LATEST IN DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Normon Solomon Escalation Scam: Troops in Afghanistan
http://www.truthout.org/070909R?n
Norman Solomon, Truthout: "The president has set a limit on the number of US troops in Afghanistan. For now. That's how escalation works. Ceilings become floors. Gradually. A few times since last fall, the Obama team has floated rising numbers for how many additional US soldiers will be sent to Afghanistan. Now, deployment of 21,000 more is a done deal, with a new total cap of 68,000 US troops in that country."

Thousands Protest in Iran, Defying Crackdown Vow
http://www.truthout.org/070909S?n
Nasser Karimi, The Associated Press: "Thousands of protesters streamed down avenues of the capital Thursday, chanting 'death to the dictator' and defying security forces who fired tear gas and charged with batons, witnesses said. The first opposition foray into the streets in 11 days aimed to revive mass demonstrations that were crushed in Iran's post-election turmoil."

Chris Hedges: The Crooks Get Cash While the Poor Get Screwed
http://www.truthout.org/070609E?n
Chris Hedges, Truthdig: "Tearyan Brown became a father when he was 16. He did what a lot of inner-city kids desperate to make money do. He sold drugs. He was arrested and sent to jail three years later for dealing marijuana and PCP on the streets of Trenton, N.J., mostly to white kids driving in from the suburbs. It was a job which saw him robbed at gunpoint and stabbed in the chest. But it made him about $1,400 a week."

Dahr Jamail: US Occupation of Iraq Continues Unabated
http://www.truthout.org/070609J?n
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: "We have passed the June 30 deadline that, according to a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between US Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on November 17, 2008, was the date all US forces were to have been withdrawn from all of Iraq's cities. Today, however, there are at least 134,000 US soldiers in Iraq - a number barely lower than the number that were there in 2003. The SOFA is a sieve, and the number of US military personnel in Iraq is remaining largely intact for now."

Jim Hightower: July 4th, Rebel and Agitate for Change
http://www.truthout.org/070409A?n
Jim Hightower, AlterNet: "Agitators created America, and it's their feisty spirit and outright rebelliousness that we celebrate on our national holiday. I don't merely refer to the Founders, either. Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, Ben Franklin and the rest certainly were derring-do agitators when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, creating the framework for a democratic republic."

Scott Tucker: The Age of Paine
http://www.truthout.org/070409B?n
Scott Tucker, Truthdig: "Thomas Paine was born Jan. 29, 1737, in Thetford, England, and died on June 8, 1809, in Greenwich Village, New York. He was an active participant in the American and French revolutions, and once said to George Washington, 'a share in two revolutions is living to some purpose.' Through his writings he also left a lasting legacy in the British working-class movement. During his life, his books and pamphlets became instant best-sellers, since he was a pioneer in addressing a wide public in plain language."