Britain's Bump in the Road to War

D.D. Guttenplan The Nation
Last night David Cameron’s government lost a House of Commons vote on a measure designed to approve—-in principle-—military action in Iraq pending a report from UN weapons inspectors. This was the first defeat of a government motion related to military action in modern times. The UK Parliament voted—-what about US Congress?

The Case for Not Bombing Syria

Matthew Yglesias Slate
At a recent Washington meeting I heard a chilling phrase: Obama had “no good options” in Syria. Obama’s good option would be to reread his administration’s official National Security Strategy, which sagely argues that “[a]s we did after World War II, we must pursue a rules-based international system that can advance our own interests by serving mutual interests.”

Kevin Spacey: Give Viewers Control

Double Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey challenges TV channels to give "control" to their audiences or risk losing them at his address at the James MacTaggart Memorial Lecture at the Edinburgh Television Festival.

Walmart Workers Announce Labor Day Deadline

The growing group of OurWalmart workers across the country are demanding justice and a decent wage. They have given the giant retailer a Labor Day deadline to meet their demands or face intensified and widespread actions.

The Onion Warns Miley Cyrus May Be Depleted

In 2008, experts warned that Miley Cyrus had just five years before she became a withered, dessicated husk. Unless she is conserved, humanity may be reduced to barbarism.

Strike: Fast Food Workers Speak Out

These are the names, the faces, the lives and the demands of fast food workers, who are striking for the right to organize and a decent wage.

Wealth Inequality in America

The distribution of wealth in America is way more unequal than we think it is or than we think it should be. These are the real numbers, and they're hard to believe.

Friday Nite Videos -- August 30, 2013

Portside
Wealth Inequality in America. Strike: Fast Food Workers Speak Out. The Onion Warns Miley Cyrus May Be Depleted. Walmart Workers Announce Labor Day Deadline. John L. Lewis With Atlanta Fast Food Strikers. Kevin Spacey: Give Viewers Control.

Tidbits - August 29, 2013

Portside
Quote of the Day - Michelle Alexander: Dr. King was speaking out against the Vietnam War, condemning America's militarism and imperialism; Reader's Comments: March on Washington; Black Unionists; Full Employment; Bradley Manning; Syria; Wal-Mart Workers Winning; U.S.'s 1 Percent So Much Richer; Visualization of Every Protest Since 1979; Announcement - Memorial for Margrit Pittman - New York - Oct. 6

Roundtable on the Syrian Crisis

Campaign for Peace and Democracy
The symposium contributions were written before a large-scale poison gas attack with many casualties in the rebel-controlled Ghouta suburbs of Damascus on August 21, 2013. Likewise, they were all written before Washington's deployment of military forces to the region and its virtual announcement that military action is forthcoming. We strongly oppose military intervention by the United States and its allies.