Medea Benjamin

Very good account on what technology does to inter-state relations and how this affects life of ordinary people.

War is not meant to be bloodless, distant and perceived as a video-game. We live in a society that embraces desocialization as a way living - but basically this is nothing more than excuse to embrace total personal isolation as a way of life (much easier when you do not have to think about others but only of yourself) and removal of family [as a basic social unit] from everyday life. Whoever thinks that alienating from others is a way to go is terribly wrong. When society is split apart that society is not able to do anything at all.

So is it strange that dehumanization is now starting to find it's way in the activity so closely related to human society? Horrors of war are there for a reason - they are part of it. Without it war is becoming common thing, something that you hear on the news and skip it so you could move on with your favorite TV show. Be concerned when you do not even blink after hearing news of some war atrocity taking place somewhere in the world. Without the risk of loss of life, of destruction, without fear, war becomes an industry, something that people will find acceptable because, hey, it does not happen here but someplace over the seas and who cares about that - right?

War is an exception in politics, disregard the hawks who say that there is always some conflict around the corner. it is true but war is an exception, end to a means - it is not supposed to be a means to itself. Using war to start and run industries and create work-places is perversion by definition - does this mean that in order to have everything running in order war must be made persistent? War for the war's sake is a path to total obliteration of society and rise of all those social elements as described in very books of Orwell and Huxley. Are the people ready to go this way is up to them but one thing remains true - they cannot say they were ignorant of the facts.… (altro)

Excellent book in the history that is presented.
They claim to be non biased, but have an anti war view of the this.
Blames both sides equally type position even if one side did way more.

While I learned a lot of the history there was one point described below that did not make sense to me.
She says Ukraine joining NATO was egging on Russia.
Her point is that NATO is now more offensive while in the past it was defensive.
She believes the West surrounded Russia with NATO is a big factor in instigating the war.
I am not sure why this should matter, because they have nuclear weapons so no one would attack for fear of reprisal.
Here is a great summary.
https://www.realchangenews.org/news/2022/11/02/war-ukraine-co-author-medea-benja...… (altro)

Honduras.

A useful and educative first-person story of land reform struggles in Honduras, narrated by a campesina activist. Her story reveals the social justice aspect of Catholicism and serves as a balance to some of the world's narratives of church activities that disenfranchise poor communities. Alvarado's plain, matter of fact account stands in contrast to the government's response he group's actions inspire, which is often violent and repressive. An excellent illustration of how the battle against "communism" is often a battle against community.… (altro)