Lawrence Wilkerson-- Blood on The Streets

Broadcast 5/28/2014 at 3:35 PM EDT (429 Listens, 207 Downloads, 2206 Itunes)
The Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show Podcast

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Lawrence Wilkerson is a retired United States Army soldier and former chief of staff to United States Secretary of State Colin Powell. Wilkerson is an adjunct professor at the College of William & Mary where he teaches courses on US national security. He also instructs a senior seminar in the Honors Department at the George Washington University entitled "National Security Decision Making."

Rough Interview Notes-- Mostly my questions

Rob: You were on Real news talking about predatory capitalism, about predators.

Capitalism's goal is monopoly, destruction or minimization of labor, and building shoddy products at a minimum price.

After WWII we dismantled the regulatory mechanism.

Anyone who tells me we have a labor movement in this country, at this time-- I laugh at them.

Rob: You're a republican. That doesn't sound republican. That sounds socialist

LW: I'm an Eisenhower Republican

Rob: You spoke on Real News about Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations and the invisible hand. Can you get into this a bit, assuming our listeners are not familiar with the details of Adam Smith's writings?

John Maynard Keynes

Rob: Do you see hope for change in the US

with blood on the streets

Rob: are there signs of it happening already (US sliding down into failed nation status)

book Nine Nations of North America

Do you see big changes happening in Europe or Russia, China, India or Africa?

breakup of United Kingdom

Climate change is going to create a desert in Africa". why do you think we really created Africa command? There are three reasons"

-massive migrations because of the disappearing water, disappearing arable land and the military needs to control that.

-because that movement is predominantly south to north it is going to destabilize-- including Europe"

-massive amount of resources that still remain, especially esoteric resources, especially in the center.

They're going to eat our lunch"

Rob: Who's going to eat our lunch, China's lunch

China's going to eat its own lunch.

The earth casts things off when they become untenable to its health"

Royal Dutch Shell calls alternative futures "scramble" and "blueprint."

Rob: Well, corporations have become bigger than nations, transnational, and they're creating their own army

Can you talk about what we've talked about so far and Predator Psychopaths?

1808 Decision Bank of the united states vs Deveaux

We cut the throat of the goose that laid the golden egg?

Rob: You teach about National Security. Do yo also advise people in industry and government? What do you advise them are the big issues in security?

With the supreme court, and Obama appointing foxes to guard the hen houses, what do we do. I guess you answered, with "blood in the street."

We've already seen blood spilled.

When you turn to the American marine, soldier, Sailor and tell them, "Fire on Americans" you're going to get a very different response than you might expect.

Rob: Let's talk about neoconservatives.

they're radicals, They're trotskyites,

The tea party is wealth defenders

list of neocons--

Charles Krauthamer, Bill Kristol, Richard Perle, Douglas Feithe

Rob: What is a trotskyite?

Rob: Can you talk about Ukraine neocons and sanctions.

IRI, NDI,

Rob: What is the big plan. What would you say they are shooting for now?

American Hegemony

Rob: it sounds more corporate interest than American interest

Rob: Are you suggesting that the American military performs criminal actions for corporations?

Guatemala

Rob: Can you give some more examples?

Chile

Rob: What about military performance of criminal actions that have been done in this century?

Rob: Let's talk about 911. What is your take on what we know and what we don't know and what we've been told about 911.

Rob: Would like to get my hands on the classified annex of the 911 report. I'm particularly interested in Saudi Arabia's complicity in 911.

Rob: A lot of 911 people think there was an inside job there. What do you think?

Rob: What is your take on Ed Snowden and his disclosures, and on American spying on Americans?

I just finished reading Glenn Greenwald's book.

Snowden is a genuine Whistle blower

American mainstream media is completely in tow of its corporate interests. It's worse than useless. it's dangerous

Rob: What's your take on Greenwald's book?

Read it and weep America.

Rob: What about what we can do about the surveillance state in America?

FISA amendments act

We're slowing rolling up the first and fourth amendments to the constitution. We're already in a new state of civil liberty usurpation by the government. And the NSA is a principal institutional ingredient in the marching backwards of civil liberties?

Rob: Why? I wonder how much of this is corporate driven?

Rob:Keep in mind that Eric Holder worked for a law firm that served transnational corporations.

Holder is as dangerous as anyone George W. Bush appointed.

Rob: Tell me more about holder

Rob: What do you think Obama's legacy will be?

Rob: What about Obama's treatment of whistleblowers?

Rob: He's far to the right of Eisenhower (about Obama out-doing Bush.)

Rob: You teach courses on national security. What is your appraisal of national security issues now?

Number one is climate change. The pentagon is doing more than any other element in the government to deal with climate change.

Mishandling the US-China relationship-- making the relationship antagonistic and ultimately leading to climate change.

Potential for another war in western asia--

What countries are at risk for western asia

Iran

What about Israel?

a huge strategic liability

Rob: When I look at Israel I see a problem similar to what we have here with our politics--

Rob: Yet I feel that the biggest power in the US for Israel comes from the 70 million

Rob: do you have ideas about alternative approaches to economics?

Grand strategy project at the New America Foundation.

Headed by Patrick Doherty

Anne Marie Slaughter head of New America

a new approach to housing-- a reversal of sprawl

getting rid of automobiles. living in a walkable, bicyclable community

a new tax system that does not tax wealth, but taxes waste

regenerative agriculture-- bring people down to smallness. agriculture that is not only sustainable but brings back community

Resilience-- creating an infrastructure that takes these first three things and builds a nation that is able to absorb something like a 911 and bounce back from it more adroitly, with more agility

Rob: What about wealth and multibillionaires, and the wealth inequality that the US is almost leading the world in?

It's dangerous.

What about billionaires?

some say that you have to have the incentive for great wealth-- I say that's bullshit.

if that's bullshit what is the deal with capitalism in terms of incentives?

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