CounterCurrents: Biosphere Collapse: The Biggest Economic Bubble Ever, "Decline Of Earth's Plant Life Threatens Human Life As We Know It", Straight Talk On The Pope And Climate Change, Concentrated Wealth + Widespread Stupidity = End Of Democracy

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In Solidarity
Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org


Biosphere Collapse: The Biggest Economic Bubble Ever 
By Dr. Glen Barry

http://www.countercurrents.org/barry200715.htm

Newspapers are full of disastrous warnings if economic growth does not return to Greece, or if it drops a couple points in China. Rarely in human history have so many been so fundamentally wrong about a matter of such importance as the desirability, and even the possibility, of perpetual economic growth. The real threat to human well-being is not that there is too little economic growth. Rather, it is that there is too much, and that we have overshot how much growth can occur without collapsing our shared environment

 
"Decline Of Earth's Plant Life Threatens Human Life As We Know It"
By Thomas Riggins

http://www.countercurrents.org/riggins200715.htm

A recent scientific study comparing the role of plants in the sustainability of life on Earth and the current rapid destruction of such life has convinced many scientists that human civilization and well-being will be placed in jeopardy. Rain forests and grass lands around the world are being destroyed at an alarming rate to make room for palm oil plantations, commercial crops of no intrinsic value (tobacco), and the practices of illegal logging for the furniture and lumber trades, and industrialized agriculture


Straight Talk On The Pope And Climate Change 
By Raymond Lotta

http://www.countercurrents.org/lotta200715.htm

Many within the environmental movement, including some of its most prominent leading figures, have jumped on the encyclical as a “game-changer.” People are making the argument that one of the world’s most powerful religious-moral voices is now sounding the climate alarm, that he is opening Church discourse to the science of global warming, and that the pope is uniquely capable of inspiring and moving public policy in the right direction. And this document, the argument goes, may be part of our best hope to stop the destruction of the planet before it is too late: to appeal to and pressure the world’s leaders to take decisive action. So we should welcome the pope’s encyclical on climate change. To which our reply is... WRONG, WRONG, WRONG.


The Real Reasons For The Iran Agreement
By Paul Craig Roberts

http://www.countercurrents.org/roberts200715.htm

If you can free yourself from the brainwashing from the presstitute media, three BIG reasons jump out at you. One is that the neoconservatives’ perception of the threat has shifted from “Muslim terrorists” to Russia and China. Unlike Muslim terrorists, both Russia and China are constraints on Washington’s unilateralism. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington has grown accustomed to being the Uni-Power, able to exercise its will unchallenged in the world. The rise of Russian strength under Putin and Chinese strength under the new policy has destroyed Washington’s Uni-Power privilege. Washington wants the privilege back


Review: “Go Set A Watchman” By Harper Lee - 
Zero Tolerance For Racism Or Constructive Engagement? 
By Dr Gideon Polya

http://www.countercurrents.org/polya200715.htm

Harper Lee has followed her “To Kill A Mockingbird” (1960) with a sequel “Go Set A Watchman” (2015), actually written before the first novel but set 20 years after the events of the first novel. This novel raises the key issue of how decent people should respond to racism - with zero tolerance or constructive engagement from within. Continuing African-American and Palestinian disenfranchisement, inequality and segregation in the 21st century demand zero tolerance for racism


Agency To Enslave Greeks Is Established 
By Eric Zuesse

http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse200715.htm

Late on Thursday, July 16th, German Economic News headlined “Greece: Debt Restructuring Through the Back Door,” and reported that, “The majority of Greece's national debt is to be moved in the next three years gradually to the euro bailout fund ESM [European Stability Mechanism], so that the IMF will continue to remain as a lender. The euro zone countries will thereby provide Athens a longer grace period [a temporary postponement of payments, while the 18% annual interest-rate soars Greece's debt even higher], and longer repayment periods.” The super-secretive European Stability Mechanism was set up in 2012, in order to handle Greece's anticipated virtual receivership, which it now will do


Did Muslim Murder 4 Marines In Payback For Iraq Libya Syria Somalia Afghanistan? 
By Jay Janson

http://www.countercurrents.org/janson200715.htm

Another killing of GIs by a Muslim American. Most Americans will confine their judgement and emotions to this one specific quadruple murder, and this will be helpful to those, who have invested in profitable genocides from Korea onward in their continuing to stay under the radar. Insidious US media will make sure the deaths of the four Marines and Abdulazeez play out well for its ISIS hoax and Christian-Israeli hate Islam campaign


Concentrated Wealth + Widespread Stupidity = End Of Democracy 
By Eric Zuesse

http://www.countercurrents.org/zuesse200715A.htm

The American Revolution overthrew Britain's aristocracy here. But now, the American people need to overthrow America's own aristocracy, or else simply accept fascism (rule by an aristocracy). If America, under that condition, will be peaceful, then it can only be the peace of the graveyard — democracy's graveyard


Global One Percent Celebrate At The Bohemian Grove 
By Peter Phillips

http://www.countercurrents.org/phillips200715.htm

On the surface, the Bohemian Grove is a private place where global and regional elites meet for fun and enjoyment. Behind the scene, however, the Bohemian Grove is an American version of building insider ties, consensual understandings, and lasting connections in the service of class solidarity. Ties reinforced at the Grove manifest themselves in global trade meetings, party politics, campaign financing, and top-down corporatism


Every. Four. Years. (But What About Bernie?) 
By Mickey Z.

http://www.countercurrents.org/mickeyz200715.htm

Are you making the big connections? How are you working to challenge deeply entrenched privilege and hierarchy to create new coalitions? Are you willing to do the work it’ll take to end male supremacy, white supremacy, and class supremacy? What are you doing -- each and every day -- to help bring down this global system of oppression and exploitation before there’s nothing left? How much time do you believe we have? Reminder: If you think Bernie Sanders is the answer, you’re asking the wrong questions…


RSS & Politics: Marriage Of Convenience 
By Shamsul Islam

http://www.countercurrents.org/islam200715.htm

It needs no corroboration that Narendra Bhai Modi was chosen as PM on the behest of RSS and BJP (and the Bhartiya Jana Sangh earlier) is run by RSS cadres loaned to the BJP. It enjoys the fame when credited for BJP’s victory. RSS loves power as any other theocratic organization but also wants to be looked as sagely while faced with controversial decisions of its creation; the BJP. In good times the RSS is BJP but in rough times in order to save itself from embarrassment resulting from certain actions of the BJP government, the RSS declares itself to be apolitical


Dear Sisters, Please Help Us To Protect Athirapally River And Forest
By Geetha and friends

http://www.countercurrents.org/geetha200715.htm

This urgency has arisen because the Ministry Of Environment and Forests is convening the Expert Appraisal Committee for River valley and Hydroelectric Projects on July 20th and 21st to reconsider giving Environmental Clearance to the Athirapally Project which has been denied clearance thrice! I request you to write to the Chairmanalokperti.2008@rediffmail.com asking him to restrain from giving clearance to a project that has been proven by accredited agencies to be unviable economically, energy-wise, ecologically and socially too


Ambedkar’s Vision Of Secular Socialist India 
By Vidya Bhushan Rawat

http://www.countercurrents.org/rawat200715.htm

In the business of politics people diametrically opposed to Ambedkar’s vision of a ‘prabudhha bharat’ or ‘enlightened India’ which we cannot accomplish without an inclusive vision with participation of religious and linguistic minorities and socially and economically marginalized communities including their women, are trying to appropriate Ambedkar for their own purposes


Stop Attacking Human Rights Defenders
By Bangalore Citizens' Initiative

http://www.countercurrents.org/bci200715.htm

Bangalore Citizens Statement against State Sponsored Intimidation of Human Rights Activists and Civil Society Organizations


India: Government Dumps The Court’s Order In A Sewer- AHRC
By Asian Human Rights Commission

http://www.countercurrents.org/ahrc200715.htm

A total of 180,657 rural households continue to engage in manual scavenging in India, despite the inhuman practice being repeatedly outlawed by the Parliament and Judiciary. This is the state a year after the launch of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission), a flagship scheme of the incumbent government, covering 4,041 statutory towns, aiming to clean the streets, roads, and infrastructure of the country. It remains a reality, two and a half years after the Supreme Court last outlawed the practice, fixing command responsibility with the chief executive officer (or equivalent authority) of civic bodies for continuation of the practice


Who Killed Kishenji ? 
By Nisha Biswas

http://www.countercurrents.org/biswas200715.htm

The statement of Abhishek Banerjee is important not only in the case of killing of Kishenji or Azad but raises question on all the encounter killings that has happened and are happening in Junglemahal as well as in other parts of the country, be it Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu or any other state. It is high time that impartial inquiries should be undertaken and state must be stopped from murdering its own people


California’s North Coast Wine Industry: How “Sustainable” Is It? 
By Shepherd Bliss

http://www.countercurrents.org/bliss200715.htm

Sonoma County Winegrowers bought an expensive, full-page, color ad, using tax dollars, in the July 12 daily Santa Rosa Press Democrat and in various weeklies, such as the North Bay Bohemian and Sonoma West. The ad ignited a firestorm of protest with angry letters to editors and online comments from the community storming local publications that ran the ad. As someone who practices, writes about, and teaches college students at Sonoma State and Dominican Universities about what “sustainable” really means, the ad offends me. It is blatant propaganda of false advertising to hoodwink readers