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1. A Growing Trend of Leaving America : Jay Tolson, US News

2. Can This Planet Be Saved? : Paul Krugman, NYT

3. Afghanistan: Shoals Ahead for President Obama : Immanuel Wallerstein, Agence Global

4. Wrong on Afghanistan : Patrick Seale, Agence Global

5. Beware: ‘Machine Zone’ Ahead : Natasha Dow Schüll, Washington Post

6. Ultimatum to the GOP : Robert D. Novak, Washington Post

7. Disaster Capitalism, State of Extortion : Naomi Klein, The Nation



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Salvador Allende and Hugo Chavez: Similarities and Differences on the “National Road to Socialism”

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By James Petras

I have known and advised three left wing presidents including President Papandreou (Greece 1981-85), President Salvador Allende of Chile (1970-73) and President Hugo Chavez.

Prof. Petras on Venezuelan TV 2008

Picture: Prof. Petras in a recent interview on Venezuelan TV, 2008. Some of his recent interviews on Venezuelan Media can be viewed here (Spanish).

Both Allende and Chavez share many strategic goals and embrace policies favoring the working class, peasantry and the urban poor. They also pursued programs regaining national control over the strategic sectors of the economy, redistributing land (agrarian reform), reallocating budgetary expenditures in favor of social programs for the poor and pursuing independent anti-imperialist foreign policies.

In broad historical and sociological terms, they also share a common belief in constitutional, electoral processes, in a multi-party system, a mixed economy and independent trade unions, business and civic associations.

Despite the convergences and similarities between Allende and Chave, there are important political differences, which account for their different trajectories. Chavez proceeded toward political change before undertaking a deep socio-economic structural transformatio, thus creating a solid constitutional and political framework. Allende, on the other hand, accepted the existing political system and proceeded to implement radical socio-economic changes. As a result, Allende constantly faced political blockages, institutional obstacles that limited his capacity to realize the full potential of the structural changes. In contrast, Chavez’ political reforms led to the compatibility between political institutions and socio-economic change - minimizing opposition obstructionism.

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Americans Are Living (And Dying) In A Militarized Police State

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By Dave Gibson

It would seem that our police officers are being readied for war, with the American public as the enemy. In the last several years, there has been a transformation from community policing to pre-emptive assaults.

The American police stateToday, police departments across the United States more closely resemble an occupying army than they do public servants responding to calls for help. Police officers can now be seen wearing helmets and body armor and carrying AR-15’s, just to deliver simple warrants. The militarization of our police departments not only gives the appearance of a military dictatorship but places the public at great risk.

No less than 70 percent of U.S. cities now have SWAT teams. In cities with a population of 50,000 or more, 90 percent have SWAT teams.

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Reverend Jeremiah Wright: Religious Freedom Versus State Religion, Ethics, Politics and Strategy

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By James Petras

Reverend Jeremiah Wright: Religious Freedom Versus State Religion, Ethics, Politics and Strategy

Picture: The esteemed Reverend Jeremiah Wright sermon right after 9/11. Two full and downloadable (audio) sermons by Reverend Jeremiah Wright: the “911 sermon” and the “God damn, America” sermon.

Introduction

The sustained vituperative attack and the feeble apologetic defense of Reverend Wright’s brilliant, eloquent and substantive sermon [video] in defense of human dignity speaks to the basic ethical, political and strategic issues of our epoch. For Reverend Wright was not merely ‘commenting’ on an ethical omission of our day but raising fundamental principles about the behavior of states, the role of individual conscience in the face of crimes against humanity and the need to give name and take action in the face of evil. The entire spectrum of politicians, the mass media and, in particular, the political parties and two (and a half) of the presidential candidates raise, by their hostile reaction and the substance of their criticism, vital issues of the relation between the State and Religion.

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Venezuela: Democracy, Socialism and Imperialism

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By James Petras - march 2008

Venezuela- Democracy Socialism and Imperialism

Picture: A North American Cree Nation proverb: “Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught, only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.”

Introduction

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez remains the world’s leading secular, democratically elected political leader who has consistently and publicly opposed imperialist wars in the Middle East, attacked extra-territorial intervention and US and European Union complicity in kidnapping and torture. Venezuela plays the major role in sharply reducing the price of oil for the poorest countries in the Caribbean region and Central America, thus substantially aiding them in their balance of payments, without attaching any ‘strings’ to this vital assistance. Venezuela has been in the forefront in supporting free elections and opposing human right abuses in the Middle East, Latin America and South Asia by pro-US client regimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and Colombia. No other country in the Americas has done more to break down the racial barriers to social mobility and the acquisition of land for Afro-Latin and Indio Americans. President Chavez has been on the cutting edge of efforts toward greater Latin American integration - despite opposition from the United States and several regional regimes, who have opted for bilateral free trade agreements with the US.

Even more significant, President Chavez is the only elected president to reverse a US backed military coup (in 48 hours) and defeat a (US-backed) bosses’ lockout, and return the economy to double-digit growth over the subsequent 4 years.1 President Chavez is the only elected leader in the history of Latin America to successfully win eleven straight electoral contests against US-financed political parties and almost the entire private mass media over a nine-year period.

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  1. Weisbrot, Mark and Luis Sandoval 2008, “Update: The Venezuelan Economy in the Chavez Years”, Washington D.C. Center for Economic and Policy Research. [↩]


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Hope, Change, and Pissing in the Wind

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“Of Obama, Democrats, and the Power Elite”

By Patrice Greanville and Jason Miller

obama1.jpgCHARISMATIC, ARTICULATE, SMOOTH, AND INTELLIGENT, Barrack Obama is the living embodiment of his vague, ethereal, and tantalizing messages of “hope” and “change.” To the millions upon millions of US Americans desperate to purge the naked imperialism and blatant criminality of the Bush administration from the White House, Obama IS hope and change. Yet like many establishment liberals before him, Obama is no cure for the malignant creep toward fascism plaguing our nation. If elected, at best he will merely serve to postpone the inevitable a bit.

To understand why Obama and the ilk he took with him to DC would be little or no better than the human excrement currently occupying the tangible, visible positions of power in the US, let’s examine various facets of Obama(1) and of our rotten-to-the-core sociopolitical and socioeconomic systems.

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Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich and the Weight of Empire

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From Smoke and Mirrors

TS Admin : What a poignant piece of writing. TS said the same in ‘Happy New Year and Row on you Galley Slaves’ but not many paid attention at the time.

pres.jpgTo say that I was surprised would be an understatement; when I heard Ron Paul was scaling back his campaign and closed out any possibility of an independent run. WTF?

You see, I had assumed his candidacy was not his own but that it belonged to his supporters; that he was just the standard bearer. Suddenly… just like that… lights out. It sank under the radar the same way his campaign stayed off the radar and everything just kept going on the way it was going on.

Then I see that Dennis Kucinich backed off of his impeachment effort, shortly after a visit from AIPAC and sundry. Word has it they guaranteed his seat in the next round. Was his seat in danger? Does that matter? Did this visit influence his choice? I don’t know that either. What I do know is that there is no honorable reason for him to have backed off. Either he had his price or someone told him they knew where his family lived. I don’t buy the re-election support thing. It sounds like something they cooked up to hide the offer he couldn’t refuse.

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Red Tide A-Risin’

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By Ted Lang 

marx.jpgWe’ve all heard such expressions as “nothing new under the sun” and “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”  The advantage that the Internet now brings to us all is the ready and quick availability of fact and truth.  But just as in any inquiry-based effort, even the Internet and its free market of historical fact and truth requires thoughtful approach. The most powerful components of the Internet are, of course, the search engines and online compiled facts and encyclopedias that preclude a one-sided, biased delivery that dumbs-down rather than informs, as is the intent of The Establishment’s mainstream “public” media.  The MSM propagandizes against national sovereignty and shills for the Zionist international central banker-controlled New World Order. Read more



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Brave New Denmark - A Model For The USA?

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By Ted Twietmeyer

TS Admin : Unsettling stuff. Brace yourselves.

danish_flag022900.gifRecently, I received an email from a former London Police officer, Philip Jones.  Philip has given me permission to use his email and his full name. His powerful and highly articulate essay describes in detail what life in Denmark is like today, after living there more than ten years. Many of us have our own internal visions of what foreign countries are like which we may never have the opportunity to visit. These ideas are most often based on the media and classes in school. But it was a total surprise about what Philip had to say about Denmark and it’s amazing placid lifestyle. I’ll never look at a tin of Christmas cookies made in Denmark the same!

Most people are quite aware that the UK is a model police state, tightening the screws a little more each day on its citizens. One could easily think that Denmark and perhaps other EU countries are following the same model. What we learn from Philip’s detailed description of Denmark is that this is not the case. Denmark is a country with the most passive people one could ever imagine. How this mindset was accomplished is a bit of a mystery. Perhaps the globalists found every weakness in Danish culture, exploiting each one to the fullest. It does appear it to be like Philip has named his essay, “Brave New Denmark.”

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Venezuelan Referendum: A Post-Mortem and its Aftermath

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By James Petras - December 2007

Venezuelan Referendum-A Post-Mortem and its Aftermath

Venezuela’s constitutional reforms supporting President Chavez’s socialist project were defeated by the narrowest of margins: 1.4% of 9 million voters. The result however was severely compromised by the fact that 45% of the electorate abstained, meaning that only 28% of the electorate voted against the progressive changes proposed by President Chavez. While the vote was a blow to Venezuela’s attempt to extricate itself from oil dependence and capitalist control over strategic financial and productive sectors, it does no change the 80% majority in the legislature nor does it weaken the prerogatives of the Executive branch. Nevertheless, the Right’s marginal win does provide a semblance of power, influence and momentum to their efforts to derail President Chavez’ socio-economic reforms and to oust his government and/or force him to reconcile with the old elite power brokers.

Internal deliberations and debates have already begun within the Chavista movement and among the disparate oppositional groups. One fact certain to be subject to debate is why the over 3 million voters who cast their ballots for Chavez in the 2006 election (where he won 63% of the vote) did not vote in the referendum. The Right only increased their voters by 300,000 votes; even assuming that these votes were from disgruntled Chavez voters and not from activated right-wing middle class voters that leaves out over 2.7 million Chavez voters who abstained.

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Anwaar’s articles appear simultaneously here at Truth Spring and at Soul Vibes in The Pakistan Tribune.


US loses its status as economic world power
DAVOS, Switzerland, 2008
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ON MARCH 2008
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