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Turkish Unionists: 'We Are Not Terrorists'

Eric Lee Labor Notes
The right-wing government is using anti-terror laws to crack down on an old enemy—the union movement. But unionists could lead Turkey's development in a democratic and secular direction.

Almost Everything in “Dr. Strangelove” Was True

Eric Schlosser The New Yorker
Coded switches to prevent the unauthorized use of nuclear weapons were finally added to the control systems of American missiles and bombers in the early 1970s. The Air Force was not pleased, and considered the new security measures to be an insult, a lack of confidence in personnel. Although the Air Force now denies this claim, according to more than one source I contacted, the code necessary to launch a missile was set to be the same at every Minuteman site: 00000000.

Union Membership, 2013

Janelle Jones and John Schmitt Center for Economic and Policy Research
The number of union members rose 162,000 in 2013, reflecting a drop of 118,000 in the public sector that was offset by a rise of 281,000 in the private sector. Expressed as a share of the workforce, the union membership rate was unchanged in 2013, at 11.3 percent. For the first time since 2008, the total number of union members in the private sector (7.3 million) was higher than the total number of workers in the public sector (7.2 million).

Remembering Pete

Victor Grossman, Eli Smith
Two more recollections of Pete.

Panic About World Deflation

Immanuel Wallerstein aljazeera
Fears over economic downturn suggest the need for a new global system

Keystone Pipeline - "Conflicts of Interest Make This a Sham"

Rep. Raul M. Grijalva Three Takes
The fact that the Canadian government and the oil industry were reportedly briefed on today’s news before Congress was given the courtesy of a heads-up speaks volumes. It encourages the already widely held impression that the fix was in from the beginning. If the administration expects to avoid the lasting stink of having ignored every red flag in the book, it needs to explain itself.

Talk Show Baloney and Europe’s Future

Victor Grossman Berlin Bulletin
More strength left of the aisle could make a difference, and Europe’s future direction is indeed a weightier matter than talk show rudeness - and of a certainty it is not just baloney!