South now found themselves even more fundamentally at odds. As Northerners increasingly hailed Brown as a hero, panicky Southerners execrated him as the devil himself. The tempest over John Brown appeared to shatter any hope of regional reconciliation. As one South Carolina editor put it, "The day of compromise is passed there is no peace for the South in the Union." It would be too much to claim that John Brown's raid made the Civil War inevitable. But it is fair to say that it helped to create an unbridgeable gap between the free states and the slave power that could only be, as Brown himself put it, "purged away with blood." There are many lessons that can be drawn from John Brown's raid, but the experience of the Civil War ought to stand as a permanent rebuke to the irresponsible incitement of contemporary political figures who trade so easily
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POPSProfessional Trolls* "So, are any of our regular trolls pros? I've got a suspect in mind, but I'll leave it for your conjecture in the comments."
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POPSDurga Puja is coming up. Swami Sivananda says: do not sacrifice animals for Devi Commentary from Swami Sivananda, founder of the Divine Life society, on the observance of Durga Puja. Traditionally, animal sacrifice has often been a part of the ritual, but Sivananda declares this a violation of the principle of ahimsa, which is binding on all Hindus no matter what caste, jati, or situation they belong to. An interesting example of second-order discourse in contemporary non-Western religion.
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POPSThesis: How American Media Covers "Terror Plot" Stories This week's stories about alleged plots in NY and Colorado, etc. are beyond pure journalist reporting, and have a very inflammatory slant to them consistent with this objective and scholarly thesis. The media has a power that is far too great to overlook when reading or watching about such news. While Bush (justly) gets the blame for tricking Americans into war in Iraq, he could not have done it without the MSM media. Neither could have Wilson or FDR for that matter.
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POPSJohn Maynard Keynes: Don't call it a comeback And yet today, you can't click your way three links through the econoblogosphere without stumbling into a flame war between reenergized triumphalist Keynesian supporters of government intervention in the economy and bewildered, angry market fundamentalists who have just watched their painstakingly constructed world crumble around them. Just a few years ago the heat of the debate would have been unthinkable -- Keynes seemed to have about as much relevance to current economic policymaking as Winston Churchill does for the Middle East peace process.
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POPSThe Politics of Lying When lying and deceit become normalized in a culture, they not only serve as an index of how low we have fallen as a literate society, but also demonstrate the degree to which language and education have become corrupted, tied to corporate and political power and sabotaged by rigid ideologies as part of a growing authoritarianism that uses the educational force of the culture, the means of communication and the sites in which information circulate to mobilize ignorance among a misinformed citizenry, all the while supporting reactionary policies. Especially since the horrible events of 9/11, Americans have been encouraged to identify with a militaristic way of life, to suspend their ability to read the word and world critically, to treat corporate and government power in almost religious terms and to view a culture of questioning as something alien and poisonous to American society.
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POPSSteele denounces 'race card' Glad that he is stepping forward...as are several black bloggers. But no matter what the GOP or conservatives do many will continue to believe the Liberal dogma because it keeps them in victim-mode and provides the division that the Dems need to retain their influence.
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POPSThe Rise of the Uncouth Hypocrites. It's just that now it's their ox that's being gored and with the internet, bloggers, and "un-named sources" there is no hiding anymore.
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POPSFAIR's Media Activist Kit Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting: “Media have tremendous power in setting cultural guidelines and in shaping political discourse. It is essential that news media, along with other institutions, are challenged to be fair and accurate.” The site gives advice on how to detect bias in the media, offers guidelines on writing to journalists who show signs of bias, lists world’s 10 biggest media companies, provides a list of Media Activism Groups, as well as a Media Contact List (top network/cable television, radio, newspapers and magazines) addresses, phone numbers and websites. The increasing number of people using social media sites are proof that we are no longer the ‘silent majority’. Now let’s carry this progress one step further. When we find bias in the media let’s make sure the people responsible for passing their lies on as news learn that we are not going to take it any more.
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POPSFmr. Bush aide: Beat Joe Wilson at the polls Mark McKinnon says: "as long as louts ... can spout off ... and get rewarded with re-election, then louts will continue to spout off. And we will continue to claw our way to the very bottom of the political swamp." Gives $1,000 to Wilson's opponent.
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POPSGlenn Beck and Sarah Palin Make sure you understand what they are talking about......it is critical to the country to be aware of the possibilities inherent in these symbols and this ideology. It's no longer just a couple of wing-nuts. It's an army of the most despicable characters than one might imagine to have any kind of voice in legitimate political discourse. This is all being brought to you by the so-called "fair & balanced" Fox News (aka Faux News, and FoxPac). If you like listening to: Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin, Savage,....etc. then stay tuned to FoxPac cable network, and the Wing-Nut radio stations. You need to make sure that you are throughly brainwashed, so that you can get out them guns and overthrow the government, and be a member of the group that calls themselves PATRIOTS! Thanks Fox News for taking such a big part in this Anti-American shameful show of hysterical, bigotry!
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POPSStruggling together towards diversity and respect More: You have your comfort zone, where you are singing in the shower. And you have your danger zone, where someone is physically threatening you and you have to get away. In between are zones of dissonance, where you take risks and where learning happens. In order to learn, you have to be willing to explore those zones of dissonance. Hence, Experience Discomfort. Expect and Accept Non-Closure. It’s hard. My Spanish is pitiful, my Cantonese non-existent, and I don’t like being the one who is struggling to keep up. But it’s essential. To me, my work on intersectionality and race is an essential part of my geek feminist identity. It’s about deconstructing how I feel when I am the marginalized one, and applying those insights to other spheres of my life, where I am the one doing the marginalization. It’s about belonging to a community that does real work and overcomes real challenges. This is what I want for my daughters.
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POPS40 million? 15 million? Which is it? Smith concludes: The number of Americans who are poor, sick, and uninsured for a lengthy period of time is a relatively small number, about 4 million individuals, adding that the 46 million figure also includes about 12 million illegal aliens. Now this leads me to another question. If 4 million is the more accurate number, then the cost of $1.2 TRILLION seems even more exorbitant! We can’t find a way to help 4 million Americans so they can get health care without spending $1.2 TRILLION! There is absolutely no way to justify this kind of spending for just 4 million people, especially in light of the many alternative plans out there like the Republican plan and the plan by Whole Foods CEO, John Mackey.
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POPSDear Republicans: An angry but heartfelt rant More: I'm sick of your rewriting of history. You've bleated so loud and long that Reagan was a great president, that the New Deal didn't work, that cutting taxes increases revenues, that you actually have the people believing this bullshit… I'm sick of your dragging the center ever further to the right. How many whackjob fringe ideas have you dragged into the mainstream? …you push these ideas through your corporate media and you do it so long and loud that they become part of the accepted political landscape and because it is easier to tell a lie than to debunk one, we never get away from this rancid shit… I'm sick of your casual criminality…all I've heard from my rightist friends for days is Chappaquiddick, Chappaquiddick, Chappaquiddick. Your fucking golden boy raped the Constitution…and you bastards are obsessed with a fucking accident a Democrat had decades ago? Plus much more, too long to clip.
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POPSA Positive Example suitable for Clipmarks Devotees
I have often used clipmarks as a sounding board, to flesh out my own premature ideas in the delightful cloak of semi-anonymity. Not everything that I say I fully mean. Some thoughts are sounding boards to my own opinions until I firm them up and watch them gel in my own head while my fingers are flying across the keyboard. In the beginning, I spent every day reading comments people left behind mine, opening them up like christmas presents. For awhile, I left clipmarks because the animosity became so acrimonious that I suffered indigestion along with the cup of coffee and cookie I was enjoying while I read CM in the late morning. I have enjoyed clipmarks and enjoy reading the clips from people I don't necessarily agree with as well as those of whom I do agree. I hope in the spirit of the late Ted Kennedy we can take his example of leadership and disagree without rancor and argue passionately with tolerance for an opposing view. Thank you for reading. Good Day.
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POPSWorld's Best Health Care Canadians, for example, have longer survival times while undergoing renal dialysis and after a kidney transplant. Of 10 studies comparing the care given to a broad range of patients suffering from a diverse group of ailments, five favored Canada, three yielded mixed results, and only two favored the United States.
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