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

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Julian Assange on TPP: Deal Isn’t About Trade, It’s About Corporate Control

Click here if you wish to access a short article which introduces this Democracy Now! video interview with Assange posted by Don Quijones from his website Raging Bull-Shit.



This major trade deal has been shrouded in secrecy likely because of the bad reputation that NAFTA has and all the outsourcing of American jobs that have occurred since. This time our ruling class heavily ensconced in financial and industrial corporations were not taking any chances with an aroused public.

While viewing Obama's recent, well contrived, and masterful performance in Portland, Oregon following his visit at Nike headquarters located nearby, I was very impressed with the genius of our ruling masters. They knew what they were doing when they sponsored and trained Obama to be president. Now their smooth-talking president with an African-American appearance is using his excellent salesmanship skills to finally push the TTP trade bill through Congress, a bill which benefits corporate America and will be used as another weapon against China.

For some more realty-based reports on the background of this great effort by our ruling masters to pass this bill, I recommend that you read two articles from The Guardian: "Here’s how much corporations paid US senators to fast-track the TPP bill" and "The Trans-Pacific Partnership suggests Obama has no sense of irony" (about the secrecy issue).

(As I understand it, the Senate finally passed "fast track" authority on May 22nd, and now it will go to the House of Representatives.)