Links of interest

Result of the government shutdown.

Crooks and Liars
Devastating New Poll: GOP In Danger Of Losing House In November
Susie Madrak

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Cliven is starting resemble Ted.

Cliven Bundy And Pals Planned To Use Women As Human Shields
Karoli

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As I wrote last March, ‘those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect share-holder’s equity, myself especially, are in a state of shocked, disbelief. Such counterpart surveillance is a central pillar of our financial market state of balance. If it fails, as occurred this year, market stability is undermined.’

Libertarian Alan Greenspan Admits: Libertarian Economics Don’t Work! (Video)
Karoli

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Read an excerpt of "The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap," by Matt Taibbi, who will join us Tuesday to discuss his new book that "lays bare one of the greatest challenges we face in contemporary American life: surviving a system that devours the lives of the poor, turns a blind eye to the destructive crimes of the wealthy, and implicates us all."

READ: Matt Taibbi on "The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap"
Democracy Now! Blog

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In short, the political system imposed a new draconian regime to impose more personal responsibility in one sphere, while orchestrating a laissez-faire loosening of standards of individual responsibility in another sphere.

Demos

How Unequal Justice Makes Us Super Cynical
David Callahan

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I get hot under the collar thinking about all the effort the US government is expending to monitor who we call and where we are when we do it–in the hundreds of millions!– and about all the surveillance of American citizens of Muslim faith, when the American fascists receive much less focus. If a group is armed and announces its purpose is to spread hate of another group, wouldn’t that warrant some surveillance?

Informed Comment 

US Press once again Declines to Call White Terrorism in Kansas, Nevada, White Terrorism
Juan Cole

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The basic goal of any sensible grand strategy should be to end conflict on terms that do not sow the seeds of future conflict. Yet the United States seems to be careening out of control in the opposite direction.

The Blaster
How Obama's Rhetoric Reinforces America's Grand Strategic Pathway to Catastrophe

Chuck Spinney

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