Tea Party message to world: We’re still a land of ‘morans’
on May 21, 2010 at 5:06 pmPosted In: Uncategorized
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The land of the gods is going through some hard times. Before the current debt crisis, Greece was already facing major social unrest over chronic low wages, corruption, and limited job opportunities. On December 6, 2008, Greek police killed 15 year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos in the Exarcheia district of Athens, an anarchist hangout. The incident led to weeks of marches, riots, and occupations. With the new crisis, the streets are packed again as people resist continued cuts to wages and services. In honor of the Greek uprisings, here are some street posters pasted up in Exarcheia from the demonstrations that followed the killing.
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“Cops! Pigs! Murderers!” Now a standard chant in Greek protests. |
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“Truce!? We’ve just started!” |
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“The Tank was Right” – connecting the current police repression to 1974, when the Greek military junta in power attacked student protesters with tanks. |
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Pirates of the Aegean. Ahoy, scurvies! Anarchists are pirates too. |
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Anarchist poster from Lefkosia, Cyprus (aka Nicosia). It’s not connected to the Greek riots, but worth including. It was posted in front of an Orthodox Church and reads “Group Sex in the yard of the Archdiocese. January 1, 2010, 9:00pm” |
The loving touch of His Noodly Appendage knows no boundaries.
Some worshipers of the Christian God claim that pagans and non-believers have no moral center. Which is why its fun to look at the community teams on Kiva, an organization that allows lenders to finance micro-loans to those living in poverty around the world.
The team “Atheists, Agnostics, Skeptics, Freethinkers, Secular Humanists and the Non-religious” is the number one overall lender. These blasphemous heathens have lent over $1.6 million, beating out Kiva Christians, who are just below $1 million. Under the category of Religion Congregations guess who’s on top? Move over Lord Jesus. Meet Lord Cheeses. The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster claims the heavenly glory with its heretical membership out-lending number two and three teams: Kiva Mormons and Catholic Kiva.
To help spread the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, you can join his team and start lending to small entrepreneurs with just $25. As the money is paid back, you can make new loans. My first loan was to a family making soccer balls in Bolivia. That’s two reasons to make a yearly contribution: spreading goodwill and expanding the presence of His Noodlyness. RAmen.
Book of the Decade: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein (2007)
on February 15, 2010 at 12:21 pmPosted In: Uncategorized
The Privatization of War
I’m ashamed to say that I was one of the people who passed this book up despite the countless recommendations from friends. It took seeing Naomi Klein speak in person to make me rush out and read it. I implore you not to make the same mistake. If you haven’t read it, get this treasure now. As we reflect on the past decade, this book stands out as one of the most important.
Klein’s masterpiece is the ultimate work for understanding the changes in economics and politics from the 1960s to our present global system. Don’t let the heavy topic overwhelm you. The thoroughly researched book is a captivating page-turner with clear, powerful language. Anyone can pick this up and love it.
Klein shows the systematic way repression has been delivered during societal crises over the last forty years in order to force unpopular economic changes . From Chile to Poland to South Africa, the narrative tells the story of how crises are exploited to push privatization and unfettered free markets on people while shattering social programs and movements.
The results are disturbing and ongoing. In each case, democracy was curtailed or crushed in the interests of the economically powerful. With Hurricane Katrina and Iraq she explains the latest stages of this “disaster capitalism”, as relief efforts and wars are privatized and become even more profitable for corporate elites. For example, Klein describes how in the newly conquered Iraq, the US prioritized the privatization of Iraqi oil after they destroyed the country’s infrastructure, gutted public services, and looked the other way while its cultural heritage was looted.
As the world becomes more and more divided into gilded, gated communities and struggling masses, this timely tome is required reading. And to be kept in mind while we see what’s happening in Haiti…
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