European History - Early Zionism, Austro-Marxism, Nationalism

Info SOURCE as marked European History  Early Zionism, Austro-Marxism, Nationalism Anti-Defamation League (ADL) former : Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith international Jewish NGO, based USA f. 1913 B'nai B'rith = Heb. 'Children of the Covenant' formerly: Söhne des Bundes (Sons of the Covenant) NOTE:  THAT TRANSLATION IS NOT CORRECT 'BUNDES' IS 'Federal' (or  union?)  So it would make them the union or federation of sons? However:  'Bündnis' is the following, which also includes 'covenant': alliance coalition covenant league entente f. 1843 by Jewish immigrants from Germany early activities, 1800s & 1900s: mutual aid, social service, philanthropy 1851 - Covenant Hall:  1st  Jewish community centre USA 1875 - lodge established in Toronto 1875 - lodge established in Montreal 1882 - lodge established in Berlin 1887 - lodge established in Cairo 1888 - lodge established in Jerusalem Jerusalem lodge 1888 established: 9 years prior to: Theodor Herzl First Zionist Congress Basel, Switzerland 1881 -- mass immigration of Eastern European Jews to USA 1903: meeting B'nai B'rith Executive Committee Washington DC & its President: Simon Wolf / re presentation of petition to Russian govt -- Kishinev riots US govt attendees: Theodore Roosvelt, US President John Hay, US Secretary of State Kishinev progrom / riots (Russia Empire, Bessarabia)  -- anti-Jewish riot --  then capital of Bessarabia, Russian empire (now Moldova) -- 2-day violent attack / 47-49 Jews killed / many injured -- 700 houses destroyed / 600 stores pillaged -- followed by subsequent political protest against Czar, -- that turned to random attack on Jews -- 19 Jews killed / 56 injured -- 600 such riots swept over Russian Empire -- followed October Manifesto of 1905 October Manifesto 1905 -- issued by Emperor Nichoals II -- influence of Count Sergei Witte, Minister of Finance -- as response to Russian Revolution 1905 -- following state-led industrialisation attempt -- through foreign investment & imposition of tariffs -- industrial devel. not accompanied by further political reform -- expanding working class agitating -- however, peasants still formed 80% of population -- Emancipation of Serfs 1861 -- liberal reforms to abolish serfdom throughout Russian empire -- 23 million people granted liberty -- gained the full rights of free citizens, incl: -- rights to marry without having obtaining consent -- right to own property -- right to own business -- peasants could buy land from landlords -- Georgia emancipation later: 1864 -- state-owned serfs on imperial land, emancipated later: 1866 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_reform_of_1861 ----- Pre-Zionism 'Zionist' - Territorialist  Israel Zangwill d. 1926 -- forefront of British cultural Zionism of 1800s -- close associate of Zionist Theodor Herzel -- territorial movement / territorialism -- territorialism  = Jewish political movement -- calling for creation of Jewish territory     (not necessarily in Palestine or autonomous) Israel Zangwill's play The Melting Pot (1908) in the wake of the Kishinev riot Jewish hero emigrates to America   Mordecai Manuel Noah first Jew born in USA to reach US prominence b. 1785 - d. 1851 playwright, diplomat, journalist, utopian Portuguese Sephardic most important Jewish leader in NY in pre-Civil War period -- 1811 appointed by President James Madison as consul at Riga      (part Imperial Russia) / declined -- 1813 appointed Consul Kingdom of Tunis -- rescued US citizens kept as slaves by Moroccans -- 1815, removed from position -- US Sec. State James Monroe:  Mordecai Manuel Noah's religion an obstacle re exercise of consular function -- reportedly outrage among Jews and non-Jews -- Mordecai Manuel Noah protested & gained letters from:     -- John Adams     -- Thomas Jefferson     -- James Madison     in support of separation of church and state & tolerance for Jews    Mordecai Manuel Noah establishes newspapers in New York: The National Advocate The New York Enquirer (later merged into the New York Courier & Enquirer) The Evening Star The Sunday Times 1819 play produced:  She Would be A Soldier established Mordecai Manuel Noah as first important Jewish American writer Prior to development of modern Zionism: tried to found Jewish refuge at:   Grand Island in the Niagara River     / ie a town & island in New York USA (area 86.2 km square)     gained by British in North America part 1764 Treaty of Cessation     following:  French & Indian War     1815 island purchased by New York State (with other small islands)     for:   $1,000 annually + perpetuity of $500 (paid every June) - ongoing -- intended settlement name:   'Ararat'   'Ararat' after Mount Ararat, biblical resting place of Noah's Ark -- 1825 purchased land at $4.38 per acre to build refuge for Jews of all nations -- it was the 50th year of US independence -- believed that the American Indians were from Lost Tribes of Israel -- had faith Jews to return to rebuild Judaea  -- & called on America to take lead in refuge for Jews Judaea -- Island project failed, for reasons unclear -- Mordecai Manuel Noah then set sights on settling Jews in Palestine 1827 to 1828 -- led NYC Tammany Hall political machine -- writings alternatively for and against slavery -- concerned that emancipation would divide US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mordecai_Manuel_Noah 1903 - British Uganda Program -- British cabinet ministers  -- suggest land for Jewish state in Uganda (modern Kenya) -- Theodore Herzel rejects, preferring Palestine -- 1903 Kishanev riots Russian Empire, Herzel -- introduces proposal to 6th Zionist Congress -- to investigate Uganda as temporary measure for Russian Jews -- opposition -- walkout led by the Russian Jewish delegation to Congress Jewish Territorialist Organization (ITO) -- led by Israel Zangwill -- split off from the Zionist movement -- considered various territories:     -- various parts of America (e.g. Galveston)     -- Africa     -- Asia     -- Australia ITO was dissolved in 1925 Zionist Socialist Workers Party aka 'Zionist Socialists' or 'SS' -- Jewish socialist territorialist political party -- in Russian Empire & Poland -- emerged from Vozrozhdenie (Renaissance) group 1904 -- held founding conference in Odessa, 1905 -- favoured favoured Jewish territorial autonomy outside of Palestine -- most activities of party = revolutionary activities w/in Russia -- Zionist Socialists played active role in 1905 Revolution -- key figures:     Nachman Syrkin     Jacob Lestschinsky     Volf Latsky-Bartoldi     Shmuel Niger -- 1906 many members went into exile in Western Europe -- central organ:  Der Nayer Veg (Yiddish weekly newspaper) 1911 - SERP - Jewish Socialist Workers Party  AND --   Poalei Zion  =  Marxist-Zionist Jewish workers =  Poland, Europe & Russian Empire   -- seek recognition of national character of the Jewish people -- by signed petition to:   International Socialist Bureau Jewish Labour Bund (aka 'the Bund') aka General Jewish Labour Bund -- in Lithuania, Poland & Russia -- Yiddish for German 'Bund' meaning;  union / federation -- secular Jewish socialist party Russian Empire 1897 - 1920 -- allied itself w/ Russian social democratic movement -- aim:  democratic & socialist Russia -- Russian Empire, incl:   Lithuania Latvia Belarus Ukraine Poland (most) -- these areas, most of worlds Jews lived then   -- Jewish Bund sought legal minority status for Jews in Russia -- 1903-1904 - Czarist state repression -- of Jewish Bund / arrests & imprisonment -- Jewish Bund founding collective member: -- Russian Social Democratic Labor Party (RSDLP) first congress, Minsk -- Bund was sole rep of Jewish workers in RSDLP next 5 years -- RDLP second congress:  1903, Brussels & London -- Bund autonomous position w/in RSDLP rejected under Bolshevik pressure -- Jewish Bund reps left Congress - first of many splits -- 1906 4th (Unification) Congress - Stockholm -- at which Jewish Bund rejoined RSDLP / but party fractured along ideological & ethnic lines -- Jewish Bund sided w/ Menshevik faction (leader Julius Martov) vs. -- Bolshevik faction (leader Vladimir Lenin) -- in factional struggles preceding Russian Revolution 1917 -- in Polish areas of Russian Empire,  -- Jewish Bund was leading force in 1905 Revolution -- later, went into period of decay -- 1909-1910 labour activism strikes concentrated 10 cities led to deepened backlash re party. -- 1910 Bundist legal trade union in only x4 cities (Bialystock, Vilnius, Riga, Lodz) -- Bund split 1912 -- Bund became federated part of:   Bund became a federated part of -- Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (Menshevik) -- Jewish Bund eventually came to strongly oppose Zionism -- arguing that emigration to Palestine was a form of escapism -- Jewish Bund did not advocate separatism -- Bund fucused on culture rather than a state or a location as glue re Jewish nationalism -- idea borrowed extensively from Austro-Marxist school      (further alienating Bolsheviks & Lenin) Austro-Marxism -- led by Victor Adler, Otto Bauer, Karl Renner and Max Adler -- members of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria -- in last decades of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy -- & in First Austrian Republic (1918-1934) -- known for theory of NATIONALITY & NATIONALISM -- & attempt to fuse it with SOCIALISM in imperial context -- Otto Bauer believed 'personal principle' was way to gather divided members of same nation -- Otto Bauer wrote:  'Social Democracy & the Nationalities Question' (1907) "personal principle wants to organise nations not in territorial bodies but in simple association of persons" RADICALLY DISJOINING THE NATION FROM THE TERRITORY & MAKING OF THE NATION A NON-TERRITORIAL NATION [Comment:  also sidestepping the tribal heritage of a peoples that form a nation that is a holder of ancestral lands and political power that attaches to heritage and lands.  Good for imperialist interests (combining patchwork of people) and good for minority interests.  But not so good re indigenous or other principal populations, as they cede political power, by the look of things.  It's more than that.  It is ceding STATE power -- eg. ceding ability to raise taxes etc.  It's the Balkanisation of political power and of state power.  That's first impressions.  I've not read more on this 'personal principle'.] *** MORE -- LINK | here  *** Looks like it's based on some Ottoman system:  LINK  | here -- movement visible from 1904 in socialist magazines -- not homogeneous movement / diverse thinkers & politicians -- eg.  neo-Kantian Max Adler & orthodox Marxist Rudolf Hilferding -- 1921 Austro-Marxists formed:  International Workers Union of Socialists) -- (k.a. 2 1/2 International or Vienna International) -- aiming to unite 2nd & 3rd Internationals -- but failed Austro-Marxism -- inspired inspired later movements - eg. Eurocommunism & the New Left -- that were seeking for DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST middle between communism & social democracy -- in way to eventually unite 2 movements Austro-Marxism -- put into practice as precursor of radical reform in Europe:  eg social economic reforms, -- healthcare, housing, educuational system in Vienna -- which inspired Scandinavian social democratic parties & the British Labour Party Austro-Marxism -- first movement in Europe to see supporters mount armed resistance -- to growing FASCIST government / 1934 - fascism wins Austro-Marxist - Principle of National Personal Autonomy -- later adopted by various parties, incl.     -- the Bund (Gen. Jewish Labour Union)     -- left wing Zionists (Hashomer Hatzair) - in favour of bi-national solution in Palestine     -- the Jewish Folkspartei (b/w WWI and WWII)     -- the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania - after 1989 Adler = Ger. 'Eagle' Victor Adler -- Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAP) -- Foreign Minister of Austria, 1918-1918 -- succeeded by Otto Bauer b. Prague son of Jewish merchant from Moravia (Czech) University of Vienna medical graduate 1881 / assistant at psychiatric dept. Gen. Hospital {resided at address that became famous as office of Sigmund Freud} -- initially supported German national movement led by Georg Shonerer -- increased anti-Semitic policies& amendment of Aryan paragraph -- Victor Adler focused on social issues -- 1886 - Adler published Gleichheit (Equality) journal (Marxist) -- advocated the Anschluss (unification) of Austrian state with Germany -- died of heart failure on last day of WWI, before he could pursue project -- the father of Friedrich Adler Adler = Ger. 'Eagle' Freidrich Adler Austrian socialist politician & revolutionary -- assassinated Count Karl von Sturghkh 1916 -- member SPO, Social Democratic Party of Austria -- editor Der Kampf magazine, from 1907 -- at Uni Zurich considered to chair physics dept. / deferred to Einstein -- editor of Volksrecht newspaper (Zurich) -- engaged in international trade union movement -- became sec-gen of SPO Vienna to 1914 -- after start WWI / agitated against SPO policy of supporting war -- anti war killing: -- shot the Minister-President of Austria Count Karl von Stürgkh three times with a pistol, killing him -- sentenced to death, a sentence which was commuted to 18 years imprisonment -- 1918 - released after outbreak of revolution -- active as leader of Arbeiterräte (workers' councils) & as member of National Council of Austria -- more international socialist workers roles -- outbreak of WWII fled to USA; died Zurich 1960 Bauer = Ger. 'farmer' Otto Bauer Foreign Minister of Austria 1918-1919 b. Vienna Jewish University of Vienna, PhD Law book:   Die Sozialdemokratie und die Nationalitätenfrage (1907) (ie Social democracy and the national question) -- Austrian Social Democrat -- Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAP) -- founded Der Kampf, the theoretical journal of the party -- leading left-socialist Austro-Marxist thinker -- an inspiration for the New Left movement & the Eurocommunism movement in 'third way' attempt re DEM.SOC. -- WWI - served in the Austro-Hungarian Army -- captured on Eastern Front early months of WWI -- 3 years POW in Russia -- 1917 returns to Austria -- after Foreign Minister Victor Adler death 1919, Bauer appointed leader -- Otto Bauer a Marxist socialist w/ pan-Germanic & nationaist ideas -- negotiated w/ Wiemar govt re accession of Austria to Germany by March 1919 during German Revolution -- was disappointed when Treaty of Versailles prohibited union of Austria w/ Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Bauer German Revolution of 1918–19 aka Novemberrevolution -- conflict in German Empire at end of WWI -- result of replacement of imperial govt with republic -- revolution from Nov. 1918 to Aug 1919 establishment of republic (Weimar Republic) -- Engelbert Dollfus (plus parts Christian Social Party) & Heimwehr -- installed authoritarian corporatist dictatorship in 1933 -- Social Democrats failed uprising 1934, Feb. -- Otto Bauer forced into exile -- d. Paris 1938, just after Austria became part of German Third Reich.  Renner = 'winner' (variations:  Sieger) Karl Renner 1st Chancellor Austria, 1945 Law / University Vienna Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (SDAP) b. to wine growers in Margraviate of Moravia Austro-Hungarian Empire described as:  Roman Catholic, German family -- party prohibited during Austro-fascism period from 1934 -- Renner welcomed Anschlus 1938 -- WWII distanced from politics -- set up provisional govt just before collapse Third Reich -- Austria treated as unwilling party to Third Reich association -- provisional govt recognised by all Four Powers -- Renner first post WWII Chancellor -- relatives moved to USA & Canada -- Renner died Vienna 1950 -- one of the founders of discipline of the sociology of law -- developed a Marxist theory of the institution of private law -- argued separation of public & private law is a creation of capitalism, -- where state enforces interests of capital owners -- Renner & Otto Bauer ideas re legal protection of cultural minorities taken up by Jewish Bund -- such ideals fiercely denounced by Vladimir Lenin -- Joseph Stalin wrote criticism re 'Cultural National Autonomy' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Renner ---------------------------------------------------- Mainstream Zionist movement: -- rejected the idea of a Jewish state anywhere but in Palestine -- referred to as:   Eretz Yisrael (Land of Israel) ---------------------- ---------------------- COMMENT This was really interesting stuff. Above is just a summary of what I looked at.   Not sure if all the links are there ... it's all from the same source:  Wikipedia. Don't know that I'll remember this ... I'm pretty sure I did a summary re Georg Shonerer weeks ago ... but I've already forgotten him.  Think he was killed in a duel.  Nope.  That was some other guy.  I think I have a pic of that guy's death mask somewhere. Might have to check out George Shonerer some other time  ... I've had it.

Transcript - Assange on Humour & Politics

TRANSCRIPT [for quotation purposes, confirm audio] Julian Assange, Editor WikiLeaks & Carlos Latuff, political cartoonist Embassy of Ecuador, London August 26, 2015 VIDEO [6:46] https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=372&v=ZWru83kwu6A Julian Assange I'm here with Carlos, and he's asked me to talk about what I think about humour and social media. Well, for a long time I've had a theory about humour, and the power of humour: and humour is all about fear and the relief from fear. And most people are not politically engaged because of fear. Politics is all around us. It affects everything you do. You have to really try hard to avoid politics and, so, why do most people avoid it? It's because they're scared of it; they don't understand it; they look at the images on the TV, or from Hollywood movies, and they see CIA agents coming down in Blackhawk helicopters and they think as soon as they get involved that's what's going to happen to them. So how does this connect with humour? Well, humour is all about fear and the relief from fear. And I'll give you a very simple illustration of that, that is a classic joke in English. What's brown & sticky? A stick. And, why does that work? I mean, it's a silly joke. Why on earth does that work? And it's really easy. Well, you were thinking, what is brown and sticky. Well, there's several possibilities and none of them are good. There's nasty mud; there's a suppurating wound; and the obvious one is: sh*t. Sh*t is brown and sticky and sh*t is horrible, and we all have instincts to avoid sh*t; to not want to think about sh*t; to not want to smell sh*t; to not want to talk, even, to others about sh*t; because they won't like this idea in their heads, either. And, so, when we say, 'Oh, it's a stick,' we have this relief; and we feel flooded with the relief from the fear that we were really talking about sh*t. And that's something very basic to human beings. Basic in our physiology, that all the time we, in our natural environment, we are exposed to things that make us scared: a possible snake; sh*t; the potential anger of other people against us. And that creates a fear state in our bodies where we become tense and we draw in breath to scream, or to fight, or to run. And when we become scared we have to become scared fast, because we may have to act really fast. In fact, we often become scared faster than our brains can understand the true nature of the situation we're in. And, so, in a joke, we erect the state of fear in someone and then give relief to that fear and, so, this feeling of relief means that we're not scared anymore. And when we look at political cartoons, that's what they do, and that's why we laugh at them. So, we take someone who has power and we are scared of their power - some, you know, powerful government figure - such as Barak Obama, who has at his control drones and assassins, and so on - and then we show that he doesn't understand; or that he doesn't get it; or that he's a hypocrite; or, in some way, that he doesn't have the power that we all perceive him previously to have, or the power is illegitimate, or hypocritical, in some way. And, so, that strips a powerful figure of their fear and the ability to instill fear in others; and as a result people feel more courageous. And that's why political authorities, and powerful commercial authorities, are so scared of politician cartoonists. Because the cartoon strips them of their power to instil fear into others, and most authority is not gained through legitimate actions of being accurate, or just, or competent, but, rather, in installing fear into others. Now, what's happened with the internet in the - well, really, the past four or five years - is that we have gone from a text-based world to a world that is combined text and images. And that's why if WikiLeaks does a tweet and we have an image, or a cartoon from Carlos, and some text, it does really well. It spreads around. Whereas just tweeting text doesn't. And that's not just something that's done by political cartoonists; it's done by most people, now - creating images with text overlays. And the dominant social medium is now moving to one of images combined with text, and this is the traditional form of political cartooning. Now, to a degree, everyone is starting to head towards being a political cartoonist, and they should see the power in that; because it can remove fear that people have and, once people's fear is removed and they can, you know, knock down the false images that have been constructed by organisations like the US military, or by the police who want to project themselves as being tough and unconquerable - then, yeah, people can address the world as it truly is and not the world that is constructed by illusions that install fear in others. --- end audio --- ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT lol ... I probably thought sh*t at first, followed by chocolate pudding, followed by sticky date pudding. Don't know that sh*t is particularly fear inducing in me.  Disgust maybe.  But it's a remote sense of disgust.  The mention of sh*t doesn't bother me.  Images of sh*t are more unappealing. Dealing with other people's anger or hostility is anxiety inducing, for me.  And I think I live in a state of permanent breath-holding ... for no reason at all.  I'm always in a hurry, I guess.  lol Politics can be avoided for heaps of reasons other than fear.  Genuine disinterest.  Boredom.  Apathy.  Apathy borne of conviction that nothing can change and that one's vote does not count. But I guess there's elements of fear in politics for those even on the outermost periphery of politics.  Fear of having unorthodox views.  Fear of becoming a target of those with opposing views.  Fear of drawing unwanted attention etc. Don't know about fear of CIA and Blackhawk choppers (unless maybe you're in Latin America or the Middle East), but, yeah, challenging the political status quo in any way (even if it is merely expressing opposing views) is fear inducing for an individual because all power rests with the state, rather than the individual. Or is that just my illusion? lol That was good.  I enjoyed that. PS   I just thought of a barrier to participation in politics (apart from motivation or desire).  Politics isn't for individuals; it's for groups. But there's no 'group fit' for an individual, unless the individual holds orthodox views or some kind or other, which neatly slot into the belief system of the group (which itself would aim to neatly slot into a formally endorsed or accepted societal ideological position, in order to have as wide a support base as possible).  Maybe participation politics beyond observation, isn't for everyone. Oops ... inexplicable typos. Must have gremlins.  lol ꕤ

Sweden - Election - Unemployment & other analysis

Young voter push as election hovers Published: 12 Sep 2014 08:17 GMT+02:00 Sweden's election is now just two days away and the main parties are pushing to attract young and undecided voters. One in three voters have not yet chosen who to vote for, according to a poll for Sveriges Radio on Thursday. Among young people that figure rises to almost two in three. The figures follow a campaign during which youth unemployment has been a hot topic. Sweden elections: who's who? The Swedish economy and its AAA credit rating might be envied by most European countries, but unemployment among people aged 15 to 24 has been oscillating between 20 and 25 percent over the past years -- about three times higher than overall joblessness. Sweden's general election campaign has even spilled over into Norway as political rivals pursue votes among the tens of thousands of mostly young Swedes emigrating to find work. Close to full employment, Norway is seeking foreign workers to meet labour shortages, and many Swedish waiters, nurses, dentists, engineers are crossing the border. Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, has been campaigning in Oslo. He argues that the reason so many Swedes have to emigrate is that foreigners are taking their jobs back home. "When Sweden grants twice as many residence permits as it creates jobs, that's what you get," he told news agency AFP. However, Malin Sahlén, an economist who has written a book on the issue, believes that the reasons for the high unemployment are different. She argues that low-qualification jobs are rare in Sweden's economy and that high protection of employees on permanent contracts make employers resort to hiring temporary workers, which tends to create frequent gaps of unemployment when those workers change position. "According to Eurostat, 14 percent of the jobs in Europe are low-paid, and that figure is only 3 percent in Sweden," she said. Meanwhile Thursday's party leader debate on TV4 ended in a brawl over nuclear power. In the final stages of the discussion, the Alliance party leaders pushed Social Democrat leader Stefan Löfven on how he intends to tackle the issue. Centre Party leader Annie Lööf provoked a strong reaction in the debate. Watch a clip of the leadership debate here Löfven has previously spoken out in favour of retaining Sweden's nuclear power stations, but during the debate he would only speak broadly about offering a "future analysis" of the country's energy demands and the need for a Red-Green bloc agreement on he issue. Centre Party leader Annie Lööf asked him to be more specific, producing a copy of a report by the Swedish Energy Agency and taking it over to him. He held his hand up in protest and appeared as if he was trying to push her away. "This is just bickering. You can keep it there," said Löfven. Carin Jämtin, party secretary for the opposition Social Democrats told Sveriges Radio there were still a lot of votes to play for: "The last part of the election campaign is very important. We will knock on doors, take part in debates and talk with voters in other ways right up to the end of polling day," she told Sveriges Radio. Per Nilsson, head of analysis for the ruling conservative Moderates says his party will also do what it can to attract the undecided voters: "It's not about targeting a specific part of the electorate with surgical precision", he told Swedish Radio, adding "we're going out with a broad message about how we want to make Sweden better together with our colleagues in the Alliance." Elections take place on Sunday with a major exit poll expected soon after voting closes at 20:00. http://www.thelocal.se/20140912/young-voter-push-ahead-of-polls

Good piece to set aside.

Gives an idea of the climate.

USA - FATCATS OVER DEMOCRACY

Insight: Plutocracy trumping democracy Posted: Sunday, August 10, 2014 3:30 am By Timothy J. Barnett, Special to The Star A disquieting paradox is increasingly apparent. Americans hope for the self-respect and happiness that arise from a hearty sense of earned merit. Yet, we simultaneously desire greater wealth and advantages than deserved by any prudent measure of social responsibility. We reckon ourselves upstanding because of petty morality, while seeking to exploit lawful loopholes that aid wealth acquisition. Our strange sense of deservedness is rooted in strategic play and name recognition, not the true value of our contributions. Our bifurcated economic recovery — great for the top 5 percent while meager for the bottom 75 percent — belies claims that all is well. The spread of financial pragmatism (i.e., follow any working trend) has left most Americans inattentive to the morality of national laws that shape economic activity. Indeed, the ease by which we speculate in many markets has calloused us to the notion of earned merit. Ultimately, market opportunity is our moral compass; that is, when we’re not admiring the highly disproportionate rewards of celebrity. The notion of what constitutes fair opportunity and deservedness changes along with culture, religion and business conditions. This relativity causes many intellectuals to scoff at the idea that culture or politics could ever find sufficient consensus about merit to create an ethos by which various expressions of merit could be evaluated and fairly rewarded. Hence, our politics subsidize and reward financial power, corporatism, interest group demands and the growth expediencies that are allegedly necessary to underwrite entitlements. This system, as widely noted, is a model of unethical financial distribution. Until the industrial revolution in the early 1800s, Americans’ economic rewards were generally aligned with one’s prudence, labor, ingenuity and stewardship of resources — with a little luck thrown in. As the industrial age dawned, much of this changed, the outcome working to advantage those with capital over others with little but their labor. In Russia, the result was the communist revolution — a movement that endeavored to restore linkage between deservedness and labor. The mantra was: “All workers in a workers’ state.” In the West, most observers saw the workers’ adage as a deception arising from desperation, with party elites gaining advantage over their proletarian prey. Americans broadly viewed the communist ideology as economically inefficient. Additionally, communism was viewed as unfair to contributions arising from ingenuity, entrepreneurship, business management, the wise stewardship of property and earned capital. Europeans, not quite so enamored by free markets, looked to democratic socialism as a hybrid way. In America, we thought we had the best of all worlds with a wide-open market system, bounded only for a few robber barons and monopolists. Buoyed by rapid growth, inexpensive land, abundant low-cost resources and other helpful dynamics, the expansion of social mobility seemed to confirm our economic judgments. In short, we felt immune to any need for a national conversation on just deserts. Our market morality seemed amply moored by a robust work ethic, sense of self-responsibility and belief in business propriety (flaws aside). Why would we want big government to tell us what to do when we already knew the answers? In retrospect, we were caught off-guard by cultural and technological changes. Beginning with the computer age in the 1980s and the blossoming of electronic media shortly thereafter, tremendous leverage was created for exploiting vulnerabilities in our ad-hoc market architecture. Rampant diversity in ideals, orientations, ethics and goals left us with little cultural consensus apart from ambiguous generalities. This is the outcome John Jay feared most in his discussion of the American prospect (Federalist Paper No. 2). Lacking a unifying vision, our politics fell prey to the only commonality that remained: the chase for prosperity as subsidized by growth. The story of America’s last 10 years demonstrates this point. What we now call “merit” reflects a breakdown in the linkage between contributions and rewards. Nationally, we’re baffled, as nothing in our political toolkit addresses such a challenge. [...] EXTRACT ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE http://www.annistonstar.com/opinion/article_d1931214-1f4c-11e4-ac46-0019bb2963f4.html Timothy J. Barnett is an associate professor in the political science department at Jacksonville State University. His Ph.D. was earned at the University of Kansas.

This is a fantastic article well worth a read.
Need to link to rest of it (above).

I'm amazed it's come out of the US!

Jacksonville State Uni is Alabama.

Market Morality

Advantage:          5% vs 75%
Advantage:   Capital vs No Capital

Free Markets

• Robber Barons 
• Monopolists

GERMANY - Die Linke (the Left) - GAZA Rally - Factions, Infighting and Farce

Germany’s Left Party suppresses opposition to militarism By Ulrich Rippert 9 August 2014 The Left Party in Germany is using the war in Gaza to place itself unconditionally behind the national government’s foreign policy. It is deploying its resources against anti-war demonstrations, and seeking to isolate and suppress the Palestinian struggle. [...] Left Party federal managing director Matthias Höhn demanded the rally be cancelled. When the NRW section refused, he turned to the press and initiated a media campaign against his own party’s members. In a press release cited by Junge Welt August 5, he warned of anti-Semitic attacks before the demonstration and rally had even taken place. Höhn demanded that the protection of Jewish institutions be stepped up and stated that the synagogue in Essen would be a target of anti-Israeli participants in the rally—a thoroughly unjustified claim. At the same time, Höhn organised a pro-Israeli counter-rally at which his party colleague, Left Party leader in Brandenburg and parliamentary deputy Harald Petzold, appeared as the main speaker in support of Israel against the Gaza support demonstration. In spite of the tense atmosphere which had been incited, the protest in Essen against the Gaza war ultimately passed off peacefully, with around 3,000 participants. This figure was officially confirmed by the police. There were only a few anti-Semitic statements on the sidelines of the protest, which were immediately isolated and excluded by the organisers. [...] https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/08/09/left-a09.html

MATTHIAS HOHN - wikipedia link - here.

Party of Democratic Socialism (Germany)

Military service
Journalism and Communications studies
Registered partnership (same sex).

Party of Democratic Socialism link - here.

Die Linke Posted on April 2, 2014 by Chris Terry Die Linke (literally ‘The Left’). Die Linke is Germany’s newest parliamentary party. The party was formed from a merger between two left-wing parties, the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The Electoral Alternative (WASG) The PDS was the legal successor of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), the former East Germany’s ruling communist party. The party continued to retain significant popularity in the East, winning up to a quarter of the vote in some Lander. The party’s support was negligible in the West, however, and the party won seats in the Bundestag because of the mixed nature of Germany’s electoral system.   [...]   The party was controversial in Germany for its links to the former communist regime, with leading members, including its leader, Lothar Bisky, accused of being connected to the Stasi (East Germany’s notorious secret police force, Bisky was an informer). The WASG was launched as a left-wing alternative to the SPD in 2005 in the wake of the controversy over the Agenda 2010 reforms. The party was boosted when it was joined by the former SPD leader, Chancellor-candidate, Saarland premier and finance minister Oskar Lafontaine later that year. Lafontaine was finance minister ...  clashed personally with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. He resigned from cabinet and his party positions in 1999. ... critiqued the party’s centrist course under Schroeder. Lafontaine became co-leader of Die Linke, with the former PDS leader, Lothar Bisky. Die Linke campaigned on a platform of opposition to economic liberalism in all its forms. Anti-capitalist, the party has a somewhat left-populist orientation. The party has attracted as a pole of attraction for far-left activists and the party has several ‘internal caucuses’ which vary from left-wing social democrats through to Communist and Anarchist factions. In several areas the party has run in alliance with far-left parties such as the German Communist Party. These links to the far-left have led to sections of the party, including around a third of MPs, being under observation by the Verfassungsschutz, Germany’s domestic security agency, which is charged with observing potential threats to the German constitution.  [What happened to democracy?] The party is deeply controversial amongst Germans for this reason, and although a left-wing SPD-Linke-Green coalition was theoretically a possibility in 2013, polls showed that SPD supporters actually preferred a grand coalition with the right-wing CDU. Bad blood between the SPD and former SPD members, such as Lafontaine, also complicate relations. Die Linke is generally held to divide along East/West lines itself. In the East, where it is stronger, and descended from the SED, the party has a more pragmatic, social democratic profile.  [...] In several East German states, CDU/SPD anti-Linke coalitions are common. The party’s Western component is generally formed by activists originating from the far-left and is perceived as much more extreme and radical. As an illustration of these tensions the party’s East German former co-leader, Gregor Gysi, was shown by a wikileaks leak of a diplomatic cable to have told the US ambassador that the party’s official policy of opposition to NATO was principally a ruse to keep the left of his party happy.  [...] Nonetheless, with the collapse of the FDP and the formation of the grand coalition, Die Linke is now Germany’s largest opposition party. While the party takes some support from the CDU, it is principally a headache for the SPD and Greens.  Since its arrival on the scene in 2005 the federal government has seen one right-wing government (2009-2013) and two grand coalitions, (2005-2009 and 2013 onwards). With Die Linke taking significant votes on the left and remaining beyond the pale for coalition it sometimes seems the best the German centre-left can hope for is a junior role in coalitions with the CDU. Die Linke claims to broadly support European integration, but opposes what it seems as neoliberal EU policies, it also seeks to democratise the EU. [...] http://europe.demsoc.org/2014/04/02/die-linke/

Political parties sound like crap!

It's not a bunch of people with solid core values.  It's a bunch of factions with quite different values.

And it looks like people are putting time and effort into presumably working for a group that's just playing at an 'official policy' (re NATO) ... that it has no intention of honouring!

I'd be really pissed off if I was in this party and I'd want out.

How's the German Verfassungsschutz (constitution security agency) watching these people?

Surely the system (ie government of Germany) is not THAT fragile.  

What do they think is going to happen if a bunch of these not-so-lefties are left to their own devices?

I'm really disappointed.  I had this romantic view of (leftie) politics and it's just been shattered by mediocrity, factions, backstabbing and what amounts to policy falsehood, going by the WikiLeaks cable.

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Gysi


GREGOR GYSI

Lawyer
SUP > PDS (post Communist)
Swiss-German name origin / part Jewish ancestry
Denied Stasi allegations.
Matter dropped, largely b/c parliamentary immunity.
Member of Bundestag - The Left / Die Linke

TWITTER - Nothing changes in politics ...

TWITTER

Twitter find.

Thought this was rather funny.

2011 LIBYAN CIVIL WAR - WWF WRESTLING - THE STAGE & VIAGRA

The more I read the more convinced I am that US politics is as pathetic and as staged as those over the top WWF wrestling performances ...

Faking rage, faking injury and faking pain...

Or in the case of the US...faking 'concern'

The players in the White House are as fake as the players against the ropes.

Everything we see is just a performance; it's play acting, put on by performers who play the role and no more.

Do foreign powers laugh when they get sent delegations from the US? 

Not only is there wrestling, there's also the theatre.

Read some stuff on the 2011 Libyan civil war

...there's Macbeth's witches ...

 ...there's even VIAGRA ...

Of course, there's the usual villain, victim...and -- wait for it -- a rescuer...

there's 'reluctance'...

and there's calls for intervention ... 

Ha!   Isn't there always!

Who dreamt up this perfect script?

So if it's all fake, who really calls the shots?

Earthlings...take me to your leader.

 

Steve Coogan on Angelina Jolie's humanitarian efforts

CLARIFICATION - ALISTAIR CAMPBELL - STEVE COOGAN INTERVIEW - see Tokyo Rose current post - for interview clarification particulars - here.  GQ clarification - here.
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Steve Coogan brands Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian efforts 'off putting': 'I have more respect for a star that does something difficult

Wednesday 09 July 2014


Angelina Jolie’s humanitarian efforts have been the subject of high praise by most of her peers.

Most recently, the actress was honoured with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Governor's Ball in November 2013 – a renown accolade she earned for her work as the co-founder of the Prevent Sexual Violence Initiative and as a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

But not all are as impressed by her charity work. In discussion with Tony Blair’s former Director of Communications Alastair Campbell – published by British GQ – Steve Coogan called Jolie’s effort’s "off-putting" and called for "celebrities" to butt out of international affairs and stick to their day jobs.

"Though I have been involved politically, I find people who are in the public eye for something else who suddenly start voicing opinions about everything else quite irritating," Coogan is quoted as saying.

"What? Like Angelina Jolie going out campaigning with William Hague?" Campbell added, referencing Jolie’s tireless campaigning to address the issue of rape in war zones.

"I do find it a bit off-putting," Coogan responded.

"If you are trying to do something charitable there is always a double-edged sword, because it is good PR for the celebrity.

"Better to do it than not do it, but I have much more respect for a celebrity that goes out [campaigning] about something really difficult."

Elsewhere in the interview, Coogan also voiced his opinion on the controversial Scottish Independence debate. His vote in the September referendum, if he had one, would resolutely be a "no".

"I don't want them to become independent," he said. "The reason I don't like Ukip is because I think we should be pro-European, a more not less cohesive world. Insularity isn't good."

source:  Independent
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COMMENT

Coogan's an entertainer/producer.

The issue isn't whether or not the PR benefits the celebrity.

The issue is the worldwide platform and PR machinery that these celebrities command; the degree of influence on public perception; and the political (or other) agendas behind the emotive issues and causes etc that celebrities endorse.

The celebrity-politico-humanitarian aspect of Hollywood (and beyond) deserves its own study.

So he's bought into the notion of 'European' and 'cohesive' identity, while nationalism is now considered 'insularity'?






Wow.


MATERIAL REFERRED TO IN THIS POST IS AFFECTED BY FOLLOWING:

THERE'S BEEN A CLARIFICATION OF INTERVIEW WITH STEVE COOGAN BY ALISTAIR CAMPBELL.

ALISTAIR CAMPBELL'S GQ - CLARIFICATION ... HERE.