Destroying Democracy: The Methods [Archive]

emp

7th December 2003, 17:08

Collaboration appreciated.

So pretending/assuming that powerful business interest had largely gained control of government, what would they do next? I hypothesize that they would work to insure a positive business environment and if necessary they would circumvent democracy in order to do this. So let's look at the last 50 years of mankind's history. In particular looking at the most powerful business interests/governments. Have they done exactly this? Have they "destroyed democracy" to advance the business interests of the extremely wealthy few?

I shall divide the methods of how they would destroy democracy to accomplish this into four sections: 1. Directly subverting elections. 2. Buying public opinion. 3. Brute Force. 4. So called globalism. (But should I just combine sections 1 and 2?)

For each section I must not only show erosion/destruction of democracy, I must also show the motive, the positive results for wealthy business interests.

1. Directly subverting elections.
a. Examples of voter fraud.

2. Buying opinion.
a. Examples of corporate media bias. Important stories marginalized or completely excluded from mainstream media.
b. Examples of journalists fired for by media owners for dubious reasons with obvioius ulterior motives.
c. Examples of the CIA abroad, and corporattions at home or abroad buying right wing politicians positive media coverage.
d. Examples of whistleblowers, scientists, people in general with information that would hurt business interests, etc suffering "untimely deaths", etc.

3. Brute Force
a. Examples of training. (Such as School of Americas and PMC work.)
b. Examples of funding. (CIA proxy armies, “Private Military Companies”, etc.)
c. Examples of directly killing or torturing. (COINTELPRO, VIETNAM, the supposed “drug war”, Nicaragua, etc, etc, etc.
d. Examples of how organized protest/dissent has been silenced/muffled.
e. Miscellanous examples such as voter intimidation, etc.

With each example in the first 3 sections show how the business interests of the wealthy few have benefited through these actions.

4. "Globalization"
Section organized differently, explain GATT, WTO, IMF, etc.
a. Examples of national sovereignty lost (and therefore) democracy lost.
b. Show nation by nation the economic results. (How they benefit the wealthy few and hurt the majority, and if in a few cases they don't, fine show these also of course.)

So I'm going to try to compile this huge list. Only last 50 years. I'll ask for help in just this one thread (although each should really be a seperate thread) for starters and see what happens.

emp

10th December 2003, 01:47

Yes I know it's a reality. I'm asking for collaboration of examples of "Democracy being destroyed." I've managed to find a couple of hours to work on it so far and this what I've got so far. ..

(Let's see if this board can handle a very large post.)

I. Directly subverting elections.
a. Examples of voter fraud.
1. Computerized voter fraud in Florida in 2000.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=246&row=1

II. Buying public opinion.
a. Examples of corporate media bias. Obviously important stories marginalized or completely excluded from mainstream media.
1. Computerized voter fraud in Florida in 2000
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=33&row=1
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=246&row=1

2. Bush blocked probes into Bin Laden
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=103&row=0

3. The US backed Venezuelan coup attempt
http://www.truthout.com/docs_02/04.20A.WRP.Dirty.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/668321/posts
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=230&row=2

4. Nationwide strike in Bolivia concerning the huge price hikes in water prices which occurred thanks to the World Bank forcing the privatization of water services.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=34&row=1

5. 20 years of censored US foreign policy
http://thirdworldtraveler.com/Project%20Ce...t_Censored.html (http://thirdworldtraveler.com/Project%20Censored/Project_Censored.html)

6. Operation Mockingbird
http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/P...ockingbird.html (http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/MOCK/mockingbird.html)

b. Under-reported stories that probably should be considered important.
1. The music industry is close to becoming a monopoly.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=9&row=1
Not so, claims a huffy letter from BMG. 'You assert that six companies dominate the industry. [Due to] takeovers, there is (sic) currently five, and will soon be four when Warner and EMI merge.'

c. Examples of journalists forced to lie (or be fired) by media owners and/or journalists just flat out fired for dubious reasons with obvious ulterior motives.
1. Luis Bredow
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=34&row=1
“The courageous editor of the Bolivian newspaper Gente (People) published an investigative series exposing the sweetheart deals between the U.S.-European investors and politically connected Bolivians. At the end of April, Gente's publishers, admitting to threats of financial ruin by the water system's Bolivian partners, demanded that the editor, Luis Bredow, print a retraction of his reports. Bredow printed the paper's retraction ... and his resignation in protest.”

2. Gary Webb
Forced out of his job after his investigative reporting about the CIA-crack connection.
http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/Gary%20Webb.htm
http://www.zmag.org/ZMag/articles/feb97herman.html
http://www.parascope.com/mx/articles/garyw...yWebbSpeaks.htm (http://www.parascope.com/mx/articles/garywebb/garyWebbSpeaks.htm)
Motive: When you point out serious wrongdoing in the CIA, you are attacking the heart of the establishment. This will not be tolerated.

3. Al Giordano and Narco News
Reporters for NARCO News were assassinated and Giordano’s organization eventually had to suspend further work indefinitely because they couldn’t survive financially against corporations that continually attempted to sue them.
http://www.narconews.com/webbletter.html
http://narconews.com/Issue31/article879.html
Motive: The drug war is just an excuse to continue forcing right economic policies on third world nations. Other excuses include: the International Communist Conspiracy and the Never Ending War Against Terrorism. Giordano was exposing this, he had to be shut up.

d. Examples of the CIA abroad, and corporations at home or abroad buying right wing politicians positive media coverage.
1. Italy 1947-1948
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Ita...taly_WBlum.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Italy_WBlum.html)
Motive: The wealthy elite aren’t real keen on economic democracy.

2. Indonesia 1957-1958
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Ind...uned_WBlum.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Indonesia57_uned_WBlum.html)
“…..The (Central Intelligence) Agency developed a full-face mask of the Indonesian leader which was to be sent to Los Angeles where the police were to pay some porno-actor to wear it during his big scene.”

e. Examples of whistleblowers, scientists, people in general with information that would hurt business interests, etc suffering "untimely deaths", etc.

1. The mainstream media lynching of congress woman Cynthia McKinney.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=229&row=1
Motive: She was too far on the left, she dared to dig into too many scandals.

2. Steve Kangas.
He “committed suicide” outside the office of the number one right wing financial supporter Richard Mellon Scaife. Kangas had an excellent website (that still has numerous mirrors despite Scaife’s attempts to remove it, http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/LiberalFAQ.htm
http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/tenets.htm) among approximately 300 hundred articles at his site, Kangas mentions Scaife twice, once concerning his funding of the Clinton witch hunt, and also mentioning his CIA connections.) Although it was apparent that Scaife knew who Kangas was, he didn’t tell police and they ruled Kangas’s death a suicide under the assumption that he was a homeless drifter.
http://www.psnw.com/~bashford/kang-ev0.html
http://www.politicalamazon.com/kangas.html
Motive: (shrug) He said bad things about Scaife.

f. Examples of “experts” who have huge conflicts of interest.
1. 96% of scientists who wrote articles supporting drugs received financial benefits from the companies that make them.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=65&row=1
Motive: Money

Books on media bias arguing a corporate or conservative bias:
Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky (“Manufacturing Consent”)
Michael Parenti (“Inventing Reality”)
Eric Alterman (“What Liberal Media?”)
Ann Louise Bardach (“Cuba Confidential”).
John Nichols
Robert McChesney

Web Sites
Fair.org
MediaChannel
MediaLens
TVnewslies
(I have more, that’s off the top of my head.)

And for a laugh (or a cry) books arguing a liberal bias
William McGowan (“Coloring the News”),
Bernard Goldberg Bias
Ann Coulter, Slander

III. Brute Force
a. Examples of training and funding of guerilla armies to destroy legitimate governments.(CIA proxy armies, “Private Military Companies”, etc.)

1. The US backed Venezuelan coup (2003)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/668321/posts
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=153&row=3
http://www.truthout.com/docs_02/04.20A.WRP.Dirty.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/internation...,688071,00.html (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,688071,00.html)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0417-01.htm
Motive: Cheap oil

2. Angola 1975-1980s
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Angola_KH.html

3. Brazil 1961-1964
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Brazil_KH.html

4. Cambodia 1955-1973
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Cam...ambodia_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Cambodia_KH.html)

5. Chile 1964-1973
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Chile_KH.html

6. Congo 1960-1964
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Congo_KH.html

7. Cuba 1959-1980s
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Cuba_KH.html

8. Dominican Republic 1960-1966
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Dom...epublic_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/DominicanRepublic_KH.html)

9.East Timor 1975
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Eas...stTimor_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/EastTimor_KH.html)

10. El Salvador 1980-1994
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/ElS...alvador_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/ElSalvador_KH.html)

11. Greece 1964-1974
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Greece_KH.html

12. Grenada 1979-1984
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Grenada_KH.html

13. Guatemala 1953-1954
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Gua...atemala_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Guatemala_KH.html)

14. Guatemala 1962-1980s
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Gua...temala2_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Guatemala2_KH.html)

15. Haiti 1986-1994
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Haiti_KH.html

16. Indonesia 1957-1958
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Ind...nesia57_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Indonesia57_KH.html)

17. Indonesia 1965
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Ind...nesia65_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Indonesia65_KH.html)

18. Iran 1953
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Iran_KH.html

19. Laos 1957-1973
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Laos_KH.html

20. Nicaragua 1981-1990
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Nic...caragua_KH.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Nicaragua_KH.html)

21. Uruguay 1964-1970
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Uruguay_KH.html

22. Zaire 1975-1978
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Zaire_KH.html

b. Examples of directly killing or torturing. (COINTELPRO, VIETNAM, the supposed “drug war”, etc, etc, etc.
1. US government assassination plots
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Ass...ions_WBlum.html (http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Assassinations_WBlum.html)

c. Examples of how organized protest/dissent has been silenced or quieted.
1. One of the best union breaking corporations
http://mediafilter.org/CAQ/Wackenhut_RentACop.html
Motive: Cheap labor

d. Firing or worse of those who attempt to organize unions.
1. Assorted people mentioned briefly.
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=98&row=1
Motive: Cheap labor

e. Miscellanous examples such as voter intimidation, etc.

IV. "Globalization"
Section organized differently, explain GATT, WTO, IMF, etc.

a. Examples of national sovereignty lost (and therefore) democracy lost.

b. Show nation by nation the economic results. (How they benefit the wealthy few and hurt the majority, and if in a few cases they don't, fine show these also of course.)

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=125&row=2
“We have seen the activity of the IMF/World Bank for years. They come in, pay off politicians to transfer the water systems, the railways, the telephone companies, the nationalized oil companies, gas stations - they then hand it over to them for nothing. The Globalists pay them off individually, billions a piece in Swiss bank accounts. And the plan is total slavery for the entire population.”
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=105&row=1
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=3&row=1
“So why did Wolfensohn attack protests against a project the World Bank itself found dodgy and damaging? There are larger plans not discussed with the Bank's low-level minions nor known to the latte-fueled revolutionaries demonstrating in Washington last week. Long before ministerial limousines clogged the US capitol, the big policy decisions were settled in far-flung "sectoral" meetings. In the case of water, nearly one thousand executives and bureaucrats gathered in The Hague last month to review and refine a program to privatize the world's water systems.

But private operators can only turn profits if prices rise radically and rapidly. IWF secured from Bolivia a 16% real guaranteed return. This profit boost itself enough to account for the initial 35% hike in rates. To boost such "reform," the IMF, World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank have written sell-offs into what they modestly term, "master plans" for each Latin nation. Consortia such as IWF were formed to capture these cast-off public assets.”