Academic Apostate Doesn't Hate His Roots

“I could see the same pattern in the many failed left-wing revolutions of Latin America and elsewhere. By combining actual travel with the historical study of socialism and revolution, I succeeded in disabusing myself of the utopian notions that fatally attract people to leftist ideas.”

Flesh-eating skin disease grips ISIS-controlled areas in Syria

“As a result of abominable acts by ISIS that included the killing of innocent people and dumping their corpses in streets, this is the leading factor behind the rapid spread of Leishmanisis disease,” Dilqash Isa, the head of the Kurdish Red Crescent told the Kurdish Rudaw news.

Where are the missing mystics of the revolution?

"To the extent that opportunities for these interactions are spread through larger communities, social mysticism has the potential to undermine the wider social order in truly radical ways. Those who are used to looking up to see if collective action is successful should also look out and in to understand the power of change that’s inherent in mystical experience."

Chasing the Dollar, Or Doing Our Own Thing

"Islands of learning and determined liberation do exist, and will continue to flower. They will be mostly ignored for the time being, but these communities, collectives, and affinity groups will only become more valuable to the world, and more noteworthy, as the failed model of endless consuming and individualistic aggrandizement teeters and sputters."

Selma, Obama and the Colonization of Black Resistance

"The speech in Selma, with all of its pro-'American' and settler colonialist sentimentality was delivered with a world audience in mind. Its ideological objective was to counter the idea of an irreconcilable black opposition by co-opting black resistance and imposing a conservative meaning of black oppositional politics.

The presence of George Bush and the imagery of Bush and Obama with the masses of black people behind them as they jointly crossed the bridge was meant to symbolically close any gap between the policies of the Bush and Obama Administrations that may have existed in the imagination of people outside of the U.S. related to black people and their loyalty to the U.S. state.

The message that Obama's speech was meant to convey was that despite killer-cops, mass incarceration and grinding poverty no one should be confused: you will not split black folks away from the state because these black folks belong to us."

The Mariner's Rule

"In the years to come, a great many of us will face the same kind of scramble for survival that so many others faced in the catastrophes of the early 20th century. Some of us won’t make it, and some will have to face the ghastly choice between sheer survival and everything else they value in life. Not everyone, though, will land in one or the other of those categories, and many those who manage to stay out of them will have the chance to direct time and energy toward the broader picture."

Pro-Vaccine Propaganda Setting Stage For Ugly End-Game Scenario

"The issue is not about whether vaccines work. Vaccines can be a great tool to control disease if used properly. The issue is about ethics. Know that in modern medicine ethics is highly emphasized, and violating a patient's basic rights is at the heart of this matter. Anyone can research a pharmacology book and confirm that there are no medicines or vaccines available in these modern times that are so flawless that they justify forceful administration."

Mainstream Media Discovers What Created ISIS - Global Warming!

"Unfortunately, the reality is that the result of these articles and the frivolous study it cites will be that, in discussion of the Syrian crisis with trendies, hipsters, and academics, one will now undoubtedly be forced to endure having to debunk global warming along with the assertion that global warming created ISIS. Well done mainstream media. Well done."

Syrian conflict likely fueled by climate change, study claims

"Previous studies, cited in the paper, show that the drought, together with poor water management policies, led to crop failures that spurred 1.5 million people to migrate toward already packed urban areas. This exacerbated already dire social conditions, leading to the revolution against President Bashar al-Assad."

Obama Admits US Role in 2014 Ukraine Coup

 "Mr. Putin made this decision around Crimea and Ukraine, not because of some grand strategy, but essentially because he was caught off balance by the protests in the Maidan, and Yanukovych then fleeing after we'd brokered a deal to transition power in Ukraine."

"Washington under the Democrats or Republicans wants war, not peace, he said. 'In the post-9/11 era alone, not a single day of peace has followed. Multiple US direct and proxy wars rage. US Special Forces (trained killers) operate covertly and overtly in over 130 countries disruptively.'"

"In the president’s view, the reality of those threats has compelled the US to have "the strongest military in the world." Obama further says that "we occasionally have to twist the arms of countries that wouldn't do what we need them to do if it weren't for the various economic or diplomatic or, in some cases, military leverage that we had — if we didn't have that dose of realism, we wouldn't get anything done, either."

"Reality check. Ethnic Russians are being killed in their homes, basements, schools and streets, by the Western-backed Kiev regime, which launched a gratuitous war on eastern Ukraine ten months ago, resulting in over 5,500 dead and more than a million people displaced."

"'However, if Russia continues its aggressive actions in Ukraine, including by sending troops, weapons, and financing to support the separatists, the costs for Russia will rise,' the White House said in a statement."

A Simple Letter from a Ukrainian Girl

"It is necessary not only to remember that the walls have ears, but you have to remind yourself to look like you are in a good mood. Rejoice that the spring sun is shining for example. After Maidan it is unhealthy to do otherwise. People are watching and looking for those that did not support Maidan. Laws no longer work here. The people are absolutely defenseless and left to the mercy of fate."