The Weekly Watch

History is Written by the Victors
and
... the microbes will have the last word


(top line attributed to Walter Benjamin and the bottom one to Louis Pasteur.)

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Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters.
African Proverb

Napoleon once said, "What is history, but a fable agreed upon?”
(paraphrasing ~François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694–1778), "Jeannot et Colin”)

People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.
James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son

“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark

The obscurest epoch is today.
Robert Louis Stevenson, Across the Plains

Our current history is being being written by the corporations...the victors of our social struggle. A series of essays by arendt about Ken Burn's presentation of the history of the Vietnam War and Chris Hedges interview with a historian prompted my thoughts about history this week. No wonder we can't understand the past...we don't understand the present. Interpretation of both present and past is bias no matter how well done. But there are good efforts like Howard Zinn http://www.howardzinn.org/
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/zinnapeopleshistory.html

Eric Foner, historian and author of “Battles for Freedom: The Use and Abuse of American History” discusses the role of the historian and the lie of omission with Chris Hedges.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lX0ar575Qq0 (27 min)

Propaganda
“The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” ― George Orwell

The very ink with which all history is written is merely fluid prejudice.
Mark Twain, Following the Equator

A history in which every particular incident may be true may on the whole be false.
Thomas Babington Macaulay

Most history is guessing, and the rest is prejudice.
Will and Ariel Durant, Our Oriental Heritage

Historian: an unsuccessful novelist.
H.L. Mencken

War.jpg

The Vietnam special on PBS
John Pilger takes on the corporate sell out series.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/killing-american-way/
Additional views
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/21/reclaiming-truth-about-vie...

Chris Hedges explains how progressive voices are sidelined and silenced
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-silencing-of-dissent/

History is a very tricky thing. To begin with you can't get it mixed up with the past. The past actually happened, but history is only what someone wrote down.
A. Whitney Brown, The Big Picture

If an historian were to relate truthfully all the crimes, weaknesses and disorders of mankind, his readers would take his work for satire rather than for history.
Pierre Bayle, Historical and Critical Dictionary

Isn't it amazing the way the future succeeds in creating an appropriate past?
John Leonard

The memories of men are too frail a thread to hang history from.
John Still, The Jungle Tide

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Elections and Politics

Gerrymandering case comes up in the supreme court this week.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/future-partisan-gerrymandering-hinges-...

Election fraud is certain without reform.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/reform-corrupted-u-s-electoral-system/

The former president is reportedly raking in $400,000 per speech to massive financial firms
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/18/after-failing-prosecute-ban...

Last weekend September 16-17 a major national gathering was held in Washington, D.C. called the People's Congress of Resistance, a broad and diverse coalition of organizers and community leaders formed to build the class-struggle wing of the anti-Trump movement. Abby Martin interviews participants (17 min). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uy01SAjTtjM

Lee Camp sits down with Jimmy Dore to talk the viability of the of the Draft Bernie movement and the fraudulent Democrats. (33 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRdO6jAd2E4

Robber barons cartoon.jpg

Economics

Nearly three-fourths (71 percent) of the world’s population is poor, living on $10 a day or less, and 11 percent (767 million people, including 385 million children) live in what the World Bank calls “extreme poverty” (less than a $1.90 a day). Meanwhile, Oxfam reliably reports that, surreal as it sounds, the world’s eight richest people possess among themselves as much wealth as the poorest half of the entire human race
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/capitalism-the-nightmare/

Intecepted podcast this week features Gary Rivlin discussing Government Sacs, Cuban-Jamaican poet Aja Monet, and Alice Speri who discusses her article called, “Israel Security Forces Are Training American Cops Despite History of Rights Abuses.” (60 min and text)
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/20/intercepted-podcast-merican-psycho/
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/17/goldman-sachs-gary-cohn-donald-trump...

Unicorns and rainbows are descriptions of public service funding, but military funding is no problem. The $80B hike in the imperial military budget is more than enough for free college!
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/18/the-senates-military-spending-increa...

Just look into the new military budget...Hundreds of millions for Israeli missiles and Ukrainian troops’ medical care, at U.S. taxpayers’ expense.
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/military-spending-israel-ukraine

Killing more people means killing social programs.
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/19/us-says-no-money-social-pro...

Healthcare or the lack thereof looms ahead this week

No problem increasing the military budget, but pay for healthcare???? (16 min or text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20036:Congress-Spars-on-Healthcare%2C-Un...

Jimmy Dore on McCain saving the ACA. (6 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVOlFrxcEGA

Health care is a states rights issue says Lindsay, but they want to ban the rights of state to have single payer!
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/19/so-much-for-states-rights-gop-senato...

Naomi Klien ...single payer is the path forward (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/18/no_is_not_enough_naomi_klein

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Environment

“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius

San Francisco and Oakland charge that fossil fuel companies "stole a page from the Big Tobacco playbook" with misleading campaigns and should pay for damage from rising seas
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/09/21/first-two-major-cities-sue-...

Now T-rump is after Arctic drilling. No wonder climate is collapsing (16 min and text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20050:After-Maria-%27Obliterates%27-Puer...

Sadly we can expect stronger storms.
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/695-nasa/3321-in-a-w...

Koch brothers war on Climate (32 min and text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:19992:TRNN-SPECIAL%3A-Trump%2C-The-Koch-...

Is the military prepared for climate chaos? (14 min and text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&...

Europe may water down the Paris agreement to appease T-rump. Naomi Klein (vid and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/18/naomi_klein_warns_europe_may_agree
Gary Cohn, said Monday the U.S. would withdraw from the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord as planned. (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/21/trump_admin_doubles_down_on_plans

Applying the shock doctrine after the hurricanes (more from Naomi) (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/18/naomi_klein_we_are_seeing_the

As gjohnsit posted Puerto Rico is devastated
https://caucus99percent.com/content/puerto-rico-has-been-absolutely-deva...

Earthquakes too (poor Mexico) (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/20/hundreds_dead_in_mexico_after_ear...

trump speech.jpg

War and Peace

Some write a narrative of wars and feats,
Of heroes little known, and call the rant
A history.
William Cowper, The Task, The Garden

The entire history of mankind is, in any case, nothing but a prolonged fight to the death for the conquest of universal prestige and absolute power.
Albert Camus, The Rebel

Whose game was empires and whose stakes were thrones,
Whose table earth, whose dice were human bones.
George Gordon, Lord Byron, "The Age of Bronze"

Donald Trump is addicted to violence. It is the principal force that shapes his language, politics and policies. He revels in a public discourse that threatens, humiliates, bullies and inflicts violence.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/donald-trumps-addiction-violence/

Col. Larry Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, talks about Trump's speech before the UN General Assembly and explains why Ambassador Nikki Haley's remarks on the Iran nuclear deal scare him (22 min or text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=767&...

Nice interview with Jeffery Sachs about T-rumps aggression (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/21/jeff_sachs_warns_nuclear_war_is
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/21/economist_jeff_sachs_americans_wh...

Make everyone into police. Axon, the world’s largest vendor of police-worn body cameras, is moving into the business of capturing video taken by the public.
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/21/taser-wants-to-build-an-army-of-smar...

Maybe we can work toward peace?

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Bernie's speech on foreign policy was certainly a step in the right direction.
https://theintercept.com/2017/09/22/bernie-sanders-interview-foreign-pol...
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/21/worlds-common-humanity-and...
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20055:After-Pushing-Democrats-Left%2C-Be... (14 min and text)

Amid tensions over North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests, 51 countries have signed the world’s first legally binding treaty banning nuclear weapons (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/9/22/amid_tensions_with_north_korea_51

Study War No More is a learning tool developed and produced by World Beyond War in partnership with the Global Campaign for Peace Education. It provides guided inquiries for students and citizens to understand the nature of “the war system” and the possibilities for its transformation to an authentic “global security system” pursued via peaceful means.
http://globalsecurity.worldbeyondwar.org/

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Can we make progress? Jim Hightower tells the story of Colorado Springs.
http://www.alternet.org/activism/denver-populist-victories-colorado

Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all: the conscientious historian will correct these defects. ~Herodotus, The History of Herodotus

“History, Stephen said, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.”
― James Joyce, Ulysses

When I started writing and compiling the weekly I soon learned how easy it is to control the narrative from the drivers seat. I try to present authentic sources to support ideas. Debate continues on Burn's Vietnam series in part because so many of us lived through those years. We come to the table with our own understandings, and we are blind to our own bias. Jimmy Dore does a great job pointing out white privilege in this clip about a Comey protest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw--THAPQUw (20 min)

And this is what I appreciate about our little community here at C99. The breadth of insights, the great news coverage on an almost daily basis by gjohn and joe, and interesting, cordial exchanges among us all... it all makes this site special. I'm sure jtc would appreciate a contribution (if you can swing it) to keep our boat afloat. Have a great Sunday!

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Lookout's picture

Maria is headed your way. This guy does a good job explaining the models and probable paths. Could impact the Norfolk - DC area and will affect the outer banks...in case any of y'all are in those areas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbqKilz2bWA (6 min)

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Azazello's picture

Jimmy Dore reacts.
Here: YouTube (11 min.) and here: YouTube (10 min.)

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We wanted decent healthcare, a living wage and free college.
The Democrats gave us Biden and war instead.

Lookout's picture

@Azazello

I meant to get those in as well as T. Frank last interview w/ Paul Jay
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&I...

Thanks again!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

enhydra lutris's picture

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That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --

spreading a revolutionary concept far and wide, newly formed:

Let's hit the defcon (defence contractors) hydra with visible protests in all the states at their plants. Draw attention to the waste of moral capital. Wait a minute folks, I don't wan't my tax dollars supporting this juggernaut. Make a sign, bring it to your local killing factory, and have your picture taken getting arrested. If twelve people come out to do the same, it will be a blip. If 1200 people do it, in every state, the resting protesters may wake up enough to join. It is a matter of public record which companies take money from the DOD. Hey, that's in my neighbourhood. I can get there and make a statement! Could be a spur under their saddle. Let's show the MSM that social media is more pertinent. The duopoly and their megaphone will be unable to disappear that showing if it continues beyond a week or two.

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Lookout's picture

@QMS

https://socialistworker.co.uk/art/38744/Arms%20factory%20occupation%20an...

http://www.brightonpsc.org/local-news-reports/protest-at-thales-arms-fac...

http://www.worldbulletin.net/haber/142111/british-police-storm-israeli-a...

We are indeed the war machine. Let's protest the merchants of war at every opportunity.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

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@QMS @QMS

Just want to say thanks for your spreading the concept!

Lol! Edited for missing a whole word; I'm outdoing my previous Typo Queen record and I'm a shoo-in to retain this year's honour!

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Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.

A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.

@Ellen North we need it

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Arrow's picture

Morning thanks Lookout.
Great quotes today.
Oh..and a big thanks to EL for the OT today.
Have a good one all.

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I want a Pony!

Lookout's picture

@Arrow

Pondering how we see the world past and present is always worth at little time.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Big Al's picture

Gonna have to check some out. I'm going to start with the Hedges piece, didn't see that.

Here's a quote for ya:

"Propaganda will never die out. Intelligent men must realize that propaganda is the modern instrument by which they can fight for productive ends and help to bring order out of chaos"
Edward Bernays, author of the book Propaganda

Evil people.

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Lookout's picture

@Big Al

It sure is difficult to have democracy in a nation of blinded people. Onward through the fog!

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

mimi's picture

excellent collections of links later. Those darn Germans get me all distracted and glued to German TV, which I view online from Hawaii. I feel lost. Have a good weekend.

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Lookout's picture

@mimi

Might be of interest to you.
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20052:Germany%27s-Angela-Merkel%3A-The-W... (video and text)

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

mimi's picture

@Lookout @Lookout
Monbiot's line of arguments all valid and correct. I disagree with him with regards to our lack of an efficient alternative mass transportation system. Germany has one of the most efficient alternative mass (10 things you never knew about train travel in Germany) transport system in its train and bus services.

Merkel will not push for any policies that endanger worker's jobs. I think that she tried to save the jobs to avoid more social unrest among the population, who will otherwise, once falling through the cracks into poverty and losing jobs, escape to extreme right-wing parties. Former East German regions in Saxoniy, Thuringia and SAxony Anhalt and Lower Lusatia, and the Ruhr area in North Rhine-Westphalia, are the regions where the brown coal pits are located. These are also the regions where the AFD (right-wing extremist party) had the largest gains. Losing jobs means creating other kind of civil unrest especially in combination with the already heated anti-refugee and asylum seekers in Germany all around due to different "cultural mores".

So, she comes down to try to calm down the fears of those Germans, who are disappointed that their fears are not recognized and fear everything, foreigners, joblessness, poverty, culturual changes etc. I don't blame her for trying it. Some people fear real terrorist riots among the population more than the "eco-terrorism" in Merkel's policies.

I definitely agree that she missed to initiate a push to electrical car development the way she pushed for replaceing nuclear energy.

I disagree with Monbiot that nuclear energy would be the most environamental safe form of energy. What the nuclear energy's advantage (low carbon emission danger) is good for, is easily negated by the radiation dangers the nuclear power waste products on the long run is doing the environment. Just because those dangers are not immediately acute, they are a danger for the long term.

The expression to call her an "eco-terrorist" is a bit over-done. I could think of other eco-terrorists in the corporate world, which I consider more dangerous.

I found the bio-fuel issue very interested as it relates to the deforestation world wide. So,
I thought the whole interview was very eye-opening and definitely worth listening to and considering.

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Lookout's picture

@mimi

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

thanatokephaloides's picture

Can we make progress? Jim Hightower tells the story of Colorado Springs.
http://www.alternet.org/activism/denver-populist-victories-colorado

Thank you especially for this. Nary a squeak about it in our local MSM..... Bomb

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Lookout's picture

@thanatokephaloides

Is that your home?

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Lookout

My pleasure Is that your home?

It is. As it has been for my father's family for six generations, now that my grand-nephew (my niece's child) has been born.

I and mine have been here a lot longer than Johnny-come-lately Department of War Defense.

And many of us want our town and County back. We're tired of the fundamentalists and the right-wingers. We were once a very progressive city, with a strong LGBTQ community, a major arts presence, a film industry, and although we had more churches per capita than any other city in the country, that was out of our tolerance for all denominations. We vehemently opposed Prohibition, and there's blood in my own veins from rumrunners and bootleggers from those days. One of those rumrunners had a son -- my paternal grandfather -- who became Mayor of Colorado Springs during this era.

Then the real estate developers took over our local governments, and the "temporary" military establishments of the World War II era were rendered permanent, expanded, and more bases added. The result of all of that was the destruction of our traditional economic base, agriculture and mining, as the available water had all been sold to the cities to support all the people the military bases added to our population.

While our small progressive contingent has made some progress, like Big Al, I still don't see the demand being made that needs to be made: "DMCS", "De-Militarize Colorado Springs".

Anyway, thank you for asking about me and Colorado Springs! Smile

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Lookout's picture

@thanatokephaloides

Hanna Ranch
Profiling Colorado cattleman Kirk Hanna (1955-98), who was a leader of the environmental ranching movement.
2 min trailer http://www.hannaranchmovie.com/

Progress is a struggle on many levels.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Lookout

saw an interesting piece about your area

Hanna Ranch
Profiling Colorado cattleman Kirk Hanna (1955-98), who was a leader of the environmental ranching movement.
2 min trailer http://www.hannaranchmovie.com/

Progress is a struggle on many levels.

Thank you for that!

The movie is about the New Hanna Ranch. The Old Hanna Ranch, which is northwest of the new one and straddles I-25, was built by Dirk's ancestors and is now owned by the City of Colorado Springs Department of Public Utilities. The Ray Nixon Power Plant occupies the northwestern one-third of the site, and Ray Nixon Road connects it with I-25.

My father was the caretaker at Old Hanna Ranch for several years. I could brag that he had his own exit ramps from I-25! Smile

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

SnappleBC's picture

Amnesty International’s arms expert analyzed remnants of the weapon and found clear markings that matched U.S.-made components used in laser-guided, air-dropped bombs. Coalition airstrikes continue to be the leading cause of child casualties, as well as overall civilian casualties.

That'll come in handy the next time a Democrat gives me their pious "think of the children" line. I'll say, "I AM thinking of the children. That's why I can't vote Democratic."

And, just because this image was too much fun making for it to languish in the comments of an old thread... There's a reason Canada has a sensible health care system. It's all about the ponies.


The artist for the original pony has an unreadable signature so no love on giving credit.

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A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard

Lookout's picture

@SnappleBC

and peace with the planet plus prosperity to the people.

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“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

smiley7's picture

big smile; good evening and thanks to you.

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