Thursday, May 30, 2019

Common Dreams:
"76 Retired US Generals and Diplomats Warn Trump Against War With Iran. President Donald Trump often says he listens to military generals more than anyone else, and, as the White House prepares to send 1,500 soldiers to the Middle East, that claim is being tested by a Friday letter from the American College of National Security Leaders.
The letter, which is signed by 76 retired generals, admirals, ambassadors, and diplomats, was published Friday morning by War on the Rocks. The letter asks the administration not to pursue war with Iran, mainly for strategic reasons. 

"A war with Iran, either by choice or miscalculation, would produce dramatic repercussions in an already destabilized Middle East," reads the letter, "and drag the United States into another armed conflict at immense financial, human, and geopolitical cost."

-->The NYT, a big booster for new wars abroad, did not publish this letter from 75 retired US Generals.

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Common Dreams:
"American corporations talk a big game about supporting women's rights, but new reporting shows that language isn't backed up by action. 

Journalist Judd Legum, the founder and former editor-in-chief of ThinkProgress, revealed Monday at his new subscription service outlet Popular Info, that corporate donations to state legislators [have been] instrumental in pushing abortion bans in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri are in contrast to the public image of those companies. 

'While these policies are extreme, the politicians responsible have the financial backing of some of America's largest companies,' wrote Legum in a post detailing the donations published Monday."

-->No mention in the NYT of this collusion between big American corporations and the far right assault on a women's right to have an abortion. Maybe that's because the NYT is part of that right wing, corporate agenda.

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FAIR Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting:
"Another day, another opportunity for our perpetually 'behind' and 'vulnerable' military/industrial/media complex to assert the need for yet another military upgrade–this time in outer space! ...

CNN (2/11/19) warned us of Russia and China’s 'new' anti-satellite laser capacities, with breathless statements by government officials claiming that the two countries are 'surpassing us' in space capabilities. NBC (2/11/19) claimed that both countries were 'preparing to use space as a battlefield.' ”

-->Read FAIR's long list of breathless articles urging more military spending in space, as well as the usual defense department cronies being used as sources. Is it any wonder that the US spends more than half its entire budget on making war?

Wednesday, May 08, 2019

Common Dreams:
"Human rights advocates and progressives in Congress on Monday slammed the corporate media for perpetuating anti-Palestinian sentiments in their reporting on the violence in Gaza and Israel over the weekend. Major newspapers gave little in-depth information or a timeline regarding the Israeli military's killing of four Palestinians at a protest on Friday. ...

Instead, major news sources reported mainly on more than 200 rockets which Hamas and the Islamic Jihad launched into Israel and Israeli settlements, writing that Israel retaliated for those attacks and ignoring what led up to the rocket strikes.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in the U.S. Congress, denounced the New York Times for a headline reading, 'Gaza Militants Fire 250 Rockets, and Israel Responds With Airstrikes.' "

-->At last some people are speaking out against our media's distorted reporting on Israel's war making against the Palestinians. 

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Common Dreams:
"Bernie Sanders Takes on Monsanto, Big Ag Monopolies With Plan to 'Revitalize' Rural America. 'What you want, and what I want, are more family farms in America, not more factory farms.' ...

Sanders's proposals, collectively titled 'Revitalizing Rural America,' would break up agribusiness monopolies with 'Roosevelt-style trust-busting laws,' reform patent laws to protect farmers from the predatory practices of agribusiness corporations, and pass national legislation to allow farmers to repair their own equipment. ...
Because of the immense power and consolidation of the agricultural industry, Sanders said, 'family farmers are going bankrupt and in many ways are being treated like modern day indentured servants.' "

-->The NYT is pretending that Sanders isn't in the race, just like last time. It failed to report this initiative to solve the nation's crisis in agriculture.  

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RT News:
"When the US announced support for Venezuela’s self-declared ‘interim president’ Juan Guaido in January, European leaders heartily backed the move — but three months later, after a second failed coup attempt, they are suddenly shy. ...

With US backing, Guaido attempted to launch a second uprising on Tuesday, urging his supporters to take to the streets and calling on the military to seize power from President Nicolas Maduro. While both pro and anti-government demonstrators held rallies in Caracas, the military did not defect in great numbers and the coup attempt fizzled out. ...

This time around, however, having realized Guaido is not as powerful as they expected, Europe has not been as gung-ho in its support for him. Having initially added to the chaos by encouraging the first uprising, suddenly the EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini was calling for the 'utmost restraint' in order to 'avoid the loss of lives.' "

-->Sometimes we have to go to RT News to get a realistic picture of U.S. aggression in Latin America. Why did Guaido fail? You won't understand it reading the mainstream media.

Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Common Dreams:
"Vendors Leave Progressive Challenger's Primary Campaign Over 'Galling' DCCC Threat. The Democratic establishment is already taking steps to stop insurgent progressive challengers to the party's incumbents.

Marie Newman, who is challenging Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) in the 2020 primary for the Illinois 3rd District, told Politico on Friday that a number of vendors have already dropped out of her campaign—the direct result of a rule put in place by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) banning consultants and other campaign mechanics from working with anyone running against a sitting Democrat. ...

As Common Dreams has reported, the battle between progressives and the DCCC over challenges to incumbents has raged for over a month, beginning in late March when the DCCC issued its new rules on vendors."

-->Somehow the NYT has remained ignorant of the DCCC's attempts to undermine progressive candidates. Keeping its readers in the dark is important in presenting the Democratic Party as a real political movement rather than a corporate run shell game. Think Hillary Clinton, Goldman Sachs' last candidate. 

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Common Dreams:
"Two American economists warn that U.S. sanctions targeting Venezuela 'are a death sentence for tens of thousands of people' and that the nation's humanitarian crisis will worsen as long as the sanctions continue. Since August of 2017, President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions that 'have inflicted, and increasingly inflict, very serious harm to human life and health, including an estimated more than 40,000 deaths from 2017–2018,' write Mark Weisbrot and Jeffrey Sachs. ...

'These sanctions would fit the definition of collective punishment of the civilian population as described in both the Geneva and Hague international conventions, to which the U.S. is a signatory,' the economists say. 'They are also illegal under international law and treaties which the U.S. has signed, and would appear to violate U.S. law as well.' "

-->What's a few war crimes to the NYT? Apparently very little, as our newspaper of record continues to beat the drums of war against Venezuela. It didn't cover this story.

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Common Dreams:
"Landmark' Victory for First Amendment as Court Strikes Down Texas Anti-BDS Law. Bahia Amawi, a speech pathologist who lost her job due to the law, celebrated the ruling as 'a huge win not just for me, but for everybody here in Texas.'

In a decision hailed as a landmark victory for the First Amendment, a federal judge on Thursday struck down a Texas law requiring government contractors to sign a pledge vowing not to participate in the pro-Palestinian boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement.

'This is a complete victory of the First Amendment against Texas's attempts to suppress speech in support of Palestine,' said Gadeir Abbas, senior litigation attorney with Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the organizations that sued Texas over the anti-BDS law."

-->Readers of the NYT are being kept from celebrating this victory. It didn't cover this story, probably because it makes the Israel Lobby look like a danger to the First Amendment rights of all Americans.  

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