DOWNSIZING THE MIDDLE CLASS IS A RISKY BUSINESS.

by Robert Scheer for HUSTLER Magazine

While the superrich scurry for safety in their fortress enclaves, suburbs across the country feature boarded-up houses with mortgages that are deeply underwater.

Scientists tell us that dolphins and porpoises have a complicated language and can actually learn to use an iPad. An octopus can build its own house, birds sing complicated melodies, and parrots can remember as many as a thousand words. Monkeys can be taught sign language, how to drive a car and smoke cigarettes. I’m told that dogs, which possess the intellectual capacity of a three-year-old child, can understand more than 50 words, although from my experience, none of those words include “Don’t shit in the house!”

On the other hand, many humans don’t believe in global climate change, evolution or that President Barack Obama was born in America. They do, however, believe in astrology, angels, virgin birth, a God with a long white beard (whom they should thank when winning an Emmy) and the ability to cure homosexuality through prayer. My question is this: Just how much smarter are we than our animal cousins? From my point of view we humans have very little to be smug about.

HOW OUR COUNTRY WAS BETRAYED BY THREE PRESIDENTS

by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman for HUSTLER Magazine

That White House lie led to a horrific war that has cost the lives of thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis—not to mention a trillion or more U.S. dollars.

The not-so-slow death of our nation by betrayal, bankruptcy and despair has not happened by accident. Three treasonous backstabs by Republicans Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan (in cahoots with George H.W. Bush) and George W. Bush have poisoned our body politic and bled us into chaos. The first act of treason came in 1968 as the Vietnam War reached a critical turning point. Democratic President Lyndon Baines Johnson was desperate for a truce between North and South Vietnam. His Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, was in a tight Presidential race against Richard Nixon. With demonstrators in the streets, Humphrey needed a cease-fire to get himself into the White House.

AMERICA DESPERATELY NEEDS A NEW DEAL FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, BUT DON’T ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET FOR ANOTHER REPUBLICAN.

by Robert Scheer for HUSTLER Magazine

We think of America as a place where every generation is doing better, but we’re looking at a period when the median family is in worse shape than it was in the late 1990s.

It started when a bunch of college kids, responding to a tweet, descended on Wall Street. They stayed, and the crowd grew. Now there are thousands of them, and they’re not just in New York City anymore. Nor is the movement still limited to undergrads. In a nation where 1% of the population controls almost half of the wealth, these protesters have chosen to call themselves the 99 Percent. They are the working class, the poor, the disenfranchised. They represent everyone excluded from a political process that has been hijacked by corporations and multimillionaires. The 99 Percent want their government back. This looks and feels like something different. It feels organic. It reminds me of the 1960s’ antiwar movement. A long-simmering undercurrent of unrest in our country is now bubbling to the surface. Our politicians ignore this movement at their peril.

As Bob Dylan said, “The times they are a-changin’.”

Larry Flynt was awestruck after seeing his name on the American National Tree for the first time during a recent visit to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. As a courageous defender of the First Amendment, Flynt has been honored with a plaque on the monument, which pays tribute to 100 Americans—both famous and obscure—whose actions have helped safeguard the U.S. Constitution. We sat down with Larry to discuss his thoughts on being part of such select company and why freedom of speech is so important.

I’m worried the U.S. economy is about to slowdown drastically. President Obama should be worried too. The signs are not good: The housing market is at its lowest since 2002, the national unemployment rate remains above 9%, and job creation is static. On top of that, the President seems ready to make massive budget cuts just to accommodate the Republicans. That will further weaken the economy.

Had Obama pushed for a larger stimulus package and stiffer regulation of Wall Street, we wouldn’t be in such deep shit now. One thing’s for certain: If the economy tanks, even Bozo the Clown could beat the President in 2012.

Obama will need a lot of luck to get out of this mess. So will the American people.

When it came to setting up our government, Thomas Jefferson had three concerns: tyranny of kings, tyranny of theocrats and tyranny of the wealthy. For the time being we seem to be safe from kings and theocrats. We are not, however, safe from the superrich.

Here’s what Jefferson said: “I believe the banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their Fathers conquered.” The bankers and corporations have bought and paid for our politicians, both on the Left and the Right. That’s why our elected representatives stand mute when it comes to defending the rights of working- class Americans.

It’s time to heed Jefferson’s words. It’s time to fight back.

Report by Jordan David

November 30, 2011

Shortly after midnight a militarized police contingent, working with ruthless efficiency, evicted the occupants of the park around L.A.’s City Hall. The operation included approximately 1,800 members of the LAPD, plus officers from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Defiant protesters, hoping for an influx of supporters to stand in opposition to this massive show of force, were stymied when police shut down streets and highway off-ramps. Over 200 protesters were arrested.

While the mainstream media is largely reporting that the eviction was Peaceful, with the police acting in a restrained, professional manner, that was only true of the City Hall area, where the sectioned-off press
representatives were allowed to observe the takedown. Those brave enough to venture into the streets witnessed police swinging billy clubs at peaceful demonstrators simply because they refused to get onto the sidewalks.

The nationwide Occupy movement was launched in response to the growing income disparity between America’s rich and the working class. The protesters, who call themselves the 99%, recognize that the playing field is not level and that our politicians are owned by the 1%. It is a fact that the 400 wealthiest people in this country have more money then…

Did the police provoke the peaceful crowd at Occupy Oakland? Watch the video and decide…

10/25/2011

“The police line prevented any movement of the marches further and then as you can see in the video the sudden unprovoked rush by the police into the crowd. This was at about 5pm on Tuesday 10/25/2011. This was the first use of force by the police on this infamous night. An hour or so later the use of tear gas and flash grenades was again used on broadway which severely injured the marine veteran.” – Occupier