Uncommon Thought Journal: Social Justice Archives

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What You Will Not Hear About Iraq

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By Adil E. Shamoo. Originally published in FPIF.


IraqSlum1.jpg Iraq has between 25 and 50 percent unemployment, a dysfunctional parliament, rampant disease, an epidemic of mental illness, and sprawling slums. The killing of innocent people has become part of daily life. What a havoc the United States has wreaked in Iraq.

Starving Africa's Future?

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By Beth Tuckey. Republished from Foreign Policy in Focus.

NubaFarming.jpg In what may be President Obama's most significant foray into changing U.S.-Africa policy since his election in 2008, the United States is embarking on a new initiative to boost agricultural production in the global south. Feed the Future (FTF) came out of the G8 summit in L'Aquila in 2009 where developed country leaders committed to acting to "achieve sustainable global food security." Obama pledged $3.5 billion over three years toward this goal, in hopes that other rich nations would also make significant investments in agricultural development.

Trapped at Ground Zero

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By Ramzy Baroud

The controversy over the right of Muslim Americans to build community center and mosque a short distance from the site of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks is both strange and outright inappropriate. It should never be necessary for law-abiding Americans to justify exercising their right to freely practice their own religion. This right is in accordance to the First Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights that has constituted the foundation of American freedom for over 200 years.

Bourj el-Barajneh: Searching for Meaning in a Refugee Camp

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By Ramzy Baroud - Beirut Lebanon

israelBarrenFlag.jpg Two young girls stood, as if frozen, starting below them at an ever vibrant Beirut. Their balcony, like the rest of their house and most of their refugee camp was of an indistinct color. It was dirty, as were their clothes. They, on the other hand, looked beautiful and bright, although their future didn't.

Smoke on a Bridge: Lebanon Awaits a Verdict

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By Ramzy Baroud - Beirut, Lebanon

PeaceBridge-Sketch1924-GS300.jpg Jamal is a Lebanese driver in his late 50's. He appeared unshaven and terribly exhausted as he drove his old passenger van from the airport in Beirut to the Bekaa Valley. Although it was not a particularly arduous trip, it was made more grueling by the way Jamal drove, negotiating the elevation, the hectic traffic and the many army vehicles speeding by.

Hanging A Hammock Between Death And The Abyss: A Götterdämmerung Of Kitsch

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By Phil Rockstroh

hiphopcommodification.jpg Given the level of cultural absurdity at large, both the commercially tormented landscape and the mass media dominated mindscape of the United States seem a Gogol goof-take.

Revolution: The Wrong Kind and the Right Kind

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By Carolyn Baker of Speaking Truth to Power.

TribalSelf.jpg Lately I've been encountering articles and news stories touting the need for revolution in the wake of a gansterized U.S. financial system and a government that has itself become a criminal enterprise. I sense that many bloggers and their readers are salivating with anticipation that someone or something will light the fuse of a revolutionary cannon that will eviscerate the present system and replace it with something more just and humane.

Beyond Violence and Non-Violence: Resistance as a Culture

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By Ramzy Baroud

resistance.jpg Resistance is not a band of armed men hell-bent on wreaking havoc. It is not a cell of terrorists scheming ways to detonate buildings.

True resistance is a culture.

It is a collective retort to oppression.

A Heap Of Broken Images: Social media and the architecture of anomie

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By Phil Rockstroh


USTentCity.jpg In an age, when nature is besieged and the political landscape blighted, and one stands, stoop shouldered and wincing into the howling wasteland of epic-scale idiocy extant in the era, a solitary person can feel lost ... marooned inside an increasingly isolated sense of self. Whether urban, suburban, or rural dwelling, the sense of alienation, for an individual, is profound ... as discernible to the eye as the constellations of foreclosure signs stippling overgrown front lawns across the land ... as hidden as the abandoned dreams within.

Is Israel a Normal Country

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By John Chuckman

israelBarrenFlag.jpg This article starts with a brave question, and I think for most people the answer is apparent with the asking of the question.

But like the famous line of T.S. Elliot, the piece ends, not with a bang, but a whimper.

After asking a question which would never pass the lips of Israel's establishment, the article makes the very claims and assertions the Israeli government would make.

"Israel has never done anything comparable to the late Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad's 1982 massacre of more than 20,000 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in the city of Hama."

Bogus wage rises fuel anger among Chinese workers

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By John Chan. Republished from World Socialist Web Site

ChineseWorkersFiberOptics.jpg Over the past month, a series of strikes by Chinese workers, concentrated mainly in auto plants, concluded with the granting of what appeared to be significant wage rise. At the same time, after a spate of suicides at the giant Foxconn electronic plant, media attention focussed on the exploitative conditions facing young workers. To improve its tarnished public image, Foxconn announced generous pay increases and improved conditions.

Cluster Bombs and Civilian Lives: Efficient Killing, Profits and Human Rights

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By Ramzy Baroud

ClusterBombVictim.jpg Twelve-year-old Mohamed Samer Elhaz Mouss, photographed in October 2006, was injured by Israeli cluster bomblets delivered by Israeli warplanes during the Israeli aggression on Lebanon. On 9 August 2006, in the Rashidieh Camp outside of Sour, Mohamed was running from attacking Israeli warplanes and hid behind a tree where he came into contact with unexploded bomblets. (Sam Costanza) ELECTRONIC LEBANON

Cluster bombs are in the news again, thanks to a recent report from Amnesty International.

US Economy Stuck in Misery

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Joel S. Hirschhorn

The middle class is dead. The US has produced a self-sustaining two-class society. Most Lower Class Americans are in bad or uncertain economic shape but the rich and powerful Upper Class crowd keeps making and spending money as if there has been no recession.

Millennium Goals Revisited: Noble Ideas, and Feel-Good Moments

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By Ramzy Baroud

StandUpMDG.jpg When the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were first declared, they were met with a sense of promise. A decade later, despite all the official insistence that all is on track, it is increasingly clear that this approach to development was flawed from the onset.

Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon: Righting a Perpetual Wrong

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By Ramzy Baroud

lebanon_refugees.jpg Finally, a parliamentary debate in Lebanon over the human rights of Palestinian refugees. What is unfortunate though, is that granting basic civil rights to over 400,000 Palestinians - 62 years after their expulsion from their historic homeland and the issuing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - has been a topic of 'debate' in the first place. Equally regrettable is the fact that various 'Christian' Lebanese political forces are fiercely opposing granting Palestinians their rights.

Middle East is Changing, and Ankara Knows It

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By Ramzy Baroud

"Even despots, gangsters and pirates have specific sensitiveness, (and) follow some specific morals."

The claim was made by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a recent speech, following the deadly commando raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla to Gaza on May 31. According to Erdogan, Israel doesn't adhere to the code of conduct embraced even by the vilest of criminals.

New "Homeland Security" Toys Lower Boom on Privacy, Grease Usual Palms

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By Tom Burghardt of Antifascist Calling.


PredatorB.jpg

As "gee-whiz" high-tech wonders seamlessly morph into "your papers, please!," more often than not in "new normal" America science and technological innovation are little more than deranged handmaids serving corporate crime and political power.

A Zionist State of Mind, A Dreamscape Of Ghosts: One Jew's Hard Awakening

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By Phil Rockstroh

JewishProtesters.jpg Although my mother fled Nazi Germany, as a child, on a Kindertransport, with a few family valuables sown into her clothing, and I was brought up on the myths and hagiography of the Zionist state, I, over time, came to recognize the folly of the whole colonialist enterprise -- the folly of ethnic exclusion and expulsion, the inherent tragedy of nationalism based on the delusion of religious birthright. With much sorrow, I came to the sad realization that the dream of the State of Israel was based on European chauvinism and exceptionalism. This reckoning has been a difficult one for me to bear -- the hardest awakening of my adult life.

Whom the gods would destroy....

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By Anwaar Hussain of Expand |

Confused and Dazed

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By Jim Miles

This week's news leaves me dazed and confused

There are times when I must admit that to belong to the great group of uninformed people, or perhaps uncaring people, or unthinking people, would be a much easier way to get through life. The developed countries of the world have the wealth to create systems of distraction for the populace, systems generally called the media ranging from the old standard television through to the modern mind-trivia pursuits of Twitter and Facebook, controlled by the corporations that require a non-critical unthinking participation in the diversions that are there to keep the populace amused, distracted, entertained, pseudo-informed, patriotically biased, and generally blasé about the world around them. This cocoon of media hype provides a few glimpses of various man made and natural disasters around the world to provide conversational talking points, but seldom if ever with any context or depth of research, and always isolated one from another as if each incident exists entirely in its own sphere to be 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed at and then forgotten in the daily drive to be the richest sexiest best-looking most consumptive pawn on the block.

The Old Gaza Boy and the Sea

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By Ramzy Baroud

MVRachelCorrie.jpg I grew up by the Gaza sea. Through my childhood, I could never quite comprehend how such a giant a body of water, which promised such endless freedom, could also border on such a tiny and cramped stretch of land - a land that was perpetually held hostage, even as it remained perpetually defiant.

God of the Killers

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By Anwaar Hussain of Truth Spring.

Hate has struck yet again this Black Friday. Hundreds of innocent human beings have been killed and maimed by the hate mongers in the name of God--a God in whose praise, worship and flattery, the killers doused themselves with the divine perfume of innocent blood. I have thought and thought and thought about this god of the killers but I still don't know which god sanctions such ghastly bloodbath.

'The Internet is a Game Changer' - A Paperless World

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By Ramzy Baroud

The debate is no longer confined to a few academics in distant universities. It is now a widely prevalent, mainstream topic of discussion.

Water crisis in Boston area hits poor and working people hardest

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By: Emily Mack of PSLweb.org.

On May 1, a pipe rupture prevented 2 million people in the Greater Boston Area from drinking tap water for two-and-a-half days. Residents of 30 towns and cities were under one of the biggest boil-water orders in the United States in recent history. There was a rush on bottled water in stores as well.

Supreme Court gives OK to cruel treatment of immigrant detainees

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By: Jonathan Miller of PSLweb.org.

Detainee denied biopsy for more than a year, eventually dies of cancer

The case of an undocumented immigrant who died after being denied medical treatment while in federal custody was used May 3 by the U.S. Supreme Court to legitimize inadequate and inhumane treatment of people held by the government.

Economic Power: Avoid Arizona and Boycott BP

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By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Money is power. Each of us has it to varying degrees. Our challenge is to use our spending to advance worthy goals. Right now we see economic power being used against the state of Arizona because of the awful legislation recently passed that makes it all too easy for police there to seek proof of citizenship from virtually anyone they choose. Many groups and government entities have already cancelled conferences and other activities in Arizona, sending state and business leaders into a frizzy. They deserve to suffer as do the vast majority of Arizona citizens that supported the legislation. Every American that professes love and respect for the Constitution should avoid spending their tourism and other kinds of spending in Arizona.

US media demands Greek-style austerity for American workers

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By Jerry White. Republished from WSWS.

In recent days, the US media--led by the standard bearer of American liberalism, the New York Times--has insisted that workers in the US, like their brethren in Greece, have been living the good life for far too long and must accept a drastic and permanent reduction in their living standards.

Drastic social cutbacks unveiled throughout Europe

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By Bill Van Auken, Republished from WSWS

In the wake of the $1 trillion euro bailout agreement reached at the beginning of this week, governments throughout Europe have unveiled austerity measures that include sweeping attacks on jobs, wages and basic social rights.

Yemen's Sorrowful Options: 'Revolt, Migrate or Die'

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By Ramzy Baroud

When the Soviets concluded their pull out from Afghanistan in February 1989, the United States government abruptly lost interest in the country. A devastated economic infrastructure, entrenched poverty, deep-rooted factionalism and lack of international aid caused the country to descend into complete chaos. Internal violence also worsened, but it was no longer an American concern. All that mattered was that the Cold War rival had been defeated. Mission accomplished.

Protecting investors, but what about the people?

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By Joan Baxter. Republished from Pambazuka News: Pan-African Voices for Freedom and Justice

Dissecting the contradictions of agricultural investment in Sierra Leone.

The large-scale acquisition for industrial agriculture in African and other developing countries has been described as a global land grab, 'threatening food, seed and land sovereignty of family farmers, social stability, environmental health and biodiversity around the world', writes Joan Baxter. While it is understandable that investors deny that this kind of agricultural investment is a 'land grab', says Baxter, what is perplexing is that 'the same kind of rhetoric is coming from some whose job it is to protect Africa's farmers' rights and their farmland from exploitative foreign takeover'.

The Price of Courage: On Goldstone's Bar Mitzvah and Finkelstein's Book

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By Ramzy Baroud

In his report on Gaza issued late last year, prominent South African jurist Richard Goldstone accused Israel and Hamas of committing war crimes. His language also showed awareness of the fact that the former is an occupying power with most sophisticated weapon arsenal (as reflecting in the number of Palestinian victims), and the latter is a besieged, occupied faction in a state of self-defense. Although Goldstone must have been aware of the kind of hysteria such a report would generate, he still did not allow ideological or ethnic affiliation to stand between him and his moral convictions.

The victims of the Deepwater Horizon explosion

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By Andre Damon. Republished with permission from World Socialist Web Site.

The Times of London published Friday the first complete list of the oil workers killed in the April 20 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana.

The South Reduced: How the News Promotes a Mistaken View of the World

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By Ramzy Baroud

I am not good at flying kites. But during a recent visit to the Olympic Village of Beijing, I felt compelled to do so. Despite the cold and late hour, there were many kite runners around me. A salesman insisted that I try my hand before committing to any purchase, and I did. Once I finalized the purchase of ten small kites, I shared the one I was already flying one with a most adorable boy. He thanked me, then asked me not to play with his hair.

Water - driving Israel's need for more land and more power.

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By Jim Miles of the Palestinian Chronicle

There is a global crisis emerging concerning the allocation, uses, and abuses of fresh water. This is a combination of misuse by humans and the increasing violence and changing frequency of various weather conditions as the global climate heats up. Along with the heating are other factors such as the acidification of the oceans as they uptake more carbon than the life forms living there can deal with it in such a short time span. Agriculture becomes threatened, potable water for domestic use becomes scarcer, and although fresh water should be a right enshrined in the UN Charter, it is increasingly becoming both a military and corporate target.

Easy to Avoid Paying Income Tax

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By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Would you choose being wealthy and paying income tax or making little enough to escape income tax? Americans have a far greater chance of being in the latter group.

United States Hypocrisy Knows No Rationale - take it to the UN

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By Jim Miles of the Palestinian Chronicle

The political events and comments surrounding Joe Biden's recent visit to Israel stand only to highlight the hypocrisy and arrogant ignorance of the United States command. There are two factors here: first is the avoidance - in spite of superficial appearances - of the UN security council; and secondly - again in spite of superficial appearances - that the U.S. military command is concerned about the welfare of their troops in the Middle East because of the Israeli situation.

Detroit Medical Center to be sold to for-profit hospital chain

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By Shannon Jones. Republished with permission from the WSWS

The Detroit Medical Center, the largest hospital system in Michigan and the state's largest provider of health care to the uninsured, will be sold to for-profit Vanguard Health Systems for $417 million in a deal announced March 19.

What White People Fear

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By Robert Jensen. Republished from Yes! Magazine (3/04/2010).

In the struggle for racial justice, it's time to pay more attention to the fears of white people.

Activism is Change, Not Academic Squabbles and Bickering

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By Ramzy Baroud

An activist is a person who feels strongly about a cause and who is also willing to dedicate time and energy towards advancing and realizing this cause.

To Zion an Eye Looks

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By Anwaar Hussain of Truth Spring

Way up on the shadowy ladder in the dark world of spooks comes the name of Mossad.

Challenging History: Why the Oppressed Must Tell Their Own Story

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By Ramzy Baroud

When American historian Howard Zinn passed away recently, he left behind a legacy that redefined our relationship to history altogether.

Real, Uglier American Unemployment

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By Joel S. Hirschhorn

Can you trust national averages? As bad as the jobless data you hear are, you have not been told the whole truth. If you think the terrible impact of America's Great Recession is shown by an official unemployment rate of about 10 percent, think again.

America, the land of inequality

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By Tom Eley. Republished with permission from World Socialist Web Site

New studies reveal that the social divide between rich and poor in the US has grown much starker in the current economic crisis, and that even before it hit the country was the most unequal of the advanced economies, with great wealth and extreme poverty having become virtually hereditary conditions.