The most important task for us toward making the revolution, and the work our collectives should engage in, is the creation of a mass revolutionary movement, without which a clandestine revolutionary party will be impossible . A revolutionary mass movement is different from the traditional revisionist mass base of "sympathizers . " Rather it is akin to the Red Guard in China, based on the full participation and involvement of masses of people in the practice of making revolution; a movement with a full willingness to participate in the violent and illegal struggle.
We felt that doing nothing in a period of repressive violence is itself a form of violence. That's really the part that I think is the hardest for people to understand. If you sit in your house, live your white life and go to your white job, and allow the country that you live in to murder people and to commit genocide, and you sit there and you don't do anything about it, that's violence.
The only path to the final defeat of imperialism and the building of socialism is revolutionary war."... "Socialism is the violent overthrow of the bourgeoisie, the establishment of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the eradication of the social system based on profit."... Revolutionary war will be complicated and protracted.... It includes mass struggle and clandestine struggle, peaceful and violent, political and economic, cultural and military, where all forms are developed in harmony with the armed struggle. Without mass struggle there can be no revolution. Without armed struggle there can be no victory.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
BoomBox 7-26-10
The Eat - Communist radio
The Eat - Kneecappin'
Jack Tragic - I kill Hippies
New York Niggers - just like dresden 45'
The Zombies - she's not there
Rhino 39 - No Compromise
Middle Class - out of vogue
Middle Class - Ritual and Deceit
Articles of Faith - Bad Attitude
Stiff Little Fingers- Suspect device
999 - Emergency
The Specials - too much too young
The Eat - Kneecappin'
Jack Tragic - I kill Hippies
New York Niggers - just like dresden 45'
The Zombies - she's not there
Rhino 39 - No Compromise
Middle Class - out of vogue
Middle Class - Ritual and Deceit
Articles of Faith - Bad Attitude
Stiff Little Fingers- Suspect device
999 - Emergency
The Specials - too much too young
Oath Breakers and the age of Treason
“Patriotism,” said George Orwell, “has nothing to do with conservatism.” Love for one’s country is not right or left; it is not the sole province of the poor, or the rich; and it can be expressed in different ways. Benjamin Franklin gave voice to the spirit of patriotism when he said; “We must all hang together or we shall most assuredly all hang separately.” Today, patriotism is in need of greater allegiance than ever before. Almost all countries in the world, but especially America because it is the largest military power, are under the threat of a global dictatorial “new world order” that is being deceptively established as the coming together of nations in the interests of saving the planet, but in reality serves the interests of a private international banking cartel, and the global corporate elite. It is a war between two classes more than it is a war between two philosophies. Both sides, the nationalist patriots, and the globalist oligarchs, have much to gain, and lose.
How did we get to this point in history? Telling the facts is complicated because they are not gossip material, and they are hidden from public discussion by the mainstream media, but once they are grasped, it is really quite simple to understand. Powerful elites have always dominated nations, from the Greeks to the modern world, and America is not an exception, but never have the top one percent of oligarchs acted so aggressively against the interests of the people.
Since the end of WWII, America has been misdirected by its government controllers in the biggest way, and for the most evil designs. John F. Kennedy tried to change course, but he got shot in the head for it. It wasn’t pretty. Forty-seven years after his death, and there still isn’t any sense of national closure because his true murderers have not faced justice. In fact, they still rule America through the usual tricks of the trade: deception, secrecy, and fear. Largely unknown to them until now, the American people have suffered under a tyrannical and traitorous shadow corporate-state that killed their President, and which operates secretly behind a cowardly, and self-serving political class, in the name of “National Security.” High treason, war crimes, and state terror are the defining features of this “National Security State.” And it was created for purposes that are not much different from those of the Nazi regime; power, greed, and world domination for elite profits.
In short, America was covertly overthrown by a tight-knit group of criminal insiders. The coup happened in stages, and achieved through deception, assassination, and terrorism. The seminal dates are 1913, when the private Federal Reserve Bank was established; 1963, which saw the assassination of a real and independent president; and 2000, the beginning of the Bush Administration and the reign of the neoconservatives, who got into power by stealing the election.
From the fifties onward, with the honorable exception of John F. Kennedy’s brief reign as President, the American people have been treated as slaves, and held hostage by their much despised government, public representatives, and shadow rulers. No more a constitutional republic, America became a totalitarian “top secret” empire that is guilty of the invasion and occupation of two innocent countries in the Middle East, and is waging the largest illegal war in history, a “war on freedom” disguised as a “war on terrorism.”
Outlandish language like the “war on terrorism” is the norm in Orwellian America, where everything is the reverse of what government leaders say. The “Patriot Act” of 2001 is actually the “Traitor Act.” The war on terrorism is the war on freedom; the 9/11 investigation is the 9/11 cover up; Israel’s acts of self-defense are in reality acts of criminal aggression; the financial collapse is the financial heist and con; hope and change is more of the same; national security is national tyranny; a new world order is the last vestiges of an old world’s chaos. But the truth matters little, and instead, lies are cherished. Like sheep, the people are deceived into loving the traitors, and fearing the patriots.
Mass propaganda, secrecy, and deception are the linchpins of the NSS. The American people are denied the full knowledge of the shadow government’s crimes and lies, and since they lack foresight, knowledge of the past, and historical imagination, many of them can’t anticipate future deceptions, and future acts of state terror by their two-faced criminal leaders. But that is changing, as more people in America and around the world are waking up, and starting to see the great political crisis that hangs over America, and indeed, all of mankind.
The times we’re living in are so tense that I can hardly sleep at night. Civilization is threatened by the presence of lunatic criminals in the highest positions of power in America, England, Israel, and Iran. For Iranians, resisting the crazy Mullahs isn’t easy. And for Americans, resisting the Transnational Tyrannical State also won’t be easy. It has many resources, and lots of faithful idiots who don’t mind following orders.
It will require mass civil disobedience in America, and the threat of nation-wide citizen revolt, to get rid of the tyrants and traitors that are in the highest levels of the country’s government, banks, media, and corporations. To organize such a resistance not just in America, but in all Western nations, means dropping the labels of “conservative” and “liberal,” ignoring petty ideological differences, and sacrificing our individual egos for the greater good – a free country, and a free world. So far, very few groups have emerged with this view in mind. Oath Keepers is one of them. It is a bipartisan and patriotic organization that includes active-duty soldiers, veterans, National Guard, police officers, fire fighters, and regular citizens who are determined to take back America from the tyrants and traitors, and reestablish the republic on the ruins of a collapsing empire.
On April 19, 2009, members of the Oath Keepers commemorated the first revolutionary war by reciting their oath to support, and defend the Constitution, and promising to never obey unlawful orders. The video of them raising their hands, and declaring that they will follow their conscience, and protect the Constitution is very inspiring, and moving, which is why I was so angry when Mother Jones magazine sought to discredit, and tarnish the image of the Oath Keepers in an article written by Justine Sharrock called, “Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason.” In response to that article, I wrote “10 Reasons Why Progressives Should Support Oath Keepers.” Due to government brainwashing, some people actually need to be reminded that those who break their oaths are the traitors, and those who keep them are the patriots. You think it would be obvious. But it’s not. A lot of Americans are still in deep denial about the dangerous state of the country, and the criminality of their leaders who have betrayed them, and forsaken the grand experiment that is America.
In his classic book, “The Rape of the Mind” Dutch-American psychoanalyst Joost A.M. Meerloo wrote about the denial of hardcore facts in totalitarian societies:
“Modern psychology has taught us how strongly the mental mechanism of denial of reality works. The eye bypasses external occurrences when the mind does not want them to happen. Secondary justifications and fantasies are formed to support and explain these denials. In Totalitaria we find the same despising of reality facts as we do in schizophrenia. How else are we to explain the fact that Hitler was still moving his armies on paper after they were already defeated?”
The left-leaning individuals that fear, and hate the Oath Keepers because they are “conspiratorial,” and “intellectually backward” are either fools, or cowards. They view the Oath Keepers as “right-wing” who only want Obama out of the White House. But that’s not true. They are interested in fixing larger issues, and ending illegal spying, torture, and other government abuses which reflect the breakdown of the rule of law in Washington D.C. And they understand that both parties are responsible for the mess that America is in. Oath Keepers put the country and the constitution above any party or person. The group’s success is a strong indication that the traditional left-right identities are now meaningless. A significant number of Americans have acquired a new political consciousness that is surfacing in groups like Oath Keepers. They shun both the Democrats, and Republicans, and make room for small political disagreements because they care about reestablishing the rule of law, and saving the country. What matters to them is the truth, freedom, and justice; not petty partisan issues.
George Orwell recognized the lack of bleeding-heart patriotism in many leftist “yuppie” intellectuals not as a virtue, but a fault. In his essay “My Country Right or Left,” he wrote:
“I grew up in an atmosphere tinged with militarism, and afterwards I spent five boring years within the sound of bugles. To this day it gives me a faint feeling of sacrilege not to stand to attention during ‘God save the King.’ That is childish , of course, but I would sooner have had that kind of upbringing than be like the left-wing intellectuals who are so ‘enlightened’ that they cannot understand the most ordinary emotions. It is exactly the people whose hearts have never leapt at the sight of a Union Jack who will flinch from revolution when the moment comes,” (My Country Right or Left, Orwell’s Essays, pg. 137).
The conservatives who religiously supported President Bush even while the rest of the country saw him for the traitor that he is are probably the ones who will sacrifice themselves to save their country if, and when they wake up and realize that the real enemies of America are not in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Iran, but in Washington, and Tel Aviv. They have a lot of passion in their hearts, and love their country. The problem is that they are politically dumb, and very gullible. But they are not hopeless. And neither are left-leaning progressives who like to demean traditional conservatives rather than understand their views. Both sides are victims of brainwashing, the conservatives are under the hypnosis of Fox News, and the progressives follow the Democrat party wherever it leads them.
I am optimistic that conservatives, progressives, libertarians, and independents will come together to form a wide political tent to help America ride the apocalyptic storm of economic collapse, foreign wars, and internal political turmoil. The American dream is worth saving. The Republic wasn’t perfect, but it beats tyranny, and anarchy. Freedom is worth fighting, and dying for. And after the war is won, once the new world order is defeated, when the songs of patriots are sung, and traitors hung, we can truly enjoy the gifts of this life. But not until then.
How did we get to this point in history? Telling the facts is complicated because they are not gossip material, and they are hidden from public discussion by the mainstream media, but once they are grasped, it is really quite simple to understand. Powerful elites have always dominated nations, from the Greeks to the modern world, and America is not an exception, but never have the top one percent of oligarchs acted so aggressively against the interests of the people.
Since the end of WWII, America has been misdirected by its government controllers in the biggest way, and for the most evil designs. John F. Kennedy tried to change course, but he got shot in the head for it. It wasn’t pretty. Forty-seven years after his death, and there still isn’t any sense of national closure because his true murderers have not faced justice. In fact, they still rule America through the usual tricks of the trade: deception, secrecy, and fear. Largely unknown to them until now, the American people have suffered under a tyrannical and traitorous shadow corporate-state that killed their President, and which operates secretly behind a cowardly, and self-serving political class, in the name of “National Security.” High treason, war crimes, and state terror are the defining features of this “National Security State.” And it was created for purposes that are not much different from those of the Nazi regime; power, greed, and world domination for elite profits.
In short, America was covertly overthrown by a tight-knit group of criminal insiders. The coup happened in stages, and achieved through deception, assassination, and terrorism. The seminal dates are 1913, when the private Federal Reserve Bank was established; 1963, which saw the assassination of a real and independent president; and 2000, the beginning of the Bush Administration and the reign of the neoconservatives, who got into power by stealing the election.
From the fifties onward, with the honorable exception of John F. Kennedy’s brief reign as President, the American people have been treated as slaves, and held hostage by their much despised government, public representatives, and shadow rulers. No more a constitutional republic, America became a totalitarian “top secret” empire that is guilty of the invasion and occupation of two innocent countries in the Middle East, and is waging the largest illegal war in history, a “war on freedom” disguised as a “war on terrorism.”
Outlandish language like the “war on terrorism” is the norm in Orwellian America, where everything is the reverse of what government leaders say. The “Patriot Act” of 2001 is actually the “Traitor Act.” The war on terrorism is the war on freedom; the 9/11 investigation is the 9/11 cover up; Israel’s acts of self-defense are in reality acts of criminal aggression; the financial collapse is the financial heist and con; hope and change is more of the same; national security is national tyranny; a new world order is the last vestiges of an old world’s chaos. But the truth matters little, and instead, lies are cherished. Like sheep, the people are deceived into loving the traitors, and fearing the patriots.
Mass propaganda, secrecy, and deception are the linchpins of the NSS. The American people are denied the full knowledge of the shadow government’s crimes and lies, and since they lack foresight, knowledge of the past, and historical imagination, many of them can’t anticipate future deceptions, and future acts of state terror by their two-faced criminal leaders. But that is changing, as more people in America and around the world are waking up, and starting to see the great political crisis that hangs over America, and indeed, all of mankind.
The times we’re living in are so tense that I can hardly sleep at night. Civilization is threatened by the presence of lunatic criminals in the highest positions of power in America, England, Israel, and Iran. For Iranians, resisting the crazy Mullahs isn’t easy. And for Americans, resisting the Transnational Tyrannical State also won’t be easy. It has many resources, and lots of faithful idiots who don’t mind following orders.
It will require mass civil disobedience in America, and the threat of nation-wide citizen revolt, to get rid of the tyrants and traitors that are in the highest levels of the country’s government, banks, media, and corporations. To organize such a resistance not just in America, but in all Western nations, means dropping the labels of “conservative” and “liberal,” ignoring petty ideological differences, and sacrificing our individual egos for the greater good – a free country, and a free world. So far, very few groups have emerged with this view in mind. Oath Keepers is one of them. It is a bipartisan and patriotic organization that includes active-duty soldiers, veterans, National Guard, police officers, fire fighters, and regular citizens who are determined to take back America from the tyrants and traitors, and reestablish the republic on the ruins of a collapsing empire.
On April 19, 2009, members of the Oath Keepers commemorated the first revolutionary war by reciting their oath to support, and defend the Constitution, and promising to never obey unlawful orders. The video of them raising their hands, and declaring that they will follow their conscience, and protect the Constitution is very inspiring, and moving, which is why I was so angry when Mother Jones magazine sought to discredit, and tarnish the image of the Oath Keepers in an article written by Justine Sharrock called, “Oath Keepers and the Age of Treason.” In response to that article, I wrote “10 Reasons Why Progressives Should Support Oath Keepers.” Due to government brainwashing, some people actually need to be reminded that those who break their oaths are the traitors, and those who keep them are the patriots. You think it would be obvious. But it’s not. A lot of Americans are still in deep denial about the dangerous state of the country, and the criminality of their leaders who have betrayed them, and forsaken the grand experiment that is America.
In his classic book, “The Rape of the Mind” Dutch-American psychoanalyst Joost A.M. Meerloo wrote about the denial of hardcore facts in totalitarian societies:
“Modern psychology has taught us how strongly the mental mechanism of denial of reality works. The eye bypasses external occurrences when the mind does not want them to happen. Secondary justifications and fantasies are formed to support and explain these denials. In Totalitaria we find the same despising of reality facts as we do in schizophrenia. How else are we to explain the fact that Hitler was still moving his armies on paper after they were already defeated?”
The left-leaning individuals that fear, and hate the Oath Keepers because they are “conspiratorial,” and “intellectually backward” are either fools, or cowards. They view the Oath Keepers as “right-wing” who only want Obama out of the White House. But that’s not true. They are interested in fixing larger issues, and ending illegal spying, torture, and other government abuses which reflect the breakdown of the rule of law in Washington D.C. And they understand that both parties are responsible for the mess that America is in. Oath Keepers put the country and the constitution above any party or person. The group’s success is a strong indication that the traditional left-right identities are now meaningless. A significant number of Americans have acquired a new political consciousness that is surfacing in groups like Oath Keepers. They shun both the Democrats, and Republicans, and make room for small political disagreements because they care about reestablishing the rule of law, and saving the country. What matters to them is the truth, freedom, and justice; not petty partisan issues.
George Orwell recognized the lack of bleeding-heart patriotism in many leftist “yuppie” intellectuals not as a virtue, but a fault. In his essay “My Country Right or Left,” he wrote:
“I grew up in an atmosphere tinged with militarism, and afterwards I spent five boring years within the sound of bugles. To this day it gives me a faint feeling of sacrilege not to stand to attention during ‘God save the King.’ That is childish , of course, but I would sooner have had that kind of upbringing than be like the left-wing intellectuals who are so ‘enlightened’ that they cannot understand the most ordinary emotions. It is exactly the people whose hearts have never leapt at the sight of a Union Jack who will flinch from revolution when the moment comes,” (My Country Right or Left, Orwell’s Essays, pg. 137).
The conservatives who religiously supported President Bush even while the rest of the country saw him for the traitor that he is are probably the ones who will sacrifice themselves to save their country if, and when they wake up and realize that the real enemies of America are not in Afghanistan, or Iraq, or Iran, but in Washington, and Tel Aviv. They have a lot of passion in their hearts, and love their country. The problem is that they are politically dumb, and very gullible. But they are not hopeless. And neither are left-leaning progressives who like to demean traditional conservatives rather than understand their views. Both sides are victims of brainwashing, the conservatives are under the hypnosis of Fox News, and the progressives follow the Democrat party wherever it leads them.
I am optimistic that conservatives, progressives, libertarians, and independents will come together to form a wide political tent to help America ride the apocalyptic storm of economic collapse, foreign wars, and internal political turmoil. The American dream is worth saving. The Republic wasn’t perfect, but it beats tyranny, and anarchy. Freedom is worth fighting, and dying for. And after the war is won, once the new world order is defeated, when the songs of patriots are sung, and traitors hung, we can truly enjoy the gifts of this life. But not until then.
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Revolution Against Poverty
Do not expect to see these positive changes accomplished through the law, the political party, or the government. The revolution against poverty will not be carried by those who benefit from poverty, but from those who live in it. These plans of worker self-management will not be legislated and ordered; they will be organized and defended by the workers. Only those who have something to benefit from ending poverty can be expected to organize against it -- only the people, the common workers, suffer painfully for the social order they live in, and similarly, must be the ones who overthrow this system. If an economy based on peace and fairness dis empowers the few on top, then it must be the many on the bottom who make it a reality.
Some may suspect that my explanations are too simplistic to adequately describe all of the functions and motions of a real economy. This is true, but my purpose has not been to describe entire economy -- only the part of economics concerned with depressions and recessions within a market economy. The Atomic Theory, as complicated and involved as it may be, can be stated within only two or three sentences. And if the conclusions of Economics cannot reach such a perfect solution to human problems, it is because it is not in its scientific stage yet.
When looking at popular economics, which includes increasing or dropping interest rates on loans to get jobs, we see a contortionist; we see someone who will change and remold themselves to fit a bizarre form, just so that they can leave the system of Capitalism untouched. "Increase the interest rate during the boom, and it'll slow growth, and drop it during the bust, and it'll reduce the bust." It is such an indirect, distanced approach to the economy. And yet, it is the policy that has brought us to our current situation in global unemployment.
The public is often found asking, "But is this all that economics can be reduced to? Is it just increasing and dropping rates of interest on loans to industries? Is there no other outlook someone can take for guaranteeing jobs?" There are real options for improving the economy, like direct worker-management. But none of these are ever presented and discussed within the public sphere. The mere presence of such a thought is a threat to those who live off of the labor of others -- of those who experience mountains of wealth while the millions beg for jobs.
Such a revolution against poverty will resemble the Anarcho-Syndicalist Revolution in almost every respect. In terms of Anarchism, it will refuse the exploiters and murderers into our organizing efforts -- the struggle will not be waged by politicians, bankers, landlords, and presidents. The struggle will be carried by the common people. And in terms of Syndicalism, it will be the organization of the working class against the property-owning class. Its end, too, will similarly the management and ownership of businesses by the workers themselves.
Anarcho-Syndicalism provides the key, social organization to avoid depressions, as well as a plan of social organizing that fits the problems of Statist Capitalism. Worker self-management is an ideal economic organization, and all that is necessary to provide jobs in an economy. Proving this has been the purpose of this paper. But so far, it is has only been Anarchist Syndicalism that was able to make worker self-management a reality.
A revolutionary path is necessary. The cost of government, capitalism, and authority is poverty. And our masters will see that we pay it. It is not so much a problem of developing an economic theory that surpasses the plan of those in power; rather, it is a question of organizing the people so that they can become a threat to the system that starves their children.
Some may suspect that my explanations are too simplistic to adequately describe all of the functions and motions of a real economy. This is true, but my purpose has not been to describe entire economy -- only the part of economics concerned with depressions and recessions within a market economy. The Atomic Theory, as complicated and involved as it may be, can be stated within only two or three sentences. And if the conclusions of Economics cannot reach such a perfect solution to human problems, it is because it is not in its scientific stage yet.
When looking at popular economics, which includes increasing or dropping interest rates on loans to get jobs, we see a contortionist; we see someone who will change and remold themselves to fit a bizarre form, just so that they can leave the system of Capitalism untouched. "Increase the interest rate during the boom, and it'll slow growth, and drop it during the bust, and it'll reduce the bust." It is such an indirect, distanced approach to the economy. And yet, it is the policy that has brought us to our current situation in global unemployment.
The public is often found asking, "But is this all that economics can be reduced to? Is it just increasing and dropping rates of interest on loans to industries? Is there no other outlook someone can take for guaranteeing jobs?" There are real options for improving the economy, like direct worker-management. But none of these are ever presented and discussed within the public sphere. The mere presence of such a thought is a threat to those who live off of the labor of others -- of those who experience mountains of wealth while the millions beg for jobs.
Such a revolution against poverty will resemble the Anarcho-Syndicalist Revolution in almost every respect. In terms of Anarchism, it will refuse the exploiters and murderers into our organizing efforts -- the struggle will not be waged by politicians, bankers, landlords, and presidents. The struggle will be carried by the common people. And in terms of Syndicalism, it will be the organization of the working class against the property-owning class. Its end, too, will similarly the management and ownership of businesses by the workers themselves.
Anarcho-Syndicalism provides the key, social organization to avoid depressions, as well as a plan of social organizing that fits the problems of Statist Capitalism. Worker self-management is an ideal economic organization, and all that is necessary to provide jobs in an economy. Proving this has been the purpose of this paper. But so far, it is has only been Anarchist Syndicalism that was able to make worker self-management a reality.
A revolutionary path is necessary. The cost of government, capitalism, and authority is poverty. And our masters will see that we pay it. It is not so much a problem of developing an economic theory that surpasses the plan of those in power; rather, it is a question of organizing the people so that they can become a threat to the system that starves their children.
How to fix the Economy
To understand the economy, one must understand the concept of value. All of economics is the study of people thinking of their own self-interest, and then responding to it. It is how people interact with each other to satisfy their own personal desires; why someone chooses one job over another, one product over another, one investment over another. All of these actions drive back to how we understand the concept of trade value.
When an economy fails and jobs become rare, there is no inherent failure in humanity's productivity. Depressions do not happen because machines produce less, harvests bring less, and mines dry up. These are events that can both cause a boom or a bust in the economy. Overall, there has been no real connection between the productive output of the people and their wealth; there is no direct relationship between how much one produces and how much one receives.
For the surest proof of this, we know that a single person working today, with the aid of machinery, can produce a thousand times as much as anyone working three or four centuries ago. We know that the amount of food produced by a single working family has risen from enough to feed itself to enough to feed ten thousand. It is similarly a fact in manufacturing, mining, transportation, and all essential sectors of our economy. A person who is fired for "underproductivity" today is a thousand times more productive than the European peasant -- potentially they have better living conditions, but it is arguable how much better.
There are some economists who talk about improving the economy by "producing more," by "production and supply," by outworking our competitors. They must not have noticed that human, productive power has been exponentially increasing since 1800.
The question of unemployment does not rely on trends of technology, industrial development, or productive output. Rather, the question of unemployment relies on the human conception of value. Employment depends on two things: the person providing the employment, the capitalist proprietor, and the conditions which influence and effect the capitalist's decision-making. Such conditions include the public's buying patterns, which relies on the valuation of the workers-turned-into-consumers; and, similarly, the valuation of the employer in setting wages or prices enters into this equation, as well.
Overall, the real question is how human beings decide to value commodities; and then, how this relates to the workers and the bosses, those who labor and those who live off the labor of others.
The Marginal Theory of Utility provides us with an accurate understanding of how humans value commodities. Developed by William Stanley Jevons, Carl Menger, and Léon Walras, it is an economic outlook that balances quantity with quality. The more an individual possesses of a single product, the less enjoyment that individual gains from receiving an additional one of those products. If someone has a bowl of rice, and another person has fifty sacks of rice, which person would gain more pleasure from a pint of rice? It would certainly be the poorer of the two. As Jevons perfectly explained in 1860...
"One of the most important axioms is, that as the quantity of any commodity, for instance, plain food, which a man has to consume, increases, so the utility or benefit derived from the last portion used decreases in degree. The decrease in enjoyment between the beginning and the end of a meal may be taken as an example." [*1]
When it comes to seeking our own desire, we always come to the market, or some type of market; whether we are buying food or selling hours of labor. There are two trends of society's overall market that are easily noticeable: the boom and the bust. The boom occurs when the public's ability to consume and purchase more increases at a greater rate than the growth of new, luxury products and services to buy. The bust occurs when industries produce too much to satisfy human needs, the people cannot consume it all, and affected businesses lay off their employees. Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist and union organizer, clearly explained the latter...
"A panic comes, industry is paralyzed, because with machinery you can produce so much more than your paltry wage will allow you to consume. You make all things in great abundance, but you can not consume them. You can only consume that part of your product which your wage, the price of your labor power, will buy. If you cannot consume what you produce, it follows that in time there is bound to be overproduction, because the few capitalists cannot absorb the large surplus. The market is glutted, business comes to a standstill and mills and factories shut down. At such a time Chicago is hit, and hit hard; and you workingmen find yourselves out of employment, a drug on the market. Nobody wants your labor power, because it cannot be utilized at a profit to the capitalist who owns the tools, and when he cannot use your labor power at a satisfactory profit to himself he doesn't buy it." [*2]
The boom leads to the bust. An excess of consumption spending leads to new businesses, and new businesses lead to new employment. That means new capitalists and new profits, or at least, the same amount of capitalists with more profits. This means that a greater section of wealth is being channeled towards the pockets of a few -- whether they're "technically employed" CEO's or shareholders in a corporation. And the wealthy have a very low value of marginal utility. A house for a homeless family would be a home, but to a wealthy family, it would be a vacation home.
The boom leads to a situation where money starts to become idle. There is no use in extravagant spending on behalf of the high class, if they feel fully satisfied by their current consumption of the market's goods. This means that wealth piles up, in bank accounts, under beds, and in bonds, wherever, it amasses and withdraws from circulation. A slow, money starvation of the public. In this respect, the wealthy cannot do the one thing that would get the economy moving again: overconsume.
It is a monument not to the limits of human luxury, but to the ability of the people to produce more than their masters can eat. And, it is to our own detriment, because there is no use in feeding slaves, when they can offer no useful or productive work to their owner, since they already have everything that they need.
The boom leads to a bust: it leads to overproduction on the part of the workers, and underconsumption on their part as consumers. There are two interpretations of the cause: either, it is because the wealthy have no interest in consuming more of the market, thus leading to loss of industry and jobs. Or, it is because of the difference of the prices in stores versus the wages of the workers. Those who work and have very little would have every interest in spending their income on serving their personal needs, and maybe to even taste new types of luxury and art.
Those are the two things that might save a failing economy: if the wealthy would consume more, and spur on industry, or if the poor would earn more, and spur on industry. The wealthy have the power to consume, but they are too fully satisfied to take more; the workers have the desire to consume, but they are disempowered by economic exploitation and miserable wages. The boom leads to a bust, but the bust does not lead to a boom. Knowing the causes and the potential solutions of an economic depression, what is the ready and easy way to end it?
When an economy fails and jobs become rare, there is no inherent failure in humanity's productivity. Depressions do not happen because machines produce less, harvests bring less, and mines dry up. These are events that can both cause a boom or a bust in the economy. Overall, there has been no real connection between the productive output of the people and their wealth; there is no direct relationship between how much one produces and how much one receives.
For the surest proof of this, we know that a single person working today, with the aid of machinery, can produce a thousand times as much as anyone working three or four centuries ago. We know that the amount of food produced by a single working family has risen from enough to feed itself to enough to feed ten thousand. It is similarly a fact in manufacturing, mining, transportation, and all essential sectors of our economy. A person who is fired for "underproductivity" today is a thousand times more productive than the European peasant -- potentially they have better living conditions, but it is arguable how much better.
There are some economists who talk about improving the economy by "producing more," by "production and supply," by outworking our competitors. They must not have noticed that human, productive power has been exponentially increasing since 1800.
The question of unemployment does not rely on trends of technology, industrial development, or productive output. Rather, the question of unemployment relies on the human conception of value. Employment depends on two things: the person providing the employment, the capitalist proprietor, and the conditions which influence and effect the capitalist's decision-making. Such conditions include the public's buying patterns, which relies on the valuation of the workers-turned-into-consumers; and, similarly, the valuation of the employer in setting wages or prices enters into this equation, as well.
Overall, the real question is how human beings decide to value commodities; and then, how this relates to the workers and the bosses, those who labor and those who live off the labor of others.
The Marginal Theory of Utility provides us with an accurate understanding of how humans value commodities. Developed by William Stanley Jevons, Carl Menger, and Léon Walras, it is an economic outlook that balances quantity with quality. The more an individual possesses of a single product, the less enjoyment that individual gains from receiving an additional one of those products. If someone has a bowl of rice, and another person has fifty sacks of rice, which person would gain more pleasure from a pint of rice? It would certainly be the poorer of the two. As Jevons perfectly explained in 1860...
"One of the most important axioms is, that as the quantity of any commodity, for instance, plain food, which a man has to consume, increases, so the utility or benefit derived from the last portion used decreases in degree. The decrease in enjoyment between the beginning and the end of a meal may be taken as an example." [*1]
When it comes to seeking our own desire, we always come to the market, or some type of market; whether we are buying food or selling hours of labor. There are two trends of society's overall market that are easily noticeable: the boom and the bust. The boom occurs when the public's ability to consume and purchase more increases at a greater rate than the growth of new, luxury products and services to buy. The bust occurs when industries produce too much to satisfy human needs, the people cannot consume it all, and affected businesses lay off their employees. Eugene V. Debs, the Socialist and union organizer, clearly explained the latter...
"A panic comes, industry is paralyzed, because with machinery you can produce so much more than your paltry wage will allow you to consume. You make all things in great abundance, but you can not consume them. You can only consume that part of your product which your wage, the price of your labor power, will buy. If you cannot consume what you produce, it follows that in time there is bound to be overproduction, because the few capitalists cannot absorb the large surplus. The market is glutted, business comes to a standstill and mills and factories shut down. At such a time Chicago is hit, and hit hard; and you workingmen find yourselves out of employment, a drug on the market. Nobody wants your labor power, because it cannot be utilized at a profit to the capitalist who owns the tools, and when he cannot use your labor power at a satisfactory profit to himself he doesn't buy it." [*2]
The boom leads to the bust. An excess of consumption spending leads to new businesses, and new businesses lead to new employment. That means new capitalists and new profits, or at least, the same amount of capitalists with more profits. This means that a greater section of wealth is being channeled towards the pockets of a few -- whether they're "technically employed" CEO's or shareholders in a corporation. And the wealthy have a very low value of marginal utility. A house for a homeless family would be a home, but to a wealthy family, it would be a vacation home.
The boom leads to a situation where money starts to become idle. There is no use in extravagant spending on behalf of the high class, if they feel fully satisfied by their current consumption of the market's goods. This means that wealth piles up, in bank accounts, under beds, and in bonds, wherever, it amasses and withdraws from circulation. A slow, money starvation of the public. In this respect, the wealthy cannot do the one thing that would get the economy moving again: overconsume.
It is a monument not to the limits of human luxury, but to the ability of the people to produce more than their masters can eat. And, it is to our own detriment, because there is no use in feeding slaves, when they can offer no useful or productive work to their owner, since they already have everything that they need.
The boom leads to a bust: it leads to overproduction on the part of the workers, and underconsumption on their part as consumers. There are two interpretations of the cause: either, it is because the wealthy have no interest in consuming more of the market, thus leading to loss of industry and jobs. Or, it is because of the difference of the prices in stores versus the wages of the workers. Those who work and have very little would have every interest in spending their income on serving their personal needs, and maybe to even taste new types of luxury and art.
Those are the two things that might save a failing economy: if the wealthy would consume more, and spur on industry, or if the poor would earn more, and spur on industry. The wealthy have the power to consume, but they are too fully satisfied to take more; the workers have the desire to consume, but they are disempowered by economic exploitation and miserable wages. The boom leads to a bust, but the bust does not lead to a boom. Knowing the causes and the potential solutions of an economic depression, what is the ready and easy way to end it?
Sunday, July 18, 2010
USA
In U.S., A's for apathy
Not bullshit democracy
Red white and blue is all you see
But does it mean you're really free?
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy
They tell us how to act and be
Well what they meant was slavery
With standards and authority
How can you think you're really free?
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy
Do what you want be what you be
Don't fall for their hypocrisy
Open you mind! Wake up and see!
True freedom is anarchy!
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy!
Not bullshit democracy
Red white and blue is all you see
But does it mean you're really free?
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy
They tell us how to act and be
Well what they meant was slavery
With standards and authority
How can you think you're really free?
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy
Do what you want be what you be
Don't fall for their hypocrisy
Open you mind! Wake up and see!
True freedom is anarchy!
In U.S., A's for anarchy
Not bullshit democracy
I want total liberty
I want peace and anarchy!
Race Relations
With the election of a Black President, race relations in America have not gotten better. As I see it race relations have gotten worse because you have groups like the Tea Party who hold all of their angry in. Also, the President has not done enough it seems like he is running away from the topic of race. With the lack of a open dialogue no change regarding race will come, as a nation we need to drop all of ours old beliefs about race. We need to grad the bull by horns and start making things work. Race has always been a big problem in America because some of us don't want to give up ideals that don't work. We have tried things like: summits, book tours, starting hate groups, no of the stuff does not work. This is my plan when it comes to race. Everybody needs to focus on the present day not the past, if you dwell in the past you are making your self even madder. So, if we all drop race as a topic and move on some progress will occur. So, if you tell yourself at night you believe in god so it because god wanted us all equal. For each race their are some things that need to be down for Whites drop being the top dog because you put a target on your back. Their is no master race take a look around the times have changed. For Black we need to come together drop the Uncle tom B.S. because if you are thriving their is no need for hate. Also, Blacks enjoy being in your skin that is who god made you enjoy it. For the Latinos, their is no need for you to say you are entitled to everything, work hard and it may come to you. This piece is to start a dialogue that is long over do. I also, believe if we don't fix the problem of race the next generations will have more hate in their hearts, because our parents did nothing. This is a problem the affects everyone get up and do something. The do nothings you are just holding all of us back we want to move forward and look back and say their is no more racism in America because we are a body of one.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Arizona and racism
A new law was approved in Arizona last May that will make it legal for police to pull over anyone whom they believe to be an illegal immigrant, based only on what they look like. Should the accused not have proper identification, they can be arrested and subsequently deported.
This law, in theory, should help slow the number of immigrants that come illegally to Arizona, and that should help stop the loss of jobs to the undocumented. Unfortunately that is not the case. This law will not stop immigrants from coming, and if anything, they will choose other states close to the Mexico-America border to cross in to.
This is clearly racially charged. How many illegal immigrants from Canada or European countries will be stopped? None. This law is only going to lead to authorities in Arizona pulling over those whom they simply think are from Mexico or other countries south of the border. This is a purely racist law.
To add to the wildfire of controversy in Arizona, teachers with accents can no longer teach English there. In theory, this is a decent law. Students in ESL or other English courses should have the best experience possible when learning English. Sadly this could lead to qualified instructors from other countries, or those who were raised in a home with a language other than English, being given the boot in favor of less-than-capable instructors who speak with an "American" accent.
On top of that, there is now a law that will prohibit the teaching of ethnic studies. These studies are defined as those which "promote the overthrow of the US government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group, and advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."
This new legislation would be great if there were a problem in Arizona school districts with schools teaching classes in anarchy or racism. This is not the case. This law is aimed clearly at the Mexican-American studies programs that afforded students the opportunity to learn about the history and literature of another culture.
How is any of this fair? How can racial profiling be allowed? How can teachers be targeted for not speaking English like Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer? How can you cancel a program that taught students about a culture other than their own?
It is pure racism. It is wrong. Arizona needs to change these policies if it ever wants to regain the respect of the people. No American citizen or illegal immigrant should sit back and let this happen. Everyone needs to get up and voice their concerns over these new, terrible laws. It could only be a matter of time before other states decide to adopt these laws as well.
Be smart, write to your representative and tell them how you feel. Tell them to make sure this does not happen in your state. Don't let years of work done by great civil rights advocates go to waste just because of racist Arizona laws.
America is a country founded on immigration. To go after illegal immigrants in such a way as this is wrong. To prohibit teaching of ethnic studies is a stab at freedom of speech, and blurs the line between the Arizona government and the Nazi's silencing the Jewish people.
This law, in theory, should help slow the number of immigrants that come illegally to Arizona, and that should help stop the loss of jobs to the undocumented. Unfortunately that is not the case. This law will not stop immigrants from coming, and if anything, they will choose other states close to the Mexico-America border to cross in to.
This is clearly racially charged. How many illegal immigrants from Canada or European countries will be stopped? None. This law is only going to lead to authorities in Arizona pulling over those whom they simply think are from Mexico or other countries south of the border. This is a purely racist law.
To add to the wildfire of controversy in Arizona, teachers with accents can no longer teach English there. In theory, this is a decent law. Students in ESL or other English courses should have the best experience possible when learning English. Sadly this could lead to qualified instructors from other countries, or those who were raised in a home with a language other than English, being given the boot in favor of less-than-capable instructors who speak with an "American" accent.
On top of that, there is now a law that will prohibit the teaching of ethnic studies. These studies are defined as those which "promote the overthrow of the US government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group, and advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals."
This new legislation would be great if there were a problem in Arizona school districts with schools teaching classes in anarchy or racism. This is not the case. This law is aimed clearly at the Mexican-American studies programs that afforded students the opportunity to learn about the history and literature of another culture.
How is any of this fair? How can racial profiling be allowed? How can teachers be targeted for not speaking English like Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer? How can you cancel a program that taught students about a culture other than their own?
It is pure racism. It is wrong. Arizona needs to change these policies if it ever wants to regain the respect of the people. No American citizen or illegal immigrant should sit back and let this happen. Everyone needs to get up and voice their concerns over these new, terrible laws. It could only be a matter of time before other states decide to adopt these laws as well.
Be smart, write to your representative and tell them how you feel. Tell them to make sure this does not happen in your state. Don't let years of work done by great civil rights advocates go to waste just because of racist Arizona laws.
America is a country founded on immigration. To go after illegal immigrants in such a way as this is wrong. To prohibit teaching of ethnic studies is a stab at freedom of speech, and blurs the line between the Arizona government and the Nazi's silencing the Jewish people.
Alcohol
If you take a look around at your grocery store, you will find that the price of alcohol has been raised by 5 percent. With the raise of price of alcohol is the government's way to keep the poor in check. Let me go in more, alcohol is a virus put here by the government to dumb us down. It you are drunk your mind is gone and the government can control you. also, take a look at welfare most of the people on welfare spend about 50 dollars a week on alcohol. If we as a nation stop drinking so much we can gain back some of our freedoms. we have to start thinking more about the nation as a whole over the thought of just me. Selfless thinking creates more people who need alcohol, beware of what is going on. don't be fooled by the fools that tell you it is all about a good time. Stop drinking heavy and start thinking heavy. It is about time to realize that the poison is doing nothing for us.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Overton Window
At any given moment the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, with “acceptable” defined as something a politician can recommend without being considered too “extreme” or outside the mainstream to gain or keep public office. Overton arranged the spectrum on a vertical axis with policies defined as “more free” at the top and “less free” at the bottom, where “free” is defined as less subject to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, it means that ideas previously not considered politically acceptable have become so, and possibly that ideas previously considered acceptable are no longer.
The degrees of acceptance[3] of public ideas can be described roughly as:
Unthinkable
Radical
Acceptable
Sensible
Popular
Policy
The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable.
Other formulations of the process created after Overton's death add the concept of moving the window by deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas[4]. That makes those old fringe ideas look less extreme, and thereby acceptable. The idea is that priming the public with fringe ideas intended to be and remain unacceptable, will make the real target ideas seem more acceptable by comparison.
The degrees of acceptance[3] of public ideas can be described roughly as:
Unthinkable
Radical
Acceptable
Sensible
Popular
Policy
The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable.
Other formulations of the process created after Overton's death add the concept of moving the window by deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas[4]. That makes those old fringe ideas look less extreme, and thereby acceptable. The idea is that priming the public with fringe ideas intended to be and remain unacceptable, will make the real target ideas seem more acceptable by comparison.
Tricks
Obama is still an imperialist! This would mean that real change would be the end to the oppressive imperialistic. Capitalist system, however Obama has fooled the weak. He said he is not like the other politician's , that he was different. To my eyes he is no different because he still upholds everything that is wrong with this nation. No change has came, open your eyes no change will come, all politician's are doing is moving the Overton window. Don't be a fool start your change fuck all of these fucks in D.C. I will be here without, I am stronger without leave me alone. Fix shit or just shut the fuck up, the time has come open your minds or the weak shall die. Don't believe the hype that is on Fox news, CNN ,MSNBC because they are all liars and it is there job to keep you from realizing what the fuck is really going on. Deep down in your hearts you know that this world has rapidly became fucked up, it did not start over night. Learn from history or we will be doomed like the ones in the past. Face the facts or the writings on the wall, however you look at it changes has to happen, and the ones to do it will be us. No one is out there wanting to help because the gain nothing, but we will gain everything once the game is over. Start the change turn off the news fuck Obama and everybody else in D.C. the people united will never be tricked again.
Ham on Rye
There was nothing really as glorious as a good beer shit- I mean after drinking twenty or twenty-five beers the night before. the odor of a beer shit like that spread all around and stayed for a good hour- and -a-half. It made you realize that you were really alive.
Charles Bukowski
Charles Bukowski
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Boombox 7-6-10
The Cramps - Surfin' Bird
Slickee Boys - "Jailbait Janet"
the DILS - class war
The Weirdos - Destroy All Music
Rik L Rik Atomic Lawn
The Simpletones - I Like Drugs
Wipers - Born With A Curse
Slickee Boys - "Jailbait Janet"
the DILS - class war
The Weirdos - Destroy All Music
Rik L Rik Atomic Lawn
The Simpletones - I Like Drugs
Wipers - Born With A Curse
No more free speech on the net
Type the keywords “Internet censorship” into Google News and you will immediately understand to what degree the world wide web is under assault from attempts by governments globally to regulate and stifle free speech. From Australia to Belarus, from Turkey to Vietnam, from Pakistan to Egypt, from Afghanistan to Iran, huge chunks of the Internet are going dark as the Chinese model of Internet regulation is adopted worldwide.
But why should Americans concern themselves with countries halfway across the globe adopting Chinese-style net censorship? Because under Senator Joe Lieberman’s 197-page Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, the United States would formally mimic China’s “great firewall” of web censorship.
When Lieberman himself attempted to debunk claims that the bill provides Obama, and any following President for that matter, with a figurative ‘kill switch’ to disable certain parts of the Internet, he explained that the government was merely seeking to emulate powers over the Internet already enjoyed by the Communist Chinese.
Firstly, despite Lieberman’s spin, the text of the bill clearly gives Obama the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight.
Secondly, and even more alarmingly, Lieberman’s acknowledgement that the United States is seeking to emulate China’s policies on Internet control confirm that the entire cybersecurity agenda is primarily concerned with silencing political opposition to the state, since this factor completely dominates the Chinese model which Lieberman openly invokes as the ultimate goal of cybersecurity.
China’s vice-like grip over its Internet systems has very little to do with “cybersecurity” and everything to do with silencing all dissent against the state.
Chinese Internet censorship is imposed via a centralized government blacklist of any websites that contain criticism of the state, porn, or any other content deemed unsuitable by the authorities. Every time you attempt to visit a website, you are re-routed through the government firewall, often making for long delays and crippling speeds.
China has exercised its power to shut down the Internet, something that Lieberman wants to introduce in the U.S., at politically sensitive times in order to stem the flow of information about government abuse and atrocities. During the anti-government riots which occurred in July 2009, the Chinese government completely shut down the Internet across the entire northwestern region of Xinjiang for days. In several regions, the authorities completely cut off the Internet for nearly a year, with many areas only now slowly starting to come back online. Major news and discussion portals used by the Muslim Uighurs in the area remain blocked. Similarly, Internet access in parts of Tibet is routinely restricted as part of government efforts to pre-empt and neutralize unrest.
Major websites like Twitter, Google and You Tube have also been shut down either temporarily or permanently by Chinese authorities.
News websites in China now require users to register their true identities in order to leave comments. This abolition of anonymity is used to chill free speech in that it prevents the user from engaging in criticism of the state for fear that they would be tracked down by authorities.
Chinese authorities are now going further than merely maintaining a “blacklist” of banned websites by instituting a “whitelist” of allowed websites, a move that “could potentially place much of the Internet off-limits to Chinese readers”. Websites not pre-registered with the government would be completely blocked to all Internet users, meaning “millions of completely innocuous sites” would be banned. This equates to requiring government approval to set up a website, which would obviously not be granted if the person or organization making the application has a history of or is likely to engage in dissent against the state.
President Obama himself has criticized Chinese Internet censorship as a hindrance to the free flow of information and allowing citizens to hold their governments accountable, and yet Lieberman wants to hand Obama similar powers.
The model Lieberman has identified as the goal of cybersecurity is centered around keeping people oppressed by eliminating any means of widespread dissent and preventing people from organizing politically. It has nothing to do with providing security against foreign hackers and terrorists and everything to do with strangling free speech critical of the state.
However, this is not merely a war on free speech, it’s a war on Internet anonymity. Even if the government shuts down portions of the web, new networks are guaranteed to pop up to take their place. Indeed, as people who have attempted to downplay concerns about the ‘kill switch’ have rightly pointed out, Obama could already attempt to shut down the Internet using the Communications Act, the PCNAA legislation merely codifies this power formally into law.
The real threat posed by the wider cybersecurity agenda is the implementation of an individual identity system for all Internet users. This is what was proposed by Obama’s cybersecurity co-ordinator Howard Schmidt in a paper compiled with the aid of the National Security Council.
The strategy revolves around, “The creation of a system for identity management that would allow citizens to use additional authentication techniques, such as physical tokens or modules on mobile phones, to verify who they are before buying things online or accessing such sensitive information as health or banking records,” reports the FInancial Times.
Only with this government-issued “token” will Internet users be allowed to “able to move from website to website,” a system not too far removed from what China proposed and rejected for being too authoritarian.
So in this sense, the cybersecurity agenda will ensure a world wide web even more draconian than the Chinese model, where the threat of the government identifying individuals, now that anonymity is removed, who engage in “hate speech” critical of the government and revoking their license to use the Internet, will inevitably chill free speech from the very outset.
To trust the federal government with the power to regulate free speech by means of a licensing system for the Internet and not expect the state to abuse such power is the height of stupidity. Cass Sunstein, Obama’s information czar, openly wrote in a 2008 paper of his desire to combat “conspiracy theories” (ie any information communicated primarily through the Internet which represents a threat to the image of the state) by empowering the government to tax or even ban outright opinions of which it disapproves. This is what cybersecurity is all about, eliminating the voices of the oppressed as big government seeks to quicken its takeover of America with the aid of silent obedience.
The cybersecurity assault on the Internet is also dovetailed with an attack from a slightly different angle. Numerous private networks, from transport hubs, to libraries, to universities, to federal government agencies have installed filters that censor political websites which engage in the “hate speech” of dissenting against the state. Since the entire Internet consists of a fusion of privately-owned networks controlled by corporations such as Verizon, AT&T and Qwest, how long before such filters are standardized?
Lieberman’s kill switch bill and the broader cybersecurity agenda has little to do with over hyped threats from foreign hackers and terrorists and everything to do with placing a muzzle on the last outpost of true free speech – the Internet. The state wants to turn the world wide web into a clone of cable television, a sterile medium controlled almost entirely by mega corporations and regulated by FCC bureaucracy and red tape. Your political blog, no matter how many millions of readers it has the potential to attract, has no place in this newly regulated Internet police state.
Tale action – call your Senator and demand that they vote against Lieberman’s Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, or kiss your right to unrestricted, unregulated, and anonymous free speech on the Internet goodbye. The bill has already been approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and is now awaiting a vote by the full Senate.
But why should Americans concern themselves with countries halfway across the globe adopting Chinese-style net censorship? Because under Senator Joe Lieberman’s 197-page Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, the United States would formally mimic China’s “great firewall” of web censorship.
When Lieberman himself attempted to debunk claims that the bill provides Obama, and any following President for that matter, with a figurative ‘kill switch’ to disable certain parts of the Internet, he explained that the government was merely seeking to emulate powers over the Internet already enjoyed by the Communist Chinese.
Firstly, despite Lieberman’s spin, the text of the bill clearly gives Obama the power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight.
Secondly, and even more alarmingly, Lieberman’s acknowledgement that the United States is seeking to emulate China’s policies on Internet control confirm that the entire cybersecurity agenda is primarily concerned with silencing political opposition to the state, since this factor completely dominates the Chinese model which Lieberman openly invokes as the ultimate goal of cybersecurity.
China’s vice-like grip over its Internet systems has very little to do with “cybersecurity” and everything to do with silencing all dissent against the state.
Chinese Internet censorship is imposed via a centralized government blacklist of any websites that contain criticism of the state, porn, or any other content deemed unsuitable by the authorities. Every time you attempt to visit a website, you are re-routed through the government firewall, often making for long delays and crippling speeds.
China has exercised its power to shut down the Internet, something that Lieberman wants to introduce in the U.S., at politically sensitive times in order to stem the flow of information about government abuse and atrocities. During the anti-government riots which occurred in July 2009, the Chinese government completely shut down the Internet across the entire northwestern region of Xinjiang for days. In several regions, the authorities completely cut off the Internet for nearly a year, with many areas only now slowly starting to come back online. Major news and discussion portals used by the Muslim Uighurs in the area remain blocked. Similarly, Internet access in parts of Tibet is routinely restricted as part of government efforts to pre-empt and neutralize unrest.
Major websites like Twitter, Google and You Tube have also been shut down either temporarily or permanently by Chinese authorities.
News websites in China now require users to register their true identities in order to leave comments. This abolition of anonymity is used to chill free speech in that it prevents the user from engaging in criticism of the state for fear that they would be tracked down by authorities.
Chinese authorities are now going further than merely maintaining a “blacklist” of banned websites by instituting a “whitelist” of allowed websites, a move that “could potentially place much of the Internet off-limits to Chinese readers”. Websites not pre-registered with the government would be completely blocked to all Internet users, meaning “millions of completely innocuous sites” would be banned. This equates to requiring government approval to set up a website, which would obviously not be granted if the person or organization making the application has a history of or is likely to engage in dissent against the state.
President Obama himself has criticized Chinese Internet censorship as a hindrance to the free flow of information and allowing citizens to hold their governments accountable, and yet Lieberman wants to hand Obama similar powers.
The model Lieberman has identified as the goal of cybersecurity is centered around keeping people oppressed by eliminating any means of widespread dissent and preventing people from organizing politically. It has nothing to do with providing security against foreign hackers and terrorists and everything to do with strangling free speech critical of the state.
However, this is not merely a war on free speech, it’s a war on Internet anonymity. Even if the government shuts down portions of the web, new networks are guaranteed to pop up to take their place. Indeed, as people who have attempted to downplay concerns about the ‘kill switch’ have rightly pointed out, Obama could already attempt to shut down the Internet using the Communications Act, the PCNAA legislation merely codifies this power formally into law.
The real threat posed by the wider cybersecurity agenda is the implementation of an individual identity system for all Internet users. This is what was proposed by Obama’s cybersecurity co-ordinator Howard Schmidt in a paper compiled with the aid of the National Security Council.
The strategy revolves around, “The creation of a system for identity management that would allow citizens to use additional authentication techniques, such as physical tokens or modules on mobile phones, to verify who they are before buying things online or accessing such sensitive information as health or banking records,” reports the FInancial Times.
Only with this government-issued “token” will Internet users be allowed to “able to move from website to website,” a system not too far removed from what China proposed and rejected for being too authoritarian.
So in this sense, the cybersecurity agenda will ensure a world wide web even more draconian than the Chinese model, where the threat of the government identifying individuals, now that anonymity is removed, who engage in “hate speech” critical of the government and revoking their license to use the Internet, will inevitably chill free speech from the very outset.
To trust the federal government with the power to regulate free speech by means of a licensing system for the Internet and not expect the state to abuse such power is the height of stupidity. Cass Sunstein, Obama’s information czar, openly wrote in a 2008 paper of his desire to combat “conspiracy theories” (ie any information communicated primarily through the Internet which represents a threat to the image of the state) by empowering the government to tax or even ban outright opinions of which it disapproves. This is what cybersecurity is all about, eliminating the voices of the oppressed as big government seeks to quicken its takeover of America with the aid of silent obedience.
The cybersecurity assault on the Internet is also dovetailed with an attack from a slightly different angle. Numerous private networks, from transport hubs, to libraries, to universities, to federal government agencies have installed filters that censor political websites which engage in the “hate speech” of dissenting against the state. Since the entire Internet consists of a fusion of privately-owned networks controlled by corporations such as Verizon, AT&T and Qwest, how long before such filters are standardized?
Lieberman’s kill switch bill and the broader cybersecurity agenda has little to do with over hyped threats from foreign hackers and terrorists and everything to do with placing a muzzle on the last outpost of true free speech – the Internet. The state wants to turn the world wide web into a clone of cable television, a sterile medium controlled almost entirely by mega corporations and regulated by FCC bureaucracy and red tape. Your political blog, no matter how many millions of readers it has the potential to attract, has no place in this newly regulated Internet police state.
Tale action – call your Senator and demand that they vote against Lieberman’s Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act, or kiss your right to unrestricted, unregulated, and anonymous free speech on the Internet goodbye. The bill has already been approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and is now awaiting a vote by the full Senate.
Work
Do you have to be happy that you have a job? I say fuck that, when you think that way it makes you seem weak. Your employer can see that and they will screw you. In these days hard work does not pay off, jobs have became too political. The politics of the job screws the hard workers and the ones who run their mouths will get the raise. I say that we as a nation have to go back to the old school way of work. This means that if you work your ass off you get the credit fuck the dick head boss. Giving the correct credit is key because it makes your employees feel good, stop riding employees who get the job done that brings down the whole vibe of the company. Make work fun again then employees will show up more often. Those are a couple of things that I see that needs changing in the workplace. It all starts with top and works it's self down the ladder.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
soul's pulse
Everyone gives into the pleasures of life, and in doing so, those people recognize their faults. When gauging those faults and disengaging bad tendencies the pathway to improvement is humility. The answers are bigger than you and me, so find your soul's pulse
Be 5 (Outlook)
In search for inner peace, problems arise that disrupt the harmony of our lives. We strive to balance ourselves and strengthen our weakness. With the faith to believe a higher power will guide your footsteps, one must be love and portray love. When burdens disrupt our course, we must bear their influence. We also must beware of the dangers of life, for kindness can be mistaken for weakness.... Ultimately no matter what race, color, or creed be 5 is all we anyone needs
The Be 5 Self help movement
Balance : The power and authority to decide and determine proportion toward mental, physical and emotional strength.
Believe: to accept as true or real trusting existing faith with confidence.
Beloved: One great love in symmetry with being greatly loved.
Bear: To endure, mange and withstand the burdens of life with direction towards progress.
Beware: To be cautious or wary of imperative danger.
Believe: to accept as true or real trusting existing faith with confidence.
Beloved: One great love in symmetry with being greatly loved.
Bear: To endure, mange and withstand the burdens of life with direction towards progress.
Beware: To be cautious or wary of imperative danger.
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