Cultural Detritus, Reviews, and Commentary
Link to a revised excerpt from the book Dirty Truths (1996) by Michael Parenti:
“The JFK Assassination: Defending the Gangster State”
This is quite a few years old, but still seems mostly on the mark. A significant amount of new information points in precisely the same direction as the information Parenti collects.
Link to an article by Joe Lauria:
Rather curious how much press this unsubstantiated “Russian meddling” trope gets, whereas the old story of tampering with voting machines by Republican party operatives received little: “The Ghost of Rigged Elections Past: New Revelations on the Death of Michael Connell”. See also “Reflections on Media Gone Russia-Wild” and “The Utility of the RussiaGate Conspiracy” and “Why Is Russiagate Rumbling Into the 2018 Midterms?” and “The Road to Disaster?” and “The New York Times as Judge and Jury”
Link to an article by Jim Naureckas:
“NYT Sees ‘Dystopia’ in Chinese Surveillance—Which Looks a Lot Like US Surveillance”
Bonus links: “Welcome to the Quiet Skies” and “Surveillance and Scandal: Time-Tested Weapons for U.S. Global Power” and “Amazon Told Police It Has Partnered With 200 Law Enforcement Agencies”
Link to an article by Bruce Lerro:
“Big Brother Facebook: Drawing Down the Iron Curtain on Yankeedom”
Bonus links: “RYM Shitheads” (describes how another, less popular web site has taken a very similar approach) and “The Limits of the Web in an Age of Communicative Capitalism” and “Why ‘Russian Meddling” Is a Trojan Horse” Quote and “Democrats and the Crisis of Legitimacy” and “Technology Giants Hold Censorship Meeting With US Intelligence Agencies” and “Facebook’s New Propaganda Partners”
Link to an article by John Sbardellati & Tony Shaw:
Link to an open letter by Ralph Nader:
Bonus links: Corporate Prosecution Registry, Violation Tracker, and …And the Poor Get Prison
Link to an article by Pete Dolack:
“If You Incentivize Pollution, You Incentivize Death”
Bonus link: …And the Poor Get Prison
Link to an article by Russell Mokhiber:
“Patricia Harned on Ethics Compliance and Corporate Conflicts”
This is all about taming capitalism and putting a happier face on it, in order to try to stave off attempts to end capitalism.
Link to a machine translation of an article by Felipe Demier:
“The Senses of a Prison: Lula, Democracy and the People in the Dining Room”
Link to an article by Maura Ewing:
“Philadelphia’s New Top Prosecutor Is Rolling Out Wild, Unprecedented Criminal Justice Reforms”
Bonus links: “Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner Promised a Criminal Justice Revolution. He’s Exceeding Expectations.” and “Meet Larry Krasner” and “Ending Civil Forfeiture In Philadelphia” and …And the Poor Get Prison
No doubt about it, Krasner is one of the most heroic public servants in office in the U.S. today. Nothing about Krasner’s policies is “wild” though, and it is quite sad that in this day and age they are “unprecedented” — his policies should probably be the norm not the exception. It is, however, important to note that a key factor in Krasner winning office was substantial funding from out-of-towner George Soros.