Category Archives: Politics

Blow them up good, then corporatize

Posted on February 25, 2011 by oddmanout215

Here’s a thought: maybe Madison, Wisconsin, isn’t Cairo after all. Maybe it’s Baghdad – specifically, Baghdad in 2003, when the Bush administration put Iraq under the rule of officials chosen for loyalty and political reliability rather than experience and competence. … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, Iraq war, mainstream media, New York Times, NJ, Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The NYT’s ‘no shit’ style of news analysis

Posted on February 24, 2011 by oddmanout215

There are deeply divided opinions and shifting allegiances over whether unions are helping or hurting people who have been caught in the recent economic squeeze. And workers themselves, being pitted against one another, are finding it hard to feel sympathy … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why Madison, Wis., looks like Egypt-land

Posted on February 21, 2011 by oddmanout215

Credit where it’s due: Not all mainstream reporters are treating what’s happening in Wisconsin as a budget-related spat over cuts in benefits. In today’s Philadelphia Daily News, Will Bunch considers the global context of the story and ponders the likelihood … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Egypt, globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wis. workers try to slip pharoah’s yoke

Posted on February 21, 2011 by oddmanout215

I dig a ditch, I shape a stone/Another battlement for his throne/Another day on earth is flown/We’re all working for the pharaoh. — Richard Thompson, “Pharoah” The nicest thing you can say about the mainstream media’s skimpy coverage of the … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, Egypt, Great Recession, mainstream media, New York Times, NJ, Obama, Politics, taxes, unemployment, Wall Street | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Christie & Obama: We do big, stupid things

Posted on February 17, 2011 by oddmanout215

… Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I’ll take it that way. — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reacting to President Barack Obama’s use of the phrase “big things” Who’s more contemptible, Christie or Obama? The former is … Continue reading →

Posted in Great Recession, mainstream media, NJ, Obama, Philadelphia, Politics, taxes, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Beware the curse of Mubarak’s tomb

Posted on February 13, 2011 by oddmanout215

Sir Joseph Whemple: [translating inscription] “Death [and] eternal punishment for anyone who opens this casket. In the name of Amon-Ra, the king of the gods.” Good heavens, what a terrible curse! Ralph Norton: [eagerly] Well, let’s see what’s inside! — … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Great Depression, mainstream media, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

HuffPo/AOL — a new reason to avoid J-school

Posted on February 11, 2011 by oddmanout215

The Huffington Post is a brilliantly packaged product with a particular flair for addressing the cultural and entertainment tastes of its overwhelmingly liberal audience. To grasp its business model, though, you need to picture a galley rowed by slaves and … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Philadelphia, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Live from Egypt… the illusion of information

Posted on February 5, 2011 by oddmanout215

I’ll shout and scream, I’ll kill the king, I’ll rail at all his servants. “Street Fighting Man,” Rolling Stones, 1968 Rocks are being thrown on the CBS newscast. At MSNBC, Rachel Maddow is telling me what a Molotov cocktail is. … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Obama, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Egypt, Iraq and neocon doubletalk

Posted on February 4, 2011 by oddmanout215

The post-2003 democratic wave was brief and somewhat shallow, and it indirectly benefited Hamas and Hezbollah as well as the Kurds and Shiites of Iraq and the Lebanese democracy movement. But the regime-change school in America can claim a degree … Continue reading →

Posted in economic collapse, finance reform bill, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, Politics, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

U.S. foreign policy running on empty

Posted on February 1, 2011 by oddmanout215

The rise of powerful Islamic parties [in Egypt] appears inevitable… not because of the Quran or a backward tradition, but because we and Israel believed we could bend the aspirations of the Arab world to our will through corruption and … Continue reading →

Posted in mainstream media, Obama, Politics, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment