Comments on: Prison of Nations http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/03/prison-of-nations/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:51:44 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Ron Horn http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/03/prison-of-nations/#comment-40289 Ron Horn Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:33:40 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=7060#comment-40289 Mulga...you have a very insightful mumblebrain! I'm sorry to add to your pessimism, but we must face reality--I really think that homo sapiens will go the way of the dinosaurs. They were a marvelous experiment in nature. To have a creature that was a sentient being that was aware of its own existence and with a marvelous brain to shape their environments in such creative ways was unprecedented. Unfortunately the experiment is not working out well. This creature has a self-centeredness that is proving to be its downfall. It destroys its fellow creatures and its very habitat to satisfy motives of greed and selfishness. It's a shame it didn't work out. They had such promise, such dreams, aspirations, and ideals. Mulga…you have a very insightful mumblebrain! I’m sorry to add to your pessimism, but we must face reality–I really think that homo sapiens will go the way of the dinosaurs. They were a marvelous experiment in nature. To have a creature that was a sentient being that was aware of its own existence and with a marvelous brain to shape their environments in such creative ways was unprecedented. Unfortunately the experiment is not working out well. This creature has a self-centeredness that is proving to be its downfall. It destroys its fellow creatures and its very habitat to satisfy motives of greed and selfishness. It’s a shame it didn’t work out. They had such promise, such dreams, aspirations, and ideals.

]]> By: Mulga Mumblebrain http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/03/prison-of-nations/#comment-40254 Mulga Mumblebrain Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:01:21 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=7060#comment-40254 The crisis of market capitalism is terminal, for many reasons. The psychopathic greed of the kleptocrats has bankrupted entire countries, where the political elites, employed by the rich elites, see their duty not to the populace, the 'losers' in our Brave New World Depression, but to the financial interests who pay their campaign bills. After decades of elite graft and rent-seeking, the trillions of proceeds from which are securely stashed in off-shore tax-havens, during which time global inequality soared as high-paying manufacturing jobs were 'off-shored' to low-wage sweat-shop states, we reached a paroxysm of elite malfeasance. The last few years of parasite class financial cupidity, driven by literally insatiable greed, set the scene for the current implosion. Although scores of academic economists, economic historians and disinterested laymen had warned of the instability of ever escalating debt and financial manipulations, and even Warren Buffet expressed the view that derivatives were a time-bomb, the Right is now feigning surprise at developments. Naturally their remedy is more of the same, more debt, more money poured into the financial black-hole, to pop up later in tax-havens, awaiting opportunities to buy up insolvent rivals, other concerns in the economy at large and entire countries. The trillions used to pay-off the 'too big to fail' bankster gangs will be used to consolidate financial power. Moreover the stratospheric public debts will require a mass privatisation of state assets, to be bought up by..guess who? Public money used to bail-out crooks who then use it to buy up the privatised state. That is 'nationalisation' only in Orwellian terms. As could have been confidently predicted this crisis is being used, in pure 'disaster capitalism' style, to facilitate the neo-feudal market capitalist project, to consolidate elite rule and dominance, and public impotence. The Rightwing regimes in power virtually everywhere are complicit-they know who the real masters are. The perils of climate change, Peak Oil, the disappearance of potable water in many regions, neo-colonial wars in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Congo, and ongoing US subversion of every regime not a completely subservient stooge, are all unaddressed. Any return to 'normal' conditions implies yet more asset bubbles, yet deeper indebtedness for the proles and oil prices above the $147 a barrel that helped trigger this meltdown. Yet the parasitic elites are so obsessed, so fanatically single-minded, and so psychopathologically unable to acknowledge these disasters, and the suffering they will, and do already, inflict on billions, they seem completely unconcerned. If one makes the not unremarkable leap in thinking to see this indifference as not brainless, but deliberate, a truly sinister scenario comes readily to mind. A global elite that are concentrating most of the planet's wealth in as few hands as possible, and possessing technological means of great power to sustain production, really do not require vast populations of immiserated poor, who do not 'pull their weight' in consumption. And their numbers and poverty induced suffering remain a constant threat to the peace of mind of the self-satisfied overlords. Their permanent removal by pestilence, famine, war and climate change induced disaster would suit the global elite marvellously. So revolt from beneath becomes a matter of life and death, the only means to avert a global crime, or series of crimes, of truly cosmic proportions. The crisis of market capitalism is terminal, for many reasons. The psychopathic greed of the kleptocrats has bankrupted entire countries, where the political elites, employed by the rich elites, see their duty not to the populace, the ‘losers’ in our Brave New World Depression, but to the financial interests who pay their campaign bills. After decades of elite graft and rent-seeking, the trillions of proceeds from which are securely stashed in off-shore tax-havens, during which time global inequality soared as high-paying manufacturing jobs were ‘off-shored’ to low-wage sweat-shop states, we reached a paroxysm of elite malfeasance. The last few years of parasite class financial cupidity, driven by literally insatiable greed, set the scene for the current implosion. Although scores of academic economists, economic historians and disinterested laymen had warned of the instability of ever escalating debt and financial manipulations, and even Warren Buffet expressed the view that derivatives were a time-bomb, the Right is now feigning surprise at developments. Naturally their remedy is more of the same, more debt, more money poured into the financial black-hole, to pop up later in tax-havens, awaiting opportunities to buy up insolvent rivals, other concerns in the economy at large and entire countries. The trillions used to pay-off the ‘too big to fail’ bankster gangs will be used to consolidate financial power. Moreover the stratospheric public debts will require a mass privatisation of state assets, to be bought up by..guess who? Public money used to bail-out crooks who then use it to buy up the privatised state. That is ‘nationalisation’ only in Orwellian terms. As could have been confidently predicted this crisis is being used, in pure ‘disaster capitalism’ style, to facilitate the neo-feudal market capitalist project, to consolidate elite rule and dominance, and public impotence. The Rightwing regimes in power virtually everywhere are complicit-they know who the real masters are. The perils of climate change, Peak Oil, the disappearance of potable water in many regions, neo-colonial wars in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Congo, and ongoing US subversion of every regime not a completely subservient stooge, are all unaddressed. Any return to ‘normal’ conditions implies yet more asset bubbles, yet deeper indebtedness for the proles and oil prices above the $147 a barrel that helped trigger this meltdown. Yet the parasitic elites are so obsessed, so fanatically single-minded, and so psychopathologically unable to acknowledge these disasters, and the suffering they will, and do already, inflict on billions, they seem completely unconcerned. If one makes the not unremarkable leap in thinking to see this indifference as not brainless, but deliberate, a truly sinister scenario comes readily to mind. A global elite that are concentrating most of the planet’s wealth in as few hands as possible, and possessing technological means of great power to sustain production, really do not require vast populations of immiserated poor, who do not ‘pull their weight’ in consumption. And their numbers and poverty induced suffering remain a constant threat to the peace of mind of the self-satisfied overlords. Their permanent removal by pestilence, famine, war and climate change induced disaster would suit the global elite marvellously. So revolt from beneath becomes a matter of life and death, the only means to avert a global crime, or series of crimes, of truly cosmic proportions.

]]> By: Marcos Stacks http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/03/prison-of-nations/#comment-40234 Marcos Stacks Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:03:20 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=7060#comment-40234 Coming soon... As for Westerners fondly remembering Capitalism (they would have given anything for it to have been libertarianism!), that may be true of some old people, but if you mention Capitalism to the young in these countries they laugh in your face. Essentially because the common people had to endure miserable pay, miserable working conditions, miserable health care, miserable housing, miserable public transport and miserable everything else while the corporate fat cats could live high on the hog and never answer to anyone. Capitalism is not going to revive in Western Europe quite simply because the people who control the future, the young, will not accept it. Incidentally, banks have not just been bailed out in Europe, they have been effectively nationalized and I doubt if, in practice, they will ever go back to the bad old ways. Mr Kenney didn’t mention that, but it would have defeated the purpose of his comment, wouldn’t it? Coming soon…

As for Westerners fondly remembering Capitalism (they would have given anything for it to have been libertarianism!), that may be true of some old people, but if you mention Capitalism to the young in these countries they laugh in your face. Essentially because the common people had to endure miserable pay, miserable working conditions, miserable health care, miserable housing, miserable public transport and miserable everything else while the corporate fat cats could live high on the hog and never answer to anyone. Capitalism is not going to revive in Western Europe quite simply because the people who control the future, the young, will not accept it. Incidentally, banks have not just been bailed out in Europe, they have been effectively nationalized and I doubt if, in practice, they will ever go back to the bad old ways. Mr Kenney didn’t mention that, but it would have defeated the purpose of his comment, wouldn’t it?

]]> By: Michael Kenny http://dissidentvoice.org/2009/03/prison-of-nations/#comment-40228 Michael Kenny Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:36:03 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=7060#comment-40228 Oh dear! The EU is blowing up again! About time too! It hasn't happened for nearly a week! The comforting thing about this rant is that it almost entirely fiction! Riots have not swept across Eastern Europe this winter, nobody but Mr Walberg considers Greece a failed state, Ireland is not in anything like Iceland's position and the pillars of the European Union are not crumbling. The French march in the street every other week and what happens in overseas territories is more likely to make them seek independence that to affect the EU. The British press has made no mention of all this wave of demonstrations, but then who would trust a journalist nowadays? Nobody, except the US hegemonists and their supporters (dream on, baby!) are raising the specter of the end of the EU or the Euro. Nobody is talking about "Völkerwhatevers" or “Tequila Sunsets”. To be fair to Mr Walberg, I'm not aware of any preparations to save the Euro from immanent collapse, but that may well be because there is no sign of it being in danger of immanent collapse! As for East Europeans fondly remembering communism (they would have given anything for it to have been socialism!), that may be true of some old people, but if you mention communism to the young in those countries, they laugh into your face essentially because the common people had to endure miserable pay, miserable working conditions, miserable health care, miserable housing, miserable public transport and miserable everything else while, and so that, the party fat cats could live high on the hog and never answer to anyone. Which may well be why Mr Walberg has no plans to live in a communist state himself! (And yes, yes, it does sound like the US, doesn't it!). Communism is not going to revive in Eastern Europe quite simply because the people who control the future, the young, will not accept it. Incidentally, banks have not just been bailed out in Europe, they have been effectively nationalised and I doubt if, in practice, they will ever go back to the bad old ways. Mr Walberg didn't mention that, but it would have defeated the purpose of his article, wouldn't it? So we have gone from straight-faced citation of far-right newspapers, to pseudo-interviews with emerging market gurus and ex-communists who don't say what they were supposed to and now this hysterical rant. In the next exciting episode, a herd of rampaging elephants will bear down on the EU and trample it into dust. Stay tuned, folks! Oh dear! The EU is blowing up again! About time too! It hasn’t happened for nearly a week! The comforting thing about this rant is that it almost entirely fiction!
Riots have not swept across Eastern Europe this winter, nobody but Mr Walberg considers Greece a failed state, Ireland is not in anything like Iceland’s position and the pillars of the European Union are not crumbling. The French march in the street every other week and what happens in overseas territories is more likely to make them seek independence that to affect the EU. The British press has made no mention of all this wave of demonstrations, but then who would trust a journalist nowadays? Nobody, except the US hegemonists and their supporters (dream on, baby!) are raising the specter of the end of the EU or the Euro. Nobody is talking about “Völkerwhatevers” or “Tequila Sunsets”. To be fair to Mr Walberg, I’m not aware of any preparations to save the Euro from immanent collapse, but that may well be because there is no sign of it being in danger of immanent collapse! As for East Europeans fondly remembering communism (they would have given anything for it to have been socialism!), that may be true of some old people, but if you mention communism to the young in those countries, they laugh into your face essentially because the common people had to endure miserable pay, miserable working conditions, miserable health care, miserable housing, miserable public transport and miserable everything else while, and so that, the party fat cats could live high on the hog and never answer to anyone. Which may well be why Mr Walberg has no plans to live in a communist state himself! (And yes, yes, it does sound like the US, doesn’t it!). Communism is not going to revive in Eastern Europe quite simply because the people who control the future, the young, will not accept it. Incidentally, banks have not just been bailed out in Europe, they have been effectively nationalised and I doubt if, in practice, they will ever go back to the bad old ways. Mr Walberg didn’t mention that, but it would have defeated the purpose of his article, wouldn’t it?
So we have gone from straight-faced citation of far-right newspapers, to pseudo-interviews with emerging market gurus and ex-communists who don’t say what they were supposed to and now this hysterical rant. In the next exciting episode, a herd of rampaging elephants will bear down on the EU and trample it into dust. Stay tuned, folks!

]]>