English: Photos from October 6, Day 21 of Occupy Wall Street. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to keep Wall Street barricaded to the public. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Photos from October 6, Day 21 of Occupy Wall Street. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security continues to keep Wall Street barricaded to the public. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Photos of Occupy Wall Street on Day 20, October 5, the day of the big march with unions in solidarity with OWS. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
CounterPunch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
c Columbus Cruise ship (Photo credit: z_fishies)
English: Roger A. Pielke with permission from the subject (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Denis Rancourt, Professor of Physics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario (Photo credit: Wikipedia)A reminder that opinions expressed are not mine - and may in fact be diametrically opposed.
CounterPunch RSS has been a problem. Here is some content missed on that account.
The Surprise Party
- Wonderful clarity of perception. One quibble : global warming is a
scare in that it is not yet possible to perceive the future with clarity
- not even when it is shouted from the rooftops that "The Sky is
Burning and We Are Going to Fry" ( minor paraphrase of Chicken Little
there )
You should enjoy both Roger Pielke Jr.'s notes on the Honest Broker and Denis Rancourt's on Lies of Science ; which are both about 'scientism' or 'post normal science' i.e. ; b.s. as 'consensus.' Roger Pielke Sr. is btw a 'climate scientist' and well aware of the limitations of his craft - something lost in the ballyhoo. Roger Jr. has several videos on YouTube and a weblog. Denis has as well ( I believe he links to an RT interview ) ; a blog post serves to outline his thoughts http://activistteacher.blogspot.ca/2010/06/some-big-lies-of-science.html
On the Concept of the Crisis
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 weeks ago
published on CounterPunch
Whether it's the most recent financial scandal, political calamity, or
environmental catastrophe, social life these days is presented - if not
experienced - as a succession of crises. Indeed, the ongoing economic
crisis alone has generated its own considerable brood of sub-crises: the
foreclosure crisis, the jobs crisis (aka the unemployment/poverty crisis),
not to mention the health care crisis, and the perennial, ideologically
distorted, debt crisis are accompanied by still others. And with the
government shutdown here in the US, and the related debt ce... more »
Order and Conquest - The Spirit of Columbus
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 3 weeks ago
published originally on CounterPunch
Officially celebrated in the US on the second Monday of October, Columbus
first made landfall in the Americas, in what is now the Bahamas, on October
12, 1492. And though, in his eyes, he did stumble onto the shores of a new
world, what is more important for the present inquiry is the fact that
Columbus immediately imposed the Order of the old world upon the one he
invaded. The law of force (articulated in the European legal tradition's
Doctrine of Conquest, which grants invaders legal title to the lands they
conquer) was subsequently imposed t... more »
The Surprise Party
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 weeks ago
published originally on CounterPunch
The federal government has been shut down, and the Tea Party crowd (who
make no bones about wanting to both shrink the fed until it's small enough
to fit in a bathtub - to paraphrase Grover Norquist - and to drown it in
there as well) is thoroughly enjoying the situation. Indeed, for Tea
Partiers, among the many other minions of the business class, it's a
veritable dream come true. All those regulatory agencies that interfere
with business (yet, in quasi-dialectical fashion, preserve them all the
same) are now out of the way. With the EPA and O... more »
Fukushima Economics - on the distributions of the possible
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 weeks ago
published originally on CounterPunch
A well-known, liberal economist was discussing the increasing polarization
of wealth in the US, the second anniversary of Occupy Wall Street, and the
minimum wage, among other issues, the other day on a relatively popular
radio program. In addition to his other remarks, the economist (who once
served as Labor Secretary) noted that when it is adjusted for inflation the
minimum wage is today lower than ever. He also added that if the minimum
wage were adjusted for productivity levels, it would amount to something
like $15 an hour in today's dolla... more »
On Syria, Serbia, and Kaiser Obama
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 month ago
published originally on CounterPunch
When Barack Obama was an inexperienced presidential candidate back in 2008,
one question that was repeatedly raised was whether he was qualified to
competently carry out the duties required of the executive. Upon announcing
that - contrary to Bush's belligerent approach - he favored negotiating
with foreign leaders, Obama invoked John F. Kennedy’s failed attempt to
negotiate with then Soviet premier Nikita Khruschev in Vienna in 1961.
Confirming the suspicions of many, Obama's example betrayed a profound lack
of knowledge of US history. For, amo... more »
Freedom from Jobs
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 months ago
published on CounterPunch
As the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington DC - the March for
Jobs and Freedom immortalized by Martin Luther King's iconic I Have a Dream
speech - is celebrated and discussed around the country, it is important to
note that though some gains have certainly been made over the past
half-century toward a more inclusive, egalitarian society, in many respects
- particularly in economic matters - there has been little or no progress
whatsoever. Indeed, by certain measures equality has diminished
considerably. Accompanying a minimum wage that, when a... more »
Freedom from Jobs
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 months ago
published on CounterPunch
As the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Washington DC - the March for
Jobs and Freedom immortalized by Martin Luther King's iconic I Have a Dream
speech - is celebrated and discussed around the country, it is important to
note that though some gains have certainly been made over the past
half-century toward a more inclusive, egalitarian society, in many respects
- particularly in economic matters - there has been little or no progress
whatsoever. Indeed, by certain measures equality has diminished
considerably. Accompanying a minimum wage that, when a... more »
Extreme Times, Extreme Demands - The Health of the People Should Be the Supreme Law
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 months ago
posted originally on AlterNet
Among the crucial issues raised by the prosecution of Bradley Manning and
the persecution of Edward Snowden is the question concerning what law
should serve. Is law's basic purpose order or justice - the maintenance of
the way things are, or the instantiation of what ought to be? What is
primary, the letter or the spirit of the law?
Over the course of history, the spirit of the law has generally been
regarded as law's more important dimension. Indeed, without serving a
higher spirit or ideal - such as justice, fairness, or the common good -
the mere... more »
Bozos Like Bezos and the Crooked Cory Booker, or The Californian Ideology Becomes Hegemonic
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 months ago
originally published on CounterPunch
Along with a considerable deal of surprise, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' sudden
250 million dollar purchase of the Washington Post (a trifle for him at 1%
of his estimated fortune of 25 billion) has elicited no small share of
conjecture as well. A libertarian who has funded legislation opposing
taxation in Washington state, as well as the legalization of same-sex
marriage, Bezos' economic conservatism, social liberalism, and demonstrated
interest in political issues will very likely influence how he runs the
Post. Whether Bezos' motives for acquiring... more »
The Private, the Public, and the (Re)Public
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 2 months ago
Published originally, in a slightly different form, on AlterNet
A considerable degree of historical irony inheres in the fact that though
the term 'republican' derives from the Latin *res publica *- which means the
public thing - Republicans (though not only Republicans) are everywhere
these days privatizing, and thereby eliminating, every public thing they
can get their hands on. From the privatization of public utilities, and
public broadcasting (recall Mitt Romney's campaign promise to cut funding
for PBS in spite of his "love" for Big Bird?), to the charter school
movement whic... more »
Idiocy and Utopia
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 3 months ago
published on AlterNet
The ancient Athenians had a name for people who were unable to participate
in and determine the course of public life: idiote. It is from this that
our word idiot derives. And though we live in so-called democracies, these
days very few of us are not idiots in this powerless respect. To be sure,
though he doesn't phrase it in such a manner, in his Theses on Feuerbach
Karl Marx draws attention to just this intersection of these two meanings
of idiot (fool and dominated subject). The point of philosophy, he states,
is to change the world. But the world cannot ... more »
The Health of the People Should Be the Supreme Law
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 3 months ago
posted originally on AlterNet
Among the crucial issues raised by the prosecution of Bradley Manning and
the persecution of Edward Snowden is the question concerning what law
should serve. Is law's basic purpose order or justice - the maintenance of
the way things are, or the instantiation of what ought to be? What is
primary, the letter or the spirit of the law?
Over the course of history, the spirit of the law has generally been
regarded as law's more important dimension. Indeed, without serving a
higher spirit or ideal - such as justice, fairness, or the common good -
the mere... more »
The Sublation of Distributive and Restorative Justice
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 3 months ago
published on state of nature
While political and social theorists largely agree that a given society’s
legitimacy and worth can be measured by the degree to which justice is
achieved, few agree on what justice actually means. Indeed, it is an
understatement to remark that efforts at articulating a lucid conception of
justice have resulted in many overlapping, and at times conflicting,
notions. These range from little more than justifications for revenge –
referred to as retributive justice – to theories of justice that
concentrate on preventing injustices from arising in the first... more »
Edward Snowden/Knowledge (of Metadata) Is Power
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 months ago
posted originally on Alternet
If the expression *knowledge is power* - attributed to the English
Renaissance philosopher Francis Bacon - is true, then it implies, among
other things, that its opposite is also true. That is, if knowledge is
power, then the lack of knowledge, or ignorance, amounts to a lack of, or
exclusion from, power. As such, removing, obscuring, or hiding knowledge -
in a word, secrecy - not only creates power, it produces powerlessness,
weakness, and vulnerability as well. Indeed, as Elias Canetti phrased it in
his *Crowds and Power*: "Secrecy lies at the very c... more »
New York City Summer Swimming
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 months ago
On Thursday, June 27th, New York City's municipal swimming pools will open
their gates and welcome thousands of overheated bodies into their blue,
heavily chlorinated maws. And while sundry papers will no doubt report the
advent of the season, the conduct of the crowds, the instances of
(overwhelmingly) petty crimes that invariably arise when so many people are
concentrated into limited spaces, and the austerity-style budget cuts that
are limiting these spaces even further, the real story, as so often happens
is the one that is hardly discussed, not to mention rarely reported: why ... more »
Bradley Manning - the Anti-Eichmann
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 months ago
posted originally on CounterPunch
The year 2013 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Hannah
Arendt's controversial critique of the trial of the Nazi war criminal Adolf
Eichmann, and her work remains unambiguously pertinent. Indeed, not only do
the ghosts of the past continue to haunt Eichmann in Jerusalem; another
ghost - a ghost from the future - is also detectable among her words. As
one reads her text, Eichmann's polar opposite, Bradley Manning, arises from
Arendt's pages like a photographic negative. Presently on trial for charges
that include "communicating nati... more »
Restorative and Distributive Justice
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 4 months ago
While political and social theorists largely agree that a given society's
worth can be measured by the degree to which justice is achieved, few agree
on what justice actually means. Efforts at articulating a lucid conception
of justice have resulted in many overlapping, and at times conflicting,
notions of justice. These range from little more than justifications for
revenge - referred to as retributive justice - to theories of justice that
concentrate on preventing injustices from arising in the first place -
creating the conditions which justice requires in order to be realized.... more »
Idiots and Education
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 6 months ago
The ancient Athenians had a name for people unable to participate in and
determine the course of public life: idiote - from which our word idiot is
derived. And though we live in so-called democracies, these days very few
of us are not idiots in this classical respect. It is this intersection of
these two meanings of idiot (fool and heteronomous subject) that Marx drew
attention to in his Theses on Feuerbach - in which Marx critiques the
insufficiently critical, materialistic thought of Ludwig Feuerbach. Yes,
the point is to change the world. But the world cannot be meaningfully
ch... more »
Working definition of hygiecracy
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 6 months ago
Hygiecracy is a political philosophy. Specifically, it is a critique of
democracy that posits that conditions of actual justice are indistinct from
conditions of actual health - actual health is a critical notion of health
involving analyses of history, society, and economics, among other things.
Because political legitimacy requires that democracy be constrained by
justice (otherwise democracy is simply majority rule, might makes right, or
the rule of force), the theory holds that democracies must create the
objective conditions of health or forfeit their legitimacy.
Among other t... more »
Working definition of hygiecracy
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 6 months ago
Hygiecracy is a political philosophy. Specifically, it is a critique of
democracy that posits that conditions of actual justice are indistinct from
conditions of actual health - actual health is a critical notion of health
involving analyses of history, society, and economics, among other things.
Because political legitimacy requires that democracy be constrained by
justice (otherwise democracy is simply majority rule, might makes right, or
the rule of force), the theory holds that democracies must create the
objective conditions of health or forfeit their legitimacy.
Among other t... more »
Idiocy's Interruption
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 6 months ago
One of the most obvious things that comes to mind when considering how to
interfere with the political idiocy produced and reproduced by this society
is education. Of course, these days education is just as involved in
creating the conditions for this idiocy, and its attendant ideologies, in
the first place - what Althusser referred to as the Ideological State
Apparatus. In spite of this, however, implicit in the concept of education
lies a radically emancipatory notion. For what is the point of education?
It is not simply instrumental. Rather, it ought to question the purposes to
... more »
Hey Idiots
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 6 months ago
posted originally on CounterPunch
It is interesting to observe that the word idiot derives from the Greek idiotes,
which refers to a "private person" - as distinct from a public person, or
one who is involved in determining public life. That is, an idiot follows
the rules and laws that others draft and sign - irrespective of whether or
not it is in the idiot's interest. Some people in society determine how
society will be organized - how its economic surpluses are distributed, how
its resources are employed, how its energies are directed, how its cities
are designed, its transport... more »
Marx's 11th Thesis on Feuerbach
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 7 months ago
When Marx wrote - in his 11th Thesis on Feuerbach - that the point is not
to interpret, but to change the world, he may not have been explicit enough
- for it is the understanding of the world that leads (dialectically) to
the recognition that it ought to be changed (and, in sublating - that is,
both dissolving and preserving - this, 'understanding' is constitutively
bound with 'changing'). For instance, when one comes to understand that one
is behaving in a manner that is destroying one's teeth, it will take more
effort to continue that form of behavior than to stop it. Likewise, w... more »
the beatles
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 8 months ago
they say that love
is all you need
it's true -
as everything else
is extant in the world -
water, housing, food
abounds -
though it's all tightly held
in a small group of hands -
but love would disperse
these all - it's true -
love, indeed
is all you need
Drive, Baby, Drive! - Pearl Harbor, Global Warming, and the Apocalypse
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 10 months ago
On the anniversary of the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl
Harbor, with typhoon Bopha having just spread vast carnage throughout the
South China Sea, it is interesting to consider the parallels that exist
between the Japanese attack and such global warming-caused weather events.
Among their other similarities, both the attack on Pearl Harbor and global
warming-caused disasters result from the industrial, imperialistic scramble
for, and exploitation of natural resources. And though the Japanese
bombardment surprised many, but was not unanticipated, likewise the
typhoon... more »
Turkeys, Twinkies, and Toxins
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 11 months ago
published originally on counterpunch
Because the history of the United States is comprised of contradictions
(for example, while its political institutions are rooted in the notion of
freedom, its economic institutions arise from a foundation of slavery) it
should come as little surprise to find that the holiday of Thanksgiving -
so intertwined these days with hyper-consumerism - itself grew out of the
rejection of a compelled commercialism.
Prior to the Reformation in England, the Church maintained dozens of
various holidays and feast days throughout the year. And not only were... more »
On Critical Days
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 11 months ago
originally published on counterpunch
Whether it's the most recent extreme weather disaster, environmental
calamity, financial scandal, debacle, super-crime, or otherwise, political
and social life these days is presented - if not experienced - as a
succession of crises. Indeed, the economic crisis alone has generated its
own not inconsiderable brood of sub-crises: the foreclosure crisis, the
jobs crisis (aka the unemployment crisis), not to mention the health care
crisis, and the perennial, ideologically distorted, debt crisis are
accompanied by still others. And with the so-called... more »
The Zombie Vampire Industrial Complex
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 11 months ago
published originally on counterpunch
As Obama celebrates his reelection, and his supporters find themselves in
the odd position of planning how to fight the man they helped reelect in
the first place, it is worth reflecting on the fact that Obama was able to
prevail in the presidential election by receiving a preponderant number of
ballots - and that these ballots (a term derived from the word 'balls') in
many respects represents the surrender of his supporters' symbolic balls -
not only their symbolic heads, and minds, but also their actual autonomy to
the ruler whose power they s... more »
Superstorm Sandy's Submerged Social Antagonisms
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
In spite of Barack Obama's prognostication that future generations would
look back at his 2008 nomination as the very point in history at which the
(industrially-induced) rising levels of the oceans began to slow, as the
2012 presidential election draws near it is difficult to miss the fact that
the opposite is happening. Indeed, as economic activity continues to heat
the planet, and as polar ice and glaciers continue to melt, the oceans are
not only not slowing their rise - as witnessed most dramatically over the
past week, they are rising ever higher, swallowing significant porti... more »
The Underside of Energy Independence
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
originally published on counterpunch
Among the social, political, and economic issues that Obama and Romney seem
to have no difficulty agreeing upon is the notion that the United States
needs to achieve "energy independence." Arguing that its reliance on the
importation of sources of fuel puts the US in a vulnerable geo-strategic
position, advocates of energy independence not only maintain that the US
must pursue an energy policy involving the extraction of oil from such
ecologically sensitive domestic areas as the California coast, and the
Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ... more »
Ballots, Bullets, Balls, and Brains
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
published originally on CounterPunch
As the presidential election approaches, and many are already casting their
votes, a consideration of the multiple meanings of the concept of the
ballot may offer some measure of insight into the current political,
ideological, and historical situation.
Currently constructed out of paper and - as electronic voting becomes more
and more widespread - from digital signals, it is noteworthy that the term
ballot derives from the word for ball, and the historical practice of
casting variously colored balls into a box in order to determine the victor ... more »
The American Johnson
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
published originally on State of Nature
Many are no doubt familiar with the fact that the Phallus is symbolic of,
and is associated with, fertility and generative power. However, that the
Greek word for phallus is related to the Greek word for whale – phalle – is
not as well known. This should not come as much of a surprise, though, when
one considers the fact that the phalle, or whale, is but another
designation for the biblical Leviathan. And the leviathan, beyond its
association with the satanic, is also the term that the great defender of
political absolut... more »
Christopher Columbus and the US Constitution
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
published originally on counterpunch
While it is officially celebrated in the US on the second Monday of
October, Columbus first made landfall in the Americas, in what is now the
Bahamas, on October 12, 1492. And though he did in some respects stumble
upon a new world, what is more important for the present inquiry is the
fact that Columbus immediately imposed the order of the old world upon the
one he found. The law of force, articulated most clearly in the doctrine of
conquest, which legally sanctions what justice should condemn, was
subsequently imposed throughout the Americas a... more »
Reimagining Austerity
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
originally published on counterpunch
Though their conclusions are specious, the proponents of economic austerity
programs are in one crucial respect entirely correct: the present economic
system is pathologically dysfunctional and, as such, requires a radical
transfiguration. Indeed, along with the growing dead zones of the oceans,
and the spreading war zones accompanying the resource depletion intrinsic
to our political-economy, we are also daily savaged by the far more
mundane, though just as endemic, pathologies of cancer and obesity
epidemics, widespread malnutrition, and count... more »
On the Villainization of Teachers and Muslims
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
originally published on counterpunch
Among the issues raised by the Chicago teachers' strike is the one
involving the villainization of labor. Yet, while teachers have been
shamelessly conflated in the corporate media with the very gluttons who are
in fact fleecing the teachers of their pensions and other benefits, it is
important to bear in mind that teachers, and labor in general, are far from
the only ones being villainized in the ongoing efforts to privatize what
were until relatively recently socially - rather than privately -
controlled resources. Indeed, a far broader, and ... more »
Rahm Machiavelli and the Chicago Teachers' Strike
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
*originally published on counterpunch*
A considerable degree of confusion appears to be attending the ostensible
conclusion to the Chicago Teachers' strike. Indeed, with various interests
proclaiming victory, it is difficult to arrive at a clear understanding of
just what the outcome portends. Before addressing the facts, however -
which are indispensable in any effort to evaluate a situation - a word
ought to be given to the context in which the strike unfolded. Among other
things, it is important to note that, beyond the talking points regarding
school choice, accountability, and... more »
Wherefore Art Thou Occupy?
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
Originally published on Counterpunch
As its anniversary is celebrated we will no doubt be reminded that no
matter what else it achieved, or failed to, Occupy Wall Street managed to
introduce - if not a new sensitivity to inequality into the world - at
least a new phrase into popular political parlance. Indeed, the slogan ‘We
Are the 99%’ concisely articulates the fact that a deep, structural
conflict exists between the so-called 1%, who own virtually the entire
planet, and the 99%, who spend their lives in the service of that 1%. And
though in actuality power is distributed in more... more »
From Moses' Parkways to Olmsted's Parks
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
As the city of San Francisco rose in prominence and grandeur in the 1860s,
its political leaders commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted to design a
central, municipal park. While Olmsted's plan was rejected for, among other
things, being too disruptive to business, it is nevertheless - and perhaps
even because of this - still a thought-provoking plan for an urban park.
Those familiar with the layout of the city of San Francisco may enjoy
imagining just how nice it would be if Olmsted's plan had been realized.
Beginning at the bay, between Fort Mason and Fisherman's Wharf, the park
wo... more »
The Historicity of Disease
hygiecrat at hygiecracy - 1 year ago
Disease is not simply a natural occurrence so much as an historical and
cultural phenomena. That is, disease is not entirely natural - however
ambiguous such a statement may be. Indeed, this nexus of historical,
cultural and physiological forces manifests in culturally specific
diseases. Cancer, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes - relatively rare
before the industrial revolution - are a few of the most common diseases in
the U.S. today.
Among the harms that contribute directly to these pathologies - e.g. a
largely sedentary lifestyle, regular and consistent exposure to signifi... more »
Related articles
Fukushima Economics(counterpunch.org)
Jesus Christ, Columbus, and the US Constitution(counterpunch.org)
Russell Brand and the Need for Planetary Adjustment(counterpunch.org)
Why isn't today a holiday?(priorprobability.com)
Bradley Manning and Adolf Eichmann " CounterPunch: Tells the Facts, Names the Names(amnesty4manning.wordpress.com)
Beyond Russell Brand’s Revolutionary Change(rinf.com)
What Passes for Education In America Is Often Just Indoctrination(alternet.org)
Muslim Brotherhood Member Grover Norquist Turns To Progressive Media In Crusade Against Ted Cruz(patdollard.com)
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