Revolution on a short leash: Student Protesters are Walking a Tightrope in Hong Kong

By Dave Lindorff

It’s hard to know what to think about the student protests in Hong Kong.

On the one hand they are incredibly inspiring.  The courage, determination, brilliant organizing in the face of corporate blocking of the social media platforms that have been so  critical early on to coordinating actions and rallying support, and the links that these masses of students have been able build with the broader Hong Kong community, have been amazing to witness. So to is the massive support read more

Courage, People! Show Some Misneach!

Misneach (mish-nyuhkh) is an Irish word meaning something like bravery, courage, spirit.

The Irish could use more misneach, as we all could. Ireland is failing to stand up to the U.S. military and its use of Ireland. And when a couple of people from the U.S. stand up in Ireland, they’re forbidden to leave the country — as if their misneach can’t be spared, as the stuff is in such low supply. For a recent conference in Limerick, I noted in limericks:

Green Ireland has a peaceful blue sky.
read more

What Does the Pelosi Posse Want?

If the purpose of the current Trump impeachment hearings were simply to fulfill Congress Members’ oaths of office and do their jobs, it would be difficult to explain the past many years. Jerrold Nadler, Chair of the Judiciary Committee for the past 11 months, has known since inauguration day that Trump was in egregious violation of the emoluments clauses, and has since declared other Trump actions impeachable without moving to impeach him. Impeachable offenses by Trump, Obama, Bush, and on back read more

Talk Nation Radio: Elizabeth Murray on OPCW Covering Up War Lies

Elizabeth Murray served as Deputy National Intelligence Officer for the Near East in the National Intelligence Council (NIC), before retiring in 2010 after a 27-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency. She was a political analyst focusing on various Middle Eastern countries and also served as an editor and media analyst for the U.S. Government’s Open Source Center, OSC, now known as the Open Source Enterprise. She is conversant in German, Arabic, and Spanish. A member of Veteran Intelligence read more

If Voting Is So Important, Why Aren’t Fair, Open, Verifiable Elections Important?

It’s impossible in U.S. society not to frequently encounter the demand to vote, no matter what, no matter for whom, as a basic civic duty. Voting is supremely important, we’re told, a right, a responsibility, a moral requirement, something people died for which if you don’t use (even if it’s useless) you will effectively be pissing on their graves. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said “If everyone would vote, it wouldn’t matter what the billionaires wanted.”

Let’s accept read more

A Doubtful Proposition

A reflection on the trial of the Kings Bay Plowshares 7

By Brian Terrell

“Whether nuclear weapons are actually illegal under international or domestic law (a doubtful proposition) is not relevant or an appropriate issue to litigate in this case,” so ruled Judge Lisa Godbey Wood of the US District Court for the Southern District of Georgia, late on Friday October 18. This last minute order, restricting the defense of seven antinuclear activists at a trial that began Monday morning the 21st, read more