NYT > Opinion Sat. 7pm

Opinion: The Upside of Dyslexia
by By ANNIE MURPHY PAUL
4 Feb 2012 at 9:09pm
The condition makes it harder to learn to read. But it also seems to offer visual advantages.


Op-Ed Columnist: The Great Man?s Wife
by By MAUREEN DOWD
4 Feb 2012 at 9:37pm
Can Callista transform Newt so that he can transform her into the First Third Lady?


Op-Ed Columnist: Mitt?s Muffled Soul
by By FRANK BRUNI
4 Feb 2012 at 10:47pm
Romney?s Mormon faith is too central to his biography and identity to be swept to the side.


Op-Ed Columnist: Russia: Sort of, but Not Really
by By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
4 Feb 2012 at 9:39pm
Vladimir Putin has been unable to make the political, economic and educational changes needed to make Russia a modern European state. Will he step up?


Op-Ed Columnist: After Recess: Change the World
by By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
4 Feb 2012 at 9:39pm
Web tools can turn the world upside down. Change.org has empowered ordinary people to close down homophobic ?clinics? in Ecuador, shine a light on sex trafficking, and force banks to drop fees.


Editorial: Politics and the Supreme Court
4 Feb 2012 at 9:37pm
Three major legal cases may influence the 2012 election, but the cases also illustrate how politics shape the Supreme Court.


Op-Ed Columnist: The Media?s Blinders on Abortion
by By ROSS DOUTHAT
4 Feb 2012 at 9:29pm
Half of the country wants to restrict or end abortion, but you wouldn?t know that from the coverage of the Planned Parenthood-Komen controversy.


Editorial: An Easier Path to Refinancing
4 Feb 2012 at 9:37pm
President Obama?s new mortgage refinancing plan could provide considerable relief for millions of homeowners shackled to high interest rates, if Congress approves it.

US Leak on Israeli Attack Weakened a Warning to Netanyahu
by admin
4 Feb 2012 at 3:49pm
Gareth Porter

When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius this week that he believes Israel was likely to attack Iran between April and June, it was ostensibly yet another expression of alarm at the Israeli government's threats of military action.

read more

If Israel really attacks Iran this year, it – and the Americans – will be more dotty than their enemies think. True, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is a crackpot, but then so is Avigdor Lieberman, who is apparently the Israeli Foreign Minister. Maybe the two want to do each other a favour. But why on earth would the Israelis want to bomb Iran and thus bring down on their heads the fury of both the Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas at the very same moment? Along with Syria, no doubt.

read more

Feb. 4 marks the anniversary of a war America won — but doesn’t care to crow about. When the memory only produces shame and regret, you can understand why.

Such is the fate of the Philippine-American War, otherwise known as the Philippine Insurrection, which began on Feb. 4, 1899. It’s a reminder of a time when America’s dreams of imperial greatness got in the way of its democratic values.

read more

Two summers ago, at the U.S. Social Forum, I attended a panel discussion about ways to expand the use of credit unions as alternatives to the “too big to fail” banks whose risky investments had helped tank the economy.

read more

The Anglo-American aggression addicts haven't kicked the habit.

read more

The most significant aspect of January’s jobs report is political. The fact that America’s labor market continues to improve is good news for the White House. But as a practical matter the improvement is less significant for the American work force.

read more

Here's a crash course on the "democratic" machinations of the Arab League - rather the GCC League, as real power in this pan-Arab organization is wielded by two of the six Persian Gulf monarchies composing the Gulf Cooperation Council, also known as Gulf Counter-revolution Club; Qatar and the House of Saud.

read more

Is the Super Bowl a socialist enterprise? Yes the language is provocative but not, I believe, inappropriate. After all Indiana, the site of the next Super Bowl, is currently governed by those who insist government should play a minimal role and the word they, and their Republican counterparts around the country use to describe those who disagree is socialist.

read more

[CaRP] XML error: Invalid document end at line 230

Democracy Now!

ICE Enabled East Haven Police's Racial Profiling By Detaining, Deporting Targ...
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
3 Feb 2012 at 8:50am
A new investigation by Colorlines Magazine has revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement continued to detain and deport individuals rounded up by the East Haven, Connecticut police, even after the Department of Justice launched its investigation into racial profiling. Four East Haven police officers have been arrested for targeting Latino immigrants with false arrests, false reports and harassment, prompting the East Haven police chief to resign. We're joined by Seth Freed Wessler, a senior research associate at the Applied Research Center and an investigative reporter for Colorlines.com. "East Haven, Connecticut has a long history of profiling people of color," Freed Wessler says. "Folks of color in the greater New Haven area know not to drive through East Haven, Connecticut: you're going to get pulled over if you're black or Latino." [Includes rush transcript]
Occupy the Super Bowl: Indiana's New Anti-Union Law Sparks Protest at Sport's...
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
3 Feb 2012 at 8:39am
Occupy protesters in Indianapolis are gearing up to use the media spotlight on Sunday's Super Bowl XLVI to rally for union rights outside the statehouse. Earlier this week, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels signed a so-called "right to work" measure into law that critics say will result in lower wages and diminished collective bargaining rights. Indiana workers have received the backing of the National Football League Players Association, which has called "right to work" "a political ploy designed to destroy basic workers? rights." We're joined from Indiana by Tithi Bhattacharya, an associate professor of South Asian History at Purdue University and a protester who is taking part in Occupy the Super Bowl. "It is absolutely shameful that the legislature passed a law that condemns unions and is now using the city to showcase Indianapolis while ordinary people in Indiana are completely opposed to this law," Bhattacharya says. [Includes rush transcript]
NYPD Muslim Spy Scandal Grows With Newly Revealed Plan to Target Shiite Mosques
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
3 Feb 2012 at 8:12am
New revelations have emerged about the New York City Police Department's secret program to spy on Muslim communities. The Associated Press has just uncovered a confidential NYPD plan from 2006 to engage in targeted surveillance of Shiite mosques following increased tensions between the U.S. and Iran; the latest revelation on its secret intelligence operations focused on Muslim neighborhoods. On Thursday a coalition of Muslim and civil rights organizations reiterated their call for the immediate resignation of NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. We're joined by reporter Matt Apuzzo, who has helped break the NYPD spying story for the Associated Press; and Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, spiritual leader at the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood and president of the Islamic Leadership Council of New York. [Includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 3, 2012
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
3 Feb 2012 at 8:00am
Komen Officials Resign Over Planned Parenthood Controversy, Syria: U.N. Drops Call for Assad Resignation, Egypt: 4 Killed as Thousands Protest Soccer Deaths, Israel: Iranian Missiles Could Reach United States, Khmer Rouge Commander Gets Life Term, Trump Backs Romney Ahead of Nevada Caucus, SEC Issued Scores of Waivers to Wall Street Firms in Fraud Cases, Holder Takes Heat from Congress for "Fast and Furious" Weapons Sting, Yemeni Activists Protest Saleh?s NYC Visit, Sierra Club Took $26 Million From Gas Industry, Report: U.S. More Than Doubles Names on No-Fly List, NATO Chief Contradicts Panetta on Afghan Timetable
After Right-Wing Campaign, Leading Breast Cancer Charity Komen Drops Funding ...
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
2 Feb 2012 at 8:39am
The nation's leading breast cancer charity is under intense scrutiny for its decision to cut off funding for breast cancer screening programs run by Planned Parenthood. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has confirmed it is withdrawing support for 19 of Planned Parenthood's 83 affiliates, citing a new policy barring funding for any groups under investigation by local, state or federal authorities. Planned Parenthood's finances are currently the subject of a probe led by anti-abortion Republican Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida. "If you look at all the government reports which have already been done on Planned Parenthood, they're completely cleared of any of the charges that Cliff Stearns claims he's looking for. So this is a witch hunt," says Jodi Jacobson, the editor-in-chief of RH Reality Check, who recently wrote the article, "The Cancerous Politics and Ideology of the Susan G. Komen Foundation." We also speak with Patrick Hurd, the CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Virginia and a recipient of a 2010 grant from Komen, and his wife, Betsi Hurd, who has participated in several Komen fundraising events and is currently battling breast cancer. "This isn't about fundraising," says Patrick Hurd. "This is about making sure that we provide access to women, that we continue to provide education to women, that we continue to serve the women in the communities where Planned Parenthoods are located." [includes rush transcript]
Obama's Support for Natural Gas Drilling "A Painful Moment" for Communities E...
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
2 Feb 2012 at 8:23am
Last week, President Obama called the United States "the Saudi Arabia of natural gas" in a speech about boosting domestic energy production. That concerns Wyoming farmer John Fenton, who already has more than two dozen gas wells on his property. The Environmental Protection Agency ruled in December that water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming, was a result natural gas extraction and the controversial technique known as fracking. "Things changed pretty rapidly," Fenton says, after fracking took place on his land near Pavillion, and he now has to ship in water for drinking. "It didn't take long to notice significant impacts to the water, the change to smell like diesel fuel. Methane was bubbling in the water. We had neighbors that actually had livestock die from drinking the water. And we also saw really huge impacts to our way of life. The farm fields are full of wellheads now that we have to work around. We have people coming and going off our property 24 hours a day. And we've seen over a 50 percent devaluation in the value of our land." We also speak with filmmaker Josh Fox, who was arrested for attempting to record a congressional hearing over the EPA report on Pavillion. Fox is producing a sequel to his award-winning film, "Gasland," about the impact of fracking across the United States. [includes rush transcript]
"Gasland" Director Josh Fox Arrested at Congressional Hearing on Natural Gas ...
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
2 Feb 2012 at 8:10am
The Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox was handcuffed and arrested Wednesday as he attempted to film a congressional hearing on the controversial natural gas drilling technique known as fracking, which the Environmental Protection Agency recently reported caused water contamination in Pavillion, Wyoming. Fox directed the award-winning film, "Gasland," which documents the impact of fracking on communities across the United States, and is now working on a sequel. Fox says he was arrested after Republicans refused to allow him to film because he did not have the proper credentials. "We wanted to report on what happened [at the hearing]. I was not interested in disrupting that hearing. It was not a protest action," says Fox. "I was simply trying to do my job as a journalist and go in there and show to the American people what was transpiring in that hearing, so that down the line, as we know there will be a lot of challenges mounted to that [Pavillion, Wyoming] EPA report?and frankly, to the people in Pavillion, who have been sticking up for themselves and demanding an investigation into the groundwater contamination?and to make sure that people could view that in a larger forum than usually happens." [includes rush transcript]
Headlines for February 2, 2012
by mail@democracynow.org (Democracy Now!)
2 Feb 2012 at 8:00am
Panetta: U.S. to End Afghan Combat Operations in 2013, Romney: "I'm Not Concerned About the Very Poor", Thousands Protest as Indiana Enacts Anti-Union "Right to Work" Law, Washington State Senate OKs Same-Sex Marriage, Dozens Killed in Syria Clashes; Russia Stalls U.N. Measure, Julian Assange in Final Day of Extradition Hearing, U.S. Lifts Military Aid Ban to Uzbekistan, ACLU Sues Admin for Drone Strike Records, NRC: Nuclear Reactors in Central and Eastern U.S. Face Earthquake Threats, Trump to Endorse Gingrich Ahead of Nevada Vote, Arizona State Senators Introduce Anti-Union Bills, American Airlines to Lay Off 13,000 Workers, At Least 74 Killed at Egyptian Soccer Match, Occupy Wall Street Protester Gets Twitter Subpoena

The Nation
Salon
Mother Jones
Alternet
Tom Paine
Democracy Now !, news
Daily Kos
In These Times
Huffington Post
Crooks and Liars, audio/video