It is undisputed that Evangelicals are on the rise in Brazil.
It's being talked about and the subject is even coming up in regular mainstream
newscasts. Just the other morning, there was a brief story about how Marcelo
Crivella the Evangelical mayor of Rio de Janeiro created a somewhat odd moment
with his half-hearted inauguration of the Carnival bacchanal. An opponent of
the pagan festivities, he has made considerable cuts to the funding earning the
ire of many of his constituents.
18 February 2018
14 February 2018
Mainstream Media's Apologia for Empire
This Fresh Air interview is related to a Chinese surveillance
project I mentioned in a previous article:
For those that think that Left-wing thinkers and advocates
like Terry Gross and NPR are anti-American, they need to reconsider. These
people are thoroughly invested in the American project. I was left somewhat
astounded listening to the New Yorker's Osnos paint China's aggressive
expansion in terms that made them look somewhat sinister and conniving, even
while ignoring US actions and the massive footprint it already possesses. This
is never questioned, it's simply assumed
and presumed to be a good thing.
11 February 2018
Modi's Empire: ASEAN, OBOR and Washington
Despite what the one contrary commentator says near the end
of the article, this is indeed largely about China. And the reason it has been
cranked up a few notches is because of the US withdrawal from the TPP. Some are
trying to salvage the treaty but without the US it is but a shadow.
10 February 2018
Italian Fascism Tolerated
In light of the recent shooting
of African immigrants I immediately thought of this DW story I saw. Of course
it would be a mistake to automatically equate the once secessionist Lega Nord
(The Northern League) with fascism but there are overlaps. Lega Nord's
nationalism and anti-immigration positions will resonate with Italy's fascist
element and it provides a legitimate political outlet for those who are
flirting with fascist ideology.
OBOR in Laos... and Thailand
The One Belt One Road (OBOR) or New Silk Road initiative has
been in the news a lot as of late. This brief piece cites yet another instance
of OBOR's expansion. The fact that Beijing would collaborate with Laos is
hardly a surprise but Thailand's inclusion points once again to the weakened
hand of the United States. The US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) has reduced its standing in the region. While Thailand was not one of the
original members of the TPP, the longtime US ally had aspirations to join the
framework. Where the TPP stands now is still up in the air but without the US,
it won't in any way represent what it once did.
07 February 2018
Government Smoke and Mirrors
The news has reached new heights of absurdity as once again
the Establishment media fails to report or contextualise the following recent stories.
Trump +382:DNC Hypocrisy
I think this article demonstrates that despite the rhetoric
and posturing, Trump is not really the outsider he's painted to be. And indeed
much of the protest emanating from Democratic circles is largely false. Yes,
they would like Trump to be gone and yes, they are using the campaign against
him to wage war on several fronts and yet they are not nearly as upset with him
as they pretend to be. His views of immigrants and poor countries are largely
shared with the Establishment but these are things that are not to be said out
loud. Trump's main problem is that he's uneducated, crude and utterly lacking
any kind of finesse or class. He may be a millionaire and grew up with money,
but his mindset resonates more with the blue-collar street. That's why so many
of that class embraced his message. If George W Bush resonated with the
'country boys' and Midwesterners, then Trump resonates with the urban working
class. As one who lives in an area where the Rust Belt and Appalachia overlap,
an area in which Trump has overwhelming support I can tell you that people
voted for him, not because of some Russian plot on Facebook but for one simple
reason... they thought he was going to bring jobs and industry back to America
and restore the communities and values of old. They were utterly deceived and
some of them are starting to realise it. The cynicism is like a cloud choking
the very air we breathe.
Somali Civilian Deaths: Yet Another Cover-Up
The US war in Africa is a poorly kept secret. It isn't too
hard to piece together the various theatres, actions and agendas. This is
despite the fact that the US mainstream media continues to largely ignore it
and is content to keep the public in a state of ignorance.
That said, with no front line and given the fact that the war
is being fought in the dark with intelligence agencies, drones, special ops and
through proxy forces... it's hard to suss out just what is happening on a
day-to-day basis.
04 February 2018
Hoekstra: An ambassador for the Empire, not the Kingdom
Former Congressman turned Ambassador Pete Hoekstra has been
quite popular among the Christian Right. His name is often cited and since he
long represented Dutch Reformed country in Michigan, his name was and is pretty
well known.
01 February 2018
The Establishment's Pro-Robotics Propaganda and its Manipulation of the Political Spectrum
We are told in this article to welcome the robot revolution
and to not be concerned with either the technological implications... which are
not really addressed... or the social impact.
In fact robots replacing workers are viewed as a solution to
workplace problems and by implication it could even help with the social
tensions regarding immigrants!
What we really have here is a Right-wing piece that's meant
to promote the interests of the capitalist class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)