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Economies of Parasitism

A clear and thorough explanation of what is meant by ‘austerity’ measures to make an economy more competitive. In a phrase, it is to intentionally lower the standard of living of a populace, to convince people to accept lower wages, less benefits, and less job security in the interests of maximizing corporate profits. A valuable companion article to this video can be found on The Daily Kos.

The Governator Show

Apparently, Arnold Schwarzenegger has his own, little-seen YouTube channel, through which he addresses netizens and informs them of California’s progress. What seems initially to be a farce, actually turns into an informative lecture on, among other things, California’s bulky permit process.

When bloggers attack.

Hell yeah, I want my pony!

This article at The People’s View should be required reading for all those interested in discovering what some parts of both the right and left of the blogosphere have to gain in trying to destroy (fortunately unsuccessfully, I think) President Obama–or, more accurately, what they have to gain in upping the ante on false outrage in a public forum.  (Here’s a hint: it’s the same thing anti-corporatists are always claiming (often rightly) is the end goal of every politician.)  One wonders how much time MLK or Gandhi would have had for this kind of kabuki.

WikiRebels

Here’s a treat for you Meppers. It’s a full-length documentary about Wikileaks and the intrepid man of mystery, Mr. Assange. Confidence is low that this link will remain up forever, so enjoy it while you can.

Charlie Chaplin – Champion of the Common Man

Who knew that Chaplin was so politically motivated? This clip comes from The Great Dictator (1940). If the armband and moustache look vaguely Hitler-like, it’s intentional. Chaplin plays an autocrat for most of the movie, in addition to playing a doppleganger who switches places with him, in time to rally a fascist regime to nobler causes with this speech.

We could use him around these days.

Exporting Democracy

I’m sort of amazed that this video from 2007 hasn’t been more widely seen. Perhaps because the bombings that it discusses are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to US foreign policy incursions into other sovereign nations.

Alan Grayson’s Last Hurrah

The man may be a lame duck, but he is certainly going out in style. Charred Earth, Alan. Burn it all down.

WikiLeaks and the Decline of American Impunity


The greatest American hero may not even be an American.

It is hard to overestimate the importance of WikiLeaks, already perhaps the most controversial website in the history of the relatively fledgling Internet. If you’ve been near any source of either news or Internet, you’re aware of the fact that said site, despite enduring a brazen and blatantly government-sponsored hack-attack, has released almost innumerable documents from the American diplomatic corps to the world at large. And the results are shocking.

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The Internet is Sad

Dear Lord, we’ve found it. We’ve found the main emotion nerve of the internet.

And this is what it looks like…

A shrill beacon of raw emotions, pulsing into the ether. Perhaps this is a condition of being fed nothing but creepily ecstatic kitten videos and Norweigen Clog Porn. If you were the excretion receptacle for the emotional status of the American public, you too would be unwell.

How to Scare the Bejesus Out of the American Voter

This ad was run a few weeks ago by a non-profit called Citizens Against Government Waste.

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