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, October 18, 2017

Globalist Counterpunch: Going for the Media Knockout

Click here to access article by Phil Butler from New Eastern Outlook. (Butler, who is an American currently living in Germany, lays claims in this article to an extensive background in public relations. Click on the "about" link at this website if you wish to learn of of his background.)
The UK government is all set to sledgehammer free speech in unison with the US deep state. News from The Guardian foretells of social media platforms being labeled “publishers” rather than information platforms, a move that will end the spread of free ideas to UK citizens. But the movement warns of international implications given recent events in the US aimed at Russia. The true message from Russia and beyond won out in recent media skirmishes, but as a byproduct we may soon witness the end of rights we took for granted for too long.

According to a story entitled “UK government considers classifying Google and Facebook as publishers,” Karen Bradley, the UK Culture Secretary, told MPs at a meeting of the digital, culture, media, and sport committee that the government is considering changing the legal status of Google, Facebook, and other Internet companies over “growing concerns about copyright infringement and the spread of extremist material online.”
Meanwhile back at the (US) ranch we learn from Bloomberg News that Facebook will be working closer to the US spy agencies to counter "fake news" and Russian interference in our elections, that is, to censor and shape news to conform to policies of the capitalist Deep State.