The United States is a violent military state. It's been involved in military action all over the place.

States are violent to the extent that they have the power to act in the interests of those with domestic power

It doesn't matter what we cover, it matters what you discover.

That is [Edward Said] proposal as to how the term should be used. It surely does not describe those who are called "intellectuals" in standard usage, as he would be the first to agree.

If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?

Education is a system of imposed ignorance.

The rich and powerful countries are trying to wreck as much as possible. You know, go off the cliff as soon as you can. Extract every drop of hydrocarbons off the ground and destroy the environment. At the opposite extreme are countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, indigenous people around the world, and first nations in Canada and tribal people in India, campesinos in Colombia... They're trying to save the commons.