Citations Needed Newsletter 02.06.18

Hi all, 

Here is this week's newsletter. Enjoy! 

- Florence, Adam, and Nima 

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How to Not Die in America - Molly Osberg, Splinter News (1/31/18)

In this harrowing personal essay, journalist Molly Osberg describes in excruciating detail how the American healthcare system is deliberately designed to save some and sacrifice others.

What Juanita Broaddrick Wants You to Know - Katie Halper, New York Magazine (2/1/18)

Friend of the show Katie Halper has a deeply revealing interview with Bill Clinton accuser Juanita Broaddrick. If you've dismissed her as a right-wing crank, do yourself a favor and listen to her account in her own words. 

I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It’s Happening Again. - Lawrence Wilkerson, The New York Times (2/5/18)

Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, warns us not to fall for the same PR push of falsehoods and fear-mongering that led to the invasion of Iraq 15 years ago - this time with regard to Iran. And he should know, he was largely responsible for Powell's influential and lie-infused presentation before the UN Security Council that sold the Iraq War.

(Also, check out Jon Schwarz's essential rundown of just how many egregious lies there were in Powell's presentation.)

Want to grow the US economy? Cancel student debt, new report shows - AP Joyce Mic (2/6/18)

A report finds canceling all student debt would lead to an increase in U.S. GDP between $861 billion and $1,083 billion over the next 10 years. One the report's authors, Stephanie Kelton, was on Citations Needed last year discussing why deficits are bullshit. You can listen to it here. 

No, hurting Palestinian refugees doesn’t help peace - Omar Baddar, Mondweiss (2/3/18)

The extremists at the DC-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies have launched an all-out propaganda campaign not only to promote American-led regime change in Iran, but also to gut international aid to Palestinians under Israeli occupation.

Chimamanda Adichie: The daughter of postcolonial theory - Grace A. Musila, Al Jazeera (2/4/18)

Musila dissects the frustrating truth behind Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's recent dismissal of postcolonial theory as academic claptrap, arguing that the "risks of erasure of entire intellectual histories and hard-earned victories are real."

How the Red Scare Shaped the Artificial Distinction Between Migrants and Refugees - Sarah Lazare, In These Times (2/4/18)

A fascinating dive into the 1950s liberal Cold War frame that set the standard for how we define refugees, with an emphasis on negative rights over positive rights.

Brainwashing and Cross-dressing: Israel's Assassination Program Laid Bare in Shocking Detail - David B. Green, Haaretz (2/5/18)

A glowing review of reporter Ronen Bergman’s new book on the history of Israel’s reliance on extrajudicial killing, from British Mandate-era terrorism to the murder of civilian scientists in Iran. While trafficking in the usual liberal Zionist handwringing about just how much bloodshed is justifiable in service of colonizing Palestine, the review nevertheless reveals the extent to which assassination and Israel are inextricably linked.

Another Warmonger Rewarded for Being Wrong on Iraq War - Adam Johnson, FAIR (2/1/18) 

The Post™ hires another cynical US war propagandist, joining the dozens of other cynical US war propagandists who already write there. On a related note, The Post™ is nominated for Best Picture for its tale of holding power to account.