This Isn’t the First Time the US Has Abandoned the Kurds

By Stephen Zunes, Truthout

This article sets the record straight on the plight of the Kurds and also our direct responsibility for their protection given our official policy of betrayal

https://truthout.org/articles/this-isnt-the-first-time-the-us-has-abandoned-the-kurds/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=5a58f6ea-d032-4a99-a044-5afab5c64906

MAYBE ABOLISHING AMERICA’S POLICE FORCES ISN’T AS CRAZY AS IT SOUNDS

I take a hard core position on this.

Rather than fight and solve violent crimes, police act as little more than heavily militarized code-enforcers, or as David Graeber of the London School of Economics aptly terms, “bureaucrats with weapons” — protecting us from broken tail lights, missing front license plates, and imperfect lane changes more often than from robbery, homicide, and rape. 

Give police the equipment and weapons of war under the premise of fighting terrorism, when terrorism is all but nonexistent, and predictably, they will go to war. As Abraham Maslow posited in 1966 in a concept known as the law of the instrument, “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail.” 

We, the citizenry, are not nails to be forcibly and violently coerced into submission over the tiniest of nonviolent and inconsequential infractions — but, whether or not we’re inclined to admit as much, that summarizes our current situation in the eyes of an overbearing state and its criminalization of, in essence, daily life.

http://undergroundreporter.org/abolishing-americas-police-forces-isnt-crazy-sounds/?fbclid=IwAR1EY_v_GASn3uKScT9rne51l8nUeFo_ggTsan4gSTGHKlJZJ_f70pAvO1k

How Important Is The Drone Attack On The Saudi Oil Field?

I will let this blogger speak for himself.  I am perhaps more scared than he is but agree with his assesment that they pretty much had it coming and that drones will be the weapon of the weak.  And here it begins.  We will see more of this.



https://www.ianwelsh.net/how-important-is-the-drone-attack-on-the-saudi-oil-field/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IanWelsh+%28Ian+Welsh%29

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Europe struggles to save Iran deal

https://www.asiatimes.com/2019/07/opinion/europe-struggles-to-save-iran-deal/

My question for progressives is how to answer the contradiction that the "Deal" insures that Iran can ship oil to Europe to burn yet nixing the deal and applying sanctions brings us closer to war.  Both are bad.  This is just not "our" deal either way -- It's bad policy.

Since I am not really using this to blog I should just re-write the lables and dump all of the bookmarked stories in here by publication date with minimal comments as it will be easier to sort and find articles I looking for to include as references.

The New Yorker on Venezuela has typical liberal Western bias

Although this article does point out that the Chavista government actually has a sizable base of support, it blames the government for overspending and economic crisis on Chavez and doesn't mention that Venezuela is essentially under sanctions and a ruthless attack by the United States and its surrogates in South America among right-wing governments.  Nor does it mention that the divisions that we are fanning are racist and classist at their roots. In other words the framing is simply that the government of Venezuela is irresponsible. As true as it is that the government of Venezuela made poor economic policy decisions it should be recognized that those decisions were made under duress.

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/venezuelas-food-crisis-reaches-a-breaking-point

Ocasio-Cortez On 60 Minutes: Media Bias EXPOSED

Ocasio-Cortez On 60 Minutes: Media Bias EXPOSED

This 4 minute interview is about media bias as uses the interview with Anderson Cooper as a casebook example. I would venture a guess that  most Americans do watch Anderson (except those who only watch Fox) which is a problem for democracy as most people get bias instead of reporting. Thus most people will hold both opinions, "I think a new green deal and medicare for all are important good policies and AOC is too radical" at the same time.  We have a democracy problem beyond rigged elections.

Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360˚," has contributed reports to CBS News' 60 Minutes through an agreement between CNN and CBS News since the 2006-'07 season. The 2018-'19 season is his 13th on 60 Minutes; he remains a full-time employee of CNN.

Anderson Cooper Net Worth: $110 million. Anderson Cooper commands a salary of $12 million a year from CNN, according to Variety, making him one of the highest-paid newsmen in the country  

https://youtu.be/Jp8tvqVbpF4


So now here is another brilliant little moment.

Viral video of Ocasio-Cortez explaining ‘fundamentally broken’ US democracy breaks the internet

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) this week showed how the United States has "a system that is fundamentally broken" due to the pervasive influence of corporate money that infects every aspect of the nation's democracy.