Settlement Construction Begins Again, Israel Blocks Jewish Activists to Gaza

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Democracy Now!
Sept 28, 2010

As Settlement Construction Begins Again in the West Bank, Israel Blocks Jewish Activists on Aid Boat Headed to Gaza

Israeli commandos have boarded and seized a Gaza-bound aid ship of Jewish activists just miles off the Gaza coast. The activists were attempting to deliver a symbolic load of medicine, a water-purifying kit and other humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. The Jewish Boat to Gaza was the latest attempt to break the blockade since Israel’s deadly attack on an aid flotilla in May. In the West Bank, Jewish settlers resumed building settlements on Monday one day after Israel refused to extend its partial freeze on settlement expansion. [includes rush transcript]

New? ‘old’-new? Labour, the election of Ed Miliband and the left By William Bowles

By William Bowles
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Creative-i
28 September, 2010

One step forward and two steps back

I have to share this with you:

Following the election of Ed Miliband to lead the ‘new’ ‘old’ Labour Party it seems nothing has been learned from the lessons of the past thirteen years (let alone the previous forty):

“Mr Miliband sought to brush off the “red Ed” tag, insisting that he did not plan “to drag Labour to the left.”” – ‘Labour turns to Miliband‘ By Adrian Roberts, The Morning Star, 26 September, 2010

Insurgent Ed Miliband Ends the New Labour Era by Michael Carmichael

by Michael Carmichael
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
PlanetaryMovement.org
September 28, 2010

New Labour began as an ill-advised facsimile of the center-right shift of U.S. politics.

In the aftermath of the dreadful Dukakis campaign in 1988, Bill Clinton headed the ‘New Democrat’ movement to Reaganize the Democratic Party by tilting it to the right. Richard Gephardt, Bruce Babbitt, Lawton Chiles and Sam Nunn all gave the Democratic Leadership Council their backing. Al From became the founder and CEO of the party-within-a-party to drive public opinion to the right and displace the liberal paradigm that had sustained the Democrats since the days of FDR and JFK.

Kucinich Proposal Would Raise $15-19 Billion for Childhood Nutrition Efforts

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by Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Washington, Sept 28, 2010

Image by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

Cynical Cuts to Food Stamps the Definition of Cruelty; Offset Could Break Through Stalemate

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today announced that the Joint Committee on Taxation has estimated that his proposal to revoke corporate tax deductions for advertising and marketing expenses aimed at selling junk food and fast food to children could provide $15-19 billion (over 10 years) for child nutrition programs. The House version of the child nutrition reauthorization requires an $8.5 billion offset over 10 years while the Senate version requires a $4.5 billion offset over 10 years. The child nutrition bill that Congress could consider tomorrow is funded by cutting food stamps.

NATO Expands Afghan War Into Pakistan by Rick Rozoff

by Rick Rozoff
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Stop NATO
Stop NATO-Opposition to global militarism
Sept. 28, 2010

On October 7 the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization military allies will begin the tenth year of their war in Afghanistan, over 3,000 miles from NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

The following month midterm elections will be held in the U.S. and NATO will hold a two-day summit in Portugal. The American administration is eager to achieve, or appear to have achieved, a foreign policy triumph in an effort to retain Democratic Party control of the Congress and NATO something to show for the longest and largest military mission in its 61 years of existence.

Israel warships intercept Gaza aid boat + Video of IDF troops boarding Gaza-bound boat

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PressTV
Tue Sep 28, 2010

Israeli warships have intercepted a Jewish aid boat heading for the Gaza Strip to break the crippling blockade of the impoverished territory.

“Ten Israeli warships forced the boat to head for (the Israeli port) of Ashdod by force, but without raiding the ship,” Amjad al-Shawa, a Gaza-based organizer told AFP.

“They surrendered because they were surrounded. They had no choice,” he further explained.

Primate Wars at KU Med: Anatomy of an Intense Grass Roots Campaign by Jason Miller

by Jason Miller
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Thomas Paine’s Corner
Sept. 28, 2010

At the request of Anthony Nocella II, I have composed a summary of Bite Club’s campaign to stop primate vivisection at the University of Kansas Medical Center. This summary will also appear on Lib Now!

In late 2009, I became aware that the University of Kansas Medical Center (aka KU Med or KUMC) had a primate vivisection program. While the census of their “test subjects” (primarily macaques and squirrel monkeys according to information available through the USDA and KU Med’s website) is relatively small compared to other vivisection facilities, what cried out for Animal Rights activist intervention was the fact that they had been cited by the USDA for 160 violations of animal welfare laws, a staggering number.

Matt Bryza: From Evasive to Perjurer? by Sibel Edmonds

by Sibel Edmonds
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
originally published by Boiling Frogs Post
28 September, 2010

Image via Wikipedia

Obama’s Nominee for Azerbaijan Ambassadorship Misleads Congress on the Issues of Conflict of Interest & Questionable Ties

In response to questions at the hearing that he was too close to Azerbaijani Government officials with highly questionable ties, Matt Bryza remained evasive and provided half-answer responses while denying any special ties or conflicts of interest due to his controversial and scandalous Neocon wife, Zeyno Baran. After the hearing Bryza submitted even more evasive and incomplete answers to a series of questions submitted separately by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA). Particularly on one significant issue related to his questionable ties and conflict of interest related to his wife’s intimate relationship and position, Bryza may have actually perjured himself.