Analysis Topic: Politics & Social Trends
The analysis published under this topic are as follows.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Snowden and the NSA Scandal, The Ethics of Whistleblowing / Politics / Intelligence Agencies
By: MISES
Ben O'Neill writes: Recent revelations about the extent and details of the massive NSA surveillance program have been made possible mostly by the actions of a single whistleblower, Edward Snowden, presently in hiding from the wrath of the US government, whose shameful and frightening secrets he has now made public knowledge. Despite repeated denials by its officials, it is now evident that the NSA runs a data-collection and spying network which collects masses of data on the private communications of non-US citizens, and some private communications on US citizens. It does so without requirement for any individual warrants for its targets, and without requirement for any probable cause with respect to any of the individuals whose communications are collected. Instead, the entire program operates under a broad procedure-based warrant system, whereby a special clandestine court hears submissions from the government in secret and then dutifully approves general procedures for mass surveillance, without any adversarial argument being raised by any other party. The warrants allow mass surveillance and storage of data at the discretion of NSA analysts, and these warrants are clearly at odds with the principle of eschewing unreasonable searches.[1]
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Obama's Global Warming Turns To Swarming / Politics / Climate Change
By: Andrew_McKillop
WE NEED TO ACT
President Obama's June 25 speech at Georgetown University announcing his climate-energy action plan was rich in national and religious symbols. He told the listeners how in 1968 the American astronauts of Apollo 8 did a live broadcast from lunar orbit. Obama said: “They described what they saw, and they read Scripture from the Book of Genesis to the rest of us back here”.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Latest Obama Outrage: More People on Food Stamps Than Working Full Time / Politics / US Politics
By: Money_Morning
Frank Marchant writes: This Obama economy has soup lines as far as the eye can see. It also appears that many could easily be standing in two, three or even four lines simultaneously!
There are 103.4 million people currently enrolled in any one of 15 subsidized federal food assistance programs. The most people in our nation's history.
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Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Recent Trends in U.S. Birth Rate Spell Economic Trouble / Politics / Demographics
By: Money_Morning
Tara Clarke writes: A couple weeks ago I came across an interesting article by Lauren Sandler called "The Economic Reason for Having Just One Child."
Many American women who choose to stop at one child experience pressure - and even harsh, negative judgment - from others.
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Tuesday, July 09, 2013
How the US Uses Democracy as a Weapon / Politics / US Politics
By: LewRockwell
Patrick J. Buchanan writes: Understandably, the Muslim Brotherhood is enraged.
Having won the presidency of Egypt in free and fair elections after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, President Mohammed Morsi has been ousted in a military coup and placed under house arrest. Brotherhood leaders, convicted of no crimes, are being rounded up.
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Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Black Education Tragedy / Politics / Educating Children
By: LewRockwell
Walter E. Williams write: As if more evidence were needed about the tragedy of black education, Rachel Jeantel, a witness for the prosecution in the George Zimmerman murder trial, put a face on it for the nation to see. Some of that evidence unfolded when Zimmerman’s defense attorney asked 19-year-old Jeantel to read a letter that she allegedly had written to Trayvon Martin’s mother. She responded that she doesn’t read cursive, and that’s in addition to her poor grammar, syntax and communication skills.
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Tuesday, July 09, 2013
America’s Deep Political Crisis / Politics / US Politics
By: Michael_S_Rozeff
America is in deep political crisis. Although the signs of it are abundant, the crisis is not widely recognized. When Americans finally do recognize the crisis, that is, if they recognize it and its causes, they will have not only to clean house but tear the house down and rebuild it. They will have to institute a new order. It will be best if it’s the old order of private property.
Tuesday, July 09, 2013
Egypt Muslim Brotherhood’s Legacy: Controls, Shortages and Inflation / Politics / Middle East
By: Steve_H_Hanke
The Muslim Brotherhood and President Morsi never had a credible plan for the Egyptian economy. Indeed, I doubt that the Brotherhood’s leaders know the meaning of the word “plan”. Over the past year, economic conditions in Egypt have gone from bad to worse. And, it seems Morsi’s brief tenure as president will likely be remembered largely for its shameful economic record – one marred by a decline in GDP growth, a reduction in foreign reserves, and a sharp increase in unemployment.
Monday, July 08, 2013
G8 Plan to Invest in Africa Agriculture Smacks of Colonial Land Grab / Politics / Africa
By: Money_Morning
David Zeiler writes: A G8 initiative intended to get corporations to invest in Africa with the goal of alleviating hunger on that continent is - surprise, surprise - not working out as planned.
President Barack Obama launched the "New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition" in 2012 when the United States held the presidency of the G8 (the Group of Eight, a forum of eight of the world's major economies).
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Monday, July 08, 2013
Egypt Ousts Morsi: Another Sign of Emerging Market Woes / Politics / Emerging Markets
By: Money_Morning
Garrett Baldwin writes: As widespread unrest spreads across Egypt after the ousting of President Morsi, investors need to be wary of a growing trend affecting broader emerging markets.
Much of the unrest around the world is caused by one thing: Uprisings against governments and their inabilities to provide basic services to citizens with rising income levels.
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Monday, July 08, 2013
The Problem with Market Regulation / Politics / Market Regulation
By: Alasdair_Macleod
It is seems to be universally agreed that regulation is a good thing, ensuring that people are treated fairly by unscrupulous businesses. Regulation is a vindication of state intervention and control. The alternative is seen as a free-market jungle full of hidden dangers and traps for the unwary and innocent.
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Monday, July 08, 2013
US Destroys a Moderate Muslim Regime - So Much For Democracy / Politics / Middle East
By: LewRockwell
Eric Margolis writes:
The real story behind the military coup in Cairo led by General al-Sissi is much more complex than the western media is reporting. Far from a spontaneous uprising by Egyptians, – aka “a people’s revolution” – what really happened was a putsch orchestrated by Egypt’s “deep government” and outside powers – the latest phase of the counter-revolution against the so-called Arab Spring.
Monday, July 08, 2013
Ron Paul - New Egyptian War, Americans Lose Again / Politics / US Politics
By: Dr_Ron_Paul
Looking at the banners in the massive Egyptian protests last week, we saw many anti-American slogans. Likewise, the Muslim Brotherhood-led government that was deposed by the military last week was very critical of what it saw as US support for the coup. Why is it that all sides in this Egyptian civil war seem so angry with the United States? Because the United States has at one point or another supported each side, which means also that at some point the US has also opposed each side. It is the constant meddling in Egyptian affairs that has turned Egyptians against us, as we would resent foreign intervention in our own affairs.
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Sunday, July 07, 2013
Genetic Engineering: The Global Food and Agricultural Crisis / Politics / GM Foods
By: Global_Research
Colin Todhunter writes:
In 2012, Professsor Seralini of the University of Caen in France led a team that carried out research into the health impacts on rats fed GMOs (genetically modified organisms) (1). The two-year long study concluded that rats fed GMOs experienced serious health problems compared to those fed non GM food. Now comes a new major peer-reviewed study that has appeared in another respected journal. This study throws into question the claim often forwarded by the biotech sector that GMO technology increases production and is beneficial to agriculture.
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Policy Assault On Democracy And Economic Psywar / Politics / Social Issues
By: Andrew_McKillop
DEFINING PSYWAR
Egypt's Gamal Abdul Nasser is claimed to have said this about American strategy towards Egypt:
The genius of you Americans is that you never make clear-cut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make the rest of us wonder at the possibility that we might be missing something.
~Abdul Nasser
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Jobs Report Shows America in Decline / Politics / US Politics
By: Stephen_Lendman
Headlines cheered America's June report. Bloomberg said "US Employers Added More Workers in June Than Forecast."
"Employment roared ahead in June." America's "economy is poised for faster growth as it shakes off the impact of tax increases and budget cuts."
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Sunday, July 07, 2013
Was Washington Behind Egypt’s Military Coup d’Etat? / Politics / Middle East
By: Michel_Chossudovsky
“[US Defense Secretary] Hagel and [US Chief of Staff General] Dempsey were walking a fine line … expressing concern while attempting to avoid the impression that the U.S. was manipulating events behind the scenes.” (Military.com, July 3, 2013)
The protest movement is directed against the US and its proxy Muslim Brotherhood regime.
The Muslim Brotherhood had been spearheaded into the government with the support of Washington as a “replacement” rather than an “alternative” to Hosni Mubarak, who had faithfully obeyed the orders of the Washington Consensus from the outset of his presidency.
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Saturday, July 06, 2013
No Hope On The Jobs Front: Rising Unemployment in America / Politics / Unemployment
By: Paul_Craig_Roberts
Do you remember the promise of the New Economy that was going to replace the lost “dirty fingernail” manufacturing jobs with innovative highly paid New Economy jobs? Well, the promise was just another deception from the elites who have stolen Americans’ future.
For the umpteenth consecutive month and year, the June BLS payroll jobs report (released on July 5) shows that the US economy has created no such jobs. The same old tired categories account for the same old lowly paid new domestic service jobs.
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Saturday, July 06, 2013
Think Your Money is Safe in an Insured Bank Account? Think Again / Politics / Banksters
By: Ellen_Brown
A trend to shift responsibility for bank losses onto blameless depositors lets banks gamble away your money.
When Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem told reporters on March 13, 2013, that the Cyprus deposit confiscation scheme would be the template for future European bank bailouts, the statement caused so much furor that he had to retract it. But the “bail in” of depositor funds is now being made official EU policy. On June 26, 2013, The New York Times reported that EU finance ministers have agreed on a plan that shifts the responsibility for bank losses from governments to bank investors, creditors and uninsured depositors.
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Friday, July 05, 2013
Egypt the Next Syria? Coup by Military Elite to Steal Power from the People / Politics / Middle East
By: Nadeem_Walayat
The military elite's coup against Egypt's first democratically elected government was engineered by the generals and supported by disparate fragmented groups led by big business and academics who lost last years presidential election, an event that was widely celebrated across Egypt including in Tahir Square.