CounterCurrents: Why I wrote that demonetisation article [organised loot and legalised plunder], Israel’s New Friends

Dear Friend,

From the day one it was obvious that government of India's demonetisation move was a plunder of people's hard earned money. Countercurrents.org said so on the very first day itself.    On November 8th night when I came to know about the move I skimmed through my Facebook timeline. I was aghast. Even prominent liberals were applauding this anti-people move. When I visited the news sites, even the progressive ones were praising this bold master stroke by Modi. When I received the morning papers I  received a rude shock. Not a word against this monumental blunder. Some papers even carried articles by experts that it will flush out black money, even though it would cause 'minor inconveniences' for the people.  Some one had to call the bluff.  I wrote the article "Economic Emergency In India And What Does That Mean For The Common People" in despair, desperation and anger.http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/09/economic-emergency-in-india-and-what-does-that-mean-for-the-common-peop
le/.
Today,    former Prime Minister, Finance Minister and also a former governor of Reserve Bank of India, Mr. Manmohan Singh has called demonetisation “organised loot and legalised plunder.” It seems that political parties are waking up to people's suffering. Opposition parties have called for a day of protest on November 28. Perhaps that day will determine the fate of demonetisation. 

Meanwhile another monumental protest is taking place in Standing Rock against dirty fuel, protect water and sacred lands. Solidarity is pouring in from around the world. Standing Rock is symbolic fight to protect what's left for the common people and the future generations. 

Also more stories from around the world. 

If you don't mind, and if you think the content of this news letter is critical for the dignified living and survival of humanity and other species on earth, please forward it to your friends and spread the word. It's time for humanity to come together as one family! You can subscribe to our news letter here http://www.countercurrents.org/news-letter/. 

In Solidarity

Binu Mathew
Editor
www.countercurrents.org





Modi’s Demonetisation Is A Well Thought-Out Move
by Vijaya Kumar Marla 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/modis-demonetisation-is-a-well-thought-out-move/

Many analysts and economic experts have aired their views about the recent Demonetisation move of the Modi Government. True, there are people who believe that it is undertaken with good intentions, but badly executed. The fact is that this move has been on the drawing boards of the Modi Government for more than one year. This, I believe is not a knee jerk reaction of the BJP government to the exposures of corruption cases which came in to the limelight recently. Nor is the move undertaken with utter lack of knowledge of economics as claimed by some commentators. My impression is that it is a move that is well thought-out and is executed with cold-blooded intentions.






Demonetisation And Terrorism
by Jayashubha

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/demonetisation-and-terrorism/

Though it has not defined terrorism, it can be assumed that it refers to Kashmiri militancy, Maoist insurgency in tribal belts and ethnic unrest in North-east apart from rise of Islamic radical groups.  Establishing a relationship between Demonetisation and Terrorism is too simplistic an argument by the Government. It tends to deny the root causes for emergence of militant activities and unrest among certain sections.






Four Ways To Look At Standing Rock: An Indigenous Perspective
by Kayla DeVault  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/four-ways-to-look-at-standing-rock-an-indigenous-perspective/

As I told the COP22 audiences, the battle at Standing Rock symbolizes the greater battle we all face: The assurance of cultural well-being and sustainability as a global community while combating the short-term visions and greed of corporations. We must remember the importance of hózhǫ́—balance—and that we, as beings of the Five Fingered Clan, are connected as k’é—relatives. We are made of the same four elements, and we share the same finite resources. As my my mother says: “We may be coming from all four directions, but we all come from the same neighborhood—the earth.”






From Across The Country, Gifts of Tiny Houses Arrive for Standing Rock
by Jane Braxton Little 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/from-across-the-country-gifts-of-tiny-houses-arrive-for-standing-rock/

Eleven days ago, when Matt Musselwhite pulled into an encampment at Cannon Ball, North Dakota, in a 5-ton flatbed truck, he had no idea how he would unload the three tiny houses he had just hauled 1,500 miles from southwestern Oregon. Almost immediately volunteers emerged from the throngs of mostly Native Americans. Within hours, teams of 10 people were starting to assemble the first of the 144-square-foot wood structures while circulating free food and coffee.






What Should Palestinians Expect – Can Trump Be Any Worse?
by Dr Ramzy Baroud 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/what-should-palestinians-expect-can-trump-be-any-worse/

Fear and trepidation are slowly building up, as US President-elect, Donald Trump, is fortifying his transitional team with people capable of bringing about a nightmare scenario, not only for Americans but for the rest of the world, as well. For Palestinians, however, the signs are even more ominous. From former New York mayor, Rudy Giuliani, to Republican leader Newt Gingrich, the Trump team is filling up with dishonorable men who have made careers out of pandering to Israeli interests and unabashedly discounting Palestinian rights.






Israel’s New Friends
by Neve Gordon 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/israels-new-friends/

Israel’s leaders and their right-wing Jewish allies in the United States have no problem stomaching anti-Semitism so long as the anti-Semite supports Zionism. But if an anti-Semite can be a Zionist then anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are not the same.





Ahwazi Activists Arrested
by Yaqoub Hor Al-Tostari 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/ahwazi-activists-arrested/

Large numbers of Ahwazi activists have reportedly been arrested in the latest coordinated series of raids on homes by Iranian regime intelligence agents in recent days, with the regime’s thugs transferring those detained to unknown locations.






Mainstreaming The Gender Dimension In India’s Climate Change Discourse
by Zeenat Masoodi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/mainstreaming-the-gender-dimension-in-indias-climate-change-discourse/

Climate justice was the clarion call issued by India when the Paris Agreement was adopted last year. But climate justice is incomplete without women as equal partners and decision makers. The gender dimension is all but absent from the climate change discourse in Indiaand must be moved to the foreground.





Govt. of India And Orissa: Act Now: Prevent Child Deaths In Malkangiri
by National Alliance of People’s Movements 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/govt-of-india-and-orissa-act-now-prevent-child-deaths-in-malkangiri/

While the deaths have crossed the unpardonable mark of 300, the Govt. as usual, continues to undercut the number to less than the half of the actual deaths. Even taking the official figure of 121 deaths, it an extremely serious case and calls for an urgent, comprehensive action, in a situation when state apathy and delay have been primary reasons for these avoidable deaths on such a large scale.




Seeking The True Path
by Robert J Burrowes

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/seeking-the-true-path/

Most people end up believing that there are only ever two choices on anything that matters and neither is particularly desirable. Unconsciously, they feel trapped and it makes no sense when they are told that they have many options from which to choose. This is not their experience and it just feels untrue. They will endlessly choose the lesser evil of two bad options on virtually everything that matters in their life and accept the trinket ‘goods’ they are allowed to choose, such as the nature of their hairstyle.





Kashmir’s Stakeholders!
by Mohammad Ashraf  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/kashmirs-stakeholders/

Dialogue among all the “Stakeholders” is the present refrain but one could ask who the real “Stakeholders” are and what stakes they have?





Thus Betrayed PDP
by Basharat Shameem 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/11/24/thus-betrayed-pdp/

This long overdue design of altering the demography of the state has gathered momentum since Sangh’s intrusion into the state with active connivance of PDP. The spokespersons of PDP would do well to know that Kashmiris have seen too many betrayals, conspiracies and tragedies to believe in their dispellers anymore.