Month: January 2010
“Nothing is required
for the triumph of evil
but that good men do nothing”
- Labels: compassion, corruption, evil, good, now, paradigm shift
The historian and devout activist Howard Zinn passed away earlier today from a heart attack. This saddens me greatly because he was a man whom I respected greatly and learned a lot from. I first heard of Zinn via Matt Damon in âGood Will Huntingâ where he mentions to Robin Williams that he was reading the wrong books, he should instead read âA Peopleâs History of the United Statesâ he claims that âit will knock your fucking socks off!â Now some claim that the only reason he said this is because they were neighbors when he was a young lad (Damon that is). I think this may be true to an extent but it is clear that Matt Damon has great respect for him. He narrated his biography and helped with Zinnâs âA Peopleâs History of the United States.â I have only read about half of one of his books, but learned a great deal from âThe People Speakâ and have read bits and pieces of him online. His thoughts are very important but what I respected is that Zinn practiced what he preached. For example âOn his last day at BU, Dr. Zinn ended class 30 minutes early so he could join a picket line and urged the 500 students attending his lecture to come along. A hundred did so.â (taken from one of his obituaries, most of the quotes are taken from various obituaries except for the one’s near the end)
Zinn was greatly respected by many people âHis writings have changed the consciousness of a generation, and helped open new paths to understanding and its crucial meaning for our lives,â Noam Chomsky, the left-wing activist and MIT professor, once wrote of Dr. Zinn. âWhen action has been called for, one could always be confident that he would be on the front lines, an example and trustworthy guide.â Even Alice Walker said he was âthe best teacher I ever had.â
I will end this post with some of Zinnâs very own words, if anyone is reading this you will find comfort in knowing that Zinn lived a full life and that he did his best to make reforms and inspire people, and that makes him an extraordinary man.
âCivil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience. Our problem is that people all over the world have obeyed the dictates of leadersâ¦and millions have been killed because of this obedienceâ¦Our problem is that people are obedient allover the world in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, and war, and cruelty. Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of petty thieves⦠(and) the grand thieves are running the country. Thatâs our problem.â
âWhat matters most is not who is sitting in the White House, but âwho is sitting inâ â and who is marching outside the White House, pushing for change.â
âIf those in charge of our society – politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television – can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselvesâ
âDissent is the highest form of patriotismâ
âI suggest that if you know history, then you might not be so easily fooled by the government when it tells you you must go to war for this or that reason -that history is a protective armor against being misledâ
âThe challenge remains. On the other side are formidable forces: money, political power, the major media. On our side are the people of the world and a power greater than money or weapons: the truth. Truth has a power of its own. Art has a power of its own. That age-old lesson â that everything we ⦠do matters â is the meaning of the peopleâs struggle here in the United States and everywhere. A poem can inspire a movement. A pamphlet can spark a revolution. Civil disobedience can arouse people and provoke us to think, when we organize with one another, when we get involved, when we stand up and speak out together, we can create a power no government can suppress. We live in a beautiful country. But people who have no respect for human life, freedom, or justice have taken it over. It is now up to all of us to take it backâ
He will be missed, but his dream of a better world may one day be actualized if we all work together toward it. Zinn did his part now it is our turn.
- Labels: General
“Terrorism” is a tactic…not an enemy
It’s just a matter of time before “terrorists”
will be able to kill us all, maybe it is time we
begin to address the root cause of “terrorism”
war
racism
poverty
starvation
corruption
subversion
nationalism
exploitation
homelessness
overpopulation
religious intolerance
corporate imperialism
——————————-
“Terrorism is the war of the poor
and war is the terrorism of the rich”
Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov, CBE
(April 16, 1921 â March 18, 2004)
- Labels: arms trade, control, corruption, greed, terrorism, war
Operation Northwoods, or Northwoods, was a false-flag plan that originated within the United States government in 1962. The plan called for CIA or other operatives to commit genuine acts of terrorism in U.S. cities and elsewhere. These acts of terrorism were to be blamed on Cuba in order to create public support for a war against that nation, which had recently become Communist under Fidel Castro. One part of the Operation Northwoods plan was to “develop a Communist Cuban terror campaign in the Miami area, in other Florida cities and even in Washington.”
Operation Northwoods is especially notable in that it included proposals for hijackings and bombings followed by the introduction of phony evidence that would implicate a foreign government, namely Cuba.
The plan stated:
“The desired resultant from the execution of this plan would be to place the United States in the apparent position of suffering defensible grievances from a rash and irresponsible government of Cuba and to develop an international image of a Cuban threat to peace in the Western Hemisphere.”
Several other proposals were included within the Operation Northwoods plan, including real or simulated actions against various U.S military and civilian targets.
Operation Northwoods was drafted by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Northwoods was signed by Chairman Lyman Lemnitzer and sent to the Secretary of Defense.
Journalist James Bamford summarized Operation Northwoods in his April 24, 2001 book Body of Secrets:
“Operation Northwoods, which had the written approval of the Chairman and every member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called for innocent people to be shot on American streets; for boats carrying refugees fleeing Cuba to be sunk on the high seas; for a wave of violent terrorism to be launched in Washington, D.C., Miami, and elsewhere. People would be framed for bombings they did not commit; planes would be hijacked. Using phony evidence, all of it would be blamed on Castro, thus giving Lemnitzer and his cabal the excuse, as well as the public and international backing, they needed to launch their war”. (read more)
The following photographs are of various airline crash sites. This is what real crash sites look like.
Now take a look at the Shanksville “crash site”.
2,973 people were murdered on 9/11
More are dying from WTC “dust”
Investigate 9/11
- Labels: arms trade, corruption, now, terrorism, war
The patently ludicrous legal concept that corporations are afforded the same rights as a living person in regards to the fourteenth amendment to the constitution is a result of the Supreme Court decision of 1886 â Santa Clara County vs. the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. This radical decision, helped transform the character of American life by effectively enhancing the power of corporations.
The recent decision by the Supreme Court has further exacerbated this essential inequality between individuals and powerful corporate structures by affording “free speech” rights to corporations. Furthermore, this right to free speech has been equated to monetary donations to political causes. This decision has effectively swept away any constraints upon the ability of the powerful to exert enormous influence in the determination of public policy through the use of the vast financial resources available to them. On account of the enormous discrepancy between the economic resources available to living and breathing individuals and corporations, it represents a further consolidation of power into the hands of the very few, and is yet another nail in the coffin of our nearly moribund democracy. I believe that the five ultra-conservative members of the Supreme Court, concerned about the rising tide of populism, knew exactly what they were doing.
- Labels: General
Ha!…
In the United States, movie production is known to be dominated by major studios since the early 20th Century; before that, there was a period in which Edison’s Trust monopolized the industry. The music and television industries recently witnessed cases of media consolidation, with Sony Music Entertainment’s parent company merging their music division with Bertelsmann AG’s BMG to form Sony BMG and TimeWarner’s The WB and CBS Corp.’s UPN merging to form The CW. In the case of Sony BMG, there existed a “Big Five” (now “Big Four”) of major record companies, while The CW’s creation was an attempt to consolidate ratings and stand up to the “Big Four” of American network (terrestrial) television.
There may also be some large-scale owners in an industry that are not the causes of monopoly or oligopoly. Clear Channel Communications, especially since the Telecommunications Act of 1996, acquired many radio stations across the United States, and came to own more than 1,200 stations. However, the radio broadcasting industry in the United States and elsewhere can be regarded as oligopolistic regardless of the existence of such a player. Because radio stations are local in reach, each licensed a specific part of airwave by the FCC in a specific local area, any local market is served by a limited number of stations. In most countries, this system of licensing makes many markets local oligopolies. The similar market structure exists for television broadcasting, cable systems and newspaper industries, all of which are characterized by the existence of large-scale owners. Concentration of ownership is often found in these industries.
In the United States, data on ownership and market share of media companies is not held in the public domain. Academics, for example at MIT Media Lab and NYU, have struggled to find data that show reliably the concentration of media ownership.
On June 2, 2003, FCC, in a 3-2 vote under Chairman Michael Powell, approved new media ownership laws that removed many of the restrictions previously imposed to limit ownership of media within a local area. The changes were not, as is customarily done, made available to the public for a comment period.
Single-company ownership of media in a given market is now permitted up to 45% (formerly 35%, up from 25% in 1985) of that market.
Restrictions on newspaper and TV station ownership in the same market were removed.
All TV channels, magazines, newspapers, cable, and Internet services are now counted, weighted based on people’s average tendency to find news on that medium. At the same time, whether a channel actually contains news is no longer considered in counting the percentage of a medium owned by one owner.
Previous requirements for periodic review of license have been changed. Licenses are no longer reviewed for “public-interest” considerations.
- Labels: censorship, media, money, monopoly, television
There is ever-mounting evidence of the deleterious impact of the by-products of modern living on the natural environment and on human health. The clear and unambiguous association of increasing levels of CO2 in the atmosphere with climate change and the disruption of the chemistry of the oceans, the relationship between asbestos and nicotine on life threatening respiratory diseases, the established causal connection between Agent Orange (dioxin) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the growing evidence of the insidious impact of Bisphenol A (BPA), a constituent of polycarbonate â a ubiquitous plastic, on human health are but a few examples of the collective price we are paying for what we have come to regard as human progress.
Despite these kinds of disturbing data, there still exists a strong and irrational response to this pervasive reality. Underlying this behavior is a fear of the change in our collective behavior that would be required to protect the future health and safety of the human species. As a result, true human progress is constantly stymied by this fear, for fear impairs reasoned analysis and fruitful discussion. It is this fear that holds science suspect in a feeble and misguided attempt to kill the messenger.
- Labels: General
The race for the Senator of Massachusetts has come and gone. The results are being analyzed and debated ad nauseum. The conclusions reached by those who really believe they have true insights into the subtle and convoluted nature of events, never really touch on the underlying truths that explain the stark political reality of our collective experience within our floundering culture. Those who presume to explain to us the nature of events, see only tawdry and inconsequential, for reality is far more foreboding.
We are constantly being manipulated not by the news of events, but rather by the way we are expected to interpret what is happening. The fundamental problems that lie at the core of the current dilemma are to be avoided at all cost. Instead, we are encouraged to throw ourselves headlong into the vortex of empty-headed logic and overblown conclusions.
We are a people extremely out of balance; we seem to be unable to do what is best for our future generations. Our economic and political systems are essentially bankrupt – based on the premise that the individual is supreme and that profit is the essential guiding principle for behavior. Without major overhaul on our perceptions and worldview, we can only expect that our prospects will worsen. Are we prepared to live in a society where a majority of our people will have inadequate health care, education, nutrition and meaningful employment? Can such a culture thrive and prosper? I suppose history will be the ultimate judge.
- Labels: General
Has Google seen the Light?
Hooray for Google, here’s their official comments…
“Like many other well-known organizations, we face cyber attacks of varying degrees on a regular basis. In mid-December, we detected a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in the theft of intellectual property from Google. However, it soon became clear that what at first appeared to be solely a security incident–albeit a significant one–was something quite different.
First, this attack was not just on Google. As part of our investigation we have discovered that at least twenty other large companies from a wide range of businesses–including the Internet, finance, technology, media and chemical sectors–have been similarly targeted. We are currently in the process of notifying those companies, and we are also working with the relevant U.S. authorities.” (read more)
Internet censorship in the People’s Republic of China is conducted under a wide variety of laws and administrative regulations. In accordance with these laws, more than sixty Internet regulations have been made by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) government, and censorship systems are vigorously implemented by provincial branches of state-owned ISPs, business companies, and organizations.
Most national laws of the People’s Republic of China do not apply to the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong or Macau. There are no known cases of the Chinese authorities censoring critical political or religious content in those areas.
The escalation of the government’s effort to neutralize critical online opinion comes after a series of large anti-Japanese, anti-pollution and anti-corruption protests, many of which were organized or publicized using instant messaging services, chat rooms, and text messages. The size of the Internet police is estimated at more than 30,000. Critical comments appearing on Internet forums, blogs, and major portals such as Sohu and Sina usually are erased within minutes.
The apparatus of the PRC’s Internet repression is considered more extensive and more advanced than in any other country in the world. The regime not only blocks website content but also monitors the internet access of individuals. Amnesty International notes that “China has the largest recorded number of imprisoned journalists and cyber-dissidents in the world.” The offences of which they are accused include communicating with groups abroad, opposing the persecution of the Falun Gong, signing online petitions, and calling for reform and an end to corruption. (read more)
“Injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice everywhere”
Martin Luther King Jr.
Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963
Believe nothing,
no matter where you read it,
or who said it,
no matter if I have said it,
unless it agrees with your own reason
and your own common sense.
- Labels: acceptance, awakening, awareness, karma, peace
Just
because
you
believe
something…
doesn’t
make
it
true
- Labels: awakening, ignorance, perspective, philosophy, truth
I like smoking…
I know it’s bad for me…
and I know I should quit…
but I don’t want to give it up…
it’s like losing an old friend…
maybe I could find another friend…
I don’t know what I’m going to do.
People of Haiti
besieged by grinding and relentless poverty,
forever reminded of race,
children of sorrow
descendents of slaves
hounded, discredited, ridiculed
by those who have watched
with indifference your
descent into the abyss,
children of catastrophe
forsaken by the very earth
that rumbles beneath your feet,
people of Haiti
fragile is the fabric that
ties the human family to the
illusive specter of civilization.
- Labels: General
I once saw a television show about a woman who believed that humans, like some plants, could maintain their life force by converting the sun’s light into usable energy.
I once read a book about a shaman who taught that humans could control their surroundings with the use of their will, which manifests itself as tentacles emerging from the torso.
I once heard the story of a woman curing her own lymphoma cancer by utilizing the Law of Attraction and employing positive thinking.
I once learned about a man who believed in nonviolent noncooperation; he stopped eating and then they abolished apartheid.
Every day of my life, I am told that magic is really an illusion; we have to play along with society’s rules. The people who tell me these things consider themselves realists and label me a dreamer, a hippie, unrealistic, and even lazy.
Who do you believe?
- Labels: General
I just want to eat
Andrew Warhola (August 6, 1928 â February 22, 1987), more commonly known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became famous worldwide for his work as a painter, avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats.
Warhol has been the subject of numerous retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films. He coined the widely used expression “15 minutes of fame.” In his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, The Andy Warhol Museum exists in memory of his life and artwork.
The highest price ever paid for a Warhol painting is $100 million for a 1963 canvas titled Eight Elvises. The private transaction was reported in an article in The Economist, which described Warhol as the “bellwether of the art market.” $100 million is a benchmark price that only Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt and Willem De Kooning have achieved.
On June 3, 1968, Valerie Solanas shot Warhol and art critic and curator Mario Amaya at Warhol’s studio.
Before the shooting, Solanas had been a marginal figure in the Factory scene. She founded a “group” called S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting Up Men) and authored the S.C.U.M. Manifesto, a separatist feminist attack on patriarchy. Earlier on the day of the attack, Solanas had been turned away from the Factory after asking for the return of a script she had given to Warhol. The script, apparently, had been misplaced.
Amaya received only minor injuries and was released from the hospital later the same day. Warhol however, was seriously wounded by the attack and barely survived (surgeons opened his chest and massaged his heart to help stimulate its movement again). He suffered physical effects for the rest of his life. The shooting had a profound effect on Warhol’s life and art.
The shooting was mostly overshadowed in the media due to the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy two days later.
Warhol had this to say about the attack: “Before I was shot, I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there â I always suspected that I was watching TV instead of living life. People sometimes say that the way things happen in movies is unreal, but actually it’s the way things happen in life that’s unreal. The movies make emotions look so strong and real, whereas when things really do happen to you, it’s like watching television â you don’t feel anything. Right when I was being shot and ever since, I knew that I was watching television. The channels switch, but it’s all television.”
Andy Warhol’s scars, New York City 1969
Photograph by Richard Avedon
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a working class American lifestyle epitomized by its eponymous family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional city of Springfield, and lampoons American culture, society, television and many aspects of the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name. The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989â1990).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989 the show has broadcast 451 episodes and the twenty-first season began airing on September 27, 2009. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and July 27, 2007, and grossed US$527 million worldwide.
The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 25 Primetime Emmy Awards, 26 Annie Awards and a Peabody Award. Time magazine’s December 31, 1999 issue named it the 20th century’s best television series, and on January 14, 2000 the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest running American primetime entertainment series. Homer’s exclamatory catchphrase “D’oh!” has been adopted into the English lexicon, while The Simpsons has influenced many adult-oriented animated sitcoms.
There are a multitude of strident and cacophonous voices speaking out on the many issues that confront a nation that is in the midst of crisis. Yet, the critiques that range from unreasoned rage to unflinching and relentless recrimination, fail to reflect the underlying source of the national malaise.
We are a nation out of balance. As a people, we have allowed our intrinsic understanding of our place within the human community and the natural world to be supplanted by the artificial requirements imposed on individual lives by the demands of purely commercial interests.
There are millions of unemployed people who have lost their livelihoods as a direct result of the manipulation of the financial markets by those who remain untouched by the crisis that has gripped so many lives. We have engineered a social order that operates on the premise of the exploitation of need and the manufacture of desire. The majority of those who are employed spend their working hours performing tasks that fail to satisfy the fundamental need to do meaningful work.
We are a population so out of touch with our essential connection with the natural world that we still do not recognize our role in the inexorable deterioration of the natural environment to the degree required to make the changes that could avert future catastrophe.
The manufacture of armaments and weapons of mass destruction have become a fundamental part of the national economy. War and the accepted use of violence to resolve human conflict on the national and individual level has become a seemingly permanent aspect of our world view.
Our President, members of Congress, corporate leadership and others who are relied upon for formulating public policy cannot help but reflect the hallmarks of our culture. We are a nation and people dramatically out of balance with the fundamental realities that are a necessary part of a sustainable future.
- Labels: General