Occupy Banksters & Crony Capitalism & GREED

James Risen Challenges the Greed, Power, and Endless War of the National Security State
AlterNet | Norman Solomon | 10/14/14

No single review or interview can do justice to "Pay Any Price" -- the new book by James Risen that is the antithesis of what routinely passes for journalism about the "war on terror." Instead of evasive tunnel vision, the book offers big-picture acuity: focusing on realities that are pervasive and vastly destructive.

Published this week, "Pay Any Price" throws down an urgent gauntlet. We should pick it up. After 13 years of militarized zealotry and fear-mongering in the name of fighting terrorism, the book -- subtitled "Greed, Power, and Endless War" -- zeros in on immense horrors being perpetrated in the name of national security.

Republican Right Embraces Its Long, Hypocritical Tradition of Pandering to Fear
HP | Robert Creamer | 10/14/14

They're back. Like the fourth sequel to a bad horror movie, the Republican Right has once again chosen to embrace its long ignoble, hypocritical tradition of pandering to -- and stoking -- fear.

As the election nears, their ads are filled with images of ISIL terrorists, Ebola viruses, Secret Service breaches, and "porous" borders through which knife-wielding Muslim extremists are surely infiltrating every corner of our society. It's not just disgusting. It's also hypocritical. The fact is that the Republicans have an abysmal record when it comes to defending the security of ordinary Americans.

But this is nothing new. Right-wing demagogues have perfected their techniques for appealing to our darkest fears for decades. It's embedded in their DNA. ... Read more

New York Times Reporter James Risen Finds 'Crazy Is The New Normal' In War On Terror
HP | Michael Calderone | 10/14/14

New York Times reporter James Risen was surprised Sunday when former National Security Agency chief Michael Hayden said he doesn't see a need for the government to prosecute Risen for refusing to reveal a source. "I'm glad to see he feels that way these days," Risen said in an interview Monday with The Huffington Post. "I'm not sure how long he's felt that way."

... Risen was one of a the few reporters to seriously scrutinize the Bush administration's case for war in Iraq, even as his own paper downplayed that skeptical coverage. The next year, Hayden and the Bush White House successfully pressured the Times not to publish Risen and colleague Eric Lichtblau's blockbuster report on the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program. The Pulitzer Prize-winning story finally appeared on the front page in late 2005, just weeks before Risen planned to reveal it in a chapter of his book, State of War. ... Read more

Your Thoughts on Tiny Houses
BillMoyers | John Light | 10/14/14

Last week, BillMoyers.com published a report on micro-houses (or, more popularly, "tiny houses"). These ultra-compact homes of 1,000 square feet or less are appealing to those who want to make their lives more sustainable, and, increasingly, are being looked at by some as a model for affordable housing.

Many in our audience had lived in a micro-house. "I lived in a 920-square-foot passive solar house and was very happy. My heating bill for the entire winter: $98," said Gordon Billingsley. And even though our BillMoyers.com piece looked at micro-homes for individuals, some of our audience said that they work for families, too. ... Read more

Democracy Now! U.S. and World News Headlines for Wednesday, October 15 [12:34]

*DN | Infected Workers, Slow Deployment, No Vaccines: Ebola Response Shows Pitfalls of Privatized Health (10/15/14) [16:12]

*TRNN | Sen. Bob Graham: Revealing the 9/11 Conspiracy Would Undo the Entire US-Saudi Alliance, Part 2 (10/14/14) [16:24]

*TRNN | Deepa Kumar: Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire (10/15/14) [20:21]

*TYT | Meet The Ultra-Rich Koch Donors Who Not-So-Secretly Run Things (10/14/14) [19:28]

TYT | Fox News Hides The Ugly, Honest Reason America Has No Surgeon General (10/14/14) [3:36]

The group originated as Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999. This group was the forerunner of Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn--commonly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). It took part in the Iraqi insurgency against US-led forces and their Iraqi allies following the 2003 invasion of Iraq and joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahideen Shura Council, which consolidated further into the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) shortly afterwards. At its height, it enjoyed a significant presence in Al Anbar, Nineveh, Kirkuk, and other areas, but around 2008 its violent methods led to a backlash against it and temporary decline.

In April 2013, the group changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. It grew significantly under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, gaining support in Iraq as a result of perceived economic and political discrimination against Iraqi Sunnis. ... Read more