Of our contemporary thinkers/ commentators/ activists etc., who would you say still proposes ideas akin to Chomsky's social, political philosophy. There is so much fluff and BS in today's commentary, I would be so relieved to find anyone is able to cut through to the core as Chomsky always did.

I was browsing reddit when I found a picture from other side of Tiananmen Square where soldier was lynch by protester as well numerous apc burned by protester.

This different perspective shake me that I don't really know the truth and what I know off is based on tank men and western information on the event. I know now that I really know nothing about this event.

What I want to know is does anyone know the truth about the tiananmen square and what really happen? Does the massacre really happen? What cause the protest to turn violent? Is there any good information ?

"At the beginning of the Gaza truce, there was leaked talk about the existence of secret understandings surrounding the Gaza Strip, which were not announced. The talk revolved around arrangements for the next stage, related to the identity of the side that will govern the Gaza Strip, the nature of the authority, the effect on the situation in the West Bank, the status of the Israeli government, the arrival of the new American administration, the reconstruction file and who will manage it, and the aid file and who will manage it in Gaza. But there is no evidence indicating the existence of secret understandings surrounding many details… But some are saying that the US Administration is leaning toward a new project under the name “Palestine Region” instead of a Palestinian state.

“This region would be less than a state but greater than an authority, and the Gazans would be affiliated with the region regardless of its geographical boundaries. There are many details regarding the Palestine Region project and what it would legally mean for the entire region. Meanwhile, the status and stability of the Israeli government will push for specific steps, which might be against the Gaza Strip. Still, what will determine the details of the next phase is actually linked to the situation inside the Strip itself, the humanitarian crisis, and who will assert themselves as a legal and tribal authority within it. For example, when the Oslo Authority announces it is ready to enter Gaza to manage it, the question arises about whether this is a unilateral announcement or one made based on Palestinian, Arab, and international consensus.

“At the same time, Gaza’s police, which is affiliated with Hamas, also announced the deployment of thousands of their personnel, as though confirming they remain the ruling authority and will not accept a second party. Meanwhile, Gazans need assistance, reconstruction, and the restoration of the economy and life, amid questions surrounding the sides that will handle these files and whether the current parties are acceptable to many sides that wish to redraw the power map within the Gaza Strip. These sides all stand against Hamas and, for now, against the Authority as well, due to the lack of reforms and issues with its institutions. The worst thing Israel might plan after its failure to carry out the displacement scenario – a failure that constitutes one of the major outcomes of the war – is to decide to suffocate the Strip after the prisoner swap ends.

“This would leave Gaza closed without an internationally acceptable ruling party to rule it and would leave Hamas in power. This suffocation would thus aim to leave the Gazans amid the ruins of war, without a future, reconstruction, or any hope, as a form of collective punishment for a society that endured a war which no other people could bear… Others believe that Tel Aviv is seeking to maintain the conflict between Gaza and the West Bank, and between Hamas and the Authority, for other purposes related to entrenching the separation between the two potential wings of the state and continuing to thwart the establishment of any official Palestinian identity in the form of an active state in the region. To achieve this, Israel may seek to continue disarming Hamas while leaving it as a civilian authority, in parallel to attempts to generate internal civil strife among all the factions in the Strip, against the backdrop of the war and the exchange of accusations…”

link

young boy returns to his home in Gaza…

Anyone have a good reading reccomendation related to intellectual property and copyright or possibly one discussing consequences of popular trade agreements?

In one of Chomsky's talks he answers a question on GATT and mentions how intellectual property laws and trade agreements have been expanded and weaponized to protect countries in power. I am mostly interested in this aspect of them.

For anyone interested: Here's the part of the talk I am referring also included in the book Understanding Power.

https://github.com/BracketSmile1/therottingtruth

Letter from Laurent DE WANGEN, a member of the Paris section of the CGT Educ’action Union, to Isabelle VUILLET and Michaël MARCILLOUX, Co-Secretaries of the National Union of CGT Education Unions (UNSEN), and Sophie BINET, General Secretary of the CGT, protesting the exclusion of a trade unionist who publicly criticized the Confederation’s post-October 7 positions as being overly influenced by Israeli propaganda.

The CGT (General Confederation of Labour) is one of the largest, oldest, and most influential trade unions in France. Its Educ’action branch focuses on defending education workers’ rights. This letter includes hyperlinks to supporting documents that substantiate the validity of its claims.

Published in French on June 5, 2024.

Comrades,

Like other comrades, I am appalled by the decision to expel Salah from the CGT Educ’action du Puy-de-Dôme [department in central France, zip code 63] on April 12, 2024. I wish to add this personal testimony to the case file.

Having known Salah for nearly ten years, I have always admired his integrity and unwavering commitment to the just struggle of the Palestinian people. Our discussions have been immensely enriching for me, as he possesses a depth of knowledge about the Arab-Muslim world that I lack. In particular, as a polyglot fluent in English, Arabic, and French, he has access to sources that are unavailable to most French people.

Above all, beyond the Palestinian issue, his integrity and determination are undeniable assets to any union structure — provided the member in question is given a fair chance. And it is precisely here, I believe, that much of the problem lies.

The six grounds cited for Salah’s sanction are:

1. “Defamation of all the members of the Bureau” (i.e., having complained of being subjected to discrimination and sidelining);
2. “Threatening to make defamatory statements public” (i.e., to denounce an injustice);
3. “A stigmatizing request regarding the origin of a Bureau member” (i.e., pointing out that he was the only Arab on the team);
4. “Use of the union’s ‘Members’ file for personal purposes” (i.e., emailing the documents in the case file to all union members eligible to vote on his exclusion);
5. Unlawful recording of a Bureau meeting;
6. Dissemination of this recording, including on YouTube.

None of these six reasons justifies a measure as radical as exclusion from a union that claims to welcome differences of opinion. Furthermore, these grounds are presented without supporting arguments or evidence, raising suspicions of an arbitrary purge concealing other motives.

The CGT, which prides itself on being a mass, class-based union that scrupulously respects the ethnic, ideological, and religious differences of workers, owes it to itself to conduct a much more thorough review of this case (including a contradictory debate, which did not occur within the CGT Educ’action 63) before taking so extreme a measure as to expel a unionized worker.

The principal — and perhaps the sole — justification for exclusion from a union like this should be the persistent refusal to defend the rights of certain employees, a charge never leveled against Salah.

Defamation is certainly the most serious accusation — the other reasons could easily be resolved internally — but it needs far more substantial evidence and clarity about the origins of this alleged defamation.

The recording of the November 10, 2023 meeting [the full transcript of which is accessible here] clearly reveals the hostility Salah faced: alone against a group of nine buddies, who openly acknowledged sidelining him, pressured him to resign from the Board, and grew increasingly hostile when he refused to comply. One member even threatened to assault him at the end of the meeting to force his compliance; another had the audacity to tell him, “You’re sullying my religion,” while yet another chastised him for refusing to label Hamas a terrorist group, declaring, “Your religion has no place in the CGT.”

A week later, this same colleague openly defamed Salah by falsely accusing him of calling him a “miscreant” during the November 10 meeting and threatening legal action based on this fabricated claim. The aim was clear: to intimidate Salah and paint him as an extremist, with the tacit approval of other Board members, as evidenced by a second recording shared by Salah. Faced with CGT Educ’action 63’s obstinate refusal to clarify these accusations — never documented in writing — Salah had no choice but to release the recordings to defend himself.

It is deeply troubling that none of the union members in this section appeared disturbed by these disgraceful actions, which not only tarnished but endangered their own comrade and colleague, especially at a time when numerous activists and unionists were being wrongfully charged with “apology for terrorism” for their support of Palestine. What do the UNSEN and the Confédération have to say about this?

What I find most problematic and unsettling in this entire affair is the silence surrounding the true motives. I cannot help but suspect that Salah was excluded because he was isolated within his peer group due to certain political and/or religious positions:

• On Palestine, for his refusal to condemn the Palestinian resistance’s operation on October 7, 2023;
• On private and faith-based schools, for his refusal to denigrate them;
• On his personal religious beliefs and practices.

On a personal note, I should mention that my views on Palestine align closely with Salah’s (I am, in fact, a signatory of the statement he initiated to criticize the CGT’s initial positions on Palestine following October 7). However, I do not share his opinions on the other two points. That said, as far as I am aware, the CGT does not criminalize dissenting opinions.

It is easy to claim tolerance and a commitment to combating systemic racism and Islamophobia, but evidently far more challenging to embody this open-mindedness in practice.

In light of these considerations, I would feel compelled to resign from CGT Educ’action should Salah’s exclusion — denounced in this petition calling for his reinstatement [it has exceeded 13,000 signatures, is supported by the US Workers World Party and remains open for further support] — be upheld following the appeal process.

Fraternally yours,

Laurent DE WANGEN

CGT Educ’action 75 (Paris)

Letter of Resignation to the CGT Following the Discriminatory Exclusion of a Trade Unionist

Two members of the Paris CGT Educ’action have resigned from the union to protest the confirmation, on June 21, by UNSEN (National Union of CGT Education Unions), of the exclusion of the trade unionist who initiated a petition denouncing the Confederation’s stance on Gaza after October 7.

Published in French on July 13, 2024.

Paris, July 1, 2024

Comrades,

As previously stated, following the decision by the UNSEN Executive Committee to confirm the exclusion of Salah L. from CGT Éduc’action 63, we are resigning from CGT Éduc’action 75.

Since this decision upholds that of CGT Éduc’ 63, the entire union is complicit.

We believe that, beyond the charges against him, Salah’s isolation and marginalization stem primarily from factors related to his identity and convictions.

The trigger for tensions at CGT Éduc’ 63 was Salah’s outspoken condemnation of the CGT’s initial position, which aligned with the Israeli narrative regarding the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7, 2023. The centrality of this position in the eviction process, as confirmed by the timeline of events, was explicitly acknowledged by several members of the CGT Éduc’action 63 Board.

While Salah is not blameless in how he handled the internal conflict within the Board, the way he was sidelined— even though he was an elected member —, pressured to resign, and ultimately excluded for trying to defend himself against abuses, threats, and slander that endangered his personal and professional life, is deeply troubling. The CGT Educ’action 63 and UNSEN’s stubborn refusal to investigate these facts, while condemning Salah to exclusion for his reaction, is a damning admission.

A union is not a political party; it must tolerate the expression of divergent opinions, even if they are in the minority. It must learn to understand and respond to members’ criticisms, even vehement ones, and defuse conflicts before they reach irreconcilable positions.

In these exceptionally sensitive times, as our democracy faces the threat of an extreme right-wing on the verge of seizing power, this exclusion sends a deeply alarming signal — one from which we must resolutely and unequivocally distance ourselves.

Fraternally yours,

Laurent DE WANGEN

Mohsen CHOUAIKHIA