John Farnham's Open Salon Blog

Quick Picks

Thu, 6 Jan 2011 00:01:39 -0500

Of fig leaves and "n-words"

There is no doubt money to be made in producing a marketable version of a perennial bestseller that has long topped the “most frequently censored books” lists. But is such an edition good for education, let alone good for literature?

If the Disneyfication of literature began with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the Disneyfication of history was already long underway by the time Song of the South came out in 1946, literally “whitewashing” America’s slaveholding and segregationist past.

I cringe whenever a semi-historical film about the American South comes out, because I know what’s coming. Watch Benjamin Button and The Legend of Bagger Vance and you’d never know there was such a thing as racial segregation in the United States. While “whitewashed” movies like these are not the only depiction of American race relations, I foresee a day when they will be the norm: when our history will be Disneyfied beyond recognition, and only academics will ever crack the cover of the unexpurgated Huckleberry Finn, which is, after all, about real issues and not just entertainment. (Incidentally, FoxNews notwithstanding, world events are also about real issues and not entertainment or “talking points.”)

A Little Background On Two Companies Suing Bloggers & Others

With 179 lawsuits filed to date and more coming daily, it looks like everyone with a website is getting sued. So far only bloggers and forum owners who don't know their legal rights are freaking out.

In the process of dumbing down news for Americans - the man who has been described as "divisive" and a "bantam" - who is currently profiting from buying newspapers cheap, gutting staff, then padding the masthead corpse with content from everywhere, is now trying out his plan to own the news.

Allegedly what's at stake is "Fair Use." Not, as the lawsuits claim "Copyright Infringement." Also, when newspapers owned by Stephens Media report on the litigation, they report it as "copyright infringement."

...I next contacted EFF attorney Kurt Opsahl - (and if you don't know about EFF heads up: know that you are seriously - seriously without a clue.)

I asked Kurt why Righthaven would go after domain names when absent legal standing, it was such a bonehead pr move.

He answered: "The effect of it is to induce people to settle who might not understand there is no basis under the law to seize their domain name."

Good news (and isn't it about time)

So far these suits haven't passed the sniff test with Nevada district judge who asked why publishing the entire article would be an infringement.

The Fourth Estate was about educating the public in important areas. The Fourth Estate died about ten seconds after the FCC ruled newspapers and television stations could be owned by the same company.

Life without the Fed: The Suffolk System

Suppose for a moment that Republican Congressman Ron Paul's fondest wish came true, and the Federal Reserve Bank was not only audited but closed down. As far-fetched as such a notion may seem, it would not be the first time in our nation's history that a central bank has been shuttered. For all the Fed's imposing grandeur, Ben Bernanke is running our third (albeit longest-running) try at a central bank. This country has lived without a central bank before and, if given the chance, could do so again.

One Nation, Under God, and Its Child Soldiers

I see we've been arming and training Somalia's army, at least the one we favor, and they in turn are using that money to arm children (some as young as nine) to fight our War of Terror. As I read further into it I am, needless to say, dripping in proud patriotism. What fresh hell is this? We're back in Somalia?

I have vague memories of Mark Bowden's Black Hawk Down, a nice tale of our last disastrous fool's errand into Somalia. Granted, we left once but an empire never truly leaves anywhere forever. Now, not wanting to put our own soldiers at risk this go round we are instead using locals as armed proxies to do our bidding. In this case, that means fighting whomever we've designated as the enemy for this month and, to make the American flag unfurl even more proudly in the sun, we're arming and training child soldiers to do it.

All these little boy soldiers are funded and armed by a tentacle of the Pentagon called AFRICON, which was created in 2008 to make certain that no matter where in Africa mayhem may erupt an American weapons dealer will be there to cash in.

I stop reading the paper and watch my son running the length of the shoreline with the ocean waves his backdrop, and I think of all the children, barely older than he, that part of my every workday is spent to supply with weapons. I gag on a surge of patriotism.

The Dancer, the Juggernaut, and the Care Giver (Open Call)

This Open Call asked that we examine the reason behind our divorce. Having been divorced twice, I fully understand the reason for both of them. I see him in the mirror every day. And every day I search that mirror to determine if he is any smarter today then he was before.

Search Returns | al Qaeda Mossad

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 09:11:36 -0500

September 11 attacks advance-knowledge debate - Wikipedia, the ...

According to Fox News, In August 2001, Israel warned the US that an al-Qaeda attack is imminent. Reportedly, two high-ranking agents from the Mossad came to ...
en.wikipedia.org/.../September_11_attacks_advance-knowledge_debate

Michael Ross (Mossad officer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ross left the Mossad under honorable circumstances in late 2001. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ross_(Mossad_officer)

Blog For Arizona: Conspiracy Theories

But it does mean that Mossad may have been well ahead of our FBI and CIA in monitoring the Al Qaeda cells and failed to warn us for whatever reason. ...
www.blogforarizona.com/blog/irresponsible_speculations/

CONTRIVED PROPOGANDA TAPES REVEAL WAR ON TERROR FRAUD ...

1 Nov 2010 ... Adam Pearlman is blatantly an Mossad spy who is releasing fake Al-Qaeda videos to bolster the geopolitical agenda of both the United States ...
paraspiracy.com/home/?p=3332

Soccer Dad: Iranian General: "US, Mossad played roles in 9/11 event"

4 Oct 2010 ... He further added that al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden did ... According to General Rahim-Safavi, heads of Israel's Mossad and the US ...
soccerdad.baltiblogs.com/.../iranian_general_us_mossad_played_roles_in_911_event.html -

ondon Al-Qaeda Bombing Cell - Collapse or Deeper Pit ...

28 Jul 2005 ... London Al-Qaeda Bombing Cell - Collapse or Deeper Pit? ... Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, is a former head of the Mossad. ...
www.hyscience.com/archives/2005/07/london_al-qaeda.php

Foreign Affairs: Watch for Al Qaeda to provoke nuclear war with ...

11 May 2007 ... Translation: Al Qaeda to Bush: Let's you and Iran fight. ... occur (sinking of an Aircraft Carrier by Mossad) and the US will invade Iran. ...
www.correntewire.com/foreign_affairs_watch_for_al_qaeda_to_provoke_nuclear_war_with_iran_using_a_false_flag_operation

Free Internet Press :: Al-Qaeda Claims Turkey Bombings ...

17 Nov 2003... Mossad agents were working at the synagogues," he said. ... Musharraf Denies Pakistan al-Qaeda Involved In Egypt, London Bombings ...
freeinternetpress.com/story.php?sid=621

Islam Undressed: Never-Ending Islamic Conspiracies - WikiIslam

30 Aug 2009... and despite tactic and actual acknowledgment by al-Qaeda of ... actually believe that Mossad (Israel's intelligence service) carried out ...
wikiislam.net/.../Islam_Undressed:_Never-Ending_Islamic_Conspiracies

Tool of Slavery

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 11:07:02 -0400

Our Water is Not For Sale! Say NO to Water Markets

A broad range of organizations and individuals have already signed on to our open letter, showing their concern about the Alberta governmen'ts plan to move to a province-wide de-regulated market system for water allocation.

....................................................................................................................

This is the proverbial 'red flag in front of a Bull'. I knew when governments started taking inventory of water resources that was a prelude to interfering with free access to a necessity of life. Watercourses have been exempted from private ownership as a matter of basic law. Hydraulic Empire is basic to understanding repression as an institution which survives for centuries.

There is no such thing as human rights without human survivability; which is why the UN passed the resolution affirming it over the stiff resistance of the US and fascists worldwide.

Your ass is on the line too. This activity has been going on worldwide and needs rooting out and killing with the utmost in vigour and urgency.

http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2009/07/water-wealth-power.html

http://opitslinkfest.blogspot.com/2010/01/empire-resource-control.html

Healthcare USA

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 16:07:03 -0400

I noticed a post on the leaderboard on the way in

I Went To The Hospital Without Insurance On Saturday

As it happened, I was reviewing a news item I had posted to the newsroom at Care2 How the Performance of the U.S. Health Care System Compares Internationally

Ezra Klein's Health of Nations comparisons have been around for years. Here's another that proves again, An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure. That and it doesn't help to have a scam denying healthcare to the sick defunding the chaos in billing.

Several years ago, when he was just a blogger on the make, pundit Ezra Klein ( now employed at WaPo ) carried ongoing discussions on healthcare - supported for a while by medical professionals as well as young idealists. It was a much more modest version of Kevin Drum's furball at Washington Monthly's 'Political Animal' and a continuation of what Ezra had been doing at Pandagon. Kevin is now at Mother Jones and Ezra is 'working for the man', his disciples gone to their own efforts.
The crux of the matter is simple : medicine is not an optional extra. Much of the time it is urgent necessity. Keeping drugs and care in the custody of a guild bribed by drug companies is not evidence based medicine nor responsive to public need. It is another example of how scams insert themselves into the process, too. Private 'insurers' are going to cherrypick the healthy and ignore the sick, leaving it to the public to carry extra costs...or not. That's only one way in which marketing cancels any provision for service delivery.
And don't think I'm promoting communism without being aware that systems are perverted by the powerful to their own advantage. That is the historical record of bureaucracy and business both.

The above was me. Below wasn't - and I can't identify the submitting party - but thought the information worth tossing this way since I haven't noticed it on this board.

The only way we can even begin to compete with the other countries is to catch up and finally provide universal healthcare. It is already in the House and has been all through the healthcare debates. Obama and most of congress have been avoicing it because they are loyal to their sugar daddies...private health insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
HR 676 is expanded Medicare for All
The fight is not over until we get it.
Please join and help out.
Sign the Health Care is a Civil Right Petition
and
Learn more, sign petitions, send faxes at;
Physicians for a National Health Plan
Healthcare Now
Health Justice
The California Nurses Association
Single Payer Action
Medicare for All
Mobilization for Health Care for All
Sign up with these groups and get notices of call in days to flood Congress, and letter writing campaigns. Medicare for All gives reminders for these. The last group organizes sit-ins across the country.
Healthcare-now is organizing a demonstration around the country for July 30. Please go to their site and join a local demonstration or start one in your area.

Propaganda Central

Mon, 5 Jul 2010 02:07:44 -0400

Rove Rides Again

Bush's former strategist is secretly seizing control of the GOP – and amassing $135 million to destroy the Democrats

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/12697/64984

The Power of Nightmares
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares

The Power of Nightmares, subtitled The Rise of the Politics of Fear, is a BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. Its three one-hour parts consist mostly of a montage of archive footage with Curtis's narration. The series was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in late 2004 and has subsequently been broadcast in multiple countries and shown in several film festivals, including the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United States and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their origins and claiming similarities between the two. More controversially, it argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organised force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is a myth perpetrated by politicians in many countries—and particularly American Neo-Conservatives—in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies.