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

Friday, February 25, 2022

Posts that I especially recommend for Friday, February 25, 2022

  • The Pandemic's Global Impact featuring an interview (59:03) with Michel Chossudovsky, founder and editor of Global Research, conducted by Bonnie Faulkner from her weblog Guns and Butter.
Michel Chossudovsky describes sweeping restrictive measures applied in Quebec, including a generalized curfew; issue of fundamental human rights; destabilization of civil society and economic activity leading in some cases to famine; two different testing procedures for identifying viruses are discussed; CDC and WHO no longer endorse the PCR test; difference between a genetic sequence and a virus; Canadian government funding of massive testing is creating a fiscal crisis; heavy indebtedness due to March 2020 lockdowns; Gates and Soros have patents on tests according to Forbes; complex overlapping alliances of sectors of Russia and China with the WEF; banking industry in China opened to the west via its entry into the WTO; head of China’s CDC, George Fu Gao, part of Event 201 simulation; nature of capitalism in China; composition of the Chinese Communist Party; 1960s Chinese Cultural Revolution; social structure in China based on Confucianism.
  • Movement for a People’s Party Founder Addresses Harassment Allegations featuring Nick Brana, a founder of the People's Party, interviewed by Jimmy Dore, reporting on his experience since he founded the political party--from Dore's channel on YouTube (25:12). My reaction: Brana's experience is very typical of why the ruling capitalist class will not tolerate a third party in our "democracy". I know this from personal experience when I was active with the Peace and Freedom Party in California in the 1980s.
  • This Is A Deeply Ominous Sign featuring Russell Brand, a British comedian turned serious activist critic, commenting on the Emergency Act and Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister of Canada--from Brand's channel on YouTube (19:39). My reaction: You may also be interested in Jimmy Dore's take on this subject.
  • Understanding Ukrainian Nazism by Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and geopolitical consultant--from BRICS. 
  • Twelve Thoughts On Ukraine by Australian Caitlin Johnstone with her American husband, Tim Foley, also reading the script (07:52), but you may miss supporting examples, illustrations, etc.)--from her weblog. 
  • 💥NATO Too Weak to Face Russia: Scott Ritter on Russian Offensive featuring an interview (38:35) with Scott Ritter (you will need to scroll down to the bio) conducted by Richard Medhurst from TheAltWorld. This is a best post. My reaction: The Russians are under threat from NATO, the army of the de-facto US/British/Zionist Empire, because of the latter's aggressive encroachment on Russia, have taken action to protect themselves after diplomatic efforts. The Empire's propaganda is going to smear Russian actions as a threat to all of Europe to encourage Europeans to take their propaganda seriously, deny them cheap Russian gas via Nord Stream 2, and prevent the economic integration of Europe and Russia. If the American people believe the propaganda that the media corporations are spreading regarding the Russian actions against Ukraine, after they have been lied to with their propaganda regarding the "pandemic", it will only demonstrate the power of propaganda and indoctrination that has gone on for many decades. However, Europeans are not so gullible when it affects their pocketbooks. Hopefully, the Ukrainians, together with their Nazis, will wake up to the fact that they have been used by the Empire against Russia instead of believing the propaganda spewed by European capitalist media corporations.
This puts the life of the entire Western world at risk for no reason except the hubristic claim that the West is exceptional and entileded [sic--entitled] to hegemomy over the world.
  • Rumble Live Transcript: The War in Ukraine by Glenn Greenwald from his weblog on Substack. (Note: This post, which includes a recording of his commentary (1:29:44) and transcript, is more for gullible people who listen to media corporations and tend to take seriously ruling class propaganda. If this description does not fit you, you can skip the lengthy post. Instead, if this is partially true, watch the next post.)
  • Fear of US abandonment haunts DPP authority: Global Times editorial, an editorial from Global Times, a major Chinese publication which reputedly reflects the views of the Chinese Communist Party. My reaction: Apparently the Chinese government (therefore the Chinese Communist Party) hopes that the Taiwanese will think about what has happened in Ukraine will happen to them if they consume too much of the capitalist Empire's propaganda.
“The U.S. military is the largest institutional polluter in the world. There is no corporation or industry that compares to the damage and devastation done by the U.S. war machine,” Abby Martin told Watchdog host Lowkey today.

Abby Martin is a California-based artist, journalist and filmmaker who is host of The Empire Files, a series that analyzes the world through the framing of the United States as a global empire. Her upcoming movie, “Earth’s Greatest Enemy,” exposes how the U.S. military and America’s endless wars are a key driver in catastrophic climate change.
  • IAEA to Check the Release of Fukushima Water into Ocean by Vladimir Danilov from New Eastern Outlook. My reaction: Danilov waits till the last paragraph to reveal that the IAEA only promotes the safety of the Japanese NPP (Nuclear Power Plant), and thus is not a legitimate agency to investigate the dangers of NPPs to human health. Because this agency is "autonomous" (private) and promotes the safety of nuclear power plants, I suspect that the IAEA is significantly funded by "voluntary contributions" which leaves the door open for funding by construction corporations like Westinghouse corporation. 
Nuclear power: As a result of its participation in the US government's military program for nuclear energy applications (e.g. The Nuclear Navy) Westinghouse was instrumental in the development and commercialization of nuclear energy systems for electric power generation. This business currently operates as the Westinghouse Electric Company, and is owned by Brookfield Business Partners of Canada. Electricite de France (EDF) a major global player in the nuclear power business, was a long-time licensee of the Westinghouse nuclear technology.
 
Danilov's argument is perfectly valid. Wikipedia (under "Secretariat") even mentions this fact:
The IAEA budget is in two parts. The regular budget funds most activities of the IAEA and is assessed to each member nation (€344 million in 2014).[31] The Technical Cooperation Fund is funded by voluntary contributions with a general target in the US$90 million range.[31] [my insertion] 
 
The €344 million mentioned in the quote could be a result of pressure from the IMF and World Bank on individual nations to accept loans from the latter agencies. Both are organized and funded by the de-facto capitalist US/British/Zionist Empire.
  • Should climate campaigns be radical or moderate? featuring "Rupert Read and Roger Hallam discuss[ing] the virtues and vices of moderate and radical flanks in the climate movement."--from Read's channel on YouTube (25:00). My reaction: Having watched only 20 minutes of the video, I think it is fair to say that Read advocates a moderate position and Hallam represents a radical position. I think that Hallam is "right-on" in advocating a radical position because he is appropriately framing the climate crisis as threatening the Earth with the extinction of humans (and most other species). It is clear, though, that Extinction Rebellion, as an organization, has both a moderate and a radical wing.
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