Cultural Detritus, Reviews, and Commentary
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.
“After a shooting spree, they always want to take the guns away from the people who didn’t do it. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to live in a society where the only people allowed guns are the police and the military.”
William S. Burroughs, Painting & Guns
Bonus links: “The Rifle on the Wall: A Left Argument for Gun Rights (Reprise)” (“The political principle at stake is simple: to deny the state the monopoly of armed force, and, obversely, to empower the citizenry, to distribute the power of armed force among the people.”) and Links to books about black armed resistance in freedom movements
Link to an article by Jonathan Cook:
“The UK’s Hidden Role in Assange’s Detention”
Bonus links: “The Scourging of Julian Assange” and “British Judge Refuses to Overturn Julian Assange’s Arrest Warrant” and “Inside WikiLeaks: Working with the Publisher that Changed the World” and “U.K. and Ecuador Conspire to Deliver Julian Assange to U.S. Authorities” and “Guardian Ups Its Vilification of Julian Assange”