Media Roots Radio – Corporate Violence and the 3D Printing Revolution

Posted on January 7, 2014 by abby

On this edition of Media Roots Radio, Robbie and Abby Martin discuss the notion of structural violence within the corporatocracy and the pipe dream of the ‘free market’ when it comes to the idea that deregulation results in corporate accountability. They also outline the latest developments in 3D printing, and talk about how the technology could be as revolutionary as the Internet by democratizing production and manufacturing, leveling the playing field for innovators all over the world.

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Best of Breaking the Set Season II

Posted on November 30, 2013 by abby

BTS There are tons of amazing Breaking the Set segments I want to elaborate on, but producing a daily TV series leaves me with little time.

I also don’t expect viewers to watch all 300 episodes, and can only assume they’ve missed some BTS gems. To solve this dilemma, I’ve compiled my favorite clips from this season for your viewing pleasure.

Of course, this list is in no way exhaustive, and doesn’t include unbelievable stories like the New Mexico man who was forced to pay for his own anal invasion, consumer zombie shopping stampedes, private armies being hired for the 1%, a Hawaii Representative clubbing the homeless and much more insanity that you can find on Breaking the Set’s youtube channel.

Abby

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In the digital age of instant communication and entertainment overload, I explore humanity’s dependence on technology, the toxic ideal of equating consumption to happiness, and the inner dilemma of attaining conscious simplicity.

Finding Happiness Outside Material Consumption

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By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of the bravest girl in the world, 16 year old Pakistani activist, Malala Yousafzai. Malala was paraded around the US media circuit to speak out against radical Islam and promote education in the wake of surviving a near-death Taliban assault. However, she also personally urged Obama to end US drone strikes in Pakistan during a visit at the White House – a plea completely ignored by the administration and establishment press.

Malala’s Drone Warning Ignored

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Just one day after a frenzied media locked onto coverage of the woman executed by police after she slammed her car into a gate near the White House, John Constantino committed suicide by setting himself on fire in the middle of the National Mall in Washington DC. The difference between the two tragedies is that the corporate media made no more mention than a small blurb about the man. The omission of self-immolation coverage in the Western world, given the historical relevancy of the act, raises important questions.

How the Media Ignores Self-Immolations

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The American people remain one of the most uninformed electorates in the industrialized world, due in large part to the fact that the mainstream media is controlled by only six giant corporate conglomerates that control nearly everything we see and hear: Viacom, Time Warner, Disney, News Corp, CBS and General Electric. I talk about putting the media back in the hands of the people by calling to unplug the MSM and join the ongoing March Against the Mainstream Media.

Join the Media Revolution

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Remember, remember the fifth of November. If you’ve seen V for Vendetta or been to any street protest in recent years, you know how emblematic the Guy Fawkes mask is. This segment outlines the evolution of Guy Fawkes day, the mask as a symbol of resistance and the first ever Million Mask March led by the hacktivist collective Anonymous.

Unity Through Anonymity

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I’ve often criticized the arrogant notion of American Exceptionalism when it comes to politically justifying destructive policies at home and abroad. I flip the concept around to highlight the categories in which the US truly is exceptional, from obesity to war making, but lacking in important areas like literacy and environmental protection.

Top Five Ways America is Exceptional

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The most recent chemical weapons attack in Syria prompted the US political and media establishment to repeat the same talking points that they had in the run-up to the Iraq War, blindly supporting the notion that Syria’s chemical weapons needed to be removed by force. Thankfully, the Obama administration went the diplomatic route after immense pressure forced him to back down from a military strike. In this clip, I dissect the war propagandists and question the interests that were driving their call for war.

Syria War Propagandists Debunked

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Speaking of Syria, Obama’s “red line” of chemical weapons as the justification to militarily intervene in other countries is extraordinarily hypocritical, considering how the US has one of the biggest chemical weapons arsenals and has used them against international law repeatedly in modern warfare. I outline the top four chemical weapons attacks perpetrated by the US and its allies that the establishment doesn’t want you to know about.

Four Chemical Weapons Attacks the US Wants You to Forget

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The Thin Blue Line: The First Time a Cop Lied To Me

Posted on August 30, 2012 by abby

MEDIA ROOTS – This article by David Noriega, published on TheNewInquiry, vividly diagrams the pressures inherent on a young college graduate when he goes to work for the NYC Civilian Complaint Review Board, wherein he investigates citizens’ complaints against NYPD officers. Where other areas that have the means use attorneys for the important task of holding peace officers accountable to citizens, the overextended CCRB provided steady employment for recent grads like Mr. Noriega, as long as they could accomplish the task of minimizing paperwork and consequences for the NYPD.

Younger, more inexperienced workers were more likely to follow orders and be amenable to a culture that valued exoneration of officers, discounting citizen grievances, and not taking a stand on controversial issues like stop-and-frisk. The author expresses some guarded hope, and lists some recent, albeit limited, improvements to the CCRB’s function. This cautionary tale will give you a glimpse of what it feels like to be on the inside of a powerless bureaucratic machine whose ostensible task is keeping the NYPD from abusing its authority.

Laurie Kirchner for Media Roots

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THENEWINQUIRY – I will always remember the first time a cop lied to me. Or rather, the first time that I knew beyond a doubt that a cop was lying to me, sitting right there in the interview room with a tape recorder in front of him.

It was early in my tenure as an investigator at the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the city agency established in 1993 to investigate allegations of misconduct against NYPD officers. The case was a fairly straightforward stop-and-frisk incident near the massive New York City Housing Authority complexes along Avenue D in Manhattan. The complainant, a man in his early 20s, alleged that a plainclothes cop had stopped, frisked, and searched him after he stepped out of a bodega. He’d given a guy a cigarette, and before he knew it, the cop came up from behind him, grabbed him by the coat, and after a quick scuffle, pushed him against a wall.

I’d already interviewed the cop’s unusually forthcoming partner, whose testimony matched the complainant’s. That’s how I knew the cop was making stuff up. Lots of stuff.

Continue reading The Thin Blue Line

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photo by Jean-Edouard BABIN under creative commons

MR Original – Wikileaks Trips Up Trapwire

Posted on August 21, 2012 by abby

MEDIA ROOTS – It may be a sign of a public awakening when news of government surveillance hits the front page of Gawker’s future and technology blog, io9. The scope of federal survellience was widened on August 10 when Wikileaks released documents that exposed the TrapWire system to the public. The security technology helps group private surveillance recordings into one larger network that may be monitored by the government.

It was top secret software that was designed by former CIA agents. Now TrapWire is trending on Twitter as more enlightening information has been surfacing. International news outlet, RT – America even ties the TrapWire information to the White House and its various three letter agencies, as well as intelligence gathering organizations across the globe.

While conspiracy theories are claimed and refuted, the discussion around TrapWire remains particularly relevant. Thomas Drake, the noted NSA surveillance whistleblower of yesteryear, tweeted the following last week: “#Trapwire not bogus. No liberty w/o privacy.Secret surveillance of people is tyranny. Universal wiretap & profile 4 all?”

What comes next?

According to the io9 article, the Electronic Frontier Foundation might have built a legal standing to prove that TrapWire is not only illegal, but in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. From the EFF:

“In January 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously confirmed that Americans have constitutional protections against GPS surveillance by law enforcement, holding that GPS tracking is a “search” under the Fourth Amendment.”

To date, there are no pending legal challenges to TrapWire. That is almost certain to change, as more information is uncovered and the general public begins to acknowledge that privacy isn’t merely for those who have something to hide.

Sean Reid is a guest contributor to Media Roots.

Photo provided by Flicker user SE17.

Facebook, Information Age, Technology, NDAA, GOP Race

Posted on December 15, 2011 by abby

Media Roots Radio – NDAA, GOP Race, Information Age by Media Roots

MEDIA ROOTS – Abby & Robbie Martin discuss the age of information in the 21st century and philosophize what the ability to instantaneously connect with people worldwide has done to modern society; the subjectivity of “truth” as history becomes re-written with every passing generation; Alan Moore v. Frank Miller on Occupy Wall Street; The passing of the new National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that allows the indefinite detention of American citizens; the GOP race as a parody of itself with the candidates running and how voting for Ron Paul would be a fun social experiment if nothing else than to spoil the GOP primary.

This Media Roots podcast is the product of many long hours of hard work and love. If you want to encourage our voice, please consider supporting us as we continue to speak from outside party lines. If you donate, we want to thank you with your choice of art from AbbyMartin.org as well as music from RecordLabelRecords.org. Much of the music you hear on our podcasts comes from Robbie’s imprint Record Label Records, and Abby’s art reflects the passion and perspective that lead her to create Media Roots.org.

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