CounterCurrents: Revolt Is The Only Barrier To A Fascist America

Dear Friend,

On assuming office Donald Trump had no time to waste. He signed a flurry of executive orders to scuttle "Obama Care'', Federal hiring except military, pulling out of TPP and many others. Many of them had a mark on his administration's far-right agenda. 

Chris Hedges gives this important advice "The days ahead will be dark and frightening. But as Immanuel Kant reminded us, “if justice perishes, human life on earth has lost its meaning.” We fight for the sacred. We fight for life. It is a fight we must not lose. To be a bystander is to be complicit in radical evil. Revolt is a political necessity. It is a moral imperative. It is a defense of the sacred. It allows us to live in truth. It alone makes hope possible."

India is celebrating Republic day on 26th. Retired Professor of Law Dr KS Sharma delves into the making of the Indian Constitution and enquires into its sources.  It is the Foreword  to  the book “Indian Constitution Unriddled :Search for Sources” compiled by late Sri SG Nadgir and Dr. KS Sharma. It is worth studying  on the eve of the Republic Day when lot of uncritical  glorification has a field day. 

Emily Spence writes a heart-rending article "How Do We Assist Those Not As Fortunate As Ourselves?" with a lot of shocking photographs. This is a real reflection of a world we  live in. Emily writes "All considered, many of us are relatively fortunate. It’s very obvious when we contrast our lives to the lives of others. Yet what can we do to help those who have been severely compromised to bring peace to us all? What can we do for the people, the other animals, the forests, the wetlands, meadows and so on? How can we help preserve rather than tear down the world and others around us?"

And 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




Trump Uses Executive Orders To Impose Hiring And Regulatory Freezes
by Tom Eley 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/trump-uses-executive-orders-to-impose-hiring-and-regulatory-freezes/

In the first days of his presidency, Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders and memoranda that outline his administration’s far-right agenda: economic nationalism and war abroad; attacks on living standards and democratic rights at home.





Revolt Is The Only Barrier To A Fascist America
by Chris Hedges 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/revolt-is-the-only-barrier-to-a-fascist-america/

The days ahead will be dark and frightening. But as Immanuel Kant reminded us, “if justice perishes, human life on earth has lost its meaning.” We fight for the sacred. We fight for life. It is a fight we must not lose. To be a bystander is to be complicit in radical evil. Revolt is a political necessity. It is a moral imperative. It is a defense of the sacred. It allows us to live in truth. It alone makes hope possible.





Chicago Women’s March… More Than 250,000 People, Majority Of Them Women, On The Move Against Trump And Trumpism…
by Susan Zupan 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/chicago-womens-march-more-than-250000-people-majority-of-them-women-on-the-move-against-trump-and-trumpism/

The Women’s March of January 21, 2017, was too large for anyone to “cover” as a reporter or photographer. This is one participant’s report, view and experience from the streets of Chicago during the January 21, 2017 Women’s March. My report is presented mostly as a snapshot of the people, posters and chants encountered.





Obama Legacy, Racism And Trump Victory in America
by Taj Hashmi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/obama-legacy-racism-and-trump-victory-in-america/

The degeneration of the average White American reached near its culmination point possibly after America had invaded and killed millions of innocent people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Libya. The bulk of Americans knew their Government was lying and invading countries and killing (non-White) people for the sake of glory, wealth, and power. Many of them – civilian and military – were beneficiaries of these unjust invasions. Sadly, in the wake of all these killings and the handful of counter-killings by terrorists, the average Americans have been desensitized to killing; and thanks to the concerted Government and media propaganda, have started believing themselves as the hapless victims of Islamist terrorism, and non-White invaders.






The Revolt Of The Intelligence Community: Future Battles With President Donald Trump
by Dr Binoy Kampmark 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/the-revolt-of-the-intelligence-community-future-battles-with-president-donald-trump/

The battle of the lobbies is looming in Trumpland.  If there is one awful reality to play itself out here, lobbies, with their stifling tentacles, will be it.    The idea of an intelligence lobby that has stepped out of the shadows to actively barrack for their own candidate should be a worrying sign of the times, the rank smell of a potential coup d’état in the wings.






Trump: The Defeat Of Science
by Ugo Bardi 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/trump-the-defeat-of-science/

Even less soul searching has been performed by those who turned out to be among the major losers in this story: science and scientists. In particular, climate scientists saw their field wiped out from the White House Website minutes after President Trump took office. That may have been simply a question of protocol, but surely it is not a good omen for the future.






US National Intelligence Council Predicts Indo-Pakistan Nuclear War In 2028
by Abdus Sattar Ghazali 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/us-intelligence-national-council-predicts-indo-pakistan-nuclear-war-in-2028/

The US National Intelligence Council has predicted a nuclear war between India and Pakistan in 2028. The prediction came in the Council report released recently under the title: Global Trends: Paradox of Progress.






How Do We Assist Those Not As Fortunate As Ourselves?
by Emily Spence 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/how-do-we-assist-those-not-as-fortunate-as-ourselves/

All considered, many of us are relatively fortunate. It’s very obvious when we contrast our lives to the lives of others. Yet what can we do to help those who have been severely compromised to bring peace to us all? What can we do for the people, the other animals, the forests, the wetlands, meadows and so on? How can we help preserve rather than tear down the world and others around us?






Indian Constitution Unriddled : Search For Sources
by Dr KS Sharma 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/indian-constitution-unriddled-search-for-sources/

“Indian Constitution Unriddled :Search for Sources” is a monumental work published by Purogami Prakashana , Hubli, in 2015 March. The volume is compiled by late Sri SG Nadgir and Dr. KS Sharma, and published to mark the birth centenary of the former, a renowned teacher. What follows here is the Foreword to the book by Dr.KS Sharma, eminent Professor of Law. It is worth studying  on the eve of the Republic Day when lot of uncritical  glorification has a field day. 






As Jallikattu Is Permitted, Demands To Permit Kambala Buffalo Races Rise In Karnataka
by Naveen Soorinje 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/as-jallikattu-is-permitted-demands-to-permit-kambala-buffalo-races-rise-in-karnataka/

We can say that all efforts to save and rejuvenate Kambala will result in institutionalizing the caste-based prejudices and hierarchies. The rural buffalo-racing sport of Kambala, as practiced in coastal Karnataka, therefore, doesn’t fit the egalitarian structure enshrined in our Constitution.






The Fascination With Ram Rajya
by Nivedita Dwivedi    

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/the-fascination-with-ram-rajya/

In his recent speech in a rally at Faizabad, PM Modi stated, “…When people asked Mahatma Gandhi how good governance should be, he would reply in one word, a welfare state should be like Ram Rajya…”. This fascination with equating ‘good governance’ with ‘Ram Rajya’ is not new, so much so that the two are almost used interchangeably. It would be worthwhile to dig a little deep into this ‘Ram Rajya – Good Governance’ equation. 






Why Ban Mobile Internet In Kashmir?
by Gowhar Naz 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/why-ban-mobile-internet-in-kashmir/

Businesses and public sector services across Kashmir  were badly hit, & still as the ban on Internet services — especially prepaid 2G, 3G mobile internet service — remains suspended for the seventh month in a row. The ban is likely to be effective for some more time. As the authorities are in no mood to restore it. Education, banking, business, trading, travel, manufacturing and other services that depend on Internet connectivity bore are affected due to the ban.






Narrative Of Contestation: Shahnaz Bashir’s ‘The Half Mother’
by Basharat Shameem 

http://www.countercurrents.org/2017/01/24/narrative-of-contestation-shahnaz-bashirs-the-half-mother/

Shahnaz Bashir’s debut novel The Half Mother offers a fresh perspective on the reality of the conflict in Kashmir through literary imagination by attempting to highlight the predicament of Kashmiris who have lived under the debilitating shadows of military oppression. The focus is clearly on the adverse impact of the conflict on Kashmiri women who have endured a tough existence under the military oppression. It is an aspect of the conflict which has been neglected by the world.