politics for the 99%

Published on ZNet, by Noam Chomsky, Jan 10, 2015.

… By the same token, we can readily comprehend the comment in the New York Times of civil rights lawyer Floyd Abrams, noted for his forceful defense of freedom of expression, that the Charlie Hebdo attack is “the most threatening assault on journalism in living memory.” He is quite correct about “living memory,” which carefully assigns assaults on journalism and acts of terror to their proper categories: Theirs, which are horrendous; and Ours, which are virtuous and easily dismissed from living memory.  

We might recall as well that this is only one of many assaults by the Righteous on free expression. To mention only one example that is easily erased from “living memory,” the assault on Falluja by US forces in November 2004, one of the worst crimes of the invasion of Iraq, opened with occupation of Falluja General Hospital. Military occupation of a hospital is, of course, a serious war crime in itself, even apart from the manner in which it was carried out, blandly reported in a front-page story in the New York Times, accompanied with a photograph depicting the crime. The story reported that “Patients and hospital employees were rushed out of rooms by armed soldiers and ordered to sit or lie on the floor while troops tied their hands behind their backs.” The crimes were reported as highly meritorious, and justified: “The offensive also shut down what officers said was a propaganda weapon for the militants: Falluja General Hospital, with its stream of reports of civilian casualties.”

Evidently such a propaganda agency cannot be permitted to spew forth its vulgar obscenities.

(full text).

(my comment – this attack is presented by big media like 9/11: 1) all medias cry for security, solutions, saviors; 2) temptation for a sort of European Patriotic Act rises, could be adopted or imposed; 3) let’s now crash the economy … everyody is helpless, big media are more and more hysteric, cry for more help; 4) Patriotic Acts will be imposed worldwide; 5) every one disturbing any new order will be … …
… look, as long as we need dads and  moms* ‘to make it for us’, we will be betrayed – Heidi).
* Obama and Merkel.

Related Links:

• Charlie Hebdo Attack: Europe’s Far-Right Political Parties Could Benefit From Paris Shooting, on International Business Times, by Howard Koplowitz, Jan 11, 2015;
  La tentation d’un Patriot Act à la française, dans Libération, par Laure Bretton, le 10janvier 2015;
• The Farce of Western Free Speech, on Dissident Voice, by Finian Cunningham, Jan 10, 2015;
• Clash of Christian & Muslim values: What’s behind the Charlie Hebdo tragedy? on Russia Today RT, Jan 10, 2015;
• Assaulting Democracy: The Deep Repercussions of the Charlie Hebdo Attack, on Spiegel Online International, by staff, Jan 9, 2015 (Photo Gallery): The terrorists in Wednesday’s attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris had a much broader target in mind: Western values. Will the attacks bring people together in this time of crisis or will fear of Islam prevail? …
• Charlie Hebdo: After France’s 9/11, this land will never be the same again, on The Independent.co.uk, by JOHN LICHFIELD, Jan 9, 2015: The dignity and defiance of the ‘Je suis Charlie’ rallies has been impressive, but there are still question marks hanging over France’s unity
• Pumping up fear over selective terror while ignoring state terror, on Intrepid Report, by Douglas Valentine, Jan 9, 2015: Selective terror achieves political & psychological goals that state terror does not …;
• French Cartoonists Massacred in Paris: What to Say When You Have Nothing to Say? on Counterpunch, by DIANA JOHNSTONE Paris, Jan 7, 2015;
• Charlie Hebdo, on Lenin’s Tomb, by Richard Seymour, Jan 7, 2015;
• On the NYC Police Killings & the Haymarket Massacre, published on ZNet the day of Charlie Hebdo’s attack (same theme!), by Bill Fletcher, Jan 6, 2015 - and on this blog, Jan 7, 2015;
• Islamic State Is a Diversified Criminal Operation, Interview with Terror Expert Louise Shelley, on Spiegel Online International, by Markus Dettmer and Jörg Schindler, Jan 6, 2015 (Photo Gallery): Where does Islamic State get its money? In an interview, terrorism expert Louise Shelley says it operates like a run-of-the-mill crime syndicate in which ideology takes a back seat to money making …;

Other Links:

Digital Labor: comment répondre à l’exploitation croissante du moindre de nos comportements? dans Internet ACTU, Dec 20, 2014;

For a Longer, Brighter and More Just Future, on IEET, by J. Hughes, Dec 20, 2014;

Scott Santens: Payday Loan Lenders are Unstoppable – or are They? on BIEN, by JOSHUA EDWARD MARTIN, Dec 20, 2014;

Low-income earners at risk of poverty over Christmas, on The Bulletin, by Geoff Egan, Dec 20, 2014;

Changes in Star Bulk’s management fees and operating and net income, on Market Realist, by Katie Dale, Dec 19, 2014;

Krugman, Bowman And The Monetary Financing Of Governments, on Seeking Alpha, by Frances Coppola, Dec 18, 2014;

Chômage, semaine de 4 jours avec une portion du capital productif, dans Mediapart.fr, par My Karol, Dec 18, 2014;

Inherited property held for 36 months is a long-term asset, on live mint, Dc 17, 2014;

La guerre des empires financiers continue mais la résistance s’organise partout, dans Mediapart, par Habitus, Dec 16, 2014; h

Trois jours à refaire le monde dans un château, dans l’OBS/Rue89, Dec 15, 2014;

American Socrates, on truthDig, by Chris Hedges, June 15, 2014: An Interview with Noam Chomsky on Empire, the Liberal Class and More; 
(The FULL INTERVIEW, 55.08 min, by The Real News, uploaded on YouTube by The Chomsky Videos, June 30, 2014).