William Rivers Pitt | The True History of Blowback in One Sentence
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout: Remember that history exists, and actions have consequences, and this event is tied to that event is tied to the other event in a tapestry of escalating cascading fallout, which is called “blowback.”
Cornel West | Why We Need to Talk About Black Prophetic Fire
Cornel West, Beacon Press: Black Prophetic Fire is a clarion call “to be on fire for justice.” Cornel West explores whether the soul of the United States can be salvaged by a rekindling of the black prophetic tradition.
Animals Die, Woman Cries, but We Are Unmoved
Lauren Gazzola, Truthout: It is an unconscious perception of the world that causes us to see mass slaughter of some animals, but not others, as normal. We are told not to get worked up about it – and showing emotion when challenging this perception breaks another unspoken rule.
Goldman Makes It Official That the Stock Market Is Manipulated; Buybacks Drive Valuations
Yves Smith, Naked Capitalism: A recent Goldman Sachs’ report claims that current stock price levels are dependent on continued stock buybacks. Correlation, however, is not causation. Significant and sustained stock market declines are almost always the result of Fed tightening.
IRS Whistleblowers: Agency Executives Behind Multibillion-Dollar Corporate Tax Giveaways
Nafeez Ahmed, Truthout: A veteran Internal Revenue Service attorney demands a Congressional audit of the IRS to investigate the agency’s alleged role in allowing US corporations to illegally avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes even as it cracks down on individuals and small businesses.
Social Media and Marissa Alexander: Freedom Mobilization and Victim-Blaming
Ash Stephens, Truthout: Social media has been a powerful tool in building support and raising funds for Marissa Alexander’s defense, while providing creative ways to discuss domestic violence and self-defense, particularly among black women.
Official Sources May Be the Only Sources
Lauren McCauley, Extra!: In the United States, the hunt for leaks and whistleblowers serves as a warning to those thinking of satisfying a public interest need for information about the imperial prerogatives assumed by the world’s leading power.
Violence Against Women Can Be Stopped if Everyone Is Invested in Preventing Abuse
Tanya Abramsky, The Conversation: The Centre for Domestic Violence Prevention, based in Kampala, Uganda, has been working intensively since 2008 to implement SASA!, a community intervention to prevent violence against women and reduce HIV risk, and the results are groundbreaking.
Don’t Ask the Pentagon Where Its Money Goes
Medea Benjamin, OtherWords: Every taxpayer, business and government agency in the United States is supposed to be able to pass a financial audit by the feds, every year. It’s the law, so we do our duty. There’s one exception: the Pentagon.
Turning Fear Into Power: An Interview With Unarmed Peacekeeper Linda Sartor
Stephanie Van Hook, Waging Nonviolence: Linda Sartor has spent 10 years traveling to conflict zones throughout the world as an unarmed peacekeeper. She discusses her travels and the ways in which they have changed her as an individual, as well as her relationship to nonviolent action.
The Importance of Being Exceptional: From Ancient Greece to 21st Century US
David Bromwich, TomDispatch: Unconditional love of our country is the counterpart of unconditional detachment and even hostility toward other countries. None of us is an exception, and no nation is.
James Schamus and Richard D. Wolff, We The Economy: What is the real value of a dollar? What do banks do with our deposits? You think that a dollar bill is money and that banks are where your cash is stored and safeguarded. Well, you’re wrong.
BuzzFlash
Farce of US Multibillion Dollar War on Opium in Afghanistan Exposed by Record Crop
Mark Karlin, BuzzFlash at Truthout: According to an official US analysis by the Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, opium cultivation in the nation is now at its highest historical levels.
The Cornerstone of War Is Dehumanization: One My Lai a Month
Did Elizabeth Warren Just Change Her Tune on Running for President?
Read the Article at The Nation
BP Flak: We Didn’t Ruin Gulf, Louisiana Caused Oyster Losses
The Making of the Warrior Cop
Read the Article at Mother Jones
Sen. Ron Wyden Blasts CIA for Censoring Torture Report
Read the Article at The Huffington Post
GOP’s Maniacal New Vote Scheme: What Wingnuts Are Hatching to Keep the “Riff-Raff” Away
Not The Onion: Reagan Aide Wants the South to Secede and Form Anti-Gay Nation Named “Reagan”
Read the Article at Talking Points Me
Spirit In Action 