hypocrisy

Syria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

"While Boehner backs military action — a rare point of agreement with Pelosi in the hyper-partisan House — it's unclear how many votes he will deliver from his party members. Passage may well rely on strong support by the president's own party. Pushing for military action against Syria, even in a limited way, would seem an awkward position for Pelosi, whose party won control of the House in 2006 by tapping into public frustration with President George W. Bush over the war in Iraq. Her view that Obama could order a strike on Syria without congressional approval also puts her at odds with a number of fellow Democrats." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSyria strike may hinge on Nancy Pelosi

Should NFL players be allowed to smoke marijuana?

"Despite being legalised in both of those two states, marijuana remains on the NFL’s list of banned substances; players found to have used the drug are punishable with fines and suspensions. Not everyone believes that should be the case. Many players will be sympathetic to their cause. The former NFL lineman Lomas Brown, now an analyst for ESPN, told the Detroit News last year that at least 50% of players smoke pot. Earlier in 2012, ESPN had reported that as many as 70% of prospects trying out at the NFL Combine admitted to having used the drug at some point. A number of players have enjoyed highly successful careers despite acknowledged marijuana habits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingShould NFL players be allowed to smoke marijuana?

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

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’

‘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’

Chelsea Manning files bid for Obama pardon

"A separate statement released by Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Obama to take a sympathetic stance towards Manning and grant clemency, saying the soldier’s sentence was a 'blight on the US human rights record.' 'President Obama should grant Manning clemency for time served, protect whistleblowers, and provide accountability for crimes like those Manning exposed,' Amnesty said. The rights group noted that Manning’s sentence 'contrasts with the leniency given those responsible for torture and other types of grave human rights violations' revealed by the soldier’s disclosures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChelsea Manning files bid for Obama pardon

War Profiteers, Slavery, and the Hypocrisy of Imperialism

"The war profiteers at Raytheon have seen their stock prices soar in anticipation of the Syrian war. As the Boston Herald reported on August 31st, “The Waltham-based manufacturer of the Tomahawk cruise missiles, expected to be used in any strike on Syria, saw its stock hit a 52-week high last week at $77.93 per share, and has stayed near that high, closing yesterday at $75.41.” Officials like John Kerry argue that this war is somehow a humanitarian response to atrocities by the Assad regime. But the corporations that stand to profit are no humanitarians. To the contrary, they have been involved in some of the most grotesque human rights violations of our time." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWar Profiteers, Slavery, and the Hypocrisy of Imperialism

Obama Drone Attack Deaths versus Syria Chemical Weapon Deaths

"The actual number of drone deaths is at least 200 times the '22 top Al-Qaeda leaders plus Bin Laden' noted by President Obama. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) recently floated the number 4,700. Independent studies by both U.S. and British investigators have confirmed numbers in that ballpark, with many of those being 'collateral damage.' [..] More than 1,400 killed in Syrian chemical weapons attack, U.S. says." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama Drone Attack Deaths versus Syria Chemical Weapon Deaths

Guantanamo Gulag and the Human Rights Lie

"The US military running the Guantanamo Bay prison have cracked down hard on the dozens of prisoners who have, in desperation, engaged in secret hunger strikes so that they may die in peace making their point about the American gulag without being force-fed by US authorities. Of the 166 who remain in indefinite detention, without charge or trial, 86 have been 'cleared for release.' But they will not be released. They will most likely be held until they die. Many have likely already gone insane, as they were captured with no evidence, given no trials, tortured, and forced to live in a tropical Siberia. Yet the US has the gall to hector and lecture [other countries] about 'human rights.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGuantanamo Gulag and the Human Rights Lie

Rand Paul reminds Kerry of his famous anti-Vietnam war quote

"Paul pointed to Kerry’s 1971 testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he asked: 'How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?' 'I would ask John Kerry, ‘How can you ask a man to be the first one to die for a mistake?’' Paul quipped. 'What I’ve told them is, I’m not sending my son, your son or anybody else’s son to fight for stalemate. You know, when we fight, we fight when we have to. But I see things in a very personal basis.' 'You know, I see a young John Kerry who went to war and wish he remembered more of how awful war is.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul reminds Kerry of his famous anti-Vietnam war quote