Z—We created the Dual Power Map, because it’s one thing to sit and talk to people about the solidarity economy movement, worker cooperatives, community land trusts, and how great they are. And then it’s another thing to give people an interactive resource that allows them to engage with and support these institutions in the real world and in real time—something that we can update as time goes on.
Monthly Archives
August 2019
America’s Billionaires Congealing Around Warren and Buttigieg
17 minutes readERIC ZUESSE—As of just a few weeks ago, the Democratic Party’s five top U.S. Presidential candidates, in terms of whom had been backed the most strongly by America’s billionaires, were, in order from the top: Pete Buttigieg, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris, Michael Bennett, and Joe Biden. Warren was 12th down from Buttigieg’s #1 position, in support from the billionaires. Sanders was at the very bottom — zero billionaires backing him (he was the only one of the 17 reporting candidates who had no billionaire backer).
The Hong Kong protesters are violent right-wing provocateurs
9 minutes readRAINER SHEA—Despite the vague claims that China is suppressing “democracy,” the reality is that the problems in Hong Kong are due not to too much Beijing influence in the island but too little. The island’s government is run by a capitalist kleptocratic oligarchy that’s carried out damaging policies like the deliberate increases in real estate prices, and there’s no substance to the claim that China is in any way exerting its influence to make life worse for Hong Kong’s residents.
MoA—The Wahhabi Saudis want a Yemeni government that is not controlled by the Zaydi-Shia Houthi with whom they fought dozens of wars over two provinces that Saudi Arabia once annexed. They also want to control Yemen’s oil and a pipeline from the Saudi oil region to a harbor in Yemen. It would help Saudi oil exports to avoid the Iran controlled Strait of Hormuz.
The lights keep going out: Medium shuts down Rainer Shea’s account on spurious grounds
7 minutes read
RAINER SHEA—That how they got me: by labeling my entirely fact-based analysis of the White Helmets’ shady and illegal activities as “conspiracy theories,” Medium targeted me for harming the White Helmets’ reputation. Since Medium hasn’t censored any of its users who’ve tried to link Bernie Sanders to Russia or accused Caitlin Johnstone of antisemitism, the fact that they would dig up an eight-month-old article and remove it because it includes unflattering facts about a known terrorist organization tells us how they intend to use the “reputable harm” rule.
