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All grid points have the capacity for reference links and in time everything will be referenced more than in triplicate. All points have records of shadow points: showing all changes. Everything is open to rebuttal. If anyone has any factual basis for arguing with anything, all they have to do is present any facts at all which demonstrate their case. All rebuttals and support are welcome and treated fairly. The four boxes are: 1. facts, 2. thrust of resistance, 3. rational basis for removing resistance, 4. unification. About Shams Pirani, the editor of TVhobo. Send email to grid@tvhobo.com |
Point 1229: Thrust: Direction of resistance: Removal of resistance: Unification: References: |
Point 1228: If Russia had just done what Israel has just done, what would YOU be saying? Thrust: Al Jazeera reports: "The Palestinian Authority has declared Saturday a day of national mourning after 17 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as thousands marched near Gaza's border with Israel in a major demonstration marking the 42nd anniversary of Land Day." Direction of resistance: Al Jazeera mentions: "More than 1,400 others were wounded after Israeli forces fired live ammunition at protesters and used tear gas to push them back from a heavily fortified fence, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health." Removal of resistance: Now just imagine that Putin had done that, not Israel, to Ukrainians, not Palestinians. Unification: Imagine what the British media and figureheads would be saying. What double standards they have. In fact anyone who shows any concern about these actions by Israel is being labelled 'anti-semitic'. It's not really possible to have any intellectual respect for such people or institutions - in the end they have dug the grave of their own credibility and nothing more can be done to save that credibility. A month from now it seems probable that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour, unharmed by the latest absurd smear campaign against him, will trounce the other parties. |
Point 1227: Silence of the UKIP publicists. Thrust: Racist Britain (ie UKIP, Tony Blair's followers, the majority of the Tory party) has really reduced the degree to which it is outrageously racist and islamophobic since Corbyn humiliated them about three times in a row (the leadership elections and then the general election). Direction of resistance: UKIP has turned from lion to mouse. And the British press is far more concerned with demonising Russia than muslims at the moment, scared shitless of how badly wrong their decade of sick racism has gone for them - the diseased racism of Blair's followers (who called MOSHE MACHOVER anti-semitic - go look him up, check him out and feel horror at their actions towards him) and of Cameron's followers and Farage's followers caused much of Britain to unite behind Corbyn - and we will stay united for many elections to come. Removal of resistance: To the racists I give this friendly advice: STOP BEING RACIST YOU FUCKING PATHETIC DICKHEADS. Unification: They will never have any credibility until they completely purge themselves of their love of white supremacism. Blair is long gone, now, and his followers need to get over it. Too many people in Britain don't want his racist crap, nor the racist crap of May, nor that of Farage. That's why Corbyn currently has a majority and why it seems likely that at the coming local elections Labour will TROUNCE the rest. I will definitely be voting Labour myself. If any apathy had seized me, the latest round of smears against Corbyn has re-awakened my desire to vote. References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXTRsd_zlYI |
Point 1226: The problem with almost all people living in the west (and similar societies). Thrust: Salesmanship. Direction of resistance: Basically the one, single 'skill' almost all western people I meet believe in and possess, in varying degrees, to the exclusion of all else, is 'salesmanship'. It has become the meaning of the word 'intelligent' for most such people - real intelligence is often, meanwhile, seen as weak and foolish because it generally contradicts the requirements of salesmanship. Removal of resistance: That's because real intelligence is founded on honesty and salesmanship is founded on deception. Unification: Some advert for kick boxing on a video on Dailymotion in which (ie the advert) two relatively annoying women selling their wares was what, at this time, brought this problem to my attention. References: |
Point 1225: A lot of people who hate Corbyn are like very dumb pack animals. Thrust: In Wandsworth and no doubt in places like Kensington and Chelsea you meet people who are tories who really hate Corbyn - unlike the sensible tories like Giles Brandreth you'd meet in nicer places than Wandsworth or Kensington (nicer demographically I mean). Direction of resistance: These Corbyn-haters are very simple beasts who have a few major beefs - (1) his attitude to genocide - they like it, he doesn't. They don't understand what 'mutually assured destruction' means, they love bombs, they hate what's different and they only feel safe if they are 'allowed' to bomb people. A 'leader' to them MUST be willing to kill 100s of 1000s of innocent people. Pretty fucking warped people, eh? But that's the smaller of their visible flaws. Removal of resistance: The main one, ie item number (2) in their list of reasons to hate Corbyn, and what makes them pack animals, is that they justify their hatred of Corbyn by telling each other what's wrong with him - and never reading what he writes or listening to what he says. His clear arguments for MAKING CORPORATIONS PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES TO THE GOVERNMENT AND THE QUEEN is ignored by these pack animals, these pack rats. They claim he wants to 'waste' money - and yet they are patently uninterested in getting OUR elected governments to make corporations stop ripping us off and stop stealing our tax money. They don't read what he says, they have no idea what his policies are - and so they are really just animals, not literate or informed or scientifically sound humans - just rats, interested in their bellies and somewhere to shit - and that's all they do - eat and shit. Unification: These pathetic pack animals need to understand that the main reason they hate Corbyn is that he's kicking their arse and that he will be Prime Minister - if he wasn't going to be, if he wasn't a threat to their ignorant values - they wouldn't hate him, they'd laugh at him and forget about him. They don't remember Galloway - they forget him, they have no need to openly loudly hate him. He has lost power and can do nothing to them politically any more - other than, of course, draw much much support to Corbyn. References: |
Point 1224: Whom do British people like? Thrust: Okay, so many/most 'remain' voters hate Russia and also gladly bomb the shit out of millions of Asians, Arabs and Persians - effectively millions of 'remain' voters hate Russians and Asians and Arabs and Persians and Far Easterners - also known, thanks to the love of westerners of just massively generalising, as 'asians'. Direction of resistance: Okay. Now we have the bulk of leave voters - who hate - muslims, migrants, Western Europeans, Eastern Europeans. Removal of resistance: Whom does that leave? Hardly anyone in Britain doesn't hate millions of people outside Britain. Unification: What a pathetic and fucked up mentally diseased bunch of fuckup bastards you are, Britons. You fucking pathetic bastards. How shameful you are. References: |
Point 1223: The mainstream western media may gain a tiny bit of credibility if it were to mention that the 'Russian spy nerve agent' incident took place only eight miles from the largest stock of nerve agent in western Europe. Thrust: Craig Murray tells us: "Nerve agents including Sarin and VX are manufactured by the British Government in Porton Down, just 8 miles from where Sergei Skripal was attacked. The official British government story is that these nerve agents are only manufactured 'To help develop effective medical countermeasures and to test systems'." Direction of resistance: How can any of you trust media who omit such a relevant and important fact? Removal of resistance: I suggest you learn to ignore the bullshit coming out of places like the Guardian, BBC, Times, Telegraph, etc. Unification: And if you work for those organisations - an intelligent honest man or woman can only pity you. References: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/03/the-elephant-in-the-room/ |
Point 1222: A look at the word 'disinformation' and at the verb 'to disinform'. Thrust: In America and its colonies, the definition of the 'English' word 'disinformation' is currently given as: "false information deliberately and often covertly spread (as by the planting of rumors) in order to influence public opinion or obscure the truth" (see the link in the references below) - which is a fair enough definition. Direction of resistance: Nonetheless, I think this fails to convey precisely what disinforming people really is and why it needs to be loathed (and not praised as some skilful way to get laid or steal people's oil, etc). Removal of resistance: If people are informed (by fact, events, logic, etc) and come to conclusion x, naturally, that could be construed as, let us say, advantageous outcome (for those involved) y. Unification: Understanding that aspect of it is crucial to undertanding how to counter it - whether in yourself of in others, in private or in public. References: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disinformation |
Point 1221: Clarity vs 'persuasion'. Thrust: TVhobo's new, growing, browsable index of phrases and keywords which lead to urls which may be quite relevant to those words and to grid points which may also be quite relevant to those words is part of a scheme to provide more and more and more clarity to users worldwide - enabling them to pin down ideas, facts, etc etc - with reference to more and more existing information. Direction of resistance: What the 'mainstream media' and corporate-captured 'establishment' (the unholy corporate-state nexus, in short) seeks to do is to persuade and never clarify - whether it is the advertiser who knows better than you, enough to not tell you that as well as getting lots of sex and cars you'll also get obese and maybe even get cancer, because of the thing they are 'persuading' you to do - or whether it is the nannying MP or journalist, or even your local nurse consultant standing in for a legitimate doctor at the walk-in center - holding back information from you which you are not 'responsible enough' to handle is common practise for these self-proclaimed ubermenschen. Removal of resistance: TVhobo is trying to do the opposite - to show you what you need to see to go and find out the truth for yourself - whether about the idiocy of your daily hyperconsumerism or the genocidal evil of those people you have allowed, through your passivity, to be your masters. Unification: Clarity, not persuasion, is the name of the policy. And it's not a game. So it's not the name of any game. Bernays-fed hierarchists are the ones who play games. We, here, need to deal in facts, reality, truth, really existing possibilities for progress, really existing progress. References: |
Point 1220: Adrian Bailey, Labour MP. Thrust: "Almost always voted for use of UK military forces in combat operations overseas" Direction of resistance: Not good, really. Removal of resistance: MPs in his situation need to make a huge public u-turn on this attitude towards what has clearly been a vast war crime which MPs should not be burdening the country's and world's children with the consequences of. Unification: They must prove they are accountable. When they mess up badly, they need to admit this and address the problem. References: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10683/adrian_bailey/west_bromwich_west/votes |
Point 1219: Genuine 'feminist' principles under heavy attack from 'consumer feminism' and those whom some label "feminazis". This is a TERRIBLE TRAGEDY - decades of good work are being undone by jumped up fuckheads from Hadley Freeman to Tony Blair and his posse of widow-maker 'female MPs'. Thrust: You do not have to go far to find men (and women) who have for decades very adamantly 'supported women's rights' - who have for decades acted in accordance with what decency requires of us when it comes to the contemporary problem of the oppression of women, whether in Washington, London or Berlin or whether in Kabul, Mexico City or Lagos - who have for decades supported this attitude and who live it and feel it - but who today dissociate themselves entirely from 'feminism' from today's 'feminists' and from the ignorant racist elitist power groups which claim to be feminists but which John Pilger labels 'consumer feminists'. Direction of resistance: The attitude of these mindless fuckwits who have hijacked feminism and turned it into a very genuinely imperialist and fascist movement is exemplified well by "Caity" Johnstone, a former Counterpunch writer, now firmly in bed with America's racist white right wing, who claims: "Men's sexuality is pretty simple: rub him the right way and he'll cum. Doesn't matter if he's got bills to pay or the hot water system just exploded or the in-laws will be here in twenty minutes and the house is still a mess - he's still good to go. Doesn't matter if he had too much to eat and feels bloated, or he hasn't had a shower in a while, or the kids are in the next room and could burst in at any moment - those are just more reasons to have sex." (If Caity raises her sons to be men who fit that description, somehow, then that is her sons - but as for how other women raise their kids, and as for the nature of men in general - of every last man - it is absurd for anyone to pretend that Johnstone's view is accurate in the slightest. She is a bitter, racist fuck who only seems to know dickheads - for like calls to like). Removal of resistance: What a tragedy it is that soooo many people who have fought the fight of gender equality over the decades of my life are being thwarted by corporatism which has co-opted nasty racist little fucks like Freeman and Johnstone and uses fake feminism as a new way of vote-gathering and corporate-dominated populism. Unification: Hillary Clinton's representing a man who raped a teenage girl was justified, yes JUSTIFIED, not only by Clinton but by much of the media, claiming she was just doing her job. For fuck's sake. How utterly disgusting. And how can one pretend therefore that Clinton could be a 'feminist' president? If her job as president is to make more widows, to thwart the rights of women to have abortions (how come the Democrats aren't fighting for abortion? Because it's not in their interests to do so - how feminist is THAT???) she will simply 'do her job'. References: https://www.counterpunch.org/2012/08/23/the-secret-history-of-pussy-riot/ |
Point 1218: Kemi Badenoch, Conservative MP. Thrust: And so the list of alleged public servants goes on. Direction of resistance: The plan is to cover every current MP and as much as possible of all potential candidates likely to oppose them at elections. Removal of resistance: And then to examine the data and perhaps make a list of the 'best' and 'worst' MPs. Also the points in question will be given as many relevant and useful keywords as possible in the browsable index as the highest priority, before all other writing which is currently going on picks up any further pace. Unification: So, who is Kemi Badenoch and what has she voted for and against? Let's take a look at this seemingly unheard-of MP with very little in the way of 'fame' - not a name which many would recognise as that of an MP, other than in her own constituency. References: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/25693/kemi_badenoch/saffron_walden/votes |
Point 1217: Homelessness and poverty are a predicament, not a choice. Thrust: Everyone should be able to see the hygienist every six months, to have all their dental work done properly, to have doctors able to treat them freely and in a leisurely fashion when they're ill, no matter how small the ailment and no matter how big. Everyone should be able to eat enough, genuinely nutritious and unharmful food to maintain strong and healthy bodies. No hierarchy of 'work' nor claims about what they "deserve" has any place in that matter - everyone is entitled to eat enough healthy food and be strong. Everyone should have shelter fit for human habitation and deemed so by widespread evidence-backed consensus. This is a minimum requirement of an evolved human society. Direction of resistance: The traditional "state"-based society divides humans up by material worth and thus can never ever deliver the ideal situation to us as a (unified) collective. Removal of resistance: To seek a stateless society rashly and unscientifically, however, only entrenches the traditional state-based system - and creates a risk of regression instead of progress - as well as other calamities (relating to our habitat, primarily). Unification: The traditional mechanisms are there in good faith and intrinsically the system has no objection, at its root, to using the mechanism to actually overpower the mechanism itself, and upgrade the situation to something provably better. References: |
Point 1216: Just what kind of democratic order is it to which we aspire? Thrust: In Necessary Illusions, Noam Chomsky asks "Just what kind of democratic order is it to which we aspire?". Direction of resistance: Chomsky is looking at the "question" of 'democratizing the media'. Removal of resistance: Chomsky shows with unchallengeable evidence (go on, challenge it if you think you can) that "Across a broad spectrum of articulate opinion, the fact that the voice of the people is heard in democratic societies is considered a problem to be overcome by ensuring that the public voice speaks the right words". Unification: For a minute stop caring about the pleasure and thrills you spend all your time making sure you have. Think about nature, living properly, your parents, if you have them your children. References: |
Point 1215: The New Iraq War, a bad road to travel on. Thrust: Simon Jenkins writes in the Guardian "Islam's wars are not Britain's business. We owe their human victims all the aid we can to relieve suffering. We do not owe them our incompetence in trying to recast their politics. That is a task for the Arabs and their neighbours, not for Britain's soldiers and taxpayers". Direction of resistance: Jenkins goes a little way towards admitting Britain and the west's guilt in destroying the middle east. Removal of resistance: He mentions at least 2 centuries of Britain's crimes. Unification: Of course Britain's crimes go back way further than just 2 centuries, but Jenkins was writing this pre-Corbyn, when the Guardian was still going all out to appease UKIP voters and bring those racist voters back to a Blair-backed Labour party. References: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/25/britain-new-iraq-war-doomed-token-gesture |
Point 1214: "We must invade Iraq, they have weapons which could kill millions," Blair said. Thrust: "WE" went in and killed millions. Iraq didn't have the weapons Blair claimed. Kofi Annan said Blair was breaking the law. The end result has been Iraq's being turned into a deadly wasteland, spawning 'Daesh' or 'Isil' or whatever and much more besides, causing major problems in the region and around the world. Direction of resistance: This is pretty dark stuff. Removal of resistance: Focus on that a minute. Unification: Or more. References: |
Point 1213: "With us or against us" (where "us" means the 1%). Thrust: F. Ivan Goldberg warns: "It is against this impending economic catastrophe, and the anticipated reaction of the American popular and working classes, that we need to understand something that has gone totally unreported in the mainstream press. The United States has for the first time in history established a Military Command ready to coordinate and carry out military operations in the heart of the American homeland. You’ve probably heard of Central Command (CENTCOM), located in Florida and coordinating U.S. military operations in the Middle East, and perhaps of the recently established Africa Command. There is now a Northern Command. Headquartered in Colorado Springs, it has its sights set squarely on the North American continent. In preparation for what it sees as the inevitable confrontation with the resistance of "its own" citizenry, "the U.S. government has gradually reduced long-standing legal barriers to military deployment within U.S. cities. Urban warfare training exercises now regularly take place in U.S. cities." (Robinson, Global Capitalism and the Crisis of Humanity) Direction of resistance: If you are wondering why this is going on, the answer is not hard to find: "Which brings us back to Ferguson. What shocked the nation was not so much the shooting of an African-American teenager by a white police officer (people of color are shot by white policemen in American cities almost every day of every week), but rather the savagery of the police response to those protesting the killing. For several nights the television images coming out of Ferguson were such that one would be hard pressed to distinguish them from the images filmed during the second battle of Fallujah in Iraq. The militarization of local police departments, a phenomenon going on for years but given scant coverage by the corporate media, was on full display for all to see. What was not so clear was the reason behind this transformation of local police departments into urban security forces. However, the reason becomes apparent once we realize that there is just as much need for the containment and control of the American superfluous workforce as there is for its counterpart in Asia or Africa." Removal of resistance: In the course of 30 years, during the time the children of today grow into adults with a bit of experience, we are likely to enter a period of history more painful than that of Nazism or the British Empire or Genghis Khan or anything grisly. Unification: Unless we can do something intelligent about this. That means YOU making at least one decision today: not to be a sucker for consumerism any more. Consumerism is the lifeblood of the military industrial complex. Learning how to not just give into it is crucial. It can't save you. But it can cut the chains and give you some chance of saving yourself. More than you have now, anyway. If you're a consumer with no will of your own. Even that 1% which will enslave you is itself enslaved to the consumerism - nothing else drives any creature to turn away from their nature so far that they would do that to others just like them, on the whole, biologically speaking. Break the spell. Ignore the brands and the advertising. They are the cutting edge of barbarism and ignorance and they want to make you theirs. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/02/ferguson-evenings/ |
Point 1212: What is the USA best at really? And what is it officially shit at? Thrust: Lawrence Wittner writes "The United States has more guns and gun-related deaths than any other country. A study released in late 2013 reported that the United States had 88 guns for every 100 people, and 40 gun-related deaths for every 400,000 people-the most of any of the 27 economically developed countries surveyed. By contrast, in Britain there were 6 guns per 100 people and 1 gun-related death per 400,000 people. Direction of resistance: Don't encourage your kids to Americanise and be carried away by America's great education project, ie hollywood and facebook. Removal of resistance: They could end up as nothing more than brainless meatheas who love guns. Unification: Tell yourself the truth. Raise your children to be evolved, progressive beings with much of real worth to contribute to life and to us all. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/13/the-united-states-is-no-1-but-in-what/ |
Point 1211: Would the BBC consider an ad hoc security force acceptable for British protesters too? Direction of resistance: I'm interested to know what would be an ad hoc security force protecting democratic protestors standing up to NHS cuts, austerity and dodgy American trade deals in say London? Removal of resistance: It's an interesting question. Unification: The media, not I, has asked it - by using the term to describe the violent undemocratic thugs in 'Ukraine' who overthrew a majority-elected government using firebombs and rifles. References: |
Point 1210: When neo nazis are "ad hoc security". Thrust: In 'Ukraine' when an armed coup involving neo nazis who openly support Hitler was launched with 'US' money and overthrew the democratically elected government, the BBC referred to armed rioters in Ukraine as "ad hoc security forces" of "protesters". Direction of resistance: On the topic of the killing by neo nazi forces of Ukrainians' in 'Odesa'/'Odessa', Counterpunch writes "Photos of the victims of the Odessa fire which have been circulating on the Internet have cast doubt on the official version of events. It’s now clear that many of the anti-junta activists who occupied the Trade Unions House were neither burned to death nor died of smoke inhalation, but were savagely shot at point-blank range by agents and thugs who had infiltrated the building to kill as many of the occupants as possible, burn the corpses, and then slip away without notice. Some of the victims–like a young woman who was eight months pregnant –were strangled with an electrical chord and left slumped backwards over her desk in a room that shows no sign of fire or smoke damage. In another case, a woman was stripped naked from the waste down, raped, killed, and set ablaze." Removal of resistance: Tell your children why you and your mainstream media have just hidden from those facts, not faced up to them and are continuing to support the people who did that killing and who are killing every day - even today, even yesterday, even tomorrow. Unification: What will you tell your children? When they ask why none of you stopped these crimes, why you were accessories? Who knows what future circumstances they will be asking in. History indicates that, as children of criminals, it will be from a vulnerable position. My sympathy is with them. For now they are innocent. Just like those people who died in 'Odesa' in the horrible ways described. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/05/08/false-flag-in-odessa/ |
Point 1209: The NATO mainstream media bias is beyond the pale. Thrust: The BBC referred to armed rioters in Ukraine as "ad hoc security forces" of "protesters". Direction of resistance: Out there, hundreds of years in the future, history is crying at how savage and idiotic the mainstream of our current society is. Removal of resistance: Even the children of BBC staff, when they protest peacefully and are battered up by police, in London, are labelled 'violent' and 'rioters' very easily. Unification: These double standards are the result of amazing dumbing down of the population over the last few decades: only someone very stupid could talk about a group of 'protestors' (who include many people who openly praise Hitler's SS and their killing of people by race) as having an 'ad hoc security service'. References: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26215030 |
Point 1208: How quickly, it should be noted, they may tightly clench and make themselves into hard fists. Thrust: Mateo Pimentel writes "Just as the alienated within our borders terrify the powers that be, the outside aggressors - the main opponents in the people's mind - loom on the horizon of our borders, waiting like god - awful harbingers of death who want to 'kill us for what we stand for..' Or so the rhetoric commonly goes. But if Americans stood in unison, looked the fascist, totalitarian, and domestic embedded power in the face and said, 'No more,' then would not the whole world have our true measure in an instant? Could we not count on them after this? Even if a threat should emerge, who could possibly stand to oppose our revolution, or our newfound sorority with other peoples, and expect to emerge victorious? The answer is 'none.'" Direction of resistance: Bear this in mind, friends. Removal of resistance: That's the way forwards. Unification: "In a word". References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/27/in-the-shadow-of-repression-we-fear-no-evil/ |
Point 1207: A culture which sees torture as a weapon for protecting the noble. Thrust: Cesar Chelala writes "It is with this experience that we stand firmly with those Americans who are asking the US to bring its use of torture into the light of day, and for the United States to take the necessary steps to emerge from its dark period of its history, never to return." Direction of resistance: So. Removal of resistance: Is this okay with you reader? Unification: ie torture and that kind of thing. What Chelala is talking about. Are you on board with the people who torture others, commit genocide, etc etc etc? Or not. Well? Make up your mind. Consider what you'd want others to decide if you were the victim of all this. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/28/a-failure-of-democracy-and-human-rights/ |
Point 1206: Apartheid apartheid apartheid. Thrust: Ben Norton writes "The new apartheid law dictates that Palestinians cannot take buses that go from central Israel to the West Bank." Direction of resistance: Apartheid apartheid apartheid. Removal of resistance: Apartheid apartheid apartheid. Unification: Apartheid apartheid apartheid. I thought British and American people were claiming they are against apartheid and racist laws such as those of Apartheid South Africa, Hitler's Germany and present day Israel. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/28/under-israeli-apartheid-palestinians-cannot-ride-israeli-buses/ |
Point 1205: Brand considers whether "the unions are hurting walmart". Thrust: Check out this crucial Russell Brand video. Direction of resistance: Have a gander. Removal of resistance: Be amused. Unification: And don't be amused. References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PObwtaKXZYY |
Point 1204: The ugliest of the ugly, the sickest of the sick, masquerading as good. The 'foreign intervention' dignifier. Thrust: Pale Riders writes "But my poor jaw had not yet done descending. For Digby, astonishingly, goes on to offer one of those arguments for state murder and the Nuremberg-level war crime of carrying out "dirty wars" on the sovereign territory of other nations: "One can, at least, say they represent some form of modern warfare and that the President of a military Empire is always going to be required to deal in such ugly matters." Direction of resistance: Riders explains "Now, I'm sure we are all to understand that Digby herself wouldn't make that argument. But she does see its point. She thinks it's something that can be debated. She might not like it, she might even oppose it (while of course never opposing the continuation of its perpetrator in power). But from the gritty, savvy realpolitik perspective that our earnest progressive liberals are always so keen to show they understand and appreciate, you can certainly make that argument and remain within the bounds of respectable debate in Digby's eyes." Removal of resistance: Let's make this easy for YOU to understand. Imagine you are about to be tortured or killed by a death squad or something - or by a drone. Is the debate "who is it fair to kill like that?" a 'debate' worthy of an ethical human society?????? Eh? Unification: Riders points out "Wholesale murder, wanton destruction, untold - and unnecessary - anguish and grief and suffering and turmoil: these things can be borne, if reluctantly, by our liberal progressive peace--lovers. But torture - that, apparently, is the one thing that is beyond the pale. And in this particular case, it is not even torture being carried out by the Obama administration." References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/10/29/the-moral-blindness-of-our-leading-liberals/ |
Point 1203: The last man. Thrust: Susan Babbitt writes 'The question occurred to Eugéne Ionesco, concerned about fascism. His 1959 play Rhinoceros is about a small town where people turn into rhinoceroses. At first, everyone is horrified by the rhinoceroses but as more people become rhinos, the change is seductive. Even the town's logician becomes a rhinoceros, wanting to 'move with the times'. Finally, one man, Berenger, remains. Now he is the monster. Direction of resistance: She points out 'Cuba has quietly challenged European ideas for 200 years, especially the cherished liberal idea that we live best when we live 'from the inside', satisfying desires, following personal dreams. One reason the idea fails is that knowing one's desires is not automatic. If rhinoceritis threatens, and it does, Martí's 'revolution in thinking' is worth noting, in the North. We won't realize democracy if, aiming for freedom, we are unwittingly seeing an oyster's shell and believing in the darkness that it is the world.' Removal of resistance: The play ends with a powerful monologue of which this is the most hard hitting line. "Oh well, too bad! I'll take on the whole lot of them! I'll put up a fight against the lot of them, the whole lot of them! I'm the last man left, and I'm staying that way until the end. I'm not capitulating" (translated out of French, obviously). Unification: Ionesco's most famous work is about the chasm between force and reason. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/08/21/democracy-for-cuba-it-could-be-so-much-more-interesting/ |
Point 1202: Khrishnamourti, Khrishnamourti, Khrishnamourti. Thrust: I am reminded of the ending of La Cantatrice Chauve. Direction of resistance: Somewhat. Removal of resistance: Take a look. Unification: "Scčne XI References: |
Point 1201: Ionesco's most famous work is about the chasm between force and reason. Thrust: La Cantatrice Chauve ends with the characters metaphorically beating each other up, a surreal act of violence led up to by a build up of tension and a breakdown of communication, from phatic to nonsensical to absurd to all-out destructive. Direction of resistance: It starts with standard mindless phatic "civilised" conversation. Removal of resistance: It is absurd the whole way through, grotesquely meaningless, and in the final sequence as they break down and beat the shit out of each other their exclamations become shorter, more emotional, more absurd and meaningless - and they descend, like crazy fools into a final crazy folly. Unification: Tout cela mčne au pire. References: |
Point 1200: Alex Cockburn and Bérenger. Thrust: Jeffrey St Clair writes "When I met Alexander Cockburn, one of his first questions to me was: "Is your hate pure?" It was the question he asked most of the young writers he mentored. Cockburn's rules on how to write political polemics: write about what you care about, write with passion, go for the throat of your enemies and never back down. His admonitions remain the guiding stylesheet for our writers at CounterPunch." Direction of resistance: If I were one day to be comparable to Alex Cockburn, it would be very hard to be humble and to avoid vanity. Removal of resistance: My hate is pure. I will never give in. Unification: A passage of literature I admire as much as the life and work of Alex Cockburn is the closing monologue of Ionesco's Rhinoceros: References: http://store.counterpunch.org |
Point 1199: Malcolm Gladwell, a corporate shill. Thrust: Fred Gardner points at Malcolm Gladwell's "convoluted defense of Enron's management" and points out that "Gladwell derided Love's warning that HRT could cause breast cancer. (Love, a distinguished clinician and UCLA professor, had been publicizing The Nurse's Health Study finding that women taking Wyeth's Prempro had a higher rate of breast cancer.)" Direction of resistance: For these reasons and others Gardner calls Gladwell a "corporate shill". Removal of resistance: Gardner adds "Gladwell's defense of HRT is a textbook example of corporate damage control." Unification: Stop being a shill, Gladwell. Seriously. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2007/04/01/how-corrupt-is-malcolm-gladwell/ |
Point 1198: There is no political solution. To our troubled evolution. Have no faith in constitution. There is no bloody revolution. We are spirits in the material world. Thrust: The example of the pretence that Russian planes entered British air space and threatened Britain is not alone and there are dozens of acts of British propaganda around you right now, all of which make a lot of you believe Russia is threatening and menacing, but in all cases it is entirely untrue and is pure propaganda as with the crystal clear act of propaganda shown in 1197. Direction of resistance: According to Chomsky, "Reinhold Niebuhr argued that "rationality belongs to the cool observers," while "the proletarian" follows not reason but faith, based upon a crucial element of "necessary illusion." Without such illusion, the ordinary person will descend to "inertia." Then in his Marxist phase, Niebuhr urged that those he addressed - presumably, the cool observers - recognize "the stupidity of the average man" and provide the "emotionally potent oversimplifications" required to keep the proletarian on course to create a new society; the basic conceptions underwent little change as Niebuhr became "the official establishment theologian"." Removal of resistance: This selection of quotes from "Necessary Illusions" by Noam Chomsky (1988) covers all protest and objection to my citation of Niebuhr as an example of the archetypal NATO bastard: Unification: According to Shams of Tabriz: References: |
Point 1197: Some Guardian propaganda at work. Thrust: Go to the link below. Direction of resistance: Admit that the top of the page seems to tell you that Russian planes did something against international law and may have been preparing to nuke England. It gives you that kind of story, leaving it to your imagination - so the extremity of your assumption is down to you. Removal of resistance: Then, near the end, where less than 10% of the readers reach, it tells you "The spokesman said there was no particular reason for concern over Russian warplanes flying in international air space, but that such exercises were shadowed by Nato aircraft as a precaution and to protect civil air traffic" - so basically there was no reason to do it other than to make a show of pretending Russia is dangerous and wasting money on prancing around with military toys like a bunch of dickheads (and Russia is no less guilty of THAT). Unification: The url is named "raf-russian-bomber-uk-airspace", the article is named "RAF intercepts Russian bomber approaching UK airspace" - it basically misinforms you by dancing close to a sensationalist lie without being detailed enough to tell you either the truth OR a lie. It is therefore deceptive and a lie in spirit - it embraces the spirit of lying. It is propaganda. Another example of the Guardian being a TOOL. That's right. A TOOL. References: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/01/raf-russian-bomber-uk-airspace |
Point 1196: War criminal public relations is called propaganda. Thrust: The Guardian's Nicholas Watt writes "The deputy prime minister insisted he was speaking in a personal capacity, as a leading international lawyer warned that the statement by a government minister in such a formal setting could increase the chances of charges against Britain in international courts." Direction of resistance: In other words, Clegg feels that we have broken the law but is not allowed to say so when he was speaking in his capacity as deputy Prime Minister in case we are made to face justice. Removal of resistance: In other words the British government opposes justice. Unification: So, is this actually 'a democracy' which believes in 'rule of law'? I'd like to ask Clegg that personally, with reference to this material. I hope he's ready for my questions. References: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/jul/21/nick-clegg-illegal-iraq-war-gaffe |
Point 1195: Textbook example of barbarism - what 'the west' calls 'civilisation'. Thrust: Garry Leech writes "The consequences of prioritizing corporate profits and consumer lifestyles in wealthy nations have been devastating for many around the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 10 million people die annually in Latin America, Africa and Asia due to a lack of access to adequate healthcare and medicines." Direction of resistance: When you perpetuate consumerism that's what you are playing a role in. Removal of resistance: No man or woman is an island. Unification: It's up to you to take control of your own choices and make sensible intelligent decisions instead of being guided along by consumerism and the corporate and advertising media. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/07/revolution-in-the-united-states/ |
Point 1194: "Speed and agility are key for the counterpuncher, as well as a willingness to patiently chase down every ball to frustrate opponents." Thrust: Bits of truth can be like punches, to a weak or lost mind. Direction of resistance: You have to make them leave an opening before the punch is likely to hit. Removal of resistance: They will block a lot, so the art is to hammer and hammer and hammer until gaps open and you can punch and that makes them weaker and worse at blocking from that moment in the match - and your persistence will make the truth get through in the end. Unification: I once read this about players in tennis who favour counterpunching - a bit like how Rumpole of the Bailey favours defense, not prosecution: 'Speed and agility are key for the counterpuncher, as well as a willingness to patiently chase down every ball to frustrate opponents.' References: |
Point 1193: Defending soldiers against corporations. Thrust: Eric Mann writes "There are at least three gifts we can give to the veterans and G.I.s on veterans day. One is to bring all the troops home, close down all 800 U.S. military bases, provide 'jobs or income now' and the most extensive program of medical and psychological support for the vets–and the entire working class–and to demand that our government apologize to the peoples and nations all over the world for its wars of aggression and apologize to the working class men and women it sent to kill and be killed to expand its empire." Direction of resistance: When I worked at an unscrupulous conference sector marketing firm in the city, which is doing very well, and where insanely racist, sexist, homophobic and just plain illegal cold data gathering was used to pump big big 'pipelines' of sales full of cash, one of my more sordid and fucked up bastard peers, a senior runt, was mocking soldiers, saying they're all racist nuts who go off to do lots of killing. Meanwhile he sat there, powering the corporate pipelines with his professional deception and pure bastardy, he - and people like him - being the real culprits behind the military crimes of Britain and the USA. Removal of resistance: Mann points out "One of the most cruel and vicious lies of the system is to claim that the G.I.s came home from Vietnam to derision and hatred from a hippy, Black militant, radical anti-war movement–when in fact just the opposite was true. The anti-war movement was deeply involved with the G.I.s themselves, lead by a broad united front including many G.I.s." Unification: It is everybody's duty, even yours, to defend OUR soldiers - all soldiers - from the corporations - to do as Mann suggests. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/11/74430/ |
Point 1192: 12,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered with axes and bludgeons after Dutch Nato troops who were supposed to protect them simply moved away to allow Serbs to carry out their murderous work. Thrust: Dr Mahatir Mohamad wrote "In Bosnia Herzegovina 12,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered with axes and bludgeons after Dutch Nato troops who were supposed to protect them simply moved away to allow Serbs to carry out their murderous work." Direction of resistance: Too few people are rounded enough to keep abreast of all sides of the 'big debates' on the world agenda. Removal of resistance: Failure to do your homework results in being shit. Unification: In the end, it is doing our homework which makes us out-survive the wild beasts. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/17/stop-postulating-the-clash-of-civilizations/ |
Point 1191: 'Medieval religious ideas' and the 'USA'. Thrust: Kirkpatrick Sale writes "when Americans nationwide were asked, 'Whom or what do you most thank for your good health?' 54 percent credited [..] God. Direction of resistance: Sale points out "Lifestyle was chosen as the entity to thank by 33 percent in the North, 28 percent in the Midwest, 31 percent in the West, and 14 percent in the South. Genes were chosen by 6 percent in the North, 16 percent in the Midwest, 18 percent in the West, and 13 percent in the South. Doctors rated 6 percent in the North, 5 percent in the Midwest, 4 percent in the West, and 2 percent in the South [..] And God was the choice of 48 percent of the North (which some had thought Godless), 51 percent in the Midwest, 46 percent in the West, and 70 percent in the South. Is it any wonder that the South is the unhealthiest region in the nation by almost all measures?" Removal of resistance: This is a nation which calls itself 'exceptional'. Unification: This is a nation which calls its leader 'the leader of the free world'. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/04/thank-god-were-healthy/ |
Point 1190: 各 花 入 各 眼 Thrust: John V Walsh writes "The major adversaries of the U.S. Empire are China, Russia and Iran. Of the three, China is the greatest threat to U.S. hegemony since its economy has already surpassed that of the U.S. in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) according to the IMF. And military power in the end is a function of economic power, as we have known at least since Thucydides." Direction of resistance: Nonetheless the arrogance of white supremacism appears to be leading the 'west' into a war against China. Removal of resistance: A war it surely cannot win. Unification: A war which will harm us all, particularly here in 'the west'. A war we must STOP, right now, before it goes any further down the dark path it is taking us down. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/10/the-tar-baby-and-china/ |
Point 1189: The basic maths of a modern democratic way. Thrust: These days if you give people the material, time and motivation, the majority of people can make an intelligent assessment of what you show them. Direction of resistance: Only a century ago, 'intellectuals' were evidently very convinced that they need to lead the 'masses', indeed through 'necessary illusions', people as recent as Edward Bernays and Reinhold Niebuhr have maintained. Removal of resistance: Yet now it is far more plausible to far more people that all a person needs in order to come to intelligent conclusions is the right conditions and the right information. Unification: If this is true, there is no chance for the Bernays way - and the shift of consciousness across the globe required for bringing about a restructuring of what we call society everywhere, from 'China' to 'the USA' and everywhere 'in between' - is an inevitability which is destined to stamp itself on our history very imminently. Some would say immanently, indeed. References: |
Point 1188: The far-right sees Islam as a more popular talking point than anti-Semitism, and seeks to rally supporters through the former while obscuring the latter in a Zionist position that seeks to keep Jews out of Europe. Thrust: Alexander Reid Ross writes "The more that right-wing populism can obscure its racial ideology and fascist roots, the more of a mass appeal it has. While it gains mass appeal based on central talking points, its imagery and symbolism begins to proliferate. Hence, DIJ and their fans claim to be non-anti-Semitic, because they work with Jews sometimes, and support the State of Israel. Mass-murderer and white supremacist Anders Breivik also supports the State of Israel, as does the French National Front and countless far-right parties in Europe gaining international legitimacy from Zionist claims while retaining and supporting anti-Semitism in Europe. Indeed, this is precisely the 'Third Position' proposed by Strasser: fascism through pseudo-anticapitalist racial separatism rather than Imperialism. Direction of resistance: Evidence Ross presents regarding 'DIJ' is very damning indeed: "I recalled my conversation with the band's promoter, who claimed that, just as Marilyn Manson and Slayer use Nazi imagery, so too should Death in June blur the lines of acceptable communication. Removal of resistance: Ross adds "Among the greatest dilemmas for contemporary radical movements, such as the ecology movement, is how to deal with and identify reactionary tendencies, such as white nationalist claims to 'blood and soil,' which claim a hierarchy of national belonging based on the number of generations one's family has lived on 'the land.' (It apparently doesn't matter if someone's family moved to Wisconsin from Germany in the 1910s, and then to California in the 1990s; they are still more 'US American' than a Guatemalan or Chinese immigrant who moved to San Diego in the 1970s, even though they have relatively no 'connection to the native soil,' according to this position.) Even the most acceptable version of this tendency, which asserts that Indigenous peoples maintain true rights to the land, claims that there are still hierarchies promoted amongst white nationalists as to how US American they are, and this way of thinking seeps into the broader counterculture. For instance, I was recently told by a very well-respected and well-known 'radical' (who happens to be blonde) that I was less of a US American, because my parents are immigrants. When I told my very non-'radical' friends from Houston about this exchange during a recent trip to Texas, they were totally appalled by my 'radical' friend's pretense. It just goes to show that ostensibly non-'radical' people from the South can understand antifascism better than pretentious 'radicals' in Portland, Oregon." Unification: More people in the 'British' establishment need to take all of this seriously. More people in 'Britain' on the whole need to. This is our problem. We need to provide some kind of educational solution which will undermine any tendency among anybody to veer in the direction of fascism, a very serious, a very dangerous, a very catastrophic problem we are facing in a worryingly accelerating fashion today in 2018. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/14/fighting-the-trojan-horse-of-hipster-fascism/ |
Point 1187: The stale, smelly, fetid and diseased old west and its fetid old blindness. Thrust: Andre Vltchek writes "Entire modern and ecological neighborhoods are growing up all over China; entire cities are being built, with enormous parks and public exercise grounds, with childcare centers and all the modern sanitation facilities, as well as wide sidewalks and incredibly cheap and super modern public transportation." Direction of resistance: Vltchek points out "While China's transformation into a middle-class socialist society is clearly a miracle (but more than a miracle, it is actually proof of the superiority of central planning, and of the general excellence of the system), perhaps the single greatest success on our planet in the last 100 years, the Western Left mumbles something about what has happened is actually not pure, that it is not really Communist, and that in many ways it is all extremely sinister." Removal of resistance: We should all be humbled by the example of 'China' and realise what "exceptionalism" really can mean, if we stop making it mean "white man and his token black friend". Unification: This article by Mr Vltchek (see the references below) is a must-read for anyone who is not stupid. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/11/14/do-western-leftists-hate-socialist-countries/ |
Point 1186: The alternative to the UKIP-Murdoch-Daily-Mail axis. Thrust: To bring back the readership of the Daily Herald, but as readers and contributors on a new democratic website. Direction of resistance: That would be the hobo. Removal of resistance: Chomsky explains, in Necessary Illusions, what the Daily Herald was (as you are unlikely to know) "As for the media, in England a lively labor-oriented press reaching a broad public existed into the 1960s, when it was finally eliminated through the workings of the market. At the time of its demise in 1964, the Daily Herald had over five times as many readers as The Times and 'almost double the readership of The Times, the Financial Times and the Guardian combined,' James Curran observes, citing survey research showing that its readers 'were also exceptionally devoted to their paper.' But this journal, partially owned by the unions and reaching a largely working-class audience, 'appealed to the wrong people,' Curran continues. The same was true of other elements of the social democratic press that died at the same time, in large part because they were 'deprived of the same level of subsidy' through advertising and private capital as sustained 'the quality press,' which 'not only reflects the values and interests of its middle-class readers' but also 'gives them force, dainty and coherence' and 'plays an important ideological role in amplifying and renewing the dominant political consensus.' Unification: These are my notes on Necessary Illusions so far. I'm staying offline mostly and working through the said book, using 4 different formats of it simultaneously to work through it as though it is a lecture series and I am a student of it. Which is in fact accurate. That's what it is and that's what I am. I'll add to these notes later (i.e. I'll 'synchronise' them with my offline work at some stage soon): References: |
Point 1185: Something disgusting for you to see. Thrust: Palestine Chronicle writes "In the three amateur videos released by the Yesh Din human rights group, the IDF soldiers appear to be protecting the masked Jewish settlers from Yitzhar during their confrontation with Palestinians in the village of Urif in the West Bank on Tuesday.". Direction of resistance: When will the barbarism end? Removal of resistance: When will sane and intelligent seeming people stop supporting Israel's never ending disgusting sick fucked up militant bastardy? Unification: Alas. Oh Palestine, please accept my apology. I for one don't think that what you suffer is acceptable or reasonable, even though I can see so many people sitting there in various forms of consumer slavery doing nothing whilst their own friends abuse and murder you and your children. I'm sorry Palestine. I'm trying my hardest to teach them, but they just won't learn. I'll keep trying. What else can I do? References: http://www.palestinechronicle.com/video-israeli-soldiers-protect-settlers-attacking-palestinian-villagers/ |
Point 1184: Black people have had to live for generations under a system that is demonstrably unfair to them. There's plenty of documentation for that. Thrust: M.G. Piety writes "As a white person, I have to say that I find this pathetic display of white entitlement disgusting." Direction of resistance: Piety wonders "When did white people become so pathetic? Black people have had to live for generations under a system that is demonstrably unfair to them. There's plenty of documentation for that. Where do white people get off thinking that they are entitled to ask the government to redress a "wrong" done to them that would appear to be no more than a figment of their fevered imaginations?" Removal of resistance: Although it is a subtle point, too complex to be truly accepted by the bloody minded and by anyone unwilling to think about an argument for more than a few minutes, Piety is spot on (my experiences have proved beyond any kind of doubt), when insisting "White people have benefitted from the handicaps placed–both intentionally and unintentionally– on minorities for as long as the country has existed. Unfortunately, this is now coming back to bite us, and by that I'm not referring to reverse discrimination. You know how you make somebody strong, how you make them smart? You handicap them, put a lot of obstacles in their path. Many minorities have had so many obstacles in their paths for so long that they've become smarter and stronger than we are". Unification: M.G. Piety is one of my favourite authors in the world. References: http://mgpiety.org/2014/05/29/the-rhetoric-of-entitlement/ |
Point 1183: Private power directly makes public decisions. Thrust: Many decisions of momentous importance to society as a whole with deep public ramifications are made as 'private' decisions by corporations. Direction of resistance: We are talking primarily about the USA and UK here, and their obvious allies (you can do the work, and understand which countries are and which are not steeped in these somewhat stupid ways). Removal of resistance: Read Chomsky's Necessary Illusions, from 1988, which begins with a look at what Brazilian Bishops were doing, back then, to work towards a more democratic media. Unification: 'And now, as twilight dims the skies above, recalling thrills of our love, there's one thing I am certain of: return I will to old Brazil' (as the song goes). References: |
Point 1182: Edward Bernays' claim that 'the very essence of the democratic process' is 'the freedom to persuade and suggest,' what he calls 'the engineering of consent' . Thrust: Chomsky attacks Edward Bernays' claim that 'the very essence of the democratic process' is 'the freedom to persuade and suggest,' what he calls 'the engineering of consent' . Direction of resistance: I would add that Bernays' method is like hen pecking. Removal of resistance: Not to be confused with raining down with tonnes of precisely relevant evidence and allowing people to make up their mind at their own leisure, even if they want to spend a year thinking about it - or longer - when they have that data. Unification: Chomsky's method is what intelligence, rationality and progress are all founded on - i.e. the same method, not on anything written by Chomsky himself, as reason significantly pre-dated Chomsky. References: |
Point 1181: Low and high cancer risks? Thrust: Is the future of society a better place, upwardly mobile? Or downhill towards extinction? Direction of resistance: So many products and services and events and lifestyles are very cancer-causing but hardly any are legally touted as such, yet. Removal of resistance: In time the harm will be fully recognised by officialdom, there are only delays, there is no real way to stop the recognition coming. The deaths are mounting. These are sadly what humanity is waiting for before properly policing the cancer causers. Unification: If we get in a rut, our cities will advertise 'low cancer risk' to us as an advantage, whether in products, locations or jobs. References: |
Point 1180: Russell Brand's take on Ferguson is worth watching. Thrust: 'What Value Do Our Laws Have?' by Russell Brand is really important to watch. Direction of resistance: Please watch it if you can. Removal of resistance: Russell Brand is out there working hard for you and letting a lot of people mock him and treat him like crap because he clearly has the integrity to tell us what he has genuinely and sincerely seen to be the truth. Unification: How come so many fools mock Brand whilst sitting like mugs swallowing the lies and bullshit of people who even openly admit that they believe in lying to us and who really are deluded? Russell Brand is on the case. Don't be too stupid to understand what he's doing for you, please. That's just my opinion, but please, listen to me. Have some respect for Russell Brand, he's a great soul. References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr9E3UVaArU |
Point 1179: War crimes of the British Media. Thrust: John Pilger writes "In 2003, I filmed an interview in Washington with Charles Lewis, the distinguished American investigative journalist. We discussed the invasion of Iraq a few months earlier. I asked him, 'What if the freest media in the world had seriously challenged George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld and investigated their claims, instead of channeling what turned out to be crude propaganda?' Direction of resistance: It is unacceptable to sit there, responsible for so much death, and carry on shamelessly pretending to be a journalist. Removal of resistance: Every pro war journalist needs to resign out of respect for their own ancestors and for the human race. It is the only respectable thing they can do and the only way to mitigate their hand in genocide. Unification: Pilger points out "It's 100 years since the First World War. Reporters then were rewarded and knighted for their silence and collusion. At the height of the slaughter, British prime minister David Lloyd George confided in C.P. Scott, editor of the Manchester Guardian: 'If people really knew [the truth] the war would be stopped tomorrow, but of course they don't know and can't know.'" References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/05/war-by-media-and-the-triumph-of-propaganda/ |
Point 1178: Being an economic unit. Thrust: You and I tend to be coerced into being economic units. Direction of resistance: Escape is hard and rare. Removal of resistance: Keep trying. Unification: Don't be an economic unit. References: |
Point 1177: Beaten repeatedly by Alex Cockburn, legend among thinkers. Thrust: In the lifetime of the grid, I have come to see two debating positions of mine thwarted by the words of the late Alex Cockburn, about whom you can go and read. Direction of resistance: What I read by Idries Shah taught me a great deal about what 'religion' really is but I omitted to follow Shah's humility towards religion until I watched a video of Cockburn talking lucidly about what's wrong with hating religions and with generalising about them in inaccurate ways. Removal of resistance: Moreover, my belief that guns should not exist is slightly different to what it was thanks to Cockburn's strong case for self-defence. Unification: I have recently bought 'A colossal wreck' by Alex Cockburn and will hopefully read it soon. Still working slowly through Necessary Illusions (by Chomsky) in various formats. References: https://www.c-span.org/video/?196500-1/depth-alexander-cockburn |
Point 1176: Democracy is a state of mind, not a way of doing paperwork. Thrust: When individuals are, in the majority, self-determining, then what we pretend we can create with what we call 'democracy' will really be something it is possible for us to create. Direction of resistance: Doing this requires, primarily, walking directly away from all the normal mainstream sources you habitually go to. Removal of resistance: That is not to say that it requires a permanent flight from the material world. Unification: What's required is moderation and perspective, amongst other things. References: |
Point 1175: We should be responsible for our own actions primarily. Thrust: Facing a nasty, racist, self-righteous, Israel-flag-waving dickhead, long ago, Chomsky defended himself by saying 'we should be responsible for our own actions primarily'. Direction of resistance: Chomsky then went on, in this recording, to say that 'we should give much more attention to one priest who we've killed than to a hundred priests that they've killed'. Removal of resistance: When you do stuff, in life, what you do has repercussions. Unification: You cannot see the future, but you can see the things coming at you. You cannot see what you don't know how to look at, but you can keep your eyes open and look at whatever you are able to see. References: |
Point 1174: The denial that individualism exists and is a positive force. Thrust: One method of discouraging independent minds, creative behaviour, individualism etc - is to try and polarise people's view of their choices. Direction of resistance: On the one hand is obedience, subservience and being given everything you want in exchange for agreeing to want whatever you are conditioned to want. Removal of resistance: On the other hand, the false view maintains, is the extreme egotist, who disobeys to the extreme and must be reined in. Unification: Groundhog Day is an example of this foolish view. It shows how the view is used to actually promote being a manipulative fuckwit. References: |
Point 1173: Hollywood's manipulative, backward, oppressive ideals in plain sight. Thrust: I like Bill Murray in many films, including Groundhog day, but that film is full of crap. Direction of resistance: A man repeatedly learns to parrot everything required to make a particular woman think she loves him, have sex with him and, it is implied, marry him in conclusion. Removal of resistance: He learns French poetry to impress her - rather than to share anything of value with her. Unification: In other words Murray's character uses Niebuhrism to manipulate and control the woman he wants to take sexual control of. It is presented as acceptable and 'romantic'. Its makers and fans are oblivious to real love, which can only exist between two people who are not manipulating each other. References: |
Point 1172: Why the Daily Mail and Sun and Mirror and Express are implicitly (and unknowingly) mocking their own readers 24/7/365. Direction of resistance: Today's governments subscribe to Niebuhr's views openly and officially. Removal of resistance: It is time for the masses, the so-called "99%", to challenge the assumption. Unification: All of us have a right to become cleverer every day. A situation which precludes that is unacceptable and those who can challenge it must and they must lead others to challenge it also, until eventually the entire 99% challenges this one basic principle on which tyranny is founded. References: |
Point 1171: The Guardian's Ghoulish faces. Thrust: This line in the Guardian makes decent people shudder. It describes a recent US propaganda film which is the centre of more smear campaigns against 'non-white' people the world over: ' The Interview, a Seth Rogen flick in which dictator Kim Jong-un has his face melted off and his head blown up.' Direction of resistance: The serious problem, the Guardian feels, is not that Americans and Europeans love to depict things like people's heads being blown off and are on the whole glorifying violence and disgusting behaviour more and more each year. Removal of resistance: No. Unification: Their concern is: 'And amid all the histrionics around cyber warfare and terrorism, and the dangerous accusations of North Korean involvement, the privacy of Sony’s workers and ex-employees has been obliterated.' References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/21/sony-propaganda/ |
Point 1170: Nick Cohen writes like an evangelist Christian or jihadi Muslim. Thrust: "Let us now praise" is the thrust of the opening (by means of the title, which may well be written by a Spectator editor of some sort, or lackey, whatever they call themselves, but which is there to reflect Cohen's voice so let's assume it reflects his voice and seek more evidence of this trend in his style later) of an article by Nick Cohen I looked at in the Spectator. Direction of resistance: Cohen sees his audiences as a flock, his pen as a pulpit and his words as some kind of gospel. Removal of resistance: People like that do not believe in worrying about presenting a great deal of evidence, if any at all. They tend to exaggerate a great deal and usually hate people of other religions to whatever theirs is, be that some kind of weird Tony Blair worship or whatever (in Cohen's case much must be read to get to the bottom of why his demons exist). Unification: Evidence-based argument requires no leaders, demagogues or preachers. Thus I will have to suffer the intolerable fate of reading dozens of examples of this twit's "journalism" (it is a shame to insult men like Alex Cockburn by pretending that what Cohen writes is the same in any meaningful way to what he, or Klein, or countless nameable real journalists write). Otherwise how can I demonstrate to myself and you whether or not he uses this sort of preachy religious language often. "Let us praise" is almost a direct quote from numerous religious rituals and this sort of command to tell people to praise people is just not part of journalism. References: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/nick-cohen/2013/04/simon-singh-let-us-praise-a-bloody-minded-hero/ |
Point 1169: Nick Cohen should read everything about what happened in Iraq. Thrust: Since Spectator and Guardian's Nick Cohen (and possibly Polly Toynbee? Blair's biggest p.r. machine after Alistair Campbell, that is) supported 'British' war crimes, they'll need to bone up. Direction of resistance: Erik Sommer writes in Counterpunch that 'In the Nuremberg trial of the Nazi war criminals at the end of WW II, the prosecution powerfully argued that those journalists who use propaganda to prepare the public to accept war crimes are themselves also guilty of those crimes.' Removal of resistance: There were no WMDs. The descent of Iraq into a nighmare where between a few 100,000 and a million have died was easy to see coming. Causing it is a fucking war crime. Unification: As Sommer puts it: References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/03/19/why-us-journalists-have-blood-on-their-hands/ |
Point 1168: What actions could realistically lead society away from the problems I have been writing about? Thrust: Chomsky has, amongst others, advocated that when one has a corrupted framework (e.g. a corrupted political and social system - and by social, I include industry and commerce etc) it is necessary to first dismantle and then rebuild from the ground up. Direction of resistance: Anyone trying to protect a corrupted system will attempt to portray this not only as a wasted effort (since there is, they would assert, nothing to repair) but indeed as some sort of irrational and hateful and destructive aim. Removal of resistance: At an individual level, in the cases of those who gain through one form of privilege or another over the many who are unprivileged - there is little or no evidence that most human beings in the same situation would not respond to the same inner calls of fear, greed, laziness and desire in the same way as today's privileged. Unification: So we have to aim very high. We can't alter the future by shooting down too small a part of the framework. Whatever is holding the whole thing up needs to be the object of the prime target of our actions. That target needs to be removal. We have to point at what holds up the whole corrupted structure and just eradicate that support so that the entire structure crashes down and can be rebuilt, finally. References: |
Point 1167: Are you at war with China? Direction of resistance: That is clearly an act of war against China by NATO. So the question is whether you, if you call yourself a citizen of a 'NATO' country and willingly accept NATO as part of your identity, are happy that you have declared war on China and killed unarmed Chinese people, namely journalists, in order to silence them and show your strength? Removal of resistance: If not, I'd tell NATO to disband. You can easily do that. Unification: Do you REALLY want to be at war with China? Not just economic but military war, where you shoot their journalists dead using soldiers and then lie like children about it instead of apologising and changing your ways? References: |
Point 1166: NATO contradicted itself over bombing Chinese journalists. Thrust: In 1998, Jared Israel explained in Counterpunch what NATO released to the press about why it killed Chinese civilians in the Chinese Embassy in Serbia. Direction of resistance: From the outset NATO claimed to have been trying to hit a different building. Due to apparent inaccuracy they revised their statement several times. Removal of resistance: The fact that NATO accounts were contradictory, unreasonable and in many ways unbelievable was not successfully covered up by NATO. Unification: NATO admitted bombing Yugoslav journalists they accused of propaganda and China was sympathetic to Yugoslavia and was defying NATO. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/1998/06/15/how-nato-the-media-misrepresented-the-chinese-embassy-bombing/ |
Point 1165: FIRE CHIEF [moving towards the door, then stopping]: Speaking of which - what of the bald soprano? [General silence, embarrassment.] Thrust: Ionesco's 'La cantatrice chauve' is a short absurd play which demonstrates clearly some of the problems associated with our current mainstream approach to reason and identity. Direction of resistance: The only mention in the entire play of 'la cantatrice chauve' (translated as 'the bald soprano' or even 'the bald prima donna') is in the line cited in the title of this grid point. Removal of resistance: The play opens with this line: Unification: The play teaches a great deal about the real meaning of what is insane in the world of 'today'. References: |
Point 1164: The industrial world, in places, does not appear to be interested in a completely open and transparent dialogue between society, corporations, science and state. Thrust: Jim Goodman writes 'When Genetically Modified (GM) crops were first planted commercially in 1996 they were just another technological innovation that fit well into the trend of larger farms and fewer farmers. Since weed control was a time consuming task, chemicals that killed the weeds without harming the crop struck farmers as a good idea.' Direction of resistance: Goodman points out 'GM crops have changed agriculture, helping to advance the shift to more industrialized production, higher pesticide use, more land in corn and soy demanding more water and fertilizer, and less profit for farmers to name just a few of the connections that were never imagined when GM crops were commercialized in 1996.' Removal of resistance: That the European Food Safety Authority appears to be the European Corporate Profits for Frankenfood Producers Safety Authority is a further and deadly ingredient in this recipe for extinction. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/06/27/will-gm-crops-collapse-the-food-system/ |
Point 1163: The European Food Safety Authority appears to be the European Corporate Profits for Frankenfood Producers Safety Authority. Direction of resistance: GeneWatch UK recently wrote 'GM crops enter Europe mainly for use in animal feed, following an EU approvals process. Most UK supermarkets, except Waitrose, have back-tracked from commitments to avoid the use of GM animal feed (6). Meat, milk and eggs produced using GM feed are not labelled.' Removal of resistance: MailOnline writes that the rejection of an 'application by Upper Austria to be declared a GM-free zone for all existing and planned GM crops or animals' by the EU watchdog known as the European Food Safety Authority, 'sets a precedent across Europe'. Unification: This makes it all the more urgent that the ruling be legally overturned and corporate frankenfood monsters chased out of 'Upper Austria'. References: http://www.genewatch.org/article.shtml?als[cid]=568547&als[itemid]=575242 |
Point 1162: The insertion of a novel gene into an organism is dangerous. Thrust: The University of Minnesota's School of Public Health website says that "all genetically modified foods that have been approved are considered by the government to be as safe as their traditional counterparts and are generally unregulated". Direction of resistance: The site points out that "there are several types of potential health effects that could result from the insertion of a novel gene into an organism. Health effects of primary concern to safety assessors are production of new allergens, increased toxicity, decreased nutrition, and antibiotic resistance (Bernstein et al., 2003)". Removal of resistance: A leading supermarket website says "Whilst the latest scientific research and current Government advice is that GM ingredients do not present any risks to human health, we acknowledge the concerns of our customers and do not permit the use of GM crops, ingredients, additives or derivatives in any [NAME]'s own label food, drink, pet food, dietary supplements or floral products, this remains the case". Unification: The industrial world, in places, does not appear to be interested in a completely open and transparent dialogue between society, corporations, science and state regarding the ever more widely understood dangers of "the insertion of a novel gene into an organism". References: http://enhs.umn.edu/current/5103/gm/harmful.html |
Point 1161: Ending violence in the USA. Thrust: Rob Urie writes 'Without disarming the police and changing their role from militarized guardians of ruling class interests to servants of all of the public it is difficult to see how opposing violence without opposing the existing role of the police is politically coherent?' Direction of resistance: Urie shows us, amongst other things, a photo in which 'An NYPD motorcycle cop gratuitously rides his motorcycle over the leg of an NLG (National Lawyers Guild) legal observer at an Occupy Wall Street demonstration.' Removal of resistance: In another photo shown, 'The NYPD applies an illegal choke hold in the murder of Eric Garner. The allegation against Mr. Garner was that he was selling 'loosey' cigarettes, individual cigarettes on which applicable taxes were not paid.' Unification: Check out Urie's article via the link in the references below. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/26/police-violence-and-violence-against-the-police/ |
Point 1160: The belief in the existence of 'race' is a delusion and shows the failure to distinguish nonsense from reality. Thrust: Elliot Sperber writes 'Meaningfully dismantling racism, then, not to mention inequality and poverty, requires dismantling not the police so much as it requires dismantling property relations. This, in turn, requires dismantling property as such - not the concrete objects that are presently regarded as property so much as the very concept of property - and what this implies, the right to dominate in the first place.' Direction of resistance: Indeed race is itself theft and fantasy. Removal of resistance: Race is a social construct, it does not really exist, and it is constructed through and for the protection of property. Unification: The nation state is an extension of property and is also a primary mechanism for the perpetuation of the myth of race and the ensuing 'racism' the belief in such nonsense brings about. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/11/property-is-racist/ |
Point 1159: The crimes of the past cannot be forgotten, continued or repeated. Thrust: Andre Vltchek writes 'It is a deadly, shameful obsession; partially based on a desperate desire to maintain the belief that the West is not finished, yet, and that to a great extent it is still superior to the rest of the world. Europe is portrayed as 'unique', as different to the United States, as something that is worth admiring - or at least its past and its essence. It is never propounded or defined like that, of course, but this belief (and yes, it really resembles a religious faith) indirectly points out that it is quite legitimate that the West (or at least a big part of the West) continues its rule over our planet. It is obvious that many men and women from the Left, living in North America, actually believe in Western 'Exceptionalism'; not that of the United States, but that of Europe.' Direction of resistance: Naturally if you are an 'outsider' living in the west the jarring disparity between the perceived exceptionalism and the widespread mediocrity cannot escape you. Removal of resistance: Indeed for those who are not 'technically' outsiders, but who are also outsiders, whether artists like Hunter S Thompson or Eugène Ionesco or whether you are some Tony Benn or Alex Cockburn or Noam Chomsky or M.G. Piety - the horror is no doubt 'worse' in many ways. Unification: There is no refuge. The thirst among such women and men for change is ever-present. It is an inherent part of one's own identity, or perceived identity, that one wishes to change. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/12/are-europes-horrid-crimes-forgiven/ |
Point 1158: Some rear-guard action from frackers on the run. Thrust: Paul A. Passavant writes 'A mixture of emotions is running through the Finger Lakes region of New York in the wake of Governor Cuomo's announcement on Wednesday, December 17 to ban hydraulic fracturing ('fracking') in the state. Residents are relieved to be protected from the health risks and environmental damage produced from fracking. Nevertheless, they are continuing their struggle to oppose the Texas-based Crestwood corporation's project to store volatile gases extracted from other states, such as Pennsylvania, in salt caverns along the shores of Seneca Lake, which provides drinking water for approximately 100,000 people.' Direction of resistance: Passavant warns of 'the corruption of the Schuyler County legal system that has cast off impartiality in its determination to defeat the growing uprising against the Texas-based Crestwood corporation'. Removal of resistance: It seems to me that fracking is a bit like part two of Tony Blair's famous WMD scare. Part three is close on its heels: genetically engineered 'food'. Unification: Think about your kids. Shape the world to be their world, not that of corporate overlords. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/26/a-report-from-the-frontlines-in-the-war-against-fracking/ |
Point 1157: The Israel debate. Thrust: Salon reports 'The Times of Israel is under fire on Friday after publishing a blog post titled 'When Genocide Is Permissible.' The post, written by Yochanon Gordon, was quickly removed from the Times' website, but cached and screen-captured versions of the piece quickly proliferated on social media.' Direction of resistance: To wonder If the Israeli state is guilty of war crimes visit third protocol point 4. Removal of resistance: That point only covers a few items from the material about Israel on this grid, so browse and read more deeply for more of a picture. Unification: I know what future generations will say about me. Have you thought, properly, truthfully, about what future generations will say about you? References: https://www.salon.com/2014/08/01/genocide_is_permissible_according_to_insane_times_of_israel_op_ed/ |
Point 1156: Corporations treat all their workers as subhuman every day. Thrust: In turn, these workers treat everyone else as subhuman. Direction of resistance: This is all very fucked up. Removal of resistance: We must dismantle ALL corporations. Unification: Now. References: |
Point 1155: September 17, 2012 was the one-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, and sadly enough it was a sentimental fare illustrating not only the good intentions but also the enormous limitations of the movement. Thrust: Gilbert Mercier writes in Counterpunch that 'ultimately, what made the non-violent message of Jesus so powerful was his own sacrifice in the extremely violent act of the crucifixion. Martyrdom is what gave Christianity its political power, and how it eventually sapped the Roman empire.' Direction of resistance: Non violence needs much more embracing. The films and tv which glorify it and make impressionable people find it 'cool' and use it and think it some superiority, some 'classy' thing - need to go. Removal of resistance: Nonetheless, if Chomsky is right that stopping a child running into the street by force, to save them, is legitimate force, then why rule out the idea that Occupy is entitled to use legitimate force? And what could such force be, in the face of lawless violence levelled at them unimpeachably? Mercier argues 'Hedges, in particular, quickly made it his business to tell Occupiers what to do and think. Occupy was always a patchwork of different ideologies, from peace movement activists to neo-Marxists and Anarchists. By calling anarchists the 'cancer of Occupy', Hedges drove a wedge in the movement and did the bidding of the Obama administration. His action to drive the Black Bloc out of Occupy completely emasculated the movement in North-America.' Unification: Seven years on from September 17th 2011, perhaps a new effort needs to be made to help the state overthrow corporate power before its too late. References: |
Point 1154: 'It is just a terrible joke, a nightmare, and an insult to the very essence of humanity.' Thrust: Andre Vltchek writes 'Those who are now pushing the world to an irreversible disaster are clearly identifiable: they are market fundamentalists, conservative Christian dogmatists who believe in the superiority of their doctrine and of the ‘chosen nature’ of the Western people and culture, as well as the millions of their lackeys and minor cohorts: thousands of CEO's and deranged 'military strategists'. Direction of resistance: Vltchek warns 'They want to rule over us and simultaneously they demand to be feared, admired and adored. Yes, the control, the submission, has to be total. And all those servile, shameful feelings we are expected to demonstrate have to be absolute, 'pure' and unconditional.' Removal of resistance: On the banality, Vltchek teaches us 'In most of countries, medicine is nothing more than a well-remunerated business, while almost all pharmaceutical companies are busy plundering rainforests and registering their patents, instead of curing people. Unification: Rachel Corrie knew the truth of it when Vltchek says 'one truly lives only when he or she is upright, when marching forward and aiming at a better world, when keeping promises and pledges'. References: |
Point 1153: Revolution starts with yourself. It is an interior battle. If you cannot conquer yourself, you are already conquered by anyone who can. Give up or conquer yourself. There is no one else to beat. Thrust: 1. The problem is a corrupt society. Direction of resistance: therefore Removal of resistance: fortunately Unification: Some sources from whom you can read/watch more about this sort of thing include, I feel: Counterpunch, Chomsky, Idries Shah, Vltchek, MASH 4077, Catch 22. References: |
Point 1152: 'The world's leading liberal voice, since 1821'???????? Thrust: On its Facebook page the Guardian describes itself like this: 'The world's leading liberal voice, since 1821'. Direction of resistance: Leading the way in humility. Removal of resistance: And precision. Unification: Such leadership. References: |
Point 1151: Boris Johnson, Norman Tebbit, Nigel Farage and characters like that should be consigned Wodehouse novels and not exist as real characters in political affairs in this day and age. Thrust: The people of Britain, 'even' UKIP voters, need to take a good look at advanced societies such as a great deal of Chinese society and other people around the world. Direction of resistance: They need to understand what modern humanity in the 21st century looks like. Removal of resistance: Then they need to take a good look at Boris Johnson, Norman Tebbit, Nigel Farage and characters like that and consign them to Wodehouse novels. Unification: We don't want to be the joke of humanity. Put the jokes in the books and make the real world sensible and intelligent. References: |
Point 1150: Nuclear arms vs doctors and nurses. Thrust: Stop The War reports that 'Defence Secretary Michael Fallon casually announced that the Government was to spend an additional quarter of a billion pounds on nuclear weapons this year' whilst government cuts to the NHS (and attempts to sell it to industry) meant that 'In the week from 15 to 21 December 2014, emergency departments in England slumped to the worst waiting times since 2004. Just 83.1 per cent of patients were seen within four hours.' Direction of resistance: Is the government mad? Removal of resistance: Or is it incredibly greedy and stupid? Unification: It's one or more of those three things. No sane, intelligent, decent government would behave like that. |
Point 1149: Racism and humour. Thrust: Shailja Patel writes 'AIDS jokes are funny if you've never loved someone who died of AIDS. If you live in a bubble that allows you not to know that millions of Africans died, thousands of gay men died, of criminal state indifference and denialism. Because they were, after all, only blacks and queers. Comedy material, not lives worth grieving. Direction of resistance: This is something the Guardian/Observer's owners must think about, with reference to their own attitude to Charlie Hebdo. Removal of resistance: It doesn't do to be a neo-nazi - no matter how polite you are about it and how clean the luxury world you may use to hide the reality of the world from yourself. Unification: I guess it's a question of learning. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/16/rape-cartoons-are-a-riot-arent-they/ |
Point 1148: I strongly believe that a fighter can win only while he is deeply, madly in love; never only because he hates! Thrust: Andre Vltchek writes 'Now Argentina is free, but in so many other parts of the world, little girls, Asian girls, Palestinian girls, African girls, Haitian girls, defenseless, gentle, stargazing young women, are suffering from a terrible fate, not unlike that which Anne Frank suffered in Europe, or others suffered in Argentina, Chile or Paraguay. Direction of resistance: Vltchek warns us 'the world appears to be facing yet another calamity, another great onslaught of fascism, this time conducted by the increasingly mad and brutal leaders of the Empire'. Removal of resistance: It's up to us to listen to what he says. Unification: To listen to what the truth says, which we all can know with or without Vltchek, if we let go of a few artifices. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/16/art-has-the-fight-for-justice/ |
Point 1147: China is not amused by Europe's 'extremist thinking'. Thrust: Xinhua writes 'A civilized society should show inclusiveness, respect differences in culture and ideologies and know how to mediate societal gaps. And any civilization which tries to deal with cultural differences with defiance and confrontation can not find peace and security it seeks in the first place. Direction of resistance: Referring to the infamous 'Charlie Hebdo' and their latest absurd cartoon involving Mohammed, China's mainstream says 'This is another defiant move by the satirical magazine, and also another reflection of bigotry and arrogance of on the part of the Western culture.' Removal of resistance: This question is asked by China's populist voice: 'Someone in the West upholds standards for civilization which are recognized by themselves only in the style of religious zealots. Isn't this another form of 'extremist thinking'?' Unification: It is asserted by China's cited analyst that 'it is a common belief of many that the magazine has blasphemed others' religious belief and stepped over the boundaries of freedom of expression'. References: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/europe/europe/2015-01/17/c_133925820.htm |
Point 1146: The first a priori of the enlightened person or society. Thrust: A decent modern intelligent and 'civilised' society would never take as an a priori that it is 100% right and that any other system, 'culture', approach, way of living (etc) in the world must, where different, change to be the same as the subject. Direction of resistance: No. Removal of resistance: And yet the USA certainly openly visibly and fully takes that a priori. Unification: I was working my way through the second chapter of Necessary Illusions when it occurred to me that I should write this particular thought down. I will substantiate it later but of course it is fully substantiated on my grid and indeed in the second chapter (and other chapters) of Necessary Illusions (by Noam Chomsky, MIT). Chapter two of that book is called 'Containing the enemy', which should tell more intelligent readers roughly why it led me to the utterance above. References: |
Point 1145: The 'allied forces' and their hired goon Klaus Barbie and his job to remove the anti-fascist resistance in France. Thrust: Chomsky points out: 'recruiting Nazi war criminals and saving them is bad enough, but imitating their activities is worse. So the first chapter would primarily describe US-and some British-operations throughout the world that aimed to destroy the anti-fascist resistance and restore the traditional, essentially fascist, order to power'. Direction of resistance: The way the mainstream sells this sin is by labelling those they hired the Nazi to kill with the word 'communist'. Removal of resistance: Not only is this a generalisation and no doubt inaccurate far too often for it to even be the right word, it is by no means a genuine justification (as if any exists) for nazism. Unification: In fact as Necessary Illusions will help you discover (if you take the time to read it) the emotionally potent oversimplification, calling things 'communist', is used to stop you bothering to find out facts, rather than to give you any. References: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/ChomskyOdonian_Nazis.html |
Point 1144: USA is turning into the world's prison country. Thrust: China's Information Office of the State Council reports 'The United States has always called itself 'land of freedom,' but the number of inmates in the country is the world's largest. According to a report released by the Pew Center on the States' Public Safety Performance Project in 2008, one in every 100 adults in the U.S. are in jail and the figure was one in every 400 in 1970. By 2011, America will have more than 1.7 million men and women in prison, an increase of 13 percent over that of 2006. The sharp increase will lead to overcrowding prisons. California prisons now hold 164,000 inmates, double their intended capacity (The Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2010). In a New Beginnings facility for the worst juvenile offenders in Washington DC, only 60 beds are for 550 youths who in 2009 were charged with the most violent crimes. Many of them would violate the laws again without proper care or be subject to violent crimes (The Washington Post, August 28, 2010). Due to poor management and conditions, unrest frequently occurred in prisons. According to a report on Chicago Tribune on July 18, 2010, more than 20 former Cook County inmates filed suit saying they were handcuffed or shackled during labor while in the custody, leaving serious physical and psychological damage. On October 19, 2010, at least 129 inmates took part in a riot at Calipatria State Prison, leaving two dead and a dozen injured (China Press, October 20, 2010). In November, AP released a video showing an inmate, being beaten by a fellow inmate in an Idaho prison, managed to plead for help through a prison guard station window but officers looked on and no one intervened until he was knocked unconscious. The prison was dubbed 'gladiator school' (China Press, December 2, 2010)'. Direction of resistance: The USA is exporting this prison culture worldwide, directly and indirectly. Removal of resistance: These values are not the kind of values human society wants. Unification: The people of the USA have to sort their corporate state rulers out, and we all have to help them, first and foremost. References: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/10/c_13822287_3.htm |
Point 1143: USA commits mass abuses of women and children every single day, according to China's government. Thrust: China's Information Office of the State Council reports 'Gender discrimination against women widely exists in the United States. According to a report released on August 11, 2010 by the Daily Mail, 90 percent of women have suffered some form of sexual discrimination in the workplace. Just 3 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are women. A report by the American Association of University Women released on March 22, 2010 showed that women earned only 21 percent of doctorate degrees in computer science, around one-third of the doctorates in earth, atmospheric, and ocean sciences, chemistry, and math. Women doing the same work as men often get less payment in the United States. According to a report on September 17, 2010 by the Washington Post, in nearly 50 years, the wage gap has narrowed by only 18 cents. The census report released on September 16, 2010 showed that working women are paid only 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. The New York Times reported on April 26, 2010 that Wal-Mart was accused of systematically paying women less than men, giving them smaller raises and offering women fewer opportunities for promotion in the biggest employment discrimination case in the nation's history. The plaintiffs stressed that while 65 percent of Wal-Mart's hourly employees were women, only 33 percent of the company's managers were'. Direction of resistance: Also that 'Women in the United States often experience sexual assault and violence. Statistics released in October 2010 by the National Institute of Justice show that some 20 million women are rape victims in the country'. Removal of resistance: They point out 'According to the Human Rights Watch report released in August last year, 50 detainees in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers have been alleged victims of sexual assault since 2003. Most of these victims were women, and some of the alleged assailants, including prison guards, were not prosecuted'. Unification: China is concerned about the children in the USA and says 'Violence against children is very severe. Figures from the official website of Love Our Children USA show that every year over 3 million children are victims of violence reportedly and the actual number is 3 times greater. Almost 1.8 million are abducted and nearly 600,000 children live in foster care. Every day one out of seven kids and teens are approached online by predators, and one out of four kids are bullied and 43 percent of teens and 97 percent of middle schoolers are cyberbullied. Nine out of 10 LGBT students experienced harassment at school. As many as 160,000 students stay home on any given day because they' re afraid of being bullied'. References: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/10/c_13822287_10.htm |
Point 1142: China attacks USA's racism. Thrust: According to China's Information Office of the State Council, 'Poverty proportion for minorities is also high in the United States. The U.S. Census Bureau announced in September, 2010 that the poverty proportion of the black was 25.8 percent in 2009, and those of Hispanic origin and Asian were 25.3 percent and 12.5 percent respectively, much higher than that of the non-Hispanic white at 9.4 percent. The median household income for the black, Hispanic origin and non-Hispanic white were 32,584, 38,039 and 54,461 U.S. dollars respectively'. Direction of resistance: They also point out that 'The U.S. minority groups face obvious inequality in education. A latest report released by America's Promise Alliance, Civic Enterprises, and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University showed that 81 percent of white, 64 percent of Hispanic, and 62 percent of African-American students graduated from high schools in 2008 (The World Journal, December 2, 2010). As of 2008, among white men aged 55 to 64, the college completion rate was 43 percent, while 19 percent of Hispanics. Among white men aged 25 to 34, the completion rate was 39 percent, compared with 14 percent of Hispanics '. Removal of resistance: They are horrified that 'Racial discrimination is evident in the law enforcement and judicial systems. The New York Times reported on May 13, 2010, that in 2009, African Americans and Latinos were 9 times more likely to be stopped by the police to receive stop-and-frisk searches than white people. Overall, 41 percent of the prison population was estimated to be African American. The rate of African Americans serving a life sentence was more than 10 times higher than that of whites. Males of African descent who dropped out of school had a 66 percent chance of ending up in jail or being processed by the criminal justice system'. Unification: China's opinion on US racism is loud and clear. Wake up and listen. Most of the world does not appreciate the insane belief by the US corporate state body and its colonies in Europe that they have 'moral high ground'. We are dealing with some of the most immoral groups of people in all human history, at this time. And that is clearly China's view, and it's important that we all understand what that means for the future. References: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-04/10/c_13822287_7.htm |
Point 1141: Churchill tortured Obama's grandfather. Thrust: Michael Dickinson writes 'Suspected Mau Mau insurgents were subject to electric shock, whippings, burning and mutilation in order to crush the local drive for independence. Obama's grandfather was imprisoned without trial for two years and tortured for resisting Churchill's empire. He never truly recovered from the ordeal.' Direction of resistance: He explains 'Hussein Onyango Obama, was one of 150,000 rebellious Kikuyu 'blackamoors' forced into detention camps during Churchill's postwar premiership, when the British governnment began its brutal campaign to suppress the alleged 'Mau Mau' uprising in Kenya, in order to protect the privileges of the white settler population at the expense of the indigenous people. About 11,000 Kenyans were killed and 81,000 detained during the British government's campaign to protect its imperialist heritage.' Removal of resistance: This is the legacy of people like Winston Churchill. Unification: Why the **** is he on our money? FFS. Such cognitive dissonance. Such lack of civilisation. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/28/winston-churchill-the-imperial-monster/ |
Point 1140: Israel as the death of everybody's children? Could it be so? Thrust: John Chuckman writes 'George Bush told us today's terrorists hate our freedom and democratic values, but like virtually every utterance of George Bush, that one was fatuous, explaining nothing. Nevertheless, his is the explanation pounded into public consciousness because governments and the corporate press never stop repeating versions of it, the Charlie Hebdo affair and its theatrical posturing over free speech being only the latest. Theatrical? Yes, when we know perfectly well that most of those who marched at the front of the parade in Paris are anything but friends of free speech.' Direction of resistance: He warns you: 'Our press assiduously avoids much of the world's horrors as it focuses on 'Islamic extremism,' and politics are the only explanation for the bias. The press theme of Islamic terror and indeed real incidents of terror grow from a reality always taken for granted, never debated, and certainly never criticised: the elephant in the room, as it were, is Israel's illegal and agonizingly long occupation of the Palestinians.' Removal of resistance: He doesn't need to warn me. Unification: I already know. But do you? References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/27/the-origin-of-modern-terror-and-crumbling-western-values/ |
Point 1139: At the University of North Dakota, one-third of male college students surveyed asserted that they would rape a woman if they would face no repercussions. Thrust: Sara Phillips and others write 'We begin by recognizing that violence against women is rampant in our society, and that the narratives justifying it are structured by the idea that men are naturally more aggressive, more intelligent, and lead more important lives than women. Direction of resistance: The writers want more 'community accountability'. Removal of resistance: I'm sure there must be, whether it is concealed by corporate lobbies or not, an overwhelming majority who want to see these changes immediately. Unification: There can be no higher priority for a Prime Minister in our times and at least Corbyn wants to do something about it - he may have to get past a lot of corporate-owned consumer 'feminists' (fake feminists) to get there, but he has the will and the drive. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/23/77397/ |
Point 1138: Facebook makes millions of people think professional journalism is about public relations and graphic design. Thrust: Facebook is where not just one or a handful of individuals (with their little work forces) enforces the cultural models of 'the western world' - but where MILLIONS of people from 'every side' of 'political spectrums' enforce that regulation firmly, demeaning and atomising themselves and absolutely worshipping the 'western cultural model' of information dissemination, of what is deemed 'professional'. Direction of resistance: In other words millions of nobodies gleefully, like smurfs, whether left or right wing, rich or poor, classist, anti classist, feminist, sexist, racist, anti-racist or whatever - leap onto the idea that if they can do up a front end which looks as 'professional' as 'the mainstream' - then whatever they output really is 'professional'. Removal of resistance: The art of exhaustive rational analysis is lost. I know certainly. I practise it in painful detail. The general response of the 'new media' posses is to see the very idea of spending so much time on words and analysis to be a mark of stupidity. Unification: Their soundbite ways are a tragedy and anyone with a mind can see that. References: |
Point 1137: Truth and lies about Gaddafi the anti-imperialist. Thrust: Fawzia Afzal-Khan wrote 'Citizens had access to free health care and education and indeed, from having only one-fifth of its citizens able to read and write before he took power in 1969, at the time of his death, Gaddafi's policies could boast an 83% literacy rate. His government also handed out 50,000$ to every couple on their marriage to help them secure a home, and bank loans accumulated no interest'. Direction of resistance: She writes 'So what do all these conflicting accounts add up to? What is the truth? Third world anti-imperialist hero and women's libber, or rabidly repressive tyrant with a rapacious lust for women?' Removal of resistance: She concludes 'Yes, he died in a manner unbefitting a hero, but then, he had ceased being that to many in his country. But to others, both within Libya and elsewhere, he encapsulated the image of the resistance fighter, lobbing ill-advised and even insane comments and braggadocio at his militarily superior enemies, someone who some of the time at least, spoke truth to power. And perhaps for that, he paid the price.' Unification: Alas for Gaddafi. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/10/24/muammar-gaddafi-in-memoriam/ |
Point 1136: Blair allies himself to rampant sexist subjugation and abuse of women. Thrust: Tony Blair labelled Saudi King Abdullah a champion of women's rights. Direction of resistance: The Guardian has in fact labelled Blair a 'mystic'. Removal of resistance: These are worrying facts. Unification: There is a level of dishonesty in the world today which seems to have exceeded all the follies of the past - we are on the brink of seeing all of past human progress thrown away forever. It's time for people like Blair, the Guardian, etc - to start being honest. Without intellectual honesty, without a serious drive towards maximising it, the human race is particularly doomed. References: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/[..]-says-tony-blair |
Point 1135: Handing 30% of Europe's arable land over to GMO monster companies. Thrust: Frederic Mousseau writes 'The stakes around Ukraine's vast agricultural sector - the world's third-largest exporter of corn and fifth-largest exporter of wheat - could not be higher. Ukraine is known for its ample fields of rich black soil, and the country boasts more than 32 million hectares of fertile, arable land - the equivalent of one-third of the entire arable land in the European Union.' Direction of resistance: You'd think that the Guardian would be standing up to speak out against this. Removal of resistance: But they are not. They are so patriotic and zealous and anti-Russian that they are not bothering to tell you what Monsanto and others are going to do to that 30% of Europe's arable land. Unification: Once it is destroyed, it's destroyed - you are unlikely to get it back Europe. If you value your children's future and the food they will need to eat - do something. Stand up to the corporations, idiots. References: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/CEN-02-280115.html |
Point 1134: The dishonesty of estate agents demonstrated rather shockingly. Thrust: I saw a property on Zoopla which I felt may be a good quality item - it's often hard to tell these days - agents seem to push a lot of properties which have very bad smells and according to shelter over 30% of privated rented accommodation in Britain is not fit for human habitation. Direction of resistance: So this agency I went into - having seen a property I wanted them to show me, assigned some young naive girl to sit down and take my details and make an appointment for me to view stuff - when she asked me what my requirements were I told her forthrightly that it has to have an immaculate inside with no smells. I explained to her how many various agents had over time shown me flats which are unfit for humans, where smells from damp primarily are easy to detect. Removal of resistance: I told her that this was not so and that I could cite many many examples of agents who had shown me genuinely unfit properties. She then said I was insulting her industry and wasn't sure she wanted to show me any properties. But she decided to give me a 2pm appointment anyway. Unification: Then when I had left her manager rang and told me that I had made her uncomfortable and that they didn't want to show me any properties. References: |
Point 1133: Chomsky on concision. Thrust: Watch the vid below. Direction of resistance: It's well concise. Removal of resistance: Do it. Unification: Now. References: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXX14aKNtJI |
Point 1132: Immoral (and in terms of the spirit of the law, CRIMINAL) behaviour against the people by local and national government in Britain. Thrust: SaveOurHospitals (of which the legendary Bill Bailey is a member) writes 'On September 10th 2014 two A&Es in NW London, at Central Middlesex and Hammersmith Hospitals were prematurely closed – with the claim that each was 'unsafe'. Ironically, in the CQC inspection of NW London Hospitals Trust, it was Central Middlesex which obtained a 'good' rating while Northwick Park was found wanting! Since then there have been major consequences in the NW London area for A&E services with major failures at Northwick Park AND within Imperial College Healthcare Trust in meeting the 95% target for seeing patients in A&E. We assume that you have seen the figures for this, but it is worth noting that not only are there major failures in meeting the target but that both Trusts have fallen significantly in the league tables of hospitals meeting the target. (Even prior to the 2 closures, St Mary's was reported as being already in 'winter mode' in July 2014.) Any claims that there is a London- or country-wide increase in demand simply cannot explain the landing at the bottom of the league tables. Further, there seems little concern at the knock-on effects on ambulance services when ambulances are left queuing outside hospitals.' Direction of resistance: We live in a society whose government, police and industry have become 'rogue' and are fucking the people. Removal of resistance: We the people need to embrace DEMOCRACY and that means knowing our rights and TOGETHER using them. Unification: They have no right to abuse us, beat us down, break the law in front of us, laugh at us, steal our hospitals, frack our land, cut our childrens' education and call this 'freedom', 'modernity' and 'democracy'. All of history, past and future, REQUIRES that we take these criminals to task. References: http://www.saveourhospitals.net/index.php/evidence.html |
Point 1131: Workers' rights are priority. Thrust: Work is the right to own the business you work for. Direction of resistance: That is what work is in this day and age. Removal of resistance: Unions have been (and continue to be) part of the journey bringing us (despite hindrances and Thatcherism and Reaganism) to where we are today. Unification: Workers - you should own the company you work for. It does not matter which company. And don't let them con you with pretences of ownership. You must own it outright, between all workers, and you must have a complete say in what it does and how you work, ALWAYS. That is the modern day. Those who rebel against it will come to be known as 'criminals'. Not long now. Work hard. And own what you do. References: |
Point 1130: 'One can be certain that Russians will not support the Middle Eastern crusade of NATO, as this military action was prepared at the Charlie demo in Paris. It is far from clear who killed the cartoonists, but Paris and Washington intend to use it for reigniting war in the Middle East. This time, Russia will be in opposition, and probably will use it as an opportunity to change the uncomfortable standoff in the Ukraine.' Thrust: Israel Shamir writes 'Auschwitz gathering is an annual Canossa of Western leaders where they bewail their historic failure to protect the Jews and swear their perennial obedience to them. This is a more important religious rite of our times, the One Ring to rule them all, established in 2001, when the Judeo-American empire had reached the pinnacle of its power.' Direction of resistance: Shamir's description of Russia reminds me almost of myself: 'Until now, Russia, like a country bumpkin in Eton, tried to belong. It attended the gathering of the grandees where it was shunned, paid its dues to European bodies that condemned it, patiently suffered ceaseless hectoring of the great powers and irritating baiting of East European small-timers alike. But something broke down. The lad does not want to belong anymore; he picked up his stuff and went home – just when they needed him to knee in Auschwitz.' Removal of resistance: In an aside, Shamir mentions 'For the Charlie Hebdo magazine was (and probably is) explicitly anti-Christian as well as anti-Muslim. One finds on its pages some very obnoxious cartoons offending the Virgin and Christ, as well as the pope and the Church. (They never offend Jews, somehow).' Unification: It is also important to note 'The Russians don't comprehend the Western infatuation with Jews, for Russian Jews have been well assimilated and integrated in general society. The narrative of Holocaust is not popular in Russia for one simple reason: so many Russians from every ethnic background lost their lives in the war, that there is no reason to single out Jews as supreme victims.' References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/21/trolling-russia/ |
Point 1129: 'People own the public airwaves. Shouldn't they be pressing for broader and deeper uses of their property on television and radio?' Thrust: Ralph Nader lists about two dozen 'knowledgeable, thoughtful, articulate Americans, mostly blocked out of the mainstream media and, for the most part, national public television and national public radio, [which state of affairs] demonstrate[s] the media's obsession with the tedious punditry of the well-connected corporatist and militaristic 'opinion oligopoly' in Washington and New York.' Direction of resistance: So here are the names of those Mr Nader tells us about (he tells us much more than their names): Robert Fellmeth, Karen Ferguson, Jim Hightower, Edgar Cahn, S. David Freeman, Professor Rena Steinzor, Paul Hawken, Joel Rogers, Tom Devine, Robert McChesney, Bill Black, Lori Wallach, Danielle Brian, Colman McCarthy, Robert McIntyre, Lois Gibbs, Patrick Burns, Tom Geoghegan, Shelly Krimsky, Ramsey Clark, Steffie Woolhandler and David Himmelstein, Ted Postol, Amory Lovins and Peter Bradford, Arthur Rosenfeld, Jerry Mander. Removal of resistance: Abandon all those soundbite mongers whose news articles somehow just end up shown to you because of the channels you watch, because of your Facebook page or whatever. Go looking for useful intelligent stuff - you'll be surprised at how much you find it easy to find out there/here. Unification: See the list via the link in the references below. References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/01/30/mainstream-media-who-gets-on-and-who-does-not/ |
Point 1128: The western war against 'excessive democracy'. Thrust: 'Too much representation of the people' is a 'danger' which the western world has been struggling to face off for a long time, and some would not accept my opinion that it is losing that war very seriously and will soon be conquered absolutely by the people. Indeed there may not be much indication that hope in such a victory is warranted at this time. But then - maybe it is the innate decency of people I have faith in - the capacity for us to overthrow even the most sinister tyranny using nothing, in the end, but love and understanding - the grassroots of all 'democracy' (as we have labelled the notion of a society attempting to progress towards 'utopia'). Direction of resistance: The Trilateral Commission, as highlighted by Noam Chomsky in Necessary Illusions, indeed referred to this 'excess of democracy'. Removal of resistance: Murray Dobbin was recently writing about it in Counterpunch: 'The TLC book concluded, in the words of its American co-author Samuel Huntington, that the industrial countries suffered from 'an excess of democracy.' He wrote 'the effective operation of a democratic political system usually requires some measure of apathy.. on the part of some individuals and groups.' He bemoaned the fact that 'Marginal groups, as in the case of blacks, are now becoming full participants in the political system'. Unification: Dobbin warns us: 'Indeed inequality in particular has been a hot topic ever since the Occupy movement briefly swept the planet. Yet if you monitor the political debate in this country the two most important trends in our society and the world are virtually never mentioned except rhetorically. There are no serious policy prescriptions. Mass denial reigns.' References: http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/02/02/downsize-democracy-for-40-years-and-heres-what-you-get/ |