Salem-News.com Politics articles Page 33

Understanding Marx

Review of Crisis and Change Today by Peter Knapp and Alan J. Spector

(OLDENBURG, Germany) - Knapp and Spector have written a superb introduction to Marxist thought, a much-needed one, since reading Marx can be a daunting task. The grand old man's prose is often ponderous, abstract, and complex, so many readers can't discern his full meaning.

Crisis and Change Today is a lucid presentation of Marx's ideas, explaining his views on history, economics, politics, and philosophy in a way that makes them understandable and also does justice to their complexity.

Mexico Armed

“What does the government expect people to do? Lower their little hands?” - Luciano Segura Jauregui of Armed Mexico

(LAS CRUCES, NM) - More Mexicans are acquiring arms to defend their families and property. According to a university researcher, the number of firearms legally possessed in Mexico increased 53 percent from 2009 to 2012, jumping from 2,033, 749 to 3,118, 592 guns.

Ernesto Villanueva, researcher for the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Institute of Legal Research, based his findings on data from the Mexican Defense Ministry (Sedena), which is in charge of registering firearms.

More Troubles for Criminally Indicted PG&E

After all the sound and fury is over, PG&E will probably start operating as usual.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) was recently criminally indicted for twelve violations of the federal Pipeline Safety Act. No executives of PG&E were indicted.

The federal indictment follows PG&E's alleged negligence in safely maintaining its natural gas pipeline infrastructure which resulted in a massive explosion in the Crestmoor residential neighborhood of San Bruno on September 9, 2010.

President Declares Disaster in Oregon for 2014 Winter Storm

According to the declaration, additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

(WASHINGTON DC) - The President has declared a disaster declaration for Oregon to help recover from damage caused by the Severe Winter Storm in February 2014. FEMA is providing financial assistance for emergency work, and repairs or replacement of public infrastructure in Benton, Lane, Lincoln and Linn counties.

The majority of the damages were to public utilities as a result of snow, ice, winds and flooding in the affected counties.

Agent Orange Exposure Appears to Double Risk of Invasive Skin Cancer

Issue needs to be studied on a larger scale.

(HOUSTON) - Even four decades later, veterans exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War have twice the risk of developing unusually invasive nonmelanotic skin cancers compared with the general population, according to a recent study.

“We noticed a lot of veterans coming into our clinic had very aggressive squamous and basal cell carcinomas, and it seemed like there was a connection to Agent Orange exposure...” said Mark Clemens, MD, at Univ. of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

`My Verse` by Prof. Wilson Santos: Giving a Voice to the Voiceless

Think Your Life is Hard? Watch This Short Film.

(ORLANDO) - Jamal Belica of Aldin Entertainment Music Group has brought a very moving video to the attention of the Salem News. While working on his own projects to spread the word for a better world he came across “My Verse” by Prof. Wilson Santos of Full Sail University that speaks of the pathos of the deprived, especially the children.

Though it is hard-hitting and graphic and not for the squeamish, he found it so motivational that he knew he had to share it with others and he had me take a look at it.

A 15-Year Murder Spree

"The notion of a 'humanitarian war' would have rang in the ears of the drafters of the UN Charter as nothing short of Hitlerian, because it was precisely the justification used by Hitler himself for the invasion of Poland just six years earlier." —Michael Mandel

(WASHINGTON DC) - Fifteen years ago, NATO was bombing Yugoslavia. This may be difficult for people to grasp who believe the Noah movie is historical fiction, but: What your government told you about the bombing of Kosovo was false. And it matters.

While Rwanda is the war that many misinformed people wish they could have had (or rather, wish others could have had for them), Yugoslavia is the war they're glad happened...

Any Courtroom in China

“International law is not an empty promise, and treaties must be enforced.” — President Obama

(BROOKLYN) - Any courtroom in China or Iran could have been the scene: An 84-year-old Catholic nun in prison garb, chained hand-and-foot and surrounded by heavy Marshals, is shuffled jangling into court.

Her attorney asks if she might be allowed one free hand in order to take notes. The nun has been convicted of high crimes trumped up after her bold political protest embarrassed the state.

Burma Census 2014 & its Major Donors

ERC Urged to UNFPA, DFID to immediately retrieve its Funds & to prosecute the Burmese regime and its accom genocidal policies against Rohingya on Burma Census 2014.

(FRANKFURT) - The Burmese successive regime with several disguises have been perpetrating crimes against Rohingya or humanity across the country in particular western Burma, the most populous areas of Rohingya.


After the bloodshed that was triggered against Rohingya by state-backed bloodthirsty Buddhists—state designated united armed forces comprised of army and police and paramilitary, radical monks from anti- Muslim movement 969...

Sign the Petition to Monsanto`s Man in Congress, Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.)

Rep. Pompeo is just plain foolish if he thinks he will be reelected after he supports an industry-written law that goes against what 90 percent of consumers in this country want.

(WASHINGTON DC) - On April 1, Poltico announced that Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) will introduce a bill to kill GMO labeling.

April fool's joke? We wish. But the joke may be on Pompeo, when consumers nationwide light up his phone lines and sign our petition with demands that he abandon plans to sell out consumers by helping Monsanto and Big Food pass a law to take away states' rights to label GMOs.