Freedom of Expression in an Era of State Terror


by Niloufer Bhagwat
 
Global Research, December 15, 2005 
 



Paper Presented at the Forum at the Fourth Conference On Freedom of  
Expression, of writers, poets, publishers and human rights 
organizations, Law Faculty, Bilgi University, Istanbul, 21st November 
2005  

The contemporary political scene is remarkable for the cascading 
effect of the propaganda of the ? war against terror?, which has 
engulfed so many countries of the Western and Eastern Hemisphere. Not a 
single continent remains unscathed, not even the European Community, 
despite high sounding ideals and conditions imposed, to secure human 
freedom as a precondition for membership. The events of 9/11 , the work 
of less than 20 terrorists has altered the entire post ? war social 
compact . Across the Atlantic in North America, in the heart of liberal 
democracies such as England and France, in Germany, in Italy, in West, 
Central and South Asia, and beyond to Indonesia, the Philippines and 
Australia, the global television networks controlled by monopoly media 
companies, corporate newspapers, government leaders, those representing 
the coercive instruments of state power, the police, paramilitary, the 
military and bureaucracy, would have the world believe that their 
societies face imminent attack from "terrorists ", and that the very 
existence of their societies are threatened by terrorists , projected 
as Muslim and / or Arab, people hailing from those very regions , where 
hydrocarbons, petro-dollars, among other resources, are stolen by war , 
occupation , by political threats, or by installing quisling 
governments in those regions .

What are the implications for the freedom of _expression, freedom for 
political discourse, on which the political, social and cultural health 
of a society and its development and civilization depend ; for 
democracy, for the freedom of the press, freedom for political 
organization, in this environment of fear and hostility in more than 
one country being incited against racial and religious minorities , 
migrants , against the backdrop of the ? War against Terror?, even as 
citizens see no credible enemy ; and whether correctives are possible , 
within the existing political and constitutional structures to overcome 
grave deprival of rights by those very institutions established to 
protect citizens .

It is also necessary to assess in the context of historical 
experience, whether governments allied with elite interests have been 
successful in the long term in suppressing freedom of thought and 
_expression, as this is not the ? end of history?, and what we are 
witnessing may be a fierce struggle between financial and corporate 
oligarchies , controlling most mainstream political parties in 
government and some political formations represented in legislatures as 
the '" Opposition '" on the one hand, and the masses of the citizenry 
on the other, including in countries where the military/ bureaucracies 
have arrogated to themselves the right to influence judicial and other 
institutions , to determine whether expressions of citizens in speech 
or the written form is a patriotic act or not .

These struggles will determine whether there will be progress or 
regress in the evolution of erstwhile liberal democracy, which had not 
as yet attained its promise of economic and social equality for all 
citizens even in the erstwhile liberal democracies of Europe and North 
America . Some of these governments are now undergoing authoritarian 
and even fascist transformation, in an attempt wipe out all traces from 
their political systems of the earlier protracted democratic and 
socialist struggles , influenced by the great revolutions in Europe and 
epic national liberation movements , which had compelled governments to 
concede freedom of _expression and public discourse , now increasingly 
and progressively restricted and controlled by extensive corporate 
media networks and the big business press , even as monopolies have 
advanced, dominating and controlling extensive resources /geographical 
areas of the world, leaving limited room for citizens, independent 
journalists , co-operatives of journalists , or a radical political 
press , with the capacity to represent peoples interests in 
disseminating information and news , without deflecting , diverting or 
controlling public discussion .

Yet it would not be truthful to project that before the declaration of 
the ? War Against Terror?, freedom of _expression and of public and 
political discourse was in an ideal state, in the affected and other 
countries, where political organizers, workers, writers, artists, 
public spirited citizens have been openly or subtly persecuted, and 
faced loss of livelihood apart from incarceration for their truthful 
reflections and articulations in public, historical, aesthetic or 
artistic interest . The situation differed from one society to another. 
Whereas the existence of foreign military bases had resulted in subtly 
restricting or wholly destroying freedom of _expression in most 
countries where these bases were located . Other governments and 
societies have politically distorted the evocative appeal of religion 
to preserve the status quo of economic exploitation and the global 
covert alliances of an oligarchy , to prevent political change ,and to 
suppress democratic aspirations. We have witnessed the creation of so 
called Islamic terrorist groups and organizations , admittedly funded 
by Western and other Intelligence Agencies with a view to control and 
dominate regions and whole societies, in a manner similar to which 
Operation Gladio was used in Europe, by covert forces after the second 
world war . 

The " essence of Operation Gladio was to attack civilians , the people 
, women , children , innocent people , unknown people far removed any 
political game . The reason was quite simple: to force ?the public to 
turn to the state to ask for greater security ". *( Chris Floyd, 
Operation Gladio )

It is not without coincidence that it is in those countries where 
governments are most closely allied with US and British imperialism, in 
particular in the Arab world and elsewhere, where men and women have 
been oppressed and excluded completely from public discourse and 
political space, women doubly , by distorted interpretations of 
religious texts and dogma justifying theocracy, dictatorship , monarchy 
and segregation. However this fascist and sectarian misuse of religion 
to control closed political societies and prohibit dissent in a covert 
alliance with imperialism , must be clearly distinguished from 
"Liberation" theology used by revolutionary priests in Central and 
Latin America to organize people against brutal dictatorships abetted 
by special forces of the United States, and the genuine nationalist 
resistance to foreign military occupation and aggression witnessed in 
Iraq and in some other countries , where the Islamic concept of " 
struggle against injustice " is being used politically , yet in a non 
sectarian manner , as part of a broad peoples movement opposing foreign 
occupation and against dictatorship or military rule and control ; as 
these organizations have emerged due to historical reasons, because 
secular and nationalist political formations were denied political 
space during earlier periods of dictatorships .

In the context of this discussion, the experiences in the former USSR 
and the Peoples Republic of China cannot be glossed over for a better 
perspective of contemporary events the world over. As in these two 
societies, the early promise and objective of liberating working people 
and all humanity , using the tools of scientific analysis and 
philosophy, was gradually subverted over decades, by first 
circumscribing and then denying all freedom of public discourse by 
dictatorial party bureaucracies, usurping and distorting political 
concepts, denying public space to the very people who created and 
supported the revolutions and its phenomenal achievements, leading to 
the political capitulation and dismemberment of the former USSR by the 
politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union for and on behalf 
of an oligarchy of financial and corporate interests ; with the entire 
privatization process referred to by the eminent World Bank economist 
and Nobel prize winner in economics ( 2001) Dr. Joseph Stiglitz as a 
"briberization " process , leading to immense human misery with 
millions who had known complete social security , plunged overnight 
below the poverty line , by the destruction of peoples savings and 
assets created over 60 years in the post revolutionary period , through 
currency conversion and flight of capital to Western banks all without 
public debate , a process assisted by Mafia "oligarchs" without any 
public discourse . The reintegration of the People's Republic of China 
into the "market economy " has also been a decision taken by party 
bureaucracies . Both these transformations ignored the people, despite 
the path breaking humanistic endeavours and historical contribution of 
the people in both societies, which enabled millions to cross hitherto 
insurmountable barriers of poverty, hunger, unemployment and 
degradation, that people of these societies had faced during their pre 
revolutionary period, and despite the determination and superhuman 
resolve with which peoples from these societies combining with 
resistance forces in occupied countries, defeated fascism in Europe and 
militarism and occupation in Asia . In China to-day companies like Wal-
Mart influence policies much more than the working citizens of China 
who have contributed in terms of long working hours, to what is being 
termed as an "economic miracle " , even as hundreds of workers die in 
factories and mines every month , where no safety regulations or 
environmental norms are being observed to maintain astonishing growth 
rates .

However, the reason for the present focus on the post 9/11 situation 
is that even those societies and countries, which hitherto ,
constitutionally and legally paid homage to freedom of _expression, the 
very foundation and basis for public discourse and culture, political , 
social, aesthetic and condemned other societies for the lack of it, as 
a part of cold war "rhetoric " against a different political system , 
have now seriously regressed from their erstwhile positions on 
"freedom", using ?terrorism? as a smoke screen.

After 9/11 with the Patriot Act legislated , the United States of 
America ,once held out incorrectly as the role model of democracy ( 
which it never really was ,as borne out by the early history of 
genocide of millions of the Native American people and seizure of their 
lands and territories by settlers , the slave trade and slavery imposed 
on the African- American people for the accumulation of economic 
surpluses , the nature of race relations thereafter to date , the 
treatment of immigrants and working people, with women as commodities ) 
, has undergone a constitutional and legal transformation of dramatic 
proportions and a retreat even from what is broadly termed as limited " 
liberal democracy " . It has been reported that the Patriot Act was not 
even printed for reading of the US legislators before it was passed , 
with provisions not read by a majority of legislators when it was voted 
on .The erosion of ? democracy ? and ? freedom? is now complete and 
includes emasculation of the ? freedom of speech? . The Patriot Act has 
become permanent law as of 2005, and the recent changes are now 
referred to as Patriot Act II, passed with the unanimous vote of the 
Senate . The objective of this Act which abrogates the freedom of 
organization , right to freedom of speech , right to legal counsel 
among other rights , is not the pursuit of a few ? terrorists ", who 
were permitted to enter and function in the USA with impunity, as the 
disclosure of project ? Able Danger? and other evidence of US 
Intelligence and other official agencies reveal .Neither is the Act for 
the pursuit of Bin Laden and his extended family, who were provided 
special aircrafts to assist them in leaving the United States even as 
flights for other citizens of the United States were restricted ; it is 
not for the Carlyle Corporation in which the bin Laden family had 
investments along with leading political families of the United States 
, but for the large majority of the citizens of the United States . 
Among other measures implemented through the Patriot Act to deter 
freedom of _expression and organization, it is now permissible for the 
FBI to request all kinds of personal and private information, including 
library lists of the person under investigation ,an unprecedented 
measure for any society which claims to rest its foundation on a 
scientific temper and a spirit of inquiry . The office of Homeland 
Security is immune from the scrutiny of Congress and functions under 
executive fiat in direct violation of the Constitution of the United 
States, which provides for checks and balances. The nature of measures 
conferring extensive powers on the FBI and other intelligence agencies 
have transformed the United States into a Police or a fascist State. 
That the Patriot Act was not a response to any kind of terrorism by 
alleged Muslim or Arab terrorists is established from the fact that the 
Patriot Act was never used to bring to justice any of the so called 
terrorists responsible for 9/11 even after it was passed, though more 
than 5000 minorities of Muslim or Arab descent, who were residents and 
domiciled in the USA and innocent of any terrorist act, were 
immediately illegally detained without the knowledge of their families 
and friends, many incommunicado .

The vast increase in domestic spying powers over the past five years 
and more, the illegal detentions without a right to Habeas Corpus , the 
setting up of Military Tribunals without a right to appeal are on the 
lines of the Spanish Inquisition , the English Court of Star Chamber , 
and the Letter de Cache of the French monarchy , justified as a part of 
the ? War against Terror? which appears to be in retrospect the 
"Reichtag fire " in terms of its implications ; yet there are hardly 
any terrorists in the United States of America or elsewhere, where 
similar legislation is being enforced ; exposing that the main 
objective is to extend the capacity of Intelligence Agencies to monitor 
groups and individuals , including lawyers opposed to government policy 
and people demonstrating against acts of military aggression and the 
colonial occupation in Iraq , Afghanistan , Haiti , in defense of 
humanity, against erosion of social security and health care and in 
exercise of their right to free speech . Even the nature of donations 
to all organizations , the nature of advise tendered and assistance 
given including by lawyers to clients , are all monitored . It must be 
recalled that John Ashcroft officially stated that the President as a 
Commander-in- Chief is a war time dictator , as the Congress had 
conferred on him the power to declare war though such provisions do not 
exist in the Constitution of the United States, which does not provide 
for the suspension either of the Writ of Habeas Corpus or for the 
suspension and abrogation of other freedoms .

      Prime Minister Tony Blair has adopted the same political 
approach towards the liberty and freedom of speech, and the "New " 
Labour party emulating President Bush has declared that Britain is on a 
war footing. British involvement in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq 
are unrelated to ? terrorism ? and represent its integration into the 
colonial and military strategy of the United States and NATO. The anti-
terror law in Britain makes civil liberties and the freedom of speech 
of the British citizen depend on the Police and Security services . 
Despite the failure of Prime Minister Blair to gain support for a 
period of 90 days detention without judicial sanction, the anti-
terrorism bill has obtained approval for preventive detention for a 
reduced period without Judicial scrutiny and review. The law interalia 
criminalizes the mere _expression of opinion deemed unacceptable to the 
Home Secretary and makes illegal the ? glorification of the preparation 
or commission of terrorist acts ? an offense so vague that it enables 
the government to arbitrarily outlaw political dissent .

      The media baron Rupert Murdoch's paper the SUN, backed the 90 
day preventive detention proposal, and his flagship newspaper denounced 
the Members of Parliament of the Labour, Consevative and Liberal party 
who voted for a reduced period of detention without judicial scrutiny, 
as "traitors " though this anti- Terrorism Act of the UK is in breach 
of the 1950 European Convention on Human Rights, and contravenes the 
essential provisions of the British law enshrined in the Habeas Corpus 
Act of 1679 originating in the historic Magna Carta of 1215 . The new 
law provides that the Human Rights Act of the UK passed to conform to 
the European Convention on Human Rights be disregarded or bypassed in 
the event of a conflict with the anti-terrorism legislation, severely 
restricting freedom of speech. It is significant that no political 
leader has been under detention for ? hate speeches? against immigrants 
though the spreading enmity and hatred are prohibited under this law .
As a consequence of the UK legislation, anti-war reporting can be 
termed a glorification of terror by giving succour to the Iraqi 
Resistance. The Act has invited the widespread criticism from civil 
rights groups , opposition parties , sections of the judiciary and from 
former Law Lords . The real objective of Prime Minister Tony Blair is 
to prevent a revolt from the working class as wages are lowered, and 
the hire and fire policy for workers is implemented ruthlessly, with 
erosion and elimination of social security, and when new countries are 
invaded and occupied in furtherance of the policy of " New " 
colonialism ad military occupation for the plunder of resources of 
other countries, hence the anti ?terrorism measures. 

      The third case study of emasculating democratic rights,in 
particular freedom of _expression is the Howard government?s draconian 
anti- terrorism bill ,which emulates the Patriot Act and the anti-
terrorism laws introduced in British parliament; this has aroused large 
popular opposition and reactions to the bill in Australia . The new 
sedition laws are not aimed against terrorism as hardly any act of 
"terrorism" has taken place in Australia as distinguished from racist 
attacks by white supremacist forces with covert support from the 
government to provoke retaliation ; on the other hand the anti - 
sedition laws prevent free speech and the indefinite and secret 
detention of individuals would allow intelligence organizations to 
organize the ? disappearance of citizens "permanently, as in Argentina 
and Chile. The Australian bill desires to silence political dissent by 
making it an offense to promote feelings of ? ill will or hostility 
between different groups? and conduct of assisting an ? organization or 
country engaged in armed hostilities ? against the Australian military, 
whether such a war is declared or not, to enable the Australian 
government to justify military occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq, and 
future colonial interventions in the Solomon islands, Papua New Guinea, 
in Indonesia and the Philippines, that is regions where front rank 
political leaders have openly alleged that the Bali and other bombings 
were the result of military collaboration in these countries . 

      A letter in the Sydney Morning Herald is relevant to assess the 
nature of terrorism as against the propaganda articulated by 
governments from Washington, London, Tel Aviv , Paris, Australia , 
Karachi , New Delhi , Djakarta, and Manila, among other capitals:

      ? John Howard is right. Terror surrounds us the terror of 
growing inequality between aboriginal and white society; the terror of 
poverty and prejudice against minority groups; of the displaced, of the 
alienated, homeless and the indefinitely detained; of the elements of 
the deterioration of public utilities and essential services; of the 
decline in the quality of leadership; of government management; of the 
government?s proposed work changes. Last but not the least we face the 
terror of government by stealth, deception and self ?interest."

      To justify highly unpopular measures, on 9th November 2005, 850 
Federal and State Police and intelligence personnel heavily armed broke 
into 23 homes in the working class and immigrant districts of Sydney 
and Melbourne in Australia and arrested 17 Muslims, on the ground that 
they were contemplating terrorism. The Defense lawyer has described the 
charges as ? scandalous ? stating that there was no evidence that any 
terrorist act was being planned. Since it was more than obvious that 
these measures were unjustified, the Australian government can always 
fall back on its racist immigration policy and manufacture racial 
strife or an " Operation Gladio " , ironically in an Australia which 
does not belong legally to races other than the Australian Aborigines, 
from whom it was stolen by colonization .

      Even France has succumbed and invoked a state of emergency under 
the pretext of rioting in immigrant ghettos, significantly under a 1955 
law, a product of the brutal colonial subjugation of Algeria and its 
national liberation struggle, not astonishing in view of the 
restlessness of the working people of France resisting the onslaughts 
on social security and being roped into an Economic Community committed 
to destroy rights of working people and middle income groups. Moreover, 
France which initially opposed the Iraq war has supported military 
onslaughts and neo-colonial and colonial projects in Yugoslavia, Haiti, 
Afghanistan, and Africa , and now contemplated in respect of Iran and 
Syria, among other regions. Under the French law government can carry 
out raids, censor the media and ban demonstrations. The real motivating 
factor in the declaration of emergency is not the genuine discontent of 
immigrants which occasionally manifests itself , or contrived violence 
or the discrimination against citizens of African and Arab origin, but 
the social unrest against privatization and erosion of social security 
uppermost in peoples minds and the strike action in response ; apart 
from the fact that the French people voted defying most organized 
political formations in government and the opposition overwhelmingly 
against the European Union Constitution ,which they perceived as 
antagonistic to their social security for which their liberties are 
being taken away . Incidentally this emergency law was proposed in 
public by Marie le Pen, the daughter of the neo ?fascist leader le Pen 
herself a member of the neo ?fascist National party .The nature of 
remarks by the Interior minister referring to the immigrants involved 
in the incidents, as "scum "and "gangrene " reveals a policy to 
deliberately divide and polarize not only the French people but the 
European Community to "divide and rule ", as in other countries like 
Australia, where the immigrants have been referred to as the source of 
all problems . The government in France shut down the internet ,
increasingly seen as an alternative global media surmounting the 
Corporate media?s agenda to ?manufacture consent?, and impose 
censorship on the issues of the day affecting citizens, by coverage 
which is not truthful , which neglects to highlight and emphasize 
issues of priority concern, which does not reveal the connection 
between policy imposed by private corporate interest and the 
criminilization of the economy and siphoning of public resources , 
which sensationalizes matters of little concern to society , and which 
renders frivolous news reports using the pretext of media ?s role in 
entertaining .  

      In Germany it is reported that authors and others are 
increasingly facing pressure, detention, loss of employment for 
reproducing or even circulating extracts from journals and other 
literature , which is on a list of prohibited publications not known to 
the public. Italy is also among the countries which has substantially 
altered its parliamentary and other constitutional structures, in the 
face of massive peoples demonstrations against economic policies and 
predatory wars

      The countries referred to are not the only ones which have 
enacted such measures, these examples have been given as some of these 
governments talk the loudest about ?freedom ? and ? democracy?, and yet 
have killed and mutilated the people of Palestine, Iraq , Afghanistan, 
Haiti , Congo , former Yugoslavia among others, depriving whole nations 
of their right to freedom of _expression and public discourse. Yet one 
cannot in the process, condone other societies and political systems, 
using the leverage of their phenomenal growth rates and investments to 
impose their agenda for censorship of internet , courtesy Bill Gates 
among other IT Companies.

      What we are witnessing is an era of state terrorism in erstwhile 
liberal democracies. Terrorism is referred to as a camouflage, though 
these rag tag groups and neo-fascist gangs , are trained by the very 
intelligence agencies of these governments, as an instrument of their 
state policy, to justify mass state terrorism against people 
mobilizing, to express political opinion on a range of policies which 
affect them, which mainstream political parties are declining to raise 
as a part of their compact with an oligarchy of financial and corporate 
interests. Some of these trained groups are also used as instruments 
for subversion of rival governments and societies if these societies 
resist external manipulation of their policies .

      Historically mankind has revolted against systems which have 
been oppressive  and which attempted to enslave groups or nations , in 
particular when the reasons and causes for the enslavement became known 
,and the dominant political system became cruel and repressive. In the 
present situation the reversal of freedom of _expression and freedom of 
public discourse, on issues vital to the survival of millions in 
countries, will not be acceptable to those who have lived under 
constitutional and legal structures which permitted discourse albeit 
when there was no threat to the status quo of the existing economic 
system, which under the regime of ? Neo-Liberal globalization" a higher 
stage of Capitalism, has destabilized societies and economies, altered 
the post World War II compact between Capital and labour , the equation 
between the metropolitan countries and former colonized countries known 
as the peripheries , and has resulted in a revolt of civil society from 
country to country in all hemispheres , which the political 
capitulation of the former USSR and the integration of China into the " 
Market economy" has not assisted in quelling ,as the nature of finance 
capital and corporate operations throughout the world , pauperize 
people including in the erstwhile economic and financial citadels ,
increase unemployment as operations shift easily and swiftly from

country to country, even as Companies pursuing economies of scale and 
increasing profits, search for cheaper labour and resources from one 
country to another, rendering desolate, hitherto vibrant economic 
regions, driving down wages everywhere, increasing hours of work, 
increasing the age of retirement, imposing genocidal conditions on 
small farmers as a consequence of the pressures from giant and powerful 
agri-business companies searching for markets and monopolies over 
seeds; and abolishing hard won social security and public health 
systems leaving millions without any health cover .We live in a world 
where even sections of the middle classes face the prospect of 
bankruptcy if faced with job losses. The prospect of militant mass 
mobilization in the context of worsening economic conditions, with new 
measures to be imposed by governments reducing living standards of 
working people, has resulted in the recent coercive and fascist 
measures, to curb freedom of _expression and public discourse and 
dialogue, to prevent a mass revolt from country to country, as 
mainstream national parties succumb to the interests of the Oligarchy. 
With millions marching against the new slavery of peoples and nations 
under "globalization ", and the militarization of their societies for 
wars of aggression for which soldiers from underprivileged and middle 
income families are being recruited as "canon fodder "; has raised an 
alarm among those sections who would enslave humanity for profits by 
any means including war , who have passed anti-terrorist laws in their 
own interest , to protect themselves from expressions of individual and 
mass protest.

      Have they succeeded in suppressing public debate? It is too 
early to tell. Yet the signs are that there is no capitulation. 
Citizens of the United States continue to mobilize on vital issues 
individually and collectively , through civil disobedience and other 
forms of political and cultural _expression. Though the bomb blasts and 
its aftermath in England, the murder of the innocent Brazilian Jean 
Charles de Menezes by special police forces resulted in stupefaction 
and subdued public reaction in England ,shocked at the turn of events, 
yet immediately thereafter there was dissent and the voting in 
Parliament which even though it only reduces the period of 
incarceration from 90 days originally contemplated , and does not 
eliminate the anti-democratic measure , revealed the fissures however 
narrow, that this is not an easy road to a neo-fascist state, and there 
is considerable unease in society and no consensus on the strangulation 
of the voice of the people , precisely when they most wish to express 
themselves . In Australia as per news reports from the corporate media 
and press more than 500, 000 were out demonstrating against new 
punitive industrial laws, with the potential to pauperize the working 
class even in the backdrop of the tabling of anti-terror legislation 
and so called terrorist raids deliberately staged in the immigrant 
working class residential areas in Muslim homes to foster a racial 
divide, to whip up support for the draconian measure. The people of 
France historically having erected so many barricades at the cross 
roads of history for liberte, egalite and fraternite will not be left 
far behind ,to regain their freedom of _expression and public discourse 
even as legitimate strike actions against privatization and rolling 
back of social security have been prohibited from one industry to 
another , from one city to another .

      It would be illusory and mistaken for people and organizations 
to place their trust entirely in existing institutions, whether the 
judiciary or in mainstream political parties in the government or even 
some in the opposition, who have in the past capitulated in the face of 
these measures. History it is said "is what we look back to and then 
take forward" in understanding social and political forces. The anti-
terror laws are the reaction not of triumph, but of increasing fear , 
apprehension and insecurity on the part of the "Oligarchs " of Finance 
Capital and Monopoly Companies and their quisling governments , in the 
face of indictments being drawn up by people from continent to 
continent , of war crimes , crimes against humanity and genocide being 
laid at their door, with the apprehension that the growing 
understanding of the present productive processes in society and the 
use to which they are being put, with increasing economic and political 
marginilisation for those who contribute most to the accumulation of 
surpluses, increasing penury and pauperization, and the degenerate use 
of the public wealth of societies and brutal use of wars to steal 
resources and profiteer sacrificing the lives of millions , will alter 
equations if truth is not suppressed .

      When the New York Times referred to the anti-war marches, as a 
new "super power ", the message went home and "anti-terror " barricades 
have been erected by oligarchies in many countries, though all these 
strategies are hopeless and cannot defeat ideas once considered far in 
advance of their time, with historical conditions ripe for there 
acceptance as the technological, scientific and economic organizations 
and institutions are in place to enable mankind to partake of these 
tremendous surpluses generated by the global economy in an equitable 
manner , and the present political and economic systems have nothing to 
offer except repression , penury , and insecurity to large sections of 
humanity .

      In such a historical period genuine public discourse is a threat 
to those who would freeze and fossilize the onward progress and 
evolution economic, political and cultural of society, by the creation 
of new enemies, new fears, new wars, new racial and ethnic hatreds . 
This has to be resisted democratically, by forging the widest consensus 
possible among people on the nature and kind of resistance to these 
measures, as anti-human political and economic systems

      Even in these grim times it is necessary to remember what 
Bertoldt Brecht wrote ? Man Can Think?, and has more than any other 
specie, the ability to influence events and alter his/her own destiny , 
in what are testing times for human solidarity across continents. 
 

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