Democracy, loosely defined as for the people by the people, has long been a fantasy of developed countries for the Middle-East and North Africa. Though it would be heart-warming to think that this goal is purely altruistic, this is not the case. There are economic motives to consider amongst many other variables which contribute to the pressing desire to spread democracy.… [Read more]
The 2012 elections are history and Barack Obama has been re-elected President of the United States. In winning, he pulled along three senate and one congressional seat, expanding the Democrats majority in the Senate and reducing the Republican majority by one in the House.
In President Obama’s outstanding victory speech, he mentioned how some had to endure voter intimidation, suppression and long lines to vote.… [Read more]
Even as a staunch supporter of democracy for all, I will concede this point I say anything else: democracy has some troublesome flaws. And currently some of those flaws have contributed to a disturbing trend in some Middle Eastern states—the trend of growing illiberal, Islamist political parties, organizations, and ideologies.
In Egypt the Muslim Brotherhood now holds substantial power, with the even more extreme Salafist party holding an unnerving amount of government positions as well.… [Read more]
SOCIALISM!!! For the Tea Party loonies, it is the maple leaf-shaped shadow, the dark spectre of Johnny Canuck that looms larger and ever southward to scare the living bejeezus out of the red staters, a foul-faced harbinger of American healthcare doom. Yer near and yet so far obedient scribe is certain the sad charade masquerading as contemporary US health care debate is driven by the eye-popping ability of the supposed pundits to twist and torture a simple concept beyond any sensible meaning.… [Read more]
This week we celebrated the nation’s independence day so that brought us to thinking about where the nation was, how far it has to go and who holds the power in charting the course for the future. We talk about the politicians all the time but what about the voters? Though not monolithic, we generally know where Democrats and Republicans stand on the issues, but what about the Independents? … [Read more]
Honestly, I wasn’t too surprised to hear that the Supreme Court upheld Arizona’s “lemme see your papers” doctrine; such laws are completely constitutional, and, furthermore, illegal aliens are guaranteed precisely zero protections under the U.S. constitution. Also, we need to keep American jobs for Americans and Mexicans are a drain on our already-burdened social welfare system.… [Read more]
In case you aren’t painfully aware that the student loan situation has gotten terribly out of hand, consider this: the average college graduate owes $25,000 in debt—what do you say to someone in that situation? Add to this the sublime impossibility of finding a job (days and days spent, dozens of CVs sent out… it’s like a ritual of sorts) and the proliferation of unpaid, or “for credit/experience/exposure” internships, and moving back home to your parents seems like more of a dire necessity than a sensible decision.… [Read more]
In The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan utters one jarring line which has been since quoted and re-appropriated almost as often as Dostoevsky’s epilepsy would manifest itself.
That introduction, you see, was utterly tasteless, much as the Wall Street Journal has, over the past few years, devolved into a vulgar organ for pink-faced men gurgling cholesterol and spewing intellectual shortcuts and claptraps.… [Read more]
In the wake of the economic crisis, Iceland’s economy was utterly decimated and proverbially screwed by the remainder of the Eurozone. Unlike its Mediterranean counterparts who bowed to German financial autocracy and appointed unelected technocrats, Iceland saw what may be remembered as the most successful democratic resurgence to come out of the global recession, now in its 5th year.… [Read more]
Why is it that certain groups of voters seem to consistently vote against their own interests? The results of the Wisconsin recall seem to be quite the claptrap for all of us who hoped that the political great awakening, which, after all, started in Madison, would lead to something resembling measurable change. Scott Walker has held on, and though the Democrats have taken the house, the overhaul of repressive labor legislation seems now a pipe dream.… [Read more]
Radicals, said David Graeber, while holding a plastic Roman legion helmet (he just returned from an action protesting student debt), radicals have had a long unspoken pact with liberals: we incite, provoke, ask controversial questions, and liberals, now regarded as holding a more reasonable alternative to us, gain political power and enforce change. This, he went on to explain, is how political progress occurs: the Haymarket Affair was what pushed legislators to enact 8-hour workdays, it was factory occupations in the early 20th century which led to the rise of unions, and it is radical direct action which will turn the wheel of change now, in 2012.… [Read more]
Now that my rant against hoodies is out of the way, it is time to explain my theoretical basis for the rant. As mentioned in my previous post, I am not against hoodies. What I am against is a display of hoodies in lieu of taking any concrete steps to eradicate stereotyping and racism.
Why is it important that we stop such meaningless displays?… [Read more]
Israel prides itself on being the “only Democracy in the Middle East,” a claim that would be completely laughable if it weren’t such a disgrace. It is definitely a claim which directly contradicts a series of actions perpetrated by the government.
Nobel Prize-winning German author Gunter Grass, Israel’s latest recipient of “democratic treatment” was recently barred from Israel as a result of a poem he wrote criticizing Israel’s nuclear weapons program as well as Germany’s sale of submarines to Israel. … [Read more]
Quickly overshadowed by the meteoric rise and fall of the Invisible Children and its masturbatory answers to white guilt, the Russian presidential election was covered sparsely by Western media and quickly swept under the blogosphere’s shag rug. Myopic, as this election will majorly affect global politics for the next six years, but we had seen this coming: everyone knew who the winner would be and the US-EU conglomerate’s response, a lukewarm ‘we’d appreciate an “independent and credible” investigation, but we’ll work with you anyway if that’s too much trouble’ [1] came as no surprise.… [Read more]
Once again, what’s old is new again. Haven’t we as a nation been down this road before? Why aren’t we tired of repeating the same old stuff; at this point in our nation’s history, shouldn’t we be moving forward and not looking backward to the days of dusty confederates and dirty tricks all the way up to the voting booth?… [Read more]
