The Danse Macabre of US-Style Democracy

[Echo In Light]

The Danse Macabre of US-Style Democracy
By John Pilger

What struck me, living and working in the United States, was that presidential campaigns were a parody, entertaining and often grotesque. They are a ritual danse macabre of flags, balloons and bullsh*t, designed to camouflage a venal system based on money power, human division and a culture of permanent war.

{I get a kick outta this last line}

"...And her source for this "fact"? Quotations from Bush and Blair saying it is a fact."

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19153.htm

[flashl]

1. Nothing changes ...

American patriotism "creates a feeling of happiness and solidity," the crimes committed in the name of this patriotism, such as support for war and injustice in the Middle East for the past 25 years, and in Latin America, are irrelevant. Indeed, those who resist such an epic assault on democracy are guilty of "anti-Americanism"

Ask Lani Guinier the most well-known nominee for Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in late 1993. She supported a system of proportional representation in local elections, she was labeled as 'anti-Constitutional' and 'a quota queen.'.

[Echo In Light]

2. I'm sure you're familiar with Chris Hedges' War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/War_Peace/War_Gives_Meaning.html

[flashl]

5. Yes. n/t

[patrice]

3. Isn't the etymology of that phrase from the twitching/convulsions a corpse

may manifest right after its "soul" passes on?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

4. This is a New Statesman article.

informationclearinghouse stealing outright. Again.

[Echo In Light]

6. Apparently many sites "stealing" it as well...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=The+Danse+Macabre+of+US-Style+Democracy

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

7. Heh. Antiwar.com and Lew Rockwell are the first two links.

I knew information clearing house kept some weird company, but jesus.

[Echo In Light]

8. Why the hatred for I.C.H. or Antiwar.com for that matter? Just curious

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

10. Because they're thieves more than anything else.

Taking work wholesale from another publication without even citing the original publication is just a shitty thing to do.

[Echo In Light]

11. A cursory glance at the various sites posting the article don't cite New Statesman, but it is

Obviously on their site.

Guess I'm just not understanding the hatred for the likes of I.C.H. or Znet, or Buzzflash, or Antiwar, etc??? It's not as though they're not sourcing the article's author.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

12. Of course they name the author.

In the case of ICH, they're specifically misleading you into believing that John Pilger is writing for them when in fact he is not. It's misleading, and it's copyright violation.

[Echo In Light]

13. I suspect most ICH readers understand that the site is sourcing others. Not hard to figure out

[Voltaire99]

9. Shine on, John Pilger.

One of the good ones.

I especially relished this phrase: "...with their Zeppelins of platitudes, robotic followers and rictal wives..."