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POPSThe Big Lie, Ctd
This is when it gets particularly truthy. The American war criminals then argue that although neither torture victim gave up the correct information, and one gave an entirely false lead, it was their refusal to tell the truth that proves torture worked! Seriously. It was the failure of torture to get accurate information that proves the validity of the torture! And here you see the psychology of the torturer in graphic light. They know what they did was inexcusable, un-American, evil. And so it must be justified in their minds. It's about as desperate an argument as you can imagine. But desperation is clearly necessary. Jose Rodriguez, the former CIA chief, admits he destroyed the video evidence of the war crimes he authorized and now tries to spin away his disgraceful conduct. Ditto John Yoo. These allegedly independent commentators have a vested personal interest in making this absurd case, even as their torture techniques have been exposed as having provided false information...
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POPSObama Plan Too Conservative For Conservatives? "Obama's health proposals would be too right-wing for Europe's conservatives." Here is a list of countries that have some form of universal health care: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_health_care I wonder if the people who like their heath care in these countries enjoy being called socialists and communists by some of these groups in the US. I would think they find it rather insulting. I have seen some videos where they seem to really resent it. The rhetoric needs to change, the name calling does us no good and also is degrading to those in these other countries, I am sure they do not consider themselves communists just because they have health coverage and progressive taxes! I would like to hear from people in those countries with universal or social health care. Are you now living in a communist or socialist country?
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POPSThe Story of the White poppy By the end of the war the guildswomen had learned first hand the extent to which war could profoundly affect and harm their lives. Many of them were the wives, mothers and sisters of men who had been killed. They embarked on an active campaign for peace. By 1933 they were searching for a symbol which could be worn by guildswomen who wanted to show publicly that they were against war and for nonviolence. Someone came up with the idea of a white poppy. Workers from the Co-operative Wholesale Society began making the poppies almost at once. Money from selling them, after the production costs had been paid for, was sent to help war-resisters and conscientious objectors in Europe. The wearing of a white poppy on Armistice Day became a focus for the peace movement, and the Peace Pledge Union took it up in 1936 as 'a definite pledge to peace that war must not happen again'.
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POPSShare The Sacrifice Act of 2010 “Regardless of whether one favors the war or not, if it is to be fought, it ought to be paid for,” the lawmakers, all prominent Democratic allies of Obama, said in a joint statement on the “Share The Sacrifice Act of 2010.” The proposal, a heavily symbolic measure seen as having next to no chance of becoming law, would impose a war surtax on income beginning in 2011 — though it would allow the president to delay implementation by one year upon deciding the US economy is too weak to sustain such a tax shift. “The only people who've paid any price for our military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan are our military families,” the lawmakers said. “We believe that if this war is to be fought, it's only fair that everyone share the burden.”
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POPSInvested In War n 2004, the first full year after the current Iraq war began, Republican and Democratic lawmakers-both hawks and doves invested between $74.9 million and 161.3 million in companies under contract with the DoD. No wonder the Democratic congress kept approving the enormous spending bills on the war, since a significant portion of it happens to end up in their deep pockets. Interestingly, the report also mentioned that members of the senate foreign relations and armed services committees which oversee the Iraq war had between $32 million and $44 million invested in companies with DoD contracts. The burning questions for many people are the following: Are there any ethics left in politics? Could the universe ever exist without wars? The answer is no, because wars have been a major part of our social make up, in addition they force geostrategic changes, make profits for the elite, and reduce population.
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POPSThis Is Amazing! The Ravages of War In Sand This is an amazing political video. Sand artist Kseniya Simonova won Ukraine's Got Talent competition with her sand art interpretation of what Germany's invasion during World War II did to her people. First minute is slow, but turn on your speakers and sit back for an awesome display of story-telling. -JoeDanger (Daily Paul)
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POPSAnti-War Protests In Israel No organisation called for the demonstration – but more than a thousand men and women gathered spontaneously in order to protest in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel-Aviv, only a few hours after the murderous Air Force attack on the Gaza strip started. "I know there has been a lot of generalizations and criticizing of the Israeli people during these wars, so I figured I'd share with you another side of the story you wouldn't see on TV." (sean57, DP~Thanks)
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POPSWhose Iraq Predictions Have Come True? The American people deserve better. Being asked to endorse such a farce is beyond insulting. Clearly, the rosy predictions of the neoconservatives from before the war are not coming true. Far from it! With a straight face, one official estimated the TOTAL cost of reconstruction in Iraq would be just $1.7 billion. Turns out that we spend more than that in ONE WEEK. Our friends are not pitching in to cover the cost. Expenses are not being covered by oil from a grateful and liberated Iraqi people. Rather, big corporate interests are benefiting, the price of oil has more than quadrupled, and the American economy is on its knees and sinking fast. No one predicted the exact course of this war before it started. But to continue to listen to the foreign policy advice of those that were the MOST off-base will only lead to more foreign policy disasters.
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POPSAn Anti-Imperialist Foreign Policy The nation is now governed by powerful interests who have purchased their position of control. It is in their interests to keep people afraid and angry at some foreign enemy. Even better for them is a worldwide, never-ending war on terror. This is the perfect war for the military-industrial -congressional complex. The people are beginning to wake up to the disastrous effects of the current policies. Ultimately, as the dollar declines in value, other countries and investors who have been buying U.S. debt instruments will discontinue their purchases. At that point, the government will not be able to keep the printing presses going to continue to finance this enormous military machine. All empires eventually collapse because of the high cost of maintaining an empire by force. "The budget should be balanced. Public debt should be reduced. The arrogance of officialdom should be tempered, and assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome become bankrupt." - Cicero
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POPSWar is a Racket Wars are really a continuous stream of coordinated acts of terrorism, related to money and power instigated by the people who will benefit from the war and its expected end result. War is an instrument to expand economic power by destroying the national institutions and intelligent people of the victimized nation.
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POPS"You Furnish the Pictures and I'll Furnish the War" Both repeatedly called for armed intervention, then later, all-out war. The atrocities General Weyler committed in Cuba were massively hyped and sensationalized in the US newspapers, then engaged in a practice known as "yellow journalism". The two kingpins of the press at the time were William R. Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, who were embroiled in a vicious circulation war, in which Hearst even "stole" Pulitzer's most popular writers by convincing them to defect through promises of money and positions. Hearst's major publication was the New York Journal and Pulitzer's publication was the New York World. In order to grow their circulations, both men were willing to go so far as to make up stories. The Spanish-American War was not the height of Hearst's power. Afterwards, he continued to grow his media empire for several decades, and even successfully ran for a seat in Congress. Hearst was the rough basis for the wealthy journalist-baron in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane.
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POPSSpanish-American War The U.S. government was also moved by the heavy losses of American investment in Cuba caused by the guerrilla warfare, an appreciation of the strategic importance of the island to Central America and a projected isthmian canal there, and a growing sense of U.S. power in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. There was an unspoken threat of intervention. This grew sharper after the insurgents, refusing a Spanish offer of partial autonomy, determined to fight for full freedom. The warfare that commenced was short and very one-sided. Peace was arranged by the Treaty of Paris signed Dec. 10, 1898 (ratified by the U.S. Senate, Feb. 6, 1899). The Spanish Empire was practically dissolved. Cuba was freed, but under U.S. tutelage by terms of the Platt Amendment (see under Platt, Orville), with Spain assuming the Cuban debt. Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to the United States as indemnity, and the Philippines were surrendered to the United States for a payment of $20 million.
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POPSThe Big Promise of Elections '08 = More War! More Debt! Both McCain and Obama have made it clear, (as Obama has stated) "War with Iran is not off the table." But if we listen, both have also spoken about going into Pakistan, about "protecting Israel" no matter the cost, and even if it involves military action. So what the elections have come down to, on both the left and the right, is that there is no anti-war candidate left, nor is there one who seems to have any ideas that will rescue the economy and recover the increasing deficit.
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POPSNo one is collateral damage-woman arrested Dressed in the ancient mourning symbols of sackcloth and ashes, a senior citizen protesting war was arrested twice Friday, and violated a stay away order. For the sixth and seventh times this year, Eve Tetaz, 75, a retired D.C. public schoolteacher was arrested for nonviolently protesting the illegal and immoral war and occupation of Iraq. "All life is sacred," Tetaz said. "No one is collateral damage."
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POPSWomen (and little girls) facing war Mah-Bibi at ten years old is destitute and begs for food to support herself and her younger brothers. Women tell their own individual stories of how their lives have been affected by war. Coping with displacement, physical and sexual violence, missing relatives, widowhood, detention... challenges and difficulties that these and thousands of other women must face in their daily lives.
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POPSSupport the Troops, Oppose the Policy This is a very insightful sight. I deeply appreciate the sacrifices of all who have served, and believe they should all have their voices heard, not just the ones the administration likes to parade out.
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