Hofnarr – Fou du Roi – Politics
Received by e-mail, From: Just Foreign Policy, Date: April 6, 2012.
Dear Supporter, A common question people ask us is, “why engage Congress about avoiding war with Iran? Isn’t the President the one who decides these matters?” Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Intrepid Report, by Linda S. Heard, April 13, 2012.
The definition of democracy is “the government of the people by the people” but that should be redefined when so many citizens in democratic countries feel disempowered. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on ZNet, by James Bamford, April 10, 2012 (Source: wired.co.uk, also view gallery).
… In 2004, as part of the supercomputing programme, the Department of Energy established its Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility for multiple agencies to join forces on the project. But in reality there would be two tracks, one unclassified, in which all of the scientific work would be public, and another top secret, in which the NSA could pursue its own computer covertly. “For our purposes, they had to create a separate facility,” says a former senior NSA computer expert who worked on the project and is still associated with the agency. (He is one of three sources who described the programme.) It was an expensive undertaking. Read the rest of this entry »
Watch these videos on YouTube:
Voyez cette vidéo, publié dans YouTube, 146.32 minutes / 2.26′32 heures: … Quels sont les fondamentaux de l’Éducation Nationale? À quoi sert-elle? Y a t-il eu des alternatives? Quelles perspectives pour l’Éducation Nationale? …
… et, si vous n’avez que quelques minutes: Altergouvernement, par Franck Lepage, le 3 février 2012.
Published on Torrent Freak, by Rick Falkvinge, April 4, 2012.
With the ongoing success of the world’s Pirate parties, I’ve seen the copyright industry start to push back, claiming that copyright enforcement can’t be tied to civil liberties; that they are two separate issues. That’s not a true statement from the copyright industry. The whole point of the fight for net liberties is that the copyright monopoly cannot be enforced without cutting down civil liberties. Here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Progress Online, by Danny Phillips, April 5, 2012.
… Before Labour get tribal we should reflect that we too have no women standing for Inverclyde council – a council that boasts no women councillors at all – how on earth did we not see that was a problem? Also, at the 2011 Scottish parliament election Labour allowed constituencies that were represented by women to be slowly taken over by men. In fact, had Labour won more constituencies in 2011 much of the equality work of our devolution pioneers would have had a severe setback. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on ZNet, by OccupyWallSt, April 03, 2012.
In another sign of the Occupy movement’s diversifying tactics and growing spring momentum, yesterday Occupy San Francisco liberated a vacant building owned by the Archdiocese of San Francisco and announced plans to establish a permanent occupation – including a social center, shelter, and food bank – on the site. The April 1st action began with a lively march from Union Square before arriving at the building just before 6pm. When they arrived, Occupiers who had already secured the building greeted the marchers with open doors. Read the rest of this entry »
Liberals and leftists vow to continue their protests at the Islamist monopoly over drafting a new constitution – Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Khaled Dawoud, 29 March – 4 April 2012.
… El-Shobki, an expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, has long supported reconciliation between Egypt’s political Islamic groups, led by the Brotherhood, and its secular elite. He was among the few non- Islamist members of the constituent assembly elected during Saturday’s joint meeting of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on openDemocracy, by Melissa Benn, April 3, 2012.
Faster than we recognise, schools are becoming profit centres. The buildings, the teaching, the cleaning, the exam results are all ways to make money. But who benefits? Not the poorest, argues Melissa Benn … //
… Philanthropy: Read the rest of this entry »
is an interim international nongovernmental organization, embracing such values as self-management, egalitarianism, solidarity, diversity, ecological husbandry, and internationalism. Founded in 2012, the organization has attracted over four hundred members from over fifty countries since its website launch in late March … (full text on en.wikipedia). Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Al-Ahram weekly online, by Dina Ezzat, 29 March – 4 April 2012.
Speculation over the fate of the presidential elections is already rife, however hushed the tones. Just weeks ahead of the scheduled poll and some political sources are suggesting it could be delayed.
“It is a scenario that should not be excluded. I am not saying it is happening, but it could,” says one source close to the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Read the rest of this entry »
Published on ZNet, by Michael Albert, March 30, 2012.
The world is as it is. If we arrive at a shared vision for a better future, that too will be what it is. But strategy and tactics are different. To get poetic about it, this one time, they aren’t what they are. One place, one strategy or tactic makes sense. Another place, a different strategy or tactic makes sense. One time, do this. Another time, do the opposite. Read the rest of this entry »
Al Qaeda, Al Qaeda … An Incessant and Repetitive Public Discourse, Part I – Published on Global Research.ca, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, March 24, 2012.
There is something disturbing in the nature of post 9/11 public discourse. Incessantly, on a daily basis, Al Qaeda is referred to by the Western media, government officials, members of the US Congress, Wall Street analysts, etc. as an underlying cause of numerous World events. Occurences of a significant political, social or strategic nature – including the US presidential elections campaign – are routinely categorized by referring to Al Qaeda, the alleged architect of the September 11 2001 attacks. Read the rest of this entry »
The BRICS countries’ co-operation is based on the primacy of strategic independence, inviolability of sovereignty and a balance of forces – Published on Current Concerns, by Fyodor Lukyanov, March 26, 2012.
… How should Russia behave in this world?
Above all, Russia should stop looking back at the events of 20 years ago. In his first election article Putin wrote that the post-Soviet era is over and its agenda has been exhausted. This is important because for the entire period leading up to the disintegration of the Soviet Union, with the numerous consequences that came along with it, was as a point of departure for the nation and its ruling class, which was unable to overcome the psychological trauma of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Based on a talk by Jeremy Brecher to Occupy University, Zuccotti Park – Published on ZNet, by Jeremy Brecher, March 27, 2012.
Last December, Occupy Los Angeles proposed a General Strike on May 1 “for migrant rights, jobs for all, a moratorium on foreclosures, and peace – and to recognize housing, education and health care as human rights.” The idea has spread through the Occupy movement. Occupy Wall Street in New York recently expressed solidarity with the proposal and called for “a day without the 99%, general strike, and more!” with “no work, no school, no housework, no shopping, take the streets!” Reactions are ranging from enthusiastic support to outraged skepticism. What form might such an action take, and what if anything might it achieve?
General Strikes and Mass Strikes: … // Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Labour List, by Mark Ferguson, March 27, 2012.
So after a fairly disastrous budget and a Tory donations scandal, Labour’s poll lead is looking both bigger and more secure. It’s a verifiable budget bounce. And with more bad headlines for Cameron this morning, Tory attack lines on Labour and the unions aren’t cutting through (yet) to the front pages. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on The National Security Archive NSA, Electronic Briefing Book No. 373, by Kate Doyle, March 23, 2012: about NACLA Report on the Americas; Full Issue, Notes, Updates, Report, Reviews etc. on NACLA.org.
… January 26 marked a watershed in Guatemalan history. That evening, after more than eight hours of arguments from prosecutors and defense lawyers, retired army general Efraín Ríos Montt—the military leader who presided over the most intense and bloody period of state repression in the country’s modern history—was formally charged by Judge Carol Patricia Flores with genocide and crimes against humanity. Read the rest of this entry »
… actions, stopping street harassment, trans-positive workshops – Published on rabble.ca/blogs, Steffanie Pinch, March 22, 2012.
Activists soberly observed the day to eliminate racial discrimination yesterday, with protests and events nation-wide. My thoughts are with the family and friends of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old teen who was shot after buying candy by a so-called member of a community watch group, simply because of the colour of his skin. His murder was entirely senseless, preventable and his killer has yet to be brought to justice. When tragedy strikes activists have to strike back: sign the petition to charge Martin’s killer and look to the toolkit this week for fresh tools to take to the streets. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on ZNet, Interview by Koritha Mitchell and Jamilah King, March 22, 2012.
The unprovoked killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has sparked widespread national outrage, particularly among black Americans. The particulars of the case are, at best, tragic, and at worst, horrifying: Martin was visiting a friend of his father’s in a small gated community outside of Orlando, sporting a gray hoodie and armed with a pack of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Along the way he became a target of nearby resident George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old member of the local Neighborhood Watch, who thought the teen looked “suspicious.” Zimmerman then shot and killed Martin—and, so far, it’s been with legal impunity, protected in part by Florida’s expansive definition of self-defense … // Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Spiegel Online International, March 20, 2012.
What’s going on in Italy? The administration is popular, despite having not been elected. Elected political elites, on the other hand, have little power. Under recently appointed Prime Minister Mario Monti; the tenor of Italian politics has improved considerably. The question is how long the experiment can last. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Raw Story, by AFP, March 19, 2012.
Asia leads the world when it comes to weapon imports, according to a study released Monday by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute SIPRI. Globally the volume of international transfers of majorconventional weapons was 24 percent higher in the period 2007-11 compared to the 2002-06 period, the report said. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Dissident Voice, by David Macaray, March 16, 2012.
Despite well-meaning attempts at mitigating or sugar-coating it, organized labor has always known, deep-down, that the only true friend it had was labor itself. Yes, the Democrats have thrown a few crumbs its way, and yes, academics have eloquently given voice to the Movement, and yes, non-union workers have grudgingly recognized organized labor’s historical contributions. But when it comes to the down-and-dirty battles, working people realize that no one can be relied upon except other working people. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on rabble.ca, by John Bonnar, March 17, 2012.
(Hruschka): She lost her job as a bookkeeper in 2009. A victim of workplace bullying.
… Like Hruschka, Ursula Samuels lives on welfare with her 16-year-old so: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Current Concerns, by Dr phil René Roca, March 12, 2012.
The cooperatives in their various forms provide an essential foundation for the Swiss federal state. As economic self-help organizations cooperatives are based on the personal concept of man. Cooperatives should not merely be considered as a form of organization but in a broader sense as an important form of society. A cooperative is supported by a community that raises the highest ethical demands to respective tasks and that assumes much responsibility as the owner of a common cause. Read the rest of this entry »
Part II – Published on Global Research.ca, by Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers, March 13, 2012.
… Infiltration is the Norm, not the Exception, of U.S. Political Movements:
When the long history of political infiltration is reviewed, the Occupy Movement should be surprised if it is not infiltrated. Almost every movement in modern history has been infiltrated by police and others using many of the same tactics we are now seeing in Occupy. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Washington’s Blog, by Carl Herman, March 13, 2012.
… The 99% in The Lorax are aware that something is wrong, but don’t know exactly what it is. They can’t see outside the wall, so they still accept their “leadership.” The 99% do their best to live in good cheer, but are concerned about visible destruction of their health and air quality. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on openDemocracy, by Vassilis K. Fouskas, 12 March 2012.
Following Greece’s recent mammoth 206-billion-euro bond swap, people wrongly believe that the private bondholders of the Greek debt lost money and that the country is on a path to recovery. The only solution for Greece remains a debtor-led default and exit from the euro-zone under the leadership of a radical democrat political movement … //
… Elements of a programme for a united radical left: Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Spiegel Online International, Interview with François Hollande, March 12, 2012. (Interview conducted by Mathieu von Rohr and Romain Leick; translated from the German by Christopher Sultan).
In a SPIEGEL interview, French Socialist Party presidential candidate François Hollande reacts to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refusal to meet with him in the run-up to the election, explains how he would like to renegotiate the European fiscal pact if he is elected and shares why it is unlikely we will soon hear the term “Merlande” if he is elected … // Read the rest of this entry »
Published on Spigel Online International, by Renuka Rayasam, March 9, 2012.
The tiny village of Feldheim, some 60 kilometers southwest of Berlin, was catapulted by chance to the forefront of the renewable energy movement. Now visitors from around the world are flocking to this otherwise unremarkable rural community to see if they can replicate its success … // Read the rest of this entry »