Where Chaos and Bloodshed Rule

As Murray Dobbin reports at The Tyee, Libya -- which prior to the NATO invasion boasted the highest standard of living in Africa -- is now well on its way to becoming a completely failed state, where chaos and bloodshed rule. Before NATO toppled Gadhafi, Libya had the lowest infant mortality and highest life expectancy on the continent; now -- thanks to NATO -- it is the biggest open arms bazaar in the world.

So what was the real reason NATO destroyed a country that provided free medicare and education to its citizenry? Gadhafi was the #1 African head of state leading in the creation of African financial and communication institutions--independent of US and EU control.

For that crime, Libya (and Africa) were sacrificed to reckless "humanitarian imperialism."

Nuclear Nightmares

When you can't fix the problem, can the guy who brought it to your attention. That's the message Bechtel sends from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation boondoggle Bechtel has been in on for some two decades now. After all, getting rid of whistle-blowers is easier than getting rid of the most toxic mess on Earth.

At least that's what San Francisco-based Bechtel Corporation thought when having its subcontractor URS can Walter Tamosaitis, the research and technical manager for the nation's largest Superfund cleanup. Tamosaitis' concerns about the nuclear waste processing plant design and safety -- communicated internally -- are now the subject of a lawsuit filed by Tamosaitis against Bechtel subcontractor URS, as well as in discussions at the U.S. Department of Energy.

Given Tamosaitis' concerns are about preventing the release of deadly radiation, one would hope boondoggle dreams don't completely overshadow nuclear nightmares.

News from Winnipeg

In Episode 13: Informants and infiltrators (September 19, 2013) Escape Velocity Radio hosts Derek Hogue and Chris Hannah discuss the new documentary Informant -- a film about undercover police operatives in activist movements in Canada and the US -- and interview Sharmeen Khan, a Toronto-based organizer, about being infiltrated by the Ontario Provincial Police during the G20 protests in 2010.

Players Program

How often I've said it would be handy to have a players program of the bad guys. Fortunately, Political Research Associates is running with that idea, shining a light at Profiles on the Right.

This idea works well at all levels, from school board to Congress, pulpit to Wall Street. Light a torch and watch the roaches run!

60 Minutes of Conservative Propaganda

As Frederick Clarkson reports, CBS 60 Minutes is not the unbiased TV news magazine it purports to be. It's history shows otherwise.

Peter Norman

A little known figure from the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City is Peter Norman, the Australian sprinter who placed second in the 200 meter, just behind Tommie Smith and just ahead of John Carlos. Norman, a devout Christian white man, chose to support the two black American sprinters from San Jose State University on the Olympic medals podium, by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge--an act of solidarity for which he was ostracized by his home country.

Timeline of Bigotry

The White Power on the Salish Sea flyer is now available in PDF.

The Education of Everett Richardson

This story about the 1970 Nova Scotia fishermen's strike reminds us of the power of solidarity.