Awareness | Debate | Action

September 2009 Blog Posts (8)

Agriculture and Food in Crisis

An Outstanding Overview by Fred Magdoff and Brian Tokar Originally published in the Monthly Review - An Independent Socialist Magazine

Purchase a hardcopy HERE

“Could Food Shortages Bring Down Civilization?,” asks the title of an article by Lester…

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Added by Cromag on September 22, 2009 at 4:30pm — No Comments

Inequality and the American Dream

Jun 15th 2006 From The Economist print edition

The world's most impressive economic machine needs a little adjusting

MORE than any other country, America defines itself by a collective dream: the dream of economic opportunity and upward mobility. Its proudest boast is that it offers a chance of the good life to everybody who is willing to work hard and play by the rules. This ideal has made the United States the world's strongest magnet for immigrants; it has also… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 21, 2009 at 8:09pm — 2 Comments

Words in the Service of Corporate Masters

By Ralph Nader

Ever wonder what's happening to words once they fall into the hands of corporate and government propagandists? Too often reporters and editors don't wonder enough. They ditto the words even when the result is deception or doubletalk.

Here are some examples. Day in and day out we read about “detainees” imprisoned for months or years by the federal government in the U.S., Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn't the media know that the correct word is… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 21, 2009 at 8:07pm — 2 Comments

►Transcribed Speech Iraqi Shoe Thrower Gave on Release from Jail w/ VIDEO

My flower to Bush the occupier: the story of my shoe

"Here I am, free. But my country is still a prisoner of war," said Mutadhar al-Zaidi, the Iraqi who threw his shoe at George Bush, in this speech he gave on his release.

Firstly, I give my thanks and my regards to everyone who stood beside me, whether inside my country, in the Islamic world, in the free world.

There has been a lot of talk about the action and about the person who took it, and about the hero… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 21, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

Corporate Crime (Nader/Gonzalez)

Corporate crime costs Americans hundreds of billions of dollars a year. Tens of thousands of Americans are killed each year and hundreds of thousands of Americans injured and sickened each year by preventable corporate-bred violence.

From pollution, medical negligence, procurement fraud, product defects, and financial fraud, to antitrust, public corruption, foreign bribery and occupational homicide, corporate crime is widely ignored by politicians – yet acutely felt by all… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 21, 2009 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Crisis and Hope

Theirs and ours

Noam Chomsky

Perhaps I may begin with a few words about the title. There is too much nuance and variety to make such sharp distinctions as theirs-and-ours, them-and-us. And neither I nor anyone can presume to speak for “us.” But I will pretend it is possible.

There is also a problem with the term “crisis.” Which one? There are numerous very severe crises, interwoven in ways that preclude any clear separation. But again I will pretend… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 21, 2009 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Obama Health Care Speech 09/09/2009 (transcribed)

Remarks of President Barack Obama – As Prepared for Delivery Address

to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care

Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Washington, DC

Madame Speaker, Vice President Biden, Members of Congress, and the American people:

When I spoke here last winter, this nation was facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We were losing an average of 700,000 jobs per month. Credit was frozen. And our financial system was on the… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 9, 2009 at 10:19pm — No Comments

$2.3 Billion Pfizer Settlement Is NOT Enough to Deter Organized Crime in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Sept. 2, 2009

Statement of Sidney Wolfe, M.D., Director, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group

Today’s $2.3 billion settlement between Pfizer and the U.S. Justice Department for unlawful prescription drug promotion may sound large, but it’s not enough to ensure drug companies will curb their bad behavior. In fact, it just shows there is competition in the pharmaceutical industry. Pfizer has broken a record just set by Eli Lilly & Company in January for what was then… Continue

Added by Cromag on September 2, 2009 at 9:00pm — No Comments