For a time, most Americans believed theirs to be a liberal democratic republic respectful of individual freedoms, and many including some with authority, behaved as if it were. As long as there was a separation of powers—the federal authority limited by the power of states, while itself divided by across executive, judicial and legislative branches, and big business balanced by government regulation—it was believed that space exists for individual freedom. Where the individual confronted the state, due process would guard against abuse. However plausible as a theory, or even as a description of reality, the United-States-as-a-liberal-democratic-republic notion now appears to be antiquated and tattered.

From: Massachusetts Whistleblower at Oversight Watch Massachusetts

Terror, successfully executed, requires two somewhat contradictory threats. First, nobody is exempt: You, yes, you are a target! Second, the idea that some people deserve what they get: Your race, religion, beliefs and, maybe even your actions, make you a deserving target. So it is that the new American Moment is defined by an unremitting war waged by state, church, citizens, soldiers, citizen-soldiers, and vigilantes alike. This is the War on Muslims. The latest threat to burn the Koran was a curious maneuver with both proponents and opponents agreeing that Muslims are dangerous people.

Sergio Reyes is a serious person.* This May Day he is marching in support of workers and immigrants.

Reyes brings a gravitas to the day that accompanies few. Neither a college lefty nor foundation-weaned and preened non-profit operative, Reyes comes to the United States from Chile where a US-back military government installed the world’s first regime that would implement everything that neo-liberal Washington demanded: government that cut taxes on corporations, cut programs for working people, cut regulations and, yes, cut people.

Editor's Note: We inaugurate our five-week series of Open Media Boston guest editorials with Patrick Bond's timely discussion of the very direct connections between American politics and the politics of other nations - via the conduit of U.S.- and corporate-dominated transnational institutions like, in this case, the World Bank. In the midst of his explication of the tremendous threat that the Bank's $3.75 billion loan to South Africa to build a huge coal-fired power plant poses to South African working families and the global environment, Bond raises an implicit challenge to American progressives. Follow the lead of the late Dennis Brutus and help revive the World Bank Bond Boycott movement. We can imagine the positive effect an active boycott campaign might have in a global financial and intellectual center like Boston. We'd be curious to see if local progressives agree that it might be worth turning more local organizing energy back to such work. Our comment area is open, as ever, to further discussion on this point.



Just how dangerous is the World Bank and its neo-conservative president, Robert Zoellick, to South Africa and the global climate?



Notwithstanding South Africa's existing $75 billion foreign debt, last Thursday the bank added a $3.75bn loan to Eskom for the primary purpose of building the world's fourth-largest coal-fired power plant, at Medupi, which will spew 25 million tons of the climate pollutant carbon dioxide each year.