World Politics

[auscyclefan94]

Anyone who follows Spanish politics want to discuss or comment on the socialist party being kicked out of Government?

 

[ramjambunath]

On a different topic, Cambodia's three most senior (and still alive) trio from the Khmer Rogue regime have finally gone on trial:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15814519

About time.

You will not believe it, but I was reading exactly the same article and was about to post it.

Judicial delays? What's that?

Not surprising when you have a military establishment that has the privileges of a cast: a veritable state within the State, which nobody can support any more. The country, moreover, has had a history of presidents who came right out of the military ranks (Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak).

In Egypt today the military doesn't want to simply relinquish its power and privileges to a popularly elected civil governemnt in the voting booths, hence the democratic process has been put on indefinite hold and the protests brutally repressed.

The minister of culture has stepped down as a form of protest against such barbary.

Exactly and this sort of situation was my main worry with the Libyan overthrowing of Gaddafi, the militias seemed too strong. Time will tell, I guess.

 

[Greenflame]

It isn't their job to fix things, but to bring to everyone's attention how awfully malfunctioning and unjust financial capitalism is.

Ok, they did that. Not like the most severe financial and economic crisis since the 20's hasn't brought it to the attention of the world, but well, occupying some streets around the world helps as well I guess.

So the malfunctioning of capitalism is brought to the attention of the world. Now what? Those bankers and politicians you protest against are now supposed to come up with a radical alternative to cut themselves out of their current positions of power just because some thousand people occupy Wall Street? Nope, not going to happen.

These protests are just a pointless excercise in civil disobedience if there is no alternative vision.

Anyone who follows Spanish politics want to discuss or comment on the socialist party being kicked out of Government?

Not really that much into Spanish politics, but I know something about it. This was to be expected though. Probably the new conservative government will start heavy budget cuts which will damage the national economy on the short term (though being very sensible on the long term), and in a few years the government will be as unpopular as the socialist one is now. Then in the next election it will be the conservatives who will lose their votes and the socialists will be back in power.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

It isn't their job to fix things, but to bring to everyone's attention how awfully malfunctioning and unjust financial capitalism is.

They're not a political movement (thank God!), so they have no leader. What unites all of them is that each is trying to find answers to questions millions and hundreds of millions of people are asking themselves today.

Questions like: Why is it that if I study allot, I can't get a job? Why can't I afford a decent education and adequate medical care? Why is it that when the financialists mess up, they never have to pay for their mistakes? Why do the brokers earn million dollar bonuses when they only profited through speculation?

Recently one Ows protester at Zuccotti Park, a smiling female university student, raised a sign with the following written on it: "The conventional mass media wants you to believe that I'm an anarchic, punk without a job and communist supporter. The truth is that I'm a 19 year-old university student who works two jobs in order to afford a tuition that's exaggeratedly high. If I don't do my job well, I get fired. When those guys who work at Wall Street lie, defraud and rob, they receive record salaries and enormous bonuses. I refuse to stay quiet, while my fellow citizens suffer the consequences for the incautious and irresponsible actions of some in our economy. I'm in the 99%. I'm smiling because I know that the power of the people is stronger than those in power."
Now apart the ingenuousness in her last statement, if it weren't clear what those in the Ows represent and want, then you guys can crawl back into your conservative, bourgeois dens and continue to hibernate.

We'll wake you up when it’s over. In the meantime, I think it would be a fine idea to have the state send in the bankers to clean up the parks. Its the least they should be made to do for having our political leaders force upon us all the onerous responsibility of bailing out their system, and to make tidy a mess they created during a party we weren't even invited to.

That is correct. To be fair I do not think anyone of them want or have a job.

That would have to be one BIG AZZ sign! Got any pictures of this girl holding up a sign with all that written on it? The attention span of a doper / meth-head, is not long enough for them to read that sign...

 

[rhubroma]

Ok, they did that. Not like the most severe financial and economic crisis since the 20's hasn't brought it to the attention of the world, but well, occupying some streets around the world helps as well I guess.

So the malfunctioning of capitalism is brought to the attention of the world. Now what? Those bankers and politicians you protest against are now supposed to come up with a radical alternative to cut themselves out of their current positions of power just because some thousand people occupy Wall Street? Nope, not going to happen.

These protests are just a pointless excercise in civil disobedience if there is no alternative vision.

Not really that much into Spanish politics, but I know something about it. This was to be expected though. Probably the new conservative government will start heavy budget cuts which will damage the national economy on the short term (though being very sensible on the long term), and in a few years the government will be as unpopular as the socialist one is now. Then in the next election it will be the conservatives who will lose their votes and the socialists will be back in power.

I can only quote Gramsci:

"I hate the indifferent. I believe that living means taking sides. Those who really live cannot help being a citizen and a partisan. Indifference and apathy are parasitism, perversion, not life. That is why I hate the indifferent.

The indifference is the deadweight of history. The indifference operates with great power on history. The indifference operates passively, but it operates. It is fate, that which cannot be counted on. It twists programs and ruins the best-conceived plans. It is the raw material that ruins intelligence. That what happens, the evil that weighs upon all, happens because the human mass abdicates to their will; allows laws to be promulgated that only the revolt could nullify, and leaves men that only a mutiny will be able to overthrow to achieve the power....

Indifference is actually the mainspring of history. But in a negative sense. What comes to pass, either the evil that afflicts everyone, or the possible good brought about by an act of general valour, is due not so much to the initiative of the active few, as to the indifference, the absenteeism of the many. What comes to pass does so not so much because a few people want it to happen, as because the mass of citizens abdicate their responsibility and let things be...."

Indifference, context is everything.

 

[VeloCity]

Surprise, surprise - R's nix a proposed national climate service on the grounds that "it would cost too much" even though it won't cost a thing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...vice/2011/11/18/gIQAxYvIgN_story.html?hpid=z4

Starting to believe that pretty much all Republicans are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Surprise, surprise - R's nix a proposed national climate service on the grounds that "it would cost too much" even though it won't cost a thing.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...vice/2011/11/18/gIQAxYvIgN_story.html?hpid=z4

Starting to believe that pretty much all Republicans are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of.

I am starting to believe that pretty much all Democrats are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of.

See Nancy pelosi. or BarBRAH boxers.

 

[VeloCity]

I am starting to believe that pretty much all Democrats are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of.

See Nancy pelosi. or BarBRAH boxers.

Even some conservatives believe the GOP has completely lost it:

http://nymag.com/print/?/news/politics/conservatives-david-frum-2011-11/

Conservatives have been driven to these fevered anxieties as much by their own trauma as by external events. In the aughts, Republicans held more power for longer than at any time since the twenties, yet the result was the weakest and least broadly shared economic expansion since World War II, followed by an economic crash and prolonged slump. Along the way, the GOP suffered two severe election defeats in 2006 and 2008. Imagine yourself a rank-and-file Republican in 2009: If you have not lost your job or your home, your savings have been sliced and your children cannot find work. Your retirement prospects have dimmed. Most of all, your neighbors blame you for all that has gone wrong in the country. There’s one thing you know for sure: None of this is your fault! And when the new president fails to deliver rapid recovery, he can be designated the target for everyone’s accumulated disappointment and rage. In the midst of economic wreckage, what relief to thrust all blame upon Barack Obama as the wrecker-in-chief.

 

[Amsterhammer]

That is correct. To be fair I do not think anyone of them want or have a job.

That would have to be one BIG AZZ sign! Got any pictures of this girl holding up a sign with all that written on it? The attention span of a doper / meth-head, is not long enough for them to read that sign...

I am starting to believe that pretty much all Democrats are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of.

See Nancy pelosi. or BarBRAH boxers.

If I were to generalize on the epicly stupid scale that you demonstrate above, I might say that I am starting to believe that pretty much all Houstonians are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of, and who demonstrate that ignorance on an almost daily basis.

 

[Amsterhammer]

The good and the bad of the debt supercommittee’s failure

So the supercommittee? Not so super, it seems. It’s ready to admit defeat. And some think that’s for the best.

Here’s their argument: A bad deal can be worse than no deal at all. And over the last few weeks, the deals offered by both sides were bad deals. They cut too deeply into some areas of government -- like the education, transportation and competitiveness programs in the “non-defense discretionary spending” category -- and did too little on taxes, entitlements, and defense.

Perhaps worse, a bad deal now would make it harder to reach a good deal later. Most economists think we need about $4 trillion of deficit reduction over the next decade or so. There’s a good chance, if the economy doesn’t begin to improve more rapidly, that we need a lot more. There’s little chance that we need a lot less. By the end, the supercommittee was discussing a $1.2 trillion deal. If you add in the spending cuts already agreed to in the debt-ceiling deal, that’s a $2.1 trillion deal. That would have left trillions in deficit reduction undone.

And the trillions it would have left would be in the hardest categories to reach agreement on. Taxes. Entitlements. Defense. Reaching a deal on those items is going to be difficult under the best of circumstances. It will be even harder if all the low-hanging fruit is already picked. If the supercommittee can’t reach a big deal now, better they should give up and go home rather than making it harder for Congress to reach a big deal later.

But before you celebrate the supercommittee’s failure, it’s worth hearing the other side, too.

The economy is weak. But the recovery hasn’t derailed completely. In fact, there’s some evidence that despite the troubles in Europe, we’re picking up steam. But every forecaster will tell you the same thing: These next few months will be very dangerous. If Europe doesn’t get its act together -- and that looks fairly likely right now -- it’s going to be very difficult for us to avoid another recession.

The supercommittee was expected to help with that. Everyone anticipated it would extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits that were agreed to in the 2010 tax deal. Perhaps, if members reached a bigger deal, they would agree to infrastructure investment and further tax cuts. All of that would help us recover. And, according to some economists, so too would the simple sight of Congress coming to an agreement. It would show the markets that even if the European Union’s political system is completely broken, ours isn’t. And that would be worth something.

The supercommittee’s failure throws all of that into doubt. Whatever confidence boost might have come from an agreement is clearly dead. New stimulus is very unlikely. And perhaps most worrying of all, the extension of the payroll tax cut and the unemployment benefits may well not happen. That could deal a big hit to growth next year and, alongside further troubles in Europe, toss us back into recession.

But it’s worth taking a step back and realizing this is what we’ve come to: Arguing whether a bad deal is better than no deal. No wonder fewer people approve of Congress than approved of Nixon during Watergate.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...upercommittee/2011/08/25/gIQAxQq4eN_blog.html

 

[redtreviso]

OWS ????? not really

""We need equality under the law. From now on, laws that apply to the private sector must apply to Congress, including whistleblower, conflict-of-interest and insider-trading laws. Trading on nonpublic government information should be illegal both for those who pass on the information and those who trade on it. (This should close the loophole of the blind trusts that aren't really blind because they're managed by family members or friends.)

No more sweetheart land deals with campaign contributors. No gifts of IPO shares. No trading of stocks related to committee assignments. No earmarks where the congressman receives a direct benefit. No accepting campaign contributions while Congress is in session. No lobbyists as family members, and no transitioning into a lobbying career after leaving office. No more revolving door, ever.

This call for real reform must transcend political parties. The grass-roots movements of the right and the left should embrace this.""

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204323904577040373463191222.html

wonder who actually wrote that.

 

[rhubroma]

I am going to ask you a simple question (well maybe not). Would you prefer a socialist or communist style of government?

To answer your question, simply, I'd prefer a social democracy to the "corporatocracy" we've got.

One in which there is a greater balance between the interests of the strong powers and those of collective society and, above all, one in which such power and interests do not completely function under the aegis of government and the law to the former's benefit but to the public's detriment; as they have been since neoliberalism has taken over.

It is obvious that under the present regime there prevails a deplorable imbalance between the two.

Whereas, no, it isn't the Ows protesters who have made any earth shattering revelations. Of course not. However, never before in the history of American capitalism, which has now gone global, has the emerging generation looked to the future with such bleak pessimism. We are in the throes, therefore, of an unprecedented situation. The illusion that financial capitalism could resolve the rebus (that for which the strong powers, according to the business logic and interests, have always sought an answer) between keeping wages low, consumerism high as well as providing for business development, has turned out to be a chimera or like that famous Goya etching: "The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters."

I read an article about Kissinger today, in which it was discussed the Doktor's diplomatic and ideological role in opening up China to the markets in the 70's, during a period in which the world was a two dimensional entity and not a 3-D one as is today.

It made me reflect upon the nature of using the markets and finance as a weapons of mass destruction against the Soviets, which, ironically, was only made possible by the schism between Moscow and Beijing. But also how in the post-Cold War era, they have become ideological weapons of mass destruction against society under neoliberalism. And now the US treasury is being financed by China, public debt is more onerous then it ever was before, while the economy struggles to grow even paltrilly, the job market is tighter and tighter, the social safety nets have become extremely tenuous (where they exist at all), privatization has driven education and medical costs higher and higher, the great financial banks have determined the economic course and the political agenda, etc.

At some point the system, if a new equilibrium isn't established between the two opposing camps, is destined to produce even worse calamities than we are getting right now. With all the hullabaloo that's bound to come with it.

 

[Bala Verde]

"spreading democracy"

the land of the free
an exceptional nation

 

[Bala Verde]

U.S. sued for $25 bln over AIG takeover

REUTERS - A company run by former American International Group Inc Chief Executive Maurice "Hank" Greenberg on Monday filed a $25 billion lawsuit against the United States, claiming that the government takeover of the insurer was unconstitutional.

In its complaint, Greenberg's Starr International Co said that in bailing out AIG and taking a nearly 80 percent stake, the government failed to compensate existing shareholders. It said this violated the Fifth Amendment, which bars the taking of private property for public use without just compensation.

 

[The Hitch]

Anyone who follows Spanish politics want to discuss or comment on the socialist party being kicked out of Government?

Yes. Im going to miss all the jokes about Zapatero.

On a different topic, Cambodia's three most senior (and still alive) trio from the Khmer Rogue regime have finally gone on trial:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15814519

About time.

The sickness of these individuals makes paedophiles look like humanitarians. The stories of what the Khmer rouge did are impossible to listen to without wincing.

 

[rhubroma]

Yes. Im going to miss all the jokes about Zapatero.




The sickness of these individuals makes paedophiles look like humanitarians. The stories of what the Khmer rouge did are impossible to listen to without wincing.

http://musictravel.free.fr/political/political3.htm

 

[Semper Fidelis]

If I were to generalize on the epicly stupid scale that you demonstrate above, I might say that I am starting to believe that pretty much all Houstonians are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of, and who demonstrate that ignorance on an almost daily basis.

Since you went all personal then I will reply with the same.

I say I am starting to believe that pretty much all the people who are living in Amsterdam are complete hippy lettuce maroons. Who demonstrate their pompus azzzes on a daily basis. BY THE WAY I am not a Houstonian.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

"spreading democracy"

the land of the free
an exceptional nation

THIS is a great picture!

Bala Verde thank you for the motivation!

 

[patricknd]

THIS is a great picture!

Bala Verde thank you for the motivation!

cops get all the fun

 

[palmerq]

Since you went all personal then I will reply with the same.

I say I am starting to believe that pretty much all the people who are living in Amsterdam are complete hippy lettuce maroons. Who demonstrate their pompus azzzes on a daily basis. BY THE WAY I am not a Houstonian.

If I were to generalize on the epicly stupid scale that you demonstrate above, I might say that I am starting to believe that pretty much all Houstonians are complete and utter maroons who believe ignorance is something to be proud of, and who demonstrate that ignorance on an almost daily basis.

Hi guys please be nice to each other or you will get in trouble... maroon

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I am not at all surprised the SuperCommittee failed to agree to anything, especially when they can kick the can down the road and the automatic cuts won't happen until 2013 anyway.

Anyone here doubt me when I said Congress will see the largest turnover in history next year?

Turns out Linda Katehi, Chancellor at UC Davis, is the one who ordered the police on campus and pushed the idea of police pepper spraying the sitting students before arresting them. So we can't give cops all the credit on this one. Huge backlash now from not only students, but faculty as well calling for her head. Another protest is going to happen again soon, and this one likely bigger. What will she do then, call in the National Guard?

 

[redtreviso]

Limbaugh: Michelle Obama Was Booed At NASCAR Event Because She Has Exhibited "Uppity-Ism"

Uppity

 

[Bala Verde]

I am starting to believe the CIA is an imminent threat... (and their 'assets' are now collateral damage)

In an apparently serious setback for U.S. intelligence against a key adversary, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'ite militia, has succeeded in identifying and arresting informants within its ranks who were working for the CIA, current and former U.S. officials said.

Some former U.S. officials said that the CIA informants, believed to be local recruits rather than U.S. citizens, were uncovered, at least in part, due to sloppy procedures - known in the espionage world as "tradecraft" - used by the agency.

And then the icing on the cake...

Baer said one reason Hezbollah has been successful in rooting out spies is that it is so powerful it has forced Lebanese government security forces to hand over sensitive communications and spy gear supplied by the U.S. government. Hezbollah then used this U.S. equipment to identify and track down CIA informants. source

Really? You hand over spy gear to a government that is dominated by Hezbollah, you know, the group whose army is stronger than the Lebanese Armed Forces...

Some bright bulbs in Langley.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Limbaugh: Michelle Obama Was Booed At NASCAR Event Because She Has Exhibited "Uppity-Ism"

Uppity

Everybody knows the six letter word, with two "g"s in the middle that comes after "uppity". Right?

 

[rhubroma]

I am not at all surprised the SuperCommittee failed to agree to anything, especially when they can kick the can down the road and the automatic cuts won't happen until 2013 anyway.

Anyone here doubt me when I said Congress will see the largest turnover in history next year?

Turns out Linda Katehi, Chancellor at UC Davis, is the one who ordered the police on campus and pushed the idea of police pepper spraying the sitting students before arresting them. So we can't give cops all the credit on this one. Huge backlash now from not only students, but faculty as well calling for her head. Another protest is going to happen again soon, and this one likely bigger. What will she do then, call in the National Guard?

Yep, looks as if those cops had great difficulty in executing orders.

What fascism.