Friday, March 7

451° F

Movie review by Jim Davies.

Study: Gaza Humanitarian Situation Worst Since 1967

“A coalition of eight British-based human rights organizations on Thursday released a scathing report in claiming that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at its worst point since Israel captured the territory in 1967.”

Foreign Policy Increasingly Flows Through Pentagon

“U.S. foreign policy is becoming increasingly dominated by the Pentagon rather than the State Department, and Congress is doing virtually nothing about it, according to a new report released here Thursday by several human rights organisations.” Read the report here.

Washington’s Role in Current Conflict Between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador

“On Saturday March 1st Colombia’s Air Force carried out a military operation in Ecuador, violating the sovereignty of its western neighbor nation.”

Judge: Detainee's Mistreatment Claims Not Believable

Of course they aren't believable; the US does not torture.

Arrested Arms Dealer's Planes Flew U.S. Missions in Iraq

“When U.S. officials announce the arrest of a notorious arms dealer and drug-runner this afternoon, the fact that his planes flew U.S. supply missions in Iraq will likely go unmentioned.” (2 pages)

Letters After Times Square Bombing Claim: 'We Did It'

“'The fact that this appears deliberately directed at the recruiting station insults every one of our brave men and women in uniform stationed around the world fighting to defend our freedoms and the things we hold so dear,' Bloomberg said." But when the military slaughters innocent people, it is a-ok, right Mayor?

Poor Displaced by Jakarta Beautification Drive

“Like dozens of others at the streetside ceramics market in north Jakarta , Neslon had been selling dishes out of a small kiosk in the shadow of a highway for more than 30 years. Then, early one recent morning, the police moved in with wrecking equipment and within hours reduced the market to a pile of collapsed shops and shattered plates. And then they set it on fire.” (2 pages)

Caving on Farm Bill Reform

“At a time when farm revenue and crop prices are at record highs, the administration recently sent a three page letter (pdf) to farm bill negotiators agreeing to go along with $10 billion in additional spending on top of the $597 billion already in the bill.”

University Funding Pulled for Anti-Biofuel Research

“Two soybean growers’ groups have suspended $1.5 million in funding from the University of Minnesota, due to research showing that biofuels could worsen global warming....” The report.

Earmarking: The Bleeding of America

Liberty Talk Radio audio link.

Ending the Earmark ATM

Lawsuit Could Force RIAA to Reveal Secrets

“Things will get very ugly over the next few months for the RIAA, if one disgruntled file sharing lawsuit victim gets her way.”

“Hail Hillary!” Clinton, Obama and the Militarization of U.S. Politics

Leftist Paul Street on the state of politics.

Entrepreneurs for Regulated Healthcare and Hillary Clinton?

“A CEO by the name of Mike Miller sent me an e-mail last week ribbing me about Inc.'s political bias, which he says is liberal.”

On Crutches and Crowbars: Toward a Labor Radical Case Against the Minimum Wage

“If I had a platform, it would be three words — Smash the State — and the programme I favor for implementing that is for each and every government program to be be abolished immediately, completely, and forever, whenever, wherever, in whatever order, and to whatever extent that we can, by hook, by crook, slingshot, canoe, wherever the political opportunity to do so presents itself.”

The Grand Canyon's New Older Age

“It's been an icon of the majesty of nature, a popular subject of photography and a must-see vacation destination, yet the Grand Canyon's exact age has long been a mystery.”

Alexander Mustard

A photo blog.