Donald Jeffries

Despite my self-evident cynicism and my reflexive skepticism, I am basically a trusting soul. Even though I know how corrupt and unreliable so many people are, still I instinctually give them the benefit of the doubt. Until proven otherwise, I assume most people aren’t dishonest, and take them at face value.

This kind of delicate balancing act is how I manage to issue blanket condemnations of the “Sheeple,” while still being concerned about the welfare, and the rights of The People, which includes those who are oblivious to the criminal tyranny all around them. It’s not easy being a populist, of promoting power to The People, when so many of them are brainwashed enough to lash out at messengers like me, who are simply trying to defend their civil liberties. Who knows how many of them would support throwing people like me into the FEMA camps, for pointing out how badly they’re being screwed? They’ve been conditioned to act like Pavlovian dogs, waiting for the bell to ring.

The odd thing about the Sheeple, who constitute a clear majority in decaying America 2.0, is that most of them are skeptical of salesmen, or salespersons, for example. Salestranspersons. They blanch at anything that seems “too good to be true.” They hate “get rich quick schemes.” Even if they were offered a perfectly legitimate check, for a substantial amount of money, without any contract to sign that roped them into something nefarious, they would still regurgitate the adage, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” The Sheeple really, really hate “free lunches,” even when they’re doing the eating. I thoroughly documented how there are “free lunches” in this rigged economy, in my book Survival of the Richest. But “free lunches” are only for the elite.

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Bill Van Auken

Iraq War veteran Tomas Young, currently under hospice care at his home in Kansas City, Missouri, has written a scathing “last letter,” published at Truthdig.com, addressed to former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

Young, the subject of the 2007 documentary film Body of War , explains that he is writing his letter

“on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War on behalf of my fellow Iraq War veterans. I write this letter on behalf of the 4,488 soldiers and Marines who died in Iraq. I write this letter on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of veterans who have been wounded and on behalf of those whose wounds, physical and psychological, have destroyed their lives. I am one of those gravely wounded. I was paralyzed in an insurgent ambush in 2004 in Sadr City. My life is coming to an end.”

Young goes on:

“I write this letter on behalf of those veterans whose trauma and self-revulsion for what they have witnessed, endured and done in Iraq have led to suicide and on behalf of the active-duty soldiers and Marines who commit, on average, a suicide a day. I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all—the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.”

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Ray McGovern

Many of those preaching at American church services Sunday extolled as “heroes” the 30 American and 8 Afghan troops killed Saturday west of Kabul, when a helicopter on a night mission crashed, apparently after taking fire from Taliban forces. This week, the Fawning Corporate Media (FCM) can be expected to beat a steady drumbeat of “they shall not have died in vain.”

But they did. I know it is a hard truth, but they did die in vain.

As in the past, churches across the country will keep praising the fallen troops for protecting “our way of life,” and few can demur, given the tragic circumstances.

But, sadly, such accolades are, at best, misguided — at worst, dishonest. Most preachers do not have a clue as to what U.S. forces are doing in Afghanistan and why. Many prefer not to think about it. There are some who do know better, but virtually all in that category eventually opt to punt.

Should we fault the preachers as they reach for words designed to give comfort to those in their congregations mourning the deaths of so many young troops? As hard as it might seem, I believe we can do no other than fault — and confront — them. However well-meaning their intentions, their negligence and timidity in confronting basic war issues merely help to perpetuate unnecessary killing. It is high time to hold preachers accountable.

Many preachers are alert and open enough to see through the propaganda for perpetual war. But most will not take the risk of offending their flock with unpalatable truth. Better not to risk protests from the super-patriots — many of them with deep pockets — in the pews. And better to avoid, at all costs, offending the loved ones of those who have been killed — loved ones who can hardly be faulted for trying desperately to find some meaning in the snuffing out of young lives.

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Cindy Sheehan

“The goal of modern propaganda is no longer to transform opinion but to arouse an active and mythical belief.” Jacques Ellul

On Super Bowl Sunday, the reason that I wrote my new book: Myth America: 20 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution, literally hit home.

Since it was the Holy Day of Obligation for our national religion of Football, I headed for my health club because I have always been a heretic. I arrived there a little before kick off, so the club was still occupied, but after kick-off it was deserted.

After my water workout and swim in the pool that I had all to myself, I headed to the hot tub which was occupied by another spa patron—an older gentleman named Bill whom seems to come to the club just to sit in the hot tub and chat. I get the feeling he is very lonely, and this following exchange may be why:

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I have been in Oslo, Norway the past few days working with the Oslo peace community in their opposition to Barack Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

I have been doing a lot of media in preparation for the rally that we had this evening that culminated in a march to the Grand Hotel, where the Laureate was to wave at us from a bulletproof glass encased balcony.

My hosts here in Oslo are Afghan refugees who are working on an exciting movement to replace the US puppet leaders and the Taliban in Afghanistan and I am honored to be asked to be a part of it, and will have more details as the plan unfolds, but the organization is called: Peace and Democracy in Afghanistan. My hosts are understandably upset with Obama and upset with the Peace prize committee for this outlandish betrayal of peace!

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Richard S. Lindzen

Abstract

For a variety of inter-related cultural, organizational, and political reasons, progress in climate science and the actual solution of scientific problems in this field have moved at a much slower rate than would normally be possible. Not all these factors are unique to climate science, but the heavy influence of politics has served to amplify the role of the other factors. By cultural factors, I primarily refer to the change in the scientific paradigm from a dialectic opposition between theory and observation to an emphasis on simulation and observational programs. The latter serves to almost eliminate the dialectical focus of the former. Whereas the former had the potential for convergence, the latter is much less effective. The institutional factor has many components. One is the inordinate growth of administration in universities and the consequent increase in importance of grant overhead. This leads to an emphasis on large programs that never end. Another is the hierarchical nature of formal scientific organizations whereby a small executive council can speak on behalf of thousands of scientists as well as govern the distribution of ‘carrots and sticks’ whereby reputations are made and broken. The above factors are all amplified by the need for government funding. When an issue becomes a vital part of a political agenda, as is the case with climate, then the politically desired position becomes a goal rather than a consequence of scientific research. This paper will deal with the origin of the cultural changes and with specific examples of the operation and interaction of these factors. In particular, we will show how political bodies act to control scientific institutions, how scientists adjust both data and even theory to accommodate politically correct positions, and how opposition to these positions is disposed of.

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