WikiLeaks: Service Or Disservice?

The latest revelation via WikiLeaks, founded in 2o06 by Julian Assange (pictured), is that thousands of war crimes may have been committed by U.S. troops in Afghanistan while George W. Bush was commander-in-chief.

Assange said the leaked documents thus far, which date from January 2004 to December 2009, “only scratched the surface” of what really was going on.

In particular, Assange pointed to a deadly missile strike ordered by Taskforce 373, a unit allegedly charged with hunting down and killing senior Taliban targets.

Assange said there was also evidence of cover-ups when civilians were killed by special forces. He said …

On Monday’s Radio Show…

• Alan discusses WikiLeaks and the Afghanistan War with journalist Rick Rowley, who was recently embedded with a U.S. Marine division in Marjah.

• New Black Panther Party National Chairman Malik Zulu Shabazz, who has been called anti-Semitic and anti-white, attempts to defend his controversial organization.

• Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler, whose new memoir is My Appetite for Destruction, reveals how he survived 28 ODs, three botched suicides, two heart attacks, a couple of jail stints, and a debilitating stroke.…

More Mad Mel

RadarOnline has another installment of Mel Gibson’s rage.  Gibson’s anger this time seems to be set off by Oksansa Grigorieva’s friendship with the father of her son, Timothy Dalton.

In the new tape, furious Mel says: “Did you get my last message about me being a bad father, and Tim being a great dad now?”

Oksana, who does not fight back on the new tape, utters a barely audible “no,” as Gibson continues to rant, hurling some of the most hateful language yet captured on audio.

“You didn’t hear that one?” Mel continues. “Well, you should go and f*ck him …

The Social Security Scam

By Yashwanth Manjunath

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that the Social Security “Trust Fund” is insolvent and on the verge of collapse. Just ask Pimco’s Neel Kashkari (pictured), who says:

Unless we control our deficits we will face stifled economic growth and impaired standards of living, perhaps even as soon as a few years from now. Most economists agree that raising taxes cannot pay for these commitments; entitlements must be cut.

One of the “entitlements” he is referring to is Social Security. What the conventional wisdom in Washington does not tell anyone is that if the cap on …

Harry Reid To Netroots: We Are Going To Have A Pubilc Option; It’s Just A Matter Of When

House Speaker Harry Reid told Netroots Nation he wished we had a public option for health care, but that the day will come when we do.

“Now I know you wish some of these reforms were even more sweeping and believe me I do, too,” he said. “But we also have to be realists. I wish we had a public option. But we are going to have a public option. It is just a question of when.”

Some progressive activists have questioned why the Senate wasn’t able to do more since Democrats had a supermajority of 60 votes, the number …

Obama a Failure — Just Like Reagan

by Stuart Shapiro

Steve Benen at Washington Monthly compares the reaction of the bases to Reagan in 1981 and Obama today.

And by this time 29 years ago, conservatives could hardly contain their disappointment. Leaders on the right began complaining regularly that they “won the election, but lost the White House.” Paul Weyrich questioned whether the relationship between his conservative allies and the Reagan administration was “salvageable.”

And all of this came before Reagan raised taxes, extended “amnesty” to undocumented immigrants, expanded the size of the federal bureaucracy, tripled the deficit, negotiated with our most hated enemy without preconditions — …

Right Wing Racist Political Strategy And A Codependent Mainstream Media—The Real Message Of The Shirley Sherrod Scandal

by Bruce Friedrich

The mainstream media and the Obama administration must stop cowering before a right wing that has persistently forced its propaganda to be accepted as news by convincing traditional journalists that “fairness” requires treating extremist rants as “one side of the story.” And there can be no more shilly-shallying about the fact that racial backlash politics is becoming an important component of the campaign against President Obama and against progressives in this year’s election.

The Tea Party Isn’t Racist… Except When It’s Racist

by The River Wanders

How can you wear a shirt printed with the words “Yup I’m a Racist” with pride? By redefining racism, of course.

This right-wing fashion statement was spotted at a July 4th celebration in Lexington, Kentucky by Greg Skilling, who spoke at length with Tea Party concessionaires (dialogue can be heard here). The report sparked over a thousand comments, many filled with violence, racial rhetoric and profanity. Skilling offers an edited sample and notes that much of the criticism dealt with his “failure” to properly discuss what was on the back of the shirt.

The …

Fruit Loops: Breakfast, Happy Meal: Lunch, Corn Dog: Dinner. MMM: Healthy

by Stuart Shapiro

I have mixed feelings about this one.  The New York Times reported yesterday that efforts to restrict advertising of unhealthy foods on kids programs (Saturday morning, Nickelodeon) is hitting a snag due to (surprise) industry opposition.

The federal involvement took a step forward last year when Congress ordered the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recommend standards for children’s food advertising.

The agencies released the preliminary proposal in December. It was far tougher than many had anticipated; advocates applauded but the food …

Medical Marijuana Approved In Some VA Clinics

Patients at Veterans Affairs hospitals in 14 states will be able to take advantage of medical marijuana where it’s legal, according to new federal guidelines.

The directive from the Veterans Affairs Department in the coming week is intended to clarify current policy that says veterans can be denied pain medication if they use illegal drugs. Veterans groups have complained for years that this could bar veterans from VA benefits if they were caught using medical marijuana.

The new guidance does not authorize VA doctors to begin prescribing medical marijuana, which is considered an illegal drug under federal law. But …

BBC: BP’s Tony Hayward To Step Down Within 24 Hours

The BBC is reporting that BP CEO Tony Hayward will step down within 24 hours, reports BNO news. This is in spite of the report Saturday that Hayward has “the full support of the board” of BP.

The Times newspaper…reported earlier this week that Hayward would step down within the next 10 weeks.

BP had also firmly rejected the Times story.

“We are announcing our results on Tuesday. Tony Hayward is the chief executive of BP. He has the full support of the management and the board,” a BP spokesman said on Saturday.…