i think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom. that includes political power, ownership and management, relations among men and women, parents and children, our control over the fate of future generations (the basic moral imperative behind the environmental movement, in my view), and much else. naturally this means a challenge to the huge institutions of coercion and control: the state, the unaccountable private tyrannies that control most of the domestic and international economy, and so on. but not only these. that is what I have always understood to be the essence of anarchism: the conviction that the burden of proof has to be placed on authority, and that it should be dismantled if that burden cannot be met... // chomsky, 03.31.09
3.31.2009
clarifications of anarchism, spanish civil war, democracy, marxism, etc...
i think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom. that includes political power, ownership and management, relations among men and women, parents and children, our control over the fate of future generations (the basic moral imperative behind the environmental movement, in my view), and much else. naturally this means a challenge to the huge institutions of coercion and control: the state, the unaccountable private tyrannies that control most of the domestic and international economy, and so on. but not only these. that is what I have always understood to be the essence of anarchism: the conviction that the burden of proof has to be placed on authority, and that it should be dismantled if that burden cannot be met... // chomsky, 03.31.09
3.29.2009
3.27.2009
3.25.2009
s.e.a. creatures...
( bangkok, thailand )
( angkor wat, cambodia )
( saigon, vietnam )
( luang prabang, laos )
( close encounter of the elephant kind )
3.24.2009
...a load of bullocks?
far from "deconstructing the war on terror", obama is clearly pursuing it with the same vigour, ideological backing and deception as the previous administration. bush's first war, in afghanistan, and last war, in pakistan, are now obama's wars--with thousands more US troops to be deployed, more bombing and more slaughter of civilians.
far from "shutting down the CIA's secret prison network", obama's executive orders actually give the CIA authority to carry out renditions, abductions and transfers of prisoners in secret without the threat of legal obstruction. as the los angeles times disclosed, "current and former intelligence officials said the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role." a semantic sleight of hand is that "long term prisons" are changed to "short term prisons"; and while americans are now banned from directly torturing people, foreigners working for the US are not.
obama has retained bush's "right" to imprison anyone, without trial or charges. no "ghost prisoners" are being released or are due to be tried before a civilian court. his nominee for attorney-general has endorsed an extension of bush's totalitarian USA patriot act, which allows federal agents to demand americans' library and bookshop records. the man of "change" is changing little. // john pilger, 03.24.09, ICH
far from "shutting down the CIA's secret prison network", obama's executive orders actually give the CIA authority to carry out renditions, abductions and transfers of prisoners in secret without the threat of legal obstruction. as the los angeles times disclosed, "current and former intelligence officials said the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role." a semantic sleight of hand is that "long term prisons" are changed to "short term prisons"; and while americans are now banned from directly torturing people, foreigners working for the US are not.
obama has retained bush's "right" to imprison anyone, without trial or charges. no "ghost prisoners" are being released or are due to be tried before a civilian court. his nominee for attorney-general has endorsed an extension of bush's totalitarian USA patriot act, which allows federal agents to demand americans' library and bookshop records. the man of "change" is changing little. // john pilger, 03.24.09, ICH
3.20.2009
3.19.2009
3.17.2009
from knowledge to wisdom...
science has been very successful at producing knowledge. but knowledge without wisdom, or science without civilization, is a dangerous thing, according to nicholas maxwell. and the reason we have the one without the other, he believes, is that science, as now practiced, does not question its own purposes or investigate its own presuppositions. it transforms the world but cannot transform itself. maxwell, a philosopher of science, argues that “we need a revolution in the aims and methods of academic inquiry, so that the basic aim becomes to promote wisdom by rational means, instead of just to acquire knowledge.” // how to think about science, CBC
3.11.2009
the realities of empire...
imagine for a moment that somewhere in the middle of texas there was a large foreign military base, say chinese or russian. imagine that thousands of armed foreign troops were constantly patrolling american streets in military vehicles. imagine they were here under the auspices of “keeping us safe” or “promoting democracy” or “protecting their strategic interests.”
imagine that they operated outside of US law, and that the constitution did not apply to them. imagine that every now and then they made mistakes or acted on bad information and accidentally killed or terrorized innocent americans, including women and children, most of the time with little to no repercussions or consequences. imagine that they set up check points on our soil and routinely searched and ransacked entire neighborhoods of homes. imagine if americans were fearful of these foreign troops, and overwhelmingly thought america would be better off without their presence.
imagine if some americans were so angry about them being in texas that they actually joined together to fight them off, in defense of our soil and sovereignty, because leadership in government refused or were unable to do so. imagine that those americans were labeled terrorists or insurgents for their defensive actions, and routinely killed, or captured and tortured by the foreign troops on our land. imagine that the occupiers’ attitude was that if they just killed enough americans, the resistance would stop, but instead, for every american killed, ten more would take up arms against them, resulting in perpetual bloodshed. imagine if most of the citizens of the foreign land also wanted these troops to return home. imagine if they elected a leader who promised to bring them home and put an end to this horror.
imagine if that leader changed his mind once he took office... // ron paul, 03.10.09, ICH
imagine that they operated outside of US law, and that the constitution did not apply to them. imagine that every now and then they made mistakes or acted on bad information and accidentally killed or terrorized innocent americans, including women and children, most of the time with little to no repercussions or consequences. imagine that they set up check points on our soil and routinely searched and ransacked entire neighborhoods of homes. imagine if americans were fearful of these foreign troops, and overwhelmingly thought america would be better off without their presence.
imagine if some americans were so angry about them being in texas that they actually joined together to fight them off, in defense of our soil and sovereignty, because leadership in government refused or were unable to do so. imagine that those americans were labeled terrorists or insurgents for their defensive actions, and routinely killed, or captured and tortured by the foreign troops on our land. imagine that the occupiers’ attitude was that if they just killed enough americans, the resistance would stop, but instead, for every american killed, ten more would take up arms against them, resulting in perpetual bloodshed. imagine if most of the citizens of the foreign land also wanted these troops to return home. imagine if they elected a leader who promised to bring them home and put an end to this horror.
imagine if that leader changed his mind once he took office... // ron paul, 03.10.09, ICH
3.09.2009
u.s. media blackout on single-payer healthcare...
major newspaper, broadcast and cable stories mentioning healthcare reform in the week leading up to president obama's march 5 healthcare summit rarely mentioned the idea of a single-payer national health insurance program, according to a new FAIR study. and advocates of such a system--two of whom participated in yesterday's summit--were almost entirely shut out. // FAIR, 03.06.09
3.08.2009
3.03.2009
...can belief and rationality be reconciled?
i know that belief is necessary to inspire and motivate, this is what makes it such hot property for advertisers and activists alike, yet i still find it hard to believe. too many of the most atrocious, and just plain moronic, events in the history of the world have been the result of those who truly believe. belief is blind and i prefer acting in the world with my eyes wide open...
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