CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names: Another Idiotic Plan to Hurt Russia

“The U.S. must show the leadership necessary to establish and protect a new order that holds the promise of convincing potential competitors that they need not aspire to a greater role or pursue a more aggressive posture to protect their legitimate interests…..We must, however, be mindful that…Russia will remain the strongest military power in Eurasia and the only power in the world with the capability of destroying the United States.”

-The Wolfowitz Doctrine, the original version of the Defense Planning Guidance, authored by Under Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, leaked to the New York Times on March 7, 1992

“For America, the chief geopolitical prize is Eurasia…and America’s global primacy is directly dependent on how long and how effectively its preponderance on the Eurasian continent is sustained.”

-THE GRAND CHESSBOARD – American Primacy And It’s Geostrategic Imperatives, Zbigniew Brzezinski, page 30, Basic Books, 1997

The Laussanne negotiations between Iran and the so called P5+1 group (the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany) have nothing to do with nuclear proliferation. They are, in fact, another attempt to weaken and isolate Russia by easing sanctions, thus allowing Iranian gas to replace Russian gas in Europe. Laussanne shows that Washington still thinks that the greatest threat to its dominance is the further economic integration of Russia and Europe, a massive two-continent free trade zone from Lisbon to Vladivostok that would eventually dwarf dwindling US GDP while decisively shifting the balance of global power to Asia. To counter that threat, the Obama administration toppled the elected government of Ukraine in a violent coup, launched a speculative attack on the ruble, forced down global oil prices, and is presently arming and training neo-Nazi extremists in the Ukrainian army. Washington has done everything in its power to undermine relations between the EU and Russia risking even nuclear war in its effort to separate the natural trading partners and to strategically situate itself in a location where it can control the flow of vital resources from East to West.

Laussanne was about strategic priorities not nukes. The Obama administration realizes that if it can’t find an alternate source of gas for Europe, then its blockade of Russia will fail and the EU-Russia alliance will grow stronger. And if the EU-Russia alliance grows stronger, then US attempts to extend its tentacles into Asia and become a major player in the world’s most prosperous region will also fail leaving Washington to face a dismal future in which the steady erosion of its power and prestige is a near certainty. This is from an article titled “Removing sanctions against Iran to have unfavorable influence on Turkey and Azerbaijan”:

“If Washington removes energy sanctions on Iran…then a new geopolitical configuration will emerge in the region. Connecting with Nabucco will be enough for Iran to fully supply Europe with gas…

Iran takes the floor with inexhaustible oil and gas reserves and as a key transit country. Iran disposes of the 10% of the reported global oil reserves and is the second country in the world after Russia with its natural gas reserves (15%). The official representatives of Iran do not hide that they strive to enter the European market of oil and gas, as in the olden days. Let’s remember that the deputy Minister of Oil in Iran, Ali Majedi, offered to revive project of Nabucco pipeline during his European tour and said that his country is ready to supply gas to Europe through it…

“Some months earlier the same Ali Majedi reported sensational news: ‘two invited European delegations’ discussed the potential routes of Iranian gas supply to Europe,” the article reads.” … It is also noted that the West quite materially reacted to the possibility of the Iranian gas to join Nabucco.” (Removing sanctions against Iran to have unfavorable influence on Turkey and Azerbaijan, Panorama)

So, is this the plan, to provide “energy security” to Europe by replacing Russian gas with Iranian gas?

It sure looks like it. But that suggests that the sanctions really had nothing to do with Iran’s fictitious nuclear weapons program but were merely used to humiliate Iran while keeping as much of its oil and gas offline until western-backed multinationals could get their greasy mitts on it.

Indeed, that’s exactly how the sanctions were used even though the nuclear issue was a transparent fake from the get go. Get a load of this from the New York Times:

“Recent assessments by American spy agencies are broadly consistent with a 2007 intelligence finding that concluded that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program years earlier, according to current and former American officials. The officials said that assessment was largely reaffirmed in a 2010 National Intelligence Estimate, and that it remains the consensus view of America’s 16 intelligence agencies.” (U.S. Agencies See No Move by Iran to Build a Bomb, James Risen, New York Times, February 24, 2012)

See? The entire US intelligence establishment has been saying the same thing from the onset: No Iranian nukes. Nor has Iran ever been caught diverting nuclear fuel to other purposes. Never. Also, as nuclear weapons physicist, Gordon Prather stated many times before his death, “After almost three years of go-anywhere see-anything interview-anyone inspections, IAEA inspectors have yet to find any indication that Iran has — or ever had — a nuclear weapons program.”

The inspectors were on the ground for three freaking years. They interviewed everyone and went wherever they wanted. They searched every cave and hideaway, every nook and cranny, and they found nothing.

Get it? No nukes, not now, not ever. Period.

The case against Iran is built on propaganda, brainwashing and bullshit, in that order. But, still, that doesn’t tell us why the US is suddenly changing course. For that, we turn to an article from The Brookings Institute titled “Why the details of the Iran deal don’t matter” which sums it up quite well. Here’s a clip:

“At heart, this is a fight over what to do about Iran’s challenge to U.S. leadership in the Middle East and the threat that Iranian geopolitical ambitions pose to U.S. allies, particularly Israel and Saudi Arabia. Proponents of the deal believe that the best way for the United States to deal with the Iranian regional challenge is to seek to integrate Iran into the regional order, even while remaining wary of its ambitions. A nuclear deal is an important first step in that regard, but its details matter little because the ultimate goal is to change Iranian intentions rather destroy Iranian capability.” (Why the details of the Iran deal don’t matter, Brookings)

Notice how carefully the author avoids mentioning Israel by name although he alludes to “the threat that Iranian geopolitical ambitions pose to U.S. allies”. Does he think he’s talking to idiots?

But his point is well taken; the real issue is not “Iranian capability”, but “Iran’s challenge to U.S. leadership in the Middle East”. In other words, the nuclear issue is baloney. What Washington doesn’t like is that Iran has an independent foreign policy that conflicts with the US goal of controlling the Middle East. That’s what’s really going on. Washington wants a compliant Iran that clicks its heals and does what its told.

The problem is, the strategy hasn’t worked and now the US is embroiled in a confrontation with Moscow that is a higher priority than the Middle East project. (The split between US elites on this matter has been interesting to watch, with the Obama-Brzezinski crowd on one side and the McCain-neocon crowd on the other.) This is why the author thinks that easing sanctions and integrating Iran into the predominantly US system would be the preferable remedy for at least the short term.

Repeat: “The best way for the United States to deal with the Iranian regional challenge is to integrate Iran into the regional order.” In other words, if you can’t beat ‘em, then join ‘em. Iran is going to be given enough freedom to fulfill its role within the imperial order, that is, to provide gas to Europe in order to inflict more economic pain on Russia. Isn’t that what’s going on?

But what effect will that have on Iran-Russia relations? Will it poison the well and turn one ally against the other?

Probably not, mainly because the ties between Iran and Russia are growing stronger by the day. Check this out from the Unz Review by Philip Giraldi:

“Moscow and Tehran are moving towards a de-facto strategic partnership, which can be easily seen by the two groundbreaking announcements from earlier this week. It’s now been confirmed by the Russian government that the rumored oil-for-goods program between Russia and Iran is actually a real policy that’s already been implemented, showing that Moscow has wasted no time in trying to court the Iranian market after the proto-deal was agreed to a week earlier. Providing goods in exchange for resources is a strategic decision that creates valuable return customers in Iran, who will then be in need of maintenance and spare parts for their products. It’s also a sign of deep friendship between the two Caspian neighbors and sets the groundwork for the tentative North-South economic corridor between Russia and India via Iran.” (A Shifting Narrative on Iran, Unz Review)

But here’s the glitch: Iran can’t just turn on the spigot and start pumping gas to Europe. It doesn’t work that way. It’s going to take massive pipeline and infrastructure upgrades that could take years to develop. That means there will be plenty of hefty contracts awarded to friends of Tehran –mostly Russian and Chinese–who will perform their tasks without interfering in domestic politics. Check this out from Pepe Escobar:

“Russia and China are deeply committed to integrating Iran into their Eurasian vision. Iran may finally be admitted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the upcoming summer summit in Russia. That implies a full-fledged security/commercial/political partnership involving Russia, China, Iran and most Central Asian ’stans’.

Iran is already a founding member of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); that means financing for an array of New Silk Road-related projects bound to benefit the Iranian economy. AIIB funding will certainly merge with loans and other assistance for infrastructure development related to the Chinese-established Silk Road Fund…” (Russia, China, Iran: In sync, Pepe Escobar, Russia Today)

Get the picture? Eurasian integration is already done-deal and there’s nothing the US can do to stop it.

Washington needs to rethink its approach. Stop the meddling and antagonism, rebuild relations through trade and mutual trust, and accept the inevitability of imperial decline.

Asia’s star is rising just as America’s is setting. Deal with it.

MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/20/another-idiotic-plan-to-hurt-russia/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=another-idiotic-plan-to-hurt-russia
This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 20, 2015 at 11:59AM

CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names: Xenophobia in South Africa

South Africa’s Apartheid regime is remembered as one of the worst crimes against humanity of the 20th century. The White monopoly capitalist system that underpinned Apartheid remains alive and well today. White monopoly capitalism is the post-Apartheid economic system, whereby Whites continue to exert disproportional and undemocratic control over the nation’s economy, land, media and judicial system.

The American investment bank, Citigroup, recently ranked South Africa as the world’s richest country, in terms of its mineral reserves, worth an estimated $2.5 trillion. South African Whites and Western foreigners own a staggering 80 percent of this wealth.

South Africa is unquestionably, the world’s most racially unequal society.

Whites comprise only 12 percent of the population. Thanks to the past 350 years of racist exploitation, Whites owned 87 percent of agricultural land by Independence Day, 1994. During these twenty-one post-colonial years, precious little has changed. One exception is that Black people in rural areas have lost 600,000 jobs since Independence. This has created a great wave of migration into urban townships.

South African townships have served as both the location of recent xenophobic violence, as well as the catalytic cause of the violence.

During the Apartheid Era, White monopoly capitalists created the township. The process included evicting Black people from properties that were in areas designated as “White only”, and relocating them into urban townships. Blacks were forced to move into squalid, overcrowded and segregated townships, designed to mould the Black labour force into an orderly, submissive underclass.

Streets of grim “matchbox houses” were arranged in strict grids and surrounded by a fence with only one or two points of entry, allowing the White regime’s police to seal off entire neighbourhoods with minimal effort. In such a setting, violence was both naturalised and easily-instigated for political purposes. To this day, Blacks in townships still have to contend with non-existent sanitation and electricity services, as well as rampant crime.

Far from being a Rainbow Nation, ongoing xenophobic violence in South Africa’s townships exposes the nation’s further entrenchment into two separate and unequal societies: one, predominantly Black and poor, located in the townships; the other, largely White and affluent, located in the suburbs.

What White monopoly capitalists have never quite understood, but what the Black South African can never forget, is the degree to which White capital is deeply implicated in the township. White institutions created it; White institutions maintain it; and White society condones it.

Edgar Pietrise of the University of Cape Town explains how Cape Town for instance, “was conceived with a White-only centre, surrounded by contained settlements for the Black and coloured labour forces to the east, each deliberately hemmed in by highways and rail lines, rivers and valleys, and separated from the affluent White suburbs by protective buffer zones of scrubland.”

When Nelson Mandela was released from 27 years in prison in 1990, the Black townships exploded in endless celebration. Today, after twenty one years of the ANC government, which has been more concerned with appeasing White monopoly capital than redistributing land and resources to poor Blacks, townships have exploded into violence.

The xenophobic Black-on-Black violence spreading across South Africa is a direct result of centuries of White-on-Black violence and oppression.

Franz Fanon, who was an expert on the psychology of colonial violence noted that the historical and current system of White-on-Black violence sends messages of Black inferiority that are so powerful that many Black people succumb to them, ultimately becoming defined by them.

Internalised racism, a term first coined by Black scholar W.E.B. DuBois in 1903, involves accepting a White supremacist social order that places Black people at the bottom, and adopting society’s negative stereotypes about Blacks concerning their lack of abilities, inherent violence and low intrinsic worth.

Internalised racism is a major legacy of Apartheid. South African society historically judges violence inflicted on Blacks less harshly than violence against Whites; consequently, Black people begin to believe that their own life and the lives of other Black African people are worth very little. Thereby creating the preconditions for the ongoing Afrophobic violence.

Filtered through the racist lens of the predominantly White-owned South African media, xenophobia is portrayed as merely further examples of “Black-on-Black” violence by an inherently unruly and violent underbelly of society. The four major media houses are still largely White and male-owned; collectively, they control over 80 percent of what South Africans watch and read. The White media focuses on the symptom rather than the disease by steering the national discourse away from broader issues of income inequality and economic democratisation, towards narrow issues of vandalism, looting and general criminality.

Xenophobia can be defined as a “hatred, dislike or fear of foreigners”; combining the Greek xenos (“foreign”) with phobos (“fear”). Internalized racism demonstrates itself as the absence of attacks against White immigrants because Black African immigrants are pejoratively portrayed by the media as “foreigners”; whereas, Whites are considered “tourists” or “expats”.

Whilst Black immigrants are being brutalized in townships, White immigrants are allowed to visit townships and take advantage of cute spaces carved out for tourists among the shacks and wastelands.

Thanks, in part, to the 2010 Fifa World Cup, major cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg offer so-called “safe streets” where tourists can enjoy the sights and sounds of ordinary township life.

In Soweto, for instance, a pleasant stroll down Vilakazi Street takes in the old house of Nelson Mandela and the current homes of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Desmond Tutu, along with cafes offering cold beer and traditional African cuisine.

All that is required is that you turn a blind eye to the appalling standard of living endured by the slum’s Black inhabitants.

A few kilometers away at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, The Economist newspaper notes that among the 295 companies on the Exchange, only 4 percent of the CEOs are Black. Despite twenty years of South African democracy, five White-owned companies still control 75 percent of South Africa’s stock market. It’s the largest concentration of wealth and power on earth.

Corporate powers, which financially underwrote Apartheid in South Africa, are reminiscent of the great German companies that ran the Third Reich’s economy. The only difference between the Third Reich and Apartheid is that “reconciliation” in Germany did not leave pro-Nazi financiers in business; whereas in South Africa, those financiers are still firmly in control. These White-owned companies benefit immensely from cheap Black labour, tourist revenue and retail profits that stream out of townships everyday.

Neo-Apartheid companies in South Africa made record profits for Western shareholders since democracy in 1994; all the while, they shed hundreds of thousands of jobs. At independence, unemployment stood at 15 percent; today, that figure has skyrocketed to 25 percent. Instead of employing South Africans, major White-owned companies have sought to increase shareholder profits by outsourcing jobs abroad and hiring exploitable, African foreigners at home.

The nation’s largest labour union, Cosatu, has just said that, “White monopoly capital in the hospitality and retail industry” had deliberately chosen to employ foreigners over their South African counterparts in order to exploit foreigners. The United Nations’ Office for Refugees confirmed that the recent wave of xenophobic, “attacks began in late March following an apparent labour dispute involving South African and foreign workers”.

The tragic irony of ongoing xenophobic attacks is that at least six Africans have lost their lives, and yet those Africans all came from nations that harbored South African freedom fighters during the War of Liberation against the White Apartheid regime.

All the while, during Apartheid, Britain was the single biggest investor in South Africa, followed by the United States, both yielding the highest return on capital in the world. The United States and the other Western capitalist governments not only supported, but directly benefited from the racist Apartheid regime. To this day, a large portion of South Africa’s budget pays Apartheid-era debt to Western nations. This means that Black people pay for their oppression twice over.

The power of White monopoly capital to dispossess, oppress and exploit Black people cannot be overstated. The willing and conscious ally, in the form of an African government, routinely places the interests of White capital over Black labour.

Apartheid, literally meaning “apartness”, transformed Black Africans into foreigners on their own land. For as long as Black South Africans continue to be foreigners to their own economy, living outside the borders of affluent neighbourhoods, violence will continue to tear at the very fabric of the so-called “Rainbow Nation”.

Garikai Chengu is a scholar at Harvard University. Contact him on garikai.chengu@gmail.com

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/04/20/xenophobia-in-south-africa/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=xenophobia-in-south-africa
This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 20, 2015 at 11:51AM

Green Left Weekly: Take action: Defend civil liberties at the University of Sydney

Mon, 20/04/2015

We are writing to alert you to what we believe can be described without exaggeration as a serious threat to civil and political liberties on campus.

You will have seen the recent emails from Michael Spence about the “misconduct” proceedings the university has initiated against both an academic staff member of the university and against students.

read more

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator https://www.greenleft.org.au/node/58801
This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 20, 2015 at 11:48AM

Dissident Voice: Yawning Stars

I watched you yawn a universe into existence

I witnessed as you sang a cosmos into style

I saw you sigh, and the heavens roared

then you smiled, and the gods came alive

I felt you move, and the stars fell into rhythm

then you danced, and the planets cycled into their place

You closed your eyes, and the full moon shined

and when they opened, the sun blazed hot

Your passion flared, and the earth shook violently

but then you laughed, and all grew calm

You said Yes, and the gates flew open

Your power coursed through every wave

You spoke the Word, and the gospel was born

Your vibration, a serenade of the holy symphony

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/04/yawning-stars/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 07:34PM

Dissident Voice: When Taylor’s Cancer Resistance Movement Rose in Support of G.L.#29

On maple tree branch remote from Pagnotti Park,

a robin guarded nest bearing blue eggs.

Occasionally, the robin

watched foul balls descend gray cloud,

come its way, threaten for moment, then fall.

A baseball coach cried,

“Straighten-out your swing, Joe!”

P.A. System played National Anthem,

the robin feared foul balls “burst in air.”

I looked to Riverside H.S. team bench,

players stared at rivals, Old Forge Blue Devils.

Nested uneasily upon dugout bench end,

hands beneath keister, I saw Chet Lukasiewicz.

Like Rodin’s Thinker, gone paralytic numb,

Chet’s big black eyes, weary red whites,

they closed momentarily as I passed by dugout.

Fifty year old triceps propped strong body,

it appeared Chet wanted to take shot for team,

dive (for no apparent reason) at shots down 3rd base.

Taylor Borough, a small town,

and only animals were unaware that

Chet’s 18-year old son, Gary, (only child),

nested at home, a hospice care bed.

A rare form of stomach cancer,

Gary wound down from chemo-infection,

his opposition cells on hit streak,

they gained unfair edge.

How could Chet stay and watch game?

(Ah) Whatever girds such inner strength

must fortify Cancer Ward corridors.

I hoped for rain, dispatch him home.

Might Chet recover Red Sox baseball cards

tucked away in Gary’s closet?

I am flyweight gorilla in the stands,

I wanted to frighten Chet home,

make him mourn like me.

Geese overhead, graceful like Yastrzemski.

Far behind, one cackled as if forgotten,

and an umpire called “strike three!”

I could not stay in shell any longer, said,

“O Chet – how can you stay here?”

“God gives strength during misfortune,

Chuck, and Gary #29 wants me here today!”

My fists tightened on chain-link fence.

Gary cannot play and Chet here to pray?

On chopping block, little Isaac looked skyward,

he saw Abraham’s Louisville Slugger aloft,

heard a fallen theologian cry.

“Gastric Lymphoma, I realize you’re alive,

have ‘right to life, but I want to kill you!”

Gary at home, supplied oxygen tube

fell from nose, mother Cheryl reattached.

I strolled 3rd base line, cancer cells load bases.

Can not D.O.D. cut check to General Dynamics,

stop cancer’s killer rally?

Chet upon team bench, robin upon branch.

I bit tongue, kept spectator silence.

Suddenly, its May 18, 2012 –

Gary persuaded parents to allow

him to attend Riverside High Senior Prom.

That night, a friend bought Gary white tuxedo,

another rented a wheel-chair equipped van,

and on that beautiful Spring night,

Gary # 29 crowned King of Prom.

Classmate joy and tears, 90 pounds,

a shriveling tux, cameras flashed,

Gary smiled like Ken Griffey Jr.,

struggled to uphold head.

A teacher kissed cheek, lost composure,

all cried, “Keep Fighting Gary!”

and the van carried him home.

Next morning, Feast Day of St. Joseph,

The Times-Tribune front-page,

Gary Lukasiewicz passed away, 10:30 A.M.

Million prayers suspended in morning dew,

the unbeatable Cancer Cell closer got final out,

and maybe, just maybe…,

Gary’s spirit rounded bases without fence,

slid Nike cleats into incomprehensible home.

Baby robins emerge from shell,

one game over, another begins.

Outside Semian Funeral Home,

I watched victorious cancer cells assemble,

in dark hoods, no one recognized them.

Lymphoma must celebrate, forever run in blood

of those who run Race Against Cancer.

I watched family console hundreds,

stand for Rilke Book of Hours.

Later parents crossed Union Street, held hands.

And I cried, “O, Chet and Cheryl, will you please

come play catch with me?”

Sunday evening, June 10, 2012.

Faraway, perched upon rooftop “nose bleed” seats,

a spectator, I secretly watched

new life at Lukasiewicz’s Taylor home.

Cheryl poured milk into gray cat’s bowl.

She carefully placed Gary’s dusty spikes

in shoe box, destined for a pair of size 10 feet.

Confetti in Fenway Park bleachers,

only ¼ mile away, St. Mary’s Cemetery mound.

Breeze passed through Prom King’s crown,

a robin stood upon colorful grave, picked at fern.

Chet sat upright on back porch bench, drank beer,

tears welled in my eyes, “O God #29,

please give me strength?”

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/04/when-taylors-cancer-resistance-movement-rose-in-support-of-g-l-29/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 07:22PM

Dissident Voice: The Price Paid (No refunds)

To each a precious life given

To live as one wishes

Although conformity awaits you,

The first obstacle to self-actualization

They will try to mould you

Brainwash and cleanse your mind

Listen to that inner spirit of resistance

Trying to break free,

Not knowing exactly why, but

In your heart it says run!

Don’t lose that opportunity

To step out on the wild side

To experience the open sea or road

Life’s adventure of non-conformity

Find like minded sojourners

Matters not what time period

It has always been there

Live life raw, love passionately

It is true, some never come back alive!

But, at least they lived life on their terms

What then of lives lost by conformity?

Fighting unjust wars to protect lies

Told to you as a child, now knowing,

Something is wrong here, it doesn’t feel right,

Killing children, women, civilians,

Now suicide becomes an option, or

Sitting on rocking chairs wishing…

What if, if only I did, I was going too?

Too late now comrades, that ship sailed

You were hood winked, tricked, lied to,

What good is that pension when you are

Dying of a broken heart of missed opportunities

That big adventure! A slave to neo-liberal wishes!

You wanted to be a poet, a road scholar, a lover,

Dancer, singer, writer, a bohemian or peace-nik, instead:

Sentenced to a life of boredom

Regretting missed chances life offered

For secure ones of conformity, duty, God and country,

Haunting thoughts, death on the installment plan,

While rocking at the linger longer lodge,

Perhaps dementia will spare you the pain

And you can wait quietly for death to arrive.

The good nurse puts a shawl around you.

He regrets being shocked and awed…

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/04/the-price-paid-no-refunds/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 06:01PM

Dissident Voice: Troll

Jötunn is taller than a church spire. He lives

with his mother under a crude stone bridge.

Sexually frustrated. No friends. His goal

is to terrorise the entire village. He’s a troll.

Ugly. Feet like a chiropodist’s nightmare.

Tree-trunk legs, dutch-elm diseased. A pair

of anvils for hands: iron-cast; heavy. Ball-

peen fingers impacting on the keyboard.

Username: odin_is_my_bitch. Got to

hand it to the ogre, he doesn’t care who

he pisses off, whose legend or old-

school reputation is defaced by his vitriol.

Forest-destroyer, devourer of children,

dark imp, never more dangerous than when

logged on and threatening all and sundry

via a proxy server: safely, anonymously.

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://dissidentvoice.org/2015/04/troll/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 06:01PM

Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines: Antarctica Blows Hot and Cold—For Now

By Tim Radford, Climate News Network

Natural variability may at the moment be affecting Antarctica’s temperature more than human activity, but climate change will still be a major influence.

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This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 05:32PM

The Raw Story: How recreational marijuana can make everyone happy

Marijuana, for most of its recent history, has been defined by skepticism and negative stereotypes. And why wouldn’t it be? Its use, along with LSD, is tied closely to the hippie counterculture of the 60s and 70s, which rejected mainstream societal structure and values and looked to these drugs for...

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/JvyAojBSZPM/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 05:18PM

The Raw Story: Fox host explodes at misogynist CEO: ‘Completely backwards’ to say God didn’t intend women presidents

A Texas CEO who has said that women should never be president defended her assertion on Sunday, telling Fox News that God created different roles for each gender. After a Facebook post criticizing Hillary Clinton presidential campaign went viral earlier this month, Go Ape Marketing CEO Cheryl Rios...

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/7a46YA7MLL8/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 04:59PM

The Raw Story: A woman president would be cool, but I’m not sold on Hillary Clinton yet

The feminist establishment has declared her our candidate. However, many of the same women once chose politics (and Bill Clinton) over sisterhood...

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/4918x2kULEE/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 04:41PM

The Raw Story: Survivors gather for 20th anniversary of Oklahoma City bombing

When Priscilla Salyers attends Sunday’s anniversary ceremony for victims of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, she will be thinking how far she has come in fighting depression and survivor’s guilt. She and hundreds of other survivors will bow their heads at the 20th Remembrance Ceremony at...

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/fURwLqCgke4/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 19, 2015 at 04:29PM

The Real News Network: Yanis Varoufakis and Joseph Stiglitz

In conversation with Joseph Stiglitz on the Eurozone Crisis - at the INET - OECD conference, 9 April 2015



Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://therealnews.com/idirect.php?i=13686

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 18, 2015 at 06:04PM

The Raw Story: This is how the rest of the world sleeps — in 4 charts

We all know sleep is vital and that we should get around eight hours a night. Our sleeping habits, such as our bedtime, how long we sleep, and what time we wake up determine sleep quality, but how does the rest of the world sleep? Sleep Cycle, an app that tracks users’ sleep as they go…...

Read Full Story from Socialism OnLine! aggregator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheRawStory/~3/TcqEZdpco2Q/

This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 18, 2015 at 05:29PM

Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines: Familiar Fish Find Northern Seas Too Warm for Comfort

By Tim Radford, Climate News Network

Fish accustomed to shallow northern waters will search in vain for cooler depths as climate change warms the seas where they thrive.

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• April 17, 2015 If Inequality Worries Republicans, Why Do They Keep Making It Worse?

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This article by originally appeared on socialismonline.net on April 18, 2015 at 05:25PM