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POPSExtrajuducial Executions, American-Style the U.S. Constitution says, in its fifth amendment, that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law." The President signing an order does not constitute the due process of law; America broke its own constitution last week when it murdered Anwar al-Awlaki in a sovereign nation. Certainly there is great belief that he is guilty, and there are intelligence reports that suggest it, but the fact of the matter is that both have been wrong many times in the past, and they weren't even given the test of a trial. So, America proves itself to be an imperialistic, totalitarian, fascist nation by executing someone without a trial; something it is doing far too often lately. It's beginning to look like Obama's going to be in the dock with Bush and Cheney when it comes time for America's War Crimes Trials. Is it any wonder I'm so bloody nervous with those lunatics right under my nation? Two words: Splash Damage .
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POPSEpic drought broke the Ming dynasty: study I know I haven't read much on the 1870's drought taking tens of millions. I suppose our imperialistic attitudes kept that stuff out of the history books. (Only bloody heathens anyway - so to speak.) I know the Chinese were treated shockingly on the gold fields.
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POPSThe Next Great Discontinuity Sunday morning brunch at the "thought cafe", main course, "Grapholectic Thought and the Fallacy of Misplaced Concreteness" the waiter flicks his wrist reminding the table, "“There are things,which by their very nature are so dependent upon human caprice that they either exist or do not exist as soon as we desire that they should or should not exist.” and suddently I check my wallet to discover I'm out of time.
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POPSThe Orange Revolution Turns Blue
Yanukovich or Tymoshenko, that is the question. I draw two conclusions from this: 1.) Western spin and propaganda and covert political actions and agitation only have a short term effect. 2.) Major powers (like Russia, China, etc.) will not let their real interest (oil, gas) in their own backyard be seized by foreign powers from far away. I will miss, though, seeing the outgoing president in her traditional garb and hairstyle. For those of us who thought any of this was about Western powers concerns about freedom and democracy (here, & Iran another good example) - it would be good to think again. This means, too, I think, we're not going to be able to steal all the oil from the Caspian Sea, like we've been trying to do (like with the phony pretending to care about 'freedom and democracy' in the Republic of Georgia). It was a stupid, imperialistic pipe dream to begin with. Too far away. Taking over Haiti, at least, is more realistic. And Venezuela, of course. Or
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POPS"Jus Ad Bellum" - Seven Myths That Sustain War Jus Ad Bellum - the argument of a “just war” - is among the most specious and dangerous rationalizations that can be made to justify actions since it also authorizes any nation or group to use war to pursue and justify its actions.
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POPSHasan's Army Presentation--Is the U.S. at War with Islam?
The central issue. His entire presentation is at the "launch photo gallery" link. While the Wash Post spins this as an oddity it is clear he was invited and able to do this as a Psychiatrist, who are supposed to "get inside the minds" of the troubled soldiers. He identified closely with what he was describing as a psychiatrist and personal sympathizer. After all it is clear to many that the "war on terror" is ironically a Democratic Jihad on Islamic countries to roll them into the imperialistic "new world order" where non-conforming nations are branded "rogue" and "threats" (however minuscule) to the entire world. "Making the world safe (through war) for Democracy" has been the U.S. and British modus operandi since WWI. The agenda for militant democracy ,and for Global Government, has been out of the bag for almost a century. Note his final page (p. 50) and the Recommendation to release Muslim U.S. soldiers if they wish as conscientious objectors.
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POPSUS Troops Risk All for Safety of Chinese and USA imperialism? At first blush, the story sounds win-win: China "invests" in Afghanistan, hires out of work Afghans, helps stabilize economy. US troops make it safe for Chinese "private" company to exploit mineral resources. Exploit is the right word. Two thirds of the economies in the developing world are still structured by past imperialistic dictates to supply North America, Europe, and Japan with raw materials to make products for themselves and to sell worldwide are greater profit. So Afghan copper profits will go to Chinese banks and when copper runs out, what do Afghans have? In a number of African nations who have sold such rights to Chinese, they did not get the jobs either; the Chinese brought in Chinese workers. Imperialism 21st century style is no kinder than it was in 18th century.
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POPSIsrael steal Palestinian homes Once again, Israel proves that they're the imperialistic aggressors in the situation. This shows that they have no interest in peace with Palestinians; they mean to just impose their will on the Palestinians by force.
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POPSThe American Way of War
(3) Explain the invasion to the American public in simple moral terms suitable for middle-school children at an evangelical summer camp: We are bombing cities to bring the gift of democracy and American values, or to defeat some vague but frightening evil, perhaps lurking under the bed, or to get rid of a bad dictator no longer of service to us, or to bring freedom and prosperity to any survivors. (This doesn’t work in Europe, which is honestly imperialistic.) The public can then feel a sense of unappreciated virtue when the primitives resist. Sententious moralism should always trump reason. (4) A misunderstanding of military reality helps. Besides, comprehension would only lead to depression. As Napoleon said, or may have, in war the moral is to the material as three is to one, which implies that unpleasant facts should be played down in favor of cultivating a cheerful attitude. Most especially, it should not be noted that a few tens of thousands of determined, probably genetically
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POPSLost in (Non-)Translation Until Israel realizes that THEY are the unconscionable aggressors in this formula, they'll never achieve peace. The biggest hurdle to Middle East Peace isn't Al Qaida, or Hamas, or Iran; it's Israel's own aggressive, imperialistic, apartheid policies. Time to grow up and be big boys, Israel
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POPSIsreali Propaganda Cartoon There's a certain irony that someone from a nation that's actively stealing land from other people should hint that their victims have imperialistic intentions. Projecting much, buddy?
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POPSDaniel Barenboim - A Jewish Person I admire In case any of you thought that I was anti-Semitic... I could never be anti Semitic because the Arabs are a Semitic race and I admire the Arab Civilization. I spring from the Christian Tradition, which is a Semitic Religion. I could never be anti-Jewish because the Jews are people and I try to respect people. However,I am not obliged to admire any State and I am afraid that I do not admire the State of Israel.
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POPSRoot Causes of Goose Anger Right now America’s relationship with other species couldn’t be worse. Like most Americans, often when I’m hiking I find myself apologizing to woodland creatures for the actions of our illegitimate government. And like the rest of the world, I’m hopeful that once President Obama takes office, things will change, and that we will end our imperialistic attempts at hegemony over the rest of the planet. After all, if he can sit down with Iran and Hezbollah, he can sit down with the Geese.
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POPS Poland Signs On! Glorious News! So much for the idea that Russia could intimidate and cower Eastern Europe with this show of criminal violance. The bravery of the proud and mighty people of Poland shines through. Bravo Poles! You will not regret your decision.
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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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POPSGOP Beware: General Barack Obama Plans to Invade Finally, a Democratic candidate willing to go on the offensive, one willing to do more than merely defend the traditional blue states. This is great strategy: 1) Put the GOP on the defensive; 2) Appeal to the pocketbook; 3) Let McCain indulge his military imperialistic fantasies as his central campaign theme; which will only frighten the American people; 3) Meanwhile Obama will define himself AND McCain. And they said Obama doesn't have the instincts to be Commander and Chief! LOL!!!
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POPSEmpire versus democracy “A country can be democratic or it can be imperialistic, but it cannot be both." UC San Diego Professor Emeritus Chalmers Johnson, Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic .
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