Global Elite Consider Television Network to “Tell Us Who We Are”

World Tribune
February 12, 2009

The following is based on a report by Cliff Kincaid, Accuracy in Media.

Elite members of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, recently considered a proposal for a new global television network to usher in a state of “global governance.” The concept strikes some as authoritarian, even totalitarian. But the parent company of Fox News was one of the sponsors of this year’s gathering. ShareThis

The media proposal, which was included in “The Global Agenda 2009” report, is to create “a new global network” with “the capacity to connect the world, bridging cultures and peoples, and telling us who we are and what we mean to each other.” Several prominent U.S. media figures signed on to the alarming and controversial proposal.

Isn’t it nice that we might have a TV network telling us “who we are?” And “what we mean to each other?” Perhaps we will learn that we are global citizens. Perhaps a global leader of some sort will tell us that. Who might that be?

This proposal doesn’t come from a fringe organization. The WEF is an exclusive club of very rich and powerful people from around the world. It describes itself as “an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas.”

This year’s conference featured speeches by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Chinese Premier We Jiabao. Many U.S. corporations, including some getting Wall Street bailout money, were sponsors. News Corporation, the parent of Fox News, was a “strategic partner” of the event.

Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison, represented the Obama Administration at this year’s event and called leaders from all nations to “seize gladly” the duties of collaborating and boldly embrace “a new era of global financial responsibility.”

But the WEF also envisions cooperation and collaboration in global media ventures. It asks, “How can we save journalism to help it save the world?” Clearly, this is advocacy journalism on a global scale.

Indeed, the list of “Recommendations” says it is imperative to start “Communicating a global agenda, and motivating and mobilizing people to support it…”

Is this journalism? Or is it brainwashing and propaganda?

It says that “a genuine, global voice” is needed that shares a “fundamental commitment” to being an international media voice, and makes mention of “the media voices we think of as international” coming from London (the BBC), Qatar (Al-Jazeera) or Atlanta (CNN).

BBC is known for its anti-American programming, Al-Jazeera for its pro-terrorist slant, and CNN for its left-wing and pro-Democratic bias.

It will take “innovative public-private funding” to bring this new network into being, apparently meaning that the taxpayers in the U.S. will have to be soaked in order to help bring this about. But no price tag is put on the venture and no objection was apparently raised to government funding of such a network on a global basis. An “overview” statement does, however, decry “censorship and self-censorship.”

Elsewhere in the report (page 31) the idea of “international taxation” is proposed for “global action” of various kinds. Perhaps this is a vehicle for raising revenue for the new “global voice.”

The media proposal was developed by one of several “Global Agenda Councils” under the auspices of the WEF. The new TV network proposal was issued under the supervision of Pat Mitchell, the president of the Paley Center for Media and former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Broadcasting Service. She was the chair of the Global Agenda Council on the Future of Media.

Other members of the Council on the Future of Media were Betsy Morgan of the left-wing Huffington Post (former general manager of CBSNews.com); Rui Chenggang of China Central Television, an official political propaganda arm of the communist regime; and Zafar Siddiqi of CNBC Arabiya, a subsidiary of General Electric which is described as a 24-hour Arabic language financial and business information channel.

There is no indication in the published report that the Huffington Post executive raised any objection to working hand-in-glove with the communist propaganda channel. Is the Chinese media model a precedent for the new “global network?”

The conference was covered by media organizations such as CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg, Forbes and Fox, but no coverage that we could find was devoted to the proposal for a government-financed global media network. Talk about self-censorship!

John J. DeGioia, President of Georgetown University and the “Rapporteur of the Global Agenda Councils focusing on Society and Values,” summarized the work of Mitchell’s panel. He says (page 46) that, “We believe that this new moment also calls for a new media platform, across all media channels, a global non-profit ‘CNN’ providing a new form of independent journalism to inform, illuminate and deepen knowledge about issues that improve the state of the world.”

According to DeGioia’s biography, he walks the walk and is dedicated to helping “prepare young people for leadership roles in the global community.” His bio adds, “He is a member of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and Chair of its Education Committee and he represents Georgetown at the World Economic Forum and on the Council on Foreign Relations.”

The media council took advantage of what a description of its work said was an “enormous opportunity” to “redefine the media and its roles in a global, interconnected society.”

Under the title of “Recommendations” (page 182), the Council on the Future of Media declares that “The Council is championing a new global, independent news and information service whose role is to inform, educate and improve the state of the world?one that would take advantage of all platforms of content delivery from mobile to satellite and online to create a new global network.”

It goes on, “In a world where there are calls for global governance as a response to a global financial crisis, where scientific research, capital flows and production chains are globalized, the media and the communities in which we imagine ourselves remain fiercely localized.” Hence, a global network will work against “localized” or national-based systems and convince people to go “global” with their outlook and solutions. In other words, the new network will help undermine old-fashioned notions of national sovereignty and patriotism.

There are 22 members (page 183) of the Council on the Future of Media. In addition to Mitchell and Morgan, American members include:

• Alex S. Jones, former media reporter for the New York Times and now Director, Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
• Susan King, former Washington correspondent for ABC News and now Director, Journalism Initiative, Special Initiatives and Strategy, Carnegie Corporation of New York.
• John Lavine, Dean, Medill School of Journalism Northwestern University.
• Nicholas Lemann, former Washington Post reporter and now Dean, School of Journalism, Columbia University.
• David Nordfors, Director, Innovation Journalism and Senior Research Scholar, Stanford Center for Innovations in Learning, Stanford University.
• Monroe Price, Director, Centre for Global Communications Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, the University of Pennsylvania.
• Orville H. Schell, Director, Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society.

There doesn’t appear to be one identifiable conservative member on the list. Of course, everyone on the list is a certified objective media proessional, neither liberal nor conservative. Just ask them.

Research related articles:

Warfare means business

Gavin Mathis
The Evergreen Review
February 13, 2009

Blackwater Worldwide’s days of roaming Iraqi streets with impunity are over. The State Department decided against renewing the government’s contract with the notoriously trigger-happy mercenary force last month after the Iraqi government announced its revocation of Blackwater’s operating license. Considered the epitome of America’s reckless exploitation efforts in post-war Iraq, Blackwater’s infiltration into the war effort is symbolic of America’s rampant privatization efforts of the past quarter-century.

Before the current economic collapse, nearly every aspect of American life was placed under siege by privatization efforts – schools, social security, health care, prisons and even the military. Tasks inherent to a nation-state were outsourced to private firms that accumulated millions in taxpayer funds and turned Iraq into their own personal sandbox.

Once an obscure paramilitary company based in North Carolina, Blackwater became infamous when a handful of its employees allegedly opened fire on a congested Baghdad traffic intersection without provocation. The incident left the corpses of 17 Iraqi civilians bleeding in the streets and strained U.S. relations with Iraq.

Despite the best efforts of the Pentagon to create a legal loophole for defense contractors, five of the Blackwater employees involved in the bloody shootout were indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury last December. Each indicted member is facing 14 counts of voluntary manslaughter and 20 counts of attempted manslaughter.

Critiquing the recourse of the Blackwater guards will accomplish nothing. Iraq is a “shoot first and ask questions later” place. Instead, Americans should be alarmed by the menacing iron triangle – the policy-making apparatus consisting of the bureaucracy, legislative committees, and interest groups – that turned Blackwater into Bush’s Praetorian Guard.

In the eyes of the Bush administration, Iraq was an incredible success. They turned the American war machine into a profitable industry, and Blackwater was at the forefront of this capitalist nexus. Chronicles of America’s imperial folly in Iraq are as numerous as they are diverse, but Blackwater’s meteoric rise and fall in Iraq is the coup de grace. Like a parasite sucking blood from its host, Blackwater attached itself to America’s morbid fascination with greed and, as journalist Jeremy Scahill put it, made a killing off the killing in Iraq.

Blackwater’s forces are no longer relegated to the conflict-zones of the Middle East. Erik Prince, Blackwater’s founder, sent his armed militia to the hurricane-ruined streets of New Orleans to suppress looters in the wake of Katrina. Coursing up and down the streets of the French Quarter with loaded assault rifles, the scene was described by Scahill as “Baghdad on the Bayou.” The thought of an ultra-right wing executive protecting the wealthy elite of an American city with his personal paramilitary force sounds like a plot line ripped from the pages of Orwell or Kafka.

In the eyes of Prince, Katrina was an opportunity to diversify. Just like the Wall Street banks that continually find new ways to make money, Blackwater found a crisis and exploited it – disaster capitalism at its worst. President Dwight Eisenhower warned about the increased influence of the military-industrial complex in his farewell address, but not even Eisenhower could foresee the ominous encroachment of private military firms on domestic soil.

Many people find Blackwater to be an old story – a relic of Bush’s Iraq fiasco. However, as Blackwater’s final days in Iraq come to a close, the nation’s new president needs to be reminded that he is accountable to the people, not to the war profiteers of the military-industrial complex. The emergence of America’s mercenary army should serve as a cautionary tale of what happens when capitalist might collides with militant ideologues.

Research related articles:

1. Blackwater now in the private intelligence business
2. Blackwater ‘machine-gunned Iraqis as they tried to surrender’
3. Chris Matthews: Victory means ‘Americans get to come home’
4. Information Warfare Push
5. Big Business, BIG Winner at SPP Summit
6. Blackwater Security Guards Charged With Manslaughter
7. What “Change” In America Really Means
8. Nation-building may eclipse standard warfare
9. Unconventional Warfare in the 21st Century: U.S. Surrogates, Terrorists and Narcotraffickers
10. Obama Victory Means ‘Stronger Support for Sensible Gun Laws’
11. Bush Dismantles Economic Programs for Small Business as Economy Continues Downward Spiral
12. Is the Federal Reserve Engaged in Acts of Economic Warfare Against America?

http://cathcon.blogspot.com/2009/02/big-brother-is-watching-sspx.html

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Big brother is watching the SSPX
Pius-Schule in Ruppichteroth unter Beobachtung

SSPX in Ruppichteroth under observation
SSPX founded girls' boarding school of St. Theresa

Rhein-Sieg-Kreis. (man), The North Rhine Wesfalen Education Ministry is monitoring the girls' boarding school founded in Saint-Theresien Ruppichteroth. "We are examining closely whether the school abides by the principles of the national constitution and the school regulations," a spokesman said on Monday.

The Ministry has no evidence of prior offenses. The school published on the Internet a position statement on the comments of Bishop Richard Williamson. The SSPX-affiliated cleric had recently denied the Holocaust.

"We dissociate ourselves clearly and sharply from any denial of Nazi crimes", said the school.

Is this 1930 all over again?

Economicrot
February 13, 2009

	Just take a close look at the last hour of trading — at precisely one hour before close the markets were massively pumped.

Before moving on to the main topic allow me to point out that Timmy Geitner (our new Treasury Secretary) wasted no time getting up to speed as the new ring-leader for the Plunge Protection Team (PPT). As you can see in the DOW chart below, the PPT fingerprints were all over the markets yesterday… Just take a close look at the last hour of trading - at precisely one hour before close the markets were massively pumped - free market society my A@@!

Moving On… Is this 1930 all over again?

The Great Depression started with the stock market crash of 1929, but the markets didn’t bottom out until 1933. Along the way there were several major rallies, yet the overall trend was bearish in nature and new lows were periodically made after these bear market rallies faltered.

Anyway, much like today - where many "experts" advise that the markets are ripe for a re-entry point and our economy will soon turn around - pundits and leaders of the depression era were consistently telling folks "The Bottom is in"… Those who took this "expert" advice did so at their own peril - and ultimately most were creamed as the markets continued to fall into the abyss for several years.

Allow me to share a few quotes from the Depression Era:

"We will not have any more crashes in our time." - John Maynard Keynes, 1927

"There will be no interruption of our permanent prosperity." - Myron E. Forbes, President, Pierce Arrow Motor Car Co., January 12, 1928

"There is no cause to worry. The high tide of prosperity will continue." - Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, September 1929

"Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau." - Irving Fisher, Ph.D. in economics, Oct. 17, 1929

"Secretary Lamont and officials of the Commerce Department today denied rumors that a severe depression in business and industrial activity was impending, which had been based on a mistaken interpretation of a review of industrial and credit conditions issued earlier in the day by the Federal Reserve Board." - New York Times, October 14, 1929

"This crash is not going to have much effect on business." - Arthur Reynolds, Chairman of Continental Illinois Bank of Chicago, October 24, 1929

"…despite its severity, we believe that the slump in stock prices will prove an intermediate movement and not the precursor of a business depression…" - Harvard Economic Society (HES), November 2, 1929

"The Government’s business is in sound condition." - Andrew W. Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury, December 5, 1929

"President Hoover predicted today that the worst effect of the crash upon unemployment will have been passed during the next sixty days." - Washington Dispatch, March 8, 1930

"The spring of 1930 marks the end of a period of grave concern… American business is steadily coming back to a normal level of prosperity." - Julius Barnes, head of Hoover’s National Business Survey Conference, Mar 16, 1930

"While the crash only took place six months ago, I am convinced we have now passed the worst and with continued unity of effort we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States - that is, prosperity." - President Hoover, May 1, 1930

"The worst is over without a doubt." - James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, June 29, 1930

Gentleman, you have come sixty days too late. The depression is over." - Herbert Hoover, responding to a delegation requesting a public works program to help speed the recovery, June 1930

"We have hit bottom and are on the upswing." - James J. Davis, Secretary of Labor, September 12, 1930

"President Hoover has summoned Colonel Arthur Woods to help place 2,500,000 persons back to work this winter." - Washington dispatch, October 21, 1930

"I see no reason why 1931 should not be an extremely good year." - Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., General Motors Co, November 1930

"The depression has ended." - Dr. Julius Klein, Assistant Secretary of Commerce, June 9, 1931

"I believe July 8, 1932 was the end of the great bear market." - Dow Theorist, Robert Rhea, July 21, 1932

"All safe deposit boxes in banks or financial institutions have been sealed… and may only be opened in the presence of an agent of the I.R.S." - President F.D. Roosevelt, 1933

Lets compare those quotes to some made over the past few years:

"Home sales are coming down from the mountain peak, but they will level out at a high plateau — a plateau that is higher than previous peaks in the housing cycle.” - David Lereah, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors, Dec 2005

"We may see a blip up in foreclosures and delinquencies." - Leslie Appleton-Young, Chief Economist, California Association of Realtors, Dec 15 2005

"The U.S. housing market appears to be emerging from its recent travails and the worst may well be over",Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, Reuters release Oct 9, 2006

"The subprime mess is grave but largely contained" - Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke May 17 2007, Speech before the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

"This is far and away the strongest global economy I’ve seen in my business lifetime."- Henry Paulson, US Treasury Secretary, July 12th, 2007

"The market impact of the U.S. subprime mortgage fallout is largely contained and the global economy is as strong as it has been in decades." - Henry Paulson, August 2007

"This is not a rescue" - Goldman Sachs Chief Financial Officer David Viniar after Goldman poured $3 billion into one of its hedge funds, Aug 13, 2007

"I hope you’re confident about our economy. I am." President Bush at the Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance, Calif, Jan 30, 2008

"Losing a job is painful, and I know Americans are concerned about our economy; so am I. It’s clear our economy has slowed, but the good news is, we anticipated this and took decisive action to bolster the economy, by passing a growth package that will put money into the hands of American workers and businesses." - President Bush on news that the economy lost 63,000 payroll jobs in February, March 7, 2008

"The worst is likely to be behind us,"- Henry Paulson, US Treasury Secretary, May 7th, 2008

"These institutions [Fannie and Freddie] are fundamentally sound and strong. There is no reason for the kind of [stock market] reaction we’re getting." - Christopher Dodd, Chair, Senate Banking Committee, Financial Post, July 12, 2008

“My first instinct was to let the market work, until I realized, being briefed by experts… It turns out that there’s a lot of interlinks through the financial system.” - President George W. Bush on $700B Treasury Department bailout plan, Sept 2008

"We think that 2009 is likely to be better than 2008." - Richard Bernstein, Chief investment strategist at Merrill Lynch, Dec 2008

"I definitely think the market is nearing the bottom" - financial writer Lita Epstein — also the author of "The Pocket Idiot’s Guide to Investing in Mutual Funds, 12 Feb 2009.

Closing:

I believe we’re merely at the beginning of this tectonic economic crisis - a parallel 1930 if you will, but with it - a massive transformation will take place - a paradigm shift that we may NEVER fully recover from.

What do I mean?

Currently we are undergoing a lack of trust between banks, people and government. As this crisis unfolds, the masses will awaken and realize they also can no longer trust Wall Street, their 401K’s, their Currency, Social Security, Gvt Promises etc…

People will eventually stop using banks, will stop investing in the markets, will flock to tangibles, will stop paying their fair taxes, will hoard food/essentials and use barter - as the country turns more "Darwinian" and barter becomes far more mainstream…

Bottom Line:

Yes, as far as time lines go, I believe this is 1930 all over again, but the outcome will likely be far more precarious…

I honestly feel that Wall Street and our banking systems are DEAD - but they just don’t realize (or if they do) believe it yet.

Once the masses awaken and these two entities are placed 6-feet under, our corrupt political leaders (with no one to kowtow to) will quickly learn that they must significantly change their ways and once again become a government of the people, by the people, and for the people - else the masses will DEMAND this change with anger, pitchforks, rope and very, very little sympathy.

Research related articles:

1. Deluge of Financial Calamities Looming by Mid-March
2. Bush to Meet with Fed, Treasury Chiefs on Monday
3. Soros says deep recession inevitable, depression possible
4. Companies start competing for bailout money
5. Biden: FDR Led During Last Crash
6. Geithner: Another Trillion to the Bankers
7. Bush Says He “Chucked Aside” His “Free Market Principles”
8. A Most Desperate Move by the Fed
9. GM Said to Seek Treasury Aid in Chrysler Merger Talks
10. The Economist: U.S. In Depression, Not Recession
11. Bailout: Not $700 Billion, More Like $5 Trillion
12. Decision to award bailout money to City National Bank probed