Donald Trump is an especially brazen version of a kleptocrat, the kind of ruler who uses his public office to enrich himself, his family and his cronies. Trump's no-shame approach to pilfering public coffers may horrify Americans, who are used to a more genteel and discreet approach to self-dealing by the rich and powerful, though tinpot dictators from Nigeria to Brazil are … [Read more...]
plutocracy
Big Oil, Big Coal and other powerful special interests have long thwarted the will of the peoples of the world's industrialized nations to stop and reverse ecological overshoot. If you care about climate change or peak oil, it's crucial to understand the role of big polluters in politics and what citizens can do to take back our democracies so we can move towards a clean, human-scale economy.
We need a map out of the nightmare of consumerism
One of the most harrowing challenges of modern American life is navigating through the massive desert of our mindless, materialistic consumerism. It is within this landscape that a soul can become lost and drenched in despair. From the endless stream of vacant-eyed wraiths who glide down catwalks, to the pervasive advertising that never ceases to demean the values of … [Read more...]
2014 In and Out list
It's a sacred duty we take up at the beginning of the new year. Donning our psychic caps and tuning in to the Noosphere we delve deep into what really matters in crafting our annual "In and Out" list. And thank G-O-D that we do. Having again viewed what passes for mainstream "In and Out" lists — for example the list in the Washington Post — we can only hang our heads in … [Read more...]
As the Empire declines it gets nastier
Any empire requires three elements for its own survival. As an empire declines, it becomes necessary to push harder on all three fronts: obedience at home, oppression abroad, and destruction of the living planet. I present a few examples of each phenomenon and embed a brief video clip at the end. Obedience at home was the subject of a recent essay in this space. Those … [Read more...]
Maddow gives air time to Koch brothers fracking advocate
Editors note: This piece ran last year on Eric Francis's Planet Waves website and it remains an important touchstone concerning how the main stream media continues to act as the lapdog to Big Oil and Big Energy in general. After reading this piece, ask yourself, how much has changed in the major media relative to critical reporting on the facts concerning fossil fuels … [Read more...]