Arrest of Julian Assange is an Attack on Journalism, Liberty, Self-Government and Civilization Itself
[Social]
Arrest of Julian Assange is an Attack on Journalism, Liberty, Self-Government and Civilization Itself
by Michael Krieger
Posted April 22, 2019
The reason I’m writing this post and consider it one of the most important things I’ve ever written, is because we can go in two main directions from here as a country. We can accept our degraded and impotent role as meaningless subjects in a vast, corrupt and vicious empire, or we can prioritize freedom, self-government and civil liberties to build a halfway decent civilization. In other words, we can blindly march forward into another dark age, or we can create a new renaissance.
How this will turn out is anyone’s guess, I just know we’re at a crucial crossroads and can only hope these words will inspire some of you to snap out of it, find a little courage and follow your better nature. If not, we will slowly at first, and very quickly later, lose whatever freedoms we have left. More…
The Facts:
Governments always go after the least popular resistors first to condition the public to accept such persecution. They do this because they are the easiest targets without widespread support.
Reflect On:
Imagine what journalism will look like once the chilling effect of publishing information critical of the government has been established? Consider the similarities to news reporting in Orwell’s 1984 book.
America Has a “Neo-feudal” System
[Economic]
America Has a “Neo-feudal” System
By Charles Hugh Smith
Posted April 22, 2019
The conventional definition of a Bear is someone who expects stocks to decline. For those of us who are bearish on fake fixes, that definition doesn’t apply: we aren’t making guesses about future market gyrations (rip-your-face-off rallies, dizziness-inducing drops, boring melt-ups, etc.).
No, we’re focused on the impossibility of reforming or fixing a broken economic system.
Many observers confuse creative destruction with profoundly structural problems. The technocrat perspective views the creative disruption of existing business models by the digital-driven 4th Industrial Revolution as the core cause of rising income inequality, under-employment, the decline of low-skilled jobs, etc. — many of the problems that plague the current economy. More…
Spectacular Violence as a Weapon of War Against the Yellow Vests
[Social]
Spectacular Violence as a Weapon of War Against the Yellow Vests
by Gabriel Rockhill
Posted April 21, 2019
Violence is a spectacular weapon deployed by the ruling class to discredit movements from below and justify their repression. It is spectacular in the sense of being a great and powerful political tool for governing the masses, and keeping them in their place. In order to do this, however, the weapon of violence is spectacular in a second sense: it creates a carefully orchestrated mise en scène that seeks to render ruling class violence invisible, while simultaneously transforming acts of resistance into prodigious spectacles of criminal violence.
This is how Act 18 of the Yellow Vests is currently being presented by the mass media: at the precise moment at which the government was concluding its democratic consultation of the people via Emmanuel Macron’s “Grand Débat,” the Yellow Vests have unleashed an inordinate amount of violence that now needs to be repressed in the strongest possible terms. More…
The Facts:
Governments have a monopoly on “legal” violence through the use of police forces, and have often used that to protect their power.
Reflect On:
Next time you hear about violence by protesters, consider whether it is media exaggeration, government propaganda, and also, who benefits from this violence.
70% of Produce Sold in US is Contaminated With Pesticides, Even After You Wash It
[Community]
70% of Produce Sold in US is Contaminated With Pesticides, Even After You Wash It
by Elias Marat
Posted April 20, 2019
If you’re buying fresh fruits and vegetables in the United States, 70 percent of it will carry pesticide residues on it even after you’ve washed it, according to a new study from a widely-respected health advocacy group.
The Environmental Working Group’s annual analysis of U.S. Department of Agriculture data offers grim evidence of the over-saturation of pesticides and toxic chemicals in conventional agriculture in the United States, with top crops such as spinach and strawberries counting among the most contaminated produce.
The group hopes the report will inform shoppers of the risks inherent in buying and consuming conventionally-grown produce versus organic fruits and vegetables. More…
4 Myths About Julian Assange DEBUNKED
[Justice]
4 Myths About Julian Assange DEBUNKED
by Washingtons Blog
Posted April 19, 2019
Myth #1: The U.S. Is Respecting First Amendment Freedom of the Press, and Only Prosecuting Assange for Hacking
Myth #2: Assange Will Get a Fair Trial In the U.S.
Myth #3: This Is About Protecting America’s National Security
Myth #4: Assange is a Proven Rapist
Goodbye to the Internet: Interference by Governments Is Already Here
[Media]
Goodbye to the Internet: Interference by Governments Is Already Here
by Philip M. Giraldi
Posted April 19, 2019
There is a saying attributed to the French banker Nathan Rothschild that “Give me control of a nation’s money and I care not who makes its laws.” Conservative opinion in the United States has long suspected that Rothschild was right and there have been frequent calls to audit the Federal Reserve Bank based on the presumption that it has not always acted in support of the actual interests of the American people.
Be that as it may, if there were a modern version of the Rothschild comment it might go something like this: “Give me control of the internet and no one will ever more know what is true.” The internet, which was originally conceived of as a platform for the free interchange of information and opinions, is instead inexorably becoming a managed medium that is increasingly controlled by corporate and government interests. Those interests are in no way answerable to the vast majority of the consumers who actually use the sites in a reasonable and non-threatening fashion to communicate and share different points of view. More…
Changing Societies through Urban Commons Transitions
[Community]
Changing Societies through Urban Commons Transitions
by Michel Bauwens,
Posted April 18, 2019
In the context of this report, the commons are viewed as a shared resource, which is co-owned and/or co-governed by its users and/or stakeholder communities, according to its own rules and norms.
Defined in such a manner it is clearly distinguishable from both the private and public/state forms of managing and owning resources. Commons can be found in every social arrangement, in every region and time period. This wider framework allows us to see the re-emergence of urban commons in our particular historical conjuncture.
To begin with, tribal societies as well as the class-based societies that emerged before capitalism have relatively strong commons, and they are essentially the natural commons. They co-exist with the more organic culturally inherited commons, such as folk knowledge. These are social systems that do not systematically separate people from their means of livelihood. More…
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Quotable Sayings
Choose being kind over being right, and you will be right every time.
Richard Carlson
______________________________
Therefore you always have to ask yourself: Why do I get this specific information in this specific form at this moment? Ultimately, it’s always about questions of power.”
Dr. Konrad Hummler, Swiss banking and media executive
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If we actually had a functioning judicial system and an independent press, Manning would have been a witness for the prosecution against the war criminals he helped expose.
Chris Hedges
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The Shocking Truth about Our Money System and How We Can Break Free!
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Great story on why we need to remove ALL of our elected government representatives
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