Sunday, January 24, 2016

 

The Keith Jackson Saga

Former San Francisco School Board president, Keith Jackson, in 2014 pleaded guilty to federal charges of racketeering and corruption, gun-running, and conspiracy to commit murder for hire. Yesterday, Jackson was additionally hit with four counts of bribery, money-laundering, and grand theft of public money.

In 2007, Jackson -- a consultant hired by New College of California president Martin Hamilton -- threatened former San Francisco Supervisor Harry Britt, when Britt called for a criminal investigation of the New College board of trustees. As editor of the New College independent alumni association website, I immediately phoned the San Francisco District Attorney's office.

Soon after, I published an account of the incident, and sent word to Jackson he was being watched.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

 

Skullfucking Authority

Admirably elaborated by Holly Wood.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

 

Transformation

Professor Taiaiake Alfred of the University of Victoria program of Indigenous Governance discusses Research as Indigenous Resurgence. In the era of co-optation through colonial assimilating processes like recognition and reconciliation, indigenous resurgence through reestablishing connections to land, community and culture helps to rebuild the indigenous ethic of leadership. Becoming rooted and accountable, says Alfred, is a struggle, but is also transformative.

Friday, January 08, 2016

 

Bailout and Speculation



Seven years down the road from the 2008-2009 Wall Street bailout -- that in real dollars totaled more than the New Deal programs, World War II and the Marshall Plan combined -- this massive transfer of public wealth to the private finance sector is now putting another wave of people out of their homes due to real estate speculation.

The problem is that there are not enough alternatives for investing that much money, which explains why rents are spiraling out of control in San Francisco, Portland and Seattle--compelling the governors of Oregon and Washington to declare a homeless state of emergency.

Friday, January 01, 2016

 

Annihilating Tribal Society



Modern states, through international institutions (i.e. International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and NATO), routinely annihilate peaceful tribal societies. As the dominant modern state, the United States combines these institutionalized enforcement tools with its war-making capacity to expropriate tribal territories and resources for the benefit of the market sector (i.e. energy, consumer electronics, and the military industrial complex). This collusion between US and EU-dominated institutions and markets is what led to the genocides in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Rwanda) as well as in the Balkans.

If fascism is defined as a rationalization of theft through coercion, then it fits the US/EU model exercised in Central and South America, Africa and Asia, where tribal societies (i.e. Maya, Hutu, and West Papuans) are annihilated or displaced to facilitate access to their resources. Aided by imperial social media networks (i.e. Avaaz, Purpose, and Amnesty International), war against tribal societies and independent states now manipulates public opinion to support this institutionalized aggression.

The future seems to be a contest between secular and religious fascism.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?