Nationalism and Hypocrisy, by William Blum

by William Blum
Writer, Dandelion Salad
July 29, 2013

Image by Abode of Chaos via Flickr

That most charming of couples: Nationalism and hypocrisy

It’s not easy being a flag-waving American nationalist. In addition to having to deal with the usual disillusion, anger, and scorn from around the world incited by Washington’s endless bombings and endless wars, the nationalist is assaulted by whistle blowers like Bradley Manning and Edward Snowden, who have disclosed a steady stream of human-rights and civil-liberties scandals, atrocities, embarrassing lies, and embarrassing truths.

The End of Freedom of the Press, by Graham Peebles

by Graham Peebles
Writer, Dandelion Salad
London
July 25, 2013

Image by Stephen D. Melkisethian via Flickr

As millions take to the streets demanding political participation, social justice and freedom, opponents to change – governments and reactionary forces worldwide – centralise power, tighten control of civil society and the media and trample on democratic ideals. The dangerous accumulation of powers, “legislative, executive, and judiciary” that the “father of the [American] constitution” James Madison wrote,[i] “in the same hands whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”

The Indian Uprising — The Fall of Empire by William T. Hathaway

Image by vaticanus via Flickr

by William T. Hathaway
Writer, Dandelion Salad
July 26, 2013

“The Indian Uprising” by Donald Barthelme is an iconic short story of the 1960s heralding the defeat of the US empire and the end of white male dominance. Written as the USA was mired in a hopeless war, as Native-Americans and African-Americans were rebelling against oppression, and as women were breaking out of the traditional roles they had been confined to, the story predicted the victory of these insurgents over the feeble old order. Its experimental style full of dislocations and dissolutions captured the postmodern zeitgeist.

Global Power Project, Part 7: Banking on Influence with Citigroup, by Andrew Gavin Marshall

Image by Trucknroll via Flickr

by Andrew Gavin Marshall
Writer, Dandelion Salad
andrewgavinmarshall.com
Originally published on Occupy.com
July 24, 2013

In the second quarter of 2013, the third-largest U.S. bank by assets, Citigroup, posted a 42% increase in profits which CEO Michael Corbat praised as a “well balanced” result of “cost cutting” programs, including the firing of 11,000 workers.

This big bank has a sordid history of predatory profiteering and criminal activity, not unlike all the other large banks. In the early 20th century, what was then National City Bank was the main bank for the Rockefeller Standard Oil interests.

The US Imprisons 2.2 Million People–Incarceration Is Big Business by Chris Hedges

by Chris Hedges
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Truthdig
July 29, 2013