Jonestown Massacre Anniversary The Perfect Time To Brush Up On Cults
Is The Cult Of Personality Presidency Permanent?
The New Norm: Crime, But Not Punishment
No demands for arrests are issued or voiced, publicly. No expectation
for retribution is set-up. Follow-up is nonexistent in media. Police do
not publicize any arrests. If they make them, none are reported by
media.No teachable moments occur.
Remember
words like, “Police are requesting the public’s assistance in finding
those responsible”? Or, “No arrests have been made, as yet”? Such
civilizing utterances have vanished from the nomenclature of media and
law enforcement, when discussing acts of trespass, vandalism, and public
disorderliness.
The West Should Better Recognize Iran’s Democratic Resistance
Those unaware of the current unrest
or not fully recognizing the significance of the initial uprising, may
not know much about the major driving forces behind that unrest. Chief
among these is the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK/PMOI), a
pro-democracy opposition group that has been at the head of calls for
regime change since the earliest days of the Islamic Republic.When
the nationwide uprising was at its peak, the Iranian regime’s supreme
leader actually delivered a speech in which he specifically credited the
MEK with planning and organizing the anti-government demonstrations.Unfortunately, this was not enough to make the MEK a household name in the Western world, although it should be by now.
If
the United States and Europe do not begin to actively support the MEK
and its affiliates inside the Islamic Republic, they run the risk of
casting aside a de facto ally at a very crucial historical moment.
Although many casual observers of Middle Eastern affairs may not realize
it, the current domestic unrest in Iran points squarely at the
possibility of a change of government, which would end critical threats
against Western powers once and for all.At
one time, ignorance of the MEK might have been an excuse for not taking
action to promote such an outcome. But with Iranian propaganda
crumbling and the Resistance gaining traction inside the country, all
such excuses and outdated and should be confined to the past.While
one hears on a daily basis about sanctions and potential military
measures, there must surely be a preference for means that will
transform rather than destroy.
The West Should Better Recognize Iran’s Democratic Resistance
Guardian Hit-Piece Offers Iranian Dictatorship A Lifeline
There have been ongoing protests across Iran since the beginning of
the year. The mullahs’ president unsuccessfully pleaded with his French
counterpart to restrict the activities of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/EMK),
the movement’s acknowledged coordinator, while Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei described the MEK as the foot soldiers of the uprising.Meanwhile,
the regime’s scandalous manipulation of Facebook and Twitter to further
its repression and censorship has become the talk of the town.It
is in this context that The Guardian stepped forward to throw Tehran’s
religious dictatorship a lifeline. But it’s too little, too late; The
Guardian has only entangled itself.
The Guardian has stabbed the free press in the back with its helping
hand to the religious fascism which 80 million Iranians are determined
to overthrow. It has attacked Iran’s militant and freedom-seeking women
with the same gutter lexicon uttered by the mullahs. This is as shameful
as a British paper acting as a mouthpiece of Adolf Hitler in the 1930s
and 1940s.I close by recalling the apt words of Mahatma Gandhi:
“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor
does truth become error because nobody sees it.”
Turning Doctors Into Technicians Won’t Enhance Workforce Or Reduce Costs
…Policy analysts Chris Pope and Tim Rice build on the Mercatus report recommendation by asserting that
most undergraduate courses have “little to do” with clinical practice,
merely prolonging the medical training process. This contention reveals
an impoverished understanding of the practice of medicine and the state
of American secondary education.First,
a doctor is not a technician of human pathology. Medicine is the art
and science of healing, where empathy, emotional-mental stamina,
critical reasoning, and communication play an integral role. None of
these skills are taught in medical school, explaining the high dropout
rate in countries where eighteen-year olds begin medical studies.
…Well-rounded knowledge imparts maturity,
enabling students to decide if they are indeed willing and equipped for
years of rigorous professional study, punishing hours of work, and a
lifetime of serving the sick. Importantly, high EQ shields medical
students and physicians from burning out – a trait of particular
significance given that the United States is experiencing an epidemic of
physician burnout.A recent JAMA study shows
that replacing an existing physician can cost up to $1 million. We
cannot afford to lose current and future physicians to mental and
emotional exhaustion.
Turning Doctors Into Technicians Won’t Enhance Workforce Or Reduce Costs
Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement Ensures American Digital Dominance
The House Freedom Caucus needs a declaration of independence
Why aren’t businesses blamed for letting hooligans hassle paying patrons, as they try to enjoy services for which they’ve paid?
Why has no one suggested that the onus is on private property owners—yes, proprietors!—to turn away those who badger other customers in their rightful enjoyment of the services they bought?
The lack of focused debate is even more “messed up” than the assaults just recounted.
Ocasio-Cortez Is Right: Amazon Subsidies Do More Harm Than Good
It breaks down into a simple political problem of winners and losers,
and politicians have a strong incentive to score short-term wins at the
risk of long-term losses. While this story is being sold as a huge win
for Northern Virginia and Queens, it’s nothing more than Robin Hood in
reverse. And when you begin to unpack the numbers, it’s hard to
understand why any politician would ever want their name associated with
these deals.
But it isn’t just the richest and most successful companies that
benefit. The data suggest that state and local government spending on
economic development deals is linked to widening income inequality.
Research published earlier this year in The Review of Regional Studies
showed how spending on economic incentives is associated with an
increase in the concentration of income for the top 1 percent and top 10
percent income groups. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with being
rich, government policies shouldn’t be the cause of it.To add
insult to injury, in the long run, these schemes also result in reduced
spending on public goods. From investments in public education to
sanitation to utilities, economist Jia Wang has found that when
governments give away taxpayer money to attract businesses, they reduce
spending on other items. This makes sense, and it also casts doubt on
the idea that these subsidies “pay for themselves.” The money promised
to the Amazons of the world has the come from somewhere.
Rep.-elect Ocasio-Cortez’s outrage about Amazon’s HQ2 race isn’t a
partisan issue. These deals ultimately stack the deck against the
average person. In a world where it seems like we agree on less and
less, eliminating policies this bad should be something we can all get
behind.
Ocasio-Cortez Is Right: Amazon Subsidies Do More Harm Than Good
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