To thrive we need unfettered access to global markets.

By SAM BAHOUR, Wall Street Journal, 20 August 2009

Palestinians are as eager as anyone to see positive economic development for their tormented country. But they know full well that real economic progress awaits their release from Israeli military occupation (West Bank, East Jerusalem) and siege (Gaza Strip).

Consider the recent media promotion of the Netanyahu government’s view that the occupied West Bank is witnessing rapid economic growth. Thomas Friedman picked up on that theme in his New York Times column, as did Michael Oren, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, in this newspaper. The selective economic data they provide ignore the reality: Occupied Palestinian territory is not a sovereign country where traditional economic measures apply.

[Read the article]

Glenn Greenwald – 19 August 2009

Thanks in large part to the months-long efforts of Jane Hamsher and her FDL team — who spent enormous amounts of time and resources getting large numbers of progressive House members to emphatically commit on video to opposing any health care bill that lacks a robust public option — there’s actually a chance this time that the outcome could be different.

Different?
Physicians for a National Health Program
– The Senate HELP Committee “public option” will be multiple “options,” and these will be run by insurance companies

Leaders of the “public option” movement have an obligation to advertise the HELP Committee bill truthfully. It is not accurate to say the HELP Committee bill creates a “robust” or “strong” public option. It is not even accurate to say the HELP Committee bill creates one “option.” The truth is the “option” is balkanized and very weak. In fact, HCAN, Andy Stern, Howard Dean and other “option” advocates who have praised the HELP Committee bill should do more than cease to praise it. They should tell Congress they oppose it.

– Reply to critics of “Bait and switch: How the ‘public option’ was sold”

“Public option” advocates should start talking about the “public option” as if it were inextricably tied to an insurance industry bailout. They should write the phrase “public-option-insurance-industry-bailout” on a Post-it note and paste it to their bathroom mirror to remind them to be honest with themselves and the public about this fact.

Analysis by Gareth Porter

WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (IPS) – Afghanistan’s presidential election has long been viewed by U.S. officials as a key to conferring legitimacy on the Afghan government, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai and his powerful warlord allies have planned to commit large-scale electoral fraud that could have the opposite effect.

Two U.S.-financed polls published during the past week showed support for Karzai falls well short of the 51 percent of the vote necessary to avoid a runoff election. A poll by Glevum Associates showed Karzai at 36 percent, and a survey by the International Republican Institute had him at 44 percent of the vote.

Those polls suggest that Karzai might have to pad his legitimate vote total by much as 40 percent to be certain of being elected in the first round.

[Read the report | h/t]

Related:
Jason Ditz: Just in Time for Election: Afghanistan Introduces Sweeping New Censorship

For Immediate Release

18 August 2009: Israel declares the shooting of American activist, Tristan Anderson to be an “act of war.”

Tristan Anderson, an American national, was critically injured on 13 March 2009 when he was shot with a high velocity tear-gas projectile during an unarmed demonstration against the Wall in the West Bank village of Ni’lin (report and video: http://palsolidarity.org/2009/03/5324).

The Israeli Ministry of Defense has notified the Anderson family’s lawyers that Israel perceives the incident on 13 March 2009 as an “act of war.” This classification was made despite the fact that Anderson’s shooting occurred during a civilian demonstration and there were no armed hostilities during the event or surrounding it.

The consequence of such classification is that according to Israeli law, the state of Israel is not liable for any damage its’ forces have caused.

[Read the report]

The U.S.- health care reform, non-debate circus has been good for one thing only; revealing the true nature of lying ingrates such as Iowa’s Sen. Charles Grassley.

Related:
Ara Darzi and Tom Kibasi: In Defense of Britain’s Health System

Mary Lynn Cramer: Progressives Abet Obama-Fraud: Don’t Confuse Medicare with Single-Payer