Surviving Capitalism (Not) : America’s Black-Ops Blackout: Unraveling the Secrets of the Military’s Secret Military

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

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

America’s Black-Ops Blackout: Unraveling the Secrets of the Military’s Secret Military

Click here to access article by Nick Turse from TomDispatch. (Note: if you wish to access the article directly, you might want to skip Engelhardt's introduction by scrolling down to the article.)

In this report you will learn about the wide-ranging activities of the Special Operation Command (SoCom). Two items are especially disturbing. They are engaged in propaganda activities abroad by setting up websites which, to me, suggests that they are likely doing the same here. The other is Turse's report on SoCom's efforts at embedding itself in a number of civilian institutions in our own society. Yes, folks, this report once again adds to the overwhelming evidence that the upgraded version of 21st century fascism is tightening its grip on the US while it tries to extend its influence over the entire world.

Today, Special Operations Command finds itself at a crossroads. It is attempting to influence populations overseas, while at home trying to keep Americans in the dark about its activities; expanding its reach, impact, and influence, while working to remain deep in the shadows; conducting operations all over the globe, while professing only to be operating in “a number of locations”; claiming worldwide deployments have markedly dropped in the last year, when evidence suggests otherwise.