Something quite amazing is happening in Istanbul. In addition to the silent “standing man” actions around the country, people’s assemblies are slowly starting to emerge in different neighborhoods across the city. As in Spain, Greece and the Occupy encampments before, the protesters in Turkey are starting to counter-pose their own form of direct democracy to the sham of a democracy proposed by Erdogan’s authoritarian neoliberal state. If there was ever any doubt, this shows how deeply intertwined the global struggles truly are.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Assemblies emerging in Turkey: a lesson in democracy
Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution.
Brazil explodes in a furious feast of democracy
Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution.
Throughout Brazil, millions are now expressing their outrage over the country’s crumbling infrastructure, rising inflation, poor public services, vast inequality, violent crime, widespread police brutality, rampant political corruption — and a government that seems more concerned about pleasing private investors and pumping billions worth in taxpayer money into useless World Cup stadiums than meeting the needs of its own people. As most protesters see it, the ruling Workers’ Party has long since sold out to the dictatorship of the markets.The author has illustrated his article with very impressive pictures of the mass demonstrations.
Spain Breaks Up Al-Qaeda Cell Recruiting for Syria. EU Split over Illegal Syria War
Click here to access article by Christof Lehmann from nsnbc.
The author uncovers considerable evidence of the recruitment of European nationals and refugees of Arab ethnic origins to fight in various jihadi groups in Syria. Many recruiters have ties to Al Qaeda and Western intelligence agencies.
The author uncovers considerable evidence of the recruitment of European nationals and refugees of Arab ethnic origins to fight in various jihadi groups in Syria. Many recruiters have ties to Al Qaeda and Western intelligence agencies.
In an early morning raid on Friday, Spanish security forces have broken up an al-Qaeda linked terrorist network, based in northern Africa. The terrorist cell was under suspicion of sending fighters, including minors to Syria.
Amusement park case shows Israel’s growing racism
Click here to access article by Jonathan Cook from The National (United Arab Emirates).
The issue of racism and its people as being the victims of racism were used by Zionists to establish their nation on mostly Arab land with the collaboration of Western governments. We now see the inherent racist nature of Zionism surfacing in the form of public incidents of racist behaviors by Israeli citizens causing severe embarrassment to the ruling regime. But their embarrassment does not inhibit them from continuing to promote racist policies.
The issue of racism and its people as being the victims of racism were used by Zionists to establish their nation on mostly Arab land with the collaboration of Western governments. We now see the inherent racist nature of Zionism surfacing in the form of public incidents of racist behaviors by Israeli citizens causing severe embarrassment to the ruling regime. But their embarrassment does not inhibit them from continuing to promote racist policies.
While Mr Netanyahu and his allies on the far right were castigating Superland for racism, they were busy backing a grossly discriminatory piece of legislation the newspaper Haaretz called “one of the most dangerous” measures ever to come before the parliament.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Global Power Project, Part 2: Identifying the Institutions of Control
Click here to access article by Andrew Gavin Marshall posted on Occupy.com.
In the first of this series, Marshall focused more on the individual players, their relationships to important industrial and financial corporations, and their enormous possession and control of wealth. Because they wield so much influence over affairs in society, they constitute a ruling class which is rapidly taking on a transnational character. Here he focuses on the institutions where these players come together to pursue their influence more collectively.
It is important to read this material to understand the realities of political control that you likely never received in your education. These actors and their institutions account for the real government which operates behind and controls what most people think as the government: those official government institutions such as congress/parliaments, courts, and executives. The latter is the "democratic" facade necessary for the people to imagine that they have significant influence over their government, and that these official institutions function strictly according to law.
However, the powerful influence of this class does not end with their control over governing matters. In this article Marshall provides an introduction to a study of the more pervasive influence of this class: the ruling class institutions function in every sphere of activity to shape all of society according to their class interests. In the US it all began with the emergence of industrial and financial giants in the 19th century, and it has evolved from there to what we see today that Marshall will be exploring in future installments.
In the first of this series, Marshall focused more on the individual players, their relationships to important industrial and financial corporations, and their enormous possession and control of wealth. Because they wield so much influence over affairs in society, they constitute a ruling class which is rapidly taking on a transnational character. Here he focuses on the institutions where these players come together to pursue their influence more collectively.
It is important to read this material to understand the realities of political control that you likely never received in your education. These actors and their institutions account for the real government which operates behind and controls what most people think as the government: those official government institutions such as congress/parliaments, courts, and executives. The latter is the "democratic" facade necessary for the people to imagine that they have significant influence over their government, and that these official institutions function strictly according to law.
However, the powerful influence of this class does not end with their control over governing matters. In this article Marshall provides an introduction to a study of the more pervasive influence of this class: the ruling class institutions function in every sphere of activity to shape all of society according to their class interests. In the US it all began with the emergence of industrial and financial giants in the 19th century, and it has evolved from there to what we see today that Marshall will be exploring in future installments.
The large industrial foundations have played a truly profound – and largely overlooked – role in the shaping of modern society. The ‘Robber Baron’ industrial fortunes of the late 19th century – those of Morgan, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Harriman, Vanderbilt, etc. – sought to shape a new order in which they would maintain a dominant influence throughout society.
Masters of War and the destruction of peace
Click here to access article by Ahmed E. Souaiaia from Islamic Societies Review.
After convening his national security team to discuss the crisis in Syria, President Obama decided to officially authorize the transfer of weapons to the Syrian rebels. The decision is a gamble with U.S. credibility. Moreover, the release of information, via anonymous sources, shows the fragility of the U.S. administration’s position and suggests the existence of a troubling disagreement among top administration officials. That is hardly the tone needed before committing the country to a military conflict that has thus far killed 93,000 people in Syria. .... This mission is more complicated than the 2003 war in Iraq, for many reasons.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Edward Snowden — the Globalisation of Whistleblowing
Click here to access article by Annie Machon from her blog Using Our Intelligence (British).
This former whistle-blower and M15 intelligence officer offers her views on Snowden's revelations and The Guardian's role.
However, if you really want to know in depth about whistle-blowing in general and observations about Snowden's experience with The Guardian in particular, it is absolutely necessary for you to listen to a fascinating one hour audio interview with two experts on whistle-blowers--Sibel Edmonds and John Young (via telephone connections) arranged by Peter Collins and posted on his website.
This former whistle-blower and M15 intelligence officer offers her views on Snowden's revelations and The Guardian's role.
However, if you really want to know in depth about whistle-blowing in general and observations about Snowden's experience with The Guardian in particular, it is absolutely necessary for you to listen to a fascinating one hour audio interview with two experts on whistle-blowers--Sibel Edmonds and John Young (via telephone connections) arranged by Peter Collins and posted on his website.
What the NSA Revelations Tell Us about America's Police State
Click here to access article by Tom Burghardt from Antifascist Calling.
The author provides an excellent, up-to-date summary of the evidence from many whistle-blowers about government-corporate spying on US citizens.
The author provides an excellent, up-to-date summary of the evidence from many whistle-blowers about government-corporate spying on US citizens.
The FISA court order signed in April by Judge Roger Vinson directs Verizon to hand over to the NSA ... all call detail records or 'telephony metadata' created by Verizon for communications (i) between the United States and abroad; or (ii) wholly within the United States, including local telephone calls."....
While the order specifies that "telephony metadata" does not include the "substantive content of any communication" or "the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer," that information, should an individual come in for "special handling" by the secret state, call and internet content is fully-retrievable, courtesy of US high-tech firms, under the MARINA, PINWALE and PRISM programs.
[my emphasis]
As the heroic whistleblower Edward Snowden told The Guardian last Sunday: "The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. With this capability, the vast majority of human communications are automatically ingested without targeting. If I wanted to see your emails or your wife's phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards."
"What they're doing," Snowden said, poses "an existential threat to democracy."
If what the Bush and now, Obama regimes are doing is not Orwellian blanket surveillance of the American people, then words fail.
The mask of our democracy is falling:” A letter from Brazil
Click here to access the letter by Franco A., a Brazilian student posted on Truth is Beaver (France), following which is an interview with another Brazilian student in France.
You may have recently noticed news about civil protests in Brazil--that Wall Street-celebrated rising capitalist country. In this article, which is actually a letter to this French group who maintain the website, the Brazilian writer gives his version of what is happening. It seems very similar, although with Brazilian characteristics, to what is happening in many other parts of the globe where citizens are infuriated by their local capitalist elites whose policies and actions are clearly revealing the appearance of class war.
This is happening precisely because capitalist ruling classes all over the world are being confronted by planetary limits to exploitation, and now see the necessity of stealing from the poor, and even the middle class. Running out of opportunities to exploit nature's gifts, the parasite of capitalism is now feeding more aggressively on its host--society.
You may have recently noticed news about civil protests in Brazil--that Wall Street-celebrated rising capitalist country. In this article, which is actually a letter to this French group who maintain the website, the Brazilian writer gives his version of what is happening. It seems very similar, although with Brazilian characteristics, to what is happening in many other parts of the globe where citizens are infuriated by their local capitalist elites whose policies and actions are clearly revealing the appearance of class war.
This is happening precisely because capitalist ruling classes all over the world are being confronted by planetary limits to exploitation, and now see the necessity of stealing from the poor, and even the middle class. Running out of opportunities to exploit nature's gifts, the parasite of capitalism is now feeding more aggressively on its host--society.
The Limits of Ethnocracy: Racism, Zionism, and the Future of Israel
Click here to access article by Adam Simpson from Muftah.
What this "progressive" writer overlooks is that the other underlying commitment of the Zionist ruler besides to European Jewry, is their commitment to the Empire and the latter's capitalist ideology. Although Zionist propagandists like to use "democratic" rhetoric to legitimatize their rule, the history of Israel, like the history of all capitalist nations, demonstrates that they have few problems with adopting racist and police-state methods whenever such policies and practices serve their basic commitments.
The reason that "progressive" writers so frequently overlook this underlying factor is because it is never questioned by them. It is a given; it is a fact of life; it is like the water that fish swim in. Thus, it is never questioned or posed as a subject. Such writers have been so thoroughly indoctrinated in the values and principles of capitalism, it rarely surfaces in their consciousness.
Or else, they are ideological operatives of the One Percent's ruling class whose job it is to divert attention away from the subject.
What this "progressive" writer overlooks is that the other underlying commitment of the Zionist ruler besides to European Jewry, is their commitment to the Empire and the latter's capitalist ideology. Although Zionist propagandists like to use "democratic" rhetoric to legitimatize their rule, the history of Israel, like the history of all capitalist nations, demonstrates that they have few problems with adopting racist and police-state methods whenever such policies and practices serve their basic commitments.
The reason that "progressive" writers so frequently overlook this underlying factor is because it is never questioned by them. It is a given; it is a fact of life; it is like the water that fish swim in. Thus, it is never questioned or posed as a subject. Such writers have been so thoroughly indoctrinated in the values and principles of capitalism, it rarely surfaces in their consciousness.
Or else, they are ideological operatives of the One Percent's ruling class whose job it is to divert attention away from the subject.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Resisting Tear Gas Together
Click here to access article by Ian Alan Paul from Jadaliyya.
The author provides a very thought-provoking take on the use of tear gas in protests by authorities, and the responses by the protestors as we have recently witnessed in Turkey. The former try to infect the air with poisonous chemicals where protestors come together, and the latter to sustain their protests must draw on the most basic of human qualities: caring for each other and protecting their space. Is it too dramatic to frame this as a battle between the forces of death versus the forces of human life? In any case, the author also provides some very useful information about this new field of battle that seems to be characterizing the class war that is raging across various parts of the globe. (See this and this for other war fronts.)
The author provides a very thought-provoking take on the use of tear gas in protests by authorities, and the responses by the protestors as we have recently witnessed in Turkey. The former try to infect the air with poisonous chemicals where protestors come together, and the latter to sustain their protests must draw on the most basic of human qualities: caring for each other and protecting their space. Is it too dramatic to frame this as a battle between the forces of death versus the forces of human life? In any case, the author also provides some very useful information about this new field of battle that seems to be characterizing the class war that is raging across various parts of the globe. (See this and this for other war fronts.)
The global uprisings of the last decade, from the US to Spain to Egypt and now Turkey, all have taken this form of organizing against the conditions of vulnerability and precarity. These were not movements shaped by marches or speeches, but rather centered themselves on the construction of occupations and encampments, producing the contexts in which new relationalities and ways of being-together in the world could unfold. The people’s uprising that is currently taking place across Turkey is expressive of this collective desire, and perhaps need, to be together and care for one another in the shared space of the common that Gezi Park came to be for so many in Turkey. This collective practice amounted to a refusal to simply “care or fight for ourselves,” but rather to fundamentally begin “caring and fighting for each other.”
Fracking puts squeeze on drought-stricken farmers
Click here to access article by Lauren McCauley from Common Dreams.
Of course, what is driving all of these threatening factors is the underlying system of capitalism which requires cancerous like growth, and growth in turn requires the burning of more fossil fuels causing more climate destabilization. If humanity cannot better adapt to the ecological system on which it depends, humanity will disappear from the Earth. To live in harmony with our Earth, the message is clear: we simply must eliminate the social-economic system of capitalism and construct another that can support human life without destroying the conditions that support human life.
Friends of the Earth Europe have run a series of articles regarding the use of GMO crops that require pesticides, and they serve to illustrate the same maladaptive human-Earth interactive processes. In this series we see pesticide components showing up in our bodies and likely having dangerous health effects. See if you can identify the underlying capitalist forces that are driving these effects.
Through an examination of industry-compiled fracking data and the US Department of Agriculture's official drought designations, AP reveals that by driving up the price of water and burdening already depleted aquifers and rivers, the high-polluting and water-intensive shale oil and gas removal process is placing an increasing threat on states currently suffering from ongoing drought.The symptoms that illustrate humanity's approach to ecological limits are surfacing almost daily. And, the symptoms are starting to interact in the Earth's ecology. Here we see that the new energy technology of shale fracking impacting the ability of farmers to grow food economically due to conditions of drought brought on by global warming.
Of course, what is driving all of these threatening factors is the underlying system of capitalism which requires cancerous like growth, and growth in turn requires the burning of more fossil fuels causing more climate destabilization. If humanity cannot better adapt to the ecological system on which it depends, humanity will disappear from the Earth. To live in harmony with our Earth, the message is clear: we simply must eliminate the social-economic system of capitalism and construct another that can support human life without destroying the conditions that support human life.
Friends of the Earth Europe have run a series of articles regarding the use of GMO crops that require pesticides, and they serve to illustrate the same maladaptive human-Earth interactive processes. In this series we see pesticide components showing up in our bodies and likely having dangerous health effects. See if you can identify the underlying capitalist forces that are driving these effects.
Poland does away with the 8-hour day
Click here to access article from libcom.org.
When I first saw this headline, I was delighted that Poland had trimmed the workday even further. I thought that it was about time since the eight hour day has been in effect most places for well over 50 years! But, I found that they didn't lower the work day. Prepare yourself for the latest neoliberal victory in the class war.
When I first saw this headline, I was delighted that Poland had trimmed the workday even further. I thought that it was about time since the eight hour day has been in effect most places for well over 50 years! But, I found that they didn't lower the work day. Prepare yourself for the latest neoliberal victory in the class war.
On June 13, the Polish government eliminated the 8-hour working day, a right which was won in 1919. The government supposedly is trying to make Poland even more "competitive" for capitalists who want to earn more through exploiting the poor worker protection in the country and the scandalously low wages.
Military Sexual Violence: From Frontline to Fenceline
Click here to access article by Annie Isabel Fukushima and Gwyn Kirk from Foreign Policy in Focus.
To locate the root of the problem means looking beyond the assaults on U.S. military women—appalling as they are—to the routine incidents of military violence against civilians in combat situations and outside the fences surrounding U.S. bases overseas. Given their mission, soldiers are trained to kill. This means seeing “others” as foreign or less-than-human. Gender and masculinity are at play; so too are racism and national chauvinism.Military training is perfect preparation, and enhancement of previous civilian indoctrination, to view women as mere objects of sexual gratification which is a form of dehumanization. One cannot kill, or rape, another human being without dehumanizing that human being. Hence, words like gooks, ragheads, cunts, etc reflect this process.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Pentagon bracing for public dissent over climate and energy shocks
Click here to access article by Nafeez Ahmed from The Guardian.
This excellent article provides considerable documented evidence--if you need any--to support a leftist thesis that the US now possesses all the core characteristics of fascism: the seamless integration of corporations, military, and government under the management of the ruling capitalist class. The people, the 99 Percent, are now viewed as the potential enemy; and the One Percent governors are not only using widespread methods of surveillance on them, but have been preparing to use all necessary violence against them to preserve their rule.
Of course, this liberal publication doesn't express it that way. Although the author (and The Guardian editors) doesn't really challenge the carefully sanitized, public relations-shaped statements of the ruling class directors, he and The Guardian editors, are non-the-less disturbed by this phenomenon because they still believe in the old version of capitalism that contained a thin veneer of civil rights, rule of law, and social supports.
This excellent article provides considerable documented evidence--if you need any--to support a leftist thesis that the US now possesses all the core characteristics of fascism: the seamless integration of corporations, military, and government under the management of the ruling capitalist class. The people, the 99 Percent, are now viewed as the potential enemy; and the One Percent governors are not only using widespread methods of surveillance on them, but have been preparing to use all necessary violence against them to preserve their rule.
Of course, this liberal publication doesn't express it that way. Although the author (and The Guardian editors) doesn't really challenge the carefully sanitized, public relations-shaped statements of the ruling class directors, he and The Guardian editors, are non-the-less disturbed by this phenomenon because they still believe in the old version of capitalism that contained a thin veneer of civil rights, rule of law, and social supports.
The Pentagon knows that environmental, economic and other crises could provoke widespread public anger toward government and corporations in coming years. The revelations on the NSA's global surveillance programmes are just the latest indication that as business as usual creates instability at home and abroad, and as disillusionment with the status quo escalates, Western publics are being increasingly viewed as potential enemies that must be policed by the state.Here is more evidence in an article posted on Salon entitled " The irony of joint FBI/private sector OWS policing".
JPMorgan calls for authoritarian regimes in Europe
Click here to access article by Stefan Steinberg from World Socialist Web Site.
As of the time of this commentary I have been unable to locate the document that the author refers to. Although I consider this web site reliable, I am always irritated by their frequent practice of not providing any links to documents.
The author's interpretation of this report and its historical context is in sync with my own views as to the reasons behind the aggressive austerity policies being imposed on European governments. The Empire's directorate want to fully integrate Europe into the Empire; but in order to do this, they need to eliminate the strong social supports and left-wing inspired laws, the origins of which, are rooted in the European post-war political conditions as accurately described by the author.
As of the time of this commentary I have been unable to locate the document that the author refers to. Although I consider this web site reliable, I am always irritated by their frequent practice of not providing any links to documents.
The author's interpretation of this report and its historical context is in sync with my own views as to the reasons behind the aggressive austerity policies being imposed on European governments. The Empire's directorate want to fully integrate Europe into the Empire; but in order to do this, they need to eliminate the strong social supports and left-wing inspired laws, the origins of which, are rooted in the European post-war political conditions as accurately described by the author.
...Europe’s discredited ruling classes were well aware that the Russian Revolution remained a political beacon for many workers. They felt compelled to make a series of concessions to the working class to prevent revolution—in the form of precisely the social and constitutional protections, including the right to protest, that JPMorgan would now like to see abolished.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
The National Security Agency: A Global Superpower
Click here to access article by Wayne Madsen from Strategic Culture Foundation.
This investigative journalist with extensive experience with intelligence agencies along with many others has been reporting on the growing surveillance police state for quite some time. As a followup to the recent dramatic revelations by former NSA employee Edward Snowden, he provides us with an excellent overview of the far-reaching tentacles of the NSA.
This investigative journalist with extensive experience with intelligence agencies along with many others has been reporting on the growing surveillance police state for quite some time. As a followup to the recent dramatic revelations by former NSA employee Edward Snowden, he provides us with an excellent overview of the far-reaching tentacles of the NSA.
Recent revelations that the U.S. National Security Agency is conducting massive meta-data vacuuming of the phone calls and Internet transactions of tens of millions of Americans and, perhaps, billions of people around the world, with little or no effective oversight by President Obama, the U.S. Congress, or the federal court system means that the intelligence agency has become, in its own right, a global superpower.
What We DO Know About Chemical Weapons In Syria
Click here to access article by Bernhard from Moon of Alabama.
The author provides a good summary of evidence gathered from a variety of independent and/or reliable sources that puts the lie to the latest Empire propaganda justifying their latest military escalation in Syria.
The author provides a good summary of evidence gathered from a variety of independent and/or reliable sources that puts the lie to the latest Empire propaganda justifying their latest military escalation in Syria.
Clarity in Wealth
Click here to access article by Michael Barker from his blog Thoughts of a Leicester Socialist.
The author describes how the British self-help gurus are doing a booming business serving Britain's rich in order to help them cope with their conflicted and empty lives.
The author describes how the British self-help gurus are doing a booming business serving Britain's rich in order to help them cope with their conflicted and empty lives.
With the ongoing crisis of capitalism, corporate and political elites are now flocking to self-help consultants (like Smart and his friends) in a desperate bid to bring meaning to their otherwise predatory and destructive lives. In turn, in exchange for thousands of pounds, Smart and his congenial colleagues then help the ruling class feel good (or better) about leaching off the rest of society: while the corporate media preach confusion to the rest of us, misinforming us that the solutions to our very real problems actually lie within ourselves, and not within anything silly like socialism.These practitioners also seem to be doing well in the US judging by all the many programs in which they are featured on PBS--the US government mandated TV network devoted to information and cultural programs designed by and for the One Percent. And, for all those working wage slaves and unemployed, there is an abundance of TV programs on corporate media that provides them with religious gurus that essentially function the same way: keeping the masses thinking that the many problems they experience living in a capitalist society lie only within themselves, and the solutions likewise.
How the Correa government is neoliberalizing Ecuador’s mining legislation
Click here to access article by Carlos Zorrilla from Upside Down World.
I was very surprised to learn this about Ecuador.
I was very surprised to learn this about Ecuador.
The consequences of the World Bank’s neoliberal policies here and elsewhere, were not surprising: large-scale social conflicts, violence, social unrest. Luckily, in Ecuador communities were able to stop large-scale mines from opening, otherwise the country would also be burdened by enduring environmental problems. As it stands right now, Ecuador is the only Andean Nation without any large-scale metal mines (such as copper and gold). But that is about to change with the reforms to the mining legislation being debated in the National Assembly as I write this.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
What do Bosnia, Bulgaria and Brazil have in common?
Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution.
We have seen citizens protesting and rebelling in many areas of the world in the past few years. To be sure, some of the factors that have ignited them have been local, but this author sees some very significant underlying forces which are not so obvious.
We have seen citizens protesting and rebelling in many areas of the world in the past few years. To be sure, some of the factors that have ignited them have been local, but this author sees some very significant underlying forces which are not so obvious.
At first sight, it may seem like these protests are all simply responses to local grievances and should be read as such. But while each context has its own specificities that must be taken into account, it would be naive to discard the common themes uniting them. As my friend, colleague and fellow ROAR contributor Leonidas Oikonomakis just pointed out in a new opinion piece, the Turkish uprising may have started over a couple of trees, but we shouldn’t let that blind us to the forest: the obvious structural dimension at play in this new wave of struggles.
Occupy ERT [Greece's PBS]: the revolution will be live-streamed
Click here to access article by Leonidas Oikonomakis from Reflections on a Revolution.
...in the morning of June 12, 2013 Greece woke up without a public TV channel or public radio, while 2,700 ERT workers woke up unemployed. Ever since, the fired workers of ERT have occupied the station’s headquarters in Athens and have kept broadcasting through live-streaming. That makes ERT the first public television network under workers’ control in Europe, and maybe the first in the world.Hopefully, their public TV is better than PBS regarding news coverage.
Obama starts Syria war to deviate [distract?] from Snowden scandal
Click here if you wish to access the source of the following 4:53m video featuring Brazilian journalist Pepe Escobar from RT via YouTube:
Whether to distract or not, it seems to me that Snowden has caught the US regime with its pants down which Escobar aptly compares with the past scandal regarding Clinton and his mistress. I agree that there is a connection between Snowden's revelations and the decision to furnish heavy weapons to the Syrian gangs, but I think that the motivation for the decision was influenced more by the facts on the ground which do not look good for the Empire's mercenaries. No doubt Zionist members of the Empire's directorate also influenced the decision. They would like nothing more than to see the bleeding of Syria continuing.
However, I think that this decision will only lead to more disasters, not only for the people in that region, but also for the imperial ambitions of the hegemons. This decision and Snowden's revelations could mark a turning point in the fortunes of the Empire builders. Or, at least, we can hope so.
Whether to distract or not, it seems to me that Snowden has caught the US regime with its pants down which Escobar aptly compares with the past scandal regarding Clinton and his mistress. I agree that there is a connection between Snowden's revelations and the decision to furnish heavy weapons to the Syrian gangs, but I think that the motivation for the decision was influenced more by the facts on the ground which do not look good for the Empire's mercenaries. No doubt Zionist members of the Empire's directorate also influenced the decision. They would like nothing more than to see the bleeding of Syria continuing.
However, I think that this decision will only lead to more disasters, not only for the people in that region, but also for the imperial ambitions of the hegemons. This decision and Snowden's revelations could mark a turning point in the fortunes of the Empire builders. Or, at least, we can hope so.
A transatlantic corporate bill of rights
Click here to access article posted on Corporate Europe Observatory.
Leaked draft versions of the EU negotiating mandate for a far-reaching free trade agreement with the US – to be approved at next week’s trade minister meeting (14 June) – reveal the European Commission’s plans to enshrine more powers for corporations in the deal. The proposal follows a persistent campaign by industry lobby groups and law firms to empower large companies to challenge regulations both at home and abroad if they affect their profits. As a result, EU member states could soon find domestic laws to protect the public interest challenged in secretive, offshore tribunals where national laws have no weight and politicians no powers to intervene.
Friday, June 14, 2013
The History of America’s Secret Wars: Corporate Espionage and the Outsourcing of National Security
Click here to access article which contain excerpts from Greg Guma's 2011 book entitled Big Lies, and was posted on Global Research.
This provides a good followup for people shocked by the recent revelations of government spying on its own citizens. Of course, the rot in our society goes much further, and this author supplies some valuable additional information on the rot.
The excerpts provide a detailed description of what is essentially a contemporary fascist empire whose main ingredients are secrecy, close collaboration among secret government spy and clandestine operations agencies, both government and private militaries, and corporations. The latter not only consist of those who hugely benefit from no-bid military contracts, but media corporations that are needed to support this military-industrial complex by carefully managing what they report. The collaboration is so complete that often the same people circulate throughout the various departments of the complex. That is the essence of contemporary fascism: the complete integration of military and corporations in government. The only ingredient missing in the article are the financial elites who function at the core of this fascist regime.
What mainly distinguishes this 21st century fascism from its predecessor in the 20th century is its international character. It is the political counterpart to it economic brother--neoliberalism. Both are eliminating national boundaries that inhibit their pursuit of power and profits. This contemporary form is operated by international capitalists who have a global outlook and no commitments to any one nation including the US, if they cease to be supportive of their projects.
This provides a good followup for people shocked by the recent revelations of government spying on its own citizens. Of course, the rot in our society goes much further, and this author supplies some valuable additional information on the rot.
The excerpts provide a detailed description of what is essentially a contemporary fascist empire whose main ingredients are secrecy, close collaboration among secret government spy and clandestine operations agencies, both government and private militaries, and corporations. The latter not only consist of those who hugely benefit from no-bid military contracts, but media corporations that are needed to support this military-industrial complex by carefully managing what they report. The collaboration is so complete that often the same people circulate throughout the various departments of the complex. That is the essence of contemporary fascism: the complete integration of military and corporations in government. The only ingredient missing in the article are the financial elites who function at the core of this fascist regime.
What mainly distinguishes this 21st century fascism from its predecessor in the 20th century is its international character. It is the political counterpart to it economic brother--neoliberalism. Both are eliminating national boundaries that inhibit their pursuit of power and profits. This contemporary form is operated by international capitalists who have a global outlook and no commitments to any one nation including the US, if they cease to be supportive of their projects.
TPP negotiations quietly arrive in Canada
Click here to access article posted by Lindsey Pinto on OpenMedia (Canada).
...it’s more that just a simple trade agreement: Leaked documents show that the TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership] would have a hugely negative effect on the open Internet – the agreement includes an intellectual property chapter that would drastically increase Internet surveillance, increase Big Media's Internet lockdown powers, and criminalize content sharing in general, with a likelihood of harsher penalties.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Global Power Project, Part 1: Exposing the Transnational Capitalist Class
Click here to access article by Andrew Gavin Marshall from his blog.
We are witnessing conflicts, insurrections, protests, small wars, etc that are occurring in many parts of the world; but to gain a real understanding of these events, we must carefully examine the primary engine that is driving such events--capitalism. Marshall is doing this with every article he writes. In this piece he focuses the spotlight on the people who operate this system--the transnational capitalist class.
After citing numerous statistics on the concentration of wealth which one can often find in many liberal publications, he goes deeper to show us that wealth concentration does not only mean a lot of poverty amidst plenty which is what liberal commentators do. He shows the really dangerous aspect of the concentration of wealth: excessive wealth means power, it means domination by a few over the vast majority. What is so infuriating about this is that these people try to hide this contemporary dictatorship of wealth behind the rhetoric of "democracy".
When people wake to this fact, they usually take to the streets in an orgy of outrage as we see once again today in Turkey. Such displays of outrage are completely understandable, but we must understand that this international ruling class of capitalists are well prepared for such events. They have armed their governments with many weapons to be used against their own populations which they fear: truncheons to smash skulls, several kinds of gas and chemical sprays, M3 shotguns and rubber bullets, water cannons, stun grenades, etc. Only a movement that is informed and dedicated to the overthrow of the system can successfully challenge and defeat such power, and finally end the social and environmental crises that we are witnessing almost daily across the globe.
We are witnessing conflicts, insurrections, protests, small wars, etc that are occurring in many parts of the world; but to gain a real understanding of these events, we must carefully examine the primary engine that is driving such events--capitalism. Marshall is doing this with every article he writes. In this piece he focuses the spotlight on the people who operate this system--the transnational capitalist class.
After citing numerous statistics on the concentration of wealth which one can often find in many liberal publications, he goes deeper to show us that wealth concentration does not only mean a lot of poverty amidst plenty which is what liberal commentators do. He shows the really dangerous aspect of the concentration of wealth: excessive wealth means power, it means domination by a few over the vast majority. What is so infuriating about this is that these people try to hide this contemporary dictatorship of wealth behind the rhetoric of "democracy".
When people wake to this fact, they usually take to the streets in an orgy of outrage as we see once again today in Turkey. Such displays of outrage are completely understandable, but we must understand that this international ruling class of capitalists are well prepared for such events. They have armed their governments with many weapons to be used against their own populations which they fear: truncheons to smash skulls, several kinds of gas and chemical sprays, M3 shotguns and rubber bullets, water cannons, stun grenades, etc. Only a movement that is informed and dedicated to the overthrow of the system can successfully challenge and defeat such power, and finally end the social and environmental crises that we are witnessing almost daily across the globe.
Erdogan looses Grip on Power. Deep Cracks in AKP Government as Opposition Grows and Police Brutality Continues
Click here to access article by Christof Lehmann from nsnbc.
I wouldn't be surprised if Empire agents weren't already on the ground in Turkey trying to engineer a "Morsi" operation that was so successful in Egypt. You may recall that Obama quickly sent Frank Wisner to Egypt early in 2011 to manage the political crisis in Egypt. Actually his name is Frank Wisner, Jr. and the son of Frank Wisner the number two CIA man who long served under Allen Dulles.
I wouldn't be surprised if Empire agents weren't already on the ground in Turkey trying to engineer a "Morsi" operation that was so successful in Egypt. You may recall that Obama quickly sent Frank Wisner to Egypt early in 2011 to manage the political crisis in Egypt. Actually his name is Frank Wisner, Jr. and the son of Frank Wisner the number two CIA man who long served under Allen Dulles.
Prime Minister Erdogan is increasingly coming under pressure from international organizations, including UN organizations, leading members of E.U. member state´s governments and other, who criticize the Prime Minister and his administration for police brutality.
The prime Minister´s Parliamentary Group and the Justice and Development Party is increasingly showing cracks and the number of top party members as well as AKP supporters at the basis who criticize Erdogan or demand that he steps down is growing with every new police crack-down.
Joe Biden tours a middle class Colombian flower farm
Click here to access article by Jim O’Reilly from his blog Comments on Global Political Economy.
The author offers a biting parody of a recent visit Vice-President Biden made to Columbia and an article he wrote about his visit for the Wall Street Journal in which he extolled the virtues of what he saw as "middle class" society. What may come as a shock to you is that this piece wasn't written by some radical, window-breaking anarchist, but a retired banker!
The term "middle class" is a prominent theme in the rhetoric of capitalist propagandists. As I learned in my college sociology classes, the term essentially described those Americans who served in some sort of privileged occupation that was important to the functioning of the capitalist economy. Characteristics included advanced education, attributes of a professional occupation (salaried, many perks, pension, etc), home ownership (or potential for achieving this), and enjoying a comfortable income that permitted a lifestyle characterized by "conspicuous consumption". The middle class was aptly defined as a socio-economic status between the capitalist class who lived substantially off of income derived from the "ownership" of enterprises and the working class whose work was merely rented by capitalists.
The middle class really burst into view in the 30 years following WWII when the US assumed world domination and profited from it. This era of prosperity produced significant numbers of people who enjoyed middle class status, and was celebrated by Empire propagandists as a sign of success of the capitalist system. Since the advent of the neo-liberal stage of capitalism in the 1970s, the incomes enjoyed by this class stagnated until the recent economic collapse, following which we have seen a devastating impact on their numbers and future prospects. Nevertheless, prominent old capitalist ideologues like Biden keep trying to preserve the myths associated with this class.
The author offers a biting parody of a recent visit Vice-President Biden made to Columbia and an article he wrote about his visit for the Wall Street Journal in which he extolled the virtues of what he saw as "middle class" society. What may come as a shock to you is that this piece wasn't written by some radical, window-breaking anarchist, but a retired banker!
The term "middle class" is a prominent theme in the rhetoric of capitalist propagandists. As I learned in my college sociology classes, the term essentially described those Americans who served in some sort of privileged occupation that was important to the functioning of the capitalist economy. Characteristics included advanced education, attributes of a professional occupation (salaried, many perks, pension, etc), home ownership (or potential for achieving this), and enjoying a comfortable income that permitted a lifestyle characterized by "conspicuous consumption". The middle class was aptly defined as a socio-economic status between the capitalist class who lived substantially off of income derived from the "ownership" of enterprises and the working class whose work was merely rented by capitalists.
The middle class really burst into view in the 30 years following WWII when the US assumed world domination and profited from it. This era of prosperity produced significant numbers of people who enjoyed middle class status, and was celebrated by Empire propagandists as a sign of success of the capitalist system. Since the advent of the neo-liberal stage of capitalism in the 1970s, the incomes enjoyed by this class stagnated until the recent economic collapse, following which we have seen a devastating impact on their numbers and future prospects. Nevertheless, prominent old capitalist ideologues like Biden keep trying to preserve the myths associated with this class.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
The Snowden Litmus Test
Click here to access article by Margaret Kimberley from Black Agenda Report.
The normally cool Obama and his top staffers are a bit off stride and noticeably panicking. In his increasingly annoying and halting monotone he assured us that [the government] wasn’t listening to our phone calls. And just in case that less than comforting statement didn’t work for you he also claims that the spying program has thwarted terror plots on our behalf. It wasn’t clear if these were the plots invented by the FBI and their informants, but I digress. Raising the specter of terror has become the last refuge of scoundrels.The author then explains what she means by a "litmus test".
US to pursue Snowden ‘with a sledgehammer’ for NSA leak
Click here if you wish to access the source of this 4:50m video from RT and to see a transcript of this interview with Michael Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Dennis Bernstein of KPFA interviews former FBI agent Coleen Rowley regarding NSA surveillance
Click here to access a 16:35m interview with Rowley on KPFA's Flashpoints program. (Note: the interview is the first 16:35m of the one hour program.)
This 24 year veteran of the FBI reveals the origins of NSA's massive surveillance program which was brought again to public awareness by Edward Snowden. The program was first proposed publicly by the infamous John Poindexter and was "supposedly squelched by the American people" in 2003. She reports on many of the details associated with NSA and many other government agencies, and the dangers of such surveillance for American citizens.
If you have the time, you might be even more interested in the next segment of the program in which Bernstein interviews Norman Solomon regarding Snowden's revelations and the "national security state". (approx. 17 minutes)
See also this article entitled "Our Privatized National Security State" from National Journal.
This 24 year veteran of the FBI reveals the origins of NSA's massive surveillance program which was brought again to public awareness by Edward Snowden. The program was first proposed publicly by the infamous John Poindexter and was "supposedly squelched by the American people" in 2003. She reports on many of the details associated with NSA and many other government agencies, and the dangers of such surveillance for American citizens.
If you have the time, you might be even more interested in the next segment of the program in which Bernstein interviews Norman Solomon regarding Snowden's revelations and the "national security state". (approx. 17 minutes)
See also this article entitled "Our Privatized National Security State" from National Journal.
Thank NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden
Click here to access a way you can support the heroic effort by Edward Snowden.
A whistleblower has boldly stepped forward to expose the National Security Agency's vast spying on our phone records and online communications.
Sign a thank-you note that will be delivered to NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Greek government shuts down National Broadcasting Services
Click here to access article from Eagainst (Greece).
Meanwhile, journalists and other staff at the country’s public television and radio stations continue broadcasting online, after the police forces switched off all the transmitters yesterday, while thousands of media workers remained outside ERT’s headquarters through the night expressing their disagreement with this decision. The protests were joined by supporters of opposition parties (namely of the Communist KKE and SYRIZA), trade unionists and ordinary citizens who criticized this move as being undemocratic.It's wonderful to see people rising up all over the world (see also what's happening in London) against the capitalist Empire and its satellite leaders who pretend to govern under the mantle of "democracy". Hopefully this is only the first stage in a world revolution that will result in a real democracy created by the people, for the people against those few who would "own" everything that is of value to us the people, and keep us in perpetual debt bondage in order to secure what we need.
The ECB’s Forked-Tongue Policy To Save The Euro
Click here to access article by Wolf Richter from his blog Testosterone Pit.
Richter reports that European bankers ensconced in the European Central Bank are saying they are committed to supplying unlimited money to cover debts when talking to speculators and bankers who have supplied credit to governments; but when in a German court in order to reassure the judges, they say their support is limited because they will not bail out countries who they judge to be "profligate".
In any case, the German court is forced to deal with another contradiction of capitalist practices which violate constitutional law. Guess who wins out. Richter doesn't have to guess.
Richter reports that European bankers ensconced in the European Central Bank are saying they are committed to supplying unlimited money to cover debts when talking to speculators and bankers who have supplied credit to governments; but when in a German court in order to reassure the judges, they say their support is limited because they will not bail out countries who they judge to be "profligate".
In any case, the German court is forced to deal with another contradiction of capitalist practices which violate constitutional law. Guess who wins out. Richter doesn't have to guess.
During oral arguments on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Court weighs if OMT violates the constitution’s requirement that budget matters be controlled by Parliament, but a ruling will be delayed until after the general elections on September 22. If the Court, which has no authority over the ECB, rules that aspects of OMT are unconstitutional in Germany, it could forbid the Bundesbank from participating in the one measure that has kept the Eurozone together. The Eurozone as we know it would unravel.
In practice, the Court would never do that.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Digital Blackwater rules
Click here to access article by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online.
Escobar's comments about corporate media coverage of Snowden's whistleblowing matches my observations since yesterday.
Escobar's comments about corporate media coverage of Snowden's whistleblowing matches my observations since yesterday.
True to form, as soon as Snowden revealed his identity US corporate media privileged shooting the messenger instead of poring over the message. That included everything from cheap character assassination to the usual former CIA asset spinning that in Washington many were looking at Snowden as an agent in a potential Chinese espionage plot.
The Silent Death of the American Left
Click here to access article by Jeffrey St. Clair from CounterPunch.
Although this was written before the latest revelations about government spying on its own citizens thanks to the heroic actions of Edward Snowden, this author's message is now more relevant than ever.
It has always been clear to me that most Americans willingly collaborate with their oppressors whenever they anticipate short-term benefits by doing so. Over the years I kept rationalizing with every ruling class crime that maybe these events would ultimately be good because people will eventually wake up when things get bad enough. Since then I've witnessed one US invasion after another, many assassinations of anyone who stood in the way of a growing shadow government, contrived shocking events like 9/11 and the Boston bombing all engineered to take away more civil liberties, Wall Street bailouts after they in their reckless gambling schemes have wrecked the economy for most of us. In other words, things have continued to get worse and worse, and still very little reaction. This author expresses my frustration very well.
At the same time, I have not given up hope for change...especially now when people are fighting back against the forces of capitalist elites in many places in the world, especially when whistle-blowers like Snowden, Bradley Manning, and Julian Assange are risking their lives for us, when writers like Andrew Gavin Marshall and Sibel Edmonds have dedicated their lives to waking us up.
It is mostly leftists ensconced comfortably in universities and subject to ruling class discipline who disappoint me. The latter seem to be most of the people who write for publications like Monthly Review and New Left Review who confine their writings to abstract theoretical critiques of capitalism. As for CounterPunch, it features too many liberal commentators who like to rant and rave about superficial aspects of a growing police state while decrying any form of protest that goes beyond simply marching down the street with a protest placard.
Although this was written before the latest revelations about government spying on its own citizens thanks to the heroic actions of Edward Snowden, this author's message is now more relevant than ever.
It has always been clear to me that most Americans willingly collaborate with their oppressors whenever they anticipate short-term benefits by doing so. Over the years I kept rationalizing with every ruling class crime that maybe these events would ultimately be good because people will eventually wake up when things get bad enough. Since then I've witnessed one US invasion after another, many assassinations of anyone who stood in the way of a growing shadow government, contrived shocking events like 9/11 and the Boston bombing all engineered to take away more civil liberties, Wall Street bailouts after they in their reckless gambling schemes have wrecked the economy for most of us. In other words, things have continued to get worse and worse, and still very little reaction. This author expresses my frustration very well.
At the same time, I have not given up hope for change...especially now when people are fighting back against the forces of capitalist elites in many places in the world, especially when whistle-blowers like Snowden, Bradley Manning, and Julian Assange are risking their lives for us, when writers like Andrew Gavin Marshall and Sibel Edmonds have dedicated their lives to waking us up.
It is mostly leftists ensconced comfortably in universities and subject to ruling class discipline who disappoint me. The latter seem to be most of the people who write for publications like Monthly Review and New Left Review who confine their writings to abstract theoretical critiques of capitalism. As for CounterPunch, it features too many liberal commentators who like to rant and rave about superficial aspects of a growing police state while decrying any form of protest that goes beyond simply marching down the street with a protest placard.
We can and do at CounterPunch and in similar publications, such as Monthly Review and the New Left Review, publish analyses of capitalism and its inherent vulnerabilities, catalogue its predations and wars of military conquest and imperial exploitation. But where is our capacity to confront the daily horrors of drone strikes, kill lists, mass layoffs, pension raids and the looming nightmare of climate change?
It is a bitter reality, brought into vivid focus by five years of Obama, that the Left is an immobilized and politically impotent force at the very moment when the economic inequalities engineered by our overlords at Goldman Sachs who manage the global economy, should have recharged a long-moribund resistance movement back to life.
One American Who Isn’t for Sale
Click here to access article by Robert Scheer from TruthDig.
What isn't made explicit in this article, but is implicit in its content, is the marvelous way our ruling class has slipped fascism into our government and lives. I'm referring to the integration of corporations with the government, and the absolute control of the latter by the former.
The beauty of their accomplishment is that few people recognize it for what it is simply because our clever ruling capitalist class directors have dressed it in different clothing. We don't see goose-stepping soldiers parading down the street. We don't see references to a "fatherland". We don't see a half-crazed fuhrer spouting hatred against some minority groups. This current neoliberal brand of fascism comes packaged with an articulate, charming, nice African-American fellow who lulls us to sleep with pleasant reassurances.
What isn't made explicit in this article, but is implicit in its content, is the marvelous way our ruling class has slipped fascism into our government and lives. I'm referring to the integration of corporations with the government, and the absolute control of the latter by the former.
The beauty of their accomplishment is that few people recognize it for what it is simply because our clever ruling capitalist class directors have dressed it in different clothing. We don't see goose-stepping soldiers parading down the street. We don't see references to a "fatherland". We don't see a half-crazed fuhrer spouting hatred against some minority groups. This current neoliberal brand of fascism comes packaged with an articulate, charming, nice African-American fellow who lulls us to sleep with pleasant reassurances.
Our data is their commerce, and ever since 9/11, observing us has become mega lucrative. “Booz Allen Hamilton,” The New York Times reported Sunday, “has become one of the largest and most profitable corporations in the United States almost exclusively by serving a single client: the government of the United States.” The word “serving” might be pushing it here, since 98 percent of the firm’s revenue of $5.8 billion last year came from the taxpayers, who are the same folks being spied upon.
Things Get “Scorchio” As Temperature Rises in Spain
Click here to access article and 13:43m video posted by Don Quijones on Raging Bull-Shit.
It looks like a long, hot summer ahead as the class war heats up, especially in Europe and parts of the Middle-East. People, especially the young who see little future ahead for them under the rule of neoliberal elites, are fighting back against the troops of the capitalist ruling class.
Also, see the Turks battling their police here.
It looks like a long, hot summer ahead as the class war heats up, especially in Europe and parts of the Middle-East. People, especially the young who see little future ahead for them under the rule of neoliberal elites, are fighting back against the troops of the capitalist ruling class.
The images below, of recent clashes between the police and protestors in Madrid, are a perfect illustration of why it’s probably not a good idea to let millions of your best and brightest languish on the margins of society, feeling betrayed and deprived of all hope of a brighter future. As trends forecaster supreme Gerald Celente is wont to say, “when the people lose everything, they tend to lose it in the streets.”Unfortunately, the troops are ordinary working people who want to make a decent living and this is the easiest way of doing that. There will always be opportunities for the young if they want to defend the neoliberal ruling classes against the people, but only the morally weak or sociopaths can stomach such work.
Also, see the Turks battling their police here.
The G8′s great land-grab
Click here to access article by Nick Jacobs from EUobserver.
The author explains how the one of the latest Orwellian-named projects put together by the G8 called "New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition" is anything but. Once again, we see our neo-liberal masters branding their theft of property under a benign, even humanitarian sounding name. But, as the writer explains, it is all about theft.
The author explains how the one of the latest Orwellian-named projects put together by the G8 called "New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition" is anything but. Once again, we see our neo-liberal masters branding their theft of property under a benign, even humanitarian sounding name. But, as the writer explains, it is all about theft.
What is striking is how brazen and unapologetic the New Alliance is in its quest to open up African farmland – memorably described by the World Bank as the ‘last frontier’ for multinationals – to an unprecedented wave of industrial-scale investment.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance revelations
Click here to access article and 12:35m video interview written and conducted by Glenn Greenwald and others from The Guardian.
In contrast to my cynical comments following the disclosure last week in The Guardian, I am now quite convinced that this whistle-blower is authentic and the information that he disclosed about massive spying on US citizens was not deliberately leaked to the media by government operators.
With such a massive program the probability that persons of conscience will provide leaks is very high. More and more such people (for example, see this), in contrast to our sociopathic masters and their collaborators, are now doing so. The fact that he went public with this disclosure is probably the safest way to save his life. With widespread public knowledge of his actions--and it is getting extensive media coverage--ruling class directors will likely engage in more conservative tactics for the immediate future. I predict that they will wait until the public furor dies down and the story is forgotten by the media, and hence the public anger fades--then they'll move against him. It goes without saying that if they, the directors of our police state (known in polite circles by the Orwellian term "national security state"), can smear him in any way based on any dirt they can dig up, they will. In any case, it will be interesting to see how they deal with Snowden.
You may also want to read what Yves Smith has found in an early survey of reactions from various sources across the political spectrum.
I share his fear that he so eloquently expressed in the interview:
In contrast to my cynical comments following the disclosure last week in The Guardian, I am now quite convinced that this whistle-blower is authentic and the information that he disclosed about massive spying on US citizens was not deliberately leaked to the media by government operators.
With such a massive program the probability that persons of conscience will provide leaks is very high. More and more such people (for example, see this), in contrast to our sociopathic masters and their collaborators, are now doing so. The fact that he went public with this disclosure is probably the safest way to save his life. With widespread public knowledge of his actions--and it is getting extensive media coverage--ruling class directors will likely engage in more conservative tactics for the immediate future. I predict that they will wait until the public furor dies down and the story is forgotten by the media, and hence the public anger fades--then they'll move against him. It goes without saying that if they, the directors of our police state (known in polite circles by the Orwellian term "national security state"), can smear him in any way based on any dirt they can dig up, they will. In any case, it will be interesting to see how they deal with Snowden.
You may also want to read what Yves Smith has found in an early survey of reactions from various sources across the political spectrum.
I share his fear that he so eloquently expressed in the interview:
The greatest fear that I have regarding the outcome for America of these disclosures is that nothing will change.
People will see in the media all these disclosures, they'll know the length that the government is going to grant themselves power unilaterally to create greater control over American society and global society. But, they don't be willing to take the risks necessary to stand up and fight to change things....The video interview is obviously an extract of what is described in the article as an interview lasting several hours.
Is This the REAL Reason for the Government Spying On Americans?
Click here to access article from Washington's Blog.
Although I only scanned this article, I don't see that this blogger answered the question posed in the headline. But, he does provide considerable evidence of the construction of a police state in the US since 9/11 which was used to justify the construction. This suggests that the construction of the police state is the answer. This was only a means to an end.
Permit me to offer a succinct answer. The real reason is that the shadow government
represents a capitalist class that has since WWII painstakingly constructed their shadow government because they no longer wanted to be faced with all the messy complications and expense of maintaining a pseudo-democracy. The latter interfered with their agenda of world domination under the control of financial and industrial corporate elites.
Recall that they have spent so many years and money maintaining a pseudo-democracy whose propagandists espoused self-determination, "democracy", elections, freedom of the press, human and civil rights, etc, and now these ideological structures function to inhibit their designs for world domination. They expect eventually that regular citizens will wake up and fight back. Thus, they have prepared all the mechanisms of a police state to guard against this: full-spectrum surveillance, a huge prison complex, the elimination of all constitutional impediments that this article documents, and the establishment of a national, militarized police force under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security.
Although I only scanned this article, I don't see that this blogger answered the question posed in the headline. But, he does provide considerable evidence of the construction of a police state in the US since 9/11 which was used to justify the construction. This suggests that the construction of the police state is the answer. This was only a means to an end.
Permit me to offer a succinct answer. The real reason is that the shadow government
represents a capitalist class that has since WWII painstakingly constructed their shadow government because they no longer wanted to be faced with all the messy complications and expense of maintaining a pseudo-democracy. The latter interfered with their agenda of world domination under the control of financial and industrial corporate elites.
Recall that they have spent so many years and money maintaining a pseudo-democracy whose propagandists espoused self-determination, "democracy", elections, freedom of the press, human and civil rights, etc, and now these ideological structures function to inhibit their designs for world domination. They expect eventually that regular citizens will wake up and fight back. Thus, they have prepared all the mechanisms of a police state to guard against this: full-spectrum surveillance, a huge prison complex, the elimination of all constitutional impediments that this article documents, and the establishment of a national, militarized police force under the direction of the Department of Homeland Security.
The Judicial Lynching of Bradley Manning
Click here to access article by Chris Hedges from TruthDig.
The Army private first class is not permitted to argue that he had a moral and legal obligation under international law to make public the war crimes he uncovered. The documents that detail the crimes, torture and killing Manning revealed, because they are classified, have been barred from discussion in court, effectively removing the fundamental issue of war crimes from the trial. Manning is forbidden by the court to challenge the government’s unverified assertion that he harmed national security. ....
Manning is also barred from presenting to the court his motives for giving the website WikiLeaks hundreds of thousands of classified diplomatic cables, war logs from Afghanistan and Iraq, and videos. The issues of his motives and potentially harming national security can be raised only at the time of sentencing, but by then it will be too late.
What future for the Turkish uprising?
Click here to access article by Mehmet Döşemeci from Reflections on a Revolution.
The author, who is an assistant professor of history at Bucknell University (Pennsylvania), provides us with an honest attempt to both assess what has occurred so far and analyze the possible outcomes of the people's uprising in Turkey. However, I would never carelessly use the word "democracy" to describe any existing government.
The author, who is an assistant professor of history at Bucknell University (Pennsylvania), provides us with an honest attempt to both assess what has occurred so far and analyze the possible outcomes of the people's uprising in Turkey. However, I would never carelessly use the word "democracy" to describe any existing government.
Provided the uprising is not quashed by murderous repression, hijacked by a nationalist discourse that serves only to empower the opposition, and does not fizzle out through exhaustion, it has the potential to create long-lasting changes in the practice of citizenship and representation in Turkish democracy.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Peak soil: industrial civilisation is on the verge of eating itself
Click here to access article by Nafeez Ahmed from The Guardian.
Notice that this liberal publication diverts attention away from "capitalism" by using the euphemism "industrial civilization". Therefore, what are we to conclude but the obvious one that we must return to to a pre-civilization state which, of course, is not an option that many people will take seriously? Thus, this type of analysis is another way of directing you to their faith-based capitalist premise so well expressed in their mantra: "there is no alternative".
Otherwise, this piece provides a well written description of the catastrophes awaiting humanity because humanity has allowed a cancer-like system, and a ruling class that benefits from it, to rule over the world.
Notice that this liberal publication diverts attention away from "capitalism" by using the euphemism "industrial civilization". Therefore, what are we to conclude but the obvious one that we must return to to a pre-civilization state which, of course, is not an option that many people will take seriously? Thus, this type of analysis is another way of directing you to their faith-based capitalist premise so well expressed in their mantra: "there is no alternative".
Otherwise, this piece provides a well written description of the catastrophes awaiting humanity because humanity has allowed a cancer-like system, and a ruling class that benefits from it, to rule over the world.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
We’re Being Watched: How Corporations and Law Enforcement Are Spying on Environmentalists [updated commentary]
Click here to access article by Adam Federman from Earth Island Journal.
A grass-roots group in Pennsylvania decided to form a coalition focused on finding out the truth about any public health hazards from fracking operations.
A grass-roots group in Pennsylvania decided to form a coalition focused on finding out the truth about any public health hazards from fracking operations.
Since the group had never engaged in any kind of illegal activity or particularly radical forms of protest, it came as a shock when GDAC members learned that their organization had been featured in intelligence bulletins compiled by a private security firm, The Institute of Terrorism Research and Response (ITRR). Equally shocking was the revelation that the Pennsylvania Department of Homeland Security had distributed those bulletins to local police chiefs, state, federal, and private intelligence agencies, and the security directors of the natural gas companies, as well as industry groups and PR firms.The depths of naiveté among my fellow Americans seem bottomless. Actually, I admit that I am, too, a bit surprised by the aggressive way that this group has been treated. In the past our masters in the One Percent would use a much softer, although no less effective, way of silencing these people. This aggressive approach illustrates that we are well down the path to a police state as well as the new arrogant attitude of our masters.
We Call a Top NSA Whistleblower … And Get the REAL SCOOP on Spying
Click here to access article from Washington's Blog.
It seems that the public relations officer of the One Percent (Obama) can get away with lying about internet/phone content being analyzed--he said that the government wasn't doing this--by having this function outsourced to private corporations. This reminds me of the lie Clinton told when asked if he ever smoked marijuana: "Yes, but I didn't inhale."
According to one former National Security Agency (NSA) director:
It seems that the public relations officer of the One Percent (Obama) can get away with lying about internet/phone content being analyzed--he said that the government wasn't doing this--by having this function outsourced to private corporations. This reminds me of the lie Clinton told when asked if he ever smoked marijuana: "Yes, but I didn't inhale."
According to one former National Security Agency (NSA) director:
Binney explained that the government is taking the position that it can gather and use any information about American citizens living on U.S. soil if it comes from...
And, Binney went on to say that...Any service provider … any third party … any commercial company – like a telecom or internet service provider, libraries, medical companies – holding data about anyone, any U.S. citizen or anyone else.
...the government is gathering everything, including content.See also this piece which explains how the NSA has access to computers with the Windows operating system.
Just a Taste - The Covert Formula
Click here to access a great little video exposé of how government "intelligence" subversive agencies function--posted on The Solari Report.
Note that the government "intelligence agencies" work on behalf of the corporations.
Note that the government "intelligence agencies" work on behalf of the corporations.
Western – Russian Stand-Off over Syria Intensifies as “Rebels” suffer Decisive Defeat
Click here to access article by Christof Lehmann from nsnbc.
Insurgents in Syria continue suffering decisive defeats. During the second half of 2012 the Syrian Arab Army successfully began implementing a counter-insurgency strategy which is partially based on Russian experience from fighting insurgents in Chechnya.
Analysts largely agree that the insurgent´s increased introduction of chemical weapons into the theater is a sign of desperation and an attempt to create a political discourse for a western military intervention.
Reconstruction in Syria: All Eyes on the Prize
Click here to access article by Hassan Chakrani posted on Al-Akhbar.
This is one of the most sickening pieces I've read in some time. I advise you not to read it after a full meal--you may lose it! It illustrates how crassly and cynically capitalists view wars, and why they like to promote them. What is surprising is that they usually hide such feelings from the "unwashed masses" for obvious reasons. But, here it is blatantly spelled out for you.
This is one of the most sickening pieces I've read in some time. I advise you not to read it after a full meal--you may lose it! It illustrates how crassly and cynically capitalists view wars, and why they like to promote them. What is surprising is that they usually hide such feelings from the "unwashed masses" for obvious reasons. But, here it is blatantly spelled out for you.
The ambassadors of France, Italy, and Spain attended the event [“Prospects and Opportunities for Postwar Growth in Lebanon and Syria” seminar], representing three major European nations that have considerable international influence. If anything, this reveals that there is clear European enthusiasm for a new phase in Syria that may be just on the horizon.
Friday, June 7, 2013
As Nation-States Falter, Capitalism Shines
Click here to access article by Robert Hunziker from Dissident Voice.
...society is witnessing one of the biggest socio-economic disruptions in history as capitalism, consisting of transnational entities, overwhelms, and cripples, the capabilities of nation-states to function.Unfortunately, he ends this insightful essay by suggesting that capitalist ruling directors, who are addicted to the power and wealth that capitalism gives them, can reform themselves.
The inchoate corporate state is a reality, and it knows no borders or allegiances beyond other corporate interests. This is transnationalism at work, and it is feverishly conquering the planet, pushing aside weakened nation-states, which are powerless in the face of rampant, unchecked capitalism.
The Pentagon pivoting dance
Click here to access article by Pepe Escobar from RT.
Once again Escobar shears the thick veils of Empire propaganda and reveals what their words really mean. Meanwhile, China's leaders are making it clear that it too understands what the Empire is up to, and will not tolerate interference in their interests.
Clearly the Empire has demonstrated its proneness to wars and creating social chaos, but there are no real "good guys" here. Only "governments" that are built on the foundation of grass-roots participation can guarantee peace and social justice. Until such people-powered "governments" are established, there will never be peace or social justice. There will only be national or international ruling classes competing for dominance. This means endless wars, chaos, suffering, and deprivation for ordinary people throughout the world. This means that as long as people are willing to permit ruling classes to determine their lives, we can look forward to more of the same.
Actually, it's worse than that--now we are confronting unprecedented environmental and climatic catastrophes created by the reigning system of capitalism which all dominant players are using, and this will propel us to our extinction.
Progressive thinkers must not be fooled by phoney "left revolutions" represented by the populist governments of Venezuela or Bolivian. We are now seeing the "Bolivarian socialist" government of Venezuela pivoting toward the Empire; no doubt because its rulers sees many rewards coming their way if they "suck up" to them.
Once again Escobar shears the thick veils of Empire propaganda and reveals what their words really mean. Meanwhile, China's leaders are making it clear that it too understands what the Empire is up to, and will not tolerate interference in their interests.
Clearly the Empire has demonstrated its proneness to wars and creating social chaos, but there are no real "good guys" here. Only "governments" that are built on the foundation of grass-roots participation can guarantee peace and social justice. Until such people-powered "governments" are established, there will never be peace or social justice. There will only be national or international ruling classes competing for dominance. This means endless wars, chaos, suffering, and deprivation for ordinary people throughout the world. This means that as long as people are willing to permit ruling classes to determine their lives, we can look forward to more of the same.
Actually, it's worse than that--now we are confronting unprecedented environmental and climatic catastrophes created by the reigning system of capitalism which all dominant players are using, and this will propel us to our extinction.
Progressive thinkers must not be fooled by phoney "left revolutions" represented by the populist governments of Venezuela or Bolivian. We are now seeing the "Bolivarian socialist" government of Venezuela pivoting toward the Empire; no doubt because its rulers sees many rewards coming their way if they "suck up" to them.
Syria: Israel Is Losing the Battle
Click here to access article by Gilad Atzmon from Global Research.
...in case anyone fails to grasp why the pro-Israeli Lobby is pushing for an immediate intervention, Debka, an Israeli news outlet provides the answer. Seemingly, the Syrian army is winning on all fronts. Israel’s military and geo-political calculations are proved to be wrong.On the other hand, the author sees "self-criticism" as an Israeli strength.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
One Nation, Under Surveillance: U.S. Government Now Monitoring Your Phone Calls
Click here to access article by Pam Martens from Wall Street on Parade.
This is really not news, but now that a "respected" liberal publication has printed a "top secret" memo documenting this fact, it is now public knowledge. You can be sure that the Guardian or Glenn Greenwald will not be prosecuted as whistle-blowers. As part of the establishment (the One Percent) they no doubt got clearance to make this public. In fact, it is likely that the directors of the One Percent deliberately leaked this document because in their overwhelming arrogance they want to let people (us) know that they are doing this. I wonder why. Could it be that they fear us? And they want to intimidate us?
Of course it's not only phone calls, it's emails, stationary public surveillance cameras, drone cameras, DNA testing, etc, too. It is "full-spectrum" surveillance.
This is really not news, but now that a "respected" liberal publication has printed a "top secret" memo documenting this fact, it is now public knowledge. You can be sure that the Guardian or Glenn Greenwald will not be prosecuted as whistle-blowers. As part of the establishment (the One Percent) they no doubt got clearance to make this public. In fact, it is likely that the directors of the One Percent deliberately leaked this document because in their overwhelming arrogance they want to let people (us) know that they are doing this. I wonder why. Could it be that they fear us? And they want to intimidate us?
Of course it's not only phone calls, it's emails, stationary public surveillance cameras, drone cameras, DNA testing, etc, too. It is "full-spectrum" surveillance.
The Tragedy of Forgotten Wisdom
Click here to access article by Don Quijones from Raging Bull-Shit.
This piece is all about defending the idea of conspiracy which is usually defined as an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. Of course, for obvious reasons real conspirators never want people to believe that such activities exist, or at least not emanating from the elite. Because there is so much widespread evidence that major conspiracies have been perpetrated by members of the One Percent ruling class, we now see a backlash from their spokespeople who try to discourage such speculations. One such person is New York Times columnist Roger Cohen who charges that only weak people engage in conspiracies theories. This is a response to that charge.
This piece is all about defending the idea of conspiracy which is usually defined as an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future. Of course, for obvious reasons real conspirators never want people to believe that such activities exist, or at least not emanating from the elite. Because there is so much widespread evidence that major conspiracies have been perpetrated by members of the One Percent ruling class, we now see a backlash from their spokespeople who try to discourage such speculations. One such person is New York Times columnist Roger Cohen who charges that only weak people engage in conspiracies theories. This is a response to that charge.
There is a war on ordinary people and feminists are needed at the front
Click here to access article by John Pilger from his blog.
This Australian journalist shows the hypocrisy that lies behind the gender-war theme with which corporate media likes to divide us in the ongoing class war.
This Australian journalist shows the hypocrisy that lies behind the gender-war theme with which corporate media likes to divide us in the ongoing class war.
The problem with media-run “conversations” on gender is not merely the almost total absence of male participants, but the suppression of class. It is tempting to say real politics are missing, too, but bourgeois boundaries and prescriptions are real enough. Thus, gender, like race, can be presented in isolation. Class is a forbidden word; and gender subordinate to class is heresy. The Daily Mail model is built on this.
There is indeed a crisis among men – actually ordinary men and women – and it is not their masculinity that is to blame, but the neutering of any credible resistance to a sociopathic system now given the Orwellian title of “austerity”.
Turkey: Workers Begin General Strike as Protests and Government Repression Continue
Click here to access article by Steven Argue posted on Santa Cruz (California) Indymedia.
The wave of massive protests that started in Turkey on Friday has not stopped. In addition, organized labor is joining the struggle. On Tuesday (June 4), 240,000 Turkish government workers in the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions (KESK) walked off the job. The Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DÄ°SK) is scheduled to join the general strike today (June 5th).
Enclosure, Luddism, and Magna Carta
Click here to access the 55:00m audio interview with Peter Linebaugh, a social historian, at the studios of KPFA in Berkeley, California.
As humanity approaches the limits of resource extraction, as "ownership" of everything is becoming concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, we are witnessing enormous social problems in a variety of forms. This is an issue of privatization that has become a major source of conflict in the world. But, it is not new. It is only now that this issue is creating unprecedented worldwide economic and social crises due to the extreme concentration of ownership under the system of capitalism.
Privatization has created problems for working people over many centuries, and Linebaugh traces the historical record of these conflicts which began with the enclosure of the commons and when craftsmen created machines which came under the "ownership" of the new class of capitalists. The latter used the machines against the interests and welfare of working people--and they fought back. He gives us history lessons that were likely missing in our education.
As humanity approaches the limits of resource extraction, as "ownership" of everything is becoming concentrated in fewer and fewer hands, we are witnessing enormous social problems in a variety of forms. This is an issue of privatization that has become a major source of conflict in the world. But, it is not new. It is only now that this issue is creating unprecedented worldwide economic and social crises due to the extreme concentration of ownership under the system of capitalism.
Privatization has created problems for working people over many centuries, and Linebaugh traces the historical record of these conflicts which began with the enclosure of the commons and when craftsmen created machines which came under the "ownership" of the new class of capitalists. The latter used the machines against the interests and welfare of working people--and they fought back. He gives us history lessons that were likely missing in our education.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Money, Finance, and the Power of Symbols
Click here to access this 55:00m audio interview on KPFA Berkeley, California featuring David Hawkes, Professor of English at Arizona State University and author of a number of books. (Note: the following commentary is based on the first 31 minutes of listening to this interview.)
Hawkes provides the clearest explanation of concepts like objectification and alienation in relation to wage labor and money that I have ever encountered, and I highly recommend listening to his thoughtful observations--at least to the first 12:38 minutes.
However, it seems to me that he misses one fundamental fact which obscures many realities of capitalism: money, usury, and related concepts are enforced by the state which is controlled by a small class of people to serve their interests. It is this fact and its enforcement, if necessary by state violence, that is the foundation of what money is, which he insists is merely a collective illusion. Illusions about money as well as many other elements related to class power is strongly encouraged by this ruling class in order to hide the realities of social injustice. Defining money as only a "collective illusion" hides or obscures its class basis and how money is used to serve class interests.
It always makes me wonder about academics who introduce such abstract explanations into their discourse. It seems to me to be a politically safe way of providing some insights on an obscure subject while, at the same time, not disturbing any power relationships inherent in capitalist societies (or any class structured society).
Hawkes provides the clearest explanation of concepts like objectification and alienation in relation to wage labor and money that I have ever encountered, and I highly recommend listening to his thoughtful observations--at least to the first 12:38 minutes.
However, it seems to me that he misses one fundamental fact which obscures many realities of capitalism: money, usury, and related concepts are enforced by the state which is controlled by a small class of people to serve their interests. It is this fact and its enforcement, if necessary by state violence, that is the foundation of what money is, which he insists is merely a collective illusion. Illusions about money as well as many other elements related to class power is strongly encouraged by this ruling class in order to hide the realities of social injustice. Defining money as only a "collective illusion" hides or obscures its class basis and how money is used to serve class interests.
It always makes me wonder about academics who introduce such abstract explanations into their discourse. It seems to me to be a politically safe way of providing some insights on an obscure subject while, at the same time, not disturbing any power relationships inherent in capitalist societies (or any class structured society).
This Is The Way Blue-Collar America Ends
Click here to access article by Sophie Quinton from The Atlantic.
The author sheds light on the job implications for Americans under globalized capitalism by examining the workforce at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The author sheds light on the job implications for Americans under globalized capitalism by examining the workforce at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
...the seven counties in southeastern Wisconsin saw a loss of 83,000 jobs, according to Vanderwalle & Associates, a Wisconsin economic strategy firm.
Many jobs disappeared altogether, as high-tech equipment replaced manual labor. The jobs that remain increasingly require applicants to present a two-year degree or a specific certification. Today, fewer than 40 percent of U.S. manufacturing employees have jobs in actual production, according to the Congressional Research Service. The loss of manufacturing jobs had devastating impact on Milwaukee.
Turkey in Turmoil: Et tu, Gul? Then fall, Erdogan
Click here to access article by M K Bhadrakumar from Asia Times Online.
The author provides some interesting connections between Turkish President Abdullah Gul and the CIA which leads him to speculate if there could be plans underway to replace Prime Minister Erdogan with a more compliant leader as what happened in Egypt. After all, isn't that a principle of our Empire directors so well expressed by former Chief of Staff to Obama and now Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: "never let a crisis go to waste".
The author provides some interesting connections between Turkish President Abdullah Gul and the CIA which leads him to speculate if there could be plans underway to replace Prime Minister Erdogan with a more compliant leader as what happened in Egypt. After all, isn't that a principle of our Empire directors so well expressed by former Chief of Staff to Obama and now Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel: "never let a crisis go to waste".
Make no mistake, Turkey's unrest is not going to wither away. Gulen is making his epic move to bring about an "in-house" political coup within the AKP to bring Gul to the fore. Gulen has Washington's support for this "regime change" in Turkey. The Middle East situation has reached a criticality, and who rules Turkey becomes of seminal importance.
Bradley Manning Is Guilty of "Aiding the Enemy" -- If the Enemy Is Democracy
Click here to access article by Norman Solomon from RootsAction.
...the unnamed “enemy” aided by Bradley Manning’s courageous actions -- the people at the grassroots who can bring democracy to life beyond rhetoric -- are a real potential threat to [ruling class] power.
Congress to Freak Out Today Over Front Page of Wall Street Journal
Click here to access article by Pam Martens from Wall Street on Parade.
With the U.S. job market still weak, small businesses having a tough time getting loans, and Wall Street abuses still coming to light, that two of the major firms would think it appropriate to resuscitate a thoroughly discredited practice tells all one needs to know about the impact of the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation.I doubt that they will "freak out". They have been just following orders given them by their masters in the One Percent who, no doubt, will take care of them. Oh, some might be voted out of office, but they will be rewarded with lucrative jobs in corporations. That's the way the system works... for the One Percent, and against us.
US health reform to slash care, leave millions uninsured
Click here to access article by Kate Randall from World Socialist Web Site.
The author collects a lot evidence about the Obama administration's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which strongly supports her disturbing headline. We will see the realities unfold after January 2014 when the bill goes into effect.
The author collects a lot evidence about the Obama administration's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which strongly supports her disturbing headline. We will see the realities unfold after January 2014 when the bill goes into effect.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
The Tragedy of Forgotten Wisdom
Click here to access article by Don Quijones from Raging Bull-Shit.
The author does us a great service by critically examining the subject of conspiracies that One Percent propagandists disparagingly frame as "conspiracy theories" in order to deter us from examining such phenomena. He supplies some great quotes from out of the mouths of past members of the One Percent that belie this type of framing.
The author does us a great service by critically examining the subject of conspiracies that One Percent propagandists disparagingly frame as "conspiracy theories" in order to deter us from examining such phenomena. He supplies some great quotes from out of the mouths of past members of the One Percent that belie this type of framing.
Vio.Me: Self-Organization in Greece
Click here if you wish to access the source of this 21:44m video posting from Global Uprisings.
The workers at the Vio.Me. Factory in Thessaloniki, Greece have quickly grown into a symbol of self-management internationally. After going on strike and occupying their factory, on February 12, 2013 they re-opened the factory and started production under worker’s control. For many, the factory represents a new potential way forward for unemployed workers in Greece – seizing the means of production, running factories without bosses, producing only goods that are needed, and distributing them through solidarity networks.Here is a key statement from the film:
“Every extra profit we make will be given out to people who need it. Our plan is to offer help to unemployed people or others who are in great need,” says Dimitrios Koumasiouras, a worker from Vio.Me.
This film tells the story of how the worker’s re-opened the factory under self-management and looks to where the factory is headed now.
...the workers did not give up, they showed the way for a different workers movement with bottom up processes, with direct democracy, with general assemblies, unions based in the grass roots and the real struggle for workers' needs.
Turkey: the triple strike that could change everything
Click here to access article by Jerome Roos from Reflections on a Revolution.
The confluence of a public sector strike, a manufacturing strike and an investor strike could combine to bring the Turkish government to its knees.For other perspectives of what is going on in Turkey, I recommend this piece from Muftah entitled "RIP: The Turkish Model", this piece by Finian Cunningham, and two short videos posted by an activist in Turkey and one in Egypt who is following events in Turkey.
Ireland and the Basque Country: Massive Flight (Emigration) or General Strike?
Click here to access article by James Petras from his blog.
This retired American sociology professor examines worker responses to the aggressive neoliberal campaigns to dismantle Europe's system of social supports for working people and to burden European governments with debts that must be paid by sacrificing workers. To do this he visited and studied developments in Ireland and Spain and found two very different responses.
This retired American sociology professor examines worker responses to the aggressive neoliberal campaigns to dismantle Europe's system of social supports for working people and to burden European governments with debts that must be paid by sacrificing workers. To do this he visited and studied developments in Ireland and Spain and found two very different responses.
To learn first-hand about the capitalist crisis and the workers’ responses, I spent the better part of May in Ireland and the Basque country meeting with labor leaders, rank and file militants, unemployed workers, political activists, academics and journalists. Numerous interviews, observations, publications, visits to job sites and households - in cities and villages -provide the basis for this essay.What he learned was that in Ireland the classic divide and rule strategies of the ruling One Percent were effective causing thousands of talented young people to emigrate; whereas in Spain, particularly in the Basque country where independent working class organizations have developed over a long period, workers are staying and fighting back.
US Supreme Court allows police to take DNA samples of arrestees
Click here to access article by Joseph Kishore from World Socialist Web Site.
Another cornerstone in the foundation of the One Percent's construction of a police state has just been laid by their court. This author writes about the disturbing implications.
Another cornerstone in the foundation of the One Percent's construction of a police state has just been laid by their court. This author writes about the disturbing implications.
Over the past decade, the state, under the banner of the “war on terror,” has begun constructing vast databases of emails, text messages, Internet activity, financial information and criminal and medical records. There is no doubt that DNA data will be incorporated into this systematic spying operation directed at the American people.
Today’s World Environment Reflects Crisis Of Capitalist Civilization
Click here to access article by Farooque Chowdhury from CounterCurrents.
The state of today’s global environment reflects the contradiction between the ownership of the world resources by a miniscule group and billions of resource-producing, but resource-starved humans, the contradiction created by an ever accumulating economy, the contradiction between ever greedy capital owners and humanity in chains.He continues on by providing a survey of evidence of climate related disasters and corporate assaults on the environment.
United against the Troika
Click here to access article by Esther Vivas posted on the Committee for the Abolition of Third World Debt.
Who is the Troika?
A year ago few knew the answer to this question. We knew it by reference, to its stay in Greece, and it wasn’t good. The Troika was synonymous with austerity, adjustment and cuts, hardship, hunger and unemployment.
But it was not until the arrival in Spain of the much denied rescue, in June 2012, that the “men in black” and “Troika” became a household name. Today, a year later, people, sick and tired, are coming out into the streets to say loud and clear: “Troika, go home”.
Monday, June 3, 2013
“The machiavelian threefold game of the neoconservatives”
Click here to access article by Laurent Guyénot from VoltaireNet.
In this rather lengthy examination the author has put together well known historical facts (some not so well known), candid statements from Zionists, with sound arguments that constructs a picture of at least a well-oiled Zionist fifth column machine in the US that serves Israeli-Zionist interests. This has resulted in our prosecution of so many military adventures in the Mid-East, the commission of war crimes, and the bleeding of American treasure mostly on behalf of Israeli imperial ambitions. But, he goes even further to describe a "Zionist cabal" that is directing US policy:
In this rather lengthy examination the author has put together well known historical facts (some not so well known), candid statements from Zionists, with sound arguments that constructs a picture of at least a well-oiled Zionist fifth column machine in the US that serves Israeli-Zionist interests. This has resulted in our prosecution of so many military adventures in the Mid-East, the commission of war crimes, and the bleeding of American treasure mostly on behalf of Israeli imperial ambitions. But, he goes even further to describe a "Zionist cabal" that is directing US policy:
...it appears that a Zionist cabal is interested in a new kind of world war, one that would weaken and fragment all the enemies of Israel for decades to come, putting it in a position to surpass even the United States, who would be ruined by their ruthless military spending (just like the USSR in the 80s) and hated across the globe. Little, it would seem, stands in the way of the final phase of the Zionist plan: a thorough ethnic cleansing and the annexation of the whole of Palestine.
FBI Director Candidate Comey Complicit in “Dark Chapter” in US History
Click here to access article by Bill Conroy from The Narcosphere.
The shadow government of the US One Percent (working through their employee Obama) comes up with another shady character to head their FBI and our growing police state. Read all about it in this rather lengthy piece--that is, if you can stomach it.
The shadow government of the US One Percent (working through their employee Obama) comes up with another shady character to head their FBI and our growing police state. Read all about it in this rather lengthy piece--that is, if you can stomach it.
...we can’t expect Congress or the commercial media to do anything to delve deeper into Comey’s role in the House of Death, or to force the release of the long-buried JAT report, because to date they essentially have helped to provide cover for the cover-up.
And it is equally the case that the Obama administration, once Comey is nominated officially, will have no political incentive to air their own candidate’s dirty laundry in the House of Death mass murder.
So it seems the die is cast, and we as a nation will likely put a man in one of the most powerful posts in the nation, a position where he will make calls daily on civil rights, and life and death, without fully vetting his role in what former DEA Special Agent in Charge Gonzalez describes as one of “the darkest chapters in the history of U.S. federal law enforcement.”
Help Us Counter the ‘Dumb-ification of the Masses’- Support a Real Independent Alternative
Click here to access this appeal by Sibel Edmonds from Boiling Frogs.
She puts it very well:
She puts it very well:
We can’t have it both ways: On one hand moan and complain about the ‘dependent’ mainstream and pseudo alternative propaganda machine, but on the other hand not back and support the very few independent alternative mediums. We can’t; pure and simple.They and others like Andrew Gavin Marshall are leading the fight against "dumb-ification" of the American people. People like Bradley Manning and Julian Assange have already sacrificed so much more for us. We simply must support all of these heroes in these efforts! We are all in this together.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Political Prisoner Alert — Bradley Manning Trial: An American Hero Gets Court-Martialed On June 3
Click here to access article by Erin Lahman posted on Frontlines of Revolutionary Struggle.
Manning is an American hero who made the decision to leak these classified documents as a service to the general public. He testified, “I believe that if the general public had access to the information, this could spark a domestic debate as to the role of the military and foreign policy in general.” He added, “I felt I accomplished something that would allow me to have a clear conscience.”See also this piece from RT entitled "Worldwide protests ahead of Bradley Manning's Monday trial".
June 6 is D(isinformation) Day: The “Good War” Lie
Click here to access article by Mickey Z. from World News Trust.
The author provides a very good contribution to the deconstruction of a frequent form of mythology used by media operators employed by the One Percent to glorify WWII and war in general. I would only add a few things.
First of all, Hitler was brought to power by German industrialists, most notably Fritz Thyssen (see this and this) who was a leading steel magnate. He and other industrialists were extremely concerned about Russian-inspired radical ideas that nearly brought about a revolution in Germany in 1919. With the depression hitting all Western capitalist countries in the early 1930s, he and other industrialists were again concerned about the prospect of revolution. Thus, they decided to back Hitler and the Nazi party. In other words, fascism in Germany, as is always the case, was sponsored by leading capitalists when they felt their system threatened.
2nd, after fascism gained considerable support in Germany and Italy, capitalist ruling classes were split in the other Western countries. Mickey Z. only refers to IT&T head and the Dulles brothers in the US, but there were many others in the US, Britain, and France who were very pro-Nazi. The primary source of this split was the concern among many in the Anglo-American ruling circles that Germany would become a dominant force in the capitalist world thereby threatening Anglo-American dominance, while others saw fascism as necessary to counter radical movements in their own country and that German fascism was a force that could eliminate the Soviet Union. This had consequences for the lead-up to the war and how the war was fought.
This split accounts for why early on leaders in the other Western countries were so accommodating to German demands. They very much wanted to encourage Germany to move east and dispose of their Soviet nemesis. Even after war was declared by Britain when German troops moved into Poland, there was an initial nine month period (popularly known as "the phony war") when no action was taken against Germany. The problem for the German industrialists is that they couldn't always control Hitler and the Nazis. The big mistake the latter made, probably due to overwhelming arrogance, was to move their army against the other West European countries. This was a direct challenge to Anglo-American capitalists and they responded, although rather feebly until the Russians broke the back of the German army at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43.
For more details on all this, I highly recommend that you read books by independent sources of that time: several books by George Seldes and Charles Higham's American Swastika.
The author provides a very good contribution to the deconstruction of a frequent form of mythology used by media operators employed by the One Percent to glorify WWII and war in general. I would only add a few things.
First of all, Hitler was brought to power by German industrialists, most notably Fritz Thyssen (see this and this) who was a leading steel magnate. He and other industrialists were extremely concerned about Russian-inspired radical ideas that nearly brought about a revolution in Germany in 1919. With the depression hitting all Western capitalist countries in the early 1930s, he and other industrialists were again concerned about the prospect of revolution. Thus, they decided to back Hitler and the Nazi party. In other words, fascism in Germany, as is always the case, was sponsored by leading capitalists when they felt their system threatened.
2nd, after fascism gained considerable support in Germany and Italy, capitalist ruling classes were split in the other Western countries. Mickey Z. only refers to IT&T head and the Dulles brothers in the US, but there were many others in the US, Britain, and France who were very pro-Nazi. The primary source of this split was the concern among many in the Anglo-American ruling circles that Germany would become a dominant force in the capitalist world thereby threatening Anglo-American dominance, while others saw fascism as necessary to counter radical movements in their own country and that German fascism was a force that could eliminate the Soviet Union. This had consequences for the lead-up to the war and how the war was fought.
This split accounts for why early on leaders in the other Western countries were so accommodating to German demands. They very much wanted to encourage Germany to move east and dispose of their Soviet nemesis. Even after war was declared by Britain when German troops moved into Poland, there was an initial nine month period (popularly known as "the phony war") when no action was taken against Germany. The problem for the German industrialists is that they couldn't always control Hitler and the Nazis. The big mistake the latter made, probably due to overwhelming arrogance, was to move their army against the other West European countries. This was a direct challenge to Anglo-American capitalists and they responded, although rather feebly until the Russians broke the back of the German army at Stalingrad in the winter of 1942-43.
For more details on all this, I highly recommend that you read books by independent sources of that time: several books by George Seldes and Charles Higham's American Swastika.
Defiant Turks: “this is only just the beginning” [updated posting]
Click here to access article by the ROAR Collective from their website.
It started with hundreds of peaceful protesters resisting the demolition of Gezi Park, one of the very few green spaces left in the center of Istanbul. There are plans to replace it with yet another shopping mall. The disproportionate police response to the peaceful Gezi protests has triggered a nationwide revolt within a matter of days. What we have witnessed since the early hours of May 30 is not only a display of the collective will of Istanbul residents claiming their right to the city but also a broad-based rebellion against the authoritarianism of Turkey’s conservative neo-liberal Islamist government.I also recommend this piece from Eagainst (Greece) entitled "In solidarity with the protesters in Turkey", and this piece entitled "What is Happening in Istanbul?" (added at 4pm PST)
Dark Homes: inside the world’s most expensive residence
Click here to access article by Michael Barker from Ceasefire (Britain).
One Hyde Park, in the heart of London, is considered to be the world’s most expensive residential building. Beneath the glittery surface, however, a snapshot of its owners and residents can tell us a great deal about the nature of modern capitalism.Well, actually not so much about "modern capitalism" as about modern capitalists who are mostly "absentee owners, hiding behind offshore corporations based in tax havens" and who "live in fear of contact with the rest of the world."
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