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, May 12, 2021

Posts that I especially recommend for Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Dissident [independent] journalists are a problem not only because they have broken free of the controls of  counterparts. Worse, dissident journalists are also educating readers so that they are better equipped to understand what corporate journalism is: that it is ideological prostitution. It is reporting and commentary for hire, by an establishment class. [my insertion]
This post is from an old-fashioned conservative website and looks at the China vs USA competition as a contest between capitalist economies. Worst of all, while imposing punitive sanctions on the rest of the world, USA is losing in the race to develop better products than the China. The sub-headline says it all: "America Makes Aircraft Carriers, China Makes Money". While China seeks to become the dominant economy, USA seeks to threaten the world with its specialization in producing more devastating weapons. 
 
I wish that China develops only products that people all over the world need, not what capitalist corporations seduce people into believing what they need in order to obtain greater profits. The Chinese Communist Party sees that the USA and its Empire is hell-bent on ruling the world for the benefit of corporations, so they must pursue the path that they are on. But can they while pursuing their path avoid creating a capitalist class that takes over control of China and replace the Communist Party? That is the question that vexes me. (Commentary was edited to replace an error in the first paragraph at 6:42 PM CT.)
  • History: Napoleon Between War and Revolution by historian and political scientist Dr. Jacques Pauwels from Global Research. My reaction: This is history written by an accurate historian and not by revisionist historians (def.) who have re-written history to conform with capitalist ideology and the USA representing "good guys".
  • New Report: Cable News Almost Never Covers Climate Change features Lee Camp satirically commenting on the climate crisis reported by media corporations in this 18:16m podcast. My satirical reaction: We wouldn't want to discourage people from shopping for products they don't absolutely need--it might lessen the profits of billionaires!
  • Science Update: Methane Blows features Prof. (retired) Guy McPherson, an independent scientist who has focused on the climate crisis, from his YouTube channel (5:56m),