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Patrick Lawrence —Totalized Censorship

http://mikenormaneconomics.blogspot.com/2023/02/patrick-lawrence-totalized-cens…
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 02:54
Content warning, canceling, de-platforming, denying access: The fate of Sy Hersh’s Democracy Now! interview on YouTube is the latest indication of how much rougher press suppression is in this new media era....

The take-away from the article is that society in so-called liberal democracies are as controlled as in so-called authoritarian "regimes." Society in  (read capitalist) countries is as controlled by the ruling elite that either belong to the ownership class (haute bourgeosie) or are beholden to it. 

While Patrick Lawrence doesn't go into how this is accomplished, others have. Control is secured both through ownership of the "commanding heights" of the economy and the fact that the state has been captured through campaign finance, since campaigns are now so expensive that politicians have become dependent on large contributions and the implicit quid pro quo. 

Commercial interest and public corruption

https://digbysblog.net/2023/02/21/commercial-interest-and-public-corruption/
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 02:30
Yet another reminder Regular readers know that when conservatives talk about freedom and choice; when they complain about government waste, fraud, and abuse; when they raise the alarm about federal deficits; and when they talk about replacing the New Deal with a “better deal”; they are acting as Wall Street shills. They don’t care about the amount of government spending, only about into whose pockets that spending goes. Nor do they care about improving not-for-profit government services they think should not exist if, even just in theory, they might be provided by the private sector at a markup. Like public education. Not exploiting government spending for private profit is a crime against capitalism. We’ve seen in the last few day how commerical interest corrupts the delivery of accurate news. Adam Serwer wrote of Fox in The Atlantic (emphasis mine): “The Dominion filing drives home a few points. One is that there is a Fox News propaganda feedback loop: The network inflames right-wing conspiracism, but it also bows to it out of partisan commitment and commercial incentive.“ Fox has always been a propaganda operation.

Video: Shadow EdSec Phillipson: real change isn’t a priority for a Labour government

https://skwawkbox.org/2023/02/21/video-shadow-edsec-phillipson-real-change-isnt…
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 01:53
Bridget Phillipson is a perfect fit for Keir Starmer’s front bench Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has provided yet another confirmation of the political and moral vacuum Keir Starmer’s ‘Labour’ represents. Phillipson told the BBC that ‘structural change’ should not be a priority for a Labour government: In other words, Labour has no interest in […]

McCarthyism, Then and Now

https://tomdispatch.com/mccarthyism-then-and-now/
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 01:21

Can there be any question that we’re in a mad — and loud — new age of McCarthyism? Thank you, Kevin! And don’t forget the wildly over-the-top members of the so-called Freedom Caucus and their Republican associates, including that charmer, lyin’ George Santos, Jewish-space-laser-and-white-balloon-carrying Marjorie Taylor Greene, and — once again running for president — the man who never lost, Donald Trump-em-all.  I’d like to say it couldn’t get crazier. Still, despite watching Greene shout “Liar!” and other Republicans yell “Bullshit!” during President Biden’s State of the Union Address, I suspect it could get much worse (and more dangerous) in Washington in the months to come. And believe me, that’s leaving Hunter Biden’s penis aside. When it comes to this era’s... Read more

McCarthy & Carlson: Threats to Capitol security

https://digbysblog.net/2023/02/21/mccarthy-carlson-threats-to-capitol-security/
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 01:00
Coming soon to a RW propaganda outlet near you So, “House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has given Fox News’ Tucker Carlson exclusive access to 41,000 hours of Capitol surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 riot,” Axios reported Monday. Yes, the same Carlson who Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit filings last week showed described then-President Donald Trump as ”a demonic force, a destroyer” off the air. Carlson demanded a Fox fact-checker be fired because she was bad for Fox’s stock price. God bless America. You won’t have to guess what the co-producer of the “completely off the rails,” three-part series, “Patriot Purge,” will do with all that security footage. Carlson’s documentary reinterpreted the history of Jan. 6 into a false-flag operation by deep-state opponents of Donald J. Trump. As The Atlantic‘s Anne Applebaum panned it, “Good people, honest people, true Americans, patriots, people just like you, are being cheated. Sinister forces inside the American government arranged all of this bad imagery in order to oppress you, to remove you, to eliminate you.” Now Carlson will have Jan.

This Fantasy Hero’s Destiny Can Wait, He Needs Some Me Time

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/this-fantasy-heros-destiny-can-wait-he-need…
Created
Wed, 22/02/2023 - 00:05

How am I? Yeah, I’m fine. Just keeping busy slaying demons, deciphering ancient prophecies about how to defeat the Dark Lord, and trying to keep my on-again-off-again relationship alive with the blacksmith’s daughter. Actually, now that I think about it, I’m exhausted from battling demons. But not the physical sort, more like my inner demons, you know?

I haven’t really stopped to think about this before, but yeah, things are pretty full-on for me. It’s not that I’m opposed to being the chosen one. I guess I just think it would be good for my headspace if I weren’t always feverishly pursuing my destiny.

I’m genuinely grateful for how the story is unfolding. I’ve got a humble beginnings backstory, rugged good looks that I’m unaware of, loyal traveling companions, a mysterious mentor, and a totally rockin’ magic fire sword. My story is shaping up to be a decent fantasy epic. But now that I pause and reflect, what this story doesn’t have is a hero at the top of his game.

Funny Marketing of Funny Money

https://www.profstevekeen.com/2023/02/21/funny-marketing-of-funny-money/
Created
Tue, 21/02/2023 - 22:50
Many of you would have received emails or other social media contacts, offering a free copy of a cartoon book by me and Miguel Guerra called Funny Money. The marketing has been “funny” as well, when compared to my normal communications—so much so that many people have assumed it’s a scam. It’s not: the marketing … Continue reading "Funny Marketing of Funny Money"

Humza’s Lies on Gay Marriage

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2023/02/humzas-lies-on-gay-marriage/
Created
Tue, 21/02/2023 - 22:32

In their urgency to foist Sturgeon’s nominated devolutionist successor on Scotland, the media are going all out against Kate Forbes for saying she could never vote for gay marriage. But they have not noted that Humza Yousaf also did not vote for gay marriage, he absented himself. It is absolutely plain that he did this […]

The post Humza’s Lies on Gay Marriage appeared first on Craig Murray.

Globalization’s Latest Last Stand

https://robertskidelsky.com/2023/02/21/globalizations-latest-last-stand/
Created
Tue, 21/02/2023 - 22:32
With the world increasingly turning away from economic integration and cooperation, the second wave of globalization is threatening to give way to fragmentation and conflict, as the first wave did in 1914. Averting catastrophe requires developing strong political foundations capable of sustaining a stable international order. LONDON – Is the world economy globalizing or deglobalizing? … Continue reading Globalization’s Latest Last Stand

US Anti-Socialism Resolution Demeans US Allies

https://scheerpost.com/2023/02/21/us-anti-socialism-resolution-demeans-us-allie…
Created
Tue, 21/02/2023 - 22:05

By Edward Hunt / CounterPunch The anti-socialism resolution passed by the House of Representatives earlier this month sent a chilling message not only to socialists in the United States but to many U.S. friends and allies around the world. By backing a resolution that “denounces socialism in all its forms,” policymakers condemned a broad range of U.S. […]

The post US Anti-Socialism Resolution Demeans US Allies appeared first on scheerpost.com.