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Inside the New Print Edition of Our Subscriber-Only Newsletter!
Why the Bush-Cheney Gang
Shouldn't Leave the JurisdictionStephen Green details the crimes that opened the Bush gang to arrest warrants and sealed indictments. Eamonn McCann describes how a secret state scheme saw 150,000 children “exported” to Australia to stock that continent with white Christians. No, Barack Obama isn’t the best guide to Saul Alinksy’s ideas on organizing. Mike Miller on movement building in the 1960s and today. Get your new edition today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and t-shirts make great presents.
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Today's Stories November 26, 2009 Vijay Prashad November 25, 2009 Dave Lindorff Marjorie Cohn Belén Fernández Ralph Nader Rannie Amiri Missy Beattie Rob Stone, MD Health Care Delusions: Better Than Nothing? Norm Kent Binoy Kampmark Handing It to France: the Sporting Trial of Thierry Henry Ron Ridenour Website of the Day November 24, 2009 Mary Lynn Cramer Dean Baker George Ciccariello-Maher Eric Walberg Andy Thayer David Macaray Laura Carlsen Gary Leupp Adam Federman William S. Lind Mission Creep: Counter-Insurgency in Salinas? Website of the Day November 23, 2009 Paul Craig Roberts Jonathan Cook Edward S. Herman / David Peterson Bouthaina Shaaban Helen Redmond Rannie Amiri Dave Lindorff Rev. William E. Alberts Mike Whitney Mark Weisbrot David Michael Green November 20-22, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Gareth Porter Mike Whitney Fred Gardner James J. Brittain Jonathan Cook Alan Farago David Macaray Binoy Kampmark Ben Sonnenberg Ron Jacobs David Yearsley Brenda Norrell Ron Ridenour November 19, 2009 Christopher Ketcham Shamus Cooke John V. Walsh Saul Landau Ralph Nader Nikolas Kozloff Fred Gardner Charles R. Larson John A. Murphy Jayne Lyn Stahl November 18, 2009 Uri Avnery John Ross Conn Hallinan Mike Whitney Ray McGovern Nelson P. Valdés Ramzy Baroud Ron Ridenour November 17, 2009 Mike Whitney Jayne Lyn Stahl Brian M. Downing Jonathan Cook Joanne Mariner Dean Baker Martha Rosenberg Danny Weil David Macaray Laura Flanders Walter Brasch November 16, 2009 Alan Nasser Jonathan Cook Mark Weisbrot Carol Miller Gary Leupp Harry Clark Ray McGovern Norman Solomon Ron Ridenour Norm Kent Brenda Norrell November 13-15, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Patrick Cockburn Tariq Ali Douglas Lummis Vijay Prashad Carl Ginsburg Manuel García, Jr. Rannie Amiri Mary Lynn Cramer Fred Gardner Dave Lindorff Robert Jensen David Macaray Corporate Crime Reporter Ron Jacobs David Model John V. Walsh Jon Mitchell Stuart Easterling Dan Bacher Franklin Lamb Farzana Versey Charles R. Larson Saul Landau David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Poets' Basement
November 12, 2009 Robert Weissman Franklin Spinney Nadia Hijab Afshin Rattansi Paul Craig Roberts Ralph Nader Belén Fernández Allan J. Lichtman Dave Lindorff Jayne Lyn Stahl November 11, 2009 Andrew Cockburn Mike Whitney Rev. Jesse Jackson Jeff Nygaard Stewart J. Lawrence James Ridgeway Eamonn McCann Michael Ortiz Hill Shepherd Bliss Walter Brasch November 10, 2009 Ellen Cantarow Dean Baker Rose Ann DeMoro Ramzy Baroud Peter Lee Dave Lindorff Roberto Rodriguez Winslow T. Wheeler Alan Farago Joseph Grosso November 9, 2009 Patrick Cockburn Linn Washington Carl Ginsburg Jeff Leys John A. Murphy John Halle Bouthaina Shaaban James Ridgeway Dave Lindorff David Macaray Stephen Fleischman Website of the Day November 6-8, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Mark Grueter Paul Craig Roberts Patrick Cockburn Gareth Porter Mike Whitney James Bovard Dean Baker Robert Lawless Saul Landau Jayne Lyn Stahl Stephanie Westbrook M. Shahid Alam Marc Levy Franklin Lamb Ron Jacobs David Ker Thomson John V. Whitbeck Julien Mercille Rannie Amiri John Ross David Michael Green Carl Finamore Farzana Versey Missy Comley Beattie Charles R. Larson David Yearsley Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement November 5, 2009 Pam Martens Vijay Prashad Brian Gallagher Norman Solomon Nadia Hijab Joseph Shansky Andy Thayer Tracy Rosenberg Website of the Day November 4, 2009 Stan Cox Andy Worthington From Gitmo to Palau: Who are the Uighurs? Robert Weissman Susan Galleymore Ralph Nader Michael Leonardi Bitta Mistofi Robert Bryce Martha Rosenberg Dave Lindorff Website of the Day November 3, 2009 Patrick Cockburn Mike Whitney Franklin C. Spinney Laura Carlsen Serge Halimi John Stanton Sophia Weeks Dave Lindorff November 2, 2009 Steven Higgs Ishmael Reed David Macaray Bouthaina Shaaban David Michael Green David Swanson Ellen Brown Adam Federman James McEnteer Stephen Fleischman Website of the Day October 30 - Nov. 1, 2009 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair / Carl Ginsburg Mike Whitney Joe Bageant Gareth Porter Saul Landau Anthony DiMaggio Dave Lindorff Rannie Amiri Niranjan Ramakrishnan Jayne Lyn Stahl Rev. William E. Alberts Alvaro Huerta Martha Rosenberg Binoy Kampmark Norm Kent Charles R. Larson Roth's "The Humbling:" Nothing Like a Novel From an Old Pro Ron Jacobs David Yearsley Lorenzo Wolff Kim Nicolini Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend October 29, 2009 Michael Neumann Mike Whitney Gary Leupp Conn Hallinan Marshall Auerback Laura Flanders Eamonn McCann David Macaray Mark Weisbrot Stephen Soldz Christopher Brauchli Website of the Day October 28, 2009 Moshe Adler Dave Lindorff Frank Joseph Smecker Alexandra Early M. Shahid Alam Vijay Prashad John Ross Franklin Lamb Gregory Travis Susan Galleymore Website of the Day October 27, 2009 Mike Whitney Patrick Cockburn Stewart J. Lawrence Alan Farago Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Bouthaina Shaaban Brian M. Downing Elections in Afghanistan, the Second Time Around Iain Boal Carl Finamore Jayne Lyn Stahl Website of the Day October 26, 2009 Bill Quigley / Paul Craig Roberts Uri Avnery Mike Whitney Michael Snedeker Shamus Cooke David Michael Green Martha Rosenberg Patrick Bond Binoy Kampmark Website of the Day
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The Needs of the MajorityA Surge in Demands on Goverment for JobsBy ANN ROBERTSON and BILL LEUMER Thanks to the government bailout, bankers and brokers are now self-righteously pocketing their record bonuses, reassured by Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein that they are doing “God’s work” (The New York Times, November 17, 2009). There is no humility in these quarters. Yet working people continue to be battered by relentlessly rising unemployment, caused by an economic crisis they had no part in creating. Officially the rate stands at 10.2 percent with the unofficial rate hovering around 17.5 percent, since it also includes part-time workers wanting full-time work and those who are discouraged and no longer looking for work. Both statistics are on the verge of rising. Blacks and Latinos are, as usual, bearing the brunt of the job crisis with the official unemployment rates of 15.7 percent and 13.1 percent respectively. Worse yet, these grim statistics are accompanied by the highest foreclosure rates, not only because job loss is frequently followed by home loss but because banks actually targeted blacks and Latinos for subprime loans, even though many of them qualified for regular loans. Thus, they were required to pay much higher interest rates simply because of their race or ethnicity. A recent report from the William C. Velasquez Institute noted: “…across the country, blacks and Latinos were anywhere from two to nine times as likely as whites to have those kinds [higher cost mortgage] of loans. (The New York Times, November 17, 2009). Meanwhile millions of workers who are receiving unemployment insurance are about to see their benefits terminate. Federal extensions of unemployment insurance are scheduled to end for many workers on December 31, and workers who lost their jobs after July 1 are not currently eligible to receive any extensions whatsoever. (The New York Times, November 18, 2009). Although Wall Street brought the economy to its knees through recklessness and greed, the government has responded with generosity beyond belief, rewarding it with a staggering total of $12.8 trillion in the form of taxpayer loans, grants and guarantees, according to Bloomberg News. (See David Sirota, San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2009). And one must keep in mind that these people were already absurdly rich. For them, it is not a question of trying to hold on to the little they have. But when it comes to working people, who lack the luxury of having multiple mansions to cushion any downturn, suddenly the government cannot afford to help, except by offering lip service and a few crumbs. This month, the Obama administration announced that its $789 billion stimulus created or saved as many as 640,000 jobs but immediately found itself on the defensive as the government watchdog countered that this number could not be substantiated while others argued it was surely inflated. Given that job losses have amounted to hundreds of thousands each month with a total of 7.3 million losses thus far, even if the administration’s number were accurate, it amounts to the offer of a mere bandaid to a patient who is hemorrhaging to death. When he was on the campaign trail, Obama trumpeted job-creation programs across the country. Now he is backtracking rapidly. In an interview with Fox News, Obama spoke only vaguely about such programs and qualified even these timid remarks by cautioning that “it is important though to recognize that if we keep on adding to the debt, even in the midst of this recovery, that at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy in a way that could actually lead to a double-dip recession.” With little help in sight from the administration, the NAACP has joined with the AFL-CIO and the National Council of La Raza to call on Obama “for increased spending for schools and roads, billions of dollars in fiscal relief to state and local governments to forestall more layoffs and a direct government jobs program.” (The New York Times, November 16, 2009). This call is contributing to a growing chorus demanding relief from the agonizing plight of unemployment. Recently, for example, the National Assembly, a nationwide antiwar coalition, adjusted its orientation and placed jobs as its number one demand, ranking it above ending the wars. In September, Michael Moore premiered his new movie, “Capitalism: A Love Story,” at the AFL-CIO national convention, resulting in a rousing reception. Moore urged the AFL-CIO to call a national protest day in Washington, D.C. to fight for jobs and health care. Last week, Minnesota’s AFL-CIO President called on Minnesota’s Congressional delegation and the state legislature to create “an aggressive new jobs program.” Wisconsin’s State Federation of Labor adopted a similar position. The Troy Labor Council in New York has called on the AFL-CIO to organize a demonstration in Washington, D.C. to demand job-creation programs and peace, among other things. The AFT (American Federation of Teachers) Local 1021, covering 10,000 members and part of UTLA (United Teachers of Los Angeles), passed a resolution on November 12 calling on the labor movement to organize a Solidarity Day III demonstration to demand jobs. A resolution has been submitted to the U.S. Labor Against War’s upcoming National Assembly, which will be held in early December, also calling for the labor movement to organize a Solidarity Day III demonstration to demand jobs and an end to U.S. wars, among other things. Finally, the Workers Emergency Recovery Campaign (WERC), an emerging grassroots, national organization, worked with members of the San Francisco Labor Council and others who introduced a similar resolution to the Council which was passed on November 23. The WERC has a more concise version of the resolution that can be used as a model for anyone wishing to introduce a similar resolution in his or her union local. The banks have been lobbying intensely for their own interests, and their efforts have been met with stunning success. We working people need to mount a campaign to pressure the government to respond our needs. After all, we are the vast majority of the population, and the government should respond to the needs of the majority instead of ignoring us in favor of a fabulously rich minority. By mounting a massive united struggle, we can succeed! Ann Robertson is a Lecturer at San Francisco State University and a member the California Faculty Association. Bill Leumer is a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 853 (ret.). Both are writers for Workers Action and may be reached at sanfrancisco@workerscompass.org.
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Now Available from CounterPunch Books! Yellowstone Drift:
"Powerful and shocking .. Waiting for
Lightning
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