Monday, March 12, 2012
April 6th Group: Egypt State Security operating with impunity
http://bikyamasr.com/60647/april-6th-egypt-state-security-operating-with-impunity/
Egypt unrest: Court clears 'virginity test' doctor
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17330798
Arundati Roy On Colonized Imaginations
She has a way of reducing things to their essence without robbing them of their complexity. Or rather she has a way of relating complexity as nuance, I'm not sure which. She's brilliant--save for her wardrobe.
Capitalism - A Ghost Story (4th Anuradha Ghandy Memorial Trust Lecture)
Democracy and Dissent in China and India
Capitalism - A Ghost Story (4th Anuradha Ghandy Memorial Trust Lecture)
Democracy and Dissent in China and India
India: Dynasty, Corruption And Plunder
Nice piece.
http://www.countercurrents.org/mukhopadhyay120312.htm
http://www.countercurrents.org/mukhopadhyay120312.htm
"Mowing The Lawn": On Israel’s Latest Massacre In Gaza And The Lies Behind It
http://www.countercurrents.org/abunimah120312.htm
Saturday, March 10, 2012
The Greek agony
What is publicly presented as the financial markets’ “sacrifice,” a “waiver” by private creditors, giving up over half of the value of their Greek bonds, is in fact a financial gift to the banks.
The debt swap agreed Thursday night by nearly 86 percent of the creditors will not prevent the bankruptcy of the Greek state. It merely postpones it by shifting the cost of such a bankruptcy from the private to the public sector, on which about three-quarters of the Greek debt will fall.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/pers-m10.shtml
Anecdotes of Mortgage Fraud
In the last couple of weeks I’ve been pushing foreclosure fraud. Well, not pushing the fraud but rather arguing that foreclosure is fraud. It has to be. If a mortgage was registered at MERS, then the chain of title was broken. Broken chains mean the bank cannot foreclose. But that was MERS’s business model, and so most mortgages are “infected”. Still, there’s a lot more to it than that.
http://www.creditwritedowns.com/2012/03/anecdotes-of-mortgage-fraud.html
“Why we occupied our hospital” – an open letter by a hospital doctor at the workers-run hospital of Kilkis
The occupation of our hospital in Kilkis by its workers began on Monday, February 20. This occupation does not merely concern us, the doctors and the workers at the Hospital of Kilkis. Nor does it only take place in response to the greek National Health System (ESY), which is indeed collapsing.http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2012/03/05/why-we-occupied-our-hospital-an-open-letter-by-a-hospital-doctor-at-the-workers-run-hospital-of-kilkis/
We are undertaking this struggle because what is under threat today is human rights. And this threat is not even made against one nation, or a bunch of countries, or social groups: it is a threat made against the lower and middle classes in Europe, America, Asia, Africa; across the entire world. Greece’s today is the tomorrow of Portugal, Spain, Italy and the rest of the countries around the world.
Friday, March 9, 2012
The last Scottish veteran of Spanish Civil War dies
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/the-last-scottish-veteran-of-spanish-civil-war-dies.16871172
These Days Even the High Priests of Capitalism are Talking about Inequality, So Where's the Momentum to Reduce It?
http://sacsis.org.za/site/article/1227?frommailing=1
Unions to Saudi Arabia: King Must End Slavery of Domestic Workers
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/unions-to-saudi-arabia-king-must-end-slavery-of-domestic-workers/
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Propaganda, Lies and Suppression of Constitutional Rights by the Oakland Mayor’s Office, DA and OPD: Update, Update 2
http://hyphenatedrepublic.wordpress.com/2012/03/03/propaganda-lies-and-suppression-of-constitutional-rights-by-the-oakland-mayors-office-da-and-opd/
Hitler's tea tray makes a reich old price
It is good to know that Hitler, capital's greatest creation, is still viable, still generating revenue for his patrons. Well it's as they always say: Fascists sell silverware.
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Hitler-s-tea-tray-makes-reich-old-price/story-15421501-detail/story.html
http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Hitler-s-tea-tray-makes-reich-old-price/story-15421501-detail/story.html
To Break their Haughty Power: 100 Million Strike in India
http://www.solidarity-us.org/site/node/3550?utm_content=metrobusman%40yahoo.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=[%20continued%20]&utm_campaign=Against%20the%20Current%2C%20March%202012%3A%20Who%20Are%20the%20Control%20Rods%3Fcontent
Sent to jail for "stealing" school
http://socialistworker.org/2012/03/07/sent-to-jail-for-stealing-school
Ithaca bus drivers speak out against salary cuts
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/tcat-m08.shtml
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Didacticide Update, March 4, Canadian Front
A "mediator" appointed and instructed to strip the teachers' contract
Monday, March 5, 2012
Marx And The Free Market Fraud, Part Two
I usually don't respond to email in this space, but the feedback I got on the original post [linked below] was so diverse and pointed I thought I'd answer it in public fashion.
If you didn't see the original post, follow the link and watch the brief video and read my response.
I am always impressed by the vehemence with which Anarcho-Capitalists defend their gods. My assertion that Mises was not only incorrect in what he was saying, but was in fact lying drew some rather discourteous responses. I am surprised that A-Caps visit my blog, even more surprised when they say they find things here which are objectionable to them. In case it isn't clear: I detest capitalism. I do not believe capitalism can be reformed, it must be abolished. Libertarianism meant anti-capitalism long before the term was usurped by A-Caps, and I use the term in the original and more accurate sense.
Now, to answer the questions and complaints.
In my home I have two books which deal with the history of socialism and Marxism. One is Socialist Thought [volume two being the relevant section], by G. D. H. Cole, and the other is Main Currents of Marxism, by Leszek Kolakowski. The former author is a socialist but not a Marxist, the latter is neither. I consulted both after receiving critical e-mails about the earlier post and they are in agreement, and generally support what I wrote vis-a-vis the Iron Law of Wages.
According to the aforementioned, David Ricardo was the first to suggest that wages tended toward the subsistence level. He did so after reading Malthus, who was also to influence Lasalle. However, Ricardo didn't use the term "Iron Law", nor did elaborate as to the economic mechanism by which this occurs.
According to Cole, a utopian socialist named Karl Johann Rodbertus also expressed the idea of wages always trending downwards towards subsistence levels.
Lasalle postulated that if wages grew beyond the subsistence level then working families would produce more children. Thus would they flood the market with extra labor which would put downward pressure on wages. If wages dropped below subsistence levels, family size would decrease thus creating a shortage of labor which would drive wages up. This is Lasalle's theory, and he coined the term "Iron Law".
Marx disagreed!
Cole:
Thus Lasalle argued wages tended down on Malthusian grounds--which is what the Iron Law states, as Mises describes in the video--and Marx believed the origins of this miserable tendency lie in production.
Kolalowsky:
Cole also mentioned the "boom and slump" factor which Marx advanced in his opposition to Lasalle's theory.
Marx also enumerated his objections to the Iron Law in his Critique of the Gotha Programme, which I'm quite sure can be found online.
The disagreement between Marx and Lasalle on this point of theory had important practical consequences. With his belief in the Iron Law, Lasalle argued that political action and worker organization was of no use because the lot of the worker could never be improved under capitalism. This led him to denounce trade unions and political action (at least in the conventional sense). He supported instead the idea of inducing the state to fund co-ops with the intent of eventually eliminating capitalism altogether. In pursuit of this end, he contacted Bismarck, and generally supported an alliance with the then still formidable aristocracy against the capitalists saying that the bourgeoisie was the real enemy of the working class. [Please note that I did say Lasalle was something of a schmuck in the original. This is why.]
Marx voiced strong opposition to these ideas. He supported political action and trade unions, in accordance with his different view on wages, and thought that in a conflict between the middle and upper classes, the proletariat should side with the bourgeoisie.
So there you have it. Ludwig von Measles critiques Lasalle's theory after attributing it to Marx, and then derides it on the very same bases as Marx had. One might think this just a garish, oafish mistake, but I don't think so. I don't believe von Measles is that stupid. He's no fool, he's a vulgar propagandist.
Moving along, I was criticized for resisting von Measles insistence that Marx's views on wages were the "at the bottom of his entire criticism of the capitalist system". Well unlike the above discussion, I admit that this is more a matter of opinion than fact. But it is just too much nonsense.
It would seem to me that at the bottom of Marxist thought is dialectical materialism and the labor theory of value. In my humble opinion, his ideas on wages are tangential. But admittedly I am inexpert in matters of economic theory.
I believe I've answered all the issues raised in the angry emails. Please, insults just will not do. If you wish to refute what's written here, you will need to cite something which Marx wrote. Why do I believe Cole and Kolakowski and not Ol' Ludwig? Because it comports with my recollection of Marx' letters to Engels on the topic, and my understanding of his Critique of the Gotha Programme (which I have never read in its entirety). And they quote Marx, unlike Mises who just generalizes about Marx' views but offers no specifics. In any case, you need to produce something which Marx wrote which contradicts C and K, otherwise don't bother.
One last point: It is all well and good to say that Marxism and socialism is inhumane, everyone is entitled to an opinion, even a vapid one like this. But Mises knows that Marx' writings are moralistic, even if the latter would protest such a characterization. Marx' economic theories may be "scientific", but one cannot read him without marveling at the gaudy breadth of his humanity. The first chapter or two of hiis magnus opus, Das Kapital, is economic theory, the rest is his dialectical materialist synopsis of history. Here we see Marx at his best. It is historiography at its best. The text pulses with humanity and decency and moral outrage. I defy anybody to read it and say that Marx is inhumane. Mises knows what he is saying is untrue. It is inhumane to say Marx was inhumane.
http://saveourcola.blogspot.com/2012/02/marx-and-free-market-fraud.html
If you didn't see the original post, follow the link and watch the brief video and read my response.
I am always impressed by the vehemence with which Anarcho-Capitalists defend their gods. My assertion that Mises was not only incorrect in what he was saying, but was in fact lying drew some rather discourteous responses. I am surprised that A-Caps visit my blog, even more surprised when they say they find things here which are objectionable to them. In case it isn't clear: I detest capitalism. I do not believe capitalism can be reformed, it must be abolished. Libertarianism meant anti-capitalism long before the term was usurped by A-Caps, and I use the term in the original and more accurate sense.
Now, to answer the questions and complaints.
In my home I have two books which deal with the history of socialism and Marxism. One is Socialist Thought [volume two being the relevant section], by G. D. H. Cole, and the other is Main Currents of Marxism, by Leszek Kolakowski. The former author is a socialist but not a Marxist, the latter is neither. I consulted both after receiving critical e-mails about the earlier post and they are in agreement, and generally support what I wrote vis-a-vis the Iron Law of Wages.
According to the aforementioned, David Ricardo was the first to suggest that wages tended toward the subsistence level. He did so after reading Malthus, who was also to influence Lasalle. However, Ricardo didn't use the term "Iron Law", nor did elaborate as to the economic mechanism by which this occurs.
According to Cole, a utopian socialist named Karl Johann Rodbertus also expressed the idea of wages always trending downwards towards subsistence levels.
Lasalle postulated that if wages grew beyond the subsistence level then working families would produce more children. Thus would they flood the market with extra labor which would put downward pressure on wages. If wages dropped below subsistence levels, family size would decrease thus creating a shortage of labor which would drive wages up. This is Lasalle's theory, and he coined the term "Iron Law".
Marx disagreed!
Cole:
Marx held that wages tended...down...because of the inherent contradictions of capitalism---by which he meant...the tendency of capitalism to enlarge production faster than the means of consumption...of the people.
Thus Lasalle argued wages tended down on Malthusian grounds--which is what the Iron Law states, as Mises describes in the video--and Marx believed the origins of this miserable tendency lie in production.
Kolalowsky:
It was clear [to Marx]...that supply and demand could not be measuredd absolutely but only in relation to the whole economic picture, including such matters as boom and slump, the state of world markets, technological progress...and finally the effect of working-class pressure on wages. According to circumstances these factors might...push wages up or down, but in any case it was a gross oversimplfication to reduce the...problem to the birth rate.
Cole also mentioned the "boom and slump" factor which Marx advanced in his opposition to Lasalle's theory.
Marx also enumerated his objections to the Iron Law in his Critique of the Gotha Programme, which I'm quite sure can be found online.
The disagreement between Marx and Lasalle on this point of theory had important practical consequences. With his belief in the Iron Law, Lasalle argued that political action and worker organization was of no use because the lot of the worker could never be improved under capitalism. This led him to denounce trade unions and political action (at least in the conventional sense). He supported instead the idea of inducing the state to fund co-ops with the intent of eventually eliminating capitalism altogether. In pursuit of this end, he contacted Bismarck, and generally supported an alliance with the then still formidable aristocracy against the capitalists saying that the bourgeoisie was the real enemy of the working class. [Please note that I did say Lasalle was something of a schmuck in the original. This is why.]
Marx voiced strong opposition to these ideas. He supported political action and trade unions, in accordance with his different view on wages, and thought that in a conflict between the middle and upper classes, the proletariat should side with the bourgeoisie.
So there you have it. Ludwig von Measles critiques Lasalle's theory after attributing it to Marx, and then derides it on the very same bases as Marx had. One might think this just a garish, oafish mistake, but I don't think so. I don't believe von Measles is that stupid. He's no fool, he's a vulgar propagandist.
Moving along, I was criticized for resisting von Measles insistence that Marx's views on wages were the "at the bottom of his entire criticism of the capitalist system". Well unlike the above discussion, I admit that this is more a matter of opinion than fact. But it is just too much nonsense.
It would seem to me that at the bottom of Marxist thought is dialectical materialism and the labor theory of value. In my humble opinion, his ideas on wages are tangential. But admittedly I am inexpert in matters of economic theory.
I believe I've answered all the issues raised in the angry emails. Please, insults just will not do. If you wish to refute what's written here, you will need to cite something which Marx wrote. Why do I believe Cole and Kolakowski and not Ol' Ludwig? Because it comports with my recollection of Marx' letters to Engels on the topic, and my understanding of his Critique of the Gotha Programme (which I have never read in its entirety). And they quote Marx, unlike Mises who just generalizes about Marx' views but offers no specifics. In any case, you need to produce something which Marx wrote which contradicts C and K, otherwise don't bother.
One last point: It is all well and good to say that Marxism and socialism is inhumane, everyone is entitled to an opinion, even a vapid one like this. But Mises knows that Marx' writings are moralistic, even if the latter would protest such a characterization. Marx' economic theories may be "scientific", but one cannot read him without marveling at the gaudy breadth of his humanity. The first chapter or two of hiis magnus opus, Das Kapital, is economic theory, the rest is his dialectical materialist synopsis of history. Here we see Marx at his best. It is historiography at its best. The text pulses with humanity and decency and moral outrage. I defy anybody to read it and say that Marx is inhumane. Mises knows what he is saying is untrue. It is inhumane to say Marx was inhumane.
http://saveourcola.blogspot.com/2012/02/marx-and-free-market-fraud.html
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Atzmon Defamation League (ADL)
He's having a little fun here, but this essay deals with important points.
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/the-atzmon-defamation-league-adl.html
http://www.gilad.co.uk/writings/the-atzmon-defamation-league-adl.html
Saturday, March 3, 2012
A letter from some friends in Oakland regarding the Jan. 28th events
Great first-hand account.
http://www.bayofrage.com/from-the-bay/a-letter-from-some-friends-in-oakland-regarding-the-jan-28th-events/
http://www.bayofrage.com/from-the-bay/a-letter-from-some-friends-in-oakland-regarding-the-jan-28th-events/
Friday, March 2, 2012
Seattle Port drivers' struggle goes on
Calvin Borders, a 13-year driver for Seattle Freight and board member of the driver-run Seattle Port Truckers Association (SPTA), talked about how the atmosphere since the strike:
has really changed. The drivers can see the changes when it comes to getting better respect. They are not harassed in the pier or at the rail. The pick operators are actually loading their trucks more safely. While we were in the midst of striking, they got rid of two individuals (at Burlington Northern Santa Fe) because of their discriminatory attitudes towards people of color and their use of the "N" word. They were the main source of creating a lot of chaos for us.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/29/port-drivers-struggle-goes-on
Thursday, March 1, 2012
France’s secret war against the Syrian people
http://www.voltairenet.org/France-s-secret-war-against-the
The truth about Greece by MÃkis Theodorákis
Theodorakis is an icon in Greece due to his participation in the resistance. Here he writes a terrifically honest assessment.
http://www.voltairenet.org/The-truth-about-Greece
http://www.voltairenet.org/The-truth-about-Greece
SB 469 Would Make Civil Disobedience a Felony in Georgia
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/sb-469-would-make-civil-disobedience-a-felony-in-georgia/
Using King to sell apartheid
This quote even made its way into an excellent exposé of Israel's deadly decades-long relationship with apartheid South Africa, Sasha Polakow-Suransky's The Unspoken Alliance: Israel's Secret Relationship with Apartheid South Africa. In fact, I repeated part of the quote in my own review of the book, much to my regret. Later, I discovered that the King letter was a hoax.
We hear much talk about Gentile attitudes towards Jews, but seldom do we hear about Jewish attitudes towards Gentiles. It took more than chutzpah to forge the MLK letter cited in the article, it took good, ol'-fashioned, sectarian contempt. Zionism is racism.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/03/01/using-king-to-sell-apartheid
Didacticide Update, California Front: A show of resistance against education cuts
http://socialistworker.org/2012/03/01/resistance-against-education-cuts
Indian workers show their power
TENS OF millions of workers took part in a one-day general strike in India on February 28 in the country's largest industrial action since its independence in 1947.
Impressive, but one-day strikes don't accomplish anything. They must strike indefinitely.
Which is easier to say than do.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/03/01/indian-workers-show-their-power
Saudi FM says committed to supporting Egypt with $3.75 billion
Al-Faisal was quoted by the official Saudi press agency SANA on Tuesday that the Saudi government “did not hesitate to stand by the Egyptian people,” stressing that the Egyptians were “unable to determine economic priorities for internal reasons.”
Now why would a reactionary feudal government in Saudi Arabia support a revolutionary government in Egypt?
Because it isn't revolutionary.
http://bikyamasr.com/59586/saudi-fm-says-committed-to-supporting-egypt-with-3-75-billion/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BikyaMasrNews+%28Bikya+Masr+|+Independent+news+for+the+world%29
Goodbye, First Amendment: ‘Trespass Bill’ will make protest illegal
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30678.htm
Financial Firm Fined for Misleading Investors on Magnetar Bets
Steal billions, get fined five million. Now that's a solid business model!
Carina, incidentally, means "cute" in Italian. So you can't say they don't have a sense of humor.
Just to review: Magnetar, a hedge fund, crafted these CDOs for Deutsch and JPMC (These are the Rothschild and Rockefeller families), and then the banks sold them to their customers, the insipid rich, assuring the latter they were good investments. Then the banks and Magnetar placed wagers that the CDOs would go belly up, which of course they did.
They may not have had such a policy, but that is precisely what they did! In fact, I believe that Magnetar was created specifically for this purpose, as I have written in other entries in this blog and elsewhere.
What we are witnessing here is the all too familiar incestuous embrace of state and capital, which will exist as long as the state and capital exist.
Had enough yet?
http://www.propublica.org/article/financial-firm-fined-for-misleading-investors-on-magnetar-bets
Carina, incidentally, means "cute" in Italian. So you can't say they don't have a sense of humor.
Just to review: Magnetar, a hedge fund, crafted these CDOs for Deutsch and JPMC (These are the Rothschild and Rockefeller families), and then the banks sold them to their customers, the insipid rich, assuring the latter they were good investments. Then the banks and Magnetar placed wagers that the CDOs would go belly up, which of course they did.
Magnetar has never been charged with wrongdoing, and has always maintained that it did not have a strategy to bet against the housing market.
They may not have had such a policy, but that is precisely what they did! In fact, I believe that Magnetar was created specifically for this purpose, as I have written in other entries in this blog and elsewhere.
What we are witnessing here is the all too familiar incestuous embrace of state and capital, which will exist as long as the state and capital exist.
Had enough yet?
http://www.propublica.org/article/financial-firm-fined-for-misleading-investors-on-magnetar-bets
Contre les attaques dont est victime la centrale syndicale Union générale tunisienne du Travail
I get hits daily from Francophone countries so I will post this. It's a story about a state crackdown against a union [UGTT] following a general strike.
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article24367
http://www.europe-solidaire.org/spip.php?article24367
Obama to UAW delegates: You make me proud
What an asshole.
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/obama-to-uaw-delegates-you-make-me-proud/
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/obama-to-uaw-delegates-you-make-me-proud/
Workers Compensation Is Quietly Under Attack in America
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/03/01/workers-compensation-under-attackin-america/
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Who Breaks a Butterfly Upon a Wheel
School is as much about learning to pledge allegiance, line up, and respond to Pavlovian bells as it is about education. Teachers work in a context that is usually completely antithetical to the creativity and innovation you talk so much about. Insofar as you’re interested in public schools as something more than a factory that produces semi-skilled workers for businesses, you should focus on reforms more fundamental than busting teachers’ unions.
Great essay about education reform here in the State of Washington.
http://www.ufws.org/2012/02/27/who-breaks-a-butterfly-upon-a-wheel/
Monday, February 27, 2012
CNN Cuts Off Anti-War Soldier
Was he cut off because he's anti-war? For Ron Paul? Or because he mentioned Israel in what threatened to be a negative light?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30658.htm
Can we reverse the labor setback in Indiana?
The rally became such a focus for rank-and-file anger that on the day of the event, three Democratic state representatives made an appearance and requested to speak. Ignoring the militant mood of the audience, the senators urged for the people to channel their anger towards the ballot box in November and vote the Republicans out. However, the loudest cheers at the rally were reserved for Occupy speakers and union radicals who called for direct action in workplaces or the streets...Guyott's call to abandon protest in favor of the ballot box recalls the long and dispiriting history of union leaders limiting worker's self-activity and dampening working-class militancy in order to curry favors with the Democratic Party. And in Indiana, the state AFL-CIO's shift towards elections has the potential to damage the Occupy movement as well.
http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/23/labor-setback-in-indiana
Monday, February 27th Labor Organizing Teach-In: Practical Challenges and Opportunities
Presented By: Sarah Warren, UNITE HERE Local 8 (hospitality workers union)
Have you thought about organizing your workplace into a union? Do you wonder why more workplaces are not organized? We'll talk about some of the reasons why it is so difficult to organize a non-union workplace to join a union, and focus on the practical and logistical challenges. We'll discuss some recent successes from UNITE HERE nationally, and what contributed to their successful organizing. Finally, we'll also talk about first steps to organizing your workplace for general collective action, and what opportunities there are among the many challenges.
Sponsored by: Occupy Seattle Labor Caucus, UNITE HERE Local 8
· Where: Washington State Convention Center, 2nd Floor Lobby
· When: Monday, February 27th
· Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Have you thought about organizing your workplace into a union? Do you wonder why more workplaces are not organized? We'll talk about some of the reasons why it is so difficult to organize a non-union workplace to join a union, and focus on the practical and logistical challenges. We'll discuss some recent successes from UNITE HERE nationally, and what contributed to their successful organizing. Finally, we'll also talk about first steps to organizing your workplace for general collective action, and what opportunities there are among the many challenges.
Sponsored by: Occupy Seattle Labor Caucus, UNITE HERE Local 8
· Where: Washington State Convention Center, 2nd Floor Lobby
· When: Monday, February 27th
· Time: 6:00pm – 7:00pm
Video: The Occupy Seattle Public Education Work Group Invites the Gates Foundation to a Policy Throwdown
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/video-the-occupy-seattle-public-education-work-group-invites-the-gates-foundation-to-a-policy-throwdown/
NYPD surveillance of students called 'disgusting'
http://news.yahoo.com/nypd-surveillance-students-called-disgusting-004754085.html
Marx And The Free Market Fraud
Every so often capital revives the old ruse under a new banner. The most recent incarnation of the free market dodge is Milton Friedman, but before Uncle Milty there was Mises and Hayek and the so-called Austrian School.
It is not for me to defend Marx as I am not a Marxist. The details are unnecessary here, but it suffices to say that as a socialist I am familiar enough with his writings and theories that I can attest that the argument advanced by Mises in the video is chock full of errors. It is inexcusably bad.
There are too many to catalog here, but he starts by saying that Marx' Law of Wages was at the base of his criticism of capitalism: false! Marx' ideas about wages, which are substantially different from how Mises describes them, are if anything on the periphery of Marx' exposition of the contradictions within capitalism.
Mises says that Marx' law of wages had been long in existence (false); generally known as the Iron Law of Wages (false); and had been thoroughly refuted before Marx employed it. Who might the latter be? I am familiar with the refutations of both Marx' view of wages, and the Iron Law of Wages, which occurred subsequently, but not of any which occurred prior to his making his views known. (Das Kapital was published long after he had made public his theories.) It's quite possible this is true and I am unaware of it. It is also quite possible that Mises is full of shit.
The truth: The Iron Law of Wages is the theory of Ferdinand Lasalle, leader of the German socialist movement. Unlike what Mises would have you believe, Marx did not agree with the theory and critiqued it. In fact, Marx' criticism of Lasalle's law isn't too different from Mises'.
Let's review: Mises attributes the Iron Law of Wages to Marx, says it is the basis of Marxian economics, and describes it as "vicious". The first two are demonstrably false, and the latter is an opinion not often heard and hard to understand.
So let's not forget that Mises is actually critiquing Lasalle, not Marx.
The question is: Is Mises a fool or a liar? It is impossible for me to believe he doesn't know that Marx lampooned Lasalle's theory, and what the nature of that criticism was. If Mises is a fool, then his colleagues are, so too the institutions of higher learning which accredited him, and the besotted loons who post this nonsense on the web.
Mises then goes on to say that the Industrial Revolution was "the inauguration of a new principle of marketing," hereby offering effect as cause. And then adds that "what characterizes capitalism as such is that it is mass production for the satisfaction of the needs of the masses."
Capitalism as philanthropy! Who knew!
In defense of Lasalle, to the extent that workers anywhere enjoy a standard of living beyond that of mere subsistence, it is because such advantages have been won by struggle, sometimes bloody, and over the often violent objections of the "philanthropists" who employ them. Personally, my inexpert opinion is that Lasalle was right and Marx and Mises are mistaken in their condemnation. It might be the only thing Lasalle got right. Beyond this one point, Marx' reproaches of Lasalle's theories and policies were well deserved.
What we see in this video is highbrow propaganda. Mises knows what he's saying is nonsense, and he is prostituting himself on behalf of capital. He knows what the disputes between Marx and Lasalle were and is deliberately obscuring them. And the arguments he advances are risibly stupid.
Mises' colleague Hayek published the oft-cited The Road to Serfdom in 1944 as WW2 was winding down, just as the Iron Curtain was descending. Coincidence?
Oddly enough, that same year saw the publication of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation. These books come to radically different conclusions about the free market.
I recommend the latter, but if you are undecided, perhaps you should read both and decide for yourself.
It is not for me to defend Marx as I am not a Marxist. The details are unnecessary here, but it suffices to say that as a socialist I am familiar enough with his writings and theories that I can attest that the argument advanced by Mises in the video is chock full of errors. It is inexcusably bad.
There are too many to catalog here, but he starts by saying that Marx' Law of Wages was at the base of his criticism of capitalism: false! Marx' ideas about wages, which are substantially different from how Mises describes them, are if anything on the periphery of Marx' exposition of the contradictions within capitalism.
Mises says that Marx' law of wages had been long in existence (false); generally known as the Iron Law of Wages (false); and had been thoroughly refuted before Marx employed it. Who might the latter be? I am familiar with the refutations of both Marx' view of wages, and the Iron Law of Wages, which occurred subsequently, but not of any which occurred prior to his making his views known. (Das Kapital was published long after he had made public his theories.) It's quite possible this is true and I am unaware of it. It is also quite possible that Mises is full of shit.
The truth: The Iron Law of Wages is the theory of Ferdinand Lasalle, leader of the German socialist movement. Unlike what Mises would have you believe, Marx did not agree with the theory and critiqued it. In fact, Marx' criticism of Lasalle's law isn't too different from Mises'.
Let's review: Mises attributes the Iron Law of Wages to Marx, says it is the basis of Marxian economics, and describes it as "vicious". The first two are demonstrably false, and the latter is an opinion not often heard and hard to understand.
So let's not forget that Mises is actually critiquing Lasalle, not Marx.
The question is: Is Mises a fool or a liar? It is impossible for me to believe he doesn't know that Marx lampooned Lasalle's theory, and what the nature of that criticism was. If Mises is a fool, then his colleagues are, so too the institutions of higher learning which accredited him, and the besotted loons who post this nonsense on the web.
Mises then goes on to say that the Industrial Revolution was "the inauguration of a new principle of marketing," hereby offering effect as cause. And then adds that "what characterizes capitalism as such is that it is mass production for the satisfaction of the needs of the masses."
Capitalism as philanthropy! Who knew!
In defense of Lasalle, to the extent that workers anywhere enjoy a standard of living beyond that of mere subsistence, it is because such advantages have been won by struggle, sometimes bloody, and over the often violent objections of the "philanthropists" who employ them. Personally, my inexpert opinion is that Lasalle was right and Marx and Mises are mistaken in their condemnation. It might be the only thing Lasalle got right. Beyond this one point, Marx' reproaches of Lasalle's theories and policies were well deserved.
What we see in this video is highbrow propaganda. Mises knows what he's saying is nonsense, and he is prostituting himself on behalf of capital. He knows what the disputes between Marx and Lasalle were and is deliberately obscuring them. And the arguments he advances are risibly stupid.
Mises' colleague Hayek published the oft-cited The Road to Serfdom in 1944 as WW2 was winding down, just as the Iron Curtain was descending. Coincidence?
Oddly enough, that same year saw the publication of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation. These books come to radically different conclusions about the free market.
I recommend the latter, but if you are undecided, perhaps you should read both and decide for yourself.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
UAW Sells Members to Obamagogue (Thanks for 50% Wages, 5 Year No-strike Clause)*
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/us/politics/uaw-tries-to-help-obama-win-working-class-voters.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
* Headline lifted from Rich Gibson: http://www.richgibson.com/blog/
* Headline lifted from Rich Gibson: http://www.richgibson.com/blog/
Friday, February 24, 2012
Banks Colluding with Insurers to Rip Off Homeowners, Lawsuit Alleges
Nooooooooo!
http://www.propublica.org/article/banks-colluding-with-insurers-to-rip-off-homeowners-lawsuit-alleges
http://www.propublica.org/article/banks-colluding-with-insurers-to-rip-off-homeowners-lawsuit-alleges
Firsthand Account: Israeli Plot to Murder Former US Senator?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30640.htm
Thursday, February 23, 2012
25% of super PAC money coming from just 5 rich donors
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-02-21/super-pac-donors/53196658/1
Earth Is Losing Half A Trillion Tons Of Ice A Year NASA Press Release
http://www.countercurrents.org/nasa230212.htm
Riot police beat students in Spain protest: witnesses
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gw7fikf8Oy8ad3qTkjdiDW8qd-HQ?docId=CNG.71c6e70b5ec5a29582d4fe4754d3ec65.bb1
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Obama urges corporate tax cut, closing loopholes
Open wide.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/22/us-usa-tax-corporate-idUSTRE81K25N20120222?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/22/us-usa-tax-corporate-idUSTRE81K25N20120222?feedType=nl&feedName=ustopnewsearly
Criminal Statecraft Alert: How to Kill the Volcker Rule: Just Add Fat
You didn't think the government, Wall Street's aide-de-camp, was going to actually regulate the financial markets did you? If so, put on the dunce cap, you deserve it.
The first clue is its name. Paul Volcker heads the Rothschild Family's investment arm (unless he's resigned in the last few years). His writing rules for investment banks is like letting the Godfather write the penal code. Volcker crafted this piece of legislation to placate an angry public knowing that it would never pass into law as written. Its implementation was never his intention or desire.
If you still don't get it, here's a tutorial--and don't take the cap off until it's over.
http://www.propublica.org/thetrade/item/how-to-kill-the-volcker-rule-just-add-fat
The first clue is its name. Paul Volcker heads the Rothschild Family's investment arm (unless he's resigned in the last few years). His writing rules for investment banks is like letting the Godfather write the penal code. Volcker crafted this piece of legislation to placate an angry public knowing that it would never pass into law as written. Its implementation was never his intention or desire.
If you still don't get it, here's a tutorial--and don't take the cap off until it's over.
http://www.propublica.org/thetrade/item/how-to-kill-the-volcker-rule-just-add-fat
The Insufficiency Of Liberalism
Fair Labor Association Waters Down Violations at Foxconn
When Foxconn is owned by everyone and run by its workers, only then will workers no longer be driven by "boredom" to commit suicide.
Capitalism is obscene.
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/fair-labor-association-waters-down-violations-at-foxconn/
Owing to escalating pressure on Apple from consumers, computer giant Apple Inc. recently purchased a membership in the Fair Labour Association (FLA). The group began factory inspections at Apple suppliers last week. After one week of research, on 15 February, the president of the FLA, Auret van Heerden, praised the working conditions at Foxconn as “better than average”. He suggested that the recent rash of worker suicides at Foxconn could be attributed to “boredom and alienation,” which are not considered labour rights violations. Today, the FLA contradicts its previous statement and announces that “tons of issues” are uncovered at Foxcon but doesn’t give any details. Both these statements make SACOM question the FLA’s ability to carry out a serious independent investigation. The FLA seems to be trumpeting the positive aspects of Foxconn and putting its labour rights abuses in undertones.
When Foxconn is owned by everyone and run by its workers, only then will workers no longer be driven by "boredom" to commit suicide.
Capitalism is obscene.
http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/fair-labor-association-waters-down-violations-at-foxconn/
Ronald Fraser, People’s Historian, Dies at 81
Blood of Spain is an important book. Ignore the kitschy title--that was the editor's doing--and listen to the first-hand accounts of the closest thing this planet has ever known to socialism.
Rest in piece Ronald, and thanks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/world/europe/ronald-fraser-oral-historian-dies-at-81.html?_r=2
Rest in piece Ronald, and thanks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/world/europe/ronald-fraser-oral-historian-dies-at-81.html?_r=2
In Photographs: Japanese-American internment
http://framework.latimes.com/2012/02/19/executive-order-9066-japanese-american-internment-in-world-war-ii/#/12
Monday, February 20, 2012
Greek “left” pushes to join the government
This is why I'm an anarchist.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/gree-f20.shtml
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/gree-f20.shtml
Legislative Action Alert on State Of Washington Teacher Evaluation Bill 5895
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/legislative-action-alert-on-teacher-evaluation-bill-5895/
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Canadian government is 'muzzling its scientists'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16861468
Attacking the unions Mitt Romney goes on the offensive as the Republican nomination race returns to America's industrial heartland.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestoryus2012/2012/02/20122188356171379.html
Bonds Backed by Mortgages Regain Allure
Having reaped big gains during both of those turns, Greg Lippmann, a former star trader at Deutsche Bank, is now catching the next upswing: buying the same securities built from mortgages that he bet against before the financial crisis erupted.
Mr. Lippmann is joined by other big-money investors — mutual funds like Fidelity as well as hedge funds — in riding a wave of interest in the same complex loan pools that nearly washed away the financial system.
The attraction is the price. Some mortgage bonds are so cheap that even in the worst forecasts, with home prices falling as much as 10 percent and foreclosures rising, investors say they can still make money.
Please consider just how lucrative the Scam of '08 was: The investment banks and others made money on the roll-out of these ticking time bonds--they became the investment industry's best-selling product; then, knowing these bonds were ticking, paced wagers against their redemption, thus cashing in when they detonated; and now they are making money in this new phase when these bonds are selling so far below par that they will now are a worthwhile investment.
This is only possible within a capitalist system.
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2012/02/18/bonds-backed-by-mortgages-regain-allure/?hp
Norman Finkelstein On BDS And Zionism
Finkelstein, at the end of the day, is a Zionist, as much so as his tormentor Dershowitz. He supports a "Jewish" state.
Text, video, and a response.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30586.htm
Text, video, and a response.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30586.htm
The “Global Crises of Capitalism”; Whose Crises, Who Profits?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30588.htm
Greece Shows Us How to Protest Against a Failed System
The joy is the joy of seeing the much-trodden worm turn and roar. The joy of seeing those whose cheeks have been slapped a thousand times slapping back. How can we ask of people that they accept meekly the ferocious cuts in living standards that the austerity measures imply? Do we want them to just agree that the massive creative potential of so many young people should be just eliminated, their talents trapped in a life of long-term unemployment? All that just so that the banks can be repaid, the rich made richer? All that, just to maintain a capitalist system that has long since passed its sell-by date, that now offers the world nothing but destruction. For the Greeks to accept the measures meekly would be to multiply depression by depression, the depression of a failed system compounded by the depression of lost dignity.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30592.htm
JINSA: Strengthening Israel by promoting Syrian ‘Chalabi’
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article30589.htm
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Conviction of Ex-Goldman Programmer Overturned
Great piece.
The key phrase here is "high-frequency trading." Is it a coincidence that this man with contact with GS' biggest clients is being targeted by the bank and the government in the form of the FBI (which are, as we have seen these last few years, pretty much indistinguishable)?
Aleynikov is being railroaded (which is not to suggest that he's innocent). It is more likely that this is to protect GS and its high-end clients than outrage at the alleged offense. I have the feeling we will be hearing more about this in the future.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/conviction-of-ex-goldman-programmer-overturned.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29
It was stunning that Goldman was able to get its former employee Sergey Aleynikov arrested, and then convicted, for allegedly stealing computer code (“allegedly” is the right word, since the lower court verdict is now officially an acquittal). The fact that the securities firm could sic the FBI on the case in such short order seemed proof of the strongest form of “Government Sachs” conspiracy theories.
The idea that an intellectual property violation against a private was taken up by a prosecutor, the Manhattan US Attorney, looked like a perverse extension of the “corporations are people” view of the world. Goldman is a very profitable firm with numerous lines of business. The idea that loss of IP in one business could constitute serious harm to the firm seems quite a stretch, particularly in the area in which Aleynikov worked, high frequency trading. I’d imagine that any strategies in that arena have a very short shelf life, and thus whatever damage might have been done would have been of limited duration.
But the critical bit is the criminal versus civil distinction. While it was most decidedly not cool that Aleynikov made off with Goldman code, one has to question why taxpayer-funded prosecutors and prisons are being used to enforce less than crystal clear rights (“trade secrets” are far less clearly defined than copyright or patents).
The key phrase here is "high-frequency trading." Is it a coincidence that this man with contact with GS' biggest clients is being targeted by the bank and the government in the form of the FBI (which are, as we have seen these last few years, pretty much indistinguishable)?
Aleynikov is being railroaded (which is not to suggest that he's innocent). It is more likely that this is to protect GS and its high-end clients than outrage at the alleged offense. I have the feeling we will be hearing more about this in the future.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/conviction-of-ex-goldman-programmer-overturned.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29
Didacticide Update, Seattle Front: March 1st Day of Action: March and Rally
Gather for the rally at the Westlake Plaza at 2:45 PM
March to the Gates Foundation [Seattle Center] at 3:30 PM.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/march-1st-day-of-action-march-and-rally/
Friday, February 17, 2012
Huey P Long on the difference between Democrats and Republicans
Not at all sold on Huey the 14th, but he is entertaining.
But Syriasly, Folks…..
In fact, there’s good reason to think that what was originally presented as a peaceful indigenous uprising by ordinary people now involves a very sophisticated and professional apparatus with its own agenda.
What could that be? Well, consider the eagerness with which almost all the leading countries in the West and their allies elsewhere have condemned the Syrian regime—in dramatic contrast to their silence toward comparably repressive but pro-Western governments like Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. They can’t wait for the Syrian government to fall.
They can’t wait: literally. This Western coalition has made clear that it wants Bashar Assad out, and a new, much more compliant leader in his place.
http://whowhatwhy.com/2012/02/12/russ-baker-on-deep-history-and-little-known-origins-of-current-problems/
ILWU Takes Risks, Breaks Rules, Gets Deal with Grain Company
http://labornotes.org/2012/02/longshore-union-takes-risks-breaks-rules-gets-deal-grain-company
Quelle Surprise! Taxpayers Will Be Paying for Part of Mortgage Settlement
If you think your government gives a damn about you then think again, and harder this time.
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/quelle-surprise-taxpayers-will-be-paying-for-part-of-mortgage-settlement.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29
http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/02/quelle-surprise-taxpayers-will-be-paying-for-part-of-mortgage-settlement.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NakedCapitalism+%28naked+capitalism%29
Public Citizen statement on ruling in favor of Chevron
Unprecedented Ruling Today by International Investor Tribunal Orders Ecuadorian Government to Violate Its Constitution, Interfere in Its Independent Court System to Help Chevron Evade Liability for Amazonian Contamination
http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2012/02/public-citizen-statement-on-todays-ruling-in-favor-of-chevron.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eyesontrade+%28Eyes+on+Trade%29
THEY OWN EVERYTHING
http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2012/02/public-citizen-statement-on-todays-ruling-in-favor-of-chevron.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eyesontrade+%28Eyes+on+Trade%29
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Obama, Democrats hail deal to slash unemployment benefits
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/unem-f16.shtml
Fisherman killed as Sri Lankan police fire on protest
Capital is reaching into every city, town, and village to extort the wealth our labor produces. And they don't care how many die.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/sril-f16.shtml
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/feb2012/sril-f16.shtml
How Citibank Dumped Lousy Mortgages on the Government
http://www.propublica.org/article/how-citibank-dumped-lousy-mortgages-on-the-government
Didacticide Update: The battle for our schools in New York City
http://socialistworker.org/2012/02/16/the-battle-for-nyc-schools
Exposing The Irsraeli-Mossad False Flag Terror Attacks In New Delhi, Tbilisi And Bangkok
http://www.countercurrents.org/mithiborwala160212.htm
Hundreds of thousands rally in Portugal against austerity
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/thousands-protest-lisbon-against-austerity-measures-185748967.html
Seattle Town Hall Meetings with your legislators
This is the time to meet with your legislators and let them know what you think in terms of the bills that are now going through legislation. The session will be over in two or three weeks so it’s now or never until next year.
http://seattleducation2010.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/town-hall-meetings-with-your-legislators/
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
'Bangkok bombers' were assassins not terrorists, says Thai official
We are in deep propaganda now. Show us a few photos of tourists and call them assassins.
Get ready for the attack on Iran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/15/bangkok-assassins-not-terrorists-official?CMP=twt_gu
Get ready for the attack on Iran.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/15/bangkok-assassins-not-terrorists-official?CMP=twt_gu
USAID’s FY 2013 budget released; Pakistan to receive $ 2.4 billion
Remember all that nonsense about US-Pakistani tensions?
http://www.newspakistan.pk/2012/02/14/USAID-s-FY-2013-budget-released-Pakistan-to-receive-2-4-billion/
http://www.newspakistan.pk/2012/02/14/USAID-s-FY-2013-budget-released-Pakistan-to-receive-2-4-billion/
The new troika agreement for Greece– full text
http://www.scribd.com/doc/81046399/Memorandum-of-Economic-and-Financial-Policies-February-8
Greece: Mental health workers continue the occupation of the Ministry of Health: statement and call for support
We continue the occupation at the ministry of health
We need everyone’s support
The workers and those sacked from Mental Health and Special Support participated in the 48-hour General Strike and decided to continue the occupation of the Ministry of Health until Sunday 12/2 at noon, which is when we will hold another assembly to decide on the continuation of our mobilisations.
We demand:
-Immediate funding of the structures for the coverage of current needs (wages, insurance funds, running costs etc)
- The cancelling out of the decision to reduce the budget by 55% (40 instead of 85 million) for 2012, which practically means the collapse of the services and the Psychiatric Restructuring
- Obstacle-free, regular funding of Psychiatric Health and Special Support from the state budget
- No to lay-offs, mergers, the flexibilisation/ intensification of labour and the reduction in wages which by default lead to a shrinking of the services and the devaluation of their quality
- Holistic design for a Mental Health that will be public and free, to cover the ever-increasing needs of the society for support and help. Only with the participation of the workers and the recipients through our won structures shall proposals emerge for a true solving of the pending issues.
- Setting out of a common legal framework for Special Support
- No to the alteration of pensions and benefits of patients for the coverage of permanent running costs of the structures
- Re-employment of all who have been sacked, because none of us is consumable
We call all unions and workers attacked by the memorandum’s politics of impoverishment and trashing of the social net to support practically our occupation and to take similar incentives in their own workplaces
This is the largest mobilisation ever in our workplace and an unprecedented opportunity to co-ordinate our actions, with this occupation being a starting and reference point!
All together we can make it; the occupation needs everyone’s support!
We will meet on Sunday 12/02 at noon at the Assembly to decide the continuation of our mobilisations, and at 6pm at Syntagma.
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2012/02/10/mental-health-workers-continue-the-occupation-of-the-ministry-of-health-statement-and-call-for-support/
Heraclion, Crete: Anarchists occupy local TV station
Can anybody translate what the anarchists said?
Athens: Second communiqué by the occupied Law School
LET’S TURN THE SOCIAL EXPLOSION INTO REVOLUTION
Amen!
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2012/02/11/athens-second-communique-by-the-occupied-law-school/
The era of ‘prosperity’ is over. The dream of access to consumption and advancement, as expressed by the triptych ‘show-off, consumption, career’, has suddenly become the ultimate nightmare. But now there is no turning back. The times when the employers squeezed the foreigners at farms and construction sites, the periods when you boasted as a proud volunteer for the Olympic Games and you had cleaning ladies as your slaves at home, will never come back.
You see the place in which your racism has put the migrants all along, now coming for yourself and your children. And you dread this fact. When the destruction of other societies, such as Eastern Europe or Iraq, shielded your privileges within the international competition, cynically you benefited the most.
Is it perhaps time to give up capitalism, nationalism and consumerism? To stop thinking like a householder, and understand who your real enemies are? The State, the bosses, the cops, the very system of political economy…
For it is not you who loses a job, but it your job that disappears as a potential. For it is the destructive force of capitalism that threatens the mere existence of us all.
The only potentials for survival which capitalism leaves us lie either in the soup kitchen queues, the scavenging for food through garbage, or looting of supermarkets.
For this, the only solution is Social Revolution. So as to have a life, and not survival alone.
This requires that we rise up against all economic and political institutions; and that we take our measures during the uprising, such as abolishing the State, property, nation, sexism and patriarchy, in order to bring revolution in everyday life.
Amen!
http://www.occupiedlondon.org/blog/2012/02/11/athens-second-communique-by-the-occupied-law-school/
A summary of anti-austerity demonstrations of 12/02/2012 & some videos
I particularly liked the "Chris Hedges" blurb at the bottom of the comment section of the linked page.
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