16
POPSGI's in Iraq no longer True Believers From the article: Safstrom, for example, comes from a thoroughly military family. His mother and father have served in the armed forces, as have his three sisters, one brother and several uncles. One week after the Sept. 11 attacks, he walked into a recruiter's office and joined the army. "You guys want to start a fight in my backyard, I got something for you," he recalls thinking at the time. But in Safstrom's view, the American presence is futile. "If we stayed here for 5, even 10 more years, the day we leave here these guys will go crazy," he said. "It would go straight into a civil war. That's how it feels, like we're putting a Band-Aid on this country until we leave here.
14
POPSThe American Public is Sick of Bush's False Bravado The public wants Bush to be accountable and to hold the Iraqi government accountable. They are tired of having the president permit more of our brave service people killed or maimed, and our treasury being depleted indefinitely while the Iraqi government does nothing to reach any benchmarks, and actually plan to go on vacation for two months as our soldiers continue to bleed and die in the stinking heat of Baghdad and the rest of Iraq, I really hope the public stands firm and strong, and insists that the congress force a meaningful set of benchmarks with real consequences for the Iraqi government failing to meet them. They should also tell them that if the Iraqi government takes the summer off, so are our troops. They need the rest far more than the politicians do.
14
POPSThe side effects of Ritilin "How many future Beethovens, Thomas Jeffersons, Ernest Hemingways, Martin Luther Kings and Maya Angelous are we currently drugging into stupors in our schools and nation? Men and women of greatness are probably the least likely to sit still and do the normal schoolwork directed at the average student. How many non-drugged kids would have never become famous, but would have been able to hold a job at Wal-Mart, get married, have kids, go bowling, collect the next Beanie Babies, attend church, and enjoy life but are now doomed to become drug addicts, felons, and just plain psychotic?"
13
POPSReport on Resistentialism Resistentialism, a sombre, post-atomic philosophy of pagan, despairing nobility, advocates complete withdrawal from Things..;-)
12
POPSSayōnara, George. Yellow Ribbon time for Japanese It's been three long years Do ya still want me? If I don't see a ribbon round the old oak tree I'll stay on the bus Forget about us Put the blame on me If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree Bus driver, please look for me 'cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see I'm really still in prison And my love, she holds the key A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free I wrote and told her please Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree It's been three long years Do ya still want me? If I don't see a ribbon round the old oak tree I'll stay on the bus Forget about us Put the blame on me If I don't see a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree Now the whole damned bus is cheerin' And I can't believe I see A hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree I'm comin' home Sorry, no Japanese translation.
11
POPSLearning from history: the British pullout from Iraq, 1932 Maj. Joel Rayburn, a historian and officer now posted to CENTCOM, writes about the dangers of a too-hasty exit from Iraq, drawing on the British experience post-WWI. I need to read this more carefully, but it seems his ideas present a pretty strong rebuke to both Republican and Democratic positions on the war right now. He says: a purely military approach, which is what the administration is pushing (though they claim not to be) will probably make things worse, but leaving now would probably be just as bad. From Foreign Affairs; a cached version.
10
POPSU.S. Perpetuates Mass Killings In Iraq
I couldn't care less who wins the elections. Looking at both candidates, it seems America isn't the least bit interested in real change. Is anyone asking the candidates about what they are going to do about the US' slow but steady slide into fascism? Or about limiting presidential power? Or about banning torture? Or about the return of Habeus Corpus? Or about extraordinary renditions and secret prisons? Or about preemptive aggression? Or about making your war criminals pay for their crimes? Hmm? Anyone? No. No. Let's just keep it entertaining, low key and unsubstantial. Let's talk about lipstick! Yeah! Blacks vs whites, Democrats vs Republicans, pro-life vs pro-choice, Christians vs atheists blah blah blah... "Divide and conquer!". The power elite working behind the scenes have that pat down and the US citizenry is blissfully (perhaps willingly) oblivious... *shaking my head in disbelief* Oops! No time to comment any more! The O'Reilly Factor's on! No spin! Really!
10
POPSBETRAYED I am sickened by those elected officials who ignore their constituents. Especially Clinton & Obama who cast their "nay" votes by the time it made no difference.
10
POPSProblem Drinking One of the most characteristic manifestations of problem drinking is denial. This often shows as 'humour', laughing about alcohol with the support of fellow jokers.
9
POPSThe Law of the Conservation of Violence
Edward S. Herman's article on Z-Net, touches some important points: Can we expect a "way different" (and peaceful) international policy , if Obama wins? Do the Democrats promise to put an end to that "muscular foreign policy" which have harmed America's image for years? An interesting read. Both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on the campaign trail called for a larger army to meet U.S. "defense" needs. Now Obama wants us to take on a bigger commitment to violence. This will keep the arms cargo ships and planes busy and the bomb factories and plane and missile factories working at full capacity. Of course, those wanting infrastructure improvements and resources will have to wait and "hope" for a better future after our enemies are defeated and full hegemony and stability are established. They need a good dollop of "vision." The law of conservation of the level of violence thus rests on the structure of power and its reflection in politics. If you want to compete
9
POPSDefense Official: Russia Has Short Range Missiles in S. Ossetia Surely no one believes that Russia has any intentions of leaving. Hello EU. Hello UN. Hello US....etc. The radical Islamic forces and the dictatorial regimes are progressing further and further as the *free world* talks about how unacceptable their aggression is to the World.
9
POPSTrent Lott gets bashful According to this article, Republicans are going to wait for 2-3 months to see if there are any improvements in Iraq, before demanding a withdrawal. Via Josh Marshall
4
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update