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
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Western Propaganda an Encouraging Sign for Russia in Syria
Very recently I've noticed a number of such reports in Western media and in the media of countries in the Middle East allied with the US Empire. I think that Cartalucci correctly identifies this phenomenon as a propaganda campaign. Which begs some questions in my mind: how is such a campaign decided, and by whom? On the other hand, it could have been merely started by various media imitating others, especially major Western media. But I wonder. I think that the process likely included both factors: a decision made by Empire directors, relayed to their major media, and then imitated by many foreign media companies which generally serve the Empire.
However, I am puzzled by one statement that Cartalucci makes: "Attempts to broker a 'ceasefire' and thus save the remnants of NATO's proxy forces has also failed." This essay must have been written before the recent UN Resolution 2254 which endorses the Vienna peace process and specifically calls for a "nationwide ceasefire to begin as soon as the parties concerned had taken initial steps towards a political transition." Many of its other provisions are vague, but the ceasefire which doesn't include terrorist armies is very problematic. (see also this and this.)
This is a major change and the outcome has aroused all kinds of speculation--see particularly F. William Engdahl's concerns as I point out in my nest post.