Remember: Christ was a Palestinian refugee
Justice Initiative – December 22, 2019 – Heather Gray and Hamid Dabashi
https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Jesus-was-Palestinian.html?soid=1109359583686&aid=8RwE4AauenQ
Generations of European depiction of Christ as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed white man have made it difficult for European and North American Christians today to imagine him for what he was: a Jewish Palestinian refugee child who grew up to become a towering revolutionary figure… The very simple fact that Palestinians have historically been Jews, Christians, and Muslims was hard to digest… By extension, also the very simple fact that Christ and Mary are two seminal figures in the Quran has also been seen as a strange proposition in this banality… Merry Christmas everyone! Remember Christ was a Palestinian refugee – a Jewish Palestinian refugee, who is the founding figure of Christianity, and a beloved prophet for Muslims. The rest is commentary.
Why the Editor of Christianity Today Decided to Rebuke Trump
The New Yorker – December 21, 2019 – Isaac Chotiner
https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/why-the-editor-of-christianity-today-decided-to-rebuke-trump
Whether Mr. Trump should be removed from office by the Senate or by popular vote next election—that is a matter of prudential judgment. That he should be removed, we believe, is not a matter of partisan loyalties but loyalty to the Creator of the Ten Commandments… We have gotten to a point where the deficiencies are so dangerous to the health of our nation, to the office of the Presidency, to the health and reputation of the evangelical church, and, ultimately, to the one we claim ultimate allegiance—to the reputation of Jesus Christ… I think Trump is no longer fit for office. He is inculcating attitudes that are destructive to the health of society.
The Cruelty of a Trump Christmas
The New York Times – December 23, 2019 – Paul Krugman
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/23/opinion/ebenezer-scrooge-trump.html
By Trump-era standards, Ebenezer Scrooge was a nice guy… While Dickens portrays Scrooge as a miser, he’s notably lacking in malice… What Trump has brought to his party is a new willingness to be openly vicious… We’d be in much better shape if Trump and company were merely heartless misers. What they really are is much, much worse.
Federal Criminal Offenses and the Impeachment of Donald J. Trump
Just Security – December 26, 2019 – Andrew Weissmann, Sam Berger, Randall Eliason, Barbara McQuade, Paul Seamus Ryan, Susan Simpson, Gary Stein and Michael Stern
https://www.justsecurity.org/67738/federal-criminal-offenses-and-the-impeachment-of-donald-j-trump/
This collection of leading legal experts discusses a range of federal crimes that apply to the conduct of President Donald Trump, based on the evidence produced by the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry.
The Propaganda Multiplier
Information Clearinghouse – December 20, 2019 – Swiss Propaganda Research translated by Terje Maloy
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/52738.htm
It is one of the most important aspects of our media system, and yet hardly known to the public: most of the international news coverage in Western media is provided by only three global news agencies based in New York, London and Paris. The key role played by these agencies means Western media often report on the same topics, even using the same wording. In addition, governments, military and intelligence services use these global news agencies as multipliers to spread their messages around the world.
The US Gov’t Lied About Success in the Afghanistan War . . . and in Vietnam
Informed Comment – December 23, 2019 – Gordon Adams
https://www.juancole.com/2019/12/success-afghanistan-vietnam.html
The failure of the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan has been known for years. Virtually none of the U.S. goals have been met. These goals included a strong, democratic, uncorrupt central government; the defeat of the Taliban; eliminating the poppy fields that contribute to the world’s heroin problem; an effective military and police and creating a healthy, diversified economy… After more than 30 years of policy work, government experience, teaching and research, I see no mystery here. Concealment, deception and outright lies have characterized U.S. national security policy for decades – from the overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran and Guatemala to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and more… Why has The Washington Post series not been explosive?… The mild reaction to lying in plain sight about Afghanistan suggests the U.S. may be well down the road to unravelling government’s credibility and our democracy altogether.
This Story on Cellphone Tracking ‘Is the Most Important Article You Should Read Today. Period.
Common Dreams – December 19, 2019 – Jessica Corbett
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/12/19/story-cellphone-tracking-most-important-article-you-should-read-today-period
The New York Times published the first piece in its “One Nation, Tracked” investigation based on a data set with over 50 billion location pings… Think of what an authoritarian state is already doing with this technology… The reporters described the data collected from smartphones as “a diary of your every movement.”… The ACLU responded to the Times report with a call to action directed at Congress, tweeting: “This investigation exposes the disastrous implications of living in a society where companies are allowed to turn our cell phones into always-on tracking devices with zero legal limitations or oversight. Action from lawmakers is already years overdue.”
In ‘Strongest’ Climate Ruling Yet, Dutch Court Orders Leaders to Take Action
The New York Times – December 20, 2019 – John Schwartz
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/20/climate/netherlands-climate-lawsuit.html
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands on Friday ordered the government to cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent from 1990 levels by the end of 2020. It was the first time a nation has been required by its courts to take action against climate change. Because of climate change, “the lives, well being and living circumstances of many people around the world, including in the Netherlands, are being threatened,” Kees Streefkerk, the chief justice, said in the decision. “Those consequences are happening already.”
The inside story of anti-nuke activists’ raid on Ga. Navy base
The Atlanta Journal-Constiution – December 25, 2019 – Joshua Sharpe
https://www.ajc.com/news/crime–law/the-inside-story-anti-nuke-activists-raid-georgia-naval-base/yaRAk27381fb5e0JoWAabL/?fbclid=IwAR0I4KuFa7MtQiAS8YxEbI30tyR_z7zdfFgZW7NqzoUjdIorXXuLS3wpmc8
There were seven of them, all Catholic activists from around the U.S. The seven are part of a movement to end all possession of nuclear weapons. The movement is not new, but has taken on life in recent years, especially after a period of brinkmanship between the U.S. and North Korea. Pope Francis’ public statements “firmly condemning” nuclear weapons has emboldened them.
More Than Half of Doctors Get Industry Payments/Meals: Poll
Medscape – December 20, 2019 – Marcia Frellick
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/922816?nlid=133170_451&src=WNL_mdplsfeat_191224_mscpedit_peds&uac=214883BN&spon=9&impID=2219725&faf=1
More than half of physicians (57%) who responded to a recent Medscape poll said they accepted meals or payments from a drug or device maker last year. However, a substantial portion of physicians said meals and/or payments should never be acceptable, and they believe such actions always or often influence physician practice.
5 Ways to Stop Corporations From Ruining the Future of Work
Robert Reich’s Blog – December 26, 2019
https://robertreich.org/post/189857245540
We shouldn’t think of emerging technologies as things we have no control over – as if they just happen automatically, inevitably. We have the power to shape technological progress. We need to assert our roles as workers and members of a democratic society to ensure that new technologies benefit all of us… First, workers need a stronger voice, from the boardroom to the shop floor… What makes a corporation uniquely competitive is its people – how its workers utilize the new technologies… Third, we need to rebuild strong collaboration between government and business in researching and developing new technologies, so they work for the benefit of all.
How American Oligarchy Works
Reader Supported News – Robert Reich’s Facebook Page – December 28, 2019
https://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/60510-focus-how-american-oligarchy-works
Today’s example: Billionaire Paul Singer’s Elliott Management hedge fund, which has launched a campaign to lay off workers, sell off key assets, and extract huge short-term profits at AT&T – the iconic $270 billion company with 257,000 employees… Not surprisingly, many policies enacted under Trump and Senate Republicans have benefitted Singer — including corporate tax cuts, the shrinking of governmental agencies, and the aggressive elimination of regulations, particularly in the financial industry. This is how the American oligarchy works, friends.
Crisis Looms in Antibiotics as Drug Makers Go Bankrupt
The New York Times – December 26, 2019 – Andrew Jacobs
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/25/health/antibiotics-new-resistance.html
The problem is straightforward: The companies that have invested billions to develop the drugs have not found a way to make money selling them. Most antibiotics are prescribed for just days or weeks — unlike medicines for chronic conditions like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis that have been blockbusters — and many hospitals have been unwilling to pay high prices for the new therapies. Political gridlock in Congress has thwarted legislative efforts to address the problem.
The Key to the Environmental Crisis Is Beneath Our Feet
Global Research – December 29, 2019 – Ellen Brown
https://www.globalresearch.ca/key-environmental-crisis-beneath-our-feet/5698996
Our most powerful partner is nature itself, which over hundreds of millions of years has evolved the most efficient carbon sequestration system on the planet. As David Perry writes on the World Economic Forum website:.. So how can we increase the carbon content of soil? Through “regenerative” farming practices, says Perry, including planting cover crops, no-till farming, rotating crops, reducing chemicals and fertilizers, and managed grazing (combining trees, forage plants and livestock together as an integrated system, a technique called “silvopasture”). These practices have been demonstrated to drive carbon into the soil and keep it there, resulting in carbon-enriched soils that are healthier and more resilient to extreme weather conditions and show improved water permeability, preventing the rainwater runoff that contributes to rising sea levels and rising temperatures… Farmers are locked into a system that is destroying their farmlands and the planet, because a handful of giant agribusinesses have captured Congress and the regulators. One proposed solution is to transfer the $20 billion in subsidies that now go mainly to Big Ag into a fund to compensate small farmers who transition to regenerative practices.
Can We Get the Money Out of Politics?
Yes! Magazine – December 3, 2019 – Chris Winters
https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2019/12/03/money-politics-campaign/
If we can’t change it outright, maybe a workaround is the best option going forward. Just as the National Popular Vote movement is an attempt to sidestep the Electoral College to ensure the president is elected by the people rather than the states, there are examples and steps we can follow to help get the money out of politics. Seattle, Albuquerque, New York state and other municipalities are living up to the old adage of the states—and more often cities—being the “laboratories of democracy.” We can only hope that if those local labs cook up a successful treatment for the sickness in our system, all Americans will begin demanding it for themselves.