Latest articles
by Edward Curtin / August 28th, 2022
Neurosis to a greater or lesser degree is the norm in western industrialized societies. Drawing on this fact is the key to effective propaganda. It is well known that neurotics always return to the place they are running away from. It’s a circle game of frustration in which being frustrated is actually the “solution,” because the real problems cannot be faced. The Donald Trump phenomenon is an example of this on a social level.
Everybody knows that Trump is loved or hated in equal measure. And everyone knows he dominates the minds of those who love or hate him, just as …
by Yves Engler / August 28th, 2022
If the Canadian government was really trying to “help” Haiti solve its political and insecurity crisis it would criticize police who kill protesters.
In recent days Ottawa has aggressively taken up the Haitian cause. On Wednesday Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae met the president of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, to talk about Haiti. The somewhat unusual move — heads of state generally meet each other — was explained by the fact Canada leads the UN Economic and Social Council’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti.
Prior to traveling to Santo Domingo Rae was in Port-au-Prince. He met …
by Allen Forrest / August 28th, 2022
Should “we” fear the Great Reset?
by Binoy Kampmark / August 27th, 2022
Julian Assange’s legal team has taken its next step along their Via Dolorosa, filing an appeal against the decision to extradite their client to the United States to face 18 charges, 17 based on the odious US Espionage Act of 1917.
Since his violent eviction from the Ecuadorian embassy in April 2019, much to the delight of the national security establishment and its media cheerleaders, Assange has been held captive at Her Majesty’s Belmarsh Prison awaiting his fate. In a facility reserved for the country’s most hardened criminals, Assange has had to face the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, limitations on visits, restrictions …
(an excerpt from our recent podcast together)
by Mickey Z. / August 27th, 2022
Earlier this week, I shared episode 49 of my podcast, Post-Woke. It was mostly a conversation between me and Vandana Shiva. In case you missed it, here’s a brief and slightly edited excerpt. I trust it will inspire you to listen to the full podcast right here.
Mickey Z: I first saw you speak in person in New York City in 1996 at the Riverside Church. I know it was definitely you and definitely Ralph Nader with several others. You exuded power and …
“False Flags”: Russia is the Culprit
by Peter Koenig / August 26th, 2022
On 24 August Ukraine celebrated her Independence Day. It also marked the dubious anniversary of 6 months of war; a war that could have been drastically shortened, tens of thousands of lives saved and peace installed hadn’t it been for the relentless western / NATO provocations, and billions worth of western weapons deliveries to Ukraine. The west pretends these killer weapons are destined to create Peace, and would you believe the media are able to make most of the western world population believe in this nonsense.
It is literally George Orwell’s 1984: “Peace is War and War is Peace;” Orwell’s classical …
The ghosts of lessons past
by Mickey Z. / August 26th, 2022
(You can read this post below or listen above — or both!)
My family moved to a slightly “better” area of our neighborhood shortly before I turned 15. There were many reasons for this relocation but here’s one factor my mother clearly articulated: “If we stay here, I’m afraid you’ll end up dead or in jail.”
Wise decision.
My memories are haunted by the ghosts of too many former cohorts who did not have parents able to guide them to a different fate. In my waking life, I also cross paths with those who …
by Binoy Kampmark / August 26th, 2022
It must have been music to Elon Musk’s ears. Twitter, a platform he has had a patchy relationship with, has been the recipient of various blows inflicted by Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, the company’s former head of security. This was no mean feat, given the company’s reputation as being essentially indestructible. But Mudge was left with every reason to seethe; his tenure abruptly ceased at the company in January this year, allegedly for reasons of “ineffective leadership and poor performance”.
The poor performance tag would have raised a few eyebrows. Zatko has earned a formidable reputation in the field of cybersecurity, …
by Allen Forrest / August 26th, 2022
WEF reframes the nightmare as “augmented reality”
by Mickey Z. / August 26th, 2022
On August 16, 2022, the World Economic Forum (WEF) ran an article called, “Augmented tech can change the way we live, but only with the right support and vision.”
I strongly suggest you CLICK HERE and read it. It’s kinda-sorta important to learn what they have in store for you — or more likely, your children and grandchildren. Here’s how the post opens:
“Superheroes have been dominating big and small screens for a while, but there’s a subtle change happening. Many children expect to develop superpowers themselves. These expectations may sound …
An underwhelming show of farce?
by Todd Smith / August 25th, 2022
Step right this way!
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
Roll up, roll up for the Mystery Tour
— The Beatles, “Magical Mystery Tour,” 1967
Recently, the Wicked Witch of Ice Cream, octogenarian Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, took an officially unscheduled trip to Taiwan that caused quite a stir. Beyond the official Chinese Government’s objections, Pelosi’s weird visitation also included the non-endorsements of both the U.S. State Department and the Biden administration. So, what was The Nancy doing in Taipei, besides possibly checking in upon some “family” investments on the American taxpayer’s dime? Several angles suggest themselves concerning this transparently …
by Robert Hunziker / August 25th, 2022
The short answer: No, not even close!
Nations of the world are only too aware that fossil fuels need to be phased out for two reasons. First, oil is a finite commodity. It’ll run out in time. Secondly, fossil fuel emissions such as CO2 are destroying the planet’s climate system.
However, a recent study puts a damper on the prospects of phasing out fossil fuels in favor of renewables. More to the point, a phase out of fossil fuels by mid century looks to be a nearly impossible Sisyphean task. It’s all about quantities of minerals/metals contained in Mother Earth. There aren’t …
by Paul Haeder / August 24th, 2022
I do ground-truthing from a very folksy and small-townish perspective. I have found myself “stuck” here on the Central Oregon Coast, really, where my own destiny seems etched in the crumbling sandstone holding up the tourist-laden Highway 101.
I’ve exhausted the labor market here, since the school district has banned me as a substitute teacher for, well, subbing and answering high school students’ questions about my work with homeless, with just released incarcerated, and those with substance abuse issues. Of Mice and Men, as well as Animal Farm, I was filling in for the teacher.
I was frog-marched out of the classroom …
by Rick Staggenborg / August 24th, 2022
Those who say Congress is too corrupt to create a publicly funded system of universal health care are likely to be in for a surprise. Recent developments suggest that Americans may see Medicare for all within the next decade. However, since our system of privately funded elections inevitably leads to Congress putting profits over people, this is not likely to be a good thing.
The death spiral of insurance costs
Some advocates of a publicly funded universal health care system have predicted that its creation is inevitable because of the “death spiral” of insurance costs. This term refers to the fact …
by Colin Todhunter / August 24th, 2022
In March 2022, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of a “hurricane of hunger and a meltdown of the global food system” in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine.
Guterres said food, fuel and fertiliser prices were skyrocketing with supply chains being disrupted and added this is hitting the poorest the hardest and planting the seeds for political instability and unrest around the globe.
According to the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, there is currently sufficient food and no risk of global food supply shortages.
We see an abundance of food but skyrocketing prices. The issue is not food shortage but …
by Ron Forthofer / August 22nd, 2022
Many people were surprised and outraged when US President Biden recently fist bumped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. After all, as a candidate, Biden pledged to make the Saudi kingdom a pariah since the Crown Prince had been directly linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
In contrast, consider the relative lack of outrage to Biden’s statement after the latest criminal Israeli attack on Gaza that began on August 5th. This air bombardment by Israel, a nuclear power with one of the world’s strongest militaries and the occupier of Palestinian land, was against a mostly defenseless people. During this …
by Binoy Kampmark / August 22nd, 2022
Ayman al-Zawahiri is dead – or so we are told. Al-Qaida’s chief and successor to the slain Osama bin Laden, he was deemed the chief ideologue and mastermind behind the audacious September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. On July 31, he was supposedly killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, while standing on his balcony.
Terrorism and security pundits, whose views are best considered from afar with stern scrutiny, are predictably speculating that the killing will have some effect on al-Qaida but are incapable of showing how. Vanda Felbab-Brown at Brookings is convinced that “his death …
by Gary Olson / August 22nd, 2022
Many observers believe the future will be written in the Sino-Pacific region and, in particular, the means by which the United States responds to the rise of China as a global economic and political power. That’s clearly the the message in President Biden’s national security policy which states that “China…is the only competitor potentially capable of combining economic, diplomatic, military and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international order.” ((President Joseph Biden, Interim Security Strategic Guidance, March, 2021, p. 8.))
What follows are thumbnail sketches of U.S. foreign policy in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and …
A secret recording of the meeting has come into our hands.
by John V. Walsh / August 22nd, 2022
(President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Sec of State Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and White House aide Tara Write)
Biden: Let me bring this small meeting to order. We are all here. And this is a new White House Aide, Tara Write, who will provide visuals if we need them. The purpose of this meeting is… by gosh what is the purpose of this meeting?
(Sullivan and Blinken raise their eyebrows, glance at one another.)
Nancy, what is the agenda?
Pelosi: It is, it is…it has slipped my mind.
Jake Sullivan: (Eagerly raising his hand). The purpose is to do a postmortem on Speaker Pelosi’s …
Objective Look at U.S. Foreign Policy
by John Rachel / August 21st, 2022
Events continue to unfold at a quickening pace. Facing an alarming escalation in tensions around the world, we asked Bruce Gagnon for his most current thoughts.
Bruce Gagnon is the Coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, and was a co-founder of the Global Network when it was created in 1992. He was an early member of the Anti-Defense Lobby in the 1970s challenging the U.S. space program. Between 1983–1998, he was the State Coordinator of the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice and has worked on space issues for 31 years. Bruce has addressed audiences …
by Mina Hamilton / August 21st, 2022
The threat of a nuclear disaster in Ukraine intensifies with each day. At Zaporizhzhia, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, six nuclear reactors sit side by side. The nukes are smack in the midst of heavy fighting in the southeast of Ukraine. Since early August, the plant site has been shelled over a dozen times, with one attack in the immediate area of one of the nukes.
Charges and counter-charges fly. Both Ukraine and Russia allege that the other country is responsible for the attacks.
The head of the IAEA – the International Atomic Energy Agency – Rafael Mariano Grossi warns …
by Allen Forrest / August 21st, 2022
What might COVID look like on Broadway?
by Shawgi Tell / August 20th, 2022
Contradicting experience and research, various mainstream media sources continue to perpetuate the illusion that we have a “solid economy,” that “the fundamentals are sound,” that “things are not that bad,” and that “we can be optimistic” about the economy. In lock-step with the mainstream media, political and economic leaders at the highest levels are also uttering irrational and self-serving things about the economy.
But everyone can see and feel in direct and concrete ways that conditions at all levels are rapidly worsening every week. Every person has experienced the dramatic rise in just food and fuel costs alone. Further, wages and …
by Binoy Kampmark / August 20th, 2022
With China constantly being accused of insufferable secrecy and a lack of openness about security and defence arrangements among partners in the Pacific, the shoe, when on the other foot, sits just as well. In the case of Australia, it is particularly snug. We are not exactly clear about the fine print of the AUKUS security arrangement between Canberra, Washington and London, though we all know it involves nuclear propulsion technology for submarines.
We also know little, officially speaking, about the US Pine Gap intelligence facility in central Australia, though enough work has been done for us to realise how Australia …
by Binoy Kampmark / August 19th, 2022
The fact that Daddy Dick was there, the dark eminence who soiled the Republic and inflated executive power with drugged glee, said it all. This was the occasion of his daughter’s electoral defeat at the hands of another Republican, Harriet Hageman. Neoconservative bumbler and part of an enterprise that loves war and cherishes the buccaneering free market, Liz Cheney was facing final judgment at the hands of voters in Wyoming for her belligerent position against Donald Trump.
Cheney had hoped to purge the GOP of Trumpist influence by simply reiterating her own toxic alternative, the very sort that did much to …
But in Capitalism, Wrong is Right, and Wrong, as in Disaster Capitalism, Makes Money!
by Paul Haeder / August 19th, 2022
Bruce Lee said:
I don’t fear the man who has 10,000 kicks, I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times.
— Wisdom for the Way
And there is cultural and retail and consumer insanity doing the same thing over and over and over expecting different results, as in doing the same wrong thing over and over, or, following the wrong ways over and over, and expecting different results is, well, sort of insane.
Or that system of thinking, SOPs, the working rule book for this system of extraction, destruction, …
by Daniel Kovalik / August 19th, 2022
Photo courtesy of Dan Kovalik
On August 7, 2022, Gustavo Petro and his running mate, Francia Márquez, were inaugurated as the President and Vice-President of the Republic of Colombia. This was one of the most historic events in Latin America for at least a century.
For the first time since the liberation of Colombia from Spain by Simón Bolívar, Colombia now had leaders who promised to radically transform Colombia, and with it, all of Latin America. I was fortunate enough to be present at the inauguration ceremony which was just …
by Robert Hunziker / August 19th, 2022
Scientists are working on a plan to go beyond the Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) recently signed by President Biden, which is supposed to tackle global warming, which, in turn, is tearing the planet apart, piece-by-piece. There’s more info on this very important petition filed by scientists to follow below, including a request for supporting signatures.
Meanwhile, even though IRA is loaded with good stuff to fight global warming, it’s not likely enough to put out the heat. After all, the Inflation Reduction Act is the third or fourth iteration of Biden’s Build Back Better $3.5T prominently mentioned in an article in …
by Allen Forrest / August 19th, 2022
What does a jab jam sound like?
(been there, done that)
by Mickey Z. / August 18th, 2022
Yes, that’s a friggin’ oil slick near the Statue of Liberty (May 1973)
But a few things for starters:
There are real-life people living here and there’s nothing badass about rooting for our pain.
Not everyone in this city is a non-binary snowflake in a BLM t-shirt. We all don’t agree that rioting is a form of social justice.
NYC is a complex city that deserves a complex perspective.
Things have been worse here — WAY worse…as you’re about to see.
No one has to tell this lifetime New Yorker what …
