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REWIND - A Week of Quotes and Cartoons

SUNDAY

Quote of the Day
February 2, 2014

'Kerry's rush to punish Russia and Nato's decision to
respond to Kiev's call by holding a meeting of member
states' ambassadors in Brussels today were mistakes.
Ukraine is not part of the alliance, so none of the
obligations of common defence come into play. Nato
should refrain from interfering in Ukraine by word or
deed. The fact that it insists on getting engaged
reveals the elephant in the room: underlying the crisis
in Crimea and Russia's fierce resistance to potential
changes is Nato's undisguised ambition to continue two
decades of expansion into what used to be called "post-
Soviet space", led by Bill Clinton and taken up by
successive administrations in Washington. At the back of
Pentagon minds, no doubt, is the dream that a US navy
will one day replace the Russian Black Sea fleet in the
Crimean ports of Sevastopol and Balaclava.'

Columnist Jonathan Steele, a roving foreign
correspondent and author the book
Ghosts of Afghanistan

The Guardian (UK)
February 2, 2014

Toon of the Day

Ownership
Mike Luckovich

 

MONDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'To the American people, give them my best wishes and my
gratitude. To the U.S. government, give them my anger,
my extreme anger.'

Afghan President Hamid Karzai
to departing Washington Post
journalists following an
interview March 1 in Kabul

Washington Post
March 3, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Party Down
Tony Auth
 

TUESDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'Neoconservatives, politicians and frustrated Cold
Warriors filling armchairs in the outdated "strategic"
think tanks that litter Washington will continue to howl
at the moon. But U.S. policy should be run by the sober.
The president would be well advised to investigate
whether the European Union, Russia and the United States
can join together to preserve Ukraine's territorial
unity; to support new and free elections; and to agree
to allow Ukraine to be part of both the European Union
and Russian customs union, while reaffirming the pledge
that NATO will not extend itself into Ukraine. It is
time to reduce tensions and create possibility, not flex
rhetorical muscles and fan the flames of folly.'

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Washington Post
March 4, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Oscar Nights
Rob Rogers
 

WEDNESDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'Perhaps, by picking the right fights, revealing the
Republican extremes, pointing the right direction even
while in slow retreat, the president is exposing the
right, exhausting their troops, and awakening Americans
to meet the challenges of the day. As fanciful as that
may be, it is much more plausible than expecting this
budget's long-term direction to take us where we need to
go.'

Robert L. Borosage, founder and
president of the Institute for
America's Future and co-director
of the Campaign for America's Future

CAF
March 5, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Backyards
Jim Morin - Miami Herald
 

THURSDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'Commemoration of the life and contributions of Hugo
Chavez Frías should not be about hero worship or
uncritical praise of his unfinished Bolivarian project.
There is no question that he set forth a singular
profile, but we should not lose sight of the fact that
he was a committed social individual, ultimately one
among the many Venezuelans and people around the world
dedicated to justice, equality, self-determination and
sovereignty. Although he was vigorous, at times
assertive, in arguing his principles, forthright in
challenging his critics and passionate in his polices
and collaborations with the poor and marginalized, he
did indeed work successfully with people and national
leaders often of radically different outlooks and
stations in life in Venezuela and the United States and
around the world.

'We will forever remember Chavez as we do King and
Mandela in their bold convictions about justice, in
their deep courage against great destructive powers and
in their human foibles that nevertheless led social
movements and governance policies that inspired and
improved the lives of their societies and the world. And
we ask you to do so also, but to do so by critically
taking up solidarity with the Venezuelan and Latin
American and Caribbean peoples and their governments
that in memory of Hugo Chávez Frías are still inspired
by his leadership and sincerely strive to improve their
democracy, their self-determination and sovereignty, and
their material and spiritual well-being.'

Danny Glover and James Counts Early

Activist and actor Danny Glover
is board member of the TransAfrica
Forum. James Counts Early is a
member of the political committee
of the Regional Articulation of
Afro-Descendants in Latin America
and the Caribbean, and a board
member of the Institute for Policy Studies.

TruthOut
March 6, 2014

Toon of the Day

Spheres
M. Wuerker
 

FRIDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'Paul Ryan need only go to Wall Street - or, for that
matter, through the walkways of National Harbor, the
shiny new suburban Washington enclave where the CPAC
conference was being held - to find "full stomachs and
empty souls" - where Americans pick up the lunch tab for
some of the very banksters who drove the country into
financial disaster and recession. If conservatives
prefer full stomachs in corporate boardrooms to full
stomachs in America's classrooms, they are the one's
with "empty souls".'

Terrance Heath, online producer at
Campaign for America's Future, in
response to Rep. Paul Ryan's remark
Thursday to the convention of the
the Conservative Political Action
Conference about school lunches
accusing "the left" of offering
Americans "a full stomach and
an empty soul."

CAF
March 7, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Ryan and the Poor
Pat Bagley
Salt Lake Tribune
 

SATURDAY

Quote of the Day
 

'It is a grim and enraging list of injustice. Sex
trafficking. Sex slavery. Domestic slavery. Female
genital mutilation. Gang rape. Rape. Prostitution.
Forced marriage. Child brides. Pornography. Domestic
violence. Acid attacks. Adolescent pregnancy. Barred
from education. Contraception unavailable. Abortion
impossible. Maternity care out of reach. These are
threads in the life stories of millions of women from
New Delhi to New York, and they are some of the reasons
why, for all the progress made in the 103 years since
the first, it is still necessary to have an
International Women's Day.'

Editorial
The Guardian (UK)
March 8, 2014
 

Toon of the Day

Order
Jim Morin - Miami Herald