Video of Unusual Target Store Protest

Linked here is video of an unusual protest at a Target store, protesting the company's intrusion into the political process in the Minnesota governor's race. No matter what one thinks of any particular candidate, it is an egregious error for a corporation with its superior financial resources to try to influence an election. As the video says, corporations are not people.



http://pol.moveon.org/state/target/?id=22708-7807184-U8nFwQx&t=1

Labor Begins to Find Its Voice

This article is one of the most hopeful on the subject of the economy I have read in quite awhile (see below). Finally, labor is recognizing it must create a movement apart from the Democratic Party. The answer appears to be a partnership with community forces. This is brilliant and would represent the best in American history: an economy based on community cohesion and protection of workers' rights.

There is no need to say more, except to say read this article and gain strength and hope:


http://www.truth-out.org/labor-fights-back-living-wages-and-jobs-for-all61653

Professors as Welfare Queens -- from Truthout

The article linked below is perhaps the single most important article on education today. As an educator and a community college professor I decry the current attack on higher education well underway not only on right-wing talk radio, but increasingly among supposed "liberals." It's not hard to understand what has happened. Ever since Ronald Reagan slammed innocent people on welfare as being "welfare queens," there has been an escalation of rhetoric against anyone receiving government assistance. Tragically, this has come to include children in our public school system!

But a parallel attack is continuing and gaining steam -- an attack on higher education itself. While there can be many criticisms of higher education, something like a true and useful purpose is still very much alive in higher education. Problems come chiefly from economic issues, not the least of which is low income of students and all the ensuing stresses and difficulties.

As for professors, there has been an increase in the use of adjunct faculty. Such faculty members usually have no contract, no benefits and are paid at a lower rate than full-time faculty. Tenured faculty fare better, but no one is getting the kind of salaries seen on Wall Street.

This attack on education in general and high education specifically is similar to the anti-intellectualism of the Nazis in Italy and Germany. While not all critics of education are so oriented, those of the Limbaugh/Beck ilk have enormous power through broadcast media.

Now comes a book from supposed liberals which sickeningly echoes many of the arguments of the right, particularly in orientation. The article below tells more.




http://www.truth-out.org/professors-welfare-queens61981

Talk of Republican Take-Over of the House Still a Pipe-dream

Granted, anything is possible. But according to The New York Times, the trend lines currently favor Democrats no matter what anyone is saying. With the number of seats considered in play, it is theoretically possible the Republicans could gain the majority. But this would seem to require some major national calamity, an eventuality not to be totally ruled out, unfortunately. More likely will be Democratic retention of control, at least according to The Times.

This situation says more about the corporate agenda of our current media, one controlled increasingly by fewer and fewer major businesses. And, make no mistake: the media in this country is big business, or as Dick Cheney would say big business, big time.

So, Democrats take heart and pass the word. You are likely to retain control, but not without a fight. And remember, in politics there are no guarantees. On the other hand, dreaming something doesn't make it so. That's especially true for Republicans this year.

http://elections.nytimes.com/2010/house

Bush Era Surveillance Efforts Said to Continue and Expand

In a sign that illegal surveillance programs launched by the Bush administration are accelerating under President Obama, The Wall Street Journal revealed last week that a National Security Agency (NSA) program, PERFECT CITIZEN, is under development.

With a cover story that this is merely a "research" effort meant to "detect cyber assaults on private companies and government agencies running such critical infrastructure as the electricity grid and nuclear-power plants," it is also clear that the next phase in pervasive government spying is underway.

This from a web log called Antifascist Calling. This is a new blog to me, one that is well-written and apparently well-researched by a published author. I highly recommend checking it out. (For a direct link to the material containing the quote above, please click on the title of this post above.)

Anyone with any sense at all can tell something is rotten, not only in Denmark, but in the United States. As much as anything I have seen recently the blog I am mentioning here is useful in calling out the henchmen of capitalism. To have such thieves and crooks brought into the light of day is a decided public service.


The blog reference URL is here: http://antifascist-calling.blogspot.com/