Thom's blog
It’s time to put down the Free Trade Kool-Aid...
Free Trade, Free Trade, Free Trade. Congress passed three so-called Free Trade agreements last night – meaning transnational corporations now have new pools of cheap labor in Colombia, South Korea, and Panama. All three trade deals were passed with bipartisan support in both Chambers of Congress despite the face that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was against them – and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed skep
Last night’s debate – moving forward - not one time did the audience cheer death, sickness, joblessness, or homophobia!
There was another Republican debate last night – this time Bloomberg News hosted the circus. Ironically – Bloomberg just released a new poll before the debate showing that 2/3 of Americans – and even 53% of Republicans – support raising taxes on the wealthy. Of course – none of the candidates on stage last night agreed with the majority of the American people – and all called for even lower taxes on the wealthy.
Violent police crackdown against the 99% movement in the middle of the night in Boston
There was a violent police crackdown against the 99% movement in the middle of the night in Boston. As the occupy Boston movement – now in its second week – grew beyond its original campsite in Dewey Square – demonstrators moved into a new space a block away yesterday – prompting police to shut it down. Among the first line of people to be arrested were those with the group Veterans for Peace – war veterans who had their
Happy Genocide Day!
Today is Columbus Day – when lots of Americans get a day off work to commemorate the founding of the “New World” even though it had already been found – and was settled for thousands of years before Columbus showed up. And it’s also a day commemorating a psychopath who arrived in Hispaniola in 1492 and set out to rape, slaughter, and enslave thousands of indigenous people in a manic hunt for treasure.
Afghanistan – and ten years later...
In 2001 we started a war in Afghanistan – and ten years later we’ve achieved just barely 50% of our military goals in that nation. So says the former top commander in Afghanistan – Retired General Stanley McChrystal. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations – McChrystal blasted the planning and effort that went into the Afghanistan war – now the longest war in American history – saying, "We didn't k
The Movement Marches on & so do the Banksters...
The Occupy Wall Street movement swelled to at least 20,000 people yesterday – as demonstrators peaceably marched through Manhattan alongside throngs of unionized workers. But as the sun went down – and demonstrators attempted to take their march to Wall Street – another police crackdown ensued. Using pepper-pray and swinging batons – police prevented protestors from accessing Wall Street – and they also closed the Wall
Speaking of the 99% versus the 1%
Speaking of the 99% versus the 1% - a new report out of the International Monetary Fund finds that one of the greatest factors for prolonged economic growth in a nation is a low level of wealth inequality. By reviewing economies around the world – and looking at economic variables such as political institutions, debt, and trade – the study found that by far – it’s wealth inequality that has the greatest effect on susta
The Transport Workers Union don't want to bus Occupy Wall Street to Jail
The New York Transport Workers Union went to court to block New York City and the NYPD from forcing bus drivers to transport arrested Wall Street protestors. After police rounded up and arrested 700 peaceful demonstrators on the Brooklyn Bridge over the weekend – the NYPD commandeered 3 city buses to haul off the demonstrators.
Did “Occupy Wall Street” turned into a “Crackdown on Wall Street?”
The “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration turned into a “Crackdown on Wall Street” as NYPD officers disrupted a peaceful march across the Brooklyn Bridge and arrested more than 700 people on Saturday. Yet demonstrators in lower Manhattan’s Zucotti Park – the “central command” of the movement – remain undeterred despite the crackdown. Each day, more and more people are streaming into the park – renamed “Liberty Square” – to j
Will Ben Bernanke's Warning go Unheard....
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke issued a warning to Congress yesterday – though they probably didn’t hear it since Speaker of the House John Boehner told everyone to go on vacation this week. Speaking in Cleveland – Bernanke said, regarding the nation’s unemployment situation, “This is unheard of. This has never happened in the post-war period in the United States…The unemployment situation we have, the job situatio