The Syria Imperative: Military Intervention to Promote Israeli Interests?
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Global Research
October 30, 2011
The Assad regime in Syria is facing increased scrutiny for its handling of demonstrators. The Syrian opposition has asked for arms and NATO intervention similar to what was witnessed inLibya. Washington Hawks such as former presidential candidate and U.S. Senator John McCain have called for military intervention inSyria to “protect civilians.” The call for the use of military force to “protect”.
Given the demonstrated lack of regard for human life and the aversion to justice (Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, etc.), what lies behind the imperative to intervene in Syria?
The protest movements in Syria started in Daraa — dubbed the epicenter of the anti-Assad protests. Daraa, traditionally supportive of Syria’s ruling Baath Party, suffered from reduced water supply triggering massive protests against the local administration and the regime for failing to deal with the acute water scarcity in the region. Water.
Emergency Alert System test on Wednesday: FEMA and FCC tell Americans ‘don’t panic’
By Daily Mail Reporter
Mail Online
November 9, 2011
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are spearheading an aggressive public education campaign reminding Americans not to panic when they lose television and radio service for a few minutes on Wednesday during a test of the Emergency Alert System.
Although the public alert mechanism is decades old and often tested and used at the local level, it has never before been tested on a nationwide scale.
This first-ever test will occur at 2:00pm EST on Wednesday, November 9 and will occur simultaneously across the U.S. and its territories, lasting up to three-and-a-half-minutes.
Has Capitalism Ever Existed in America?
Or has it always been a fascist country?
J.G. Vibes
Activist Post
October 28, 2011
Recently there has been a lot of discussion about capitalism in the news and among activists. Many people are taking stances on either one side of the issue or the other, but very few are stopping to consider the fact that capitalism may have never even existed. This concept may come as a surprise to some, but it shouldn’t. If you examine most of the words used to describe our society such as democracy, freedom, representative or capitalism, you will find that these words are simply abstract euphemisms which are used to disguise the true nature of authoritarian civilization.
We are supposed to believe that we are represented by people who don’t represent us, that we are somehow “free” in a situation where we are constantly being exploited and ordered around. Much in the same way that we are told we are “free” in our personal lives, we are also told that we are “free” in our financial lives. The word “democracy” is used to make our oppressive political system seem more benevolent and legitimate, while the term “capitalism” is used to give the impression that we operate under a “free market” economy. Obviously, neither are true.
Capitalism itself has been defined many different ways, but the rights to private property, as well as private production of goods and a free market economy, cross over between all of these definitions. Currently none of the above rights are being fully respected in the United States and most Western countries that claim to be capitalist. Sure, at face value it may seem like these ideas are prevalent in Western culture, but when you take a look at property taxes, government subsidies for big corporations and the mountain of red tape faced by entrepreneurs it should become painfully obvious that capitalism has probably never existed in this country; perhaps it has never even existed in this world.
The system that we have in place today could more accurately be called fascism, mercantilism or cartelism. These words describe a system where the elite use their power in government to control the rest of society, as well as prop up their businesses by eliminating competition through the political system. The monolithic corporations that now exist would have never been able to grow into what they are today without the help of government intervention and protection. Without government intervention, the infamous lobbyists in Washington would become obsolete because there would no longer be any ability to manipulate the marketplace through bribes or coercion. Government intervention and protection is the primary means by which the world’s biggest corporations have devastated their competition and developed massive monopolies.
In a system of true free market capitalism there would be absolutely no need for a government, because any “service” that is apparently provided by the government can actually be better handled by entrepreneurs. In today’s system we don’t have independent businesses working on a level playing field, instead we are left with a few massive corporations and cartels that use their power in government to maintain their monopolies and stomp out their competition. This is the very definition of fascism — the merger of state and corporate power — this is the dominant economic system in the world, and has been for centuries, in various different forms.
In fascist countries there is really no line between government and big corporations; both types of organizations use legislative power to establish and maintain monopolies. When it comes down to it, both of these organizations rely on violence and threats of violence as a means of getting their way in the marketplace. Essentially, the government is an organization that is used to justify violence, from the military to the tax collectors to the police. This constant use of force is said to be keeping us safe, but in reality it just instigates further conflict and makes our lives more chaotic and violent.
For any authoritarian government to stay in power they must convince their subjects that they are providing them with safety and security. This is the typical public relations scheme of every oppressive government; the idea that they are providing worthwhile services. This is sadly a myth. The government doesn’t provide services; they monopolize services. In other words, they make sure that they are the only organization that can provide schools, hospitals, roads and other utilities to the public because this creates a situation where the people are completely dependent upon the state for survival. This doesn’t mean that a government is the only type of organization that is capable of providing these services. In fact, community groups and entrepreneurs would most likely do a far better job at providing these services because they would actually be judged by the integrity of their work, unlike politicians and corporations.
Oftentimes when the government is providing a service they are actually doing a very poor job, but no one can really tell the difference because there is no competition to judge it by. If you look at the goals that government organizations apparently set out to achieve, you will see they always fail miserably. Therefore, if the government is claiming to provide maximum safety and security, it would be safe to assume that this goal will not be achieved. In the most authoritarian countries where the “leaders” claim to have established an extreme level of security, things are actually very unsafe and citizens in these kinds of countries live in constant fear. Just because there is a very high level of control does not mean that there will be adequate safety or order within a society. The most controlling type of government in today’s world is without a doubt a fascist one.
Fascism is defined as an authoritarian system of government that has strong nationalist and corporatist values. Fascist governments often have strong military cultures and use force to establish themselves as authority figures, both at home and abroad. A Fascist government never refers to themselves as such; to do so would be to admit that they run unjust and oppressive regimes. Fascism exists in many economic systems that claim to be capitalist or communist and can develop even in countries that call themselves democratic.
In fact, most fascist “leaders” tell their people that they live in a free and democratic society so the public takes their grievances to the polls, instead of taking them into the streets where they could actually make an impact. Currently one of the most fascist nations on Earth is called the “Democratic Republic of North Korea”. Likewise, the government in America and the European Union are some of the most fascist regimes in history, yet they still claim to operate under systems of “capitalism” or “democratic socialism”. Like anything else in politics and economics, it’s a word game that’s designed to disguise the truth.
Personally I believe that the economic system of the future that will finally bring us peace, freedom and opportunity has yet to be discovered. However, there are some basics of capitalism and voluntarism that should be considered necessary if we are going to establish a new economic system that is designed to empower the people. The rights to private property, the freedom for people to open businesses and trade freely amongst themselves are elements of capitalism that will ensure freedom in a future economic system. The idea that all interactions in society should be voluntary and free from threats, coercion and violence will ensure peace. These are some good places to start our discussion, but to establish a system that will actually work in our best interest, we, the 99% need to hit the books and put our heads together.
Today, almost every economy in the world is totally dictated by the ideas of two long-dead aristocrats. Karl Marx on one end representing communism, and Adam Smith on the other end representing capitalism. Our whole way of doing business on this planet has changed very little since the time that these two characters were alive, and that right there is the root of our problem. Imagine if a few people in every city across the world wrote their own economic manifestos and got together to respectfully discuss their ideas. We refuse to accept yesterday’s television shows, IPods and PlayStations but without thinking we have accepted ways of living that are centuries old. It’s time for us to work together in creating strategies where everyone can meet their needs without violating the rights of others.
J.G Vibes is an activist and artist who has been studying occult history, theology and government for most of his life. In 2007 he began hosting electronic dance music events and establishing Good Vibes Promotions as a respected name in the counter culture. It wasn’t until 2008 that he began to fuse his philosophic ideas with his events, this was around the same time that he began writing and putting together the plan for his book Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance. Since then he has established a record label and a website that hosts a wide variety of activist information that is frequently updated. www.goodvibespromo.com (facebook page updated more frequently).
Evacuation order issued with ‘epic’ 100-mph storm expected to hit Alaska
MSNBC
November 9, 2011
‘This will be an extremely dangerous and life-threatening storm,’ National Weather Service says
An “epic” storm is bearing down on western Alaska, the National Weather Service said, warning that it could be one of the worst on record for the state.
The city of Nome, one of the largest in western Alaska with 3,600 residents, issued an evacuation order late Tuesday with the storm, moving inland from the Aleutian Islands, expected to bring hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 100 miles per hour.
Heavy snowfall, widespread coastal flooding and severe erosion is also expected along most of Alaska’s west coast, the National Weather Service said.
The storm caused a dramatic rise in sea levels, an upsurge of more than 3 feet, National Weather Service meteorologist Stephen Kearney in Fairbanks said.
Officials have said the water is expected to rise another 7 feet overnight. Reports of heavy flooding are expected Wednesday morning, Kearney said.
full article here
(hat tip: Drudge Report)
U.N. Hires Grad Students To Author Key Climate Report
Perry Chiaramonte
Fox News
November 2, 2011
A scathing new expose on the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change — which sets the world’s agenda when it comes to the current state of the climate — claims that its reports have often been written by graduate students with little or no experience in their field of study and whose efforts normally might be barely enough to satisfy grad school requirements.
Grad students often co-author scientific papers to help with the laborious task of writing. Such papers are rarely the cornerstone for trillions of dollars worth of government climate funding, however — nor do they win Nobel Peace prizes.
“We’ve been told for the past two decades that ‘the Climate Bible’ was written by the world’s foremost experts,” Canadian journalist Donna Laframboise told FoxNews.com. “But the fact is, you are just not qualified without a doctorate. In academia you aren’t even on the radar at that point.”
full article here
(hat tip: Climate Depot)
Woman found dead at Occupy Vancouver
Josh O’Kane
The Globe and Mail
November 5, 2011
A woman died Saturday afternoon at the Occupy Vancouver protests on the grounds of the Vancouver Art Gallery.
She is believed to be in her 20s. The cause of death is not known, but she was found unresponsive in her tent shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Jana McGuinness said in a statement. The woman was pronounced dead in hospital after paramedics were called to the scene.
Second veteran hospitalized due to police crackdown on Occupy Oakland protests
Madison Ruppert
Activist Post
November 4, 2011
Only a week after Scott Olsen, a former Marine and veteran, was hospitalized with a fractured skull after being struck in the head with a police projectile at an Occupy Oakland protest, yet another veteran has been placed in intensive care thanks to a brutish police response.
A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan and a part-owner of a small business near Oakland, 32-year-old Kayvan Sabehgi is now in intensive care with a lacerated spleen after being beaten by police near the Occupy Oakland encampment.
According to the Guardian, Sabehgi was not able to reach a hospital until a whopping 18 hours later, despite the excruciating pain he was suffering through.
Sabehgi described a brutal assault to the Guardian which occurred on Wednesday night when police utilized more tear gas and “non-lethal projectiles” (which are far from harmless as you can see here) after protesters allegedly attempted to shut down Oakland.
However, Sabehgi, who left the armed forces in 2007, was far from the main area in which the clashes occurred when he was attacked by police.
Sabehgi told the Guardian that he was walking alone on 14th Street in central Oakland when a line of police appeared in front of him and instructed him to move.
“They told me to move, but I was like: ‘Move to where?’ There was nowhere to move. Then they were lined up in front of me.
“I was talking to one of them, saying ‘Why are you doing this?’ when one moved forward and hit me in my arm and legs and back with his baton. Then three or four cops tackled me and arrested me”, Sabehgi told the Guardian from his bed in the hospital.
Then Sabehgi was handcuffed and put in a police van where he remained for three hours before being transported to jail, by which time he was in “unbelievable pain”.
Sabehgi says he had his arms folded and was being “totally peaceful” before beating brutally beaten and arrested. Oakland police were not available for comment to the Guardian, although this incident will be a difficult one to spin.
“My stomach was really hurting, and it got worse to the point where I couldn’t stand up. I was on my hands and knees and crawled over to the cell door to call for help”, Sabehgi said.
Sabehgi’s torturous experience just gets worse. He was given permission to “crawl” into another cell in order to use the toilet, which ended up being clogged.
“I was vomiting and had diarrhea […] I just lay there in pain for hours”, he said.
He was in so much pain that even after his bail was posted in the afternoon he was not able to leave his cell.
Eventually an ambulance was called and Sabehgi was taken to Highland hospital where Olsen was also taken after his encounter with the barbarous Oakland Police.
He was scheduled to have surgery Friday to repair his ruptured spleen to prevent internal bleeding via a clot or patch.
As of writing this he is likely either undergoing surgery, recovering, or about to go into surgery. I will be sure to update with details when they emerge.
Interestingly, the Guardian says that police used flashbang grenades, tear gas and “non-lethal rounds” (likely meaning beanbag rounds and rubber bullets) to disperse a group of demonstrators that occupied an abandoned building on 16th Street around 10:30 pm.
The police have routinely denied using flashbangs in their attacks on protesters, although the video of Scott Olsen immediately after he was struck in the skull says otherwise.
In the video it appears that an officer deliberately throws a flashbang directly next to the downed veteran in order to break up a crowd of activists who are attempting to help the clearly injured Olsen.
Video has also emerged of Oakland Police attempting to conceal their name and badge number, likely in order to prevent identification in the event that they attacked protesters or engaged in other questionable or illegal activities.
We ask a OPD officer why he had his name badge covered…. from BLK PXLS on Vimeo.
Madison Ruppert is the Editor and Owner-Operator of the alternative news and analysis database End The Lie and has no affiliation with any NGO, political party, economic school, or other organization/cause. If you have questions, comments, or corrections feel free to contact him at admin@EndtheLie.com
