Political Change

[billybob2002 0]

I don't think you've got enough evidence nor knowledge of cuban and international law to judge whether people are guilty or not.

Amnesty considers dissident spies as prisoners of conscience as well.

There is no point to answer your first sentence because it is an ad hominem argument.

Where does Amnesty considers spies to be prisoners of conscience?

So you're refering to some super model that makes a comment on poor housing standards?

You failed in put the two links together:

Quote[/b] ]

While they were taking photographs in the poor Havana neighbourhood of Arroyo Naranjo.

Quote[/b] ]

The greatest concentration of the worst housing conditions is found in five municipalities – Old Havana, Arroyo Naranjo, Centro Habana, San Miguel and 10 de Octubre – which together have two-thirds of all units in poor condition.

I guess I do.

Substandard housing, yes. Slums no. Sure some people live in houses that are very substandard but there are no large communities of them like in other market oriented countries.

You failed to read the rest of that paragraph:

Quote[/b] ]

Cuban slums are quite socially diverse, and poverty is relatively dispersed.

or, this paragraph:

Quote[/b] ]

The generic term ‘slum’ (tugurio) is seldom used in Cuba. Substandard housing is, instead, described by housing type and conditions, building materials and settlement type. Most slum units are concentrated in the inner-city municipalities of Old Havana and Centro Habana and neighbourhoods such as Atarés, whereas shantytowns are at the urban periphery or along rivers, creeks and former railway lines.

or, this definition:

Quote[/b] ]

Improvised housing: these comprise dwelling units that are primarily built of scrap material. In 1996, there were 3574 units located in shantytowns that were categorized as ‘improvised’.

You should read this:

http://www.iammyownreporter.com/misconceptions.htm

He even goes against you saying there is a slum in Cuba. I wonder why he leaves the other slum areas out......

[Spokesperson 0]

Quote[/b] ]There is no point to answer your first sentence because it is an ad hominem argument.

No, because you fail to show any evidence supporting your claim. He worked for the americans. That's proved. Thus amnesty calls spies for prisoners of conscience.

I don't know if that definition applies to Cuban so called "slums". Cubans substandard housing areas are in no way comparable to those of the rest of South America.

However, I found a website with UN-data from 2001 that says 2% of the cuban people live in what they call slums. So I'm willing to agree that there are slums in Cuba. With the same definition the average in the carribean region is 23.7%. In South America it's 35%. North America 5.8%. USA 5.8% Europe 6.2%. UK 5.6%

If you haven't seen any slums where you live, there are less of them in Cuba...

Very remarkable.

Source:

http://earthtrends.wri.org/searcha....ID=1311

United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). 2003. Slums of the World: The face of urban poverty in the new millennium?.

[billybob2002 0]

No, because you fail to show any evidence supporting your claim. He worked for the americans. That's proved. Thus amnesty calls spies for prisoners of conscience.

Again, Cuba hasn't shown any evidence that he worked for the United States except he was seen talking to one American diplomat. I have looked everywhere and I can't find any evidence supporting your claim he worked for the United States except Senor Fidel saying so.

However, I found a website with UN-data from 2001 that says 2% of the cuban people live in what they call slums. So I'm willing to agree that there are slums in Cuba. With the same definition the average in the carribean region is 23.7%. In South America it's 35%. North America 5.8%. USA 5.8% Europe 6.2%. UK 5.6%

If you haven't seen any slums where you live, there are less of them in Cuba...

I like how you changed the subject. You are incorrect on the issue and you try to knock on other countries instead. I think that is called "deflection." According to that data, Bermuda and Netherlands Antilles have less slums than Cuba. Bermuda is better than Cuba!?!?!!?!??!1323232 Impossible!

FYI, according to your source, Bermuda and Netherlands Antilles' percentage is 1.0.

Personally, their definition sucks.....

Quote[/b] ]

Percent of urban population living in slums is the proportion of a country's urban population that is living in households classified as slum dwellings. A slum household is defined by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) as a group of individuals living under the same roof that lack one or more of the following conditions: secure tenure status, adequate access to improved water, adequate access to improved sanitation and other infrastructure, structural quality of housing, and sufficient living area". This definition, measurable by available statistics, was agreed upon by a meeting of international experts and other stakeholders in 2002.

The conditions are defined as follows:

1) Security of tenure implies that a household is protected by their government against arbitrary, forced eviction.

2) A household has access to improved drinking water if it has a sufficient amount of water for family use, at an affordable price, without extreme effort.

3) A household has access to improved sanitation if it has a private or a public toilet shared between a reasonable number of people.

4) A housing unit has sufficient living area if there are fewer than 3 people per habitable room.

5) Durable housing refers to a house built in a non-hazardous location that has a structure "permanent and adequate enough to protect its inhabitants from the extremes of climatic conditions such as rain, heat, cold, and humidity."

As urban populations continue to grow, slums are becoming an increasingly important aspect of the changing rural-urban dynamic. Measurements of urban and rural populations often overlook slum dwellers, which, in many cases, constitute the poorest urban populations.

What do they mean by "arbitrary"? What do they mean by "affordable"?

[Spokesperson 0]

That was what he was sentenced for in Cuba. If you want evidence for that you'll have to go to a cuban judge and ask. But as in most cases they've got no obligation to give you any information because you're an outsider and from another country.

No, you're just fabulating. Where do they say he was "seen talking to one American diplomat". You can also check wikipedia.

There are no countries in the world without slums according to the UN. Yes, Bermuda and Netherlands Antilles has better housing than Cuba. Bermuda is an island of 53.3 km2 (isn't that OFP/Arma?) and 66000 inhabitants with loads of tourism. Netherlands Antilles is pretty much the same but with an additional oil industry. Cuba is a big independent country with millions of inhabitants.

The UN definition is the same for all countries.

[billybob2002 0]

If you want evidence for that you'll have to go to a cuban judge and ask. But as in most cases they've got no obligation to give you any information because you're an outsider and from another country.

No, you're just fabulating. Where do they say he was "seen talking to one American diplomat". You can also check wikipedia.

There are no countries in the world without slums according to the UN. Yes, Bermuda and Netherlands Antilles has better housing than Cuba. Bermuda is an island of 53.3 km2 (isn't that OFP/Arma?) and 66000 inhabitants with loads of tourism. Netherlands Antilles is pretty much the same but with an additional oil industry. Cuba is a big independent country with millions of inhabitants.

The UN definition is the same for all countries.

I'm not telling you any fables. Wikipedia doesn't explain the association. You keep telling me to go to Wikipedia and Wikipedia isn't showing me evidence except "association." Association is a broad word. When I search for the Cuban government's point-of-view, I find a lot of rhetoric, not evidence, to support their assertion. They say he is working for the United States through one diplomat and that is it. You seem to be the defender of Cuba but you wouldn't go out of your way to prove me wrong. I tell you that is a cop out.

Cuba isn't a big country. The United States is a big country with a total population of over 300 million. Cuba has only 11 million citizens. The UK has 60 million citizens and it is only about double the size (give or take) of Cuba in total area.

[Spokesperson 0]

I don't think you should expect to find anything if you search the web for "evidence". That's common for all kinds of crimes.

According to Cuba he and a heap of others worked for the US. If he was a prisoner of conscience, why don't they do anything to imprison the opposition leaders that are walking around freely? Why don't they crush demonstrations? Why don't they shoot protestors?

Cuba isn't among the largest countries, but with its 11 million it's among the larger countries. And it's certainly a big country in the region in all aspects. It's different from small city-sized islands that contain loads of international upper-class and world-star inhabitans. Bermuda is like Bahamas or Monaco. Cuba is that big that it could be a state/province of any bigger country.

[billybob2002 0]

I don't think you should expect to find anything if you search the web for "evidence". That's common for all kinds of crimes.

Really? Lets use the following Israeli crime as an example of showing evidence online:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/935440.html

Quote[/b] ]

The Tel Aviv District Court convicted Eitan Farhi on Monday of aggravated rape and sodomy, basing its verdict on DNA evidence collected during the police investigation of an unrelated case, the 2006 slaying of lawyer Anat Flinner in Ramat Hasharon.

Farhi was arrested after a DNA sample found at the scene of the rape matched DNA collected from Farhi in connection with the Ramat Hasharon murder.

.....

According to Cuba he and a heap of others worked for the US. If he was a prisoner of conscience, why don't they do anything to imprison the opposition leaders that are walking around freely? Why don't they crush demonstrations? Why don't they shoot protestors?

It would be foolish for Cuba to do what you are suggesting because the international community would be in favor of regime change in Cuba then. It would make you sad too.

Cuba did do a crackdown of dissidents in late 2002 and 2003. The arrest of him was the beginning. 75 dissidents, including an opposition leader, were arrested and jailed in March 2003.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6586225.stm

Quote[/b] ]

In March 2003 Cuba arrested and jailed 75 dissidents accused of conspiring with the US, triggering international condemnation.

FYI, international condemnation is more than the United States complaining.

I believe 14 of the 75 dissidents were released, including the opposition leader, due to international pressure and/or medical reasons. One of the released dissidents, Raúl Rivero, received the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

[Spokesperson 0]

That's a news article that contains no evidence. You can read about crimes in any newspaper. You can find loads of cuban news articles about Biscet too. Still, it's no official document.

Quote[/b] ]Cuba did do a crackdown of dissidents in late 2002 and 2003. The arrest of him was the beginning. 75 dissidents, including an opposition leader, were arrested and jailed in March 2003.

Yes, those were dissidents and were working with foreign powers.

Quote[/b] ]The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Felipe Pérez Roque stated on April 9, 2003 that "The Varela Project is part of a strategy of subversion against Cuba that has been conceived, financed, and directed from abroad with the active participation of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. It is part of the same subversive design and has no basis whatsoever in Cuban law. It is a crude manipulation of Cuba’s laws and Constitution." and "The U.S. Interests Section’s diplomatic pouch is being increasingly used to bring funds and the means for the exercise of counterrevolutionary acts in Cuba to groups created and funded by the U.S. government. To sum up, we have a situation where there has been an increase in subversive actions, disrespect for Cuban laws, and open defiance of Cuba’s legal institutions, which all diplomatic representations should respect in their work in our country."

Statement of the Cuban Ministry of Justice

Quote[/b] ]"On April 3, 4, 5 and 7, counterrevolutionaries recently detained for their known participation in mercenary activities and other acts against the independence or territorial integrity of the state appeared in the Crimes against State Security courtrooms linked to the country’s provincial courts in a public hearing."

"Their trials were carried out according to proceedings laid down in Article 479 of the Criminal Proceedings Act, with full respect for the basic guarantees and rights of the accused."

"The sentences imposed by the Courts implied prisoner terms ranging from six to 28 years and all the defendants were duly instructed of the right to appeal their sentences before the People’s Supreme Court."

Biscet was one of them. I see no problem in dealing with foreign agents. The US does it, any country does it.

[billybob2002 0]

That's a news article that contains no evidence. You can read about crimes in any newspaper.

The article does contains strong evidence.

Quote[/b] ]

Farhi was arrested after a DNA sample found at the scene of the rape matched DNA collected from Farhi in connection with the Ramat Hasharon murder.

Biscet was one of them. I see no problem in dealing with foreign agents. The US does it, any country does it.

Biscet doesn't support the Varela Project; therefore, he isn't apart of the Project.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Article....4514329

Quote[/b] ]

“When I was presented with the Project in 1997, I told them that everything that unites the people is good, but that I personally dissented, because I would never honor that [1976] constitution,†he said last November. “I will only honor a constitution when a democratic constitution is established that respects the rights of the people of my country.†(There’s also the contradiction of a referendum on human rights, rights by definition not being subject to a referendum.)

FYI, "last November" is November 2002. He was arrested a month later.

On a side note, do you even know what the Varela Project is?

[Spokesperson 0]

No the article about the crime contains no evidence at all.

Wikipedia:

Quote[/b] ]Biscet was one of the 75 dissidents imprisoned in 2003 by the Cuban authorities for his association with the head of the US Interests Section in Havana, James Cason.

Yes, he was one of them. He might not be part of the Varela Project, but that was not what I said either.

[billybob2002 0]

No the article about the crime contains no evidence at all.

Wikipedia:

Quote[/b] ]Biscet was one of the 75 dissidents imprisoned in 2003 by the Cuban authorities for his association with the head of the US Interests Section in Havana, James Cason.

Yes, he was one of them. He might not be part of the Varela Project, but that was not what I said either.

Yes, it does contain information. It contains information on the DNA evidence.

It seems we are going in a circle. Agree to disagree on this Biscet subject.

[chops 111]

The sexual tension in this thread is almost at breaking point.

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

The sexual tension in this thread is almost at breaking point.

Yea, i'm getting hotter minute for minute.

/me slips off his trousers...

[TrevorOfCrete 0]

just saw somthing interesting. This week is the elections for Cubas new national assembly. the are somthing like 457 seats and 457 candidates! there is absolutly no choice in who you vote for.

[billybob2002 0]

just saw somthing interesting. This week is the elections for Cubas new national assembly. the are somthing like 457 seats and 457 candidates! there is absolutly no choice in who you vote for.

Actually, it is 614 candidates running for 614 seats.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=astCwE9F4rFw

Cuba is a beacon of democracy!

[Spokesperson 0]

I got a 7 day Post Restriction the 30th of December. Since yesterday I'm free to post again.

Liberal media and liberals are not interested in facts. They find my opinions provoking and subject for flames. Their entire world view is contested at its foundation. They don't see conflict as a solution when they talk and blame non-liberals for it, yet they support their troops

614 seats. Yes. But tens of thousands of candidates are voted upon locally. These turn into the 614 when the local city-block votes are finished. Then people get to vote a _second_ time, if they accept or reject the 614 candidates.

In most countries you only get to vote once, you never have the ability to reject/accept the final members of parliament (once they have been selected from local elections).

The cuban elections are more democatic than any other in the world.

But of course, when media reports there are 614 candidates to this election, it isn't lying. It's just distorting the big picture. Some newspapers don't even write about elections in Cuba. A week later they write there are no elections. No candidates at all.

[billybob2002 0]

614 seats. Yes. But tens of thousands of candidates are voted upon locally. These turn into the 614 when the local city-block votes are finished. Then people get to vote a _second_ time, if they accept or reject the 614 candidates.

You left out that those 614 candidates are "screened" by the National Candidature Commission. If you don't support the Castro government, you can't be one of those 614 candidates.

That is so democratic...

[TrevorOfCrete 0]

yes, everyones part of the same party.   I dont understand how anyone can argue that a one party state is the most democratic one in the world.  It just dosnt make any scence.

[Spokesperson 0]

Stop assuming things. The candidates don't have to members of any party. How do you make them communist party members? You wish that, because that's in order with liberal propaganda.

Quote[/b] ]CUBA  

ELECTORAL SYSTEM  

 

Chamber:  

  Asamblea nacional del Poder popular

 

Electoral Law:  

  15 August 1982

  Last amendment: 29/10/1992

 

Constituencies:  

  According to the Electoral Law, there is one Deputy for every 20,000 inhabitants or fraction above 10,000 in each of the country's 169 municipalities. These are divided into units, which are delimited according to population. There is a minimum of one unit for a constituency of up to 399 inhabitants and a maximum of eight for constituencies of more than 2,800 inhabitants.

 

Voting System:  

  Direct voting with absolute majority system.

To be declared elected, each candidate must obtain more than 50% of the valid votes cast in the constituency in which he or she is running. If this is not attained, the seat in question remains vacant unless the Council of State decides to hold another election.

Vacancies between elections are filled through by-elections.

Voting is not compulsory.

 

Voter requirements:  

  - age: 16 years

- Cuban citizenship

- residence in country for at least two years prior to elections

- disqualifications: insanity, court-declared incapacity, detention, deprivation of political rights

 

Eligibility:  

  Qualified electors

- age: 18 years

- Cuban citizenship

- full possession of political rights for at least five years prior to elections

 

Incompatibilities:  

  (data unavailable)

 

Candidacy requirements:  

  - according to law, up to 50% of the Deputies must be delegates chosen in each municipality. Parliamentary candidates are otherwise proposed by nominating assemblies which comprise representatives of workers, youth, women, students and farmers as well as members of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution. The final list of candidates, which corresponds to the number of seats to be filled, is drawn up by the National Candidature Commission taking into account criteria such as candidates' merit, patriotism, ethical values and revolutionary history.

http://www.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2079_B.htm

Quote[/b] ]According to the Cuban Ministry of External Affairs, at the October 2002 elections to these commissions which preceded the January 2003 National Assembly elections, "32,585 candidates were nominated for the 14,949 seats up for election in October 2002 at grassroots assemblies in which 81.7% of the voters participated." At least half of the National Assembly candidates selected must have been previously elected as delegates to these assemblies

Wiki

In the US few people vote. And when a majority voted for Kerry, Bush won. In the US you have to be rich and support capitalism (or you won't get support from vital donors who all benefit from capitalism) in order to win. That is so democratic...  

There's no freedom in the US, only money and oppression. Work nights for shit wages, enter the union and get fired. Go to Iraq and fight for the oppressive system or get no possibility to improve your situation by university studies. The US is a dictatorship of the capital.

Quote[/b] ]One of the articles, by Senator John Kerry, titled “Let the People Vote!†criticized how laws adopted in the state of Indiana were adding new requirements that eliminate more voters; as well as the maneuvers executed in Las Vegas, where the members of a food workers union —backers of Black democratic candidate Barack Obama— were excluded from the elections.

In this respect, the Cuban Parliament´s president explained that there are increasingly more journalists of diverse origins and parties who are calling to end the exclusion of Blacks and to increase the number of places where people in poor neighborhoods can vote, as was pointed out in the article by Senator Kerry.

http://www.juventudrebelde.co.cu/cuba....-cubans

And why is Saudi Arabia and those countries where they don't even vote better than Cuba? If US is the great country you want it to be, why is it murdering elected presidents of other countries, and why is it cooperating with monarchs and dictators? It's never been about "democracy and freedom", that's bullshit. Realize it. Don't let religion or petty nationalism stand in between you and reason.

[billybob2002 0]

Stop assuming things. The candidates don't have to members of any party. How do you make them communist party members? You wish that, because that's in order with liberal propaganda.

Yet, you still ignore the role of the National Candidature Commission in the process.

Quote[/b] ]

In the US few people vote. And when a majority voted for Kerry, Bush won. In the US you have to be rich and support capitalism (or you won't get support from vital donors who all benefit from capitalism) in order to win. That is so democratic...

American citizens have the right to not vote in elections. Nobody isn't going to force an American to vote.

Bush got more votes than Kerry. I think you meant Gore got more votes than Bush. You probably don't know the United States President is elected through the electoral college and not by popular vote. Majority of the time candidates who win the electoral college also win the popular vote. Bush wasn't the first candidate to win the electoral college but not the popular vote. Traditionally, people who vote in the electoral college follow the will of their state's citizens (e.g., if Bush won the popular vote in state x, the electors representing state x in the electoral college will cast their votes for Bush).

You don't have to support capitalism in order to win an election in the United States. For example, Senator Bernard Sanders from Vermont is a democratic socialist.

[Spokesperson 0]

Quote[/b] ]Yet, you still ignore the role of the National Candidature Commission in the process.

Quote[/b] ]Candidates for the National Assembly are chosen by Candidacy Commissions chaired by local trade union officials and composed of elected representatives of "mass organisations" representing workers, youth, women, students and farmers. The Candidacy Commissions produce slates of recommended candidates for each electoral district. The final list of candidates, one for each district, is drawn up by the National Candidacy Commission, taking into account criteria such as candidates’ popularity, merit, patriotism, ethical values and “revolutionary history.â€

There are candidacy commissions in many countries that sum votes and put forward candidates. The cuban candidacy commission is democratically elected in itself too.

Quote[/b] ]You don't have to support capitalism in order to win an election in the United States. For example, Senator Bernard Sanders from Vermont is a democratic socialist.

No it's impossible as anti-capitalist people don't get medial and corporate support. The funds are very limited if you aren't rich or can't put forward the thoughts and opinions of the rich.

"Socialists" (social democrats and democratic socialists) are pro-capitalists usually. Social democracy is a compromise between the capital and the working class in a country where the working class is relatively organized and strong. It combines the corporatism of fascism with socialist "welfare" for ordinary people.

[billybob2002 0]

There are candidacy commissions in many countries that sum votes and put forward candidates. The cuban candidacy commission is democratically elected in itself too.

No. It makes sure that candidates aren't against the Cuban government's policies and views. You basically can't have major dissent.

Quote[/b] ]

No it's impossible as anti-capitalist people don't get medial and corporate support. The funds are very limited if you aren't rich or can't put forward the thoughts and opinions of the rich.

In the United States, basically all third parties have problems raising funds; gaining media attention; and getting their messages out there. It doesn't matter if the party is pro-capitalist or anti-capitalist; however, the Progressive Party was somewhat popular in the early 20th century.

A vast majority of Americans aren't anti-capitalist. So, anti-capitalist wouldn't have the votes if they had the money.

We don't naturally like a lot of the "isms."

[-Snafu- 78]

Quote[/b] ]I got a 7 day Post Restriction the 30th of December. Since yesterday I'm free to post again.

Liberal media and liberals are not interested in facts. They find my opinions provoking and subject for flames. Their entire world view is contested at its foundation. They don't see conflict as a solution when they talk and blame non-liberals for it, yet they support their troops

Holy conspiracy theories Batman! The BIS moderators are part of a secret Liberal propaganda machine!

[Spokesperson 0]

Quote[/b] ]No. It makes sure that candidates aren't against the Cuban government's policies and views. You basically can't have major dissent.

You can. It's just that there are no or very few dissident candidates. They get no votes even locally.

Quote[/b] ]In the United States, basically all third parties have problems raising funds; gaining media attention; and getting their messages out there. It doesn't matter if the party is pro-capitalist or anti-capitalist; however, the Progressive Party was somewhat popular in the early 20th century.

Yes that too. But the profiteers of and the economic system in itself don't support people who are against it. Not even outside the country.

Quote[/b] ]A vast majority of Americans aren't anti-capitalist. So, anti-capitalist wouldn't have the votes if they had the money.

We don't naturally like a lot of the "isms

If you have money you have votes. Why do you think people spend money on advertising? I hardly believe that even 1% really knows what communism and socialism is. No one in this thread does. And we all know the education levels + religious beliefs there is in the US. Like 50% think Jesus will re-appear in 50 years.

Quote[/b] ]Holy conspiracy theories Batman! The BIS moderators are part of a secret Liberal propaganda machine!

It isn't any conspiracy theories. They've grown up in a countries with liberal values and liberal focus on history. And they think what they learn is correct and objective. Same thing with religion. People grow up and believe in god becuase their parents do. People think we live in a democracy because all people think so. In reality we don't.

http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=07JvzfO0vOk

Short explanation of cultural hegemony:

Quote[/b] ]/.../ the perspective of the ruling class had been absorbed by the masses of workers. In "advanced" industrial societies hegemonic cultural innovations such as compulsory schooling, mass media, and popular culture had indoctrinated workers to a false consciousness. Instead of working towards a revolution that would truly serve their collective needs, workers in "advanced" societies were listening to the rhetoric of nationalist leaders, seeking consumer opportunities and middle-class status, embracing an individualist ethos of success through competition, and/or accepting the guidance of bourgeois religious leaders.

/.../

Cultural hegemony continues to be a widely applied model in political analysis. For example, an analysis of US political power from 1932-2006 speaks to the dynamics of both class struggle and cultural hegemony. In this view, the surge in trade union membership in the 1930s helped create a massive political base for the Democratic Party, one which declined but persisted largely until 1980. In this exemplary analysis, Robert Brenner argues that the key turn in US politics was the ability of the Republican Party to exploit politics of race and religion:

...the problem that had bedeviled the American right since Goldwater: how to win electoral support for a domestic programme that was transparently against the economic interest of the great mass of the population, and a foreign policy that appeared both reckless and redundant? ¶ The answer, as we have seen, was to look to the South, both as model and as electoral base, to constructed an anti-statist individualist ideology founded on white supremacy, defence of the patriarchal family and Protestant fundamentalism. It was the Republican right's success in constructing this ideological formula, and in identifying the liberal state as a central threat to the racial status quo and 'traditional family values', that provided it with the wherewithal to contend for power on a brazenly pro-business programme.[2]

The preceding analysis shows both material forces in play (such as class and capital), but also a cultural politics, in which ruling interests seek to find emotional issues with which shift worker loyalties from social programs to those which benefit the largest corporations. Many scholars have used these ideas to explain the rise of Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the US. The pattern of playing to issues of race, fear, and individualism in the US is sometimes represented by the notion of the "Southern strategy." More recently, many scholars have argued that the complex events of September 11, 2001 were instantly and deliberately conflated with "The War on Terror," a tool with which George W. Bush exploited nationalism, racism, Christianity, and fear so as to pursue corporate profiteering in the energy sector, pharmaceuticals, armaments, telecommunications, and other key sectors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_hegemony

Is it in the interest of the working class that they have to pay for medical treatment and education, and be unemployed? Your tens of millions of homeless think it's fun to have no home too?

It's easy to talk about conspiracies and laugh when you are ignorant and don't know how things work. You've been taught from kindergarten (if you even have that system in your country) that analysis of society is bad. Everything that leads to it like marxism is bad. The US are the good guys and the Soviets are the bad guys. Democracy and freedom on one side and atheism and evil on the other. All western movies, games, books are like that. You're completely brainwashed and don't want to think yourselves.

[-Snafu- 78]

Only Spokesperson could turn a joke into something serious. I didn't even mention commuism or anything. Your a nutter like those Evangelical Christians you get in the Deep South of the USA.

The moderators were just following rules. Which is no flaming, which is what you were doing. No conspiracy.

Cultural Hegemony is rubbish as well (to an extent - it seems to imply we are all mindless robots). My mother is christian but I have not been to church since I was ween. Furthermore they are solid SNP voters while I am against dis-union. Humans are diverse; never forget that.

Also I work in a refregirated trailer factory and me and everyone else is pretty happy with the system. Same goes for my mate who is a welder.

No more discussions with a man who condones mass murders as long as it is in his own interest.

Now you run along spoiled little student.

Edit:

Big fat LOL. Analysis of society is bad! I guess that is why I took Sociology at school!

Moreover there is no tens of millions of homeless. That would be double the population of Scotland! Your a funny chap.