3
POPSThe U.S. Needs to Open Up to the World It's better for everybody to have a stake in society than to have a resentful underclass bent on wrecking things. To many Americans, this sounds like socialism, big government, the nanny state. But so what? The result is: Europe has less gun crime and homicide, less poverty and arguably a higher quality of life than the U.S., which makes a lot of us wonder why America doesn't want some of what we've got. America as a gated community won't work, because not even the world's sole superpower can build walls high enough to shield itself from the intertwined realities of the 21st century. There's a better form of security: reconnect with the rest of the world, don't shut it out; stop making enemies and start making friends. Perhaps it's asking a lot to expect America to act differently from all the other empires in history, but wasn't that the original idea?
3
POPSBash the Bailout: Government is Not the Answer
......banking crisis, they make things worse. This is a long paper, but see p. 4 in particular. 10. One of the oldest forms of government intervention in the financial markets has been deposit insurance. Yet globally it destabilizes capitalism, impedes innovation and makes a bad regulatory regime worse. British economist Andrew Lilico explains how. 11. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron puts it bluntly: “The fact that government bears such a huge responsibility for the current mess means any response should eliminate the conditions that created this situation in the first place.” 12. Government has been becoming more intrusive when it comes to lending over the years. John Berlau looks at how they want to fingerprint anyone originating a home loan. The bailout bill is now law, but it does little or nothing to solve the problems government created. As long as they persist, the financial markets will be at serious risk. In the end, we may need to bailout the bailout.
12
POPSBBC: Israeli settlers terrorize Palestinians Prime Minister speaks of "an evil wind of extremism" threatening Israel's democracy - meaning Israeli settlers, not Palestinians. Illegal settlers attack both Palestinians in their homes and Israeli soldiers who defend the Palestinians.
1
POPSTaliban in secret peace talks with Afghan government Last week, the French Prime Minister, Franois Fillon, referred indirectly to the talks during a parliamentary debate on Afghanistan. “We must explore ways of separating the international Jihadists from those who are acting more for nationalist or tribal motives. Efforts in this direction are being led by Sunni countries such as Saudi Arabia,î he said. Late last year Karzai said he would welcome the chance to speak directly to Hikmatyar and to Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban’s leader and one of the most wanted men in the world, promising that if the Taliban demanded a ìdepartment in this or in that ministry or a position as deputy ministerî in exchange for ending violence, he would give them the posts. Previously, Taliban spokesmen have said that only the departure of foreign troops, the institution of a fiercely rigorous interpretation of Sharia law and a share of government would be acceptable to them as the basis for any deal.
4
POPSFBI Investigating Companies At Heart Of Meltdown Last week, the Federal Reserve provided an emergency $85 billion loan to AIG, which teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. Lehman Brothers was forced to file for bankruptcy after attempts to engineer a private rescue fell apart. All the companies were laid low from bad bets on complex mortgage-related securities. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made the joint decision last week that the only way to stop the carnage was to deal with the root cause of all the troubles, billions of dollars of bad mortgage debt sitting on the books of major financial companies. This debt has triggered the worst credit crisis in decades, causing credit markets to essentially freeze up despite the fact that the Fed joined with major central banks around the world to pump billions of dollars of reserves into the financial system. IndyMac Bancorp Inc. and the former Countrywide Financial Corp., are also under. scrutiny.
0
POPSIran the Nuclear Liar This Ahmadinejad is the evil man that led the group which kidnapped American Embassy in Iran. They tortured the 55 men and women of diplomats accredited by government of Iran for 444 days. A law breaker is a criminal. Iranian president is therefore an international criminal. How could the world trust a word from him?
0
POPSMedvedev calls Georgia's attack "Russia's 9/11"
“We must build a new security system based on international law, not on the might-is-right rule,” he said. Russia is no longer frail and weak, as it was in the 1990s, and will forge ties, including in the defence field, with any state that wants to be friends with it, whether somebody likes it or not, Mr. Medvedev asserted. As he spoke reports came that the Russian and Syrian naval commanders were discussing in Moscow plans for a Russian naval base in Syria, while Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki began talks with his Russian counterpart. A day earlier Russia’s long-range nuclear bombers flew on a training mission to America’s sworn enemy Venezuela. Russia and its Central Asian allies — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan — will set up a large military force to fend off possible attacks in the region, the head of the Russia-led defence pact announced on Friday. General Nikolai Bordyuzha, Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisatio
9
POPSThe Law of the Conservation of Violence
Edward S. Herman's article on Z-Net, touches some important points: Can we expect a "way different" (and peaceful) international policy , if Obama wins? Do the Democrats promise to put an end to that "muscular foreign policy" which have harmed America's image for years? An interesting read. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the campaign trail called for a larger army to meet U.S. "defense" needs. Now Obama wants us to take on a bigger commitment to violence. This will keep the arms cargo ships and planes busy and the bomb factories and plane and missile factories working at full capacity. Of course, those wanting infrastructure improvements and resources will have to wait and "hope" for a better future after our enemies are defeated and full hegemony and stability are established. They need a good dollop of "vision." The law of conservation of the level of violence thus rests on the structure of power and its reflection in politics. If you want to compete
10
POPSSenator Barack Obama's Qualifications for the Office of the President of the United States Let’s also not diminish another strong point of Barack Obama’s qualifications for President; he is a scholar of U. S. Constitutional law. On January 20, 2009 the person we elect will solemnly swear to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”. With respect to the two major canidates for President, it could be said that Barack Obama’s resume shows him to be intellectually more qualified to execute that oath.
2
POPSRussia receives unexpected rebuke from SCO SCO-Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Moscow also seems to be growing desperate in its search for diplomatic support. On August 28, Belarus, a pariah state that has close relations with Russia, indicated that it would soon follow Moscow in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
12
POPSHistory of Western Civilization lost in Iraq "It was there, in what the Greeks called Mesopotamia, that life as we know it today began: there people first began to speculate on philosophy and religion, developed concepts of international trade, made ideas of beauty into tangible forms, and, above all developed the skill of writing." And US invaders stood by and watched as irreplaceable world history was hauled off by unarmed looters.
4
POPSBiden's embellishments Full academic scholarship (nope) Graduated top half of class (nope) Outstanding student in Political Science (nope) Graduated with 3 degrees (nope) AS for the IQ, I don't know Frank.
9
POPSActivists pierce Israeli blockade of Gaza "The activists' group was comprised of people between 22 and 81, included students, lawyers, doctors, journalists and an online poker player, organisers said. Mostly American and British, they included Lauren Booth, the sister-in-law of Tony Blair, the former British prime minister who is now a Middle East envoy. Many of the activists said they had received death threats before they set sail, leading some to drop out."
0
POPSRussia restricting travel in Georgia French Ambassador Eric Fournier was reportedly stopped on the morning of August 21 near Gori for three hours as he tried to return to Tbilisi from a village further west. Matyas Eorsi, an envoy from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was initially refused entry to Gori on August 20, before the decision was reversed. In a blow to local sensitivities, the governor of Shida Kartli, Lasha Vardzelashvili, was detained for two hours by Russian forces after trying to secure a humanitarian aid convoy’s passage through a Russian checkpoint.
2
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update