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January 3, 2012
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A ‘Fuck You’ From Iowa

The caucuses have a lot of us fizzy water drinking cognoscenti chortling about those backward Iowans with their reactionary conservatives and simpleton farmers. This guy would like to set the record straight.
Featured Arts and Culture

Reading in the New Millennium: Forward to the Past?

I’m a bibliophile of the first water. I have spent what seems half my life in bookstores all over the world.
Featured Reports
AP / Dmitry Lovetsky

The Puzzling Presidential Candidacy of Mikhail Prokhorov

The billionaire is an unlikely candidate for president, but his and other campaigns may manage to embarrass Russia's most powerful man.
 
Digs

Occupy Wall Street

Find all of our Occupy movement coverage from Truthdig editors, contributors and commenters, as well as the latest from Twitter and around the Web.
 
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The caucuses have a lot of us fizzy water drinking cognoscenti chortling about those backward Iowans with their reactionary conservatives and simpleton farmers. This guy would like to set the record straight.

It’s Iowa Caucus Day, everyone—can you feel the excitement? Now, you’ve probably heard a lot of white noise coming from certain other outlets that shall remain nameless about the GOP’s big campaign 2012 kickoff extravaganza, so here’s some welcome commentary to cut through all that from some smart people who do have a clue.

It takes master documentarian Adam Curtis only five minutes to explain what Rupert Murdoch’s war on elitism (and taste) has to do with Google.

 
Arts and Culture

In this simple, delightful installation, thousands of kids armed with thousands of colorful stickers turned a completely white room into a work of art.


I know many Americans do not read any books once they’re out of school or college. But some do, and what they read has been shaped not only by changing tastes but by availability. The availability consideration is being revolutionized.


He fought a war against Hitler, gave us some of the best television ever and founded People for the American Way, so Norman Lear knows something about getting the job done. In this stirring editorial, the producer challenges us to get on board the Occupy train and fight for the American dream.

 
 
 
Reports

Representing oligarchs, playboys and the NBA, the billionaire is an unlikely candidate for president, but his and other campaigns may manage to embarrass Russia’s most powerful man.


Four years ago this week, a young and inspirational senator who promised to turn history’s page swept the Iowa caucuses and began his irresistible rise to the White House.


Even as Barack Obama gradually climbs in national polls, more than a handful of the president’s once-ardent admirers suddenly seem more attracted to Ron Paul.


As the year draws to a close, the U.S. government risks repeating the costly mistakes of the recent past by ratcheting up tensions with Iran, emphasizing risky sanctions over diplomatic negotiations and making fact-challenged claims about Iran’s nuclear program. Good thing Rep. Dennis Kucinich is on Capitol Hill to call Congress on its deadly war addiction.


National law gives the executive authorities overly broad discretion to forbid groups to do anything that authorities might see as “threatening national unity” or “violating public order or morals,” vague terminology that lays the law open to abuse and has served as a basis for the denial of registration to some NGOs.


There are only three valid reasons why the Middle East, the focus of international attention as 2012 begins, is important to the United States and the European nations.


Paul is being denigrated as a presidential contender even though on the vital issues of the economy, war and peace, and civil liberties, he has made the most sense of the Republican candidates.

 
Ear to the Ground

If only we could import a little bit of Germany right now—in a good way. Unlike many of its European neighbors, Germany is enjoying a bit of an economic boost in that its unemployment rate dropped to a record low for the month of December.


Tuesday brought another round of the tug of war between Iran and the U.S., in which Iran, no doubt feeling the need to respond to pressure and sanctions intended to thwart Tehran’s alleged plan to build a nuclear weapon, hit back by making it clear that an American aircraft carrier needed to stay away from the “Persian Gulf region.”


During his first few days on the social network, the mogul promoted “We Bought a Zoo,” told Iowans to consider Rick Santorum, praised President Obama (“decision on terrorist detention very courageous - and dead right!”) and called education America’s “absolute biggest crisis. No read, no write, no jobs.” (more)


Joe Klein points out that the newfound anonymity of attack ads, made possible by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which allows faceless money conglomerates to run ads on a candidate’s behalf without the usual “I approved this message,” makes for much “more effective and brutal” adverts.


Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are scheduled to meet in Jordan on Tuesday, but don’t expect fireworks. Nothing has changed since Palestinians threw up their hands at continued Israeli settlement construction.


Sorry, all you Mayan-influenced doomsday enthusiasts, but it’s looking to some of the great minds over at NASA as though 2012 isn’t going to be particularly apocalypse-friendly as such. Ancient augury versus contemporary astronomy: Who will prevail?

 
 
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A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
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