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Cusack’s War, Inc. Opens May 23rd

Well for the second time in a week I must insist that you read Larisa Alexandrovna over at huffingtonpost.com. She talks about John Cusack’s new film about Iraq war profiteering and the almost certain attempt by the media to relegate it to the smallest markets:

…I do not believe there is an organized, conspiratorial effort to shut-down a wide release of War Inc. Just to be clear, that is not what I am saying. In reality, we no longer need any organized effort because the mechanism of censorship is now so fully integrated into the body-politic of this nation anyway.

I like Larisa because she truly understands that the US media is not about getting the news out; there is no “fair and balanced” on cable and network news or in the conglomerate-owned radio and print media. Hopefully War, Inc. will be playing near me so that I can support it. Check your local listings and support a film that questions this immoral, illegal war.

If Respect has to be Earned…

In the June 2008 Harper’s, Mark Slouka writes about “Democracy and Deference.” At issue is the almost reverential regard Americans seem to have for those in power, whether the source of that power be political, monetary, or nothing more than fame. Slouka writes:

In today’s America, the majority is nothing if not impressed by power and fame (its legitimacy is irrelevant), nothing if not obedient.

You can read Slouka’s piece in its entirety here, which I encourage you to do.

Slouka’s eloquent analysis of our national deference to power is timely indeed as we ponder the next installment in the Executive Office. Sadly, from what I see there’s little hope that the next occupant will worthy of our respect either. As the curtain rises in 2009 (and the theatrical reference is entirely valid I would argue), we shall probably see more of the same – a corporate-owned media acting as sycophantic promoters of an institution that needs more than ever to be closely scrutinized.

News Roundup for 5/19/2008

Hippocratic Hypocrisy

Over at truthout.org: apparently if you use medical marijuana you can expect to be rejected if you need an organ transplant. Once again law and policy come before humanity and mercy.

Global Food Shortages

For a viewpoint that you would never hear on CNN or ABC, read Eric Walberg’s take on the global food crisis.

For another excellent analysis see Walden Bello’s Manufacturing A Food Crisis.

And Raj Patel writes about the hypocrisy of media reporting about the food shortage in this short piece at commondreams.org.

Conserve This!

Finally, Paul Craig Roberts, eloquent as always, weighs in on the so called American conservatives and finds them wanting.

Over at dictionary.com you can find the usual definitions for “conserve,” but I think I like this one the best to describe the new breed in America (emphasis added of course):

a mixture of several fruits cooked to jamlike consistency with sugar and often garnished with nuts and raisins.

A Bracing Dose of Righteous Indignation

Over at Huffington Post, Larisa Alexandrovna waxes equal parts eloquence and indignation at Bush’s speech to the Knesset. Here is a sample:

Your reminiscence today about the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany should have been seen as your own condemnation of your own abhorrent actions against Iraq. The morbid irony of what you said will likely never register with your or your speechwriter. To truly grasp the grotesqueness of what you said requires that you have both a conscience and some understanding of history. We know you possess neither.

Read the Full Article Here

When the Punishment Doesn’t Fit…

Another case of the justice system handing out arbitrary, unfair punishment?

Man Jailed After Daughter Fails To Get GED

Without a doubt a single article cannot possibly convey all of the facts, but it does seem extreme to sentence the father to six months in jail because his daughter failed to achieve her GED. So are residents of Ohio legally required to earn a high school diploma or equivalent? Or is the judge trying to make an example of the father?

If he’s trying to hold up the father as a failure, then I would like to offer the daughter’s rather straightforward, well reasoned statement as proof that the father (and mother) must have done something right:

“I’m about to be 19 and my Dad’s being punished for something I did when I was 16,” she said.

“It’s like I should, if anybody should be punished for this,” said Brittany. “I would way rather me go to jail than my Dad.”

Two Peas in a Pod

WASHINGTON – An enthralled South Lawn crowd of more than 9,000 sang “Happy Birthday” to Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday — twice — and President Bush said that the first papal White House visit in 29 years was a reminder for Americans to “distinguish between simple right and wrong.”

(If you can stomach the rest of the AP story feel free to read it here.)

There is just so much wrong with this that I don’t know where to begin, but I think William Rivers Pitt over at Truthout makes a fairly impassioned, eloquent case against Bush’s ability to understand right from wrong.

News You May Have Missed as of 4/15/2008…

I’ve been slack about posting (no kidding, you say!) and promise to do better in the near future. In the meantime here are some interesting pieces that have caused me to do some serious thinking.

Over at the (always interesting) Cryptogon site, Kevin gives us more bad news about foreclosures and makes a depressing prediction (of sorts) for September 2008.

Over at Rawstory.com the election shenanigans continue to sap their journalistic strength. Here a pathetic story about a GOP hack attacking Obama preoccupies the Rawstory.com staff. Smoke and mirrors folks, move along now, nothing to see here. The entire story is a distraction from the more pressing issues facing the nation.

Change the name from Obama to Clinton or McCain – it doesn’t really matter. Name calling doesn’t kill. Talk about confusing forest and trees…

Papal bull…

Over at rawstory.com, Pope Benedict XVI has issued his strongest appeal for peace in Iraq. Oh good, you say, it’s about time world leaders started putting pressure on the Bush administration about the war. But then you would be disappointed, wouldn’t you?

Speaking about the pointless death of abducted Archbishop Rahho, “…Benedict has frequently criticized attacks against Iraqi Christians by Islamic extremists. Last year, he urged President Bush to keep the safety of Iraqi Christians in mind.”

Please note the placement of the term “extremists” with “Islamic” and “safety” with “Christians.” Never mind that a group of so-called Christians in our government and military initiated a senseless war against a nation populated by a majority of Muslims. Never mind that the Iraqi people, Muslim and Christian alike, continue to endure bombings, killings, economic deprivation, disease, and an uncertain future. Apparently Benny is only concerned about the Christian minority of Iraq.

What is wrong with this picture? I’d say just about everything. Frequently you hear of believers finding “comfort” and “certainty” in their religion. I’ve had discussions with religious people who find it incomprehensible that anyone could go through life without religious faith. But what I find incomprehensible is the mostly silent acquiescence of religious leaders (in particular Christians since it is a Muslim nation under siege).

Where is the outrage about the bombing of children regardless of their faith? Why isn’t the Pope, instead of or in addition to, holding a mass, leading a mass protest of hundreds of thousands of Catholics throughout the world? Why isn’t the head of the Southern Baptist denomination condemning the Bush administration Iraq policy?

Naturally the answers are far from simple, but the lack of even the appearance of concern for non-Christians is absolutely appalling. I have no tolerance for Muslim leaders who call for death sentences for gays and continue to uphold the use of holy text to subjegate women, but that’s hardly the issue here. When the leader of the largest Christian denomination issues statements only about the treatement of Christians in a war, then he rightly deserves to be criticized.

News You May Have Missed as of 3/12/2008…

Periodically I like to list articles that slipped under my radar screen during the past few weeks…

Over at onlinejournal.com, we get more dirt on the insidious relationship between a particularly obnoxious form of Christianity and our tax-funded institutions: New lawsuit filed against defense secretary over fundamentalist Christianity in military

Meanwhile, over at globalresearch.ca Laura Carlsen posits that the North American Union is a red herring…