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John Quiggin on anti-AMericanism:

But the main point is that Ken’s whole position (one that is shared my many supporters of the current US Administration) is nonsensical. I’ve had strong opinions about Australian politics for over thirty years. For all but three of those years I’ve been more critical of the government than supportive (and even in those three years my feelings were mixed by the end). I’ve publicly attacked governments of both parties, week in and week out, for the last decade, and have been attacked with vigour in my turn. In that entire time, as far as I can recall, no-one has ever accused me of being anti- Australian or unAustralian, and I’m sure that no-one who made such a claim would be taken seriously.

A government, even a democratically-elected one, is not the same as the country it governs. Both citizens and non- citizens can oppose the policy of a government without being hostile to the country it governs.

Nathan Newman on why unions are important:

MCI, Global Crossing, JDS Uniphase and the whole slew of telecom companies that melted down in scandal and corporate corruption all had one thing in common.

They were non-union.

[…]

Look for the union label. It stands not only for better jobs, but less corruption allowed by the corporate management.

New to the left

Each day I list the blogs new to the linklist. Want to be added? Use the
form, Luke. Entry does not guarantee winning. No purchase necessary. Offer void where prohibited. You must either be a fiery liberal spirit or in the vanguard of the workers revolution to participate. At a pinch we’ll take dedicated left anarchists and the like as well. No wishy washy centrists need apply. The decision of the judges is final.

Bad Things

Newsblog which focuses on the biotech industry. By mmw.

Wage Slave Journal

a collection of political commentary by Jesse Berney. Featuring the George
W. Bush Scorecard of Evil.

Groupthink Central
asks about those prowar supporters supposedly concerned about human rights and democracy in Iraq:

Where the fuck were these people when Saddam was ruthlessly torturing Iraqi civilians throughout the 1980s as a proud member of the CIA’s payroll?

Where the fuck have these people been for the last 12 years, during which time UN sanctions have devastated the civilian population, while doing nothing to weaken Saddam’s power?

Finally, and most importantly, if these self-styled humanitarians really care about the plight of the Iraqi people, why in the fuck would they support the Pentagon’s “shock and awe” strategy that, by all accounts, will lead to massive civilian casualties?

Hullabaloo on why the case for war
is so incoherent:

So, the problem isn’t that there is one overarching sinister reason for the insane foreign policy actions we are taking. It’s that every member of the administration has his own overarching reason, and they are all competing and conniving and complimenting to the extent that we are now being pushed by events and nobody knows quite how or why we are doing it.

All of this comes around, once again, to the absolute folly of allowing a callow, gladhanding brand name to assume the office on the assurance that he would be “advised” by a committee of cool hands with limitless expertise. Human nature and history shows that this never works. An ignorant, childlike Dauphin is always spoiled, stubborn and convinced of his own infallability while also being easily manipulated by his Regents. They battle amongst themselves, and with him, until the government becomes nothing more than a game board upon which each faction presses his advantage of the moment, only to be outmaneuvered or overtaken by a rival. The boy-king, meanwhile, is always also held close by some who whisper in his ear that he has been ordained by God to maintain the power of his forebears.

Democracy and an open meritocratic society were supposed to insure that the government was never led again by a silly boy and his unaccountable cabal. Yet here we are, once again.