Category Archives: Politics

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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The ‘decoupling’ of Americans from good jobs

Posted on January 27, 2011 by oddmanout215

… The President’s failure to address the decoupling of American corporate profits from American jobs, and explain specifically what he’ll do to get jobs back, not only risks making his grand plans for reviving the nation’s “competitiveness” seem somewhat beside … Continue reading →

Posted in globalization, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Philadelphia, Politics, unemployment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Great Oz explains the state of the union

Posted on January 26, 2011 by oddmanout215

Practicing civility means never having to say you’re sorry. It mostly involves learning to speak in a civil manner, never using words that might cause anger or tears or indigestion. This takes time and effort and — the hard-to-learn part … Continue reading →

Posted in Congress, economic collapse, Great Recession, health care, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, unemployment, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Wall Street mafia busted! (That’ll be the day)

Posted on January 22, 2011 by oddmanout215

“This is one of the largest single-day operations against the Mafia in the FBI’s history, both in terms of the number of defendants arrested and charged and the scope of the criminal activity that is alleged,” said U.S. Attorney General … Continue reading →

Posted in finance reform bill, Goldman Sachs, Great Recession, mainstream media, Obama, Politics, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coming soon to a town near you — Camden-ization

Posted on January 21, 2011 by oddmanout215

Somebody send out the cadaver dogs to search for my midwinter optimism. In the fall, at least, I was able to bike across the Ben Franklin  from Philly to take care of business. But after the first dusting of snow, … Continue reading →

Posted in Camden, Delaware River Port Authority, economic collapse, globalization, Great Recession, livable cities, mainstream media, NJ, Philadelphia, Politics, taxes, Wall Street, world-wide economy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

MLK honored, Tucson-style

Posted on January 17, 2011 by oddmanout215

All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem. — Martin Luther King Jr., 1963 Take a look at the truly fine citizens who lined up Saturday in irony-free Tucson for … Continue reading →

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