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.   Continue Reading…

Interview with author Arnold August – Published on Dissident Voice - Part 1, by Kim Petersen, January 6, 2015.

Political economy is more often than not depicted as a Left-Right bifurcation. This is too simplistic. It overlooks the difference between, on the one hand, right-wingers such as the Conservatives, Labour Party, and Liberal Democrats from, on the other hand, the far Right British National Party in the United Kingdom. It also omits the differences on the Left, for example, between Communists and anarchists … // Continue Reading…

THEIR ACTUAL WEBSITE: en français: Charlie Hebdo, le journal des survivants; translated – Charlie Hebdo, the journal of the survivors; next issue: 14 January 2015.

Survivors to publish new issue of Charlie Hebdo:

• Stupidity will not win;
• survivors start work on new issue;
• survivors, former contributors to publish edition next week;
• Charlie Hebdo promises special survivors’ issue, says won’t let ’stupidity’ win;
• The survivors on Google News-search; on YouTube-search; and on Google Images-search;
• Charlie Hebdo already on this blog.

Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s e-bulletin no. 1065, by Ursula Huws, Jan 6, 2015.

In these straitened times, the idea of a basic income, granted unconditionally to every citizen, from cradle to grave, feels utopian. How on earth could it be paid for, we wonder. Wouldn’t everyone just stop working? Where would we be then? … // Continue Reading…

• les Cartoons: on Google Images search;
• les morts: dans Le Parisien;
• l’attaque: dans YouTube: 1 ère video, 0.34 min; 2 ème video, 0.42 min; 3 ème vidéo, 13.22 min; … et dans sare (YouTube channel);
• en direct: dans le Parisien; on Russia Today RT;
• Worldwide vigils held for Charlie Hebdo victims;
• My comment: death penalty means nothing for these guys, except if they pass away by the hand of a woman.

Published on Global Research.ca (first on WSWS), by Andre Damon, Jan 6, 2015.

As the New Year begins, the social crisis gripping tens of millions of working people in the United States is worsening. Hunger, poverty and long-term joblessness remain at the highest levels in decades, while vital social services continue to be slashed.

One would never know this from reading the press, watching the evening news, or listening to the statements of politicians. The official discourse is dominated by the supposed revival of the American economy, characterized by record corporate profits and stock prices. The fact that the great majority of the population finds it increasingly difficult to make ends meet finds no reflection in the media or official politics.   Continue Reading…

Published on ZNet, by Bill Fletcher, Jan 6, 2015 (first published on Billfletcher.com).

In every vibrant progressive social movement there comes a moment when a psychologically or emotionally disturbed person, an agent provocateur, or a political extremist commits an atrocious act that is seized upon by the State and/or the political Right as a means of attempting to discredit or outright repress the movement. The action, committed for whatever reason, is sufficiently heinous that confusion develops within the movement and the movement can lose both its momentum as well as a segment of its less committed or more ambivalent supporters.   Continue Reading…

Published on Axis of Logic (first on Global Research and on teleSUR english), by Peter Koenig, Jan 3, 2015.

The world is still hell-bent for hydrocarbon-based energy. Russia is the world’s largest producer of energy. Russia has recently announced that in the future she will no longer trade energy in US dollars, but in rubles and currencies of the trading partners. In fact, this rule will apply to all trading.

Russia and China are detaching their economies from that of the western financial system. To confirm this decision, in July 2014 Russia’s Gazprom concluded a 400 billion gas deal with China, and in November this year they signed an additional slightly smaller contract – all to be nominated in rubles and yuans.   Continue Reading…

Published on ZNet, by Paul Street (writer and activist in Iowa City, Iowa), Jan 4, 2015.

… One day in my office I asked a colleague at the organization why our chief executive behaved in the selfish and irresponsible ways he did. My colleague responded with a question: “Dr. Street, why does a dog lick its balls?”
I confessed I didn’t know. The answer: “Because it can.”

My colleague’s point was that nobody with any power was telling our CEO was setting any boundaries on his behavior. He was being rewarded again and again, from year to year, with an outrageously high salary, an agency limousine, and positions on various corporate boards.
Thinking of that exchange the other day, I was reminded of something that Thomas Jefferson wrote to his fellow Virginian, the American solider and statesman Edward Carrington from Paris in the late 1780s. “If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs,” Jefferson wrote, “you and I and Congress and Assemblies, Judges, Governor, shall all become wolves.”   Continue Reading…

Published on Intrepid Report, by Rodrigue Tremblay, Jan 2, 2015.

Dear visitors, Happy 2015 for all. (The troubles about my computer AND my internet connection are over, let’s begin 2015 with new energy, for today with a long article on economy, and with a big bunch of links, mainly from the last days).

… These days, militaristic neoconservatives, or neocons, have near complete control of the American government under the façade of whoever is president at the time. They direct U.S. policies at the State Department, at the Pentagon, at the U.S. Treasury and at the Fed central bank. They are thus in position to influence and frame American foreign policy, military policy, economic and financial policies and monetary policy.   Continue Reading…

• Carla Bley Trio – Jazz Lines Festival München 2002, 109.40 min, uploaded by Dorian Grey, Sept 7, 2012 … and many more videos in autoplay;
• Carla Bley on YouTube-search.

Pat Metheny – Newport Jazz Festival Oct 8, 2003, FULL, 56.48 min, uploaded by Music Vault, Nov 14, 2014 … and many other videos in autoplay.

• Keith Jarrett – THE KÖLN CONCERT – complete, 71.14 min, uploaded by Tomasz Trzcinski, August 6, 2014;
• Keith Jarrett on YouTube-search.