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This week on CounterSpin: Some variant on “Obama Seeks to Repair Frayed Ties” was the favored headline for Barack Obama’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The friendship between the two countries faces friction, media said, due to things like the Saudi threat to dump US assets if held legally responsible for September 11 attacks, and the US’s nuclear deal with Iran—but not Saudi Arabia’s disastrous human rights record or anti-democratic government. What explains the relationship CNN called an “unhappy marriage”? We’ll hear from Sheila Carapico, professor of political science and international studies at the University of Richmond in Virginia.
Transcript: Sheila Carapico on Saudi Arabia Visit, Maria Luisa Mendonça on Brazil Impeachment
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MP3 Link
Also on the show: Dilma Rousseff is facing impeachment, though the Brazilian president seems to be accused of a financial maneuver that would be familiar to politicians the world over, while many of her accusers are themselves facing corruption charges. We see images of anti-Rousseff protesters marching in the streets, but is the situation best summed up as “The People vs. The President,” as one pundit had it? Maria Luisa Mendonça is director of Brazil’s Network for Social Justice and Human Rights. We’ll hear her thoughts on events.
Transcript: ‘Brazil Is One of the Most Unequal Countries in the World’
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First, as usual, we take a look back at the week’s press, including the Verizon strike, nuclear power and the anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
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I’m deaf –Where are the transcripts?
The corporate rich are winning,
everyone else is loosing,
enough said.
51% most wealthy + 51% least wealthy = CLASS WAR
For 21 years a military coop ruled Brazil, with all the land and wealth being owned by the upper-half of society. Now for 14 years, two socialist Presidents have ruled Brazil and though poverty was reduced by 50%, no wealth has been given to the lower-half of society.
Actually, never has the laboring-class lower-half ever owned wealth, for wealth is the property we own above what is needed for a comfortable life. Actually, wealth is a luxury we of the laboring-class have never owned and to be honest have never lusted after.
So, for Brazil to allow this judicial coup, which would shortly turn into a fascist and brutal democracy, would be a class war carried to it’s ultimate conclusion. For like fascist Trump in his campaign to rule Empire USA, the wealth obsessed upper half of society will make sure that socialism stays dead and gone forever.
Thieves judging a honest and socially minded President. Shame on this rotten segment of our society!
In Portuguese, sometimes, most often, “explorar” translates to “exploit”. So when Maria mentioed the oil companies, she likely meant more than “explore” in English. So, sadly, big fossil fuel players may be trying to disrupt a peaceful and democratically elected government.