in the time remaining, to help us understand how the man-made system of capitalism will lead to the extinction of our human species, and so many others.
We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Peculiar Posner
This outstanding investigative journalist stumbles across a letter written by "Gerald Posner" to the NY Times purporting to represent President Karzai's brother who has been widely reported in US media of involvement with the opium trade. Baker then goes on to make all kinds of other interesting connections with this guy that illustrates how the CIA makes use of unscrupulous writers and journalists.