Panetta, Iran and Known Knowns

Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

I.F. Stone once quipped, “All governments are run by liars, nothing they say should be believed.”  The Secretary of Defense, then, is certainly a rather poor source to consult if one is in pursuit of the truth.  The blatant diffusion of propaganda is merely part of the gig. 

American Withdrawal Coverage in the US Press

al-Akhbar English
by Ben Schreiner

On December 19, the last remaining US military convoy in Iraq crossed the border into Kuwait, effectively ending America’s nine-year long war and occupation. (Of course, the US will continue to maintain a heavy presence in the country via its massive embassy).

Class Struggle on the Waterfront: Portland Shuts It Down

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

With less than a month’s time with which to plan, Occupy Portland set out early Monday morning to shutdown the Port of Portland.  Braving the morning’s freezing fog, protesters began arriving at Kelly Point Park around 6 a.m. for a final staging before breaking into two groups to march on the port.  A group of 300 or so protesters were directed to head to Terminal 6, the port’s busiest terminal, while another 200 or so headed to Terminal 5.

Shut Down the Port!

Read my article, "Answer the Call! Shut Down the Port!," in the Portland Occupier, the newspaper of Occupy Portland.

Occupy Portland's Street Smarts: A Tale of Re-Occupation

Dissident Voice/Intrepid Report
by Ben Schreiner

After being evicted from the two city parks held for nearly six weeks back in early November, Occupy Portland set out this Saturday with a goal of re-occupying another city park.  And in the process, Portland showcased once again why it remains one of the more dynamic Occupy sites in the country.

Washington's Propaganda Against Iran

Read my article, "Washington's Propaganda Against Iran: Why the U.S. Readies for War," in al-Akhbar English.

The American Way of Life

Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

“The American way of life is not negotiable.”

President George H.W. Bush speaking in 1992.

All the splendors of the American way of life will be on full display this Thanksgiving weekend.  For nothing seems to make the American way of life shine quite like a holiday celebrating the nation’s genocidal conquest of the continent’s native inhabitants.

The Fix to Bleed Social Security

My article, "The Fix: Peddling Jobs and Tax Cuts in Order to Bleed Social Security," is in the Nov/Dec issue of Socialist Viewpoint magazine.  The article originally appeared on this blog in September.  For those interested, the Nov/Dec issue of Socialist Viewpoint can be found here. 

The Battle in Portland

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

Faced with a 12:01 a.m. Sunday morning eviction from the three city parks occupied for more than a month, Occupy Portland and its city supporters turned out in mass Saturday night and well into Sunday morning.  At their height around the midnight deadline, crowds swelled to over 6,000 strong.  This massive turnout came despite a police led fear campaign, in which reports were circulated via the local media claiming police “intelligence” indicating an influx of 150 out of town “Anarchists” coming into the city for a violent confrontation.

Pending Police Crackdown Against Occupy Portland

CounterPunch/Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

On Thursday, Portland Mayor Sam Adams announced that Occupy Portland would be forcibly cleared from its present encampments this Sunday morning at 12:01 am.

A Phrasebook Guide to US Politics

My article ("A Phrasebook Guide to U.S. Politics") is now out in the November issue of Z Magazine.  The article can be found here.

Occupy Wall Street in Context

See my article (“Occupy Wall Street in Context: Systemic Crisis and Rebellion”) on the New Politics journal website.

Terror’s Triumph

Dissident Voice
by Ben Schreiner

On word of Anwar al-Awlaki’s death at the hands of a CIA drone strike in Yemen, pundits and “terrorism experts” flooded the airwaves to celebrate what President Obama deemed a “major blow” to al Qaeda.  The world is a safer place with the slaying of al-Awlaki, we are told.  And much the same as with bin Laden before him, the assassination of al-Awlaki is said to have brought us “justice.”  Thus, al-Awlaki’s murder is a true triumph for America—a nation once again rewarded for its tireless and righteous pursuit of justice.  The moral beacon of the world shines bright. 

What a farce! 

Bleeding Social Security by Selling Jobs

by Ben Schreiner

A near constant refrain of President Obama, made both in his speech to a joint session of Congress on September 8th and since, has been that his jobs proposal (the American Jobs Act) contains “nothing controversial,” nor “nothing radical.”  In a certain respect, Mr. Obama is right; his jobs proposal is remarkably timid.  According to the most favorable estimates of the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute, the president’s proposal would help create a grand total of 4.3 million new jobs.  But even by these rather optimistic estimates, the president’s proposal would still do little to cut into the swelling ranks of the nation’s unemployed.  Bear in mind that a staggering 14 million Americans remain unemployed, while over 10 million more are either underemployed or have simply dropped out of the labor force all together.  Aiming for a maximum creation of 4.3 million new jobs, therefore, is an astonishingly inadequate target.

Apocalypse Now

My article, "Apocalypse Now," is now out in the September issue of Z Magazine.  You can find the direct link by clicking here.  Access, however, is limited to current subscribers.  Information on becoming a subscriber, for those interested, can be found via the preceding link as well.