A Future Beyond Capitalism, Or No Future At All

Click here to access article by Jason Hickel and Martin Kirk from Fast Company. 

In February, college sophomore Trevor Hill stood up during a televised town hall meeting in New York and posed a simple question to Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democrats in the House of Representatives. He cited a study by Harvard University showing that 51% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 no longer support the system of capitalism....

And later:

It’s not only young voters who feel this way. A YouGov poll in 2015 found that 64% of Britons believe that capitalism is unfair, that it makes inequality worse. Even in the U.S., it’s as high as 55%. In Germany, a solid 77% are skeptical of capitalism. Meanwhile, a full three-quarters of people in major capitalist economies believe that big businesses are basically corrupt.

Why do people feel this way?

Mid-2017 US status: Trump joins War Criminals invading Syria, threatening Iran, pushing WW3.

Click here to access article with several videos posted by Carl Herman on Washington's Blog. (I thank Christopher in northwest Oregon for alerting me to this post.) (Also I added commentary at 10:20 PM Seattle time.)

Like many posts on this blog, one is overwhelmed with links to supporting documents. I have posted a lot of the material before, but I found some new solid information from different sources to reveal the endless lies told to us by our government leaders and pundits and newscasters employed by the ruling class's media corporations. 

Having stated that, I do not agree with every opinion expressed in this post. For example, Kevin O'Keefe argues in an otherwise excellent video talk that a military coup should happen. I can overlook that remark because of his military background. He otherwise speaks to the massive deceptions of our masters who really run this country whom he correctly identifies, and the Zionist influence which they have succumbed to simply because they and the Zionists share the same goal of global hegemony. However, the root cause is the system of capitalism which in its advanced stage reveals what this class-based system wants--total domination over the people and the Earth. Only when we end the system will we know peace and harmony with nature.

The world is getting more dangerous by the day, and our masters are facing increasing defeats of their nefarious agendas. They appear to be getting more unstable and may go to drastic measures to insure their dominance. Only an informed people has any hope of stopping them from resorting to extreme measures. If you are already familiar with this material, I suggest you send the post to people who remain dupes of our ruling class and their media.

Remembering the USS Liberty

Click here if you wish to access a 27:37m video from RT. Participants on the show feature Phillip Nelson author of Remember the Liberty, ex-marine and political analyst Ken O'Keefe, and Daniel McAdams of the Ron Paul Institute.

Once again I am presenting information that media corporations will not even touch indirectly. This is one of the most dramatic examples of our ruling class's effort to censor information that directly exposes criminal actions by our government officials in collusion with Zionist leaders in Israel. Even 50 years after the tragic and criminal event, the vast majority of Americans still do not know anything about it. Hopefully with this post a relatively few more Americans will have knowledge of it.

You can learn more about this war crime and treasonous behavior of our leaders in various books: the one I read entitled Assault on the Liberty by James Ennes, Remember the Liberty by Phillip Nelson (who is featured on the show), Operation Cyanide: How the Bombing of the USS Liberty Nearly Caused World War Three by Peter Hounam, and in dvd entitled USS Liberty Dead in the water directed by Christopher Mitchell. I notice that there are videos on YouTube that you can also access such as the BBC production entitled "USS Liberty: Dead In The Water". I have only read Ennes's book about the incident.

Welcome to Hell for Capitalists Who Wreck and Exploit

Click here to access article by Gilbert Mercier from The Greanville Post. 

This was obviously written on the eve of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, but it is still worthy of our understanding of the increasing alienation of populations in the West toward their ruling capitalist class masters.

The zombified world public opinion watches dazed, confused and hypnotized by the merry-go-round of one crisis, real or manufactured, after another. The rule of thumb is now preferably several crises at once. Thus the brainwashing mission is accomplished, as most people lack the time or ability to focus on any specifics. It is about inducing fear, anxiety, paranoia, and hatred in a permanent kaleidoscope to create despair and a collective psychosis. When the global elite create chaos to manipulate people into submission, they should expect a backlash from the streets.

The Kurdish Connection: Israel, ISIS And U.S. Efforts To Destabilize Iran [part 2]

Click here to access article by Sarah Abed from Mint Press News.

Abed continues with part 2 to lay a convincing argument that the US Empire together with its partner Israel are using the Kurds to promote their policies to destabilize and breakup countries in the Middle East which are too independent of the joint interests of both the Empire and Israel. It doesn't matter who occupies the White House or Congress, the agenda of the Deep State (consisting basically of the major "think tanks" like the Council on Foreign Relations) which is the primary controlling organ of the US ruling capitalist and Zionist-infiltrated class, continues.

Washington and Tel Aviv’s geopolitical plans for dominating the Middle East can only be dismantled if the majority of citizens understand the intricate behind-the-scenes mechanisms that are driving their plan. Ultimately, their goal is not only to destabilize Iraq and Syria and divide them into statelets, but also to weaken Iran’s global presence – objectives that are being pursued with the help of the Kurds.

This series of reports by Abed illustrate the necessity for an independent US-based media organization (see my potentially revolutionary proposal--Part 1, Part 2a, Part 2b, Part 3) that is devoted to understanding conflicts that are often manipulated by powerful ruling class for their interests of profit and power and not the interests of basically peace loving humans.  As I stated in Part 2a:

Although there are more and more independent voices going online to tell us what is really happening in our dangerous world, they all with few exceptions are trying to do this with very limited budgets and unpaid volunteers. Given the dangerous times we live in, I think that it is urgent that we promote collaboration, cooperation, and a sharing of resources in order to establish a much more powerful and more effective American independent news service.

Democratic Party's role in health care

by Jimmy Dore of the Jimmy Dore Show. (Note: I've taken the liberty to change the title of this video clip to a more appropriate title--my apologies to Dore.) 

After enjoying this show which exposes the Democratic Party as another instrument of the ruling capitalist class, I'd like to focus your attention on the last statement Jimmy Dore said in this clip: "... that's why we need a revolution in this country, and I'm not kidding." Well, that's not the only reason, but it is a sufficient reason.

The Fatal Flaw in Washington’s New Energy Strategy

Click here to access article by F. William Engdahl from New Eastern Outlook. 

From the land of 10,000 lakes Minnesota to Germany where Engdahl has now settled--likely because his home country won't tolerate his criticisms--this geopolitical expert examines the US ruling capitalist class's current attempts to damage their traditional nemesis, Russia, one powerful country that stands in their way of global domination by weaning eastern European countries away from Russian energy and preventing another pipeline linking Russia with Europe. 

This energy war, that often materializes into hot destructive wars like Syria and Libya, is only one field of battle that includes other areas such as the rich natural gas resources lying between Qatar and Iran, and in the Caucasus. The race to exploit the last cost-effective sources of energy is the main weapon used by US-based transnational capitalist class against Russia. However these policies also threaten ongoing conflicts throughout the world, wreck havoc on any serious attempts to prevent environmental degradation and climate destabilization, and threaten a nuclear war conflagration. It must be emphasized that these imperialist actions against Russia and Iran are behind the many lies that media corporations contrive to justify such actions or their many attempts to divert your attention to other issues. Engdahl pierces through this veil of lies and directs our attention to the realities of the Empire's actions in the Baltic region.

What is developing are new major EU fault lines around the economic lifeline of energy, explicitly of natural gas energy. On the one side is the axis between especially Germany but also Austria, France and other EU states currently tied to major Russian gas supplies. Now emerges clearly the opposed axis of Poland allied with Washington. How this plays out in the next months and years will have major implications for war and peace not only in Europe.

Ten “Lies that Capitalists Tell Us”

Click here to access article by William Hawes and Jason Holland from Global Research.

While idiotic supporters of our two-party system wring their hands over the sensationalist nonsense reported by the mainstream media, we thought it might be worth touching on the most dangerous lie of all-time: capitalism. It’s an all-encompassing delusion, including: the myth of continual technological progress, the mendacious assumptions of endless economic growth, the lie that constant bombardments of media and consumer goods make us happy,  and the omissions of our involvement in the exploitation of the planet and the resources of distant, poorer nations, among other things.

We’ve taken the time to hash out some of the most pernicious mendacities we’ve come across in our (relatively) young lives, in the workplace, in our private lives, and in the media.

These are only the top ten of the most frequent lies they tell us. Capitalists, like all good sociopaths, have a tendency to lie about everything. The main problem is that most people believe their lies, at least, up until now. Now I'm not sure how many of these lies are believed. It may be that people are induced to be so afraid of everything that they don't have time, or forget, to disbelieve their lies.

Everything you need to know about net neutrality

Click here to access article by the staff at the Nation of Change. 

Cable companies want to get rid of net neutrality. Without it, sites like ours could be censored, slowed down, or forced to pay extra fees. We can stop them and keep the internet open, fast, and awesome if we all contact Congress and the FCC, but we only have a few days left.

I strongly suggest that if you want your representatives in Congress to take your contact seriously, you should pledge at least a contribution of $10,000 to them. Still if their offices are overwhelmed with messages opposing any threats to net neutrality, they might think twice about making any changes.

The West Is on Fire As Heat Records Fall

Click here to access article by Andrea Thompson from Climate Central.

From Phoenix to Boise, high temperature records fell like dominoes over the weekend as an impressive heat wave engulfed the western U.S., helping to fuel several wildfires.

While heat waves are a regular part of summer weather, the steady warming of the planet means those heat waves are getting ever hotter, making record heat more and more likely.

And with heat comes wildfires.

The heat and accompanying dry conditions can also set the stage for wildfires, as was the case during this heat wave, which saw several wildfires ignited and grow across the region. 

The Larsen C Iceberg Finally Broke Away. Now There’s a Trillion-Ton Iceberg Adrift

Click here to access article by Brian Kahn from Climate Central. 

The inevitable moment of reckoning for the Larsen C ice shelf arrived. The growing rift that carved across one of the Antarctica Peninsula’s largest ice shelves reached its end, sending a 2,240-square mile iceberg spiraling into the sea. Welcome to the world, iceberg A68.

The massive slab of ice, equivalent to the size of Delaware and large enough to cover the U.S. in 4.6 inches of ice, will slowly melt over the coming years as it drifts away from Antarctica.

The health of the remaining ice shelf will serve as a bellwether for how climate change could interact with natural processes to reshape Antarctica’s vast stores of ice. The growing instability of the continent’s ice has major implications for coastal communities around the world as it melts and pushes sea levels higher.

Has the Environmental Movement Failed? A Conversation with Dr. David Suzuki

Click here to access the video interview (with transcript) with Dr. Suzuki from the Real News Network. (Note: I've had to temporarily (I hope) remove the post "Syrians Return Home as the Terrorists are Pushed Out" by Steven MacMillan because it was interfering with this post.)

I lived in the Vancouver, BC area for four years (2002-2006) where I was frequently exposed to Dr. Suzuki's comments on the necessity of changing our lifestyle to prevent the ongoing degradation of the environment. This is the most passionate I have ever seen him address the issue.

I wonder if the characteristic of human nature identified as the "need for immediate gratification" is the fatal flaw that will cause our extinction. Suzuki makes oblique reference to this issue in the interview. I still think if most people understood that capitalism is incompatible with an environment which can sustain human life that they would find a way to end capitalism. Capitalist ruling classes, who are thoroughly addicted to the system, do everything they can to prevent this realization by the vast majority of humans.

The Kurds: Washington’s Weapon Of Mass Destabilization In The Middle East [part 1]

Click here to access article by Sarah Abed from Mint Press News. 

This is the best, well-balanced account of Kurdish issues regarding separatism and independence that I've seen to date.

Kurds throughout the Middle East have vigorously pursued their goals through a multitude of groups. While some Kurds established legitimate political parties and organizations in efforts to promote Kurdish rights and freedom, others have waged armed struggles. Some, like the Turkish PKK, have employed guerrilla tactics and terror attacks that have targeted civilians, including their fellow Kurds.

The wide array of Kurdish political parties and groups reflects the internal divisions among Kurds, which often follow tribal, linguistic and national fault lines, in addition to political disagreements and rivalries. Tensions between the two dominant Iraqi Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) escalated to a civil war that killed more than 2,000 Kurds in the mid-1990s.

Political disunity stretches across borders as well, with Kurdish parties and organizations forming offshoots or forging alliances in neighboring countries. Today, disagreements over prospects for Kurdish autonomy in Syria or Iraqi Kurds’ relations with the Turkish government have fostered tensions that have pitted the Iraqi KDP and its Syrian sister organization, the KDP-S, against the PKK and its Syrian offshoot, the PYD. Still, adversarial Kurdish groups have worked together when it has been expedient. The threat posed by Daesh has led the KDP-affiliated Peshmerga to fight alongside Syrian PYD forces.

US Expands Military Footprint in Syria to EIGHT Bases, ‘Modifies’ Kobani Air Base

Click here to access article by Alison Banville from BSNews (Britain).

The fundamental flaw with US Coalitions is that they do not include the Syrian Arab Army, Russia and their allies who have been systematically fighting ISIS & NATO state extremists, since the start of the externally waged war against Syria. The US coalition is, in reality, an uninvited, hostile force, violating Syria’s territorial integrity, operating under the false pretext of combatting ISIS while many reports expose the collusion between US coalition command & forces and ISIS.

What I found particularly interesting was a mention that the Syrian Kurds were divided on the issue of Kurdish independence, but the fact that the US has established bases on their territory is substantial evidence that the leadership of the Syrian Kurds are in favor of separatism and independence from the Syrian government.