“O.K., I admit it. I made the documentary. They paid me $10 million. I figured it would be seen as a seamless part of the rest of my work,” he said. Jokes aside, he is concerned that the line between hard-hitting point-of-view documentaries and paid agitprop could become a fuzzy one.
“It worries me because it pollutes the form,” he said. “People could marginalize something that I made by saying that it’s no different than some other piece of paid propaganda that is out there.”
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Hollywood Techniques at Play in Politics - New York Times
Video: Occupy L.A. Protester Arrested at Art Walk on 'Lynching' Charges, Bail Set at $50K
An Occupy Los Angeles protester was arrested by police at Thursday night's Art Walk on suspicion of lynching.
Sergio Ballesteros, 30, was arrested Thursday night at 8:45pm. His bail was set at $50,000, according to the Sheriff's inmate locator. He was arrested on suspicion of lynching, LAPD Officer Yi Lian told LAist.
"Lynching" might not be what you're thinking: it is a felony charge that describes taking a person from the custody of police officers by means of a riot—or attempting to do so. LAPD officers told LAist that full police report of what happened that night was not yet available, but a fellow Occupy L.A. protester uploaded a YouTube video that claims to show the moments leading up to Ballesteros' arrest...
FDL Book Salon: Greedy Bastards: How We Can Stop Corporate Communists, Banksters, and Other Vampires from Sucking America Dry
Dylan Ratigan is well positioned to author a book, designed to be an enjoyable and informative read by normal humans, on the ongoing financial crisis. He is the wunderkind who became Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance of Bloomberg, the premier news service that specializes in finance, at an exceptionally young age. He was at CNBC while that network was hyping the housing bubble as a non-bubble offering fantastic investment opportunities.
Now an anchor for MSNBC, Ratigan is a fierce critic of prominent politicians in both parties for what he views as their destructive policies and slavish efforts to aid the wealthiest and most politically powerful at the expense of the best interests of America and its people. He is passionate about these subjects and far less predictable than many of his peers because he is not a political partisan.
In finance, the most important question is why we suffer recurrent, intensifying financial crises. That question is really two questions. Answering it requires that we determine what causes our crises and why we fail to learn from these crises, but instead make the incentive structure ever more perverse after each crisis. Anyone from a finance background is likely to conclude that perverse incentives cause financial crises, so I was surprised by Ratigan’s choice of book title (“Greedy Bastards”). I think that greed is unlikely to have changed greatly over the last quarter century in which the U.S. has suffered three recurrent, intensifying financial crises.
The Huffington Post Twitter Account Gets Hacked: “The New York Post rules!”
A series of homophobic and racist tweets were sent out by the Huffington Post’s Twitter account on Sunday. The tweets jabbed Wes Anderson, used the N-word and claimed the publication was hacked by The New York Post. “The New York Post rules!” exclaimed one of the anarchic tweets.
Read the missives the hacker sent out before being deleted by HuffPo’s staff:
ElBaradei quits race, says no real democracy in Egypt
Not good news. There is a danger the military might steal the revolution:
Egyptian Nobel laureate Mohamed ElBaradei announced Saturday he would not run in Egypt’s presidential elections because the military’s control of the country made fair elections impossible.Full article
Though he was not considered a likely winner of presidential elections to be held this year, the announcement by the former head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog brings attention to the state of Egypt’s transition: Nearly a year after a mass uprising toppled former President Hosni Mubarak, the military rulers who replaced him have not overseen a quick transition to democracy as they promised.
U.S. Warns Israel Against Military Strike on Iran
An Israeli strike on Iran could conceivably lead to a World War. This is why the administration must speak out against any potential attack:
U.S. defense leaders are increasingly concerned that Israel is preparing to take military action against Iran, over U.S. objections, and have stepped up contingency planning to safeguard U.S. facilities in the region in case of a conflict.Full article
President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other top officials have delivered a string of private messages to Israeli leaders warning about the dire consequences of a strike. The U.S. wants Israel to give more time for the effects of sanctions and other measures intended to force Iran to abandon its perceived efforts to build nuclear weapons.
Stepping up the pressure, Mr. Obama spoke by telephone on Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet with Israeli military officials in Tel Aviv next week.
Urinating on Dead Taliban was Wrong but not a Crime
It was wrong and the soldiers involved should be reprimanded. But it was not a crime. The real crime is a media that wants to turn this into another Abu Ghraib incident. Let's debate not sensationalize:
I do agree with most of this commentary:
The proof this is being overblown: The Taliban aren't upset about the incident:
I admit that the first argument has some appeal, that young men charged with killing in their country’s service, and exposed to constant peril and horror, ought to be forgiven such a lapse. While I agree with Taylor that this incident literally screams “dishonorable discharge,” there’s a good case to be made that these men have earned a measure of mercy in their sentencing.
But people like Bill Maher and Dana Loesch completely miss the point when they defend this incident based on how bad our enemies are, and how good and righteous America is. In my view, this desecration has little to do with the unceremoniously moistened corpses. As Bill Maher and The Bible point out, the dead know nothing. If they could talk, I’m sure those dead men would be less offended at the urination than at the whole being made dead thing.
Respect for the dead is for the benefit of the living, and not just for the dead’s loved ones. How we treat the dead says something about us. In doing what they did, those Marines didn’t just piss on some empty meatbags, they pissed on their own humanity.
If that video had shown America’s enemies similarly desecrating US troops, there would have been outrage, for sure, but would anyone be shocked? Do we hold the Taliban, or al Quaeda, in such esteem that this would surprise us? This incident was shocking because America is exceptional, because we don’t do things like that, and we ought to hold ourselves in higher esteem than we do our enemies.
This “things happen in war” excuse is valuable to a point of forgiveness, but using it to mitigate this incident is an insult to the many men and women who fight for our country, who witness the same horrors, yet manage to retain their humanity.
Taylor’s condemnation also highlights the tendency of armchair warriors like Loesch, Maher, and others to co-opt the sacrifices of our fighting men and women into a faux-wizened toughness, perverting and cheapening them in the process. Just because you’ve watched Platoon or The Hurt Locker a bunch of times doesn’t mean you “get it.”
The video comes as the US and the Taliban have reportedly started negotiations. Taliban officials have said the video will not deter them from engaging in talks, but the incident is likely to weaken the position of US negotiators.Then you have the vulgar Right-wing/Tea Party types whom take the other extreme position and applaud such behavior:
[...]At this point, not even the Taliban appears openly fazed by incidents like the one depicted in the video.
Dana LoEsch, a CNN contributor and conservative radio host, said on her show that she thinks the Marines who were videoed urinating on Taliban corpses are cool and that she wants "a million cool points for these guys."Then you have the politicians that want to use the incident to further their political careers:
[...]Loesch is also the editor-in-chief of Big Journalism, a conservative Web site and the co-founder of the St. Louis Tea Party.
Rick Perry thinks the video showing U.S. Marines urinating on what appears to be dead Taliban fighters posted online last week is just an example of “kids” being kids.
The GOP hopeful said Sunday he feels the reaction to footage has been "over the top" and he would have handled the situation differently as president.
"Obviously 18, 19-year-old kids make stupid mistakes all too often and that's what's occurred here," Perry said on CNN's "State of the Union" show. "What is really disturbing to me is the over-the-top rhetoric from this administration and their disdain for the military."
Transcript: 'Meet the Press' (1-15-12)
Full transcript. Excerpt below:
MR. GREGORY: Let's, let's start there because you laid it out this week. You said there's one way to stop Romney in South Carolina, this is what you said to Fox News.
(Videotape, Thursday)
FMR. REP. GINGRICH: If we consolidate conservatives, we could beat Romney by a big margin.
(End videotape)
MR. GREGORY: We've heard from social conservatives in Texas, they're saying let's get behind Rick Santorum. Do you feel pressure to consolidate behind Santorum?
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FMR. REP. GINGRICH: Well...
MR. GREGORY: Perhaps get out of the race?
FMR. REP. GINGRICH: Well, I think that report was very highly exaggerated. We basically split that group. I got a very good number of votes and I think as of noon today that Reverend Jim Garlow and Congressman J.C. Watts and others who were there are going to be talking and I think they'll indicate that I have very strong support from Christian conservatives and social conservatives and that that support continues. There was an agreement, the one consensus was that virtually no one was for Mitt Romney. But in fact, there was a very strong Santorum group and there was a very strong Gingrich group at that particular meeting, and the Gingrich folks are still very much for me and they'll be speaking up starting at about noon today.
MR. GREGORY: But isn't this the issue? I mean, if you just look at the raw numbers here and look at the politics, there's not one alternative to Mitt Romney. There's several of you who are vying for that evangelical vote down in South Carolina. We've seen this movie before, four years ago. Doesn't that help Romney?
FMR. REP. GINGRICH: Sure. Well, it does--it does help him. And I think the only way that a Massachusetts moderate can get through South Carolina is if the vote is split. But we have six days to make our case to people and I think somebody who generally people agree was the best debater so far, I think I have the best chance to beat Obama. I think I also have the like--the greatest likelihood given the past to actually change Washington. And as The Wall Street Journal pointed out, I have the boldest and most aggressive pro-jobs plan, as well as a record working with Reagan and working as speaker with Bill Clinton of actually having created large numbers of jobs. So we're going to be making our case to national security conservatives, social conservatives and economic conservatives that this--that Newt Gingrich is the best candidate to defeat President Obama. And I think we're doing pretty darn well down here.
MR. GREGORY: So your feeling is that despite what the social conservative group said over the weekend, Rick Santorum doesn't have any more momentum here? He's not the obvious conservative alternative choice to Romney?
FMR. REP. GINGRICH: No. I think the fact is if you look at the actual vote yesterday that we were very close in the vote and that, in fact, the folks who'll be speaking out starting at noon today, Congressman J.C. Watts, Reverend Jim Garlow and others, are very committed to my candidacy and I think we will go into the next week, this last week of the campaign with a large amount of momentum here. The polls have all shown consistently that I am the strongest rival to Romney in South Carolina and I think that the debate tomorrow night will be a very important part of that and the debate Thursday night will be a very important part of that. And I think it's going to be a very, very lively week, one of the most important weeks in the history of the GOP because I think nominating somebody who is essentially a Massachusetts moderate makes it much harder to defeat President Obama and nominating somebody who is a Reagan conservative makes it much easier to defeat President Obama.
INCONVENIENT TRUTH: Your iPhone Was Built, In Part, By 13 Year-Olds Working 16 Hours A Day For 70 Cents An Hour
The evil which is outsourcing and international capitalism:
We love our iPhones and iPads.Full article from Business Insider:
We love the prices of our iPhones and iPads.
We love the super-high profit margins of Apple, Inc., the maker of our iPhones and iPads.
And that's why it's disconcerting to remember that the low prices of our iPhones and iPads--and the super-high profit margins of Apple--are only possible because our iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States.
And it's also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only don't have iPhones and iPads (because they can't afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them.
CBS Video: Countdown to war with Iran?
It's good that the mainstream media is posing the question about the potential for a major war in the Middle East because of the tension over Iran. The danger of a World War is real. The American people have to ask questions about the U.S. governments' obsession with Iran. We also need to ask how is that obsession has lasted for decades and not resolved. Is Iran worth this kind of preoccupation? Or is it more about Israel than U.S. national security:
CNN Poll: Romney will do better Job on Economy
This is not saying much about Romney. But it does say alot about this failed President. At this point in Obama's administration it is a sad commentary. And he should get a pink slip. But electing Romney President is frightening.
CNN/ORC poll: "Who can get the economy moving?"
Romney: 53%
Obama: 40%
Saturday, January 14, 2012
White House Will Not Support SOPA, PIPA
This is another victory for Occupy Wall Street and other activist groups that have been this proposed legislation. This amoral administration can be forced to do the right thing but we have to keep the pressure on. Next stop: the pipeline, Afghanistan, minimum wage, financial regulation and corporate accountability, money in politics, Bush tax cuts, creating JOBS, etc., etc.:
Opponents of online piracy regulation bills SOPA and PIPA scored a major victory on Saturday.Full article
The White House has officially responded to two online petitions, "Stop the E-PARASITE Act" and "Veto the SOPA bill and any other future bills that threaten to diminish the free flow of information," which urged the President to reject SOPA and PIPA.
The authors of the statement, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and Howard Schmidt, Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff, said that the White House will not support legislation that disrupts the open standards of the Internet.
"While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet," the statement read in part.
Occupy Wall Street Prepares to Occupy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
...on Sunday and Monday, the movement will take to the streets again to honor one of America's most famous protesters: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The events will begin with a Sunday night vigil at New York's Riverside Church, to be followed the next day by a baker's dozen protests across the nation against the Federal Reserve Bank.
[...]The Sunday night vigil will feature performances by a host of musicians, including Patti Smith and Steve Earle, as well as speeches by Russell Simmons, Yoko Ono, Norman Siegel and other notables. The following day, OWS plans a march from New York's African Burial Ground to the city's Federal Reserve Bank, which is located mere blocks from Wall Street. The event, called "Occupy the Federal Reserve," will be one of thirteen linked protests taking place in every city that has a Federal Reserve Bank, as well as Los Angeles (which doesn't have a Federal Reserve Bank, but is pretty important anyway).
Asked why OWS has taken aim at the Fed, Holder argues that the institution has become a key driver of economic injustice in America: "The Federal Reserve undermines our democracy. It's filled with bankers who are pushing for a deflated currency that will help inflate their pockets."
But ultimately, she notes, Sunday and Monday's protests will focus on honoring Dr. King's legacy of social engagement -- and making sure that it continues: "We're hoping to help inspire a new generation of activists and visionaries."
Poll: Many voters clueless about 2012
Just over half of those surveyed, 53 percent, correctly answered Massachusetts when asked where Romney served as governor, according to a Pew Research Center poll. And only 45 percent of voters were able to identify South Carolina as the state where the next primary will be held, while just 44 percent identified Ron Paul as the GOP hopeful who opposes U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
Sixty-nine percent of voters gave the correct answer of Newt Gingrich when asked which GOP 2012 candidate once served as House speaker, the survey found.
A higher percentage of Republicans than Democrats answered each of the above questions correctly. All in all, 43 percent of voters gave correct answers to at least three of the four questions, or 48 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Israeli Spies Disguised themselves as CIA Agents
Once again we see how Israel feels free to do whatever they want whether or not it's the behaviour of an American ally:
But while the memos show that the United States had barred even the most incidental contact with Jundallah, according to both intelligence officers, the same was not true for Israel's Mossad. The memos also detail CIA field reports saying that Israel's recruiting activities occurred under the nose of U.S. intelligence officers, most notably in London, the capital of one of Israel's ostensible allies, where Mossad officers posing as CIA operatives met with Jundallah officials.Full article
The officials did not know whether the Israeli program to recruit and use Jundallah is ongoing. Nevertheless, they were stunned by the brazenness of the Mossad's efforts.
"It's amazing what the Israelis thought they could get away with," the intelligence officer said. "Their recruitment activities were nearly in the open. They apparently didn't give a damn what we thought."
U.S. judge backs multiple rifle sales reporting
A small victory. But a victory that will save lives:
A U.S. judge on Friday refused to block new federal rules requiring gun dealers in four states bordering Mexico to report the sales of multiple semi-automatic rifles, a victory for the Obama administration.Full article
The administration issued the reporting requirements last year despite opposition from the gun industry as part of a stepped-up effort to clamp down on the weapons flowing across the border to violent drug cartels in Mexico.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) ordered more than 8,000 gun dealers in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California to report the sale within five business days of two or more semiautomatic rifles to the same person.
That also includes rifles with a caliber greater than .22 and with the ability to accept a detachable magazine.
Mexican officials have complained bitterly about guns illegally coming from the United States. Tens of thousands of Mexicans have died in the drug wars since 2006 when the government there decided to take on the cartels.
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