Covid The CDC says people who test positive for covid but do not have symptoms only need to quarantine for five days. The CDC then recommends five days of mask-wearing. The World Bank says nearly 100 million people fell into poverty during the covid pandemic. [Link] The State Department sends over 600,000 Pfizer covid vaccines to Nepal through Covax. [Link] US News Biden extended the student loan payment freeze to May 1, 2022. [Link] Las Vegas will pay over $500,000 to Jason Funke who was shot in the back by a police officer. The officer is still employed. [Link] Cedric Lofton was killed...
elections
Salafis Throwing Bombs: How American and British Planners Partnered With Al-Qaeda Affiliated Groups At the Start of the Syrian Civil War
Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called Jabhat al-Nusra, or the Nusra Front. Additionally, al-Qaeda allegedly did not carry out any military operations until December 2011 and did not announce its establishment until January 2012. However, there is evidence that al-Qaeda affiliated militants were involved in the Syrian conflict much earlier. Saudi intelligence...
12/22/21 Gareth Porter on Iran and Afghanistan
Scott celebrates eleven years on the radio by interviewing Gareth Porter about Biden’s first year in office. They discuss the negotiations between the Administration and Iran over a return to the JCPOA. Despite many crossovers with the team that reached an agreement with Iran back in the Obama years, Biden’s people appear set on squeezing more concessions out of the Iranians. But Porter points out that, as he had predicted, the U.S. reluctance to return to the deal led to hardliner victories in Iran’s last elections. But even with a more anti-American regime, Porter sees no evidence...
The Antiwar Comic: The Ideology of Power
Our politics in a nutshell. More comics at the Webcomic Factory. Also, wanna check out my books? Here's a novella series that's all about 2A, The Pineys.
TGIF: Is “Free Election” an Oxymoron?
American leaders and their loyal media pundits love to sit in judgment of other countries' election, declaring them fair or rigged according to their seemingly meticulous standards. In fact, the real standard is that the regimes "we" like hold free and fair (enough) elections, while the regimes "we" dislike don't. What about regimes "we" like that hold no national elections at all, like Saudi Arabia? They are forgotten whenever the loveliness of democracy is the topic of discussion. Maybe a broader approach would shed light on the matter. We could ask: does any country have really free...
Propaganda – Book Summary and Analysis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qGcYE5UJPc Lacking the direct test of success or failure, the voter tends to turn, not to those politicians whose policies have the best chance of success, but to those who can best “sell” their propaganda ability. Without grasping logical chains of deduction, the average voter will never be able to discover the errors that his ruler makes. Murray N. Rothbard Man, Economy, and State with Power and Market, p. 887 One of the most vital struggles in the writing and publishing of history is the conflict between the government’s propaganda myths,...
US-Israel-Saudi’s Sock-Puppet Egyptian Dictatorship Tortures Children
"Security forces in Egypt have tortured children as young as 12, including with waterboarding and electric shocks to their tongues and genitals." That's what John Kerry calls: "The restoration of democracy" after the people overthrew their last dictatorship and voted wrong in the first and last free elections of their lifetimes.
Bernie on Russian Interference: “I’ve seen some of their Tweets and stuff”
Bernie was put in an awkward spot. As Consortium News put it: Sanders was put in a difficult spot. If he said, “Show me the proof that Russia is trying to help me,” he ran the risk of being attacked for disbelieving (even disloyalty to) U.S. intelligence, and, by default, defending the Kremlin. He won the Nevada Caucuses despite what was a well-timed and carefully calibrated last minute smear from the classic "it's all Russian influence!" fall back position of mindless establishment hacks who long ago gave up on coming up with anything original (yeah it goes back to 1954). But...
Iraq Parties Hold Talks on a New PM as Protests Continue
Last week’s resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi didn’t take anyone by surprise in Iraq, least of all parliament. Officials say that talks on his replacement had already begun days before he resigned, and are now actively going on in earnest. Which isn’t to say that finding a new premier is going to be easy. Agreeing on Abdul-Mahdi as a compromise candidate took awhile, and there are even more obstacles in the way of anyone being a long-term success now. Large protests continue to rage, demanding wholesale reforms. The Shi’ite coalition that controls Iraq’s parliament will need...
Israeli Elections Explained guest Kalmen Barkin
Kalmen Barkin joins Foreign Policy Focus to talk about Israeli elections. Israel has now had two elections without picking a new prime minister and it is possible Israel will soon have a third election. The front runners in the election are Netanyahu and Gantz. Kalmen breaks down what is happening in Israel, who the frontrunners are, and what it means for the Palestinians. Kalmen Barkin is a New Hampshire based libertarian who spent a significant amount of time in the Israeli right before becoming a libertarian. Links Is Netanyahu Finally Going to Lose Power? Does it Even...