3 REASONS CONGRESS MAY NOT APPROVE WAR IN SYRIA

FROM TIME MAGAZINESYRIAThree Reasons Congress May Not Approve War In SyriaObama has challenged Congress to approve action in Syria, it’s a challenge Congress may not be able to meetBy Jay Newton-Small @JNSmallAug. 31, 201360 Comments   inShare6Read LaterSAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty ImagesSpeaker of the House John Boehner and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi in Washington on May 15, 2013RELATEDObama Asks Congress To Approve Military...

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GOING TO CONGRESS DOESN'T CHANGE MERITS OF ARGUMENT

FROM HULLABALOO Going to congress doesn't change the merits of the argumentby digbyJust a note to say that while I'm glad the president has decided to get congressional authorization --- it is a necessary concession to democratic principles --- it does not change my calculus about the wisdom of bombing Syria. I've thought a lot about this since the war with Iraq, when I made arguments repeatedly about "norms" and just war theory and constitutional requirements and the necessity of UN approval.  And I realized later that it was all a dodge...

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WELFARE INSANITY: BANNING DRUG OFFENDERS FROM FOOD STAMPS

FROM ALTER NET  FOOD  AlterNet / By Sheila Bapat 68 COMMENTSWelfare Reform Insanity: Banning Convicted Drug Offenders from Food Stamps for LifeThe lifetime ban on food stamps affects many other people besides the felon, particularly children who could face hunger as a result.August 29, 2013  |      Victoria Sutherland is a 34-year-old mother of one and a former manager of a McDonalds...

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MAN CHARGED WITH FELONY FOR PEACEFUL PROTESTING

FROM TRUTHDIGSINGING AND CHALKING SEEN AS THREATS TO THE EMPIREWe told you last week about the bizarre crackdown on singing and photography in Wisconsin’s Capitol. Well, it’s only become worse. Police arrested two brothers Monday and charged one of them, Damon Terrell, with a felony after wrestling him to the ground. In a videoof the arrest that has gone viral, Terrell is seen taking photos of an approaching police officer....

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TAKE ACTION HERE: REMOVE SEXIST, STUPID JUDGE

FROM CARE2At a hearing in Montana yesterday, a judge sentenced a teacher to just 30 days in jail for repeatedly raping a 14-year-old student, who later committed suicide. The judge said the girl "seemed older than her chronological age" and that the teacher's actions weren't serious enough for a longer sentence.Demand Judge G. Todd Baugh Be Removed From His Bench!please shareit helps!     Dear Keith,A Montana girl was...

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SEN. WHO WANTS TEACHERS ARMED, SHOOTS TEACHER

FROM NATION OF CHANGEPOST A COMMENTRESIZE TEXT + | - | RPLAIN TEXTPRINTSHAREEMAILA state senator who is advocating for arming teachers in the aftermath of the school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, accidentally shot a teacher with a rubber bullet during a training course, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.Arkansas Sen. Jeremy Hutchinson (R) recently participated in “active shooter” training and mistakenly shot...

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MANUFACTURING CONSENT, AMERICAN STYLE

FROM THIRD WORLD TRAVELLERConsent, American Styleby Steve MizrachConsent, American StyleMany cultural critics, such as Michael Parenti, Noam Chomsky, and Ben Bagdikian, have pointed out that in order for American power to carry out the atrocities it has perpetrated abroad, it needs to "manufacture" the consent of the American people. That is because America must at one and the same time carry out the appearance that it is the freest society in the...

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WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE ARGUMENTS FOR WAR ON SYRIA?

FROM CNN WORLD05:11 PM ETPrevention better than punitive in SyriaBy Michael Shank and Rep. Raul Grijalva, Special to CNNEditor’s note: Michael Shank is director of Foreign Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) is the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. The views expressed are their own.The Americans don’t want it. The Germans don’t want it. And the Brits don’t want it. The overwhelming consensus of public opinion in the Western world is that a war with...

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