By Andrew L. Jaffee

It is disconcerting to see how many American manufacturers went from world dominance to fading flowers in the span of 30 years. While there are some niche/boutique manufacturers, and of course powerhouses like Boeing and American Apparel, things look bleak for labor-intensive producers, especially the U.S.’s “Big Three” automakers, General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co., and Chrysler LLC, who all now “teeter on collapse.” It is common to hear blame for the Big Three’s woes laid solely at the feet of corporate management, but these companies’ workers have also played a significant role in their near-demise. You would never know that if you only listened to labor’s side of the story — case in point: United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

There’s good news on the economic front which should help pull our great nation out of recession. Interest rates have been coming down, making it cheaper for individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large corporations to borrow money. The credit markets are loosening up, meaning that banks are getting less fearful about lending — especially after being burned by the mortgage meltdown — and are increasingly loaning money. Kudos for thawing of almost-frozen borrowing and lending activity goes squarely to the Bush administration and Federal Reserve’s economic stimulus (”bailout”) package. Lending and borrowing of cash plays an important role in our economy — when done wisely, that is. From CNNMoney.com:

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By Mark Krikorian*

Now that we know who’s going to be in the White House and Congress next year, what are the prospects for immigration?

Despite big Democratic gains in Congress, the results aren’t as bad for the cause of immigration enforcement as a simple partisan approach to the issue might suggest. After all, one of the ways Democrats have been picking up formerly Republican seats over the past few elections has been to nominate immigration hawks like Heath Shuler of North Carolina and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana.

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By Phyllis Chesler

So, I’m guilty, I also stood on line with everyone else and contributed to James Bond’s record-setting weekend box office receipts of $70.4 million dollars in hard American currency. Daniel Craig’s Bond in Quantam of Solace has just trumped his earlier record in Casino Royale of $40 million dollars for an opening weekend. … (Continue reading…)

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By Phyllis Chesler

Every hospital patient has a story. Just stop anyone on the street. Ask your relatives and friends. If they’ve done time in a hospital they’ll tell you about some indignity, perhaps a nightmare or two. If you haven’t heard these stories, it’s partly because you haven’t asked, or more likely, because most people want to forget about their hospital experiences if they can.

It is hard for me to write about such minor humiliations. Why? Because in terms of science and medicine, we are blessed to be alive in the American twenty-first century — and we know it. … (Continue reading…)

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By Phyllis Chesler*

The people are talking about it on television and in newspapers and magazines. Of course, I refer to the positive effect that President Obama’s election is expected to have on young African-American men and on the conversation about race.

Jonathan Kaufman and Gary Fields, in “Election of Obama Recasts National Conversation on Race,” in The Wall Street Journal.

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By Douglas Farah*

One of the significant challenges the next administration will face in combating terrorism is the fracturing consensus on international sanctions, as noted by the Washington Post.

There is no doubt the European and U.N. consensus that gave rise to the valuable tools has softened, if not vanished, in recent years. Much of friction has to do with anti-US sentiment, coupled with the inability or unwillingness of the designating parties to use what evidence there is against designated individuals in a judicial process.

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By Bill Long

I’ve been a Christian for 37 years. Before that I was a radical. I was tear-gassed 5 times in Chicago in 1968 as a Vietnam Veteran Against the War. I came back from Chicago and was co-founder of an anarchist club on campus called ‘CHAOS’ Committee for the Humane Appreciation of Students. After I became a Christian, I became more or less politically inactive except for voting and trying to stay informed.

A few weeks ago I watched “Obsession”, a DVD about Islamic terrorism. That led me to read Brigitte Gabriel’s book “Because They Hate”. I’ve just finished David Horowitz’s book “Unholy Alliance” about the alliance between radical Islam and the American Left. I decided to find out as much as I could about Barack Obama, just researching the internet. What I found is deeply disturbing. Any candidate who can support Odinga in his campaign promising Sharia in Kenya is someone I don’t want as president. Here’s some more of what I found. I think it lays out a fairly complete picture of the underlying dynamic for this election.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

First Obama said he’d cut taxes for Americans making $200,000 or less. Joe Biden said it was $150,000 on Monday, and the Obama-backer Gov. Bill Richardson said $120,000 on Friday. Just which is it, Mr. Obama? From the Albuquerque Journal:

Big-name Barack Obama backer Gov. Bill Richardson on Friday provided some fresh political ammo for opponents of the Democratic presidential candidate when he told a Colorado radio station that Obama aims to cut taxes for those making $120,000 or less — a far cry from Obama’s own promise to lower taxes for families making up to $200,000.

Listen to Richardson’s comments at KOA radio

Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said Richardson simply misspoke during an interview with Denver AM powerstation. …

But Republicans who have been scrambling during the final days of the White House race to paint Obama as an in-the-closet tax increaser pounced on Richardson’s comments, which came four days after Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden tossed out an income level of $150,000 in another interview. …

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By Andrew Cochran*

In my opinion, the single most effective counter-measure that the U.S. government has taken against terrorist financing in the past three to four years was to integrate counter-terrorist financing theory and techniques into the worldwide counterinsurgency efforts of the Pentagon, especially in Iraq. This website was the first to report the establishment of the joint Defense Department - Treasury Department “threat finance cells” in Iraq, which successfully interrupted terrorists’ funding flows. The concept is inexpensive and simple in concept: Treasury Department personnel trained in banking operations and in recognizing money laundering and terrorist financing techniques work side by side with military personnel to identify the sources and methods of a given terrorist cell in a selected area. I expect Gen. Petraeus to expand the concept into Afghanistan after he takes over CENTCOM on Friday.

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By Andrew Cochran*

This morning, the U.S. Treasury is announcing a new designation of the Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) for providing or attempting to provide financial services to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). The Iranian regime is allegedly using the EDBI as a financing mechanism as a substitute for Bank Sepah, whose international financing capabilities have been sharply curbed since the Treasury designated it in January 2007 and persuaded our allies to join in that freeze. Contributing Experts Jonathan Winer, Matthew Levitt, Victor Comras, Michael Jacobson and I have written extensively on the series of international sanctions against Sepah and other elements of the Iranian financing system. The Treasury statement alleges that “EDBI has facilitated the ongoing procurement activities of various front companies associated with MODAFL-subordinate entities.” The Treasury designated MODAFL and associated entities in October 2007 for activities to promote Iran’s ballistic missile program.

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by Michael Rubin*

As markets floundered amid the credit crunch, Iran’s leadership celebrated the West’s economic crisis. On Oct. 11, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared, “The claim that the free market manages all things is a huge lie and benefits only thieves and criminals.” Two days later, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei decreed that the West’s financial crisis was a sign of “the ineffectiveness of liberal democracy-based policies.”

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By Phyllis Chesler

The Dow is falling just as the Twin Towers once fell. Obama’s campaign soars on the wings of this crisis. Some Obama supporters no longer care about facts and become exceedingly aggressive when one tries to offer any. “I dare you to prove that,” they yell, their faces all a-snarl. “That’s a right-wing racist lie.” … (Continue reading…)

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By Barry Rubin

So sang the Rolling Stones. But which side has time working in its favor? That’s one of the Middle East’s most intriguing and controversial questions.

Recently, Israeli leaders and well-wishers–sincere and hypocritical alike–have spoken in panicky terms that time isn’t on Israel side and it’s either peace in a few months or the Biblical flood.

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By Alexander Murinson*

With the conclusion of the Cold War, the trilateral axis (Israel-Turkey-Azerbaijan) in the expanded Middle East emerged. The issue of energy security as a component of this relationship has remained largely unexplored. First, this article elucidates the transformation of the concept of security in the post-Cold War period. It then places the hydrocarbon-rich Caspian region in the context of the energy security needs of energy-poor Turkey and Israel. The importance of transportation routes from the Caspian for the Jewish state are highlighted, and the potential of Caspian petrochemicals for cooperation in energy field between Israel, Turkey Israel are explored.

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