{"id":5106,"date":"2011-11-05T15:48:48","date_gmt":"2011-11-05T23:48:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=5106"},"modified":"2011-11-05T23:10:10","modified_gmt":"2011-11-06T07:10:10","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-if-revolution-is-off-the-table-only-tyranny-is-on-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-if-revolution-is-off-the-table-only-tyranny-is-on-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: If Revolution is off the Table, only Tyranny is on it."},"content":{"rendered":"

We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

This is a REAL Occupation: With Babies & Banners is a 1977 Academy Award nominated documentary about the role women played during The Great Flint Sit Down Strike of 1936-1937. The Full Video is at this Link: flinthistory.com\/general-motors\/with-babies-banners\/<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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This is fast Becomming a Liberal Ghost Dance into the Voting Booths: \u00a0Occupy Oakland protesters leave port to breakfast with union chief: <\/strong> Occupy Oakland protesters who were blocking the entrance to the Port of Oakland on Thursday morning left their posts and went to breakfast — at the invitation of a local union president. \u00a0Meanwhile, workers began to show up for work Thursday morning, port officials said in a statement. “Seaport operations have partially resumed, though the situation remains fluid,” officials said in the statement. “Port employees have been directed to show up at work as normal, pursuant to regular work schedules.” <\/strong>latimesblogs.latimes.com\/lanow\/2011\/11\/occupy-protesters-leave-oakland-port-entrance.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Moving Money from One Bank to Another is Not Resistance. At base, it is Hysteria. \u00a0Money is Never “Local.” It is Not Just Bankers. It is Capitalism. The core issue of our time is the potential of a mass, activist, class conscious movement to transcend capitalism met by the reality of a corporate state, fascism, conducting perpetual war on workers world-wide. <\/strong><\/p>\n

www.youtube.com\/watch?v=exuGv3HsV-U<\/a><\/p>\n

Second Oakland Vet, a Ranger, Attacked by Police, Injured, Denied Medical Care: <\/strong> A former U.S. Army Ranger and Occupy Oakland protester was in intensive care on Friday after a veterans’ group said he was beaten by police during clashes with anti-Wall Street demonstrators this week.
\nKayvan Sabeghi, 32, was arrested and hospitalized about a week after another U.S. military veteran, former Marine Scott Olsen, was badly injured in a confrontation with police that helped spark the latest round of unrest.
\nThe group Iraq Veterans Against the War said Sabeghi was detained during disturbances that erupted late on Wednesday in downtown Oakland and was charged with resisting arrest and remaining present at the place of a riot. …”He told me he was in the hospital with a lacerated spleen and that the cops had jumped him,” Kelly said, adding that Sabeghi had served as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan.
\n“They put him in jail, and he told them he was injured, and they denied him medical treatment for about 18 hours,” he said. \u00a0http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/army-veteran-injured-oakland-clashes-police-012503613.html<\/p>\n

Just A Reminder Occupiers, Activists, Intellectuals and Troops. The Empire Comes Home<\/strong>\"\"<\/a>above, troops on Woodward Avenue, Detroit 1967 (we are not going to talk, occupy or vote our way out of this. The lesson from the MidEast: Go to the Troops. Ideas can upend the guns.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Cops Assault Occupy Denver: <\/strong> The simmering tension near the Colorado Capitol escalated dramatically Saturday with more than a dozen arrests, reports of skirmishes between police and protesters and authorities firing rounds of pellets filled with pepper spray at supporters of the Occupy Wall Street movement. \u00a0 Officers in riot gear moved into a park late in the day where protesters were attempting to establish an encampment, hauling off demonstrators just hours after a standoff at the Capitol steps degenerated into a fight that ended in a cloud of Mace and pepper spray. \u00a0http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/aponline\/2011\/10\/29\/us\/AP-US-Occupy-Denver.html?hp<\/p>\n

Liberals, who Mask Class War, Pave the Way For Fascism. The Liberal \u00a0es Maoite Mayor Of Oakland who Ordered the Attack on Marine Scott Olson: <\/strong>At another time, Ms. Quan, the mayor of Oakland, might have joined the hundreds of protesters who have camped out near City Hall as part of Occupy Oakland. Instead, she is now a focus of their wrath. Late Thursday night, protesters chased her from a rally, shouting \u201cGo home,\u201d and refusing to let her speak. The protesters were reacting to her decision to shut down the encampment, which led to a night of street violence on Tuesday, with police unleashing tear gas on the demonstrators. Ms. Quan said the area had become unsanitary and unsafe \u00a0http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2011\/10\/30\/us\/Oakland-Protests-Test-Mayor-Jean-Quan-Activist-Background.html?hp<\/p>\n

US Government Moves Against Occupiers: <\/strong>This past week saw police move forcefully against America’s Occupy Wall Street protesters in a number of cities [1], with considerable police violence in Oakland, California and Denver, Colorado, plus numerous arrests in places like San Diego, Nashville and Atlanta. Video of the Oakland violence recalls a war zone [2].
\nEvents suggest a coordinated effort to “push back” against Occupy’s string of successes, with some police departments seemingly welcoming an opportunity for confrontation with the protesters. \u00a0http:\/\/www.atimes.com\/atimes\/Global_Economy\/MK03Dj03.html\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“They Say Cut Back!” The Farce in San Diego says “It’s Halloween! Lets dress up , then go lobby! <\/strong>The Occupy San Diego crowd will likely be wearing more than Guy Fawkes masks and bandanas on Halloween night.
\nThat’s because the demonstrators plan to be in costume for the holiday. \u00a0 www.signonsandiego.com\/news\/2011\/oct\/31\/more-than-guy-fawkes-masks-at-occupy-sd-tonight\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Resistance Library: <\/strong>The INTERNATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY (I.E.D.) is a new foundation of progressive American scholars, lawyers and activists (see WHO WE ARE) dedicated to promoting real democracy in the country that needs it most, the U.S.A.
\nWelcome to our
\nCRITICAL DEMOCRACY LIBRARY
\na unique educational resource with 150 pieces divided into the following sections:
\nTHE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR HYPOCRISY DEMOCRACY
\nSTOLEN ELECTION(S)
\nAMERICAN “DEMOCRACY”?
\nIS DEMOCRACY COMPATIBLE WITH CAPITALISM?
\nFROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: MANIFESTOS AND CHARTERS
\nDEMOCRACY QUOTES
\nDEMOCRACY CARTOONS \u00a0 \u00a0http:\/\/www.iefd.org\/<\/p>\n

Why Are Many OWSers Like Most of America? They are hysterics who don’t know Why Things are as they Are and they are Thrashing around in Front of, and often backing, the most technologically powerful corporate state dedicated to war in the history of the world: <\/strong>Zuccotti Park in New York\u2019s financial district is decked out with posters and signs for the wide array of political viewpoints of the Occupy Wall Street protesters. The six-week-old movement has several Web sites to promote various perspectives. But just who are these protesters? What is their political ideology? Do they have jobs?
\nCostas Panagopoulos, a professor of political science at Fordham University, recently conducted a survey of the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York.
\nDr. Panagopoulos described the protesters as \u201cdisgruntled Democrats.\u201d Sixty percent of those surveyed said they voted for Barack Obama in 2008, and about three-quarters now disapprove of Mr. Obama\u2019s performance as president. A quarter said they were Democrats, but 39 percent said they did not identify with any political party. Eleven percent identified as Socialists, another 11 percent said they were members of the Green Party, 2 percent were Republicans and 12 percent say they identified as something else. \u00a0http:\/\/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com\/2011\/10\/28\/protesters-at-occupy-wall-street-disapprove-of-obama-a-survey-finds\/<\/p>\n

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Fritz Tucker: Follow the Money and the Takeover of NYC OWS—<\/strong>According to Marisa Holmes, one of the most outspoken and influential leaders of OWS, the NYC-GA started receiving donations from around the world when OWS began on September 17. Because the NYC-GA was not an official organization, and therefore could not legally receive thousands of dollars in donations, the nonprofit Alliance for Global Justice helped OWS create Friends of Liberty Plaza, which receives tax-free donations for OWS. Since then, Friends of Liberty Plaza has received over $500,000. Until October 28, anybody who wanted to receive more than $100 from Friends of Liberty Plaza had to go through the often arduous modified consensus process (90% majority) of the NYC-GA\u2014which, despite its well-documented inefficiencies, granted $25,740 to the Media WG for live-stream equipment on October 12, and $1,400 to the Food and Medical WGs for herbal tonics on October 18. \u00a0http:\/\/www.countercurrents.org\/tucker041111.htm<\/p>\n

Hey CIA! Quit Using those Hellbound Drones to Exterminate Everyone! Be More Careful. Just Assassinate some…not all, just some…<\/strong>The CIA has secretly adjusted its drone strike campaign in Pakistan, bowing to pressure from military and diplomatic officials, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
\nBehind closed doors, military and diplomatic officials have expressed concern that the CIA’s large drone strikes are straining the relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, The Journal reported — although \u201cfew U.S. officials have publicly criticized the campaign, or its rapid expansion under President Barack Obama.” Pakistani citizens, rising politicians, and top officials have strongly opposed the strikes, which they say kill innocent civilians.
\nEarlier this year, \u201cthe disputes over drones became so protracted that the White House launched a review over the summer, in which Mr. Obama intervened,\u201d The Journal reported. \u201cAmong the changes: The State Department won greater sway in strike decisions; Pakistani leaders got advance notice about more operations; and the CIA agreed to suspend operations when Pakistani officials visit the U.S.\u201d \u00a0http:\/\/www.nationaljournal.com\/nationalsecurity\/wsj-cia-asked-to-adjust-drone-strike-policy-20111104<\/p>\n

Angry Marines, Patriots, Respond to the Police Shooting of Scott Olson: <\/strong>Marines have been flocking to the social networking\/aggregator site Reddit to voice their anger at the life-threatening injury inflicted on 24-year-old Iraqi war veteran Scott Olsen by Oakland police during the recent Occupy protests. Video showed Olsen go down after taking a tear gas canister to the head. As fellow protesters tried to assist him, police lobbed a flash grenade into their midst\u2013right next to Olsen\u2019s already fractured skull. \u00a0http:\/\/www.mediabistro.com\/fishbowlla\/marines-storm-reddit-after-occupy-oakland-shooting-of-scott-olson_b43369<\/p>\n

War criminal Henry Kissinger to be honored by New York Historical Society (PETITION for historians) <\/strong>On November 7, the New York Historical Society is holding a fund raiser honoring Henry Kissinger at the Waldorf Astoria. Tickets start at $1000 and go up to $100,000. The $100,000 tickets allow you to also see Gorbachev and Charlie Rose. \u00a0http:\/\/markcrispinmiller.com\/2011\/10\/war-criminal-henry-kissinger-to-be-honored-by-new-york-historical-society-petition-for-historians\/<\/p>\n

What did the vaunted HISTORIANS AGAINST THE WAR say about the CIA\/Obama assault on Libya? Still not a peep. Why? Sheer opportunism, cowardice, patriotism and stupidity. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Read Marx. Make Class War<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

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From W. Reich, “Mass Psychology of Fascism” <\/strong>Revolutionary practice in any field of human existence develops by itself if one comprehends the contradictions
\nin every new process; it consists in siding with those forces which act in the direction of progressive
\ndevelopment. To be radical, according to Marx, means “going to the root of things.” If one goes to the root of
\nthings, if one understands their contradictory character, the means of mastering the reaction become plain. If one
\ndoes not understand them, one lands inevitably in mechanism, economism or metaphysics. Any criticism,
\ntherefore, is justified and of practical value only if it can demonstrate what contradictions in social reality are
\noverlooked. The revolutionary achievement of Marx did not consist in writing proclamations or pointing to
\nrevolutionary goals, but in recognizing the industrial productive powers as the progressive social force, and in
\nrealistically describing the contradictions in capitalist economy. The failure of the workers’ movement can mean
\nonly that those forces which hinder social development are still incompletely comprehended…….<\/strong>vulgar Marxism contended that an economic crisis of the magnitude of that between 1929 and 1933 must of necessity lead to the development of a Leftist ideology in the masses. Even after the defeat in January 1933 its
\nrepresentatives continued to talk of a “revolutionary upsurge.” In reality, the economic crisis had\u2014contrary to
\ntheir expectations\u2014led to an extreme development of a reactionary ideology in the masses. There was a
\ndivergence between the development of the economic base, which was pressing to the Left, and the development
\nof the ideology of the masses, which was to the Right. This divergence was overlooked. Thus, no one even raised
\nthe question of how it was possible that the masses, at a time of pauperization, could become nationalistic. No
\nslogans such as “chauvinism,” “psychosis,” “result of Versailles” comprehend this tendency of the middle classes
\nto turn reactionary at such times. In addition, it was not only the middle classes, but large numbers of the
\nindustrial workers who turned to the Right. The fact was overlooked that the bourgeoisie, warned by the success
\nof the Russian revolution, took new preventive measures (such as the New Deal); measures which were not
\nunderstood and which the workers were unable to analyze. The further fact was overlooked that early fascism was
\ndirected against big business and could not be done away with as “only a vanguard of the money magnates”; if for
\nno other reason, because it was a mass movement. \u00a0 www.whale.to\/b\/reich.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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A Blast from the Past! Questions and Answers about the NCLB: <\/strong>There is a disagreement, on this list, and in the anti-test (and anti-strangulation of literacy) movement, about key questions that must be answered. These questions could be posed to nearly any group seeking change in nearly any situation in the world, but they are set up here in relationship to the NCLB which is, after all, an international phenomenon.<\/p>\n

Some of those questions are:
\nWhat is the social context of No Child Left Behind?
\nWhy does NCLB exist?
\nWhat are the apparent goals of NCLB sponsors, and what are their underlying goals?
\nWho gains from NCLB?
\nWho suffers?
\nWhy is it that so many teachers support NCLB, with but modest reforms?
\nWhy did the two teacher unions (along with the US Chambers of Commerce, Broad Foundation, et al) demand the NCLB, and why do their leaders refuse to do anything substantive to even develop a reform movement?
\nWho does, and who does not, support the abolition, not reform, of NCLB?
\nWhat should be done in regard to NCLB, and the social context that set it up?<\/p>\n

There are right and wrong answers to those questions. \u00a0 www-rohan.sdsu.edu\/~rgibson\/TestingSchoolReformDebate.htm<\/a><\/p>\n

Holy Crap! Tyrants Running Mich Schools Broke Open Meetings Law! <\/strong> A Wayne County judge ruled Friday that leaders of the state’s Education Achievement Authority violated the state’s Open Meetings Act when it went into closed session Aug. 26 to discuss hiring Chancellor John Covington.
\nIn a three-page ruling, Judge Robert Colombo said that the executive committee for the EAA \u2014 which governs Michigan’s statewide school system for failing schools \u2014 failed to have the required two-thirds affirmative vote to go into the closed session to discuss Covington, the former superintendent of Kansas City, Mo., schools.
\nThe executive committee has five members. Three were present at the Aug. 26 meeting.
\nThe committee also violated the act, Colombo said, when it failed to properly record the roll call vote for the closed session in the official minutes. \u00a0.. Covington will be paid a $175,000 signing bonus as well as a $225,000 salary for his first year of employment.The Education Achievement System was created in June by Gov. Rick Snyder to take over Michigan’s lowest performing schools. It will start with failing schools at Detroit Public Schools next fall and expand to other districts in subsequent years. \u00a0http:\/\/www.detnews.com\/article\/20111029\/SCHOOLS\/110290359\/1026\/Judge–School-panel-violated-Open-Meetings-Act<\/p>\n

Michigan! Barbarians at the Gates! Meap Scores Collapse! Have S&P Score ’em Again! <\/strong>Database: 2010 MEAP scores plunge under new standards
\nState education officials applied new “cut scores” rules to old student test scores in MEAP and the Michigan Merit Exam and found a staggering decline in the number of Michigan students considered proficient in basic subjects. For instance, third-grade math scores in 2010 go from 95 percent proficient to 35 percent.
\nWith the more rigorous standards, students need to get roughly 65 percent of the answers correct to pass the state test, instead of 39 percent, the previous benchmark. Check the database to see how any Michigan school or district fared.
\nYou can find a school or a district by first choosing a county. Then select from the “district” box. A list of schools and the district’s totals will appear. Click on the link to find out how the district or an individual school performed under the old and new standars. \u00a0http:\/\/www.detnews.com\/article\/20111103\/SCHOOLS\/111103001\/Database–2010-MEAP-scores-plunge-under-new-standards<\/p>\n

The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n

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