Stop the Persecution of Mordechai Vanunu

Israeli dissident, Mordechai Vanunu (greatest name ever?), who served 18 years for speaking out about Israel's nuclear weapons program, is facing more jail time for "speaking to foreign journalists." We hear lots about the great democracy in the land of Zion but not so much about comrade Mordechai.

Here's more about MV.

The New Gilded Age

News of the Wierd
FUNNY TIMES
Chuck Sheperd
4/2007
In findings that surely could be matched in the United States, the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives reported that the country's
100 highest-paid business executives had, by 9:46 AM pn January 2, 2007,
earned an amount equal to what the average Canadian would earn in all
2007. And THE NEW YORK TIMES reported that Wall Street bonuses for 2006
were so large that one real estate broker complained about New York City's
shortage of $20 million properties and a Greenwich, CT [I lived there,
P.B.-S.] Ferrari dealer complained that Ferrari had'nt manufactured enough
599 GTB Fioranos (price about $250,000) to fill his customers' orders.

[Nota Bene: the story concerns "managers," not the ultimate owners or the
super-rich in the upper-class.]

Richard Gere Burned in Effigy

Now there's a movement I can get behind. Kidding, once again the morality police on patrol against fun and a little display of sexuality.

The World of Paul Wolofowitz

Andrew Cockburn on the wacky world of Paul Wolfowitz.

Bad Hijab

Hundreds arrested for bad Hijab in Iran. Yikes!

Estonians Remove Memorial to the Red Army and the Defeat of the NAZI's

Liberation from the NAZI's? Most Estonians don't think so as they try to remove all remnants of the Soviet past. Estonians are at the vanguard of the neo-liberal counter-revolution and want nothing to do with the Soviet past. This is a real sore spot for the Russians and many Russians that live in this tiny Baltic state that has aspirations to Scandinavianess.

From the DNC

Two of the talking points from Harry Reid's office:

1) Transitions the U.S. mission away from policing a civil war to training
and equipping Iraqi security forces, protecting U.S. forces and conducting
targeted counter-terror operations.

2) Begins the phased redeployment of our troops no later than October 1,
2007 with a goal of removing all combat forces by April 1, 2008, except for
those carrying out security, training and counter-terror operations.

There's more but I thought these two the most salient.

1) The operative word here is "transition." Just exchange the word(s) counter-terror for counter-insurgency and you have US involvement for the in-definate future. This is not a withdrawal of US troops. Is the Bush policy not involved in "targeting counter-terror" groups?

2)"Re-deployment" of troops here, not withdrawal. Once again the sheep in wolves clothing. Lots of "except" (ions) also.

Manufacturing in the US

A comparison between 1950 and 2002. I really did not know it had declined this much.

Percentage of non-farm workers employed in manufacturing and service jobs (All 2002 figures are to date):

Manufacturing jobs
1950 34%
2002 13%
Service jobs
1950 59%
2002 82%

Not the Man

Watched The Man With a Movie Camera for the first time yesterday. Amazing stuff.

Dohar, Lord of Beasts: Episode I

Dohar!

Vast Soros Conspiracy

A fairly predictable but WAY wacky diatribe by Bill O'Reilly on George Soros and his machinations. Really fun actually.

Alerta! Alerta!

If Bush and the ruling class were truly nationalists today's news of Toyota's car production supremacy would induce calls for a special session of Congress and retooling of Detroit, Youngstown, Cincinatti, Fort Wayne, etc...
But finance capital has the upper hand these days so we hear more about free trade and money markets than building things. This is not a call for state capitalism but a call for democratic planning and the re-building of urban areas in the US that have been destoyed by neo-liberalism.

The War on Terror?

Except when they are "our" terrorists!

Posada released.

The Surge

A day in the life.

Patrick Cockburn: A day of bombs and blood.

Known Anti-Semite, George Soros, Takes on AIPAC

Notorious "Elder of Zion" and Esparanto speaker George Soros has decided that he needs to enter the fray on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lay blame where it should, with the Israelis, their backers the US and pro-Zionist groups like AIPAC. Good luck George, your advesary will give no quarter.

Anti-Clericalism and the Mexican Revolution

Mexican beauty pagaent contestant causes broo-hah-hah with scenes of Cristero War on dress. The Cristero War came in reaction to the anti-clerical aspects of the Mexican Revolution which attempted to curb the power of the Catholic church which since the conquest had allied with the reactionary ruling class.
Today Mexico continues to struggle with "modernization" and reaction as the flap over the dress exemplifies.

The Democrats' Perfect Storm

Unpopular war plus unpopular president plus limits on abortion rights equals Democratic landslide in 2008.

The Job For You

National Educator for COSATU.

Tulum

The Red and the Black has been on Easter Break in Tulum, MX. Yes, there was internet there. No, I did not want to look at it! Ah, the blue-green water!

I Knew that Case of Heinies was a Little Too Expensive!

Heineken, Grolsch and Bavaria fined over price fixing by European Union.

Sands a Shifting

Bi-partisanship is a standard of US foreign policy. For years the destruction of the native population, invasion and land theft of Mexico, expansion into Asia and Latin America, massive funding of despotic plutocrats the world over and generalized plunder and reckless slaughter have been enjoyed by Federalist and Anti-Federalist, Democrat and Whig, Democrat and Republican. This generalized joy and glee over the misfortune of others and bounty for the few here has rarely shown cracks that have actually altered the policies of the war party. Iraq is starting to shatter this bedrock of the ruling class. The moves of the Democrats may be largely symbolic at this point and have mostly to do with partisan advantage in the upcoming election but not since very late in the destruction of southeast Asia or during David Wilmot's resolution and Honest Abe's "spot" resolution has the party in opposition shown this sort of tenaciousness. We certainly want more but historically speaking this, along with the pre-war popular resistance, is significant.

Pelosi's visit to Syria should be seen in this context. They see Bush and the Republicans as weak on international relations so they are flexing some muscle.

Keith

Keith gives his old man the Cheech and Chong treatment but with the white stuff!

The God Debate

God vs Anti-god! Scientists debate the "evidence."

New High Speed Train Record

And it ain't in Peoria! French TGV train smashes old record at 356 MPH!

Income Gap Widens

Reaganomics works!