What in the World? Everything Under Heaven!

Everything Under Heaven

by #SocialismorExtinction 

March 6, 2020

Everything Under Heaven is a short documentary looking at the continued proliferation of antagonisms between global powers, the threat of global - even nuclear - war, and the crisis of imperialist capitalism. 

 

 

Building upon the analysis put forward in our 2018 documentary, History is Marching, and our 2019 short film, An Atlantic Tide, it covers the US-China trade war, the "phase one" US-China deal, Hong Kong, the politicisation of the coronavirus, conflicts between the EU imperialist bloc and the US, Brexit, the resurgence of a Turkish colonialism, the US dollar and oil, and the US' push toward drastic escalation in the Middle-East. 

Bad Influences: Surviving the Flu Media Hype

Momento Mori – Unpopular Thoughts on Corona Virus 

by Craig Murray

7 Mar, 2020 

I have always been very fond of this photo, for reasons which are perhaps obvious. We are left to right Celia, Stuart, Neil, Craig and throughout our childhood we really were that close and that happy. The reason that I post this now is that my mother always told me she was amazed how good we looked in the photo, because it was taken when we were all off school sick with Hong Kong flu.

The Hong Kong flu pandemic of 1968/9 was the last really serious flu pandemic to sweep the UK. They do seem extraordinarily regular – 1919, 1969 and 2020. Flu epidemics have much better punctuality than the trains (though I cheated a bit there and left out the 1958 “Asian flu”). Nowadays “Hong Kong flu” is known as H3N2. Estimates for deaths it caused worldwide vary from 1 to 4 million. In the UK it killed an estimated 80,000 people. 

Defining the Parameters of Acceptable Debate: How Networks Frame American Democracy

Debate Moderators Frame Questions to Define Acceptable Politics

by Julie Hollar - FAIR

February 29, 2020

With Super Tuesday around the corner, the Democratic presidential debates are coming to a close. The debates are ostensibly an exercise in democracy, a chance for voters to evaluate candidates’ positions in order to cast a better informed vote in the nominating contest.

Moderators at the February 25, 2020, debate, 

CBS’s Norah O’Donnell and Gayle King.

But a review of three of the most frequent topics of debate starkly demonstrates how media hosts use their platform less to inform voters in an evenhanded way than to define which positions—and candidates—are acceptable, and which are not.

NICARAGUA: THE APRIL CRISIS & BEYOND

NICARAGUA: THE APRIL CRISIS & BEYOND 

by Dan Kovalik

March 6, 2020

“Kovalik helps cut through the Orwellian lies and dissembling which make so-called ‘humanitarian intervention possible.” - Oliver Stone 

Daniel Kovalik is an American lawyer and Human Rights advocate who’s followed Nicaragua’s politics for the last 4 decades. 20 months after what was called the “April Crisis” he goes to Nicaragua to understand what really happened.

Memory War Resistance: Fighting to Remember with Julian Assange

WikiLeaks – Julian Assange / Speech at Cambridge Union [15.03.2011] video and Transcript

Posted by greekemmy

 

I did this transcript in April/May 2013. If you spot any errors or are able to spot the missing words please leave a comment and will endevour to correct/improve. 

Transcript below cut...

A Mad and Monarchical Trump Subverting American Democracy

American Fuhrer—Corrupt Rampage Against Americans 

by Ralph Nader - CounterPunch

March 3, 2020

Delusionary, dictatorial Donald Trump is drunk on power. Trump’s monarchical and lawless actions are a clear and present subversion of our Republic and its Constitution. As soon as the impeachment trial ended and Trump was acquitted by the Senate’s supine Republican courtiers (except for Senator Mitt Romney), vengeance flooded Trump’s fevered mind.

Ignoring warnings from his advisors, Trump is lashing out in all directions, unleashing torrents of foul-mouthed tweets. Note with alarm how this American Fuhrer is consolidating control and using his presidential power to smash all opposition. Remember that last July Trump declared “I have an Article II, where I have the right to do whatever I want as President.” He wasn’t kidding, America.

Air War: Assault on English Alt. Skripal News Site

CYBER SOLDIERS PENETRATE THE SKRIPAL CASE

by John Helmer - Dances with Bears

  @bears_with

 March 4, 2020

Cyber attacks have been launched in England to stop publication of new evidence in the Skripal case from being published this week on the second anniversary of the attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, March 4, 2018.

The targets were The Blogmire produced by Rob Slane from Salisbury, and this website produced from Moscow. The Blogmire was disabled and inaccessible to readers between last Thursday and Saturday. Then on Monday evening this site was attacked. The evidence left behind by the attackers shows they come from the same source, using the same unusual method of attack and concealment.

Facts and Fictions on Wet'suwet'en Land Defense

Wet'suwet'en: Fact Check

by Pam Palmater

 

March 3, 2020

 

Wet'suwet'en Fact Check - In this video, we fact check some of the claims that have been made by government officials, law enforcement, as industry as well as some political pundits in the mainstream media about the Wet'suwet'en and Indigenous solidarity actions. 

 

As I have stated in my previous videos, I do not speak for the Wet'suwet'en Nation, as they have their own spokespeople. Also, any errors made in this video are my own and not that of the Wet'suwet'en peoples or Nation. Here are the links to the Unistoten and Gidimten websites where you can access their supporter tool kits and find out how you can help:  

http://unistoten.camp/ 

https://www.yintahaccess.com/ 

Please note that nothing in this video promotes violence on our Indigenous territories. 

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Mark Worthing, Sharon J. Riley, Janine Bandcroft March 5, 2020

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

March 5, 2020

It's been more than a year since the BC government granted a court injunction allowing Coastal GasLink continue its work, laying a pipeline from the province's interior to a planned gas processing plant to be built in Kitimat, unmolested.

The January 2019 interim injunction was extended in June, and on New Year's Eve day, Madam Justice Church ruled again, in Coastal GasLink Pipeline Ltd. v. Huson, for the company, denying Wet’suwet’en hereditary houses’ preeminence and empowering the RCMP to move in and arrest land defenders refusing to give way.

What happened next has played out on the lawn of the BC Legislature and across this country, Canada.

Listen. Hear.

Mark Worthing is an activist, naturalist and journalist currently working with Sierra Club BC. He’s a founding member of Tanker Free BC, and has worked with a variety of environmental groups on various campaigns, and led Sierra Club’s Flathead River Basin biodiversity study.

Mark Worthing in the first half.

And; if the Coastal GasLink Pipeline v. Wet’suwet’en hereditary houses’ imbroglio instructs on the complexity of big energy projects in BC, Teck Resources' abandonment of its massive Frontier mine in the Alberta Tar Sands amplifies the point, casting into doubt, (some contend) the viability of a Canadian oil industry.

Teck's announced decision to pull up its Frontier stakes has been picked up since by each side of the climate debate to serve their respective interests, and used as a policy bludgeon by both federal and provincial political operators.

Sharon J. Riley is an Alberta-based investigative journalist for The Narwhal, whose essays, interviews and long-form nonfiction feature too at Harper’s, The Tyee, and Maisonneuve among others sites. Her recent Narwhal article, '11 things you need to know about the oilsands as Teck abandons plans for Frontier mine' is a guide and "explainer" for those still confused.

Sharon J. Riley and what the Teck manoeuvre says about and means for the beleaguered Canadian energy sector in the second half.

And; Victoria-based activist and long-time Gorilla Radio contributor, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of what's good going on in and around our town in the coming week. But first, Mark Worthing and Coastal GasLink, a project gone and going too far.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.ca.  He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

Canada Blind-Eyes Israel's Atrocities: "Crimes Can't Exist if Palestine Doesn't"

Canada Joins ‘Friendly States’ in Opposing ICC War Crimes Investigation in Palestine

by Palestine Chronicle

February 26, 2020

The Canadian government has submitted a letter to the International Criminal Court (ICC), in which it declared support for the Israeli position, thus rejecting the ICC jurisdiction over cases of alleged war crimes committed by Israel in Palestine.

The Canadian Jewish News (CJN), which reported on the letter, said that Ottawa has communicated its position to the Court on February 14, although the content of the letter has not been made public until today.

Compromising Connections: Bloomberg, Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein

The Media’s Deafening Silence on Mike Bloomberg’s Ties to Epstein and Other Criminals

by Whitney Webb - MintPress News

February 28, 2020

After his late jump into the Democratic primary and, as critics argue, purchasing his way into the primary debates, former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg has received mixed coverage from corporate media, with many negative critiques of the current presidential contender’s history, conduct and connections.

Bloomberg pictured in 2013 with uncharged Epstein cohort, Maxwell (r)

Yet, despite efforts by other campaigns and more progressive-leaning media outlets to dampen Bloomberg’s chances at the nomination, one clear weakness of Bloomberg’s has thus far evaded meaningful media coverage: his ties to key players in the Epstein scandal, including Leslie Wexner, Ghislaine Maxwell and even Jeffrey Epstein himself.

Dancing Back from the Brink: Turkey/Russia Anxious to Avoid Escalation in Syria

War tensions mount in wake of strike on Turkish troops in Syria

by Bill Van Auken - WSWS

29 February 2020

Amid calls by world governments, the United Nations and the NATO alliance for a de-escalation of the spiraling tensions in Syria’s northern Idlib province, there is a mounting threat of an all-out military confrontation between Turkey and Russia triggering a potentially catastrophic world war.

In the wake of Thursday’s strike on a Turkish position that claimed the lives of some three dozen soldiers (according to one account the dead may number as many as 50) and retaliatory attacks against Syrian Arab Army units, the explanations given by Ankara and Moscow for the violence remain sharply at odds, as Turkey and Russia pursue diametrically opposed aims in Syria.

Judging Julian: Vanessa Baraitser and the Impossibility of Justice

Your Man in the Public Gallery – The Assange Hearing Day 3 

by Craig Murray

27 Feb, 2020

In yesterday’s proceedings in court, the prosecution adopted arguments so stark and apparently unreasonable I have been fretting on how to write them up in a way that does not seem like caricature or unfair exaggeration on my part. What has been happening in this court has long moved beyond caricature. All I can do is give you my personal assurance that what I recount actually is what happened.

As usual, I shall deal with procedural matters and Julian’s treatment first, before getting in to a clear account of the legal arguments made.

Back in the KSA: U.S. Replugging Saudi Bases

US Military Building Presence in Saudi Arabia for First Time in 17 Years

by Alan Macleod - MintPress News

February 28th, 2020

Some 2,500 US troops have arrived at their new home for the foreseeable future, the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.

Amid rising tensions with Iran, the United States is increasing its military presence in Saudi Arabia- separated from the Islamic Republic by only the Persian Gulf. Some 2,500 troops have arrived at their new home, the Prince Sultan Air Base, some 60 km southeast of Riyadh. On Iran, General John Walker, commander of the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing at the base, said: “We face a thinking enemy that is playing a real regional conflict for keeps, and they’re very good.”

Canadian Coupster: Mr. Trudeau's Determined Anti-Democratic Tendencies

Trudeau’s extraordinary campaign to overthrow Maduro

by Yves Engler

February 26, 2020

The effort Justin Trudeau’s government is putting into removing Venezuela’s President is remarkable. So is the utter hypocrisy of their campaign.

On Thursday Ottawa hosted the Lima Group, a coalition of countries supporting Washington’s bid to overthrow the Venezuelan government. A CBC headline noted, “Ottawa attempts to reboot campaign to remove Maduro from power in Venezuela.” For more than a year the Lima Group has openly pushed Venezuela’s military to overthrow the government. Thursday’s summit was the third held in Canada of a coalition instigated by Canada and Peru in mid 2017.

New Britain's Understanding: Who Rules & Who Walks with Head Lowered & Eyes Averted

With Head Lowered And Eyes Averted - Israeli Racism And The ‘Honourable’ Robert Peston

by Media Lens

26th February 2020

Robert Peston is one of the UK’s most high-profile broadcast journalists, renowned for his theatricality and… curious… halting… delivery. As political editor of ITV News he has enormous influence, including 1 million followers on Twitter, just behind the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, with 1.1 million. He also hosts a weekly ITV political discussion show, ‘Peston’. From 2006-2014, Peston was the business editor for BBC News and from 2014-2015 economics editor. Before that, he worked at the Financial Times 1991-2000, becoming the financial editor in charge of business and financial coverage. He then became a contributing editor of the hard-right magazine The Spectator and a weekly columnist for The Daily Telegraph. In 2001, he switched to the Sunday Times, where he wrote a weekly business profile, ‘Peston’s People’. The son of a Lord, Baron Peston of Mile End, he is entitled to use the ‘courtesy’ title, ‘The Honourable’. 

Also from a family of high renown, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, is the granddaughter of the Scottish high court judge Lord Robertson. His brother, Sir James Wilson Robertson, was the last British Governor-General of Nigeria. Kuenssberg’s sister is a former high commissioner to Mozambique.

How fortunate UK viewers are to have two leading political editors standing so impartially between the ruling class and the hoi polloi.

Dead Monkeys Tell the Tale of Britain's Chemical Weapons Capabilites and Theresa May's Skripal Case Fabrications

SECRET US CHEMICAL WARFARE CONTRACTS AT THE UK PORTON DOWN LAB – DEAD MONKEYS TELL THEIR TALES, BUT LIVE SKRIPALS CAN’T

by John Helmer - Dances with Bears

  @bears_with

February 27, 2020

The ongoing release of secret information about nerve agent manufacture and testing at Porton Down, the British Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), indicates that monkeys were used as targets for several years before Sergei and Yulia Skripal suffered poisoning in Salisbury on March 4, 2018.

The British kill dose and death speed experiments on the monkeys 

were paid for by the US Defence Department.

Publication of the experiment details and the number of monkeys and other animals tested show that the Anglo-American nerve agent weapon programme was under way for several years before the Skripal case began, and has continued since then. This gives the lie to the 2018 declaration to parliament by then-Prime Minister Theresa May that “only Russia had the technical means, operational experience and motive to carry out the attack”.

Man in the Glass Booth: Assange Refused Permission to Participate in His Trial

Assange Courtroom Drama Speaks to This Illusion of Justice

by Patrick Henningsen - 21st Century Wire

February 27, 2020 

Over the first two days of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s U.S. extradition hearing, the majority of the drama has taken place in the well of the court, but that all changed on Wednesday as the focus gradually drifted to the back of the room, behind adjoined panels of bulletproof glass.

Throughout the first three days of the hearing, Assange’s defense team, led by Edward Fitzgerald QC and Mark Summers QC, laid out an impressive score of skillful legal arguments, which can only be described as effortlessly debunking and dismantling nearly all of the allegations contained in the prosecution’s 18 federal indictments. If this were a normal jury trial, then the defense would have already called for a motion to dismiss.

Getting Past Illusion: America Must Face Its Reflection with Maturity

The United States of America’s Doll House: A Vast Tapestry of Lies and Illusions

by Edward Curtin - Dissident Voice

February 4th, 2020

It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.

— Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, 2005    

While truth-tellers Julian Assange and Chelsea Manning sit inside jail cells and Edward Snowden lives in exile in Russia, the American people hole up in an illusionary dwelling constructed to reduce them to children afraid of the truth. Or is it the dark? This is not new; it has been so for a very long time, but it has become a more sophisticated haunted doll’s house, an electronic one with many bells and whistles and images that move faster than the eye can see. 

"Kangaroo Hearing" Heard on First Day of Assange Process in London

Julian Assange and the Imperium’s Face: Day One of the Extradition Hearings

by Binoy Kampmark  - OffGuardian

February 26, 2020

If we are to believe it, Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, the man behind showing the ugliness of power, is the one responsible for having abused it. It is a running theme in the US case against this Australian publisher, who has been given the coating of common criminality hiding the obvious point: that the mission is to make journalism on official secrets, notably those covering atrocity and abuse, a crime. 

 

Protesters stood outside the Crown Court building,
chanting in support of Julian Assange

The first day of full extradition hearings against Assange at Woolwich Crown Court was chocked with a predictable prosecution case, and a robust counter by the defence. Central to the prosecution’s case for extradition to the US is the emphasis on the ordinariness of Assange’s alleged criminality, to diminish the big picture abuses of empire and focus on the small offences of exposure. In so doing, that seemingly insurmountable problem of journalism becomes less important. If you publish pilfered material from whistleblowers, you are liable, along with those unfortunates who dared have their conscience tickled.