Dahr Jamail | Senior Employees “Screwed” by BP
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: Several senior US-based BP employees are enraged by the company’s willingness to engage the UK government’s assistance in avoiding fines in the United States, while ignoring employees’ pleas for BP to honor their pension plans.
William Rivers Pitt | The Pleasant Fiction of “No Boots on the Ground”
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: The fact that ISIS controls Mosul is not compatible with the idea that airstrikes alone can accomplish the president’s plan. Ground troops will be required to ultimately accomplish the stated goal, and it isn’t difficult to guess which uniform those ground troops will be wearing.
Marjorie Cohn | Obama Declares Perpetual War
Marjorie Cohn, Truthout: Obama declared a perpetual war against anyone he wants anywhere in the world. This violates the UN Charter because it’s not self-defense and the Security Council hasn’t agreed – and Obama doesn’t feel compelled to comply with the War Powers Resolution.
The Great Avian Die-Off: Two Reports Point to Grim Future for US Birds
Patrick Glennon, Truthout: Two September reports tell a dark tale about the future of North American avian species. From irresponsible management of private land to climate change, these reports draw a connection between the fate of birds and the overall well-being of the environment.
Dean Baker | Obamacare and Family Values: Parents Get to Stay Home With Children
Dean Baker, Truthout: Obamacare is making it possible for parents to spend more time with their kids. Before trashing Obamacare became a fundamental religious principle for Republicans, even most Republicans probably would have said that parents spending time with their kids is a good thing.
How the Defense Industry Bankrolls Pro-War Pundits
The Daily Take Team, The Thom Hartmann Program: When a network has pundits on to talk about ISIS, the military or anything else, the network should disclose its conflict of interests and its sources of income. If you’re being bankrolled by a billion-dollar defense contractor, then the people have a right to know.
The American “Deportation Mill”
Lauren Carasik, Boston Review: Immigrant families detained in Artesia, New Mexico, are suing the US government. Under US and international law, refugees are supposed to have a chance to present their cases. This has not been happening.
“Zombie” Homes Haunt Florida Neighborhoods
Alison Fitzgerald, Center for Public Integrity: Jacksonville’s poor neighborhoods are dotted with abandoned houses stuck in foreclosure limbo. The zombie properties are often uninhabitable because they’ve fallen into disrepair, and owners are unwilling to fix them up because, with the mortgage unpaid, the bank can always come back and foreclose again.
Say “No” to War and Media Propaganda
Mairead Maguire, Inter Press Service: It is time for NATO to recognize that its violent policies are counterproductive. Crises like those playing out in the Ukraine and Syria will not be solved with guns, but with justice and through dialogue.
On the News With Thom Hartmann: Senate Considers Amendment on Campaign Finance, and More
In today‘s On the News segment: The US Senate actually considers a constitutional amendment on campaign finance; the wealth gap between rich and poor continues to widen in our nation, but very few of our lawmakers will even discuss the problem; voters in Ohio were about to see some big changes to their state’s election laws; and more.
Watch the Video and Read the Transcript
The Bennis Plan: Here Is a Real Strategy for Dealing With ISIS
Sharmini Peries, The Real News Network: Institute for Policy Studies fellow Phyllis Bennis says there is no military solution to this crisis. Acting as if we can have a military victory is guaranteeing failure; only a political and diplomatic solution will work.
Watch the Video and Read the Transcript
From Fake Beards to Sweeping New Laws, French Feminism Is Lively and Visible
Rebecca Nathanson, Waging Nonviolence: La Barbe, meaning “beard” in French, is a French feminist direct action group that interrupts high-level meetings to draw attention to the lack of women in decision-making positions in every sector of society.
BuzzFlash
The Economist Has a Slavery Problem
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: The icon of neoliberal economic magazines is quite defensive about linking slavery to capitalism.
We Need to Stop Blaming People Who Experience Mental Health Challenges
Report: Income Inequality Means Lower State Tax Revenues
Read the Article at Al Jazeera America
New Zealand Launched Mass Surveillance Project While Publicly Denying It
Read the Article at The Intercept
The Largest City in Vermont Now Gets All of Its Power From Renewable Energy
Read the Article at The Associated Press
How the Tea Party Is Causing Big Business to Back Democrats
Read the Article at Mother Jones
Bernie Sanders Would Run for President Against Wall Street, Not Hillary Clinton
Those Detroit Water Shutoffs? Blame Them on Botched Bookkeeping
Spirit In Action 