Vol. 1 Issue 1
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Works by Andy Stern comes to mind). It becomes quickly apparent that his writing is every bit the equal of his famed speaking ability. His biographical revelations are expertly interwoven with their attendant policy arguments, in a manner that only rarely comes off as stilted. Obama's critique of American politics is one that has been gaining ground in American intellectual circles recently. He is particularly worried by denigration of the famed “bipartisan consensus”, and while he points out that politics has always been contentious he notes the very noticeable rise in partisan squabbling in the past thirty years. On a similar note, while left of center he places himself as the very embodiment of the growing mistrust in ideological imperatives which ironically enough has started to become an imperative in itself. There is also familiar indictments of the role of money in politics, the reducing of political speech to sound bytes, and other factors contributing to the decay of American politics. He does not hide the fact that he is complicit in these trends and in doing so outlines the struggle that even morally good politicians must face. It is difficult as a reader to fault him for this as he is able to show how integral to the process things like money and sound bites have become. As someone of, what is considered in America at least, radical political precepts, it is an enlightening read. I personally cannot fathom whether or not I would be capable of doing as well as he has, but I fear that I could not do considerably better, if at all. Between them, the two biographies do an excellent job of providing a biography not only of the subjects, but to the political nature of the US presidency. Jackson is undeniably one of the most influential American presidents, and without his expansion of presidential power much of what the Obama administration already has done would have been impossible. The idea of the presidency providing the political means to bailout massive financial industries would not have been thinkable without the dramatic change in American governance undertook by Jackson. Obama's biography is without a doubt a must read for anyone who wants to know how his administration will unfold, and Meacham's is crucial for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the US presidency and the early years of t h e A m e r i c a n r e public.
2009! Subtly controlling your mind since 2009!
FLORIDA HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER HOSTS ANTI-ISLAMIC EVENT
O
BY
C OMRADE JACK
n Monday April 27th, the Florida Security Council and the International Free Press Society hosted a “Free Speech Summit” in a Delray Beach synagogue. The event was assembled to highlight the anti-Islamic views of Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who was the featured speaker at the summit. Wilders is the subject of criminal prosecution by the Dutch government for his controversial statements about Islam, such as equating the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf. The court of appeals in Amsterdam has judged that some of these statements may amount to inciting hatred towards Muslims; the act of inciting hatred is illegal under Dutch law. Furthermore, Wilders was barred from entering Great Britain, as a spokesman from the Home Office made clear, "The Government opposes extremism in all forms. It will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country.” In his introduction to the Free Speech Summit Wilders refers to Islam as a threat to Europe stating that Islam is , “...endangering our history, our freedom, our prosperity and our culture”. He goes on to state that “Islam is not a religion. Islam is a totalitarian political ideologue. Islam [sic] heart lies at the Quran, and the Quran is a book that calls for hatred, that calls for violence, for murder,
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for terrorism, for war, and submission … We should also stop pretending that Islam is a religion .. .the right to religious freedom should not apply to Islam ”. Also present was the state representative of district 87 and leader of the Republican party in the Florida house, Adam Hasner. Hasner is also listed as a sponsor of the summit. From all observation this is not Hasner's first sign of involvement with blatantly anti-Islamic elements. In 2007, he hosted a showing of "Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West", for state legislators. He has also attempted to block Florida Muslim Capital Day, sponsored by Council on American-Islamic Relations. In an e-mail he sent to several Jewish lobbyists he attempted to organize opposition to the event saying, “By now, I can't imagine you haven't heard about this upcoming lobbying day for Muslims in Tallahassee ... Do you all intend to be part of an information campaign in opposition to it?” He has since claimed that this attempt to block the assembly was not part of an action against Muslims, but rather against the organizing group's leader stating that the, “well-documented ties that this group’s leader has to organizations that are affiliated with terrorist groups such as Hamas”. Hasner has also gone as far as to leave the floor of the legislature during the first prayer given by an Imam, only to return as soon as the prayer ended.