1 October 2022

Idea and Politics of World Order

By Dr. Hans Köchler
Source:  International Progress Organization

Editor's Note
My hackles go up at the mention of American exceptionalism whether it is from the left, the right, or high school history class. It has always bothered me because it is a kind of hubris, of we’re better than you, and in that lies the roots of many (if not most) of our problems. Call it “betterthanism”, but there’s an “anointed” quality to American exceptionalism that should worry anyone who purports to support a secular democracy (pretty sure you can’t have a theistic democracy). In reading this speech by Dr. Hans Köchler, I felt a grounding of my discomfort about American exceptionalism – and all that flows from it. I did not have the linguistic or historical basis for what I intuitively understood, and Dr. Köchler provided that. 

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6 March 2022

What you should really know about Ukraine

Ukrainians shleter under bridge

[Photo: Displaced Ukrainians take shelter under a bombed bridge (Daily US Post]

By Bryce Greene
Source:  FAIR, Jan. 28, 2022

Editor's Note
International politics are complex in the best of times. This is particularly true when we step outside the historical stream. When this happens (and it consistently happens) we lose all context of events and everyone has their own story to push (also known as propaganda). I in no way support the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. However, it is not as if the current events sprang full-blown out of Putin’s head with the turning of the calendar. The following article by Bryce Greene is the best short synopsis I have found of the actions and pressures that have brought the world, and Ukraine, to the catastrophe we are now seeing.  I strongly recommend folks read this article.

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Category: Guest, History and Patterns, NATO, Russia, Truth & Truthtellers, Ukraine, Uncovered | Comments Off on What you should really know about Ukraine
24 September 2019

The Deadly Race

[Graphic: Rowan Wolf 9/23/2019]

By Patricia Callahan
Source:  ProPublica

Editor's Note
SO many of us never ask questions about what we do not see. This goes beyond “out of sight, out of mind”. It is a kind of blinkered existence that is encouraged in many ways. In fact, even when we are told there is more going on behind the scenes, even critical things, we seem to let that flow over us like the pixelation that takes over the screen of our TVs for a moment. In fact, we may be more annoyed by that, then by inconvenient information. A current example is an ad for e-cigarettes that starts off stating: “Warning: This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical”. It then goes into an upbeat ad for Juul e-cigarettes. The ad is part of Juul’s $10 million TV ad campaign. Aside from the fact it is now illegal to advertise cigarettes on TV, my guess is that few in the audience ask their TV (I talk to mine on a regular basis) “Why are they advertising an addictive product?” Nor do we ask where all the food comes from, nor what is involved in producing it, that we eat on a daily basis. Nor do we ask why gasoline in the U.S. costs 1/3 or less, that it does across Europe, while our healthcare costs are 2.5 times more expensive (and our life expectancy is declining). 

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18 September 2019

Israel caught Spying on Trump, White House

Israeli spying

[Photo: “Israeli spy devices near White House”, Dave Granlund, PoliticalCartoons.com]

By Juan Cole
Source:  Informed Comment

Editor's Note
It is … troubling … that an ally is engaged in a massive surveillance op against the United States. What bothers me is the scope of this operation., with devices, spread all over Washington, D.C. I would love to see a map of where these devices have been found. I have my suspicions that they were placed where Pols, staff, and maybe lobbyists gather, as well as within areas where specific info could be gathered (such as near the White House). This would mean that they were “listening” very broadly indeed, and not the vacuum method used by the NSA to suck up all call metadata.

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17 June 2018

About a small Mauritian island

Neotown Port-Louis Maruitius

[Photo: Neotown Port-Louis Maruitius.]

By François Vergès
Source:  The Hindu

Editor's Note
U.S. military exercises Mauritius
U.S. military exercises (Cutlass Express 2017) on Mauritius U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Justin Stumberg.

I offer this article because so much of what the world faces is hidden in plain sight, or is simply buried in a specific type of obscurity. The example of Mauritius is excellent for this purpose. Many in the U.S. may know little or nothing of Mauritius – a small chain of islands in the Indian Ocean. It is south of India, east of southern Africa and the much larger island of Madagascar, and west of Australia. It is so small that you have to zoom multiple times in google maps to even make it visible. Yet there is a lot going on at this relative spec on the ocean. There is a U.S. navy base, an up and coming Indian navy base. There are efforts to bring in big (financial) business, and of course there is every “undeveloped” nation’s wish to become a “destination.” Did the feature picture surprise you? It is but a reflection of what is happening in Mauritius and it should spawn question marks as big as the UBS tower. I offer this article as but one sample of the array of forces at work in “out of the way” places.

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Category: Globalization - Corporatization, Guest, Imperialism and Colonialism, Uncovered | Comments Off on About a small Mauritian island