THE HEADLINES

An American F-16 (From Defence Talk)

ARMS BUILD-UP IN THE MIDDLE EAST COURTESY U.S.A.

(AntiWar.com)

In addition to U.S. enhanced military support for Israel, Uncle Sam is displaying his generosity to other countries in the region. Turkey is to be recipient of a gift (or maybe a loan) of Predator drones that can be used in the country’s ongoing battle against its Kurdish separatists. At the same time, the Iraqi government, without Parliamentary approval, intends to purchase 18 F-16 fighter planes to support the country’s air force. As no current aerial war is underway in Iraqi, one might wonder why Iraq needs the F-16s. But the deal will put $3 billion into the coffers of Lockheed Martin, which may be enough said about the matter

IRAQ:

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UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO CRACKS DOWN ON MARIJUANA USE AMONG STUDENTS.

(In These Times)

University officials claim that pot parties give the University an image of a “party school,” as if the boozed-up campus didn’t have that reputation because of its hard-drinking student body. David Sirota cites this as an example of U.S. universities generally of a “hypocritical” denunciation of marijuana use and tolerance of the consumption of alcohol, the use of which actually has far greater dysfunctional consequential than does the use of marijuana.

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CONGRESSIONAL CUT IN DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS MAY BE HARBINGER OF THE NEW WAY OF DOING BUDGET BUSINESS UNDER THREATS OF GOVERNMENTAL SHUTDOWN.

(World Socialist)

Congress moves again to avert shut-down by failing to provide $1 billion in emergency aid to a disaster-depleted Federal Emergency Management Agency. Absent this aid, FEMA would have had no funds at all to help in “assistance” in any immediately-occurring disasters. At the last minute the agency “found” some funds to continue operating, but the cut in assistance made in the latest version of a budget “deal” may be repeated in such upcoming battles as one concerning Medicare and Medicaid funding.

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TROY DAVIS IS DEAD, THE PROSECUTOR IS “CONFIDENT” OF HIS GUILT, BUT THE VERDICT AND THE PUNISHMENT MAY HAVE VIOLATED THE “TRUTH” IN THE CASE.

(Baltimore Sun)

Baltimore Sun columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. provides a string of instances from a countless number of people who have previously been sentenced to death then much later  “exonerated” as new evidence proved their innocence. This may well turn out to be the case with Troy Davis, convicted for alleged slaying of Savannah GA policeman, based on eyewitness testimony of 9 people, 7 of whom have recanted their testimony. The accumulation of such instances of miscarriage of justice may, Pitts hopefully suggests, bring down the “house of cards” of a system of capital punishment resting on a base of confidence beyond that of prosecutors that justice has been correctly served by executions.

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WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER FIND? (1) THAT SOMEONE IS BREAKING INTO YOUR HOUSE AND THERE IS NO NEARBY POLICE SQUAD CAR TO RESPOND TO THE SCENE? (2) THAT YOU GO TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD LIBRARY AND FIND IT IS CLOSED BECAUSE OF REDUCTION IN HOURS?

(Florida Times-Union)

Such dilemmas are faced by people in Jacksonville, FL and elsewhere as city governments are faced with tight budgets while austerity holds sway and officials have to make difficult decisions about whether to cut an “ear” or an “arm,” both of which facilities most people would like to retain.

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Quote of the day…

There are days when we can’t go out because our children’s asthma is that bad. And then they want money back?

Patricia Gonzalez, one of numerous residents of Pasadena Texas near Houston, protesting against effort of oil refineries to claim tax refunds in exchange for air pollution abatement equipment, which would result in loss of funding for school operations.

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