Thor Steinar and the Changing Look of the German Far Right

I have spotted an interesting article in the Spiegel (German Newspaper). It is talking about how the Neo-Nazi far right groups in Germany have morphed into more mainstream style. They don’t shave their hair any longer or wear army boots with white laces, but rather dress and look just like any other German youth. However, there is one company that seems to be attracting a lot of Neo-Nazi customers. Thor Steinar clothing is the name brand. This company’s design do not use the old fashioned swastika or other far right symbols but rather have secret codes, which Neo-Nazi youth seem to be drawn to. The article also argues that this particular company was closed in 2006 but reopened with totally different look. Here is what I think! What needs to be done is more education in schools, youth clubs and churches. No matter how many times the German Government closes stores or bans symbols, what is still left is the anger and hate of the youth. Instead of banning, they should spend a lot more resources into education and praising the positives of cultural diversity. It seems the Neo-Nazi culture in Germany will not go away that quickly and needs to be eradicated once and for all! Or am I dreaming? As long as humans exist, hate exists!

Commentary: Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue

Joseph L. Galloway wrote a very powerful op-ed in the McClatchy newspaper. He argues that the Bush Administration has done so much damage to US that they need to be prosecuted to restore some justice to the country. Otherwise, the next ideologues that may come to power in the future may think that since Bush and Co. were not charged with their crimes, that gives them the green light to get away with it as well. He suggests the next Obama administration should do something about it and not stand ideally by. And I love the last sentence he wrote which I will copy for you! “The people of this nation have spoken loudly. They voted to throw the rascals out. They voted for a different way of governing, a different way of law making. They voted for equal rights under the law. If their desires aren't satisfied — if the new broom sweeps no cleaner than the old one — the next time around they may move things up a notch and throw all the bastards out — and they'd be fully justified in doing so.”… Please read!

RIGHTS-US: Activists Seek Executive Order Banning Torture

I am happy to hear that President Elect Obama wants to close the torture chamber Guantanamo as soon as he takes over the White House. It is a necessary and important move to restore some type of ethical standards to the US. Since Bush took over, he has stepped all over the Constitution, created black sights to legally torture many innocent people and endorsed what is called “illegal renditions” to capture individuals from various countries, including Europe and USA. His embarrassing behavior not only affected the American public but also many countries around the world. This is no way to combat terrorism!!! All he has done is create more individuals against his country and more people who will be willing to fight the Empire as they see it. He has done so much damage to the world that many people around the world see him as a war criminal. He should be brought to justice! Bit the spineless Democrats will not do anything about it unfortunately…

America’s Wars of Self-Destruction

Chris Hedges is a journalist that writes an OP-ED every Mondays in Truthdig.com. I follow what he has to say regularly. I try to post it as much as I can, if I feel it is important and relevant to my blog. This particular piece he wrote is very interesting and pertains a lot of my own personal views. He argues that America as an Empire is in incline, because of the greedy behavior of Wall Street pundits, energy and arms co-operations and totally mismanagement of the Republican/Democratic political parties. Just like any Empire, USA has used up all its power and good will around the world and is using wars to keep the Empire alive. Perpetual wars around world are the next move, which will bring more human suffering disaster not only to USA but also to other countries. He is criticizing the eternal ignorance of the public and extreme spending spree of individuals who are living way of their budget. Basically, he is suggesting more frugal behavior and end to unnecessary and violent wars that will over take our future, which will be disastrous to the world in general. His arguments may make some Americans very angry, but a necessary and awakening read. Please have an open mind and heart. We are all connected and we all need to live in peace...

Greens Elect Cem Ozdemir as Co-Leader in Historic Vote

Green Party of Germany has elected the first co-leader of a Turkish descend. There has never been any politician holding such a high level position in the government of Turkish background. This is definitely historic! As a fellow Turk, I am happy for Cem Ozdemir and wish him luck in his career. As a skeptic, I would be curious to know if he can change much when it comes to foreign policy of Germany in-relation to Turkey? It will be interesting to see!

Paul Krugman: When the rules don't apply

Boyyy... I would hate to be in Obama's shoes right now. The Economy is in dire straits, 2 useless and expensive wars are still very real, Guantanamo, and various other debacles left over from the Bush administration... WAW tall order to deal with.... Paul Krugman wrote an article about how to go about improving the economical debacle that the US found themselves in. He suggests further whopping 600 billion dollars bail out to help the economy. He argues that being frugal would be the wrong thing to do at this point in time. I am not sure if I agree with him. 600 billion dollars means more money out of the tax payers pockets. Which then translates into, further deterioration of the public schools, health care and general infrastructure... What to do...???

How Many Villages Must We Bomb Before We Find bin Laden?

Truthfully, the war in Afghanistan is not about finding Bin Laden or smoking him out, it's about expending the Empires hegemony in the east. It's about control and power. It's not about freedom and fighting a good war. There are no good wars. There are just wars!

Wall Street's Bailout is a Trillion-Dollar Crime Scene -- Why Aren't the Dems Doing Something About It?

Naomi Klein wrote a powerful article about the latest wall street bail out. She also wrote an incredible book called, "The Shock Doctrine" Ms. Klein is a Canadian reporter who has extensively analyzed the world politics in the last few decades and wrote a very comprehensive book about how various governments shock the public into submission in order to push for their agenda. A very necessary book to read for those who wish to think out side the box!

Blackwater likely to be fined millions in Iraq weapons case

This is great news! Blackwater is the worlds biggest mercenary army. They have been operating with out any over sight for years and can be extremely dangerous... I am happy to hear they are under the radar. If you wish to find out more about Blackwater, please read the book by Jeremy Scahill.

South African icon Miriam Makeba dies...

An activist, a beautiful voice, a fighter. a legend, Miriam Makeba passed away on the 9th of November 2008....

Cold War Hawks Nesting With Obama

I agree with Robert Scheer's statement that it is not the President Elect Obama that is worrying, but the Democratic Party Hawks that are hovering around him for power. It's the good old boys club getting together for business as usual.