from Internationalist Perspective:
On Egypt (3)
On Egypt (2)
On Egypt (1)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Tea Party and civil liberties
by Glenn Greenwald from Salon.
This constitutional lawyer is not as ecstatic over yesterday's vote which failed to extend three provisions of the Patriot Act as are many liberals in the US.
This constitutional lawyer is not as ecstatic over yesterday's vote which failed to extend three provisions of the Patriot Act as are many liberals in the US.
I'm ultimately quite pessimistic about its ability to produce any meaningful benefits in the near future. That's because there are far too many impulses among ostensibly "limited government" conservatives which conflict with -- and ultimately negate -- any possibility for meaningful civil liberties defenses.He provides a close examination and analysis of the vote in which liberals and Tea Party Republicans combined to defeat the extensions.
Indigenous Communities Fighting For Land Rights More Than Ever - Governments & Corporations Fighting Back
by Rachel Cernansky from Tree Hugger.
"On one hand the necessity of secure rights is now widely promoted by climate change negotiators and development specialists," said RRI Coordinator Andy White. "Yet on the other, the rate of recognition is not at all keeping up with the rate of large commercial land acquisitions—so called 'land grabbing'."
Droughts, Floods and Food
by Paul Krugman from the NY Times.
This well known economist and liberal columnist for the NY Times sees climate change happening currently in the world, but so far, he is unable to connect these events with the inherent demands of the capitalist system. I gather he believes that if we just buy more energy-saving light bulbs and refrigerators, install more weather stripping, and buy electric cars that everything will be all right.
Well, give him credit--he is about the only one in mainstream media that is making the connection between all the extreme weather events and climate change. On the other hand, he doesn't mention the catastrophic events that are in our future due to climate change.
This well known economist and liberal columnist for the NY Times sees climate change happening currently in the world, but so far, he is unable to connect these events with the inherent demands of the capitalist system. I gather he believes that if we just buy more energy-saving light bulbs and refrigerators, install more weather stripping, and buy electric cars that everything will be all right.
Well, give him credit--he is about the only one in mainstream media that is making the connection between all the extreme weather events and climate change. On the other hand, he doesn't mention the catastrophic events that are in our future due to climate change.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Egyptian revolution establishes a new social contract and values
by Nawal El Saadawi from Bikyamasr. From Wikipedia we learn that "Nawal El Saadawi (born October 27, 1931) is an Egyptian feminist writer, activist, physician and psychiatrist. She has written many books on the subject of women in Islam, paying particular attention to the practice of female genital mutilation in her society. "
She provides a very poignant description of the people power that is behind the uprising in Egypt.
She provides a very poignant description of the people power that is behind the uprising in Egypt.
“We are a popular revolt that establishes a new social contract, not just demands, and our slogan of this revolution is ‘equality of freedom of social justice.’ The people who made this revolution are the ones who should put the rules for the new governance, choose the transitional government, select a National Committee to change the constitution, the committee of wise men of the revolution, so as not to allow opportunists (the owners of wealth and power) to impose on us committees of wise men who did not participate with us in this revolt.”These people are up against the rulers of the Empire, and particularly the Zionists, who will do everything they can to steer the energy and spirit of this revolutionary struggle into phony "democratic" reforms that are acceptable to the Empire because, then, essentially nothing will change.
Washington Faces the Arab Revolts: Sacrificing Dictators to Save the State
by James Petras from Dissident Voice.
To understand the Obama regime’s policy toward Egypt, the Mubarak dictatorship and the popular uprising it is essential to locate it in an historical context. The essential point is that Washington, after several decades of being deeply embedded in the state structures of the Arab dictatorships, from Tunisia through Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian Authority, is attempting to re-orient its policies to incorporate and/or graft liberal-electoral politicians onto the existing power configurations.
'Sheik al-Torture' is now a democrat
by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online.
The author looks at US's transition strategy using the US funded Egyptian military to create the appearance of change.
The author looks at US's transition strategy using the US funded Egyptian military to create the appearance of change.
Washington could live with an Egypt like a new Pakistan; a heady mix of unstable comprador elites, some political Islam (via the Muslim Brotherhood), military intelligence and why not, another military dictator. It's not exactly "democracy".
Yet the notion that protesters from all walks of life, from students to lawyers, not to mention Egyptian human-rights groups, would gladly accept the face-lifted Sheik al-Torture as a dialogue-driven democrat speaks Luxor temples about how Washington really despises nationalist, popular movements.
Egypt: Mubarak's Fate in Military Hands
by Cam Mcgrath from IPS.
This piece provides an in-depth look at the Egyptian military, a key factor in the current revolutionary struggle.
This piece provides an in-depth look at the Egyptian military, a key factor in the current revolutionary struggle.
With nearly half a million men, the military is Egypt’s most powerful institution. But it would be wrong to think of it simply as a massive defense complex. The army is deeply integrated into the national economy and workforce, engaged in civil works, running businesses, and the production of everything from weapons to tea kettles.Read also Pepe Escobar's view of the Egyptian military, from Asia times.
Reaganomics Sucked Wealth up, Did Not Trickle it Down [8:31m video & script]
Paul Jay interviews Michael Hudson for Real News.
I've become so sickened with US mainstream media's portrayal of Ronald Reagan as a kind of superhero among US Presidents. I remember the Reagan administration in connection with the Contra War (US sponsored Honduran mercenaries) against Nicaraguans seeking independence from the Empire in the early 1980s. I visited that country twice during this period and witnessed the destruction these mercenaries inflicted on health clinics, schools, and cooperatives. I also associate his administration with the attacks on US labor unions, on the rise of the neo-cons in the government.
Of course, like all post WWII Presidents, he was largely a figure head, a second rate actor and former GE salesman whom the public found very personable and likable, much like Obama today.
I've become so sickened with US mainstream media's portrayal of Ronald Reagan as a kind of superhero among US Presidents. I remember the Reagan administration in connection with the Contra War (US sponsored Honduran mercenaries) against Nicaraguans seeking independence from the Empire in the early 1980s. I visited that country twice during this period and witnessed the destruction these mercenaries inflicted on health clinics, schools, and cooperatives. I also associate his administration with the attacks on US labor unions, on the rise of the neo-cons in the government.
Of course, like all post WWII Presidents, he was largely a figure head, a second rate actor and former GE salesman whom the public found very personable and likable, much like Obama today.
Monday, February 7, 2011
The Division of Egypt: Threats of US, Israeli, and NATO Military Intervention?
by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research. (I presume this is part 2 following part 1.)
The White House and Tel Aviv do not want a second Iran in the Middle East. They will do whatever they can to prevent the emergence of a strong and independent Egypt.I thoroughly agree with these statements. They, the US and Israel (and NATO?) will do everything they can to prevent a true popular government from taking power in Egypt. The liberal commentators in the US are far too optimistic and celebratory about real progressive changes ahead for Egypt. For example, Tom Engelhardt writes:
A free Egypt could prove to be a much bigger threat than non-Arab Iran within the Arab World to the objectives of the U.S., Israel, and NATO.
...part of the spectacle of the moment lies in watching that other great power of the Cold War era finally head ever so slowly and reluctantly for the exits. You know the one I'm talking about. In 1991, when the Soviet Union disappeared and the United States found itself the last superpower standing, Washington mistook that for a victory most rare. In the years that followed, in a paroxysm of self-satisfaction and amid clouds of self-congratulation, its leaders would attempt nothing less than to establish a global Pax Americana. Their breathtaking ambitions would leave hubris in the shade.
The results, it's now clear, were no less breathtaking, even if disastrously so. Almost 20 years after the lesser superpower of the Cold War left the world stage, the "victor" is now lurching down the declinist slope, this time as the other defeated power of the Cold War era.
US Envoy's Business Link to Egypt
by Robert Fisk from The Independent.
I doubt that very many people in Egypt and the Middle East were shocked by this incident. I suspect that it is mostly Western journalists and progressives who are shocked. The people in the Middle East have witnessed first hand the many contradictions of official US political propaganda and the realities on the ground. It is mostly people in the West who do not experience the brutal consequences of the Empire's policies that have a difficult time reconciling the contradictions.
See, for example, the NY Times spin that American policy is "complicated".
It is only complicated because the contradictions are surfacing in some of the mainstream press and the official political apparatus. The Obama administration, has to work overtime trying to cover with democratic rhetoric the real imperial operations of the Empire. Although the capitalist ruling class will continue to maintain a democratic political facade as long as possible, they are perfectly capable of moving into fascism by putting into full operation the police state apparatus that now exists in the US.
Progressives in the US must grow out of all the indoctrination they have been subject to about the formal political institutions in the US. They must begin to see it as an elaborate facade, much like that of a stage play, designed to distract people from the real events that the ruling class tries to hide from view. Obama, Clinton, and the most of the official political figures are little more than mere actors who are hired by the capitalist ruling class to focus our attention on the stage play and away from real events.
People like Frank Wisner II are often the real political operatives representing the capitalist class, and who really influence events. They mostly function behind the scenes in complete secrecy; but every once in a while, they come into public view as this fellow has, although very briefly, during the Egyptian crisis. His father, Frank Wisner, was a key figure at the beginning of the CIA and headed many of its most nefarious activities.
I doubt that very many people in Egypt and the Middle East were shocked by this incident. I suspect that it is mostly Western journalists and progressives who are shocked. The people in the Middle East have witnessed first hand the many contradictions of official US political propaganda and the realities on the ground. It is mostly people in the West who do not experience the brutal consequences of the Empire's policies that have a difficult time reconciling the contradictions.
See, for example, the NY Times spin that American policy is "complicated".
It is only complicated because the contradictions are surfacing in some of the mainstream press and the official political apparatus. The Obama administration, has to work overtime trying to cover with democratic rhetoric the real imperial operations of the Empire. Although the capitalist ruling class will continue to maintain a democratic political facade as long as possible, they are perfectly capable of moving into fascism by putting into full operation the police state apparatus that now exists in the US.
Progressives in the US must grow out of all the indoctrination they have been subject to about the formal political institutions in the US. They must begin to see it as an elaborate facade, much like that of a stage play, designed to distract people from the real events that the ruling class tries to hide from view. Obama, Clinton, and the most of the official political figures are little more than mere actors who are hired by the capitalist ruling class to focus our attention on the stage play and away from real events.
People like Frank Wisner II are often the real political operatives representing the capitalist class, and who really influence events. They mostly function behind the scenes in complete secrecy; but every once in a while, they come into public view as this fellow has, although very briefly, during the Egyptian crisis. His father, Frank Wisner, was a key figure at the beginning of the CIA and headed many of its most nefarious activities.
American Police State: FBI Abuses Reveals Contempt for Political Rights, Civil Liberties
by Tom Burghardt from Antifascist Calling.
As mass revolt spreads across Egypt and the Middle East and citizens there demand jobs, civil liberties and an end to police state abuses from repressive, U.S.-backed torture regimes, the Obama administration and their congressional allies aim to expand one right here at home.
Why I call myself a socialist
by Wallace Shawn from War in Context. (You may want to skip the introduction and scroll down to the essay entitled, "Are you smarter than Thomas Jefferson?" in which he explains why he is a socialist.)
Wallace Shawn is an Obie Award–winning playwright and noted stage and screen actor. He is co-author of the film My Dinner with AndrĂ© and author of the plays The Fever, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner, and Grasses of a Thousand Colors.
Wallace Shawn is an Obie Award–winning playwright and noted stage and screen actor. He is co-author of the film My Dinner with AndrĂ© and author of the plays The Fever, Aunt Dan and Lemon, The Designated Mourner, and Grasses of a Thousand Colors.
Our capacity to fantasize about other people and to believe our own fantasies makes it possible for us to enjoy this valuable art form, theater. But unfortunately it’s a capacity which has brought incalculable harm and suffering to human beings.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
American Warships Heading to Egypt
from Washington's Blog.
While Obama and Hilliary make noises about democracy and human rights for public consumption, the mailed fist is brought out to deal with the crisis in the Middle East. And you won't see this covered much in mainstream media, and if it is, it will be for humanitarian purposes only! From Wikipedia we learn:
While Obama and Hilliary make noises about democracy and human rights for public consumption, the mailed fist is brought out to deal with the crisis in the Middle East. And you won't see this covered much in mainstream media, and if it is, it will be for humanitarian purposes only! From Wikipedia we learn:
Kearsarge is fully capable of amphibious assault, advance force and special purpose operations, as well as non-combatant evacuation and other humanitarian missions. Since her commissioning, she has performed these missions the world over, including...the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, as a platform for bombing missions against Serb forces in Operation Allied Force....
Revolution: Is 1848 Repeating Itself in the Arab World? PART I
by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research.
This is a very sound history of the dominance of the capitalist class over Western societies. And it very well may be true that "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." So read it so that we don't continue to repeat this awful history.
This is a very sound history of the dominance of the capitalist class over Western societies. And it very well may be true that "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." So read it so that we don't continue to repeat this awful history.
...democracies can be managed and manipulated. Since 1848, the capitalist class has managed to hinder genuine democracy in all its forms, while promoting kleptocracy. Big capital has always managed to carve a place for itself at the helms of the state and has managed to maintain itself through the mercy of liberalism.
Roots of the Egyptian Revolutionary Moment
from The Real News an interview with Mohammed Ezzeldin who is "a graduate of political science from Cairo University, and is doing his Masters' Degree in History at Georgetown University."
This is somewhat dated in the fast moving developments of the Egyptian revolution, but very relevant because the interviewee provides a lot of recent history leading up to this event.
This is somewhat dated in the fast moving developments of the Egyptian revolution, but very relevant because the interviewee provides a lot of recent history leading up to this event.
The death of Israeli [fake] democracy
by Mya Guarnieri from Al Jazeera.
While Egyptians demand real democracy, Israel's right-wing is moving their country in the direction of fascism.
While Egyptians demand real democracy, Israel's right-wing is moving their country in the direction of fascism.
At an October protest against legislation commonly referred to as the loyalty oath - a bill that would require non-Jews seeking Israeli citizenship to pledge allegiance to a "Jewish and democratic" state - Gavriel Solomon, a prominent academic and peace activist, likened Israel to Nazi Germany, circa 1935.
That was the year that the Nuremberg Laws - racist legislation that led to the systematic and deadly persecution of Jews - were created.
"There were no [concentration] camps yet but there were racist laws," he said. "And we are heading towards these kinds of laws."
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Interview with an Egyptian Protester
by anonymous from InfoShop News.
This Egyptian activist provides some excellent information on street level tactics using electronic media as well as the general experience of activists in the current effort to overthrow their government.
This Egyptian activist provides some excellent information on street level tactics using electronic media as well as the general experience of activists in the current effort to overthrow their government.
End Game in Egypt
by Stephen Lendman from OpEd News.
The author surveys the history of old, oppressive regimes being toppled by popular demand, followed by new ones, often with capitalist collusion, only to submit once again to the discipline of the international banks. Hence, he is rather pessimistic about real changes in Egypt and nearby countries.
Only when the scourge of capitalism is removed from the Earth will people really be able to organize their economies to serve their needs. The system not only preys on people, but on the Earth's ecosystem with the same devastating results. Thus, it is no longer only a matter of social justice, it has become a matter of human survival that is now at stake if we allow capitalism to continue. The extreme weather we currently witnessing across the globe are only the early signs of climate change. Let us pray that it is not too late.
The author surveys the history of old, oppressive regimes being toppled by popular demand, followed by new ones, often with capitalist collusion, only to submit once again to the discipline of the international banks. Hence, he is rather pessimistic about real changes in Egypt and nearby countries.
Workers suffer painfully from neoliberal harshness, often hardened by IMF diktats, including mass privatizations, layoffs, wage and benefit cuts, and public debt service over people needs, causing massive impoverishment and human suffering. Replacing one regime with another with this agenda leaves deep-rooted misery unaddressed.I share his fears. The Empire has a tight relationship with Egyptian military leaders, most of whom received a lot training in the US. This is the same model the US has been using throughout Latin America in the last 40 years, and only in the past decade have we seen much more independence in that area. It appears to me that the Egyptian people can succeed only if they win the allegiance of lower ranking officers, or if a Chavez-like general emerges to champion the cause of the people.
Only when the scourge of capitalism is removed from the Earth will people really be able to organize their economies to serve their needs. The system not only preys on people, but on the Earth's ecosystem with the same devastating results. Thus, it is no longer only a matter of social justice, it has become a matter of human survival that is now at stake if we allow capitalism to continue. The extreme weather we currently witnessing across the globe are only the early signs of climate change. Let us pray that it is not too late.
The Egyptian Tinderbox: How Banks and Investors Are Starving the Third World
by Ellen Brown from OpEd News.
The author explains how Goldman-Sachs and other capitalist casino players are getting rich using the new derivative bets while many people starve in the world.
The author explains how Goldman-Sachs and other capitalist casino players are getting rich using the new derivative bets while many people starve in the world.
Underlying the sudden, volatile uprising in Egypt and Tunisia is a growing global crisis sparked by soaring food prices and unemployment. The Associated Press reports that roughly 40 percent of Egyptians struggle along at the World Bank-set poverty level of under $2 per day. Analysts estimate that food price inflation in Egypt is currently at an unsustainable 17 percent yearly. In poorer countries, as much as 60 to 80 percent of people's incomes go for food, compared to just 10 to 20 percent in industrial countries. An increase of a dollar or so in the cost of a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread for Americans can mean starvation for people in Egypt and other poor countries.
Interview with an anarcho-communist activist in Freedom Square in Cairo
by NEFAC International Secretary from Anarkismo.
The anarchist interviewee provides his political perspective and street-level view of the revolutionary events in Egypt.
The anarchist interviewee provides his political perspective and street-level view of the revolutionary events in Egypt.
The most difficult obstacle Egyptian revolutionaries face is the cutting of communications. Western revolutionaries must put pressure on their governments to prevent the Egyptian regime from doing this. That's for now, but no-one can say what will happen in the long term. If the revolution is successful, then Western revolutionaries must build solidarity with their Egyptian comrades against the expected aggression from the USA and Israel. If the revolution is defeated, then it will be a massacre for all Egyptian revolutionaries.
Echoes from Tunisia and Egypt: Revolutions Without Self-Proclaimed Revolutionaries
by Horace Campbell from All Africa.
About Horace Campbell
This scholarly specialist in African affairs examines the current African revolution now in progress and argues that they have some unique 21st century characteristics that have been built upon the legacy of 20th century revolutions.
 |
About Horace Campbell
This scholarly specialist in African affairs examines the current African revolution now in progress and argues that they have some unique 21st century characteristics that have been built upon the legacy of 20th century revolutions.
1) The revolutions are made by ordinary people independent of vanguard parties and self-proclaimed revolutionaries
2) The nature of independent networks of networks and the sophistication of the tools of the revolution
3) The leadership of ordinary people who displayed self-mobilisation for the revolution
4) The building of revolutionary non-violence for self-defence
5) The revolutionary ideas of the people whose ultimate goal is to be dignified human beings and not to be dictators' robots or zealots.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Notice: This week I am taking some time off for relaxation in order to refresh my mental faculties. Hence my posting will be fewer in number, but I will try to post at least one article every day. I should be back tomorrow (Saturday Febr. 5) in full force.
Egypt's Democratic Uprising Exposes the U.S. Corporate Welfare Scheme of Military 'Foreign Aid'
by Ernest A. Canning from The Brad Blog via Amped Status.
William Blum's observations regarding the Egyptian uprising.
Egypt's Democratic Uprising Exposes the U.S. Corporate Welfare Scheme of Military 'Foreign Aid'
by Ernest A. Canning from The Brad Blog via Amped Status.
William Blum's observations regarding the Egyptian uprising.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Revolution in Egypt: The End of the New Pharaohs?
by a dissident exiled in North Africa from Infoshop News.
Unfortunately, the article starts out with a couple of paragraphs repeating themselves; but nevertheless, the article is very thought provoking regarding the meaning of the events in North Africa and nearby areas.
Unfortunately, the article starts out with a couple of paragraphs repeating themselves; but nevertheless, the article is very thought provoking regarding the meaning of the events in North Africa and nearby areas.
No event occurs in a vacuum; events originate in concrete conditions, and consequently they tend to come in waves. The events in Egypt show that the center of revolutionary impetus is no longer “the West”; this new age of revolution will culminate first in areas where the living conditions are becoming unbearable and the ways of life are not yet completely colonized by capital. However, it would be a mistake to see this as merely the conclusion of an unfinished anti-colonial revolt. It is something much bigger and deeper. The financial crisis is a sign that capitalism is on a declining trajectory. The conditions that precipitated the events in Egypt are rapidly becoming universal across the globe, spelling another cycle of revolution and possibly war. Eventually these same forces will hit Saudi Arabia, Europe, China, and finally even the United States with the strength of a tidal wave.
Catastrophic Weather Events Are Becoming the New Normal
by Bill McKibben from AlterNet.
McKibben is a fine environmentalist, but he fails as a political-economic scientist. He never takes issue with the predatory system of capitalism which fosters the exploitation of workers and the environment for the enrichment of a few. This may be a result of his having spent so many years in academia where indoctrination accompanies skill training. Only those who do not ask any serious questions about the system are allowed to pass through.
We use fossil fuel because it's cheap, and it's cheap because Exxon Mobil and Peabody Coal get to use the atmosphere as open sewer to dump their waste for free. And today you can see the results of that particular business model from outer space.Extreme weather is now considered the new normal by ruling class media. They rarely mention it in the same breath with greenhouse gases and catastrophic climate change. So, get use to it people--just suck it up! Nothing must get in the way of the ruling class from feeding its profits addiction.
McKibben is a fine environmentalist, but he fails as a political-economic scientist. He never takes issue with the predatory system of capitalism which fosters the exploitation of workers and the environment for the enrichment of a few. This may be a result of his having spent so many years in academia where indoctrination accompanies skill training. Only those who do not ask any serious questions about the system are allowed to pass through.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
The Arab Nationalist Reawakening in Egypt and Beyond
by Glen Ford from Black Agenda Report.
Americans have for so long pretended that Arab nationalism is dead, their corporate media fail to recognize an Arab nationalist rebellion when it breaks out in front of their noses. Arab nationalism is more dangerous than Islamist politics to U.S. imperial hegemony, because “the path to mass mobilization can be direct and democratic, as evidenced by the spread of the Pan-Arab conflagration from the spark in Tunisia only weeks ago.”
Tunisia's Spark and Egypt's Flame: the Middle East is Rising
by Phyllis Bennis from Foreign Policy in Focus.
As many pundits in mainstream media have correctly stated, the events there pose some very difficult problems for the US Empire. Egypt is a kind of lynch pin for the Empire's control of the Mid-East. Also, it must be noted that Zionists exert considerable influence in the US ruling class. If Egypt were to come under the control of real popular power, it would be very threatening to the Empire. For both of these reasons, I think it is likely that the Empire's agents will do everything they can to prevent any popular regime coming to power in Egypt. Hence, I see some very volatile days ahead for the Egyptian people. Thus, I do not share the optimistic tone with which this writer concludes her essay.
Stirrings of popular dissent are already underway in Yemen and Jordan too. All the other U.S.-backed monarchies and pseudo-democracies across the region are feeling the heat. The U.S. empire in the region is crumbling.This commentator from a liberal think tank provides a useful framework to view the events unfolding in the Middle East, especially in Egypt.
As many pundits in mainstream media have correctly stated, the events there pose some very difficult problems for the US Empire. Egypt is a kind of lynch pin for the Empire's control of the Mid-East. Also, it must be noted that Zionists exert considerable influence in the US ruling class. If Egypt were to come under the control of real popular power, it would be very threatening to the Empire. For both of these reasons, I think it is likely that the Empire's agents will do everything they can to prevent any popular regime coming to power in Egypt. Hence, I see some very volatile days ahead for the Egyptian people. Thus, I do not share the optimistic tone with which this writer concludes her essay.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Mubarak must go
by Lee Sustar from Socialist Worker.
Certainly, the downfall of a hated dictator would be a fantastic achievement by the Egyptian working class. But transforming the miserable conditions of Egyptian workers--and sweeping aside the ruling class that created and protected Mubarak--will take sustained struggle and the revival of independent working-class organization and politics.
Egyptian uprising grows despite regime’s reform gestures
by Barry Grey from WSWS.
With the popular movement broadening and deepening, despite early attempts to terrorize and repress it—estimates of the dead from police attacks last week range from 138 to 150, but the real figure is likely much higher—there are growing concerns within the bourgeoisie both in Egypt and internationally that the Egyptian capitalist state could be overwhelmed by revolution.
Monday, January 31, 2011
World Revolution Made in America. The Biggest Battlefield yet to come will be in the USA
by Finian Cunningham from Global Research.
A most interesting perspective on recent developments.
A most interesting perspective on recent developments.
Right now, the streets of Cairo, Tunis and elsewhere look like battlefields. But the biggest battlefield yet to come will be in the US. And quite fittingly so. As the executive power upholding the capitalist order that has for decades spawned wars, violence, injustice, corruption and fascism around the world to achieve its undemocratic ends, the US is the primary site of struggle for democracy, not just in the US, but also for the rest of the world.
In past decades, the battle lines were obscured by lack of communications and propaganda diversions (the ‘evil Soviet empire, Vietnam, Latin American subversion, war on drugs, and, latterly, this phony war on terror, etc). But with mounting and unrelenting poverty across the US (and Europe), and global communications, the battle lines are now becoming apparent. The real enemy is the US/Western diktat of capitalism – the economic system that enriches the few and impoverishes the majority because it is all about private profit, and increasingly elite private profit.
Inquiry Doesn't Call Crisis Systemic Fraud [8:28m video & transcript]
Interview with Michael Hudson on Real News.
They are discussing the findings of Obama's Crisis Inquiry Commission on the recent economic collapse. The findings are not at all surprising. They always have these "inquiries" for public relations purposes. They are always designed to cover the crimes of the ruling class.
One of the first, and most outrageous such group that I remember, was the Warren Commission's report on the assassination of President Kennedy. It provided cover for the the insidious secret cabal within our government that rules over us, and who assassinated our President. (If you wish to know more about this, you must view the excellent films entitled, "The Men Who Killed Kennedy, V1 &2.)
What this interview with Hudson most illustrates is how well indoctrinated US intellectuals are. Hudson is a highly trained and intelligent economist. But you must understand that the more training one receives in US institutions of higher learning, the more one also receives indoctrination in capitalist ideology. If one doesn't absorb capitalist ideology, one is weeded out of the institutions of higher learning at some point in one's education. To get a more detailed explanation of this thesis, you must read Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt.
When people such as Hudson enter the real world and begin to experience reality, they often feel a sense of outrage as expressed in this interview. At the risk of one's career, one must never go beyond that outrage to grasp the insight that the ruling class makes laws not to apply to themselves, but to control working people. Were he to do so and behave accordingly, he would be banished to the occupational equivalent of Siberia.
The ruling class of capitalists make laws to create the illusion that our society is governed by a legitimate legal framework. Any laws which get in their way are ignored, while those which serve their interests are vigorously enforced.
They are discussing the findings of Obama's Crisis Inquiry Commission on the recent economic collapse. The findings are not at all surprising. They always have these "inquiries" for public relations purposes. They are always designed to cover the crimes of the ruling class.
One of the first, and most outrageous such group that I remember, was the Warren Commission's report on the assassination of President Kennedy. It provided cover for the the insidious secret cabal within our government that rules over us, and who assassinated our President. (If you wish to know more about this, you must view the excellent films entitled, "The Men Who Killed Kennedy, V1 &2.)
What this interview with Hudson most illustrates is how well indoctrinated US intellectuals are. Hudson is a highly trained and intelligent economist. But you must understand that the more training one receives in US institutions of higher learning, the more one also receives indoctrination in capitalist ideology. If one doesn't absorb capitalist ideology, one is weeded out of the institutions of higher learning at some point in one's education. To get a more detailed explanation of this thesis, you must read Disciplined Minds by Jeff Schmidt.
When people such as Hudson enter the real world and begin to experience reality, they often feel a sense of outrage as expressed in this interview. At the risk of one's career, one must never go beyond that outrage to grasp the insight that the ruling class makes laws not to apply to themselves, but to control working people. Were he to do so and behave accordingly, he would be banished to the occupational equivalent of Siberia.
The ruling class of capitalists make laws to create the illusion that our society is governed by a legitimate legal framework. Any laws which get in their way are ignored, while those which serve their interests are vigorously enforced.
Egypt: Cue the Dirty Tricks, False Flags To Discredit Pro-Democracy Movement
by Finian Cunningham from Global Research.
The looting of Cairo’s world-famous Egyptian Museum over the weekend seems to have engendered the desired news headlines.There is more and more evidence being reported that counter-revolutionary forces are deliberately encouraging chaos in order to justify the insertion of overwhelming force by the Empire. Hence, Western media is playing up the themes of looting, property destruction, and chaos. According to a report I heard over NPR radio this morning, the authorities released criminals onto the streets and removed all police forces. Al Jazeera reports that people are organizing their own police forces in defense of their neighborhoods:
‘Looters smash ancient treasures’, ‘Looters decapitate mummies’, ‘Looters rip off heads of artifacts’ etc., read a rash of headlines, following the apparent breaking into the country’s national museum, which is said to house the world’s biggest of Pharaonic antiquities.
However, it has since emerged, although with much less headline coverage, that some of the would-be looters apprehended by protesters outside the museum were identified as working for the state’s interior ministry.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Rude Awakening
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich from OpEd News.
Occasionally I post an article that argues a point of view with which I disagree, but otherwise find useful to pose a counter-argument.
This one takes a very cynical view of the dramatic events in Egypt and argues that the Empire is manipulating everything to its advantage. Here the author makes the case that the US is in control of events and merely setting the stage for a replacement of another unpopular dictator. To be sure, this has often happened in the past in such places as Korea, South Vietnam, Chile, Guatemala, etc. I believe her argument that Egypt is following a similar pattern is not correct.
There is no question in mind that the US is trying to gain control of the situation from behind the scenes, but there are striking differences with what is happening in Egypt compared to changes of leadership orchestrated by the US in its other puppet governments.
First of all, the rebellion was spontaneous, sparked by the upheaval in Tunisia. Second, the rebellion had widespread popular support with millions of people participating. The Empire does not like to see popular uprisings like this. They can too easily get out of their control as happened in Iran with the expulsion of the Shah, another of America's appointed puppets. The Empire much prefers to remove their puppets before the people take to the streets. They much prefer palace coups as has frequently happened in Latin America. These are much easier to engineer.
(Note: Al Jazeera is clearly the best source of information on these fast moving developments.)
Occasionally I post an article that argues a point of view with which I disagree, but otherwise find useful to pose a counter-argument.
This one takes a very cynical view of the dramatic events in Egypt and argues that the Empire is manipulating everything to its advantage. Here the author makes the case that the US is in control of events and merely setting the stage for a replacement of another unpopular dictator. To be sure, this has often happened in the past in such places as Korea, South Vietnam, Chile, Guatemala, etc. I believe her argument that Egypt is following a similar pattern is not correct.
There is no question in mind that the US is trying to gain control of the situation from behind the scenes, but there are striking differences with what is happening in Egypt compared to changes of leadership orchestrated by the US in its other puppet governments.
First of all, the rebellion was spontaneous, sparked by the upheaval in Tunisia. Second, the rebellion had widespread popular support with millions of people participating. The Empire does not like to see popular uprisings like this. They can too easily get out of their control as happened in Iran with the expulsion of the Shah, another of America's appointed puppets. The Empire much prefers to remove their puppets before the people take to the streets. They much prefer palace coups as has frequently happened in Latin America. These are much easier to engineer.
(Note: Al Jazeera is clearly the best source of information on these fast moving developments.)
Why Tax Cuts Make Us Weak
by Murray Dobbin from Canadian Dimension.
Although the article addresses the issue of tax cuts in Canada, much of the same points the author makes applies to the US as well.
Tax cuts are an attack on the lives of ordinary people--their education, health, and welfare. On the other hand, expenditures for military purposes are rarely cut. He makes the point that tax cuts weaken the infrastructure of the country, except of course near corporations. The latter always demand subsidies from local governments in the form of tax relief and funding for related infrastructure.
But the general deterioration of infrastructure is now less important to the ruling class under neo-liberal policies of "free trade" because of the outsourcing of much of our production to overseas cheap labor markets.
One adverse effect which I didn't see in the article that does apply in the US is that the various levels of governments must, with the reduction in tax revenue, borrow from the banks to keep things running.
Witness the recent decision of the Fed to buy $600 billion of US government bonds. Because of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the Fed issues money "out of thin air" to buy government bonds, that is, it gives its magical money to the government for bonds on which interest is added. Thus tax payers continue to go deeper and deeper into debt slavery.
Although the article addresses the issue of tax cuts in Canada, much of the same points the author makes applies to the US as well.
Tax cuts are an attack on the lives of ordinary people--their education, health, and welfare. On the other hand, expenditures for military purposes are rarely cut. He makes the point that tax cuts weaken the infrastructure of the country, except of course near corporations. The latter always demand subsidies from local governments in the form of tax relief and funding for related infrastructure.
But the general deterioration of infrastructure is now less important to the ruling class under neo-liberal policies of "free trade" because of the outsourcing of much of our production to overseas cheap labor markets.
One adverse effect which I didn't see in the article that does apply in the US is that the various levels of governments must, with the reduction in tax revenue, borrow from the banks to keep things running.
Witness the recent decision of the Fed to buy $600 billion of US government bonds. Because of the Federal Reserve Act of 1913, the Fed issues money "out of thin air" to buy government bonds, that is, it gives its magical money to the government for bonds on which interest is added. Thus tax payers continue to go deeper and deeper into debt slavery.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Egypt protests: America's secret backing for rebel leaders behind uprising
by Tim Ross, Matthew Moore and Steven Swinford from The Telegraph.
The Empire's leaders, knowing how unpopular many of their puppets are throughout the Empire, always have contingency plans ready for popular uprisings like this, that is, they always have other carefully groomed puppets available should the people demand change as they are now doing in Egypt. As usual Obama and Clinton are making noises about democracy and human rights, but their main concern is to manage the rebellion so that the outcome serves the Empire. So, you can forget about any significant change if it comes from the Empire, not from the people themselves.
The Empire's leaders, knowing how unpopular many of their puppets are throughout the Empire, always have contingency plans ready for popular uprisings like this, that is, they always have other carefully groomed puppets available should the people demand change as they are now doing in Egypt. As usual Obama and Clinton are making noises about democracy and human rights, but their main concern is to manage the rebellion so that the outcome serves the Empire. So, you can forget about any significant change if it comes from the Empire, not from the people themselves.
...the documents showed that the activist had been approached by US diplomats and received extensive support for his pro-democracy campaign from officials in Washington. The embassy helped the campaigner attend a “summit” for youth activists in New York, which was organised by the US State Department.
Washington facing the ire of the Tunisian people
by Thierry Meyssan from Voltaire.
Excellent article describing attempts by the US to manage the revolution in Tunisia.
Excellent article describing attempts by the US to manage the revolution in Tunisia.
While western media are celebrating the "Jasmine Revolution", Thierry Meyssan lays bare the U.S. plan to curb the anger of the Tunisian people and salvage this insconspicuous CIA and NATO backwater base. According to him, the insurrectional process is still ongoing and could rapidly give rise to a real Revolution, to the great dismay of Western capitals.
Marshall Auerback Speaks on BNN About Implications of Unrest in the Middle East
from Yves Smith's blog, Naked Capitalism. (BNN is a Canadian version of Bloomberg TV.)
This very popular blog among investors is by a woman who has had an extensive career in the financial services industry. She is no flaming radical, but she is a decent person who is outraged by the gross excesses and injustices of the current capitalist system. It has always appeared to me that she and her followers have always insisted that the system could be reformed, that is, it could be tamed from that of a predatory wolf to a vegetarian one. Judging from the comments following the article, I'm not so sure--their perspectives may be changing!
You may want to pass up the 9:02m video featuring the views of Auerback, a prominent financial analyst, who looks at the implications for investors that the current events in the Middle East and North Africa may pose. But be sure to read the comments following the video.
This very popular blog among investors is by a woman who has had an extensive career in the financial services industry. She is no flaming radical, but she is a decent person who is outraged by the gross excesses and injustices of the current capitalist system. It has always appeared to me that she and her followers have always insisted that the system could be reformed, that is, it could be tamed from that of a predatory wolf to a vegetarian one. Judging from the comments following the article, I'm not so sure--their perspectives may be changing!
You may want to pass up the 9:02m video featuring the views of Auerback, a prominent financial analyst, who looks at the implications for investors that the current events in the Middle East and North Africa may pose. But be sure to read the comments following the video.
With Arab Despots on the Run, America Remains Hypnotized
by Russell Mokhiber from CounterPunch.
All throughout the Arab world, the despots are on the run.See also Washington's Blog and his take on complacency in the US in the article entitled, "Inequality In America Is Worse Than In Egypt, Tunisia Or Yemen".
Fueled by Facebook and Twitter, the Arab street is aflame.
In the United States, instead of fueling the resistance, social media is like a hypnotic drug.
Ayn Rand Railed Against Government Benefits, But Grabbed Social Security and Medicare When She Needed Them
by Joshua Holland from AlterNet.
In case you don't know, Ayn Rand is a kind of patron saint for the neo-con leaders in this current, and hopefully, final stage of capitalism. They justify their total domination over working people throughout the world with the sociopathic tenets of her teachings.
In case you don't know, Ayn Rand is a kind of patron saint for the neo-con leaders in this current, and hopefully, final stage of capitalism. They justify their total domination over working people throughout the world with the sociopathic tenets of her teachings.
"...when you see them taking their razor blades to the last remaining programs protecting the middle class from total abject destitution—Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid—and bragging about how they are slashing these programs for ‘moral’ reasons, just remember Rand’s morality and who inspired her.”One of Rand's most ardent students, Alan Greenspan, became one of the most powerful actors on behalf of this philosophy and neo-liberalism. In 1974 he told the NY Times:
What she [Rand] did--through long discussions and lots of arguments into the night--was to make me think why capitalism was not only efficient and practical, but also moral.See also this post.
For Manhattan’s Rich, It’s Too Cold to Party
by Jamie Johnson from Vanity Fair.
Once again Jamie keeps us in touch with our fellow Americans among the "one percent". Today he reports that they, during the current series of snow storms in the northeastern part of the US, have rediscovered the simple pleasures of playing in the snow--something that most of us take for granted. They, in their warped pursuit of status display played out during the endless and boring rounds of opulent, alcohol fueled parties, had lost touch with the simple, but real pleasures that life has to offer. Hooray for them! Sometimes, we ordinary working people forget how advantaged we are.
Once again Jamie keeps us in touch with our fellow Americans among the "one percent". Today he reports that they, during the current series of snow storms in the northeastern part of the US, have rediscovered the simple pleasures of playing in the snow--something that most of us take for granted. They, in their warped pursuit of status display played out during the endless and boring rounds of opulent, alcohol fueled parties, had lost touch with the simple, but real pleasures that life has to offer. Hooray for them! Sometimes, we ordinary working people forget how advantaged we are.
...you’re never too old to have fun sledding, so the desire to bomb down hills—even stunted urban hills—isn’t surprising. What’s uncommon is to hear these discussions among affluent hipsters. In all fairness, many of these outings, I’m told, are whiskey-fueled, but that they happen at all is still remarkable. People accustomed to spending most of their free time at glamorous parties and ultra-chic bars don’t normally veer from that routine, especially in Manhattan.
Friday, January 28, 2011
One U.S. Corporation's Role in Egypt's Brutal Crackdown [late post]
by Tim Karr from Save the Internet.
President Obama, say the 'D-Word'
by Mark LeVine from Al Jazeera.
See also article by Stephen Gowans from his blog, "New York Times: "Democracy is Bad for US Foreign Policy". The author looks at the spin of US mainstream media regarding the unrest in Egypt, and finds hypocrisy and duplicity in its relations with various countries:
It's incredible, really. The president of the United States can't bring himself to talk about democracy in the Middle East. He can dance around it, use euphemisms, throw out words like "freedom" and "tolerance" and "non-violent" and especially "reform," but he can't say the one word that really matters: democracy.Since the American and French revolutions, the crucial problem for ruling capitalist elites has always been to create the appearance of supporting the dreams of working people for social justice, democracy, and equality while doing precisely the opposite.
See also article by Stephen Gowans from his blog, "New York Times: "Democracy is Bad for US Foreign Policy". The author looks at the spin of US mainstream media regarding the unrest in Egypt, and finds hypocrisy and duplicity in its relations with various countries:
The key to this duplicity is that Mubarak has sold out Egypt to US profit and strategic interests, while Mugabe has sought to rectify the historical iniquities of colonialism. Clearly, from Washington’s perspective, Mugabe is serving the wrong interests. Indigenous farmers don’t count. Western investors do.Also read what the WikiLeaks cables reveal about the close relationship of US ruling class and their Egyptian puppet, by Luke Harding from the Guardian.
Human Rights Watch condemns US prison system, immigration policy
by Kate Randall from WSWS.
Whenever US government leaders meet with Chinese officials, the issue of human rights in China is always a mandatory topic promoted by US media. With US's record on human rights in relation to their torture prisons scattered throughout the world, the attacks on protesters here in the US, and reports such as this, it almost causes one to vomit.
Whenever US government leaders meet with Chinese officials, the issue of human rights in China is always a mandatory topic promoted by US media. With US's record on human rights in relation to their torture prisons scattered throughout the world, the attacks on protesters here in the US, and reports such as this, it almost causes one to vomit.
In its annual world report, Human Rights Watch condemns the United States on a broad range of civil liberties abuses. In particular, the human rights group slams the US prison system, immigration policy, and the treatment of suspects in the “war on terror.” HRW also points to the US’s dismal record on women’s rights and the treatment of child laborers.
The FCIC, in Lockstep with the Officialdom, Refuses to Use the “C” Word
by Yves Smith from Naked Capitalism.
Read how the US government investigates the ruling class which owns it. I am referring to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report issued yesterday on it findings about the latest economic collapse. Guess what? They found the banksters, not guilty! As Smith concludes:
Read how the US government investigates the ruling class which owns it. I am referring to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report issued yesterday on it findings about the latest economic collapse. Guess what? They found the banksters, not guilty! As Smith concludes:
The FCIC report is destined for the...dustbin of history.... It is a document of and by well-meaning insiders that just can’t deal with the corruption they were supposed to investigate. It’s a psychological crutch maybe, or perhaps a denial mechanism, but it doesn’t really matter. This report is just a cover-up, the same kind of cover-up that is allowing the thieves to escape with their loot.Listen/view Michael Hudson's assessment of this report from Real News (8:28m video).
Nothing will come from the generation in power who created this mess. They just don’t have it in them. The bad guys will steal again. I mean, crime pays. Besides, who’s going to call it crime, anyway?
What if We Stopped Fighting For Preservation?
by Tom Butler from CASSE.
Tim Murray’s essay “What If We Stopped Fighting for Preservation and Fought Economic Growth Instead?” is provocative for sure. Murray is a compelling writer, and I admire his unflinching focus on the root causes of ecological collapse including human overpopulation, consumerism, mass migration, and the religion of endless growth. He’ll get no argument from me about these factors as systemic drivers of biodiversity loss, and I share his frustration that many reform-minded environmentalists and large NGOs often are unwilling to acknowledge the fundamental contradiction between wild nature’s flourishing and the intrinsic logic of a techno-industrial growth society based on corporate capitalism.This blogger, in contrast to Murray, correctly identifies the root problem of capitalism, but continues to support efforts to ameliorate the inexorable logic of capitalism--growth. Their disagreement is like two physicians arguing whether to treat pains due to cancer with aspirin or codeine, instead of removing the cancerous tumor. Too many activists in the US have bought into the neo-liberal notion that "there is no alternative" to capitalism.
Climate change related reports
from Climate Progress a World Meteorological Organization report:
from Reuters: Greenland ice melt sets a record — and could set the stage for sea level rise
Clearly capitalism's addiction to profits (riches for a few) continues to cause unstable and extreme weather patterns that will likely result in the extinction of human and other species on Earth.
2010 "characterized by a high number of extreme weather events"from The Guardian: ExxonMobil warns carbon emissions will rise by 25% in 20 years
from Reuters: Greenland ice melt sets a record — and could set the stage for sea level rise
Clearly capitalism's addiction to profits (riches for a few) continues to cause unstable and extreme weather patterns that will likely result in the extinction of human and other species on Earth.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Reagan's Ghost
by David Glenn Cox from OpEd News.
I am posting this article today to examine the political consciousness of middle-class America, a middle-class that came of age in the 1960s and 70s, was well educated, and mostly liberal as illustrated by the author of this article.
He grew up in the post WWII period when the middle-class had such great expectations for economic advancement. The US industrial plant was intact--about the only one in the world that was--the US military was in great shape and, above all, they had the atomic bomb--the ultimate weapon. The capitalist ruling class was drunk with a sense of omnipotence. The only enemies that stood in their way of world domination were the Soviet Union and the domestic and foreign radicals who entertained dangerous ideas of social justice.
Without missing a beat, the US ruling class immediately went on the offensive against all of these actual and potential enemies. In the US they purged militant labor leaders and left-wing intellectuals during the McCarthy period. They drew a line of containment around the "socialist" countries of the Soviet Union and China, they established a secret organization known as the CIA to subvert left-wing governments, to terrorize leftist militants, to assassinate leaders who stood in their way (including US leaders), and to engage in proxy wars. (See this for a good summary of all these activities.) Their actions resulted in two major wars: the Korean War and the Vietnam War and millions of lives lost.
Like many in this large subset of Americans, the author is beginning to see the current political drama starring Obama as completely out of touch with the author's reality. Unfortunately, his reality has been shaped by post WWII indoctrination that was applied to American educational institutions after left-wing intellectuals were purged. As a result, he has a warped understanding of his own history.
He has little understanding of what his country has been doing, and he romanticizes the New Deal programs of the Franklin Roosevelt administration of the 1930s that were reluctantly used by the ruling class to ward off more radical actions of militant labor and civil rights organizations. He doesn't see or understand that the ruling capitalist class has been moving in this direction of total control of working people since the system began in the late 1700s. Only now, since the American ruling class has gone global and doesn't need most American workers anymore, does he realize that things have really changed, that his government under the current "acting" leader, Obama, is not concerned with the issues that concern him.
His best understanding is that it has something to do with Ronald Reagan! Well, maybe this is not too far off the mark. Reagan's presidency did launch the neo-liberal phase of capitalism, however this is only the logical development of the capitalist system itself; and with it the attacks against American working people and the planet that its perpetrators are all too willing to use.
I am posting this article today to examine the political consciousness of middle-class America, a middle-class that came of age in the 1960s and 70s, was well educated, and mostly liberal as illustrated by the author of this article.
He grew up in the post WWII period when the middle-class had such great expectations for economic advancement. The US industrial plant was intact--about the only one in the world that was--the US military was in great shape and, above all, they had the atomic bomb--the ultimate weapon. The capitalist ruling class was drunk with a sense of omnipotence. The only enemies that stood in their way of world domination were the Soviet Union and the domestic and foreign radicals who entertained dangerous ideas of social justice.
Without missing a beat, the US ruling class immediately went on the offensive against all of these actual and potential enemies. In the US they purged militant labor leaders and left-wing intellectuals during the McCarthy period. They drew a line of containment around the "socialist" countries of the Soviet Union and China, they established a secret organization known as the CIA to subvert left-wing governments, to terrorize leftist militants, to assassinate leaders who stood in their way (including US leaders), and to engage in proxy wars. (See this for a good summary of all these activities.) Their actions resulted in two major wars: the Korean War and the Vietnam War and millions of lives lost.
Like many in this large subset of Americans, the author is beginning to see the current political drama starring Obama as completely out of touch with the author's reality. Unfortunately, his reality has been shaped by post WWII indoctrination that was applied to American educational institutions after left-wing intellectuals were purged. As a result, he has a warped understanding of his own history.
He has little understanding of what his country has been doing, and he romanticizes the New Deal programs of the Franklin Roosevelt administration of the 1930s that were reluctantly used by the ruling class to ward off more radical actions of militant labor and civil rights organizations. He doesn't see or understand that the ruling capitalist class has been moving in this direction of total control of working people since the system began in the late 1700s. Only now, since the American ruling class has gone global and doesn't need most American workers anymore, does he realize that things have really changed, that his government under the current "acting" leader, Obama, is not concerned with the issues that concern him.
His best understanding is that it has something to do with Ronald Reagan! Well, maybe this is not too far off the mark. Reagan's presidency did launch the neo-liberal phase of capitalism, however this is only the logical development of the capitalist system itself; and with it the attacks against American working people and the planet that its perpetrators are all too willing to use.
Anchors Away! – The ‘Stability’ of U.S. Puppet Dictatorships
by Nima Shirazi from Dissident Voice.
This writer knows how to see beyond official US propaganda to see the real motives and interests that drive US foreign policy.
This writer knows how to see beyond official US propaganda to see the real motives and interests that drive US foreign policy.
The corruption game
by Juan Cole from Asia Times Online.
This liberal US intellectual is quite willing to point out all the "blunders" (crimes) of US foreign policies that support corrupt, anti-democratic governments, but sees them as only mistakes that do not serve "US interests"--interests which he never spells out. This kind of analysis is as far left that acceptable left discourse is allowed to stray in US intellectual circles. Here are some good illustrations:
This liberal US intellectual is quite willing to point out all the "blunders" (crimes) of US foreign policies that support corrupt, anti-democratic governments, but sees them as only mistakes that do not serve "US interests"--interests which he never spells out. This kind of analysis is as far left that acceptable left discourse is allowed to stray in US intellectual circles. Here are some good illustrations:
It would surely have been smarter for Washington to cut the Ben Ali regime off without a dime, at least militarily, and distance itself from his pack of jackals. The region is, of course, littered with dusty, creaking, now exceedingly nervous dictatorships in which government is theft. The US receives no real benefits from its damaging association with them.What is never discussed are the contradictions between more democratic or legitimate governments and US interests. He concludes his essay with this absurd statement:
***************
As usual when Washington backs corrupt regimes in the name of its "war on terror", democracy suffers and things slowly deteriorate.
***************
Here's a simple rule of thumb in such situations: bad policy creates even worse policy. The Obama administration's mistake in ramping up its Afghan war left it needing ever more supplies, worrying about perilous supply lines through Pakistan, and so vulnerable to transit blackmail by the ruling kleptocracies of Central Asia. When their populations, too, explode into anger, the likely damage to US interests could be severe.
***************
...US backing [of corrupt regimes] has a significant probability of boomeranging sooner or later. Elites, confident that they will retain such backing as long as there is an al-Qaeda cell anywhere on the planet, tend to overreach, plunging into cultures of corruption and self-enrichment so vast that they undermine economies, while producing poverty, unemployment, despair, and ultimately widespread public anger.
It's time for Washington to signal a new commitment to actual democracy and genuine human rights by simply cutting off military and counter-terrorism aid to authoritarian and corrupt regimes that are, in any case, digging their own graves.
Middle East: the Undoing of America’s Mendacious Foreign Policy
by Finian Cunningham from Global Research.
Very insightful and concise perspective on the current turmoil in North Africa and Middle East.
Very insightful and concise perspective on the current turmoil in North Africa and Middle East.
What we are seeing across the Arab world is not just the undoing of corrupt regimes. We are seeing the undoing of America’s entire foreign policy in that region. No wonder there must be deep misgiving in Washington over the recent turmoil in this key energy-producing region. For decades, US administrations have, through a cocktail of ignorance and arrogance, deluded themselves that they could get away with a mendacious contradiction. That contradiction is the espousal of democracy and peace in the Middle East while at the same time sponsoring regimes that act in every way to undermine any path to democracy and peace.
Insurrection in North Africa: the story so far
by Django from Libcom.
I just came across the article which is a bit dated for these fast moving developments, but they offer some very interesting details and sound perspectives on the protests and revolts in North Africa.
I just came across the article which is a bit dated for these fast moving developments, but they offer some very interesting details and sound perspectives on the protests and revolts in North Africa.
How Corporate Journalism Happily Lost Interest in Climate Change
from Media Lens.
In the media’s coverage of climate change, are we really still stuck on square one of some ghastly board game?
Global warming was recognised as a hugely serious problem as far back as 1988 when the United Nations set up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Since then the science has become more solid, more detailed, in fact irrefutable: the risk of dangerous climate change has risen alarmingly, and the corporate media has continued to bury serious debate on what to do about it.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Memo to Congress: Show us the M-O-N-E-Y!
by Geraldine Perry from Online Journal.
Although she lacks credentials (only a Master's degree in Education) that would give one confidence in her views, she has been endorsed by the American Monetary Institute. I, based on my own studies, feel that most of her views are valid regarding a subject that is often obscured in mainstream media. The only problem is that people like her see the elimination of the Fed as a cure-all. It is only one problem related to the capitalist system. It is only one scam among many.
Based on my fairly extensive readings, Jefferson and Madison were not really very active in opposing Hamilton's plans. Jefferson was mostly in Paris as Ambassador to France when Hamilton and the "money aristocracy", as they were popularly referred to, were arranging things. Madison was only mildly opposed.
Hamilton, Robert Morris, and friends set up the first central bank called the Bank of North America which was mostly privately financed, but they also helped themselves to US Treasury funds when they didn't have enough money. George Washington, one of the richest of Americans, largely went along with whatever Hamilton wanted.
Although she lacks credentials (only a Master's degree in Education) that would give one confidence in her views, she has been endorsed by the American Monetary Institute. I, based on my own studies, feel that most of her views are valid regarding a subject that is often obscured in mainstream media. The only problem is that people like her see the elimination of the Fed as a cure-all. It is only one problem related to the capitalist system. It is only one scam among many.
Based on my fairly extensive readings, Jefferson and Madison were not really very active in opposing Hamilton's plans. Jefferson was mostly in Paris as Ambassador to France when Hamilton and the "money aristocracy", as they were popularly referred to, were arranging things. Madison was only mildly opposed.
Hamilton, Robert Morris, and friends set up the first central bank called the Bank of North America which was mostly privately financed, but they also helped themselves to US Treasury funds when they didn't have enough money. George Washington, one of the richest of Americans, largely went along with whatever Hamilton wanted.
National Security Letters and Gag Orders [8:30m audio and transcript]
from NPR's On the Media.
Warning: this article may be hazardous to your peace of mind because you will be reminded that you are living in a country that increasingly resembles a police state.
Warning: this article may be hazardous to your peace of mind because you will be reminded that you are living in a country that increasingly resembles a police state.
The most serious kind of subpoena - called a 'National Security Letter' - used to have a lifetime gag-order automatically attached. That is until Nicholas Merrill appealed his and won the right to talk about it. Despite 50,000 national security letters a year there are only three organizations who have ever won the right to say they got one. Nick Merrill explains why he's the exception and the rule.See Merrill's website, The Calyx Institute, for more details. Also, ACLU's website for their report on this case.
...as OTM notes, 50,000 NSLs and their accompanying gag orders are still being served by the government every year. And last summer, the Obama administration proposed expanding — yes expanding! — the NSL statute to allow the FBI to get even more electronic records without court approval or even suspicion of wrongdoing.(For more information about preventing government agencies and others from accessing your use of the internet, there are VPNs that can provide this security. I have little knowledge of these methods, but if you would like to explore further, this website, vpnMentor, has four pages of posts that should be able to answer your questions.)
Climate change: Barack Obama less interested than Bush, analysis reveals
by Suzanne Goldenberg from the Guardian.
The graph below says it all, but read the article if you need more details. Clearly Obama's ruling class bosses are no longer interested in climate change issues.
The graph below says it all, but read the article if you need more details. Clearly Obama's ruling class bosses are no longer interested in climate change issues.
 |
| Aggregate mentions of 'climate change', 'global warming' and the 'environment' in the state of the union address [and other speeches] since 1990. Photograph: Mat Hope, University of Bristol Also, you may be interested in reading the "Climate sceptic [who] 'misled Congress over funding from oil industry'". |
Economic forum kicks off in Davos [2:28m video]
Emma Hayward reports on the scene in Davos, from Al Jazeera.
Our capitalist masters are meeting at a swanky ski resort in Davos, Switzerland to decide on their, and our, economic fates. Guess whose interests will take priority?
Our capitalist masters are meeting at a swanky ski resort in Davos, Switzerland to decide on their, and our, economic fates. Guess whose interests will take priority?
World Social Forum: “The challenge of a global solution outside the system”
Eric Toussaint is interviewed by Sergio Ferrari, from CADTM.
While our masters meet in Davos, Switzerland, some activists are meeting in early February at Dakar, Senegal to look at ways of countering the ongoing assault on working people throughout the world.
While our masters meet in Davos, Switzerland, some activists are meeting in early February at Dakar, Senegal to look at ways of countering the ongoing assault on working people throughout the world.
The World Social Forum (WSF) is practically the only space for convergence of social movements on a planetary scale, so it is essential to continue strengthening it. This is the stance of Éric Toussaint, global justice analyst, who knows the World Social Forum from the inside as he has been a member of its guiding body since its founding, the International Council. Éric Toussaint is a Belgian historian and political scientist, and in Belgium, chair of the Committee for the Abolition of the Third world debt (CADTM www.cadtm.org). This organisation, very active in many countries, in particular in Africa, is one of the groups taking part in preparing the upcoming Dakar forum in 2011. Interview.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tunisia and the world: roots of turmoil
by Paul Rogers from Open Democracy.
See also Al Jazeera's report on protests currently happening in Egypt, or Guardian's detailed coverage that includes protests in Lebanon and Tunisia. See this report from Euronews regarding riots in Albania.
The relevance of Tunisia to this larger picture is that the uprising has come from a complex mix of economic problems involving food-price rises and high unemployment together with a hatred of an autocratic and plutocratic regime that has exercised violent control of public order for decades. The key question is whether this is a significant marker for likely future events, as a different phenomenon such as the Naxalites in India have proved to be....I think he reaches some astute conclusions in the article.
See also Al Jazeera's report on protests currently happening in Egypt, or Guardian's detailed coverage that includes protests in Lebanon and Tunisia. See this report from Euronews regarding riots in Albania.
Early Lessons from the Tunisian Revolution
by Eva Galperin from Electronic Frontier Foundation.
There are new issues being posed for political activists in their use of social networking--there are positives and negatives. This article looks at some early lessons from the recent Tunisian revolution.
See also this report by Nate Anderson from Solidarity Economy.
There are new issues being posed for political activists in their use of social networking--there are positives and negatives. This article looks at some early lessons from the recent Tunisian revolution.
See also this report by Nate Anderson from Solidarity Economy.
Social Media and Law Enforcement: Who Gets What Data and When?
by Jennifer Lynch from Electronic Frontier Foundation.
There has been a lot of concern expressed on various blogs regarding government and corporation surveillance of social media and the problems this poses for privacy and one's civil rights. This article appears to have a lot of good advice.
Also, check out security issues for users of mobile devices.
There has been a lot of concern expressed on various blogs regarding government and corporation surveillance of social media and the problems this poses for privacy and one's civil rights. This article appears to have a lot of good advice.
Also, check out security issues for users of mobile devices.
The True Meaning of Keith Olbermann
by Will Bunch from The Huffington Post.
The author on this liberal website claims to have intimate knowledge of the personality and character of Keith Olbermann, a popular liberal TV commentator. That may be, but he misses the more important issues in his removal from NBC.
Olbermann's dismissal from NBC following immediately after the FCC approval of the Comcast purchase of NBC, raises all sorts of speculation. It seems that corporate media can no longer tolerate even liberal views to contaminate the Empire's messages. The limits of political discourse that are acceptable in mainstream media continue to narrow as the concentration of the media continues.
However, this commentator only touches superficially on those issues and leaves us with the comfortable impression that Olbermann accomplished his mission, the Bush administration was stopped, the lies of the far-right has been exposed, and all is well with the world. Check out this ridiculous statement:
The author on this liberal website claims to have intimate knowledge of the personality and character of Keith Olbermann, a popular liberal TV commentator. That may be, but he misses the more important issues in his removal from NBC.
Olbermann's dismissal from NBC following immediately after the FCC approval of the Comcast purchase of NBC, raises all sorts of speculation. It seems that corporate media can no longer tolerate even liberal views to contaminate the Empire's messages. The limits of political discourse that are acceptable in mainstream media continue to narrow as the concentration of the media continues.
However, this commentator only touches superficially on those issues and leaves us with the comfortable impression that Olbermann accomplished his mission, the Bush administration was stopped, the lies of the far-right has been exposed, and all is well with the world. Check out this ridiculous statement:
Olbermann might have felt that now was the time to go. What he inspired during Bush's presidency was nothing less than a revolution, and it's often hard to adjust when the romance of revolution fades.The lack of concern shown by this liberal commentator for the ongoing agenda of the Empire , illustrates how much the political center has shifted to the right in the US.
The Gutsy Food Sovereignty Movement Helps Shape Policy And to Rekindle and Model Democratic Principles at Work
by Olga Bonfiglio from her blog.
She reports on some local efforts in the US, Africa, and Canada to take back control of the production, distribution, and consumption of food from corporations.
She reports on some local efforts in the US, Africa, and Canada to take back control of the production, distribution, and consumption of food from corporations.
Food sovereignty means that people have the right to decide what they eat and to ensure that food in their community is healthy and accessible for everyone.... It also means that producers receive a fair price for their products and that local family farmers and fishers should have the first right to local and regional markets.
With this mission in mind, food security advocates have been successfully changing food policy not only in the United States but all over the world.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Anarchism and Psychology [Videos and article]
by Dennis Fox from CapitalismCrisis's Channel on YouTube. This is a two part presentation that the author gave at the recent conference of the North American Anarchist Studies Network.
Fox is an Emeritus Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Psychology at the University of Illinois, Springfield. He has had considerable involvement in left politics and identifies with anarchism.
He attempts to address the core issue of "personal and political" that have posed problems for generations of activists. In other words, how to be true to one's political principles and act on those principles in one's personal and political relationships. We have all been indoctrinated in the beliefs and practices of capitalism with its extreme emphasis on individualism. Hence we haven't learned the tools of behaving in a more cooperative and socially affirming way. He looks at the field of psychology to see what it has to offer regarding this issue.
Part 2 (4:18m)
The paper on which this presentation is based can be found here.
My own view is that a new subculture must be created to provide the soil to nurture egalitarian and social values. But, of course, that begs the question: how do we do that?
Fox is an Emeritus Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Psychology at the University of Illinois, Springfield. He has had considerable involvement in left politics and identifies with anarchism.
He attempts to address the core issue of "personal and political" that have posed problems for generations of activists. In other words, how to be true to one's political principles and act on those principles in one's personal and political relationships. We have all been indoctrinated in the beliefs and practices of capitalism with its extreme emphasis on individualism. Hence we haven't learned the tools of behaving in a more cooperative and socially affirming way. He looks at the field of psychology to see what it has to offer regarding this issue.
...despite the significance of psychological assumptions about reciprocal links between the personal and the political, it remains unclear to what extent any of psychology’s various guises – academic discipline, therapeutic profession, psychoanalytical understanding, or force of popular culture – can help advance liberation and community.Part 1 (9:03m)
Part 2 (4:18m)
The paper on which this presentation is based can be found here.
My own view is that a new subculture must be created to provide the soil to nurture egalitarian and social values. But, of course, that begs the question: how do we do that?
The jobs vs. war dollars dilemma
by Ben Grosscup from Gazette Net.
This article from the US State of New Hampshire reveals how the ruling class undermines anti-war dissent by rationing-out military contracts, and the high paying jobs they provide, throughout the country.
This article from the US State of New Hampshire reveals how the ruling class undermines anti-war dissent by rationing-out military contracts, and the high paying jobs they provide, throughout the country.
While firms, that produce goods that people use for life, outsource their factories to countries with the lowest wages, the industries that make the equipment for threatening and bombing other countries keep their production centers sited largely in the United States.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Violent Rhetoric Has Consequences—Just Ask Abortion Providers
by Cynthia Samuels Care2.
The right-wing's use of violent rhetoric is a form of terrorism used to advance their political agenda of limiting civil rights and creating a fascist state. They know that there are always weak, unstable people around to act out these impulses.
See the latest campaign against 78 year old Frances Fox Piven by Glenn Beck of Fox News.
Abortion opponents have a long history of using violent rhetoric to attempt to justify their crimes and incite others to violence. They regularly refer to abortion providers as “murderers” in interviews and articles and utilize imagery associated with murder such as “wanted” posters and “hit lists” in their campaigns to end legal abortion. Unfortunately, instead of marginalizing these extremists, other opponents of abortion have picked up on this dangerous rhetoric to advance their political agenda.She continues with examples of numerous physicians that have been murdered.
The right-wing's use of violent rhetoric is a form of terrorism used to advance their political agenda of limiting civil rights and creating a fascist state. They know that there are always weak, unstable people around to act out these impulses.
See the latest campaign against 78 year old Frances Fox Piven by Glenn Beck of Fox News.
Preparing for Life in a Peak Oil World
by Gail Tverberg from Oil Price. (Gail Tverberg is a writer and speaker about energy issues. She is especially known for her work with financial issues associated with peak oil. Prior to getting involved with energy issues, Ms. Tverberg worked as an actuarial consultant. This work involved performing insurance-related analyses and forecasts.)
On her website I found a further explanation regarding this article:
As I was reading the article, I was about to fault her for not mentioning any type of political activism, when she offered this disclaimer:
On her website I found a further explanation regarding this article:
[1/17/2011] For a few days, I am working on an academic article. Since I don’t have time to do research and write something new, I thought I would post an article I wrote in 2007 on how to prepare for the impacts of peak oil, together with a few updates for 2011. This article was previously posted on The Oil Drum and was a chapter in what I called a Peak Oil booklet (found here).I have followed her articles for a number of years on the Oil Drum website, and have always had a lot of respect for her judgment regarding energy issues. In this article she offers some sound tips on creating a lifestyle to help people cope with coming age of energy scarcity.
As I was reading the article, I was about to fault her for not mentioning any type of political activism, when she offered this disclaimer:
It would also be helpful to make changes at higher levels of government, but these are beyond the scope of the discussion in this chapter.
Silencing the media in America
by Paul Balles from Redress.
Paul J. Balles views the Zionist lobby's stranglehold over the mainstream media in the United States which has succeeded in bullying, threatening or bribing journalists into silence over Israel’s crimes.
Extreme floods are just the beginning
by Renfrey Clarke from Green Left.
If a city drowns beneath a once-in-a-hundred-years flood, that's weather. Such things have happened in the past.
But when hundred-year floods start happening every few decades, that's no longer just weather. The dice have become loaded for different outcomes. Climate — that is, the average of weather — is changing.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Futility of Green Capitalism
An interview with Daniel Tanuro from Climate and Capitalism, author of the new book, L’impossible capitalisme vert, or The Futility of Green Capitalism.
In addition to the contradictions that capitalism poses for a sustainable environment, Tanuro talks about ecosocialism as...
In addition to the contradictions that capitalism poses for a sustainable environment, Tanuro talks about ecosocialism as...
...a break with productivism and consumerism, of course, within the perspective of a society in which, the basic needs having been satisfied, free time and social relations constitute the real wealth. But also contestation of technologies and of harmful productions, coupled with the requirement of reconversion of the workers. Maximum decentralization of production and distribution in the framework of a democratically planned economy....
America’s ‘culture of cruelty’
by Henry A. Giroux from The Spec.
This perceptive educator sees the recent Arizona tragedy within a culture of cruelty that is driven by political forces:
This perceptive educator sees the recent Arizona tragedy within a culture of cruelty that is driven by political forces:
...culture of cruelty is important for thinking through how entertainment and politics now converge in ways that fundamentally transform how we understand and imagine politics in the current historical moment....*************
...a powerful set of political, economic and educational forces at work in miseducating the American public while at the same time extending the culture of cruelty.
Obama Picks Jeffrey Immelt, GE CEO, To Run New Jobs-Focused Panel As GE Sends Jobs Overseas, Pays Little In Taxes
by Shahien Nasiripour from The Huffington Post.
After appointing Wall Street people to his cabinet, the much ballyhooed liberal candidate for change, now President, is looking after his working class supporters. (sarcasm)
After appointing Wall Street people to his cabinet, the much ballyhooed liberal candidate for change, now President, is looking after his working class supporters. (sarcasm)
Jeffrey R. Immelt, the chairman and chief executive of General Electric Co. tapped by President Barack Obama as his next top outside economic adviser, will be asked to guide the White House as it attempts to jump-start lackluster job creation and spur a muddled recovery.What also comes to my mind is the bailout of General Motors that resulted in a two-tiered wage schedule for US workers. Now GM is laying off US skilled workers while Chinese and other foreign workers are making more GM cars than American workers are making here. See this and this.
Immelt's firm stands as Exhibit A of a successful and profitable corporate America standing at the forefront of the recovery. It also represents the archetypal company that's hoarding cash, sending jobs overseas, relying on taxpayer bailouts and paying less taxes than envisioned.
Jet-Setters Face Frustrating Flight Delays, Just Like the Plebes!
by Jamie Johnson from Vanity Fair.
You thought you had it rough having to arrive at the airport hours ahead of scheduled take-off, waiting in lines to be virtually strip-searched, and having to pay for every little convenience. My favorite one-percenter, Jamie Johnson, reports that the rich also have their frustrations with air travel in their private jets. How could that be? You ask.
Well, it seems it's that damn government regulation! I wonder why they don't do away with that, too--they don't tolerate the government regulating their banks, other financial institutions, and all the exotic derivative bets they use to enrich themselves, bets that often result in the wreckage of entire economies.
You thought you had it rough having to arrive at the airport hours ahead of scheduled take-off, waiting in lines to be virtually strip-searched, and having to pay for every little convenience. My favorite one-percenter, Jamie Johnson, reports that the rich also have their frustrations with air travel in their private jets. How could that be? You ask.
Well, it seems it's that damn government regulation! I wonder why they don't do away with that, too--they don't tolerate the government regulating their banks, other financial institutions, and all the exotic derivative bets they use to enrich themselves, bets that often result in the wreckage of entire economies.
...people who spend between $10 million and $50 million on a jet don’t expect to be plagued by the same issues that beleaguer regular airlines. And when the realization hits, the response usually is one of bewilderment.And, that is not the only problem they are experiencing during this economic collapse. According to the NY Times report, they are frustrated by the difficulties they encounter trying to sell their yachts!
Friday, January 21, 2011
The Real China Problem Runs Through JPM and Goldman
by Matt Stoller from Naked Capitalism.
This is one of the best, most concise explanations of many of the current contradictions of capitalism--debt crises, balance of payments problems, unemployment, depressed wages, economic collapse, etc--that I have seen.
This is one of the best, most concise explanations of many of the current contradictions of capitalism--debt crises, balance of payments problems, unemployment, depressed wages, economic collapse, etc--that I have seen.
This instability is leading to declining standards of living around the world, which is resulting in civil unrest in Europe, increasingly nationalistic rhetoric, global lawlessness in the form of cyber-attacks and piracy, and military build-ups. The big banks that intermediate these flows like this situation. So does China, whose mercantilist policies are allowing the acquisition of a massive industrial base. And the oil producers do as well, because of the wealth and power they acquire through a global dependence on their resource.But contrary to the suggestions in the final paragraph, there is no permanent "way out of this box" under the present system.
The crisis in Europe and the financial aristocracy
by Stefan Steinberg from World Socialist Web Site.
It's banksters ĂĽber alles in Europe!
It's banksters ĂĽber alles in Europe!
In one country after another, social systems are being dismantled and health care provision ravaged. Echoing a demand from the money markets, the German chancellor called last week for the increase in retirement age to 67 years for all of Europe.
The slash-and-burn tactics advocated by the financial elite and introduced by compliant governments across Europe are rapidly impoverishing workers and the middle class. The rapacious and completely reckless nature of this layer introduces a new and explosive element into world politics.
The Spectre Haunting Europe: Debt Defaults, Austerity, and Death of the “Social Europe” Model
by Prof Michael Hudson and Prof. Jeffrey Sommers.
Another title for this article might be, "A Tale of Two Economies". The one in Latvia which is a capitalist economy and the one in Belarus which appears to be like the former Soviet Union--a centrally controlled, bureaucratically managed economy.
I think that in order to make more sense of the post-war social democratic model that existed in Europe and its present dismantling by the Empire's neo-liberal model of capitalism, one must have a clearer understanding of capitalist history which is missing from the article.
The Soviet economic model from its inception has been regarded with extreme hostility by capitalist ruling classes in the West. Fourteen Western countries invaded Soviet territory after WWI in order to overturn their revolution, but were unsuccessful. (This history has been nearly completely purged from sources available in the US. The best source is The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923, Vol. 3 by Edward Hallett Carr.) In spite of the authoritarian distortions that occurred in this revolution, it inspired workers everywhere in the world, and even more-so during the 1930s when workers in capitalist countries suffered from the effects of severe unemployment. After WWII the US made great efforts to restore European capitalist governments which contained strong social safety nets to counteract more leftist influences.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, neo-liberal capitalism has sought, and is succeeding, to eliminate these social supports in the never ending effort to feed their addiction to profits.
Of course, there is a third alternative which must be implemented if we are to avoid the scourge of climate disasters and the impoverishment of working people: the inclusive democratic control of societies and the elimination of capitalism everywhere.
Another title for this article might be, "A Tale of Two Economies". The one in Latvia which is a capitalist economy and the one in Belarus which appears to be like the former Soviet Union--a centrally controlled, bureaucratically managed economy.
I think that in order to make more sense of the post-war social democratic model that existed in Europe and its present dismantling by the Empire's neo-liberal model of capitalism, one must have a clearer understanding of capitalist history which is missing from the article.
The Soviet economic model from its inception has been regarded with extreme hostility by capitalist ruling classes in the West. Fourteen Western countries invaded Soviet territory after WWI in order to overturn their revolution, but were unsuccessful. (This history has been nearly completely purged from sources available in the US. The best source is The Bolshevik Revolution, 1917-1923, Vol. 3 by Edward Hallett Carr.) In spite of the authoritarian distortions that occurred in this revolution, it inspired workers everywhere in the world, and even more-so during the 1930s when workers in capitalist countries suffered from the effects of severe unemployment. After WWII the US made great efforts to restore European capitalist governments which contained strong social safety nets to counteract more leftist influences.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, neo-liberal capitalism has sought, and is succeeding, to eliminate these social supports in the never ending effort to feed their addiction to profits.
Of course, there is a third alternative which must be implemented if we are to avoid the scourge of climate disasters and the impoverishment of working people: the inclusive democratic control of societies and the elimination of capitalism everywhere.
A hard rain's gonna fall
by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office.
Heavier rainstorms lie in our future. That's the clear conclusion of a new MIT and Caltech study on the impact that global climate change will have on precipitation patterns.
Extreme weather and climate change: How long must we sing this song?
by Dr. Paul Johnston, principal scientist at the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter and Head of the Greenpeace International Science Unit.
See also, "Thaw of Earth's icy sunshade may stoke warming", and Report reveals flooding's massive impact on farms and mining.
It seems to me that time is running out. We can debate the issue endlessly. But each extreme weather event, whatever the strength of its underlying link to climate change, only serves to emphasise the consequences of such phenomena in terms of structural damage and human suffering. It also highlights our limited ability, despite technological advancement, to predict, mitigate and recover from them. They are yet another painful reminder of the urgent necessity for the deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, cuts that the Energy Revolution could deliver.The "Energy Revolution" cannot deliver any significant cuts as long as capitalism with its growth imperative exists. So which will we choose: survival with a sustainable social-economic system or capitalism and human extinction?
See also, "Thaw of Earth's icy sunshade may stoke warming", and Report reveals flooding's massive impact on farms and mining.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
What, Me Care? Young Are Less Empathetic
by Jamil Zaki from Scientific American. (This is an shorter version of the research report which Scientific American is selling.)
"Social Contract" theory held that people originally came from an anarchic original state to secure their common well-being by establishing laws, judicial procedures, and agencies of enforcement. This thinking was succinctly expressed in the Declaration of Independence:
Neo-liberals, on the other hand, saw the state as interfering in their pursuit of profits and wanted to remove all restrictions on their activities. And they definitely wanted to roll back the gains made by labor, gains which cut into their profits. Thus they wanted to counter any ideas of the common good and replace them with ideas that advocated individual self interest. The pursuit of individual wealth was seen as resulting in the greatest good of all.
One of Rand's students, Alan Greenspan, became one of the most powerful actors on behalf of this philosophy and neo-liberalism. In 1974 in told the NY Times:
The research, led by Sara H. Konrath of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and published online in August in Personality and Social Psychology Review, found that college students’ self-reported empathy has declined since 1980, with an especially steep drop in the past 10 years. To make matters worse, during this same period students’ self-reported narcissism has reached new heights, according to research by Jean M. Twenge, a psychologist at San Diego State University.I think that this trend has a lot to do with the growth of neo-liberal thinking in the dominant US Empire. This school of thought has various roots, most celebrated are such exponents as Friedrich Hayek and Ayn Rand. Hayek established the Society for the Renovation of Liberalism and Rand expressed her philosophy in several books beginning with Fountainhead. Both were determined to revise the philosophy of the social contract that was originally used to justify the attacks on the old feudal rule of monarchy, aristocracy, and the Catholic Church in favor of the new commercial class.
"Social Contract" theory held that people originally came from an anarchic original state to secure their common well-being by establishing laws, judicial procedures, and agencies of enforcement. This thinking was succinctly expressed in the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government....Hayek and Rand were most concerned with justifying the concentration of wealth in the hands of a relatively few hands, the capitalist class, which was often seen as deleterious to the common good, especially as seen and experienced by working people. In the late 1930s the capitalist class greatly feared the rise of labor power and the threat of a different social system by the revolution that created the Soviet Union. Working people had made substantial gains in the 1930s in the form of labor legislation establishing rights to organize and other social legislation. Also during this time, the Soviet Union was making rapid strides with industrialization and experienced no unemployment which appealed to workers in much of the rest of the world.
Neo-liberals, on the other hand, saw the state as interfering in their pursuit of profits and wanted to remove all restrictions on their activities. And they definitely wanted to roll back the gains made by labor, gains which cut into their profits. Thus they wanted to counter any ideas of the common good and replace them with ideas that advocated individual self interest. The pursuit of individual wealth was seen as resulting in the greatest good of all.
One of Rand's students, Alan Greenspan, became one of the most powerful actors on behalf of this philosophy and neo-liberalism. In 1974 in told the NY Times:
What she [Rand] did--through long discussions and lots of arguments into the night--was to make me think why capitalism was not only efficient and practical, but also moral.Since the 1970s this neo-liberal thinking was promulgated through numerous right-wing think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute. Under the powerful influence of media controlled by the ruling class, these influences have permeated all institutions of society. Thus, it is not surprising that young people today exhibit such beliefs.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The Identity Ecosystem: Obama’s plan for Internet control
by John W. Whitehead from Online Journal. (the author is a Constitutional attorney and author of a new book, The Freedom Wars.)
As I have argued before, Obama is a mere figurehead for the ruling class, a charming, rhetorically skilled salesman who delivers what they want. But media sources rarely fail to allude to the fiction that the President is a leader which, of course, maintains all the other fictions of representative "democracy". I think they mostly do this out of ignorance, but also it enhances the chances of their reports being carried by various media.
This piece is about a proposed internet ID that would be assigned to everyone who accesses the internet. This Constitutional attorney informs us:
As I have argued before, Obama is a mere figurehead for the ruling class, a charming, rhetorically skilled salesman who delivers what they want. But media sources rarely fail to allude to the fiction that the President is a leader which, of course, maintains all the other fictions of representative "democracy". I think they mostly do this out of ignorance, but also it enhances the chances of their reports being carried by various media.
This piece is about a proposed internet ID that would be assigned to everyone who accesses the internet. This Constitutional attorney informs us:
...it would not take much for a universal Internet ID to become a de facto national ID, and the consequences could be devastating. Why?
FCC Blesses Comcast Merger and New Era of Media Monopoly
by Joe Torres from The Huffington Post.
The concentration of the media just increased with this merger. Hence, the ruling class improves its control over what information is allowed to be broadcast to you.
The concentration of the media just increased with this merger. Hence, the ruling class improves its control over what information is allowed to be broadcast to you.
Comcast is already the nation's largest Cable TV and residential broadband provider, reaching 23 million cable customers and 16.7 million broadband subscribers. But once this merger is completed, Comcast will own 26 local TV stations (NBC and Telemundo); the NBC broadcast network; 17 cable networks (including MSNBC, Bravo, USA, CNBC, the Weather Channel), Universal Pictures, and the online video service Hulu. Overall, the merged company would have a financial stake in 125 media companies, including cable networks, TV stations, Web sites and other properties.
The Revolutionary MLK [15:55m video & script]
from the Real News.
Monday was Martin Luther King day, a holiday in the US. Paul Jay's guest explains how ruling class media has sanitized the messages that characterized Martin Luther King's thinking in the last year before he was assassinated. Recapture this expunged history by viewing this video. Then read King's last book entitled, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?. And read An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King. by William Pepper.
Monday was Martin Luther King day, a holiday in the US. Paul Jay's guest explains how ruling class media has sanitized the messages that characterized Martin Luther King's thinking in the last year before he was assassinated. Recapture this expunged history by viewing this video. Then read King's last book entitled, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?. And read An Act of State: The Execution of Martin Luther King. by William Pepper.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Where the People Order and the Law Obeys
by David Martinez from Unside Down World.
I’ve come here to find out about a group called La PolicĂa Comunitaria, an autonomous police force and justice system that is something of a legend in Mexico. The idea is simple: local people are elected to act as temporary police officers, and justice is administered by a council of community members, not the local state system.The author from the San Francisco Bay Area asks one of the activists how they accomplished this.
He leans towards me and his eyes gleam with pride at the many years he has put into this project. “Look,” he says, “there are many thinkers, many writers, many people who have very beautiful ideas about how to re-imagine the world. But the problem is that they can’t put them into practice, and to me it is because they don’t have the right foundation; their foundation is weak. We always engage in practice, our theories always involve practice. We always keep practice and theory in play with each other, and our theory comes from the same people who practice it: the indigenous people of Guerrero.”
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