So I thought he was evil but he wasn’t stupid. Now I’m not so sure. This is very dumb: The loathing for America among the leaders of the Republican Party continues to be stunning. As long as I can remember, they were the “love it or leave it” crowd, insisting that it was the greatest country in the history of the world and pretty much perfect in every way. Now that they’ve joined a dystopian cult led by a man who clearly hates everything America stands for they’ve all decided that we are little more than poor third world outpost because of all the immigrants. (Also, hippies, gays, feminazis and Black people …) James Fallows had this to say about Vance’s comments: Because immigration *is* the centuries-long US path to prosperity (and innovation, and rejuvenation, and “soft power” through connections around the world, and most powerful global culture), the US is by far the most productive and wealthy and innovative country. Inability to handle immigration a major limit for Japan, most of Europe, China as well. A major US strength. Just ask any American who, unlike Vance, has spent a lot of time outside the country.
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The Reserve Bank has explicitly warned against any expectation that interest rates will start to fall soon. On the other hand, the Treasurer recently claimed that the Reserve Bank is smashing the economy, implying that interest rates should fall soon. Who is right? Interest rates have risen exceptionally rapidly over the last two years, with Continue reading »
In today’s papers the Education Minister Jason Clare announced the decision to appoint a new National Student Ombudsman who will combat anti-Semitism at Australia Universities. He explained that Jewish students “don’t feel safe at university” and that it was obvious that antisemitism was a serious problem at tertiary institutions. Clearly these are difficult times for Continue reading »
The most senior US officials, including President Joe Biden himself, refer to US alliances with individual or groups of countries in the Indo-Pacific as benign and defensive in nature. These references contrast with warnings about the possible “knock-on” effect of a Russian victory in Ukraine which, it is said, could encourage China to seek to Continue reading »
The citizenry of past nations engaged in genocide woke up each morning focused on their challenges of everyday life, not those of the people their rulers were butchering. The victims may have been across continents or within the same population, and so awareness of the slaughter varied, but propaganda and dehumanisation were the ever-present balm Continue reading »
“A healthy conscience can’t simply ignore the mutilated bodies of tens of thousands of dead Palestinian children,” said one human rights activist. Warning: This story includes horrific images of death and destruction in Gaza, specifically photos of Palestinian children killed or wounded by Israeli attacks. Israel’s assault on Gaza has been described as the world’s first live-streamed genocide, Continue reading »
FRANCE 24 reviews “The Bibi Files”, a new documentary by filmmakers Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney, which features never-before-seen footage of Israeli police interrogating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family and his inner circle on corruption allegations. The documentary was screened as a work-in-progress at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival on Monday, hours after a Continue reading »
The global wheat trade is undergoing a transformation, shaped by geopolitical shifts, strategic investments, and historical legacies. Central to this evolution is China’s Belt and Road Initiative and its expected impact on traditional trade relationships, including those with Australia. The Australia-China wheat trade has deep roots, tracing back to the 1960s when Australia supplied grain Continue reading »
The talented comic song-writer Tom Lehrer, from a family of secular Jewish New Yorkers, complained during the Vietnam war that nothing was funny any more. He would agree now about the war in Gaza. Continue reading »
The response to a piece I wrote for the SMH/Age recently has been very interesting in a number of ways. It has also been very revealing. I have been called a “dog”, been accused of rewriting history and of “letting the side down”. Every one of the responses had ignored the basic premise of my Continue reading »
In a recent significant article in the US journal, Foreign Policy, David E Rosenberg, the economics editor of Haaretz, clarifies how a minority of religious extremists have come to wield so much power in Israel today. It is a chilling, informative read. Rosenberg adeptly summarises how Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has sold his soul (if Continue reading »
In the largest sacrifice the world has ever seen since Jesus disappeared into the clouds...
“A Midwestern town grappling with the fallout from an influx of Haitian immigrants became a focal point for racist and xenophobic memes this week after Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), claimed Monday that in Springfield, Ohio, people ‘have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.’” — Washington Post
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7:30 a.m. The alarm rings on my phone. My home screen’s background? A picture of an adorable Cavapoo named Lucky. He was so cute, I could eat him up. Which I did. I hit snooze. Chompin’ on pretty pups can wait.
AT 6pm tomorrow, 14 September, candidates in the City of Coffs Harbour and Bellingen Shire council elections will switch from meet and greet mode to watch and wait. Ballot paper counting begins just as their posters, banners and corflutes start coming down. By 10pm, anyone keeping an eye on the NSW Electoral Commission’s Virtual Tally...
The post Election day details for Coffs Harbour and Bellingen appeared first on News Of The Area.
Residents of Springfield, Ohio, worry that politicians are inciting violence against Haitian immigrants. It’s a long U.S. tradition.
The post America’s Racist, Xenophobic, and Highly Specific Fear of Haiti appeared first on The Intercept.
Residents of Springfield, Ohio, worry that politicians are inciting violence against Haitian immigrants. It’s a long U.S. tradition.
The post America’s Racist, Xenophobic, and Highly Specific Fear of Haiti appeared first on The Intercept.
By affirming one side and suppressing the other, we make ourselves into half men and half women.