Punk Rockers Tortured, Imprisoned, 'Morally Rehabilitated' and Murdered!
Punk rock is ancient history here, but elsewhere disaffected young people are discovering its anarchic energy – despite the enormous risks they face from their oppressive regimes, writes John Harris
It’s been a long time since the term “punk rock” could strike fear into the British establishment. The Sex Pistols’ John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – was long ago transformed into a pantomimic national institution, and now advertises Country Life butter; it’s 16 years since Tony Blair admiringly mentioned the Clash in a speech at the Brit awards. The spiky-topped punk look is as harmless a part of vernacular British style as Harris tweed; the concert nostalgia circuit is now home to any number of ageing punk groups, from the Buzzcocks to Sham 69.
The last few months, however, have brought news from abroad suggesting that in many places, punk’s combination of splenetic dissent, loud guitars and outre attire can cause as much disquiet and outrage as ever. The stories concerned take in Indonesia, Burma, Iraq and Russia and most highlight one big difference between the hoo-hah kicked up by punk in the US and Britain of the late 70s, and the reactions it now stirs thousands of miles from its places of birth. Back then, being a punk rocker might invite occasional attacks in the street, a ban on your records, and the odd difficulty finding somewhere to play. Now, if you pursue a love of punk in the wrong political circumstances, you may well experience oppression at its most brutal: torture, imprisonment, what one regime calls “moral rehabilitation” and even death.
The last few months, however, have brought news from abroad suggesting that in many places, punk’s combination of splenetic dissent, loud guitars and outre attire can cause as much disquiet and outrage as ever. The stories concerned take in Indonesia, Burma, Iraq and Russia and most highlight one big difference between the hoo-hah kicked up by punk in the US and Britain of the late 70s, and the reactions it now stirs thousands of miles from its places of birth. Back then, being a punk rocker might invite occasional attacks in the street, a ban on your records, and the odd difficulty finding somewhere to play. Now, if you pursue a love of punk in the wrong political circumstances, you may well experience oppression at its most brutal: torture, imprisonment, what one regime calls “moral rehabilitation” and even death.
Japan's economy & global economic crisis - Chris Martenson with Max Keiser
Marc Faber: The Perils Of Money Printing's Unintended Consequence
Marc Faber does not mince words. He believes that the money printing policies of the Federal Reserve and its sister central banks around the globe have put the world's currencies on an inexorable, accelerating, inflationary down slope.
The dangers of money printing are many, in his eyes. But in particular, he worries about the unintended consequences it subjects the populace to. Beyond currency devaluation, it creates malinvestment that leads to asset bubbles that wreak havoc when they burst. And even more nefarious, money printing disproportionately punishes the lower classes, resulting in volatile social and political tensions.
It's no surprise, then, that he's feeling particularly defensive these days. While he generally advises those looking to protect their purchasing power to invest capital in precious metals and the equity markets (the rationale being that inflation should hurt equity prices less than bond prices), he warns that equities appear overbought at this time.
“We Are This Far From A Turnkey Totalitarian State" - Big Brother Goes Live September 2013
Submitted by Tyler Durden:
George Orwell was right. He was just 30 years early.
In its April cover story, Wired has an exclusive report on the NSA's Utah Data Center, which is a must read for anyone who believes any privacy is still a possibility in the United States: "A project of immense secrecy, it is the final piece in a complex puzzle assembled over the past decade. Its purpose: to intercept, decipher, analyze, and store vast swaths of the world’s communications as they zap down from satellites and zip through the underground and undersea cables of international, foreign, and domestic networks.... Flowing through its servers and routers and stored in near-bottomless databases will be all forms of communication, including the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls, and Google searches, as well as all sorts of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases, and other digital “pocket litter.”... The heavily fortified $2 billion center should be up and running in September 2013." In other words, in just over 1 year, virtually anything one communicates through any traceable medium, or any record of one's existence in the electronic medium, which these days is everything, will unofficially be property of the US government to deal with as it sees fit.
The codename of the project: Stellar Wind.
As Wired says, "there is no doubt that it has transformed itself into the largest, most covert, and potentially most intrusive intelligence agency ever created."
And as former NSA operative William Binney who was a senior NSA crypto-mathematician, and is the basis for the Wired article (which we guess makes him merely the latest whistleblower to step up: is America suddenly experiencing an ethical revulsion?), and quit his job only after he realized that the NSA is now openly trampling the constitution, says as he holds his thumb and forefinger close together. "We are, like, that far from a turnkey totalitarian state."
Pro Assad Syrian Demo London March 17
Rip out eyes, tear off head - Max Keiser
Ripping out client eyeballs and losing millions for a free breakfast; maggots of risk and plastic financial apartheid. In the second half of the show Max talks to filmmakers William Gagan and Geoff Shively about their crowd funded journey to Syria and 'fake' activists and, with the introduction of anti-free speech laws in Chicago, the filmmakers discuss the small drone helicopters they have acquired for reporting on the NATO summit. Source
Samuel L. Jackson: I Voted For Obama Because... and Santorum's War on Porn - Young Turks
KONY 2012: The Charity of Death with Ugandan Activist Sanyu & Writer Patrick Henningsen
Alex also talks with Infowars.com editor and journalist Patrick Henningsen in-studio. Alex covers the latest news, including more bad news about the economy with gasoline prices leading the charge as the cost of living and inflation move upward despite rosy predictions of recovery by the government. Source
Megadeath's Dave Mustaine Unchained: Infowars Exclusive
Alex sits down for an exclusive in-depth interview with Speed-Metal legend and Megadeth leader, Dave Mustaine. This is Dave's few in recent times, he talks about his early days in Megadeth and Metallica, the 30 anniversary of the two bands, Megadeth's latest release "13", previous releases like "Endgame" and "Peace Sells". Dave discusses his personal challenges, and of course he covers his own recent statements that appeared in the press about Rick Santorum. This is the groundbreaking Mustaine interview that cannot be missed! Source
Invisible Children Co-Founder Detained: SDPD - Exclusive Video Update
SDPD said he was found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something
A co-founder for Invisible Children was detained in Pacific Beach on Thursday for being drunk in public and masturbating, according to San Diego Police Department.
Jason Russell, 33, was allegedly found masturbating in public, vandalizing cars and possibly under the influence of something, according to Lt. Andra Brown. He was detained at the intersection of Ingraham Street and Riviera Road. Brown said Russell was acting very strange.
"Due to the nature of the detention, he was not arrested," she said at a press conference. "During the evaluation we learned we probably needed to take him to a medical facility because of statements he was saying."
Police said they received several calls Thursday at 11:30 a.m. of a man in various stages of undress, running through traffic and screaming.
