Americans are told that other governments practice censorship and propaganda, but not their own. Yet, the reality is quite different with many reasonable viewpoints marginalized and deceptive spin put on much that comes from officialdom, writes Lawrence Davidson.
Category: Politics
Putin’s Subtle Message to Obama
Exclusive: Russian President Putin sought to cool the rhetoric over Ukraine with an appeal for a postponed referendum in the east and an order to pull back Russian troops, but another message was to President Obama over the State Department’s…
The Commandment to Save the Planet
America’s right-wingers are so hostile to the federal government and to the Constitution’s commandment to “promote the general Welfare” that they reject action even when needed to save the planet. A resistance that continues whatever the evidence, as ex-CIA analyst Paul…
The Death Penalty’s Grotesque Reality
On April 29, Oklahoma authorities strapped convicted murderer Clayton Lockett to a gurney and began pumping in drugs to kill him. But the process went awry as Lockett writhed in pain for 43 minutes, raising moral questions discussed by Dennis J Bernstein with death-penalty opponent…
What Obama Can Do to Save Ukraine
Exclusive: The fate of Ukraine whether it descends into civil war or finds a path back from the brink may rest with President Obama and whether he can work with Russian President Putin while recognizing the legitimate concerns of both eastern and western…
American Hawks Who Never Learn
The mainstream U.S. news media has taken great umbrage over President Obama’s defense of the more peaceful parts of his foreign policy, when he suggested lessons were not learned by the many pundits and pols who supported the disastrous Iraq…
Can Obama Speak Strongly for Peace?
From the Archive: During the Cold War, two presidents delivered honest warnings to Americans, Eisenhower on the “military-industrial complex” and Kennedy on how “we all inhabit this small planet.” Now Ukraine presents a challenge to President Obama to speak out for peace, as Robert…
Net Neutrality Under Assault
The fight over Net neutrality is back, with the Federal Communications Commission considering new rules that critics say will create a fast-and-slow Internet, faster for those with more money and slower for those with less, as Bill Moyers and Michael…
Egypt’s Spectacle of Repression
Egypt’s U.S.-backed coup regime has veered further toward political repression of the democratically elected Morsi government, including mass death sentences for its followers. The spectacle has spurred some U.S. opposition to continued military aid, as ex-CIA analyst Paul R. Pillar notes.
Behind Oklahoma’s Ghoulish Execution
Oklahoma’s Gov. Fallin, who pushed for Tuesday’s execution of Clayton Lockett, is promising an “independent” review of the ghoulish process that left him writhing in pain as panicked officials pulled the shades on witnesses and later said he died of a heart…