History

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Dirty Hands by Gaither Stewart

Power Corrupts

Image by Gordon Joly via Flickr

by Gaither Stewart
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Rome, Italy
October 27, 2019

“You should therefore know that there are two ways to fight: one while abiding by the rules, the other by using force. The first approach is unique to Man; the second is that of beasts. But because in many cases the first method will not suffice, one must be prepared to resort to force. This is why a ruler needs to know how to conduct himself: in the manner of a beast as well as that of man.” — Niccolo Machiavelli

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A Crisis of Capitalism is Being Faced by Millennials in South Korea by Ellen Brown

Death to Capitalism

Image by lisbokt via Flickr

by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
October 25, 2019

This 10-page paper was written for the Economics of Happiness Conference co-sponsored by Local Futures, held in Jeonju, Korea, on October 16-17, where I was the keynote speaker — a wonderful city and great experience!

Satisfaction in the workplace is a major component of the “happiness” index; but it is a satisfaction that young people joining the workforce today are not feeling. In a 2017 book titled Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials, Malcolm Harris asks why the millennial generation – those born between 1981 and 1996 – are so burned out. His answer is, “the economy.” Millennials are bearing the brunt of the economic damage wrought by late 20thcentury capitalism, with economic insecurities throwing them into a state of perpetual panic. Harris argues that if they want to meaningfully improve their lives and the lives of future generations, they will have to overthrow the system and rewrite the social contract.

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Is America Ready for Socialism? by Finian Cunningham

Capitalism isn't working

Image by Cary Bass-Deschenes via Flickr

by Finian Cunningham
Writer, Dandelion Salad
East Africa
Crossposted from Strategic Culture Foundation, Oct. 13, 2019
October 21, 2019

Strategic Culture Foundation conducted the following interview with American professor of politics Colin S. Cavell on the seeming emergence of a more leftwing agenda among some Democratic politicians and a more radical consciousness among ordinary American citizens for social and economic equality.

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Chris Hedges and Stephen Kinzer: War With Iran?

No War On Iran NYC March

Image by Debra Sweet via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

RT America on Sep 28, 2019

Host Chris Hedges talks to journalist and author Stephen Kinzer about efforts by Riyadh and Washington to cripple Iran’s economy, inevitably putting Saudi Arabia, its Gulf allies and Washington on a collision course with the Islamic republic that could end in war.

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How Do We Rent Our Lives? by The Anti-Social Socialist

How Do We Rent Our Lives? by The Anti-Social Socialist

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr
Watch the video below

“The radical capitalist social revolution in which sovereignty in economic affairs passed from the community as a whole into the hands of special class of masters often remote from production, a group alien to the producers.” — Norman Ware

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Columbus, the Indians, and Human Progress by Howard Zinn

Christopher Columbus Glazed Tile Painting - 9

Image by Anthony Catalano via Flickr

It’s that time of the year again. In case you missed reading this, here it is again.

by Howard Zinn
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Originally published October 13, 2009
October 14, 2019

An excerpt from A People’s History of the United States.

Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. He later wrote of this in his log:
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The Imperialist Motives Behind Sanders’ Attacks On Chavismo by Rainer Shea

The Imperialist Motives Behind Sanders’ Attacks On Chavismo by Rainer Shea

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by Rainer Shea
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Rainer Shea: Anti-Imperialist Journalist
September 18, 2019

It’s no wonder why Bernie Sanders’ supporters are so loyal to him in spite of his pro-imperialist tendencies. He’s offering them universal healthcare and adequate social benefits at a time when neoliberalism has made half of the country effectively poor. Many Americans have gravitated towards Sanders simply out of the desire to attain adequate living standards, which his policies would indeed create for them. What anti-imperialists must do is shatter the illusion that Sanders’ agenda of bettering life for Americans equates to an agenda of bettering life for the world’s colonized people, which Sanders has shown he doesn’t want to do.

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Uncle Sam was Born Lethal by Paul Street

Trail of Tears

Image by kingary via Flickr

by Paul Street
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Official Website of Paul Street, Sept. 1, 2019
September 16, 2019

“For revolting barbarity and shameless hypocrisy, America reigns without a rival.”

– Frederick Douglass, July 4, 1852

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Chris Hedges: The Tyranny of the Corporate Workplace

What is Wage Slavery?

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr
Watch the video below

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

RT America on Sep 14, 2019

Host Chris Hedges talks to Elizabeth Anderson, professor of philosophy at University of Michigan, about the tyranny of the corporate workplace from non-disclosure agreements to punitive, restrictive work conditions and censorship. Their discussion comes as California lawmakers passed landmark legislation challenging the business model of “gig-economy” companies forcing companies to reclassify certain contract workers as employees.

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Howard Zinn: We Should Welcome the Collapse of the US Empire

U.S. Out Of Everywhere

Image by Danny Hammontree via Flickr

with Howard Zinn
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Originally posted Sept. 16, 2018
September 12, 2019

“Some day people will look back on 9/11 and sure they will see it as you know the first terrible act of terrorism committed in the United States by some foreign group but they may also see 9/11 as the beginning of the disintegration of the American Empire. Because from 9/11 came the war on terrorism, so-called, the bombing of Afghanistan and now the war on Iraq and the bloating of the American military machine and the war budget and the deprivation of civil liberties. And I believe that there will be a victory in the short run and defeat of the American government in the long run. And that defeat should be welcomed. We need regime change in the United States.” — Howard Zinn

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Capitalism, Imperialism, and their Genocidal Consequences by Rainer Shea

Will Griffin: The Three Main Reasons Why The U.S. Invaded and Occupied Afghanistan

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by Rainer Shea
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Rainer Shea: Anti-Imperialist Journalist, Aug. 7, 2019
September 8, 2019

The story of how America became an empire is one where a group of ambitious and egotistical men rationalized implementing a governing model which would lead to massive death and suffering. Its main forerunner was Theodore Roosevelt, a narcissistic politician from an upper-class household who was determined to turn his childhood obsession with war into a foreign policy model which would make the United States into a conquering nation. He and the other political elites who supported the Spanish-American War and the subsequent rush to empire received support from William Randolph Hearst, the businessman who used his vast newspaper network to manufacture public opinion for war because war stories would help him sell papers better than the lurid gossip that he otherwise used to gain the public’s attention.

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Chris Hedges: How The Capitalist State Uses Fear To Maintain Control

Why Is War A Permanent Feature of Capitalism?

Image by Zhu via Flickr

Dandelion Salad

with Chris Hedges

RT America on Sep 7, 2019

Host Chris Hedges talks to Dr. Charles Derber about how the capitalist state uses fear bolstered by racism as a tool to control the people, and through their efforts to abolish civil liberties, crush dissent and extinguish democratic space. Derber is the author of a new book, Moving Beyond Fear: Upending the Security Tales in Capitalism, Fascism and Democracy, with Yale R. Magrass.

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The Sources of Early Christian Communism by Roman A. Montero

Happy Birthday to Jesus, the Anti-Imperialist Socialist!

Screenshot by Dandelion Salad via Flickr

by Roman A. Montero
Writer, Dandelion Salad
Oslo, Norway
Roman A. Montero’s blog
Originally published by Church life Journal, July 30, 2019
September 6, 2019

In the vast literature dealing with the rise of Christianity, we find many different accounts of how this small sect of Jewish messianists arose, spread, and eventually took over the Roman Empire. However, most of these histories focus on Christianity as a group defined by a set of beliefs, or a group dedicated to the adoration of the person of Jesus Christ. While it is true that Christianity, as it arose, was certainly those things, it was also a group with its own socio-economic ideology and set of practices.

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Labor History: The Pullman Strike of 1894

940626-walker-chicagoblockade-harpersweekly-color.jpg
By Galtzaurdin – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Dandelion Salad
Originally published Sept. 4, 2017
September 2, 2019

The Pullman Strike of 1894 Explained: US History Review

Keith Hughes on Jun 3, 2014

Join me as we take a look at a pivot strike in US History, the Pullman Strike of 1894. Perfect for inquisitive learners, students of the social studies and the cray cray on the internets.

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The True Roots of Money & Banking and How to Pull Off a Modern Debt Jubilee by Ellen Brown

cancel the debt

Image by Friends of the Earth International via Flickr

by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
September 1, 2019

We are again reaching the point in the business cycle known as “peak debt,” when debts have compounded to the point that their cumulative total cannot be paid. Student debt, credit card debt, auto loans, business debt and sovereign debt are all higher than they have ever been. As economist Michael Hudson writes in his provocative 2018 book, “…and forgive them their debts,” debts that can’t be paid won’t be paid. The question, he says, is how they won’t be paid.

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