The US allegation of an Iranian government plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador in Washington is meritless as a matter of law, principally due to the egregious flaws and inexplicable discrepancies in the (amended) complaint in a federal court in Manhattan.
Geography Archives: Americas
South America, Central America, United States & Canada
Clarence Thomas Speaks at Occupy Oakland General Strike
Clarence Thomas is a former officer and long-time labor activist with ILWU Local 10. I spoke with him about the prospect of a shutdown of the Port of Oakland this evening — a goal of Occupy Oakland demonstrators who called a general strike today. Clarence Thomas: “One of the reasons why they are doing […]
Prison vs. Princeton
It costs the state of New Jersey more money to hold a prisoner for one year than to fund one Princeton student’s tuition. Here’s an overview of the disturbing trend of prioritizing prison over higher education in the US. PublicAdministration.Net was created as an online informational resource for individuals looking to pursue public administration-related […]
After Iraq
Obama with a map of the Persian Gulf region in hand: “Excuse me! Does this bus stop at Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman?” Gervasio Umpiérrez is a cartoonist based in Montevideo, Uruguay. This cartoon was published on his blog and by Rebelión on 1 November 2011; it is […]
To My Policymakers
Give me a page and I’ll give you a monument, leaning haphazardly like a staggering drunk, a lopsided photograph, a mirror tilted forward to the feet; like an off-center catwalk, brown paper bag strut in an empty alley way, stale six am whisky breathing on cold marble steps. I’ll sing you a jingle slurred to […]
All Day, All Week (All Century), Occupy Wall Street
For as long as Wall Street has stood for greed and unearned profits there have been those who have stood against it. In 1890, the leader of the Knights of Labor railed at “the control of our financial affairs by the bulls and bears of Wall Street.” Six years later, a spokesman for New York […]
The Time for Action Is Now
“In 1969, a group of black and Puerto Rican students occupied City College demanding the integration of CUNY, which at the time had an overwhelmingly white student body. The occupation spread to other CUNY campuses, forcing the Board of Trustees to implement a ground-breaking new admissions policy.” Such occupations also occurred in the 1980s […]
Capitalism and Environmental Catastrophe
John Bellamy Foster and Fred Magdoff at Occupy Wall Street. Photo by Carrie Ann Naumoff This is a reconstruction from notes of a talk delivered at a teach-in on “The Capitalist Crisis and the Environment” organized by the Education and Empowerment Working Group, Occupy Wall Street, Zuccotti Park (Liberty Plaza), New York, October 23, 2011. […]
San Francisco’s Teirisias
Despite the cars, the cabs, the buses, despite the feet shuffled together on subways, the screaming on the sidewalks and the bar-music blaring out of doorways — this is also a city of silence — the silence of a woman with an outstretched hand, clasping onto the smooth round beads of a rosary tangled around […]
Obama Administration Escalates Confrontation with Iran: Why?
The Obama Administration announced two weeks ago that a bumbling Iranian-American used car salesman had conspired with a U.S. government agent posing as a representative of Mexican drug cartels to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington. This brought highly skeptical reactions from experts here across the political spectrum. But even if some of this tale […]
Footage of Scott Olsen Being Shot by Police at Occupy Oakland
This footage is proof that Scott Olsen was shot in the face by police without provocation during the Occupy Oakland march on Tuesday, October 25. The moment leading up to the shooting, Olsen was standing completely still. He was then hit in the head with a tear gas canister, which is potentially fatal. Also, […]
Interview with Salim Lamrani: “The Economic Sanctions against Cuba Constitute the Principal Obstacle to the Development of the Country”
Salim Lamrani. État de siège; les sanctions économiques des États-Unis contre Cuba(State of Siege: The United States’ economic sanctions against Cuba). Prologue by Wayne S. Smith. Preface by Paul Estrade. Paris, Editions Estrella, 2011. 15 euros. CSF: You’ve just published a new book under the title État de siège. What exactly do you cover […]
Israel: Social Activists Gear Up for Mass Rally in Tel Aviv and Other Cities
Protest leaders prepare for demonstrations next Saturday, October 29, across Israel, turning up the heat following the government announcement of an electricity price hike. After being put on the back burner for the past few weeks, the social protest is slowly turning up the heat following the recent electricity price hike announced by Israel’s neo-liberal […]
Pessimism of the Reality, Optimism of the Ideal
I. It seems to me that José Vasconcelos has found a formula on pessimism and optimism that not only defines the feeling of the new Ibero-American generation in the face of the contemporary crisis, but also corresponds to the absolute mentality and sensibility of an era in which, despite the thesis of José Ortega […]
Occupied Japan and Occupying Wall Street
1) Not long ago I heard a writer claim that her publisher had demanded that the word “manifesto” be replaced in the title of her novel. This is an Asian American woman who is feisty and strong-willed and political, who during readings calls out “blond boys” for flaunting the privileges of their maleness and their […]
15O: Global Indignation
The 15th of October (15O) was the first coordinated global response to the crisis, signifying the emergence of a new international movement. Initially inspired by revolutions in North Africa, through emulation and imitation, protests began in the periphery of Europe. The Mediterranean world thus found itself situated in the epicenter of a new wave of […]
I Woke Up One Morning and the War Was Over
America’s war in Iraq is over. The last U.S. troops will leave by year’s end, “with their heads held high, proud of their success and knowing that the American people stand united in our support for our troops.” So sayeth President Obama. A “sham of a mockery of a sham” is what Groucho would call […]
The Vampire Squid Turns to Education
In his Republic, Plato analogized elites to guard dogs who must be educated as to whom they must guard against and whom they must protect. One of Plato’s nightmare scenarios was a ruling class that lost the ability to make this distinction and turned wholly predatory on its sustaining population. Enter our present-day banking […]
Occupy Wall Street and the Celebrity Economists
The Occupy Wall Street movement has transfixed the nation. In just a few weeks, it has spread from Manhattan to hundreds of towns and cities, and it has now taken root in other countries. It has focused the widespread anger that we feel toward a tiny group of extraordinarily rich individuals (the 1%) who […]
Occupy Wall St, Occupy Uruguay, Occupy Manila International Airport
In my last posting on #OWS, I related a series of conversations I’d had with global trade union activists on their perceptions of #OccupyWallSt. After the article appeared, several global labor activists contacted me with follow-up and feedback. Steve Faulkner, an International Officer at the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), wrote to say that […]
