On “Socialist Equality Party candidate for the European election speaks to German radio”
It is very encouraging and heartening to see SEP being allowed to express their perspectives on a German radio station. Congratulations and good luck with the upcoming elections.
Barry W
11 April 2009
Anything goes when it comes to making a buck. Making money from misfortune, preying on the vulnerable (on the pretext of working for the greater good), for example, is nothing new, especially in the media. Dr. Phil, Oprah, Jerry Springer, Tony Robbins and programs such as the “Biggest Loser” are a few that come to mind.
In the “Biggest Loser” (for example), the pitting of obese individuals, one against the other, putting their bodies under considerable physical strain, is not only dangerous for people in their condition, it borders on mental and physical torture in my opinion. The fact that obesity is very often accompanied by medical disorders such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive behavior is ignored.
In keeping with the unfathomable depths of depravity to which the parasites who control the airwaves are prepared to sink, we now have the new Fox Production, “Someone’s Gotta Go.” One media report explained, “The Fox network is letting employees of some troubled small businesses decide which one of their colleagues will be laid off and turning the results into a reality show.... Tory Johnson, founder and chief executive officer of Women For Hire, which organizes job fairs and advises women seeking work, said she wonders whether ‘Someone's Gotta Go’ is a good idea at a time so many people are out of work.
“‘For most people who are concerned about job security or are desperate to get hired, I don't think there's much to laugh at in terms of watching someone else's pain and misery,’ said Johnson, a regular contributor to ABC's Good Morning America.’” (http://cbs13.com/entertainment/rox.series.someones.2.979839.html)
Imagine the spin-off possibilities—“Suicide Watch” is one that immediately comes to mind.
FD
Melbourne, Australia
9 April 2009
On “The Nation and ‘socialism’”
And we must not forget Trotsky's other famous quote, “That infamous reptile breed, these ‘radicals’ of The Nation.”
SG
9 April 2009
Now you know why Wall Street elected Obama for president.
Anteo S
Croatia
10 April 2009
On “Britain: Evidence of fatal police assault at G20 demonstration”
This reminds me also of the police shooting of Oscar Grant in the BART train station in Oakland, California, on New Year's Day. Despite the existence of videos and witness testimony of police aggression towards the young people accused of causing a disturbance on the train, the police continued to lie about the circumstances of the altercation and also about Grant's death. The police department continues to allege that no police officer acted violently toward the detainees, a fact that is contradicted by witness testimony. It also appears that some witnesses who were interviewed had been “massaged” to say that they supported the police and that they had done a good job.
Even if the detainees had been disruptive (which is hard to believe, since they were handcuffed and sitting on the ground some distance away), at the time Grant was shot, all of them (including Grant) had been subdued and posed no immediate threat to any of the police, including the shooter, Mehserle.
BART has hired a law firm to perform an “independent investigation” of the events of January 1. This can only be seen as an attempt to whitewash the incident and deflect blame onto the victims by insisting that the police acted appropriately to the “threat” of a small number of young men behaving obstreperously on New Year's Eve. Contrary to statements that the police acted with restraint is eyewitness testimony that one of the BART police violently assaulted the young men while dragging them off the train while cursing and issuing threats. This particular officer now denies that he did any of these things.
It will be interesting to learn the results of this “investigation.”
Carolyn
California, USA
10 April 2009
On “Rumsfeld, Rice tied to torture in Iraq”
Condoleeza Rice has been invited to speak at the University of Calgary on May 13, 2009. Previously, on March 17, George Bush also spoke in Calgary. This despite Canadian law that compels barring or prosecuting “credibly accused” war criminal suspects. Yet, John “Splitting the Sky” Hill has been charged for his attempted citizen's arrest of George Bush. There has been virtually no coverage or support of this activist. The NDP has officially refused “any correspondence” on requests from Lawyers Without War that they uphold the law preventing US War Criminals from entering Canada. Please consider writing an article on this.
John S
10 April 2009