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Banned
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Originally Posted by roachboy
....it could be that the entire ideological spectrum is locked inside a logic (start with neoliberalism and move from there) that is absolutely played out, even on its own terms---and it may also be the case that attempting to pretend otherwise may lead folk down the rabbithole that pan finds himself spinning his way into, into some sad twilight world in which ulta-right wing identity politics speaks to you because nothing else quite makes sense, either in principle or via actions. maybe all that is required is that you square up and face the obvious--the discourse you use to fashion your political identity is no longer functional at all--and then begin the onerous and difficult task of actually thinking for yourself. .....
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roachboy, my "politics" include a reaction, at minimum, akin to this:
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http://faculty.washington.edu/gregoryj/strike/
On the morning of February 6, 1919, Seattle, a city of 315,000 people, stopped working. 25,000 union members had joined the 35,000 already on strike. Much of the remaining work force was idled as stores closed and streetcars stopped running. The General Strike Committee, composed of delegates from the key striking unions, tried to coordinate vital services and negotiate with city officials, but events moved quickly beyond their control.....
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....as the immediate "mass reaction" to any ONE of the following examples:
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http://www.americanchronicle.com/art...rticleID=12800
....This new report presents powerful data on net disposable household income inequality. Data on the Gini coefficient is the most common measure of income inequality. This coefficient varies from zero – perfect equality – to one – just one household having all the income. Data for 28 OECD countries over the period 1990 to 2000 showed that the U.S. had the second highest coefficient, at 0.37. Only Mexico, at 0.49, was higher; it is the simplest measure of just how completely screwed up Mexico is and why its citizens, rather than revolting, are fleeing to the U.S (though they tried for political change in their recent election). But as the American coefficient rises, where will Americans run to?
Among European nations, the United Kingdom had the next highest level of inequality at 0.35, followed by Ireland and Italy, both at 0.33. Countries with the lowest levels – the greatest equality – were Denmark at 0.24 and Belgium, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden at 0.25....
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Quote:
http://archive.southcoasttoday.com/d...rld-nation.htm
<h2>Bush uncle benefits from war spending</h2>
By WALTER F. ROCHE JR. , Los Angeles Times
Date of Publication: March 22, 2006 .....
http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=9433
US: Neil Bush's Business Dealings
by Thomas Catan and Stephen Fidler, Financial Times
December 12th, 2003
....Today, Neil Bush's business partners have a new venture, in keeping with the times. <h3>New Bridge Strategies was set up this year to help companies secure contracts in Iraq following the war</h3>. Mr Howland is chairman and chief executive of the company, while <h3>Mr Daniel</h3> is a member of the advisory board.
The company briefly hit the headlines this autumn because of the impressive roster of Republican heavyweights on its board, most of whom are linked to one or other of the Bush administrations or to the family itself. The company's website has not been shy about advertising its contacts in both the Middle East and Washington.
"The opportunities evolving in Iraq today are of such an unprecedented nature and scope that no other existing firm has the necessary skills and experience to be effective both in Washington DC., and on the ground in Iraq," it said. That phrasing has since been changed.
The list of directors and advisory board members is indeed impressive. Joe Allbaugh, the chairman of the company, was head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) until March 2003 and before that, chief of staff for George W. Bush while he was Texas governor. As national manager for the Bush-Cheney election campaign in 2000, he was one side of the "Iron Triangle" of aides credited with propelling him into the presidency....
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Quote:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/05/america/spy.php
House approves changes to surveillance program
By Carl Hulse and Edmund L. Andrews
Published: August 5, 2007
WASHINGTON: Under pressure from President George W. Bush, the House of Representatives has given final approval to changes in a terrorist surveillance program despite serious objections from many Democrats about the scope of the executive branch's new eavesdropping power.
Racing to complete a final rush of legislation before a scheduled monthlong break, the House voted 227 to 183 late Saturday to endorse a measure the Bush administration said was needed to keep pace with communications technology in the effort to track terrorists overseas.
"The intelligence community is hampered in gathering essential information about terrorists," said Representative Lamar Smith, Republican of Texas.
The House Democratic leadership had severe reservations about the proposal, which explicitly authorizes government eavesdropping on e-mail messages and telephone calls originating overseas but routed through the United States, and an overwhelming majority of Democrats opposed it.
Nancy Pelosi, the speaker, said the measure "does violence to the Constitution of the United States."....
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Quote:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20051230.html
George W. Bush as the New Richard M. Nixon: Both Wiretapped Illegally, and Impeachably;
Both Claimed That a President May Violate Congress' Laws to Protect National Security
By JOHN W. DEAN
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Friday, Dec. 30, 2005
On Friday, December 16, the New York Times published a major scoop by James Risen and Eric Lichtblau: They reported that Bush authorized the National Security Agency (NSA) to spy on Americans without warrants, ignoring the procedures of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
It was a long story loaded with astonishing information of lawbreaking at the White House. It reported that sometime in 2002, Bush issued an executive order authorizing NSA to track and intercept international telephone and/or email exchanges coming into, or out of, the U.S. - when one party was believed to have direct or indirect ties with al Qaeda.
Initially, Bush and the White House stonewalled, neither confirming nor denying the president had ignored the law. Bush refused to discuss it in his interview with Jim Lehrer.
Then, on Saturday, December 17, in his radio broadcast, Bush admitted that the New York Times was correct - and thus conceded he had committed an impeachable offense.....
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.....my dilemna is that I don't perceive any similar sentiments (or almost none...) on this board... I see my "solution"...a populist driven, predictable reaction to any of the bullshit.....state sanctioned wealth inequity, trampling of the constitution, war profiteering via nepotism/cronysism, as one that would "nip in the bud", after a few instances when this "power" is put on display in our major cities. I want results, and I'm willing to compromise peacefully with the oppostion, when they act in good faith and the circumstances are appropriate...and the democrats seem as appropriate a political vehicle, as any, to attempt to do that....or use "the hammer", of our sheer numbers, as a deterent against their abuses.... WHY do you think, there is sooooooo little similar interest? Is the couch too comfortable, the beer too cold, the TV fare, too compelling.....what happened between the times of our great-grandfathers,,,,and now....that keeps us from obstructing "their" way[s]?
Last edited by host; 08-05-2007 at 04:18 PM..
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