Politics
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Parliament elected Yingluck Shinawatra as Thailand's first female prime minister on Friday (August 5), but she faces a hostile U.S.-trained military which toppled her brother from power in a 2006 putsch and crushed last year's anti-coup Red Shirt insurrection, resulting in 91 people killed and 1,400 injured.
Mrs. Yingluck (pronounced: "Ying-luck"), 44, was described as a sibling "clone" by her self-exiled authoritarian brother, former billionaire prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who now influences her from his base in Dubai.
Mrs. Yingluck is currently awarding ministerial posts to eager politicians, who especially covet the powerful defense, foreign, internal and finance ministries.
"Thaksin and other members of the family have no involvement" in her current choice of cabinet members for her new government, Mrs. Yingluck said on Thursday (August 4), trying to deflect opposition complaints that her popular brother runs her administration.
Mrs. Yingluck (pronounced: "Ying-luck"), 44, was described as a sibling "clone" by her self-exiled authoritarian brother, former billionaire prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who now influences her from his base in Dubai.
Mrs. Yingluck is currently awarding ministerial posts to eager politicians, who especially covet the powerful defense, foreign, internal and finance ministries.
"Thaksin and other members of the family have no involvement" in her current choice of cabinet members for her new government, Mrs. Yingluck said on Thursday (August 4), trying to deflect opposition complaints that her popular brother runs her administration.
Ohio Secretary of State John Husted has banned all minor political parties in Ohio from the ballot. In an August 5, 2011 letter written to the Libertarian Party of Ohio, Husted made it clear that his interpretation of the draconian Ohio House Bill 194, passed by the Republican-dominated legislature, means that all minor parties have lost their official statewide party status effective September 30, 2011.
In a bizarre twist, Husted wrote that the bill "...included laws related to the requirements minor parties will have to satisfy in order to gain ballot access."
In Husted's reading of HB 194, the Libertarian, Green, Socialist and Constitution Parties that have been on the ballot since the 2008 election will have to start over to gain ballot access that they already held under a federal court ruling. In a similar situation, then-Secretary of State Ted Brown left minor parties on the ballot in 1970 and 1972 rather than revoking their ballot access due to a new election law.
In a bizarre twist, Husted wrote that the bill "...included laws related to the requirements minor parties will have to satisfy in order to gain ballot access."
In Husted's reading of HB 194, the Libertarian, Green, Socialist and Constitution Parties that have been on the ballot since the 2008 election will have to start over to gain ballot access that they already held under a federal court ruling. In a similar situation, then-Secretary of State Ted Brown left minor parties on the ballot in 1970 and 1972 rather than revoking their ballot access due to a new election law.
What are we to make of the Obama-brokered deal on debt and spending? It was certainly what the Germans call eine schwere Geburt (a difficult birth); it was one of the few times I would have favored abortion.
I am reminded of a sermon that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave during the turbulent 1950s, in which he peered into the future and issued a prescient warning:
“A nation or a civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.”
In promoting and then signing the so-called “deficit reduction” legislation, President Barack Obama has definitively confirmed that he stands in the ranks of those spiritual-death-dealing, “soft-minded” men about whom Dr. King warned so ominously.
In my view, even dyed-in-the-wool Obama supporters will now have to let the scales fall from their eyes. The new one-sided “compromise” so clearly promotes the interests of the wealthy over those of the poor that, in Biblical terms, it can readily be seen as a Goddamned deal.
I am reminded of a sermon that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave during the turbulent 1950s, in which he peered into the future and issued a prescient warning:
“A nation or a civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on an installment plan.”
In promoting and then signing the so-called “deficit reduction” legislation, President Barack Obama has definitively confirmed that he stands in the ranks of those spiritual-death-dealing, “soft-minded” men about whom Dr. King warned so ominously.
In my view, even dyed-in-the-wool Obama supporters will now have to let the scales fall from their eyes. The new one-sided “compromise” so clearly promotes the interests of the wealthy over those of the poor that, in Biblical terms, it can readily be seen as a Goddamned deal.
There is no linear narrative capable of explaining the multifarious happenings that have gripped Syrian society in recent months. On March 23, as many as 20 peaceful protesters were killed at the hands of the Syrian regime's security forces, and many more were wounded. Since then, the violence has escalated to such a level of brutality and savagery that can only be comparable to the regime's infamous massacres in the city of Hama in 1982.
Listening to Syrian presidential advisor, Dr Buthaina Shaaban – one of the most eloquent politicians in the Arab world – one would get the impression that a self-assured reform campaign is indeed underway in Syria. Her words also suggest while some of the protesters' demands are legitimate, the crisis has been largely manufactured abroad and is being implemented at home by armed gangs bent on wrecking havoc. The aim of the protests, as often suggested by officials, is only to undermine Syria's leadership in the region and the Arab world at large.
Listening to Syrian presidential advisor, Dr Buthaina Shaaban – one of the most eloquent politicians in the Arab world – one would get the impression that a self-assured reform campaign is indeed underway in Syria. Her words also suggest while some of the protesters' demands are legitimate, the crisis has been largely manufactured abroad and is being implemented at home by armed gangs bent on wrecking havoc. The aim of the protests, as often suggested by officials, is only to undermine Syria's leadership in the region and the Arab world at large.
This is a very bad deal and a huge mistake. Instead of capitulating to Republican ideologues in Congress, we should stand our ground on behalf of seniors, children and other vulnerable Americans. All the rhetoric about “shared sacrifice” rings hollow when the vast majority of us are being sacrificed to the benefit of big banks and Wall Street.
There are plenty of sensible and effective ways to reduce the deficit -- including a transaction tax on Wall Street, an end to the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy and a major reduction in military spending. But the bipartisan dealmakers in Washington are ripping up the social compact and slashing the safety net that’s essential for vast numbers of Americans.
One of the most dangerous aspects of this deal is that it explicitly sets the stage for future actions to undermine Medicare. This scenario is a betrayal that strikes at the heart of precious values, and it’s among many of the current threats to vital social programs. I am committed to defending Social Security and Medicare on the campaign trail and as a member of Congress.
There are plenty of sensible and effective ways to reduce the deficit -- including a transaction tax on Wall Street, an end to the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthy and a major reduction in military spending. But the bipartisan dealmakers in Washington are ripping up the social compact and slashing the safety net that’s essential for vast numbers of Americans.
One of the most dangerous aspects of this deal is that it explicitly sets the stage for future actions to undermine Medicare. This scenario is a betrayal that strikes at the heart of precious values, and it’s among many of the current threats to vital social programs. I am committed to defending Social Security and Medicare on the campaign trail and as a member of Congress.
America's budget crisis has the world economy at the brink. Social Security, Medicare, aid for needy children, environmental protection and much more are being chopped.
Yet Congress and the White House may still want to use our money to fund atomic power.
Specifically, $36 billion in loan guarantees may still be on the table for building new nukes. Millions more are slated for "small modular reactors" and other atomic boondoggles.
A national campaign---including an August 7 "MUSE2" concert---is underway to help stop this. With your help, we can win.
Yet Congress and the White House may still want to use our money to fund atomic power.
Specifically, $36 billion in loan guarantees may still be on the table for building new nukes. Millions more are slated for "small modular reactors" and other atomic boondoggles.
A national campaign---including an August 7 "MUSE2" concert---is underway to help stop this. With your help, we can win.
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Voters gave a strong mandate to elect Thailand's first female prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, on Sunday (July 3) so she can reverse a devastating 2006 coup by the U.S.-trained military and bring her toppled brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, home from self-exile.
To protect herself against a possible putsch, Mrs. Yingluck, as prime minister, may allow the generals who staged the coup to keep their current job promotions and continue to enjoy a free hand in demanding expensive weapons procurement contracts.
But hatred, distrust and betrayal have ravaged Thai society on all sides since the coup, making any deals difficult to believe or rely upon.
The military had supported Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who took office in December 2008.
Oxford-educated Mr. Abhisit, 46, conceded defeat in a brief speech on Sunday night after the polls closed and congratulated Mrs. Yingluck, 44, who is Mr. Thaksin's youngest sister.
To protect herself against a possible putsch, Mrs. Yingluck, as prime minister, may allow the generals who staged the coup to keep their current job promotions and continue to enjoy a free hand in demanding expensive weapons procurement contracts.
But hatred, distrust and betrayal have ravaged Thai society on all sides since the coup, making any deals difficult to believe or rely upon.
The military had supported Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva who took office in December 2008.
Oxford-educated Mr. Abhisit, 46, conceded defeat in a brief speech on Sunday night after the polls closed and congratulated Mrs. Yingluck, 44, who is Mr. Thaksin's youngest sister.
You would never know it after reading the July 2, 2011 puff piece “In Ohio, a new Governor is off to a smooth start,” but Governor John Kasich is already on the ropes. In the Times’ analysis, the passage of Kasich’s controversial budget “…has been about as smooth as a knife through butter.”
In reality, Kasich is a founding member of the “gaffe of the week” club. His budget is based on busting all the public employee unions in the state of Ohio and began with the supposed savings Kasich cited in the union-busting Senate Bill 5. The bill not only went after state employees, public school teachers, and professors, but also attacked police and firemen. In a gaffe that went around the Buckeye state, Kasich justified union-busting by calling a police officer who gave him a traffic ticket “an idiot.”
In reality, Kasich is a founding member of the “gaffe of the week” club. His budget is based on busting all the public employee unions in the state of Ohio and began with the supposed savings Kasich cited in the union-busting Senate Bill 5. The bill not only went after state employees, public school teachers, and professors, but also attacked police and firemen. In a gaffe that went around the Buckeye state, Kasich justified union-busting by calling a police officer who gave him a traffic ticket “an idiot.”
BANGKOK, Thailand -- If she becomes Thailand's first female prime minister after a nationwide election on July 3, Yingluck Shinawatra may start tribunals against the current government and military for their role in the deaths of 91 people during the army's assault against an anti-coup insurrection last year.
The military, which has staged 18 successful or attempted coups since the 1930s, is worried that an increasingly likely win by Mrs. Yingluck would also enable her to investigate the army's 2006 coup which toppled her thrice-elected brother, Thaksin.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, his supportive generals, and their loyal officials, have reason to be afraid.
Thaksin Shinawatra described his sister as his "clone," and the slogan for their Puea Thai Party, or Party for Thais, is: "Thaksin Thinks. Puea Thai Acts."
Their tribunals could blame Mr. Abhisit and the military for using snipers, armored personnel carriers and other weapons in Bangkok's crowded streets against thousands of anti-coup Red Shirt protesters and others, including many who fought back, during April and May 2010.
The military, which has staged 18 successful or attempted coups since the 1930s, is worried that an increasingly likely win by Mrs. Yingluck would also enable her to investigate the army's 2006 coup which toppled her thrice-elected brother, Thaksin.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, his supportive generals, and their loyal officials, have reason to be afraid.
Thaksin Shinawatra described his sister as his "clone," and the slogan for their Puea Thai Party, or Party for Thais, is: "Thaksin Thinks. Puea Thai Acts."
Their tribunals could blame Mr. Abhisit and the military for using snipers, armored personnel carriers and other weapons in Bangkok's crowded streets against thousands of anti-coup Red Shirt protesters and others, including many who fought back, during April and May 2010.
Many commentators today are basing the success of Turkey's Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the June 12 elections largely on its ability to guide the country through a decade of remarkable growth.
Economic indicators are often seen as the obvious logic behind economic stability - lack thereof. However, they are not enough on their own to reach such sweeping conclusions.
In an article entitled, 'Look toward Turkey's economy to understand Erdogan's re-election', Ibrahim Ozturk opined: "From 2002 to 2007, Turkey experienced its longest period of uninterrupted economic growth, which averaged 6-7 percent year on year, while annual inflation plummeted. Moreover, the economy proved resilient following the global financial crisis, with growth recovering rapidly." (Lebanese Daily Star, June 18).
Economic indicators are often seen as the obvious logic behind economic stability - lack thereof. However, they are not enough on their own to reach such sweeping conclusions.
In an article entitled, 'Look toward Turkey's economy to understand Erdogan's re-election', Ibrahim Ozturk opined: "From 2002 to 2007, Turkey experienced its longest period of uninterrupted economic growth, which averaged 6-7 percent year on year, while annual inflation plummeted. Moreover, the economy proved resilient following the global financial crisis, with growth recovering rapidly." (Lebanese Daily Star, June 18).