Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
Thai Premier Declares Martial Law to Control Protests
April 8th, 2010Via: Bloomberg / Business Week: Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared martial law in the capital after protesters stormed parliament, testing the army’s willingness to break up four weeks of mostly peaceful demonstrations. About 3,000 people entered the gates of Parliament for about two hours and thousands more occupied Bangkok’s commercial district for a fifth […]
And Now… A Federal Sales Tax?
April 7th, 2010Via: Reuters: The United States should consider raising taxes to help bring deficits under control and may need to consider a European-style value-added tax, White House adviser Paul Volcker said on Tuesday. Volcker, answering a question from the audience at a New York Historical Society event, said the value-added tax “was not as toxic an […]
President Ford Approved Warrantless Domestic Surveillance in 1974
April 6th, 2010Via: Wired: While the country was embroiled in a national debate over excessive government surveillance in 1974, President Gerald Ford authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct warrantless domestic surveillance, according to a classified memo recently obtained by the Center for Investigative Reporting. The memo, signed Dec. 19, 1974, was issued just one month […]
No Criminal Charges Likely in AIG Collapse
April 6th, 2010Don’t crack the seal on the AIG mess. Oh no. The smell alone would be too much to handle. Via: CBS News: CBS NEWS has learned that former AIG executive Joseph Cassano – the prime focus of the investigation into its collapse – will meet with Department of Justice attorneys next week in what will […]
Brian Lehrer Live: Wikileaks and Whistle-Blowers
April 3rd, 2010Interview with John Young and Glenn Greenwald. Wikileaks and Whistle-blowers from Brian Lehrer Live on Vimeo.
Obama Gives Key Agriculture Post to Agribusiness Goon Who Lobbied for Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont and Dow
April 2nd, 2010Via: Green Change: Today, President Obama announced that he will recess appoint Islam A. Siddiqui to the position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Siddiqui is a pesticide lobbyist and Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, an agribusiness lobbying group that represents Monsanto. Following is a letter […]
Lovelock: Authoritarian System Needed to Deal with Global Warming
March 31st, 2010Imagine my shock. Via: Guardian: We need a more authoritative world. We’ve become a sort of cheeky, egalitarian world where everyone can have their say. It’s all very well, but there are certain circumstances – a war is a typical example – where you can’t do that. You’ve got to have a few people with […]
Drill Baby, Drill: Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time
March 31st, 2010Via: New York Times: The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday. The proposal — a compromise that will please oil […]
Mike McConnell and the American Corporate State
March 30th, 2010I’ve included just a few choice excerpts from this great article. If you only click through on one story today, make this the one. Via: Salon: In a political culture drowning in hidden conflicts of interests, exploitation of political office for profit, and a rapidly eroding wall separating the public and private spheres, Michael McConnell […]
KBR Bills $5 Million For Mechanics Who Work 43 Minutes a Month
March 29th, 2010Via: Mother Jones: It was just a single contract for a single job on a single base in Iraq. The Department of Defense agreed to pay the megacontractor KBR $5 million a year to repair tactical vehicles, from Humvees to big rigs, at Joint Base Balad, a large airfield and supply center north of Baghdad. […]
