Standard Times has the "courage" to support billionaires

To quote the editor of the Standard Times "do we have the courage to do what's hard?" Of course in that instance, he was speaking of cutting decades old, successful programs that benefit workers, the disabled, and aged to make up the deficit. Now, when billionaire's marginal rates are the issue, the "deficits dont matter."

This is the second Standard Times editorial in a month that has called for tax cuts for billionaires, claiming that this will increase investment and produce jobs. If that is sound economic policy then why did GW Bush have the worst jobs record of any president and why didn't his immense CGT cuts, Estate tax cuts, and signature Bush tax cuts launch unprecedented growth? Why has the Bailout that Bush began and Obama sustained, and that the Times editorialized in favor of, not spurred unprecedented numbers of jobs by securing the wealth of these billionaires. Why , oh why have we not seen any of this "capital to spend and invest"??????? Compare with the recognized stimulative effect of Unemployment Insurance and other direct spending that affects workers. Compare with the millions of jobs via the Stimulus. And now ask yourself, with 1,000 Aj Wright jobs lost this week, would direct assistance to workers or a percentage cut for billionaires, fix the immediate needs of retailers, their workers, and the pocketbooks of those who sustain their operations?

Standard Times on Flotilla

In the wake of the may 30th, 2010 Flotilla attack, Ehud Shev Tov an Israeli TV editor says that Israeli media will not show raid protests led by Israeli citizens in Israel. The Israeli commandos took all video and recording equipment from the Mavi passengers it kidnapped. The IDF then released highly edited footage, some of which included photos that were three years old and dialogue that was months old - purporting that it came from May 30th.

If this propaganda tapestry that has dominated US coverage were not bad enough, the New Bedford Standard Times editor Bob Unger has, this week, been pondering the connections between a Jewish critic of Israel and Nazis, and talk about ovens as opposed to any discussion of international law, Arab positions, the World Health Organization or actual Israeli human rights advocates.

Why oh why do they hate us???
A letter writer has the nerve to point out the international consensus and concern, over 1.5 million people the Israeli Defense forces want to "put on a diet." The Standard Times response is to talk about ovens and Nazis. This is through the looking glass where the oppressor is the victim.

And the lights all went out in Massachusetts

How will it end?

Pakistani New Year Wish

Pakistani children write ' Peace and 2010 ' on the sand as the sunsets at Clifton beach in Karachi, Pakistan on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009.(AP)

Truth Behind Xmas assaults leaks out

Obama's war escalation.

December has been a bloody month in the so-called Global War on Terror. In the past week, 10-20 civilians, many children, have been killed in Coalition operations in Afghanistan. Slaughter by the Taliban also continues via suicide and roadside bombs, with at least 8 US civilians and four Canadian soldiers killed.

In the video and picture below, Afghans are peacefully protesting these Coalition killings of civilians. It is worth noting that the killings of Coalition forces go hand in hand with Afghan civilian losses. Clearly, there is a cycle of violence that undermines Obama's plan to increase and escalate the Afghan war.





Peaceful protests against Obama's war

December also saw the expansion of the global war with missile strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Again, the very fact that Obama is assaulting Yemeni villages undermines the entire rationale for the Iraq and Afghani occupations. Another cycle of violence emerges with a Yemeni launched terror attempt on an airliner on Christmas day. Characteristically, the media have been very reluctant to link the two incidents or mention the thousands of Yemenis who peacefully protested these actions.




Exceptions to the rulers

There are some brief exceptions, where informed commentators have managed to ask penitent questions about the effect of the global war on terror and the motivations of terrorists.

In the video below, at 5.30 mins in, Ron Paul claims that Al Queda is the main beneficiary of a War on Terror that drains the US treasury and provides ample motivation for Al Queda members. "We have fallen into Osama's trap", says Paul. For this he is called an anti-Semite by Ben Stein.




Liberals call for blankets

In fact, the debate has not bothered with terrorist motivations but has focused on the security blankets that Homeland Security should be providing. Despite the Standard Times editorializing that we must build a better security mouse trap it is clear that terrorists will always strive to find new ways to attack and overcome security. In the video below, CIA vet Bob Baer describes how incendary devices need not be complex in nature and can be undetectable regardless of security appartus applied. Every civilization has known that there is no perfect guard against fire.




CIA intelligence versus AM radio
Neither is there a perfect system that will allow us to forget about the context of the immense Bush/Obama assaults. Without even touching upon morality and international law, it would be far better to ask why trillions of dollars are dedicated to occupations that seem to have a net negative security outcome?

Little surprise that the local GOP heroes, fresh from fighting the war on Christmas, claim that the ups and downs of the Global War on Terror ("minor battles fought along the way") are irrelevant to the big picture of "Political Correctness / Western Guilt " on the homefront. Letters to the editor about Islam and articles on sites like Front Page Mag and AWorld Net Daily are the real battleground.

Again, on Hardball on 12-28-09, CIA vet Bob Baer has a different take, saying ( at 7.30 mins) in the video below: "We need fewer troops in the Middle East..there's no help...we have to kill Muslims, we have an army in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Iraq...but the more Muslims we kill, the more enemies we have this just becomes a never ending cycle, thats what worries me.....We have to find a way to get out of these wars as fast as we can."



New Year's resolutions
So, in 2010, who should we listen to?

A president who flees to the easy militarily option at every shriek from the right wing?

Liberals at the Standard Times who fantasize about a perfect security blanket and ignore the trillion dollar war elephant?

Right wing talk show generals who obsess over Muslims in the blogosphere?

Or an intelligence operative who has assessed the nature of the small terrorist cells we are facing and proposes a way to address them?

PI Pittman breaks Xmas scandal

Patriot Ken Pittman sacrificed his own Christmas vacation to break the latest White House Scandal, a picture of Andy Warhol's Mao portrait on one of 800 Xmas Tree balls at the White House:



Of course, this was not a Pittman exclusive. This was a breaking Fox News segment, the Drudge Report Headline, and an EXCLUSIVE by Anrew Breitbart's blog. WOW!! It's almost as if the Republican media coordinate and borrow from each other in an effort to create unflattering scandals that slur the president. Weird!!!

Fox, WBSM push serious journalist ( in bear suit)

Talk Jocks hate America

9-11 hate, lies and spin..Its WBSM

Arbiter of all that is Right and good, Ken Pittman used his on air broadcast and blog ( see pic) to slam the New Bedford Standard Times for supressing and "censoring" news of the 9-12-09 "9-11 unity/protest Obama" Tea Party in Washington D.C. on Saturday.

Times covers Tea Party
However, as the picture below shows, the 1420 WMAR host is spinning a lie again. The event was covered in full by the Times,
including a flattering piece about Mass. residents. It is clear that the Standard Times gave coverage of local and national Tea Partiers far above WBSM.

However, just like his "9-11 memorial" show, Pittman paints right wingers as the victims while assaulting the supposed meanness of liberals. On Friday's memorial, Pittman argued that 9-11 should be memorialized respectfully and proceeded to attack Obama for turning 9-11 into a horrifying "day of national service." In truth, Obama merely endorsed the Bush/Congress plan for for a day of service.


Its 9-11, vote Scott!!!!
Following a tastefully timed political infomercial by Sen. Scott Brown, The host moved on to an attack on Carl Levin for wanting to discuss troop increases in the Afghan War ( a forgotten war fought by non south coast GOP members). Nancy Pelosi was next, slammed as "someone who would be an isolationist" if we were back in WW2.


You really gotta love that 9-12 spirit of American unity that Glenn Beck wants to spread!!!

Drudge wouldnt be spreading hysteria???????

Obama / Bush War continues

Not as fashionable to talk about as in 2002, 2003.

O'Reilly edits Frank tape to smear

Continuing his personal jihad against the Mass. Congressman, O'Reilly has overlooked Lyndon LaRouche supporter Rachel Brown's labeling of Obama as a Nazi promoting a Nazi policy. O'Reilly's tape cuts in just in time to catch the Nazi remark, but O'Reilly leaves with impression that she is merely one of many that questions Democratic health care policy.

On Last night's factor, O'Reilly went on to cover up the fact that Rachel Brown was a LaRouche team member calling her "a political activist". FYI - That poster she holds is also a pic of Obama as Hitler.





***UPDATED*** Huffington Post / daily Kos clearly shows how Fox News ignores "protesters" and their slurs and promotes any negative interpretation of Democrats. Its called propaganda people:

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002071/

****UPDATED****
Limbaugh smears Frank, appluads Nazi smear, Larouche team.

"This is fabulous"!!!! _ Rush Limbuagh

GOP Storm Frank Meeting

BOOS AND CATCALLS AS FRANK PLEADS FOR DEBATE

"I know they're angry, but that's no reason we can't have a rational conversations. Anger and rationality shouldn't be opposites." - Barney Frank



See this GOP activist yell "LIAR" at Frank, when he doesn't like the discussion.

Birthers Pittman & Hannity

Here's a quick example of Ken Pittman's pursuit of the Obama birth certificate conspiracy. he claims that Gov. Lingle of Hawaii "sealed" Obama's records:




And it looks like Sean Hannity has joined Lou Dobbs and G. Gordon Liddy in claiming Obama is an illegal alien:

Lou Dobbs to replace Pittman on WBSM???

Obama Healthcare Zero.

Much has been made of Tom Daschle's bipartisan health care plan, with the dominant narrative holding that this undercuts Obama's efforts to craft a broader federal health care plan. In truth, the debate between Obama and Daschle's plan is non existent.

Afterall, Obama is not proposing "national health care" or "government run health care". During the campaign and now he never proposed even touching the security of private insurance profits. That's off the table.

With this closer look, ask what are the real differences between Obama and Daschle? Former Obama nominee Daschle is a tax dodging, de facto employee of those privateer middle men who would lose out on real public insurance for private health care. That he was considered by Obama and is now working to dilute any federal insurance shows how compromised Obama's plan always was. It is even more likely to be once private interests work their lobby magic.

Private insurers are hardly worried. As with any legislative initiative, they are eager to mobilize to bilk the government once again. The GOP campaign to paint any national insurance as socialized, national care with rationing is the other ace in the hole for Big Insurance. This "debate" makes big money DLC hacks seem like they are fighting the good fight. The game is rigged.

The overwhelming desire amongst nurses unions, many doctors, and the public at large for single payer insurance for private care remains a victim of our one corporate party political culture and Obama is part of the problem, not the solution. Did you guys not watch Sicko??

And WBSM blamed minorities and racial hype

Real American takes on radio tough guy Chickenhawks

Strangely enough, this wasn't linked by the Drudge report. Perhaps the most pathetic part is at 2 minutes in where Limbaugh is telling a veteran about his "Operation Chaos." Despite interrogation fatalities at Bagram and in Iraq, Limbaugh claims not to know of any fatalities from torture. Nor will he even entertain the issue, instead claiming that the Marine on the line is "ignorant" who knows "diddly squat."