CounterCurrents: Cutting the Cords Of Empire: The Spectacle Of US Elections, The Native American, The Palestinian: A Spirited Fight For Justice

Dear Friend,

Kashmir remains shut 68th consecutive day. Greater Kashmir reports that a youth was beaten to death by army men in  Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district last night, taking the death toll in the ongoing uprising to 83.

Gerd Wessling reports on the growing transition town movement around the world. 

Dr Ramzy Baroud draws a parallel between Standing Rock protest and the Palestinians quest for justice. 

And more stories from around the world. 

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Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org



Transition Towns: Initiatives Of Transformation
by Gerd Wessling 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/transition-towns-initiatives-of-transformation/

In 2006, when Rob Hopkins moved from Ireland to the small English town of Totnes with his family and co-founded the first Transition Town Initiative in the world with some friends, he surely never imagined what he was starting. Six years on, there are more than 500 “official” Transition Town initiatives in more than 38 countries, and several thousand more are in the process of formation in many cities, towns and regions across the world




The Wonder Of Sighting The Indian Grey Hornbill In Bangalore
by Marianne de Nazareth 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/the-wonder-of-sighting-the-indian-grey-hornbill-in-bangalore/

The Indian grey hornbill  is considered a common hornbill found in India. The bird is mostly arboreal  and is commonly sighted in pairs. Grey in colour, it has a light grey or dull white belly. The horn is black or dark grey with a casque or helmet like structure, extending to the  curve of the beak. It is one of the few hornbill species found in urban areas in many cities where they are able to make use of large trees in institutions with large acreage. The flight is heavy and involves flapping interspersed with glides. They are found in pairs or small groups.




Prakash Karat Unable To Locate Fascism In Hindutva
by Shamsul Islam 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/prakash-karat-unable-to-locate-fascism-in-hindutva/

Comrade Prakash Karat’s academic piece (‘know your enemy’, The Indian Express, September 6, 2016) analyzing the character of Hindutva/RSS/BJP brand of politics/ideology suffers from confusion which greatly keeps parliamentary LEFT incapacitated at the national level against the rising tide of the Hindutva fascism. I am sure soon Hindutva public relation machinery will be circulating certificate from comrade Karat for disseminating the happy news that RSS is not a fascist organization.




The Native American, The Palestinian: A Spirited Fight For Justice
by Dr Ramzy Baroud 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/the-native-american-the-palestinian-a-spirited-fight-for-justice/

Palestinians are losing their lives, land and olive trees as they stand up to Israeli tanks and bulldozers. Their reality is a replay of similar experiences faced – and still being confronted – by Native Americans. Well into the 21st century, the Native American-Palestinian struggle remains one and the same.





Cutting the Cords Of Empire: The Spectacle Of US Elections
by William Hawes 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/cutting-the-cords-of-empire-the-spectacle-of-us-elections/

This time, the spectacle of the personalities seems to dominate the conversation: Mrs. Clinton is somehow on a feminist crusade, an inspiration for women everywhere. Going unmentioned are her irredeemable backers, such as the genocidal Henry Kissinger and Madeline Albright. As for Trump, his version of America is as naïve, narrow-minded, and delusional as a Leave It to Beaver episode, or a Captain America comic book. In the background, the monstrosity of global capitalism goes unquestioned, and the cries from victims of US institutional racism and structural violence go unheard.





Indifference
by Gaither Stewart 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/indifference/

Indifference is an American-European story. As French chansonnier Serge Gainsbourg sang of his love for Brigitte Bardot: “What does the weather matter, what matters the wind? Better your absence than your indifference.” Or Gilbert Bécaud: “Indifference kills with small blows.” The indifference of one person to the other in a dwindling love affair is emblematic of the terrible impact of indifference in any field at all.




Police Sniffing In Kitchens While Rapists Roam The Streets
by Asian Human Rights Commission

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/09/14/police-sniffing-in-kitchens-while-rapists-roam-the-streets/

It is time for higher ups, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to rein in the state government being run by his own political party. Mr. Modi had himself said once that 80 percent of cow vigilantes are day-time-vigilantes-night-time-criminals. His understanding of the realities could help him check the actions of the state government.