Sunday, August 30, 2009

Real Government

The assumptions Ms. Robinson makes about the status quo of wealth distribution as a "working system" that was "moving forward" belies her point of view that the Obama regime is our best chance at "real government". Rather, it is the democratization of capital that undergirds democracy, and that requires the redistribution of wealth from private equity to the public sector, not the other way around. Obama's commitment to the Reagan model of privatizing public wealth has already betrayed progressivism as she defines it. Hope has been vanished in large part by the Democratic Party she so strongly supports.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Which Side Are You On?

Was sabotage against the Nazi occupation across Europe immoral? Of course not. Against the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe and Central Asia? Don't be silly. So how about sabotage against corporations despoiling the environment while stealing indigenous peoples' resources at gunpoint? Are they not entitled to defend themselves? This is the question we will be asking more often, as armies, police, and vigilantes are mobilized to massacre aboriginal peoples on all continents for every last drop of oil, water, gas and coal.

Which side are you on?

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Impediment of Conformity

As Dan Junas once said, "It's always worse than you think, and you never know until you look." But first you have to be able to imagine the world might not be what it seems. Given the preconditioning of public perceptions, imagination itself is largely impeded.

I'm referring to the impediment in otherwise conscientious people whose eyes are first opened by perspectives they haven't previously encountered. As an illustration, this memoir I published online managed to persuade a chance reader to reorient herself toward more effective political engagement. Others once did the same for me.

Our colleague Alan Smithee recently posted the White Rose story about perverted personal ambition and political conformity in Nazi Germany. Perverted personal ambition and political conformity is something members of the Democratic Party are soon going to face as the Obama cult falls apart. Perhaps it will be a teachable moment.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Avoiding Overkill

When you exclude the rabid right LaRouchians and religious right Palinites, what’s left is mobilized resentment. And there’s plenty reason to be resentful of both major political parties, even though the GOP clearly has the edge in recruiting fanatics. But long before hypermedia started promoting political hysteria, there were social entrepreneurs like Merchant of Fear Alan Gottlieb, who got his start in direct-mail fear-mongering as a member of Young Americans for Freedom forty years ago. Now days, hyperbole is the name of the game, and although there are some dangerous actors who need reining in by police, the vast majority of delinquent behavior can and should be constrained by community action. When that action is based on research and education, rather than on inflated government, media, or party propaganda, community safeguards can be maintained without resorting to overkill.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Into the Future

In The Global Illicit Economy, Nils Gilman discusses free trade’s role in the disaggregation of sovereignty powers of the state.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Netroots Duplicity

Freelance journalist Charlie Davis examines the shallowness of "Netroots Nation" values, and what their duplicity holds in store.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Human Rights Industry

If the human rights industry in the US wants to maintain any credibility, they are soon going to have to confront the reality of the Obama betrayal. Pro-democracy, by definition, is anti-fraud; covering for the colossal frauds of Obama and the Democratic Party, by ommitting the subject from discussion on their websites or by censoring comments critical of Obama, won't get them off the hook. Obama's health care, warfare, and bank bailouts are crimes against humanity; pretending otherwise is unconscionable.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Globetrotting Grifters

As an example of applied research in action, we showcase Bruce Wilson's piece on Congressional Christian junkets.

Monday, August 10, 2009

American Political Theatre

While politicians, pundits, and the producers of American political theatre have showered us with repeated summer reruns of Indispensable Enemies, we wonder what the fall season of new shows will bring. White Supremacy Backlash, while hardly novel, is no doubt part of the lineup. Now that they’ve exercised their political influence in the health care fiasco, we expect the new anti-immigrant, anti-minority recruits to be hungry for some serious anti-indigenous action, too.

Saturday, August 08, 2009

Framing Fascism

In her recent article, Sara Robinson argues the United States is well on its way to becoming a totalitarian, fascist state. As evidence of this inevitability, she cites current town hall disruptions and threats received by public officials.

Not to quibble with her observation that we have been on a dangerous trajectory for some time, but the anti-democratic movement in America is bi-partisan, and is already well-entrenched. Both Obama and Bush are part of it.

While GOP thuggery is a deplorable means of exercising political influence, self-immersion in political panic or fascist hysteria is not what's called for. To her credit, Ms. Robinson soberly examines some of the attributes of rising fascism in response to social decline that deserve consideration, but fitting recurrent misbehavior -- mobilized for political purposes -- into a fascist framework is perhaps not the most effective analysis.

Addressing the underlying causes of disatisfaction, such as widespread institutional and market fraud, while less amenable to a partisan agenda, is nevertheless more strategically sound in defending democracy. Not to impune Ms. Robinson's motives, but there is a partisan aspect to her critique.

The anti-democratic movement, as Sara notes, is a serious threat to our freedom and well-being; framing that threat with inappropriate models, however, can lead to confusion about how to address that threat. The habit of linear thinking is not always conducive to public health.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Benefit for Ethnic Cleansing

Should supporting crimes against humanity be a legitimate purpose of tax-exempt US charities?

Gush Shalom doesn’t think so.

Monday, August 03, 2009

Desperate Damage Control

As Mondoweiss reports, the US Zionist lobby may be headquartered in DC, but its reach extends nationwide.

In this article about the Corrie story, the parents of Rachel discovered that the National Association of Attorneys General -- in collusion with the Israeli Consul General -- orchestrated a fifty-state campaign to recruit state attorneys general to pressure US Secretary of State Clinton to support Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Part of that campaign included mobilizing Jewish Federation members to phone in to talk shows wherever participating state AGs might appear.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Healing the World

In a sense, the Paddle to Seattle foreshadowed the Battle in Seattle, as the regional indigenous peoples extended their values into the global movement. Coast Salish gatherings light the way not only for the indigenous environmental warriors, but also includes way for the rest of us to support healing the world we all share.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Episcopal v Discovery Doctrine

Episcopalians exhibit integrity lacking in White House and Congress.