Gah. We have been doing our usual deal camping in Africa for a couple of months etc since April and only checking in from time to time, but when we do we are astounded at the attacks on all we hold dear by the current gov, the duopoly, and Mr. Trump.

This afternoon, instead of being out getting in some exercise further exploring old Venetia we got roped into reading C99 and other news.

Seems like progressive ideals and protections around the world are getting broad spectrum spraying to kill out the good and let back in the old in favor of the super rich. But you know that.

Every NGO we support including enviro, conservation, civil liberties, political action, you name it, all have an email documenting the amazing attacks ramped up in the last months.

Also, last night at a locals bar here in Venice the bar tender was sharing about how the Cruise Ship/Tourism realated industies/Italian government have made channels and changes in the lagoon that were wreaking havoc not only on the fishery ecosystem but on the foundations of the old city itself that the fishermen and local property owners were having to fight for their lives.

Came to mind Shock Doctrine/Disaster Capitalism so decided to search twitter to see what Naomi Klein had to say recently:

Powerful read: Naomi Klein unpacks current US politics in context of #disaster capitalism and the 'shock doctrine' https://t.co/4qRze2KcWi

— Christine Eriksen (@DrCEriksen) July 25, 2017

You may have already have seen this, but if you have not, might be worth a read.

Here's a snippet:

I started to notice the same tactics in disaster zones around the world. I used the term “shock doctrine” to describe the brutal tactic of using the public’s disorientation following a collective shock – wars, coups, terrorist attacks, market crashes or natural disasters – to push through radical pro-corporate measures, often called “shock therapy”. Though Trump breaks the mould in some ways, his shock tactics do follow a script, and one that is familiar from other countries that have had rapid changes imposed under the cover of crisis.

This strategy has been a silent partner to the imposition of neoliberalism for more than 40 years. Shock tactics follow a clear pattern: wait for a crisis (or even, in some instances, as in Chile or Russia, help foment one), declare a moment of what is sometimes called “extraordinary politics”, suspend some or all democratic norms – and then ram the corporate wishlist through as quickly as possible. The research showed that virtually any tumultuous situation, if framed with sufficient hysteria by political leaders, could serve this softening-up function. It could be an event as radical as a military coup, but the economic shock of a market or budget crisis would also do the trick. Amid hyperinflation or a banking collapse, for instance, the country’s governing elites were frequently able to sell a panicked population on the necessity for attacks on social protections, or enormous bailouts to prop up the financial private sector – because the alternative, they claimed, was outright economic apocalypse.

The Republicans under Donald Trump are already seizing the atmosphere of constant crisis that surrounds this presidency to push through as many unpopular, pro-corporate policies. And we know they would move much further and faster given an even bigger external shock. We know this because senior members of Trump’s team have been at the heart of some of the most egregious examples of the shock doctrine in recent memory.

What's it going to take to stop this?