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Best of the Web: Confessions beaten out of 'suspects', executions by the hundreds... How different is justice in today's Iraq from the era of Saddam?
The presumption of guilt is just one of Saddam's creation that has outlived the dictator
Saddam is Dead! Long live Saddam! And glancing through the grisly list of executions which the new, free, democratic, American-constructed Iraq has carried out - about 500 all told, and rising - Saddamism is flourishing in the land of the two rivers. Last year alone, 1,200 men and women were on death row, most of them sentenced after the usual pre-trial confessions under torture. In fact their court appearances were preceded, in many cases, by television interviews in which they admitted to their "crimes". And sure enough, another 26 "terrorists" were executed in Baghdad last week as the country's Shia Muslim prime minister tried to smother the Sunni revolt against him.
© Getty ImagesAnd the circus continues. Another state of the union address, another set of lies to camouflage the fascist takeover of America.
And Obama, of course, is a decent actor who can deliver a decent speech - certainly better than Ronnie Reagan, whom Gore Vidal used to describe as "the acting president".
The key theme of SOTU 2014 was the appalling income inequality in the US. Call it an appendix of this past week at the World Economic Forum in Davos - that snowy Vegas for the 0.00001% - in which the Masters of the Universe finally "discovered" inequality. So much inequality, in fact, that 2014 was instantly tagged by the Masters - and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - as the new 1914, all that furiously tweeted to all corporate boardrooms of the liquid modernity elite.
© John HeminwayRobert Sapolsky and an olive baboon share a quiet moment on the Talek River, July 2007
Now, scientists are showing just how measurable - and dangerous - prolonged exposure to stress can be. Stanford University neurobiologist, MacArthur "genius" grant recipient, and renowned author Robert Sapolsky reveals new answers to why and how chronic stress is threatening our lives in Killer Stress, a National Geographic Special. The hour-long co-production of National Geographic Television and Stanford University was produced exclusively for public television.
Comment: The excellent presentation of the work of Robert Sapolsky in this documentary spells out and clarifies how the dominant baboons in our society, the psychopaths in power, cause the deterioration of our mental and physical health by stressing us out (and to death) with their bullying tactics.
Now, unless the psychopaths who rule over us somehow disappear, we have to take care of ourselves by at least learning to cope with the constant stress emanating down from the top. One way to begin is by applying the simple techniques of Éiriú Eolas, which can be used daily as an antidote to stress, not only to preserve and optimize our mental and physical health, but also to give us the clarity of mind for further studies on the subject of psychopathy. The understanding gleaned from such study of the predators in our midst would provide us with the skills necessary to navigate a world ruled by dominant baboons without succumbing to the deadly effects of stress that their inhuman behavior causes.
Did you also notice what happened to the baboon community when all the dominant baboons ate the tuberculosis tainted food and died? Suddenly the society changed from a hierarchical one, where violence was perpetrated from the top down and the lower ranks suffered from stress and heart problems, to a society where social affiliation and cooperation prevailed, and no one within it had to suffer from stress anymore. Just imagine how us humans can transform our society if our dominant baboons are no longer above us.
An Afghan driver looks out from a broken windshield after a recent suicide bombing outside a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul that left 21 dead.
Karzai has formalized his suspicions with a list of dozens of attacks that he believes the U.S. government may have been involved in, according to one palace official. The list even includes the recent bomb and gun assault on a Lebanese restaurant in Kabul, one of the bloodiest acts targeting the international community in Afghanistan, the official said. The attack, which left 21 people dead, including three Americans, was almost universally attributed to the Taliban.
Comment: "almost universally" meaning the Western mainstream media.
But Karzai believes it was one of many incidents that may have been planned by Americans to weaken him and foment instability in Afghanistan, according to the senior palace official, who is sympathetic to the president's view and spoke on the condition of anonymity. He acknowledged that his government had no concrete evidence of U.S. involvement and that the American role had not been formally confirmed.
Last year 47 million hungry Americans lost food stamp benefits, and Congress may be bringing more cuts to the table. Needy families are placed in the awful situation of having to choose between heat or food.
The combination of this winter's "polar vortex" with the cuts in food stamps has created a perfect storm of increasing hunger in America.
Feeding America's CEO Bob Aiken says, "The high cost of heat this winter due to prolonged and brutal cold spells will strain many household budgets and send more people to food pantries, soup kitchens and other emergency-food charities."
In a study released prior to the cold spell, Feeding America said about 46 percent of its clients "report choosing between paying for food and paying for heating fuel or other utilities." With the massive drop in temperatures this winter, this figure is likely much higher.
In Cincinnati, Ohio, temperatures have been in the single digits or below zero multiple days this month. Sarah Cook of the Freestore FoodBank says, "We are seeing more people right now because of utility issues. "
However, the Freestore and other food banks across the country face dwindling donations following the holidays, making it tougher to keep up with any increase in demand. In addition, with the cuts in food stamps, hungry Americans are turning to food banks for more support than ever. Food banks, even with the generosity of its donors, cannot make up the difference for major cuts in federal food aid.
No only do Zombie Corporations and Zombie Banks not actually produce anything useful for the real economy, they just take and take and take from it...
© NorbertHaupt.com
When people ask me to describe the state of the U.S. economy, what I always say is that it can best characterized as an ongoing state-sanctioned theft. This theft consists of the 0.01% oligarch class intentionally leveraging a corrupt monetary and political system in order to funnel all of the wealth of the non-oligarch rich and middle-class upward to them. The underclasses are kept quiet and in-line via food stamps and other forms of so-called "welfare."
In reality, I have frequently maintained that food stamps are actually corporate welfare and that the stock market represents food stamps for the 1%. The entire economy is a gigantic bait and switch in which a handful of people rape and pillage everyone else.
With unemployment and GDP statistics hopelessly manipulated, we must look at other data points in order to gain an understanding of how things really stand. Data related to food stamp rolls is one way to gain real insight into the true state of the U.S. economy.
In an excellent article from the Associate Press, we learn several things.
- For the first time ever, working-age people now make up the majority in U.S. households that rely on food stamps.
- Food stamp participation since 1980 has grown the fastest among workers with some college training.
- By education, about 28 percent of food stamp households are headed by a person with at least some college training, up from 8 percent in 1980.
Watch the full episode here.
Comment: The question and answer that inevitably surface bear repeating:
What might the end result be if the distinction between police and military ceases to exist? The answer is a police state - and certain segments of our society are already living in one.Militarization of local police means that now cops kill 8 times more Americans than terrorists do
The Militarization of America
The dangerous militarization of our local police forces
Release Us - Mini film
On the evening of November 9, half a dozen heavily intoxicated Bulgarian skinheads set out for a house in the center of the capital, Sofia, where a group of Syrian refugees had found shelter. They broke its front door and windows, and when driven away by the frightened inhabitants they vented their rage on an ethnic Turkish Bulgarian who happened to be passing nearby - and whom they later said they mistook for a Syrian - sending him to the hospital with a badly fractured skull and multiple other injuries. A group of locals sitting at a nearby cafe called the police as they watched the victim's blood splash on the pavement, but according to local news only one bystander attempted, unsuccessfully, to intervene.
Xenophobic attacks such as this one have become an almost daily reality in Bulgaria, where political and economic turmoil have created a widespread crisis of confidence. With more than six months of continuous daily protests in front of the Parliament, students barricaded in Sofia's main university since October, and a rising tide of ultranationalism and intolerance, many fear that the European Union's poorest member will collapse.ary
Comment: For an issue that started with President Viktor Yanukovych refusing to sign an agreement with the EU and instead taking steps to move closer to Russia while getting cheap gas from them, it seems that the violence of the riots is over the top. People will not move to such extremes unless they have to endure unbearable life conditions - or are inspired by agents provocateurs. Therefore, either the support base of the opposition has grievances that have gone unreported, or the rioters are not really representing the people but have a different agenda.
Disturbing footage from Ukraine shows violence spiraling out of control during anti-government protests, with rioters attacking and capturing policemen standing their ground. The Interior Ministry has hinted at a tough response if the unrest continues.
Western media exploded with outrage at the abuse of a Ukrainian rioter who was stripped naked and mocked by the police for "particularly accurate" petrol bomb throwing. However, few outlets have highlighted the violence coming from those on the other side of the barricades.
On Saturday, protesters in the city of Vinnitsa occupied the city council building, breaking a feeble cordon of interior troops. A triumphant mob cheered and poured into the building as the doors flung open, only to find that more police were blocking the stairs to the upper floors.
© ReutersAnti-government protesters hold flags on the balconies of the regional administration headquarters as they attempt to take over during a rally in the town of Vinnytsia, some 200 km (124 miles) southwest of Kiev January 25, 2014.
Comment: For some ideas and context, see:
'Revolution' in Ukraine - Cui bono? Warhawk John McCain addresses demonstrations
False flag attack unravelling? Ukraine opposition tied to reporter's attack says police
Ukraine's Prosecutor General warn protesters to halt "mass rioting", a crime against the state
Ukraine Violence Escalates: Kiev is a battlefield; Ultimatum issued to President
Fears of civil war as Ukraine protests turn radical and bloody
Comment: All just a show. The psychopaths in charge don't care one bit about the people. They are simply unable to, but they are good at pretending with lies and lies and lies with nicely choreographed Hollywood flair. Are you fed up of being lied to?