The Arab Spring has met its Cassandra. While countless analysts and observers gushed that an era of democracy was at hand, John Bradley sat down to write a book that defies almost every assumption underlying the conventional wisdom about the Arab Spring.
Bradley believes that his worst fears have already been realised. In his view, the liberal vanguard of the revolts in Tunisia and Egypt has been overwhelmed by the Islamists, who have begun radically reordering their societies for the worse. (Bradley calls Egypt today an "action replay of Iran in 1979", when Islamists pushed out liberals and leftists after the revolution.) He predicts that the same thing will happen in Syria, asserts that Bahrain crushed its revolt with Saudi assistance and tacit US approval, and maintains that the Libyan and Yemeni revolts were dominated by tribes and Islamists from the start...

This is what has happened in those countries in which the dictatorial regimes were overthrown. To be sure, the Islamists have the upper hand in their growing confrontation with liberals. Islam, upon which their movements claim to be built, remains the single most powerful component of identity for many Muslims, and the main focus of their loyalties. And, as Bradley demonstrates, unlike the frequently elitist liberals, Islamists have been laying the socio-cultural groundwork for their political decisions for decades by working among the masses...

But at least the battle lines have been drawn. Liberals and Islamists will no longer be bedfellows in those Arab countries that have liberated themselves from tyranny. A political fight that should have taken place a long time ago has finally begun. Hopefully, whichever party emerges triumphant will respect democratic norms and avoid emulating its predecessor's approach to most political opponents. http://www.thenational.ae/arts-culture/books/after-the-arab-spring-emerging-power-structures-will-be-worse

2 cups of organic milk* from cows at the Romney family compound (*not milked by an “illegals,” because Mitt’s running for president)
2 cups of “Bling h2o” water
1 1/2 teaspoons of Korean Oyster Bamboo salt
1 cup of 'old fashioned' Bain Capital-owned grits brand
1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground Madagascar black peppercorns
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter made from milk at the Romney family compound
4 ounces of high grade sharp Wisconsin cheddar from a family friend’s cattle ranch
2 lessons in southern vernacular (optional)

Directions: Cook grits in water and milk mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients until “cheesy.” Serve immediately, unless voters and media seem to cringe every time you say “cheesy grits” and “y’all.”

Yields: Enough for southern GOP voters who aren’t offended by the former governor’s lazy pandering, or put off by the amount of money the campaign spent, to stomach casting a primary ballot for Romney http://loop21.com/mitt-romney-cheesy-grits-recipe

A congressional candidate running as a Republican in the upcoming Illinois primary says the 'Holocaust never happened.'

Arthur Jones, 64, who organizes neo-Nazi events around Adolf Hitler’s birthday, hopes to be the Republican candidate chosen to run against
Rep. Dan Lipinski in Illinois’ 3rd Congressional District.

‘As far as I’m concerned, the Holocaust is nothing more than an international extortion racket by the Jews,’ Jones said...

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2108386/Blackest-lie-history-congressional-candidate-describes-Holocaust.html#ixzz1nrYL1mrj