US report foretells of brave new world

By Nathan Cochrane
July 23 2002
Next

A draft government report says we will alter human evolution within 20 years by combining what we know of nanotechnology, biotechnology, IT and cognitive sciences. The 405-page report sponsored by the US National Science Foundation and Commerce Department, Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance, calls for a broad-based research program to improve human performance leading to telepathy, machine-to-human communication, amplified personal sensory devices and enhanced intellectual capacity.

People may download their consciousnesses into computers or other bodies even on the other side of the solar system, or participate in a giant "hive mind", a network of intelligences connected through ultra-fast communications networks. "With knowledge no longer encapsulated in individuals, the distinction between individuals and the entirety of humanity would blur," the report says. "Think Vulcan mind-meld. We would perhaps become more of a hive mind - an enormous, single, intelligent entity."

Armies may one day be fielded by machines that think for themselves while devices will respond to soldiers' commands before their thoughts are fully formed, it says. The report says the abilities are within our grasp but will require an intense public-relations effort to "prepare key organisations and societal activities for the changes made possible by converging technologies", and to counter concern over "ethical, legal and moral" issues. Education should be overhauled down to the primary-school level to bridge curriculum gaps between disparate subject areas.

Professional societies should be open to practitioners from other fields, it says. "The success of this convergent-technologies priority area is crucial to the future of humanity,"
the report says.

wtec.org/ConvergingTechnologies/Report/NBIC-pre-publication.pdf

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/07/20/1026898931815.html

http://www.boycottgillette.com/

:)))

akb writes "Indymedia UK is reporting that after protests against the trial of RFID tags by Gillette at a Tesco store in Cambridge, increasing press coverage, a boycott, and the growing mobilisation of campaigners against the intrusive use of the technology, Gillette have withdrawn their trial. RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tags are small tags containing a microchip which can be 'read' by radio sensors over short distances (for background see SchNEWS Feature / 2 part Guardian Article)."

ILLUMINAZI 911

A CHALLENGE FOR THE TRUTH

From Anthony J. Hilder

Who's Really Behind the Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center?
Osama bin Laden or Osama bin Bush?

Was the World Trade Center "sacrificed" for World Government? Who would benefit by uniting the world against the Arab nations? Certainly not Islam. Who then did benefit from the attack upon America? Israel? Or was it America's Illuminazi Elite who seek to establish a New World Order upon the smoldering wreckage of all national sovereignty? Did George W. Bush & the Illuminati’s Cabalist Cartel orchestrate the horror of 9-11? Evidence clearly indicates that George Bush had prior knowledge of the attack, just as Franklin D. Roosevelt had “prior knowledge” of the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Like FDR, George W. Bush is using World War to bring about World Government.

The Warlords of Wall Street & Washington realize that they must Create a Crisis to bring about Dictatorial Control. Their puppet president, like Hitler, has used the Fear Factor to transfer power from the people to the President and the police. G.W. has “set the stage” for secret military tribunals, martial law, an American Gestapo and ultimately a “Police State.”

We are now witnessing the Naziatzation of this nation. There is no question that G.W. will call for national ID cards, electronic implants, and launch an all-out assault on our freedoms, Illuminazi 9-11 exposes the Evilarchy’s plan to rule and enslave the world.

VHS Video Tape - NTSC Format
approx 85 minutes
Shipping weight: 18 oz.
Price $24.88 & shipping

http://www.hiddenmysteries.com/redir/index414.html

...

As Attorney General John Ashcroft barnstorms the country to bolster support for the controversial USA Patriot Act, a new bill is quietly circulating on Capitol Hill to give even greater powers to law enforcement — in the name of fighting drug trafficking.

ABCNEWS.com has obtained a draft of the Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003, or VICTORY Act, which could be introduced to Congress this fall, and which appears to have been prepared by the office of Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The measure would give law enforcement increased subpoena powers and more leeway over wire-tap evidence and on classifying some drug offenses as terrorism.

...

"This bill would treat drug possession as a 'terrorist offense' and drug dealers as 'narco-terrorist kingpins,' " the aide argued. "To say that terrorist groups use a small percentage of the drug trafficking in the United States to finance terrorism may be a fair point, but this bill would allow the government to prosecute most drug cases as terrorism cases."

Concluded the aide: "It really seems to be more about a political agenda to jail drug users than a serious attempt to stop terrorists."

...

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/WorldNewsTonight/victory_act030820.html

podle logiky pripravovaneho zakona by CIA za sve kseftiky mela byt konecne zarazena mezi teroristicke organizace ;)


Patriot Act II Resurrected?
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,60129,00.html

Congress may consider a bill that not only expands the government's wiretapping and investigative powers but also would link low-level drug dealing to terrorism and ban a traditional form of Middle Eastern banking.

The draft legislation -- titled the Vital Interdiction of Criminal Terrorist Organizations Act of 2003, or Victory Act -- includes significant portions of the so-called Patriot Act II, which faced broad opposition from conservatives and liberals alike and embarrassed the Justice Department when it was leaked to the press in February.

The Victory Act also seems to be an attempt to merge the war on terrorism and the war on drugs into a single campaign. It includes a raft of provisions increasing the government's ability to investigate, wiretap, prosecute and incarcerate money launderers, fugitives, "narco-terrorists" and nonviolent drug dealers. The bill also outlaws hawalas, the informal and documentless money transferring systems widely used in the Middle East, India and parts of Asia.

A June 27 draft of the bill, authored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and co-sponsored by four fellow Republicans on the Judiciary Committee, has been circulating in Washington, D.C.

Critics say the bill is an opportunistic attempt to link the fight against drugs to the fight against terrorism by creating a new crime called "narco-terrorism." According to the draft, narco-terrorism is the crime of selling, distributing or manufacturing a controlled substance with the intent of helping a terrorist group.

While this draft legislation's focus differs significantly from the much-criticized Patriot II draft leaked to the press in February, Hatch's bill contains several passages from that draft.

Among other things, the bill would:
* Allow the FBI to get a wiretap order on a wireless device, such as a cell phone, from any district court in the country
* Force defendants who are trying to exclude illegal wiretap evidence to prove police intentionally broke the rules
* Further restrict judges' sentencing discretion in drug cases
* Ease restrictions on government access to sensitive financial records
* Increase penalties for selling drugs to people under the age of 21
* Make it easier for the government to seize or freeze assets of people accused of money laundering
* Remove gradations of sentencing for those convicted of selling amphetamines so that anyone convicted of possessing more than 250 meth pills would automatically go to jail for 200 years
* Increase the ability of the FBI to self-issue subpoenas for terrorism investigations without having to consult a judge

Timothy Edgar, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, said he suspects that the Justice Department was heavily involved in the drafting of the bill.

"It reads like what you would come up with if you got a whole bunch of prosecutors in a room and asked them, 'If you could rewrite the law, what would it look like?'" Edgar said. "It's cleverly packaged as an antiterrorism package, when really it's just a grab bag of changes the Justice Department wants."

"The amendments look small, but in aggregate represent a large shift in power to the government away from the judiciary, defense lawyers and other components of the justice system," he said.

The Justice Department did not return repeated calls for comment on its involvement with the draft.

Margarita Tapia, Hatch's spokeswoman at the Judiciary Committee, declined to speak about the legislation's provisions, the Justice Department's involvement or the time frame for the bill's introduction.

"Narco-terrorism is an issue that is of continuing interest to this committee," said Tapia, noting that the committee held a hearing in 2001 on the subject. "So of course, the chairman would look at all legislative options to eliminate financing mechanisms for terrorist organizations."

In a May Judiciary Committee hearing, Hatch said he had long been concerned about the "nexus forming between international organized crime, political movements and terrorism.

"Terrorists around the world, and in every region, appear to be increasing their involvement in the trafficking of illegal drugs, primarily as a source of financing for their terrorist operations," said Hatch. "The connection between Middle Eastern terrorist groups, such as Hezbollah and Hamas, and Latin American drug trafficking, has been reported in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, which has long been characterized as a regional hub for radical Islamic groups, which engage in arms and drug trafficking, contraband smuggling, money laundering and movement of pirated goods."

Critics said the attempt to connect drugs to terrorism may be an effort to raise support for the so-called war on drugs.

"This bill struck me as a way to link a dying concept of how to fight the drug war to other issues that still have public support, like the war on terrorism," said Ryan King, a research associate at the Sentencing Project. "It's counter to what we have seen in the last few years, at least state-wise, where states are turning to drug treatment and alternative sentencing options.

"If the Justice Department is trying to link terrorism to high-level drug dealing, why turn around then and try to punish street-level dealers?" asked King.

Lee Tien of the Electronic Frontier Foundation worries most about the wiretap provision that would make it harder for a defendant to exclude evidence if the wiretap was not legal.

"This creates a question of fact as to what is 'bad faith,'" Tien said. "That can be really hard to show."

"Every time, the (FBI) has a violation of wiretap procedures, they can just say, 'We made a mistake.'" Tien said. "That encourages sloppiness."

The bill's critics all emphasize, however, that the bill is likely to be quite different when it is introduced, which many expect will happen in September when Congress returns from its summer break.

"Part of the reason bills change when drafts become known is because people take shots at it," said the ACLU's Edgar.

The future of the Victory Act may hinge on Ashcroft's success in defending the Patriot Act, according to King. Ashcroft will be traveling the country in the next few days defending the Patriot Act, which is losing support from Congressional members and local government officials.

"How Ashcroft's tour is received will decide what will go forward in the fall and what cannot," said King.

heh :))

Financial Privacy Bill Advances
Reuters, 10:16 AM Aug. 19, 2003 PT

The California State Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill Monday that will impose what could be the toughest financial privacy standards in the nation, barring companies from sharing all sorts of personal data from individuals' phone numbers to their bank balances.

The bill, authored by State Sen. Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), requires insurance companies, banks and other businesses to get customer permission before sharing or selling personal data such as bank balances or credit card activity.

...

The bill passed the Assembly on Monday by a 76-1 vote.

"This is the beginning, I believe, of an era when we face the technology world which has access to our information, and say to those who would sell it freely that we will not allow that to happen," said Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). "We will fight every step of the way to retain our privacy and our dignity in our financial matters and in our personal lives."

Speier said that if the new privacy bill becomes law in California, the nation's most populous state, she hopes to see similar rules enacted on a federal level.
http://www.wired.com/news/privacy/0,1848,60095,00.html

AL-QAEDA CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR BLACKOUT

Which is more believable than it sounds. Previous cases have highlighted the fact that the terrorist attacks officially blamed on Al-Qaeda are staged and the REAL terrorist attacks carried out by REAL terrorist groups (not necessarily Al-Qaeda because that is CIA) are covered up. Robert Wright leaked this last year.

Al Qaeda Claims Responsibility For Power Blackout In U.S.!

Mohamad Saleh Al-Hayat 2003/08/18

Cairo

A communiqué attributed to Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the power blackout that happened in the U.S. last Thursday, saying that the brigades of Abu Fahes Al Masri had hit two main power plants supplying the East of the U.S., as well as major industrial cities in the U.S. and Canada, "its ally in the war against Islam (New York and Toronto) and their neighbors."

The communiqué assured that the operation "was carried out on the orders of Osama bin Laden to hit the pillars of the U.S. economy," as "a realization of bin Laden's promise to offer the Iraqi people a present."

The statement, which Al-Hayat obtained from the website of the International Islamic Media Center, didn't specify the way the alleged sabotage was carried out. The communiqué read: "let the criminal Bush and his gang know that the punishment is the result of the action, the soldiers of God cut the power on these cities, they darkened the lives of the Americans as these criminals blackened the lives of the Muslim people in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. The Americans lived a black day they will never forget. They lived a day of terror and fear… a state of chaos and confusion where looting and pillaging rampaged the cities, just like the capital of the caliphate Baghdad, and Afghanistan and Palestine were. Let the American people take a sip from the same glass."

It added: "we heard amazing statements made by the American and Canadian enemies which have nuclear physics universities and space agencies, that lightning hit and destroyed the two plants. And we are supposed to believe this nonsense. If the blackout occurred in one or two cities, their lie would have been credible. But the fact is that the blackout hit the entire East and part of Canada."

The communiqué continued: "one of the benefits of this strike is that the U.S. will not live in peace until our conditions are met, such as releasing all the detainees including Sheikh Omar Abdulrahman, and getting out of the land of the Muslims, including Jerusalem and Kashmir."

The authors of the communiqué said that the strikes aimed at "hitting the major pillar of the U.S. economy (the Stock Exchange)," considering that the operation was "a message to the UN, which is opposed to Islam, and is based in New York. It is a message to all the investors that the U.S. is no longer a safe country for their money, knowing that the U.S. economy greatly relies on the trust of the investor." They added: "seven major airports stopped working, which is a strike to airlines companies; nine nuclear reactors broke down, something that never happened before, and this is considered as a major economic hit for the nine reactors in the states of New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan. Means of transportation broke down: trains, cars and trucks, which resulted in great losses. The Internet stopped, leading to a freeze in trade transactions. The international banks headquartered in New York closed, not to mention the great losses incurred by the insurance companies, and the massive deployment of the police and security forces."

The communiqué mentioned that some economists said the blackout in the U.S. and Canada would cost the U.S. Treasury no less than ten billion U.S. dollars and in order to "break the hearts of U.S. officials, just know that the cost paid by the Moujahideen to sabotage the power plants was a mere seven thousand dollars. Die of sorrow!"

The communiqué ended with: "we tell the Muslims that this is not the awaited strike, but it is called the war of skirmishes (to drain the enemy), and that the American snakes are enormous and need to be consumed and weakened to be destroyed. We tell the people of Afghanistan and Kashmir that the gift of Sheikh Osama bin Laden is on its way to the White House; then the gift of Al Aqsa, and do we know what is the giftof Al Aqsa, where and when? The answer is what you are seeing!"

http://english.daralhayat.com/arab_news/08-2003/Article-20030818-14bdd659-c0a8-01ed-0079-6e1c903b7552/story.html
©2003 Media Communications Group مجموعة الاتصالات الإعلامية

CIA Accused Of Bank Heist

Shortly before U.S. forces began streaming across the Iraqi border, commencing Persian Gulf War II, the CIA and the Department of Defense, with a little help from Israel and some Europeans, pulled off a massive bank heist in Iraq to the tune of several billion dollars.

Exclusive to American Free Press

By Gordon Thomas



The CIA and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) are accused by International Currency Review, the London-based journal, of mounting a joint ultra-secret operation to electronically remove an estimated $10 billion out of the Iraqi Central Bank hours before the start of Persian Gulf War II. The whereabouts of the money is not known.

...

http://www.americanfreepress.net/Bank_Heist.html

Why Won't Government Agencies Tell What 115 Eyewitnesses Saw?

http://www.themedianews.com/news/twa800-2.htm

How the Thought Police Rewrite Textbooks and America's History

NewsMax.com Wires

Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2003 MIAMI – Diane Ravitch hammers away and hammers away, and even a reader going into her book with a healthy dose of skepticism comes away with the conviction that the "language police" must be fired.

It's hard to believe when she says guidelines by the Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley textbook publishers demand that people "over the age of 65 must be fully represented in text and illustrations; there must be a larger number of older women than older men, because 55 percent of older persons are women."

But the book "The Language Police" is so relentless and so well-documented that after a while you have to believe.

Ravitch says there is an institutionalized system among the four major book publishers - two U.S.-owned, one Dutch and one British - to keep anything the least bit offensive out of textbooks produced for kindergartners through 12th graders.

The same is true for the producers of tests.

Some of the examples are not only appalling, they're funny, including:

# "Adam and Eve," should be replaced with "Eve and Adam" to demonstrate that males do not take priority over females.

# "Birth defect" should be replaced with "people with congenital disabilities."

# "Busboy" should be replaced with "dining room attendant."

# "Cowgirl" and "cowboy" should be replaced with "cowhand."

# "Deaf-mute" should be replaced by "person who can't hear or speak."

# "Huts" is branded as ethnocentric and should be replaced with small houses.

# "Majority group" is banned as offensive reference to cultural difference.

# Dinosaurs are banned because they evoke the subject of evolution.

And on it goes.

Works of literature written before 1970 are almost always taboo because they are bound to have something politically incorrect in them.

Shakespeare Isn't P.C.

Goodbye Mark Twain, goodbye Ernest Hemingway, goodbye Chaucer and goodbye Shakespeare, to mention only a handful.

Ravitch said the goal sought by the "politically correct left" and the "morally correct right" is a homogenized, boring society.

The book companies react to these groups because they want to sell books, and any whiff of controversy will end chances for a sale to a state or a government school district.

"Censors from the right aim to restore an idealized vision of the past, an Arcadia of happy family life, in which the family was intact, comprising a father, a mother, and two or more children, and went to church every Sunday," Ravitch wrote.

"Censors from the left believe in an idealized vision of the future, a utopia in which egalitarianism prevails in all social relations," she wrote. "In this vision, there is no dominant group, no dominant father, no dominant race and no dominant gender."

The examples cited above show that the left-wing thought police have had far more success in imposing their agenda.

History books get their licks from Ravitch for an absence of any kind of any interesting detail in favor of a superficial, boring overview than can go from 1000 B.C. to the present in 1,000 pages.

Ravitch cites statistics showing that more than half of the nation's high school seniors scored as low as you can go in history exams.

She said it could be because the textbooks are so dull, or because so many of their teachers never studied history and can't argue with the textbooks' "smug certainty."

'Scam'

"Or maybe it is because, with the teen-agers' usual ability to spot a scam, they know that much of what is taught to them is phony and isn't worth remembering," she said.

Textbooks on English literature don't fare any better. "Today's literature textbooks reflect the state of the field of English language arts: large, beautifully packaged and incoherent," she wrote.

She said the books were littered with non-literary features such as an essay about homelessness or air pollution.

"So long as curriculum experts continue to believe that young people should read only about themselves and should not be expected to reach beyond their own experiences, the literature prized by generations of Americans of all races and conditions does not stand a chance," she said.

Ravitch points out that the censorship of tests and textbooks is surrounded by the free-wheeling popular culture. This nullifies the effect of the efforts of the publishers.

She said children were influenced not only by what they read in their textbooks and what they face on tests, but by family, friends, community, religion, television, radio, music, movies and every other part of the American experience.

"Much as the censors hope to limit what children see and hear, they do not have the means to do it," she said.

Solutions

Ravitch said there were three ways to stop the censorship. The first would be to stop the practice by several states, led by Texas and California, of adopting, or choosing, text books for all the school districts in the state.

The second is sunshine: public knowledge that this is going on.

"The public needs to know what the publishers, the states and the federal government are doing to educational materials," she wrote.

The third way would be to improve teacher education, particularly in their subject areas.

"In a perfect world, teachers would be so well educated that they wouldn't rely on textbooks," she wrote.

The world isn't perfect, so Ravitch is trying to make it a little better.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/8/18/114720.shtml

Blair's office "substantially" altered Iraq dossier, British probe hears

Mon Aug 18, 5:22 PM ET
Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!

LONDON (AFP) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites)'s office authorized a "substantial rewrite" of the government's controversial dossier on Iraq (news - web sites), an inquiry into the apparent suicide of weapons expert David Kelly.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030818/wl_afp/britain_iraq_inquiry_sched_2ndlead_030818212226

Inquiry reveals Campbell ordered dossier rewrite

GETHIN CHAMBERLAIN

ALASTAIR Campbell authorised a "substantial rewrite" of the government’s dossier on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) after a discussion with Tony Blair, according to a damning e-mail produced in evidence yesterday at the Hutton inquiry.

...

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=909672003

Power black-out in Georgia

By staff writers
August 18, 2003

ALL of Georgia was without power today, and officials in the impoverished former Soviet republic were struggling to determine the cause of the blackout.

Electricity went off at 7 am in the entire country of 4.4 million people. Periodic blackouts are common here, but it was unusual for the whole country to be affected at once.

``We are trying to figure out what's happening,'' said Medeya Kakhadze, an aide to Fuel and Energy Minister Mamuka Nikolaishvili. ``We know only that an emergency shutdown occurred.''

...

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6990928%255E1702,00.html

Start Em' Young: Police State Lego Sets

This is one for the I-Shit-You-Not File. We need something like The Spies in Orwell's 1984; a special homeland security academy for the uncontrollable spawn of the most patriotic and ignorant Americans. The kids could sit around all day getting fat, playing with their Legos, eating twinkies and drinking red, purple and green "fruit" punch. Over the loudspeakers, the little ones would listen to John Ashcroft lectures on how great the Patriot Act is and an occasional rendition of the all time classic, Let the Eagles Soar. So, the next time you're wallowing around in the muck at Walmart, get in the spirit and give your little hellions the gift that keeps on giving!*

LEGO World City: Surveillance Truck

The eyes and ears of the law keep LEGO World City safe. Police keep the 10-wheeled Surveillance Truck on the scene to watch and listen for potential trouble. Officers use antennas to send and intercept radio communications, and a satellite dish to monitor transmissions from around the world. A three-wheeled vehicle accompanies the LEGO World City: Surveillance Truck at all times to catch criminals in the act. Includes two police agent mini-figures. 266 LEGO pieces.

LEGO World City: Helicopter

Fight crime from the air with this powerful police helicopter. It gives World City officers a sweeping view of activity on the streets below. The helicopter plays an important role in catching escaping crooks and monitoring high-speed car chases. Includes mini-figure police pilot. 87 LEGO pieces.

LEGO World City: Police 4WD and Undercover Van

Use this fully-equipped Undercover Van and Police 4WD to stop crime in World City. The undercover officer monitors criminals using high-tech surveillance equipment in the Undercover Van. When it's time to go in for the arrest, the Police 4WD swoops in and catches the bad guys in the act. Includes two vehicles, two mini-figures and accessories. 151 LEGO pieces.

LEGO World City: Police Headquarters

The World City Police Headquarters is the place to go for action and adventure. The latest satellites and computers keep track of all the trouble in town. When an alarm comes on, the police ATV and van are ready to roll at a moment's notice. Create your own World City stories and bring in the bad guys every time. Includes police ATV and van, four policeman and crook mini-figures, accessories and more. Set contains 418 LEGO pieces.

LEGO World City: Armored Car Action

The police armored car carries a fortune in gold and cash to the bank. Crooks can try to slow it down, but no barricade can stop the armored car. Create your own exciting World City adventures with the Armored Car Action set. Includes armored car, three-wheel escape vehicle, two mini-figures and accessories SRC6 LEGO pieces.

www.etoys.com

Ridge: Blackout Was 'Initial Test' for Homeland Security System

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

INDIANAPOLIS — Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge (search) said Monday last week's blackout was an "initial test" of new systems and partnerships with states designed to enhance the nation's response to crises.

Click to learn more... Click to learn more...
"The systems that were put in place, the means by which we communicate and share information that we have set up in our respective organizations to help one another if we need one another, were clearly tested that night," Ridge said during a meeting of the National Governors Association (search).

"Let's just call it an initial test of our relationship, and I think it worked pretty well."

Although state and local authorities shouldered most of the load in responding to the outage, Homeland Security teams stood ready to deploy.

...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95088,00.html

Description

Use this fully-equipped Undercover Van and Police 4WD to stop crime in World City. The undercover officer monitors criminals using high-tech surveillance equipment in the Undercover Van. When it's time to go in for the arrest, the Police 4WD swoops in and catches the bad guys in the act. Includes two vehicles, two mini-figures and accessories. 151 LEGO pieces.

http://www.etoys.com/genProduct.html?PID=2421059&ctid=17&ls=toys&_e=3f43e&_v=3F43E27Cz54WaA690AA6EA3E

The Chipsons

http://www.thefeature.com/article?articleid=46002

America Two Years after 9/11:

25 Things We Now Know

http://www.crisispapers.org/Editorials/25-things-we-know.htm

by Kerray, must read :)

http://www.zvedavec.org/zpravySQL.php?clanek_id=661

Téma: Vzdělání
Učit se být hloupým ve společnosti, kde vládnou peníze
16.8.2003
Luciana Bohne
(více o autorovi>>>)

Naše společnost právě prochází poprvé otevřeně přiznaným imperiálním dobrodružstvím stárnoucího amerického kapitalismu. Vzhledem k tomu se vám možná bude zdát pokus profesorky anglistiky z naší vidlácké university[1] najít spojení mezi ubohostí amerického vzdělání a naivitě americké společnosti malinko triviální, ale vydržte. Má osobní zkušenost ve třídě směřuje k otázce, proč tento vzdělávací systém vede studenty k tak nesmírně hluboké ignoranci.

"Ne, zásadně nečtu," přiznává mladá slečna bez sebemenšího náznaku studu. Nemá ani nejmenší tušení, že vytvoří-li si člověk studující na univerzitě návykovou preferenci nečíst, je to jakoby se někdo na veřejnosti chlubil, že se rozhodl nedýchat. Ta slečna je v mé třídě, kde probíráme světovou literaturu. Očekává se od ní, že bude číst novely afrických, jihoamerických a asijských autorů (všimněte si, že nikoliv evropských. Evropská kultura pro ně neexistuje. Pozn. vydavatele.). Nezvolila si tenhle předmět dobrovolně. Je tady kvůli zápočtům na vybrané předměty, které potřebuje ke zdárnému ukončení studia. Mohla si vybrat mezi světovou literaturou a filosofii. Zvolila literaturu, protože je lehčí. Alespoň si to myslí.

Novela, se kterou má zmíněná slečna problém, je od Isabely Allendové (příbuzná Salvádora Allendeho) a jmenuje se Of Love and Shadow. Odehrává se v letech 1973-1989 v Chile, kdy Pinochetová junta instalovala režim ve stylu nacismu a uplatnila proti vlastním občanům krvavý teror. Nikdo ve třídě, včetně těch kteří mají světovou literaturu jako hlavní předmět, není schopen napsat cílevědomou a smysluplnou analýzu čehokoliv. Musím je to tedy učit. Nikdo ve třídě neví, kde je Chile, jsem tedy nucena namnožit pro své studenty základní informace o této zemi ze světového průvodce. Nikdo neví, co je socialismus a fašismus, takže je nutno strávit určitý čas vypisováním srozumitelných definic. Nikdo ve třídě netuší, co to je Platónová alegorie jeskyně, jenže bez toho není možné novelu pochopit. Musím tedy znovu odbočit a věnovat se vysvětlování pojmu včetně nákresu. Tohle vše jsou základní vědomosti, které studenti několik generací zpátky běžně mívali. A nikdo ve třídě nikdy neslyšel o 11. září 1973, kdy v Chile proběhl za pomoci CIA puč, který svrhl vyspělou chilskou demokracii a nastolil teror. Jsou v naprostém šoku, když jim předložím odtajněné dokumenty potvrzující tajnou dohodu mezi Pinochetovými generály a Washingtonem a podíl CIA na zavraždění legálně zvoleného prezidenta Salvádora Allendeho.

Zeměpis, historie, filosofie, politické vědy - to vše zcela chybí v jejich průpravě. Uvědomila jsem si, že to jsou oni - mí studenti, kteří jsou vlastně utlačování, jak to popsal Paulo Freire ve své The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, a že za svůj útisk sami platí. Takže trpělivě vysvětluji: Ne, naše vláda nebyla nakloněna chilské demokracii. Ano, naše vláda podporovala finančně nejen samotný převrat, ale i mučicí mašinérii, která následně vznikla. Ano, to samé platí pro celou Jižní Ameriku. Pak se jeden student zeptá: "Proč?" "Těžká odpověď," říkám. "CIA a korporace vládnou ve světě tvrdou rukou. Je to částečně umožněno tím, že lidé ve Spojených státech jsou ignorantští. A to, že jsou ignorantští, je zřejmě uměle vyvoláno oficiálním vzdělávacím systémem, posíleným tlakem médií a povzbuzovaným Hollywoodem. Čím více národ čte (brak), tím méně ví a tím snadněji bude naočkovaný. Lehčeji se pak dosáhne stádia celostátní hlouposti.Tato snaha (vychovat hlupáky) stojí tolik prostředků, že se stát bezedně zadlužuje."

A mezitím tato drahá národní omezenost usnadňuje vládě finančně podporovat ve světě různá krvavá komanda smrti, junty a teroristické režimy. Umožňuje pokračování války, kterou právě vedeme - nečisté, ilegální, nezdůvodnitelné, nelogické a nesmírně drahé války, která ukázala světu selhání našich výzvědných služeb a - mimochodem - také poodhalila plíživý rozpad našeho ekonomického systému. A také signalizuje impotenci amerického vzdělávacího systému vyprodukovat mozky schopné základního přežití v demokracii tím, že budou analyzovat fakta a klást otázky.

Dovolte, abych to řekla stručně: Myslím, že kvalitní vzdělání není v dnešní Americe možné. Čehokoliv se v análech znalostí dotknete, je nepřítelem tohoto systému komerce, zisku a pokračujícího šílenství. Jediné vzdělání, které oni mohou povolit, je takové, které buď udržuje status quo, jak se to děje v výběrových školách, nebo vychovává lidi k policii a k vynucování tohoto statusu quo, jako je tomu ve státní škole, kde učím. Musím podtrhnout, že má škola nepatří mezi exkluzivní univerzity. Studují na ní většinou pracující a lidé, kteří si potřebuji doplnit vzdělání. Po absolvování se naši studenti uplatní spíše na nižších a středních stupních řízení, například ve státní službě, ve vzdělávacím procesu a jako střední management. Je pro naše studenty typické, že nejoblíbenějšími předměty pro ně jsou komunikace, justice a sociální služby. Tedy v podstatě jak mystifikovat, trestat a ovládat masy.

Tenhle vzdělávací systém je obrovským mrháním zdrojů a potenciálů mladých lidí. Je nepředstavitelně nudný a zbytečný - nikoliv však pro moc a zájmy těch, kteří jsou s mocí spojeni. A jestliže ukrajinský student, který dorazil na toto pobřeží před třemi týdny, je schopen anglicky napsat práci vykazující nejhlubší myšlení ve třídě, pak by americký vzdělávací systém měl zodpovědět mladým některé otázky.

Ale suť a trosky, které zbyly z amerického vzdělávacího systému něčemu slouží a byly plánovány. Proto (že existuje, že je takový, jaký je) se naším sdělovacím prostředkům daří lhát. Proto může náš ministr zahraničních věcí beztrestně citovat ze studentské práce a sebevědomě to označit za informace pocházející z nejvyšších výzvědných kruhů. Proto mohla být Picassova Guernica v průběhu jeho absurdního projevu před OSN zakryta - aniž by někomu došel politický význam toho gesta, které zavání příklonem k fašismu.

Kulturní fašismus manifestuje sám sebe averzí k myšlení a kulturnímu zjemňování. "Když slyším slovo kultura, sahám po revolveru," řekl Goebels. Jednou z neslavných a mnoho naznačujících reforem, kterou provedla Pinochetova junta, byla reforma školství. Cílem bylo zamezit univerzitám, aby se staly živnou půdou kritiky a politické opozice. Přišel příkaz rozpustit katedry filosofie, sociálních a politických věd, umění a dalších podobných humanitních směrů, tedy míst, kde by mohla vzniknout politická diskuze. Univerzitám bylo nařízeno udělovat tituly pouze v obchodních oborech, managementu, počítačových vědách, technických oborech, medicíně a zubařství - tedy v podstatě fungovaly jako výcvikové kurzy pro přípravu povolání. Totéž se dnes děje v amerických školách, alespoň v těch, které poskytují hromadné vzdělání. Naši studenti mohou graduovat aniž by jenom zavadili o nějaký zahraniční jazyk, filosofii, základy jakékoliv vědy, hudby, umění, historie a politických věd či ekonomie. Naši studenti jsou připravování na život v systému volební demokracie, aniž by věděli cokoliv z politiky. Jedním z výsledků jsou pak stále prázdnější volební místnosti.

Básník Percy Bysshe Shelley jednou napsal, že v nenasytnosti, která je výsledkem industriální revoluce, se lidé nejprve vzdali svého myšlení, pak svých srdcí a schopnosti empatie. Jediné, co nakonec z našeho původního lidského vybavení zůstalo, bylo vnímání svých sobeckých požadavků po uspokojování potřeb. V tomto bodě lidé vstoupili do stádia tržních komodit a tržních spotřebitelů - stali se jen dalším (nevýznamným) předmětem v krajině komerce a obchodu. Bez myšlení a bez cítění jsou manipulování ke kupování čehokoliv, co otupuje jejich vystrašené smysly, hlučně se dožadující dalšího a dalšího kupování, ať je to cokoliv - oficiální lži, nemorální války, panenky Barbies (s jejich krásnými šaty a prázdnými tvářemi) a zruinované vzdělání.

Zatímco toto píšu, přišlo oznámení vlády: desetiprocentní snížení všem státním službám - včetně školství.

Článek Learning to Be Stupid in the Culture of Cash vyšel 12. srpna na serveru informationclearinghouse.info.

[1] Děkuji čtenáři Františkovi, který mě v diskuzi za článkem upozornil, že (v anglickém textu uvedena) Podunková univerzita je synonymem pro vidláckou univerzitu, což jsem původně nevěděl :-).


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