Trash Talking and the 2016 Election

It's funny. I really don't care about the US presidential election but being a news junkie I can't help but watch it unfold. It's like passing a car accident. You can't help it, you have to look.

Evangelical Hypocrisy and Birth Certificates

Ted 'The Canadian' Cruz is a natural born citizen on the basis that his mother alone was an American citizen. His father was not a citizen and he wasn't born in the United States, an American territory, base etc....

The Perils of Journalism in Turkey

Turkey's Erdogan has been the subject of numerous criticisms regarding his 'clampdown' on journalism, his crushing of dissent and utilisation and abuse of Turkish law to go after newspapers and television stations.

It's all true. He's under threat and from several fronts and is working diligently to maintain control of the country's narrative.

But Erdogan is hardly unique. Turkey has a long history of crushing free speech and suppressing journalism. In fact, those who preceded Erdogan were probably much more severe in their tactics.

Shining the Light on Gulen

These aren't the types of stories that usually make it into domestic Mainstream media. These stories usually appear in more specialised media or on the international scene.
The teachers unions are fit to be tied over charter schools and Gulen's movement is literally raking in cash from these ventures. Just because they're non-profits does not mean they cannot facilitate the moving around of money and funding of other projects. The Non-Profit world of which the institutional Church is a part is all too often something of a racket and deception.

Sri Lanka: A Pawn in the Asian Theatre of the New Cold War

The recent story of Sri Lanka, its civil war and aftermath represent yet another tortured tale, a series of proxy battles resulting in devious schemes and dark betrayals.

Europe's Push to the Right

Journeyman Pictures has released a couple more short documentaries on Right-wing parties in Europe that warrant viewing.

Mobile Phones and the Embrace of Dystopia

https://theintercept.com/2015/12/17/a-secret-catalogue-of-government-gear-for-spying-on-your-cellphone/

This article provides a helpful update regarding the proliferation of military style surveillance equipment being unleashed on the public.

Nuclear India

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nuclear-idUSKBN0U619N20151224

While other countries are treated as pariahs for refusing to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Israel and now India are given a free pass due to their relationship with the United States.

Guns Don't Kill People- But They Certainly Make It Easier

Regardless of one's position with regard to guns and their ubiquitous presence in American culture, it simply cannot be denied that fewer guns on the street will mean the elimination of mass shootings.

Re-Establishing the US-Turkey-Israel-India Alliance

For a few years this unofficial alliance fell apart and yet recently the US has worked very hard to re-establish it. Due to a host of pressures Erdogan seems to be acquiescing to American demands. This is not to say that his position isn't precarious. And yet as long as he's willing to toe the line the Praetorians will back off... at least for the moment.

Capitalising on Terror

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/12/21/pers-d21.html

The utilisation of this source will upset some but the article is both timely and relevant. The author discusses the way in which 'terror' and fear are utilised by the powers that be in order to bring about the larger social agenda they wish to implement and as a means to support foreign policy objectives.

Imagine No Hypocrisy in Times Square

It's always striking to me when watching the Times Square revelry on New Year's Eve... we usually tune in with the kids about 10 minutes before the ball drops... as the chosen singer of the year croons 'Imagine' that the whole display is little more than an exercise in schizophrenia.

'Imagine', the hymn of a lost world trying to extract meaning from despair, represents some kind of Materialist ideal that no one in the crowd really believes, let alone the person singing it.