I think the story about private equity firms snapping farmland, coming on the heels of banks heavily taking on private homes for rental investment should raise BIG red flags.
When corporations not only control the government, the water, the money system, the media, the internet, medical care, housing and food production as well as the majority of the land and resources other than the pomp and fancy hats what precisely will the difference be between this fascist oligarchy and a feudal state?
Other, of course, than astronomically more toxic pollution and its resultant illness and suffering?
We have come to a stark crossroads as a species. Will we allow and participate in our own extinction on the outside possibility that all the harm we are causing might allow some if us as individuals to join the pampered oligarchs?
Or will we choose to return to a world in which ALL life is sacred, every living being is worth respect and consideration: in which we choose to make our team foot spoons functional by feeding one another?
Even those of us too old or ill to take to the streets get a vote. So make your choice and vote with your heart, vote with your prayers and with your moment to moment choices.
Choose love, compassion, caring. Choose to support one another and your local community. Choose to question any authority that claims “it has to be this way”.
Dahr Jamail | The March of Anthropogenic Climate Disruption
Dahr Jamail, Truthout: For those paying attention, the signs of advanced Anthropogenic Climate Disruption are all around us, with first-time phenomena, such as the extreme heat killing Magellanic penguin chicks, and confirmatory studies from the past six weeks sounding the alarm.
The Myth Behind Public School Failure
Dean Paton, Yes! Magazine: In the rush to privatize the country’s schools, corporations and politicians have decimated school budgets, replaced teaching with standardized testing, and placed the blame on teachers and students.
Dean Baker | Is Obamacare Bad News for the “It’s Hard to Find Good Help” Crowd?
Dean Baker, Truthout: Obamacare might be the best news on the wage front that most workers have seen for some time. The reduction in the supply of labor from Obamacare will lead to an increase in wages; this could help explain the outrage coming from Republican quarters following the release of the CBO report.
Our Military: Fighting To Keep Its Culture of Abuse
Sarah L. Blum, Truthout: Our military commanders should show courage and let go of authority over sexual assault cases, end retaliation for reporting and eliminate the abuse culture, says Vietnam veteran Sarah L. Blum.
Aisha Maniar, Truthout: Rasul Kudaev, released from Guantanamo Bay for lack of any evidence, remains a prisoner in Russia, where he provides an expedient scapegoat for the dubious antiterrorism policies of both the United States and Russia.
Chris Hedges | Edward Snowden’s Moral Courage
Chris Hedges, Truthdig: Moral courage is always defined by the state as treason. It is the courage to act and to speak the truth. Daniel Ellsberg had it. Martin Luther King had it. What those in authority once said about them, they say today about Edward Snowden.
The Bleached Bones of the Dead: What the Modern World Owes Slavery
Greg Grandin, TomDispatch: “How would we calculate the value of what we today would call the intellectual property generated by slavery’s suffering? I’m not sure. But a revival of efforts to do so would be a step toward reckoning with slavery’s true legacy: our modern world.”
Net Neutrality Died With the Comcast/Netflix Deal
The Daily Take, The Thom Hartmann Program: If its massive $45 billion purchase of Time Warner Cable goes through – Comcast will become the number one cable provider for almost 40 percent of American homes. With the rise of borderline monopolies like Comcast and Verizon, the internet is rapidly becoming the new kingdom of the robber barons.
Half of US Farmland Being Eyed by Private Equity
Carey L. Biron, IPS News: An estimated 400 million acres of farmland in the United States will likely change hands over the coming two decades as older farmers retire; new evidence indicates this land is being strongly pursued by private equity investors.
Trial Courts Update: Vacancies Higher After Filibuster Reform
Alicia Bannon, Brennan Center for Justice: Three months after Senate Democrats reformed the filibuster rules for executive and judicial nominees, Senate obstruction continues in new forms, and courts and litigants are paying the price.
A Coup or a Revolution? Ukraine Seeks Arrest of Ousted President Following Deadly Street Protests
Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!: Ukraine is in a state of crisis two days after the country’s democratically elected president was ousted following months of street protests that left at least 82 people dead. Amy Goodman speaks to Timothy Snyder, professor of history at Yale University.
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