Revolution

[Silver0]

Unrest rocks the streets of China, France, Russia, Mexico, and elsewhere. And it is spreading…

“They say that the fires of revolt will spread everywhere, and we see acts like damage to bank branches or state buildings and claims of solidarity with the Greek rioters.”

After numerous European governments expressed fear that the unrest in Greece would spread to neighboring countries and perhaps around the world, the spreading global revolt has taken on another tone: that of confronting the elite for their manipulation of the economic “crisis” (which is really a systemic collapse) in order to consolidate yet even more wealth as the masses of the world suffer the brunt of the former’s greed. The spirit of the Greek revolt has not been forgotten, however, for it is clear whose interests the police serve and protect (as America was recently reminded in Oakland).

As Iceland became the first country to fall due to popular revolt against the economic elite, and then proceeded to appoint their first female PM, who is also openly gay, things are heating up around the globe. Recently, over 1,000 protesters assembled illegally to protest the World Economic Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, and while the protests were overwhelmingly peaceful, fear of unrest prompted the police to systematically target and arrest known and identified militants and revolutionaries.

As GNN’s Grady reports, in China “2,000 workers and farmers held wage protests for twelve days outside of Shanghai” in December 2008, “striking workers and security guards clash in a textile factory in Dongguan” on January 15th, and on January 16th, “100 police officers stage a rally in Shenzhen after being sacked from their jobs.” The Times Online also reports that in the southern province of Guangdong, “three jobless men detonated a bomb in a business travellers’ hotel in the commercial city of Foshan to extort money from the management.” In the 12 days of mass demonstrations last December, the Times reports:

…angry workers besieged labour offices and government buildings after dozens of factories closed their doors without paying wages and their owners went back to Hong Kong, Taiwan or South Korea. In southern China, hundreds of workers blocked a highway to protest against pay cuts imposed by managers. At several factories, there were scenes of chaos as police were called to stop creditors breaking in to seize equipment in lieu of debts.

In France, an estimated 2.5 million people hit the streets in a national general strike in response to the global economic collapse, and in disdain of the handling of the so-called “crisis” by their country’s ruling-class economic elite. The Telegraph reported that “the streets filled with flag-waving protesters and in Paris protesters clashed with police, throwing bottles, overturning cars and starting a fire in the street. After a day of peaceful protests, violence erupted on the fringes of the Paris protest. Dozens of young men wearing scarves across their face were charged down by riot police after throwing stones and bottles, tearing up manhole covers and lighting fires in the Opera district.”

French protests have been peaceful, but anger is growing

The Beeb reports

Across Europe, victims of the economic slump who are losing their jobs in their tens of thousands are furious that public money is being doled out to the banks. In some countries, they are more willing to vent their anger. As huge crowds took to the streets across France this week, in a national day of protests and strikes, the far left points to a boost in the number of its supporters in times of financial gloom.

Certainly, ministers in Paris are wary of some form of insurrection. Recent intelligence reports talk about an “elevated threat” from an “international European network… with a strong presence in France” and a “new generation of activists”, possibly a “re-birth of the violent extreme left”. A spokesman for the interior ministry, Gerard Gachet, told the BBC that the threat was real. “The term ‘ultra-left’ was used by the interior minister to set this group apart from the extreme left who turn up for elections and keep within the parameters of democratic debate,” he says. But talking of more radical groups, he points to recent pamphlets and books published anonymously, but sometimes with a circulation of about 20,000, with titles such as How to Start a Civil War and The Insurrection That is Coming. “They say that the fires of revolt will spread everywhere,” he says, “and we see acts like damage to bank branches or state buildings and claims of solidarity with the Greek rioters.

The Guardian reported that “the French government fears a wave of extreme left-wing terrorism this year with the possible sabotage of key infrastructure, kidnappings of major business figures or even bomb attacks. Last week hundreds of fly-posters around Paris called on young people ‘forced to work for a world that poisons us’ to follow the example of their Greek counterparts. ‘The insurrection goes on. If it takes hold everywhere, no one can stop it,’ the posters said.”

In another article entitled “Governments across Europe tremble as angry people take to the streets,” The Guardian reported: “France paralysed by a wave of strike action, the boulevards of Paris resembling a debris-strewn battlefield. The Hungarian currency sinks to its lowest level ever against the euro, as the unemployment figure rises. Greek farmers block the road into Bulgaria in protest at low prices for their produce. New figures from the biggest bank in the Baltic show that the three post-Soviet states there face the biggest recessions in Europe.”

Across Russia, thousands of protesters demonstrated against their government’s economic policies and response to the global economic crisis, echoing the grievances of others around the globe. Al Jazeera reports that “Russian police forcefully broke up many of the anti-government protests on Saturday, arresting dozens of demonstrators.”

In Mexico City, the BBC reports, thousands of people “protested against what they say is the inadequate response by the government to growing economic problems in Mexico.”

As the global economic collapse continues to unfold, the spirit of revolt and resistance is being rekindled within the hearts of the masses, and the people of the world are rising up. Resistance is spreading from Athens, Riga, Paris, Budapest, Kiev, Reykjavik, China, Mexico, and elsewhere.

Chris Hedges recently wrote that “the daily bleeding of thousands of jobs will soon turn our economic crisis into a political crisis. The street protests, strikes and riots that have rattled France, Turkey, Greece, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Iceland will descend on us. It is only a matter of time. And not much time.” He continues:

At no period in American history has our democracy been in such peril or has the possibility of totalitarianism been as real. Our way of life is over. Our profligate consumption is finished. Our children will never have the standard of living we had. And poverty and despair will sweep across the landscape like a plague. This is the bleak future. There is nothing President Obama can do to stop it. It has been decades in the making. It cannot be undone with a trillion or two trillion dollars in bailout money. Our empire is dying. Our economy has collapsed. How will we cope with our decline? Will we cling to the absurd dreams of a superpower and a glorious tomorrow or will we responsibly face our stark new limitations? Will we heed those who are sober and rational, those who speak of a new simplicity and humility, or will we follow the demagogues and charlatans who rise up out of the slime in moments of crisis to offer fantastic visions? Will we radically transform our system to one that protects the ordinary citizen and fosters the common good, that defies the corporate state, or will we employ the brutality and technology of our internal security and surveillance apparatus to crush all dissent? We won’t have to wait long to find out.

Joshua Holland, in a recent piece on AlterNet entitled “The Whole World Is Rioting as the Economic Crisis Worsens — Why Aren’t We?,” reported that “explosive anger is spilling out onto the streets of Europe. The meltdown of the global economy is igniting massive social unrest in a region that has long been a symbol of political stability and social cohesion. It’s not a new trend: A wave of upheaval is spreading from the poorer countries on the periphery of the global economy to the prosperous core.” He continues:

Over the past few years, a series of riots spread across what is patronizingly known as the Third World. Furious mobs have raged against skyrocketing food and energy prices, stagnating wages and unemployment in India, Senegal, Yemen, Indonesia, Morocco, Cameroon, Brazil, Panama, the Philippines, Egypt, Mexico and elsewhere. For the most part, those living in wealthier countries took little notice. But now, with the global economy crashing down around us, people in even the wealthiest nations are mad as hell and reacting violently to what they view as an inadequate response to their tumbling economies. At least in Western Europe, cries of “burn the shit down!” are being heard in countries with some of the highest standards of living in the world—states with adequate social safety nets; countries where all citizens have access to decent health care and heavily subsidized educations. Places where minimum wages are also living wages, and a dignified retirement is in large part guaranteed. The far ends of the ideological spectrum appear to be gaining currency as the crisis develops, and people grow increasingly hostile toward the politics of the status quo.

How will the people of America respond to the systematic consolidation of wealth within their own country, coupled with environmental degradation and the unfolding police state? At what threshold will the people of America have had enough? At what point will we stand up and resist our own destruction? The choice is ours.

You shouldn’t be so timid—you are not alone. There are millions of us waiting for you to make yourself known, ready to love you and laugh with you and fight at your side for a better world. Follow your heart to the places we will meet. Please don’t be too late. — Fighting For Our Lives

[inky]

The huge wall of text is causing me unrest.

[Disconn3cted]

it sounds like it would be interesting but its so long that I don't want to read it

[Silver0]

then dont reply, i will randomly scream i got nothing to say......and it will mean nothing.

[user]

with the largest standing army on earth, i dont see a revolution in china

[Bop]

my lazy behind demands a summary

[Midori]

Wall of text makes me not want to read this. I skimmed over this and i have to say, theres a lot of things predicting what the future will be with out solid evidence. No one can say for sure if Obama can fix it or not, we haven't had enough time to see what he can do. Some of the statements in this article actually makes me chuckle a bit.

By the way, who wrote this?

with the largest standing army on earth, i dont see a revolution in china

Large doesn't equal good. In fact with such a large force a coup d'etat can be achieved easier.

[Grimjaw]

The huge wall of text is causing me unrest.

it sounds like it would be interesting but its so long that I don't want to read it

[Silver0]

Wall of text makes me not want to read this. I skimmed over this and i have to say, theres a lot of things predicting what the future will be with out solid evidence.

Not a speculation or predictions wake up... sigh
http://www.Submedia.tv

Protesters clash with police in Reykjavik during a demonstration against the Icelandic government's handling of the country's financial crisis

Iceland's Minister of Commerce Bjorgvin Sigurdsson has resigned

"Around two million people are believed to have taken part in public demonstrations across France yesterday to protest at the Government's handling of the economic crisis"

[inky]

The huge wall of text is causing me unrest.

it sounds like it would be interesting but its so long that I don't want to read it

lol i usually don't mind reading a lot (i read my textbooks for at least 1 1/2-2 hours a day) but something titled "revolution" doesn't really sound too enticing -- especially since, as mentioned, it sounds like a bunch of predictions without/lacks evidence or basis. at least that's how i interpreted it after reading the first 2 paragraphs. if not, good luck with that revolution -- i'll join when the justice system seems to make more sense.

[inky]

People should not only revolt because of discontent. They should at least have a stable, realistic, and logical plan on what to do if they ever succeed. They should also consider the consequences of their actions in case their little uprising fails.

[Silver0]

The huge wall of text is causing me unrest.

it sounds like it would be interesting but its so long that I don't want to read it

lol i usually don't mind reading a lot (i read my textbooks for at least 1 1/2-2 hours a day) but something titled "revolution" doesn't really sound too enticing -- especially since, as mentioned, it sounds like a bunch of predictions without/lacks evidence or basis. at least that's how i interpreted it after reading the first 2 paragraphs. if not, good luck with that revolution -- i'll join when the justice system seems to make more sense.

i dont see the predictions these protest are happening....wtf

[TOloseGT]

looks to me like babies are acting out

[Silver0]

looks to me like babies are acting out

sure are ....At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

and that was a chart of 2003

Warren Buffett-investor(lol)
Carlos Slim-Telecom
Bill Gates

Washington's Trillion-Dollar Week
Brian Wingfield, 02.08.09, 08:27 PM EST
As Obama sells his stimulus plan to America, Congress braces for a knock-down fight over the cost.

WASHINGTON -- If all goes well for President Barack Obama, this could be one of the most expensive weeks in U.S. history.

The Senate is expected to pass an $827 billion fiscal stimulus bill, which must then be reconciled with a separate $819 billion House version. The Treasury Department will unveil a sweeping plan to use the remaining $350 billion in the government’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. Total cost: at least $1.1 trillion.

LMAO

[inky]

looks to me like babies are acting out

sure are ....At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day.

and that was a chart of 2003

No matter how sick everyone is of the fact that the wealthy keeps exploit the masses, riots and protests cannot solve anything. Why? Because the system's roots are dug too deep to be pulled out in a single sweep. Besides, there are other issues that need to be resolved such as the flawed "justice" system. I don't need to tell you how difficult it would be to deviate from the social norms these days since the chances of you actually encouraging people to join your cause is zero to none. Even if you do, do you really believe that they would act on it? To risk losing their job in today's economic status or be even imprisoned? I don't think so. Even if you managed to get a couple of people to act on this, you will only be overpowered and the best consolation you would get would be an easily forgettable place in history between Lindsay Lohan and the Phelps scandal.

Don't get me wrong though. I'm not saying that it's impossible -- but you need to have an exit plan. I used to live in the Philippines when the People Power II revolution occurred. Did it get rid of the corrupt and incompetent president? Yes. But did it solve anything? Far from it.

Corruption is still widespread -- among the politicians, the media, the police force, the military, and even in small businesses. There are not enough good people in the world to make a real change.

[Grimjaw]

If I ever win the lottery here which is 25 million euro's. Everyone in my buddy list gets a million in their own currency.

[inky]

If I ever win the lottery here which is 25 million euro's. Everyone in my buddy list get a million in their own currency.

The last winning jackpot in the NY lottery was around 200M+ ...the things I would do with that kind of money...

[Disconn3cted]

If I ever win the lottery here which is 25 million euro's. Everyone in my buddy list get a million in their own currency.

The last winning jackpot in the NY lottery was around 200M+ ...the things I would do with that kind of money...

I wouldn't need that much money, I would keep about 5m and give the rest to charity

[Midori]

Not a speculation or predictions wake up... sigh

It IS speculation and predictions until it actually happens. You can't take anything that will happen in the future as fact. And with .tv, i can't take that website seriously. I'd like you to find me hard evidence that says Obama can't do anything.

[Blindfire]

I wouldn't need that much money, I would keep about 5m and give the rest to charity

Then get a fucking massive tax return.

[Bop]

The huge wall of text is causing me unrest.

it sounds like it would be interesting but its so long that I don't want to read it

I fcking lold, and I gotta agree with the overall idea of comic...

[heroo]

with the largest standing army on earth, i dont see a revolution in china

all is relative.

largest army? true. but also the largest population the world.

[Silver0]

Not a speculation or predictions wake up... sigh

It IS speculation and predictions until it actually happens. You can't take anything that will happen in the future as fact. And with .tv, i can't take that website seriously. I'd like you to find me hard evidence that says Obama can't do anything.

dont skip a whole page and look for obama as we speak obama is pumping 1 trillion into the system the fact that some author said it wont help doesnt throw the whole article out the window these protest are happening

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/break ... html?r=RSS

http://eng.forsaetisraduneyti.is/news-a ... es/nr/3369

[XemnasXD]

there wasn't a revolt in iceland...the gov't collapsed on its own incompetence....i stopped reading after that...

this is just a reaction to the bad economy, once things pick up they will go away even if the world is badly in need of this exaggerated revolution...

[Doppleganger]

with the largest standing army on earth, i dont see a revolution in china

all is relative.

largest army? true. but also the largest population the world.

A couple nukes will change that.
sadly ><

[XemnasXD]

they have nukes too you know...

[Midori]

Not a speculation or predictions wake up... sigh

It IS speculation and predictions until it actually happens. You can't take anything that will happen in the future as fact. And with .tv, i can't take that website seriously. I'd like you to find me hard evidence that says Obama can't do anything.

dont skip a whole page and look for obama as we speak obama is pumping 1 trillion into the system the fact that some author said it wont help doesnt throw the whole article out the window these protest are happening

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/break ... html?r=RSS

http://eng.forsaetisraduneyti.is/news-a ... es/nr/3369

Did i say anything abut the protests in europe? No, I didn't, i could care less about europe. I was talking about Obama.

[Zen]

dont skip a whole page and look for obama as we speak obama is pumping 1 trillion into the system the fact that some author said it wont help doesnt throw the whole article out the window these protest are happening

Putting 1 trillion dollars into the money flow creates inflation, wich makes the dollar weaker,
This whole Fractional banking system is such a joke i don't know why we have accepted it for so long, in a year or 2 $100 U.S probally wont buy you a slice of Bread.

Most nations Buy the strong American Dollar and Hold it to prop up the value of there dollar,
The weaker the U.S dollar, The weaker everyones dollar becomes

Its pretty obvious they are trying very hard to destroy the current monatary system as they are trying just as hard to get people to accept a world currency.. the RFID chip,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em3_TrokqTU

The price of Gold and Silver has risen so dramaticly, So many people are giving up on the current monatary system and are buying hard currency instead. people are being told to turn there assests into gold and silver.

I wish i could beleive obama, but he is just a puppet for the world bankers,
hes the fall guy thats going to take the blame for the economic failure