CounterCurrents: Difference Between Fake News And Real News, Trump’s Biggest Test So Far, Trump And The March Of The Billionaires

Dear Friend,

This is one of the most difficult and most heart-breaking news letters I've to write. Defending what I've been doing for the past 15 years believing that this would make this world a better place and give our future generations a dignified living. It seems all my efforts have come to a nought. Countercurrents.org has been blacklisted by an anonymous website and it has been trumpeted by a 'respectable' news paper like Washington Post. 

Antonio Gramsci wrote "the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters". Yes, the new world has brought forward monsters like Narendra Modi, Donald Trump, Brexit, and now "Fake News Blacklist". 

Why is this?

Robert J Barsocchini gives a historical context,  "Fake news propagated by the US government and collaborating organizations such as the New York Times and Washington Post helped create an environment in which the US was able to illegally invade Iraq in 2003, killing at least one million and possibly upwards of two million people, including the deaths of some 4,500 US soldiers, according to a meta-study by Nobel-winning Physicians for Social Responsibility.Just this November, nearly 6,000 people were killed in Iraq thanks to the conflicts that are still raging due to the invasion (which is ongoing), and it was not an atypical month – even more were killed in October."

Like the Brexit, in Italy, Matteo Renzi lost the referendum and was forced to resign. The 'deep state' news (propaganda) peddled by the mainstream media is no longer accepted by the masses. What's the choice before them? Click-bait journalism! Ugor Bardi of University of Florence makes it very clear " the  opposite of a lie is not necessarily the truth".

The populace are thrown between the devil and the deep sea. Which way to go?

Romi Mahajan gives some perceptible tips to the concerned and discerning citizens

1.     Stop clicking on, forwarding and retweeting random, unprovenanced material.
2.     Make your views clear to the publishers of these sites- that you want real, fact-based journalism and not opinions and vituperations with no substantiation and connection to logic.
3.     Financially support real journalism.
4.     Subscribe to print publications that produce thoughtful, meticulously researched materials
5.     Demand more from every journalist and every publisher

Coming back to the balcklisting of Countercurrents.org by WashPo quoting an anonymous website, Mark Ames suggests in his article  that 
The Anonymous Blacklist Promoted By The Washington Post Has Apparent Ties To Ukrainian Fascism And CIA Spying.

#HumansOfDemonetisedIndia campaign is gaining traction. If you've got a story do send it to editor@countercurrents.org

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





NYT, WaPo Fake News Still Bringing Real Guns To Iraq, Killing Thousands
by Robert J Barsocchini 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/nyt-wapo-fake-news-still-bringing-real-guns-to-iraq-killing-thousands/

Fake news propagated by the US government and collaborating organizations such as the New York Times and Washington Post helped create an environment in which the US was able to illegally invade Iraq in 2003, killing at least one million and possibly upwards of two million people, including the deaths of some 4,500 US soldiers, according to a meta-study by Nobel-winning Physicians for Social Responsibility.Just this November, nearly 6,000 people were killed in Iraq thanks to the conflicts that are still raging due to the invasion (which is ongoing), and it was not an atypical month – even more were killed in October.






Italy’s Referendum: The Great Defeat Of Matteo Renzi, As Commented By Leon Tolstoy
by Ugo Bardi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/italys-referendum-the-great-defeat-of-matteo-renzi-as-commented-by-leon-tolstoy/

There is a clear parallel between the results of the Italian constitutional referendum of Dec 4th, 2016 and those of the Brexit referendum and the defeat of Hillary Clinton in the US. In all cases, we saw devastating failures for the mainstream media. People refused to listen to the messages beamed to them. They had the feeling of being swindled and probably they knew that, when you start suspecting that you are being swindled, you probably are. And they reacted accordingly.






The Anonymous Blacklist Promoted By The Washington Post Has Apparent Ties To Ukrainian Fascism And CIA Spying
by Mark Ames 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/the-anonymous-blacklist-promoted-by-the-washington-post-has-apparent-ties-to-ukrainian-fascism-and-cia-spying/

Last month, the Washington Post gave a glowing front-page boost to an anonymous online blacklist of hundreds of American websites, from marginal conspiracy sites to flagship libertarian and progressive publications. As Max Blumenthal reported for AlterNet, the anonymous website argued that all of them should be investigated by the federal government and potentially prosecuted under the Espionage Act as Russian spies, for wittingly or unwittingly spreading Russian propaganda.






Consumer Apathy And Fake News: The Shit Has Hit The Fan And Smeared The Walls
by Romi Mahajan

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/consumer-apathy-and-fake-news-the-shit-has-hit-the-fan-and-smeared-the-walls/

So what needs to be done?  I can think of a few things:
1.     Stop clicking on, forwarding and retweeting random, unprovenanced material.
2.     Make your views clear to the publishers of these sites- that you want real, fact-based journalism and not opinions and vituperations with no substantiation and connection to logic.
3.     Financially support real journalism.
4.     Subscribe to print publications that produce thoughtful, meticulously researched materials
5.     Demand more from every journalist and every publisher






America’s Final Solution For The Sioux: It Was A Close Call!
by Irwin Jerome  

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/americas-final-solution-for-the-sioux-it-was-a-close-call/

Before the NODAPL Sioux Protest passes into the next phase of America squarely addressing the larger issue of Climate Change and how to more quickly convert from fossil fuels to renewable energies, it’s important to reflect upon what exactly happened over the past several months that the NODAPL Protest raged.






Veterans Help #NoDAPL Resistance Achieve Significant Victory
by Brian Trautman

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/veterans-help-nodapl-resistance-achieve-significant-victory/

Regardless of the future decisions and actions of the government and ETP and the nonviolent struggle against it, our children and grandchildren will be told of the historic unification of Native tribes and the efficacy of people power that made Sunday’s victory possible. It is imperative that we put our trust not in the promises of government but in the actions of people who hold their government accountable to those promises. Nonviolent direct action has been proven to work in grassroots movements and campaigns against oppression. Whatever the outcome of DAPL construction, the beautiful and enduring spirit of bridging differences to work collectively to protect and secure human rights, as seen in the #NoDAPL resistance, is something that will inform and inspire peace and justice efforts worldwide for many years to come.






Localism In The Age Of Trump
by Richard Heinberg 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/localism-in-the-age-of-trump/

2016 will be remembered as the year Donald Trump—a wealthy, narcissistic political novice with a strong authoritarian bent—was elected president of the United States after campaigning against economic globalization. The events are fresh enough in many people’s minds that feelings are still raw and the implications are both unclear and, for many, terrifying. For those who have spent years, in some cases decades, denouncing globalization and seeking to build a localist alternative, this is surely a vexing and confusing moment.






Trump And The March Of The Billionaires
by Nomi Prins 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/trump-and-the-march-of-the-billionaires/

Given his cabinet picks so far, it’s reasonable to assume that The Donald finds hanging out with anyone who isn’t a billionaire (or at least a multimillionaire) a drag. What would there be to talk about if you left the Machiavellian class and its exploits for the company of the sort of normal folk you can rouse at a rally?






Trump’s Biggest Test So Far
by Eric Zuesse 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/trumps-biggest-test-so-far/

The precipitating event here is this: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on December 7th that they want to continue the existing hostilities against Russia: specifically the economic sanctions that U.S. President Barack Obama initiated against Russia after Russia had accepted the overwhelming (90%+) request of the residents in Crimea to restore Crimea’s pre-1954 status, of being for hundreds of years an integral part of Russia.






Fossil Fuel Corruption: The Problem With Adani
by Dr Binoy Kampmark

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/fossil-fuel-corruption-the-problem-with-adani/

Even by these standards, Adani Mining has done well for itself.  The placation and encouragement of this famed abuser of the environment has been stunning.  Australian politicians at the state and commonwealth level have marched to its tune for some years now, seeing it as a blessed provider in the development stakes. Whatever ends up on the desk in Canberra on this subject, rest assured that this mining monster will receive an endorsement.






Home Truths About The Climate Emergency
by Share The World's Resources    

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/home-truths-about-the-climate-emergency/

As 2016 draws to a close, we appear to be living in a world that is increasingly defined by its illusions, where the truth is a matter of subjective interpretation or argumentative debate. Indeed, following the United States election and Brexit referendum there is much talk of a new era of post-truth politics, in which appeals to emotion count more than verifiable facts. But there are some facts that cannot be ignored for much longer, however hard we may try. And the greatest of all these facts is the escalating climate emergency that neither mainstream politicians, nor the public at large, are anywhere near to confronting on the urgent scale needed.






One Astronomical Step For Activists And Humankind
Co-Written by Rachel Olivia O’Connor and Richard Martin Oxman

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/one-astronomical-step-for-activists-and-humankind/

We don’t need money to carve out historic inroads in the electoral arena. We’re going to have to drop that notion, just like astronomers in the 16th and 17th centuries had to dispense with the lie that our planet lay in the center of our solar system. All we need is to honor our love for doing the right thing.






What Has Gone Wrong With Oil Prices, Debt, And GDP Growth?
by Gail Tverberg 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/what-has-gone-wrong-with-oil-prices-debt-and-gdp-growth/


It would be nice if we could figure out a way to make our economy last forever, but it is doubtful that we can. Ultimately, the battle between diminishing returns and increased complexity seems likely to be settled in a way that causes the economy to collapse.






Review Of Ralph Nader’s “Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Than We Think”
by Romi Mahajan 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/08/review-of-ralph-naders-breaking-through-power-its-easier-than-we-think/

Against this backdrop- and in an increasingly corporatized world with rightward drift, Ralph Nader’s new book comes as a solid and inspirational clarion call to “break through power.” With a rich narrative sensibility, Nader explains clearly that if only 1% of people spend even 300 hours a year on clear, goal-oriented activism, the world can be shaped by the contours of fairness, justice, and equality. He tells us about scores of people- many of whom are unknown to many of us and unsung by the media- who bettered society on the basis of determination and morality.






#HumansOfDemonetisedIndia: Stella, The Fish Vendor

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/humansofdemonetisedindia-stella-the-fish-vendor/

#HumansOfDemonetisedIndia: My name is Stella. I’m a fish vendor at Shangumugham, Trivandrum, Kerala. I’ve been selling fish for the past 27 years, and never before have I gone back home after a day’s business with any leftovers. But now things are different. With the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes, my daily sales have nosedived from a decent Rs 15,000-20,000 to a pitiable Rs 3000.. I’m 60 years old. Will I be forced to look for another job at this age?






Fact Finding Report Of GASS On Child Deaths in Malkangiri

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/fact-finding-report-of-gass-on-child-deaths-in-malkangiri/

The government of Odisha has failed to check deaths of children due to an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) in the district of  Malkangiri. A total of 136 children have succumbed to JE over the past three months but the government’s response has been pathetic






It’s Time For Obituary Of Triple Talaq
by Moin Qazi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/its-time-for-obituary-of-triple-talaq/

The Allahabad High Court has finally got the clock of judicial activism ticking by saying that triple talaq  is unconstitutional. It was no surprise   and the liberal strands in Muslims thought had already stood out clear.    Indeed, one of the reasons triple talaq has remained legal so long is the fear, propounded by Muslim community leaders, that if the government is allowed to tamper with Islamic personal laws, it might one day scrap them completely, and the majority will swallow them up.





Would You Donate Even $1 To Help Homeless Women?
by Mickey Z 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/09/would-you-donate-even-1-to-help-homeless-women/

But now, I’m ready to focus my energies on two things desperately needed in the Trump Era: cultivating serious resistance and providing support for the most vulnerable. I also want to do something specifically for the largest oppressed group on earth: females.