Equal Time for All

Here’s a quick graphic from Chris Dodd showing the time each candidate was permitted to speak in the last Democratic debate:

If you’d like to see times for the other debates, check here.

Al-Anbar: Progress in Iraq?

When we hear talk of progress in Iraq, administration officials often point to the success in Al-Anbar province, where attacks on US troops have declined in previous months.
They had attributed this success to Abu Risha (recently deceased), who was credited with allying Sunni tribes to fight against al Qaeda in Iraq. (shown below with Pres. [...]

Bolivia: Bechtel and the fight for public water

Back in 1999, the private construction contractor Bechtel took over control of the public water system in Bolivia’s third largest city, Cochabamba. The corporation then held a monopoly over this very basic human necessity and proceeded to raise rates by as much as 200 percent, far beyond what families could afford. The law even said [...]

McCain attacks Paul

In last nights Republican debate, Senator John McCain was asked a question about taxes, then took the opportunity to attack Rep. Ron Paul for his stance on Iraq. He accused Paul of the same sort of appeasement that allowed Hitler to take power and WWII to happen, which was greeted with a mix of boos [...]

Mid-week Roundup 11/28

Okay, I think I might start doing a semi-regular blog round-up. Some of the entries I’ve been making have been quite lengthy, so rather than boring you with text, I’ll occasionally make posts with a few links in them, commonly referred to as a ’round-up’. That way you can choose any stories that [...]

Doublespeak & Political Framing

In George Orwell’s 1984, we read of a totalitarian state where the government monitors all aspects of the citizens’ lives. The world of Big Brother introduces the reader to an entirely new vocabulary, including:

Doublethink – the power to hold two completely contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accept both of them.
Newspeak – a [...]

Iran: Another Old Friend

Many in the United States are not aware of their own government’s history. It’s not that we are stupid; it’s just that we are misinformed and misled. Selective events are highlighted in our history books while others are ignored.
So in upcoming entries, I will make an effort to highlight some of those [...]

Clear Channel inAction

Perhaps you think media consolidation does not affect our everyday lives. Please read the following story (from Democracy Now!) and try to explain that to the residents of Minot, ND.

Five years ago, a one-hundred-twelve car train derailed just outside Minot, North Dakota – the state’s fourth largest city. The accident occurred shortly before two [...]

Clear Channel

Broadcasting companies used to be constrained from owning too many radio stations; companies could own only two in any one market and no more than 28 nationwide. After all, radio airwaves are public property and should therefore serve in the public interest.
However, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 changed all the rules of media consolidation. Pushed [...]

New Australian Prime Minister

Just a bit of news out of Australia…
Conservative Prime Minister (and Bush-buddy) John Howard was defeated Saturday in the Australian elections. He lost to Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd, who ran a campaign promising to sign the Kyoto Protocol on global warming and withdraw Australia’s combat troops from Iraq.
If you’re curious about their political [...]