From what I have seen of poles holding yup signs at demonstrations they
are so flimsy that a fly swatter would make a better weapon.
On 10/23/2017 12:15 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
First, as to demonstrations, I think that anything that can be used as a weapon by demonstrators, ought to be forbidden. I read that in one location, leftist demonstrations were forbidden to carry signs on the stated assumption that the poles on which the signs were mounted, could be used as weapons. That’s a bit far fetched. But pepper spray? Well, in one demonstration an Anti-Fa demonstrator used it to defend an elderly person from the White Nationalists. The issue becomes more clouded when we remember that in Charlttesville, the police did not protect leftist demonstrators from White Nationalists, nor did they protect White Nationalists from Anti-Fa attacks. They didn’t do anything to protect anyone. But if I were in charge in a city, I’d say, “no weapons for any demonstrators, no guns, sprays, torches, bats, etc., and I’d want the police to keep the two sides physically separated.
About the scholarships: I’d suggest that who is chosen to receive them and what kinds of publicity is involved, is related to the kind of propaganda our power elites choose to put out. There’s tension with North Korea now and that tension is due to what the US is doing on its borders, to the new missiles installed by the US in South Korea, to the war games involving the destruction of North Korea, and to the increasing verbal threats made not only by Trump, but other government figures. So at this moment in time, we suddenly hear about this lovely program providing scholarships for North Korean students. We don’t hear about scholarships for Palestinian students or Iraqi students or Afghani students or Syrian students or Yemeni students or Somali students. No, because the power elites are not trying to whip up sympathy for the citizens of those countries. Another example of how we are being manipulated by “the deep state”. For several years now, ever since the US decided to foment a coup in Ukraine so that our investors could take advantage of all its natural resources, the anti-Russia propaganda has been increasing and then after John Podesta decided to blame Russia for Hillary’s loss, it’s at fever pitch. So suddenly there’s this rash of new books, all about Russia. Most of them are actually about Russia during the Communist era, but if you listen to or read interviews, you hear authors linking the past with the present, talking about “the Russian character”. Just look at yesterday’s New York Times book review section. Only someone who is very credulous would believe that these books, all written within the past few years, all being released now, is a coincidence. One more example: Before anyone was talking about invading Afghanistan to avenge the 9/11 attacks by Saudi Arabians, there was a rash of articles on the internet about how badly the Taliban treated women in Afghanistan. I remember seeing those articles and wondering why there were suddenly so many of them. And, of course, they never mentioned that it was US policy to support the formation of the Taliban in order to oppose Russia in Afghanistan.
There’s just one other point I’d like to make. We live in a society that likes to put everything in boxes, categories. So one of the things that is done is to talk about opinions regarding current events as if they neatly fit into categories: right wing, centrist, left wing, extremist, etc. And then people, American people who think that they need to be “fair and balanced”, say, “It’s important to hear all viewpoints on an issue, the right wing, the left wing, the centrist, the moderate, etc., as if they were consumers, choosing a product. But the reality is that there are true occurrences and then these truths are picked up by the power elites and formed into news stories to be fed to the public in order to manipulate public opinion to support what the corporate state is doing. I don’t think that listening to a right wing newscast or MSNBC is going to help me understand what is really happening. I’m always trying to discover what the truth really is. Additionally and separately, I want to know what the public is being told so that I can understand why people have the opinions they do and vote as they do. But listening to news sources that I’ve already discovered, regularly distort the truth, isn’t helpful to me.
Miriam
*From:* blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *MARY CONVY
*Sent:* Monday, October 23, 2017 10:32 AM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
It astounds me that Black Lives Matters protests are reported so very differently than what on the scene live streamers show. And I saw that they want to pass a law to ban tiki torches, pepper spray, from protests. My first thought was oh, good the cops can't use pepper spray. Then I realized they meant the protestors.
However, about Korea, what you say about the Bush administration is true but again, you should not dismiss reports in the Dallas paper about the scholarships. I totally believe that is true. You could make a valid point that he is doing it for show, but I don't think you can assume it is false.
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*From:*blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
*Sent:* Monday, October 23, 2017 9:58 AM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
During the Vietnam War, there was a student demonstration against the war at Columbia University. My husband and I were listening to a blow by blow description of it by a reporter on the scene on WBAI which is the New York station which is part of the Pacifica network, a listener sponsored radio network. The next morning, I heard a short report about the student demonstration on CBS. It was as if CBS was describing a totally different event from the one which had actually taken place. The students, who had actually been earnest and peaceful, were described by CBS has rowdy, disrespectful, and aggressive. CBS, like all of the commercial media, was promoting a pro government, pro war, position.
In 2014, I was a member of an email list that was composed mostly of members of the small sector of Israelis who want peace and who want a democratic state in Palestine with all of the people having equal rights. The list owner was an 80 year old woman, originally from America, who had emigrated to Israel. Several Americans were also list members. So I was receiving first hand information each day, before and during Israel’s attack on Gaza that summer, about exactly what was happening in Israel and about all the details of the attack. Aside from Democracy Now and mondoweiss, the coverage by American news media totally distorted the reality by providing everything with a bias toward the Israeli point of view. This included NPR and The New York Times. The New York Times, which is thought to be an unbiased news source and, “the paper of record”, almost invariably omits an accurate picture of what is happening in Israel Palestine.
George W. Bush stopped the attempts during the Clinton administration to reach an accommodation with North Korea. Like other very wealthy families, charities set up with money from this family are not charities per se, but instruments to further policies which will increase the wealth of the family. This Is true of the Koch Brothers, Bill and Melinda Gates, George Soros, etc. And the State of Texas, aside from Jim Hightower and Molly Ivens, is, for the most part, a red state which means that its media promotes an aggressive, America First stance. So all of this gives me pause when considering that interview that you heard. I’m not saying that the individual was lying. I’m saying that one needs to take the information with a grain of salt.
Miriam
*From:*blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *MARY CONVY
*Sent:* Monday, October 23, 2017 8:35 AM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
from the Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans
<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
Bush Institute presents scholarships to eight North ... <https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
www.dallasnews.com <http://www.dallasnews.com>
For North Koreans who flee their homeland, life brings new challenges. To help North Koreans pursue higher education in the U.S. and build...
<https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
Bush Institute presents scholarships to eight North ... <https://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-column/2017/07/31/bush-institute-presents-scholarships-eight-north-koreans>
www.dallasnews.com <http://www.dallasnews.com>
For North Koreans who flee their homeland, life brings new challenges. To help North Koreans pursue higher education in the U.S. and build...
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*From:*blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>>
*Sent:* Sunday, October 22, 2017 5:04 PM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
Bush Institute? Is that something funded by the George W. Bush family? What are the requirements for someone to receive a scholarship? Where do scholarship recipients come from and where do they study? Who did the interview?
Miriam
*From:*blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> [mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *MARY CONVY
*Sent:* Sunday, October 22, 2017 12:44 PM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Re: Korea
While I was just making my lunch I listened to an interview of a North Korean college woman. How's that for coincidence. She is studying under a Bush Institute scholarship for North Korean escapees. I didn't even know they escaped in any number. Anyway, her father was tortured to death, her two brothers starved, and she and her mother then escaped. I wonder if that original article telling of the positives of North Korea are not just as fault for misinformation as the opposite view. We have to stop the division and accept the fullness of reality.
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*From:*blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> <blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>> on behalf of MARY CONVY <CCRUSER@xxxxxxx <mailto:CCRUSER@xxxxxxx>>
*Sent:* Sunday, October 22, 2017 11:25 AM
*To:* blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Subject:* [blind-democracy] Korea
Someone recently posted an article that the North Korea that exists is not the same as portrayed by American media. Well, again, a second side to the story./I recently saw a documentary made by Lisa Ling and the descriptions in the article were well portrayed. There are events, schools, some activity in the city/ but that is reserved for the elite of the party. The vast majority of the population live very poorly. And all those schools etc. are absolutely devoid of any free thought or knowledge of the outside. She gained admittance to North Korea by bringing a team of specialists who would preform cateract surgery on the blind, an easy procedure here but not available there. They performed 1000 surgeries in a matter of days. As people had their bandages removed and could finally see, they immediately went to pictures of their 'leader', kissed it, bowed, and thanked him repeatedly. No thought about the Americans or why their country has no such surgery. She went into homes of those 'elites' who have no contact with the outside world, are totally brainwashed to the point they believe propaganda that America has bombed many of their cities in recent years and only The Leader can keep them safe. Lisa had 'handlers' with her at all times.
So yes, America media has presented the story, the whole story. Lisa's sister was also in North Korea, something to do with her job with Al Gore and was kidnapped and held for sometime, until Lisa convinced Clinton to make a trip, kiss leader's ass, and bring the sister home. A young man is in prison for taking an approved trip to North Korea and took a small sign from their approved hotel. He is still in prison there. Guess no one knew Clinton. The Leader threw his brother in law into a cage with pit bulls and watched him eaten alive. We can't deny the tyranny of the country.
