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AlterNet's Weekly Zeitgeist: Phony Drilling, Afghan Escalation, Never-Ending Financial Crisis and Much More

By Don Hazen, AlterNet. Posted July 18, 2008.


From Bush's oil hoax to the New Yorker's sorry attempt at satire, our Zeitgeist list tracks the progressive issues of the week.

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In Special Coverage

Belief:
Is Blind Faith in God and the Bible a Modern Invention?
Devilstower

Corporate Accountability and WorkPlace:
What Can the Morass of the 1970s Tell Us About the Current Economic Crisis?
Alejandro Reuss

DrugReporter:
Why Are We Locking Up Traumatized Veterans for Their Addictions Instead of Offering Them Treatment?
Penny Coleman

Environment:
Why Max Baucus' 'No' Vote on the Climate Bill May Really Help Its Passage
Jeff Mcmahon

Food:
Soda Helps Make Americans Unhealthy and Fat -- Will Soda Tax Prevail Despite Pushback by Beverage Industry?
Christine Spolar, Joseph Eaton

Health and Wellness:
Does the House Bill's Public Option Kill Off the Senate's?
Booman

Immigration:
Recent Democratic Victories May Grease the Wheels for Immigration Reform in Congress
Marcelo Balive

Media and Technology:
Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh Stoking GOP Civil War
Eric Boehlert

Movie Mix:
The Yes Men: Pranksters Out to Fix the World
Mark Engler

Politics:
What Obama Is Up Against in His Own Branch of Government
Russ Baker

Reproductive Justice and Gender:
"Precious" Star Claims the Spotlight
Emily Wilson

Rights and Liberties:
Ugly Truth: Most U.S. Kids Sentenced to Die In Prison Are Black
Liliana Segura

Sex and Relationships:
9 Silly Things People Say When They Hear You Don't Want Kids (And Ways to Counter Them)
Liz Langley

Take Action:
G-20 Meetings: Nothing Much Happened in the Suites, and There Was Too Much Punch in the Streets
Laura Flanders

Water:
Radioactive Wastewater in New York Raises More Concerns About Oil Drilling
Abrahm Lustgarten

World:
Afghanistan Is Worse Off Than Ever, Thanks to the Sham Army We're Propping Up
Chris Hedges

More stories by Don Hazen

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This week's Zeitgeist rundown shows new issues have busted through to the consciousness of progressives, including the escalating war in Afghanistan (and with it the serious complexities of Pakistan), the rescinded presidential moratorium on offshore oil drilling, which critics say is all for show, and the huge brouhaha provoked by the New Yorker magazine's extremely provocative cover of Michelle and Barack Obama.

Still, the AlterNet Zeitgeist has some unfinished business, including the residue of anger about the newly passed FISA law, the constant reminder that Iraq is still all about the oil, and the ongoing debate about the future of feminism.

1. Phony drilling: once again the oilman in the White House is doing Big Oil's bidding
The Bush plan is a hoax and will neither reduce gas prices nor increase energy independence. But Bush and McCain sound good to beleaguered drivers with $4.50 gas prices. Oil companies should start drilling on the 68 million acres of public land they already lease.

The Three Biggest Myths the Bush Administration Wants You to Believe About Offshore Drilling
By Faiz Shakir

2. Afghan War escalates: more American solders killed there than in Iraq
From the frying pan to the fire, perhaps, as Obama commits to expanding the wars in Afghanistan, where there are already 70,000 troops and counterinsurgency personnel, and Pakistan, where the United States is extremely unpopular.

Obama Wants to Shrink One War, But Expand Two Others: Obama is serious about a withdrawal plan for Iraq, but he's committed himself to expand the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
By Tom Hayden

3. Our seemingly never-ending financial crisis
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in the headlines, with dire warnings of imminent collapse. How worried should we be?

Fannie, Freddie and the Threat of Economic Meltdown
By Paul Krugman

4. Provocative New Yorker cover jolts nation into heated debate
A shocking cover -- a caricature of Barack and Michelle Obama depicting the presidential candidate in a turban, fist-bumping his wife, who has a machine gun slung over her shoulder, while the American flag burns in the fireplace -- raises many questions about racism, stereotypes and bad satire.

The Bad Frame: Why Are the New Yorker, Salon and Other Liberal Media Doing the Right's Dirty Work?
By Don Hazen

5. Nuclear power is an illusion as a solution to the climate change crisis
Get real! Far too slow to come on line, and unbelievably expensive, not to mention the problems of waste, security and proliferation -- nuclear power is far from a realistic alternative to our energy needs.

Let's Kick Nuclear Power out of the Climate Change Debate
By Linda Gunter

6. Feminism's generational debate, provoked by the Hillary Clinton candidacy, is still going strong

Last week we heard from a Gen Y "intersectionalist feminist" and Obama supporter. This week, our writer suggests that '70s feminists have a lot more to offer than some think, and women will continue to be oppressed unless they stop prioritizing other causes over their own.

Think '70s Feminists Are Out of Touch? Not So Fast.
By Heidi Schnakenberg

7. In Iraq it is still about the oil
U.S. war planners have always aimed for an obedient client state housing major U.S. military bases right at the heart of the world's major energy reserves.

Chomsky: Bush & Cheney Always Saw Iraq as a Sweetheart Oil Deal
By Noam Chomsky

8. Feds launch their annual reefer madness campaign
The summer is heating up, and the DEA is raiding pot farms across the country, looking tough, posing with their machetes in front of piles of slashed, innocent plants. The DEA's latest catch: 7,200 pot plants near San Diego.

As an antidote, watch Jim Hightower on pot -- Hightower sharing thoughts on pot, that is. That's Jim Hightower talking to the Marijuana Policy Project about the colossal stupidity of the drug war.

9. Progressives licking their wounds over painful FISA defeat
The legislation that Obama supported can use terrorism as a pretext for wholesale spying and could negatively impact our free press.

FISA Bill's Real Target: What Remains of Our Open Society
By Chris Hedges

10. Progressive audience keeping satirical flick "War, Inc." alive despite blackout
John Cusack's anti-war polemic, "War, Inc." continues to defy expectations, despite the traditional media's dismissive reception.

John Cusack: Bypassing the Corporate Media
By Joshua Holland

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See more stories tagged with: feminism, oil, afghanistan, fisa, nuclear power, new yorker, offshore drilling, alternet zeitgeist, financial crisis

Don Hazen is the executive editor of AlterNet.

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View:
You have to laugh...
Posted by: Knowmad on Jul 18, 2008 10:54 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
When one of the funniest people in the world makes a serious statement, it must be important. On Letterman last night Ricky Gervais - the genius behind 'The Office' (the original British version) and 'Extras' said:

"How does it feel to be living in a third world country?"

Letterman responded "Do you think you could take us back?"

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

Other unfunished business on the horizons
Posted by: Richard House on Jul 18, 2008 2:02 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
Will AlterNet Zeitgeist ever consider bringing up the subject of Jijhad in America versus Jijhad in Europe?

[« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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