Monthly Archives: September 2013

Families upset with how deputies handled boys’ arrests

"'I frantically ran across the police officers where threatening to put us under custody for wanting to know what was going on with our children,' she said. Her child, Josmir, along with two of his friends, was being arrested by Charlotte County deputies. 'I saw some of the police officers laughing at me,' said Josmir. 'Like I deserved this, like I was a horrible person, a criminal. They were just laughing, laughing at all of us.' The charge was trespassing on Port Charlotte Middle School grounds. 'I think this was an innocent mistake that went too far because they have power and they though they were going to get away with it,' Mirna said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFamilies upset with how deputies handled boys’ arrests

America’s real divide: The political class, and the rest of us

"The political class is subject to a different set of laws than the rest of us. Instead of a nation based upon the idea that all citizens have equal rights before the law, politicians, bureaucrats, and their minions are regularly shown special preference. In the words of George Orwell, 'some animals are more equal than others.' While some states are now liberalizing their drugs laws, America — the Land of the Free — has the highest incarceration rate in the world due to the War on Drugs. On the other hand, Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have both admitted to using marijuana when they were younger. Many other high government officials are on the record as marijuana users." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s real divide: The political class, and the rest of us

Will Congress Support Military Action In Syria? A ThinkProgress Whip Count

"A ThinkProgress analysis of the public statements of 400 Representatives found that 200 lawmakers have either decisively ruled out supporting the measure or say they are unlikely to back it. Just 48 of the 400 members of the House of Representatives said they will definitely or likely vote in favor or the resolution. A vote in the House is not expected until next week at the earliest. 152 members have publicly said they are undecided and the positions of 33 members are unknown. All told, 361 members either have not decided, or indicated they are willing to consider changing their position." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWill Congress Support Military Action In Syria? A ThinkProgress Whip Count

McConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria

"Facing competing pressures as he fends off a conservative challenger for re-election, Mitch McConnell is steering clear so far of the debate over whether to attack Syria. The potency of the GOP’s hawkish wing is waning as isolationist sentiments flourish within the conservative movement. The deep-pocketed Heritage Action is against military action. Many Republicans are leaning that way. The public is weary of more war. And being on the same side as Obama is not a comfortable place for Republicans to be politically. 2016 hopefuls Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY) both voted against the use of force in committee Wednesday." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcConnell Stays Quiet As Congress Moves To Strike Syria

California Senate Says No To NDAA

"This week the California State Senate unanimously shot down the federal government's indefinite detention powers in a 37-0 vote. Lawmakers are refusing to provide material support for the National Defense Authorization Act, and if the measure becomes law it will be difficult for the government to enforce indefinite detention in the state. Tangerine Bolen, founder and director for RevolutionTruth, has more on the NDAA." Continue reading →

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John Kerry, 1971: ‘I Don’t Think U.S. Can Apply Moralism Around The World’

"Taped on Nov 2, 1971. Five months before this show, WFB had taken as his text, for a commencement address at West Point, Mr. Kerry's sensational testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the barbarism of our activities in Vietnam. Neither host nor guest has changed his views since, but there is light as well as heat generated on Vietnam in particular and morality and foreign policy generally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJohn Kerry, 1971: ‘I Don’t Think U.S. Can Apply Moralism Around The World’

UN seeks Syria peace talks amid military strike threat

""The United Nations is making a desperate new push for a Syria peace conference even as the United States prepares a possible military strike, according to diplomats. UN Under Secretary General Jeffrey Feltman discussed a possible conference during a landmark visit last week to Iran, a key backer of President Bashar al-Assad, UN officials and diplomats said. The prospect of a military strike and Syria’s divided opposition, which has demanded that Assad be kept out of any transitional government, bears heavily on the prospects for talks however. Some western leaders believe there can be no conference until Assad has been punished for his alleged use of chemical weapons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUN seeks Syria peace talks amid military strike threat

Jon Stewart to McCain: Does war with Syria interrupt video poker time?

"'Is this possible global conflagration interrupting your video poker time?' Stewart mockingly asked McCain, pointing out that the senator has been pushing for the U.S. to attack Syria for a year, only to devote the moment to picking up an imaginary winning hand. Stewart also pointed out that the U.S. has tried seemingly everything with regards to the Middle East: dialogue (every 8 years or so), sanctions, explicit and not-so-explicit rewarding of coups. 'It’s like, even though we’re a superpower, we haven’t figured out that we don’t actually have superpowers,' Stewart said. 'But we just keep jumping out of the building, thinking we’re gonna fly.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJon Stewart to McCain: Does war with Syria interrupt video poker time?

Judge Napolitano: Can America bomb and kill for bragging rights?

"President Obama’s request for express congressional authorization for a limited aerial invasion of Syria raises profound legal and constitutional questions. For starters, there is simply no legal basis in international law to support an American invasion of Syria. Yet, notwithstanding that, federal law permits the president to commit U.S. military forces anywhere he wants for up to 90 days, without express authorization from Congress. So, why did Obama ask for the authorization he surely knows he already has?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano: Can America bomb and kill for bragging rights?

‘Credibility’

"The US must bomb Syria, we are told, to maintain its 'credibility' on the world stage. I don’t get it. The US government invaded, occupied, and destabilized Afghanistan and Iraq. The US military uses cluster bombs, white phosphorus, and depleted uranium shells, all banned or discouraged by international treaty or convention. The President endorses extrajudicial execution, extraordinary rendition, and torture, all prohibited by the Geneva Conventions. The NSA spies on its own citizens, in violation of US law, and denies it until caught. What credibility could the US government possibly have?" Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Credibility’