Pakistan’s military says troops are continuing to hit Taliban targets in South Waziristan as the offensive entered its third day Monday.
Pakistan’s government is actually *fighting* the Taliban instead of working with them? Who knew?
Category Archives: Politics
UN: Cooperation With Sudanese Government Important
KHARTOUM, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) — The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) Thursday affirmed importance of cooperation with the Sudanese government to find lasting solutions to the conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees in the country, namely in Darfur, eastern Sudan and southern Sudan.
The UN’s probably right. Too bad the Sudanese government couldn’t care less about refugees.
Public Option To Arrive By Christmas?
So says at least one senator…
Health care reform legislation will be on President Barack Obama’s desk by Christmas, Americans will be mandated to buy insurance and those who can’t afford coverage will have a public option — or maybe they won’t, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told reporters from around the country today.
Four of the five committees that have approved legislation “will have a public option,” as an alternative for people who can’t afford private coverage, he said during a teleconference organized by Families USA, a health consumers advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.
Don’t Smoke Pot…
Haha, ohh those wacky turtles, wacky like the federal government. All hyporcrites, cause the turtles get super baked, hence all the munching on pizza and the feds don’t give a shit about the top two drug killers: Tobacco and Alcohol, yet pot, which kills no one is illegal. Wacky indeed. This is funny propaganda though.
Chris
How Weed Won the West…
This is a trailer for the new Kevin Booth documentary. This time he focues specifcally on Marijuana (as the title clearly indicates) as opposed to his last film, American Drug War, which evaluated all or most drugs related to the drug war. I hope he include the reality of Obama’s (at least so far) abandoment of his campaign promises concerning law enforcement’s handling of drugs. Anyway, I’ll be seeing this soon.
Chris
Question of the Week
This is a new segment for KLYAM and like others of its kind (e.g. Songs of the week) I will attempt to post as often as I can, but I am not actually guaranteeing that it will appear as frequently as the title implies. Anyway, here’s the question:
Is violence ever an effective means to achieve social/political goals? When is it justified? When is it not justified? Where does one draw the lines? Are there any lines? Examples for/against?
The Weathermen or Weather Underground as they became were proponents of using violence to end the aggressive war in Vietnam.
David Dellinger, a committed pacifist, peacefully protested the war in Vietnam using active non-violence: civil disobedience, demonstrations, etc. This is a mugshot of him; he was imprisoned for refusing to serve in World War II.
Pleaseee Comment!
Chris
3 Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Here are some favorites I did for my American Politics course:
Schenck v. United States (1919)
For: Defendant Charles Schenck, a socialist, had violated the Espionage Act of 1917 by mailing leaflets informing World War I draftees to eschew military service. The Espionage Act had specifically made it illegal to interfere with the military or their activities during wartime. Since, Schenck did so, his conviction should be upheld. According to the Supreme Court, he had created “clear and present danger” and therefore his speech was not protected.
Against: Congress’ Espionage Act was unconstitutional because it violated free speech rights protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution, which reads, “Congress shall make no law…. abridging the freedom of speech.” Since, the act Schenck violated is in itself a violation of the law his conviction should have been overturned.
My Opinion: Even though, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction, I believe he should not have faced any imprisonment. The Espionage Act was invalid because it was illegal from the start. Schenck’s free speech did not create a “clear and present danger” to me and therefore it should be legal. Ultimately, the act was merely a factor of the Red Scare that swept the first half of the 20th Century, with the intention of jailing socialists, communists, and anarchists.
Obama Weighs Pakistan’s Role In War
WASHINGTON — Recognizing the U.S. can neither win in Afghanistan nor succeed more broadly against al-Qaida without Pakistan’s cooperation, President Barack Obama’s war council is weighing a new role for Pakistan in the 8-year-old struggle in the region.
And you got to love how we’re so eager to “fix” Iraq and Afghanistan but we won’t touch Pakistan…which is where Osama is and which still has an al-Qaida-supporting government.
Songs of the Week Beeatchh!
Wavves- So Bored (2009)
Vivian Girls- Before I Start to Cry (2009)
Strange Boys- Woe Is You and Me (2009)
Mika Miko- Turkey Sandwich (2009)
Snoop Doggy Dog- Doggystyle (1993)
Beach Boys- Wouldn’t It Be Nice (1966)
… if America was a democracy! Haha
Enjoy!
Chris
Kinda Large Budget Deficit
WERS News
1.4 trillion is the amount of the budget deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). This deficit, the highest in our economy in over half a century, was estimated for 2009 until September 30th.For the month of September alone, the U.S. ran an estimated deficit of 31 billion.
Patrick Yoest for Dow Jones Newswires said that “The fiscal 2009 spending is equal to 25% of the nation’s gross domestic product, which the CBO states is “the highest level in over 50 years.”
Yoest said that “The CBO in its monthly budget report states that the fiscal 2009 deficit was estimated to equal 9.9% of gross domestic product in the U.S. – the largest deficit relative to the nation’s gross domestic product since 1945.
So much for fiscal responsibility!
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 