Given how the world works, I find it hard to believe that Canada is taking a principled stand on human rights in Saudi Arabia. Western democracies certainly try to own the rhetoric when it comes to democracy, peace, and freedom – but their realpolitik is quite similar to the nations
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Dead Wild Roses: A Top 10 List For Dismantling American Empire – Chalmers Johnson
Chalmers Johnson wrote this piece for Tom’s Dispatch in 2009. I think the prescription remains as accurate, perhaps even more so in today, as we witness the untrammelled bellicose behaviour of the US on the international stage. The interesting part of the current republican administration’s method is that, in fact,
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Trump’s “Infrastructure” Plan Pump Up the Pentagon By William D. Hartung
Why would rational people choose the least efficient method of priming the economic pump? I’m sure it has much to do with making the the correct people and factions in society benefit from the policies put in place. The notion of the ‘public good’ seems almost a quaint notion in
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Paul Street – What Goes Around – Trampling the Helpless Abroad
The conclusion of Paul Street’s essay is important in naming the situation the US currently inhabits. “You cannot maintain democracy at home while conducting an authoritarian empire abroad” is the idea that lies at the bottom of the problems plaguing the United States. The notion that there are people, by
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Great Western Narrative – What’s Keeping You Obedient and Passive
Jonathan Cook writes poignantly about the media situation a that is imposed on the West. The prism from which we view things, at the very base, is a flawed interpretation of the world. Obedience to the dominant hierarchy is expertly camouflaged within a supposedly free and democratic society. The question
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Peace Just Isn’t Profitable – America Arms Dealer to the World – William D. Hartung
Why do we act surprised when areas of the world erupt into bloody vicious conflict. We are shocked at the intensity and absolute disregard for human life. Yet how do the ‘bad guys’ get access to all these calamitous weapons? We sell them. We sell a whole bunch of
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Spheres of Influence; Human Lives – Syria Teaches Us What is Important
The parochial attitude of North Americans is quite disturbing, and unjustified. We have unparalleled access to information and news from across the globe and by this feature alone we should be attuned to the plight of others and the injustice in the world. Yet, most of us are not.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: “Cool Even Handed Statesmanship”
We’re playing with nuclear fire. Hell, we’re doing a fire dance with twirling batons ablaze in a fireworks factory. This all started after the US nuked Japan in 1945. Since then, we’ve just been piling more fireworks around the fire dancers and giving the dancers bigger batons to twirl. There
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: The Nuclear Posture Review and You.
I’m reassured with the knowledge that a small legion of smart people are actively planning the demise of civilization and the majority of human life here on Earth. I’m thinking that these people need to be called the Fermi Corps because they are actively trying to prove Fermi’s Paradox and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Why Was Greece So Brutalized By Their ‘Bailout’?
The tortures that the Grecian people are being subjected to by the neo-liberal institutions of Europe (European Commission, European Central Bank and IMF) are unnecessarily brutal and threaten to unravel the fabric of their society. We can learn what is in store for other nations that dare to act against
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: A Disassociated Public Guarantees a Generational War
If democracy is to be a useful concept for our future generations one aspect that is necessarily going to have to change is the level of engagement people have toward their political system. What is in play now is a plutocratic distortion of what representative government is supposed to look
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: When The Earth is an Easy Bake Oven – A Few Words to Fry By…
Our actions are causing the earth to warm. This is easy slam dunk science. Yet somehow the leader of the free world didn’t get the memo. Michael Klare writes: “In energy terms, what does dominant mean in practice? For President Trump and his cohorts, it means above all the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: 10 Seconds Could Save Many Lives…
I think, perhaps, the American public – so disassociated with what democracy actually is – has already begun the labourious task of wallpapering over the elephant in the room. http://appropriately-inappropriate.tumblr.com/post/170959554865/saphire-dance-my-kid-is-in-middle-school-and Is there a more obvious example of how undemocratic a supposedly democratic national is (hmm..18 years of being at war
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Poverty is An Acceptable Outcome – Political Realities in the US.
An excerpt from Kennith Surin’s Essay, “Poverty American Style”. There are not many aspects and norms that are left to chance in society. The norms we accept, the ‘common knowledge’ we are all expected to understand, and “the way things are” are all socially constructed choices. The decision whether to
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Possible Paths to Solutions on the Korean Peninsula – By Rajan Menon
Menon’s arguments are quite rational, but with the current American Republican Administration having rational arguments doesn’t count for much. “Here’s a prerequisite for avoiding war in Korea: stop believing in the North’s denuclearization, attractive and desirable as it might be (if achieved through diplomacy). It doesn’t follow, however, that
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Looking Back – Why Didn’t Obama Fix the System and Help the Working Class?
Now that we’re in the era of the 45th republican administration the battles we fight are more basic. Defending basic rights of people and defending the societal institutions that promote equality in society. That is where we are now. But back in the first term of the Obama presidency he
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: What Happens When you Run Out of Quick to Cut? – The Republican Tax Cut to the Rich
The adage that says ‘a capitalism will sell you the rope to hang him with’ comes to mind while reviewing the latest round of Feed the Rich that is going in in the United States. It is frightening the pace at which the plutocrats are lining their pockets and
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: United Nations Rejects US Unilateralism on Jerusalem.
The United Nations is a marginalized entity, like the League of Nations, it was formed with the idea that humanity, as a species can do better than just sit within our imaginary borders and fling poo (sometimes thermonuclear) at each other. It’s a noble and nice idea. And that’s about
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: US Actions in Israel – A Logical Extension Policy
The latest uproar from the Trumpian led Republican Administration down South: ” -Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday and announced plans to relocate the US Embassy there, a move expected to inflame tensions in the region and unsettle the prospects for peace.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Just A Friendly Reminder – Fight for Net Neutrality
The fight to maintain Net Neutrality has been raging. You have not heard about it because it is not in the big companies interests for you to know about it. Think it isn’t a big deal? Please partake in the observed behaviour of said companies and remind yourself that these
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