North America

NOVANEWS August 18, 2010 by Michael Leon     Hate Editor’s Note: Even as American soldiers and diplomats in the Middle East seek to win hearts and minds by persuading the people that the United States is not at war with Islam and Muslims, only Islamic terrorists, Americans at home are screaming themselves red-faced over a planned mosque in Lower Manhattan. On one level, this ugly bigotry is putting the lives of U.S. soldiers and diplomats at greater risk (though the screamers have likely given that little thought); and at another, it reminds the world of the nativism and hypocrisies that have often besmirched the high ideals of the United States, as Michael Winship reflects in this guest essay: By Michael Winship at ConsortiumNews As citizens of the nation continue through the summer, di...

NOVANEWS Politicians is Trashing the U.S. ConstitutionThe “Me-First” Attitude of American August 17, 2010  by Eric L. Wattree BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE   The “Me-First” Attitude of American Politicians is Trashing the U.S. Constitution The founding fathers understood the dangers of vacillating public sentiment, so they established the United States Constitution to protect America from the ebb and flow of public opinion. The Constitution was designed to set in place a set of American values from which the nation should never deviate in response to public sentiment. But the GOP and the Democratic Party are working hand-in-hand to undermine those standards – first, the GOP creates a toxic political environment to circumvent the people’s common sense, then instead of defending th...

NOVANEWS August 17, 2010 by Robert L. Hanafin   Jeff Danziger gave Veterans Today permission to use any of his copyrighted political cartoons to make or reinforce points for our readers. The point we wish to make using Jeff’s toons on Afghanistan and Wikil Leaks is that instead of making a 22 year old kid a scape goat for an overall breakdown in National Security on a par with that which allowed a hand full of religious extremists to fly several jets into designated targets in New York, the Pentagon, and only one failed attempt due to the Let’s Roll attitude of a few courageous passengers. In each of the links below, our readers will note that instead of persecuting some young enlisted man (or woman) for a lax in U.S. National Security precautions, the Pentagon and mainstream media shou...

NOVANEWS August 18, 2010  by Michael Leon - Move questioned by many as cosmetic budget cutting - By Anne Flaherty WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Robert Gates has put a former Capitol Hill staffer and fellow Republican in charge of his ambitious effort to find billions of dollars in budget waste. In a memo obtained Tuesday by the Associated Press, Gates says Robert Rangel will lead a new task force focused on how to spend less on contractors, close the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., and pare back the number of senior civilian employees and general officers at the Pentagon. Gates has said these initiatives will help him achieve his goal of finding $100 billion in cost savings in the next five years. Rangel is a former Republican staff director on the House Armed Services Committee...

NOVANEWS August 18, 2010 by Michael Leon From the White House: Good afternoon, Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I’m pleased to report that – thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq – our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.   Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist  role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a ...

NOVANEWS Wayne Madsen: Obama’s CIA Connections, Part I and II August 18, 2010  by John Allen - Special Report: The Story of Obama: All in The Company Part I - By Wayne Madsen  WMR [Wayne Madsen Report] has discovered CIA files that document the agency’s connections to institutions and individuals figuring prominently in the lives of Barack Obama and his mother, father, grandmother, and stepfather. President Obama’s own work in 1983 for Business International Corporation, a CIA front that conducted seminars with the world’s most powerful leaders and used journalists as agents abroad, dovetails with CIA espionage activities conducted by his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham in 1960s post-coup Indonesia on behalf of a number of CIA front operations, including the East-West Center at the Universit...

NOVANEWS August 18, 2010  by Michael Leon - The Obama administration has bailed out the banks. It has bailed out a couple too-big-to-fail corporations. It has bailed out the insurance companies with the generous provisions of the health care reform. - By JOHN FEFFER at Foreign Policy In Focus Where’s our Money? I have a simple question for Robert Gibbs, the outspoken press secretary of the Obama administration who recently told the “professional left” to quit criticizing the president. Yes, the president has successfully pushed through some major legislation on health care and financial reform, has negotiated an important arms control treaty with Russia, and has brought a measure of intelligence back to the White House. Still, I have a question. Robert, where’s our money? The Obama ad...

NOVANEWS by Latoya Peterson Reader Elvira asked why we haven’t opened up a thread about the proposed mosque and Islamic Cultural Center to be erected a few blocks away from New York’s Ground Zero location. So, here is one. Our take on this shouldn’t even be necessary because any person who pays attention to the situation logically would realize a few key things: 1. The existence of a mosque/cultural center is not an endorsement of terrorism. 2. American Muslims should not be forced to suffer for the sins of others. 3. Historically, this kind of fearmongering ends badly. Here’s the link to the ADL’s tepidly worded plea to nobly suffer this kind of religious suppression in the name of “healing.” Here’s Al-Jeezera’s story, which provides a quote from Mayor Bloomberg, saying “But we would be ...

NOVANEWS August 18, 2010  by Michael Leon - Editor’s Note: Veterans Today supports the rights and freedoms of all religions under the U.S. Constitution to exercise their chosen faith. We reject the Islamophobia reflecting nothing but a small reichwing, Judeo–Christian sect’s crusade against Islam. We strongly support and applaud President Obama who issued a statement today saying he has “no regrets” in defending the right of all Americans to freely exercise their faith. From Jewish War Veterans of the USA: The Jewish War Veterans of the USA is an unwavering advocate of guaranteeing every American’s individual rights, including the right to practice one’s religion [except Muslims]. The developers and adherents of the Islamic community center must have the courage and common decency to ...