Ralph Nader: Obama Will Be Like Bush

President Barack Obama has been US President for over six months now. It's interesting to look back at what third-party candidate Ralph Nader warned about Obama back before the November 2008 election. Nader warned that people will be very disappointed if they expect Obama to be different than Bush. In another speech at a similar time, Nader warns that Obama caters to the power structures and has taken a lot of corpoate money for his campaign.

I find all these warning prescient. Since becoming US President, Obama has not really challenged the status quo. With a few exceptions, things appear to be moving the same direction as before. There is still a large war in the Middle East with a long-term US military committment, the US military budget is actually climbing much higher than the Bush years, and Obama has pushed through trillion dollar bailouts to save Wall Street.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8H92fcSOdY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE7PFbK5L88

Video - Author Douglas Rushkoff Explains Anti-Corporatism Book "Life Inc."

Rushkoff is the author of a new book explaining how corporations have transformed human society for the worse, in his opinion. He goes back to the Renaissance as the origins for the corporation and say that now every aspect of human society is influenced by coporations. Rushkoff says this is for the worse and proposes an alternative in his new book "Life Inc."

Burmese Junta Persecutes Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi

When I was a freshman in high school I did a presentation on Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). I focused on the democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her prosecution by the military dictatorship in Burma. Last year there was a uprising of the Burmese monks and civilans against the corrupt military junt in control of the country. It's a disgrace that a pro-democracy leader such as Suu Kyi has been under house arrest for decades and is being prosecuted for simply allowing an American to visit her house. I believe sometimes military action is necessary, and having a coalition of world forces enter Myanmar and set up a democratic government is in my view a good thing. The population wants it and it is the right thing to do. But right now the the US and Britain are focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are wars of choice against a population that generally does not want to be occupied by foreign forces.

http://www.progressive.org/mag/pal071609.html