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Bernie Sanders Is No Ralph Nader Why the Argument Against Nader’s 2000 Candidacy Isn’t an Argument Against Sanders’s 2016 Candidacy
Eric Zuesse
On May 23rd, Amanda Marcotte, at Salon, argued against Bernie Sanders’s Presidential candidacy as if it were comparable to Ralph Nader’s candidacy in 2000, and she cited an article from me as having presented the key historical record and basis for that opinion she was putting forth; but the historical analogy of Nader’s candidacy doesn’t really apply in the case of Sanders’s candidacy in 2016, and understanding why it doesn’t apply is important for any progressive who is considering whether Sanders should be viewed as possibly being today’s Ralph Nader — the “spoiler” for the Democratic Party.
New Turkish Prime Minister: Longtime Erdogan Crony
Stephen Lendman
In early May, former Justice and Development Party (AKP) prime minister Ahmet Davugtolu was ousted in a palace coup, Erdogan removing him to solidify power. On May 22, his tenure ended.
Longtime Erdogan ally Binali Yildirim succeeds him. Previously he served as Transport, Maritime and Communication minister. In 2014 and 2015, he was a senior Erdogan advisor.
Earlier, he was Istanbul Fast Ferries Company chairman when Erdogan was city mayor - before elected to parliament in 2002. On May 19, Erdogan’s controlled AKP Central Executive Committee and all 1,405 members of its second Extraordinary Congress unanimously elected him prime minister during its session.
He formed Turkey’s 65th government, officially becoming prime minister on May 24 - chosen to spearhead transition from a parliamentary system to despotic presidential rule under Erdogan.
US Judge Exonerates Killer Cop
Stephen Lendman
Unaccountable killer cops nationwide turn US streets and minority communities into battlegrounds - killing 1,000 or more largely innocent victims annually, brutalizing and injuring many thousands more.
On April 12, 2015, six Baltimore cops were involved in Freddie Gray’s murder. He committed no crimes, was arrested on bogus charges, brutalized too severely in custody to save him.
His spine was 80% severed at his neck. He suffered three fractured vertebrae. His larynx was injured.
He lapsed into a coma. On April 19, 2015, he died - a week after his arrest. Street protests followed. Authorities and militarized cops responded violently as expected. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency. A curfew was imposed.
Known Terrorist Visited Washington
Stephen Lendman
Ahrar al-Sham operates like ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. The latter two are Security Council designated terrorist groups.
America, Britain and France blocked Ahrah al-Sham’s inclusion, providing the group with direct support along with likeminded regional ones.
On May 21, McClatchy DC headlined senior “Syrian rebel whose group is linked to al Qaida visited US,” saying he was granted permission to come, “raising questions” about the Obama administration’s choice of regional partners - and credibility for letting a known terrorist visit Washington. Labib al Nahhas calls himself Ahrar al Sham’s foreign affairs director. Apparently he’s a valued US ally. It’s unknown who he met with.
Brazil’s Coup Plotters Aimed to Block Corruption Investigation
Stephen Lendman
US-supported coup plotters had multiple aims in mind - replacing democracy with tyranny, weakening or ending social justice programs, instituting neoliberal harshness, and undermining corruption investigations involving 303 of Brazil’s lower house members, 49 of 81 senators, and 37 of the 65-member impeachment commission.
Specifically, Brazil’s largest newspaper, Folha de Sao Paulo, obtained a taped phone conversation between Senator Romero Juca, now planning minister, and former Petrobras Transporte SA (Transperto, Brazil’s largest oil and gas transportation company) president Sergio Machado. It took place weeks before President Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment proceedings - involving bribery and money laundering Operation Car Wash corruption investigations related to the state-run Petrobras Oil giant.
Machado, Juca, and dozens of other politicians are accused of taking bribes in return for contracts awarded Petrobras at inflated prices.
America Wants a World of Vassal States
Stephen Lendman
America’s deplorable dark side reflects pure evil, an agenda, including:
endless wars on humanity, raping one country after another, murdering millions of helpless victims, creating nightmarish dystopian conditions everywhere it shows up;
- g monied interests exclusively at the expense of beneficial social change, transforming America into a nation of paupers, run by super-rich elites;
criminalizing whistleblowers and activists for justice, systematically destroying fundamental freedoms at home and abroad, tolerating nothing interfering with its hegemonic agenda.
CENTCOM Commander Plots Escalated War in Syria
Stephen Lendman
Obama waged war on Syria for regime change. Washington tolerates no sovereign independent countries.
Longstanding plans call for replacing them all with US vassal states, stealing their resources, exploiting their people.
So-called cessation of hostilities and peace talks in Syria represent willful deception, orchestrated to fail, not succeed. America intends ousting legitimate/overwhelmingly popular Bashar al-Assad forcefully.
Together with rogue NATO and regional allies, it continues arming, training, funding and directing ISIS and other terrorist groups.
US and allied combat troops together with CIA agents and hired gun paramilitaries operate on the ground illegally, aiding terrorist fighters while pretending to oppose them.
General Joseph Votel heads US CENTCOM, in charge of American Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia combat operations - launched against nations threatening no others.
Obama in Hanoi Targets China
Stephen Lendman
At a Monday joint press conference with Vietnam’s President Tran Dai Quang in Hanoi, Obama announced the full lifting of a 50-year-old arms embargo, saying:
“The United States is fully lifting the ban on the sale of military equipment to Vietnam…” In 2014, the embargo was partly lifted. Hanoi hasn’t bought US weapons. It wants restrictions entirely removed to more fully normalize relations.
Obama said decisions on weapons sales will be made on a case-by-case basis. China’s state news agency Xinhua commented, saying:
“Efforts for the improvement of U.S.-Vietnam ties should be driven by common pursuit to benefit the Asia-Pacific region while generating interests to both sides, rather than a one-sided, selfish agenda that would add risks to regional peace and stability.”
America “is motivated by an insincere agenda,” using nations as tool(s) to threaten or even damage the strategic interests of a third country.”
Obama Ratchets-Up to Invade Russia
Eric Zuesse
An article published May 7th by Andrei Akulov brings together mainly Western news sources, all solid, to make the case that U.S. President Barack Obama is pushing even highly reluctant European populations to join America’s increasingly overt hostile military stance targeting Russia as the world’s chief source of alleged “aggression" that must be stopped. One of those sources is a Reuters article that states: "Only 22 percent of Finns support joining NATO, while 55 percent are opposed, a recent poll by public broadcaster YLE showed. Finnish membership of NATO would double the length of the border between the alliance and Russia and increase the NATO presence in the Baltic Sea.” Yet, still, according to that Reuters article, Finland will probably join NATO, regardless of what the Finnish population want. This is supposedly how ‘democracy’ functions nowadays.
Near-End to Another Dreadful US Primary Season
Stephen Lendman
Each electoral cycle, theater and deception triumph over straight talk and substance. Duopoly power candidates are virtual cookie cutouts of each other, rhetoric alone differentiating them.
Believing any Republican or Democrat candidate offers responsible change is pure fantasy.
Obama’s successor will likely accelerate policies causing so much harm to so many at home and abroad. It’s been this way since Jack Kennedy’s state-sponsored assassination.
Primary Tuesday this week is quiet, a Republican one alone in Washington signifying nothing - Trump already the presumptive party nominee.
Including her overwhelming super-delegate lead over Sanders (525 - 39), Clinton is less than 100 delegates from securing her party’s nomination.
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