Dexter Filkins.
The Forever War.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf / Random House, Inc., 2008.
Book information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Wikipedia on the Book; Wikipedia on the Author.
This is a book for people who choose to ignore various unpleasant facts, such as: U.S. government corruption; the personal corruption and venality of the people installed in leading elective and appointive positions in the U.S. government, and their consequent corrupt policy and actions; the economic motivations for wars; historical context; imperialism; cultural and sociological differences of people in other regions and nations. There are many other books one could read to understand those things in relation to the U.S. government's quest for military and economic dominance in Iraq and other places. Instead Filkins offers personal stories of the "little people" (my words), individuals caught up in events, the passive victims (excluding U.S. government employees and occasional Iraqis) upon whom the winds of war blow.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
The U.S. Police State: Occupy Wall Street, Part 10
My previous OWS posts are: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9.
The USA shows more and more signs of a police state.
Nick Turse, "What Happened When I Tried to Get Some Answers About the Creepy NYPD Watchtower Monitoring OWS," AlterNet, 06 November 2011.
Turse writes:
He seemed confused and ended our conversation abruptly with: “It’s much more than simple words.”
Here's what's "much more than simple words:" authoritarianism. The police internalize their position in the hierarchy and follow orders without question; that's their job; they are selected and trained for that behavior. That is the nature of all hierarchical organizations including, of course, corporations. If you care to understand more about this human behavior you could begin with Bob Altemyer's The Authoritarians (free book!).
Heather Digby Parton, "Militarising the police from Oakland to NYC," Al Jazeera, 14 November 2011.
Glenn Greenwald, "A police raid suffused with symbolism," Salon.com, 15 November 2011.
Chris Hedges, "This Is What Revolution Looks Like," Truthdig.com, 15 November 2011.
Amy Goodman, "The Brave New World of Occupy Wall Street," Truthdig.com, 15 November 2011.
Gregg Levine, "Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Admits Cities Coordinated Crackdown on Occupy Movement," capitoilette, 15 November 2011.
Yves Smith, "Police State: #OWS, Other Crackdowns Part of National, Coordinated Effort; Bloomberg Defies Court Order to Let Protestors Back into Zuccotti Park [Update: Judge Rules in Favor of City]," naked capitalism, 15 November 2011.
Yves Smith, "Video of Police Assaulting #OWS Protestor and Punching Woman in the Face," naked capitalism, 15 November 2011.
Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, "Police Crackdowns on Occupy Protests from Oakland to New York Herald the 'New Military Urbanism'," Democracy Now!, 16 November 2011.
Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, "As Occupy Enters Third Month, a Look at How Protesters Are Building a Global Movement," Democracy Now!, 16 November 2011.
A very good general discussion; and includes a notable interview with Daniel Ellsberg.
Kevin Gosztola, "NYPD Press Repression at Occupy Wall Street Eviction," FireDogLake, 16 November 2011.
David Atkins, "A Sanitized Eviction," Hullabaloo, 16 November 2011.
The USA shows more and more signs of a police state.
Nick Turse, "What Happened When I Tried to Get Some Answers About the Creepy NYPD Watchtower Monitoring OWS," AlterNet, 06 November 2011.
Turse writes:
He seemed confused and ended our conversation abruptly with: “It’s much more than simple words.”
Here's what's "much more than simple words:" authoritarianism. The police internalize their position in the hierarchy and follow orders without question; that's their job; they are selected and trained for that behavior. That is the nature of all hierarchical organizations including, of course, corporations. If you care to understand more about this human behavior you could begin with Bob Altemyer's The Authoritarians (free book!).
Heather Digby Parton, "Militarising the police from Oakland to NYC," Al Jazeera, 14 November 2011.
Glenn Greenwald, "A police raid suffused with symbolism," Salon.com, 15 November 2011.
Chris Hedges, "This Is What Revolution Looks Like," Truthdig.com, 15 November 2011.
Amy Goodman, "The Brave New World of Occupy Wall Street," Truthdig.com, 15 November 2011.
Gregg Levine, "Oakland Mayor Jean Quan Admits Cities Coordinated Crackdown on Occupy Movement," capitoilette, 15 November 2011.
Yves Smith, "Police State: #OWS, Other Crackdowns Part of National, Coordinated Effort; Bloomberg Defies Court Order to Let Protestors Back into Zuccotti Park [Update: Judge Rules in Favor of City]," naked capitalism, 15 November 2011.
Yves Smith, "Video of Police Assaulting #OWS Protestor and Punching Woman in the Face," naked capitalism, 15 November 2011.
Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, "Police Crackdowns on Occupy Protests from Oakland to New York Herald the 'New Military Urbanism'," Democracy Now!, 16 November 2011.
Amy Goodman and Nermeen Shaikh, "As Occupy Enters Third Month, a Look at How Protesters Are Building a Global Movement," Democracy Now!, 16 November 2011.
A very good general discussion; and includes a notable interview with Daniel Ellsberg.
Kevin Gosztola, "NYPD Press Repression at Occupy Wall Street Eviction," FireDogLake, 16 November 2011.
David Atkins, "A Sanitized Eviction," Hullabaloo, 16 November 2011.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Video and Radio: Occupy Wall Street, Part 9
My previous OWS posts are: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8.
Annie Leonard, "The Story of Broke: Why There's Still Plenty of Money to Build a Better Future," The Story of Stuff Project.
Chris Hedges, "Chris Hedges speaking at Occupy Wall Street, Part 1," 09 October 2011.
Chris Hedges, "Chris Hedges speaking at Occupy Wall Street, Part 2, Q & A," 09 October 2011.
Liam Tate, "A Beginners Guide to 'Occupy'," Vimeo, 02 November 2011.
A collection of voices from Occupy Bristol (UK).
Stand Up! Chicago, "Gov. Scott Walker gets checked, Mic Checked!," Stand Up! Chicago, 03 November 2011.
Keith Olbermann, "Occupy Oakland: Scott Campbell describes being shot with a rubber bullet by Oakland police in an unprovoked attack," Countdown, Current, 07 November 2011.
Michael Hudson, "Now We’re Talking: Alan Minsky of KPFK Interviews Michael Hudson," Michael-Hudson.com, 04 November 2011.
C.S. Soong, "Anarchism in Thought, and in the Streets," Against the Grain, 07 November 2011.
Sasha Lilley, "Wall Street, Populism, and the Left," Against the Grain, 08 November 2011.
A conversation with Doug Henwood.
Michael Hudson, "Occupy Systemic Change: Lauren Lyster of RT Interviews Michael Hudson," Michael-Hudson.com, 08 November 2011.
"VIDEO: Meet Occupy Denver’s newest leader: A dog," The (Toronto) Star, 09 November 2011.
PolarityMovie, "Occupy Denver Elects Its Leader Shelby, Part 2," YouTube, 08 November 2011.
Media-PR Committee, "Occupy Denver Elects Leader," Occupy Denver, 08 November 2011.
This move by Occupy Denver is an attack on the idea of corporate personhood. This may have to be explained to people every time it is mentioned; however, I expect the corporate media will not do that.
Jim Newell, "Insane Congressman Joe Walsh Screams at His Constituents," gawker.com, 09 November 2011.
Picture of an authoritarian defender of the "too big to fail" banking corporations and the "free market." Note: the "free market" is a fantasy of ideologues and propagandists.
"Occupy Everywhere: On the New Politics and Possibilities of the Movement Against Corporate Power." Sponsored by The Nation and The New School for Public Engagement, 10 November 2011.
A panel discussion with Michael Moore, Patrick Bruner, Rinku Sen, William Greider, and Naomi Klein; moderated by Richard Kim.
Dave Zirin, "Penn State and Berkeley: A Tale of Two Protests," The Nation Blog, 10 November 2011.
Update, 16 Nov 2011: Additional links follow.
Michael Brissenden, "Wall Street occupied," 7.30 - ABC, 11 October 2011.
An Australian news report.
"Slavoj Zizek: Capitalism with Asian values," Talk to Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, 29 October 2011.
This video was initially posted by Al Jazeera with the title "Slavoj Zizek: 'Now the field is open.'"
Eric Cantor Mic Checked at Rice University, 10 November 2011.
Via Daily Kos.
Agence France-Presse, "Hawaiian singer surprises Obama summit with ‘Occupy’ song," The Raw Story, 13 November 2011.
PeteB2, "AWESOME: Artist Performs 99%-er Song in Front of Obama & World Leaders at APEC Conf (W/Video)," Daily Kos, 13 November 2011.
Links from the Daily Kos diary: Makana, "We Are The Many;" www.yeslab.org/APEC.
"Blue Cross CEO Discusses Health Care Business," C-SPAN, 14 November 2011.
Mic check begins around 3:30. Via naked capitalism Links, 15 Nov 2011.
#occupybaltimore Mic Checks Karl Rove, YouTube, 15 Nov 2011.
Karl Rove vs. OWS Mic Check round 2, YouTube, 15 Nov 2011.
Annie Leonard, "The Story of Broke: Why There's Still Plenty of Money to Build a Better Future," The Story of Stuff Project.
Chris Hedges, "Chris Hedges speaking at Occupy Wall Street, Part 1," 09 October 2011.
Chris Hedges, "Chris Hedges speaking at Occupy Wall Street, Part 2, Q & A," 09 October 2011.
Liam Tate, "A Beginners Guide to 'Occupy'," Vimeo, 02 November 2011.
A collection of voices from Occupy Bristol (UK).
Stand Up! Chicago, "Gov. Scott Walker gets checked, Mic Checked!," Stand Up! Chicago, 03 November 2011.
Keith Olbermann, "Occupy Oakland: Scott Campbell describes being shot with a rubber bullet by Oakland police in an unprovoked attack," Countdown, Current, 07 November 2011.
Michael Hudson, "Now We’re Talking: Alan Minsky of KPFK Interviews Michael Hudson," Michael-Hudson.com, 04 November 2011.
C.S. Soong, "Anarchism in Thought, and in the Streets," Against the Grain, 07 November 2011.
Sasha Lilley, "Wall Street, Populism, and the Left," Against the Grain, 08 November 2011.
A conversation with Doug Henwood.
Michael Hudson, "Occupy Systemic Change: Lauren Lyster of RT Interviews Michael Hudson," Michael-Hudson.com, 08 November 2011.
"VIDEO: Meet Occupy Denver’s newest leader: A dog," The (Toronto) Star, 09 November 2011.
PolarityMovie, "Occupy Denver Elects Its Leader Shelby, Part 2," YouTube, 08 November 2011.
Media-PR Committee, "Occupy Denver Elects Leader," Occupy Denver, 08 November 2011.
This move by Occupy Denver is an attack on the idea of corporate personhood. This may have to be explained to people every time it is mentioned; however, I expect the corporate media will not do that.
Jim Newell, "Insane Congressman Joe Walsh Screams at His Constituents," gawker.com, 09 November 2011.
Picture of an authoritarian defender of the "too big to fail" banking corporations and the "free market." Note: the "free market" is a fantasy of ideologues and propagandists.
"Occupy Everywhere: On the New Politics and Possibilities of the Movement Against Corporate Power." Sponsored by The Nation and The New School for Public Engagement, 10 November 2011.
A panel discussion with Michael Moore, Patrick Bruner, Rinku Sen, William Greider, and Naomi Klein; moderated by Richard Kim.
Dave Zirin, "Penn State and Berkeley: A Tale of Two Protests," The Nation Blog, 10 November 2011.
Update, 16 Nov 2011: Additional links follow.
Michael Brissenden, "Wall Street occupied," 7.30 - ABC, 11 October 2011.
An Australian news report.
"Slavoj Zizek: Capitalism with Asian values," Talk to Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, 29 October 2011.
This video was initially posted by Al Jazeera with the title "Slavoj Zizek: 'Now the field is open.'"
Eric Cantor Mic Checked at Rice University, 10 November 2011.
Via Daily Kos.
Agence France-Presse, "Hawaiian singer surprises Obama summit with ‘Occupy’ song," The Raw Story, 13 November 2011.
PeteB2, "AWESOME: Artist Performs 99%-er Song in Front of Obama & World Leaders at APEC Conf (W/Video)," Daily Kos, 13 November 2011.
Links from the Daily Kos diary: Makana, "We Are The Many;" www.yeslab.org/APEC.
"Blue Cross CEO Discusses Health Care Business," C-SPAN, 14 November 2011.
Mic check begins around 3:30. Via naked capitalism Links, 15 Nov 2011.
#occupybaltimore Mic Checks Karl Rove, YouTube, 15 Nov 2011.
Karl Rove vs. OWS Mic Check round 2, YouTube, 15 Nov 2011.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Occupy Music: Occupy Wall Street, Part 8
"The People United Will Never be Defeated," Ursula Oppens, pianist; Frederic Rzewski, composer.
Frederic Rzewski, Wikipedia.
"Blood Money" by Brandon Carter.
Lyrics at OccupyWallStreetMusic.com.
"Finally Here" by The Roaring featuring Ari Herstand.
Lyrics at The Roaring.
"Hope, Struggle and Change" by Roy Zimmerman.
Roy Zimmerman: RoyZimmerman's Channel - YouTube; RoyZimmerman.com.
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales, "Legendary Folk Duo Crosby & Nash on Soundtracking Movements from the 1960s to Occupy Wall Street," Democracy Now!, 10 November 2011.
Occupy Music: Sounds of the 99%.
The cover art is from "Faces of Occupied Wall Street #1" by Molly Crabapple.
A compilation album by a range of musicians. Released 15 October 2011. Much better than you might expect!
Protest Music, Daily Kos.
A Daily Kos group; lots of diaries under this heading.
Occupy Music, a Facebook Community.
Frederic Rzewski, Wikipedia.
"Blood Money" by Brandon Carter.
Lyrics at OccupyWallStreetMusic.com.
"Finally Here" by The Roaring featuring Ari Herstand.
Lyrics at The Roaring.
"Hope, Struggle and Change" by Roy Zimmerman.
Roy Zimmerman: RoyZimmerman's Channel - YouTube; RoyZimmerman.com.
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales, "Legendary Folk Duo Crosby & Nash on Soundtracking Movements from the 1960s to Occupy Wall Street," Democracy Now!, 10 November 2011.
Occupy Music: Sounds of the 99%.
The cover art is from "Faces of Occupied Wall Street #1" by Molly Crabapple.
A compilation album by a range of musicians. Released 15 October 2011. Much better than you might expect!
Protest Music, Daily Kos.
A Daily Kos group; lots of diaries under this heading.
Occupy Music, a Facebook Community.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Occupy Los Angeles Teach In: Occupy Wall Street, Part 7
Occupy Los Angeles held a Teach In on November 5th and 6th, 2011. Schedules were posted for Day 1 and Day 2.
Videos from Day 1:
Robert Reich:
Robert Scheer:
William K. Black:
Bill Black's talk also posted at New Economic Perspectives.
Joel Rogers:
Ellen Brown:
Video from Day 2:
David DeGraw:
Videos from Day 1:
Robert Reich:
Robert Scheer:
William K. Black:
Bill Black's talk also posted at New Economic Perspectives.
Joel Rogers:
Ellen Brown:
Video from Day 2:
David DeGraw:
Wednesday, November 09, 2011
Occupy the Hood: Occupy Wall Street, Part 6
My previous posts on this topic are: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5.
Links for Occupy the Hood Organizations:
Facebook: OccupyTheHood.
Twitter: @OccupyTheHood.
Twitter: search #OccupyTheHood.
Tumblr: tagged occupy the hood.
General Information and News Articles Related to Occupy the Hood:
People of Color Organize!.
Black Agenda Report.
Black Agenda Report: category Occupy the Hood.
Blackstonian: category Occupy The Hood and links for Occupy The Hood Boston.
Boston.com, "Dispatches from Dewey Square: What is Occupy the Hood?," 04 Nov 2011.
Time, "Is Occupy Wall Street Too White?," 20 Oct 2011.
WAMU DCentric, "‘Occupy the Hood’ and How to Boost Protest Diversity," 13 Oct 2011.
Al-Jazeera English, "'Occupy the Hood': Including all of the 99%," 10 Oct 2011.
Black Enterprise Next, "Should You Care about Occupy The Hood?," 10 Oct 2011.
Village Voice, "Occupy the Hood Aims to Bring More Minorities Into the Occupy Wall Street Fold," 07 Oct 2011.
Longer Essays, Video:
Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, "Why I Support Occupy The Hood," BreaktheChains.info, 10 October 2011.
Joy Moses and Jasmin Jones, "Occupying Wall Street Together: People of Color Matter in the Movement," Center for American Progress, 20 October 2011.
Glen Ford, "Occupy All the Harlems, to Save Ourselves from the Dictatorship of Wall Street," Black Agenda Report, 02 November 2011.
Bruce A. Dixon, "Occupy Where? What's In It For Black and Brown People?," Black Agenda Report, 02 November 2011.
MontanaMaven, "On Bruce Dixon's 'Occupy Where?'," Corrente, 04 November 2011.
The Black Institute, "Occupy Black America," The Black Institute Blog, 04 November 2011.
Denise Oliver Velez, "Occupy the Hood: Communities of color and the Occupy movement," DailyKos, 06 November 2011.
Bryan K. Bullock, "Occupy the Hood," People of Color Organize!, 07 November 2011.
Taryn Hart, "Occupied Media: Interview With NEDAP's Josh Zinner," Plutocracy Files, 09 November 2011.
A discussion of predatory finance and no consequences for economic criminals.
Links for Occupy the Hood Organizations:
Facebook: OccupyTheHood.
Twitter: @OccupyTheHood.
Twitter: search #OccupyTheHood.
Tumblr: tagged occupy the hood.
General Information and News Articles Related to Occupy the Hood:
People of Color Organize!.
Black Agenda Report.
Black Agenda Report: category Occupy the Hood.
Blackstonian: category Occupy The Hood and links for Occupy The Hood Boston.
Boston.com, "Dispatches from Dewey Square: What is Occupy the Hood?," 04 Nov 2011.
Time, "Is Occupy Wall Street Too White?," 20 Oct 2011.
WAMU DCentric, "‘Occupy the Hood’ and How to Boost Protest Diversity," 13 Oct 2011.
Al-Jazeera English, "'Occupy the Hood': Including all of the 99%," 10 Oct 2011.
Black Enterprise Next, "Should You Care about Occupy The Hood?," 10 Oct 2011.
Village Voice, "Occupy the Hood Aims to Bring More Minorities Into the Occupy Wall Street Fold," 07 Oct 2011.
Longer Essays, Video:
Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin, "Why I Support Occupy The Hood," BreaktheChains.info, 10 October 2011.
Joy Moses and Jasmin Jones, "Occupying Wall Street Together: People of Color Matter in the Movement," Center for American Progress, 20 October 2011.
Glen Ford, "Occupy All the Harlems, to Save Ourselves from the Dictatorship of Wall Street," Black Agenda Report, 02 November 2011.
Bruce A. Dixon, "Occupy Where? What's In It For Black and Brown People?," Black Agenda Report, 02 November 2011.
MontanaMaven, "On Bruce Dixon's 'Occupy Where?'," Corrente, 04 November 2011.
The Black Institute, "Occupy Black America," The Black Institute Blog, 04 November 2011.
Denise Oliver Velez, "Occupy the Hood: Communities of color and the Occupy movement," DailyKos, 06 November 2011.
Bryan K. Bullock, "Occupy the Hood," People of Color Organize!, 07 November 2011.
Taryn Hart, "Occupied Media: Interview With NEDAP's Josh Zinner," Plutocracy Files, 09 November 2011.
A discussion of predatory finance and no consequences for economic criminals.
Monday, November 07, 2011
More Links: Occupy Wall Street, Part 5
My previous posts on this topic are: Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4.
Occupied Newspapers:
The Occupied Washington Post, Number 1, 01 November 2011.
Occupied Oakland Tribune, 02 November 2011.
Websites with substantial Occupy Wall Street movement coverage:
Occupied Media: non-technical video interviews and discussions, mostly on economics.
Special Coverage: OCCUPY WALL STREET | AlterNet.
Plutocracy Files by Taryn Hart.
The Majority Report with Sam Seder.
Articles and Videos:
Empty Ballet, "The Politics of Experience," YouTube.
Refers to the book: R. D. Laing. The Politics of Experience. Pantheon, 1983.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Wikipedia on R. D. Laing.]
Joseph E. Stiglitz, "Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%," Vanity Fair, May 2011.
See also the following link, in which Stiglitz discusses his essay.
Amy Goodman, "Nobel Economist Joseph Stiglitz: Assault on Social Spending, Pro-Rich Tax Cuts Turning U.S. into Nation 'Of the 1 Percent, by the 1 Percent, for the 1 Percent'," Democracy Now!, 07 April 2011.
Yves Smith, "Your Humble Blogger Asked Larry Summers a Question He Did Not Like," naked capitalism, 24 April 2011.
"This Powerful Clip Is Exactly Why We Support #OccupyWallStreet," MoveOn.org, 05 October 2011.
"Chris Hedges on the Tea Party and difference between Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street protesters," RT, 06 October 2011.
James Kwak, "Straight Out of Antiquity," The Baseline Scenario, 10 October 2011.
John Nichols, "The 99 Percent Rise Up," The Nation, website: 12 October 2011; print edition: 31 October 2011.
"Journalistic Standards Collapse over Occupy Wall Street," Global Research TV, 19 October 2011.
This is a CBC interview of Chris Hedges in which one correspondent verbally abuses and belittles Hedges.
David Intrator, "A Businessman Occupies Wall Street," Truthdig, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 1 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 2 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 3 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
Frank Rich, "The Class War Has Begun," New York, 23 October 2011.
Chris Hedges, "Occupiers Have to Convince the Other 99 Percent," Truthdig, 24 October 2011.
Charlie Rose, "A discussion about Occupy Wall Street," Charlie Rose, 24 October 2011.
A discussion with Amy Goodman and Chris Hedges.
For a laugh see this excerpt from FOX News: "The Star of the Show is Rather Sternly Prim Lefty by the Name of Amy Goodman."
I recommend Amy Goodman's show Democracy Now!.
Christopher Ketcham, "The Reign of the One Percenters," Orion Magazine, November/December 2011.
Ketcham discusses this essay with Sam Seder on The Majority Report, 25 October 2011.
Matt Taibbi, "Wall Street Isn't Winning – It's Cheating," Taibblog at Rolling Stone, 25 October 2011.
Corey Robin, "Fear, American Style: What the Anarchist and Libertarian Don’t Understand about the US," CoreyRobin.com, 25 October 2011.
"While people on the left and the right often focus on state repression—coercion and intimidation that comes from and is wielded by the government (politically driven prosecution and punishment, police violence, and the like)—the fact is that a great deal of political repression happens in civil society, outside the state. More specifically, in the workplace."
Corey Robin is author of the recently published book: The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin. Oxford University Press USA, 2011.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
And as noted in his article above, Professor Robin is also the author of the book: Fear: The History of a Political Idea. Oxford University Press USA, 2004.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Danny Schechter, "The MSM’s Fear of OWS," Consortiumnews.com, 26 October 2011.
"US cops tried to erase online evidence of brutality," RT, 26 October 2011.
Video report is lower down on above-referenced webpage. Also posted at Global Research TV.
Gordon Lafer, "Why Occupy Wall Street Has Left Washington Behind," The Nation, website: 26 October 2011; print edition: 14 November 2011.
Dahlia Lithwick, "Occupy the No-Spin Zone," Slate, 26 October 2011.
"One of the best things about Occupy Wall Street is the way it confuses and ignores the shrill pundit class."
Lithwick discusses her article with Sam Seder on The Majority Report, 27 October 2011.
David Harvey, "Rebels on the Street: The Party of Wall Street Meets its Nemesis," Verso Books Blog, 28 October 2011.
Also posted at DavidHarvey.org.
Glenn Greenwald, "The importance of protests," Salon.com, 30 October 2011.
Stephen Colbert, "Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street, Part 1," The Colbert Report, 31 October 2011.
Stephen Colbert, "Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street, Part 2," The Colbert Report, 01 November 2011.
Noam Chomsky, "Occupy the Future," Truthout, 01 November 2011.
Robert Scheer and Chris Hedges, "Robert Scheer and Chris Hedges on Class Struggle," Truthdig Radio / 90.7 KPFK Los Angeles, 01 November 2011.
The title doesn't adequately describe this wide ranging discussion.
Rinaldo Brutoco, "Business Leader: 'I'm So Grateful to Occupy Wall Street'," Truthout, 02 November 2011.
Bill Moyers, "How Wall Street Occupied America," The Nation, website: 02 November 2011; print edition: 21 November 2011.
Note that in his essay Bill Moyers refers to the Powell Memo and discusses how it helped catalyze and direct the businessmen's contingent of the right-wing movement after the memo was distributed in 1971, and which has resulted in the corporation dominated society and government that we see today. (Watch this blog for a future post of links on the Powell Memo.)
Moyers recommends the book:
Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson. Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Robert Parry, "End of the Reagan Narrative?," Consortiumnews.com, 02 November 2011.
Naomi Wolf, "We May Be Witnessing the First Large Global Conflict Where People Are Aligned by Consciousness and Not Nation State or Religion," AlterNet, 01 November 2011.
Concerned Students of Economics 10, "An Open Letter to Greg Mankiw," MR Zine, 02 November 2011.
This letter was also noted and discussed at naked capitalism:
Steve Keen, "Steve Keen: Harvard Starts its Own PAECON Against Mankiw," naked capitalism, 03 November 2011.
MR Zine has many additional articles related to Occupy Wall Street.
Paul Krugman, "Oligarchy, American Style," The New York Times, 03 November 2011.
Paul Jay, "Bill Black: Jobs Now, Stop the Foreclosures, Jail the Banksters," The Real News Network, 03 November 2011.
Bill Black offers an answer to people who demand specific policy recommendations from Occupy Wall Street.
Edward Harrison, "Joseph Stiglitz on Iceland's Crisis and Recovery," Credit Writedowns, 03 November 2011.
Fritz Tucker, "American Autumn Pt. 3: A Chill Descends on Occupy Wall Street," Fritz Tucker's Blog, 04 November 2011.
Also posted at GlobalResearch.ca.
In political theory the phenomena Fritz Tucker experienced and describes is known as the Iron law of oligarchy (Wikipedia link).
Sara Robinson, "Occupy’s Asshole Problem: Flashbacks from An Old Hippie," radio or not, 04 November 2011.
Charles Hugh Smith, "The Collapse of Our Corrupt, Predatory, Pathological Financial System Is Necessary and Positive," Of Two Minds, 05 November 2011.
(Acknowledgment: Some links obtained from Plutocracy Files by Taryn Hart and Rortybomb by Mike Konczal.)
Occupied Newspapers:
The Occupied Washington Post, Number 1, 01 November 2011.
Occupied Oakland Tribune, 02 November 2011.
Websites with substantial Occupy Wall Street movement coverage:
Occupied Media: non-technical video interviews and discussions, mostly on economics.
Special Coverage: OCCUPY WALL STREET | AlterNet.
Plutocracy Files by Taryn Hart.
The Majority Report with Sam Seder.
Articles and Videos:
Empty Ballet, "The Politics of Experience," YouTube.
Refers to the book: R. D. Laing. The Politics of Experience. Pantheon, 1983.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com; Wikipedia on R. D. Laing.]
Joseph E. Stiglitz, "Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%," Vanity Fair, May 2011.
See also the following link, in which Stiglitz discusses his essay.
Amy Goodman, "Nobel Economist Joseph Stiglitz: Assault on Social Spending, Pro-Rich Tax Cuts Turning U.S. into Nation 'Of the 1 Percent, by the 1 Percent, for the 1 Percent'," Democracy Now!, 07 April 2011.
Yves Smith, "Your Humble Blogger Asked Larry Summers a Question He Did Not Like," naked capitalism, 24 April 2011.
"This Powerful Clip Is Exactly Why We Support #OccupyWallStreet," MoveOn.org, 05 October 2011.
"Chris Hedges on the Tea Party and difference between Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street protesters," RT, 06 October 2011.
James Kwak, "Straight Out of Antiquity," The Baseline Scenario, 10 October 2011.
John Nichols, "The 99 Percent Rise Up," The Nation, website: 12 October 2011; print edition: 31 October 2011.
"Journalistic Standards Collapse over Occupy Wall Street," Global Research TV, 19 October 2011.
This is a CBC interview of Chris Hedges in which one correspondent verbally abuses and belittles Hedges.
David Intrator, "A Businessman Occupies Wall Street," Truthdig, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 1 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 2 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
David Suzuki, "David Suzuki at Occupy Vancouver - Part 3 of 3," Occupy Vancouver Media, 22 October 2011.
Frank Rich, "The Class War Has Begun," New York, 23 October 2011.
Chris Hedges, "Occupiers Have to Convince the Other 99 Percent," Truthdig, 24 October 2011.
Charlie Rose, "A discussion about Occupy Wall Street," Charlie Rose, 24 October 2011.
A discussion with Amy Goodman and Chris Hedges.
For a laugh see this excerpt from FOX News: "The Star of the Show is Rather Sternly Prim Lefty by the Name of Amy Goodman."
I recommend Amy Goodman's show Democracy Now!.
Christopher Ketcham, "The Reign of the One Percenters," Orion Magazine, November/December 2011.
Ketcham discusses this essay with Sam Seder on The Majority Report, 25 October 2011.
Matt Taibbi, "Wall Street Isn't Winning – It's Cheating," Taibblog at Rolling Stone, 25 October 2011.
Corey Robin, "Fear, American Style: What the Anarchist and Libertarian Don’t Understand about the US," CoreyRobin.com, 25 October 2011.
"While people on the left and the right often focus on state repression—coercion and intimidation that comes from and is wielded by the government (politically driven prosecution and punishment, police violence, and the like)—the fact is that a great deal of political repression happens in civil society, outside the state. More specifically, in the workplace."
Corey Robin is author of the recently published book: The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Sarah Palin. Oxford University Press USA, 2011.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
And as noted in his article above, Professor Robin is also the author of the book: Fear: The History of a Political Idea. Oxford University Press USA, 2004.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Danny Schechter, "The MSM’s Fear of OWS," Consortiumnews.com, 26 October 2011.
"US cops tried to erase online evidence of brutality," RT, 26 October 2011.
Video report is lower down on above-referenced webpage. Also posted at Global Research TV.
Gordon Lafer, "Why Occupy Wall Street Has Left Washington Behind," The Nation, website: 26 October 2011; print edition: 14 November 2011.
Dahlia Lithwick, "Occupy the No-Spin Zone," Slate, 26 October 2011.
"One of the best things about Occupy Wall Street is the way it confuses and ignores the shrill pundit class."
Lithwick discusses her article with Sam Seder on The Majority Report, 27 October 2011.
David Harvey, "Rebels on the Street: The Party of Wall Street Meets its Nemesis," Verso Books Blog, 28 October 2011.
Also posted at DavidHarvey.org.
Glenn Greenwald, "The importance of protests," Salon.com, 30 October 2011.
Stephen Colbert, "Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street, Part 1," The Colbert Report, 31 October 2011.
Stephen Colbert, "Colbert Super PAC - Stephen Colbert Occupies Occupy Wall Street, Part 2," The Colbert Report, 01 November 2011.
Noam Chomsky, "Occupy the Future," Truthout, 01 November 2011.
Robert Scheer and Chris Hedges, "Robert Scheer and Chris Hedges on Class Struggle," Truthdig Radio / 90.7 KPFK Los Angeles, 01 November 2011.
The title doesn't adequately describe this wide ranging discussion.
Rinaldo Brutoco, "Business Leader: 'I'm So Grateful to Occupy Wall Street'," Truthout, 02 November 2011.
Bill Moyers, "How Wall Street Occupied America," The Nation, website: 02 November 2011; print edition: 21 November 2011.
Note that in his essay Bill Moyers refers to the Powell Memo and discusses how it helped catalyze and direct the businessmen's contingent of the right-wing movement after the memo was distributed in 1971, and which has resulted in the corporation dominated society and government that we see today. (Watch this blog for a future post of links on the Powell Memo.)
Moyers recommends the book:
Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson. Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.
[Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Robert Parry, "End of the Reagan Narrative?," Consortiumnews.com, 02 November 2011.
Naomi Wolf, "We May Be Witnessing the First Large Global Conflict Where People Are Aligned by Consciousness and Not Nation State or Religion," AlterNet, 01 November 2011.
Concerned Students of Economics 10, "An Open Letter to Greg Mankiw," MR Zine, 02 November 2011.
This letter was also noted and discussed at naked capitalism:
Steve Keen, "Steve Keen: Harvard Starts its Own PAECON Against Mankiw," naked capitalism, 03 November 2011.
MR Zine has many additional articles related to Occupy Wall Street.
Paul Krugman, "Oligarchy, American Style," The New York Times, 03 November 2011.
Paul Jay, "Bill Black: Jobs Now, Stop the Foreclosures, Jail the Banksters," The Real News Network, 03 November 2011.
Bill Black offers an answer to people who demand specific policy recommendations from Occupy Wall Street.
Edward Harrison, "Joseph Stiglitz on Iceland's Crisis and Recovery," Credit Writedowns, 03 November 2011.
Fritz Tucker, "American Autumn Pt. 3: A Chill Descends on Occupy Wall Street," Fritz Tucker's Blog, 04 November 2011.
Also posted at GlobalResearch.ca.
In political theory the phenomena Fritz Tucker experienced and describes is known as the Iron law of oligarchy (Wikipedia link).
Sara Robinson, "Occupy’s Asshole Problem: Flashbacks from An Old Hippie," radio or not, 04 November 2011.
Charles Hugh Smith, "The Collapse of Our Corrupt, Predatory, Pathological Financial System Is Necessary and Positive," Of Two Minds, 05 November 2011.
(Acknowledgment: Some links obtained from Plutocracy Files by Taryn Hart and Rortybomb by Mike Konczal.)
Friday, November 04, 2011
On the Social Consequences of Economic Austerity: Policies of Economic Cruelty
Politicians and policy makers KNOW what the social consequences of economic austerity policies will be, but they so act anyway. Why?! An increase in the suicide rate (observed in many societies and across time) is merely one, perhaps the most spectacular, consequence. Here is a small collection of articles and books on this topic, a paltry introduction to a broad and deep problem that politicians and the corporate media seem to prefer that you would overlook.
Yves Smith, "Hidden Cost of Greece, Euro Crisis: Suicides," Naked Capitalism, 20 September 2011.
Jonathan Schell, "Cruel America," The Nation, web edition 28 September 2011; print edition 17 October 2011.
"Budget decisions do not involve the death penalty, yet for many they are matters of life and death."
Christopher Humphrys, "Greece is slipping into the abyss," The Telegraph, 01 October 2011
"Joe Biden: There Will Be A Huge Increase In Murders And Rapes If The Federal Government Doesn't Spend More Money To Help The Economy," The Economic Collapse, 12 October 2011.
The Economic Collapse blog has many articles on the subject of the social consequences of economic decline.
James Gilligan. Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous Than Others. Polity, 2011.
Book information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.
William Davies, "The Political Economy of Unhappiness," New Left Review, No. 71, September-October 2011.
Christopher Torchia, "Greece: crisis takes toll on health," Associated Press, 09 October 2011.
For The Lancet article itself, see the next item:
Alexander Kentikelenis, et al., "Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy," The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 October 2011.
Kentikelenis's (Cambridge Univ) other work includes:
Alexander E. Kentikelenis, "Assessing the Link between Financial Liberalization and Saving," ESDS International Case Study, January-March 2009.
Chloe Hadjimatheou, "Confronting suicide as Greek social problems mount," BBC World Service, 17 October 2011.
Mario Queiroz, "Portugal: Crisis Pushes Women into Prostitution," IPSNews, 19 October 2011.
I think people need to understand their society as it actually exists, rather than indulging in the comfortable fantasies that politicians and propagandists promote. (Note: the main venues and disseminators of those fantasies are corporate news media and entertainment.) The following book may help some people acquaint themselves with real data.
Sasha Lilley, "Snapshot of America," Against the Grain, KPFA, 27 July 2011.
A fifty minute discussion with Cynthia Enloe (Wikipedia; Clark Univ) and Joni Seager (Bentley Univ). Enloe and Seager are authors of:
The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States. Penguin, 2011. [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Yves Smith, "Hidden Cost of Greece, Euro Crisis: Suicides," Naked Capitalism, 20 September 2011.
Jonathan Schell, "Cruel America," The Nation, web edition 28 September 2011; print edition 17 October 2011.
"Budget decisions do not involve the death penalty, yet for many they are matters of life and death."
Christopher Humphrys, "Greece is slipping into the abyss," The Telegraph, 01 October 2011
"Joe Biden: There Will Be A Huge Increase In Murders And Rapes If The Federal Government Doesn't Spend More Money To Help The Economy," The Economic Collapse, 12 October 2011.
The Economic Collapse blog has many articles on the subject of the social consequences of economic decline.
James Gilligan. Why Some Politicians Are More Dangerous Than Others. Polity, 2011.
Book information: Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.
William Davies, "The Political Economy of Unhappiness," New Left Review, No. 71, September-October 2011.
Christopher Torchia, "Greece: crisis takes toll on health," Associated Press, 09 October 2011.
For The Lancet article itself, see the next item:
Alexander Kentikelenis, et al., "Health effects of financial crisis: omens of a Greek tragedy," The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 10 October 2011.
Kentikelenis's (Cambridge Univ) other work includes:
Alexander E. Kentikelenis, "Assessing the Link between Financial Liberalization and Saving," ESDS International Case Study, January-March 2009.
Chloe Hadjimatheou, "Confronting suicide as Greek social problems mount," BBC World Service, 17 October 2011.
Mario Queiroz, "Portugal: Crisis Pushes Women into Prostitution," IPSNews, 19 October 2011.
I think people need to understand their society as it actually exists, rather than indulging in the comfortable fantasies that politicians and propagandists promote. (Note: the main venues and disseminators of those fantasies are corporate news media and entertainment.) The following book may help some people acquaint themselves with real data.
Sasha Lilley, "Snapshot of America," Against the Grain, KPFA, 27 July 2011.
A fifty minute discussion with Cynthia Enloe (Wikipedia; Clark Univ) and Joni Seager (Bentley Univ). Enloe and Seager are authors of:
The Real State of America Atlas: Mapping the Myths and Truths of the United States. Penguin, 2011. [Publisher; Google Books; Amazon.com.]
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
Eugene Jarecki, Move Your Money (2009)
Move Your Money (2009) is a short film by Eugene Jarecki and the Move Your Money project.
Jarecki discussed the film on Democracy Now!:
Amy Goodman, Move Your Money: Campaign Grows to Divest From "Too Big to Fail" Banks to Local Banks, Credit Unions, Democracy Now!, 01 November 2011.
The November Fifth Bank Transfer Day group says they are not associated with Occupy Wall Street.
Bill Maher on Ending Abusive Relationships - with Your Bank, another Move Your Money short film.
Last but not least, Eugene Jarecki made the film Why We Fight (2006) (Archive.org; Google Video; Wikipedia; film website) which I strongly recommend. (The film takes its title from the World War II film series directed by Frank Capra.)
Jarecki discussed the film on Democracy Now!:
Amy Goodman, Move Your Money: Campaign Grows to Divest From "Too Big to Fail" Banks to Local Banks, Credit Unions, Democracy Now!, 01 November 2011.
The November Fifth Bank Transfer Day group says they are not associated with Occupy Wall Street.
Bill Maher on Ending Abusive Relationships - with Your Bank, another Move Your Money short film.
Last but not least, Eugene Jarecki made the film Why We Fight (2006) (Archive.org; Google Video; Wikipedia; film website) which I strongly recommend. (The film takes its title from the World War II film series directed by Frank Capra.)
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