Click here to access article by Brian Becker from The 4th Media.
This is an excellent report on the current provocations against North Korea promulgated by US authorities. By comparing this report with the typical coverage in US mainstream media (see this, this, and this) regarding the military crisis, you will find that the latter coverage provides a perfect illustration of US corporate media as an indoctrination instrument of the Pentagon and the ruling class.
In mainstream coverage, especially on TV, they rarely go beyond such typical statements as the following:
- North Korea is entering a "state of war" with South Korea, its state-run news service reports, further escalating the rhetoric against its southern neighbor and the United States.
- "I think the real concern is not so much that they're going to aim a missile at Waikiki in Hawaii, but rather there is going to be some miscalculation on the Korean peninsula or just off shore from the Korean peninsula," said [Christopher Hill, a former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea].
- North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un's latest threat to "settle accounts with the U.S." -- while displaying a "strike plan" that shows missiles tracking toward American cities -- was widely seen as another example of the young leader's erratic bluster.
Click here to access article by Craig McKee from Truth and Shadows.
[9/11] is not only an event that continues to have terrible repercussions for the world (horrific wars, ridiculous arms spending, and the accelerating destruction of privacy and personal freedoms), but it is not an event that “changed the world forever” as we’ve been told so often. It just continued a longstanding process of global elites controlling the masses through intimidation and deception.
In this piece the author introduces a series of forthcoming articles by Canadian journalist, author, documentary producer, and media critic Barry Zwicker on the 9/11 event.
In the next few days, he will begin a series of articles on false flag operations, and he’ll be doing it right here on this site. The series will not only help us to understand and recognize false flags, past and future, but it will specifically use 9/11 to illustrate just how the phenomenon works and how devastating the consequences can be.
Click here to access article by Tamara van der Putten from Reflections on a Revolution.
The article provides a preview of a film documentary in process that gives us a view of current living conditions in Greece. We see in crisis-ridden Greece the same phenomenon we always see when the capitalist system breaks down and causes the disintegration of entire societies: the rise of fascist parties espousing racist, xenophobic ideas to distract attention away from the real sources of the crisis. However, as this preview shows, the people are engaged in self-organizing projects to insure their survival and to counter ruling class propaganda, the hooliganism of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party, and the austerity policies of Europe's financial elites.
Portraits of Greece in Crisis is a series of independent and self-funded mini-documentaries about the Greek crisis. An ongoing project that was created in order to fulfill the need for an alternative crisis narrative, against an unprecedented big media propaganda.
Portraits of people through the daily routine of which the Greek
crisis is being described, portraits of institutions that are collapsing
and of conceptions that are being distorted during a crisis that is
economic, political, cultural, moral and social.
Click here to access article by Lisa Roth from New Compass (Norway).
This is report of a visit to a little Spanish town that insists on another way of living illustrates that you cannot kill good ideas, that oppressive class rule cannot destroy the yearning for a life based on cooperative self-organizing and full participation of people to govern their own lives.
I am referring to ideas for a better way to live that bloomed during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, only to be crushed by fascist forces of Nazi Germany and Italy while western capitalist countries stood idly pretending to be "neutral". In reality the latter welcomed the destruction of an example of a better way of living because, if it spread, it threatened their class based system of capitalism. After the civil war this spirit survived 36 years under the oppressive dictatorship of Franco.
It is a spirit lying deep in the soul of human beings, a spirit that has enabled humanity to survive through 98% of our 150,000 plus years of existence.
“We don’t have a police force – this makes us save a lot of money in benefit of the population. Everyone plays a part in the decision-making, and direct democracy exists in everyday life. We are self-sufficient and do not lack food even in times of crisis. We have a system of ‘cooperativism’ which include ten cooperatives. How many workers we have depend on the season of the vegetable. We also have a factory where we produce olive oil. It is not so profitable for us, but it is profitable for the Marinaleda community. What we gain, we invest in our town."
Click here to access article by Dominic Alexander from CounterFire (Britain).
The author's review of this book suggests that it sheds much light on the complex workings of giant energy corporations in controlling the political processes of nation states to secure the interests of the One Percent--power and wealth--at the expense of local populations.
Observations threaded through the narrative of this book show the primary importance of political and economic power relations in constructing the precise ways in which the oil industry contrives to make such a valuable, basic commodity into a source of violence, local environmental and social destruction, and, of course, war.
Click here to access article by Gary Corseri from Uncommon Thought Journal.
American writer Corseri gives us some history lessons about how one branch of our government has well served the interests of the One Percent ruling class. You won't get this material in the schools controlled by this class, so it is a must read if you want to free yourself from class based indoctrination.
However, I must take issue with his headline which suggests that the US Constitution was essentially defiled. Here I am addressing the original constitution as proposed by the propertied elite after their successful conclusion of the War of Independence from Britain. The ten amendments were added to the property focused document as icing to their cake because of the widespread opposition voiced by ordinary people throughout the 13 states. Yes, a "spoonful of sugar [does help] the medicine go down". The amendments served as an inducement to quell this opposition so that the elite could get on with plundering their new continent.
And, plunder and exploit they did, both the natural riches of the land and the energy and creativity of its inhabitants--except, of course, the original inhabitants, the Native Americans who were shunted off onto worthless lands. The story of plundering and exploiting has been the sordid history of these United States during which time the elite's Supreme Court ignored or interpreted the 10 amendments to suit their purposes.
Click here to access article by Norman Solomon from Global Research.
Huge corporations are now running roughshod over the Internet. At the illusion-shattering core of Digital Disconnect are a pair of chapters on what corporate power has already done to the Internet — the relentless commercialism that stalks every human online, gathering massive amounts of information to target people with ads; the decimation of privacy; the data mining and surveillance; the direct cooperation of Internet service providers, search engine companies, telecomm firms and other money-driven behemoths with the U.S. military and “national security” state; the ruthless insatiable drive, led by Apple, Google, Microsoft and other digital giants, to maximize profits.
People so often forget, or never understood, that a social system consists of many subsystems all of which must be mostly compatible with the major organizing system of a society. In our contemporary societies this organizing system is capitalism. It was established by a certain class of people who became known as capitalists for their benefit. Hence, it is not surprising that the world wide web has gradually developed into mainly a vehicle for the private accumulation of wealth. Still it provides a very useful vehicle for social change; and to the extent it does so, we will see increasing attacks made against the dissemination of information that even questions the major organizing system.
Click here to access article by Efor from Eagainst (Greece).
There is much food for thought here. Consumerism drives the profit machinery of capitalism, but it also impacts our minds.
Mass societies produce individuals who instead of undertaking political responsibilities and initiatives, become addicted to following and voting for the political choices someone else has prepared for them, exactly as they don’t get to decide what kind of goods they want to produce, how to produce them or in which way they want to distribute them.
Click here to access article by Ibrahim al-Amin editor of Al Akhbar.
This writer exposes the results of Empire strategy of using Arabs against Arabs.
Suddenly, the Arabs have all been exposed. There are no major countries left in the Arab world.
Click here to access article by Andrew Gavin Marshall from his website.
If you want to know the details of one section of the US economy that is booming, you need to read this report. All empires require the use of force to rule, and with 30 percent of the global market, the US governing class together with other governing sections of the Empire are determined to maintain their hegemony over most of the world.
...geographical trivialities have never been a concern to imperialists who believe that the world belongs to them and it was a mere accident of history that all the resources exist outside of the empire’s home country. Therefore, with such a rationalization, the United States – and the West more broadly – have a “right” to “defend” themselves (and their economic and political interests) everywhere in the world, and against everyone in the world. Any other nation which poses a challenge to Western domination of the world and its resources is thus a “threat” to whichever region it belongs, as well as to U.S. “national security.”
While there is much discussion of restricting the sale of arms within the US mostly by liberal-left activist groups who have essentially made the practice of non-violence into a religion, there seems to be
no debate about the lucrative business of supplying the worst
dictatorships, terrorist groups, and drug dealers throughout the world with weapons.
See also this article entitled "Mexico: study says arms smuggling keeps US dealers in business".
Click here to access article by Tony Cartalucci from Land Destroyer Report.
The author refers to a recent report from the NY Times which confirms earlier reports from a variety of sources that the Empire is sponsoring terrorist groups in Syria. This is a deliberate strategy that Empire agents have used in the past to destabilize countries. It's called the Salvador Option. Although tried out earlier in the Vietnam War, it was perfected in El Salvador to create chaos so that the people could not effectively fight against Empire-backed forces.
If you need further information on this diabolical strategy, I suggest reading this, this, this, and this.
Click here to access article by Phil Rockstroh from Intrepid Report.
This poet and philosopher always has me running to my (online) dictionary whenever I read his articles. But, I'm always rewarded with special insights so creatively expressed. In this piece he expounds on some insights he has had following the recent birth of his son.
As of late, my darkest thoughts and angst-engendered imaginings have involved the following: The ecological debasement of the earth, the ongoing degradation of daily life within U.S. society, and the attenuated destiny of the individual under the yoke of late stage, global capitalism. My ruminations have been, in large measure, engendered and inflamed by the following: On Tuesday, Feb. 26, of this year, a son was born to my wife, Angela and myself.
The main insight I take away from this is that, in order to save ourselves, we must dig down deep within our souls by paying attention to the "sounds" that our souls make regarding our present ominous circumstances. By turning away from the many distractions that capitalist sources supply us with, and learning to listen to these messages from within, we can find our way out of this dangerous mess.
Deep down, your life’s calling is encoded within you. Throughout your lifetime, it will arise as inchoate yearnings, reveal itself as implausible daydreams, or as dream-borne symbols that seem, in regard to your daytime exigencies, abstruse or useless. You may know it as a hollow ache in your chest. Or a nettling voice, in the recesses of your awareness, that asks, “how did it come to this?”
Click here to access article by Nozomi Hayase from culture unplugged.
Hayase re-posted this classic video clip and her commentary on its significance.
In the past people laughed at, and were entertained by, Carlin's scathing attack on the fantasies surrounding the propaganda theme known as "the American dream". Now they are no longer laughing. They are waking up in increasing numbers to realize that Carlin wasn't joking!
Click here to access article by Pablo Solón from Climate Space.
...we need to come out of the endless growth paradigm that is the basis of the capitalist system, and seek for a new kind of society that is grounded on care for each other and nature. A society that seeks happiness for all and not profit for a few. A society based on a different concept of prosperity and well-being. A bio-society for life that includes humans and nature.
What worries me the most is that too many of us will passively accept the lies of people addicted to a system of endless growth, and will not fight for humanity's survival.
We are in a fight that we cannot lose. It is the fight for the survival of all humanity. In this long struggle for our future, we can and should fight for concrete goals that can invigorate our movement. Closing a coal mine, stopping a pipeline and a fracking project, banning GMOs, taxing carbon and over consumption, killing a free trade agreement[2], dismantling a military base, confronting corporate impunity, preserving indigenous territories, sinking carbon markets, stopping the privatization of water, ending land grabbing, occupying financial speculative markets and numerous other targets are all milestones in this crucial fight.
Click here to access article by James Petras from his website.
This retired sociology professor provides a grand overview of US administration policies from Clinton until today as a basis for predicting what is likely to happen in the near future.
In contrast to other geo-political analysts such as Noam Chomsky who see a convergence of interests between more traditional US imperialists and American-Israeli Zionists, he argues that US foreign policy is driven mainly by Zionists ensconced in key government and media positions, a political force he often refers to as a Zionist "fifth column".
No US leader, past or present (or any other imperial ruler), has so faithfully echoed and embellished the lies of such a bloody colonial power and its US-based Fifth Column with greater fervor than Obama’s degrading effort to satisfy his Zionist handlers in Washington. His performance far exceeded their highest expectations of US servility. In style and substance he fulfilled and over-fulfilled their demands for unconditional US subordination to the Jewish state. In fact, one might suspect that in doing so he set a new standard for the boot-licking belly crawl so familiar to observers of US Congressional servants to Israel. Needless to say, the entire Zionist propaganda apparatus from neo-cons to liberals were ecstatic. Here was a Shabbat goy out-Zionizing the most fanatical Zionist.
I'm sure Obama's handlers directed him to perform his recent (and past) "bootlicking" exercise in his visit to the Empire's powerful outpost in the Middle East, Fort Israel, but one can hardly argue that there is total US conformance to Israeli goals when the latter have failed for a number of years to get US to attack Iran. And, they have not initiated their own attack obviously because they could not count on US support. The truth lies somewhere in the middle between the views of Chomsky and Petras, but I would not be surprised if reality was not closer to Petras' view.
Click here to access article by Andrew Gavin Marshall from his website.
This Montreal based activist-writer has chosen to serve us with his intellectual gifts instead of a much more secure and lucrative career in academia which mostly serves the One Percent. We simply must support him, and others like him!
Click here to access article from Land Destroyer.
The article essentially describes another example of unintended consequences of imperial actions. The US imperial masters after the successful and criminal invasion of Iraq set up what they thought would be a compliant puppet government overwhelming dominated by Shiites. It appears that this was done in part out of retaliation against the Sunni-based Bath party that previously led Iraq, but mostly as a divide and rule strategy to promote inter-sect antagonisms. (Giving the Iraqi Kurdistan province nearly complete autonomy was a part of this strategy.) Imperial masters seemed to have overlooked the fact that Shiites are dominant in other Empire adversaries in the Middle East: Iran and Syria. Now it appears that Iraqi Shiites have been assisting their fellow Shiites in Syria, and the imperial masters are hypocritically crying "foul".
Click here to access article by Rachel Smolker from Huffington Post.
The capitalist system requires the use of fossil fuels to run its engines of never-ending growth. Their ruling class can no longer deny the fact of rapid global warming stemming from the use of fossil fuels. So what do they do? They will not be deterred from operating the system which gives them so much power and wealth, so they are now promising a geo-engineering fix.
Carbon dioxide air capture and biochar, despite their potentially massive impacts in terms of energy, water and land requirements, are among the geoengineering proposals that are considered more benign. They are being promoted in part to soften up public opinion for other more intuitively objectionable forms of geo-engineering, such as spraying vast amounts of sulphur particles into the stratosphere or manipulating clouds over large areas.
Those approaches would indeed be guaranteed to produce rapid effects. Among them: immediate crop-failures, acid rain and ozone destruction. In sum, geoengineering options amount to "picking your poison."
Click here to access article by Éric Toussaint from the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt.
Letting bankers police themselves in order to prevent economic crises is very much like letting foxes guard the hen-house. This is essentially the conclusion reached by this author as spelled out in his final paragraph after a piercing analysis of the various anemic proposals put forth by agents of the gargantuan banking institutions who now rule the world. His final sentence contains a heretical, but obvious recommendation:
Since banks use our money, enjoy state guarantees, and must provide the fundamental services society needs they must be socialised and placed under citizen’s control.
Click here to access article from OilPrice.
The article provides a rather convincing behind-the-scenes analysis of the forces at play in the banking crisis in Cyprus.
Oil and gas, that’s all it’s ever been about …
There was a lot going on this week, but it’s all being overshadowed
by the fascinating geopolitical game over Cyprus. This is a stage on
which a country’s pending financial collapse hinges explicitly on its
hydrocarbons potential, and whoever turns up with aid will win access to
exploration blocks.
Click here to access article by Christof Lehmann from nsnbc.
The author provides more sources of evidence for widespread allegations...
...that organized recruiting is taking place, targeting especially the
socio-economically under privileged youth and unemployed in the Maghreb,
but also in Asia.
And, who do you imagine are hiring the recruiters?
