MSNBC, HuffPo Finally Air Wilkerson's First Hand Evidence on Iraq War "Hoax"

by Gustav Wynn from OpEd News. 

Always, belatedly, we learn how the government (US) of the ruling class lied to us; and it is always carefully confined to a few mainstream outlets, and long after anyone can do anything about it. 

When I was attending a university in the 1960s, I became acquainted with an Indian Sikh student who told me one day that he thought that Americans were the most naive people on earth. Well, I thought about that, didn't believe or disbelieve this observation, and filed it away in my mind. Over the many decades since then I have frequently pulled this memory out and looked at it to see how astoundingly correct he was.

In the 1950s I served in the Army and became acquainted with a fellow soldier who had grown up in Cuba and I heard from him the many tales of corruption of the Cuban government and the US support of that government. After leaving service I followed in alternative news sources the subsequent events in Cuba following their revolution in 1959. I contrasted what I knew with the outrageous lies I was getting from US mainstream media. 

I participated in the Civil Rights Movement and witnessed the distorted coverage and lack of coverage in mainstream media about what was actually happening. I witnessed the Kennedy assassination and saw the cover-ups, the contrived tales to make the official reports fit a lone assassin theory, the many mysterious deaths of people who had been connected with the assassination, etc. This same experience occurred over and over again through the Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, and the many US-CIA engineered events in Third World countries to overturn governments, occasionally outright invasions of these countries. And on and on up to the current war in Afghanistan (see this for a list of such events), with the real events always covered up and replaced with justifying lies from mainstream media. Frankly, I believe, along with a number of engineers and architects, that the 9/11 tragedy has been part of this same pattern of cover-up and lies. And most Americans always believe these lies! What has further astounded me is that I have had absolutely no influence even on close friends and relatives about questioning the official versions of these events.

There were times when I thought I was living in an open ward of a huge institution for the insane.  I have always wondered how long this would go on, how many times could people be lied to, how bad things would have to become for ordinary working people before they would wake up! I am now beginning to see some signs that give me hope. As the mythology of the American dream turns increasingly into the nightmare of current realities, it appears to me that my fellow Americans will wake up, and wake up with quite a jolt. When they do, look out!

Wisconsin, power, unions, and oligarchy

by Jim O’Reilly from his blog, Comments on Global Political Economy.

Even someone who retired from a career in banking and finance, like this astute blogger, can see this simple, but widely obscured, truth:

Unions were a great threat to business power in the early 20^th century but the sad fact is they’ve been co-opted.  Since the end of World War II, unions have consistently acted to put down worker militancy and thereby assure the smooth operation of a capitalist system which puts near complete power in the hands of business.  It’s a serious mistake to think of unions as an institutional counterweight to oligarchy.

“We’re Broke,” Say the Rich, and the Poor Must Pay

by Glen Ford from Black Agenda Report. 

A society built on racist lies and outright nonsense will believe anything. Therefore, it is no wonder that Republicans have achieved such “wondrous success by planting the words ‘We’re broke’ in the mouths of men and women who are transparently rich, and who in turn serve the interests of the super-rich.” Unfortunately, President Obama and other Democrats worship the same idols as Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. 

From Madison to Manhattan, Workers Defend Union Rights

by Kanya D'Almeida from IPS.

This journalist examines labor protests and Gov. Walker's actions in Wisconsin and discovers a class war.

Seen through this broader lens of Walker's political allegiances, the events in Wisconsin take on a different light.

As political columnist Sally Kohn points out, the crisis in Wisconsin "isn't about budget deficits or government spending or even public employee benefits. It's class war, wherein the big business, conservative Right tries to pit working class Americans against one another so that the super-rich can continue to pilfer our private and public coffers for their own boundless gain."

Greek police clash with anti-austerity protesters

from Reuters. 

The Greeks are once again engaging in a 24 hour general strike in their class war: 

Greek police clashed with protesters Wednesday as around 100,000 workers, pensioners and students marched to parliament to protest austerity policies aimed at helping Greece cope with a huge debt crisis.

The real reason for public finance crisis

by Richard Wolff from the Guardian.

Nothing better shows corporate control over the government than Washington's basic response to the current economic crisis. First, we had "the rescue", then "the recovery". Trillions in public money flowed to the biggest US banks, insurance companies, etc. That "bailed" them out (is it just me or is there a suggestion of criminality in that phrase?), while we waited for benefits to "trickle down" to the rest of us.

Of course, the real reason is much more fundamental than tax avoidance by the corporations and the rich. This is an effect, not a cause. But, of course, this liberal media outlet, and anyone that works for them, can't go that far.

The twin pillars of capitalism, the right to "own" economic enterprises and the sanctity of contracts, have created a small class of people whose material interests are fundamentally opposed to the majority. The private "ownership" of socially produced wealth by individuals has allowed the latter to appropriate ever greater portions of this wealth. The growing concentration of ownership that has naturally occurred over the capitalist period has created a class of people who have at their disposal tremendous powers of influence and instruments of coercion. During this period this has resulted in the rich becoming ever richer and the poor ever poorer. This fundamental social contradiction is now being played out in the horrific insurrections in North Africa and the Middle East, and we will be seeing this class war here in the US. The protests in Madison, Wisconsin are only the beginning.

Next stop: The House of Saud

by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online. 

With the information that Escobar has dug up, the situation in Bahrain looks very much the same as the situation in Libya and elsewhere in that region--a conflict between wealthy autocrats backed mostly by elements serving the US Empire. Libya's Gaddafi is a little different in that he, after confessing his sins and pledging support for the war against al-Qai'da, has been tolerated by the Empire's political operatives. Thus, US mainstream media's treatment of the uprisings in these two countries has been very different.

Mainstream media's conditioning by so many years of Gaddafi being on the Empire's shit list has made it easy for them to portray him as an evil ogre who uses mercenaries to fire on Libyans, while framing the uprising in Bahrain, a key component of the Empire, as simply a dispute between Shi'ites and Sunnis, and omitting any reports of Bahrain's rulers using mercenaries to attack and kill their citizens.

The king of Bahrain, Hamad al-Khalifa, has blood on his hands after his mercenary security forces - Pakistani, Indian, Syrian and Jordanian - with no previous warning, attacked sleeping, peaceful protesters at 3 am on Thursday at the Pearl roundabout, the tiny Gulf country's version of Cairo's Tahrir Square.

In the brutal crackdown, at least five people have been killed - including a young child - and 2,000 injured, some by gunshots, two of these in critical condition. Riot police targeted doctors and medics and prevented ambulances and blood donors from reaching the Pearl roundabout. A doctor at Salmaniya hospital told al-Jazeera there was a refrigerated truck outside the hospital, which he fears the army has used to remove more dead bodies.

Mideast Meets Midwest: Joining the Surge Against Corrupt Elites

by Chris Floyd from Empire Burlesque. 

Tens of thousands of ordinary people pour into the streets in a desperate bid to stop yet another vicious assault on their human rights -- and their human dignity -- by an utterly corrupt political system run by callous, greedy elites. The factotums of the system -- the same kind of third-rate lackeys and shriveled-up souls found in the goon squads of governments since time immemorial -- mewl and bawl at the rabble's effrontery: how dare they challenge their "legitimate" rulers!

Time out

Wisconsin’s Walker Joins Government Asset Giveaway Club

by Yves Smith from Naked Capitalism. 

It looks like the One Percent, lead by their latest attack dog, Gov. Walker of Wisconsin, plan to sell off public assets--no doubt, at bargain prices. It looks like the class war is heating up. Are you prepared to wage battle?

The problem, of course, is that these deals put important public resources paid for by taxes (or even worse, financed by bonds and thus potentially not even yet fully paid for) in the hands of private investors. They then earn their returns by charging user fees of various sorts. The public must rely on the new owners for reinvestment and maintenance, and depending on how the deal is negotiated, may have ceded control as far as fee increases are concerned. This is tantamount to selling the family china only to have to rent it back in order to eat dinner.

The OPEC of Outrage

by John Feffer from Foreign Policy in Focus. 

The author has an interesting idea that could possibly diminish the gaps between the brainwashed right, the naive left, and real change activists in the US.

It would be very easy for American politics to devolve into a clash of leftist rage versus rightist rage. But let's consider another scenario. One message can unite many of the people attracted to the populist anger of the right and left.

Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

from PR Watch.

The One Percent are attempting, and in many cases succeeding, in taking over major institutions in our fake democracy. It seems that the great unwashed can't be trusted and must defer to their betters who are the richest, the winners in the capitalist game, and by capitalist definition, the best. Well, maybe they are right. Let us look at the evidence that this article reports.

Every day, dozens of reporters and bloggers cover the Big Three's reform campaign [the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, and the Walton Family Foundation], but critical in-depth investigations have been scarce (for reasons I'll explain further on). Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that the reforms are not working.

The Popular Uprising in Egypt: The Military Machine Remains Intact, The Political Status Quo Prevails

by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research. 

The revolution in Egypt and other counties awaits its denouement. 

If the Arab protesters are to make far-reaching changes they must persist with their demands and not back down. Nor can they ignore the role that foreign policy and economic factors play in their states.  This is essential in order for genuine changes/revolutions to take place and not bogus shows of democracy. The current transitional government in Tunis and the Egyptian military junta are continuations of the old regimes. They will either try to maintain power or wait until a “controlled opposition” takes power and “managed democracies” are established in Tunisia and Egypt.

All is not doom and gloom. The U.S. government and the Egyptian junta are not omnipotent powers either. They have limited strength. Nor can they control the lower ranks of the Egyptian military. Washington and the Egyptian generals have been worried about defection amongst the ranks of the junior officers and the non-commissioned members of the military.

A new reality is setting in. A new Middle East is coming, but it will be one that no one expects. Creative destruction and political manipulation can only go so far. What is certain is that the new Middle East will not be the one that Condoleezza Rice and Ehud Olmert bragged about when Israel was bombarding Lebanon in 2006. The U.S. establishment will eventually realize that humans cannot control chaos.

Can “Leaderless Revolutions” Stay Leaderless: Preferential Attachment, Iron Laws and Networks

by zeynep from Technosociology. 

I found this article challenging, but so right on the crucial questions about constructing alternative political structures. The writer is an academic who uses some very specialized concepts, but uses them in an attempt to shed light on the crucial questions for our time. The questions, of course, have immediate relevance for the evolving social-political situation in Egypt.

...few revolutions remain leaderless—which is exactly why it is very important to understand that the diffused nature of this revolution is hardly an inoculation  against the emergence of this dynamic [the tendency for non-hierarchical structures to evolve into hierarchical ones]; in fact, it might even contain the seeds of extreme hierarchy.

I think it is imperative for the human race and its survival that this species must quickly learn how to construct inclusive democratic systems of governance. We have lost a valuable insight since we left the small hunting and gathering societies: our survival depends on the contributions of everyone and upon our natural setting, the planet, for our survival. We must show respect to all human beings and live in harmony with the environment if we are not to self-destruct through wars, famine, climate change, and resource exhaustion.

The main barrier, as I see it, is all the cultural baggage we've inherited since the beginning of the agrarian era that bestowed to us hierarchical systems to organize our societies. It has now become almost second nature for us to move toward such systems.

Resistance to Austerity: It's not just for Europeans

by Jesse D. Palmer from Slingshot Collective (Berkeley, CA).

This organization doesn't mince words! 

We can demand a different way. A system that keeps you busy doing meaningless jobs you hate to more quickly undermine the planet's ability to support life and make a tiny number of people rich and powerful so they are unaccountable to everyone else is a crazy system. It isn't the type of system you want to see recover -- it is the type of system you want to go out into the streets to overturn. Many millions of people who see through the confusion will be out on the streets in 2011. Will any of them be in the US? Will you be there? What can we do to be part of the future, and not the past? 

Labor leaders drag out Jesse Jackson, intensify efforts to temper Wisconsin protests

from Twin Cities Indymedia. 

I've noticed in mainstream news coverage that whenever a labor leader is allowed to express their views, which is rare, that they are currently being allowed to say that they only want the right to bargain, nothing more. Well, I had a hard time believing that the workers of Wisconsin want only that. This article reveals, once again, how the labor hierarchy are either out of touch with working people, or more likely in touch with the ruling capitalist class.

A treacherous coalition of the trade Union bureaucracy and their allies in the Democratic Party are working overtime to ensure the movement dissipates and that the goal of the movement is limited to one demand and one demand only; "Don't eliminate collective bargaining rights." What's the gain for the member's if we have the right to bargain when all they're talking about is giving away our rights and benefits? There's nothing in it for us except demoralization and defeat.  The Union heads on the other hand have no purpose in society if they can't sit down with the boss.

(For great internet coverage of the scene in Wisconsin, I recommend you go to this site that is based in Madison.)

Wall Street Journal flaunts its support for dictatorship

by David Walsh from World Socialist Web Site. 

The editors of Rupert Murdoch’s Wall Street Journal have therefore felt it necessary to come to the defense of the dictatorships propped up by Washington. In an editorial February 16 (“Egypt and Iran”), the Journal uses the occasion of police repression by the Iranian regime to make the case for US-backed dictators.

The WSJ argues that "...pro-American dictatorships have more moral scruples."

I've read elsewhere (can't remember where) some observations by people on the ground in Egypt that the Egyptian Generals didn't trust their army to fire on the people, and feared that the guns might be turned on them.

Egyptian People Power Versus the Oligarchy

by Michael Barker from Pulse. 

You can sure that the US is vigorously working behind the scenes to move power into the hands of Empire approved "democratic reformers". 

The ongoing insurrection in Egypt is fantastic, but the barriers standing between the people and any substantive form of democracy are formidable and will need to be overcome in the near future. As one might expect there are plenty of ‘reformers’ waiting amongst the counter-revolutionaries to undermine any forthcoming revolution, ready and willing to proudly take on the mantle of power in the name of the democracy.

Read this to learn what happened in the Philippines in 1986.

How to Save Ourselves From the 'Save PBS' Routine

from Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. 

I think the author of this piece is on to something. His/her argument is that the current attacks on PBS and NPR (public TV and radio in the US) are a ploy to move their content ever further to the right. Read this, this, and this.

Don’t count on natural gas to solve US energy problems

by Gail the Actuary from The Oil Drum. 

The author provides substantial evidence to support her thesis. She barely touches on the issue of the pollution of ground water due to shale fracking, but it appears to becoming a significant health issue. See this, this, and this.

Radicals for peace: anti-aggression domestic insurgents in USA

by William T. Hathaway from Redress. 

The author of a new book reports on new tactics being used by some radical activists.

...peace activists have turned to radical tactics. They've moved beyond demonstrations and petitions into direct action, defying the government's laws and impeding its capacity for mass murder. Some of them have become domestic insurgents, helping soldiers to desert, destroying computer systems, trashing recruiting offices, burning military equipment and sabotaging defence contractors. As criminals for peace, they are defying the  Patriot Act and working underground in secret cells to undermine the US military empire. They are convinced the only way to bring peace now is to bring the system down.

The Republican Strategy

by Robert Reich from TPM Cafe.

Reich outlines the old divide and conquer strategy currently be used against working people in the US. This is useful information, but mixed in with it is the old liberal nonsense about Republicans and Democrats. 

Lately, I've been seeing the same framing of the issues on the liberal TV station, MSNBC. This is a major tactic used by the ruling class to create the illusion of political choice in the US. It is complete nonsense. However, as long as working people continue to be fooled by it, they will suffer the consequences. 

For a clearer understanding of the role of the Democratic Party, read a review of Lance Selfa’s The Democrats: A Critical History. Then read the book.

Obama Requests Funding for Venezuelan Opposition in 2012 Budget

by Eva Golinger from Venezuelanalysis. 

Although she focuses on US tax money to fund the destabilization of her native country, Venezuela, the same observations about funding also applies to many other nations of the world where the US (read "US ruling class") has interests. Such funding has resulted in so many repressive autocratic regimes like the ones in North Africa and the Middle East that their citizens are fighting against.

Included in the whopping $3.7 trillion request is over $670 billion for the Pentagon's ever-increasing annual budget, nearly $75 billion for the intelligence community and $55.7 billion for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The funds that go to the CIA, USAID, and a considerable portion of the Pentagon's budget is for the sole purpose of promoting, and safeguarding the profits of global capitalists. The reason that the US runs such huge deficits is because the US ruling class refuses to tax itself to pay for these expenses; instead they make the US government, which they essentially own, borrow the money from the Fed, which they own, and whoever else that will buy US Treasury paper--China, Japan, etc.
Thus, taxes have to be bled disproportionately from working people.  

With the economy in shambles, mostly because of the reckless gambling of banksters and other capitalists, many working people are now unemployed and therefore tax revenues are reduced. The solution that the ruling class wants is to slash all public spending that goes to working people. It is now open class warfare, only most working people outside of Wisconsin still don't see it.

This Monetary Reform Bill Will Surely Loosen The Banksters' Bowels

by Gabriel Donohoe from OpEd News.

Great title! Although the bill hasn't the slightest chance of survival, the very idea will be a shock to banksters. I'm curious to see how much Ron Paul and other libertarians support the bill.

Kucinich's Bill, if enacted as written, would take the power of money creation away from the banksters and return it to Congress as the Founding Fathers had originally intended. And in no time, the National Debt would be fully paid off with debt-free, interest-free U.S. Treasury dollars.

Forget about the usual reverence paid to the "Founding Fathers". The latter just hadn't thought up the idea of the Fed at that point in time. They did create a central bank called the Bank of North America by pooling the huge war profits they, and the merchant class, had made off the Revolutionary War, added some foreign loans, and finally, some US Treasury money that they took to supply sufficient funds for their bank. They then made loans to the US Treasury.

Anatomy of Egypt's Revolution Parts 1 and 2

by Esam Al-Amin from CounterPunch. (Part 3 is expected soon.)

We activists have much to learn from the experience of the brave Egyptians. This series is essential study material.

In Part 1 the author expresses what might be viewed as a contradiction by defining "revolution" correctly as "a successful struggle embraced by the masses that radically alters the existing political, economic, and social order." Then, a little later, writing "Although the declared goals of the Egyptian revolution have yet to be fully realized, its primary goal of overthrowing its dictator was spectacularly achieved within a historically short period of time." And clearly with many other statements the author believes that the revolution is continuing and has great promise to fulfill all of its goals.

Part 1

Decentralized and highly organized leadership: This revolution was not leaderless, but the leaders were not visibly identifiable. They cleverly structured their protests and activities without naming a single group or leader.  Dozens were speaking on behalf of the revolution, communicating the same message. Some identified with the youth, others with the diverse opposition movements, while many were independent. The security apparatus was confused and could not identify the major leaders of the revolution.

Part 2

The organizers took pride in the fact that all decisions of the activities of the revolution were based on mutual consultation and democratic principles. Every organizer and group was given the opportunity to voice his or her opinion and vote.

Thus, a new code, dubbed the “revolutionary ethical code,” was established and recognized by all. It encompasses values such as freedom, justice, equality, democracy, participation, solidarity, honesty, transparency, responsibility, and sacrifice- values, which many people had abandoned before the revolution upon feeling that they had no stake in a society ruled by bullies, thieves, and crooks.

The fall of the West's little dictator

by Esam al-Amin from Harakah Daily (Malaysia). 

Although the author focuses on events in Tunisia, we see the same patterns everywhere in the Middle East and North Africa. He concludes his review of events with some key questions that applies to all these countries:

The verdict on the ultimate success of the Tunisian revolution is still out. Will it be aborted by either infighting or the introduction of illusory changes to absorb the public's anger? Or will real and lasting change be established, enshrined in a new constitution that is based on democratic principles, political freedom, freedoms of press and assembly, independence of the judiciary, respect of human rights, and end of foreign interference?

The revolution is now !

by Jon Newton from P2P Net. 

Quite inspirational, and a link to what appears to be an excellent film: "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward". I have been waiting impatiently for the release of this film, and just decided to buy the DVD.

As I get older I worry — really worry — about the world my daughter and her children might inherit.

You Know Those Obnoxious Posters Who Almost Seem Like Alter Egos Of The Same Person? They Actually Might Be ...

from Washington's Blog. 

Our ruling class government appears to be inclined to use the internet to manage our consent.

Though many questions remain about how the military would apply such technology, the reasonable fear should be perfectly clear. "Persona management software" can be used to manipulate public opinion on key information, such as news reports. An unlimited number of virtual "people" could be marshaled by only a few real individuals, empowering them to create the illusion of consensus.

Egypt Rebels Against Mubarak’s Royal Arrogance

by Jamie Johnson from Vanity Fair. 

My favorite US one-percenter contacts a one-percent pal from a former Egyptian royal family to find out what is happening in Egypt.

Class war in Wisconsin

by Lee Sustar from Socialist Worker. 

This article provides graphic details of the class war as it is being fought on the ground by working people in Wisconsin. 

...the one-sided class war is over. Unions in Wisconsin are fighting back--and they're doing so across union lines that have traditionally divided and weakened them. Around the Capitol, it's common to hear conversations from veteran unionists that they'd never seen anything like this from the labor movement--and they couldn't be happier.

But the struggle is far from over--and despite the powerful mobilizations, victory is by no means assured in Wisconsin. Walker has a Republican majority in both houses of the legislature to rely on if he can get a vote. "If this passes, it's going to be nationwide" said Dahnert, the highway worker. "You're going to see the quality of life go way down."

Asked if that means workers have to be prepared to escalate their action, he said: "I believe that's the only choice we have."

Go Wisconsin Workers and Students! "What's Disgusting? Union Busting!" Chant Wisconsin Crowds

from The Nation via War is a Crime. 

More details in the class war being fought in Wisconsin.

Buses and cars arrived from Illinois and Minnesota and as far away as Kansas, as teachers and public employees from those states showed up at what American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union president Gerald McEntee says is “ground zero“ in the struggle for labor rights in America.

Wisconsin Is a Battleground Against the Billionaire Kochs' Plan to Break Labor's Back

by Adele M. Stan from AlterNet.

Class war is now raging across the world. And finally, here in the US the workers are finally fighting back against the determined efforts of capitalist attack dogs. Encouraged by the passivity of the people following the bailout of the banks, the obscene bonuses taken by banksters, the cutbacks of public services, continued serious unemployment with dim prospects for improvement, the right-wing has launched its attack on unions. This battle in Wisconsin may be pivotal. If they can win there, it will be a major setback for working people in the US, one which they may not recover from.

...the Kochs are determined to make Wisconsin a laboratory of corporate oligarchy. Nationwide, the war on public workers -- and government in general -- is not simply a facet of an ideological notion about the virtues of small government. The war on government is a war against the labor movement, which has much higher rates of union membership in the public sector than it does in the private sector.

Labor is seen by corporate leaders as the last strong line of resistance against the wholesale takeover of government (and your tax dollars) by corporations. So, by this line of thought, labor must die.

International Speculation Culprit in Rising Food Prices

by Umberto Mazzei from Americas Program.

He argues that the current food crisis is fueled by the international food cartels and their ability to control prices, and investor speculation.

International cartels now use their control over the global food supply to make huge profits. There are six major corporations that control the purchase and sale of agricultural products: Cargill, Kraft, Bunge & Born, ADM (Archer Daniels Midland), Nestlé and General Mills. Food prices are set at exchanges in Chicago, New York and London.

For a more thorough explanation of this speculation thesis, view/listen/read this excellent interview [22:15m] on Real News with two economists.

The New Latin American “Progresismo” and the Extractivism of the 21st Century

by Carmelo Ruiz Marrero from Americas Program.

I believe that the author is right on the mark in arguing this thesis:

Unlike in neoliberalism, in the new Latin American “progresismo” or “21st Century Socialism” the state has much more participation in the economy and directs part of the foreign exchange funds into social programs, and also China has replaced the United States as the main importer of raw materials. But little else has changed. Instead of post-extractivism now there is neo-extractivism. Extractive activities and the export of raw materials continue as before, but are now justified with a progressive discourse.

It seems, once again, that the more things change, the more they remain the same. Perhaps this is why the Empire has blunted its attacks on the progressive movements in South America.

U.S. Justice v. the world

by Glenn Greenwald from Salon. 

This former constitutional lawyer argues that law and the US Constitution are only applicable to those outside of the ruling class--something I've argued many times in the past. He uses the case of Jose Padilla, an American citizen, to illustrate one of the most egregious examples of ruling class immunity from the law and Constitution.

If an American citizen can't even sue political officials who lawlessly imprison and torture him in his own country -- if political leaders are vested with immunity from a claim of this type -- what rational person can argue that the rule of law or the Constitution binds our government officials?

Boeing’s Multi-Billion Outsourcing Fiasco

by Yves Smith from Naked Capitalism.

 We’ve repeatedly said that offshoring and outsourcing are often not the big cost-savers that the industry promoting them, Wall Street, and the stenographers among the business press would have you believe.

I live near Seattle and thus I hear a lot about Boeing's problems with cost overruns and delays which the author elaborates in this article. She attributes the cause to "hubris". 

I think that their are two main factors that account for dysfunctional outsourcing: the usual anti-union strategy and to develop support for the military-industrial complex's highly profitable wars. I think that the latter is probably the most important factor to account for the weakened state of anti-war opposition in the US. By spreading the jobs around the county, they build up political constituencies for more war spending. See this. Anti-war campaigns are successfully framed in the media as being anti-jobs. Political support for weapons spending continues even when the military establishment doesn't want particular weapons--see this.

Wave of Strikes Challenges Military

by Cam McGrath from IPS News. 

The current insurrections in the Middle East and North Africa are of critical importance to the Empire. If these popular insurrections result in true popular power, and thus the overthrow of friendly, autocratic allies of the US, then the Empire is in real trouble. And, of course, the leaders of the latter are acutely aware of this. What is unreported is all the behind the scenes activities that they are engaged in to "manage" these insurrections. In any case, in contrast to US liberals, who seem unable to comprehend real people power when it actually starts to happen, I will be following these developments as closely as I can.

The iron fist that has kept a tight grip on Egypt’s labour movements for nearly six decades relaxed this week, unleashing a wave of wildcat strikes that is testing the resolve of the country’s new military rulers.

Is Wisconsin Our Egypt? 15,000 Protest Off-the-Wall Right-Wing Governor's Policies

by Rose Aguilar from AlterNet. 

Having been a resident of Madison, Wisconsin in the late 1960s and early 70s, I became acutely aware of that state's extreme political polarization. Madison, the home of the huge University of Wisconsin, is populated by many people on the left of the political spectrum. 

This "left", of course, must be seen as relative to politics in the US where the political spectrum has moved to the right ever since the days of Senator Joe McCarthy (also from Wisconsin) and the right-wing anti-communist hysterical witch hunts. The latter were an organized attack by right-wing capitalists following WWII against all the gains made by working people in the 1930s. 

The campaign purged all left thinking people from Hollywood, institutions of higher learning, media, government, and labor unions. It was highly successful and resulted in the emergence of the military-industrial complex where government increasingly became directed by private interests operating behind the scenes. Many people saw this development as "friendly fascism". Read The Secret Team by Col.(ret) L. Fletcher Prouty, who saw this happening from the inside, for the details.

At first as I read recent articles like this, I thought that the opposition to the Governor's attacks on state workers was largely confined to liberal Madison and would likely go nowhere. I'm not so sure now.

"I've never seen anything like it. It wasn't just teachers and union members from the University of Wisconsin (UW), where I work. There were Steelworkers, Teamsters, Pipefitters, building trades unions and more--unions I've never seen at a rally in 10 years," he said. "The most amazing thing is when the firefighters came in a delegation. Along with police, Walker has exempted firefighters from the legislation, but they came with signs that said, 'Firefighters for workers' rights.' People were crying."

Join Our Letter To Internet Companies

by Jay Stanley from American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The ACLU is fighting back against government surveillance of its citizens and their right to know what their government is doing.

A few weeks ago, we all learned that the Justice Department had obtained an order demanding that Twitter turn over private information about several of its users in connection with the government’s investigation of WikiLeaks.

Hillary Hypocrisy? Clinton Calls for Free Speech, while Vet Arrested, Abused Before Her Eyes for Exercising Free Speech

by Kevin Zeese from OpEd News.

During that speech Ray McGovern, a veteran who also served for 27 years as a CIA analyst, exercised his freedom of speech by standing and silently turning his back on Secretary Clinton. He was protesting the ongoing wars, the treatment of Bradley Manning and the militarism of U.S. foreign policy. He did not shout at the Secretary of State or interrupt her speech. He merely stood in silence.

There are few people in the US who know more about the war crimes and human rights abuses of the Empire than Ray McGovern. While the Empire's public relations people such as Hillary Clinton sermonize about civil and human rights abroad, this great clip illustrates how the Empire cannot tolerate the mildest form of dissent at home.


  

Scientists Connect Global Warming To Extreme Rain

by Seth Borenstein from The Huffington Post. 

Two studies in Wednesday's issue of the journal Nature link heavy rains to increases in greenhouse gases more than ever before.

Egyptian army hijacking revolution, activists fear

by Jack Shenker from the Guardian. 

Egypt's revolution is in danger of being hijacked by the army, key political activists have warned, as concrete details of the country's democratic transition period were revealed for the first time.

Egypt's thirst for freedom has intensified, even after Mubarak's exit

by Amira Hass from Haaretz.

Even someone in Zionist Israel can recognize the beauty of the human spirit when the yoke of oppression is lifted off of them. She captures some of this spirit in her article.

It is a rare privilege to experience a time when people feel truly liberated and empowered for the first time in their lives. I experienced this spirit when I visited Nicaragua in 1982 when the spirit was still alive after the people got rid of Somoza and established their own government. It is a spirit that is hard to describe. It is a euphoric high like no drug can produce. Love rules everywhere. You can see this in the faces of the people, in their caring behavior toward each other. 

Unfortunately, this event so far in human history usually lasts only for a short time until the yoke of oppression is placed on them again by a ruling class. Nowadays, it is the capitalists who allegedly "own" our economy, or all the major components of it; and to serve their economy means that the rest of us must become powerless wage slaves.

See also this piece entitled, "Transformed by the Revolution", from Socialist Worker that also captures some of this spirit.

Revolutions are schools of profound self-education. They destroy submission and resignation, and they release long-repressed creative energies--intelligence, solidarity, invention, self-activity. In so doing, they reweave the fabric of everyday life. The horizons of possibility expand. The unthinkable--that ordinary people might control their lives--becomes both thinkable and practical.

 

The Shame of Being an American

by Paul Craig Roberts from Foreign Policy Journal.

The lies continue to be revealed: Lies used to slaughter millions of people in foreign lands, to justify police state methods in our own land (USA), to starve the public sector in order to feed the voracious appetite of the profiteering war machine, and to serve the psychotic fantasies of power mad individuals.

The Mysterious Collapse of World Trade Center 7: Case Far From Closed

by Jeremy R. Hammond from Foreign Policy Journal. 

Scientists, engineers, and architects continue to punch holes in the official explanations for the collapse of the 9/11 buildings. This singular event was used to justify an extremely aggressive foreign policy that has resulted in US attacks on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan resulting in millions of lives lost, many more disabled people, millions of refugees, and numerous related modes of suffering. 

On the other hand, the invasions have created enormous wealth for weapons and war material contractors, and have resulted in the further weakening of civil rights in the core NATO countries to the point where police state methods are increasingly being used against citizens.

Meanwhile, we continue to find resistance from government officials to address the many discrepancies in the official reports related to the 9/11 phenomenon.

The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It

a book review by John Hoey, M.D. from Want to Know.

In this book, her most recent, Marcia Angell explores pharmaceutical research, deplores the rapidly expanding involvement (and distortion of truth) of Big Pharma, and implores us all (physicians, patients, politicians) to do something about it. 

See also this piece entitled, "Why Almost Everything You Hear About Medicine Is Wrong". Notice that this capitalist publication carefully avoids connecting the issue of false medicines with profit-obsessed capitalism.

Read this piece entitled, "What Drug Companies are Paying Your Doctor", from Pro Publica. 

Capitalism corrupts everything it touches, and it seems to touch everything. It exploits people, it kills people, it creates wars, and it attacks even the planet's ecological system to the point where climate change is now threatening the human race.

Student-Run Collectives Replace Junk Food Franchises on College Campuses

by Barry from Politics of the Plate.

“It’s really about food sovereignty,” he said. “Students having control over the institutions that serve them food.”

Mass protests spread in Middle East as Washington reassures Israel, Arab dictators

by Bill Van Auken from World socialist Web Site. 

The author reports on the spreading liberation of oppressed people in several countries in the Middle East ruled by US favored puppets.

Netanyahu said on Monday that “an earthquake is shaking the Arab world,” and that Israel’s nuclear-armed military is “ready for all eventualities.” He described the Israeli military [sponsored by US taxpayers] as “the foundation of our existence.”

See also the Financial Times [free registration required] report on Bahrain in which they report that "Protesters in Bahrain have taken control of one of the city’s main intersections as police declined to intervene after violence rocked the small kingdom."

See also NY Times report entitled, "Clashes Erupt in Bahrain as Tumult Ripples Across Mideast".

 

Egypt's revolution and Israel: "Bad for the Jews"

by Ilan Pappe from The Electronic Intifada.

This Professor of History and Director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies at the University of Exeter assesses Israeli reaction to the insurrections across the Arab world.

...trust the Israelis not to miss an opportunity to miss peace. They would cry wolf. They would demand, and receive, more funds from the American taxpayer due to the new "developments." They would interfere clandestinely and destructively to undermine any transition to democracy (remember what force and viciousness characterized their reaction to democratization in Palestinian society?), and they would elevate the Islamophobic campaign to new and unprecedented heights.

But who knows, maybe the American taxpayer would not budge this time. 

Carter Harassed with $5 million Suit by Israeli Lawyers

by John V. Walsh from Dissident Voice. 

Zionist "human rights" lawyers are going after Jimmy Carter for stating the obvious--the Israeli practice of apartheid against Palestinians. Israel, the product of a confluence of interests among Zionists and imperialist-minded US and British rulers, is the Empire's well armed outpost in the Middle East guarding its access to cheap oil.

Under the (Egyptian) volcano

by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online. 

The author underlines the clash of interests represented by the Egyptian military establishment and its US supporters and the rest of Egypt.

Wisconsin Governor Launches Attack on Public Sector Employees and Unions; Threatens to Deploy National Guard to Quell Labor Protests [14:11m video & script]

segment from Democracy Now broadcast.

Class war is heating up in the US with the current attacks on public employees.

“If Governor Walker pulls this off, if he succeeds in taking away collective bargaining rights from the union, AFSCME, which was founded in Wisconsin back in the 1930s, if he takes down one of the strongest and most effective teachers’ unions, WEAC, in the country, then we really are going to see this sweep across the United States.”

House votes to extend provisions of the PATRIOT Act

by Eric W. Dolan from The Raw Story. 

It didn't pass last week because it was...

...23 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass it under a procedure that allows bills that aren't controversial to pass quickly.

...The measure is now expected to return to the House floor for a regular vote that would require a simple majority to pass. If House members vote then as they did Tuesday, the extension will pass easily.

And today it did.

When the act was first signed into law, Congress put in some "sunset" provisions to quiet the concerns of civil libertarians, but they were ignored by successive extensions. Unfortunately, those concerns proved to be well founded, and a 2008 Justice Department report confirmed that the FBI regularly abused their ability to obtain personal records of Americans without a warrant.

Devastating Freeze in Mexico is Worst Freeze in Over 50 Years--Food Prices to soar

by Sysco Corporation from Food Freedom. 

Once again we find that there is no mention in the article of the possible (probable!) connection to climate change. We continue to see extreme weather, but the havoc it is causing now is only a pale version of events to come. Unless we, the people, change the system that is causing climate instability--capitalism, we will all perish.

All of our growers have invoked the act of god clause on our contracts (force majeure) due to the following release:

The extreme freezing temperatures hit a very broad section of major growing regions in Mexico, from Hermosillo in the north all the way south to Los Mochis and even south of Culiacan. The early reports are still coming in but most are showing losses of crops in the range of 80 to 100%.

Capitalism’s Profit System

by Frank Scott from Dissident Voice. 

After colonialism officially ended, western domination was maintained over former colonies by governments headed by puppets whose regimes were called democratic as long as they remained under the domain of privately controlled markets and adhered to the dictates of Israel [I assume he means in the Middle East]. That minority-dominated system has never been under more pressure as disgusted majorities are crying out “enough is enough”. This global trend may not always be focused on private capital’s anti-democratic control, but that is the core problem which can only be solved by democratic public control of the political economics of all nations. The rise of a previously subjugated population in Egypt heralds a move closer to that solution to humanity’s collective problem.

Sachs Says Democrats, GOP Both `Unrealistic' on Budget [8:15m video]

Jeffrey Sachs on Bloomberg TV. 

The well indoctrinated interviewers on Bloomberg TV seem to have a hard time comprehending what this professor from Columbia University is telling them, I think it is because he is telling it like it is and it doesn't fit with their indoctrination. I hope the professor has tenure. 

America’s Strategic Repression of the ‘Arab Awakening’

by Andrew Gavin Marshall from Global Research. 

This Canadian reseacher associated with the Centre for Research on Globalization in Quebec provides one of the most comprehensive analyzes of Empire strategies to manage and contain opposition that I have seen. There is so much material in this and related articles that provides one with the conceptual tools to understand contemporary political events. Hence, if one doesn't already have these conceptual tools, it is imperative that you study the article closely.

Having stated the above, I have two problems with this presentation. First, and most importantly, he never mentions capitalism or capitalists in the article. This is a glaring omission. He constantly refers to elites, but fails to mention the system that this segment of the population uses to obtain their wealth and power, and to oppress others. Perhaps this is to avoid directly threatening elite power and having to deal with their attacks.

Second, this paragraph introduces some confusion into his analysis:

Historically, revolutions are never the product of a one-sided development. That is, revolutions predominantly do not come about through the actions of one segment of society, often polarized as either an elite-driven or people-driven revolution, but rather they come about through a complex interaction and balancing of various social groups. The context and conditions for a revolution often do not emerge without the awareness of the upper classes, therefore, the upper social strata always or often seek to mitigate, control, repress, influence or co-opt and control the process of revolution. In this context, we cannot dismiss revolutions simply as a top-down or bottom-up process, but rather a mitigation and interaction between the two approaches.

There is not such thing as an "elite-driven revolution". By definition, elites are in power--how can they revolt against themselves? And likewise, it is confusing to refer to a "top-down" revolutionary process. The latter is called counter-revolution.

The Emerging Counter-Revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt

by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya from Global Research.

This temporary victory of the people in Egypt and Tunisia will be met with capitalist moves to contain the damage to their system and the people who run it. I will attempt to follow this story and that of the counter-revolution as it unfolds. This article provides the early signs. Currently this observer puts the spotlight on some self-appointed spokespeople identified as "Wise Men" attempting to represent the people in Egypt.

The role that the "Wise Men" play is that of a "manufactured opposition" that will keep the interests behind the Mubarak regime in place and also dilute the real opposition movements in Egypt.

Egyptian military asserts authority as strikes, protests spread

by Andrea Peters from World Socialist Web Site. 

Provides some good coverage of worker activism on behalf of real change in Egypt.

Unrest in the Middle East - Monday 14 February

from the Guardian. 

At least for today, this appears to be a good site for up-to-the-minute reports on the fast developing events in the Middle East and North Africa.

4 degrees Hotter

from Climate Action Centre.

The global ruling classes refuse to give up the system which lays their golden eggs--capitalism. Thus, if we, the people, allow them to keep fouling our atmosphere with their polluting gases, the result as determined by scientific research will be an increase of 4 degrees Celsius in global warming by 2100. This assumes that gas emissions do not increase, a very dubious assumption.  

But let's look at what the effects look like if only 4 degrees occur. David Spratt has summarized the findings from the Climate Action Centre:

     * The world would be warmer than during any part of the period in which modern humans evolved, and the rate of climate change would be faster than any previously experienced by humans. The world's sixth mass extinction would be in full swing. In the oceans, acidification would have rendered many calcium-shelled organisms such as coral and many at the base of the ocean food chain artefacts of history. Ocean ecosystems and food chains would collapse.
    * Half of the world would be uninhabitable. Likely population capacity: under one billion people. Whilst the loss will be exponential and bunch towards the end of the century, on average that is a million human global warming deaths every week, every year for the next 90 years. The security implications need no discussion
    * Paleoclimatology tells us that the last time temperatures were 4C above pre-industrial (during the Oligocene 30 million years ago), there were no large ice-sheets on the planet and sea levels were 65–70 metres higher than today. Whilst ice sheets take time to lose mass, and the rise to 2100 may be only 1–2 metres (or possibly a couple more according to James Hansen), the world would be on the way to 65–70 metres.
    * 3C may be the “tipping point” where global warming could be driven by positive feedbacks, leaving us powerless to intervene as planetary temperatures soared. James Hansen says warming has brought us to the "precipice of a great tipping point”. If we go over the edge, it will be a transition to “a different planet”, an environment far outside the range that has been experienced by humanity. There will be "no return within the lifetime of any generation that can be imagined, and the trip will exterminate a large fraction of species on the planet".

Hold the Celebration: Egypt's Struggle Just Began

by Stephen Lendman from OpEd News. 

The author goes a bit too far with his cynicism regarding the Egyptian uprising and removal of Mubarak. He seems to think that "Washington" is all powerful and can always control events. For example:

Euphoria also characterized most US media reports. Notably, however, unless Washington plans war or wants foreign adversaries denigrated, rarely ever are overseas events covered, especially uprisings against purported allies. Yet, for days, Egypt's was main-featured on television and in print, including unheard of anti-regime views, meaning official Washington supported them against an out-of-favor leader.

He disregards all the evidence that US ruling circles supported Mubarak until it was clear after a few weeks that he didn't have control of the situation. 

The uprising was totally spontaneous, all the ingredients were in place--economic hardships, fear of police authorities, extreme wealth and poverty, rigged elections, etc. This exists elsewhere in the world and especially in the Middle East. What other places lack is a well organized revolutionary core, the April 6th Youth Movement, which was able to take the social explosion ignited by the events in Tunisia a few weeks before and channeled the energy into a successful overthrow of the Mubarak regime and, at least temporarily, his US sponsored and trained military. Mainstream US media and the ruling class political operatives really didn't know what to make of this uprising. Read this, this, and this.

This confusion and the fact that these events were so huge made it impossible for them to manage the news coverage. You can be sure, now, that they will increasingly try frame the news to fit their interests in containing this popular uprising that threatens the Empire's rule over the Middle East.

On the other hand, Lendman with good reason knows that the revolution is not finished, and this is an important point to remember. It was a popular coup, but one that was brilliantly carried off against a favored US puppet and succeeded. This was no "colored revolution" engineered largely by the CIA as we have seen previously. Whether "Washington" can contain this firestorm of genuine democratic aspirations not only in Egypt, but in the Middle East, is not clear, and they, most of all, know it. They have been profoundly shaken by the events in Egypt.

Is this a ‘Young Turks’ moment all over again?

by William Bowles from his blog. 

I regard Bowles as one of the more astute commentators on world political events, and especially this one in Egypt. 

This article is only slightly dated having been written as Sulieman was handed power, but his observations appear to be on the mark.

For the past thirty years the US has squandered $60 billion supplying Egypt’s military dictatorship and in so doing it has created an military-owned business dynasty that now owns major chunks of the Egyptian economy. It’s a military-political economy, thus the central dilemma is that in order to transform Egyptian society the military-political cabal that rules Egypt has to be overthrown and disowned of its ill-gotten gains. This means taking on the Army. How can it be defanged?

World Social Forum: Declaration of the Social Movements Assembly

from Global Research. 

It appears that the events in the Middle East have had a large influence on this organization.

Capitalism´s destructive force impacts every aspect of life itself, for all the peoples of the world. Yet each day we see new movements rise, struggling to reverse the ravages of colonialism and to achieve well-being and dignity for all. We declare that we, the people, will no longer bear the costs of their crisis and that, within capitalism, there is no escape from this crisis. This only reaffirms the need for us, as social movements, to come together to forge a common strategy to guide our struggles against capitalism.

And even better, they are calling for future anti-capitalist mobilizations:

Inspired by the struggles of the peoples of Tunisia and Egypt, we call for March 20th to be made a day of international solidarity with the uprisings of the Arab and African people, whose every advance supports the struggles of all peoples: the resistance of the Palestinian and Saharian peoples ; European, Asian and African mobilisations against debt and structural adjusment plans ; and all the processes of change underway in Latin America.

We also call for a Global Day of Action Against Capitalism on October 12th, when we express in myriad ways our rejection of a system that is destroying everything in its path.

The leaked campaign to attack WikiLeaks and its supporters [article of the month]

by Glenn Greenwald from Salon.  

This must-read article from a courageous, former constitutional lawyer has so many lessons to give all progressive Americans about how their society is governed and the class war that is becoming more vicious in recent years. There are many valuable links included (I've featured one following this article), many of which I have yet to access. The article and all the links demand our complete attention if we are going understand what we are up against, and then begin to make changes. Let the Egyptians be our inspiration!

...the real issue highlighted by this episode is just how lawless and unrestrained is the unified axis of government and corporate power.  I've written many times about this issue -- the full-scale merger between public and private spheres --  because it's easily one of the most critical yet under-discussed political topics.  Especially (though by no means only) in the worlds of the Surveillance and National Security State, the powers of the state have become largely privatized.  There is very little separation between government power and corporate power.   Those who wield the latter intrinsically wield the former.  The revolving door between the highest levels of government and corporate offices rotates so fast and continuously that it has basically flown off its track and no longer provides even the minimal barrier it once did.  It's not merely that corporate power is unrestrained; it's worse than that:  corporations actively exploit the power of the state to further entrench and enhance their power.

"Law" is something used to restrain ordinary Americans and especially those who oppose this consortium of government and corporate power, but it manifestly does not apply to restrain these elites.

More Fallout From Anonymous

by John Cole from Balloon Juice. 

One thing that even the dim bulbs in the media should understand by now is that there is in fact a class war going on, and it is the rich and powerful who are waging it. Anyone who does anything that empowers the little people or that threatens the wealth and power of the plutocracy must be destroyed.

If you are still not convinced that a class war is underway in the US, read this brief article AND specifically the comments following the article.

The World Turned Upside Down

by Asa Winstanley from New Left Project. 

The scenes depicted in this article accurately describe what a real social-economic revolution looks like, and thus, provides lessons for all people who strive to build a better world, a world governed by a social-economic system that is compatible with the Earth's ecology and principles of social justice. We must study it and learn from it. The Egyptians have much to teach us.

The massive popular uprising in Egypt is already the most important event in the modern history of the Middle East. It will have wide-reaching reverberations for decades to come. Arab tyrants around the region are already announcing pre-emptive “reforms” in the hope of staving off what US Senator John McCain has called the “virus” of resurgent pan-Arab nationalism.

Scenes from a revolution

by Mostafa Omar from Socialist Worker. 

It is very important that if we bring down Mubarak today, it will not be the end, but the beginning of the revolution. The regime is not just one person, but an entire ruling elite around Mubarak. Our revolution started as a youth revolution, but now it has developed into a people's revolution.

Mubarak resignation staggers Obama administration

by Alex Lantier from World Socialist Web Site.

Obama administration officials reacted to yesterday’s ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak with hypocritical declarations of solidarity with the democratic aspirations of the Egyptian masses. Their comments barely disguised, however, the alarm they felt at the downfall of a dictator the US government has backed for 31 years.

World reacts as Mubarak steps down

from Al Jazeera. 

The picture in this article of Obama reportedly "watching history unfold" says a lot about the concern that the US ruling class has for this great event. Besides their noises about concern for "democracy", US leaders have voiced serious concern about an "orderly and managed transition to democracy" (American style). The whole Egyptian military and state apparatus has been created by Mubarak with the support of the US. Can we expect that the Egyptian people, having tasted real power, are going to go back to their jobs and other daily activities leaving this structure intact? I don't think so.

The US has tremendous influence over the hierarchy of the Egyptian military, but does the Egyptian hierarchy have control over their armies? During the last few weeks the people of Egypt have been fraternizing with the front line troops, and who knows where their allegiance lies? Mubarak and Suleiman evidently didn't trust them to respond to orders. Because the Empire leadership was unable to engineer a quick change of satraps in Egypt and because of the intelligence and bravery of the Egyptian people, the Empire leadership now have a real problem on their hands--and I mean the real leadership (for example, see this and this), not the formal US leadership. 

Obama functions as the public relations officer for the Empire. He, including his advisers, Press Secretary, speechwriters, etc., only have to worry about giving out the right messages to cover the deeds of those who control actions. However, the worried expression on Obama's face in the picture symbolizes perfectly the concern of the directors of the Empire.

The investment in the Egyptian military as a bulwark of regional influence has made sense for U.S. strategic needs: preserving the Egypt-Israel peace accord and projecting U.S. military forces into the Persian Gulf to safeguard energy supplies. 

This victory today, as great as it was, was only a battle. The revolutionary victory for the Egyptian people is not yet finished.

U.S.-Egyptian military partnership comes under stress [8:18 AM Seattle time]

by Tom Curry from MSNBC. 

This is a rare article coming from US media that deals with the close relationship of the Egyptian military and US authorities. It is clear the Mubarak and the Egyptian police state are hideous creatures of US imperialist designs in the Middle East. Although this article doesn't go quite that far, if one has been awake and aware of events since WWII history, one can reach no other conclusion. 

Egypt, of course, is not the only example of such imperialist policies, but Egypt is one of the key linchpins of US control over the Middle East. Therefore, the political actors of the US ruling class and their Empire must maintain control of Egypt. These imperial actors also feel very constrained by all the "democratic" themes behind which they rule the Empire to give it a veneer of legitimacy. Hence, their public pronouncements are increasingly at odds with what is happening on the ground.

Obama continues to make public noises about how Mubarak should take steps toward a democratic transition while we occasionally learn from other voices in the Empire that state unequivocally that the US must support Mubarak and his regime. Thus, we saw this early in this drama that Frank Wisner was sent by capitalist interests to Egypt to advise Mubarak to stay the course. (See also this.) US Vice President Biden said that Mubarak should not step down and that he was no dictator. Other US satraps such as leaders in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE in the Middle East have likewise urged US support for Mubarak's regime and, of course, Israel likewise. 

Typically, when one of US sponsored dictators loses control of their citizens, the US merely replaces them with another. This is the strategy of choice and I'm sure that this is what the US ruling class political operatives are trying to accomplish. But this course of action has been muddled by other Empire actors and by the actions of the brave people of Egypt. There is always a tension between those in the ruling classes who wish to maintain the "democratic" facade and those who are more fascist oriented and who are more inclined to use their instruments of force by supporting Mubarak's regime. 

The US authorities seem to be losing control of the situation; hence, the title of this article, "U.S.-Egyptian military partnership comes under stress". It appears that the relationship between the Egyptian military and the people of Egypt will determine the final outcome. The longer this stalemate continues, the more likely that the lower ranks of the military will be won over by the heroic people of Egypt.

(Just learned that Egyptian military has taken over in Egypt.)

Egypt: Seeds of change [25:14m video]

from Al Jazeera by People & Power. 

According to this presentation, the current Egyptian revolutionary struggle essentially started three years ago by activists who have become known as the April 6th Youth Movement. They made a study of revolutionary strategy and tactics which they practiced and refined over the last few years of activism. I can't imagine that they are prepared to merely remove one US supported tyrant for another. 

From Stalemate to Checkmate; Meet Egypt's Future Leaders

by Esam Al-Amin from Uprooted Palestinians. 

In the first part of this article, the author introduces us to some of the brave, young people who have stood up to the US satrap, Mukbarak, and his US funded army and appear to be winning. Of course, the Empire will do everything it can to manage and tame this revolution so that Egypt continues to serve the Empire. But it is difficult to put a people down once they have drunk the elixir of real participatory democracy. 

The second part subtitled, "Revolution and counter-revolution: A test of two wills", summarizes the events of the fast moving developments in this struggle that include all segments of Egyptian society.

To keep up with these developments, I advise you to watch live Al Jazeera TV.

Labour Unrest Feeds Growing Protests

by Cam McGrath from IPS. 

With international press coverage focused almost entirely on Cairo’s Tahrir Square, few outsiders have grasped the scale of Egypt’s popular uprising, now in its third week. But massive demonstrations, and pitched battles between pro- democracy protesters and the regime’s security forces, are taking place in every corner of the country.
 

Hunkered down in Alexandria

by Linda S. Heard from Online Journal. (Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs.)

Excellent description of neighborhood street scenes in Alexandria and the morale of Egyptians.

They complained about fat cats flying off with millions of dollars. “This is our money,” one said. They told me proudly that they had just flagged down two cars filled with uniformed and plainclothes police who had willingly succumbed to being ordered out of their vehicles for an identity card check. What a difference 10 days make!

Their spirits were high. They wanted me to know that for the first time they feel proud to be Egyptian; their heroes are the people in Tahrir Square who sleep there with bandaged heads, despite the chill of night and the rain or proper food or washing facilities.

Everyone spoke of the new sense of camaraderie they feel sharing cigarettes, food and what little cash they have left with neighbours they had only nodded at before all this. I’ve noticed it, too. Every time I pop my head out of the window, women hanging out washing or watching the world below smile and wave.

Egypt protesters gain ground

from Al Jazeera. 

Labour unions stage country-wide strikes and pro-democracy supporters extend demonstrations to the parliament buildings.

Marxists' views of the Egyptian crisis

from Internationalist Perspective:

On Egypt (3)

On Egypt (2) 

On Egypt (1) 

U.S. Negotiating Mubarak's Severance Package

from The Onion. 

A spoonful of satire can help the bitter taste of imperialism go down.

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.

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.                                                

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.

“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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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:

...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.

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 André 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.

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:

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.

...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.

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. 

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."