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RadioWHO Ep. 9: Destruction, Automated Warfare and Death from Above
by Jeff Schechtman
Killing by remote control is already a reality, and it’s about to get a lot cheaper. Not only that, the image of a perfect, surgical killing machine presented to us is far from the reality. Tune in for Jeff Schechtman’s conversation with Andrew Cockburn, the Washington editor of Harper’s magazine.
WHO
Obama’s Middle East Gamble
Fred Kaplan looks beneath the apparent “incoherence” of Obama’s Middle East policy and finds some good-ol’ fashioned realpolitik. That stark realism explains his decision to work simultaneously with Iranian Shiites and Arab Sunnis. That’s right, Mr. Hope & Change is actually a cold, calculating strategist who sees the defeat of ISIS as his leading objective. Of course, the jury is still out. The Iran nuke deal isn’t done. The Saudis are on the march in Yemen. But Obama’s disdain for simplistic Good v. Evil jingoism is, if nothing else, a stark break with the recent past.
Inside Jeb Bush’s Stealth Campaign to Woo Christian Conservatives
The Next Bush In Line must walk a long, winding road to political Damascus if he’s gonna lock up crucial Christian Conservatives on his way to the GOP nomination. It’s a road the other two Bushes had to walk as they distanced themselves from their decidedly secular roots in Eastern Establishment Republicanism. And it looks like Jeb’s got a long way to go before the GOP’s God Squad endorses his candidacy.
WHAT
Official Report: Nuclear Waste Accident Caused By Wrong Cat Litter
U.S. Department of Energy released a 277-page report on last’s year “accident” at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico. The culprit behind the exploding nuclear waste drum? Organic kitty litter. Seriously. Radioactive uranium, plutonium and americium were released throughout the facility because they switched brands of kitty litter, which had long been used to soak up spills. The newer stuff? Not so absorbent, apparently.
Boeing Patents ‘Star Wars’-Style Force Fields
Boeing’s method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc uses energy to deflect potential damage from nearby explosions. It cannot stop projectiles, but it can protect those near an impact from the shockwaves caused by explosions. So, raise your shields … the future is almost here!
WHY
Colombian Report on US Military’s Child Rapes Not Newsworthy to US News Outlets
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) examines the reticence of the U.S. news media to even mention an 800-page independent report commissioned by the U.S.-friendly Colombian government and the radical left rebel group FARC. The report shows that U.S. soldiers and contractors sexually abused at least 54 children in Colombia between 2003 and 2007. Three days after the report was released, FAIR asks a fair question: “Why no coverage?”
Debunking the Myth of the Job-Stealing Immigrant
It’s a common trope … immigrants are flooding into America, stealing jobs and driving the economy into a ditch. But the evidence says that’s bogus, both micro- and macroeconomically. For the micro, look at the Mariel boatlift that brought 125k Cubans to the U.S. and inserted 45k working-age Cubans into Miami. It had no real effect on the employment of Miamians. And most economists see immigration as a spur for macroeconomic growth as new arrivals immediately contribute their increased productivity. The bottom line is that the bottom line doesn’t support fears of immigrant labor.
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