Clippings for 28 April 2010

‘God, What a Piece of Crap’

Robert Scheer writes for Truthdig.com: "It was the Perry Mason moment in the unraveling of what was left of Goldman Sachs’ reputation. Only in this case, it involved a grizzled former prosecutor, Sen. Carl Levin, rather than a genial defense attorney. The case was broken and the truth about the depth of Goldman’s corruption revealed in his startling cross-examination of Goldman Chief Financial Officer David Viniar."

Goldman Executives: 'No Regrets' for Deals that Accelerated Crisis
Chris Adams and Greg Gordon report for McClatchy Newspapers: "A key Goldman Sachs trading manager indicated in his personnel performance review that he could use the 'fear' in the market of a coming collapse in the nation's mortgage market to make profits for the Wall Street firm, documents released Tuesday show."

The Importance of Getting Wall Street Out of Washington, and Washington Out of Wall Street
Robert Reich writes on RobertReich.org: "Washington's relationship with Wall Street is growing more schizophrenic by the day. On the one hand, Congress is trying to show how tough it can be on the financial sector by enacting a law ostensibly designed to prevent another near-meltdown and taxpayer-supported bailout. As the mid-term election looms, a staggering number of Americans remain unemployed or underemployed, and most Americans blame Wall Street (whose top bankers are raking in almost as much money as they did before the crisis)."

The Death of Self-Interest Fundamentalism
Joe Brewer writes for Cognitive Policy Works: "Self-interest fundamentalism was the economic religion of the 20th century. We are now in the midst of an economic reformation on par with the Enlightenment as we enter the new millennium. Have you noticed that a lot of people seem to think that appeals to self-interest lead to a moral and just society?"

Globalization on the Rocks

David Ransom reports for the New Internationalist: "In September 1993 Mexicans were, it was said in high places, about to be liberated from their historic destiny: ‘So far from God, so close to the United States.’ The solution was simply to merge with the US and Canada in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), leaving the rest to take care of itself. Ciudad Juárez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, was on the front line of this radical advance, and I went there to take a look."

How Much Does It Cost to Educate One Student?
Lori Yount reports for the Wichita Eagle: "How much money does the state spend to educate one Kansas student each year? It's hard to blame Kansas taxpayers for being confused about how much money is spent on and by public schools. Different organizations give different answers."

Obama Nuclear Weapons and the Future of the Planet

Helen Caldicott writes in The Huffington Post: "Isn't it strange? In the 1980's an overwhelming 80% of Americans wanted to see an end to the nuclear arms race. The U.S. establishment treated this grassroots movement almost as an aberration, virtually ignoring it. This massive, global, grassroots movement helped bring an end to the Cold War. But, throughout the duration of the Bush, Clinton, and G.W. Bush presidencies there was no respect for, no move to act on, the wishes of the American people and the worldwide supporters of nuclear disarmament."

Fueling the Afghan War
Aram Roston reports for The Nation: "In Napoleon Bonaparte's day an army may have marched on its belly, as the French emperor famously quipped, but the modern-day American military campaign in Afghanistan needs not just food but also fuel. Diesel for the MRAPs and Humvees, aviation fuel for the planes and helicopters--that's the fodder for the military surge under way in Afghanistan. Fuel is precious there--they call it liquid gold--and the effort to keep it flowing has created an array of bizarre monopolies, strange alliances and allegations of corruption entangling the US government."

Does Anyone Know That a Palestinian Created a Museum of the Holocaust?

Christophe Ayad interviews University of London scholar Gilbert Achcar, author of the just-released book, The Arabs and the Holocaust: The Arab-Israeli War of Narratives, for Liberation (via Truthout.org): "One finds two symmetrical attitudes among the Palestinians. Some of them have understood that the lessons of the Holocaust are universal and that to deny it is not only wrong but also counter-productive. But does anyone know that a Palestinian created a museum of the Holocaust? Does anyone know that the village of Ni'lin (on the West Bank), known for its struggle against the separation wall, organized an exhibition on the Holocaust? Western media show these kinds of attitudes far less than their opposite..."  Photo: Anne Alexander

Lindsey Graham and the Real “Cynical Political Ploy” on Immigration
Frank Sharry writes for The Huffington Post: "Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has been courageous in working with Democrats on both comprehensive immigration reform and climate change legislation. He has seemed deeply committed to both. So why exactly is he threatening to derail a climate bill because he's angry that Democrats are promising to move forward on immigration reform?"

Exposing the Christian Right's New Racial Playbook

Sarah Posner reports for AlterNet: "When God has drawn a line of distinction, we should not attempt to cross that line. The true Negro does not want integration. That was the assertion made by a young Rev. Jerry Falwell in a sermon he preached at his Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, 1958, four years after the Supreme Court struck down school segregation in Brown v. Board of Education. But at a gathering of the religious right earlier this month at the late preacher's Lynchburg compound, integration was not only the topic of the day, but touted as the future of the conservative Christian movement."  Photo Credit: VisualLightBox.com

The New Secessionists

Chris Hedges writes for Truthdig.com: "Acts of rebellion which promote moral and political change must be nonviolent. And one of the most potent nonviolent alternatives in the country, which defies the corporate state and calls for an end to imperial wars, is the secessionist movement bubbling up in some two dozen states including Vermont, Texas, Alaska and Hawaii.  These movements do not always embrace liberal values. Most of the groups in the South champion a 'neo-Confederacy' and are often exclusively male and white. Secessionists, who call for statewide referendums to secede, do not advocate the use of force. It is unclear, however, if some will turn to force if the federal structure ever denies them independence."

Arizona's New Immigration Law Is an Act of Vengeance
Eugene Robinson comments for the Washington Post: "Arizona's draconian new immigration law is an abomination -- racist, arbitrary, oppressive, mean-spirited, unjust. About the only hopeful thing that can be said is that the legislation, which Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed Friday, goes so outrageously far that it may well be unconstitutional."

New Climate Movement in Bolivia
Naomi Kline writes for The Nation: "It was 11 am and Evo Morales had turned a football stadium into a giant classroom, marshaling an array of props: paper plates, plastic cups, disposable raincoats, handcrafted gourds, wooden plates and multicolored ponchos. All came into play to make his main point: to fight climate change, 'we need to recover the values of the indigenous people.'"

"Mother Earth Is a Living Being": Cochabamba and the Civilizational Root of the Climate Crisis

 Roberto Lovato reports for the Huffington Post: "Leonardo Boff's elegant white beard and wavy white hair make him look like classical depictions of God(s) in ancient and early modern art. And as a Catholic priest, he would appear to be both benefactor and bulwark of what's often called "western civilization." But when you ask the world-renowned catholic theologian about the root causes of the climate crisis being discussed and debated at the CMPCC here in Cochabamba, Bolivia, he does indeed speak passionately about western civilization-as the primary cause of that crisis."

Militarism, Torture ... and Air Conditioning?
Stan Cox writes for CounterPunch: "Two days before Earth Day 2010, the Pew Project on National Security, Energy and Climate released a report on efforts by the U.S. military to 'reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut global warming pollution by enhancing energy efficiency and harnessing clean energy technologies.'"

The Nazis Didn’t Even Dare This, But Mainstream And Even Progressive Media Voices Are Silent
Bruce Wilson writes on ALterNet: "After a burst of media coverage towards the close of 2009, the growing persecution of gays in Uganda seems to have dropped off radar screens not only of mainstream US media but also most of alternative and progressive media, on and off the Internet."

Historic March Draws over 200

Christopher Renner reports for the Kansas Free Press: "Over 200 people demonstrated their support for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality in Manhattan and Riley County on Saturday in first Pride march and rally the community has seen. Marchers represented individual LGBTs, allies, various community and K-State organizations and two of Manhattan's religious congregations: the Unitarian Universalism Fellowship and First Congregation - United Church of Christ."

Zombie Magazines: The Washington Blade Will Resume Publishing
Alex Alvarez reports for FishBowlNY: "The Washington Blade, the 40-year-old DC-area gay weekly that folded late last year when parent company Window Media LLC ceased operations, is back! In February of this year, MediaJobsDaily reported that, although the weekly's assets may not have amounted to much, there was a chance that it would be incarnated. In fact, many of the paper's former employees offered $15,000 for its assets, including copyright, trademark, archives, office equipment and office furniture. In the days following Window Media filing for bankruptcy, the paper ran under the name D.C. Agenda."

Bill Moyers Retires

Eric Alterman writes for The Nation: "Nearly twenty years ago, I spoke to Edward R. Murrow's top producer, Fred Friendly, who told me he thought of Bill Moyers as "the Murrow of our time...the broadcaster who most upholds his mantle." But while Murrow remains television journalism's most admired historical figure, it's all but inarguable that Moyers long ago surpassed his achievements."

Communications Law Is Outdated, Panelists Agree
Sara Jerome writes for the National Journal: "Congress needs to update telecommunications law to better address broadband issues. That's a single idea that united speakers with starkly different ideas on FCC authority at the Politics Online conference on Monday. Panelists disagreed on the merits of net neutrality regulation, arguing over whether the FCC should regulate traffic management practices by Internet access providers. But they all thought that Congress should clarify who regulates broadband issues."

FCC Remains Mum on Broadband Reclassification
Marguerite Reardon reports for CNET news: "The Federal Communications Commission started the ball rolling on some items in its National Broadband Plan on Wednesday, but regulators made no mention of whether they are considering reclassifying broadband traffic. One of the first items the FCC addressed on Wednesday was beginning the process to reform the Universal Service Fund. The commissioners voted unanimously to shift the fund's goal from addressing and subsidizing rural telephone service to providing universal broadband service."

Social Media Reshapes Journalism
Robert Quigley writes for the Austin Statesman: "Social media have gone mainstream, but what does that really mean? Sure, you can share pictures from a party quicker, and with more people than ever before (including long-forgotten high school classmates). You can also see what Lance Armstrong is up to at any given moment or share your opinion of a new restaurant."

We Can't Afford to be Neutral on Net Neutrality
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel comments: "Say 'net neutrality' to a person, and chances are you'll be rewarded with a quizzical look and a profoundly confused 'huh?' Ask folks, however, if they want anyone to restrict the information available on the Internet. Understanding dawns. And that is precisely the issue in net neutrality. A court ruling earlier this month in Comcast vs. Federal Communications Commission significantly curtailed the FCC's ability to insist that all Web content be treated equally. The Web as a virtually unfiltered, unfettered fountain of information is in jeopardy."