Category: Democracy Now

Democracy Now

Australia might be saving our democracy. Can the UK and US? – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Truss is, as the 2021 essay forecast, entirely immersed in the world and personnel of the billionaires’ ultra free market lobby groups masquerading as thinktanks. Her Chancellor is an ideologue and true believer in the message. The “thinktanks” face the moment of testing: who was the liberty for that they championed? Only the Ultra High Net Worth class and their High Net Worth enablers? Both the UK and the US stand on the brink of something unthinkable a decade ago. Australians must fight to ensure that our radicalised right (and the “thinktanks” that foster the internationally-networked radicalisation) don’t take us back down that path. We have a chance to rebalance the playing field. Will our right resume playing the game as a contest, or continue to try to trash the field?

Source: Australia might be saving our democracy. Can the UK and US? – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Bye bye Democracy, Democracy, Democracy Now

Australians must not ignore the Religious Right’s global warnings – » The Australian Independent Media Network

A man stands praying against a cross in front of Congress in Washington

Australians have begun to see the new face of extreme religion in our “conservative” politics.

It is not just the rights of individuals but the (flawed) democracies that have gradually made room for civil rights for more groups than just property-owning White men that is at stake in the rise of the authoritarian Religious Right. These democracies are more likely than authoritarian regimes to protect the equality of Others, preventing the persecution and even the atrocities that religion-infused extremism can foster. Without data-driven secular governments, our capacity to tackle the climate emergency is crippled. It is critical that we perceive the risk that is reflected in the speeches of Scott Morrison to his Pentecostal audiences. It is not merely a foreign faith movement uncomfortably shoe-horned into our secular state; it is a threat of incalculable scope. We must work together to keep authoritarian religious radicalism out of our government.

Nor is this limited to the West or is Christianity the only faith drawn into the nativist nationalist trend. In India, the Hindutva movement aims to subdue all Indians within a Hindu nation with one faith and language. Shinto is central to a Japanese nationalist movement. Buddhism is key to Myanmar and Sri Lanka’s nationalist movements. Israel is self defining as a Jewish nation and imposing second class status on non-Jews within its borders.

Source: Australians must not ignore the Religious Right’s global warnings – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Democracy Now

Avoiding the lunatic fringe – » The Australian Independent Media Network

We might really be at the Polling Booth to get it out of the way on the way to the Democracy Sausage stand or beating the rest of the local population to Mrs Brown’s rather excellent chocolate fudge at the cake stall outside, but at least most of us have a say. If nothing else, it ensures fringe opinions of the lunatics from both the progressive and conservative sides stay on the fringe. Our system is not perfect, but there are certainly advantages in compulsory voting. What do you think?

Source: Avoiding the lunatic fringe – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Democracy 2.0, Democracy Now, Privatising Democracy

Restore trust by letting the voters see who is paying the piper, in real time – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Morrison’s Miracle Maker: Scotty’s God is back to tip Democracy on its head again and Scott is bringing politics to church. However not like the Latin American church once brought Religion to politics.

In 2019 a billionaire spent $83.6 million to influence a federal election. Why in 2022 is our democracy still for sale? States and territories have introduced caps on political donations and campaign expenditure to prevent such tilting of the electoral playing field. But Clive Palmer is doing it again and the federal government has done nothing to prevent it.

Source: Restore trust by letting the voters see who is paying the piper, in real time – » The Australian Independent Media Network

Democracy, Democracy Now, Privatising Democracy

The Solution to Labor Exploitation Is Workplace Democracy

At the very heart of our capitalist economic system is something grotesque: labor exploitation. That’s immoral — and we need some form of workplace democracy to undo it.

Source: The Solution to Labor Exploitation Is Workplace Democracy

Democracy, Democracy Now

The “For the People Act” Would Make America a Democracy

The “For the People Act” Would Make America a Democracy
Temporary security fencing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021. President-elect Joe Biden is set to arrive in Washington on Tuesday, the eve of his inauguration, with the usual backdrop of celebrations and political comity replaced by a military lockdown. Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Without such a law empowering democracy, it’s unlikely any of that will ever happen. And the Democratic majority in the House will almost certainly be extinguished in the 2022 midterms, blocking the bill for the foreseeable future. It’s difficult to believe, based on its lamentable history of squabbling and in-fighting, that the Democratic Party will manage to hang together and pass a significant bill that’s both in their own obvious self-interest and in that of the country. But stranger things have happened, such as the fact that the For the People Act has gotten this far in the first place.

The “For the People Act” Would Make America a Democracy
Democracy, Democracy Now

‘A Big Deal’: Lawmakers Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United | Common Dreams News
Attendees hold signs as they listen to speakers during a rally calling for an end to corporate money in politics and to mark the fifth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, at Lafayette Square near the White House, January 21, 2015 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

We cannot allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to flood our elections with cash through complex webs of super PACs and dark money groups that put special interests above the will of the American people.”

‘A Big Deal’: Lawmakers Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United | Common Dreams News
Democracy, Democracy Now

The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy.

The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy. By Hadas Thier As COVID-19 cases skyrocket again, hospitals remain understaffed and PPE and ventilators are still in short supply. We can’t leave people’s basic needs up to the whims of profit-seeking actors — we need democratic planning.

The Pandemic Has Exposed the Free Market’s Fundamental Flaws. We Need a Democratically Planned Economy.
Democracy, Democracy Now

Malaysia and Indonesia are bucking the global trend on democracy | Indonesia | Al Jazeera

Supporters of Mahathir Mohamad are seen outside the National Palace, a day after the general election in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 10, 2018 [File: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters]

 

Much of the world may be having its doubts about democracy. Even in the Asia Pacific’s veteran democracy Australia, a recent poll showed that a third of the population favoured an authoritarian or “strongman” type leader. But in the Muslim Malay world, it looks like democracy is here to stay.

Source: Malaysia and Indonesia are bucking the global trend on democracy | Indonesia | Al Jazeera

Democracy Now

Latest Sign of ‘Broken’ Democracy as Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Drops $30 Million on GOP Super PAC

Dr. Miriam Adelson talks with her husband, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, during a speech by Vice President Mike Pence at the Republican at The Venetian Las Vegas on February 24, 2017. (Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

“The $30 million the octogenarian casino billionaire is spending on the midterms may sound like a lot, but it’s actually a drop in the bucket compared to what Adelson’s heirs will gain thanks to the estate tax cut provisions of Trump tax bill alone,” Yglesias points out, referencing claims that in just the first few months of 2018, Adelson banked $670 million thanks to the GOP’s recent tax code overhaul.

“Throw in the benefits of the other tax cut provisions and Adelson’s interest in maintaining a business-friendly National Labor Relations Board and the investment is very small and sensible,” Yglesias concluded. “The same goes for even richer people like the Koch brothers, who are planning to spend even larger sums in the midterms.”

via Latest Sign of ‘Broken’ Democracy as Billionaire Sheldon Adelson Drops $30 Million on GOP Super PAC

Democracy Now

Ava DuVernay’s Documentary “13th” About Mass Incarceration Shortlisted for an Oscar | Democracy Now!

Ava DuVernay’s recent Netflix documentary, “13th,” just picked up three Critics’ Choice Awards and is on the Oscar shortlist for best documentary. The film chronicles how the U.S. criminal justice system has been driven by racism from the days of slavery to today’s era of mass incarceration. The film is named for the constitutional amendment that abolished slavery with the exception of punishment for crime. Ava DuVernay’s previous work includes the hit 2014 film “Selma,” which told the story of the campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others to draw the nation’s attention to the struggle for equal voting rights by marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in March of 1965. With “Selma,” DuVernay became the first African-American female director to have a film nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.

Source: Ava DuVernay’s Documentary “13th” About Mass Incarceration Shortlisted for an Oscar | Democracy Now!

Democracy Now

Amy Goodman Is Facing Prison for Reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline. That Should Scare Us All. | The Nation

This Monday afternoon, as the sun hits its peak over Mandan, North Dakota, the award-winning journalist, and host of Democracy Now!, Amy Goodman will walk into the Morton County–Mandan Combined Law Enforcement and Corrections Center and turn herself in to the local authorities.

Source: Amy Goodman Is Facing Prison for Reporting on the Dakota Access Pipeline. That Should Scare Us All. | The Nation

Democracy Now

Arrest warrant issued for journalist Amy Goodman after reporting on Dakota Access oil pipeline protests – Salon.com

Democracy Now host charged with misdemeanor in North Dakota after exposing the use of attack dogs and pepper spray VIDEO

Source: Arrest warrant issued for journalist Amy Goodman after reporting on Dakota Access oil pipeline protests – Salon.com

Democracy Now

“The Drone Papers” Reveals How Faulty Intel & Secret “Kill Chain” Mark Suspects, Civilians for Death | Democracy Now!

The Intercept series “The Drone Papers” exposes the inner workings of how the drone war is waged, from how targets are identified to who decides to kill. They expose a number of flaws, including that strikes have resulted in large part from electronic communications data, or “signals intelligence,” that officials acknowledge is unreliable. We speak to Intercept reporter Cora Currier, whose article “The Kill Chain,” reveals how the U.S. identifies and selects assassination targets, from the collection of data and human intelligence all the way to President Obama’s desk.

Source: “The Drone Papers” Reveals How Faulty Intel & Secret “Kill Chain” Mark Suspects, Civilians for Death | Democracy Now!

Democracy Now

VIDEO: Julian Assange on NSA, TPP, British Nukes, Libyan Refugees and His Struggle for Freedom

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_despite_congressional_standoff_nsa

In an hourlong discussion on “Democracy Now!” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says that the NSA can continue to spy on Americans in spite of legislation coming out of Congress and that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is about corporate control.

Assange also discusses the security lapses revealed by a British nuclear submariner, Europe’s secret plan for refugee boats from Libya and the U.S. case against him.

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_on_the_trans_pacific

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/julian_assange_british_nuclear_sub_whistleblower

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/wikileaks_julian_assange_on_europes_secret

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/5/27/as_julian_assange_faces_swedish_legal

Democracy Now, Henry Siegman

Henry Siegman, Leading Voice of U.S. Jewry, on Gaza: ‘A Slaughter of Innocents’.Our most popular interview of the year is with American Jewish leader Henry Siegman. What he has to say about Israel may surprise you. In this extended Democracy Now! interview from July, Siegman discusses the assault on Gaza, the myths surrounding Israel’s founding in 1948, and his own background as a German-Jewish refugee who fled Nazi occupation to later become a leading American Jewish voice — and vocal critic of Israel’s policies in the Occupied Territories.

http://www.democracynow.org/2014/7/30/henry_siegman_leading_voice_of_us