Politics
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But if it won't, here's one possible incentive: Your voting receipt could become a Mega Millions lottery ticket. Counting ballots in Melbourne. (Reuters) One of the major problems contributing to the extraordinary dysfunction of the American political system is the series of voting processes that gives immense influence to the extreme, ideologically driven bases of the two major parties. In today's base-driven elections, party strategists try to maximize the turnout of their own base -- usually by frightening them to death about the consequences if the "enemy" prevails -- while minimizing the turnout of the other side by any means necessary and available.
The U.S. Should Require All Citizens to Vote - Norman Ornstein
The shit show that is Afghanistan: “We will survive. But they will be taking the war back to America!”
An excellent article and documentary on Afghanistan now available through Vice: ”This Is What Winning Looks Like” . It should be mandatory viewing for every citizen of every country that was involved in the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. It shows life from our and our allies perspective – the honest, the honorable, the gullible, the liars, the politicians, the occupying forces, the Afghan security forces , the war lords, the addicts, the desperate, the corrupt, the child molesters, the murderers, the government – the fantasy that has been defined as victory.
Amazing Events Unfolding in Guatemala: “All of the crimes that Rigoberta Menchú just described were crimes not just of General Ríos Montt, but also of the U.S. government"
For those who have been following the story , below you will find the initial impact of the genocide conviction of ex-Guatemalan dictator Ríos Montt. The majority of the coverage in the two videos linked below is with Rigoberta Menchú , the woman largely responsible for making sure that Ríos Montt was brought to justice.
No Remembrance, No Remorse for the Fallen of Iraq
On Remembrance Day 2007 – Veterans Day in America – the great and the good bowed their heads at the Cenotaph. Generals, politicians, newsreaders, football managers and stock-market traders wore their poppies. Hypocrisy was a presence.
News is bad for you – and giving up reading it will make you happier | Media
Out of the 10,000 news stories you may have read in the last 12 months, did even one allow you to make a better decision about a serious matter in your life, asks Rolf Dobelli.On this tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a reminder, according to the UN charter, the invasion was illegal
The war in Iraq is not over, not by a long shot .
This year’s Oscar-winning movie ‘Argo’ recently spurred Iran’s former president, Abolhassan Banisadr to write an article about the ‘October Surprise’.
Argo and the Stolen Truth About Iran
Aaron Swartz Prosecutors Weighed 'Guerilla' Manifesto, Justice Official Tells Congressional Committee
A Justice Department representative told congressional staffers during a recent briefing on the computer fraud prosecution of Internet activist Aaron Swartz that Swartz's " Guerilla Open Access Manifesto " played a role in the prosecution, sources told The Huffington Post.
In the United States, as in many other countries, obesity is a serious problem. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg wants to do something about it. Influenced by many experts, he believes that soda is a contributing factor to increasing obesity rates and that large portion sizes are making the problem worse.
It’s For Your Own Good! by Cass R. Sunstein
Photo credit: Mickey Z.
71 Years After Executive Order 9066 (What We’re Up Against) | Mickey Z. - World News Trust
" Media manipulation currently shapes everything you read, hear and watch online.
Rare media articles expose how the mass media manipulate public opinion - National US Intelligence
Political failure modes and the beige dictatorship
Random meta-political noodling here ... For a while I've had the unwelcome feeling that we're living under occupation by Martian invaders . (Not just here in the UK, but everyone, everywhere on the planet.)Noam Chomsky, Why It's "Legal" When the U.S. Does It
Credit the Arab Spring and what’s followed in the Greater Middle East to many things, but don’t overlook American “unilateralism.”As the 40th anniversary of Roe v.
The Not-So-Lofty Origins of the Evangelical Pro-Life Movement | Sexuality/Gender
Dr. Martin Luther King assassinated by US govt: King Family civil trial verdict - National Nonpartisan
from my 6-part series: Occupy This: US History exposes the 1%’s crimes then and now “What then is, generally speaking, the truth of history? A fable agreed upon.” - Napoleon Bonaparte [69]economics