DMITRY ORLOV – The World’s Silliest Empire

I couldn’t help but notice that over the past few weeks the Empire has become extremely silly—so silly that I believe it deserves the title of the World’s Silliest Empire. One could claim that it has been silly before, but recent developments seem to signal a quantum leap in its silliness level. The first bit of extreme silliness surfaced when …

Shane Harris – Marines Trained That Rape in Afghanistan Is a ‘Cultural’ Issue

U.S. Marines preparing to go overseas are given a detailed training session about the Marine Corps’ own rules against sexual assault. But they are offered practically no guidance on what to do if they witness rape and other sexual abuses by “local nationals” in other countries, including Afghanistan, where child rape is common. A 45-minute scripted presentation given to Marines …

This Can’t Be Happening – 09.16.15

Marina Angel, a professor of law at Temple University and a long-time fighter for women’s rights and against sexual abuse who helped draw up that university’s pioneering rules against sexual harassment in 1992, talks with “This Can’t Be Happening!” host Dave Lindorff about the ever expanding number of women alleging they were drugged and sexually assaulted by actor/comedian and long-time Temple University Trustee Bill Cosby. She discusses how university leaders, by following in the sorry footsteps of Penn State in continuing to cover up and ignore Cosby’s abuses, risk being dragged down, along with the school’s reputation, as revelations about his sordid behavior continue to make headlines.

The Mark Riley Show – 09.02.15

– Upstate groups rally for secession. Yeah, upstate NY and Alabama Good luck with that, both of you. If they were to get their wish, they’d both go under financially in less than 18 months.

– Cop pays for hotel for homeless mom and daughter. So often, we badmouth all police as if there’s no difference among them. This story shows it’s not true.

– From local Kentucky fixture to lightning rod. This woman, Kim Davis, should either be summarily fired or impeached for failing to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples, as required by law. And this from a woman who has been married four times, twice to the same man. Oh yeah, that all happened before she found God.

– Obama gets votes needed on Iran nuclear deal. Sen. Barbara Mikluski was the 34th vote. Now the Republicans and warhawks can go on to another issue. Wanna bet they won’t?

– After playing down a homeless crisis, de Blasio changes course. He needed to, after the person tasked with fixing the problem quit.

– Sony altered “Concussion” film to prevent NFL protests, e-mails show. And Sony doesn’t even do direct business with the league. Guess is, they’re backing away from showing any league responsibility in crippling injuries.

– Power failure snarls Long Island Railroad service. Even the NY Times is starting to realize this, and NJ Transit’s similar problems are a function of infrastructure neglect. Question is, who is to be held accountable?

– Hearing starts in Freddie Gray’s police death case. This one may not be as simple as some black activists want it to be or think it will be.

– Man accused of gunning down Texas deputy at gas station had history of mental illness. Story here is that Texas authorities at first blamed Black Lives Matter. They had to back away from that one. Notice, however, the use of race in this case, where there was no mention of whatever demons drove the white guy in Louisiana to kill a state trooper who had stopped to help him.

– Judge in California delivers Uber’s worst nightmare. This has to do with whether drivers are employees or contractors, and it may have national implications. Cute commercials may not get them out of this.

Robots will cut 25% of US jobs in 4 years, transform workforce – report

The encroachment of self-help kiosks and grocery store scanners has led doomsayers to suggest automation threatens the workforce of the future. A new report argues it will create new business sectors and new jobs as well. By studying large companies in various industries, from Delta Airlines Inc. to Whole Foods Market Inc., as well as many startups, analysts have forecast …

For-profit colleges get rich by sinking students into debt–and their scam is financed by our tax dollars – Jim Hightower

Butch Hancock, one of Austin’s finest singer-songwriters, grew up in the Texas Panhandle, out among dryland farmers and strict fundamentalist Christians. Butch once told me that he felt he’d been permanently scarred in his vulnerable teen years by the local culture’s puritanical preachings on sexual propriety: “They told us that sex is filthy, obscene, wicked, and beastly– and that we …

Veganism, Harm Reduction, Moral Baselines, etc. – Mickey Z.

“Veganism must be the baseline if we are to have any hope of shifting the paradigm away from animals as things and toward animals as nonhuman persons.” These are the words of Gary L. Francione, renowned white middle-aged male vegan guru. “Yes, animal agriculture is a plague upon our shared landbase, but… it’s still a symptom. To ‘save’ the planet, the disease …