Friday, 30 September 2011
America: Dumbed down, Doped up, and Distracted
Aspartame, MSG, Dumbing Down Society
Dr. Russell blaylock accuses Industry and Government of dumbing down society with Chemical Toxins
Dumbing Down America Mass Media Programming
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNElWkYrdLs&feature=related
Charlotte Iserbyt - Deliberate Dumbing Down of the World
Charlotte Iserbyt served as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), U.S. Department of Education, during the first Reagan Administration, where she first blew the whistle on a major technology initiative which would control curriculum in America's classrooms.
http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com
http://www.americandeception.com
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." ~Ronald Reagan, 40th president of U.S.
USA vs. US: http://www.gemworld.com/USAvsUS.htm
See Also
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7373201783240489827
http://www.jonathangullible.com
From the DVD "One Nation Under Siege" http://www.undersiegemovie.com/
Watch Beverly Eakman explain further:
Beverly Eakman on the effects of the psychologized classroom; Dangers of Public Education from Frank on Vimeo.
This program, as explained by Johnnette S. Benkovic, discusses how Beverly “maintains that the education establishment is stealing the minds of a generation of children in order to create a wrenching transformation of our society. In books and speeches, articles and expert witness testimonies, she has chronicled and heralded how our children have been coerced to become anti-property, anti-industry, undiscerning, sitting ducks for the global citizenry of tomorrow. How has this happened and where will it lead?”
http://www.vimeo.com/10087041
Dumbing Down of the population
Chemical Dumbing Down of America
Why is America so brainwashed by the corporate media? Why do we care more about American Idol and Dancing with the Stars than being harmed with thimerosal in our vaccinations and sodium fluoride in our water supply? Most Americans know nothing about these topics, but hopefully this video will shed some light on the issue.
Why Occupy Wall Street?
http://www.wearechange.org/
Real Questions, Police Confrontation, and the one and only Immortal Technique spitting rhymes to raise the spirits at Occupy Wall Street 2 o’clock in the morning.
Real Questions, Police Confrontation, and the one and only Immortal Technique spitting rhymes to raise the spirits at Occupy Wall Street 2 o’clock in the morning.
Sunday morning 4am September 24th, We made anyone willing to be interviewed at Occupy Wall Street say one word to why they were there, we took those answers and made it into a sentence. [Below] is the sentence:
America Robbed
Veteran Outraged
Change Community
Change Self
Change Society with Peace, Equality, Defiance, Community and Hope
Future Life with Freedom, Unity, Principle, Science, Change and Accountability is REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION
Veteran Outraged
Change Community
Change Self
Change Society with Peace, Equality, Defiance, Community and Hope
Future Life with Freedom, Unity, Principle, Science, Change and Accountability is REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION, REVOLUTION
Only the words “with” “is” “and” were added to this video that were not gathered by interview.
In no way shape or form are we trying to represent occupy wall street and the many diverse particpants there. This is simply a video made and edited from our point of view of what we personally believe the message to be.
The Myth of American Freedom
Here is Judge Napolitano's closing argument yesterday on his FreedomWatch.
What if the Constitution were written not to limit government, but to expand it? What if the Constitution didn't fulfill the promise of the Declaration of Independence, but betrayed it? What if the Constitution actually permitted the government to limit and constrict freedom? What if the Bill of Rights was just a paper promise, that the government could avoid whenever it claimed the need to do so? What if the same generation – in some cases the same people – that drafted the U.S. Constitution enacted laws that violated it? What if the merchants and bankers who financed the American Revolution bought their way into the new government and got it to enact laws that stifled their competition? What if the civil war that was fought in the name of freedom actually advanced the cause of tyranny?
http://lewrockwell.com/napolitano/napolitano24.1.html
Documentary The Trouble with Experts
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.
As filmmaker Josh Freed’s entertaining new documentary The Trouble with Experts, reminds us, we are all addicted to experts. They tell us what to eat, how to vote, raise our kids, fix our homes, buy our wines, interpret political events and, until recently, choose the right stocks. They’re all over the media telling us what to think, because there's just too much information for us to sort out ourselves. So we often cede our own opinions to “them” because, well … they’re experts, so they know better than us. Or do they?
http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/the-trouble-with-experts.html
True experts too boring for television audience
He believes there’s something in human nature that craves the security of predicting what always seems to be a cruel, hard future. “It goes back to seers and oracles and clairvoyants reading clues in entrails.
“But the fact is, experts are guessing. Anybody can predict the predictable. We may see the obvious coming, but we can’t read the future. The big things in life are unreadable. In the end, we’re all idiots.’’
http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/True+experts+boring+television+audience/5472632/story.html
Monday, 5 September 2011
Songs about Labor Day, the poor and the working class
Tennessee ernie Ford - 16 Tons
Merle Haggard - Working Man Blues
Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
Pete Seeger - Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Merle Haggard - Working Man Blues
Donna Summer - She Works Hard For The Money
Pete Seeger - Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
Sunday, 4 September 2011
SEN. SANDERS VS. BERNANKE
Great Exchange! Senator Bernie Sanders can't contain himself during today's (03/03/09) Senate Budget Commitee hearing in Washington. Bad Boy Bernie demands to know who got the 2.2 trillion of dollars in loans from the Fed. Bernanke won't tell him. He's also angry that banks that get tax payer funds for nothing, are charging credit card customers 25% interest. Also discusses A.I.G. and who got those credit Defautl swaps. He also demands to know why Bernanke didn't raise the alarm when the Bush Administration was claiming the economy was sound when it obviously wasn't.
Ron Paul Questions Ben Bernanke
Ron Paul Questions Ben Bernanke - House Financial Services Committee 03-24-09
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/campaigns/auditthefed.php
http://educationalrevolution.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/end-the-fed-rallies-april-25thcoming-to-a-city-near-you/
Ron Paul vs Bernanke: Is Gold Money? - July 13, 2011
July 13, 2011 - Congressman Ron Paul questions Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a U.S. House Financial Services Committee Meeting shortly after reports surfaced that the Federal Reserve was preparing for a third round of quantitative easing.
Click on the following link for analysis from Campaign for Liberty:
http://www.campaignforliberty.org/profile/7677/blog/2011/07/13/ron-paul-vs-bernanke-gold-money
Federal Reserve Admits: We Have No Gold !
The following exchange between Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and the Fed's attorney Scott Alvarez proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that The Federal Reserve has no gold backing the US dollar.
Most in the alternative news sphere suspected it - now it's fact.
Ron Paul To Ben Bernanke "I Want A Definition Of Money!"
Ron Paul Schools Ben Bernanke Yet Again on Currency Devaluation 2-27-08
Ron Paul is the smartest Man in the room and gets Helicopter Ben to admit he is right.
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/campaigns/auditthefed.php
http://educationalrevolution.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/end-the-fed-rallies-april-25thcoming-to-a-city-near-you/
Ron Paul vs Bernanke: Is Gold Money? - July 13, 2011
July 13, 2011 - Congressman Ron Paul questions Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in a U.S. House Financial Services Committee Meeting shortly after reports surfaced that the Federal Reserve was preparing for a third round of quantitative easing.
Click on the following link for analysis from Campaign for Liberty:
http://www.campaignforliberty.org/profile/7677/blog/2011/07/13/ron-paul-vs-bernanke-gold-money
Federal Reserve Admits: We Have No Gold !
The following exchange between Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) and the Fed's attorney Scott Alvarez proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that The Federal Reserve has no gold backing the US dollar.
Most in the alternative news sphere suspected it - now it's fact.
Ron Paul To Ben Bernanke "I Want A Definition Of Money!"
Ron Paul Schools Ben Bernanke Yet Again on Currency Devaluation 2-27-08
Ron Paul is the smartest Man in the room and gets Helicopter Ben to admit he is right.
Roubini: Economy
We Are in ‘Worse Situation’ Than in 2008: Roubini
The world’s developed economies are trapped at the “stall speed” of low growth and need to have greater fiscal stimulus and less austerity to kick-start growth, leading economist Nouriel Roubini told CNBC Friday.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44368995
The world’s developed economies are trapped at the “stall speed” of low growth and need to have greater fiscal stimulus and less austerity to kick-start growth, leading economist Nouriel Roubini told CNBC Friday.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/44368995
Gerald Celente: Economy is going to get much worse
A recent report reveals that the US created zero new jobs last month. The last time this happened was in 1945. The unemployment rate is still at 9.1% and projected numbers for the next year show the average unemployment rate at about 9%. With these numbers, many Americans question if President Obama’s jobs creation plan, due to be unveiled next week, will have any effect on the economy. Gerald Celente, director at Trends Research Institute, helps us peer into the future.
Greenspan on the Fed
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,562291,00.html
Greenspan Examines Federal Reserve, Mortgage Crunch
In the first half of a two-part conversation, Jim Lehrer talks with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan about the recent actions of the Federal Reserve, the country's mortgage crunch and his new book, "The Age of Turbulence."
Greenspan Admits The Federal Reserve Is Above The Law & Answers To No One
Let Greenspan Tell You What Fed is!
Greenspan: US Can Pay Any Debt It Has Because It Can Print Money To Pay It
Greenspan On Meet The Press Today: US Can Pay Any Debt It Has Because It Can Print Money To Pay It! Meet The Press
Greenspan Examines Federal Reserve, Mortgage Crunch
In the first half of a two-part conversation, Jim Lehrer talks with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan about the recent actions of the Federal Reserve, the country's mortgage crunch and his new book, "The Age of Turbulence."
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/july-dec07/greenspan_09-18.html |
Greenspan Admits The Federal Reserve Is Above The Law & Answers To No One
Let Greenspan Tell You What Fed is!
Greenspan: US Can Pay Any Debt It Has Because It Can Print Money To Pay It
Greenspan On Meet The Press Today: US Can Pay Any Debt It Has Because It Can Print Money To Pay It! Meet The Press
Saturday, 3 September 2011
Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Interview
Google CEO Eric Schmidt's Twisted Views On Privacy - You shouldn't be doing anything privately?
In the past two years alone he has made the following statements in public:
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/12/my_reaction_to.html
People who don't like Google's Street View cars taking pictures of their homes and businesses "can just move."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wary-of-google-street-view-move-ceo-says-2010-10-22
"I actually think most people don't want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next."
"We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less know what you're thinking about."
"What we're really doing is building an augmented version of humanity, building computers to help humans do the things they don't do well better."
"The Internet of things will augment your brain"
"Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it,". Google implants, he added, probably crosses that line.
"Every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends' social media sites."
"It was a joke," Schmidt said of the statement. "It just wasn't a very good one...The serious goal is just rememeber when you post something, the computers remember forever."
"...the reality is that search engines, including Google, do retain this information for some time and it's important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities."
"If I look at enough of your messaging and your location, and use Artificial Intelligence, we can predict where you are going to go."
"In a world of asynchronous threats, it is too dangerous for there not to be some way to identify you".
In the past two years alone he has made the following statements in public:
"If you have something that you don't want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn't be doing it in the first place."
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2009/12/my_reaction_to.html
People who don't like Google's Street View cars taking pictures of their homes and businesses "can just move."
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wary-of-google-street-view-move-ceo-says-2010-10-22
"I actually think most people don't want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next."
"We know where you are. We know where you've been. We can more or less know what you're thinking about."
"What we're really doing is building an augmented version of humanity, building computers to help humans do the things they don't do well better."
"The Internet of things will augment your brain"
"Google policy is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it,". Google implants, he added, probably crosses that line.
"Every young person one day will be entitled automatically to change his or her name on reaching adulthood in order to disown youthful hijinks stored on their friends' social media sites."
"It was a joke," Schmidt said of the statement. "It just wasn't a very good one...The serious goal is just rememeber when you post something, the computers remember forever."
"...the reality is that search engines, including Google, do retain this information for some time and it's important, for example, that we are all subject in the United States to the Patriot Act. It is possible that all that information could be made available to the authorities."
"If I look at enough of your messaging and your location, and use Artificial Intelligence, we can predict where you are going to go."
"In a world of asynchronous threats, it is too dangerous for there not to be some way to identify you".
Google Documentary
Inside The Mind of Google (2009) (CNBC Original) PART 1/5
Inside The Mind of Google (2009) (CNBC Original) PART 2/5
Inside The Mind of Google (2009) (CNBC Original) PART 3/5
Inside The Mind of Google (2009) (CNBC Original) PART 4/5
Inside The Mind of Google (2009) (CNBC Original) PART 5/5
Google World
http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2010/googleworld/index.html
In a little over ten years, Google has transformed itself from a search engine, into a powerful advertising machine and is now moving into the world of "cloud computing". Using incredibly powerful computer servers spread around the world, Google wants to become the primary depository of all things digital about you - your e-mail messages, your documents, your music, your movies, your television shows, your favourite web sites, your financial transactions, perhaps in the future even your medical history will reside in Google's cloud. In return, you will be able to access everything, everywhere and at any time.
How and why Google is approaching this daunting endeavour is the focus of the behind-the-scenes documentary. Filmed in Google offices in China, Russia and at the Googleplex, its Silicon Valley headquarters, the documentary reveals a corporate philosophy and attitude unique among major companies today. Beyond its "Don't be evil" motto, Google has set as its goal "to organize all the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" and to do it in the next 300 years. As Google CEO, Eric Schmidt says in the documentary, "Successful companies start with very audacious goals." If Google achieves its goals, it will not just be successful; it may very well become the most powerful company in the world.
Google World is produced by Ted Remerowski for Centillion Productions Ltd. in association with CBC-TV.
Did you Know?
Google's name is a play on the word googol, which refers to the number 1 followed by one hundred zeroes. The term was coined by Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner, and was popularized in the book, "Mathematics and the Imagination" by Kasner and James Newman. Google's play on the term reflects the company's mission to organize the immense amount of information available on the web. Read more fun facts about Google.When Larry Page and Sergey Brin founded Google on Sept. 7, 1998, they had little more than their ingenuity, four computers and an investor's $100,000 bet on their belief that an Internet search engine could change the world. (Sept. 5)
Films - The Matrix
Alex Jones Movie (2003) - Matrix of Evil - Full version
Visit:
http://www.infowars.com/
Run by Kurt Nimmo
http://www.prisonplanet.com/
Run by Paul Watson
http://prisonplanet.tv/
Run by Paul Watson
http://jonesreport.com/
Run by Aaron Dykes
http://www.infowars.net/
Run by Steve Watson
http://www.truthnews.us/
Run by kurt Nimmo
http://www.wearechange.org/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
http://911truth.eu/en/
http://911truth.org/
http://www.letsroll911.org/phpwebsite/
http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/
http://www.davidicke.com/index.php/
http://www.ae911truth.org/
http://pilotsfor911truth.org/
http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/
Philosophy and the Matrix: Return to the Source [FULL DOCUMENTARY]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q1jHx29C70
Red or Blue? What Kind of Life Would You Choose?
Is it better to live a harsh reality or a comfortable fantasy? And why? This is one interpretation of a key question faced by Neo, the hero of the movie The Matrix. Neo has a conversation with the rather enigmatic Morpheus, who explains that what Neo has always perceived as “reality,” including his friends, his job, and his entire existence in 20th century America, is actually a simulation caused by a race of computers that has taken over earth long ago and has enslaved human beings. Our brains, according to Morpheus, are simply kept alive in a fantasy world so that we can provide electricity to the machines. But a few individuals are occasionally able to disconnect themselves from this matrix of fantasy and regain control of their body, thereby fighting a desperate battle for supremacy on the planet. Now, Morpheus says, Neo has two choices. If he takes a blue pill that he is being offered, he will forget about the matrix and go back to his illusory but relatively safe and predictable life. Take the red pill, however, and you will see the world as it really is. The trade-off is clear: comfortable fantasy or harsh reality? What would you choose, and why?
Some philosophy students, who essentially questioned the assumptions underlying the choice, have proposed a radical way around the dilemma. What makes us think that Morpheus is telling the truth? What if it is the red pill that leads to an imaginary world? This is a valid epistemological point. How do you know what is real and what is not? What kind of evidence do you have that you were dreaming last night of being a butterfly, and are you not in fact a butterfly who is now dreaming of being a human being? There are some reasonable, though by no means foolproof, ways out of this basic dilemma. For example, dreams—unlike what we consider reality—have no temporal continuity and are often characterized by arbitrary rules of engagement (contrary to, say, the laws of physics). But Neo did not have such a luxury, since in his case both situations felt very real. Furthermore, some people on drugs, or affected by particular brain disorders, really do have a hard time distinguishing between reality and hallucinations.
However, this kind of existential response based on radical skepticism skirts an interesting question. Let us assume that we have good reasons to believe Morpheus (as Neo does in the movie, given some recent disturbing experiences that had shaken his conception of reality); what would you then do about it?
In essence, the choice can be seen as one between truth and happiness (albeit the latter may be of a rather limited variety). In this sense, the question becomes of utmost interest and of surprising practical relevance. For example, you are faced by this dilemma when you examine your religious beliefs. Since there is no more evidence for the existence of a god than for the existence of unicorns, but believing in god makes you feel more comfortable and gives eternal meaning to your life, should you believe the unbelievable or attempt to find your way through the tortuous road of secular morality and meaning? Of course, most people don’t really choose to believe in a god, they rather culturally inherit such belief from their parents and friends; but most of us do arrive at the rejection of god by an often long process of questioning during which we are faced with terrible questions of existential meaning and of good and evil. In this sense, consciously becoming an agnostic or atheist is indeed more difficult than the other path, and it is like taking Neo’s red pill.
Less controversial (if you actually believe in god and don’t therefore buy the above argument) but equally dramatic is the choice of taking or not taking drugs. The “reality” offered by drugs is more pleasurable (at least temporarily) than the real life out there, especially for poor or psychologically damaged people. Why not avoid the pain and go for the blue option? A minor version of the same question could be framed in terms of choosing entertainment over meaningful activities: why not just spend your life watching TV, or drinking beer, or—when this will be technologically feasible—shut yourself in a holodeck-like virtual reality where you can have all the food, sex partners, and riches you like?
Most people I talked to (but this was by no means an unbiased sample) chose the red pill, yet I found quite a bit of disagreement on the motives. Essentially, however, there are two main reasons that can be advanced for taking red over blue: pragmatic and ethical ones.
The pragmatic motive is that living in an imaginary world can be pretty dangerous. One of the reasons human beings have been so successful during evolution is precisely because our large brains have an uncanny capability of assessing reality, of finding cause-effect connections, and therefore of manipulating the world to our advantage. One could object that plenty of people in modern society believe all sorts of weird things, from astrology to gods, and yet seem to function reasonably well, thank you very much. But this is because, in fact, most of the time they do not act on their beliefs. For example, while many people would claim to leave their lives in god’s hands when they are so questioned, they nevertheless take out insurance policies, look on both sides of the road before crossing, and go regularly to the doctor, if they can afford it. When they do behave according to a strict adherence to fantastic beliefs, bad things happen. A recurrent example is offered by Christian Scientists who die (or, worse, let their children die) because they do not believe in getting medical attention when they are sick. Reality does have a way of biting your back side.
The ethical reason represents an even more general answer to Neo’s question: regardless of practical consequences or of feelings of pleasure and discomfort, it is simply right to choose the red pill. We are social beings, and by nature we have a tendency to relate to other humans and to help them out, especially if they are our kin or friends. This tendency constitutes the basis of most of our ethical systems, and it implies that it is our duty not to shut ourselves out of the world in order to simply seek pleasure or avoid pain. This, however, begs the question of what is right to begin with and of how we determine it, something that I have covered, and will come back to, in this column. Essentially, we are now faced with the radical moral skeptic question: why bother, if it does not affect your own happiness?
The point is, even a science fiction movie can generate profound philosophical questions, and these in turn are not necessarily idle speculations on the sex of angels but give us the opportunity to examine some of our most basic choices and their often far-reaching consequences. And remember, an unexamined life is not worth living. Or is it?
Given the choice between the red pill and the blue pill - which one would you take?
Visit:
http://www.infowars.com/
Run by Kurt Nimmo
http://www.prisonplanet.com/
Run by Paul Watson
http://prisonplanet.tv/
Run by Paul Watson
http://jonesreport.com/
Run by Aaron Dykes
http://www.infowars.net/
Run by Steve Watson
http://www.truthnews.us/
Run by kurt Nimmo
http://www.wearechange.org/
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/
http://911truth.eu/en/
http://911truth.org/
http://www.letsroll911.org/phpwebsite/
http://www.scholarsfor911truth.org/
http://www.davidicke.com/index.php/
http://www.ae911truth.org/
http://pilotsfor911truth.org/
http://www.patriotsquestion911.com/
Philosophy and the Matrix: Return to the Source [FULL DOCUMENTARY]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q1jHx29C70
Red or Blue? What Kind of Life Would You Choose?
Is it better to live a harsh reality or a comfortable fantasy? And why? This is one interpretation of a key question faced by Neo, the hero of the movie The Matrix. Neo has a conversation with the rather enigmatic Morpheus, who explains that what Neo has always perceived as “reality,” including his friends, his job, and his entire existence in 20th century America, is actually a simulation caused by a race of computers that has taken over earth long ago and has enslaved human beings. Our brains, according to Morpheus, are simply kept alive in a fantasy world so that we can provide electricity to the machines. But a few individuals are occasionally able to disconnect themselves from this matrix of fantasy and regain control of their body, thereby fighting a desperate battle for supremacy on the planet. Now, Morpheus says, Neo has two choices. If he takes a blue pill that he is being offered, he will forget about the matrix and go back to his illusory but relatively safe and predictable life. Take the red pill, however, and you will see the world as it really is. The trade-off is clear: comfortable fantasy or harsh reality? What would you choose, and why?
Some philosophy students, who essentially questioned the assumptions underlying the choice, have proposed a radical way around the dilemma. What makes us think that Morpheus is telling the truth? What if it is the red pill that leads to an imaginary world? This is a valid epistemological point. How do you know what is real and what is not? What kind of evidence do you have that you were dreaming last night of being a butterfly, and are you not in fact a butterfly who is now dreaming of being a human being? There are some reasonable, though by no means foolproof, ways out of this basic dilemma. For example, dreams—unlike what we consider reality—have no temporal continuity and are often characterized by arbitrary rules of engagement (contrary to, say, the laws of physics). But Neo did not have such a luxury, since in his case both situations felt very real. Furthermore, some people on drugs, or affected by particular brain disorders, really do have a hard time distinguishing between reality and hallucinations.
However, this kind of existential response based on radical skepticism skirts an interesting question. Let us assume that we have good reasons to believe Morpheus (as Neo does in the movie, given some recent disturbing experiences that had shaken his conception of reality); what would you then do about it?
In essence, the choice can be seen as one between truth and happiness (albeit the latter may be of a rather limited variety). In this sense, the question becomes of utmost interest and of surprising practical relevance. For example, you are faced by this dilemma when you examine your religious beliefs. Since there is no more evidence for the existence of a god than for the existence of unicorns, but believing in god makes you feel more comfortable and gives eternal meaning to your life, should you believe the unbelievable or attempt to find your way through the tortuous road of secular morality and meaning? Of course, most people don’t really choose to believe in a god, they rather culturally inherit such belief from their parents and friends; but most of us do arrive at the rejection of god by an often long process of questioning during which we are faced with terrible questions of existential meaning and of good and evil. In this sense, consciously becoming an agnostic or atheist is indeed more difficult than the other path, and it is like taking Neo’s red pill.
Less controversial (if you actually believe in god and don’t therefore buy the above argument) but equally dramatic is the choice of taking or not taking drugs. The “reality” offered by drugs is more pleasurable (at least temporarily) than the real life out there, especially for poor or psychologically damaged people. Why not avoid the pain and go for the blue option? A minor version of the same question could be framed in terms of choosing entertainment over meaningful activities: why not just spend your life watching TV, or drinking beer, or—when this will be technologically feasible—shut yourself in a holodeck-like virtual reality where you can have all the food, sex partners, and riches you like?
Most people I talked to (but this was by no means an unbiased sample) chose the red pill, yet I found quite a bit of disagreement on the motives. Essentially, however, there are two main reasons that can be advanced for taking red over blue: pragmatic and ethical ones.
The pragmatic motive is that living in an imaginary world can be pretty dangerous. One of the reasons human beings have been so successful during evolution is precisely because our large brains have an uncanny capability of assessing reality, of finding cause-effect connections, and therefore of manipulating the world to our advantage. One could object that plenty of people in modern society believe all sorts of weird things, from astrology to gods, and yet seem to function reasonably well, thank you very much. But this is because, in fact, most of the time they do not act on their beliefs. For example, while many people would claim to leave their lives in god’s hands when they are so questioned, they nevertheless take out insurance policies, look on both sides of the road before crossing, and go regularly to the doctor, if they can afford it. When they do behave according to a strict adherence to fantastic beliefs, bad things happen. A recurrent example is offered by Christian Scientists who die (or, worse, let their children die) because they do not believe in getting medical attention when they are sick. Reality does have a way of biting your back side.
The ethical reason represents an even more general answer to Neo’s question: regardless of practical consequences or of feelings of pleasure and discomfort, it is simply right to choose the red pill. We are social beings, and by nature we have a tendency to relate to other humans and to help them out, especially if they are our kin or friends. This tendency constitutes the basis of most of our ethical systems, and it implies that it is our duty not to shut ourselves out of the world in order to simply seek pleasure or avoid pain. This, however, begs the question of what is right to begin with and of how we determine it, something that I have covered, and will come back to, in this column. Essentially, we are now faced with the radical moral skeptic question: why bother, if it does not affect your own happiness?
The point is, even a science fiction movie can generate profound philosophical questions, and these in turn are not necessarily idle speculations on the sex of angels but give us the opportunity to examine some of our most basic choices and their often far-reaching consequences. And remember, an unexamined life is not worth living. Or is it?
Given the choice between the red pill and the blue pill - which one would you take?
Tar Sands Action
A short film capturing first day of 2-weeks of sit-ins at the White House to stop the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. More info:
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/
Video produced by Dahlman Cook Productions
The Campaign to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
On Saturday, more than 70 activists, including environmental advocate Bill McKibben, were arrested outside of the White House for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. The hotly contested pipeline, which if approved by the Obama administration would carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, would be disastrous for ecosystems from Canada all the way through America's heartland to the waters of the Gulf.
In this video by On The Earth Productions and The Nation, Bold Nebraska's Jane Kleeb explains the potentially devastating impact the pipeline could have if it is approved. For more on the pipeline and the campaign to make sure it is not approved, read George Zornick's post on this weekend's actions in front of the White House.
For more videos, visit TheNation.com
http://www.tarsandsaction.org/
Video produced by Dahlman Cook Productions
The Campaign to Stop the Keystone XL Pipeline
On Saturday, more than 70 activists, including environmental advocate Bill McKibben, were arrested outside of the White House for protesting the Keystone XL pipeline. The hotly contested pipeline, which if approved by the Obama administration would carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, would be disastrous for ecosystems from Canada all the way through America's heartland to the waters of the Gulf.
In this video by On The Earth Productions and The Nation, Bold Nebraska's Jane Kleeb explains the potentially devastating impact the pipeline could have if it is approved. For more on the pipeline and the campaign to make sure it is not approved, read George Zornick's post on this weekend's actions in front of the White House.
For more videos, visit TheNation.com
Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline Protest
Bill McKibben: Why I Spent 2 Days in Jail Protesting the Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline
Why We're Protesting: Tar Sands Pipeline Opponents In Their Own Words
Why We're Protesting: Tar Sands Pipeline Opponents In Their Own Words
Capitalism Is The Crisis
Capitalism Is The Crisis: Radical Politics in the Age of Austerity examines the ideological roots of the "austerity" agenda and proposes revolutionary paths out of the current crisis. The film features original interviews with Chris Hedges, Derrick Jensen, Michael Hardt, Peter Gelderloos, Leo Panitch, David McNally, Richard J.F. Day, Imre Szeman, Wayne Price, and many more!
The 2008 "financial crisis" in the United States was a systemic fraud in which the wealthy finance capitalists stole trillions of public dollars. No one was jailed for this crime, the largest theft of public money in history.
Instead, the rich forced working people across the globe to pay for their "crisis" through punitive "austerity" programs that gutted public services and repealed workers' rights.
Austerity was named "Word of the Year" for 2010.
This documentary explains the nature of capitalist crisis, visits the protests against austerity measures, and recommends revolutionary paths for the future.
Special attention is devoted to the crisis in Greece, the 2010 G20 Summit protest in Toronto, Canada, and the remarkable surge of solidarity in Madison, Wisconsin.
It may be their crisis, but it's our problem.
Michael Hardt
Conversations with History Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor Michael Hardt of Duke University. They discuss his joint work with Antonio Negri on Empire. Professor Hardt reflects on his own intellectual odyssey and how his political activism shaped his thinking about radical consciousness in an age of Empire. Series: "Conversations with History"
Friday, 2 September 2011
Martin Luther King Memorial
Martin Luther King Memorial Unveiled in Washington
MLK National Monument Inspires Calls to Continue Civil Rights Leader’s Work to End Poverty and War
This week, the public got its first look at a newly unveiled memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is the first memorial on the National Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man. The threat of Hurricane Irene has forced organizers to postpone the planned dedication of memorial on Sunday, which was to have been attended by 250,000 people, including President Barack Obama. The dedication ceremony was to have taken place on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Despite the storm, a related Rally for Jobs and Justice will proceed tomorrow, ending with a march to the King Memorial. We speak with longtime civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and with Dr. Vincent Harding, a longtime friend and a former speechwriter for Dr. King. He co-wrote his famous "Beyond Vietnam" address. Harding reads from a Carl Wendell Hines poem written shortly after Dr. King’s assassination and notes that "Dead men make such convenient heroes... It is easier to build monuments than to build a better world."
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/26/mlk_national_monument_inspires_calls_to
Reverend Jackson is also president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. And we’re joined in Denver, Colorado, by Dr. Vincent Harding, who was a longtime friend and former speechwriter for Dr. King, who wrote his famous "Beyond Vietnam" address. He’s also chair of the Veterans of Hope project. Dr. Harding is author of several books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero.
Cornel West had a piece in today’s—an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times titled "Reverend King Would Be Weeping" ["Dr. King Weeps from His Grave"]. And the thrust of his column was that this symbol and memorial to Dr. King comes at the same time that so many of the substance of the issues that Dr. King raised, especially in his final days, are being ignored or even—the country is turning its back on those issues that Dr. King raised. Your reaction to this irony that Cornel West raises?
Maya Angelou: MLK Memorial Makes Him Sound Like 'Arrogant Twit'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/maya-angelou-mlk-quote_n_943567.html
Poet and author Maya Angelou is taking issue with a paraphrased quotation from Martin Luther King Jr. inscribed in his new memorial in Washington, saying the shortened version makes the civil rights leader sound like an "arrogant twit" because it's out of context.
In His Own Words: Dr. King's Leadership Legacy for Economic Justice
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clarence-b-jones/labor-day-jobs_b_939827.html
There have been lots of blogs, news articles and editorials commenting on the King Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and the postponement of its official opening last week because of Hurricane Irene. August 29, 2011, TheNew York Times wrote an editorial captioned "Dr. King's Dreams." They reminded us that the 'Dream' speech occurred at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They continued in their editorial to note that "In the following years, until he was assassinated in 1968, Dr. King focused primarily on the need for economic justice and the grim problem of poverty that remains so significant for all races today."
"Bill of Rights for the Disadvantaged," originally proposed by Dr. King.
The MLK Monument: A Reminder of Dreams Yet Unfulfilled
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/mlk-monument-dc_b_936345.html
The new statue honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was unveiled in Washington, D.C., on Monday. It is the first memorial on the National Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man. The memorial is located on a four-acre site on the Tidal Basin between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. The MLK memorial consists of a 30-foot sculpture of King. On either side of the mountain, a 450-foot-long wall is inscribed with 14 quotations from the famous orator’s speeches, sermons and writings. The sculpture was made in China by the sculptor Master Lei Yixin. Harry Johnson is president of the Martin Luther King Memorial Project.
Harry E. Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of Martin Luther King Memorial Project Foundation: "America is diversified, so when you come and see Jefferson, Lincoln and Washington in D.C., it’s not just one race of people. It’s not just these old guys who you read about, but here’s somebody who people may have touched, may have shook his hand, and he is an up-to-date hero that changed this country and made this country and now the world look more diversified as a way we see ourselves."
MLK National Monument Inspires Calls to Continue Civil Rights Leader’s Work to End Poverty and War
This week, the public got its first look at a newly unveiled memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is the first memorial on the National Mall not dedicated to a war, president or white man. The threat of Hurricane Irene has forced organizers to postpone the planned dedication of memorial on Sunday, which was to have been attended by 250,000 people, including President Barack Obama. The dedication ceremony was to have taken place on the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when Dr. King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Despite the storm, a related Rally for Jobs and Justice will proceed tomorrow, ending with a march to the King Memorial. We speak with longtime civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson, president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, and with Dr. Vincent Harding, a longtime friend and a former speechwriter for Dr. King. He co-wrote his famous "Beyond Vietnam" address. Harding reads from a Carl Wendell Hines poem written shortly after Dr. King’s assassination and notes that "Dead men make such convenient heroes... It is easier to build monuments than to build a better world."
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/8/26/mlk_national_monument_inspires_calls_to
Reverend Jackson is also president and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. And we’re joined in Denver, Colorado, by Dr. Vincent Harding, who was a longtime friend and former speechwriter for Dr. King, who wrote his famous "Beyond Vietnam" address. He’s also chair of the Veterans of Hope project. Dr. Harding is author of several books, including Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero.
Cornel West had a piece in today’s—an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times titled "Reverend King Would Be Weeping" ["Dr. King Weeps from His Grave"]. And the thrust of his column was that this symbol and memorial to Dr. King comes at the same time that so many of the substance of the issues that Dr. King raised, especially in his final days, are being ignored or even—the country is turning its back on those issues that Dr. King raised. Your reaction to this irony that Cornel West raises?
Maya Angelou: MLK Memorial Makes Him Sound Like 'Arrogant Twit'
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/31/maya-angelou-mlk-quote_n_943567.html
Poet and author Maya Angelou is taking issue with a paraphrased quotation from Martin Luther King Jr. inscribed in his new memorial in Washington, saying the shortened version makes the civil rights leader sound like an "arrogant twit" because it's out of context.
The words were from a sermon King delivered Feb. 4, 1968, at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, two months before he was assassinated, about a eulogy that could be given when he died.
King said, "Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter."
On Tuesday, Angelou, who consulted on the memorial, told The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/o74pLU) that the shortened version of those words sounds egotistical and should be changed.
It reads: "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness."
Read the whole story: The Washington Post
Read the whole story: The Washington Post
The phrase is inscribed on a statue of King without quotation marks because it is paraphrased. It is not grouped with 14 quotations from King that are part of the memorial plaza.
The paraphrased version "minimizes the man," said the 83-year-old Angelou. "It makes him seem less than the humanitarian he was. ... It makes him seem an egotist."
In His Own Words: Dr. King's Leadership Legacy for Economic Justice
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/clarence-b-jones/labor-day-jobs_b_939827.html
There have been lots of blogs, news articles and editorials commenting on the King Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and the postponement of its official opening last week because of Hurricane Irene. August 29, 2011, TheNew York Times wrote an editorial captioned "Dr. King's Dreams." They reminded us that the 'Dream' speech occurred at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. They continued in their editorial to note that "In the following years, until he was assassinated in 1968, Dr. King focused primarily on the need for economic justice and the grim problem of poverty that remains so significant for all races today."
"Bill of Rights for the Disadvantaged," originally proposed by Dr. King.
The MLK Monument: A Reminder of Dreams Yet Unfulfilled
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/mlk-monument-dc_b_936345.html
U.S. Wasting Billions While Tripling No-Bid Contracts After Decade of War in Iraq, Afghanistan
1970 Motown Time Capsule video featuring the song War by Edwin Starr
U.S. Wasting Billions While Tripling No-Bid Contracts After Decade of War in Iraq, Afghanistan
As the war in Afghanistan approaches its 10th anniversary, a pair of new reports reveal how the Pentagon has squandered tens of billions of dollars while tripling the amount of no-bid contracts. The bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting concludes that between $31 billion and $60 billion spent on projects in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 10 years has been lost to waste and fraud. In Afghanistan, the commission found the United States is indirectly funding the Taliban as money diverted from U.S.-backed projects is paid out to militants to ensure safety. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s use of no-bid contracts has tripled since the United States was attacked on 9/11, in spite of promises to reform the controversial practice. A new investigative report from the Center for Public Integrity says no-bid spending has ballooned from $50 billion in 2003 to $140 billion in 2011. We speak with Charles Tiefer, a member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan and a professor of government contracting at the University of Baltimore Law School, and with Sharon Weinberger of the Center for Public Integrity, author of the investigative series "Windfalls of War." "There are as many contractors in the war zone as there are soldiers. But we haven’t adjusted our thinking for it. We haven’t adjusted our structure for it," Tiefer says.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/2/us_wasting_billions_while_tripling_no
U.S. Wasting Billions While Tripling No-Bid Contracts After Decade of War in Iraq, Afghanistan
As the war in Afghanistan approaches its 10th anniversary, a pair of new reports reveal how the Pentagon has squandered tens of billions of dollars while tripling the amount of no-bid contracts. The bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting concludes that between $31 billion and $60 billion spent on projects in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last 10 years has been lost to waste and fraud. In Afghanistan, the commission found the United States is indirectly funding the Taliban as money diverted from U.S.-backed projects is paid out to militants to ensure safety. Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s use of no-bid contracts has tripled since the United States was attacked on 9/11, in spite of promises to reform the controversial practice. A new investigative report from the Center for Public Integrity says no-bid spending has ballooned from $50 billion in 2003 to $140 billion in 2011. We speak with Charles Tiefer, a member of the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan and a professor of government contracting at the University of Baltimore Law School, and with Sharon Weinberger of the Center for Public Integrity, author of the investigative series "Windfalls of War." "There are as many contractors in the war zone as there are soldiers. But we haven’t adjusted our thinking for it. We haven’t adjusted our structure for it," Tiefer says.
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/9/2/us_wasting_billions_while_tripling_no
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