Messing with Minds
“Mind Games” explained by John Lennon.
Latest articles
Philadelphia and the Darkside of Liberty
This planned investigation, titled Philadelphia and The Darkside of Liberty, is a deliberate examination into the cultural, economic, and sociopolitical foundations which undergirded America’s early colony and its newly birthed land of liberty’s class-stratified slave society – combined with a closer look at the contradictions which laid within the notions and/or paradoxes of early American equality, freedom, race, and enslavement (commencing in the seventeenth-century). This proposed study therefore will contend that to appreciate the early interpretations of American political organization, it is essential to understand its beginnings – centering on the U.S. …
Every Accusation Is a Confession
Southcom's Double-Speak
Admiral Alvin Hosley demonstrated selective outrage over the fear of multipolarity in the Western Hemisphere. The Southcom commander confirmed the official US military doctrine for the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region on February 13, before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
In a poorly disguised assertion of US hegemony, Hosley envisioned, “an enduring commitment to democratic principles…to engender security, capability, democratic norms, and resilience that fuel regional peace, prosperity, and sovereignty.”
Threats to the vision of a Pax Americana
Foremost of the “threats to this vision” is the “methodical incursion into the region” by China, secondarily by Russia, and a distant …
EU’s Von der Leyen Issued with Colonial Reparations Demand
Former colonies are not seeking a handout but an “appropriate apology,” the Grenadian prime minister has said
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen @ Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been told that former colonial powers must apologize and pay compensation for their historical involvement in the enslavement of Africans.
Addressing the 48th meeting of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) heads of government in Barbados on Thursday, which was attended by von der Leyen, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell urged Western leaders to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity and ensure appropriate reparations …
Yves Engler Arrested for Criticizing Israel
Speaks to Media before Detention
On Thursday morning, as scheduled, author and activist Yves Engler was arrested by the Montreal police for his social media posts criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. Before turning himself in to Montreal Police at 980 Guy Street, Engler addressed the media, denouncing the politically motivated charges against him and the broader crackdown on those speaking out against Israeli violence.
Surrounded by supporters, Engler reaffirmed his commitment to freedom of expression and criticized the Montreal police’s collaboration with anti-Palestinian figures. He highlighted the absurdity of the new charges, which claim he harassed the police simply by writing about the accusations already …
Terminating Neighbours (Again)
Second Endings
Soppy, soapy and interminable, the Australian series Neighbours, the staple for millions of British (and Australian) watchers for years, their tonic and medication from reality, is being terminated for the second time.
In 2022, steady followers and dedicated fanatics of this program of irritating suburban geniality were met with the news that Channel 5 would be concluding its support for a series that had incubated such Australian performers and thespians as Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce and Kylie Minogue. Fremantle Media, the program’s producer, had failed to secure another broadcaster in the UK as a replacement, despite the 1.5 million regular viewers …
Germany Issues Warning to US
Europe should make it clear to President Trump that failure to back “liberal democracies” will come at a price, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has insisted
The Struggle for a Zone of Peace Continues
US/NATO Out of Our Americas Network Launches
Today, the US/NATO Out of Our Americas Network officially launches, marking a bold and action-oriented next phase in the Zone of Peace campaign. This date, commemorating the assassinations of Malcolm X and Augusto C. Sandino, serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring struggle for sovereignty, self-determination, and liberation from colonialism, imperialism and all nefarious forces that impede peace. The Network is dedicated to building a coordinated, internationalist struggle to expel the U.S./EU/NATO Axis of Domination from the Americas and beyond.
The Zone of Peace campaign has been building and coordinating …
Feb. 23 is the Global Day of Action to Close Bases
Anti-military base actions of all kinds (protests, blockades, concerts, rallies, marches, lectures, poster displays, etc.) are happening on or about February 23, 2025, including near you!
Individuals and organizations all over the world have added events to the map, including in Australia, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, South Korea, United States, Venezuela, Wales, and online. More are still being added.
Check out the event nearest you at:
DAYTOCLOSEBASES.ORG
The Earth is coated in …
Antisemite
The Israeli-Palestinian debacle has been my writing focus for over ten years. Other writers in our Veterans For Peace (VFP) chapter 27 newsletter have concentrated on political actions, educational outreach, or the far-reaching effects war has on military personnel, civilians and the environment. So far — three of us have been called antisemites.
The first was from a chapter 27 member who hollered in the street during a parade in Minneapolis that one of our other members was an antisemite. He gave no explanation and was kicked out of our group a couple years ago by the VFP Board for misconduct.
The …
NWO Recipe
And what would be the source/inspiration for this recipe?
16 Months of Israeli Violence in the West Bank
For over a year now, Israel has been intensifying its military assaults on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, from mass killings to attacks on healthcare workers, mass arrests, forced displacement, home demolitions, and military airstrikes.
In our latest visual, we bring attention to the ongoing violence the Israeli military and settlers have inflicted on Palestinians in the West Bank over the past 16 months.
On January 19, the Israeli army invaded and laid siege to Jenin refugee camp. The siege is part of a …
An Oct 7 Survivor Meets a Gaza Refugee
When I told Alaa, before the January 2025 ceasefire, that there would be an Israeli Jew named Noy whose brother was killed by Hamas on October 7 attending her Instagram Live fundraiser, I wasn’t surprised by her response. She couldn’t comprehend that Noy was pro-Palestinain and anti-Zionist.
“I’m scared,” she said. “Are they a fanatic? I am a peaceful person who doesn’t have political problems.”
Such is the dilemma of a Gaza refugee. They are not inert objects that are victims of random bombings. They are people caught in a whirlwind of a socio-political milieu of Zionists vs Palestinians. Even Alaa won’t …
The Tragic Tale of a Flower that Wilted too Soon
Part 1 of 2
IMAGE/Dawn/DUck Duck Go
She eloped
Over a hundred years ago, on February 20, 1918, she escaped from her parents house to unite with her love. Two months later, on April 19, at her sweetheart’s huge house atop Malabar Hill in Bombay, she got married and went to Nainital for honeymoon.
All over India, the news of their wedding caused a huge uproar and spread fast – it became the main talk of the town for many reasons:
The girl was Parsi;
the man was Muslim;
she …
Humor in the Planning of Elitists
Would you choose to participate?
Cross-Cultural Comparative Politics: Social Science or Cold War Propaganda?
Orientation
What is the meaning of politics?
Nine questions for determining what is politics
In Part I of my article Seven Theories of Politics I posed ten questions for narrowing down what the range for defining what is politics.
Temporal reach
How far back into human history does politics go? Does politics go back to pre-state societies? Or does politics begin with state societies? Is politics possible before there were political parties?
Cross species scope
Is politics confined to the human species or does it ooze into the life of other species? If so, which ones? If …
“Are You Denying that Russia Invaded Ukraine?”
As I noted the other day, most Americans remain unaware that President Barack Obama initiated the war in Ukraine in February, 2014 with the Euromaiden Coup in Kiev. Those with an ounce of integrity who followed subsequent events, understand that every Russian entreaty for peace was ignored and that Russia’s red line was crossed when the US opened the door for Ukraine to join NATO. Politically, Putin has no choice but to intervene.
This is the critical missing context every time the official mantra “Russia invaded Ukraine” is incessantly repeated in the mainstream media. And the Deep …
Singing for Our Lives, Today
“The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.”
– from Maya Angelou poem, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
Thinking about what I would write in this column about the importance of group singing for a mass people’s movement I somehow remembered this Maya Angelou poem, this poem about singing at a time of adversity.
One of the first times I ever sang out loud outside of a church or school setting was when, at the age of 20, I was literally …
Inferno of Vanity, Cupidity, and Derangement
Descent sans depth
The real estate transaction that enabled White settlers to colonize Manhattan was in reality an ethnic cleansing operation. Trump, whose first real estate grifts were perpetrated in Manhattan, knows deep in his High Dollar criminal class DNA that ethnic cleansing is part and parcel of doing the business of the ruling elite.
Hence real estate inhabited by the Palestinian people, to appropriate the ugly, soul-defying lexicon of business insiders, is transactional. Genocide and ethnic cleansing are just business as usual under capitalist despotism. Nothing new under the sun here, including The US military acting as a mafia-grade enforcer arm of …
Are the Dead Nostalgic?
I was asking this question recently when the nightmare of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians greatly disturbed my reflections and took me in another writerly direction. Now I wish to return to this matter that seems perpetually pertinent, a pertinence, of course, not unconnected to the dead in Gaza, Ukraine, and everywhere else. There are so many ways of getting dead – and living – that complicate my question.
I am certain of this, however, that there is much to be said for talking to the dead, even asking them if they are nostalgic.
I have just awakened from a night of …
Canadians Rejoicing
What has Canadians shaking their booties recently?
The Tragic Killing of Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar
Blasphemy Allegations, Police Brutality, and the Fight for Justice
The September 2024 extra-legal murder of Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar exposed the lethal combination of blasphemy charges with improper policing practises in Pakistan. The incident reveals both human rights challenges that blasphemy accusation victims face and questions the proper role of law enforcement agencies regarding justice and human rights protection.
Background of Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar
The district of Umerkot in Sindh now associates its entire symbol with Dr. Shahnawaz Kambhar who suffered brutal murder despite being a resident. Religious fanatics murdered a doctor who remained innocent to his killers. Dr. Shahnawaz Kambhar distinguished himself as a community healthcare worker who received credit for …
If Elected
A look at how to effectively orate one’s election promises.
Trump, Ukraine, and the EU
I deplore Trump’s actions domestically and also, so far, on Gaza. However, I trust you’re also experiencing a rare morale boost regarding what Trump has begun doing on Ukraine. One consequence we can expect is hysterical, excoriating commentary from the European and US media as they condemn Trump for “betraying Ukraine and appeasing Putin.” On the front page of New York Times (2/15/2025) we read about the “rising Russian threat.” Also, there may well be false flags from Zelensky as he attempts to disrupt and delay productive talks — and save his own ass. Given the absence of an independent media …
Brazil: Experts Alarmed by Landgrabbers and Settlers as Uncontacted Man Emerges from the Forest
An uncontacted man from the Mamoriá Grande area of Brazil who appeared at a settlement in an extractivist reserve in February 2025. © Anon
Experts working in the area where an uncontacted Indigenous man appeared last week say it reveals the acute pressures from landgrabbers and the extraction of forest produce in that part of Brazil’s Amazon.
The young man, from a group known as “Uncontacted people of Mamoriá Grande,” emerged last week at a settlement occupied by locals harvesting Brazil nuts and other …
Understanding Biology ≠ Biological Essentialism
Anyone who has critiqued, or even dared to question, the ideology of the transgender movement likely has been accused of being a “biological essentialist.”
The most recent episode of this in my life came when a friend read the chapter in my new book about the trans debate and told me that I was advocating “a mistaken position of ‘biological essentialism,’ that biological sex is absolute,” and denying the “evidence of ‘gender as a spectrum.’”
It’s common in these debates for people to use the terms sex (a matter of biology) and gender (a matter of social …
Feeling Very Fine: Picasso the Printmaker at the British Museum
This is Pablo Picasso the way he is rarely seen – at least in so far as the hundred or so pieces at the British Museum’s Picasso: Printmaker have been displayed. The viewer is treated to dazzling marked draughtsmanship that also evinces a mastery of techniques: the use of drypoint and etching, lithographs, linocuts and aquatints.
The span of the work humbles. From the early 1900s (Picasso moved to Paris in 1904, keeping an address at the Washhouse Boat in Montmartre), we find the almost shocking A Frugal Meal, where the much diminished couple sit together in strained impoverishment, their …
China-Africa Space Co-op Shows Tech’s Multipolarization, Democratization Trends
In recent years, cooperation between China and Africa in the space field has deepened. However, some Western media outlets have tried to distort the nature of this cooperation. On Tuesday, Reuters reported that China is “building space alliances in Africa to enhance its global surveillance network and advance its bid to become the world’s dominant space power.” The article also cited remarks from the Pentagon, claiming that China’s space projects in Africa and other parts of the developing world are a “security risk.”
The real security risk is not cooperation …