The Plug Nickel Times is proud to bring you website links to select opinion articles that you may not find through your local media. All links are offsite unless otherwise noted - followed links should open in another browser window. Links can become dated or otherwise fail to function, for this reason we quote the actual headline of an article. This may allow you to find an alternate copy of the article through a news index or search engine. Some sites we link to may require a registration process to view an article - this website may be useful to you in those instances. Comments, corrections and submissions are welcome - an email link is at the bottom of the page.
February 2006
February 17, 2006
A Permanent Basis for Withdrawal? by Tom Engelhardt
"There are at least four such 'super-bases' in Iraq, none of which have anything to do with 'withdrawal' from that country. Quite the contrary, these bases are being constructed as little American islands of eternal order in an anarchic sea. Whatever top administration officials and military commanders say - and they always deny that we seek 'permanent' bases in Iraq - facts-on-the-ground speak with another voice entirely. These bases practically scream 'permanency.'
...
Still, for a period, the Pentagon practiced something closer to truth in advertising than did our major papers. At least, they called the big bases in Iraq 'enduring camps,' a label which had a certain charm and reeked of permanency. (Later, they were later relabeled, far less romantically, 'contingency operating bases.')
One of the enduring mysteries of this war is that reporting on our bases in Iraq has been almost nonexistent these last years, especially given an administration so weighted toward military solutions to global problems; especially given the heft of some of the bases; especially given the fact that the Pentagon was mothballing our bases in Saudi Arabia and saw these as long-term substitutes; especially given the fact that the neocons and other top administration officials were so focused on controlling the so-called arc of instability (basically, the energy heartlands of the planet) at whose center was Iraq; and especially given the fact that Pentagon pre-war planning for such 'enduring camps' was, briefly, a front-page story in a major newspaper."
The Hypocrisy of the American Christian Soldier by Laurence M. Vance
A review of The Faith of the American Soldier by Stephen Mansfield
The End of Dollar Hegemony by Ron Paul
"Today the principles are the same, but the process is quite different. Gold no longer is the currency of the realm; paper is. The truth now is: 'He who prints the money makes the rules' - at least for the time being. Although gold is not used, the goals are the same: compel foreign countries to produce and subsidize the country with military superiority and control over the monetary printing presses.
Since printing paper money is nothing short of counterfeiting, the issuer of the international currency must always be the country with the military might to guarantee control over the system. This magnificent scheme seems the perfect system for obtaining perpetual wealth for the country that issues the de facto world currency. The one problem, however, is that such a system destroys the character of the counterfeiting nation’s people - just as was the case when gold was the currency and it was obtained by conquering other nations. And this destroys the incentive to save and produce, while encouraging debt and runaway welfare.
The pressure at home to inflate the currency comes from the corporate welfare recipients, as well as those who demand handouts as compensation for their needs and perceived injuries by others. In both cases personal responsibility for one’s actions is rejected.
When paper money is rejected, or when gold runs out, wealth and political stability are lost. The country then must go from living beyond its means to living beneath its means, until the economic and political systems adjust to the new rules - rules no longer written by those who ran the now defunct printing press."
Sunni reviews Attention Deficit Democracy, by James Bovard in her Salon this month.
True democracy by jomama
Porn As Activism Redux: Erotic Red from Rodger Jacobs
"It's unfortunate that the adult industry's love affair with pushing the limits in 'extreme content' only means creating material that is as violent and degrading as possible. Our society already loves watching violence, so it's hardly innovative to include it in porn. Erotic Red represents the best in what the 'extreme content' and 'alternative' niches can be: unique, fun, and actively challenging nonsense stereotypes of what is and is not allowed to be a part of consensual sexual expressions."
Another victory for the market! If you have to wonder if it's 'work safe' - then it probably isn't...
George and Tony's Excellent Little Gulf War by Garry Reed
"Alright folks, as you know, we here at Oxidental-Moronthaller Peaceful Solutions Consulting Resources won the $2.1 million secret contract from the Bush administration to dream up a pretext for starting a war with Iraq. You're my creative team, so let's make Oxi-Moron proud. Nerdman, what have you got?"
"Well sir, I think we need to get Saddam to attack one of our ships."
February 4, 2006
In the Colosseum from Tom Waits
Step Right Up by Tom Waits
An Interview with James Bovard from JPFO
Dr. Win the War by Lew Rockwell
"So now The Leader tells us we are 'addicted' to foreign oil, and must go, if not cold turkey, into an expensive, tax-funded recovery program that will further enrich the feds."
We Dare Not Speak Its Name by Rich Lang
