kaleidoscope

grusilag
dallas, tx

We are in the absolute richest of times. At no point in human history has there been as much technology, medicine, and food. Austerity measures, cut backs, and recessions are not a result of actual poverty, but the result of a faulty distribution system governed and determined by a faulty monetary system. Please let's fix the monetary system and please let's stop pretending we're poor lest we make it actually happen.



Yannick
Germany

2000 families own 80% of the Greek national wealth and don't pay any taxes while the average Greek worker suffers from salary cuts of about 25%.
Everyone's talking about austerity measures but only if they don't trouble the rich people or the military budget.
This obviously is a result of the economic incompetence of the German and French governments and the fact that politics are totally controlled by the financial system.

The left-leaning Berliner Zeitung writes:

"We do not know where the financial crisis of 2011 is leading us. We only know, no, we sense, that politicians are clueless. As clueless as we are ourselves."

"Why is the rescue package getting ever bigger? Because politicians believe that only a gigantic, completely unsurpassable package will prevent speculators from pulling currencies and countries into war. Why do the leaders of Europe only meet during periods when the stock markets are closed? Because they fear the markets and share prices. Why is the German parliament, the Bundestag, being almost systematically excluded from decisions on the bailout? Because the leaders are not even sure they can convince fellow parliamentarians. Politicians are no longer thinking of their public."

"We are observing the suicide of politics. Politicians no longer make policy. What is making policy? Drawing up rules in the first place, making and enforcing laws. That is, stopping speculators from speculating. It does not entail acting as state-run speculators, speculating against speculators. But the rescue package is precisely that. It is a defensive shield against speculators which must become ever bigger as the supposed risk of speculation grows. Perhaps €2 trillion is much too little? Perhaps in four weeks we will be talking at a new EU summit of €4 trillion? Perhaps there is a way to increase the so-called leverage. The logic is absurd."

_______________________

Turkey Pursues Kurdish Rebels After 24 Soldiers Are Killed Near Iraq
By SEBNEM ARSU
After Kurdish militants killed at least 24 Turkish soldiers, Turkey’s military responded by sending hundreds of troops into northern Iraq in a counterattack on Kurdish insurgent hide-outs.


irwin
Annapolis, MD

So it's okay for the Turks to pursue terrorists into Iraq but not for Israel to pursue terrorists in Gaza. And its okay for Turkey to occupy northern Cyprus but Israel must immediately vacate the West Bank. Erdogan is a first-class hypocrite. When will he be seen for what he is?

EMIP
Washington, D.C.

JW wrote in part:

“#4 & #18: since you both seem to have a conspiratorial sense -- and of course immediately insinuate that it is payback by Israel against the Turks …”

JW, no need to have a conspiratorial sense; just read the article published 09/09/11 in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronot , where Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the extreme right-wing coalition partner in the present Israeli government is reported to have been:

"… planning to set meetings with the heads of Kurdish rebel group PKK in Europe in order to 'cooperate with them and boost them in every possible area.' In these meetings, the Kurds may ask Israel for military aid in the form of training and arms supplies"

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4119984,00.html

And to Postgradny who wrote in part:

“#20, So what would be the big deal for big countries like Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran to give up a small part of their land to allow the millions and millions of Kurds the right for the first time to have a land …”

The answer is for the same reason that we here in the U.S. have fought wars to prevent the secession of states from the Union - to maintain the territorial integrity of our nation.


Dulcinea
New York, NY

We must give the credit where it is due. Israeli foreign minister promised terrorist retaliation against Turkey. He has delivered. He may be a nutcase but he holds his promises.

Alex650
Bay Area, Ca

I'm so tired about hearing about "rebels" who appear from thin air that the news keeps feeding us on in order to brace us for another war.. Who cares.. Seriously.. Let us mind our own business for once, we all know the Mssd and C_I_A are stirring it up all the unrest. It's getting old and they should deal with it without even mentioning it to us.


72AS72
Dana Point, CA

Just like Hamas initially was created by the Israelis to weaken the PLO, Mssd has a long history of training terrorist groups like the PKK.
Here is the BBC report on that:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glTN6tNzz1g


Yabaulee
NYC

Looks like the C_I_A and the Mssd are trying to just nudge Tayyip Erdogan a little. He irritated the heck out of them with his pro Muslims talk of "uprising" and strong words for Israel.So they asked their proxies to give him little headache.


Z.G.
Vienna, VA

Gotta agree with Yabaulee here. After a long period of silence, the PKK started causing trouble again just around the time Erdogan started talking tough on Israel. In the world of Middle Eastern politics, nothing is ever a coincidence.