Photobucket

50,000,000 Reasons Why Megaupload Was Seized

by: socrates

Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 17:56:31 PM EST

 

From the not so reliable Wikipedia but perhaps accurate in this instance.

   * Unique visitors: 81,000,000[citation needed]
   * Page Views (in history): >1,000,000,000[10]
   * Visitors per day: 50,000,000[10]
   * Reach: 4%[11]
   * Registered Members: 180,000,000[10]
   * Once the 13th most visited site on the Internet[10]

First, lets look at the backstory through socratisation. The movie and music industries for a very long time have been part and parcel of corrupt capitalism. Fat pigs have been raking it in at the expense of fair play. Here are a few examples, starting off with some old-movie fetish.
There's More... :: (13 Comments, 606 words in story)

Opeen

by: Laura

Sat Jan 14, 2012 at 14:39:16 PM EST

There's More... :: (23 Comments, 263 words in story)

The Roots of Leftier Than Thouism

by: socrates

Fri Jan 06, 2012 at 20:24:50 PM EST

George Harrison- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)

Many have wondered how I became such a groovy, free-spirited peacenik. Until recently, I was incapable of providing an answer. On November 17th, 2011 a friend channeling the High Goddess revealed all. I am an idealist dreamer.

There's More... :: (105 Comments, 543 words in story)

'Central Banks for the Bankers!' IMF/EU vs. Hungary

by: fairleft

Thu Jan 05, 2012 at 01:34:03 AM EST

The usual suspects, the mainstream corporate press, the IMF and the EU, are ganging up on Hungary because it has passed a law creating greater democratic control over its central bank. When did it become the role of the IMF and the EU to defend 'Central Banks for the Bankers!'?? Oh, with the passage of the Lisbon Treaty, which outlaws democratic control over central banks.

But isn't 'independence' from us and subservience to 'them' our primary problem these days? Financial systems, economies, are being run for bankers and their clients, big investors (sometimes called 'the market' by the mainstream press). And look what a helluva job they've done!

In contrast, I read in the history books that during the West's economic golden age, from roughly 1945 to the early 1970s, the following was considered 'normal':

There's More... :: (60 Comments, 237 words in story)

Boycott Lowe's, Fight Islamophobia

by: fairleft

Wed Dec 21, 2011 at 00:27:10 AM EST

Lowe's has taken its stand, on the side of fringe hate group Florida Family Association. After pressure by that group, the company has pulled its ads from the TLC series All-American Muslim.

... U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, who is Muslim, said in a statement that Lowe's had 'chosen to uphold the beliefs of a fringe hate group' and given in to intolerance.

'Corporate America needs to take a stand against these anti-Muslim fringe groups and stand up for what is right because this is what it means to be an American,' he said.

The Muslim community joined by Christians and Jews -- Christians, Muslims, Jews to Boycott Lowe's Over 'Bigotry' -- has expressed its outrage, attacking Lowe's and its groveling to hate:

There's More... :: (33 Comments, 120 words in story)

A Clean Victory for Trolls

by: donkeytale

Sat Dec 17, 2011 at 10:53:08 AM EST

Violent/murderous (so-called), vicious, impolite, frequently banned, and often abused by majoritarian groupthinkers, internet trolls across the world wide web are cheering and vigourously flipping off the epidemic herd mentality today after a federal judge dismissed a criminal cyberstalking complaint against a California man on free speech grounds.

In a nutshell, the Judge opined that posting on a blog is not the same as communicating a threat directly to another person through email, snail mail, telephone calls or face to face, and therefore blogging is a protected form of speech.

A "Blog" is a shorthand term for a "web log," i.e. a log or web page maintained on the World Wide Web. A Blog is like a bulletin board and contains whatever material its sponsor decides to post. It does not send messages, and there is no limitation on the length of statements that may be contained on a Blog. Like a bulletin board, it does not communicate except to those who voluntarily choose to read what is posted on it.

http://www.techdirt.com/articl...

You can ban us, loosers, but you can't shut us the fuck up by attempting to manipulate the US justice system to further your own nefariously unconstitutional aims.

Or, to put it another way, in the conservative sports schticker Dan Patrick's semi-famous formulation:

You cant stop us, you can only hope to contain us.

Discuss :: (49 Comments)

Why we know Russian election was fair (more or less)

by: fairleft

Thu Dec 08, 2011 at 10:57:34 AM EST

One of the American empire's enemies and rivals is Russia. So, these days, lies and innuendos about Russia can become mainstream 'news' and, potentially, this kind of b.s. can be turned into war and other terrible things. The latest very good example of this dangerous phenomenon is the 'news' that this week's Russian election was a swindle and that groovy young progressives are now demonstrating in the streets for their right to free and fair elections, supported in their heroic cause by accusations from the U.S. Secretary of State and her EU/NATO allies.

And yet, the election results were obviously a reasonably accurate reflection of voter preferences, because they match the mostly independent opinion polls preceding the election and the independent exit polls at the time of the election. Gee, you'd think no controversy with data that conclusive, but, go figure again, those of you unaware of the effect of imperial rivalry on 'news'.

The following remarkably prescient piece by Anatoly Karlin (AK) from a couple days before the elections helps clarify how these things go:

There's More... :: (51 Comments, 682 words in story)

Does Obama Condone Police Violence Against Occupy Protesters?

by: fairleft

Thu Nov 17, 2011 at 11:21:38 AM EST

(Sorry this is a couple days late, but still worthy of thoughts/comments . . . finally had time to make a special trip to the kids clubhouse here to post it.)

From his complete silence on the issue, even after the Scott Olsen incident (afterwards he reminded the demonstrators to play nice but said nothing about the video-taped police brutality), I think we have the answer to that, or does President Obama think silence means he escapes presidential responsibility to defend the Constitution and Bill of Rights against police violence? Anyway, further confirmation Tuesday from AP:

There's More... :: (25 Comments, 113 words in story)

The Power of the Mass Movement

by: donkeytale

Tue Nov 15, 2011 at 09:45:32 AM EST

Let me paraphrase and expand on what I wrote on Lenin's blog: there is an algebraic relationship between the numbers participating in the movement and the power of the movement's demands.

The larger tha number of people in the movement the larger the exponential growth in the power of the demands. The demands themselves are secondary. Meaningless until you have the power that the PTB cannot ignore, or conversely, the movemnt's power overwhelms the PTB and renders them irrlevent.

The larger the number on the left side of the equation, the more power accrues to the demand. Byron is the mathematician, maybe he can formulate it, but it goes something like this:

Mass multiplied by (numbers) = Demands to the exponential power of the (numbers) or wtf.

So, as you increase the variable numbers on the left side of the equation, you increase exponentially the power of your demands on the right side of the equation. (sorry too lazy to insert the algebraic symbols).

But yeah, the movement is the thing. Size matters. Once it grows large enough, any single demand the movement comes up with will have the force of a nukulur detonation.

"The people want to change the regime," in Tunisia and Egypt are great examples of the power of added numbers. You may also wish to add a component called "moral force" to the equation, such as in Syria, where the growing number of martyrs to the cause is having an impact. However, I believe that moral force cannot be quantified and thus is still best represented by the extent to which its persuasiveness adds numbers to the mass.

Today, in the Occupy movement, the power is growing exponentially but so far just to the level of an M80 detonation. Long, long way to go for optimal impact. If everybody folds their tents (note: this was written Sunday as a comment before the coordinated dismantling of Occupy camps across the country by the police) and goes home and stops, then momentum is lost.

But I think going home with these connections established and retaining the ability to re-convene strategically in meatspace, to take it back into the streets in a coordinated fashion, to do whatever activism next develops in increasingly large numbers will be the critical element for long term sustenance and impact of the Occupy Movement (or whatever it becomes labelled in the future).

The critics who promote premature buzzkill by demanding demands or this or that or wtf they believe should be the purpose blah blah blah but who refuse to existentially add to the numbers in the streets as represented on the left of my equation are doing nothing other than playing into the hands of the reactionary PTB.

There is no other way to put it. No middle ground and no sideline on which to stand in my equation.

Add numbers or subtract numbers. Everything else will flow or ebb from there.  

Discuss :: (55 Comments)

11-12-11 Support the Non-Troops Day

by: fairleft

Fri Nov 11, 2011 at 23:37:44 PM EST

Support the Non-Troops

Coulda been one of guys honored at half-time.

Get some guy his a.m. coffee.

Coulda been one of the heroes Jay Leno jokes around with.

Beep says fries're ready.

Why did I feel torn up and shitty about signing up?

Did I really feel those wars're criminal?

I never hear anybody say that.

Want fries with that?

They sorta did cause 9/11.

The whole country honors the troops or at least feels damn sorry for them.

Fuck this apron.

Yeah some bullshit Afghans or Arabs gonna hate me, so what?

There's More... :: (25 Comments, 28 words in story)

A Kindly Suggestion for the "Peace Police"

by: donkeytale

Sun Nov 06, 2011 at 10:09:32 AM EST

I suppose it was inevitable that all the over-the-top expressions of "boiling anger" from the 40-50-60 somethings regarding the events of late November 2 in Oakland, which were accompanied by calls for good citizen firedogs to finger black bloc "vandals," would devolve into the postmodern language of therapeutic intervention. I just didn't think it would happen so quickly.

http://www.spockosbrain.com/20...

I, too, have watched the A&E show a few times. And from watching I learned that you cannot force an intervention on somebody who doesn't want one. Oh, and also, there are some legal risks here for any group of good citizens attempting to restrict the free movement of an individual on the street who doesn't wish to be restrained, that is, unless you can clearly demonstrate an immediate probable cause that the person you have detained has committed a crime that necessitates your holding him against his will.

The act of so doing, assuming that you have the courage to undertake such action in the first place, would be something of a superhuman feat in reality, given the spontaneous and chaotic nature of a street protest of hundreds. And it is highly doubtful under the circumstances that the police would much appreciate your assistance, in any event.

In fact, the riot squads happening upon the scene might just as easily decide to start busting up the entire group involved, including the good citizens, rather than taking the time in the middle of the melee to start an impromptu questioning of witnesses.

[SEE ALSO, "Unintended Consequences, The Law of", for further explication]

And this would seem to be especially true if, as so many believe, the perp in question is an agent of the police.

Since we are now onto the topic of therapeutic intervention, allow me to suggest that the proponents of such questionable methods let go of your anger and perhaps seek therapy for what appear to be serious "controlling" issues.

In closing, for instructional purposes, I have uploaded a video from the 1960s where another good citizen utilised similar tactics, ironically in opposition to the police instead of in their support.

Surely, all old hippies will remember what resulted during this historic episode.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Discuss :: (2 Comments)

Occupy the Criminal Injustice System!

by: donkeytale

Thu Nov 03, 2011 at 09:51:27 AM EST

As we go about our business this morning, our spirits are lifted by the overnight news that the people of Occupy Oakland have succeeded in their goal of shutting down the Port of Oakland, gathering support and praise from union truck drivers on the scene, and even eliciting a generally sympathetic response from Port of Oakland authorities.

Power to the People!

Occupy Oakland has fast become the epicenter of  leftist political activism, a true rainbow coalition of the young, sprinkled with the seasoning of the seasoned, all actively standing up to the PTB on our behalf for our rights and our economic security.

Praise be to the brave Oakland Occupiers!

There's More... :: (99 Comments, 540 words in story)

'Welcome the Homeless' is an Occupy Demand

by: fairleft

Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 10:51:35 AM EST

I'm critical of the Occupy movement not having explicit demands, but am happy it has implicit ones. One of the most significant of the latter is that the homeless are universally (*) welcome in the Occupy encampments, as applepie perceptively points out:

Tell you the truth though, my favorite devlpmnt is a controversial one...the seemingly unanimous national consensus that homeless people were to be welcomed in our camps. It seemed to happen simultaneously and over a vast geographic area without any real national coordination! Power to the people.

Yes, it is creating problems. And at times it can be scary given the huge amount of untreated psychological problems in our nation (esp. the homeless), and the cops/media are using it to bully us and try and shut us down, and the fascists point to it in an attempt to marginalize us, but it seems to be holding together!?! Where will it lead? The stones are being set for a path to a better place...

This welcoming is meaningful, and a significant and obviously closely related sub-theme of the main implicit 'demand', creating a society that serves the 99% and not the 1%.

There's More... :: (42 Comments, 309 words in story)

On the Progressive Concern Trolling of OWS

by: donkeytale

Thu Oct 27, 2011 at 10:16:54 AM EST

It becomes obvious that few if any of the "Firedogs" featured in a recent number of diaries/comments critical of OWS (also, here are some farther-left concern trolling on display in comments at Lenin's Tomb), have ever before involved themselves in the political activism of building sustained mass protest movements.

http://my.firedoglake.com/fair...

http://leninology.blogspot.com...

Most of the critics are currently on the fence, if not downright hostile towards OWS, whatever their motivation. This is not meant to cast individual fault, although I suspect that the recent trend towards "online activism" since the W. Bush Administration has become a reflexive deterrent to building a movement rather than a motivating factor.

There's More... :: (27 Comments, 702 words in story)

Eww! You got politics on my OWS!

by: fairleft

Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 13:27:34 PM EST

What a sad experience over at MyFDL, where a few months ago most of us were busy hatching take-no-prisoners 'Primary Obama' schemes. But no, no more of that unclean business, as I learned from most of the comments on my two recent diaries there, Ralph Nader! Rejoin Dem Party & Primary Obama! and NO OWS, don't even think 'Primary Obama'

It was disheartening - what lack of awareness! - that the subtext of many or most of the comments wasn't disagreement but offense, that my proposal, Primary Obama, was somehow 'challenging' or 'contaminating' the Great God OWS. This despite my explicit fulsome praise and appreciation for OWS enlightenment raising, that it has brought a chunk of the population to where politically they need to be. And, for the record and of course, 'Primary Obama' and OWS are perfectly compatible and complementary, as my diaries strove to point out.

Anyway, the power of in-group purity/insularity was overwhelming, despite the fact that separation and insularity would be a real left's number one strategic no-no's. But, as we already knew, America is identity politics land and doesn't have a left. Most of the mostly under 35-ish white people who make up the bulk of Occupy forces naturally (in America) see OWS as a special opportunity to find 'their' special identity, and have temporarily found a very cool one as OWSers. Good for them, and I apologize for introducing 'politics' into their zeitgeist!

Favorite comments/exchanges:

There's More... :: (30 Comments, 383 words in story)
Next >>
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?


Recent Comments

Recommended Diaries
The Troll Wars 3.5
by: donkeytale
10 Comments
The Troll Wars
by: donkeytale
61 Comments

Recent Diaries
Thrilla In Vanilla (Part 5)
by: socrates - Jan 17
23 Comments
The Thrilla In Vanilla Part 4
by: socrates - Jan 16
1 Comments
The Roots of Leftier Than Thouism
by: socrates - Jan 07
105 Comments
The Troll Wars, Part V
by: donkeytale - Jan 06
1 Comments
Save The Babies
by: blues - Dec 27
The Troll Wars 3.5
by: donkeytale - Dec 24
10 Comments
The Troll Wars, Part III
by: donkeytale - Dec 22
19 Comments
Boycott Lowe's, Fight Islamophobia
by: fairleft - Dec 21
33 Comments
A Clean Victory for Trolls
by: donkeytale - Dec 17
49 Comments
The Troll Wars, Part II
by: donkeytale - Dec 14
30 Comments

Search




Advanced Search


Cliques ci-dessous
Arthur Silber
Mondoweiss
Rebel Reports
NarcoNews
uruknet
Glenn Greenwald
War Is Business
Lenin
3arabawy
Dissident Voice
Arabist
Francis L Holland
Angry Arab
Seymour Hersh
Left I
electronic intifada
WildWildLeft
The History Blog
Gallery Of The Absurd
FreeFuckZone
reel newz
jewssansfrontieres
AntiWar
CounterPunch
Asia Times
World Socialist
Socialist Worker
Chris Jordan
John Pilger
In Gaza
Moon Of Alabama
Coteret
RT

Nothing here is endorsed by the admin, not even her own bullshit. And you'll be lucky if she's even watching yours.
Powered by: SoapBlox