Occupying Hawaii: Paradise Lost and Found
Sunday 29 January 2012
Occupying Hawaii: Paradise
Lost and Found
Michelle Fawcett, Truthout: "Ever
since the Garden of Eden headlined the Torah, savvy
marketers have realized that we all deeply desire a slice of
paradise.... The natural splendor of Hawaii draws about
seven million tourists a year as well as thousands of
transplants, many wealthy, who relocate to the Pacific
island chain for the relentlessly balmy weather. At the same
time, the tropical Shangri-La barely conceals teeming tent
cities, droves of poverty-wage workers and the legacy of the
conquest of native Hawaiians."
Read the Article
Occupy Protesters
and Police Clash in Oakland
Sarah Maslin Nir, The New
York Times News Service: "A march to take over a vacant
building by members of the Occupy movement in Oakland,
Calif., turned into a violent confrontation with the police
on Saturday, leaving three officers injured and about 200
people arrested.... Most of the arrests occurred in the
evening, when large groups of people were corralled in front
of the Downtown Oakland Y.M.C.A. on Broadway. At one point,
one group of protesters broke into the City Hall building."
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Four
Psychologists at the Gates of Hell: A Fable for Our
Time
Roy Eidelson, Truthout: "In 2005, despite
evidence that psychologists were involved in abusive and
torturous interrogations of national security detainees,
[the] American Psychological Association (APA) ... concluded
that psychologists play a critical role in keeping such
interrogations 'safe, legal, ethical and effective'....With
this stance, the APA, the largest association of
psychologists worldwide, became the sole major professional
health care organization to support practices contrary to
the international human rights standards that ought to be
the benchmark against which professional codes of ethics are
judged."
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The Party of Our
Discontent? An Interview With Green Party Candidate Jill
Stein
Steve Horn, Truthout: "Discontent with the
political system as a whole is rising, as seen clearly
through the lens of struggles around the world and right
here at home, via the ongoing Occupy movement.... This is
the background to my conversation with Jill Stein, Green
Party candidate for president of the United States.... Stein
is hoping to ride the momentum of the Occupy movement and
reach uncharted water for a third-party candidate for
president, and has a central campaign platform called the
'Green New Deal.'"
Read the Article
Fact-Checking
Obama's State of the Union Speech, Part 1: Jobs
Jack
Rasmus, Truthout: "On January 24, 2012, President Obama
delivered his latest State of the Union (SOTU) speech to
Congress. It heavily emphasized economic themes, among which
were jobs, manufacturing, trade, the auto industry,
teachers, taxes, Medicare, financial regulation and growing
income inequality in the United States.... But many of the
president's claims in his SOTU speech, especially with
regard to jobs, were contrary to the facts."
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Avoiding a
Catastrophic War with Iran
Nathaniel Batchelder,
Common Dreams: "Pray cooler heads will guide America in the
dialogue and decision-making over Iran's position in the
world. Iran does not have nuclear weapons, and there is no
certain evidence that such a program is under way. Certainly
Iran has the right to the peaceful use of nuclear energy,
and the interests of world peace demand that these issues be
resolved without military action that could launch a
catastrophic war."
Read the Article
Byron Dorgan on
Making Banks Play by the Rules
Bill Moyers, Moyers &
Co.: "Bill Moyers talks with former Senator Byron Dorgan
about making sure big banks play by rules that protect
consumers from financial calamity, and how those big banks
continue to leverage power and influence to avoid
responsibility while maximizing profits. Dorgan was a
nearly-lone voice in Congress in 1999 when he predicted
economic calamity.... But given the economic meltdown nearly
10 years later, it turned out to be one of the most
prescient speeches in American political history."
Read the Article
Sri Lankan
General Admits War Crimes; US May Hold Crucial Supporting
Evidence
Emanuel Stoakes, Truthout: "The
extrajudicial killing of civilians, surrendering soldiers
and dissident journalists under the direction of the Sri
Lankan government has been alleged by a former general in
the Army who was extremely well-placed to comment on
military activity during the island nation's bloody civil
war.... It is believed that representatives of the United
States State Department have spoken to the source and hold a
rich collection of testimonies and other evidence regarding
alleged crimes committed during the civil war."
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Can't Buy Me
Laws: Congress Must Give Back Chris Dodd's Dirty
Money
Joel Kelsey, Save the Internet: "Rarely is the
systemic corporate capture of Washington, D.C., on display
in such a transparent and ugly way as it was last week.
Former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, now the head of the Motion
Picture Association of America (MPAA), has been pushing the
passage of Web-censorship bills in both the House and
Senate.... We can't guarantee that top lobbyists like Dodd,
who have gone through the revolving door in D.C., will
become more ethical. But we can demand that our elected
officials make it clear to K Street who they are supposed to
be representing in Washington."
Read the Article
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TRUTHOUT'S BUZZFLASH DAILY
HEADLINES
The BuzzFlash commentary for Truthout will
return Monday, January 30.
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Than Newt's Trading in Wives Like Upgrading New Model
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Read the Article at BuzzFlash
Google Chief At Davos Praises Globalization,
Dismisses Jobs Crisis
Read the Article at The Huffington
Post
The Corporate Usurpation of the
Internet
Read the Article at Nile Bowie
Blog
Iran to Stop Oil Experts to Some Countries
Soon
Read the Article at Reuters
Ron
Paul and the Liberty of Bullies
Read the Article at Al Jazeera
The Man Behind Gingrich's Money
Read the Article at The New York
Times
ENDS