The Weekly Watch

The Situation is Revolting...
So Where's the Revolution?

I think the revolution been stifled with silence, prevented by propaganda, and choked with debt and economic struggle. The important stories are not presented to “We the People”, or the stories are spun to promote more war and corporate profit. Mix in a capitalist collection of ads designed to make you eat stuff that's bad for you, ask your doctor for more drugs, take out a forward and reverse mortgage, and of course love your favorite fossil fuel company.

Public services like education, healthcare, and I would add a balanced rational press or news media, should not be operated by for-profit corporations because the real mission of helping people is lost in the quest for ever more return for investment. The Fourth Estate has been inherited (or perhaps purchased or captured?) by the elite. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Estate

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We are programed early to insure compliance...

American children will spend more time in front of a screen from the time they are born until they are five years old (our most formative years), than they will attending all the classes needed for an undergraduate degree. “All television is educational television.  The only questions is, ‘What is it teaching?’  And it certainly is not teaching the values of a democratic society with the information that citizens need.” Nicholas Johnson, former FCC Commissioner.
I really enjoyed this interview which last about 35 min on:
https://ralphnaderradiohour.com/who-owns-the-mediamonsantos-whitewash/
(The last 20-25 minutes focused on the issues around the herbicide glyphosate / Round-up.)


There are so many ways we are misled by mainstream media...

omission is a powerful tool...I don't know if it leads to bliss, but it sure leads to ignorance.

Chris Hedges and Robert Scheer, Editor-in-Chief of Truthdig, discuss the New McCarthyism that is underway to silence the left-wing press (24 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbenNvE9zwc

Here it is the 100 year anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. How many stories did you see? In fact were you ever taught about the Soviet uprising?

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Lessons from a century ago...

Prof. Aleksandr Buzgalin of Moscow State University explains the Russian revolution:

Typical idea, Lenin took power and gave it to a few people. It's not true, Soviets took power. Soviets in St. Petersburg, Moscow, in all regions of Russia. Moreover, in 80% of Russian regions, in October, November, December 1917 ... Soviets took power by peaceful means. It was no war. Civil war started half a year after October Revolution, when Soviet Russia was attacked by Germany together with France, together with Britain, together with United States, together with Turkey, together with Austria and so on. So called White Guard, anti-Soviet, anti-communist forces started war.

(24 min video with great old footage and also text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20315:The-Prelude-to-the-Russian-Revolut...

We are essentially as ignorant of our own history and efforts for socialism at home. How many children are taught about Eugene Debs?
https://isreview.org/issue/67/eugene-debs-and-american-socialism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM16MG5wpAA (1.5 hour c-span documentary)

How many know about FDR's VP Henry A Wallace? A Wallace Presidency might have prevented the dropping of nuclear bombs on Japan and prevented the Cold War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Za5WUumtL1I (10 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAKrIdSPkHI (1942 “The Price of Victory") 12 min

Social media is in on the omission action too. Eliminate news sources that don't repeat the narrative. Have you noticed social media is moving further and further away from you finding things out and closer and closer to having things brought to you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmUG_ZuIUzw (11 min from Lee Camp)

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Distraction is also key...keep 'em busy looking elsewhere so they don't see what's really going on...like appointing bunches of RW judges...
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/01/flying-under-radar-trump-ch...

Revisionist history is constantly applied...
According to corporate media, the top general who just complimented the commander of the slavery-defending Confederacy is the greatest hope to rein in President Donald Trump’s extremism.
http://fair.org/home/john-kelly-robert-e-lee-confederacy-media-moderate/

Media creates the image the public sees...

The pictures they paint are often designed to misrepresent the reality... https://www.alternet.org/media/corporate-media-should-stop-using-woman-c...

Lee Camp does a great job correcting a CNN ad (2 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLfbABo-n0M

Corporate media also understands that the trick with news (and telling a good joke) is ...........timing.

The Intercept revealed Manafort's money laundering scheme last February
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/30/paul-manafort-money-laundering-schem...

Another timing issue...
Do any of you think it odd that for over a year we have discussed (emphasis on cussed) the many ways the $hill cheated Bernie. Suddenly since liar and cheater Donna Brazile says so, it is so?
Jimmy Dore explains (24 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueQDlyCR3H0

Tulsi explains her view http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20366:Rep.-Tulsi-Gabbard-on-Donna-Brazil... (9.5 min with text)

Norman Solomon, founder of RootsAction.org, discusses Donna Brazile and their DNC autopsy.
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&I... (14 min with text)

One last opinion about the DNC cheating Bernie... from Bill Curry, columnist for Salon.com and the Daily Beast, and also the former White House Counselor to President Clinton. (16.5 min) http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&I...

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Another scheme is misdirection...the Las Vegas murderer was mentally disturbed, but the Muslim guy is a terrorist

Seems the Uzbeks have been a target for awhile...
https://theintercept.com/2017/11/01/new-york-attack-uzbekistan-sayfullo-...

On Fox News, retired Green Beret Michael Waltz, who owns a defense contractor operating in Kabul, even used the incident as proof of the need to go “on the offense” in Afghanistan — a country that is not, in fact, Uzbekistan.
https://theintercept.com/2017/11/02/when-an-attacker-is-muslim-mental-he...

Who are the terrorists? The ones the press call terrorists? I suggest looking in the mirror. (12 min)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20378:Democracy-in-Crisis%3A-Why-We-Don%... (video and article)

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Discredit People that don't toe the line...another strategy to suppress the revolution...

CIA whistleblower, John Kiriakou and Jimmy Dore discuss the consequences of revealing our practice of torture...jail time and condemnation by the press. (19 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdI9OZ-4QZQ

Robert Scheer interviews activist and former United States military analyst Daniel Ellsberg. He explains why there are not more whistle blowers (36 min podcast)
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/daniel-ellsberg-arent-whistleblowers-t...

Abby Martin sits down with constitutional rights lawyer Mara Verheyden-Hilliard to discuss the fate of 200 inauguration protesters and journalists that were mass arrested and face up to 70 years in prison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YoZRPTPly0

The Corporate Media machine does more than discredit individuals...hell they discredit entire nations of people. The case is clear, US press vilifies Venezuela. (short article)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20360:Why-did-the-United-Socialist-Party...

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Endless war...

North Korea looms large as Donald Trump embarks on Asia trip
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/nov/04/north-korea-looms-large-...

Christine Ahn, founder and executive director of Women Cross DMZ, a global movement of women mobilizing to end the Korean War discusses the situation (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/10/30/trump_admin_continues_threats_pr...

Pope decries world leaders' inability to learn the lessons of war
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/03/please-no-more-wars-pope-fr...

What Happened To The Anti-War Movement? Jimmy Dore with comedian Judah Friedlander
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YuZcpO4wZQ (20 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3xLU0bEnCc (an additional 8 min)

Larry Wilkerson in a 35 min presentation to the Code Pink Conference last week (with text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20319:Code-Pink-Conference%3A-Divest-fro...

The NYT, lamenting the endless wars, fails to see its own war mongering
http://fair.org/home/nyt-laments-forever-wars-its-editorials-helped-create/

The bipartisan push to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen has gained political momentum but faces resistance from the No. 2 Democratic house lawmaker, Steny Hoyer, D-Md.
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/31/yemen-war-us-military-house-resolution/

The U.S. Senate has been debating post 9/11 laws, which allow the president to order military action overseas, anytime, anywhere, in order to fight terrorists (4.3 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlPJbOmyfqY

Under Trump, a politics of disposability has merged with an ascendant authoritarianism in the United States in which the government’s response to such disparate issues as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) crisis, the devastation of Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria and the mass shooting in Las Vegas are met uniformly with state-sanctioned and state-promoted violence. https://www.truthdig.com/articles/disposability-age-disasters/

The US government has stepped up its sanctions on Russia's energy sector, over Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p8f6biRs4U (2.5 min)

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Russiagate
....
(talk about distraction)

Lawyers for Twitter, Google and Facebook again testified that the amount of Russian-linked content on their platforms was relatively small. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHaIwMoVUVA (11 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p8f6biRs4U (8 min)

Prosecutor Robert Mueller revealed the opening blows in his investigation into potential collusion between members of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and operatives working for or on behalf of Russia. https://theintercept.com/2017/11/03/robert-mueller-trump-campaign-russia...

Jimmy Dore's take on the indictments. He wants to know why hiring a UK spy to gather Russian dirt on your opponent is legal....because your name is Clinton? (26 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zz1j2CXxBdk

More from Jimmy as he interviews CIA whistleblower, John Kiriakou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE2Xvm4fceg (29 min)

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Democraps...

This is too funny. Jimmy Dore in an ultimate fake news spoof ladled with truthbombs. He calls it - Our Response To The Tonight Show's Hillary Love Fest (2.5 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ieMOZwt-eM

The DCCC isn’t focusing on winning elections in 2018, it “really exists as a means of helping the existing Democratic House members govern through threats and candidate recruitment”. “They don't see corporate power. They just don't see it”.
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20357:Democrats-Poised-to-Blow-2018-Midt...

The NYT has a long history of protecting corporate democrats and attacking populists.
http://fair.org/home/for-nyt-making-the-democrats-safe-for-the-oligarchy...

Tulsi is calling out the DNC leadership (article which includes a 2 min video from Tulsi)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20340:Rep.-Tulsi-Gabbard-Openly-Criticiz...

Jimmy Dore comments on Tulsi (20 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGpTomOzyxI

Other Stories from around the world...

The Intercepted podcast (1.25 hrs with text) this week featured:
New York Times reporter Charlie Savage and former federal prosecutor-turned-defense attorney Ken White of Popehat break down the recent indictment and plea deal and what it may mean for Trump. Investigative journalist Nick Turse and Kenya scholar Samar Al-Bulushi take us into the world of the secret drone bases and give us an in-depth look at U.S. militarism in Africa. And musician Roberto Lange of Helado Negro performs and talks about the re-release of their album “Private Energy”.
https://theintercept.com/2017/11/01/criminal-indictments-at-home-secret-...

A Spanish judge has detained eight former Catalan ministers and issued arrest warrants for Catalan leader Carles Puidgemont and his cabinet. Protesters have taken to the streets to demand their release. Professor Sebastiaan Faber has more from Madrid
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20365:Spanish-Judge-Orders-Arrests-of-Ca...
John Carlin, a journalist and contributor to the Spanish newspaper El País was fired for writing an article in The Times of London headlined “Catalan independence: arrogance of Madrid explains this chaos.” (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/10/30/spain_charges_catalan_leaders_wi...

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Economy

By narrow margins, both the House of Representatives and Senate have agreed on a budget proposal that calls for an increase in the federal deficit of $1.5-trillion in order to fund a major reform of the U.S. tax system that will make the rich and powerful even more so.
http://therealnews.com/t2/component/content/article/612-marty-hart-lands...

Given that the administration has weighed in so heavily against workers in policy fights over the past year, it’s not surprising to find it pushing a tax plan that would provide nothing for workers either.
http://www.epi.org/publication/cutting-corporate-taxes-will-not-boost-am...

Bernie and E. Warren explain the GOP tax cuts in a 3 min video...
https://www.truthdig.com/videos/warren-sanders-deliver-3-minute-takedown...

The GOP tax plan released Thursday will "deposit a trillion and a half dollars into the bank accounts of the richest people in the country and then hands the bill to the middle class."
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/11/02/pittance-people-trumptaxsca...

Economist and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis argues, “It’s an out-and-out class war waged against the poorest, the weakest, the disenfranchised—the very same people that Donald Trump appealed to in order to get elected.” (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/3/yanis_varoufakis_on_global_capita...
Varoufakis goes on to say Trump’s vow to crack down on immigration after the attack in New York City will only inspire more attacks, noting that ”ISIS loves Donald Trump.”
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/3/fmr_greek_finance_min_yanis_varou...

Micheal Hudson takes us on a tour of NYC financial district and explains the roots of our failing economic system. (10 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYcIQvSAHZ8

The new US Fed chair's biggest problem will be staying out of Trump's shadow
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/nov/03/us-fed-trump-jerome-pow...

Professor Bill Black discusses what is being called the biggest merger in the history of the health insurance industry, CVS is making a $66 billion bid to buy Aetna. (12 min with text)
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20356:Fragmented-Health-System-Paves-Way...

Instead of getting yelled at by lawmakers, Amazon is on the verge of winning a multibillion-dollar advantage over retail rivals by taking over large swaths of federal procurement. https://theintercept.com/2017/11/02/amazon-amendment-online-marketplaces/

In order to slow inflation, the Bank of England is raising interest rates for the first time in a decade--but this move ignores policy options that could potentially ease high levels of inequality in the UK, explains Positive Money's Ed Smythe http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20370:UK-Interest-Rate-%26%238203%3BHike... (8 min)

Another shady deal in Puerto Rico that no one is talking about.
https://theintercept.com/2017/10/31/puerto-rico-electric-contract-cobra/
Economist Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister, discusses the history of the island’s debt crisis and what to do as it recovers from Hurricane Maria. (video and text)
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/3/economist_yanis_varoufakis_puerto...
I like Elon Musk’s proposal to make Puerto Rico the model of sustainable energy.
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/11/1/as_elon_musk_proposes_taking_over

Max and Stacy talk about Russia and bitcoin (15 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSFNe0AowwM

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The Environment

As we discussed last week, a new report from the World Meteorological Organization shows that concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere surged at an unprecedented speed in 2016 to the highest level in 800,000 years.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/oct/30/global-atmospheric-c...
http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20354:Climate-Emergency%3A-Greenhouse-Ga... (11 min)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjLYDec40Wg (good 7.5 min description and graphic display)

And another report...US report finds climate chaos 90% manmade, contradicting Trump officials
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/nov/03/climate-change-repor...

Why does Congress refuse to act on the climate emergency despite the strong majority of Americans who favor increased investments in renewable energy and cutbacks in fossil fuels? The oil lobby.
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/11/03/big-data-and-big-money-hav...

International big banks are ramping up Alberta oil sands projects even though scientists warn it could spell "game over" for human civilization, says Rainforest Action Network's Alison Kirsch. (12 min with text) http://therealnews.com/t2/story:20368:Who-Funds-the-World%27s-Dirtiest-E...

Agriculture

Saba Live Poultry, was occupied last weekend by more than 200 people, protesting the conditions in which animals are kept before being slaughtered. Oakland police arrested 23 people and charged them with trespassing, for entering the facility, filming abuses, and removing at least three animals for rescue. (6 min video plus article)
https://theintercept.com/2017/11/01/rescue-at-oakland-slaughterhouse-sho...

Vermont is developing a sustainable, local, and healthy food supply. Let's hope other states follow their lead. https://www.alternet.org/books/state-has-americas-most-comprehensive-foo...

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Most folks that live in my part of the world on the Georgia Alabama line support T-rump hell or high water. I asked a crowd this week about the tax plan...all they heard or knew was that it was a tax cut...so they thought it was great. I asked about the estate tax. “Those people earned their money just like us. They deserve to pass it on to their kids.”

They aren't bad folks...just terribly uninformed. In some ways they are perceptive. One of them said of DST, "Americans are the only ones who think they can cut off one inch from the top of a blanket and sew it on to the bottom to make the blanket longer." Although I agree with the sentiment, they still got their facts wrong...lots of countries practice DST. https://www.worldtimezone.com/daylight.html

T-rump typifies our arrogant ignorance. Our blatant for-profit president is the outcome we have long evolved toward. We are a blind nation...kept in the dark by a corporate culture that works to control what information you are allowed to access. All the while the people are inundated by the blasting megaphones of FAUX News, Rush Limbaugh, Rachel Maddow, and the like. That's a hell of an approach for a democracy, and I suggest provides the answer to my initial question...
“Where's the Revolution?”

I look forward to your comments, ideas, and additional stories. Have a nice Sunday!

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Dropping in to transfer this to our FB page and say hello.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Lookout's picture

@dkmich

I bet your trees in MI are past peak color? Ours are just starting to show off. Hope you have a good one...

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

GreyWolf's picture

"... in my part of the world on the Georgia Alabama line ..."
Charleston here (on reddit i'm carolinagreywolf)

(nice info here, thanks)

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Lookout's picture

@GreyWolf

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

Thanks for giving us the skinny. Some good points...

Why does Congress refuse to act

useless suits

They aren't bad folks...just terribly uninformed.

strong bleach the media uses on our uninformed minds

The GOP tax plan

like the trump wealth care package

U.S. militarism in Africa

why attack another continent? Because we can and they can't fight back yet

US press vilifies Venezuela

fear socialism much?

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Lookout's picture

@QMS

...when we look at the media and it's result...

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Have a good one!

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

lotlizard's picture

That’s really scary. Why isn’t there more of an outcry? Doesn’t resistance to Walmart and Walmart-like power matter anymore? Does Bezos already have so much power he can “disappear” criticism of Amazon or himself?

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