We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Human Rights Industry Protects Imperialism

Click here to access article by Margaret Kimberley from Black Agenda Report

Because the Anglo-American ruling capitalist classes after WWII formed a new Empire after they defeated the Axis capitalist gang, we are now plagued with a global regime that relies heavily on deception to sustain their rule and their imperial policies. George Orwell's insightful statement that "telling the truth is a revolutionary act" is more true today that ever. Now we see more than ever before that our masters turn truth upside down and claim that the whistle-blowers and truth-tellers are engaging in fake news while their corporate media daily spews out lies about nearly everything. Likewise reputedly humanitarian organizations have been turned into mouthpieces in support of Empire policies.

In this article Kimberly offers her take on the use of "human rights" organizations to serve the US-led Empire's war crimes.
Beginning in 2011 the United States used a tried and true method of getting support for imperialism. A foreign leader is accused of being a tyrant who terrorizes his nation. The claims silence critics, get buy in from corporate media and cynical politicians and ultimately lead to death at the hands of the so-called saviors. There are 9 million Syrian refugees precisely because of collusion between the west and its gulf monarchy allies. The suffering of the civilian population is the fault of these parties and it is only the determination of the Syrians and help from their allies which prevented it from going the way of Libya.

Now that the jihadists are on the run and their one-time backer Turkey has switched sides, the jig is up. But the imperialists will not go away quietly. That is why Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International reappear at a crucial moment.