Surveillance in the Service of Corporate Rule

Submitted by Glen Ford on Tue, 07/02/2013 - 22:31

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford

It should now be clear to everyone that “the advent of al-Qaida did not give rise to the U.S. surveillance regime.” 9/11 was merely a pretext for American state lawlessness. “The U.S. was already treating the whole planet as if it were occupied by enemy peoples.”

Surveillance in the Service of Corporate Rule

A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford

“The greatest fear of the capitalist is a world in which the game is not rigged in his favor.”

The logic of imperialism is that, ultimately, the Empire enters a state of war with everyone in the world, without regard to nationality, social system or reasonable possibilities of threat. Every capitalist yearns to achieve monopoly, to corner all markets, all the time. The capitalist imperial state is the political expression of the monopoly capitalist class, whose ambition is to dominate and profit from every aspect of human existence. Far from thriving on competition, the greatest fear of the capitalist is a world in which the game is not rigged in his favor. The state’s job is to ensure that the fix is always in. Governments controlled by capitalists are obligated to subvert, literally, the entirety of the rest of the planet.

Therefore, it should surprise no one that the United States spies on the citizens, governments and businesses of every nation on earth, including the home population, which is potentially the most dangerous population of all, if for no other reason than proximity.

The U.S. corporate media narrative, which is identical to the narrative of the corporate state, is that 9/11 was a kind of crack in time, the beginning and end of things, the equivalent of the divide between BC and AD. But the advent of al-Qaida did not give rise to the U.S. surveillance regime. The opposite is true. The international jihadist network was given birth by the Americans and their minions in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, at the turn of the Eighties. If U.S. rulers really believed Muslim jihadists posed a serious threat to American empire, Washington would not be in its fourth decade of arming and financing the jihadists, who serve as both foot soldiers and pretexts for U.S. militarism and fascism.

“U.S. complaints of Chinese industrial espionage were simply a diversion from America’s own criminal behavior.”

In the June 27 issue of Counterpunch, indispensable political thinker William Blum republished parts of an essay he wrote in the year 2000. Titled “The Inalienable Right to Snoop? Eavesdropping on the Planet,” the piece reminds us that PRISM, the National Security Agency’s omnivorous mechanism for worldwide data mining and the mapping of human social networks, is a direct descendant of the pre-911 NSA system called ECHELON, launched in the 1970s. By the late Nineties, it had become clear to the Europeans that ECHELON was largely preoccupied with stealing trade secrets from European companies, and passing them on to favored American enterprises. German wind power technology wound up under patent to American rivals. French Airbus lost big contracts to U.S. outfits. A 1998 report of the European Parliament found that the U.S. was using its control of encryption software for wholesale industrial espionage against its purported allies. French military intelligence concluded that Bill Gates’ Microsoft was virtually created by U.S. intelligence agencies. 9/11 was still years away, but the U.S. was already treating the whole planet as if it were occupied by enemy peoples.

In this light, it should have always been obvious that U.S. complaints of Chinese industrial espionage were simply a diversion from America’s own criminal behavior. The global surveillance regime is a creature of a moribund empire that not only cannot compete, but refuses to countenance the very idea of fair competition and the rule of law. Osama bin Laden was always a sideshow on the road to American global dictatorship.

For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford. On the web, go to BlackAgendaReport.com.

BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.

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Commercial Terrorism

Submitted by Enlightened Cynic on Sun, 07/07/2013 - 19:11.

As alluded to by Mr. Ford, I'm beginning to believe that COMMERCIAL TERRORISM or a naked subversion of the so-called "Market Place," is at the crux of this so-called National Security Surveillance system.

It's doesn't take a programmer from MIT or Cal Tech to tell the herd that the US is sucking in simply to much information to analyze for security purposes. It would be tantamount to your local law enforcement agency being flooded with calls from pranksters and attention seekers (at a ration of say...1000 to 1) in trying to solve a local crime. Garbage in, garbage out.

Glenn Greenwald and the top Brazilian newspaper just reported on massive NSA spying on Brazilians. What do you suppose that's all about, Brazilian jihadists wannabes, or who has the best wax-bikini ad? Perhaps its about getting a "snap shot" of the commercial drivers and impulses in Brazil and Latin America, and how greedy US Corporations can position themselves against the competition to get rich (or shall I say RICHER) off the coming Brazilian Olympics in 2016?

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/07/07-1

When you weigh the facts on the ground, the instittional failures that even a blind man could and should fix (LET ALONE A TRILLION $$ ENTERPRISE RUN BY THE SO-CALLED BEST MINDS IN THE U.S.) like JSOC murdering CIA assets (or vice versa for all we know), do you need more proof that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing? This issue is the crux of the Amy Goodman show on what happened in Benghazi, it wasn't about whacking folks for the Empire it was about failure to coordinate the whacking.

EVEN A STREET GANG COULD FIGURE THIS SHIT OUT!

While its clear that US xeneophbia is a driving force behind the spy system, it's equally, abundantly clear that in many respects its much, much more about US commercial MONOPOLY POWER. US ECONOMIC HEGEMONY is the "Soft Power" that Hillary, Samantha Powers and Team Obama talks about but doesn't explain to the herd.

Like I said previously, it would be laughable if not so harmful that the Land of the Free and the bastion of market place capitalism is one of the Biggest Lies of all time. It exhorts the peons and herd to sup on Horatio Alger while the act like Ebenezer Scrooge--"Oh have I got a modest proposal for you!). LOL

Capitalist have never operated on a level playing field and since the US (with Israeli support) owns the infrasture and controls the personnel, contracts and resources of the digital world, you can always expect an unfair US/Israeli/NATO commercial advantage.

Everyone good capitalist knows how invaluable it is to know what your competition is thinking. But what's even better is knowing what the consumer is thinking.. ya think, because that's what the competition is trying to figure out as well, "in the so-called free enterprise, market place of ideas." (snicker)

Use your common sense people, the telcoms and internet companies are not cooperating in the Police State architecture because of security or patriotism they are doing it because of greed and market share. I mean after all, aren't some of these companies run by the "cool kids," you know Liberal, Obama-loving types who smoke a little weed and don't cotton to authority?") Funny right. Corporations love the unfair competition perks. This nefarious relationship in turns provides the campaign funds and media propaganda that keeps feeding the capitalist vampire's scorched earth policies. And the charming crop of young liberals or "Creative Class Types" are happy too, because they get to blog and fund their own charities, and maybe do a mission tour or two because they are paid very well.

The whole world is a F***KING WIDGET under this system, it's MK Ultra writ large.

The Free Enterprise System my ass. What gripes me is that Obama is in Africa cunning them into allowing US corporations to exploit and EXTRAPOLATE their resources to further drive a wedge between the haves and have-nots, to assist the same corporations that refuse to hire us on equal terms or shall I say "merit?"

Consult your history books

Submitted by Enlightened Cynic on Sun, 07/07/2013 - 21:02.

boys and girls....

This ain't capitalism folks, this is MERCANTILISM. That wondrous marriage of State and Capital. (Perhaps the "couple" never divorced, indeed, perhaps its been a LONG HONEYMOON???). Funny how the free market whores bleat like sheep about so-called capitalism while IGNORING THE FACT THAT COMMERCE has been around for centuries before Columbus, the British Piracy Class, the Crusaders, and the East Indian Tea Company.

This MoFos pretend that invented the world's first coinage or monetary system when the Chinese among others was kicking they ass with the abacus and the Silk Road trade routes/commerce by example....

Frankly I prefer the abacus right now, to mathematical savants working on Wall Street or for telcom/internet companies building the world's largest Police State, how about you?

Listen you numb nuts, its why the Black President is in Africa now, he mission is to try to decouple the Chinese stranglehold on African natural resources for the benefit of US Corporations who say you ain't qualified to work for them. Get it numb nuts???

I have either a epiphany or conspiracy theory, pick your poison, about why Obama was elected and re-elected. You need a (what would Paula Deen say?) to bridge the gap of 10 to 20 years of Chinese inroad into Africa. Oh, the Chinese don't give a f**k about liberal democracy and human rights mind you... but neither does the U.S.. But at least the Chinese don't piss on your head and tell you its raining like Americans do. In fact the Chinese neutrality beats hands down the U.S... Humanitarian Intervention (soft power military intervention) Big Lie. The Chinese will let internal struggles play out unlike the NSA, the UN, and the U.S. State Dept.

At least the Chinese invest in Africa Infrastructure, the U.S... won't do shit but exploit and exxtrapolate, some neo-colonial bullshit. Pivot to Asia? How about the sheep, the herd Pivot to Haiti to see how well the U.S... Capitalistic Experiment and "Humanitarian Intervention" is going? Wonder how many millions Bill Clinton and USAID and NGO types have pocketed versus the average Haitian.. on the great US "Humanitarian Intervention/Aid Efforts???"

"Oh beautiful for spacious skies....my ass..." LOL

WILLIAM BLUM

Submitted by BBFmail on Mon, 07/08/2013 - 12:57.

You mention an article by Wiliam Blum in CounterPunch. I hoped that you would someday decide to publish some of the blogs by William Blum. He writes the Anit-Empire Report. See sample below:

The Anti-Empire Report #113

By William Blum – Published February 7th, 2013

American Foreign Policy – Have our war lovers learned anything?

Over the past four decades, of all the reasons people over a certain age have given for their becoming radicalized against US foreign policy, the Vietnam War has easily been the one most often cited. And I myself am the best example of this that you could find. I sometimes think that if the war lovers who run the United States had known of this in advance they might have had serious second thoughts about starting that great historical folly and war crime.

At other times, however, I have the thought that our dear war lovers have had 40 years to take this lesson to heart, and during this time what did they do? They did Salvador and Nicaragua, and Angola and Grenada. They did Panama and Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan and Iraq. And in 2012 American President Barack Obama saw fit to declare that the Vietnam War was “one of the most extraordinary stories of bravery and integrity in the annals of military history”. 1

(SNIP)

If they were even more honest, the war lovers might quote George Kennan, the legendary State Department strategist, who wrote prophetically during the Cold War: “Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy.” 2

MORE ON WILLIAM BLUM ..History of US Interventions

Submitted by BBFmail on Mon, 07/08/2013 - 13:20.

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/US_Interventions_WBlumZ.html

A Brief History of U.S. Interventions:1945 to the Present

by William Blum

Z magazine , June 1999

The engine of American foreign policy has been fueled not by a devotion to any kind of morality, but rather by the necessity to serve other imperatives, which can be summarized as follows:

* making the world safe for American corporations;

* enhancing the financial statements of defense contractors at home who have contributed generously to members of congress;

* preventing the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model;

* extending political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible, as befits a "great power."

This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not.

The United States carried out extremely serious interventions into more than 70 nations in this period.

China, 1945-49:

Intervened in a civil war, taking the side of Chiang Kai-shek against the Communists, even though the latter had been a much closer ally of the United States in the world war. The U.S. used defeated Japanese soldiers to fight for its side. The Communists forced Chiang to flee to Taiwan in 1949.

Italy, 1947-48:

Using every trick in the book, the U.S. interfered in the elections to prevent the Communist Party from coming to power legally and fairly. This perversion of democracy was done in the name of "saving democracy" in Italy. The Communists lost. For the next few decades, the CIA, along with American corporations, continued to intervene in Italian elections, pouring in hundreds of millions of dollars and much psychological warfare to block the specter that was haunting Europe.

Greece, 1947-49:

Intervened in a civil war, taking the side of the neo-fascists against the Greek left which had fought the Nazis courageously. The neo-fascists won and instituted a highly brutal regime, for which the CIA created a new internal security agency, KYP. Before long, KYP was carrying out all the endearing practices of secret police everywhere, including systematic torture.

Philippines, 1945-53:

U.S. military fought against leftist forces (Huks) even while the Huks were still fighting against the Japanese invaders. After the war, the U. S. continued its fight against the Huks, defeating them, and then installing a series of puppets as president, culminating in the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

South Korea, 1945-53:

After World War II, the United States suppressed the popular progressive forces in favor of the conservatives who had collaborated with the Japanese. This led to a long era of corrupt, reactionary, and brutal governments.

Albania, 1949-53:

The U.S. and Britain tried unsuccessfully to overthrow the communist government and install a new one that would have been pro-Western and composed largely of monarchists and collaborators with Italian fascists and Nazis.

Germany, 1950s:

The CIA orchestrated a wide-ranging campaign of sabotage, terrorism, dirty tricks, and psychological warfare against East Germany. This was one of the factors which led to the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

Iran, 1953:

Prime Minister Mossadegh was overthrown in a joint U.S./British operation. Mossadegh had been elected to his position by a large majority of parliament, but he had made the fateful mistake of spearheading the movement to nationalize a British-owned oil company, the sole oil company operating in Iran. The coup restored the Shah to absolute power and began a period of 25 years of repression and torture, with the oil industry being restored to foreign ownership, as follows: Britain and the U.S., each 40 percent, other nations 20 percent.

Guatemala, 1953-1990s:

A CIA-organized coup overthrew the democratically-elected and progressive government of Jacobo Arbenz, initiating 40 years of death-squads, torture, disappearances, mass executions, and unimaginable cruelty, totaling well over 100,000 victims -indisputably one of the most inhuman chapters of the 20th century. Arbenz had nationalized the U.S. firm, United Fruit Company, which had extremely close ties to the American power elite. As justification for the coup, Washington declared that Guatemala had been on the verge of a Soviet takeover, when in fact the Russians had so little interest in the country that it didn't even maintain diplomatic relations. The real problem in the eyes of Washington, in addition to United Fruit, was the danger of Guatemala's social democracy spreading to other countries in Latin America.

Middle East, 1956-58:

The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that the United States "is prepared to use armed forces to assist" any Middle East country "requesting assistance against armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism." The English translation of this was that no one would be allowed to dominate, or have excessive influence over, the middle east and its oil fields except the United States, and that anyone who tried would be, by definition, "Communist." In keeping with this policy, the United States twice attempted to overthrow the Syrian government, staged several shows-of-force in the Mediterranean to intimidate movements opposed to U.S.-supported governments in Jordan and Lebanon, landed 14,000 troops in Lebanon, and conspired to overthrow or assassinate Nasser of Egypt and his troublesome middle-east nationalism.

I was going to write-in his name (William Blum) for President during the last election..but was afraid he would end up on Obama's personal "Kill List".

BBF

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