THE HEADLINES

Protesters in Afghanistan burn an effigy of Pres. Obama (AP/Rahmat Gul )

IF A QURAN BURNING IN FLORIDA WAS THE FUSE THAT SET OFF MUSLIM VIOLENCE IN AFGHANISTAN, WHAT WAS THE POWDER KEG THAT EXPLODED?

(Salon)

Peter Finochhiaro examines this question and concludes that, offensive as that event may have been to Muslims, the violence of the reaction was but a symbol of the larger anti-American sentiments in the region, especially anger against the course of the continued occupation of their country.

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DANCING WITH THE STARS: U.S. AND SAUDI ARABIA COOK UP A DIRTY DANCE FOR THE ARAB REVOLT.

(Asia Times)

Pepe Escobar reports, from numerous unnamed diplomatic “sources,” that the U.S. has reached a “deal” with the Saudis by virtue of which the Saudis will support a UN resolution for firmer action against the Gaddhafi regime in Libya and the U.S. will support and expect the Saudis to invade Bahrain to put down the popular protests against that authoritarian regime. Thus can the U.S. continue to speak and act from both sides of its mouth on support or opposition to popular protests in the Arab world.

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AMERICA BECOMES EVER MORE THE LAND OF OPPORTUNITY: FOR THE RICH TO GET RICHER, FOR THE POOR TO STARVE.

(Counterpunch)

As Barack Obama announces for re-election and expects to tout “economy recovery” as the “record” on which he will be running, Mike Whitney assays that “recovery” and finds that it is just one more marker for the well-to-do on the “scorecard” of the class struggle. Stock markets and corporate profits are booming, while lower and middle class people are the victims of “stagflation”: soaring costs of living (inflation) and stagnant or declining incomes, reflected not just in near double-digit unemployment rates but the lack of improvement in their wages if they are fortunate enough to have jobs. Worker “productivity” continues to grow but nearly all that productivity goes into the hands of owners and investors.

WHAT LABOR UNIONS WOULD JESUS BUST?

From Mother Jones/Collage from images by Thomas van Ardenne/Flickr and Angelofsweetbitter2009/Flickr.

(Mother Jones)

The assumption of “social gospel” Christians has assumed that Christ would have been on the side of working people in their struggles with capitalist management. In contradiction to this assumption, the fundamentalist Christian Family Research Council, headed by James Dobson, has entered the arena of class struggle on the side of Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin in his struggle against unions and collective bargaining. Dobson and other spokespeople of FRC bend themselves into rhetorical pretzels in finding conservative Biblical justifications for the sanctity of private property: as in, the people implicitly endorses that concept it the commandment “thou shalt not steal.”

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FLORIDA IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROTESTERS GET SQUEEZED OUT OF A TALLAHASSEE DEBATE ON LOCAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.

(Miami Herald)

As a Senate panel “rushed through” a measure which its leaders describe as a “compromise” that is better than activists might have expected, the panel refuses to hear most of the activists from south Florida who turned up at the capitol to speak against the measure.

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Quote of the day…

The truth is, people are running harder just to stay in the same place. They’re not making any headway at all. In fact, this whole myth about credit-addled shoppers going crazy at Macy’s so they can load up on designer jeans and Italian leather boots, is pure bunkum. For most people, it’s a hand-to-mouth existence 24-7. Most of their time is spent figuring out how they can stretch the budget or feed a family of four on pinto beans and Velveeta. They don’t have the cash for luxuries, unless you consider Spam a luxury.

Mike Whitney, on the way in which Americans are losing in the “class struggle” today.

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