Guest Commentary

JACQUELINE MARCUS FOR BUZZFLASH

Last month, I saw a cartoon in the Economist that mocked President Obama for giving a speech to Uncle Sam on changing to clean energy alternatives.  Uncle Sam cheered and then said, “Great—I’ll go get the car.”   It was an idiotic cartoon in the first place, but the message was clear:  Americans don’t have a choice; they must rely on gas.   What the cartoonist failed to mention is that Obama owns a hybrid-electric car.  Big oil investors have brainwashed Americans into believing that there are no electric cars; there are only gas-fueled cars.  

American tax payers have now paid over $1 trillion for the oil wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We won’t see a dime of that money for our schools, jobs, college grants or anything else.  It was reported that “after a take-it-or-leave-it vote by the Senate, House Democrats faced little choice but to drop billions in aid for schools, college students and others that they had hoped could ride on legislation paying for President Barack Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan.”

Democrats had full control with 80% approval ratings when Barack Obama entered the White House.  He had, in Bush’s words, “capital” and what did Obama spend that capital on?—the same Bush oil war policies: It’s obvious that occupying the Middle East is primarily about U.S. oil companies stealing foreign oil.   

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Oil Excess Consumption Electric Cars

BILL BERKOWITZ FOR BUZZFLASH

 Zondervan, the Christian book publisher, is (was) planning a Sara Palin biography aimed at tweens called “Speaking Up: The Sarah Palin Story”.

You know the story: She ran for vice president, and lost; she was governor of Alaska, and quit halfway through her term; her book, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” was a best-seller; she’s a commentator on the Fox News Channel; she will soon be sharing Alaska in a series for The Learning Channel; she’s in great demand as a speaker, and gets handsomely paid for her appearances.

She tweets; she Facebooks; she endorses candidates; and now, Sarah Palin will have her life story told in a biography specifically earmarked for Christian evangelical tweens. Maybe!  

Originally scheduled for publication in October – just prior to the mid-term elections – the book’s publisher, Zondervan, a wholly owned subsidiary of HarperCollins (which published Palin’s “Going Rogue”), which in turn is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, made a surprise announcement a few days ago saying that publication of the Palin tweener bio had been put on indefinite hold. According to the Associated Press, "Cheryl Lundberg, Zondervan's director of customer service, said in an e-mail that after 'careful review and discussion,' it was deemed that October was not an 'optimal time' to publish the book. She said no decision had been made on when the book would be printed."

There was no indication as to who was involved in the “careful review and discussion.” Although it is pure speculation my part, given the tight control SP Inc. has over all of its many platforms and marketing outlets, it is possible that she got wind of the project and expressed reservations about it moving forward at this time.  

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Palin Bio for Tweens On Hold

STEPHEN PIZZO FOR BUZZFLASH

The Bush/Cheney bunch used fear so effectively to get us to do the wrong things that we are now afraid to do the right thing. The right thing, of course, would be to admit that Afghanistan will never be anything but Afghanistan. And the Afghan people will never be anything more, or less, than Afghans.  And, above all else, “being Afghan” means, above all else, fidelity to tribe -- and there are a lot of tribes:

Forty percent of Afghans are Pashtun, 11.4 of whom are of the Durrani tribal group and 13.8 percent of the Ghilzai group. Tajiks make up the second largest ethnic group with 25.3 percent of the population, followed by Hazaras, 18 percent; Uzbeks, 6.3 percent; Turkmen, 2.5 percent; Qizilbash, 1.0; 6.9 percent other.

Oh, and BTW, the 40% who are Pashtun -- the tribe of the Taliban. They always have, and always will, control the largest hunk of Afghan soil:

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Afghanistan Reality Imperialist Vanity

DANNY SCHECHTER FOR BUZZFLASH

As we move into the dog days of summer, and a coming Congressional recess, the Obama Administration has shifted its focus back on to the economy and wants to convince one and all that an economic recovery is just around the corner.  

In recent speeches, the President warns that the Republicans, if they take over, will support policies that will usher in a new recession, as if the current recession is over. “They are the same policies, “ he said, ”that led us into this recession. They will take us backward at a time when we need to keep America moving forward.”  

He wants to push “distractions” like the Shirley Sherrod affair and the BP spill out of media view so we can all getj back to the economy. 

Wake me up when reality intrudes into a “debate” that is flawed on all sides. 

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Economic Collapse Unemployment

SUE WILSON FOR BUZZFLASH

Unless the courts prevent it, the contentious Arizona immigration law Senate Bill 1070 , which gives police power to racially profile people of color, will go into effect Thursday, July 29.  Both friends and foes of the law are girding for battle, and the war of words is escalating.  Language from opponents of the law like the Border Action Network, which plans protests and acts of civil disobedience in Arizona and across the country, is measured: they promise "civic engagement campaigns all over the state encouraging people to register to vote and to vote by mail." The language from SB1070 supporters, however, is more virulent: a press release from Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman Project states they are rushing a delegation of lawmakers to the border. "We will be accompanied by armed Minutemen. Our guests are appraised of the situation and have made additional safety arrangements as well. The day of picnics and ice cream at the border is over," says Gilchrist.       

Anti-immigrant rhetoric is ramping up on the public airwaves as well.  On July 10, Arizona Republican Sheriff Paul Babeu told listeners of the openly "pro-white" Political Cesspool radio show they should apply for his department's "posse" program.  (It is worth noting that, according to research from Media Matters,  Babeu has appeared at least 18 times to promote the controversial law on Fox News, while two Arizona border sheriffs who spoke out against the law have never been invited to appear.)  The Clear Channel radio station in Columbus, Ohio has been running the following contest:"610 WTVN would like to send you where Americans are proud and illegals are scared, sunny Phoenix, Arizona! You'll spend a weekend chasing aliens and spending cash in the desert, just make sure you've got your green card! Win round trip airfare to Phoenix, hotel accommodations, and a few pesos in spending cash." Rush Limbaugh, predictably prevaricating on 600 radio stations, has targeted Flagstaff's City Council for their opposition to the law, resulting in death threats to council members.  The list of hate radio rhetoric goes on and on and on.       

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Biased Right Wing Media Immigration Media Reform

TONY PEYSER FOR BUZZFLASH

Regarding his meth-gay-prostitute crisis

Ted says he “over-repented.”

With that new comment, his loon status

Is now and forever cemented.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/ted_haggard_i_over-repented_for_my_meth-gay_prosti.php

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Haggard Hypocrisy Loon

Colonel Colin J. N. Chauret, USAF Retired for BuzzFlash

Senator Mitch McConnell's answers to Candy Crowley, "CNN's State of the Union", 18 July 2010, made me angry enough to bite through a ten penny nail. I'll not go into all answers, only one that upset me.   Answering Crowley's question why Republicans would not support Congressional bill to extend unemployment benefits for thousands of people out of work, McConnell answered, "not unless we can find a way to pay for it."

Crowley's rebuttal, '"why did Republicans not do the same when George Bush gave  tax breaks for the rich, resulting in high deficit spending?"   

Bush reduced top tax bracket from 39.6% to 35%, while in two wars, the only president to reduce taxes while at war, main reason debt increased $4.9 trillion in eight years. Where were McConnell and Republicans during that fiasco?

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary GOP Screw the Pooch McConnell

TONY PEYSER FOR BUZZFLASH

Don’t worry, Rand; relax

And chill.

Whatever you can’t recall,

We will.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/rand-paul-i-cant-possibly-be-expected-to-remember-all-the-crazy-things-ive-ever-said-video.php?ref=fpb

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Rand Paul Crazy Things Said

NORMAN SOLOMON FOR BUZZFLASH

    Washington’s spin machine is in overdrive to counter the massive leak of documents on Afghanistan. Much of the counterattack revolves around the theme that the documents aren’t particularly relevant to this year’s new-and-improved war effort.

    The White House seized on the timeframe of the documents released by WikiLeaks. “The period of time covered in these documents (January 2004-December 2009) is before the President announced his new strategy,” a White House email told reporters on Sunday evening. “Some of the disconcerting things reported are exactly why the President ordered a three month policy review and a change in strategy.”

    Unfortunately, the “change in strategy” has remained on the same basic track as the old strategy -- except for escalation. On Tuesday morning, the lead story on the New York Times website noted: “As the debate over the war begins anew, administration officials have been striking tones similar to the Bush administration’s to argue for continuing the current Afghanistan strategy, which calls for a significant troop buildup.”

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary

STEPHEN PIZZO FOR BUZZFLASH

If we learned anything last week it was that propaganda works. Americans may be the last people on earth to learn that lesson, but we got a snoot full of it last week. 

The purveyor of the growing tide of propaganda was that once mocked, “vast rightwing conspiracy.”  When Hillary Clinton tried to blow the whistle on this band of neo-brownshirts years ago most of us shrugged it off as Hillary making excuses for -- well -- you know.

But since then that beast has not only grown, but now has its own cable network --  which my friend Mark Karlin at BuzzFlash has rightly, and righteously, dubbed, "FOX Fraudcasting.” An accurate description if ever there was one. 

Technorati Tags: Guest Commentary Right Wing Propaganda FOX Breitbart