By Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, Black Agenda Report

This is the only environment that we have, but the Obama administration is proving itself to be bad steward. “As part of Obama’s ongoing betrayal of campaign promises, he recently struck down new measures that would have seen the U.S. partially reduce emissions.” Occupy EPA attempts to put “protection” back into the agency’s mandate. “While state, local and even the federal government seem committed to destroying the Occupy Movement they are simultaneously oblivious to the crimes committed everyday on Wall Street in the name of the free enterprise system.” Read more…

By Stephen Lendman

In 2011, Obama continued the destructive pattern he followed in years one and two. Throughout his tenure, he’s done what supporters thought impossible.

Across the board on domestic and foreign issues, he governed to the right of George Bush. He’s waged multiple imperial wars, plans others, looted the nation’s wealth, wrecked the economy, consigned growing millions to impoverishment without jobs, and institutionalized tyranny to target dissenters challenging political corruption, corporate crooks, or abuse of power lawlessness.

He also promotes regime change in Syria, Iran, Venezuela, Lebanon, and other independent states. In addition, he targets Russia’s military strength and China’s growing economic might. At the same time, he supports ruthless, corrupt tyrants.

Moreover, he authorized indefinitely detaining anyone called a national security threat without charge (including US citizens). He continues Bush’s rendition and torture policies, authorized killing US citizens abroad, (like Anwar Al-Awaki for opposing America’s belligerency), and deployed Special Forces death squads covertly to 120 or more countries. Read more…

By Stephen Lendman
 

The image on the left, run on the Christian Science Monitor (a leading US newspaper), has been typical of American press reports on the Russian elections and Putin’s standing among the people. The image is headlined, “Huge protest demanding fair Russian elections hits Moscow.” It adds: “Russian protesters angry at what they say are rigged elections and the authoritarian ways of Vladimir Putin, flooded Moscow today demanding change.” (Dec. 24th)
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Russia’s December 4 elections filled 450 State Duma seats, Russia’s Federal Assembly lower house.

Claims of electoral fraud followed. All elections have irregularities. At issue is whether results are comprised. Election monitor Golos accusations were spurious. America’s National Endowment for Democracy (NED) funds it. It supports regime change in non-US client states.  It backs opposition groups, conducts propaganda campaigns, and does openly what CIA operatives do covertly to destabilize sitting governments.  Its mission is subverting, not promoting democracy. It operates with State Department funding and direction. It serves US imperial interests destructively against targeted countries. Read more…

Editor’s Note: As is customary for the capitalist press, the encomiums have become a torrent in the wake of Vaclav Havel’s death last Sunday 18th. The facts have been upended, the back story—the truth about US-engineered capitalist restorations and the conditions of life for most people under the new dog-eat-dog regimes—entirely eliminated. Below, a hagiographic excerpt all too typical from Bloomberg Businessweek:

Havel, who died in his sleep Dec. 18 at the age of 75 after a long illness, was a symbol for opposing totalitarian regimes in the former Soviet bloc and helped lead the nation to democracy [capitalist rule] following the Velvet Revolution that overthrew communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989. He was president for almost 13 years and counted figures including Nelson Mandela and Lech Walesa as friends. Read more…