Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Common Dreams:
"Most Americans would probably be astounded to realize that the president who has been painted by Washington pundits as a reluctant warrior has actually been a hawk. ... While candidate Obama came to office pledging to end George W Bush’s wars, he leaves office having been at war longer than any president in US history. He is also the only president to serve two complete terms with the nation at war.

President Obama did reduce the number of US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he dramatically expanded the air wars and the use of special operations forces around the globe. In 2016, US special operators could be found in 70% of the world’s nations, 138 countries – a staggering jump of 130% since the days of the Bush administration. ...

Obama authorized over 10 times more drone strikes than George W Bush, and automatically painted all males of military age in these regions as combatants, making them fair game for remote controlled killing."

-->The NYT and major media doesn't talk about Obama as a war president. Hillary would have been worse, of course. That fact is never mentioned either.

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Common Dreams:
"Planting Seed for Strikes in the Trump Era, #Strike4Democracy Sweeps Nation. Planting the seed for future large-scale walk-outs, hundreds of events are taking place coast-to-coast on Friday as part of a national 'strike for democracy.' ...

Strike4Democracy describes itself as 'a broad umbrella for coordinated national actions on Friday, 2/17, which will serve as an opening blow in a campaign to stand up for America's democratic principles.'

Galvanized in response to the Trump administration's attacks on immigrants, women, the LGBTQ community, and the environment, Friday's action 'amplifies a new chapter of nonviolent resistance ushered in over the last six weeks by calling for strikes that grow in number and power,' the statement reads, pointing to other strike actions planned for March 8 and May 1, as well as 'a heightening resistance throughout the summer.' "

-->The NYT doesn't do nationwide strikes. To our newspaper of record, it is always Democrats fighting Republicans, or the other way around. A workers movement would be unthinkable. 

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The Guardian UK:
"Veterans at Standing Rock see police retribution after arrest and charges. Charges against military veterans on their way to Standing Rock have raised concerns that they’re being targeted for aiding Native American activists.

Police have filed charges against two US veterans supporting Standing Rock, holding one in jail for several days, raising concerns that law enforcement is trying to prevent them from aiding activists at the Dakota Access pipeline.

Officers in North Dakota and South Dakota have pulled over and searched at least four veterans on their way to the camps at Standing Rock in recent days, charging two of them for medical cannabis. Police confiscated one veteran’s car and also seized what officials called 'protester gear', which included camping supplies."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/13/standing-rock-veterans-police-arrest-north-dakota

-->Although the nation's media finally covered the US veterans at Standing Rock, there is no mention of this latest round of police harassment.