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Archives
Commentary on news and culture from a left wing perspective.
Thursday, July 31, 2003
The pope, homophobe. But all Catholics who, actively or passively, support the notion of his infallibility have a lot to answer for.
Paul Loeb argues that the peace movement could regain the initiative by demanding the UN take over in Iraq.
In the spirit of free debate, there isn't anything inherently wrong with presenting William Safire's views on the Middle East, which come so close to flat out racist rejection of any Palestinian rights. But why not present a similarly extreme view from the Palestinian side? Or at least someone mildly sympathetic to their perspective?
Tuesday, July 29, 2003
Chaos in Guatemala. US press shrugs.
Meet the United States' new friend in Afghanistan: The Taliban.
A classic New York Timeism, in a piece that reeks of condescenion toward French distaste for joining the American occupation of Iraq: "Complicating any rapprochement with the United States is Mr. Chirac's clinging to his vision of a "multipolar" world in which the United States does not dominate." I love that 'clinging'. I recall that before the security council fiasco last spring, the New York Times ran a number of similiarly condescending pieces about how soon everyone would come around to the US way. Didn't work that time...
What kind of a schmuck would drive a hummer?
Believe it or not: this headline is from the New York Times, not the Onion.
Monday, July 28, 2003
Given the choice between letting the Democratic party shift a bit to the left, or sabotaging its chances in the next presidential election, its not hard to guess where the 'centrist' Democratic Leadership Council is going to come down.
Sunday, July 27, 2003
Would rich countries removing their subsidies on agriculture really have the desired effect in poor countries?
Bush says 'Bring on 'em on', but some families of American troops say 'Bring them home'.
Wal-Mart as educational topic. Predictably, 'business schools' (sorry, can't use that phrase without quotes) find little to object to in its practices of driving competitors out and not paying workers for all the work they do.
Is Abbas truly committed to peace, or is he just stalling for Hamas et al? These are fast becoming the legitimate boundaries of discourse on the Palestinian situation in the US. Altogether excluded is the possibility that the (basically US-installed) Abbas is just the latest way to ream the Palestinians.
Saturday, July 26, 2003
Japan votes to send troops to Iraq. Perhaps it will inspire the New York Times to stop the endless Japan-bashing. Perhaps not.
Friday, July 25, 2003
The attachment of the liberal elitist cliche of 'putting law above politics' to Michael Powell's efforts on behalf of media conglomerates is almost comical.
Pathetic the way the Jessica Lynch 'rescue' story just gets repeated over and over.... (Naomi Klein's column has a more accurate version, still useful months later) Supposedly the TV movie will feature her 'rescuers'. Hopefully it will feature intense discussion among them as to whether a made-for-TV 'assault' on a hospital was more likely to help or hurt her.
Tom Delay goes to the Middle East to denounce the prospect of a Palestinian state: The annals of so-crazy-they-make-the-usual-crap-look-good continue to thicken.
Thursday, July 24, 2003
Two opinions on the death of Saddam's sons and resistance to the US: Syed Saleem Shahzad and Robert Fisk.
The economy is not recovering in the usual way because of the option of shifting production to China.
Is anyone else weirded out by this 'meet the editorial board' business?
The US, refusing to make friends before the war, not surprisingly can't find any to take over peacekeeping operations after the war.
Just from this headline you can tell the British are screaming (or whatever Brits do) at the Americans that it was stupid to kill Saddam's sons rather than try to capture them.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
My article in Counterpunch on the Nickel and Dimed flap at UNC.
The big talk among liberals is the idea of a new UN resolution that would pave the way for Russian, French, Indian, Japanese, etc. peacekeeping troops in Iraq. But I really wonder--even if the Bush administration is willing to eat shit and go back to the UN, do any of these countries really wish to send their troops off to get shot at around Baghdad?
The US drug industry fights to block consumers' rights to import drugs. So much for free trade.
Friday, July 18, 2003
One of the most efficient way to cut benefits is to revise the formulas used to calculate them.
Apparently sending an email to president@whitehouse.gov is no longer possible without filling out navigating through nine web pages. I wonder why.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
So now they are starting to call it guerilla war. Hmmm.
