Senator Tom Harkin: No Deal Is Better Than This Very Bad Deal + US Goes Over Fiscal Cliff

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By Kay Steiger
Raw Story
Dec. 31, 2012

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

[...] “Well I just think that’s grossly unfair. Grossly unfair,” Harkin continued. He pointed out that those who make $250,000 or more a year are the top 2 percent of income earners in America. By moving the tax cuts to $400,000, Harkin said, it sends a message that earners who make that much are “middle class.”

Gaza Uncut: Another Year of War and Siege + Gaza Struggles to Cope with Psychological Trauma

Image by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation/TURKEY via Flickr

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TheRealNews·Dec 31, 2012

Four years ago, Palestinians in Gaza ended the year in a similar way. Following a cease-fire after the last war in November, Israel violated terms of the truce numerous times and on a daily basis. Gaza also remains under Israeli siege, making life more difficult.

The Idol Smasher by Chris Hedges

by Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
December 31, 2012

Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

Ishmael Reed has spent the last five decades smashing idols—idols of race, idols of capitalism, celebrity idols and the idols of national virtue and greatness. His essays, novels, poems, plays, songs and cartoons routinely shatter the delusions and myths of a nation stubbornly unwilling to confront its past or understand its present. He rips open a history that saw white Europeans exterminate one race and enslave another to create the nation’s prosperity, a past that includes the violent plundering of nations around the globe—Cuba, the Philippines, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan among them—to show us who we have become.

Corporate Canada: The New United States by Tristan A. Shaw

by Tristan A. Shaw
Guest Writer
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British Columbia, Canada
December 26, 2012

Image by kk+ via Flickr

It seems necessary to remind fellow Canadians that our country was not always a malfeasant, blood-thirsty, islamophobic, imperialist-driven state whose actions are now protested across the third-world. The old Canada, the Canada too old for my generation to remember, was a mainstream country.

But that perception (Canada as a moderate mediator in international affairs) has long been replaced by one indistinguishable from the United States. The new Canada is a country that helps stage coups in Latin America, a country that stands as one of the leading impediments to a comprehensive climate agreement.

Bahrain: The Forgotten Uprising

Image by Al Jazeera English via Flickr

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TheRealNews·Dec 27, 2012

Reese Erlich: The uprising against monarchy grows more intense, mostly ignored by Western media.

Occupy: Year In Review

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Image by david_shankbone via Flickr

LifeNewsful·Dec 27, 2012

OWS Week has been covering the Occupy movement and its efforts since 2011. With 99ers’ struggle for justice and economic parity well into its second year, we have decided to look back in this year-end episode at one of the most eventful periods in US contemporary history. With the popular struggle set to continue, we wish all activists success in their endeavor to prove that another world is possible.

It Is Easier Than You Think by Ralph Nader

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Image by Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights via Flickr

by Ralph Nader
The Nader Page
Dec. 28, 2012

It’s easier than you think.  That’s the way I start discussions and interviews about my new book titled, “Seventeen Solutions.”

The “solutions” were selected for their long-overdue practicality, fairness, efficiency, safety, employment potential and respect for future generations.  A majority of the people, sometimes a large majority, support such redirections. The effects of many of the “solutions” start being seen immediately.

Noam Chomsky: Work, Learning and Freedom by Michael Kasenbacher

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Noam Chomsky interviewed by Michael Kasenbacher
New Left Project
December 24, 2012

Image by Andrew Rusk via Flickr

In this often personal interview, renowned linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky outlines a libertarian perspective on work and education, arguing that freedom is the root of creativity and fulfilment.

The question I would like to ask is what is really wanted work? Maybe we could start with your personal life and your double career in linguistics and political activism? Do you like that kind of work?

The Belligerent Occupier by Soraya Boyd

Image by IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation/TURKEY via Flickr

by Soraya Boyd
Guest Writer
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Facilitate Global
December 29, 2012

With breathtaking magnitude, resolute in forefending responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity
A darkly glib inhabits the psychic scape of a ruinously polished occupier seeking pseudo security

What Jesus Said About Suffering

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Image by quinet via Flickr

Day of Discovery

Why would a good God allow you to suffer and abandon you in the midst of your pain? In “What Jesus Said About Suffering,” you’ll travel to Israel with Mart De Haan and hear from biblical scholars as they discuss the “whys” of suffering. Examine the words of Jesus that reveal His response to human anguish. Consider whether you have reason to believe what Jesus said about suffering.

America’s Deceptive 2012 Fiscal Cliff by Michael Hudson

Image by peoplesworld via Flickr

by Michael Hudson
Featured Writer
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http://michael-hudson.com

December 28, 2012

How today’s fiscal austerity is reminiscent of World War I’s economic misunderstandings

When World War I broke out in August 1914, economists on both sides forecast that hostilities could not last more than about six months. Wars had grown so expensive that governments quickly would run out of money. It seemed that if Germany could not defeat France by springtime, the Allied and Central Powers would run out of savings and reach what today is called a fiscal cliff and be forced to negotiate a peace agreement.

Chris Hedges and Richard Wolff: Capitalism=Cannibalism–The Human Cost is Staggering

with Chris Hedges
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
December 29, 2012

Image by Ilaria Caterina via Flickr

Inside Story Americas – Has capitalism proven its durability?

AlJazeeraEnglish·Dec 29, 2012

As unemployment in the US decreases and large companies expand their profit margins, we ask if the capitalist system has proven its ability to endure and adapt. Or should Americans be considering an alternative economic system?

The FBI vs. Occupy: Secret Docs Reveal “Counterterrorism” Monitoring of OWS from Its Earliest Days

Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr

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democracynow·Dec 27, 2012

DemocracyNow.org – Once-secret documents reveal the FBI monitored Occupy Wall Street from its earliest days and treated the nonviolent movement as a potential terrorist threat. Internal government records show Occupy was treated as a potential threat when organizing first began in August of 2011.

Dennis Kucinich on Fiscal Cliff: Why Are We Sacrificing American Jobs for Corporate Profits?

Image by David Sachs @ SEIU International via Flickr

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democracynow·Dec 28, 2012

DemocracyNow.org – As President Obama meets with congressional leaders at the White House in a last-ditch effort to reach a budget deal, we speak to outgoing Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich about the so-called fiscal cliff. If an agreement is not reached in time, $600 billion in automatic spending cuts and tax increases will go into effect on January 1.

Mickey Huff: Which Key Stories Did the US Media Ignore?

Image by IsaacMao via Flickr

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AlJazeeraEnglish·Dec 27, 2012

There are stories that have enormous consequences on the lives of Americans but are regularly under-reported or misrepresented by the mainstream media. Project Censored, the US media watchdog group, has released their annual report examining the shortcomings of reporting in 2012.