THE HEADLINES

(Photo: Reuters)

OBAMA MAKES ANOTHER “BIG SPEECH” AND LIBERATION WRITERS FIND IT FULL OF HYPOCRITICAL STATEMENTS OF U.S. GOOD INTENTIONS BELIED BY U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

(Liberation)

The speech, say these writers, is full of happy feet statements about U.S. devotion to “democracy” in the Middle East and Africa, as it pursues policy of supporting anti-democratic regimes if they are favorable to U.S. interests, not least of these being the enabling of Israeli aggression against Palestinians by its indispensable military support of this activity.

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HEARD IN BRAZIL: MY WIFE MARIA COULD GO TO WORK IF ONLY WE COULD AFFORD A NANNY LIKE MARIANA TO STAY HOME WITH OUR BABY ANA.

(New York Times)

New York Times article reports the mixed-blessing news that child care workers in Brazil are beginning to command previously unheard-of wages and to move into middle class life styles, even as their services are being priced out of the reach of upwardly mobile upper middle class families that seek to supplement the stagnant incomes of husbands with the wage contributions of their wives.

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AS THE WORLD OBSESSES OVER THE FATE OF DSK, HOW ABOUT THE FATE OF THE ANONYMOUS GUINEAN HOTEL MAID WHOM HE ALLEGEDLY RAPED?

(Counterpunch)

If her plight is anything like that of the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants (which she may or may not be) who are placed at profound threat of deportation by the Secure Communities of federal/local system of immigration enforcement, she may suffer deportation whether or not the former IMF head is ever brought to “justice” for his alleged crimes. In countless instances of lower-profile victimization of the undocumented, their right to protection from crime against themselves is effectively stripped from them by the sense of danger in dealing with law enforcement officials, even in reporting such crimes.

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“WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT, AND THE MOUNTAINS COME OUT, THE WATERFRONT IS WHERE WE WANT TO BE.“

(Seattle Times)

A Seattle architect expresses the prevailing exuberance of well-to-do residents of the city for the plans for waterfront development unveiled by world class landscape architect James Corner. A few sore-head contrarians complain in comments to Seattle Times that the city had better use the limited funds it has to deal with its decaying infrastructure and other needs of all the citizens of Seattle.

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WHEN THE BOYS COME HOME FROM WAR, WILL THERE BE JOBS WAITING FOR THEM?

(Orlando Sentinel)

If employment data in central Florida is typical of the country at large (as it apparently is), the impending “draw-down” of U.S. forces in the Middle East is likely to result in an uptick of unemployment, as soldiers returning from overseas deployment have been experiencing unemployment rates considerably higher than those of non-veterans in comparable age and educational brackets.

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Quote of the day...

Though Dennis (Kucinich) like Obama always expresses him self eloquently and (unlike Obama) with moral rectitude, when it comes to action he always winds up “supporting” the President, as he did most greviously on health care reform. Obama’s actions demand not just condemnation but withdrawal of support unless they are corrected. And that goes for the Democratic Party as well; don’t support it, oppose it.

“Phoenix 20,” commenting on Kucinich article condemning the discrepancy between Obama’s words and actions on Middle East policy.

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