Death and Taxes: Martin Luther King Blasts Beck Allies in 1965 Playboy Article 2010-09-04

Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 interview with “Playboy” provides insight into what the late civil-rights leader would have to say about Glenn Beck’s political movement, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Discovery Channel attacker James Jae Lee.

 

Los Angeles Times: Debate? Arizonas fill-in governor would rather not 2010-09-04

Incumbent Republican Jan Brewer said Thursday she has no intention of participating in any more events with Democrat Terry Goddard. She said the only reason she debated him on Wednesday is she had to to qualify for more than $1.7 million in public funds for her campaign.

 

latimes.com: U.S. sues Arizona sheriff in civil rights probe 2010-09-03

The Justice Department said that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio was the first local law enforcement official in 30 years to refuse to provide documents in a federal civil rights inquiry. The federal government could withhold $113 million in funding from Maricopa County if Arpaio can't produce records demonstrating that he avoids racial discrimination.

 

Washington Post: Put the millionaires tax money to good use 2010-09-03

The only problem with that strategy is that there are some Democratic wusses who are so scared about the prospect of losing their seats by voting for a tax increase on the rich that they are pushing the White House and congressional leaders to put off the issue until after the election, during the expected lame-duck session.

 

democracynow.org: Appeals Court Ruling Allows Government to Use GPS to Track People's Moves 2010-09-02

The court’s ruling means the spying is legal in California and eight other Western states.

 

democracynow.org: As Pakistan Floods Continue Moving South, Calls for Debt Cancellation Grow 2010-09-02

Seventeen million people have been affected and some five million have lost their homes. Meanwhile, a movement to cancel Pakistan’s external debt is now underway

 

Washington Post: Illegal immigration to US down almost 67% since 2000, report says 2010-09-01

The number of illegal immigrants entering the United States has plunged by almost two-thirds in the past decade, a dramatic shift after years of growth in the population, according to a new report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

 

Consortium News: Beck and American Know-Nothings 2010-09-01

As Fox News and its star Glenn Beck have demonstrated quite profitably, millions of Americans just “love the crazy,” embracing some wacky position simply because it has the feel of rebellion, even though demonstrably untrue and damaging to the nation.

 

Washington Post: The Iraq war leaves a fog of ambiguity 2010-08-31

Now that the Iraq war is over -- for U.S. combat troops, at least -- only one thing is clear about the outcome: We didn't win.

 

Washington Post: Rights groups sue over US authority to use terror kill list 2010-08-31

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging the U.S. government's authority to target and kill U.S. citizens outside of war zones when they are suspected of involvement in terrorism.

 

Open Media Boston: Chomsky/Jamail: Emergency Fundraiser for Fallujah 2010-08-31

Join Noam Chomsky, Dahr Jamail, veteran Ross Caputi and many others as they call attention to the plight of the Iraqi people and specifically, Fallujah.  | Help the Justice for Fallujah Project bring two Iraqi doctors to the u.s. to present their research on the health crisis in Fallujah.

 

Washington Post: First tests for stem cell therapy are near 2010-08-30

Even as supporters of human embryonic stem cell research are reeling from last week's sudden cutoff of federal funding, another portentous landmark is quietly approaching: the world's first attempt to carefully test the cells in people.

 

NYTimes.com: The Billionaires Bankrolling the Tea Party 2010-08-29

There’s just one element missing from these snapshots of America’s ostensibly spontaneous and leaderless populist uprising: the sugar daddies who are bankrolling it, and have been doing so since well before the “death panel” warm-up acts of last summer.

 

Huffington Post: Obama and Jobs--He Should Look to FDR 2010-08-29

Saul Friedman: Judging by his record of job creation, which has been rather benign during the worst employment drought since the Great Depression, it should be clear by now that Barack Obama is no Franklin Roosevelt. Although he admires the Roosevelt legacy, he seems to have learned too little from history.

 

Detroit Free Press: Muslims, Jews most likely to approve of Obama, poll finds 2010-08-28

Among major religious groups in the U.S., Muslims and Jews are most likely to approve of President Barack Obama's job performance, while Mormons are least likely, a new poll find.  | About 78% of Muslim-Americans approve of Obama's job performance, according to a Gallup poll released today. About 61% of Jewish-Americans approve of his performance.

Top Stories

Middle East Online: Darfur rebels say dozens of civilians dead in army offensive 2010-09-04

A Darfur rebel group said on Friday that Sudanese forces had launched a major offensive using air power on its territory killing 74 people, most of them civilians -- a claim denied by the army.

 

Raw Story: Mississippi governor tries to write Southern racism out of modern history 2010-09-04

Evidently as part of that effort, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour this week laid out a revisionist version of the modern history of the Deep South.

2010-09-04: Headlines

  • msnbc.com: Brewer wont participate in more debates 2010-09-04
    Mhe said the only reason she debated him on Wednesday is she had to to qualify for more than $1.7 million in public funds for her campaign. | This comes after her disastrous debate performance on Wednesday, when Brewer froze during the debate.
  • GroundReport: RrRrRring!: Time to Wake Up -- Were Now a Fallen World 2010-09-04
    We now live in a Fallen World.  | Most of us, however, don't know it.  | Yet.  | A Fallen World is one whose ethics and morals have slipped into, what -- “rot,” let's call it.
  • Daily Kos: Cheers and Jeers: What else---Hurricane FRIDAY! 2010-09-04
    From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE... | Note: Damn! I forgot to go out and buy lumber to board up our windows, so I had to use the only thing I could find. I sure hope the Twizzlers hold. | Percent those injuries caused by the contents in spray bottles: 40%
  • Independent: Too chicken to change? Satirists taunt Mugabe 2010-09-04
    INM: He has sparked fury among Muslim theologians, been sued by a furious President Jacob Zuma and dared to poke fun at the father of the nation, Nelson Mandela.
  • Phoenix New Times: Jacki Orr: A Conversation With The Artist 2010-09-04
    Steve Jansen: Living here in Arizona through the most recent months and years of dealing with the draconian fears of immigration manifested through state policies has had me thinking a lot about culture in Arizona and our greater American culture and such things.
  • Daily Kos: 9/11 rally wrong for Democrats, okay for teabaggers 2010-09-04
    Every American knows that September 11 is the most holy day of the year, a day to put aside partisan politics. Which is why Republicans in York County, South Carolina were outraged that Democrats planned a barbecue and campaign rally on that holiest of holy days. | The day should be reserved for remembering terror attack victims and troops who died in Iraq and Afghanistan, GOP Chairman Glenn McCall said Tuesday.
  • Morning Star Online: Soldier charged with looting Gaza aid ship 2010-09-04
    A soldier was charged on Thursday with looting the lead ship in a Gaza blockade-busting flotilla stopped by Israeli naval commandos in a bloody raid in international waters at the end of May. | The Israel Defence Force said the soldier was accused of stealing a laptop computer, two cameras and a compass belonging to the passengers of the Mavi Marmara ship after it was towed to an Israeli port.
  • The Ledger: Glenn Becks Plan Mocks Martin Luther Kings All-American Dream 2010-09-04
    They choose to forget that the faltering economy was triggered by the abuses of the Bush years. | The Beck agenda pales by comparison with the slavery and civil rights struggle borne by African-Americans for more than 300 years. | Beck has chutzpa, gall and the audacity to pull off a stunt as he did, which only serves his own personal and political gain.
  • San Luis Obispo Tribune: Ariz. governor says she was wrong about beheadings 2010-09-04
    But the claim has come back to haunt her after her stammering debate performance in which she failed to back it up and ignored repeated questions on the issue from a scrum of reporters. | Brewer has spent the time since backtracking and trying to repair the damage done from her cringe-worthy debate against underdog challenger Terry Goddard.

2010-09-03: Headlines

  • USAtoday: Ariz. immigration laws legal costs could top $1 million 2010-09-03
    Defending the state against lawsuits related to its tough new immigration law has cost more than $440,000 to date, and outstanding bills could easily add up to an excess of $1 million or more.
  • TIME: Top German Bankers Attack on Immigrants Causes a Stir 2010-09-03
    Sarrazin argues against further immigration by drawing links between lower-class heritage and a lack of intelligence. He also claims that the influx of immigrants from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa is watering down German culture.
  • TIME: Top German Bankers Attack on Immigrants Causes a Stir 2010-09-03
    Sarrazin argues against further immigration by drawing links between lower-class heritage and a lack of intelligence. He also claims that the influx of immigrants from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa is watering down German culture.
  • BusinessWeek: Israel President Peres Says Peace Talks Had Promising Start 2010-09-03
    Shimon Peres, President of the State of Israel, said peace talks with Palestinians had a €œpromising start,€ speaking to reporters in Cernobbio, Italy today.
  • counterpunch.org: Alexander Cockburn, Jeffrey St. Clair: The Fire This Time 2010-09-03
    9/11 should be a day of national soul-searching. And a day to affirm that the ground upon which every human being walks in hallowed. | Rev. William E. Alberts, Ph.D. is a hospital chaplain and a diplomate in the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy. Both a Unitarian Universalist and a United Methodist minister, he has written research reports, essays and articles on racism, war, politics and religion.
  • McClatchy Washington Bureau: Commentary: Only the US has the clout to make Mideast peace happen 2010-09-03
    As Israelis and Palestinians resume direct peace negotiations for the first time in 20 months, the United States must continue to actively engage in the process and make a determined effort to broker a final peace settlement.
  • McClatchy Washington Bureau: Commentary A nuclear Iran dooms peace talks 2010-09-03
    On the very day Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States would lead a renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace effort, Iran boasted that it had test-fired a surface-to-air missile.
  • Phoenix New Times: Jan Brewers Chuck Coughlin, CCA, KPHO, and the Nearly $14K Canceled Ad Buy 2010-09-03
    The docs, which are public record, show that Parker was the contact for an ad purchase in the gross amount of $13,775 that was to run in the weeks before the primary. (You can see the docs, here.)
  • Daily Kos: AZ-Gov: Jan Brewers rough debate outing 2010-09-03
    Gov. Jan Brewer took center stage last Tuesday night after she officially clenched the Republican nomination. Standing just behind her was a man most Arizonans would not recognize. | The other administration member is communications director Paul Senseman, a former CCA lobbyist. His wife still lobbies for the company [...] | Isaacs said private prison companies have been buying influence in Arizona politics for years.
  • allafrica.com: Liberia: Charles Taylor Monthly Trial Report 2010-09-03
    A month/y summary of the Taylor trial for July 2010 written by Elena Marrs at the UC Berkeley War Crimes Studies Center. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Open Society Justice Initiative. | Trial Chamber II at the SCSL continued to hear evidence from Defense witnesses this month in the case against Charles Taylor.
  • foreignpolicy.com: The Oil and the Glory: Energys new frontier: More oil and gas, in more places 2010-09-03
    Keywords: this gas also could also be sold and piped to Brazil. | global energy, and that time frame seems reasonably accurate. | in which, by necessity, the extreme fringe is fast morphing into the center. | countries before China does. | fishing-village category, and in with the petrostates. | Why Is Charles de Gaulle Suddenly Back in Vogue? | Steve LeVine is the author of The Oil and the Glory and a longtime foreign correspondent.
  • Huffington Post: Rabbi Steve Gutow: What the Peace Talks Need 2010-09-03
    As the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, and Jordan meet in Washington this week to begin the first direct peace talks in 20 months, the deliberate and flagrant murders by Hamas in Hebron remind us of the urgency, and difficulty, of the task at hand. Radical voices continue to call for vengeance and promise more violence, but what the Israelis and the Palestinians need today is resolve.
  • Huffington Post: Lawrence Lessig: Get Politics Alerts 2010-09-03
    Smarter Ideas| More... | We have now entered the third of these cycles. The anger that has broken out across America is rightly targeted at the captured and incompetent institution that our government has become. That capture, most Americans believe, is a kind of corruption. But not the corruption of bribery, or brown paper bags of cash hidden and traded among congressmen. | Instead the corruption of today is in plain sight.
  • Huffington Post: Michael Hughes: When Right-Wing Christians and Neocons Loved Islamic Jihadists 2010-09-03
    Smarter Ideas| More... | The anti-Muslim vitriol emanating from American cultural conservatives and right-wing Christians about the ground zero mosque is quite interesting when compared to the deep-seated love of Islamic jihad these same conservative groups once felt just decades ago. | Reason being is that after World War II the United States had developed a Manichaean worldview that infected its foreign policy.
  • Huffington Post: The Denver Channel: Arvada Police Brutality Probe: 5 Officers Resign; 2 On Leave 2010-09-03
    Two Arvada police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation looking into allegations of inappropriate conduct by members of the department. A total of five Arvada police officers have resigned: three related to the incidents under investigation and two others related to separate internal personnel matters.
  • BBC News: Spoof Machete trailer spawns Venice title 2010-09-03
    When Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez unveiled their Grindhouse double bill in 2007, they included a number of spoof mock-trailers. | One of these, Machete, has now spawned a full-length feature that screened at the Venice Film Festival earlier this week.
  • Washington Post: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer flounders at start and end of debate 2010-09-03
    At (Wednesday) night's gubernatorial debate, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) appeared to be at a lost for words during her opening statement, leading to some long, awkward pauses
  • Washington Post: Unemployment rate rises, in sign of weak growth 2010-09-03
    The unemployment rate edged up and private sector job creation continued at a modest pace in August, the government said Friday, reflecting an economy that is treading water, neither accelerating into a robust recovery nor slipping into another recession.
  • San Francisco Chronicle: Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio sued by feds 2010-09-03
    The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday announced it had sued Joe Arpaio, the controversial sheriff of Maricopa County in Arizona, for failing to turn over documents in an investigation of whether his aggressive...
  • Tucson Citizen: Jan Brewer retaliates against KPHO-TV 2010-09-03
    On the same night as her debate disgrace, Morgan Loew, an investigative reporter for KPHO-TV in Phoenix, talks with Rachel Maddow about Arizona governor Jan Brewer’s retaliation against his station for his investigation of her ties with private prison lobbyists.

Palm Beach Post: Illegal immigrants prop up Social Security 2010-09-03

We got some troubling news this week - illegal immigration is declining.  | It's not only bad for those who intend to parlay brown-invasion paranoia into a government job (yes, I'm talking to you, Rick Scott), but also to anybody who's concerned about the future of Social Security. Illegal immigrants, it turns out, have been a godsend to the nation's retirement system. And if they go, we'll be in more trouble than we already are.

 

Politico: Video: Dept. of stage fright 2010-09-03

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's opening statement in (Wednesday) night's debate reflects either an amazing lack of preparation, or sheer panic.

 

Daily Kos: AZ-Gov: Jan Brewers rough debate outing 2010-09-03

 

CBS News: Ann Coulter: Obama Is Atheist, Not Muslim 2010-09-02

Nearly one in five Americans think President Obama is a Muslim, according to a recent poll -- but conservative commentator Ann Coulter says instead that he is an atheist.

 

Washington Post: Boehner vs. reality on national security 2010-09-01

Where Boehner's speech truly goes off the rails though, is where he accuses the Obama administration of a return to a "pre-9/11 mentality" of dealing with terrorism "like a law enforcement issue." That would certainly come as a surprise to the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights, which just yesterday filed a lawsuit challenging the government's authority to kill American citizens abroad suspected of being terrorists.

 

Mediaite.com: The Internet Really Wants Stephen Colbert To Host His Own Rally In DC 2010-09-01

How do people know what Colbert would say if he were speaking at the Mall? Not that I claim to know what he would say either, but being unpredictable is what keeps ratings up.

 

London Free Press: Name-calling wont sink Boat to Gaza 2010-08-31

The Palestinians of Gaza are suffering through the fourth year of a blockade, which is contrary to international law because it inflicts collective punishment on a civilian population, as expressly forbidden by the Fourth Geneva Convention.

 

AlterNet.org: A Century Later, Teddy Roosevelts Speech on Corporate Power 2010-08-31

As President, between 1901 and early 1909, Roosevelt had taken on a plutocracy just as entrenched as ours today. He won some battles and ducked many others.

 

Voxy: Kia Ora Gaza Responds To Israeli Criticism 2010-08-30

Kia Ora Gaza is fund-raising to send a six-person Kiwi Team to Gaza in three vehicles packed with humanitarian aid, such as medical equipment, educational material and building supplies.  | Our brave Kiwi Team is joining the biggest aid convoy since the Second World War. 500 vehicles full of aid and staffed by over 1,000 volunteers from scores of different countries will converge on Gaza in October.

 

The Hindu: Palestinian-Israeli clash moves to Wikipedia 2010-08-29

Influential sections of the Israeli-right and Palestinians are set to clash in the virtual world of Wikipedia, the internet-based free encyclopaedia which depends on contributions by its readers.
2010-09-04T00:27-07:00