Pushing LBJ Into War: Robert S. McNamara and the Real Tonkin Gulf Deception

Published on Counterpunch, by GARETH PORTER, Aug 5, 2014.

For most of the last five decades, it has been assumed that the Tonkin Gulf incident was a deception by Lyndon Johnson to justify war in Vietnam. But the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam on August 4, 1964 in retaliation for an alleged naval attack that never happened — and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution that followed was not a move by LBJ to get the American people to support a U.S. war in Vietnam.   Continuer la lecture de « Pushing LBJ Into War: Robert S. McNamara and the Real Tonkin Gulf Deception »

Why National Security Has Nothing to Do With Security

Published on TomDispatch, by Noam Chomsky, August 5, 2014.

… On August 7, 1945, a previous age was ending and a new one was dawning. In the nuclear era, city-busting weapons would be a dime a dozen and would spread from the superpowers to many other countries, including Great Britain, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel. Targeted by the planet’s major nuclear arsenals would be the civilian inhabitants not just of single cities but of scores and scores of cities, even of the planet itself. On August 6th, 70 years ago, the possibility of the apocalypse passed out of the hands of God or the gods and into human hands, which meant a new kind of history had begun whose endpoint is unknowable, though we do know that even a “modest” exchange of nuclear weapons between India and Pakistan would not only devastate South Asia, but thanks to the phenomenon of nuclear winter also cause widespread famine on a planetary scale.   Continuer la lecture de « Why National Security Has Nothing to Do With Security »

Sick of this market-driven world? You should be

The self-serving con of neoliberalism s that it has eroded the human values the MARKET was supposed to emancipate – Published on The Guardian, by George Monbiot, Aug 5, 2014.

To be at peace with a troubled world: this is not a reasonable aim. It can be achieved only through a disavowal of what surrounds you. To be at peace with yourself within a troubled world: that, by contrast, is an honourable aspiration. This column is for those who feel at odds with life. It calls on you not to be ashamed.

I was prompted to write it by a remarkable book, just published in English, by a Belgian professor of psychoanalysis, Paul Verhaeghe.   Continuer la lecture de « Sick of this market-driven world? You should be »

50 US experts head to West Africa to contain outbreak of Ebola

Man tested for Ebola in NYC – Published on Russia Today RT, August 04, 2014.

A man in New York City was tested for Ebola after traveling to West Africa. The news comes shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it will send 50 staffers to the region over the next month to combat the deadly outbreak.

Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan performed tests on the male patient with high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, the hospital said in a statement. He arrived in the emergency room Monday morning, and had previously traveled to one of the West African countries where Ebola has been reported.   Continuer la lecture de « 50 US experts head to West Africa to contain outbreak of Ebola »

Ukraine … questions and non-answers

EUROPE: Civilians die in latest Ukraine offensive, on Al Jazeera, August 3, 2014.

At least ten dead as government forces continue to close in on Donetsk, forcing rebel groups out of surrounding towns. At least ten civilians have been killed in new fighting between government forces and pro-Russian separatists around the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk in east Ukraine, local officials say.

Six people were killed in shelling and gunfire on the outskirts of Donetsk, Deputy Mayor Kostantyn Savinov said on Sunday, while city officials said three others were killed in shelling of Luhansk over the previous 24 hours. Officials in the frontline rebel base of Gorlivka reported one dead and 16 hurt in clashes there.   Continuer la lecture de « Ukraine … questions and non-answers »

Human trafficking is rampant in Canada

Published on ViceNews, by Angela Hennessy, July 31, 2014.

Last week, the Canadian government announced that the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) had removed 20 members of a massive human trafficking gang from Canada and deported them back to their native Hungary. The Domotor-Kolompar crime ring — headed by kingpin Fernec Domotor — was busted up in 2010 when a victim escaped and told authorities about the atrocities he and 18 others were enduring. The case is the largest known human trafficking ring in Canadian history, exposing a problem in Canada that reaches far beyond this Hungarian crime family.   Continuer la lecture de « Human trafficking is rampant in Canada »

The Orange Social Design Award: help us make our cities more liveable

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Marianne Wellershoff, July 30, 2014 (12 Photo in the Gallery).

Vegetables for all and second-hand treasures: Smart design doesn’t just look good — it also seeks to do good. That’s why we’re launching the Orange Social Design Award, to be bestowed on ideas that look great and improve life in the city

Ok, let’s assume you have a few things lying around your house that you no longer need but still might be useful to others. A table lamp, a vase or a book, for example. You could give them away to friends or sell them on Ebay. You might also consider throwing them away.   Continuer la lecture de « The Orange Social Design Award: help us make our cities more liveable »

Worker's alternatives

Videos:

think it is war … and nobody is going there …

Russia Concerned by Reports of Kiev Using Ballistic Missiles in Eastern Ukraine, on en.RIA.ru, July 30, 2014.

… Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko Tuesday confirmed the country’s readiness to provide access to international experts to the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines passenger plane in Donetsk Region, declaring a unilateral ceasefire within a 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius. “Now, unfortunately, actions suggest the opposite: Donetsk, Luhansk and other villages in these regions are being shelled with Grad rocket launchers, artillery and tanks.”

On Tuesday, citing US officials CNN reported that Ukraine’s government troops used short-range ballistic missiles in the east. The weapons have a range of about 50 miles and pack warheads of up to 1,000 pounds.   Continuer la lecture de « think it is war … and nobody is going there … »

Eastern Ukraine

Video: Our Troops March and Drive Into Eastern Ukraine Bearing Nazi Insignia and Mass-Death, 82.36 min, on Wasgington’s Blog, by Eric Zuesse, July 28, 2014;
(also on YouTube, uploaded there by FallenUSSoldiers, July 27, 2014): Extensive war crimes in Donbass from July 2 to July 24, 2014 …).

My comment:

  • 1): how long will it take that these criminals – obviously enjoying their acts of destruction – are taken to the European Criminal Court of Justice?
  • 2): how long do our western medias continue with their lies telling Russia/Putin is the aggressor – shall we bring them also to a Criminal Court?
  • 3): you the West-Ukranians, do you really believe that we the European peoples want you among us? – No, with this behavior you’ll NEVER be a part of our world!!
  • 4): how long will it take that we westerners show the same people uprise like in the Vietnam War?
  • 5): Is the Civil War in Gaza made to concentrate all medias away from the geostrategically much more important Ukraine?
  • 6): How long do we support our govs supporting NATO’s actions? – Heidi).

Related Links: Continuer la lecture de « Eastern Ukraine »

Mobilizing Temporary Migrant Workers

a Compendium of Forms and Preliminary Discussion – Published on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin No. 1014, by Salimah Valiani, July 25, 2014.

… The purpose of this article is to provide a compendium of the varying forms of temporary migrant labour organizing in the early 21st century. Empirical accounts on this question are hard to come by, especially of global scope. Examination and reflection on this evidence can advance theory and praxis around transnational labour organizing in the broadest sense. I stress labour organizing broadly and transnationally because temporary migrant labour is increasingly the primary basis of labour supply growth in several economic sectors and labour markets around the world. Given that current organizing of temporary migrant workers is in nascent stages in world historical terms, the article concludes with a preliminary analysis of the differing forms of migrant worker advocacy and action today … // Continuer la lecture de « Mobilizing Temporary Migrant Workers »

The GMO debate: What to consider

Published on Pambazuka News, by Mwananyanda Mbikusita Lewanika, July 24, 2014.

The debate around Genetically Modified Organisms has been characterized by lack of information and understanding of the complexities around biotechnology. Any state must undertake careful consideration about potential benefits and risks before deciding to introduce GMOs into the country … // Continuer la lecture de « The GMO debate: What to consider »

Contradictions of the Ruling Class in Ukraine

Published on New Politics, by Sean Larson, Summer 2014 /Vol XV-1 Whole #: 57.

Ukrainian capitalism today is distinguished by the most fortified oligarchy of the post-Soviet states. Politics in Ukraine have been subject to volatile lurches over the last decade, driven by the direct involvement of masses of Ukrainians. Meanwhile, shaping the economic, political, and ideological aspects of society and daily life in Ukraine is a ubiquitous inter-imperialist competition between Russia on the one side and the United States and the European Union on the other. Indeed, the accumulation of capital in this country is constantly conditioned and threatened both by these imperialisms and internal social upheavals. The actions and positions of the ruling class have been and will continue to be staked out upon the terrain delineated by their contradictions.     Continuer la lecture de « Contradictions of the Ruling Class in Ukraine »