The Shock Doctrine

"The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Naomi Klein's "The Shock Doctrine" advances a truly unnerving argument: historically, while people were reeling from natural disasters, wars and economic upheavals, savvy politicians and industry leaders nefariously implemented policies that would never have passed during less muddled times. As Klein demonstrates, this reprehensible game of bait-and-switch isn't just some relic from the bad old days. It's alive and well in contemporary society, and coming soon to a disaster area near you.

"At the most chaotic juncture in Iraq'' civil war, a new law is unveiled that will allow Shell and BP to claim the country's vast oil reserves… Immediately following September 11, the Bush Administration quietly outsources the running of the 'War on Terror' to Halliburton and Blackwater… After a tsunami wipes out the coasts of Southeast Asia, the pristine beaches are auctioned off to tourist resorts… New Orleans residents, scattered from Hurricane Katrina, discover that their public housing, hospitals and schools will never be re-opened." Klein not only kicks butt, she names names, notably economist Milton Friedman and his radical Chicago School of the 1950s and 60s which she notes "produced many of the leading neo-conservative and neo-liberal thinkers whose influence is still profound in Washington today." Stand up and take a bow, Donald Rumsfeld.

There's little doubt Klein's book--which arrived to enormous attention and fanfare thanks to her previous missive, the best-selling "No Logo: No Space, No Choice", No Jobs", will stir the ire of the right and corporate America. It's also true that Klein's assertions are coherent, comprehensively researched and footnoted, and she makes a very credible case. Even if the world isn't going to hell in a hand-basket just yet, it's nice to know a sharp customer like Klein is bearing witness to the backroom machinations of government and industry in times of turmoil. --Kim Hughes --This text refers to the "Hardcover edition".

Record High Army Suicides Prompt Action : NPR

A U.S. soldier is now more likely than a civilian to take his own life, and the situation is getting worse, not better. To combat suicides, the Army is taking new steps, such as using an interactive video game in which soldiers role play with an imaginary buddy in crisis. >>>>>Rest Here {along with the audio feed}

Or click this link to bring up their player.

There was another recent report about even civilian workers on military bases have numbers of suicides on the rise, the military structure is broken, the stress, across the board, is extremely high!

And this recent video report:

Military Suicides at a 30-Year High


Study: Communities must do more for vets

If local organizations do not reach out proactively to the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to become more engaged in treating the veterans returning to their communities, they can expect the veterans’ pain to affect their families, their ability to contribute to society, and even their ability to care for themselves, said Audrey Burnam, senior behavioral scientist at the Rand Corp. think tank.

Burnam said vets returning from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq represent a “historic opportunity” for communities to learn more about PTSD, educate others about the illness and come together to deal with it.

Burnam, who spoke at a Health Affairs Journal panel May 5 in Washington, is the lead author of a new Rand report, “Mental Health Care for Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans,” that makes a case for a broad reform of services that looks beyond VA.

A Full List From Rand

NH hopes to help its veterans for long haul

Dave Clark remembers all too clearly that February day in 1968 when the transport truck he was driving in Vietnam was hit by enemy fire, and all the troops he was carrying were killed. He recalls, "I grabbed my weapon after I got thrown from the truck and i joined the marines in a firefight until a grenade ended it for me."

And from one veteran to another, Clark sends a message that it's more than OK, it's essential to ask for help. "They're gonna be scarred. They're gonna be scarred and they're gonna have to have somebody to talk to.

Linda Blimes Book
The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict

Refugee Iraqi Student Taif Jany: Happy Birthday Pete Seeger!

by Andrew Courtney

Iraqi student Taif Jany gives Pete Seeger a gift: the words to the famous Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land", as adapted by Iraqi refugee students in Damascus, Syria. The occasion is Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration, May Day 2009, with friends and local musicians at the Beacon Sloop Club on the Hudson River.

The audience sings along with Pete and Taif, a refugee from Baghdad. Taif, now attending Union College in Schenectady, NY, is part of the Iraqi Student Project.

The "super patriots supporting the Troops":

The following link is a short post over at the VetVoice interactive blog by Matthew Alexander, an Air Force Interrogator who wrote "How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq"

This is his post subject title: Coulter Insults Hundreds of Combat Veterans starting off with this:

On Hannity on April 30th, Ann Coulter criticized me for speaking out against torture, mocking my service and stating "I did not know the Air Force had interrogators."........find the rest at link.

I placed the link to this on my facebook page, one of the lady friends, who works with the military, came back with this:

Steven K. O'Hern's book: The retired AF COL was director of the Strategic Counterintelligence Directorate of the Multi-National Force in Baghdad, Iraq, from April to September 2005

"Intelligence Wars: Lessons from Baghdad"

Description:
Since the first heady months of the war in Iraq when President Bush celebrated aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln under a "mission accomplished" sign, US forces have been bogged down in a frustrating war of attrition against a largely unseen insurgency that attacks with ambushes and roadside bombs. In this revealing insider's look at the US intelligence community's efforts to fight the insurgency, author Steven K. O'Hern, who served in Iraq in 2005 as a senior intelligence officer, offers a critical assessment of our intelligence failures and suggests ways of improving our ability to fight an often elusive enemy.

O'Hern criticizes America's military leaders for being enamored with high-technology solutions for all situations, including intelligence operations. Essentially, we are still relying on an intelligence system that was designed to beat the Soviet army........More at the book link

"Happy 90th Birthday Pete!!" {UpDated}

Pete Seeger - Guantanamera


Pete Seeger At 90: An Appreciation

Listen to a short take on the Appreciation from NPR

Weekend Edition Sunday, May 3, 2009 - Pete Seeger turns 90 today — and he's still performing. In fact he's playing and singing tonight at a birthday bash in Madison Square Garden, alongside Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris and many others.

Proceeds from the show will go to Clearwater, an organization — and a boat — launched by Seeger 40 years ago to raise awareness about pollution in the Hudson River. >>>>>More Here

Pete Seeger tells how he came to write "Turn Turn Turn."


Happy Birthday Pete! Posted by Jimmy Higgins

In a few hours I'm going to the Pete Seeger 90th birthday concert, courtesy Lee and Alice (pbut). In my early teens, some who know me now will be surprised to learn, I was a folky. These days, not so much.

But I am proud to say, I have never once stopped defending Pete Seeger from criticisms aesthetic and political. His instrument is not and never was his voice, nor even his banjo. It was his audience. And he played his audience so brilliantly because he genuinely loved them and trusted them to help make his music, their music. >>>>>More Here

Pete Seeger Appreciation Page

In addition to being America's best-loved folksinger and an untiring environmentalist, Pete Seeger is a national treasure. He has been at the forefront of the labor movement, the struggle for Civil Rights, the peace and anti-war movements, and the fight for a clean world. He has been a beacon for hope for millions of people all over the world. Once blacklisted from national television for being unafraid to voice his opinions, he was given the nation's highest artistic honors at the Kennedy Center in December 1994. In January 1996 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Although he left Harvard during his second year, in the spring of 1996 he was awarded the Harvard Arts Medal, presented annually to a Harvard graduate who has made an important contribution to the arts. He won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album of 1996 in February 1997 for his Living Music recording "Pete." At the end of April 1999, he traveled to Cuba to accept the Felix Varela Medal, that nation's highest honor for "his humanistic and artistic work in defense of the environment and against racism." In April 2000, he was named one of America's Living Legends by the Library of Congress. >>>>>More At Site

Pete Seeger & Bruce Springsteen HQ "This Land is Your Land" "We Are One" Obama Inaugural


Clearwater

Songs of the Sloop and River

Since before the sloop was ever launched, music has been the foundation of Clearwater. Pete Seeger raised the first few dollars for the sloop’s construction by performing songs about the river and passing around a banjo to collect donations. Each year, Clearwater produces the Great Hudson River Revival, which provides great musical entertainment, and an important environmental message, powered completely by wind, solar, and bio-diesel power.

Music, rhythm, and song are a key part of Clearwater’s education program on the sloop. Every day on-board, you may hear (or perform) old classics, recent favorites, or original creations.

There's a number of songs you can download on the rightside of the site page.

UpDate:

Singer songwriter Pete Seeger performs at the benefit concert celebrating his 90th birthday at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, May 3, 2009 in New York. The concert is a benefit for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, created by Seeger to preserve and protect the Hudson River. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

Springsteen Leads Star-Studded 90th Birthday Concert For Pete Seeger
A star-studded medley of musical guests played tribute to Pete Seeger at a benefit concert for the legendary folk singer's 90th birthday.

Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco and John Mellencamp were among the 40 musicians performing in Madison Square Garden for the Sunday night show, a benefit to raise awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, an organization Seeger started to preserve and protect the Hudson River. >>>>>Rest Found Here

Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Amazing Grace

Pete Seeger leads his audience at MSG 05/03/09 in Amazing Grace. He also tells the story of the song. Sorry, but I didn't get the end of the singing so buy the DVD.

by Andrew Courtney

Iraqi student Taif Jany gives Pete Seeger a gift: the words to the famous Woody Guthrie song "This Land is Your Land", as adapted by Iraqi refugee students in Damascus, Syria. The occasion is Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration, May Day 2009, with friends and local musicians at the Beacon Sloop Club on the Hudson River.

The audience sings along with Pete and Taif, a refugee from Baghdad. Taif, now attending Union College in Schenectady, NY, is part of the Iraqi Student Project.

Rachel Corrie: "Rachel" the Documentary

Rorschach "Rachel"

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Simone Bitton's documentary "Rachel," which premiered this week at the Tribeca Film Festival, is what's not in it. Bitton, a Moroccan-born Jewish filmmaker who spent many years in Israel and now lives in France, conducts a philosophical and cinematic inquiry into the death of Rachel Corrie, the 23-year-old American activist who was killed under ambiguous circumstances in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip in March 2003. But the political firestorm that followed Corrie's death, which saw her beatified as a martyr for peace by some on the left and demonized as a terrorist enabler by some on the right, is virtually absent from the film....>>>>>Much More Here

Listen to interview with Simone Bitton at Tribeca


Rachel's mother and father, a brother 'Nam Vet, were living and working for a stop to the impending illegal invasion of Iraq, here in Charlotte, at the time of Rachel's Murder by the Israeli Army!!

Global Press.......

Global Press Freedom Declines-Freedom House

Journalists are facing an increasingly dismal working environment, with a decline in global press freedom in every region of the world. Those are among the findings of a report released Friday by Freedom House, a Washington-based organization that supports freedom around the world.

In the nearly 30 years Freedom House has been rating global press freedom, 2008 is the first year it has reported declines in every region across the world.

The executive director of Freedom House, Jennifer Windsor, says the journalism profession is fighting to stay alive, which she warns has enormous implications for democracy. "Declines have been registered in established democracies, as well as partly free countries, and the most repressive regimes have continued to tighten their grip in order to control the information flows that have become increasingly globalized and out of their control," she said. >>>>>Rest Here-VOA News

Freedom of the Press 2009 Survey Release

Israel Loses Prized 'Free' Press Status; Kuwait Tops Arab World

Israel's media freedom ranking has been downgraded from "free" to "partly free," the first time the Jewish State has lost its status as the only Middle Eastern nation with a "free" ...

Walter Reed at 100

Walter Reed celebrates 100 years at forefront of medical research.

At a time when many hospitals operated with few resources and in unsanitary conditions, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center was a state-of the-art facility — boasting electricity, indoor plumbing and an elevator.

Since the facility opened its doors in 1909, it has treated six U.S. presidents and thousands of injured people from conflicts dating back to World War I. On Friday, the hospital marked its centennial anniversary.

The institution’s involvement in medical development is "profoundly important," said Dale C. Smith, a medical historian and professor at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. >>>>>Rest can be found Here

Remember when Reed was going to be closed down, remember also the repug meme that That Was The Reason They Didn't Put More Money Into The Housing and Other Issues At, when the problems at Walter Reed Hospital hit the news, While Waging Two Occupations!!!

May 1st Around the World

May 1st 2009: 6th Happy?? "Mission Accomplished Day??"

I would be remiss in not pointing out that this is the sixth anniversary of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq.

Meanwhile, in the real world:..........

97 percent of U.S. deaths in Iraq have occurred after George W. Bush declared an end to "major combat."
”Mission Accomplished!”

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A 6th Anniversary Look Back at Media Coverage of 'Mission Accomplished

On May 1, 2003, Richard Perle advised, in a USA Today Op-Ed, "Relax, Celebrate Victory." The same day, exactly six years ago, President Bush, dressed in a flight suit, landed on the deck of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared an end to major military operations in Iraq -- with the now-infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner arrayed behind him in the war's greatest photo op.

Britain ends Iraq mission

British combat operations in Iraq are officially over.

American forces took control of operations in southern Iraq at midday. The move came a month earlier than expected and represents a continued pattern by coalition forces to try to mislead potential insurgents who may have been plotting attacks.

Earlier a memorial service was held to remember the 179 British personnel and 55 foreign servicemen and women who died in combat operations in southern Iraq. Defence Secretary John Hutton was in attendance.

Three US soldiers killed in Iraq

BAGHDAD, May 1, (Agencies): Three US troops have been killed in fighting west of Baghdad, the military said Friday, making April the deadliest month for American forces in Iraq since September. At least 18 US soldiers died in April, a sharp increase from March’s total of nine — the lowest since the war began in March 2003.

In Baghdad, dread grows with death toll

A string of devastating attacks mostly targeting Shiites has residents fearing a return to the sectarian warfare seen in 2006-07. The planned U.S. military pullback is adding to concerns.

The crowds at the restaurants are thinning out. Parents have started to escort their children to school again. And cellphones are ringing more often than usual, with family members checking in just to ask, "Are you OK?" or "Is everyone safe?"

U.S. says troops may have to stay in Iraq's Mosul

U.S. troops may have to stay in Iraq's third largest city, Mosul, beyond a June 30 deadline, the spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq said on Friday.

A bilateral deal reached last year calls for all U.S. combat troops to pull out of Iraq's towns and cities by June 30 and for all U.S. soldiers to leave Iraq by the end of 2011.

Iraqs Refugee's

Urge President Obama to Support Iraqi Refugees

Overview
Five years into the US military intervention in Iraq, the country is dealing with one of the largest humanitarian and displacement crises in the world. Millions of Iraqis have fled their homes – either for safer locations within Iraq, or to other countries in the region – and are living in increasingly desperate circumstances. Failure to address the needs of Iraqis will have dramatic impacts on security inside Iraq.>>>>More

Iraq: Preventing the Point of No Return

The number of displaced Iraqis remains high, both inside the country and in neighboring ones. They remain reluctant to go back due to lack of security, the creation of ethnically cleansed neighborhoods, and poor government services. However, since the only realistic solution for the majority of displaced Iraqis is to return, the Government of Iraq, the United States, and the United Nations need to work together to establish safe conditions. The government needs to increase the effectiveness of education, health care, and employment programs. The U.S. and the UN need to maintain funding for humanitarian programs, while the UN expands its presence in the country significantly.>>>>>More

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!

“Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak Out About War and Terror"

Courage to Resist and Susan Galleymore. April 29, 2009

Courage to Resist co-founder Susan Galleymore made international headlines by taking the extraordinary and even dangerous step of traveling to Iraq to visit her US Army son stationed on a military base in the so-called Sunni Triangle, north of Baghdad. She is now on tour to promote her new book "Long Time Passing: Mothers Speak about War and Terror".

What Susan found in Iraq – the horrors of war which was at once heartbreaking and compelling - challenged her to continue her journey interviewing mothers in war zones including Iraq, Israel and the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan and the US. These powerful first-person stories offer dramatic insight into the impact of war on mothers, families, communities, and cultures around-the-world.

Susan shares:

As I wrote in "Long Time Passing", when "my son was deployed to Afghanistan in 2003 I awoke from nightmares almost every night: the knock on the door, uniformed military personnel on the doorstep, “We’re sorry to inform you…,” images of my son disabled like the soldier in Johnny Got His Gun, bombs raining on a family’s home while a mother screamed out her children’s names….

My first real encounter with the vast horror that is war was meeting Holocaust survivors when I was a child. Then I had reacted by imagining how I would steel myself for hearing the worst news. But now, try as I might, I couldn’t hold for more than a few seconds the thought of my own child’s direct involvement: the pain was overwhelming. I couldn’t imagine how mothers could—how I might have to—adjust to the unthinkable: the death or maiming of a beloved child, the nightmare vision of that child killing or maiming others."

As an adult immigrant to the United States I didn't grasp that my own children were candidates for military recruitment. Surely, I thought, a volunteer military was, well, voluntary. I was unaware of, so did not consider, the marketing efforts and exorbitant amounts of money the US military poured into maintaining the veneer of "volunteer".

Mothers Speak About War and Terror

Aaron at Erbil

On CAN TV Chicago cable tv Channel 19:
Thurs., April 30, 9:30 pm
Fri., May 1, 4:30 pm
Thurs., May 7, 9:30 pm
Fri., May 8, 4:30 pm

On Evanston Cable Channel 6:
Mon., May 11 , 5:30 pm
Wed., May 13, 9:00 pm
Sat., May 16, 12:30 am
Mon., May 18, 5:30 pm
Wed., May 20, 9:00 pm
Sat., May 23, 12:30 am

On March 13-14 an important International Labor Conference was held in Erbil, Iraq, which is in the Kurdistan region. Along with the 200 delegates from Iraqi trade unions and international unions, attending was a delegation from the U.S., comprised of representatives of U.S. Labor Against the War, and 2 representatives from Iraq Veterans Against the War. Among those IVAW attending was Aaron Hughes, the subject of this 25 minute video. Aaron explains why he attended the Conference, and places his return to Iraq as an anti-war veteran in the context of a similar visit by Vietnam Veterans Against the War to North Vietnam. At the center of Aaron's experience in Erbil is his short speech to the delegation apologizing for his role in the US military in oppressing the people of Iraq. This video is a documenting of that speech and the reactions of the audience, as well as Aaron's anxiety about what the reactions would be. The work of the Conference is also summarized by Aaron, enhanced with footage from Iraq Peacetv in Japan and Aaron's own footage of the event. The experience of the Conference provides the basis of the IVAW delegate's re-dedication of their goal of war reparations for the people and workers of Iraq.

Labor Beat is a CAN TV Community Partner, for Info