Truthdig / By Chris Hedges

Hedges: We're Losing Our Intelligence -- How the Purge of True Dissent Has Starved Our Discourse

True intellectual dissent was wiped out long ago. For the most part, universities stand cowardly, silent accomplices of the corporate state, doing corporate bidding.November 15, 2010

The blacklisted mathematics instructor Chandler Davis, after serving six months in the Danbury federal penitentiary for refusing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), warned the universities that ousted him and thousands of other professors that the purges would decimate the country’s intellectual life.

“You must welcome dissent; you must welcome serious, systematic, proselytizing dissent—not only the playful, the fitful, or the eclectic; you must value it enough, not merely to refrain from expelling it yourselves, but to refuse to have it torn from you by outsiders,” he wrote in his 1959 essay “...From an Exile.” “You must welcome dissent not in a whisper when alone, but publicly so potential dissenters can hear you. What potential dissenters see now is that you accept an academic world from which we are excluded for our thoughts. This is a manifest signpost over all your arches, telling them: Think at your peril. You must not let it stand. You must (defying outside power; gritting your teeth as we grit ours) take us back.”

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Dozens gathered at the courthouse steps in downtown Dayton on Saturday, to push for laws to legalize medical marijuana.

There was an important public health and social justice activist gathering in Ohio, this past weekend - groups supportive of legalizing medical marijuana in Ohio gathered at Courthouse Square, located at the corner of Third and Main Streets in the heart of downtown Dayton in support of H.B. 478, Ohio’s Medical Compassion Act that will allow for the medicinal use of cannabis.

OCA Image TV Episode 6 - Cleveland Asian Town Community from Johnny Wu on Vimeo.

November 14, 2010, AlterNet featured an important article by G.W. Schulz, Center for Investigative Reporting: Workers, Be Careful: Facebook Snoops Looking Over Your Shoulder - Corporations and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are increasingly using new communications tools for surveillance purposes. In this report, Schulz profiles "a new company called Social Intelligence billing itself as a social media private eye will observe your Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other online accounts on behalf of employers to make certain you’re not a liability."

    Background checks involving criminal records and credit histories are typical and even expected of many major employers responsible for children, nursing homes or public safety.

    But the Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company takes this concept to a new level offering an automated tool that mines social media content for troubling signs. Search filters can be customized “to reflect corporate culture,” and additional manual reviews are conducted by “social media experts.”

    A display tells the human resources manager in your workplace how many “negative” hits are uncovered, placing the names of both job applicants and active employees next to red flags like “drugs/drug lingo,” “gangs,” “poor judgment” and “demonstrating potentially violent behavior.”

    Social Intelligence is the latest in an ever-expanding movement by both corporations and government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, to use new communications tools for surveillance purposes. Some of the most provocative examples yet emerged only in recent weeks.

The Origin of  “BuildingWhat?”

More than eight years after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, New York Supreme Court Justice Edward H. Lehner was hearing arguments in a courtroom less than a mile from Ground Zero about a ballot initiative to launch a new investigation of the 9/11 attacks. When the lawyer for the plaintiffs sponsoring the initiative explained that the 9/11 Commission report left many unanswered questions, including “Why did Building 7 come down,” the Judge replied quizzically, “Building what?”

Like Judge Lehner, millions of people do not know or remember only vaguely that a third tower called World Trade Center Building 7 also collapsed on September 11, 2001. In any other situation, the complete, free fall collapse of a 47-story skyscraper would be played over and over on the news. It would be discussed for years to come and building design codes would be completely rewritten. So, why does no one know about Building 7? And why did Building 7 come down?

The answers to these questions have far-reaching implications for our society. The goal of the “BuildingWhat?” campaign is to raise awareness of Building 7 so that together we can begin to address these questions.

How can Superior Demolition and Excavating Inc. be authorized to do business with Cuyahoga County or the City of Cleveland for Demo jobs when they have had their business certification revoked with the Ohio Secretary of State since January 2007???? 

The truck in the photo shows: SUPERIOR DEMOLITION & EXCAVATING INC., with the address of 4480 Bradley Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44109... 

Below is a little research on yet another of William Baumann's companies.... 

AUDITOR WEBSITE SAYS THIS:

So, for once, I was aware, and consequently have over 1,000  images taken when I was in Ed's company, and after he passed. 

The fire image is of his family's memorial celebration at Whiskey Island in 2009 - a year after Ed's death.

The image below was taken at his memorial service celebration, also at Whiskey Island. 

A cup-of-Ed...

(NEVER AGAIN) WASHINGTON — A secret history of the United States government’s Nazi-hunting operation concludes that American intelligence officials created a “safe haven” in the United States for Nazis and their collaborators after World War II, and it details decades of clashes, often hidden, with other nations over war criminals he

realneo.us is the spirit of ed hauser and other spirits - as i clicked my post to change words from worse to assault and menacing to my catania post -  the post of Eternal Home of Ed Hauser, on REALNEO Submitted by Norm Roulet on November 26, 2008 - 10:59am.appeared - this has happen a few times  before with other posts and ed hauser posts -  but this time i have to tell you all that this is no accident no coincidence - ed hauser lives through all of us on realneo.us and the universes - and is watching and protecting us - "there is no death only a change of worlds" chief seattle

The other day, while on West 34th, this home was notably vacant, vandalized and transparent as you could see straight through the entire house and its framework.

It was assumed that this apparently vacant and abandoned property was on the list slated to be condemned and demolished along with the others...but today when I drove down the street, there were several crews steadily unloading new windows and doors and installing them on this job with gas powered generators being used for tools.

Atlas Energy is a 40-year old company depending in the United States. They develop natural gas in the Appalatian region. Chevron offered Atlas Energy $ 4.3 billion for their business. The Board of Directors at Atlas Energy accepted the offer. Two shareholder-representative corporations have launched investigations into the offer, however.

What Chevron will probably pay for Atlas Energy

Angelina's new cat that I rewarded her with for her beautiful report cards...has mysteriously disappeared. We have searched high and low, asked neighbors, and looked around our neighborhood for days without avail. Anyone who may have seen this kitten can call us at (216) 254-9285. It's name is "Black & Whitey", compliments of Angelina.

Thanks a million! She is so sad that her kitten has disappeared.

Friday night in "urban" Cleveland is not all gloom and doom. 

On this beautiful, crisp fall night--I found couples making out at Roberto Clemente Park, boys playing football behind Blessed Sacrament off Fulton and cookouts happening throughout the part of Cleveland...now designated as Ward 14.

It's not a time to give up--it's a time to fight back and reclaim our community.

 Northeast Ohio is inundated with hundreds of organizations that are planning our lives away with their 2020 Visions of the City of Cleveland... It's amazing to watch them all work in different directions and to recognize that very few have begun to work "TOGETHER" is yet another defunct part of living in Cleveland, Ohio. 

We all know that landfills are a good place to HIDE a crime...

As a young child, my parents owned 4 different homes on West 34th Street between Sackett and Meyer Avenues. I shall forever have fond memories of growing up on West 34th Street, knowing all the families on that street, and having the luxury of sustaining relationships with the families I grew up with from then until now.....

61 minutes until Veterans Day,

To all the NEO Veterans.

I am perpetually humbled that my sacrifice will never be what those, or the families of those, has been, that have served our country so proudly, even when their sacrifice was not appreciated.  God Bless.  You all make NEO and the rest of the United States a great place to live.

Ultimately humbled,

DH

Bikesatwork.com manufactures this and other bike trailers - rated for 300 lbs.  The trailer connects to the bike via a swivel arm - allowing the bike to move in all directions in relation to the trailer. 

When replacing a double hung cast iron counter weighted window recently I had occasion to open up the exterior wall in an area where I had previously installed blown-in cellulose insulation.  

  Cleveland Activist Attacked In Public Park A community leader in northeast Ohio is charged with menacing and disorderly conduct after a confrontation with a veteran and activist in a public park. Get the story.

Jonathon Franzen spoke at Cleveland Public Library.  I confess, I haven't read his books, yet, but I will--intrigued by his title selection: Freedom and The Corrections.