CounterCurrents: Newer And Newer Monsters Are Being Born, Newer And Newer Monsters Are Being Born

Dear Friend,

As I quoted Antonio Gramsci a few days agao "the old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters".  With each passing day newer and newer monsters are being born. Now a new monster is born to hunt climate change scientists. President-elect Donald Trump’s Energy Department transition team has reportedly been asking for the names of civil servants that have worked on environmental policies under President Barack Obama, sparking fears of a coming “climate purge” by the incoming Trump administration.

Sensing the danger Lauren Kurtz, Executive Director at Climate Science Legal Defense Fund, published an article in the well respected Realclimate.org "Defending Climate Science: 10 Things That Every Scientist Should Consider". 

The attack on Climate Scientists is particularly alarming, vicious and threatening the future of the species. 

Like the fake news website list, another unknown group has prepared a Professors Watchlist. The list describes itself "The mission of Professor Watchlist is to expose and document college professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom." At least one of the writers of CC is on the list. New McCarthyism is here. How do we fight it?

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




Internal Memo Sparks Fears Of Climate ‘Witch Hunt’ Under President Trump
by Lauren McCauley

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/internal-memo-sparks-fears-of-climate-witch-hunt-under-president-trump/

President-elect Donald Trump’s Energy Department transition team has reportedly been asking for the names of civil servants that have worked on environmental policies under President Barack Obama, sparking fears of a coming “climate purge” by the incoming Trump administration.





Defending Climate Science: 10 Things That Every Scientist Should Consider
by Lauren Kurtz 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/defending-climate-science-10-things-that-every-scientist-should-consider/

Now more than ever, it’s important that scientists prepare themselves for how best to deal with political harassment or legal intimidation. Below are 10 things that every scientist should consider.





Climate Change: India Can And Must Go It Alone
by Anandi Sharan 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/india-can-and-must-go-it-alone/

what about India? We CAN just go it alone. It is a fact that a small patch of land in a desertified landscape that has been restored to be a relatively natural ecological system has a micro climate that is ten degree Celsius cooler than the surroundings. I think surely it is worth giving the people of the subcontinent this opportunity to escape the worst impacts. Is this Republic so weak that we cannot defeat capital and its professional apologists here? Surely they are not yet so irreversibly entrenched?





How Standing Rock Has Changed Us
by Sarah van Gelder 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/how-standing-rock-has-changed-us/

Nonetheless, this is a time to celebrate. The water protectors won a huge victory with the Corps of Engineers decision—a victory that benefits not only the Sioux tribes, not only those along the Missouri River, but everyone. We all drink water and need a stable climate. As we navigate what may be the most dangerous time in human history, the lessons from Standing Rock can guide us. As we create a post-fossil fuel society, we can take the lessons of respect and nonviolence, of valuing life over money, of learning from the indigenous peoples as cornerstones. A revolution in values and culture is rippling out across the country and the world, and it started at Standing Rock.





Modi’s War On Cash: The “Ice Nine” Solution
by C R Sridhar 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/modis-war-on-cash-the-ice-nine-solution/

The term “Ice Nine” is from the novel “Cat’s Cradle” written by Kurt Vonnegut in 1963. This substance was discovered by a character in the book, a Dr. Felix Hoenikker, which could freeze another molecule of water when it came into contact with it.  “Ice Nine” had the awesome capacity to freeze rivers, lakes and oceans. In a financial panic, a “Ice Nine” approach means taking draconian measures to prevent or  severely restrict withdrawal of physical cash from bank accounts, shutting down ATM’s and ordering asset managers not to sell securities. In other words this means financial repression or lockdown.





Demonetisation In India – What’s Not To Love?
by Merlin Flower 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/demonetisation-in-india-whats-not-to-love/

As the queues outside the banks grew, so did the misfortunes of the people. More than seventy people, mostly older citizens, lost their lives in the hustle and bustle of serpentines queues[i]. Where were the rulers? The Prime Minister, who is a vagabond, was basking in Japan. To be fair, he didn’t have to stand outside a bank to exchange money. He may have changed notes a long time ago, you know.






HumansOfDeMonetisedIndia: Sabu,The Auto Rickshaw Driver

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/humansofdemonetisedindia-sabuthe-auto-rickshaw-driver/

My name is Sabu. I am an auto rickshaw driver from Perumbavoor, Kerala. Perumbavoor is the capital of migrant labourers in Kerala. A lot of migrant workers used to work near this town. After the note ban, a lot of them have lost jobs and left for home. Sunday is their holiday as well their shopping day. On a typical Sunday we used to make Rs 4000-5000. Now we hardly make Rs 1000. It was this Sunday bonanza that kept our business going. We could pay our rent and pay off other debts. On other days too we hardly make Rs 500-700. Many of my friends have stopped plying. I don’t know how they are surviving. Since I don’t have to pay rent I keep going, but I don’t know how long.






Telling Local People’s History: An Interview With Hartford Activist Steve Thornton
by Andy Piascik

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/telling-local-peoples-history-an-interview-with-hartford-activist-steve-thornton/


Steve Thornton has been an activist in Hartford since moving there in the 1970’s after graduating from the University of Connecticut. He worked for many years for the Hartford-based health care workers union, New England District 1199, and has been involved in many organizations and campaigns in the city over the last 40 years. He also has a keen interest in local people’s history, and some years ago started a website, shoeleatherhistoryproject.com, to popularize that history.  





Mainstream Media: The Real Source Of Fake News
by Nauman Sadiq

http://www.countercurrents.org/2016/12/11/mainstream-media-the-real-source-of-fake-news/

And finally, during the Libyan and Syrian proxy wars the former terrorists once again became freedom fighters – albeit in a more nuanced manner, this time around the corporate media sells them as “moderate rebels.” And the naive audience of the mainstream media is once again willing to buy this narrative. It really stretches the limit of human credulity that how easy it has been for the mainstream media to sell fake news and false narratives to its uncritical audience.