Bush, Sex & Repression

The freewheeling "Oral Office" Clinton years came to an abrupt halt when Bush took over. Suddenly, abstinence became the White House mantra, and men whose religiosity seemed to preclude doing the nasty occupied the highest offices in the land.

Bush kept an election promise to his conservative Christian backers with his emphasis on sexual abstinence ["Just Say No"].

Similarly, funding for sex education courses has been cut, along with medical services providing contraceptives to teenagers.

Numerous studies have documented that "no sex" societies are often plagued by acts of rage.   more »

Already there is a powerful undercurrent of discontent in US society, where real wages have stagnated or fallen in the middle of a boom, large sections of the youth have been radicalised by the war, there is widespread scepticism in government and an increasing questioning of the whole social system.

In this context, the Establishment is preparing to shift from the right boot to the left.

The sudden rise of the "radical" African-American candidate Barack Obama is designed to attract the votes of the discontented Americans and restore the tarnished image of the two-party (in reality one-party) system.

But this is probably the last time they can get away with this old trick.

Whichever faction of the ruling class wins the next elections, nothing will be solved. The stage will be set for a stormy period in the USA and the world.   more »

Anger as hostages sell stories to highest bidders

The 15 British military hostages released by Iran were accused last night of cashing in on the ordeal by selling their stories in a string of lucrative media deals.

The sailors, who spent 13 days in captivity have been given permission by the Ministry of Defence to give exclusive interviews. The MoD justified lifting the ban on military personnel selling their stories while in service because of the 'exceptional circumstances' involved.

The former captives are expected to make around £250,000 between them. Faye Turney, the 26-year-old seawoman, is likely to get the most profitable deal.   more »

A controversial documentary on the threat of radical Islam, promoted by the two most-watched U.S. cable news networks, was marketed and supported in part by self-described "pro-Israel" groups, according to an IPS investigation.

When "Obsession" was released last year, news pundits and anchors on FOX and CNN praised the independent film for its candid look at Islamic militancy. FOX incorporated footage from the film into a one-hour special, which aired seven times in November 2006.

CNN's right-wing pundit Glen Beck called it "one of the most important films of our time". Sean Hannity of FOX News described it as "shocking beyond belief".

While such enthusiasm from right-wing talk show personalities comes as no surprise, mainstream cable news programmes also appeared to accept, without question, the premise of the film, which explicitly compares the threat posed by radical Islam to that of Nazi Germany in the 1930s.   more »

The battle between Ahmadinejad and Blair is not a political or diplomatic one, it is not about points. It is actually a clash between civilizations, but more than that, it seems to be a fight between humanism and cold pragmatism.

As it emerges, in this battle, it is Ahmadinejad rather than Blair who reminds us where goodness rests.

Seemingly, a man who has been repeatedly presented to us by our deluded Western media as a’ radical’, ‘fundamentalist’ and ‘Islamofascist’ has proved beyond doubt that he is actually the one who knows what forgiveness and grace are all about.

It was Ahmadinejad who has pardoned the enemy, it was Ahmadinejad that evoked some prospects of a peaceful future.   more »