Republicans Try to Impose Selfishness on American People

Wednesday 28 December 2011
Republicans Try to Impose Selfishness on American People
Leo Gerard, Campaign for America's Future: "Republicans … describe beloved American programs like Medicare and Social Security as charities - using the euphemism 'entitlements' … Medicare and Social Security are not charities. They're the American people depositing and pooling their money for the benefit of the American community…. Republicans are attempting to impose that selfish belief system on the selfless American people."
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As US Readies Sanctions, Iran Threatens to Block Oil Route
David E. Sanger, The New York Times News Service: "An Iranian official delivered a sharp threat in response to economic sanctions being readied by the United States, saying [Iran] would retaliate … by blocking all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for transporting about one-fifth of the world's oil supply."
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Eight States Raise Minimum Wage for New Year
Dick Meister, DickMeister.com: "Eight states are raising their minimum wage on January First, in line with state laws requiring the minimum to keep pace with inflation. The raises to come are modest by any measurement. But any increase must be welcomed as desperately needed and hopefully as a major start toward increasing the minimum wage everywhere to a level that will provide a decent living to all working Americans, many of them living in poverty or near-poverty."
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The GOP's Ten Most Extreme Attacks on a Woman's Right to Choose
Tanya Somanader, ThinkProgress: "2011 marked a banner year in the Republican war on woman's health. Close to 1,000 anti-abortion bills sped through state legislatures as the GOP-led House led a 'comprehensive and radical assault' on a federal level. But in surveying their arsenal this year, ten bills stood out as particularly perturbing and far-reaching efforts to stymie women's access to abortion services, birth control, and vital health services like breast cancer screenings."
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Jim Hightower | Give a Gift That Matters
Jim Hightower, Truthout: "With today's working-class depression severely restricting the ability of most people to splurge on 'stuff,' and with the public's rising unwillingness to keep shoveling their money at narcissistic corporate profiteers, a return to a more modest - but also deeper - spirit of gift-giving seems to be spreading. Realizing that buying globalized corporate crap is not really a gift, more and more people are putting their money where their values are."
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Violence and Evolution: Where Do We Stand?
Michael Nagler, Truthout: "How do we measure violence? The question has come up because of recent studies … which seem to show that, contrary to common opinion, violence has been steadily decreasing by a number of measures for several millennia. Some of these measures are, at first sight, impressive, like the decrease in genocides and combat deaths and, of course, this is something we would very much like to believe. The reality, however, is more complicated."
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On the News With Thom Hartmann: Scientists Test Dead Seals in Alaska for Radiation From Fukushima, and More
In today's On the News segment: Iran threatens to block oil route if sanctioned, civil rights groups press the Justice Department to block other voter ID laws, TV military "analysts" working for the Pentagon have been cleared of any wrongdoing, scientists are testing dead seals for radiation from Fukushima, and more.
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The Campaign to "Decolonize" Oakland: Native Americans Say "Occupy" Terminology Is Offensive
Queena Kim, Truthout: "The Occupy movement is known internationally for protesting the inequalities of the global financial system, so much so that in four short months, 'Occupy' has essentially become a brand known the world over. But now there's an effort by Native American activists in Oakland to get rid of 'Occupy' and replace it with 'Decolonize.'"
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Ten Winning Moments for the 99% in 2011
Sarah Jaffe, AlterNet: "Throughout the year, organizers were working around the country, fighting the power of Wall Street, big business, and the right-wing governors who do their bidding. We asked ten of them to talk about the moments that stood out for them this year, the moments that gave them hope. Some are moments you've heard of, some might have slipped past you. But all of them were signs of long-overdue change."
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The War at Home: Militarized Local Police Tap Post-9/11 Grants to Stockpile Combat Gear, Use Drones (Video)
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: "Since 9/11, local law enforcement agencies have used $34 billion in federal grants to acquire military equipment such as bomb-detection robots, digital communications equipment and Kevlar helmets…. Local police departments have also added drones to their toolkit…. The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a new report that calls on the government to establish privacy protections for surveillance by unmanned aerial drones, especially of people engaged in protests."
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Military Allies Take Ex-Guerrillas, Journalists to Court
Danilo Valladares, Inter Press Service: "Relatives of former military personnel and businessmen are bringing lawsuits against ex guerrillas and journalists in Guatemala in connection with the 1960-1996 civil war - a legal offensive that … is politically motivated. 'I studied two of the lawsuits filed by ex military personnel, and their legal basis is very thin. Evidently the plaintiffs want to transform themselves from perpetrators to victims,' Ramón Cadena, a representative of the International Commission of Jurists [said]."
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