It was all show business.
....
It really is remarkable the way America was played—again.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
No, Donald Trump will not drain the swamp
Click here to access article by Kurt Nimmo from Another Day in the Empire.
What does it say about America...?
by political cartoonist Dwayne Booth (AKA "Mr. Fish").
Well, given the choices that were made available by our capitalist masters, does it really matter?
On the other hand, why did anyone vote at all?
Well, given the choices that were made available by our capitalist masters, does it really matter?
On the other hand, why did anyone vote at all?
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly? Celebrating the Corporate Plunder of Agriculture
Click here to access article by Colin Todhunter from his blog East by Northwest (Britain).
Todhunter explains how the celebration of Christmas has many roots in history and many cultures, but one wouldn't know this with the present artificial celebration of this holiday which has been imposed on us by the culture of the powerful few in Wall Street and the City of London. He sheds much light on some of the consequences of this culture of capitalism.
Todhunter explains how the celebration of Christmas has many roots in history and many cultures, but one wouldn't know this with the present artificial celebration of this holiday which has been imposed on us by the culture of the powerful few in Wall Street and the City of London. He sheds much light on some of the consequences of this culture of capitalism.
Although the roots of Christmas lie in the commemoration of ancient rural ways which centred on humanity’s relationship with the natural environment, it has pretty much become a festival for an urban, media-manipulated population for whom the original customs and beliefs have been lost.
The ultimate irony (and hypocrisy) it that Christmas is now cheer-led and celebrated by a consumer capitalism whose corporations are destroying the environment through, for example, the genetic engineering of crops, the drenching of soil with agrotoxins, the eradication of indigenous cultures and agriculture and the privatisation of land, seeds and water. And they are doing this by ‘playing god’.
Los Angeles outlaws sleeping in cars, further criminalizing homelessness
Click here to access article and audio broadcast from Free Speech Radio News.
One such person is from Seattle.
Sarah Scott sings in the parking lot of a law office located on the boardwalk. She’s here on a sunny but brisk December day to seek help from volunteer lawyers at the Venice Homeless Citation Clinic.
Tickets have accumulated on her vehicle that no longer runs and that, for now, doubles as her home. A month and a half ago, the singer-songwriter packed her belongings and drove her Dodge Ram from Seattle, Washington to Venice, California.
One such person is from Seattle.
 |
| Homeless in Los Angeles |
Tickets have accumulated on her vehicle that no longer runs and that, for now, doubles as her home. A month and a half ago, the singer-songwriter packed her belongings and drove her Dodge Ram from Seattle, Washington to Venice, California.
Hell just froze over: the New York Times runs an article saying Zionism is racist
Click here to access article by Phil Weiss and Donald Johnson from Mondoweiss.
Trump’s election is having fascinating consequences. Today the New York Times ran a long piece titled, “Liberal Zionism in the Age of Trump,” by Omri Boehm of the New School saying that liberal Zionism is a contradiction: liberal American Jews have “identified themselves with Zionism, a political agenda rooted in the denial of liberal politics.”
Boehm’s most startling point is that Zionism has anti-Semitic strains, witness its collaboration with Nazis. Hannah Arendt is happy today.
The piece will greatly increase the pressure on liberal Zionists to choose one idea or the other, and to stop denying the existence of apartheid.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Everything you see about Syria on TV [or from any other corporate source] is fake news
Here are two recent video interviews with Eva Bartlett produced by The Jimmy Dore Show (Burbank, California) on a podcast which is apparently behind a paywall, but was uploaded on YouTube. This is American satire about corporate media and serious independent reporting at its finest.
Also I couldn't resist posting this hilarious parody of PBS from Dore's website:
The Jimmy Dore Show is a hilarious and irreverent take on news, politics and culture featuring Jimmy Dore, a professional stand up comedian, author and podcaster. With over 5 million downloads on iTunes, the show is also broadcast on KPFK stations throughout the country. It is part of the Young Turks Network-- the largest online news show in the world.
Also I couldn't resist posting this hilarious parody of PBS from Dore's website:
The Coming War on China
Click here to this new film (1:52:35) by John Pilger from Thought Maybe.
The film was posted a few days on RT, but has since disappeared to await its distribution in various countries. Having viewed it, I am inclined to doubt that it will be widely distributed in the US--if at all--except maybe on university campuses. Fortunately you can access it on this website which you may want to browse for other such informative films.
The film was posted a few days on RT, but has since disappeared to await its distribution in various countries. Having viewed it, I am inclined to doubt that it will be widely distributed in the US--if at all--except maybe on university campuses. Fortunately you can access it on this website which you may want to browse for other such informative films.
"The Coming War on China" is a warning that nuclear war is not only imaginable, but a ‘contingency,’ says the Pentagon. The greatest build-up of Nato military forces since the Second World War is under way on the western borders of Russia, and some 400 American military bases encircle China with missiles, bombers, warships and nuclear weapons. But these happenings are of course not reported as United States antagonism. Instead, there is a familiar drumbeat of war, the kind of the old “yellow peril,” a restoration of the psychology of fear that embedded public consciousness for most of the 20th century. The aim of this film is to break the silence, and as the centenaries of the First World War presently remind us, horrific conflict can begin all too easily. By recounting the secret and forgotten history of the rapacious actions of great power against China throughout the decades, such as the destruction of the Marshall Islands and the Opium wars, "The Coming War on China" is also a report of an inspiring popular resistance to nuclear weapons, military bases and warmongering of the United States, of which little is known in the West.
Stunning Photos Show Huge Crack in Antarctic Ice Shelf
Click here to access article by Dan Zukowski from EcoWatch.
Scientists not only see a huge crack in the Antarctic ice shelf, but their measurements of the area of sea ice has dramatically shrunk in recent years.
Antarctica holds more than half of the planet's fresh water in its snow, glaciers and ice formations. But conditions around the continent are worsening.
The NASA mission also flew over Antarctic sea ice. It found coverage to be sparse in the Bellingshausen Sea, on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
In November, Antarctic air temperatures were 3.6 - 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. Antarctic sea ice set a new record low, as did the Arctic. Antarctic sea ice was a staggering 699,000 square miles below the 1981 to 2010 average.
"Antarctic sea ice really went down the rabbit hole this time," said Ted Scambos, the lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Oh my god! Next we'll learn in corporate media that the Russians and Putin are responsible for this.
Scientists not only see a huge crack in the Antarctic ice shelf, but their measurements of the area of sea ice has dramatically shrunk in recent years.
Antarctica holds more than half of the planet's fresh water in its snow, glaciers and ice formations. But conditions around the continent are worsening.The NASA mission also flew over Antarctic sea ice. It found coverage to be sparse in the Bellingshausen Sea, on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.
In November, Antarctic air temperatures were 3.6 - 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal. Antarctic sea ice set a new record low, as did the Arctic. Antarctic sea ice was a staggering 699,000 square miles below the 1981 to 2010 average.
"Antarctic sea ice really went down the rabbit hole this time," said Ted Scambos, the lead scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center.
Oh my god! Next we'll learn in corporate media that the Russians and Putin are responsible for this.
Monday, December 19, 2016
Five reasons why we don’t have a free and independent press in the UK and what we can do about it
Click here to access article by Ed Jones from openDemocracyUK.
I am a bit leery about posting this. On the one hand it does provide information about the intrusion of government secret services into corporate media, but on the other hand it steers people to reformist oriented media that is heavily funded by the rich. No doubt our capitalist masters have learned from their arch enemy Vladimir Ilyich Lenin who has been quoted as expressing this insight: "The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves."
For a prime example, take this website openDemocracyUK which is a part of openDemocracy. In the article Jones writes "Only if alternative/co-operative/investigative journalism is financially supported by its readers will they be able to research and write high quality articles. This is a valuable observation about alternative media. However after looking at the funding sources of openDemcracyUK, it violates this principle. The chart shows that 54.9% of their funding comes from the rich through grants and large donations, and only 5.2% from readers. They list the Open Trust has providing most of its grants. I believe this charity functions very much like the Tides Foundation (notice that Democracy Now!, 350.org, etc are on their 2013 list of grantees) in the US: a clearing house for grant funding by the rich. They make the following very naive statement regarding their independence of the grant money openDemocracy receives from the rich:
However, in spite of my criticisms I strongly support reader supported media organizations that are absolutely independent of influence by corporations or the rich. Too much of alternative media suffers from a lack of financing which interferes with their ability to present accurate news and analysis. To overcome this problem, I think that many of them should merge in order to combine resources and skills. And, of course, we the general public must support them with whatever we can spare. At the same time I think that they must build into their organizations bottom-up authority structures not only to maintain discipline to prevent them from being co-opted by the rich or their secret services, but also to build into their organizations a successful template for future non-capitalist societies.
I am a bit leery about posting this. On the one hand it does provide information about the intrusion of government secret services into corporate media, but on the other hand it steers people to reformist oriented media that is heavily funded by the rich. No doubt our capitalist masters have learned from their arch enemy Vladimir Ilyich Lenin who has been quoted as expressing this insight: "The best way to control the opposition is to lead it ourselves."
For a prime example, take this website openDemocracyUK which is a part of openDemocracy. In the article Jones writes "Only if alternative/co-operative/investigative journalism is financially supported by its readers will they be able to research and write high quality articles. This is a valuable observation about alternative media. However after looking at the funding sources of openDemcracyUK, it violates this principle. The chart shows that 54.9% of their funding comes from the rich through grants and large donations, and only 5.2% from readers. They list the Open Trust has providing most of its grants. I believe this charity functions very much like the Tides Foundation (notice that Democracy Now!, 350.org, etc are on their 2013 list of grantees) in the US: a clearing house for grant funding by the rich. They make the following very naive statement regarding their independence of the grant money openDemocracy receives from the rich:
The Trust has no direct stake in openDemocracy but conducts regular oversight to be sure that oD is operating in conformity with the Trust's charitable purpose.And, I have little doubt that these funders make sure that the grantee websites function in conformity with the political views of the rich, and the people at openDemocracyUK avoid any content that might really annoy their rich funders. Thus I don't think you will find any links to radical websites that are devoted to question the system of capitalism. At best, the reformist sites, that the author steers us to, only want the existing capitalist system to function in a kinder, gentler, and more egalitarian way.
However, in spite of my criticisms I strongly support reader supported media organizations that are absolutely independent of influence by corporations or the rich. Too much of alternative media suffers from a lack of financing which interferes with their ability to present accurate news and analysis. To overcome this problem, I think that many of them should merge in order to combine resources and skills. And, of course, we the general public must support them with whatever we can spare. At the same time I think that they must build into their organizations bottom-up authority structures not only to maintain discipline to prevent them from being co-opted by the rich or their secret services, but also to build into their organizations a successful template for future non-capitalist societies.
EPA under the Trump administration
by editorial cartoonist Scott Stantis.
I'm not sure that this will reduce the deplorable function of the Environmental Protection Agency from what has happened in the past except to function with much less hypocrisy.
I'm not sure that this will reduce the deplorable function of the Environmental Protection Agency from what has happened in the past except to function with much less hypocrisy.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
CIA Meddles in US Election As it Has in Countless Foreign Polls
Click here to access article by Wayne Madsen from the Strategic Culture Foundation. (Note: this essay must have been written before the recent change of the FBI's publicly reported view regarding the subversion of the election by Russian agents.)
While Madsen correctly reminds us of the history of the CIA interfering in elections of other countries, he is mistaken by thinking that they are interfering with "democracy". His error is clearly expressed in the final two sentences of the article.
Elections have been used (and abused) to support the legitimacy of capitalist class rule ever since this class wrestled power from feudal authorities. One must keep in mind how elections serve this class rule, and how other preceding ruling classes used other devices to prop up their rule. Let's briefly review this history.
Capitalism has been superimposed on feudal societies by the rising power of a new class of "owners" of productive property when new forms of power (water, coal, fossil fuels) drove machines operated by workers. Feudal economies were based on a primitive kind of agriculture in which workers (serfs) were tied to the land and controlled by aristocracies and monarchs. Feudal authorities used religious authorities to ideologically support their rule ("divine right" in European countries). This ruling class conveniently ignored, and made their subjects forget, that their class were the descendants of warrior bands who took the lands by violence from small substance farmers.
The present arrangement, under the rule of capitalists, is no more legitimate than the first rulers whose rule were founded on violence and intimidation. The only difference is the application of self-serving propaganda used by these ruling class to add a veneer of respectability or legitimacy to their rule. Elections as well as propaganda serve this purpose. Having a choice between evil people, or those who support the ruling capital class has become de rigueur in capitalist societies, and is touted as "democracy". With their control of very sophisticated ideological institutions in education, media, and entertainment, this ruling class have most people believing that having a choice between two people who serve the interests of capitalists somehow represents democracy. Just as astounding is how they are able to use secret, unaccountable agencies like the CIA, that are advertised as protecting the security of the nation, to hoodwink people. But have you noticed that in case all these methods don't work, they are fully prepared to use violence and intimidation against their own populations?
True democracy can only be attained when all of the people participate meaningfully in decisions over every aspect of their lives, and control over the economy is the most important of all. Capitalism, which inevitably concentrates economic property in the hands of ever fewer people, is one of the greatest evils of all time. Private ownership of the economy must be abolished forever before any kind of meaningful democracy can be established.
What we might infer from all the present hysterical controversy over the recent election outcome is that there is a split between factions of our ruling class. But I don't think we can be even certain of that simply because the latter always rule by deception. It could be argued that the CIA is only appearing to undermine Trump's election to hide the fact of a change of major strategy to confront the power of Russia and China into one of driving a wedge between them. It could be that our ruling masters are engaged in an elaborate attempt to hide this new strategy behind a controversy over the election. Evidence to support this theory could be supported if all the present hullabaloo is simply allowed to diminish over time and subsequent events show that our masters are warming up to Russia and acting more aggressively in their relations with China.
I'm not arguing that this is the case, what I'm arguing is that we don't know what our masters are doing simply because they are chronic liars and deceivers. Instead of wasting our time trying to figure out what they are really up to, we should be preparing to overturn their rule, not only of our nation, but the entire world before their misrule ends in our extinction.
While Madsen correctly reminds us of the history of the CIA interfering in elections of other countries, he is mistaken by thinking that they are interfering with "democracy". His error is clearly expressed in the final two sentences of the article.
The CIA is now directing its wealth of election chicanery toward the American electorate to discredit and undermine the legitimacy of the Trump presidency. For the sake of democracy everywhere, the CIA must be abolished.I don't know of any genuine democratic elections taking place anywhere in the world or in history with the possible exception of those in the classic period of Athens. But these were tarnished by the fact that Athenians practiced widespread slavery. I've read estimates that 50% of their population were slaves taken in many of their wars. The fact that elections are confused with the practice of democracy is one of the biggest cons (def. #4) of all time.
Elections have been used (and abused) to support the legitimacy of capitalist class rule ever since this class wrestled power from feudal authorities. One must keep in mind how elections serve this class rule, and how other preceding ruling classes used other devices to prop up their rule. Let's briefly review this history.
Capitalism has been superimposed on feudal societies by the rising power of a new class of "owners" of productive property when new forms of power (water, coal, fossil fuels) drove machines operated by workers. Feudal economies were based on a primitive kind of agriculture in which workers (serfs) were tied to the land and controlled by aristocracies and monarchs. Feudal authorities used religious authorities to ideologically support their rule ("divine right" in European countries). This ruling class conveniently ignored, and made their subjects forget, that their class were the descendants of warrior bands who took the lands by violence from small substance farmers.
The present arrangement, under the rule of capitalists, is no more legitimate than the first rulers whose rule were founded on violence and intimidation. The only difference is the application of self-serving propaganda used by these ruling class to add a veneer of respectability or legitimacy to their rule. Elections as well as propaganda serve this purpose. Having a choice between evil people, or those who support the ruling capital class has become de rigueur in capitalist societies, and is touted as "democracy". With their control of very sophisticated ideological institutions in education, media, and entertainment, this ruling class have most people believing that having a choice between two people who serve the interests of capitalists somehow represents democracy. Just as astounding is how they are able to use secret, unaccountable agencies like the CIA, that are advertised as protecting the security of the nation, to hoodwink people. But have you noticed that in case all these methods don't work, they are fully prepared to use violence and intimidation against their own populations?
True democracy can only be attained when all of the people participate meaningfully in decisions over every aspect of their lives, and control over the economy is the most important of all. Capitalism, which inevitably concentrates economic property in the hands of ever fewer people, is one of the greatest evils of all time. Private ownership of the economy must be abolished forever before any kind of meaningful democracy can be established.
What we might infer from all the present hysterical controversy over the recent election outcome is that there is a split between factions of our ruling class. But I don't think we can be even certain of that simply because the latter always rule by deception. It could be argued that the CIA is only appearing to undermine Trump's election to hide the fact of a change of major strategy to confront the power of Russia and China into one of driving a wedge between them. It could be that our ruling masters are engaged in an elaborate attempt to hide this new strategy behind a controversy over the election. Evidence to support this theory could be supported if all the present hullabaloo is simply allowed to diminish over time and subsequent events show that our masters are warming up to Russia and acting more aggressively in their relations with China.
I'm not arguing that this is the case, what I'm arguing is that we don't know what our masters are doing simply because they are chronic liars and deceivers. Instead of wasting our time trying to figure out what they are really up to, we should be preparing to overturn their rule, not only of our nation, but the entire world before their misrule ends in our extinction.
Facebook plans to bury alternative news
Click here to access article by Kurt Nimmo from Another Day in the Empire.
Facebook has decided to make it easier for Snopes, Factcheck.org, ABC News, the Associated Press, and PolitiFact to flag “fake news.”
What this means is alternative news stories the establishment decides are fake will be pushed down in the Facebook newsfeed.
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Bitter in Aleppo Defeat, US and EU Seek to Further Demonize Russia
Click here to access article by Finian Cunningham from Strategic Culture Foundation.
With the defeat of terrorists in Syria's largest city, the US-led Empire is sticking to its script--and turning reality on its head--by reporting in their megaphones of corporate media that "rebels" are losing and that populations are suffering due to Russia's assistance to the Syrian government. The control of media and what people think about their world is of primary concern for those who are addicted to power and profits.
We in independent media must continue our fight to tell the truth and spread our message over our tiny platforms on the internet. As George Orwell learned when he fought in the Spanish Civil War against fascist forces: telling the truth is a revolutionary act. There has never been so much at stake: a nuclear holocaust, widespread poverty, fascists colluding with terrorist forces and running amok in the world, and climate destabilization. It is imperative that we all become revolutionaries by telling the truth as best we see it.
The author is far more optimistic than I am by concluding with this upbeat message:
With the defeat of terrorists in Syria's largest city, the US-led Empire is sticking to its script--and turning reality on its head--by reporting in their megaphones of corporate media that "rebels" are losing and that populations are suffering due to Russia's assistance to the Syrian government. The control of media and what people think about their world is of primary concern for those who are addicted to power and profits.
We in independent media must continue our fight to tell the truth and spread our message over our tiny platforms on the internet. As George Orwell learned when he fought in the Spanish Civil War against fascist forces: telling the truth is a revolutionary act. There has never been so much at stake: a nuclear holocaust, widespread poverty, fascists colluding with terrorist forces and running amok in the world, and climate destabilization. It is imperative that we all become revolutionaries by telling the truth as best we see it.
As Russian forces help liberate the Syrian city of Aleppo this week from a four-year terrorist siege, Washington and Europe step up threats of cyber war and economic aggression with sanctions. That’s no coincidence. It is the response of accomplices bitter in defeat.After you read this article, I urge you to read a more passionate article in defense of the truth-telling in an age of lies orchestrated by ruling class media corporations. The article is entitled "The Ghost of Goebbels Past: The Mainstream Media Declares War on the Alternative Media" by Timothy Alexander Guzman from Silent Crow News.
Perverse isn’t it? Instead of celebrating with the people of Syria over the liberation of Aleppo from terrorists; instead of sending massive humanitarian aid to the tens of thousands of civilians freed after being held under siege for four years by terrorist gangs; instead of commending Russia for its decisive role in restoring peace to Syria’s second biggest city, the US and European Union turn reality on its head and further demonize Moscow.
The author is far more optimistic than I am by concluding with this upbeat message:
The alternative media is now the enemy. “Fake news” accusations against the alternative media are the only weapon they have as the establishment and their MSM minions move forward in an attempt to censor the “real news.” The ghost of Joseph Goebbels whispers in the ears of the establishment and that is for them to “use all of its powers to repress dissent.” It will be an epic failure because the truth always finds its way.Finally, I recommend viewing the following dramatic presentation by Anonymous who explains how and why our masters in the capitalist ruling class are so preoccupied with distorting news and information, and why they offer so much mindless entertainment so that most people don't even want to think for themselves. Instead their conditioning is designed to persuade people to look to authorities for understanding the world in which they live.
Friday, December 16, 2016
South China Sea: Failing to Find Asian Allies, US Invites UK to Meddle
Click here to access article by Tony Cartalucci from New Eastern Outlook.
Client regimes the United States and its European allies have cultivated throughout the region have either turned on them or have been effectively removed from power, or even the prospect of ever holding power again.
Congressman calls out CIA on its refusal to provide evidence on Russia election hack
Click here to access article by Kurt Nimmo from Another Day in the Empire.
The CIA is the premier purveyor of fake news and the establishment media routinely passes off spook created fake news as unvarnished truth.
Meanwhile, the compromised corporate media insists Blacklisted News, Activist Post, and other alternative news websites are in the business of disseminating fake news.
The CIA’s refusal is yet another indication the entire affair is a psychological operation.
The Ongoing ‘Fake News’ Battle Obscures The Truth About Fake Democracies
Click here to access article by Michael Nevradakis from Mint Press News.
And throughout all of this...the U.S. media, which is doing a fantastic job keeping the American people woefully and blissfully unaware of anything happening outside the country’s borders, selling this image of the European Union as a warm and fuzzy force for peace, the sole factor responsible for European countries not waging war against each other over the past 70 years. Never mind that they are waging war; since it’s with non-European countries or is in the form of economic warfare, it doesn’t count.
And the biggest cheerleaders of all are perhaps not even the major news outlets such as The New York Times and the Washington Post, but those oh-so-progressive, oh-so-hip and edgy media outlets targeting the young and supposedly enlightened....
Latin America overdoses on Irony as CIA complains Russia rigged US election
Click here to access article from The Rochdale Herald (Britain). (Note: Their "About" section reads: "Daily news, satire and comment from the world's worst local newspaper.)
While you're on the website, I encourage you to peruse other pieces of their work. This is British satire at its best. Enjoy!
While you're on the website, I encourage you to peruse other pieces of their work. This is British satire at its best. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
My ("conspiracy") theory about the emergence of the Trump faction of the ruling capitalist class
by Ron Horn for this website. (Edited for clarity around 6:45 PM Seattle time.)
Somehow during my reading of a post, an epiphany within which contains a theory that flashed through my mind. I will attempt in the short time remaining before my posting deadline (noon Seattle time) to bring most of the evidence together to support this theory which might account for the split in the US ruling class that has so dramatically been in evidence by events since the election of Trump in issues that have been targeting "fake news" (alternative media) and the alleged Russian hacking of the election. (See this post of mine.)
I will express this theory as follows. The ruling capitalist class split has been caused by the increasing influence among politicos of this class by a faction ("Rockefeller") that wants to pursue a grand strategy of driving a wedge between Russia and China because of a fear in a powerful section of this class of the increasing power of their collusion that is threatening the dominance of US Empire. Hence, the necessity of driving a wedge between the two countries. The old divide and conquer strategy that has worked so well for empire builders.
I offer as Exhibit 1 in support of this theory an excellent article entitled "Russia and China Together”: The Greatest Fear of Donald Trump" posted last year. In this post author Caleb Maupin argued that this was only in Trump's mind, but my theory holds that this is behind the recent emergence of the ruling class faction that has successfully promoted Trump as president.
Exhibit 2 might be even more significant. Zbigniew Brzezinski's startling essay entitled "Toward a Global Realignment" (posted in April of this year) which subtly argued that some sort of accommodation should be reached with at least one of the two nations.
Because I am running out of time, I will list posts which I think also support this theory: "WaPo Does It Again: CIA “Secret” Assessment Discredited By Top US Spy Agency, FBI And CIA Itself", "China Wary of Tillerson Wooing Away Russia", "Will Trump 'Try to Drive a Wedge Between China and Russia'?", and "CBS Disappointed: James Baker says Rex Tillerson will be 'excellent secretary of state'" (Baker, I believe, has been associated with the Rockefeller crowd.).
Somehow during my reading of a post, an epiphany within which contains a theory that flashed through my mind. I will attempt in the short time remaining before my posting deadline (noon Seattle time) to bring most of the evidence together to support this theory which might account for the split in the US ruling class that has so dramatically been in evidence by events since the election of Trump in issues that have been targeting "fake news" (alternative media) and the alleged Russian hacking of the election. (See this post of mine.)
I will express this theory as follows. The ruling capitalist class split has been caused by the increasing influence among politicos of this class by a faction ("Rockefeller") that wants to pursue a grand strategy of driving a wedge between Russia and China because of a fear in a powerful section of this class of the increasing power of their collusion that is threatening the dominance of US Empire. Hence, the necessity of driving a wedge between the two countries. The old divide and conquer strategy that has worked so well for empire builders.
I offer as Exhibit 1 in support of this theory an excellent article entitled "Russia and China Together”: The Greatest Fear of Donald Trump" posted last year. In this post author Caleb Maupin argued that this was only in Trump's mind, but my theory holds that this is behind the recent emergence of the ruling class faction that has successfully promoted Trump as president.
Exhibit 2 might be even more significant. Zbigniew Brzezinski's startling essay entitled "Toward a Global Realignment" (posted in April of this year) which subtly argued that some sort of accommodation should be reached with at least one of the two nations.
While no state is likely in the near future to match America’s economic-financial superiority, new weapons systems could suddenly endow some countries with the means to commit suicide in a joint tit-for-tat embrace with the United States, or even to prevail. Without going into speculative detail, the sudden acquisition by some state of the capacity to render America militarily inferior would spell the end of America’s global role. The result would most probably be global chaos. And that is why it behooves the United States to fashion a policy in which at least one of the two potentially threatening states becomes a partner in the quest for regional and then wider global stability, and thus in containing the least predictable but potentially the most likely rival to overreach. Currently, the more likely to overreach is Russia, but in the longer run it could be China.In my commentary to one of my posts I expressed amazement at this startling turnabout from someone (and a powerful influential of the ruling class representing the Rockefeller clan and associates) who had previously exhibited an obsessive hatred of the Russians and the former Soviet Union.
Because I am running out of time, I will list posts which I think also support this theory: "WaPo Does It Again: CIA “Secret” Assessment Discredited By Top US Spy Agency, FBI And CIA Itself", "China Wary of Tillerson Wooing Away Russia", "Will Trump 'Try to Drive a Wedge Between China and Russia'?", and "CBS Disappointed: James Baker says Rex Tillerson will be 'excellent secretary of state'" (Baker, I believe, has been associated with the Rockefeller crowd.).
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
The Dominant Sector of the Ruling Class Takes Full Control, Part I: A Brief History of the Ruling Class in the U.S.
Click here to access article by Steven Jonas, MD, MPH from The Greanville Post.
I've only had a chance to scan this article before my noon (Seattle time) deadline for posting, but I have been so impressed with what I've seen so far that I am posting it today. It appears to me that Jonas is arguing that Trump's pick (who will still need to be confirmed by the Senate) of Sec. of State, Rex Tillerson who is the CEO of the world's largest corporation, suggests that the dominant faction (Trump's faction) of the ruling class is taking over. This assertion is the reverse of my assertion in yesterday's commentary that the dominant faction was promoting Hillary Clinton. I still think I am correct if one considers who has been in charge of the Empire in recent decades.
I've only had a chance to scan this article before my noon (Seattle time) deadline for posting, but I have been so impressed with what I've seen so far that I am posting it today. It appears to me that Jonas is arguing that Trump's pick (who will still need to be confirmed by the Senate) of Sec. of State, Rex Tillerson who is the CEO of the world's largest corporation, suggests that the dominant faction (Trump's faction) of the ruling class is taking over. This assertion is the reverse of my assertion in yesterday's commentary that the dominant faction was promoting Hillary Clinton. I still think I am correct if one considers who has been in charge of the Empire in recent decades.
Broken Promises: The Structural Legacy of Capitalist Democracies
Click here to access article by James Petras from his website.
Unless you have been sound asleep the last eight years, I recommend that you skip many of the initial paragraphs that the retired professor of sociology devotes to a review of all the lies of Obama and the promises of President-elect Trump. Start at the sub-heading "The Structural Basis of Capitalist Democracy" to get to the real interesting part of his argument which begins as follows:
Unless you have been sound asleep the last eight years, I recommend that you skip many of the initial paragraphs that the retired professor of sociology devotes to a review of all the lies of Obama and the promises of President-elect Trump. Start at the sub-heading "The Structural Basis of Capitalist Democracy" to get to the real interesting part of his argument which begins as follows:
Under capitalist democracies, Presidents put on the appearance of ‘talking to real folks’ while skillfully working for the biggest capitalists and bankers.
When ‘capitalist democracy’ is under threat and discredited, the search for populist demagogues kicks in.
The half that will never be told. . .
Click here to access article by David Ruccio from Real-World Economics Review Blog.
"The half that will never be told..." (about US history) refers to the huge contribution that African slavery contributed to capitalist fortunes, and those who have inherited this wealth, and its concomitant power, now constitute our ruling class. Thus our contemporary capitalist ruling class, whose agents control all ideological institution of our society, have a vested interest in covering up this history. Ruccio is outraged by the negative reviews of recent books that reveal the role of slavery in the building of capitalist fortunes.
"The half that will never be told..." (about US history) refers to the huge contribution that African slavery contributed to capitalist fortunes, and those who have inherited this wealth, and its concomitant power, now constitute our ruling class. Thus our contemporary capitalist ruling class, whose agents control all ideological institution of our society, have a vested interest in covering up this history. Ruccio is outraged by the negative reviews of recent books that reveal the role of slavery in the building of capitalist fortunes.
That’s a problem for those of us who work in and around the discipline of economics: mainstream economists are simply unwilling to give up on homo economicus and doggedly refuse to examine either the economic effects of the brutal system of torture that was central to U.S. slavery or the role slave cotton played in the development of U.S. capitalism. Not to mention their arrogance in responding to the work of anyone who argues otherwise.Note: You might also be interested in a review of a book entitled Capitalism and Slavery by historian Eric Williams.
And that’s why the other half of the story will never be told by mainstream economists.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
A list of the best articles regarding the contest between two capitalist ruling factions
by Ron Horn for this website.
The political campaign contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for president has continued after the November election. It appears that the source of the overwhelming support for Clinton by corporate media was promoted by the dominant neocon faction of the capitalist ruling class, whereas Trump drew his support from an upstart faction that is challenging their dominance.
This unprecedented struggle is likely a symptom of the recent failed policies of the dominant faction in Syria, the failed effort to undermine Russian nationalism under Putin, the failing Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the growing power of China, other issues like Philippine President Dutarte's efforts at closer relations with China, and a rejection of the Democratic administration, which represented the dominant faction, due to the dissatisfaction of large numbers of citizens with the deteriorating economy for ordinary people.
The dominant faction is attacking the Trump faction using issues about "fake news" and the alleged Russian influence over the elections, both of which allegedly led to the election of Trump. Leading the dominant faction are corporate media and the CIA (which I believe exercises strong influence over US and most major European media); whereas the Trump faction is as yet much more amorphous, but is drawing support from many major military and corporate leaders. The dominant faction is using the issue of "fake news" to attack alternative websites and independent journalists who exposed corporate media lies and may have caused Clinton to lose the election. The FBI's re-opening of their investigation about Clinton's alleged misuse of emails only eleven days before the election and their recent denials about Russian influence in the election suggests to me that they have been aligned with the Trump faction.
It is clear that whichever faction of the tiny capitalist Deep State wins, workers and ordinary people will lose. On one side we have the aggressive neocons who are lusting for war with Russia and China, and on the other side we have those who are, at best, indifferent to social identity issues (ethnic and gender), and want to weaken all social programs and lower taxes on business.
Anyway, here is the list of the best articles that offer their views on this contest (in reverse chronological order by days):
The political campaign contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for president has continued after the November election. It appears that the source of the overwhelming support for Clinton by corporate media was promoted by the dominant neocon faction of the capitalist ruling class, whereas Trump drew his support from an upstart faction that is challenging their dominance.
This unprecedented struggle is likely a symptom of the recent failed policies of the dominant faction in Syria, the failed effort to undermine Russian nationalism under Putin, the failing Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, the growing power of China, other issues like Philippine President Dutarte's efforts at closer relations with China, and a rejection of the Democratic administration, which represented the dominant faction, due to the dissatisfaction of large numbers of citizens with the deteriorating economy for ordinary people.
The dominant faction is attacking the Trump faction using issues about "fake news" and the alleged Russian influence over the elections, both of which allegedly led to the election of Trump. Leading the dominant faction are corporate media and the CIA (which I believe exercises strong influence over US and most major European media); whereas the Trump faction is as yet much more amorphous, but is drawing support from many major military and corporate leaders. The dominant faction is using the issue of "fake news" to attack alternative websites and independent journalists who exposed corporate media lies and may have caused Clinton to lose the election. The FBI's re-opening of their investigation about Clinton's alleged misuse of emails only eleven days before the election and their recent denials about Russian influence in the election suggests to me that they have been aligned with the Trump faction.
It is clear that whichever faction of the tiny capitalist Deep State wins, workers and ordinary people will lose. On one side we have the aggressive neocons who are lusting for war with Russia and China, and on the other side we have those who are, at best, indifferent to social identity issues (ethnic and gender), and want to weaken all social programs and lower taxes on business.
Anyway, here is the list of the best articles that offer their views on this contest (in reverse chronological order by days):
- White House, Clinton campaign intervene in conflict over Russian hacking charges
- Pro-Hillary Dark Forces Plot Anti-Trump Coup?
- EU/UK/USA Closing Down Free Speech Whilst Producing Propaganda On Industrial Scale
- US Intel Vets Dispute Russia Hacking Claims
- From ‘Fake News’ to ‘Fake Intelligence’
- Trump Trumpets His Real Plans
- U.S. Foreign Policy and the Electoral College Vote. Towards a December 19 Surprise?
- Stop the CIA Coup: The Deep State versus Donald Trump (thanks to Christopher in northwest Oregon)
- Rogue Elements of the CIA Are Operating Against President-elect Trump
- What Are The Hearsay Leaks About "Russian Election Hacking" Attempting To Achieve?
Monday, December 12, 2016
The Private Vice of Greed Undermines Public Virtue
Click here to access an excerpt from How Will Capitalism End by Wolfgang Streeck posted on TruthOut.
Capitalism in a nutshell: "stagnation, oligarchic redistribution, the plundering of the public domain, corruption and global anarchy".
Capitalism in a nutshell: "stagnation, oligarchic redistribution, the plundering of the public domain, corruption and global anarchy".
Behind hacking allegations: Explosive conflict over US policy toward Russia
Click here to access article by Patrick Martin from World Socialist Web Site.
So, what is going on? We can only speculate because so many important decisions in our country are made in the secretive Deep State where major capitalists mediate issues behind the scenes of public discourse. Considering that the CIA (the FBI is staying safely out of this fray) is a very important agency of the US ruling class and this kind of opposition is unprecedented since the days of John Kennedy's presidency (and we know what happened to him), I think it is a phenomenon that we should pay attention to in the months ahead. I've noticed that foreign media are certainly paying attention. Martin offers his thoughts:
So, what is going on? We can only speculate because so many important decisions in our country are made in the secretive Deep State where major capitalists mediate issues behind the scenes of public discourse. Considering that the CIA (the FBI is staying safely out of this fray) is a very important agency of the US ruling class and this kind of opposition is unprecedented since the days of John Kennedy's presidency (and we know what happened to him), I think it is a phenomenon that we should pay attention to in the months ahead. I've noticed that foreign media are certainly paying attention. Martin offers his thoughts:
These rapid-fire events, in which intelligence agencies feed the media and the media seeks to stampede public opinion, only underscore the manipulative character of the election process as a whole. The real issues being fought out within the ruling elite—over what tactics and methods to employ against its global rivals—were concealed from the population while a barrage of slanders and scandals was unleashed to provide political cover for a further shift to the right.Martin also noticed that other issues are obviously unimportant to the ruling capitalist class:
While the campaign on Trump and Russia escalates, neither the Times nor the Democrats devote a fraction of that energy to condemning the cabinet of billionaire reactionaries and generals Trump is assembling or his plans to dismantle Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and public education and eliminate all restrictions on corporate pollution of the environment and all regulations on the banks and big business.
They are entirely focused on preventing any shift under Trump away from the offensive against Russia.
The Syrian-Sarin ‘False Flag’ Lesson
Click here to access article by Ray McGovern from ConsortiumNews.com.
McGovern reviews the history of the false-flag event that resulted in the terrorist war in Syria, the fleeing of millions of refugees to Europe, the toppling of Ukraine's government as a likely act of revenge by Empire operatives, and the aggressive anti-Russian policies ever since. Only a Russian proposal stopped what likely would have resulted in a US invasion of Syria as happened in Iraq with the phony allegations of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
This gross false-flag event, which set in motion all the other lies about "moderate rebels", is an illustration of the enormous destructive effects that such deceptive operations can have, and another illustration of the Empire's intolerance of any country that in anyway interferes with their imperial activities.
McGovern reviews the history of the false-flag event that resulted in the terrorist war in Syria, the fleeing of millions of refugees to Europe, the toppling of Ukraine's government as a likely act of revenge by Empire operatives, and the aggressive anti-Russian policies ever since. Only a Russian proposal stopped what likely would have resulted in a US invasion of Syria as happened in Iraq with the phony allegations of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
This gross false-flag event, which set in motion all the other lies about "moderate rebels", is an illustration of the enormous destructive effects that such deceptive operations can have, and another illustration of the Empire's intolerance of any country that in anyway interferes with their imperial activities.
A review of events leading to the very edge of full-blown U.S. shock-and-awe on Syria three years ago provides a case study with important lessons for new policymakers as they begin to arrive in Washington.
It is high time to expose the whys and wherefores of the almost-successful attempt to mousetrap President Barack Obama into an open attack on Syria three years ago. Little-known and still less appreciated is the last-minute intervention of Russian President Vladimir Putin as deus ex machina rescuing Obama from the corner into which he had let himself be painted.
Accumulating evidence offers persuasive proof that Syrian rebels supported by Turkish intelligence – not Syrian Army troops – bear responsibility for the infamous sarin nerve-gas attack killing hundreds of people on Aug. 21, 2013 in Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus. The incident bears all the earmarks of a false-flag attack.
Counter-Propaganda Bill Quietly Creates US Propaganda Factory
Click here to access article by John Laurits from his blog.
On Thursday December 8th, the US senate quietly passed the National Defense Authorization Act ( or the ‘NDAA’ ) for the fiscal year of 2017. Basically, the NDAA is passed every year to re-approve & add to the United States’ so-called “defense” spending — which is sort of like Christmas for the officials who run the profitable death-machine called “US foreign policy.” However, many would likely be shocked by the ridiculous & terrifying laws that our treacherous congress usually buries inside the yearly bill — for example, congress just used the NDAA to create a “Global Engagement Center,” headed by the Secretary of State. Sounds harmless, right? Well, it might seem that way until you realize that “Global Engagement Center” is code for our new “Ministry of US Propaganda.”
The Beautiful People
Click here to access article by Jay Taber from The Wrong Kind of Green.
The title is meant to be ironic because he soon refers to co-opted people who only participate in "green" circuit tours with their NGO sponsors and companions.
The title is meant to be ironic because he soon refers to co-opted people who only participate in "green" circuit tours with their NGO sponsors and companions.
Like his compatriot Naomi Klein, Tom Goldtooth was once a principled and articulate spokesman in opposition to Wall Street, until he was seduced by the dark money flowing from the oil industry into the non-profit industrial complex. Now, like Klein, he is a caricature of his former self, hobnobbing with the elite of the NGO champagne circuit. Reduced in his role to the status of token indigenous front for the pseudo left?—?living out their psychodrama as Wall Street dependents in the toy revolution entertainment sector?—?Goldtooth has become co-opted, or as Chief George Manuel described the phenomenon?—?assimilated.
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Extinction is the End Game
Click here to access article by "xraymike79" from his website Collapse of Industrial Civilization.
The bottom line is that a swing towards authoritarianism happens when resources become scarce. Climate change is simply a symptom of humans overshooting the planet’s carrying capacity. Free market ideologues are nearly always climate ‘skeptics’ because acknowledging the reality of human-induced climate change would be an admission that industry must be curtailed or controlled. Left-leaning people nearly always accept the science because it goes along with their criticisms of capitalism which externalizes social and environmental costs for the benefit of just a few at the top of the economic hierarchy. Thus we see parasitic Trump surrounding himself with right-wing, climate denying, fossil fuel corporatists and insiders who will be doing everything in their power to dismantle health and environmental regulations including privatizing social services which are barriers to capitalist expansion.
To be blunt, our chance of developing a sustainable culture passed us by a long time ago.
‘Fake News’: Who is Really Making the War on Truth?
Click here to access article by Michael Jabara Carley from Strategic Culture Foundation.
When referring to David Ignatius and his recent interview with Richard Stengel, a State Department official responsible for "public diplomacy, Carley writes:
What Carley omits is that Hersh, like many other US journalists, have been forced to seek out independent media abroad to express their views. Hersh no longer publishes his articles in The New Yorker, instead he now has his writings published in the London Review of Books. Other US independent journalists (like Carley) are welcome to express their critical views in foreign media outlets such as RT, Strategic Culture Foundation, teleSUR, etc., in addition to domestic alternative media.
It appears that 1984 arrived a little late, but there is little doubt of its existence now.
Note: You might also be interested in an article entitled "Washington Post admits article on 'Russian propaganda' and 'fake news' based on sham research" published on RT (another website that is on PropOrNot's blacklist).
When referring to David Ignatius and his recent interview with Richard Stengel, a State Department official responsible for "public diplomacy, Carley writes:
The more the State Department official goes on, the more surreal his narrative becomes. Let’s call it, "truth speak", borrowing from Orwell’s prophetic dystopian novel 1984. Poor Ignatius is as far from a muckraker as you can get, and swallows the whole State Department gob without blinking. Somebody has got "to restore the currency of truth," says the State Department man. He mentioned Twitter and YouTube deleting several hundred thousand accounts.Carley refers to Seymour Hersh as the only major muckraking journalist left in the US. Hersh, of course, is especially noted for his exposĂ©s of the Mai Lai massacre, the development of nuclear weapons by the Israelis, the lies of George Bush and David Rumsfeld regarding their promotion of the invasion of Iraq, torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and the very important article entitled "Redirection" that reported on the secret policy plans of the Bush administration to contain Iran and support Sunni extremist groups that espoused a militant vision of Islam which later evolved into ISIS.
There’s the cue for policing "the truth". Shut up the people who don’t speak it, according to State Department lights. Just yesterday, the German chancellor Angela Merkel, said "truth" has to be protected and action contemplated against Alternate Media which could threaten "the stability of our familiar order". Is the groundwork being laid in the west for censorship of discordant narratives?
What Carley omits is that Hersh, like many other US journalists, have been forced to seek out independent media abroad to express their views. Hersh no longer publishes his articles in The New Yorker, instead he now has his writings published in the London Review of Books. Other US independent journalists (like Carley) are welcome to express their critical views in foreign media outlets such as RT, Strategic Culture Foundation, teleSUR, etc., in addition to domestic alternative media.
It appears that 1984 arrived a little late, but there is little doubt of its existence now.
Note: You might also be interested in an article entitled "Washington Post admits article on 'Russian propaganda' and 'fake news' based on sham research" published on RT (another website that is on PropOrNot's blacklist).
Synthetic Terrorism: Federal Court Upholds Another FBI-Manufactured Terror Case
Click here to access a 6:54m video by Spiro Skouras from Newsbud (a non-commercial viewer supported website).
This week the 9th circuit court of appeals upheld the conviction of the would be Portland Oregon Christmas tree bomber. The federal court rejected the defense’s argument that the FBI had entrapped the defendant and that the FBI unconstitutionally collected his emails without a warrant. Not only does this ruling uphold warrantless surveillance, it also legitimizes the government's tactics to manufacture terror plots against Americans.I remember this incident very well having been a resident of Oregon for 15 years. It was clear to me then, as well as now, that this was a clear case of FBI inducement and entrapment of an unwitting person (a student at Oregon State University) to commit a terrorist incident that would not have occurred without their involvement.
Newsbud Exclusive Report- A Distillation [of] DOD Spending Spree for November 2016
Click here to access article by Christian Sorensen from Newsbud (a non-commercial viewer supported website).
I wonder how these expenditures compare with those that supposedly promote "human rights" which our masters pretend to vigorously support in the world. What is certain is that while our masters are getting high on their drugs, many in the world will experience more misery from the loss of their loved-ones, the destruction of their countries, and becoming war refugees in foreign lands.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) spent at least $33,413,000,000 on 186 individual contracts during November 2016. This amount does not include nineteen Foreign Military Sales transactions worth $1,869,924,000.This report gives one an understanding of the importance of the military-industrial complex to the functioning of the US war economy. Unfortunately, most of the spending will not improve our infrastructure or have any other benefits to the economic well-being of the vast majority of Americans with the exception of people employed by these companies. In addition there is one tiny segment of the population that will derive major "benefits" by these largely no-bid contracts: they will supply the drugs of power and profits that our masters in the capitalist ruling class are addicted to.
I wonder how these expenditures compare with those that supposedly promote "human rights" which our masters pretend to vigorously support in the world. What is certain is that while our masters are getting high on their drugs, many in the world will experience more misery from the loss of their loved-ones, the destruction of their countries, and becoming war refugees in foreign lands.
Saturday, December 10, 2016
Entrenching Capitalist Agriculture in India Under the Guise of Development
Click here to access article by Colin Todhunter from his blog East by Northwest.
The author is a British citizen, who lived in India for a number of years, studied the impacts of neoliberal development on India agriculture which had devastating effects on small farmers and reaped big profits for Western corporations. Writers of classic liberalism, the ideology (or theology) of capitalism, wrote that the unimpeded pursuit of profit by owners (under the rules of capitalism) inevitably results in benefits to the entire society. While living in India Todhunter observed the devastation that was occurring among small farmers and simultaneously the tremendous wealth that neoliberal policies and actions were generating for Western corporations. Thus I think it is worth our time to review the development of capitalism to see why such contradictions to their theory about capitalism have since occurred, not only in India, but across the entire world.
These classic liberals built their theory on the foundation of feudalism which was characterized by the ownership and control of lands that were originally taken by violent force and bequeathed to feudal descendants known as the aristocracy and monarchs. The early capitalists saw the vast potential for generating wealth in the organization of production concentrated in large workshops that combined the new developments in machines and power (water, coal, and later petroleum fuels) with human operators, and they wanted to have "ownership" rights over such production like the feudal authorities had over the production of foodstuff on their land by serfs engaged in agriculture.
These capitalist classes rallied working people to their side in order to defeat the feudal authorities by espousing "natural rights", "liberty", "equality", and "fraternity", "social contract", "freedom", sovereignty of the people as opposed to "divine right" of kings, etc. But what was always included in this new ideology of capitalism was "property rights", and it was this element that the new class really took seriously. The rest was pure propaganda or window dressing to sell to the unwashed masses the new system where rights (or freedom) and influence were in reality based on the ownership of economic property. The end result of this agitation by the new class of capitalists was the eventual overthrew of the rule of feudal authorities and the establishment of governing structures that promoted the interests of capitalists.
Where kingdoms existed before, these new ruling classes absorbed them into states under their control, and established elected parliaments (congresses) and other institutions to mediate disputes between capitalist competitors. Of course they always sold these new structures to the general public as evidence of "democracy" because members were selected through elections, however they always took great pains to obscure their control over the electoral process.
Originally they allowed only property owners to vote in these elections, but over time to appease the ever yearning popular desire for more democracy, they gradually permitted more and more people to vote as they consolidated their ownership of economic property, control of money (Federal Reserve in the US, central banks elsewhere), political parties, and especially the ideological institutions--education, media, and entertainment. Since then they have used, and are using, ideological institutions to advance deceptive ideas, views, and news of the world to obscure the facts of ever increasing inequality: wealth and power for a few and poverty and powerlessness for the vast majority.
These new states competed with each other for dominance over resources and markets which inevitably resulted in wars, and the wars grew increasingly larger until what we witnessed in the first half of the 20th century was worldwide devastating wars with around 100 million lives lost.
Out of the WWII devastation rose the US capitalist ruling class whose economy was intact along with a powerful military establishment. This ruling class saw the world ripe for a takeover by them. In order to accomplish this, they first combined forces with British capitalists in order to inherit what was left of the British Empire. Then they launched a series of efforts to contain the influence of the Soviet Union and any ideas of public ownership of economies among their own populations (see McCarthy period and Gladio operations). They also wanted to organize the very fragmented states of Europe into one big economic enterprise and a bulwark against the Soviet Union. This they succeeded in doing with the European Union and NATO. And, as they say, the rest is history--the history since WWII and the rise of the US-led Empire.
This integration of the world's economies under the Empire's domination necessarily led to efforts to break down all state barriers to the free flow of capitalist enterprise throughout much of the world. This effort became known as neoliberalism. Thus, one cannot separate this rise of Empire domination without considering subsequent neoliberal policies and actions. In this neoliberal stage of capitalism we see international industrial corporations and banks diminishing the power of national governments, whether fake democratic or autocratic, and increasing the power of international capitalists under the leadership of the US Empire's ruling class which is increasingly transnational. Thus, neoliberal capitalists are erecting supra-national institutions to override the authority of nation-state institutions. As George Monbiot wrote referring to neoliberalism:
The author is a British citizen, who lived in India for a number of years, studied the impacts of neoliberal development on India agriculture which had devastating effects on small farmers and reaped big profits for Western corporations. Writers of classic liberalism, the ideology (or theology) of capitalism, wrote that the unimpeded pursuit of profit by owners (under the rules of capitalism) inevitably results in benefits to the entire society. While living in India Todhunter observed the devastation that was occurring among small farmers and simultaneously the tremendous wealth that neoliberal policies and actions were generating for Western corporations. Thus I think it is worth our time to review the development of capitalism to see why such contradictions to their theory about capitalism have since occurred, not only in India, but across the entire world.
These classic liberals built their theory on the foundation of feudalism which was characterized by the ownership and control of lands that were originally taken by violent force and bequeathed to feudal descendants known as the aristocracy and monarchs. The early capitalists saw the vast potential for generating wealth in the organization of production concentrated in large workshops that combined the new developments in machines and power (water, coal, and later petroleum fuels) with human operators, and they wanted to have "ownership" rights over such production like the feudal authorities had over the production of foodstuff on their land by serfs engaged in agriculture.
These capitalist classes rallied working people to their side in order to defeat the feudal authorities by espousing "natural rights", "liberty", "equality", and "fraternity", "social contract", "freedom", sovereignty of the people as opposed to "divine right" of kings, etc. But what was always included in this new ideology of capitalism was "property rights", and it was this element that the new class really took seriously. The rest was pure propaganda or window dressing to sell to the unwashed masses the new system where rights (or freedom) and influence were in reality based on the ownership of economic property. The end result of this agitation by the new class of capitalists was the eventual overthrew of the rule of feudal authorities and the establishment of governing structures that promoted the interests of capitalists.
Where kingdoms existed before, these new ruling classes absorbed them into states under their control, and established elected parliaments (congresses) and other institutions to mediate disputes between capitalist competitors. Of course they always sold these new structures to the general public as evidence of "democracy" because members were selected through elections, however they always took great pains to obscure their control over the electoral process.
Originally they allowed only property owners to vote in these elections, but over time to appease the ever yearning popular desire for more democracy, they gradually permitted more and more people to vote as they consolidated their ownership of economic property, control of money (Federal Reserve in the US, central banks elsewhere), political parties, and especially the ideological institutions--education, media, and entertainment. Since then they have used, and are using, ideological institutions to advance deceptive ideas, views, and news of the world to obscure the facts of ever increasing inequality: wealth and power for a few and poverty and powerlessness for the vast majority.
These new states competed with each other for dominance over resources and markets which inevitably resulted in wars, and the wars grew increasingly larger until what we witnessed in the first half of the 20th century was worldwide devastating wars with around 100 million lives lost.
Out of the WWII devastation rose the US capitalist ruling class whose economy was intact along with a powerful military establishment. This ruling class saw the world ripe for a takeover by them. In order to accomplish this, they first combined forces with British capitalists in order to inherit what was left of the British Empire. Then they launched a series of efforts to contain the influence of the Soviet Union and any ideas of public ownership of economies among their own populations (see McCarthy period and Gladio operations). They also wanted to organize the very fragmented states of Europe into one big economic enterprise and a bulwark against the Soviet Union. This they succeeded in doing with the European Union and NATO. And, as they say, the rest is history--the history since WWII and the rise of the US-led Empire.
This integration of the world's economies under the Empire's domination necessarily led to efforts to break down all state barriers to the free flow of capitalist enterprise throughout much of the world. This effort became known as neoliberalism. Thus, one cannot separate this rise of Empire domination without considering subsequent neoliberal policies and actions. In this neoliberal stage of capitalism we see international industrial corporations and banks diminishing the power of national governments, whether fake democratic or autocratic, and increasing the power of international capitalists under the leadership of the US Empire's ruling class which is increasingly transnational. Thus, neoliberal capitalists are erecting supra-national institutions to override the authority of nation-state institutions. As George Monbiot wrote referring to neoliberalism:
The state, it asserts, should do little but defend the realm, protect private property and remove barriers to business. In practice it looks nothing like this. What neoliberal theorists call shrinking the state looks more like shrinking democracy: reducing the means by which citizens can restrain the power of the elite. What they call “the market” looks more like the interests of corporations and the ultra-rich. Neoliberalism appears to be little more than a justification for plutocracy.The world's economy, especially the part that is under the domination of the US Empire, serves the interests of profit and power of the transnational capitalists associated with the Empire. Whether in the process of these pursuits they wreck havoc on workers or their environments is of little concern to this transnational class.
Friday, December 9, 2016
PropOrNot: Evidence of a CIA Psychological Operation
Click here to access article by Kurt Nimmo from Newsbud. (Note: the first paragraph of the article carelessly cites the Washington Times as referencing PropOrNot. It obviously should be the Washington Post as he later indicates.)
It's obvious that our ruling masters are suffering acute anxiety over their botched operations all over the world and over the disbelief of its own citizens regarding information disseminated by their corporate media. Nimmo cites evidence that they are now engaged in psychological operations (in other words, engaged in fakery to alter news and views) against their rebellious subjects in order to combat the credibility of independent media that people are increasingly turning toward to understand what is going on in the world.
It's obvious that our ruling masters are suffering acute anxiety over their botched operations all over the world and over the disbelief of its own citizens regarding information disseminated by their corporate media. Nimmo cites evidence that they are now engaged in psychological operations (in other words, engaged in fakery to alter news and views) against their rebellious subjects in order to combat the credibility of independent media that people are increasingly turning toward to understand what is going on in the world.
The Washington Post and the establishment media have latched on to the ludicrous PropOrNot campaign to denounce alternative media as some sort of nefarious Russian plot to undermine the political system in the United States. Despite this, millions of Americans continue to read alternative news and make their own informed decisions, a trend that has set off alarm bells in the deepest recesses of the establishment.Everyday there seems to be more evidence that our ruling capitalist masters are engaging in activities that they accuse their opponents of doing. In this regard you might also be interested in a report from The Free Thought Project entitled "As Feds Blame Russia, GA Secretary of State Just Accused DHS of Hacking its Election Systems" regarding the attempted hacking of voter data from the state of Georgia by the Dept. Homeland Security.
Big Media’s Contra-Cocaine Cover-up
Click here to access article by Robert Parry from Consortiumnews.com.
Given the current "fake news" campaign by various spokespersons for the ruling class, Parry attacks major corporate media for their coverups of the CIA drug distribution scandal that was exposed by minor investigative journalists mostly in the 1990s.
I followed these revelations closely when his investigations first broke in the San Jose Mercury, heard Gary Webb speak in Eugene, Oregon after he lost his career in journalism following his blacklisting, and read his book Dark Alliance and many other materials on the subject. In earlier decades I had personally witnessed the devastating effects of the influx of drugs in HUD subsidized low-income housing which I managed. On a visit to Nicaragua in 1982 I personally witnessed the devastation of the CIA sponsored Honduran Contras who targeted mostly schools, hospitals, and cooperatives which were organized and supported by the Nicaraguan government.
In a campaign which began earlier in the 1970s, major media gave widespread coverage to the War on Drugs that was heralded by President Nixon. In ensuing years under this campaign I witnessed aggressive actions by militarized police forces that were used to confiscate properties of mostly marijuana growers in California and small time distributors in the African-American ghettos of major cities. But then leaked reports started coming from independent investigators such as Gary Webb that clearly suggested the involvement of the CIA, their illegal funding of the Contras, and ties to drug distribution in the US.
Recently I've seen many major corporate media reports on the growing problem of heroin addiction. The coverage is always on the sensational aspects and never on what police agencies are doing about it. One would think that the estimated $50 billion dollars devoted annually to police illicit drug crimes would have prevented this. The fact that heroin related production has vastly increased in Afghanistan while under the control of the US is never referred to in corporate media coverage related to the current addiction problems. Thus, you will never find articles like this in corporate media: "Afghanistan: Opium, the CIA and the Karzai Administration", "Making Afghanistan Safe for Heroin" and "Afghan Opium Production Hits New Highs"--all from credible independent websites.
Given the current "fake news" campaign by various spokespersons for the ruling class, Parry attacks major corporate media for their coverups of the CIA drug distribution scandal that was exposed by minor investigative journalists mostly in the 1990s.
I followed these revelations closely when his investigations first broke in the San Jose Mercury, heard Gary Webb speak in Eugene, Oregon after he lost his career in journalism following his blacklisting, and read his book Dark Alliance and many other materials on the subject. In earlier decades I had personally witnessed the devastating effects of the influx of drugs in HUD subsidized low-income housing which I managed. On a visit to Nicaragua in 1982 I personally witnessed the devastation of the CIA sponsored Honduran Contras who targeted mostly schools, hospitals, and cooperatives which were organized and supported by the Nicaraguan government.
In a campaign which began earlier in the 1970s, major media gave widespread coverage to the War on Drugs that was heralded by President Nixon. In ensuing years under this campaign I witnessed aggressive actions by militarized police forces that were used to confiscate properties of mostly marijuana growers in California and small time distributors in the African-American ghettos of major cities. But then leaked reports started coming from independent investigators such as Gary Webb that clearly suggested the involvement of the CIA, their illegal funding of the Contras, and ties to drug distribution in the US.
Recently I've seen many major corporate media reports on the growing problem of heroin addiction. The coverage is always on the sensational aspects and never on what police agencies are doing about it. One would think that the estimated $50 billion dollars devoted annually to police illicit drug crimes would have prevented this. The fact that heroin related production has vastly increased in Afghanistan while under the control of the US is never referred to in corporate media coverage related to the current addiction problems. Thus, you will never find articles like this in corporate media: "Afghanistan: Opium, the CIA and the Karzai Administration", "Making Afghanistan Safe for Heroin" and "Afghan Opium Production Hits New Highs"--all from credible independent websites.
US Finds Itself Alone in Supposed "Fight" Against ISIS
Click here to access article from The New Atlas.
The author goes to a Deep State source, the Brookings Institution, to find an "explanation" for the lack of effective results by the US in their fight against ISIS.
The author goes to a Deep State source, the Brookings Institution, to find an "explanation" for the lack of effective results by the US in their fight against ISIS.
The Brookings Institution's Daniel Byman in a paper titled, "The limits of air strikes when fighting the Islamic State," laments that America's alleged war on the Islamic State (IS) is limited by a lack of capable local allies.
The paper states more specifically that:
The author of this article also contrasts the ineffective US effort to combat ISIS with the success of Russia and Iran. Of course, the latter--if you believe the fake news spewed by corporate media--are only targeting hospitals and little children.The trouble is that local allies are often themselves flawed instruments: corrupt, ineffective, and brutal. Often, U.S. troops are necessary to leaven local forces, provide necessary intelligence, and otherwise carry much of the burden.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter Become the Gatekeepers
Click here to access article by Phil Butler from New Eastern Outlook.
For those users of these networks who are not so aware, this disguised censoring apparatus probably seems as harmless and positively idealistic as Google’s “Do no evil” dogma from bygone years. Disguised as an anti-terror collaboration, this latest Orwellian move by the establishment is nothing of the kind.
Obama’s Last Chance to Redeem Himself was Wasted on Russia
Click here to access article by Jean Perier from New Eastern Outlook.
I think this article is grossly mistitled. Obama is merely the head puppet for the capitalist deep state that rules the US and (along with the British capitalist ruling class) much of the US-led Empire. It should read something like this: "The US government is moving on legislation to authorize anti-aircraft weapons to 'moderate rebels'".
The legislation has already passed the House of Representatives after a closed door session and is expected to be considered in the Senate within a week. These weapons in the hands of terrorists poses a direct military threat to both Russian and Syrian warplanes.
I think this article is grossly mistitled. Obama is merely the head puppet for the capitalist deep state that rules the US and (along with the British capitalist ruling class) much of the US-led Empire. It should read something like this: "The US government is moving on legislation to authorize anti-aircraft weapons to 'moderate rebels'".
The legislation has already passed the House of Representatives after a closed door session and is expected to be considered in the Senate within a week. These weapons in the hands of terrorists poses a direct military threat to both Russian and Syrian warplanes.
The rapid liberation of the Syrian city of Aleppo, against the background of a complete collapse of the actions Washington led coalition in Mosul has clearly driven the Obama administration mad.
Tough-talking Philippine President Duterte – fighting for his life & his country
Click here to access article by Andre Vltchek from RT.
Although this site has been banned on lists published by the Washington Post, I think we should defy the thought police as much as we can by reading this article before our masters install overt fascism.
Vltchek has recently visited the Philippines and writes about his experiences especially among the many poor people of that country, and about President Duterte's support, or lack thereof, among various factions of the Philippine establishment.
The Philippines has been a colony of the US since we took it from Spain in 1898, given formal independence in 1946, after which the US ruled over the country in a neocolonial fashion. Duterte's administration marks a radical departure from that rule, and we can expect at the very least some retaliatory and/or subversive measures against his administration, and even assassination attempts (like Fidel Castro) for his disobedience (see the latest here) to the diktats of the US Empire.
Although this site has been banned on lists published by the Washington Post, I think we should defy the thought police as much as we can by reading this article before our masters install overt fascism.
Vltchek has recently visited the Philippines and writes about his experiences especially among the many poor people of that country, and about President Duterte's support, or lack thereof, among various factions of the Philippine establishment.
The Philippines has been a colony of the US since we took it from Spain in 1898, given formal independence in 1946, after which the US ruled over the country in a neocolonial fashion. Duterte's administration marks a radical departure from that rule, and we can expect at the very least some retaliatory and/or subversive measures against his administration, and even assassination attempts (like Fidel Castro) for his disobedience (see the latest here) to the diktats of the US Empire.
Duterte has acquired a reputation for lashing out at everything from Western imperialism to President Obama, to Pope Francis (in this staunchly Catholic country), the EU, and the UN. He has threatened to close down all US military bases and to move his country closer to China and Russia. To emphasize his seriousness, he has canceled all joint US–Philippine military exercises.
President Putin is his hero. He is clearly leaning toward the left, and he despises colonialism. He often speaks about the “genocide” committed by the US against his people during the ‘Philippine–American War.'
He refuses to provoke and antagonize China. He is with the poor, introducing and improving social programs. He is gradually releasing political prisoners and actively negotiating peace deals with the Marxist and Muslim guerrillas while seeking peace treaties and territorial compromises with China.
Trump’s EPA Pick Is a Shill For the Oil Industry
Click here to access article by Sarah Emerson from Motherboard.
The evidence is accumulating to suggest the policies of the new Trump administration. So far people from Wall Street, retired military generals, and now a climate destabilization denier have been picked by Trump to head his cabinet positions. I can't help but wonder if the election/selection of Trump wasn't the ruling class's retaliatory response to all the Bernie Sander's supporters who were so active in challenging their choice of Hillary Clinton as CEO of America Inc. The current campaign to clamp down on alternative media ("fake news") may be another expression of this effort to retaliate against those who refuse to follow their orders and subscribe to their views.
The evidence is accumulating to suggest the policies of the new Trump administration. So far people from Wall Street, retired military generals, and now a climate destabilization denier have been picked by Trump to head his cabinet positions. I can't help but wonder if the election/selection of Trump wasn't the ruling class's retaliatory response to all the Bernie Sander's supporters who were so active in challenging their choice of Hillary Clinton as CEO of America Inc. The current campaign to clamp down on alternative media ("fake news") may be another expression of this effort to retaliate against those who refuse to follow their orders and subscribe to their views.
Of all the people Donald Trump was considering to run the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), his eventual pick, Scott Pruitt, a fellow climate change denier, has the most dangerous ties to the fossil fuel industry. The news was announced today, after the Oklahoma attorney general beat out four other candidates, including climate change denier Myron Ebell.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Fake News About 'Fake News' - The Media Performance Pyramid
Click here to access article by David Edwards from Media Lens (Britain).
If you are strapped for time, I recommend that you scroll down to a section entitled "The Performance Pyramid - Conformity Without Design" which provides a very good explanation of how corporate news services necessarily frames their coverage of events by the profit and power interests of capitalists. Edwards specifically describes four frames in which news coverage is shaped.
Although criticism is permitted about the way the system currently functions to cause problems, this is always framed as a distortion of the basic system which suggests that only reforms are needed to solve the problems. Thus you might find comments that reflect adversely on "crony capitalism" , "corporate capitalism", "neoliberal capitalism", and "the excesses of capitalism", but the soundness and legitimacy of the basic system is simply taken for granted. Likewise corporate media always promotes the idea of "sustainable capitalism" in the face of overwhelming evidence that capitalism is driving climate destabilization.
If you are strapped for time, I recommend that you scroll down to a section entitled "The Performance Pyramid - Conformity Without Design" which provides a very good explanation of how corporate news services necessarily frames their coverage of events by the profit and power interests of capitalists. Edwards specifically describes four frames in which news coverage is shaped.
1) Corporate nature, elite/parent company ownership and profit-maximising orientationHowever, numbers 3 and 4 require much more elaboration which Edwards provides only indirectly by quotes mostly from Michael Parenti. The quotes suggest that corporate coverage of events that undermine the legitimacy or credibility of the US-led Empire's actions abroad is heavily biased to prevent any major criticism. And Edwards completely misses one major frame that prevents any discussion, much less criticism of the basic system of capitalism: the capitalist bias regarding the private ownership and control of economic property and money.
2) Dependence on allied corporate advertisers for 50% or more of revenues
3) Dependence on cheap, subsidised news supplied by state-corporate allies
4) Political, economic, legal carrots and sticks rewarding corporate media conformity and punishing dissent
Although criticism is permitted about the way the system currently functions to cause problems, this is always framed as a distortion of the basic system which suggests that only reforms are needed to solve the problems. Thus you might find comments that reflect adversely on "crony capitalism" , "corporate capitalism", "neoliberal capitalism", and "the excesses of capitalism", but the soundness and legitimacy of the basic system is simply taken for granted. Likewise corporate media always promotes the idea of "sustainable capitalism" in the face of overwhelming evidence that capitalism is driving climate destabilization.
If Workers Take Power:
Click here to access article by Stephanie McMillan from Workers Power.
She sees what could be if we, the people, owned and managed the economy.
She sees what could be if we, the people, owned and managed the economy.
Mark Carney, Marx’s scribbles and the lost decade
Click here to access article by Michael Roberts from his blog.
British economist Roberts reviews a speech delivered recently in Liverpool, England by a major influential of the US-led Empire: Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, who offered his views on the state of global capitalism.
British economist Roberts reviews a speech delivered recently in Liverpool, England by a major influential of the US-led Empire: Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, who offered his views on the state of global capitalism.
Mark Carney is the governor of the Bank of England. Formerly the head of the central Bank of Canada, some years ago he was headhunted to take over at the BoE on a huge salary and expenses.Carney starts off with a very reasonable observation:
This week he gave the Roscoe Lecture at Liverpool’s John Moores University, his first speech since the decision of the Brits to vote (narrowly) to leave the European Union. Carney took the opportunity to offer what his view of the state of global capitalism. And he does not make it sound good.
I will focus on the underlying causes and consequences of weak real income growth and inequality across the advanced world.
That’s because any doctor knows that the importance of diagnosing the underlying causes of the patient’s symptoms before administering the cure. Monetary policy has been keeping the patient alive, creating the possibility of a lasting cure through fiscal and structural operations. It has averted depression and helped advanced economies live to fight another day, so that measures to restore vitality can be taken.However, this major capitalist influential doesn't seem to know how to improve economic conditions:
It was up to governments now to turn things round. But given that Carney and his bank economists did not know why things had got so bad, he offered no real advice to governments on how to get productivity up, inequality down and real incomes restored.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Picking a War with China
Click here to access article by John Pilger from Consortiumnews.com.
The Empire's capitalist director-emperors have been largely hidden from public view by meeting in various "think tanks", issuing their commands and policies to their subordinates in government and in their secret (from US citizens) agencies like the CIA, NSA, FBI, etc. The Empire's directors, who have been constructing their world empire at least since WWII and are now facing the powerful adversaries of China and Russia, are determined to eliminate them from interfering in their project of world domination. Like addicts in the final stages of addiction, our capitalist masters are pursuing this insane project by contemplating dangerous actions that will be lethal to themselves.
The only problem is that the self-destructive actions of our capitalist masters are likely to have horrendous consequences for the rest of humanity as well. We are now facing twin threats of extinction: the more immediate one of a worldwide nuclear holocaust and a more distant one of climate destabilization which will render the Earth unfit for human habitation.
Thus it is imperative that we who believe in social justice, equality, and an economy that serves all the people must rapidly organize our forces to end class riven societies once and for all. There has never been more reason to begin organizing a revolution, and to construct societies that can live in peace internally, in relations with each other, and in harmony with nature.
A study by the RAND Corporation – which, since Vietnam, has planned America’s wars – is entitled, War with China: Thinking Through the Unthinkable. Commissioned by the U.S. Army, the authors evoke the Cold War when RAND made notorious the catch cry of its chief strategist, Herman Kahn — “thinking the unthinkable”. Kahn’s book, On Thermonuclear War, elaborated a plan for a “winnable” nuclear war against the Soviet Union.
Today, his apocalyptic view is shared by those holding real power in the United States: the militarists and neoconservatives in the Executive Branch, the Pentagon, the intelligence and “national security” establishment and Congress.This independent Australian journalist and now filmmaker of "The Coming War on China" has not spent two years making the film for merely sensational reasons. In this article he carefully builds his case for making the film: the US Empire is on a collision course with China, and the prospects for nuclear war are likely. For some reason his emphasis is on the Empire's buildup for war with China, but the same applies for Russia as well. Thus these two nations are increasing their cooperation to confront what they see as a likely contest with the Empire.
The Empire's capitalist director-emperors have been largely hidden from public view by meeting in various "think tanks", issuing their commands and policies to their subordinates in government and in their secret (from US citizens) agencies like the CIA, NSA, FBI, etc. The Empire's directors, who have been constructing their world empire at least since WWII and are now facing the powerful adversaries of China and Russia, are determined to eliminate them from interfering in their project of world domination. Like addicts in the final stages of addiction, our capitalist masters are pursuing this insane project by contemplating dangerous actions that will be lethal to themselves.
The only problem is that the self-destructive actions of our capitalist masters are likely to have horrendous consequences for the rest of humanity as well. We are now facing twin threats of extinction: the more immediate one of a worldwide nuclear holocaust and a more distant one of climate destabilization which will render the Earth unfit for human habitation.
Thus it is imperative that we who believe in social justice, equality, and an economy that serves all the people must rapidly organize our forces to end class riven societies once and for all. There has never been more reason to begin organizing a revolution, and to construct societies that can live in peace internally, in relations with each other, and in harmony with nature.
Fake News: The Latest Effort to Destroy Alternative Media
Click here if you wish to access the following introduction and this excellent 14:16m video directly from Newsbud. Posted by Kurt Nimmo.
On this edition of The Geopolitical Report, we cover the establishment’s effort to characterize alternative news as Russian propaganda. We look at the government’s use of lies to start wars and how the establishment media parrots these lies. Is PropOrNot, the anonymous sources of the “fake news” campaign amplified by The Washington Post, part of a psychological operation run by US intelligence? This is a distinct possibility considering The Washington Post’s association with the CIA and its Operation Mockingbird, a massive effort initiated in the 1950s to disseminate real fake and distorted news through corporate media channels.
Who Gets the Money? The Secret Bank Bailout Merry-Go-Round
Click here if you wish to access the following introduction and nearly one hour video directly from "Don Quijones'" website Raging Bull-Shit. "Quijones" is a Brit who resides mostly in Spain and occasionally in Mexico.
There is much to be learned in the video about the banking crisis in Europe (and the US). The capitalist investors, that is, the bondholders of the banks, have been paid, but the citizens of Europe are stuck with the debts due to the grossly reckless bets made by bankers in Europe and North America prior to 2008. Banksters are the prime directors of the capitalist ruling classes who secretly control Western governments behind the scenes. Their creation of a neoliberal order makes it easy for them to place bets all over the US Empire. Hence bankers and capitalist investors make sure that they never lose their wealth and power. That is why I often refer to capitalism as organized crime.
There is much to be learned in the video about the banking crisis in Europe (and the US). The capitalist investors, that is, the bondholders of the banks, have been paid, but the citizens of Europe are stuck with the debts due to the grossly reckless bets made by bankers in Europe and North America prior to 2008. Banksters are the prime directors of the capitalist ruling classes who secretly control Western governments behind the scenes. Their creation of a neoliberal order makes it easy for them to place bets all over the US Empire. Hence bankers and capitalist investors make sure that they never lose their wealth and power. That is why I often refer to capitalism as organized crime.
Where has all the money gone? That is the question that desperately needs asking (and answering) now that the European Union has morphed into one humongous orgy of national bailouts, especially with Italy, the eurozone’s third largest economy, next in line.
In his 2013 documentary “The Secret Bank Bailout,” German investigative journalist Harald Schumann documents how the peoples of Ireland, Cyprus and Spain were not bailed out. The biggest recipients of the Irish bailout that saved Anglo-Irish Bank were British, French and German banks, including Union Investment Privatfonds, Rothschild et Compagnie Gestion, and Deutsche Bank.
German and French banks accounted for 50 out of the 80 bondholders. Without the clandestine bailouts these banks received, they would have almost certainly gone under.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Chosen Leaders, Proven Failures and Political Debacles
Click here to access article by retired American professor of sociology James Petras posted on Global Research (based in Canada).
Since the Vietnam War when the feminist movement and gay movements became so prominent, our capitalist ruling class, ever keen to find new methods to dupe the 99%, promoted identity politics as a diversion from the reality of class politics and class war that became much too influential for our masters' comfort during the Vietnam War. Since then they have used such politics to deceive people in supporting capitalist agendas by frequently co-opting and then using people of color and women to advance their interests at the expense and lives of ordinary Americans. In this article Petras explains how they do this and challenges us to sharpen are critical thinking skills to see through their many ruses.
What we need to worry about is what we are now seeing: an accelerated effort to contain dissent by attacks on alternative media and independent journalists. However, I think this is a result, not of Trump's election, but of the setbacks our ruling masters have experienced in their elaborate effort to destabilize Syria, their lack of success in promoting the Transpacific Partnership agreement, President Duterte's (Philippines) turn to China, and in general the powerful challenges to their power coming from China and Russia. This general view is now being reinforced with the kind of people backing Trump as reflected in his cabinet appointments and nominations. One should not be distracted by the internecine battles of the various factions in the ruling capitalist class simply because they will always serve their tiny class at the expense of the vast majority of Americans.
Since the Vietnam War when the feminist movement and gay movements became so prominent, our capitalist ruling class, ever keen to find new methods to dupe the 99%, promoted identity politics as a diversion from the reality of class politics and class war that became much too influential for our masters' comfort during the Vietnam War. Since then they have used such politics to deceive people in supporting capitalist agendas by frequently co-opting and then using people of color and women to advance their interests at the expense and lives of ordinary Americans. In this article Petras explains how they do this and challenges us to sharpen are critical thinking skills to see through their many ruses.
Often media moguls, publicists and corporate leaders laud the ‘social background’ of a candidate. They use such criteria to groom and coopt upwardly mobile workers, trade union officials and community militants. ‘Chosen leaders’ from minority or oppressed backgrounds are put in charge of discipline, work-place speed-ups and lay-offs. They sometimes adopt ‘workers’ language, splicing rough anti-establishment curses with their abuses as they fire workers and cut wages. One’s past social background is a far less useful criterion than current social commitments. As Karl Marx long ago noted, the ruling class is not a closed caste: It is always open to co-opting bright and influential new members among upwardly mobile labor leaders and activists.Because Trump issued so many bigoted statements against minorities during his political campaign, the great mass of people oriented to identity politics were shocked by his victory and remain in a state of fear. However, I maintain my position that I argued some time ago that little of significant substance will change. We will continue to experience never-ending wars, austerity policies at home, the loss of American jobs due to corporations seeking cheaper labor and lax environmental regulations abroad, the unleashing of militarized police forces to contain activist dissent, periodic economic crises, and increasing climate destabilization. The recent promotion of anti-Russian propaganda was well underway before the election of Trump. And I doubt that much will change regarding minority or disadvantaged populations in the US.
What we need to worry about is what we are now seeing: an accelerated effort to contain dissent by attacks on alternative media and independent journalists. However, I think this is a result, not of Trump's election, but of the setbacks our ruling masters have experienced in their elaborate effort to destabilize Syria, their lack of success in promoting the Transpacific Partnership agreement, President Duterte's (Philippines) turn to China, and in general the powerful challenges to their power coming from China and Russia. This general view is now being reinforced with the kind of people backing Trump as reflected in his cabinet appointments and nominations. One should not be distracted by the internecine battles of the various factions in the ruling capitalist class simply because they will always serve their tiny class at the expense of the vast majority of Americans.
US Furious at UN Over Differing Afghan War Reports
Click here to access article by Jason Ditz from AntiWar.
15 years into the Afghan War, Pentagon statements are almost never the final word on what happened. False denials and upbeat predictions that never pan out have left US credibility incredibly low. Time and again, UN reports have contradicted the official US narrative, only to be proven correct, to the embarrassment of the occupation forces.Do you suppose that the UN could end up on one of the banned lists of "fake news" sources published by the Washington Post?
Patience appears to be wearing thin after 15 years of inconvenient truth getting in the way of the military’s version of events, with both UN and US officials saying relations between the two are “a nightmare,”....
Thumbs Up by Elite on “Mad Dog” Mattis Pick
Click here to access article by Kurt Nimmo from Another Day in the Empire.
The author looks at Trump's picks for his cabinet, and so far they suggest that there will be no significant change in foreign policy. The neocons will still be in charge. We are still waiting on Trump's choice for Secretary of State.
The author looks at Trump's picks for his cabinet, and so far they suggest that there will be no significant change in foreign policy. The neocons will still be in charge. We are still waiting on Trump's choice for Secretary of State.
The Man Made Apocalypse of Weapon Systems and Climate Change
Click here to access article by Ruben Rosenberg Colorni from News Junkie Post.
Our oceans are on the brink of collapse. Decades of pollution, micro-plastic “islands”, and over-fishing have reduced marine stocks and ecosystem to a fraction of pre-industrial levels. Pacific Salmon is undergoing a veritable genocide conducted by humans, Tuna is being fished at rates thousands of times higher than their natural rate of replenishment, and large marine mammals are at their lowest-ever recorded levels. If this weren’t bad enough, imagine a hidden arsenal of millions of tonnes of toxic chemical weapons laying at the bottom of our oceans, waiting to leech into the waters. A veritable cesspool of poisonous sludge made of Mustard and Chlorine gases, arsenic, and a cocktail of other weapon-grade chemicals. The only thing is: you don’t have to imagine it, it’s actually here!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Trump declares support for Dakota Access Pipeline ahead of evacuation order against protesters
Click here to access article by Joseph Kishore from World Socialist Web Site.
Please forget about most all of the theatrics used and campaign promises made during Trump's campaign. However this report does conform to one of his promises to promote business unfettered by government regulations and environmental concerns.
But what we still have not seen so far are any substantial indications whether Trump's administration will lend support to the ruling class's obsession with their anti-Russian views in spite of his campaign's more accommodating stance and his past anti-war views. Perhaps his delay in nominating someone for the Secretary of State indicates some wavering on this issue. Because of several years of US ruling class anti-Russian propaganda and sanctions and the recent accelerating propaganda about Russian influence in the election and pro-Russian "fake news" in alternative media, I would be shocked if he defied the ruling capitalist class by pursuing a more accommodating approach to Russia and interfered with their wars.
Please forget about most all of the theatrics used and campaign promises made during Trump's campaign. However this report does conform to one of his promises to promote business unfettered by government regulations and environmental concerns.
US President-elect Donald Trump expressed his support for the completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) ahead of an evacuation order, due to go into effect on Monday, against thousands of people protesting the oil pipeline project.It's becoming clearer as Trump picks his cabinet members that his administration will continue to serve without any pretenses only Wall Streets' interests of profits and power as suggested by this report (from the same source) entitled "CEOs, Wall Street to drive Trump economic policy".
Trump’s transition team released a statement reaffirming his support for the $3.8 billion project and claiming that this position is not related to his personal investment of $500,000 in Energy Partners, the Texas-based company that is leading the project. In his speech in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Trump pledged to “eliminate every single wasteful regulation” and remove all “restrictions on the production of shale energy, oil, natural gas and clean coal.”
But what we still have not seen so far are any substantial indications whether Trump's administration will lend support to the ruling class's obsession with their anti-Russian views in spite of his campaign's more accommodating stance and his past anti-war views. Perhaps his delay in nominating someone for the Secretary of State indicates some wavering on this issue. Because of several years of US ruling class anti-Russian propaganda and sanctions and the recent accelerating propaganda about Russian influence in the election and pro-Russian "fake news" in alternative media, I would be shocked if he defied the ruling capitalist class by pursuing a more accommodating approach to Russia and interfered with their wars.
Must Watch Video. Standing Rock Is Justified in Blocking DAPL
Click here to access article and 14:35m video posted by Rowan Wolf from Uncommon Thought Journal.
Please take 15 minutes to watch this interview with Enbridge whistleblower John Bolenbaugh. This man has worked laying pipe and cleaning up oil spills for Enbridge – the major company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The Standing Rock, and all the tribes and allies standing with them, have good cause to be very concerned about their water supply in the face of the pipeline (and full right to protect sacred lands). First, this pipeline was originally supposed to run through Bismarck, ND, but was rerouted for concern about risk to Bismarck’s water supply (Bismarck Tribune, Aug 18, 2016).
The Iron Heel at Home: Force Matters
Click here to access article by Paul Street from CounterPunch. (Note: Christopher, an online supporter from northwestern Oregon, alerted me once again to this excellent article.)
Street points out that the "management of consent/dissent" explanation for the capitalist ruling classes policies to control their subjects that was used to contain dissent in the latter half of the 20th century has been altered with the addition of more sophisticated weapons to discourage any kind of public displays of resistance to their policies. But he reminds us that our masters in the capitalist class have often used deadly force throughout the nation's history whenever it was necessary to contain dissent:
Street points out that the "management of consent/dissent" explanation for the capitalist ruling classes policies to control their subjects that was used to contain dissent in the latter half of the 20th century has been altered with the addition of more sophisticated weapons to discourage any kind of public displays of resistance to their policies. But he reminds us that our masters in the capitalist class have often used deadly force throughout the nation's history whenever it was necessary to contain dissent:
Make no mistake: armed force state repression is alive and well in the United States. The Iron Heel lives, updated and refined for the current age. It did not simply pass into the dustbin of history with the Ludlow Massacre, the Palmer Raids, Kent State, COINTELPRO, the murder of Fred Hampton, or Wounded Knee II. It has hardly been rendered obsolete by the soft power of the mass media and other modes of propaganda and thought and feeling control, including carefully staged quadrennial electoral extravaganzas that tell people that democracy consists of getting to mark a ballot for five minutes or less once every four years and then going home to let rich people run the world (into the ground).Now in the 21st century we are seeing an updated version of weapons used against organized resistance to protests over oppressive or deleterious ruling class activities as we saw with the Occupy Movement in New York, in organized protests in Oakland, Chicago, Ferguson, etc, and now at Standing Rock reservation in North Dakota.
The nation’s ever more militarized police departments are loaded up with an array of so-called “nonlethal crowd-control technologies” designed to abolish the right of public assembly. The terrible tools include things like the “Long Range Acoustic Device” (LRAD) – a sonic cannon that can cause total hearing loss for protesters who refuse to disperse at authorities’ command. Drones are now routinely deployed against protestors inside the U.S. (Along with dozens of other opponents of the eco-cidal Dakota Access Pipeline [DAPL] in Iowa, I have now been drone-surveilled at close range).
It is true that protestors are not murdered in U.S streets by government gendarmes. At the same time, the proscriptions against sheer mass and bloody repression here have incentivized American authorities to develop more subtle, technically sophisticated forms of state coercion that prevent or discourage citizens from assembling and protesting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)