|
|
|
The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers! How Cops Extort Confessions;
|
home / subscribe / donate / books / archives / search / links / feedback / events / faq
The New Print Edition of CounterPunch, Only for Our Newsletter Subscribers!
How Cops Extort Confessions;
How the U.S. “Justice System” Really WorksNinety-two per cent of felony convictions in the U.S. are obtained by plea bargains or confessions. Without them the “justice system” would grind to a halt. In an important piece in our latest newsletter, available only to subscribers, Emily Horowitz shows how totally innocent people will “confess” under police pressure, even without physical torture. Horowitz outlines the powerful case for banning confessions altogether. Also in this new edition Marcus Rediker, co-author of the legendary The Many Headed Hydra, writes of popular heroism and resistance in the favelas of Medellin, Colombia. Alexander Cockburn reports on how America’s oldest bank, patronized by the global elites, washed billions smuggled out of Russia, and how the Russians might win their money back, shaking the world’s banking system if they do so. Serge Halimi describes the real battle for the soul of Europe. Get your copy today by subscribing online or calling 1-800-840-3683 Contributions to CounterPunch are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! CounterPunch books and gear make great presents.
|
Today's Stories August 25, 2008 Patrick Cockburn August 23 / 4, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patty O'Grady Nicole Colson Steve Conn Deepak Trapathi Robert Fantina Jonathan M. Feldman Joshua Frank Osama Qashoo Howard Lisnoff David Michael Green Dave Lindorff Christopher Brauchli Alan Farago Michael Winship Richard Rhames David Rosen Patrick B. Barr Jamie Newlin Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend August 22, 2008 Boris Kagarlitsky Laura Carlsen Bob Barr Marwan Bishara Peter Morici Manuel Garcia, Jr. Charles Mostoller Sumbul Ali-Karamali Keith Rosenthal John F. Miglio Website of the Day August 21, 2008 Allan J. Lichtman Dave Lindorff Loserville: How Obama Blew It Ralph Nader Joanne Mariner Wajahat Ali Ron Jacobs Rostam Purzal Anthony Papa Website of the Day August 20, 2008 Michael Neumann Ray McGovern Eric Walberg Fidaa Abed Daniel Haack Mike Whitney Website of the Day August 19, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Deepak Tripathi Marwan Bishara Saul Landau William S. Lind Martha Rosenberg James Brittain Pratyush Chandra David Macaray Website of the Day August 18, 2008 Tariq Ali Gary Leupp Uri Avnery John Ross Farooq Sulehria Luis Rodriguez Manuel Garcia, Jr. Noah Baker Merrill Charles Thomson Website of the Day August 16 / 17, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Deepak Tripathi Conn Hallinan Mike Whitney Robert Fantina Ray McGovern Nicole Colson Fatima Bhutto Jean-Luis Rocca David Michael Green Ramzi Kysia Dave Lindorff Lisa Martinovic Richard Rhames Don Santina Rannie Amiri Ramzy Baroud John Stanton Howard Lisnoff Ron Jacobs Seth Sandronsky Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend
August 15, 2008 Steve Niva David Remington Michael Winship Paul Craig Roberts Farzana Versey Harvey Wasserman Felice Pace Julian Critchley Website of the Day August 14, 2008 Saul Landau / Conn Hallinan Mike Whitney Reza Fiyouzat Ralph Nader Christopher Brauchli The Cheerleader in China Jack Bradigan Spula Patrick Irelan John Walsh Dan Bacher Website of the Day
August 13, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts David Remington Brian Cloughley Glen Ford Brendan Cooney Dave Lindorff Tom Lewis Stan Cox Alan Farago Martha Rosenberg Website of the Day August 12, 2008 Uri Avnery Anthony DiMaggio Bill Christison Eric Walberg Kate Connolly Diane Farsetta Peter Morici Thom Rutledge Lee Patton Niranjan Ramakrishnan Website of the Day August 11, 2008 Ishmael Reed Paul Craig Roberts Gary Leupp Douglas Kammen William Willers Greg Moses Jeff Leys Cynthia McKinney Alan Farago Website of the Day August 9 / 10, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Bruce Jackson Kevin Young Chris Floyd Joshua Frank Robert Fantina Brendan Cooney Mark Almond Lois Gibbs Rev. William Alberts Kathy Kelly John Ross David Michael Green Bill Moyers / Ron Jacobs Richard Rhames David Yearsley Lee Sustar Brenda Norrell Ben Terrall Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend August 8, 2008 Patrick Cockburn Manuel Garcia, Jr. M. Shahid Alam Andy Worthington Lawrence J. Korb David Model Alan Farago Diop Olugbala Firmin DeBrabander Website of the Day August 7, 2008 Dr. Trudy Bond William Blum Paul Craig Roberts Ralph Nader Robert Weitzel Jacob G. Hornberger Binoy Kampmark David Macaray Howard Lisnoff Website of the Day August 6, 2008 Marc Herold Greg Moses Sheldon Rampton Kevin Young Michael Estrada Robert Weissman Dr. Susan Block Cindy Sheehan Ace Hoffman Website of the Day August 5, 2008 Paul Craig Roberts Jeff Halper Patrick Cockburn Nancy Welch Peter Morici Sousan Hammad Eamon Martin Shepherd Bliss Tim Matson Website of the Day August 4, 2008 Uri Avnery Saul Landau David W. Remington Rev. Jesse Jackson Dave Lindorff Peter Morici Joanne Mariner Ramzy Baroud Christian Wright Website of the Day August 2 / 3, 2008 Alexander Cockburn Jeffrey St. Clair Patrick Cockburn Winslow T. Wheeler James Abourezk Andy Worthington Brian Cloughley Robert Fantina Benjamin Dangl Marlene Martin David Yearsley Fatemeh Keshavarz David Michael Green Obama as Dukakis Harvey Wasserman Jason Hribal Phyllis Pollack Laray Polk Ron Jacobs David Macaray David Rosen Dan Bacher Joe Allen Poets' Basement Website of the Weekend August 1, 2008 Jonathan Cook Nikolas Kozloff Rannie Amiri Peter Morici Christopher Brauchli M. K. Bhadrakumar Patrick Cockburn James J. Brittain Dan Bacher Website of the Day
July 31, 2008 Michael Hudson Carl Finamore Mike Whitney Joshua Frank Andy Worthington Ralph Nader Bill Moyers / Robert Weissman Dave Lindorff Website of the Day July 30, 2008 Brian M. Downing Chuck Spinney William S. Lind David Ker Thomson Karl Grossman Mike Whitney Martha Rosenberg James Murren Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Website of the Day July 29, 2008 Jeffrey St. Clair John Ross Peter Morici Alison Weir Gary Leupp David Macaray Brenda Norrell Marjorie Cohn Eric Ruder Website of the Day July 28, 2008 Dr. Bryant Welch Kathy Kelly Mike Whitney Peter Morici Christopher Brauchli Clifton Ross Stephen Lendman Website of the Day
|
August 25, 2008 Obama's Uninspired Choice for VeepBiden His TimeBy WAJAHAT ALI Barack Obama, that Presidential coquette who teased the world by not announcing his running mate for nearly two months, finally unveiled his vanilla, Vice Presidential bride, thus ultimately opting for a marriage of blandness, predictability and conciliation. Obama’s choice of Joe Biden, the 65 year old Senator from Delaware, now officially cements Obama’s ideological shift from a progressive message of “change” to a placating message of “more of the same…but better than that other guy, we swear!” With his uninspired choice of Biden as his running mate, Obama not only betrays his initial, zeitgeist promise of reformation, but he also voluntarily concedes his growing insecurity by essentially admitting he lacks the political maturity, experience and depth needed to handle foreign affairs and the “gutter, smear game” known as politics. For those who follow this fascinating circus known as Presidential elections, they understand traditional wisdom dictates, “He who moves quicker and closer to ‘the Center’ wins the ‘prize.’” However, due to two disastrous, thoroughly right wing administrations spearheaded by a bullish Neo-con cronyism - resulting in a weakened American dollar, a phenomenal deficit, a debilitating recession, an unprecedented loss of prestige in global opinion, and a strategic debacle of a war - the “Center” has shifted considerably to “the Right.” As evidenced by Obama’s grassroots, progressive campaign, wisdom and common sense suggest a “change” from the current “Center” to the “Left” is what inspired the formerly jaded and apathetic electorate to jump on the “bandwagon.” The Democrats, a party that would win the annual “Mr. Magoo” award for myopia, must be commended for their innate, gifted talent of redundancy: an absolutely paralyzing fear of aggressively attacking the Republican Party for their egregious idiocy and a failure in jettisoning their own cowardly attachment to the right wing’s definition of “national security” and “tough on crime policies.” [See: John Kerry’s 2004 Campaign.] All of this is done to appease and pacify an electorate base [12% of which is firmly convinced that Obama is Muslim and nearly a quarter that are still “unsure”] that would never vote for him in the first place, at the risk of losing a newly energized “youth”, “liberal”,” first time voters” and “independent” block who came on board precisely due to an allegedly refreshing “new” message of “change and hope.” Obama, as witnessed by his recent conciliatory and flip flop rhetoric on terrorism, the Iraq War, off shore drilling, and national security, continues to dampen any meaningful chance his presumed Presidency would have in actually altering the discourse, ideology and practice of American domestic and international diplomacy in the 21st century. The result? A recent Zogby poll announcing a 5 point McCain lead over Obama, with the latter’s star power falling amongst those he once enthralled: his base. In a move that plays right into the hands of the Republican hit machine, Obama panicked and chose a candidate who not only serves as the Democratic foil for McCain [Old, White, “Experienced,” Quasi-Racist] but, like McCain, has repeatedly criticized Obama for his lack of experience; thereby effectively doing the Republicans job for them. When asked by George Stephanopoulos, “Is [Obama] ready?' Biden replied, 'I think he can be ready, but right now, I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.’” Wonderful. The Republicans are already having a field day – obviously resulting in a McCain boon – by essentially recycling Hillary Clinton’s smear campaign. Recall, she hyped Obama’s lack of experience as highlighted by the now infamous “3 a.m. phone call” ad, her constant race baiting and her “Is he a radical, Black, anti-White Muslim?” card by casually mentioning “Farrakhan,” and her gaudily insincere attempt to win over the working Whites by painting Obama as an effete, elitist intellectual. With Democrats like these, Obama needs no enemies. To add fuel to the ever-growing fire, immediately after announcing the Biden decision, the McCain camp fired this salvo:
So, the question goes, “Why choose a man who has publicly – and repeatedly – lambasted the Democratic candidate’s political inexperience?” Biden apparently fills in Obama’s “resume gaps” by contributing his strength and familiarity with foreign policy and national security issues due to his experience as the Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He also appeases a White, middle class and religious electorate terrified by the “dark” and “Muslim-y” Obama, by placating them with his “working class” Pennsylvania roots and Roman Catholic background. But what many aren’t mentioning, surprisingly, is how he was chosen to specifically resemble a “Democratic” McCain. Both men are known for their impetuous “loose cannon” of a mouth, which is currently used as a weapon to play “gutter ball” in the increasingly negative, political smear campaigns. One that Obama, in a now insincere attempt to “elevate” the level of discourse by “not going negative,” refuses to vocally engage in thereby maintaining his non threatening, Morgan Freeman, Zen-sage image. Both men are political relics with decades spent on Capitol Hill affixing their Senate seat like a reliable piece of furniture. Both men voted for the regrettable 2002 “Authorization to Use Military Force”, which was justified using laughably unreliable and flimsy evidence, thereby giving Bush his legal ammunition to wage the disastrous War in Iraq and Afghanistan. [Although Biden, like all peddling Democrat senators who voted similarly, has since become a fierce and vocal critic of the War.] Both men are old and White, thus ensuring “Whiteness” has its assured, unassailable “Conch” in the Oval Office. And, finally, both men are renowned for their flippant and casually racist rhetoric. Biden, specifically, was forced to apologize to Obama after he publicly described Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” How it warms the cockles of my heart to know that Obama, who apparently gave a “historic race speech” in March, has apparently “transcended” racism by choosing a candidate who just months ago was genuinely surprised that Obama wasn’t a disheveled, mumbling, Colt 45 drinking, dread locked, gangsta rapping, sexually threatening dark man incapable of intelligent speech. Not to be outdone, John McCain, that bastion of enlightened thought and modernity, apparently still lives in the ‘60’s, and feels justified in racially condemning Vietnamese and Asians by publicly stated in 2000: "I hated the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live.” And, with that, we return to Obama: that biracial, Hawaiian born son of a Kenyan, non-practicing Muslim father and White, Kansas-corn fed mother, who gave him an Arabic, African name and a childhood spent in Indonesia. That Obama who formerly spearheaded a “United Colors of Benetton” campaign seeking and promising to unite and bridge not only the diverse cultures of America, but also the world. The irony of it all is sour but delicious. Regardless, Obama’s Vice Presidential pick, another move in a recent string of actions seemed motivated by short term political expediency rather than conviction and fidelity to his original platform, will hopefully make the acolytes realize Obama is not a “Superman”: he is, instead, a politician. Three months ago, I predicted as much and labeled him “The Dark Knight” [The Dark Knight: The Real Rise of Obama.” Counterpunch. May 1, 2008.] Nearly two weeks ago, Obama agreed:
How utterly appropriate. Wajahat Ali is a Muslim American of Pakistani descent. He is a playwright, essayist, humorist, and Attorney at Law, whose work, “The Domestic Crusaders” is the first major play about Muslim Americans living in a post 9-11 America. His blog is at http://goatmilk.wordpress.com/. He can be reached at wajahatmali@gmail.com
|
Now Available from CounterPunch Books! The Inside Story of the Shannon Five's Smashing Victory Over the
RED STATE REBELS:
Edited by  Buy End Times Now! CounterPunch Books of the Crossroads: HOW THE IRISH INVENTED SLANG By Daniel Cassidy AMERICAN BOOK AWARD!  Click Here to Buy! Click Here for Dates & Venues Michael Neumann's Devastating Rebuttal of Alan Dershowitz  Click Here to Buy! Saul Landau's Bush and Botox World with a Foreword by Gore Vidal  Click Here to Order! How They Made a Killing on the War on Terrorism     
    
 
 Humanitarian Imperialism By Jean Bricmont               CITY BEAUTIFUL By Tennessee Reed                   |
