Dear friends,
Good news! In the same spirit which makes me write a weekly column for the Unz Review and which makes me post weekly contribution by Alexander Mercouris from Russia Insider, I have made an agreement with the folks at the Greanville Post: they will be regularly posting my articles on the GP and I will regularly post their articles on the blog. This is a very informal arrangement – nobody is under any obligation and, in fact, in the past we have already been doing so without any type of agreement at all. I do, however, feel that this type of “cross pollination” between very difference voices of the resistance against Empire is very important because it creates a sense of community. Sure, we already have a vibrant Saker Community out there, but I hope that our community can further reach out and participate in the creation of a wider community of very different people united by their opposition to the Empire. I think of this notion as a “resistance network“.
A good symbol for a “resistance network”
Maybe it is because I play jazz, but I am convinced that a the mix of very different elements yield very original and beautiful results. And, who knows, we live in difficult and even dangerous times, so we ought to help each other as best we can.
For all these reasons, it is a real joy for me to announce to you my decision to collaborate and work with the Greanville Post. I hope that our collaboration will be productive and that all of you will benefit from it. As the first step in this collaboration I have just posted an excellent piece by Patrice Greanville about the anti-Russian propaganda of the TV show “60 Minutes”. I hope that you will enjoy this read.
Kind regards,
The Saker
The jazz analogy is spot on Saker.
I would also love to see a series of articles on the essential difference between the Western banking system (the compounding of interest) and Islamic (the prohibiting of *riba* on moral grounds).
.I mentioned it on another thread, because I believe it a key factor in the US-rael isolation of Iran, the one nation-state that fully integrates the principle into its economic model.
Were it to known to be successful, it would lead to the downfall of all the virtual wealth of the transnational class, best exemplified by the Rothschild’s .
Eimar, great comment…I second this comment…the more we can all learn about finance the better.
Agreed, as well. The resistance has to focus on the information and financial wars with deep understanding.
I’m glad the network is growing – you are doing a good job, Saker.
Indeed! The banking system is the head of the beast.
Jazz analogy not necessarily on spot. As Greanville Post is pretty leftist and Saker is an ardent Orthodox Christian, doesn´t different worldviews sometimes clash? In general, resistance lacks common denominator, common enemy is not enough. Remember the final section of Dr. Strangelove? After the destruction same vicious circle starts again. That´s what happens without common view. Can Socialism, Christianity and Islam find a common denominator, other than common enemy? I, as a Christian, can accept many leftist views since I see Jesus also as a great source of influence for Marx, he even mentioned Jesus in a letter to Engels as “our mutual friend”(was there any sarcasm in it, I don´t know). But I know that many leftists today still see Jesus and religions in general as “opium of the people”. I think that they never understood what Marx wanted to say with his famous phrase. In a way he was right. In his time and over the centuries Christianity played very similar role than MSM today. And I suppose that all of you agree if I say that “MSM is opium of the people”. But how can our muslim friends accept some leftist values like for example sexual liberation? And can´t you see that current huge problems in EU are partly(or mainly?) caused by liberal left-wing policies. I don´t want to say that traditional right-wing conservatism is a right path. No, no, no. World needs totally new way. Lack of real alternatives has served the system very well to this day, in economics especially. Now there´s something on a horizon. But before it will materialize, we should understand it´s real essence and nature, and we should learn to call it in it´s real name. Otherwise we are blind men in a dark room and don´t know how to reach our freedom.
There are definite differences between different groups who all see the dangers of the current imperialist system. But surely that’s all the more reason it’s a good idea to talk and find not just the differences but the common ground. If there’s one thing the empire is good at, it is divide and rule. As the fella said, we must all hang together or we will assuredly all hang separately.
“The opium of the people.”
Don’t have the full quote to hand, but it was not sarcastic in tone.
Rather, Marx saw it acted as a palliative to alleviate the misery of the industrial working class. His tone was one of compassionate recognition of its social function rather than one of intellectual derision (the standard ‘meme’ ).
Even as the socialist revolution was being fomented in the working mens clubs and pubs, German working women (who had neither clubs nor pubs) went to the local church – the only place they got physical rest from the relentless grind of both work and home.
Sarcasm in this sentence: “our mutual friend Jesus”. You misunderstood just a little bit.
I know that there have been many Christian working men clubs, and at grassroots level Christianity and Socialism are not far away. But I´m talking about power politics and ideologies that affect so much to our daily life.
Also, some differences between groups are about values, but others are about facts, and it’s worth hashing things out to see who’s right. For instance, “And can´t you see that current huge problems in EU are partly(or mainly?) caused by liberal left-wing policies.”
From my perspective, anyone talking about “liberal left-wing policies” has been deceived about either the nature of liberalism, what “left-wing” means, or both. Meanwhile, from my perspective it’s contrariwise pretty obvious that most of the current huge problems in the EU are mainly caused by neoliberal right-wing policies and/or imperialist policies. So it would probably be worth talking about just what problems we mean, what you think caused them, what I think caused them, and which explanation (if either) fits the facts. At least one of us has weaknesses in our chain of cause and effect, and if groups with different ideas never communicate they won’t bother to test such weaknesses or improve their understanding.
I agree. But I don´t see essential difference between mainstream liberal left-wing and neoliberal right-wing. Details don´t matter, since both serve same evil purposes. I believe that somewhere there´s a true working class movement that´s dedicated to peoples needs, but it must be marginal in current world. Key word here is “liberal”. Something bigger than traditional political ideologies. Common denominator for right and left. And it has been decades so. Now we start to see the fruits of liberalism. Check my mail below.
Mainstream liberalism is into markets and ownership of productive resources by wealthy, powerful private individuals. It is not left wing; the left, seriously defined, is all about alternatives to both markets and centralized private ownership. Some of the left wants government to own stuff, some of the left wants little people to own stuff directly in groups (I’m more that kind), some wants some combination, but none of the left want the friggin’ Waltons to own stuff, while liberals do. I think the problem here is more semantic–a matter of everyone wanting to define the people they don’t like as belonging to the “other side”. Another problem is the limits of permitted discourse in the mainstream media–people who aren’t leftist never ever get to hear about what the actual left is, and instead are presented with ludicrous dribble like Barack Obama being a “socialist”, so even many people outside the mainstream vaguely assume that the left must be kind of like Democrats only somehow more so.
So if we have a single phenomenon and you hate it because you think it’s “left wing” and I hate it because I think it’s “right wing”, do we have a real argument or only clashing terminology?
I think a big part of the problem is that Liberalism can be stretched to fit Right agendas – which always require an underclass to serve whatever new group seeks additional privileges – yet is typically labelled ‘Left.’
Unless people reclaim the true principle of the Left – how to disburse the means of thriving to that no elites can form to control the levers of power, the confusion remains.
The transnational wealth class has exploited identity politics in exactly this way to great effect.
This is why I despise Liberals (the usually suspects.)
Whereas I have respect for both Conservatives (social) and Marxist-Leninists – both fully understand the likely outcomes from their respective ideological positions.
Liberals do not.
Only to avoid misunderstandings: Definitely I don´t hate “left wing”. But as liberalism(both economical and value based) obscures everything, we don´t have real argument or even clashing terminology, because ideologies lost their content long time ago. The fact that some want to label even Obama socialist tells much about the current mess.
Dear The Saker,
Great news. May the network keep growing.
Rgds,
Veritas
The faces of resistance…Couldn’t find a pick of all three together.
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.imolaoggi.it%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F10%2Fputin-assad.jpg&f=1
https://images.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fprevious.presstv.ir%2Fphoto%2F20140326%2F356091_Iran-Leader.jpg&f=1
Perhaps a pic of Mussolini hanging upside down is a bit extreme as a symbol of resistance?
http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/ph/web-large/UnkUnkTR.28.12.2008.jpg
Great effort makes great results!
The need for a Resistance Network, (including an underground portion), has never been more vital.
Here is an important – lengthy article – that helps us understand just how badly we need a -Resistance Network.
http://billmoyers.com/2014/02/21/anatomy-of-the-deep-state/
The article is voluminous, but decent, despite (and quite predictably-considering its source/author) its omission of all reference to the Jewish-Zionist Land Thieves – Oligarchs, as a/THE key part of the of the “deep-state.”
You should check out the “alt right” saker.
They constantly talk about the zionist empire. I find your anglo-zionist spin more correct however, so kudos.
They’re really gaining momentum here in the US and there’s a strong russophile presence.
Also- they have memes.
God save Russia.
I have to add this though. Your analysis of what is happening in geopolitical terms is on point.
But you are missing huge trends in the West- its not your fault- you’re probably just an old man who is out of touch with this sort of thing.
I am always struck by how wrong you get the social scene in the West. I notice that a lot of older folks are just completely oblivious- still living in their old world of nations, borders and rational actors..But I digress.
We are drowning in liberal insanity. Men are women, women are men. You cannot critique anyone who is non-white, period. Borders are racist. The feminists were silent about Cologne, you got that completely wrong. Yeah, Western women look and act like roadside whores, but thats what Feminist DEFEND now. Your belief that feminists are about equal rights is just 40 years behind at least. To put it bluntly, modern Feminism is about eugenics.
And your condemnation of the Cologne sex attacks misses the point. As awful as western women are- there is no reason why thousands of muslim men should be allowed to rape and assault them.
That’s the behavior of a conquering army. Liberalism inviting in its own conquerors.
Are you scared of an ethnically homogeneous europe? Or are you an old school realpolitik that knows that this diversity is going to kill the west and chuckle about it from behind the screen? Please answer me because its really bugging me. I personally am getting the hell out of this multicultural utopia and emigrating to EE. I can’t even go to my university here without getting jumped by a “flash mob” of urban youths.
My peers stay at home- glued to their videogames. We don’t date here. A wrong touch or a glance by a white guy can spell a rape accusation. Don’t accuse me of hyperbole, I have seen it happen to my peers. We can’t open our mouths here. I lost my furniture moving job because of a joke about Bruce Jenner. I feel that a stiff breeze will knock over the USSA. For awhile the US has the weapons and economic might of a hegemon, but its citizens are so sick and infected with the POZ that barring a Trumpening there is little reason to hope that things will change.
What’s your deal man? You are too smart to think diversity is a strength, so are you just hoping the West goes under because of its own stupidity. I don’t mind this line of thinking, because I know that the anglo-zionists want to destroy the slavic world. And if I had to choose, I’d choose the East. But be upfront about it, please reply.
I didn´t condemn the Cologne sex attacks in my message(even though I could do it), but was this for me, since my reply was the only critical here? You want me to reply?
Well, I´m an old man and naturally not so aware of trends than young ones, true. And I live in a small EU country and sure, my viewpoint is european. What you write about the liberal development in the West is very accurate and I totally agree with you. I meant exactly that kind of a development when I accused leftist policies in my message above. Thanks for clarifying. However, I see those policies and politicians only as a tools for those who hold the power. And those who hold the power are not socialists. As Christianity has lost it´s message over the years, same thing has happened to Socialism, both ideologies has lost their soul. Some want to see this destructive progress as a renewal, but you can recognize the tree from it´s fruits. And the fruit is the progress you described. Now, the problem lies there that in these days nearly nothing is what it looks like. And that´s why divide and rule politics are so easy for those in the power. What´s essential is to find the true nature of things, one step back before two steps forward. But that brings to the light fundamental, original, differences of ideologies and makes integration much more difficult, if not impossible. And as human nature tend to compromise, final result is usually a same vicious circle again. Watch Dr. Strangelove. It´s a true gem.
“Are you scared of an ethnically homogeneous europe? Or are you an old school realpolitik that knows that this diversity is going to kill the west and chuckle about it from behind the screen?”
I don´t fully understand your point here? But homogeneous Europe is not Europe anymore. Europe was built on a national states. And because the diversity you mentioned is not real, not what it looks like, yes, I think that it´s going to kill the Europe as we old folks know it. In fact, old Europe was diverse and culturally rich. Now nearly everything is meaningless and have lost it´s value. Even the beer. For example, we used to have the multitude of best British bitter, Irish porter and numerous great German and Belgium beers in commonplace here. Now industrial lager has nearly totally replaced that all. Similar progress is happening to people in this multicultural utopia you want to leave behind your back. In a nutshell: what is offered us as a diversity is uniformity that kills all original.
My deal is that everything should find it´s original roots, otherwise we end up to a dystopian dream-world. You see, the wars in Europe were not because of the national states or national oriented thinking. That´s one of the biggest lies in a modern world, that´s been spread purposely in a MSM to make a room for the change we are now witnessing before our eyes. Wars in Europe were meant for the DESTRUCTION of the national states. West don´t go “under because its own stupidity”. This is not the question about being smart or stupid. This is about certain targets and strategies. I do hope(and firmly believe) that those strategies finally fail because I see that the purpose is evil. That´s why information war is so important. If people don´t open their eyes they remain “eyes wide shut”(Kubrick again) and nothing is going to change, only worsen. But when consciousness reach the critical mass, then things start to gradually change, that´s also something we are witnessing now. But the change itself is not something to reach for. If we want to take that two step forward, we should understand our true needs(real essence and nature of the change), and we should learn to call it in it´s real name, that is to say: we need to recognize it.
Does this help?
I add this link to my above comment: http://fortruss.blogspot.fi/2016/01/germany-should-be-colored-refugees.html